The Monsters of the Class of 350

Everything had happened too fast. From Su Yu stepping onto the stage to Zhou Mingren appearing and taking Zheng Yuming away, it had all unfolded in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone dizzy from trying to keep up. A Lingyun Ninth Layer, a Shanhai First Layer, and even Wan Tiansheng had made their moves. Zheng Yuming, a newly promoted elder, had been directly severely injured. Everyone was shaken by Wan Tiansheng's immense power, but equally stunned by his decisiveness. Without the slightest hesitation, he had struck and gravely wounded Zheng Yuming. And Zheng Yuming hadn't even truly attacked yet. The oppressive aura receded. Wan Tiansheng and Zhou Mingren both vanished. Chen Yong's scalp tingled from the probing gazes of the observing elders. He tugged on Wu Jia, glanced toward Su Yu on the ring, gestured discreetly toward Cangshu Pavilion to the side, and then took Wu Jia and bolted. If he didn't run now, he felt those piercing glares would bore bloody holes right through him. *I really didn't do it on purpose!* *I'm genuinely an honest man!* Chen Yong had no choice but to run. The comment from that bystander earlier—that "Zheng Yuming might have just come to pick up his disciple"—had been utterly lethal. ... Calm returned. Whether students or researchers, everyone tacitly chose to ignore what had just transpired. When a confrontation involved multiple Shanhai and Lingyun experts, things could never be taken at face value. Ignorant of the full picture, no one dared say much. The next instant, everyone's eyes converged on Su Yu. Their expressions were complex. Su Yu was deeply shaken as well, but this was no time to ponder. The fox mourns the death of the hare—that idiom was the only thought flashing through his mind. He worried that Zheng Yuming's wretched state would invoke a sense of shared dread among the elders, causing backlash against the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Some elders might even resent the Multiple Divine Characters Faction for no good reason! Without time to think it through, Su Yu reacted purely on instinct. He was already drenched in sweat, his face deathly pale as he dropped to one knee, looking thoroughly traumatized! Frightened and overwhelmed by the crushing aura of a Shanhai! It looked as though a monstrous tide of killing intent had just battered him! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction was the victim here; he was the victim; and the Academy Head had acted purely to uphold the rules! In this moment, none of Su Yu's former composure remained. Yet when the students saw him like this, none looked down on him. Instead, an epiphany struck them—Su Yu had truly been in mortal peril just now. Elder Zheng had really gone mad! To openly break the academy's rules in broad daylight over a mere student... if not for Chen Yong, Su Yu might well have died. In an instant, all the lingering pity for the fallen elder vanished! Every student shared a single conviction: The rules could not be broken! If the rules were broken and elders could ruthlessly hunt down genius students at will, what safety was left in the Civilization Academy? How could anyone compete for the Top 100 Rankings anymore? Everyone would just compare whose backing was stronger! This struck directly at their personal interests. Even the descendants and disciples of Shanhai experts strictly adhered to a single principle—play by the rules! The rules were not there to restrict them; they were there to protect them. Even the Single Divine Character Faction understood that within the academy, one had to obey the rules. At critical moments, they could save your life. If Zheng Yuming dared try to kill Su Yu today, then once Hong Tan returned tomorrow, he would dare kill them. The boundary could never be breached; otherwise, total catastrophe awaited. At this point, some people even felt secretly relieved that the Academy Head had intervened. *Elder Zheng... could his cultivation have gone awry, his willpower turning chaotic until he suffered cultivation deviation?* Such incidents were not uncommon in the academy. Someone soon voiced the speculation in a low whisper: "Elder Zheng... did something go wrong in his cultivation? Did he suffer cultivation deviation?" Whether it was true or not, it had to be true! Otherwise, an elder attacking a student would cause too disastrous an uproar. And if it hadn't been an attack on a student, Wan Tiansheng striking an elder would be equally catastrophic. This was the perfect excuse and explanation! The next instant, an elder's voice echoed out from the void: "Elder Zheng Yuming suffered a mishap during willpower cultivation, destabilizing his sea of consciousness! The Academy Head has meted out punishment and aided Elder Zheng in purging his chaotic willpower. Let this matter end here!" The voice swiftly faded away! It was the best resolution. Whether it was the truth or not, as of this moment, it was reality: Zheng Yuming had suffered cultivation deviation! ... With those words, countless people breathed a sigh of relief. Whether their relief was genuine or forced, everyone relaxed. Many students remarked with emotion, "Cultivation deviation—no wonder! The path of cultivation is truly fraught with peril. Even Shanhai experts aren't immune!" "Indeed, I knew it! So that was why. I hope Elder Zheng recovers soon!" "..." Everyone offered their well wishes, hoping Elder Zheng would swiftly regain his health. Meanwhile, Su Yu slowly rose to his feet. Glancing at the still-unconscious Huang Qifeng, Su Yu said nothing more on the matter and turned to Zhao Ming. "Instructor, you had better treat him, lest he actually dies!" Zhao Ming shot him a look. *You have the nerve to say that?* *You nearly scared me to death just now!* What kind of cursed day was this? Constant shocks and scares—he could barely take it anymore. Without another word, white light shimmered in Zhao Ming's hand and washed over Huang Qifeng. The bleeding from his shattered limbs stopped, and his fractured bones began to knit together. However, his willpower had suffered grievous damage. Even if his limbs healed, Huang Qifeng would still be bedridden for several months. His condition was even worse than Wu Jia's had been! Zhao Ming glanced at Su Yu. *An eye for an eye!* With such a ruthless character emerging from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, it was hard to say whether it would prove a blessing or a curse. At the very least, after today, the Single Divine Character Faction would have to keep a sharp eye on this kid. The real drama was only just beginning! Huang Qifeng was merely one of the lower-ranked Single Divine Character Faction students on the Top 100 Rankings. There were several more ahead of him, including some in the top ten. ... Su Yu stepped down from the ring. Huang Qifeng was also carried away by the Single Divine Character Faction. A Lingyun expert flew in, scooped him up, and departed. This time, no auras flared, and no glances were spared for Su Yu. The previous scene had only just concluded; who knew if another burst of aura might be misinterpreted? In the years-long clash between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions, this was a massive loss for the Single Divine Character Faction. A genius student had been crippled, an elder gravely wounded, and the Academy Head had personally stepped in. Whether it was a warning or an enforcement of rules, no one could say for sure. Moreover, the Academy Head's strength was terrifying. Both were Shanhai experts, and though one was at the peak and the other was an early-stage newcomer, the disparity was vast. Zheng Yuming had been blasted apart before he could even utter a single word. "Su Yu!" While some were still dwelling on the incident, others sought to dilute its impact. Wan Mingze took a step forward, a spark of fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. His clear shout drew many gazes. "You are very strong!" Wan Mingze looked at Su Yu and spoke in a clear, resonant voice. "None of us fear your strength. We only hope you become stronger still. Only strength can ignite our fighting spirit!" Abandoning his usual low profile, Wan Mingze pushed off the ground and landed cleanly on the arena ring! "Senior ranked 93rd, step up for battle!" Rank 91 was Zheng Yunhui, and rank 92 was Wang Peng, who had just been defeated by him. Since Wang Peng had already lost once, Wan Mingze did not challenge him, targeting the next person instead. Wan Mingze declared loudly, "Since our Class of 350 has already made its moves today, I, Wan Mingze, would also like to experience our seniors' formidable skills!" Below the stage, Su Yu watched him in silence. Wan Mingze was making his move! Partly, seeing Su Yu's strength had stirred his fighting spirit. But partly, it was to divert attention from what had just happened. As a member of the Wan family, he bore the responsibility to step forward and lessen the fallout. The student ranked 93rd happened to be present in the crowd. He harbored no trace of carelessness or disdain! New students were weak? What a joke! Su Yu had beaten 71st-ranked Huang Qifeng like a child toy, displaying combat strength likely approaching the top fifty. Call that weak? "Junior Brother Wan, let us spar!" The male student leaped onto the ring, treating the match with utmost gravity. The moment he landed, his cultural weapon manifested, willpower surged, and apertures flared open. Watching this, Zhao Ming sighed inwardly. This batch of newcomers was truly about to stir up a storm. Over the past two months, this class had been quiet. Even though everyone knew there were many monsters among them, few had paid it much heed. Now... who would dare underestimate them? "Begin!" The referee's voice had barely fallen when Wan Mingze's willpower and divine characters erupted! Three Tier-2 divine characters burst into action simultaneously! Others could not see divine characters and knew nothing of their potency, but Su Yu had experienced it firsthand. The 93rd-ranked student was just about to strike when his mind abruptly shuddered, and his willpower was sealed away! Alarmed, he surged his vitality and ignited his apertures, attempting to break through the divine character suppression. Yet a fully unleashed Wan Mingze was hardly a defenseless scholar. Eighty-four apertures lit up! Qianjun Seventh Layer! Taking advantage of the instant his opponent's willpower was sealed, Wan Mingze produced a small dagger. With blinding speed, he closed the distance! The dagger swept across his opponent's body in a flurry of muffled thuds! Origin qi seeped out from multiple apertures. His apertures injured, the student realized Wan Mingze had pinpointed his vulnerabilities and struck his weakest points. All at once, most of the student's origin qi leaked away! His willpower wavered and was immediately locked down completely by Wan Mingze! His body collapsed limply to the floor. With his willpower suppressed, he could only blink, unable even to speak. "Thank you for the match!" Wan Mingze helped the opponent up and released the divine character seal, looking apologetic. The student's face was pale. With his apertures damaged, he would need to rest for a while, though it was far better than having his willpower shattered and he would recover soon enough. Still... it was a miserable defeat! "Junior Brother Wan... formidable!" The student spoke with bitter reluctance. *I didn't even get to land a single move!* What was wrong with this year's class? Zheng Yunhui, the first to fight, had turned out to be the weakest among them. First came Su Yu's earth-shattering performance, followed by Wan Mingze decisively crushing a Top 100 student. What was happening? The students no longer had any spare attention to discuss the Shanhai matter; that was too distant from them, whereas the Top 100 Rankings were right before their eyes. Yet another Top 100 student had fallen! Wan Mingze took over the 93rd spot. The defeated student dropped to 94th. When an unranked challenger won, the loser was not ousted from the rankings entirely; they merely dropped by one position. Lin Qing's rank fell from 95th to 97th. Liu He was now ranked 100th. Su Yu had not taken up an extra slot; he had replaced Huang Qifeng's rank, while Huang Qifeng took Liu He's old rank, leaving Liu He on the verge of falling out of the top one hundred. However, Huang Qifeng was severely injured. If anyone challenged him right now, he would be removed from the rankings. Still, no one would likely do that today. But if Huang Qifeng remained incapacitated for long, the students behind him wouldn't wait forever. No matter how strong the Single Divine Character Faction was, sparing him a challenge today was just saving him a bit of face. In a few days, as others climbed the ladder, Huang Qifeng would swiftly fall out of the top one hundred. ... "Another win!" Lin Qing's expression was indescribably conflicted. Another win! A newcomer had decisively crushed another Top 100 student. She had struggled so hard to climb to 95th, only to drop to 97th in the blink of an eye. Tomorrow, Liu He was bound to challenge his way back up, which meant she would drop another spot. After two months of hard work, she felt she was about to become the gatekeeper once again! Just as the thought crossed her mind, two figures leaped onto the stage at the same time. Hu Qiusheng glanced at Xia Chan, chuckled, and hopped down. "You first!" Xia Chan said nothing. Once he had stepped down, she said in a slightly raspy voice, "Senior ranked 95th, please grant me your guidance!" Rank 94 was the student who had just been defeated. A roar erupted from below the stage! Were the freshmen going to completely overturn the Top 100 Rankings today? The 95th-ranked student looked grim. In the span of a breath, his rank had dropped several spots. He simply refused to believe that every student in this batch was a freak! ... The two met on the ring. The clash began instantly! Su Yu knew that Xia Chan possessed the god race divine character "Po" (Break), which had likely reached Tier 2. Her physical cultivation was also at the Qianjun Seventh Layer, on par with the bottom ten students of the Top 100 Rankings. This fight was not easy. Xia Chan battled her opponent for seven or eight minutes before finally gaining the upper hand with the first strike of the Xia family's ultimate art, the Heaven-Opening Saber. With a single slash, she sent her opponent flying, though she was left swaying on her feet as well! She had won! Though the victory had been hard-fought, a newcomer breaking into the Top 100 Rankings was the hallmark of a true monster! Lin Qing dropped to 98th. Liu He was officially knocked off the Top 100 Rankings! One after another! The moment Xia Chan's battle ended, Hu Qiusheng stepped onto the ring. Challengers who defeated a Top 100 student were granted a three-day immunity period during which they could refuse challenges, so Xia Chan and the others had no intention of fighting again today. Hu Qiusheng issued a challenge to the 97th-ranked student. Though the previously defeated students had slipped down a rank, no one challenged them again. ... Wan Mingze had been domineering, Xia Chan valiant, but Hu Qiusheng was pure mystery. He was a Civilization Master in the truest sense! From start to finish, he fought by remotely controlling his cultural weapon with serene composure. A slender rapier wove through the air, blanketing the stage. After battling for five minutes, the 97th-ranked student had his shoulder blade pierced by the rapier. Seeing that Hu Qiusheng still had plenty of willpower left to fight, the opponent had no choice but to concede. He had never even managed to close the distance to Hu Qiusheng! Hu Qiusheng claimed 97th, and Lin Qing fell to 99th. ... Lin Qing's face drained of color. If another freshman challenged in sequence, she was next! The 98th spot was occupied by the student Hu Qiusheng had just defeated. Forget keeping the gate; she might lose her place in the top one hundred entirely. Four more monsters—Zheng Hong, Zhang Hao, Su Meng, and Zhao Shiqi—had not even challenged yet! "The Top 100 Rankings are truly being upended!" Many senior students sighed. In the blink of an eye, five new students had broken into the top one hundred. The rankings were undergoing an upheaval. Earlier, Zheng Yunhui had boasted about clearing out the entire bottom ten. Now, it was nearly done. Having recovered from his shock, Zheng Yunhui bellowed, "Go on! Zhao Shiqi, what are you guys waiting for! There are still spots! Knock down 99, and that makes one more opening!" Once 99 was taken down, the remaining students at the bottom had already been challenged today. With the pride of these monsters, they wouldn't challenge someone who had already suffered defeat on the same day. Therefore, only one target remained! Defeat the 99th-ranked Lin Qing and send her back to being the gatekeeper. Below the stage, Lin Qing felt like weeping from sheer indignation! *What kind of nonsense is this!?!* Beside her, Wu Lan looked on with regret and muttered, "Sister Qing, what a pity. Otherwise, I'd want to go up too!" Her cultivation fell a bit short, or she would have challenged as well. Her opponent would have been Lin Qing, which sounded great to her. Lin Qing cursed inwardly. *If you went up, I'd actually be thrilled, you brat!* *Didn't you say the people in your class were ordinary, average, complete trash...?* *Are these the trash students you were talking about?* *If they're trash, what does that make us?* As she fumed, the remaining four monsters exchanged glances. This was likely the final match for the Top 100 Rankings today. Who would go? Everyone before them had won. If whoever stepped up lost, it would be humiliating. Reputation mattered, and going up without certainty would only lead to embarrassment! "I'll do it!" Zhang Hao chuckled. "No one from our Divine Talisman Department has gone up yet. We can't let your Divine Character College hog all the glory!" He leaped onto the stage. "Senior ranked 99th, step on up!" Lin Qing cursed under her breath! *Don't we have names?* Despite her frustration, she felt slightly relieved seeing that her opponent wasn't from the Divine Character Department. The Divine Talisman Department's direct combat strength shouldn't be too terrifying, right? ... Very soon, Lin Qing learned what a divine talisman bombardment truly meant! Zhang Hao wasn't using ordinary talismans, but explosive ones split from his own divine character. Su Yu had suffered heavily against them before, forced into hiding in a defensive shell. Talismans split from one's own divine character cost very little to sustain. Zhang Hao was playing a battle of attrition! *Boom! Boom! Boom!* From beginning to end, this was his only move. No closing in, no flashy martial techniques—just pure explosions! Lin Qing was far from weak; she was, after all, the student of the genius teaching assistant Wu Qi. Yet against such an unreasonable opponent, her powerful martial techniques were completely useless when she could never get close. After enduring over a hundred blasts, Lin Qing tumbled off the ring, dizzy and disoriented! She didn't even know when she had been blown off the stage! Panting heavily, Zhang Hao wiped the sweat from his forehead, secretly relieved. *Thank goodness, I didn't embarrass the freshmen!* He had nearly depleted his willpower. If it had run dry and Lin Qing had gotten close, he would have been done for. His physical strength was mediocre! Lin Qing was far stronger physically; a single sword thrust would have finished him. "Fluke, pure fluke!" Zhang Hao offered a modest pleasantry and happily trotted off the stage. With that, Lin Qing fell back to 100th, once again becoming the gatekeeper of the Top 100 Rankings. Zheng Yunhui, Wan Mingze, Xia Chan, Hu Qiusheng, and Zhang Hao had all pushed into the bottom ten of the rankings, while Su Yu sat at 71st. On October 3rd, the freshmen of the Class of 350 staged an earth-shaking spectacle! The Top 100 Rankings had been thoroughly upended! ... The grand drama of the 3rd came to a complete close. No one challenged further. The events of the day had been overwhelming, and many needed to head back, sort out their thoughts, and reconsider their futures. ... Su Yu was currently heading toward Cangshu Pavilion. Others might forget what had just happened, but he could not. Moreover, substantial trouble likely lay ahead. He had crippled Huang Qifeng, and an elder of the Single Divine Character Faction had been gravely injured. If they could stomach this quietly, they would be saints. They probably wouldn't dare break the rules again, but within the boundaries of the rules, they would certainly cause plenty of trouble for Su Yu. As he walked, Xia Huyou crept up from behind, looking around furtively with exaggerated caution. Su Yu glanced at him, and Xia Huyou lowered his voice. "Su Yu, I suspect someone has their eye on me! A member of the academy guard tipped me off just now, saying the academy higher-ups are preparing to screw me over again!" "..." Su Yu stared blankly. *You even bribed the academy guard?* "Don't look at me like that, I didn't bribe them!" Xia Huyou explained. "My elders did..." "..." Su Yu was speechless. *Is there any difference?* Xia Huyou didn't bother elaborating. There was, of course, a huge difference. It wasn't bribery; the academy guard army, while officially an academy force, was practically under the Xia family's sway. They answered not only to the academy, but also to the Xia family. Not wanting to dwell on it, Xia Huyou grumbled aggrievedly, "As expected, some shameless old bastard has his eye on me! Definitely an elder, at least an elder! Fortunately, I was smart and used IOUs!" Not far away, Jia Mingzhen "casually" strolled past. *Very good!* *I am that shameless old bastard!* He couldn't be bothered to deal with the kid today; he needed to see Wan Tiansheng to ask why he had suddenly struck Zheng Yuming. *Once I'm done with this, little fatty, you're dead!* Jia Mingzhen departed swiftly, unnoticed by either Xia Huyou or Su Yu. Su Yu couldn't care less about any of that and asked, "How much did you make?" "Su Yu, you're too brutal!" Xia Huyou complained helplessly. "If you'd told me earlier you could finish the fight in one minute, we could have made even more! Didn't you say three minutes?" "It pays to be conservative. One shouldn't be too arrogant!" Su Yu gave an honest smile. It was best to stay low-key and avoid making grand promises. Claiming three minutes and finishing in thirty seconds was perfectly normal. Xia Huyou rolled his eyes and whispered, "Are you selling that Heaven-tier martial technique of yours?" "..." Su Yu gave him a flat look and stayed silent. "Don't worry, it won't be leaked! The Xia family likes collecting all kinds of martial arts. If you hand it over, the family will seal it away, accessible only to a select few. As long as it isn't spread around, even if the creator of the art is still alive, they usually won't make a fuss." Su Yu ignored him. *Dream on!* "Cut the chatter. How much did we make?" "Not that much. The odds on you winning were too lopsided. After tallying it up, the net profit is around twenty-five thousand points." Xia Huyou grinned from ear to ear. "Though out of that twenty-five thousand, I still have to pay off people above and below to smooth things over. Plus, plenty of people haven't paid up and just gave IOUs..." Grinning happily, he continued, "Still, I won't shortchange you. On a seventy-thirty split, your cut comes out to about seven thousand points. How does that sound?" Seven thousand merit points! That was a sizable sum! In fact, it was a fortune. Pure profit with zero capital invested! Even if Xia Huyou had reneged on the debt, Su Yu couldn't have done much. The fact that the fat youth was giving him this much proved he wasn't completely unscrupulous. Su Yu smiled and said, "Deal! But I don't need the merit points. Use them to procure blood essence from the Five Elements races for me! And Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence..." "You still need more?" Xia Huyou stared at him in disbelief. "You bought so much already, and you still want more?" "Mainly the Five Elements races!" Su Yu said, "It's not for me, but for my teacher!" Su Yu straightened his expression and said earnestly, "My teacher has been researching a major project recently and urgently needs these materials! I heard blood essence from the Five Elements races aids in cultivating cultural arts. My teacher is investigating whether it can unlock certain traits allowing experts to directly use blood essence to boost their willpower... This is extremely crucial!" Xia Huyou was astonished. "Teaching Assistant Bai's research has already reached the realm of willpower? Wasn't he only studying blood essence innate abilities before?" "They're related projects!" Su Yu laughed. "So aside from the Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence that I'm using, the rest is for my teacher." Xia Huyou looked at him with profound sympathy! *How pitiful. You even have to support your teacher. That Bai Feng... he really has no shame, squeezing his own student like this!* On second thought, it made sense. There was no way Su Yu could consume that much blood essence on his own. Then again, Bai Feng wasn't entirely bad; he had likely applied his research results directly to Su Yu, which explained why the kid was so ridiculously strong. *The Wen Tan Research Center...* Xia Huyou mused to himself. If that place ever truly opened, it would probably unveil some astonishing research breakthroughs! Still, it felt somewhat unreliable—not because of Su Yu, but because of Bai Feng. Could he actually pull it off? Sponging off his own student without shame—if he couldn't produce results, what a waste of resources that would be! ... Wen Tan Research Center. Third underground floor. Bai Feng was overjoyed and just about to continue his experiments when a sudden shiver ran down his spine! "Have I gone too long without sleep? Is my body giving out?" *I'm in the Tengkong Realm!* *Why do I feel drained?* *Also, did something just erupt outside for a brief second? Was someone fighting?* Scratching his mess of hair, Bai Feng couldn't be bothered to care. Whatever! Who cared! His research took priority! "Innate divine characters... innate divine characters..." Bai Feng muttered to himself, looking slightly manic as the delight in his eyes deepened. "An innate divine character might not be a single divine character at all, but... a combination of multiple divine characters that ultimately forms an innate divine character!" "Which divine characters are required? No, different divine characters might form different innate divine characters. Does it require human divine characters?" "Divine character battle techniques?" "Could the divine character battle techniques of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction have been designed for innate divine characters all along?" Bai Feng was nearly delirious with excitement! Could it be true? If it was, then not only must the Multiple Divine Characters Faction never perish, it had to become the true mainstream! Only then could the innate talents of the human race be fully developed! "Not necessarily... the Single Divine Character Faction might also be able to form innate divine characters through combination, but the cost would likely be far greater..." Bai Feng grew increasingly agitated! *Teacher, while you've been away, I'm close to producing results that will shake the heavens and myriad worlds!*