Throne of Gods: Divine thunder descends, and the Qilin descends upon the world!

Chapter 17 Challenging a Seventh-Tier Rank? A Crushing Blow to a Seventh-Tier Rank!
"Wow! Is this an elemental spirit furnace? It's so cute! I want one too!"

Chen Ying'er cupped her cheeks in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Lei Ji sitting on Yuehui's shoulder, her face full of envy.

The tiny lightning elemental sprite was lazily swinging its legs, occasionally crackling with tiny streaks of lightning.

"Ying'er, wake up, you can't fuse with the elemental spirit furnace." Lu Xi poured cold water on her without any mercy.

"Hmph! Can't I even fantasize?" Chen Ying'er puffed out her cheeks and glared at him angrily.

As a soul saintess with no elemental spiritual power, she was born without a connection to the elemental furnace.

However, this does not mean she has no chance at all—if she can summon elemental life from the Gate of Life, she can still form a contract with it.

But... that probability is about the same as her being able to draw a level 10 magical beast right now.

"Commander, my squires have arrived," Long Haochen suddenly said, turning his gaze to a spot not far away.

A young knight clad in silver-white armor walked steadily towards them, his face resolute and his eyes calm.

He stood before the members of the No. 1 Knight-level Demon Hunter Squad, his right fist pressed against his chest, performing a standard knightly salute.

"Commander Yue, I am Han Yu, a squire knight of Master Long Haochen, a fifth-tier guardian knight."

"Welcome to the team," Yuehui replied with a smile and a nod.

"A fifth-tier guardian knight? Not bad! I'll have to spar with you sometime!" Wang Yuanyuan's eyes blazed with fighting spirit, and he clenched his fist lightly, his knuckles making a crisp sound.

Han Yu smiled calmly and said, "My primary duty is to protect my master's safety. Although I also have merit tokens, according to the rules of the Demon Hunter Guild, the merits of a squire are not counted in the team's total merits."

The moment the word "meritorious service" was mentioned, the eyes of the others in the team lit up.

"Merit points! They can be exchanged for so many good things!" Chen Ying'er clasped her hands together, her face full of longing.

They had already thoroughly explored the Demon Hunter Guild Trading Center when they had nothing else to do.

Although their current permissions only allow them to exchange items on the first floor, even so, the dazzling array of rare resources has made them realize that merit is the only true currency!

“I’ve inquired carefully, and there are two main ways to obtain merit points.” Wang Yuanyuan held up two fingers. “The first is to hunt demons. Even the most ordinary Zelin dual-sword demon is worth a few merit points.”

She paused, a gleam of excitement in her eyes: "The second is to complete the tasks issued by the Trial Tower; the rewards are said to be quite generous!"

Moonbeam smiled and clapped his hands: "Don't worry, you'll earn merit eventually. But right now, we need to pass the first trial arranged by the Holy Alliance."

As they were talking, the other nine demon-hunting teams entered the trial grounds one after another.

Long Haochen's eyes lit up, and he waved and called out into the distance, "Sister! Brother Lin!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Xin, a member of the fourth-level demon hunter team, looked up, and a smile finally appeared on her tired face.

"Sister, you look very tired?" Long Haochen asked with concern.

Li Xin sighed and rubbed her temples: "A mage who can't use offensive magic and a priest who can't heal—you'd be exhausted too."

Her resentful gaze swept over her teammates behind her.

Lin Xin and Sima Xian, who were called out, touched their noses in unison and smiled awkwardly.

Long Haochen's eyes widened in surprise: "Brother Lin, you really don't know any offensive magic?"

"Well... it's a long story." Lin Xin chuckled and touched his striking green short hair.

At this moment, Yuehui stepped forward and said in a gentle tone, "Miss Li Xin, perhaps you can look at the problem from a different perspective."

He pointed at Sima Xian and explained, "Although Sima Xian doesn't know healing magic, his attack power is no less than any warrior of the same level, and he is also a berserker who can cast magic."

“Although Lin Xin doesn’t know offensive magic,” Moonlight continued, “his elemental defense can be applied to the entire team, something even shield warriors can’t do. Plus, he’s a potion master, and his potions can significantly boost the team’s strength.”

"They may seem like a weak link, but they're actually a complementary and golden combination," Yuehui said with a smile. "As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too, but if you think about it from a different perspective, you'll often discover unexpected value." "Right, right, right!" Lin Xin quickly chimed in, nodding excitedly. "I have a medicine that can quickly elevate everyone in our team to the fifth rank!"

After hearing these words, Li Xin looked back and forth between her two teammates, and nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, Han Qianlong, the Holy Knight Commander of the Temple, strode into the trial grounds, followed by ten burly men dressed in white tight-fitting clothes.

These burly men all possessed a composed demeanor, and their ages appeared to be over forty.

With their arrival, the once noisy training ground fell silent instantly.

The members of the ten demon hunter teams straightened their backs in unison, their eyes all turning to the center of the arena.

Han Qian stood in the center of the training ground, with ten burly men in white standing in a line behind him.

His sharp gaze swept over every young person present, and he said in a loud voice:

"From this day forward, you are officially members of the Warrior-level Demon Hunter Team. I believe you have already witnessed the value of merit points at the trading center."

"Next, you will face a team competition. However, this competition will not be a duel in the arena, but rather you will leave the Holy City and head to the frontier battlefield to spend three months in military service!"

These words elicited varying reactions from the young people present; some were excited, while others were nervous.

Han Qian continued:
"There, you will face the ferocity of the demons, but it will also be the best opportunity to gain merit points."

"Three months later, the team with the highest merit points will be the champion of the team competition!"

At this point, Han Qian deliberately raised his voice: "The first-place team will be awarded 1,000 merit points per person, the second-place team 500, and the third-place team 300!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

Keep in mind that the reward for an individual champion is only 100 merit points, while the reward for a team champion is ten times that!
This means that the team that wins first place will directly qualify for promotion to a general-level demon hunter team!

Han Qian's authoritative voice echoed in the training ground: "Standing behind me are ten battle-hardened guardian knights. Each of them has fought against the demons on the frontier for many years. From today onwards, they will become your leaders."

He looked around at everyone and solemnly said, "On the battlefield, you must humbly learn from them. Team leaders, return to your positions!"

The ten guardian knights marched in unison toward their respective demon-hunting squads.

The man who came before the No. 1 Demon Hunter Team was a burly man, around forty years old.

His sharply defined face, as if tempered by the flames of war, exuded an imposing aura.

Most striking are the grotesque scars on both sides of his neck and a circular scar about two inches in diameter near his temple.

Gao Yingjie stood still in front of everyone, clenched his right fist and slammed it heavily onto his left breastplate, producing a dull thud.

“I am Gao Yingjie.” His voice was deep and powerful. “I will be your team leader for the next three months.”

“I will not directly command your battles,” he said, his sharp gaze sweeping over each member of the team.
“But I have the right to correct your wrong decisions at any time. My primary task is to ensure that you all leave the battlefield alive in three months.”

At this point, he changed the subject: "However, before we set off, I need to understand your capabilities."

Chen Ying'er blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "Team leader, how do you plan to test us?"

"Battle is always the best test. You've just formed a team, so you probably haven't fought together yet."

"Then, I will be your first target to challenge!"

Wang Yuanyuan asked directly, "Team leader, what is your rank?"

“A seventh-tier paladin,” Gao Yingjie replied calmly. “However, to be fair, I will not use my flying ability, nor will I summon a mount.”

(Not summoning a mount, not using flight? Isn't this just a level 7 punching bag?)
(End of this chapter)