The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"Well, that's not impossible."

Led by Versa, the muscular group strode confidently out of the classroom, leaving a stunned Lü Wenjun behind. Ling Gong quickly made a third preparation: "Pershka—has he already set off?!"

Even before everyone had finished discussing the plan, Pershka and the beast witches had already set off! This swift and decisive action was precisely why Vilsa and the others acted so quickly!

"Oh no, oh no..."

Ultimately, this campaign is ostensibly a "midterm exam," so naturally, all the brilliant minds want to try and snatch first place. Joining Mr. Lü's team early and following his orders would essentially mean handing over first place to him voluntarily, wouldn't it?

Although Mr. Lü was actually first... rankings can change. No matter how good our personal relationship is, there's no reason for him to let you win the exam!

Lu Wenjun, who came from an ancient country, was well aware of this subtle thought process, which was why he felt anxious.

This can't go on.

They have no idea what they are doing.

Everyone's too naive; they think this is a simple task like exorcising monsters or defeating demons. If this continues, everyone will be driven into a vortex of misfortune by their excitement!

Lu Wenjun ran to the podium, intending to use his perhaps slight prestige to issue a warning. However, at that moment, Ling Gong silently tugged at his sleeve.

Perhaps because of the repeated rejections, a cold light seemed to flash in Miss Lingyumi's eyes.

"Forget it, Wenjun."

"How can we let this go! If this continues, we'll all turn into trees—"

"Is there something wrong with it?" Ling Gong tilted her head.

"……what?"

Miss Reiko smiled very gently.

"Only painful lessons can bring experience. Isn't that what Professor Ji has always believed? I don't think it's right to deprive everyone of valuable learning opportunities because of good intentions."

"No, but that is, after all, the realm of the gods..."

"It's alright. If there were any signs, Professor Ji would be the first to rush forward. Besides..."

Ling Gong squinted her eyes.

"Giving a hint here would be tantamount to telling everyone that we've already made a fool of ourselves...?"

"...!"

"It's foolish for only two people to fail, but if everyone fails together, there's no way to recover. Besides..."

The fox-eared girl's sweet words were like a devil's temptation.

"—Wenjun, don't you want to see what happens to overconfident guys in the end?"

The last straw fell gently.

The camel named Conscience was knocked unconscious by a straw.

"Boss Lü, what are you trying to say?"

Some students noticed the slight commotion here.

"This is a rare real-world exercise. Regardless of who wins in the end, we hope everyone can enjoy this valuable experience."

Lu Wenjun raised his hands high, revealing a hearty, unrefined smile.

"Let's all do our best, first graders!"

"oh oh!!"

The students responded with enthusiastic cheers and ran towards the forest.

The next day.

The entire first-grader was wailing and howling.

·

"Good morning, Wilttree." Lü Wenjun greeted him with a bright smile.

"I think you're gloating," Versa said with a stern face.

The muscular group led by Versa was completely wiped out just five minutes after storming into the divine realm. The seven of them grew into seven beautiful saplings, which Lacey and her friends painstakingly dug out and pushed back to the school building in a cart. Now, the seven of them stand side by side in the last row of the classroom, adding a vibrant touch of green to the space.

"Everyone seems so...full of life today!" Linggong exclaimed in surprise.

Before even entering the divine realm, the Zoan-type group led by Eriel was greeted with a warm welcome from various familiars. They fled in disarray, covered in bird droppings, feathers, and mud, and even after a night, they still couldn't wash off the smell.

“Special physique… doesn’t seem to be very effective…” Lü Wenjun said regretfully.

The intangible group, led by the ghost Momo, initially had a smooth journey, exploring for nearly 10 minutes after entering the divine realm—before they got completely lost.

Unable to find their way home, surrounded by the inexplicable chirping of cicadas, the students screamed incessantly. Although Lacey and her team managed to push them back to the teaching building in a special cart, most of the students now made cicada-like noises whenever they opened their mouths.

These are the three possible outcomes for the brave.

The climax of yesterday's crackdown occurred at 7:15 p.m.

A visible cold wave erupted from the depths of the Four Seasons Forest, causing massive icebergs to rise from the ground and instantly destroy numerous ancient trees. And its final result was—

Linggong jumped to the corner with a smile: "You look great today, Pershi-gu."

Even with all her efforts, the witch could not resist the erosion of the divine realm, and now she has a string of brightly colored mushrooms on her head.

Lu Wenjun pointed at someone and burst into loud, unrestrained laughter. Pershka retorted angrily, "Shut up!"

"Wow, this is so interesting! It's a mushroom! That god has pretty good taste. I feel like I could eat three bowls of rice with this today."

Pershka slammed his fist on the table: "This isn't just a problem with the Divine Realm! It's gotten to this point and we still can't even see the enemy's true face. How are we supposed to fight a battle like this?!"

"I give up..." "Completely manipulated..." "What's the point of fighting? We didn't even see their shadow!"

The students lamented endlessly, losing all motivation.

Pershka's words hit the nail on the head. Everyone had failed in different ways, yet none of them had seen the true form of the otherworldly god. The whole process felt like fighting the Forest of Seasons itself—how could they possibly fight like that?

Are you suggesting we burn down the entire forest? Putting aside the astronomical sum of compensation, even a mage of the Otherworldly level wouldn't have that kind of ability!

The Lacey brothers ran into the classroom, holding leaves and shouting, "Anyone who needs a stroller today, come and get a number in advance! Starting tonight, everyone line up to go back to the teaching building. No one will be allowed to drive without a number!"

"Shall we get a number from the Laixi car too?" Linggong asked.

“No rush…” Lu Wenjun said thoughtfully, “We might as well deal with the clues at hand first.”

·

Laixi, the third brother, walked out of the teaching building carrying a bag of magic coins, his lips curling into a wide smile that he couldn't suppress.

To be honest, the night shift pays pretty well. One night's work can earn as much as a month's allowance for the guys, and in two weeks, they can easily make a year's worth...

"Hey, isn't this the third brother? Long time no see!"

A tall, thin figure loomed over them. The third brother jumped up in fright, utterly terrified: "You perverted caveman! What do you want now?!"

Lu Wenjun walked over with a sinister smile, pulled out a bag of cookies: "Desserts for intelligence, wanna try?"

"Okay, I want the pepper grapefruit flavor."

Lai Xi's third brother took the bag and began to eat with relish. The brothers would occasionally go to the tavern to beg for food, and after seeing him a few times, they learned that Lü Wenjun was a good cook.

"Question 1," Lü Wenjun squatted down in front of it, "When we last met, your father wasn't in good condition. Did it already know about that god?"

“Dad didn’t really know either,” the third son said, scratching his bald head. “At first, everyone thought it was just a simple turf war, and Dad was excited and ready to go for it. But the more we talked about it, the more suspicious it seemed. It wasn’t until yesterday that we found out it was actually God…”

Something's not right?

The third brother said with a bitter face, "We just can't find it! Our faith has been taken away, and strange things keep happening in the forest, but we can't find the culprit anywhere. Even Dad can't help us anymore."

Lu Wenjun nodded: "Question 2, have any of you recently performed any blessing rituals or used any amulets or the like?"

"No, we're not magicians..."

“Understood. Now, one last question.” Lü Wenjun took out a map of the area surrounding the forest. “Could you please circle the location where we set off yesterday on this map?”

The third brother stared with his two big, cartoon-like eyes: "Big brother, we completed more than 30 orders last night..."

Lu Wenjun pulled out a box of radish pastries: "Extra snack!"

"Luckily, I remember everything, just you wait and see!"

The third brother drew some scattered dots on the map, grabbed a snack, and darted into the nearby bushes. Ling Gong followed, saying, "It seems like Wen Jun always carries around all sorts of food..."

“No matter the era, food is always a universal currency.” Lu Wenjun put the map away. “I guess you have prepared a research outline.”

Look!

Linggong shook out a piece of sketch paper, on which the questions to be investigated were listed in small, delicate handwriting.

1. The Scope of Influence of the Divine Realm

2. The mechanism of the petrification ability (suspected to be the internal logic of the divine realm)

3. The meaning of cicada chirping

4. The location and concealment methods of the Outer God

5. The True Face of the God Beyond the Realm

6. The Purpose of the God Beyond the Realm

From external abilities to internal purposes, the investigation outlines a step-by-step approach, progressing from the superficial to the profound—a standard investigative route for magicians. Although details such as the number of familiars, their combat strength, and other types of magical abilities still need further confirmation, Lü Wenjun believes that this outline is sufficient to provide direction.

"I believe that if we can figure out the first four questions, we will have a basis for deduce the last two core questions," Linggong said earnestly.

The core of a mage's combat strategy is always "deciphering".

Understanding the enemy's origins and analyzing their source texts is crucial to deciding whether to overwhelm them with force or employ targeted techniques. Investigation and intelligence gathering are always paramount; rushing into battle will only result in another beautiful sapling.

“That’s a very clear line of thinking, I have no objection,” Lü Wenjun said. “Considering our limited time and energy, I suggest we split up for now. You go to the library to investigate the species in the Four Seasons Forest, while I’ll follow the Laixi line to conduct further verification, how about that?”

“Species…I see!” Linggong understood. “I’ll do my best. Let’s meet in two days.”

"You're very confident in your efficiency."

"Wenjun, be careful not to turn into a tree again."

The two parted ways at the intersection; Ling Gong jogged toward the library, while Lü Wenjun headed toward the forest.

The Outer God has demonstrated the ability to control the seasons, manipulate local creatures, and induce petrification. Most students are using the last signature ability as a starting point for their investigation, but the two of them do not intend to investigate the petrification itself in detail.

—Because there are just too many gods who can turn people into wood.

The transformation from human to non-human is a very common plot in myths and supernatural tales. For example, in Greek mythology, the river god Peneus was turned into a laurel tree by the daughter being chased by Apollo. In ancient Chinese supernatural tales, there is a story of Han Ping and his wife turning into acacia trees after their deaths during the Warring States period. In Indian mythology, there are also many curses from immortals that can turn people into plants...

This ability appears frequently in the myths of various countries, to the point that it is not strongly related to the divine office itself, but only serves as a side clue. Therefore, rather than the ability itself, they tend to explore the "changes" brought about by the otherworldly gods and the "concepts" of the otherworldly gods themselves.

The investigation into previous species is intended to compare them with the current seasonal forest landscape. Any new animals or plants that appeared due to divine intervention would be crucial clues to understanding their true nature.

The purpose of conducting an on-site investigation in the forest was to clarify the scope of the attack by the Outer God and to investigate the determination of "exceptions" such as Lacey.

Intruders like Lü Wenjun are transformed into plants by the divine realm. However, the birds and beasts in the forest, and even monsters like Lacey who are hostile to the gods, are able to remain as they are.

What exactly is the difference between these two? If the God of the Outer World is a petty fellow, then why did he go out of his way to spare a little monster like Lacey?

"We'll see once we try," Lü Wenjun muttered to himself.

·

"Hmm, so that's your reason for turning yourself into a forest savage?" Mingxiao asked.

"Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak..."

Lu Wenjun emitted a series of strange, cicada-like sounds, which provoked Miss Jiuguang's frenzied laughter. She pounded on the sofa cushions and shouted, "Idiot! There's an idiot here!"

Right now, the genius magician Mr. Lü Wenjun is on all fours, covered in mud, his black hair has turned into weeds, and his whole body exudes a terrifying smell of rotting matter and bird droppings, like a hybrid product of weeds and swamps after a spring breeze.

Mingxiao brought over a bucket of hot water, her face full of regret: "Wenjun, you look like a beggar from prehistoric times..."

"Squeak squeak squeak squeak!" Lü Wenjun squeaked frantically, "Squeak squeak squeak!!"

Mingxiao poked her fingers back and forth: "Sorry, senior hasn't yet learned to speak cicada language~"

"Squeak!" Lü Wenjun screamed wildly.

Hisamitsu gestured with disdain: "It's so noisy, just talk normally."

Now that the influence of the Divine Realm has finally been dispelled, Lü Wenjun said angrily, "This was a necessary sacrifice I made to break the Divine Realm!"

"What exactly did you crack? You've been completely assimilated." Hisamitsu sneered.

"That's because you have to be actively assimilated first in order to avoid the influence of the divine realm!" Lu Wenjun argued.