The Judgement Court session began.
This time, Su Fu appeared as a projection.
Unlike the white tranquility of Eden, the Judgement Court had a dark tone.
The surrounding walls were built from deep gray stone, carved with reliefs of angels battling demons.
At the center stood a massive semicircular judgment platform, carved from obsidian, illuminated by a pillar of light descending from above.
Behind the judgment platform, four high-backed stone chairs stood in a row, with Tikir and the other three head bishops seated.
They all wore hoods, faces hidden in shadow—only their jawlines were visible.
“These are the other three cardinals.” Su Fu nodded, indicating her understanding.
Tikir’s voice sounded in her ear, “A simple majority is enough to pass a vote.”
She thought, based on what the Serpent of Temptation said earlier, above the head bishop was probably the Pope?
At that moment, a long bell echoed through the hall, and blue flames leaped up all around.
“Paradise Pantheon Judgement Court, session number 3,742, now in session.”
Su Fu couldn’t see who had spoken, nor where the voice had come from.
“There are three items on today’s agenda. First, the Wisdom Fruit.”
“In the year 4051, Su Fu of the Chinese Pantheon singlehandedly saved Eden’s Tree of Life and helped it successfully ascend.”
“In return, she requests to exchange for the Wisdom Fruit. Head bishops, please ask your questions.”
The cardinal on the far left slowly raised his head and spoke in a deep voice: “Su Fu, do you know the power of the Wisdom Fruit? Do you intend to use it yourself, and not give it to others?”
“Yes, I understand its power, and will use it myself.” Su Fu replied solemnly.
The cardinal nodded and said no more.
Next, the second cardinal spoke: “You’re only at A-rank right now—do you realize the risks of abusing the Wisdom Fruit?”
“Creating your own law is not child’s play. A misstep could lead to conceptual disorder, even Authority going out of control. Are you sure you can bear such risks?”
Su Fu had expected such questions, and slowed her speech a little: “Yes, though I am only A-rank, it was precisely with my Authority of Restoration that I saved the Tree of Life.”
Tikir coughed lightly, “I can vouch for this. Su Fu has an extraordinary understanding of concepts and Authority.”
“If not for her, the Tree of Life would never have been healed so perfectly.”
With these words, the second cardinal slowly nodded.
As for the third… he asked nothing.
“Now, proceeding to the judgment process.”
Su Fu couldn’t see how the votes were cast, but she heard the verdict: “Three votes in favor, one against. Result: Su Fu is permitted to take one Wisdom Fruit.”
Su Fu: “!”
‘Good, good, it’s done!’
“Next is the second agenda item.”
“A temporary addition by Supreme Lord Tikir: Su Fu will take away the Serpent of Temptation, and receive one use of the Angel Feather Pen.”
“Head bishops, please ask your questions.”
As soon as this item was announced, the cardinals couldn’t sit still.
They stared at each other in disbelief.
“How could this be allowed!”
“The Serpent of Temptation is a key symbol of Eden, representing humanity’s first original sin! Tikir, how could you propose something so absurd!”
“Exactly, I object, absolutely not!”
“Tikir, you’re defiling our traditions!”
Tikir was unfazed and didn’t argue—after all, someone would jump in soon enough.
Sure enough, as the atmosphere grew tense, a hissing sound echoed from the void: “Who dares stop me from leaving?”
The three cardinals: “….”
‘Wait, who brought it here!’
“Oh, it’s you, Marcus.” The Serpent of Temptation sneered, “Did you forget that night fifty years ago in Eden, when I almost seduced you into—”
“Enough!” Marcus sprang to his feet, “I agree! I agree to let you go!”
The Serpent of Temptation switched targets, “Azrael, how about you? Should I tell everyone what you did a hundred years ago beneath the olive tree at Eden’s east gate? That golden-haired angel attendant—how beautiful you looked together at sunset…”
Azrael: “…I agree too!”
“Hmph!” The Serpent of Temptation snorted coldly, “Does anyone else want to object?”
Su Fu: “…..”
‘Wait, the Paradise Pantheon plays this dirty too?’
Everyone: “……”
“Just go already.”
“Go.”
“Someone, hurry up and take this snake away!”
The voice rang out automatically: “Four votes, all in favor.”
“Result: Su Fu is permitted to take the ancient serpent, and receive one use of the Angel Feather Pen.”
Su Fu: “….”
Somehow she felt she was being shortchanged—good heavens!
She’d really lacked experience in this.
With all matters settled, Su Fu exited the Judgement Court proceedings.
Soon, Olivia led her to the Serpent’s place of sealing—the Abyssal Well.
Located at Eden’s deepest point, it was surrounded by jagged black stones, with a bottomless well in the center, as dark as ink, as if it could swallow all light.
If she hadn’t come in person, Su Fu would never have believed such a place existed in Eden.
The Serpent of Temptation was overjoyed, “Hahaha, today I finally got out! Hurry, Su Fu, use your Genesis Authority and pry open a gap…”
Meanwhile, the Judgement Court session continued, reviewing the recent Eden crisis.
“In short,” Tikir said gravely, “‘Twilight Judgment’ used a Forbidden Item to affect the divine projection, nearly causing disaster, and ultimately Forbidden Item 005: Eternal Lock fell into the Dark Realm.”
He paused, “Thankfully, Su Fu saved the Tree of Life and prevented greater damage.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, Marcus said, “Is it possible that our predicted best chance to capture Lilyth wasn’t due to the plan itself, but because of Su Fu?”
A moment of silence.
“I actually think it’s possible,” Azrael agreed.
Tikir sighed, “Anyway, since we got through this crisis smoothly, we can give the Pope an answer.”
“Sacrificing one EX-grade sacred relic was worth it.”
“But,” Azrael continued, “we can’t let the Dusk Organization go. I propose an all-out hunt at once!”
“They’re insane for that so-called prophecy,” Marcus sneered, “The most ridiculous part is they actually think the fallen Satan has returned…”
Utter nonsense.
Tikir suggested, “I propose immediately forming a ‘Judgment Sword’ squad, set up a blockade, and shrink the search area step by step from the outer regions in.”
“Focus on all the Forbidden Item trafficking channels in the major star systems, especially those related to the prophecy.”
“At the same time, this incident has exposed numerous flaws in our intelligence system. We can’t rule out Dusk’s spies within. I suggest a full investigation of everyone who’s entered or exited Eden in the past six months.”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed!”
“Then, proposal passed. Action begins at once.”
“May God bless us.”
One week over, Su Fu reluctantly left Eden and returned to the starship.
The Serpent of Temptation’s soul was now attached to the Thorn Ring, chattering non-stop in her ear, “I’ll devote myself to cultivating, and try to become a dragon who can ride the clouds as soon as possible!”
“Don’t worry,” it vowed solemnly, “from now on, I’ll definitely stick with you!”
Su Fu thought, ‘Of course it will—it’s waiting for me to complete my Genesis Authority and release its true body.’
Sometimes, bonds of interest are the most stable.
Anyway, having this snake was definitely a win.
After all, it used to be a true god; though its powers had greatly diminished after so many years of suppression, how much remained was still up in the air.
But its memories were intact, and knowledge and information were the most precious things.
With the snake’s “blabbering,” the journey passed quickly, and she finally returned to Tianqiong Path Academy.
As soon as Su Fu entered, she saw the projected announcement showing the results of the tournament.
President Zhou Yu’s hologram was displayed front and center, with the words “Tournament Champion” glowing brightly beside him—impossible to miss.
“Whoa!” Su Fu stopped to admire the image, “Zhou the miser actually got first place?”
He really had some skill, worthy of being the Lingshan Society president.
With that, she decided to go congratulate the Lingshan Society.
Lingshan Society.
“Old man, congrats! Didn’t think you’d actually get first!”
Her voice arrived before she did.
Su Fu pushed open the door to see Zhou Yu as usual, legs crossed, idly flipping through his light-brain while running his fingers through his hair.
Hearing her come in, Zhou Yu paused, put down his legs, and poked his head out and asked, “You back from vacation?”
“Not bad, you look great.”
“Right—” Su Fu started to reply, then suddenly noticed something was off.
“Wait, why do you look so pale?”
She walked a few steps closer, sensing Zhou Yu’s aura.
“Hold on… let me check… No, why are you so weak? Are you seriously injured?”
Zhou Yu sighed, barely propping himself upright, “Did you think the tournament was easy? You had to bring your A-game. If I hadn’t known you were coming back today, I wouldn’t have shown up.”
“What happened?” Su Fu frowned, “Weren’t you pretty confident before? Said there weren’t any tough opponents.”
“But seeing you now, it looks like you nearly lost your life. What actually happened at the tournament?”
Zhou Yu’s expression grew serious, “Actually, that’s why I wanted to tell you in person.”
“To be precise, this year’s tournament—Tianqiong Path Academy’s win was a Pyrrhic victory.”
Su Fu paused, realizing something was wrong.
“In ten minutes, we lost six main players—three of them were badly wounded, probably out for half a year.”
“In half an hour, even more almost died on the spot. They’re still in life-support pods, in a deep sleep.”
He pulled up his sleeve, revealing winding scars.
“See? Even with divine healing, these wounds can’t be cured—only time will help.”
Su Fu was truly shocked, “What happened? Did Glorious Ring Academy or Eternal Gate suddenly rise up?”
That couldn’t be—it wouldn’t have been this brutal, even then.
But Zhou Yu shook his head, “It wasn’t them.”
He paused and asked, m “Have you heard of the Divine Realm?”
Su Fu nodded, “That’s the official name, but it’s also called the Dark Realm, Boundless Dark, and so on.”
Teacher Tang Yu often went there on missions but why would Zhou Yu bring it up?
She looked thoughtful, “Is it related to the Divine Realm? But isn’t that place uninhabited?”
Zhou Yu sighed, “That’s why it was such a shock. We only found out before the tournament—the Divine Realm had discovered a new human race, the Alpha Race.”
“Their powers are freakish—conceptual deconstruction. They can erode concepts, rendering divine arts useless.”
“In that situation, we could only fight them with pure martial arts.”
“The wounds on me? An Alpha left them—divine healing doesn’t work.”
Su Fu gasped, “That’s insane! And you still won?”
Zhou Yu: “…..”
Was she underestimating him?
“Anyway, I’m telling you, you’d better prepare. This tournament was just them testing the waters.”
“For your year, they’ll send real geniuses. Think hard about how you’ll handle it.”
“And—”
Zhou Yu continued, “It’s not just the Alpha Race.
With interstellar exploration, they’ve found survivors from ancient civilizations.”
“In this tournament, we faced the Gravekeeper Clan, but only one clan showed up.”
“Next time, there’ll probably be more.”
Su Fu: “….”
‘Heavens, how did she get all the bad luck!’
“And the most important thing,” Zhou Yu took a deep breath, his expression solemn.
“The next tournament may be reformed—rumor has it, it’ll involve Genesis Academy. Because those above us—though they haven’t attended our interstellar universities—their abilities are already off the charts.”
Su Fu realized, “So the best performers might go straight to Genesis Academy?”
“That’s right,” Zhou Yu nodded, “That’s the provisional plan. We’ll have to wait and see how things are handled next time.”
Su Fu: “…”
All right, another reform just in time for her?
“So,” she summed up, “next tournament, we’ll be facing not just Alpha Race geniuses, but monsters from new ancient civilizations too?”
Zhou Yu nodded, “That’s pretty much it.”
“Honestly,” he looked puzzled, “it feels like a flood of geniuses just appeared. There are rumors that hidden clans are coming out, and the corporations have made some revolutionary tech breakthroughs.”
“In short, your current cultivation speed at Tianqiong Path Academy isn’t enough—you have to speed up.”
“This batch was just a vanguard, and they were already unbelievably strong. I don’t even want to think about what comes next.”
At this, Zhou Yu looked gravely at her.
“After all, you don’t want Tianqiong Path Academy’s number one record to be broken on your watch, right?”
Su Fu: “…”
Suddenly, she recalled the prophecy from the Dusk Organization.
Could this be… the prophesied Splendid Era of Stars?
If so, she had decided—after her final exam, she would return to Kunlun.
If such an era was truly coming, the Chinese Pantheon would not be absent this time.
It would no longer hide behind the curtain, but—
“The noble Eastern Queen is finally going to remove her luxurious silk gloves and join the struggle for supremacy.”