《Tribulation of Myriad Races》 Chapter 1: Father and Son

Chapter 1: Father and Son

Year 350 of the Anping Calendar. Nanyuan City, Great Xia Prefecture. Su Family. The moment Su Yu stepped through the door into his home, he was assaulted by the aromaing from the dishes on the dining table. Quickly tossing his school bag aside, he walked up to the dining table and picked up a piece of red braised pork before throwing it into his mouth. While chewing, he looked at the indistinct figure in the kitchen and said, ¡°Dad, maybe prepare a soup tomorrow? It¡¯s getting tiring eating meat every day.¡± ¡°Stop being picky. You should be happy to have something to eat.¡± Su Long¡¯s grumbling voice came from the kitchen, ¡°Also, you¡¯re already eighteen this year. When are you going to learn to take care of yourself? I have been taking on the roles of both father and mother for you all these years. I¡¯m finally going to get my freedom.¡± Still busy chewing the piece of red braised pork in his mouth, Su Yu smiled and praised, ¡°Dad, your culinary skills are good enough that you¡¯re almost a professional chef. I wish I could help in the kitchen as well, but unfortunately all the food I make is inedible!¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Su Long merely smirked at the reply. Su Yu was all talk and no action. After all, he had never even tried cooking. With a height of 1.9 meters and a sturdy physique, Su Long looked ratherical dressed in a tiny apron that did not fit the image his powerful body projected. That had always been a point of contention for Su Yu, and it was the same today. Shaking his head, Su Yuined, ¡°Dad, can¡¯t you get a bigger apron? It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t afford it.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Su Long couldn¡¯t even be bothered to answer the question. After cing the final dish onto the dining table, he sat down without taking off his apron. ¡°Eat! We must save every bit of money we can. In any case, this apron is still new¡ª¡± ¡°Dad, you¡¯ve been saying that for the past three years.¡± Su Yu rolled his eyes. Sure, it was understandable for his father to im that the apron was new three years ago. But it was rather shameless of his father to still im the same three yearster. Su Long did not care about his son¡¯s remarks. He started gorging on the food on the table. Su Yu was already used to his father¡¯s antics. He sat down and started eating as well. While eating, he sighed and said, ¡°Dad, is the battle picking up at the front line again? On my way back, I saw the military recruitment truck downstairs. They must be here recruiting in our neighborhood. I wonder who¡¯s going to sign up¡ª¡± At that, Su Long stopped eating. He ced his bowl and chopsticks down before solemnly saying, ¡°It is everyone¡¯s duty to protect one¡¯s home and defend one¡¯s country. Just listen to yourself. Are you trying to say that it¡¯s bad to be a soldier?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Su Yu hurriedly exined himself. His father was a retired soldier. He definitely had to watch his mouth around this topic. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be fun to be at the receiving end of his father¡¯s palm that was the size of a bear¡¯s paw. Su Long snorted before returning to his meal. Suddenly, Su Long spoke again. His tone shifted into a gloomy one as he said, ¡°Yu, the front line is in turmoil. The various armies have been recruiting repeatedly. New soldiers are constantly being recruited while veterans are being recalled.¡± Su Yu was in the midst of eating when he paused and looked up at his father. His attitude changedpletely as he frowned and asked, ¡°Dad, that has nothing to do with us, right? You have been retired for eighteen years and I¡¯ve just reached adulthood. Also, I¡¯m applying for the high academies. The recruiters won¡¯te to us.¡± ¡°It has been eighteen years¡­¡± Su Long sighed. Yes, it had been eighteen years. ¡°During the past eighteen years, the Devil Subduing Army has recalled retired veterans five times. After reaching fifty years old, I won¡¯t be fit to be recalled any longer. During the previous four recalls, you were too young. I was worried about you so I did not answer the recalls.¡± Su Yu¡¯s expression changed rapidly as he said, ¡°Dad, our family can be exempted from joining the army! The policy allows this!¡± ¡°Yes, the policy allows this!¡± Su Long grinned. He raised his head and gazed at his son before saying, ¡°Therefore, I¡¯ve not been answering the recalls. In the past eighteen years, there have been four recalls apart from the current recall! I¡¯ve not answered any of them! But now, my son has finally reached adulthood! He is now eighteen!¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Su Yu had an ugly expression. ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m trying to say.¡± Su Long gazed at his son with a gratified and satisfied expression. He smiled and said, ¡°Your dad might be useless, but eighteen years ago, he was a toon leader inmand of thirty soldiers. At the time, your mom was on the verge of giving birth, so I requested for a leave of absence and returned. Who would have guessed that your mom would leave this world just like that. You were a newborn and we didn¡¯t have anyone else in the family to take care of you. I couldn¡¯t leave, so I was forced to retire from the army.¡± Su Long had a bitter smile on his face. ¡°When I left, not a single one of myrades saw me off. No, it wasn¡¯t that they wanted me gone, but they were afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to leave after seeing them. It has been eighteen years. Not one of them has tried contacting me. They¡¯re all afraid that I wouldn¡¯t be able to resist returning. Even in my dreams I can see them shouting at me to return home and take care of my baby. Of my thirty brothers, nine were killed on the battlefield the first year after I left. Not one of the surviving members has left the army. Do you know what the remaining twenty-one of them are doing? They¡¯re all still on the battlefield right now!¡± Tears started welling in Su Long¡¯s eyes. ¡°I was selfish, so I didn¡¯t dare to ask about them. I had not responded to the previous four recalls. But this time¡­Yu, if your dad has to die, he would rather die a soldier on the battlefield. Your dad does not wish to die behind the front line!¡± Su Yu sank into silence. He was aware that his father had never forgotten the front line and the oldrades there. If his mother had not passed away during childbirth back then, his father would never have retired from the Devil Subduing Army. He had always thought that eighteen years would be enough for his father to forget and let go of the past. Today, he learned that his father had not forgotten about the past after all. ¡°Dad¡­¡± Su Yu paled as he persuaded, ¡°The front line is in turmoil. The number of casualties among our soldiers are only getting higher and higher. In the past eighteen years alone, the army had recalled retired veterans five times. In short, a recall was made once every three to four years. You used to be a soldier. You know very well what that means. I¡¯m still single. I still haven¡¯t entered a high academy. I still haven¡¯t gotten you a grandchild¡­¡± Su Long grinned, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be waiting for all that! What? You think I¡¯m going to be throwing my life away on the battlefield? No! I¡¯m there to win the war!¡± ¡°Dad!¡± ¡°Cut the crap, kid! Eat your meal!¡± Su Long cut his son off. While eating, he mumbled, ¡°After this meal, you¡¯ll have to start preparing your own meals. If you can¡¯t cook, go eat outside. Use the money in my card. You know the password. They¡¯re still waiting for me downstairs. I need to make this quick. Remember to mail me a letter after passing your academy entrance exam. I¡¯ll be reading your letters during my free time. You¡¯ll be getting into a cultural research academy. Your old man is very proud of you, you know that? You¡¯re practically guaranteed a spot in a cultural research academy already. Your teacher told me that barring anything unexpected happening, you¡¯ll definitely be able to join one. A talent is finally going to emerge from our Su family! I do wonder sometimes. How exactly have you grown that brain of yours? You¡¯re way too smart. I used to wonder if you¡¯re actually my son. Fortunately, you greatly resemble my younger self in appearance.¡± Su Yu had a paleplexion at the realization that his father was about to step into the battlefield. Nevertheless, he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from challenging that im, ¡°Dad, are you sure I look like your younger self?¡± ¡°What bullshit question is that? That¡¯s the truth!¡± Su Long looked up, revealing his rough face and grinned, ¡°Feel free to ask our neighbor if you doubt me!¡± Su Yu was speechless. He knew that his father was trying to shift the topic, so he returned to the previous topic, ¡°Dad, must you go? It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking down on you, but it has been eighteen years since you left the battlefield. You haven¡¯t been cultivating much either. Even now, you¡¯re still at the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm. Will you even be helpful on the battlefield?¡± ¡°Who are you looking down on?¡± Su Long said furiously, ¡°So what if I¡¯m only at the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm? Strength is not the only thing that matters on the battlefield. Otherwise, wars would be pointless. Everything is possible on the battlefield. I¡¯ll have you know that I once killed an Infinite Strength Realm expert when I was only a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator.¡± Su Yu was still very distressed. He had no idea if that story was true, but his father had repeated the story for many years. It was highly probable that his father was telling the truth. However, he did not want his father to go to war. The front line was very chaotic. Every single year, arge number of soldiers would die there. The situation there was only getting more and more dangerous. His father was nearly fifty years old. Su Yu didn¡¯t even dare to imagine what it would be like for someone like that to return to the battlefield. ¡°Dad¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Su Long interrupted his son. He stood up and put the dishes away before saying with a solemn expression, ¡°I¡¯ve signed myself up. If I don¡¯t show up, I¡¯ll be considered a deserter. It¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t show up before signing up, but you know the consequences for not showing up now. A deserter will be executed!¡± ¡°Dad, couldn¡¯t you have waited for me toe back and talk about this before signing up?¡± Just thinking about it made Su Yu furious. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change this. His father was right. It didn¡¯t matter before signing up. The recall order was notpulsory. All these veterans who had retired alive were people who had contributed to the army during their time on the battlefield. But upon signing up, one would be considered a soldier yet again. Not showing up after that would cause one to bebeled a deserter. ¡°What is there to talk about?¡± Su Long said dismissively, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t die. Even if I do end up dying, you will be eligible for a nicepensation. Don¡¯t forget to im it if I end up dying. That will be enough money for you to get a wife and raise a child. See, your old man has everything nned for you!¡± Then, Su Long removed the apron from his body and picked up the backpack that he had packed earlier, behaving as casually as someone leaving for a short trip. ¡°Do well in your exam. People like you who are supporting humanity behind the front line are just as important. Perform well in the cultural research academy and bring glory to our Su family. Cultural research academy¡­yes, I¡¯ll need to tell everyone about that after returning to the army. I have a son that has managed to enter a cultural research academy. That¡¯s far more incredible than their children. It¡¯s a pity that I won¡¯t be here to see your eptance letter. Remember to snap a picture of the letter and mail it to me. I need proof or those fellows will think that I¡¯m merely bragging.¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Su Yu stood up and ran after his departing father in panic. His father was really going to leave. He had been used to living with his father for the past eighteen years. He was not mentally prepared for this sudden departure. ¡°You¡¯re all grown up now. Don¡¯t cry like a little boy.¡± Su Long grinned. ¡°If you¡¯re still a child, I won¡¯t leave. But now that you¡¯re an adult, I must go. When I left eighteen years ago, there were several kids as old as you currently are in the toon. Yu, do you know? I dreamed of them. They were crying in pain in the dream, telling me to kill all those animals. I regret my decision to not send you to the Military House of Dependents back then. After all, there would still be someone looking after you while I¡¯m in the army if I did.¡± Su Long teared up. ¡°This is the fifth recall. During the previous four recalls, I had my luggage packed up every single time. But every time Iid my eyes on you, I selfishly stayed behind. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to leave. This is the fifth time! Will there be a next time for me? I¡¯ll probably be over fifty by then and the Devil Subduing Army will no longer ept me! It is time for me to go. The Allheaven Battlefield is waiting for me. Just you watch. I¡¯ll kill a few Infinite Strength Realm experts this time and keep the evidence. You won¡¯t be able to doubt me anymore after that.¡± Then, Su Long waved his hand and walked away. This was the very first time Su Yu had seen his father this carefree and heroic in his eighteen years of life. However, this wasn¡¯t something he wanted to see. ¡°Dad¡­¡± ¡°I told you to cut the crap.¡± Standing before the door, Su Yu clenched his teeth and shouted, ¡°If you fail to return, I¡¯ll be a live-in son-inw! I¡¯ll change my surname and sever the inheritance of your Su family! If you really don¡¯t care, trust that I¡¯ll really dare to do so as well!¡± ¡°I¡ª¡± Su Long staggered and nearly turned around to unleash profanities at his son. He suddenly had the urge to stay behind and beat up his son. He knew that his son would really be capable of doing something like that. It hadn¡¯t been easy for the Su family to finally give birth to a talented individual like Su Yu. He definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to ept such a talent marrying into someone else¡¯s family. Chapter 2: Four Major Academy Types

Chapter 2: Four Major Academy Types

Su Long had left in a carefree manner, leaving Su Yu behind with an empty feeling. His father¡¯s departure had been too abrupt. He hadn¡¯t even been given any time to mentally prepare himself. He was both worried about his father¡¯s safety and his future life. He was already used to his father¡¯s care andpanionship. Thus, he found it hard to get used to living alone all of a sudden. ¡°Dad¡­you left¡­before doing the dishes!¡± Su Yu grumbled, trying to find some humor in the terrible situation he was in. Eventually, he sighed. There were things that he did not want to think about as the mere thought of those things would make him anxious. The Allheaven Battlefield was iparably dangerous. He was worried that if he kept thinking about it, he wouldn¡¯t be able to resist rushing out and dragging his father back. ¡°Cultural research academy¡­¡± Not in the mood to do the dishes, Su Yu plopped himself down on the couch and nked out. His father had been nagging about his entry to a cultural research academy before leaving. Previously, Su Yu had been nning to apply for the cultural research academies. But now¡­ ¡°If you hadn¡¯t left for the Allheaven Battlefield, I would definitely apply for a cultural research academy. But why did you insist on going to the Allheaven Battlefield? Do you expect me to not be worried about you? You might be stuck there for years. Am I supposed to keep worrying about you behind the front line? You¡¯re not a child anymore. Shouldn¡¯t you think about all that?¡± Su Yu grumbled as he rubbed his temple. ¡°You left me with no choice. You¡¯re not home anyway. I¡¯ll just apply for a war academy instead!¡± said Su Yu as he gnashed his teeth in anger. A cultural research academy was an excellent ce to be. It was the ce where one would study the culture of the myriad races, analyze their cultivation methods, and learn about their civilizations. Every single cultural researcher was treated like a treasure, a treasure that would be allowed to stay behind instead of heading to the battlefield. On the other hand, a war academy was a ce meant to serve the battlefield. Previously, he had worked hard with the goal of entering a cultural research academy so that he could safely stay behind the front line and his father¡¯s side. s, that old man of his had ended up being the one leaving for the Allheaven Battlefield instead. If he were to enter a cultural research academy, he would no longer have any opportunity to head to the front line. A war academy was different. It was rumored that their students had plenty of chances to enter the battlefield for their practical sses. ¡°War academy¡­Strength will be required to pass the exam.¡± It was easy for Su Yu to think about it, but he still couldn¡¯t help worrying. A war academy was not a ce one could enter easily. Strictly speaking, it was even harder to join than a cultural research academy. At the very least, that was the case for him. A cultural research academy had rtively low requirements in terms of strength. That wasn¡¯t the case for a war academy. After all, that was a ce meant to supply the front line with capable warriors. Source Opening, Great Strength, and Infinite Strength. Those were the early cultivation realms for the human race. Humans were born with bodies unsuitable for cultivation. Only after opening the nine acupoints would one be able to link up the meridians in one¡¯s body with source qi and truly became a cultivator. The nine acupoints of the Source Opening Realm consisted of mouth, nose, eyes, ears, Spirit Pce, and One Hundred Openings. Thetter two were the acupoints located at one¡¯s head and navel. Only by opening the nine acupoints would one be able to take in source qi, refine one¡¯s body, strengthen one¡¯s bones, and shed one¡¯s mortal body to be a powerful warrior. ¡°I¡¯ve just opened the three acupoints of my nose and mouth. There are still no signs of my ear acupoints opening. I¡¯m not even a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator yet. It won¡¯t be easy for me to join a war academy,¡± Su Yu muttered to himself. A war academy existed to nurture expertbatants. It was an expensive task and they wouldn¡¯t waste their resources on a weakling. To have a higher chance at grabbing a spot in a war academy, it would be better for Su Yu to open his ear acupoints as well and reach the fifth-stage Source Opening Realm. Of course, if he could also open his eye acupoints on top of that to reach the sixth or even the seventh stage, he would be practically guaranteed a spot there. As for the genius individuals who had managed to open their Spirit Pce and One Hundred Openings as well, they would have their pick at which war academy they wished to join. Those capable of opening all nine acupoints before twenty years old could join a war academy at any time. No academy would reject such an individual. ¡°I¡¯m still at the third-stage Source Opening Realm¡­¡± Su Yu sighed. Sure, the third-stage Source Opening Realm wasn¡¯t too bad, but it wasn¡¯t that good either. The Nanyuan Secondary School, which he was a part of, had nine final year sses with a total of 750 students. Among the students, there were about a hundred students at the third-stage Source Opening Realm and about a dozen students who were at a higher stage. Based on the past eptance rate of the various academies, less than twenty of these students would be epted. In other words, those at the fourth-stage would have a high chance of being epted while only one in a hundred would be epted among those at the third-stage. Furthermore, not all war academies were equal. An academy that would ept third-stage students would probably be a rather weak academy as well. Rather than entering a war academy of that caliber, Su Yu might as well enter a cultural research academy. ¡°Three more months¡­war academy¡­I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± said Su Yu with his teeth clenched. Since his father was unreliable, he would have to be the reliable one. Just what was his father thinking when he decided to head to the Allheaven Battlefield at that age? ¡°Huu¡­¡± Late at night, Su Yu was once again roused from his sleep drenched in sweat. ¡°It¡¯s that damn dream again! Dad¡­¡± Su Yu called out by habit. In the past, his dad would quickly rush over whenever he woke up from a nightmare. But today, there was no movement outside his room after his shout. Su Yu nked out slightly before recalling that his father had left earlier that afternoon. ¡°Sigh,¡± Su Yu turned on the light and checked hismunicator. It was around three in the morning. It would still take some time before the sun would rise. ¡°It has been more than ten years!¡± Nobody would be able to endure over ten years of continuous suffering from nightmares. It was better nowadays as Su Yu was already used to it. Back then, he had been so afraid that he refrained from sleeping and nearly killed himself from exhaustion. ¡°Just why is this happening?¡± Leaning against the bedhead, Su Yu wondered. In fact, he had been asking the same question for years. He had told his father about the issue, but his father was helpless. When he went to the hospital, the doctor told him that something once frightened him so much that it left a psychological trauma on him. However, Su Yu couldn¡¯t remember anything like that happening before. ¡°It¡¯s the same every single time. At the end of the dream, I¡¯ll be pursued by some monsters¡­¡± Su Yu was vexed. He had been tortured by the same nightmare every single day. Or to be precise, he had been pursued by others in his dream every single day. However, that was where the simrities ended as the pursuers would always be different each time. Instead of being humans, his pursuers consisted of all sorts of monsters. Their appearances were indistinct, but from their shapes, it was clear that these were all different lifeforms. Just what had he done to deserve such a torture? Su Yu reckoned that he was probably the only person to have ever been pursued for more than ten years in his dreams. Back then, his father had suspected that a spell of the nightmare race was the culprit. However, this was the human realm. If it was really someone from the nightmare race, that person would have been killed by human experts long ago. After all, this was an issue that had persisted for more than ten years. If a nightmare race expert had actually gone through the trouble of sneaking into the human realm, that expert would probably be setting their sights on a human expert. Only the most idiotic person would waste so much effort over such a long period of time on an ordinary human. ¡°Is there no end to this? This is so annoying!¡± Su Yuined. He wondered if this would ever end. It was a good thing he was already used to the nightmares. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to properly live his life. ¡°Dad said that by opening the nine acupoints and entering the Great Strength Realm, my body will be nurtured by source qi and I¡¯ll be immune to all sickness and evil spirits. I should be fine then, right?¡± Su Yu could only hope that the nightmares would stop after entering the Great Strength Realm. With so many thoughts in his mind, time passed quickly. Before he knew it, sunlight was shining through his window, signifying the arrival of dawn. Su Long might have left, but life went on as usual for Su Yu. It was not a public holiday today, so he still needed to attend school. After brushing his teeth and eating a simple breakfast, Su Yu grabbed his school bag and left his house. Downstairs, a young man with a crew cut hair was waiting. When the young man saw Su Yu, he hurriedly shouted, ¡°Yu, I heard from my father that Uncle Su¡ª¡± ¡°Um,¡± Su Yu answered before the youngster could finish his words. The crew-cut youth was getting anxious. ¡°What was Uncle Su thinking? He¡¯s a grown ass man! Going to the Allheaven Battlefield at his age is basically sui¡ª¡± The crew-cut youth suddenly stopped. He wanted to say that Su Long was on a suicide mission, but those weren¡¯t something he could say. He might believe it, but he definitely shouldn¡¯t be saying that in front of Su Yu. ¡°It¡¯s his choice. I can¡¯t stop him.¡± Su Yu forced himself to smile. ¡°In any case, there are millions of soldiers at the Allheaven Battlefield with numerous human experts holding the fort there. He won¡¯t die so easily.¡± ¡°I know. But Uncle Su is only a¡­Great Strength cultivator.¡± The crew cut youth appeared even more anxious than Su Yu. ¡°Great Strength cultivators might be incredible for people like us, but they are the weakest of the weak at the Allheaven Battlefield. Even a fresh recruit of the myriad races at the Allheaven Battlefield would already be at the Great Strength Realm.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Yu! Why are you not worried at all?¡± The crew-cut youth was panicking on behalf of Su Yu. If he was ced in Su Yu¡¯s shoes, he would be crying already by now. ¡°Would that help?¡± Su Yu felt helpless. There was no changing the fact that his father had left. Worrying wouldn¡¯t change anything. That was definitely not something he should be doing now. This friend of his was still as impatient as ever. ¡°Cut the crap. Let¡¯s get to school first.¡± ¡°School?¡± The crew-cut youth was astonished. ¡°You¡¯re still going to school?¡± Su Yu red at the crew cut youth silently, to the point the crew cut youth was feeling ufortable. ¡°What kind of bullshit question is that? If I¡¯m not going to school, am I supposed to stay at home and wipe my tears every single day while waiting for bad news toe from the front line?¡± Su Yu rolled his eyes. Just what was this fellow saying? ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s go to school. The school will send a list of applicants to the various academies in a few days. I¡¯ll need to sign up for that.¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯re signed up already?¡± Chen Hao was curious. ¡°Have you forgotten? We signed up togetherst week.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that. I signed up for the cultural research academies previously. This time, I¡¯m signing up for the war academies.¡± Chen Hao was stunned. War academy? ¡°You¡ª¡° ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Yu cut Chen Hao off before he had the chance to say more. The decision had been made yesterday. The first step was to sign up for the war academies. As for actually passing the entrance examination, that would be an entirely different matter. ¡­ Examination Registration Center, Nanyuan Secondary School. The teacher in charge of registration checked her records before asking curiously, ¡°Su Yu, you¡¯re already signed up for the cultural research academies, right? Having mastered thenguages of eighteen different races, you¡¯re one of the best students in Nanyuan. You can even get into the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy easily. Why are you signing up for the war academies?¡± Generally speaking, students signing up for both types of academies were those without the confidence to enter either. Thus, they were forced to diversify their options. Su Yu was intelligent and hardworking. Over the past few years, he had learned thenguages of eighteen different races. Even the most popr cultural research academy in Great Xia, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, would open its doors wide for someone like him. Su Long wouldn¡¯t have been so confident that he asked for his son¡¯s eptance letter in advance otherwise. Su Yu did not give much exnation for his choice. He smiled and said, ¡°Teacher, it is always a good idea to not put all my eggs in one basket. Everyone is allowed to sign up for two types of academies, right? It won¡¯t hurt to be safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. But that¡¯s really not needed for you. All you need to do is perform well during your exam,¡± said the teacher with a wide smile. ¡°The school had long submitted the names of top students like you. You will still need to take the entrance exam, but in truth, people like you already have your names recorded in the various high academies of Great Xia. Even if you somehow failed your first exam, they will still give you a second chance.¡± Beside Su Yu, Chen Hao couldn¡¯t help but to enviously ask, ¡°Teacher, am I included in that name list as well?¡± The teacher nced at him and smiled, ¡°Yes. Your name has been recorded by the internal affairs academies.¡± Chen Hao¡¯s face fell. Internal affairs academy! The four major types of academies were war, cultural research, scientific research, and internal affairs. The internal affairs academies focused on various life skills such as automobile repair, cooking, driving, administration, entertainment, and so on. Meanwhile, the war academies focused on training warriors, the cultural research academies focused on studying the myriad races, and the scientific research academies focused on the research of weapons, pills, and so on. These three were decent types of academies to enroll in. The internal affairs academies were the exception among the four. For youngsters like them, that was the type of academy that they would only enter as ast resort. The teacher ignored Chen Hao. After helping Su Yu with the registration, she smiled and said, ¡°Remember to focus on cultural research. Maybe try to learn anguage or two in addition to what you already know before the entrance exam. That will be helpful for you in the future. As for cultivation, there is no rush. For cultural research academies, you¡¯re only required to reach the Great Strength Realm. At that point, you¡¯ll be strong enough to be impervious to all illness.¡± Strength was not the priority of cultural research academies. The teacher was worried that Su Yu would misce his focus, hence her advice. Su Yu nodded with a smile. After all, the teacher meant well. Nevertheless, he would be cing more effort on cultivation before the entrance examination. Chapter 3: Myriad Race Compendium

Chapter 3: Myriad Race Compendium

Outside the registration center. After taking several steps forward, Su Yu suddenly turned around and asked in astonishment, "Why are you still following me?" Chen Hao was confused. "Aren''t we going to ss?" "No." "No? Where are you going then?" Chen Hao felt wronged. Su Yu was the one who had said that he wanted to go to school earlier. Why was he changing his mind now? "Library." Su Yu said indifferently, "I don¡¯t have to attend any of the sses here anymore. The instructor gave me permission to skip my sses. As for you...are you intending to get your parents invited to the school by skipping sses?" "..." Chen Hao felt terrible hearing that. He ran away while covering his face. Yes, Su Yu no longer needed to attend any of the sses. The instructor had personally given him the permission for that. But that wasn''t the case for Chen Hao. Su Yu was exempted even from the cultivation ss. He was already a third-stage Source Opening cultivator. As far as the teachers were concerned, that was enough for him. None of them saw him joining a war academy, so nobody would push him to cultivate more. ... Looking at the departing Chen Hao, Su Yu shook his head andughed. Chen Hao''s father was old friends with his father. Meanwhile, Chen Hao and him were ssmates close enough to be considered best friends. However, Chen Hao was a raucous person, so it could be rather tiring to hang around that fellow at times. ... Library. As Su Yu was a frequent visitor here, he was quite close with the librarian. He would frequently spend an entire day in the library. After several years of doing so, it was only understandable that the two of them were able to cultivate a close rtionship. "Su Yu, you¡¯ve already mastered over ten differentnguages. You should be taking this time to rx a bit. Why are you still studying so hard?" teased the librarian. In Nanyuan Secondary School, Su Yu could be considered a small celebrity. For the majority of the students, they only needed to master the divine and devilnguage, the demonnguage, and themonnguage. Thosenguages alone were taxing enough to learn that they wouldn''t be able to learn morenguages. Su Yu, on the other hand, had been learning even the lesser knownnguages. Su Yu merely smiled, not saying anything. He went straight to the third floor. As the sses were still ongoing, the library was devoid of people. A few teachers were there for research, but barely any students could be found in the library. In any case, most students would rather bitterly cultivate than spend their time studying those indecipherable handwriting. For these youngsters, there was no point using their brain for issues that could be solved with force. The teachers noticed Su Yu, but none bothered him. Everyone was silently immersed in their readings. Su Yu did not bother anyone in the library either. Walking a familiar path, he headed toward the bookshelf that he had frequented most. After looking over the shelf, he pulled out a massive book. Ox-Faced Fish. That was a Myriad Race Compendium. Over the years, humanity had made aption of the races they knew into books that served to educate the human race about the myriad races. Su Yu was holding one such book in hand. The so-called Myriad Race Compendium referred to a series of books instead of a single book. Su Yu had no idea how many books there were in the series. After all, ess to some of the books were restricted to only a select group of people. There were thirty-nine of these books in Nanyuan Secondary School, detailing thirty-nine different races. The contents of these books included the appearance of these races, their habits, customs,nguages, unique cultivation methods,bat preferences, hunting guide, and so on. None of these were what Su Yu wanted to learn at the moment. He was looking at the title page, the page where the illustration of the race in question could be found. Ox-faced fish sounded like some sort of fish, but that wasn''t the case. Looking at the illustration, Su Yu noted that this was a race simr to an ox with the tail of a snake and a pair of wings on its back. As for the reason for this race to be known as the ox-faced fish, it was because this was an amphibious race capable of living both onnd and underwater. In terms ofbat strength, this race was stronger underwater than when onnd. Despite having a pair of wings, this race was incapable of flight. The pair of wings functioned simrly to chicken wings that would allow them to jump higher instead of actually soaring into the sky. Flesh of ox-faced fish, capable of expelling poison, an excellent antidote. Living in the Mount Root Realm, a realm filled with mountains and bodies of water. The ox-faced fish hibernate during winter before waking up in summer. Be very cautious entering the Mount Root Realm during summer as the danger rating would increase exponentially during that time. A neutral force at the Allheaven Battlefield. Do not kill without reason or explicit permission. Su Yu skimmed through the contents of the book. He had read all these before, but he had not learned the ox-faced fishnguage. That was an extremely difficultnguage to learn, especially since it was such an obscurenguage. There was also the fact that the ox-faced fish wasn''t even the dominant race of the Mount Root Realm. Su Yu wasn''t here to see all that. He was mainly here for the illustration of the ox-faced fish. "Ox-faced fish..." Su Yu muttered as he recalled his nightmare the night before. Was that the monster chasing him in his dreamst night? When he was younger, he wouldn''t read too much into these nightmares. But as years went by and he grew older, he started analyzing the nightmares, trying to learn more about them. What manner of beings were these monsters that had been chasing after him in his nightmares? Did these monsters exist in real life? Over the years, people hade to view him as a genius that was willing to put in the hard work to learn thenguages of the myriad races, reaching the point of mastering eighteennguages and putting others to shame with his hard work. In truth, he had only been working so hard to learn about the myriad races due to his nightmares. As he spent more and more of his time researching the myriad races, he eventually started learning morenguages to understand the myriad races better. "The dream world is too blurry. I can''t be sure if it was an ox-faced fish. But the monster in the dreamst night did have a pair of wings. I think it even mooed like an ox." Su Yu wondered to himself. As things were very blurry in the dream, he wasn''t sure if the monsterst night was really an ox-faced fish. However, he had managed to pinpoint several races that matched some of the monsters that had appeared in his dreams in the past. Thus, Su Yu felt that he was on the right track. The monsters in his dreams were the myriad races that existed in reality. It had been over ten years, over four thousand nights. He had encountered thousands of different monsters in his dreams. From the sheer variety of the monsters that had appeared in his dreams, he couldn''t imagine them existing if they weren''t actually the myriad races that existed in reality. "Myriad races, you guys sure look very highly upon me toe after me in my dreams..." Su Yu smiled bitterly. ?He was just a normal human being. Was there a point for the myriad races to invade his dreams? At that thought, Su Yu gnashed his teeth in fury. He didn''t even know them! He had never even met any of them! Why would they haunt him so? Was it fun to torture an ordinary person like him? "But why exactly are these dreams happening?" Su Yu couldn''t understand. He could ept being tortured by these monsters in his dreams if he had actually met them. But he had never even left Nanyuan City his entire life. The only connection he had to these monsters was the fact that he had read about them in books. How would that establish a connection with these monsters? After identifying the monster that he had seen in his dreamst night, Su Yu ced the book back on the shelf. There were some things that he still couldn''t investigate too deeply into for now. Shortly after, Su Yu walked away from the bookshelf. Apart from identifying the ox-faced fish, Su Yu still had some other business at the library today. A short whileter, he reached a different section of the library: Source Opening Section. This was the section housing the reading materials regarding the Source Opening Realm. For the human race, their initial cultivation method was the Source Opening Codex. Someone who had yet to open their nine acupoints and were incapable of sensing source qi. However, source qi was present everywhere. Anyone could take in the ambient source qi in the air and gradually open their nine acupoints before stepping into the Great Strength Realm to start their physical cultivation. Opening the nine acupoints was a lengthy process. A human cultivator would start cultivating the Source Opening Codex at a young age. Progress could only be made one step at a time. The world of cultivation followed thew of the jungle. Geniuses would be able to rise abruptly upon starting cultivation. With a better talent in cultivation, one would naturally be able to cultivate faster. Su Yu was notpletely clueless about cultivation. He was aware of all that. He knew that the Source Opening Realm wasn''t a realm that could be rushed through. Progress would only happen passively. Not even hard work could elerate the process. Even knowing all that, he still wanted to look around and see if he could find a way to elerate his cultivation. Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to find anything even after spending some time in the section. He frowned. Was that information not avable here? If that was the case, he probably wouldn''t be able to reach the fourth-stage before the entrance examination. "Su Yu, what are you looking for?" A short-haired girl who was reading nearby couldn''t hold her curiosity and asked. She had been reading in the same section for quite a while. Although the two weren''t ssmates, they were both frequent visitors of the library. As time went by, they naturally came to know each other. Su Yu had an apologetic look. He seemed to have disturbed her peace in the library. "I''m trying to look for something rted to increasing the speed of Source Opening cultivation but I can''t find anything." "Increasing the speed of Source Opening cultivation?" The short-haired girl muttered to herself before saying, "There are several methods to elerate the speed of Source Opening cultivation, but that is not rmended for humans. The Source Opening Realm is the foundation of cultivation. The opening of nine acupoints is a process where your foundations are built. ¡°This is a realm where stability is the priority. There is a reason the first realm was named the Source Opening Realm. It is the realm where you open the source of cultivation. Su Yu, I thought you''re applying for the cultural research academies? This is not something they would test you on. Don''t tell me you''re actually trying to elerate your cultivation." The girl was getting worried. "You can''t mess up your foundations. It is very dangerous. Even if you really managed to safely elerate your cultivation, it will still negatively affect your future cultivation." Su Yu smiled, "I know. Don''t worry, I''m not stupid. I only wanted to check if there is a safe method. If I can''t find any, so be it." "Is that so..." The girl gave it some thought before pointing at a bookshelf at the corner. "There are a few books about cultivation eleration there. However, some of the recorded methods are too extreme. Su Yu, you better don''t attempt any of those. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome. You might even die from it." "During the early years of the Anping Calendar, some humans did attempt these methods. At that time, they were left with no choice. The world was a much dangerous ce back then. However, none of those seniors had managed to reach the apex of cultivation. In fact, most of them had perished at a young age due to their unstable foundations during the Source Opening Realm." "Thank you. I know." Su Yu smiled and nodded. The girl was Liu Yue, a final year first ss student. Su Yu did not know much about her, but she was a frequent visitor of the library like him. He had heard that she had also mastered arge number ofnguages. However, he was unclear as to how manynguages she had actually mastered. He wasn''t a busybody that would go around asking about that. She would probably be applying for the cultural research academies. That was why she did not seem to care about her cultivation level. Su Yu did not say more to Liu Yue. He went to the corner and started looking for the books Liu Yue mentioned. Source Opening eleration Method, My Opinions on Source Opening, Importance of Foundations... Chapter 4: Source Opening Acceleration

Chapter 4: Source Opening eleration

Su Yu quickly opened the book titled Source Opening eleration Method. The very first page he saw rendered him speechless. This eleration method is one that will not take survival into consideration. Take note that a majority of the people who had attempted this method had died. Su Yu smiled helplessly. That preface made it clear that this would be an unreliable method. No wonder all his teachers had exhorted him to take it slow during the Source Opening Realm. They were all trying to make sure he did not step onto a wrong path. First method: Bath in the blood of formidable divine and devil beings. These beings have their nine acupoints opened at birth. They have abundant source qi in their bodies and their blood is rich in source qi... Result: Body explosion. Past case: Year 9 of the Anping Calendar. The son of Great Ming''s prefect had bathed in the blood of divine and devil beings to quickly open his nine acupoints, bringing him into the Great Strength Realm. He was able to open all nine acupoints within one day, but his body also exploded on the same day. He was still nine when he perished. Su Yu grimaced. Since a real case was given, this book was most likely not lying. Son of a prefect, year 9 of the Anping Calendar. That was probably the first son of the Great Ming King. Even someone like that had perished in the attempt. This was too dangerous. There was also the fact that the blood of divines and devils were not something easy to obtain. The divines and devils were among the strongest races that could be found on the Alleaven Battlefield. It was said that even the weakestbatant of these two races on the Allheaven Battlefield would be at the Infinite Strength Realm. The son of the Great Ming King must have obtained the leftover blood from the divines and devils the Great Ming King had killed himself. With the rarity of the blood required, this method wouldn''t be feasible for Su Yu even if it worked. "My dad isn''t the Great Ming King..." Su Yu muttered to himself. If his dad was the Great Ming King, he wouldn''t have bothered cultivating. Who was the Great Ming King? He was the supreme expert who had founded the Great Ming Prefecture, a pir of humanity. His strength was at a level Su Yu couldn''t find the words to describe. In short, he was so strong that this method wasn''t something Su Yu should even bother entertaining. Abandoning the first method, Su Yu continued reading. The more he read, the deeper his frown became. Second method: Consuming the flesh of the demons. The flesh of some demonic races are capable of opening one''s acupoints once consumed. Result: Body explosion. Past case: Early in the Anping Calendar, the human race was in decline. Human experts ughtered some demons and returned with their corpses. Arge number of humans feasted on these flesh. A majority of them died from the explosion of their bodies. A minority of them were able to quickly open all nine acupoints. Note: Only a very small number of people had sessfully opened their acupoints with this method. ording to the records, the flesh of the following races would be helpful for acupoint opening: golden peng race, barbaric bull race, sky tiger race... Su Yu immediately rejected this method. What kind of a joke was this? The listed races were incredibly powerful races. They might not be as powerful as the divines and the devils, but they were still far beyond Su Yu''s reach. Third method: Heavenly Source Fruit, a natural treasure. The Heavenly Source Fruit gathers the heavenly source qi, the original qi of the myriad realms. This fruit is extremely helpful for opening the nine acupoints. Locations: Can be found in the Divine Realm, Devil Realm, and Demon Realm in limited numbers. Past case: Year 25 of the Anping Calendar. The son of Great Zhou King consumed a Heavenly Source Fruit and opened nine acupoints in the span of three days and suffered no aftereffects. Su Yu grimaced yet again. "Son of Great Zhou King...That Great Zhou King only has one son, right? Isn''t that the current prefect of Great Zhou, Zhou Potian?" This was yet another method Su Yu had to give up on. He had never heard of this fruit before. It was definitely an incredible natural treasure. After all, Zhou Potian was still alive even now. He was also the current prefect of Great Zhou. It was clear he was incredibly powerful. But even if humanity was in possession of these Heavenly Source Fruits, it would have nothing to do with Su Yu. Something like that was basically a high-level strategic resource. Fourth method... Su Yu continued reading, but the more he read, the more hopeless he felt. Sure enough, there were no shortcuts in Source Opening cultivation. It was no wonder that his teachers had never mentioned these shortcuts before. The avable shortcuts would require either the blood of powerful divines and devils or some high-tier treasures. Most of these methods came with serious side effects as well. Ninth method: Look for a location rich in source qi. The source qi is distributed unevenly among the various realms. Some ces are barren and some ces are abundant. As one could only passively train one''s acupoints during the Source Opening Realm, the speed of one''s cultivation would rely on the ambient source qi of one''s surroundings... Holynds of cultivation: Allheaven Battlefield, secret grottos of the various academies, Sacred Land of the Human Realm... Su Yu nked out. Locations rich in source qi. In truth, those in the Source Opening Realm were incapable of sensing source qi. Despite that, he knew that Nanyuan City wasn''t a ce rich with source qi. "I''m aware of this. The bigger a city is, the better the location is, and the faster one could cultivate. That is probably rted to the amount of source qi in these cities." The teachers at Nanyuan had not mentioned that to their students because it was pointless. This was not an era where one could easily relocate to a different city. "In other words, if I can get to a bigger city or a secret grotto, I''ll be able to safely speed up my cultivation. But this method will still be slowerpared to the other methods." Abundant source qi can only slightly increase one''s cultivation speed instead of pushing one through the entire realm in one go like the other listed methods. Even so, this was still a method Su Yu hoped to utilize. Unfortunately, not a single one of the listed locations was a ce he could reach. He could forget about the Allheaven Battlefield. As for the secret grottos, it was said that the high academies would have ess to those, but he knew too little about them. There wasn''t even a need to consider something like the Sacred Land of the Human Realm. Tenth method: Source qi liquid. There are two types of source qi liquid: natural or synthetic. ces rich in source qi are capable of producing natural source qi liquid. However, natural source qi liquid is extremely rare. As for synthetic source qi liquid, it is something produced by Skysoar Realm experts. The source qi liquid has the same level of efficacy as a location with abundant source qi. "..." There was no way Su Yu would be able to get any natural source qi liquid. As for synthetic source qi...a Skysoar Realm expert was required. Su Yu smiled helplessly. Skysoar Realm? One would still be cultivating one''s physical body at the Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms. But beyond that, a human cultivator would be able to take to the skies. The Skysoar Realm was a stage where human cultivators would go through a qualitative transformation. Was there even a single Skysoar Realm cultivator in the entirety of Nanyuan City? Perhaps. Maybe the mayor was one such expert. But could Su Yu realistically get in contact with an individual of this level? As for the Nanyuan Secondary School, the strongest individual was the principal. But even the principal was only at the Infinite Strength Realm. If an Infinite Strength cultivator could actually produce source qi liquid, the principal was probably nice enough that Su Yu could get a few drops off him. Unfortunately, that wasn''t possible. "I can''t rely on anyone!" Su Yuined. No wonder these books were left collecting dust at the corner of the library. For people like Su Yu, none of the listed methods were usable. The easiest method would either be finding a location with rich source qi or getting some source qi liquid. However, source qi liquid would require a Skysoar Realm expert at the very least. That was out of Su Yu''s reach. His father was a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator eighteen years ago. Due to theck of ambient source qi in Nanyuan City and theck of support after leaving the army, his father had only managed to reach the ninth-stage after all these years. Even at such a low cultivation level, he was still regarded as an important individual in Nanyuan City. Of course, his father did not think that he was anyone special. After his retirement from the army, he had worked as the city¡¯s traffic controller and lived a rtively leisurely life. If he hadn''t sacrificed his career prospects to raise Su Yu, his cultivation of ninth-stage Great Strength Realm would be enough to get him a rather respectable position in Nanyuan City. "None of these methods works!" Finally, Su Yu gave up and returned the books to the shelf. After giving it some thought, he approached Liu Yue apologetically and said, "Liu Yue, can I get a minute of your time?" Liu Yue ced down the book she was reading and smiled, "Of course." "I haven''t been paying much attention to cultivation all these years. Do you know about source qi liquid?" "You want to buy some source qi liquid?" Liu Yue immediately understood what Su Yu wanted. After all, as the one who had referred those books to Su Yu, she had naturally read them as well. "Source qi liquid...that is a strategic resource. It is not avable for purchase in Nanyuan City. However, you can find it at the capital. You need to register your real name before making the purchase. "There are many types of source qi liquid. The liquid formed by experts of different cultivation levels would be different as well. Naturally, for Source Opening cultivators, the liquid formed by Skysoar cultivators would be the best. That would be the cheapest tier of liquid you can get. With the rtively lower density of qi in the liquid, it is much easier for Source Opening cultivators to digest. If the density is too high, Source Opening cultivators can easily harm themselves. "However, it definitely wouldn''t be cheap to purchase. After all, even a Skysoar cultivator would require three days to form a drop. However, Skysoar cultivators need their source qi for their own cultivation as well. Unless they are broke, no Skysoar Realm expert would be willing to form any source qi liquid." Liu Yue gazed at Su Yu and said, "Su Yu, it really isn''t worth it. Source qi liquid can only increase your source qi density. It won''t guarantee an opening of your acupoints." "I know. Thank you. So how much for a drop of source qi liquid formed by a Skysoar expert?" Su Yu naturally knew that it wouldn''t be cheap. But he still wanted to learn more. After all, his father had left a decent amount of money behind before leaving. Or to be precise, Su Long had left all his money behind. After all, the Allheaven Battlefield was a dangerous ce. There was no guarantee that he would be able to return with his life. "100,000 anyuan dors." "..." Su Yu grimaced. 100,000 per drop? His father was a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. Working as the city''s traffic controller, he had a monthly sry of 5,000 anyuan dors. That was by no means a low sry. After deducting the money used for their family''s daily expenses and some cultivation resources, they could save about 20,000 or 30,000 anyuan dors per year. Through years of saving, Su Long had saved about 300,000 anyuan dors, enough for his son to start a family. But now...it turned out that all their family savings only amounted to three drops of source qi liquid? No wonder Liu Yue said that it wasn''t worth it! Using source qi liquid to cultivate was basically the same as burning his money away! Seeing Su Yu''s expression, Liu Yue couldn''t help butugh. "I told you. It''s expensive and totally not worth it. In truth, I had used a drop before. It only increased my source qi density for about three days. It''s really not that good. I only used it that one time. It''s too expensive. "If it''s really that good, the school would have long encouraged us to use it. After all, the school could still afford that much money for something actually useful. Just look around you. How many people do you know that have actually used this method? "If you couldn''t open your acupoints within three days, you will then have to buy more. In six days, 200,000 dors would be used. In nine days, 300,000 dors would be wasted. Nobody can sustain that." Su Yu smiled helplessly, "I understand. It''s really too expensive. If it guarantees the opening of my acupoints, it might still be worth a try. But if I fail to open any acupoints, I would have wasted my money for nothing. No wonder all the teachers imed that there are no shortcuts in Source Opening cultivation." "That''s the truth," Liu Yue smiled. "You''re not going to be taking any tests rted to your cultivation anyway. Why are you suddenly thinking about buying source qi liquid?" "I signed up for the war academies. Not putting all eggs in one basket and all that, you know?" Su Yu gave a short exnation before taking his leave with a smile on his face. This was the library, not a ce for them to chat away. Looking at the departing Su Yu, Liu Yue raised her brow curiously. Signed up for the war academies? Why would he sign up for the war academies for no reason? She shook her head and stopped thinking about it. Nothing would change even if this fellow had signed up for the war academies. They would most likely still end up schoolmates in the same cultural research academy. She could only hope that this fellow wouldn''t do anything stupid. Chapter 5: Dreamland

Chapter 5: Dreand

Although Su Yu had not managed to find a suitable cultivation eleration method in the library, he wasn''t too disappointed. If such methods could really be found so easily, the school wouldn''t have kept it out of the curriculum. He was merely trying his luck. Since he couldn''t find anything, he could only continue bitterly cultivating the Source Opening Codex. ... Su Yu grabbed his lunch at school and returned homete in the afternoon. Looking at his empty house, he sank into silence. The house felt so lonely without his father around. In the past, his father would have dinner ready for him by the time he was back from school. He wasn''t used to returning to an empty and silent home. Not in the mood to make dinner, Su Yu sat down on the couch and turned on the television. With the television providing the background noise, he started nking out. This was an era where there were not many television channels in existence. In Great Xia, only the Great Xia TV Station and several local stations were avable. Due to the effect of the Allheaven Battlefield, the television signals in the Human Realm were limited in coverage. Thus, the people of the different prefectures would generally only be able to gain ess to their local stations. "Recently, traces of the Myriad Race Cult have been discovered in Great Xia. All citizens of Great Xia, please remember to notify your local Windcatcher Department if you encounter any suspicious individuals..." "Those bastards!" Su Yu couldn''t help but to curse upon hearing the news from the television. Those people were a bunch of bastards. A war was raging between the myriad races. Although the human race was able to resist the other races, humanity was not considered a powerful race among all the races in existence. As a result, some humans had decided to offer their allegiances to the other races instead. The Myriad Race Cult was not a single cult. Rather, it was a general term used tobel the various organizations of humans who had betrayed humanity. Together, these traitors sowed chaos in the Human Realm. Influenced by his father since he was young, Su Yu loathed these traitors of humanity. Looking up at the television, he saw that a square face had appeared on the screen. The face belonged to a middle-aged man d in red with a heroic appearance. With a cold expression, the middle-aged manmanded, "Kill!" Plop! Next, over a hundred kneeling individuals appeared on the screen. Standing behind the kneeling individuals were some armored soldiers. As they swung their des down, over a hundred heads dropped to the ground. "All members of the Myriad Race Cult will be killed without mercy," dered the middle-aged man coldly. He looked straight ahead, as though his gaze could prate the television screen itself. "Only death awaits you who have decided to enter my Great Xia. From today onwards, the Martial Dragon Guards will start patrolling the Great Xia. Bastards of Myriad Race Cult, feel free to stay if you''re not afraid of death. Let''s see how many heads you have to offer us." Sitting on the couch, Su Yu grew excited. Xia Longwu! The prefect of Great Xia! As for the public execution, he did not mind it. Everyone was already used to such sights. In fact, this was not the first time something like this was shown on the television. The human race would treat all captured Myriad Race Cult members the same: execution upon capture. This was an iron-blooded policy aimed at discouraging traitors from appearing through fear. These public executions were meant to serve as a tool to warn everyone to not even think of betraying humanity. Su Yu did not care about the executions. Instead, most of his attention was on Xia Longwu. This prefect of Great Xia had a forceful personality and a formidable strength. Twenty years ago, he was themander in charge of the Devil Subduing Army on the Allheaven Battlefield. That was the same army Su Yu''s father had served in. Thus, Xia Longwu could be considered as his father''s ex superior. Over the years, Su Long would be iparably excited every time he saw Xia Longwu on the television. He would excitedly drag Su Yu over and pointed at the television while saying, "That''s your old man''s ex superior. Back then, he dominated the Allheaven Battlefield and looked at all our enemies with disdain. He ughtered so many enemies that the opposing armies would frantically flee while tossing their armors and helmets away whenever they encountered us." As time went by, even Su Yu developed a sense of worship toward this super expert who had dominated the Allheaven Battlefield. "It would be great if I can be as strong as the prefect," muttered Su Yu longingly. This was a true expert. In fact, no reigning prefect was a weakling. However, it was worth noting that even among all the prefects, Xia Longwu was still one of the stronger ones. Even more impressive was the fact that Xia Longwu was only about 60 years old and could be considered young for top cultivators. The other prefects were much older. For example, Zhou Potian of Great Zhou was someone who had lived since the early years of the Anping Calendar. He was over three hundred years old today. Twenty years ago, Xia Longwu was only over forty years old. At such a young age, he had gained enough strength to lead the Devil Subduing Army. That was what Su Yu was envious of. That was too strong! In this era, forty years old was an extremely young age. What manner of strength would one need to be the leader of the Devil Subduing Army? Su Yu had no idea. He only knew that one needed to be extremely powerful to do so. That wasn''t a feat Xia Longwu had aplished simply because his grandfather was the legendary Great Xia King who had founded the Great Xia. After all, there were still other living children of prefecture founders around but none had reached the same height. "Xia Longwu! Martial Dragon War Academy! Martial Dragon Guards!" Su Yu licked his lips in excitement. He was, after all, still a youngster. Someone like him would naturally be hot-blooded. Had he ever considered joining a war academy in the past? Of course he had! There were many war academies in Great Xia. Among them, the Great Xia War Academy was one that had existed for over three hundred years. It was the oldest and the most prestigious war academy in Great Xia. However, there was another top-tier war academy in Great Xia. It was the Martial Dragon War Academy. That was an academy named after Xia Longwu himself, as the Longwu in his name meant martial dragon. It had only been established for fifteen years. In such a short period of time, it had managed to establish itself as one of the best war academies in Great Xia. A majority of their graduates would end up joining the strongest army in Great Xia: the Martial Dragon Guards. It was said that even Nanyuan City''s mayor hade from the Martial Dragon Guards. From that, one could see just how impressive that army was. Su Yu''s father was a soldier from the Devil Subduing Army. Back then when he first retired, he had tried joining the Martial Dragon Guards to continue serving under his ex superior. Unfortunately, he was rejected by Martial Dragon Guards. He was too old and too weak for such an elite army. Naturally, Su Long was extremely furious to be rejected, to the point he unleashed a string of profanities at the point of rejection. Naturally, the target of his profanities was not Xia Longwu. Rather, it was the recruiter. Why would they reject him? It was rumored that a team of Martial Dragon Guards was stationed at Nanyuan City, but Su Yu had no idea if that was true. He had never seen those guys in the city before. "Great Xia War Academy, Martial Dragon War Academy...the Great Xia War Academy mainly focused on producing soldiers to serve the front line. Their graduates will not have much chance to return home after graduation. As for the Martial Dragon War Academy..." Su Yu''s eyes lit up. The Martial Dragon War Academy was different. That was because their students were considered the reserve force of the Martial Dragon Guards. Of course, the students of Martial Dragon War Academy would also be sent to the front line like those from the other war academies. However, the Martial Dragon Guards'' main task was to protect their homnd. In other words, they could remain in Great Xia most of the time. Of course, the moment a major conflict broke out, the elite Martial Dragon Guards would also be the first to be deployed to the Allheaven Battlefield. If the Devil Subduing Army was considered a standing army, the Martial Dragon Guards could be considered a field army. "They have fewer limitations and more freedom. In exchange, they will be conducting the most dangerous missions in battles. If I wish to enter a war academy, the Martial Dragon War Academy would be a good choice." Unfortunately, the Martial Dragon War Academy was much harder to join than the other war academies. Due to its nature as the reserve force for the Martial Dragon Guards, they were far stricter in recruitment. Rubbing his face, Su Yu smiled helplessly. Joining the Martial Dragon Guards would only be a dream for him. It would be difficult for him to join even a regr war academy, much less the Martial Dragon War Academy. What was the point of thinking all that? "Is the Myriad Race Cult courting death? Why would they enter Great Xia? Even the Martial Dragon Guards have been deployed. I wonder if I can see them here at Nanyuan..." Su Yu wasn''t too worried about the Myriad Race Cult. Those people were all akin to rats that could only scurry about in the dark. They would only dare to scheme about while in hiding. With the Martial Dragon Guards deployed, these people would probably go even deeper into hiding. How would they still dare to show themselves? Even if they did show up, Su Yu had nothing to fear. This was an era where almost the entirety of the Human Realm had been militarized. There might not be any Infinite Strength Realm experts in the neighborhood, but they still have some Great Strength Realm experts around. His father was a veteran that had rejoined the army, but there were still several veterans in the neighborhood that had not returned to the army. If the Myriad Race Cult really decided to send several Great Strength cultivators over, it would be no different than suicide. Those old veterans were all retired from the battlefield. Each and every one of them was someone whose hands were drenched in blood. They wouldn''t hesitate to kill. A single shout in the neighborhood would be enough to instantly summon about seven or eight of them. ... . Done with watching the television, Su Yu had a simple meal of instant noodles before washing up and practicing the Source Opening Codex. That night, he went to bed early. After all, his sleep would be disturbed by nightmares. The only way for him to get enough rest was to actually get more rest. Su Yu had determined that his nightmares would generally start around midnight. Prior to that, his sleep would be rtively peaceful. ... Night. Darkness. Dreand. A scene that had repeated itself countless times was once again reappearing. A massive flying monster was chasing after Su Yu. "Fuck!" There was nothing Su Yu hated more than the flying monsters. They were too fast for him to escape from. He had encounterednd-based monsters before, and things were definitely better during those encounters. After all, he would be able to escape the fate of being caught and eaten every now and then when facing those monsters. Meanwhile, he had never escaped from the flying monsters once. Every single time, he would be caught and eaten before waking up from the torturous nightmare. He hated these flying bastards. This nightmare was no exception to the norm. The massive flying monster was very fast. Theplicated terrain of the dreand posed no challenge for the monster. Slowly, it got closer and closer to Su Yu. While running, he did not forget to look back at the monster. He wanted to see if it was one he recognized. "Huh?" There were a lot of different flying races in existence and Su Yu only knew about a dozen of them. This time, the monster chasing after him actually looked familiar. The monster''s appearance was blurry, but he could vaguely see a wart on the monster''s massive head. "This is...an iron-winged bird! Holy shit! After so many years, I finally met a monster I know!" Su Yu grew excited. He knew eighteen differentnguages, but that did not mean that he had actually met the races whosenguages he had learned even after including all the monsters he had encountered in his dreams. He only had a vague idea of what these races looked like and had only learned theirnguages because there were some other people in Nanyuan Secondary School who knew thesenguages as well. He had never encountered an iron-winged bird before but he knew itsnguage! This was one of the eighteennguages he had mastered, and he was not the only person in his school that knew thenguage. After all, the iron-winged bird race wasmonly utilized by the various powerful races on the Allheaven Battlefield as the air force. Su Yu hurriedly looked back and shouted, "Weiyi xijiu yun(Why are you chasing me)?" The gigantic bird did not reply and continued chasing him like it hadn''t heard anything. "Luyi jiyou(We''re friends)!" Still no response. Su Yu cursed inwardly. Looking at the descending ws of the monster, he knew that he was going to die yet again. It was very likely that this was an iron-winged bird. However, it did not seem to be sentient. After all, this was only something conjured in his dream. Crack! Unsurprisingly, intense pain erupted on Su Yu''s head as it was crushed by the bird. Slowly, the dreand dissipated around him. He knew that he was on the verge of waking up due to the pain he was feeling. Right that moment, the massive bird suddenly shouted with a shrill voice. "Moonlight!" Su Yu was stunned. Next, he woke up drenched in sweat. "Moonlight...no, in its tongue, it means blood!" Su Yu''s eyes widened. He heard what the bird said! Although the iron-winged bird had managed to kill him, it seemed furious, as though it had failed to obtain what it wanted. "Blood! It was chasing after me for my blood!" The bird had spoken using the iron-winged birdnguage, so Su Yu was able to understand it. In the past, the monsters had spoken to him as well, but he couldn¡¯t understand any of the words spoken to him since those weren''t thenguages he had learned. That wasn''t the case this time! "Blood. Blood is their goal? What does that mean? Do they want my blood? But I would bleed in the dream whenever I was injured. That had never changed anything. What is the meaning of that exactly?" Su Yu was still in difort from his recent nightmare, but he ignored it and sank into deep thought. "It wanted blood, but it couldn''t get my blood from my dreams. Or maybe my blood isn''t the point here? Perhaps...I need the blood of its race?" "The blood of an iron-winged bird? What will happen if I can get some? A dream is a dream. Even if I can get my hands on some, can I even bring it into the dream?" Su Yu rubbed his temple with his sweaty hand. Now wasn''t the time to be bothered about his sweat. Something seemed to be clearing up about his dreams. This was the very first time in so many years that he hade so close to learning something new about his dreams. His efforts in learning the many differentnguages had finally paid off. Even if he had only gotten a single word from his dream, it was still worth it. "I can''t stop here. I need to try something. What will happen if I can get some iron-winged bird blood? But I''ll encounter a different monster tomorrow. Will the iron-winged bird blood still work tomorrow? Screw it." Su Yu sat up on the bed as he reached a decision to do something about what he had learned. He was sick of being killed repeatedly in his dreams. He needed to solve this issue as soon as possible. It felt really terrible being killed in his dreams every single day. "I''ll go to the Xia Trade Company when the sun rises. They have all sorts of things for sale there. They might even have some iron-winged bird blood in stock. After all, the iron-winged bird is rathermon on the Allheaven Battlefield. I might be able to buy some there." Having made his choice, Su Yu was no longer in the mood to continue sleeping. He waited in excitement for the sun to rise. Even if this clue only had a tiny chance of deciphering his dreams, he would still be willing to try it. He was sick of being tortured every time he went to bed. Chapter 6: Iron-winged Birds Reappearance

Chapter 6: Iron-winged Bird''s Reappearance

Xia Trade Company. A tradepany founded by the ruling family of Great Xia, the Xia Trade Company was thergest tradepany in the prefecture. A five-storey building at Nanyuan''smercial district housed the Nanyuan branch of Xia Trade Company. The first floor engaged in the sale of pills, the second floor engaged in the sale of weapons, the third floor engaged in the sale of cultivation methods, the fourth floor engaged in the sale of the various products rted to the myriad races, and the fifth floor engaged in high value transactions. ... Su Yu went straight to the Xia Trade Company after leaving his home. He had visited the ce with his father before. After all, Su Long was a Great Strength cultivator. Due to the low density of ambient source qi in Nanyuan City, he needed the assistance of external cultivation resources to continue cultivating. The fourth floor was further divided into several sections such as the Unknown Cultivation Method Section, Demon Flesh Section, Broken Tool Section, Natural Treasure Section, and so on. Of course, since this was only a branch of a small city like Nanyuan, most of the products being sold were at the level of the Great Strength Realm. Rarely any products at the level of Infinite Strength Realm could be found here. Demon Flesh Section. A beautiful and well-trained young woman shed Su Yu a warm smile and asked, "How may I help you, sir?" "Iron-winged bird blood." "Iron-winged bird..." The woman gave it a thought before asking, "Regr blood or blood essence?" An iron-winged bird was massive, so it would have arge amount of blood in its body. But only several drops of blood essence could be extracted from one iron-winged bird. The rest of the harvest would be regr blood that did not have much uses, unlike the blood essence that was quite useful. Su Yu did not know what he needed either. After a slight hesitation, he said, "Can you show me both?" "Sure thing!" The woman did not question him. Iron-winged birds weren''t a rare race. They weremonly utilized by the various races at the Allheaven Battlefield as an air force. If Su Yu was looking for the blood of a more powerful flying race instead, he might not be able to find any in Nanyuan. Shortly after, a male employee took out two ss bottles from a ss shelf and offered it to them. "This is the regr blood and this is the blood essence. Both originated from a Great Strength iron-winged bird." Looking at Su Yu who was staring intently at the bottles, the woman smiled and exined, "If you require the blood of an Infinite Strength iron-winged bird, you won''t be able to find it at the Nanyuan branch. You can only find some at the capital." "This will do." Su Yu wouldn''t be able to make use of the blood from an Infinite Strength iron-winged bird. Even if he could use it, he wouldn''t be willing to spend the money for it. "What''s the price?" "Five thousand dors for a bottle of regr blood. It''s very cheap. As for the blood essence, it is slightly higher in price. After all, less than ten drops of blood essence can be extracted from an adult iron-winged bird. We''re selling them at fifty thousand dors a drop." Su Yu frowned. That was expensive. "Great Strengthbatants are basically cannon fodder at the Allheaven Battlefield. Arge number of them will die every single day. Why is one drop of blood essence from a cannon fodder so expensive?" The woman maintained the same smile on her face and said, "You''re right, sir. But transporting the blood essence from the Allheaven Battlefield to Great Xia is an extremely expensive endeavor. We need to deal with numerous procedures such as extracting, conserving, selling, taxation, and so on. Fifty thousand per drop is really not that expensive, all things considered." "The blood essence of a Great Strength iron-winged bird is naturally not worth much at the Allheaven Battlefield. It ismon enough that you might even be able to randomly stumble upon some if you''re lucky enough. However, this is not the Allheaven Battlefield." Su Yu sank into silence. She was right. Blood essence of Great Strength beasts was of little value at the Allheaven Battlefield. More importantly, who would have the time to go around harvesting blood essence during a battle? And even if one could harvest some, how would one deliver the blood essence back? Only a tradepany like the Great Xia Trade Company with a powerful backing was capable of transporting materials obtained from the battlefield back to Great Xia. With the amount of effort required for transportation, it was understandable that the materials would be expensive. "Give me a bottle of regr blood...and a drop of blood essence!" It was very difficult for Su Yu to part with his wealth. He was fortunate that his father wasn''t around. Otherwise, he would probably suffer an intense whooping from his father for wasting so much money for some blood. "Sure thing! Card or cash?" "Card!" Su Yu''s expression remained the same, but inwardly, he was feeling terrible. 55,000 dors had been spent in total! Just like that, about one sixth of the money his father had spent so many years saving was gone. "This is only a guess. If the blood doesn''t work...then this would be a massive loss." At that thought, Su Yu hurriedly asked, "By the way, do you buy back the blood you sold here?" The woman nked out slightly before replying with a smile, "Yes, we do. A thousand per bottle of regr blood and ten thousand per drop of blood essence." "I-- " Su Yu had the urge to curse. What a greedy business! Even if the Great Xia Trade Company was owned by Xia Longwu''s family, he still couldn''t resist cursing it. Buying back at one fifth the price? What a scam! Su Yu decided to let it go. The employees here were only doing what they were told. It was not like they were the decision makers. It was pointless to argue with them. After swiping his card, Su Yu was given a box with two ss bottles inside. In one of the bottles, a drop of golden blood could be seen. It was as though the drop of blood was constantly swirling in the bottle, and if one looked carefully, one could even see the vague image of a soaring iron-winged bird in the drop of blood. So that was the so-called blood essence! The blood essence of these demonic races could more or less be helpful for one''s cultivation when consumed. For example, the blood essence of an iron-winged bird would enhance the physical body of a Great Strength cultivator upon consumption. For the human race, only after progressing beyond the Source Opening Realm would one be considered a proper cultivator. The realm after the Source Opening Realm was the Great Strength Realm, a realm focusing on the cultivation of one''s physical body. Blood essence might be helpful for Great Strength cultivators, but it was useless for Source Opening cultivators. In fact, it might even be harmful for those in the Source Opening Realm. The cases of bodies exploding after bathing in the blood of divines and devils wouldn''t have happened otherwise. Before opening the nine acupoints, one would be unable to circte the source qi within one''s body. Blind umtion without cirction was the same as consuming poison. A natural treasure like the Heavenly Source Fruit was born out of pure heavenly source qi, so it was rather mild in effect, unlike regr source qi that was much harsher to digest. While Su Yu was deep in thought, the woman reminded him, "Sir, if you''re not at the Great Strength Realm yet, you can''t use the iron-winged bird blood essence. It would be too dangerous." "I know. Thanks." Su Yu casually asked, "Do you have Heavenly Source Fruits here?" "What?" The woman nked out before quickly recovering. "My apologies. We don''t. In fact, I''ve never heard of that fruit before." Su Yu did not mind. There were countless races in existence, and that was also the case for the natural treasures that could be found in the various realms. It would be unfair to expect a salesperson to know about every single treasure in existence. For them, it would be good enough to know about the products they were selling. "What about source qi liquid?" "We don''t have that as well. Source qi liquid is quite hard to store as it can dissipate very easily. The cost of storage is too high," said the salesperson. "You can get some at the capital. In fact, we used to sell it here a few years ago. However, sales were low due to the high pricing, so we stopped restocking." "Oh? What''s the price of source qi liquid?" "At the capital, you can get them for 100,000 per drop, but I''m not sure if the price has changed recently." The salesperson went on to suggest, "Sir, are you trying to elerate your Source Opening cultivation? In truth, we have many treasures and pills here that might be helpful for that. For example, we have fire suckling blood, source opening pill..." Su Yu rolled his eyes. Did she really think that he was some clueless fool? Sure, those things were helpful, but they were only a tiny bit helpful. If one''s original cultivation speed was quantified at a hundred points, then using these things would probably increase the speed by one point. He was already aware of those methods, but only a fool would waste their money on them. After spending tens of thousands on those methods, he would probably only gain an equivalent of one extra day of cultivation after a whole month. It wasn''t like he was so rich that he didn''t know what to do with his money. Naturally, there were still people that would buy those things. Otherwise, production would have ceased a long time ago. In fact, those things were actually quite popr as they weren''t too expensive if bought in small quantities. Su Yu did not ask more and left with his box. He had sessfully obtained the blood he was there for. However, he did not know if it would be useful. He could still resell the blood if it proved useless provided that he still had some left. Granted, he would suffer a great loss doing so, but that was still better than losing his entire investment. ... Back at the neighborhood, below the apartment. Chen Hao was waiting downstairs for Su Yu. When he saw that Su Yu was also returning home so early in the morning, he asked curiously, "Yu, where did you go?" "I went shopping." "Oh. Let''s go to school-- " "No." "..." Indignation spread across Chen Hao''s face. "No?" Wasn¡¯t Su Yu the one who had insisted on going to school the day before? Why had he changed his mind? "I''m going to self-study at home." Su Yu smiled. "Go ahead. Remember to cultivate well at school. Try to reach the fourth-stage as soon as possible." Like Su Yu, Chen Hao was also a third-stage Source Opening cultivator. Unfortunately, Chen Hao was incapable of entering the cultural research and scientific research academies. If he failed to enter a war academy as well, he would be forced to enter an internal affairs academy. "I-- " Su Yu stopped Chen Hao from nagging and expended quite a lot of effort before he finally managed to convince Chen Hao to leave. ... In the living room. Su Yu was staring at the two bottles of blood with a deep frown. He had the blood with him. But how was he supposed to use them? "Should I swallow them? The blood of a beast at the Great Strength Realm won''t cause my body to explode, but it will still harm my body. Or should I wait for the iron-winged bird to appear in my dream again? But it had only appeared once over a period of over ten years. Am I supposed to wait ten more years for a second appearance?" Su Yu was troubled. He had been full of excitement before purchasing the blood. It hadn''t been easy for him to get a clue about his dreams. He had already decided to even swallow the blood if he had to, but now that he had the blood in hand, he started hesitating. If the blood really ended up injuring him, it would hurt badly. "Or should I be smearing the blood over my skin?" Su Yu immediately gave it a try. There shouldn''t be any problem as long as he didn''t swallow the blood. Opening the bottle of regr blood, he dipped a finger inside before smearing the blood on the back of his hand. Then, he sat there waiting. A few minutester, Su Yu started frowning. Nothing was happening. The blood smeared on his skin was slowly drying out. This blood was five thousand dors per bottle. If one consumed a tiny amount of it on a daily basis, it would help with improving one''s health. It would be too much of a waste to just let the blood dry away. "If this isn''t working...maybe I should try consuming some?" He licked the blood on the back of his hand and sat waiting once again. s, nothing happened as well. "Is the regr blood not doing anything or am I using it wrong? Or have Ipletely misinterpreted the dream?" Su Yu was vexed. He had spent tens of thousands of dors for this. Had he been too rash? But he had been tortured by those dreams for way too many years. He wanted nothing more than to solve the issue immediately. Tens of thousands of dors was a price he was willing to pay if it would really work. Staring at the drop of blood essence, Su Yu couldn''t bring himself to use it. He only had a single drop of these. The drop of blood was as hard as a precious stone. He couldn¡¯t even split it into smaller portions. He would have to directly swallow it as smearing it against his skin would not be an option here. "Do I really need to swallow it? I''m only at the Source Opening Realm. If I take it, I''ll either die or suffer grievous injuries. I already have very little hope of reaching the fourth-stage. If I hurt myself here, my cultivation level might even drop lower than it already is." Su Yu couldn''t make up his mind. Due to the years of torture he had suffered, he had developed a calm and steadfast personality. He wasn''t the type of person to take risks. If it wasn''t for the fact that his father had joined the battlefield, he wouldn''t even think of joining a war academy. The dreams had tortured him for too many years. He wanted badly to solve the mystery behind his dreams. "Just one drop...that probably won''t kill. Should I try it? What''s the worst that could happen? If I really get myself injured by this, I can just not enter a war academy. It''s not like I stand much chance with my third-stage cultivation level anyway. And for cultural research academies, it wouldn''t matter even if I''m only at the first-stage." Su Yu stared at the golden blood before him. It appeared rather bright to his eyes. After some hesitation, he poured the drop of blood out. It was as solid as a stone and was actually rather heavy. He tried squeezing the drop of blood, but nothing changed. "Should I wait one more day and see what happens after another dream? Maybe a different monster would need the iron-winged bird''s blood as well? Or the iron-winged bird''s blood would only work today?" Every day around midnight, he would dream of a different monster. If he missed the window to use this drop of blood, just how long would he have to wait for the same bird to reappear? The bird might not even appear anymore in his life. Or maybe it would take decades to reappear. He grew so anxious that his breathing grew heavier. "In that case, I''ll give it a try! At worst, I''ll suffer some injuries and just enter a cultural research academy instead of a war academy! I''ll focus on studying the myriad races at the cultural research academy. A day wille when I eventually solve the mystery behind my dreams!" His chances of entering a war academy were low anyway. The prospect of solving his dreams was attractive enough that he was willing to risk his rather low chance of admittance into a war academy. Clenching his teeth, he finally reached a decision. Also, solving the mystery behind his dreams might even bring him an unexpected reward. With the blood essence in one hand and hismunicator in his other hand, he quickly typed a message: Come to my house. I''ve something to tell you. If I''m not answering the door, break in! The message was sent to Chen Hao. If he really ended up injured or losing his consciousness before he could seek help, Chen Hao would be around to send him to the hospital. After doing that, Su Yu clenched his teeth and swallowed the drop of blood. At worst, he would suffer some injuries. Was he someone who was afraid of pain? "Ahhh!" A miserable wail rang out the moment that thought crossed Su Yu''s mind. He nearly teared up from the pain. Boom! Next, a boom erupted within his mind as he fainted. "Moonlight!" The massive iron-winged bird reappeared. This scene was so simr to the scene from the previous night yet dissimr at the same time. This was something that had never happened before. The monsters from his dreams had never appeared twice. Today, that had happened! The iron-winged bird had reappeared! Chapter 7: Book Activation

Chapter 7: Book Activation

"Moonlight!" The massive iron-winged bird shrieked. This time, the dream was much clearer. Su Yu was able to see the appearance of the bird clearly. What was different about this dream was the existence of a massive drop of golden blood hovering in the air. That was the blood essence he had consumed. The iron-winged bird that was originally busy chasing after Su Yu seemed distracted. When itid its eyes on the golden blood, the bird nked out. It stopped chasing Su Yu and started flying toward the golden blood instead. It flew rapidly and instantly reached its target. After a shriek, it swallowed the drop of blood. Boom! Resplendent radiance erupted from the iron-winged bird, making it look like a bright sun that illuminated the entire dreand. Sure enough, the blood essence was useful! Su Yu waited in anticipation. What would happen next? The iron-winged bird suddenly started erging uncontrobly, looking like it was about to burst apart. Su Yu''s expression changed. With a rumble, the iron-winged bird exploded into countless golden dots of light that spread everywhere in the air. The dreand started copsing, and even Su Yu''s body was torn apart due to the explosion. At the final moment before the dreand copsedpletely, a massive book appeared in the air. The pages of the book started flipping over rapidly. All the pages were nk. Eventually, the flipping stopped at one nk page and the golden dots dove into it, instantly litting that page up. An illustration of an iron-winged bird appeared on the nk page. That was the point the dream ended and Su Yu woke up in reality. ... "Hiss!" His head was hurting so much he wondered if it was going to burst apart. In fact, his entire body was hurting, as though he had really been sted apart in reality. His eyes flickered in excitement as he seemed to have finally deciphered his dream. At that moment, a faintly discernible book could be seen in his mind. That was the same book that had appeared in the dream. "From dream to reality..." Su Yu''s expression turned solemn. After so many years of torture, he should be happy to finally decipher his dreams. But why would something from a dream appear outside of it? The book that had absorbed the iron-winged bird''s blood essence had actually appeared in his mind. Was that an image or was there really a book within his head? As Su Yu gazed inwardly at the book, he tried controlling the book with his mind. The pages of the book started flipping. Before long, he arrived at the page that had been illuminated by the iron-winged bird. Iron-winged bird (Seventh-stage Great Strength Realm) Racial abilities: Tier-1 Rip (activate with blood essence), Ironwing sh (activate with blood essence) Foundation source art: Source Swallowing (activate with blood essence) There were only a few words on the page. Those weren''t written in the humannguage. Rather, they were written in the iron-winged birdnguage. If Su Yu had not learned thenguage before, he would not be able to read this page. "Seventh-stage Great Strength, racial ability, foundation source art..." Su Yu frowned. What was that book? Looking at the contents of the page, was he supposed to consume more blood essence for activation? Activate? What was he supposed to activate? Those abilities? Seventh-stage Great Strength probably referred to the strength of the iron-winged bird the blood essence had been extracted from. That was easily understandable. ?But what about the rest of the words? What did they mean? Numerous thoughts crossed Su Yu''s mind. "Will I be able to unlock the abilities of the iron-winged bird race as long as I have enough blood essence? But will I even be able to use the activated abilities? Even if I can, how strong will those abilities be when activated by me? Will it be at the level of third-stage Source Opening or seventh-stage Great Strength? How long will the abilities stay activated? Are there any side effects? Where did this booke from?" Su Yu''s eyes flickered as he sank into thought. These dreams had started over ten years ago. Was it possible that this book had stayed in his mind for that long as well? If so, who was the one who had nted the book in his mind? Was there some sort of conspiracy? There were countless races in existence. Could this be a scheme by one of them with the intention of using him to sow chaos among humanity? He couldn''t help considering that possibility. After all, there were some extremely treacherous races out there. In fact, something like that had happened in the Human Realm before. There was one incident where numerous human experts fell into the machinations of the enemy and were eventually enticed into bing the members of the Myriad Race Cult. "But humanity has a poption of tens of billions. I am as ordinary as a human can get. Even if they have to plot and scheme, is there a need to use the n on me? Especially a n that would take over ten years?" Su Yu still couldn''t find a proper exnation for the book in his mind. He couldn¡¯t resist giving it a try. Also, that was quite a thick book. He had only activated a single page so far. Was it possible that he could activate the other pages as well? While deep in thought, Su Yu suddenly sensed a burst of undtions. He nked out as he realized that the undtions wereing from the book. The book was actually conversing with him. However, the conversation wasn''t made through words. Instead, the answer was somehow being mentally projected into his mind. "Yes, I can activate the other pages. As long as it is a race that I''ve dreamed about, I can activate the corresponding page with the correct blood essence. But I''m only at the Source Opening Realm. I need to take my body into consideration when consuming blood essence." In fact, Su Yu was feeling like his body was on the verge of exploding right this moment. It was extremely painful. After all, he had consumed the blood essence of a seventh-stage Great Strength iron-winged bird. If it had been the blood of an Infinite Strength Realm bird instead, Su Yu would have probably been crippled if not killed by now. "I see," muttered Su Yu to himself. He finally understood. Over the years, he had been dreaming of a different race every night. As for the book in its mind, it wasn''t something that had appeared due to the iron-winged bird''s blood essence. Rather, as long as he had the blood essence of any race he had dreamed of, he would be able to activate the book. Unfortunately, Su Yu had not been able to recognize the races that he had dreamed of in the past. Additionally, he was only a third-stage Source Opening cultivator. He wouldn''t randomly swallow a drop of blood essence for no reason at his cultivation level. If he hadn''t been able to understand the words of the iron-winged bird in his dream, he wouldn''t have taken this risk either. After all, doing this at his cultivation was dangerous enough to kill him if he was careless or unlucky. "Foundation source art: Source Swallowing..." Suddenly, Su Yu noticed the third row of the words in the page. The Source Swallowing Technique was the foundation art of the iron-winged bird race. It only had one usage: source qi absorption. "Source Swallowing Technique...activate with blood essence?" Su Yu''s eyes lit up, "What does this mean? Will I be able to activate this technique with blood essence and start absorbing source qi with it? But those in the Source Opening Realm aren''t supposed to be able to actively absorb source qi. They can only cultivate passively." He did not care much about the racial abilities. Rip and Ironwing sh were the basic abilities of the iron-winged bird race. That was something the human race was aware of. Blood essence activation might allow Su Yu to learn those abilities, and he might even be able to use them at the level of a seventh-stage Great Strength bird. Even so, he still didn''t care much about those abilities. His attention waspletely on the Source Swallowing Technique. That technique could be activated with blood essence as well. What did that mean? Before the Great Strength Realm, humans were not able to actively absorb source qi. The Source Opening Codex could only help humans gather a tiny bit of source qi and slightly increase the ambient source qi density around them, increasing the efficiency of their passive cultivation. "Source Swallowing Technique..." Su Yu couldn''t help but to grow excited. If he could really activate the Source Swallowing Technique, did that not mean that he would be able to actively absorb source qi at the Source Opening Realm? It took a long time for a human to open the nine acupoints. The main reason for that was their inability to actively absorb source qi. That was because humans were not born with interlinked acupoints. What would happen if a human gained the ability to actively absorb source qi at the Source Opening Realm? "But...I still don''t know if there are any side effects. How efficient will the active absorption be? And how many drops of blood essence would I need to activate the technique? If I only use one drop, how long will the technique stay active? How good would the technique be? This shit is very expensive. I''ll need to spend fifty thousand per drop. If each drop wouldst only several minutes, it wouldn''t be worth it." Numerous possibilities appeared in Su Yu''s mind. Additionally, there were also the other pages in the book that would also require activation with more drops of blood essence. How was he supposed to get his hands on so many drops of blood essence? There were too many things to consider. Su Yu suddenly felt like he did not have enough mental capacity to think about all that. "Perhaps...I should test it out. Also, where did this booke from? Should I ask the teachers about it?" After some thought, Su Yu rejected that notion. Even if that book was really nted by someone else, his teachers wouldn''t know anything. They were too weakpared to someone capable of such a feat. After all, the book had remained undetected for over ten years. Even those at the Skysoar Realm might not be able to do anything about it, never mind those at the Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms. "Sitting here thinking won''t change anything. It''s better for me to perform some tests." Just as Su Yu was busy thinking, a loud noise erupted from the door. Next, Chen Hao burst through the door waving his school bag while roaring, "I''ve notified the Windcatcher Department! Feel free to stay if you''re not afraid of death! We have experts all around the apartment! You better piss off if you know what''s good for you!" "..." Su Yu was speechless. After Chen Hao''s shout, noises starteding from the apartment units upstairs and downstairs. Before long, someone living upstairs shouted, "What''s going on? Are the animals from the Myriad Race Cult here? Audacious! Surround them!" "..." Su Yu stopped nking out and hurriedly shouted, "It''s fine! It''s fine! Grandpa Zhou, it''s Chen Hao ying a joke on me! I''m sorry!" Soon, an old man rushed over with a cleaver in hand. After pushing Chen Hao who was standing before the door aside and checking that Su Yu was fine, he breathed out in relief and said, "I thought the bastards from the Myriad Race Cult were here. Your father is not around anymore, so you need to be careful. Feel free to look for us if you encounter any trouble." Then, he pped Chen Hao on the back of his head. "You! Who told you to start shouting? Don''t go around shouting for no reason. What if we think you¡¯re lying the next time you ask for help when the Myriad Race Cult bastards are really here? Wouldn''t that be terrible?" The old man was furious. However, his anger was only directed toward Chen Hao. "Kid, if you dare to raise a false rm again, I''ll have your father drag you downstairs and hang you naked before whooping your ass." Chen Hao had a sullen expression. He really wanted to exin that this wasn''t his idea. It was Su Yu''s idea! That fellow had suddenly sent such a message to him. How could he not be worried? This really wasn''t his fault! Su Yu stood up. His body was still in pain, but it was bearable. A majority of the blood essence had probably been absorbed by the book. Thus, his body had only absorbed a tiny bit of the blood''s power and was only suffering from some pain instead of actual injuries. He ignored his pain and hurriedly apologized to Grandpa Zhou. Grandpa Zhou had a gratified smile on his face as he listened to Su Yu. At the end, he did not forget to give Chen Hao''s head another p. Just look at you! Why are you so different from this Su kid? Compared to him, you¡¯re so dumb! Chen Hao felt like crying. Su Yu was also feeling helpless. He remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Did you contact the Windcatcher Department?" "No. I was bluffing," Chen Hao replied sulkily. He wasn''t sure if something had really happened, so he hadn''t actually notified the Windcatcher Department. "Good." Su Yu breathed out in relief. Chen Hao said unhappily, "What''s so good about that? Also, why did you send me a message like that? I thought something bad happened to you!" When the crowd of grandpas and grandmas that had gathered outside saw that everything was fine, they left. Su Yu breathed out in relief and dragged Chen Hao back into his home. After shutting the door, he said, "I was feeling dizzy earlier so I was afraid I would faint. That was why I sent you that message. Didn''t I tell you to knock first?" "Oh, you''re fine?" Chen Hao did not pursue the matter. Instead, he asked worriedly, "Did you starve yourself? Uncle Su is gone so you''re out of food? You shoulde eat at my ce in the future! My dad even told me to invite you over the other day. I didn''t tell you because I was worried that you would be embarrassed..." Su Yu did not know whether tough or cry. Was he stupid enough to starve himself? Nevertheless, he was still moved. This fellow could be noisy and simple-minded at times, but he was still a good friend to have. "I''m fine. I spent too long cultivating the Source Opening Codexst night so I was feeling unwell in the morning. I''m fine now." "That''s good to hear." Chen Hao was relieved. "So are you going to school today? Why don''t you call in sick. While you¡¯re at it, tell the school that I''m apanying you for a checkup and get a leave of absence for me as well." "..." Su Yu was no longer feeling as moved. He had nothing to say to this fellow. So it turned out that Chen Hao wanted to skip ss but did not have the guts to do it. Therefore, he was trying to get Su Yu to get a leave of absence for him instead. "Piss off!" Su Yu scolded with augh. "I''m not skipping today. I have something to do at school." "You''re going to school today?" Chen Hao found himself confused. Why was this fellow changing his mind all the time? He was the one who had refused to go previously. But now, he wanted to go? Was this how the brains of all smart people worked? They would change their mind all the time? Su Yu couldn''t be bothered to exin himself. He wanted to see if there were any ways he could get some iron-winged bird blood from the school. Or maybe he could find a cheaper source of blood essence from school. After all, the Xia Trade Company was too greedy! At fifty thousand per drop, there wasn¡¯t much he could do with the small amount of money Su Long left behind. Chapter 8: Spark of Civilization

Chapter 8: Spark of Civilization

At Nanyuan Secondary School, Chen Hao went to ss as he couldn''t afford to skip any lessons while Su Yu went straight to the Resource Department. ... "Su Yu, you want to trade for some iron-winged bird blood essence?" The managing teacher of the Resource Department asked in astonishment, "The blood essence of a Great Strength bird would only be helpful for those at the Great Strength Realm. For Source Opening cultivators, it would be poisonous instead of helpful. What do you need the blood for?" "Can I trade for it, Teacher Zhang?" Su Yu asked with a smile, "You know I''ve been researching the myriad races. The iron-winged bird is one of the races I have been researching, so I hope to get some of their blood to assist in my research. However, the blood essence is really too expensive. That''s why I''m trying my luck here." "Yes, you can. You''ve been certified for eighteen differentnguages over the years. Apart from the threepulsorynguages, you''ve been rewarded fifteen merit points for the other fifteennguages. You''ve also been awarded three points for reaching the third-stage Source Opening Realm, adding up to a total of eighteen merit points." After checking the records, the managing teacher continued, "However, you had spent six points at the library, so you have twelve points left." "Yeah, I know." Su Yu smiled, "How many drops of iron-winged bird blood essence can I get with my remaining twelve points?" "You''re trading your merit points for blood essence? It''s really not worth it. You won''t be able to do much with the blood essence." The teacher couldn''t help advising Su Yu, "A Great Strength iron-winged bird is too strong for you even if they are at the bottom of the barrel at the Allheaven Battlefield. Your merit points can be used in your future academy as well. You can even get valuable resources from the academy with your points. While you''re still in secondary school, you can earn these points easily. Just mastering onenguage is enough to get you one point. But that won''t be the case in the academy. "It''s really not worth using your points for something like this. At the academy, you can obtain restricted knowledge, high-tier cultivation methods, and even ess to some limited courses with your points. In fact, the points can even be used in the army..." "Yeah, I know all that. But I really have no other choice here." Su Yu smiled helplessly. He knew all that. He could only fault himself for not having enough money. Sure, he had the money to buy even five drops of blood essence if he wanted, but that would empty his bank ount. He still needed to keep some money for his daily expenses. As he wouldn''t be able to make a living as a Source Opening cultivator, he also had to ount for his expenses in his future academy. The so-called merit point was a different sort of currency. It was one of the most valuable currency systems in use apart from the anping dor. The anping dor could be used to purchase a lot of things. However, it was also restricted from purchasing a lot of things. High-tier strategic resources, high-tier cultivation methods, and some limited inheritances could only be purchased with merit points. The merit point system was basically an unit of measurement for one''s contribution to humanity. Without proper contribution to humanity, you would still be limited in what you could purchase regardless of how wealthy you were. Every single point spent and earned would be recorded. For example, even after spending all eighteen of his merit points, Su Yu''s original earned merit would still remain at eighteen points. Any new points earned would be added on top of it instead of his leftover merit points. At a hundred original earned merit, Su Yu would obtain an even higher level of clearance. That was a system put in ce to stop wealthy individuals from purchasing merit points with money and gaining ess to high-clearance resources with their wealth alone. For example, a tycoon who had purchased tens of thousands of merit points would still be limited in what they could purchase without sufficient original earned merit. The resource managing teacher sighed and said, "Fine, I won''t stop you. But it is still too early for you to conduct these researches. There isn''t much Nanyuan Secondary School could do to support your research. When you''re in an academy, you will be able to apply for a subsidy for your research. You might even receive sponsorships. The iron-winged birds are toomon so they''re not worth researching. If you ask me, it''s better to research something else instead..." Su Yu smiled, "You know what teacher? I agree. Are there any ox-faced fish blood essence here?" "..." The teacher replied awkwardly, "Well, we don''t have that here. Those fellows reside in the Mount Root Realm and are rarely found at the Allheaven Battlefield. Furthermore, they wouldn''t enter the Allheaven Battlefield before reaching the Infinite Strength Realm or even the Skysoar Realm. You can find their blood in the cultural research academies, but not here." What was the point of saying all that then? Su Yu was able to recognize a few of the races that had appeared in his dreams before. The ox-faced fish was one of them. However, the weakest ox-faced fish on the Allheaven Battlefield was at the Infinite Strength Realm. If he consumed an Infinite Strength blood essence at his current cultivation, his body would probably burst apart even with the book absorbing the majority of the blood essence''s energy. As for the blood essence of the races he was unsure about, he wouldn''t dare consume them. The moment he consumed the blood essence of a wrong race, his body would probably suffer as his book wouldn¡¯t be absorbing the blood essence of a race that had yet to appear in his dream. Thus, the iron-winged bird was still the safest choice for him currently. "Teacher, I''ll just get some iron-winged bird blood essence." "How many drops do you want? You need to spend one merit point per drop. It''s really not worth it..." ?The teacher persuaded, "You might feel like these merit points aren¡¯t that valuable, what with the exchange rate of fifty-thousand dors per point, but there are things that can''t be measured with money alone. You know what I mean." "Thank you for the reminder, teacher." Su Yu nodded before immediately adding, "I''ll get three drops for now. I''lle back if I need more." "You--" The teacher felt helpless seeing how stubborn Su Yu was. He could only get a staff to retrieve the said blood essence. While waiting for the staff to return, he said, "The school is aware that your father went to the Allheaven Battlefield two days ago. Be careful when you''re home alone. Those fellows from the Myriad Race Cult are currently active in Great Xia. I''m sure you''re aware of that." "Yeah, I know. But their activity in Great Xia won''t affect me, right?" "How can you say that?" The teacher chided, "You never know what could happen! Those animals from the Myriad Race Cult do not primarily aim for experts or genius cultivators. Rather, they generally target the sages. "Sure, you''re no sage, but you''re one of the few students in Nanyuan Secondary School with a guaranteed spot in the cultural research academies. There is a limit to the amount of damage abat expert can cause. However, there is no limit to what a sage can do. Humanity has survived for hundreds of years at the Allheaven Battlefield by relying not only on the experts alone, but also on the sages supporting us behind the front line. "In fact, you wouldn''t be considered a top-tier researcher of a cultural research academy if you haven''t been a target of assassination before. These researchers are in charge of analyzing the cultivation methods of the myriad races and studying their civilizations, allowing humanity to increase the number of experts in their ranks and gain the strength to face the myriad races..." Reverence seeped into the teacher''s face as he continued, "The contributions they make behind the scenes are no less than what thosebat experts are capable of. Unfortunately, a lot of these researchersck the required strength. Thus, even staying behind the front line, they aremonly targeted by the Myriad Race Cult. Assassinations are amon urrence for them. "All the disturbances caused by the Myriad Race Cult are not for the sake of assassinating ourbat experts. Instead, those researchers are the primary targets. You have yet to join a cultural research academy and have yet to master a lot ofnguages. But taking your age into consideration, you''re a far more attractive target than the students who are talented in terms ofbat. In fact, even the cultivation geniuses at fourth or fifth-stage Source Opening Realm might not be worth the time of the Myriad Race Cult members. "How long would someone in the Source Opening Realm take to reach the Skysoar Realm? Inparison, a sage would require only a decade or two to fully decipher a cultivation method and identify its weakness beforeing up with efficient ways to counter the users of said cultivation method. Such an individual is far more dangerous than a Skysoar Realm expert." Su Yu smiled helplessly. That was too much of an exaggeration, right? He might have mastered eighteennguages, but that was a very small numberpared to the number of races in existence. Also, he had only mastered the moremon ones. "Don''t look down on the threat of the Myriad Race Cult. Be careful and watch your back. Be sure to seek help when you encounter danger. We have increased the security measures within Nanyuan. Even the Windcatcher Department and the Martial Dragon Guards stationed here have been deployed. In the event of danger, just start shouting. It will only take dozens of seconds for help to arrive." Seeing how serious the teacher was, Su Yu nodded and said, "Don''t worry, teacher. I know. Nanyuan is a small city. Those fellows might note here after all. And if they doe here, in all honesty, I doubt I''ll be their priority." "Yeah, you''re right." The teacher smiled. "But you should still be careful, especially when you''re with Instructor Liu." "Huh?" Su Yu was confused. "Instructor Liu..." "No, don''t get this wrong. Instructor Liu is the best instructor in Nanyuan Secondary School. Most of our students who have managed to enter the cultural research academies were taught by him. "If the Myriad Race Cult is really here, Instructor Liu will be their biggest target. Instead of the mayor or the school principal, he will be the first person to be assassinated. Instructor Liu is a spark, a spark of civilization. At the very least, that''s the case for Nanyuan. That''s why you need to watch your back when you¡¯re with him." Su Yu''s expression changed, "Teacher, would Instructor Liu be fine?" "Don''t worry about him. The school principal is personally protecting Instructor Liu. Even the Martial Dragon Guards are protecting him in secret. A team has also been sent over from the Windcatcher Department. I''m only reminding you to be careful while you¡¯re on your way to Instructor Liu''s ce." Su Yu was relieved to hear that. This Instructor Liu was his main teacher, the person who had taught him the majority of the eighteennguages he knew. As mentioned by the resource managing teacher, Instructor Liu might not be anything special in the entirety of Great Xia, but for a small city like Nanyuan and for Nanyuan Secondary School, he was worthy of being called a spark of civilization. He had been teaching for many years. Over a hundred of his former students had managed to join the various cultural research academies. Of these students, about half of them had been able to graduate from the academies, each upying an important position in Great Xia. These lower level individuals weren''t anything specialpared to the top experts, but they were also what humanity relied on for its continued existence. If the Myriad Race Cult was really in Nanyuan, it would definitely be more likely for Instructor Liu to be their target instead of the mayor. Finally, the staff arrived with the requested iron-winged bird''s blood essence. Three drops! After the purchase, Su Yu only had nine merit points left. His heart ached at the thought of spending his points like this. After all, he had only spent six points over the years to obtain countless information from the library. It was a truly luxurious act to be spending three points in one go. epting the bottle of blood essence, Su Yu asked, "Teacher, has Instructor Liu beening to the school these few days?" "Yes, he''sing in as usual. He was told to stay at the mayor''s ce until the danger is over, but he refused." "I see. I''ll pay him a visit." Su Yu had intended to return home immediately and give the blood essence a try, but he changed his mind. He wanted to visit Instructor Liu and ask the instructor some questions. Chapter 9: The Capabilities of Cultural Research Academies (1)

Chapter 9: The Capabilities of Cultural Research Academies (1)

Instructor''s Office. Liu Wenyan, a man over sixty years old, was writing as he spoke without looking up, "Principal, you don''t have to follow me around. We''re in school. I''ll be fine." Sitting nearby, the principal, also a man of over sixty years old, smiled and replied, "It''s not like I''m disturbing you. Why are you chasing me away?" "You''re disturbing me by merely breathing." "..." The principal did not know whether tough or cry. Liu Wenyan continued speaking, "Also, you''re a fresh Infinite Strength cultivator. You''re too weak. What can you even do here?" "I¡ª" The principal was speechless. Was he really that weak? Yeah, maybe. A brand new Infinite Strength Realm at over sixty years old was really nothing special. However, this was Nanyuan, the smallest of the twenty-eight cities within Great Xia. He wasn''t even the mayor. He was only the principal of a secondary school. There was no need for him to be too strong. A real expert would either be at the capital or the Allheaven Battlefield. In Nanyuan, he could actually be considered strong. "Hey, you think I enjoy doing this?"ined the old principal. "I''m only here because you''re too important, you old bag of bones. Over the past twenty years, a total of 320 students from Nanyuan had managed to enter the various cultural research academies. On average, there were about sixteen of them per year. Half of them were taught by you. Isn''t it obvious that you would stick out like a sore thumb for those fellows from the Myriad Race Cult?" "You¡¯re exaggerating." Liu Wenyanughed. "This is a small city. There is a limit to the number of students we can send to the academies. The number of students we have are nothingpared to the other cities in Great Xia. Why would the Myriad Race Cult waste their time on me?" "You never know. In any case, you''re more important than me. I''m a weak Infinite Strength cultivator. They won''t even spare me a nce." The principal might be speaking with a joking tone, but that was the truth. An Infinite Strength cultivator wasn''t weak, but it still wasn¡¯t strong enough to be of much use at a ce like the Allheaven Battlefield. The Myriad Race Cult would still have to sacrifice a few members to kill an Infinite Strength cultivator behind the front line. It was simply not worth it, especially when the target was an old man over sixty years old. Suddenly, the principal''s ears moved as he smiled and said, "Su Yu is here. This kid is much better than his father." "Don''t belittle Su Long. What did he do? He only rejected your offer to be a guard at the school. Do you have to hold a grudge over that?" Liu Wenyan also smiled. He finally looked up and said, "Su Long still has his passion. I''ve long noticed that he was unwilling to live out the rest of his life as a retiree. He had been trying to join the Martial Dragon Guards and was only forced to give up after being rejected." The principal snorted and said, "It''s clear he stood no chance of joining them. A ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator below thirty might still be able to join, but him? At his age? Maybe he would stand a better chance if he was a ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivator instead." "Even so, he''s much better than you. If he can survive the Allheaven Battlefield, he''ll probably return as an Infinite Strength cultivator in a few years." Liu Wenyan continued, "Su Yu is decent as well. He might not be a super genius, but he will still be able to join the ranks of the regr researchers contributing to the survival of humanity after entering the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Both of them are much better than you and me..." The principal nodded with a sigh, "If I hadn''t harmed my foundation at the Allheaven Battlefield back then, I wouldn''t have retired from the army and be a principal here. This is such a boring job." "Rejoice that you were able to return alive. Very few soldiers at the Allheaven Battlefield could keep their foundations unharmed. At a dangerous ce like that, they will have to forcefully rise beyond the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm or they would be too weak to even serve as cannon fodder." Liu Wenyan couldn''t help but to sigh. A majority of the soldiers at the Allheaven Battlefield would have no hope of reaching the Skysoar Realm. There was nothing they could do about it. That was a hellish ce with desperate battles urring at all times. New soldiers would die in only a few days unless they forcefully break through in their cultivation. Cultivation foundation would be thest thing on their minds when their lives were on the line. The more talented individuals would be recruited into the various war academies, leaving the less talented ones to struggle for survival in the army. While the two were speaking, Su Yu stepped into the office. A bright smile instantly appeared on Liu Wenyan''s face. Su Yu was a student he was very satisfied with. This young man was a hardworking and patient student. He might not be a super genius, but humanity needed more than geniuses to prosper. Good seedlings willing to advance one step at a time like this were also important to have. "Instructor, principal," greeted Su Yu after entering the office. "Su Yu, you''re here." Liu Wenyan smiled, looking much friendlier when he was facing Su Yu. A wide smile was stered on his face as he said, "You father has left for the Allheaven Battlefield. Are you having any trouble living alone?" "No. I''m doing fine." Su Yu shifted his tone and asked in a worried tone, "Instructor, I heard that the Myriad Race Cult will be here at Nanyuan--" "Don¡¯t worry." Liu Wenyan did not seem to care. "We don''t know if they''ll be here for sure. Even if they''re really here, what can they do? To make a move against me, they''ll have to prepare to suffer arge number of casualties. It¡¯s not worth it." Liu Wenyan stood up and looked outside the window. He still had the same smile on his face as he said, "When encountering major events, stay calm. Su Yu, what I like most about you is your ability to stay calm and unruffled when encountering trouble. That is your advantage over others. Do not let a small issue like this disturb your state of mind." The principal smiled and walked out, leaving the two to their conversation. ... The moment the principal left, Liu Wenyan stopped smiling. He gestured at Su Yu to sit down. Curious, Su Yu did as told without asking anything. "Su Yu, I heard you registered for the war academies?" "Yes." "You want to join a war academy, right?" Su Yu nked out slightly. He quickly exined, "No, I was only applying just in case--" "Stop lying to me. I''m not stupid. You''re trying to enter the Allheaven Battlefield because your father has gone there, right?" Su Yu sank into silence. Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "Foolish. Even after joining a war academy, how long will it take for you to reach a sufficient level of cultivation to protect your father?" Su Yu sank into silence. He had thought of that before. However, he had been avoiding the question. In any case, with the book in his mind, things were no longer so certain. "Can you name some super experts of our human race?" "Great Xia King, Great Zhou King, Great Ming King..." Liu Wenyan nodded and said, "How about those that have only emerged after the start of the Anping Calendar?" Before Su Yu could answer, Liu Wenyan said with a smile, "The most well-known among them are probably the prefects of the various prefectures and themanders of the various armies. But do you know that thirty percent of these people came from the cultural research academies?" Su Yu was stunned. Thirty percent of them came from cultural research academies? Weren''t the cultural research academies in charge of¡­ Liu Wenyan seemed to know what he was thinking. "Do you think that everyone from the cultural research academies are like me? Someone that only knows somenguages with incredibly weakbat strength? You''re wrong!" Liu Wenyan''s face turned solemn, "I''ve never told you this before because you''re not yet at the point where you need to know all that. In truth, there are a lot ofbat experts in the cultural research academies as well. In fact, some of their top experts are even stronger than those from the war academies. "As the researchers of the myriad races, how can we be weak? If we''re really that weak, how are we supposed toprehend the moreplicated cultivation methods of those races?" Liu Wenyan had a burning gaze. "I''m merely a useless failure of a student from a cultural research academy. Do you think that I''m really as weak as I look?" "Huh?" Su Yu opened his mouth to speak but hesitated. That was quite a shameless statement. After all, the instructor was only a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. That was simply too weak. "Do you want to say that I''m only a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator and I''m simply too weak?" Su Yu blinked, feeling like he had been seen through by his instructor. "Yes, I can somewhat see what you''re thinking." Su Yu was instantly stunned. "Shocked?" Liu Wenyan smiled. "You''re too weak. Before me, you''repletely defenseless. Take note to hide your thoughts better in the future. I''m telling you all this because I don''t want you to only think about your short-term gains and give up on the cultural research academies." Liu Wenyan''s expression turned stern as he said, "I intended for you to learn all that after joining a cultural research academy. But now, I need to let you know in advance so that you don¡¯t make the wrong choice. "There are countless paths one can take in cultivation. Different races would walk different paths. But it alles down to the acts of absorbing source qi, refining one''s body, and strengthening one''s self." "To strengthen one''s self, there are two paths. Physical and willpower, also known as mental power. Willpower is a vague concept. It is very hard to grow strong walking that path. Thus, most people will grow their physical body first and only start cultivating their willpower upon reaching a certain level of strength.¡± "That isn''t the case for us." A smile bloomed on Liu Wenyan''s face. "People like us have gained an open mind and powerful willpower through our study of the many differentnguages. Thus, we walk a different path. First, we strengthen our willpower. Then, we strengthen our physical body. With a formidable willpower, physical strengthening would be a simple task.¡± "That''s not to say this is an easy path to take." Liu Wenyan''s face turned strict again. "When your willpower is strong enough, you''ll be able to strengthen your body and allow it to absorb more source qi without being harmed. However, this path requires time and a muchrger amount of resources. Some cultural researchers are capable of advancing from the Great Strength Realm to the Skysoar Realm or even a higher realm within a single day upon reaching the stage where their willpower glows as bright as the sun." "All paths lead to the same destination. The final goal of both cultural research academies and war academies is the same: to strengthen the individual and the human race! The body is easy to train, but willpower is extremely difficult to cultivate. The path of willpower cultivation is much harder to walk. That''s why this information is not widespread among the public. We want to prevent the masses from overestimating themselves and walk the wrong path." Looking at the surprised Su Yu, Liu Wenyan smiled and asked, "Surprised? It''s not surprising at all. You''re someone who has studied the myriad races as well. Although you still don''t know much about them, you should still know a little. For example, the nightmare race whosenguage you know, is a race of illusory people that can hardly be seen with one''s naked eyes. "It is said that they have the ability to easily invade your dreams, but that''s not the case. They are merely creating an illusory world with their willpower before drawing your mind in. That is why they are such a powerful race. Strictly speaking, the cultivation of cultural researchers is simr to theirs." Su Yu was totally stunned. He softly asked, "Instructor, are you saying that...it is possible to gain strength through the path of cultural research?" "It''s more than possible. It would be a faster path." Liu Wenyan exined, "First, forge your willpower. Then, forge your body. Some geniuses in the cultural research academies are able to achieve willpower materialization after only three to five years in the academy and strengthen their bodies to reach the Skysoar Realm within a single day. Their subsequent progress in cultivation will also be much faster than physical cultivators. "How about those from the war academies? How long will they take to reach the Skysoar Realm? Even a genius there will need many years of bitter training to reach that level. Of course, our path of cultivation is much harder than theirs. Therefore, there are less of us around. Only thirty percent of our super experts are from cultural research academies. From this, you can see how difficult it is to walk this path." Still trying to absorb all the information thrown his way, Su Yu asked, "So willpower can be cultivated?" "Yes." "It''s not something everyone can do?" "Correct. There are requirements for willpower cultivation. In fact, the requirements are higher than what you need for physical cultivation. Willpower is basically the same as mental power. It is something that can''t be discerned or measured early on. In fact, the number of myriad racenguages mastered can be used as a sort measuring stick for one''s potential in willpower cultivation. "For a lot of people, the reason they couldn''t master too manynguages is because of their weak willpower, not because they are not hardworking enough. You''re able to master eighteen differentnguages. Why can''t more of your peers do so? "Were they simplyzy? No. Some of them have actually worked hard, maybe even harder than you. But they just can''t seem to master thosenguages. If they push themselves, they will find themselves suffering from an intense headache. That''s all because of their weak willpower. They have no choice but to focus on their physical body first before working on their willpower." Su Yu heaved a long breath and said, "In that case, does my talent lie in willpower cultivation instead of physical body?" "You can say so. That''s why the myriad races are so wary of cultural researchers. That''s also why the Myriad Race Cult will generally target our cultural researchers instead of physical cultivators. Before reaching a level where you can strengthen your body with your willpower, you''re still very weak. This is the time when you''re the most vulnerable." Chapter 10: The Capabilities of Cultural Research Academies (2)

Chapter 10: The Capabilities of Cultural Research Academies (2)

Su Yu was finding it hard to ept all that. This was the first time he had ever heard that cultural research was also a path of cultivation. "In fact, I would have gone looking for you even if you''re not here today. I won''t stop you from looking for your father at the Allheaven Battlefield. In fact, I''m d to hear that. Human nature. Yes, that''s how human nature works, and that''s what humanity relies on to stand tall against the myriad races. However, you can''t be rash. You must stay calm. "The number of students epted into cultural research academies each year is smaller than those epted into war academies. It might also appear as if the cultural research academies have lower requirements, but in truth, the requirements are higher. Do you really think that the cultural research academies are only a gathering ce for a bunch of bookworms?" Liu Wenyan''s smile grew wider as he said, "No. We''re not only capable of researching behind the front line, but we can also enter the battlefield and ughter our enemies. Those among us who could enter the battlefield would be at least a Skysoar Realm expert. Great Strength? Infinite Strength? Those are merely the realms where you refine your body with source qi. Us cultural researchers can finish that process in one day!" "..." Su Yu froze. After a while, he finally asked, "Instructor, y-you''re a Skysoar cultivator?" "No," Liu Wenyan replied indifferently. "So you''re stronger than that?" "No." Liu Wenyan had the same indifferent appearance. Su Yu nked out. What exactly was his instructor trying to say? "I told you. Only upon willpower materialization will one be able to refine one''s body. I''m not at that stage yet." That single statement made everything Liu Wenyan had spoken earlier seem like a joke. He...had yet to materialize his willpower. He was really only a Great Strength cultivator. Su Yu looked up at his instructor in astonishment. Old man, how can you say all that with a straight face? You''re almost seventy for fuck''s sake! You have yet to materialize your willpower yourself but you''re here telling me a cultural researcher can reach that stage in three to five years? There should be a limit even if you want to brag! "Don''t look at me like that." Liu Wenyan replied calmly, "I was merely a failure of a student at the academy back then. I''m not one of their genius students. I''ve been wasting my life away after graduation, so it''s normal for me to be incapable of willpower materialization. If it''s really that easy, the number of human expertsing from cultural research academies wouldn''t be as low as thirty percent. Instead, it would be something like ny percent. "Cultivation is not an easy feat regardless of the path you take. However, I still believe that the path of willpower is the faster and more promising one. If you want to grow strong quickly, this is your only option. The path of willpower." Su Yu sank into a long silence before saying, "Instructor, are there cultivation methods meant for willpower?" "Yes." Liu Wenyan suddenly coughed awkwardly. "But we don''t have any in Nanyuan. You''ll get them after entering an academy." Of course, the premise of getting a willpower cultivation method was to first aplish willpower materialization. He left that unmentioned. Otherwise, Su Yu would probably start cursing at him. "In fact, the process of studying thenguages of the myriad races and their cultivation methods is an act of training your willpower. The effect is even more pronounced when studying the original texts..." Liu Wenyan''s expression turned stern again, "You need to know that the reading materials we have here are not the original texts. The original texts would actually contain the power or willpower of the corresponding race within. After studying and deciphering these reading materials, one would benefit greatly. "Of course, working with these materials can also be dangerous. For example, one might lose their mind. Every single year, there would be some academy members losing their mind while studying these original texts. Remember to be careful when you start working on them in the future. The more powerful a cultivation method or the more important a document, the more powerful the willpower contained within would be. "Because of that, it is rather easy to discern how important a document can be. The more powerful the willpower within, the more important the document would be. You can try visiting the Xia Trade Company. The ordinary looking cultivation methods are guaranteed to be trash. In fact, the things they sell there are all leftovers, useless things that arepletely harmless to the general public." Su Yu smiled helplessly. He knew it! Something good would not be left on the shelf for long. Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "Tell me. Do you still intend to join a war academy? In a cultural research academy, you can still train your body. But in a war academy, you might not have the opportunity to train your willpower anymore. After all, the powerful original texts will only be avable in the cultural research academies. "As long as you have the required strength, such as reaching the Skysoar Realm, you''ll be able to enter the Allheaven Battlefield at any time. Going there at the Infinite Strength Realm is the same as going as cannon fodder. What''s the point? Or do you simplyck the confidence to grow strong as a willpower cultivator? In that case, it wouldn''t matter which academy you join. You won''t be able to grow strong." ... Su Yu had never been certain of his decision to join a war academy. But now, he was even more uncertain. Should he still try joining a war academy? There did not seem to be a need to do so anymore. So it turned out that he could grow strong in a cultural research academy as well? "Cultural research academy...original texts...willpower cultivation..." Su Yu was deep in thought as he walked out of the office with the bottle of blood essence in hand. He still intended to try using the blood essence. It would naturally be even better if he could cultivate both his willpower and physical body at the same time. The Source Swallowing Technique might be the key to elerating his physical cultivation. "Cultural research academy..." Su Yu came to a decision. Perhaps he should really join a cultural research academy. That had been his original goal anyway. ... After Su Yu left, the principal entered the office while shaking his head. "Old man, you''re scamming a student again." "What do you mean?" Liu Wenyan was displeased. "Willpower materialization...you''ve been cultivating for fifty years. Have you materialized your willpower?" "That will happen soon!" Liu Wenyan dered confidently, "I''ll reach the Skysoar Realm the moment I materialize my willpower. At that time, a puny fresh Infinite Strength cultivator like you will be nothing for me." "You--" The principal was speechless. Fine, he would let the instructor have this. As for Su Yu, it was indeed better for him to join a cultural research academy. After all, cultivation in a war academy was far too dangerous. This instructor had been using the same story to sway the mind of numerous students over the years. Each time a student started doubting their decision to join a cultural research academy, he would give them the same speech, sending them all to the various cultural research academies. "The Great Xia Cultural Research Academy should really confer you an award. Without you, they would have missed out on a decent number of students every year..." Liu Wenyan did not seem to mind. "I don''t have an award, but they have been sending me a bonus of 200,000 dors each year. That''s enough for me." "..." The principal was left speechless. He couldn''t resist scolding, "You must be a spy from Great Xia Cultural Research Academy!" "Why are you saying it like that? I''ve never denied that. I''ve always been listed as a staff member of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. How can you call me a spy?" Liu Wenyanughed happily. The principal had nothing to say. Liu Wenyan was right. Most of thesenguage instructors were sent directly from the cultural research academies. Even the rare instructors that weren''t from the academies would find themselves quickly recruited. That was all for the sake of making sure that the talented students wouldn''t all join the war academies. After all, research was much less exciting than physical cultivation, and youngsters were all rather hot-blooded. It was important that they kept a closer eye on these youngsters. Su Yu returned home with the ss bottle containing three drops of blood essence. The blood essence of a Great Strength Realm being might be worthless for experts, but it was extremely valuable for Su Yu. After all, each drop was worth fifty-thousand dors. If it wasn''t for hisck of money, he wouldn''t have been willing to spend his merit points for this. Even without the teacher''s reminder, Su Yu still knew how important merit points were. That was something you might not be able to buy even with money. Of course, he certainly would entertain the thought of selling his points if someone offered him more than fifty-thousand per point. "Thinking about it, I seem to be even richer than Dad? He was only able to save over 300,000 dors after so many years..." Su Yuughed in amusement. The 300,000 dors in his father''s bank ount might not even be as valuable as his eighteen merit points. However, his father was also someone with merit points. Some had been spent for cultivation. As for the remaining points, Su Yu knew what the points were used for even though his father had not talked about them. His father had probably given those points out during his retirement. In fact, that was something a lot of retired veterans would do. Su Yu knew that many of the retired veterans in the neighborhood had done so. After all, theirrades that were still fighting on the battlefield would need those points more than them. Helping each other, trusting each other. That was how the soldiers of humanity had always been. If not for the age restriction, there would probably be even more retired veterans returning to the army this time. A lot of the veterans were already approaching fifty during their retirement, so these people would not have the chance to return to the army for a second time. Clearing his mind of all the random thoughts, Su Yu willed for the book to appear in his mind. As usual, the pages started flipping before stopping at the iron-winged bird''s page. "Blood essence activation...what should I activate? An ability or the cultivation method?" After a short thought, Su Yu decided. Source Swallowing Technique! It was very likely that the abilities would provide him with an instant burst of strength. Without an actual opponent before him, it would be a waste to activate them. Of course, he wouldn''t mind trying the abilities if he had enough blood essence. After all, it could be very dangerous to use the abilities without knowing their strength. "How many drops per activation? Is one drop enough?" As Su Yu willed in his mind to have the cultivation method activated, he swallowed a drop of blood essence. This time, he suffered no pain whatsoever. The blood essence was instantly absorbed by the book the moment it entered his mouth. Hum! The book in his mind trembled. Next, the words on the golden page changed. Foundation source technique: Source Swallowing (activated for a duration of one hour) "One hour?" Su Yu cursed. He could feel all his pores opening up to rapidly absorb the ambient source qi around him. It felt as though all nine of his acupoints had been temporarily opened. That was the work of this book! Someone at the Source Opening Realm wasn''t supposed to be able to do so. Without opening the nine acupoints, one wouldn''t be able to sense source qi. By extension, one wouldn''t be able to actively absorb source qi either. With the book, Su Yu had gained the ability to sense source qi. He could absorb the source qi all around him with a thought. The ambient source qi of Nanyuan was rather thin in density, but that was only rtive to what an Infinite Strength cultivator needed. For Great Strength and Source Opening cultivators, what Nanyuan had was more than enough. Crack! This was the first time his body had ever actively absorbed source qi. Like a ravenous beast, his flesh started madly taking in the qi to temper and refine itself. A faint glow covered all nine of his acupoints while arge amount of source qi gathered around his head to temper his acupoints. Chapter 11: Fourth-Stage Source Opening

Chapter 11: Fourth-Stage Source Opening

Pain! Su Yu was in great pain. His nose and mouth were still doing fine as he had already refined the acupoints there. However, that wasn''t the case for his other acupoints. With source qi coursing through his unopened acupoints, he was tortured by intense pain. Rumbling sounds echoed in his ears while tears flowed down his eyes. The source qi was refining and opening his shut acupoints. "An hour...is too long." He had still beenining about the short duration a moment ago, but now, he unhesitatingly changed his mind. An hour was too long. Would his body burst apart after the hour was over? This was probably the first time a Source Opening cultivator had ever actively taken in source qi. The Source Swallowing Technique was the cultivation method of the iron-winged bird. Without proper modifications, it was in truth unsuitable for human use. Su Yu could feel that there were a lot more open pores on his back than the rest of his body, causing a much higher level of absorption on his back. "Shit! These pores are meant to refine my wings. I won''t grow a pair of wings after this, right?" Su Yu was speechless. The iron-winged bird was a flying race with their wings being one of their trump cards. It was only natural that their cultivation method would focus on the wings as well. s, Su Yu was no bird. Even with the book''s help in adapting the Source Swallowing Technique to his body, it was still an unsuitable technique. Boom! Suddenly, Su Yu heard a loud rumble in his left ear. He nked out slightly before erupting in joy. Was that...his fourth acupoint being opened? It wasn''t too hard for a human to open the initial three acupoints. The fourth and fifth acupoints at their ears would be slightly harder to open. Beyond that, the sixth and seventh acupoints at the eyes were even harder to open. As for the final two acupoints, the Spirit Pce and the One Hundred Openings, these two would stump the vast majority of people. Most of the people unable to enter the ranks of proper cultivators were stuck at these two. "The left ear acupoint is opening!" Su Yu was overjoyed. The rumbling in his left ear was like music to him. Based on his previous estimation, he would require at least six months to reach the fourth-stage. However, a single activation of the Source Swallowing Technique had aplished that feat for him. Of course, the speed only seemed impressive due to his weak cultivation level. The main difficulty of acupoint opening was a Source Opening cultivator''sck of ability to actively absorb source qi. The moment one gained the ability to do so, it would no longer be difficult to open the nine acupoints. Source Opening cultivators would not actually gain significant strength from the growth of their cultivation. At most, they would gain an increase in health and sharper senses such as smell, taste, hearing, and eyesight. Even so, that was good enough for Source Opening cultivators. After opening the Spirit Pce acupoint to reach the eighth-stage, Source Opening cultivators would then be able to practice some simple martial techniques for self defense, preparing themselves for their eventual ascension into the ranks of true cultivators. Boom! Rumbling sounds kept erupting in Su Yu''s left ear. He could feel his ear shrinking and swelling repeatedly while his eardrum shook violently. All the while, his left ear was surrounded by source qi. The process was about to reachpletion. The ambient source qi started gushing into his left ear. Su Yu, who had not been able to see source qi before, could actually see a smoke-like clump gushing into his ear. He was looking at source qi. He had never sensed source qi so clearly before. "I...can''t hang on anymore!" Rumbling sounds echoed in his head. It wasn''t that his acupoint couldn''t withstand the burden of the surging source qi. Rather, his body was too weak to withstand his first ever active qi absorption. Boom! Suddenly, a particrly loud rumble erupted in his left ear. Su Yu''s heart sank as he hurriedly stopped the cultivation method. He could no longer keep this going. ¡­ Su Yu only recovered after half an hour. He felt regretful as he had cultivated for less than half an hour in total, wasting the remaining active duration. What a pity that the remaining duration would not be saved until the next time he needed it. "However, the result is still excellent. I actually broke through into the fourth-stage!" Su Yu was pleased. In truth, he hadn¡¯t had much hope for the book. Surprisingly, it had actually pushed him to the fourth-stage before the entrance examination. In the entire Nanyuan Secondary School, only slightly over ten students had reached the fourth-stage. His previous cultivation was nothing, what with over a hundred students at the same cultivation level. Being a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator changed everything. In fact, based on the city¡¯s standards, he could be considered an all-rounder good in both martial cultivation and intellect. In short, he was a genius student! "So is this how the book works? It''s incredible. However..." Su Yu frowned. It worked well when he was in the Source Opening Realm. But anyone at the Great Strength Realm would be able to cultivate actively. The Source Swallowing Technique was no human cultivation method. At that level, he would be better off using a proper human cultivation method. "Forget it. I can''t get too greedy. Also, if I can get my hands on the cultivation methods of the divines and devils..." Su Yu''s eyes flickered in excitement. If he could one day activate the pages of the divines and the devils, what would happen? Human cultivation methods were great, but divine and devil cultivation methods were even greater. Humanity had piged arge number of cultivation methods of the other races over the years of war, but very few of them were the cultivation methods of the divines and the devils. Most of the cultivation methods came from the weaker races. Cultivation methods of the more powerful races were rarely found. After all, killing an opponent was very different from killing an opponent and also snatching the opponent''s cultivation method. "Have the divines and devils appeared in my dreams before?" Su Yu couldn¡¯t remember his earlier dreams well as he was still too young back then. He wasn''t sure if he had encountered them in his dreams before. If he had, would he be able to use their cultivation methods? "It''s too early to think about all that. The Source Swallowing Technique is good enough for now. It can help me quickly advance my Source Opening cultivation.¡± Su Yu forced himself to calm down. He was still in great excitement over his progress. Fourth-stage Source Opening! Not much had changed with his body, but the refinement by source qi had still strengthened his body slightly. More importantly, his hearing had improved tremendously. As his left ear moved, he started hearing the sounds in the apartment unit above. It still wasn''t very clear, but he could hear much more than before. Due to the excellent soundproofing of the apartment, he could hardly hear a sound from his neighbors in the past, especially when they weren''t intentionally being loud. Now, his hearing was much more formidable. It was a basic requirement for a cultivator to have clear eyesight and good hearing. Those were the qualities one would not gain withoutpleting the Source Opening Realm. "This is great!" Although he had used a drop of blood essence for the advancement, it was totally worth it if every merit point used could advance him by a stage. "I still have two drops. Should I...try the abilities out?" Su Yu''s eyes flickered in anticipation. He wanted to test out the might of the abilities, also figuring out their duration and effects on his body. It would be too irresponsible to use these abilities before actually testing them out. Two iron-winged bird abilities were avable for him. Rip and Ironwing sh. Rip wasbeled a tier-1 ability. In short, different iron-winged birds would be able to provide abilities of different tiers. That was understandable. Su Yu could forget about Ironwing sh due to his obviousck of wings. However, it wouldn''t hurt to give Rip a try. "Fine, let''s give it a try." However, his house was too small and there were too many people in the neighborhood. With Great Strength cultivators as neighbors, his house wasn''t a suitable ce to test the ability. After thinking about it, Su Yu left with his blood essence. ... About ten minutester, at a training center. After paying a fee of hundred anyuan dors, Su Yu rented a training room for an hour. There were plenty of such training centers in Nanyuan. After all, there were a lot of Great Strength cultivators living in the city. "Start!" The moment Su Yu swallowed the drop of blood essence, countless scenes of an iron-winged bird ripping its prey apart with its ws appeared in his mind. Both his hands started swelling. Source qi gathered in both his hands, filling them with power while also torturing him with pain. "This...is Rip?" Su Yu was shocked. This was the first time he had ever felt so strong. He couldn''t even urately judge how strong he was at the moment as he was only a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator. As the pain in his hands intensified, he did not dare to dy and hurriedly attacked the training dummy before him. Boom! His hand shot out and wed at the dummy''s throat with his fingers that had turned as sharp as eagle ws. A loud boom resounded from the dummy that was made from sturdy materials capable of withstanding the attack of cultivators. Su Yu then pulled his hand back and attacked with his other hand. He attacked again and again, each attack powered by some sort of tearing effect. Slowly, a tiny crack appeared on the dummy''s throat. And after about five minutes, Su Yu finally felt the power leaving his hands. Boom! "Hiss!" Su Yu inhaled in pain as hended one final attack after the power left him, nearly breaking his own fingers and putting himself in great pain. "Fuck!" Su Yu cursed the ability for leaving so abruptly. It was understandable that he would hurt himself attacking a training dummy with his cultivation of Source Opening Realm. After checking hismunicator, he reached a conclusion. "An active duration of five minutes for a drop of blood essence. It is not a singr attack. Rather, it infuses my attacks with a tearing effect. That is probably the racial ability of the bird instead of a regr qi-powered technique." Su Yu looked at the tiny crack on the dummy''s neck. It was slowly closing back up. These training dummies were popr among the various training centers due to their ability to self-repair. "Dad is also able to do this to the dummy as a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. In fact, he can do even more damage to it. With one full-powered punch, he can st a hole through the dummy. Meanwhile, my repeated attacks have only left a small crack on it. Seems like my attack is around the level of a sixth or seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. Probably seventh as the sixth stage is unlikely to have enough strength to damage these dummies. "In that case, these activated abilities will have the strength of the blood essence used. After all, the book indicated that the blood used belonged to a seventh-stage Great Strength iron-winged bird. One drop of blood essence for the offensive strength of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator for a duration of five minutes..." In other words, he now had ess to the offensive prowess of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. Of course, offensive prowess did not equal strength. A true Great Strength cultivator would have a stronger body, a faster speed, and more experience inbat. They would be better than him in all aspects. He could only contend against Great Strength cultivators when attacking stationary targets. But against proper Great Strength cultivators that were ready forbat, they would be able to instantly kill him. After all, his ability would only strengthen his hands while his body would remain weak. "In fact, I won''t stand a chance against even a third-stage Great Strength cultivator so long as the opponent is ready for me and fights from range. I won''t even have the chance to approach such an opponent to use my ability." Su Yu shook his head, pulling himself out of the illusion of strength. The strength this ability gave him was not as impressive as it looked. It could only be used as a trump card. If it was exposed, it wouldn''t be able to harm even third-stage or weaker Great Strength cultivators. After all, those opponents could always avoid him until his ability ran out before turning around to deal with him. "However, this ability isn''tpletely worthless either. In fact, it can be very useful." Su Yu smiled. He shouldn''t be too greedy. This ability was good enough for him. To be frank, a Source Opening cultivator like him was not much different from a regr person. The ability to gain the offensive strength of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator for five minutes was more than enough for him. "But the side effects are a tad bit serious..." Su Yuined. Both his hands were still swelling. As for the pain, it had tortured him so much that he was already numb to it. "Rip...this ability is too rough. The abilities of the iron-winged birds are really not suitable for humans. Our own martial techniques will be much better. However, the abilities of some of the more powerful races can still be very useful." Su Yu''s eyes lit up in excitement. Humanity had performed a thorough research on the iron-winged birds, making them a poor target to study. But what about other races? What if he could decipher the abilities of other races? "The cultural research academies will reward me for researching these subjects, right? If I''m lucky enough to get the cultivation methods, techniques, or even racial abilities of the divines and devils, won''t that earn me a lot of merit points?" Su Yu swallowed before smiling, "I think the cultural research academies are basically tailor-made for me! I can totally be a technique dealer at the cultural research academies." Of course, Su Yu was only half-joking to himself. He was a nobody. If he suddenly started releasing the racial abilities and techniques of the divines and the devils after joining an academy, he wouldn''t be considered a genius. Rather, he would be considered a freak. Had he encountered a divine or a devil before? Had he fought them before? Had he trained in their techniques before? If the answer to all these questions was no, nobody would believe that he was actually able to decipher the techniques and racial abilities of those races. Su Yu could only entertain himself with those thoughts. With a smile, he started moving again. Although he couldn''t activate the iron-winged bird''s ability anymore, he still shouldn''t waste the training room he had paid for. It wouldn''t hurt to use his remaining time in the room to train. Human cultivators would only start learning martial arts after reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm. They wouldn''t be able to properly utilize the practiced martial arts before then. Nevertheless, Su Yu had still learned several martial arts in the past. He wasted no time and started practicing what he knew in the training room. In the past, the eighth-stage felt incredibly far away for him. That was no longer the case. It would be a good idea to familiarize himself with some martial arts in advance. That way, he wouldn''t bepletely clueless upon reaching the eighth-stage. After all, if he reached that stage without the skill to utilize his newfound strength, he would remain as weak as before. Chapter 12: Peaceful and Calm

Chapter 12: Peaceful and Calm

Everything was peaceful and calm for the next few days. Su Yu did not tell anyone about his advancement into the fourth-stage. Instead, he focused on bitterly practicing the Source Opening Codex to stabilize his cultivation. There were some side effects from consuming blood essence. Thankfully, most of the blood had been absorbed by the book. Su Yu''s body fully recovered in only two or three days and stopped hurting all the time. He did not use the final drop of blood essence in his possession. It was still too soon. After all, he wasn¡¯t sure if the Source Swallowing Technique would push him into the fifth-stage the next time he used it. It would be too crazy for him to make such a big leap in cultivation in such a short period of time. It was better to wait half a month or so. Su Yu was in no rush. The entrance examination would only start after two months. If he could advance once every two weeks, he would be able to reach the ninth-stage by the time the examination arrived. ... "Yu, going to school today?" "Of course." "I''m so jealous that you don''t need to go. Can''t you get a leave of absence for me as well--" Chen Hao said instinctively before stopping. He asked curiously, "You''re going?" This fellow had been skipping school for several days. Even on the rare days he went, he wouldn''t stay long. Chen Hao was greatly envious of that. Why was this fellow suddenly going to school today? While walking, Su Yu said, "There are still over two months before the entrance exam. I''m going to look for the instructor and ask if I can learn a few morenguages." "You''re learning more?" Chen Hao was astonished. What a crazy person. He abruptly recalled something and grinned as he said, "Yu, in the past, I thought you''re amazing for knowing eighteennguages. But I just learned that we have someone even more amazing in our school. Do you know Liu Yue from the first ss? I heard that she''s even crazier than you. She had just gotten her twentiethnguage certification yesterday. How incredible." Su Yu raised his brow, "Liu Yue? Twentiethnguage?" He naturally knew who Liu Yue was. That was someone he frequently encountered at the library. In fact, she was the one who had shown him the books rted to the eleration of Source Opening cultivation. Unfortunately, those books hadn''t been helpful. He was aware that Liu Yue had mastered a decent number ofnguages. After all, she was even more serious than him in her studies. In fact, he would see her in the library almost every time he went there. Even so, for her to know twentynguages... Su Yu could im that he didn''t care that someone had surpassed him, but he still couldn''t help feeling somewhat disgruntled hearing the news. There were others in the school who had also mastered a lot ofnguages, but even the best of them had only mastered around the same number ofnguages as him. He had never heard about the actual number ofnguages Liu Yue had mastered before. It was surprising that she was able to master so manynguages, especially when she wasn''t even Liu Wenyan''s student. One ought to know that most of the topnguage students in the school had been taught by Liu Wenyan. In that case, who had Liu Yue learned from? ... Su Yu did not ask any questions about Liu Yue. The two continued walking toward the school. The public transport in the city wasn''t expensive, but most of the students would rather walk unless they really lived too far away. After all, walking could be considered a form of training. On the way, they could see some uniformed traffic controllers every now and then. Looking at the familiar uniform, Su Yu started missing his father. It had been five days. How was his father doing at the Allheaven Battlefield? Apart from the traffic controllers in their green uniforms, they also encountered the ck-uniformed patrols from the Windcatcher Department twice. The Windcatcher Department was mainly in charge of internal security within the Human Realm. "Hao, has the Windcatcher Department been patrolling everywhere in the past few days?" "Yeah." Chen Hao, who was busy looking around, replied, "Didn''t they say that the Myriad Race Cult has entered Great Xia? That¡¯s why the Windcatcher Department has increased the frequency of their patrols. "Hehe. Yu, have you watched any television during the past few days? The prefect has deployed the Martial Dragon Guards to patrol the prefecture and a lot of Myriad Race Cult bastards have been captured. There are executions every single day. Hundreds of them have been executed by now." Su Yu was naturally aware of all that. He frowned slightly and said, "Things are odd." "What?" Chen Hao smiled, "It''s not like this is the first time executions are shown on television." "I''m not talking about that." Su Yu frowned, "Those Myriad Race Cult bastards won''t make a move for no reason. They would cause chaos each time they moved. But have you seen or heard of any chaos in Great Xia this time? The only thing that has been happening is the execution of those fellows. Are they here to throw their lives away?" He found it odd that apart from being executed, the Myriad Race Cult had not been doing anything else. Was it because the Martial Dragon Guards were too good and were able to detect the Myriad Race Cult before they could do anything? Sure, that might be possible. Shaking his head, Su Yu cleared his mind of those thoughts. That wasn''t something he should be worried about. However, he was still d to see the Myriad Race Cult doing badly. With the defeats they had suffered, they probably wouldn''t be able to spare any effort on assassinating Instructor Liu anymore. The two talked as they walked. Before long, they arrived at Nanyuan Secondary School. ... At the same time. Outside the Nanyuan Secondary School. At the top floor of a tall building nearby, a middle-aged man moved his gaze away from the school. Turning around, he looked at a middle-aged woman who was busy cooking and spoke, "In Nanyuan Secondary School, there are 3,200 students, 210 teachers and instructors, with the students being Source Opening cultivators and the teachers being Great Strength cultivators. The principal, Chen Shi, is a second-stage Infinite Strength cultivator. "They have fifty guards, with one ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator and six cultivators at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above among them. Among the teachers, twenty-eight of them were at seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above. In total, there are thirty-five high-ranked Great Strength cultivators. "Additionally, the Windcatcher Department has a team of thirty providing secret protection to the school. The team leader is an Infinite Strength cultivator. The rest of them are high-ranked Great Strength cultivators. In total, they have sixty-four high-ranked Great Strength cultivators and two Infinite Strength cultivators. "The mayor''s manor is seven-thousand meters away from the school. With Mayor Wu Wenhai''s strength as a second-stage Skysoar cultivator, he requires two minutes to reach the school from the manor." The middle-aged man finished his report. In the kitchen, the woman continued cooking as she spoke, "Nanyuan Secondary School, the best secondary school in Nanyuan, also a source of talent for the various academies..." "This time, we won''t be acting alone. Our people will be moving concurrently in six cities, all aiming for the local secondary schools. Xia Longwu? Heh." The woman''s face turned cold. "Xia Longwu is too arrogant. After destroying a few of our regr hideouts, he concluded that we''repletely worthless. This time, we''ll let him suffer. Great Xia? Nothing special after all." The middle-aged man did not say anything about her rambling. Instead, he continued his report, "There is also a squad of Martial Dragon Guards in Nanyuan. There are ten soldiers in the team. Nine of them have a cultivation level between fourth-stage to ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm. The squad leader, Xia Bing, is a second-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. We still don''t know where they''re stationed but we need to take precautions against them as well." "Martial Dragon Guards!" This time, the woman was no longer sneering. Her face turned solemn as she said, "Investigate. Find them." "There are too few of them. It''s very hard to investigate them..." "Create some chaos. Lure them out." The woman ordered coldly, "Have some people go outside the city and ughter a few hamlets. That will be enough lives to force the Martial Dragon Guards to make a move." At that, the middle-aged man hesitated, "A lot of us have died recently. The people under us are already wavering. If we continue sending them to their deaths..." "It''s not like they know they''ll be facing the Martial Dragon Guards. Have the people from the Blood Fire Sect go. Those people have always been crazy. They enjoy killing the most. Let them test the water. The moment the Martial Dragon Guards are lured away, we move. Have our people on standby. We''ll destroy Nanyuan Secondary School in one go before retreating immediately. This time...we''ll kill all of them!" The woman had a cold expression. "Kill all the students and teachers in all six secondary schools. Even Xia Longwu would be hurt from the loss of six secondary schools. They think we''re only here to create a little bit of trouble? Little did they know that our goal is more than a few instructors." Protecting Liu Wenyan? He wasn¡¯t even their target! What was the point of killing a single Liu Wenyan? Even with the robust strength of Great Xia, it would still suffer from losing six secondary schools and everyone in it. The result would not be immediate, but in a few years, they would start feeling the effects of losing almost an entire generation of students from six cities. The middle-aged man heaved a long breath and said worriedly, "We''re both Skysoar cultivators. It won''t be a problem for us to handle Mayor Wu Wenhai. But if Xia Bing shows up, we won''t be his match." The Martial Dragon Guards was the most elite army of Great Xia. Even a mere squad leader of that army would be extremely powerful. Even with the same cultivation level, it was unlikely that they would be his match. "Don¡¯t worry." The woman sneered. "If the Martial Dragon Guards really show up, there will be someone else handling them." "Have the higher ups sent someone here?" "Don''t ask something you shouldn''t." berated the woman before shifting her focus back to her cooking. She had been staying here undercover for six years. After this mission, it would be time for her to leave. She wondered if she would be promoted after her return to the headquarters. Suddenly, a little girl walked into the room and asked, "Mom, that smells good. What are we having for breakfast?" "Dear, be patient. Breakfast will be ready soon." The woman spoke with a gentle smile on her face. However, the look in her eyes was cold with no emotion whatsoever. As far as she was concerned, this daughter of hers was merely a tool to cover her identity here. The man also smiled warmly as he talked to the young girl. However, his eyes were as cold as the woman''s. The girl did not suspect anything and happily went into the bathroom. The moment she left, the kitchen sank into silence. After a short while, the man asked, "What about her?" "Kill." The woman did not hesitate. "But we can''t do it now. We''ll do it before leaving and erase even her blood. We can''t have those experts tracing us through her blood. After all, our blood still flows in her." Yes, that was their biological daughter. They had given birth to the daughter to cover their identities. Now that they were leaving, they no longer needed this burden with them. Over the past six years, the two had disguised themselves well. Nobody in Nanyuan suspected them. Nobody would have guessed that the hardworking couple with a daughter would actually be Skysoar experts of the Myriad Race Cult. "Contact the others tonight. Get ready for the operation. Remember, ughter everyone and pull out in three minutes." "Ok." The middle-aged man answered before looking outside the window. A smile formed on his face as his gazended on Nanyuan Secondary School. That school would stop existing in a few days. What a pity. Those youths are quite a vigorous bunch. Some of them might even have the potential to grow into incredible individuals in the future. s, they would no longer have the chance to do so. Xia Longwu...not even you would have seen thising. After all, Great Xia has enjoyed many years of peace. The more he thought about it, the more excited the middle-aged man became. He had been here for so many years. It was finally time for him toplete his mission. Xia Longwu had thought that this would only be a minor conflict. Little did he know that the main force of the cult had already entered Great Xia. Chapter 13: Bait (1)

Chapter 13: Bait (1)

Final year third ss. This was Su Yu''s ss. He had barely been to his sses in recent days. However, nobody thought much about it. The entrance examination wasing and everyone was nervous about it. Nobody could spare any attention on whether a ssmate was skipping sses or not. In any case, Su Yu was not the only one being exempted from lessons. There was a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator in the ss who had also been away from school for a long time. For students of that level, it was better for them to calm themselves and prepare for the uing examination than to actually go to school every day. ... Su Yu went to ss and sat down on his seat. He was in no rush to go looking for Liu Wenyan. It was still too early. Instructor Liu was probably busy reading this early in the morning. After all, that was a long-time habit of his. Chen Hao sat down beside Su Yu. The two were actually deskmates. Their teachers allowed the ss to sit freely, so the two had decided to sit together. Before long, a voluptuous woman of about thirty in age entered the ss with a book in hand. She scanned the ss without remarking on the attendance. Stopping at the front of the ss, she opened her book and said, "The entrance examination is not far away. We''ll stop with the basic lessons. Today, I''ll give you a simple exnation on your possible future paths after graduation instead. "I won¡¯t talk about the four academy types. You already know that. I''ll talk about those who couldn''t even enter an internal affairs academy or those unwilling to enter one. What path can one such person take?" The teacher smiled, "This is a magical era where the mundane and the extraordinary exist together. Some students are unwilling to stay mundane, hoping to step on an extraordinary path. Will there be no hope for you to be extraordinary after failing to enter a war academy? No. You still have hope." At that point, even the students who had heard about the alternatives grew excited. It didn''t matter if they had heard it somewhere else before. It was always more reliable to hear it from a teacher. "The first path, also the more dangerous path, is to join an army." The smile on the teacher''s face vanished as she solemnly said, "I think you''re all aware that the army is one of the ces where a mundane person would find more chances at stepping onto an extraordinary path. By killing our enemies on the battlefield, you will earn merit points. Many of you have family members in the army. You should already be aware of this. "That is an extremely dangerous path. We have a six-figure casualty rate yearly. However, I''m not here today to talk about the dangers of joining an army. Even if that is the path you decide to take, there are still multiple options within that path." The teacher paused and looked at Chen Hao who had grown excited listening to her. She smiled and said, "Chen Hao, can you name the armed forces we have in Great Xia?" Chen Hao stood up in excitement and said, "Firstly, we have the Martial Dragon Guards, the strongest army of Great Xia. Secondly, we have the Great Xia Army, the army in charge of the defense of Great Xia. Thirdly, we have the Windcatcher Department, in charge of arresting the Myriad Race Cult and maintainingw and order. Fourthly, the city guards of the various cities, in charge of defending the various cities. "Apart from the Windcatcher Department, the other three forces will be expected to join the battlefield when things get difficult there. They can be considered the reserve force for our front line army." The teacher smiled. "You''re right. However, your answer is notprehensive enough." "The Martial Dragon Guards is not a reserve force. They are not staying away from the Allheaven Battlefield because they''re weaker than the front line army. Rather, it is because the front line does not require them there all the time. Apart from the four you mentioned, there are two other armed forces in Great Xia." Chen Hao grew curious. The teacher continued with her exnation, "The fifth armed force is the front line army. In truth, a part of the front line army has always remained within Great Xia itself. Of course, they''re very rarely seen. They are mainly in charge of recruiting new soldiers. "The sixth armed force is the retired veterans. As you''re all aware of, we have a lot of citizens that are retired veterans from the various armed forces. That is actually a rather formidable force in itself." At that point, the teacher hesitated slightly before saying, "In fact, there is also a seventh armed force." Everyone was astonished. There was more? "Yes, we have a seventh armed force. The guards of the various schools and academies. Do not look down on these guards. Just take our Nanyuan Secondary School as an example. We''re only a secondary school, but the Squad Leader Huang you all know is actually a ninth-stage Great Strength expert. "At the capital, the school and academy guards are even stronger. There, you can find guards at the Infinite Strength Realm or even the Skysoar Realm. Including the instructors and the students of the war academies, the schools and academies can be considered a massive force that might even surpass the might of the Great Xia Army whenbined. Of course, all of usbined would still be weaker than the Martial Dragon Guards." Everyone had a look of understanding on their faces. That was a factor they had all overlooked. "Therefore, I''m here today to tell you that even if you can''t enter an academy, do not worry. There are many options leading to an extraordinary path. However, danger and opportunity exist at the same time. If you''re not as good as others in your studies and cultivation, then you''ll need to pay a greater price for sess. You might even end up paying the ultimate price, your life." The teacher sternly said, "Students wishing to step on an extraordinary path yet unable to enter a war academy can consider enlisting in the army. Going to the front line is the most dangerous path, but you will also have the highest chance of obtaining what you want there. "Secondly, you can consider joining the Great Xia Army. You can forget about the Martial Dragon Guards, but the Great Xia Army will recruit new soldiers every year. It is also much safer to join this army than going to the front line. "Apart from the Great Xia Army, the Windcatcher Department also has their own academy known as the Windcatcher Academy. However, that isn''t a popr academy. Also, their teaching method is rather crude. You will probably find yourself graduated and deployed to the various cities for active duty right after entering the Great Strength Realm. You will have a much earlier ess to realbat there." "..." So it turned out that the teacher was essentially telling them to enlist. Toward the end, the teacher shifted her tone and said, "Actually, if you can''t enter a war academy and are also worried of the stress of joining an army, you can totally consider joining the city guards. The entrance examination for the city guards is much simpler. They also have a ratherprehensive training curriculum in ce. "Nanyuan isn''t a big city, but our city guards aren¡¯t weak. Everyone is in a rush to head to the capital. However, the capital is over a thousand kilometers away from Nanyuan. You''ll be very far from home. Why don''t you give the city guards a try? "The leader of Nanyuan''s city guards, 1000-Man Commander Zhang, is a ninth-stage Great Strength expert. He ces great importance on the city guards and its reserve. He will frequently give personal pointers to the new recruits, and the more talented recruits will receive great care from him. The mayor himself looks highly upon themander..." "..." At that point, most of the ss understood what was going on. This was yet another recruiter in disguise. Of course, none of them were bothered. They were already used to this. It was that time of the year where students were about to graduate and the various forces were in need of fresh recruits. Nanyuan might be a small city, but the mayor still wished to forge an elite garrison for the city. As the saying went, the pavilion closest to the water enjoys moonlight first. The city garrison had actually been able to recruit a decent number of talents from the city each year due to their location. As students of Nanyuan Secondary School, there were still some third-stage Source Opening cultivators that were decently talented even if they weren''t able to enter the war academies. With some training, these people would still be able to step into the Infinite Strength Realm in the future. "Give it a thought. You don''t have to rush your decision..." At that point, the ss was getting morous, but the teacher was unaffected. After she was done speaking, she allowed everyone to freely discuss the topic and walked up to Su Yu. Su Yu wasn''t her target. Rather, it was Chen Hao. "Chen Hao, you''re a third-stage Source Opening cultivator. You still have a chance to join a war academy, but it''s a rather small chance. If you can''t get into one, why don''t you consider the city guards? Your father is working in Nanyuan as well, right? Even a new recruit will be allowed to return home three days per month. This is a very good opportunity..." Meanwhile, Chen Hao looked sullen. Why was she telling him all that? He would definitely be able to enter a war academy! He did not want to join the city guards! Why wasn''t Su Yu given the same talk? She was obviously looking down on him! Seeing Chen Hao''s expression, the teacher smiled and asked, "Look at you. Are you looking down on the garrison?" "No, of course not. But I still want to try joining a war academy. I''ll think again if I fail." Chen Hao sounded dispirited. He would reconsider only after failing his entrance examination to the war academies. The teacher did not mind his reply. She looked at Su Yu and said with the same smile on her face, "Su Yu, you''re ted to join a cultural research academy. Instructor Liu personally made sure of that. I shouldn''t be saying this, but in case you don''t want to join a cultural research academy, you can consider the city guards as well. "The mayor is cing more and more importance on the city guards. You''re a talented individual. Upon joining the city guards, you won''t be assigned an unimportant position. The mayor actually has some openings in the Communication Division where you can work while learning. That is actually quite a valuable opportunity." Su Yu gave it a thought and asked, "A city guard won''t have much chance to enter the Allheaven Battlefield, right?" "Yes." The teacher hurriedly replied, thinking that Su Yu was afraid of the battlefield. Su Yu nodded and replied with a smile, "I see. Thank you, teacher. I''ll give it a thought." That was basically a polite rejection. What a joke. Su Yu would most certainly not join the city guards. He might have considered it in the past. If his father was still home and Nanyuan City could offer him something good, he wouldn''t mind staying. He was also aware of the so-called Communication Division. It was a safe ce to work with good benefits for its employees. But with his father gone, what was the point of staying in Nanyuan alone? Also, would he have ess to the blood essence he needed in Nanyuan? At that thought, Su Yu thought something and asked, "Teacher, between the war academies and the cultural research academies, which would have ess to more blood essence?" The abrupt question stunned the teacher. She answered, "Of course it''s the war academies..." "I mean in terms of variety. As a ce of research, the cultural research academies should have ess to more types of blood essence, right?" "Yes...I guess?" The teacher wasn''t too sure either. "In terms of variety, the cultural research academies should have more. At the very least, they will have more samples than the war academies. Most of the unused blood essence gained from the battlefield would be supplied to the cultural research academies. In terms of total quantity, the war academies would have more. For example, they will probably have a lot of blood essence capable of helping with one''s cultivation." Su Yu nodded. He had reached the same conclusion previously, but he was unsure. With a confirmation from his teacher, he was much more confident in his judgment. Quantity was good, but variety was more important for him. Without variety, how was he supposed to unlock more pages in his book? Also, without knowing thenguage, he wouldn''t be able to read an unlocked page either. Was he supposed to ask others what those words meant after unlocking a page? "Looks like I should focus on joining a cultural research academy after all." As Su Yu was muttering to himself, someone shouted outside the ssroom, "Su Yu, go see Instructor Liu. He''s looking for you." "Got it." After getting permission from his teacher, Su Yu left the ssroom. Chapter 14: Bait (2)

Chapter 14: Bait (2)

When Su Yu reached the Instructor''s Office, he saw that he wasn''t the only student there. Several familiar faces could be seen in the office. He wasn''t exactly close with them, but he knew their names. Some were genius cultivators at fourth-stage Source Opening Realm and some were genius students who had mastered numerousnguages. Liu Yue was among them. Instructor Liu wasn''t the only school staff present either. The principal and several Great Strength instructors were there as well. These people were among the strongest individuals in Nanyuan Secondary School. After Su Yu, a few more students arrived one after another. Several minutester, everyone was there. The principal smiled and said, "The twenty five of you are the hope of Nanyuan Secondary School this year. All of you will be joining either a war academy or a cultural research academy. As for the scientific research academies, they never recruited heavily from our school." The principal was a martial cultivator while Liu Wenyan was a schr. However, the schr unhesitatingly interrupted the principal and said, "Cut the crap. Get straight to the point. We can''t afford to waste so much time." That ced the principal in an awkward position. Couldn''t the old bastard see that there were students present? Why was he being so rude in front of the kids? The principal suddenly had the urge to break one of Instructor Liu''s legs. The other instructors stealthilyughed at the exchange and only stopped when the principal red at them. The principal continued his talk, "Recently, things haven¡¯t been too peaceful in Great Xia. The Myriad Race Cult is making a lot of moves. They haven''t been able to do much, but Nanyuan is a small city. We do not have enough forces to defend against them. Therefore, we have decided to send all of you to the capital, the Great Xia City, in advance. You will be safer there. In fact, the Myriad Race Cult is already attacking the genius students of some other cities." Su Yu remained silent. One of the students asked, "Going to the capital? How about the entrance examination?" "You can take your examination at the capital. It might even be better for you that way as the capital has a much higher number of open slots for recruitment. With the school''s rmendation, all of you have received the permission to take your examination there. You only need to go and wait." "How long will we be staying there?" A girl asked, "We''re still two months away from the examination. Are we supposed to stay at the capital until then?" "Not really. If the Myriad Race Cult is defeated before then, you can return." At the mention of the cult, the principal became furious. "Those scoundrels are creating chaos everywhere. Nanyuan is too small. We don''t have enough forces to protect all of you. It is better to be safe. If they set their eyes on you, there will be a lot of openings for them to make their move. "We might not be able to protect you when you''re outside, when you''re home, or even when you''re here at school. Rather than spreading our security forces thin, we might as well gather you up and send you away. In fact, your departure will also make it safer for your families. For the Myriad Race Cult, the regr people are not worth the risk of revealing themselves. You know what I mean." Everyone nodded. None of them was a fool. They naturally understood what the principal meant. The Myriad Race Cult would not make a move for no reason. It was pointless to reveal themselves just to kill some regr people and put themselves at risk. However, killing these genius students was an entirely different case. In fact, the cult had a bonus system meant for rewarding sessful kills of these young geniuses. A cult member would obtain considerable benefits from making a sessful kill. Of course, these students at Nanyuan weren¡¯t exactly true geniuses whenpared with those from the bigger cities. However, Nanyuan also had a weaker security, making it a rather tempting target for the cult. In fact, the cult had indeed performed assassinations against young geniuses in other small cities before. Seeing that all the students understood him, the principal continued, "Therefore, all of you need to get ready. For those willing to leave, gather at the school in three days. The city garrison will send some people to escort you to the capital. Don''t worry. The school will bear all your expenses there." Liu Wenyan had been remaining silent. He suddenly spoke, "If possible, you really should leave. Things...haven''t been peacefultely. The Myriad Race Cult has been active during the past few days. Genius students and merchant convoys have suffered attacks from them. Some murders have also beenmitted outside the city. Fortunately, no murder have beenmitted in Nanyuan so far. "Something feels off about all that. You''re no longer children, so you should have your own judgment about the situation as well. This might be an attempt to lure our security forces away from the city. "The Myriad Race Cult members that have been caught or exposed are all minor members, with a majority of them being those lunatics from the Blood Fire Sect. Those lunatics have all been brainwashed to the point they don''t fear death. They are nothing but cannon fodder for the cult and the myriad races. The true big shots have yet to show themselves. By creating chaos, they''re keeping the Martial Dragon Guards and the city guards of the various cities upied." Su Yu couldn''t help but to ask, "Instructor, is the capital not aware of all this?" "Of course they are." Liu Wenyan smiled, "The capital is a ce filled with talented individuals. How will they be unaware of this? But even if they are aware, can the Martial Dragon Guards stay idle during disturbances? The Great Xia Army is in charge of defense, so they can''t be moved from their positions easily. The Martial Dragon Guards have the most flexibility, so they have to be deployed. "The Windcatcher Department can hardly catch a breath as they are needed everywhere. You will never know what the Myriad Race Cult''s next target will be. Those hiding in the dark can act in an absolutely unrestrained manner. Even with the strength to crush them, we can''t do anything since we don''t know where they are. Therefore, our goal is to reduce the number of targets and send you away. We can then allocate more of our forces into hunting those fellows down." Everyone nodded in realization. One of the students dered furiously, "Those people are animals. Just wait until I graduate from a war academy. I''ll kill everyst one of them!" The instructors merely smiled without saying anything. Every one of them had thought of the same thing before. Unfortunately, those cult members were too well hidden. "Alright. Return and think about this. Come to the school in three days if you agree to leave. The city guards will send you away." "Alright." Everyone answered. It did not seem like they would have any other choice apart from leaving. By leaving, they could instead lighten the burden on Nanyuan. They understood that. ... Everyone left, but Su Yu remained. He had been intending to learn a few morenguages from Liu Wenyan anyway, including the ox-faced fishnguage. That was one of the races he had dreamed of before. Surprisingly, it had been a few days since Su Yu hadst dreamed. The ox-faced fishnguage was extremely obscure, so Su Yu had not learned it before. He wasn''t even sure if Liu Wenyan knew it. As for his departure to the capital, he didn''t really care much about it. He was going to be home alone anyway, so it did not matter if he had to move to a different city. The other instructors and the principal left as well. Finally, only Su Yu and Liu Wenyan were left in the office. Hearing that Su Yu wanted to learn the ox-faced fishnguage, Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "The ox-faced fish is very rare on the Allheaven Battlefield. Most of them remain in the Mount Root Realm. Theirnguage is very obscure, resulting in ack of reading materials in theirnguage. At the veryst, that''s the case when ites to our plunder from the Allheaven Battlefield. I''ve yet to learn thatnguage as well, but I''m confident there will be someone in the capital that knows thenguage." Su Yu did not feel too bad about it. He was about to leave when Liu Wenyan said, "Your father has left for the Allheaven Battlefield. Are you living alone for now?" "Yeah." "Remember to be careful." Su Yu turned around and looked at his instructor. Were things really this bad? "There are security measures in ce at school and on the streets. Most of our students will also have some Great Strength cultivators at home, so we''re not too worried about them. But you''re more vulnerable since you''re living alone." Liu Wenyan hesitated for a bit before saying, "In truth...I disagree--" "Instructor Liu!" A sonorous voice suddenly rang out from outside the office. Liu Wenyan maintained the same expression and asked, "His father is a veteran of the Devil Subduing Army. Is he not trustworthy as well?" "Anything is possible. Su Long has been retired for eighteen years." "Then you guys should have someone protect him. I can''t stop worrying otherwise." "We don''t have the manpower to spare." Liu Wenyan said unhappily, "I don''t have the right to question you people from the Martial Dragon Guards when you''re carrying out your orders, but I don''t think Su Yu is suspicious. Of course, if you''re still unwilling, I''ll have Su Yu stay with me for a few days. It will be too irresponsible to let him return alone." "..." The person outside sank into silence, seemingly deep in thought. As for Su Yu, he was totally confused. What was going on? Of course, he chose to keep his mouth shut. Was the person outside someone from the Martial Dragon Guards? But he hadn''t noticed anyone outside at all! "Fine." A reply came a short whileter before silence descended again. Liu Wenyan turned to look at the silent Su Yu and smiled, "The Myriad Race Cult members are very good at disguising themselves. We suspect that they have been creating chaos recently for a specific reason. Therefore, we decided that we can''t stay passive. Instead, we need to take the initiative and make our own move as well. However, we don''t know if they have any members in the school or the city garrison. We need an opportunity before we can make a move." "Opportunity?" Su Yu caught on to something, but he was still unsure. "Yes. Opportunity. Nanyuan is a small ce. There is nothing important here. The only thing we have of value is probably this Nanyuan Secondary School. Maybe the mayor''s manor can be considered such a ce, but that ce is guarded by the city guards. It is a much safer ce than the school. We don''t know if the cult is already in Nanyuan, but as a precaution and to grab the initiative, we have decided on a baiting operation. You guys...are the bait. Of sorts." Liu Wenyan sighed, "If the cult is really here at Nanyuan, and they''re really nning something here, they will only be left with several choices after hearing about our n to send you guys away." "Firstly, they can attack in advance and kill all of you. Secondly, they can attack while you''re en-route to the capital. But with the city garrison escorting you, the cult will need more manpower for their operation. Also, the Great Xia Army will also be meeting with us halfway the journey. "Thirdly, they can wait for you guys to leave with a portion of the garrison. With the city weakened, they can make their move. Fourthly, give up on Nanyuan. With all of you gone, we can better concentrate our security measures, making things harder for the cult." Su Yu frowned, "So you mean that if we''re really their target, they might attack before our departure?" "Yes. They will show themselves." "And if it''s not us..." "Then you''ll be out of Nanyuan. The capital is really a safer ce. The Martial Dragon Guards will be able to pluck out the hidden cult members here in a month or two." Liu Wenyan''s face turned stern, "Therefore, you guys are the bait. Not many people know about this n. We''re not sure if they have any spies among us." "Will it be dangerous for us?" "It will be fine for most of you. You''re an exception since you''re staying alone." "That''s why I''m telling you all this. I don''t want you to encounter an assassination attempt whilepletely clueless. Just stay with me for two days. If nothing happens, we''ll send you all away in three days." Su Yu thought about it and decided to not object. It was clear that the people running the city were being cautious by sending them away in advance. It would be for the best if nothing happened. And if something did happen, the city would still be able to seize the initiative with their n in ce. As for the danger...well, things would be even more dangerous if they didn''t have a n in the first ce. If the Myriad Race Cult was really targeting them, it would actually be safer following the n. Su Yu could understand the reason behind this, so he smiled and said, "Don''t worry, teacher. I get it. But are there really that many cult members hidden among us?" "Yes, there are." Liu Wenyan sighed, "Otherwise, why would we be calling them rats? They''re too good at hiding. It would be for the best if nothing happens. But if something is really happening, we can only try our best to prepare for it. Stay at my ce for now. Just use learning newnguages as an excuse." "Sure," Su Yu agreed. He did not mind where he slept. However, he still couldn''t resist asking, "Instructor, aren''t you a willpower cultivator? Can''t you detect the spies hidden among our ranks?" Liu Wenyan merely smiled, looking like a mysterious expert with unfathomable thoughts. What do you think? Sure, I can read the mind of rookies like you. But any adult would have aplicated mind. Nobody will have their thoughts exposed so easily, especially those from the Myriad Race Cult. Every single one of them is fully focused on hiding. The brave ones among them would have died a long time ago. Chapter 15: A Different Great Xia

Chapter 15: A Different Great Xia

Su Yu spent the day following Liu Wenyan around. He did not mind it as this wasn''t the first time he had done this. When he was learning the various differentnguages in the past, he had frequently followed Liu Wenyan around as well. While following Liu Wenyan, Su Yu continued doing what he wanted, such as cultivating and studying. The only thing he hadn''t been doing was activating the Source Swallowing Technique with his blood essence. The Martial Dragon Guards continued protecting them in the dark. Su Yu had not been able to detect them, and they had never shown themselves to him either. In truth, he was rather curious about them. He also slightly adored them. He had heard that the Martial Dragon Guards were extremely strong, to the point his father wasn''t even qualified to join. Just how strong were they? Like Su Yu, Liu Wenyan was living his life as usual, spending his time drinking tea, reading, and teaching. ... "You long to join the Martial Dragon Guards?" Liu Wenyan asked after noticing Su Yu looking outside several times, clearly trying to catch a glimpse of the Martial Dragon Guards protecting them. Su Yu was somewhat embarrassed to be caught and spoke in a low voice, "I''m just curious. They''re the strongest army in Great Xia, after all." "Martial Dragon Guards..." Liu Wenyan''s emotions were mixed as he said, "They have existed for many years. The current prefect was actually named after them. The Martial Dragon Guards came before the prefect while the Martial Dragon War Academy came after. This generation''s Martial Dragon Guards were the strongest. They do not have a lot of members. After all, they only take in elites. In total, there are only about five thousand of them." "That few?" The Martial Dragon Guards'' information was not avable to the public. Thus, this was the first time Su Yu had ever heard of this. Only five thousand people? That was too small of an army! One ought to know that even Nanyuan has over a thousand city guards. As for the capital, their city guards surpassed fifty thousand people in number. The Great Xia Army was an army of over one hundred thousand people. The Martial Dragon Guards, which was considered stronger than all of them, had less than ten thousand members. "The Martial Dragon Guards are elites. They don''t need too many people. For an army, quality matters more than quantity." Liu Wenyan smiled, "Officially, the Martial Dragon Guards have ten thousand soldiers, but that is not the truth. Even so, there is no denying that they are extremely strong. A squad at ten, an army at a hundred, undefeatable at a thousand." "Undefeatable?" Su Yu muttered. Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "That''s just a slogan. Don''t take it seriously. But they''re really very strong. Even an ordinary soldier there is an Infinite Strength cultivator. Their squad leaders will either be ninth-stage Infinite Strength or Skysoar cultivators while their 100-manmanders will mostly bete-stage Skysoar cultivators." Su Yu was speechless. That was really strong. With five thousand soldiers, they would have at least fifty 100-manmanders in their army. Were all of them beyond the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm? One ought to know that even Nanyuan''s mayor wasn''t that strong. What about the 1000-manmanders that were above the 100-manmanders? Wouldn''t they be stronger? Would they be above the Skysoar Realm? How about the deputy general? The general of the Martial Dragon Guards was Xia Longwu. Su Yu was at least aware of that. With even the weakest soldier in the army being an Infinite Strength cultivator, that was an extremely terrifying army. On the Allheaven Battlefield, the Devil Subduing Army was considered a formidable army. But even an army like that would promote his father who was only a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator into a squad leader back then, granting him the same rank as a squad leader in the Martial Dragon Guards. However, one of them was a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator while the other was a ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivator at the weakest. It was no wonder his father had been rejected by the Martial Dragon Guards back then. Looking at Su Yu''s reaction, Liu Wenyan smiled and continued, "We have a squad of ten stationed here at Nanyuan. The fellow who had spoken to me previously was a team leader." "Is he strong?" "Yes. He''s a ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivator." Su Yu was once again rendered speechless. "A team leader is already a ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivator?" "He might only be a team leader, but the squad stationed here is actually a stronger squad. This team leader is strong enough to be a squad leader in some of the weaker squads. "You don''t need to get too envious of his strength. The Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms are only the foundation realms. The Skysoar Realm is where cultivation truly begins. Skysoar cultivators would not be cannon fodder even at a ce like the Allheaven Battlefield. Instead, they would be the elites. You''ll understand after materializing your willpower and entering the Skysoar Realm." Su Yu said longingly, "I wonder how many years it will take..." "..." Liu Wenyan was speechless. Years? He had imed that one could take three to five years to reach the Skysoar Realm before, but that was only applicable for geniuses. Su Yu might be decently talented, but he was no genius. If he was lucky, perhaps he could reach that level in a decade. If not...he would suffer the same fate as Liu Wenyuan and found himself stuck at the stage before willpower materialization for his entire life. But even if one had to take a decade for willpower materialization, that would still be a faster speedpared to regr physical cultivators. The two continued their conversation. Su Yu also took the chance to ask about thenguages of the myriad races. Eventually, he asked, "Instructor, is there really no way to elerate Source Opening cultivation? Apart from those risky methods, are there no other methods? Why were those fourth-stage Source Opening cultivators able to rapidly reach the Great Strength Realm after entering the war academies? "From the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm to the first-stage Great Strength Realm, one needs to break through six stages. To reach the fifth-stage from the fourth-stage, wouldn''t one need at least half a year generally? "Even if one can maintain the same speed and break through once per six months, one would still need three years to enter the Great Strength Realm. But I heard that many students were able to reach the Great Strength Realm a year after entering the war academies." Su Yu had always been curious about that. In the past, the teachers and instructors had merely smiled and told them that they would find out after joining the academies. He wanted to take this chance to learn more. After all, hising progress in cultivation would probably be rapid as well. Perhaps it was because Su Yu was going to enter an academy soon, but Liu Wenyan did not hide anything this time. He answered, "You must have seen this term in books before: the secret grottos of academies." "Yes." "There you have it." Liu Wenyan took the chance to test Su Yu, "There are numerous realms in existence. Why did the experts of the myriad races insist on creating an Allheaven Battlefield outside their realms?" "Suppression!" Su Yu answered unhesitatingly. "Each realm has a different environment. Gravity, air, qi density, and so on are all different. The divines might find themselves suppressed at the Devil Realm, limiting them to only thirty percent of their full strength. That would be the case for the devils in the Divine Realm. Because of that, no race would dare to rashly invade a different realm." "Exactly. That was why the Allheaven Battlefield came into existence." Liu Wenyan''s eyes grew cold as he asked, "Do you know the reason for humanity to get dragged into the war as well? Why was humanity the target of so many races?" "Because humans...are weak? So they want to invade us?" ?Su Yu hesitated. That was what the books said. However, his father told a different story. ording to Su Long, humans weren''t weak. In fact, humans were very strong. "Weak? No, we''re not." ?Liu Wenyan said the same thing. "How can humans be weak? If we''re really weak, we would have been defeated at the Allheaven Battlefield long ago. Humans might not be a top-three race among the myriad races, but we''re still strong enough to be a top-ten race." Su Yu was confused, "In that case, why do humans have so many enemies?" "Human Realm." Liu Wenyan smiled, "You will all learn about this after entering the academies. Of course, this isn''t a big secret. The Human Realm is too special. All other realms have some sort of suppression against outsiders, making it hard for the myriad races to invade each other. But that is not the case for the Human Realm." "Huh?" "Zero suppression." Liu Wenyan sighed. "That''s why the Human Realm is an extremely attractive target for the other races. In fact, the Human Realm could actually be considered a strategic location. Think about it. How would a race feel after spending great effort to invade a different realm only to find themselves weakening after a sessful invasion? The Human Realm is the only realm they can enter without suffering any suppression. Why would the Human Realm not be a target for the various races? "A sessful conquest would grant them billions of lives to exploit, more source qi to harvest, a vast world to rule, countless new treasures to be found, and a realm to be devoured. They stand to gain too many benefits from conquering a new realm. But since other realms are difficult to conquer, the Human Realm bes the most attractive target. We''re not attacked because we''re weak. The faultys on the Human Realm, the unreliable Human Realm..." Liu Wenyan mumbled helplessly. Every other realm had a suppression effect on outsiders. The Human Realm was the sole exception. What could they do about it? "But why is that the case?" This was new to Su Yu. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around it. Why would that be the case? It was no wonder that things were bing more and more desperate for humanity on the Allheaven Battlefield. It was no wonder that so many races were hostile toward humans. He had always thought that those fellows had only set their eyes on the humans because they were weak. But both his father and instructor were telling him otherwise. ording to them, the human race was powerful enough to be a top-ten race. A powerful top-ten race had been turned into a public enemy. He couldn''t understand why something like that would happen previously, but now he knew. The Human Realm was basically opened wide to the other races. How would they not be attracted? The Human Realm was akin to an attractive clothless woman beckoning at a man. Would that man be able to resist the temptation? "Why?" Liu Wenyan smiled bitterly. "We have two theories. Firstly, the Human Realm''s core has been damaged, so the power of suppression is gone. Secondly, there are legends that the ancient humans were supreme experts dominating the myriad realms. Worshiped by the myriad races, the Human Realm acted as the heart of the myriad realms. Humanity naturally needed no suppression effect toward foreign races. Only weak races would require something like that to defend themselves." Su Yu was shocked. "Is that true?" "That''s only a legend. Maybe humans made that up to feel good about themselves. In any case, that is one of our existing spections. None of that matters. We can''t change anything. You will learn all this in an academy. Weren''t you asking about the cultivation speed of those who had joined an academy? It''s all thanks to the secret grottos. A so-called secret grotto is actually a pocket realm, a chunk of space cut out of a ce or realm rich in source qi." Su Yu nked out. A cut off chunk of space? "I''ll give you a simple example. Take the secret grotto of the Great Xia War Academy. That was a chunk of space cut off and plundered from the Golden Peng Realm by the Great Xia King with one sh of his de back then." Su Yu was speechless. P-plundered? Wait. Cutting a realm apart with one sh of his de? He even managed to take that chunk of space back? Was that still a human? "The Golden Peng Realm has a high density of source qi. It also has a decent amount of heavenly source qi in it. Thus, with some preparations, one would be able to cultivate rapidly upon entering such a secret grotto. That is why the students of the academy could quickly enter the Great Strength Realm." Su Yu couldn''t help asking, "How about the Human Realm? Don''t we have any ces rich in source qi or heavenly source qi?" "Of course we do." Liu Wenyan smiled. "But there are too many people in the Human Realm. It also doesn''t make sense for us to cut off our own realm. Doing that too often may even cause the realm to copse. Since the other races all want to take a bite out of our realm, we can naturally do the same to them." The more Liu Wenyan spoke, the colder his face became. "Over the years, humanity has not been staying idle. We have actually taken the initiative to attack and destroy a decent number of small realms, seizing the cores of those realms for ourselves. With the cores, we were able to turn entire realms into sacrednds of cultivation for humanity. "Us humans do not have the habit of silently enduring a beating. It might be hard for us to destroy the bigger races, but those smaller races are asking for a beating for daring to set their eyes on us as well." It was very rare to see a schr like Liu Wenyuan to look so murderous. "Where did you think the academies got their research materials from? You really think all of them were plundered from the battlefield? You''re too naive. Some of the materials were actually directly taken from within the realms of these races." Su Yu''s expression changed. After a while, he muttered, "That is so domineering. I had always assumed that we¡¯re only silently taking a beating from the myriad races. So that''s not the case at all. We''re also hitting back." Liu Wenyan''s smile grew wider, "That is only natural. If we''re not ruthless enough, the myriad races will see us asmbs. By ruthlessly suppressing some races and roping in some other races, humanity is able to stand tall among the myriad races. Take our very own Great Xia King as an example. He hasn''t been seen publicly for many years. Do you really think he''s in seclusion?" "Is that not the case?" Su Yu asked nkly. Wasn''t that what they announced? Liu Wenyan stroked his beard and said, "Of course not. How can an invincible expert stay in seclusion all the time? He left a long time ago. We don''t know his exact whereabouts, but it is said that he had entered the Divine Realm. Of course, that is only a rumor and nobody knows if that''s true." "Incredible!" Su Yu felt like he was listening to a fairy tale. That was amazing! Why aren''t they making that news public?" "Make what public?" asked Liu Wenyan in disdain. "Those who have spent some time at the Allheaven Battlefield will know it. As for those who are not going to the Allheaven Battlefield, it''s pointless to let them know. It''s better to keep the public pressured instead. "If we only report the good news and hide the bad news, humanity would not feel any sense of crisis. In that case, will the humans living in peace behind the front line still work so hard in cultivation? In fact, this sense of crisis is one of the main contributors to the constant rise of experts among humanity. Just look at how hardworking you and your schoolmates are." That made a lot of sense. If only good news were shared, would those staying behind the front line still work so hard? Of course, there were also some disadvantages to this policy. However, Su Yu was in no position to judge it. Chapter 16: Operation (1)

Chapter 16: Operation (1)

After the long talk, the two sank into silence. Su Yu returned to cultivating the Source Opening Codex. He did not know if the Myriad Race Cult had really arrived at Nanyuan. However, he wasn''t worried. Since the city was prepared for them, the Myriad Race Cult wouldn''t be able to do much harm. After years of propaganda, everyone saw the Myriad Race Cult as merely a bunch of cowardly clowns that were a parasite to the human race. Great Xia did not fear the Myriad Race Cult. With the undefeatable Martial Dragon Guards, the powerful Great Xia King, and the formidable Prefect Xia Longwu around, nobody feared the Myriad Race Cult. One only needed to turn on the television to see those Myriad Race Cult fellows being executed every day. Su Yu did not care much for the Myriad Race Cult either. He did not know them well. He hadn''t even encountered one of them before. The only thing he knew about them was the fact that they were traitors of humanity hated by all. ¡­ Plop! After stabbing his sword through an elderly Great Strength cultivator, a young man with red eyes cursed, "Have the people in Great Xia gone crazy? Are they incapable of feeling fear? Can''t they see that their Great Strength cultivator has been killed?" Not far away, an old man with white hair coldly said, "It has been many years since Ist entered Great Xia. The people here have long been brainwashed by Xia Longwu. They all look down on the Myriad Race Cult. They have all forgotten our might!" The old man couldn''t help but to curse. The resistance they met within Great Xia was far too terrifying. The moment the locals discovered that they were from the Myriad Race Cult, these locals would start fighting like lunatics. The elderly, the middle-aged people, and the youth...no one was an exception. Even after a few of them were killed, these locals would still stand their ground. Under the leadership of several retired veterans, even a small vige was able to inflict great losses on the cult members. The old man couldn''t help but to be worried. They had encountered way too much resistance in Great Xia. Would Great Xia really be troubled by the ughter of several middle schools? Would their n really work? "I only fear that our operation would not only fail to scare the people of Great Xia, but it would instead provoke them into a mad hunt for us. Things would get very troublesome if that happens." The old man was worried, but he didn''t dare voice his anxiousness to the others. Their previous operations in the other prefectures had gone too smoothly. They were able to sow chaos by only killing a few geniuses, causing enough panic that the streets would be devoid of people for a few days after each kill. But this was Great Xia. Here, even a simple vige would fight back so viciously. What would happen if they had to face the entire prefecture instead? "Hopefully...everything will go smoothly." That night, Su Yu slept at Liu Wenyan''s ce. It was a dormitory provided by the school. This was the first time Su Yu had spent the night at Liu Wenyan''s ce. He was fine with everything there. However, as an old man, Liu Wenyan would frequently wake up in the middle of the night for the toilet, waking up Su Yu in the process. Su Yu couldn''t help but toment that time would not spare anyone. Before materializing his will, Liu Wenyan would remain an ordinary old man even if he was already a Great Strength cultivator. ... After using the Source Swallowing Technique once, Su Yu''s cultivation speed had increased. That was probably a result of the temporary opening of his nine acupoints during the activation of the Source Swallowing Technique. Su Yu could feel that his right ear acupoint was also on the verge of opening. "I''ll need to find a chance to reveal that I''m already a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator. I''d been stuck in the third-stage for half a year, so it won''t be odd that a stroke of luck managed to suddenly push me forward." As for his abrupt transformation into a talented cultivator, that could be easily exined. He had merely been focused on learning the variousnguages in the past and had been neglecting his cultivation. Now that he was suddenly putting effort into his cultivation, it should be eptable for him to rapidly rise to the fourth-stage or even the fifth-stage. The next day, Su Yu followed Liu Wenyan to school. He was able to learn a lot of new things just by following Liu Wenyan around. ... Inside the office. The principal was here again. He wasn''t surprised to see Su Yu. He was already made aware that Su Yu would be tailing Liu Wenyuan yesterday. "The neighboring Tianshui City has been attacked during the past two days. Their city guards have suffered arge number of casualties. As for Nanyuan,st night..." The principal paused slightly. "A mountainside vige was attacked. A lot of people were killed. Only a few children hiding in the cer survived. The Myriad Race Cult was the culprit. The city guards are on the case." Liu Wenyan''s face turned cold, "Those animals!" He took some time to calm himself before saying, "They''re indeed here at Nanyuan! They''re still using their usual modus operandi of sowing chaos to spread our forces thin. Looks like they''re nning something big this time. Is the Martial Dragon Guards still unaware of their hiding ce?" "They can''t be found." The principal felt helpless. "They''re hidden very well. We don''t have enough people in Nanyuan to perform a wider search. If we spread our forces too thin, they will pick us off one by one. That will be even more troublesome." "What about the capital? How are they intending to deal with this?" Liu Wenyan was starting to get worried after learning that the Myriad Race Cult was really here. Nanyuan was only a small city. Its defenses were too weak. The capital has a lot of elites. A little bit of assistance from them would be enough to keep the Myriad Race Cult in check. "The mayor has been asking for help, but the other cities are asking for help as well. The capital still needed to maintain their own defenses as a precaution against the cult. Thus..." "We aren''t getting any help?" Liu Wenyan was furious. "Get some help from the academies, then." The principal replied helplessly, "We tried. But the front line army has been asking for help, so a lot of their teachers and students have left for the battlefield. They''re not back yet. The academies also need to keep themselves defended. After all, their security would be much more important than a small city like Nanyuan. Because of that..." "They can''t even send a few Skysoar cultivators here?" Liu Wenyan raged. "They don''tck Skysoar cultivators. We only need a couple of them here. The Myriad Race Cult would not have too many of their forces here." The principal replied gloomily, "It''s pointless to rage at me. Like I said, all the cities are asking for help. Among the twenty-eight cities, Nanyuan isn''t even an important city. The capital will prioritize the defense of the more important cities." Liu Wenyan was feeling helpless. "The entirety of Great Xia has actually been thrown into chaos by the Myriad Race Cult? The Martial Dragon Guards...are really quite useless." "Cough." The principal coughed awkwardly. Outside the office, a voice rang out, "Instructor Liu, the Myriad Race Cult has merely caught us at a bad timing. Ten days ago, three thousand Martial Dragon Guards were deployed to the battlefield. That''s why we''recking in manpower." "It¡¯s still your fault for failing to keep your movement hidden. Not even I was aware of that deployment, but the Myriad Race Cult was somehow aware of it. You can only me yourself for that." Liu Wenyan did not fear the Martial Dragon Guards. He spoke bluntly, "Even if the problem does not lie with the Martial Dragon Guards, there is definitely an issue with the prefectural government. There must be some cult spies within their ranks. How would the cult have learned of your deployment otherwise?" The person from the Martial Dragon Guards did not say anything. Liu Wenyan wasn¡¯t wrong. The Myriad Race Cult had appeared right after the Martial Dragon Guards departed. Clearly, the information had leaked. Otherwise, the cult would not have dared to challenge them with the Martial Dragon Guards around. "This is not the time for arguments." The principal interrupted. "Old Liu, can you pull some strings and get a couple of Skysoar cultivators from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy?" "Do I need you to tell me that? I asked early this morning. But they will need at least one day to arrive." "They agreed toe?" "Yes. But..." Helplessness seeped into Liu Wenyan''s voice. "They won''t be able to stay here for long. They will leave after picking up the students. They won''t stay and help with the defense." "That''s enough." The principal was happy with that. They would take any help they could get. Liu Wenyan was clearly not satisfied with the arrangement. Heined, "Even without the Martial Dragon Guards around, it is still embarrassing for things to get so chaotic within Great Xia. Have we been enjoying the peace for too long? Why is our security so poor?" Only someone like Liu Wenyan would dare say such words. Even the principal did not dare to say anything. The Martial Dragon Guards member outside remained silent as well. This was indeed quite embarrassing. Great Xia had always been known for their elite soldiers. The Myriad Race Cult was not supposed to be able to give them this much trouble. Su Yu had been silently listening in, opting to not join the conversation. That was a matter for the higher ups of Nanyuan to resolve. He was in no position toment about it. However, he was actually quite curious about Liu Wenyan''s identity. This instructor was by no means a low-ranked civil servant, but he was no super expert. What was the point of talking about this with him? Liu Wenyan had been paying attention to Su Yu. Seemingly having read Su Yu''s mind, he smiled when he caught Su Yu looking at him and said, "Why? Are you looking down on your instructor?" "Of course not." "You sure did." "I didn''t!" "I can see what you''re thinking." Liu Wenyan was suddenly behaving like a child, stubbornly trying to win the argument. With a wide smile, he said, "Just wait. You''ll know why your instructor is qualified to take part in these discussions." Su Yu was still confused, but Liu Wenyan did not bother exining himself. The principal wanted to say something, but he eventually decided to stay silent. He would rather not see a situation where Liu Wenyan had to prove himself happening. ... Inside the tall building opposite the school. The middle-aged man said, "The city guards have departed. Apart from those left to guard the city gates and the mayor''s manor, the rest are out hunting for the Blood Fire Sect fellows." The woman asked, "What about the Martial Dragon Guards?" The middle-aged man shook his head, "Not a trace of them could be seen. They''re still hiding in the city. Also, Nanyuan is nning to move those geniuses to the capital. They''re leaving the day after tomorrow." The woman frowned, "Is this a bait?" "Maybe." The man appeared doubtful. "This decision was made out of nowhere. The order had only been issued yesterday. Perhaps they''re trying to lure us out. What should we do?" "Have any experts secretly entered Nanyuan recently?" "No, I think..." "You think?" "I have no way of confirming that. We can''t monitor the whole city. However, we have received no such news from our spies. No such experts have been seen in the mayor''s manor and the school." The woman sank into thought. She then said, "We can''t let them go. ughtering the school without those geniuses will only nab us about half the original contribution points. The higher ups won''t be happy with that." "I know." The middle-aged man hesitated slightly before saying, "But the Martial Dragon Guards are still in the city. They might even be hiding in the school. If we move rashly and fail, things will get troublesome." Suddenly, the man''smunicator rang. He picked it up and saw a message disguised as an advertisement. His expression changed as he said, "We need to either move the operation forward or cancel it. Our spies in the capital are saying that Liu Wenyan had requested help from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy this morning. The academy had agreed to help. Their people will be here soon." "Damn it!" The woman cursed. "Liu Wenyan! It''s that old bastard again! That old fool is only a step away from willpower materialization. However, it''s unlikely that he will be able to take that step. Why would the academy agree to a request from someone like him? Looks like he is much better connected than we thought." The middle-aged man stayed silent. After the woman was done cursing, he spoke, "What now? Mayor Wu Wenhai and Martial Dragon Guards'' Xia Bing are both second-stage Skysoar cultivators. On top of that, the cultural research academy is also sending some people over. We can only give up." The man paused in hesitation before eventually continuing, "Great Xia is very strong. We have only been able to sow this much chaos because the Martial Dragon Guards aren''t around. The moment their main force returns, we will need to leave. The higher ups have always been keeping a distance from Great Xia. Why are they suddenly..." For this operation, the higher ups had exposed many of their long-time spies. Even if this operation ended with a sess, they would still suffer great losses. The man couldn''t understand the reason for this. Were those young geniuses worth the losses they would suffer? After all, many of their spies had spent years getting to where they were in Great Xia. The woman was higher-ranked than him in the cult, so she would definitely know more than him. He was only someone in charge ofmunication with their underlings. "Don''t ask something you shouldn''t." The woman snorted coldly. After a short thought, she said, "You know what, this isn''t a big secret. We only need to create enough chaos in Great Xia to force the Martial Dragon Guards to return from the battlefield. The Martial Dragon Guards are going to be making a move against the divine skywing race." The man''s expression changed instantly. The divine skywing race was the same race they had pledged their allegiance to. Could it be...that the divines were fearful of the Martial Dragon Guards? The man did not even dare to voice that thought. However, the woman was aware of what he was thinking. She sneered and said, "The Martial Dragon Guards might be powerful, but the divines aren''t afraid of them. But the divines will be busy attacking the heavenly eye race. The Martial Dragon Guards'' appearance will ruin their ns." Heavenly eye race! The man hurriedly asked, "Are the divines going to war?" "I wouldn''t call that a war. They are merely putting the heavenly eye race in ce." The woman changed the topic. "Apart from you and me, a hallmaster at the fourth-stage Skysoar Realm will be arriving tonight. He will handle Xia Bing while I deal with Wu Wenhai. You''ll lead our people and destroy the school. The moment the school is destroyed, our mission will beplete. Retreat immediately after that. We''ll make our movete afternoon tomorrow." The man was still hesitating, but he finally agreed, "Roger." Chapter 17: Operation (2)

Chapter 17: Operation (2)

Late afternoon was the perfect time for their operation. Anyter and the students would no longer be around and they would have to spread their forces chasing after the students. Night was near so escape would also be easier after their operation. The man did not have any issue with the n. He was only worried about something else. He couldn''t resist saying, "Apart from Wu Wenhai and Xia Bing, I''m worried that Liu Wenyan would materialize his willpower in desperation. If that happens, things will get troublesome." "You''re right. We need to be ready for that as well." The woman agreed. "But we have three Skysoar cultivators while they only have two. Both their Skysoar cultivators are at the second-stage. Even if Liu Wenyan really managed to materialize his willpower, he would still need time to strengthen his body. Prior to that, only his willpower would be at the Skysoar Realm while his body would still be stuck at the Great Strength Realm. You should be able to handle someone like that." "But..." The woman''s eyes turned cold as she interrupted the man, "He''s already over seventy in age. His physical body has waned. He won''t be much of a threat even after willpower materialization. Are you afraid of someone like that?" "No." The man hurriedly exined, "I''m only worried that we won''t have anyone to handle the Martial Dragon Guards while I''m busy with Liu Wenyan. They''re all Infinite Strength cultivators. Our people are also at the same cultivation level, but the moment the Martial Dragon Guards activate their war formation, only Skysoar cultivators can handle them." "There is only a low chance of that scenario happening. Liu Wenyan has been stuck for so many years. Do you really think he can really break through suddenly?" Despite her dismissal, the woman still offered an alternative, "We''ll have the hallmaster deal with the Martial Dragon Guards and Xia Bing. He can handle all of them together since Xia Bing is only a second-stage Skysoar cultivator. You''ll focus on quickly killing Liu Wenyan before helping the hallmaster with the Martial Dragon Guards." "Alright." The man was relieved. That n should work. A fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator should be able to handle the Martial Dragon Guards. In any case, he was also a second-stage Skysoar cultivator, so there was really no need for him to be so worried. The woman was also stronger than him. She was a tier-1 hallmaster of the Myriad Race Cult, a hallmaster for their Nanyuan branch. She was a peak third-stage Skysoar cultivator. Nanyuan was only a small city, after all, so it was actually quite surprising that the Myriad Race Cult had stationed two Skysoar cultivators here. Even the city only had the mayor and the Martial Dragon Guards¡¯ squad leader as their sole Skysoar cultivators in Nanyuan. Most of Great Xia''s forces were stuck at the front line and only a small portion of their forces were left back home. Meanwhile, the Myriad Race Cult could focus all their strength within the Human Realm since they didn''t need to operate on the battlefield. "Long live the true god." The woman muttered. The man hurriedly muttered the same. His eyes were filled with longing at the thought of the divine race. Eternal life. If he could contribute enough to earn a qualification to enter the Divine Realm and use the legendary Divine Transformation Pool, he would be able to transform from a human to a divine. They would then gain eternal life. Unlimited lifespan. The man''s eyes lit up with excitement. The higher ups had offered a ratherrge number of contribution points for this mission. He only needed to perform a few hundreds more missions like this and he would gain the qualification to visit the Divine Realm. "Fifty years...I need to earn the qualification to enter the Divine Realm in fifty years. Otherwise, I''ll die from old age..." The man did not want to betray humanity, but the prospect of eternal life was too tempting. He still remembered his teacher, a mighty ninth-stage Skysoar cultivator, who had died of old age on his bed. Fear had been nted in his mind after witnessing that scene. For humans, even a Skysoar cultivator would only have a lifespan of around 150 years. He was already over sixty in age. His body had yet to wane, but he had only been able to advance from the first-stage to the second-stage during the past ten years. How long would he take to reach the ninth-stage? Could he even reach that level before the end of his life? He did not see that happening. He could only ce his hopes on the divine race to obtain eternal life. "I made the right choice. Humanity won''t be a match for the myriad races. Without any suppression in the Human Realm, the human race will not be able to withstand the onught of the myriad races. It is only a matter of time before we''re defeated. Yes, I¡¯ve definitely made the right choice!" The man convinced himself with a firm expression. As he thought of the divine race again, reverence covered his face. For the divine race, they could easily gain a lifespan of over a thousand years after reaching the Skysoar Realm. That would give him enough time to keep making progress in his cultivation, a progress that would eventually lead him to eternal life. ¡­ Year 350 of the Anping Calendar, 18th of April. This was the day before Su Yu and the others were ted to depart from Nanyuan. Tomorrow morning, they would all gather before departing under the escort of the city guards and the experts from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Morning. The moment Su Yu opened his eyes, he jumped. Someone was standing beside his bed. "You''re awake?" An absurd question came from Liu Wenyan''s mouth. Su Yu calmed himself, rather speechless at how this old man was scaring people so early in the morning. "Instructor, you''re awake." "At my age, you''ll wake up early as well." Liu Wenyan smiled. "Wake up and grab breakfast. Come with me to the school after breakfast. But today, you won''t be staying with me..." "Huh?" Su Yu''s eyes flickered as he asked, "Instructor, is today..." "If the Myriad Race Cult is going to try something, when do you think they will make their move? The people from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy would arrive before this evening. At that time, the cult will no longer have the chance to do anything." Su Yu was rmed. His instructor was right. If he was someone from the cult, he would either make a move today or after the students departed and there were fewer city guards around. Thus, the cult might show up today. "It is too dangerous for you to stay with me." Liu Wenyan had the same smile on his face. "Those fellows are afraid that I''ll materialize my willpower. If they make a move, I''ll be one of their priority targets. Therefore, don''t stay with me today. Avoid the other experts as well. Stay with the teachers in the Great Strength Realm. There will be people in charge of protecting you guys." "Instructor..." Su Yu hurriedly climbed out of his bed and said, "Are they really daring enough to move against Nanyuan Secondary School?" "Of course. In the Myriad Race Cult, some are afraid of death, some are greedy, some are crazy, and some are brainwashed. But even cowardly rats like them would not hesitate to draw their de to aplish their target." Liu Wenyan sighed. "These people are very odd. They might be cowardly, but they can also be braver than us at times. They will piss their pants in fear if we send them to the Allheaven Battlefield to face the divines and the devils, but when they have to face their fellow humans, they will turn fearless. Maybe for them, there is nothing scary about their fellow humans. Instead, the other races are the truly terrifying ones. They won''t hesitate when ites to fighting other humans." Su Yu frowned. Liu Wenyan was right. The Myriad Race Cult''s behavior was rather odd. They would lose all courage if they were sent to fight at the Allheaven Battlefield. They did not have the courage to face the other races. But in terms of creating trouble within the Human Realm, they would turn courageous and crazy. Even the daily execution had not been able to scare them. "So are they merely local bullies?" asked Su Yu after giving it some thought. Liu Wenyan smiled, "Not really. We no longer consider them as humans, so they''re no longer locals. But I agree with your sentiment. That is how they are. They''re weak against outsiders and cruel against insiders. These kinds of people aren''t rare at all. We can see many examples of such people in the history books. "In fact, these people don''t only exist among humans. They exist in all races. After choosing to betray their people, they will be crueler to their own people just to prove that they made the correct choice. Even humans have followers among the other races that have betrayed their own races." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu and smiled. "Humans are also strong enough to attract some traitors from the other races. Those are the people who had lost the confidence in their own race and decided to pledge their allegiances to us. When that happens, they will suddenly be iparably cruel toward their own people." Su Yu wasn''t able to understand the mindset of such people, but he was well-read enough to know about the existence of such people. He did not ask more questions and left the room to brush his teeth. Shortly after, Su Yu was at the dining table for his breakfast. While eating, he asked, "Instructor, are they really going to make their move today? There are so many students at school. Should we have the students take today off instead?" "That''s not an option. Staying on the defensive forever won''t work. If we have the students take the day off, the cult will be alerted and they won''t show up." "But..." Su Yu was worried. If the cult really attacked, would the students get hurt? After all, there were a lot of students at school. "We have our preparations in ce. There will be people protecting you guys," said Liu Wenyan. "Don''t think that we''re being cold-blooded by using you guys as bait. If we can''t be decisive when required, we will only suffer even more losses." "Remember this, Su Yu. If one day you be amander at the battlefield, you will have to start making hard choices. For example, you have control over an army of one thousand and another army of ten thousand. If you choose to sacrifice the army of one thousand, you''ll be able to eliminate an enemy army of ten thousand with your second army. What would your choice be?" "I..." Su Yu hesitated. After a long while, he said, "I don''t know." "Deep inside, you know the answer. You just couldn''t bring yourself to say it. You''re a smart person. You know the right choice. You understand how important it is to eliminate an army of ten thousand from the Allheaven Battlefield. That is significant enough to even alter the course of a war." Liu Wenyan''s voice turned soft. "That is the kind of choices the experts and sages need to make. A sacrifice of one thousand to eliminate ten thousand enemies will ensure that fewer of our people will die in the future. After all, that army of ten thousand could very well cause more casualties in the future if left unchecked. Do you think this is cruel?" Su Yu nodded. He had never thought of all that before. Thus, he was hit by a heavy dose of reality by Liu Wenyan''s sudden question. The entire thing sounded too cruel and heartless. "Su Yu, this is war!" Liu Wenyan looked straight into his eyes. "Remember, this is war! A war where billions of human lives are on the line. We must make the necessary choices. Maybe you can say that the thousand soldiers do not deserve to die. "Of course you''re right. They''re ourrades. But...this is war! Just like the choice we''re making today. We know that the Myriad Race Cult might attack the school today. Even so, we still need to make the correct choice. "Things have been chaotic outside the city over the past two days. Several viges and hamlets were attacked and many were killed. At present, hundreds of civilians have died. We don''t have the manpower to deal with them. The forces of the city have been spread very thin. This can''t continue. We need to gather the cult members up and eliminate them all so that peace will return. Therefore...we need to make a choice. "Do we let our students take some risk or do we keep waiting for the cult to ughter more people? In my eyes, our students are naturally more valuable. Nevertheless, the people being ughtered outside the city are also humans. Su Yu, you students are all soldiers in training. Therefore, we decided to let you guys take the risk. That is the path all of you will walk in the future." Su Yu nodded solemnly. "I understand. I was only worried earlier. Like you said, we''re all soldiers. We might be weak now, but the moment we stepped into this school, we''re already soldiers. The city made the right choice." "It''s good that you understand. If you really can''t understand, just stop thinking about it. One day when you''re at a high enough level, if a situationes up where you can sacrifice the entire Nanyuan City to eliminate ten or a hundred times the number of enemies, I hope you will make the choice to do so. Even if you have to gain some infamy from it, do not hesitate." Su Yu ate in silence. After finishing the breakfast, he finally looked up and said, "Instructor, so it alles down to us being too weak. If we''re strong enough to crush all opposition, there will be no need for such choices. Am I right?" Liu Wenyanughed with a gratified look on his face. "Well said. You''re right. s...we''re not strong enough." "We will be strong enough. I believe that day wille. Humans have been growing, and the number of experts on our side has also been increasing." Liu Wenyan nodded in agreement. Su Yu wasn''t wrong. The two stopped conversing and left for the school together. Chapter 18: Xia Longwu

Chapter 18: Xia Longwu

"Yu!" Chen Hao had not seen Su Yu during the past two days. He knew that Su Yu had been following Liu Wenyan around for his studies and was happy to see him again, "I thought you were kidnapped by Instructor Liu. He finally let you go? By the way, I can feel that I''m going to reach the fourth-stage soon." "Mhm." Su Yu nodded. He could see several instructors roaming outside the ssroom. He knew that they were actually on patrol. The momentbat began, the instructors would move the students to a safer ce. "Hao, stay close to me today. Don''t go anywhere." "What are we doing?" Chen Hao asked nkly. He nodded and asked, "But what if I need to use the toilet?" "..." Su Yu didn''t even entertain that question. After giving it some thought, he said, "Go to the Practical Office and grab two saberster. We''ll be performing somebat practices today." "Huh? Yu, are you not afraid of getting your ass beaten?" Chen Hao asked curiously. "You can''t even beat me. You got your ass kicked each time we trained." "You know what, I''m feeling like I can kick your ass right now." Su Yu red at Chen Hao. "Cut the crap. Just do as told." "Ok. Sure." Chen Hao had a bright smile on his face. He did not like using his brain. Most of the time, Su Yu was the decision maker when they were together. Su Yu still had a drop of blood essence with him. After thinking about it, he stood up and brought Chen Hao to the Resource Department." "Teacher, can I trade for two drops of iron-winged bird blood essence?" "Again?" The teacher¡¯s heart ached at the thought of the merit points Su Yu was wasting. "Did you fail your previous research?" "Mhm. Teacher, I think I''m near. I just need two more drops." "Fine." The teacher could only helplessly agree. This kid really didn''t know what was good for him. This was too wasteful. He would definitely regret this after entering an academy in the future. With his new acquisition, Su Yu had three drops of blood essence in total. Unfortunately, he only had seven merit points left after all that. ¡­ After a short walk around the school, both Su Yu and Chen Hao were equipped with a saber each. Chen Hao felt like Su Yu was acting weird today. Even after getting the saber, he wasn''t going to practice and was just walking around with a saber in hand. Was this fellow going crazy? At that point, it was already afternoon. With three drops of blood essence in his possession, Su Yu was deep in thought. The three drops were probably able to keep his ability active for a total duration of fifteen minutes. However, his previous activation of only five minutes was enough to cause some serious swelling on his hands. If he used all three drops at once, he would probably cripple himself. "I doubt I''ll need to keep the ability active for fifteen minutes. Even if the Myriad Race Cult does attack, I doubt they will dare stay so long. If they drag this out, they won''t be able to escape. However, I still need to keep my blood essence activation secret or things can get troublesome." Unless absolutely necessary, he would avoid using the blood essence. It wasn''t like a Great Strength cultivator would be able to y a major role in theing conflict. The school did notck Great Strength instructors. Those in the Infinite Strength and Skysoar Realms were the ones who would be ying the decisive roles in the battle. Su Yu looked around and his eyes flickered when he noticed that a lot of new faces had appeared in the school. Although these people weren''t in their uniforms, Su Yu knew that they were the city guards and officers from the Windcatcher Department. It was clear that the city was confident the cult would either attack the school or the mayor''s manor. While Su Yu was thinking, Chen Hao''smunicator rang. He hurriedly answered the call before hanging up after a short conversation. "My dad called. He told me to be careful today and not leave the school. The Myriad Race Cult is here. There have been a lot of deaths outside the city for the past two days..." . He paused before scolding, "Those damn animals. Don''t let me see them or I''ll cut all of them down." "You? Cutting them down?" Su Yu gazed at Chen Hao without saying anything else. Chen Hao''s face turned red in embarrassment as he said, "I can''t do it now, but can''t I do it in the future? After entering a war academy, I''llplete my source opening in one year and reach the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm in three years. In five years, I''ll reach the Infinite Strength Realm and by ten years, I''ll reach the Skysoar Realm." "That''s the growth trajectory of a genius. Are you sure you can do that?" "Piss off!" Chen Hao''s face copsed. Yeah, that did seem like a difficult feat for him. Only geniuses could reach the Skysoar Realm in ten years. But twenty years should be doable for him, right? For humans, the period before forty was considered the golden age of cultivation. If one couldn''t reach the Skysoar Realm before then, one should probably forget about it. Of course, nothing was impossible. But as one aged, one''s body would start waning, bringing the sess rate of breakthrough even lower. In fact, a lot of people were stuck at the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm for their entire lives. Su Long was nearly fifty. He still had the chance to enter the Infinite Strength Realm. But he probably wouldn''t be able to reach the Skysoar Realm. Su Yu smiled and looked outside. Was it starting? The enemies had caused quite a lot of trouble outside the city the past few days for the sake of luring the city guards and the Martial Dragon Guards out of the city. The higher ups were aware of it, but they still had no choice but to bite the bait. Otherwise, even more people would die outside the city. "Those bastards are truly a bunch of animals with no bottom line." Su Yu cursed. He couldn''t help but wonder what the capital was doing. Couldn''t they spare even a few Skysoar cultivators to help with this situation? The Myriad Race Cult had been running rampant, but the remaining three thousand Martial Dragon Guards were nowhere to be seen. Were they upied with something else? If that was the case, then the Myriad Race Cult was truly quite terrifying. ... At the same time. Great Xia City, capital of Great Xia. Xia Longwu was d in a full set of armor, seated on his throne with an imposing presence. A soldier from the Martial Dragon Guards stepped through the door and loudly spoke, "Reporting! Disturbances have erupted at the twelve cities of Nanyuan, Tianshui, Kaishan, Longmen...The Myriad Race Cult has shown themselves. All the cities are requesting help. Do we answer their call?" Xia Longwu remained calm as he spoke, "Deploy reinforcements to the twelve cities. Fifty per group. Reinforce the other sixteen cities as well just in case." "Roger." The Martial Dragon Guards withdrew from the room. Next, an old man dressed like a schr spoke, "Prefect, this is a bait to lure our forces out. The capital is probably their true target." "I know." "Thousands of Martial Dragon Guards have been deployed elsewhere. If we send even our city guards away, the capital will be--" Xia Longwu interrupted indifferently, "It doesn''t matter. If we don''t kill enough to hurt them, they will keeping. But if the Martial Dragon Guards remain here, those bastards wouldn''t even dare toe out of hiding." Xia Longwu stood up and continued, "I''m probably their target. The Martial Dragon Guards have been deployed away from my side. Even the academy experts have been moved out of the capital for various reasons. Nearly ny percent of our experts are currently away..." "Prefect, do we seek reinforcements from the Great Ming?" "What a joke." Xia Longwu snorted coldly. "Our Great Xia is ranked higher than Great Ming. How can we ask for their help? In any case, we don''t even need help. We''re only dealing with some rats. I can''t wait to find out which divine race is it that has sneaked into Great Xia this time. Without direct support from the divine race, those rats won''t have the courage to pull this off." The old man frowned, "The divine race has sneaked into the Human Realm?" "Absolutely. The Myriad Race Cult alone wouldn''t have dared to enter Great Xia otherwise. This can be good. We''re running out our blood supply from the divine race and here they are, delivering themselves for a resupply. I have been thinking of taking a stroll at the Allheaven Battlefield, but it looks like I can skip that." With the same calm expression, Xia Longwu added, "When the fighting starts, you''ll guard the city while I''ll head outside. I''ll be back after ughtering all those bastards." "Prefect..." "Don''t bother advising me." Xia Longwu''s eyes turned sharp. "It''s only a few bastards from the divine race. What can they do to me? I have been worried that my de is getting dull. I can finally feed it some blood." Xia Longwu then strode out with wide steps. His sonorous voice rang out, "Martial Dragon Guards, roll out after the divines die. Eliminate all the Myriad Race Cult members within Great Xia. Any captive you get, take them back to the capital for execution. I want to see ten thousand heads this time tomorrow." "Roger." A loud roar came as the reply. To amodate the Myriad Race Cult''s operation and lure the divine race out, Xia Longwu had allowed chaos to spread in Great Xia. He did not do anything for fear of spooking the divine race and scaring them away. Now, it was time to reap the harvest. Most of the experts they could spare had been sent out of the capital. This should be enough to lure the divine race out. There were less than a thousand Martial Dragon Guards remaining in the capital, so they wouldn''t even be able to activate their 1000-man formation. That should be weak enough for the divine race''s liking, right? "Since you''re here to kill me, I''ll give you a shot. Let''s see if you can really pull that off!" With a sneer, Xia Longwu soared into the sky before vanishing as a streak of light, leaving the city in the blink of an eye. ... "Xia Longwu!" The moment the golden streak vanished from the sky, a cold voice rang out. Audacious! They had thought that this prefect wouldn''t have the guts to leave the capital and would wait until the other experts returned before showing up. They were even prepared to cause more chaos to force Xia Longwu to show himself. Surprisingly, that fellow had delivered himself to them just like this. "Move out. Work together to kill Xia Longwu." A cold voice rang out, "Work together? The academy principals are all away. By himself, Xia Longwu is nothing special. Why do we need to work together against him? I can take his head alone." "Fool! Remember, work together! Don''t be careless!" The person who was obviously the leader said, "Xia Longwu is probably halfway into that realm. If any of you want to die, I won''t stop you." "Impossible. How many years has he been cultivating? How can he--" "That''s why he needs to die. The Allheaven Battlefield does not need a new invincible expert of the human race." "Alright." They reached an agreement to work together. If that fellow was truly halfway to that realm, they would have to put an end to him. He couldn''t be allowed to keep growing. Several streaks of light shed out toward the direction of the golden streak. Chapter 19: The Battle Begins (1)

Chapter 19: The Battle Begins (1)

Nanyuan City. Nobody here was aware of what was going on at faraway Great Xia City. Inside the tall building near the school. The woman was nowhere to be seen. The middle-aged man was standing beside a white-haired old man. Both of them were looking at the Nanyuan Secondary School opposite the building. "Hallmaster Chen, I did not expect to see you here..." The middle-aged man had a fawning smile on his face. "Mhm." The old man was a man of few words. He looked at the school with a frown. After a while, he spoke, "Wu Hen, do you think this is a trap?" "Trap?" The middle-aged man paused slightly before saying, "I''m not sure. But there are only two Skysoar cultivators left in Nanyuan. As for the city guards, theirmander has yet to break through into the Skysoar Realm. I am sure of that." "Is that so?" The old man did notment on that. His frown remained. Something about this mission felt off. Firstly, they had caused too many disturbances. Secondly, Nanyuan was ready for them. In the past, such a situation would call for a cancetion of the mission. This time, that did not happen. The higher ups wanted them to proceed with the mission. No reinforcements would being from the capital. That was what the higher ups told them. The higher ups sounded very confident about it. Thirdly, they were actually very unfamiliar with Great Xia. The Myriad Race Cult had previously been focused somewhere else. Sure, they had some activities here, but they did not know enough about Great Xia. It was too risky to proceed with such a rash n. With how the higher ups had always acted, their Skysoar Realm experts would only be deployed for well-nned operations. "Wu Hen, you''ve been in Nanyuan for many years. Are there any Infinite Strength cultivators in Nanyuan capable of punching above their ss?" "I doubt so." The middle-aged man answered, "In any case, I''ve never heard of individuals like that. Someone so capable would have gone to the Allheaven Battlefield or the capital instead of staying here. They do have a couple of Great Strength cultivators capable of punching above their ss. That Su Long from the Devil Suppressing Army was one of them, but he can only face Infinite Strength cultivators." "Su Long?" "A veteran of the Devil Subduing Army. He has left for the Allheaven Battlefield." "Oh, the Devil Subduing Army? That''s the army Xia Longwu used to lead. It has grown rather popr at the Allheaven Battlefield in recent years. They even managed to get upgraded into a tier-1 army. They have quite a lot of experts among their ranks." The old man seemed familiar with the battlefield. After some thought, he said, "Are there a lot of retired veterans in the city?" "No. And most of them are quite old already. Very few of them are still in their prime. There won''t be more than three hundred of them spread across the entire city." "We need to take precautions against these people as well," said the old man. "These veterans that have survived the Allheaven Battlefield are all ruthless bastards. Have our people watch out for them." "Noted." The old man stopped talking and looked at the sky. A short whileter, a burst of me erupted outside the city. A hundred city guards rushed out as a response. The middle-aged man eximed in joy, "Yet another 100-man squad has left the city. There are now less than five hundred city guards in the city." The old man was still frowning. "Be careful." The city was aware that this was bait, but they still sent their guards away. Was that confidence or desperation? "There are less than half of the city guards remaining. Over three hundred of them are guarding the mayor''s manor. The rest are concentrated near the Nanyuan Secondary School. The streets are filled with the people from the Windcatcher Department..." The old man scanned his surroundings. In the school, there were about two hundred city guards, less than a hundred Windcatcher Department officers, and two hundred sixty instructors and school guards. The Martial Dragon Guards were still around as well. In total, they would face less than six hundred cultivators above the Great Strength Realm. He had directly ignored the students in his calction. There wouldn''t be any Great Strength cultivators among them. Of the forces they had to face, there were around fifteen cultivators between the Infinite Strength and Skysoar Realms. The rest of them were Great Strength cultivators. In fact, they only needed to face one Skysoar cultivator since the mayor would be in his manor. He would also require some time to reach the school. Of course, the old man had still taken the mayor into consideration since the manor wasn''t exactly that far away. "Is everyone here?" "Yes." The man hurriedly reported, "The hallmaster is there to gather our people. All of them are elites. We have thirty Infinite Strength cultivators while the rest of them are high-stage Great Strength cultivators. There are three hundred of us in total. The weaker members have all been assigned to continue creating chaos outside the city." Three hundred elites of seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above, with thirty of them reaching the Infinite Strength Realm. After a short calction, the old man concluded that of the six cities the cult was going to attack today, Nanyuan had the lowest number of participants. In short, no less than two thousand seventh-stage Great Strength cultivators, two hundred Infinite Strength cultivators, and over twenty Skysoar cultivators would be participating in this operation that would begin concurrently in multiple cities. That was a force powerful enough to be organized into a proper army of ten thousand soldiers. "The Divine Skywing Sect is throwing everything they have on this operation." The old man was feeling more and more unsettled. The Myriad Race Cult was split into many different sects. The Divine Skywing Sect was one of the stronger ones. After all, the race they had submitted to was one of the divines. As powerful as they were, they had still utilized the entirety of their strength for this operation. Were the higher ups not afraid of destroying the sect in the event of failure? Those in charge of creating trouble outside the cities were only some weak sects sent to their deaths. They couldn¡¯t care less if these sects were destroyed. But the ones they were using for these direct attacks were their own elites. Losing these elites was very different than losing some cannon fodder. "They''re giving out so many contribution points just to kill some students. Are these students even worth it? What are the higher ups thinking?" The old man frowned deeply. He did not feel like this was worth it. Unfortunately, his rank wasn''t high enough to be making major decisions like that. "Forget it. I can only hope that we canplete the mission smoothly before going back into hiding." Since there were over three hundred of them, they needed some time to gather. In a city as small as Nanyuan, they needed to move three hundred people in batches. This wasn''t a big city like the capital where a gathering of hundreds of people wouldn''t cause anyone to bat an eye. "We''ll move out in thirty minutes. Inform everyone to finish allbat within three minutes. I want everyone to be gone within five minutes. Split up immediately after leaving the city. Do you understand?" "Yes." The middle-aged man hurriedly answered. With a flicker, he vanished into thin air as he left to carry out his order. The old man continued gazing toward the Nanyuan Secondary School while muttering, "Is Great Xia...really incapable of sparing even a few Skysoar cultivators to send here?" ... "Yu!" At that moment, Chen Hao and Su Yu were crouched in front of the cafeteria while looking around. Chen Hao whispered, "What are we doing here? The instructors are calling all students to gather up. Are we not going?" "No." Su Yu had a saber in hand as he replied softly, "It''s safer to stay in a small group. It can get too dangerous in big groups." "What?" Chen Hao waspletely confused. Su Yu said, "Cut the crap. Something might happen today. The Myriad Race Cult might being. We''ll stay here since there won''t be many people in the area." "No, wait. Yu, the Myriad Race Cult ising? Shouldn''t we quickly meet the instructors then? We''re only Source Opening cultivators, not Great Strength cultivators..." Chen Hao grew nervous. However, he wasn''t actually scared. The school had performed drills for such situations before, teaching the students how to handle themselves in the event of a Myriad Race Cult attack or a deployment to the Allheaven Battlefield. ording to the drills, they should be gathering with the instructors now. The instructors would be in charge of protecting them. "We don''t have enough instructors. Most of them will be in activebat. Only a small number of them will be around to protect the students. Generally, between three to five instructors will be assigned to protect each ss. With the high number of students in each ss, the instructors won''t be able to protect everyone well. We can reduce the burden on them by staying away." "But...what if we encounter...Yu, we should return to the ssroom," Chen Hao was starting to get anxious. Su Yu smiled, "Don''t worry. We''re two random students at the Source Opening Realm. Those experts wouldn''t even care about us." "But we''ll die if we meet any Great Strength cultivators..." "That''s why we need to hide well. And if we really meet an enemy..." Su Yu looked up at Chen Hao. "Do you trust me?" "Yes." "Start scolding the enemy. Scold them as hard as you can and make them focus on killing you. We will be hiding opposite each other. When the enemy is going after you, he definitely won''t bother keeping his guard up against a little student like me..." Chen Hao nked out. What a bastard! This fellow was clearly trying to make sure Chen Hao would die before him! What a bastard! "And I''ll kill the enemy." "..." Chen Hao was aghast. What joke was that? This fellow was only a third-stage Source Opening cultivator. He probably couldn''t even break through the enemy''s defense, much less kill them. He must have gone crazy. "If you trust me, do as I say. At this time, we can''t go to the principal or the others. We''ll only bring them more trouble. We also can''t return to the ssroom as we will only add more burden to the instructors. We''re too weak. We''ll only serve asmbs for the ughter if we join up with the others." "The other students arembs as well. Let''s get them to hide with us as well..." "Are you stupid? How are we supposed to hide with more people? They will die if they rashly move out of the ssrooms. We might be able to survive if we stay here." Su Yu wasn''t too fearful of the attack. He had listened to a lot of his father''s exploits in the battlefield. The school had also been training them into bing soldiers that would face the enemies of humanity. There was nothing to fear about this. He was only feeling nervous. This was his first time encountering an enemy. He wasn''t sure if he would freeze from panic when the time came. What was he supposed to do if he found himself freezing up while the enemy was moving over to kill Chen Hao? What if they were to encounter two enemies instead? Or even three enemies? "This will be fine. The strong ones will be facing each other. Only the weaker cult members will be sent to search the school for students. After all, the students are too weak. They don''t even need to form groups to hunt the students. "It would be pointless to make several people perform a task one person could finish. I doubt they can send so many people into Nanyuan. The government shouldn¡¯t be so worthless that the enemy could smuggle too many members into the city. Also, if they really have so many members in the city, even the instructor would be in trouble. I doubt this will be the case." After making his conclusion, Su Yu pulled Chen Hao into the cafeteria. Inside, he found a corner and whispered, "Hide here. Remember to tremble with fear while you''re crouching. If there is only one enemy, try to make some noise. If there are two...run! Run like you''ve never before!" A side door was nearby so Chen Hao would be able to quickly leave the cafeteria. He asked, "How about you?" Su Yu pointed at the other corner and said, "I''ll be hiding there. Remember to not look at me or you''ll kill me. Understand?" "Got it." Chen Hao nodded in understanding. However, his face still turned sullen as he asked, "Yu, why don''t we go look for my dad?" "What stupid question is that? If we leave without escort, we''ll die. I don''t know what the n is, but your dad has probably been assigned his own task today as well. Stop thinking about all that. It''s pointless. Just pray that I won''t freeze from fearter or you''re dead." "Yu, you''re going to kill someone?" Chen Hao was aghast. "You won''t be able to do it. Do you want me to be the one attacking instead?" "You?" Su Yu took a deep breath and said, "You won''t be able to even break their defense. Just let me do it. Also, ording to the policy, if we really managed to kill someone from the cult, you might really be able to enter a war academy." Chen Hao''s eyes instantly lit up. All his fear from before vanished. Yes, there was really one such policy. If one could kill a cult member and prove the kill, then one would be granted bonus marks for the entrance examination. Of course, it had been years since anyone had earned any bonus marks this way. After all, the students were all Source Opening cultivators. How were they supposed to kill any cult members? They would probably fail to make the kill even with poison. Of course, it wasn''t like nobody had ever done it before. However, only absolute geniuses had performed such a feat before. But would an absolute genius even care about the bonus marks? "Yu...did you make this n...for me?" Chen Hao was greatly moved! Su Yu was only taking such a huge risk to help him enter a war academy! That was too touching! Chen Hao felt like crying! Su Yu rolled his eyes. What was this fellow thinking? He only thought that it would be safer for the two of them to stay in the cafeteria. At this time, staying with a crowd would make them a bigger target. As for Chen Hao''s entry into a war academy, they could talk about it if they really managed to kill an enemy. Su Yu wouldn''t dare take the credit for the kill anyway. How was he supposed to exin a Source Opening cultivator killing a Great Strength cultivator? "But if we really get the chance to kill one, it won''t be a bad idea to arrange the scene into something eptable before taking the credit and help Hao get some bonus marks for the entrance exam." It was nearly impossible for Source Opening cultivators to kill Great Strength cultivators. Nearly being the keyword there. It wasn''t like Great Strength cultivators couldn''t die. If they were careless enough to let someone cut their head off, they would still die. As for why a Great Strength cultivator would be stupid enough to be killed by some students...well, the authorities would have to ask the dead cultivator that. How was Su Yu supposed to know the answer? "In that case, it will be better for me to not kill with the Rip ability. I need to perform the kill with the saber." Su Yu tightened his grip on his saber. After activating the ability, both his hands would be filled with strength. That would be enough for him to kill the enemy so long as the enemy did not choose to run from him. And would a Great Strength cultivator run from a Source Opening cultivator? Very unlikely. Chapter 20: The Battle Begins (2)

Chapter 20: The Battle Begins (2)

While Su Yu was thinking, a shout rang out from outside the cafeteria, "All students, gather up. Those unable to make it, hide where you are." "The enemies are here. The Myriad Race Cult bastards are attacking!" "Stay calm and listen to your instructors. Activate the formations and protect yourself." "Keep your ssroom doors shut. Instructors, engage the enemies." "Guards, gather up." "City guards, Windcatcher Department, move out!" "Kill!" With that final roar, the entire Nanyuan Secondary School was mobilized. At that moment, Su Yu felt no fear. He only felt a little nervous and excited at the same time. He was confident in his teachers. He even had the urge to rush out and witness the sight of his teachers ughtering the enemies. His father, Su Long, would frequently speak of his time in the army, talking about battles where tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers charged forward, creating fields of corpses, leaving rivers of blood behind, and causing the very heavens to tremble. In these stories, humanity was always able to sweep everything before their eyes. "I really wish I can go take a look." At the other side of the cafeteria, Chen Hao was feeling very excited as well. He tightened his grip on his saber and had to force himself to calm down instead of running outside. The only reason he hadn¡¯t rushed out yet was because he was afraid that he would get Su Yu killed. "Kill!" Sounds of battles echoed all over the school. And apart from the word "kill", no other words could be heard. During battles, no other words were required. ... Outside the Teacher''s Office. Two groups of several hundred people each started fighting the moment they encountered each other. No words were exchanged. The squad of ten from Martial Dragon Guards instantly surrounded the fourth-stage Skysoar Realm old man from the cult under the lead of their squad leader, Xia Bing. Xia Bing was a second-stage Skysoar cultivator d in golden armor and golden helmet. With a long saber in hand, he roared fearlessly, "Into our formation. Kill!" At hismand, ten sabers started swinging and the fight began. Mayor Wu Wenhai, who was supposed to be in the mayor''s manor, suddenly appeared from above the building. With a saber in hand, he charged the woman from the cult. "Wu Wenhai, you''re courting death!" So the mayor was actually waiting in the school as well. The woman was relieved that they had prepared for this possibility. The middle-aged man called Wu Hen was overjoyed when he saw that the two Skysoar cultivators of Nanyuan were being kept busy. Even the Martial Dragon Guards were upied. Ignoring everyone, he dashed straight toward the distant Liu Wenyan. "I''m your opponent!" "There''s me as well!" Abruptly, two men jumped out. One held a saber while the other held a sword. "Zhang Yun, Zeng Hua!" The middle-aged man snorted coldly. He knew these two. One was the 1000-manmander of the city guards and the other was the head of Nanyuan''s Windcatcher Department. Both were ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivators. How would they be a match for a Skysoar cultivator like him? "Kill!" The two did not waste any time speaking. They had nothing to say to a Myriad Race Cult member. They only needed to kill him. ng! Sounds of weapon shing rang out everywhere. Wu Hen wasted no time and rose into the air before flying over the two. He went straight toward Liu Wenyan. There were a decent number of Great Strength Realm instructors around Liu Wenyan as well. Wu Hen¡¯s target was not the mayor, the Skysoar cultivators, or the two high-ranked military officials behind him. Instead, it was the genius students and Liu Wenyan, the man known as the spark of civilization. These were the ones worth killing. Several Great Strength Realm instructors raised their sabers and stood before Liu Wenyan in preparation for a fight. The two Infinite Strength cultivators left behind also reacted quickly and chased after Wu Hen. After a long jump, Zhang Yun swung his de at Wu Hen. "Over our dead bodies!" Once again, Wu Hen was forced intobat with the two. "Damn it!" Wu Hen was only a second-stage Skysoar cultivator. He couldn''t fly high enough and was forced tond and face the two. If he remained in the sky, he would be a sitting duck. ... "Instructor Liu, leave!" The Great Strength cultivators in charge of guarding Liu Wenyan hurriedly pulled him away. However, he refused to leave. Looking around at the fights breaking out everywhere, he scolded, "They really have a lot of confidence in us. Those bastards from the capital must have been aware that there will be a lot of Skysoar Realm enemies participating in this, but they still skipped our city when sending reinforcements." The others were confused at what the old man was talking about. However, now wasn''t the time to ask. The old man continued scolding, "Are they really so confident that I can do it? What if I fail? They''re gambling with human lives here! Don''t let me find out who this order came from or I''ll give him hell!" Clearly, some people in the capital believed that he would be able to achieve willpower materialization today. But what if he failed? Liu Wenyan unleashed a string of profanities,pletely destroying the image of a schr he had before. "I''m the most useless of the bunch. How can I do it? They have too much confidence in me. I''m worthless. It''s not like you guys don''t know that. Why would I have been expelled otherwise?" As Liu Wenyan muttered to himself, grief slowly appeared in his voice. If he wasn''t so useless, how would his cultivation remain stuck at such an old age? He wanted to break through as well, but it was really very hard. "You bastards! Damn you all for forcing me with all these lives...I have always known you guys are a bunch of ruthless assholes. I''ll be sure to give you guys hell right after I break through!" As Liu Wenyan grumbled, golden light erupted from the top of his head. His body shook as his feet slowly left the ground. The expressions of the people around him changed. Not far away, the principal smiled as he said, "This old man really needs to be pushed, after all. From today onward, humanity will have one more Skysoar cultivator." "Infinite Strength cultivators, stop what you''re doing. To me!" Wu Hen roared. He had also noticed what was happening. A nervous expression covered his face as he roared, "To me! Kill these two!" At hismand, several Infinite Strength cultivators rushed over. Wu Hen took the chance to break free from the two and rush toward Liu Wenyan. He couldn''t allow the old man toplete the willpower materialization and enter the Skysoar Realm. Otherwise, they would receive a much lower evaluation for their mission today even if they were really able to kill all the students here. ¡­ Sounds of fighting echoed all over the school. Inside the cafeteria. Su Yu and Chen Hao could hear the sounds of weapons shing against each other, painful roars, and fearful shouts of students outside. However, they did not dare to move out and get a look. Was the school winning or losing? Even Su Yu, who was confident in their teachers, was wondering if they were really winning. "Yu..." At the corner, Chen Hao was gripping the handle of his saber tightly. His face was both pale and flushed at the same time. He wanted to ask Su Yu if they should go out. Su Yu ignored him. His left ear kept moving as he listened to their surroundings. The fourth-stage Source Opening Realm had not granted him much strength, but he did obtain a much sharper hearing. "Shh!" Su Yu silenced Chen Hao with a gesture. A short whileter, heavy footsteps sounded outside the cafeteria. "Come out! The school is arranging a withdrawal. Gather at the southern gate." The voice spoke anxiously. A short whileter, a man in his thirties walked into the cafeteria with a saber in hand. He shouted, "Are there any students here? Move faster. We can''t hold on much longer. The cult members are too strong. We need to withdraw from the school!" Heavy footsteps apanied that anxious voice. Chen Hao looked at Su Yu anxiously, seeking Su Yu''s opinion as to whether they should leave. Su Yu narrowed his eyes as he looked at the iing silhouette. That wasn''t someone he was familiar with, but there were over two hundred instructors and teachers in the school. It wasn''t possible for him to know everyone. Was that really an instructor? "Is anyone here? Our defenses can¡¯t hold much longer. We need to withdraw immediately!" The neer sounded worried. The cafeteria was big. At a nce, it was thousands of square meters in size. It would waste too much of his time to search the cafeteria. At the corner. Hearing the instructor''s anxious voice, Chen Hao could no longer hold back. Without first checking with Su Yu, he stood up and said, "Instructor, how is the situation?" When the man saw Chen Hao, his eyes shed with joy. A student was still a student, after all. This kid was too naive. Even the constant lessons on survival given by the school wouldn''t be able to make up for theck of experience. In fact, he had used these same words on two hiding students a short while ago. He had spent only ten seconds luring the two out of a building with numerous rooms, a building that would waste at least two minutes of his time if he had to manually search it. These children had not suffered any setbacks in life nor had they experienced the battlefield before. Words were enough to mislead them. "Things are very bad. Come with me. We don''t have much time..." The man started rushing toward Chen Hao. This was the third student! The man''s face was covered with joy. Three hundred of them had attacked, with two hundred of them being sent to deal with the instructors, school guards, city guards, and the Windcatcher Department. Even with the lower number of people, they still held the upper hand as a lot of them were middle-stage Great Strength cultivators. The rest of them were sent to attack the ssrooms and search the school for lone students. They had to face the instructors when attacking the ssrooms. On the other hand, lone students were fewer in number and harder to find, but they were defenseless and much easier to kill. There were thousands of students in the school. Even if all the students were killed, each attacker would be able to kill no more than ten. And he had gotten three of them so far. Perhaps he might gain even more next. "Come on, we need to leave..." The man moved quickly and did not stop when speaking. For the man, ending a student was as simple as swinging his de. The only thing making it difficult was the fact that these students were dispersed and hidden. The moment these students were found, they were as good as free contribution points. Chen Hao moved out of his hiding space to leave with the fake instructor and instinctively nced in Su Yu''s direction while doing so. Su Yu was attentively observing the instructor. At the beginning, he had believed that this was an instructor as well. But soon, he sensed something wrong. He wasn''t someone with a rich practical experience. But he had been hunted too many times in his dreams. The impatient tone of that man was very simr to the monsters that had been chasing after him in his dreams. It was as though they were saying, "Come get killed! I can''t wait to kill you!" Sure, those weren''t the exact words, but the tone behind the voice felt simr. That eagerness to kill was very familiar. Thus, Su Yu focused even more on the neer. He immediately broke out in cold sweat. Fake! Instructors might not have a uniform, but all of them would have their work badge on them. This person had no such item on his body. Did he drop it because of the intense battle? "No..." Su Yu could see it. From how the man was holding his de, the man was preparing to swing it. "Damn it! Hao is such an idiot!" After cursing to himself, Su Yu acted immediately. He didn''t have the time to even feel regret for being careless. Both he and Chen Hao were only secondary school students. They had never encountered something like this. They had thought that all enemies would be fierce opponents that would charge right into you. How would they have guessed that the enemy could also be a weakling relying on lies. "Instructor!" With a shout, Su Yu jumped out. His heart was thumping crazily. The man turned slightly sluggish as even more joy seeped into his heart. One more! Four in total! Su Yu''s palms were sweaty as he was nervous, afraid, and uneasy. However, he was able to withstand the stress and move calmly. He had been killed too many times in his dreams. He was only afraid because this was his first taste of danger in real life. However, he was able to adapt quickly. "Instructor, are we really losing? There are still more than ten students around here. Should I get them as well?" Su Yu said anxiously while turning his head to look at an area deeper in the cafeteria. He added, "They won''t be able to escape otherwise." More than ten? The man was wild with joy. He was going to get rich! He would get to kill more than ten students today! He might even earn more contribution points than what an Infinite Strength cultivator could from this mission. He wanted tough loudly. Ten Source Opening cultivators were the same as tenmoners. He could kill one per sh. They wouldn''t even be able to outrun him. He had nned to quickly end Chen Hao quickly, but he changed his mind and hastily said, "Quick! Call them out! We need to leave immediately!" Su Yu''s heart was still thumping heavily. He did not say anything and turned around. One swing of that man''s sword and it would all be over for him. With his back to the man, he swallowed a drop of blood essence before walking deeper into the cafeteria. He asked with a worried tone, "Instructor, can we take more people with us? I know there are more students hiding somewhere else. I don''t know if the other instructors can find them..." "More?" There were more? The man followed Su Yu,pletely disregarding Chen Hao. That was a lone student that he could handle anytime he wanted. He did not notice that Chen Hao had turnedpletely pale and was sweating all over. Chapter 21: First Combat

Chapter 21: First Combat

Chen Hao had known Su Yu for years. He knew this buddy of his well. There were no other students around. That was a lie! This person was from the Myriad Race Cult! He had nearly gotten Su Yu killed! "I''m too stupid! I''m too stupid! Sorry, Yu! Sorry..." Chen Hao''s legs turned limp and his entire body felt weak. He suddenly recalled what Su Yu said previously and hurriedly said, "Instructor, I-I''m scared. My legs are limp. Can you give me a hand?" He was really scared. And he really couldn''t walk. Both his legs were trembling. The man turned around impatiently. If it wasn''t for the sake of finding the remaining students, he would have cut this student down immediately. He was worried that killing this student now would scare the other students away. If they started running, he might not be able to catch all of them. "I''ll carry you." The man reached out, preparing to carry Chen Hao with him. "Hao, you''re so useless. Why are you troubling the instructor?" Behind the man, Su Yu mumbled as he tightened his grip on his saber. His palms were sweating so much the handle felt slippery. While mumbling, he approached the man. The moment the man reached out for Chen Hao, Su Yu''s eyes flickered with ruthlessness. That was the moment he had been waiting for! "Hao, walk yourself. Don''t trouble the instructor..." Whoosh! The sound of a swinging de rang out and the man looked back instinctively, wondering if he had been discovered. It didn''t matter though. He was only dealing with Source Opening cultivators here... Only Source...Opening? Source Opening? No, that was not the case! The man wanted to dodge, but he found himself incapable of controlling his limbs any longer. His neck was suddenly assaulted by intense pain. By mere instinct, the man thought to himself that this wasn''t the right way to sever one''s head. The cut was too sloppy. It hurt badly. When severing heads, one needed to be fast, urate, and ruthless. This kid wasn''t urate enough, failing to sever the head in one go, subjecting the man to an intense torture. Plop! The head finally dropped to the ground. The man''s body was still standing there, maintaining the same posture as before. One of his hands was still holding onto a saber while the other was still in the middle of reaching out for Chen Hao. The dream of killing more than ten students was no more. Only eternal silence remained for the man. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Plop! The corpse copsed onto the ground. . "Hu...hu...hu..." Su Yu heavily gasped for breath as his mind turned nk. A decent amount of blood had sprayed onto Chen Hao''s face, so his mind was nking out. Killed! Yu had killed that fellow with one sh! "Y-Yu..." Chen Hao wasn''t able to control his limbs as he fell weakly onto the ground. Using all four of his limbs, he crawled toward Su Yu, ignoring how sorry he looked. He had almost pissed himself earlier from fear. "Yu...Yu...you...I...he''s dead. He''s dead...dead!" Looking at the corpse and the blood on the ground, Su Yu''s voice was hoarse as he said, "Calm. Stay calm. This is an enemy. An animal of the Myriad Race Cult. It''s not like you''ve not seen any executions before. Let''s go. We need...to change our hiding ce...or more of them mighte..." This was not the time to deal with the corpse. They need to prioritize running away. That one sh he had performed earlier was causing his entire body to hurt. It wasn''t a physical pain either. He was mentally in pain. "Yes, go, we need to go..." Chen Hao was about to crawl away before he thought of something. With his teeth clenched and his eyes shut, he turned around before searching the corpse. He did not dare to look at the corpse. But he also remembered that this would help him join a war academy! As he searched, he could feel the sticky sensation on his palms. He didn''t even dare to think about it. Before long, he found a small package. Without thinking or looking at it, he pulled it out and stuffed it into his pocket before dragging Su Yu away. Su Yu was slightly calmed by Chen Hao''s antics. He couldn''t help scolding, "You''re still thinking of that at this time? Are you trying to die?" "I...can get into...a war academy with it...Yu...you killed him! You''re amazing..." Su Yu stopped talking and focused on leaving the cafeteria Chen Hao. He did not dare to go too far away as he was afraid that he would stumble upon more enemies. Instead, he picked a dark corner outside the cafeteria as the new hiding spot. Thump! Thump! Thump! Su Yu''s heart was still thumping fast, but he was slowly calming down. After a bit, he heaved a long breath and muttered, "That''s nothing special. If I can get used to being killed, there is nothing I can''t get used to!" He was speaking in a self-mocking manner. Since he could ept his death, why would he be afraid of causing someone else''s death? Meanwhile, battle was still raging all over the school. It might have seemed like a lot had happened, but only a minute had passed since the cult member stepped into the cafeteria. "Hao!" "Mhm?" "Did you piss yourself?" "N-no! Don''t make things up! I didn''t!" Chen Hao denied with his face flushed red. Despite his strong denial, he still hurriedly nced at his crotch. He was relieved to see it dry. He had been so scared that he couldn''t feel anything. He probably wouldn''t realize it even if he had really pissed himself. "Yu...you''re so incredible." "Stop talking." Su Yu scanned their surroundings. He could hear the shouts of their instructors. He could also see some people searching around in the distance. "The school is losing the upper hand." If it wasn''t for that, the instructors wouldn''t have allowed the cult members to freely search the school for students. There would definitely be some lone students around. Some might have been killed by now. Looking at the saber in his hand, he wiped the blood off his body using some leaves he found nearby. Clenching his teeth, he asked, "Hao, are you afraid of death?" "Ye-no!" "Go. Go and see if there are other cult members nearby. If you see someone alone, just tell them that there are several students hiding here waiting for rescue." "What?" Su Yu exined, "The instructors don''t have enough people to deal with these cult members. If we allow them to find the other students, they will be dead. Just lure an enemy or two over. I''ll kill them and prevent a few deaths on our side." "Yu!" Chen Hao was about to object when he recalled how Su Yu had killed the previous enemy with one swing of his saber. Instantly, his fear evaporated. Yeah, these enemies weren''t that scary, after all.. "Ok. I''ll go. Yu, c-can you still kill more?" "Yes." "Ok. We''ll kill one more. You can get the credit for the previous kill, but can you give me the credit for the next kill? I want to join a war academy as well..." "Sure." At that, Chen Hao forgot all his fear and giggled in a silly manner. Even his limbs regained their strength. With his body slightly bent, Chen Hao peeked out from his hiding spot and looked around. Shortly after, he discovered several cult members searching the area. The nearest cult member was less than a hundred meters away. Chen Hao was still somewhat afraid, but he calmed himself and spoke with a shuddering voice, "Instructor...is that an instructor?" Not far away, the cult member''s ears trembled as he looked straight at Chen Hao. "Is that an instructor? W-we''re scared. Can you take us away?" "Instructor?" The cult member¡¯s eyes flickered. Was this student seeing him as an instructor? That was understandable. This was a conflict between fellow humans, and both sides looked the same. A normal student wouldn''t be able to separate the two from each other. Of course, a more experienced person would be able to see the difference between the two, but these students werepletely inexperienced. What would they know? "Instructor, we still have a few people here. Can you take us away? So-someone was trying to kill us earlier..." "A few more?" The cult member grew excited. He could see that Chen Hao was really afraid. That pale face couldn''t be faked. The cult member rushed over. He did not even consider the possibility of an ambush. The instructors with the strength to mount a proper ambush would be busy fighting somewhere else by now. There were fights everywhere in the school. Even the instructors assigned to protect the students were fully upied. They wouldn''t have the manpower to spare for any ambushes. Chen Hao hastily scrambled back behind the wall. The man''s ears trembled as he stretched his hearing. He wasn''t afraid of ambush, but he still instinctively kept his guard up. Unless he was facing someone stronger, he would be able to detect any hidden opponent with his senses. "There''s another student hidden there." He could hear some faint breathing. The breathing was heavy, clearly belonging to someone nervous. It was also quite loud, so it wasn¡¯ting from someone in the Great Strength Realm. "You said that there are a few more of you. Are the others hiding somewhere else?" The man nced at his distantpanions. These were his contribution points. He had to be careful not to let hispanions discover these students. The man finally stepped behind the wall and saw that there was indeed another student there. The second student also had a pale face. "An instructor is here? Zhou Tao and the others are still waiting for us. Instructor, what''s going on? Has the Myriad Race Cult bastards broken into the school?" Yu hurriedly asked, joy apparent on his face. He tossed his saber away and ran forward, seemingly in great fear. "Instructor, I''ll take you to them..." The saber had been tossed aside! The man was instantly relieved. Source Opening cultivators might still pose some threat to them with weapons, but when they were empty-handed, they wouldn''t be able to kill a Great Strength cultivator even if they were allowed to attack freely. These students really thought that he was their instructor! What a foolish bunch! "Where are they?" The man couldn''t hide the joy in his voice. Like the previous cult member, he was seeing this encounter as free contribution points. "Instructor, follow me..." Su Yu reached out, looking like he was trying to drag the man off with him. The man frowned slightly. He wanted to avoid the hand, but he calmed down and decided to tolerate this for a little bit longer. Splurt! The moment that thought crossed his mind, the iing hand turned into sharp ws before prating his flesh and stabbing into his heart. The hand he was using to carry his saber was grabbed by a second hand. With a crack, that arm was broken. The cult member wanted to shout, but he couldn''t do so before his throat was torn apart. Splurt! Splurt! Large amount of blood sprayed out of the man''s mouth. He copsed onto the ground while staring nkly at Su Yu. Great Strength Realm! High-stage Great Strength Realm! Impossible! This was Nanyuan! How could a student here be a Great Strength cultivator? This wasn''t possible! Su Yu hurriedly searched the corpse before dragging Chen Hao away. Chen Hao clearly not feeling any fear anymore. That idiot! He really thought that Su Yu could kill anyone! What was he doing standing there in excitement instead of running? While running, Su Yu caught a golden sh at the edge of his vision. He looked up at the sky. And he was stunned by what he saw. A familiar figure was floating in the sky, shrouded in gold. "Instructor Liu..." Chen Hao saw the same sight. He was simrly shocked. In the air, Liu Wenyan was shining with a golden light. Source qi gathered around him. Liu Wenyan''s voice wasn''t loud, but it was somehow able to spread very far, "It was never my desire to reach the Skyroar Realm. I only wish for world peace..." How cool. How fake. That was the thought in Su Yu''s mind. Sure, that was really cool. But that was also very fake. Instructor Liu clearly longed to achieve willpower materialization. But after finally achieving it, he imed that it wasn''t his wish to enter the Skysoar Realm? What a liar! Chapter 22: Total Defeat (1)

Chapter 22: Total Defeat (1)

Liu Wenyan had broken through into the Skysoar Realm. One would not be able to soar into the sky without first entering the Skysoar Realm. Clearly, Liu Wenyan had sessfully achieved willpower materialization, officially bing a Skysoar cultivator. His body was still unrefined, but the rich source qi gathering around him would take care of that. Dozens of meters away, Wu Hen was also floating in the air, his expression ugly. He had failed to stop the breakthrough. "Fortunately, he has just broken through. His body remains in the previous realm..." Wu Hen could only rejoice that it wasn''t the worst case scenario yet. Liu Wenyan was an old man with a waning body. Even if his willpower had reached the Skysoar Realm, his body was still stuck in the Great Strength Realm. Wu Hen was a second-stage Skysoar cultivator. He did not fear a brand new Skysoar cultivator like Liu Wenyan. The cult still had the upper hand here. They had more Infinite Strength cultivators while the Infinite Strength cultivators of the Martial Dragon Guards were kept upied by Hallmaster Chen. The school had only been able tost this long due to therger number of Great Strength cultivators on their side. "Die!" Wu Hen unleashed all his strength, materializing a short de from thin air. The glowing de instantly shot toward Liu Wenyan. "You''re trying to fight a cultural researcher from range?" Liu Wenyanughed. "I guess I can''t expect much from a bunch of animals. Scum like you are incapable ofprehending the might of cultural researchers." "Freeze." The flying de froze mid-flight. "Return." Whoosh! The de spun around and shot toward Wu Hen instead. Wu Hen was about to move aside when Liu Wenyan''s head erupted with a blinding golden radiance. "Freeze." This time, he was freezing Wu Hen instead of the de. Instantly, Wu Hen felt the space around him constricting, fixing him in ce. "Don''t even think about it!" With a roar, Wu Hen started bleeding from his seven orifices. Golden light erupted from his eyes as he used all his strength and forcefully took a single step aside. Splurt! The de that was aimed toward his head stabbed into his shoulder. Blood sprayed out like a fountain. He had still been hurt, but at least he had avoided a fatal hit. "Impossible..." Fear covered Wu Hen''s face. "This is not possible! You have just broken through! Even if cultural researchers are stronger, you shouldn''t be able to freeze me!" Cultural researchers were willpower cultivators. Thus, they were stronger than regr Skysoar cultivators. Physical cultivators might not be able to contend against willpower cultivators in terms of mental power, but they had stronger bodies and plentiful vitality. Liu Wenyan shouldn''t have been able to fix his body in ce. "That''s because you''re too weak." Liu Wenyanughed. However, he still paled slightly. Clearly, the previous move hadn''t been easy for him. Even so, he stillughed loudly. "Myriad Race Cult? Merely frogs at the bottom of the well trying to contend against the sun and the moon. Die!" With a roar, the de in Wu Hen''s shoulder started trembling. Wu Hen''s face changed as he pushed the de out with his source qi before turning around to flee. However, he wasn''t Liu Wenyan''s actual target. The de streaked through the air and pierced through the head of one of the Infinite Strength cult members that were facing off against themander of the city guard and the head of the Windcatcher Department before any of them could react. The others were rmed and instantly tried fleeing. As Liu Wenyan made another move, the cult members found their bodies fixed in ce. Themander and department head wasted no time in swinging their des and killing two of the frozen cult members. At the same time, the third cult member was stabbed by the flying de. Four down! Four Infinite Strength cultivators had been killed in the blink of an eye. "Wu Hen!" The woman who was fighting the mayor roared furiously, "He has just broken through. He only has a limited amount of willpower. Keep him busy! Damn it! Keep him busy! Do you want to be tortured to death?" If Wu Hen had not fled in fear, Liu Wenyan wouldn''t have gotten the opportunity to kill the four Infinite Strength cultivators. That was a heavy loss for the cult. Wu Hen''s expression changed. He clenched his teeth and charged Liu Wenyan once again. At this point, Liu Wenyan''s face was turning more and more pale. In truth, Liu Wenyan was only putting up a brave front. At this point, he was basically an arrow at the end of its flight. He had used his willpower on the de and several Infinite Strength cultivators in a row. Thus, he had almost exhausted all his existing willpower. Without his willpower, he was only as strong as a Great Strength cultivator. He would be much less dangerous with only his body. When he saw Wu Hen turning around, his face fell as he hurriedly retreated. Wu Hen was overjoyed to see that. With a wave of his hand, he recalled his short de and increased his speed. Liu Wenyan continued retreating, but Wu Hen was able to instantly catch up before stabbing the de into Liu Wenyan''s head. "Die!" The de prated the head without any resistance whatsoever. Wu Hen was overjoyed. Right that moment, a voice rang out behind him, "Idiot! Retreat!" The roar woke Wu Hen from his excitement. He felt like he had just awakened from a dream. As he checked around him, the dead Liu Wenyan was nowhere to be seen. He had been tricked by an illusion! Willpower interruption! "Impossible! He has only freshly broken through! How can he..." The thought had just crossed his mind when a needle stabbed through his Spirit Pce. Source qi started leaking from his body, making it difficult for him to even stay in the Skysoar Realm. "Damn it!" The woman and the old man from the cult were getting anxious. Wu Hen''s willpower was too weak, to the point Liu Wenyan had sessfully cast an illusion on him. And with his Spirit Pce punctured and his source qi leaking, everything was over for Wu Hen. Boom! With a palm attack, the old man pushed Xia Bing back before turning around to flee. But nine Infinite Strength cultivators from the Martial Dragon Guards instantly charged him, stopping him from escaping. "Retreat!" Instead of shouting the order, the old man only looked at the woman and signaled her with his eyes. He was telling her to let the others stay as a distraction while they made their escape. Wu Hen was already finished. Sure, even with the addition of a cultural researcher on their opposing side and the loss of a Skysoar cultivator on their side, the cult still had the chance to win this fight. But what was the point of putting their lives on the line? At worst, they would just fail the mission. Did the higher ups really expect them to fight until the end? The two reached an agreement. Not far away, Wu Hen''s head had just been stabbed by his own de. Even toward the end, he still couldn''t believe everything that was happening. He had been killed. By Liu Wenyan, a brand new Skysoar cultivator whose physical body was still stuck at the Great Strength Realm. Plop! The corpse fell to the ground. Liu Wenyannded on the ground while breathing heavily. Looking at the Skysoar cultivators that were still fighting bitterly, he smiled and said, "Kill them all!" Once again, he unleashed his willpower. The escaping Infinite Strength cultivators found their bodies turning sluggish. Duringbat, that was fatal. Zhang Yun and Zeng Hua promptly killed them all. The two were ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivators, after all. As high-ranking individuals of Nanyuan, the two were not weak and were able to work well together. They were able to easily kill the cult members the moment Liu Wenyan slowed them down. Corpses of Infinite Strength cultivators fell one after another. At that point, the other cult members lost all their courage. If they actually had the courage to stand their ground and fight until the end, they might still stand a chance at winning the battle. After all, they still had around twenty Infinite Strength cultivators around and their two hallmasters were still keeping the mayor and Martial Dragon Guards upied. Thus, the cult could definitely still fight it out despite being weakened. After all, Liu Wenyan did not have unlimited willpower. But they wouldn''t have joined the Myriad Race Cult if they were really so courageous. These people were only brave when things were going well for them. The moment things went sideways, they would fall like dominoes. "Retreat!" "Run!" "Run quickly!" Hundreds of cult members had participated in this mission, and they were all fleeing in fear. With their back exposed, the instructors and city guards were able to instantly kill over a dozen cult members. In the blink of an eye, over a hundred of the three hundred cult members were killed. The remaining members started fleeing in all directions. "Run!" The two hallmasters were no longer in the mood to keep fighting either. The mission had failed. Since the mission had failed, they would flee. There was no need to throw their lives away. As for things like honor and glory, they were nonexistent for these cult members. For them, nothing was more important than staying alive. Even knowing that Liu Wenyan was probably unable to fight much longer, they still fled unhesitatingly. This was Nanyuan. If they allowed themselves to get bogged down bybat, it would only be a matter of time before they were killed. The two hallmasters were respectively third-stage and fourth-stage Skysoar cultivators. They were able to fight while retreating. After all, they were stronger than the two Skysoar cultivators they were facing. At the same time, the other escaping cult members were using everything they had to flee the scene. ?At that moment, a group of people arrived outside the school. Some were old, some were middle-aged, and some were disabled. "Archers, shoot!" A white-haired old man roared, and instantly, over a dozen old men unleashed the arrows from their bows. Whoosh! In the blink of an eye, about a dozen cult members were killed. "Spears, formation!" Dozens of old and middle-aged men stepped forth and stabbed out with their spears. "Sabers, advance!" "Die!" Sounds of dropping limbs echoed in the air as the morale of the cult members dropped even lower. Some started crying in fear and some started begging for mercy. The leading old man merely curled his lips in disdain. They were making trouble in Great Xia with only this much strength? "Nanyuan''s militia is here! Kill! Leave no mercy!" "Die!" The roars of the group of elderly individuals rumble through the air. Plop! Plop! One head after another fell onto the ground. In the blink of an eye, dozens of people were killed. Behind the cult members, the pursuing city guards approached and subjected the cult members to a pincer attack. The cult had suffered aplete defeat. "Idiots. How can one retreat like this duringbat? By exposing your backs to your enemies, what else are you supposed to do apart from dying." The old man appearedpletely indifferent. This was nothing. This was merely a skirmish with several hundred participants. Could this even be considered a battle? Some of the cult members saw the leading old man and were inplete disbelief. They knew this old man. He was someone who would have difficulties climbing the stairs, a stingy neighborhood grandpa who would always bargain even when buying some cheap groceries. An old man like that was leading a group of senior citizens who were supposed to be doing recreational activities at the local park to kill them? "What are you looking at? Have you never seen a killer before?" The old man roared, "Where are the ax-bearers? Throw your axes!" Whoosh! Instead of axes, about a dozen cleavers one could usually see in the kitchen were thrown through the air. They urately struck the cult members, instantly cleaving through about a dozen heads. "Old Zhang, are you blind? You nearly hit me with that!" The leading old man cursed. One of those cleavers had nearly struck him. Behind him, an old man with a crooked back said helplessly, "My hand was trembling. I''m getting old. Come on, it''s not like it hit you." "Cut the crap." The old man roared again, "You! Youngsters over there! Have you been missing your meals or something? Why are your attacks so weak? Don''t you know that we can''t hold on much longer? Kill them faster! If they left the encirclement, us old bags of bones won''t be able to keep up with them!" "Die!" That drove the instructors, city guards, and Windcatcher Department officers mad. This was too embarrassing! They had allowed hundreds of enemies to escape, but these old fellows that couldn''t even run were able to instantly kill about a hundred of them. If they didn''t pick their pace up and kill some, they would be too embarrassed to show their faces in the city anymore. The battle proceeded smoothly. The cult members had no discipline whatsoever, and with their crumbling morale, it didn''t take long before most of them were killed. Only a few Infinite Strength cultivators were still trying hard to escape, but it was only a matter of time before they were taken down. Of all the fights urring, the fights of the Skysoar cultivators were the most intense. They were currently fighting outside the school. The two cult members no longer intended to fight and only wanted to flee. Seeing that they wouldn''t have much chance to kill the two, Xia Bing suddenly roared, "Let him go. Focus on the woman." The ten Martial Dragon Guards did not hesitate and gave up on the old man to charge the woman instead. "Hallmaster Chen!" The woman yelled desperately, but Hallmaster Chen did not even spare her a nce. He soared into the sky and streaked away. As far as he was concerned, nothing was more important than keeping himself alive. In the blink of an eye, the old man had flown hundreds of meters away. In his eyes, one could see the joy of someone who had escaped cmity. They initially held the upper hand, but after deciding to flee, they had lost almost all their members. This old man no longer felt like staying. The people of Great Xia were indeed fierce, including their civilians. He had not expected that a bunch of retired veterans could unleash such a powerfulbat strength. Some of those veterans were only middle-stage Great Strength cultivators with weakened bodies due to old age. But after entering a military formation, they were able to kill arge number of high-stage Great Strength cultivators in the blink of an eye. That was actually one of the strengths of humanity: strict army discipline. The old man felt very lucky that the woman had attracted the firepower away from him. The woman was dead for sure. He couldn''t afford to keep thinking and focused only on fleeing, disregarding the high exhaustion rate of his source qi as he flew quickly. He could be stopped easily if he escaped on the ground. But by choosing to fly, he also made himself an obvious target. While the old man was rejoicing his escape, a young man suddenly appeared before him. Chapter 23: Total Defeat (2)

Chapter 23: Total Defeat (2)

"How lucky. There¡¯s one here." The young man had a smile on his face. The old man''s expression changed, "You..." "Assistant Researcher Bai Feng of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Merit points acquired." Next, the old man felt his source qi dispersing. He paled and said, "Y-you dispersed my source qi?" "Yeah. That''s easy." Bai Feng exined with a smile, "The Divine Skywing Technique cultivated by the Divine Skywing Sect''s master is a useless cultivation method with numerous openings. It was something the divine skywing race used to deceive you fools. It is way too easy to make you suffer from the bacsh of your own cultivation. Ah, sorry, I can''t keep chatting. I still have something else to do. Die, my friend. Thank you for the merit points." Once again, Bai Feng shed the old man a big smile. His willpower erupted and instantly punctured the nine acupoints of the old man. The old man suffered a bacsh from his own source qi, instantly killing him. "Well this is profitable." With a wave of Bai Feng''s hand, the old man''s possessions flew toward him. "I love nothing more than free merit points. A fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator is worth quite a lot of merit points." He then looked at the ongoing battle not far away and asked, "Do you need help?" The Martial Dragon Guards'' squad leader roared, "Piss off! Bai Feng, you have been hiding all along. Now you''re here to reap the harvest of our hard work?" "That is absolutely not true!" Bai Feng said with an aggrieved tone, "I just arrived! Sigh, you fellows from the Martial Dragon Guards really have a bad temper. I''m a great researcher. Why would I do something like that?" Looking at Liu Wenyan who was flying in his direction, Bai Feng immediately smiled, "Congrattions, Martial Uncle Liu for your breakthrough!" Liu Wenyan nced at Bai Feng with an unhappy expression. "Shut your mouth. I''m not your martial uncle." "Martial Uncle, Teacher reminded me to--" "Scram!" Liu Wenyan showed no mercy and shouted with an ugly expression. He did not seem happy seeing this guy. Bai Feng sighed. Just how had he offended these people here? He was telling the truth! He had really just arrived! And since he happened to encounter a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator upon arrival, he decided to help them with that enemy. Was this how they repay him? Bai Feng stopped talking andnded on the ground. He ignored the ongoing battle as the Martial Dragon Guards and the mayor should be able to deal with one third-stage Skysoar cultivator. If they could get themselves killed even in such a situation, they deserved the death. "Martial Uncle..." Bai Feng had barely said anything when Liu Wenyan berated, "Who''s your martial uncle?" "Cough. Cough. Instructor Liu, I''m calling you Instructor Liu!" Bai Feng smiled awkwardly and said, "Instructor Liu, right after receiving your request, the academy sent me over. Teacher is very worried about you--" Liu Wenyan became even more furious. "I don''t need him worrying over me. I''m living a good life. Also, for how tardy you are, you want me to consider this a favor from him? This is an official business, not a private matter! Nobody is doing anyone any favors!" "Yes, yes! Exactly! You''re right!" Bai Feng did not mind the harsh words. With the same fawning smile, he said, "Mar-Instructor Liu, the school is fine, right?" Liu Wenyan frowned. Behind him, the principal walked over while breathing heavily. With a sad tone, he said, "Five instructors were killed. The city guards and Windcatcher Department have lost more than ten people as well. As for the students...those in the ssrooms are fine. Those outside...I''m afraid more than ten of them were killed." Liu Wenyan''s face turned ugly. Bai Feng stopped smiling and awkwardly said, "I had really tried my best to get here as soon as possible. I didn''t even stop along the way. Principal Wang, Martial Uncle, I''m sorry. I thought I could arrive in time..." "Hmph!" Liu Wenyan only snorted angrily instead of saying anything. The principal did not me Bai Feng. He said, "All things considered, this is actually a good result. It is even better that you have managed to kill theirst Skysoar cultivator as well." As for the casualties, there really wasn''t anything they could do about it. The Myriad Race Cult wasn''t weak. With only thirty deaths, they had eliminated so many cult members. This could be considered a great victory even on the Allheaven Battlefield. ... "So strong!" Su Yu and Chen Hao had arrived near the school gate. They had both witnessed the previous battle. Su Yu was very shocked to see how powerful that young man was. Previously, the Martial Dragon Guards had spent a long time fighting Hallmaster Chen yet failed to defeat him. There were even a couple of close calls where Hallmaster Chen was nearly able to kill some of them. However, this Bai Feng fellow was able to easily kill Hallmaster Chen. What was his cultivation level? "So this is someone from a cultural research academy?" Su Yu couldn''t help but to give Liu Wenyan a nce. So the instructor hadn''t been lying, after all. A random person from a cultural research academy was already this strong. Even a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator was instantly killed. Also, the instructor had instantly killed several Infinite Strength cultivators and one second-stage Skysoar cultivator right after his willpower materialization. That was too unbelievable. "Is this the strength of cultural research academies, the strength of willpower?" Beside him, Chen Hao was also nking out from shock as he muttered, "Yu, Skysoar cultivators don''t seem that strong at all. Why...do they feel as weak as paper?" That was really how it looked when Liu Wenyan killed Wu Hen. It was the same when Bai Feng killed Hallmaster Chen. The two cult members had been killed before they could even blink. "I don''t know..." Su Yu was finding all this hard to process as well. His father was a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. He had always thought that his father was quite strong. But after witnessing people like Instructor Liu and Bai Feng, his father was truly weak! In fact, dozens of Infinite Strength cultivators were killed today. His father must be quite fearless to enter the Allheaven Battlefield with that little strength of his. While Su Yu was in thought, a shrill voice rang out in the air. The woman''s head was cleaved open by Xia Bing, killing her on the spot. Just like that, the attack of the cult came to an end. It ended with a total defeat for them. Hundreds of their elite members had been killed. Not one was spared. On that day, Su Yu had killed two high-stage Great Strength cultivators. He also got to witness the strength of cultural researchers. In his mind, cultural research academies had been elevated to a much higher height than before. Any random person from a cultural research academy could kill Skysoar cultivators like bugs. As for Instructor Liu, yeah, that guy was probably telling the truth when he imed that he was the weakest among them. Su Yu waspletely unaware of what the title assistant researcher signified. ¡­ Nanyuan City had won the conflict with the Myriad Race Cult. After the victory, their next step was to clear the city of the remaining cult members. At the same time, outside Great Xia City. Severed Head Mountain. At the top of a mountain shaped like a body with a severed head, Xia Longwu swung his saber, severing the final head of the divine race experts he had been facing. With a rumble, the five-meter-tall corpse copsed onto the ground. "Have mercy!" Five divine race corpses could be seen on the ground. There was also one survivor. The survivor was not a divine. Rather, it was a human, the sect master of the Divine Skywing Sect. This was someone the humans had hunted for many years. They had never seeded. He was an extremely powerful cultivator. At this moment, the mighty sect master was on his knees while trembling in fear. He loudly begged, "Spare me!" Xia Longwu raised his saber expressionlessly and nced at the sect master before saying softly, "Since your masters are dead, you should apany them." "No! Lord, I can be useful for you!" The trembling sect master pleaded, "I can lure more divines into Great Xia for you! I can convene a general assembly of the Divine Skywing Sect for you! I can even help you prate the inner circle of the Myriad Race Cult and locate the strongholds of the other sects! Lord, spare me! I can be helpful for humanity!" Begging for mercy was pointless. He had to demonstrate his worth. Xia Longwu was too strong. He must have entered that realm. They had been mistaken. Completely mistaken. The divine skywing race had suffered disastrous losses during this operation. Five of their super experts had been killed in Great Xia. Everything was over for the Divine Skywing Sect. They must have suffered great losses from their attacks in the other cities as well. The sect master knew that this was the end of their sect. But he didn''t want to die. It had been very difficult for him to reach this level of cultivation. He was someone capable of eventually stepping into that realm. He was even willing to give up the chance to transform into a divine. He believed that he could step into that realm even while staying human. Xia Longwu overlooked the sect master from above. After a long while, he spoke, "Anything else?" "Yes! Yes! The Divine Skywing Sect has a lot of treasures hidden in a secret grotto. I''ve been to the divine skywing race''s territory. I know the situation there. I can lead the way for humanity! I can help assassinate their experts! Lord, I can even go to the Allheaven Battlefield and fight for humanity! As long as you spare me..." The sect master trembled as he spoke in panic. He didn''t want to die. They had been defeated. Six super experts had attacked Xia Longwu and five had been rapidly killed. That was too terrifying. "Where is the secret grotto?" Xia Longwu asked coldly. "Lord, as long as you spare me..." "Where is the secret grotto?" Xia Longwu asked again. His killing intent surged, not caring for anything other than the answer to his question. "Lord..." Swish! A de was swung, and a head was severed. Xia Longwu snorted coldly. This fellow sure had a lot of useless things to say. It didn''t matter if he was unwilling to talk. Xia Longwu would just get his people to search around. If they couldn''t find the treasure, so be it. A mere animal dared to bargain with him? Wanting to live? Dream on! Not one of the six super experts had survived the encounter with him. Xia Longwu started harvesting the corpses. These divine race corpses were all treasures, and there were five of them here. While he was busy looting the battlefield, a silhouette appeared atop a nearby mountain peak. Xia Longwu did not even spare that silhouette a nce and continued his harvest. p! p! p! The neer was a middle-aged man. While pping, he smiled and said, "Xia Longwu, looks like you didn''t need my help, after all." Xia Longwu ignored the neer. "Are all geniuses so arrogant?" The middle-aged man had a carefree smile. "That''s understandable. It is incredible that you can reach this level at your age. That is definitely surprising. I had thought that I would need to make a move to prevent these divines from escaping, but you were surprisingly able to defeat them all by yourself. Speaking of, why didn''t you keep Yun Hao alive?" Yun Hao was the sect master of the Divine Skywing Sect. He was a powerful expert. "Scum like him does not deserve to keep living." After Xia Longwu was done looting the battlefield, he looked at the neer and coldly said, "Zhu Tiandao, I don''t remember inviting you to Great Xia. What are you doing here?" "Why are you talking like that? No matter what, I can be considered an uncle of yours. Why are you addressing me by my name? Sigh..." But Zhu Tiandao still smiled and said, "Just because you hadn''t invited me does not mean that someone else hadn''t. Those old fogies had invited me before leaving." Xia Longwu did not say anything. Clearly, some people in the prefecture were worried about him since he was going to face the enemies alone. Zhu Tiandao moved on to a different topic and asked, "You haven''t entered that realm, right? I think you''re still a little bit off. You''re probably in the same situation as me. This feeling of being stuck is terrible, right? "If you''re already in that realm, you would have been able to instantly kill those bastards instead of taking so long to defeat them. I have an opportunity that can allow people like us to progress. We might even be able to get a better look at the path forward..." Chapter 24: Gains

Chapter 24: Gains

Xia Longwu replied indifferently, "No thanks. I know my path. I can see it very clearly. After a while, I''ll pay the Allheaven Battlefield a visit and kill a king. With that kill, I''ll be able to step into that realm. I''m different from you." That rendered Zhu Tiandao speechless. He couldn''t help but to curse inwardly. Was this guy trying to anger him? "You really think you can do it? You won''t be able to get them. The kings are all getting more and more crafty nowadays. The moment you step on the Allheaven Battlefield, they will join hands against you, severing your path forward. Also, the difference before and after stepping into that realm is very big..." "I don''t need you to tell me that." Xia Longwu did not really care about the advice he was being given. It wasn''t like he had never seen an invincible expert before. His grandfather, the Great Xia King, was one such invincible expert. Zhu Tiandao asked helplessly, "Are you not interested in what I have to say?" "No." Xia Longwu turned and started leaving. "If your method works, you wouldn¡¯t have been so weak. If your elder brother is still alive, he would probably have a higher chance to enter that realm. You...are too weakpared to your brother." "I--" Zhu Tiandao was furious. "Kid, you''re lucky you''re only saying this to my face. If you try saying it at Great Ming, you''ll get yourself beaten to death. Also, my elder brother was nine when he passed away. How are you sure that he could be better than me?" "Because he is the first human to have ever entered the Great Strength Realm at nine years old." "I--" Zhu Tiandao had nothing to say. Yes, his elder brother was a genius who had reached the Great Strength Realm at nine. However, it was precisely his fast speed that had practically turned him into an example of what one shouldn''t do. Bathing in the blood of divines and devils, entering the Great Strength Realm in one day. Firstborn of the Great Ming King. Even now, there were more humans who knew his elder brother instead of him. Nevertheless, it still felt like he was being insulted hearing those words from Xia Longwu''s mouth. Xia Longwu was serious. "At least he has the courage to try. If you had entered the Allheaven Battlefield a hundred years ago to fight the myriad races, you would have probably be an invincible expert by now. I''m not taking your advice. You''re not worth learning from." "..." Zhu Tiandao had nothing to say. Only after a while did he open his mouth, "You''re making it sound so simple, Xia Longwu. I want to see if you¡¯re really undefeatable before the war formations of the myriad races. That''s the same as throwing your life away. As someone with a chance to step into the invincible realm, why are you insisting on throwing your life away? If you get yourself killed, who can Great Xia rely on? Your grandpa? Nobody even knows where he is!" That caused Xia Longwu to pause slightly. He then said, "It doesn''t matter. My second uncle is alive. He can alwayse back." "Him? He''s even weaker than me. At that time, your Great Xia will no longer be one of the three strongest prefectures." "It''s fine. Even if we are to fall, it won''t be your Great Ming that will rece us." "..." Zhu Tiandao found himself incapable ofmunicating with Xia Longwu. He did not know whether he shouldugh or cry. Seeing that Xia Longwu was about to leave, he hurriedly said, "Three yearster, the Star Mansion will open. Great Ming has ten openings while you guys have twenty openings. If we join hands..." "You''re too weak. We won''t be working with you guys." "Xia Longwu!" Zhu Tiandao was infuriated. "I came from so far away. Is this how you treat a faraway guest? How is our Great Ming weak? Three yearster, we will be sending our strongest generation to the Star Mansion. If you''re unwilling to work with us, we''ll have to talk business. ording to the policy, you need to give me one divine race corpse for my assistance here." "..." Xia Longwu''s expression changed. "If you disagree, work with us." Xia Longwu turned around and red at Zhu Tiandao before cursing, "Shameless." "How am I shameless?" Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "We''re proposing a cooperation. It''s not like we''re asking you to do all the work. Your Great Xia might be strong, but we''re not weak either." "Hmph!" Xia Longwu snorted coldly. After a while, he replied, "Fine. But if your people turn out to be too weak, I would rather give you a corpse instead. Weaklings are not worthy of working with us." He then soared into the sky and flew away. Looking at the departing figure, Zhu Tiandao stood there cussing for a while before smiling, "This kid...sigh, he''s really strong." Xia Longwu was indeed near that realm. They might seem simr in strength, but Xia Longwu was in a much better position. After all, Zhu Tiandao had been stuck at the same level since a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, this kid wasn''t even born yet! Each time they saw this kid, he would show considerable progress. It was no wonder that he dared to take the risk and face five divine race experts in battle. As strong as the divine skywing race, this was still a disastrous defeat for them. Not only had they lost five super experts, they had even lost their Divine Skywing Sect. ... Few people were aware of the situation at Great Xia City. Even fewer people knew about the deaths of the five divine race experts and the sect master. That was a matter involving only those at the highest ranks. Regr people would not be informed of such a matter. Back at Nanyuan, the mayor, Liu Wenyan, and the other higher ups were discussing the cleaning up of the remaining cult members outside the city. That wasn''t a matter Su Yu could participate in. At the moment, Su Yu was hiding at a corner with Chen Hao while checking their gains. "Yu, are we rich?" Looking at the loot before them, Chen Hao asked in excitement, "Yu, why do these people walk around with so much valuables on them?" "Those in the Myriad Race Cult trust nobody. They are also frequently forced to migrate to a new stronghold. It is only natural that they will carry all their valuables with them." Su Yu wasn''t too surprised. When it came to the Myriad Race Cult, killing their higher ups would sometimes grant a pitiful amount of loot. That was because the higher ups generally had a fixed residence. Those people were hidden very well in the Human Realm. That wasn''t the case for the lower-ranked members. They had no fixed base of operation. They were always on the move, and killing them would generally one all their belongings. "Two cultivation methods, two martial techniques, five drops of unknown blood essence. We can easily learn more about the blood essence by asking around." The more Chen Hao spoke, the wider the grin he had. ¡°There''s also a bottle of Body Forging Pills. Too bad there are only five pills left. They will be very helpful for Great Strength cultivators. Sixteen pieces of anping gold coins with a value of ten thousand anping dors each...This is the first time I''ve ever touched a gold coin. My dad has some, but he never gave me any..." Gold coins were quite valuable. Some of the Myriad Race Cult members didn¡¯t keep too much money on them as it was quite inconvenient to carry all that money around. Thus, they would convert their money to gold coins for ease of carry. As for bank cards, they were worried that their bank ounts would be frozen in the event they were discovered. Thus, Su Yu and Chen Hao had gained a decent number of gold coins after killing the two cult members. Sixteen gold coins could be exchanged for 160,000?dors. In truth, for those in the Great Strength Realm, this wasn''t arge amount of money. After all, it wasn¡¯t cheap for them to cultivate. "Yu, do we submit our loot to the city?" Chen Hao was clearly unwilling to do so. But he still asked, "ording to the policy, all spoils of war need to be reported and submitted." That was a reasonable policy. After all, there were more than one person participating in the battle. "Submitting them..." Su Yu gave it some thought. "Let me think about it. Submitting our loot will basically tell them that we''ve killed two cult members. But we''re so weak. How did we aplish that? Hao, don''t tell anyone that I was the one who had killed them. You know what I mean." "Mhm..." Chen Hao nodded. He whispered, "Yu, why are you suddenly so strong? Those are Great Strength cultivators! I heard from the instructors that the cult members attacking this time are all at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above. How did you prate their defense?" "Don''t ask. I won''t tell you." Su Yu''s gazended on the two tiny ck badges on the ground. Those were the badges of the Myriad Race Cult. To keep their identities hidden, the cult members would normally not carry these badges around. But since this was a major operation, they were expected to pull out after it waspleted. To make it easier to identify themselves to their people, they all carried these badges to the mission. That was how Su Yu and Chen Hao hade into possession of these badges. These badges could serve as the proof of their contribution during the battle. After thinking about it, Su Yu tossed one of the badges to Chen Hao before picking a cultivation method, a martial technique, two drops of blood essence, and six gold coins from the pile and giving them all to Chen Hao. "If you want to join a war academy, submit these. Use them to prove that you have killed a cult member." Chen Hao grew excited, but his mood quickly deted as he said, "Forget it. It''ll be hard to exin myself. You were the one who had killed the cult members. They will investigate the im if I report it..." He wanted to join a war academy, but submitting these items would expose Su Yu. Su Yu smiled, "It doesn''t matter. It''s not like Great Strength cultivators can''t die. Of course, we definitely can''t im the kill for the second guy. I pierced his heart with my bare hand. It wouldn''t be an issue to im the first kill. With a saber, it won''t be too surprising to make a kill by cutting harder. Just report the kill and im that the enemy was careless and gave you the chance to make the kill." "Yu, will this really work?" Chen Hao was nervous. "Why don''t you im the kill instead? I thought you wanted to join a war academy as well?" "Me? I won''t be needing this." Su Yu was indifferent. "I can kill Great Strength cultivators. Do you think it''ll be hard for me to join a war academy? Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that I''ve broken through to the fourth-stage a few days ago. I can also feel that the fifth-stage is near." "..." Chen Hao felt like someone was stabbing his heart with needles. Was Su Yu telling the truth? That was too fast an improvement! But Su Yu was someone who had killed Great Strength cultivators. He had no choice but to believe those words. Chen Hao gazed at Su Yu with an aggrieved look. Were all geniuses this crazy? But Su Yu had not been so crazy in the past. Su Yu ignored Chen Hao. After putting away the rest of the items, he whispered, "You can im the kill, but I need the merit points for it. Also, you still have about ten thousand dors in your savings, right? I want all of them as well. Consider it a payment to purchase this kill from me. Do you understand me?" "..." Chen Hao had a pitiful look on his face. What a greedy fellow. This fellow had gained so many from the kills and was still trying to get his personal savings? It wasn''t like he had gotten the money easily. It had taken him years to save all that money. Was Su Yu going to take everything he had saved all these years? "Why are you looking at me like that? You''ll be rewarded after submitting the loot..." "But the reward will be in the form of merit points!" Chen Hao had a pitiful expression. Was Su Yu taking him for a fool? Su Yu had demanded for the merit points as well. That basically meant that Su Yu was going to wipe him clean! "At the very least, you''re getting a chance to join a war academy. Am I right? It''s only ten thousand dors. Between ten thousand dors and a war academy, what''s your choice?" Chen Hao sank into confusion. He nodded nkly. Su Yu was right. It waspletely worth it to exchange ten thousand dors for a chance to join a war academy. "Then it''s decided. You can say that I helped you, but remember to im that you were the one to make the killing strike." "What if they check the wound and find out that it''s something left by someone with more than a bit of physical strength?" Chen Hao wasn''t aplete fool. An expert could easily see a lot of details by inspecting the wound. "Don''t worry. I saw that they have gathered all the corpses to be cremated. Just wait until they''re done before making the im. At that point, there won''t be anything left for them to inspect. What are you afraid of?" "But..." "Fine, why don''t we forget it? I''m not the one desperate to enter a war academy here." Chen Hao sank into hesitation. "Fine. I''ll do it. Don''t worry, I won''t betray you. If they''re going to investigate, they can do it to me. What''s so weird about me killing a cult member? I''m just that strong!" Chen Hao made his choice. He still wanted to enter a war academy. This was his best chance to do so. Su Yu moved on from the topic. It wasn''t likely that the school would conduct a detailed investigation on the im. Of course, they would be doubtful. But with the corpse cremated and nobody else to im their kill, the worst that could happen was the school paying a little more attention to Chen Hao. That was only a Great Strength cultivator, not an Infinite Strength cultivator. It wasn''t impossible that a Source Opening cultivator could kill one by a stroke of luck. It really wasn¡¯t that big of a deal. "Ten gold coins, three drops of blood essence, five Body Forging Pills, one cultivation method, one martial technique..." Su Yu was in a great mood as he tallied his gains from the day. Using a drop of blood essence, he had earned ten times the value in loot. He could finally stop worrying that he would use up all his father''s money and starve. He needed to figure out what race the blood essence belonged to. Maybe they could help him activate more pages in his book. Chapter 25: Merit Claiming (1)

Chapter 25: Merit iming (1)

While Su Yu and Chen Hao were splitting their loot. In the Instructor''s Office. Bai Feng looked bored as he sat on a chair while looking at the endlessly arguing group before him. When they were at the end of their discussion, he finally said, "Martial Uncle, do I still need to take those students to the capital?" "What stupid question is that? Do you think it''s cheap to stay in Great Xia City?" Bai Feng had a helpless expression. These people were the ones who had wanted to send the students away. He was only confirming if that was still the case. Why was his martial uncle taking it out on him? "Martial Uncle, how about your body refinement? Is there any powerful blood essence or source qi core here at Nanyuan?" The principalughed awkwardly, "About that...Researcher Bai, you see...the academy..." "You don''t need to plead for their help!" Liu Wenyan said indifferently, "I can take my time and slowly refine my body. My willpower has materialized. There is no rush." Bai Feng hurriedly said, "Martial Uncle, you can''t say that. Without a powerful blood essence to refine your body, you might not be able to push your body to the level of a regr Skysoar cultivator. That will greatly affect your future progress. "The stronger the blood essence, the more helpful it will be for you. If you can get the blood of a Skysoar Realm divine or devil, with the strength of your willpower, you''ll be able to instantly push your cultivation to the third-stage." For the path of willpower, one would not prioritize the physical body during the early phase. But upon reaching the Skysoar Stage, that must change. One would start training one''s physical body then. At that point, the more powerful the blood essence one used, the stronger a foundation one could forge. . Liu Wenyanpletely ignored Bai Feng. Blood essence of divines or devils? Blood of Skysoar Realm experts? Where was he supposed to find something like that? Even at the Allheaven Battlefield, it was extremely difficult to kill a divine or a devil. Furthermore, even the weakest of them at the Allheaven Battlefield would be at the Skysoar Realm. If they were too strong, their blood wouldn''t be suitable for him. That was also the case if they were too weak. His best option was the blood of someone in the Skysoar Realm. Liu Wenyan had never entertained the thought of forging his foundation with the blood of divines or devils. Even in a cultural research academy, few would be able to do something like that. The blood essence of divines and devils were simply too rare. When Bai Feng saw that Liu Wenyan was ignoring him, he thought for a bit before saying, "Teacher has a few drops of Skysoar flying sky tiger blood essence. The flying sky tigers are very powerful with strong bodies. Why don''t you tell Teacher..." "Scram!" said Liu Wenyan. Immediately after, the principal eximed in excitement, "Flying sky tiger? The 32nd-ranked race among the myriad races?" "Yes." "Old Liu!" The principal was getting more and more excited. "Forget your ego! If you rely on yourself and Nanyuan, how are you going to get the blood essence of a top hundred race? Even if the flying sky tigers aren''t as good as the divines and the devils, they aren''t that much worse. Their blood essence can help you reach the second-stage or even a third-stage if you''re lucky. You''re an old man. Don''t tell me you''re going to waste more time lingering at the early stages of the Skysoar Realm." Without a powerful blood essence to help build a foundation, Liu Wenyan might need at least five years or even ten years to reach the third-stage despite his strong willpower. He was over seventy. He did not have much time to waste. Nearby, Xia Bing of the Martial Dragon Guards opened his mouth in hesitation. After some time, he finally said, "Instructor Liu, the flying sky tigers are very powerful. It will be a good idea for you to get a few drops of their blood essence from the academy. The Myriad Race Cult has entered Great Xia. Nanyuan has limited strength, so they will be needing your help." With the blood essence of flying sky tigers, Liu Wenyan would be able to build a strong foundation that might bring him to the middle-stage of the Skysoar Realm in only a few years. If he did so, Nanyuan would gain a middle-stage Skysoar Realm expert. That would ce the city in a much better position, unlike now where they were having difficulties even defending themselves. Liu Wenyan ignored them. He looked at Bai Feng and frowned as he said, "I don''t need you to worry about this for me. Bai Feng, how many students are the academy epting from Nanyuan this year?" "Around ten." Bai Feng smiled, "Martial Uncle, do you n to add a few additional students?" Liu Wenyan ignored the question and asked, "How many students are the academy epting in total?" "Around two thousand, but five hundred of the two thousand will be epted from the other prefectures. The rest of the students will be epted from within Great Xia. ording to the statistics, the academy will ept around a thousand students from the capital each year. The remaining five hundred students wille from the other cities in Great Xia." Of the twenty-eight cities in Great Xia, Nanyuan was the smallest and the weakest. That was why they had the lowest number of epted students. Each year, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy would only ept around ten students from Nanyuan. "Take more this year." ?Liu Wenyan demanded. "At least two more." "Martial Uncle, this isn''t something I can decide..." "Assistant researchers have at least two free slots. Since you''ve stolen a fourth-stage Skysoar cult member from us, pay with those two slots of yours." "Martial Uncle, you''re being unreasonable here. I was the one who had killed the cult member. It''s not like you guys can kill him if I hadn''t arrived in time..." "Exactly. I''m being unreasonable." Liu Wenyan started acting shameless. "Nanyuan lost over ten students over this. The students are all feeling downcast at the moment. That is Nanyuan''s fault, but at the same time, Great Xia is also at fault. The capital has failed to assist us in time. That should not have happened in the first ce. It''s only fair that you ept a few more students to help them recover from their emotional damage." Bai Feng opened his mouth helplessly, but no words came out. Yes, he had not been using the two slots assigned to him, but that was still quite a big favor to give. Finally, he gave up and said, "Sure, Martial Uncle. Nanyuan can get two additional slots, but the students need to meet the minimum requirements. Otherwise, I can''t do it. They will only end up kicked after entering the academy." Finally, a smile appeared on Liu Wenyan''s face, "That is only natural. Su Yu and Liu Yue will get the two slots." "..." Everyone looked at him in astonishment. What a crafty fellow. Those two were basically guaranteed to pass their examinations. They would definitely not be disqualified after getting the two slots. And by giving them the additional slots, Nanyuan''s original slots remained the same, allowing two additional students to get into the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy this year. Bai Feng was aware of that since the academy had the names of these students as well. He did not know whether tough or cry. "Fine. That''s good, I suppose. Their performance and aplishment after entering the academy will add to my records." At the very least, those two wouldn''t embarrass him. He would lose a lot of face if the two joined through him only to get themselves kicked out of the academy due to their bad results. Liu Wenyan smiled, "Good. Also, since they''re entering with your slots, you should offer them some guidance to make sure they get in. I won''t spare you if they end up failing their entrance exam." "Martial Uncle, about that..." Bai Feng had a gloomy look. "I''m a researcher. They''re only secondary school students..." The gap between them was too big. Was there even a need for someone like him to teach them? "Assistant researcher." Liu Wenyan emphasized, reminding Bai Feng that he was an assistant first and a researcher second. "Fine, fine. Since that''s what Martial Uncle wants, I have no problem with it. Tell them toe see me. I''ll be staying here for three days. I''m tired from the long journey anyway." With his goal aplished, Liu Wenyan waved Bai Feng away impatiently. "Kicking me off after getting what he wants," Bai Feng muttered helplessly and left. The principal couldn''t help but tough and say, "Old Liu, you''re still very well-respected, it seems. Looks like two additional talents will emerge from our school this year." To the side, the straightforward Xia Bing remarked, "It''s Senior Researcher Hong that''s the well-respected one." "What did you just say?" Liu Wenyan''s eyes immediately turned unfriendly, so Xia Bing hurriedly shut his mouth. That was the truth. Why couldn''t Liu Wenyan ept it? If it wasn''t for Senior Researcher Hong, Bai Feng wouldn''t have shown Liu Wenyan so much respect. For someone like Bai Feng, Liu Wenyan''s current cultivation was nothing special. Xia Bing did the smart thing and voiced none of that. Instead, he shifted the topic and said, "Earlier, someone reported that two cult members were killed near the cafeteria. One was killed using the school''s training saber. The other had his heart crushed by ws. During the time of death, no instructors, city guards, or Windcatcher Department officers are around that area." Liu Wenyan frowned and said, "It doesn''t matter. Are you suggesting that you need to have an official position to kill someone from the Myriad Race Cult?" "You misunderstand, Instructor Liu. I am worried that we have an undercover in the school. But the undercover is not likely to be too strong. The cult member has probably been killed by a sneak attack. The attacker is most likely a Great Strength cultivator." "Did anyone im the kill?" "Not yet. We''re still tallying the results of the battle." The principal gave it some thought and said, "If it''s a Great Strength cultivator, it will be hard to find. But if we really have an undercover Great Strength cultivator here, it doesn''t matter. The school isn''t so weak that we can''t handle a Great Strength cultivator. Old Liu has broken through. We can even deal with Infinite Strength cultivators now. You can stop the investigation for now. Don''t worry about it. Maybe it''s the parent of a student or something." The principal wasn''t too bothered. It was likely that a parent was worried about their child and had sneaked into the school and killed the cult member during the battle. After the battle ended, they sneaked off again since sneaking into the school wasn''t exactly a feat worth bragging about. "You''re right." Xia Bing smiled, "We''ll see. Maybe someone will im the kill. I''m just worried that a student wille and im the kill instead. After all, false ims are a serious matter. The academy entrance exam is near. If a student has a record of making a false im, it won''t be a good look." "Which student would be stupid enough to do that?" The principal was unbothered. It was a punishable offense for a parent to kill a cult member and have their child take the im to help with their entrance examination. Liu Wenyan said impatiently, "Don''t be so narrow minded. It''s not impossible that a student can kill a cult member through sheer luck. If a student reallyes forward to make the im, just investigate it. There is no need to make a big deal out of it." That was the end of the topic. The principal did not think that any student would im the kill. But in truth, a certain student was actually roaming nearby, waiting for the corpse to be cremated before iming the kill. Chapter 26: Merit Claiming (2)

Chapter 26: Merit iming (2)

By the time the school was done handling the aftermath of the battle, it was alreadyte evening. Su Yu did not follow Liu Wenyan home. The instructor was very busy at the moment, so he did not intend to bother the instructor. After the emergency status was lifted, he went back home. He found his home dusty after being devoid of people for several days. Su Yu heaved a long breath of relief after arriving home. He had killed two individuals today. He had been able to stay calm in front of Chen Hao, but in truth, he was feeling extremely stressed. He was no seasoned warrior. He was only an ordinary secondary school student. This was his first time killing someone. How could he not feel anything? "I was lucky. If I had been unlucky, I would have been killed today." That was especially true for the first cult member. At the time, Su Yu himself had nearly believed that the cult member was an instructor. If he hadn''t been able to see through the lie, both him and Chen Hao would be corpses by now. "Although I can unleash the offensive prowess of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator, I am still too weakpared to a real Great Strength cultivator. If the enemy can react in time, I won''t be able to survive. "I''m still too weak. Only the strong can determine the result of a battle. If Instructor Liu hadn''t broken through, the school would have suffered a defeat. No, that might not be the case. Bai Feng is around. But that proves even more that only the strong can affect the result of a battle..." He had learned a lot today. During the battle earlier, the Skysoar cultivators were the ones to truly affect the tide of the battle. If Mayor Wu Wenhai and Squad Leader Xia Bing were defeated, that would be the same as Nanyuan''s defeat. That was also the case for the Myriad Race Cult. After one of their Skysoar cultivators were killed, they fell apart like dominoes. A single individual had altered the course of the battle, ultimately resulting in theplete defeat of the Myriad Race Cult. "Therefore...Dad is nothing but cannon fodder on the battlefield." Su Yu was getting worried. The battle today was merely a small skirmish. His father, on the other hand, was on a super battlefield involving the myriad races. That waspletely different from what he had experienced today. "Even Skysoar cultivators aren''t anything special there. If seven Skysoar cultivators can appear in a skirmish in a small city like Nanyuan, what about the Allheaven Battlefield? Perhaps a random battle there would have the involvement of dozens or even hundreds of Skysoar cultivators. "I have been too naive. Even if I join a war academy and get myself an opportunity to enter the battlefield for training, I still won''t be able to do anything. What can a Great Strength or Infinite Strength cultivator even do there? "I need to reach the Skysoar Realm, at the very least. Only then will I have the mobility to move around the battlefield. Skysoar cultivators are strong enough to be a mainstay of the forces on the Allheaven Battlefield." Many thoughts crossed Su Yu''s mind, but ultimately, he concluded that strength was what he needed. He had to get as much strength as he could in the shortest time possible. "I need to continue cultivating with blood essence." He still had five drops of blood essence on him. Three were looted off the two cult members while the other two drops had been obtained through trade. "Twenty-six thousand dors, ten gold coins, five drops of blood essence, five Body Forging Pills, seven merit points, one cultivation method, one martial technique..." Those were everything Su Yu had at the moment. The Body Forging Pill wasn''t something he could use at the moment. Only Great Strength cultivators could use those pills. In fact, those pills weren''t cheap. The Xia Trade Company was selling them at thirty thousand per pill. "I need the two drops of iron-winged bird blood essence for my cultivation. I''ll need to trade for more at ater date. No, I need to actually buy some with money and keep some merit points for myself." He also needed to keep a drop of blood essence for emergencies. After all, he didn''t know if there were more cult members hidden around him. "Continue cultivating." Su Yu had never felt so weak before. He was even weaker than cannon fodder. While staying with Liu Wenyan, he hadn''t dared to cultivate with blood essence. Now that he was back home, he no longer had any reservations. After swallowing a drop of blood essence, he repeated what he did before and source qi started gathering around him. His nine acupoints shone with a faint glow. His right ear acupoint trembled, showing signs that it was going to be opened soon. Previously, Su Yu had only utilized less than half of the one hour active duration a drop of blood essence gave him. This time, he was able tost longer. The Source Swallowing Technique was only the foundation cultivation method of the iron-winged birds. Thus, it wasn''t exactly a fast cultivation method, but that was precisely why it was suitable for the present Su Yu who was too weak to withstand a faster cultivation method. ... About forty minutester, Su Yu stopped his cultivation. His right ear acupoint remained shut. However, he had a feeling that one more session would open that acupoint and push him into the fifth-stage. However, his body had taken in too much source qi today so he would have to do it another day. "I''ll use another drop of blood essence tomorrow after school. I might be able to enter the fifth-stage then." Su Yu was in a good mood. The Source Opening Realm wasn''t a special realm. People generally couldn''t distinguish how many acupoints one had opened. He wasn''t sure if there were fifth-stage Source Opening cultivators in Nanyuan Secondary School. After all, some people enjoy hiding their cultivation to shock everyone during their entrance examination. As far as he knew, there wasn''t any fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator in Nanyuan Secondary School. After the cultivation session, he used his remaining free time to study the loot he had gotten from the two cult members earlier. ... At the same time. Nanyuan Secondary School. The sky was turning dark. In the Instructor''s Office. Chen Hao was brought into the office. He had been waiting at school. After all the corpses were cremated, he finally went in to im the kill. That led to the current scene where he was brought to the Instructor''s Office. The principal and Liu Wenyan personally questioned him about the im. The principal was incredibly furious. He asked solemnly, "You made the kill?" "Yes." "You will be punished severely for falsely iming a kill, do you understand?" "Yes!" Chen Hao nodded. He was aware of that. But for him, Yu''s kill was the same as his kill. He was most certainly not making a false im. He did not feel any pressure making this im. In any case, he had exchanged the im with all his savings! It was a fair trade! As Yu didn''t need the extra marks, it would be a waste to not im it. Since he had purchased the kill with the money he saved over ten years, the kill naturally belonged to him. Chen Hao was very confident. He was not making a false im! He had even helped Yu attract the enemy''s attention during the fight. He had contributed to the kill. As far as he was concerned, his contribution of luring two enemies was basically equal to killing one of the two himself. That was a perfectly logical exnation. The principal shot Liu Wenyan a nce. The instructor was stroking his beard, but he looked more like he was trying to pull his beard off. The instructor signaled that it did not seem like Chen Hao was lying. The principal was stunned. Was Liu Wenyan incapable of detecting if this student was lying? Was Chen Hao actually such a crafty kid? But he did not look like someone so crafty. For them, Chen Hao was basically a baby. How could he be considered shrewdpared to them? "Tell us. How did you make the kill?" "I was hiding in the cafeteria with Yu. Someone suddenly pretended to be an instructor and charged into the cafeteria. Yu saw through the lie and made up a story that there are more students around. That fellow stupidly followed him away. I followed behind him before cutting him down with my saber." Following Su Yu''s instructions, Chen Hao gave a simple story. In truth, Su Yu was afraid that Chen Hao wouldn''t be able to remember a moreplicated story. Thus, a simple story had been fabricated for Chen Hao. "Su Yu?" Liu Wenyan muttered. "Yes." "You were together?" "Yes." "Why were you holding a saber? The practical instructor said that the two of you had taken two sabers from the store at an earlier time..." "Yu said that he had broken through into the fourth-stage. I refused to believe him, so we went to thebat room for practicalbat. But he said that he wanted to keep a low profile, so we eventually left to look for a suitable ce forbat..." "Fourth-stage Source Opening?" The principal was astonished. "He reached the fourth-stage?" "Yeah. He''s cultivating very hard nowadays. I reckon that''s rted to Uncle Su''s departure to the Allheaven Battlefield." The principal nodded in understanding. He wasn''t too surprised. If one was lucky, it wouldn''t be hard to advance into the fourth-stage from the third-stage. Su Yu was a smart kid. He probably wasn''t even trying very hard in cultivation previously. To reach the third-stage while not trying was quite a respectable achievement. Liu Wenyan gave it some thought and said, "How did you perform the cut?" "Just like this!" Chen Hao swung his hand, imitating what he saw Su Yu did. To the side, Xia Bing was watching silently. He nodded when he saw Chen Hao''s movement. As a Skysoar cultivator from the Martial Dragon Guards, he was able to judge that this was the exact move used to kill the cult member based on the wound he saw previously. Liu Wenyan asked, "There is another dead cult member outside the cafeteria. Was that your work as well?" "What?" Chen Hao pretended to be clueless. That wasn''t a kill they could im. Yu told him that. One kill could be attributed to luck. Two kills would be suspicious. Liu Wenyan smiled, "You only killed one?" "Yes." "Do you know how strong that fellow is? After all, you managed to kill him with one cut." "No idea. I wasn''t able to ask while I was cutting his head off." "..." The answer enraged the principal so much he nearlyughed in anger. He said with a t face, "Why did you wait until now to make the im? Why not earlier?" "I was scared." Chen Hao said with an innocent expression. "This was the first time I''ve ever killed someone. I nearly pissed myself. It took me quite a long time to recover. But I guarantee I didn''t piss myself today! I definitely didn''t!" The principal ignored those words. He scanned Chen Hao and saw some traces of blood on Chen Hao¡¯s body. He frowned slightly as he wondered if this kid was really telling the truth. "Where''s Su Yu?" "He went back home. Yu said that he only wants the merit points. I can have the kill. Since he has contributed his brains for the kill, he deserves to get a share in the reward." Liu Wenyanughed, "So you''re getting the contribution while he''s getting the merit points. You can get the extra marks for your entrance exam while he can get the tangible benefits for the kill?" "Yes." Liu Wenyan looked at the principal before looking at Xia Bing. At that point, the principal no longer knew what to say. Xia Bing gave it some thought before saying, "Have you practiced any w techniques before?" . "Nope." "What did you feel when you cut the cult member?" "Nothing. I was too scared. I think I got my saber stuck. His neck was so hard." "Where''s the saber?" "I returned it to the Practical Office earlier." "Did your fathere to school?" "Nope. I called him earlier. He''s on overtime today. My dad is the deputy head of the Traffic Department." Xia Bing ordered, "Man, investigate his father''s whereabouts today." "Roger." A Martial Dragon Guards member answered outside the room. About five minutester, someone reported, "Chen Qing has been staying at the Traffic Department the whole day. During the battle, he stayed in the department to maintain the order of the city traffic." "Alright." Xia Bing nced at Chen Hao who had a silly smile on his face. After thinking about it, Xia Bing looked at the principal and Instructor Liu. "The school and Martial Dragon Guards can sign the document acknowledging that he made the kill. By killing a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator during activebat, a student is eligible to earn thirty additional marks and three merit points." He looked at Chen Hao and said, "There is also a dead cult member near the cafeteria. If that was your work as well, you can get sixty marks and six merit points. With sixty marks, as long as you''re not a total idiot, you''ll be able to enter a war academy." "Huh? There''s one more?" Chen Hao asked, "So can that kill be considered mine as well? You can''t find anyone to im it? What a waste! W-why don''t I take it as well? I don''t even want the merit points. I just want the sixty marks." Xia Bing was speechless. Both the principal and Liu Wenyan were speechless as well. Just what was this kid thinking in that brain of his? Since the one in the cafeteria was killed by Chen Hao and Su Yu, how about the one outside? Liu Wenyan shook his head and decided to let go of the matter. It was no big deal. However, it was indeed quite surprising that Chen Hao was actually able to kill a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. "I''ll check with Su Yu tomorrow." Liu Wenyan nodded as he reached a decision. "We''ll sign our acknowledgement. The time, location, and circumstances surrounding the kill have all been exined properly. The spoils of war have been submitted as well. Even the killing weapon has been found. Unless someone else decides to im the same kill, this case can be closed here." Xia Bing nodded in agreement. It was only a Great Strength cultivator. They had only paid so much attention to it because the one who had performed the kill was a student. Otherwise, they wouldn''t even pay attention to the one iming the kill. And thus, the matter was put to rest. Chen Hao left happily. Suddenly, the principal said, "Old Liu, did you really believe his words?" Liu Wenyan said nonchntly, "It doesn''t matter. Whether he''s a genius or a fool, it will be shown when he joins a war academy. If a fool insists on joining, he can only me himself after getting himself killed. Also, Su Yu was present as well. He''s a smart kid. It''s possible that they have performed the kill with trickeries or something. There is no reason to further investigate this." "True. We also don''t need to spread the news about this kill. We don''t want the cult to look for the kids for revenge. We also don''t want the other students to imitate their behavior. It will be too dangerous." The principal paused slightly before continuing, "By the way, that student of yours is quite simr to you. He''s very crafty. Instead of the extra marks, he requested for the merit points. After all, he won''t need any extra marks to join a cultural research academy." Liu Wenyan also smiled. "Well, he can only do so because he''s capable. Were you able to kill a Great Strength cultivator when you were a Source Opening cultivator?" "..." The principal was rendered speechless. Shortly after, the two smiled at each other. There was no need to pursue this matter. This year, their school would gain an additional war academy student. Xia Bing''s acknowledgment would be enough for that. After all, the words of the Martial Dragon Guards had a lot of weight attached to it. Bribing someone in the Martial Dragon Guards was harder than buying a position in a regr war academy. It wasn''t like the war academies hadn''t been epting special students that came together withrge donations to the academies. Xia Bing ignored the two. After signing the document, he left the office. Outside, he stopped and said, "I believe he did participate in the kill. But I''m unsure if he was the actual killer. It would either be him or Su Yu. Since Su Yu is uninterested in iming the kill, I''ll let Chen Hao have it. But if he does not have the talent or strength to do so, entering a war academy might do him harm instead. I hope you can tell him that." "We will." Xia Bing left. He still had some questions rted to the dead cult member outside the cafeteria. But as mentioned by the principal and Liu Wenyan, it was no big deal. Chen Hao was the one who had chosen this path for himself. He better not regret it. Chapter 27: Chill (1)

Chapter 27: Chill (1)

Divine Skywing Technique: Great Strength Chapter and Blood Clotting de. One cultivation method and one martial technique. These were the two books Su Yu had obtained from the cult members. He only gave the Blood Clotting de one look before tossing it aside. This was a low-ranked martial technique. The school had many simr techniques. There was no need to waste his time on it. Cultivation methods and martial techniques could be divided into the four grades of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow. Each grade was further divided into tiers of peak, high, middle, and low. That was how the cultivation methods and martial techniques of the myriad races were graded. The Blood Clotting de was a middle-stage yellow-tier martial technique. It wasn''tpletely useless, but it also wasn''t anything valuable. There were a lot of such books in the school. It would be a waste of time to study this technique. As for the Divine Skywing Technique, even if it only had the Great Strength Chapter, he still spent a lot of time reading it. ording to Bai Feng, the Divine Skywing Technique was a trash cultivation method. But that was someone speaking from a much higher position. A cultivation method treasured by a higher up of the Myriad Race Cult would not be so worthless. "Top-tier profound-grade." That was the grade of the cultivation method. Unfortunately, Su Yu only had the Great Strength portion of the cultivation method instead of the full copy. The ssification of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow included the cultivation methods of all races. Su Yu did not know much, but he knew that a lot of human supreme experts only cultivated earth or profound grade methods. The Anping Calendar started over three hundred years ago. At that time, humanity did not have a lot of powerful cultivation methods. And most of these supreme experts were people from that era. "Divine Skywing Technique..." Su Yu read the book over and over again, going through the body cultivation and source qi absorption methods described in it. "The human body mostly relies on the acupoints to channel the source qi and refine the body. The more acupoints one opens, the more source qi one can absorb, and the more source qi one can store. The opening of the nine acupoints will build the foundation. At the Great Strength Realm, one can start opening other acupoints and absorb source qi to refine one''s body. "The Great Strength Chapter of the Divine Skywing Technique shows the opening of seventy-two acupoints. After opening all those acupoints, one would reach the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm." This wasn''t Su Yu''s first time reading a cultivation method for Great Strength cultivators. Way before this, he had read the basic cultivation method of the military: the Great Strength Art. That was a simple name, and that was also a simple cultivation method. A majority of human soldiers cultivated that method. It wasn''t that humans didn''t have better cultivation methods, but those cultivation methods require richer source qi and stronger physical body to support the opening of more acupoints. Even if a regr cultivator was given a heaven-grade cultivation method, that person wouldn''t be able to cultivate it. There just wasn''t enough source qi in the Human Realm to support the cultivation of better methods. And without a strong physical body and foundation, one''s body wouldn''t be able to withstand the opening of too many acupoints. That would only cause one''s body to implode from absorbing too much source qi. The Great Strength Art was capable of opening thirty-six acupoints. It was a top-tier yellow-grade cultivation method. For a regr soldier, it was very good. It could help one rapidly grow, and it would also grant one a rtively fast progression without much cultivation resources. In fact, some people had ess to better cultivation methods but would still cultivate the Great Strength Art since progress with that method would be easier, granting them an easier avenue to extending their lifespan. As for the Divine Skywing Technique, one could open seventy-two acupoints during the Great Strength Realm. It could be considered a rather powerful cultivation method. The opening of acupoints wasn''t something to be done randomly. In the Divine Skywing Technique, all seventy-two acupoints were described in detail, with the opening sequence and the cirction route of source qi through the acupoints provided as well. Opening acupoints in the wrong sequence could easily cause the copse of cirction. At that time, one''s source qi would start dispersing and in the worst case scenario, one might even die from the bacsh. After spending a long time on the book, Su Yu concluded that this book was indeed a much better cultivation method than the Great Strength Art. Someone cultivating the Divine Skywing Technique would be stronger than a Great Strength Art cultivator. As for whether someone with a better cultivation method could kill a soldier with a basic cultivation method on the battlefield, that would depend on factors such as experience and determination. Strength alone would not guarantee victory. "This method can open seventy-two acupoints. It can be considered a decent method." Of course, Su Yu did not intend to cultivate it. However, it was not a bad idea to learn more. After all, umtion of knowledge would only benefit himself. As a researcher of the myriadnguages, these cultivation methods were also the subjects of his research. For example, now that he was aware of the positions of the seventy-two acupoints opened by the Divine Skywing Technique, he could target these acupoints the next time he encountered someone from the Divine Skywing Sect and sever the source qi cirction of his opponent. That was why cultivation methods were not something that should be easily revealed to others. The seventy-two acupoints were their source of strength, also their weak points. Of course, not all acupoints were weak points. But the hallmaster from the Myriad Race Cult was an example of what would happen when some of the acupoints were destroyed. His source qi had dispersed and evenshed back at him, killing him immediately. That was why Bai Feng had been able to defeat that hallmaster so easily. In fact, Bai Feng had spent less than ten seconds killing Hallmaster Chen, with half that time spent on talking. If Bai Feng had to rely only on hisbat strength, it would probably not be as easy even if he could still defeat Hallmaster Chen. Naturally, the Divine Skywing Technique would be even moreplicated at the Skysoar Realm. More acupoints would be opened and many of the previous weak points would no longer be a weak point. Thus, it was clear how well Bai Feng knew the Divine Skywing Technique: Skysoar Chapter. Su Yu only ced the book down after two hours. He couldn''t practice a Great Strength cultivation method yet. He was only reading it to learn more about it. If he was a better researcher, he might even be able to infer the true cultivation method of the divine skywing race through the book. Naturally, he wasn''t at that level yet. Not even Bai Feng would be capable of doing so. "Cultivation methods and martial techniques aren''t that useful for me at my current level. Blood essence, on the other hand..." Su Yu had studied the three drops of blood essence as well. The projection within each drop of blood essence was basically the willpower imprint of the beings these drops of blood essence had been harvested from. By studying the projections, he could determine the actual owners of these blood essence. "One drop of iron-winged bird blood essence, one drop of fireboar blood essence, and one drop of blood-thirsty rabbit blood essence." All three drops came frommonly seen races, and none belonged to the divine race or the devil race. That wasn''t surprising at all. How was an ordinary Great Strength Realm cult member supposed to get his hands on the blood essence of powerful beings? Thesemon blood essence was what these regr cult members usually used to help with their cultivation. The blood essence of the myriad races could provide a higher source qi density and strengthen one''s physical body. That was extremely helpful for Great Strength cultivators. Humans generally used blood essence and pills to assist with their cultivation during the Great Strength Realm. The three drops of blood essence might not be anything valuable, but they were still sold at no less than 150,000 dors at the Xia Trade Company. "Not bad. Blood essence worth 150,000, ?Body Forging Pills worth 150,000, and ten gold coins. Altogether, I''ve earned 400,000 dors from the two kills." Su Yu was very satisfied with his harvest. It was true that riches and honor came amidst danger. The situation today might have been dangerous, but he had earned a lot from it. If he had submitted the cultivation method and the martial technique as well, he would have earned even more rewards. Even if what he submitted was not something new to humanity, he would still be rewarded as an encouragement for his contribution. After all, the two served as proof that he had killed at least one cult member. All in all, his wealth had reached 700,000 dors in value. He grinned, wondering if his father would feel embarrassed to learn that his son had earned more money in one day than what he had saved over eighteen years. ... That night, Su Yu dreamed again. The day he activated the book in his head, he had not dreamed. He did dream the next day, but unlike before, he no longer dreamed every single day. At times, his dreams woulde every other day and at times, he would dream every day like in the past. Su Yu suspected that his dreams were appearing in a lower frequency because almost all races in existence had already appeared in his dreams. He was now only dreaming of the few remaining races, so his dreams became more sporadic. . In fact, he hadn''t been able to see any popr races in his dreams recently. Perhaps he had seen them a long time ago and had simply forgotten. He suspected that the races he were seeing now were simply the weaker races. They were so weak that the book itself had nearly forgotten them, resulting in theirte appearance. The monster Su Yu encountered in his dream tonight looked rather familiar to him. It resembled the looping turtle he once saw in a book. However, he was unsure if he was right. He would have to test it out with a drop of looping turtle blood essence to be sure. But after thinking about it, he concluded that unlocking the looping turtle''s page wouldn''t be of much help for now. He should wait and see. In any case, his body needed a break after consuming so much blood essence recently. Ox-faced fish, iron-winged bird, and looping turtle were all races Su Yu were able to recognize in his dreams. That represented that the moremon races were finally starting to appear in his dreams. At the same time, the fact that he could recognize these races also signified that his knowledge had been growing. If it wasn''t for the sheer number of books he had read, he wouldn''t have been able to recognize the indistinct monsters in his dreams. Chapter 28: Chill (2)

Chapter 28: Chill (2)

Nanyuan Secondary School. On the way to school, Su Yu learned of what happened the previous evening from Chen Hao. He was somewhat worried, but the deed was done. Chen Hao wanted to enter a war academy and Su Yu certainly couldn''t sit aside and do nothing when a chance presented itself. That was why he had allowed Chen Hao to im the kill. That was possibly the only way Chen Hao could get into a war academy. With a nervous feeling, Su Yu entered his ssroom. He had barely entered the room when he was summoned by a teacher. ... In the Instructor''s Office. . The teacher left after taking Su Yu to the office. There were only Liu Wenyan and a youth in the office. The youth was Bai Feng. Liu Wenyan was reading. With arge book in hand, Bai Feng was happily reading away while crouched at the side. Yes, he was crouched, not seated. A wide smile covered his face, as though he had reached an interesting part of the book. He did not look like a super expert capable of easily killing a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator. The two did not react to Su Yu''s arrival. After offering his greetings, Su Yu stood there and waited nervously, wondering the reason for him to be summoned here. After entering the Skysoar Realm, Liu Wenyan''s willpower had grown considerably. He was actually secretly observing Su Yu, and he was happy with what he saw. That kid had indeed reached the fourth-stage. Previously, Liu Wenyan had not been able to sense it as he still hadn''t materialized his willpower yet. In fact, he could sense some weak source qi undtions on Su Yu''s right ear acupoint. This kid was probably going to reach the fifth-stage soon. After a while, Liu Wenyan looked up and indifferently said, "You''ve been spending your time cultivating recently?" "Yes." "Have you been reading?" "Not that much," Su Yu appeared somewhat embarrassed. "I have been worried after my father left, so I ced most of my focus on cultivation." "It is good to think of danger in times of safety. It is also good to cultivate hard. However..." Liu Wenyan''s tone turned unhappy, "Reading is also a form of cultivation! Reading ten thousand books, reaching the Skysoar Realm with one step. I won''t stop you from cultivating. In fact, that is something you should do. But you shouldn''t neglect reading! "I know what you''re thinking since you''ve even applied to the war academies. But like I said, it will take you too long relying on physical cultivation alone. It is an entirely different matter if you have deep knowledge and are well read. I believe you''ve seen this person before. He''s Bai Feng, an assistant researcher from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. "He''s twenty-eight and has been in the academy for nine years. Both his physical body and willpower are at the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm. However, his truebat power is higher than that. Why? Because of his willpower. Not even regr seventh-stage Skysoar cultivators can be his match." Liu Wenyan said sternly, "He is only a mediocre student of the academy. If even someone like him can reach this level in nine years, you can definitely do better!" Bai Feng: "..." Bai Feng looked up and nced at Liu Wenyan before lowering his head again after some thought. Fine. What could he do if this old fellow wanted to use him as an example to teach a student? Bai Feng was a mediocre student? Could a mediocre student be a researcher? Even if Bai Feng wasn''t the top genius of the academy, he was still one of the best. He had entered the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm before thirty. He also had a chance to reach a higher level of cultivation within two years. Was someone like that mediocre? This martial uncle of his must have misunderstood what the word mediocre meant. Su Yu hurriedly said, "Don''t worry, instructor. I will ce equal importance on both. I''ve been studying for so many years. I won''t give up on it now." "Good." Liu Wenyan had a solemn tone as he said, "Your cultivation speed is fast. You''ve never cared about it in the past. Now that you started caring, you were able to easily reach the fourth-stage. You might even reach the fifth-stage soon. This will probably give you a misconception that a war academy is more suitable for you. The path of physical cultivation might be the better choice... "What if I tell you that even after entering a war academy, you''ll still need a year to finish opening the nine acupoints, maybe three years to reach the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm, and probably five years to reach the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm? "That''s the trajectory of a decent genius. Someone like that can probably reach the Skysoar Realm in nine years. But you need to understand that the gap between the first-stage Skysoar Realm and the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm is very big. You might be stuck in the same realm for decades. "You''re only at the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm. Do not have the misconception that you''re amazing or you''re a genius. Nanyuan is a small city. If even Nanyuan can produce fourth-stage or fifth-stage Source Opening cultivators, what about the other cities? What about the capital?" Beside him, Bai Feng smiled and said, "I''ve been paying attention to the other cities. There are several seventh-stage Source Opening geniuses in the list of students this year. Of course, seventh-stage Source Opening Realm is basically unattainable for Nanyuan. Meanwhile, such geniuses can be found everywhere in the capital. You can even find eighth-stage Source Opening cultivators there. "We also have some ninth-stage geniuses that only need to link up their acupoints to step into the Great Strength Realm. Of course, they are all holding back so that they can break through after entering the academies." This time, Liu Wenyan did not interrupt Bai Feng. He looked at Su Yu and sighed, "I''m not trying to force you to enter a cultural research academy. But you need to understand that your talent does not lie on the path of physical cultivation. Even if you''re somewhat talented there, your talent is still a far cry from true geniuses. "Physical cultivation requires arge amount of resources. Blood essence, pills,bat experience, weapons, and all that will only make you poor. As the saying goes, martial cultivation is for the rich while studying is for the poor. "Su Yu, as someone from an ordinary family, if you''re not talented when ites to willpower cultivation, I''ll be happy to see you enter a war academy. But you have talent in willpower cultivation! I hope to see you walk further and climb higher in the future! "The cultural research academy does not care much for your cultivation early on, so you won''t spend too much resources on cultivation. Even without money andbat strength, you can still reach the Skysoar Realm. But if you enter a war academy, it will be very unlikely for you to reach the Skysoar Realm. "Do you know why aren''t I telling this to the others? To Liu Yue? Even if she applies for a war academy, I won''t stop her. Because her family is rich enough to support her cultivation.Su Yu, this is why I hope you can walk the path of mental cultivation. I don''t want you to wallow in regret just because youck the resources you need. "Even if you''re talented, you won''t be given cultivation resources freely. Nothinges free! There are a lot of geniuses in the war academies. You won''t stand out, so that will be a much harder path for you. I only hope that you can walk a smoother path." Su Yu nodded repeatedly. He was touched. He knew that these were his instructor''s heartfelt words. For someone from an ordinary family like him, there were things he couldn''t afford. Of course, it wouldn''t be an issue if he only aimed to reach the Great Strength Realm. But he aimed to rapidly reach the Skysoar Realm. His family certainly didn''t have the wealth to support that. "I understand, instructor. I did not think it through. I''ll work hard." "Good." Liu Wenyan smiled, "In theing days, have Bai Feng give you some guidance. Just ask him anything you don''t know. He isn''t that special in the academy, but he''s good enough to teach you." Bai Feng: "..." Liu Wenyan had belittled Bai Feng so many times that even Bai Feng started doubting himself. Was he really nothing special? But he was quite popr in the academy and even the capital itself. He was someone with the potential to step beyond the Skysoar Realm before thirty. He was also one of the few assistant researchers younger than thirty. But why...did all that feel so worthless here? Why? Bai Feng felt iparably gloomy. This martial uncle should probably look himself in the mirror when calling someone else mediocre. As someone who had only achieved willpower materialization after seventy, calling someone else mediocre was basically the same as insulting himself. When Bai Feng saw that Su Yu seemed to actually approve of Liu Wenyan''s words, he smiled indifferently. These kids really knew too little about the world. Just wait. After joining the academy, he woulde to learn just how amazing his Big Brother Feng was. He woulde to learn how difficult it would be to reach Bai Feng''s level. Never told an ant the might of an elephant. The ant would not be able toprehend the concept of that. Only by standing on the same height would that ant understand how incredibly powerful an elephant was. "I''ll be staying at Nanyuan Secondary School for the next two days. You cane see me anytime while I''m here," said Bai Feng before leaving with the book in his hand. After Bai Feng left, Liu Wenyan spoke with a low voice, "Learn properly. Treasure the two days you have with him. Use everything you have and take everything he can offer. Although you won''t be able to learn everything he knows, you should still make good use of the two days I gave you. This is a good opportunity that you might not even get after entering the academy." "I see." Su Yu was shocked. Was his instructor saying that even after entering the academy, he might not be able to obtain the guidance of a researcher? "For one ss with an assistant researcher, you need to pay five merit points. Each ss will onlyst one hour. You¡¯re getting two days, forty-eight hours for free. Don''t bother sleeping. Learn everything you can from him. This is worth 240 merit points. That is an amount you will take very long to earn. Go. I believe in you." "Thank you, Instructor." Su Yu''s eyes lit up. The instructor and student looked at each other as a wide smile bloomed on their faces. Far away, Bai Feng suddenly felt an intense chill creeping up his spine. He turned around and cursed inwardly. Was his martial uncle preparing to scam him? What was his martial uncle going to do? Chapter 29: Beyond Skysoar (1)

Chapter 29: Beyond Skysoar (1)

School dormitory. The school-provided dormitory was arge apartment unit with four bedrooms and two living rooms. Liu Wenyan could ignore Bai Feng, but that wasn''t the case for the principal or Nanyuan itself. None of them could afford to slight a researcher, even if the researcher in question was only an assistant. Thus, Bai Feng''s temporary residence was even better than what the regr instructors were provided with. Inside the living room, Bai Feng was seated on the couch. Standing respectfully before him were Su Yu and Liu Yue, waiting silently while Bai Feng watched the television. Plop! The television was showing a scene of numerous people being dragged out and executed. The day before, the Martial Dragon Guards and city guards of the capital had been deployed. Tens of thousands of cult members were killed and over three thousand were captured. Great Xia had a ruthless policy where any captured cult member would be executed without trial so long as their identity was confirmed. The executions were being shown live on television. Three thousand might not sound like a big number, but the executions had been ongoing for more than ten minutes and it was far from over. . Liu Yue was finding the scene hard to witness as she averted her gaze from the television. Su Yu was also feeling rather ufortable. He did not feel any pity toward the cult members, but he felt sick after seeing so much blood despite the fact that he had personally killed two cult members the day before. Bai Feng seemed to be enjoying himself. While leisurely drinking his tea, hemented, "There are numerous sects in the Myriad Race Cult, and the Divine Skywing Sect can be considered one of therger ones. Their sect master was a super expert as well. However, they suffered aplete defeat in Great Xia. Their sect master was killed alongside almost all their elite members. Looks like Great Xia has earned big this time." Both Su Yu and Liu Yue were confused. Earned big? "You don''t understand?" Bai Feng smiled, "It''s simple. The elites are dead. The sect master is dead. Who''s the killer? How many people are there in Great Xia that actually have the ability to kill the sect master? Since the sect master has the guts toe, something must have given him the confidence. Nobody will be willing to seek death. What was his source of confidence? The other sect masters in the cult? No. His backers must have arrived. That was why he had the courage to enter Great Xia." Su Yu''s eyes flickered as he asked, "Teacher Bai, you mean that someone from the divine skywing race was here?" "Exactly. They must be here. And since the sect master has been killed, how about those from the divine skywing race? If they were really killed, wouldn''t it be profitable for whoever the killer was?" Bai Fengughed and said, "Things are going to get troublesome for the prefect." "Troublesome?" "Yes. Just you wait. The various war academies and cultural research academies will be bothering him for the flesh and blood of the divine skywing race. I wonder if our principal is back. He needs to get something good for the academy as well. The prefect is going to be rich. Blood essence, flesh, weapons, and cultivation methods of the divine race...tsk tsk. He is definitely getting rich." "The prefect is probably going crazy right this moment. It is probably very lively right now in the capital." Putting it like that, Su Yu and Liu Yue naturally understood what Bai Feng meant. The two had a look of longing on their faces. They weren''t really envious of those treasures, but they were simply getting excited hearing about so many valuable treasures. "Teacher Bai, are the intruders from the divine skywing race strong?" Bai Feng looked at the two and smiled, "Of course they''re strong. I''m a frank person, so don''t mind me. For people of Nanyuan, the Skysoar Realm is the ultimate height. But for the capital, the Skysoar Realm is merely halfway to the top. Or to be precise, that is only the first step toward bing a true expert. "Those from a small city would never be able to imagine just how strong a true expert can be. Of course, there is no need for them to know. For people like them, Skysoar and the realm beyond is practically the same as experts of that level can wipe them out with a wave of a hand. "For a cultivator, the Source Opening, Great Strength, and Infinite Strength Realms are the foundational stage, one where you strengthen your body so that your body won''t implode from taking in too much source qi. Only by reaching the Skysoar Realm would your voice hold weight in the academies, the armies, the sects, the various realms, and the battlefield. Only by reaching that level can one start being regarded as an expert." Su Yu''s eyes were shining. He had seen too little of the world. Nanyuan was too small. His world had been too small. "Teacher Bai, I know there are still more realms beyond the Skysoar Realm. I heard from my father that the 10000-manmanders are all in the Cloudbreach Realm. Is that the realm one level above the Skysoar Realm?" "Yes." Bai Feng took a sip from his tea and calmly said, "How far can a Skysoar cultivator fly? How high can a Skysoar cultivator reach? That is only the first step into bing an expert. Only when you can breach the clouds and travel beyond it would you be truly considered an expert. At that point, even if you''re facing countless Infinite Strength and Great Strength cultivators, what can they do to you? "I''ll walk on clouds, high above the ground. No matter how strong your arms are, how powerful your armies are, can you reach me? On the Allheaven Battlefield, almost everyone capable of leading an army of ten thousand is a Cloudbreach cultivator. At the Cloudbreach Realm, you can even be a 1000-manmander in the Martial Dragon Guards." "In the Martial Dragon Guards, a stronger squad leader would be in the Skysoar Realm while a weaker one would be at the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm. Their 100-manmanders are basically all Skysoar cultivators, and most of them are at the middle-stage or higher. The Martial Dragon Guards have five 1000-manmanders. Three of them are at the Cloudbreach Realm while the other two are at the ninth-stage Skysoar Realm." Su Yu swallowed. They were so powerful? How about their deputy general, then? There was no need to talk about the general as he was Great Xia''s prefect. But how about the deputy general? Bai Feng nced at him and smiled, "And above the Cloudbreach Realm is the Mountainsea Realm. Capable of hacking mountains and severing oceans, a Mountainsea cultivator can shake the world with every move. That is an iparably powerful realm where with one strike, you will be able to copse mountains and evaporate oceans." "And beyond the Mountainsea Realm?" Su Yu asked. "I have heard the terms apex experts and invincible experts being thrown around before. Are these people in the Mountainsea Realm?" "No. A Mountainsea cultivator is capable of ruling a region. Even at the Allheaven Battlefield, someone like that is qualified to lead an army. With onemand, a hundred thousand soldiers will do their bidding. Someone like that can be a general or a deputy general of a powerful army. The deputy general of the Martial Dragon Guards is one such person. "Only above the Mountainsea Realm will one be known as an apex expert or an invincible expert. That is too far away from you. You only need to know that those realms exist, but you don''t need to ask too much about them. You wille to learn all that at the capital. There is no point in learning too much about apex and invincible experts. That is a realm far beyond us. "You''re not even a Great Strength cultivator yet. Are you going to be an invincible expert within one day after learning about it? You only need to know that they''re strong. Very strong. That would be enough. Most of the prefects are apex experts, and most of the prefecture founders are invincible experts. That is all you need to know." Su Yu felt his lips go dry. For the very first time, he felt very clearly how small Nanyuan was, and how low the sky above Nanyuan was. Here, an Infinite Strength cultivator was an expert and a Skysoar cultivator was invincible. As for the realms beyond such as the Cloudbreach and Mountainsea Realms, he had never even heard of the existence of such experts in Nanyuan. At the Cloudbreach Realm, one could be a 10000-manmander on the Allheaven Battlefield. At the Mountainsea Realm, one could dominate a region on the Allheaven Battlefield and gainmand of an entire army. And beyond that were the apex experts and the invincible experts. Looking at the expression of the two kids before him, Bai Feng smiled joyfully. He loved looking at such shocked expressions. He had a somewhat unhealthy interest in generating such expressions. In truth, there wasn''t a need for him to tell them all that as they would end up learning the same at the capital. However, he had still decided to tell them. That was because he had been somewhat upset with how much Liu Wenyan had belittled him. Did this little genius called Su Yu really knew how high the sky was? After a short while, Su Yu heaved a long breath and calmed himself down. When Bai Feng saw that, he praised inwardly that this kid had a decent mindset. As a kid who had yet to see the world, it was rather incredible for him to be able to calm down so quickly. As for Liu Yue, she was getting slightly excited, but she was also mostly calm. Bai Feng did not pay her much attention as he could see that she was already aware of all that. The little excitement she disyed was only due to her desire for strength. The only person who was truly clueless here was Su Yu. It wasn''t his fault. He was born here and he grew up here. He had not taken a step out of the city during his eighteen years of life. Su Long had taken great care of Su Yu, but Su Long himself was only a Great Strength cultivator. Someone like him wouldn''t really know that much about the world either. Liu Wenyan had no reason to tell Su Yu things that did not concern him. And this information wouldn''t even be avable in books, so Su Yu truly knew nothing about the higher cultivation realms. "It will be a very long time before you reach that realm. You don¡¯t have much time with me. Are you sure you want to waste your time on this topic?" Bai Feng did not bother inviting the two to sit. He smiled and continued, "I''ll be here for two days. Before I leave, you can ask me anything. I''ll tell you what I can. This is a rare opportunity for you." Su Yu asked, "Teacher Bai, what exactly is willpower? How do I cultivate it? How do I measure it? How do I determine if mine is strong or weak?" "Willpower..." Bai Feng nced at Su Yu and said, "You''re actually quite decent in terms of willpower. Of course, you haven''t properly sensed or cultivated it before, so you aren''t able to measure it. Martial Uncle has been trying to get you to join the cultural research academy because he sensed the strength of your willpower. He does not wish to see you walk down a wrong path. As far as I am concerned, willpower is simr to physical power. Each of them is a type of power. One materializes externally, and one materializes internally..." He picked up a ck ss and covered the top of the ss with his hand. "Physical power is akin to this ss. If I hit you with it, can you feel the pain?" Su Yu nodded. "Physical power operates simrly. If I hit you, you''ll be hurt. You can directly feel it. You can also see it at work. How much it hurts depends on the quality of the ss. The harder, bigger, or heavier it is, the more pain you''ll feel. As for willpower, it is the power within the ss. You can''t sense it, but the act of cultivating willpower is the same as filling the ss with water." He started pouring water into the ss. "The state before the ss is full is akin to the state before willpower materialization. Even with your ss full, you still can''t do anything with it. That was the state your instructor was in previously. His ss was full, but not overflowing yet. When the water is full enough to overflow, you will achieve willpower materialization." Bai Feng continued pouring water into the ss, to the point water was overflowing out of it. More and more water overflowed out of the ss. "Sure, when you see the water overflowing bit by bit, you will think that it''s nothingpared to physical strength. But what if there is a lot more water overflowing out of the ss?" Chapter 30: Beyond Skysoar (2)

Chapter 30: Beyond Skysoar (2)

More and more water was poured into the ss, and more overflowed out of it. Boom! Su Yu felt like he could see the water turning into a river. The water surged, flooding the room, flooding the school, and the river turned into a deluge, forming an ocean, and eventually reaching the sky itself. Boom! Cities were submerged and mountains copsed. At that moment, Bai Feng''s voice rang out, "This is the strength of willpower. It can turn water into ice, it can also gather water into rivers or oceans. Like physical power, it is only a type of power you can use. However, it is also a unique power with no boundless possibilities. Presently, for physical cultivation, there is actually an end. Of course, the end is still far beyond us. "In truth, one would start cultivating both powers upon reaching the Skysoar Realm. For us, we will first let our water overflow before wrapping our water around the ss and strengthen it. A physical cultivator will first turn the porcin ss into a stone ss before pouring water into the ss. "If you ask me which is the better path, I can tell you that both are the same. It merely depends on your choice and talent. Just pick the easier path for you." The scene before Su Yu''s eyes blurred before vanishing. The sight of Bai Feng with the ss of water entered his gaze. He gasped for breath before asking, "What if I can''t fill the ss? What if like Instructor Liu, my ss is full but I can''t get it to overflow? Will my willpower bepletely useless?" "Strictly speaking, that''s not true. At the very least, your thoughts will be sharper and you will have more energy than before. Also, if you''re not even capable of willpower materialization, it doesn''t matter what path you take. You will never be able to be an expert. Do you think there is a big difference between a Great Strength cultivator and an Infinite Strength cultivator?" "Can we measure the willpower''s strength before it overflows?" "Yes." Bai Feng exined, "Upon reaching a certain point, you can sense it yourself. Of course, experts who have materialized their willpower will be able to see it clearly. Take you for an example. Your ss is about one tenth full. I can clearly see it. But you won''t be able to sense it yourself." "When will I be able to start sensing it?" "When it''s half full. At that point, you''ll be able to sense it clearly. That power is within you, but you won''t be able to do anything with it. We call that stage the Mental Tempering Stage. That is not a realm, but you can also see it as something simr to the Source Opening, Great Strength, and Infinite Strength Realms. That is a very difficult stage to live through. Your patience will be tested. You can feel the power yet can''t use it. Will you be anxious? "You clearly feel that you have enough power to face an Infinite Strength cultivator, yet even a Great Strength cultivator can defeat you with one hit. Will you be anxious? Your ss is full. You''re so close to overflowing. Yet you still have to suffer the beating of a Great Strength cultivator. Will you be anxious? "But no matter how anxious you are, your willpower refuses to overflow. Will you be angry? It doesn''t even matter how angry you are. Many people fail to get through this stage. They give up and switch into physical cultivation instead. People like that can be found everywhere. That is simply too infuriating a stage." Bai Fengughed and said, "I look forward to that day. To see you angry yet helpless. You need to know that at that point, the academy will do one thing. During your Mental Tempering Stage, they will allow the students of the war academies to visit for a study exchange. But that is merely an excuse to have them beat you up. You will be tortured. You will be insulted. You will be infuriated." Su Yu was dumbstruck. Even Liu Yue couldn''t help but to softly ask, "Teacher Bai, why is the academy doing that?" "The answer is simple. To provoke you. Only if you can remain calm and truly know yourself will you be able to achieve willpower materialization. Of course, the tempering process is a double-edged sword. Some students will go mad and give up from sheer anger. But those capable of surviving this stage had all done rather well for themselves." Bai Fengughed happily, "This is the grand performance of cultural research academies. Upon joining, you can go and see how your seniors are tortured. It is a truly miserable process. Those from the war academies love nothing more than to brag about the big names from the cultural research academies they once tortured back in the days. Those big names are probably already at the Mountainsea Realm while the war academy students are still at the Infinite Strength Realm. "They will tell stories of how who-and-who have been beaten until they piss themselves. Many people think that these war academy students are bragging, but they are actually telling the truth." Su Yu couldn''t resist asking, "Teacher Bai, is this what all cultural researchers will go through? What about you?" "Me?" Bai Feng said nonchntly, "That wasn''t the case for me. I was too strong. I was already exceptionally strong during the Mental Tempering Stage." Su Yu immediately realized that he had asked the wrong question, so he smiled awkwardly and stopped pursuing the matter. He hadn¡¯t suffered the same fate? That did not seem possible. This Bai Feng had probably been beaten to the point he cried as well. Su Yu was very surprised to learn that there was actually such a stage for cultural researchers. His horizons had been widened. "As for the cultivation of willpower..." Bai Feng switched the topic. "Read. Learn. Of course, you need to do more than reading ordinary books or learning ordinary characters. You have both learned differentnguages before. "But what is the purpose of learning all thosenguages? Thenguages aren''t anything special, but some texts with cultivation methods and martial techniques are filled with willpower. Reading those texts is the same as shing against the willpower within them. The more powerful the cultivation method, the stronger the author of the text would be, and the harder it would be for you to withstand the text¡¯s willpower. Reading such texts is actually a type of test." "In the academy, by the time you gain the ability to read a Great Strength original text, it means that your willpower has grown enough to contend against Great Strength cultivators. And when you reach the point where you can read Skysoar texts, you''ll be ready for willpower materialization. The Mental Tempering Stage starts around the time you start reading Infinite Strength original texts." Su Yu finally understood. Suddenly, a white bone fragment appeared in Bai Feng''s hand. "This is a Great Strength cultivation method. Of course, it is iplete. Such texts can bemonly found at the Allheaven Battlefield. The academy has a lot of these as well. You will be focusing on these texts as new students of the academy. You can try taking a look at it. The willpower in this iplete text is weak. If you can actually see the characters on it, it means that your willpower is nearly one fifth full." Bai Feng had just imed that Su Yu''s willpower was only one tenth full. But now, he was showing something that could only be read with one fifth full willpower. Su Yu did not think too much. He epted the white bone fragment and started looking at it. Bai Feng guided him, "You only need to focus on it." Su Yu nodded and ced all his focus on the bone fragment. Slowly, the bone fragment before his eyes changed. It started glowing faintly, and from it, he could see some indistinct characters. Curious, he ced even more focus on the fragment. Boom! . Right that moment, he felt like his brain had been hammered. With a painful wail, Su Yu tossed the glowing bone fragment away. Bai Feng saw thating. He smiled and said, "Even reading is an activity you need to pay a price to do. This is how we cultivate. This is how cultural research academies work. Do not think that studying at the academy will be the same as Nanyuan Secondary School where you only need to read some books in foreignnguages. There is nothing special about that. "Each reading session is a sh of willpower. And each session will temper your willpower. Naturally, you can''t read too much in a day. Once or twice will be enough or you''ll drive yourself mad. In fact, the academy has nock of madmen. Many students have driven themselves mad reading something beyond their ability." ... Su Yu felt like his head was going to burst apart. He was hurting so much he nearly teared up. After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes and breathed heavily while slowly regaining his calm. This pain was simr to the sensation he would feel each time he was killed in his dreams. After so many years, he was already used to such a sensation. The pain had merely been too abrupt. Bai Feng was just about to say that it was fine to cry. In fact, that was actually normal among the students of their academy. But he immediately swallowed his words before they could leave his mouth. He looked at Su Yu with his eyebrow raised. He was certain that Su Yu''s willpower was only one tenth full. And yet this fellow had withstood the pain just like that? Impossible! The willpower in that bone fragment was twice as strong as Su Yu''s willpower. That would subject him to at least half an hour of pain. Bai Feng blinked, impressed with what he was seeing. No wonder his martial uncle looked so highly upon this kid. Perhaps this kid''s talent wasn''t anything special, but he was most certainly a tenacious person. At times, tenacity was more important than talent in cultivation. While grimacing with pain, Su Yu said, "Teacher Bai, how about the willpower of a regr person?" "One percent full." Bai Feng cleared his mind of his thoughts and smiled, "That is the level of a regr person. They have no talent in terms of willpower cultivation. Your talent is decent. As for Liu Yue, her willpower is slightly better than yours. About fifteen percent, I would say." Su Yu smiled awkwardly. So it turned out that Liu Yue was better than him as well. Bai Feng did not say anything more. He could actually see that this wasn''t Liu Yue''s first time reading one of these iplete texts. That was why her willpower was stronger. But in truth, Su Yu was going to catch up soon. To the side, Liu Yue had remained silent. However, she was also looking at Su Yu in astonishment. She had read one of these original texts before, so she knew how painful one''s first experience would be. During her first session, she had spent half an hour crying and another half day of sleeping before recovering. As for Su Yu...was he a beast? Or perhaps this fellow was...slow? He couldn''t feel fear? In fact, after her first session, she was so afraid that she almost gave up her second session. But this Su Yu...was actually picking the bone fragment up with a look of longing, as though he wanted to read it again! Bai Feng couldn''t help but tough. Previously, he didn''t care much about these two. But now, his interest in Su Yu was growing. With a smile, he said, "You can have it. But remember to not read it more than twice per day. You won''t be able to withstand more than that. When you find yourself capable of clearly seeing the characters on it, your willpower would be twenty percent full. You will be one step closer to willpower materialization. This is merely an iplete copy. There are three pages per copy. When your willpower is forty percent full, you would be able to read all three pages in full." "By the time you gain the ability to read the full Infinite Strength text, you would reach the Mental Tempering Stage." Bai Feng had decided to give the bone fragment to Su Yu. This thing was quite valuable, but for him, it was nothing. Su Yu was unaware of the bone fragment''s value, but that wasn''t the case for Liu Yue. She looked rather envious. Her family was among the richest in Nanyuan, but a single original text would be sold at a price of no less than a hundred thousand dors at the Xia Trade Company. They had both arrived together, and she was obviously the stronger one. However, Bai Feng had decided to give Su Yu the bone fragment instead. From that, it was obvious Bai Feng was more interested in Su Yu. Chapter 31: You Are Mine (1)

Chapter 31: You Are Mine (1)

Bai Feng''s words had opened a brand new world for Su Yu. He had too many questions to ask and too many things to say. But Bai Feng did not give him the chance to ask more. "Are you going to continue asking these questions? Martial Uncle did not send you here to ask these simple questions. These are the things you can learn just by entering the academy." Su Yu nked out. True, the lesson of an assistant researcher had a fee of five merit points per hour. Wouldn''t it be a waste for him to ask all those questions? Beside him, Liu Yue grew slightly excited as she softly asked, "Teacher Bai, c-can you help us with Divine Character formation?" Su Yu was confused. What did that mean? Liu Wenyan had not told him about that before. He had no idea what Liu Wenyan was talking about. Bai Feng smiled. "Looks like you know about this. How about you, Su Yu? Has Martial Uncle not taught you this before?" "No." Su Yu softly said, "Teacher Bai, Divine Character formation...what does that mean?" Bai Feng said, "Divine Character is a term. It has nothing to do with the divine race. Rather, this is a term referring to written characters of the myriadnguages with unique powers in them. "People like us are known as cultural researchers. You saw how we fought before. But that wasn''t our strongest form. Of course, your instructor has freshly broken through, so he''s still not very familiar with some aspects of being a cultural researcher." Evidently, that was why Liu Wenyan had opted to use a straightforward method during thebat yesterday: willpower maniption. "Divine Character formation is the most important subject in the academy. With your willpower, you can form the character you want, gain control over it, and raise it. One day, perhaps after willpower materialization, you will be able toplete the formation of your Divine Character. At that point, a single character can cause the world to tremble. "There are numerous Divine Characters in existence. Or to be precise, any character in existence can be your Divine Character. You need toprehend the meaning of the character,prehend it with your very heart, ept it, nourish it, embrace it, even if there is a possibility that you might not be able to use it in your entire life. "A cultural researcher without his own Divine Character is not a qualified cultural researcher. Among cultural researchers, such individuals are weaklings." Looking at Su Yu, Bai Feng smiled, "Are you confused?" "Somewhat." Su Yu felt awkward. He had not been aware of any of that. "After entering the academy, most of your sses, including yournguage sses, will be taught by the other students of the academy. That is how they earn their merit points. As for the Divine Character formation ss, it can only be taught by actual cultural researchers. "Your instructor might have told you before. It isn''t cheap to get us to teach. This is the main reason. You''ll understand after I show you something." Immediately after, Su Yu felt the air around him turning heavy. An incorporeal power erupted from Bai Feng''s body. A familiar character slowly took shape in the air. That was a character of the divinenguage. Su Yu had learned the divinenguage before, so he knew this character. It was as though someone invisible was writing the character in thin air. One stroke at a time, the character took form. Gather! Su Yu recognized it. That was the character ¡°gather¡± written in the divinenguage. The character hovered in the air, shining with a gentle glow. This wasn''t the Divine Character that Bai Feng had been nurturing. Rather, it was something he had created on the spot. Gale erupted all around them. Whoosh! The air trembled as the furniture around them shook, as though an earthquake was happening. "Chu!" Bai Feng roared. That was how ¡°gather¡± was pronounced in the divinenguage. Right that moment, Su Yu sensed something different. Liu Yue might not be able to sense it, but he could. He could sense the gathering of source qi around the character! As he had actively absorbed source qi before, he could sense the difference in the air even though those in the Source Opening Realm weren''t supposed to do so Whoosh! The air trembled. Suddenly, Liu Yue cried out in surprise. The air around them had been emptied of source qi. In the blink of an eye, a drop of milky white liquid had appeared before Bai Feng. "Source qi liquid!" Liu Yue was greatly shocked. Su Yu had never seen any source qi liquid before. But after hearing Liu Yue''s words, he was stunned as well. Source qi liquid! Something worth a hundred thousand dors per drop, something a Skysoar cultivator needed three days to form. Something like that had been formed in mere moments right in front of him. "Nanyuan''s source qi density is too low, so this can''t be considered a proper source qi liquid. It is probably only half as efficient." Bai Feng exhaled lightly, looking somewhat tired. "This isn''t my own Divine Character. Everyone has limited energy, so it is impossible for one person to nurture too many Divine Characters. This is something I''ve just drawn out as a demonstration. "What you saw, the gathering of source qi, is one of the unique functions of Divine Characters. When you discover the unique properties of a character, you can start trying to form it as well. Naturally, the same characters will work differently when formed by different people. I can use this character to gather source qi. Some other person might be able to use it to kill. This is what it means to be a cultural researcher." With a smile on his face, Bai Feng moved the drop of source qi liquid into a bottle with a wave of his hand before casually tossing the bottle over to Su Yu. Su Yu was caught byplete surprise. He felt both excited and uneasy as he said, "T-teacher Bai, this is too expensive..." Even though this drop of source qi liquid wasn''t as good as a proper drop, it was still half as effective as a regr drop. With the price of a hundred thousand per drop, this drop with reduced efficiency would probably be worth fifty or sixty thousand dors. "Take it. It''s something I casually made anyway." Bai Feng did not seem to mind. "This drop was made with the source qi of Nanyuan. If I dare take it away, Martial Uncle will probably be unhappy. So you can have it. This isn''t a big deal for me. The liquid is only helpful for you since you''re in the Source Opening Realm. At my cultivation level, that one drop can''t do anything." Bai Feng moved on from the topic and said, "Liu Yue wants to learn Divine Character formation, but that is actually beyond your ability. You still don''t know the myriadnguages well enough. "You might think you know a lot after mastering ten or twentynguages. But you have not seen an original text before. You have not seen the true appearances of these characters, and neither have you seen the characters written by actual experts. That is why you haven''t been able to discover the power behind these characters despite your years of study. "A different character will give you a different feeling when written by a different person. Therefore, each character will also give you a different inspiration. Perhaps you won''t feel anything special reading an original text written by a Great Strength cultivator. But when you read something written by a Mountainsea cultivator, you might find the same text containing boundless knowledge in it." Bai Feng''s expression turned stern, "When fully nourished, Divine Characters formed by willpower may even manifest in the world, turning into godly weapons. "In the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, 180 years ago when the third principal passed away, he left the character "battle" written in the devilnguage behind. That character transformed into a unique grotto of the academy: the Devil Battling Field." "Devil Battling Field!" Liu Yue eximed in shock. Beside her, Su Yu was feeling very useless. He was angry at himself for knowing nothing. Bai Feng solemnly said, "Exactly. That is a treasure of the academy, something the various war academies long to enter. A single character has transformed into a pocket realm suitable for those below the Skysoar Realm to cultivate in. "Practicalbat experience can be gained inside. In the Devil Battling Field, numerous devil soldiers will appear. War formations, experts, and all sorts ofbat scenarios can be experienced. In there, you can fight them like they are the actual devils. You can make use of your intelligence and your strength to fight and spill their blood, preparing yourself for your future entry into the Allheaven Battlefield. "115 years ago, the fourth principal of the academy passed away. He left behind the character "source" written in the divinenguage, forming another grotto: Source Qi Secret Grotto. That grotto is simr in function with the character "gather" I wrote before. However, that grotto can exist forever, unlike my character that will only exist temporarily. "In the Source Qi Secret Grotto, you can experience dense source qi, increasing your cultivation speed. The academy has a lot of such grottos. Some have been given to the war academies in Great Xia, and some were kept for themselves." A look of reverence covered Bai Feng''s face as he softly said, "One person will only have so much energy to spare. Most people will focus on one Divine Character that is most suitable for them. The ultimate goal would be to materialize the character in the real world, granting it eternal existence. "Of course, you will learn all this in the academy. But since you''ve asked about this, I won''t be holding back. Like I promised, you can ask me anything. "Today, I''ll teach you how to form a Divine Character. Naturally, just knowing how to write a character does not equal the ability to form it as a Divine Character. Prior to willpower materialization, Divine Character formation isn''t a simple affair. You will be writing the character in your mind instead of actually writing it on paper." Su Yu''s eyes lit up. Divine Character formation! No wonder his instructor had told him that Bai Feng''s ss was worth a lot. So this was the reason. Even without Bai Feng telling him, he would be able to guess how difficult it was to form a Divine Character. Arge amount of willpower would be exhausted. He could see that Bai Feng''s face was still slightly pale from the Divine Character he had formed earlier. Clearly, that hadn''t been an easy process for him. "Your willpower is still weak. You won''t be able to form a full character. Just form a partial character and meditate on it while slowly improving it. You''ve learned many differentnguages. But the most importantnguage for you will still be the humannguage. That is thenguage you know best. Thus, we will begin with humannguage. Since you''ve never seen the version of these characters that were written by human experts, I''ll do it for you today." With a wave of Bai Feng''s hand, a sheet of paper appeared. Without any pen in hand, he stared at the paper before letting out a long breath. "Truly powerful characters are all embedded with willpower. Thus, not anyone can write these characters. Some people can''t even write them even after entering the Skysoar Realm. You''re probably most familiar with the Source Opening Codex. Today, I''ll write a copy of the Source Opening Codex." Bai Feng reached out, but he did not actually touch the paper. Rather, he started writing in the air. The tip of his finger glowed with a bright golden light. Once again, Su Yu sensed source qi gathering. He could even sense the movement of willpower. Bai Feng''s expression was solemn, wielding his finger like a sword. There are nine acupoints in the Source Opening Realm... At the first sentence, the paper started showing signs of disintegration. It did not seem capable of withstanding the power of these characters. Golden light erupted from Bai Feng''s palm. The light covered the paper, stabilizing it. "Without a strong carrier, powerful characters can''t be recorded. But since this is only a demonstration, I will reduce the power used. If you wish to record powerful cultivation methods or characters in the future, remember that you''ll need special carriers. This is also something you''ll learn in the future." As Bai Feng wrote, he started sweating while smoke starteding out of the top of his head, as though his brain was on fire. "Don''t look at me. Look at the characters I''m writing!" Liu Yue hurriedly nodded and said to Su Yu, "Each willpower character written by a cultural researcher is invaluable." Su Yu also nodded and hurriedly looked down. He understood just how precious this opportunity was. One character after another appeared on the paper, forming one sentence after another. When Su Yu focused on the paper, the world around him started spinning. Different. This waspletely different from the regr copies of Source Opening Codex he had read before. Instead of characters, he could see a human. Someone was there, cultivating the Source Opening Codex, and that someone was Bai Feng. He was opening his nine acupoints. Chapter 32: You Are Mine (2)

Chapter 32: You Are Mine (2)

Read the most updated version of this novel and other amazing tranted novels from the original source at [ ] Outside the room. Liu Wenyan had a smile as he muttered to himself, "This kid can be quite generous." Writing a long willpower text was still not something he was capable of doing. If he could do so, he would have done it himself. Even after achieving willpower materialization, he still couldn''t do so. He was iparable to Bai Feng. Bai Feng was capable of writing the entire Source Opening Codex with willpower. As for Liu Wenyan, he would probably run out of willpower after the first chapter. In truth, the Source Opening Codex wasn''t even a long book. He might have nurtured his willpower well over the years, to the point his willpower was no weaker than a regr third-stage Skysoar cultivator, but this still wasn''t a feat he could aplish. Bai Feng was a sixth-stage Skysoar cultivator that was on the cusp of reaching the seventh-stage. Not even the academy had many people like him among the younger generation below forty. Liu Wenyan was only trying his luck when he sent his students Bai Feng''s way. He had not expected Bai Feng to actually be willing to exhaust his willpower on the two little geniuses of Nanyuan. That wasn''t something he had requested from Bai Feng. He could shamelessly request for Bai Feng''s slots and guidance for his students, but writing willpower text or teaching Divine Character formation wasn''t something he had requested of Bai Feng. That was a request that he would need to pay a price for. "Su Yu, Liu Yue, treasure this opportunity," muttered Liu Wenyan to himself before leaving. ... Inside the room. Su Yu was iparably excited. This was the very first time he had ever seen someone cultivate the Source Opening Codex so clearly. He could see everything going on inside and outside one''s body while cultivating the codex. That was how a lesson should have been. Inparison, the lessons of his secondary school seemed socking. Was this the strength of a cultural researcher? Su Yu had a feeling that after this lesson, if he activated the Source Swallowing Technique with a drop of blood essence again, his efficiency would be thirty percent higher than before. It was no wonder the cultural research academies were capable of researching so many different cultivation methods. If this was their method of teaching, learning would be so much easier. "Don''t only look at the cultivation. Look at the characters. Look at the power within the characters. If you can find a character that you feel is suitable for you, try to meditate on it and draw an outline of the character in your mind. Try to find your first Divine Character. Since I''m writing this text right in front of you, the willpower within the text is at an active state. This will be the best time to sense these characters." What Bai Feng left unsaid was the fact that even in the academy, not everyone would have a chance to witness an expert writing a willpower text. Most of the time, their students would only be studying the original copies of the cultivation methods of the myriad races in search of a Divine Character suitable for them. Also, Divine Character formation was something one could only do after reaching the Mental Tempering Stage. When first entering the academy, Su Yu and Liu Yue would not be doing much cultivation. Rather, they would need to learn even morenguages. Thus, Divine Character formation was something they would only encounter a few years down the road. Su Yu stopped his mind from wandering about and focused on the characters. Every single character was jumping about before his eyes. It was as though they were all filled with power, and he was incapable of capturing any one of them. The sight was dazzling and caused Su Yu a great headache. He endured the pain and forced himself to continue reading. Beside him, Liu Yue was sweating all over and her face was pale. A short whileter, she stopped reading with a downtrodden expression. After withdrawing, she could still sense the power brimming from the characters, but she could no longer feel them as clearly as before. "I...failed." Liu Yue sighed inwardly, but she wasn''t too disappointed. Her willpower was too weak. It wasn''t surprising that she would fail her first attempt at forming a Divine Character. When she turned aside, she saw that Su Yu was also sweating badly. However, he was still immersed in the characters. The sight of that stunned Liu Yue. He could still continue? Bai Feng was still writing more characters, and his face was slightly pale as well. Even so, he had a smile on his face. How tenacious! He had only decided to start writing the Source Opening Codex on the spot because of Su Yu, not Liu Yue. In fact, he was starting to wonder if he had stumbled upon a true genius here. Su Yu''s talent wasn''t anything special, but that tenacity was impressive. "Don''t waste any time. Look for the character that calls out the most to you and capture it with your willpower." Liu Yue''s body shook when she heard that. Teacher Bai was helping Su Yu with his foundation building, building a foundation for his Divine Character! Was Teacher Bai confident that Su Yu could actually seed? This was Su Yu''s first attempt! Could he seed at his first try? Impossible! For most people, the first attempt was merely a practice run. How could someone... At the same time, Su Yu could feel the urgency in Bai Feng''s voice. It did not seem like Bai Feng could keep this up for long. Su Yu did not have the time to think more. Countless characters were fluttering about before his eyes. His gazended on one of them, and clenching his teeth, he did as told. Capturing the character with his willpower was merely the act of imagining himself capturing the character. "Catch it! Faster! I don''t know if I''ll get more chances like this, but this is a free attempt! The next attempt at the academy won''t be free! Catch it! Go!" Su Yu was sweating all over, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything. His full attention was on capturing the character. He couldn''t let this opportunity go to waste. Right as Bai Feng was about to finish writing the final character, with a hum, the paper trembled. Bai Feng looked up and his expression changed. Strengthen your blood, refine your muscles and bones... The character "blood" in that sentence had dimmed, unlike the other characters that were still glowing. "He...seeded?" Bai Feng was stunned as he looked at Su Yu. This kid seeded in his first attempt? He would admit that he had intended to test Su Yu out after finding out that this kid was actually quite talented. He even went as far as writing a Source Opening Codex for the kid. He was also hopeful that Su Yu would seed. But he had certainly not expected that Su Yu would really seed. Was the heavens ying a joke on him? He was a genius who had entered the academy with twenty percent full willpower. He had been able to read iplete Great Strength original texts from the moment he entered the academy. Even so, he had taken half a year to obtain his first Divine Character. His teacher had personally written six willpower texts for him. Only then did he seed. And even with that, he was viewed as a super genius. But this kid here, with only ten percent full willpower, had seeded at his first attempt? Was this still a human? How did a small city like Nanyuan produce a monster like this? "The fuck?" Bai Feng cursed inwardly. The look in his eyes changed as he realized that he had stumbled upon a super genius. This could be a super genius personally trained by him! "Holy shit! Nobody is aware of this! His willpower is only ten percent full. That is nothing at the capital. Nobody knows that he has already gotten his first Divine Character and finished building his foundation." Bai Feng''s eyes flickered as numerous thoughts rose in his mind. Meanwhile, Su Yu had sunk into deep meditation. After a while, Bai Feng looked at Liu Yue with a smile and said, "You may leave first. You must be tired. Go back and take a rest. You can return tomorrow." "Thank you, Teacher Bai." Liu Yue was indeed tired. She couldn''t help looking at Su Yu. Bai Feng smiled and said, "This is his first time reading a willpower text. He has not recovered from it. He only needs some rest." Liu Yue was unable to see that Su Yu had sessfully captured his first Divine Character. She did not think much and was only amazed at how Su Yu seemed impervious to pain. After thanking Bai Feng, she left. The moment she left, Bai Feng looked at Su Yu with a wide smile on his face. "I''m rich! Holy shit! I actually found a little monster capable of capturing a Divine Character at first try in this shitty city? Should I get Teacher to ept him as a student in advance? No, that won''t do. This is my discovery! I''m also a researcher! "Holy shit! What if I take him as my student? Would that be enough to make me a full researcher? Of course, this kid needs to rapidly reach the Mental Tempering Stage for that to happen. Even better if he can reach the willpower materialization stage. Nobody will care if a sixth-stage Skysoar cultivator like me epts a ten percent willpower nobody as my student. Yes, I can definitely do it. Holy shit. I''m so smart! I''m rich!" Bai Feng wasughing madly. Fortunately, Su Yu couldn''t see his current appearance. What a surprising discovery. This kid was going to be his! This kid would be his ticket into bing a full researcher! Chapter 33: Youre Too Mediocre

Chapter 33: You''re Too Mediocre

"Blood!" In Su Yu''s mind, the indistinct character was struggling violently to get free of his control. He used all his strength to control and suppress the character. The character constantly moved within his mental space. He wasn''t sure if this was actually a mental space. In any case, it was something deep within him. However, now wasn''t the time to think about all that. He had to focus on controlling the character. That character would be his from now on! His willpower was trying to suppress the character. At least that was what the impression he got from the mental exhaustion he was feeling, a simr sensation to what he would experience in his dreams. The character constantly resisted, and Su Yu tried his very best to suppress it. After an indeterminate amount of time, the character seemed to have given up. It stopped moving. "Do you submit?" Su Yu questioned in his mind. He had mentally beaten this character up. He believed that he had finally tamed it. Thus, he asked the character if it would submit. The character actually responded. It did not seem willing to submit and started struggling again. "I''ll whoop your ass!" Boom! Boom! Su Yu felt like he was fighting in a dream. In the past, he had never been able to defeat the monsters in his dreams. This time, it was different. He had a feeling that he could win. So it turned out that this was a matter of giving his opponent a beatdown. This was his very first time encountering something weaker than him in his dream. In his past dreams, he would always be the weakest person in them. This time, the blood character had taken on the role of the weakest. "I''ll whoop your ass!" After a while, the character stopped moving again. "Do you submit?" Boom! It moved again! Once again, it was beaten until it stopped. "Do you submit?" Boom! "..." That went on numerous times before finally, the character stopped moving and remained after he asked if it was willing to submit. It appearedpletely exhausted. It had submitted! ... In the room, Bai Feng''s gaze was fixed on Su Yu. The more he waited, the more astonished he was. Was this kid still at it? This session was basically a foundation building session for Su Yu, and it should have ended by now. Why was this kid still at it? Bai Feng continued waiting patiently. After a long while, Su Yu woke up. When he opened his eyes, Bai Feng entered his gaze. He hurriedly said, "Teacher Bai, I fell asleep..." "You didn''t." Bai Feng did not give further exnation. "So how much of the character did you manage to keep?" "What?" Su Yu asked nkly. "During your first capture attempt, youck experience and willpower. You won''t be able to keep the entire character in your mind. How much of the blood character did you manage to keep?" Su Yu was still confused. What did he mean? "How many strokes of the character are clear?" Bai Feng was speechless. Was that so hard to understand? "There are six strokes in the character ¡®blood¡¯. How many strokes did you manage to keep? Even if it''s only one, it doesn''t matter. As long as you can keep a part of the character in your mind, your foundation building can be considered a sess." Su Yu finally understood. How many strokes did he manage to keep in his mind? Was there a need to capture a character stroke by stroke? Wasn''t he supposed to capture the entire character? He sank into hesitation, wondering if he had misunderstood something. Or perhaps he had failed to keep anything in his mind? After all, the character in his mind did not seem iplete. When Bai Feng saw that Su Yu wasn''t saying anything, he said, "Don''t be discouraged. Even if you only managed to keep a stroke or half a stroke, it is a good result. For a beginner like you, forming a Divine Character is extremely difficult." "Even if this willpower text is a weakened version written by me, with your level of willpower, you will need at least three months or half a year toplete the character. But as long as the foundation is there, you''ll be fine. Moving on, you can slowlyplete it." Bai Feng had a smile on his face. He was in a good mood, so he didn''t mind telling Su Yu more. "Afterpleting a Divine Character, even before willpower materialization, you will still be able to enjoy some benefits from your Divine Character. The character ¡®blood¡¯ you picked has been picked by others before, but each person would get a different use out of the same character. Some can use it to devour the enemy''s blood during battles. Some can use it to condense the blood essence of the myriad races. In truth, many of the blood essence you see in the market are condensed by users of the blood character. "Of course, the world is a massive. Anything is possible. A single character might be utilized in an entirely different manner than what the character means. When youplete the character in the future, you can start sensing and discovering its usages." Su Yu listened attentively while trying to sense the character in his mind. So how was he supposed to utilize this little brother he had just subdued? If one could only sense the character afterpleting it, then he must havepleted it already, right? In Su Yu¡¯s mind, the blood character trembled. Next, he received some vague impressions. Bai Feng was still speaking when the scene before him blurred and changed into a charging iron-winged bird. "Moonlight!" A brutal roar echoed, causing Bai Feng to nk out slightly. Someone as strong as him could destroy this illusion as easily as breathing. But he didn''t do so. He allowed the illusion to y out, letting the iron-winged bird charge at him. He was stupefied. He was dumbstruck. He then flickered and rammed through the door before appearing directly in front of Liu Wenyan. Liu Wenyan stared at him nkly. What was this fellow doing? "Martial Uncle, are you ying a joke on me?" Liu Wenyan blinked his eyes before he immediately raged. This fellow had suddenly appeared before him, giving him a scare. Who the hell was ying a joke here? "Are you asking for a beating?" Bai Feng stared at Liu Wenyan and concluded that his martial uncle had nothing to do with the illusion. He was only checking if Liu Wenyan was ying a joke on him since the alternative was something impossible. That illusion was too weak. It wouldn''t be able to do anything to him. He could see that it was an illusion with one look. If it wasn''t Liu Wenyan, was it Su Yu? What joke was that? He absolutely refused to believe that. He could force himself to believe that Su Yu had sessfully established his Divine Character foundation as he had personally witnessed that. But was he supposed to believe that not only had Su Yu established his foundation, but he had alsopleted a Divine Character? Bai Feng could not believe this! He couldn''t! He would find it eptable if Su Yu was already at the Mental Tempering Stage. After all, a genius was allowed to be special. But was he supposed to believe that someone with only ten percent willpower had sessfullypleted a Divine Character? Did that not mean that Bai Feng''s willpower text was trash? How had Su Yu captured andpleted a character from the willpower text so easily otherwise? "Hey!" Liu Wenyan shouted with a dark expression, "Bai Feng, are you here to challenge this old man?" Bai Feng was snapped out of his thoughts. He was about to speak when he recalled something. With a smile, he said, "Martial Uncle, that was a joke! A joke! I was teaching Su Yu today, right? I think his talent is mediocre, and he''ll probably be nothing more than an ordinary student in the academy. But since he is your student..." Bai Feng pretended to hesitate before saying, "You''re my martial uncle. I''m afraid that he won''t be epted as anyone''s personal student after entering the academy. I might only be an assistant researcher, but I am still qualified to ept personal students. Why don''t you let him follow me around for a bit." "You?" An odd expression covered Liu Wenyan''s face. Hepletely forgot what Bai Feng did and asked curiously, "You''re epting a personal student?" "Having him follow me around is better than letting him be an ordinary student, right?" Liu Wenyan asked sternly, "Are you serious?" "Yeah. He is mediocre, but he''s quite a tenacious one. He was able to read the willpower text for quite a long time earlier. Maybe he can do decently for himself in the future." Liu Wenyan smiled happily, "You can be sure of that. That kid is really not that special in terms of talent, but he is indeed tenacious. He is also way more patient than others his age. He can spend a few days awake just to study anguage. He is willing to work hard and suffer hardships." "Over the years, the school has nurtured other students that are more talented than him. But I never really ce much importance on them. But this kid really has the potential to grow into an expert if he is given the chance." Toward the end, Liu Wenyan sighed. He was afraid that Su Yu wouldn''t be given such a chance. When he recalled what Bai Feng suggested, he smiled and asked, "Are you really taking him as your personal student? You''re an assistant researcher. Before turning into a full researcher, you won''t be able to ept more than two personal students, right?" "Yeah, but I''ve never epted any students before. There are geniuses in the academy wishing to be my student. But in all honesty, I''ve seen a lot of geniuses. How many of them are actually better than me? Some of them are even getting quite creative. When they see my potential, they have their parents pull all sorts of tricks to send them my way. "There are also some teachers and senior researchers that have tried to send their people my way to get close to Teacher through me. But none of them managed to catch my eye. Su Yu is different. I like his attitude. I only need someone hardworking. He''s not a super genius, but he''s not the worst either. Furthermore, he''s your student. Since fate has allowed us to meet here in Nanyuan, there''s no harm in me taking him as a student. What do you think, Martial Uncle?" Liu Wenyan nced at Bai Feng and said, "Although he''s not too talented. But I still hope that he can walk too far. If you''re going to only go through the motions instead of properly teaching him, forget it. I know this is a good opportunity for him, but I would rather he keep waiting than getting a teacher that isn''t serious about teaching him. "With his character, I believe that someone will notice him after a few years. If you''re really serious about teaching him, I won''t mind him being your personal student. This is his opportunity. I won''t stop him. I''ll only congratte him." Liu Wenyan had a solemn expression. Su Yu was a genius in Nanyuan, but in the capital, his level of talent was nothing. Liu Wenyan still believed that Su Yu had the potential to be an expert one day. He only needed to stay in the academy for a few years and he would gain the chance to soar to the skies in one bound. He did not wish to see Bai Feng waste Su Yu''s talent. Even if it would be a great opportunity for Su Yu to be Bai Feng''s student, if Bai Feng wasn''t serious, Liu Wenyan would stop it from happening. "Don''t worry, Martial Uncle." Bai Feng smiled, "Either I don''t ept any student or ept students and teach them properly. If he can do well, as his teacher, I will gain some benefits as well. Perhaps I can even advance into a full researcher earlier." "ording to the academy rules, I need to either break through into the Cloudbreach Realm or teach a couple of outstanding students if I want to advance into a full researcher. I''ve always been toozy to teach and only aimed to reach the Cloudbreach Realm as soon as possible. But if Su Yu is good enough, who knows? He might be able to help me turn full researcher earlier." Liu Wenyan had a wide smile, "Teach properly. That will definitely happen. I believe in him." "Do you agree then, Martial Uncle?" "About that...I don''t mind. You have to ask him, though." Bai Feng had a fawning smile, "You''re closer to him, Martial Uncle. Just talk more to him and let him know that it isn''t his loss to be my student. I''m only an assistant researcher, so he might actually reject my offer. There are a lot of examples of such arrogant youngsters out there. These small city geniuses, in particr, always think that they''re the best in the world." "He won''t." Liu Wenyan said, "I''ll talk to him." "I''ll have to trouble you, Martial Uncle." Bai Feng nodded. He flickered and vanished from Liu Wenyan''s gaze. After Bai Feng left, Liu Wenyan burst outughing. Heughed so hard that he was trembling. That kid...was really not bad at all. He was even able to catch Bai Feng''s attention. Who was Bai Feng? Assistant researcher, a genius sixth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. His teacher was a senior researcher, a super expert at the Mountainsea Realm. Bai Feng himself was on the cusp of advancing into the seventh-stage. Bai Feng was probably five to eight years away from reaching the Cloudbreach Realm. In any case, he would definitely be able to enter that realm within ten years. He would be a Cloudbreach cultivator younger before forty. He also had a chance to enter the Mountainsea Realm before sixty and the realm beyond before he was a hundred years old. Would someone like that be as mediocre as Liu Wenyan had imed him to be? Definitely not. Xia Longwu of Great Xia was known across the various realms as a super genius. Twenty years ago when he led the Devil Subduing Army, he was at the peak of the Mountainsea Realm. At that time, Xia Longwu was about forty years old. With his strength and age, he was acknowledged by the myriad races as a super genius. Bai Feng might be slightly inferior to Xia Longwu, but even across the myriad realms, how many people could surpass Xia Longwu? "Su Yu, this is your chance." Liu Wenyan was in an excellent mood. Chapter 34: Fifth-Stage Source Opening (1)

Chapter 34: Fifth-Stage Source Opening (1)

Bai Feng was in an even better mood. His martial uncle was too gullible. Of course, at this point, everyone would believe that Su Yu was the lucky one to be epted as his student instead of the other way around. He was Bai Feng. Instead of epting a genius from the academy as his student, he had epted a mediocre student from a small secondary school instead. Anyone would believe that Su Yu should be honored to be epted as Bai Feng''s student. Once again, Bai Feng returned to the living room. He didn''t even spare the broken door a nce. Su Yu was still waiting. He was both confused and uneasy. What happened earlier? Why did Bai Feng leave? Was there an enemy spying on them? "Cough." With a cough, Bai Feng flew over andnded on the ground. He looked at Su Yu and smiled, "I have something to handle earlier. It''s done. By the way, from your expression, did you sessfullyplete your Divine Character earlier?" "I...think so." Su Yu softly said, "I''m not sure. But there is indeed aplete "blood" character in my mind." "Mhm. Not bad. I felt it. Your Divine Character seems capable of creating illusions. This is a form of willpower interruption." He focused his gaze on Su Yu and continued, "Your willpower is not strong enough, so your illusion is weak. After willpower materialization, the iron-winged bird in your illusion might even fool a Skysoar cultivator. At that point, it will be quite useful. "I told you previously that I was already very strong at the Mental Tempering Stage. Do you know why? I wasn''t lying. I was really very strong then. That was because I had alreadypleted a Divine Character at the time. At that point, I had managed to deliver quite a beating to many war academy students. "You''ve alsopleted a Divine Character. Although it is still weak, this is still an opportunity for you. Of course, never forget how weak your Divine Character is at this stage." Bai Feng''s expression turned solemn, "This is a willpower text I''ve written without any preparation. The carrier is weak, and it relies purely on my willpower to take form. It is not written with the blood essence of powerful races. Inparison with a proper willpower text, this version here is simply weak. "In fact, I wouldn''t even call it a Skysoar willpower text. At most, it''s an iplete text. Therefore, even if you were able to draw out aplete character from that text, it won''t be too useful. Compared to a true genius, you''re far toocking." Bai Feng sighed, "There are some geniuses in the academy who have already entered the Mental Tempering Stage. I''m talking about new students, by the way. They were already able to draw outplete Divine Characters at the time of joining, with some of those characters being written in the divine or the devilnguages. "At the Mental Tempering Stage, some of them were capable of reading original Infinite Strength Realm texts of the divine and devil races. In other words, theirplete Divine Characters have the ability to kill ninth-stage Infinite Strength cultivators. "The Mental Tempering Stage isn''t necessarily a stage where you have nobat strength. Of course, that is only applicable for true geniuses. Mediocre talents will not be able toplete a Divine Character at the Mental Tempering Stage. There is no need to even talk about such untalented people. "The world is big. There are countless geniuses, but how many of them can actually reach the peak? The students being beaten by the war academy students each year are actually the mediocre ones. True geniuses will only advance smoothly and sweep away all obstacles." Bai Feng kept emphasizing how powerful and amazing those true geniuses were. "In Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy, there was a studentst year who managed to achieve willpower materialization after only half a year in the academy. That person controlled nineplete Divine Characters. With the blood of the divine race, he subsequently advanced to the third-stage Skysoar Realm within a single day. "After the breakthrough, he entered the Allheaven Battlefield and ughtered a fifth-stage Skysoar cultivator. The Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy is already discussing the possibility of giving him an early appointment as an assistant researcher. That is how a genius looks like." Bai Feng was calm. He wasn''t lying. However, he did intentionally exclude some facts from his narration. For example, that person''s grandfather was actually a senior researcher. That person''s grandmother was also a senior researcher. His father was a Cloudbreach expert from a war academy and his mother was a genius researcher from a scientific research academy. Bai Feng told himself that none of that was important. Yes, definitely not important. If Su Yu was unhappy about it, he could try to find some senior researchers to be his grandparents or parents. If he could really do so, he would be able to earn Bai Feng''s heartfelt admiration. Su Yu was greatly shocked. "How...old is he?" "Neen. A year older than you." Su Yu was rmed. Was the sky outside Nanyuan really that much higher? "Of course, there are very few people like him around. Do not be discouraged." Bai Feng was afraid that Su Yu would sink into despair so he said, "That''s a genius. You''re not. But as long as you''re willing to work hard, you can reach that height as well. Do not be in a rush to reach there. Us cultural researchers normally stay low-profile until the dayes for us to shake the entire world with our appearance." "Teacher Bai, I..." "Oh yeah, don''t tell anyone about your sess inpleting the Divine Character. You''re at Nanyuan. This small city likes to make a big deal out of nothing. The moment the Myriad Race Cult found out about that, you''ll be in trouble." Bai Feng warned sternly, "Before gaining enough strength, keep a low profile. You''re in a decent situation. You can at least be considered a first-rate genius in Nanyuan. Liu Yue is weaker than you. "Two monthster, the academy will begin its entrance exam. You won''t have trouble entering. After the exam, you''ll get a month of break. The academy will open in August. The academy will allow you to make a choice of either being freely assigned by the academy or picking a researcher as your teacher. You will then be required to get through the relevant tests depending on your choice. You may pick me. "You''re Martial Uncle''s student. Since fate has brought us together, I''ll make it easier for you during the test, allowing you to be my personal student. Of course, you''re free to ask around before making your choice and see if it''s worth bing my student. I won''t mind if you do decide to renounce this opportunity." Bai Feng then folded the paper containing the Source Opening Codex he had written before. He tossed the paper at Su Yu and said, "Take this back and read it. Although it will have less power than before, it can still be helpful in tempering your willpower. You can even try capturing more Divine Characters from it. "This is all I''m teaching you for now. Your basics are still very poor and your willpower is still too weak. I can only teach you more when your willpower grows stronger." Su Yu did not know what to say. He seemed to have been epted into the academy in advance. He had even been epted as Bai Feng''s student as well. So what did that mean? He was lucky? Or perhaps Bai Feng was merely going through the motions to please Instructor Liu? He looked down at what he was holding in his hands. A drop of source qi liquid, an original Great Strength bone fragment, and a sixth-stage Skysoar Realm willpower text. Was he rich? Was money falling from the sky for him? Su Yu was in a daze. He still hadn''t realized that all those things weren''t his true gain today. Rather, it was the Divine Character he hadpleted. Although it was still weak, he had still finished building his foundation for Divine Characters in his mind. "Go back and rest. You''ve used a lot of willpower today. I''ll be waiting for you at the academy. Of course, it won''t be that easy to obtain my approval. I need your willpower to be twenty percent full by the time you enter the academy. You will need to have the ability to fully read a Great Strength Realm willpower text. Only then will you be qualified to be my student instead of a random odd-worker I keep around me. "I can feel that I''ll be breaking through into the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm soon. In three years, I''ll attempt to enter the Cloudbreach Realm. At that time, if you''re still so mediocre, I''m afraid you won''t even be qualified to tell others that I''m your teacher." Speaking with an indifferent tone, Bai Feng sped his hands on his back, standing in an imposing manner. "You''re too mediocre. Today, you''re given a chance. Whether you can grab it or not will depend on what you do." Su Yu did not say anything. He clenched his fists tightly, asking himself if he was really that mediocre. Perhaps. Someone on the verge of bing a seventh-stage Skysoar cultivator before reaching thirty was telling him that. He had no way of disputing someone like that. "I''ll work hard!" Su Yu muttered firmly before walking away. Bai Feng maintained his posture, standing like an unfathomable expert until Su Yu left before he heaved a long breath and grinned. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Hepleted a Divine Character! Holy shit! What''s his deal? This is too unbelievable!" He was in disbelief. Heughed to himself. This trip to Nanyuan had been really profitable for him. "Kid, keep a low profile. Low profile. Don''t you fucking dare go around showing off before entering the academy. Don''t show off even after entering the academy. Just keep a low profile until you reach the Skysoar Realm." Bai Feng muttered to himself. He recalled something and said, "No, this won¡¯t do. I need to go back to the academy and put this in the records. I''ve epted this fellow out of respect for Martial Uncle. Whoever dares to snatch this student from me will face my wrath! "No. Teacher knows me. Won''t he suspect what I''m doing? What if he snatches my student? This is difficult. What should I do? Arghhh! Oh, right, I can persuade Teacher to leave before updating the records. Yes, that''s the way. Haven''t a new race appeared at the Allheaven Battlefield? Teacher must be interested in that. Please leave, Teacher. You can return after the new semester starts!" Bai Feng kept muttering to himself impatiently, wishing that he could return to the academy immediately. ... Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. A refined middle-aged man was reading a book in a garden. Suddenly, he sneezed. With a frown, he muttered, "Is Senior Brother scolding me again? Sigh. Whatever, I don''t mind." The man smiled and shook his head before returning to his book. ... Su Yu was in a daze while on his way home. Reading a willpower text, capturing a Divine Character, and reading an original Great Strength bone fragment were all activities that required willpower. That was especially true for the capturing process. He was in meditation for a long time. By the time he left, it was already dark. However, he had gained a lot today. Bai Feng had shown him a brand new world, allowing him to see just how big and wondrous the world outside Nanyuan was. Divine Character, willpower, original willpower texts, mental tempering, Cloudbreach, Mountainsea... Numerous new terms filled Su Yu''s brain. That was the real cultivation world. That was the real cultural research academy. Great Strength? Infinite Strength? The realms that seemed so high to him in the past did not seem so special anymore. Creating a world with a character. Suppressing the world with a character. A cultural researcher could also be strong enough to cause the heavens to tremble. "I''m really weak. My willpower is only ten percent full." He had always thought that he was quite talented, and he was even slightly prideful of his talent. Liu Wenyan''s insistence that he join a cultural research academy had given him a misconception that it would be the academy''s loss to not ept him as a student. But today, he realized how ridiculous that notion was. "That genius from Great Zhou is probably one of the top geniuses in existence. That was why he could reach the third-stage Skysoar Realm in only six months. Bai Feng is probably trying to temper my ego using that person, but I can''t deny that there will definitely be a lot of mental tempering students in Great Xia as well." To reach the Mental Tempering Stage, one needed to be fifty percent full willpower. Su Yu''s willpower was only one fifth of such individuals. There was a massive gap between him and them. One ought to know that he had been killed repeatedly in his dreams for many years. Because of that, he had thought that his willpower was decently strong. While he walked, he continued sensing the blood character in his mind. He had used the character once earlier, so it was rather dim at the moment. Evidently, the previous usage had exhausted a decent amount of the character''s strength. "Divine Characters need to be nourished with willpower..." Su Yu recalled Bai Feng''s reminder. Slowly, he spread his senses over the character, attempting to nourish it with his willpower. ... Su Yu returned to his quiet home. After sitting nkly for a while, he finally felt the intense hunger his body was suffering from. He had not eaten anything since breakfast. He had left for school in the morning. After a meditation session, it was alreadyte afternoon. By the time he returned home, the sky was already dark. Thus, he was feeling extremely hungry. Not in the mood to cook, he prepared a simple meal of instant noodles before wolfing it down. After the meal, he entered his bedroom. "Source Opening Codex, original Great Strength bone fragment, source qi liquid." These were his gains today. They were quite significant. He had exhausted arge amount of willpower, so he did not intend to continue cultivating his willpower during the night. However, he could use the Source Opening Codex written by Bai Feng and the drop of source qi liquid to cultivate his body. "After reading Bai Feng''s Source Opening Codex, I feel like I don''t even need to activate the book with blood essence to reach the fifth-stage." The Source Swallowing Technique activated with blood essence was after all not something suitable for humans. "What will happen if I activate the book and use the source qi liquid at the same time?" Su Yu started wondering. Nanyuan did not have a high density of source qi. What if he increased the density of the source qi around him? Would cultivation be faster? He still had two drops of iron-winged bird blood essence. After his previous cultivation session, he could feel himself getting near the fifth-stage. "I''ll reach the fifth-stage first before using the source qi liquid." After making his decision, Su Yu wasted no time and swallowed a drop of blood essence before activating the Source Swallowing Technique. Chapter 35: Fifth-Stage Source Opening (2)

Chapter 35: Fifth-Stage Source Opening (2)

This experience feltpletely different than before. In Su Yu¡¯s mind, the Source Opening Codex he saw earlier reappeared. A miniature Bai Feng appeared in his mind and started cultivating the Source Opening Codex. Every move of his was embedded deep in Su Yu''s mind, greatly improving hisprehension of the Source Opening Codex. "The Source Swallowing Technique is too crude. It''s not as refined as the Source Opening Codex. Perhaps this is due to the difference between the bodies of humans and beasts." In the past, Su Yu had allowed the Source Swallowing Technique to circte freely within his body. After some thought, he decided to control the cirction. He hadn''t dared to do so before as he was worried that he would harm his body. But now, he wasn''t too worried. He started focusing his source qi on his right ear acupoint, causing booming sounds to echo within his right ear. Boom! Sounds that only he could hear resounded within his ear. The source qi in his right ear trembled and his fifth acupoint started opening. The blood character in his mind trembled. He immediately noticed that the little brother in his mind was absorbing source qi as well. "Huh? A Divine Character requires source qi as well?" Su Yu nked out. He had thought that he only needed willpower to nourish the Divine Character. He had not expected that source qi would be required as well. He ignored the blood character. It wasn''t like he needed a lot of source qi himself. After about twenty minutes, a loud rumble sounded within his right ear. A loud boom only he could hear rang out. His entire body trembled as joy overwhelmed him. "The fifth acupoint is open!" Fifth-stage Source Opening! He had reached the fifth-stage! It had only been ten days since his father left for the Allheaven Battlefield and he had already increased his cultivation by two stages. Su Yu was overjoyed. For others, the fifth-stage Source Opening Realm was nothing special. But that was enough to ce him among the best of the students in Nanyuan. Bai Feng was someone who had seen even ninth-stage Source Opening secondary school students, but that was Bai Feng. If news of Su Yu reaching the fifth-stage spread, it would even cause a tiny sensation in Nanyuan Secondary School. With his hearing further improved, Su Yu feltpletely different from before. Previously when he opened his left ear acupoint, he felt rather ufortable due to the difference between his two ears. But now, that feeling of imbnce had vanished. "This feels great. I''m now a fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator." He still had a drop of source qi liquid to use. ?It was the 19th of April today. The entrance examinations were generally carried out on the 25th of June each year. The result would be released at the end of June and the list of epted students would be finalized in early July. The new semester would start in early August. That was the timeline Su Yu was working with. He still had around two months before the examination. Cultural research academies did not care about the cultivation level of their applicants, but Su Yu cared about his cultivation. Before reaching the Great Strength Realm, he had basically zerobat prowess. After killing two cult members, Su Yu''s thirst for strength had increased. He did not want to see himself helplessly dying in the hands of some random cult member. The dead students from the previous attack on the secondary school served as a reminder at how weak Source Opening cultivators were. Even though he had the option of activating the abilities in his book with blood essence, that was still borrowed power. He preferred to have the power himself. Su Yu did not stop after his breakthrough. He continued with his usual activities of reading and cultivating before sleeping. This time, he was not reading a regr book. Rather, he was reading the Source Opening Codex given to him by Bai Feng. As for the original Great Strength bone fragment, he ced it aside. The bone fragment wasn''t really stronger than the Source Opening Codex, but the Source Opening Codex was more suitable for the current him. Reading the Source Opening Codex, he could familiarize himself with the Source Opening Realm while shing with the willpower embedded within the text. That was not an easy text to read. He could finally understand how Chen Hao felt whenever he read a book. A single sentence was enough to make him feel like tossing the text aside and going to bed. The sh of willpowers basically felt the same as what a simple-minded person would feel when forced to read. He continued reading until midnight before stopping. After a shower, he went to bed. Nowadays, he looked forward to his dreams as that was also a form of willpower tempering. "If a dayes when my willpower is strong enough to kill the monsters in my dreams...perhaps I can gain something new from those dreams as well." Activation of the book in his mind required blood essence. Su Yu would often wonder if he would be able to activate the book and end his dreams if he hadn''t discovered the usage of blood essence. Killing the monsters in his dreams, perhaps? He had a guess that killing the monsters in his dreams would bring about a different result. ... That night, his dream was rather unique. To the point it caught him byplete surprise. As usual, there was a monster chasing after him, and as usual, he was quickly killed. But he discovered that he could actually summon his Divine Character in the dream. Yes, the Divine Character. The blood character was in the dream. When the character appeared, an illusory iron-winged bird appeared in his dream. He wondered why it was an iron-winged bird. Perhaps that had something to do with his subconscious mind. Regardless, he had obtained the ability to utilize his Divine Character in the dream. That would open up many new possibilities for him. ... When Su Yu woke up the next morning, he sank into thought. He wondered if the Divine Character he saw in the dream was the real deal or was it fake? Had the blood character in his mind entered the dream or was there a different blood character in the dream? That sounded confusing, but Su Yu wanted to figure it out as that would be an important piece of information. If the blood character had really moved from his mind into his dream, that would signify that there was something more to his dream. Instead of being a normal dreand, it might be a unique domain. Or perhaps it was the same domain as the one his Divine Character resided in. That also signified that there was more to the book in his mind that he had yet to explore. He tried sensing the blood character in his mind and found that the dim character was starting to glow faintly again. He did not know if the character had recovered due to his sleep or due to its appearance in his dream. ... Su Yu did not waste more time thinking about his dream and climbed out of his bed to brush his teeth. He was going to school today. Although Bai Feng had said that there was nothing more Su Yu could learn from him for now, Su Yu still intended to take a trip to the school. ... Nanyuan Secondary School. Outside the school. Su Yu had arrived in a rush. He hadn''t even bothered waiting for Chen Hao. A few people were standing outside the gate. It was still early so most of the students had yet to arrive. One of the people standing in front of the school was Bai Feng. d in a white coat, he looked charming and graceful. Standing amid the group, he was akin to a crane in a flock of chicken with his eye-catching appearance. The principal,mander of the city guards, head of Windcatcher Department, and Liu Wenyan were present as well. Bai Feng was chatting with the group when he saw Su Yu rushing over. A smile appeared on his face. "I told you I''m not teaching you anything today, right? Why are you here?" Still gasping for breath, Su Yu greeted the others before saying, "I''m here to see you off, Teacher Bai. Thank you for your guidance yesterday." Bai Feng was going to leave today. He had not mentioned it to Su Yu and Liu Yue, but Su Yu was able to guess it from Bai Feng¡¯s words yesterday. Since the emergency at Nanyuan had ended, there was no reason for Bai Feng to spend more time here. He had already taught Su Yu and Liu Yue what he could yesterday. Even if he had more to teach, Su Yu and Liu Yue would not be able to grasp them. Thus, it was pointless for him to stay any longer. Bai Feng merely smiled. He did not say anything else to Su Yu. Turning to look at Liu Wenyan, he said, "Martial Uncle, you have achieved willpower materialization. The academy''s door has always been open for you. You have yet to forge your body. If you''re not willing to request for flying sky tiger blood essence, I''ll just send some back to you." Liu Wenyan frowned, "No thanks. I''m an old man. There''s no need to waste such valuable blood essence on me. I can just use some regr blood essence. As for flying sky tiger blood essence..." Liu Wenyan nced at Su Yu and spoke with a soft voice, "Leave it to someone else who needs it more in the future." Bai Feng smiled. He understood what Liu Wenyan was getting at. Su Yu was going to enter the cultural research academy. Although they had no idea how many years would he take to achieve willpower materialization, he would certainly require powerful blood essence to forge his body after his breakthrough. The flying sky tiger blood essence was very powerful. It was the blood essence of a top fifty race. Sure, the academy had more powerful blood essence in stock. But how many people were there in the academy? Was everyone going to get a share of the blood essence? That was not possible. Su Yu came from an ordinary family and his father was only a Great Strength cultivator. How was he supposed to get his hands on powerful blood essence? He could only rely on the academy and his teacher. Even if Bai Feng was willing to ept Su Yu as his student, that did not signify that he would be willing to prepare the blood essence for Su Yu''s breakthrough. The flying sky tiger blood essence belonged to Bai Feng''s teacher who was also Liu Wenyan''s junior brother. Since they wanted to give the blood essence to Liu Wenyan, he could naturally reject it and leave it for Su Yu instead. There was no reason for Bai Feng''s teacher to refuse that request. Liu Wenyan did not mention the request directly. Bai Feng understood. He did not mention it either. There was no rush. This could wait until after Su Yu entered the academy. "I''ll follow your wish, Martial Uncle," said Bai Feng. He looked at Su Yu and softly said, "Su Yu, you need to rely on your own hands to change your destiny and future. Nanyuan is a small city, but that does not mean that it can''t give rise to an expert. Background, family, and talent will merely grant you some advantages early on. There is a long road ahead of you. Who can walk until the end? Who canugh at the top of the world? Who can dominate the myriad races? You need to first walk the road to know. "I''ll be waiting for you at the academy. Nanyuan is too small. The world outside is more interesting. Bye." With a carefreeugh, Bai Feng took a single step to move dozens of meters away. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. He looked so confident and at ease with himself. Nearby, the Nanyuan experts were looking on with admiration in their eyes. Bai Feng, a genius of the cultural research academy that might enter the Cloudbreach Realm soon. A genius like that was rare even in the entirety of Great Xia. Commander Zhang Yun of the city guards gasped in admiration before turning to look at Su Yu. "So this is Su Long''s son?" The principal smiled, "Yes." "I can see that the apple doesn''t fall far from the tree. From Researcher Bai''s words, I can see that he has high hopes for you. Work hard. Nanyuan is a small city, but like he said, that does not mean that it can''t give rise to an expert. I''ve heard of your father. Don''t worry too much. Although we have a lot of enemies on the Allheaven Battlefield, we are still capable of sweeping everything standing before us. "News regarding the soldiers from Nanyuan will be sent back every now and then. When thetest updatees in a few days, I''ll have some people send you a copy of the update on your father." Su Yu hurriedly replied, "Thank you, Sir Zhang!" "Don''t mention it." Zhang Yun had a carefree smile. "We''re basically family. Your father is a straightforward person. He''s not willing to get involved with workce politics. Thus, even after leaving the battlefield, he has stubbornly stayed in the Traffic Department. "A few years ago, I invited him to be a 100-manmander of the city guards, but he refused. Otherwise, he would have probably entered the Infinite Strength Realm by now. With his bravery, he will probably be the second in charge of the city guards with time. It''s a pity that he didn''t join, but he made the right choice. I admire him." Zhang Yun solemnly said, "You have a good teacher. Instructor Liu is Nanyuan''s vanguard of civilization. You have a good principal. Principal Wang is not strong, but he has dedicated his entire life for the school. Nanyuan is small, but its people are simple and honest. I''ve seen a lot of geniuses from Nanyuan. These people have left for the capital or even the other prefectures. s, many of them lose their way in the end. "I hope you''ll be different. Because you''re the child of a soldier. Your father is not strong, but he is worth learning from. Stay true to your heart. Do not forget who you are. Do not overestimate yourself, but do not underestimate yourself either. Be serious and do your best." Zhang Yunughed, "We people of Nanyuan are not afraid of being weak. We''re only afraid of cowards! Do not fear anything! After leaving, talk with your strength. Talk with your courage. If you really find it too hard out there,e back. There will always be a ce for you in the city guards!" Su Yu hurriedly thanked Zhang Yun once again. To the side, Liu Wenyan snorted, "Cut the crap. Returning after failing outside Nanyuan? That would be too embarrassing. Also, it''s my job to teach the students. Since when is it your turn to teach my student?" "..." Zhang Yun had an embarrassed expression. He stopped talking and left with a heartyugh. Beside them, the head of Windcatcher Department alsoughed and bid his farewell before leaving. Su Yu couldn''t help but to secretlyugh. Zhang Yun was right. Nanyuan was small, but Nanyuan had a good environment. The teachers here were warm. Themanders here were friendly. The principal here...was really weak. Yeah, that part was true. To the side, the principal was so furious his beard was trembling. Zhang Yun was clearly belittling him earlier. Chapter 36: The Top Student Is Working Hard

Chapter 36: The Top Student Is Working Hard

Inside the office. "You reached the fifth-stage?" With a cup of tea in hand, Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu in astonishment. His senses weren¡¯t too sharp previously, but after willpower materialization, he could see Su Yu''s changes very clearly. Normal people were not able to see or feel the differences between Source Opening cultivators in different stages. But cultural researchers could clearly sense the nine acupoints. Five of Su Yu''s acupoints were lit up, indicating that he had reached the fifth-stage. "Yes." Su Yu nodded, "I was still at the fourth-stage yesterday, but after looking at Teacher Bai''s Source Opening Codex, I feel my familiarity with the nine acupoints increasing greatly. I was able to directly enter the fifth-stage." "That''s well-deserved." Liu Wenyan did not doubt Su Yu. "Bai Feng might act indifferent, but with his strength, he would need to exhaust a lot of willpower to finish writing aplete Source Opening Codex. That''s all due to his thick foundation. Regr Skysoar cultivators won''t be able to do the same even at the seventh-stage. "In the academy, the instructors won''t write willpower texts easily. The willpower exhaustion is too great and recovery is hard. They still need their willpower to nourish their Divine Characters. Generally, they won''t be willing to waste their willpower unless necessary. That is why their sses are so expensive. Most students will end up spending all their merit points on these instructors." Liu Wenyan smiled. "Fifth-stage Source Opening. Looks like you''re quite talented in physical cultivation as well. But the speed of Source Opening is really not that important." Liu Wenyan wasn''t impressed. So what if one was a Source Opening genius? ?Even if you could open your acupoints at nine, so what? Cultural researchers would reach the Skysoar Realm the moment they achieved willpower materialization, instantly putting a wide gap between them and regr cultivators. "I didn''t get the chance to ask you yesterday. Did you kill that cult member?" "Yes." Su Yu did not deny and answered with a nod. He couldn''t be bothered to fabricate a lie before Liu Wenyan. "Not bad. When there is a need for you to make a move, you should never hesitate. So did you swallow a drop of blood essence to gain the strength to kill the opponent?" "Instructor, you''re able to sense that?" Su Yu was surprised. "Of course. Do you think you can conceal this from a cultural researcher?" Liu Wenyanughed before assuming a stern expression, "Your body is too weak. Those in the Source Opening Realm should not be cultivating with blood essence. Neither should they be using blood essence for short bursts of strength. You were too rash! "Of course, I understand that you were forced by the situation. It was our fault for letting danger fall to the students. I can''t say anything about what you did there. But from now on, you should stop using blood essence." Liu Wenyan was solemn, "Do not ruin your life for a short term gain in cultivation. Blood essence can strengthen your body and speed up your cultivation, but you have yet to open your nine acupoints. With unconnected acupoints, the blood essence will umte in your body. Do you know how much trouble that will cause you in the future? "When you finally manage to materialize your willpower, you will find that too many impurities from the blood essence you used have been left in your body. At that time, you won''t be able to use more blood essence to refine your body since it has gained resistance to blood essence from your repeated usage. The blood essence impurities will also sh against the newly consumed blood essence, greatly lowering the effect of your body refinement." Liu Wenyan was extremely serious. "Remember, do not consume more blood essence after this. Don''t gamble with your life. You won''t get away with it each time." "Got it." Su Yu hurriedly answered. In truth, when he consumed blood essence, it wasn''t his body that was absorbing the blood essence. Rather, it was the book. Only the aura of the blood essence was left on his body. That was probably what Liu Wenyan had sensed. The blood essence would not harm Su Yu''s foundation. Of course, that wasn''t something he could tell his instructor. "Good." Liu Wenyan started smiling again, "The exam is two months away. You''ve basically been shortlisted, but that does not mean that you can waste the two months. Bai Feng is right. You''re a genius in Nanyuan but nothing special in the capital. "But that''s in the past. I had not achieved willpower materialization before and couldn''t teach or help you with some topics. But now, things are different. In theing two months, you''ll be learning exclusively from me." Su Yu hesitated before asking, "Instructor, only me?" "Yes." "Instructor...is my father...your long lost son?" "..." Liu Wenyan was enraged, but that was such a ridiculous question that he also felt likeughing. "What? Are you trying to be my grandson? Do you think I would even want that?" ?He pointed at Su Yu as he spoke. After a while, heughed, "Stop thinking so much. In Nanyuan, both you and Liu Yue are decently talented. But Liu Yue has her family to guide her, help her, and provide her with resources. That''s why she''s better than you right now. "You have nothing. Your father has left for the Allheaven Battlefield. After spending five years in this school, you can be considered to have grown up before my eyes. I''m not a selfless person who ispletely impartial. Strictly speaking, the other students will be rather limited in their future aplishments. You can walk further than them. The human race needs more experts." Liu Wenyan spoke bluntly, "I believe you stand a chance to be an expert in the future. Therefore, I''m willing to give you as much help as I can, allowing you to walk a smoother path. Of course, there is a premise for my help. You need to be worth my help. If you''re an arrogant fool, I will only watch silently and not say anything to you." "Thank you, instructor," thanked Su Yu sincerely. During his five years in secondary school, Liu Wenyan had helped him greatly. He was only able to master eighteennguages thanks to Liu Wenyan. From an ignorant child five years ago, he had grown into a youth on the verge of entering a cultural research academy. Liu Wenyan had yed an important role in his growth. "Don''t thank me. When you be an expert one day, just remember to kill more enemies on the battlefield. That will be the best way to repay me." Liu Wenyan stood up and changed the topic, "Come with me. Learn a few morenguages and improve your willpower. You''re too weak." Su Yu did not say anything. He stood up and followed Liu Wenyan out of the office. ... Xia Trade Company. Warehouse. Apanied by a manager from the tradepany, the two walked into a massive warehouse. Upon seeing the contents of the warehouse, Su Yu was stunned. "First lesson today, identifying corpses." "This is Xia Trade Company''s main warehouse in Nanyuan. There are 132 corpses from the various demonic races. Most of them are obtained from the Allheaven Battlefield. These corpses are fresh from the battlefield and have yet to be processed. Your mission is to stay here for a day and identify all the corpses." Liu Wenyan tossed a small book over and said, "Record their data such as height, width, weight, bone count, and so on." Su Yu was nking out. He felt sick. The smell of blood in the warehouse was too strong. Was he supposed to stay there for a day? "Go on. You''ll be here all by yourself today. Of course, do not mess around with these corpses. They''re all very valuable. You won''t be able to pay for any damages done. I''ll check your workter in the evening. I want to see your spections on the unknown races as well. Even if you have to make things up, I want you to write something about them." "Instructor, I''ll be doing this alone?" Su Yu had a bitter expression. He wasn''t scared. But the warehouse was massive. And it was such a bloody warehouse. Was it right to throw an eighteen-year-old into such a warehouse alone? "Yes." Liu Wenyan said indifferently, "Is this too much for you? On the Allheaven Battlefield, soldiers will be required to hide among corpses for days at a time. If even this is too much for you, forget about going to the battlefield. You''ll only be throwing your life away." "I...understand." Su Yu did not say anything else and epted his fate. Thinking about it, this was actually a good idea. There were many corpses here, some belonging to races he had never seen before. He wondered if he could identify some of the monsters in his dreams from these corpses. "Shut the door." Liu Wenyan stepped out of the warehouse. Next, the people of the tradepany shut the thick metallic door of the warehouse. ... Outside, the manager who had been staying silent smiled and said, "Old Liu, is this your personal disciple?" "Yes." Liu Wenyan did not say anything else and the manager did not ask more. That question was quite pointless. If this wasn''t his personal disciple, he wouldn''t have paid such arge price to rent the warehouse from the Xia Trade Company. This was the main warehouse of the Xia Trade Company. Not everyone could enter it. "Old Liu, he''s still an inexperienced child who has yet to see the battlefield. He''s too young. I''m afraid he will be having nightmares for several days after this. Why don''t we turn on the lights inside? That will at least reduce the pressure on him." The lights in the warehouse were shut, with only a few dim safetymps active. Thus, it was quite dark and sinister inside. "No. Cultural researchers need to work with corpses a lot. If he can''t even get through this, how is he supposed to face what''sing in the future?" Liu Wenyan had a wide smile as he said, "A powerful cultural researcher is capable of going to the Allheaven Battlefield to capture the divines or devils they need for research. Since this is the path he''s walking, he need to get used to corpses." The manager smiled but did not say anything. He believed that it was still too early to talk about Su Yu bing a cultural researcher. There were way too many people that were stuck in the Mental Tempering Stage for life. Not everyone could be a cultural researcher. Capturing divines and devils? How many people in Great Xia were capable of that? Liu Wenyan had ced too many expectations on this student of his. He had also overestimated this young man. Of course, it would be improper for the manager to counter Liu Wenyan''s words. After all, this guy had materialized his willpower and was a proper cultural researcher. Of course, the Xia Trade Company wasn''t really afraid of a fresh cultural researcher, but Liu Wenyan also had a junior brother who was a senior researcher in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. That position held a lot of weight, and that wasn''t someone the tradepany''s Nanyuan branch could afford to offend. ... "This is a fire hog, 3.1 meters tall and 7.2 meters long. Good at breathing fire and ramming,monly used as cannon fodder on the Allheaven Battlefield. The bulk of them are at the Great Strength Realm..." Looking at the massive corpse before him, Su Yu started recording the characteristics he noticed. Liu Wenyan thought that he would be afraid or disgusted, but in truth, Su Yu wasn''t really that scared. His only issue was the thick smell of blood in the warehouse. He found it somewhat unbearable. "As for the weight..." After looking at the size, the muscle density, and bone count of the fire hog corpse, Su Yu did a rough calction on the corpse''s weight. It would be between forty thousand to fifty thousand kilograms. That was the weight of this fire hog. It had a terrifying size and an even more terrifying weight. Even if this was only a Great Strength fire hog, it still had a terrifying ramming power. A squad of Great Strength soldiers could easily be scattered by a fire hog''s ramming if they didn''t prepare for the encounter in advance. "Huh?" While calcting, Su Yu frowned. The blood character in his mind was kicking a ruckus. "You want to consume the blood?" Su Yu frowned. "This isn''t mine. Although the blood essence has been extracted, the ordinary blood inside the corpse is also worth a lot. It''s not good to steal what is not yours, understand?" In truth, the corpses in the warehouse did not have a lot of blood left in them. After having their blood essence extracted, they would not have much blood left. A majority of the blood had been used for the formation of the blood essence. In any case, the blood here wasn''t his to take. His instructor had brought him here to learn. If he took something he shouldn''t, the me wouldy on his instructor. He couldn''t ept that. "You can actually consume blood?" Su Yu muttered. His little brother was displeased with the question. It was a blood character. Was it so surprising that it could consume blood? "Can consuming blood strengthen you?" Su Yu was unsure. Regardless, he couldn''t allow the character to consume any of the blood here. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to exin himself. "Calm down. When I get some money, I''ll buy some for you. Ordinary blood won''t be too expensive." Previously, he had spent five thousand dors on a bottle of iron-winged bird blood. Of course, that actually wasn¡¯t a lot of blood. But if he wanted to buy arge amount of blood, it would actually be quite cheap as he could get a deal forrge purchases. That was because people generally wouldn''t buy ordinary blood inrge amounts. Unless... Su Yu''s eyes flickered as he thought of something. Blood essence was something extracted from ordinary blood. He couldn''t help but to ask, "Little bro, can you extract blood essence from ordinary blood?" If the character could, this might be a way for him to get rich. Some cultural researchers were capable of extracting blood essence. They would be paid handsomely for each drop they extracted. A single drop of Great Strength blood essence was sold at the Xia Trade Company for fifty thousand dors. Chapter 37: Unperturbed (1)

Chapter 37: Unperturbed (1)

In truth, the business of selling blood essence was a low cost business. Most of the expenses consisted of storage, hage, extraction, and sries. As for the cost, if one could get to the Allheaven Battlefield, a hundred thousand dors would allow one to purchase hundreds of Great Strength corpses from the army. These corpses were nothing at the Allheaven Battlefield. It wasn''t like the soldiers were going to consume these corpses as food. Even if they did, there would still be too many corpses for them to finish. The biggest chunk of the expenses woulde during thetter processes such as extraction and hage from the Allheaven Battlefield back into the Human Realm. In truth, hage was so expensive that unless one was hauling arge volume of products at once, it wouldn''t even be worth it. Of course, the armies also had their own cultural researchers that could extract the blood on the spot. However, Great Strength blood essence wasn''t exactly that valuable, so most cultural researchers couldn''t even be bothered to perform the extraction. Su Yu did not know all that before. Now that he had learned more about cultural researchers, he could easily guess most of that. "The character ¡®blood¡¯ wants to consume blood..." Su Yu sighed. He felt like he was going to go bankrupt soon. If blood could really nourish his Divine Character, he would have to purchase some. There was no choice. The nourishment of his Divine Character was too important. Without sufficient willpower, he would have to look for alternatives to nourish his Divine Character. He could see himself getting more and more poor in the future. While entertaining himself with random thoughts, Su Yu continued working hard on identifying the corpses. The process was rather exhausting and he was sweating badly from all the work he was doing. These corpses were too heavy. He was only a Source Opening cultivator. Some of the corpses were so heavy he wasn''t even able to move them. Some of the corpses were piled together, so he was forced to move the corpses bit by bit to get a clearer look at them. Not long had passed before Su Yu was dyed red in blood. At that point, the blood character became even more restless. It was on the verge of charging out of Su Yu''s body, forcing him to suppress it with his willpower. Was this fellow asking for a new round of beating? ... When evening arrived, the door was finally opened and Su Yu was released. Looking at Su Yu''s dirty appearance and the book filled with characters, Liu Wenyan smiled. Very good. He had notined about the hardship, nor had he performed the task half-heartedly. "We''ll stop here today and continue tomorrow. You''ll be staying here for five days. After five days, we''ll go to a different ce." Liu Wenyan paused and thought for a bit before saying, "Previously, Bai Feng helped you perform your first attempt at forming a Divine Character. Of course, that isn''t something you can perform topletion right now, but you can get used to the process and try a few times. "Divine Character formation is an extremely exhausting process for your willpower. There is actually a shortcut to the process. By using the blood essence of the demonic races that came with willpower and source qi, you can draw out the character you want in reality before trying to draw one in your mind. That is also themon method the academy uses to train their students. "I had not taught you any of that before, but I''ll start teaching you all that from now on. Every five days,e get a drop of blood essence suitable for Divine Character formation from me. Of course, to im the blood essence from me, you need to perform your assigned tasks well." Su Yu was excited, but he turned awkward and said, "It''s fine, instructor. I don''t need it." Instructor Liu would be paying for the blood essence out of his own pocket as it was impossible for the school to foot the bill. Even if the blood essence was purchased from the school, Instructor Liu would still be paying one merit point per drop. "Like I said, you need to perform well in your assigned tasks. Do you think I''m going to be giving them to you for free? Do you think you canplete my tasks so easily? Maybe you will not be able to get more than one drop after two months. That''s worth one merit point. It''s nothing for me." Su Yu had an embarrassed expression. He wanted to say that he hadpleted his Divine Character, but the people of Xia Trade Company were nearby so he said nothing. He would wait and see. His instructor was right. He might not be able to im that much blood essence in the first ce. The task today was a good example. If he wasn''t already used to being killed himself in his dreams, he probably wouldn''t be able tost long facing all those corpses. "Let''s go. Rest well tonight. You will have a lot of difficult tasks waiting for you. If needed, slow down on your Source Opening cultivation." "I understand. Don''t worry, Instructor. I won''t let anything get in the way of my studies." "..." After a short chat, Su Yu returned to his home while Liu Wenyan returned to the school. ... One day after another, time passed. During the day, Su Yu would follow Liu Wenyan around for his studies. Even at night, he had heavy tasks as well. He needed to cultivate, study the Source Opening Codex, fight in his dreams, and even spend some time learning morenguages. He was also slowly starting to study the original Great Strength bone fragment. Although he still couldn''t properly read it, each attempt was a sh of willpower that would help him improve. Bai Feng had advised him to not read the bone fragment more than twice per day. But Su Yu had actually been making about a dozen attempts each day. He didn''t feel any difort from his attempts. Rather, he could quickly recover from each session after a minor headache. As for his "blood" character''s desire to consume blood, Su Yu was too busy to entertain it. He would first focus on nourishing the character with his willpower. It wouldn''t be toote to start experimenting when he had more free time. In the blink of an eye, a new month arrived. It was now the middle of May. Year 350 of the Anping Calendar, 18th of May. Su Yu had spent around one month following Liu Wenyan around. That was a tiring month for him, but it also came with plenty of joy. He had improved considerably in his cultivation. During the month, he had used a few more drops of blood essence while his source qi liquid remained unused. He had opened the acupoints of both his eyes, bing a proper seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator. Opening two acupoints in one month was an incredible feat. The present Su Yu could be considered a cultivation genius even in a bigger city. As for reaching the eighth-stage at his age, that was extremely rare even in the bigger cities. Generally, such people would only appear in the capital. And even in the capital, such people were good enough to be considered top geniuses. At the eighth-stage, one would open the Spirit Pce acupoint. With the opening of that acupoint, one would finally gain the ability to sense source qi or even slightly manipte it. That was when a cultivator would finally obtain some properbat strength. The eighth-stage Source Opening Realm was basically a dividing line between those with and withoutbat strength. The difference between cultivators with and withoutbat strength was the same as the difference between a cultivator and a non-cultivator. Su Yu''s progress in physical cultivation had been obvious. However, that was also the case for his progress in willpower cultivation. ording to Liu Wenyan, Su Yu''s willpower had reached fifteen percent full in the span of one month. The five percent increase might not seem like much, but that was actually an unimaginable growth. After all, it had taken Su Yu so many years of studying previously to only reach ten percent. With his current growth, he might even be able to reach twenty percent prior to the examination. And at that point, Su Yu would no longer be a weak clueless student anymore. With twenty percent willpower, he would be able to directly read original Great Strength texts. That was basically the very first step one would take as a cultural researcher. At that point, one could already be considered a cultural researcher. Apart from the growth in his cultivation, he had also followed Liu Wenyan to many ces over the past month. He had seen a lot and gained a lot of knowledge that was probably more important than pure growth in cultivation. ... "Two hundred thousand dors, ten gold coins, two drops of blood essence, ten merit points." Su Yu had used some blood essence during the month, but he had not wasted much of his cash. His merit points had even increased. That was because Liu Wenyan had rewarded him with three drops of blood essence during the month. All three times, Su Yu had picked the iron-winged bird blood essence. As for his extra merit points, he had gotten them from the reward of the kill Chen Hao had imed. In truth, Su Yu had only spent about sixty thousand dors during the month to purchase two drops of blood essence from the Xia Trade Company at a special price. The tradepany was offering him a special price out of respect for Liu Wenyan. "Seventh-stage Source Opening Realm!" While walking toward Liu Wenyan''s office, Su Yu clenched his fists in excitement. He had only broken throughst night. His next goal was the eighth-stage. The Spirit Pce acupoint would be harder to open. After opening it, he would be able to start practicing martial techniques properly. He would finally possessbat strength. Today was supposed to be a rest day, but Su Yu was getting impatient. His blood character had been moring for blood recently. He had stopped the character from doing anything. During a previous test of his, the character had actually tried to consume the drop of blood essence in his hand, greatly rming him. He was only a Source Opening cultivator. He had only been able to consume blood essence because his book was the one absorbing the blood essence instead of his body. But the Divine Character resided within his mind. If he was careless when allowing the character to absorb blood essence, he might even st his own head apart. It would be very unfortunate if that happened. Su Yu did not dare to act rashly. He didn''t even dare to feed the character some ordinary blood. He was worried that this little brother of his would kill him. He had nourished his little brother with willpower for a month. After breaking into the seventh-stage, he had more confidence in dealing with whatever the Divine Character was up to. Today, he was here to see Liu Wenyan regarding his Divine Character. Liu Wenyan had not been giving him lessons on Divine Characters. With the lesson provided by Bai Feng previously, Liu Wenyan was of the opinion that Su Yu did not need more of such lessons for now. Chapter 38: Unperturbed (2)

Chapter 38: Unperturbed (2)

Inside the office. Even during an off day, Liu Wenyan did not stay at home. He had been busy taking Su Yu everywhere during the past month, so he had quite a lot of umted work at school. Since it was a free day, he took the chance to deal with them. He was able to sense Su Yu¡¯s arrival outside the office. When Su Yu started knocking on the door, Liu Wenyan looked up and frowned as he said, "You should rest properly when it''s time to do so. It is important to strike a bnce between work and rest. It has been a tiring month for you. It''s not a good thing to push yourself too much." He knew that Su Yu was a hardworking student, but during the past month, he noticed that Su Yu had been working even harder than before. That was an excellent student to have. But that was also a worrisome student to have. Liu Wenyan was worried that one day, this student would work himself to death. Furthermore, Su Yu was also simultaneously working on his physical cultivation. His progress in physical cultivation was so fast that even Liu Wenyan wondered if this kid was more suited for physical cultivation. "I''m not tired, instructor." Su Yu said, "Instructor, I''m here today to ask you about Divine Characters--" "I told you. At the present stage, you need to focus on building your foundation andplete your first Divine Character. With Bai Feng''s previous help, you will be able toplete your first Divine Character soon." Liu Wenyan interrupted Su Yu. This wasn''t the first time Su Yu was asking him the same question. But he believed that Su Yu was getting impatient. Without a strong enough willpower, it wasn''t a good idea for him to focus too much on Divine Character studies. Liu Wenyan sternly said, "Su Yu, cultivation is something you need to do a step at a time. You can''t keep looking for shortcuts. I''ve advised you several times about Divine Character cultivation. Why are you being stubborn? "When your willpower is twenty percent full, I''ll write a willpower text for you, giving you the chance to capture a Divine Character and see if I can help youplete your foundation building. Don''t think about Divine Characters before that." Liu Wenyan was displeased. But he also made it clear that after some time, he would personally write a willpower text for Su Yu. Su Yu had no idea what price a freshly advanced Skysoar cultivator like Liu Wenyan needed to pay to conduct a single willpower text writing session, but he knew that it wouldn''t be easy for Liu Wenyan. Back then, as someone on the verge of reaching the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm, Bai Feng had paled from writing the Source Opening Codex. Su Yu had a helpless expression. He had tried asking the same question several times before. But every single time, he would be reprimanded. At times, Liu Wenyan could be very stubborn. As a teacher, he was responsible for imparting knowledge and dispelling doubts. Apart from that, he also believed that a teacher should guide their student to the right path. He believed that Su Yu was taking the wrong path by putting so much focus on Divine Characters. Willpower was what he should be working on for now. Divine Characters should be left for the future. He could very easily step on a wrong path by biting off more than he could chew. "Instructor..." "Stop asking!" "Instructor!" Su Yu felt his head aching. This old man could be terrifyingly scary at times. "I''ve formed my first Divine Character..." "Shut up!" Liu Wenyan was furious. Su Yu nked out. He noticed that something was different with Liu Wenyan''s anger this time. Liu Wenyan himself was shocked by how much anger he was feeling. His expressions changed several times before he regained his calm and said, "I''m regretting my decision to make Bai Feng give you that lesson. Divine Characters might be incredible, but I''ve not expected you to get so obsessed with them. Su Yu, cultural researchers are inseparable from Divine Characters. But you must also remember that as a cultural researcher, willpower is the basis of cultivation." He hadpletely ignored what Su Yu said. Of course, he had also misunderstood Su Yu. Forming his first Divine Character was different frompleting his first Divine Character. Liu Wenyan inhaled deeply before saying, "Take a seat." Su Yu did as told. An empty look seeped into Liu Wenyan''s eyes but he quickly recovered. After some hesitation, he said, "Some cultural researchers believe in the might of Divine Characters. During their youth, before building a sufficiently strong willpower, they stubbornly pursue the path of Divine Characters. "Several former principals of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy had left a Divine Character behind each. All the Divine Characters came with incredible usages. Creating a brand new world with one character. That is the type of power everyone yearned for. "Fifty years ago, the fifth principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy passed away. He left a single Divine Character behind. That character changed a lot of things. It also changed a lot of lives." Liu Wenyan had a bitter look in his eyes. "Some powerful cultural researchers have stepped into a different path: the path of Divine Characters. Instead of cultivating Divine Characters at the side, they specialize in Divine Characters and put everything else second. "Some geniuses in the Mental Tempering Stage back then who were on the verge of willpower materialization had been greatly influenced by this trend. They decided toplete a powerful Divine Character before willpower materialization, aiming to kill Skysoar cultivators before their advancement. "They were proud. They were ambitious. They believed they were capable of anything. They were unwilling to be ordinary cultural researchers. They wanted to dazzle the world with their brilliance. They wanted toplete powerful Divine Characters and even create eternal Divine Characters that would leave a mark on the world, standing tall above the myriad races. "They wanted to ughter divines and devils with their Divine Characters, contend against the myriad races, and sweep all opposition in the same cultivation realm." "But..." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu and spoke calmly, "They failed. Many of them died. Many of them were stuck at the Mental Tempering Stage for life. These were geniuses with a bright future ahead of them. They could be the pride of humanity. But they walked down the wrong path. "Today, if you enter the academy, they will still teach you about Divine Characters. But before that, they will warn you to not be obsessed with the power of Divine Characters. That is something you should work on more in the future, not now. "They will give you examples, telling you about so-and-so who were incredibly talented back then. However, those people had ultimately turned into cripples due to their obsession with Divine Characters. "One of those so-and-so...could be a person named Liu Wenyan." Su Yu''s heart trembled. In truth, at the beginning of the story, a guess had appeared in his mind. And now, Liu Wenyan had confirmed his guess. With a downcast voice, Liu Wenyan said, "Fifty years ago, I was a fellow apprentice of Bai Feng''s teacher. We were both learning under the same teacher. Back then, both of us were in the Mental Tempering Stage. My willpower was eighty percent full and I was on the cusp of willpower materialization. At the time, he had only freshly entered the Mental Tempering Stage. "The fifth principal of the academy had passed away, leaving behind one character. That character changed my life. It changed many lives. "Fifty yearster, I''m a trash cultural researcher who has just achieved willpower materialization. My junior brother is already a Mountainsea expert capable of dominating a region, waging wars against the myriad races, and ughtering the divines and the devils." Liu Wenyan''s voice turned bitter, "Su Yu, let go of your obsession. I''m regretting this. I should have told you about this earlier. I am worried that you will walk the wrong path. Divine Characters should be your supplementary path, not your main path. Even if you want to improve your mastery in Divine Characters, you should wait. "One is a first-stage Skysoar cultivator. The other is a Mountainsea cultivator. That is the result of walking the wrong path. One is high in the sky. The other is down below on the ground." Su Yu''s throat was dry as he softly asked, "Instructor, can Divine Characters interfere with willpower materialization?" "Yes and no. Generally, that won''t happen. But nourishing Divine Characters will exhaust too much of your willpower. Of course, if you only nourish your Divine Characters normally, it will be fine. But back then, we went mad with our pursuit." Pain covered Liu Wenyan''s face. "We wanted to create a Divine Character capable of manifesting in the real world before willpower materialization. We were not happy with keeping our Divine Characters inside. We wanted to manifest our Divine Characters and turn them into weapons, perhaps even granting them the power to stay in the real world for eternity. We were...indeed mad." Liu Wenyan mocked himself, "We were only at the Mental Tempering Stage! How strong could our willpower be? We exhausted so much willpower that we harmed our foundations. If we weren''t mad, what were we? "We were merely a bunch of fools who had overestimated ourselves. Serves us right for getting ourselves killed, crippled, or expelled." Liu Wenyan once mentioned that he was an expelled student of the academy. He was telling the truth. Back then, the group that had been obsessed with Divine Characters were all super geniuses of their generation. Influenced by the fifth principal, nearly the entirety of that generation''s students were crippled. These people had massive influence in the academy. They nearly severed the academy''s inheritance. At that time, the sixth principal, who was also the current principal, made a decision. All those people were expelled. All of them. These people were thrown out and abandoned by the academy, preventing them from affecting the next generation. Otherwise, their presence could bring terrifying effects, perhaps even destroying the academy itself. Liu Wenyan had not intended to tell Su Yu all that. But today, he was forced to remind Su Yu. He did not want to see Su Yu walking the same wrong path. Liu Wenyan spoke sincerely, using his own past as an example. And Su Yu...hesitated greatly. Looking at the expression on his instructor''s face, an expression full of expectation, Su Yu was greatly troubled. Scratching his head, he awkwardly said, "Instructor, cultivating Divine Characters normally will be fine, right?" "Of course. But your willpower is still too weak. It won''t be toote to start after reaching the Mental Tempering Stage." "But instructor...I''ve formed a character." Su Yu was having a hard time exining himself. "It has been a month. I seeded on the day Teacher Bai taught us. He even told me to try capturing a few more characters." "..." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu indifferently. "You seeded?" "Yes." "On the day Bai Feng taught you?" "Yes." Liu Wenyan nodded. He still had a calm expression, but he was cussing furiously inwardly. Seeded? Why hadn''t this kid mentioned it then? This damn idiot! And Bai Feng was an absolute bastard. Neither of the two had bothered telling him! He could forgive Su Yu since the kid was probably unaware of the significance of that. But Bai Feng...what a bastard. No wonder. No wonder the bastard offered himself as Su Yu''s teacher. Did he know no shame? Liu Wenyan spoke expressionlessly, "Since you''ve seeded, just spend your time slowlypleting it. Why do you keep asking about it?" "No, Instructor. Ipleted my character on that day. But this character is very restless. It keeps demanding to consume blood..." Pop! The pen in Liu Wenyan''s hand pierced through the table. With a frown, he said, "The quality of this table is too poor! I know that the school iscking in funding, but Old Wang is too stingy. Don''t learn from him. Always acting so miserly." Su Yu blinked in confusion. He was talking about Divine Characters. What was this change of topic? "What a shitty table!" Liu Wenyan threw the pen aside angrily. Looking at Su Yu, he furrowed his brows and said, "Youpleted your Divine Character on your first attempt?" "Yes. It''s the character ¡®blood¡¯," Su Yu hurriedly said. "I have been wanting to tell you, but...well...there is no rush and you told me to focus on my foundations, so I didn''t get the chance to touch the topic." In truth, Su Yu had attempted to talk about this a few days ago, but like today, Liu Wenyan had interrupted him before he could finish. He greatly respected Liu Wenyan, so he would naturally shut his mouth each time his instructor interrupted him and told him to focus on his foundations. But today, he couldn''t afford to keep waiting. After all, the instructor had gone as far as telling Su Yu his past. The instructor looked ready to sever their rtionship if he continued being stubborn. Thus, he had to brace himself and tell the instructor everything. It wouldn''t be a big deal that he hadpleted his Divine Character, right? Bai Feng hadn''t said anything about that at all. But who knew if Bai Feng was dependable? "The character ¡®blood¡¯..." Liu Wenyan nodded. "This is not the first time someone has formed this character. Consuming blood...is normal for this character. As long as it isn''t consuming your own blood, there won''t be any issue. A month ago¡­first pletion..." Liu Wenyan muttered and nodded to himself before saying, "I misunderstood you earlier. Not bad at all. So you have alreadypleted your first character. No wonder you have been mentioning this topic repeatedly." He then stood up and said, "I''ll give Bai Feng a call and look for more information on the character ¡®blood¡¯ to see if it has any special characteristics. Wait here. I''ll be back shortly." While walking away, Liu Wenyan said, "Don''t leave. By the way, don''t tell anyone about this. Nanyuan is too small. Be careful lest the Myriad Race Cult makes a move on you..." He said the same thing as Bai Feng. Then, ignoring the shut door, Liu Wenyan rammed through the door while grumbling, "That Old Wang is really too stingy. Why is everything here in such poor quality? Even the door has a terrible quality. If he keeps running the school this way, it is only a matter of time before the school shuts down. Even if we shouldn''t be wasteful, we shouldn''t be too stingy either." "..." Liu Wenyan walked away while swearing non stop. Not far away, the principal was stroking his beard with an aggrieved expression. Were they really that bad? Not really! The furniture in Old Liu''s office was actually quite good. They were the best the school had to offer. Still swearing, Liu Wenyan continued walking, and walking, and walking...before suddenly flying away. Before anyone knew it, he vanished. When he was finally alone, he rammed his head into a random pir as he muttered, "Completing a Divine Character in one day. Completing a Divine Character in one day. The fuck? How embarrassing. Why did nobody tell me that? Bai Feng, I''m not going to forget this! You want to take him as your student? In your dreams! This is not over! That was too embarrassing. What did I tell that kid earlier?" At this moment, Liu Wenyan was hit by another realization. He seemed to have revealed his shameful past to Su Yu before proudly telling Su Yu to stop being obsessed with Divine Characters, to not bite off more than he could chew! How...embarrassing! Just like that, the reputation he had spent years building was ruined. That kid was also a bastard. Why did he leave his sentence unfinished? Would it kill him to finish his sentence? "When your teacher is wrong, you need to bravely correct him. Did I not teach him that? I...don''t think so." Liu Wenyan continued mumbling to himself. Then, he started roaring profanities again. "I need to keep calm! Su Yu is just an ignorant kid. If I keep silent, what would he know? Pfft. It''s only a Divine Character...what''s so special about that?" While rubbing his own face, Liu Wenyan convinced himself to stay calm, telling himself that this was no big deal. Someone as knowledgeable as him wouldn''t be troubled so easily. Chapter 39: Work Hard, Kid (1)

Chapter 39: Work Hard, Kid (1)

Liu Wenyan returned about fifteen minutester. Su Yu stole a few nces at him and did not notice anything abnormal. With an indifferent expression, Liu Wenyan said, "Bai Feng went into seclusion after returning to the academy. I couldn''t get in touch with him. You should have told me earlier. Next time, finish your sentences. Why are you being all hesitant and leaving your sentences unfinished? That''s not how a cultivator should act!" Liu Wenyan berated Su Yu, "You need to know that both cultural researchers or warriors...when I say warriors, I refer to the physical cultivators. Both require flexibility, decisiveness, and fortitude to be true experts. A small matter like this kept you hesitating for an entire month? Don''t you feel that you''re too indecisive?" Liu Wenyan pped the table, nearly smashing the table apart. The more he spoke, the more he believed that he was right. "If you discover the armies of divines or devils marching upon us in the future, are you going to hesitate for a month as well? Are you getting ready to perform mass funerals for humanity? Even if your superior doesn''t give you the chance to speak, you need to create a chance to speak!" Liu Wenyan had a look of disappointment as he continued, "I thought you''re calm and dependable. s, you''re not calm, you''re indecisive. I''m very disappointed!" "..." Su Yu wanted to say something but hesitated. He eventually decided that his instructor was right and he should stop being indecisive so he hurriedly said, "Instructor, I was wrong. I will change!" "Good." Finally, Liu Wenyan smiled. He had regained his dignity as a teacher. "Activate your Divine Character." The blood character in Su Yu¡¯s mind erupted. Once again, an illusion was created. This time, it wasn''t an iron-winged bird. Instead, it was a charging army of hundreds of demonic beasts. Liu Wenyan stared at the scene before him with his brows furrowed. These demonic beasts looked real, but they were not without ws. "Are these beasts created based on the corpses you studied in Xia Trade Company?" "Yes." "They look quite real, but you only saw them as corpses. These illusionsck the liveliness of true beasts. Some Great Strength cultivators that have never been to the battlefield might fall for it, but someone with experience will not be fooled for long." Liu Wenyan then praised with a nod, "Not bad at all. It will work against ordinary Great Strength cultivators. Of course, it won''tst long." His eyes glowed and the illusion instantly vanished. Apart from having a slightly pale face, Su Yu wasrgely fine. "Not bad. Your willpower isn''t too strong, but it''s tough and durable, as though it has been tempered endlessly..." Liu Wenyan paused and looked at Su Yu doubtfully, "As someone who has not seen the battlefield or experienced anything big in life, your willpower shouldn''t be so durable. You should suffer some form of bacsh after I destroyed your illusion." Even though the bacsh wouldn''t be too strong due to Su Yu''s weak willpower, it should do something more than only causing Su Yu to pale slightly. In fact, turning pale was merely the sign of willpower exhaustion, not bacsh. Su Yu hurriedly exined, "I watch a lot of executions performed by the prefect on television. I wonder if that has something to do with this?" "..." Liu Wenyan had the urge to curse. This kid watched a lot of executions on television? What next? Was he going to say that he had recorded the executions to watch them on repeat every day? How psychotic must he be to do so? This kid...couldn''t be a psychopath, right? Liu Wenyan nced at Su Yu suspiciously, but he did not say anything about Su Yu¡¯s preferences. He moved on and said, "You mentioned that your Divine Character wants to consume blood? Try doing it." "I don''t have any blood..." "There''s no need. Order the Divine Character to absorb my blood." Su Yu gave it a try, but he shook his head. His little brother did not seem interested in doing so. Liu Wenyan thought for a bit before slicing his finger, allowing a drop of blood to flow out. "Again." "Instructor...this..." "Do it. Why are you hesitating?" Su Yu did not dare to dy. He once again ordered the blood character to absorb the blood. This time, the character moved. With a hum in his mind, an absorption force erupted and pulled the drop of blood away from Liu Wenyan. Liu Wenyan''s eyes flickered as he said, "This will do." He did not allow his blood to be pulled away from him. With a nod, he said, "Not bad. This is an offensive ability. The previous ability your Divine Character demonstrated is an illusory ability." "Your Divine Character is quite interesting. It is still weak, but it has a lot of abilities. Generally, even if a Divine Character has multiple abilities, there would only be one main ability. As for yours...does it have more abilities? If your Divine Character is strong enough, you can cause your opponents to bleed endlessly the moment a wound is left on them, eventually killing them through excessive blood loss. That was why I called this an offensive ability." Su Yu nodded before shaking his head. "I think this is as much as the character can do for now. I have not discovered anything." "So two abilities...no." With some hesitation, Liu Wenyan took out a drop of blood essence and said, "This is the blood of a Great Strength fire hog. Try absorbing it." But he shook his head and said, "No, wait. I''ll grab some ordinary beast blood instead. Wait here." He then vanished into thin air. Before long, he returned with a bottle in hand. "This is the blood of a python bull. Try absorbing it." Once again, Su Yu ordered his blood character to get to work. The blood in the bottle trembled for a bit. Then, a small portion of the blood vanished into nothingness. Su Yu could sense that the blood character in his mind had turned deeper in color. "Again." Su Yu wasted no time and continued the absorption. More and more blood vanished from the bottle and eventually, the bottle became empty. The blood character was much deeper in color than before. "How are you feeling?" "The Divine Character seems to have been strengthened. I don''t feel anything else." "Strengthened?" Liu Wenyan sank into thought. He said, "In that case, your Divine Character can be strengthened with blood. That is good. Most Divine Characters can only be strengthened with willpower. Only some unique Divine Characters can be strengthened with something other than willpower. "This is your first Divine Character. Since it can strengthen itself with blood, it is a unique character. Not bad at all. This special ability will be a great help to its growth in the future." Liu Wenyan nodded repeatedly. Su Yu''s willpower was still weak, so it wouldn''t be easy for him to strengthen his Divine Character. However, his Divine Character was able to strengthen itself through blood consumption. That was a good ability to have. "Instructor, will I be able to extract blood essence? I heard that some Divine Characters are able to do so." Liu Wenyan shook his head, "Yours won''t work. Your Divine Character is still too weak. Furthermore, it only absorbs blood to strengthen itself, exhausting all the power in the blood in the process." "But..." Liu Wenyan paused and smiled before continuing, "That''s not absolute. This Divine Character is still weak. When it gets strong enough, it will stop needing the power within the weaker blood. It might be able to extract the blood essence out of those weaker blood. "You won''t be able to do that for now. There is no need to try. Just wait until you achieve willpower materialization first. Or maybe thete Mental Tempering Stage will work as well. For now, even if your Divine Character can really extract blood essence, with its absorption speed, it will probably take half a month to produce a single drop. It''s not worth the time." Su Yu was disappointed to hear that. His dream of getting rich had been shattered. On the other hand, bankruptcy seemed to be creeping nearer and nearer. That little brother of his could only eat for free without contributing anything! "Illusion, blood absorption, and self-strengthening. Three abilities." Liu Wenyan nodded, "Not bad at all." As for blood essence extraction, he wasn''t sure if the character could do so. That wasn''t exactly some super valuable ability, so he didn''t really care too much about it. Su Yu was somewhat happy as he asked, "Instructor, does possessing three abilities make this Divine Character strong?" He had heard from Liu Wenyan that many Divine Characters only had a single ability. "Strong?" Liu Wenyan nonchntly said, "The number of abilities does not mean anything. For example, I have a Divine Character with only one ability: to pierce through someone''s sea of willpower. Between this character and your character, which do you think is better?" "..." Su Yu had an embarrassed expression. Liu Wenyan was right. That was only one ability, but it was an extremely powerful one. "Therefore, don''t focus on the number of abilities. Focus on the function of the ability and its strength. "Take the fourth principal of the academy as an example. He left the character ''source'' behind. It can only absorb source qi, ultimately turning into a source qi grotto. Let me ask you. Is that ability strong or weak?" Liu Wenyan smiled, "It''s actually a weak ability. Are you going to be stronger than your opponent just because you can replenish your source qi faster duringbat? But for humanity, that Divine Character is worth more than a living Mountainsea expert. "No matter how strong a Mountainsea cultivator is, that is still one person. A source qi grotto is capable of nurturing countless students. So is this Divine Character powerful or not?" Su Yu came to an understanding. He nodded and said, "I understand, Instructor. The strength of a Divine Character is not decided by its number of abilities. Rather, it is decided by how and where you use it. The character ''source'' is nothing special in activebat, but when ites to supporting, it is an absolute treasure." "Exactly. Therefore, you don''t really need to care too much about the number of abilities. However, it can be quite helpful to have more abilities during the early stages of cultivation. But most people will focus on a single ability at thetter stages. That will make it easier for you to reach a higher height." Liu Wenyan tossed the drop of fire hog blood essence over and said, "Try absorbing this. It''s a Great Strength blood essence. As a Source Opening cultivator, you won''t be able to make use of it. However, that''s not the case for your Divine Character. I''m just afraid that your body won''t be able to withstand it." Su Yu did not hesitate and had his character absorb the drop of blood essence. This time, the absorption process was difficult and slow. Su Yu could feel his willpower dropping at an rming rate. The blood character was trembling, looking like someone trying to drink from a ten-meter-long straw. The hyperactive blood character was suddenly much less energetic than before. This was a case of failing to perform after finally getting what it wanted. After expending a great effort, to the point Su Yu felt like his head was going to burst apart, he had only caused the drop of blood essence to tremble slightly. Apart from that, the drop of blood essence remained the same. Liu Wenyan was able to detect more than that. With a smile, he said, "About one percent of the blood essence has been absorbed. Looks like your Divine Character is still very weak." Su Yu could see the blood character being covered by a nket of blood. He didn''t know whether tough or cry. Was this fellow giving up? It had only absorbed one percent of the blood essence and it was acting like someone who had gone through an intense workout session. He had thought that this fellow was amazing, but it was actually so weak. If it could only absorb one percent of a Great Strength blood essence, why even bother demanding for blood? "Instructor, so I can grow this Divine Character by absorbing blood, right?" "I think so. How you grow your Divine Character depends on its characteristics." Liu Wenyan warned, "But don''t absorb too much blood. It''s not a good thing for your Divine Character to grow too strong. Your willpower is still not strong enough. If your Divine Character grows to the point your willpower can no longer suppress it, you will suffer a bacsh from the character." "And that''s only if you''re getting off lightly. In the worst case scenario, it can even devour all your willpower." Liu Wenyan turned stern, "Among the group of failed students back then, a few were killed. This was how they had been killed. Those fools had focused on strengthening their Divine Characters. A few of them were like you." "Their Divine Characters can grow using external resources. After paying a great price, they grew their Divine Characters to incredible levels. As a result, the Divine Characters started needing even more willpower. Their willpower was fully devoured by their own Divine Characters, causing a copse of their seas of willpower, killing all of them." Liu Wenyan was solemn, "Therefore, when you feel yourself nearing your limit, when your willpower feels pressured, immediately stop strengthening your Divine Character. Divine Characters and willpowerplement each other. It doesn''t matter if your willpower is stronger, but if your Divine Characters grow stronger, you''re not far away from death. Even if you survive, you will end up crippled." Su Yu nodded with a simrly solemn expression. He had actually been thinking of trying to grow his Divine Character until he could kill a Skysoar cultivator with it. But with Liu Wenyan''s warning, he immediately understood how dangerous that thinking was. After all, he had gotten into a long struggle with the blood character before taming it. If the Divine Character grew too strong, it would turn on him. "All that is actuallymon sense. You''ll learn them in the academy. But you''re a special case since you''vepleted your Divine Character in advance. In Nanyuan, I''m the only one familiar with this topic. If there is something you don''t understand, remember to ask me. Do not experiment recklessly." Liu Wenyan was extremely stern, "Never, ever, experiment recklessly. Also, since you havepleted your first Divine Character, you can form your second. That is fine. But be sure to stay within your limit. When you''re near your limit, even if a Divine Character is dancing in front of you, do not attempt to capture it. Don''t lose your life over greed. "Divine Characters are not things that you want to have as many as you can. Having too many of them might oveplicate things. With a smaller number of characters, you can properly grow each of them. And at the moment, you won''t even be able to withstand the might of a single fully grown Divine Character, much less multiple Divine Characters." Su Yu nodded repeatedly. His instructor was speaking from experience. A novice like him needed to listen carefully. Liu Wenyan continued speaking, sharing more of what he knew with Su Yu. It had been many years since hest touched this topic, but he still had his experience from the past. Chapter 40: Work Hard, Kid (2)

Chapter 40: Work Hard, Kid (2)

Toward the end, Liu Wenyan''s tone turned regretful as he said, "I''ve only freshly materialized my willpower. I''ve also spent too much time in Nanyuan so I''m a bit outdated. Times are changing, and the path of cultivation is also changing. There are things you can only learn in the academy. "During theing month, stop working on Divine Characters. ce your focus on your willpower. That is the foundation of everything." "I understand, Instructor." "Also..." Liu Wenyan hesitated slightly. "Your talent in willpower cultivation is rather ordinary, but your Divine Character formation is incredible. I don''t know if this is good or bad, but that can be considered a unique talent as well. With this unique talent, you can probably get a good teacher in the academy. "Bai Feng wanted to ept you as his student. I had thought that you should be thankful for such a good opportunity. But now...I don''t know what to do." Su Yu had a doubtful expression. Liu Wenyan had a helpless smile as he said, "I am wondering if I should tell Bai Feng''s teacher about you. If I do, he would definitely ept you as a student. But...he might not be a better teacher than Bai Feng." Liu Wenyan sighed, "He has a lot of students. He is also very powerful. He might not have a lot of free time in the academy. He won''t be able to ce much focus on you. He is a Mountainsea Realm cultural researcher. He will take trips to the Allheaven Battlefield, to the deep seas, to many other ces. Thus, your time with him will be limited. "Although Bai Feng is only a Skysoar cultivator, he will spend more time in the academy. In your early stages, he will be able to give you more help. And at thetter stages...in truth, when you reach the Skysoar Realm, even his teacher will provide you with guidance since you''re essentially his martial grandson. A genius will receive care no matter where they go." Liu Wenyan was very angry with Bai Feng before, but after thinking about it, he still needed to consider things on behalf of Su Yu. Bai Feng was weaker than his teacher, but Bai Feng had no student. He also had more free time. He would be able to give Su Yu more help. And when Su Yu was strong enough, he would naturally be able to start learning from Bai Feng''s teacher as well considering he was Bai Feng''s student. After giving it some thought, Liu Wenyan slowly said, "In fact...there is a different option. You can be a student of Bai Feng''s teacher and have him order Bai Feng to teach you as your senior brother. But you have to pray that Bai Feng will actually be willing to do so instead of beating you up in anger." Su Yu coughed before looking up helplessly, "Instructor, if I do that, I think he''ll kill me. Teacher Bai Feng is ready to ept me as his student. If I suddenly be his junior brother and still want him to teach me, that would be...pushing it too far, right?" Liu Wenyan said nonchntly, "That''s a choice for you to make. In fact, Bai Feng will be fine. But this fellow...will need to focus on his breakthrough into the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm soon. After that, he will also need to focus on getting into the Cloudbreach Realm. You need to consider this properly. He might not have a lot of time for you as well." Su Yu nodded. That was true. "Well, you still have some time left before you have to pick a teacher. Those two are not the only researchers in the academy. Don''t reveal your Divine Character to anyone. Keep it as a trump card. "Even during your entrance exam, do not reveal it. You can consider saying that you have only formed one or two strokes of a Divine Character. That will be fine. Cultural research academy, war academy, it doesn''t matter. You might encounter danger no matter which academy you enter." Liu Wenyan sighed and said, "Su Yu, remember this. You never know what''s in a person''s mind. Most humans might be on your side against the other races, but that is not the case for all humans. Otherwise, something like the Myriad Race Cult would not exist. "There are many sects and factions in the cult. Some of them are very well hidden among humanity. For them, killing weak geniuses that have yet to grow are totally worth their time. It is understandable for you to reveal some of your talent as you need to gain attention and support for your cultivation. But always hold something back." Liu Wenyan sternly said, "Holding something back might end up saving your life one day. Feel free to show off your ability. Prove that you''re worth cultivating. But keep some trump cards hidden. You might be able to use these trump cards to turn the situation around when it matters." "I understand, Instructor." Su Yu hurriedly nodded. He was aware of that. "Good." Liu Wenyan had a gratified smile as he said, "Go back and continue cultivating. Also, since you''vepleted a Divine Character, for theing month, you can start following me to the Windcatcher Department." "Windcatcher Department?" "Yeah. Although we have defeated the Myriad Race Cult during their previous operation, some of the people in charge of causing chaos around the city have still escaped. Even now, the city is still trying to capture them. Their hands are drenched in the blood of the innocent. We can''t spare them. "You will be working with the Windcatcher Department to capture these traitors. I want you to...experience more. You performed well by killing one in the school, but that''s far from enough. Before entering the academy, I want you to see enough blood that the sight of blood will no longer cause you to be nervous. "Cultural researchers will be required to kill as well. In fact, they need to kill a lot. Only the weakest of cultural researchers can keep their hands clean. They are basically useless. I don''t want to see you bing one of them. I want you to step onto the path of the strong. "Apart from the fact that you were able toplete a Divine Character in one day, feel free to reveal all your other talents. Show off as much as you want during the exam. Stand out from the rest and gain the attention of the academy. Make them give you the support you deserve. That is what you should be doing. Why? Because you don''t have a Mountainsea expert as a father. "Crush all those geniuses at the capital, advance, and rise. I won''t be able to give you too much help. Work hard. The harder you work now, the more you''ll gain in the future." Su Yu was trembling. From his instructor¡¯s words, he had a feeling that he had a month of suffering ahead of him. ¡­ Outside Nanyuan City, in a small vige. A silhouette jumped forward in an attempt to escape from something. Right that moment, the silhouette turned sluggish. A massive iron-winged bird appeared before his eyes, charging straight at him. rmed, he instinctively moved aside. While he was still midair, sounds of something cleaving the air rang out. "Arrgh!" The sense of crisis instantly cleared the man''s mind. With a roar, he calmed himself and swung his saber to the left. Someone was ambushing him! "The active duration is so short..." Beside the man was Su Yu, the ambusher in a gray outfit. He was only a Great Strength cultivator, and his illusion had onlysted for a split second. Sure enough, his Divine Character was still too weak and his illusion was not believable enough. But he had still attacked first and was the ambusher. Even if his opponent had reacted quickly, he was still faster. Splurt! Sounds of a metallic object slicing into flesh rang out, followed by a crack as the entire left arm was sliced off his opponent''s body. Immediately after, the saber held in his opponent''s right arm came near his neck. He retreated rapidly while creating illusions to distract his opponent. Hundreds of demonic beasts charged at the man. Even though he knew he was looking at illusions, he was still a Great Strength cultivator. He was unable to stay fully calm and his body instinctively tried to dodge. That allowed Su Yu to fully disengage from this opponent. At this point, he was already drenched wet with sweat. Why was his instructor still not helping him? By the time this opponent adapted to his illusions, he would no longer be able to handle this opponent without using blood essence. In fact, if he had used blood essence for his previous attack, he would have been able to kill that opponent with one sh. As a Source Opening cultivator, his strength and speed were not enough. It was already very impressive that he could slice an arm off with that attack. Su Yu continued falling back. The intense pain cleared the man''s head, slowly dispersing the illusions. The man''s eyes were red as blood constantly poured out of his stump. ring at Su Yu with his red eyes, he roared like a cornered beast, "Die!" The man madly charged at Su Yu. He wasn''t going to survive this. He had already been on the run from the Windcatcher Department for a while. Now that he had lost an arm, there was no way he was going to survive. In that case, he might as well drag this bastard down while he could. Source Opening? It was then that he realized something. He had actually been ambushed by a Source Opening cultivator. "Absorb faster! Come on, do it!" While running, Su Yu made his blood character absorb the blood of his opponent. Even an injured Great Strength cultivator wasn''t someone he could defeat. More and more blood flowed out of the man''s stump. The man could feel his life draining away. He could also feel that the speed with which he was losing blood was increasing. With a roar, he increased his speed. His eyes were red and he was determined to kill this bastard. The more strength he used, the faster he bled. He was able to rapidly close the gap between them. That caused Su Yu to grow even more anxious. If this person did not die soon, he would probably be the one to die. Hum! When Su Yu heard the sound of a de shing down behind him, he rolled on the ground, frantically moving away from the de. After being chased for so many years in his dreams, he had gotten quite good at running away. Although he would end up getting killed in all his dreams, he had gained the ability to roughly judge the type of attack being used behind him just by listening to the sounds. After making several rolls on the ground, his face was cut by the sharp stones on the ground. However, he ignored all that and stood up before running again. The blood character was still busy absorbing his opponent''s blood. The exhaustion of his willpower caused Su Yu to turn pale as he continued sweating non stop. Behind him, the man roared miserably as his vision turned blurry from blood loss. "Don''t...even think of running!" The man continued chasing Su Yu. ... "Instructor Liu, are we not going to make our move yet?" Not far away, Chief Zeng Hua of the Windcatcher Department was standing beside Liu Wenyan. The enemy was on the verge of death and was determined to kill Su Yu who was only a Source Opening cultivator. If this continued, things could get dangerous. Liu Wenyan remained silent. This was still not the time to make a move. In any case, he had reached the Skysoar Realm through willpower cultivation. The enemy was less than a hundred meters away from him. He could instantly freeze this opponent if he wanted so he wasn''t worried. He wanted to see just what Su Yu could do. In fact, Su Yu had already exceeded his expectations. As a Source Opening cultivator, this kid had actually managed to sever an arm of a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator. That was amazing. While Liu Wenyan was deep in thought, the cult member caught up to Su Yu yet again. Liu Wenyan was about to make his move when Su Yu suddenly turned to face the enemy, looking like he was going to fight it until the end. "He''s getting impatient..." Liu Wenyan remarked. But immediately after, Su Yu roared, "Don''t kill him. Capture him alive!" The man was swinging his saber at Su Yu when he heard the shout. His heart trembled as he heard the sound of something moving rapidly behind him. Even though he was already prepared to die, he still attempted to dodge the iing attack. Su Yu took the chance to turn around and run away. After moving out of the way, the sound from the man''s back vanished. The sound he heard earlier actually came from Su Yu''s illusion. Not far away, Su Yu was running with all his strength, rapidly moving over a dozen meters away. "I''ll kill you!" The man roared in fury. He had been tricked. "Why is he so energetic?" Su Yuined while gasping for breath. That person had lost so much blood. Why was he still so energetic? Were all Great Strength cultivators so hard to kill? Didn''t his previous victim die after a single sh? He had heard that one of the opponents he had killed at the secondary school was a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. After that event, he stopped fearing Great Strength cultivators. But today, he learned just how wrong he was. Without blood essence, without ambushing, even third-stage Great Strength cultivators could kill him easily. "Can you be faster with the blood absorption?" ]. Su Yu roared furiously at his blood character. This little brother of his was too useless. And it dared to call itself a Divine Character? Just look at how big the wound was. With a wound that big, this character had only been able to slightly increase the speed of blood loss. What a useless Divine Character. The character was working very hard. Unfortunately, it was too weak. Su Yu''s willpower was also too weak. Thus, the character was starting to turn dim from all the exhaustion. Its strength had weakened considerably. Behind Su Yu, the sound of a de being swung rang out once again. Without any hesitation, he rolled on the ground. The saber struck the ground, sending pebbles flying everywhere. Some of the sharp pebbles cut into his face and neck, leaving numerous bloody scars on him. However, Su Yu ignored all that as he rolled madly on the ground. He even abandoned his saber while rolling. After several rolls, he got back on his feet and started running again. He cut an iparably sorry figure. "Bas...tard!" The man was incredibly furious for failing to kill Su Yu. This kid was only a Source Opening cultivator but was incredibly slippery. Due to his serious injuries and intense pain, the man''s speed had dropped considerably. The man was starting to lose his vision from losing too much blood. Seeing that his target had escaped yet again, the man let off a final wail. Then, he stopped running. Utilizing all the strength he had remaining, he threw his saber forward. The man stared at the saber in desperation, hoping to see the result of the throw only to copse onto the ground before he could see anything. Even as a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator, he was still a man, not a god. He couldn''t survive losing so much blood. Chapter 41: Fast Learner

Chapter 41: Fast Learner

Su Yu could hear the sound of the saber flying toward him. This time, he wasn''t able to react. He knew the attack wasing, but his body couldn''t react fast enough. He could feel the de touching his back. "It''s over!" The moment that thought crossed his mind, the saber was frozen. Not far away, Liu Wenyan was feeling very satisfied with Su Yu''s performance. However, he did not show his true feelings. Instead, he walked up to Su Yu with a frown and said, "You can''t even deal with a trash injured Great Strength cultivator? That is a trash cultivator from the Myriad Race Cult that is weaker than those in the Windcatcher Department, those in the city guards, those in the Great Xia Army, in Martial Dragon Guards, and the front line. "Any random soldier from the front line will be able to easily kill this opponent even with a lower cultivation level!" Liu Wenyan appeared incredibly unhappy. To the side, the Windcatcher Department''s chief did not know whether tough or cry. That was an enemy at the sixth-stage Great Strength Realm! And what was Su Yu''s cultivation level? He was only at the Source Opening Realm. He wasn''t even at the eighth-stage where he could finally start using martial techniques. He was only a seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator, but he had nearly killed a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator. This instructor was still dissatisfied? And he was evenparing this kid against a soldier from the front line? What joke was that? Even a soldier from the front line would need to be at least a fourth-stage Great Strength cultivator to kill someone like that. In terms of body quality, reaction speed, and explosive strength, Su Yu was far too weaker than his opponent. If it wasn''t for his intelligence, he would have been killed the moment he attempted the ambush. Su Yu looked sorry. He was gasping for breath with numerous wounds on his body. He smiled helplessly and said, "Instructor, his vitality is too strong. Hested so long before dying. I couldn''t get a chance to cut him twice." "You only have one chance." Liu Wenyan said, "For a weaker party to kill a stronger party, there won''t be multiple opportunities. There will only be one chance. If you had cut into his head instead of his shoulder when he was distracted, he would have been killed immediately. "Do you think your enemies will give you a second chance on the battlefield? Immediately after an enemy encounter, one of you will die. Either you don''tunch the ambush or you prepare fully before doing so to ensure the kill. Do not gamble with your life." Liu Wenyan was stern, "Thus, you can only me yourself for your bad judgment in timing your ambush. If I wasn''t around, your enemy would have killed you with that final attack." Su Yu nodded sullenly, epting the criticism. "Two merit points for a middle-stage Great Strength cultivator. But since I helped you with it, you''ll only be getting one point for it. Do you disagree?" "No." Su Yu shook his head. He was happy with one point. Ate-stage Great Strength cultivator would grant three merit points per kill while an early-stage Great Strength cultivator would only grant one point. Thus, the point he got was basically the same as what he would get for an early-stage Great Strength cultivator. Only now did Su Yu realize how hard it was to earn merit points. Previously, he would be rewarded with one point pernguage mastered. It was time consuming, but still better than this where he had to put his life on the line to earn merit points. If this was the case for the academy as well, how were those students that had yet to materialize their willpower supposed to earn merit points? How many of them were capable of killing Great Strength cultivators? Even on a battlefield, killing a Great Strength enemy would be a difficult task for a Great Strength soldier. After risking one''s life, one would earn no more than three merit points. It was clear how hard it was to earn merit points. A faint smile appeared on Liu Wenyan''s face, but the smile vanished quickly. He said, "You will be considered to have graduated from my teachings after gaining the ability to kill a middle-stage Great Strength cultivator. Your performance today where you nearly got yourself killed is not eptable. "Do not hesitate to use any trick you can during battles. This is a matter of life and death, not a spar on a training field. Do not restrict yourself from any trickeries. We don''t care. We only care about the result." After bidding Zeng Hua farewell, Liu Wenyan started walking away. While walking, he said, "Why do you insist on using demonic beasts in your illusions? There are many things you can manifest in your illusions. Not everyone is afraid of demonic beasts. "For example, you can create women, women who are nake--cough, cough. You know what I mean. You can even make me appear in your illusions. I''m a Skysoar cultivator. But then again, I''m not popr enough so you can consider using the mayor in your illusions instead. You should know what the mayor looks like. What do you think your opponent will feel upon seeing a Skysoar cultivator before them? "There are many ways you can use your illusions. Do not limit yourself. I find that your thinking is too rigid as you''re only using beasts in your illusions. You need more creativity." Su Yu had a pensive look as he softly said, "Instructor...about naked women...cough, cough. I''ve not seen any before. I don¡¯t think I can create a convincing illusion of one. Why don''t I¡ª" "What bullshit are you trying to say?" Liu Wenyan berated him before coughing. "I was making a random example. Don''t think too much about it. Kid, keep those stupid thoughts out of your mind." Liu Wenyan was regretting his earlier words. If this kid really went to those ces to learn what naked women looked like and his father found out about it, would that old man rush back from the front line to look for Liu Wenyan? Su Yu nodded obediently, but a new thought appeared in his mind as he said, "Instructor, do you think others will be fooled if I use the prefect as my illusion?" "..." Liu Wenyan nced at him without saying anything. This was quite a gutsy kid. Xia Longwu was the prefect of Great Xia. This kid did not seem to feel any reverence toward that person. Su Yu was still happily talking away, "If I create an illusion of the prefect, would I scare my opponent to death? Maybe they''ll be in disbelief? Hmmm, why don''t I add a woman beside the prefect? Prefect Xia is out on a date with a woman when the enemy stumbles upon them. Would that be enough to stun the enemy?" Liu Wenyan stroked his beard while praising inwardly that this kid was actually a fast learner. But was this kid not aware that he was ying with fire there? Sure, sure, this kid was still very far away from Xia Longwu right now. But what if Xia Longwu saw the illusion in the future? Liu Wenyan wouldn''t dare to imagine the consequences for that. "Cough, cough. Sure, you do you." Liu Wenyan was unwilling to say more. He had merely provided simple advice and this kid was taking the idea further expanded on it. What else could he say? While Liu Wenyan was still thinking, Su Yu changed the topic and said, "Instructor. I saw the contents of this year''s exam yesterday. The war academy exam rewards three drops of source qi liquid for the student finishing first..." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu, wondering what this kid was trying to say. "What if I take both exams? Won''t I earn the source qi liquid if I can finish first at the martial academy exam?" The first ce he referred to was the first ce in Nanyuan. The reward was provided by the mayor, not any of the academies. Those academies wouldn''t really care about the first ce holder of a small city like Nanyuan. Their interest would only be piqued if it was the first ce holder in the entirety of Great Xia. Liu Wenyan was speechless. "Are you going to scam the reward for yourself?" "No, Instructor. The rules never mention that I must join a war academy after passing the exam. So it doesn''t matter if I don''t join after getting first ce, right?" ]. "Are you so sure that you can get first ce?" Nanyuan might be a small city without a lot of geniuses, but...wait...this kid might really be able to get first ce. This was Nanyuan City. Not a big city. The seventh-stage Source Opening Realm was more than enough. Liu Wenyan shot Su Yu a nce. He had a feeling that this student of his was getting more and more bold recently. Look at how he was even thinking of scamming the city out of its first ce reward now. He sank into thought. When did this student of his start changing? Oh, Liu Wenyan suddenly recalled that Su Yu had started changing ever since he was told that he was too indecisive. Since then, this kid has changed. He was no longer indecisive. He was so decisive that it was scary at times. Not even Liu Wenyan had thought of scamming the city out of its reward before. "You do you." Liu Wenyan couldn''t be bothered to stop Su Yu. Instead, he said, "But don''t let that get in the way of your cultural research academy exam. Also, Wu Wenhai might not care even if you snag the reward, but the person cing second will probably feel like killing you." Su Yu did not seem to mind. Three drops of source qi liquid were on the line here. They were worth as much as everything he had. He wasn''t about to give up on them when they were there for the taking. "The two exams are going to happen at different times. I checked. I''ll be able to take both." Su Yu did not think there would be an issue with his n. If the examinations weren''t held at different times, the secondary school wouldn''t have allowed the students to apply for multiple examinations in the first ce. That was their way of giving their students more chances to get into an academy. Su Yu had registered for both cultural research academy and war academy examinations. Thus, he could sit for both of them. It was the 1st of June today. The examinations weren''t that far away. Over the past ten or so days, he had followed Liu Wenyan everywhere hunting for Myriad Race Cult members. Although he had not gotten much chance to actually fight, he could feel that he was getting near the eighth-stage. Perhaps a few more cultivation sessions and a few drops of blood essence would push him into that stage. And at the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm, would there still be a match for him in Nanyuan among the students? The first ce was basically his. He was basically getting three drops of source qi liquid for free. Why would he say no to that? Liu Wenyan kept his mouth shut. He felt like he had led this kid astray. This was such a simple and innocent kid before. But now, he was starting to get all these messy ideas in his brain, such as trying to look at some naked women and so on. Liu Wenyan was very worried. This kid wouldn''t really go and do so, right? "Su Yu, before willpower materialization, your willpower can waver very easily. The moment you get near the fairer sex, you will cripple your willpower. Do you understand? This is why I''m still single after all these years. Don''t do anything stupid." Su Yu blinked. Was that true? But he had never heard that before! Then again, he only knew two cultural researchers, Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng. Furthermore, he had only spent a day with Bai Feng. Thus, Liu Wenyan was naturally the authority in willpower cultivation for him. "I understand. I will chop whoever dares to entice me to death!" Su Yu nodded his head with a solemn deration. He would show no mercy to anyone who dared to ruin his willpower materialization. "..." Liu Wenyan had a feeling he had just said something wrong again. "A teacher should serve as a role model...I should be very careful in what I say in the future. If this kid fails to get a wife in the future...forget it. If that really happens, I''ll try introducing some girls to him in the future." Liu Wenyan was feeling very helpless. A teacher couldn''t be caught lying. He had to watch what he said around Su Yu in the future. Chapter 42: Think More (1)

Chapter 42: Think More (1)

Master and disciple returned together. Recently, they had been leaving home early and returning homete. After entering the city, the two went separate ways. Su Yu returned home while Liu Wenyan went to school. ... At the neighborhood''s entrance. Chen Hao was crouched sullenly while counting the ants on the ground. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and saw that it was Su Yu. Heined, "Yu, why are you sote?" Seeing that it was Chen Hao, Su Yu smiled and asked, "What are you doing here?" "Waiting for you! What else?" Chen Hao grumbled, "You have been following Instructor Liu out of the city recently. What are you doing? The instructor is really unfair. He''s not your private teacher. Why is he only taking you with him? Some of our schoolmates are already starting to gossip." He had an envious expression as he spoke. "That''s a Skysoar! And he is teaching you alone! Yu, why don''t you get Instructor Liu to take me along as well?" Before Liu Wenyan achieved willpower materialization, even if he was very good at the myriadnguages, he was still a regr Great Strength instructor. But after reaching the Skysoar Realm, he turned into a big shot of Nanyuan in the blink of an eye. Even Mayor Wu Wenhai was only a second-stage Skysoar cultivator. Liu Wenyan was someone who had killed someone at that cultivation level before. News of that had spread around Nanyuan. Thus, every single student in Nanyuan Secondary School aspired to learn more from Liu Wenyan. Even if the students were too young to understand the benefits of learning from a Skysoar instructor, their parents would know. Chen Hao had been scolded by his father every day after returning home. His father wouldin that he was iparable to Su Yu. Look at how Liu Wenyan kept Su Yu by his side every single day. As for Chen Hao, despite his good rtionship with Su Yu, he had not gained any benefits at all. "Are you sure?" Su Yu had a wide smile as he said, "If you''re sure, I''ll tell Instructor Liu tomorrow." "Forget it." The resentment on Chen Hao''s face faded as he said helplessly, "I''m too scared of Instructor Liu. I''ll tremble in fear just standing near him. He is much fiercer than before." "That''s not him being fierce. He has just achieved willpower materialization recently and he hasn''t refined his body. That''s why he can''t control his aura that well." Su Yu tried exining things on the instructor''s behalf. The instructor had a merciless mouth, but he was a good person. Also, Liu Wenyan really wasn''t that fierce. After willpower materialization, he had not gotten the opportunity to refine his body. Even now, his body had only reached the Infinite Strength Realm. He was somewhat unable to fully withdraw his willpower, so he would look dignified and imposing all the time. For weak cultivators like the students of the secondary school, he naturally appeared fierce. Chen Hao didn''t understand what Su Yu was trying to say, but he did not really care about that topic. As he walked with Su Yu, he was grinning from ear to ear as he said, "Yu, I''m near the fourth-stage! I have been hearing rumbling sounds in my ear recently. Do you think that''s the sign of my acupoint opening?" "So you''re here to show off?" "That''s absolutely not true!" Chen Hao protested. "Even if I can reach the fourth-stage, isn''t that the stage you''re in? Why would I look for you to show off? It''s my father. He wanted to invite you to our house for a meal. Do you remember the kill I imed previously? "I said that I made the kill but my father beat me up for lying.And then...I told him that I made the kill with you. He immediately believed me. He said that you have a good brain and you have intentionally allowed me to get the kill. Therefore, he wanted to treat you to a meal. But you have been busy for the past month. I wasn''t able to see you." Chen Hao had a pitiful expression. He had lived a rather miserable life for the past month due to his father''s anger. He couldn''t believe his father. Yu was only a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator as well. Why did his father refuse to believe that he was the killer? The moment he mentioned that Su Yu was present, his father concluded that Su Yu was the main contributor. That was too unfair! Before that Chen Hao had lied to himself so much that he nearly convinced himself that he was the killer, but the beating he received from his father had brought him back to reality. He remembered that he wasn''t the actual killer. It was Yu. He was confused. Why had he been believing that he was the killer all this while? "Uncle Chen is too polite." Su Yu smiled, "Didn''t you buy the kill from me? You spent over ten thousand dors on it. You even gave me the merit points. The additional thirty marks for the exam is useless for me." "I told my father that we''re basically family. There is no need to be a stranger, but my father insisted on treating you to a meal." Chen Hao stated magnanimously, "Juste for a meal. Uncle Su is not around so you''ll be eating instant noodles anyway." "Sure." Su Yu did not refuse. He was quite familiar with Chen Hao''s father. He had met Chen Hao''s father many times before when his father was still around. Ever since his father had left, he had been following Liu Wenyan around so he hadn''t gotten the chance to visit the Chen family. Chen Hao did not say anything else. He walked with Su Yu for a while before asking, "Yu, have you grown stronger after following Instructor Liu around?" "A little." "How much longer do you need to reach the fifth-stage?" Chen Hao sounded somewhat unhappy. "Someone in ss is talking behind your back. It''s Zhou Chong. He was a fourth-stage Source Opening cultivator before. While you were away, he reached the fifth-stage. He''s saying that you''re relying on trickeries to fawn on Instructor Liu. Even if you can enter a cultural research academy, it''s not because of your ability." Su Yu was indifferent, "Why waste time bickering with him? You''re better off using that time to cultivate." "Yu, you can''t say that!" Chen Hao was unwilling to let the matter go. "I''m getting ready to fight him one-on-one. There''s not much difference between the fourth and the fifth stage anyway. I''ll wait until I reach the fourth-stage before looking for him. That bastard only has the guts to talk about someone behind their back. "I would have dered that you''ve killed Great Strength cultivators before if you hadn''t made me keep it secret. That fellow really thinks very highly of himself." Chen Hao was indignant. So what if that fellow was a fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator? What was so special about that? His friend, Yu, had even killed two seventh-stage Great Strength cultivators before. After scolding in indignation, Chen Hao saw that Su Yu really didn''t care so he asked curiously, "You have so many wounds on you. Have you been in special training? Have you reached the fifth-stage?" Su Yu really wasn''t looking very good. He even had a couple of scars on his face. Seeing that Chen Hao was repeating the same question, Su Yu smiled, "Fifth-stage? Hao, is this as much as you amount to?" "What do you mean?" "Nanyuan''s sky is too low." Su Yu did not mind speaking frankly to his best friend. With a sigh, he said, "Nanyuan is too small. The sky above Nanyuan is too low. Everyone''s worldview is too narrow. Source Opening...what''s so special about the Source Opening Realm? "At the capital, there are plenty of ninth-stage Source Opening cultivators our age, waiting to enter an academy before breaking through into the Great Strength Realm. Some only need half a year in the academy to reach the fifth-stage Skysoar Realm. Hao, that''s Skysoar Realm! That''s already the peak of Nanyuan. "Our mayor is only at the Skysoar Realm. In Great Zhou, an academy student can reach the Skysoar Realm in only six months, surpassing our mayor. Tell me. What''s the point ofpeting against all these people in Nanyuan?" If this was in the past, Su Yu would definitely go teach Zhou Chong a lesson. But now, he couldn''t be bothered. Fifth-stage Source Opening Realm? Big deal. That was incredible in Nanyuan. But Nanyuan was such a small city. After witnessing what Bai Feng could do and hearing about the super genius from Great Zhou, he no longer cared about these tiny conflicts. Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng had shown him a brand new world, allowing a country bumpkin like him to get a glimpse of a bigger world. Thus, upon hearing about what his ssmate was saying behind him, he only found the matter funny. He did not care. "Yu..." Chen Hao was stunned. "How does any of that rte to us? Geniuses of the capital, geniuses of Great Zhou, those people are unrted to us, right?" The world Su Yu spoke of seemed so very far away for Chen Hao. That world had nothing to do with them. "Why not?" Su Yu looked at Chen Hao. "Are you happy to stay mediocre for life? They''re humans. We''re humans as well. Why can''t we be geniuses as well?" "But..." Chen Hao wanted to retort, but he couldn''t think of anything. With a gloomy voice, he said, "That is still too far away for us. I was only asking if you''ve reached the fifth-stage. Why did you tell me about all that?" "I''m at the seventh-stage." Su Yu smiled, "I''m getting ready to reach the eighth-stage." "..." Chen Hao was stunned. He reached out to touch Su Yu''s head, wanting to check if Su Yu was sick. However, his hand was pped away. "I''m not hallucinating. I''m really at the seventh-stage." While walking into his apartment building, Su Yu said, "There are twenty-four days away before the exams. I can probably reach the eighth-stage easily. The ninth-stage will be a challenge. But there is still around a month remaining, so I might still be able to reach the ninth-stage before entering the academy. "I''ve been spending a lot of my time on other stuff. Otherwise, I would have advanced even faster. "Do you understand now, Hao? Zhou Chong is a fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator. For me, that''s nothing. You want to join a war academy. You want to grow strong. You want to do well. In that case, you need to work harder. Don''t focus only on the Source Opening Realm. Set your sights higher." Chen Hao was stunned for a long while before saying, "But even if I set my sight on the Skysoar Realm, I won''t be able to reach it." "One''s worldview determines one''s future. If you focus only on the Source Opening Realm, that will be the upper limit for you. You won''t even have the motivation to climb higher." Su Yu solemnly said, "In the past, I only aimed to reach the Infinite Strength Realm. I''m happy surpassing only my father. Or maybe reach the Skysoar Realm and be Nanyuan''s mayor or something like that. But after seeing and learning more about the world, Skysoar Realm is merely the starting point for me. I will have more goals for the future. "In the past month, I have worked harder than before. I know that I''m nothing. Am I a genius? Not really. At most, I''m only somewhat talented. In the capital, I''ll be an ordinary person. This little talent I have is nothing to be proud of." The book in Su Yu¡¯s mind had caused his ambitions to grow. But more of his change was a result of what he had learned from people like Liu Wenyan. He had been happy with knowing eighteennguages in the past. He was prepared to take it easy during the two months before the entrance examination. But after learning about the world of cultural researchers and geniuses, he was no longer happy with his previous goals. The Skysoar Realm was not the end point. It was the starting point. Thus, he had notined a single time no matter how tired he was during the past month. He knew that he needed to work hard. There were people out there with better background and talent. If he did not work harder to catch up, how could he grow? "Yu, you changed." Chen Hao mumbled. "After Uncle Su left, you changed. Wait...do I need my father to leave so that I can push myself harder? Why don''t...I leave the family?" "..." Su Yu was dumbfounded. This was what this fellow got out of all the things he said? Just how did this fellow¡¯s brain work? "A rotten wood really can''t be carved!" Su Yu cursed. Liu Wenyan had been scolding him like that recently. He rejoiced that Chen Hao wasn''t learning from Liu Wenyan as well or the old man would probably get a heart attack from sheer anger. Chen Hao ignored Su Yu and continued mumbling, "Are you really at the seventh-stage and near the eighth-stage? That doesn''t sound possible. You were still at the fourth-stagest month. How did you reach the seventh-stage so suddenly?" "Nothing is impossible." Su Yu thought for a bit before exining, "It will be unlikely that you can suddenly be strong. But you can prepare yourself for it. For example, spending one extra hour each day to train your martial techniques. That way, you can save a lot of time after you reach the eighth-stage. "You can also read more. I''m not even going to talk about any other book. Have you even fully grasped the Source Opening Codex? Read it dozens of times each day. Imprint it into your soul. That will make cultivation smoother for you. "I have a copy of the Source Opening Codex here. It was written by Teacher Bai. It has grown weaker now, but it''s just nice for you. Read it whenever you have the time." If the Source Opening Codex was given to Chen Hao in the beginning, he wouldn''t be able to read it as his willpower was too weak. Now that the willpower imprinted in the text was slowly dissipating away, it had weakened enough for Chen Hao to read. Chapter 43: Think More (2)

Chapter 43: Think More (2)

The text was no longer as effective, but it still contained traces of a Skysoar cultivator''s prowess in it. If Chen Hao made good use of it, his progress in the Source Opening Realm would be much smoother. Chen Hao scratched his head anxiously, but at the same time, he was also feeling excited. "I''m afraid of reading. I''ll doze off the moment I read." "Fight it!" Su Yu opened the door of his home and said tly, "If you can''t even treasure the opportunity given to you, then forget your dream of growing strong. Reach the Great Strength Realm ande back to Nanyuan. That will be all you amount to. Don''t go to the Allheaven Battlefield lest you throw your life away. People unwilling to grab the chance thrown their way are not qualified to talk about growing strong. "I don''t want to pick up your corpse from the Allheaven Battlefield one day in the future." "Pah!" Chen Hao muttered, "If someone is going to be picking up my corpse, it''ll be my parents..." "I¡ª" Su Yu''s words were stuck in his throat. There was no helping this fellow. "Thank you, Yu." Chen Hao suddenly turned solemn. In a somewhat bleak manner, he said, "I''m stupid. I''m not as smart as you. You''re right. I''m a rotten wood that can''t be carved. You''re so smart. You even work harder than me. But like my father said, I probably won''t be able to keep up with you even if I try my whole life doing so. "In that case, I''ll listen to you. From now on, I''ll spend one extra hour each day practicing martial techniques. I''ll also spend one extra hour...reading!" Chen Hao promised, but he was finding it hard to finish his words. Those two extra hours would be extremely painful for him. He could still tolerate martial technique practices, but reading...was an activity that he felt could kill him. "Why not...one and a half hour on martial techniques and half an hour on reading?" He asked as he looked at Su Yu with hesitation. Su Yu was feeling more and more helpless as he scolded, "Brainless brute! Don''t waste your breath. Just do the reading at my ce. I''ll cultivate while watching over you. This will only benefit you." /p> During his cultivation, he would consume blood essence, resulting in a higher density of source qi around him. It would definitely benefit Chen Hao to stay with him while he was cultivating. He could have Chen Hao read outside when he was cultivating in his bedroom. The higher source qi density would help in Chen Hao''s acupoint opening. In fact, he was going to consume his drop of source qi liquid soon. At that time, he would be able to gather even more ambient source qi around him. "Sure. I''ll definitely fall asleep reading alone..." "That''s why you''re at the third-stage while I''m already at the eighth-stage." Su Yu rolled his eyes as he said that. He then entered the bathroom to wash up. While doing so, he said, "Don''t tell anyone I''ve reached the seventh-stage. It''s pointless. Also, the next time you see Zhou Chong talking bad about me, just beat him up." "What?" Chen Hao nked out. But Su Yu just said that he wasn''t bothered with that matter. "Why are you acting all surprised? You''re doing so to train yourbat strength." Su Yu said righteously, "He''s a free target practice. A fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator. He''s the perfect opponent for you. Whoop his ass. Give him a bloody nose and swollen eyes. Whack him until he shut his mouth. Make him feel fear each time he sees you. Do you want me to personally make a move on him? "I''m someone who has killed Great Strength cultivators before. Do you want me to bully a kid like him? Just beat up anyone who dares to run their mouth at school. Don''t be scared of getting beaten. That can be a form of training as well. "If you don''t even have the courage for that, you should just quit cultivating now." Su Yu was basically talking like Liu Wenyan. It was quite refreshing to not be on the receiving end for once. Chen Hao nodded nkly while muttering, "What if it''s a girl?" "Whoop her ass!" Su Yu said solemnly, "Will the battlefield care about your gender? Will the females of the divines and devils not kill? Will they spare you? Just whoop their ass. As long as you leave nosting damage on them, everything will be fine." "Oh..." Chen Hao felt like something was off about that logic, but Su Yu sounded so convincing. "Even if it''s a girl, beat her up as well. Instead of spending her time studying, she''s running around gossiping. If you don''t beat them up, they''ll think that you''re afraid. Hao, man and woman are the same. Just beat up anyone you find talking bad about me. You won''t go wrong with that." "Wh-what if they get the parents involved?" "What are you afraid of? So what if the parents are involved? Will they dare toy their hands on you as Great Strength cultivators? Tell them the school''s purpose is to nurture experts. Dere that nobody below the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm can beat you. Tell them you will ept all challenges. "Tell them to get a seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator to beat you up if they''re really so amazing. Also, no matter how badly you''re beaten, don''t learn from them and go running to your parents. That would be too embarrassing." Su Yu continued urging Chen Hao on, "Seventh-stage Source Opening cultivators are nothing special. Just be careful and fearless. They might not be able to beat you. After whooping the ass of a seventh-stage cultivator as a third-stage cultivator, who would still dare to provoke you? What can their parents even do? If the parents dare to bully you, just report it to the principal. It doesn''t make sense for an adult to bully a child. "Also, your father is a deputy at the Traffic Department. Which parent would actually dare to touch you? Nobody will take fights between children seriously." Chen Hao nodded repeatedly. The more he listened, the more sense Su Yu made. "Then...I''ll start kicking asses tomorrow?" "Yes. Whoop Zhou Chong''s ass first. After the beating, make a public deration challenging anyone that are unhappy with you. They might really deliver themselves to you. This is a good opportunity for you to get somebat experience. This is free training, understand?" Finally, Su Yu was done bathing. After putting his clothes on, he walked out of the bathroom and said, "Come on. Let''s eat. Remember, don''t tell your father this is my idea. Just say that you want to grow strong. Otherwise, your father wille looking for me. A good cultivator should never trouble their friend!" "Don''t worry. I won''t tell him!" Chen Hao patted his chest as he promised. He was already a man! He wasn''t a kid that would go running to his parents at the first sign of trouble! Su Yu gave Chen Hao a thumbs-up and said, "By the way, before you start fighting, remember to get an instructor to watch over you. You kids might not know when to stop. If the instructor asks, just say that you''re training. The school won''t stop you." "Alright." "Also, before beating up a girl, remember to loudly shout that man and woman are both cultivators. Emphasize that you''re not bullying a girl. Tell them to shut up and stop gossipping if they don''t have the balls to fight you. Remember to do all that before fighting. It won''t be a good look if a girl starts crying after being beaten by you." "Ok. I won''t forget that." "Remember, when fighting a girl, don''t hit her face. That would be too harsh." "Ok. What else?" "Hmm...yes. Do not tell anyone that I taught you all this." "I won''t. Don''t worry." "..." After a while, they arrived at the Chen family''s residence. After the long talk, Chen Hao felt enlightened. He was starting to get impatient. From tomorrow onward, he would beginbat training! He was going to punch his way through the Nanyuan Secondary School. There were so many free training partners waiting for him there. ording to Yu, hiring a single training partner would cost a hundred dors per hour. If he could spend three hours fighting in the school each day, that would be the same as earning three hundred dors per day. And over the period of one month, he would earn at least ten thousand dors! At that time, he could just pretend that the savings he gave Su Yu had all been spent onbat practice. He thought to himself that Su Yu was indeed the smart one. Su Yu had always been good with numbers. ¡­ Chen family''s residence. This was an apartment unit with four bedrooms and two living rooms. It was located in a different neighborhood than Su Yu''s home. However, it wasn''t too far away. That was why Chen Hao could be frequently seen below Su Yu''s home. Their homes weren''t that far from each other. In fact, a few years ago, the two actually resided in the same neighborhood. After Chen Hao''s father, Chen Qinghe, obtained a promotion, he bought arger unit in a different neighborhood nearby. The moment Su Yu walked through the door, Chen Qinghe, who was busy watching television, stood up andughed heartily before saying, "Yu, you''re here. Come, take a seat. Dinner will be ready soon. It has been a while since Ist saw you." "Uncle Chen. Is Aunt Chen in the kitchen?" Chen Hao''s mother spoke from the kitchen, "Yu, just watch some television for now. Dinner will be ready soon. I''m making your favorite red braised pork today." Su Yu thanked her with a smile. In truth, there was a time when he was slightly tired of eating red braised pork as his father had cooked too much of that dish. But now that his father wasn''t around, he was starting to miss it. After Su Yu sat down, Chen Hao wanted to sit down as well. When Chen Qinghe saw that, the smile vanished from his face as he berated, "Go serve our guest some tea. Where is your etiquette?" Chen Hao left to get tea while mumbling unhappily. After Chen Hao left, Chen Qinghe''s face turned friendly again as he said, "Yu, thank you for your help. Hao isn''t too good with his brain. Falsely iming a kill is a major offense. If it was anyone else, we wouldn''t have imed the kill. "But you and Hao grew up together and that was your idea so I''m not worried that something bad will happen. You''ve been smart since you were young. You''re much smarter than your father and me." Su Yu softly said, "Uncle Chen, there won''t be any issue with that. But I''m worried. I don''t know if it''s the right choice to help Hao enter a war academy." Chen Qinghe sighed and shook his head. "I thought of that before. But when I think more, I doubt I can stop him. You know him. He''s too stubborn. Since he wants to join a war academy, he will join a weaker war academy even if he fails to join the Great Xia War Academy. "Rather than letting him join a weak academy, we might as well let him join a better one. At least he will see more opportunities there." Chen Qinghe looked at Su Yu and solemnly said, "I''ve been wanting to invite you to a meal for a while. I want to thank you, but at the same time, I also have a favor to ask from you. "You''ll definitely be going to the capital. You won''t be in the same academy as Hao, but I believe that you will definitely do better there. On the battlefield, you will eventually be amander while Hao will be a cannon fodder. I''m begging you to take care of him when the timees." Su Yu hastily said, "Don''t worry, Uncle Chen. I''ll naturally do that. We have been friends for so many years." Chen Qinghe waved his hand and sighed again before saying, "Helping one or twice is fine, but if you have to keep doing so, no friendship will be strong enough to endure that. In the end, Hao still needs to rely on himself. If he''s really without any talent, he can return to Nanyuan after graduation. It''s actually quite good over here. And if he''s even slightly capable, growing to a point where he won''t be a burden for you, he can be your follower..." "Uncle Chen, you''re too¡ª" Su Yu was about to say something when Chen Qinghe interrupted him, "He won''t be able to be more than a follower. Whose follower he bes will be very important. That fellow isn''t too smart. If he follows someone else, he might really be thrown aside like some cannon fodder one day, dying without even knowing what''s happening. It''s a cruel world out there. The myriad races can harm humans. But humans can also harm their fellow humans as well." Chen Qinghe had a bleak tone, "Yu, I can only entrust him to you. You''re at the same age, but I don''t need to worry about you. Hao is different. I have been trying to teach him to be smarter, but I failed." Su Yu had nothing to say. He could only nod. At that point, Chen Hao finally returned with a cup of tea. With a heartyugh, he said, "Dad, what are you talking about?" Chen Qinghe nced at Chen Hao and grumbled, "We''re talking about how stupid you are, wondering when you''ll grow up." Chen Hao shut his mouth sullenly. "How I wish you''re a girl. If that''s the case, I can tell Su Long to marry you over to Yu. Unfortunately, you''re a boy, a boy with a big body and a small brain." Hearing that, Chen Hao grimaced while Su Yu shivered. He started imagining Chen Hao as his wife...and he erased the thought immediately. That was too scary a thought to even entertain. After a short while, Mother Chen was finally done cooking. With the dishes served, they all sat around the dining table. Chapter 44: Three Targets

Chapter 44: Three Targets

This wasn''t Su Yu''s first time eating at Chen Hao''s ce, so he wasn''t shy. It had been quite a while since hest had any proper food, so he ate to his heart''s content. After the meal and a short chat with the Chen family, he took his leave. He had just stepped through the door when Chen Qinghe appeared with a case in hand. He pushed it into Su Yu''s hands and softly said, "Take this. This isn''t for what you did to help Hao with the cult member. He will repay you for that himself. This is my gift to thank you for the care you''re going to show my son in the future. I might not sound like I''m worried, but I''m really afraid that one random day, I''ll receive news that my son is dead. Yu, I can only beg for your help!" Su Yu had aplicated feeling. Chen Qinghao was a deputy head of the city''s Traffic Department, a Great Strength cultivator, and a soon-to-be head of the Traffic Department. But for the sake of his son, he was lowering himself before a kid like Su Yu. Su Yu was only a Source Opening cultivator. Sure, he was going to join a cultural research academy, but he didn''t understand why Chen Qinghe had so much faith in him. After thinking about it, he decided to ept the case. ... Before long, Su Yu was on his way home. After he left, Chen Hao said, "Dad, why were you so courteous toward Yu today? That feels so awkward." "What do you know?" Chen Qinghe couldn''t even be bothered to exin himself. Chen Hao was not satisfied. He said, "What do I not know? I''ve known Yu for so many years. We''re close enough that he''ll lend me a hand even if you haven''t asked for his help." "Helping you once or twice can be attributed to your friendship. If he helps you three or four times, that would be due to his kindness. But more than that would ruin your rtionship." Chen Qinghe''s face fell as he said, "With how you''re behaving, it''s only a matter of time before you get yourself in trouble. What if that keeps happening? Su Yu isn''t your father. Why should he keep doing so? Eventually, you''ll find your friendship declining. Will you be shameless enough to keep sticking to him then?" "Dad, you look down on me too much." "You''re right." Chen Qinghe did not deny that. "If you''re really going to the capital, keep to yourself and focus on cultivating. Don''t create trouble. Don''t bother Su Yu if there is nothing important. Only ask for his help if there is really something you can''t solve." "Yu is also going there as a student. It''s not like he''s going there to be a big official or something..." "You!" Chen QInghe sighed, "Can the two of you be the same? Even ignoring the fact that he''s smarter than you, who is Liu Wenyan? He is a Skysoar cultural researcher. He has an extensivework in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. He has high expectations of Su Yu, so things will be different for Su Yu there. "There''s also a person called Bai Feng that was here in Nanyuan for a bit. I asked around and found that he''s an assistant researcher. Recently, he''s aiming to break through into the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm. "Before leaving Nanyuan, he told Su Yu to look for him in the academy. Commander Zhang from the city guards and the others were there to hear that. Do you know what that means? That means he looks highly on Su Yu as well. As for you...why hadn''t you grabbed the opportunity when it was before you? "Su Yu will benefit from Liu Wenyan''swork in the academy. He will also obtain Bai Feng''s care. He is smart. After a few years, when you''re still a regr soldier, he might have grown into a big shot already. "Don''t forget about Su Long as well. Yes, he''s a Great Strength cultivator, but he''s a veteran of the Devil Subduing Army. I''m nothing like him." Chen Qinghe sighed, "What is the Devil Subduing Army? That is the army led by the prefect back then. A few of the current 1000-manmanders in the Martial Dragon Guards are from the Devil Subduing Army. "Su Long might not be a big deal, but he is still someone from the army and can be considered theirrade-in-arms. "More than half of the higher ups in the Martial Dragon Guards and the Great Xia Army came from the Devil Subduing Army. As long as Su Yu isn''t a fool, he can use that as the pretext to get the two powerful forces as his backer." Chen Hao nked out. "Will that really work? Dad, Uncle Su is only a Great Strength cultivator. Does he even know those big shots?" "It''s not the issue of knowing or not knowing them." Chen Qinghe shot his son an unhappy re and said, "You don''t understand the military. If Su Yu really asks for their help, after telling them that his father is a member of the Devil Subduing Army, a veteran that has returned from retirement, the folks in the military will instantly find him more agreeable. The military is famous for how protective they are of their own. They will at least make sure that nobody can bully Su Yu. "They probably won''t give him that big of a help, but with them around, nobody in the capital can bully him. If things get too troublesome, even the prefect might personally get involved. That had happened before." Chen Qinghe stopped at that. He had indeed heard of something like that happening before. Xia Longwu was known as the iron-blooded war god. He greatly valued his fellow soldiers. That was especially true for the batch of veterans that had fought under him twenty years ago. A lot of the people from back then were now upying high positions in the Martial Dragon Guards and Great Xia Army. It was a pity that Su Long had retired back then. Otherwise, if he managed to survive until today, he would have gotten a rather high position as well. Furthermore, Su Long was a tad bit too weak. If he was at the Infinite Strength Realm, he would have definitely been epted into the Martial Dragon Guards. Compared with Su Yu, Chen Hao would bepletely alone in the capital. Chen Qinghe was no Su Long. He was a big deal in Nanyuan, but nobody knew him in the capital. At one point, Chen Hao became utterly confused, so he decided to stop thinking. He only muttered that Uncle Su was incredible and...returned to his room. Chen Qinghe was speechless. He could guess what his son was thinking. His son must be asking why his father wasn''t a Devil Subduing Army veteran as well. That was most definitely what that kid was thinking right now. ... Su family''s residence. After returning home, Su Yu opened the case he got from Chen Qinghe. His expression changed the moment he saw the contents in the case. The case wasn''t small, and there were multiple items in it. A few small bottles could be seen in the case. There was also a single bone fragment there. Unlike the previous iplete bone fragment he saw, this was aplete bone fragment. "Is this...an original text of a myriad race cultivation method?" Su Yu was stunned. He also saw that there were three bottles in the case. When he opened them, he found a drop of source qi liquid in each bottle. "How generous!" Su Yu was stunned. Three drops of source qi liquid had a market price of three hundred thousand. Even more valuable was the original myriad race cultivation method. Even if it was only a Great Strength cultivation method, it was still incredibly valuable. The bone fragment Su Yu had gotten from Bai Feng was iplete. It was only one third of the full copy yet it was considered a treasure. Even Liu Yue coveted it. This wasn''t something you could buy with just money. Merit points were required as well. Su Yu was no longer a clueless child, so he knew all that. Also, these original texts couldn''t be purchased in Nanyuan Secondary School. They were only avable for purchase in the capital. A single Great Strength original text, whether it was a cultivation method or martial technique, and regardless of which race it originated from, would have a price tag of no less than thirty merit points. The original texts of the divines or devils would be even more expensive. "This..." Su Yu knew that this wouldn''t be a cheap gift. But he had not expected this. He even suspected that Chen Qinghe had used all the merit points he had saved over the years to purchase that single original text. Su Yu did not know what to say. Three hundred thousand. As a deputy head of the Traffic Department, Chen Qinghe had definitely earned more than his father, but it also wouldn''t be easy for him to gather thirty merit points. /p> People like Chen Qinghe would only earn around five to ten merit points per year. Su Yu did not know how much merit points Chen Qinghe had spent for the gift, but the contents in the case were probably worth about six to seven years of Chen Qinghe''s total ie. His sry, employment benefits, and rewards had all been spent on the contents of the case. "Uncle Chen is overestimating me too much." Su Yu felt helpless. He understood that this gift was a form of investment for Chen Qinghe. Naturally, the investment was made on behalf of Chen Hao. Chen Qinghe hoped that Su Yu would take care of Chen Hao after achieving something for himself in the capital. And Chen Qinghao had held nothing back. He wasn''t even aware that Bai Feng had epted Su Yu as a student in advance. He also wasn''t aware that Su Yu had already reached the seventh-stage. Just based on what he knew of Su Yu from before, he had prepared such valuable gifts without worrying that he would waste his effort. "Sigh." Su Yu sighed. Chen Qinghe did all that for his son. Hao was probably unaware of that. And if he did find out, well, that fellow would probablye and ask for some of the stuff from Su Yu. Su Yu knew very well that Uncle Chen would not take the gifts back even if he insisted on returning them. After giving it some thought, he decided to keep them. The original myriad race cultivation method was something Chen Qinghe didn''t have a need for. He could only have purchased it for Su Yu. He had probably asked around a lot before knowing what to buy. As for the three drops of source qi liquid, after some thought, Su Yu concluded that he might not need all of them. He still had a drop on him. He would also earn three drops from the war academy examination. Yes, he was already viewing the examination reward as his personal belonging. Source qi liquid would be helpful during the Source Opening Realm. It was also useful during the Great Strength Realm, but it wouldn''t be as effective anymore. Su Yu was already a seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator. He probably wouldn''t need that many drops of source qi liquid. "I''ll just let Hao use it when he cultivates at my ce. Looks like I''ve only gotten richer after Dad left." Su Yu was somewhat speechless. His dad had left over three hundred thousand behind. Su Yu had thought that he would go bankrupt when he first started buying blood essence. But instead, he was getting richer and richer. "Anping dors and gold coins worth three hundred thousand, four drops of source qi liquid, oneplete Great Strength original text, one iplete Great Strength original text, two drops of blood essence, and thirteen merit points." The merit points included the one point he had earned earlier in the day and the two points he had earned a few days ago when helping the Windcatcher Department capture a Myriad Race Cult member. After some calction, Su Yu found that he had turned into a rich man. "Well, since I''m rich, time to share the wealth with my little bro." Su Yu smiled. The two drops of blood essence he had obtained as his spoils of war did not belong to iron-winged birds. He did not consume them rashly and had been keeping them around to be absorbed by his blood character. The Divine Character couldn''t absorb much each time, but it could take its time and slowly grow. "My next goal is to kill a middle-stage Great Strength cult member for my graduation exam and enter the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm. As for my willpower, I''ll try to reach twenty percent as soon as possible." Those would be Su Yu''s goals before the academy entrance examinations. There were less than twenty-four days before the examinations. He was confident he would be able to achieve all three of his goals. Chapter 45: The Name Comes Before the Man (1)

Chapter 45: The Name Comes Before the Man (1)

Su Yu was cultivating hard to achieve his three goals. At the same time, Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. This was an iparably massive academy. Pavilions spread as far as the eye could see. Commerce District, Residential District, Education District, Grotto District, Social District, and so on split the massive academy into various sections. The academy was basically a small city. /p> Enrollment Center. Bai Feng had just finished his secluded cultivation session. For the first time in a month, he left his home to take in some fresh air outside. He walked into the Enrollment Center in an unhurried manner. It was still not the enrollment season, but this ce was already getting busy. After all, the entrance examinations in the various cities were starting soon. "Old Zhou, do me a favor. That''s my nephew. I''ll teach him myself after he''s epted into the academy. He is pretty good at the myriadnguages. He is also quite talented in Divine Characters. His willpower is decent as well. You only need to be slightly lenient to him during the exam..." "No!" A middle-aged man berated, "Even if you''re going to teach him yourself, we still can''t do that! If he can''t even get through the entrance exam with his own abilities, it doesn''t matter whose nephew he is. He can''t be epted." "Old Zhou, you''re clearly trying to make things hard for me." "Don''t try that on me. We have the records from Tianfeng City. Your nephew has spent five years in his secondary school to master only threenguages. Am I right? Who are you trying to trick? He''s untalented. epting him will be a waste of resources. If you can''t ept that, feel free to go back home and teach him yourself." "You!" "What? Are you going to beat me up?" "I¡ª" "What? You''re only a junior researcher. You dare raise your voice against an intermediate researcher like me?" "..." The ce was bustling with noise. Bai Feng shook his head. This was probably the noisiest ce in the entire academy. Some were here to get someone into the academy through a backdoor. Some were here to snatch the new genius students. Not just anyone could maintain order at a ce like this. Bai Feng did not bother going near the arguing duo. He looked for a shorter line and waited for a short while before it was his turn. "Check Su Yu from Nanyuan Secondary School. See if there are any updates on his profile." When the young woman at the counter saw that it was Bai Feng, she blushed and hastily said, "Working on it, Assistant Bai." Bai Feng had a smile on his face, but inwardly, he thought, ''This girl doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s doing. I will choose a different counter next time.'' He was unhappy that she had addressed him as Assistant Bai. Couldn''t she have called him Researcher Bai? "Su Yu, final year student at Nanyuan Secondary School, certified for eighteennguages, fifth-stage Source Opening Realm, twenty-one original earned merit points, rmended by Instructor Liu of Nanyuan. With aprehensive grade of three hundred marks, he has a middle-low rating." "Middle-low?" Bai Feng nodded. That was the grading given internally by the academy. Inparison with the students of the various cities, this wasn''t a good rating, but it also wasn''t a bad one. "For this year''s exam, two hundred marks would be enough for him to join the academy, right?" The woman hurriedly said, "We''re still unsure. But ording to past trends, that should be sufficient." One certifiednguage would grant a student ten marks. At third-stage Source Opening Realm and below, one would earn ten marks per stage. From the third to the fifth stage, one would earn thirty marks per stage. Excluding the merit points awarded for certifiednguages, the remaining merit points would grant one ten marks per point. With aprehensive grade of three hundred marks, Su Yu wouldn''t have any issue entering the academy. Of course, they wouldn''t tell the students about the grading system. And if these rmended students were to somehow fail their first entrance examination, they would be given a second chance in case the first fail was due to some unexpected ident. That was the benefit of having this rmendation system in ce. Generally, someone at the third-stage Source Opening Realm with seventeennguages mastered was guaranteed to pass the examination. ?Some students with more merit points would have the requirements lowered, such as passing with only fifteennguages mastered. Or perhaps one had a higher cultivation level, such as reaching the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm. That person would be able to get through the examination by mastering only fourteennguages. Thus, as a third-stage Source Opening cultivator who had mastered eighteennguages, Su Yu was guaranteed entry into the academy. That was why he was considered a genius at Nanyuan. Previously, he had a low rating. That signified that he wouldn''t be taken by any researcher as a student after entering the academy. With a new rating of middle-low, he could now be considered decent. If he was lucky, he could even attract the attention of a researcher and be recruited as a helper. After a short silence, Bai Feng said, "Put Su Yu under me. I have two personal student openings, right? Give him one." "What?" The woman eximed in shock. She hastily said, "Assistant Bai, he only has a middle-low rating." "Is there a problem with that?" Bai Feng smiled, "That is good enough. Hees rmended by Nanyuan and Instructor Liu Wenyan is my martial uncle. Is there a problem with me epting someone as my personal student?" "No..." The woman was getting anxious. A middle-low student could be good enough for others, but for someone like Bai Feng, it would be too much of a waste for the limited openings he had. "Assistant Bai, before bing a full researcher, you can ept no more than two personal students. Su Yu has yet to enter the academy and has a rating of middle-low. It won''t benefit you much to ept him..." "Thank you. I know. Give him the opening." Bai Feng had the same smile on his face as this woman was advising him out of kindness. However, he did not need any advice on this matter. "Then..." The woman felt regretful. But Bai Feng was the one epting a student. There really wasn''t anything she could do about it. Just as she was about to get started with the paperwork, a smiling individual walked over and said, "Bai Feng, you''re epting a neer as your personal student instead of someone already in the academy? And you''re epting someone with a middle-low rating? What are you thinking? "This year, we have a lot of new students rated high. There are even a few high-high students in the list. And during the examination, even more might appear." Bai Feng turned his head to look at the neer. A frown formed on his face. He was prepared to keep a low profile and leave after getting the job done. But this fellow was here creating trouble again. "Liu Hong, I''m the one epting a student here. That has nothing to do with you." About five meters away was a young man standing with his arms crossed. With a smile on his face, the young man said, "That''s right. But...I enjoy watching a good show." "Shut your mouth if it has nothing to do with you." Bai Feng couldn''t be bothered to waste more time on that person. He turned to look at the woman at the counter and asked, "Are you done with the registration?" "Yes, Assistant Bai." "Bai Feng!" Seeing that Bai Feng was ignoring him, Liu Hong said, "Are you really going to ept a freshie as your personal student?" "That has nothing to do with you." Bai Feng started leaving. With a frown, Liu Hong said, "Yes, it has nothing to do with me. But have you thought of how many people you will offend by epting this person as your personal student?" Bai Feng looked at Liu Hong with his brows furrowed. "Last year, my younger brother tried to be your personal student. You refused. Fine. You have yet to ept any student. Maybe you''re waiting for a student with high-high rating. I understand that. My younger brother is not capable enough. "But now, you''re epting a middle-low student? Bai Feng, how do you think my younger brother will take it? How will my family take it?" Bai Feng sneered, "And that concerns me how?" "You''re right, Bai Feng. That does not concern you." Liu Hong solemnly said, "I don''t mind either. It doesn''t even matter how my family takes it. But my younger brother wasn''t the only one who had tried bing your student. "Even high-high students have been rejected by you before. Now, you''re epting a middle-low student. What will they think? "Yes, all that won''t concern you either. But have you considered this? You''re making enemies for that new student. Others will question the fact that they were rejected while a mediocre student is epted. Is he better than them? Or is there a different reason?" Bai Feng was indifferent. "So?" "Nothing. It''s fine for you to ept him. You still have one more opening. That one student will attract too much attention alone. Why don''t you ept another student?" "Your younger brother?" "Of course not. He has already been epted by Researcher Hu. I rmend Wu Qi''s younger sister. She has a high-middle rating. That''s pretty good. We never mentioned her to you since you have never been interested in epting students before. Since that''s changing this year, you might as well ept another student. What do you think?" "What do I think? I think...you can piss off." Bai Feng said impatiently, "So what if she is a high-middle student? What do I care about Wu Qi? Am I supposed to be impressed because she''s Wu Qi¡¯s younger sister? I will ept whoever I want! "And if you people are unhappy...feel free to create trouble for the new student. As long as you don''t kill or cripple him, suppress him however you want." Bai Feng waspletely indifferent. Suppressing Su Yu? If they could, feel free to do it. "Who I ept as my student is none of your business. Piss off, Liu Hong. Don''t bother trying to act all friendly to me. My words apply to you, to Wu Qi, and to everyone else. Go ept those students yourself instead of trying to send them my way. If you keep bothering me, don''t me me for being impolite." Bai Feng was speaking quite loudly. He had wanted to keep a low profile, but with Liu Hong''s disturbance, he had attracted quite a lot of attention. He was very straightforward as he loudly said, "I can ept whoever I want as my student. Even if it''s a cripple, so long as he can get through the entrance exam, I''ll still ept him if I want. Are you trying to tell me what to do? Don''t bother ying those stupid tricks on me!" Leaving those words behind, Bai Feng left. The room sank into a short silence before sounds of discussion erupted. "Bai Feng is epting a student?" "What is he thinking? He has rejected many people during the past two years. Why is he suddenly changing his mind this year?" "I heard it''s a student rmended by Liu Wenyan..." "Liu Wenyan has rmended quite a lot of students before. Bai Feng never cared." "I''m not sure. But after what happened here spreads, he will encounter a lot of troubles. After all, many people are paying close attention to Senior Hong." "There''s also a lot of little fellows keeping their eyes on Bai Feng. Thepetition for the slots three yearster...Bai Feng will definitely get involved in it." "Also, he will also be fighting for the limited positions of full researcher promotion." An old man smiled, "What is this kid trying to do? A lot of people are wondering about that. Nobody will ignore the fact that he''s suddenly epting a student. Also, Senior Hong has quite a lot of valuable stuff. Everyone is eyeing what he has." "True." Someoneughed, "This is good. A good show will unfold. The academy has been peaceful for way too long. Thepetition for the slots seven years ago had caused quite a big ruckus. Thispetition only happens once every ten years. I was thinking that the show will only start in one or two years. But it looks like the show is going to start early this time." "Great Xia only has twenty slots in total. Our academy will only be able to get five or six of them. Bai Feng will meet a lot ofpetitors. Let''s see if he can hold them off." "He''s a seventh-stage Skysoar. He will be able to handle it." "Nah, nothing is absolute. Also, those little fellows aren''t simple individuals either. The nextpetition might be even more intense than before." "..." One person after another spoke out. Staring at the departing Bai Feng, Liu Hong remained silent. After thinking about it, he went to the counter and asked for Su Yu''s records. Chapter 46: The Name Comes Before the Man (2)

Chapter 46: The Name Comes Before the Man (2)

A short whileter, Liu Hong entered a small vi in the Residential District. "Wu Qi, Bai Feng is epting a student this year." A young woman was writing a Divine Character with a pen. Without looking up, she said, "So be it. Why would I care?" "He''s epting a middle-low student. I suggested your younger sister...and he told me to piss off. This fellow is already a seventh-stage Skysoar. He is getting even more arrogant than before." "He has always been arrogant." Wu Qi was still indifferent. "Apart from that period of time a few years ago after he was beaten up by that fellow from the war academy, he has never stopped being arrogant." At the mention of that incident, Wu Qi smiled, "I''m still waiting for the show to start. A few yearster when he finally reaches the ninth-stage, he will definitely go get his revenge. That person better not enter the Cloudbreach Realm too fast or the show will end prematurely." Liu Hong said, "That''s not the point. He''s epting a student. This is a good opportunity. Senior Hong is very hard to meet. His research center is firmly under Bai Feng''s control. If we can get Bai Feng to ept one of our people as his student, that research center alone will be lucrative enough to satisfy all of us." "Huh?" Wu Qi finally looked up. Her eyes turned cold as she said, "Piss off." "Wu Qi, you¡ª" "Piss off!" She snorted with contempt in her eyes. "I am Wu Qi. I do not need to y these tricks to get what I want. Bai Feng is not my match. Regardless of whether it''s the full researcher promotion exam or thepetition three yearster, I''ll be present in both. "Liu Hong, stop ying your tricks around me. You might not like the consequences." Liu Hong clenched his fists and said, "If I''m really ying tricks with you, I won''t be here to see you. Fight for opportunities. Fight for fortune. I don''t care how others see me or know what I do. None of that matters. I have the right to fight for the opportunity when it is before me. "Bai Feng controls Senior Hong''s research center. I want to fight for that. Even Senior Hong won''t stop me from doing so. If I win, that will only prove that I''m better than Bai Feng. There is no denying that. Wu Qi, do you look down on someone exercising his right to pursue a better station in life?" Wu Qi looked up once again, "You''re right. It is your right to do so. But...how does that concern me?" "Don''t you wish to get better support and a better future for your younger sister?" "In that case, that will be between me and Bai Feng. I don''t need you to get involved in my business." "It''s pointless. He won''t be moved by either force or persuasion. We have to make sure he has no choice but to do so, and you alone won''t be able to aplish that." Wu Qi stared at Liu Hong for a while before saying, "If you want my help, sure. As a payment, you need to let me study your force character for three months." "..." Liu Hong clenched his teeth in anger and said, "That''s too much!" "Not at all. If you disagree...feel free to go at it alone. I''m not interested in these stupid games. You''re not even at the seventh-stage, so you won''t be qualified to get involved in thepetition and researcher promotion anyway." Liu Hong took a deep breath and made up his mind, "Fine." Wu Qi smiled, "Tell me. What do you intend to do?" "Simple. Reduce Bai Feng''s authority." "Huh?" "If his student fails three monthly exams, ranks low in the seasonal exams and the yearly exams, Bai Feng will lose three hundred points in one year. With that, his authority will drop one level. And in three years, he will no longer be qualified to take part in thatpetition. "We don''t even need three years. A yearter, I''ll be able to apply for control over Senior Hong''s research center. At that time, with a lower level of authority, Bai Feng won''t be able to stop me even if he''s Senior Hong''s personal student. After all, the research center was still made with the academy''s money. It would be Bai Feng''s fault for losing the research center. "At that time, he will have no choice but to ept a new student to raise his authority. And he would need an outstanding student for that. If we prepare well, he will have no choice but to pick one of our own. And since he has to pick an outstanding student, there is only one or a few options. What do you think he will do?" Liu Hong continued, "This is an open conspiracy. He was the one who had dered that we can do whatever we want. In that case, why should I be pulling my punches?" Wu Qi shot him a nce before looking back down at the Divine Character she was writing. After a short while, she said, "That''s a cheap scheme, but it should work well. So would my role in all this be protection against Bai Feng''s revenge?" "Yes. That fellow is too arrogant. If he really suffers a loss, he won''t take it silently. I''m worried that he will make a move on me and seriously injure me, forcing me to withdraw from allpetitions in the academy." "Yes, that does sound like something he would do." Wu Qi smiled, "At least you''re self-aware enough to know that he''s better than you. If I''m the one making the decision, I would have told you to give up onpeting against him. But you''re also right that this is a good opportunity for you. Even if he''s making a move on you, it will be an honorable challenge instead of some dirty schemes. How about this? If he challenges you, I''ll challenge and injure him before he can face you." "Agreed." Liu Hong was overjoyed. That was exactly what he wanted. The stronger individuals in the academy weren''t interested in a minor conflict like this. As for the weaker ones, they were unqualified to even get involved. As for the Cloudbreach experts, those were all the higher ups of the academy. Senior Hong wouldn''t sit around and watch as those people get involved in a conflict between juniors. "By the way, if Bai Feng''s student keeps failing his exams, Bai Feng will definitely be forced to ept another student to increase his evaluation. If my younger sister really ends up as his student, she will definitely do her best to help her teacher. I won''t have my sister hold back for your scheme. That will only ruin her future." "Of course." Liu Hong smiled. "The more outstanding your sister is, the better it is. That will only cause Bai Feng to pour more of his resources to her. That is how things are done and nobody can change that. As a result, the other student will keep falling behind and continue lowering Bai Feng''s evaluation. Even if your sister can pull Bai Feng''s evaluation up, it won''t be enough. Bai Feng will not be able to escape dropping a level." Wu Qi nodded in agreement. ... While the two were discussing, Bai Feng was walking around in the academy. A smile suddenly formed on his face as he said, "Bunch of fools. Trying to reduce my authority?" He wasn''t there to hear the discussion, but he could guess what Liu Hong was trying to do. "Well, that would be an interesting show to watch." Bai Feng muttered to himself before shaking his head. Su Yu would probably encounter a lot of trouble after entering the academy. But...that could be good as well. How could an unpolished gem shine? Without any suppression, how would that kid understand that the academy was filled with geniuses? How would he understand that he wasn''t that special? "Completing a Divine Character in one day...I really hope Liu Hong can help me suppress that kid for a bit. Otherwise, it will be hard to stop the kid from getting too full of himself. But Liu Hong is an idiot. He won''t end up sending fools over to be humiliated by that kid, right?" Bai Fengughed and shook his head. If that really happened, well, it had nothing to do with him. p> "Wu Qi, Xia Yuwen..." Muttering the two new names, Bai Feng hadpletely forgotten about Liu Hong. That fellow was not even at the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm. He couldn''t be bothered to pay much attention to someone like that. The two names he mentioned were his actualpetitors in the academy. Even before this when he was still at the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm, he had never considered Liu Hong a threat. "Su Yu." Finally, Bai Feng mentioned Su Yu''s name. "This kid better not disappoint me. He needs to surpass and suppress the students of those fellows. Only then would I be able to get promoted into a full researcher earlier and be a team leader..." There were still too many limitations for an assistant researcher. Without sufficient authority, there were many ces he wasn''t allowed to visit. ¡­ Nanyuan. The secondary school had been in a mess for the past few days. Chen Hao had broken through into the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm. He then challenged the fifth-stage Source Opening Realm Zhou Chong. There actually wasn''t much difference between the two. With their cultivation levels, they were basically the same as a normal person. Zhou Chong had a higher cultivation level, but he was beaten until he cried. That wasn''t the end of it. Chen Hao was not satisfied with beating Zhou Chong alone. He continued looking for more people to fight. On the first day, he fought ten different students. He won some and he lost some, but he didn''t care. He treated all the fights as training. In three days, he got into over thirty fights. If he hadn''t been forced to take a sick leave by his mother due to the bruises on his face, he would probably continue fighting. But even though Chen Hao was absent from school, he had started a new trend. In the past, everyone believed that those at the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm were incredible while those at the fifth-stage were akin to the stars in the sky. But now, all those amazing individuals were merely people that had been whacked by Chen Hao. That opened a brand new world to the students in the school. Some of the students that were bully victims of the more talented students started stirring. Thus, on the day Chen Hao was absent, even more fights broke out in the school. There were quite a lot of students eager to challenge the so-called talented students. Zhou Chong, in particr, was someone who had provoked many people in the past with his rude mouth. But since he was known as a genius, most people could only endure in silence. But on that day, no less than seven of them had stepped forth to challenge Zhou Chong. The result of those fights didn''t matter. They had still managed to hurt Zhou Chong. So many bruises were left on his face that unless one was very familiar with him, one wouldn''t even be able to recognize him. ... "This is ridiculous!" In the office, Liu Wenyan shook his head, not knowing whether tough or cry. He was able to instantly guess whose idea that was. Chen Hao was a simple and honest student. Without someone inciting him, he wouldn''t challenge Zhou Chong for no reason. Clearly, that was Su Yu''s handiwork. Beside him, the principal was stroking his beard really hard. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently. With a sigh, the principalmented, "These kids sure are energetic. The exams are near. Why aren''t they stopping? A few fights here and there is fine as that will give them more passion in cultivation. But..." The principal felt like crying. "Why are they beating up girls as well? I''m worried about the future of these kids! There have never been too many girls in war academies. If these kids bring this habit with them to the academies, are they going to stay single forever?" Liu Wenyan trembled as he realized how serious this problem was. "Chen Hao...needs to have his ass whooped!" Liu Wenyan was starting to get anxious as well. What were they to do with this batch of students? Every single one of them was running around shouting that men and women are equal on the battlefield. What the fuck was that? How were they supposed to find a wife in the future? Were the male students of this batch going to...stay single for life? The principal sighed in desperation, "This trend is influencing more than the students of this batch. Their juniors are all watching. There are a lot of children between eleven and twelve in the school. I''m hearing news that even these boys are getting ready to challenge the girls in their sses..." "Are they stupid?" Liu Wenyan was speechless. "No. Apparently they heard from their seniors that only by beating girls can they temper their fortitude. Beating girls can help them improve in their cultivation." "..." Liu Wenyan looked at the principal. The principal looked at him. A dispirited expression covered both their faces. They couldn''t go around spreading those words! If this continued, in a few years, the entire Nanyuan Secondary School would be turned into some sort of temple filled with monks who had taken vows of chastity. That was too scary! And the moment that reputation spread, to the point even those in the capital learned of it, how were Nanyuan students supposed to get girlfriends in the capital? What the hell were those kids thinking? The principal sighed yet again and said, "We''ll see what we can do after sending this batch of students off. Old Liu, let''s move on. Did you hear the news from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy?" As the best secondary school in Nanyuan, they naturally had some connections to the various academies. Thus, they were able to obtain certain news before other schools. Furthermore, there were also some Nanyuan Secondary School alumni in the various academies. All those people formed a reliablework of information for the principal. Liu Wenyan nodded and indifferently said, "That''s normal. Seems like they haven''t changed. The issue is not Su Yu. It''s Bai Feng. That fellow has recently broken through into the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm. The people there are feeling more and more threatened by him. "Previously, he might be outstanding as a sixth-stage Skysoar cultivator, but there are still at least eight people with the same cultivation level in the same age group in the academy. There are even a fewte-stage Skysoar cultivators there. "People were even questioning his qualification to be ranked in the top ten. But now that he has broken through, he is starting to catch a lot more attention than before." Bai Feng epting a student would not have caused such a big ruckus previously. Sure, he would still attract some attention, but it wouldn''t be such a big deal. But he had reached the seventh-stage. He had only advanced by a single stage, but that single stage signified that he would no longer meet any bottlenecks until the ninth-stage. That immediately ced him in the top five of the academy. Naturally, that ranking only included his peers, not the old timers of the academy. Chapter 47: Big Spender

Chapter 47: Big Spender

The principal was worried. "Would this affect Su Yu? I heard that each time thatpetition draws near, things will grow intense there. Even the war academies will get involved. Some people have even lost their lives in thepetition..." "It is very rare for someone to actually die from it." Liu Wenyan knew more than the principal. He exined, "The big shots are all keeping watch. Scenarios where lives were lost were mostly idents." "Even if they were mostly idents, the danger still exists." The principal was extremely worried. "Su Yu is just a normal secondary school student. For him to get engulfed in all that...should he change his target and join a war academy instead? He''s already a seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator. That''s good enough to join a war academy. What do you think?" "That is uneptable." Liu Wenyan frowned. "Even if he can achieve something in a war academy, he won''t achieve more than what he could in a cultural research academy. This is merely his first trial. If he gets through it, he will go further, faster, and higher." "Old Liu, he''s only eighteen. He knows nothing." Liu Wenyan firmly said, "He can learn. Nobody''s born knowing everything. Su Yu is a tenacious kid. Little setbacks won''t stop him. And if he manages to get through the trial, he will grow into one of the most outstanding students they have ever seen. "You see this as a danger. I see this as an opportunity. A regr student will probably need at least five years in the academy before getting the chance to be involved in something like this. But now, he will be able to get involved with the best the academy has to offer right after joining. This will only be helpful for his future." "As for the danger...it might not be too bad," Liu Wenyan said. "Among the younger generation, Bai Feng is no pushover. His teacher is also one of the few top experts among the academy''s senior researchers. "In fact, Su Yu will have a rather high starting point there. That will only make it easier for him to go further and higher in the future. Also, Su Yu''s isn''t worse than the other geniuses." Liu Wenyan smiled, "We have yet to update Su Yu''s information with the academy. We will maintain his profile at fifth-stage Source Opening Realm and eighteennguages mastered. Let him hold back and catch them all by surprise after entering the academy." Seeing that Liu Wenyan had reached a decision, the principal stopped advising him to change his mind. Instead, the principal said, "Do you think he''ll be able to reach the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm?" Recently, Su Yu had stopped going everywhere toplete the various tasks assigned by Liu Wenyan. He would only go to school and learn some newnguages from Liu Wenyan before going home early. He was focused on reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm. That was a major milepoint in the Source Opening Realm. Upon reaching that point, he would finally gain the ability to utilize his source qi. His strength would increase, and together with his Divine Character, he would be having a much easier time ambushing Great Strength cultivators. "I don''t know." Liu Wenyan was unsure. "He has been progressing rapidly. In less than two months, he has advanced from the fourth-stage to the seventh-stage. He''s even getting near the eighth-stage. Bai Feng''s Source Opening Codex has helped him a lot. But at the seventh-stage, that willpower text will no longer be that helpful to him." "Didn''t you say that you''re writing him a willpower text? Why don''t you write a new Source Opening Codex for him?" The principal was looking forward to Su Yu''s breakthrough. If he managed to do that, he would be the first eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator produced by the Nanyuan Secondary School in twenty years. Twenty years ago, there was an eighth-stage Source Opening genius in the school, but that wasn''t really something they could take credit for. That fellow was someone from the capital, only transferred here temporarily to take the academy entrance examination before leaving. "It won''t help." Liu Wenyan shook his head. He said, "I already know what I''m writing for him, but I need you to pay for it." "What are you writing?" the principal asked cautiously. "First chapter of the Lightning Source de, Great Strength version." Liu Wenyan said, "He doesn''tck cultivation methods. He can get even more cultivation methods at the academy. However, hecks martial techniques written with willpower. He can practice from a regr book, but that would be too slow. Only a willpower text can help him rapidly learn and master this technique." "Lightning Source de? The middle-tier profound-grade martial technique?" The principal eximed in shock. He asked, "Can he learn it? Wait, no, can you even write it? Are you sure you can write something like that now?" Strength was not the thing that made cultural researchers great. After all, warriors were actually very strong as well. Cultural researchers have different types of strength. For example, their willpower texts. A half-assed Source Opening Codex written by Bai Feng is enough to greatly help Su Yu, bringing him to the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm without using any blood essence. "What do you mean by that?" Liu Wenyan red furiously. "It''s only a low-tier profound-grade technique. It''s also a Great Strength version of the technique. Why can''t I write something like that? Who do you think you''re looking down on? "However, you need to pay for it! I want a hundred drops of rumble lightning beast. I only need the blood of Great Strength beasts. Additionally, I also want the powdered form of their horns. I''ll also need the hide of an Infinite Strength beast to be written on." "You..." The principal''s eyes widened. He did a short calction and said, "A hundred drops of Great Strength rumble lightning beast. That will cost me a hundred merit points. The horn would cause five merit points each. The Infinite Strength beast hide suitable for willpower text writing won''te cheaper than ten merit points...That''s about 115 merit points in total. Are you robbing me?" "Uncouth!!" Liu Wenyan berated, "You''re too uncouth! Why are you thinking about money all the time? It''s only a hundred merit points. Wasn''t the school rewarded a thousand merit points for the victory over the cult previously?" "That''s the paltry savings of the school!" "Paltry my ass. Didn''t I kill a Skysoar cultivator? I didn''t even ask you about that. Be honest. Did you steal the merit points for that kill from me?" "What do you mean I stole your points?" The principal was stamping his foot in anger, "Stop acting dumb. You used our points to purchase a Skysoar Realm original text. Have you forgotten? You finished all your points and even owe the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy a lot of points. "You should be d that the capital decides to forget about your debt, not getting even more greedy. Do you not know shame? You''re actually using me of stealing your merit? I¡ª" Liu Wenyan coughed and interrupted, "Oh, I finally remember. I was forced to spend my merit points. I need to increase my strength and protect Nanyuan. That should be an expense I can im from Nanyuan. Cough, cough. Fine, fine, that is my personal expense. But we''re training a genius for Nanyuan. It is only natural for the school to support that, right? "Think about it. Su Yu is a rare genius of Nanyuan. My willpower alone will have a hard timepleting the Lightning Source de for him. If he manages to learn the Lightning Source de, he will be able to stand strong even in the capital. What do you think? If he gets first ce in his academy exams, wouldn''t it bring glory to our school? Wouldn''t it bring more merit your way? "If he does well in the capital, won''t he return and repay the school in the future? If he reaches the Skysoar or even the Cloudbreach Realm, a tiny bit of his grace when he''s in a good mood will be invaluable. For example, writing a random willpower text for the school when he feels like it. That one text will be worth everything you spend today. "Old Wang! You need to look further. As an old man, why is your worldview still so narrow?" Liu Wenyan advised with a disappointed expression, "He is talented. He is tenacious. He has decent foundations. He is also someone who remembers those who have been good to him. If you don''t spend now, why would he repay you in the future?" The principal stroked his beard, pulling at them real hard as he sighed, "That''s over a hundred points!" "So what? You can get that much by killing only one Skysoar cultivator." "Only? Go on. Go ahead and do it. Kill a Skysoar cultivator for me then" Liu Wenyan turned impatient, "Why are you wasting our time here? What''s the point of keeping all those merit points unspent? The school has been awarded a decent amount of points recently. Nobody is in need of them for now. Just pretend you''re using them on me. I''m a Skysoar cultivator. I''m eligible for certain benefits from the prefectural government. You can im what you spend on me from the government." As a cultural researcher, even if he wasn''t in a cultural research academy, he was still eligible for some basic grants for his research.Writing willpower texts and refining his body were both activities that required the support of cultivation resources. He was only a tiny cultural researcher in a small city, but he should still receive the benefits a cultural researcher should get. The principal red at Liu Wenyan and said, "im? I asked previously. The capital said that you owe them thirty thousand merit points. You won''t be able to repay them your entire life. Don''t even dream of it." "Thirty thousand?" Liu Wenyan nked out. His expression turned odd, "Only thirty thousand? When I left the academy back then, I owed them over a hundred thousand points. Why is it only thirty thousand now?" "..." The principal was speechless. What the fuck. So this fellow was aware of his debt? After taking a deep breath, the principal said, "In any case, you can no longer im anything from the capital. I can sponsor this writing session, but I''ll say this. If Su Yu manages to achieve willpower materialization one day, he needs to repay us with one willpower text." "That is only natural. If he doesn''t repay the school, I''ll write one for you after recovering my willpower." A smile bloomed on Liu Wenyan''s face. Finally, he could avoid spending the little wealth he had. At that, the principal let out another sigh. He couldn''t help but to say, "The capital isn''t giving you even the basic grant a Skysoar cultural researcher is entitled to. How are you going to refine your body? Are you going to take a few more years? You''re too old for that." "It doesn''t matter." Liu Wenyan smiled. "I have enough to eat and drink and that''s good enough for me. By the way, did you ask them about my debt? Why is it only thirty thousand?" "I did. Researcher Wu paid fifty thousand of your debt." Liu Wenyan frowned. After a long while, he scolded, "Fool." "Huh?" "Brainless fool. When your debt reaches a certain level, you don''t really care about it anymore. What''s the point of paying fifty thousand points? Furthermore, the so-called debt wasn''t something I had really borrowed from them. The debt had only grown so big due to my arrogant words back then." Liu Wenyan felt helpless. Fifty thousand merit points wasn''t a small number. He couldn''t be bothered to keep talking about that anymore. He shifted the topic and said, "Forget about that. Prepare the materials. I''ll write the Lightning Source de tomorrow. If that kid can really learn it, even as an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator, with the Lightning Source de and his Divine Character, he will be able to defeat regr second or third-stage Great Strength cultivators." The principal nodded in agreement, no longer thinking about the price of the materials. If that kid could really reach a high height in the future, his conscience would be the only thing deciding if he would repay the secondary school or not. After all, Liu Wenyan was still here. He was a Skysoar cultural researcher. The principal might object, but if Liu Wenyan insisted, nobody would object even if they had to spend everything the school had. The principal was walking away when he suddenly stopped and said, "Old Liu, if you really have no choice...just give up. If you use the blood of divines or devils to refine your body, you can reach the third-stage immediately. After a few years, you might be able to enter the Cloudbreach or even the Mountainsea Realm." Liu Wenyan grinned and said, "Give up on what? I don''t know what you''re talking about." "Old Liu...you''re over seventy!" The principal had aplicated look in his eyes. Instructor Liu was no longer young. Liu Wenyan red at the principal furiously. "So what if I''m over seventy? An Infinite Strength cultivator like you dare to question a Skysoar cultivator like me? Do you even know how to fly?" "..." The principal was speechless. He left while mumbling to himself. That old fellow was still as stubborn as ever. After the principal left, Liu Wenyan heaved a long breath and grumbled, "Blood of divines and devils...do you think I''m stupid? Trying to win me over with only a few drops of blood? Dream on! Back then, I owed them more than a hundred thousand merit points. They should offer me at least aplete corpse of a king." "Over seventy..." Liu Wenyan muttered to himself. He was indeed not young anymore. But he decided to keep waiting for a bit. If Su Yu could really go far...and...Liu Wenyan needed to observe more before making his decision. Five years wouldn''t be enough. Ten years. He needed to keep observing for at least ten years. He needed to see if Su Yu could stay true to himself even after entering the capital, remain indomitable, and continue advancing forward. "I''m not about to die so soon. I can still wait a while." Liu Wenyan muttered to himself. If Su Yu proved to be a disappointment, he would continue waiting. He would be willing to keep waiting until he was dead before returning to the academy. "Wu...what happens there will depend on what you do." Liu Wenyan looked out the window. Since he had waited fifty years, he didn¡¯tck the patience to wait more. Shortly after, he pulled himself out of the mncholy and cursed, "Fool! Fifty thousand points! You''re better off giving those points to me! Why did you use them to pay the debt? You''re as stupid as fifty years ago!" "No wonder you''re still stuck as a senior researcher after so many years. You couldn''t even get promoted into a deputy principal!" "Cultural researchers are supposed to be smart. But you...do you have the brain of a pig?" "..." Liu Wenyan spent a while cursing away, but he still couldn''t reduce his anger. Fifty thousand points! Was that fellow crazy? Who told him to pay the debt? Chapter 48: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (1)

Chapter 48: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (1)

Su family''s residence. Chen Hao, who was still on sick leave from school, was reading in the living room. His head kept dropping while his vision was spinning. Telling him to read was basically the same as killing him. While yawning, he forced his eyes to stay open. Looking at the shut door of Su Yu''s bedroom, he wondered how his friend managed to stay so long in the room. Did top students not need to use the toilet or something? ... Inside the room. Su Yu had consumed the drop of source qi liquid formed by Bai Feng. The source qi density gathered by this drop wasn''t that high, but it was just nice for him. At the same time, he had also swallowed the drop of iron-winged bird blood essence he had purchased with thirty thousand dors. With the Source Swallowing Technique activated, he maximized the speed in which he was absorbing source qi. Once again, he enjoyed the feeling of having all nine acupoints temporarily opened. Seven of his acupoints were properly opened while his eighth acupoint was half-opened. His seven opened acupoints were glowing with a radiance no ordinary person could see. A circuit took form connecting all these acupoints, and the circuit was slowly forming a connection with the eighth acupoint. "Opening the Spirit Pce, forming a proper connection with source qi!" The ninth acupoint, known as the One Hundred Openings, could connect his body with the ambient source qi of the world. Meanwhile, the eighth acupoint, the Spirit Pce, could connect the acupoints within one''s body into a circuit. That was why a cultivator would only gain properbat strength upon reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm. The Source Opening Codex had always been the foundational cultivation method of humanity. Every human would have some source qi gathered in their body. But without opening the eighth acupoint, they would have no way of utilizing the gathered source qi. They could only allow the source qi to passively temper their acupoints. After opening the eighth acupoint, they would gain the ability to actually control the source qi and practice martial techniques. By utilizing source qi, their moves would be much more destructive than before. The biggest difference between the eighth and the ninth stage was that those in the eighth-stage could only use their own source qi while those in the ninth-stage could utilize the ambient source qi around them as well. "After opening the Spirit Pce, I''ll be able to start using martial techniques. My offensive power will increase and situations where I fail to kill a Great Strength cultivator after hitting them with my de will no longer happen." Su Yu was absorbing source qi at a rapid pace. He had a feeling that his body was going to explode soon. A Source Opening cultivator was not able to contain too much source qi within their body. Not only had Su Yu activated the Source Swallowing Technique, he had even used a drop of source qi liquid. Because of that, he was absorbing source qi at a faster speed than even regr Great Strength cultivators. "Temper the acupoint!" With a roar, Su Yu gathered his source qi at his Spirit Pce acupoint. He had been stuck at the seventh-stage for quite a while. He had reached the seventh-stage on the 16th of May. It was already the 5th of June. It had been nearly twenty days since hisst advancement. That was the longest he had been stuck ever since he had obtained the ability to use the Source Swallowing Technique. He even had Bai Feng''s Source Opening Codex helping him, so he was getting impatient after twenty days of no breakthroughs. Hum! Source qi converged on him and the air around him trembled. Humming sounds echoed in his room. Outside, Chen Hao had an odd look on his face. For some reason, he felt incrediblyfortable. Source qi was gathering, and he could feel it even though he still couldn''t see it. That sensation was simr to having a bowl of hot soup after several days of hunger. "It sure isfortable here at Yu''s ce. That''s probably because Dad''s not here to nag at me all the time." After muttering to himself, Chen Hao looked at the shut door of the bedroom again. Was Yu cultivating martial techniques in the room? It was getting quite noisy. ... "Still not opening?" Su Yu felt himself nearing his limit. If he couldn''t open his acupoint today, he would have wasted the drop of source qi liquid and blood essence. That was basically the same as spending nearly a hundred thousand dors for nothing. He was halfway through opening the acupoint, and if he didn''tplete it this time, he would need another drop of blood essence or even source qi liquid the next time he repeated the attempt. At that point, he would be doing more than cultivating. He would be driving himself straight to bankruptcy. Su Yu was finding it hard to bear with the amount of source qi in his body so he stood up. He needed to do something to vent his excess source qi as he felt like his body was going to burst apart soon. When cultivating, one wasn''t forced to remain in the lotus position or remain still. Sitting still in the lotus position was merely helpful in staying calm and focused on the process. That was the most efficient way one could absorb source qi. The more one moved, the lower the efficiency would be, and the more source qi would go to waste. But that was no longer an issue for Su Yu since he had too much source qi in his body. In any case, all the gathered source qi would disperse if he failed this breakthrough anyway. After stretching his arms, he started practicing a fist technique. Tiger Fist, a low-tier yellow-grade fist technique that was also a foundational fist technique of the human race. This martial technique mainly served to temper one''s body instead ofbat. It had low efficiency in the utilization of source qi and focused more on the strength of one''s physical body. Hum! Su Yu''s fists shot forth rapidly with the momentum of a pouncing tiger. This technique was actually an adaptation of a martial technique of the actual tiger race. It focused on ferocity and its moves were simple. Strength gathering through breathing, strength amplification through the positioning of legs, before bringing the strength upward. "Hah!" A roar erupted from Su Yu''s mouth. When practicing fist techniques, the act of shouting would also bolster one''s presence. That was why many people would actually shout duringbat. Outside, Chen Hao jumped. For some reason, that roar from Su Yu sounded much more imposing than usual, giving him a sensation that a tiger was pouncing on him. Downstairs, an old man felt his ceiling trembling and looked up while clicking his tongue in wonder, "This kid''s Tiger Fist is getting pretty good. He''s good enough to be put to use in the army." Although this kid was still in the Source Opening Realm, the old man had to admit that the roar earlier held an imposing presence even those in the Great Strength Realm would have a hard time releasing. Even without personally witnessing the punch, the old man could still hear that there was something special about that roar earlier. In fact, that was a roar Su Yu had released with some of his willpower mixed into it. Therefore, it was only natural that the roar sounded different. ... "Hah!" One roar after another resounded, and as Su Yu threw punch after punch, rumbling sounds echoed in the room. Apart from punching, all his fingers were used as well. The Tiger Fist might be a punching technique, but the ws of a tiger was also a potent weapon. With a pop, Su Yu''s arm shot forth and his fingers stabbed through his closet''s door. He merely shot the damaged closet a nce and forgot about it. His room was too small, so it was normal to cause some damage while training there. After a while, he finally exhausted enough source qi that he no longer felt like bursting apart. He continued absorbing source qi to temper his acupoint. Slowly, the eighth acupoint opened and formed a connection with his seventh acupoint. The more he practiced the Tiger Fist, the better he felt. His roars were getting louder and louder. Abruptly, he felt his strength increasing exponentially. Without any hesitation, he sent his right fist toward his closet. Boom! The closet''s door was sted apart. Even the closet broke apart with wood shavings flying everywhere. "Hahaha!" Su Yu couldn''t be bothered to spare any attention to the broken closet as a wide smile covered his face. Even though he was calmer than his peers, he still couldn''t stop himself from feeling excited. His Spirit Pce acupoint had been opened! He had reached the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm! Boom! The door was pushed open as Chen Hao rushed into the room. He first looked at the destroyed closet before looking at Su Yu. Scratching his head, he asked, "Yu, are you fine? I know Uncle Su has a bad taste in closets, but you don''t have to smash it apart, right?" Meanwhile, Su Yu was panting heavily while looking at Chen Hao speechlessly. Was the closet the issue here? The issue should be him destroying the closet with one punch. Was this idiot even aware of what that signified? Prior to the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm, at best, one would only be able to punch through a closet door. But the entire closet had been destroyed. Did this fellow think nothing of it? If it was an ordinary person instead of a closet, that punch would have sted that person apart. Su Yu couldn''t even be bothered to exin himself. He pulled his arm back and stood up. After a short stretch, he checked his fist and saw that it remained uninjured. During the punch, a small amount of source qi had also erupted from his fist, protecting it from damage. "Eighth-stage Source Opening Realm!" Su Yu was overjoyed. He was twenty days away from the examinations and he had sessfully hit one of his goals, reaching the eighth-stage. "I need a personal saber. I also need a proper martial technique and adapt to my new strength and the new technique. Then, I''ll be able to look for a chance to kill a Great Strength cult member. I wonder if there are still any of them left in Nanyuan. I hope there are." Recently, the Windcatcher Department has been very active. Many of the well-hidden cult members were caught, making it difficult to encounter arge number of cult members. He would consider himself lucky if he could even encounter one. While thinking, Su Yu looked at Chen Hao and said, "Pick up the clothes and clean the room for me." "What?" Chen Hao had a nk look. "I didn''t do this." "Sure. Go read instead. One hour." "Cough, cough. Let me help you clean the room." Chen Hao instantly decided that he would rather clean the room than read. For him, reading was akin to torture. Only then did Chen Hao finally realize something. He asked, "Yu, did you reach the eighth-stage?" "You only realized that now?" Su Yu looked at Chen Hao speechlessly. This guy''s reaction time sure was slow. "Huh? Really?" Chen Hao was shocked, "This is too fast!" "I told you before that I''m nearing the eighth-stage. Is it so surprising that I''ve finally broken through?" Su Yu frowned, "Next time, you need to cultivate while I''m cultivating as well. You''re wasting all the source qi around us." Chen Hao had just broken through into the fourth-stage. However, it wasn''t hard to reach the fifth-stage from the fourth-stage. After opening one ear acupoint, it was much easier to open the next ear acupoint. The entrance examination was twenty days away. If Chen Hao was lucky, coupled with the help of rich source qi density, he might be able to reach the fifth-stage before then. Although he could probably enter the academy with his current cultivation and the bonus thirty marks, having a better result in the examination would still be helpful for him. Students entering the academies with bad results would generally have a hard time in the academies. "Eighth-stage..." Chen Hao was dispirited, to the point he wasn''t even listening to Su Yu. Before this, he had been happy with the fourth-stage. Although Su Yu had reached the seventh-stage, that was still different from the eighth-stage. In a fight, he might not lose to a seventh-stage Su Yu. But at the eighth-stage, their bodies no longer yed that big of a role inbat. Rather, it was the utilization of source qi. Even if he grew ten times stronger, he still wouldn''t be Su Yu''s match. "Yu...I''m really stupid, right?" Chen Hao was disheartened. "I can''t even bring myself to read. My dad told me that the Source Opening Codex you gave me is something good. Only a big shot can write something like that. You only gave it to me because you see me as your brother. But I...simply can''t read...And now, you''re already at the eighth-stage while I''m still stuck at the fourth-stage..." Su Yu did not try to lift Chen Hao''s mood and said, "Do notpare yourself with me. I am someone chasing after the geniuses of the capital. You''re not doing that. You only need to catch up with Zhou Chong. If you reach a point where you can whoop his ass easily, you can already be considered a sessful person." "But didn''t you tell me to expand my worldview and aim for the Skysoar Realm?" "What nonsense is that? Goals need to be set in stages. First, you will overtake Zhou Chong. Then, enter the Great Strength Realm before entering the Infinite Strength Realm. You can then start aiming for the Skysoar Realm. Did I tell you to reach the Skysoar Realm in one go? Cut your goals into segments and achieve them one at a time. That way, you can stay motivated." Su Yu was speaking from experience. A big goal would seem too far away. By cutting his path toward the ultimate goal into multiple smaller goals, he would find his journey much easier than before. It was also easier to maintain his motivation. "Is that so?" Chen Hao gave it some thought and nodded. "Sure. In that case, my current goal is to kick Zhou Chong''s ass. I''ll go to school and whoop his ass tomorrow." "..." For some reason, Su Yu found himself pitying Zhou Chong. He was saying that as a metaphor. He actually meant for Chen Hao to surpass Zhou Chong in cultivation. Furthermore, Chen Hao had already beaten Zhou Chong once. How could he bring himself to do it a second time? "Whatever. Get to work. When you''re done cleaning the room, go to the Xia Trade Company with me." Chapter 49: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (2)

Chapter 49: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (2)

Su Yu wanted to buy some blood essence and see if he could find a suitable weapon for himself. If he had enough money, he also wanted to buy a suitable martial technique. The secondary school would provide foundational martial techniques. Those were low-tier yellow-grade techniques. At a ce like Nanyuan, even if the school provided a better martial technique, the students wouldn''t be able to use it either. As for students capable of reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm, Nanyuan might only see one every few decades. Of course, the instructors had middle-tier yellow-grade or even better techniques, but merit points would be required to purchase those. Su Yu would rather spend some cash instead of merit points. He had finally realized how much more useful merit points were than cash. For example, he would be able to purchase original myriad race texts after entering the academy with merit points. Those were things he wouldn''t be able to purchase with money. In fact, he also had a martial technique with him. The Blood Clotting de he had looted previously was a middle-tier yellow-grade technique. His father also had a military-issue technique, but that technique was more suited for those in the Great Strength Realm. The present him would find that technique hard toprehend. Chen Hao hurriedly got to work. While sweeping the floor, he asked, "Yu, do you want to buy some beast meat from the Xia Trade Company? We can roast them when we return. They taste wonderful when roasted." "All you know is eat!" Su Yu chided. "We''ll see. Also, it would be fine if nobody asks, but if someone asks the reason I''m buying blood essence, just say that I''m studying Divine Characters." "Ok. Got it." Chen Hao wasn''t really too worried about that. However, he was also curious as to the reason Su Yu was buying blood essence. If he remembered it correctly, Su Yu had bought quite a lot of blood essence by now. This fellow couldn''t be consuming blood, right? ording to his father, it was very dangerous for someone to consume blood essence before reaching the Great Strength Realm. "Yu, why don''t you teach me how to form a Divine Character as well?" "Huh?" Su Yu was stunned. "Are you sure?" "My dad said that cultural researchers are actually very strong as well. Of course, the warriors are still stronger." Su Yu rolled his eyes. "Forget it. You want to form a Divine Character? How about you finish reading and master the Source Opening Codex I gave you first?" Su Yu didn''t even bother exining much to Chen Hao. That fellow would probably disregard most of what he heard, so it would be a waste of time. He was never one to never think too deeply into things. ... One hourter. Xia Trade Company. Su Yu still had 170,000 dors and ten gold coins with him. Out of respect for Liu Wenyan, the tradepany had been allowing him to purchase blood essence at thirty thousand per drop recently. That was much cheaper than their previous price. "Three drops of iron-winged bird blood essence." Su Yu was already an old customer at this point. He went straight to the blood and meat section and the supervisor personally received him. The supervisor did not ask much and directly had some employees go get what Su Yu wanted. When she saw that Su Yu was looking at a different section, he smiled and asked, "Mister Su, are you interested in something else today?" "What''s the price of your weapons?" "Depends on what you need. As a rule of thumb, Source Opening cultivators only require weapons forged of regr iron. Those at the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm can start using yellow-grade weapons. Those weapons are more suited for them and will be helpful for source qi channeling." The supervisor continued introducing, "Weapons, cultivation methods, and martial techniques are the same. They''re separated into the grades of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow. Their grade is mainly decided by the materials used, which will affect the rate in which they could channel source qi." Su Yu nodded. He knew that. Regr iron did not have the ability to channel source qi. The training des in the secondary school were all made of regr iron. These weapons were cheap. However, materials capable of channeling source qi weren''t cheap either. Thus, when cultivators reached a point where they needed weapons, they wouldn''t be able to get these weapons for cheap. "Those in the Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms only need yellow-grade weapons. At the Skysoar Realm, they will need to make an upgrade to profound-grade weapons. The richer ones can even start using earth-grade weapons. Of course, only the big shots at the capital can afford to use those. Nobody in Nanyuan can afford something like that." The supervisor shed a smile and asked, "Mister Su, do you want regr iron weapons or proper cultivator weapons?" "Proper cultivator weapons." Su Yu gave it some thought. "A poor weapon will onlyst me until the middle-stage Great Strength Realm. At thete-stage Great Strength Realm, one needs to use at least a middle-tier yellow-grade weapon, right?" "Yes, but it is still too early for you to think about that, Mister Su..." The supervisor was telling the truth. That was still quite far away from Su Yu. "Therefore, a low-tier yellow-grade weapon will be sufficient for you, Mister Su." Su Yu did not say anything about that. He could unleash the strength of ate-stage Great Strength cultivator with blood essence. He was afraid that a low-tier yellow-grade weapon would be broken after a few times of doing so. "I want a middle-tier weapon. I can keep using it instead of changing when I reach thete-stage Great Strength Realm." Su Yu asked, "What''s the price?" "Depends on the type of weapon. But for middle-tier yellow-grade weapons, the price ranges between a hundred to three hundred thousand." "So expensive?" Su Yu frowned. "Premium regr iron weapons can be purchased at around three to five thousand each. Even low-tier yellow-grade weapons will only be around ten thousand each." "You''re right. But a single increase in tier would mean higher forging difficulty and better materials. The cost is much higher." The supervisor exined, "Mister Su, you''re Instructor Liu''s student. We won''t deliberately raise our price when selling to you. That is a fair price. These weapons are mainly prepared forte-stage Great Strength cultivators. Most middle-stage Great Strength cultivators won''t use them." "For those at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above, that is an expensive but affordable price." Su Yu was speechless. Affordable? Were they serious? Would his father be able to afford a weapon like that? Wait, his father would probably really be able to afford it. But his father would have to pay the price of losing half his life savings to buy only an average quality weapon. To get the best in the tier, his father would probably need to exhaust all his savings for one such weapon. "After spending ny thousand on the three drops of blood essence, I still have eighty thousand in cash and ten gold coins, adding to a total of 180,000 dors in value. I can afford a weapon, but...this is too expensive. "I''ll also be needing martial techniques...I''m better off forgetting that. I guess I''ll be practicing the Blood Clotting de. It is trash, but it''s good enough for now." After a quick calction, Su Yu discovered that although he could earn money easily, it was even easier to spend all he had earned. He was going to finish spending the three hundred thousand his father left him soon. Even the ten gold coins he looted previously would probably be spent soon. His instructor was right. Martial cultivation was for the rich while studying was for the poor. If even Great Strength weapons were so expensive, how about the Infinite Strength Realm? Or the Skysoar Realm? Cultivation methods, martial techniques, weapons, blood essence, pills...At the thought of all that, Su Yu shivered. No wonder those fellows from the Myriad Race Cult were so eager to hunt the Myriad Race Cult, sparing no effort to get even one cult member. Those cult members were basically walking bags of money. One could earn a single merit point for an early-stage Great Strength cult member, two merit points for middle-stage, and three merit points forte-stage. There was much more money in thatpared to the paltry sry they received. Before long, Su Yu received the blood essence he bought. As for the weapons sold in the tradepany, he did not bother checking them up. Most weapons sold in Nanyuan were standardized weapons simr to what the military used. If he wanted custom-made weapons, he needed to go to the capital. In any case, custom-made weapons would be excessively expensive anyway. He would probably have to forget about it and just use a regr standardized weapon for now. A standardized middle-tier yellow-grade weapon was priced at 150,000 dors. That was the price after his special discount. As for his choice to use sabers, that was because that was what the secondary school had trained him in. That was also his father''s weapon of choice in the army. There was a saying that the saber represented the courage of soldiers. But the main reason for the saber to be so widespread in the military was due to the rtive ease in which one could learn it. Weapons such as spear, sword, halberd, and so on were much harder to learn. With a saber in hand, one could make it work even if one was randomly swinging it around. One would not end up injuring oneself doing so. But if one did the same with a sword, perhaps one would only get away if one was using a broadsword. A smaller sword with a flexible de could easily injure an inexperienced user. After paying for his purchases, Su Yu was left with thirty thousand in cash. He would need to keep that money for his daily expenses. He hadpletely given up on martial techniques. He was broke! Sure, he still had some merit points, but he had more use for them. He wasn''t willing to waste them. "Three drops of blood essence can activate the book three times. I can use them for either cultivation orbat. They won''tst long...Sigh. My money is flowing away like tap water. Life is so hard." While leaving with what he had bought, he made a short calction. With three drops of blood essence and thirteen merit points, he hoped to reach the ninth-stage Source Opening Realm. He wouldn''t be able to make more money for now. Nowadays, the Source Opening and the Great Strength Realms weren''t exactly money-making realms. If his instructor hadn''t brought him everywhere to hunt the Myriad Race Cult, he wouldn''t even have the chance to earn more merit points. Nanyuan did notck Great Strength cultivators. The entire Windcatcher Department was eagerly waiting for more cult members to appear. "Hao..." "What?" Chen Hao, who was walking out of the tradepany with Su Yu, was still daydreaming about roasted beast meat. He appeared dazed when his name was suddenly called. "If I sell my house, will my father whoop my ass when he returns and find his house gone?" "..." Chen Hao was dumbstruck. Yu was selling his house? Su Yu continued muttering, "If I sell the house, I can get at least 500,000 dors. But I''m afraid that my father wille back and see that he no longer has a house. He''ll probably pick up a saber and turn me into mincemeat on the sidewalk." Chen Hao nodded repeatedly, "Don''t court death! If I sell my house, my parents can probably spend a lifetime hunting me down. Yu, you need to calm down!" Chen Hao wiped his sweat. He was feeling nervous on behalf of Su Yu. He concluded that a top student was very scared when they went crazy. "I''m just saying. Do you think I''ll really do it?" Su Yu smiled. How would he do that? Even if he wanted...he wouldn''t be able to! The house was under his father''s name. His father was absent and the ownership of the house had yet to be transferred. How was he supposed to sell it? Sigh. He regretted that he hadn''t asked for the ownership before his father left. Otherwise, he could keep the house as his final trump card to be used during emergencies. ... Allheaven Battlefield. Within a military tent. Su Long was muttering, "I left that kid over three hundred thousand dors. I''m also sending my monthly sry back. With my monthly sry of over ten thousand, that is enough money to keep that kid fed for life. If he doesn''t squander the money away, it will probably be enough for him to buy a small house in the capital by the time I return." Su Long was confident that his son wasn''t the kind of person to spend money recklessly. Chapter 50: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (1)

Chapter 50: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (1)

The academy entrance examination season was drawing nearer and nearer. On the second day after Su Yu went shopping, he went to school. There, he could feel the nervous atmosphere pervading the students. Those in the final year seemed to always be in a rush. The fighting trend in the school had also ended. None of the students were in any mood to pick fights any longer. Su Yu was on his way to meet Liu Wenyan when he stumbled upon someone unexpected. Xia Bing. A squad leader in the Martial Dragon Guards, leader of the Martial Dragon Guards stationed in Nanyuan. During the Myriad Race Cult''s attack, the Martial Dragon Guards had been temporarily stationed in Nanyuan Secondary School. However, their actual Nanyuan base was somewhere else. Few people knew the actual location of the base. Xia Bing was a second-stage Skysoar expert. That was the same cultivation level the mayor had. Su Yu was naturally aware of how powerful the Martial Dragon Guards were. He had wanted to join them previously. Even after learning about the prowess of cultural researchers, he still had a tiny urge to join the Martial Dragon Guards deep within his heart. But that wasn''t an easy army to join. His father had been wanting to join them for many years but never seeded. Xia Bing naturally saw Su Yu as well. He was rushing away, but when he walked near Su Yu, he stopped. When Su Yu felt Xia Bing''s gaze on him, he hurriedly stopped and bowed. "Sir Xia." Xia Bing nodded. He studied Su Yu for a bit before an odd look covered his face. "You reached the eighth-stage?" Su Yu was surprised that Xia Bing was paying him that much attention. He replied, "Yeah. I broke through yesterday." "You''re improving very fast." After a short pause, Xia Bing continued, "I had thought that you would reach the seventh-stage rapidly and slow down after that. It''s quite surprising that you can reach the eighth-stage." Su Yu did not know what to say. Was Xia Bing actually paying attention to his progress? There was no connection whatsoever between the two of them. With the same serious expression that seemed eternally imprinted on his face, Xia Bing said, "Bai Feng''s Source Opening Codex was merely an iplete product. Since you can reach the eighth-stage with it, it is clear that you have a decent talent in physical cultivation. I know your father. He has visited us multiple times to join us, but he is not good enough to join." Su Yu felt somewhat awkward. He didn''t know what to say to that as well. Xia Bing did not care about Su Yu''s reaction. He continued, "I am also a veteran of the Devil Subduing Army. However, I joined the army muchter than your father. He was already retired when I joined. Six years ago, I was transferred to the Martial Dragon Guards and appointed the squad leader of the Nanyuan branch." Su Yu remained silent. He did not know why Xia Bing was telling him all that. "The cultural research academy isn''t as good as you think. They spend their time scheming against each other and can never amount to anything before achieving willpower materialization. I don''t like the people there. I prefer war academies and the Martial Dragon Guards. Of course, my preference has nothing to do with you." His face turned solemn, "Your father once said that since he couldn''t join the Martial Dragon Guards, he hoped that his son could one day do so and continue serving under the prefect. You can consider joining the Martial Dragon War Academy instead. That ce¡­is not as dirty as the cultural research academy." "Sir..." Su Yu was astonished. Was Xia Bing trying to recruit him? Xia Longwu calmly said, "The Martial Dragon Guards are stationed in the various cities. They are also in charge of selecting the preparatory soldiers of the prefecture. You were unqualified to join before. But that has changed. Of course, this is only a suggestion." "I shouldn''t be telling you all this, but your father is a fellow veteran of the Devil Subduing Army so I don''t mind telling you more. The cultural research academy is a much moreplicated ce nowadays. It is unpeaceful inside with numerous factions. Some fellows who used to focus on research are starting to stir as well. Because of that, things are getting messier and messier there. "Your current teacher Liu Wenyan, Bai Feng who is trying to ept you as his personal student, and Bai Feng''s teacher, Researcher Hong, are from the same faction. The situation there is much moreplicated than what I can tell you. In short, it won''t do you good to get involved in that mess." Su Yu was lost. He softly said, "I don''t understand what you''re saying, sir. I''m only a secondary school student that has yet to get through the entrance examination." "You''lle to understand." Xia Bing said, "Remember. Great Xia is still Great Xia." He then walked away. Su Yu sank into thought. After a short while, he smiled helplessly before walking away as well. He really didn''t understand what Xia Bing was trying to say. Clearly, Xia Bing was trying to warn him of something, suggesting that the cultural research might not be that good and the Martial Dragon War Academy might be a better ce with more focus on cultivation. In the past, Su Yu would definitely be overjoyed to hear that. But he had already decided to enter the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. In terms of willpower cultivation, there was noparing a war academy with a cultural research academy. Furthermore, he had learned from Liu Wenyan for so long. His initial goal had been to join a cultural research academy. He had only changed his mind because he was worried that a cultural research academy wouldn''t help with hisbat strength, a concern that was no longer present. . ... Inside the office. This time, Liu Wenyan wasn''t reading. Instead, he was writing. From Su Yu''s perspective, the characters Liu Wenyan wrote were nice and much better looking than his. "Something in your mind?" Liu Wenyan did not have to look up to sense that something was troubling Su Yu. "Nothing. I stumbled on Squad Leader Xia just now..." "He told you to join the Martial Dragon War Academy?" "Yes." "Ignore him." Surprisingly, Liu Wenyan wasn''t furious. He sighed and said, "Did he say that the cultural research academy does not suit you? Or did he say that the cultural research academy has degenerated?" "Erm..." "Don''t worry about it. This isn''t the first time he said something like that. In fact, a lot of people in the Martial Dragon Guards are saying the same thing. "He''s right. The cultural research academy is no longer the same. After the fifth principal passed and the sixth principal took office, the academy entered a phase of rapid development. The rapid growth has inevitably brought about some negative influences. "Fifty years ago, the academy wasn''t as strong as it is now. But it is also not as messy. There is no avoiding that. Ambition grows alongside strength. Schemes, lies, andpetitions are things you need to experience. It is also a form of training. The ones capable of rising in such a chaotic situation will be the truly strong ones." Su Yu frowned, "Instructor, are things really that messy in the cultural research academy." "It''s not that bad. The overall situation is still under control. Naturally, there are things happening in the dark." Liu Wenyan looked up at this favorite student of his and said, "The Martial Dragon Guards are very unhappy with the academy, but that''s mainly because of the prefect." "What?" Su Yu was astonished. "Is Prefect Xia unhappy with the academy?" "I guess so." Liu Wenyan sighed. "This has nothing to do with you, so you don''t really need to care about it too much. But since Xia Bing has touched on the topic, I''ll tell you a bit about it. "Prefect Xia...I won''t bementing on how he is as a person. But the various factions have different views on him. Some see him as a strict person, some see him as a strong person, and some see him as a stubborn person. Those were the three terms mostmonly used to describe Prefect Xia." "Stubborn?" Su Yu caught onto the main point. He asked, "What do you mean by stubborn?" "The literal meaning of the word." Liu Wenyan put his pen down and said, "It''s not derogatory, but some of his political views are unpopr among a lot of people. Back then at the Allheaven Battlefield, he encountered a lot of resistance due to his political views." "Why?" "He''s too stubborn. On the Allheaven Battlefield, numerous races fight against each other. Some races are our sworn enemies that can''t be spared. But there are also races that can actually be roped in as allies. At the very least, we can turn them into neutral parties." Liu Wenyan shook his head and sighed, "But during the period of time when Prefect Xia was inmand of the Devil Subduing Army, he had ughtered the armies of many different races, including several neutral races that turned antagonistic toward the human race as a result. That was why he was removed from his position." Chapter 51: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (2)

Chapter 51: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (2)

Su Yu wanted to speak but he hesitated. Eventually, he made up his mind and said, "Instructor, those so-called neutral races are merely opportunistic wolves. The moment humanity shows signs of weakening, these fellows will not hesitate to move against us and swallow up our Human Realm. I''ve heard of the major battles the Devil Subduing Army was involved in from my father. I agree that those races deserved to be killed." "You''re not alone in thinking that way," Liu Wenyan smiled. "Xia Longwu has a lot of supporters, including the soldiers at the front line. I did not say that he was wrong. However, it is also understandable that there are many divergent thoughts among the human race. What do you think?" Liu Wenyan was satisfied with what Su Yu said. It was good that he had his own opinion. It would be bad if he was only a yes-man who only knew to follow others blindly. "Each person has their own thoughts. Nobody is saying that the prefect was wrong, but nobody can deny that because of him, humanity has gotten dragged into even more conflicts than before. We found ourselves fighting more battles, with the battles being more intense as well." Su Yu disagreed. "But we also managed to scare a bunch of races into maintaining their neutrality." "I guess so." Liu Wenyan nodded, "We won''t be talking about that for now since that''s more of an issue for those at the front line. Returning to our topic, Prefect Xia is unhappy with the academy because some people in the academy have suggested that we need to know our enemy better to beat them, so they wanted to open the academy for the myriad races as well." "What?" Su Yu was rmed. "epting the myriad races as students!" Liu Wenyan''s voice turned solemn, "The current principal is an adventurous person. He proposed that rather than bitterly studying the various races, we might as well ept them into the academy and learn from them. After all, who would know the other races better than themselves? "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. We will have them study the original texts of their own races and let them contribute the information rted to their own races." Su Yu eximed, "But that also means that we''ll have to let them learn our ways as well, right?" "Exactly. The myriad races aren''t stupid. They won''t voluntarily deliver us the ways to counter them. We want to learn more about them, but they also want to learn more about us. That idea is a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways. That''s why it has never been approved. It has its supporters, but there are also a lot of people against it. "Prefect Xia is one of those who is against that idea. Because of that, there is a split between the prefect and the academy. The prefect even...forget it. It''s best not to mention that." That only caused Su Yu to feel anxious. It was not nice to leave sentences unfinished. "Instructor, what did the prefect do?" Looking at the agitated Su Yu, Liu Wenyanughed and said, "That...is really not something I should speak about. It is a dark history. Remember to never mention it in the academy." "Yes, yes, I''ll remember." Liu Wenyan shook his head and said, "Twelve years ago, the academy made the same proposal. The prefect did not say anything, nor did the prefectural government respond to the proposal. "The principal thought that the prefect was tacitly agreeing with the proposal. Thus, he contacted several minor races to conduct his first attempt at epting foreign students." "In the end...right after those foreign students arrived, war broke out at the Allheaven Battlefield. Leading the Martial Dragon Guards, Prefect Xia ambushed the races involved and even raided their realms. Numerous cultivation methods and other resources were plundered. "After that, the prefect didn''t even bother visiting the academy. He only had the Martial Dragon Guards deliver tens of thousands of original texts to the academy. The meaning behind that action is obvious. The things the academy tried so hard to get can be directly taken on the battlefield." Liu Wenyan sounded mncholic as he said, "With that, the academy''s n waspletely ruined. After all, the races involved had their homes raided after sending their people to the academy. Would any other race still dare to get involved? "A project the principal had contacted various parties and nned for many years tounch was ruined just like that." For some reason, Su Yu felt his blood boiling in excitement listening to that story. He said, "Isn''t...that good?" If he wanted something, he would take it himself. Rather take than beg. "I''m not saying that the prefect was wrong. But what he did has indeed created a lot of fear among the myriad races," said Liu Wenyan softly. "Humanity can''t face all the other races alone. This is what you need to understand. "The minor and weaker races can be roped in. The minor races involved in that project were the ones we could have brought to our side. In the end, those races ended up destroyed by us. That would only cause the other minor races to fear us more. "And if we turn them into enemies, one of them might not be our match, but what about ten or a hundred of them? You won''t be able to kill them all." Su Yu nodded. He understood that. But he had to admit that Xia Longwu''s actions were truly inspiring and stirring. "And thus, a split appeared in the capital." Liu Wenyan sighed. "Prefect Xia is very stubborn. He believes that severing heads was the better way of keeping the various races awed and fearful. But many also believe that doing so will put the human race in an even more difficult position. Fortunately, Prefect Xia was eventually ordered to never step foot on the Allheaven Battlefield again. Only then did we manage to cate the various minor races." Su Yu was not reconciled to that ending. "So Prefect Xia can no longer enter the Allheaven Battlefield? Isn''t that the same as crippling ourselves?" "Not really." Liu Wenyan smiled. "That is merely apromise made by the experts on the front line to cate the minor races. In practice, if the prefect wants to go there, nobody would care as long as he does not kick up a big ruckus. Who would be stupid enough to retire a super expert like that? "Also, that might not be a bad thing. By retiring him from the front line, he is given the time to temper his cultivation. At that time, he had been flying through his cultivation levels. A cultivator needs to advance a step at a time to eventually reach that realm. "This isn''t bad at all. The prefect himself knows that. Otherwise, with that temper of his, do you really think he''s going to be so obedient? He''ll stay in the prefecture just because he was told to do so?" Liu Wenyanughed, "You look down on our prefect too much. Although he has left the Allheaven Battlefield for many years, that''s only what¡¯s on the official records. The battlefield is too massive. Nobody can keep their eyes on him at all times. "The Martial Dragon Guards are alsomonly sighted there. Even the Great Xia Army will frequently go there for training. By the way, that is why Great Xia is one of the strongest human prefectures." Su Yu nodded silently. He finally understood what Xia Bing was trying to say previously. Liu Wenyan heaved out a long breath and said, "Just think of all this as a story. You''re far from qualified to take part in these matters. Not even Bai Feng or even his teacher is qualified to get involved. This is something for the higher ups to consider. It doesn''t have much to do with us. "Xia Bing only thinks that you''re quite talented and don''t want to see you affected by the bad practices of the academy. In truth, that is precisely what I want to see." Liu Wenyan spoke slowly, "There are many aspects to life, and everything can be a form of training. A clean and pure environment suits soldiers. That is what the military needs. However, a true expert needs to be experienced and knowledgeable. Without witnessing the darkest tendencies hidden within the human heart, without experiencing numerous conspiracies and schemes, a single scheme might put an end to you on the battlefield. "Xia Bing does not understand. If Prefect Xia truly hates the academy, why didn''t he restrict the academy''s growth? Why did he allow the academy to keep growing? "He is stubborn, not stupid. Great Xia needs different trains of thoughts as well. That way, we will be able to nurture all sorts of experts. "Without the cultural research academy, the various armies will not be able to recruit powerful cultural researchers anymore. In fact, there are many powerful cultural researchers on the front line leading our armies against our enemies." Su Yu nodded. He was starting to get what Liu Wenyan was saying. Of course, he was still weak. A nobody. These conflicts were unrted to him. He could only treat them as a story. Perhaps when he reached a sufficient height to get involved in those matters he would see and feel things differently. "Instructor, will my father be fine in the Devil Subduing Army?" "He will be fine. We still have many invincible experts at the front line. Nobody among the human race will dare to touch the Devil Subduing Army because of this little internal conflict." Liu Wenyan shook his head, "The front line concerns the survival of humanity as a whole. Thus, we keep our internal struggles out of the battlefield. Nobody dares to bring that to the front line. Things are much more straightforward at the front line. "War is war. Even if there is a big ruckus back home, those at the front line will still need to follow their military orders. "Even Prefect Xia will need to report to the invincible experts in charge of the front line before he can carry out any military operations unless he is there alone on a personal business." Su Yu''s eyes flickered as he asked, "So that event from back then where the prefect led the Martial Dragon Guards and the Devil Subduing Army in an attack against the minor raids were approved as well?" "Of course." Liu Wenyan''s smile grew wide. "Do you really think Prefect Xia would start a war without any approval? Even among the invincible experts, he has a lot of support." "I see." Su Yu heaved a sigh in relief. He was worried that Xia Longwu would be isted due to his extreme actions, but it turned out that he had been worried over nothing. He was only a tiny Source Opening cultivator. Why was he worrying about a super expert? That was really stupid. "Let''s move on." Liu Wenyan smiled, "You wille to learn what you need to know when the time is right. As for the things you shouldn''t know, it''s pointless to learn more. It won''t bring you any benefits and will only disturb your peace of mind. "You''re already at the eighth-stage. I can feel the source qi undtions around you. Looks like you''ve been improving quickly." Liu Wenyan was very satisfied. "Get ready. Later this afternoon, I''ll write a willpower text for you. I''ll be writing the Lightning Source de. Before that, read a regr copy of that technique and get familiar with it." Su Yu was overjoyed, "Instructor, is that a martial technique?" "Yes." Liu Wenyan nonchntly said, "But I''m afraid you won''t gain much if anything at all from the session. You''re still only an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator. That cultivation level is too low. Even if you manage to learn the technique, you might not be able to utilize it properly. The Lightning Source de requires a lot of opened acupoints to be used." "Yeah. I understand." Su Yu hurriedly nodded, but he still couldn''t stop feeling excited. He knew very well how beneficial a willpower text could be. Learning from a willpower text was akin to learning straight from someone''s mind. That was an entirely different experience than learning from a normal book. Of course, that also depended on the writer''s mastery of the contents of the text. After all, when writing the text, the writer would be imprinting theirprehension in the text. If the writer did not know much, the reader wouldn''t be able to learn much either. Chapter 52: Storm Is Coming (1)

Chapter 52: Storm Is Coming (1)

Great Xia City, capital of Great Xia. While Liu Wenyan and Su Yu were having their talk, an argument was happening in the prefect''s manor. There were only a few people in the spacious hall. Xia Longwu was seated with his back perfectly straight and looking straight down from his throne. Below him, an old man was seated to the left. That was a military advisor in the capital. A smile was on his face as he listened silently. Seated to the right was a schrly and amiable old man with white hair. He also had a smile on his face as he listened silently. Apart from the two, there was a middle-aged muscr man who was standing alone while loudly rebuking, "Wan Tiansheng, stop promoting that worthless idea. This is Great Xia, not the Knowledge Seeking Realm." The muscr man was shouting at the white haired old man on the right. The white-haired old man was Wan Tiansheng, the sixth principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Wan Tiansheng had a friendly smile on his face. Even with the muscr man shouting at him, he appeared calm. His voice wasn''t loud, but when he spoke, everyone could hear him clearly, "Zheng Ping, speak normally. Don''t shout. I''m not deaf. I can hear you." He smiled as though this was only a casual conversation between neighbors as he softly said, "The Martial Dragon Guards should return. You already fought the battle you wanted. In the battle against the divine skywing race, almost a thousand of the three thousand soldiers sacrificed their lives. That is a heavy loss. "When it''s time to fight, we shouldn''t be pulling our fists. I don''t have an issue with that. But are you really going to destroy the entire divine skywing race?" Wan Tiansheng looked at Xia Longwu and said, "Prefect, you should understand. We won''t be able to do so. The divine skywing race only has an army of ten thousand in the Allheaven Battlefield. That''s far from everything they have. "If we continue pushing, we might be able to get more results, but we will also pay more lives as the price. Do you intend to lose all three thousand of the Martial Dragon Guards?" Wan Tiansheng shook his head, "There is no need for that. This is too rash. The fight is done. Now, it''s time to talk. Talk to the divine skywing race. Make them pay a price for permission to withdraw their defeated army from the battlefield..." The muscr man shouted in fury, "We have them surrounded! They''re near the optimal encirclement spot. We can clearly destroy the entire army. Wan Tiansheng, what are your intentions? Why do you insist on releasing them? Did they bribe you?" Wan Tiansheng wasn''t angry. He smiled, "Zheng Ping, there is no need tounch personal attacks. I don''t deny that we''ll be able to take down that army. But the question is, is it worth it? Three thousand Martial Dragon Guards. An army Great Xia had paid arge price to build. We''re going to lose them all only for a single army of ten thousand? "In that army, there are people from your war academy and people from our cultural research academy. These are all elites of humanity. Are we going to sacrifice them all just to exterminate a defeated army?" Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Some people don''t like to use their brain and can only use their muscles. These people should just remain a regr soldier instead of being in amanding position." The muscr man coldly said, "I''ve been in the army for thirty years. I started as a regr soldier and killed my way to my current rank." Wan Tianshengughed. "In that case, you should just focus on your role as a muscle. Why do you insist on getting involved in strategic decisions?" The muscr man roared, "I know you look down on me, but I do not need your respect. We only need to send the remaining two thousand Martial Dragon Guards in Great Xia to the battlefield to achieve our goal. We don''t need to pay too much price to eliminate that army! "After losing a thousand soldiers, we have sessfully pushed the enemies into desperation. Wan Tiansheng, you want us to withdraw our army now? Have you considered what the Martial Dragon Guards will think? Will the soldiers at the front line be willing to ept that? "I''m a military man. I know them best. They won''t be able to ept it. They will not be satisfied. After losing one third of their own, they have finally gained the absolute upper hand. Nobody will be willing to stop now!" The muscr man''s eyes turned red in agitation, "We paid a high price for this victory! We must continue until we get our due!" Wan Tiansheng softly said, "Fighting a war is not a matter of blind aggression. Zheng Ping, why do you not understand that after so many years in the military? At times, the number of enemies you kill does not determine the result of a war. Rather, our gains determine the result. "I dislike Great Xia''sbat doctrine. Never showing mercy and always pushing things too far. This is bad. Very bad. You will only provoke our enemies into making ast stand with us, ensuring that we will suffer alongside them. "It is important to know when to stop. Let them pay for their lives with resources, cultivation methods, martial techniques, blood, and other treasures. "That way, during the next war, they will be willing to surrender much earlier and buy their way out with treasures. We need to prioritize copsing their will to fight, not arousing their will to fight." Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Great Xia has been involved in so many wars over the years. Sure, we have been able to kill the most in every war, but each time, we''re also the ones to suffer the biggest losses while gaining the least whenpared with the other human prefectures. "Our enemies'' will to fight have all been aroused by you. The myriad races know that against Great Zhou, they can pay for survival if they can''t win. But against Great Xia, they have to fight until the bitter end. "In that regard, I think Zhou Potian did very well. Even Great Ming handled things better than us. Great Xia has powerful soldiers andmanders with unrivaledbat prowess. But what about our losses? What about the deathpensation?" Wan Tiansheng shook his head and sighed, "Zheng Ping, I really believe that the prefect should send you to our treasury. You can see for yourself how empty it already is." Zheng Ping trembled. He looked up at Xia Longwu. Xia Longwu had been remaining silent. When he saw Zheng Ping looking at him, he calmly said, "Our treasury is not very full at the moment, but it''s fine. Great Xia''s foundation is strong enough to withstand our losses." Wan Tiansheng smiled, "So prefect, do you intend to continue the war?" Xia Longwu looked at Wan Tiansheng and indifferently said, "Wan Tiansheng, some of the things you said are right. Great Xia has always been the one to kill the most and gain the least. I know that better than you. But even so, I''ve never listened to your suggestions. Do you know why?" Wan Tiansheng wasn''t surprised. He slowly said, "I understand. You want to forge the strongest human army, allowing humanity to possess a heroic vanguard army." "It''s good that you understand." Xia Longwu stood up and coldly said, "In the past, Great Zhou was the strongest. Their armies swept through the Allheaven Battlefield and were without rival. They did what you suggested, allowing their enemies to pay their way out of the war. "That continued for a year, two years, ten years, and a hundred years. During one campaign, after pushing their enemies into a corner, they felt that it was time to stop again. It was time to reap their harvest. s, they were wrong. The elite army of the divine race they were facing had decided to make ast stand. "With ten thousand soldiers, they defeated Great Zhou''s army of one hundred thousand when they had their guards down. Great Zhou had forgotten how it feels to fight until the bitter end. They had forgotten how to fight with everything on the line. An army of a hundred thousand was defeated." Xia Longwu sneered, "That battle came to be known as the Battle of Lazo Sea. Humanity suffered a crushing defeat there. An elite of a hundred thousand was defeated by a broken army. It was inconceivable. It shocked the myriad races. They discovered that the most elite army of humanity was merely a paper tiger." Xia Longwu''s face turned cold, "The unequaled Great Zhou Army has their legends shattered there. Why? Because they''re used to it. They''re used to not losing lives in war." Xia Longwu looked at Wan Tiansheng and solemnly said, "The example of our predecessors is right before our eyes. Wan Tiansheng, do you still believe that there is no need to be harsh on the battlefield?" "That was not what I meant." Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "But Great Xia is really on the verge of copse. Prefect, we need a bnce in everything. We can''t deny everything the Great Zhou Army had done just because of a single defeat. They were able to rapidly rise up from that defeat. Their ample harvest from their past wars yed a great role in that, allowing them to rapidly rebuild another elite army. "But for us...if we lose the Martial Dragon Guards, it will be too difficult to rebuild another elite army." Standing in front of his throne, Xia Longwu stared at Wan Tiansheng from above. Wan Tiansheng did not give up. Meeting Xia Longwu''s gaze, he said, "Withdraw, negotiate, and allow them to pay for their lives." "I am the soul of Great Xia. I can''t step back!" "You still need to do it!" The schrly Wan Tiansheng suddenly became overbearing as his eyes turned sharp. "If you refuse, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy will no longer provide the Martial Dragon Guards with any manpower. You won''t see a single cultural researcher in the Martial Dragon Guards after this." "Are you threatening me?" asked Xia Longwu with an overcast voice. Wan Tiansheng stood up and solemnly said, "If you refuse to take a step back, I would rather have our teachers and students seek refuge at Great Zhou than to let our children throw their lives away for the sake of your reputation!" "Bastard!" Zheng Ping was furious. "Wan Tiansheng, are you betraying Great Xia?" "No. I''m saving Great Xia. I''m willing to fight for the human race, but I''m not willing to fight for a dictator." Wan Tiansheng then removed the official''s hat from his head and said, "Wan Tiansheng hereby resigns as the principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy." Xia Longwu stared at Wan Tiansheng silently for a long while. Suddenly, the old man to the leftughed and said, "Principal Wan, stop messing with Principal Zheng." Zheng Ping frowned unhappily. What did that mean? The old man said, "Like it or not, we still need to take that step back. Great Xia has been in war after war for decades. We have suffered and lost a lot. We have been gathered here today by the prefect to talk about this. "Since you were able to guess the purpose of this meeting, what is the point of making the prefect lose face?" Wan Tiansheng pretended to be confused, "What do you mean?" The old manughed and shook his head. "You''re still the same. Why are you constantly arguing with each other? Can''t you talk calmly? "The prefect wanted to take a step back as well, but he can''t do so. He is a rallying banner of humanity. He is also the soul of Great Xia. If he takes a step back, what will our soldiers at the front line think? After all, he''s not the same as that shameless Zhu Tiandao..." At the mention of that name, the mood in the previously solemn room changed. Even Xia Longwu with his perpetual solemn expression sat down and coughed awkwardly, "Stop talking drivel. Prefect Zhu...cough, cough. He still cares a great deal about his face when it''s needed." Everyone continuedughing. The old man said, "You''re right. I was wrong. Let''s not talk about that person and return to our topic. There is no changing the fact that we will need to pull our army back. The Martial Dragon Guards will not sacrifice thousands of lives to eliminate an army of ten thousand from the divine skywing race. "However, the order can''t be made under the prefect''s name. After killing several divine skywing experts, the prefect urgently needs to enter a secluded cultivation session. "Today, the two of you are gathered to talk about the appointment ceremony a few dayster. With the prefect in seclusion, Marquis Xia will be appointed as the acting prefect. At that time...Wan Tiansheng, you can repeat your performance today." A grin unfolded on the old man''s face, "Have Marquis Xia make the order to withdraw. Since the prefect is in seclusion, the order will have nothing to do with him. "Even if our soldiers at the front line are unhappy, it doesn''t matter. Marquis Xia does not mind. He has always been a merchant. He will take charge in the talks with the divine skywing race, asking forpensation from them. Even the divine skywing race won''t suspect anything. The myriad races won''t be able to detect Great Xia''s weakness." Zheng Ping was hit by a realization. He scolded, "Old fart, is that really fine? Marquis Xia...he has been the fall guy way too many times. Nowadays, his reputation is terrible." "Since he already has a bad reputation, why does it matter if his reputation drops further?" The old man smiled, "Principal Zheng, what Principal Wan said is true. Great Xia''s treasury is nearly empty. We can''t afford to keep fighting. We won''t be able to afford building a second Martial Dragon Guards. And after losing our current Martial Dragon Guards, Great Xia would be left with no elites. "It''s only a divine skywing race, not the entirety of the divine race. What''s the point of sacrificing everything we have for them? Since our prefect is entering seclusion, Marquis Xia who loves money more than his reputation will take charge. Even the myriad races are aware of his reputation. "And with him in charge, who will suspect him when he decides to withdraw our army for money?" The old man had a bright smile on his face, "The divine skywing race will even rejoice that Marquis Xia has taken office during this critical moment. If Prefect Xia was still in charge, they would probably lose this army of ten thousand entirely. "The prefect is known for being unyielding. If he is the one to make this order, everyone will be surprised. They will all assume that Great Xia is in some sort of trouble." Zheng Ping found himself speechless. After a while, he asked, "Are things really that bad?" "Yes. The treasury is almost empty." The old man sighed. "Why else would we withdraw now after fighting for so many years? In the past, we will not stop attacking a race that has created trouble in our prefecture like the divine skywing race until we damage them lethally." "But now, we have no choice but to stop and recuperate." The old man solemnly said, "This is why the prefect has decided to enter seclusion now. We can''t keep fighting. That applies to not only the Martial Dragon Guards, but the Devil Subding Army as well. They have suffered so many losses that they have been recalling veterans year after year. They will need to stop and recuperate as well. "Great Xia looks powerful, but in truth, we''re losing manpower faster than we can replenish it. After spending so many years building a resounding reputation, it is time for us to rest. There is no avoiding that. "The prefect will end his seclusion after Great Xia is done recovering. At that time, the prefect will also be making his debut as an invincible expert!" Xia Longwu indifferently said, "I have been nning to enter the Allheaven Battlefield and ughter a king to push myself into that realm. But...to be safe, we will withdraw our army and dy this battle for the future. I believe that Great Xia will only need a few years to make a full recovery." "Wise choice, prefect." Wan Tiansheng praised fawningly, "I see a bright future ahead of Great Xia with this choice!" Xia Longwu was having none of that. He asked nonchntly, "Aren''t you resigning? How about this, you can officially submit your resignation during the ceremony a few dayster. Since Zhou Potian is willing to take you, feel free to go there." Chapter 53: Storm Is Coming (2)

Chapter 53: Storm Is Coming (2)

"The prefect is really humorous!" Wan Tiansheng remainedpletely calm as he said, "I was only practicing earlier! I can''t let Marquis Xia and the others see through my performance during the ceremony! Zhou Potian? That¡¯s a crafty old fox! I am unwilling to associate myself with the likes of him!" "Heh." Xia Longwu sneered. "Let Zhou Potian know what he said." He looked at the old man to the left. The old manughed. Looking at Zheng Ping, he said, "Principal Zheng, take charge of that. Do not miss a single word of what Principal Wan said about Prefect Zhou." Zheng Ping had a dark expression. He remained silent. Xia Longwu ignored them and started walking away as he said, "It''s settled, then. The Martial Dragon Guards will withdraw. The divine skywing race will pay a price for that. I''ll enter seclusion. The day I leave seclusion is the day I use the divine skywing race to test my de." The others voiced their agreement. Nobody objected. Wan Tiansheng''s face was brimming with a smile. Before leaving, he nced at Zheng Ping and sighed, "It truly is a waste of time to talk strategy with a brute." Zheng Ping had a dark expression as he said, "Old fart, during this year''s academy exchange, I¡¯ll make sure to fill your academy with mournful wails." Wan Tiansheng did not seem to mind. Instead, he happilyughed, "I''m waiting for you. Go for it. Don''t hold back. In the past, the people from your war academy were too weak. I almost wonder if you were starving them. "How about this? I''ll provide you with ten thousand kilograms of meat for free. Feed your people well so that they have more strength. If your people can scare half our students away, I''ll give you a velvet g of honor as a gift. The cultural research academy is too crowded. What''s the point of keeping so many people with us?" Wan Tiansheng shook his head, "A bunch of mediocre fools. I''ve been meaning to cut down on manpower. If it wasn''t for those old farts getting in my way, I would have reduced our yearly intake into only a thousand students. "Old Zheng, I''ll be relying on you. Work hard and kick at least a thousand of those students away. If you can do so, I''ll personally visit your academy with a velvet banner of honor to thank you." Zheng Ping''s face turned even more unsightly. He had never won a verbal spar against this old bastard. Wan Tianshengughed happily and strolled out of the room whilementing, "The Great Xia War Academy...has declined. Sigh. The Martial Dragon War Academy, on the other hand, looks promising. As for your Great Xia War Academy...if you can''t kick at least a thousand of our students out this year, I''ll really start looking down on you." Wan Tiansheng then vanished into thin air. Only then did Zheng Ping helplessly mutter, "These old bastards are getting more and more difficult to deal with. Prefect, are we really going to stop?" Beside him, Xia Longwu, who had left earlier, suddenly appeared. Looking at the direction Wan Tiansheng had left, Xia Longwu remained silent for a while before softly saying, "We''re not stopping. We''re waiting. Waiting until we recover. Wan Tiansheng has been waiting so many years for this. Finally, the prefecture is weakened, allowing him to sessfully push his agenda." Zheng Ping sighed and said, "I''m slightly afraid." "Of what?" "I''m afraid that our people will lose their will to fight, their confidence, and their morale." Zheng Ping looked at Xia Longwu with aplicated expression and continued, "I''m afraid that this withdrawal will also change the heart of Great Xia." "What will happen, will happen." Xia Longwu calmly said, "We can''t keep fighting until even our retired veterans are forced to return to the battlefield. Rest is required. It is better to rest now than to rest when we''re no longer capable of putting up a fight. "Old Zheng, the war academy has suffered great losses over the years. It¡¯s time to take a rest." Xia Longwu then stopped talking and stood there bleakly. He had been unyielding for his entire life. Finally, he was forced to stop. He might have imed that he looked down on Zhu Tiandao and Zhou Potian, but in truth, he actually admired and envied them somewhat. "At the very least, much fewer of their warriors have perishedpared to Great Xia..." Xia Longwu muttered to himself with a bitter look in his eyes. He wanted to keep fighting, but reality forbade him from doing so. He had been too aggressive before. As a result, Great Xia was akin to a b of meat in a boiling pot. It might look great, but danger surrounded it from all sides. "Wan Tiansheng, we have beenpeting against each other for so many years. Let me see just what you can aplish now that you''re getting what you want." Xia Longwu was also curious to see just what Wan Tiansheng could aplish. "Cultural research academy...hopefully things won''t go wrong at the next step. Teacher, can you really keep everything under control?" Xia Longwu smiled to himself. The person he called teacher was his first teacher. However, it had been so many years since theyst met that he had almost forgotten that such a person existed. ¡­ Nanyuan Secondary School. Afternoon. General office. Apart from Su Yu and Liu Wenyan, there were many other people in the office. All the students with the potential to get into the cultural research academy were there. Including Su Yu, there were twelve of them. Previously, Liu Wenyan had forced Bai Feng to teach two of his students. He couldn''t send more students to Bai Feng because Bai Feng wasn''t a part of the secondary school and he wasn''t sure if Bai Feng would teach them anything about Divine Characters. Today, he was going to personally write a willpower text. That was different. Even if he was biased toward Su Yu, this was still a rare opportunity for the other students. Thus, he had gathered all the students for the writing session. Liu Wenyan and the principal were standing side by side. Arge desk stood before them. There was no paper on the desk. Instead, there was only a beast hide unfurled on it. The hide was massive. There was also a basin of red liquid on the desk. The red liquid was going to serve as the ink for the writing session today. Currently, Liu Wenyan was grinding the red liquid, preparing it for writing. The principal''s heart was still aching from what he had spent. Everything on the desk had been purchased with arge number of merit points. He had spent over a hundred points for this. The secondary school had truly paid arge price for this writing session. "Everyone, stay focused when it starts. This is a rare opportunity. If you find yourself reaching your limit, shut your eyes and rest. Do not force yourself to keep going." The principal reminded all the students sternly. In truth, it was still too early for most of these students to start studying willpower texts. Even the academy would not open any Divine Character lessons to students below twenty percent willpower. Most students also wouldn''t bother trying to study Divine Characters before then. That was basically a waste of time and money. After all, in the academy, reading a single willpower text, especially when it was being written live, was not something one could do for free. In the academy, a single willpower text lesson would cost one at least five merit points. And that was only the cheapest lesson where it was conducted in arge group, with the price being a discounted price since they were the students of the academy. It would cost an outsider far more to attend one of such sses. The cultural researcher''s mood would also decide whether these outsiders could attend the lesson. After all, writing one such text would exhaust arge amount of willpower, so each lesson was invaluable. "Today, Instructor Liu will be writing the Lightning Source de, a low-tier profound-grade martial technique. Try to see as much as you can," reminded the principal again. After Liu Wenyan''s willpower materialization, the people of Nanyuan had learned a lot more about cultural researchers than before. In the past, decades would pass before Nanyuan could see a single cultural researcher. People like Su Yu practically knew nothing about cultural researchers. After all, nobody would talk much about something that had not appeared in their life before. With Liu Wenyan¡¯s advancement, things were no longer the same in Nanyuan. The students in the office appeared incredibly excited. Willpower text! A Skysoar cultivator was going to personally write the text for them, kickstarting their path of Divine Character cultivation. Beside Su Yu, Liu Yue''s eyes were also brightly lit. She couldn''t help but to nce at Su Yu. She knew that Su Yu was most likely the intended recipient of this session. That was because apart from Su Yu, everyone else would not be able to gain much from this session. In fact, it would be quite wasteful for them to learn this at their current stage of cultivation. As someone who had studied willpower texts before, she knew how valuable and expensive each text was. Disregarding the materials used, even a hundred merit points might not be enough to hire a cultural researcher to write a willpower text. After all, they could earn as much just by killing a Skysoar Realm enemy. "His willpower is only ten percent full..." Liu Yue was envious of Su Yu. She couldn''t understand why Liu Wenyan looked so highly upon Su Yu. After all, her willpower was already fifteen percent full during their previous lesson with Bai Feng. And after her recent hard work, she was already starting to study iplete original texts. That signified that she was nearing or had reached twenty percent willpower. Even so, Su Yu was the one Liu Wenyan had chosen to bring around for the past month. She was never in his mind. She was envious, and she could only sigh. Perhaps Instructor Liu had never truly viewed her as his student. But in truth, she was wrong. Liu Wenyan only believed that the other students wouldn''t be able to learn what he had been teaching Su Yu. Killing Great Strength cultivators as a Source Opening cultivator? Staying a week in a warehouse filled to the brim with corpses? Learn morenguages? These students hadn''t even finished mastering their existing lessons. And for lessons everyone could attend such as this writing lesson, he did not exclude anyone even if he believed that the others wouldn''t be able to gain as much as Su Yu from it. But there was no helping that since willpower text was not something everyone was capable of studying. If this was the cultural research academy, he could have charged them five merit points each just for this one lesson. No, not even five merit points would be enough. That was merely the payment for the most basic of lessons. Since he was writing a profound-grade technique, he could charge even ten or twenty merit points and the academy students would still not hesitate to attend the ss. Chapter 54: Lightning Source Blade

Chapter 54: Lightning Source de

Liu Wenyan was silent as he slowly gathered his power. He had just achieved willpower materialization not long ago. In truth, writing a profound-grade martial technique so early was slightly beyond his ability. Su Yu and the others would probably only understand how high a price Liu Wenyan had paid for this writing session after entering the academy. In fact, such lessons would only be conducted by full researchers in the academy. "Silence!" Liu Wenyan opened his mouth, and the students who had been conversing softly instantly shut their mouths. Liu Wenyan had a stern expression. His white hair started fluttering while his body glowed with a golden light. "I am going to start writing now. Observe silently. When you reach your limit, shut your eyes immediately." Everyone nodded hastily. Su Yu had a look of anticipation. This was a martial technique, a profound-grade martial technique at that. He was looking forward to learning it. A willpower text of this technique would be the equivalent of a master of the technique personally demonstrating their cultivation process and their knowledge to the learner. The entire process would be dissected and taught to the learner step by step, a process that was much more efficient than a normal teaching process. It was understandable why willpower texts were so valuable. Rustle. Rustle. Winds started blowing. Source qi converged. The desks and chairs in the office started shaking. The only exception was the desk before Liu Wenyan that remained motionless. He was not using any writing tool. Since he was using blood essence as the ink, regr writing tools would not be able to withstand its power. The cultural researchers in the academy had their personal writing tools, but that wasn''t the case for him. Instead, he used his finger as the writing tool. After dipping his finger into the blood, he wielded it like a sword and started writing on the beast hide. "Lightning Source de..." Rumble! Only three characters had been written and lightning bolts started appearing within everyone''s visions. "Ahhh!" A female student couldn''t control herself and eximed in shock. Fear was apparent in her eyes. She seemed to have seen herself getting struck by a bolt of lightning earlier. Nearby, the principal frowned. He wasn''t unhappy because of the noise. Rather, he was frowning when he realized how weak her willpower was. The session had barely started and she was already hitting her limit. "Sigh. What a pity." The principal was regretful. He wondered if this student would look back in regret for wasting this opportunity in the future. Since she had met her limit at the very beginning, she had basically gained nothing from the session. "Shut your eyes!" Seeing that the student was turning pale, the principal shouted, pulling the student back to reality. She hastily shut her eyes. Her face was still pale and she no longer dared to look at the beast hide. Of the remaining eleven students, Su Yu and Liu Yue still looked the same. As for the other nine, some were starting to pale while some still looked normal. At the moment, Su Yu was too busy to pay any attention to the others. His attention was fully on the beast hide. In his eyes, a different Liu Wenyan had appeared on that hide. He was practicing the Lightning Source de. Lightning bolts rained down as Liu Wenyan stood with his saber in hand. Ignoring the lightning, he swung his saber one time after another. The speed of each swing was slow, slow enough that Su Yu had the time to get impatient for the next swing. "Lightning Source de, forty opened acupoints are required for the final move. "There are nine moves in total, with each move being stronger than the previous, and each move requiring more opened acupoints than the previous. At your present stage, even if you canprehend this technique, you won''t necessarily be able to use it. "At the Source Opening Realm, you will be able to barely use the first move if you have reached the eighth-stage. "By connecting your eight acupoints, or even better, nine acupoints, a single swing will drain all your source qi. This technique was never meant for those in the Source Opening Realm. "It''s not rmended to use it at the eighth-stage. At the ninth-stage, you are rmended to absorb some external source qi before connecting your nine acupoints and unleashing the move. Using it with eight acupoints might result in injuries." Those words were not spoken by Liu Wenyan. He waspletely focused on writing and his entire body was drenched wet with sweat. The principal was the one reminding everyone, especially Su Yu. In truth, this Lightning Source de was slightly beyond Su Yu''s capability. However, there was also a benefit to teaching him early. He would be able to continue practicing this technique until the Great Strength Realm or even the Infinite Strength Realm. This was not a technique that he would need to discard too early. Boom! Su Yu had been mostly ignoring the principal''s words. He was fully focused on the "Liu Wenyan" who was practicing the saber moves on the hide. At that point, Liu Wenyan had written dozens of characters. With that, more "Liu Wenyan" appeared on the hide, each of them with a saber in hand. All of them were practicing the same move. The first move of the Lightning Source de. "Hiss..." Someone could be heard inhaling deeply nearby. That person hastily shut his eyes. With this first move, a total of six students were forced to shut their eyes. Apart from Su Yu and Liu Yue, the other three remaining students were greatly pale. As Liu Wenyan continued writing, the other three eventually reached their limits and shut their eyes as well. At that point, Liu Yue''s head was starting to hurt as well. Her willpower had grown recently, but this profound-grade martial technique was really a tad bit too much for her to withstand. Before long, Liu Wenyan moved on from the first move. First move: Lightning Strike. Second move: Rumbling Thunder. It was as though a storm was reallying. Rumbling sounds resounded as the "Liu Wenyan" on the hide moved even faster. Their acupoints glowed brightly as the rumbling sounds echoed around them. A swing of a saber was akin to a stampede of ten thousand beasts. "The second move utilizes twelve acupoints. A Great Strength cultivator can start practicing it." The principal continued his exnation. By now, Su Yu was his sole recipient as even Liu Yue was drenched wet with sweat. She was on the verge of stopping as well. As for Su Yu, although his face was slightly pale, his eyes were brightly lit. He was fully immersed in the writing session and he did not look like he was going to reach his limit anytime soon. "No wonder Old Liu looks so highly upon him..." The principal muttered to himself in astonishment. In truth, he was more optimistic about Liu Yue as she had a stronger willpower. However, the gap between Liu Yue and Su Yu was not really that big. But now that Liu Yue was being directlypared against Su Yu, the difference between the two revealed itself. Directly observing willpower text being written was something that required more than willpower. Tenacity was required as well. When you were immersed in a willpower text, you would feel as though the people in the text were swinging at you. You would also feel as though the lightning bolts within the text were raining down upon you. You would be scared. You would feel pain. You would not be able to withstand what you see from the text. Willpower strength alone would only give you the chance to see more, but that was not absolute. "Liu Yue is still an inexperienced girl. Su Yu, on the other hand, is a person who has truly killed someone before." The principal sighed. Su Yu was someone whose hands were already bloodied. Even excluding what he had experienced while hunting the Myriad Race Cult with Liu Wenyan, that would still be the case. The principal was certain that the kill Chen Hao had imed previously was actually Su Yu¡¯s work. A mere secondary school student was actually courageous enough to ambush a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator at the Source Opening Realm. As far as the principal was concerned, that was courage. That was vitality. Naturally, that was also...rash. "I hope Old Liu did not misjudge his character." The principal was not a strong expert, but he had been on friendly terms with Liu Wenyan for forty years. Because of that, he hade to know a lot more than the others. The principal had yed a great role in enabling Liu Wenyan to stay peacefully in the secondary school for so many years. Forty years ago, the principal had retired from the front line due to his injuries and was appointed the principal of Nanyuan Secondary School. At that time, he was a weak ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. He was also rather clueless about the world at that time. The only thing he knew was that the people working for him needed to be those he could entrust his life to. He did not care about the past of the people in the Nanyuan Secondary School. They needed to all get in line after entering the school. Slowly, he formed a close friendship with Liu Wenyan who was also working in the same school. While reminiscing about the past, the principal suddenly moved and pulled Liu Yue aside. With a frown, he said, "Don''t force yourself!" "Principal..." Liu Yue looked distraught. Looking at Su Yu who was still observing attentively, she nearly fell apart mentally. "I can''t even...finish the second move...principal...I..." She had always thought that she was better than Su Yu. Previously when Bai Feng was writing the Source Opening Codex, she hadn''t been able to perform better than Su Yu. But she had at least finished the entire text before stopping. This time, the gap between them was too obvious. She couldn''t even finish the second move. Meanwhile, Su Yu was only slightly pale. His eyes were still bright as he continued observing. Meanwhile, Liu Wenyan was starting to write the third move. At that point, he was sweating all over and was starting to turn pale as well. "Lightning!" At that moment, Su Yu stopped observing the third move. He found himself somewhat unable toprehend what he was looking at. Furthermore, the "Liu Wenyan" on the hide was moving too fast for him to see. But at the same moment, one of the characters in the text suddenly came alive for him. Lightning! The "lightning" in the Lightning Source de. In fact, the lightning character had the highest number of appearances in the text, surpassing even the de character. The Lightning Source de was a saber technique an expert had created through observations on lightning. Lightning was powerful, fast, and destructive. After witnessing a mountain peak being turned into scorchednd by lightning, the expert decided to create the technique. Su Yu was also looking at lightning. Only lightning remained before his eyes. Lightning was destroying everything. It was sting a mountain peak. It was flooding the universe. "Lightning...is truly powerful..." That was Su Yu''s conclusion, but he wasn''t feeling any fear. Lightning seemed capable of inciting fear in others, but Su Yu was unaffected. That was because he still remembered the lightning monsters that had appeared in his dreams while he was younger. Back then, he was incredibly scared. But he was no longer the same person. Over the years, he had experienced being struck by lightning, being torn apart by ws, being swallowed, having his heart dug out, being torn apart inch by inch, and so on. He only needed to get used to it. He had experienced over three thousand dreams and over three thousand methods of death. After experiencing over three thousand deaths, if one was still mentally stable, that signified that one had matured. The price of maturity wasn''t low. When he was younger, he had nearly killed himself from theck of sleep. But after getting used to being killed, he was able to handle his dreams better. Thus, when the lightning character tried to intimidate him, he only found itical. So what if it could strike him to death here in this illusion? ''It''s not like I haven''t been struck to death by lightning before...'' With his previous experience, he knew that he had discovered yet another Divine Character that was suitable for him. Su Yu proceeded to capture the character, and he managed to grab its...leg? Yeah that part of the character looked like its leg. Then again, this was just a character. He wasn''t exactly sure if a character actually had legs. In any case, he felt like he had grabbed its leg and was dragging it into his mind. Liu Wenyan, who was busy writing, trembled as he looked up. Despite his tired eyes, he couldn''t help smiling at what he saw. This kid had once again discovered a suitable Divine Character. Not all characters could serve as a Divine Character. And not every willpower text would provide one with a Divine Character. First and foremost, the character must bepatible with the cultivator. Even a genius like Bai Feng had only been able to form his first Divine Character after studying willpower texts many times. Some students had to pay a high price to study dozens of willpower texts and numerous original myriad race texts before they could form their first Divine Character. And many more had only been able to form their first at the Mental Tempering Stage or beyond. All that was because they weren''t able to find anypatible Divine Characters fast enough. As for Su Yu, he had only studied willpower texts twice and he was able to find apatible Divine Character each time. Liu Wenyan was pleasantly surprised to see that. ¡®Incredible¡­¡¯ Liu Wenyan praised inwardly. Suddenly, he realized that the short distraction had caused him trouble. He had exhausted too much of his willpower and was having a hard time continuing to write. He was nearing his limit after writing the third move. But he could still force himself to continue. After thinking about it, he clenched his teeth and decided to finish the fourth move. That would be enough for Su Yu until the peak of the Great Strength Realm or even the Infinite Strength Realm. As for the rest of the text, he would just pretend they were willpower imbued as well. He would still write the correct content, but he would just not add any willpower to the characters. In any case, this kid wouldn''t be able to use the fourth move before reaching the Infinite Strength Realm. He could always write a new willpower text for this kid at that time if he had the opportunity. Liu Wenyan continued writing while Su Yu repeated what he did with his previous Divine Character: beating up his little brother. This little brother was much harder to deal with. It kept striking him with lightning. I Chapter 55: Nearing the Limit (1)

Chapter 55: Nearing the Limit (1)

Liu Wenyan quickly finished writing the fifth move before stopping and letting out a long breath. Sensing the principal''s gaze, aposed expression appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "Wow, after getting into the flow, writing this feels much easier than before." The principal did not know much about willpower texts. That was something from the world of cultural researchers. It wasn''t something he had many chances to learn about. In fact, most of what he knew about cultural researchers came from Liu Wenyan. Upon hearing those words, his expression changed as he looked at Liu Wenyan with excitement. When Liu Wenyan saw the gaze, he nked out. Why was the principal so excited? "So...you can write more?" Liu Wenyan''s heart thumped nervously. "Old Liu!" The principal rushed over and softly said, "So you can keep writing? My heavens. So it''s this simple? A single willpower text written by a Skysoar cultural researcher can be sold to a rich merchant for at least three hundred merit points! They will be more than willing to buy some for the juniors in their family! "And by writing a hundred willpower texts, you can clear your debt! At that time, wouldn''t you be able to return to the academy? "Of course, you will need to take the cost of writing into consideration, but you won''t spend more than a hundred merit points for that. Including the cost, you''ll only need to write a hundred fifty willpower texts to repay your debt!" The principal was getting excited. Liu Wenyan was dumbstruck. He...was only bluffing! This fellow seemed to have taken his words seriously. Not to mention one willpower text, just writing four moves was enough to utterly drain him of his energy. Willpower texts weren''t that simple to write. Firstly, he needed to be a cultural researcher with a deep understanding of the Lightning Source de. But cultural researchers generally did not have a lot of time to study things like martial techniques. Secondly, the willpower exhaustion was too great while willpower recovery was too hard. It was much slower than source qi recovery. Three hundred merit points? He could probably write only one every few months. If he had to write everyday, he wouldn''t be able to do it no matter what. He was still capable of writing about three or four willpower texts at the level of the Source Opening Codex per year. But if he had to do the same for something at the Lightning Source de''s level, it would exceed his capability. He would no longer have any energy to spare for cultivation or doing other stuff. "Old Wang..." While cursing inwardly, Liu Wenyan smiled and softly said, "Don''t talk drivel! Us cultural researchers have our own rules. There are things we can''t easily leak to outsiders! We have to prevent the myriad race spies from getting hold of our trump cards! "Sure, the Myriad Race Cult probably has copies of martial techniques like the Lightning Source de. But apart from their own cultural researchers, the cultural researchers of the various prefectures are strictly prohibited from leaking the willpower texts to outsiders. "Even the leaked willpower texts would not be freshly written ones. These would be the ones that had been kept for so long they were as good as mundane texts. Those texts are not too useful and are not worth much." Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "Don''t ever mention this again lest the higher ups hear about it and start making trouble for you." The principal froze slightly before saying with a regretful tone, "I see. Yeah, I should have guessed so. If merit points can be earned so easily, cultural researchers would have nock of merit points. Why would Bai Feng need to steal a fourth-stage Skysoar from us otherwise?" That was merely a sudden idea he had thought of after seeing how easily Liu Wenyan had been able toplete the text. But now, he realized that there were restrictions in ce. He felt enlightened. Liu Wenyan heaved a breath of relief. Yes, there were definitely some restrictions in ce, but they weren''t restricted from selling to the rich. However, that wasn''t something he could do. In fact, even someone in the Cloudbreach Realm or the Mountainsea Realm would not be able to write a hundred willpower texts a year. Even if they could, they wouldn''t. They also needed to cultivate and work on other projects. Excessively exhausting their willpower will result in theck of willpower to nourish their own Divine Characters. Who could they me if some trouble appeared in their cultivation because of that? Liu Wenyan decided to ignore the principal and turned his head to look at Su Yu. Su Yu was still struggling with the Divine Character. His attention was no longer on the de technique. Rather, it was on the Divine Character he was capturing. Liu Wenyan had a look of expectation on his face, but he also felt troubled. "With a weak willpower, even nourishing one Divine Character will be difficult. And now, he''s capturing his second...Sigh. If this continues, his willpower growth will be dragged down by his Divine Characters." Liu Wenyan was both happy and worried about Su Yu. It was not a good thing to have too many Divine Characters. Of course, not having a single character was even worse. How was Su Yu supposed to nurture them if he had too many of them? He had limited willpower, but he couldn''t afford to stop nourishing his Divine Characters as they would simply dissipate away without nourishment. But nourishing them would exhaust him faster than he could recover, eventually causing a copse of his cultivation. "His willpower is now neen percent full. He''s reaching twenty percent. Since his character ''blood'' can be nourished with blood, he should have enough willpower to nourish two Divine Characters. "However, he definitely can''t form a third Divine Character before the Mental Tempering Stage." Liu Wenyan was troubled. At times, geniuses could be very troublesome as well. Su Yu''s speed of Divine Character formation was too fast. He could easily go over his limit and kill himself from the bacsh. Or he could get stuck at the same cultivation level without much progress for decades. That was basically the same as destroying his own future. "All of you may leave." Liu Wenyan said. His face turned solemn as he said, "Do not spread the Lightning Source de to outsiders. Every profound-grade martial technique is not something that can be taught to outsiders. Even a mundane copy of a martial technique of this level can be priced at no less than a hundred merit points in the cultural research and war academies." Previously, the principal had been focusing too much on the value of the willpower text. He had neglected the value of the martial technique itself. Thus, the reminder hit the principal hard as well. He hastily said, "Yes! You definitely can''t teach this to outsiders! Most of the martial techniques in the war academies are mundane copies. Willpower texts are extremely rare. Leaking a profound-grade martial technique will bring you great trouble." One did not necessarily need a willpower text to learn a martial technique. One would only cultivate slower when using mundane copies as one had to rely on themselves toprehend the technique. Willpower texts had the special function of having a top expert exining the technique with great rity, deepening one''sprehension of the technique. At the thought of that, the principal looked at Liu Wenyan worriedly. That old fellow had been talking so much about willpower texts that the principal had forgotten that even the mundane copy was very important. In fact, that wasn''t a martial technique of their school. It was something Liu Wenyan had contributed out of his own pocket. Would he be fine leaking the technique to these students? However, Liu Wenyan was not as worried. Seeing that the students were starting to get nervous, he smiled and said, "You are free to cultivate the technique yourself since I''ve personally taught you the technique. But outsiders, including your family, can''t learn it. "The human race does not encourage one to reap a harvest without sowing. To gain something, one must pay the rtive price. Only parasites will try to gain something without paying anything. Consider this Lightning Source de my graduation gift to you all. Even if you can''t master it today, it doesn''t matter. You have a long path ahead of you. Take your time with it." "Thank you, Instructor Liu." The students promptly thanked their instructor. Although they hadn''t been able to see much of the willpower text, they had all been shown a mundane copy of the technique. "Alright. Go back and take a good rest. It doesn''t matter if you didn''t manage to see anything as this is your first time. With experience, you will be able to gain more in the future. The academy does notck cultural researchers capable of writing willpower texts. You only need to work hard to learn what you want there." "Thank you, instructor." They thanked again before leaving joyously. Many of them turned around to look at the trembling Su Yu before leaving. They were curious. How many moves did Su Yu manage to see? They weren''t really surprised that Su Yu was able to learn more than them. After all, he had been following Liu Wenyan around for private lessons. There was nothing they could do except feeling envious. Chapter 56: Nearing the Limit (2)

Chapter 56: Nearing the Limit (2)

Half an hourter, Su Yu woke up. He looked around and saw that only he and Liu Wenyan were left in the office. rmed, he hurriedly said, "Instructor...I didn''t manage to observe all..." He was annoyed with himself. He was too focused on beating up his newly recruited little brother and had forgotten to focus on the subsequent moves. He wasn''t stupid. He understood that writing a willpower text wasn''t an easy task. He had wasted the session. Liu Wenyan did not seem to mind. He smiled and asked, "How many moves did you see?" "Three. I wasn''t able to see the fourth move in time." Su Yu was feeling very regretful. "Hu!" Liu Wenyan let off a long breath. He was relieved that Su Yu had only managed to see three moves. If this fellow continued until the subsequent moves, he would probably be confused when the miniature figures stopped appearing on the text. "It''s fine. Even if you had managed to see more, you wouldn¡¯t be able to master them. Take this text back. Don''t leak it. Hide it carefully. Read it when you have time. Of course, the longer you wait, the less effective it would be. I''m only a Skysoar cultivator, not a Mountainsea cultivator. I can''t keep my willpower in the text for too long." Liu Wenyan was managing Su Yu''s expectations, telling Su Yu in advance that the longer he waited, the weaker the willpower text would be. It would be Su Yu''s responsibility to study as much as he could from the text before it failed, not Liu Wenyan''s. As a teacher, Liu Wenyan had already given Su Yu the best he could. Liu Wenyan then changed the topic, "Did you form a new Divine Character?" "Yes. It''s the lightning character." "How many strokes did you form?" "I think...the entire character. Wait, I think I almost got the entire character..." With an embarrassed tone, Su Yu added, "I think I missed a stroke." "Huh?" Liu Wenyan was surprised. This student of his had sessfully formed a Divine Character yet again...again? Fine, he decided to just forget about his student''s abnormal talent and asked, "Missed a stroke?" "Yeah. When I was capturing it, it resisted fiercely..." "That''s because your willpower is not strong enough, making it so that you can¡¯t capture it in its entirety. You should have given up or aimed to capture only one stroke and stop there. Next time, you can''t force yourself like this. Understand?" Liu Wenyan was stern. "Once or twice, you might seed with luck. But you could have easily suffered a bacsh from pushing yourself too far. But of course, I was at fault too. I did not expect you to be able to form a second Divine Character so soon so I forgot to remind you. "Also, prior to the Mental Tempering Stage, do not attempt to form your third Divine Character." "Alright!" Su Yu asked, "Instructor, I feel like I''ll need at least ten days or half a month toplete the character." "That''s normal. In fact, it''s very normal for a cultural researcher to take half a year or even one year toplete a Divine Character." This time, Liu Wenyan did not try to keep Su Yu grounded by ying down the feat of forming two Divine Characters so soon. Instead, he sternly warned, "Your speed of forming Divine Characters is too fast. This is very abnormal. I don''t know if this is good or not, but it is not necessarily a good thing to have too many Divine Characters. Like I said before, too many Divine Characters might result in weak Divine Characters." "I understand, Instructor." Su Yu nodded. He wouldn''t be able to test his new Divine Character since it was iplete. That would have to wait. Of course, if he had to guess, it probably had the ability to electrocute his opponents. After all, that character had done exactly that to him earlier. He wouldn''t have been forced to break a "leg" of that character otherwise. The electrocution was rather painful, so he wasn''t able to hold back. Liu Wenyan was relieved to see that Su Yu was taking his words seriously. After thinking for a bit, he slowly said, "At this point, I''ve taught you almost everything I can. As for the basic knowledge you need to know, you''ll be able to learn them in the academy. "Things likeplicated cultivation methods, usage of Divine Characters, formation and nourishment of Divine Characters, and more myriad racenguages are all part of the regr lessons in the academy. You can spend a few years slowly learning them all after entering the academy. That will be a way to strengthen your foundation." Suddenly, Liu Wenyan turned solemn again, "Early on, don''t get distracted and focus only on building your foundation. Us cultural researchers need to be patient. Those in the war academies can enter the Great Strength Realm in about half a year or one year after entering the academy. "But us cultural researchers will normally be stuck for years before entering the Skysoar Realm at one go." Su Yu hurriedly nodded before softly asking, "Instructor, I feel like I can reach the Great Strength Realm in a few months." "..." Liu Wenyan''s words were stuck in his throat. Damn it! He forgot that this kid was already at the eighth-stage! As a student preparing to join the cultural research academy, he had five years in secondary school to learn variousnguages. He had to learn everything from scratch. In that context, was five years really a long time? Apart fromnguages, these students still had to learn many other things as well. For example, mathematics, structure of basic weapons, geography, history, and so on. The secondary school had a stacked curriculum. With the heavy curriculum, a student could be considered hard working just practicing the Source Opening Codex after school. Not many of them could actually go beyond the fourth-stage. Students like Chen Hao who were not aiming to join a cultural research academy were different. They did not need to learn too many differentnguages. They only needed to learn the threepulsorynguages. Even so, that was enough to cause these students massive suffering. They would want nothing more than to abandon all thenguage sses altogether. Su Yu was remarkably talented in terms of Divine Characters. Because of that, Liu Wenyan had even forgotten that this fellow was already at the eighth-stage. In fact, this entire lesson today was for the sake of helping this newly advanced student of his. His intention was never to help Su Yu form a second Divine Character. Liu Wenyan found himself speechless. Initially, he wanted to tell Su Yu to not envy those fellows from the war academies. Many of them could reach the Great Strength Realm after one year. He had to be patient. After a few years, they would still be stuck in the Great Strength Realm while he was already in the Skysoar Realm. But he was unable to say those words anymore. This kid was already at the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm. Liu Wenyan coughed to cover his awkwardness and calmly said, "Yes, your cultivation level is decent. But so what if you can reach the Great Strength Realm? That is a worthless realm. At the academy, you will discover that some of your senior brothers are already in the Skysoar Realm..." Su Yu hurriedly said, "Instructor, I have a question." "Ask it." "I have checked many documents. I can''t seem to find a record of the actual number of years a student will take to graduate from a cultural research academy. I can''t find a single record with that information..." Su Yu was very curious. Just how long is a student going to be studying there? "Years?" Liu Wenyan nked out. After a while, heughed and said, "I almost forgot to tell you that the students in the academy are not graded by years. Rather, those below twenty percent willpower are all grouped into the junior grade. These students are still incapable of studying Great Strength original texts. "Those between twenty to fifty percent willpower that are already capable of studying Great Strength original texts will enter the intermediate grade. At fifty percent and above, also the Mental Tempering Stage, one could enter the senior grade. "And at the Skysoar Realm, you''ll be able to graduate. Of course, not everyone will be able to reach the point of graduation. Many will stay there for a few years before leaving after failing to make any headways in their cultivation. Some will return home, some will join a different academy, some will go to the battlefield, and some might find a different thing to do. At that point, the academy will stop supporting you. "At the Skysoar Realm, you can also decide to stay in the academy. Bai Feng is one such example. Staying in the academy, he took the position of an assistant researcher. However, only a genius would be able to do so. If you only manage to reach the Skysoar Realm at fifty years old, it is unlikely that you''ll be able to stay. You will have to look for an alternative yourself, but you will still be able to do well outside of the academy considering your cultivation level. "Generally, most people will leave if they fail to reach the Skysoar Realm by thirty." Liu Wenyan sighed. "At thirty...one can still change their focus from willpower into physical cultivation. But after that, it will be toote. The golden period of cultivation would be over. For example, you''re currently eighteen. You''ll be in the academy for more than ten years. If you still can''t reach the Skysoar Realm then, you''ll give up as well." So many people had entered the academy with outstanding talent and great ambitions. Unfortunately, many also ended up wasting over ten years without being able to reach the Skysoar Realm. Ultimately, these people were forced to give up on willpower cultivation. This had happened many times before. "You might even find some people in their fifties or sixties in the academy. They aren''t even your teachers. They''re only your senior brothers. These will probably be the ones teaching you some of the basic lessons. Through the lessons, they can earn some merit points and provide for themselves. That way, they can at least still support their family despite their stunted cultivation. "These people aren''t even assistant researchers. But of course, you won''t have to address them as senior brothers. Just address them as instructors. After all, calling them senior brothers would be the same as rubbing salt to the wound. If you''re unlucky enough to encounter a less magnanimous person, they will start creating trouble for you." Liu Wenyanughed, but hisugh was somewhat bitter. ]. "I...would have been one such instructor if I had stayed in the academy. I''ll be your senior brother, not your teacher. An old fart over seventy years old will be considered your peer." Apart from themselves, nobody could understand how bitter that felt. Not one person who had managed to enter a cultural research academy was a fool. s, these intelligent individuals had all ended up wasting decades of their lives there without anything to show for it. Nobody could imagine how they felt. Su Yu was still young, so he couldn''t fully understand that feeling. But just hearing about these people from Liu Wenyan was enough to cause him to shiver. Wasting decades without achieving anything. Being the peer of a bunch of teenagers. ''I won''t suffer the same fate!'' Su Yu vowed inwardly. He wouldn''t allow that to happen to him. He didn''t want that to happen to him. Today, he learned that apart from geniuses, there were also a group of pitiful individuals in the cultural research academy. Sure enough, where there was light, there would be darkness. "Go, go back and take a few days of rest. Study the Lightning Source de, nourish your Divine Character, and wait for the exam." "Instructor, about the middle-stage Great Strength cultivator I need to kill..." "Forget about that. You don''t have enough time." Su Yu thought about it and insisted, "Instructor, why don''t I continue trying. I''ll spend a few days practicing the Lightning Source de before trying. I''ll give up if I fail." "Sure." Liu Wenyan did not try to stop Su Yu. Stubbornness could be a virtue as well. After tossing the beast hide with the Lightning Source de on it to Su Yu, Liu Wenyan walked out with his hands sped behind him. But before he could leave, Su Yu said, "Instructor, I''lle and learn more from you tomorrow morning. I''ll practice the de technique in the afternoon..." Liu Wenyan nearly staggered and fell. I told you to rest at home and study the de technique. Are you thinking that I''m doing that because I''m feeling generous? What a foolish kid! I''ve exhausted too much willpower. I''m the one needing the rest. I can''t be showing my pale face at school everyday, right? People will think that I have been indulging excessively in debauchery if they see me like that! Can''t you read between the lines, kid? With his back facing Su Yu, Liu Wenyan''s face fell as he said with a t tone, "There is no need for that. I have something to take care of for the next few days. I''m trying to push my physical body to the Skysoar Realm as well. I''ll be upied." Su Yu came to a realization and hurriedly said, "Ok, Instructor. I won''t be bothering you." "Alright." With the look of an unfathomable expert, Liu Wenyan drifted away. He was afraid that he wouldn''t be able to keep maintaining his dignified appearance if he stayed in the office any longer. Chapter 57: Winds of Change (1)

Chapter 57: Winds of Change (1)

"Hah!" A loud shout resounded alongside the sound of a de being swung. Since Su Yu had broken his closet previously, he did not dare to practice the even more powerful Lightning Source de home. He was afraid that he would damage his house or even worse, cut the floor apart and ended up beaten by the grandpa downstairs with his massive fists. The standard military saber in his hands moved rapidly as it whistled through the air. After a while, he stopped swinging the saber while panting for breath. A frown was on his face. Difficult. A profound-grade martial technique was still too difficult for him. It was too early for him to learn something like that. That was the case even though the first move, Lightning Strike, only required a connection of nine acupoints. "I know the move, but the issue is source qi." That was Su Yu''s conclusion. The move wasn''t actually difficult. His issue was the connection of acupoints and eruption of source qi. He needed to gather all his source qi on the saber before swinging the de with the speed of lightning. He had only opened eight acupoints. He could utilize the source qi within his body but not the ambient source qi around him. "I still can''t gather my source qi onto the saber fast enough." Su Yu frowned. It had been three days. Three days on a single move wasn''t a long time, but even though he had been studying the Lightning Source de several times per day, he still wasn''t able to properly gather his source qi. That signified that he hadn''t achieved even a basic mastery of the first move. To reach that point, he had to at least be able to gather all his source qi as one before channeling the source qi onto the de. Further mastery would be achieved through his familiarity with the move and the speed with which he could gather and channel his source qi. He had spent three days without even achieving a basic mastery, so there was definitely no way for him to increase his familiarity or speed. "Must I reach the ninth-stage before I can use this move?" Su Yu sighed. He wanted to reach the ninth-stage as well. However, during the past three days, he had cultivated once with blood essence but it was no longer as helpful for him. The final acupoint was opening at a very slow rate. With his current speed, he would need at least one month to reach the ninth-stage. He had spent twenty days entering the eighth-stage. Thus, taking a month to enter the ninth-stage could actually be considered a fast speed. Even so, that would only happen if he continued using blood essence to help with his cultivation. He only had two drops of iron-winged bird blood essence on him. He was keeping them for emergencies. "How do I channel my source qi onto the de with only eight acupoints?" He found his source qi somewhat stubborn as he wasn''t able to freely move it around. He stopped practicing and sat down. While taking a drink, he sank into contemtion. "The Rip ability of the iron-winged bird activated through the book works on a simr principle. WIth that ability, I need to gather source qi on my palm and turn my fingers into sharp ws capable of tearing into my enemy''s defense. "But that isn¡¯t an ability I have mastered. The book was the one activating it for me. "Now, I need to do the same myself by gathering source qi onto the de. The book utilized the power within the blood essence to do what it did instead of external source qi. That...is simr to my current situation where I have no ess to external source qi..." Su Yu''s heart ached at the thought of spending more money. He had an idea as to what he needed to do to achieve basic mastery in the technique. He would have to use blood essence and activate the Rip ability so that he could observe how source qi was being channeled for the ability. His body would give him the best impression of how things were done. No matter how clear Liu Wenyan''s willpower demonstrated the technique to him, it wouldn''t be as clear as trying it with his own body. "I need to spend money again." A drop of blood essence would cost him thirty thousand dors. That was only enough for one attempt. Was that worth it? For a lot of people, that would be worth it. For Su Yu, it wasn''t that he was stingy. He didn''t mind spending money, but the issue was that he really didn''t have much to spend. "Screw it. I''ll try using a drop. I''ll be able to earn the merit points back by killing a Great Strength cult member. If I can learn the first move, this will be totally worth it." He had not activated that ability ever since the battle at the school. At the time, he was only at the fourth-stage. Now, he was already at the eighth-stage. He stopped hesitating and took out a bottle from his pocket. He had been keeping the blood essence on him for emergencies. After making his decision, he did not dy. He swallowed a drop of blood essence and activated the Rip ability instead of the Source Swallowing Technique. Unlike his previous activation, he had a much clearer goal in mind for his activation this time. This time, he had a much clearer sense as to what was happening inside his body. He could feel a new type of power appearing within his body. That was the power from the blood essence. It was simr to source qi, but it also felt much closer to the natural essence of power within a living being¡¯s body. That power started circting through his acupoints before gathering on his right hand, causing his right hand to rapidly swell. He did not unleash the power in his hand. Rather, he silently immersed himself in the sensation of power. This level of pain was still something he could endure. He was experiencing the sensation of having his source qi gathered and studying the profundity behind the movement of source qi. One minute. Two minutes... He kept holding the power back and the swelling on his right hand grew worse and worse. His physical body was not strong enough for this kind of power. After all, he was currently wielding a powerparable to the strength of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator. His arm felt like it was going to burst apart from all that power. He continued his study while using his own body as the test subject. In truth, this was amon sight among cultural researchers. If Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng saw what he was doing, apart from scolding him, they would probably praise him as well. What he was demonstrating here was very close to the spirit of cultural researchers: the desire for knowledge. Desire for knowledge. There were too many unknown quantities in the myriad realms. Countless civilizations existed, and many of them shone as bright as the sun. Humanity might be strong, but not strong enough to dominate the myriad realms. Only through the constant search for knowledge and exploration of the unknown would humanity be able to rise in power. Countless cultural researchers served as the pioneer of knowledge. Testing new cultivation methods, adapting and improving the cultivation methods of the myriad races, consuming the various natural treasures, modifying one''s body to work alongside the cultivation methods and martial techniques of the myriad races, and so on. Generation after generation, many cultural researchers had perished when exploring the unknown. However, these people had also achieved extraordinary aplishments. After the Anping Calendar, humanity had been able to rapidly grow. The cultural researchers had yed a massive role in that rise. There was a ce called the Knowledge Seeking Realm. That was the holynd of all cultural researchers, a ce where they sought the unknown. Su Yu was still unaware of the existence of that ce. He wasn''t thinking of any grand aspirations when doing this. He only wanted to understand the Lightning Source de better and achieve a basic mastery in the technique. However, what he did here, forcing a power far beyond his level as an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator into his body just toprehend the secrets behind the cirction of source qi waspletely in line with what the spirit of cultural researchers entailed: the desire for knowledge. Of course, there was no doubt that his ignorance had also yed a part in his courage. ... Five minutester, the power dissipated from Su Yu''s body. His right hand had swollen so much that it looked more like a pig trotter than an arm. He clenched his teeth. There was no avoiding the pain that apanied this experiment, but not even the pain could mask the joy he was feeling. He felt like he had understood something during the experiment. "I neglected something previously. To gather source qi, I not only need my acupoints, but I also need my physical body to do its part as well. My meridians, my muscles, and the other parts of my body need to get involved in the process. "I''ve been focusing too much on the acupoints, but that''s wrong. The acupoints only exist to serve the physical body. The circuit of acupoints is merely the engine." Su Yu''s understanding on the movement of source qi had deepened. Acupoints were the tools to absorb source qi into his body. They were the engine of the vehicle that was his body while source qi was the fuel for the vehicle. He had to remember that his body was the actual vehicle, the wheels, and the steering wheel. Previously, he had only been burning the fuel in his engine without steering his vehicle. Thus, the issue did not lie on his acupoints. Hisck of control over his physical body was the issue. "In this case, I am the bad driver. I have everything I need to make this work. I have been failing to channel source qi onto the de because I was the bad driver..." Su Yu finally came to an understanding, and it brought him a deep sense of satisfaction that made him forget about the pain in his right hand. In truth, his teachers had told him everything he had just learned before. But theory was clearly not as useful as experience. For example, if one wanted to learn how long it would take to fill a leaking swimming pool with water, actually performing the test once would leave a far deeper impression in one''s mind than to perform the calctions a hundred times on paper. Naturally, the premise for that was for one to actually have a swimming pool at home and to not be afraid of being beaten by one''s parents. If both those boxes were ticked, then one could freely perform that test. All those random thoughts did not stay long in Su Yu''s mind. He couldn¡¯t wait to try out the Lightning Source de one more time. It was then that he started feeling the pain in his right hand again. "I won''t be able to do it today. I''ll try tomorrow. Since I already understand what I need to do, I only need to keep practicing to familiarize myself with it." Su Yu wasn''t only happy because he had managed to understand how to effectively channel source qi. He was also happy because he had discovered an additional use of the book in his mind. At a nce, the book could only help him absorb source qi and activate different abilities and techniques. But through the ability activation function, he had gained understanding on the proper way to channel source qi. Additionally, he had also discovered the secret of the acupoints the iron-winged birds needed to use that ability. "This is an iron-winged bird technique. Their bodies are too different from human bodies, so I won''t be able to pry too much into their secrets. What if this is a divine or devil race technique? Won''t I be able to see even more?" ... Su Yu returned home to do more reading. He would try the technique again the next day after his hand healed. It was already the 8th of June. The entrance examination was seventeen days away. At the same time. Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Within a massive hall. Wan Tiansheng had gathered the academy''s higher ups in a meeting. He was slowly speaking, "Prefect Xia is entering seclusion and Marquis Xia will be the acting prefect while the prefect is away. You are all aware of what happened during the appointment ceremony earlier in the morning. I suggested that we withdraw our army and recall the Martial Dragon Guards back to Great Xia." Right after he said those words, an old man stood up and angrily rebuked, "Wan Tiansheng, both you and Marquis Xia are viins colluding together to ruin our Great Xia! We have been fighting for so many years but we have never withdrawn our army before! Both of you are traitors of humanity! Traitors of Great Xia! You should be executed!" Wan Tiansheng was not angry. He calmly said, "ording to your logic, everyone in Great Zhou and Great Ming are traitors. To forget how to fight will bring peril. But to recklessly pursue aggression will bring destruction!" "How can you lump us with them?" The old man angrily rebuked, "Recklessly pursue aggression? If humanity stops fighting, the Human Realm will be the new Allheaven Battlefield! If Great Xia stops fighting, if Great Zhou stops fighting, if all the prefectures stop fighting, how will the Human Realm survive?" "Wan Tiansheng! You''re a sinner!" Wan Tiansheng swept his gaze through the crowd below him. Many of them appeared unhappy. His proposal during the appointment ceremony to withdraw their army and allow the divine skywing race to pay for peace had courted many discontent. He sighed inwardly, but he was already used to this. To recklessly pursue aggression would bring destruction. Many people were familiar with that saying, but how many truly understood it? Was Great Xia powerful? Yes. It was very powerful. But after so many years of war, its ie could no longer keep up with its expenses. In each war, it would gain the leastpared to other prefectures, so it couldn''t even sponsor its war through war like the other prefectures. They needed to support the Martial Dragon Guards, the Great Xia Army, and pay thepensation to the families of the soldiers that had sacrificed themselves on the battlefield. Great Xia was a prefecture where everyone viewed dying in battle as one of the greatest honors one could achieve. But by dying in battle, they would lose their lives while Great Xia would lose its wealth. Way too much of their wealth had been spent in this manner. Over the years, millions of Great Xia soldiers had perished in battle. As someone who loved his soldiers, Xia Longwu had insisted on paying hundreds of thousands of dors for each dead or crippled soldier aspensation. Apart from that, the families of the dead or crippled soldiers were also eligible for numerous other benefits. Due to that policy, the people of Great Xia were fearless in battle. There were even a lot of old soldiers fighting like they were trying to throw their lives away just to give their descendents a better future. ]. None of these people understood that the Great Xia was already eating into the foundation built during the reign of Great Xia King instead of using what they were making themselves. After so many years with Xia Longwu at the helm, Great Xia had exhausted arge portion of its umted wealth. Many thoughts appeared in Wan Tiansheng''s mind, but he was able to quickly calm his emotions. He slowly spoke, "Sinner? Whether I have sinned or not is not up to any of you. Furthermore, I was merely the one making the proposal. That was Marquis Xia''s order." "Marquis Xia..." The old man''s expression changed as he cursed, "He''s a pig! Apart from lining his pockets, what else can he do?" "Cough, cough, cough!" Wan Tiansheng interrupted the old man by coughing loudly before saying "Senior Hong, there is no need to disguise the target of your criticism..." "I''m not disguising shit. I''m directly scolding the person I want." The old man was still furious. "Even if he''s standing in front of me, I won''t hold back from pointing at his nose before scolding him! "The Xia Trade Company dominates the cultivation resources of Great Xia. Is that not profitable enough for him? That pig is still greedy for more, to the point he''s stretching his grubby hands to the battlefield as well. Someone like him should be executed!" At that point, the mood of the meeting was starting to change. A younger individual suddenly said, "Principal, will Marquis Xia reduce our sry and bonus after bing the acting prefect?" "Principal, why don''t you tell Marquis Xia that Xia Trade Company''s price is too high. Can you get him to reduce the price of the products sold? We can get the same products for a much cheaper price at Great Ming!" "Principal, how long will Marquis Xia stay the acting prefect? A few years ago when he became the acting prefect after the prefect left for the battlefield, he was so stingy that we needed to pay just to use the academy washrooms." "..." Chapter 58: Winds of Change (2)

Chapter 58: Winds of Change (2)

Everyone''s attention was shifted to Marquis Xia. Wan Tiansheng was relieved to see that. This was good. Marquis Xia...was naturally here to be the fall guy. Of course, Marquis Xia wasn''t really as bad as these people made him out to be. The Great Xia government had been spending more than they earned for a long time. Xia Longwu did not care about the economy and was only focused on cultivation and war. Without Marquis Xia, the treasury would have emptied out five years ago. As far as Wan Tiansheng was concerned, Marquis Xia was more suited to be the prefect than Xia Longwu. Marquis Xia was the reason Great Xia had been able to remain standing for so long. Naturally, not many people were aware of that. They only knew that Marquis Xia was an unreliable and stingy person. Many believed that if it wasn''t for the fact that Marquis Xia''s father was the Great Xia King, he would have been beaten to death in some dark alley long ago. Ignoring the crowd, Wan Tiansheng said some cating words before saying, "Since Marquis Xia is now the acting prefect, things will be rather tight for everyone this year. He told me that the treasury is empty. We need to save money. "Therefore, we will only be epting five hundred new students this year. Additionally, we are also looking to cut some fat from the academy. "More importantly, those above fifty that have yet to achieve willpower materialization and are also not teaching in the academy will no longer be given an allowance." That final sentence was akin to a bomb being thrown into the crowd. "Impossible!" "How can we do that?" "Principal, you''re betraying the entire academy!" An old man shouted, "In the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, there are over twenty thousand students above fifty that have yet to achieve willpower materialization. Less than five hundred of them are teaching in the academy. How will the rest of them put food on the table without the allowance?" Hearing that, a sharp look appeared in Wan Tiansheng''s eyes. Over the years, the academy had turned into a bloated machine. During the past fifty years, the academy had grown considerably, with numerous experts among their ranks. But there was no denying that alongside growth, numerous problems had also cropped up within the academy. A bunch of old students that had yet to achieve willpower materialization were slowly pushing the academy to the brink of bankruptcy. He knew that his idea would face a lot of resistance. The tens of thousands of deadweight in the academy were given an allowance of over a hundred thousand dors each on a yearly basis. The academy was spending billions per year just paying these people. Of course, these old students had a lot of connections in the academy. Some had their descendents in the academy. Some had their teachers and seniors with high positions in the academy. The cancetion of their allowance would cause a big ruckus. However, they had no choice but to control their expenditure. He could no longer put up with that. When Xia Longwu was around, his idea had been rejected again and again. That was because Xia Longwu believed that even these people who had yet to achieve willpower materialization had contributed a lot to the prefecture. He couldn''t let them down. But by trying not to let anyone down, it would only be a matter of time before everyone was brought down together. If even a single Great Xia Cultural Research Academy had such arge expenditure, then the expenditure of the entire Great Xia would be an astronomical number. Not even Marquis Xia, with his incredible talent in making money, could make enough to pay for all that. This was something they had to do. It was only a matter of time. Wan Tiansheng could only hope that the people affected could understand why they were doing so. A lot of the people among the crowd had benefited from the previous generous policy. He did not change his mind despite their objections. He spoke with a voice that was calm yet strong enough to suppress all other voices in the room, "This has been decreed by the prefectural government. If you''re unhappy, go look for Marquis Xia. "Apart from that, the research funds will be reduced by thirty percent. Some of the more useless research can be stopped. The Audit Office will need to take responsibility for this. You can''t approve any research proposed to you. You''re only wasting money for no result. "For example, why are we even studying the fire hog race? How many years have we wasted on that? That race is cannon fodder in the Allheaven Battlefield. We have killed tens of millions of them already. What is there to study about them? Ridiculous!" If they had so much time and energy, they might as well research something more useful. "Also, those nning to do research should focus on their research. Stop messing around in the academy." Without waiting for the crowd to voice their objections, Wan Tiansheng threw another bomb into the crowd, "After some consideration and a discussion with Marquis Xia, I''ve decided to reopen the Foreign Student Faculty." That single announcement surpassed everything he had announced previously. Even the few experts that had been remaining silent throughout the meeting started speaking. One of them coldly said, "Foreign Student Faculty? Principal, this proposal was vetoed many years ago. Back then, the prefect personally went to the Allheaven Battlefield to eliminate several races in a row. Why are you reopening the faculty? Do you think that the prefect will stay in seclusion forever?" Wan Tiansheng calmly said, "Everyone, even if we don''t ept foreign students, there will still be Myriad Race Cult spies in the academy." "That''s different!" Someone shouted coldly, "The cult members are still humans. What''s the point of epting foreign students?" "Money." Wan Tiansheng spoke bluntly, "Rather than have them send Myriad Race Cult spies into the academy, we might as well ept them directly. Firstly, the foreigners will be right under our eyes. We can easily monitor them. "Secondly, we can charge them an expensive school fee. Thirdly, apart from money, we will also be charging them arge amount of resources and secret techniques. If they want to join the academy, they will have to pay the price for it. That way, they will reduce their support toward the Myriad Race Cult. Instead, the resources meant to go to the cult will fall into our hands. "Fourthly, we can show our sincerity to the myriad races, telling them that so long as they aren''t absolutely hostile toward us, there is always a possibility of alliance. The human race is a top ten race among the myriad races. Not everyone can harm us. For some races, cooperating with us might be a better choice than to stand against us." Wan Tiansheng continued, "In fact, the divines and devils are doing the same, roping in the minor races to their side. They have even granted those minor races ess to some of their more unimportant secret grottos and sacrednds to help those races grow, turning them into the vanguard in the war against humanity. "Super experts of the minor races can even be found in the armies of the divines and devils. Each time we shed, only humans will die from our armies while the divines and devils might only lose some experts from the minor races. The divines and devils themselves have remained rtively unscathed by the conflict. "Since the other races can ce spies among our ranks, creating something like the Myriad Race Cult, we can do the same as well. For example, these foreign students can be bribed, brainwashed, or threatened. There are steps we can take to bring them to our side. "Many yearster, these foreign students could very well be the vanguard of our army pointed toward the other races. "I admit that there are disadvantages to this n. There are a lot of disadvantages to it. But think about this. Are the disadvantages enough to offset the advantages or is it the other way around? "As long as we oversee the n properly, things can be better. At the very least, you can stop worrying whether the fellow human beside you is a spy from the Myriad Race Cult or not. "After gaining the ability to openly join us, the size of the Myriad Race Cult will decline steeply. Incidents where we spentrge amounts of resources to nurture a human that turned out to be a spy will no longer happen." "..." Wan Tiansheng had helmed the academy for many years, so he had a lot of supporters as well. The crowd started discussing among themselves. At the corner, Bai Feng was yawning with a bored expression. This had nothing to do with him. It also wasn''t his ce to voice an opinion. As a mere assistant researcher, he had no voice here. Beside him, Liu Hong smiled and said,"Bai Feng, the student intake has been reduced this year. Will your personal student end up failing to even enter the academy? Also, that Martial Uncle of yours seems to be among those to be affected by the cost-cutting..." Bai Feng looked at Liu Hong like he was staring at a fool. He said, "My Martial Uncle has achieved willpower materialization. Don''t you know that? Unfortunately for you, he''s not going to be affected." "He materialized?" Liu Hong was unaware of that. After all, that wasn''t a big deal in the academy. Even after willpower materialization, one would only be a first-stage Skysoar cultivator. Liu Hong did not linger on the topic. He smiled and said, "With the cut in research funds, it looks like the academy is on the cusp of a reform. The tests for people like us will probably be even more strict than before..." "What are you trying to say? Just get to the point. I don''t feel like guessing. It''s too tiring." Liu Hong took a deep breath and said, "Open Senior Hong''s research center to me. I''ll inject some funds into the research center. We can use the research center together. I can even provide you with the resources youck. We can share the results of the research. Bai Feng, it will only harm the both of us if we continuepeting." Liu Hong solemnly said, "Senior Hong''s research center has not been able to submit any research results for years. If this continues, some people will start pushing to shut it down." "Piss off." Bai Feng scolded with no trace of politeness. But after giving it some thought, he said, "Well, that''s not impossible..." Liu Hong was overjoyed. "Send me a few Mountainsea corpses of the divine or devil race. We can continue our negotiation after that." Bai Feng said seriously, "I''m being serious. Since you want to join us, you will definitely need to pay a price. After all, we have been researching the same subject for so many years and are on the verge of breakthrough." "I¡ª" Liu Hong cursed inwardly. This fellow must be taking him for a fool. Bai Feng merely sneered. If Liu Hong wasn''t a fool, who was? Bai Feng then ignored Liu Hong. He nced at Wan Tiansheng and thought to himself that the academy was going to be in chaos soon. He wondered if that was good or bad. The prefect had entered seclusion while Marquis Xia had been appointed the acting prefect. No matter how he looked at it, major changes wereing. "There won''t be any troubles, right?" Bai Feng sighed. He could only hope that nothing would go wrong. He also wondered about Su Yu''s recent progress in cultivation. Chapter 59: Marquis Xias Fault (1)

Chapter 59: Marquis Xia''s Fault (1)

10th of June. Early in the morning, Chen Hao arrived at Su Yu''s house in a rush. The moment Su Yu opened the door, he hastily said, "Yu, something happened!" "Speak slowly." Su Yu appeared calm and unhurried. It wasn¡¯t like the sky was falling. Someone like Chen Hao couldn''t possibly encounter something too major. During the past two days, he had achieved basic mastery over the Lightning Source de. He was busy practicing the technique and increasing the speed in which he gathered source qi. Thus, his mind had been rather upied when Chen Hao found him. After opening the door for Chen Hao, Su Yu turned around and returned to the noodles he had just cooked for breakfast. Without his father around, his meals had been rather simple and nd. Furthermore, he did not have much money left. With only around thirty thousand dors, he had to be mindful and save enough for his expenses in the academy. Attending an academy wasn''t free. Although the registration fee wasn''t expensive, he still needed to make a one-time payment of over ten thousand dors. And even after entering the academy, he still needed money for his daily necessities. When Chen Hao saw Su Yu''s noodles, he swallowed. He had only eaten a small breakfast earlier. After running all the way to Su Yu''s house, he was hungry again. Su Yu ignored Chen Hao''s gaze. He only had a bowl of noodles here. He had not prepared enough to feed Chen Hao as well. "Yu..." Chen Hao sat down opposite Su Yu and moved his gaze away from the bowl of noodles. He said, "My father said that something has changed at the capital. This year, the academies might reduce the number of the students they ept." "Alright." "They''re reducing the number of students!" Chen Hao emphasized. Su Yu looked up helplessly. "And how does that concern me? As for you, although you''re still at the fourth-stage, you''re not far from the fifth-stage. On top of that, you also have the bonus thirty marks from the kill you imed. Do you think this reduction will affect you as well?" Su Yu was unbothered by the news. He was somewhat speechless when he saw how nervous Chen Hao was. "Do you think that they will recruit zero students from Nanyuan? If the capital dares to do so, Nanyuan will immediately separate from Great Xia and join Great Ming instead." Nanyuan wasn''t too far away from Great Ming. In fact, Great Ming was only about three hundred kilometers to the north of Nanyuan. Nanyuan was basically one of the closest Great Xia cities to Great Ming. Sure, Nanyuan was a small city, but it still had a poption of one million. It also had over ten thousand battle ready soldiers. Including the retired veterans, Nanyuan could easily raise an army of tens of thousands if it wanted. Thus, even if the capital was cutting costs, Nanyuan¡¯s benefits would not be harmed. In any case, the capital had never epted too many students from Nanyuan anyway. Su Yu really wasn''t too bothered by the reduction of students. He said, "It doesn''t matter if this news is true or not. Those at the capital are the ones that will be crying. The academies have always recruited heavily from the capital. This reduction will hit them the hardest." Su Yu appeared indifferent. However, Chen Hao had a sullen look as he said, "I know that. My father told me the same. But he also said that because of this, some of the students from the capital are no longer so sure of their ability to get into the academies. Thus, those with decent backgrounds will start taking the exams from the smaller cities." "..." Su Yu nked out, realizing that he had been too naive. Chen Hao''s father had been able to see more than him. That was true. The reduction would hit the capital the hardest, so what would the students there do? Well, they could just take the exams from the smaller cities. Nanyuan was one of the twenty-eight cities of Great Xia. Although it did not have that many eptance slots, it still had some. These people might not be the best students in the capital, but in Nanyuan, things were different. The eptance requirements for Nanyuan were definitely not as strict as the capital. Each year, only about a dozen students from Nanyuan would be epted to the capital. Even the reduction would not reduce the slots by much since what Nanyuan had was already the bare minimum. If they dared to further reduce the slots, they would incite the fury of the masses. Nanyuan students were inferior not because they were less talented. They had simply grown up in an inferior environment. This was a ce with low source qi density and insufficient cultivation resources. It was unfair topare Nanyuan students with those from the capital. Thus, the eptance slots of Nanyuan were basically fixed. They wouldn''t increase, but neither would they drop. Su Yu frowned, "Are all the academies reducing the intake?" "Yes!" Chen Hao was vexed, "It''s the fault of that marquis! The prefect has entered seclusion. Otherwise, this wouldn''t have happened! That shitty marquis never does anything good for the prefecture. He only spends his time thinking about money!¡± Chen Hao had a gloomy expression. He felt very threatened by this new policy. Su Yuughed. He knew who the marquis Chen Hao was talking about. Marquis Xia, Xia Longwu''s uncle, son of Great Xia King. He was a well-known individual in Nanyuan, in Great Xia, and even in the entire Human Realm. Xia Trade Company was founded by him. Marquis Xia wasn''t his actual name. Nobody knew his real name, but everyone called him Marquis Xia at his request. Since his father was the Great Xia King, nobody found it uneptable to call him a marquis. Thus, from a long time ago, everyone started referring to him as Marquis Xia. "And how is this rted to Marquis Xia?" "Don''t you know? He gave the order!" Chen Haoined, "I heard that Marquis Xia was unhappy with how much money the academies were spending, so he reduced their funds by thirty percent this year." "And that''s not the worst..." Chen Hao''s face fell as he said, "I heard...no, my father heard that Marquis Xia is even selling slots!" "That person is actually selling slots! Not the academy slots, but the residence slots of the other twenty-eight cities in Great Xia! To take the entrance exam from a city, one needs to be registered as a local residence. Therefore, those people need to purchase a residency slot in the city! "And that''s not enough. One also needs to buy a house in the city. In total, one needs to spend no less than a million just to take the exam outside the capital! "You don''t know this, but many people are selling their houses recently. The real estate price is growing madly. Even your house is now worth ten thousand per square meter!" "..." Su Yu nked out. ?So he was now living in a million dor house as well? Previously, he had been willing to sell his house for only five hundred thousand dors! "Tell me. Isn''t that scummy! The entire prefecture is scolding him now!" /p>Chen Hao was stillining, but Su Yu couldn''t help but tough. "Marquis Xia is truly interesting. In the past, everyone was busy trying to enter the capital. With what he did, the reverse is happening now." "What do you mean interesting? Isn''t he increasing ourpetition for no reason?" Chen Hao sounded resentful, "Just a million or two is enough for them to get a residency slot. There are so many rich people in the capital. This city is going to be filled with them!" Su Yu smiled, "It won''t be that bad. The truly rich and powerful ones will notck source qi liquid. Their children will be able topete even in the capital. Those running to the smaller cities are mostly the middle ss. And do you think all of them can take out a million and two in cash? "Even if there will be morepetition here, it won''t be that much more." Su Yu could see things clearly. However, Chen Hao was right as well. No matter what, the entrance examination had just be more difficult for Nanyuan students. In the capital, the students at the fifth or sixth-stage Source Opening Realm would only be considered second-rate students. But in Nanyuan, they would all be first-rate students. Those with the money to do so would most likely being to the smaller cities like Nanyuan. That would bring morepetition to the local students. Of course, Nanyuan itself would profit from this. Hundreds of thousands of dors could be made just by flipping a single property. Su Yu could only say that Marquis Xia was truly...ingenious. "If I''m Marquis Xia, I''ll build up a new district and force them to only buy from that district. Each unit will be sold at no less than a million dors. The entire district will easily make me billions of dors." Su Yu¡¯s emotions wereplicated as he said, "If even a single city can earn that much, the twenty-eight cities will stand to earn an unimaginable amount of money. If they make this a yearly event from now on and make a policy forbidding the properties bought in this manner to be sold within ten years...they can continue squeezing money out of these rich people next year." Chen Hao was stunned. After a long while, he said with a bitter face, "Yu, I''m here to talk about important business, not asking you how to make money. What are you thinking?" Su Yu smiled, "It will be fine. Don''t worry. Things won''t be so simple. If they really take over all our slots, do you think Nanyuan will agree? I believe there will be a new policy to help us survive this mess." "Really?" Chen Hao was rather confident in Su Yu. However, he was still uncertain. "So will this affect me?" "I doubt so." Su Yu was unsure as well. He could only guess, "If I''m Marquis Xia, I willunch a few other policies. For example, if Nanyuan has twenty slots, then fifteen of them would be preserved for the actual locals while the remaining five would be given to the transfer students. That way, he can earn money, provide more opportunities to the students from the capital, and protect Nanyuan¡¯s benefits as well. "And the transfer students will probably be those who are supposed to be able to get through the exam before the reduction. In the end, the academies will still end up epting the same number of students. The only difference is that the government will make billions out of this. Not even the parents canin since they are the ones willingly spending their money. The students can only me themselves for not having the ability to take the exam in the capital." Su Yu smiled, "In short, this n has basically created a problem for a bunch of middle ss families whose children were already supposed to be able to get into the academies and forcing them to solve the problem with money. The parents will end up injecting tens of billions into the economy. Marquis Xia will receive the money before spending it again. In the end, hundreds of billions will be generated in the economy." Chapter 60: Marquis Xias Fault (2)

Chapter 60: Marquis Xia''s Fault (2)

Chen Hao was confused. Wasn''t it tens of billions? How did it be hundreds of billions? Su Yu did not bother exining. He said, "Don''t worry. The higher ups aren''t stupid. They won''t do anything that will incite unrest. The prefect is only in seclusion. He is still around. Are they not afraid that they will get in trouble with the prefect if they push things too far?" Su Yu was confident that Marquis Xia would not create a big trouble for himself. If Marquis Xia was really that stupid, the Xia Trade Company wouldn¡¯t have been able to monopolize the market of cultivation resources in Great Xia. Of course, his background also yed a role in the monopoly, but without the ability, the other yers in the market wouldn''t sit idle while he took over the market. "Yu, tell me. What is the reason for this? Why does Marquis Xia need all that money? A lot of people in Great Xia are feeling like beating him to death. His Xia Trade Company is so profitable. He can make money just by selling things there. Why do this?" Su Yu shook his head, "Nobody will say no to more money. Maybe Marquis Xia enjoys counting money. You can''t do anything about that." Nobody knew that Great Xia''s treasury was emptying rapidly. Even though Wan Tiansheng had said as much during the meeting, everyone still believed that he was lying to scare them into following his proposal. What joke was that? Great Xia was one of the strongest human prefectures with countless experts and a developed economy. Their citizens lived in peace and harmony, and they also dominated the battlefield. How would they be running out of money? If they were really running out of money, would Xia Longwu still be spending so much? In fact, even if Xia Longwu personally announced that Great Xia was broke, everyone would stillugh and say that the prefect was funny. As far as they were concerned, that wasn''t possible. Su Yu would never consider that possibility. Neither would Chen Hao. After hearing Su Yu''s words, Chen Hao was somewhat relieved. He said, "Good, it''s good that we won''t be affected. My father was considering selling our old house..." Su Yu cursed inwardly. The Chen family sure was rich. They had an old house in the neighborhood he was staying in. They had not done anything with that house. If they could sell it this time, they could probably make at least a million dors. Su Yu rubbed his chin and said, "Hao...is it really very profitable to sell properties now?" That was a million dors in cash! Back when Su Long bought this house, he had the military discount and only needed to pay around seventy to eighty thousand dors for it. The sale restriction period for those purchasing through the military discount was already over. Not too long ago, the house was worth about five hundred thousand. But in the blink of an eye, the house had doubled in value. That was too scary. Even Su Yu was itching to sell his house. There was too much profit to be had. Chen Hao looked at Su Yu doubtfully and said, "Yu, you''re still thinking about that? Uncle Su will beat you to death after he returns. If youck money, I''ll have my father lend you some." "What are you thinking?" Su Yu smiled. "I was just wondering. I won''t be able to sell it. Even if I want to do it, I need to get my father''s approval first. Too bad. This is such a good opportunity to make money." Chen Hao did not really care. He did not need to pay for his own expenses so he was still unaware of how hard it was to earn money. Returning to the previous topic, Chen Hao spoke with a somewhat worried tone, "Even if this matter won''t affect us, I''m afraid there will still be a lot of people from the capital around during the exam day. I heard that there are a lot of geniuses there. They have a bunch of fifth-stage and sixth-stage Source Opening cultivators. Even seventh-stage and eighth-stage cultivators aremonly seen. Yu...will theyugh at us for being too weak?" Su Yu was indifferent, "What is there for them tough about? If they have to grow up in Nanyuan as well, they might be even worse than you. Sure, we have a bad starting point. But things will even out when we get to the capital. At that time, they might not be able to continue growing faster than us." He did not overestimate those from the capital. Neither was he underestimating those from Nanyuan. Those from the smaller cities had a harder start, but at Great Xia, everything would be equal. As long as they stay clear to their goal and work hard, many of them would be able to do well. There were plenty of examples of such individuals. "Fine." Chen Hao stopped talking about the examination. Instead, he asked curiously, "Yu, what are you nning to do now? The school holidays will start in a few days. Why don''t we go on a trip somewhere?" "No thanks." Su Yu still had a lot of things to do. He still needed toplete the character "lightning", practice the Lightning Source de, kill a middle-stage Great Strength cult member, read, and grow his willpower. He was very busy. "You! Focus on your cultivation. Don''t go anywhere! I was only specting, but nothing is absolute. You better reach the fifth-stage before the exam. That will help you during the exam. It''s very normal for some of the weaker students to be removed when they need to reduce the epted students by one or two. That might be you." Chen Hao''s father had given Su Yu three drops of source qi liquid. He had not used a single drop of them. During the past few days, he had been practicing the Lightning Source de and hadn''t been able to recover his source qi. Since he hadn''t opened his One Hundred Openings acupoint, he was unable to actively absorb external source qi, making his recovery slow. Thus, he was nning to use a drop of source qi liquid soon. He could also use that opportunity to help Chen Hao with his cultivation. "Fine." Chen Hao had a sullen expression. He was being forced to read again. If he had known that this would happen, he wouldn''t have visited. ... /p> At the same time. Nanyuan mayor''s manor. Mayor Wu Wenhai, Martial Dragon Guards Squad Leader Xia Bing, Liu Wenyan, principal of Nanyuan Secondary School, chief of Windcatcher Department, and many other higher ups of the city were gathered. Wu Wenhai waited until everyone sat down before saying, "Everyone knows what''s happening. The capital intends to sell one house and one residency slot per exam taker. In short, a family with two children will need to purchase two houses and two residency slots for their children. Each house must not be smaller than a hundred square meters." The principal stroked his beard and hissed before saying, "The marquis is...too scummy." Wu Wenhai ignored thatment and continued, "Also, we don''t have much time before the exam. All outsiders trying to get a slot in Nanyuan will be charged extra ten percent tax." "..." Liu Wenyan asked, "So will Nanyuan be making that money or will the money go to the capital?" "Fifty-fifty split." Wu Wenhai smiled, "This is good for us. The marquis will be taking all the me while we only need to line our pockets. We won''t be affected. Only those from the capital will suffer. But if they''re unhappy, they''re free to note. We won''t lose anything." The principal looked anxious, "I''m only afraid that they will steal the slots that are supposed to be ours." "That won''t happen. The higher ups intend to recruit the same number of local students from Nanyuan. At most, they will reduce the intake by one or two students. "This is actually good for us. The capital initially intended to go all out in their cost-cutting. Even Nanyuan will have about a quarter of our original slots cut. But now, we get to maintain our original slots and even make some money on top of it. Nanyuan isn''t a rich city. If we take this chance to earn some money, we will have more funds to allocate when required." Everyone nodded. Wu Wenhai continued, "This is settled then. Our objection won''t do anything anyway. I''m gathering everyone to tell you to let your students know that they shouldn''t feel pressured. The higher ups won''t make a n without taking our well-being into consideration. "Also, things will be chaotic at the capital for a while. We will also receive a lot of visitors. The Windcatcher Department and city guards need to be ready to maintain order in the city. We can''t allow the Myriad Race Cult to take advantage of the chaos and incite public outrage." Wu Wenhai solemnly said, "Some people don''t know what''s going on and will start spreading false news. The moment the locals get the impression that their benefits are encroached upon by outsiders, chaos will erupt. We need to be on alert." Everyone agreed. Wu Wenhai let off a long breath and said, "Also, the higher ups want us to try our best to keep these rich people in Nanyuan. Our development has always been slow. With the limited resources here, our economy has never been able to grow much. This is a good opportunity. To be precise, this is money dropping from the sky. "If we can keep these people around, it will help with Nanyuan''s development. Additionally, our secondary school can take this chance to make some money as well." "What?" Wu Wenhai smiled, "The marquis said that all exam takers need to be registered as a student of a local school as well. In other words, they will need to enter our secondary schools before taking the exam. You guys decide for yourself how much you''re going to be selling a single student slot for. As long as you''re not too excessive, everything will be fine." Liu Wenyan took a deep breath as he said, "That fatty, cough, cough, I mean that Marquis Xia is really not letting go of any avenue of money making. Increasing taxes, selling student slots, selling properties, selling residency slots...He won''t stop before making a couple hundred thousand dors from each family." Wu Wenhaiughed helplessly, "That''s how Marquis Xia is. He made things very clear. The parents are free to reject spending the money. He''s not going to force anyone. They can always have their kids take the exam in the capital. He won''t stop them. So...nobody can do anything to him." "The marquis''s money making ability is truly..." the principal clicked his tongue in praise. "I wonder if Great Xia King is aware of this. Would he beat the marquis to death if he finds out?" "Well, that''s not our business." Wu Wenhai nonchntly said, "The marquis will have to take the me himself. Then again, he''s already used to being the fall guy. It''s not like this has never happened before. Back then, he sold merit points at the ck market and scammed billions of dors from those rich families. But in the end, the entire scandal was swept under the rug." Everyone had odd expressions on their faces upon hearing that. There were different tiers of merit point owners. There were things that would not be avable to purchase regardless of how many merit points one had. A few years ago, a ck market appeared in Great Xia. In that market, everything was avable for purchase so long as one could afford it, sidestepping the tier system set by the government. Naturally, the things in the ck market were excessively overpriced. Furthermore, the ck market only epted merit points. At that time, the value of a single merit point grew beyond a hundred thousand dors. Things that could be purchased with merit points also doubled in price. In the ck market, sellers could earn ten times the profit of selling outside the ck market. Even with the excessive price, many rich individuals were still willing to throw their wealth into the ck market. Eventually, it was revealed that Marquis Xia was the culprit behind the ck market. The ck market was busted and the merit points the rich individuals bought in the ck market went to waste. The bust was carried out by Xia Longwu himself. It wasn¡¯t like the merit points of the ck market customers had been frozen or confiscated by the government, but without the ck market, these rich individuals were no longer capable of buying the things they had intended to buy with their merit points. After all, they did not have sufficient original earned merit to purchase those items legally. Thus, they ended up with hundreds of thousands of merit points in their possession but could only buy items worth hundreds of merit points. The merit points in their pockets were basically worthless. And they couldn''t even sell those merit points away as Xia Longwu had all their names. They did not dare to rashly sell their merit points lest they identally sold to some cult members and got themselves in trouble. After that incident, Marquis Xia had remained low profile for many years. But now, he was out and about lining his pockets everywhere again. It was rumored that he had earned tens of billions of dors through the ck market. Nobody knew where the money went, and nobody dared to ask. In any case, the money had only been earned from some rich families instead of themon people so the masses were unbothered by it. Liu Wenyan and the others did not remark on the incident. In fact, if it wasn''t for the fact that Xia Longwu had always been known for his discipline, many would suspect that the entire ck market incident was a trap of the prefect to make some money off the rich individuals. But since only the few rich individuals were affected, the incident had remained rtively unknown among the masses. During that period of time, Marquis Xia''s reputation was terrible among the rich. It was also then that he came to be known as Pig Xia. Everyone startedughing as they talked about the marquis. Liu Wenyan wasughing as well, but suddenly, he sighed. That fatty was now a professional fall guy. Nowadays, there were probably very few people that still remembered the elegant and handsome little marquis from fifty years ago. In truth, this so-called Pig Xia was the person single handedly keeping Great Xia operational. If someone was keeping the sky from copsing upon the Great Xia, then it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that this Pig Xia was the one propping half the sky up. s, the masses were ignorant and quick to believe in rumors. Very few were aware of Marquis Xia''s contributions to the prefecture. Face of a pig, a heart as bright as the sun. That was a saying that was incredibly fitting for the infamous Marquis Xia. Chapter 61: Killing Another Great Strength Cultivator (1)

Chapter 61: Killing Another Great Strength Cultivator (1)

11th of June. A dayter, news of what was happening finally spread. People from the capital wereing to attend the entrance examinations held in Nanyuan. Some of them were already here, waiting for the examinations to start. Voices of criticism spread alongside the news. "The capital is reducing the intake of local students!" "Marquis Xia only cares about money and disregards the well-being of Nanyuan. He is even considering selling Nanyuan to Great Ming for money!" "Nanyuan has been abandoned by Great Xia!" "..." All sorts of rumors flew about. Some were spread by themoners, and some were spread by those harboring evil intents. The mayor''s office reacted immediately. The Windcatcher Department was mobilized while Nanyuan Secondary School provided their students with an exnation of what was happening. Those from the capital would be taking the examinations using unique slots. Nanyuan''s original slots would remain untouched. They would not encroach upon Nanyuan''s benefits. With that, public opinion started changing. Naturally, not everyone believed the exnation. But at the very least, things were calming down as a majority of the poption still believed the mayor''s office. ... Windcatcher Department. This wasn''t Su Yu''s first time here. He had visited several times before with Liu Wenyan. This time, he was here alone. Things were busy in the department and Su Yu did not trouble anyone. He was crouched at a corner beside a Windcatcher officer who was on a smoke break. "Uncle Li, have you found any cult members?" "We''re looking into it." The middle-aged man was surnamed Li. He was an old officer in the department. As a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator, he was only a low rank officer. Despite his weak cultivation, he had been in the department for many years so he had a strongwork in it. While smoking, he smiled and said, "Little Su, Out of all Nanyuan students, you¡¯re the best!" He raised his thumb. "Before even graduating, you''re already out here hunting cult members. No other student has done so before." "However..." The middle-aged man lowered his voice, "Your teacher isn''t here this time. It is too dangerous for you to join us alone. I''ll be frank. Without your teacher around, we might not be able to help you in time if you encounter danger." Su Yu nodded like an obedient boy before saying, "Uncle Li, I won''t make trouble for you guys. I''ll just wait far away from the main unit. You guys will be the ones doing the heavy lifting. If I can get one seriously injured escaped cult member toplete the task my instructor gave me, I''ll be happy." The middle-aged man smiled, "Don''t worry. If there is a chance, we''ll release a seriously injured guy from our encirclement. We''re willing to show Instructor Liu this much respect. Even the chief won¡¯t disregard the instructor. "Furthermore, we all know your old man. Back then, he would asionally help us with the cult members. He is as good as an external agent of the Windcatcher Department." Su Yu smiled and hurriedly voiced his gratitude. In truth, his father wasn''t the type to enjoy meddling in the affairs of others. But when ites to killing cult members, anyone capable ofbat in Nanyuan would willingly help. As a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator, Su Long could be considered a decent expert in Nanyuan. While the two were talking, a team leader shouted, "Northern team, gather up." At thatmand, Old Li flicked his cigarette away and rushed toward the main hall. Su Yu also hurriedly followed the older man. Instead of entering the formation of the team, he stood behind them silently. The team leader nced at him withoutmenting. He addressed the assembled group, "Traces of the Myriad Race Cult have been discovered at the outskirts. This time, there aren''t a lot of them. Only a small number of them are there trying to incite the locals. ording to what we know, there are at least three of them. "Their strength is unknown, but considering their task, we doubt they will be strong. The northern team will be in charge of this mission. You have three minutes to get ready and set off." "Alright!" Everyone answered. This team wasposed of thirty Windcatcher officers. That wasn''t a small team. The team leader was a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. There were also several officers at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above. The rest of them were no weaker than the fourth-stage Great Strength Realm. As the team members dispersed to make their preparations, the team leader walked up to Su Yu and solemnly said, "The chief has a different mission so he won''t be with us. Your instructor is not with us today as well, Su Yu. You''ve joined several of our missions before. You know how dangerous things can get. "I know your instructor is a Skysoar cultivator. I also have a good rtionship with your father. But during the duration of this mission...nobody will be able to focus on taking care of you. This is an active mission. It''s not a game. "Any carelessness can result in death. Here, people are constantly dying in the line of duty. You cane with us, but remember to not get in our way. When encountering danger, you can run. You can ask for help. But we might not be able to help. "Your life is valuable. But the lives of others are just as valuable. We won''t jeopardize the mission for your sake." The team leader was stern. "You can choose to leave. If not...you will have to bear with the consequences that might arise from your choice." As a Source Opening cultivator, Su Yu was too weak. Although he had joined them on other missions before, he had done so in the presence of Liu Wenyan and the chief of the department. There was practically no danger to him with those two around. It was different this time. He was alone. "Don''t worry, Team Leader Liu. My father is a military man while I can be considered a reserve soldier. I won''t bring trouble to you guys." Team Leader Liu nodded. His expression eased up as he reminded, "Be careful. I heard that you''re a cultural researcher and you have some special tricks. But remember to not act rashly." "I understand." Su Yu answered with a helpless smile. Cultural researcher? He was far from one. The people of Nanyuan still knew too little about cultural researchers. Nobody below the Skysoar Realm could be truly considered a cultural researcher. ... Three minutester, the fully armed team was gathered yet again. Outside the building, two trucks were waiting. The officers boarded the trucks with Su Yu in their midst. In the truck, everyone was silently checking over their equipment and supplies. Su Yu did the same. A middle-tier yellow-grade saber and four drops of iron-winged bird blood essence. He had purchased three drops from the secondary school earlier with three merit points. He only had ten merit points remaining. It was always good to be prepared lest he encountered a dangerous situation that required more than a drop of blood essence. He also made sure to keep the four drops separately in case all of them were lost or damaged together. One of them was kept in a capsule that he hid in his mouth. In an emergency, he could directly swallow it. After several days of practice with the Lightning Source de, Su Yu had finally achieved basic mastery with great difficulty. He was already able to use the first move, albeit at a slow speed. The Lightning Source de required arge amount of source qi to activate. Since Su Yu still couldn''t utilize external source qi, he also brought a drop of source qi liquid with him. His final drop was left at home. There was no need for him to take all of them with him. A single drop would be enough for the mission. "Three drops of blood essence and one drop of source qi liquid are worth around two hundred thousand dors." Su Yu sighed. Including his saber, he had spent hundreds of thousands of dors preparing for this mission. If he returned empty handed, it would be awful. The best result would be to kill a Great Strength cult member and earn some merit points without using any of his expensive trump cards. If he was forced to use his trump cards such as a drop of blood essence for example, he would need to kill at least one Great Strength cultivator to make up for the loss. This was his first time joining a mission like this alone. Thus, he was both excited and nervous. If he was careless this time, there would be nobody to save his skin. Old Li was seated beside him. After he was done inspecting his equipment, he looked at Su Yu. When he noticed Su Yu''s taut muscles, he smiled and said, "Rx a bit. Don''t be too nervous. When we''re there, we will leave the truck and travel on foot. You might not even be able to keep up with us." Su Yu nodded. He seriously said, "I understand. I will be waiting further away from the team." "Be very careful. If the escaped enemy is in a good condition, pretend you see nothing even if you can actually see them. It doesn''t matter if they manage to escape. It''s only a matter of time before we hunt them down. Don''t throw your life away here." "Thank you, Uncle Li." The others in the truck heard their conversation as well. One of them, a young man who looked only slightly older than Su Yu,ughed and said, "I took part in my first mission five years ago. I was also very nervous then. But eventually, I got used to it. Su Yu, just do what you think is the best. Don''t be afraid." "Thank you, Big Brother Chen." Big Brother Chen was quite young. He wasn''t even thirty. In the Windcatcher Department, he was basically a youngster. In the mood to chat more, he smiled and asked, "Su Yu, you are very talented in physical cultivation as well. Have you never considered joining a war academy?" /p> "My instructor is a cultural researcher..." Su Yu smiled, "Since he wants me to enter a cultural research academy, I can only do so." "True. Instructor Liu is actually a cultural researcher. I''ve only learned that recently." Big Brother Chenmented, "In Great Xia, warriors are of little value. The cultural researchers are the actual treasures. Five years ago, I graduated from the Windcatcher Academy. Graduates of the Windcatcher Academy have a hard time finding a job at the capital unless one is a top genius. People like us can only return home and look for a job locally. "But the cultural research academy is different. Upon graduation, one will be a cultural researcher all factions will fight for." He was in a mncholic mood. At the Windcatcher Academy, one could graduate at middle-stage Great Strength Realm. But at the cultural researcher academy, one could only graduate upon reaching the Skysoar Realm. That alone showed the great gap between the two academies. Big Brother Chen did not wallow in mncholy as he smiled and said, "Su Yu, you will understand how difficult it is to graduate after entering the academy. Each year, less than fifty students manage to graduate while they have a yearly intake of nearly two thousand students. Only about 2.5 percent of the students could graduate. There are also many old students in the academy. Very few of them can graduate within ten years." "So few?" Su Yu was first astonished, but he nodded in understanding shortly after. That was understandable. Since only those at the Skysoar Realm could graduate, the academy was basically producing fifty Skysoar cultivators per year. That was actually not a small number. That was basically the equivalent of fifty Nanyuan mayors per year. Some of the people in the truck weren''t aware about all that as well. One of them was free after he was done inspecting his equipment and joined the conversation, "It''s so hard to graduate there?" A lot of the older Windcatcher officers were actually retired or transferred soldiers. The Windcatcher Academy had not been established for long. Thus, most of their graduates were still quite young. Some of the older officers in the team were people who had never been to the capital. Big Brother Chen nodded, "It''s very difficult. Of course, they have a very different standard when graduating their students. Instructor Liu, for example, cough, can be considered a fresh graduate as well. And he is not the first student to graduate at such an old age." The expressions of everyone in the truck turned odd. Fresh graduate? That old man? Forget it. The world of those from the capital was something they wouldn''t be able to understand. As far as they were concerned, Instructor Liu was basically equal in status with the mayor. But it turned out that he was just a fresh graduate of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. As they conversed, they arrived at their destination. Instead of going straight to the area where the enemies werest sighted, they stopped a kilometer away. After everyone left the trucks, the team leader did not say anything. With a wave of his hand, the team split into two and advanced toward their target from two separate directions. Chapter 62: Killing Another Great Strength Cultivator (2)

Chapter 62: Killing Another Great Strength Cultivator (2)

Su Yu did not join the others. Instead, he carefully followed about three hundred meters behind the two groups. He was not nning to be the vanguard of this mission. Instead, he was going to wait further away and see if there was an opportunity for him to get a kill. Nobody knew how many enemies they were going to face. The report imed that there were three enemies, but these experienced officers knew that the information they received might not necessarily be urate. More enemies might be hidden nearby. In fact, each year, there would be officers dying from inurate intelligence. That was not something they could avoid. And even if there were really only three enemies, if one of them was an Infinite Strength or even a Skysoar cultivator, things would turn troublesome as well. They might still stand a chance against an Infinite Strength cultivator, but if there was a Skysoar cultivator, the officers could only me their bad luck for the encounter. ... Finally, an ordinary-looking house appeared not far ahead. The houses in this neighborhood shared simr designs. Near the house was a small field with some crops grown on it. The house''s location granted its inhabitants a clear view of its surroundings. This was the favorite kind of hideout for the cult members as they could easily discover their enemies and flee before being surrounded. This wasn''t the first time the Windcatcher officers were facing the cult. They had plenty of experience and were good at concealment. In fact, even Su Yu would not be able to notice them if he hadn''t been following behind them from the get go. All thirty of them were crawling on the ground as they advanced. Even Su Yu was staying low, hiding inside a small hole on the ground. The team leader carefully looked back. When he saw that Su Yu wasn''t visible anywhere, he breathed out in relief. He was afraid that Su Yu would be careless and expose himself. That could potentially end up exposing them as well. When he was reminding Su Yu earlier, he had been afraid that the kid would be disobedient. But it seemed like that was not the case. As the son of a soldier like Su Long, Su Yu did not have the arrogance that was almost always present in those from the capital. ... Tightening his grip on the handle of his saber, Su Yu breathed softly to calm the slight excitement he was feeling. Before long, he was fully calm. This wasn''t his first rodeo. He had killed several Great Strength cultivators before. At that point, the Windcatcher officers were roughly a hundred meters away from the distant house. They could no longer conceal themselves effectively so the team leader raised his hand. With that signal, everyone stood up. Without uttering a single word, all thirty of them charged the small house. "Windcatcher Department!" A shout rang out. Evidently, someone was keeping watch in the house. That person had only noticed the intruders now, and with one look, he realized who the intruders were: the Windcatcher Department. "Run!" With a shout, six individuals rushed out of the house. There were more than three! The cult members scattered in different directions, not bothering to work together. The lucky would escape while the unlucky ones would end up captured by the Windcatcher Department. That had always been the cult¡¯s strategy of survival. When encountering opponents they couldn''t beat, they would run without hesitation. There was no teamwork to speak of. Luck would decide if one could escape or not. This strategy was surprisingly effective as the Windcatcher Department rarely split their people. After all, without their group formation, theirbat strength wasn''t anything special and could easily end up defeated by the cult members instead. Thus, the thirty officers did not spread too far apart. They could only surround the house from three directions. That allowed the additional cult members to escape. Unsurprisingly, the officers did not pursue all the cult members. Instead, they split into three groups of ten. Two of them went after the escaping cult members while thest group was led by the team leader toward the house. After kicking the door open, they rushed inside. Su Yu was hiding hundreds of meters away, granting him a clear view of the entire encounter. Even observing how these officers worked was a learning process for him. If it was him leading the team, he would have probably ended up chasing after the escaping cult members, forgetting that there might be more enemies hidden in the house. "That''s the value of experience..." Su Yu was not disheartened. With more experience, he would be able to make better calls as well. The two pursuing groups were able to catch up to their targets. Soon, they started fighting. Sounds of weapons shing filled the air. These officers weren''t too strong, but they had excellent teamwork. Su Yu estimated that the surrounded cult member he was looking at was at least a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator. However, he was instantly killed by the group of officers. The group of ten officers didn''t even have a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator among them. Su Yu only gave them one look before ignoring them. He started sweeping his gaze across the area. Six enemies had rushed out of the house earlier. Two had been instantly killed. The two groups continued their pursuit, but some cult members had still managed to escape. Those fellows were quite fast. In the blink of an eye, they had all vanished. "This is actually a bad hiding spot for the cult. The area is too t. They can easily detect intruders, but escaping is difficult as well. They should choose a terrain that is more beneficial for escaping..." Su Yu continued learning what he could. The valuable experience he gained here mighte handy in the future. "My position is not very good either. Hiding behind the Windcatcher officers, the enemies might not dare to escape in this direction. Even if they have the courage to do so, they might not be able to get through the officers. Then again, I''m only here to try my luck. It is always better to be careful." As he was thinking, a shout rang out in the house. Next, several figures rushed out. Sure enough, there were more enemies inside. The two groups of officers were already quite far away, so nobody was there to stop the escaping cult members. Su Yu could see one of them running in his direction. He instantly focused on that cult member. It was time for him to join the fight. "This speed...is simr to the fellow I fought before. He must be a sixth-stage Great Strength cultivator." Behind the cult member, the Windcatcher team leader separated from his group and ran over while shouting, "Stop running and surrender your weapons! There has been a change of policy. The higher ups have decided that the Myriad Race Cult is not that bad after all. Any captured cult members can be deployed to the front line to battle for humanity instead of being executed!" Su Yu was doubtful, but he immediately understood. The team leader was trying to reduce the cult member''s will to fight. No such order had been given. The policy had always been to execute every cult member found. Every cult member knew that there was no surviving being captured by Great Xia. Thus, they would generally struggle until the end. That would only make the battle more difficult. Su Yu wondered if this cult member would buy the lie. Clearly, the cult member was not fooled. Or maybe he was still hopeful that he could escape. He continued running. Two hundred meters. One hundred meters. The enemy was nearer and nearer to Su Yu, but he seemed to be running toward a slightly different direction. Still on the ground, Su Yu silently crawled over to the direction the cult member was heading toward. Before long, the enemy was dozens of meters away from him. Su Yu stood up and raised his saber. Gathering his source qi, his de shone with a dim glow. He then roared, "Stop!" It did not seem like he would be able to ambush this enemy. Thus, he could only face the enemy directly. "A Source Opening cultivator?" The cult member was stunned. A Source Opening cultivator! And this person was not wearing the Windcatcher Department''s uniform either! Was this...a civilian? A mere Source Opening cultivator dared to get in his way? Was this person crazy? "Don''t even dream of escaping!" Su Yu continued shouting, "By stopping you, I''ll be awarded merit points! That will give me more marks during the entrance exam!" "Courting death!" The cult member did not waste any breath. He raised his de and swung it at Su Yu. The two approached each other rapidly. Suddenly, Su Yu''s eyes widened, "Chief!" The cult member nked out slightly. Someone new had suddenly appeared. Standing beside the Source Opening cultivator was a middle-aged man. That was the Windcatcher Department''s chief, Zeng Hua. "Shit!" The cult member''s face fell. The Infinite Strength Realm Zeng Hua was here as well! He turned around without any hesitation. At the same time, Su Yu prepared his Lightning Source de and swung his de out. The cult member was still in the middle of changing directions when he suddenly heard the sound of a de being swung. As Su Yu was attacking with all his strength, he could no longer maintain the illusion. The cult member recovered his rity of mind, but it was toote. "Fake..." That thought had barely surfaced in his mind when the saber struck him like a bolt of lightning. Boom! A head dropped onto the ground. A few momentster, the body copsed as well, dying the ground red with blood. Su Yu was pale. As he pulled his de back, he looked around carefully, afraid that a new enemy would suddenly appear. He was nibbling on the capsule of blood essence hidden in his mouth, ready to use it if necessary. p>The next moment, the squad leader arrived. Looking at Su Yu, he nodded before saying in astonishment, "Not bad. There is no hesitation behind your de." The squad leader did not waste any time and left immediately after. The battle was not over. Su Yu heaved a long breath of relief. He had aplished his goal. It had been aplished much faster and easier than he had imagined. He had killed the opponent with one hit. Since he had exhausted all his source qi, he did not dare to wait around. He hurriedly swallowed a drop of source qi liquid to replenish his source qi. ¡°There goes a hundred thousand...I wonder if I''m making a loss or a profit here." He smiled helplessly. Killing a middle-stage Great Strength cultivator would grant him two merit points. After using a drop of source qi liquid, would this still be a profit for him? Then again, the source qi liquid could still help with his cultivation and it would stay active for a while, so it wasn''t exactly aplete waste. Chapter 63: Comrade (1)

Chapter 63: Comrade (1)

After exhausting arge amount of source qi using the Lightning Source de, Su Yu was resting to recover. Meanwhile, fights were breaking out all around him. The battles weren''t too intense as the cult members were more focused on running. They also didn''t have that many people. Before long, one cult member after another was taken down. The sounds of battle within the house were also slowing down. Team Leader Liu had returned to the house to help with the fight inside. With a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator like him there, regr Great Strength cultivators wouldn''t be able to pose much threat. Su Yu was satisfied with killing one middle-stage Great Strength cult member. If he ignored his expenses, he had actually earned two merit points from that kill. This time, he had killed the enemy alone. Of course, as a tag-along, the spoils of war did not belong to him. Instead, they belonged to the Windcatcher Department. All the spoils of war would be submitted to the department before being distributed equally among the participants. Su Yu would naturally not receive anything since he wasn''t an actual member of the department. That was fair as just by joining this mission, he was taking the merit points that could be theirs. Without the department, he wouldn''t have been able to kill the cult member. Su Yu looked around. His surroundings were getting empty. The Windcatcher officers were starting to gather around the house to encircle and defeat thest remaining cult members. Su Yu was unclear as to how many cult members there were in total, but from what he had seen so far, there were more than ten of them. With that number, this hideout could be considered a medium-sized hideout. "Medium-sized hideout..." Su Yu trembled as he realized something. With more than ten cult members, a hideout would be ssified as a medium-sized hideout. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Team Leader Liu''s voice rang out in the house, "Watch out! There''s a ringleader!" "Ahhh!" A scream rang out but it was quickly interrupted. Then, Team Leader Liu''s furious roar sounded. The walls of the house started crumbling. Su Yu was rmed and hurriedly looked in the direction of the house. He saw that Team Leader Liu was in an intense battle against a middle-aged man who looked like he was suffering from a lung disease. Team Leader Liu fought with a military issue saber while his opponent used a long staff. As they fought, source qi erupted non stop around them, causing the walls around them to copse one after another. A Windcatcher officer had copsed onto the ground while the others were trying to form an encirclement around the cult member. "Little Chen..." When Su Yu heard that scream, he shivered. Little Chen...Big Brother Chen? Was the person who had just copsed Big Brother Chen? That was the person who was still chatting with him not long ago in the truck. "Group two, enter your formation!" While fighting, Team leader Liu shouted, "Brothers, we found the ringleader! If we beat him, we will earn a lot of merit points!" With hismand, the group of ten behind him advanced. Each of them took out an iron chain connected to some axe-like weapon. Team Leader Liu hurriedly retreated and whistling sounds rang out as the ten iron chains were tossed forward by the group of ten. "Hah!" The cult member might look diseased and weak, but he was showing impressive strength. With a roar, he swept his staff forth and struck the ten chains, creating numerous sparks in the air. One of the chains instantly snapped. The other chains were sent flying everywhere. "Group one, advance!" Team Leader Liu roared. The first group that was already waiting to the side did not hesitate and stabbed at the cult member with therge tridents in their hands. With ten attacksing from multiple directions, the cult member, who still wasn''t a Skysoar cultivator, could only roar furiously and swung his staff. Numerous sparks appeared as his staff collided against the tridents. The final group was spread around them. There was no need for Team Leader Liu to give them any order as they hurriedly tossed out a massive. "You guys are only good for these cheap tricks!" The cult member roared furiously and stomped his feet before lunging at a Windcatcher officer who was standing in his way. The officers rotated around the cult member while keeping the encirclement tight, not leaving a single opening for him to escape. With a on him, multiple iron chains wrapped around him, and tridents that were constantly getting in his way, the cult member became more and more furious. At that point, Team Leader Liu had withdrawn from the encirclement. He was looking on coldly and waited outside the circle. The moment the cult member broke free, he would work with his team members and force the cult member back inside. Infinite Strength Realm! Su Yu finally realized that this enemy was an Infinite Strength cultivator. Otherwise, with Team Leader Liu''s strength as a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator, he would not need to work with so many people to deal with one opponent. There were also several seventh-stage Great Strength cultivators helping him. If even so many people were taking this long to deal with this cult member, it was clear how strong this cult member was. Boom! Surrounded by a bunch of cultivators weaker than him, the cult member furiously swung his staff, breaking a trident into pieces. The officer wielding the trident was standing several meters away. Even so far away, the force of the impact was enough to rupture his arms and cause streams of blood to flow out of his arms. At the same time, an iron chain was tossed toward the cult member. The axe at the end of the chain struck the cult member, leaving a deep wound on his thigh. "Great Strength killing Infinite Strength!" At that moment, Su Yu suddenly understood why his father had said that on the battlefield, Great Strength cultivators could kill Infinite Strength cultivators. Right before his eyes, thirty Great Strength cultivators from the Windcatcher Department of a small city were doing precisely that, encircling an Infinite Strength cultivator and slowly tiring the enemy out. The Windcatcher Department was considered an elite department in Nanyuan, but in the Allheaven Battlefield, they weren''t even qualified to be a part of the main army. And yet these very people were showing to Su Yu that cultivation level wasn''t everything. A single pair of hands would still have a hard time contending against multiple pairs of hands. When encountering a well-structured team ofbatants, even someone strong might end up defeated. "Trying to tire me out? Dream on!" ?The cult member roared, "If I go all out, some of you will die as well! Liu Pingshan, let me go and I''ll leave Nanyuan. This will be good for both of us! "I still have other hideouts in Nanyuan with three hundred gold coins hidden in them. You can have that as your spoils of war! "Liu Pingshan, Nanyuan is a small city. Do you really want to throw away an entire team of Windcatcher officers?" Nanyuan wasn''t a powerful city, so it did not have that many Windcatcher teams. If an Infinite Strength cultivator decided to go all out, even if the team could avoid being wiped out, they would still suffer disastrous losses. Team Leader Liu ignored the offer. The moment one became a Windcatcher officer, one had epted the fact that death mighte at any time. He had not expected to meet an Infinite Strength enemy today. This was a middle-stage Infinite Strength cultivator...no, that did not seem to be the case. This was only a hideout with about a dozen members. A hideout like this should not have anyone stronger than the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm. It was quite surprising that an Infinite Strength cultivator was here. "Maybe this is a fresh Infinite Strength cultivator that has yet to be transferred to a different hideout." There were various positions within the Myriad Race Cult. Someone at the Infinite Strength Realm should not be leading a weak group like this. Thus, it was reasonable to assume that this enemy had just broken through recently. That much was obvious from the fact that the cult member had not been able to immediately suppress him during their fight earlier. "Die!" Team Leader Liu ignored the cult member and continued working together with his team to tire the opponent out. This person wouldn''t be able to escape. "Liu Pingshan! Do you really want this? Both of us will suffer if you keep pushing!" The cult member swung his staff again, causing a trident wielder to fly away while spitting blood. The arms of that person were broken by the impact, so he could no longer participate in the battle. Someone else instantly stepped in to plug the opening left by the incapacitated officer. By that point, a hole had been torn by the cult member on the they had dropped on him. However, he was already suffering from numerous wounds. ... Further away from the fight, Su Yu was watching nervously. After a while, he started hesitating. This enemy was too strong. Even a seventh-stage Great Strength officer had his arms broken with one hit by the enemy. If this continued, that cult member''s words woulde true. He might perish, but the Windcatcher Department would suffer disastrous losses as well. Clenching his teeth, Su Yu stopped hesitating and rushed toward the fight. Shortly after, he arrived. Team Leader Liu saw Su Yu¡¯s approach, but he did not say anything. This was Su Yu''s choice. If he ended up dying here, nobody could do anything. After all, even the team leader himself could not guarantee that he would survive. The enemy was most certainly going to perish. But this northern team...would probably suffer gravely as well. "Team Leader Liu..." "Scram!" Liu Pingshan shouted as he red at Su Yu. If Su Yu ended up getting in their way during an active mission, nobody would object even if he killed Su Yu himself. The moment a battle started, this ce was already a battlefield. The Windcatcher Department might be staying behind the front line, but they had their own battlefields as well. Su Yu trembled when he saw Team Leader Liu''s murderous eyes. This was not a regr government official. He was a true experienced killer. "Team Leader, I can provide interruptions!" Su Yu spoke softly. As the sounds of weapons shing echoed around him, he hurriedly continued, "I''m a reserve cultural researcher. I can create illusions to distract him for a split second. Will that be enough for you to kill him?" "Huh?" Team Leader Liu was on the verge of kicking Su Yu away when he stopped. He asked, "Illusion? How long will itst?" "I''m not sure. Maybe...one second?" Su Yu was unsure. He had never tried it against an enemy of this level before. Team Leader Liu gazed at the enemy and paused for about three seconds. Then, he solemnly said, "I''ll leave an opening for him to escape. You will distract him. Su Yu, military orders are absolute. I hereby order you to keep him distracted for at least one second. If you fail, I''ll die. If you seed, he will die and no more of us will die." Team Leader Liu was able to rapidly draw up a n. He was going to allow that man to break free before letting Su Yu distract that man with illusions. He would then attack and kill. If he failed, he would be killed after getting within the enemy''s range. Even so, he would still be able to deal the enemy a serious injury before dying. This was a gamble. A gamble he did not hesitate to take. Even if the gamble ended up killing him, he would still be able to leave the enemy with a serious injury. His team members would be able to quickly finish the enemy off and none of them would need to die anymore. He did not have the time to hesitate. A lot of the people in the Windcatcher Department were veterans from the battlefield. Team Leader Liu was one such person. Thus, he would not hesitate to stake his life when needed. Su Yu trembled. Military order... He did not know if he couldplete the task assigned to him. He thought he could as his illusion had worked even on people like Liu Wenyan. This enemy was only an Infinite Strength cultivator. It should work. But if he failed here...Team Leader Liu would die. Was that a responsibility he could bear? Team Leader Liu did not give him the chance to hesitate. The team leader yelled, "Group two, pull back three meters." "Group one, use your tridents!" The officers did not hesitate to carry out the orders. The cult member roared again, swinging his staff repeatedly. The officers were forced to retreat again and again. Many of the officers were already bleeding badly from their arms, but their will to fight was still as strong as ever. Team Leader Liu started moving into the gap between the two groups. He did not look at Su Yu, but he softly spoke, "The moment he breaks through group one, create your illusion. I''ll kill him." As for whether Su Yu could carry out the order in time, he did not waste his time thinking about it. With or without Su Yu, he would still do the same thing. There were only two options. Either he risked death or more of his team members would risk death. Su Yu was feeling extremely nervous. He wanted to swallow the blood essence and join the fight, but even with the blood essence, he would only have the offensive strength of a Great Strength cultivator. That was useless against an Infinite Strength cultivator. Su Yu clenched his teeth, "I can only rely on my illusion! But what illusion can I use here?" If he wanted to fool this opponent, regr illusions wouldn''t work. He sank into thought. "Using the chief? No, the chief is only at the Infinite Strength Realm... "The mayor? No. The mayor will sink the enemy deeper into despair and force him to struggle even harder. "I need to give him hope, not desperation..." Against a cornered Infinite Strength cultivator, he had to change his line of thinking. "Yes, I need to create the illusion of hispanion, apanion here to save him..." Su Yu reached a decision. He was aware that his decision would decide whether a respectable man would live or die. He wasn''t really close to Team Leader Liu, but he did not wish to see the team leader die here. Neither did he want to see anyone else die here. Chapter 64: Comrade (2)

Chapter 64: Comrade (2)

As the cult member struggled to escape, more and more officers were injured. The cult member was also filled with injuries. His entire body was dyed red with blood. Like a desperate beast, he roared, "Liu Pingshan, if I''m going to die, I''ll drag all of you into the grave as well!" "Talk is cheap. Do it if you can." Liu Pingshan appeared cold and indifferent. With a saber in hand, he continued filling up the gaps left behind by his injured team members. Suddenly, a trident wielder was struck. The trident was sent flying while the wielder''s arms broke. Liu Pingshan''s expression changed as he shouted, "Stop him!" As Liu Pingshan rushed over, the cult member was overjoyed. He finally saw an opportunity to escape, and he was no longer in the mind to keep fighting these officers. His goal had always been to escape this ce. As for what he said to Liu Pingshan earlier, those were merely threats. He definitely didn''t want to die together with Liu Pingshan. Who would want to die if there was a chance to live? At the exact moment the cult member made his escape, Liu Pingshan arrived in front of him. The two were less than three meters away from each other. The cult member only needed to swing his staff forward to crush Liu Pingshan''s skull. Naturally, if Liu Pingshan swung his de without bothering to defend himself, he would be able to inflict a heavy injury on the cult member before dying. The cult member did not have the intention to stake his life here. Thus, he continued trying to escape. At that moment, the scene before his eyes flickered. Not far away, one of the escaped cult members appeared and shouted, "The hallmaster is here! If we can kill all these officers, we will be greatly rewarded!" The hallmaster referred to someone from the Myriad Race Cult, not the Windcatcher Department. Their hallmaster had arrived? The cult member nked out slightly. Then, he was overjoyed. A hallmaster was someone in the Skysoar Realm. Someone like that had actually arrived? He recognized the distant cult member. That was an underling of his who had escaped earlier. He did not expect to see that person returning. Clearly, that person was not returning to throw his life away. The cult member was ecstatic. Not only would he survive, he would even earn some contribution points from this! Fully eliminating a team of Windcatcher officers would earn him a decent number of points. Then, the cult member saw a figure appearing in the distant horizon. The figure appeared illusory, but the cult member did not suspect anything. After all, that figure was still quite far away. Help was here! Help had really arrived! The helper was definitely someone from their side or that underling of his would have been killed already. Everything had happened too fast. The cult member wasn''t given the time to suspect or even think of anything. For example, his underling was on the ground while the hallmaster was in the air. How did the person on the ground know that the hallmaster wasing when the hallmaster was still so far away? Did the hallmaster introduce himself loudly from far away to that underling of his? Well, there was no time to consider all that. The cult member only knew that there was hope for him. With hope, his ferocity vanished. He did not want to die. He only needed tost a little bit longer and all these annoying Windcatcher officers would die. Suddenly, the world before his eyes started flickering. Not far away, Su Yu''s head was hurting so much he felt like it was going to burst apart. His willpower was too weak. Thus, the moment he used his illusion on an Infinite Strength cultivator, he instantly over-exhausted his willpower. However, he had distracted the enemy long enough. Team Leader Liu was near the enemy. When he noticed that his enemy had been distracted, he immediately grabbed the chance. His enemy had actually been distracted. Su Yu had seeded. Without making a sound, Team Leader Liu clenched his teeth and swung his de. As the de whistled through the air, the cult member recovered from the illusion. The underling and the hallmaster were all gone from his vision. There was only Liu Pingshan''s vicious face and the rapidly iing de before his eyes. "Cultural researcher..." That was the cult member''s final thought. He couldn''t believe that a cultural researcher would actually bother to lift a finger against him. Was Liu Wenyan here? "We''ll die together!" In his desperation, the cult member roared and swung his staff, not bothering to avoid the de. Boom! The staff struck Liu Pingshan, creating a depression on his shoulder. However, a smile could be seen on Liu Pingshan''s bloody face. In front of him, the cult member had nearly been cleaved into two. With a plop, the corpse copsed onto the ground. "Team Leader!" The Windcatcher officers eximed in rm. The seventh-stage Great Strength officers hurriedly rushed forth andunched a few more attacks at the cult member, only stopping after the corpse was cut into mincemeat. They then rushed toward their team leader. "I''m fine..." Liu Pingshan was able to resist the pain. He had lost an arm from that sh, but it was worth it as an Infinite Strength enemy had been killed as an exchange. With a trembling voice, Liu Pingshan ordered, "Continue searching the battlefield. Make sure no cult members are pretending to be dead." After giving his order, he looked at Su Yu. At that moment, the pale Su Yu was resting with his eyes shut. A fierce grin bloomed on Liu Pingshan''s face. Su Long''s son was indeed...not a coward! ... About 15 minutester. After a short rest, Su Yu had recovered somewhat. He was still pale, but he was feeling much better. He did not feel any joy. Instead, he sank into a silent mncholy. Two were killed and about a dozen were injured. That was the casualties they had suffered. The corpses of the dead officers had already been retrieved. The two corpses were lying before all of them. Meanwhile, Team Leader Liu had applied some bandages on the wound on his shoulder. That arm of his was as good as gone, but he did not seem to care about his arm. While resisting his pain and sorrow, he grinned, "Not bad! We killed thirteen enemies. There''s even an Infinite Strength cultivator among them. This is worth a lot of merit points!" "As for our two departed brothers..." The smile on Liu Pingshan''s face turned ferocious as he said, "All of us are ready to face death the moment we step onto the battlefield. With their deaths, Nanyuan willpensate three hundred thousand to their families, the capital will alsopensate two hundred thousand, and us brothers can also gather up some money. Including the rewards of this mission, their families will gain at least a million dors!" "It''s only a pity that Little Chen is still too young. As for that crafty Old Zhou, this is a worthy death for him." Team Leader Liu''s smile looked so ugly that it looked like he was crying instead of smiling. His face was filled with blood, and his face was twisted as he forced himself to smile. Little Chen was dead. The young officer who chatted with Su Yu on their journey here was the first to be killed. He was the first person to discover the enemy hidden in the attic of the house. Upon discovery, the enemy had held nothing back and instantly killed him Su Yu stood in silence. He had seen people dying before, but Big Brother Chen had still just been chatting with him not too long ago. And now, he was a cold corpse on the ground. Su Yu did not know how to describe his current emotions. He recalled that his father...was fighting on an even scarier battlefield. A battlefield a thousand times more dangerous. "Myriad Race Cult...myriad races..." Su Yu muttered to himself. He found himself developing a sense of dislike toward the sixth principal of the cultural research academy. He had heard that the sixth principal was the one who had suggested epting the foreign races as students. He suddenly felt revolted at the idea of joining the cultural research academy. He did not want to study in the same academy as those bastards from the foreign races. He suddenly understood why Xia Longwu objected to the proposal so vehemently. Looking at his dead soldiers, his deadpanions, if it was up to Su Yu, he would not be able to ept the proposal either. The cult members were merely the dogs of these foreign races. Now, the masters of the dogs wereing. They were going to openly enter the academy and study alongside humans... Su Yu clenched his teeth in anger. He did not want to study alongside those bastards. He hadpletely forgotten about the merit points that he was about to get. His only thought was to kill everyst one of those animals. Unknown to him, Team Leader Liu had arrived beside him. After patting his shoulder with a bloodstained hand, the team leader smiled, "Well done. From now on, you''re ourrade! We arerades that have stared into death together! The next time you see your father, feel free to address him as arade!" Su Yu forced himself to smile, but he was finding it hard to feel any joy. "Don''t think too much. People like us are always dancing on the edge of death. We have long epted that this would happen to us one day. Their deaths were worth it. You''re still young. At the academy, learn well and cultivate hard. Grow strong and kill more of the bastards. That will be the responsibility of you and your peers." Team Leader Liu was solemn, "Do not be afraid. Do not think that this isn''t worth it. With two lives, we took down thirteen of their lives. This is totally worth it. At the Allheaven Battlefield, if you can kill several times more enemies than the deaths on your side, it will be greatly worth it as well. "The Myriad Race Cult is merely a gathering of worms. Great Xia has been spilling rivers of their blood year after year." The team leader patted Su Yu''s shoulder and said, "If you don''t want to see more people die, if you don''t want to see yourrades die, work hard. If you''re a Skysoar cultivator instead, not one of us would have perished today. We''re already old. We''re useless. But there is still hope for you. "Reach the Skysoar Realm faster. The mayor is old. Instructor Liu is old as well. If you can return as a Skysoar cultivator and lead Nanyuan...perhaps even more of us can survive against our enemies in the future." Skysoar Realm. That was what Team Leader Liu hoped to see Su Yu achieve. Was that difficult? Yes. That was very difficult. At the very least, that was the case for a small city like Nanyuan. Each year, many of them went to the capital to cultivate. But how many eventually ended up reaching the Skysoar Realm? He was encouraging Su Yu. He also believed that Su Yu really had the hope to reach that realm. After all, Su Yu was already an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator. Even if this kid decided to not be a cultural researcher, he still had the hope of reaching the Skysoar Realm through physical cultivation in about twenty years, bing the new pride of Nanyuan. It was too hard to be a cultural researcher. But he had a high chance of reaching the Skysoar Realm. How many years had it been since someone from Nanyuan managed to reach that realm? "Alright." Su Yu nodded firmly. He wanted to reach the Skysoar Realm. No, he wanted to go even further. What his instructor had not taught him had been learned here today: life and death. Life and death of hisrades. Life and death of hispanions. They did not stake their life in vicious battles for the sake of any individual or superior. Rather, they were fighting for their own sake, also for the sake of their fellowrades who were fighting and shedding blood beside them. Chapter 65: You Look So Good When Youre Shameless (1)

Chapter 65: You Look So Good When You''re Shameless (1)

Before long, they were done cleaning up the battlefield. The northern team returned, each carrying at least one wound. On the truck. For the return trip, Su Yu was in the same truck as the team leader. Team Leader Liu''s left arm was filled with blood. However, the iron-willed guy acted like he could feel no pain. He was even in the mood to tease Su Yu, "Your father used to love bragging about killing Infinite Strength cultivator as a Great Strength cultivator. I think everyone in Nanyuan has heard his story by now. But look at me, I just killed an Infinite Strength cultivator as well but I''m not getting all cocky." Su Yu was originally in a somber mood, but the team leader''s words lightened the mood considerably. Previously, he saw Team Leader Liu as a serious and strict individual. But now, his impression has changed. Su Yu understood that he had obtained the team leader''s acknowledgement. Previously, in Team Leader Liu''s eyes, Su Yu was a baggage that might trouble the Windcatcher Department during critical moments and mess up their mission. But today, Su Yu had contributed to the fight with the Infinite Strength cultivator. If it wasn''t for the short distraction provided by Su Yu, even if that cult member would still die, the department would probably suffer massive losses to achieve that. It wasn''t proper for Su Yu to gossip about his father, so he changed the topic, "Team Leader Liu¡ª" "Just call me Uncle Liu." Team Leader Liu was no longer looking so strict. He smiled and said, "We''re like family and you''re not a part of the department, so don''t be too formal with me." "Uncle Liu," Su Yu did not hesitate. He asked, "There are quite a lot of cult members this time. They even have an Infinite Strength cultivator with them. If they work together and stand their ground in the house, the department won''t be able to defeat them so easily, right?" Team Leader Liu nodded, "Of course. If they had defended the house, with an Infinite Strength cultivator around, they only need to hold our advance and buy time for the Infinite Strength cultivator to sneak behind us and we will probably lose around half our people." "Then..." "You want to ask why they were so foolish to flee separately?" Liu Pingshan sneered, "Because they''re scared of death! Who in the Myriad Race Cult is not afraid of death? "Standing and fighting? That means fighting with their lives on the line. Why should they do so? When danger arrives, it''s every man for himself. By escaping, there is a chance of survival. But if they stand and fight, the people holding the line will definitely die." Liu Pingshan was filled with disdain, "The Myriad Race Cult has elites as well. Their elites are actually quite strong. But theyck the conviction to stake their life. Of course, there are some lunatics within the cult that are willing to do so, but those lunatics will only appear in major operations. "A small branch like this will not have anyone willing to fight. They are decent when things are advantageous for them. But if there is a chance of defeat or death, they will instantly fall apart." Liu Pingshan looked at Su Yu and seriously said, "That was why I called them worms. No matter how many experts they have, any setback will break them. That ispletely unlike the human armies that can fight regardless of whether things are going well or not." "In warfare, morale matters a lot." Liu Pingshan''s face turned solemn, "So long as we maintain our morale, even if we are weaker, we still stand a chance to turn things around. Toe back from death''s door. To defeat the many with the few. Morale is a majorponent in such feats. No matter how many of us you kill, you won''t be able to break us! "The elite armies of humanity such as the Martial Dragon Guards are capable of fighting until the veryst man without breaking. However, a worthless army of a hundred thousand will probably break after losing about ten percent of their people. On the battlefield, very few are willing to fight until the very end." Liu Pingshan gave it some thought and added, "If you have the chance to step foot in the Allheaven Battlefield one day, you will discover that when two armies of a hundred thousand soldiers meet, most of the casualties do note from the direct sh. Rather, theye from the pursuit phase after one of them starts routing. "Therefore, the first priority of any human army in the Allheaven Battlefield is morale. Those charging at the vanguard are all veterans that have served at least ten years in the army. They are the best of the best, the ones who will remain unyielding even when casualties reach fifty percent or more. "If new recruits are allowed to stay at the front, the moment they suffer high casualties, they will break and drag the entire army down with them. There are many examples of armies destroyed by their own routing soldiers on the battlefield." Su Yu nodded. His doubts were dispelled. He had been wondering if the cult members were being particrly stupid today or if that Infinite Strength cultivator was a fool. Why would that person hide in the house? He might as well lead his underlings out and fight. That way, the chances of them escaping or even winning the fight would be higher. But now, Su Yu understood. The issue was that the cult members were afraid of death. Sure, nobody was unafraid of death. Were Liu Pingshan and the others afraid of death? Yes! However, they had conviction, faith, and courage. "Uncle Liu, which human army is the strongest on the Allheaven Battlefield?" "Cough, cough." The question was making Liu Pingshan awkward. After thinking about it, he decided to be honest, "I''m afraid of misleading you. If you''re not going there in the future, it''s fine for me to brag here. But you might really go there one day. I can''t mislead you. "On the Allheaven Battlefield, human armies are very tenacious and powerful. But if we call them unrivaled, then we are overestimating ourselves. The divines, the devils, the demons, and even some minor races have their own elite armies. They are very capable as well." Liu Pingshan narrated, "Back then when I was at the Allheaven Battlefield, I once encountered a contingent of one thousand soldiers from the Celestial Devil Guards. I was serving in the Mountain Shaking Army. There were ten thousand of us and one thousand of them. The soldiers of both parties were mostly in the Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms. We encountered each other at the Sealed Dragon Gorge and fought there." "In the end...after losing four thousand of us, we defeated them." Liu Pingshan sighed. "They are really strong. They fought until the very end. I remember that toward the end, they only have a single third-stage Skysoar cultivator surviving. That person could have escaped since we had suffered massive casualties as well, but...that fellowunched a final charge at us. He died facing us, not with his back to us. "The Mountain Shaking Army almost fell apart during that battle. In the end, our general arrived and personally buried them there. Apart from their weapons and some other spoils of war, all their corpses were buried there. We did not harvest their corpses." In truth, corpse harvesting was extremely profitable in the Allheaven Battlefield. However, that army had earned their respect so the Mountain Shaking Army decided to bury them instead of harvesting them. Su Yu exhaled lightly. So there were actually such unyielding armies among the other races on the Allheaven Battlefield as well? That wasn''t supposed to be a surprise, but the thought had simply never crossed his mind since in Great Xia, the governmental propaganda only focused on the greatness of their military. Liu Pingshan continued, "Of course, there are very few armies like that. They are mostly the elites of the various races. The human race has powerful armies, but we also have some weak armies as well. Not every army will be an elite. We shouldn''t underestimate ourselves, but we also shouldn''t overestimate ourselves and look down on the myriad races." "If we''re really that strong, we would be the ones invading them instead of fighting them to a standstill on the Allheaven Battlefield." Su Yu nodded. While they were conversing, the trucks had entered the city. Chapter 66: You Look So Good When Youre Shameless (2)

Chapter 66: You Look So Good When You''re Shameless (2)

Inside the city, things were as peaceful as ever. The small battle outside the city did not attract much attention from the masses. One difference was that some foreign vehicles could now be seen on the roads. These vehicles came from the capital. The entrance examinations were drawing near and the visitors were starting to arrive. Team Leader Liu saw the new vehicles as well. He said, "Don''t worry. You can even skip the exam if you want. You''ve helped us with an Infinite Strength cult member. You''ve also killed a sixth-stage Great Strength cult member alone. Including your past contributions, you can easily enter a cultural research or a war academy without taking any exams." Those words would probably drive Chen Hao mad. Skipping the examinations! Free entry! If Chen Hao learned of that, he would probably startining that life was unfair. Bai Feng had previously given his two guaranteed slots to Su Yu and Liu Yue. And now, Su Yu had earned enough contributions to be exempted from the examinations. It was as though he alone had monopolized all opportunities. However, the strong would always be the strong. It waspletely normal for the strong to continue gaining more. After giving it some thought, Su Yu said, "Team Leader Liu, you can''t give me the credit for the kill of the Infinite Strength cultivator. I don''t want to attract reprisals from the cult. I''m still a Source Opening cultivator. I''ll stick out like a sore thumb." "If you don''t mind losing the bonus marks, that won''t be a problem." Liu Pingshan smiled, "Some agencies and organizations can only see your merit points and not the source of your points. The military is in charge of the merit system. Apart from the military, no other organization or agency can get involved in the merit system. That is a system under direct supervision of the prefect. Even the Myriad Race Cult would not be able to see your information unless they manage to sneak a spy into the higher ups of the military." Su Yu exhaled in relief. He wanted the merit points, but he was also worried that he would attract too much attention. That wouldn¡¯t be good, especially since he was only a Source Opening cultivator. How had he helped in the battle? How big of a help was he? If news of what he did spread, what would he do if the cult sent some Infinite Strength or even Skysoar cultivators to kill him? Thus, it was imperative that he stayed low profile. Of course, he still couldn''t give up on the merit points. The merit points could increase his authority level. Additionally, the points could also be used to purchase some things he needed. "You killed a middle-stage Great Strength cultivator by yourself, earning two merit points. You also helped with the early-stage Infinite Strength cultivator. Generally, you can get at least ten merit points for that. But since we''re all fighting above our ss, we will receive double the points. Additionally, we have also eliminated a cult hideout so we will be rewarded for that as well." Liu Pingshan did not want to leave the impression of someone who would steal the contribution of others. He seriously exined, "Thus, we will earn about twenty-five to thirty merit points for this mission. Naturally, if a Skysoar cultivator was there to help us, we would only receive ten merit points. The rewards are not fixed. They will change ording to the situation. "Although you have contributed greatly with your illusion, Little Chen had...Su Yu, ording to our rules, the dead will have a share of the rewards as well. At most, you will probably receive only five merit points for the kill." Su Yu was stunned. He wasn''t surprised because the reward was underwhelming. Rather, it was overwhelming. He had only performed a small distraction, but he stood to earn as many merit points as someone who had killed five early-stage Great Strength cultivators. "Uncle Liu..." Liu Pingshan interrupted him, "Don''t think that this is too little. Including the Great Strength cultivator you killed, you can earn around seven merit points in total. Also, we can''t share the spoils of war with you, but you should understand why. Of course, if one day you are officially invited on one of our missions, you will be entitled to share the spoils of that mission as well." That was also part of the rules. Su Yu had joined the mission uninvited this time. The department was already being very kind by allowing him to join them. He was not entitled to the spoils of war. Otherwise, the department would probably be flooded with volunteers. However, in situations where the department needed to carry out a major mission andcked manpower, they would invite some helpers. Those helpers would be entitled to share the spoils of war. Liu Pingshan patted Su Yu''s shoulder and smiled, "I''ll get someone to notify you the next time we find a small hideout. That way, it will be an official invitation and you can share the spoils of war as well. I''m afraid you will have to let the others have all the spoils this time." In truth, the department had never invited a Source Opening cultivator to help with a mission before. Historically, they had only invited those above the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm for their missions. Su Yu did not say anything. As far as he was concerned, he had earned a lot from this mission. Seven merit points. Coupled with the three merit points he had earned from the previous Windcatcher Department missions he had joined, he had earned a total of ten merit points from them. Thenguages he knew had earned him eighteen merit points. Killing the cult member at the school had earned him three merit points. He had earned thirty-one merit points in total. Of course, excluding the seven points he was about to get, he only had ten points left. As for his original earned merit, he only had twenty-eight points. The points from the kill at the school were credited under Chen Hao''s name since he was the one who had made the im. It was extremely rare for someone to umte twenty-eight original earned merit points at the Source Opening Realm. That was extremely difficult unless one did something ridiculous like mastering twenty-eightnguages. Before they knew it, they had returned to the department. Everyone started getting off the trucks. The chief, Zeng Hua, was waiting outside the entrance. When he saw his officers getting off the truck, he nodded at them. But when his gazended on Liu Pingshan''s arm, a look of pain covered his eyes. As a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator, Liu Pingshan was one of the powerhouses of the department. But with one of his arms crippled, his strength would drop greatly. He would most likely be forced into early retirement. And looking at the two corpses, Zeng Hua sighed. He bowed and saluted the two corpses silently. After greeting Su Yu with a nod, he gestured at Liu Pingshan to enter the office for a meeting. Su Yu did not linger and left the department shortly after. ... Nanyuan Secondary School. Liu Wenyan was also sighing. After a sigh, he cursed, "Ridiculous!" His sigh was directed toward the two officers who had sacrificed their lives during the mission. His curse was directed toward Su Yu''s rashness. With such a weak willpower, that kid actually dared to attack an Infinite Strength cultivator? Was he suicidal? If his opponent also had a decently strong willpower, with Su Yu''s weak willpower, a single moment of carelessness would result in a bacsh, turning him into a madman. Fortunately, that opponent was a pure warrior without much aplishments in willpower cultivation. However, one ought to know that there were a lot of people who had only started physical cultivation after failing to advance in willpower cultivation. In fact, even those in the Mental Tempering Stage might shift their focus to be physical cultivators. And if Su Yu''s opponent was one such individual, he would not survive the encounter. Liu Wenyan could only rejoice that the opponent Su Yu had encountered this time wasn''t such a person. But would he stay lucky forever? Challenging an Infinite Strength cultivator as a Source Opening cultivator was too dangerous. "But...he did well." After he was done cursing, Liu Wenyan smiled. At the very least, that kid had demonstrated valor and responsibility. Instead of pissing his pants in fear, the kid had actually volunteered to help. That was a form of unyielding valor. "Helping in a fight against an Infinite Strength cultivator at the Source Opening Realm. That kid is getting more and more outstanding. I am starting to feel reluctant to send him to the academy..." The old man muttered for a bit before he started cursing again, "Damn that Bai Feng. How is he qualified to teach that kid? Wan Tiansheng would be a better candidate as that kid''s teacher!" But his tone immediately shifted, "Then again, that''s good. He can keep a low profile under Bai Feng. Bai Feng has decent potential as well. If he really doesn''t cut it, I can still get his teacher to teach that kid." After talking to himself for a bit, Liu Wenyan picked up themunicator on the desk and hesitated. After a short while, he dialed a number. Before long, the call connected. However, nobody spoke on the line. Liu Wenyan remained silent as well. After almost a minute of silence, he said, "I have a promising student. After he joins the academy...watch out for him." "Liu Wenyan, are you begging me?" "Like hell I''m begging you!" Liu Wenyan scolded, "I won''t beg you. Are you brainless? You fool! I''m only asking you to watch his back. Watch the back of an outstanding student!" The other voice replied, "Beg me and I''ll take care of him. Otherwise, I''ll target him. This is the first time you''re begging me in so many years." "Beg my ass!" "Is scolding people the only thing you''ve learned all these years?" Liu Wenyan was furious, "Wu Yuehua, are you asking for a fight? Do you think I won''t be able to find someone willing to help me in the academy?" "Sure you can. But...are you willing to contact those people?" the other voice replied calmly. "Apart from me, who else can you find? Your junior brother? That Hong guy has recently gone to the Allheaven Battlefield. I don''t know if he can even return alive. Are you sure you''re going to look for him?" "What? He went to the Allheaven Battlefield?" "Yeah. Maybe he''s entering a newly discovered realm. Nobody knows when he''ll return." Liu Wenyan frowned. He couldn''t be bothered to ask more and said, "Cut the crap. You''ll take care of my student. Also, are you stupid? Who told you to repay the merit points for me? Tell Wan Tiansheng to spit those points out!" Liu Wenyan roared, "Fifty thousand merit points! Including the points he had deduced from me over the years, he owes me over seventy points! He better spit them all out or I''ll make him pay!" "Are they yours? Are any of the fifty thousand points yours?" "What stupid question is that? Since you''ve paid the debt on my behalf, the merit points are as good as mine." "..." The other voice was rendered speechless. After a while, it said, "Since when are you so shameless?" "I''ve always been shameless!" Liu Wenyan was still furious, "If I knew shame, I would have found a ce nobody knows me and hid forever. Why the hell would I continue staying in Great Xia? If I knew shame, I wouldn''t have called you. Shame? What is that?" . "..." After a while, the other voice sighed and said, "I really want to see how you look when you''re saying all these shameless words. So are youing back?" "No!" Liu Wenyan''s tone turned hostile, "Why should I return? Am I supposed to return to allow the others to sneer andugh at me? If I return, that fellow will start targeting me! Enough about all that. Just watch my student''s back. I''m worried that he will be targeted by others. Ignore everything else. Also, I''mcking money recently. Just send me a couple hundred drops of divine and devil blood. I need to forge my body. I''ll pay you back when I get the money." "Liu Wenyan...I really want to see your shameless face. Why don''t I personally deliver you the blood essence? I want to see if you''ll have the guts to say the same words to my face." "Why are you saying all those useless words?" Liu Wenyan raged, "Just get someone to deliver the blood essence. If you''re unwilling, so be it. Do you think I really care about some blood essence? I''m just worried that they would go to waste in your storage." "Du...du...du..." The call ended. Liu Wenyan nked out slightly before rubbing his red face. That was too embarrassing! He couldn¡¯t believe what he just said. Since when was he so shameless? "Sigh. Old Wang must have influenced me too much." Liu Wenyan sighed and tossed the me to the principal. He insisted that the principal was the negative influence, turning him into such a shameless person. Chapter 67: Shameless Leader (1)

Chapter 67: Shameless Leader (1)

Su family''s residence. One drop of source qi liquid, four drops of iron-winged bird blood essence, ten merit points, thirty thousand dors in cash, Source Opening Codex, Lightning Source de, Blood Clotting de, Divine Skywing Technique: Great Strength Chapter, a Great Strength bone fragment, aplete bone fragment, and a middle-tier yellow-grade standard-design saber. These were all of Su Yu''s current possessions. They were allid out on the table. He was staring at them while in deep thought. He had been in deep thought after returning from the Windcatcher Department. He was wondering if he was being too stingy. Previously, he had thought that he had been spending so much money that he was going to empty his pockets soon. He wondered if being an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator was enough. He was a student that had yet to even graduate from secondary school. Was that cultivation level not enough? He had barely touched his merit points. He still had ten points with him. His source qi liquid would have been untouched as well if he hadn''t been forced to use them recently. He was reflecting on his choices. What was the point of umting wealth if he wasn''t going to use it? Was he supposed to wait until he was a super expert before buying what he wanted? But if he wasn''t willing to use his wealth now, how was he supposed to grow quickly? "I need to transform my wealth into my strength. I''m going to get seven merit points soon. My willpower has been stuck at around neen percent. I can''t even properly read that iplete bone fragment. I have not been using the book in my head much either..." He would rarely activate the book in his head. On average, he would only use it around once every five or six days. At times, he would even wait ten days before using it. That was because each usage felt iparably expensive. A single usage would cost him at least thirty thousand dors or one merit point. He couldn''t afford to use it everyday. "But without source qi, how can I cultivate? How can I practice the saber technique? How can I cultivate my acupoints? How can I grow quickly? "Seventeen merit points. If I manage to reach the Infinite Strength Realm, I only need to kill two early-stage Infinite Strength cultivators to earn that much. But at the Source Opening Realm, I need to kill more than a dozen of Great Strength cultivators, with each fight being extremely risky." He seemed to be reaching a certain understanding, but he was still confused about something as well. But at the very least, he had realized the importance of actually utilizing his wealth and resources to gain more strength. Nothing could be more reliable than his own strength. Sure, no Nanyuan student couldpete against him, but what about the capital? And even ignoring the capital, if his identity as a student was not taken into consideration, what was so special about an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator? What was so special about having neen percent willpower? "The exam is fourteen days away. From today onwards, I''ll use the book once per day and cultivate while absorbing source qi!" It would cost him fourteen merit points to do so. But since he already had four drops of blood essence, he only needed to spend ten merit points. His remaining merit points could also be used to purchase more blood essence for emergencies. After all, all the wealth in the world would do him no good if he was dead. ... Su Yu had not left his home since then. He didn''t even leave to purchase the blood essence he needed. Rather, he had Chen Hao make the purchase for him. He had spent ten merit points for the blood essence. Now, he had fourteen drops of iron-winged bird blood essence. If it wasn''t for the fact that he was running out of money, he would have bought some source qi liquid to help with his cultivation as well. With the source qi liquid, he could keep his surroundings constantly saturated with thick ambient source qi. He was also starting to seriously consider selling his house and use the million he could earn to buy ten drops of source qi liquid. s, that wasn''t possible, so he could only erase that thought from his mind. It was also good that he still had a home. At the very least, he would have a roof above his head. ... While Su Yu was focused on his cultivation, multiple major events were unfolding in Great Xia. The Martial Dragon Guards had been recalled from the battlefield. They had suffered nearly a thousand casualties, but they also returned with arge amount of resources and treasures. Despite their bountiful harvest, the Martial Dragon Guards were unhappy. Great Xia City, capital of Great Xia. Prefect''s manor. Right after walking through the main gate, one would be faced with a massive square. A burly man with a height of about 1.9 meters was standing in the middle of the square with a furious expression on his face. He was d in a ck armor and he was not carrying any weapon with him. The man was staring straight at the distant manor. That was Great Xia''s main seat of power. "This general requests an audience with Marquis Xia!" The man''s voice was loud and sonorous. Nearby, several manor guards were standing silently, turning a blind eye to him. Their heads were lowered, acting like the man was not present. "Marquis, the Martial Dragon Guards have returned from the front. This general is here for briefing!" A short whileter, an old man came out. When he saw the man, he softly said, "General, the marquis said that you should go back and take a rest after such a difficult and tiring journey." "Rest?" The man coldly said, "The marquis is unwilling to see me?" "The marquis has retired for the day." "The sun hasn''t even set and the marquis has retired for the day?" The man roared, "Does Great Xia have nothing to attend to? Is there nothing for the acting prefect to do?" "General..." The old man softly said, "The marquis is not seeing you because he wants to avoid a conflict. Since the military order has been issued, there is no need for you to keep thinking about it..." "Bullshit!" The burly man roared, "Keep thinking about it? Nearly a thousand soldiers of the Martial Dragon Guards have sacrificed their lives for this victory. A single military order is supposed to cate me?" The old man sank into a long silence before saying, "General, the marquis knows that he has issued a wrong order. In truth, the marquis was fooled by someone as well. During the appointment ceremony, Wan Tiansheng instigated the marquis to do so. I believe you''re aware of that as well. The marquis is unfamiliar with matters of war. How was he supposed to know what''s the right thing to do? "With his glib tongue, Wan Tiansheng convinced the marquis. That was how the withdrawal order came to be." The old man sighed, "Wan Tiansheng leads the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Half of the cultural researchers in our army came from his academy. Without the prefect, Wan Tiansheng''s authority is too big. With the cultural researchers under his control, if the marquis refuses to withdraw the army, the cultural researchers might really decide to abandon the military. What are you supposed to do then? Are you really going to pit the Martial Dragon Guards against the divine skywing race in a fight to the death?" "Wan Tiansheng!" The burly man''s voice was cold, "He is meddling too much, to the point he''s even extending his reach to the military now. Is he not afraid to have his arm broken from reaching too far?" "If the prefect has not entered seclusion, he naturally wouldn''t dare to do so." The old man sighed, "With the prefect in seclusion, he is not afraid of the marquis. Nor is he afraid of you, general." The burly man sank into silence. "To tell you the truth, the marquis greatly regrets the order. But he can''t do anything about it..." The old man sighed yet again, "At this point, the marquis can only maintain his silence. Is he supposed to turn against Wan Tiansheng? "General, the military still needs the help of cultural researchers. We can''t really do anything about Wan Tiansheng." "What a joke! Great Xia is still Great Xia!" The burly man said the same words Xia Bing had said previously, "This is Great Xia, not the Knowledge Seeking Realm!" The burly man sank into silence. After a while, he coldly asked, "Did the prefect agree to the withdrawal before his seclusion?" "No...the prefect went into seclusion before the appointment ceremony." The burly man gazed at the old man in silence for a while before saying, "Senior Hu, the prefect is in charge of the military while you''re in charge of the administrative affairs. Are you saying that both you and the prefect had not tacitly agreed to this ridiculous proposal of Wan Tiansheng?" The old man smiled, "Of course not!" "So even I need to be kept in the dark?" The burly man was unhappy. He was not a random nobody. He was the deputy general of the Martial Dragon Guards, a Mountainsea Realm expert. With Xia Longwu remaining in Great Xia, he was the one in charge of leading the Martial Dragon Guards on most of their campaigns." "I''m telling the truth." The old man seriously said, "Wan Tiansheng saw that the prefect had entered seclusion and grabbed the opportunity to snatch power!" "If that''s the case, arrest him." "Speak cautiously, general. The cultural research academy is too important to Great Xia. And Wan Tiansheng is also someone sent from the Knowledge Seeking Realm to lead the cultural researchers of Great Xia. You must watch your words!" "Knowledge Seeking Realm..." The burly man muttered before snorting coldly. "The Knowledge Seeking Realm has sealed itself for many years. Are they even aware of Wan Tiansheng''s actions in Great Xia?" "As long as the Knowledge Seeking Realm remains silent, he will remain as the leader of Great Xia''s cultural researchers. We can''t change that." The old man shook his head before continuing, "The marquis can only restrict him somewhat. That was why the funding for the cultural research academy has been reduced by thirty percent. That is the most we can do." "Cutting the funding of the cultural research academy? Ridiculous!" The burly man berated, "Cultural researchers should not be lumped together with Wan Tiansheng. Cutting the funding will only result in fewer new cultural researchers. Even those sent to the Allheaven Battlefield will be weaker. How are they supposed to help us face our enemies then?" He might dislike Wan Tiansheng, but he certainly didn''t want to see the cultural research academy implicated. That would only reduce the number of new cultural researchers and affect the front line. . "Wan Tiansheng will have a way to solve it. He promised that the number of graduates and cultural researchers sent to the military each year will be the same. If not, he will send the elites from the academy''s Heart Cultivating Pavilion to the front line instead." The Heart Cultivating Pavilion represented the elites of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Most of the academy''s elders cultivated there. It also had plenty of Cloudbreach and Mountainsea cultivators in it. They were practically one of the most high-end organizations in Great Xia, and they upied the same status as the Great Xia War Academy''s Breachsea House. Since Wan Tiansheng had actually made such a promise, there was nothing the burly man could say. The burly man coldly said, "I''ll let it slide this time. If this happens again...do know that when a general is on the field, there are times when he is allowed to disregard military orders." "That is only natural, general." The old man did try to further persuade the burly man. After seeing the burly man off, he turned around and returned to the building behind him. A chubby man was having a meal within that building. Without even looking up, he asked, "He left?" "Yes." "He''s going to look for Wan Tiansheng?" "No idea." The chubby old man finally looked up with a smile on his face, "It would be fun if the two started going at each other." "Marquis, why don''t we tell General Zhao the truth?" The chubby old man said, "Why else? Because we get to watch a good show if he doesn''t know the truth!" "..." The old man frowned and said, "Marquis, this isn''t right. It will only create more trouble in the prefecture." "I''m not afraid of that." The chubby old man belched without a care for his image andzily said, "Isn''t Wan Tiansheng amazing? Isn''t he incredible? Well, let Old Zhao give him some trouble then. Also, Old Zhao is right. Wan Tiansheng is starting to meddle too much. We will use Old Zhao to knock some sense into him... "Of course, Old Zhao will ultimately lose the conflict between the two. Even a blind person can see that. But it''s still good to give that fellow some trouble." "But¡ª" The old man was about to say more when the chubby old man interrupted him with a belch. While yawning, the chubby old man said, "It''s time for my afternoon nap. If Wan Tiansheng can''t deal with this much trouble, he should give up on his so-called reform." "Reforming Great Xia...he made it sound so simple." The chubby old man said with contempt, "If it''s really so easy, why would we need to wait until now? It has been Great Xia''s tradition for years that we will not seek an alternative to obtain things we can get from the battlefield. "That''s pretty dumb. I also feel like Little Xia is stupid. Unfortunately, he has some really strong fists despite the deficiencies of his brain." The chubby old man sighed, "He has strong fists. He can deliver you pain just like his grandpa. That old bastard is the same. Hecks intelligence and thinks with his muscles. It''s a waste of time trying to reason with such people." The old man''s expression changed. He stayed silent, not daring toment on the so-called grandpa. Only Marquis Xia would have the guts to say that about Great Xia King. "If Wan Tiansheng can''t even change those warmongers, he can forget about changing Great Xia. It''s not like Great Xia is a prefecture of only a few people. There are hundreds of millions of people in Great Xia. All of them have been led astray by those dumb warmongers. The only thing in their mind is to hack and sh their way out of all trouble..." The chubby old man said with disdain, "I know that they are all brutes thinking with only their muscle, but what can I do? Those people will only beat you up whenever they disagree with you. It''s not like I''ve never been beaten by them before. What can I do about them? That unfilial Xia Longwu dares to beat even his uncle! What can I do about that? Chapter 68: Shameless Leader (2)

Chapter 68: Shameless Leader (2)

The War Shrine and Knowledge Seeking Realm were the two holynds of humanity. All cultural researchers aimed to enter the Knowledge Seeking Realm while all warriors aimed to enter the War Shrine. Naturally, not everyone could make it inside. The Great Xia King was naturally qualified to join. Furthermore, the War Shrine was basically founded by the invincible experts of their generation. They were only trying to ask for some support from their descendents. This Marquis Xia was being rather unreasonable here. After a while, the chubby old man finally calmed down. He gave it some thought and said, "Send them a corpse. However, make them pay with several thousand divine and devil corpses. They can easily kill that much with a wave of their arms, so those corpses shouldn''t be worth much to them. We''re sending them a top-notch corpse. They need to send us thousands of Mountainsea corpses aspensation..." "Cough." The old man wanted to speak, but he eventually swallowed his own words. The chubby old man continued, "I know, I know, they don''t have that many corpses. I''m asking for too much. Fine...they can pay with a couple secret grottos." "I heard that my old man cut a chunk of space from an unknown location a couple of years ago. Great Zhou King also found a chunk of space a few years ago. Get them to pay with their secret grottos." "Marquis...will that work? Will they even agree?" The chubby old man stomped his foot in anger, "Negotiate with them! Damn it! If they refuse, start crying. Get a few thousand people and have them stand outside the War Shrine and cry. Cry until they give in to our demand. They are the ones trying to take from us. Are they trying to get the corpse for free? Dream on! If they disagree, they can fuck off! "Those old bastards only care about eating their fill. Why can''t they think about their descendents? We''re all hungry here! "Tell my old man that if he refuses, I''ll go and be Great Ming King''s grandkid instead. I''ll anger that old fart to death!" "..." The old man was greatly troubled. He was afraid that Great Xia King would kill him in anger instead. What was this? If Marquis Xia became Great Ming King''s grandchild, what about Great Xia King? Was he going to be Great Ming King''s son? After all, he was Marquis Xia''s father. What the hell was that? The old man no longer dared to say anything else. He hurriedly replied, "I understand. I''ll get someone to work on it. How about the other corpses? The cultural research academy is asking for all the corpses for their research..." "Wan Tiansheng can piss off." The chubby old man had a ferocious expression. However, the old man didn''t know what to feel about that expression. He would rather this marquis stop making a fierce expression as when the marquis was trying to look fierce, he looked more like a hungry fat cat instead. "They can have one corpse." The chubby old man did not care about what the old man was thinking. He said, "Also, if they want the corpse, Wan Tiansheng must produce eighty new cultural researchers this year. Any fewer than that and I''ll have a problem with him. If they can''t produce enough cultural researchers, tell him to send some out of the Heart Cultivating Pavilion. If he dares to steal the corpse from me, he will not get a single cent in funding for the second half of the year." "Alright." The old man continued, "How about the war academy?" "They''re not getting any corpses. Just give them some blood essence. What can those brainless brutes do with the corpses? Are they going to eat them?" The chubby old man had a rather uncouth mouth. After he was done unleashing a string of profanities, he continued, "If the war academy keeps sending novices that have never seen blood before to the front line, I''ll cut their funding for the second half of the year by fifty percent. "There''s also the internal affairs academy. Tell them to train their students faster. Weck a lot of specialists in the government. Also, is their spying course working? How many spies have they managed to send into the Myriad Race Cult? Have they found any treasure vaults? If they still can''t find any, stop the program. It''s very expensive to maintain. "How about the scientific research academy? I remember telling them to create a working war airship fifty years ago. I need airships capable of flying and carrying tens of thousands of warriors to the battlefield. What the fuck are they doing? Why are they not done? If they still can''t do it, cut their funding." The only thing the old man got from this conversation was that a lot of funding was going to be cut. He finally couldn''t hold back anymore and said, "Marquis, if we really do all that, we can save around three hundred billion this year." "Really?" The chubby old man nked out slightly. Then, his eyes lit up in excitement as he said, "Good! Send my orders out. It would be even better if they really fail toplete their tasks. I can then cut their funding! The government can have eighty percent of the money I save. I''ll get the other twenty percent as a bonus for my hard work!" "Marquis, this will only create trouble in the prefecture." "It doesn''t matter." The chubby old man was indifferent. "Some people need to be pushed before they''re willing to take things seriously. Those fellows are way too cunning to work without being forced. Just look at the cultural research academy. Wan Tiansheng has a group of elite students that he has been hiding in the academy instead of releasing them to the military. Isn''t that wasteful? In fact, he can actually produce thirty additional cultural researchers each year if he wants." "But if we do things this way, the academy will be on itsst legs after a few years. How can they continue training new talents then?" asked the old man. He disagreed with what the marquis was saying. Everyone knew that Wan Tiansheng had a group of elite students in the academy. But those elites yed their own roles as well. These were the people in charge of training more talents, fighting for secret grottos, performing secret research, and so on. "Well, he can think of a solution himself. That is none of my business." The chubby old man nonchntly said, "I''m not the real prefect anyway. I''m just an acting prefect. Do you understand? If something bad really happens, I''ll simply run to the War Shrine and seek shelter there. Xia Longwu cane out and clean the mess himself." "..." How irresponsible could this person be? The old man was speechless and his expression was bitter. Working with Marquis Xia was much more tiring than working with Xia Longwu. At that point, the marquis had already reached the rear court of the manor. When he saw that the old man was still following him, he asked in astonishment, "Why are you still following me? Old Hu, are you too free? Are you going to apany me as I take a nap? Old rascal, time for you to piss off as well." "..." The old man decided that he would never visit this ce ever again unless he had official business here. While Xia Longwu was in seclusion, he would avoid this fellow as much as he could. In fact, Xia Longwu had always been very respectful toward him. He was in charge of Great Xia''s administrative affairs, so he could be considered a big shot in the prefecture. Xia Longwu relied on him a lot. Coupled with his age, Xia Longwu had always treated him with respect. But this Marquis Xia here was basically treating him like some third-rate underling. He started leaving, but after a few steps, he stopped and said, "How about Wan Tiansheng''s Foreign Student Faculty?" "He can do what he wants." The chubby old man continued walking toward the inner building as he spoke, "For this special project, we will grant them special permissions. Those foreign students will be assigned the best amodation. Naturally, they have to pay for that. If they''re unwilling to pay, they can sleep in the toilet. "Make sure to feed them well too. Serve them with the meat of divines and devils for each meal. If they''re unwilling to eat those meals, they can pay for their own meals. They can''t say that I''m neglecting them if I''m offering them something as valuable as the meat of divines and devils. That is the greatest honor the human race can show our guests. Am I right? . "As for the price of cultivation methods, sell them to these foreign students for ten times the usual price. Also, give them ten times the reward for each kill of their own people. I want to see if any of them will be tempted to kill their own. Maybe they will even trick more of their own toe and get killed for the reward. Wouldn¡¯t that be a sight to see? "Wan Tiansheng is too gentle. What is he afraid of? If those fellows decide toe, they are definitelying with their own agendas. They won''t leave before aplishing their goals. Is he afraid that they will abandon the project and leave?" At that point, the chubby old man had entered his room. While closing the door, he reminded, "I''m not taking the me for the funding we''re cutting. Just spread some rumors that our finances are tight because we''re spending all our money on the Foreign Student Faculty. It''s all Wan Tiansheng''s fault. He can be the fall guy for his own project. "Remember to tell Wan Tiansheng that if he''s running out of money, he can get a loan from me. I''ll charge him a low interest rate since I don''tck money." "..." The old man left silently, pretending he didn''t hear anything. He was afraid that he would lose his temper if he continued listening to this chubby old man. Chapter 69: Upcoming Examinations (1)

Chapter 69: Uing Examinations (1)

Time flew by while chaos raged in the capital. As a small city, Nanyuan wasrged unaffected. But as the day of the entrance examinations drew near, the entire city started bustling with activity. Nanyuan Secondary School. Meeting room. The room was filled with people. Liu Wenyan was seated to the left of the front row. His head was lowered as he silently wrote. He had not spoken once, keeping a low profile during the meeting. The person hosting the meeting wasn''t the principal. Rather, it was a man of about thirty years old. With a stern expression, he said, "The entrance examinations are near. Under themand of the capital, the Knowledge Seeking Realm, and the War Shrine, the Talent Fostering Bureau of the capital will take charge while assisted by the various secondary schools. Any objections?" The Talent Fostering Bureau was the department in charge of the yearly entrance examinations. They weren''t too powerful a department, but they still had a decent level of authority in the prefectural government. In the room, the recruiters of the various academies, the officials from the capital, and the officials of the local government were present. Nanyuan Secondary School had been chosen as the venue of the meeting because this was the biggest secondary school in Nanyuan, also the main supplier of students for the various academies. The other secondary schools in the city had never provided much students to the academies. The moment the man finished speaking, someone raised his hand. When the man looked over, that person spoke, "I have a question. This year, Great Xia''s policies are changing. Will the guest students be subjected to the same standards as the local students during the exams?" The man replied, "ording to our records, there are 418 guest students in Nanyuan. Locally, you have 2,892 students. The cultural research and war academies will take 40 guest students and 200 local students from Nanyuan." There were more than one cultural research academy and war academy in Great Xia. For war academies, there were Great Xia War Academy, Martial Dragon War Academy, Windcatcher Academy, Marine War Academy, and so on. For cultural research academies, there were Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, Nine Heavens Cultural Research Academy, Daoseeking Cultural Research Academy, and so on. The slots that Su Yu and the others had spoken of before generally referred only to the positions in the Great Xia War Academy and Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. That was because those two were the top two academies in Great Xia, with the Martial Dragon War Academy being the third best academy in the prefecture. The man continued, "That is the ratio with which the students will be epted. All students will be judged using the same standard. All tests will be standardized as well. The academies will be recruiting from the two pools of students until the quota is filled, reducing the passing mark for the local students as necessary." Those words were rather insulting for the locals, but neither Liu Wenyan or the principal said anything. There was no doubt that Nanyuan students were not as good as those from the capital or the other big cities. Thus, the various academies would reduce the passing marks for their students each year. However, it was still somewhat humiliating for the man to speak of that so frankly in such a public setting. Two hundred openings. Split among the various academies, that wasn''t a big number at all. That only left the internal affairs academies, the scientific research academies, or apletely different alternative for the rest of the students. When the man was done talking, the principal raised his hand and said, "Bureau Head Sun, how many students are the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, Great Xia War Academy, and the Martial Dragon War Academy epting from Nanyuan this year?" The man did not reply. He looked to the side where a few individuals had been seated silently. "Researcher Huang, what''s your answer?" To the right, a young man who had been busy reading a book looked up and smiled. In a calm and unhurried manner, he said, "Nothing is changing for the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Those above 200 marks will be epted. Since Nanyuan''s students are weaker, our requirements are lower as well. Those with 180 marks and above will be conditionally epted." The principal exhaled in relief. Fortunately, the difficulty level for the local students had not been raised this year. "Great Xia War Academy, 200 marks and above will be epted. For Nanyuan, the requirements will be lowered to 180 marks." "For Martial Dragon War Academy, those above 180 marks will be epted. For Nanyuan, the requirements will be lowered to 160 marks." The two war academies did not have much to say. After giving a short answer, they stopped talking. When the official from the Talent Fostering Bureau heard their answers, he looked at the principal and asked, "Any objections, Principal Wang?" "No." Liu Wenyan suddenly said, "I have a question. Su Yu and Liu Yue have been epted under Bai Feng''s slots. ording to the rules, those two will not be using Nanyuan''s slots. Thus, two additional students can be epted from Nanyuan." Researcher Huang looked up again and said, "Instructor Liu, the rules do allow that. But most of the students we epted through such channels in the past have ended up eliminated. Why waste the youth and time of these students?" Liu Wenyan calmly replied, "You need to at least give them a chance. Even a young dragon needs to be given ample opportunity before it can freely soar in the sky." "Suits you. But even if Su Yu and Liu Yue have been epted under Bai Feng''s slots, they still need to get through the exam. They need at least 180 marks to enter the academy. Do you have any issues with that, Instructor Liu?" "No." Su Yu and Liu Yue were students that could enter the academy even if they were subjected to the same requirements as those from the capital. Thus, he wasn''t worried. The young man said nothing else and returned to his reading. In truth, he wasn''t reading a book. He was merely looking at the summary and list of the students that will be taking the examinations in Nanyuan. At that moment, he just happened to reach the page with Su Yu''s profile. Su Yu, fifth-stage Source Opening Realm, certified in 18nguages, 21 original earned merit, with aprehensive grade of 300 marks. Evaluated as a middle-low student. That was the information from a month ago. It had yet to be updated. The man read through the contents of the page before silently flipping to a new page with a smile on his face. He did not voice the contempt he was feeling. Since the profile wasst updated a month ago, it was clear that Nanyuan was trying to use this student as their ace. But it was pointless. Nanyuan was a small city. No matter how good this student was, he would only beparable to an average student in the capital. A student epted by Bai Feng in advance...let''s hope there''s something special about him. The young man mused inwardly. This Su Yu had yet to enter the academy yet he had already attracted the attention of many people. In fact, before this young man left the capital, a lot of people had told him to see if there was anything special about this student. Even if this student had been epted by Bai Feng in advance, that didn''t mean that he couldn''t choose a different teacher. What could Bai Feng do if the student himself wanted a different teacher? Whether Su Yu was an undiscovered genius or a random student Bai Feng had epted on whim would be made clear soon. If Su Yu was merely a mediocre student, the researcher would simply consider this a joke Bai Feng yed. And if Su Yu turned out to be a genius, many people would try stealing him from Bai Feng. When Bureau Head Sun saw that nobody had anything else to say, he opened his mouth, "Then we''ll end the meeting here and wait for the examinations to start. Nanyuan will be in charge of security. With so many students gathered in one ce, you need to watch out for the Myriad Race Cult." "Roger." Themander of the city guards answered. Bureau Head Sun nodded before looking at Xia Bing. With a smile, he said, "Squad Leader Xia, I''ll need the Martial Dragon Guards to help with security as well." "Roger." Xia Bing agreed without even looking at Bureau Head Sun. Instead, he nodded at the recruiter from the Martial Dragon War Academy seated opposite of him. The Martial Dragon Guards had a close rtionship with the Martial Dragon War Academy. Many of the teachers in the Martial Dragon War Academy were retired veterans from the Martial Dragon Guards. It was natural that the two knew each other. When the teacher from the academy saw Xia Bing, he nodded as well. Before long, the meeting was adjourned. Everyone started leaving. Xia Bing intentionally moved slower. The teacher from the academy also slowed down to move behind the crowd. "Old Xia, how has Nanyuan been treating you?" "It''s okay. Apart from the attack not too long ago, life is boring most of the time." Xia Bing had a sour face. He moved on from the topic and said, "Let''s not talk about that. There are a few promising students here. Take note of them, especially Su Yu. He is strong, brave, and smart. He even did something big not too long ago. Liu Wenyan has been trying very hard to send him into the cultural research academy without revealing his talent. Luckily, I noticed what he''s doing." "What did that student do?" "He worked with a team of Windcatcher officers to kill an Infinite Strength cult member." Xia Bing spoke with a soft voice, "Keep this secret. If news of what he did spread, both of us will pay for it. It''s against the rules to even talk about this. I''m only telling you because we''re on the same side. Try to get that kid into the Martial Dragon War Academy." The teacher was astonished, "He worked with the Windcatcher Department? Why were they working with a Source Opening cultivator in the first ce?" "He''s not only a Source Opening cultivator. I believe he has formed a Divine Character as well." Xia Bing exined, "When Bai Feng visited previously, he wrote a willpower text for that kid. I believe that the kid has already formed aplete Divine Character. He wouldn''t have been able to utilize the power of a Divine Character otherwise." The teacher''s eyes lit up, "Are you serious? It has only been two months since Bai Feng''s visit, right? He formed a Divine Character from a single willpower writing session andpleted the character in two months?" "I think so. But Liu Wenyan has probably taught him a bit before as well." "That won''t change the fact that he''s a genius." The teacher was getting excited. It wasn''t like he had never seen a genius before, but he had not expected to encounter one here. His excitement was understandable. "Old Xia, thank you. Don''t worry. I won''t tell anyone about this. You won''t get in trouble." The more the teacher spoke, the more excited he became. "We have always been trying to nurture our own cultural researchers. We even have our own cultural research course in the Martial Dragon War Academy. Unfortunately, we have never been able to train any talented cultural researchers. Most of our students are rejects of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. This time, we''ll try to steal from them!" A genius that had formed a Divine Character! Aplete Divine Character at that! If this was the capital, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy would have learned about that student long ago. The student would have been epted before the Martial Dragon War Academy could do anything. Of course, technically, that was also the case for Su Yu. However, Bai Feng was worried that others would try to steal his student. Therefore, he had been keeping Su Yu''s matter a secret. When Xia Bing saw how excited the teacher was, he said, "Old Xie, it is important to recruit new students, but I don''t want to ruin the kid''s future either. I know very well how terrible our cultural researcher course is. This is what I have in mind. If that kid is really talented enough, we can be in charge of his physical cultivation. As for his willpower cultivation, will the academy be able to invite the senior researchers from the Martial Dragon Guards to teach him?" "Of course!" Old Xieughed, "General Zhao was furious and he has been busy creating trouble for Principal Wan. As a response, Principal Wan threatened to cut our supply of cultural researchers. Therefore, the general said that we''ll be putting more focus on nurturing cultural researchers this year. The cultural researchers in the army are pretty free right now so most of them will be transferred to the academy." "Really?" Xia Bing was overjoyed, "Then everything will be fine. Also, when you get in contact with that kid, try to mention his father. His father is Su Long, a veteran of the Devil Subduing Army that answered the recall order not long ago." "Someone from the Devil Subduing Army?" Old Xie started cursing, "Then he¡¯s as good as ours. That Liu Wenyan is pushing it too far! Why is he trying to steal our people?" The Martial Dragon Guards, Devil Subduing Army, and Great Xia Army have always been considered a single family. Thus, Old Xie was furious to learn that the cultural research academy was trying to steal one of their own. Xia Bing coughed awkwardly, but he did not say anything. Sure, that was true, but they both knew how terrible Martial Dragon War Academy''s cultural researcher course was. It was only natural that Su Yu would try to get into the cultural research academy. This fellow was merely angry because he wanted to keep the kid in their fold. "I need to return to my post. You can ignore all the other students but not this student. Since he''s able to aplish this much at a ce like Nanyuan, I believe he is as good as those ninth-stage Source Opening students from the capital. He might be even better. Oh, I forgot to mention that he''s already an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator." "..." Old Xie''s eyes lit up as he said, "Why the fuck is he practicing willpower cultivation? He should just focus on physical cultivation. Those cultural researchers might not necessarily be stronger than us warriors at thetter stages." "Just do what you think is right." Xia Bing still had work to do so he left after finishing his words. ... Outside the meeting room. Liu Wenyan looked behind him to see the two individuals that were talking softly to each other. He merely sneered indifferently. What were they thinking? That kid would never enter the Martial Dragon War Academy. After all, Instructor Liu had personally taught that kid for so many years. If that kid really ended up joining the Martial Dragon War Academy, he would have to...what could he do? Tell that kid topensate him for the Lightning Source de? Would that kid be able to afford it? ... Su family''s residence. Su Yu had been staying home for many days. It had been about ten days and he had been activating the book in his head once per day to cultivate his acupoints and used over ten drops of blood essence in the process. The ninth acupoint, known as the One Hundred Openings, was shining brightly. Above his head, source qi started converging. That was the sign that his ninth acupoint was on the verge of being opened. He was going to reach his goal soon! It had been less than half a month since hisst breakthrough and he was going to open his ninth acupoint. That was a terrifying speed. Naturally, he had paid a high price for it. However, over ten drops of blood essence was really nothingpared to his progress.