Fourteen Fourteen—The Nine Prestigious Academies of Lingxiao Begin Their Examinations Simultaneously!

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The day before the preliminary round, at the exclusive training ground of the Shen family from Divine Academy.
Three towering divine manifestations—Zeus, Hera, and Apollo—stood proudly at the center of the training ground, their Greek divine power abundant and permeating the entire space.
In a corner of the training ground, several scions of noble families rested.
“Tsk tsk, Shen Yunling, you actually got beaten so badly by a commoner girl.”
Jiang Yu lounged lazily against the railing. “You wouldn’t have lost on purpose, right?”
Those words immediately darkened Shen Yunling’s expression. He glared furiously at Jiang Yu. “Are you looking for trouble?”
News of Shen Yunling’s defeat by Su Fu had already spread among the noble youth. Humiliation, anger, and unwillingness drove him to train tirelessly day and night at the ground, waiting for the preliminaries to redeem his honor.
And now, Jiang Yu dared to mock him openly?
“Enough.” A cold female voice sounded.
Shen Yunxi furrowed her brows. “Jiang Yu, don’t go too far.”
“My brother was just careless for a moment.” She defended him resolutely. “It was all Su Fu’s trickery. People from that lowly background only know such underhanded tactics.”
“She was just lucky. Her divine skill just happened to counter the anomaly in that exam.”
Her tone was icy. “But there won’t be a next time.”
Shen Yunling listened to his sister’s analysis, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.
Jiang Yu, seeing Shen Yunxi defend her brother, suddenly smiled.
He shifted his tone and said deliberately, “She did rely on divine skill to cheat.”
“A commoner with even less than a D-level divine power ranking, only managed that result because Tang Seng’s divine skill happened to counter the demon that appeared in the exam.”
“But future exams will be ever-changing. She won’t always find a perfect divine to counter.”
Shen Yunxi frowned slightly. What was Jiang Yu getting at?
Mocking Yunling just now, now suddenly making an objective analysis?
And letting him say everything?
Jiang Yu stepped closer, narrowing the distance between him and Shen Yunxi abruptly. “Yunxi, if you ask me, commoners should have the awareness of their place. Whether it’s her or Jiang Qingyu, they should know their positions.”
“You’re all too soft-hearted.”
“Listen to me—wipe them all out.”
“The preliminaries are the last chance.”
The power of Thor, the god of thunder, exploded around Jiang Yu, thunderous pressure enveloping the entire terrace.
Golden arcs of electricity flickered in the air, reflecting the ruthlessness in his eyes.
Both Shen Yunxi and Shen Yunling’s expressions changed; this Jiang Yu was truly insane!
Chen Tian calmly dodged the leaping arcs of lightning.
He lowered his gaze, thoughtful.
Jiang Yu was deliberate.
On the surface, he was mocking Shen Yunling, but in truth, he was trying to win over the Shen siblings, making commoners the shared enemy.
Everyone knew that Jiang Yu despised Jiang Qingyu the most, and by extension, hated all commoners, wanting to get rid of them all.
Why do this?
Because there are only three spots in the preliminaries, but they have four people.
Shen Yunxi, as Hera’s divine favored, was extremely powerful, her spot almost guaranteed.
And given her protection of her brother, she would certainly back Shen Yunling as well.
Jiang Yu’s move to get close to these two was for that final slot.
Though they talked about Su Fu, none of them truly cared about her.
Now, Jiang Yu’s plan was working. The Shen siblings were swayed by his suggestion.
So, that made Chen Tian the most dangerous one now.
What to do?
He thought the way to break the stalemate lay beyond these two commoners.
Underestimating them would bring serious trouble.
Chen Tian adjusted his glasses. The topic among the three had shifted to the “total quota system.”
Shen Yunxi pondered, “I think the allocation of divine power should depend on affinity with the deity.”
“The more favored by the deity, the more divine power we might receive.”
She said meaningfully, “We have been cultivating since childhood and have long established a deep connection with the deities.”
In terms of affinity, she considered herself number one.
…
Monday, at the preliminary exam venue.
The examination hall was set inside the sole shrine of Divine Academy.
The majestic shrine towered over a hundred meters high, with divine power radiating from its pinnacle, cascading down in rainbow hues under the morning light.
The Greek divine power was purple with lightning and thunder; the Norse divine power was icy blue; the Egyptian divine power shimmered gold like pyramids…
The Indian divine system was special, manifesting as various sacred divine forms rather than colors.
These were the mainstream divine systems at the Divine Academy.
Then there were the Mayan, Heavenly, and Amaterasu divine systems, which were comparatively less radiant.
Su Fu searched for a long time but saw no trace of the Chinese divine system.
Well, the Chinese divine system was indeed not very famous.
“Attention, candidates.” The voice of the Divine AI echoed in the void. “The first round of the preliminaries is about to begin.”
“Please enter the examination hall in an orderly manner.”
Su Fu watched the shrine’s grand doors open and heard footsteps beside her.
She turned and saw Jiang Qingyu.
Jiang Qingyu glanced at Su Fu calmly. “Good luck with the exam.”
“You too.”
The two entered the examination hall.

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Soon, other candidates arrived one after another.
Shen Yunxi led Shen Yunling at the forefront, with Jiang Yu and Chen Tian close behind.
The four almost without hesitation moved to the very center of the shrine, automatically activating their divine power.
Their auras flared fully.
Hera’s oppressive aura, Apollo’s golden radiance, Thor’s thunder, and Garuda’s divine might intertwined, painting the surrounding space with layers of divine energy.
Su Fu silently observed the four. She had done her homework these days. The leader, Shen Yunxi, was the main god Hera, possessing formidable control abilities.
It was said that once she locked onto someone, escaping was nearly impossible.
Shen Yunling’s main god was Apollo, skilled in long-range attacks, complementing his sister’s strong control; together, they were nearly unstoppable.
Trailing behind was Jiang Yu, of the Norse system, surrounded by arcs of electricity. His main god was Thor, a strong offensive fighter.
Lastly, Chen Tian belonged to the Indian divine system like Inspector Zhou Nanyuan.
His main god was Garuda, possessing powerful flying ability and attack strength, an agile and aggressive type.
Not to mention, that flying ability made Su Fu envious—it meant great mobility, able to move, fight, advance, and retreat.
Perfect for mischief without getting caught easily.
Thinking of Chinese deities with mobility skills:
The Great Sage’s somersault cloud, able to travel tens of thousands of miles daily, traversing heaven and earth.
Nezha’s wind and fire wheels, stepping on fire and soaring, capable of offense and defense.
Also, Thunder Child could fly, right?
Oh, and mounts! The celestial cranes of Venus Tai Bai, and the Azure Ox of the Supreme Elder Lord…
Many divine beasts could fly, notably dragons, phoenixes, and the Peng bird.
So many!
Su Fu stroked her chin, tempted. Could she beg a kind-hearted deity to grant her a flying skill?
…
Shen Yunxi casually glanced around and spotted Su Fu.
She looked at her a few times before withdrawing her gaze.
Too ordinary.
Not even as good as Jiang Qingyu.
Among the seven present, everyone exuded a strong cyan divine aura, except Su Fu, who was white.
Chen Tian stood quietly nearby, but the gaze behind his golden-rimmed glasses lingered on Jiang Qingyu for a few seconds.
His eyes soon met Jiang Yu’s, who had been staring at Jiang Qingyu all along.
Chen Tian smiled faintly—Jiang Yu’s likes and dislikes were very clear.
At that moment, a gentle fragrance wafted over.
The last candidate, Lin Mingxi, arrived fashionably late.
He strode through the main gate wearing a custom gold-threaded divine robe, with three divine power bracelets on his wrist.
In his palm was a jade serpent tooth, its divine power fluctuations strong.
Clearly, an extremely rare and precious artifact.
Su Fu’s eyes changed immediately. What a wealthy big shot!
A single divine power bracelet was enough for an ordinary student to save for an entire semester, and this guy wore three?
As for artifacts, ordinary people never even saw them, let alone used them.
Notice how none of the four noble youth carried any artifact?
Lin Mingxi was dripping with wealth.
No wonder he had the backing of a major conglomerate.
She felt a little tempted—do these conglomerates still recruit?
“Sorry for being late.” Lin Mingxi smiled brightly and went straight up to the four nobles, greeting them warmly and even extending his hand.
Shen Yunxi frowned slightly but nodded out of respect for the conglomerate’s power.
Jiang Yu was more welcoming, putting his arm around Lin Mingxi’s shoulders. “What, did some prophecy just come true, making you late today?”
Lin Mingxi sighed, “No, I just prophesied failure.”
Chen Tian’s expression shifted. Failure?
His gaze instinctively turned to Su Fu.
Su Fu was naturally familiar with Lin Mingxi. He worshipped the Mayan divine system, his main god the Feathered Serpent, skilled in prophecy.
The Mayan divine system was always mysterious; such individuals had to be watched carefully.
But most importantly, there were the four nobles: Shen Yunxi’s control, Jiang Yu’s melee, Chen Tian’s speed, and Shen Yunling’s ranged attacks…
Any one of them was tough to face.
Especially since they were obviously allied.
However, Su Fu’s eyes flickered—except for Shen Yunling, it seemed none of them took her seriously?
Their glances were indifferent.
Yet Su Fu felt no anger; on the contrary, being underestimated was good!
It was best if they didn’t regard her as a competitor.
Otherwise, if they truly teamed up against her, it would be troublesome.
…
In the proctor room, the exam hall was being constructed in an orderly fashion.
Countless streams of divine power data flowed in midair. Dozens of holographic screens floated, each displaying real-time footage of different exam areas.
“Divine power allocation system check complete.”
“Exam hall isolation barrier energy sufficient.”
“Anomaly analysis finished.”
“Candidate divine power monitoring system calibrated…”
Besides proctoring, the supervisors also managed the entire exam hall’s status.
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They reported the ongoing progress from time to time, operating the Divine Interface with their divine power.
Jiang Yuqing was among them, stationed at the main control console, the divine power of the Sun God Ra swirling around her.
“Divine power fluctuations in Zone B are abnormal.” She frowned at the data. “Inspector Zhou, it’s been fluctuating three times consecutively.”
“Let me see.” Zhou Nanyuan stepped forward, tapping casually. The data stream reorganized into a three-dimensional projection. “It’s a parameter setting issue.”
“Adjust the allocation curve.”
Jiang Yuqing examined the new data; it began stabilizing.
“How about the other zones?” Zhou asked.
“Zones A, C, and D are normal.”
“Zone E…”
After confirming all were normal, Zhou Nanyuan nodded. “Good. Xinghui No. 7 High preparations complete.”
“Divine Interface, Inspector Zhou Nanyuan requesting to establish Lingxiao Province link.”
As soon as he spoke, the Divine AI responded:
“Identity confirmed: Inspector Zhou Nanyuan. Authorization confirmed. Permission granted to establish link.”
“Verification passed. Beginning link.”
“Link successful.”
Upon entering the provincial network, various broadcasts began:
“Beichen No. 5 High connected.”
“Aurora No. 4 High data synchronizing…”
“Cangqiong No. 6 High divine power system calibration complete.”
“Xinghui No. 7 High connected.”
“…”
Then, nine glowing dots lit up on the main control screen.
This preliminary exam was held simultaneously across all high schools in the province; the nine dots represented the nine Divine Academies in Lingxiao Province all linked together.
At the same time, the exam hall surveillance from each academy appeared on the main control screen.
The status of all candidates was fully visible.
No matter where they were, all proctors could see the exam situation.
Jiang Yuqing leaned in to look.
“All familiar faces.”
“Lin Xiuyuan from Cangqiong No. 6 High, main god Odin, hailed as the strongest Norse divine successor in Beichen for a century.”
“Aurora No. 4 High is no slouch either,” a proctor pointed at another screen, “Lily Waters, inheritor of the Indian divine goddess Kali, reputedly quite difficult to handle.”
“Also Li Shuang, Chen Mingyuan…”
Someone sighed, “This prelim is probably the most fiercely competitive ever.”
“All the geniuses from each school are going all out.”
Who wouldn’t want to enter the provincial Divine Academy?
The preliminaries were the gateway.
“By the way,” Jiang Yuqing suddenly remembered, “the top three high schools this year are still not opening their exam halls to others?”
The top three high schools in Lingxiao Province were closed off, meaning they did not link with other schools, so no one could see their exam conditions.
Naturally, no one could analyze their candidates’ strength through exam hall data.
“Tsk tsk,” an older proctor shook his head, “Though closed off, their exam difficulty is much higher than ours. Last year, No. 1 High used a direct C-level exam for screening!”
“Hey! Is that like feeding poisonous worms to train?” another proctor added, “And I heard those three schools only use two or three final slots, but only the first-place winner gets to enter the provincial academy selection.”
“Basically, they want to concentrate all resources on one person.”
“But it’s effective.” Zhou Nanyuan said mildly, “In the past five years, none of the first-place winners from those three schools failed to enter Lingxiao Provincial Divine Academy.”
An astonishing 100% admission rate, no wonder they have held the top three positions for many years.
At that moment, the Divine AI’s voice rang out:
“System status updated.”
“Nine-school data link stable.”
“Divine power allocation system calibrated.”
“Total quota parameters loaded.”
“Emergency lockdown measures ready, capable of handling any abnormal incidents below level B.”
Zhou Nanyuan slowly stood, the divine power of Vishnu flowing around him. On the screen, his entry-level divine power projection gradually appeared.
Along with him, the inspector projections from Aurora No. 4 High, Beichen No. 5 High, Cangqiong No. 6 High, and the other six Divine Academies also appeared.
All responsible officials were present.
“Everyone,” a solemn voice suddenly sounded.
In the center of the light screen, an elderly man with graying temples appeared.
He was the chief admissions officer of Lingxiao Provincial Divine Academy and its vice dean.
“You are all senior examiners from various city Divine Academies. Thank you for your efforts today.”
“It is our honor,” all replied in unison.
Dean Zhang nodded. “Then, let us begin.”
“Divine AI, activate the exam hall.”
“Exam hall activating…”
“Allocating divine power…”
In an instant, the divine power of all nine schools’ exam halls lit up simultaneously.
Golden data streams intertwined in the void, divine power barriers rising like domes.
Xinghui No. 7 High, Zhou Nanyuan’s voice announced:
“Lingxiao Provincial preliminaries, Xinghui No. 7 High exam hall, officially begins!”
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