Chapter 1024: 120 Billion! Rapid Progress!
"Damn, they're trying to rope us in right off the bat..."
Clearly, this guy named Will wanted the Ascenders to quickly pick a faction.
If they didn't, they'd be kicked out of Kost City in ten days.
Understandably, many of the Ascenders looked hesitant.
But Will didn't care and simply had the staff lead the Ascenders to their lodgings.
Ling Zhan followed the others and arrived at the living quarters.
The place was decent.
A simple green magic manor.
Not luxurious, but fairly comfortable.
After the Ascenders moved in, the staff informed them that there would be a welcome banquet tonight, with Kost City's noble houses and major guild leaders attending.
It would be the perfect chance to consider which organization to join.
After saying that, the staff left.
But before going, he let his gaze linger briefly on Meng Shuang, Yun Man, and Chang Yue before exiting.
"What the hell! We just got here and they're already trying to chain us up…"
"It's ridiculous. What if they try to make us sign soul contracts?"
"If they want a soul contract, I'll just go live in the wilderness. Fuck that!"
"I've got a friend in Kost City. I'll ask him later…"
"Wait, didn't you just ascend? You already have friends here?"
"He ascended two months before me. Just got in contact using a token item. I'll ask him what it's like outside the city…"
These Ascenders weren't fools.
None of them were naive.
They all knew that the rush to host a banquet and push them to join factions was just a move to bind them.
So they were cautious.
As for Ling Zhan…
He didn't think there was much to be cautious about.
As long as there was no soul contract involved, it was fine.
But Yun Man softly asked, "Master, what if we don't join any group, and after ten days they throw us out into the wild and then send strong enemies to hunt us down?"
The moment those words came out…
Shhh!!
The whole place went silent.
Every Ascender looked serious.
Clearly, Yun Man's words raised their alertness.
"Young lady, you just brought up something we really need to think about seriously…"
"Yeah, we just got here. We're only level 200. If they send strong people to hunt us outside the safe zone, that'd be hard to handle."
"We're just too weak right now…"
These people had all been through trials and hardships.
So none of them thought naïvely that this kind of thing couldn't happen.
The more hardship you've faced, the more you understand danger is always lurking.
And the other side probably didn't have a moral bottom line.
Ling Zhan didn't care to mingle with the others.
He had long since gotten used to going solo.
Without saying a word, he headed to his room.
Yun Man didn't acknowledge anyone else either, quietly following behind.
Meng Shuang and Chang Yue followed too.
Their aloof demeanor made a few Ascenders frown.
"These guys... kinda arrogant!"
"Yeah, like they think they're too good to talk to us."
"He's human, right? Human Ascenders aren't even popular here. What's he so proud of?"
"Bet no organization will want him at the banquet."
"..."
The Ascenders kept grumbling.
Everyone else was staying together, but he kept to himself.
Definitely looked arrogant.
But…
They didn't realize this had nothing to do with arrogance—Ling Zhan just preferred to act alone.
Joining big groups would be a hassle.
Moving solo was more convenient.
Back in his room, Ling Zhan didn't rush to connect to the network and gather Upper Realm data.
Instead, he opened his personal status panel.
And saw…
His level had already risen to 210.
And his four-dimensional attributes had increased from 100 billion to 120 billion.
He also noticed that the other Ascenders around him didn't have stats as high as his.
They were only in the several billion range.
Even when they went all out, they probably only reached a little over 100 billion.
The combat power standards of the Upper Realm were clearly far higher than the lower realm.
As for Ling Zhan's combat burst growth—his was one of a kind.
Too many buffs.
Other classes without priest buffs could only multiply their power three or four times—five was already impressive, ten was rare.
But Ling Zhan could buff himself. He covered both offense and support, so his bursts were naturally more outrageous.
Actually…
It was beyond outrageous.
That level 300 Holy Light Guardian's four-dimensional stats far exceeded any Ascender's.
In other words, if the current Ascenders fought him, they'd just get crushed.
Only Ling Zhan could beat him.
That 120 billion stat total was likely the effect of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons' bloodline.
Otherwise, as a non-specialist, leveling up wouldn't give him that much.
Actually, even without that bloodline, Ling Zhan's stats wouldn't be low.
Also…
All his talents had been upgraded from SSS to Heaven Void rank.
That probably corresponded to this realm's skill grade system.
After reviewing his stats, Ling Zhan opened the computer and started researching basic info about the Upper Realm.
Things like class setups, skill grade divisions, dungeon levels, equipment, materials, pills, and item classifications.
All of that was available.
At the same time…
He also looked into the power structures and strong organizations in the Upper Realm…
That search lasted all afternoon.
At 5:30 PM…
A staff member came to inform the Ascenders that the banquet was ready.
It would begin at 7 PM, entry was at 6:30, departure at 6—so prepping at 5:30 made sense.
Soon…
Ling Zhan tidied up and headed to the banquet with his three divine beast girls.
As for Little Golden Crow and Little Holy Dragon, they were resting in the beast pet space.
The banquet venue was a seven-star hotel in Kost City.