[Ding!]
Shen Yan’s chime sounded—it was ad time again.
Su Fu:”….”
Seriously, even the College Entrance Exam has ads?
How much money did it take to get this?
Who was the deep-pocketed pantheon this time?
Let’s see—last time it was the Greek Pantheon’s Athena, then the Indian Pantheon’s Garuda, then the Paradise Pantheon’s Michael, and before that, the Norse Pantheon’s Jormungandr.
So, the only ones left were the Egyptian, Amaterasu, and Mayan Pantheons, right?
Just then, Shen Yan’s projection unfolded before her eyes.
But as the scene gradually became clear, Su Fu realized—it wasn’t any god at all!
Instead, it was—
A vast, boundless garden.
Golden sunlight flowed like honey, pouring over lush greenery.
In the distance, towering olive trees stood tall and green, their interwoven leaves casting dappled shadows.
A clear river split into several branches, winding through the garden, its surface sparkling.
Flowers of all colors swayed gently in the breeze along the banks.
But the most striking was a particularly tall giant tree, its branches heavy with golden fruit.
Apples?
Tree of Life?
Wait, is this Eden?!
Sure enough, the name “Eden” appeared on the screen.
Goodness, Su Fu got it—this time, instead of advertising gods, they were advertising holy lands!
Legend had it that Eden, in the Paradise Pantheon, was considered the birthplace of humanity, a place of eternal vitality and peace.
The version she’d heard was Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, then being expelled from Eden.
But now, the scene was empty—no Adam, no Eve, no God, no tempting serpent.
Hiss…
But honestly, Su Fu thought this ad was actually useful.
After all, besides powerful gods, holy lands were a pantheon’s core resource—they were the true foundation of a pantheon.
They could provide endless Divine Power, nurturing one Divine Summoner after another, further strengthening the pantheon and spreading faith even more widely.
Looking across the entire galaxy, why the Eight Divine Pantheons?
Because only they had complete, powerful holy lands and the strength to train the very best.
Su Fu looked enviously at the golden apples on the Tree of Life.
It was said that eating one could grant an incredible boost in Divine Power, maybe even awaken special talents.
She wanted it, she really did.
And not just Eden—she knew the Paradise Pantheon’s holy lands were all top-tier, like Paradise and the Sanctuary of Revelation.
The legendary Sanctuary of Revelation was said to record the past and future of all things.
She really wanted to see it.
But as a Divine Summoner of the Chinese Pantheon, she basically had no chance to enter other pantheons’ holy lands.
Even among Paradise Pantheon Divine Summoners, few ever got such an opportunity.
After all, it was the best of the best—everyone wanted a shot, but even insiders rarely got in, let alone her.
Unless…
A bold idea flashed through Su Fu’s mind.
Steal the sky and swap the sun—change her identity!
She knew there really were divine skills like that.
The most famous was the Norse Pantheon’s trickster god, Loki.
He was said to be able to change into any god’s form at will, perfectly mimicking their Divine Power fluctuations.
There were even rumors he’d once snuck into the pantheon halls, slept in Odin’s seat for a whole day without being discovered; others said he’d disguised himself as a Valkyrie and entered Valhalla—even Freya couldn’t tell.
And the Chinese Pantheon had similar divine skills!
For example, the Great Sage’s Seventy-Two Transformations—top-tier transformation techniques.
But according to her experience, maybe because her level was too low, she could only change herself.
If she used the divine skill, her true form would be exposed.
That wouldn’t do—too easy to get found out.
But then Su Fu thought, “What if I combine it with Illusion Technique?”
Legend had it the Nine-tailed Fox’s Illusion Technique could deceive even the heavens and earth, creating illusions at the level of divine sense.
If she combined Transformation Technique and Illusion Technique, it would be amazing!
Seventy-Two Transformations would change her form, the Nine-tailed Fox’s Illusion Technique would mask her Divine Power and create illusions, and with her knowledge of each pantheon, she could perfectly disguise herself.
Then, she could “legally” enter other pantheons’ holy lands and see what those legendary places were really like.
If one day those holy lands recorded in books became real, she believed no myth researcher could resist seeing it!
Just then, Shen Yan’s display of Eden ended.
[Candidate Su Fu, Kunlun Academy, student ID F01, confirmed selection: Chinese Pantheon]
[Exam Paper loading…]
[Exam Paper loaded]
[Your A-phase Exam Paper: Kyushu: Dusk of Demons, now randomly drawing from the [Chinese Pantheon] Divine Pool…]
Su Fu froze on the spot.
Wait…
What the heck? Kyushu?
Didn’t Kyushu mean nine zones at once?
She gasped—Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu’s guess had been too conservative.
They’d thought eight pantheon maps was wild enough, but the Ministry of Education went straight to nine zones!
Were they insane?
Trying to kill all the candidates?
“This is it, I’m doomed,” Su Fu felt her head buzzing, “Nine zones of demons—how hard is this exam going to be?”
Last time, the Chang’an copy only had Chang’an, City God Temple, and the Underworld—three zones, and the candidates were already driven crazy, manipulated by the rules.
Now, it’s a full Kyushu joint exam.
“Unbelievable. Even for the College Entrance Exam, this is over the top.”
But then Su Fu thought—didn’t Kyushu mean there would be a Chinese map?
That might be her perfect starting point for development.
Who could know the Chinese Pantheon better than her?
Plus, she had so many Chinese gods.
If this time there was a situation like last time’s Chang’an copy, with help from something like the City God Division, wouldn’t she be set?
She felt there was real hope!
***
Supreme Hall.
When the Exam Paper [Kyushu: Dusk of Demons] appeared on the screen, the room erupted.
“Nine zones?!”
“Eight Divine Pantheons, eight maps was already hard enough, now straight to nine?”
They were more shocked than the candidates, and knew even more.
In previous years, four zones was normal—enough to fit all the candidates, and the difficulty was just right for selection.
But no one expected Kong Ying’s suggestion would push the exam to nine zones!
They’d thought seven or eight was acceptable, matching the eight Divine Pantheons—one map for each, a kind of fairness.
But now… how many?
Xia Linyuan didn’t get it, “Wait, eight pantheons, so why nine zones? Where did the ninth come from?”
Xuanyuan Po narrowed his eyes, “They’ve maxed out the difficulty.”
They had the right to suggest, but the final decision came from the Central Education Department.
Now it seemed Central was in total agreement with Kong Ying.
Radical, radical, still radical!
His military instincts told him something was off, and the others quickly calmed down—Kong Ying wasn’t the key, the real power was the Central Education Department.
What were they really trying to test?
Even if it was about selection, shouldn’t it be more gradual?
“Since it’s Central’s decision, they must have their reasons. Or are you backing out of the bet, afraid to go through with it?”
Kong Ying looked like she accepted it all, “But, everyone—”
The other three didn’t think that way.
After all, the increased difficulty targeted everyone, not just one person.
Xia Linyuan said, “Bet? Of course we bet.”
He looked thoughtfully at the map, “Nine zones actually favor the strong pantheons, since they have more candidates, and most will cluster and develop in their own pantheon’s map.”
“Exactly,” Xuanyuan Po agreed.
“With numbers and map familiarity, they can band together and turn their map into an impregnable fortress.”
“Once they’ve established themselves, they can launch large-scale offensives, sweep the whole map, and devour the other zones.”
“This is a winner-takes-all game.”
“In that case, your Chinese Pantheon candidate, the one you have high hopes for, is fighting alone.”
An Muyu had another thought, “The key is, everyone knows the Chinese Pantheon only has one candidate.”
“So guess—once the other zones band together, who will be their first target?”
Xuanyuan Po folded his arms, “When the prey is too unique, it becomes the focus for all the predators.”
Of course, the softest fruit gets squeezed first—that’s the fate of a weak pantheon.
The Chinese Pantheon only had one Divine Summoner—a congenital disadvantage.
If the other pantheons ganged up and took out the single Chinese map, they’d get a whole zone for free.
Who could resist?
Maybe someone was already planning how to carve up the Chinese zone.
Worst case, she’d be targeted from the start, with no chance to develop at all.
***
[Randomly drawing from the [Chinese Pantheon] Divine Pool…]
[Ding!]
[Chinese Pantheon Divine Pool match complete]
It’s here!
Su Fu was a little nervous—which god would she meet this time?
The next moment, three Divine Manifestations instantly appeared from the Chinese Pantheon Divine Power Column—
[This round’s random draw: [Anger of Buzhou], [Mending the Heavens], [Shan Hai Jing]]
Su Fu sucked in a cold breath—she hadn’t seen wrong, right?
Three at once?!
She stared at [Mending the Heavens] in the middle—was it the one she was thinking of?
“This, this is…”
Nuwa!
The Chinese creation goddess, Nuwa!
Legend has it that in the primordial era, when heaven and earth first opened, all was waiting to be born.
Nuwa molded humans from clay, creating the human race.
Later, she forged five-colored stones to mend the heavens and quelled the disaster of the tilting sky.
To protect humanity, she even defied the heavens, rewriting the laws of the world!
Mother of humanity, Nuwa!
What a Divine Ability!
Power of Creation, world-shaping might—she stood at the peak of all gods!
Such a divine status, such a position…
“My god…”
Su Fu felt her heart pounding so hard it might leap out of her chest.
She couldn’t stop the grin on her face—Nuwa herself!
The unique creation goddess of the Chinese Pantheon!
She could only say, as expected of the College Entrance Exam, she actually drew Nuwa!
If she weren’t afraid of disrespecting Nuwa, she’d want to howl at the sky.
As for the first Divine Manifestation, [Anger of Buzhou], that had to be the water god Gonggong.
The ancient god who fought Heavenly Emperor Zhuanxu for the throne—so powerful that in his fury, he smashed the pillar of heaven, Buzhou Mountain.
The sky tilted northwest, the earth sank southeast, and the heavens were left with a gaping hole.
What did that mean?
One blow from this god and he punched a hole in the sky!
“This luck is insane!” Su Fu’s hands were trembling with excitement.
Two top-tier gods already—she was set for this round.
Creation goddess Nuwa, the sky-breaking Gonggong, and finally [Shan Hai Jing]…
The Divine Manifestation hadn’t fully appeared yet, so she couldn’t guess, since the Shan Hai Jing recorded so many gods.
But no matter what, with Nuwa, this copy was going to fly!
This round was absolutely solid.
Su Fu watched impatiently as the Divine Manifestations solidified—hurry, hurry, come on.
Finally, the first Divine Manifestation fully emerged—
Towering waves soared skyward, a mighty figure stood atop the crest.
He wielded a halberd, surrounded by raging water dragons, as if he could tear the world apart.
Before Su Fu could recover, the second Divine Manifestation appeared—
Golden light shone in ten thousand rays, five-colored auspicious clouds condensed from the void, and a goddess’s figure slowly materialized.
She had a human face and snake body, dignified and beautiful, her snake tail not at all monstrous but instead exuding a primal divinity.
This was the Mother of Humanity, the creation goddess!
Su Fu felt her heart almost stop—Nuwa herself.
Very soon, the third Divine Manifestation appeared—
Suddenly, peach blossoms drifted down from the void, and a ball of snow-white light emerged from the petals—a fox as white as frost and snow appeared, nine fluffy tails slowly unfurling behind it like a blooming fan.
In the next moment, silver-white light swirled, and the fox transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman in plain robes, stepping across the moon.
Her face was like a silver plate, her features exquisite, black hair like a waterfall, nine tails swaying behind her.
This was…
Su Fu was shocked—it was a Nine-tailed Fox!
And one that had cultivated into human form!
[Please begin summoning and establish a connection with the gods]
[Tip: You must correctly call their name and title]
She snapped out of her daze from the Nine-tailed Fox’s beauty.
Alright, this time there were two goddesses, heh heh.
Su Fu barely suppressed her smile, “Ancient water god, the one who struck Buzhou Mountain, Gonggong!”
Gonggong’s Divine Manifestation immediately changed—space trembled, and within a hundred meters, it was as if an ocean had formed, waves rolling.
Gonggong’s shadow opened his eyes, his halberd vibrating slightly.
“Empress Wa, Mother of the Earth, the goddess who mended the heavens—Nuwa!”
At once, auspicious clouds gathered from the void and slowly descended.
A gentle yet vast Divine Power ripple spread out, bringing life wherever it passed.
At that moment, Nuwa’s shadow seemed to smile gently at Su Fu.
Su Fu’s eyes grew hot—wah, a child finding her mother!
For the last one, she took a deep breath and spoke clearly:
“Auspicious beast, spirit of Qingqiu, Nine-tailed Celestial Fox!”
Peach blossoms danced down, and amid the swirling petals, nine silver-white tails unfurled in the void.
The fox gazed at Su Fu, its eyes like the bright moon.
It suddenly drew near, its tail lightly brushing Su Fu’s cheek before drifting away.
Su Fu’s eyes widened, “!!!”
My blood bar, my blood bar!
The three Divine Manifestations shone together in the air, terrifying Divine Power churning through the space.
[Congratulations, candidate Su Fu, on successfully summoning all gods!]
[Randomly drawing Divine Abilities…]
[Power of Creation] [Genesis]
[Nine-tailed Transformation] [Illusion Transformation]
[Anger of Buzhou] [Overturn]
[Your drawn Divine Abilities are:]
[Power of Creation: Genesis]
[Illusion Transformation: Beginner]
[Mountain Collapse]
“Alright, alright, alright.”
Su Fu’s heart surged—this was a huge haul.
Gonggong’s conceptual Divine Ability, Mountain Collapse; Nuwa’s core Divine Ability, Power of Creation; and the Nine-tailed Fox’s peak Illusion Technique.
As expected of the College Entrance Exam—she almost wanted to take it again next year; she’d gotten so much!
Su Fu’s eyes fell on the seemingly ordinary [Mountain Collapse] given by Gonggong, and a bold idea formed in her mind.
‘Gonggong could even topple Buzhou Mountain—if Buzhou Mountain could collapse, what about other mountains?’
‘For example… Olympus?’
With that thought, Su Fu finally understood what a conceptual Divine Ability was.
As long as it was a “mountain,” it fell under the effect of the Divine Ability, right?
“I wonder how many mountains are in the Kyushu zone?”
Heh, this round was in the bag!
Very soon, as the Divine Abilities were drawn, the scene before Su Fu’s eyes changed rapidly.
In the midst of swirling light and shadow, she felt a cool breeze brush her face.
It carried a faint scent of peach blossoms.
She blinked—was she—
Standing on a slope covered in peach blossoms?
Pink petals drifted down from the sky, distant misty mountains looming in the clouds.
Shen Yan’s prompt sounded in her ear:
[Fourth Star Ring College Entrance Exam Exam Paper officially begins]
[Please begin answering]
[Assessment scoring standard: number of anomalies eliminated]
[Current location: Kyushu: Qingqiu]
“Qingqiu?!”
Su Fu was shocked—no wonder the Nine-tailed Fox appeared during the summoning; she’d arrived in Qingqiu’s homeland.
She looked up—so this was the legendary Qingqiu, the birthplace of the fox clan, the beautiful ancient holy land recorded in the Shan Hai Jing.
She took a deep breath—the scent of peach blossoms filled her senses.
Everywhere she looked, the peach blossoms were in full bloom, their petals like congealed fat, unlike any earthly flower.
“This should be Qingqiu’s Peach Forest.”
She reached out to catch a falling petal—it felt delicate and smooth.
Looking down the slope, a winding river flowed at the foot of the mountain, its waters babbling, carrying drifting peach petals.
That must be the legendary Yingshui?
It was said drinking its water increased wisdom and nurtured countless magical beings.
A few willow trees grew sparsely along the riverbank, their branches dipping into the water, swaying gently and reflecting with the ripples.
“So beautiful.”
But the more beautiful the scene, the more it reminded her that only the rampage of anomalies revealed Qingqiu’s true appearance.
If she hadn’t seen the ruined relics beneath the Exam Paper in a B-level copy, she might have simply admired it.
But now, every peach blossom, every breeze, was tainted with the aura of anomalies.
All that should have rested in peace, now couldn’t even rest after death.
‘This copy needs to be blown up,’ she thought.