Back home.
Su Yu held a small glass vial in his hand containing three whole drops of blood essence.
Though to true experts, Qianjun Realm blood essence wasn't worth a fart, to Su Yu it was a massive fortune—buying a single drop cost fifty thousand coins.
If he hadn't been short on money, he wouldn't even have brought himself to spend merit points.
He didn't need his teachers to remind him of the importance of merit points; he knew well enough on his own. Money couldn't necessarily buy them. Of course, if someone offered over fifty thousand per point, Su Yu might consider it, since buying blood essence was only fifty thousand a drop anyway.
"Come to think of it, I'm even wealthier than Dad. After all these years, he only saved about three hundred thousand..."
Su Yu suddenly chuckled. That three hundred thousand and change really might not be worth as much as his eighteen merit points.
Then again, Dad had actually earned merit points of his own. He had spent some on cultivation in the past, and the rest... Dad hadn't said, but Su Yu had a good idea of where they went: given away upon discharge.
Su Long hadn't told him this; it was simply what many people did.
Many retired veterans in the residential complex had gifted their merit points to their comrades before leaving, because those staying behind had to keep fighting and needed them more.
Supporting and trusting one another—such were the warriors of the human race.
If not for the age limit of fifty on the veteran recall, even more veterans likely would have departed this time. Many had been close to fifty when they retired, and once discharged, they probably never had another chance to return.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Su Yu brought the album to mind once again.
The pages quickly turned to the Ironwing Bird.
"Blood essence activation... But what should I activate? A skill or an art?"
Su Yu pondered for a moment and quickly reached a decision: an art.
The Yuan Absorption Art!
Skills were nine times out of ten meant for instantly boosting strength or bursting out during combat. Without an opponent right now, it would be a waste.
Of course, if he had enough blood essence, he could test it. After all, without knowing its effects, bursting out blindly could get him killed.
"How many drops does it take each time? I wonder if one drop is enough?"
Thinking this over, Su Yu willed it into motion. Activate art!
Swallowing a drop of blood essence into his stomach, it vanished instantly.
This time wasn't as painful as before; nearly the moment it entered his mouth, it was absorbed.
Buzz!
The golden pages in his mind vibrated slightly, and the next moment, the cultivation art activation entry shifted.
"Basic Yuan Art: Yuan Absorption (Activated, duration: 1 hour)"
"One hour?"
Su Yu cursed inwardly. Right then, he felt the pores across his entire body open, rapidly devouring the surrounding yuan qi, as though his nine apertures had been temporarily unblocked.
This was the album's effect!
Normally, those in the Kaiyuan Realm couldn't do this. Without unblocking their nine apertures, they couldn't sense yuan qi, let alone actively absorb it.
Yet right now, Su Yu could feel it; with a mere thought, he could devour the yuan qi around him.
Nanyuan lacked yuan qi, but that was only relative to the Wanshi Realm or high-stage Qianjun cultivators; for a Kaiyuan Realm cultivator like Su Yu, there was more than enough.
Creak!
His physical body began absorbing yuan qi for the very first time. Like someone starving, it drew it in and tempered itself with reckless abandon.
His nine apertures emitted a faint glow, and a massive amount of yuan qi gathered around his head, tempering the apertures.
Pain!
Su Yu felt intense pain. His mouth and nose were fine, having already been tempered before, but the other apertures were not. At this moment, the yuan qi washed against the unopened apertures, causing him agony.
His ears roared, and tears streamed from his eyes.
The yuan qi was tempering the apertures, helping him unblock them.
"One hour... is too long!"
Su Yu, who had just been complaining that an hour was too short, instantly betrayed his own words. It was too long—if this went on for a full hour, wouldn't he burst?
A Kaiyuan cultivator actively absorbing yuan qi to cultivate—this was probably unprecedented.
Moreover, the Yuan Absorption Art belonged to the Ironwing Bird race. Unmodified, it was not truly suited for humans. Su Yu felt even more pores opening across his back, greedily absorbing yuan qi at this moment.
"Damn it... This is meant for tempering wings!"
"I'm not going to sprout wings, am I?"
Su Yu felt helpless. Ironwing Birds were avians, and their wings were deadly weapons, so naturally they tempered them. But he wasn't a bird!
Now that he had activated the Yuan Absorption Art and circulated it through his meridians, even though the album adapted it for the human body, it still didn't fit Su Yu completely. He felt his back absorbing even more yuan qi than his nine apertures.
Rumble!
Just then, Su Yu's left ear began to rumble.
Su Yu froze slightly, then turned delighted rather than alarmed. Was this... the fourth aperture about to unblock?
The first three of the nine apertures were easy to unblock, but the fourth and fifth were the ear apertures, which presented some difficulty.
The sixth and seventh were the eyes, which were even harder!
The Shenque and Baihui apertures stumped most people; nearly everyone who failed to become a cultivator stumbled at these two hurdles.
"My left ear aperture is about to unblock!"
Su Yu was overjoyed. The roaring in his ear sounded so pleasant!
He had calculated that reaching the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer would take him at least half a year. Who could have thought that a single session with the Yuan Absorption Art would bring him to the verge of completion?
Of course, this was partly because his cultivation had been so low to begin with.
The difficulty of opening apertures lay in the fact that Kaiyuan cultivators couldn't actively absorb yuan qi and could only temper passively. Once passive became active, opening apertures wasn't difficult at all for a cultivator.
Kaiyuan cultivators didn't gain overwhelming strength; their physical fitness merely improved, their sense of taste sharpened, and their smell, hearing, and vision grew keener. That was what Kaiyuan was.
Naturally, that alone was enough.
Only upon reaching Kaiyuan Eighth Layer and unblocking the Shenque aperture could a cultivator practice simple martial arts techniques for self-defense, preparing to become an official cultivator.
Rumble!
The roaring in his ear continued unabated. Su Yu's ear contracted and expanded in turns, his eardrum vibrating as yuan qi swirled around it.
Almost done!
The surrounding yuan qi kept pouring into his left ear. Su Yu, who previously couldn't see yuan qi, could now make out mist-like surges of it. This was yuan qi; for the first time, he clearly perceived its existence.
"No... I can't take it anymore!"
Su Yu's head pounded—not because opening the aperture overwhelmed him, but because this was his first active tempering, and his physical body was too weak to endure it.
Boom!
Right at that moment, a thunderous crack sounded in his left ear. Su Yu relaxed his mind; it was done.
He immediately ceased cultivating the art; he couldn't hold on any longer!
...
Half an hour later, Su Yu caught his breath and recovered.
It was a bit of a pity: he had cultivated for less than half an hour, and the remaining time was wasted. It activated for an hour, but the unused time didn't accumulate, simply resetting to zero once ended. What a waste.
"Still, this is already great. I actually reached the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer!"
Su Yu rejoiced inwardly. He hadn't held out much hope before, never expecting that he would truly reach Kaiyuan Fourth Layer before the examinations.
In the entire Nanyuan Secondary Academy, there were only a dozen or so students at the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer.
There were over a hundred at the Kaiyuan Third Layer, so his third layer hadn't been anything special, but the fourth layer was quite impressive.
By everyone's standards, he could now be considered an all-rounder in both scholarship and martial arts.
Genius-level in both!
"Is this the power of the album? Absolutely stunning... But..."
Su Yu frowned slightly. This was Kaiyuan, where the effect seemed decent, but once he reached Qianjun and could cultivate actively, the Yuan Absorption Art wasn't a human art, so its effects might not even match humanity's own techniques.
"Forget it, I shouldn't be too greedy. Besides... what if there are God and Demon arts..."
Su Yu's eyes gleamed. If one day he could unlock a God or Demon page, what then?
Human arts were formidable, but the arts of the Gods and Demons were even stronger. Humanity had captured quite a few cultivation arts, but very few from the God and Demon races, and most of those were low-tier, with almost none from the upper tiers.
Killing one was possible, but the odds of slaying an opponent while capturing their cultivation art were minuscule.
"Were there Gods or Demons in my dreams?"
His past dreams had been too hazy, and being so young, Su Yu couldn't recall.
Whether they were there or not, he didn't know.
If there were, could he cultivate God and Demon arts?
"It's too early to think about that. Right now, the Yuan Absorption Art is already wonderful—it'll let me cross the Kaiyuan hurdles as fast as possible."
Su Yu suppressed the thought, feeling pleased.
Kaiyuan Fourth Layer!
There weren't any drastic physical changes, though having his body tempered by yuan qi had made him somewhat stronger. The key, however, lay not in that, but in his hearing.
His left ear twitched slightly, and soon faint rustling sounds from upstairs reached his ears.
Though not completely distinct, it was far better than before.
Before, due to good soundproofing, he could hardly hear anything; if the disturbance was minor, it was impossible to pick up. But now... his hearing had grown significantly sharper.
For a cultivator, keeping one's eyes on all directions and ears attuned to every side was a fundamental ability.
Without completing Kaiyuan, this was virtually impossible.
"Very good!"
Although it cost one drop of blood essence, if one merit point could raise him by a whole layer, Su Yu would do it ten or a hundred times over without hesitation.
"There are two drops left. Should I... try activating a skill?"
Su Yu's eyes flashed. He wanted to see how powerful it was, how long it lasted, and what toll it took on his body.
Using it rashly without understanding it would be utterly irresponsible to himself.
The Ironwing Bird had two racial skills available for activation: Tear and Iron Wing Slash.
Tear was unlocked at Tier 1, which meant Ironwing Birds of different levels likely possessed different tiers of racial skills—perfectly normal.
Iron Wing Slash was out of the question for a wingless Su Yu, but Tear was worth testing.
"Let's test it!"
However, the apartment was cramped and surrounded by people, with Qianjun Realm elders living both upstairs and downstairs. Testing it at home wasn't convenient.
After some thought, Su Yu grabbed the blood essence and hurried out the door.
...
More than ten minutes later, at a cultivation dojo.
Paying a hundred Anyuan coins, Su Yu rented a training room for an hour. There were plenty of such cultivation dojos in the city, given the substantial number of Qianjun Realm practitioners around.
"Activate!"
Swallowing the blood essence, countless images flashed through his mind in an instant—scenes of an Ironwing Bird tearing prey apart with razor-sharp talons.
Su Yu felt both his hands swell up instantly!
Then yuan qi compressed; alongside the swelling ache, his hands surged with immense power!
"Is this... the Tear skill?"
Su Yu was stunned. For the first time, he felt truly powerful. Extremely strong—though exactly how strong, he couldn't judge, having only just reached Kaiyuan Fourth Layer.
His arms ached intensely from the swelling. Not daring to delay, Su Yu launched a flurry of attacks at the dummy before him.
Boom!
One hand clamped onto its throat, fingers sharp as eagle talons. As Su Yu gripped tightly, a booming sound rang out. This type of dummy was designed specifically for combat practice by cultivators and made of sturdy material, yet under his tight grip, a booming crack resounded.
Alternating left and right, Su Yu struck incessantly, raining frantic blows upon the dummy. Every strike seemed imbued with a tearing effect.
Gradually, a fine fissure appeared at the dummy's throat.
After five or six minutes, Su Yu's expression flickered; the power in his arms seemed to be fading, gradually weakening.
Thud!
Hiss!
Su Yu sucked in a sharp breath. The strength dissipated in an instant, and as his hand struck the dummy, his fingernails nearly split, hurting beyond measure.
"Son of a..."
Su Yu cursed under his breath. It vanished without warning! As a mere Kaiyuan cultivator striking the dummy with all his might, it would be strange if it didn't hurt.
He grabbed his comm device and glanced at it, arriving at a conclusion.
"Duration: five minutes. Cost: one drop of blood essence. It wasn't a simple strike either, but came with a tearing effect. That must be the effect of the racial skill, not just pure physical force..."
Glancing at the dummy, Su Yu saw the hairline fissure slowly knitting back together. Dummies of this sort could gradually heal when damaged, which was precisely why cultivation dojos used this material to build them.
"Inflicting a tearing effect on the dummy—Dad at the Qianjun Ninth Layer could do that, and far more severely. If he struck with a full-force punch, he could punch a small hole in it. My sustained assault only managed a crack..."
"The attack power is roughly around Qianjun Sixth or Seventh Layer, probably closer to the seventh layer. After all, a Qianjun Sixth Layer can barely leave a mark on this."
"In other words, it's tied to the level of the unlocked Ironwing Bird. The album displayed a Qianjun Seventh Layer Ironwing Bird..."
"The attack power of a Qianjun Seventh Layer, one drop of blood essence, lasting five minutes..."
Su Yu's eyes gleamed. So he possessed that kind of offensive power now.
Of course, attack power didn't equal overall strength.
A true Qianjun Seventh Layer possessed a sturdy physique, blinding speed, agile movement, seasoned experience... None of which he could match.
Against an inanimate object, he could rival a Qianjun Seventh Layer.
But if he encountered an actual Qianjun Seventh Layer who was prepared, they could kill Su Yu in an instant. After all, he lacked such a robust body; it was only his hands that were packed with power.
"Never mind a Qianjun Seventh Layer—even against a third or fourth layer, as long as they were prepared, kept their distance, and gave me no opening, I'd still be dead. I wouldn't stand a chance, unable to even catch up to them."
Su Yu shook his head slightly. Feeling as though he had limitless power earlier was pure illusion; in reality, this ability was somewhat awkward.
It could only serve as a trump card. If exposed, it wouldn't pose much threat even to a Qianjun Third Layer or weaker cultivators, who could simply flee first and return to finish him off once his power ebbed.
"Still... it's not without its benefits. Huge benefits, in fact!"
Su Yu suddenly smiled. One couldn't be too greedy; this was already formidable.
As someone in the Kaiyuan Realm—bluntly speaking, an ordinary mortal—suddenly gaining the burst attack power of a Qianjun Seventh Layer for five minutes, wasn't that enough?
"The aftermath is just a bit rough..."
By now, Su Yu felt the backlash: both of his hands were completely swollen!
They had gone numb with pain, which was why he hadn't felt much a moment ago.
"Tear... this technique is too crude. A racial skill of the Ironwing Bird isn't very suitable for humans either. Martial techniques developed by humanity itself are much stronger. Still, if I could learn the skills of some truly powerful races, the advantages would be enormous."
A bright gleam flared in Su Yu's eyes. The Ironwing Bird had already been thoroughly studied, so there wasn't much to research there. But what about other races?
If he could figure out the racial skills of other species...
"The Civilization Academy offers rewards for such research, don't they?"
"If one day I happen to reproduce something from the God or Demon races—cultivation arts, martial skills, or even duplicate their innate martial techniques—wouldn't that be a monumental contribution?"
Su Yu swallowed hard, then suddenly grinned. "I feel like... the Civilization Academy was practically made for me! I could probably go there and sell martial skills..."
Fanciful thoughts aside, Su Yu didn't take it too seriously.
A rookie like him going to the Civilization Academy and suddenly unveiling an innate skill of the Gods or Demons wouldn't be seen as a genius, but a monster.
Have you ever seen a God or Demon?
Have you ever fought one?
Have you ever studied their arts?
Yet you managed to research it? Who would believe that!
Su Yu amused himself for a while and chuckled again. He didn't waste the training room. Though he couldn't activate another skill, he could still put in some hard training on his own so as not to waste the rental.
Only cultivators at Kaiyuan Eighth Layer would practice martial skills, since practicing them before the eighth layer was largely useless. However, Su Yu did know a few techniques, so he began practicing them now.
Before, the eighth layer had felt distant, but now... was it truly that far off?
Preparing in advance would prevent him from knowing nothing when he did reach the eighth layer. Having the cultivation realm without the corresponding strength would make him nothing more than useless dead weight.
Chapter 10