Chapter 60 (1/2): Golden Announcement, Exalting Our Chinese Pantheon

The Golden Announcement stretched across the Interstellar expanse, shining brilliantly in the vast dark universe.

The moment the news was released, the entire Fourth Star Ring exploded in chaos.

Southern Polar Star System, Apocalypse Academy Senior Division.

“Ding-dong—Northern Polar Star System major announcement: A genius has appeared! Welcome all to challenge the Starsea College Entrance Exam!”

Gu Qing, the homeroom teacher of Thunder Class, frowned at this exaggerated notice. 

‘What utter nonsense!’

‘Everyone knew the Northern Polar Star System was always at the bottom.’

‘What on earth was going on this time, boasting about a genius? In that barren place, what could possibly—’

He hadn’t finished the thought when the next message arrived—

“Northern Polar Star System Divine Manifestation Ceremony major breakthrough! Examinee Su Fu has triggered the Authority of the Twelve Paths of the Four Sea Dragon Kings, and ultimately awakened two divine abilities. Unprecedented in all of history!”

Gu Qing’s pupils contracted sharply.

‘What the heck? Four Sea Dragon Kings?  

Authority of the Twelve Paths? Two divine abilities?’

“This… Impossible!”

He hurriedly clicked for details, and the more he read, the deeper his frown became—because it was true! 

The message was personally verified and released by Sen Yan AI!

Without hesitation, he immediately forwarded the message to the class group: Thunder Class Group.

[Gu Qing @everyone: Urgent notice! All college entrance examinees, pay attention to the latest news! Details as follows [Forwarded: Northern Polar Star System Ministry of Education Notice]—this must be taken seriously!]

The examinees in the group instantly exploded.

[Shen Ming: ??? Is this a joke? How many? Twelve Authorities? Heavens! Why don’t I ever get such luck!]

[Lin Lin: Divine! Oh my god, so she first got a powerful divine ability, and then could pick another one from the remaining eleven???]

[Zhou Lin: …Is this cheating? So what’s her level now? Does anyone know?]

***

Western Polar Star System · Sky Academy · Elite Class.

[Director @everyone Important reminder: Northern Polar Star System has produced a super divine favored, Su Fu, Divine Favored of Chinese Pantheon, who just made history at the Divine Manifestation Ceremony. Details as follows…]

[Zhao Xiaoyu: …I recognize every word, but together, I’m breaking down. Normally, a god only grants one Authority, right? And that’s decided by the Principal God—humans never get to choose!]

[Chen Xue: Director, is this reliable? It sounds too exaggerated…]

[Wu Feng: Wait, what? Four gods appeared at once? Chinese Pantheon? Did I read that right?]

Similar scenes were playing out in the Eastern Polar Star System. 

The content was much the same—everyone was shaken by the unprecedented actions of the gods.

Su Fu wasn’t just a divine favored; she was practically their own daughter!

***

Meanwhile, a small private group chat, consisting of top talents from the Four Great Star Systems, became active.

[Luo Yuqing: Forwarding the Ministry of Education announcement. @Elai from Northern Polar Star System @Zongzheng Ye @Su Luan Is this for real? Come out and say something!]

[Bai Yu: Holy… This is way too over the top! What’s going on with you people in the Northern Polar Star System?]

[Reminder: Elai & Zongzheng Ye & Su Luan are taking their exams and can’t reply right now.]

[Luo Yuqing: Tch… Still in exams? @Feng Hanye, do you have any concrete news on your end?]

[Feng Hanye: Nothing. But this can’t be true—gods aren’t vegetables on the market, how could they reveal their Authorities to a human? This has to be fake news. The Northern Polar Star System is just hyping themselves up, right?]

[Xiao Chen: Wait a second, I remember Su Fu… Wasn’t she the one blessed with that ridiculous artifact and the outrageous phrase, ‘Summon me and I shall appear’, Great Sage?]

[Feng Hanye: …Now that you mention it, it is her?! @Elai, get online! Are you guys serious?]

[Xu Mingyuan: Hold on, everyone. I’ll check the details.]

[Luo Yuqing: @Xu Mingyuan, hurry! We need to get to the bottom of this!]

[Xiao Chen: Mingyuan’s interning at the Anomaly Management Bureau now, right? If you don’t have clearance, ask your dad! We have to find out!]

[Xu Mingyuan: …Understood.]

After Xu Mingyuan sent the message, he disappeared, leaving everyone anxiously waiting.

At that moment, Luo Yuqing subconsciously glanced at another person in the group.

She hesitated, then carefully sent a message:

[@Odinson Thor bro, what do you think?]

The group instantly fell silent.

Odinson Thor was the heir of the Thor branch of the Asgard Family, one of the seven top families in the universe, and acknowledged as the strongest genius among the Four Great Star Systems, possessing the bloodline of the God of Thunder.

While others struggled through countless exams to reach B-rank, he advanced with ease thanks to his bloodline.

He had even gained the approval of the divine artifact Mjolnir—not a god’s gift, but forged by the finest dwarven craftsmen and the Asgard Research Institute, nearly reaching A-rank!

He was also the undisputed number one in the Fourth Star Ring.

If anyone could judge the authenticity of this incident, it would be him.

But Odinson still didn’t reply.

Instead, an account named “Keaton Asgard” suddenly spoke up:

[Everyone, please wait. The young master is in the middle of an exam. [File] Su Fu.pdf. The basic information on this examinee has been compiled please take a look.]

[However, apologies: her clearance is too high, so we can’t access her previous exam footage for now.  

Hope this helps.]

[Bai Yu: !!! Butler Keaton, you’re too efficient!]

[Luo Yuqing: Thank you, Butler Keaton!]

Everyone expressed their thanks. 

Keaton, Odinson’s personal butler, handled everything for the young master—including exam logistics.

Odinson only needed to focus on advancing; everything else was managed for him.

But with Su Fu’s news out, they suddenly became curious—how did Odinson view this Divine Favored of the Chinese Pantheon?

They thought the news was just too ridiculous. 

Four gods appearing at once? 

Authority of the Twelve Paths? 

Even Odinson never got such treatment.

It had to be fake hype—one look at the info would expose it!

But when they opened the file, they were dumbfounded.

[Xiao Chen: My god, she’s only been awakened for less than two months? And already has an artifact and two divine abilities?]

[Bai Yu: Let me get this straight… Devoted to the Chinese Pantheon, awakened two months ago, then just… steamrolled everything?]

[Feng Hanye: Look at her record… All first place, never lost, crushed everyone, her résumé is outrageously flawless.]

[Luo Yuqing: She even set the fastest clearance record, and her rate of improvement is insane! E-rank straight to B-rank?]

[Bai Yu: @Xu Mingyuan, what did you find?]

[Xu Mingyuan: …No video access. Her clearance is extremely high, just like Butler Keaton said. They even warned me for trying! I’m so pissed!]

[Feng Hanye: Wait… Isn’t your dad the deputy director of the Anomaly Management Bureau? He can access all abnormal exam venues, and even he can’t check?]

[Xu Mingyuan: That’s what I’m saying! Isn’t this crazy?! They even warned me not to overstep!]

[Everyone: …So what’s Su Fu’s real background?!]

But as they marveled at Su Fu’s dazzling record, Bai Yu suddenly thought of a possibility.

[Bai Yu: Could it be… that the Northern Polar Star System’s exams are just too easy?]

The group fell silent for a moment. 

That was plausible—the Northern Polar Star System had always been at the bottom, so the exam difficulty must be lower, which would explain such… crushing results, right?

It made sense!

***

Elai, Zongzheng Ye, and Su Luan, just out of the exam hall, saw the messages:

They all tacitly chose not to speak.

‘Ha! Easy exams? Looking down on the Northern Polar Star System, are you?’

‘Fools, this time it was Mission: S-rank Instance · Chang’an: Strange Incursion!’

‘Do you even know what S-rank means?!’

***

As the rewards settled, Su Fu heard Sen Yan’s prompt in her ear:

[Anomaly clearance progress: 100%]  

[This exam is now complete.]  

[Assessment space closing soon…]  

[Your results will be synced to your personal terminal after the space closes.]  

(t: 3…2…1…)

The scenery before her began to distort.

The coastline of the City of Dawn stretched out, the layered waves turning to ripples, everything fading and becoming transparent.

[Detected: Divine Authority infusion]  

[Switching to Divine AI module]  

[Module switch complete]

Sen Yan DI’s warm prompt:

“Congratulations, Destiny’s Divine Summoner Su Fu.”

“Your Destiny rank has risen.”

“From 97 to 67.”

“You have been automatically connected to the Destiny module.”

“Group chat ‘Fourth Star Ring Central Court’ is now online.”

Su Fu was stunned.

Wait!  

She just… leveled up?

From 97 straight to 67?  

A leap of 30 places?!

Could it be because she obtained two divine abilities at once?

Before she could recover, the group chat was already exploding with messages.

[Look! That newcomer from the Northern Polar Star System! Her rank just shot up to 67!]

[What’s going on? Wasn’t she in the 90s a few days ago?]

[Wait… in just a few days, she leapt 30 places?]

[@Su Fu, spill it! Did you pull off something big?!]

[Seriously… this rate of ascent is wild! I’ve been stuck at 83 for half a year, and you just zoomed past?]

Su Fu: “…..”

What big thing could she possibly do? 

She didn’t steal or rob—cough, the point is she didn’t steal!

She just took the exam properly.

But the group was already buzzing with excitement, the usual crowd of familiar faces flooding the chat.

[This rise is like a rocket!]

[Newbie, tell us—what’s your background? Are you secretly some god’s real daughter?!]

[Tsk tsk, this progress… are you from some hidden ancient family? I smell old money here.]

[Newbie, could you be… a descendant of a clan that’s been asleep for a thousand years?]

Su Fu: “…..”

‘You people are too much!’

She was just an ordinary, penniless civilian, with nothing at all.

Heh, but she did have the Chinese Pantheon.

At that moment, one of the big shots in the group tagged her:

[(Northern Star Group, Paradise Pantheon- Michelle – 027): @Su Fu, there’s a Heavenly Court Series B-rank instance coming up. Want to join? The Drought Demon intel you gave me last time was a huge help. This time, I’ll carry you through a B-rank instance for free, as thanks!]

The group went silent for a second.

Then—

[Wait! Michelle, did you say Drought Demon?! One of the hardest A-rank instances?]

[So… the newbie’s intel helped Michelle clear it?!]

[No way! That hardcore? Newbie, what’s your real identity?!]

Su Fu was instantly tempted.

A B-rank instance…

And it was a Heavenly Court Series!

She knew the college entrance exam itself was a B-rank instance, just a super-large map version.

If she could experience one in advance, the benefits were obvious.

More importantly—she now possessed the Heavenly Prison Authority. 

Maybe she could unlock a side quest and get another divine skill?

Not to mention, Michelle could solo A-rank instances—definitely a safe bet.

If she could build this connection, maybe she’d get into A-rank instances in the future?

But the only question was—could she trust this?

Though she owed Michelle for the Drought Demon tip, joining a B-rank instance together was still a big deal.

This meant leaving the Divine Academy and venturing into the wild.

Su Fu hesitated, then replied: 

[Thank you! What time exactly? I want to check my schedule.]

Michelle immediately understood the subtext—Su Fu wanted time to consider. 

After all, such a rare opportunity couldn’t be accepted lightly.

Michelle didn’t mind because caution meant survival.

Michelle replied: [Three days from now. If you miss it, no worries. You can always contact me later~]

Su Fu was moved—Michelle was such a good person!

The timing was perfect; she could consult Zhang Dean for advice.

The main thing was, she knew Zhang Dean would immediately inform the teachers at Kunlun Academy.

Let them see how hard the Divine Favored of the Chinese Pantheon had it!

A wandering child of China, living in constant anxiety, having to scrounge for food, look for B-rank instance rides, and even then, worry about being beaten up…

Tsk, tsk, too miserable! 

Truly miserable!

She felt certain Kunlun Academy wouldn’t just stand by, or they wouldn’t have upgraded her clearance.

If anyone said Kunlun didn’t care about her—

Impossible!

‘Cough’, Su Fu reviewed her logic—no problem at all.

A little scheming, maybe.

But!

All for survival, nothing to be ashamed of!

Satisfied, she exited the Central Court group chat and eagerly opened her Personal Star Map interface.

[Identity: Tianqi Middle School Affiliated, student Su Fu]  

[Citizen Level: B] (Up 1 level)  

[Divine Power Level: B] (Up 0.5 level)  

[Credits: 75]  

[Mastered Skills: 15 (click to view)]  

[Mastered Divine Abilities: 2]  

[Summoned Gods: 14 (click to view)] 

[God-gifted Artifacts: 1 (click to view)]

Fourteen!

She’d summoned fourteen gods already.

Su Fu clicked for details, and the divine silhouettes appeared before her.

On the far left were the Western Journey foursome, Western Journey series.

Next, the dazzling Phoenix of the Shan Hai Jing, Shan Hai series.

Then, the three notorious rebels and Taishang Laojun’s two disciples from the Heavenly Court Series.

The Monkey King appeared twice!

The latest addition was Judge Zhong Kui of the Underworld, Underworld series.

And, of course, the Four Sea Dragon Kings.

Western Journey, Shan Hai Jing, Heavenly Court, Underworld… 

It seemed she was only missing a prehistoric Investiture of the Gods series?

Speaking of Prehistoric, Su Fu’s first thought was naturally Nuwa.

At this, she straightened and gave a deep bow to the fourteen gods on her scroll:

“Thank you, all gods, for responding to my summons, helping me grow, and keeping me safe.”

“Su Fu thanks you all!”

The golden divine silhouettes glimmered faintly, as if responding to her gratitude.

Or maybe it was just her imagination.

Next came the most important part!

Her divine ability module was finally not zero, and had jumped to two at once.

Su Fu’s fingers trembled as she opened the details page.

With her command, two streams of light appeared in the data space:

One, ocean-blue as the deep sea; the other, violet as thunder.

Divine Ability: Ocean – First Wave and Divine Ability: Thunder – Resonant Thunder.

[Ocean – First Wave]  

[A generous gift from the Lord of the Ocean]  

[Effect: Control surrounding water, forming shields, attacks, restraints, and more]  

[Level: B]

Su Fu experimented, and as the divine ability activated, she felt her consciousness extend into every drop of water around her.

As long as there was water…

She could summon wind and rain!

In the ocean, it was truly her home turf—a huge advantage in water battles.

Not bad at all!

Then she looked at the second divine ability:

[Thunder – Resonant Thunder]  

[From the Authority of the Azure Dragon of the East Sea]  

[Effect: Manipulate lightning, form defensive shields or ranged attacks, imbue weapons]  

[Level: B]  

[Special Note: Perfectly compatible with the Ruyi Jingu Bang, greatly increasing power]

Reading the special note, Su Fu’s eyes lit up.

‘As expected of you, old dragon! The Ruyi Jingu Bang really did come from your Dragon Palace!’

A perfect match—meaning perfect synergy.

With a thought—

“Crackle!”

Violet arcs of electricity danced around her, instantly forming a spherical barrier.

She pointed her hands into a certain distance—

“Boom!”