At the same time, in the Jianxia Mountains.
Within the projection, Achilles and the others were being beaten up; outside the projection, the faces of the family representatives looked downright terrible.
The atmosphere was so stiflingly quiet that the screams became all the more piercing.
“Ah—don’t!”
“All of you, stop it!”
“Who? Who’s ambushing me?”
Amid the wails, a powerful voice suddenly rang out: “Come on! Harder over here! This kid can still take it!”
Murray and the others: “……”
No one even dared to breathe loudly.
They snuck glances at those representatives and saw that the Olympus Family’s delegates had lowered their eyelids, while the Asgard Family’s were looking at Su Fu as if she were already dead.
On the other hand, the Brahma Holy Clan elders said nothing, appearing unconcerned, but… if only their fists weren’t clenched so tightly, that illusion would be more convincing.
Murray and the others: “…..”
‘Heavens, this oppressive air is truly unbearable.’
Unlike Murray, Lina and the others weren’t chief examiners, so they could leave if they wanted.
For a moment, they felt like backing out but after a second thought, they realized a big show would surely unfold once the exam ended.
If they left now, they’d definitely miss it.
After much deliberation, they gritted their teeth and firmly sat back down.
No way, they had to see how this drama played out.
Just then, a golden pillar of light descended from the sky, landing in the center of the square.
Shen Yan’s voice sounded: [“Guardian Tang Yu has arrived at the designated mission location”]
[“Contact: Chief Examiner for the Freshman Entrance Exam, Murray”]
Only then did Murray remember, oh no—during the earlier emergency, he’d practically begged everyone to request a Guardian’s support.
He’d originally wanted her to deal with the Bull Demon King, but now the Bull Demon King had already been killed by Su Fu.
He’d gotten too caught up in watching and forgot to cancel the task.
The golden light faded.
A woman strode out and hurried toward Murray, her tone anxious: “I’m not late, am I? Where’s the Bull Demon King? ft…”
She instinctively glanced at the holographic projection, but halfway through her sentence she abruptly stopped.
Within the projection, a dizzying display of divine skills unfolded—a chaotic brawl.
She was taken aback: “What’s going on? Are all the examinees fighting the Bull Demon King?”
But despite the flashy divine skills, she couldn’t spot the Bull Demon King anywhere.
Murray scratched his head awkwardly and replied, “Uh… he’s already been dealt with.”
“What?” Tang Yu was stunned.
“Dealt with already? Then… what are the examinees doing…?”
She soon saw the answer: amidst the throngs, all those divine skills were targeting just a few examinees.
And quickly she noticed something was off—those divine skills weren’t particularly powerful anymore, more like punishment, barely keeping those few people from leaving the test paper.
Some were healing, some restraining; all in all… it was miserable.
“This… what is going on?” Tang Yu, not forgetting her mission, asked in disbelief, “Then how was the Bull Demon King taken care of?”
Murray sighed and explained everything from the start.
“In short,” he said, “it was Su Fu who took down the Bull Demon King. She also seized the Yellow Browed Monster’s Golden Cymbal, and then used it to… well, you can see.”
Tang Yu: “……?”
She stared at Murray in disbelief, as if he were making an absurd joke.
“You mean to say,” Tang Yu took a deep breath, suppressing the questions in her mind, “an A-rank freshman examinee, relying on her own strength, took down an S-rank anomaly—the Bull Demon King, who could even gravely injure the High Priest? Is that what you mean?”
“I didn’t misunderstand, did I?”
Murray seemed a bit dazed; he knew it sounded unbelievable, “But… yes, that’s exactly what happened.”
Tang Yu: “….”
Wait, let her process that again—she must be overtired.
Seeing this, Murray spread his hands and said, “I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Sorry, I was too shocked just now and forgot to cancel the mission, making you come all this way for nothing…”
Hearing that, Tang Yu’s gaze toward Su Fu changed.
She couldn’t help but wonder: ‘was it really the true Bull Demon King Su Fu had taken down? Not some clone or illusion?’
“All right,” Murray lowered his head and operated his optical brain, saying, “I’ve canceled the mission now, sorry again.”
Usually, if a mission was canceled, Tang Yu would leave at once but now, she was simply too curious.
Tang Yu asked, “Can I see the record of what happened? I’d like to understand how… Su Fu managed it and also confirm that the mission is truly complete.”
Murray felt a little guilty—this Guardian had clearly just finished a previous mission and rushed over nonstop.
It would be unreasonable to deny such a small request.
Besides, as the mission recipient, she had the right to know the context.
“Of course, just give me a moment to apply for authorization.”
Very soon, the authorization went through, and a new projection screen appeared beside the main display, showing Su Fu and the Bull Demon King’s battle.
Tang Yu immediately raised her head, gaze burning.
Behind her, those previously gloomy family representatives set aside their airs and craned their necks to watch.
No matter what, a battle to slay an S-rank anomaly was always worth watching.
On screen, Su Fu stood before the Bull Demon King, a hundred-meter-tall Saint’s Manifestation gradually taking shape behind her, radiant with golden light and awe-inspiring might.
With the Manifestation supporting her, Su Fu wielded the Golden Cudgel against the Bull Demon King, fighting him evenly.
The more Tang Yu watched, the more astonished she became—this was the Bull Demon King?
She’d fought plenty of anomalies, and this type belonged to the brute-force category—huge divine strength, and especially adept at martial techniques, making it even tougher to deal with.
But the Saint’s Manifestation in the projection seemed unfazed.
With the Golden Cudgel, it easily blocked the Bull Demon King’s mountain-like charge.
‘Something didn’t feel right—Su Fu was only A-rank, yet she could fight the Bull Demon King to a standstill. Just how many times was her strength amplified by the Saint’s Manifestation?’
‘How could she possibly…’
Before Tang Yu could finish her thought, the scene suddenly changed.
The Saint’s Manifestation burst into brilliant golden light, but its form began to transform.
The proud, unrestrained monkey shape faded, replaced by a dignified, solemn Manifestation.
“Buddha Victorious in Battle Manifestation!”
Everyone on the square gasped.
They’d only heard rumors before—seeing it with their own eyes was utterly different.
The first Manifestation was wild and filled with fighting spirit; the next was dignified and carried a Buddhist aura.
Tang Yu and the others watched as the Buddha Victorious in Battle Manifestation raised its massive palm and pressed gently downward.
The Bull Demon King was instantly struck as if by a heavy blow and collapsed.
Now Tang Yu understood the reason for switching Manifestations—the power of the gods and buddhas was the natural nemesis of demons.
But then she saw Su Fu turn and look at the Manifestation from afar, sensing something strange.
“Wait—” She suddenly stepped forward and cried out, “A divine will has descended?!”
Her voice wasn’t soft, and at once the faces of all the family representatives changed.
Lina and the others pricked up their ears, wanting nothing more than to crowd next to Tang Yu— ‘what did she mean? Please, keep talking.’
Tang Yu didn’t notice the crowd’s reaction, for she’d realized: not only had the divine will descended—
“This Buddha Victorious in Battle… is actually explaining the use of Godly Power to her…?”
At those words, the square fell instantly silent.
‘What did you say?’
‘Who? Explaining what?’
It was already a tremendous honor for a god to bestow Godly Power, as it meant granting a portion of their authority to a human.
But none of them had ever heard of a god offering after-sales service, let alone manifesting personally and teaching a follower how to use their gift hand-in-hand.
Absurd—simply absurd.
It had to be fake; a god would never offer such a service.
The family representatives absolutely refused to believe it, but after exchanging looks, they couldn’t help but start whispering.
“Has your god ever given you a lesson?” an old man asked quietly.
“How could they!” The other replied through gritted teeth, “After giving me my Godly Power, my god left immediately—didn’t even explain it! Did yours?”
“Of course not, my patron god left too. But I waited at the spot for three whole days before leaving.”
“What about you all?”
“…Our pantheon’s gods have always been aloof. It’s hard enough to get any response at all.”
“Sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s fine. But a god teaching personally? I’ve never even heard of such a thing.”
“So, what’s the deal with Su Fu?”
“Could it be… she has divine blood? Is that why she’s so favored?”
“Impossible. If she did, it would have been detected long ago.”
Suddenly, everyone felt a little shaken.
‘No way—what’s with Chinese gods?’
‘Not only are they generous with Godly Power, they even offer hands-on guidance? Heaven help us, our own patron gods, are you seeing this? What’s going on?’
Just then, Su Fu’s Manifestation slammed its palm down, and the Bull Demon King was instantly obliterated.
Everyone could no longer remain calm.
“This isn’t just about how strong she is or how many Manifestations she has,” the Olympus Family’s representative said gravely, “the real issue is… she actually has such a close relationship with the gods of China.”
This meant—the gods of China were preparing to descend!
This was big news, and everyone quickly sent the message back to their families.
Tang Yu, witnessing all this, couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, “Su Fu is undoubtedly this year’s top student.”
For a freshman to single-handedly defeat an S-rank anomaly proved her temperament and ability were both impeccable—a promising candidate for a Guardian.
For the first time, Tang Yu felt a fondness for talent, ‘Such a student was truly rare. Since Su Fu was a freshman, did she have a master yet?’
Ahem, Tang Yu figured—it was fine even if she did.
Who said a student could only have one master? The more, the better!
Just then, a blinding red beam of light shot up into the sky from the square.
Murray jerked his head warily toward the light— ‘what was going on?’
Other than Tang Yu, who’d arrived for the mission, who else could enter the exam area without his permission?
The next second, the red light faded, revealing a tall figure.
The man had short golden hair, deep-set features, a prominent nose, and dark blue eyes.
He swept his gaze down on everyone.
“Karisto…” Murray frowned.
The Special Chief Inspector from the Divine Academy—simply known as the Central Inspector.
In other words, he was dispatched by the First Circle, and had authority to oversee all school affairs.
Besides being an Inspector, he also held another identity—he was a direct descendant of the Olympus Family.
Murray’s heart sank with a sense of foreboding, ‘Why would he show up at this time?’
But regardless, Karisto was a superior.
Murray stepped forward and greeted him, “Inspector Karisto.”
Karisto gave a slight nod, his eyes cold, saying nothing of his reason for coming.
He turned instead to Tang Yu, nodded slightly, and said in an icy, low voice, “Major Tang, I’ve long admired your reputation.”
Tang Yu: “You flatter me.”
After exchanging greetings, Karisto stared straight at the projection, expressionless, giving no hint of his thoughts.
Murray grew even more anxious and started thinking, ‘What was this man up to? Why wasn’t he saying a word, just staring at the screen? Was he here because of Achilles? Or… Su Fu?’