Detention Area

Wen Tan Research Center. Having been away for a few days, Su Yu had missed it a little. Naturally, he didn't miss the filthy living quarters, but rather that excellent spot on the second floor. Returning to the research center, Bai Feng glanced at the living quarters, which were once again an utter mess. He cleared his throat and changed the subject. "I'm taking you down to the detention area on the second basement level. Be careful, and don't wet your pants!" Su Yu smiled innocently. Was that necessary? Did he look like that much of a coward? "Right now, there are six living creatures left in the detention area. The rest are either dead or playing dead. Don't worry about them." "Playing dead?" Su Yu asked curiously. "Teacher, what do you mean by playing dead?" "Over in the detention area, some creatures might look like bare skeletons to you... but they might just come back to life." Bai Feng chuckled. "Certain races possess peculiar abilities. Even if reduced to dry bones, as long as a spark of life remains, they might revive given the chance! Your grandmaster doesn't pay them much mind either. If they want to play dead, let them play dead. Given enough time, they really will die." Su Yu nodded. An eye-opener indeed! They could actually revive even after turning into bones. Impressive! He was also quite curious about the detention area. On his first day here, he had heard some commotion from below, but later on it had quieted down completely. He had thought the things down there were dead. "Teacher, when you mentioned feeding them, what do we feed them?" "Flesh and blood, yuanqi liquid..." Bai Feng explained, "You can't feed them too much—just enough to keep them alive. I'll tell you how much to give them later. Don't give them a chance to build up their strength. Otherwise, it'll be a huge hassle once they recover!" "Yuanqi liquid..." Su Yu only caught that part and clicked his tongue in disbelief. We're already this poor, and you're still feeding them yuanqi liquid? "Don't look at me like that." Leading him downward, Bai Feng smiled. "You only get returns if you invest. Keep them from starving to death, feed them a bit of yuanqi liquid, and every few days you can extract a basin of blood and condense a few drops of blood essence. Understand now?" Ruthless! Su Yu sighed inwardly, though he didn't feel much sympathy either. Reaching the first basement level, Su Yu walked past the storeroom area, which he had rarely visited aside from his first day. Bai Feng ignored the storeroom and walked to a corner of the first basement level, where he opened a gateway. A remarkably intricate mechanism! Beams of brilliance flickered across the gateway. Bai Feng even brought out his Dragon-Slaying Sword. Just like Chen Yong before, the Dragon-Slaying Sword transformed into a key and slotted into the door, unlocking it. "Right now, you can't manifest divine characters yet, so you can't attach willpower to your characters. Through normal means, you wouldn't be able to open this door." With that, a jade pendant appeared in Bai Feng's hand, and he tossed it to Su Yu. "Keep this safe! You can use it to open the gateway. Since your divine characters haven't achieved Manifestation, you can't store them in your sea of will. If someone takes this from you and breaks into our laboratory, they'll be able to open this door." Su Yu instantly grew nervous. "Teacher, how about... I don't take it? It'll be a huge problem if something like this is lost. Besides, whenever you say something like that, I feel like it's guaranteed to get lost!" Bai Feng was speechless! What did he mean, guaranteed to get lost just because he said that? "Cut the crap. Even if you lose it, it's not that big a deal. The research center may look dilapidated from the outside, but without authorization, a Shanhai Realm expert would be heavily injured trying to force their way through the passage you came in through. And if a Shanhai really broke in, this door... might not stop them anyway!" Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief! Why didn't you say so earlier? You scared the hell out of me. Bai Feng couldn't be bothered to argue with him. The door opened to reveal a flight of stairs, leading down into a wide hall. "The detention area doesn't connect to the third basement level. This is the only entrance. In fact, it's a completely sealed area..." Su Yu had been listening, but as he turned the corner at the bottom of the stairs, the scene before him drove everything else from his mind. Cages! Metal cages stood in rows throughout the hall! At a glance, there were at least twenty cages. Moreover, the cages only occupied the main hall. Behind it lay a dark passage lined with what looked like individual rooms, likely separate detention cells. There were things inside the cages! The very first thing Su Yu saw was a massive lion! A golden lion! Its coat was like spun gold, though slightly dull at the moment. It lay prone inside the metal cage, glaring at Su Yu with massive eyes brimming with savagery and murderous intent! Seeing Su Yu looking at the lion, Bai Feng said calmly, "This is one of the six living creatures in the hall. You can just call it Number Three! In terms of race, it belongs to the Suanni race, one of the Top 100 Races! It is at Tengkong Realm Stage Nine; your grandmaster captured it alive on the All-Heavens Battlefield fifteen years ago. When he caught it, this bastard was tearing through a military camp, and barely anyone from a thousand-man unit survived... "Never show mercy to creatures of the myriad races! "Any of these bastards capable of being captured and brought here are rotten to the core, having slaughtered countless people! Those whose hands are truly clean stay back in their home territories. Once you set foot on the All-Heavens Battlefield, life and death are left to fate. You kill me, I kill you—everyone has already prepared themselves for it." The moment his words fell, the golden lion suddenly stood up and roared! The All-Races Common Language rumbled from its massive jaws! "Bai Feng, kill me if you want! Imprisoning me, draining my blood, slicing off my flesh—is this how you treat an expert?" Bai Feng replied calmly, "Number Three, you are no expert, nor do you deserve respect. So... shut your mouth! If you had fought a human expert of the same realm and killed them, you might warrant a shred of respect. But you rampaged through a camp and slaughtered Qianjun and Wanshi soldiers... What kind of expert does that make you?" "They were merely a bunch of weaklings!" The golden lion saw no fault in its actions. "I was passing through, yet they dared attack me. Striking at their superior deserved death!" "I'm not going to argue with you." Bai Feng turned to Su Yu and said, "Ignore this bastard. For Number Three, give it one drop of yuanqi liquid every three days." With that, he pointed at the cages. "These were all crafted by your grandmaster himself. He had the head of the Divine Talisman College lay a layer of Thunder Talismans over the cages. No one below the Shanhai Realm could break these cages, and if it dares touch the talisman array, it'll unleash power capable of killing a Lingyun Realm cultivator..." Bai Feng added, "Each talisman array has an operating method. I'll teach you later. If it doesn't behave, zap it half to death! Every time I draw blood, I zap it until it can't move before going in, just to keep the bastard from causing trouble." At these words, the golden lion flew into a furious rage! "Roar!" Bai Feng acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to Su Yu, "It can only howl like that. Pay it no mind!" Next, he pointed to a nearby metal cage. It appeared empty. No, there seemed to be a patch of darkness inside. "This is Number Two, a fellow from the Shadow race!" Bai Feng's expression turned slightly graver. "Right now, you can still see a shadow. When it was first captured, you couldn't even see that. This guy is practically transparent and can attach itself to your shadow. Be careful! Don't get close to it, and make sure your own shadow doesn't fall inside the cage and let it latch onto you..." Su Yu was startled! Bai Feng smiled. "Don't worry. The outside of its cage is covered by a layer of Divine Light Talismans. Your shadow can't actually reach inside. "When it first arrived, it was at Lingyun Realm Stage Three. Quite a bit of its blood essence has been extracted since, but it's still very powerful. In short, you're no match for it. "For this one, give it one drop of yuanqi liquid every five days." Su Yu was inwardly amazed. The Shadow race—he seemed to have read about them. They were also one of the Top 100 Races. The Shadow race and the Suanni were both among the Top 100 Races! His grandmaster truly was terrifying, capturing experts from such powerful races! Bai Feng continued, "As for the other four living creatures, look..." He pointed toward a cage in the right-hand corner. Crouched inside was an ox? Su Yu could only assume it was an ox, though it had a single horn. "This is a Mountain-Drilling Ox, a distant relative of the Mountain-Breaking Ox..." A muffled snort came from within the cage. "Bai Feng, I am of the Mountain-Drilling Ox race, nothing to do with the Mountain-Breaking Ox! What distant relative..." Bai Feng smiled. "This is Number Four. The Mountain-Drilling Ox isn't a Top 100 Race; they rank 182nd, but they aren't weak either. This fellow is also at Tengkong Realm Stage Nine. Same as Number Three, give it one drop of yuanqi liquid every three days. "Over there is Number Five..." Su Yu followed his finger. Next to the Mountain-Drilling Ox stood another cage, inside of which was a tiny white cat! Honestly, if it hadn't been locked in a cage, Su Yu would have thought it was an ordinary domestic cat! "Number Five, a White Civet. Don't underestimate it. Tengkong Realm Stage Eight, ranked 375th among the myriad races. It specializes in ambushes and camouflage. If not for the Shadow race's invisible killings, this fellow would be a true master assassin. Extremely fast! "Over there is Number Six!" Su Yu looked where Bai Feng pointed once more. It was a bird! "A crow?" After studying it for a moment, Su Yu quickly identified it. "Teacher, is that a Fire Crow?" "Correct!" Bai Feng smiled. "It's a Fire Crow. Tengkong Realm Stage Seven. Its physical body is frail, but it can fly and breathe fire—an innate skill similar to the Fire Swine race. However, this fellow's flame can burn right through a sea of will. Quite formidable, ranked 418th on the myriad races list!" Five myriad races demons! Su Yu committed them to memory, but he grew even more curious. Where was Number One? Number Two was the Shadow race, Three the Suanni, Four the Mountain-Drilling Ox, Five the White Civet, and Six the Fire Crow. Su Yu glanced around and spotted several sets of white bones. Could Number One be one of those skeletons? "Number One, stop playing dead!" As if knowing Su Yu was curious, Bai Feng raised a hand and sent out a pulse of divine character power. In the next moment, lightning crackled and thundered across one of the cages! Inside the seemingly empty cage, a stream of water suddenly materialized, gradually taking human shape. A water person emerged! Facial features formed, and it gasped feebly, "Bai Feng, give me some yuanqi liquid... I'm about to die..." Bai Feng ignored it and turned to Su Yu. "This is Number One, a fellow of the Water race! Among the myriad races, five are rather unique: the Five Elements races—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Born from special environments and nurtured by nature, their numbers are small. We don't classify them as five separate races, but collectively as one: the Five Elements race!" Bai Feng explained, "It had dispersed into a puddle of water just now, so you didn't notice. This guy is remarkably powerful—Lingyun Realm Stage Seven! Your grandmaster paid a heavy price to capture it! "Don't underestimate it. Back on the All-Heavens Battlefield, it disguised itself as a lake and swallowed a ten-thousand-man legion whole. Not human, but from a smaller race—even their Lingyun Realm commander was devoured!" Bai Feng warned, "You don't need to feed this one much. Just one drop of yuanqi liquid every month. If it recovers its strength, it'll be a massive problem!" "Understood!" Su Yu nodded, deeply shaken. A Lingyun Realm Stage Seven expert was here! Among the six living creatures, the weakest was at Tengkong Realm Stage Seven. This detention area was truly terrifying. Su Yu glanced toward the dark passage deep in the back, then turned to Bai Feng with curiosity. Bai Feng glanced that way as well and said in a low voice, "Don't worry about that side. Even I don't go there! There are three rooms in total, holding three experts. Whether they're dead or alive, only your grandmaster knows. "They're likely Shanhai Realm experts. I don't know the specifics either! "Your grandmaster is at Shanhai Realm Stage Eight, so capturing a few early Shanhai cultivators is entirely possible. But my cultivation isn't high enough, and I have no desire to court death. Shanhai Realm experts have reached an apex; it's all too easy to be plotted against!" Su Yu looked at Bai Feng in shock! Shanhai Realm? Grandmaster even captured Shanhai Realm experts? Why did he suddenly feel... his grandmaster was frighteningly savage! Seeing Su Yu's shock, Bai Feng grinned, looking rather pleased with himself. "Shanhai Realm Stage Eight. In the academy, it might feel like Shanhai experts and elders are everywhere, but in truth, that's the accumulation of several centuries at the Great Xia Civilization Academy! "Even among all Civilization Academies in the Human Realm, the Great Xia Civilization Academy ranks near the top! "With humanity being one of the Ten Great Races and the Great Xia Civilization Academy being a powerhouse academy, in terms of sheer strength, the academy rivals medium-sized races! "A Shanhai Realm Stage Eight expert might be the sole king of a weaker race!" Bai Feng smiled. "So don't think your grandmaster is weak just because he's at Shanhai Realm Stage Eight. Even on the All-Heavens Battlefield, he's a presence capable of holding down an entire region. Especially since he's from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction—he's stronger than quite a few Shanhai Realm Stage Nine experts!" Su Yu nodded hastily. I never said Grandmaster was weak; you said that yourself. "Teacher, how do I feed them?" "Just toss it in!" Bai Feng explained, "You can toss the yuanqi liquid straight inside without fussing over it. Remember, I'll teach you how to operate the talismans outside the cages. You may control them, but you must not undo them. Even though the cages are sturdy, we have to guard against them actually breaking out." Su Yu felt a sliver of worry. These were all powerful beings. Teacher was having him feed them—what if he ended up as their food one day? Ignoring Su Yu's thoughts, Bai Feng continued, "I'll send the yuanqi liquid over later. Don't go skimming any for yourself, kid. If you actually starve these creatures to death, there'll be hell to pay." Su Yu shook his head hurriedly. Am I that kind of person? How could I possibly do something like that! I never even considered it! Then again... if I held back just a tiny bit, they wouldn't starve, right? The thought flashed through Su Yu's mind, but he quickly suppressed it. I'm not that kind of person, and I don't lack yuanqi liquid anyway. Cultivating in the filtration chamber on the second floor is just as good as yuanqi liquid. Still, yuanqi liquid could be carried outside, whereas the filtration chamber couldn't! I only have three drops of yuanqi liquid left! One was given to Chen Qi, one used on myself... Suddenly remembering something, Su Yu blurted out, "Teacher, where are my merit points?" I almost forgot! Damn it! Where are my 1,300 merit points? Bai Feng glanced at him, exasperated to see sweat almost beading on the youth's forehead. "What's with that look? Afraid your teacher will embezzle your points? Am I that kind of person? Do I lack that little bit of merit? "They delivered the merit points themselves. I used two hundred points to pay back the academy on your behalf, claiming I taught you 'Sky-Breaking Slash' in advance. "As for the remaining 1,100 points, I wrote you... ahem, I exchanged them for a Qianjun Realm willpower text of the 'War God Art.' That cost three hundred merit points. There are eight hundred left, which I'll transfer to you later." "..." Su Yu stared at him, eyes wide! You spent three hundred merit points to buy me... Wait, no, you wrote me a Qianjun Realm 'War God Art'? Yes, exchanging one at the academy cost three hundred merit points! However... I never intended to exchange for it! Most importantly, you wrote it yourself, didn't you? Bai Feng remained impassive, acting as though he hadn't noticed. Even if he wrote it himself, he had used plenty of blood essence, all right? Even if it was discarded blood essence, recycling waste still counted as blood essence, didn't it? "Teacher..." Su Yu pulled a long face. Are you really so broke that you're skimming your own student's merit points? Feeling slightly awkward under the boy's stare, Bai Feng cleared his throat lightly. "Don't get impatient. Once my research bears fruit, you'll be the first to benefit. Let me tell you, this project is incredible! We're developing a super divine character—terrifyingly powerful. Your combat prowess will skyrocket, allowing a Qianjun to battle a Tengkong and achieve an instant kill..." "..." Keep bragging! Su Yu sighed inwardly. Fine, he would treat it as having exchanged for it at the academy. Exchanging for a copy there also cost three hundred points. While one could audit classes for five to ten points each time, auditing meant being surrounded by a huge crowd. Aside from the hassle, you might not even get close to the front, and there wasn't enough time to study it properly. This wasn't bad either. He was at Qianjun Realm Stage Three now, and opening apertures had felt much slower over the past few days. Having this would be beneficial. It was just that losing three hundred merit points felt like a bit of a rip-off! Su Yu was helpless. Plucking feathers from a passing goose! Bai Feng cleared his throat again and added, "Don't look at your teacher like that. Who knows if willpower texts written by others hold back secrets? Would your teacher ever hold back?" "Teacher, I never said you wrote it yourself..." Su Yu rolled his eyes. You exposed yourself! Bai Feng glared at him, momentarily embarrassed, but quickly regained his composure. "Tell you what. Once you reach the Wanshi Realm, I'll write you one for free!" "Wanshi..." Su Yu's heart stirred. That wasn't bad! Bai Feng also let out a quiet sigh of relief. Wanshi Realm—you're still a long way from that. At Qianjun Realm Stage Three, reaching Wanshi would take at least a year, wouldn't it? No, half a year at the very least? In half a year, your teacher will be even stronger, and my research will have borne fruit. Why would I worry about money then? I won't lack for anything! *Even if you're fast, you'll still need half a year, right?* Bai Feng cast a subtle glance at Su Yu. Fortunately, the kid was easy to fool. Su Yu also made his own calculations. Over these three days, because he had been engrossed in books, he hadn't cultivated much and had only opened one aperture. He currently had thirty-seven open, leaving seventy-one more before he could step into the Wanshi Realm. *With enough blood essence, I might be able to open one every two days, which means about five months. If I can enter a secret realm a few times... who knows!* Bai Feng promised to write another willpower text once he reached the Wanshi Realm. A Qianjun Realm text cost three hundred merit points, while a Wanshi Realm one would likely cost four to five hundred. Doing the math, he came out ahead. Even loan sharks didn't offer interest rates this high, not to mention he was actually getting a Qianjun Realm willpower text of the 'War God Art.' *The technique manual for the Qianjun Realm of the 'War God Art' costs a hundred points, and the willpower text costs three hundred. The 'Sky-Breaking Slash' manual costs two hundred points, and its willpower text probably costs four to five hundred...* Su Yu realized that cultivating as a genius was ridiculously expensive! Just these Qianjun Realm techniques, martial techniques, and willpower texts required over a thousand merit points! Naturally, that was the path a genius chose. The standard version of the 'War God Art' was free and didn't require a willpower text. In reality, one only needed to scrape together a few merit points to cultivate matching martial techniques; reaching the Qianjun Realm didn't truly have to cost much. It all depended on one's choice! ... Bai Feng didn't linger. After quickly teaching Su Yu how to operate the outer talismans, he made a swift exit. Now, only Su Yu and the imprisoned creatures remained in the hall. The Suanni fixed its massive eyes on Su Yu, no longer roaring. Su Yu couldn't tell what the Shadow race and Water race beings were doing. The single-horned ox seemed to be sleeping, the White Civet paid Su Yu no mind, and the Fire Crow looked as though it were dead... The entire hall sank into silence. After a long while, the golden lion spoke up. "Little guy, what's your name?" "Su Yu!" Su Yu replied with an innocent look, "Number Three, don't try to deceive me. Teacher said I'm not allowed to talk to you too much! But since this is our first meeting and I'll be your feeder from now on, we can chat a bit more." Feeder... Hearing that word, murder flashed in the Suanni's eyes! These bastards truly treated them like livestock! Though killing intent flared in its heart, the Suanni didn't let it show. It spoke again. "I don't expect you to let us out, nor do you have the ability. Could you give us some proper flesh and blood? I haven't eaten in a long time. That trickle of yuanqi liquid simply isn't enough..." "That won't do!" Su Yu shook his head hurriedly. "My teacher said I can only feed you yuanqi liquid. Even if you're given flesh and blood, he has to be the one to do it, not me!" The Suanni fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly, "It's truly been too long since I tasted flesh and blood. Bring whatever meat you can find, and we won't treat you poorly..." Pausing, it continued, "If you bring some food... I can give you a few drops of ordinary blood. A Tengkong Realm's blood essence is useless to you anyway, but even a single drop of my ordinary blood is packed with immense yuanqi—enough to sustain your cultivation for days, far more effective than yuanqi liquid!" It added, "You're in the Qianjun Realm, aren't you? After entering the Qianjun Realm, one needs potent blood essence for body casting. I cannot give you my blood essence, but ordinary blood can still assist your body casting, far outperforming common Qianjun blood essence!" Su Yu shook his head repeatedly. "That won't do. If my teacher finds out, he'll expel me!" "It doesn't matter. It's just ordinary food. In the past, when Bai Feng was down here, he made deals with us too, keeping it from your grandmaster, his master. As long as you don't release us, there won't be any trouble!" The Suanni pressed on, "Your faction lacks even enough merit points these days. Bai Feng just embezzled the merit points meant for you. Can such a teacher truly support your path to the very end? "Do you know that in the eyes of the myriad races, someone in the Qianjun Realm isn't even worthy of being called cannon fodder? "To grow strong, opportunities are paramount. Entering this place is your opportunity!" As the Suanni spoke, the Mountain-Drilling Ox, which had been feigning sleep, suddenly grumbled, "Get me some food too. I can teach you a cultivation art—a simple, minor art. It doesn't open many apertures, but it tempers the physical body. My Mountain-Drilling Ox race possesses immense physical might, no weaker than the Mountain-Breaking Ox race... "Even if it isn't a secret art, cultivating it will make your body far stronger than an ordinary human's!" The Mountain-Drilling Ox rumbled, "Get me some food, I'm starving to death. Kid, the chance is right in front of you—seize it!" Su Yu, however, continued to shake his head. Backing away toward the exit, he called out as he ran, "I don't believe you! Teacher said not to be bewitched by you. I'm not stupid. Who knows if you're trying to lure me into a trap..." Su Yu bolted up the stairs! Once the door above slammed shut, the Suanni snorted. "Damn stupid ox, don't be so impatient! I was on the verge of succeeding. Why did you butt in?" The Mountain-Drilling Ox couldn't be bothered to respond and went back to sleep. Without lingering on it, the Suanni asked in a low rumble, "This newcomer... what do you all think?" The Fire Crow, which had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke in a shrill voice, "Observe him a while longer; don't act rashly! Suanni, trying to bewitch him on the very first meeting was ill-advised. It only puts him on guard. We should wait and target his weaknesses!" Inside its cage, the white cat opened its eyes. Its voice carried a feminine, alluring charm. "Suanni, you were too hasty! A newly admitted newcomer with weak cultivation—take things slowly, and we'll sway him sooner or later!" "How long is sooner or later?" the Suanni grumbled. "How much time... do we have left to live?" From the other side, the Shadow race creature spoke softly, "We can't offer enough benefits, so swaying him will be difficult! After all these years, we have nothing left to our names. Trying to tempt him with a few drops of ordinary blood... do you really think that's possible? For him to join the Multiple Divine Characters Faction means he's a genius. Would a genius care about a few drops of ordinary blood?" At these words, the other demons fell silent. "Shadow, what do you suggest we do then?" Shadow replied faintly, "Wait a little longer. It will depend on White Civet. White Civet, you're a Civilization Master, and so is he. It seems Bai Feng doesn't have much time to teach him. You, an understanding confidante, should teach him more. Don't rush; make him pity us first to lower his guard. White Civet looks the most harmless... If he comes to trust White Civet, our chance will come!" White Civet said coquettishly, "Shadow, I *am* harmless. Why say I only look harmless?" "Hehe..." The other demons fell quiet, letting out chilling chuckles. Harmless? The White Civet was a master of disguise. What did it disguise itself as? Harmlessness! They were all old acquaintances; who didn't know who? How had the White Civet ended up captured by Hong Tan? Pure bad luck—it tried its act on Hong Tan, intending to assassinate him the moment his guard dropped. Instead, it crashed into Hong Tan's hands! Striking an iron plate, surviving until now was an achievement in itself. White Civet chuckled too. "I truly am innocent. I've never harmed anyone. If you don't believe me, so be it... When that little kid returns next time, I'll have a chat with him. "Even if I can't leave the Human Realm, being sent by him to the Beast Taming College to become someone's mount would still be better than staying here, wouldn't it?" White Civet added in a wistful tone, "Once I recover my strength, I can manage a human form. I wonder what kind of woman that little boy likes..." ... Meanwhile, having left the detention area, Su Yu muttered to himself with a grin, "Six powerful demon beasts... I've got to swindle some blood essence out of them! Act a little foolish, foolish with a touch of petty cleverness... hopefully they take the bait! Teacher and the others eat the meat, but there's no reason I can't have some soup!" Su Yu chuckled under his breath! Trying to reel me in? Fine by me—I want to reel you in too! Offering blood for some meat—this time it's meat to build rapport, next time it might be something else, and after that, the stakes would climb higher. "Ordinary blood... I don't care for that!" Su Yu rubbed his chin. He had forgotten to ask: were there Civilization Masters of the myriad races down there? If they manifested divine characters and he shattered them, could that make his own divine characters stronger? Rubbing his cheeks, Su Yu put on an utterly harmless smile. I am an honest person who never tells lies! I am a pauper who is desperately short on money, hoping someone will gift me some. I am a weakling whom everyone should try to win over; I need to grow strong, so win me over, and I will gladly swallow your sugar-coated bait! "Hehe..." "Ahem!" Clearing his throat lightly, Su Yu instantly checked his laughter. That laugh didn't sound right! "Haha!" Su Yu broke into an honest, goofy smile, the very picture of guileless sincerity. He had found a treasure trove. Six experts at Tengkong Realm Stage Seven or higher—he had to be able to fleece something good out of them, right?