The Era of Gods

Chapter 365: Joining the School, White Tower

Having returned from the Divine Realm, Lin Xiao re-established contact with Colonel Xie Yufei.

Her intelligence was keener than Jin Sisi’s; she already knew of his return and wasn’t surprised one bit, very clear about the purpose of his call, she directly said,

“Your merits have been confirmed, and you will be awarded an elite military rank. After your contributions are assessed, you will receive the title of Elite Second Lieutenant!”

She also sent over a document that detailed the meaning of the elite military rank and what privileges an Elite Second Lieutenant would receive.

Firstly, the official elite military rank the military offered was no different from the elite ranks he had learned about from other sources, indeed standing a whole major level above the regular ranks.

For example, his current rank of Elite Second Lieutenant was equivalent to a regular Major. And elite ranks took precedence over standard ranks, which meant if he encountered a real Major, they would have to salute him. It’s like being a grade higher when ranks of the same level meet.

An official Major was considered mid-level in the military structure. Generals were absolutely high-level, as each of them was a bigshot commanding a War Zone. With his current rank, if he joined the military now, he would be quite a significant officer right away. In less significant Dimensions, he would already have the qualifications to be a local garrison commander.

Given the importance of this rank, the benefits were naturally substantial.

Even without a current military position, he was entitled to corresponding privileges.

Firstly, there were the military authority privileges – in addition to those corresponding to his rank, he received additional privileges exclusive to the elite rank, which were extremely rare.

“Elite” – this prefix alone highlights the rarity of such a rank. Not many in the military held an elite rank; it wasn’t just any old cabbage.

Lin Xiao had always thought that ordinary people possessed normal ranks and the Sons of the Divine Realm held elite ranks. However, this was incorrect; in fact, most Sons of the Divine Realm also held regular ranks at first, not elite ones. Only the true elites possessed elite ranks. Even ordinary individuals could earn elite ranks and surpass Sons of the Divine Realm if they made significant enough merits.

The specific privileges would be known to him once he entered the military college. Now that he had become a formal member of the regular forces with an official regimental status, but he wouldn’t officially join the force until college. Before that, these privileges were not applicable, but he still enjoyed the benefits of an elite rank.

As he was part of the Yan Huang’s Fifth War Zone, First Expeditionary Army, Third Division, Furious Flame Battalion, directly under Xie Yufei, his benefits were provided by the First Expeditionary Army.

Benefit One: He would receive a monthly salary of a standard Elite Second Lieutenant, with the military’s internal currency called military points, that could be exchanged for an equivalent amount of other resources, like Divinity. As long as you had enough military points and the required authority level, you could exchange them for special, rare resources that needed enough authority to be traded.

A regular Second Lieutenant’s standard salary was one hundred points; Lin Xiao’s elite rank salary was ten times that, one thousand points, equivalent to a normal Colonel’s monthly pay.

However, an officer’s income typically exceeded this amount, as this was just the baseline salary. Additional allowances and subsidies depended on the different troops one served in.

For instance, the income of officers of elite battalions in the Yan Huang’s Fifth War Zone would be significantly higher than those serving in less important Dimensions. They might have the same baseline salary, but the extra bonuses and allowances made a big difference every month.

These powerful elite battalions each had their own designated Dimensions and received a substantial income from them monthly. Money… was never an issue for them.

Unfortunately, Lin Xiao had just officially started his job and wasn’t eligible for salary yet. Moreover, he currently had no military position, only the standard wage without extra allowances and bonuses.

Having left the dormitory, Lin Xiao wanted to find Shen Yuexin, but unfortunately, she wasn’t at school. She wasn’t in the Nightmare World either. Since the break, she had been pulled back home by her older brother for special training and hadn’t returned yet. He didn’t know if she was aware that her boyfriend had been trapped before.

“Boring!”

Standing near the school’s entrance, watching the juniors come and go, including many newcomers, he suddenly realized that he was now a senior in his third year.

“Lin Xiao, junior!”

A crisp and pleasant voice suddenly rang out behind him. Turning back, he saw Senior sister Xiong Chu Mo passing by. She turned around to face him, examining him with a curious look and said,

“I didn’t expect you to have such a hobby.”

Following her gaze, Lin Xiao noticed that many of the senior students at the school gate were checking out the pretty new girls. He quickly waved his hands and said,

“Don’t misunderstand, senior sister. I just happened to pass by.”

“I understand.”

The beautiful girl nodded her head with a twinkle in her eye, but judging by her expression…

….

“I’ll soon head over to the college section. Do you have time to accompany me on a walk around campus?”

Senior Chumo did not dwell on the matter, and with a hearty laugh, she invited him along.

Lin Xiao naturally agreed,

“It would be an honor!”

There wasn’t much to see on a campus tour, but taking a stroll with a radiant young woman wasn’t a bad idea. Moreover, she had taken care of him before, so he couldn’t refuse.

Senior Chumo had now advanced to the college level, and like them, she was about to start the new term, with few chances to return to this side in the future.

“`

They just took a stroll around the campus, had something to eat after a walk, and then parted ways, without discussing anything else.

Two days before school started, to Lin Xiao’s surprise, his girlfriend had not yet returned. He learned through the headteacher that she might not attend her last year of high school normally but would be accompanied by her brother to the Outland to prepare for ascension to a Demigod.

In fact, it was not just her—none of the elite students from First Level High or Second Level High who ranked at the top of their classes in their penultimate year would attend school normally; they would all start preparing early for becoming Demigods, Lin Xiao included.

In Jin Sisi’s words:

“With your current strength, especially yours, the foundation is already solidly built. Ordinary trials and resources are a waste of time for you. You should prepare for the Ignition of the Divine Fire and become a Demigod.”

In her private residence, Jin Sisi, now back to her normal human size, had taken off her armor and put on casual clothes—a rare sight of her beautiful appearance and attractive figure. Lacking her usual seriousness when facing students, she casually sat down with a plate of bright red fruit, unknown from which dimension they had come, placed on the table before her:

“Although I don’t know what you gained in the Evil Spirit World, from the fact that you destroyed a Nightmare Node and established a Gaia Node, the merit you have achieved should be enough to bring you under Gaia Will’s notice. Unless something unexpected happens, you have been specially marked by Gaia Will as a candidate for Gaia’s Child. This is not a privilege commonly granted to a Celestial Talent List Participant.”

“Teacher, what does Gaia’s Child mean?”

When in doubt, ask. He had heard this term before from Nightmare’s Will Incarnate, but at that time he didn’t feel anything in particular, nor did he notice any abnormalities or receive any special treatment afterwards.

Jin Sisi’s beautiful eyes shimmered, and her enigmatic presence made his heart skip a beat as she said:

“The so-called Gaia’s Child, in plain terms, is the talent among talents, recognized by Gaia Will as possessing astonishing potential.”

“Or to put it another way, any super-elite who meets rigorous conditions can be listed in the supplementary or primary Celestial Talent List, and this standard is fixed, just meet the criteria. However, Gaia’s Child requires personal recognition from Gaia Will, and often an era may pass without the emergence of one. In a sense, it’s akin to the Main World’s Child of Destiny, the Child of the Era.”

She raised her eyelids to look at Lin Xiao and spoke very earnestly:

“Right now, all the great divine powers and existences in the Main World, ninety percent were once Gaia’s Child. If you have the chance, you must strive for it!”

He nodded just as earnestly:

“If possible, I will definitely strive for it!”

He did not say that he might, possibly, or perhaps… was already a candidate for Gaia’s Child.

To be precise, he was still not sure, as it was only the incarnation of Nightmare’s Will that thought so, and Gaia Will had not acknowledged him. He had experienced no abnormalities nor received any exceptional treatment.

“I have two ideas for your upcoming path to Demigodhood. Listen first, then consider them, and if you have other thoughts, feel free to suggest them.”

He nodded seriously, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over her form again and again.

To be honest, Jin Sisi under that thick armor—whether in beauty, figure, or temperament—was within the top three of all the women he had seen, on par with his girlfriend, especially that indomitable spirit unique to those experienced in battle, which was very attractive.

After all, her godhood was War, and in the Foreign Dimension, she was the Goddess of War.

“The first idea is to enter an already explored dimension to establish faith. I have channels for this, or you can choose a suitable Crystal Wall Universe through military access.”

“But you know this path won’t make you the strongest Demigod, and it will waste the strength and potential you currently have. Also, when you go to university, you may fall out of the top tier or perhaps even fail to be listed in the primary Celestial Talent List.”

“The second idea is to go to an unexplored Crystal Wall Universe to establish faith. This path is very difficult and dangerous, but if successful, you will be among the strongest potential Demigods of your peers. Just wait until the end of your senior year to enter university, and you will immediately rise to the primary Celestial Talent List.”

Her gaze returned to Lin Xiao, just in time to catch him sneakily admiring her figure. With a slight raise of her eyebrow and without a word, she simply asked:

“Between these two paths, which do you choose?”

He snapped back to reality, having already made up his mind, he replied:

“I choose the second path, to go to an unexplored Crystal Wall Universe to establish faith!”

“Good, that’s also my expectation. I have basic information on two suitable Crystal Wall Universes, take it back with you and have a look. Or, you can use your military access—Colonel Xie Yufei has a high opinion of you, perhaps you can get good advice from her. Reply to me within two days.”

As she spoke, Lin Xiao received a file from Jin Sisi, the basic information about the two Crystal Wall Universes she had mentioned.

“Alright, I’ll have a look.”

He received the information, but didn’t look at it immediately; he planned to go back and ask Colonel Xie Yufei to see if she had any good options, and then he would choose the one most suitable for himself.

She then gave him some more advice before letting him leave.

Once he left, Jin Sisi, looking down at her own exquisite curves, huffed indignantly:

“Little pervert!”

Returning to the dormitory, Lin Xiao sent a message to Colonel Xie Yufei.

“`