The Era of Gods

In just half a year, his cousin had grown to this extent.

“Even if he can’t rank among the top talents, he could at least make it onto the list of unmatched geniuses or even the sub-list of exceptional individuals.”

To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie, but more than that, he was happy.

If it were any other major clan, he might have been jealous of having the clan’s resources and the attention of the elders snatched away, but in the case of a minor divinity family like the Lin Family, there was no need for jealousy, because there was nothing to be jealous of. At their level, the clan hardly had any resources to support them; everything depended on oneself, and there was no need to feel jealous over trivial matters, but rather to become even closer.

There were only two promising individuals in their clan; supporting each other, they could go further in the future.

The Dark Moon Higher Education Institution’s seven-person group was the last to arrive, bringing the total to ninety-eight. The remaining two slots definitely couldn’t fit an entire team, so they could be ignored.

Next, they would naturally vie for positions.

They didn’t bother with any team decision-making layers or anything like that —it wasn’t necessary. They were merely scrambling for a spot to enter first. Once inside the Ruins of Myriad, everyone would go their own way, and conflicts might even result in fights, so setting up these preliminaries was meaningless.

After a brief consultation with Wu Zhonglin, he led the team towards the entrance of the ruins.

By now, near the great sun, many teams of various sizes had already gathered, including the other three major forces besides the HuaXia District.

Ivy League Alliance of High Schools.

Giant Enterprises Alliance.

Aristocracy Council.

As the power immediately below the HuaXia District, the Ivy League Alliance also had five super academies. The Giant Enterprises Alliance and the Aristocracy Council each had only one, which meant the four major forces of the Main World were led by the HuaXia District and the Ivy League Alliance, with the Giant Enterprises Alliance and the Aristocracy Council… not merely tagging along; they each had a great divine power, but they just couldn’t compare to the HuaXia District and the Ivy League Alliance.

The reason they were counted among the four great powers was that each of them had a super academy and each governed a Crystal Wall System essentially under their control.

Regardless of the size of the governed Crystal Wall System or the richness of its resources, even the smallest was a complete system capable of giving birth to a great divine power.

In other words, each of the four major powers had a great divine power and held their status as one of the Main World’s four great powers precisely because of these presences. Without such entities, no abundance of territories or deities would qualify them.

The super academy belonging to the Giant Enterprises Alliance was Eternal Night, ranked fourth, established by the great divine power, the Master of Endless Night, and was the only super academy of the Giant Enterprises Alliance.

The super academy belonging to the Aristocracy Council was Heaven Mountain, ranked fifth, established by the great divine power, the Master of Endless Light, and was the only super academy of the Aristocracy Council.

Beyond these, according to Lin Xiao’s information, the Human Main World seemed to have one neutral great entity who had not established any forces and whose whereabouts were unknown.

On the surface, the Human Main World only had five great divine powers, and whether there were any others behind the scenes, Lin Xiao did not know. He guessed there probably weren’t any, because the system of deities was different from the mythological system passed down in ancient China. If a new great entity were born, it would basically be impossible to remain hidden, which meant that the likelihood of a reclusive great divine power was slim.

Of course, this was his speculation, as he was too far from the level of a great divine power to truly know if any hidden ones existed.

As a large group arrived, the dozen or so large teams guarding the entrance of the ruins immediately became alert and looked over. Lin Xiao stayed put while Li Xiushen and Dongfang Piaoxue glanced at each other and simultaneously extended their hands from behind their backs:

“Rock!”

“Paper!”

“I win, you go.”

Dongfang Piaoxue proudly waved his paper hand, while Li Xiushen, with a gloomy face, clenched his fist, flew out of the crowd, and shouted loudly:

“Radiance, Li Xiushen!”

Immediately after, several figures burst forth from the crowd, announcing their presence loudly:

“War Throne, Yi Lei!”

“Inferno, Li Jun!”

“Holy Crystal, Li Shengji!”

“Dark Moon….”

As they announced the colleges they belonged to one by one, the teams around them went from being initially puzzled, to surprised, to finally shocked. Many people couldn’t help but open their mouths in astonishment.

After a few of them introduced themselves, Li Xiushen unapologetically shouted loudly:

“We’re claiming tomorrow’s spot, anyone who objects is welcome to come and learn a lesson!”

The surroundings fell silent, with only faint whispers and gazes filled with various emotions – envy, disdain, acceptance, and resistance, various feelings abounded.

But, overall, acceptance prevailed. After all, all five elite colleges were present. Those with a bit of sense knew they couldn’t stand in the way, and even those who were reluctant in their hearts still stepped aside obediently.

It’s worth mentioning that Lin Xiao sensed several dozen extremely powerful presences here, all of them True-Body Descend.

Honestly, he admired their courage. It was tantamount to staking everything they had on this fight, leaving their survival to this one encounter.

Lin Xiao wouldn’t dare do the same; with the Creation Rubik’s Cube in hand, his growth rate far exceeded that of ordinary people. Even if he gained little from this opportunity and it only slightly affected his growth rate, it would at most delay his entry into the secondary ranks of geniuses. He wouldn’t lose his chance like other top elites might by making one misstep after another.

Perhaps due to some concerns, these students with True Bodies Descend were very low-profile. Even those who were unconvinced didn’t take any action.

Gradually, large teams parted to make room, but there were still those who truly objected and took action, such as the joint body from the Ivy League Alliance of High Schools belonging to those five super colleges, who dared to confront them upon hearing their declaration.

Like them, the five super colleges of the Ivy League Alliance of High Schools wanted to unite and enter the ruin quickly. The moment they introduced themselves, the others immediately approached them, obviously looking to cause trouble.

This team of nearly a hundred people flew over, led by three figures, and in terms of momentum, did not fall short.

Lin Xiao glanced over this team but was slightly taken aback when his gaze landed on three figures in the center of the crowd. Among them, he spotted two familiar faces.

He looked back at Wu Zhonglin, who typically seemed gentle. Wu had also noticed the familiar figures opposite him, and his face involuntarily showed a trace of discomfort.

The three on the other side were naturally sizing them up when a very surprised female voice called out:

” Wu Zhonglin, please look this way!”

The voice was quite enthusiastic; it was none other than Aria from the Ivy League Alliance of High Schools, a very beautiful foreign young lady, who had pursued Wu Zhonglin back at the Super Newcomer Summer Camp.

The man to her left was also familiar, Bart, who had accompanied Aria back then. Surprisingly, after so much time, he had not fallen behind; entering the second rank phase, he was still the core of his college.

However, both he and Wu Zhonglin quickly shifted their attention from these two acquaintances, instantly drawn to the young man with demon’s horns shrouded in dense demonic power by their side. They showed a hint of seriousness on their faces.

Not only did the man exhibit formidable strength, but he was also a True-Body Descend. He was the first encounter Lin Xiao had with someone whose strength was comparable to his own, yet who had descended in their True Body. He was the most brazen of all True-Body Descend they had seen so far.

He said loudly and without reservation:

“We, the Ivy, claim tomorrow’s spot!”

This confrontational statement boomed loudly, and Lin Xiao immediately felt countless curious and anticipatory gazes turn their way. Everyone was interested in seeing a real-life PK between two powerhouses, including teams from the Giant Enterprises Alliance and the Aristocracy Council.

Lin Xiao and Wu Zhonglin frowned slightly, while Li Xiushen heavily punched his palm, saying:

“I recognize this guy, his name is Karl. One of his true names is ‘Archimonde,’ inheriting the demon’s power from one of the Burning Legion’s commanders, Archimonde, a notorious figure. He is the top student of the Immortal Authority for this second-year class. His strength is said to be incredibly powerful, already surpassing that of average extraordinary deputy rankings. The reason he’s not ranked in the Deputy Rankings of Geniuses is probably that he hasn’t met a few criteria. He must be aiming for the first place in points of this midterm exam and that spot from the Tomb Guardian.”

“If he really achieves his goal, whether it’s getting the first in points, securing an All-Embracing Mysterious Storehouse slot, or the Tomb Guardian spot, any of those would be enough to compensate for his shortcomings and secure him a spot on the Deputy Rankings of Geniuses.”

Archimonde!

Lin Xiao had heard of this name. A legendary powerful demon lord from the Crystal Wall Universe of Azeroth, Archimonde was a commander of the Burning Legion, a being infinitely close to great divine power.

Azeroth, the world setting from a game Lin Xiao knew before his rebirth, really exists. It’s a very powerful Crystal Wall Universe.

The renowned Star Soul Titan, while not the true great divine power, held a great stature in the Crystal Wall Universe of Azeroth. So, although its strength did not reach that of the great divine power, it surpassed powerful divine power. The official term from the Main World for this is ‘Pseudo-Great Divine Power.’

Aside from the representatives of the four major forces – Radiance, Immortal Authority, Eternal Night, and Heaven Mountain – the founders of the other eight super colleges all belong to this category.

They are all beyond the limits of powerful divine power through special means but not quite actual great divine power.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Azeroth is under the Immortal Authority’s reign. In fact, the Crystal Wall Universe of Azeroth is so strong that even if the four major forces of the Main World were to join forces, they may not necessarily win over it. On the contrary, they still need to be cautious of being counterattacked. Hence, although this powerful Crystal Wall Universe was discovered quite early, not only has no major force entered it, but any being above the true god has been strictly forbidden from entering. Only those below the true god are allowed to enter with restrictions, and any transactions with higher beings in that universe are strictly prohibited.

As for the Archimonde’s Bloodline possessed by Karl, it was acquired by his ancestors before the ban came into effect.

Once the ban was established and the two universes severed contact, the Karl Family with the lineage of a Burning Legion commander was strictly forbidden; no descendant, regardless of strength, was allowed to enter that Crystal Wall Universe.