Compared to them, while summoning Achilles only required “Zeus, Lord of Olympus, god of thunder and lightning,” and the god would respond.
Not like the Chinese gods, with such long and elaborate invocations…
Murray thought, ‘Why do these gods seem so powerful?’
What made him think that?
Of course, it was the summoning incantations.
One by one, they looked impressive and mysterious.
Moreover, the last gods appeared to be walking together.
It was like… they were a complete team to begin with.
Truly incredible.
“The real question is, isn’t the summoning result a bit off?” Kofman was dazed.
“She basically gets whatever she wants? Except for the last one, everything she prayed for came true.”
“No, this is ridiculous. You just ask the gods for something and they give it? Are they wish machines?”
But Su Fu really did manage it.
“It all depends on the gods’ will,” Lina said with a complicated expression.
“What the gods grant us in skills… throughout history, it’s completely up to their own will… no room for negotiation.”
Just like an example she had seen once: a student worshiped Ares but ended up with farming skills unrelated to war.
How do you argue with that?
Among the Seven Divine Pantheons, gods are supreme and unquestionable.
Their granting of skills is a one-way process; disciples can only accept, never choose.
Sometimes, even the most devout followers might receive skills utterly inconsistent with their nature due to a god’s whim.
The heavens—so you can actually choose?
After living so many years, they learned this for the first time!
Inside the exam paper, the scenery before Su Fu’s eyes began to shift rapidly.
In an instant, a wave of scorching heat surged, rolling waves of hot air, sweat instantly streaming from her pores and evaporating into fine mist.
She instinctively raised her hand to shield her face, squinting to adjust to the surroundings while using Divine Power to protect the area.
The sight stunned her.
A towering mountain range sprawled like a fiery dragon coiled upon the earth, its peaks glowing red as if scorched through.
Flames burst from cracks in the rocks, licking the air with crackling sounds.
The scalding heat waves twisted and roiled in the air, making distant scenes shimmer like through a watery veil.
The whole land was burned scarlet, even the sky seeming molten.
The sunlight poured down unfiltered, as if trying to roast everything into ashes.
At the same time, the system’s voice rang out: [“Candidate Su Fu, you have obtained the initial identity: Pilgrim to the West:]
[“Please roleplay your identity faithfully and successfully reach the West, completing the pilgrimage”]
[“Wishing you a pleasant exam”]
Su Fu blinked, the heat stinging her eyes.
She wiped sweat from her brow and took a step forward.
The rocks beneath her feet were so hot she could almost feel the heat through her shoes.
Such a distinct map feature could only be one place—
“Flame Mountain…” she muttered hoarsely from thirst, “So this is which trial? The three borrowings of the Banana Leaf Fan?”
At that moment, Su Fu couldn’t bear the heat any longer and activated [Jingping Ganlu], gulping several mouthfuls and splashing some on her face.
Only then could she think clearly.
But the water on her face evaporated almost instantly, not even reaching the ground.
“As expected, ordinary methods won’t work in this environment.”
In the original Journey to the West, when Tang Sanzang and his disciples arrived at Flame Mountain, they found eight hundred miles of blazing fire, unable to pass.
Sun Wukong learned the Iron Fan Princess had a Banana Leaf Fan capable of extinguishing the flames, so he went to borrow it.
After much difficulty, he finally borrowed it and put out the great fire, allowing the pilgrims to continue westward.
However, the Iron Fan Princess and Sun Wukong had old grudges due to Red Boy, making the borrowing process fraught.
Among the three times borrowing the fan, the hardest was the battle with the Bull Demon King, the key boss of Flame Mountain.
“No way…” Su Fu’s expression darkened.
“Bull Demon King? He’s a match for the Great Sage, fifty-fifty. Borrowing the Banana Leaf Fan required Sun Wukong to use all his tricks three times.”
In Journey to the West, the Bull Demon King was a demon king equal to Sun Wukong, known as the “Equal to Heaven Great Sage.”
He possessed multiple Divine Skills, immense strength, powerful melee combat, and mastery of transformations.
They once became sworn brothers but later fell out.
If the anomaly can replicate the Bull Demon King in this map, she was truly doomed.
Fighting fifty-fifty with the Great Sage—how could she stand a chance?
“This is a catastrophic opening!” Su Fu was numb.
The three borrowings of the Banana Leaf Fan were legendary scenes everyone in Chinese mythology knew well.
If she guessed right, the exam would probably include the Iron Fan Princess.
But the difficulty was, how to borrow the fan from her?
And if there was a big boss Bull Demon King again, what was the point?
Might as well run away.
In fact, the probability of the Bull Demon King appearing was not low.
Don’t forget the Iron Fan Princess was his wife.
The key was, if you couldn’t borrow the fan, the eight hundred miles of Flame Mountain, with its raging fire, was impassable.
If the fire didn’t subside, the road to the West was cut off, and the pilgrimage mission could not be completed.
The second stage of the exam was to “reach the West.”
Speaking of which, there was another problem—after Flame Mountain, there were still several trials to pass, like the Spider Cave and Lion Camel Ridge…
No way this is an A-level exam with so many challenges.
“Wait…”
Su Fu suddenly remembered something and her eyes lit up.
“After Flame Mountain is Little Thunderclap Monastery.
In the original story, Tang Sanzang was tricked by a monster disguised as a false Buddha at the monastery, thinking he had arrived in the West and met the real Buddha.
In reality, it was the Yellow Browed Monster’s illusion, aiming to devour Tang Sanzang’s flesh.”
Her expression grew complex, “Could the second stage actually be Little Thunderclap Monastery?”
At that moment, shouts erupted around her.
She turned and saw that she was not alone; many candidates had appeared on this scorching land one after another.
“Su Fu!”
A familiar voice called from behind.
George and Theresa came running to her side, gasping for breath.
Their cheeks were flushed red from the heat, sweat pouring down their foreheads like rain.
Theresa pushed her damp golden hair back with a finger, while George’s glasses slid down from the sweat, forcing him to adjust them every few seconds.
“Here…” George said despairingly, “this place is basically hell! The mission says to ‘reach the West’—but how are we supposed to get past these mountains?”
Looking around, the entire world was dyed a fiery red.
The rolling heat waves distorted the air, the distant landscape shimmering, flames leaping in the haze.
In just a few seconds, George and Theresa were drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked and sticking uncomfortably to their skin.
George croaked, “This damn place might just roast us alive.”
Su Fu immediately shared some water from Jingping Ganlu with them.
“This is… a water-based Divine Skill?” Theresa exclaimed happily.
“Wait, does this mean we can try putting out the fire?”
Nearby, a team of four candidates had already begun acting.
They hadn’t expected such a lucky start—an environment completely vulnerable to water.
Using water to extinguish the flames would surely earn high scores.
The four wielded various divine artifacts—crystal wands, Poseidon’s trident, coral instruments.
“Ready!” The tall lead male said confidently.
“I invoke Poseidon’s protection!”
Immediately, their artifacts activated, summoning a massive torrent that merged into a gigantic water dragon, roaring as it charged at Flame Mountain.
Others watched too.
The scene was spectacular, an imposing column of water crashing against the flames, spraying water and steam.
The surrounding candidates thought such powerful water Divine Skills would certainly quench the blaze.
But the next moment, everyone was shocked into silence—
Instead of extinguishing the fire, the water seemed to pour fuel on it.
The flames suddenly swelled and roared!
The fire, once confined to the mountain’s surface, spread rapidly in all directions, rushing toward their position!
“Retreat! Fall back!” The lead male’s face changed drastically as the four fled chaotically.
Others also had to step back.
Someone couldn’t help but curse, “Did you pour water or oil?
“Useless! How can you mess up such a simple task?!”
The four candidates were pale but unable to argue.
Next, a team specializing in earth-element Divine Skills stepped forward.
“Water’s no good, then try earth!” The burly leader shouted, slamming his hands on the ground.
The earth shook, and a massive dirt wall rose, advancing toward Flame Mountain.
The earth team clearly intended to smother the fire physically to put it out.
However, as soon as the dirt wall touched the flames, it melted like ice in boiling water!
The solid earth instantly turned into scorching magma, flowing down the slope.
The five fled in panic.
“Oh my god!” George exclaimed, “What kind of fire is this? Water can’t put it out, earth can’t drown it, it even burns stone!”
Su Fu naturally understood.
She looked at the two and said, “This is going to be a prolonged battle, so drink some water first.”
They were already parched, initially thinking water might extinguish the flames, but that was a delusion.
“Drink it,” she said.
The two drained their share of the Sweet Dew.
George and Theresa had also brought water but not much.
They had hoped to replenish from the environment, but that was impossible now.
The moment they drank the Ganlu, their expressions changed in shock.
“What’s going on? I suddenly feel much better!”
The burning sensation inside and out—the agony as if scorched—was instantly soothed by the water.
Like refreshing rain after a long drought, coolness spread from their throats to every corner of their bodies.
The comfort was beyond words, seeping through every pore.
Like plunging into a crystal-clear spring.
It wasn’t just physical coolness, but healing too; all negative feelings were cleansed.
“This Divine Skill… definitely has healing effects,” George marveled.
“Su Fu, your skill is incredible.”
Theresa found even the scalding air bearable, “No wonder you gave us the water…”
Their condition improved significantly, and the surrounding candidates noticed.
Soon, a group eagerly surrounded them.
“Excuse me,” a richly dressed young man approached with a polite smile.
His words, however, were anything but polite, “Could you share some water? We’re all classmates; helping each other is only right.”
But Su Fu expected this exact reaction.
She looked at the group—fine clothes, carefully styled hair, all exuding a strong air of superiority.
No doubt, these were all from prestigious families.
In other words… they were wealthy!
She smiled warmly and said, “Of course I can share. I only ask for a small price in return. So, one cup for ten thousand Contribution Points.”
“Oh, and limited to thirty cups per day, first come, first served.”
The crowd immediately fell silent, their faces darkening.
“Are you crazy? How is this any different from robbing us?”
“It’s just a cup of water, and you’re selling it for that price!”
“We haven’t even officially started school, and you’re already scamming classmates?”
“Whoever buys this is a sucker!”
“…”
The crowd murmured, while Su Fu only said one thing.
“I’m not begging you to buy.”
While the crowd hesitated, a girl forcefully pushed through and ran toward Su Fu.
Yi Congling was already boiling with heat, sweat dripping down her body.
“Move! Move!” She impatiently shoved people aside.
“If you’re not buying, don’t block the way!”
She rushed up to Su Fu and said, “Thirty cups, I’ll take them all! That’s three hundred thousand Contribution Points, but right now, I have to drink this water!”
No one could stop her!