I logged into the God panel.

The math teacher on the stage glanced at it but didn't say anything.

The chubby boy, lacking any sense of propriety, raised his voice even louder:

"Teacher! Lu Daosheng is here..."

"Mind your own business," the teacher scolded. "Bring me your math worksheets from the weekend and let me see them!"

"Ah?!" the chubby boy wailed, utterly aggrieved. "But, but..."

"Did you not write it or didn't bring it? If you didn't bring it, you didn't write it!" the math teacher sneered. "Also, keep your voices down. Lu Daosheng obviously studied too late yesterday; it's understandable and reasonable for him to take a break..."

He lowered his voice a little—this semester, Lu Daosheng won first place in several school-wide math Olympiad competitions!

I've already received so much in bonuses... what's wrong with taking a nap?

"I wrote it!" the chubby boy protested.

"You're so smug just because you wrote something? Why don't you write more? I'm telling you, you all need to learn from Lu Daosheng. I heard from our science teacher that he went to the city's science competition last week and won the top prize again..."

The classroom erupted in uproar.

As for Lu Daosheng?

He was fast asleep and knew nothing of these things.

Lu Daosheng felt drowsy all morning—he had gone to bed too late the night before.

His mental abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, but after his physical condition decreased by 0.1, he couldn't even keep up with little kids his age...

Fortunately, thanks to the "privilege" of being first in the grade for five consecutive years and winning first prize in almost every competition, the teachers turned a blind eye.

Before we knew it, it was almost noon.

While he was dozing off, the loud cheers startled Lu Daosheng, and he woke up groggily to find the little kids making a ruckus.

"A picnic! Great!"

Li Qiuhua excitedly nudged Lu Daosheng:

"We're going on a picnic!"

On the podium, homeroom teacher Zhang Xueyan smiled and said:

"Let's set it for this Wednesday! The semester's almost over, and we happen to have some class funds left. We'll have a picnic then!"

Another deafening cheer erupted.

Zhang Xueyan waited happily for a few seconds before pressing her hand down, and the noise became sparse, eventually falling completely silent a few seconds later.

"There are still twenty minutes left in this class. Everyone, please study on your own... Lu Daosheng."

Zhang Xueyan looked at the somewhat gloomy, drowsy-looking boy in the corner by the window and nodded:

"Come to the teacher's office."

Lu Daosheng was puzzled. Me?

"What's wrong?" Li Qiuhua asked anxiously.

"I don't know, it's nothing."

He simply stood up and followed the homeroom teacher out, immediately eliciting whispers from the classroom.

Most of the conversation was about the outing, and some were discussing why Lu Daosheng had been called to the office.

"I guess he won some award again?"

……

I went into the office; there were no other teachers there.

"sit."

Zhang Xueyan is a woman in her thirties. She wears a ponytail and her skin is not fair, but rather a healthy wheat color.

She took a sip of tea:

"Daosheng, do you know about the gifted youth program?"

"A special program for gifted children?"

Lu Daosheng was stunned for a moment:

"Uh, the gifted class?"

"right."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued:

"A special university is coming to our school to recruit members for its gifted youth program. There are three spots available, and each class can recommend one person to participate... I recommended you."

Lu Daosheng asked:

"Teacher Zhang, what school is it?"

"Etheric Academy, a subordinate institution of the Church of the Light of the Universe."

Zhang Xueyan said calmly:

"Our picnic location is right next to Ether College; you can go check it out then."

Lu Daosheng had never heard of the Church of the Universe. He figured it wasn't a major church, at least not in Dongxing Country.

In Dongxing Country, or rather the whole world, there are all kinds of churches that worship all kinds of gods.

"I need to go home and tell my parents."

Lu Daosheng smiled and said:

"But it's probably worth a try."

Zhang Xueyan patted Lu Daosheng on the shoulder:

"Although the Church of the Light of the Universe is now little known, it was once a large church, worshipping a great being called the Emperor of Time and Destiny... I am a believer of the Church of the Light of the Universe."

As she spoke, she made a praying gesture:

"Bravo, Supreme Emperor of Time and Space, Absolute Master of Destiny, the Great Being who controls time, space, and fate..."

The bell rang just then, and Zhang Xueyan stood up:

"Let's go to the cafeteria together, we can talk while we eat."

…………

It was noon.

The cafeteria was very crowded, with long queues at several windows. However, with his homeroom teacher Zhang Xueyan by his side, Lu Daosheng didn't have to squeeze into the crowd.

"Beep!"

Zhang Xueyan swiped her card twice, and the two of them, carrying their trays, went to a quiet corner in the teachers' area to sit down.

"Daosheng, what do you think?"

She asked curiously.

Lu Daosheng shoveled a mouthful of braised beef brisket with tomatoes into his mouth:

"Me? Teacher Zhang, I don't have any particular thoughts... Could you tell me about the Church of the Universe?"

Zhang Xueyan immediately became interested and began to speak fluently, but her remarks contained little of the key information.

Most of them are praises and eulogies for the Church of the Light of the Universe and for the "Emperor of Time, Space and Destiny".

She also shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth:

"The great Emperor of Time and Space is one of the few gods who has revealed his true name. In the war of the gods thousands of years ago, he fought against many, and the heavens and earth changed color..."

Lu Daosheng listened with great interest. Although he knew that most of what the homeroom teacher said had been greatly embellished and its authenticity was highly questionable, it was still good to listen to it.

There probably really are gods in this world.

"Real name?"

Lu Daosheng asked curiously:

"What's the real name of the Time-Space Emperor? Is it very long?"

"He is the great Emperor of Time and Space."

Zhang Xueyan smiled and tapped the boy's forehead, then her expression suddenly turned solemn, and a look of piety appeared on her face.

"The true name of the Great Emperor of Time and Space..."

She brought her right hands together and touched her brow, lowering her voice but with a clear intonation:

Odin

"oh."

Lu Daosheng repeated, seemingly understanding but not quite:

"Odin?"

He looked up in astonishment, his mind in turmoil.

"Yes, Daosheng, what's this?"

She looked at the boy with a stiff expression, puzzled.

"It's nothing," Lu Daosheng replied blankly, his eyelids twitching as he silently repeated that incredibly familiar name in his mind.

【Odin】.

Is it... a coincidence?

It's probably just a coincidence.

After wolfing down several mouthfuls of rice, Lu Daosheng suppressed his turbulent emotions.

I know quite a few church gods: the pure white sun god of the Sun Church, the crimson ruler of the Crimson Church... Odin, probably the same name.

"Teacher Zhang, did the great Odin have a son?"

Zhang Xueyan was stunned for a moment... What kind of question is this?

She thought about it:

"It's not mentioned in the church scriptures, but it's good that you have a thirst for knowledge and want to know more."

She had high hopes for the child before her; he was exceptionally talented and might actually be able to enter the Aether Academy, become a high-ranking scholar, or even...

Father, priest!

Lu Daosheng nodded silently and ate his rice without asking any further questions.

He was used to being cautious.

Odin...

The fingers gripping the chopsticks unconsciously tightened.