Chapter 37: Never Give Up, Overturn the Chessboard! (2/2)

This meant that the rules of the exam had been mostly figured out by everyone.

What remained was a test of pure strength.

“The situation isn’t looking good. Now there are only three Wardens left in the main prison.”

But the top three had surely already gone there.

This was going to be tough.

Although they had managed to outmaneuver the top three earlier, it was thanks to the element of surprise and the constraints of the rules.

Now, that probably wouldn’t work anymore.

Su Fu leaned against the wall, recalling Klaus’s Angelic Judgment, Amakawa Asuka’s Divine Flame, and Zhou Tinlin’s Sun God Spear…

These were all devastating attacks!

How were they supposed to fight against that?

And then there was Klaus’s damn purification ability, which made him immune to control effects, so they couldn’t even get the first strike.

“With just the two of us, it’s going to be hard to break through their defenses,” Jiang Qingyu frowned.

“And they definitely won’t split up again now,” Su Fu sighed.

After what had just happened, the top three would surely stick together to guard against her.

Even if she found an opportunity to ambush them, it would be difficult to deliver a fatal blow.

“Still, the good news is that we’ve probably passed the exam,” Jiang Qingyu said softly.

“But if we want a high score…”

She trailed off, and both of them fell silent.

Getting a high score wouldn’t be easy.

But just passing wasn’t enough, was it?

They were already behind, and if they fell further behind, what would happen even if they made it to the provincial academy?

Would they just be at the bottom of the class?

Moreover, this was the finals.

The score directly affected their future opportunities.

But the reality was that the main prison not only had three powerful Wardens but also the top three, who were as fierce as wolves and tigers.

This was practically hellish difficulty!

There was one other possibility, though: to swallow their pride, go to the main prison, and team up with the top three.

Even if they got a smaller share, it would still be better than the current situation.

But neither of them brought it up.

Yet, giving up just like that was unacceptable.

Victory was within reach, yet they could only lament the gap in strength.

The cold wall pressed against her back as Su Fu tightened her grip on the Golden Cudgel.

Was this really the end?

The top three were formidable.

If they had fought head-on earlier, perhaps with the divine power of the exam hall, they could have managed a draw.

But outside the exam hall?

Without that divine power?

Su Fu lowered her gaze, her eyelashes casting a shadow.

Outside the exam hall, she likely stood no chance against those three.

She might not even be able to put up a fight.

Moreover, even if they managed to defeat the three Wardens of the Great Prison, they would only gain the divine infusion from this exam paper…

Could that compare to the candidates from the provincial academies?

The reward from this exam paper was far from enough.

“Should we… take a big gamble?” Su Fu suddenly spoke.

Jiang Qingyu turned to look at her, her eyes flickering.

Both of them saw the unwillingness in each other’s eyes.

Why?

Why should they concede defeat just because of the gap created by the resources of those aristocratic families?

In terms of strategy, wisdom, and teamwork… they had already proven themselves no worse than anyone else through actual combat.

So… should they take the gamble?

“I want to test a theory,” Su Fu said softly.

“If it succeeds, we’ll turn the tables.”

She paused, then added, “If it fails…”

“We’ll accept the loss,” Jiang Qingyu finished, her tone calm.

She could see how crazy the plan was from Su Fu’s eyes, yet she remained surprisingly composed.

Because this might be their only chance.

Bow to the aristocratic families?

Concede to fate?

Impossible.

So-

She said, “Let’s gamble.”

And then, overturn the entire game!

In the invigilation room.

Everyone listened to Su Fu and Jiang Qingyu’s seemingly nonsensical conversation, confused about what they were planning.

But soon, the two of them moved.

However, everyone noticed that they were heading in the complete opposite direction of the Great Prison.

“Wait…” A young invigilator suddenly stood up, pointing at the screen.

“Where are they going?”

Zhou Nanyuan frowned.

He had been following the exam paper closely and almost immediately understood.

“That direction… it’s where Warden No. 1 went!”

The room erupted in chaos.

“Are they insane?” Fengu Liangjie slammed the table as he stood up.

“They’re going to take on Warden No. 1 alone?!”

This was sheer madness!

Even Warden No. 4 required the combined efforts of the top three to barely suppress, let alone Warden No. 1, the strongest in the entire exam hall!

He had previously thought Su Fu was clever, someone who could strategize for the young master.

But now, it seemed this woman was even more reckless than he had imagined!

“Is she getting overconfident?” someone sighed, shaking their head.

“Just because she outsmarted the top three once, she thinks she’s invincible?”

“It would be better to seek cooperation with Klaus than to go to their deaths,” another invigilator analyzed.

“Even if the benefits are smaller, at least it’s stable.”

“Besides, do you remember what that prophet candidate predicted about Warden No. 1 being extremely dangerous?”

With that reminder, everyone suddenly recalled.

Lin Mingxi, that candidate from the Mayan pantheon, had indeed prophesied it!

The prophecies of the Yashin Sect have always been accurate, which is why they are so highly sought after.

Since Lin Mingxi had already warned of extreme danger, Su Fu knew it too.

Yet, she still went?

It’s practically suicide!

“Speaking of Lin Mingxi…” Zhou Nanyuan frowned, “Where is he?”

Ever since they arrived at the small prison, Lin Mingxi had disappeared.

Everyone was too focused on the battle between the top three and Su Fu, completely forgetting about him.

For a moment, no one could answer.

“Switch the perspective.”

Soon, Lin Mingxi’s image appeared.

This place… seems to be on the outskirts of the Heavenly Prison?

Behind a pile of rubble, a trembling figure was curled up in the shadows-it was Lin Mingxi!

He was clearly panicking, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if terrified of something.

The prophetic abilities of the Feathered Serpent God made him more acutely aware of danger than ordinary people.

Yet, here he was, moving closer to that very danger.

His current state was understandable.

Then, Lin Mingxi took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and cautiously peeked out from behind the rocks, carefully extending half his head.

The crowd’s gaze followed his movements, slowly shifting.

The next second-

“Holy crap!”

“It’s the 1st Warden!”

Everyone was stunned.

In Lin Mingxi’s line of sight, a massive figure stood at the center of the Heavenly Prison.

Bronze armor, chains of order, the 1st Warden!

“This is insane, absolutely insane!” Toyotomi Yosuke muttered to himself, “A weak support like him actually followed the 1st Warden!”

“So, they had this planned all along!”

“This is too outrageous! Are the three from the Seventh High trying to hunt down the strongest warden?!”

“But what is the 1st Warden even doing?”

Soon, an even more chilling scene unfolded.

As Lin Mingxi’s perspective shifted slightly, the entire scene gradually revealed itself to the crowd.

The examination room was filled with gasps, and even some young invigilators broke out in goosebumps.

“Damn it!”

Now everyone understood why Lin Mingxi was so terrified!

It made perfect sense!

Meanwhile, in the main prison.

Klaus had already led the group into the cell area of Zone 2.

Just as they were locked in, Baili Chengfeng appeared.

He stepped out of the shadows, his gaze lingering on Klaus for a moment.

Klaus also looked up, “So you are… the warden here?”

“Care to cooperate?”

Baili Chengfeng smiled faintly, his tone tinged with resignation, “Of course.”

He sighed inwardly, suspecting that Su Fu had been trapped by Klaus, and Klaus was the ultimate winner.

Since that was the case, and he couldn’t defeat Klaus in a fight, it was better to cooperate obediently and follow orders.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling a bit regretful.

Su Fu was so formidable, yet she still couldn’t outmatch Klaus?

Should he say, as expected of someone ranked in the top three?

Truly a crushing presence.

Meanwhile, Klaus was also feeling a mix of emotions.

Su Fu hadn’t gone on a killing spree.

Instead, she had chosen someone to restrain the 2nd Warden.

So far, not a single examinee had died, and the Warden’s strength hadn’t increased.

Originally, such a favorable situation should have been Su Fu’s to take over, but now it had fallen into his lap.

Given this, he thought to himself that if Su Fu came seeking cooperation later, he wouldn’t hold her previous scheming against her.

If she was willing to cooperate further, he, Asuka, and Tianlin could accept her.

After the exam, they could even help each other in the Provincial Academy.

He sighed, after all, only by sticking together could the people of the 12th District establish themselves in the Provincial Academy.

Soon, Klaus gathered his thoughts.

“Since that’s the case, let’s act!”

“Target the 2nd Warden!”

In the thick fog, two figures moved swiftly.

“Can you tell me now?” Jiang Qingyu asked.

“Where are we going? What are we doing?”

Su Fu laughed at this.

“So, you actually trust me quite a bit, huh? You came with me without knowing anything?”

Jiang Qingyu: “…………….Stop joking.”

“Alright,” Su Fu directly asked her the same question she had asked Lin Mingxi.

“Do you remember the data stream when we entered the exam?”

“The spatial data stream, it split into two.”

Jiang Qingyu frowned, as if realizing something.

Su Fu continued, “Also, did you notice how unusually bright the pillars were when choosing the divine faith?”

“That indicates an extremely rich divine power.”

“Are you saying… the exam paper is problematic?” Jiang Qingyu quickly caught on.

“Your description reminds me of the AB papers.”

“The so-called AB papers refer to two sets of exam papers with different anomalies in the same examination hall.”

“So, what we’re doing now might just be one of them?”

This would explain the anomalies above.

Why did the data stream split into two?

Because the anomalies in the AB papers were different, so the data streams were also different.

Why were the divine pillars unusually bright?

Because they also contained the divine power of the Provincial Academy’s first-year exam papers!

All the divine power in the same examination hall!

Seeing that Jiang Qingyu had figured it out, Su Fu continued, “Then, Lin Mingxi and I coincidentally discovered that the 1st Warden went to a special place.”

Jiang Qingyu looked at her and asked softly, “Special?… So, that place is deep in the fog?”

“Exactly,” Su Fu nodded.

“That place is “

“A grave.”

The so-called grave was the place where the Wardens awakened.

She speculated it was also the source of all the coffins in the 3rd region.

Jiang Qingyu was momentarily stunned by the answer.

“A grave…?”

At that moment, the crows circling in the sky let out a sharp cry.

Su Fu immediately said, “Follow me!”

The two of them followed the crows’ guidance and suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.

Lin Mingxi peeked out from behind the scattered rocks and, upon seeing them, became visibly excited.

He whispered with great joy, “You’re finally here! Come quickly!”

His voice was kept low, and the two swiftly moved forward to join him.

Then, they cautiously peered out and witnessed the scene before them-

The thick fog here seemed to have solidified into a tangible form, slowly flowing in mid-air, outlining the contours of a grand yet eerie structure.

Eighty-one towering pillars encircled the area, their surfaces engraved with mysterious runes that seemed to breathe, flickering between brightness and dimness, causing dizziness if stared at for too long.

Nine massive chains of rules crisscrossed and coiled upwards, spanning the space like giant serpents, exuding a faint bronze sheen.

At the center of it all stood a bronze pedestal.

Upon it lay a floating tome of rules, suspended in mid-air.

The Warden of Zone 1 stood before the tome, flipping through its pages.

Seeing this action, the same thought instantly crossed the minds of the three:

“What is it doing?”

“..Is the Warden reading a book?”

Wait, since when did anomalies become so studious?