The Era of Gods

Chapter 295: The First Opponent on the Heavenly Pride List is So Terrifying

Accompanied by an imperceptible fluctuation spreading from the vortex, a name at the end of the huge leaderboard light screen in the Myriad Images God Temple quietly vanished.

Jin Sisi sighed inaudibly, a touch of disappointment rising in her heart.

This time, the sudden disappearance of the name didn’t draw as much attention as it had when it was at the bottom of the list, as everyone’s focus was on the top contenders, including the True Gods themselves.

In a certain part of the Void, more than a dozen Gambling Gods responsible for betting and similar godhood duties were intently watching the leaderboard and the performance of each contestant. Lin Xiao’s sudden disappearance from the list caught their attention. Most glanced and then looked away, but one True God shook his head as he shifted his gaze:

“I thought he was one of the hot favorites for the ruins this time. It’s a pity he performed so poorly, didn’t even last until the end and got eliminated.”

A True God beside him nodded and said:

“I actually had high hopes for him; it’s unexpected that it turned out this way, with his background being eliminated early means he gains nothing, which will surely have a huge impact on his future growth.”

“I heard his background is quite ordinary, growing up to this stage is already quite remarkable, the support from Radiance is very important to him, but with no results this time, that will definitely cause Radiance to reconsider their investment in him.”

“Ordinary background, huh…”

“Yes, ordinary. His parents are both Demigods, and the strongest in his clan is only…”

The voice abruptly stopped, and he exclaimed in surprise:

“Eh? Someone is still betting on him, and betting a lot? Hasn’t he been eliminated…?”

The True God suddenly looked up, his pupils flaring with divine light, and loudly said:

“Quick, check on this student Lin Xiao’s current situation!”

Another True God beside him waved his hand, and the light screen in front of him changed to show Lin Xiao’s details. Just as it seemed no different from before and he was about to speak, the screen refreshed unexpectedly, and a peculiar mark appeared in his eyes.

Even as a True God with extraordinary insight, he showed a hint of surprise, and…

“Quick, close the bets immediately!”

All the nearby True Gods turned their gaze to their anxious colleague, showing puzzled expressions.

“This student named Lin Xiao just ranked on the Genius Sublist, and moreover, he’s on both the strength and potential lists, ranking at eleven.”

“How is that possible? Wasn’t he just eliminated?”

“Yes, but what does his being listed have to do with it?”

“But…”

“But what? Close the bets first. The news will spread soon. If you don’t, you’re looking to lose a fortune.”

The True Gods immediately took action, sealing all bets related to Lin Xiao, no longer allowing any further wagers.

But in that brief moment, more than a dozen new bets appeared, all large ones, with the largest bet placed by Xia Yu.

Not to mention the Gambling Gods who were feeling frustrated and baffled, inside the Myriad Images God Temple, Xia Yu was in good spirits after placing his bet before the closing, frankly having thought he saw wrong when he first received the news.

Under normal circumstances, Lin Xiao would be expected to keep a low profile for a while after placing last in this opportunity, and Xia Yu had not expected that, just as he was eliminated, he was actually listed on the Genius Sublist, and what’s more, for both strength and potential simultaneously—it was quite mysterious.

After only a few seconds of thought upon receiving the news, he placed a heavy bet in the market, betting on Lin Xiao to win the Divine Treasure of Myriad.

After much consideration, Xia Yu felt that his brother-in-law being listed on the Genius Sublist immediately after elimination indicated a 99% chance that he had obtained the Divine Treasure of Myriad. Only a treasure from the Divine Treasure of Myriad could enhance one’s strength so rapidly, allowing a leap onto the genius list.

He was unclear how Lin Xiao managed to obtain the Divine Treasure of Myriad, as it seemed unfathomable, but the reality was before his eyes. If it really was the case, then this early eliminated contestant would become the biggest winner of the Ruins of Myriad.

The value of a single Divine Treasure of Myriad far surpassed that of being the first on the Points leaderboard.

Excluding the right of inheritance, the value of a single Divine Treasure of Myriad would be higher than the combination of being first on the Points leaderboard and acquiring an All-Embracing Mysterious Storehouse.

Should the right of inheritance be included, the worth of a Divine Treasure of Myriad would exceed everything else within the ruins.

After all, if the Lord of All Things were to truly perish, the entire Ruins of Myriad would amount to just a small part of his legacy.

As the legitimate child of great divine power, Xia Yu knew more secrets than ordinary people. In his knowledge, although the Lord of All Things was barely clinging to life now, he would inevitably fall if nothing changed.

Once he fell, his legacy would be inherited by three geniuses who had once obtained a Divine Treasure of Myriad. With one of the three eligible Divine Treasure of Myriad holders already gone, only two remained. This meant that in the future, Lin Xiao could possibly inherit half of a mighty being’s legacy, which was very tempting.

Shortly after Lin Xiao’s betting odds were sealed, news of his ranking on the Genius Sublist gradually spread, causing almost all the True Gods inside the Myriad Images God Temple to show incredulous expressions. Their second reaction was to go place bets, and the third was to curse loudly, demanding the market reopen amidst the chaos.

In the midst of this chaos, the vortex on top of the Chaos Fireball in the center of the six Tomb Guardians in the temple suddenly contracted to a point before expanding again, with beams of white light spewing out, landing on the ground and transforming into the figures of various contestants with different expressions.

Some rejoiced while others were saddened; those who acquired treasures were naturally overjoyed, while those who missed out on treasures and rankings were certainly not in the best of spirits. Everyone quickly found their team leaders and returned to their own battleships.

The twelve surviving members of the Radiance team gathered together, their faces filled with joy as they huddled and chatted merrily.

Not far away, a group of contestants passed by. Li Xiushen stood with his hands on his hips, loudly taunting them:

“Weren’t certain schools full of arrogance before? And yet they only got two treasures, what a joke!”

Karl stopped in his tracks, his expression emotionless as he looked at him and said:

“If you’re not convinced, let’s have a duel.”

Li Xiushen choked up at the challenge, Karl giving him a contemptuous look:

“Either fight me or shut up.”

Everyone was left speechless, wanting to retort but unable to find a rebuttal.

Not to mention that Karl was already stronger than they were, he had obtained an All-Embracing Mysterious Storehouse this time, and now he was even less likely to be defeated.

“If only Lin Xiao were here.”

Everyone looked up simultaneously, and Dongfang Piaoxue shook his head:

“He probably can’t beat Karl now.”

“Who would have thought that the previous favorite would be eliminated so early? The world is truly unpredictable.”

The Immortal Authority cohort returned to their own Void Battleship, away from outsiders, where they could chat freely. One student laughed and said:

“Lin Xiao was not much different from Chief Karl before, but now that Chief Karl has obtained a secret storehouse, with this loss and his gain, wouldn’t our senior easily defeat him?”

Karl didn’t speak, but upon hearing this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upwards, showing that he was in a good mood.

“There’s no need for our senior to take action. Once Jiales senior assimilates this treasure, the gap won’t be significant.”

“Not just significant, given Jiales senior’s excellent performance this time, he’s bound to receive the school’s full reward upon returning. If he gets a few suitable Ancient Cards, he might even surpass Lin Xiao in one fell swoop.”

“Haha, when the number one of Radiance can’t even compare to the second of Immortal Authority, I believe it will be quite amusing.”

“Amusing, is it?”

“Of course, you don’t see     ”

The student’s voice came to an abrupt halt as all the students quickly stood up to salute and greet the instructor who had entered.

The Immortal Authority instructor was a stern-looking middle-aged man. He walked up to them and stopped, squeezing out a smile when his gaze fell on Karl and Jiales, but his expression turned cold when he looked at the others. With a reprimanding tone, he said:

“I don’t know on what basis you dare to taunt someone stronger than yourselves. What right do you have?”

Most of them bowed their heads in shame, but a few showed scornful expressions. The instructor took note and his pressuring gaze bore into them as he said:

“Do you disagree?”

No one answered.

“Aren’t you all very capable? Disdainful of everyone else behind their backs, yet now not even daring to answer. How are you any different from trash?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a student stood up and said loudly:

“I disagree!”

“Good, you’ve got guts.”

The middle-aged instructor walked up to the speaking student, his face expressionless as he said:

“Then I’ll give you a chance. Next semester, I want you to challenge him. Do you dare?”

The young man bit his lip and nodded vigorously:

“I dare!”

“Excellent!”

Crisp applause came from behind, and as everyone turned, they saw another instructor from the team approaching. He patted the young man’s shoulder with admiration:

“This student has courage, the spirit of utter fearlessness, daring to challenge a super elite ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Pride list. I have a lot of respect for that.”

“Ah ”

Everyone was flabbergasted, with Karl’s pupils constricting as he asked:

“Are you saying Lin Xiao from Radiance is now on the Heavenly Pride list?”

“Yes, just recently, he was listed for both his strength and potential, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Pride list.”

“How is that possible!”

Unlike the others who were in disbelief, Wu Zhonglin, seated not far away on a meditation mat, slowly opened his eyes, also somewhat surprised. Laughing, he said:

“I thought this fight wouldn’t happen, but it turns out to be more interesting than I imagined. Entertaining!”

He closed his eyes again, seemingly unaffected by the news.

As the news spread, more and more people received it. Most of them didn’t believe it at first, but as the message fermented and there were no rebuttals, and with the official cessation of betting, people had no choice but to believe it was true.

What followed were various incredibilities and speculations, and even Lin Xiao in the Main World Divine Domain received inquiries from the school authorities.

Of course, they were not asking if it was true. Once the Heavenly Pride list was published, there was no room for falsehood. They were asking whether he had really obtained the Divine Treasure of Myriad.

Lin Xiao hesitated for a moment before not giving an answer.

Although it would be obvious to anyone that he must have obtained the Divine Treasure of Myriad, he could not admit it, not now, nor in the future, as it might lead to some unpredictable troubles.

The journey to the Ruins of Myriad had ended, and while the students of Radiance had not yet returned, the news of Lin Xiao’s ranking on the auxiliary list of the Heavenly Pride had spread beforehand.