The Man of the Hour

While Su Yu and Bai Feng were tinkering in the laboratory, a large courtyard inside Xiuxin Pavilion was filled with people. A full eight elders belonged to the Single Divine Character Faction. The academy had forty-two elders in total. Thirty-six were in the Shanhai Realm, while six were veteran ninth-stage Lingyun cultivators whose great age and seniority had earned them the title. Of the eight elders from the Single Divine Character Faction, Zheng Yuming was now crippled, Liu Hong's teacher was in death seclusion, and two others were fighting on the All-Heavens Battlefield. At the moment, only four could appear in the academy, led by Zhou Mingren. All four were present now, including Elder Sun, Zheng Hong's teacher. Zheng Hong was also there, being Zheng Yuming's grandson. He remained remarkably calm. Even when Zheng Yuming was crippled, he had not uttered a sound. As a mere Yangxing student whose grandfather had been struck down by the principal himself, what could he possibly do? Now, Zheng Hong stayed just as calm and quiet. He silently poured tea and brought water to the four elders, his expression completely unreadable. The four elders sipped their tea in silence. After a moment, Elder Sun spoke. "How is Yuming's condition?" "Of his eight divine characters, seven were crippled, including his primary divine character. Only one Dragon Race character remains," Zhou Mingren said softly. As for the physical body, it was not of paramount importance to a Civilization Master. Spending a bit of blood essence would allow it to be reforged. They were not walking the physical path anyway, so a somewhat weakened body was not a critical issue. "Seven divine characters destroyed, even the primary character..." A white-haired elderly woman spoke in a low voice. Had the primary divine character remained intact, the situation would not have been so dire for a Shanhai cultivator. But losing it was catastrophic. She said grimly, "Why was Principal Wan so decisive this time? Yuming didn't actually strike! Of course, his sudden release of aura was indeed a bit..." She trailed off, unsure how to frame it. Did any year pass without disputes between students? To elders of their status, such matters were utterly trivial. Yet for no good reason, Zheng Yuming had erupted with his aura. Under the circumstances, it was hard not to draw suspicion. Zhou Mingren said calmly, "It might have been Chen Yong's doing. Yuming hasn't regained consciousness yet, but I suspect Chen Yong deliberately provoked him from the shadows. Of course, it also cannot be ruled out that Wan Tiansheng was deliberately teaching us a lesson!" "Chen Yong?" At the mention of Chen Yong, their brows furrowed once more. Elder Sun hesitated. "Chen Yong wouldn't go that far, would he...?" "Hard to say! Yuming wanted control of Cangshu Pavilion. Did you really think Chen Yong wouldn't care?" Zhou Mingren said impassively, "Chen Yong joined Hong Tan forty years ago. All these years, he has holed up in Cangshu Pavilion without making a move. Have you forgotten that he was never an easy target back in the day? Every single student driven out of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was banished by his hand! Otherwise, given Hong Tan's temper, they might never have been expelled!" Over the years, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction had not completely ceased recruitment. However, some students could not endure waiting to outline ten divine characters during the Yangxing stage and broke through to Tengkong without forming a divine character battle technique. They were banished as a result, and Chen Yong was the one who handled it all, while Hong Tan barely interfered. After a few remarks, Zhou Mingren waved his hand. "We can discuss that later. Right now, Yuming is being sent to the All-Heavens Battlefield as punishment. He will inevitably be assigned to the Vanguard Camp. Even if the fighting isn't as fierce as before, he will still be thrust into battle. If his divine characters aren't restored, he's a dead man!" "Old Zhou, what do you mean?" The others looked toward him. Zheng Yuming was his disciple and the active head of their faction. They certainly could not leave him to die. Seeing Zhou Mingren remain silent, Elder Sun thought for a moment. "Old Fang and Old Ma are both on the battlefield. Perhaps we can pull some strings to transfer Yuming over to their side." Zhou Mingren said calmly, "Even if he is sent there, they might not have the time to look after him. With injuries so severe, going out there without regaining some strength is just suicide! Wan Tiansheng wants to drive Yuming to his death..." The others fell quiet. Zhou Mingren continued, "So I have decided: we will replace Yuming's primary divine character!" "Replace it?" They stared at him in astonishment. The old woman exclaimed, "That can't be done! Divine character compatibility is shockingly low!" "The ones in the academy won't do," Zhou Mingren said in a low voice. "Or rather, over all these years, only eleven divine characters hold any hope of being transferred!" Eleven! At these words, everyone's expressions changed. They understood immediately what he was referring to. The experts from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction who had fought in that battle decades ago! Eleven divine characters had been passed down in total. Liu Wenyan had inherited the Fifth Head's character. Others, such as Xia Yunqi, Zhao Mingyue, and Hu Ping, had inherited characters from Sunmoon Realm experts, while the remaining seven had inherited characters from peak Shanhai experts. Of those seven, six had already perished—whether from old age, illness, or qi deviation that led to the collapse of their willpower seas. Today, only five of the original eleven remained alive. All eleven had once been supreme geniuses with bright prospects of attaining the Shanhai or Sunmoon Realms. Yet fifty years had passed, and only a handful remained. Frowning, the old woman looked at Zhou Mingren. "You mean..." Zhou Mingren said calmly, "Six have died over the years, and none passed their characters on to successors! If so, those characters must still reside within their willpower seas. Unless completely disintegrated, divine characters inherited from that generation will not collapse so easily!" "Yuming's former primary character was the God Race character 'Collapse,' whose attributes were fracturing and shattering..." Zhou Mingren spoke slowly. "Among the six who died, one inherited a character highly suited to Yuming: the character 'Rift,' inherited long ago by Zhang Ruoling!" "Zhang Ruoling!" Hearing that name, the elders' expressions shifted slightly. One of the geniuses driven out back then! Zhang Ruoling had served as an instructor at the Great Xia Eighteenth Intermediate Academy before succumbing to illness nine years ago. In truth, he had likely died when his willpower could no longer bear the immense pressure. Silence fell over the room. After a long while, Elder Sun said grimly, "Old Zhou, digging up a grave and desecrating a corpse after a man has died... that is not something to be taken lightly! If word leaks out, do you think you will ever have peace again? The Multiple Divine Characters Faction isn't completely extinct yet! And even if they were, what would the War God Hall and the Quest Realm say? Wouldn't the Invincibles fear having their own graves plundered one day after they die?" "Forget about them—what about you? Would you ever want such a fate for yourself?" This matter was extraordinarily taboo. Who didn't have to face death eventually? Not everyone chose to pass down their divine characters willingly. Some preferred to find a quiet place to be buried. Would anyone wish to be dug up from the earth? Zhou Mingren remained silent for a moment before speaking. "The living matter more than the dead!" "Old Zhou!" Elder Sun said gravely, "You must think this through. In my opinion, even going directly after Liu Wenyan and the others would be better than this! Liu Wenyan and his peers are still alive. At worst, we'd gain a reputation for using our strength to bully them! While bad, that reputation would still be far better than this!" He would rather bully the living! That brought condemnation too, but it was far better than disturbing the dead, which was profoundly taboo! Zhou Mingren said in a low voice, "Their characters came from the Sunmoon Realm and might not suit Yuming! Another person who inherited a Shanhai character carried a Demon Race divine character, which would cause severe conflict. Zhang Ruoling's is almost certainly the most compatible!" "Still..." The elders wrestled with the thought. If they did this, their names would be thoroughly dragged through the mud. Upon reaching the Shanhai Realm, cultivators cared deeply about face and reputation alongside further pursuit of power. If the truth came out in the future, wouldn't everyone point fingers at their spines in disgust? Knowing their misgivings, Zhou Mingren said, "You don't need to get involved. I will handle it myself! The blame and the karma—I will shoulder it all!" With that, he looked at them. "I didn't call you here for this matter. I plan to open several mystic realms to strengthen Zheng Hong and the other students who haven't yet reached Tengkong. In addition, Wensheng and the others need to improve their strength as well!" Opening the high-tier mystic realms! An agreement on this had already been reached months ago. The elders raised no objections. Zhou Mingren hesitated briefly before saying, "Old Zhao is still in death seclusion, and it looks like he won't be emerging this time. He likely won't be able to contribute resources or effort to open the realms. As for Liu Hong..." He looked toward the others. "Let him enter as well so he doesn't miss this chance. I will cover half of the required resources, and the rest of you can split the remainder. How does that sound?" After a moment's consideration, another elderly man who had remained quiet nodded. "Very well! Liu Hong is currently at the eighth stage of Tengkong. Once he reaches the ninth stage, he can set his sights on Lingyun. If he truly enters Lingyun, our faction will grow stronger as well!" "Liu Hong has always trailed Bai Feng in strength. Letting him in makes sense." The elders reached a consensus to allow Liu Hong's entry. Zhou Mingren continued, "Above Tengkong, there will be six people: Zhou Pingsheng, Liu Hong, Sun Yucheng, Li Yunmei, and the other two. Below Tengkong, twenty students may enter. In addition... we must allocate a few spots to Wu Yuehua's side." Resignation showed on their faces. Wu Yuehua, that shrew! She had nearly caused an uproar over this last time. The old woman said with some irritation, "At most, three spots for her side. Not a single one more!" Opening a high-tier mystic realm came at an immense cost. Otherwise, they would keep it open indefinitely. This opening would devour several years of accumulated savings, not to mention their recent expenditures... Thinking of this, the old woman asked, "How is Pingsheng's research progressing? I reviewed the materials from last time, and it felt far too absurd. Could it actually be real?" It seemed utterly preposterous! They had found it unbelievable at first, yet Su Yu had indeed unleashed an innate skill in the recorded footage. Zhou Mingren shook his head. "There are no conclusive results yet; it's hard to tell whether it's genuine. If it's fake, it means the Wen Tan Research Center might have deduced the circulation method for the Ironwing Bird's innate skill. They might possess a corresponding martial skill, and Su Yu could have already opened those apertures." That was the only logical explanation he could deduce! Su Yu might have opened those apertures normally. He had not been present that day and had seen nothing firsthand. Even if someone had been there, Su Yu had opened far more than just one or two apertures. Who could tell whether the burst came from his own apertures or from blood essence? "The Ironwing Bird's innate skill isn't hard to deduce!" the old woman said gravely. "Of course, the cultivation methods and martial skills each person deduces vary somewhat. Even our academy possesses martial techniques with tearing effects. Pingsheng was too impatient that day; he should have observed more closely." Zhou Mingren shook his head. "Impatience made no difference. Unless Pingsheng had driven his willpower deep inside to inspect the internal aperture circulation, Su Yu would have detected it immediately, not to mention the presence of other witnesses." The others nodded quietly. That was true enough. Probing Su Yu that deeply would never have gone unnoticed unless the boy were an idiot. Still, as things stood, the whole affair felt suspicious. Especially considering Su Yu's sudden surge in strength—did opening apertures not cost money? Did it not require merit points? A check into Su Yu's records showed he had entered mystic realms several times! Of course, there were only basic entry logs without departure times. Without funds, how could Su Yu have entered? "Zheng Yunhui... Su Yu..." A thought struck the elders. Those two brats might have conspired to swindle them! A hundred thousand merit points! The sheer audacity! Yet they had no proof for now and would have to wait until further testing concluded. Nearby, Zheng Hong, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "Zheng Yunhui and Su Yu aren't as hostile as they appear on the surface. Reasonably speaking, Su Yu's copy of Sky-Breaking Slash was supposedly lost to Zheng Yunhui. Yet from what I observed earlier, Su Yu's use of Shattering Yuan was remarkably proficient!" No further elaboration was needed. With just that sentence, the elders' expressions shifted. To have lost Sky-Breaking Slash and yet still master Shattering Yuan with such proficiency was extraordinary—unless he had purchased another text of will? The old woman looked at him suddenly. "I heard you lost to him in the divine character competition earlier?" "Yes," Zheng Hong said apologetically. "I lost! He possesses multiple divine characters, including two Tier-2 characters, and has already begun outlining the embryonic form of a divine character battle technique. Furthermore, he seems to have practiced another formula that enhances willpower, making him exceptionally strong!" "A formula that enhances willpower..." The elders exchanged glances, and Zhou Mingren said, "It might be the Expanding Will Art." "The Expanding Will Art!" Elder Sun frowned. "Zhao Li has a dog's temper and gives face to no one! Back then, when I approached him to discuss it, he completely ignored me. Did he really pass it to Su Yu?" "Hard to say," Zhou Mingren replied, unable to be certain. Turning his attention back to Zheng Hong, he asked, "You're still missing one divine character, aren't you?" "Yes," Zheng Hong replied respectfully. "Grandteacher, I still lack the character 'Forest.'" "Understood. Old Sun, make sure he gets more texts of will regarding that character... genuine originals from fifty years ago! In addition, Zheng Hong, you will enter the mystic realm this time as well!" "Thank you, Grandteacher!" Zheng Hong bowed respectfully, then greeted the other elders in turn. Elder Sun, as his teacher, nodded in approval. "You may go!" Having granted Zheng Hong these benefits, Zhou Mingren dismissed him with a wave. Once he was gone, Zhou Mingren sighed. "Old Sun, guide him closely. With Yuming injured, this boy... And make sure the younger generation below grows closer. Seeing Qifeng injured this time made me realize something." The elders looked at him. Zhou Mingren said with regret, "There is no camaraderie left among fellow disciples! Su Yu crippled Qifeng to avenge Wu Jia! Yet when Qifeng was ruined, we said nothing, and how many of the younger disciples were willing to stand up for him?" A heavy, awkward silence fell over the group. "The Single Divine Character Faction..." Zhou Mingren sighed again. "I originally thought a bit of competition was healthy. Without competition, how could they grow strong? Yet as they competed, all sentiment vanished, until they treat one another worse than outsiders!" None of them replied. Seeing this, Zhou Mingren said no more. As for Zheng Hong... it was hard to tell what the boy was truly thinking. He was calm and composed, even clever enough to seize this opportunity to secure benefits for himself. If it was born of a desire to avenge his grandfather against Su Yu, that was fine. The fear was that he truly didn't care at all, indifferent even toward his own grandfather. Zhou Mingren did not fear his subordinates vying for power or playing petty games—ambition was natural. What he feared was the complete death of loyalty and affection, leaving behind nothing but cold transaction. "You may return... Once you do, instruct the youngsters under your wings that the suppression against Su Yu must continue! Even harsher than before!" Zhou Mingren's tone turned cold. "Having an opponent is a good thing. Without one, our own people will tear each other apart! The stronger Su Yu is, the better. Give them a target to strive against, lest they keep infighting and become a laughingstock!" To him, Su Yu's presence was no great calamity. Zheng Yuming suppressed the Multiple Divine Characters Faction out of personal grudge, but Zhou Mingren did so to foster unity within their own ranks. In his eyes, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction refusing to fight back over the years had actually proved harmful. That old ghost Hong Tan... whenever you threw a punch, he withdrew, leaving you striking thin air in frustration! Zhou Mingren had even suspected whether Hong Tan was doing it intentionally. Hong Tan had retreated like a turtle, and as a result, the Single Divine Character Faction had begun tearing itself apart! Even the elders here were not of one mind, let alone the juniors below, who fought more viciously among themselves than against outsiders. Now that Su Yu had emerged, it was genuinely a blessing in disguise. He even hoped the boy would hold out for a while longer without collapsing too quickly. If Su Yu fell, internal strife would only resume. Back when Bai Feng was still below Tengkong, he had stepped forward to contend, giving rise to talented assistant researchers like Liu Hong and Hu Wensheng. But once Bai Feng followed Hong Tan's example and retreated into his shell, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction had truly turned into soft cotton. Just as they were about to leave, Elder Sun turned around. "I almost forgot—Xia Yuwen is returning soon! Are we still contending for Cangshu Pavilion?" "We contend!" Zhou Mingren stated decisively, "Of course we contend! The Top 100 students have only one mission now: intercept Wu Jia. Before the end of the year, she must not be allowed to enter the Top 100 Rankings! Not just the Top 100 students, but everyone else as well! Those outside the Top 100 are to keep their eyes glued to Wu Jia!" Zhou Mingren barked, "A united front against a common enemy! Direct all their focus onto Wu Jia and Su Yu. Until those two are crushed, what right do they have to fight among themselves?!" "Understood!" Elder Sun nodded. This was indeed a constructive step. Giving the students a shared objective was beneficial! Zhou Mingren pondered briefly and added, "Tell them that anyone who defeats Wu Jia once will be rewarded with a hundred merit points! Anyone who defeats Su Yu once will receive a text of will personally penned by me!" At these words, even the elders showed surprise. That was a tremendous price to pay! A text of will personally inscribed by Zhou Mingren, a peak Shanhai expert, specifically tailored for someone below Tengkong, was extraordinarily rare! "Very well!" The elders agreed once more. Su Yu was bound to face immense trouble now. Just as they turned to leave, Zhou Mingren added, "This applies to students outside the Single Divine Character Faction as well!" "..." They whipped their heads around to stare at him! Zhou Mingren said coolly, "Let our students understand: if they cannot achieve it, I will look elsewhere! When that happens, we'll see whose face is lost!" The elders were completely struck dumb. Handled this way, Su Yu would indeed face tremendous pressure. But if students from other factions claimed the reward because their own failed, it would be utterly humiliating! Zhou Mingren said nothing more. The others did not ask further about the divine character either. They had no desire to take part in grave-robbing. Let Zhou Mingren handle it alone. Zheng Yuming was his student, not theirs. *** At the very top of Xiuxin Pavilion. Wan Tiansheng sat cross-legged on the floor, gazing out the window. He murmured softly, "Are they finally going to clash? Good." The students needed to fight, and the experts needed to fight as well. Since they were unwilling to fight on the outside, internal strife was still better than stagnating in silence. "Someone come in!" A moment later, an elderly man entered, bowed toward Wan Tiansheng, and said, "Principal!" "Go tell Wu Yuehua that Zhou Mingren plans to dig up Zhang Ruoling's grave!" "Understood!" "Also... inform Liu Wenyan!" Wan Tiansheng said indifferently, "Even if Wu Yuehua knows, she might not tell him." "Understood!" "Go!" The elderly man nodded, turned, and left. Wan Tiansheng stood up, looked down at the courtyard below, and muttered, "Fight! If you don't fight, none of you will show your heads. And without showing your heads, who will ever uncover... who set that trap all those years ago?" The Multiple Divine Characters Faction needed to step forward. Fifty years ago, to prevent the Fifth Head from attaining Dao, so many had died—and almost all of them were experts of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, pushing it to the brink of extinction. What an astonishing plot! So many Invincibles had been alive, yet all were intercepted. Even the Great Xia King had been blocked, arriving too late. The scale had been colossal! So vast that even the movements of human Invincibles had been leaked. "Was it you?" Murmuring softly, Wan Tiansheng looked up at the sky. In that memory, whose hand had lurked in the background? What was the Quest Realm truly doing? Had they truly found zero clues across all these decades? Or had the Quest Realm itself been infiltrated? With a long sigh, he reminded himself that this was only one of thousands of possibilities. It might not be true; perhaps he was merely overthinking. "Liu Wenyan... Xia Yunqi..." Murmuring their names, he shook his head and sat back down to cultivate cross-legged. Those who should emerge, come out! If you keep hiding, without making even a ripple, who will ever care about the Multiple Divine Characters Faction again? *** At the same time, the news spread like wildfire! Whoever defeated Su Yu would be rewarded with a text of will penned by a peak Shanhai expert! The entire academy erupted into an uproar. A text of will written by a peak Shanhai expert was worth at least two to three thousand merit points on the market. More importantly, even with merit points, one might not be able to buy it! Moreover, no restrictions had been placed on the cultivation art or type. Perhaps one could even request a text of will for the Myriad Texts Sutra! That would be an absolute fortune! At this moment, even students on the verge of breaking through to Tengkong were stirred. With Tengkong imminent, they would soon need to study the Myriad Texts Sutra. Groping their way forward in the dark was grueling! Su Yu! Simply by defeating Su Yu, they could seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was priceless! Ranked 71st! At this moment, the students ranked 72nd through 80th felt a surge of excitement. Beyond that, even students ranked above him began considering another angle: could they collaborate with lower-ranked students, perhaps by deliberately yielding rank? That way, challenging Su Yu would become entirely legitimate! Overnight, Su Yu became the talk of the entire academy. A sensational figure! His fame was now on par with Zhan Hai, who held the number one rank! The news spread with blistering speed, and before long, even people outside the academy caught wind of it. Su Yu of the Great Xia Civilization Academy! The most monstrous talent among this year's freshmen, suppressing the successors of the Wan, Xia, Hu, and Zhao families alike! Defeating Su Yu had instantly become the dream of countless students. Take him down and claim a text of will. Even if they couldn't use it themselves, selling it would yield thousands of merit points. For a student, thousands of merit points could be a life-changing fortune! Yet at this very moment, Su Yu remained completely absorbed in the wonders of research, entirely oblivious to the mountain of trouble waiting for him outside.