Trouble Brewing

Great Xia Civilization Academy. Wen Tan Research Center. While a tumultuous storm raged outside, peace reigned within the research center. Inside the academy, Su Yu felt no profound sense of crisis. Within the Civilization Academy, rules still held sway, at least, and Wan Tiansheng was a man who played by the book. Even when he had confiscated Zheng Yunhui's blood essence last time, it was within the bounds of the rules, as it was considered contraband from an illicit transaction. Of course, breaking through Hong Tan's seal to directly summon Su Yu hadn't been entirely by the book. Right now, Su Yu had once again descended into the detention area. ... Inside the basement. The several great demons were already used to this. Sensing Su Yu's approach, they even felt a tinge of joy. He had come so early! It had only been seven days, yet Su Yu was already here! Under normal circumstances, didn't he only show up once every ten days? The original rule of feeding them once every three days had long become a distant luxury; none of the great demons harbored any hope for that anymore. Su Yu opened the door and walked down the stairs. The great demons were thoroughly delighted, every one of them stirring into action. They couldn't afford to stay quiet—the Fire Crow, who had failed to make a sound the first time, still regretted missing out on a drop of Yuan Qi Liquid to this day. The moment he stepped inside, the White Li asked impatiently, "Little Brother Su Yu, did you manage to exchange the cultivation arts I wrote for you last time into merit points?" Su Yu slapped his forehead and chuckled. "I forgot! I've been swamped with too many things lately, helping Teacher with research, so I completely forgot to go trade them in. Next time, next time!" The White Li's spirits plummeted into despair! Forgotten! It had been hoping to get an extra drop of Yuan Qi Liquid this time, but Su Yu had actually forgotten. That fellow truly had a terrible memory. No wonder he often forgot to come down and feed them. Su Yu didn't bother to say more, giving each demon a drop of Yuan Qi Liquid. Then, he looked toward Cage Number One, where the Water Person was kept. "Number One, how about a chat?" The Water Person shifted into human form, though its face was devoid of facial features. Its voice was as soft and gentle as ever: "What do you want to talk about?" "The Water Art!" Su Yu didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "The research center is currently planning to deduce a basic cultural art that humans can use—one that can be cultivated at the Yangxing stage." "The Five Elements races seem to specialize in such techniques. Your Water Art is a cultivation art used to open divine apertures. You should know that, right?" The Water Person replied gently, "I told you last time that these arts are innate to us from birth. We are born with certain divine apertures already opened, and we don't even know which specific apertures they correspond to." "Furthermore, seas of consciousness differ from one another. What opens my divine apertures won't work on humans. Your human race has hunted down plenty of our Five Elements kin, so you should already know this." Su Yu nodded slightly and smiled. "I understand! But I still want to give it a try. Civilization Masters are all like this—who wouldn't want to try? Once a basic cultural art is deduced, one's name will be etched into history for eternity! Wealth, status, and fame will all come pouring in." The Water Person fell silent for a moment. After a brief pause, it asked, "Do you want me to tell you the profound mysteries of the Water Art?" "Not necessarily." Su Yu smiled. "You don't have to explain the exact method of opening the apertures. Just tell me about the process, some of the more abstract concepts. I prefer working through reverse deduction; perhaps that could give me some inspiration." The great demons almost burst out laughing! A mere Yangxing student speaking with such audacity, actually wanting to deduce the cultural art of the Five Elements races! Even for Invincible experts, developing such an art was by no means something that could be deduced on a whim. Otherwise, the cultivation arts of the myriad races would have been cracked long ago. The physiological differences between races resulted in vastly different cultivation methods! The Water Art opened thirty-six apertures, but even the Water Person might not know which human divine apertures they corresponded to. One could never mess around with the sea of consciousness. The slightest misstep would cause it to crumble. A sea of consciousness was powerful, yet exceedingly fragile. If you opened the wrong divine aperture, it would be like piercing a bottle, causing everything to leak out. Opening divine apertures was far more difficult and vastly more dangerous than opening physical apertures. Otherwise, after all these years, the human race wouldn't have only produced a single basic cultural art for the Tengkong Realm—the Myriad Characters Scripture. They wanted to ridicule Su Yu, but they forced themselves to hold it in! The Suanni originally had the fiercest temper. In the past, it would have mocked Su Yu mercilessly by now, but today it was remarkably well-behaved, keeping silent and merely snickering to itself. It laughed at Su Yu's lack of self-awareness! It laughed at his unrealistic ambitions! Su Yu didn't care about their reactions. All he truly needed were some abstract concepts. A few insights into the cultivation art, an understanding of the process—enough to draft a genuine manual instead of his current state, where he only knew how and where to open the apertures. As for why this specific aperture was opened, or why it had to be opened in that manner... he had no concept whatsoever! Over the past few days, Su Yu had read numerous books and studied many cultivation arts. He felt he could roughly assemble a template, but without genuine insights into the Five Elements arts, the resulting framework would feel unnatural, making it easy for true experts to spot the flaws. The Water Person was the ideal tutor. A cultivation art could not be disseminated carelessly or thoughtlessly, but that did not mean it would never be taught. Su Yu had plans of his own; certain arts would inevitably be spread outward sooner or later. How to spread them, whether he could profit from them, and whether he could ensure his own safety—those were the crucial factors. Seeing his interest, the Water Person chuckled and didn't mind elaborating. "The sea of consciousness is actually similar to the physical body. Whether it is divine apertures or physical apertures, they are all channels connecting to the outside world. The more channels you open, the faster your cultivation speed will be." "Why can't humans at the Yangxing stage cultivate the Myriad Characters Scripture?" The Water Person explained slowly, "Because at that stage, your sea of consciousness is far too fragile. During the Yangxing stage, the human sea of consciousness is not as robust as ours. Just because we can open divine apertures doesn't mean you can! The divine apertures opened by the Myriad Characters Scripture are only suitable for the Tengkong Realm. Divine apertures vary greatly: some are hard to locate, some require a violent process to open, and others cause turbulence within the sea of consciousness..." The Water Person didn't mind chatting with Su Yu about these things. If Su Yu was pleased and stayed longer, getting a little extra Yuan Qi Liquid would be well worth it. It wasn't afraid of starving to death, but having more Yuan Qi Liquid would allow it to build up its strength. Gradually, a clearer picture formed in Su Yu's mind. Pulling out his small notebook, he took notes bit by bit. At this moment, Su Yu resembled a diligent student, while the Water Person played the role of teacher. Watching him record notes with utmost seriousness and occasionally pose questions... the detention area seemed to have transformed into a peaceful classroom, devoid of any prison-like atmosphere. "Then, if the thirty-six divine apertures opened by the Water Art are named Water Aperture One through Water Aperture Thirty-Six, what does it feel like after opening Water Aperture One?" The Water Person paused before replying, "When opening the first divine aperture, the most critical task is stabilizing the sea of consciousness. Opening the first aperture is often accompanied by internal turbulence, and at that moment, as you absorb scattered willpower, you will feel a faint distending ache..." "Opening a single aperture allows one to absorb a little willpower?" "Yes, but it's passive, similar to your Kaiyuan stage, just slightly faster than before." Su Yu nodded and continued asking questions. The Water Person answered them one by one. After inquiring for a long time, Su Yu tossed another drop of Yuan Qi Liquid into the cage and smiled. "Thanks. If there's anything else I don't understand next time, I'll ask you again. Once I deduce a Water Art suitable for humans, I'll credit you with a great achievement!" "..." The Water Person didn't want to reply. If you can actually deduce it, I... I'll turn myself into sewage! Just as Su Yu turned to leave, the Mountain-Boring Ox saw him walking away and called out anxiously, "Su Yu, you haven't given me mine yet!" Su Yu turned his head to glare at it. This ox sounded honest, but its heart was foul! "You get nothing. Starve for a month!" Su Yu said ruthlessly, "I asked someone last time—there's an issue with your blood essence! Blood essence from the Mountain-Boring Ox royal lineage can contain traces of willpower and vitality, carrying the potential for rebirth from a drop of blood! You didn't even warn me. What, were you trying to trap me?" Su Yu said crossly, "Do you take me for a fool? Just because I don't know doesn't mean I can't ask others!" "I'm wronged!" The Mountain-Boring Ox let out a miserable wail. A month! It was finished! It would truly starve to death! "I'm only at the Tengkong Realm! How could I possibly possess the ability to regenerate from a drop of blood? Su Yu, even if the Mountain-Boring Ox clan possesses such power, it's not something I could master..." "Cut the crap!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered to entertain it, cursing, "The more honest someone seems on the surface, the more sinister they are underneath! You're not even as good as the Suanni. The Suanni might not be honest either, but at least it provided me with a Heaven-rank martial technique!" The Suanni was innocently dragged into the crossfire. How am I dishonest? I've been very well-behaved lately! Look at me, I haven't roared or shouted at all recently, just patiently waiting for you to hand out Yuan Qi Liquid. How obedient is that! Su Yu said no more and quickly left. After his departure, the detention area fell silent for a while. A moment later, the Water Person chuckled softly. "Stupid ox, suffered a loss, didn't you?" The Mountain-Boring Ox didn't want to speak. The Shadow said in a faint, eerie voice, "His own knowledge might be limited, but just as he said, he can ask others. Su Yu... clearly isn't stupid. Also, did you notice? His strength seems to have improved considerably!" "Has it?" The Suanni doubted it. "I observed him. Though I can't probe him directly, judging by his physical body, his absorption of Yuan Qi isn't fast. Isn't he still at the middle stage of Qianjun?" "Middle stage of Qianjun?" The Shadow said faintly, "Definitely not! The Water Person probably sensed it too. Su Yu seems to be concealing some of his apertures, likely through the effect of a divine character, somewhat similar to the divine characters of our Shadow race. His true strength is well beyond the middle stage!" The Water Person collapsed back into a puddle of water, its voice echoing out: "Indeed, he's probably reached the late stage!" The great demons fell silent. That kid was progressing terrifyingly fast. Coupled with a Heaven-rank martial technique, he was likely among the very best in the Qianjun Realm. His talent was immense! "He came asking about cultural arts today. Does he truly intend to deduce a cultural art?" The Shadow was somewhat puzzled. That was an extraordinarily difficult task. The Quest Realm had an entire cohort of experts dedicated solely to that endeavor, and nearly every major academy had a group working on it. Did Su Yu want to take on such a massive project too? Wasn't he afraid of delaying his own cultivation? None of the others could provide an answer. Who knew what was going through Su Yu's head? ... While Su Yu was preparing to draft a cultural art manual to accelerate his cultivation, over at the Heart Cultivation Pavilion... Inside Zhou Mingren's spacious courtyard. Liu Hong was drenched in cold sweat. After a long hesitation, he said with a struggling expression, "Director, it was my fault! I quoted Senior Brother Zhou a price of 82,000 merit points, but the actual transaction price was 80,000. I profited from the difference!" As if unable to withstand the pressure under Zhou Mingren's piercing gaze, Liu Hong "confessed" to his embezzlement. "Eighty thousand points..." Zhou Mingren repeated the number, having already formed a general judgment in his heart. Eighty thousand points was likely the truth. One couldn't fully trust Su Yu's words, but... when Zhou Pingsheng returned, he had claimed it cost 100,000 points! Zhou Mingren let out a silent sigh in his heart! He now understood that his student had pocketed a staggering eighteen thousand merit points! What audacity! What an insatiable appetite! Eighteen thousand merit points—Zhou Pingsheng truly had immense nerve. How dared he? One had to realize that for an expert at the Lingyun Realm, earning a thousand merit points in a year was considered quite good, referring strictly to standard compensation for their duties. Zhou Pingsheng had swallowed over ten thousand merit points in one bite. If the other elders found out, it would cause massive trouble. Though these thoughts churned within him, Zhou Mingren showed nothing on his face, speaking indifferently: "When handling affairs, it's normal to have some selfish motives! Two thousand points isn't a small amount, but I can forgive you this once. However... I want to know, is that research data real or fake?" Sweat dripped from Liu Hong's brow. "Director, I truly don't know! Senior Brother Zhou was present throughout the entire process on that day. His discernment is sharper than mine, and his experience far surpasses mine. Moreover, he wasn't the only one—Xia Xinyi from the Xia family was there as well! Xia Xinyi was prepared to make the deal too, which clearly meant he judged it to be genuine." Xia Xinyi was Marquis Xia's son and Xia Chan's father. A powerhouse at the ninth layer of the Lingyun Realm! On top of that, he belonged to the Xia Trading Company and possessed vast experience. If even he thought it was real, how could it be fake? Zhou Mingren gently rubbed his temples. After a long while, he spoke: "Let's test it for a while longer and see. However, if this was a trap laid by Su Yu and the others... the probability of it being real is far too small." In all likelihood, it was fake! In fact, he had already concluded it was fake, holding on to only a final sliver of hope. He couldn't declare it fake too quickly right now. Otherwise, Zhou Pingsheng, who had spearheaded the matter, would be in deep trouble. The other elders wouldn't simply let it go—a full 100,000 merit points was no trivial sum. Moreover, there was already a mountain of troubles. A crowd of people was currently demanding texts of will from him. Some could be denied, but others... absolutely had to be given! All because of a single Su Yu, a massive wave of problems had erupted. At this thought, Zhou Mingren said, "Su Yu... I don't know whether this was his own idea, or if Chen Yong and Bai Feng came up with it, or perhaps... Liu Wenyan is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Regardless, Su Yu has dragged the Single Divine Character Faction's reputation through the mud. If we don't punish him severely, we will have no face left." Liu Hong hurried to say, "Director, he's currently still in the Yangxing stage and isn't on the Top 100 Rankings. It's... very difficult for us to make a move against him." Zhou Mingren said coolly, "Do you not have a single idea? Are so many people truly helpless against a mere child?" With an awkward expression, Liu Hong said, "Well... I do have an idea, but I'm afraid you might find it whimsical, Director." "Speak!" "Push him into the Tengkong Realm!" Liu Hong chuckled sheepishly. "At the Yangxing stage, it's hard for us to corner him! But once he reaches the Tengkong Realm, things become different. We have plenty of teaching assistants in the Tengkong Realm, and those at that level are all researchers, so there aren't as many rules restricting us. If all else fails, once he reaches Tengkong, we can toss him onto the All-Heavens Battlefield..." Liu Hong quickly added, "By the way, Director, I think... it would be best to let him enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm! How many divine characters has he outlined so far? If he loses control and steps straight into Tengkong, that would be truly interesting. Would the Multiple Divine Characters Faction expel him or not?" Liu Hong grew increasingly animated. "For their faction, if one enters the Tengkong Realm without completing the outline of their divine character battle technique, they are no longer considered part of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction! Su Yu's willpower is already at peak Yangxing. Can he truly endure staying stuck at Yangxing without advancing to Tengkong? When the time comes, will they expel him or keep him? If they keep him, can the Multiple Divine Characters Faction still call itself that? They would become a laughingstock!" Liu Hong gained momentum as he spoke. "Su Yu is used to advancing by leaps and bounds. If he's kept stuck at peak Yangxing for several years or even over a decade, could he bear it? When Bai Feng and the others refuse to let him advance, the two sides might even turn against each other!" Zhou Mingren frowned slightly. "What if he has the patience to endure it?" "Director, outlining divine characters isn't that fast..." "Divine characters..." Zhou Mingren suddenly remembered something! Wan Tiansheng had mentioned wanting Su Yu to outline a human divine character. If he were restricted to outlining only human divine characters, Su Yu would only be able to outline that single type, which would severely drag down his speed. He wouldn't be allowed to outline characters from other races, and even if he did, he would have to shatter them himself. In that case, wanting to outline more than ten divine characters would become even more troublesome. "Do you know how many base divine characters are in his battle technique?" Liu Hong shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I feel this kid is even more talented than Bai Feng—at least twelve or even more! Look, Chen Yong has stayed in hiding for so long, yet now he's come out to personally run interference for him. This brat is definitely exceptionally gifted!" Zhou Mingren nodded. That was true. Pushing him into Tengkong... Liu Hong's idea was indeed intriguing. Liu Hong added, "Director, in truth, our goal right now shouldn't be Su Yu. While his combat prowess is formidable, his senior sister, Wu Jia, is the real key! Director, neither of those two kids is our ultimate target. Our target is Chen Yong. His position as the Head of the Cangshu Pavilion was our original objective!" Suppressing Chen Yong—that was the true goal. No matter how strong Wu Jia and Su Yu were, they were still below the Tengkong Realm. Zhou Mingren let out a soft breath and nodded. "Indeed, Chen Yong's seat needs to be vacated! Xia Yuwen has already entered the Great Zhou Prefecture. In about a month or so, he will be returning." "Xia Yuwen is returning?" Liu Hong was inwardly startled, though he didn't show it on his face. He merely asked with a hint of hesitation, "Director, he isn't part of our Single Divine Character Faction after all. Are we truly going to cooperate with him?" "He has a very strong chance of becoming the next Manor Lord of the Great Xia Prefecture. In the Great Xia Prefecture, the Xia family is king! Only if he becomes Manor Lord will our Single Divine Character Faction have any hope of taking another step forward!" Liu Hong could say no more and nodded. "Understood! Director, then moving forward, should we strictly prevent Wu Jia from breaking into the Top 100 Rankings again?" "Yes. Cancel the previous assignments. Students of the Single Divine Character Faction are strictly forbidden from letting Wu Jia enter the rankings! If they fail, all quotas and welfare benefits for next year will be completely revoked!" No more handing out benefits! If they couldn't accomplish the task, there would only be punishment. So many resources had been spent cultivating them, yet they proved entirely useless. What point was there in continuing to nurture them? Liu Hong said cautiously, "Director, then the... the extra two thousand merit points I took, I will hand them over shortly..." With an anxious expression, he said, "Could you please explain things to the other elders on my behalf? I really didn't take that much; the deal truly was completed for 80,000 merit points. Su Yu was just trying to ruin me..." "I'm not that foolish!" Zhou Mingren waved his hand, his demeanor naturally exuding authority. Would he simply believe whatever Su Yu said? Liu Hong swore that eighty thousand points had been spent; a quick inquiry with Zhou Pingsheng would settle it. Of course, Zhou Pingsheng... Zhou Mingren felt a headache over his student. What an enormous appetite, claiming a full 100,000 points right off the bat! If the other elders pressed the matter, it would indeed be a massive headache, especially now when they were preparing to push him into the pavilion head position. As for Liu Hong's two thousand points, to a Mountainsea expert, it wasn't a major issue. Liu Hong's quota within the Single Divine Character Faction was already smaller than that of others, so he could just keep it. Troubles came one after another! The deficit of 100,000 merit points, Liu Wenyan's return, other students demanding texts of will, Zheng Yuming being severely wounded... At this moment, Zhou Mingren felt utterly overwhelmed. He had originally intended to enter seclusion to attempt breaking through to the Sunmoon Realm. But with all this turmoil, how could he possibly enter seclusion? Where would he find the time? Tapping on the desk, Zhou Mingren said, "Keep an eye on Bai Feng and Su Yu! Your two students have decent talent, and their elders are also researchers in our faction. Don't be so stingy all the time; spend more effort nurturing them..." Liu Hong wore a look of embarrassment and helplessness, whispering, "Director, I... I truly can't afford to nurture them. My younger brother alone has consumed a large share of my resources, and I want to advance to the Lingyun Realm as soon as possible myself. As for those two... I really don't have much energy to look after them..." "You people!" Zhou Mingren felt another wave of headache. When a researcher from their own faction couldn't even afford to support his own students, what was the point of taking disciples? Under such circumstances, how could those students feel any sense of belonging toward the Single Divine Character Faction? Had they really cut Liu Hong's share too severely over the years? Liu Hong's student Yang Sha was quite decent, with hope of entering the Top 100 and advancing to the Tengkong Realm. The new student, Lin Yao, was also quite good, and Lin Yao's grandfather was a Lingyun Realm expert within the Single Divine Character Faction—a true insider. "Those two students of yours will receive a monthly quota of thirty merit points from now on. Don't you dare scheme against your own students!" "I wouldn't dare!" Liu Hong was pleasantly surprised. Thirty points was a substantial amount! Tengkong Realm researchers only received around that much. Even Chen Yong only had a basic monthly quota of fifty points, and he was a pavilion head at the ninth layer of the Lingyun Realm. Of course, Chen Yong was only given the base quota with nothing extra; otherwise, a ninth-layer Lingyun wouldn't be in such a pitiful state. Zhou Mingren exhaled softly, growing increasingly impatient. There were far too many troublesome matters. Ever since reaching the peak of the Mountainsea Realm, he had rarely managed these daily affairs. Previously, Zheng Yuming had handled them as the faction leader. Now, all these annoying tasks fell squarely onto his shoulders, and for the moment, he didn't know who should take over as the faction head. "By the way, how has Xia Chan been performing recently?" "Very well!" Zhou Mingren pondered for a moment before saying, "Have Xia Chan prepare herself. Let her enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm next month!" "Director, this... Xia Chan's branch isn't on the same side as Xia Yuwen and his allies. Will Xia Yuwen..." "It doesn't matter!" Zhou Mingren waved his hand and said indifferently, "It's merely hedging our bets. They are all members of the Xia family; it doesn't matter which branch loses. Even if Xia Yuwen wins, he wouldn't dare harm them. Does he truly believe King Daxia and Manor Lord Xia have no other choices besides him?" Even if Xia Chan's branch failed, it wouldn't be a disaster. At worst, they would lose the seat of Manor Lord, but nothing else would happen. Zhou Mingren saw this very clearly. No matter how strong Xia Yuwen was, even if he reached the Invincible Realm, would he dare kill Xia Chan? Her grandfather was Marquis Xia, and her great-grandfather was King Daxia—direct lineage. Anyone trying to touch her would be courting death! Liu Hong nodded and quickly said, "Understood, I will notify her as soon as I return! By the way, will Senior Brother Wensheng be entering this time? He's only one step away from the Lingyun Realm. If he enters this time, I think his breakthrough to Lingyun is guaranteed. I should congratulate him in advance!" At the mention of Hu Wensheng, Zhou Mingren couldn't help but recall Bai Feng defeating him with a single sword strike, which made him feel all the more irritable and vexed. It felt as though nothing was going smoothly! "We'll see. He hasn't emerged from seclusion yet." At that point, he added, "I'll be heading out for a trip in a couple of days. If anything comes up and the other elders aren't around, you can go look for Vice Principal Xia!" "Understood!" Liu Hong nodded hurriedly, though suspicion arose in his heart. Heading out? Where to? Zheng Yuming hadn't been sent to the All-Heavens Battlefield yet and was currently recuperating. At this time, Zhou Mingren should be staying behind to assist with his healing. Why was he heading out now? Moreover, several of the elders seemed to be absent today. Where had they gone? He couldn't shake the feeling that Zhou Mingren seemed somewhat anxious and unsettled today. Zheng Yuming's injuries were severe. When going out, could he possibly be taking Zheng Yuming along with him? Connecting the various clues together, Liu Hong still lacked a few key pieces and couldn't guess the full picture, but he could sense that Zhou Mingren had somewhat lost his composure. "Director, if you head out and others come looking for you..." By "others," he meant those students who had won texts of will. Anyone capable of coming to demand them was no simple character. "Step forward and stall them for a while!" Liu Hong felt thoroughly helpless, but he quickly replied, "Understood, I'll take care of it." He was only in the Tengkong Realm! Why did it feel like Zhou Mingren was treating him as the faction leader? Was the Director truly planning to let him take the position? He couldn't handle such pressure—he wasn't even at the Lingyun Realm, and the Single Divine Character Faction had plenty of Lingyun experts. Furthermore, he wasn't even part of Zhou Mingren's direct lineage. Seeing that Zhou Mingren had no further instructions, Liu Hong didn't linger and carefully took his leave. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the trouble wasn't too severe. Mainly, Zhou Pingsheng was taking the fall! That old fellow had embezzled quite a sum, yet he happened to be Zhou Mingren's direct disciple. With Zheng Yuming injured, he served as Zhou Mingren's public face, and with plans underway to push him into the position of pavilion head, it wasn't appropriate to reprimand him too harshly right now. Otherwise, Zhou Mingren would only be humiliating himself. Liu Hong sneered inwardly. He had known it would turn out this way. With Zhou Pingsheng taking the heat out front, the greater trouble lay with Zhou Pingsheng. Zhou Mingren had no choice but to downplay the matter and let it slide. As he walked outside, his thoughts drifted to other matters. Zheng Yuming was crippled, Hu Wensheng was in seclusion, and Zhou Pingsheng was overseeing the research on innate blood essence. All of Zhou Mingren's direct disciples were tied up. It seemed the position of faction head might fall into the hands of one of the ninth-layer Lingyun experts. His younger brother Liu He's teacher was a ninth-layer Lingyun, so there was still a chance. "A pity I'm not at the ninth layer of Lingyun. Otherwise, I might have been able to vie for it!" "With no one available, he finally remembers my two students..." Shaking his head slightly, Liu Hong sighed inwardly. The Single Divine Character Faction was powerful and had many members, but after years of infighting, unity had dissolved. The several elders engaged in open and covert struggles against one another, making Zhou Mingren wary of their disciples. On the other hand, an outsider like himself might actually have a chance to gain Zhou Mingren's favor this time. Back then, when he arranged for Liu He to take a master, he had deliberately chosen an independent branch within the Single Divine Character Faction—an expert at the ninth layer of Lingyun who was not a direct disciple of the other elders. Now, the chances of that teacher becoming the faction head were even greater. While mulling over these thoughts, he was reminded of Su Yu once again. He wanted to laugh! The massive trouble Zhou Mingren faced all traced back to Su Yu. If not for Su Yu, Zheng Yuming would still be in charge, and no one else would have had a chance! "That useless Bai Feng couldn't stir up any waves after all these years, but Su Yu... if he truly breaks through to Tengkong, that will be hilarious!" "The Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm... I must make sure that kid gets in. I have to pass word to that side. Entering Tengkong early—how entertaining that would be!" He needed to inform Su Yu! As for whether the kid could actually get in, that would depend on his own capabilities. Either way, Liu Hong had nothing to lose. "Xia Yuwen is coming back..." He thought of that fellow again—the one who had always suppressed everyone beneath him. That was indeed a troublesome factor, but fortunately, he wasn't part of the Single Divine Character Faction; for now, they were merely collaborating. ... At the same time. Across the territory of the Great Xia Prefecture, in several strongholds of the All-Races Sect, powerful figures received a message. "Su Yu, student of the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Ninth layer Qianjun, middle stage Yangxing, with combat strength of the Wanshi Realm. Defeated the 38th-ranked student on the Great Xia Civilization Academy Top 100 Rankings..." "Mission: Kill Su Yu!" "Reward: 500 Contribution Points!" Five hundred contribution points! Killing a late-stage Tengkong expert only yielded that much reward. In an instant, several All-Races Sect powerhouses within the Great Xia Prefecture were astonished. So high? Then again, he was a Yangxing student who had yet to leave the academy. Infiltrating the academy to assassinate him... no one would attempt that for a mere few points; it was practically suicide. Yet even if it was difficult, could Su Yu remain inside forever? Five hundred contribution points was quite a fortune! The mission was issued only to those at the Tengkong Realm and above, and many Tengkong experts felt tempted. Five hundred points was truly no small amount. Just what had this Su Yu done to make the higher-ups issue a kill order on a student? Not only that, but an addendum was attached at the end: capturing him alive was preferred. However, capturing him alive posed far greater difficulty. Killing someone was simple, but escaping with a captive was anything but easy, even if the contribution reward was higher.