A Sight to Break Hearts and Bring Tears

On the second floor of the dojo. The floor was shattered; the walls were crumbling. Blood poured incessantly from Zheng Yunhui's mouth. His internal organs were heavily damaged, and his face showed a mixture of disbelief and fury! He was a monstrous prodigy! The strongest heir of the Zheng family's current generation! He had considered that he might lose—lose to Xia Chan, lose to Wan Mingze... Naturally, he had been confident that his own chances of victory were greater! Yet today, facing a fellow at the fifth layer of the Qianjun Realm, he had actually capsized! "Su Yu..." Looking at Su Yu, who finally wore a smile, Zheng Yunhui struggled to stand. With blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, he laughed. "You think... you've won for sure?" Panting for breath, Su Yu smiled. "I never thought that. I'm not afraid of you turning the tables; I just wanted to say... eighth-layer Qianjun... is nothing special!" *Nothing special!* *Nothing special!* Those words echoed in Zheng Yunhui's ears. Eighth-layer Qianjun! Three layers higher than him! Zheng Yunhui gritted his teeth. *Yes, eighth-layer Qianjun, nothing special!* "You're right... but... today... I must win!" Zheng Yunhui let out a low roar! He had to win! If he couldn't even defeat someone weaker than himself, how could he, Zheng Yunhui, compete with the prodigies of this era? "Su Yu!" "You think you've won for sure!" With a guttural growl, Yuan Qi converged around him! Apertures all over his body gleamed with light! Eighth-layer Qianjun lit up ninety-six apertures! He had only recently broken through to the eighth layer! Yet now, the ninety-six glowing dots on his body were not enough. In the next moment, previously dim apertures began to shine! A flash of flush surfaced, and Zheng Yunhui's face turned beet red! *Thump, thump, thump!* The sound of a beating heart resonated through the training room. "Su Yu, you think you've won for sure?" Zheng Yunhui stepped toward Su Yu. With one step, an unopened aperture lit up. With two steps, two apertures opened! "You think members of the Zheng family give up so easily?" A third aperture opened! "You think scions of prominent families only know how to eat, drink, and wait to die?" A fourth aperture opened! …… At this moment, the experts casually observing the battle no longer held the slightest disdain. Two monstrous geniuses were fighting with the intensity of the Wanshi Realm. Right now, the battle had not ended; rather, it was escalating. "That Zheng brat!" Jia Mingzhen could not help but curse under his breath. "His desire to win is too fierce! He actually used a secret technique to open apertures temporarily. Even if he wins, he'll need months of recovery!" Beside him, the female elder said softly, "I'm more interested in that little fellow Su Yu. Fifth-layer Qianjun, yet he forced Zheng Yunhui to resort to a secret art... Can Xia Chan and Wan Mingze handle him?" As soon as she said this, the others fell silent. This year's class really had too many monstrous talents. One after another, at such a young age, they all possessed Wanshi-level combat prowess—especially Su Yu, whose progress defied all expectations. …… On the third floor. The middle-aged man from the Xia family looked solemn. Turning his head toward Xia Huyou, he said, "Both of these brats are your formidable rivals!" "No!" Xia Huyou smiled. "They're friends, partners, great business partners. I like them! Being strong makes things interesting! Doing business with the strong is real big business—I love that!" The middle-aged man chuckled. "Huyou, do you think Chan'er can beat them?" "Not right now!" Xia Huyou replied bluntly. "Not even if she uses the Heaven Opening Blade! Xia Chan has been through too few life-and-death battles. She always thinks a spar is just a spar, and a slaughter is a slaughter... Facing these two brutes, a moment's hesitation and she'll be severely injured!" The middle-aged man nodded slightly. That was true. Xia Chan had seen blood, but she was a woman after all, somewhat indecisive, lacking the sheer ruthlessness of these two boys. The moment they clashed, they fought as if their lives depended on it! Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a mortal fight to the death, when in reality, it was just a sparring match. Ruthless! …… Elsewhere. Zhou Pingsheng had remained silent until he suddenly spoke up: "Su Yu must be suppressed! Absolutely!" Liu Hong nodded slightly. Zhou Pingsheng said coldly, "He's only been enrolled for a little over a month, yet he nearly defeated Zheng Yunhui!" Watching Zheng Yunhui's aura surge on the screen, on the verge of stepping into ninth-layer Qianjun, Zhou Pingsheng felt wary, yet also somewhat relieved. The Zheng boy had used a secret art; victory was assured! Su Yu was already at his wit's end. At this moment, even Liu Hong began to doubt himself. *Did I guess wrong?* *Did Su Yu dare to accept the challenge because of his tier-two divine character, giving him the confidence to win?* *Did I guess wrong? Is the data real?* He doubted his own judgment. Previously, he had felt Su Yu could not possibly win, yet facts showed that Su Yu had nearly won! Of course, looking at the situation now, Su Yu was certain to lose. …… Su Yu was severely wounded. His waist, chest, and legs were all injured; his Yuan Qi was depleted, and his willpower was exhausted. Deploying a tier-two divine character had cost him immensely. Having failed to crush Zheng Yunhui, he was already running on empty. Especially now, as Zheng Yunhui opened new apertures and ascended to the ninth layer of Qianjun, Su Yu seemed to have run out of options. Looking at Zheng Yunhui drawing closer, Su Yu smiled. Zheng Yunhui frowned. *Still smiling?!* *You bastard, you agreed to forfeit! You beat me this badly and still dare to smile?* *I'll beat you to a pulp!* *With my injuries and the technique's backlash, I'll probably need to recuperate for ages. There's no way in hell I'm letting you off easy!* Ignoring him, Su Yu summoned his cultural weapon knife, which expanded instantly into a full saber. "You... are tough as nails!" Su Yu gave a chuckle. The next moment, lightning crackled across the saber! "Thunderous Movement!" With a low roar, the "Thunder" divine character erupted with brilliant radiance! The saber shot through the air! Thunder Yuan Saber! The Yuan Qi in his other apertures had run dry, but... Su Yu had opened additional apertures—those belonging to the Thunder Yuan Saber. *Willpower... you think I've completely spent it all?* *What a joke!* The "Thunder" divine character paired with the Thunder Yuan Saber was an absolute match. In this instant, the strike arrived without warning! A saber strike cleaving with thunder! Shocked and furious, Zheng Yunhui bellowed, unleashing his Yuan Qi as he swung his blade in a sweeping slash! *Boom!* With a deafening explosion, Zheng Yunhui was charred black in the blink of an eye. The martial weapon he had been using groaned and creaked, showing signs of shattering! At the same time, light gleamed once more upon Su Yu's mangled hand! The activation of blood essence lasted far longer than just that brief moment! Enduring the agonizing pain of torn flesh on his palms, Su Yu kicked off the ground with his injured foot, lunging at Zheng Yunhui! "Get lost!" Infuriated, Zheng Yunhui discarded his blade and threw a punch straight at Su Yu! *Bang!* Fist met claws. Su Yu's hands hooked like talons, tearing flesh and blood from Zheng Yunhui's knuckles! *Bang!* Roaring, Zheng Yunhui disregarded his own wounds and unleashed another punch, sending Su Yu flying back with a sickening crack as his ribs fractured! Su Yu crashed to the floor, coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Zheng Yunhui dropped to one knee, wheezing heavily. "Damn it... you... can still fight?!" He was on the verge of a mental breakdown! Even after all this, the guy could still fight? What kind of monster was he? Su Yu's chest heaved up and down, proving he was still alive. Moments later, he struggled to crawl back up and grinned. "*Cough*... Zheng Yunhui... I can take a beating... far better than you think!" *Buzz!* The saber rose from the ground once more, rocketing straight toward Zheng Yunhui's head. *Bang!* Zheng Yunhui threw a punch, deflecting the saber. Fresh blood smeared over his knuckles, and he couldn't help but curse, "You cheated... Did you take some medicine that surges willpower?!" Impossible! This bastard had fought to this point and used a tier-two divine character, yet he could still command his willpower? He refused to accept it! It was fake! He was cheating! "Heh..." Su Yu couldn't be bothered to answer, continuing to maneuver the saber to harry him relentlessly. Furious, Zheng Yunhui repeatedly blasted the saber away with his fists. The battle was not over yet! …… At this moment, the exact same words echoed across several locations. "Expanding Will Art!" Jia Mingzhen, Chen Yong, the middle-aged man of the Xia family... all muttered it under their breath. It was definitely the Expanding Will Art! Su Yu's willpower endurance was terrifying. His fullness level upon just reaching the Yangxing Realm was more enduring than even Zheng Yunhui's. What was the meaning of this? Zhao Li! Zhao Li had actually passed down the Expanding Will Art to this kid! On the third floor, Zhou Pingsheng's face turned pale. He muttered, "Zhao Li! Damn it! How did that old man get involved with this brat... This is troublesome!" Zhao Li was at the seventh layer of Lingyun, the same cultivation realm as him. Yet consider who he was! The son of the Fourth Principal! The true owner of the Yuan Qi Secret Realm! Yes, the owner of the Yuan Qi Secret Realm. The Fourth Principal had descendants, so the secret realm naturally belonged to his progeny. Zhao Li simply hadn't cared, letting the academy manage it after it was taken over back then. Yet in name, it still belonged to Zhao Li. The Yuan Qi Secret Realm... If Zhao Li ever decided to reclaim it, what would the academy do? Even Wan Tiansheng had to treat him with kid gloves. Moreover, he was the Great Xia Prefecture's second weapon-forging master with hopes of forging Earth-rank cultural weapons; his status was not a whit lower than any elder's. Zhou Pingsheng's gaze grew gloomy! Su Yu had actually formed ties with Zhao Li. "Isn't he just an elective student?" Zhou Pingsheng growled in a low voice. "How could he receive Zhao Li's true legacy?" Liu Hong truly wasn't well-versed in the matter and couldn't help asking, "Zhao Li? True legacy?" "The Expanding Will Art!" Zhou Pingsheng said coldly. "Su Yu's willpower is far too thick; it shouldn't be possible at his level! He must have practiced the Expanding Will Art, Zhao Li's exclusive cultivation method. It's a rare willpower cultivation technique that can be practiced without reaching the Tengkong Realm, not inferior even to the academy's Ten Thousand Characters Classic." "There's such a thing...?" Liu Hong genuinely hadn't known. His eyes flickered. *How come I had no clue about this?* Zhou Pingsheng paid him no further attention, looking back at the screen. The saber continued its relentless assault on Zheng Yunhui. Even though Zheng Yunhui had broken through temporarily, his heavy wounds were taking their toll, and his aura was now waning. Once those temporary apertures closed, his strength would plummet. Who knew how much longer Su Yu could hold out? "Could Zheng Yunhui actually lose?" At this moment, Zhou Pingsheng could not help but entertain the thought, feeling incredulous. Zheng Yunhui, losing? "Impossible. Within thirty seconds, Zheng Yunhui will drain Su Yu's willpower, even if he practiced the Expanding Will Art!" …… Thirty seconds later. Zheng Yunhui's face turned ashen. Watching the saber hurtling toward him once more, he broke into furious curses: "Su Yu, fuck your ancestors!" "Tell me, are you fucking about to reach Tengkong?!" "Tell me!" He roared in rage! This bastard had been fighting with willpower for so long, yet he could still keep going? Where was the justice in the world? There was none! Su Yu offered a slight smile, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. Just as he was about to speak, Zheng Yunhui suddenly clamped his bare hand around the saber. Ignoring its struggles as it slashed into his palm, he kicked Su Yu backward! "Fuck you!" "Come at me!" Zheng Yunhui went berserk, grabbing the saber once more. Blood dripped freely from his hands. The blade vibrated violently, yet could not break free. "Come on!" He charged at Su Yu again, stomping downward! Su Yu rolled away, covered in grime! "Fight me with your physical body!" *Boom!* The floor cracked! "What kind of hero uses willpower!" The watching experts were speechless, cursing inwardly. *You motherfucker, this is a spar between Civilization Masters, and you actually say that?!* *This brat... truly is a seed of the old Zheng family!* *Bang!* Another stomp came down. Su Yu couldn't dodge in time, and Zheng Yunhui's foot slammed onto his chest. As excruciating pain shot through him, Su Yu gritted his teeth, grabbed Zheng Yunhui's leg, and bit down hard! "Aaaah!" Zheng Yunhui screamed in agony, cursing loudly, "Let go!" *Squelch!* With his focus broken, the saber shrank, pierced right through his palm, and shot straight toward his throat! Gritting his teeth with a savage roar, Zheng Yunhui snapped his head down and caught the short blade between his teeth! His gums shook, blood flowing freely! At this moment, both had turned into men of blood! Staging a show? Who would believe that?! Right now, even Liu Hong felt he had overthought things. This wasn't an act; these two brats were fighting to kill each other! If no one stopped them, one of them was going to end up dead! Both were far too ruthless! Zheng Yunhui had completely lost his mind, letting Su Yu gnaw on his leg while stomping harder and harder on Su Yu's chest! Neither uttered a sound; neither had the chance to speak! One was biting a cultural weapon with his teeth! Blood bubbled from Su Yu's mouth as his bite gradually weakened... After about a minute of this standoff... Su Yu released his jaw and gasped feebly, "I forfeit!" No more fighting! He couldn't fight any longer. If they went on, this bastard would beat him to death—though Zheng Yunhui wouldn't walk away easily either! Strictly speaking, Zheng Yunhui had proved slightly superior. Every time Su Yu erupted, Zheng Yunhui weathered the storm and pushed back. Zheng Yunhui had essentially stayed on the defensive, yet he had still beaten Su Yu to a pulp. Su Yu had no desire to contest it any further. Continuing the fight would only worsen his injuries and hinder his future cultivation. As soon as he spoke, Zheng Yunhui pulled his leg back, squatted on the ground clutching his shin, and fat tears suddenly poured down his cheeks! "Motherfucker!" He was crying! He looked at his calf, where a chunk of flesh had nearly been torn away. Then he looked at his chest—broken bones, and another patch of missing flesh. Then he looked at his hands, dripping with blood! His teeth hurt like hell! *Pfft...* He spat out a mouthful of blood along with a large white tooth! His back burned with pain! From Su Yu's earlier illusion ambush, his back felt like it had been punched straight through! With a tooth gone, his speech leaked air. Zheng Yunhui glared at Su Yu, who lay panting nearby, his face pale green with rage. He wanted to beat him to death! Right now! Beat him to death with his bare hands! He had won... but damn it all, the win felt miserable! Su Yu would need at least a month to recover, while he... would need at least three months because of the temporary secret art. Who had really drawn the short straw here? He had even lost a tooth! An eighth-layer Qianjun! Beaten into this state! This hadn't even been a fight to the death; otherwise, Su Yu definitely wouldn't have forfeited. At the end of it, Su Yu might have died by his hands, but he... would likely have been completely crippled. Zheng Yunhui gritted his teeth, which only made them hurt more! Su Yu glanced at him, somewhat at a loss for words. A grown man was actually crying—ridiculous! Zheng Yunhui ignored him; it hurt too much! The pain was excruciating! "Don't play tough... I don't believe it doesn't hurt you!" Zheng Yunhui snapped in exasperation. "We're done fighting, why aren't you crying?!" "Are you mental?" Su Yu muttered under his breath. Why should he cry? He was just injured, not dead. Even dying didn't hurt that much; it was just a split-second sensation. Dying in that split second might even feel a bit relieving, since he wouldn't have to get tortured anymore! Thus, neither spoke another word. The room grew terrifyingly quiet. After a long time, Zheng Yunhui said dejectedly, "My win didn't feel satisfying... Next time, let's fight again..." "There won't be a next time," Su Yu said calmly. "If this is your strength, next time... I will defeat you in a single strike!" Zheng Yunhui was struck speechless. He ground his teeth, which flared with pain all over again! Only now, as the onlookers outside were practically on fire with impatience, did he finally remember the main business. Cursing, he said, "I won. Hurry up and prove to me that the data is real!" "Wait a moment!" "You trying to renege?" At this moment, on the third floor and outside, several people almost went mad! Su Yu was reneging? Su Yu said feebly, "In my condition, how do you expect me to prepare it? At least wait until I can stand up!" He couldn't even stand! This was the first time he had fought to such absolute exhaustion. …… Half an hour later, Su Yu stood up. The experts watching in secret were moved to tears of relief. If they hadn't been forbidden from revealing themselves, they would have rushed in to heal Su Yu personally. That half-hour had been pure agony! The old instructor entered the room and clicked his tongue at the wreckage. These two brats... Truly formidable! He had been in the Yangxing Realm for years; while his physical body hadn't reached Wanshi, his willpower had reached the peak of Yangxing. Yet seeing the devastation, the old instructor seriously wondered if he could even win against them. A spar... How was this a spar?! Looking at the two of them covered in blood, riddled with cuts and lacerations—who in the world sparred like this?! *These two kids... already have Top 100 Rankings strength!* The old instructor possessed decent judgment. He guessed quietly to himself: he hadn't heard of them, so they weren't familiar faces; were they freshmen? Freshmen with such power? No wonder so many experts had come to watch! Not daring to say much, he left the items he had purchased and swiftly exited the room. Zheng Yunhui stared intently at Su Yu. Without wasting words, Su Yu tossed him the jade talisman he had set down earlier. "I've unlocked the password. Check the ingredients yourself..." Zheng Yunhui scanned it for a while, seeing the dense lines of tiny characters. Then he looked at the items Su Yu had received and nodded slightly. "The materials are all here. Are you sure this can concoct talent blood essence?" "Nonsense!" Su Yu glanced around and whispered, "I'll brew it for you right now..." With that, he looked around once more. "Nobody's monitoring this place, right?" Zheng Yunhui said uncertainly, "Probably not?" "Whatever, the stuff belongs to you anyway!" Saying no more, Su Yu took a basin, crushed several ores, and conveniently showed his bare arms to Zheng Yunhui. "I haven't hidden any pre-made blood essence, so don't claim I'm cheating you later!" Zheng Yunhui nodded. *No shit, if you hid something, wouldn't I be able to see it?* Su Yu continued tinkering! Adding a bit of soy sauce, tossing in some spices, dropping in various medicines... At this moment, everyone was watching unblinkingly! Soon, however, they began to lose track of what he was doing! Su Yu tossed in more and more bizarre things. Then, he suddenly said, "This requires the assistance of divine characters. The document describes the divine character resonance. When you concoct it, you must coordinate with divine characters. Don't forget, a single mistake means complete failure!" As he spoke, his divine characters fluctuated. Willpower churned through the hodgepodge in the basin! After a while, the concoction in the basin was kneaded into a dough-like ball. Enclosed inside were several drops of blood essence! With a solemn face, Su Yu barked, "*Hah!*" His willpower seemed to manifest as a hammer! Striking the dough repeatedly... following Old Zhao's forging technique step by step. The dough grew smaller and smaller under the strikes! Smaller and smaller! The next instant, the dough cracked open, revealing the few drops of blood essence sealed within—among which was Ironwing Bird blood essence. Su Yu frowned. "I can't guarantee success every time, nor that every drop will turn into talent blood essence. I'll test it to show you..." With that, he swallowed a drop of blood essence. Su Yu's face flushed red as the blood essence went down. His meridians bulged and his physical frame trembled. After a moment, wearing a disappointed expression, he shook his head. "This drop didn't work!" Zheng Yunhui grew anxious! The onlookers grew anxious too! Failed? "Is this brat bluffing?" Jia Mingzhen could not help but curse under his breath. "If this actually works, I'll eat this table! This brat... Is this really the blood essence refinement method Hong Tan spent decades researching?" The others were equally dumbfounded! Was it fake?! What kind of nonsense was this! Su Yu swallowed another drop. His face flushed red as he absorbed the energy of the blood essence, exhaled, and said gloomily, "Didn't work either..." "Are you bullshitting me?!" Zheng Yunhui shouted in fury. He fumed, "This one fails, that one fails—are you swindling me?" That question voiced the exact suspicion in everyone's minds. Su Yu frowned. "What's the rush? There's still one drop left. I'll test it again. If it fails, I'll concoct another batch..." "Get lost! Three hundred merit points, and you hand me this garbage?" Zheng Yunhui was both anxious and enraged. *What the hell are you playing at?!* *If you can't pull it off, don't test it! Others were still wondering whether it was real, but now, this looks completely fake!* "What's the rush!" Su Yu snapped irritably. "Different blood essences have different success rates. We tested Ironwing Bird blood essence the most, so if it succeeds... I feel this one has the highest probability!" With that, he swallowed the Ironwing Bird blood essence. This time, Su Yu's meridians didn't bulge violently. His expression shifted, and those on the upper floor could sense that the blood essence aura on him was not particularly thick. At this moment, everyone held their breath! The next second, Su Yu suddenly thrust out a claw! With a loud bang, Zheng Yunhui was sent flying! Su Yu grabbed a nearby ore, and with a crisp crack, the stone crumbled into powder! …… "Wanshi!" "The Tear ability!" In this instant, everyone was stunned! It succeeded? Damn it all, it actually worked? Just hammering it like that, and it succeeded? What the hell! It was real! That data was real! …… At this moment, on the top floor of the Heart Cultivation Pavilion. An old man sprayed a mouthful of tea across the floor. "Are you kidding me?" Wan Tiansheng was utterly flabbergasted! *Are you kidding me?!* *Do you take me for a child?* *You roll out a lump of dough, hammer it with Old Zhao's blacksmithing technique, wiggle your divine characters a few times, and produce talent blood essence?* *Are you shitting me?!* Yet he could swear that this blood essence had genuinely just been purchased. Could he, the grand principal, have misjudged it? If so, he might as well gouge out his own eyes! "I..." Wan Tiansheng felt like cursing, but didn't even know whom to curse. Was it real or fake? Even he was confused! The next moment, his gaze snapped toward another location—Chen Yong! He sensed Chen Yong's state... In the teahouse, Chen Yong, who had remained calm all along, smashed his teapot with a bang. Standing up to wipe the table, he smashed the table with another bang. Even an honest man like Chen Yong was dumbfounded! *Master, did you develop a second method to produce talent blood essence?* *How come I had no idea about this method? It's so simple!* *Like steaming buns, he just made talent blood essence out of thin air!* Chen Yong failed to control his strength, shattering a whole pile of things—plainly, he was just as stunned. Wan Tiansheng was somewhat dazed. What was going on? Chen Yong clearly didn't know either! He too had been shocked by Su Yu's crude production method! "Is that data... real or fake?" At this moment, he suddenly recalled the day he went to observe the Yangxing Garden and saw the kid cultivating—devouring blood essence to train! "Could it be... the effect of a special divine character?" Su Yu's divine characters had fluctuated just now! Could that be the reason? As for the rest, was it all misdirection? In any case, he refused to believe that talent blood essence could be manufactured this way. It was far too absurd, a complete insult to Hong Tan's reputation! If Hong Tan's decades of research had merely developed talent blood essence like this, Wan Tiansheng would want to jump off a cliff! If Hong Tan were here himself, he'd probably throw himself off the roof! "This kid... is setting a trap!" Wan Tiansheng was speechless! Chen Yong was nearby; he was certain this was done entirely to fleece people. To tell the truth, though, had he not seen Chen Yong's reaction, even he would have started questioning his life. Could it not be a trick? Wan Tiansheng stroked his chin and chuckled softly. *Let you all raise a fuss as you please!* *Still, all the experts in the vicinity today have fallen within my sight!* Who came and who didn't—he knew every single one. Wan Tiansheng gave a soft scoff. Among them, there were definitely scoundrels from the All-Races Sect! "Fine, I won't ruin your plans. Who told you all to be so poor... Still, that Zheng brat won't find it easy to leave..." Wan Tiansheng murmured softly. *Sell your goods; I won't stop you!* *However... hehe, you'd better leave the blood essence behind!* *That data is one hundred percent fake, but the blood essence is real!* "I'll just watch the show, wait for the dust to settle, and take the blood essence... Nobody will know it was me!" They had fought right on his doorstep. Unauthorized dueling, illicit gambling—he had every justification to confiscate it! As for the merit points they earned, he wouldn't touch those; that was generous enough! After all, putting on an act wasn't easy; they had fought practically to the death, so they deserved some compensation. If he took everything, how could he cast a long line to catch the big fish later? Wan Tiansheng nodded with a smile. *I truly am a good person!* *You fought so hard and acted with such exhaustion; I'll let you keep the merit points. What a benevolent soul I am!* *A principal as benevolent as me is one of a kind under the heavens!* "Earned five drops of god race blood essence. Today wasn't a bad day after all..." Wan Tiansheng murmured softly. Not bad—watching the show hadn't been in vain!