Chapter 150 – Golden Radiance Like a Harbor

Time flowed slowly, and the Festival Grounds Secret Realm, which maintained basic synchronization with the Eternal World, quietly arrived at dusk.

The setting sun slanted westward, and the daylight gradually dimmed, replaced by lanterns lighting up one after another in this small town-like marketplace venue, as if the festive atmosphere was growing increasingly intense.

The Lords grew even more tense.

Even though half a day had passed, only a very few Lords were confident in securing and recruiting a Hero. Apart from Kongming, Wuji, Tyrant Dragon… and Tianyuan, among others, other Lords, even Wang Ba who ranked second on the Golden List, dared not claim they were certain.

This was also because he was unwilling to settle for recruiting only ordinary Heroes.

If Tianyuan could freely choose among top-tier Heroes, how could he admit defeat?

Supply Area,

Jiang Luoxing plopped down with a thud, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and gulped down several cans of cold drinks, saying, “The competition is just too fierce. If we can’t gain the favor of our target Hero before the keywords appear, it’ll be even harder when the final stage arrives, after all…”

He had self-awareness.

How could their conditions as newcomers—territory development, troop types, legions, and so on—possibly compare to those of veteran Lords?

He still had to keep striving, unable to leisurely enjoy the remaining time like the big shot Tianyuan.

…

Lord Mu wasn’t just eating voraciously; he had been observing each Hero all along, though he hadn’t approached any for conversation.

From people like Jiang Luoxing and Liu Miumiu, as well as the treasured intelligence gifted by the rich lady sister earlier, he had already gained a deep understanding of the famous Heroes in the Festival Grounds—limited to those who had previously made appearances.

“The Heroes here don’t originate from troop types, and most didn’t advance through Hero trials. Instead, they performed deeds befitting ‘Heroes,’ and were ultimately rewarded by heaven and earth, ascending to become Heroes… This can also be seen as an alternative form of trial.”

“There are no weaklings among Heroes; their classes start at rare two or three stars at the very least.”

However, Heroes cannot be measured solely by class or grade.

Heroes’ combat power often far exceeds that of others at the same level and grade; it’s not uncommon for Heroes of rare grade to slay elite-level commanders.

—This isn’t entirely due to the Heroes’ might, but because only the strong can ascend to the realm of Heroes.

Similarly, Heroes have a higher chance of breakthrough at major level thresholds. As the territory level increases, Heroes bound together with the Lord and territory will have the opportunity to leap through the dragon’s gate and step into higher realms in the future.

This is what Lords often refer to as ordinary Heroes still possessing limitless potential.

Beyond that, there are Advanced Heroes and Top-tier Heroes.

“If we only consider grades, those at elite one or two stars are Advanced Heroes, while elite three-star ones are Top-tier Heroes. However, judging solely by grade is too absolute.”

At the moment, Gluttony General and Dragon Blood Valkyrie, who were eating and drinking heartily with him, were both elite three-star grade.

Especially the latter, whose Dragon bloodline purity is quite high; as her level increases, she will likely be able to awaken abilities like ‘Incarnation of a Dragon.’ If he recruited Dragon Blood Valkyrie, he could ride as a Dragon Knight soaring through the skies—thinking about it inevitably brought a little excitement.

However, as a Lord, Mu Someone had to consider the bigger picture and couldn’t base his decisions solely on his own preferences and pleasures.Mu Someone evaluated Heroes not by their rank, class, strategic talents, or XP and appearance, but primarily by their accumulated experience and Heart-Nature.

Heart-Nature was crucial. Even if recruited Heroes would form contracts under the witness of heaven and earth, preventing them from harming the territory, a poor Heart-Nature could still subtly bring negative influences to the land.

“Grand Archmage ‘Blaise’ is said to have been the head librarian of an ancient kingdom’s national library, storing countless knowledge in his mind, equivalent to a walking human knowledge repository.”

In Mu Yuan’s mind, this Grand Archmage ranked among the top few.

“Valkyrie ‘Lorigia’ was the legion commander of an ancient kingdom, possessing the ability to train and promote the ‘Valkyrie’ troop type. Moreover, she practiced Dual Cultivation of magic and martial arts, not merely a brute warrior.”

She was also a good candidate, though he admitted there was a slight bonus for appearance, but…

Who wasn’t a member of the appearance association?

Heroes were, and so was he.

“Princess of Pure Water ‘Feixi’—rumored to hail from a weak and impoverished duchy, she was forced to be sacrificed to a Vortex Tide Behemoth out of desperation. However, she turned misfortune into fortune, ultimately transforming into a pure water spirit to slay the behemoth and receiving the Hero identity bestowed by heaven and earth. Unfortunately, Feixi was severely injured in this battle and passed away not long after.”

The class ‘Princess of Pure Water’ was nearly a hidden profession, extremely powerful and seemingly skilled in production as well.

Liu Miumiu was eager to compete for and recruit this princess, but…

The Queen of the Divine Radiance Empire and several other powerful Lords were also vying for her. Even though Liu Miumiu had a relatively good compatibility with Feixi, her competitiveness was far from outstanding. Mu Yuan heard that she had already prepared to settle for recruiting other Heroes instead.

The Lords were each showing their unique skills, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea.

Mu Someone was eating.

Dolai was eating voraciously.

Amid the somewhat tense and confrontational atmosphere, suddenly, “Dang—” a melodious and resonant bell tolled overhead in the Secret Realm, echoing far and wide.

Many Lords who had been on edge jumped up abruptly, as if startled by a bell during a tense exam. Only afterward did they come to their senses and exclaim, “Scared me to death! I almost thought the festival was ending. So far, I haven’t even managed to say a single word in front of a Hero. How annoying!”

But the tolling of the bell also signified that changes had occurred silently.

From this moment on, Lords could focus their gaze to access basic information such as the Heroes’ names, classes, skills, and more.

The level of detail in the information depended on the individual Lord’s ability.

This was the rule of the Festival Grounds.

Heroes observed Lords in the same way.

Mu Yuan immediately looked over his desired Heroes one by one. The information he saw at this moment… was extremely detailed, to an unexpectedly high degree.

Without needing to focus or wait, a single glance brought forth streams of data-like information.

The level of detail…

Was as if a Lord were viewing the information of their own troops.

“Although I am indeed a man endowed with countless gold and purple traits, this is just a bit too detailed, almost…”

Marvelous!

At the same time, various glows entered Mu Yuan’s eyes.

The highest class among the Heroes was only ‘Excellent Three Stars,’ but they also had some strengths and characteristics that showed faint purple radiance.

No, there was still one true Epic Hero present!

—The Thunder King!”The Thunder Giant’s origin, with its unparalleled combat prowess, makes it the undisputed overlord of the Thundercloud Mountains…”

This information was already known to Mu Yuan, but what he saw now was far more detailed, including the Thunder King’s hobbies, favorite foods and items, important experiences, and more.

The Thunder King’s greatest passion was adopting sworn sons.

This Hero could not actually be recruited; he had been active in the Festival Grounds since sixty years ago or even earlier. Instead, many Lords who came here would be approached by the Thunder King, asked if they wished to become his sworn sons.

Indeed, many independent Lords had pledged allegiance under the Thunder King’s banner, with their territories and cities relying on the Thundercloud Mountains, almost forming a small nation.

Mu Yuan knew his limits well, understanding that he could not recruit this ‘king who never wished to swear fealty to anyone’ and ‘held high authority.’

Besides, the Thunder King’s appeal to him was merely so-so.

His own faction already had two Epic-tier figures, and there would be more in the future.

He continued reading.

“Steelfire Alchemist: Masters the complete set of alchemical arts, possesses the strategic talent ‘Equivalent Scales,’ and commands the field skill ‘Blazing Steel Furnace.'”

“Blind Nun: An Exceptional Two-Star special class. Unlike ordinary nuns, she purifies all Filth with peerless sword techniques, having reached the Major Achievement Realm in Sword Intent, while also mastering multiple destructive spells.”

“Dawnlight Knight: A knight inheriting the legacy of the ancient Holy Radiance Empire, erudite and dutiful, already possessing the field skill ‘Land of Radiance,’ and more.”

“Dragon-Elephant General:…”

“Daughter of Stars:…”

“Moonshadow Dancer:…”

“Ghost-Faced Swordmaster:…”

And so on.

These individuals, along with the earlier Valkyrie, Grand Archmage, Holy Light High Priest, Princess of Pure Water, Dragon Blood Valkyrie, and other Heroes, could be ranked among the top ten most elite Heroes.

Three of them were not listed in the official or archival intelligence on powerful Heroes, clearly being ‘new Heroes.’

The information Mu Yuan saw about the other Heroes was also more detailed than the archival intelligence. For instance, the ‘Blind Nun’ was only listed as an Advanced Hero in the archives, evidently unaware that she had achieved Major Accomplishment in Sword Intent.

“This information could be provided to the Taixuan Alliance. Previously, the data in the archival intelligence was contributed by outstanding Lords from various sessions, making it easier for successors to target specific Heroes for recruitment.”

As for earning Contribution Points by providing information, that was no longer important.

…

“Finally, the true time for choices has arrived.”

The Lords grew tense and anxious.

The Heroes with intentions to pledge allegiance also became serious and solemn, knowing that today’s choices would determine their entire lives.

Suddenly—

Hum—

At the center of the Secret Realm, in the Festival Square, a silver thread abruptly appeared and, as if pulled apart by an invisible hand, instantly formed an uneven silver spatial gate.

A Lord with silver hair and crimson eyes stepped out from the gate.

Flanked by two Hero Generals on his left and right, they clustered around him.

Hum—

The spatial gate closed. The silver-haired Lord swept his gaze arrogantly across the surroundings, a slight smirk curling his lips. An invisible, suffocating pressure spread out, forcing the surrounding Lords to retreat in both shock and fear.

This was a Concept!

Although the Festival Secret Realm forbade conflict, pressures like Concepts and Auras were not prohibited.

The newcomer clearly understood the rules well.

And…”Silver hair and crimson eyes… That’s a Lord from the Eternal Star Empire! Damn it, they’ve indeed come again.”

Deep within the Secret Realm, inside the palace halls.

A figure shimmering with faint golden radiance also felt somewhat displeased. He/She was the Spirit of the Secret Realm, the administrator of the Ceremonial Secret Realm, yet…

The Lord who had come from the Eternal Star Empire hadn’t violated any rules.

He had merely utilized an additional special rule.

The Spirit of the Secret Realm couldn’t expel him, and could only smack his/her lips in frustration, angrily grabbing food from afar and stuffing it into his/her mouth with noisy chewing sounds.

…

The Everstar Lord paid no attention to the surrounding Lords from Taixuan, Divine Radiance, or even those without any faction.

His gaze merely swept around, searching for his target.

According to astrological guidance, there was a Hero with exceptionally high potential here, and he was determined to secure them. Otherwise, given his noble status, he wouldn’t have deigned to undertake such a cross-realm task.

“Found them.”

A smile played on his lips.

The aura of his Concept spread out, forcing the crowd to part wherever it passed. He walked directly toward his target.

The Heroes watched this imposing Lord. To most Heroes, Eternal Star, Taixuan, or Divine Radiance made no difference to them.

But in the eyes of some Heroes awaiting recruitment, a dazzling golden radiance suddenly burst forth.

Blinding, brilliant, and incredibly warm.

Like an enchanting harbor, compelling them to investigate further.

(End of Chapter)