One-Hit Kill!

When the monthly exam ended, Su Yu was in no rush to head back. He made a trip to the Merit Office to collect this month's stipends. At the Merit Office. The young woman behind the window felt curious and could not help taking a few extra glances at Su Yu. "Intermediate class monitor stipend: three merit points. Top-high subsidy: three merit points. Monthly exam first place hasn't come out yet... Huh, it's already entered into the system? So fast?" The young woman dispensing the merit points found it somewhat bizarre. That truly was fast. The exam had barely ended, yet it had already been recorded. Under normal circumstances, entering and distributing subsidies so quickly could only mean that the genius standing before her was... rather poor! So poor that he had to be resupplied immediately! "That's sixteen merit points in total. Student Su Yu, does that look right to you?" "Sixteen points, yes." Su Yu nodded. There was nothing wrong with the number, though he felt it was just a tiny bit on the lower side. Still, not bad! Right now, his merit points had reached 146. A hundred of those had come from selling intelligence. Tomorrow, he would have quite a few more merit points coming in! All told, in just one month at the academy, he was probably earning more than a Tengkong Realm expert. Su Yu had nothing particular he needed to exchange for, but after a moment of thought, he still asked, "Do you have Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence?" "Qianjun Realm?" The clerk shook her head. "We really don't have that. Demand far exceeds supply!" "No, early-stage Wanshi Realm works too." The moment he said this, the clerk was taken aback. Wanshi Realm? For Qianjun Realm foundation building, Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence was exceptionally suitable. But in the Wanshi Realm, no one truly had a use for it; using it was inferior to using ordinary Wanshi Realm blood essence. Of course, she did not say much, quickly answering, "We have that, but not many drops. It is a Top 100 Race after all, so Wanshi Realm specimens aren't commonly seen. Naturally, almost no one redeems them unless it's needed for research. However, the price isn't cheap—an early-stage Wanshi drop costs fifteen merit points." Su Yu cursed inwardly. Such a ripoff! Barely anyone used Wanshi Realm Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. Yet even this cost fifteen merit points a drop! Here at the academy, you could take it or leave it. Resources were in short supply, so they would never urge anyone to exchange for anything unless it was completely useless junk. "Do you want to exchange for it?" Su Yu pondered for a moment and decided he would ask Xia Huyou when he had time to see if he had any stock. His prices were considerably cheaper. *** Half an hour later, Su Yu returned to the research center. Bai Feng was already waiting for him! Seeing Su Yu return, he looked him up and down for a good while before saying, "You entered Yangxing?" "Yeah, entered Yangxing at noon. Just took a nap and broke through..." Su Yu scratched his head, feeling somewhat perplexed. "I found it weird too. Just like that, all of a sudden, I entered Yangxing. Teacher, earlier you said entering Yangxing had a bit of a threshold..." Bai Feng said indifferently, "It might be related to the Origin Qi Secret Realm. You absorbed so much origin qi that your sea of will was nourished quite well." He bypassed the topic entirely! He did not want to hear it! Entering Yangxing... Ha, who cared! "Now that you've entered Yangxing, your tasks next month will be heavy!" "Tomorrow, finish things quickly, settle your own trouble, and come outside with me..." "Alright!" Su Yu nodded, then hurriedly added, "Teacher, can I use my cultural weapon now?" "You can. When you aren't using it, just toss it into the blood essence pool. Don't rush to forge anything in the early stages either. Your divine characters aren't finalized yet, and the path you're taking hasn't settled. Reshape the cultural weapon after some time has passed." Su Yu asked immediately, "How do I refine it?" "Fuse a divine character into it, draw it into your sea of will, and imprint your willpower aura onto it. Very simple!" Having said that, Bai Feng did not dwell on the matter and added, "I heard a few abnormal fellows emerged in the advanced class. Are you aware?" "Abnormal?" Su Yu blinked and nodded. "Quite abnormal indeed. That Jia Mingzhen, Xia Chan, Wan Mingze, and Hu Qiusheng are all pretty abnormal. Teacher, they actually advanced further than me..." Bai Feng was somewhat speechless and felt mentally exhausted. Advancing further than you makes them abnormal? Too lazy to bicker with the kid over this, Bai Feng said solemnly, "Keep your guard up. Especially that Jia Mingzhen, as well as a few others who have no origin or background. Who knows where they popped up from! Suddenly taken in as disciples by several elders. Nobody knows what's really going on." "Jia Mingzhen... Fake name?" "A real name or a fake one?" Bai Feng frowned again. "The moment I heard that name, I felt something was off. Be careful. It involves elders, so it's not easy to probe too deeply. In any case, it's definitely abnormal!" Su Yu immediately asked, "Vice Principal Zhou's people?" "Probably not. It might be related to Principal Wan," Bai Feng explained. "The elders who accepted them are basically Principal Wan's direct confidants. I don't know what Wan Tiansheng is up to, but just keep an eye out." With that, a small jade sphere appeared in his hand. "Take this. A gift from your martial uncle. Sense it with your willpower, then draw it into your sea of will!" "What is this?" Martial Uncle... Su Yu had not even met that martial uncle yet, but he had already received a gift. "An Annihilation Beast skull." Bai Feng said calmly, "It's considered a good item, worth only a few thousand merit points. After bringing it into your sea of will, if you feel your divine characters are a burden on your sea of will, you can house them inside it for nourishment. You can do that normally too; it helps nourish divine characters and stabilizes the sea of will a bit." Su Yu could no longer hear anything else! A few thousand merit points! A few thousand merit points! Gulping, Su Yu mumbled, "Martial Uncle is so nice. Teacher, how about we find some time to visit him? Since I've entered Yangxing, he might give us a congratulatory gift..." Bai Feng was exhausted! His eyes were glued completely to money! Your martial uncle is poorer than me right now. Well, not quite—he still has a sum of merit points on hand meant to cover deficits. Except those merit points could not be touched casually. "Cut the nonsense!" Bai Feng snapped, tossing the skull to him, and said sternly, "Don't let anyone know about this. Plenty of people want this thing. It's far more valuable than that Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. Keep it safe!" "Understood!" Su Yu nodded vigorously. He had struck gold. He realized that joining the Multiple Divine Characters Faction brought immense benefits. Furthermore, he realized he might currently be a super-tycoon. "A Sky-Breaker Kill willpower text, an Annihilation Beast skull, a top Yellow rank cultural weapon, a Thunder Origin Saber willpower text, 146 merit points..." If he factored in all that Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence he had consumed earlier! Before calculating, Su Yu had not realized, but once he did—holy crap, his earnings this month probably exceeded 5,000 merit points! Terrifying! Five thousand merit points, at 50,000 coins each on the black market, was 250 million coins? Su Yu's jaw dropped! In reality, it might be even more than 5,000 points. There was also the top Earth rank War God Art cultivation technique, plus the 1,300 merit points about to land in his hands... The more Su Yu thought about it, the dumber he felt. Truly, the Great Xia Prefecture was filled with rich people. Bai Feng did not care what he was thinking. Right now, he had a headache of his own. This kid broke through way too fast! "I originally thought I could take it easy for a few days. Looks like I won't get any rest..." Bai Feng looked at Su Yu, who was still grinning foolishly, and chuckled in spite of himself. This fellow... Just as he was thinking, Su Yu suddenly said, "Oh, right, Teacher, last night I outlined a divine character..." "..." Bai Feng froze for a moment. "A divine character?" "Yeah!" Su Yu said, "Last night I took a look at the willpower text..." The moment he said that, Bai Feng knew what he had been reading! Without giving him a chance to continue, Bai Feng asked gravely, "What divine character?" "The character 'Kill.'" "'Kill'!" Bai Feng's brow furrowed again. He stared at Su Yu and said in a heavy voice, "Last time, I gave you a fragment—the Arm Slash fragment. Do you remember?" "Yeah, I finished reading it, and then it turned to dust." "Let me ask you: when you read Arm Slash, did you outline a divine character?" "No..." "When you read Kaiyuan Art, Thunder Origin Saber, and... you outlined divine characters for all of them?" Bai Feng's eyebrows drew tighter and tighter. "They were all human characters, right?" "Yes." Bai Feng's brow practically knit into a single line! "Divine characters... Human divine characters..." "Looking at human ones, you succeed on the first try!" "Looking at myriad races' texts, you read them many times without outlining a single one..." Bai Feng's pupils constricted slightly. "Could you... have a natural rejection toward the divine characters of the myriad races?" "..." Su Yu blinked. He had no idea. "Could it be that you possess an innate comprehension of human divine characters, yet cannot comprehend the divine characters of the myriad races..." Bai Feng grew nervous this time. "If that's the case... then it's troublesome!" "Troublesome?" "Brat, you have to understand that the human race's divine characters are not actually powerful. Or rather, compared to the divine characters of certain myriad races, human divine characters... are somewhat basic, somewhat lacking in sheer might!" Bai Feng furrowed his brows. "Not necessarily so. Perhaps you have an innate comprehension of human characters, but for the myriad races, you're like everyone else and simply require multiple viewings. If that's the case... then it also explains why you outline divine characters so quickly." "Divine characters of the myriad races..." Bai Feng had a headache! If Su Yu's comprehension of myriad-race divine characters was weak, what then? Most divine characters possessed by Civilization Masters belonged to the myriad races. Many of the cultivation techniques, martial skills, and cultivation paths created were tied to myriad-race divine characters. Su Yu felt a bit uneasy. "Teacher, are human divine characters not strong?" "Not strong enough, not that they aren't strong!" Bai Feng said solemnly, "At the very least, compared to the divine characters of the God Race and Demon Race, human divine characters are significantly weaker! Put it this way: of the eternal divine characters handed down to this day, not a single one is a human character. They all belong to other mighty races! "Don't panic, I'll examine you further later..." Bai Feng consoled him. "No need to worry..." "I'm not worried!" Su Yu did not care all that much. After all, he felt his own human divine characters were plenty powerful. Bai Feng rolled his eyes! Nonsense, you aren't worried, but I am! What the Multiple Divine Characters Faction researched the most were the divine characters of the myriad races, not human ones. Once Su Yu proved to have poor comprehension of myriad-race divine characters, it would be a huge problem. He might not even manage to smoothly enter the Tengkong Realm. "We'll see, we'll see!" Bai Feng felt a pounding headache and quickly asked, "The new character you outlined, did you outline it completely as well?" "No, it's missing a bit. It was very strong, so subduing it was somewhat troublesome..." "Subduing..." Bai Feng did not know what to say anymore. Aren't you supposed to slowly outline it? In your mouth, it somehow turned into 'subduing'! "Then keep outlining and nourishing it..." Bai Feng said, nursing his headache, "For now, don't outline any more human divine characters. Even if you truly get the chance, pass on it. You've outlined too many divine characters already; that isn't necessarily a good thing, especially human characters..." Su Yu felt rather displeased. Not toward Bai Feng, but simply because Bai Feng kept claiming human divine characters were not strong, which irked him. Seeing his reaction, Bai Feng knew what he was thinking and said in a low voice, "Back then, when my teacher told me the same thing, I was displeased too! But this is fact, and we cannot change it. The fact that not a single eternal divine character is a human character is proof! "Furthermore..." Bai Feng paused, then continued, "Under normal circumstances, a Civilization Master focuses on one primary divine character. Do not make a human character your primary one. Otherwise, you will never have any hope of reaching beyond the Shanhai Realm!" Bai Feng said heavily, "Because human divine characters cannot become eternal divine characters, and eternal divine characters only exist beyond the Shanhai Realm. The two are bound together. If you choose a human divine character as your primary, then in this life... you will peak at the Shanhai Realm! Granted, the Shanhai Realm is already very formidable, and nowadays most people don't pursue anything beyond it. But those are ordinary people. We are different. Su Yu, our goal is beyond Shanhai!" "Teacher..." "Listen to me!" Bai Feng said gravely, "There's no rush right now. You only designate a primary divine character upon reaching the Tengkong Realm, so you still have time. But... you must be prepared for this. The few human divine characters you've outlined can only serve as secondary characters, not your primary!" Su Yu opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately held his tongue. He was merely a newcomer on the path of cultivation. Compared to a Tengkong Realm powerhouse like Bai Feng, his understanding was naturally inferior. In his heart, he felt somewhat indignant. Yet no matter how indignant he felt, Su Yu knew that everything Bai Feng said was for his own good. "I understand," Su Yu answered sullenly. Bai Feng said no more. His earlier joy, excitement, and helplessness had all turned to gloom. Was Su Yu... truly weak at comprehending the divine characters of the myriad races? Could he still become an invincible powerhouse among his peers? Could he carry on the glorious mantle of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? He did not know! At this moment, Bai Feng felt somewhat dejected and disheartened. If Su Yu could only comprehend myriad-race divine characters at an ordinary pace, he might struggle even to reach the Tengkong Realm, let alone inherit the legacy of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. *** Subterranean level three. Bai Feng suddenly lost all desire to conduct research. He felt weary and unwilling to accept this. After a long time, he gritted his teeth. "Even if he can only comprehend human divine characters, he can still become a powerhouse. Even if he can't go beyond Shanhai, reaching Shanhai—or the peak of Shanhai—is already enough! "How many people in this world can step beyond the Shanhai Realm? "I shouldn't place excessively high expectations on him... Shanhai... as long as he can enter Shanhai, the legacy can continue!" Bai Feng took a breath and muttered, "Why demand from others what I cannot even achieve myself! Even Teacher is stuck at Shanhai, so what right do I have to speak of beyond Shanhai? I was asking for too much. "Even if he truly can only comprehend human divine characters... he can still be strong. As long as he outlines enough divine characters to form a complete divine character battle technique, he can still stand tall and laugh among his peers!" Though he told himself this, that faint sense of loss still stung his heart. He did not know whether it was truly the case. Tomorrow, perhaps he would find out. Tomorrow he would take Su Yu to the Cangshu Pavilion. He had originally been full of anticipation, yet now, he felt an indescribable sorrow. *** That night, Su Yu spent his time repairing the "Kill" divine character. He too felt somewhat disappointed and indignant! Were human divine characters really weak? Why did he feel they were strong? His little bro "Blood" and little bro "Thunder" were both formidable. The "Kill" divine character had even displayed the might to take on both of them at once and crush them. "Human divine characters... are they truly not strong?" "Eternal divine characters..." "Only by outlining other races' divine characters is there hope of becoming an eternal divine character..." "Beyond the Shanhai Realm?" *** That night, Su Yu did not sleep. That night, Bai Feng did not sleep either, returning to research his project in an attempt to forget his distress. Morning arrived. With a flick of Su Yu's willpower, a small saber shot out from the blood essence pool and slowly vanished before him. In his sea of will, there was now an additional small black saber. Carrying five drops of origin qi liquid and eight drops of Wanshi Realm Ironwing Bird blood essence, Su Yu headed out the door. Three divine characters circled around the small black saber. The small black saber and the divine characters then all entered the Annihilation Beast skull, which covered them like a protective canopy. In his sea of will, a golden album floated in the distance, and nothing dared approach it. *** The academy's arena was located near the Heart Cultivation Pavilion. Early in the morning, the arena area was already packed to the brim. "This year's freshmen are quite feisty. They've only been at the academy for a month, and someone's already issuing challenges." "Two little kids. I heard both have only just entered Yangxing." "Really? Doesn't sound like much to watch then." "You can't look at it that way. Everyone's tired of watching the older students, even the Top 100 Rankings challenges have gotten stale. Watching the newcomers is a nice change of pace." "..." Right now, people were everywhere around the arena. While the crowd engaged in heated discussions, someone was weaving through them. Whenever he caught someone's eye, he whispered, "Fellow student, want to place a bet? Su Yu wins, 1.3 to 1! Lin Yao wins, 1.2 to 1." "The odds changed?" someone who had inquired earlier asked curiously. "Wasn't Su Yu 1.5 to 1 before?" "He entered the Yangxing Realm, so of course the odds had to be adjusted!" Xia Huyou hurriedly said, "Fellow student, are you betting or not? I'm Xia Huyou, from the Xia family. My credit is guaranteed! See over there? That's Xia Chan, the monstrous genius of this year's class—that's my little sister..." "Your sister? I know Xia Chan, isn't she Marquis Xia's granddaughter?" "Yes, she's not my biological sister, but she's closer than one..." Xia Huyou chuckled. "Bet with me and I won't run off, seriously. My credit is guaranteed. Just now, several researchers placed bets with me!" "Researchers?" "For real?" Someone nearby lowered his voice. "Aren't you afraid someone will shut down your book? What will you do then?" Xia Huyou said with a beaming smile, "Don't worry, I've already cleared the way! Unless an elder speaks up, even an intermediate researcher stepping in won't be able to do anything to me! The Xia family still has that much clout. In fact, an intermediate researcher has already placed a bet!" "Really?" "Of course!" Xia Huyou said quickly, "If you don't believe me, go ask their students..." He rattled off a few names, and the listeners immediately became convinced. This chubby guy had real skill! As for an elder stepping in... forget it. It was just a small-time betting pool; why would an elder bother with such trifles? People ran betting pools for the Top 100 Rankings challenges all the time, and no elder had ever stepped in to shut those down. While Xia Huyou was busy making his pitch, his eyes suddenly lit up. He said hastily, "I've got something to take care of, be right back. Wait for me!" In the next moment, he squeezed his way out of the crowd! *** A moment later, Xia Huyou squeezed through to Su Yu's side, panting. "Su Yu, you're finally here! How's it looking? Are you confident? Don't screw your brother over! If you lose, I'm finished..." Su Yu was already in a foul mood and shot him a scowl. "Are you using my challenge to pull some scheme?" "No..." "Lie to me, and don't even think about doing business with me again!" Xia Huyou shrank back and coughed dryly. "I just opened a small betting pool, taking bets on who wins or loses..." Su Yu glared at him! After a long moment, he said, "Profits are split sixty-forty. Sixty for me, forty for you!" "..." Xia Huyou cursed him viciously in his heart. You bastard, you really dare ask for that! You didn't put up a single coin, yet you open your mouth and demand a sixty-forty split? Have you lost your mind! Su Yu could not be bothered with him and said coldly, "If you don't split it, I'll just forfeit..." "Don't mess around! If you forfeit, where will you get the Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence to pay up?" Xia Huyou gave a strained smile. "Su Yu, don't fool around, or I'll go bankrupt." Su Yu rolled his eyes at him, then asked with some hesitation, "My performance yesterday wasn't bad, was it? Are there still fewer people betting on me to win than on Lin Yao?" Logically, that shouldn't be the case! Yesterday, he placed first in the intermediate class monthly exam and entered the Yangxing Realm. There was no reason for such a large discrepancy. Xia Huyou bared his teeth. "What do the others know? First in the intermediate class—they only know you just stepped into Yangxing. Who would go out of their way to look into the details? Even if they did and learned you only just reached Yangxing, they wouldn't care much. "Lin Yao is different. He's been in Yangxing for a while, and he's on the verge of breaking into the Qianjun Realm. Besides, he has a cultural weapon..." At this point, Xia Huyou looked worried. "Do you have one? If you don't have a cultural weapon, you'll be at a huge disadvantage." He noticed the weapon Su Yu was holding—a standard-issue saber, mid Yellow rank. That wouldn't do! "You don't have a cultural weapon, while Lin Yao is rolling in money. He has a cultural weapon, martial skills, and cultivation techniques. In fact... Su Yu, be careful, he might have bought a divine talisman!" "Hmm?" Su Yu started. "A divine talisman?" "Yeah, what else did you think! That kid refused to fight yesterday and insisted on stalling until today. He probably went to buy a divine talisman suited for himself, which means you're in trouble!" "Are divine talismans... that strong?" Su Yu recalled that day when the various academies gave demonstrations, and the old man showed off a divine talisman—ten thousand swords shooting forth at once. It truly was powerful! Su Yu frowned. "If divine talismans are that strong, why even bother competing? Just get a powerful talisman, don't bother fighting, and forfeit instead!" "That's not necessarily true; it all depends on who uses it," Xia Huyou explained. "Divine talismans have grades too. At the Yangxing stage, you can only use Qianjun and Wanshi Realm talismans. As for Wanshi Realm talismans, he probably can't use them. Those things drain willpower heavily; after using one, Lin Yao wouldn't be able to fight anymore." He added, "Besides, divine talismans are extremely expensive. A lethal talisman of early Qianjun Realm power costs over ten merit points! Mid Qianjun doubles that, and by late Qianjun, it's around fifty merit points a pop!" Xia Huyou laughed. "Even if that guy has money, he wouldn't splurge like that..." "Jinx!" Su Yu cursed and said heavily, "Lin Yao might be scared. He really might buy a lethal, high-power talisman. How much is a Wanshi Realm one?" "Over a hundred per talisman, and that's just for early stage!" Xia Huyou hurriedly said, "If it really is a lethal Wanshi Realm talisman, you should just surrender, otherwise something bad might happen." Su Yu ignored him. A Wanshi Realm talisman, bursting with Wanshi Realm lethality... It wasn't like he couldn't do that himself! Come to think of it, devouring blood essence for an explosive boost was quite similar to using a talisman. Of course, his method was much cheaper. Three merit points bought a drop of blood essence. Divine talismans were so expensive; who would buy them! "Are there no restrictions on divine talismans in the arena?" "None..." Xia Huyou explained. "After all, some people specialize in the Divine Talisman Faction. You can't ban them from using their own art, right? Don't worry, it's tied to willpower. If willpower isn't strong enough, he can't use it. Even if he can, it takes time to unleash, and you can easily dodge it. Sometimes, using something too powerful is just a hindrance... "Otherwise, the Top 100 Rankings would be dominated by Divine Talisman Faction students. But right now, there are only four or five of them on the board!" Su Yu was relieved. That made sense. If divine talismans were truly that convenient and powerful, how could anyone else survive on the Top 100 Rankings? Just pulling out a random Tengkong Realm talisman would easily land someone in the top ten. Su Yu scanned the surroundings. He did not see Lin Yao, but he did spot Chen Qi not far away. Feeling curious, he whispered, "Did you tell Lin Yao's side?" "About Chen Qi?" "Yes." "I did!" Xia Huyou whispered back, "I told him. That guy isn't completely stupid; he'll definitely be on guard and won't fall for it." Just as he said this, a crowd suddenly surged forward from the distance! Lin Yao was right among them! From far away, Lin Yao roared, "Su Yu, you despicable villain! You actually sent someone to ambush me last night!" At this moment, Lin Yao looked somewhat disheveled and battered! There were even specks of blood on him! "Shameless scoundrel! Last night, you actually had someone slip Cultivation-Disrupting Powder into my tea! You stooped to anything just to beat me!" "..." Boom! The scene instantly erupted into chaos. Someone immediately shouted back, "Impossible! Lin Yao, if you're scared of losing, just say so! Don't slander our class monitor!" Lin Yao snorted coldly. "Scared of losing? Me, scared of Su Yu? I already broke through to Qianjun yesterday! Su Yu, that shameless scoundrel, colluded with Xia Huyou to drug me with Cultivation-Disrupting Powder, wanting to rig the betting pool and beat me! Shameless dog!" "..." Su Yu frowned, and Xia Huyou's expression shifted slightly as well. Fuck! This guy... really wasn't stupid! He was turning around and biting them instead! Lin Yao roared furiously, "I, Lin Yao, would never deceive anyone! If you don't believe me, go investigate! I'll report this to the Academy Guards and have them look into it. Last night, I, Lin Yao, was schemed against! Someone genuinely framed me with Cultivation-Disrupting Powder, almost causing my sea of will to destabilize!" In the distance, Chen Qi's heart trembled. A moment later, he calmed down completely. It wasn't me—it was Su Yu! Right, it was Su Yu. Besides, Cultivation-Disrupting Powder wasn't considered a poison. Even if consumed, it merely caused the sea of will to fluctuate for a day or two. Even if an investigation traced it back, it wouldn't be deemed a major crime. Meanwhile, Su Yu and Xia Huyou understood everything in an instant! This bastard knew it was Chen Qi's doing, yet instead of exposing him, he threw the blame onto their heads. Even if an investigation took place, Lin Yao truly was a victim! How could he know who had drugged him? Suspecting Su Yu was completely natural and expected, since the two of them had a duel scheduled for today. Xia Huyou gritted his teeth. He had actually been outplayed by Lin Yao. Fuck, he had underestimated the people of the world! Su Yu looked at Lin Yao, and after a long pause, he said slowly, "Lin Yao, are you saying... the match is off? That because I was afraid of losing, I poisoned you?" "Exactly!" Lin Yao said coldly, "You shameless villain, acting so innocent on the surface, but secretly doing despicable things! Fortunately, although I drank a little, I reacted quickly and didn't consume much. In fact, even right now, I'm confident I can beat you, but I refuse to cross hands with a scoundrel like you. You don't deserve it!" Lin Yao's aura surged! He had truly broken into the Qianjun Realm! Not only that, his willpower was quite strong as well, though everyone could sense that his willpower was fluctuating slightly, not entirely stable. This was the exact effect of ingesting Cultivation-Disrupting Powder! At this moment, many people looked toward Su Yu. Even some students from the intermediate class looked at him with slight doubt. They found it hard to believe, but... would Lin Yao really invent such a massive lie and harm himself just to avoid a duel? "You think I was afraid of losing, so I framed you..." Su Yu chuckled. "So, this is what the so-called top-high geniuses of the Civilization Academy are like? I've truly broadened my horizons! Coming from a small place, I really have seen too little. Today is the first time I've learned that... a person can be shameless to such an extent!" Lin Yao sneered. "No matter how much you act, you can't conceal the fact that you tried to harm me!" Su Yu let out a soft breath and smiled. "Then if I can prove I didn't frame you, does our wager... still stand?" "Prove it? How can you prove it?" "I'm only asking one thing: does it still stand?" "It stands!" Lin Yao sneered. "Go ahead and prove it to me!" Su Yu smiled and said slowly, "Proving this couldn't be simpler, could it? In my eyes... you're nothing more than a barking dog. Aside from having a loud bark, you have nothing. To deal with you, would I need to set a trap? Would I need to frame you? Before today, I didn't even know what Cultivation-Disrupting Powder was..." Su Yu chuckled. "Whatever. I don't care about sore losers! Proof... Haha, you don't deserve it, but I will show you anyway!" In the next instant, Su Yu turned his gaze to Chen Qi over on the side and said indifferently, "Chen Qi, that Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence originally belonged to you. Right now, by virtue of my placement among the top three of the intermediate class monthly exam, I challenge you! If you defeat me, all one hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence belong to you. If you lose, give me one thousand merit points!" Chen Qi was stunned! "If I beat you... it belongs to me? Without any other price?" He was dazed. The last time he made an agreement with Su Yu, he had to offer something up! Su Yu said calmly, "No other price. A loss is a loss! Some trash can't afford to lose, but I, Su Yu, can! Chen Qi, let me ask you: are you stronger or weaker than this shameless dog?" Chen Qi frowned, and after a moment, he laughed. "Su Yu, you're quite interesting. You want to beat me to prove you're stronger than him? Does that even need proving? Even if Lin Yao were in peak condition, I could defeat him in three moves! Ask anyone present—who would deny it? Lin Yao, say it yourself!" Lin Yao's expression was ugly, but he did not utter a word. Su Yu chuckled. "Good. Then if I defeat you, won't that prove that everything this dog just said was a lie? That he was scared of losing to me, wanted to renege on our wager, and so directed and starred in this laughingstock of a farce?" Chen Qi smiled and said slowly, "Of course. If you can beat me, why would you ever need to scheme against Lin Yao? What a joke! Su Yu, are you really challenging me?" At this moment, excitement surged in Chen Qi's heart. To prove himself, Su Yu was actually challenging him first! And the conditions had completely changed! If Su Yu lost, he would hand over the blood essence; if Su Yu won, Chen Qi would owe a thousand merit points... If he won, he wouldn't even have to give up the things he had promised before! His plan to scheme against Lin Yao had failed, yet Su Yu had taken the bait voluntarily. Could this be heaven aiding him? He had poisoned Lin Yao, and the matter had only occurred this morning. Who knew Lin Yao would discover it? But now, Chen Qi had no time to dwell on that! All he knew was that he was about to hit the jackpot! A broad smile spread across Chen Qi's face, while the students all around paled. Someone from the intermediate class yelled, "Class monitor, don't be reckless! They're in this together, intentionally provoking you..." "Shameless! They're just scheming to get the class monitor's Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence!" Many students were furious. This was blatantly an intentional plot against Su Yu. Unfortunately, Su Yu had been blinded by rage, challenging Chen Qi, who was at Qianjun Realm Stage Seven and the middle stage of Yangxing. This was walking right into his own death! Su Yu raised his hand and said calmly, "It's fine, I'm completely fine! These shameless scoundrels have angered me! I, Su Yu, have always treated people with sincerity, yet today I was slandered. Today, once I defeat Chen Qi, if Lin Yao doesn't give me an explanation... I'll settle accounts with him!" With a single leap, Su Yu instantly landed on the arena stage. "Qianjun!" Someone gasped! "Chen Qi, get up here!" Chen Qi's eyes narrowed slightly. He's reached Qianjun? This kid's progress is way too fast! Chen Qi's expression shifted, and he leaped onto the arena stage as well. Just then, several researchers descended from the sky. Liu Hong was among them, as was Huang Yao. Huang Yao looked at Su Yu and said sternly, "We heard what just happened. Are you certain you want to prove yourself this way?" "Yes. I want to show Lin Yao that he knows nothing of my world! A genius's world is beyond his comprehension! The strong do not deign to scheme against the weak, especially not against worthless mongrels like him!" "You..." Huang Yao frowned. Too reckless! Sighing inwardly, Huang Yao said, "Then I have nothing more to say. The challenge stands. It ends when one side surrenders!" Su Yu remained silent. Chen Qi also kept quiet. Seeing this, Liu Hong said indifferently, "If neither of you has any objections, Teaching Assistant Huang and I will serve as referees. Are both of you certain about this challenge?" "Certain!" "Certain!" "Then... let the challenge begin!" The moment the words left his mouth, Su Yu swallowed a drop of Ironwing Bird blood essence! His aura exploded! In the next instant, a black saber flashed into existence, radiating terrifying killing intent that shook the soul! Lightning crackled, and murderous intent erupted! Lightning, crimson blood, and slaughter... In this instant, they merged into one! Origin qi boiled, and the aura of the Wanshi Realm burst forth! "Wall-Breaker!" A furious roar shook the four directions! "Kill!" At Qianjun Realm Stage Seven, Chen Qi's face drained of color! Not just him—in that instant, both Liu Hong and Huang Yao's expressions warped! The blade struck! Fast—inconceivably fast! A top Yellow rank cultural weapon! Three divine characters! Wanshi Realm combat prowess! Everything unfolded at unmatched speed! With a wet tear, the small black saber drove straight through Chen Qi's arm, pinning him ruthlessly to the arena floor! Su Yu's face was slightly pale. He let out a cold snort, paid Chen Qi no further attention, and turned his gaze toward Lin Yao below the stage! "Useless trash, worthless mongrel! You dare think you're worthy of contending with me, Su Yu?!" "..." Dead silence fell over the entire area! On the stage, only Chen Qi remained pinned to the ground, his eyes vacant and glazed, the exact spitting image of Hu Wensheng that day! In that moment, Liu Hong and the others could not help recalling the scene of Bai Feng obliterating Hu Wensheng with a single strike! It was far too similar!