Eve of the Storm

October 1st. The academy was on break. The Civilization Academy granted three days of rest each month. With the monthly exams over, the 1st through the 3rd were days off. Classes officially resumed on the 4th, after which there would be no more holidays for the rest of the month. And the 3rd of each month was when the Top 100 Rankings were updated. Once the rankings were reshuffled on that morning, challenges against the Top 100 students could officially begin. October marked two months since the new students had enrolled. In previous years, students on the Top 100 Rankings wouldn't spare a single thought for freshmen at this time. Even if freshmen wanted to challenge the Top 100, they usually waited until the beginning of their second year, and even then, hardly anyone ever managed to make the list. This year, however, things were different. On the 1st, Zheng Yunhui strutted over to the Top 100 Building in broad daylight. Back when Su Yu and the others first enrolled, the captain of the Yangxing Garden guards had brought them there once. Outside the entrance to the Top 100 Building, Su Yu and his peers had run into Jiang Mu, who was ranked sixth at the time. Sixth-stage Wanshi, Yangxing peak, with real combat power surpassing that of an ordinary ninth-stage Wanshi warrior. Yet on this day, Zheng Yunhui had strutted over to the Top 100 Building, strolled around the entrance, and, right before leaving, loudly announced that he would be moving in within a couple of days. Everyone understood the meaning behind his stunt. No one who wasn't on the Top 100 Rankings was permitted to enter the Top 100 Building. For a freshman to declare outside the building that he would move in clearly signaled that a freshman was going to make a run at the Top 100 Rankings this month! The Top 100 Rankings at every major academy were always the center of attention. The cradle of Tengkong, the foundation of Shanhai. Among the academy's current elders, almost every single one had been on the Top 100 Rankings in their youth. While there were people who reached the Tengkong Realm without ever making the list, their proportion was minuscule. If one couldn't even make the Top 100 Rankings before turning thirty, then unless they were truly a late bloomer, Tengkong remained possible, but anything beyond that was utterly out of reach. …… The academy, quiet for the past few months, became noisy once more. Those over thirty were eager for a show. Those under thirty who hadn't made the Top 100 were also waiting for entertainment. Meanwhile, the students on the Top 100 Rankings sneered with contempt. Every year had its share of such freshmen, such prodigies! And every year, those who stuck their necks out first ended up suffering miserably. Even as formidable as Xia Yuwen's cohort had been, Xia Yuwen and his peers had only challenged the Top 100 three months after entering the academy. Right now, it had barely been two months. …… At the Research Center. Su Yu also heard the news. Zheng Yunhui was acting very arrogant today, but that had nothing to do with Su Yu. As for Zheng Yunhui himself… the guy wasn't stupid. Su Yu wasn't worried about him suffering a loss. At eighth-stage Qianjun with willpower exceeding eighty-five percent, students in the bottom ten of the Top 100 Rankings truly might not be his match. Su Yu didn't care about that. What drew his attention more was a rumor circulating through the grapevine. Someone from the Myriad Races Academy might challenge the Top 100 Rankings! The academy was currently discussing whether students of the myriad races should be allowed to compete. In Su Yu's view, barring any surprises, the outcome would definitely be yes. They had already granted them access to secret realms; would they really deny them the chance to challenge the Top 100 Rankings? Of course, there was still no consensus on how to set the age limit for students of the myriad races. After all, certain races calculated age differently from humans—at thirty, one of them might still be an unhatched egg. "Students of the myriad races…" Su Yu was actually somewhat looking forward to seeing them step forward and issue challenges. Up until now, the students of the myriad races had virtually no contact with the human students, staying strictly within the confines of the Myriad Races Academy. The first few months had been an adjustment period for everyone. Now that two months had passed and everyone had settled in, he wondered if the students of the myriad races were growing impatient as well. Were they, like him, itching to test their strength against the senior students? "Principal Wan said he wanted to reform the academy, and even reform the Great Xia Prefecture. Yet things remain as calm as ever. Aside from trimming some of the senior students' benefits, there hasn't been much movement…" Su Yu couldn't help recalling a few things. Before coming to the academy, he had heard people say that Wan Tiansheng was planning to reform it. Yet up until now, as far as Su Yu could see, beyond slashing some funding, there hadn't been any major actions. If this was what reform looked like… wasn't it a case of much cry and little wool? It didn't feel like it helped the academy much at all! Let alone the entire Great Xia Prefecture! "None of that concerns me for now…" Su Yu thought to himself. He was waiting for word from Xia Huyou. Once he got the blood essence, he would enter the secret realm again. This would probably be his last visit for the near future; he truly had no money left. …… While Su Yu was waiting for Xia Huyou and preparing to enter the secret realm once more… Inside the Mind Cultivation Pavilion. In the massive conference hall. Multiple elders had gathered once again. Wan Tiansheng sat at the center. At this moment, Wan Tiansheng looked slightly pale. In his mind flashed scene after scene of the heavens collapsing and the earth fracturing. Looking at the group of people before him, Wan Tiansheng gradually collected his thoughts. Years from now, how many of these people would still remain? With these thoughts weighing on him, Wan Tiansheng spoke with a hint of weariness. "I'm aware of the matter regarding the Myriad Races Academy. Treat everyone equally. Students of the myriad races may challenge the Top 100 Rankings, with treatment on equal terms with human students!" The elders were not surprised; they had anticipated this result. "I did not convene everyone here today for such a minor matter…" To them, the Top 100 Rankings was indeed a trifle. A gathering of Shanhai Realm experts spending all day meeting over something so small would hardly be worth their time. Wan Tiansheng glanced at the seated elders and said softly, "Everyone, over these past years, our Great Xia Civilization Academy has grown increasingly prosperous! Compared to fifty years ago, our Shanhai Realm ranks have expanded significantly!" "Fifty years ago, the Great Xia Civilization Academy had two in the Sun and Moon Realm and nine in the Shanhai Realm. Today, we have a full thirty-six Shanhai experts!" Fifty years ago, the experts of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction who died in battle on the All-Heavens Battlefield were far more numerous than that, though at the time, experts from other academies had also come to assist, joining forces to help the Fifth Head attain the Invincible Realm. Back then, several Sun and Moon Realm experts had rushed over from other major prefectures as well. Wan Tiansheng paused before continuing, "Our Shanhai experts have quadrupled! As for the Lingyun Realm, we had barely thirty back then, but now, the academy boasts over two hundred Lingyun experts! And our Tengkong experts currently number over two hundred as well…" In the Civilization Academy, that was roughly the total count of researchers—around five hundred in all. Yet this force was extraordinarily formidable. As for the other instructors below the Tengkong Realm, there were too many to count. The room remained utterly silent; no one spoke. Wan Tiansheng rubbed his forehead and said softly, "Yet… where is our Sun and Moon Realm? After all these years, where are our Sun and Moon experts?" "We have twenty-seven more Shanhai than we did back then. With so few people back then, we produced two in the Sun and Moon Realm, and the Fifth Head even approached the Invincible Realm. And now… we have more Shanhai, but where did the Sun and Moon go?" Wan Tiansheng sighed softly. "Over the years, I've wondered and pondered. It's not just us—other academies are the same, and even the Quest Realm is the same! Ever since the battle fifty years ago ended, it's as if the spine of our Civilization Masters was broken!" In the crowd, several faces darkened with sorrow. Fifty years ago, there were fewer Shanhai experts, and the Sun and Moon experts weren't numerous either, yet that era had felt far more glorious than the present! Battling the Invincible, sweeping across the myriad heavens. Yet ever since the fall of the Fifth Head, the pillar of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, Civilization Masters… truly seemed to be in decline. Even though everyone knew there were more Shanhai experts now, they couldn't shake the feeling that Civilization Masters were slipping downward. Beside Wan Tiansheng, Vice Head Xia Changqing spoke softly, "Old Wan, what is it you want to tell us by calling everyone together today?" Wan Tiansheng said in a deep voice, "I used the Sky-Connecting Mirror once!" At those words, everyone's expressions changed. Wan Tiansheng continued grimly, "Ever since that battle fifty years ago, Civilization Masters have been on a downward slide, with our Sun and Moon experts decreasing rather than increasing! I observed the past and future, and ultimately, I arrived at a conclusion…" Everyone fixed their gazes on him! Wu Yuehua asked impatiently, "What conclusion?" "Back then, there were two Invincible experts who fought the Fifth Head. One of them fell in battle, but the other is still alive!" Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "That person comes from the Tianyuan race. That race specializes in curses, darkness, and demise. I suspect he did something back then…" At this, Xia Changqing immediately pushed back, "Impossible! Although that fellow is an Eternal, how could he possibly have the ability to disrupt all Civilization Masters? Besides, Civilization Masters have still advanced to the Sun and Moon Realm over the years—it's not as if none did. It can only be said that for the rest of us, our opportunity simply hasn't arrived!" Wan Tiansheng replied calmly, "Whether you believe it or not is your business. But I will say this, and I've already reported it to the Quest Realm! Having peered into the past and future, I have a suspicion that it wasn't just him alone. Many may have colluded in secret to target us. The original texts of the myriad races we obtained… might have problems." "What do you mean?" Wan Tiansheng frowned slightly and said slowly, "When those two ambushed the Fifth Head fifty years ago, I don't think it was merely out of fear that he would attain the Invincible Realm. More importantly, their goal was to sever the legacy of Civilization Masters of that generation! I suspect that several original texts we captured afterward had curses placed upon them! The divine characters we outlined may all have latent problems!" Wan Tiansheng murmured, "If this is true, it would explain why a few Sun and Moon experts still emerged, while everyone else failed! Over the years, seven people have advanced to the Sun and Moon Realm. I will investigate every single one of them to see whether any of those seven outlined a new divine character in the past fifty years!" Hearing this, Xia Changqing's face also changed. "Are you saying that the original texts we obtained over these past fifty years are all tainted? That any divine character outlined using them carries a curse, preventing us from ever advancing to the Sun and Moon Realm?" Wan Tiansheng exhaled. "It's a conjecture! But I am fairly certain it might be real! If so… Civilization Masters are in grave trouble!" "Impossible!" An elder in the crowd protested in shock, "We've captured countless original texts! Could they have placed curses on every single one?" That was impossible! How much manpower, resources, and effort would that require? To lay down such a staggering, all-encompassing trap! Wan Tiansheng said slowly, "I also thought it was impossible. But… who said they had to curse every single original text?" Wan Tiansheng laughed self-deprecatingly. "Why would they need all of them? As long as the original texts of the powerful races—like the God Race and the Demon Race—were cursed, that would be enough! The geniuses of our human race primarily outline divine characters from those two races. As for non-geniuses… they had little hope of advancing in the first place!" At these words, everyone felt the ground sway beneath their feet, their minds thrown into turmoil! If… if this was true… "Everyone, stay calm!" Wan Tiansheng raised a hand and said sternly, "This is merely a conjecture; it might not be true! But if it is, then the slaughter of so many of our Sun and Moon and Shanhai Civilization Masters fifty years ago was no accident—it was a conspiracy!" A conspiracy! The objective hadn't just been to stop the Fifth Head from attaining the Dao, but to sever the legacy of Civilization Masters from that generation forward. Even if later Civilization Masters reached the Shanhai Realm, they could forget about achieving the Sun and Moon Realm, because the original texts they used might be flawed! Wu Yuehua felt her mouth go dry. Fifty years ago, they had still been weak. Back then, they definitely had to continue outlining divine characters! The divine characters of the God and Demon races were powerful, and almost every elder present had outlined them. The original texts from the earlier years had long since been depleted and ruined. Naturally, they had all used newly acquired original texts! The room fell into a heavy silence. After a long while, Xia Changqing spoke up. "Has the Quest Realm responded?" Zhou Mingren wasn't present today; he was in seclusion. Xia Changqing was the only vice head who had come, so he had to get to the bottom of this. Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "No! They might be investigating as well, verifying whether this is truly the case! If the news is true, we have a massive crisis on our hands. Are we supposed to tell everyone to cripple their own divine characters? If one cripples too many divine characters, they'll ruin themselves, and their willpower will crumble! If the divine characters nurtured for so many years are destroyed, would a Civilization Master still be a Civilization Master?" Wan Tiansheng felt utterly helpless as well, sighing, "I'd rather it be false! Because if it's true, then that battle fifty years ago wasn't an accident—it was a trap, one where the myriad races paid an enormous price, even sacrificing an Eternal life, just to extinguish the legacy of our Civilization Masters!" Everyone had a pounding headache, praying it was false. If it was real, didn't that mean none of them had any hope of advancing to the Sun and Moon Realm? Everything still depended on the response from the Quest Realm. "Do not let word of this leak out!" Wan Tiansheng looked at the crowd. "You are all Shanhai elders. Do not speak of this to outsiders, lest it cause widespread upheaval!" Once the news leaked, it would likely trigger an endless chain of trouble. After issuing the warning, Wan Tiansheng added, "That is why I now wonder whether the root of this curse lies with that fellow from the Tianyuan race. If we kill him, could everything return to normal?" The crowd felt helpless. Xia Changqing also sighed, "He disappeared fifty years ago. Word is that he was severely injured back then, and no one knows where he is slumbering now. Without finding him, no matter how many Invincibles our human race has, we can do nothing to him!" Wan Tiansheng nodded, then spoke again. "The reason I brought this up today isn't to cause panic, but because I want everyone to help me conduct an experiment! You all have many students and disciples. Starting today, I hope some will specialize exclusively in human race divine characters, while others specialize in divine characters of races that aren't powerful like the Gods and Demons…" As soon as he said that, someone objected, "No one has ever achieved an eternal divine character using human divine characters or weak race divine characters! Cultivating them wouldn't allow one to advance to the Sun and Moon Realm anyway, so we wouldn't have any basis for comparison!" "Indeed. Furthermore, cultivating weak race divine characters actually lowers one's strength. When that happens, let alone Sun and Moon, they won't even be matches for others at the Shanhai or Lingyun level. Civilization Masters would truly be ruined!" Everyone chimed in, finding Wan Tiansheng's idea far too unrealistic. Divine characters from weak races fundamentally had no chance of becoming eternal. As though he had expected their objections, Wan Tiansheng suddenly said, "Actually, I've been thinking: in the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, divine characters fuse together to form a divine character battle technique! If one cultivates characters from weak races or the human race, is there hope of the entire battle technique advancing as a whole into an eternal divine character?" Wan Tiansheng said solemnly, "In the Single Divine Character Faction, cultivated divine characters are scattered; even if they form a system, they don't form a battle technique! To become strong, the Single Divine Character Faction must cultivate characters from powerful races. But the Multiple Divine Characters Faction can use multiple characters to overcome the inherent weakness of weak race characters…" Zheng Yuming, who had remained silent the entire time, suddenly spoke up, "Principal, are you saying you want to support the Multiple Divine Characters Faction? Over mere conjectures and an illusory possibility? And consume a massive amount of resources, only to potentially raise a few mediocre talents who can never advance? A so-called divine character battle technique is simply the fusion of multiple characters; how could it truly become a unified whole? Even the Fifth Head failed to achieve that!" Wan Tiansheng fell silent. Zheng Yuming pressed on, "Setting others aside, Hong Tan can be considered talented, can't he? He has cultivated his divine character battle technique for years. Ask him: if he destroys his God and Demon characters right now, how much strength would he have left? Could he fuse his divine character battle technique into a single entity and advance it as a whole into an eternal divine character?" Wan Tiansheng was silent for a moment before replying, "Let's try it and see! Didn't the Multiple Divine Characters Faction recruit a freshman this year? It seems he hasn't outlined characters from the God or Demon races yet. Let's see how he fares. I'll discuss it with Chen Yong and Bai Feng, and try to have him avoid outlining characters from the God and Demon races…" At those words, Wu Yuehua frowned. "Principal, if it fails, that student will be ruined! I know of that Su Yu—he has exceptional talent. Using him as an experiment for your conjecture, forbidding him from outlining God and Demon characters and making him outline only human and weak race characters… the Multiple Divine Characters Faction's claim of being invincible in the same tier would become a complete joke…" Wan Tiansheng said heavily, "Someone has to make the attempt! We can ask for his consent. If he disagrees, we'll find a way to test it on someone else. If that doesn't work, we'll have Wan Mingze cripple his current divine characters and transfer to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to try it!" The crowd furrowed their brows! This time, Zheng Yuming held his tongue. Having that Su Yu stick to outlining human and other weak race divine characters… was actually a good thing. Nine times out of ten, he would end up ruined! And if Su Yu refused, that was fine too. Since there was no way to prove that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction's battle technique could advance as a unified whole into an eternal character, pouring excessive resources into their faction would be a waste. Wu Yuehua opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it and kept quiet. Forget it. She would ask about it later. If Su Yu didn't agree, no one could force him. What divine characters he chose to outline was nobody else's business anyway. "Additionally, regarding the Cangshu Pavilion…" Wan Tiansheng pondered for a moment before saying, "Tally how many original texts from fifty years ago remain—preferably from sixty years ago. I worry they might have made preparations even earlier… Going forward, it is best for our geniuses to use those original texts to outline their divine characters!" At this, many people's thoughts began to turn. There was still a fair supply of ancient original texts. If the later texts truly had problems, could using these ancient texts allow them to bypass the issue? Zheng Yuming's eyes flickered, and he spoke up, "If the news is true, the value of those ancient original texts will skyrocket! The Cangshu Pavilion will become a place of paramount importance, rivaling even the secret realm areas! Chen Yong is only a Lingyun expert after all. Principal, I think…" Wan Tiansheng waved his hand and said indifferently, "We will discuss that later! As for Chen Yong, if he passes the year-end assessment, he remains the director! Don't forget, the ancient original texts in the Cangshu Pavilion were all left behind by experts of previous generations. Back then… the academy belonged to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction!" Zheng Yuming frowned. "The academy belongs to the entire human race, the entire Great Xia Prefecture, and all of us. Just because the previous leadership was from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction doesn't mean the academy belongs to them, does it?" Wan Tiansheng said with a trace of impatience, "I said, everything proceeds according to the rules! As long as the rules exist, we follow them! Phasing out the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was done by the rules; the rise of the Single Divine Character Faction followed the rules; and whether Chen Yong remains director is governed by the rules as well! Elder Zheng, if you refuse to abide by the rules… would you like Hong Tan to spar with you a bit?" At that remark, Zheng Yuming's face flushed bright red, rendering him instantly speechless. Hong Tan was at the peak of the eighth-stage Shanhai Realm. Even his master, Zhou Mingren, wasn't confident in suppressing Hong Tan. What right did he have to challenge him? Wan Tiansheng stood up. "Decide for yourselves; I've shared the information! If any of you wish to cripple your own divine characters, you can try. However, I suggest that if you do, don't do it inside the academy. Go to the All-Heavens Battlefield, use the divine characters you don't want to kill a few enemy experts, and let them be destroyed in battle—at least they'll have served some purpose!" "Furthermore, starting today, all myriad race original texts dating from fifty years ago in the Cangshu Pavilion must be cataloged and registered. None may be misappropriated! Any student or instructor who wishes to study these original texts must have accumulated the corresponding merit!" "Lastly, everyone should look for ways to gather intelligence on that Tianyuan Invincible expert. Also, keep an eye out for other Invincible experts who specialize in curses and similar arts!" After speaking, Wan Tiansheng began walking out. Reaching the doorway, he suddenly turned back and said, "Compete all you want, fight all you want! The academy's original intent was for you to grow through competition, not to ruin each other in infighting. If you use underhanded methods and I use underhanded methods until rules cease to exist, and Shanhai starts killing Qianjun, everything will fall into utter chaos!" "Just because I don't interfere in certain things doesn't mean I am unaware! Rules… as long as you abide by the rules, I won't intervene. But if anyone dares violate the rules again… don't blame me for being merciless!" With that, Wan Tiansheng strode away. The hall fell dead silent. Everyone knew Wan Tiansheng was a stickler for rules. Within the boundaries, he didn't care what you did. But if you crossed the line, you risked incurring his wrath. Incurring the wrath of an expert who had already reached the peak of the Shanhai Realm decades ago… how many people in the academy could withstand that? Wu Yuehua also stood up, sneered at Zheng Yuming, and turned to leave. Zheng Yuming said nothing, standing up quietly and walking out. Rules… Wan Tiansheng's rules! And that battle fifty years ago… were the original texts acquired afterward truly compromised? If so, Civilization Masters were in massive trouble. Over fifty years, who could guarantee that every original text they used was ancient and that they had never used newer texts to outline divine characters? Secondary characters were one thing—they could be discarded. But what if it was one's core divine character? Could that be crippled as well? That would be catastrophic! The Quest Realm wouldn't support it either. Otherwise, if countless Shanhai and Lingyun experts crippled their characters, the human race's overall combat strength would instantly plummet by thirty percent! "Is the Multiple Divine Characters Faction… about to rise from the ashes?" Zheng Yuming sank into deep thought. Could the Multiple Divine Characters Faction's battle techniques truly neutralize that influence? "The battle technique wall!" "Innate blood essence!" "The Cangshu Pavilion…" Zheng Yuming repeated these terms in his mind. And… the divine character legacies left by the previous generation of experts. If those divine characters were truly usable, they hadn't been outlined later, but preserved from that era. "Those divine characters can definitely advance to the Sun and Moon Realm, and even the Eternal Realm. If one truly cripples their characters and replaces them with those…" Exhaling softly, Zheng Yuming left the Mind Cultivation Pavilion. …… Meanwhile, Su Yu had obtained the Five Elements race blood essence, as well as the Dragon Silkworm blood essence. Carrying his willpower texts, blood essence, and the *Time* martial technique, he headed toward the Secret Realm Area. He would master the Mountain Shatterer in one fell swoop! Only by doing so would he stand a chance against those monstrous prodigies who had trained for many more years than him, allowing him to charge into the Top 100 Rankings and establish himself among the academy's new generation of experts. As for the future of Civilization Masters… what did that have to do with him? Right now, he wasn't even a Civilization Master yet. The moment Su Yu stepped into the Secret Realm Area and appeared before the entrance of the yuanqi secret realm, the faces of Old Huang and Old Nie turned purple. It had only been a few days! Why was he back again?!