The "Kill" Divine Character

"The library..." Su Yu could not get the library out of his mind. As for everything else, he didn't care in the slightest. Whether Liu Hong looked down on him or not, who gave a damn? The crux of the matter was that a willpower text of the Sky-Breaking Slash, supposedly penned by a Shanhai Realm expert, had been lost in the library. It was worth over a thousand merit points! "Liu Hong has definitely been searching for it all this time, but hasn't found it yet..." After his initial surge of excitement, Su Yu quickly calmed down. Having a general direction didn't guarantee he would find it. After all, Liu Hong and his people knew where it had been lost and still hadn't turned it up, hadn't they? "Could someone else have already picked it up?" "Did the person who lost it remember wrong?" "Or did they lie on purpose to deceive Liu Hong?" One possibility after another crossed Su Yu's mind. That day, he could hardly focus in class. He barely scraped through the day. Once afternoon classes ended, Su Yu took several twists and turns, acting as if he were merely strolling without aim, until he finally walked into the academy's library. ... The library was different from Cangshu Pavilion, which was stocked entirely with willpower texts. The library held ordinary books, scrapped willpower texts, and facilities similar to the research center's fragment chamber, though those all required fees. The Great Xia Civilization Academy's library was immense! A full six floors! The first three floors housed ordinary books, accessible simply with a student ID. The remaining floors all required payment to enter. Su Yu had never visited since enrolling; this was his first time here. The moment he arrived, he was dumbfounded. It was enormous! How was he supposed to search a place this big? The first floor had a few bookshelves, but was mostly filled with tables and chairs for students to read. The second and third floors were where the books were truly kept. "The second floor holds human race records, while the third floor holds all-races records, using different linguistic systems." "When the black market dealer got cornered, he bolted into the library and shoved the item into some random spot. It must have been something like that..." Su Yu made a rough deduction, and it seemed very likely. That day, when the Academy Guards swept through the black market, the dealer had panicked, rushed into the library with the willpower text, and stuffed it into a stack of volumes. Afterward, because there were too many books, he couldn't locate it again. "Written by a researcher from Jiutian Academy, it must be in the human language. If shoved onto the third floor, it would stand out immediately and be easily discovered. So it must have been hidden on the second floor..." Su Yu made a few quiet inquiries. According to what others told him, the second floor contained 3,300 bookshelves and nearly a million volumes! Each shelf held nearly three hundred books! The Great Xia Civilization Academy's library ranked among the top large libraries in the entire human race, housing countless classic collections. "Three thousand three hundred bookshelves... How am I supposed to find it?" Su Yu was astounded. No wonder Liu Hong and his people hadn't found it! In a panic, without leaving a mark, it was virtually impossible to track down! They couldn't search openly, and with thousands of shelves, who knew where it had been wedged? When Su Yu reached the second floor, his shock only grew! The place was terrifyingly vast! Row after row of bookshelves stretched out in dense, overwhelming lines. Quite a few people were scattered across the second floor at the moment. It was dead quiet. In an environment like this, if you didn't remember the exact placement of a book, you could easily lose your way. "Liu Hong's people might even be in here searching!" Su Yu kept his head down, scanning his surroundings from the corner of his eye. Right now, everyone he looked at seemed like one of Liu Hong's men hunting for that lost willpower text. "A willpower text is different from an ordinary book—it has willpower attached to it. If I could probe with willpower, it would be much simpler..." However, this was the library, with people coming and going. Anyone who dared unleash willpower would instantly draw every eye in the room! Probing others with willpower was an outright provocation. "Then how on earth do I find it?" Su Yu felt a bit overwhelmed. In a place this vast, with so many books, they couldn't possibly expect him to flip through them one by one, could they? ... Just as Su Yu was fretting, outside the library. Bai Feng yawned, sounding somewhat exasperated. "Are you kidding me? You hid a book in a place that huge for him to find? Where is he supposed to look? If he doesn't find it and someone else does, whose is it then?" Liu Hong did not care in the least. He smiled faintly. "Then it's someone else's opportunity! Opportunities belong to those fated to receive them! In any case, I've paid what I had to pay. He learned about it before anyone else, giving him the upper hand. If he still can't get it under these circumstances... then it's just bad luck." "Luck might sound unreliable, but sometimes it really matters. If someone has no luck, they'll be plagued by misfortune in everything they do. Even if their talent is great, I wouldn't bet on them!" Bai Feng cursed under his breath. "Where did you hide it? I'll go check!" Liu Hong replied blandly, "Bai Feng, if you walk in, you'll only draw unwanted attention. Let him look on his own. If he can't find it... then it has nothing to do with me!" Bai Feng shot him a look, at a loss for words. After a long pause, he said, "You're quite confident these days. Seems your progress in strength has boosted your confidence. Don't need my help anymore?" Liu Hong chuckled. "Why put it so harshly? Between you and me, who's really helping whom? We're just mutually assisting each other. I've given Su Yu his chance. If he can't seize it... what does that have to do with me?" "I always feel like you're harboring bad intentions!" Bai Feng muttered, "Even though you set up this scheme, if Su Yu really finds it, a Shanhai Realm willpower text means you've truly spent big this time..." That thing was extraordinarily valuable! Liu Hong, however, merely chuckled. "Of course. I'm willing to invest! Besides... that willpower text was reserved long ago, and a deposit was already paid. After the raid, the deposit wasn't refunded—that was agreed upon beforehand!" With that, Liu Hong smiled rather slyly. "If the person who reserved it finds out the item was taken by Su Yu, hahaha..." "Who reserved it?" Bai Feng didn't care all that much. The man was never a good sort to begin with, so having hidden tricks was only natural. "Zheng Yunhui!" "Never heard of him..." Bai Feng dismissed it offhand. How impressive could someone be if he didn't even recognize the name? Liu Hong said calmly, "Principal Zheng's grandson won't be afraid of your faction. If you people dare snatch his stuff... hehe... just wait!" "Whose grandson?" "Principal Zheng's grandson!" Bai Feng's cheek twitched, and he couldn't help swearing, "Fuck, your heart is black as pitch! The Zheng family is a bunch of brutes who don't give a damn about restraint. Couldn't you pick someone else?" "No other option..." Liu Hong sounded helpless as well. "The other families have their own Shanhai Realm Civilization Masters—why would they plead with outsiders? Only the old Zheng family lacks one, and the War God Art happens to be their core cultivation method. They need it more than anyone. In the entire Zheng family, even Principal Zheng himself wanted to buy it, but he couldn't bring himself to lower his head and ask out of sheer embarrassment." "So selling it to him not only fetched a high price, but he also wouldn't blab about it..." Liu Hong smiled. "I took a thousand merit points as a deposit from him..." "That much?" Bai Feng was surprised. "He didn't come after you for trouble?" "Nonsense. I made the terms clear in advance. Even if he wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn't fear him. Besides, black market deals aren't legitimate to begin with—why should I fear him? Would he dare advertise it everywhere?" Liu Hong said indifferently, "This is a Civilization Academy, not a War Academy! Of course, if he doesn't come after me, he'll definitely go after Su Yu. If Su Yu takes the item, it's something Zheng Yunhui bought with hard-earned wealth. Put yourself in his shoes—would you just let it go?" "Of course not!" Bai Feng answered without hesitation. "If I hadn't spent money, fine, but if someone dared snatch something I paid for..." Well, no need to say more. The old Zheng family were by no means soft targets; they had fiery tempers. If Zheng Yunhui couldn't do anything to Liu Hong, couldn't he handle Su Yu? And once Su Yu got his hands on that willpower text, would he give it up? Knowing his student, Bai Feng knew that was wishful thinking. Once it was in Su Yu's hands, he wouldn't let go of it even if killed. Given its immense value, since he found it himself, would he hand it back to someone else? Besides, black market items had no official warranty, no registration, and no record. Just because you claimed it was yours meant it was yours? At that thought, Bai Feng couldn't help cursing, "Dragging the Zheng family into this—you really aren't afraid of getting Su Yu killed..." "Why should I care about him?" Liu Hong beamed. "Not only that, but when the time comes, I'll report this to the superiors and have them compensate my losses. I'm orchestrating a clash between your faction and the old Zheng family. Since you're rivals anyway, stirring up a fight between you counts as my merit... Tsk, tsk, no matter what, they'll have to make up for my previous losses, won't they?" Bai Feng kept grumbling curses! Liu Hong consoled him, "What's there to be afraid of? What can War Academy people do to you? It looks like a big deal, but in reality, it amounts to nothing. It only feels like you've gained a major adversary, but there's no real impact. As long as Su Yu can deal with Zheng Yunhui, you won't lose a thing." Bai Feng snapped, "No impact? Can Su Yu match him? That Zheng kid must be at least Qianjun Realm Stage Six or Seven, right?" "Ahem... Qianjun Realm Stage Seven. Nothing to it, don't worry." "..." Liu Hong offered his completely insincere reassurance! In any case, it had nothing to do with him! Look at that—he had made a massive profit. He had taken a thousand merit points from Zheng Yunhui, and when reporting upward, he could claim he had plotted against both factions. The superiors would have to compensate his losses—reporting three thousand merit points wouldn't be a problem, right? Furthermore, regarding Bai Feng, he wouldn't have to pay a single cent, leaving Bai Feng with nothing to complain about. Was giving them a Shanhai Realm willpower text not enough? Otherwise, with that bastard Bai Feng's personality, wouldn't he come demanding benefits every single day? Killing three birds with one stone! Unfortunately, he couldn't explain it openly to Su Yu; otherwise, Su Yu would even have to thank him, making it four birds with one stone! "Right, I should let Zheng Yunhui know. He originally thought it was gone for good and that he had wasted a thousand merit points. Now, having a chance to recover it, at least he'll know where it is, and any previous grudge will vanish immediately..." Liu Hong mused inwardly with immense self-satisfaction: I really am brilliant! See? The old Zheng family wouldn't suspect a thing. Would they ever imagine he was deliberately funding the enemy? Tsk, tsk! Even the final hidden risk was eliminated! At that thought, the smile on Liu Hong's face grew exceptionally radiant! Meanwhile, Bai Feng pondered for a moment and also cracked a smile, deciding not to care anymore. Why fear a snot-nosed kid? The old Zheng family held no real sway within the Civilization Academy anyway. Who could Zheng Yunhui cause trouble for? Only Su Yu! Still, Su Yu had taken the boy's item. Either he couldn't beat the kid and gave up the willpower text voluntarily, or he took on the challenge. That was Su Yu's own choice. "Whatever!" Bai Feng weighed the matter in his mind. It was actually quite fine. Although the Zheng kid wasn't weak, Su Yu had his own hidden cards. Just unleashing the blood essence innate skill gave him a decent shot at fighting back. How could one improve without clashing against monstrous geniuses? Of course, more importantly... he was broke. Since he couldn't afford to buy such a thing himself, if Su Yu managed to secure it on his own, didn't that save an enormous sum? How wonderful! ... While the two plotted outside, Su Yu, the party concerned, was naturally completely in the dark. At that moment, Su Yu was treading cautiously, conducting a discreet search. He went bookshelf by bookshelf! Every time he saw a bystander, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were acting suspiciously, sharing the exact same goal as him. In reality, in the entire library, he was the only one searching. "During the black market sweep, the person fled in a rush. They definitely wouldn't have run too far. Maybe right after heading upstairs, they found a spot to stash it..." "So, there's a high probability it's on the shelves near the entrances!" "Then again, maybe not too close, or else they would have retrieved it long ago. Does that mean it's somewhere in the middle?" Su Yu reasoned through his thoughts, searching everywhere. Ten minutes, twenty minutes... Tirelessly, he flipped through book after book. Who knew what the thing even looked like? It could be carved on bone, inscribed on beast hide, or simply written on ordinary paper—he had no idea. However, as long as he made physical contact, he would certainly be able to recognize it. A willpower text carried a distinct kind of power. Behaving like a thief, Su Yu searched shelf after shelf, his heart pounding wildly for fear that someone would notice his odd behavior. "Fifteen hundred merit points... It's worth it. Even if I have to stay all night, I must find it!" The library never closed; people stayed here twenty-four hours a day to read. Thus, Su Yu had plenty of time to search slowly! One hour, two hours... Su Yu had combed through at least a hundred bookshelves and flipped through no fewer than thirty thousand books, yet had turned up nothing. He was beginning to despair. Did it really exist? Was it truly here? "There's the monthly exam tomorrow... If I haven't found it by daybreak, I'll have no choice but to head straight to the exam..." It wasn't until late into the night, when the library had largely cleared out, that Su Yu finally caught a clue! He had lost count of how many shelves he had searched, but on a shelf tucked away in a corner, he spotted something unusual! Inside a thick, heavy tome, he found an object resembling a silk scarf. It was extremely thin! Folded into a small square, it had been tucked deep inside the tome. The moment Su Yu opened the tome and saw something slipped between the pages, he guessed he had found it! Sure enough, once the small square cloth rested in his grasp, a single touch told him it wasn't made of cloth. He couldn't tell what material it was—perhaps some sort of beast hide, extraordinarily smooth to the touch. "Found it!" Su Yu didn't even need to look any further. The faint traces of willpower wafting from it immediately told him that this was indeed a willpower text! "I struck gold!" Su Yu was overjoyed. He hastily shoved it into his pocket, glancing around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, his heart began to thud violently—a chaotic mix of joy, tension, and a hint of fear... He couldn't care about anything else. Clutching the item, he kept his head down and walked straight out. Nor did he notice that the thick tome he had just examined bore the words: *Outline of the Foundations of Multiple Divine Character Development*. Aside from those in the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, almost no one would ever flip through such a book. It went to show that Liu Hong hadn't just stuffed it into any random corner. ... Su Yu remained on edge the entire way back, only letting out a sigh of relief once he returned to the research center. By now, it was already the early hours of the morning. Bai Feng had been waiting in the living area all along. When he saw Su Yu return, carrying the faint, abnormal trace of willpower on him, he knew the boy had obtained it. Seeing his disciple looking like a guilty thief who had just made off with a massive haul, Bai Feng chuckled inwardly. *This kid probably has no idea how much trouble lies ahead... Though even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care.* *Over a thousand merit points in exchange for offending a genius... He'd probably consider it a huge bargain!* Though these thoughts ran through his mind, Bai Feng didn't expose him. Seeing him return, he kept his words brief. "Go grab something to eat. The monthly exam is tomorrow, so get some rest early tonight. Don't stay up too late!" "Yes, Teacher, understood!" Su Yu nodded hurriedly, his excitement still far from settled. Seeing that Bai Feng seemed about to leave, he hesitated before speaking up: "Teacher, about that Sky-Breaking Slash martial technique..." Bai Feng cut him off directly. "Go exchange for it yourself, or win it from someone in Liu Hong's faction. They're rich anyway—take down as many as you can. Don't you have a wager with that Lin Yao? Add the Sky-Breaking Slash martial technique to the stakes. Just remember, obtain it through proper channels, not shady ones. If you have no official record of learning this technique and suddenly display it, the academy will conduct a strict investigation..." Su Yu blinked, nodding rapidly. "Understood!" Yet inwardly, he felt suspicious. How did his teacher seem so prescient, almost as if he already knew Su Yu had gotten his hands on the cultivation manual ahead of time? Bai Feng seemed to realize he had let something slip, adding, "The black market sells these martial techniques, and they aren't expensive, but don't try to cut corners. For cultivation arts and secret manuals, it's best to exchange through the academy. Even if not through the academy, find legitimate avenues. Did you hear me?" "Yes!" "Don't be petty about small expenses!" "Understood!" Su Yu nodded, then asked, "Teacher, you know this martial technique too. Could you teach it to me?" "Naturally..." Bai Feng smiled. "However, it requires filing a report and paying an extra two hundred merit points. I don't have any merit points on hand right now..." Su Yu gritted his teeth. Rather than letting outsiders profit, he might as well let his teacher benefit! If he couldn't get it from Lin Yao and the others, he would ask his teacher for the technique! At worst... he would just pay his teacher two hundred merit points! Su Yu intended to mention the willpower text. Just as he opened his mouth, Bai Feng said, "I'm going to get back to work..." "Teacher, today I..." "Save it for later." Bai Feng walked away briskly! *I don't want to know!* *If I know, when the Zheng family kid comes looking for trouble, won't you drag me in to take the fall? I'm not taking the fall for you. What you found yourself, you keep for yourself and face the music yourself!* "..." Su Yu was speechless! Why did he feel like his teacher had the gift of foresight? It was as if the man already knew what he was going to say! "Strange..." "Bizarre!" Su Yu scratched his head, feeling that Bai Feng had been acting rather off tonight. ... With Bai Feng gone, Su Yu didn't dwell on it further. He could hardly contain his anticipation! The moment Bai Feng left, he hastily pulled out the folded cloth and unfolded it. The text inscribed upon it was dense, written in the human script. Without activating his willpower, Su Yu gave it a quick read to gain a general understanding of the Sky-Breaking Slash martial technique. Sure enough, it was indeed the complementary technique to the War God Art! "It only records the Qianjun and Wanshi realms?" Su Yu frowned. Wasn't that too little? He had thought it would include techniques for the Tengkong Realm or even beyond! "Still, this is plenty!" "It's actually an Earth rank martial technique. Well, paired with the advanced War God Art, being an Earth rank martial technique makes sense..." This had been reserved by a monstrous genius, though Su Yu had no idea who. Since the client was a genius, they were bound to cultivate the advanced War God Art, and the accompanying martial technique naturally differed from the ordinary version. "There are six moves in total, corresponding to the early, middle, and late stages of the Qianjun and Wanshi realms, utilizing ninety-six apertures..." Su Yu marveled! His Thunder Yuan Saber utilized forty apertures at most. Yet the final move of the Sky-Breaking Slash utilized ninety-six apertures! Sixteen apertures per move! The very first move required the power of sixteen apertures, making it stronger than even the second strike of the Thunder Yuan Saber. And those sixteen apertures did not include the Kaiyuan apertures. "I currently have thirty-six opened apertures, so I can use the first move..." Su Yu checked and compared the required apertures. All sixteen apertures needed for the first move were already open. However, though he had thirty-six opened apertures, he couldn't use the second move yet, as several required apertures remained unopened. That likely corresponded to the mid-stage Qianjun Realm! "In that case, I can master the first move very quickly..." The Sky-Breaking Slash was neither a saber method nor a sword art; it was a pure method of power eruption. Because even if warriors all cultivated the War God Art, the weapons they wielded weren't necessarily the same. This technique primarily dictated the method of power eruption, rather than specific weapon forms. "Sixteen apertures, different linking methods, different eruption patterns, different activation sequences..." Su Yu was utterly mesmerized. Without realizing it, his willpower sank entirely into the text. The next moment, a burly, middle-aged man materialized before him, demonstrating the cultivation of the Sky-Breaking Slash. "The Sky-Breaking Slash is a method of fierce rigidity..." "First move: Wall Break. Breaking the wall of obstruction, breaking the wall of the human body, utilizing sixteen apertures..." The burly man explained each step. With every sentence and every aperture utilized, the corresponding apertures lit up within his body—how to open them, how to circulate power, how to link yuanqi... Everything was laid out with absolute, vivid clarity! Su Yu watched, entranced! Vaguely, a character on the silk began to twist. "Kill!" Su Yu didn't notice it at that moment. His entire focus was fixed on the burly man, peering into the martial technique's secrets. Yet the very next instant, Su Yu was jolted awake! Inside his sea of will, two divine characters were trembling! In the blink of an eye, both divine characters surfaced on their own. The "Blood" divine character and the "Thunder" divine character suddenly joined forces, launching an assault. In a daze, Su Yu saw a character manifest within his sea of will. "Kill!" "A divine character..." Su Yu froze. He hadn't tried to capture it, nor had he intended to outline it, yet a divine character had outlined itself directly! What was going on? There was no time to ponder! Since it had appeared, why not beat it into submission! The next moment, casting the martial technique aside, Su Yu manifested his figure within his sea of will. Little Brother "Blood" transformed into a long saber, while Little Brother "Thunder" attached directly to the blade, crackling with lightning! *Boom!* Su Yu slashed out. This newly born divine character proved extraordinarily powerful. It radiated overwhelming killing intent! As Su Yu's blade struck, an abrupt sense of dread seized him. Countless waves of killing intent erupted, hurtling toward him like ten thousand swords piercing the heart! "Kill!" A grand voice echoed through his mind, shaking the heavens with a roar of slaughter! "Kill!" "Kill!" Sharp, fierce, drenched in slaughter, unstoppable... The newly born divine character was astonishingly formidable. In an instant, it shattered Su Yu's long saber and charged straight at him. This was, after all, a willpower text penned by a Shanhai Realm expert. The divine character it birthed was far more powerful than any divine character written by Bai Feng or Liu Wenyan. Had it not been prepared specifically for the Qianjun and Wanshi realms with restrained willpower, Su Yu wouldn't have even been able to look at it, let alone outline a divine character from it. Even so, this divine character was unimaginably strong. With a thunderous crash, the long saber shattered. The "Blood" divine character re-emerged, somewhat dim. The "Thunder" divine character vibrated continuously. Even with both divine characters joining forces alongside Su Yu, they were still no match for this newborn divine character. "Damn it, you dare act this arrogant inside my own sea of will?!" Su Yu lost his temper. It was asking for death! Killing intent? What did killing intent amount to! He had died far too many times—did it really think he feared it? The next instant, Su Yu charged forward, unleashing the Thunder Yuan Saber using his palms as blades to battle the "Kill" divine character. After an unknown length of time, Su Yu's figure burst with a squelch. He died! Yet this was his sea of will. In the blink of an eye, a pale-faced Su Yu materialized once again! "Arrogant bastard, let's see how many times you can kill me! I'll wear you down to death!" What was dying? He was used to it! Wasn't it just a bit of a headache? How many times could it possibly kill him! Today, he was going to beat it into submission no matter what! ... Once, twice, three times... He lost count of how many times he died. He lost track of how much time passed. With a thunderous boom, the "Kill" divine character shattered, scattering into fragments within the sea of will. Its core remained, but it was battered and broken. Even so, its fighting spirit burned fierce! Unfortunately, it could no longer assemble into a complete character. After trembling for a moment, the fractured "Kill" character ceased its struggle and settled into stillness within the sea of will. Su Yu opened his eyes, panting heavily! He had beaten the fellow into submission! However, the willpower consumption had been staggering, comparable to entering the fragment chamber five or six times! Glancing toward the window... dawn had broken! Su Yu was startled! It was daylight, and the monthly exam was about to begin. He was done for—how was he supposed to take the exam in this state? His willpower was utterly drained!