Chapter 163: Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle

The voice faded, and the private room fell silent for a brief moment.

Sima Bang and the other two exchanged glances before looking back at Yang Fan, their expressions clearly shifting.

There was curiosity, and even a hint of surprise.

In the past, Yang Fan didn't speak much during their gatherings. Even when he did, it was mostly to agree with others; he rarely participated in such professional discussions.

But now, what he said was not only logically clear but also made a lot of sense. It seemed he had done quite a bit of research lately.

Ye Jianfeng nodded. "That makes sense. If it's a short-term operation, it's indeed feasible."

He then changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Yang, how is the production of monkey wine in your Divine Kingdom lately?"

"After I made a Breakthrough to demigod, my Believer population exploded, and the demand for monkey wine on my end has increased quite a bit. Can you supply a little more?"

He spoke naturally. The trade between them had been going on for a long time, and both used their intelligent life to coordinate, making the operation simple and tax-free.

Yang Fan smiled at this. "Of course, no problem. However much Brother Ye wants, I have it here."

As he finished speaking, he casually snapped his fingers. The space rippled slightly, and three large barrels of monkey wine, shimmering with Spiritual Qi, materialized directly beside the table.

"One barrel for each of you as a greeting gift."

Sima Bang's eyes lit up. "Brother, you are generous!"

He directly hoisted a wine barrel, tilted his head back for a gulp, and then laughed as he stored it into his Divine Kingdom.

Compared to the past, the current Yang Fan was clearly much more socially adept and more proactive in integrating into this circle.

"Brother Sima." Ye Jianfeng put down his wine glass, his gaze narrowing slightly. "You called us here today for the 'Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle,' right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the several people present didn't change much.

Having lived in Taichu City for nearly a year, they had long since heard of this name.

In the past, Yang Fan hadn't taken it to heart, and lately he had been immersed in reading. Although he had heard of the event, he hadn't paid it much attention.

Sima Bang wiped his mouth and nodded. "Exactly. This Heavenly Pride Apotheosis Battle is not an official Taichu Academy event. Instead, it is spearheaded by the Five Great Giants, and any Human Race Prodigy is eligible to participate."

"If you perform well enough, the rewards won't be small. If we cooperate when the time comes, we might even manage to snag a few million divinity points."

"A few million divinity points?!" Wen Yushui's pupils shrank, and she subconsciously swallowed.

She had never seen resource rewards of this level before.

Sima Bang smiled. "After all, it's the Five Great Giants acting. The purpose of them holding this Apotheosis Battle is essentially to screen for investment targets, so they naturally won't be stingy."

Ye Jianfeng, however, frowned slightly. "Investment from the Five Great Giants… is it the kind where you have to sign a contract?"

There was a hint of wariness in his tone. As a scion of a Family, he couldn't hand his future over to other families, not even the Five Great Giants.

Sima Bang waved his hand. "Don't worry, it's not what you think. It's more like being a Guest Elder—you just have your name listed, they give you resources for free, but your freedom isn't restricted."

"The goal of the Five Great Giants is to build good relations with future high-ranking gods, not to force a binding. Currently, many high-ranking gods have founded their own families but are also Guest Elders of the Five Great Giants."

"The relationship is more like a partnership than dependency."

At this point, he chuckled. "To put it bluntly, it's basically free money—provided, of course, that you are qualified."

Sima Bang glanced at the three of them and said in a slightly teasing tone, "This kind of opportunity is usually only possible for the very top Prodigies. Let's not think too much for now; we're only freshmen, we can't compete with those juniors and seniors."

"The foundations of our Divine Kingdoms are far too lacking. If we want a piece of this meat, we'll have to wait at least another two years for a slim chance."

Sima Bang shifted the topic, the smile on his face gradually fading as his expression turned serious. "Our goal this time isn't an investment contract, but the first stage—Divinity Screening!"

Yang Fan and the other two looked at each other, a hint of confusion appearing in their eyes.

"In the entire Taichu Academy, there are over five thousand Human Race Prodigies," Sima Bang began slowly. "And the first stage will directly eliminate over ninety percent."

"Once the assessment begins, our Physical Bodies will be collectively teleported to a special space. That place was personally created by a high-ranking mechanical god of my Sima Family. As time passes, the divinity pressure within the space will continuously increase."

"Lasting for one hour rewards one hundred thousand divinity points; two hours, one million; three hours, ten million; four hours, one hundred million, along with the qualification for the next two stages of the assessment."

"One hundred million…" Wen Yushui murmured softly, her breathing quickening slightly.

Sima Bang smiled. "Don't think too much, this money isn't easy to get."

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "My brother told me that there's actually a loophole in this stage that can be exploited."

"When the time comes, the four of us will stand in a line and take turns being at the very front to bear the divinity pressure. When someone can't hold on anymore, we switch. We'll use this method to stall for time."

"Our goal is two hours."

"Is that… within the rules? Won't it be a bit unfair?" Wen Yushui frowned slightly.

Sima Bang scoffed. "Fair? Where is there any fairness in this world? Quite a few people know about this loophole; the direct descendants of the various families use it every year."

"Besides, one of the examiners this time is my brother. No one will say anything."

"Then we'll be riding on Brother Sima's coattails." Ye Jianfeng raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.

One million divinity points meant a great deal to him; it was enough to directly accelerate the development of his Divine Kingdom by an entire level.

"Is this divinity pressure… that hard?" Yang Fan suddenly spoke up. "With the four of us working together, can't we push ourselves a bit more?"

Compared to that one million divinity points, he cared more about the subsequent investment opportunities he might obtain.

Sima Bang glanced at him. "It's hard. The essence of divinity pressure is equivalent to a high-ranking god releasing pressure directly on you. It doesn't just press on your Physical Body, but also your consciousness, spirit, and even your Divine Kingdom."

"Your mental strength, the stability of your Divine Kingdom, and the overall strength of your Believers will all affect how long you can last. In short, the stronger the Divine Kingdom, the longer you can resist the pressure."

At this point, his tone grew heavy. "And after two hours, the pressure will jump to another level. At that time, it's not something a loophole in the rules can compensate for."

"Don't underestimate those juniors and seniors. They've had two or three more years to develop than us. Their Divine Kingdom assets, environmental stability, and the overall combat power of their Believers have grown exponentially. The gap is ridiculously large."

"At the freshman stage, being able to withstand three hours is considered as rare as a Phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. As for four hours, that's no longer a Prodigy; that's a monster."

"But those kinds of people won't participate in this assessment. This is a battle for Prodigies; it's not their stage."

Yang Fan nodded. "I see."

He then asked, "How many stages are there after that?"

"There are two more stages." Sima Bang picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

His interest seemed to have been piqued, and his tone became a bit more lighthearted.

"The second stage depends on your own choices."

"Depending on the Cultivation Route of your Divine Kingdom—the assessment method will differ."

"The Cultivation Route—tests attack power."

"The Martial Cultivation Route—tests defense."

"The Mechanical Route—tests computing power."

"These three directions, to put it simply, are tests of the overall quality of the Divine Kingdom's Believers."

"After this stage, the number of participants will be slashed directly to ten."

Sima Bang held up one finger. "The top ten, as long as they pass this stage, can receive investment for an S-rank building. But what's truly important is that special investment contract."