2 2-D Level Examination Paper, Ling Mountain Branch Range
“Please select your current Faith Pantheon—”
Golden streams of data flowed through the void, transforming into eight beams of light.
The Greek Pantheon, the Indian Pantheon, the Norse Pantheon, the Heavenly Pantheon, the Egyptian Pantheon, the Mayan Pantheon, the Amaterasu Pantheon...
The last beam flickered so faintly it almost vanished into the void.
The Chinese Pantheon.
Su Fu’s gaze settled on that dim light. The depth of its color represented the strength of its faith.
Without hesitation, she said, “I choose the Chinese Pantheon.”
[Warm reminder: The faith level for this pantheon is extremely low, with a historical pass rate of 0%. Please confirm carefully!]
Su Fu raised an eyebrow. “They really put that kind of warning in?”
Almost impatiently, the void displayed recommendation data for the other pantheons.
[Greek Pantheon: Current faith level: 92.7%, Historical pass rate: 99.8%, Popular deities: Athena, goddess of wisdom; Ares, god of war...]
[Indian Pantheon: Current faith level: 87.6%, Historical pass rate: 99.5%, Popular deities: Shiva, Vishnu, Garuda...]
“Ding!”
[We recommend the Greek Pantheon as the best fit for you…]
A projection of Athena appeared in the void, bathed in holy light. The goddess of wisdom stood poised, dignified and graceful, spear in hand.
Su Fu: “...”
No way—this advertising push is way too blatant. How much did they pay for this? And it even has a dynamic projection?
It was practically glaring at her to choose the Greek Pantheon.
But if she were to be honest, swapping that for the Moon Palace fairy Chang’e would definitely look better! Flowing wide sleeves in an ethereal robe, holding the jade rabbit—so divine!
She no longer hesitated. “No, I’m sure. I choose the Chinese Pantheon.”
[Final reminder: Once chosen, this cannot be changed!]
“I’m sure.”
If she didn’t trust the mighty Chinese deities, why would she trust these paid advertisements?
With her confirmation, the once-dim beam suddenly blossomed with a faint glow.
[Candidate Su Fu, Kunlun Academy, Student ID F01, has confirmed the Chinese Pantheon.]
[Loading exam paper...]
[Exam paper loaded.]
[Your exam paper is: Spirit Mountain Branch · Lesser Demon Path. Randomly selecting from the Chinese Pantheon deity pool...]
...
In the teacher monitoring room, projection screens displayed live footage of the assessment space.
“The quality of candidates really keeps declining,” a lazy voice murmured.
It was the chief invigilator, Zhou Nanyuan, the Ministry of Education’s special chief inspector.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, eyes scanning the various screens.
Lin Wenyu subtly frowned. Why was this guy always so pretentious? Couldn’t he keep his mouth shut?
“Chief Zhou’s right,” another invigilator, Jiang Yuqing, smiled in agreement. “But there are still some promising talents.”
“That Shen family candidate has already successfully summoned the Greek god Apollo three times.”
Zhou Nanyuan’s gaze fixed on Shen Yunling’s screen. “Shen family?”
“I recall a Shen Yunzhou who did well last year. Is this his brother?”
“Not quite.”
Lin Wenyu’s expression stiffened. Zhou was blunt to a fault.
At that moment, the monitor displayed the exam paper content.
“This...” Jiang Yuqing paused. “It’s a D-level dungeon ‘Spirit Mountain Branch · Lesser Demon Path’? That’s relatively mild.”
The “Spirit Mountain Branch · Lesser Demon Path” exam is the most basic in the Spirit Mountain series, designed specifically for first-year students. The pass rate standard for D-level papers is 70%.
The exam features a standard D-level single anomaly, usually mimicking a physically attacking but low-intelligence lesser demon.
Zhou Nanyuan said meaningfully, “Compared to the mainline Spirit Mountain dungeon ‘Demon Roadblock’ with a 2% pass rate, this is indeed mild.”
“2%? That pass rate is insanely low!” Lin Wenyu exclaimed. “Even S-level candidates might not pass.”
“Don’t even mention S-level candidates,” Zhou shot him a glance. “Three months ago, the high priest Fujiwara Chiyo of the Amaterasu Pantheon personally challenged the mainline exam, only to be gravely injured by an unknown demon.”
“And this Spirit Mountain branch exam only covers a small stretch of mountain path, yet the pass rate is just 70%.”
Lin Wenyu’s face darkened. “The entire Spirit Mountain series is interconnected. If it’s that dangerous, why use it as the final exam?”
Zhou Nanyuan said nothing. Exams are meant to filter candidates, after all.
Jiang Yuqing reminded, “Summoning of deities has begun.”
After the exam paper appears, it’s time to summon deities.
Though called summoning, the Divine AI randomly selects deities from matching pantheons based on the paper’s characteristics.
If candidates can successfully “call the name and recognize the title” of the summoned deity, they gain partial divine power and randomly acquire some divine skills.
Gaining divine abilities is possible, but almost impossible in D-level exams.
The screen showed Shen Yunling’s summoning.
Golden radiance poured from the void, sketching Apollo’s sacred silhouette.
A brilliant sun wheel unfurled behind him, illuminating the entire forest.
“Truly a Shen family scion,” Jiang Yuqing praised. “Just stabilizing a summon of Apollo already surpasses most peers.”
Zhou Nanyuan lazily leaned back without comment.
People differ. Noble families have divine legacies from youth, plus exclusive cultivation resources and secret training methods passed down.
These precious, non-transferable divine secrets can never be made up for by mere effort.
But... there are exceptions.
Zhou’s eyes shifted to the feed on Jiang Qingyu. He had to retract his earlier words—there were geniuses among these candidates.
“This is...” Jiang Yuqing’s voice trembled, “Dual deity resonance?”
On screen, Jiang Qingyu was bathed in moonlight.
Silver light flowed around her, outlining two divine shadows—Artemis and Hecate becoming clearer.
The huntress goddess and the moon sorceress appeared together, their silver radiance intertwining.
“To summon two deities simultaneously, her affinity must be at least 70%, right?” Zhou summarized. “This kind of talent qualifies for provincial-level divine academies.”
To elevate to higher divine academies, candidates must meet at least one criterion in divine affinity, divine energy resources, or divine bloodline.
Higher affinity means easier favor from deities; such people are often called “favorites of the gods.”
It’s a gift, innate from birth.
After these two, the rest of the summons were unremarkable, all common deities.
Jiang Yuqing glanced at the screen. “Almost all candidates have completed their summons, right?”
Lin Wenyu’s expression darkened. “There’s one more.”
“Su Fu.”
He was frustrated—he never expected that seemingly honest Su Fu to deceive him!
Claiming to pick other pantheons, yet choosing the Chinese Pantheon after all!
Jiang Yuqing’s expression grew subtle. She remembered this special candidate—the lone one for the Chinese Pantheon?
Chinese Pantheon?
Zhou Nanyuan looked surprised. How strange—someone still dared to choose the Chinese Pantheon?
With a zero percent pass rate, how could she be so bold?
The screen switched to Su Fu’s assessment space, still chaotic with no divine energy fluctuations.
Lin Wenyu expressionless: “As expected, no summoning.”
“She should have been advised to withdraw long ago to avoid wasting educational resources.”
Zhou Nanyuan gave him a half-smile. “Teacher Lin, do you have the authority to decide a student’s fate?”
Lin Wenyu froze, then realized the warning. Cold sweat broke out on his back. “I...”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Zhou withdrew his gaze. He could understand Su Fu’s mindset—no family background, no talent, wanting to defy fate by gambling everything.
What if it worked?
Jiang Yuqing shook her head softly. “It’s a pity these people always dream of rising in a single leap.”
But why should they?
Generations of noble family effort and countless predecessors’ hard work—why would a gamble suddenly surpass that?
Once your status is set, your fate is sealed.
People just have to accept their lot.
At that moment, the Divine AI’s voice suddenly rang out:
[Warning: Space stability decreasing]
[Space stability: 98% → 95%]
Jiang Yuqing’s voice faltered; she stared in shock as the chaotic space rippled gently, like a calm lake disturbed by a pebble, sending out concentric waves.
The Chinese deities... were descending!
...
Meanwhile, Su Fu read the prompt before her: Spirit Mountain Branch · Lesser Demon Path paper?
Spirit Mountain?
Was this the Spirit Mountain she was thinking of?
If so, the monsters inside would be truly formidable.
Without divine power, entering would be like delivering snacks to the battlefield—crispy and quick.
The system prompt flickered:
[Randomly selecting a deity pool from the Chinese Pantheon...]
Su Fu prayed silently: Ancestors, please bless me with a powerful deity!
Suddenly, golden data streams in the void surged wildly, four brilliant beams of divine power shot skyward, weaving a net in mid-air.
[Ding!]
[Chinese Pantheon deity pool matching complete]
...
[Current random draw result: Journey to the West]
Su Fu’s eyes lit up instantly. Her luck was incredible!
Journey to the West!
She was too familiar with it—surely no Chinese person didn’t know Journey to the West!
Soon, the four divine beams blurred into four indistinct shapes. The silhouettes were already vague, with a faint mist surrounding them, blurring their outlines further.
This wasn’t her fault—it was the limitation of a D-level exam; the clarity of deity images depends on the paper’s rank.
Higher levels reveal clearer images; in S-level exams, clarity can exceed 90%.
But in D-level exams, only outlines remain.
Even so, she recognized them instantly!
“A small figure holding a staff stands at the front, behind him a tall figure in flowing robes, and two figures behind holding objects resembling a rake and a shovel…”
It was the legendary four from the pilgrimage to the West!
[Candidate, please begin summoning, establish divine connection, and randomly draw divine skills.]
[Reminder: Correctly call their names and titles.]
Su Fu was eager. She took a deep breath.
Her gaze fell on the foremost figure. She spoke:
“Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong!”
Boom!
Golden beams shot skyward, the Great Sage stood tall and majestic—holy yet imbued with an untamable rebellious spirit.
Su Fu turned to the second figure:
“Golden Cicada rebirth, Tang Sanzang!”
Another golden glow burst forth; the outline of his monk’s robe flickered, surrounded by compassionate Buddha light.
“Marshal Tianpeng, Zhu Bajie!”
Silver light exploded, the silhouette of a nine-toothed rake shooting upward.
“General who rolls up the curtains, Sha Wujing!”
Water-blue light flowed, the crescent shovel cutting through the void, as if the roar of rivers echoed.
The four divine powers intertwined in the void, resonating with one another, faintly forming a complete formation.
All divine lights soared into the sky, summoning fully successful!
[Congratulations, candidate Su Fu has successfully summoned all deities!]
[Randomly drawing divine skills...]
A series of skills suddenly appeared in the void:
[As-You-Will Golden-Hooped Staff · Great Sage]
[Somersault Cloud · Ten Thousand Miles]
[Great Compassion and Mercy · Myriad Buddhas Pay Homage]
[Nine-Tooth Rake · Overturning Rivers and Seas]
[Quicksand Divine Art · Penetrate Heaven and Earth]
...
But these skills only flashed briefly before dimming rapidly into:
[As-You-Will Golden-Hooped Staff · D-level]
[Buddha’s Light · Weak]
[Demon Calamity]
[Nine-Tooth Rake · Basic]
[Quicksand Crossing Technique · Entry]
[Your skill draw is complete!]
Su Fu wasn’t surprised by the downgrade.
Clearly, it was due to the exam’s rank limitation. After all, this was only a D-level exam; giving a full Somersault Cloud would have her flipping out of the exam hall.
What’s the point of the exam, then?
Even so, she was satisfied with the most basic abilities.
Heh heh—China blesses me!
This time, she was sure to succeed!
[Ding!]
[All candidates are ready.]
[Exam papers distributed.]
[Examination officially begins.]
[Wishing you a pleasant exam!]