Five Fees Appear, Gods Enter the Pool

Round 12, draft phase.

As the match reached this stage, one of the eight players had already been eliminated. With their health reduced to zero, their board turned gray and faded into a dark gold tombstone icon hanging on the right side of the screen.

The remaining seven players continued their fierce battle. The pace had clearly accelerated, with player levels generally reaching seven. Four-cost pieces began to appear in batches, and the strategic positioning of front and back lines became increasingly refined.

When the draft prompt for this round popped up, the image in the center of the screen switched to the display stage. Following the order of health from lowest to highest, the first to pick this round was a random player with only 18 health remaining.

He desperately needed a high-quality piece to stabilize his situation; otherwise, the next round might be his curtain call.

The candidates on the display stage appeared one by one.

When the first group was revealed, there was no particular reaction in the Main Control Hall. It was a 2-cost Dai Mubai equipped with a Giant's Belt—a common mid-game worker not worth wasting a priority pick on.

When the second group appeared, Dugu Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

It was a 3-cost Hu Liena equipped with a Tear of the Goddess, a high-quality component for the Spirit Hall synergy. If she could secure it, her Spirit Hall bond could be pushed from three stacks to five.

But what truly silenced the entire room was the third group.

Light converged in the center of the display stage, and a slender figure slowly emerged.

It was the projection of a young man clad in blue-gold armor. In his left hand, he held a sea-blue trident, its surface shimmering with rippling, watery light.

His right hand gripped a massive, dark red sword wreathed in blood-colored lightning. It formed a stark, opposing aura to the Sea God Trident in his left—one side exuding the vast, inclusive gentleness of the ocean, the other the cold, murderous slaughter of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Floating above his head was a line of gold-leaf text:

Dual God Coexistence San·5-cost/Omnipotent

Dual godhood in one body, Sea God and Asura God combined. Simultaneously wields the Sea God Trident and the Asura Demon Sword. Each round, the first skill cast triggers both divine effects.

The Main Control Hall remained silent for a full three seconds.

Ning Rongrong's mouth hung slightly open, and it took a long moment for her to squeeze out a question: "...Tang San? Dual God Coexistence? What does that mean?"

Yi Chen did not answer immediately. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze calmly fixed on the projection of the piece, as if he had known it would appear in the pool all along.

"Exactly what it says," he replied indifferently. "The future Tang San will inherit the godhood of both the Sea God and the Asura God, becoming the first soul master on this continent to achieve dual god coexistence. This piece is a projection sample captured from that timeline."

Xiao Wu stared at the piece, her expression indescribably complex.

She had known Tang San the longest, having been his partner since their days at Nuoding Academy. She knew his talent and ambition better than anyone. Yet, the weight of the words "Dual God Coexistence" still exceeded her comprehension.

"Then he... right now..." Xiao Wu's voice was somewhat dry. "He shouldn't be at this level yet, right?"

"Of course not," Yi Chen's tone remained flat. "This piece is a projection of 'future information,' not a real-time scan of the current timeline. The S1 pool records not only the powerhouses of the present but also those seeds who have the potential to reach godhood in the future. Tang San is merely one of them."

He tilted his chin, signaling them to keep watching the display stage.

The fourth group of candidates lit up immediately after. It was the projection of a woman draped in dark purple robes, wearing a crown of thorns. Her body was wreathed in thick, dark purple mist, within which countless phantom skulls could be seen wailing.

Her eyes were a strange, deep violet-black, like the entrance to an abyss, making one afraid to look directly into them.

Above her head was the label:

Rakshasa God Dong·5-cost/Omnipotent

Inheritor of the Rakshasa godhood, fusion of the twin spirits Death Spider Emperor and Soul-Devouring Spider Emperor. Permanently increases own spell power for every enemy piece defeated.

Ning Rongrong gasped: "Bibi Dong? Isn't she the Pope of Spirit Hall? She's a god, too?"

"In the future, yes," Yi Chen answered concisely. "She inherits the godhood of the Rakshasa God and becomes one of the female deities on this continent. Of course, that is a matter for another timeline. On this timeline, she is currently only the Pope of Spirit Hall, with a long way to go before becoming a god."

The fifth group of candidates lit up next. It was the projection of a blonde woman in white robes, with six golden wings spread behind her, each feather radiating warm and holy light.

Her face was dignified and saintly, with a golden sun emblem adorning her forehead. She seemed bathed in divine light, making one feel an involuntary urge to worship.

Above her head was the label:

Angel God Renxue·5-cost/Omnipotent

Inheritor of the Angel godhood, Six-Winged Angel spirit fully awakened. At the start of battle, grants the entire team a shield based on her own health.

The sixth group lit up, revealing a pitch-black projection wreathed in dark red lightning. It was a tall, well-built young man with a cold expression, clad in dark armor and holding a scepter burning with flames of destruction.

His eyes were a deep, dark red, as if magma were flowing in the depths of his pupils. As he stood there, the surrounding air warped slightly, and the aura he emitted made one instinctively want to retreat.

God of Destruction·5-cost/Omnipotent

One of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, master of the laws of destruction. When skills hit enemy pieces, there is a chance to directly destroy half of their current health.

The seventh group followed immediately, standing in stark contrast to the dark aura of the God of Destruction. It was a young woman with a gentle face, wearing a verdant green dress. Her hair flowed like a waterfall, adorned with tiny flower buds and sprouts.

She was surrounded by soft, emerald-green ribbons of light. Wherever the ribbons passed, tiny phantoms of flowers and grass condensed in the air, as if spring were eternal by her side.

God of Life·5-cost/Omnipotent

One of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, master of the laws of life. Restores lost health to the entire team each round, with the recovery amount proportional to the God of Life's own spell power.

Dugu Yan's gaze swept back and forth between the God of Destruction and the God of Life, and she whispered, "The auras of these two... they are complete opposites."

"The Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm each have their own domain of laws; destruction and life are inherently opposing concepts."

Yi Chen added casually, "But they do not belong to any faction, nor do they participate in the disputes of worldly powers. In the pool, they are simply two independent high-cost cards. Whoever gets them, uses them."

The eighth group appeared last, a pair of figures standing side by side: the God of Goodness and the God of Evil.

The God of Goodness was a white-clad woman with a gentle face, surrounded by soft white light that made one feel at peace just by looking at her.

The God of Evil was a man in black with a grim, sinister face, his body wreathed in black mist and his gaze as sharp as a blade.

Although the two possessed diametrically opposed temperaments, their projected skeletons were linked together, as if they were two sides of the same coin, inseparable.

God of Goodness and God of Evil · 5-Cost · God/Omnipotent

Two of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm, masters of the laws of goodness and evil. When both are on the field, the Twin Bond is triggered, granting the entire team additional attribute bonuses.

With this, all eight sets of templates on the display stand had been revealed. Six of the sets were 5-cost God Chess Pieces, with only two being low-cost attachments. The quality of this draft round was ridiculously high.

The Main Control Hall remained silent for quite a while before Ye Lingling finally spoke, her voice cold and restrained: "Is there anyone who can obtain these God Chess Pieces right now?"

Yi Chen shook his head: "The drop rate for 5-cost units at level seven population is only 1%. Theoretically, it's possible to roll them, but the probability is extremely low. Unless someone has heaven-defying luck or deliberately saves up gold to mass-roll at level seven, these 5-cost cards won't truly enter the market until level eight or even level nine population."

He paused, then added: "But the draft is an exception. The templates in the draft are randomly refreshed by the system and have nothing to do with population level. In other words, even if you only have a level five population, it is possible to obtain a 5-cost card through the draft, provided you have enough health to survive until the draft round and are ranked high enough to pick it."

Ning Rongrong's gaze landed on the Dual God Tang San template. She remained silent for a few seconds before whispering: "If someone were to get this chess piece, wouldn't they be able to walk all over the competition in the early game?"

"Theoretically, yes." Yi Chen did not deny it. "The trait of the God Bond is that when carried alone, all attributes are increased by 25%, and it grants immunity to one fatal blow per battle. It does not count toward other bonds, nor does it participate in the bonuses of other bonds. In other words, a God Chess Piece is a universal plug-in independent of the system; it can be slotted into any lineup, but it won't help you complete any bonds."

He looked at the eight sets of templates on the screen and added a final sentence in a flat tone: "The draft is about to begin. According to the health rankings, Lingling picks first. Decide for yourselves whether you want to gamble on the future with a 5-cost God or play it safe and take a low-cost piece to fill out your lineup."

The draft countdown lit up. Ye Lingling had the lowest health among the remaining seven players, granting her priority selection.

She stood up, swept her gaze across the display stand, and made her choice.