The arena area fell dead silent.
The students watched with bated breath, as if waiting for a lottery draw.
Would he give it to them?
Even if he didn't hand out Shanhai Realm ones, a Tengkong Realm text would still be fine!
Zhou Mingren swept his gaze over the surrounding students before slowly declaring, "Tomorrow, I will publicly transcribe the War God Art. All students are welcome to observe..."
Wu Yuehua said flatly, "When a Shanhai Realm expert writes a text of will, only the first ten or twenty viewers will gain anything from it. Still, it is a good thing that Principal Zhou is willing to preach free of charge. By the way, when will the rest of the compensation be settled?"
Even a text of will transcribed by a Shanhai cultivator had its limits.
After a few dozen people read through it, its willpower would basically be exhausted.
Of course, if he were to transcribe a Shanhai Realm cultivation technique rather than one meant for the Qianjun or Wanshi Realm, the students wouldn't even be able to look at it.
Zhou Mingren glared at Wu Yuehua.
Preaching publicly once was the solution he had come up with. Even if the students were displeased, getting a chance to observe a Shanhai's transcription would appease them to some extent.
If nobody objected right now, this wouldn't have blown up into such a massive hassle.
"Wu Yuehua, is there anything that can't be discussed in private? Must you throw the entire academy into complete chaos?"
Zhou Mingren sent her a voice transmission, his tone laced with suppressed fury. "Diminishing the dignity of a Shanhai before students benefits neither me nor you!"
"When the mystic realm opens, I can give you five slots!"
Zhou Mingren added hurriedly. He wanted to settle the matter, but Wu Yuehua kept causing trouble. If this went on, the fallout would only grow more intractable!
Wu Yuehua met his gaze coldly and transmitted back, "When you were planning to dig up Zhang Ruoling's grave, why didn't you care about dignity then?"
"..."
Zhou Mingren snapped his eyes toward her, his expression shifting erratically.
He glanced sideways at the elderly woman, looked over at Elder Sun and the others, and finally turned toward the Heart Cultivation Pavilion.
Did Wan Tiansheng tell her?
He had brought the matter up with Wan Tiansheng, so it wasn't surprising that Wan Tiansheng had guessed it was Zhang Ruoling; after all, Zhang Ruoling's divine character was the most suitable for Zheng Yuming.
Zhou Mingren's eyes flickered with suspicion.
Wan Tiansheng... what on earth was he planning?
Hadn't he said he wouldn't interfere?
Damn it!
No wonder Wu Yuehua insisted on opposing him today—it was all because of this.
Around them, the students who had initially felt a flicker of excitement upon hearing Zhou Mingren promise a public lecture now grew anxious and disheartened after Wu Yuehua's reminder that only ten or twenty people would actually benefit.
That was far too few!
Only ten or twenty people? With such a massive crowd here, how were they supposed to compete for the spoils?
Su Yu, who had kept quiet while Zhou Mingren was speaking, suddenly piped up, "If Principal Zhou gives a lecture in the Preaching Area once every day, that ought to cover everyone in about a year!"
"..."
Zhou Mingren glanced at him and didn't bother replying.
A year?
Once every day?
Did he really think transcribing a text of will was that simple?
Besides, did he have nothing better to do than spend all day writing texts of will?
Ignoring Su Yu, Zhou Mingren searched the area. His eyes lit up slightly as his gaze locked onto someone.
Over in the distance, Liu Hong had merely been enjoying the show.
Yet at that moment, a sudden jolt went through him as Zhou Mingren's voice sounded in his ear: "Liu Hong, you interact with the students the most. Come up with a way to resolve this crisis!"
Liu Hong cursed inwardly.
*Damn it, you want me to step up?*
*I was just watching the drama!*
*If I'd known, I wouldn't have come here to spectate! What a miscalculation!*
"Resolve this trouble, and when the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm opens, you may enter!"
Zhou Mingren spoke again.
They had already decided to let Liu Hong enter before, but Liu Hong didn't know that yet, so it served as an ideal reward to push him into handling this mess.
The Shanhai elders rarely dealt directly with ordinary students.
For a moment, Zhou Mingren had completely forgotten how to communicate and negotiate with them.
*The Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm...*
Liu Hong's heart leaped!
That was a magnificent place, normally never opened.
If he could truly resolve this dilemma, it would be tantamount to saving the Single Divine Character Faction, and his standing within the faction would rise dramatically.
At that thought, Liu Hong quickly replied through transmission, "Dean, I'll give it a try. However, it will probably be impossible to settle this without bleeding some resources."
"No matter. Expending some resources is fine!"
"Understood!"
...
The students were still waiting for an answer.
Right at that moment, someone cleared his throat and stepped forward with a smile.
Seeing who it was, Su Yu frowned slightly.
*That bastard Liu Hong!*
*What is he showing his face for?*
"Fellow students!"
Liu Hong walked forward, calling out loudly with an empathetic sigh. "It is truly unexpected that matters have escalated to this point! Dragging this standoff out benefits neither you, the elders, nor the academy as a whole!"
"Over eight thousand texts of will... To be frank, everyone should understand that it is impossible for every single person to receive one."
Liu Hong wore a sincere expression. "Before issuing your challenges, everyone surely had that expectation in mind. We indeed had a loophole in the way our rules were formulated. Of course, defeating Su Yu to obtain a text of will was never an official academy regulation in the first place..."
Su Yu cut in, "Does Instructor Liu mean you're going to renege on your debt?"
Liu Hong smiled. "Not at all! It's just that if we continue this deadlock, none of you will get anything. How about this: allow me to propose a compromise, and everyone can see if it's acceptable."
Liu Hong raised his voice. "Going forward, the Single Divine Character Faction's four elders, forty Lingyun, sixty Tengkong, and over a hundred researchers will publicly transcribe a text of will in the Preaching Area once every three days! In addition, they will answer questions and resolve doubts for everyone, not limited strictly to texts of will!"
"This will continue for an entire year! Over a hundred researchers will impart boundless insights to all of you, something far more valuable than a single text of will."
"Under normal circumstances, it is nearly impossible for anyone to obtain such an opportunity."
"In the Preaching Area, everyone can use the number of victories won today as admission tickets. Win once, and you may attend once; win three times, and you may attend three times!"
"Earlier, everyone spent one merit point to win a match. Now, using that single merit point to attend a lecture by a researcher—surely nobody will feel shortchanged, right?"
Liu Hong said softly, "This is the best possible resolution. Otherwise, if you truly insist on demanding a physical text of will, we can give it to you as well..."
At those words, many members of the Single Divine Character Faction turned pale.
Liu Hong, however, offered a calm smile. "We can give them to you, but we never specified when they would be delivered. It takes time for Dean Zhou to write them. Under normal conditions, even if he writes one every three days... you will have to wait in line! Perhaps after a few decades, you will finally receive yours!"
Liu Hong declared loudly, "It's not that we lack integrity. Going back on our word is something the Single Divine Character Faction would never do! Everyone is free to choose: attend the lectures in the Preaching Area, or wait for your text of will! Dean Zhou will write them, so long as you are willing to wait!"
The students exchanged glances.
To be fair, getting to attend a free lecture didn't sound bad at all!
Wait... wait for what, their own funerals?
If Zhou Mingren transcribed just one a year, they wouldn't get theirs even if they waited until they died.
He hadn't specified a deadline, but he wasn't refusing outright.
What could they say to that?
They had only taken advantage of a loophole anyway. For an ordinary student, this was already a massive gain. What right did they have to complain?
It seemed entirely acceptable!
Within the crowd, someone noticed Liu Hong's gaze and quickly shouted, "I have no objections, Instructor! But if I want to attend a Shanhai Realm instructor's lecture, what happens if there are too many people?"
Liu Hong smiled and answered loudly, "You must weigh the pros and cons yourselves! Fewer students will choose the Tengkong and Lingyun instructors, and their realms are closer to your own, meaning the things they explain will be much more intuitive. If you attend a lecture by a Shanhai elder, you might not even understand it, wasting the opportunity!"
Liu Hong chuckled. "The choice is yours. If everyone insists on crowding into the Shanhai lectures and ends up gaining very little, don't blame me for not warning you!"
In just a few words, the fellow had skillfully shifted the entire debate from receiving texts of will to choosing whose lecture to attend.
Over the course of an entire year, each researcher from the Single Divine Character Faction would only need to go once. It wasn't an unbearable burden.
As for the materials needed to write the texts of will... what materials did they need? They could just write on ordinary paper! It wasn't meant for long-term preservation anyway. A text given to keep required enduring materials, but one used for a lecture could be tossed off casually on whatever was at hand.
On the stage, Su Yu's eyes flickered.
*Liu Hong!*
*That crafty bastard!*
The elders truly didn't understand the students; their thinking was rigid, and they had believed this matter was unsolvable because they were fixated on the concept of rules.
To Liu Hong, however, rules were riddled with loopholes.
The students didn't necessarily care about getting a text of will—they just wanted to reap some benefits. Would they really care about anything else?
They didn't belong to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. They had only dared stage this farce because there was safety in numbers.
Su Yu took a deep breath and quickly spoke up, "Actually, this method isn't bad. I mentioned earlier that anyone participating would at least get a chance to attend a free lecture!"
"However, regarding the transcription of texts of will, I believe everyone should be given something to strive for. For instance, each transcription should be written using blood essence and high-grade beast hide, and then awarded to the student who performs best and shows the most progress that day!"
Su Yu smiled. "That way, someone will actually receive a physical text of will, so they won't walk away empty-handed! Any student who receives one will surely remember your benevolence when they achieve success in the future..."
Liu Hong shot him a glare. Even at a moment like this, the brat didn't miss a chance to dig a pit and bleed them dry.
Over a hundred texts!
If they really used blood essence to transcribe every single one, the raw cost alone would exceed ten thousand merit points!
And that didn't even account for the labor cost—the willpower drained from the researchers and the time spent teaching.
Looking at Liu Hong, Su Yu grinned. "Instructor Liu said that if anyone insists on wanting a text of will, they will receive one. That is great too. I'm sure some people will need them. With fewer people requesting them, the elders will have plenty of time to write them without delay. It's wonderful!"
Su Yu added with utter sincerity, "I advise everyone: unless your family has a Shanhai, or you can guarantee you'll actually receive a text of will, you'd better choose the lectures! If you truly feel dissatisfied, you can always sell this opportunity to fellow classmates who actually have a shot at claiming one!"
Liu Hong said coldly, "Su Yu, are you instigating students to trade on the black market? Buying and selling texts of will is illegal within the academy!"
Su Yu laughed. "Instructor Liu has misunderstood! I misspoke just now. The War God Art is a public cultivation technique of the academy that anyone can learn, so there's no such thing as a black-market trade. Everyone can simply borrow a text of will from a wealthy classmate to study. If it happens to get lost, you can use this opportunity as compensation to repay them. It's just a loan—nobody should engage in buying or selling!"
"..."
The students looked on with bizarre expressions.
Anyone who couldn't understand his meaning by now was a complete idiot.
*A loan my foot!*
Calling it a loan was just a pretext. Who cared whether it was borrowed or not? They would simply turn around, claim the text was lost, and compensate the other party with their turn. The transaction would be complete.
As for how much they could sell it for and whether it beat attending a lecture—no matter how they calculated it, they wouldn't lose out.
If the offer was too low, they could just go listen to a lecture.
Many of them were well aware that they had a zero percent chance of actually getting a text of will on their own!
The two traded verbal blows back and forth, each exploiting loopholes in the rules.
One claimed there was no time limit.
The other argued there was no transaction, just a lost borrowed copy.
Either way, Su Yu was determined to make the Single Divine Character Faction bleed!
Bleed heavily!
Even if they managed to resolve this issue, they would still have to pay a steep price.
When it came to disgusting people, who was afraid of whom?
At this moment, the elders had been reduced to mere bystanders. They didn't say a word, leaving the floor to the two. If they stepped into the ring personally right now, it would be utterly humiliating.
"Su Yu, your idea won't work. The agreement was that whoever defeated you would receive a text of will. Transfers... collateral... none of that is permitted! Within the academy, trading cultivation techniques is forbidden, and collateralizing or transferring them is strictly prohibited. If anyone truly wishes to transfer or mortgage one, fine—they must pay an inheritance fee!"
Liu Hong said calmly, "Pay it to the academy. For example, to pass on the War God Art once, you must first possess the proper qualifications, and then pay one hundred merit points before a transfer is authorized. As a student, don't tell me you don't even know this?"
Down below, Xia Huyou got an immediate headache upon hearing this!
Did this mean his business was dead in the water?
If students transferred or pledged their turns to him, he would have to pay a hundred merit points to the academy for each one?
If so, how could he turn a profit? The cost was far too steep!
Su Yu chuckled. "I know that. But transferring the War God Art only requires that because it is a Profound-rank or Earth-rank technique—what you're referring to is the Earth-rank version. I never insisted on the War God Art! The Qianjun Art works just as well. That is a technique made public throughout the Human Realm, which can be passed on for free! Back then, you never specified which technique, so everyone can simply ask for texts of will of the Qianjun Art!"
Su Yu said nonchalantly, "As long as the elders are willing to write the Qianjun Art, or even the Kaiyuan Art, it makes no difference to us!"
"..."
Su Yu added, "It must be Shanhai Realm, and peak Shanhai at that! You said it yourselves back then—you can't say you made a mistake on that, can you?"
"..."
Liu Hong looked at him and forced a smile, cursing inwardly.
*This little bastard is sharp!*
*He's researched the academy's rules thoroughly!*
Both of them constantly brandished the rulebook.
Yet to many spectators, an odd impression began to take root... *Damn it, were the academy's rules created just for these two?*
*They can bend them however they please?*
...
Inside the Heart Cultivation Pavilion.
Wan Tiansheng gazed up at the ceiling. Were the academy's rules really so full of loopholes?
Were they truly that sloppy?
Why did it feel like these two scoundrels could play around however they liked, twisting everything to their advantage?
Rubbing his forehead, he began to contemplate whether he should perform a comprehensive overhaul of the academy's regulatory system.
...
Back at the arena area.
Liu Hong stopped arguing with Su Yu and transmitted to Zhou Mingren, "Dean, this kid is extremely difficult to deal with. He's openly pushing the students to transfer their chances to the scions of great clans, and in the end, those clans will come looking for trouble with us..."
"Most students will choose to attend lectures, but some definitely won't."
Zhou Mingren had also regained his composure by now. He suddenly spoke aloud, "Students who wish to attend the lectures may disperse! When researchers give lectures, they will share their own unique insights, which in many cases are worth far more than a few merit points! If you are willing to wait, you may also wait for me to transcribe your texts of will..."
He looked toward the students. Many of them hesitated, and when their eyes met his, a flicker of fear surfaced.
Before long, several students said nothing and began to withdraw.
Of the original crowd of several thousand, over a thousand departed in an instant. Seeing others leave, some who had intended to stay thought it through and hurriedly walked away as well.
Reaping a small advantage was enough!
Quit while you were ahead!
If they pushed too hard, they might end up with nothing and get remembered by powerful experts—that would be real trouble.
There was strength in numbers, but once the crowd thinned, that protection vanished.
Besides, they had profited today no matter what!
*Su Yu is impressive!*, many marveled inwardly. This fellow had completely ensnared the Single Divine Character Faction. Every single researcher would now have to hold a free lecture. Even if it was only once, many of them would surely be reluctant.
Su Yu was not surprised in the least to see a large contingent leave.
Nor did he find anything wrong with it.
Knowing when to stop was a virtue. Those who remained either had powerful backgrounds or planned to find an opportunity to sell their turn. Those without backing or strength—why stay behind?
Managing to snag a free lecture and a chance to observe a text of will was already quite decent.
However, the ones who left were never the real issue.
The large group with powerful backings was the true headache for Zhou Mingren. Who knew what kind of price he would have to pay to placate them?
Having dispersed a massive portion of the students, the Single Divine Character Faction elders all let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Not bad!
The dense sea of thousands of students earlier had given them a migraine. Now that more than half had left, the situation was much better.
Liu Hong was somewhat useful after all!
Seeing this, Liu Hong smiled again and said, "As for the remaining students, it seems you intend to hold out for the texts of will! Consider this carefully: no trading is allowed! Loaning out the Qianjun Art or Kaiyuan Art is fine, but once any transaction takes place, the academy's background surveillance system will detect it! If you get caught, all your efforts will come to naught. Not only will you gain nothing, but you may also face punishment. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
At these words, several more students hesitated briefly before quickly taking their leave.
It made sense!
The academy had an audit system. Once merit points changed hands, it was very easy to track down, and then they truly would be left empty-handed.
The crowd shrank further and further!
Su Yu didn't care. Since Liu Hong was so eloquent, he could keep talking; let him try to convince every single person to give up their texts of will.
At that moment, Liu Hong was nursing a headache of his own.
There were still five to six hundred people who hadn't left!
They were either students of Shanhai or Lingyun experts, people from systems like the Demon Suppression Army and Longwu Guards, or descendants of prominent figures and great clans.
These were the truly troublesome ones!
A single lecture... wouldn't be enough to dismiss them.
What they wanted was a peak Shanhai text of will, worth over a thousand or even several thousand merit points. Trying to fob them off with a lecture was wishful thinking!
A faint smile appeared on Su Yu's face.
This was the crux of the matter!
Even if they didn't have to deliver thousands of copies, how were they going to deal with these few hundred?
Refuse them?
Then prepare to antagonize the prominent clans of the entire Great Xia Prefecture! Calling it antagonizing might be an exaggeration, but at the very least, those clans would hold no good will toward Zhou Mingren.
They would curse him inwardly at every turn!
And when a critical moment arrived someday, someone might just stab him in the back.
Su Yu couldn't be bothered with what they were thinking. He suddenly announced in a clear voice, "Let me ask: does the promise of rewarding a text of will for defeating me still stand? If it does, we can continue in the future. If not, then forget it. Going back on your word has already been done, so changing policies from morning to evening is only natural!"
"..."
*Did it still stand?*
*Nonsense!*
*Of course it didn't!*
Yet Su Yu was blatantly slapping them across the face, forcing the Single Divine Character Faction to revoke the order themselves. A mission meant to make things difficult for Su Yu had left him completely unscathed while nearly dragging them into a pit from which they couldn't climb out.
Liu Hong smiled. "The original intent was to motivate everyone to make progress, and also to push you, Su Yu, to improve. You people insisted on fooling around recklessly, which goes against our original intention. Therefore, this matter ends here!"
"Do you get to decide that?"
Su Yu looked down at him, feigning confusion. "Are you the Single Divine Character Faction's branch head? The dean? The principal? Instructor Liu, it's not that I look down on you, but as a mere teaching assistant, are you qualified to speak on behalf of the Single Divine Character Faction? Can you just casually revoke a principal's decree? Are you the acting principal? The acting dean? Or perhaps, since Elder Zheng ran into trouble, you're about to take over as branch head?"
Su Yu feigned astonishment. "Branch Head Liu, congratulations!"
"..."
Liu Hong nearly choked on the urge to murder him!
*Branch head your grandmother!*
*Who the hell wants to be branch head?!*
Meanwhile, an idea crossed Su Yu's mind, and he grinned. "Branch Head Liu, your rise through the ranks couldn't be due to what happened last time, could it? Surely losing forty thousand merit points doesn't count as a meritorious service, does it?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, Zhou Mingren and the others frowned. What did that mean?
If Su Yu had said this before, they would have dismissed it as nonsense; Su Yu wouldn't have been qualified to speak in front of them.
But now...
Anyone who underestimated this kid now was an idiot.
Forty thousand merit points...
What did he mean?
They hadn't lost forty thousand merit points. Their only recent major expenditure had been spending a hundred thousand merit points to purchase certain items.
And those items... had originated from Su Yu's side.
The expressions of the elders shifted subtly as their sidelong glances fell upon Liu Hong.
Prior to this, none of them had suspected Liu Hong. But now, what was Su Yu implying?
Liu Hong cursed violently in his heart. *Forty thousand your mother!*
Su Yu was going for broke!
Since he was offending them completely today anyway, he didn't care if the past came to light. It made no difference. There was no need to hide it now—after today, there was no chance Zhou Mingren and the others could peacefully coexist with Su Yu!
"Su Yu, stop spouting nonsense..."
Su Yu chuckled. "What nonsense did I spout? I didn't say anything! I would never do anything that violates the rules! That said, I really must thank you all for helping me reach the Qianjun Ninth Layer and progress so quickly. Thank you!"
Su Yu hopped down from the stage and smiled. "I have business to attend to, so I'll be leaving first! I've been busy conducting research lately—where would I find the time for sparring and matches? Oh, by the way, please help me spread the word: our Wen Tan Research Center has fully derived the Soul Devour Art cultivation technique! It allows origin qi to mutate, enabling it to corrode and burn willpower. It will soon be auctioned off publicly as a one-time buyout!"
"This is a physical cultivation technique for the Warrior Path, not a willpower martial technique, nor an innate skill—keep that in mind, everyone! For warriors, this will be of monumental importance when dealing with enemy Civilization Masters on the All-Heavens Battlefield!"
"We welcome participants from the Great Xia Prefecture and even from other prefectures!"
"We hope this technique can be passed down to elevate the overall strength of humanity significantly!"
"Going forward, I hope our Multiple Divine Characters Faction and the Wen Tan Research Center will become the center of the Human Realm, the focal point of all eyes. Certain people had better think twice: if you look for trouble with us now, beware of being hacked to death by the warriors of the world!"
Su Yu laughed heartily. "As for the texts of will, go ask for them yourselves—I won't be involved! The derivation of the Soul Devour Art still requires my participation in subsequent testing. Oh, and thank you for the forty thousand merit points! Although we only received half of it, that was enough. The derivation of the Soul Devour Art couldn't have succeeded without that funding sponsor; otherwise, it would have been truly difficult to pull off!"
Clad in fluttering white robes, Su Yu strode away with effortless poise!
Chen Yong followed silently behind him, looking almost like Su Yu's student as he served as his protector from the rear.
A dead silence blanketed the entire grounds!
In the next instant, Zheng Yunhui suddenly bellowed, "The Soul Devour Art can mutate origin qi?!"
"Yes!"
Su Yu replied without even looking back.
"How many apertures does it open?"
"Thirty-six apertures, not that many. Nearly half of them overlap with common techniques."
"Meaning you only need to open around eighteen?"
"Roughly!"
Zheng Yunhui's expression changed instantly. Without another word, he turned on his heel and bolted!
*Go home!*
*Find the old man!*
*A mutating origin art!*
*It can mutate origin qi to target willpower! Holy shit, what an incredible origin art!*
Opening fewer than twenty extra apertures might be difficult, but for geniuses, this was a massive opportunity to bolster their combat strength, granting them an effective counter against Civilization Masters!
Within the crowd, several figures slipped away quietly.
Some were going to notify their elders, while others were reporting back to the powers behind them.
For the Warrior Path, this truly represented a monumental breakthrough.
Zhou Mingren and the others looked on, their eyes flickering. They understood Su Yu's intent: he hadn't announced it earlier or later, but chose this exact moment, clearly intending to place the Multiple Divine Characters Faction under the watchful gaze of the public!
*Was he worried about retaliation?*
Zhou Mingren and the elders remained silent.
Retaliation... that could wait.
The emergence of the Soul Devour Art was bound to make the Wen Tan Research Center the center of attention. The critical question was: what would the pros and cons be for them if this technique spread?
Furthermore, how were they supposed to handle the remaining people?
Just as Zhou Mingren sought an excuse to slip away, a young girl in the crowd piped up timidly, "Principal Zhou, I only want three texts of will. I only won three times. Su Yu wanted me to win ten times, but I didn't agree..."
The young girl wore a frightened expression. When Zhou Mingren looked at her, she looked on the verge of tears, mumbling meekly, "I won these myself. My dad won't give me merit points, but he still expects me to get stronger... I spent all three of the merit points I had left... Grandpa Zhou, are you going to renege on your debt?"
Zhou Mingren looked at her, finding her face faintly familiar.
Beside him, a researcher quickly transmitted, "She's the daughter of Director Ji of the Yuqiang Department—Ji Xiaomeng, his youngest!"
Zhou Mingren remembered!
That old fellow had fathered a daughter late in life—his only daughter. When she turned ten, he had invited experts from all directions to celebrate her birthday!
He doted on her far more than on his sons!
So it was this little girl!
Zhou Mingren felt a splitting headache. *That bastard... Su Yu, you little bastard!*
Chapter 168