Chapter 45: The Fourth Ring, Central Court (2/3)

It’s a bit intimidating; she wouldn’t dare go.

But overall, joining this group chat has been incredibly beneficial.

Her previous understanding of the world was far too limited, confined only to her immediate surroundings.

However, in just a short while in this group, she’s learned so much: about the upgrading of divine artifacts, the tacit yet delicate relationship between the Four Ministries and the consortiums, the recent containment failure in Lingxiao Province, and the mysterious incident three months ago that everyone avoids discussing.

Moreover, everyone in this group is a big shot.

Just getting to know any one of them would be a huge advantage!

Speaking of which, the icon of the Wànwàng Pavilion is a turtle, and they’re called the Turtle Gang.

What about the Eternal Cardinal that she’s about to join?

With an owl as its symbol… the Cat Gang?

It sounds… actually quite pleasant to the ear, doesn’t it?

If she passes this exam, she should be able to officially join the Eternal Cardinal.

Su Fu has already made her plans.

The first step after joining is to max out her divine power loan limit and then form a team to run a few dungeons.

She’s determined to squeeze every last drop out of those detestable capitalists!

As for the upgrade of the Ruyi Jingu Bang…

Come to think of it, the reward for this assessment includes a self-selected divine artifact, which must be from the official Wànwàng Institute and is definitely worth a lot.

Then she could sell the Twin Snake Scepters, the Ghostly Silver Sickle, the Ebony Staff, the Thunder God’s Hammer… and with that money, she might just be able to upgrade the Ruyi Jingu Bang!

Su Fu sighed.

Indeed, the fastest ways to get rich are all in the criminal code.

Pull off something like this, and you’d be set for life!

Just then, a team invitation suddenly popped up in the group chat:

[Emergency Mission: 4-person team]

[Target Coordinates: Fourth Ring ‘Heavenly Rift’]

[Requirement: Sequence 90 and below]

[Reward: Extremely Generous]

[Sign-up Time: 3 days]

[A-level]

Su Fu was startled by the invitation.

Wait, can you really form teams in this group to explore dungeons?

And it looks like it’s one of those dangerous places outside the academy.

You see, these exploration-type dungeons outside the academy are far more perilous.

Unlike the academy, which compiles anomalies into exam papers with guaranteed safety for anything below B-level.

These external dungeons offer no such safety net.

You go straight to the anomaly sites, and the risks are extremely high.

However, the corresponding rewards are incredibly generous.

After all, for academy exams, just setting up the testing site costs 20%-30% of the divine power quota.

External exams skip this step entirely, and the rewards ultimately go to the divine-favored individuals.

Not to mention, the rewards from the exam sites can sometimes be more precious than divine power itself.

But for Su Fu, the outside world is quite dangerous.

As a high school freshman, no, sophomore, she’d better stay safely within the academy.

The countdown numbers in the team formation interface kept ticking away, and everyone’s attention in the group shifted instantly from her, the newcomer.

“My goodness, an A-level dungeon? They’re making such a big deal this time?”

“Code-named Heavenly Rift? It starts with ‘Heaven,’ which seems like it’s part of the Heavenly Court series of dungeons.”

“I suppose so. I remember the last B-level Heavenly Court dungeon; six went in, and only three came out. This A-level one is probably even more dangerous…”

“The map last time was a Peach Garden. The anomalies inside were terrifying. It’s a pity we didn’t bring back a single peach. I really wanted to taste one.”

Watching their discussion, Su Fu’s mind raced.

Heavenly Court series?

Just then, the task publisher [North Star Cluster – Heavenly Pantheon – Michael – 027] sent another highlighted message:

“Priority to those who have experienced Heavenly Court series dungeons. If you have targeted deities or guaranteed strategies, feel free to contact me privately. The sequence number can be relaxed appropriately~”

“………………Where are you going to find that? From the looks of it, this is a high-level Heavenly Court dungeon. Everyone knows that low-level and high-level Heavenly Court dungeons are two extremes.”

“Low-level ones are as simple as amusement parks, while high-level ones… well, you don’t even know what’s happening before you’re sent packing.”

“Yeah, last month I went into a Heavenly Court dungeon, and the anomalies inside were just outrageous. I had to throw in the towel. I almost died on the spot.”

“Really outrageous. I don’t know how the anomalies manage their character identities, but they’re all incredibly strong.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Why are high-level dungeons so difficult? And they’re all uncharted maps, like Heavenly Court, Classic of Mountains and Seas, Ling Mountain…”

Speaking of Ling Mountain dungeon, have you heard about the great officer Fujiwara Chiyode?”

“It’s said that he was severely injured when he challenged the main line of Ling Mountain. Does anyone know the inside story? What exactly happened?”

“I know a bit. It’s said that he encountered a bull-shaped anomaly and was killed instantly.”

“Tsk, even the great officer couldn’t handle it. If it were me, I’d definitely be able to beat it.”

“Exactly, Fujiwara Chiyode is just so-so. When I get the permission to challenge, I’ll definitely give it a try and live-stream it for you guys!”

The group immediately started boasting, but Su Fu fell into deep thought.

Ling Mountain?

Bull-shaped anomaly?

Is it the Bull Demon King or Laozi’s Blue Ox?

No, she felt like something was off.

Ling Mountain, Heavenly Court, Classic of Mountains and Seas… all these dungeon names come from the Chinese mythological system.

And the anomalies inside perfectly replicate the demons and monsters from these maps?

Su Fu’s expression turned subtle.

These anomalies are really something, choosing the most powerful demon forms, aren’t they?

She felt like these anomalies’ exploration of Chinese civilization was deeper than that of humans.

If the demons mentioned earlier were indeed the Bull Demon King or the Blue Ox, then their insight was incredibly sharp!

By the time she came to her senses and looked at the group messages again, the netizens had already started discussing the dungeons themselves.

“Speaking of these dungeon names, it’s said that they were directly named by the Shen Yan, and behind the Shen Yan is the power of the divine. In other words, is it a divine hint that the names are related to the connotations of the dungeons?”

“So what if they are? The difficult dungeons are simply unbeatable, and the easy ones don’t offer any useful information. Up until now, we haven’t figured out anything.”

Su Fu: “…………”

No, using other pantheons to tackle Chinese dungeons, if you succeed, then there’s something wrong.

The strategy is completely wrong!

She now had a further understanding of why the Chinese pantheon system hadn’t been restored and rebuilt for so many years.

Because it creates a vicious cycle:

The anomalies in the dungeons are all top-tier demon beings from Chinese mythology, incredibly powerful.

And the humans who go to explore?

They’re completely clueless about Chinese knowledge.

How are they supposed to fight?

Thus, a vicious cycle begins repeatedly.

Unable to defeat the dungeon, one cannot acquire knowledge.

Without knowledge, it becomes even more impossible to defeat the dungeon.

What’s more, people die easily………

Su Fu couldn’t help but hold her forehead.

To be honest, she thought it was a testament to human resilience that so many people were still alive.

However, her heartbeat quickened.

Others might not know about the Chinese Pantheon, but she did!

You think the Bull Demon King is powerful?

What if I bring out the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, or the Third Prince Nezha?

How would you deal with that?

The Blue Ox with its Diamond Pestle that can collect all divine artifacts is impressive?

What if I bring out Laozi?

How would you handle that?

I can counter all of them perfectly!

As for what the group members said about not understanding why there were so many of these types of dungeons?

Su Fu:”…..”

The Chinese deities are just not being summoned, not dead!

She felt that the abundance of Chinese dungeons in Lingxiao Province and the Polaris Cluster was not without reason.

After all, Chinese has had vast territories since ancient times!

Or, to be even more daring and to look further back!

Pangu separated the heavens and the earth.

The Heavenly Court ruled over the three realms.

All under the heavens are the king’s land; all on the borders of the land are the king’s subjects!

Isn’t it only natural to have more Chinese dungeons?

Wait, my goodness!

She realized she had a blind spot.

She had previously thought that the Chinese deities were vast as the sea and could adapt to any map and anomaly.

But thinking the other way around………… wouldn’t these maps themselves be related to Chinese?

Yes, that makes sense.

Anomalies don’t want to die either and desire powerful demon forms.

And with countless formidable demons in Chinese mythology, if I were an anomaly, I’d definitely choose Chinese too!

Alright, the logic loop is closed.

If the truth is really as she guessed, then as long as the Chinese deities rise, these so-called terrifying anomalies would probably be soundly defeated!

The so-called dreadful dungeons would likely turn into amusement parks.

Just then, someone in the group mentioned Su Fu and said:

“Newcomer, you’re from the North Star Cluster, right? I really suggest you change places as soon as possible. The dungeons there are too difficult, with that particular type being especially numerous, and the failure rate is too high. You’re naturally a step behind everyone else.”

Su Fu had actually noticed this issue.

There were the most people from the South Star Cluster in the group, while, in contrast, there were pitifully few from the North Star Cluster.

So…… is it because of this reason?!

Is it because there are too many Chinese dungeons?

And other pantheons find it hard to deal with them?

That’s why the North Star Cluster has been dragged to the bottom?

“Like our South Star Cluster, it’s much more balanced,”

“Olympus, Ragnarok, Indra’s Palace, there are plenty of strategies for each map, no worries about development, and the growth rate is quite fast.”

Someone couldn’t stand it anymore, “Damn it, enough already, stop recruiting people every day!”

Su Fu:”…..”

It might be true for others, but for Su Fu, it’s completely the opposite.

The abundance of Chinese dungeons is great!

Let her at them!

It’s a paradise for development, with vast opportunities.

All the dungeons that others can’t conquer are left for her.

Let her have a go!

Su Fu thought to herself, no wonder all the dungeons she’s encountered so far are related to Chinese.

Now she understood why.

At that moment, Michael, who had posted the team message, stepped in to mediate:

“Everyone, stop arguing, let’s get back on topic. If you want to go, remember to find me, and also…… when will there be people who are good at Heavenly Court dungeons?

“I have so many tasks of this type!

“The rewards are super generous~”

Su Fu:”….”

She wanted to raise her hand but hesitated.

Although the Shen Yan had formed this group for them, who knows who else is in it?

Better safe than sorry, she thought.

She’d better take a look first before making any decisions.

Moreover, Michael’s team was heading into an A-level dungeon.

She was only a C-level.

That was a bit out of her league.

She might have a shot at a B-level dungeon, but an A-level…

No way.

She just couldn’t handle that.

She needed more time to grow and develop her skills.

However, Su Fu quietly took note of this ID:

[North Star Cluster – Heavenly Pantheon – Michael – 027.]

A sequence number of 27—clearly a top-tier player.

But then, most people in the group were probably top-tier players.

She was likely the youngest and, of course, the weakest in terms of strength.

The real gap was in experience…

These fate-blessed individuals had probably gone through countless dungeons and faced numerous life-and-death challenges.

Not to mention, they were all favored by their respective pantheons.

Their strength had likely reached a truly terrifying level.

If it weren’t for her Ruyi Jingu Bang, a divine artifact, she probably wouldn’t even have the qualification to talk to these people in reality.

She really needed to work hard to enhance her strength!