Chapter 178: The Cruel and Bloody System
"A minute ago, my map indicated that we had entered a special area."
"But seeing you were still training, I didn\'t want to disturb you." the girl said.
Sterl appreciated the kind gesture from the pretty girl and the envious glances from the surrounding male players as he began to observe his surroundings.
The speed of the Rainbow Ship began to decelerate and gradually came to a stop.
Finally, through the semi-transparent Rainbow Ship, Sterl could see the outside world clearly.
In the world where the Hall of Valor existed, nine blazing suns hung in the sky, yet the ground was still covered with lush green vegetation.
Giant towering trees and distant running "animals" could be seen faintly—
On the surface, they appeared to be herds of cattle and sheep, but with the help of Star Insight, Sterl quickly realized they were all level 80 or 90 wild creatures.
It was clear that, despite the tranquil appearance, ordinary people or even second-class powerhouses within the human race on Earth wouldn\'t survive here.
The demigod walked up to the players, his friendly demeanor putting many at ease, but then suddenly...
Boom!!
A horrifying pressure swept through, causing many players to collapse to the ground, forced to kneel under its immense force!
Sterl hesitated for a moment. He initially intended to follow the crowd and fall down, but Faye was watching him with concern, making his movements freeze.
It wasn\'t that he didn\'t want to embarrass himself in front of the girl he was on good terms with.
The problem was that Faye knew Sterl\'s strength, and pretending to be weak might be unconvincing.
Moreover, Gloria had previously advised him that the Hall of Valor itself was equivalent to a powerful Divine Power, and it was rare for anyone to covet someone else\'s talents here.
"So... is it better to show a bit of my strength?"
After thinking it over, Sterl decided to stop pretending. He stood tall and resolute, effortlessly withstanding the pressure.
Beside him, Faye\'s expression changed slightly, but she too withstood the impact.
At this moment, the demigod spoke mockingly.
"Not bad, six of you managed to withstand my \'Heart-Shaking Technique.\'"
"You must all have at least an S-class profession or S-class talent." he said casually, his gaze icy towards the others, but his attitude warmed towards Sterl and the other five standing players.
"Alright, you six, come with me."
"The rest of you will join them when you officially participate in the trial." the demigod said offhandedly before leading Sterl and the others away.
As for the other players...
The demigod cast a cold glance at them, causing their movements to freeze in place, momentarily lost in thought.
Having received many "newcomers" before, the demigod knew that there were always some who, not knowing their limits, would try to follow. He disliked killing, so he pre-emptively subdued these ordinary players.
Neither Sterl nor Faye spared a glance at those left behind. They obediently followed the demigod off the ship, through a long corridor, and into a grand hall.
Sterl could now see that over a hundred people had gathered, each exuding a remarkable aura.
Using Star Insight to investigate, his expression shifted slightly.
Good heavens!
Nearly everyone had at least one S-class talent or profession!
About 20% of them even had dual S-class statuses!
Each person here could be considered a top-tier genius.
In Faye\'s consciousness, Felicia wasn\'t as surprised: "This is indeed the foundation of the Hall of Valor."
"But don\'t lose heart. Your dual S-classes, formed by absorbing the world origin, are of the highest quality. Unless someone has both an SS-class profession and an SS-class talent, their combat power won\'t match yours."
"But SS-class talents and professions are extremely rare. The Hall of Valor definitely has them, but among this batch of new recruits... it seems..."
"There\'s actually one?" Felicia\'s tone shifted slightly. Among the hundreds of players and NPCs, one person stood out, carrying a long sword and exuding a powerful aura, like a blade\'s sharp edge.
Just seeing him gave others a sense of awe.
Felicia sensed the presence of an SS-class talent in him!
Using her demigod soul detection, she also discovered that this person possessed an S-class profession matching his talent.
This individual stood at the pinnacle among the assembled players!
"I don\'t know David\'s exact attributes, but compared to someone with an SS-class talent and a matching S-class profession, he might fall short."
"In my opinion, this person is likely the strongest among those participating in the trial!" Felicia couldn\'t help but remark.
"Didn\'t you say Mr. David is very well-hidden?"
"Even an SS-class talent might not surpass him, right?"
Faye, always a modest and good-natured person, didn\'t mind being considered inferior. However, the thought that David might also be surpassed didn\'t sit well with her.
The image of "David" decisively striking down Constantine in a single blow had replayed in her mind many times...
Such a character, with an SS-class talent, could easily surpass others?Felicia: "..."
She sighed in the consciousness space, feeling that her foolish apprentice...
...
At this moment, Sterl was unaware of the girl\'s thoughts—she had so much confidence in him.
Instead, he felt a sense of crisis...
Damn it!
An SS-class talent has shown up!
Although there\'s still a considerable gap between that and Sterl\'s SSS-class transformative talent.
However, Sterl was certain that if he faced that player, he definitely couldn\'t easily bully them like a lower-level opponent.
He would have to use his legendary abilities to win!
Moreover, who knows how many such talents the Hall of Valor has.
Sterl felt immense pressure!
He was now extremely eager to use his cheat to further enhance his talent and authority heart.
Without being able to easily crush opponents dozens of levels higher, crossing a major boundary, he felt very insecure!
"After refining this batch of experience, if my arcane skill can advance to the next stage, I should be able to fully awaken a talent."
"Then I\'ll go to reality and see if I can use the White Mist to awaken the authority heart."
"At that point, I can add points to a talent and then to the authority heart!"
His eyes deepened as he pondered.
Outside, due to the presence of the demigod, many players remained quite reserved.
The demigod smiled amiably and then said loudly, "Alright."
"You newcomers can chat with each other and communicate."
"I\'m sure you already know that the ones who can truly pass the trial and join the Hall of Valor are only those present."
"As for the others..."
He chuckled coldly, the meaning clear.
"Next, a Trial Seeker will guide you into the Hall of Valor and give you a tour of this small world."
"My duty is complete. I\'ll take my leave."
After saying this, the demigod vanished.
Leaving behind bewildered players and a few NPCs, the first half of his sentence was easy to understand—this area should just be the entrance to the Hall of Valor.
But what did he mean by "Trial Seeker"? Aren\'t we the trial participants?
By the way, the reason why there are NPCs mixed in with the players is that NPCs also have varying levels of innate abilities. However, they don\'t call them "talents"; they call them "inherent abilities."
Unlike players, NPCs can\'t level up by grinding monsters; they need to cultivate their strength through training. Therefore, the NPCs eligible to participate in the Hall of Valor trials not only need high-grade inherent abilities and authority hearts, but they also must have exceptional cultivation aptitude to compete on the same stage as the players.
After a brief moment of silence, the young man with an SS-class talent, whose aura was as sharp as a sword, took the initiative to speak.
Though he appeared intimidating, he was actually quite approachable. He proactively shared his knowledge about the Hall of Valor\'s system with everyone—
After passing the trials, players were promoted to official members of the Hall of Valor, known as "Trial Seekers."
As a Trial Seeker, you gain access to various training facilities, leveling spots, contribution stores, and the mission system within the Hall of Valor.
These resources can cause a player\'s strength to skyrocket!
After that, players need to work hard to advance within the Hall of Valor.
There are two ways to get promoted.
One is through a breakthrough in strength. The Hall of Valor has no minimum strength requirement. As long as you have enough combat power to pass the trial, you can join. However, most of the Trial Seekers have third-class strength.
Once you break through to the Legendary level, you can enter the next stage, known as the "Challenger."
Subsequently, every 50 levels represent a new tier: "Valiant", "Glorious" and "Ascendant", which are the three major legendary stages. An Ascendant is a level-300 Legend.
After that, you need to break through the Legendary level and reach the demigod stage to continue advancing within the Hall of Valor.
As expected, the higher your "Hall of Valor identity level", the more resources you can access, the better the items you can exchange for, and you even get discounts on contribution points when exchanging for materials.
Besides increasing your "Hall of Valor identity level" through strength, you can also advance through time.
If you stay in the Hall of Valor for 15 years, you automatically advance one level.
It sounds good on the surface.
But there\'s another rule in the Hall of Valor: you can challenge and kill someone with a higher identity level to replace their status!
At this point, the young man paused.
The many players present were not fools. Their eyes quickly turned cold.
Sterl was momentarily stunned, realizing the brutal and bloody nature of this system.