After waiting another hour with no sign of Tai Xuanzi, the Serpent of Temptation was finally certain it had regained its freedom.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
It threw its head back and laughed to the sky, frightening the birds around into flight.
“At last, I’m liberated!”
Who knows what kind of suffering it’s endured all this time!
Immediately, it transformed into a streak of light, racing straight toward Su Fu’s location while shouting: “Su Fu! I’ve come to settle accounts with you!”
She’d promised to bring it out, but in the end, she’d tossed it into an even deeper hell.
Su Fu, who had just finished registering, suddenly looked up, only to see a massive soul phantom pressing down toward her.
Su Fu: “….”
With a casual wave of her hand, the Hun Tian Ribbon flew out, the red ribbon swiftly wrapping the Serpent of Temptation into a ball, binding it tightly with only a small head peeking out.
“Ahhhh!” The Serpent of Temptation’s body was stretched tight, its mouth reacting faster than its mind as it instinctively begged for mercy: “I was wrong, I was wrong! Spare me—”
Su Fu: “…..”
The speed of its knee-sliding surrender was so quick that she didn’t even have time to react.
Who knew how many times this serpent had pulled the same stunt in the past?
She was just about to let go when she suddenly noticed something odd about the serpent’s head and asked, “Huh? Why is your head bulging? Wait, are those horns? Whoa! You’re about to transform into a flood dragon already?”
Su Fu stared at the Serpent of Temptation in shock, ‘How could it be progressing so quickly in such a short time? By rights, it takes a snake five hundred years to become a flood dragon. This was truly baffling—how did the Master teach it?’
“Hmph!”
The Serpent of Temptation struggled, its expression turning proud, “Do you even know who I am?
“Such a minor spell, and I still took it down with ease.”
Su Fu thought about it and had to admit, this was a true god, a former archangel—once it found the right path, progress would naturally be swift.
She looked at the Serpent of Temptation with satisfaction.
Not bad at all.
The stronger it got, the stronger she would be as well.
She herself was only one step away—once she passed the great perfection bottleneck, she would formally enter S-class and become a divine proxy.
Su Fu loosened the Hun Tian Ribbon’s grip, thinking that with her current strength, participating in the league shouldn’t be a problem.
Time flew by, and the opening day of the league finally arrived.
The league was held on Akade, a planet split in two—one half bathed in eternal daylight, the other shrouded in endless night, with a dazzling aurora dividing the boundary.
Humans had built magnificent cities along the aurora, and with technology adjusting the climate, this became the most livable area for humankind.
The main league stadium was built at the heart of the aurora zone.
Standing in the square, watching the sea of people, Su Fu couldn’t help but recall her own experiences during the Ring of Radiance high school exams.
In fact, compared to the college entrance exam, the scale of the Interstellar League was even grander.
People of every skin color, language, and culture gathered under one roof, making for a lively spectacle.
She couldn’t help but sigh, “As expected of the largest event in the galaxy—this kind of pull isn’t just hype.”
Just then, the holographic projection above the square began randomly capturing images of the audience.
Su Fu suddenly remembered: ‘this was just like the old “audience cam” at sports events, always catching interesting moments.’
The screen flitted through the crowd, finally settling on a familiar figure.
George let out a surprised sound: “Isn’t that Dairi? And she’s still wearing the Weaving Maiden series?”
Tao Tao poked its little head out from Su Fu’s shoulder, proudly explaining, “She’s one of our brand’s close friends!”
So-called brand friends received clothes for free, and their influence helped promote the brand in return.
No need to mention it, Dairi’s beauty made her a superb ambassador.
On screen, she wore a wide-sleeved floating celestial gown, gauzy and ethereal, with exquisite cloud patterns and wide cuffs embroidered with flying birds that seemed to come alive with her every move.
Dairi was already a favored of the goddess of beauty, radiating a natural aura; with this floating gown, her beauty was nothing short of breathtaking.
A “Magpie Bridge Jewelry” Star River necklace encircled her neck, perfectly tying the entire look together.
She looked like a celestial maiden descending from the heavens, drawing countless eyes.
Suddenly, a chorus of exclamations rang out from the crowd.
“Oh my! That’s Dairi Russell! She’s so beautiful!”
“Look at that outfit—absolutely gorgeous, it suits her perfectly!”
“And that necklace… where can I buy one?”
“Don’t you know? That’s a new brand, ‘Weaving Maiden Textile Bureau’—super unique!”
“Yeah! My friend just bought a set, the layered design is especially elegant and beautiful.”
“Anyone know what Dairi is wearing? I want that exact set!”
“I know, she’s wearing the ‘Weaving Maiden’ spring limited Floating Celestial series, set three!”
“Heavens! So beautiful! I want to order a set right now!”
“Hurry and order! They never restock a series, just go on to the next. Each one’s a limited edition.”
“I already ordered! Hope I made it in time!”
Su Fu listened to the praise around her and gave Tao Tao a thumbs-up.
“Tao Tao, you’re really something!”
She glanced at her own phoenix-embroidered dark robe and suddenly understood, “No wonder you insisted I wear this set today—you’re advertising, too!”
“Hehe,” Tao Tao puffed up its chest and shook its head, “Sis, am I great or what? I spent a whole month studying this marketing strategy! Celebrity effect plus hunger marketing, plus the concept of limited editions—it’s unbeatable!”
Su Fu patted Tao Tao’s furry little head and genuinely admired it: “Our Tao Tao really is amazing!”
And to be honest, what better advertising ground than the league?
With all eyes on the contestants, it was the best promotion possible.
Just then, Su Fu felt something and looked up in a certain direction.
A moment later, the crowd parted, and a group of people stepped out.
At the front was a woman in a black long dress, with a black cube floating at her side.
Su Fu suddenly remembered: “Wait, isn’t that the Gravekeeper Clan saintess Houchu mentioned?”
Meanwhile, Elvira had just arrived and noticed Dairi on the projection screen.
Her icy blue eyes wavered slightly, then she turned to the girl wrapped in chains beside her—Seraphina—and said, “Go order a set. Make it black. The whole series.”
Seraphina tilted her head to confirm, “Still black? They’ll say you’re ‘carrying a coffin’ again.”
Elvira crossed her hands in front of her, eyes unchanging: “Whatever.”
At that moment, a handsome man standing beside them gave a faint smile, his golden curls gleaming in the sunlight.
“The whole color range, every set,” he drawled, his voice smooth as honey, “I’ll order them all for you.”
Seraphina gave this hapless soul a silent look but said nothing.
She didn’t mind spending his money—in fact, with all the pantheons trying to win them over, it was only fair for him to pay a price.
Not just the Greek Pantheon—Norse, Indian, Paradise, and the rest were all trying to win over the Gravekeeper Clan.
As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, invite them in.
No money to spend?
Find someone who has it.
Su Fu only glanced at the Saint Coffin girl before averting her gaze.
At their level, even a single look could be sensed.
She glanced at the crowd, comparing the faces to the latest intel Houchu had provided.
As she’d guessed, a fresh batch of geniuses had appeared this semester, each with their own legendary story.
Truly, it was a gathering of shining stars.
Just then, Theresa murmured, “Lately, every pantheon is courting those ancient civilization descendants—look at Elvira, she’s always surrounded by Greek and Norse Pantheon members, never lacking for company.”
Su Fu, however, said with certainty, “She won’t agree.”
Theresa arched an eyebrow curiously, “Why? Isn’t she just waiting to drive up her value?”
“No.”
Su Fu was a master at reading subtle signs now, and it was clear to her that the Saint Coffin girl Elvira was just treating them all as suckers—she had no intention of joining any side.
Around the Gravekeeper Clan, there were many other ancient civilization relic clans.
Su Fu—checked them off mentally: ‘the Skyhawk Clan’s Ska, Thunder Clan’s Sord, Star Moon Clan’s Lunael… And then, the Gui Zang Clan.’
Seeing that name, she paused.
It was the only clan, aside from the Gravekeeper Clan, to send just three people—clearly, they had immense confidence in themselves.
But unlike Elvira, they kept a low profile, with almost no rumors about them.
Beside them were the seven great families.
Su Fu spotted Achilles and couldn’t help but pause, asking Theresa, “Doesn’t he look a little different?”
‘A little…” She thought hard but couldn’t find the right word.
Maybe… dazzling?
It was noticeably different from his former boyish charm.
Theresa hadn’t noticed any change and replied, “Still just as handsome, no?”
“It’s the ones around him you should watch,” she whispered, “They’re supposedly from the Central Star System.”
Su Fu’s expression turned serious.
Ever since that first transfer student, the seven major pantheons had been sending people down.
At first, no one understood why they came here but when the league started, everyone realized—they wanted fame and glory.
By now, it was clear to all: this was a dazzling golden age.
Geniuses kept appearing, and the strong kept outdoing the strong.
The best era: if you could take first place in the league, not only would you receive huge resource and opportunity rewards, you’d instantly become a galactic sensation.
Naturally, the seven great pantheons weren’t about to miss such a great chance to promote themselves.
At that moment, those people looked over as well, all eyes on Su Fu—some full of fighting spirit, some hostile, some amused, others assessing.
Su Fu understood: they probably had a second mission—to target her, or more precisely, to target the Chinese Pantheon behind her.
They wanted to keep it at seven pantheons, not let an eighth rise, so they’d come specifically to take her down.
Su Fu wasn’t bothered, ‘Dare to come?’
She’d knock their heads off.
In truth, what interested her most was Huangfu Yun of the Stellar Abyss Group—the one with the so-called “Divine Mecha.”
Rumor had it he represented the fourth-generation tech revolution.
Or maybe those two “test subjects” from the Anomaly Management Bureau.
Chiya, wearing a suppressant, stood on the edge of the crowd in a black windbreaker, half a mask covering his face, utterly expressionless.
And “Zero,” said to have never fought before, turned out to be a girl of thirteen or fourteen in a pure white dress, quietly standing beside Chiya.
Lastly, the Alpha Race from the dark realm, able to negate concepts—one of the most terrifying opponents for most.
In summary: the Interstellar Academy Faction, Anomaly Management Bureau, the five major consortia, Divine Realm Alpha Race, ancient civilization relic clans…