A few second-year seniors walked by coolly, glanced over, and immediately guessed: “No need to ask, definitely those forging majors.”
“If you ask me, the forging department needs its own building.”
“Every time they come out, the whole hallway reeks of metal and burnt stuff.”
But just then, they all spotted an exception—among the “black ghosts,” there was one person who was pale and spotless.
It was Su Fu, completely clean, not even a strand of hair out of place.
Her forging classmates—already in a bad mood—were even more upset when they saw Su Fu.
Half their misery today was Su Fu’s fault!
If she hadn’t started a fire showdown with the teacher, making the furnace go wild and sparks fly everywhere, would they be so burnt up?
“She came out fine,” someone muttered sourly.
Of course Su Fu was fine.
As soon as she saw they’d be tending the fire, she decided to use her own Six Ding Divine Fire for artifact forging.
Naturally, the source of this fire was unknown, so the teacher didn’t agree at first, but after a round of “friendly discussion,” she won special permission.
With Taishang Laojun’s Six Ding Divine Fire, she was a natural pro.
Just then, a rumbling sounded nearby.
Everyone looked up to see a fiery-red flying craft descending from the sky, slowing as it hovered three meters above the ground, blowing dust in all directions.
A beam of light appeared, and the hatch opened automatically.
That was, of course, Firefire.
Su Fu and George didn’t linger and boarded the craft directly.
The door shut, the engines roared, and Firefire shot into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Everyone else was full of envy.
“So that’s what first place gets you?”
“Must be heading to the villa in the core zone.”
“I’m so jealous, seriously.”
“Would be nice to get first place myself.”
“…Keep dreaming!”
A few minutes later, Su Fu and George entered the villa and walked to the workbench.
Su Fu stared at the short blade she still hadn’t quite finished and felt a bit frustrated.
She’d already picked the best materials available, but was stuck at the final step—Creation.
And so far, she had no clue how to proceed.
At some point, George had grabbed an apple and was munching away, marveling, “Boss, your idea is just too bold. Giving it spirit—that’s something only master forgers can pull off.”
“How about we combine it with AI for now?”
AI was pretty advanced these days, after all.
But giving something spirit was just too difficult—even he hadn’t seen anyone manage it around here.
Deep down, George didn’t really believe it was possible.
‘If Boss actually pulled it off, she’d be a genius among craftsmen.’
He’d gladly call her master and follow her lead from then on!
Su Fu sighed, “I just wanted to make a good one for Teacher Tang Yu.”
George thought so too, and suggested, “Why not ask Teacher Frank if he’s free? He could definitely pull it off.”
“That’s different.”
Su Fu frowned.
“Oh, right,” she reminded, “the new batch of Chinese materials is in the storeroom. Pick what you need.”
“Alright!” George’s eyes lit up and he stopped eating, rubbing his hands.
“Let’s see what good stuff came in!”
He dashed for the storeroom.
Before he could enter, Su Fu heard Tao Tao’s furious voice: “Ah! You little thief, stealing my treasures again!”
George dodged nimbly and shouted, “What do you mean yours? It’s obviously mine!”
“Don’t run! I’ll teach you a lesson!”
“Catch me if you can!”
“You’re dead! Hold still!”
The voices faded into the distance.
Su Fu stared at the short blade before her and made up her mind.
She couldn’t keep delaying.
She had to finish it within a month—she refused to believe she couldn’t do it.
Ahem, if she really couldn’t, she’d just run a quest and ask Lady Nuwa herself.
Nuwa would surely give her the answer.
Just then, a notification from Shen Yan chimed.
Su Fu opened it to find an announcement:
[Notice: The Ling Shan: Flame Mountain area and Ling Shan: Little Thunderclap Monastery area has been locked. Entry permanently closed.]
[For your information.]
Su Fu raised her eyebrows and immediately realized: this meant the map’s core was gone.
In about a week, the whole map would collapse.
Sooner than she expected.
She opened StarNet and found the school forum and trending topics were exploding:
#Skypath Freshman Exam Top Scorer Su Fu
#Su Fu blew up the exam hall
#Blew it up twice
Su Fu had seen the first topic before.
It appeared right after the exam, and had hung around for a week, almost falling off—until the new announcement sent it right back to the top.
She casually clicked on a post and found Third and Fourth Ring examinees had all perked up:
[Weren’t Second Ring students so cocky before? Why so quiet now?]
[Shameless, hyping up Achilles—turns out Su Fu is number one! I’m dying of laughter.]
[Can someone find those comparison news posts about the previous top scorers? I want some fun!]
[How come nobody’s saying they’re better than Achilles? See, she took first place!]
[They used to look down on Su Fu, now she’s blown up the exam hall twice—where are the haters? Come out and talk!]
[Awesome—Sister Su, you’re my one and only goddess!]
[Su Fu YYDS! From now on, anyone who says Third Ring students are no good, let’s debate!]
[Look at Su Fu, then look at those Second Ring students who only brag—tsk tsk.]
Su Fu was amused.
The Third and Fourth Ring students were finally holding their heads high and showing off.
Second Ring students, after a pause, started to respond as well:
[Could any Skypath Academy examinees confirm? Did Su Fu really blow up the exam hall?]
[Even if she’s first, doesn’t mean she blew up the hall, right?]
No sooner was this said than a flurry of replies followed.
[LOL, that’s all you’ve got?]
[If that wasn’t the first exam bomb, does that mean it was the second? Did you forget about the bonus points system?]
[Accept reality, brother.]
[Freshman from Tianqiong Path Academy here to answer you: Yes.]
[Yes +1]
[Yes +10086]
Their doubts fell flat.
Soon, Achilles’ die-hard fans rushed into the fray: [Su Fu must’ve used some kind of trick! How could Achilles and the others possibly lose!]
No one replied to that comment, but instead, a series of videos were posted.
The original poster was puzzled— ‘what was this?Why post videos?’
Curious, he clicked on the first link, and the next second, he felt like he’d been struck by lightning, staring in utter disbelief.
The video actually showed Achilles pregnant!
Unable to believe his own eyes, he clicked on the second video.
And the third.
The sky collapsed.
On the spot, his composure shattered—he immediately deleted his comment.
At that moment, someone suddenly realized something was off: [Wait, did you all notice? All the second-ring freshmen from Tianqiong Path Academy are actually speaking up for Su Fu?]
[Damn, for real! You bunch of traitors!]
[One exam and you’re all broken? So spineless?]
[It’s just an exam, is it worth all this?]
The freshmen of Tianqiong Path Academy:
They were about to suffocate from holding back—desperate to spill the news about Central Inspectorate’s Karisto’s death, yet too afraid to speak out.
These people had no idea how formidable Su Fu and her master truly were!
Some even continued to boast:
[It’s settled. This year’s Tianqiong Path Academy is weak. In the next league, we at Glorious Ring Academy request to battle and take Su Fu down!]
[Glorious Ring Academy isn’t up to it either. Eternal Gate Branch Campus requests to battle!]
Su Fu raised an eyebrow at these comments, quietly memorizing the names.
The Tianqiong Path Academy freshmen were about to explode inside, quickly trying to warn the others:
[Hey, you don’t get it… I advise you to retract your words quickly…]
But this only angered the others more:
[You knelt so fast and want us to kneel too? We’re not as spineless as you!]
[Me, Eternal Gate Branch Campus freshman—Su Fu, if you have the guts, come try our Key of the Gate Series Maps!]
[Coordinates: Guanghui Zhihuan—come witness the power of our tech cannons!]
The debate grew increasingly heated, even devolving into a battle of words between schools: [Although Tianqiong Path Academy is considered the top of the six universities, that’s only in terms of how many students get into the Genesis Main Academy.]
[In reality, each school has its strengths and specialties. If you really compare, who’s stronger or weaker isn’t so clear.]
[One Su Fu has you all broken, so this year Tianqiong Path Academy is finished.]
The freshmen of Tianqiong Path Academy were numb: [Well… just let them dig their own graves…]
After all, it had nothing to do with them.
At that moment, a golden notification popped up across StarNet—every user’s page was forcibly displayed this message.
It was an obituary: [We deeply regret to inform you that Central Inspectorate Karisto has passed away recently.]
[The new Inspector will arrive next month.]
[Central Education Department.]
Brief and to the point, yet the impact was earth-shattering.
Everyone instantly exploded with messages:
[Huh? What happened?]
[Karisto died? How?]
After holding it in for so long, the freshmen of Tianqiong Path Academy could finally speak—though they didn’t give details, they hinted he died at Tianqiong Path Academy during the freshmen joint exam, and that certain people were involved.
The news spread rapidly.
Those who had just been badmouthing Su Fu now wished they could retract every word.
[It’s over, it’s over—I was just insulting Su Fu, is she going to come after me?]
[Brothers, I’ve decided—from today on, I’m a die-hard Su Fu fan, please spare me.]
StarNet was in chaos; posts were deleted and comments withdrawn.
[Terrifying. The Chinese Pantheon doesn’t act often, but when they do, it’s a major event!]
[The key thing is, the principal of Tianqiong Path Academy came out and suppressed the incident…]
One by one, students felt dizzy, wishing they could go back ten minutes and smack themselves.
In fact, many no longer dared to mention Su Fu’s name directly, quietly referring to her as that “mysterious number one.”
And wasn’t she mysterious?
Before her, the Chinese Pantheon was almost legendary.
After her, well, still mysterious, still low-key.
Su Fu had already logged off StarNet, focusing again on working with the short blade, trying to sense just where her “Creation” was lacking.
She quietly pondered.
Days of classes passed quickly, and soon it was time for the midterms.
Combat Division Assessment, A-level map: [Wasteland · Tides]
It was Su Fu’s first time coming to such a wasteland-style map.
The sky was a sickly blue-grey, unable to illuminate this world shrouded in shadows.
Abandoned skyscraper ruins stood tall, rusted metal scattered everywhere.
The air was thick with the smell of decay, and the ground was blanketed in ashes of unknown origin.
Occasionally, wind would sweep through, lifting dust only to disperse it again.
In the distance, on a dried-up seabed, a massive shipwreck lay on its side, like the bones of a colossal beast.
She was standing atop an abandoned building, her long hair blown up by the wind, her clothes flapping.
Just then, Shen Yan’s system prompt sounded in her ear: [“A-level anomaly tide detected approaching”]
[“Estimated arrival at target area in 20 minutes”]
[“All examinees please prepare—repel the anomaly tide, protect the survivors”]
[“Your task: Eliminate all anomalies in wasteland areas 3-7, intercept the incoming anomaly tide, protect the shelter”]
Analyzing the environment and task, Su Fu guessed this map represented the early stage of anomaly descent, with humanity still resisting and the anomaly replication process not yet begun.
She’d learned in class that there were countless maps, and the map’s timeline didn’t always match the current cosmic standard—some were set in the past, some even in the future.
All these were called Projections.
It was said that these Projection Instances, based on real maps, were of average difficulty.
The hardest were the Civilization Projection type, like the Great Wall Series.
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