The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

“What? How is that possible!” Long Lin refused to accept the referee’s verdict and pointed at Han Wu as he shouted, “Cheating! He must be cheating!”

“Silence!” The referee’s voice boomed and crushed every murmur in the crowd. “Han Wu took the test right in front of me. The result was my judgment. Are you suggesting I’m playing favorites?”

Behind the referee, the projection of an Ice Great Dragon materialized. It felt as though anyone who dared talk back would be frozen solid on the spot.

“We wouldn’t dare,” the contestants replied hastily.

Anyone capable of serving as referee at an event this important held a considerable standing within the Ancient Dragon Clan. The younger generation had no business questioning him.

The referee’s gaze swept across the contestants before settling on Long Lin. “Get over here and apologize.”

Long Lin’s face twisted with defiance. “Why should I apologize to him? He cheated—”

The referee’s aura slammed down on Long Lin. The Mesocosm pressure forced his knees to buckle and drove him to the ground. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t get back up.

“Apologize!” The word came out cold as frost.

Long Lin was the most promising member of the younger generation and had never suffered this kind of humiliation before. He clenched his teeth and refused to utter a single word of apology.

The referee intensified the pressure, and layers of ice crystals started to form on Long Lin’s body. The ice crept upward with slow, relentless intensity. If it covered him entirely, he’d be crippled at best and dead at worst.

Even so, Long Lin said nothing. He kept his neck stiff and his mouth shut.

Disappointment flashed through the referee’s eyes. He stopped holding back and increased the pressure further, fully intending to freeze the insolent brat to death and make an example of him.

At nearly the same time, two individuals stepped in.

Long Xiang grabbed the referee’s arm and cut off the escalating pressure. “Sir, Long Lin just hasn’t realized his mistake yet. That’s not worth dying over. Please, give him another chance.”

The other person was Han Wu. He went straight to Long Lin’s side, dispersed the referee’s aura with his own, and pulled Long Lin free from the ice. “I came to the Ancient Dragon Clan as a guest. If someone dies because of me, that will make things awkward for everyone.”

His words gave the referee a graceful way to step down. His expression softened immediately. As long as Han Wu didn’t press the issue, everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, Long Lin was the kind of person who would charge headfirst into a wall and then blame the wall for getting in his way. The moment he realized that Han Wu had saved him, he started shouting that he would never accept Han Wu’s charity and demanded the referee finish what he started.

The referee’s frown deepened. Are all members of the younger generation this stupid? Do they all have rocks for brains? Are they only good at mocking others?

Then he looked at Long Xiang. Everything that boy said and did was exactly what the referee wanted to see. If only his core race were a Great Dragon instead of a dinosaur, how could someone like Long Lin have ever claimed the title of the clan’s top prospect?

The angrier the referee got, the more he wanted to slap Long Lin into oblivion and spare the clan future headaches.

Han Wu stepped in with a smile. He had seen this kind of person plenty of times. The best remedy was a good beating. Long Lin needed to learn that the world was bigger than he thought and that no one outside his family was obligated to tolerate him.

“You really can’t accept it, can you? How about this? We fight, and the winner takes all,” Han Wu suggested.

As expected, Long Lin immediately perked up. He absolutely refused to believe that Han Wu’s punch hadn’t involved some kind of cheating.

The referee understood that Han Wu intended to teach the reckless youth a lesson on the clan’s behalf, so he didn’t interfere. He simply allowed the match to proceed.

The contestants cleared a wide space for them, and Long Lin immediately summoned his Subcosm Great Dragon. In the next instant, its overwhelming presence pressed down on the surroundings.

In Han Wu’s eyes, however, it was nothing special. He summoned his own core race units. Dark Locust appeared first. His Subcosm aura and the Dark Jurisdiction engulfed the entire arena.

Long Lin felt the pressure but didn’t let it show. He still believed that his Subcosm Great Dragon could overpower Dark Locust through the inherent superiority of a Great Dragon. What he didn’t know was that Dark Locust was Han Wu’s most iconic unit of his core race, not his strongest.

Then the others emerged. Five Mythic Titans answered Han Wu’s call and descended onto the arena. The combined pressure of their auras, along with five separate Divine Jurisdictions, nearly forced Long Lin’s Subcosm Great Dragon to its knees. Mythic Titans were beings that rivaled Great Dragons in every way, and their Divine Jurisdictions granted them even greater potential.

The five titans completely shattered Long Lin’s sense of superiority. He had believed that having a Subcosm Great Dragon at his age made him an unmatched genius. Yet Han Wu, who was roughly the same age, had five Mythic Titans, each with more potential than any Great Dragon. The realization hit him like a freight train.

I... I was the clown all along. Under the five Mythic Titans’ combined pressure, Long Lin’s knees buckled. He dropped to the ground in front of Han Wu.

“I was wrong. Please give me a chance to make things right.” His voice was low and heavy.

Han Wu felt his momentum falter. He had been fully prepared to give Long Lin a proper beating. The fight hadn’t even started, yet his target had already caved. He almost wanted to say that he preferred the defiant version. Of course, he couldn’t say that in front of the referee.

Long Lin’s apology seemed sincere enough, so Han Wu let it go. He waved his hand and recalled his units.

The referee was quite satisfied with the outcome. Not only had Long Lin’s arrogance been crushed, but every young member of the Ancient Dragon Clan present had also witnessed what a real powerhouse looked like. It had been a successful lesson all around.

“Very well. I’ll now announce the members selected to represent the Ancient Dragon Clan in the Great Dragon Championship. They are Han Wu, Long Xiang, Long Lin...”

Amid the cheers of the Ancient Dragon Clan, Han Wu had finally secured his spot in the Great Dragon Championship.