The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

It originally opposed this idea. It was originally a gentle deity who supported exploration and watched over life. Generations of separation had long since made it understand the way of human life, and it never regretted its choice.

But it can't remember anymore.

Because in that final struggle, all their strength was exhausted. In that long period of solitude and weakness, even the cherished memories were gone.

I can no longer remember the people I cared about. I can no longer remember their faces. All that remains in my heart is that ancient promise.

[To endure and last forever]

Driven by obsession, he rose to his feet, becoming the opposite of his former self. Yearning for eternity and seeking stillness, he thus became a solitary natural disaster known only as the forest.

"What is this...!"

Lu Wenjun cursed under his breath, realizing the deeper meaning behind the exam. He transformed into a spring-legged runner and ran towards the teaching building. The depletion of his magic intensified his fatigue, but the anxiety in his heart outweighed it all.

I want to survive. I want everyone to survive. Of course. Having fallen to this point, how could I not have the corresponding obsession?

He jumped onto the fifth floor of the teaching building and hurriedly burst through the door of the teachers' lounge. Surprisingly, someone was still in the lounge so late; Ji Chuanjun was reading an ancient book.

"Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Lü?" she asked.

"You already knew, didn't you?" Lü Wenjun asked. "The obsession, the desire, and the current state of that otherworldly god. It exhausted its power back then, and now it can't even remember its own past."

"It is precisely because it has weakened to this extent that you insist on sending us, the new students of the Heretical level, to fight against the god. Because even if a single Mystery-level mage were to participate in the battle, it would be completely annihilated, without a single chance of survival!"

This was the only reasonable conclusion he could come up with.

Otherwise, the school has no reason to take such action.

The day-long discussion and his heightened emotions had left Lü Wenjun's voice hoarse. His chest heaved violently, a stark contrast to his usual polite demeanor.

Ji Chuanjun closed his book and gazed at him quietly.

“Absolutely right,” she said.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Lü Wenjun spoke rapidly, even forgetting his manners. "We've already wasted three whole days! In another eleven days, that god will be beyond redemption, won't he? At a time like this, how can we have any educational competition? We should be racing against time to find a solution!"

Ji Chuanjun stood up, his calm gaze like a still lake, which made Lü Wenjun quiet down as well.

“First of all, you underestimate the status of teachers.” She began as if giving a lecture. “Instructor Bill’s assistance is already at its limit. Even adding a single hint or a helping hand would turn ‘the story of the gods’ into ‘our story.’ That would cause its existence to be extinguished, leaving it with no life.”

"Secondly, you haven't grasped the essence of the matter."

“Let me give you a simple example,” she said. “Suppose a child is about to be in a car accident, and a gambler is placing bets at a casino thousands of miles away. If he wins the bet with a one in ten thousand chance, the child can be saved.”

"So, should gamblers be held responsible for the safety of children?"

Lu Wenjun fell silent for a moment, and Ji Chuanjun said, "The answer is of course no. Because the unfortunate event that happened a thousand miles away was not his fault, even though he didn't win!"

Her tone softened: "I sympathize with the fate of that deity, and I agree that it should be given a chance to be saved, but I don't want my students to bear a sense of guilt that has nothing to do with them. Because before doing good, I am first and foremost a teacher, and in my eyes, the future of my students is more important than the end of an ancient deity."

In the end, it's just a matter of rolling dice.

Having foreseen the car accident in the distance, the qualified gamblers were allowed to take turns trying their luck at the casino. If one lucky person managed to win by a one in ten thousand chance, everyone would be overjoyed. If everyone lost, it would just be a slightly boring test.

What difference does it make to a gambler whether they are aware of the situation or not?

Will knowing the unfortunate past of the unfortunate improve a gambler's luck? Will knowing the truth increase the probability of winning?

Can one ten-thousandth become one thousandth?

No. Impossible. The truth has no meaning other than making gamblers feel sad and guilty.

The school hopes that gamblers can roll the dice without any burden, because they have no obligation or responsibility to bear the consequences of a life that is not their own.

This is undoubtedly the right decision.

"Professor, you're actually not very familiar with gambling, are you?"

but.

One student had a different opinion.

"There are tricks to gambling. In normal play, the odds are one in a thousand or one in ten thousand, but if you cheat, the odds of winning are one hundred percent."

The novice magician pointed to himself and said, word by word.

"—Watch closely. I'll cheat on this midterm exam and show you!"

When Lü Wenjun walked out of the lounge, Ling Gong was already waiting in the corridor. She was holding two steaming cups of coffee.

"Wenjun, do you know a way to 'save the gods'?"

"I was just about to hear the shrine maiden's professional opinion."

Lü Wenjun took the coffee. Ling Gong chuckled softly.

"To be honest, it's not complicated at all. It's a practice that can be done in any secret realm, a ritual that can be established in all cultural spheres. It's the most fundamental logic that allows 'civilization' to be established."

The god beyond the realm of creation is the raging nature.

When faced with natural disasters, civilization has only one way out.

"—A ritual called 'Battle'."

Prepare weapons. Gather manpower. Decipher the mechanisms behind natural disasters and unravel the mystery called nature.

Then, with all their might, they stepped onto the battlefield.

To quell the madness of chaos through battle.

Awaken the will of the gods with courage.

To reclaim the glory of civilization through victory.

Defeat calamity and restore it to its divine position!

“That’s right. Gods are actually more tenacious than people imagine.” Ling Gong pushed up her glasses. “If they haven’t been destroyed after a long period of slumber, it means that a faint self must still remain somewhere within them. So, there’s only one thing to do.”

She clenched her fist and said firmly, "Fight with all our might until it wakes up!"

"That's a really simple approach," Lü Wenjun laughed. "Just our style!"

"It's not as simple as it sounds. We need to prepare the corresponding spells, formulate the corresponding battle plan, consider the combat strength, and find a way to break through the divine realm..." Ling Gong took a sip of coffee, "There are as many things to do as mountains."

This is no longer just an exam where you have to rely on luck.

The gamblers now know the truth, so this is a life-saving adventure.

Unravel the mysteries of the divine realm and confront the true gods. Like the myths and legends of ancient books, wage war against the gods—

Save its life.

"Are you ready, Wenjun? I won't let you sleep tonight."

"How many times do you think I've stayed up all night?" Lü Wenjun laughed. "Watch me finish it in one night!"

·

And so, the light in the library never went out tonight.

“Deities like the Wood God and the Mountain God always have enormous physical forms. They usually hide in ‘temples’ and rely on the influence of the divine realm to demonstrate their existence and thus gain faith.”

"Because its main body is too large and difficult to move, there's no need to worry about it leaving its current location for now. Concealing the divine realm is a problem..."

"Isn't it a god in Japanese mythology? Then there's a general interpretation."

"Good idea. But it would require a lot of manpower..."

"We can deal with the details later; let's focus on the direct confrontation first. I can use my divinity to deal with the effects of petrification, but the key is the divine body itself..."

"Judging from its current performance, its defense and regeneration capabilities are probably very strong. Without a countermeasure, it will be difficult to cause any damage."

"What about the fire attack method we considered before? It's always the trump card in siege warfare."

"Hmm... If we're going to approach it from this angle, we might as well adopt the Five Elements Harmony philosophy of the Onmyoji. Teacher Lingge just talked about it not long ago."

"I solemnly declare that the source of Yin-Yang philosophy is the ancient Chinese Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory."

"I've been wanting to use Taoist techniques to my advantage, so I'm sure Wenjun wouldn't mind helping me out, right?"

"Damn it, you've been waiting for me here..."

Finding prototypes. Simulation techniques. Architectural design.

Discuss. Verify. Modify. Overturn. Start over...

Verification. Dispute. Revision. Discussion. Merging existing prototyping techniques. Exploring entirely new strategic approaches. For problems that cannot be solved by wisdom alone, use entirely new techniques to solve them—

The night passed in this way, until the next morning.

Before the first class began, Lü Wenjun walked onto the podium before the teacher.

Despite his dark circles and bloodshot eyes, he exuded a fiery, excited confidence.

"First-year students, please allow me to extend an invitation to you all."

That was a smile the freshmen knew all too well, a smile of absolute confidence.

"I have devised a foolproof plan; please join me in defeating the gods!"

Chapter 62 A Thousand Gates Pay Homage, the Divine Realm Opens

The following is excerpted from the minutes of the meeting on the divine extermination operation, compiled by Ten'in-in Reiyu.

The event took place on the fifth day after the appearance of the otherworldly god, and all first-year students participated.

Red Ghost: Boss Lu, stop joking around. We can't even get into the woods, what are we supposed to join?

Lü Wenjun: The way to enter the forest is very simple, just become a wild man.

Everyone: Huh?

·

Starting at 16:00 PM that day, the tree-climbing classes, hosted by wilderness survival expert Lü Wenjun and veteran wilderness survivor Wilsa, began every session.

"Make use of friction. Actively look for a foothold."

"What kind of place is this? This tree is full of bugs!!"

"Don't worry, if you get hurt, the school hospital will take you there in time. It'll probably just be one or two broken bones."

"I'll die! I'll definitely break my neck! I don't want to participate in this operation anymore, I want to go back!"

"Are we really going to run away? It's not a problem, but Rei-yumi over there is giving me a really disdainful look... It's like she's saying that it's shameful for a dignified youkai to not even have a bit of manliness..."

"Ugh! Damn it!"

On the fifth day after the appearance of the Outer God, the mobile team members (mainly male), driven by a sense of honor and a desire to show off, successfully mastered the skills of forest operations.

"Ora la la la! Watch my perfect vine-like mid-air sideways movement!"

"The ancient blood within me is boiling... Could it be that I have a talent for this?"

"Nonsense, you're a monkey monster, it would be strange if you couldn't climb trees before."

·

Eriel: Even if the Mobile Group can avoid being turned into wood through primitive methods, what about God's servants?

Tia: Those mushroom people and orcs are incredibly savage; they grab people on sight...

Linggong: Regarding this, the Druid class talked about potions for dealing with it.

Eriel: Ah! That!

·

During one of Miss Ariel's most embarrassing classroom Q&A sessions, she mentioned a potion with "Fangji" as a secondary ingredient. Its purpose was to protect civilians in forest areas and repel poisonous insects and plant-type monsters.

As an introductory potion for Druid classes, most of its ingredients are not difficult to find. Especially due to the rapid expansion of the forest, medicinal herbs are abundant around the campus.

On the sixth day after the appearance of the otherworldly god, the logistics team led by Tia (mostly monsters who are not good at fighting) produced a large number of protective magic potions.

"It's working! We haven't seen any mushroom people, not even wild wolves or demonic boars..."

"But it smells like poop! What kind of magic is this? It's just driving the enemies away!"

"Holy crap, I saw that old bastard Merdin laughing hysterically!! He was definitely doing it on purpose!!"

·

Lü Wenjun: Once we master the savage techniques and mass-produce magic potions, the problem of entering the divine realm will be solved. Students who are not good at climbing trees can simply drink the magic potion and learn the movement patterns of small animals, crawling through the bushes, and they will be able to approach their destination in some time.

Pershka: Once the direct confrontation begins, the gods will surely notice, and then won't we still turn into wood?