Forcing herself to stay calm, she said coolly, “Mm. You are a student of Kunlun Academy, so naturally you are my disciple.”
As soon as she said it, she realized something was off.
Wait, did that sound too perfunctory?
Like any Kunlun student could be her disciple.
Especially when she saw Su Fu’s eyes dim with disappointment, she felt a pang in her heart.
“I mean…” she hurried to clarify, “when you get into Kunlun…”
Uh, that wasn’t right either—it made it sound like accepting her as a disciple was a distant goal.
What she meant was that she’d wanted Su Fu as her disciple all along—so come to Kunlun already!
While she was struggling with how to say it, Su Fu was already smiling.
Her eyes curved in a bright smile: “Okay.”
“Dean, I’ll remember. I’ll definitely get into Kunlun, and then I’ll ask you to be my teacher!”
She emphasized, “I won’t ask anyone else—just you!”
At these words, Taixuanzi’s expression finally softened, a clear joy in her voice: “Mm. That’s how it should be.”
“You’re part of the Chinese Pantheon, so you should enter Kunlun Academy.”
Su Fu let out a soft sigh of relief.
Good, finally smoothed things over.
She seized the chance to tell Taixuanzi about Michelle inviting her to the B-Class Instance.
Taixuanzi just waved her hand, not caring in the slightest, “It’s only a B-Class Instance. Go if you want.”
“With the Dragon Scale I gave you, not to mention B-Class, even an S-Class Instance can’t kill you.”
“As long as it can protect you for an instant, I’ll be there the next second.”
She said it so casually, but Su Fu was deeply moved.
This was the strength and reliability of the Kunlun Dean, filling her with a sense of security!
Seeing Su Fu’s excitement, Taixuanzi chuckled softly, “Don’t be afraid.”
“You’re Kunlun… cough, my disciple, so of course I’ll back you up.”
“Thank you, teacher!”
Su Fu immediately felt reassured.
Now, not only could she tackle B-Class Instances with Michelle, even A-Class ones wouldn’t scare her!
Just then, Taixuanzi’s relaxed expression became a bit more serious as she looked at Su Fu: “You must have climbed the Audience Pathway Ladder of the Chinese Pantheon and earned the right to meet the gods?”
Su Fu instinctively straightened up and nodded hesitantly, “Yes, Dean. Is there something wrong?”
Seeing Su Fu’s slightly nervous look, Taixuanzi smiled, “Don’t worry, I just need you to pass on a message.”
‘A message?’
Su Fu perked up.
Was she to deliver some important message to the gods?
If it was important enough to be relayed across worlds, it must be a shocking secret…
She immediately became serious, “Dean, just tell me—I’ll make sure it’s delivered!”
Taixuanzi’s vertical pupils glimmered with amusement, and she said directly, “Just say, ‘One year remains.'”
Su Fu blinked, puzzled: “That’s… that’s it? One year?”
‘What one year? What did it mean?’
“They’ll understand when you say it.” Taixuanzi, for once, explained, “Don’t be curious—now’s not the time for you to know these things.”
Her expression grew complicated.
Su Fu had never seen such beautiful dragon eyes—she almost got lost staring into them.
“As for you,” Taixuanzi said softly, “your task now is to focus on the College Entrance Exam and grow into a true adult.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Mentally, Su Fu, whose psychological age was already over the limit.
‘Alright, alright, you’re the Dean, whatever you say!’
She nodded obediently, “Understood! I’ll study hard and do my best to grow!”
Before leaving, Taixuanzi gave Su Fu her communicator number, “If you need anything, contact me directly.”
Then, as if remembering something, she added, “Oh, but sometimes it won’t be me replying—it’ll be your Teacher Zhuge.”
Su Fu perked up at that—Teacher Zhuge?
Before she could ask, Taixuanzi raised her arm and slashed at the air—
“Vmmm—”
A faint tremor sounded as the air was torn open.
Taixuanzi stepped forward, turned back with a smile, “Well then, see you next time at Kunlun.”
She stepped into the rift and disappeared.
A moment later, the rift closed and all was calm again.
Su Fu stood there, dazed for a long while.
“So cool…” she murmured, “just rip open space and go wherever you want…”
She wanted to try, too, and raised her hand, pretending: “Hey!”
“Riiip—”
A sound rang out—but it was just her own sound effect.
Fine.
Sooner or later, she’d be able to do it for real!
***
Polaris Education Department, Minister’s Office.
Cool-toned light slanted across the desk, casting a faint shadow.
Minister Kong Ying’s expression was focused, reading the Starnet terminal intently.
Just as she was about to proceed, her fingertips twitched.
She looked up to see the air before her ripple like water, and a figure emerged from the void.
With a faint fragrance, Taixuanzi appeared before her desk.
Kong Ying was clearly unfazed, leaning back in her chair to regard her long-lost acquaintance.
“How dare you covet my disciple!” Taixuanzi burst out the moment she appeared, cheeks puffed in anger.
“Oh?” Kong Ying laughed lightly, tapping her fingers on the desk, noncommittal, “If I hadn’t given you a little push, would you have realized your own feelings so soon?”
A direct hit—Taixuanzi was caught off guard.
She choked, opened her mouth, but was left speechless.
In the end, she could only huff in frustration.
“Anyway, Su Fu is already my disciple,” Taixuanzi lifted her chin proudly, “You, with your stiff face and old-fashioned ways, better stop dreaming!”
“She said it herself—she likes strong, protective teachers like me best! Not a stick-in-the-mud like you.”
Kong Ying raised an eyebrow at Taixuanzi’s possessive display, “So you came all this way just to brag?”
In all these years, it was the first time she’d seen the proud Kunlun Dean lose her composure like this.
Taixuanzi seemed to realize her own loss of control and coughed, trying to regain her dignity, “Ahem, anyway—”
She did her best to look stern, “Just give up.”
Kong Ying seemed hurt, shaking her head and sighing, “Fine, I give up. But I didn’t expect you’d come all this way just to scold me after all this time.”
The sigh caught Taixuanzi off guard, her momentum faltering.
She pursed her lips, eyes wandering, “Y-you stop that!”
‘Crap!’ Taixuanzi’s mind screamed warning bells.
Kong Ying was as cunning as Zhuge, and with Zhuge not on her side, this wasn’t a good situation!
This was bad—time to run!
“Whatever you’re plotting,” she said clearly, “don’t drag my disciple into it, or I’ll never let you off!”
Before her words had finished, Taixuanzi had already slashed open a rift in the air and slipped away.
Once she was gone, the office fell silent again.
In the dim light, Kong Ying slowly removed her gold-rimmed glasses, massaging her brow with slender fingers.
“Knock, knock—”
The office door sounded.
“Come in.”
He Lian Yue entered, standing straight and tall.
Kong Ying looked up, her tone calm, “Since the pig is fattened, it’s time to slaughter it.”
He Lian Yue’s heart skipped a beat.
The Zongzheng clan?
They were really making a move?
Hadn’t they hesitated before…
Was it because of Zongzheng Mingde’s actions, or was there some new variable?
She suddenly thought of her brief glimpse of Taixuanzi earlier, and her heart stirred.
Countless guesses swirled in her mind, but her face remained calm as she bowed respectfully, “Yes.”
He Lian Yue quickly left the office.
Kong Ying looked down, her gaze falling on the Starnet terminal, and her eyes finally sharpened.
“If she weren’t part of the Chinese Pantheon…” she murmured softly, “I would never let you have her.”
***
At the edge of the Fragmented Star Belt, Su Fu faced the world outside the academy for the first time.
There was no bright sunlight—only endless darkness and suffocating silence.
All around, wisps of black smoke drifted through the void—unformed, low-level anomalies.
So this was the world beyond the Divine Academy?
Vast and boundless.
Before the immense and dangerous universe, Su Fu had never felt so small.
“Ready?” Michelle’s voice came from her side, “We’re about to enter the instance. Stick close to me and watch for my signals.”
Su Fu turned to look at the big boss from the group—blonde, blue-eyed, dressed casually, exuding a carefree, unrestrained vibe.
It was as if this dangerous star domain was nothing but an amusement park to her.
“Okay.” Su Fu nodded vigorously—she was very much averse to dying.
Michelle’s divine power surged as she tore open the void, revealing a rift before them.
“Let’s go,” Michelle smiled teasingly, “Today’s broadcast is brought to you by Michelle of the Paradise Pantheon.”
“Greetings, examinee. Welcome to the B-Class Exam Paper, codename [Heavenly Moon].”
Su Fu watched in wonder—she could open the Exam Paper directly, without even needing the Shen Yan AI’s help?
Michelle chuckled, “What, not what you imagined? Don’t worry, you’ll see—these wild Exam Papers are the real deal.”
“Wild Exam Papers?” Su Fu blinked.
They just tore through space and entered?
No summoning or anything?
Michelle explained briefly.
“There are three types of anomaly instances. The first is the academy Exam Paper—you know these best. Complete system, monitored throughout by Shen Yan AI, super safe.”
“The second are those near the academy, still under Shen Yan’s supervision, but less safe. More risk, but better rewards. The last type—wild instances—are far from the academy, no Shen Yan AI support, only basic information prompts. Extremely high risk, but the rewards are unpredictable.”
“But the upside is, it’s no-man’s land. Whoever finds it gets to use it.”
Most of Michelle’s Exam Papers were this kind, but she assured, “Relax, I wouldn’t bring you if it wasn’t worth it. Don’t use your academy rules here—today, I’ll show you something new.”
Su Fu got it—so it was like an adventure!
She was definitely interested.
Without further delay, they entered the instance, and the scenery changed at once.
Silvery moonlight poured down like gauze, bathing everything in a soft halo.
Giant trees stood in the distance, their crowns reaching for the sky, with tiny glowing lights flickering among the leaves.
Was that… a Laurel Tree?
But what shocked her more was the towering palace in the distance—glazed tiles reflecting moonlight, ornate eaves, exquisite carvings.
A guess flashed through Su Fu’s mind—Heavenly Court instance, with a Laurel Tree and palace—this was… Guanghan Palace?
Her heart thudded—was this the Moon Fairy’s Guanghan Palace?!
Meanwhile, Michelle looked around and relaxed, speculating, “This probably isn’t the Heavenly Court’s core area.”
Su Fu asked instinctively, “How can you tell?”
“From the scale and decorations, there aren’t many people—it’s more like a side hall. Most importantly, there seem to be few anomalies here.”
“That makes things easier,” she sighed with relief, “But by the way, you probably don’t know the characteristics of B-Class Exam Papers, right?”
Su Fu shook her head—this was her first B-Class instance, and her next would be the B-Class Exam Paper for the College Entrance Exam.
That’s why she wanted a mock run now.
“You know the key feature of C-Class Exam Papers—anomalies have intelligence,” Michelle explained as they walked, “But in B-Class, the biggest change is—anomaly linkage.”
“Anomalies from different maps start to gather, mix together, and even communicate and connect with each other.”
Su Fu understood, “So it’s like multiple C-Class Exam Papers running together?”
“Smart,” Michelle smiled, “But don’t judge the instance’s difficulty by C-Class standards.”
Her voice turned serious, “Do you know about ‘learning’ and ’emergence’?”
“Once anomalies start communicating and realize their differences, their intelligence multiplies exponentially. Like…”
She thought for a moment, “Like independent Starnet terminals suddenly connecting to the network.”
Su Fu drew a sharp breath—she remembered the previous Warden instance, where rules were used to suppress examinees.
If multiple anomalies joined forces to create rules…
“So they create rules that benefit themselves?” Su Fu guessed.
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