The Era of Gods - Chapter 98

Chapter 98: Chapter 98 The Elites of the Provincial Governor’s No.1 High School

Translator: 549690339

“Miss Shen?”

“Lin Xiao, classmate!”

Both of them spoke at the same time and then burst into laughter.

Shen Yuexin casually twirled a strand of hair by her ear and said:

“You can just call me Yuexin, Lin Xiao. Are you here to report for the camp?”

“Yes, are you here for the same, Yuexin?”

“Then how come you’re alone? Didn’t anyone guide you here?”

“Someone did escort me, but they left at the school entrance.”

“I meant inside the school. Didn’t security let someone bring you over?”

“No.”

…….

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Yuexin finally said:

“Then follow me, I’ll take you there.”

“I’m not familiar with this place anyway.”

He twisted the handle of the small motorbike, but seeing the magic carpet didn’t move, he looked up in confusion. Then he saw her suddenly covering her mouth, her large eyes curving slightly as she burst into laughter, pointing at his motorbike:

“You should change to another one. That’s the vehicle of Senior Li’s little granddaughter.”

“I…”

Lin Xiao nearly let out a curse on realizing something was off. Such a small bike would belong to a student; surely that guard was jealous and played a trick on him.

He quietly got off the bike and carefully parked the small motor at the roadside. Looking around, he spread his hands to Shen Yuexin and said:

“You go ahead, I’ll walk there. I won’t get lost with a map.”

Shen Yuexin nodded her head:

“Alright then, see you later.”

He didn’t ask for a ride, and naturally, she didn’t offer. They had only met once and were not familiar with each other.

Luckily, there was no need to rush as he had plenty of time. He might as well consider it exercise.

The valley situated between two mountain peaks was only thirty to forty meters wide, with a row of unknown large trees on each side. Behind the trees was a path made of broken stones, and at intervals along the path were stone benches. Beyond the benches, there was a row of ornamental shrubs, and further back stretched a well-kept green lawn that ran up the gently sloping hillsides.

The path was serene, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind, the occasional chirping of birds, or… the occasional whooshing sound…

He looked back and saw a missile-shaped flying object, covered in silver light, hurtling down from the direction he came. It quickly soared over his head, bringing a strong gust of wind and a whistling sound.

“Sure enough, everyone who studies at Yunmeng Province’s First School is wealthy.”

Although Lin Xiao came from a decent background, he was considered quite ordinary among the descendants of True God families; he didn’t own products that combined magic with the technology of the Main World.

It’s not that he couldn’t afford them; he just couldn’t afford anything upscale.

“Let’s go!”

He continued on his way and finally, after two hours, he passed through the seven to eight-kilometer-long gorge and could see a circular archway at the end of the valley, about twenty to thirty meters high, with two large, twisted trees standing beside it like sentinels.

As he approached the archway, Lin Xiao realized the twisted trees were two sleeping treants, their lush branches and extensive roots sprawling over a wide area, almost covering the entire gateway.

These treants were asleep for now, but they would be ready to uproot and fight with their branches and roots at the arrival of any enemy.

On a horizontal branch above the gateway perched a crow as big as an eagle, shrouded in a faint gray mist. It looked at Lin Xiao approaching and said in a sharp, human-like voice:

“Do you have a pass, boy up front?”

He didn’t take out the temporary student card the security guard gave him; after the previous incident, he didn’t trust that guy. Instead, he took out the Super Newcomer Summer Camp invitation. The crow flew over and circled around him, Lin Xiao feeling a faint wave of energy.

“You can go in now.”

The crow flew back to its branch and ignored him.

Reaching the gate, his sensitive facial muscles felt a thin membrane that broke upon contact—just like the energy barrier his mother set up at home, designed only to contain energy and not as a defense.

Stepping through the gate felt like entering another world, a surge of fresh energy washing over him.

What surprised him the most was that the light film at the gate had the capability to project illusions. From the outside, all he could see within the archway was a few small buildings and a garden. Once inside, he was met with a tall building, three smaller ones on the right side, and a square stretching far into the distance. About a dozen young men and women, split into two groups, were chatting in the square. Seeing Lin Xiao’s sudden appearance, they all turned their eyes toward him.

“Another newcomer has arrived.”

A man dressed in a lavish robe, his hair as white as snow and with two small horns on his forehead, his face too handsome for words, spoke without looking back:

“Tang Ling, go ask the newcomer where he’s from.”

The one called Tang Ling was also extremely handsome. As a matter of fact, all the young men and women were exceptionally attractive, as true descendants of True Gods they weren’t unsightly. Even though Lin Xiao didn’t compare to them, he was still fairly good-looking.

However, Tang Ling clearly lacked interest, waving his hand dismissively:

“We in Prefecture City know who got the qualifications for the Summer Camp. This kid is clearly not one of us, so why bother asking?”

“Indeed!”

The man named Ancient City didn’t insist. He gently stroked his snow-white hair and changed the topic:

“I heard that this Summer Camp is different from the previous ones and far more dangerous. Does anyone have any insider information about the specifics?”

After a moment of silence and no response, he looked up to see his companions shaking their heads, shrugging their shoulders, or looking elsewhere, evidently clueless.

Just as he was about to ask something else, one of the boys with blue hair and eyes spoke:

“I’m not sure about the details, but from what I know, taking turns, the host of this Super Newcomer Summer Camp is from the military. Following their style, it’s definitely going to be harder than before, with a greater emphasis on practical combat, and there’s a high chance that there will be quotas for death.”

Ancient City pursed his lips and said:

“Then that might be troublesome.”

“What’s there to fear? Even if it’s dangerous, it will be within our ability to handle. They won’t give us tasks beyond our capacity.”

“That’s hard to say.”

A blond-haired guy retorted:

“In the past sessions hosted by the military, wasn’t there always tasks beyond our capacity? Has there ever been a session without accidents?”

Everyone fell silent for a while before someone said:

“Then it looks like I’ll have to use my two backup card slots.”

“Be careful. I’ll have to use my backup card slot as well. Just so happens my dad gave me an Orange Weapon Card a few days ago to equip my Clan.”

“I’m still short on some equipment. Does anyone have a decent shield, at least two thousand? I’ll trade with cards of the same level.”

“I’ve got a batch of Fine Steel Round Shields here if that suits your needs.”

“That will do. What kind of card do you want in exchange?”

“Oh, by the way, Lin Xu, didn’t you mention that you wanted an Ecology Card last time? I’ve got a Small Forest Ecology Card that includes eight types of trees, hundreds of plants, and several hundred insects. Do you want it?”

“I do, what card do you want in exchange?”

Lin Xu snapped back to reality in response to his companion, and quietly sent a message to Lin Xiao.

Seven people gathered together, quickly turning it into a small-scale trading session. Meanwhile, not far away, another group of students didn’t join them but formed their own small circle for internal discussions. It was clear that these were two different circles.

Lin Xiao looked down at the message sent by his little uncle, which asked him to wait for a moment.

He replied with an “Hmm” and found a chair to sit down in.

After a while, Lin Xu came over and sat next to him, saying:

“I’ll take you to meet the team leader in a bit. Before that, you might want to think about which circle you want to join.”

“What circle?”

“All the students from Yunmeng Province who got the invitation to the Super Newcomer Summer Camp are gathering here at School No.1. There are two circles – the Prefecture City circle and the circle outside of it. Since you’re an outsider, you’re defaulted to the latter, but if you want, I can introduce you to join our circle here.”

“You’re from the Prefecture side?”

“Right.”

“What good does joining do? Is it mandatory?”

“Joining is up to you, but if you don’t join either, you’ll be ostracized by both sides. If you join one, you’ll not only avoid ostracism but can also exchange almost any card, excluding Divinity Cards, within the circle. Plus, our team leader is from School No.1.”

Considering it could save trouble, Lin Xiao nodded and said:

“Joining is fine, but I don’t want to be summoned and bossed around like a lackey.”

“I can’t guarantee that, but you can prove your worth with your abilities or potential, and if you meet either criterion, no one will bully you.”

“How do I prove it?”

“By fighting a simulation projection battle!”

Damn straightforward, but fair. He liked it.

“Alright then.”

In terms of overall strength, he might not yet match these elites with far better backgrounds than his own, but if it was just a simulation projection battle, he had no fears.

This so-called simulation projection was just like the first part of the final exam, where a portion of a Clan from the Divine Realm is projected onto a virtual plane for combat. Even with heavy losses, it wouldn’t affect the Divine Realm in the slightest. It’s the most common and appropriate way for students to test their strength and the ideal form of challenge.

Lin Xiao wasn’t against joining any circle; in fact, it was inevitable. Wherever there are people, there are circles, and without fitting into one, it’s hard to get by.

He also didn’t think that just because he came from outside the Prefecture City, he had to join a circle outside of it. Naturally, he would join whichever circle was easier to fit into, especially since his uncle was a familiar face on this side.

After his grandfather’s birthday banquet, he and Lin Xu had exchanged contact information and even chatted before.

This seemingly arrogant uncle wasn’t as difficult to get along with as imagined. His arrogance came from the fact that none of his peers in the Lin Family were accomplished; in his words, they were all rice buckets, unworthy of communication.

Just like Lin Xiao, earning an invite to the Super Newcomer Summer Camp was enough to gain his recognition, and naturally, his attitude was different.

After Lin Xu returned and spoke with his companions for a moment, seven people approached Lin Xiao. Walking at the center was Ancient City, with hair as white as snow. He sized up Lin Xiao and said:

“You’re Lin Xu’s nephew? Not bad for making a name for yourself in a small place like Dongning City. Considering Lin Xu, I’ll give you a chance. Choose anyone of us for a simulated battle. As long as you can last an hour, you’ll pass.”

Without any hesitation, Lin Xiao offered his respects to the blond-haired guy:

“Please enlighten me!”

The blond-haired guy chuckled and said:

“No need for formalities. My name is Shang Xiaoxue, follow me.”

As he spoke, he turned and walked toward a tall building on the left, with Lin Xiao following behind, biting his lip to suppress a laugh.

“Elementary Shang…”

That was one distinctive name.