Belina frowned, running several more scans, her expression growing even odder.
“What’s going on? Just tell us!”
Everyone was on edge.
Did it mean she didn’t have long to live?
Belina paused, staring at Su Fu in disbelief.
Her voice was dazed: “No, she’s not hurt. In fact, it’s just the opposite… She’s perfectly fine. There’s no trace of Dark Realm corruption on her body—she’s actually in excellent health.”
She hesitated, then compared, “In fact… she’s healthier than any of us here!”
Everyone: “???”
Was that even possible?
She’d resisted the Dark Realm, and was in better shape than them?
Su Fu laughed awkwardly, “Uh, yeah, really, I’m fine.”
The others’ eyes changed instantly.
Just how had she managed it?
They had a thousand questions, but with Su Fu safe and sound, a heavy weight lifted from their hearts.
Especially Claude—he remembered what had happened to the last inspector.
His back broke out in cold sweat at some point.
Thank goodness Su Fu was alright.
Olivia hesitated, then looked at Su Fu and asked, “Can I ask how you came to be here?”
As soon as the question was raised, all eyes turned eagerly to her, curiosity burning.
How had a mere A-rank Divine Summoner breached all those prohibitions to reach the core zone?
Su Fu blinked, looking even more confused than them, “I have no idea. I just opened my eyes and was here.”
She asked innocently, “Wasn’t it you teachers who teleported me?”
They all glanced at each other. Raymond coughed, “Ahem…”
Olivia quickly said, “Yes, it was us.”
But the issue remained—she was supposed to be teleported to the dorm.
How had Su Fu alone ended up here?
But that wasn’t the main concern.
What she really wanted to know was: “Su Fu, how did you stop the corruption?”
Everyone was dying of curiosity, their gazes intense.
This was practically a miracle, like an angel descending from the heavens.
A mere first-year student had solved a problem that had stumped them for so long, and single-handedly destroyed Lilyth’s scheme.
It was unfathomable.
Claude stared at Su Fu even more intently.
The Dark Realm had nearly corrupted the Tree of Life—how had she managed?
He had once seen a demigod’s scepter touched by the black mist; the concept of “majesty” carved upon it had instantly been erased, the scepter turned into an ordinary stick.
It wasn’t just corrosion.
It was as if something had been wiped from existence, never to have existed at all.
In the deepest depths of the Dark Realm, even time would come to a halt, space would distort, laws collapse…
Yet now, Su Fu had found a way to counter it?
Facing these teachers, all hungering for answers, Su Fu felt a little pressure.
‘Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t do anything that amazing.’
“Uh…” She swallowed nervously, “I have a divine skill that’s… restoration.”
Seeing their eyes light up, she hurried to add, “Restoration as a concept, you understand?”
They all nodded eagerly— “yes, yes, please go on.”
Su Fu braced herself and continued, “Actually, it wasn’t me who stopped the black mist’s corruption. It was that I restored the Tree of Life’s self-healing ability, letting it reclaim its own concept and rules, so it could resist the corruption on its own.”
Olivia understood—but then an even bigger question arose.
“You mean… Your restoration can repair the Tree of Life?”
Heavens!
That was even more incredible than directly fighting off the black mist!
Not only had she blocked the corruption, she’d actually healed the Tree of Life?
Olivia took a deep breath, struggling to calm her racing heart.
Her thoughts raced— ‘that was the Tree of Life, a foundational concept of the world, a power of life existing since creation itself! Su Fu could actually repair such rules?’
It was like trying to cut with scissors made of paper—it shouldn’t be possible, unless you were operating on the same conceptual level.
Which meant…
Olivia was shaken—what was a miracle, if not this?
Belina stared at Su Fu in a daze, suddenly feeling as if the young girl before her was shining with light, like an angel descended from the sky.
That’s right, a miracle angel.
Claude was the first to react, nodding thoughtfully, “I recall your patron deity is the Founding God of the Chinese Pantheon, isn’t it?”
“So this restoration skill comes from the Founding God?”
Su Fu nodded obediently, “Yes.”
That wasn’t hard to verify.
In fact, unless it was from the Founding God, such a divine skill couldn’t possibly repair something like the Tree of Life.
“The Founding God…” Olivia murmured, frowning, “I’ve tried other Founding God Summoners to save the Tree of Life before, but not a single one succeeded… Why is the Founding God of the Chinese Pantheon different?”
But thinking it over, it was possible.
After all, even if they all represented creation, different pantheons had very different creation myths.
Some were based on a single line that defined their authority, while others were formed from deeper, more rigorous understandings.
For example, the Greek Chaos—regarded as the primordial origin—represented creation more as a natural evolution.
In Norse mythology, Ymir created the world by sacrificing himself, his blood becoming the oceans, his bones the mountains, his hair the forests.
So, while the position might be similar,
Their actual powers could be completely different.
“Heavens…” Olivia couldn’t help but murmur, “Just who is Nuwa? This kind of power really is a miracle…”
Everyone agreed in their hearts—what else could it be?
Now that she had the gist, Olivia couldn’t wait to inspect the Tree of Life but as soon as her Divine Power reached out, she froze.
“…”
She stared at the Tree of Life in shock, as if she’d seen a ghost, then whipped around to look at Su Fu.
Her voice was shaking with excitement: “The Tree of Life is ascending!”
Everyone: “???”
‘What on earth? Not only did it survive, it’s starting to ascend?’
After several long seconds of absolute silence, Belina finally stammered out: “High Priestess, are you saying that the Tree of Life not only stabilized, but is actually ascending?”
“…?”
She seemed unable to believe her own ears and said, “God, did I hear that right? The Tree of Life can actually ascend?”
Ever since the Tree of Life was born, there had never been any talk of it ascending.
It had always just existed, endlessly thriving, unchanging throughout eternity…
And then Su Fu shows up and directly makes the Tree of Life ascend?
The shock was just too much—Raymond felt like his mind was buzzing.
He stared at Su Fu in disbelief and muttered to himself, “Nuwa… She is definitely the strongest Creator deity I’ve ever seen!”
“To actually make the Tree of Life ascend, just how high must her status, ability, and authority be?”
Claude Stern summarized, “So, Su Fu came once, bringing her patron deity Nuwa, and the Tree of Life not only rid itself of corruption but immediately ascended on the spot, right?”
“The mastery over its fundamental concept has risen to a whole new level?”
“Uh…” Su Fu was about to explain that this wasn’t a one-and-done, that she hadn’t reached that level yet, when Olivia already approached her with utmost solemnity.
She placed her right hand gently on her chest and lowered her head slightly.
“Su Fu, please allow me to offer you my highest respect. You are the benefactor of Eden, and even more so of our Paradise Pantheon.”
Olivia traced a cross over her chest and said, “In the name of the Almighty Father, please accept my sincerest gratitude. For your generous help this time, I promise you will receive ample reward as thanks.”
“Please wait a moment, allow me to report this to the head bishop and request that he grant you the reward you deserve.”
She looked up with genuine sincerity and continued, “During this time, I hope you enjoy your stay in Eden. We will open all your access rights—you may come and go as you please in any area of Eden.”
Su Fu was startled by this sudden grand gesture and hurriedly took a few steps forward, reaching out as if to help Olivia up, “High Priestess, please, there’s no need for this. I’m not in a hurry. You all go about your business. The Tree of Life is what’s most important now.”
At the same time, Belina and Raymond expressed their gratitude in the same posture.
Only after a long while did they slowly straighten up.
Olivia turned to Claude and said, “I must trouble you, Chief Inspector Claude, to escort Su Fu back to her dormitory.”
Claude nodded slightly.
Wow!
Su Fu never imagined there’d be a day when a Chief Inspector would personally escort her back to her dorm.
“Then I’ll go on ahead.” Su Fu said her farewells to everyone, “I’ll leave the Tree of Life to you all.”
“Don’t worry,” Olivia nodded with a smile, “We will take good care of it. Thank you again, Su Fu.”
“No need, no need.”
Back at her dorm, Su Fu was still a little dazed.
‘All this fuss? Isn’t it a bit much? But if it was for the Tree of Life, it sort of made sense.’
The familiar scent of flowers filled the air, the ginkgo tree outside the window swayed gently in the night, golden leaves slowly drifting down and blanketing the ground.
Su Fu murmured to herself, “So, tonight, I secretly saved Eden?”
What a strange feeling.
She yawned, glanced at the time—it was already the middle of the night.
“This should be fine now, right?”
“Sleep!”
Su Fu fell onto her bed, and was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
***
At the same time, Olivia and the others were keeping watch near the Tree of Life, not moving a single step.
According to Shen Yan’s estimation, it would take twelve hours for the Tree of Life to fully awaken, so they had to make sure nothing went wrong.
Right then, Raymond suddenly spoke, “High Priestess, Su Fu’s patron deity is the Creator Goddess… Is she also walking the path of creation?”
He looked somewhat worried, “If that’s the case, won’t the Serpent of Temptation…”
He didn’t finish, but the meaning was clear—an existence like Su Fu was exactly the kind of target the Serpent of Temptation was after.
After all, that serpent never stopped scheming for a way out, and now, with such a great opportunity, it would surely try to tempt her from the shadows.
Olivia paused for a moment, then shook her head, “It doesn’t matter.”
“If Su Fu was able to willingly save the Tree of Life, it shows she isn’t that kind of greedy person. Besides, Houchu is on her team. His patron deity is Uriel, who is highly sensitive to sin—he’ll know if Su Fu is ever being tempted into corruption.”
“That’s good.” Raymond let out a sigh of relief.
After all, Su Fu’s power was so strong that if she were to be tempted by Satan, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Her destructive potential was far greater than Lilyth’s.
Olivia also fell into deep thought, remembering Lilyth, that once loyal priestess who ultimately fell and became a puppet of Satan.
Is there really… such a thing as an absolute certainty?
***
The next morning, golden sunlight poured over every corner of Eden.
Birds were up early, cheerfully singing on the branches, the breeze blowing in the scent of grass and dew.
Su Fu had a wonderful night’s sleep.
She stretched lazily, feeling completely refreshed.
She even felt her quality of sleep had improved considerably.
The Tree of Life’s abilities really were something special.
She gazed out the window—the scenery was as beautiful as a painting, flowers blooming everywhere, elves flitting about.
“This really does feel like a vacation.” Su Fu couldn’t help but sigh, feeling it was just too peaceful and pleasant.
She changed her clothes, and by the time she went downstairs, breakfast was already ready.
An enticing aroma drifted into her nose.
In the kitchen, Houchu was frying eggs, golden yolks sizzling in the pan.
Freshly baked bread was laid out on the table, along with fresh fruit salad and a rich, milky oatmeal porridge.
“Good morning,” Houchu turned to greet her, “Did you sleep well?”
Su Fu nodded and sat at the table, “Not bad.”
“Still want water?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Once the eggs were done, everyone gathered around the long table to enjoy their hearty breakfast.
Dai Li nibbled on her fruit, Jiang Nanchen took a big bite of the soft bread and squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
“This life is just perfect,” Jiang Nanchen couldn’t help but sigh, “even better than a vacation!”
“Who could have imagined it? We’re actually vacationing in Eden, living in such a nice house, with such beautiful scenery.”
Su Fu took a sip of her porridge, savoring the delicious taste.
She thought, this kind of life—is it worth it?
It was paid for with their very lives.
Yesterday, they had nearly been sent to meet the Lord by Lilyth.
So she casually glanced at the others, thinking to herself that the price had long been marked in secret.
No wonder they not only got to come to the sacred grounds of Eden, but could even take away a divine artifact—it was all compensation.
Right then, Shen Yan’s voice suddenly sounded: [“Current task updated”]
[“Today is Reading Day. Please go to the Temple of Knowledge—Silent Library, and complete the reading of three books.”]
Upon hearing the new task, Dai Li was surprised, “We’re actually allowed into the Temple of Knowledge?”
“They say this library originated from the Tree of Life and houses all sorts of rare books and records, even some unique ancient texts from long-lost civilizations.”
“If we’re lucky, we might even find detailed analyses of magic, runes, and Godly Powers. This is just too wonderful—can you imagine a better day than this!”
Dai Li couldn’t help but smile, feeling like a giant pie had just fallen from the sky.
After all, this was Eden’s Temple of Knowledge.
This was probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
At this point, Jiang Nanchen glanced at Houchu, then lowered his voice, “It’s said there are even Forbidden Books in there…”
“Forbidden Books?” Dai Li was instantly curious, leaning forward, “Like what?”
“No idea,” Jiang Nanchen shrugged, then turned to Houchu and asked, “Maybe you know?”
After all, he was from the Paradise Pantheon, and being able to walk the Road of the Firmament meant he was probably a genius in the Pantheon and must know something.