Honest Su Yu

Su Yu had not stayed in the living quarters for long before Bai Feng emerged from the underground levels. "Teacher!" Bai Feng nodded slightly, unhurried and wearing an expression of total confidence. He sat down, poured himself some tea, and glanced at Su Yu. *Very good, this kid really had no intention of pouring tea for me!* *What an unfilial disciple!* "Has the matter been exposed?" "Huh?" Bai Feng said coolly, "Did that Zheng kid come looking for trouble?" "Teacher... you..." "Did you think anything could be kept from me?" Bai Feng said calmly, "The very first day you picked up that item, I sensed it. Now you've run into trouble, haven't you?" Su Yu hesitated, looking as if he wanted to speak. Bai Feng smiled faintly. "The Zheng family is enormous! And very powerful! This matter is extremely troublesome. Even I, your teacher..." "Teacher!" Su Yu looked at Bai Feng, who seemed to think everything was within his grasp, and said rather dryly, "Teacher, it's fine. It doesn't matter on the Zheng family's side..." "I know you're feeling the pressure. No matter—with your teacher here, it's not a problem!" Bai Feng said composedly, "Don't forget, our lineage has a Shanhai Realm expert as well, and an eighth-stage Shanhai divine character master at that! We might not necessarily fear that ninth-stage Shanhai warrior from the Zheng family!" "No, Teacher, it's really fine. There's no need to make such a big fuss." Hearing that Bai Feng was ready to mobilize his grandmaster, Su Yu hurriedly said, "It's really nothing. Zheng Yunhui and I have already come to an agreement. He's paying thirty merit points each time to read my Sky-Breaking Slash..." *Pfft! He spat out his mouthful of tea!* Bai Feng frowned and said, "Overnight tea? Didn't you boil water today?" "..." Su Yu wanted to laugh, but held it in, quickly giving Bai Feng a way out. "Right, overnight tea. Teacher, I'll boil water right away." "..." Once Su Yu scurried off to boil water, Bai Feng's face was covered in question marks. *What's going on?* *Weren't those two supposed to be fighting tooth and nail to the death?* *How did they reach an agreement? And that Zheng Yunhui kid is actually paying to read the book? What in the world is happening?* *This doesn't match the information I had!* *Did that bastard Liu Hong actually figure things out properly? Could it be... that item wasn't Zheng Yunhui's after all?* Even Bai Feng found it bizarre. What on earth had happened? Soon, Su Yu returned. Bai Feng gave a soft cough, restored his calm demeanor, and said, "Speak. What's the situation?" "Teacher, it's like this. Isn't Liu Hong our mortal enemy?" Su Yu quickly recounted the entire story. Holding his teacup, Bai Feng remained silent for a long while. His student... A third-stage Qianjun little kid was preparing to scheme against an eighth-stage Tengkong sly old schemer! It actually sounded plausible enough. Of course, whether it would succeed was hard to say. Still... what guts! *When I was in the Qianjun Realm, did I ever think about getting revenge on a Tengkong Realm expert?* *These kids didn't just think about it—they went straight to hands-on execution!* *This generation is remarkably audacious!* Moreover, the amount they were aiming to swindle was no small sum—several thousand, maybe even tens of thousands of merit points! If they pulled this off, Liu Hong would probably be ruined. Not only bankrupted, but he would have to pawn his own trousers... *Wait, that won't do!* Bai Feng jolted awake to reality! If they stripped Liu Hong down to his trousers, who would supply him in the future? *No... if all of Liu Hong's family fortune ends up in my hands, who cares whether he supplies me or not!* *Liu Hong can figure something out on his own!* *If the guy is that useless, I wouldn't even bother dealing with him anyway.* Bai Feng continued drinking his overnight tea, his peripheral vision sweeping over Su Yu. After studying him for a moment, he said rather dubiously, "You're no match for Zheng Yunhui. If you knowingly enter a match against someone you can't beat and end up losing the Research Center's data, are you sure... anyone will take the bait?" Would anyone actually believe a match where someone clearly stepped up just to hand over treasures? Su Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher, I still have confidence I can win! What's more, it'll give people the impression that I'm virtually guaranteed to win..." "Guaranteed to win?" Bai Feng laughed in spite of himself. "Even if you burst with Wanshi combat strength by consuming blood essence, everyone already knows that. At most, that only means..." "No!" Su Yu hastily interjected, "Teacher, here's my thought process. Everyone thinks I'm only third-stage Qianjun, commanding three divine characters, plus the blood essence. But in reality, my strength is vastly greater than they imagine! That changes everything!" Su Yu explained, "Teacher, tell me—if I'm sixth-stage Qianjun, and I command not just three divine characters, but four or even more, wouldn't my chances of winning be much higher?" Bai Feng smiled and said, "Naturally! If you're only one stage lower than him, have blood essence, and possess multiple divine characters, of course your chances would be higher! Even a fool knows that in our multiple divine character faction, the more divine characters one has, the stronger the combat strength..." "There you have it!" Su Yu beamed. "When everyone believes I have a genuine hope of winning, my duel with Zheng Yunhui will appear completely natural! After all, three drops of Lingyun Realm god and demon blood essence are at stake—an astonishing prize. How could my heart not be moved?" "Still... if you drag it out too long, Zheng Yunhui will also grow stronger." The moment he finished speaking, Su Yu said, "That won't happen, Teacher. I'm already fifth-stage Qianjun. Couldn't you tell?" "..." Bai Feng's body stiffened slightly. He glanced sideways at Su Yu. He hadn't noticed at all. *Wait, it seems some bastard sealed his aura with willpower.* With his body slightly rigid, Bai Feng unleashed his willpower. A teacher inspecting his disciple didn't need to hold back reservations. Under the burst of willpower, he swept his senses over Su Yu, piercing through the concealment. In the next moment, Bai Feng shot to his feet. "Sixty-one opened apertures..." Bai Feng stood up, stroked his chin, and spoke slowly. "I need to go down and check a document. I'll be right back!" "Teacher..." *Whoosh!* Bai Feng was gone! *** The third underground level. Bai Feng punched the wall. His hand stung! Now he was wide awake! Looking at the calendar hanging on the wall, Bai Feng sank into contemplation. *Have I been doing research for so long recently that I've lost track of time?* *Have I been down here for a month or two already?* After a thought, he made a communication call and blurted out immediately, "Senior Brother, what's today's date?" "The ninth. What's wrong?" "No, what month is it?" "..." On the other end of the line, Chen Yong frowned. Had something gone wrong with his junior brother's research, scrambling his mind? "Bai Feng, are you alright?" "I'm fine, Senior Brother! What month is it? Just tell me!" "September ninth, Year 350 of the Anping Calendar. Junior Brother, are you truly alright?" "..." Bai Feng muttered, "It's correct, then. It really is the ninth. I've only been in the research lab for less than a week..." "Bai Feng..." "Senior Brother, what date was it when Su Yu emerged from seclusion last time?" "The fourth. It's been five days since he came out. What on earth happened?" Bai Feng stared at the ceiling, feeling utter despair. "Senior Brother, if I remember correctly, when he came out of seclusion last time, he had thirty-seven apertures opened, right?" "Yes!" "Then tell me—can a person open twenty-four apertures in five days? That's almost five apertures a day! Senior Brother, tell me, does such a person actually exist?" "..." Chen Yong seemed to realize something and said in disbelief, "Don't joke with me!" "Senior Brother, what joke could I possibly be making!" Bai Feng gave a stiff laugh and said, "I thought I'd been holed up in the research lab for months! I thought my sense of time and space had gone completely haywire! But you're telling me it hasn't. Right now—no, just moments ago—that kid told me he got stronger. I took a look, and he has sixty-one opened apertures!" "..." Chen Yong was also dumbfounded! How many opened apertures? Opening twenty-four apertures in five days? How had he managed that! "How did he do it?" "I want to ask *you* how he did it!" Bai Feng retorted. *You're asking me? What would I know!* *These past few days, I've been in seclusion!* *I was underground!* *I didn't go upstairs, so how could I know!* "Are you certain you didn't see wrong?" "Of course!" Bai Feng said helplessly. "I definitely didn't see wrong! What's more, someone used willpower to seal his Yuan Qi fluctuations. From the looks of it, a Lingyun Realm expert did it. What in the world is going on..." "Go ask him!" Chen Yong said urgently, "Hurry! I'm coming over right now. What on earth happened? How could he possibly reach fifth-stage Qianjun in a few days? Nothing went wrong, did it?" "I'll go ask him, then!" Bai Feng was utterly helpless. He didn't know either. He had been so shocked earlier that he completely forgot to ask! It was simply too mind-boggling! *** After venting for a little while longer, Bai Feng changed into fresh clothes and returned looking calm and composed. "Fifth-stage Qianjun?" "Yes!" Su Yu said joyfully, "Last night, I went to the Yuan Qi Secret Realm and bought some blood essence to cultivate with. To my surprise, I actually broke through to fifth-stage Qianjun! Cultivating there was extraordinarily fast! That Yuan Qi Secret Realm really is a wonderful place! Teacher, once I have money down the road, I'll go a few more times. It's just that the cost is a bit heavy, and my merit points are almost gone..." Bai Feng nearly crushed the teacup he had just picked up. *Your merit points are almost gone?* *Holy crap!* *Are you the Tengkong, or am I the Tengkong?* *Why do you spend money far more lavishly than a Tengkong like me? And you spent it so ridiculously fast!* Still, when he connected this to how rapidly the kid had progressed, Bai Feng could somewhat understand. This kid was genuinely willing to spend! Then again, with such rapid progress, even Bai Feng would have been willing to spend freely. "The seal on you—did someone from the Secret Realm Area place it?" "Seal?" Su Yu reacted quickly and nodded. "When I came out, Teacher Huang placed it on me." Bai Feng curled his lip. *Did you think he was just being nice?* *He was definitely just like me—curious to see how much you broke through, so he found a convenient excuse.* "Fifth-stage Qianjun..." Bai Feng pondered for a moment and asked again, "The blood essence you went to absorb—was it Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence?" "Yes, Wanshi-level Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence." Su Yu nodded and said, "It felt just like Qianjun-level essence. Teacher, I think Wanshi-level essence works just fine for foundation building. Why does everyone fight so hard over Qianjun-level essence?" "..." Bai Feng felt an urge to hit him. In exasperation, he snapped, "Do you think everyone is like you? Can ordinary bodies handle Wanshi-level essence? A drop or two might be fine, but when it comes to dozens or a hundred drops, what Qianjun cultivator could withstand that?" *Did you think people don't know Wanshi-level essence yields better results?* *Did you think everyone else is an idiot?* *The crux of the matter is that against Wanshi-level essence, a Qianjun physical body can barely endure a drop or two. Take any more, and aren't you afraid of blowing yourself up?* *Everyone wants to absorb higher-tier blood essence, but their strength simply doesn't permit it! What else can they do!* "The divine character?" Bai Feng looked at Su Yu's head again, itching to pry open his skull—no, pry open his sea of will. Was it the influence of that divine character again? Su Yu nodded with an honest, simple demeanor. "Yes, Teacher. The 'Blood' character is truly formidable! Teacher, that first divine character has been of immense help to me. I even feel like the 'Blood' character is about to break through to the second tier..." *Crack!* The teacup shattered, splashing tea stains all over Bai Feng's white robes. Bai Feng didn't say a word. He looked up at Su Yu and smiled. "My dear disciple... your divine character... is about to break through?" Su Yu felt a bit apprehensive and nodded. "Probably... soon? I feel like it's close." "What month did I go to Nanyuan City?" "Mid-April..." "Oh, so less than five months..." Bai Feng laughed. In less than five months, going from knowing absolutely nothing, you're telling me your divine character might break through to the second tier? *Heh. Heh. You think I believe that?* *You think I believe that?!* Under normal circumstances, a divine character only transformed into the second tier upon reaching the Tengkong Realm. *Are you in the Tengkong Realm?* How many years did it usually take to reach Tengkong? Among the faster ones, someone like Wu Qi had taken two years, Bai Feng had taken three years, and that fellow from Great Zhou Prefecture had taken half a year... And all of those counted only their time after entering the academy! Prior to entering the academy, those people had already outlined their divine characters. Transitioning from a tier-one divine character to a tier-two character took at least five years! Yet Su Yu was telling him, after five months, that he might be entering the second tier. And it was a character Bai Feng had written for him! "It can absorb blood essence for cultivation, trigger innate skills, cultivate by itself, and advance a tier in five months..." Bai Feng suddenly felt that this was practically an all-purpose divine character! It could even strengthen the physical body and open apertures! Glancing at Su Yu, Bai Feng narrowed his eyes dangerously. "My dear disciple, once you reach the manifestation stage, if you don't let your teacher study that divine character of yours for a few months... I'll tear you to pieces!" He was practically going mad! What kind of divine character was this? This had to be an eternal divine character! Damn it, if the divine characters he wrote were this powerful, wouldn't he have become an Eternal already? He was skeptical, but had no proof. Divine characters were like that—until someone manifested them for study, who knew what peculiar abilities they truly possessed? Just as he finished speaking, someone scolded from the hallway of the lobby, "Bai Feng, what nonsense are you spewing! A divine character is the foundation of a divine character master. Even a teacher cannot examine one carelessly unless the student requests it themselves!" With that, Chen Yong walked inside, glared at Bai Feng, and turned to Su Yu. "Pay no attention to your master. In the world of Civilization Masters, divine characters are top secret. Even toward your own teacher, unless you are willing... you never have to show your divine characters to anyone!" "Senior Brother..." "Greetings, Martial Uncle!" Bai Feng glared at Su Yu, feeling helpless and on the verge of pulling his hair out. "Senior Brother, I was just speaking off the cuff. This kid... this kid's divine character is a bit unusual. It was outlined from the willpower text I wrote for him, and now he's telling me it's about to advance to the second tier. That's why I was curious." "What?" Chen Yong was taken aback as well and said urgently, "Su Yu, do you know what a tier-two divine character means? You haven't experienced this before—could your perception be mistaken?" Su Yu didn't know either. He scratched his head and said, "I'm not sure! I just have this feeling. The 'Blood' character is very powerful now, and its color has changed. I feel like it's become different from the other divine characters." "That doesn't necessarily mean it's about to advance." That was all Chen Yong could say. Otherwise, five months truly was frighteningly fast. Even he felt an urge to see what that divine character looked like now. Moreover, there was still much Chen Yong didn't know; under such circumstances, how could Bai Feng not lose his mind? Taking in this disciple had driven Bai Feng's blood pressure through the roof lately. Chen Yong dropped the topic of the divine character and instead used his willpower to probe Su Yu, sinking into slight contemplation. Sixty-one apertures! Fifth-stage Qianjun! Bai Feng hadn't lied to him. His martial nephew truly had reached fifth-stage Qianjun. It was so fast that it left him feeling dazed, as if in a dream. "Truly fifth-stage Qianjun..." Chen Yong sighed with emotion, taking a deep breath. He felt both gratified and somewhat helpless. "With this talent of yours... had you taken the physical body path and gone to a War Academy, you might have reached Tengkong or even Lingyun before long!" Su Yu chuckled sheepishly. "Martial Uncle, it's the same. I can cultivate just as well here. Besides, with you and Teacher around, I cultivate even faster and with far more drive." Bai Feng rolled his eyes! *Flatterer!* *How come I never see you flattering me? The moment your martial uncle arrives, your bootlicking rings loud and clear.* Watching Su Yu trot over eagerly to pour tea for Chen Yong, Bai Feng felt a sharp pang in his heart. *You little bastard!* *Are you my student, or Chen Yong's student?* Too exasperated to look at Su Yu any longer, Bai Feng turned to Chen Yong and said, "Senior Brother, do you think his rapid breakthroughs are due to more than just the divine character? Could this kid possess some kind of bloodline inheritance?" "Bloodline inheritance?" Chen Yong sank into thought. After a moment, he said, "Hard to say! Unless it presents overtly, bloodlines can be dominant or recessive. I haven't seen any signs of bloodline mutation in Su Yu, so it's difficult to judge." Su Yu asked curiously, "Martial Uncle, Teacher, what exactly is a bloodline inheritance?" This was not the first time he had heard the term. Bai Feng snorted. "It means mixed racial bloodlines! Back when the myriad realms first made contact with the Human Realm and hadn't yet harbored covetous designs, the human, god, demon, demon beast, and immortal races weren't nearly as hostile. When experts from certain races visited the Human Realm, they might have engaged in... that sort of thing with certain humans. Afterward, some bloodlines were passed down." Su Yu understood! *Crossbreeding, in other words!* Chen Yong smiled and added, "Actually, that's not the only scenario; there are other possibilities. Some experts modified their own bloodlines, and their descendants might inherit those changes. For example, some human powerhouses substituted their own blood with god and demon blood, which could invert their bloodline..." At those words, Bai Feng said coldly, "That's what the All Races Sect does! Quite a few people in the All Races Sect harbor such ambitions, seeking to transform from humans into god or demon races. They're traitors!" Chen Yong waved his hand and said, "You can't generalize like that. Some powerhouses didn't convert for the sake of conversion; some did so for experimentation and research. Those individuals paid a tremendous price back then and made enormous contributions. They cannot be lumped together!" Su Yu nodded, coming to understand. Bai Feng set the topic aside and spoke up. "This kid wants to spar and compete against Zheng Yunhui. Senior Brother, do you think he has a hope of winning now?" "Fifth-stage Qianjun... combined with innate blood essence, his chances are actually quite substantial." He then added, "If his divine character truly advances, his chances will be even greater! If Zheng Yunhui only possesses his current level of strength, he might not necessarily be Su Yu's match." As he spoke, he paused slightly, murmuring, "If Su Yu advances to seventh-stage Qianjun... his spot on the Top 100 Rankings would likely be completely secure." "..." Bai Feng exchanged a glance with him, and neither spoke. Seventh-stage Qianjun meant it was secure. In other words, Su Yu could already attempt to challenge the rankings right now. Naturally, his odds of winning weren't high, but he could put up a fight, placing him among the strongest batch of students outside the Top 100 Rankings. Su Yu had always believed he wasn't strong simply because all he ever saw were top geniuses. Among the students in the intermediate class, who could take a single strike from Su Yu? Even in the advanced class, very few could withstand one of his blows! Su Yu... was actually already nearing the Top 100 Rankings! This truly exceeded both of their expectations. Previously, Bai Feng had talked about a year, then half a year, and then suggested seeing if Su Yu had a shot at challenging the Top 100 Rankings by year's end. Yet here it was, only September! Su Yu was already not far from the Top 100 Rankings! *Where was the justice in this?* Once the shock subsided, Bai Feng gave a soft cough and said, "Senior Brother... there are still a few months until the end of the year. Could this kid Su Yu... make a push and clear a smooth path on the Top 100 Rankings for Jiajia?" Chen Yong frowned slightly and said, "Those few kids aren't weak. They aren't new entrants to the Top 100 Rankings. While their rankings are listed in the seventies, in reality... they might be even stronger!" Even if Su Yu could mount a challenge, it would only be to break into the Top 100, and the Top 100 still contained a hundred individuals! They were on completely different tiers! "We'll see, then!" Bai Feng didn't dwell on the matter and lowered his voice. "There's one more thing. Senior Brother, give your thoughts on whether this could work..." With that, he laid out Su Yu's plan. Chen Yong looked at Su Yu in surprise. He hadn't realized that his martially polite, scholarly-looking nephew was actually bold enough to plot against Liu Hong! After studying Su Yu for a moment and seeing him scratch his head with a naive grin, Chen Yong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After pondering for a while, Chen Yong said, "Many eyes have always been fixed on the Research Center! When Su Yu unleashed Wanshi combat strength earlier, quite a few people were already wondering whether blood essence that could trigger Tengkong Realm innate skills might appear!" He then looked at Su Yu. "Su Yu, in truth, the ultimate goal of the Research Center is to serve the human race! However, humanity is vast, and people's hearts vary wildly. Certain things cannot be made entirely public, much like certain secret techniques and battle arts..." Bai Feng cut in bluntly, "To put it simply, we invested so much and researched for so many years—even if we make it public, we must receive our due return! That is only natural. Reward follows sacrifice. Over decades of time and research, the resources our faction invested in this, if converted into merit points, amount to at least several hundred thousand!" "Maybe even over a million!" Bai Feng snorted coldly. "Some people want something for nothing, or think they can dismiss us with a meager handful of merit points. Keep dreaming! If they treat us with such contempt, we'd rather never make it public!" "This is not merely a research project; it is a matter of interest! If our data is obtained prematurely and someone intercepts our work, reporting it ahead of time to the Quest Realm or the War God Hall, then all our efforts will go up in smoke!" Bai Feng scoffed, "Perhaps some people would say, 'It's all for humanity, why distinguish between us and them?' Laughable! Talk is cheap when you're standing on the sidelines! Ask them to hand over their cultivation techniques, to divide their family fortunes among us—would they agree?" Turning to Su Yu, Bai Feng said solemnly, "Su Yu, remember this: never let yourself be seduced by such high-sounding righteousness! It's preposterous! The All Races Sect has a whole contingent of such people—utterly ridiculous fools who never contribute anything yet constantly demand that every academy and prefecture make public all secret scriptures, battle arts, and martial techniques... they even clamor for shared resources..." Bai Feng sneered, "They never stop to think: what have they ever contributed? A bunch of ignorant clowns joining in the clamor, whining, 'Why do others have it while we don't?'" Su Yu scratched his head and said dryly, "Master... our lineage..." Bai Feng glared at him, knowing what he wanted to say, and snapped, "Get lost! Are we the same as them? What we demand is fair treatment from the academy! No deliberate suppression. Whatever others receive, we should receive. For equal contributions, we shouldn't get less than anyone else! It's not like we don't contribute merit points—how do you think merit points are earned? Through contribution! It's not taking without giving!" "Don't lump us together with the All Races Sect, you idiot!" Bai Feng scolded. "And who says we haven't contributed? Your martial uncle oversees the Cangshu Pavilion—do you think that isn't a contribution? Your grandmaster focuses wholeheartedly on research. The academy has plenty of researchers, and a researcher's primary duty is to conduct research; otherwise, why call them researchers? Everyone performs their respective roles!" "Those people in the academy are merely looking for trouble. Which faction doesn't have people conducting research? Nobody criticizes them, yet your grandmaster is attacked time and again!" Bai Feng said in a deep voice, "Over the decades, while our research institute hasn't produced an overwhelming number of results, it has produced plenty enough to maintain its standing. They simply use our unfinished work on innate skills as an excuse to deliberately fault us. What did you think?" Bai Feng continued testily, "To say nothing else, the transfer of divine character traits, divine character stripping, blood essence preservation, the utilization of discarded willpower texts... all these technologies were provided by our research institute. They deliberately turn a blind eye, but these techniques are applied across numerous fields!" "Yet now, the outside world assumes we were only glorious decades ago and are coasting on the academy's past laurels. How laughable! The academy only provides a tiny stipend each year; most of the funding was procured by your grandmaster himself. How did we become a useless research institute?" Bai Feng's tone was unkind as he sneered, "Any single technique from our institute is vastly superior to those so-called high-end institutes! Those institutes are the ones truly living off the academy's past glory. Useless at research, though not bad at cooking—I've tasted their Fire Swine dishes before, and honestly, the flavor wasn't half bad!" "..." Su Yu wanted to laugh, but held it in. Chen Yong was caught between tears and laughter as well. He gave a soft cough, cutting Bai Feng off, and said, "Let's not dwell on that. Su Yu's plan... might actually be worth pursuing. Let's see if we can draw out a few characters, perhaps even people from the All Races Sect!" Chen Yong said seriously, "If data from our research institute is leaked, the ones interested won't just be certain researchers in the academy—it might also include individuals with ulterior motives!" "The technique of using blood essence to unleash innate skills... Wanshi-level is one thing, but once it reaches Tengkong-level explosive power, the implications are entirely different!" Chen Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Bai Feng, we can test the waters. Of course, we'll use falsified data. If it fails, so be it. If it succeeds, we can lure out a few people and see who surfaces. Even if we can't confirm their identities, it will at least put us on our guard!" Bai Feng hesitated. "Will they believe it?" "Hard to say..." Pausing, Chen Yong suddenly added, "How about this: rest for a few days, then go into seclusion in the secret realm! Don't linger around the research institute. Since breaking through to the seventh stage, you haven't cultivated at all. Strive to reach the eighth stage as soon as possible. Even Liu Hong has reached the eighth stage while you're still at the seventh—you're too slow!" "If you aren't at the research institute, Su Yu taking data will appear far more credible!" "If I leave right now, won't people be suspicious?" "It doesn't matter!" Chen Yong smiled. "Conveniently, wait a few more days before Su Yu issues the challenge to Zheng Yunhui. Leaving a few days in advance won't draw attention. It's precisely because you left that Su Yu had the opportunity to take the materials, isn't that right?" Bai Feng nodded, then remarked, "There's still a flaw. Su Yu's strength is still a bit lacking. If he were seventh-stage Qianjun, there would be no question, but fifth-stage Qianjun..." "At seventh-stage Qianjun, his victory would be virtually guaranteed!" Chen Yong smiled. "If his win were guaranteed, how could he possibly lose the data..." Bai Feng nodded once more, finally adding, "Senior Brother, I'm afraid that once the news leaks, this kid will run into trouble. Could someone take desperate risks?" "Unlikely. This is inside the academy, not the outside world. Here, they will only use standard means to obtain it; they would never make a direct move themselves. Otherwise, do you really think the Heart Cultivation Pavilion is just sitting around doing nothing?" With that, he smiled and said, "So if Su Yu's plan truly succeeds, obtaining a sum of merit points is guaranteed. And five thousand points... that's looking down on the Research Center far too much. Adding a zero might be difficult, but securing ten thousand or more shouldn't be hard at all!" He looked at Su Yu again, feeling both gratified and deeply impressed. This martial nephew of his was exceedingly daring. He was nowhere near as simple and honest as he appeared; even Chen Yong had nearly been fooled. "Then we'll do as Senior Brother says..." Bai Feng nodded and turned toward Su Yu, suddenly sounding unsure. "You won't reach seventh-stage Qianjun by the day of the match, win the blood essence directly, and scam Zheng Yunhui, will you? Boy, if you do that, the Zheng family will come knocking right at our door. Three drops of Lingyun Realm god and demon blood essence make even my eyes green with envy, but if you truly harbor such thoughts..." Bai Feng shivered at the thought. "That fellow Zheng Ping will definitely go berserk, and I certainly can't hold him off! Only your grandmaster's return would stand a chance!" "..." Su Yu wore an innocent expression. *No, I have no such intentions!* Still, his teacher's words made an awful lot of sense! *What if I actually win?* *Then... those three drops of blood essence would belong to me?* "Teacher, how much is one drop of Lingyun Realm god and demon blood essence worth?" Bai Feng bared his teeth. *Damn it, asking me the price—could you really be thinking of doing that?* "A Tengkong-level drop costs at least a thousand merit points, and you can only buy it on the black market; everywhere else, it's a restricted resource. Lingyun-level... is similar, only slightly higher, but not by much because it's used similarly for Qianjun foundation building... Still, it isn't cheap. One drop is definitely worth fifteen hundred points, and there's demand with no supply!" "Once it truly surfaces, it's not a question of money. Even with all the merit points in the world, you might not be able to buy it. Understand?" "Understood!" Su Yu nodded, his eyes gleaming! *So expensive!* Three drops would be worth at least five thousand merit points! And they were the kind where demand far outstripped supply; in an actual transaction, the price could be even higher. "Teacher, if I accidentally win..." Bai Feng felt his head throb. "You'd better just drop the match, boy. I can't hold them off! Even your martial uncle would struggle! The Zheng family only has those few drops of god race blood essence, and they've bragged about them for years. If you swipe them, how could they not come after you for trouble!" "Of course, if your grandmaster were here, winning would be fine. Scamming it away would just be a display of skill..." Bai Feng tacked on that last sentence! It wasn't that they couldn't scam them; it was simply that they couldn't do it right now. Hong Tan wasn't at home. If Zheng Ping came pounding on their door, they wouldn't be able to withstand him. Even if they took the matter to the academy, the end result would likely just benefit the academy. For no other reason than that private duels involving contraband would result in total confiscation! Su Yu felt a touch of regret. *Forget it, I'll drop the idea. I'm not that kind of person.* *Winning against Zheng Yunhui... how embarrassing would that be? After all, we're comrades fighting on the same front!*