Chapter 904: Xu Jingming, You Call the Blue Star Natives!

"Master Meng."

"Good day, Master Meng Yu."

"......"

Walking along the path to the rating certification.

People continuously approached Meng Yu to bow and greet her.

Among them were several Seventh-Rank Master-level powerhouses.

This clearly showed Meng Yu's status within the Ember Temple was indeed high.

As for Xu Jingming, Su Qingli, and Ling Shuang walking beside Meng Yu,

Though unfamiliar, their mere aura revealed they were no ordinary individuals.

As a result, Xu Jingming and the others also received the same treatment as Meng Yu.

At this moment, Meng Yu's fair face still bore a trace of surprise upon learning Xu Jingming had become a Core Member.

It was no surprise that Xu Jingming, who had defeated Elder Green, was accepted as a Core Member.

What puzzled her was the change in Xu Jingming's attitude.

Before this, he had seemed rather resistant to the Ember Temple.

'Perhaps he received some guidance from the High Priestess, or perhaps he was won over by her...'

Thinking of the High Priestess's admirable, powerful, and elegant figure, Meng Yu quickly understood.

Either reason alone was enough to make Xu Jingming join the Ember Temple.

Even the entire Core Layer of the Ember Temple might undergo new changes because of Xu Jingming's arrival.

Thinking of this, Meng Yu smiled and said:

"Our Ember Temple classifies Core Members into five ranks: Dim Light, Faint Light, Bright Light, Radiant Light, and Supreme Light.

I and Meng Ke are both Bright Light level; Green is Radiant Light level.

With your talent and strength, Senior Xu, securing a Radiant Light rank won't be difficult."

"You're only Bright Light level?"

Su Qingli, usually cold and reserved, was startled.

She knew Meng Yu herself possessed an SS-rank ability.

And she had swept aside a host of Blue Star SS-rank prodigies, including Catherine.

Such formidable power was merely third-rank within the Ember Temple.

Then how extraordinary must Radiant Light and Supreme Light be?

"Could you tell us how many Core Members there are in each rank?"

Ling Shuang's red lips moved slightly as she asked curiously.

If the numbers were small, it would be fine; but if they were large,

then the potential of the Ember World would completely crush Blue Star.

"Of course."

Meng Yu smiled slightly and explained:

"Though our Ember Temple has a vast total membership—nearly every ability user in the Ember World is a member—

the number of Core Members is not large, totaling just over a million.

The lowest rank, Dim Light, has too many members; I don't know the exact number.

But Faint Light has over six thousand, and Bright Light about one thousand.

Radiant Light is far fewer, only a hundred or so.

As for Supreme Light, in our current Ember Temple, there is only one person."

Upon hearing this, Su Qingli and Ling Shuang immediately widened their eyes in shock.

Xu Jingming beside them was also taken aback.

Even if the Ember World had preserved the strong ones from the previous civilization,

this scale was still absurdly excessive.

A thousand Bright Light-level individuals like Meng Yu?

That was terrifying!

"Seniors, you misunderstand—not all Bright Light members are like me."

Seeing Xu Jingming and the others had misinterpreted, Meng Yu quickly explained:

"Our Ember Temple's Core Member certification has two methods.

The first, like Senior Xu, is through trials for certification.

The second is based on seniority: those who have made sufficient contributions to the Temple, even with modest strength, can still earn a decent rank.

The former applies to prodigies; the latter allows ability users with slightly lesser talent to also enjoy the Temple's benefits."

As if fearing her explanation was unclear, she paused, then continued:

"Most of our Temple's Core Members have no formal rank—even the lowest Dim Light requires at least Second-Rank to apply.

Faint Light requires a minimum of Sixth-Rank; Bright Light is exclusive to Seventh-Rank Masters and Eighth-Rank Grand Masters.

Of course, someone like me, a rare Sixth-Rank, can also receive a Bright Light rank.

As for the higher Radiant Light rank, one generally needs Ninth-Rank strength to be certified."

"I see."

Ling Shuang and Su Qingli both exhaled in relief, but Xu Jingming became intrigued:

"Then what are the criteria for your Supreme Light rank?"

"Aurora rank?"

Meng Yu was briefly stunned, then immediately replied:

"Aurora rank cannot be obtained through seniority; it can only be obtained through trials.

The rating trial you, Senior Xu, will undergo shortly is somewhat similar to the virtual worlds of Blue Star.

The trial has nine stages in total. Passing the first two stages grants Glimmer rank; passing the first four grants Bright Light rank.

Passing the first six stages is Radiant rank. Only by passing the highest ninth stage can one obtain the Aurora rating.

Currently, our Aurora rank holder possesses an SSS-grade ability, at the eighth-tier upper stage.

The previous Aurora rank holder was our High Priest, Lady Aemeth."

After passing the sixth stage of Radiant rank, one must still pass three more trials to obtain the Aurora rating.

And the three subsequent trials are each more twisted than the last.

This is also why, although Xu Jingming had defeated Green, Meng Yu still felt he could only obtain the Radiant rating.

Because the final three trials are truly too difficult......

"Oh?" Xu Jingming's gaze flickered.

He hadn't expected that, apart from Aemeth, the Emberfire Temple actually had another SSS-grade.

But this was fine too — without an opponent of the same tier, it always felt like something was missing.

"Seniors, this is the Rating Certification Hall."

A few minutes later,

Xu Jingming and his group, led by Meng Yu, arrived at a great hall.

The hall contained quite a number of oval-shaped instruments, each about one person tall.

Some instruments had their hatch doors open, displaying a green light indicating they could be entered.

Other instruments had their hatch doors closed, displaying a red light indicating they could not be entered.

At this moment, quite a few people in the hall were either entering the instruments or just exiting them.

"This is... a holographic stealth pod?" Xu Jingming was briefly stunned.

Ever since virtual worlds and意念 helmets appeared, he hadn't seen one of these things in a long time.

"That's right." Meng Yu nodded slightly, her expression somewhat unnatural.

In terms of technology, the Emberfire World could be said to completely overwhelm the Blue Star World.

But in terms of holographic stealth, they lagged far behind.

The Blue Star World already had意念 helmets, while they were still using stealth pods.

They had even long since brought back Blue Star's virtual helmets for study.

The key wasn't in the helmet itself — they could manufacture helmets too.

The most crucial thing was the server the helmet connected to.

Even they couldn't manufacture such a server; they had no idea how the Blue Star World had managed to produce one.

"Technology is neither good nor bad — as long as it works, it's fine."

Xu Jingming, who had noticed Meng Yu's awkward expression, said with a smile.

Just as Meng Yu was preparing to take Xu Jingming to undergo identity certification first.

Suddenly, a voice thick with mockery came from the side:

"Oh, isn't this Young Lady Meng?

Failing to complete the High Priest's mission, and you still have the nerve to come back?"

Xu Jingming and the others instinctively turned their heads to look.

They saw a group of three walking into the hall.

These three had upright bearing, and the aura they faintly emitted had actually already reached the eighth tier!

The one who spoke was a tall, coldly beautiful woman in a blood-colored battle suit walking at the very front.

"Lady Xina! What nonsense are you spouting?"

Seeing this woman, Meng Yu's face immediately darkened.

Where there are people, there will be conflict — even within the Emberfire Temple, this was no exception.

This Lady Xina was Green's sworn enemy.

Precisely because of this, even people like them who had a decent relationship with Green had drawn her grudge.

"What? Did I say anything wrong?"

Lady Xina's voice was filled with contempt:

"Those garbage natives from Blue Star — your brother and the others actually lost to them?

Trash is trash. If it were me, I would have perfectly completed the High Priest's mission."

"You—!"

Meng Yu's face was ashen, yet she had no way to retort.

On one hand, they had indeed lost.

On the other hand, her strength was only at the peak of sixth tier, while her opponent was an eighth-tier Grandmaster.

Striking in anger would only be inviting humiliation upon herself.

In the past, with Green around, Lady Xina didn't dare act so arrogantly.

But now, Green was gone, and she had no way to resist at all.

"Oh? When did our Temple get a few new faces? Are you newly joined members?"

At this moment, Lady Xina gave a soft exclamation of surprise, noticing Xu Jingming and the others beside them.

Xu Jingming only looked at her without speaking.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question — why aren't you saying anything?"

The eighth-rank Master Zongshi beside Lady Xina furrowed his brow.

He thrust out his right hand, snatching at Xu Jingming like a bolt of lightning — clearly harboring ill intent.

But the next instant,

A sharp sizzling sound rang out as a streak of black Lei Guang flashed.

The right hand this man had thrust out was directly annihilated into slag by a bolt of black lightning!

"Ah!!! My hand!!!"

A piercing scream rang out as this eighth-rank Master Zongshi's face abruptly turned deathly pale.

Xu Jingming, meanwhile, acted as if nothing had happened. He looked at the utterly dumbfounded Lady Xina and said lightly:

"Xu Jingming — the garbage Blue Star native you speak of."