The Youth Named Leilin

The Federation's expansion was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Meanwhile, talented people continued to emerge at the Federation's headquarters.

On the Yulan Plane, in the Shen'en Continent, the Laws of the World descended in a wave. A young man with crimson eyebrows floated into the air as a fire-type divine spark belonging to him slowly began to emerge.

"At last, I've become a god."

Zacharias Leilin murmured softly. Feeling the Laws of the World ask him to choose, he decisively opted to become a god outside his body.

"Ah!"

Leilin's soul was forcibly torn into two. His mouth opened slightly, and an involuntary cry escaped him.

There was no way to withstand this pain through sheer willpower. Fortunately, he lost consciousness after only an instant.

However, the Laws of the World protected his soul, keeping it from dissipating. Then half of his soul merged with the divine spark, and a divine body slowly began to take shape.

"Third Brother's talent is incredible!"

At the same time, down on the ground, a bald, burly man couldn't help exclaiming, his voice full of awe.

"That's right. Third Brother was clearly the last of us to break through to the Saint Realm, yet he's the first to become a god."

Beside him, a middle-aged man in white robes couldn't help voicing his amazement, too.

The three brothers had met while traveling the continent in their early years. Back then, Leilin had been very weak, and his two older brothers had protected him.

Of the three, Leilin had been the last to break through to the Saint Realm, but he was also the first to become a god. The other two had both become stuck at the peak of the Saint Realm.

They hadn't expected that, after only a few decades, their third brother Leilin would be the first to break through and become a god. It left his two older brothers feeling somewhat ashamed.

"Big Brother, do you think Third Brother's talent might be enough to get him into the Academy of Sciences on Qingya Continent?"

The middle-aged man in white seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked.

"That? I really don't know. I've heard the Academy of Sciences is extremely strict about admissions, and competition for the spots on other continents is fierce every year."

The bald, burly man scratched his head and answered uncertainly.

Since the Federation was established, its population had grown at a terrifying rate. Exponential growth would allow it to rapidly expand into every available space.

So, to address the crisis of shrinking living space, the Federation began making numerous policy adjustments.

On one hand, the Federation recruited large numbers of people into its expeditionary forces and sent them to other planes.

The Federation trained not only military personnel, but also people in management, business, and many other fields. Once sent to other planes, they could form a force capable of bringing change to those planes from top to bottom.

On the other hand, the Federation had also built numerous artificial islands on the Qingya Plane and spent tens of thousands of years creating new continents.

By now, the Qingya Plane had seven continents, and more were still being made.

The three Leilin brothers came from the Shen'en Continent. It was said that this was the first new continent the Federation had created, back in the day. It seemed like a gift from the gods, so it was called the Continent of Divine Grace.

Of course, it hadn't actually been made by a god. Creating a continent required strength on the level of at least a Highgod.

In the original story, Bluefire, an Asura who had nearly reached Paragon, had still needed to spend a great deal of time creating a continent—and had used up all the divine power he'd accumulated over many years.

The Federation's continents had mostly been built on artificial islands, gradually expanded through continuous additions, and completed over a sufficient span of time.

After many years of education, even ordinary people on the continents knew that this wasn't a gift from the gods, but something the Federation had built for them. The name, however, had never changed.

As the two men spoke, Leilin had already fused with the divine spark and drawn his fire-type Divine Clone into his body.

"Congratulations, Third Brother. Looks like you've left us in the dust. We'll have to count on you to protect us from now on."

The bald, burly man spoke heartily, without the slightest hint of distance just because his brother had become a god.

"Big Brother, Second Brother, I've only just become a god. You're exaggerating."

Leilin was in good spirits, but still spoke modestly. Naturally, becoming a god wouldn't make him feel distant from his two brothers.

"Hahaha, Third Brother, there's no need to be modest. With your talent, you're bound to far surpass us one day. Who knows, maybe you'll reach the level of Lord Huosi himself!"

The middle-aged man in white robes laughed and slapped Leilin hard on the shoulder.

"Second Brother, Lord Huosi has been famous for so many years. He won't be easy to surpass."

Leilin looked at his two brothers with a helpless expression.

Leilin had grown up listening to stories about Lord Huosi. Huosi had become a god a million years ago, and his strength must now be unfathomable.

What's more, Lord Huosi wasn't just a god. He was also the Federation's greatest scientist, and had developed countless super divine artifacts.

He'd seen some of them in his textbooks, and even those few had left him astonished.

Over the years, Leilin had also read many books left behind by Lord Huosi. He admired him greatly.

Although he had a lot of confidence in his own talent, he wouldn't dare boast that he could surpass Lord Huosi.

He'd even spent a lot of time thinking about how he might compete for one of the spots at the Academy of Sciences.

"Speaking of which, Third Brother, have you thought about joining the Academy of Sciences?"

After joking around, the middle-aged man in white robes asked in earnest.

"Of course I have. I mean, what Saint or god on this plane wouldn't want to join? It's just... hard!"

Leilin spread his hands helplessly as he spoke.

With the entire Federation backing it, the Academy of Sciences could choose talent from every plane in the Federation.

So, the Academy of Sciences was never short of applicants. If anything, the number of places it offered to people from the Shen'en Continent was already quite generous.

But joining was no easy matter. The Academy of Sciences tested all kinds of abilities, including comprehension, logic, and research.

Even though Leilin had plenty of confidence in his talent, he wasn't very sure of his chances.

"Oh? You want to join the Academy of Sciences?"

While the three brothers were chatting, a voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and two figures materialized in front of them.

"Who are you?"

Burgess was the first to react. He looked at the two men warily and asked in surprise.

The three brothers were Saints and gods, so how had these two appeared without them noticing?

Although Saints weren't considered top-tier powerhouses on the Shen'en Continent these days, they were still elite figures in their own right.

"Big Brother, don't be rude!"

Leilin hurriedly chided him, then bowed respectfully.

"I am Zacharias Leilin. Greetings, Lord Huosi and Lord Adkins."

What? Lord Huosi?

The bald, burly man and the middle-aged man in white robes felt as though their heads were about to explode. What had Third Brother just said? Lord Huosi? Lord Adkins?

They'd heard stories about Lord Huosi, but never that he had this sort of ability. They'd merely discussed him behind his back, and he had appeared right in front of them?

As a legendary councilor of the Federation, Huosi had videos available for public viewing in the Federation's archives. Leilin had watched them more than once.

Big Brother hadn't recognized them at first, but Leilin had immediately figured it out. Could they possibly be impostors?

As if! Absolutely not. First, who on the Yulan Plane would dare impersonate Lord Huosi? They wouldn't even know how they'd died.

Second, these two had appeared in front of the brothers out of nowhere. Their strength had to be far beyond theirs. What would someone like that gain by impersonating Lord Huosi?

Third, the Shen'en Continent had a corresponding defense system. How could an unknown god have slipped inside? Anyone who could get in had to be someone in the Federation with the proper clearance.

"All right, there's no need to be so nervous."

Huosi smiled faintly, studying the Leilin before him with interest.

He had to say, his impression of Leilin was quite strong.

Feeling Huosi's gaze on him, Leilin grew a little nervous and kept wondering why Lord Huosi had come.

Was it because he'd heard the three of them joking about surpassing him? Had he come to settle the score?

That didn't seem right at all. Based on what he knew of him, Lord Huosi wasn't so petty. Besides, they hadn't actually said anything insulting.

Could it be that Huosi had noticed his talent and wanted to take him on as a disciple? Leilin was confident in his talent, but he was only a Lowgod. Lord Huosi had probably met more Lowgods than Leilin had met Saints.

Besides, they said Lord Huosi had never taken on a disciple. At most, he recruited outstanding people into his research teams.

For a while, Leilin's thoughts wandered, but he still couldn't figure it out.

"Leilin, would you be willing to join my research group?"

Before Linley could figure it out, Huosi spoke in a low, direct voice.

What? He really wants me? Leilin felt as though his brain had stopped working.

This was an invitation from the Federation's foremost figure. Over the years, countless people had begged and pleaded to get in, but there had never been any backdoor to take.

Huosi personally oversaw the process. Every member of his research group had to be interviewed by him and pass before they could join.

On some planes, a group of scammers had even appeared, claiming they had connections and could get people into Lord Huosi's research group as assistants.

Quite a few people had actually believed them. After all, being an assistant mostly depended on whether someone followed instructions; talent and ability weren't the main considerations.

And once someone got in, even as an assistant, it would be a valuable credential for the future.

Having once worked in Lord Huosi's research group was enough to guarantee them a comfortable life from then on.

Fortunately, Leilin was far more composed than most. Even after receiving Huosi's invitation, he only froze for a moment before answering respectfully.

"Sir, I'd be honored to join!"

"Good. You have talent. Keep working hard."

Huosi smiled faintly as he spoke, then took something like a wristwatch from inside his robe.

"This is your identification. Take it to the Academy of Sciences on Qingya Continent and report in. Start with the fundamentals, and don't let your cultivation fall behind while you conduct your research."

"Yes. Thank you, sir."

Leilin suppressed his excitement and put away the identification.

Then, in the briefest of moments, Huosi and Adkins disappeared, as if everything that had just happened had been an illusion.

Leilin knew it wasn't. A god couldn't possibly be deceived by an illusion, and the tangible object in his hand was proof enough that it had all been real.