Xia Longwu

April 18, Year 350 of the Anping Calendar. This was the second to last day before Su Yu and his group were scheduled to depart Nanyuan. Tomorrow morning, they would all assemble and leave Nanyuan under the escort of the City Guards and experts from the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Morning. Su Yu woke up and opened his eyes, only to jump in fright—a figure was standing right by his bed. "Awake?" Liu Wenyan asked abruptly. Su Yu swallowed his shock, feeling helpless. The old gentleman was really trying to give someone a heart attack this early in the morning. "Instructor, you're awake too." "I'm old. I've been awake for hours." Liu Wenyan smiled. "Get up and eat. Once you're done, come with me to the academy, but do not stay with me today..." "Huh?" Su Yu's eyes flickered. "Instructor, you mean..." "If the All-Races Sect had a plan, when do you think they would choose to strike? Before tonight, the people from the Great Xia Civilization Academy will arrive. Once night falls, they won't have a chance." A tremor ran through Su Yu's heart. Indeed. If he were with the All-Races Sect, he would either strike today, or wait until after the students left and the City Guards were thinned out even further. Which meant the All-Races Sect would very likely show themselves today. "Following me is too dangerous!" Liu Wenyan said, still smiling. "Those bastards are worried about my will manifestation. If they strike, their first target will definitely be me. They'll want to kill me beforehand to stop me from manifesting my will and stepping into the Tengkong Realm in a single bound. "So don't stay with me today, and don't stay near the other experts either. Just stick close to the Qianjun Realm instructors. Someone will protect you." "Instructor..." Su Yu scrambled out of bed. "Do they really dare attack Nanyuan Academy?" "Of course they dare! Among the All-Races Sect, some fear death, some cling desperately to life, some are mad, and some have succumbed to demons. Yet even those who fear death won't hesitate to draw their blades to achieve their goals!" Liu Wenyan let out a soft sigh. "These people are truly bizarre. You could say they fear death, yet at times they are even more reckless than us. If you throw them onto the All-Heavens Battlefield to face races like the Gods and Demons, they would wet themselves in terror. But turn them against their own kind, and they fight with fearless cruelty. "Perhaps they feel that since everyone is human, there's nothing to fear, and only the other races are genuinely terrifying. So when they bring their butcher's knives down upon humans, they don't hesitate in the slightest." Su Yu frowned as he listened. It was true; these All-Races Sect cultists seemed absurd to him. Send them to the All-Heavens Battlefield, and fright alone could kill them. As for courage, they had almost none. Yet when tasked with wreaking havoc within human territory, each was bolder and crazier than the last. Even daily decapitations failed to deter them. "Is that what they call being fierce at home and meek outside?" Su Yu offered after a moment of thought. Liu Wenyan smiled. "Not quite. We don't even consider them human, so it hardly counts as 'at home.' Still, you've captured their nature. Weak against outsiders, cold-blooded toward their own. In truth, there are many such people, and history has seen no shortage of them. "Nor is this unique to humanity. It exists in every race. "Once they betray their own people, in order to prove that their choice was right, to prove themselves, their butcher's knives fall faster and crueler on their former brethren!" Liu Wenyan spoke as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "Humanity... actually harbors groups of outsiders just like that as well!" Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu with a smile. "The human race takes in such aliens too—those who lost faith and hope in their own races and defected to us. When that happens, their strikes against their former kin are every bit as venomous." Su Yu found it difficult to understand, but having read extensively, he knew such people truly existed. Asking no more, Su Yu got up to wash his face and brush his teeth. Soon, at the dining table, Su Yu took a few bites before speaking up. "Instructor, if they're striking today, and the academy has so many students, shouldn't classes be canceled?" "It's not possible. We can't cancel classes. You can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. Calling off classes would startle the snake, and those bastards wouldn't show themselves." "But..." Su Yu was worried. If fighting truly broke out, wouldn't so many students get caught in the crossfire? "We're prepared. People will protect you." Liu Wenyan sighed. "Don't think us cold-blooded for using you as bait. Indecision only breeds chaos! "Su Yu, remember this: if one day you step onto the battlefield and become a commander, what you will face... is choices! "On one side, a squad of a thousand soldiers; on the other, ten thousand. You could choose to save those thousand, or you could choose to let those thousand tie down the enemy while using the ten thousand to wipe out a ten-thousand-strong foreign legion. In that moment... how would you choose?" "I..." Su Yu hesitated, only speaking after a long pause. "I... don't know." "You actually do, but you can't bring yourself to say it. You're intelligent, so you should understand what choice to make. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, wiping out a ten-thousand-strong enemy legion is of monumental importance—it can turn the tide of an entire regional front." Liu Wenyan said softly, "That is a choice. That is the choice human experts and strategists must make! Sacrificing a thousand to annihilate ten thousand is so that fewer will die in the future, because that ten-thousand-strong legion could unleash far greater slaughter. "Does that sound cruel?" Su Yu gave a silent nod. He had never considered such a dilemma. When Liu Wenyan posed it just now, it had struck him as too realistic, too cruel, and utterly unfeeling. "Su Yu, this is war!" Liu Wenyan looked up at him. "Remember, this is war! It involves the survival of tens of billions of humans, which is why we must make choices. Perhaps you'll say, aren't those thousand people innocent? Yes, entirely innocent. They are our comrades, our fellow soldiers. But... this is war! "Just like today. We know the All-Races Sect will very likely attack Nanyuan Academy today, yet we must make a choice... "Over the past two days, the outskirts have fallen into chaos. Several villages were attacked, and many have died—hundreds of people! "We are exhausted trying to respond, and the City Guards' forces are scattered. Continuing like this won't work. Only by drawing them together and wiping them out can Nanyuan find true peace. So... right now, we must make a choice. "Do we let the students take a bit of a risk, or do we keep waiting while they slaughter more people? "In my eyes, the students are naturally more important, but the people outside the city are lives too. Su Yu, every student here is a reserve soldier. So... we decided to let you take a greater risk. This is also the path you will walk in the future." Su Yu nodded slightly and said in a grave voice, "Instructor, I understand. I was just worried earlier. Just as you said, we are all soldiers. Weak as we may be, from the day we entered the academy, we were already soldiers. The choice made by you and the Head was not wrong." "It's good that you understand. Even if you couldn't, there would be no need to force it." Liu Wenyan said softly, "If one day you rise to higher ranks and believe that sacrificing Nanyuan City could slay ten or a hundred times as many enemies, I hope you will choose to do it. "Even if you must shoulder the blame and infamy, do not hesitate." Su Yu said nothing and continued eating. Once he finished, he looked up at Liu Wenyan. "Instructor, when all is said and done, it's just because we aren't strong enough. If we were powerful enough to crush our enemies, none of these choices would exist, would they?" Liu Wenyan suddenly broke into a gratified smile. "Well said. That is exactly it. But... we are still not strong enough." "We will be. I believe we definitely will, because humanity is getting better and better, and our experts are growing in number." Liu Wenyan nodded slightly as well. That was indeed true. The two spoke no further. Finishing their meal, they headed toward the academy together. *** "Yu!" Chen Hao hadn't seen Su Yu for two days. Knowing Su Yu had been studying with Liu Wenyan, he was still overjoyed. "I thought Instructor Liu had kidnapped you! Finally let you back, huh? These past two days, I feel like I'm almost at the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer..." "Yeah." Su Yu nodded slightly. Outside the classroom, several instructors seemed to pass by casually, but Su Yu knew they were patrolling. The moment combat erupted, these instructors would immediately escort the students away. "Hao, stick with me today. Don't wander off anywhere." "For what?" Chen Hao looked blank, then quickly nodded. "Sure, but what if I need to use the bathroom?" "..." Su Yu couldn't be bothered with him. After a thought, he added, "Head over to the practical training building later and check out two blades. We're doing combat drills today." "Huh? Yu, aren't you afraid of getting beat up?" Chen Hao asked curiously. "You can't beat me. You get thrashed every time." "I think I can beat you up now!" Su Yu rolled his eyes at him. "Cut the crap. Just do what I said!" "Alright, whatever you say!" Chen Hao grinned. He never liked using his head anyway; following Su Yu around, Su Yu was always the one calling the shots. Su Yu still had one drop of blood essence left. After some consideration, he stood up and walked toward the resource office with Chen Hao. "Instructor, I'd like to exchange for two drops of Ironwing Bird blood essence." "Su Yu, you're getting this again?" The instructor at the counter felt the pinch on Su Yu's behalf. "Did your previous research fail?" "Yes." "Then..." "Instructor, I think I'm close to figuring something out. Let me get two more drops." "Well... alright then!" The managing instructor sighed helplessly. Silly kid, having no sense of proportion—such a waste! Just wait until he went to a higher academy; he would surely regret it. Handing Su Yu two more drops of blood essence, Su Yu now held three drops, but only seven merit points remained in his account. *** After wandering around the academy for a while, Su Yu was holding a blade, and Chen Hao had one as well. Chen Hao found Su Yu unusually strange today. Having checked out blades, he wasn't cultivating or practicing martial skills—who knew what had gotten into him. By now, it was noon. Holding the three drops of blood essence, Su Yu contemplated his situation. Three drops could sustain a burst of power for roughly fifteen minutes. However, his arm had swollen up after just five minutes last time; if he kept it up for fifteen minutes, his arm might be completely ruined. *Fifteen minutes shouldn't be necessary anyway. Even if the All-Races Sect attacks, they wouldn't dare drag out an engagement here for that long. If they linger, they won't be leaving at all.* *Still... using blood essence for a power burst can't be discovered, or it'll cause trouble. Unless pushed to the absolute brink, I shouldn't use it. Besides, even if I erupt with Qianjun Realm combat power, it won't change the big picture.* The academy had no shortage of Qianjun Realm instructors. The real outcome hinged on the Wanshi and Tengkong Realms. Su Yu looked around, his gaze flickering slightly. Quite a few unfamiliar faces had appeared in the academy. Though they wore no armor, Su Yu easily guessed they belonged to the City Guards, alongside members of the Wind Arrest Hall. It seemed Nanyuan had indeed prepared. The enemy would target either Nanyuan Academy or the City Lord's Manor. Just as Su Yu was thinking, Chen Hao's communicator rang. Chen Hao answered quickly, muttered a few acknowledgments, hung up, and turned to Su Yu. "My dad called. He told me to be careful today and not leave the academy. The All-Races Sect is here, and a lot of people have died outside the city over the past couple of days..." Chen Hao cursed, "Those beasts! If I run into them, I'll hack every last one of them to death!" "You?" Su Yu glanced at him without a word. Chen Hao's face flushed red, and he snapped indignantly, "I can't now, but who says I won't later? Once I enter the War Academy, I'll finish the Kaiyuan Realm in one year, reach the Qianjun Ninth Layer within three, the Wanshi Realm within five, and the Tengkong Realm within ten..." "That's the timeline for geniuses. Are you... sure?" "Piss off!" Chen Hao slumped dejectedly. That did sound a bit difficult. Tengkong in ten years was the trajectory of an elite genius. Still, twenty years ought to be doable, right? Before forty, a cultivator was in their prime years for cultivation. If one couldn't reach the Tengkong Realm by forty, the odds dwindled to almost nothing. It wasn't entirely hopeless, but as the physical body began to deteriorate, the chances grew slim. Countless people remained stuck at the Wanshi Ninth Layer for their entire lives. Su Long was nearing fifty. Advancing from Qianjun to Wanshi was plausible, but reaching Tengkong from Wanshi held little promise. Su Yu smiled, then turned his gaze toward the academy gates. Had it begun? The enemy had stirred up considerable unrest outside the city, naturally seeking to lure away the City Guards and even the Longwu Guards. Nanyuan's leadership understood this, yet they had no choice but to send forces. Otherwise, there was no telling how many would perish outside. "Truly a pack of bottomless beasts!" Su Yu cursed under his breath, unable to keep from wondering what was happening on the Great Xia Prefecture's end. Could they truly not spare even a few Tengkong experts for reinforcement? The All-Races Sect seemed utterly brazen. With such a massive commotion, the remaining two thousand main-force troops of the Longwu Guards didn't appear to have come to investigate at all. Were they pinned down? Just how powerful was the All-Races Sect? *** At the very same time. Great Xia Prefecture. Xia Longwu sat clad in full armor upon his high seat, exuding an imposing aura. Soon, a Longwu Guard rushed inside and reported in a booming voice, "Report! Prefect, abnormal movements have been detected in twelve cities, including Nanyuan, Tianshui, Kaishan, and Longmen! The All-Races Sect has surfaced! "Distress calls have arrived from across the prefecture. Shall we dispatch reinforcements?" Xia Longwu's expression remained unchanged, his voice calm. "Send reinforcements. Fifty men to a squad, dispatched to the twelve cities. Send troops to the other sixteen cities as well, just in case." "Understood!" The Longwu Guard swiftly withdrew. Below, an elderly man dressed in scholar's robes murmured, "Prefect, this is luring the tiger away from the mountain. Their ultimate objective is likely still the Great Xia Prefecture." "I know." "Over a thousand Longwu Guards have already been deployed, and a large portion of the Prefectural Army has departed. Right now, Great Xia Prefecture is..." Before he could finish, Xia Longwu said calmly, "No matter! Unless we make them hurt, they'll only keep making trouble. If the Longwu Guards don't leave, those cowards won't dare show their faces." With that, Xia Longwu rose. "Their true target is likely me. Drawing the Longwu Guards away from my side, while experts from the various academies were reassigned elsewhere under various pretexts... ninety percent of the experts in the prefectural capital are gone..." "Prefect, perhaps we should request aid from Daming Prefecture..." "Ridiculous! Humiliating!" Xia Longwu sneered. "My Great Xia Prefecture ranks higher than Daming Prefecture. Why would we ever beg them for help! Besides, there is no need! They are nothing more than shadowy vermin. I want to see which beasts from the God Race have slipped in this time. Without the God Race backing them, how could those cowards possess such gall?" The old man furrowed his brows. "The God Race infiltrated?" "Undoubtedly! Otherwise, based on the All-Races Sect alone, would they dare run wild in Great Xia Prefecture? Fine by me. The Great Xia Prefecture's reserves of divine blood have run dry, and they've delivered themselves right to our doorstep. These past few days, I was just wondering whether I should make a trip to the All-Heavens Battlefield. Now it seems I can save myself the journey." Xia Longwu remained calm. "In a moment, you will guard the prefectural capital. I will head outside the city, slay a few beasts, and return!" "Prefect..." "Speak no more!" Xia Longwu's gaze turned razor-sharp. "A mere handful of God Race beasts think they can challenge me? I was just lamenting that my Longwu Saber hasn't tasted blood in a long time. Now I finally have the chance!" With that, Xia Longwu strode out of the hall, his voice ringing like striking metal. "Once the God Race falls, the Longwu Guards shall lead the Prefectural Army into battle to eradicate every member of the All-Races Sect across Great Xia Prefecture. Capture them alive and drag them to the prefectural capital for public execution! Tomorrow, I want to see ten thousand heads roll!" "Understood!" A chorus of low, resolute shouts echoed! To play along with the All-Races Sect's moves and lure out the God Race, Xia Longwu had allowed the unrest to simmer over the past few days, all to avoid scaring those God Race infiltrators away. Now, it was time to reel in the net. Every expert in Great Xia Prefecture who was supposed to be drawn away had been drawn away. Surely they would reveal themselves now? Fewer than a thousand Longwu Guards remained in the prefectural capital, unable to form their thousand-man battle formation. Surely that satisfied them? "You want to kill me? I shall oblige. Let's see if you truly have what it takes!" With a scornful laugh that resonated through the air, Xia Longwu took to the sky, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished from the City Lord's Manor in an instant, clearing the city walls in the blink of an eye. *** "Xia Longwu!" As the streak of golden light flashed and vanished, a cold snort sounded from outside the prefectural capital. What reckless audacity! They had assumed he wouldn't dare venture out, or that he would wait for the other Great Xia experts to return. They had even anticipated needing to ramp up the pressure to force Xia Longwu's hand, yet the man had marched straight out on his own. "Go! Surround and kill Xia Longwu!" A low shout rang out. The next moment, another voice said dismissively, "Surround him? The heads of every higher academy have already departed, and Xia Longwu is nothing special. Why bother surrounding him? Today, I will take his head myself!" "Fool! Remember, we surround him! Go all out—do not be careless!" The leader barked coldly, "Xia Longwu may have already taken half a step into that realm! If anyone wants to throw their life away, I won't stop them!" "Impossible! He has cultivated for so few years, how could he possibly..." "Which is precisely why he must die! The All-Heavens Battlefield does not need another invincible human expert!" "Agreed!" The group reached a swift consensus: surround and kill Xia Longwu. That man might truly have taken half a step into that realm; they could not allow him to grow any stronger. Several streaks of varied light vanished instantaneously, chasing after the golden radiance as they disappeared beyond the Great Xia Prefecture.