# Chapter 14: Second Class Slot (Lord of Greed)
The journey to Blood Iron Stronghold took them through landscapes that defied earthly comprehension. Crystalline forests gave way to valleys where the ground itself pulsed with spiritual energy, and mountains that seemed to float in defiance of gravity cast shadows that moved independently of their massive forms. But it was during a rest stop at what Grakh called a "meridian confluence point" that Xìng Huáng experienced something that would change the trajectory of his entire existence.
They had camped beside a natural spring where spiritual energy bubbled up from deep within the realm's core. Sarah and Mark were practicing basic meditation techniques under Grakh's guidance, their new class abilities slowly integrating with their cultivation foundations. The Tactician and Resonance Keeper specializations required careful nurturing to reach their full potential.
Xìng Huáng sat apart from the group, ostensibly practicing his own Blood Seeker techniques but actually puzzling over something that had been nagging at his consciousness since the class selection. The integration had felt... incomplete somehow. As if there were depths to his Divine Greed trait that the Blood Seeker class, powerful as it was, couldn't fully access.
That's when the hidden interface manifested.
It began as a faint shimmer in his peripheral vision—easily dismissed as fatigue or spiritual energy fluctuation. But as he focused on it, the shimmer solidified into text that appeared nowhere in his normal class interface:
HIDDEN INHERITANCE DETECTED
BOND UNIQUE TRAIT: DIVINE GREED - TRUE NATURE ANALYZING...
COMPATIBILITY WITH SECONDARY SPECIALIZATION: CONFIRMED
**WARNING: ADVANCED CLASS REVEALED**
**SECRECY PROTOCOL RECOMMENDED - DISCLOSURE COULD RESULT IN ELIMINATION**
Xìng Huáng's heart raced. A secondary specialization? He'd never heard of dual-class systems in any cultivation framework, and the warning about elimination suggested this was something far beyond normal advancement possibilities.
SECONDARY CLASS AVAILABLE: LORD OF GREED
*Classification: Divine Heritage*
*Prerequisites: Bond Unique Divine Greed Trait + Demonstrated Mastery of Earned Advancement*
*Specialization Type: Hidden Divinity Path*
*WARNING: This class represents a fragment of true divine authority. Activation will mark the practitioner as a potential deity candidate. Current cultivation level insufficient for safe activation. Premature revelation could result in divine intervention from established powers.*
The implications hit him like a physical blow. Divine heritage? Deity candidate? His trait wasn't just a game mechanic that had survived the merger—it was apparently connected to something vastly more significant.
CLASS PREVIEW - LORD OF GREED ABILITIES:
*(Locked until sufficient cultivation level)*
Divine Authority: Winner takes all *(Ultimate Passive)*
The Lord of Greed claims all loot and treasures from defeated foes, asserting dominance through material wealth.
*Effect:*
- Automatically claims all loot, items, and gold from defeated enemies.
- *Special Chance:* 10% chance to steal a skill, trait, or talent from a defeated opponent, further enhancing their own capabilities.
*Flavor:*
"Victory isn't just about strength—it's about wealth and dominion. Whatever you possess now belongs to me".
Domain of Overachiever
*Description:*
The Lord of Greed pushes beyond ordinary limits, constantly striving for more.
*Effect:*
- Gains bonus resources, experience, or reputation upon completing objectives.
- Can unlock additional rewards or hidden treasures when surpassing goals.
*Flavor:*
"There's no ceiling for those who hunger for more—every achievement is merely a stepping stone."
Divine Greed Manifestation *(Transcendent)*
*Temporarily access deity-level power in exchange of Precious Items or Material . Power scales with risk undertaken.*
The abilities described were beyond anything he'd imagined possible. But the warnings that accompanied them were equally staggering:
ACTIVATION REQUIREMENTS:
*Minimum Cultivation Level: Gold - Peak or higher*
*Secrecy Maintenance: Absolute until sufficient power to resist divine opposition*
*Trial Completion: Must prove worthiness through solitary challenge of appropriate scale*
RISKS OF PREMATURE DISCOVERY:
*Elimination by established divine powers*
*Forced ascension before adequate preparation*
*Target designation by anti-divine factions*
*Realm-level political complications*
Xìng Huáng closed the hidden interface immediately, his mind reeling from the revelation. He was carrying the potential for literal godhood, but activating it prematurely could result in his immediate elimination by powers so vast they treated entire realms as political chess pieces.
"You seem troubled, young Blood Seeker," Grakh's voice interrupted his racing thoughts. The hobgoblin had approached without him noticing—a reminder of how distracted he'd become.
"Just... processing the class integration," Xìng Huáng replied carefully. "The Blood Seeker specialization has more depth than I initially realized."
"Indeed. Rare classes often reveal additional capabilities as the practitioner's cultivation advances." Grakh's expression was knowing but not suspicious. "The key is patience. Attempting to access advanced abilities before you're ready can result in meridian damage or worse."
"How much worse?" The question slipped out before he could stop it.
"Cultivation deviation, spiritual fragmentation, spontaneous combustion..." Grakh listed the possibilities with casual expertise. "In extreme cases, the realm itself will reject practitioners who attempt to access power beyond their current worthiness. Such rejections are... invariably fatal."
The hobgoblin's warnings reinforced the hidden interface's cautions. Whatever the God of Greed class represented, it was something that required not just power but genuine worthiness to safely access.
"Tell me about the political structure of divine powers," Xìng Huáng said, hoping to sound academically curious rather than personally invested.
Grakh's eyes sharpened with interest. "An unusually sophisticated question for a new cultivator. Most probationary members focus on immediate survival rather than cosmic hierarchies."
"My Gaming Prodigy talent makes me naturally curious about system structures," Xìng Huáng deflected. "Understanding the bigger picture helps with tactical planning."
"Reasonable approach." Grakh settled into a more comfortable position, clearly prepared for an extended explanation. "The Blood Demon Martial Realm exists within a complex network of divine territories and spheres of influence. True gods maintain domains that span multiple realms, while lesser divine entities focus on individual worlds or regions."
"And their relationships with each other?"
"Competitive. Divine power is not unlimited, and expansion of one deity's influence typically comes at the expense of others. New divine candidates are viewed with extreme suspicion by established powers."
The hobgoblin's gaze became more penetrating. "Why do you ask? Most mortals prefer not to contemplate the possibility of attracting divine attention. It's generally considered unhealthy."
"Just trying to understand the scope of potential advancement paths," Xìng Huáng replied. "If cultivation can theoretically lead to divine power, it seems important to understand what that actually means."
"Theoretically, yes. In practice, the path from mortal cultivation to divine ascension is fraught with challenges that eliminate 99.99% of those who attempt it. Most cultivators who reach transcendent levels choose to remain within familiar power structures rather than risk the trials of divine ascension."
Sarah called out from across the camp. "Grakh, could you help me with this meditation technique? I think I'm channeling the energy incorrectly."
As the hobgoblin moved to assist her, Xìng Huáng was left alone with the weight of his secret knowledge. He carried the potential for divine power, but accessing it safely would require reaching Gold-level cultivation or higher—a goal that seemed impossibly distant from his current Black Iron - High status.
More concerning was the requirement for secrecy. Sarah and Mark were his closest allies in this new reality, but revealing his hidden class could put them in danger from divine powers who might view them as potential threats by association.
He opened his regular interface and examined his publicly visible status:
XìNG HUÁNG
Class: BLOOD SEEKER *(Unique)*
Cultivation: BLACK IRON - HIGH
Status: Progressing Normally
Perfect. To outside observation, he was simply a talented new cultivator with a rare but not unprecedented specialization. The lord of Greed class remained completely hidden, existing in a separate layer of his consciousness that only he could access.
But as they resumed their journey toward the Blood Iron Stronghold, Xìng Huáng couldn't shake the feeling that his secret carried implications far beyond personal advancement. If he truly possessed a fragment of divine authority, then his role in humanity's survival might be vastly more significant than anyone—including himself—currently understood.
The question was whether he could survive long enough to safely unlock that potential, and whether the established divine powers would allow a new deity to emerge from the ranks of refugee survivors.
"Divine authority through earned merit," he whispered to himself, recalling one of the hidden class abilities. In a realm where power typically flowed from inheritance, conquest, or natural advantage, his trait represented something genuinely revolutionary.
Revolutionary enough to get him killed if he wasn't extremely careful about how he developed it.
But also potentially powerful enough to secure not just his own survival, but the future of every human trying to find their place in the Blood Demon Martial Realm.
The hidden interface flickered briefly in his peripheral vision, displaying a single message:
DIVINE HERITAGE ACKNOWLEDGED
PATH TO GODHOOD: AVAILABLE BUT PERILOUS
CURRENT PRIORITY: SURVIVAL AND ADVANCEMENT
Then it vanished, leaving him with the knowledge that would either elevate him to unimaginable heights or destroy him completely.
Either way, his path forward had become infinitely more complex than simply surviving as a tribal probationary member.
He was walking the road to godhood itself.
And he would have to walk it alone.