Chapter 156 (1/2): Historical Echoes, Full Server Online

Su Fu thought quickly; after all, she already had the answer.

She silently recited the words one by one in her heart, and on the blank pages in front of her, the exact same words appeared simultaneously.

As the last character fell, the text froze.

The next moment, those words gradually faded, replaced by the answer from the Book of Answers:

[The gears of fate have already turned.]

‘Is that it?’ 

‘That’s all?’

She was slightly stunned, somewhat surprised.

‘What kind of answer is this? This is too… concise, or rather, too ambiguous, isn’t it?’

‘It didn’t even say whether her guess was right or wrong.’

Just then, the scene before her suddenly changed.

The words on the Book of Answers actually came to life, coalescing into golden light in the air, rapidly spinning, intertwining, and rising.

Finally, they converged above the pages, transforming into an envelope with a wax seal, slowly drifting toward Su Fu.

The material of the envelope was neither gold nor jade, neither paper nor silk. Two words were clearly written on it:

[Torch]

Torch Invitation, activated.

Emilia: “???”

‘Is something wrong?’

“Th-this… Torch Invitation?”

She stared intently at the envelope in Su Fu’s hand. “You actually activated the Torch Invitation just like that?”

“My god! Su Fu! You activated the Torch Invitation!”

Alexander also looked stunned, even somewhat bewildered. “I actually witnessed with my own eyes… the birth of a miracle?”

‘They weren’t lying after all?’

At the same time, the betting group exploded.

[My god! The result is out! Su Fu… she really activated the Torch Invitation!]

[Ridiculous! She just enrolled! It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours, and she directly activated the legendary Torch?]

[I’m broken! I’m completely broken! I always thought this thing was just a legend, but it turns out it’s real, and I got to witness it!]

[What qualifies her?! (cracked voice)]

[I’m the clown! I was just swearing it was impossible!]

[Originally waited to watch the excitement, but ended up being the excitement myself, wuwuwu… (covering face)]

[Wow! I won the bet! I said if Principal Parks personally intervened, how could she be an ordinary person?]

[Those who said it’s impossible, face hurting yet?!]

[Ahem, that friend who said bet a dime earlier, your bet can be paid up.]

[Previous poster, seriously? Even a dime?]

Just then, Lady Rose sent a smiley emoji, and then specifically @mentioned Victor Blackblade.

Silent mockery.

[Guardian·Lady Rose]: ^-^ @Expeditionary Force·Victor Blackblade

[Expeditionary Force·Victor Blackblade]:

Silence is the Cambridge of tonight.

[Independent Alliance·Fengzi Luke]: Really activated! Doesn’t that mean the Torch Dungeon is about to open?

[Independent Alliance·Fengzi Luke]: I’m so curious what kind of damn dungeon this is, super jealous, it must be very interesting! I really want to go!

[Independent Alliance·Fengzi Luke]: Su Fu! Please take me! Please livestream! Please share!

[Ministry of Education·Scholar Baiya]: Every time the Torch ignites, it heralds a new chapter for civilization.

[Ministry of Education·Scholar Baiya]: If I have the honor to observe, there will be many points worth recording and reflecting on.

[Bureau of Anomalies·Doctor Zero]: The Torch Dungeon opens again… My chance has come!

[Bureau of Anomalies·Doctor Zero]: Hahaha! Finally! Finally waited for it!

[Bureau of Anomalies·Doctor Zero]: This time I will definitely crack its secret!

For a moment, the entire Genesis Academy, from the big shots to the freshmen, became lively.

[What’s so special about Su Fu? What makes her worthy?]

[I heard it’s the Chinese Pantheon…]

[Is the Chinese Pantheon that awesome? Not convinced!]

[I know, why don’t I convert to Chinese belief and try? See if I can activate it?]

[Poster above, wake up. It definitely can’t be that simple. There are other factors we don’t know.]

[I don’t accept! Strongly demand the principal publish the activation rules for the Torch Invitation. I think I can do it too!]

[…Then try getting the principal to personally escort you once?]

[Then never mind… Forget I said anything.]

For a moment, all kinds of words—envy, jealousy, hatred, shock, disbelief, fanatical curiosity—arose. Not to mention anything else, they were too curious about what was so special about this dungeon.

Meanwhile, in the Genesis Academy meeting room.

Principal Parks was having a video conference; in the holographic projections were some familiar old codgers.

Murphis was reporting: “According to statistics, the probability of tidal occurrences is 15% higher than the previous cycle.”

“In many affiliated academy star regions on the periphery of the Fourth Star Ring, disaster riots of varying scales have already appeared.”

“Data is still rising. The preliminary solution is for the Ministry of Education of each star domain to take the lead and increase Divine Power allocation from Shen Yan to ensure the safety of large population clusters.”

“Second, dispatch elite instructors and senior students to form a rapid response force for timely rescue and order restoration in riot areas.”

Parks nodded occasionally. After listening to the summary, he said, “Everyone, we need to work harder recently.”

“We must provide support as promptly as possible to prevent the situation from escalating further.”

“Additionally,” he looked at the others, “you all should pay extra attention to the situation in your core areas, to avoid falling for the enemy’s decoy tactic.”

Everyone responded in succession.

After that, Parks moved to the next agenda: “According to the latest battle report from the Guardian Organization, the erosion of the Dark Realm is accelerating at an unprecedented rate.”

“In the past seventy-two hours, the number of weak points between the Dark Realm and the real world has surged by 200%…”

“The situation… is quite urgent, requiring our immediate support.”

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became heavy.

“It seems the other side is truly desperate.”

“Frequent tides, intensified Anomaly sieges, plus the encroaching erosion of the Dark Realm… a three-pronged approach, clearly aiming to further compress the safe zone of human civilization.”

“How could they not be desperate? Now the Seven Great Clans are fighting to the death among themselves. Unfortunately, they can’t solve the exposed cards, so they can only delay the decline through offense.”

“Exactly. The more frenzied they are, the more it proves they’ve exhausted their tricks and can only counterattack with this all-out pressure.”

“So our counter-strategy is clear,” Parks summarized. “We must not be led by their pace.”

“Follow the original plan. Each does his own job.”

“The Dark Realm defense needs to be further reinforced. We must not let the contamination spread to the core area.”

“Fuzi, this will trouble you.”

Fuzi nodded without hesitation upon hearing this: “No problem.”

With the dual battlefield encirclement of the Dark Realm and the interstellar, the human camp must also divide and respond.

However, everyone understood that although the current situation seemed critical, it was actually within expectations.

A cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a desperate rabbit will bite.

The more frenzied the enemy, the more it shows they’re nearing their end.

But at times like this, one must be cautious, lest the other side, in desperation, make a reckless move that ends in mutual destruction.

Just as the meeting was about to end, Principal Parks suddenly raised a hand, signaling everyone to wait.

“Everyone, there is one special incident that just occurred that needs to be reported to you all.”

The crowd was taken aback. For Principal Parks to bring this up at such a moment, it was no small matter.

Parks curled the corner of his mouth. “Just now, Su Fu received a trial invitation from the Torch.”

“What?!”

“Really?!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement and surprise.

“The Torch… the Torch Trial has been reactivated?!”

“Indeed, it seems the time has truly come!”

“Heaven bless humanity…”

The Torch Trial only activates at major historical turning points for human civilization.

It is like a beacon of hope lit by the will of civilization in times of crisis.

The last activation gave rise to Commander Mei, who led all of humanity out of the Dark Age.

Now that it has been reactivated, it brings immense hope to the entire human faction.

“If it’s Su Fu… I think that makes sense.”

“It seems we didn’t make the wrong choice when we decided to cooperate deeply with the Chinese Pantheon!”

But after the excitement, Murphis began to worry again.

“But at this point in time, we’re in an all-out war with the Hereditary Houses, and the Stellar Battlefield and the Shadow Realm Defense Line are both under urgent threat. Who do we pull to protect Att?”

They had originally thought Su Fu would have a period of stable growth at Genesis Academy, but they never expected her to activate the Torch Trial so quickly.

Caught off guard.

Just then, Parks waved his hand. “Regarding this, you need not worry.”

“The moment I learned of it, I informed Tai Xuanzi.”

“She has replied—she will be responsible this time.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd immediately relaxed.

“That’s good! That’s good!”

“With Tai Xuanzi taking action, Su Fu will be safe.”

“This dungeon might stop others, but it certainly won’t stop Tai Xuanzi.”

“If some fool tries to act against Su Fu at this time, they’ll be rushing to their death!”

“Not only rushing to their death, but they’ll also give us a lead to uproot their entire organization.”

Everyone chimed in, quickly arriving at a countermeasure.

Meanwhile, inside the Hall of Truth.

Su Fu blinked, looking at the Torch letter in her hand, a bit confused.

‘Huh? The Torch Trial just opened like that?’

She looked at Emilia and Alexander, who were equally stunned, and asked uncertainly, “This… it doesn’t seem that hard, does it?”

Emilia and Alexander: …

Su Fu hesitated for a moment. “Then… I’m going in?”

Emilia was envious beyond words. “What are you waiting for?! This is the Torch Invitation! Unless you need to prepare something else?”

Su Fu thought seriously upon hearing this.

She had all her belongings on her, nothing extra to prepare.

And the top priority right now was undoubtedly to improve her own strength.

Since that was the case, there was nothing more to think about!

Just go in and get it done.

She reached out and took the envelope. The next moment, her vision blurred.

At the same time, Shen Yan’s somewhat solemn voice echoed in her ears.

[Genesis Academy Student Su Fu has activated the human special dungeon: Torch Invitation.]

[Connecting to Exam Space…]

[Exam Space successfully linked.]

Su Fu’s figure vanished. Emilia and Alexander stared at each other, still dazed.

“Was it really that easy?!”

How did Su Fu just waltz in like that?!

Emilia felt a huge blow. She had tried secretly several times before, each time building up her mental state, bathing, burning incense, and praying devoutly.

And what happened? Nothing.

She had even begun to suspect that the Torch Invitation was already a legend, just a pie-in-the-sky promise from Genesis Academy.

But today, right before her eyes, Su Fu reached out, muttered a few words, and walked right in.

Alexander also wore an expression of doubting life itself. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then closed it.

The contrast was simply heart-wrenching!

Meanwhile, atop the White Tower.

Laiyin and the white-robed man Aogusidu had also fallen into a strange silence.

Laiyin was silent because he had just confidently declared that Su Fu couldn’t possibly activate the Torch, but then Su Fu went right in.

A slap to the face.

It made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Aogusidu was silent because they had traveled far and wide, finally found Su Fu, and then she ran away right under his nose!

“Aogusidu, what do we do now?”

Laiyin let out a bitter laugh, his golden hair tousled in the wind. “We hurried all this way, never even got to formally meet her, and she’s gone.”

“How are we supposed to recruit her now?”

“Or are we supposed to go break into that Torch dungeon ourselves?”

“And we don’t even know the way, do we?”

Aogusidu was equally frustrated.

He suppressed his anger and annoyance, then gritted his teeth. “There is a way!”

“Twilight Judgment possesses a sacred artifact called the [Void Weaving Needle].”

“It can ignore most spatial barriers and perform short-distance targeted teleportation without relying on Shen Yan’s coordinate positioning.”

“Especially here at Genesis Academy, the intersection and superposition of the interstellar and anomaly realms—the spatial structure already has many overlapping points, making it easier to track and intervene.”

“I’ll go apply for it immediately.”

“As long as we lock onto her coordinates, we can pursue her into the dungeon.”

Laiyin: …

He had been just about to suggest they call it quits!

This Aogusidu sure was persistent.

“Honestly, Aogusidu,” Laiyin said, crossing his arms and looking at him with interest, “I’m curious—what method are you planning to use to recruit Su Fu? Coercion? Bribery?”

The corner of Aogusidu’s mouth lifted beneath his hood, revealing a confident—or perhaps fanatical—smile.

“Of course… the boundless blessing of my Lord!”

Their Lord Satan was the original rebel, the symbol of free will breaking free from the shackles of false divine authority.

The Lord’s blessing, even just a thread of infinite power, was enough to transform any mortal being and grant them a glimpse of a higher reality.

No one could refuse it.

Laiyin: “Huh?”

His expression turned strange. “Are you sure… you’re not just sending her a free gift—a Godly Power experience pack?”

“What if, just what if, you give it but fail to recruit her?”

“Impossible!” Aogusidu said firmly. “No one can remain unmoved after bathing in my Lord’s boundless glory and blessing.”

“She will surely feel the greatness of my Lord and willingly join us.”

“With her, we can obtain the Tree of Life in Eden, and the Lord will descend smoothly.”

“Therefore, this recruitment must succeed!”

Laiyin: ‘Bro, if you put it that way, I’m scared.’

‘How do I back out?!’

Su Fu entered the dungeon and looked around in confusion.

“This is the Torch dungeon?”

Before her eyes was not the trial battlefield she had expected, but a huge, IMAX-like three-dimensional holographic projection.

She was watching a documentary.

Or rather, a history of humanity’s struggle.

The protagonist on the screen was someone she actually knew.

The legendary figure, Commander Mei.

This seemed to be the most dangerous era of concept erosion, when the barriers between the Shadow Realm and the interstellar realm were nearly broken, and human territory was retreating step by step.

The Mei in the footage was much younger than the one Su Fu had seen at the opening ceremony.

She wore a black combat suit, standing on a high platform in the central square of a ruined city.

The sky was shrouded in thick black gloom; most of the city’s buildings had been reduced to rubble.

Countless survivors, dressed in black clothing that had long lost its original color, had faces filled with pain, numbness, and deep despair.

They crowded into the square like a flock of lost sheep.

Just then, Mei’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.

[Compatriots! Warriors!]

[Look at the land beneath our feet! Look at the homeland behind us!]

[The erosion of the Shadow Realm has pushed us to the edge of a cliff!]

[But we have not lost the courage to fight!]

[We must not retreat!]

[Because behind us are our children! Our mothers! Our fathers!]

[Fight to the end! Even if we build walls with our flesh and blood!]

[Build for them an impregnable fortress!]

[Never surrender!]

[Never give in!]

[Protect the weak! Protect the innocent! Protect every inch of star soil!]

[We will never give up! Never!]