Facing an Ancient God for a Year

Chapter 2007: Chapter 2002: Return to One

It must be true. In a special place called the Furnace, where you can enter but not leave, I once encountered the former Dean Feng of the Academy, whose full name was unknown to everyone.

I still remember having a cordial conversation about kite techniques, the technique of rallying when low on health to strike, and long-handled weapons.

Not only looks and aura, but even the current Supernatural Tier serves as evidence.

As it turns out, he’s the kind of player who can only deal heavy damage but never finish off an opponent. From a parallel time and space with no hope of reaching a high tier, he seemed quite ordinary among the front-row spectators.

From the degree of whiteness of his hair and beard, it’s basically certain that this isn’t a younger version and he hasn’t idled away the years in the Furnace.

Of course, the momentum is still there. The old man at this moment was squinting slightly, staring intently at the center of the crowd.

A silvery white, exuding a burst of chill, the edge sharp with no decoration — was that a simple ice cabinet?

You could clearly see inside was a corpse with a covered face.

Male, Transcendent, as dead as dead can be. Due to the unique contamination of a Transcendent, even the cold cabinet couldn’t suppress it, exuding a scent of the Heaven’s Commencement Institute.

He’s been dead for some time. It’s possible he was really moved from the Heaven’s Commencement Institute.

With ease, Fu Qian made two judgments, and his gaze turned to the side of the corpse.

A man and a woman stood on either side, clearly the focal figures of this event.

Among them, the woman was surprisingly a familiar face.

Lady Nepheli...

No mistake, she was the former Dean of the Benevolence Institute who had once left.

A white shirt and trousers, her outfit was very consistent.

Though she chose to stick to her post this time, the cleanliness was still evident, with the lower half of her face covered in something like a veil.

Most importantly, she was the only Second Phase individual on the scene.

...

It’s said that when you love your work and stick to your post, there will always be a reward.

Given the multiple interactions they’ve had, Fu Qian was confident in his judgment.

There’s no need to leave. In this Academy, Nepheli had evidently achieved remarkable accomplishments, making the prestige of the Benevolence Institute easier to understand.

But one thing was even more intriguing because of this — what warranted a Second Phase individual to personally display to the public?

”Everyone’s here, let’s begin.”

Thankfully, Lady Nepheli was considerate. In the next moment, she directly signaled the start.

”As mentioned earlier, what we are about to demonstrate is a true miracle, a great discovery that even made me doubt what I’ve learned.”

Without waiting for a response, she gestured for someone beside her to step aside, ensuring everyone could see the corpse, her voice vaguely excited.

”It is — Resurrection.”

Could it really be such a rare effect?

Fu Qian listened with great interest, vaguely recalling that during their time at Ye Island, Su Gao had lamented how extraordinarily rare resurrection was when faced with the uniquely physiologically-gifted Kagetsu Kana.

The fact that the Benevolence Institute could achieve even this through a miracle?

Although uncertain of the exact form, achieving a certain degree would already be astonishing.

The Academy before us, this supernatural path indeed seemed to be flourishing.

”Or should we call it the Resurrection of Melia.”

—Hmm?

Impressed, Fu Qian blinked multiple times at Nepheli’s additional words, feeling the experience was worth every moment.

...

The name was familiar.

The whip in the hands of the Chief of Shangjing supposedly called ”Melia Flower Ball”?

A master’s gift, loathed by divinity, with formidable killing power.

Having almost been thrashed apart by this deadly weapon before, Fu Qian had vivid memories of it.

He remembered clearly that when consulting about who Melia was, the Chief quoted the master’s words to say, ”Don’t ask.”

Throughout history, those who left their names were fierce individuals.

And the likelihood of repeating names for Superior Beings should be small, so could the two Melias possibly be the same person?

Not only loathed by divinity but also master of the power of resurrection?

Isn’t that attribute of his a bit mixed?

The initial choice for the Benevolence Institute was mainly because of its obvious secrets and recent investigations into sharing findings with ”Jade Soul Master.”

Looking at it now, there seem to be even more secrets than imagined.

”Who is Melia?”

What was comforting was that, without Fu Qian needing to guide the conversation, someone was already exhibiting academic curiosity.

The question was even asked by a Demigod who had come along and was now squeezed into the front row.

”A noble and compassionate being.”

Unfortunately, Nepheli’s response remained vague this time.

Despite understanding the essence of the miracle, Fu Qian had no difficulty deducing that Melia was indeed the name of a ”Her.”

”Look closely.”

Now, Nepheli, as she spoke, had several items in hand, moving counterclockwise around the body and placing them one after another.

What was this?

It was undoubtedly the preparation for triggering a miracle, yet Fu Qian, who truly took the advice to look closely, had his gaze locked on an item to the left of the body.

Crystal clear, exuding coldness like the adjacent cold cabinet, this noticeably sculpted item looked a bit like a leaf — it was a leaf.

Snow Tree.

At that moment, Fu Qian naturally recalled a scene from their previous laboratory team-building trip.

When taking public transportation together, a relaxed Miss Liushuang had shared about a special plant that never sheds and turns white when it encounters snow.

Subsequent research into the Benevolence Institute’s underground miracle had led Fu Qian to speculate that the Snow Tree’s ability to change color was likely due to an extraordinary attribute bestowed upon the area near the Academy.

This attribute also explained why this was the only place where the miracle that halted the ark could be successfully triggered.

Fu Qian still leaned towards this opinion, though it raised an unavoidable question—

How could a regular plant like the Snow Tree be connected to such extraordinary attributes?

The tools needed for triggering a miracle, besides special candles, were almost invariably different, suggesting some correspondence with the Superior Being behind the miracle.

So, could the Snow Tree possibly symbolize Lord Meria?

If so, mightn’t the special extraordinary attribute bestowed upon the Academy area also be related to Her?

And even the ark, seen as a fire seed preserved by a Superior Being for humanity...

”It’s happening, don’t miss this moment.”

Amidst these musings, Lady Nepheli’s movements were notably brisk.

With a reminder, she placed onto the side a special candle resembling the one Professor Ah Kai used.

The corpse inside the cold cabinet remained pale—yet its abdomen swelled rapidly, in no time becoming heavily bloated, reminiscent of the scene inside the ark.