Chapter 63 (1/2): B Level College Entrance Exam, Kyushu: Qingqiu

When Su Fu had just returned to the bottom of the dormitory building, she saw two figures leaning against the parasol tree by the entrance from afar.

“Boss!”

Lin Mingxi perked up when he saw her, forcing himself to look energetic, “You finally came back.”

Su Fu quickened her pace, looking at the two and feeling puzzled by their unusual expressions.

“What’s with you two?”

Something was clearly off with them, especially Lin Mingxi, who was usually all smiles but now looked troubled.

Jiang Qingyu sighed as well, “Let’s go upstairs first and talk.”

After entering the dorm, she went straight for the blow, “This year’s College Entrance Exam has been reformed.”

Su Fu:”……”

Alright, alright, so it’s the usual tradition again?

Every time it’s her turn, there’s a reform?

What kind of rotten luck is this?

“So, what’s the change exactly?”

Let her hear the details first.

Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu exchanged a glance, and Lin Mingxi spoke up, “According to the information we got, the difficulty of Test Paper B this time will be increased. Instead of the usual four-zone linkage, it’s been raised to at least six zones.”

In an instant, Su Fu felt her vision go dark.

Everyone knew, when abnormal zones stack their rules, every extra zone doubles the difficulty.

And the College Entrance Exam map had always been vast beyond measure—even the previous four-zone linkage could play candidates to death, forcing them to barely survive in the cracks between the rules.

Now how many?

Six zones?!

Are they trying to kill off all the candidates?!

Jiang Qingyu shook her head, “Actually, I think it might be even worse. I suspect the number of zones this year is based on the Divine Pantheon.”

“If that’s true, it might not be just six—what if it’s eight? Eight Divine Pantheons, eight zones?”

Su Fu felt her temples throbbing.

Simply put, each Divine Pantheon would have a copy zone.

For example, the Greek Pantheon’s Olympus, the Norse Pantheon’s Asgard…

Now there were eight, all placed on one Test Paper B map.

Let’s fight then.

Candidates from eight zones will go crazy fighting.

Lin Mingxi flopped onto the sofa and gave a bitter smile, “If it really is eight Divine Pantheon maps, we’re done for.”

“We’ve hardly ever taken the other pantheon’s Exam Papers.”

And the exam environment was crucial.

Just look at the last Chang’an map—the appearance of the City God Temple directly opened the gate to the Underworld.

If it hadn’t been for Boss, they would have ended up like Elai and the others, dying first and sneaking in as souls.

Jiang Qingyu frowned, “Exactly. Environmental factors play a huge role in the exam. Each Divine Pantheon’s copy has its unique rules and Taboos.”

“This is a disadvantage for us, but a huge benefit to those from the Great Clans.”

“Isn’t that right!” Lin Mingxi said glumly, “Their families have collections of ancient texts, private libraries full of materials—how can we compare? They’ve probably studied every Divine Pantheon’s map inside and out.”

“The more maps there are, the bigger their advantage.”

“Oh, right, Boss, do you know Odinson from Northern Polaris?”

“He’s the perfect example—a child of one of the Seven Great Clans. There’s no Norse Pantheon map he hasn’t been to. He’s been fighting monsters in Jotunheim since he was little, exploring Nibelungen…”

“In this reform, he’ll have every advantage.”

Su Fu caught the key point, “So, this time, the College Entrance Exam is basically a battle between the Eight Divine Pantheons?”

“Whoever can establish an advantage in their familiar zone first will gain the initiative.”

Jiang Qingyu said softly, “If that’s the case, the strong pantheons will be even stronger.”

“The Greek Pantheon has the most believers, the Norse Pantheon’s clans are deep-rooted, and the Indian Pantheon’s legacy is complete.”

“Candidates from these regions will probably crush the rest.”

“But…” Jiang Qingyu was a bit confused, “Such a reform doesn’t seem to match the Ministry of Education’s stated goals.”

“If it just benefits the Great Clans, what’s the point of reform? The current system already favors them, so why bother?”

She paused, “I just feel… it won’t be that simple.”

Su Fu and Lin Mingxi both agreed.

Indeed, if the Ministry of Education really wanted to favor the Great Clans, keeping things as they were would be enough.

Why make such a fuss?

Jiang Qingyu sighed, “Anyway, we’ll just have to wait and see the final results.”

Su Fu was thoughtful.

Speaking of Divine Pantheon maps…

She hadn’t run through other pantheon maps before, but as for her understanding of the Divine Pantheons, she seemed to know a bit about all of them.

Especially since the information about Poseidon last time had all been confirmed.

Wait, the key point is—if, as Jiang Qingyu said, this reform involves the maps of the Eight Divine Pantheons, doesn’t that mean the Chinese Pantheon’s map will also appear?

Maps are great—they mean relics.

Just like Guanghan Palace—a real, tangible relic!

And relics mean Divine Power, so she might be able to level up big time.

After all, it’s a College Entrance Exam map, so the relics must be huge, right?

At least bigger than Guanghan Palace?

Ahem, calm down, calm down.

If there really is a Chinese Pantheon relic, she must go all out for it!

After all, the other pantheons have lots of people—at the very least, she has to fight for her territory.

But the Chinese Pantheon only has her—she can enjoy it all by herself.

***

February 1st, College Entrance Exam Day, Tianqi Middle School Affiliated, Central Sanctuary.

The entire Central Sanctuary floated above a sea of clouds, mist swirling between the halls, and above were countless candidates waiting for the exam.

“Boss…” Lin Mingxi stood by her side, looking anxious, “Since I woke up this morning, my left eyelid’s been twitching nonstop. What does it mean? I’m really nervous.”

Su Fu comforted him, “It’s nothing—left eye twitching means fortune is coming! Good things are on the way!”

“Really?” Lin Mingxi’s eyes lit up instantly, “Boss, you can’t lie to me!”

Jiang Qingyu couldn’t help but laugh from the side, “You actually believe her nonsense.”

“Boss!” Lin Mingxi gave Su Fu a pitiful look, visibly tense, “This time we still have to teleport to the exam site—the Orion Arm Star Domain. That’s the closest place our Four Great Star Systems have to the Third Star Ring! I’ve never been that far before…”

Before he finished, the sky suddenly changed.

The once calm sea of clouds surged violently, a rainbow aurora wove across the sky, and eight brilliant Divine Power Columns shot into the heavens, tearing open eight massive spatial rifts above the clouds.

…Rifts?

Soon, the rifts turned into eight huge portals, forming one after another across the sky.

Su Fu noticed that the patterns on the portals were all different.

There was one with Greek Pantheon olive branch patterns, one with Norse Pantheon World Tree totems, one with Amaterasu Pantheon’s Torii symbol… and the last portal was emblazoned with the Chinese Pantheon’s Dragon Pattern.

So these were the doors to the College Entrance Exam venue?

The crowd around instantly erupted.

“It’s here, it’s here!”

“Oh my god, we’re really going in?”

“I’m not ready…”

“I feel like even my breathing is trembling.”

“Stop, I couldn’t even eat breakfast.”

“This is it, I’m so nervous! I just crammed last night!”

“Yeah, but last time you said the same thing and still got an excellent score.”

Su Fu:”…..”

‘Hmm? Even these types show up here?’

“All candidates, attention!”

The proctor’s voice suddenly rang out, “Begin entering the portals in order by academy—no crowding, maintain order!”

The crowd started to move slowly, entering the portals one by one.

Very soon, it was Su Fu’s turn.

Naturally, she chose the Dragon Pattern portal.

In an instant, the world twisted.

Countless lights and shadows crisscrossed before her eyes, as if she were traveling across millions of light-years of the starry sea.

A faint buzzing sounded in her ears, like someone speaking, or maybe it was an illusion.

The next second, the ground beneath her feet solidified—she was already standing in the final exam site.

Everywhere she looked, there were people.

Countless candidates poured out from each portal, gathering into a sea of humanity.

Candidates of all skin colors and appearances stood together; only now did Su Fu truly realize what “College Entrance Exam” meant.

All the geniuses of the Fourth Star Ring were gathered here.

She looked up and saw a towering giant gate at the far end of the plaza, at least several hundred meters tall.

The Divine Power of the Eight Divine Pantheons flowed across it, forming a dazzling brilliance.

And in the center of the gate, a massive light screen was counting down:

[05:00]

[04:59]

[04:58]

This was the countdown to entering the College Entrance Exam site.

Inside the proctor room, numerous proctors were making their final preparations in an orderly fashion.

On the central screen, eight Divine Power Columns could be seen shooting skyward, piercing the clouds and supporting the entire venue’s Divine Power operation.

Eight Divine Powers, eight pantheons.

He Lian Yue stood at the center of the monitoring hall, looking up at the wall-sized holographic projection.

Countless surveillance feeds spread out in midair, each light point representing a candidate.

Tens of thousands of feeds converged like a sea of stars, shifting position as the candidates moved.

“Northern Polaris region Divine Power data calibration complete.” He Lian Yue’s voice rang out.

“East… West… South… calibration complete.” The other three Star System vice deans reported in turn.

With the last data confirmed, the eight Divine Power Columns slowly converged, transforming into flowing runes and sinking into the foundation of the exam venue.

The framework of the entire venue was now completely stabilized.

He Lian Yue turned to the floating light screen, “Shen Yan, initiate final confirmation.”

[Verifying permissions…]

The ethereal mechanical voice sounded.

[Verification successful. Four Star Systems exam venue construction complete.]

[Divine Power stability: 99.15%]

[Abnormal fluctuation rate: 0.02%]

[Spatial stability: 98.97%]

[Transmitting data to the Fourth Star Ring United Education Department…]

[Data transmission complete.]

[Submit exam venue confirmation request to the Four Star Systems Ministry of Education?]

“Confirm.”

[Request submitted]

[Awaiting final authorization from the Ministry of Education]

He Lian Yue nodded slightly—their work here was done.

Now, they just had to wait for Minister Kong Ying’s reply.

She looked up, her gaze falling on the sea-of-stars-like surveillance screens.

This time, the venue was larger than ever before.

Among those twinkling light points, how many would make it to the end?

Very soon, four faces appeared at the center of the screen—the Ministers of Education for the Four Great Star Systems appeared simultaneously.

Xia Linyuan, Minister of Education for Southern Polaris, had neatly combed silver hair and a gentle voice: “Southern Polaris confirmed.”

Xuanyuan Po, Minister of Education for Western Polaris, wore a sharp military uniform, his golden eyes as keen as an unsheathed sword, “Western Polaris confirmed.”

An Muyu, Minister of Education for Eastern Polaris, dressed in elegant white, smiled slightly, “Eastern Polaris confirmed. May all candidates have a bright future.”

Lastly, Minister Kong Ying of Northern Polaris, her expression calm: “Northern Polaris confirmed.”

“Very good.”

Xia Linyuan looked around, “Then, I declare the Fourth Star Ring’s Unified Higher Education Exam officially begins!”

As soon as he finished, the giant College Entrance Exam gate erupted in brilliant light.

In a flash, tens of thousands of candidates vanished from their spots.

***

Supreme Hall.

The highest decision-making center of the Four Great Star Systems Ministry of Education, located at the central axis of the Orion Arm, the power center directing the entire Fourth Star Ring College Entrance Exam.

The whole structure floated in the Star Sea, and in the conference hall, the four ministers sat facing each other.

In the center was a giant holographic projection displaying all data for the exam venue.

Below, projections showed live feeds of each exam site, with tens of thousands of light dots flickering across the star map.

Xia Linyuan picked up his tea cup, his gaze drifting through the swirling steam as he looked meaningfully at Kong Ying, “Minister Kong, your recent bold moves have really put your geniuses in the spotlight.”

“Aren’t you afraid of falling in the middle of the road, with your geniuses broken?”

His tone carried a hint of teasing, but more of a probing edge.

Northern Polaris had always been the weakest of the Four Great Star Systems, yet this year they were making such a big move.

It was hard not to wonder what confidence Kong Ying had.

Kong Ying seemed not to catch the probing in his words, instead letting out a light laugh, “Minister Xia, from your words, it sounds like you don’t have much faith in your own geniuses.”

“Geniuses never fear challenges. They’re like uncut jade—the greater the pressure, the brighter they shine.”

“You call it being in the spotlight, but for them, this might just be the best stage to soar.”

She leaned forward slightly, “They never fear being watched. They enjoy being the center of attention.”

Xia Linyuan was speechless for a moment.

What twisted logic!

“So this is why you applied to raise the College Entrance Exam difficulty to the highest level?”

An Muyu and Xuanyuan Po exchanged glances, secretly shaking their heads—this woman really was crazy.

How many years had she been Minister of Education for Northern Polaris?

And she already dared to push such radical reforms.

The key was, Central actually agreed to her proposal.

This round of exam questions was going to give all the candidates a huge surprise.

Xia Linyuan narrowed his eyes, “You certainly have guts. Aren’t you afraid…”

“Afraid of what? High risk, high reward—you all understand that better than I do.”

Kong Ying picked up her tea cup and gently blew away the steam.

“Or perhaps, do you all think… you can keep simmering forever?”

“Besides, what’s the point of boiling frogs in warm water?”

As soon as she brought up this topic, everyone fell silent.

Kong Ying looked as if she didn’t care, “Judging by your reactions, do you lack confidence in your own geniuses?”

She said things that could kill with anger, then suddenly changed the subject, “So, shall we make a bet?”

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly turned subtle.

‘You, the perennial last-place Northern Polaris, want to compete with us?’

As far as they knew, the Northern Polaris clans had almost all sent their best geniuses to train in the Third Star Ring.

The remaining seniors at Tianqi Middle School Affiliated were just the leftover clan failures.

Where did Kong Ying get the nerve to bet with them?

Could it be she was counting on those who made it up from the bottom?

Counting on that Chinese Pantheon candidate who had obtained two Divine Abilities?

An Muyu suddenly smiled, “A bet it is—why not?”

“Your candidate, Su Fu, is indeed strong. Her knowledge of the Chinese Pantheon is top among all candidates.”

“But you underestimate the geniuses of our Star Systems.”

Xuanyuan Po’s interest was piqued; he said concisely, “I’m in.”

Two out of three—Kong Ying looked at Xia Linyuan.

Xia Linyuan put down his tea cup, giving Kong Ying a meaningful look, “Of course, I’ll join.”

They admitted Su Fu was very strong as an individual, but this high-difficulty exam wasn’t just about strength—it tested knowledge of the gods.

Su Fu knew too little about other pantheons—that was her biggest weakness this time.

By contrast, Southern Polaris’s Odinson came from one of the Seven Great Clans, Eastern Polaris’s Xiao Chen was from the government, and Western Polaris’s Bai Yu was a well-read scion of the clans—all at a huge advantage.

Not to mention, their trump cards weren’t just one or two—their abundant resources produced batches of geniuses.

In this situation, why wouldn’t they dare to bet?

***

Meanwhile, Su Fu had already entered the College Entrance Exam Exam Paper.

[Fourth Star Ring College Entrance Exam assessment space constructed]

[Exam System initialization complete]

“Candidate, welcome to the College Entrance Exam assessment space.”

“Affiliated School: F-class Outer Star Cluster – Northern Pole Star Cluster – Tianqi Middle School Affiliated.”

[Candidate information confirmed]

[Assessment subject: Fourth Star Ring Unified Higher Education Exam]

“Please select your [Faith Pantheon] for this exam.”

Su Fu had never seen Divine Power Columns so bright before—not just eight, but even more, like the Korean Pantheon and others.

She marveled, as expected of the College Entrance Exam, the Divine Power Columns were dazzling.

Just how many candidates were there?

Even the niche pantheons were included.

“I choose the Chinese Pantheon—”