Divine Character Competition

Inside the Secret Character Hall. After speaking his mind, Su Yu said nothing more. Empty threats were useless, and he couldn't beat Liu Hong anyway. Still, Su Yu mentally added a few more strikes against the man in his little black book. If he was an undercover agent, they could talk it out. If he wasn't... then they would definitely have to have a serious talk! ... In the hall, the instructors began overseeing the lottery. With nearly two hundred people, it was a small-scale competition and not overly formal. They had simply brought out a sheet-metal tin filled with numbered slips. An instructor called out loudly, "Number 1 faces Number 2, Number 3 faces Number 4... and so on! There are 198 participants present today, paired up one against one. If anyone forfeits after drawing their number, they will be declared the loser and their opponent the winner!" A student shouted, "Instructor, if someone has a clairvoyant divine character, couldn't they just look right through the tin?" A few people chuckled! Up on the platform, a researcher replied directly, "That's their own skill! If someone can see through it and choose whoever they want to fight, that's their ability. This is a divine character competition—if someone has a clairvoyant divine character, are we supposed to forbid them from using it?" At those words, everyone fell silent. It actually made some sense. However, a few female students couldn't take it and anxiously chimed in, "Instructor, are there really clairvoyant divine characters?" "..." The researcher paused for a moment before saying, "Of course they exist. Naturally, freshmen might not have one. Even if someone does, the target of their spying would feel something. You are all Civilization Masters, and with willpower shielding your bodies, peeping on someone isn't that easy!" At this, the students exchanged uneasy glances, and several girls began looking around suspiciously. It was as if anyone who looked at them for an extra second possessed a clairvoyant divine character. ... Su Yu remained silent. When the instructor carried the tin over, Su Yu coated his hand in willpower and reached into the metal container. He pulled out a slip of paper, gripped it tightly in his palm, and didn't unfold it. That way, no one could target him based on it! Though he knew taking first place wouldn't be easy, saving energy during the opening rounds was best. In the crowd, Xia Huyou squeezed through until he reached Su Yu's side, whispering, "What number did you get? Let me see who your opponent is so I know whether to open a book on it." Su Yu rolled his eyes, ignoring him. Seeing this, Xia Huyou said with slight regret, "Fine, I'll take bets on someone else! Su Yu, your chances for first place look bleak this time. The Willpower College has a monster, and the Divine Talisman College has one too. Their willpower fullness is almost over ninety percent. They might not have many divine characters, but even a single one would be extremely strong." "Students in the Willpower College cultivate divine characters too?" Su Yu was surprised. Xia Huyou shrugged. "How should I know? Who knows if they secretly cultivated one? It happens." Su Yu nodded and stopped asking. If they did, so be it. Not to mention other colleges, even their Divine Character College had plenty of formidable figures. While they were speaking, Liu Hong and the others activated a mechanism in the hall. In the center of the room, an enormous sphere slowly rose from the floor. Liu Hong announced clearly, "This is the Secret Character Realm! It was formed from a divine character left behind by an expert at the peak of the Shanhai Realm. It borders on the Sun and Moon Realm. Only in the Sun and Moon Realm can one leave behind an eternal divine character; at the peak of the Shanhai Realm, one can only maintain this state—transforming into a world without fully materializing!" Su Yu looked at the sphere and sensed the presence of immense willpower! The sphere appeared transparent, and shapes could faintly be seen inside, though not clearly. Liu Hong spoke again. "You will enter in pairs to clash! If one side surrenders, they may exit voluntarily! If you are locked in battle and a victor cannot be determined, the time limit is ten minutes. The Secret Character Realm will display two different colors; whoever's color holds the advantage after ten minutes will be the winner!" He pointed at the sphere. Once two people entered the formation, the sphere would display their respective colors. Who held the advantage would be obvious at a glance. Of course, dramatic turnarounds happened frequently. Before the ten-minute mark, victory and defeat depended entirely on who exited first. After explaining the rules, Liu Hong shouted, "Number 1 and Number 2, enter the formation!" As the words fell, two figures stepped forward. Cries of surprise rippled through the crowd! "Xia Chan!" "Qi Chong!" Su Yu naturally knew Xia Chan. As for Qi Chong, he vaguely recalled hearing people mention him as the number-one genius of this year's Beast Taming College. He had entered with a top-high evaluation, his willpower fullness was eighty percent, and he had nearly scored a thousand points during admissions. The very first match was a clash between two top geniuses! The students' interest was instantly piqued! ... Up on the platform. The researchers conversed in low voices among themselves. A Lingyun Third Layer expert from the Beast Taming College watched Qi Chong walk out and sighed helplessly. "Tough luck. With Qi Chong's strength, he stood a decent chance of making the top ten, but he ran into Xia Chan right away." A competition of divine characters came down to willpower and the strength of the characters themselves. The Beast Taming College did not focus on divine characters. While freshmen were generally on similar footing, taming beasts still ate up time. Qi Chong was inherently behind Xia Chan, so his defeat was practically guaranteed. "It just depends on how long Qi Chong can hold out. The gap in willpower isn't massive; Xia Chan hasn't reached ninety percent yet either..." As they spoke, Xia Chan walked to one side of the sphere, her expression cold and proud. Without a word of greeting, she submerged her willpower straight into the sphere. An instant later, the entire sphere turned red. Liu Hong quickly reminded them, "Upon entering, there is a three-second grace period where no clashes between willpower and divine characters will occur. So the two participants must enter within three seconds of each other, or the first to enter will gain the upper hand!" Without needing further prompting, the youth named Qi Chong took on a grim expression and quickly sank his willpower in as well. Half of the sphere instantly turned yellow. Red was Xia Chan, and yellow was Qi Chong. Su Yu and the others stared intently at the sphere, yet they couldn't see what was happening inside; they could only watch the two colors ripple across the surface. Su Yu felt a trace of regret. What a pity! This was how things were before divine characters materialized. Even in battle, an external medium was required for them to truly make contact; otherwise, unmaterialized divine characters remained invisible. Just as he was thinking this, an outcry erupted! Su Yu snapped back to attention and looked toward the sphere! The red, which had previously occupied only half the space, swallowed the yellow in an instant, covering and consuming it! In the physical room, Qi Chong kept his eyes closed. His face went pale, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead to the floor! In less than ten seconds, with a muffled gasp, Qi Chong spat out a mouthful of blood. He opened his eyes and looked across at the still-aloof Xia Chan, his expression thoroughly defeated. By now, the sphere had turned completely red! Xia Chan had won! The hall fell utterly silent. The students from the Beast Taming College all looked pale. Qi Chong was the strongest student in their college! Yet running into Xia Chan in the first match, he hadn't even lasted ten seconds before being effortlessly defeated! Qi Chong was equally despondent. He glanced at Xia Chan, hung his head, and quietly retreated into the crowd. The loss had been devastating! "The monster students are terrifying!" a student beside Su Yu marvelled. There had barely been any delay; in the blink of an eye, Qi Chong had lost! Su Yu's ears twitched slightly. Nearby, someone was asking Qi Chong what had happened. Su Yu heard Qi Chong whisper, "Too strong... It was a God Race 'Break' divine character. It shattered mine in an instant. I suspect it's about to advance to tier-2. If any of you face her... and don't want to get hurt, just surrender!" Su Yu's eyes narrowed slightly. A God Race divine character! And the character was "Break." It was clearly an offensive divine character, which was how it had shattered the opponent's character so cleanly. Judging by Qi Chong's condition, however, he had only suffered minor injuries; Xia Chan hadn't pressed the attack, so the damage wasn't too severe. *She defeated Qi Chong with just a single divine character!* Su Yu glanced sideways at Xia Chan. She remained aloof as ever, standing aside with Wan Mingze and the other monstrous geniuses. No one else dared approach them. ... Up on the platform, the researcher from the Beast Taming College shook his head in resignation. The defeat had been too swift and decisive! "As expected of the Xia family," the instructor could only remark. With a sigh, he added, "I'd love to see what they look like once their characters materialize. Only then will their clashes truly be a spectacle!" For Civilization Masters, battles only became truly magnificent upon reaching the Tengkong Realm. When multiple divine characters erupted and all their special traits clashed, it would be far more direct and brilliant than watching colors shift on a sphere! He sighed and continued, "With eight monster students enrolling this year, probably only they can truly challenge each other. The top ten will likely be dominated by those eight, leaving only a couple spots for the top-high students to fight over." There were quite a few top-high students this year as well. Turning to Liu Hong, the researcher asked, "That student of Bai Feng's doesn't seem to have very strong willpower. How many divine characters has he outlined?" Liu Hong offered a faint smile. "I'm not sure. He should have a shot at the top ten—unless, of course, he runs into one of the monsters early on." "You seem to think quite highly of him..." the man said with a chuckle. "You aren't deliberately drawing aggro to him, are you?" Liu Hong chuckled back. "Just wait and see! That kid... is anything but weak! Don't let the fact that he only recently reached the Yangxing Realm fool you. If they actually clash, your college's Qi Chong might not even be his match." "Is that so?" The researcher was clearly skeptical. Qi Chong had simply been unlucky; otherwise, he would have had a real shot at contending for the top ten. As they talked, the instructor called out, "Numbers 3 and 4! From here on, no names will be called. When a round finishes, whoever holds the matching numbers should step up immediately!" Right after the words fell, Wan Mingze stepped forward with an easy smile. A student stepping out from the crowd wore a bitter expression, looking completely helpless. *What kind of luck is this?* *Two monsters going first and second? How is anyone supposed to compete?* Wan Mingze chuckled. "Fellow classmate, don't look like that. You're putting pressure on me. Sparring and exchanging pointers is a rare opportunity for all of us." Hearing those words, the male student relaxed a little and smiled. "Then I'll be troubling Senior Brother Wan for some pointers!" Feeling an instant surge of goodwill, he stopped fretting and stepped forward. Wan Mingze displayed impeccable manners, gesturing politely for his opponent to enter first. The sphere was enveloped in black, and Wan Mingze entered immediately after. Half of the sphere turned white. It was hard to tell what determined the assigned colors. ... This time, there was no surprise in the outcome either. The match lasted around thirty seconds. The young man voluntarily withdrew, his face slightly pale as he bowed. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Wan!" He had lost, and decisively so. Yet everyone had seen the black and white colors churning and shifting. Wan Mingze clearly hadn't crushed his opponent right off the bat; he had allowed him to demonstrate his skills fully before securing the win. He had shown tremendous grace! At some point, Xia Huyou had sidled up to Su Yu again, murmuring, "That guy is a smiling tiger. Watch out for him! In front of others, he plays the gentleman with a sunny smile, but behind their backs, who knows what he's up to..." Just as he finished speaking, a radiant smile bloomed on Su Yu's face! He stepped forward! It was his turn! Su Yu's smile grew exceptionally bright. Glancing at the person emerging from the crowd, who happened to be a classmate from his own class, his smile widened further. "Zongqi, I'm aiming for first place. That prize belonged to my grandmaster, so I won't be holding back. I hope you won't either. You don't mind, do you?" Hu Zongqi's face darkened! Yet thinking about how he was facing Su Yu, he cheered up slightly. While Su Yu's physical cultivation was higher, his willpower was inferior to his own. With Su Yu smiling so amiably, Hu Zongqi couldn't say anything harsh. He muttered, "May the best man win! Su Yu, I won't hold back either!" Su Yu chuckled and nodded. He walked up to the platform, and once Hu Zongqi arrived, he smiled. "Let's go in together. Good luck, Zongqi!" Hu Zongqi was left speechless! *You're being so polite... am I supposed to beat the crap out of you now or what?* Below, Xia Huyou winced. *Damn it, I wasted my breath.* *Then again, this guy isn't a saint either. If Wan Mingze is a hypocrite, Su Yu isn't far behind!* *Just look at what happened to his rivals.* Lin Yao hadn't caused trouble for Su Yu in days; Xia Huyou had even seen Lin Yao smiling and greeting Su Yu on occasion. Zheng Yunhui? Those two scoundrels had teamed up in secret to swindle people! Chen Qi... that one was hard to tell. Even Wu Lan, whom he had offended back in Nanyuan, was quite polite to him now, completely unlike the sworn enemy rumors made her out to be. Whenever the intermediate class students ran into Su Yu, they warmly greeted him as "Monitor," as enthusiastic as could be. *Hypocrite Number Two!* Xia Huyou muttered internally. ... Meanwhile, the sphere displayed two colors. A streak of gold represented Su Yu. A streak of green represented Hu Zongqi. Having just entered, the two were locked in a stalemate, splitting the sphere right down the middle. ... Su Yu's vision blurred. As his willpower submerged into the realm, it felt as though he had returned to his sea of will! He manifested a spiritual projection of himself. Not far across from him stood Hu Zongqi. The two exchanged glances. They couldn't produce any sound, but they could see each other clearly. Just as Hu Zongqi was about to attack, Su Yu smiled and gestured for him to make the first move. Hu Zongqi cursed inwardly! *You think you're stronger than me?* *Your physical body might be tougher, but my willpower isn't weaker than yours. Who are you putting on airs for?* *I'll beat you quickly and make you lose all face!* The next instant, an enormous character manifested, transforming in the blink of an eye into ten thousand swords that surged toward Su Yu! "Sword!" It wasn't a God Race or Demon Race divine character, but one from the White Tiger Race—still considered quite powerful. Hu Zongqi's willpower wasn't overly strong, sitting at around sixty percent fullness. Yet within this small realm, it still presented an imposing sight! Ten thousand swords tore through the air! Su Yu smiled with casual ease. Without any grand movement, he merely waved a hand, and streams of sword qi disintegrated one after another. Hu Zongqi's expression soured! Even more sword qi materialized, rapidly encircling Su Yu and swooping in, seeking to shred his phantom form to pieces! ... Outside. The onlookers found the situation odd. The colors representing the two remained motionless, still divided evenly. Judging by their physical expressions, however, Su Yu was entirely calm, while sweat dripped down Hu Zongqi's face—a clear sign of excessive exertion. "What's going on?" "A tie?" "Su Yu should have a slight edge, but it's not obvious..." The crowd began to whisper. One minute passed, then two... By now, Hu Zongqi was trembling all over. After witnessing the previous two lightning-fast matches, watching Su Yu and Hu Zongqi fight for several minutes left everyone somewhat impatient and bewildered. What was happening? Why was Su Yu's color still dead even with Hu Zongqi's? ... Up on the platform, Liu Hong's eyes flickered. A moment later, he realized what was happening and cursed inwardly: *Shameless!* *That fool Hu Zongqi... is probably fighting an illusion!* Su Yu hadn't even bothered engaging him directly. He had likely cast an illusion and stood by watching the show; otherwise, there was no explaining this stalemate. *He's playing with him!* Liu Hong was at a loss for words. At this rate, it would have been better to just defeat him quickly. Su Yu was genuinely strong; Hu Zongqi had zero chance of seeing through a tier-2 illusion. All Su Yu had to do was maintain the illusion, and Hu Zongqi would exhaust himself to death. ... Reality aligned precisely with Liu Hong's deduction. Inside the realm. Su Yu stood with folded arms, a faint smile on his lips as he watched Hu Zongqi wildly swinging at empty air, shaking his head slightly. *So... he's this weak!* He had assumed his illusion character was quite feeble, given how Zheng Yunhui had shattered it instantly the first time and had quickly spotted the discrepancies even after its advancement. But now... Hu Zongqi, this idiot, was having the time of his life fighting thin air! *This fool kept mocking me before. Should I get back at him?* Su Yu considered it, then smiled. *I'm not that petty!* A moment later, Hu Zongqi's vision blurred, and Su Yu reappeared! The Su Yu who had just been covered in wounds from his attacks was now standing there completely unscathed. Hu Zongqi froze! Su Yu moved his lips, realized sound wouldn't carry, and caused a line of text to appear before him: *It's been five minutes, Brother Hu. My apologies, but I have to win. I won't make your defeat too embarrassing...* Hu Zongqi stared blankly, then nearly exploded with rage! What did that mean? You say you want to win, and you just win? Just as the thought crossed his mind, already thoroughly drained, he suddenly looked up to see a massive bolt of lightning manifest overhead! *Boom!* Even without hearing the sound, he felt the terrifying momentum of thunder. His already insubstantial phantom was instantly blasted to pieces! ... Outside. Gold swallowed the entire sphere in a flash. Hu Zongqi's face went deathly pale as he looked across at Su Yu. Su Yu offered an apologetic smile and bowed slightly to him. Seeing that Su Yu's complexion hadn't changed in the slightest, showing no sign of exhaustion, Hu Zongqi's expression shifted. Then, remembering the words displayed earlier, his face flushed red and purple. *The gap is this huge?* *Su Yu... hadn't exerted himself at all earlier?* *So the fact that my sword qi left him covered in cuts and bruises was entirely intentional on his part?* *He did it just to save my face?* Even now, he hadn't realized that the battered Su Yu had merely been an illusion. He genuinely believed Su Yu had gone easy on him. He felt humiliated, yet utterly helpless. Was the gap truly this vast? Remembering how he had claimed Su Yu's top-high evaluation was fraudulent, that his body was inferior, his willpower was inferior, and his divine characters were inferior... Hu Zongqi burned with shame! If Su Yu was a fraud, what did that make him? Su Yu had even looked out for his pride, deliberately stalling the fight for five minutes... Hu Zongqi felt increasingly ashamed. Lowering his head, he cupped his fists toward Su Yu and said bitterly, "Thank you for showing mercy, Brother Su. I am inferior to you!" With that, he turned and walked back into the crowd, filled with bitterness and disappointment. Seeing this, Su Yu said nothing more and returned to the crowd, walking over to Hu Zongqi's side. As the next match began, he leaned in and murmured, "Brother Hu isn't angry with me, are you? To be honest, Zongqi, your divine character was very impressive just now. It just felt like your power was a bit too dispersed. Have you ever considered focusing it more? Unleashing ten thousand swords at once looks spectacular, but if you don't mind me saying so, scattering your strength like that makes it hard to deal real damage to me." Hu Zongqi glanced at him, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Is that so?" "Yes!" Su Yu said earnestly. "If you had condensed it into a single sword, even if it couldn't be sustained for long, you might have seriously injured me and forced my character back. Instead, as time went on, your attacks grew weaker, and it was obvious you were running out of steam toward the end." Hu Zongqi fell into thought, then nodded. "That makes sense. Actually, my brother and my second granduncle said the same thing—that I needed to concentrate my power. But they couldn't see my divine character, so I didn't take their advice to heart... Brother Su..." "Just call me by my name. We've known each other for a long time; we traveled together before school even started, which is fate. It's just that our relationship grew a bit stiff afterward." Su Yu smiled. "Back then, you even invited me to join the Tianshui Association. Luckily I didn't... Otherwise, sigh, with my status in the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, you would have been put in a terrible spot. The association would have cursed your name!" Hu Zongqi laughed awkwardly. "That... probably would have happened. I didn't understand much back then and even resented you for being ungrateful. Looking back, it's pretty ridiculous! If you had actually agreed, I'd probably be cursing up a storm right now..." With that, his embarrassment deepened, and he lowered his voice. "Su Yu, I'm sorry about before, regarding the Nanyuan assessment... In fact, after the last monthly exam, I realized it couldn't have been faked. I was just stubborn... always thinking that since Nanyuan was so poor... ahem, my apologies..." "Don't worry about it!" Su Yu chuckled. "It's natural. Just like how I, living in Nanyuan, would assume people from the outskirts weren't as capable as me. Even if someone really was skilled, I'd still subconsciously think they weren't. It's completely normal." "Su Yu!" Hu Zongqi felt even more sheepish and said in a low voice, "You really didn't need to go easy on me earlier. I heard them comparing you to Xia Chan and the others, saying you... I don't think you're any worse than them!" Su Yu's smile remained gentle. "It's fine. We're old acquaintances, so of course it's different! Let them doubt me; it doesn't cost me anything. But if I run into someone from the Single Divine Character Faction later, I'll show them what true thunderous fury looks like—and let everyone know that you're strong, Zongqi, having held out against me for five full minutes!" Hearing this, Hu Zongqi felt not the slightest hint of humiliation, only a swell of excitement. "Then I have to watch! I was about to leave, but hearing you say that, I have to stick around! Hopefully your next opponent is from the Single Divine Character Faction. Don't hold back at all—crush them directly! I know you're strong!" Su Yu smiled and nodded. ... Up on the platform, Liu Hong's gaze was bizarre beyond measure! *Damn it!* *What is this kid trying to pull?* *A student from Nanyuan, a member of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, someone who should be universally despised... Why does it feel like he's thriving?* The intermediate class no longer addressed their new monitor as "Monitor," only by his name; their true monitor was Su Yu. And here in the advanced class, several of this kid's supposed enemies... were practically turning into his sworn brothers! Even his own foolish disciple now treated the guy like a brother! *Where is the justice in this?* Xia Huyou, Wu Lan, Zheng Yunhui, Hu Zongqi, Lin Yao... A whole flock of people who should have been his enemies, who were supposed to target him relentlessly, were now... practically ready to swear blood oaths together! Liu Hong rubbed his temples, a headache brewing. *Is this kid trying to become... a social butterfly?* *Hu Zongqi and the rest have no backbone at all. Masochists, the lot of them. Getting beaten and yet feeling overwhelmingly grateful—unbelievable!* As he stood there speechlessly, Wu Qi, who had also been observing Su Yu, said coolly, "If you were him, what would your next step be?" Liu Hong blurted out, "A balance of hardness and softness!" "..." Wu Qi understood and offered a faint smile. "I see. Toward Hu Zongqi: win him over, befriend him, use a gentle touch. Then, when facing someone who doesn't need to be won over, use thunderous methods to crush them instantly and display his power! That way, Hu Zongqi will be even more grateful, while his enemies will only fear him. Is that what you mean by balancing hardness and softness?" Liu Hong chuckled dryly. "I was just saying." "No, that is exactly what he's thinking!" Wu Qi said indifferently, "He definitely thinks that way, because you two are cut from the same cloth! Give him an opportunity. Among the freshmen of the Single Divine Character Faction, who is more suitable than Lin Yao? Next round, arrange for him to face Lin Yao..." Liu Hong cleared his throat lightly. That wouldn't do. Lin Yao... Lin Yao had already defected! "No, put Zheng Hong up!" Liu Hong smiled as well. "Doesn't he want thunderous fury? Indulging him is too boring. Let Zheng Hong fight him. I'll make him try to steal a chicken only to lose the rice—an utter embarrassment!" He had just spent five minutes beating Hu Zongqi; if he turned around and got defeated by Zheng Hong immediately after, people wouldn't think Zheng Hong was extraordinary—they would just think Su Yu was weak! *Why should I keep playing into your hands, kid?* *Infuriating!* *Copying me at every turn, shameless bastard!* *Today, I will make you lose face, subject you to the harsh beatings of reality, and strip away that smug facade!* Wu Qi remarked coolly, "Zheng Hong? He is one of the eight monster talents. If he loses to Su Yu, that will truly elevate Su Yu. Are you certain?" "Lose?" Liu Hong did the math. Whatever! If he lost, it proved Su Yu was exceptionally strong, which made Liu Hong's own value even greater. If he won, it proved Su Yu was merely average, giving Su Yu a bit more time to grow. Either way worked out. *It's not like I'm losing anything!* With that thought, Liu Hong chuckled and dropped the subject. As for rigging the match between the two... if he couldn't even manage that, he might as well kill himself. It was a simple matter! Even if the other researchers noticed, would they really cause trouble for him over such a minor thing? This wasn't an official tournament to begin with. Besides, if someone was truly strong, they shouldn't care who their opponent was. Just as he was pondering this, Zheng Hong stepped onto the stage! A flurry of exclamations rose from the crowd! Zheng Hong's opponent had emerged as well: Lin Yao! Liu Hong pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a thumping headache. *Disaster!* *Is the world conspiring to elevate Su Yu?* Lin Yao wasn't weak; he was a top-high student with seventy percent willpower fullness. Out of all the students present, he easily ranked in the top fifty. Yet the result... took five seconds! Zheng Hong opened his eyes calmly. Lin Yao's face was paper-white as he looked at Zheng Hong, his gaze brimming with shock and unwillingness! Zheng Hong was too strong; he had defeated him in an instant! In the hall, the students were equally stunned. That was even faster than Xia Chan's defeat of Qi Chong! At this moment, Zheng Hong's overwhelming strength was on full display! Lin Yao was by no means useless. He had performed quite well in the advanced class's last monthly exam. While his previous run-in with Su Yu had drawn criticism, no one denied his talent and strength. ... Liu Hong was completely speechless! The first round had been genuinely randomized. Now that these two had crossed paths and his own student had suffered such a miserable defeat, should he really arrange for Su Yu to fight Zheng Hong? If Su Yu won... he would step over Zheng Hong to rise. Worse, Liu Hong himself would be dragged down—his own student had lost instantly, so if Su Yu beat Zheng Hong, wouldn't that imply Liu Hong was weak? *Can Su Yu win?* Liu Hong wasn't sure. A tier-2 divine character was impressive, but Zheng Hong was no pushover either. His willpower fullness was remarkably high, and who knew how many divine characters he had outlined? *Forget it!* Liu Hong decided not to care. Win or lose, it didn't concern him. *Wait, if Su Yu really wins... won't my foolish disciple admire Su Yu even more?* A sudden thought struck Liu Hong! His expression shifted. *Damn it, that's entirely possible. That idiot might even think Su Yu was avenging him!*