As Long as One Is Bold Enough, the Civilization Academy Is Mine

Inside the Wen-Tan Research Center, Su Yu had not stepped outside again. His injuries were not light. Even though his martial uncle had sent over plenty of medicine, his right arm was still not fully reconnected. By now, it was already October 10th. The third day since Bai Feng's departure! Over the past few days, he had not contacted Bai Feng and the others to ask about the situation, nor had Bai Feng contacted him. Su Yu worried that his teacher was in the middle of examining Liu Wenyan, so he did not dare reach out. Besides, communication devices were not necessarily secure. While Su Yu was still healing his right arm, his comms chimed. Thinking it was Bai Feng, Su Yu hurriedly answered, only to find Xia Huyou on the other end! *** Outside the Wen-Tan Research Center. Xia Huyou glanced around. When Su Yu emerged, he chuckled and said, "Su Yu, let's go inside to talk. It's so inconvenient out here." Su Yu could not be bothered to indulge him. Going inside was out of the question. Too many eyes were currently fixed on the Wen-Tan Research Center, and there were many important materials within. Innate blood essence was not even considered the most crucial anymore. At present, things like innate divine characters and the Soul Devour Art were far more important than innate blood essence. This fat bastard was trying to get up to no good again. "Have a seat!" Su Yu called out casually and sat down directly on the front steps. Feeling slightly sheepish, Xia Huyou did not mind and sat down with a laugh. "Su Yu, didn't you say earlier that you were going to auction off the Soul Devour Art? You've been preparing for so many days, and you've even opened the apertures and used it yourself, so it's definitely perfected. Why haven't you sold it yet?" "Has it really been that long?" Su Yu snapped in annoyance. "It's only been a few days!" He had only mentioned it at the Top 100 Arena on the 3rd. How many days had passed since then? Barely a week. What was the rush? Xia Huyou said anxiously, "Su Yu, you have no idea. Yesterday, when you used the Soul Devour Art to crush Zhu Hong and the others, do you know how many people were watching? To be completely honest, if you don't sell it soon, too many people will be targeting you! Your situation was already bad enough. You'd better watch out for people trying to fish in troubled waters!" "Fish in troubled waters?" Su Yu fell into thought. Was that possible? It was very possible! Originally, the Single Divine Character Faction was targeting them, while others got involved purely for the Fifth Head's divine character. Warriors generally did not intervene. Now, however, with the Soul Devour Art's auction delayed, warriors might genuinely get involved. In many people's eyes, this art had been deduced by Bai Feng. Could Bai Feng not possess it? He certainly did! Seeing Su Yu deep in thought, Xia Huyou smiled. "Well? Am I right?" "You're right!" Su Yu nodded, then considered it and said, "Selling it is fine. Truth be told, as impressive as this thing seems, it's only so-so. If you run into a Tengkong Realm Civilization Master whose willpower has reached tier two, it will only cause them pain. It won't be like now, where tier-one willpower is easily burned right through." The Soul Devour Art was indeed good, but it opened too few apertures—only thirty-six. Unless they were merged into a single aperture later on, its power would only increase then. Xia Huyou hurriedly suggested, "How about handing it over to the Xia family to auction?" "Not interested!" Su Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "I don't intend to sell it to just anyone either. If it falls into the hands of the All-Races Sect, I'd be bringing trouble upon myself! Fatty... ahem, Huyou, let me ask you something. How many people from other great prefectures are stationed here in the Great Xia Prefecture?" Xia Huyou looked at him speechlessly. After thinking it over, he gave a dry cough. "Well... practically none." Su Yu glanced at him and said flatly, "You know what I mean. There's no need to lie to me about this! Business is a long-term affair, so don't just think about this one instance! Besides, your Xia family can't offer what I want!" Frowning, Xia Huyou looked at him. "Su Yu... you... some things aren't what you imagine! The Xia family is still immensely powerful. The reason we're adopting a neutral stance right now isn't because the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions are so strong that even the Xia family can't suppress them. It's mainly because... well, it's very complicated." "Complicated?" Su Yu chuckled. "How complicated could it be? You can't even govern your own prefecture, and you call that complicated? Do you believe that if word gets out, the citizens of the Great Xia Prefecture will raise an uproar?" Xia Huyou laughed. "They won't, because... the news won't get out!" Su Yu frowned slightly. He glanced at him and did not pursue the matter, steering the conversation back. "Since the Xia family won't step in, I'll have to find someone who will! The Soul Devour Art won't be sold for money..." "I know what you're thinking!" Xia Huyou interrupted. "You want to drag warriors into this? To put it bluntly, for a single Soul Devour Art, do you really think anyone will wade into a dispute involving a bunch of Shanhai, Sun-Moon, or even near-Invincible experts? Furthermore, this is an internal matter among Civilization Masters. Honestly speaking, if you really do that, you'll earn the hostility of Civilization Masters—all of them!" Xia Huyou spoke earnestly. "No one will get involved, not even the other great prefectures! The Xia family's stance is right here—we aren't interfering. The Great Zhou Prefecture's stance is also clear: this is a legacy issue left behind by the Fifth Head, so they won't interfere either. It's all being orchestrated by that person from the Great Zhou Civilization Academy..." Xia Huyou looked at Su Yu and said seriously, "I believe you know a bit about the situation. This involves the fall of an Invincible. That person from the Great Zhou Prefecture harboring resentment and taking it out on others is understandable. It's one thing not to hand over the research materials, but you won't even let them see the Fifth Head's divine character. Is an Invincible's life that worthless?" Su Yu frowned and inquired, "Did that Invincible from the Great Zhou Prefecture really die trying to save the Fifth Head?" "It's true!" Xia Huyou said solemnly. "That's no lie! I asked some elders before. Back then, the Fifth Head was ambushed by two Invincibles. At that time, there weren't many Invincibles on the All-Heavens Battlefield. They rushed toward the battlefield from various locations, but the myriad races were prepared, and multiple Invincibles charged out to intercept the rescue!" After a brief pause, Xia Huyou added, "The Fifth Head and that person from the Great Zhou Prefecture actually had a pretty good relationship. Because the Fifth Head was about to advance and that person had only advanced recently, they were considered experts of the same tier, so they interacted quite a bit. In the end... while trying to rescue the Fifth Head, he was ambushed by two Invincibles halfway there and ultimately fell in battle." "The Fifth Head was on good terms with him?" "Yeah!" Xia Huyou nodded and lowered his voice. "Honestly, because of this, even King Daxia finds it awkward to speak up. People were saying before that the Xia family did it deliberately—because the Zhou family was too strong, having produced two Invincibles, so... King Daxia deliberately chose not to save him that day!" Xia Huyou sighed. "On the battlefield that day, King Daxia was undoubtedly the strongest! After repelling his enemies, he actually had two choices: one was to head toward the Zhou family's side, and the other was to head toward the Fifth Head's side. In the end... as you know, King Daxia went to the Fifth Head's side, though he still couldn't save him. "The Zhou family couldn't very well say King Daxia made the wrong choice, since the Fifth Head was the expert from the Great Xia Prefecture. But... because of this, King Daxia hasn't been able to mediate over the years. There's simply no way for him to broker peace. Do you understand?" Xia Huyou felt utterly helpless too. There was truly no way to address it! King Daxia had been the strongest among the rescuing Invincibles that day and could have gone to either location. In the end... King Daxia assumed that the Zhou family's Invincible wouldn't die so easily. When an Invincible encountered an Invincible, how could they be killed so easily? As it turned out, King Daxia was wrong. He had overestimated that person, who truly died on the battlefield. Su Yu pondered for a moment and asked, "Two Invincibles from the myriad races died that day. One was killed by the Fifth Head, so was the other killed by the Zhou family's Invincible?" "No..." Xia Huyou looked at him in surprise. "I already told you, King Daxia went to provide reinforcements and repelled the enemies. Of course King Daxia killed that one!" "..." Su Yu was stunned. King Daxia killed him? He had assumed the Zhou family's Invincible had perished alongside his opponent, but it turned out King Daxia had slain an Invincible! "Then why did you say 'repelled'..." "Well, yes, more Invincibles showed up later to block him!" Xia Huyou gave a light chuckle. "Formidable, isn't he, my Xia family ancestor? But there's no need to brag about it. Even though two Invincibles were slain, both the Fifth Head and that Zhou family expert died. To be honest, our losses were still greater. It wasn't worth it!" He shook his head in regret. The Fifth Head was extraordinarily strong; that was undeniable. Yet that expert from the Zhou family was not weak either. He was very young—at least younger than King Dazhou and the others—and had attained the Dao of the Invincible after the start of the Anping Era. His potential had been limitless. In the end, both had died, a loss that slaying two Invincibles could never make up for. Su Yu understood what he meant now! The Xia family refused to interfere, unable even to broker peace. King Daxia likely felt too awkward to step in, yet all this trouble ended up falling onto the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Frowning, Su Yu said, "So in the Great Xia Prefecture, is there no safety guarantee at all? Besides, the Single Divine Character Faction here belongs to the Great Xia Prefecture, not the Great Zhou Prefecture. Does your Xia family really not care?" Xia Huyou said helplessly, "It's useless telling me. I'm not some important figure in the Xia family. Marquis Xia calls the shots in the Great Xia Prefecture right now. If he says not to interfere, then nothing can be done. Why don't you go ask Marquis Xia? If not him, try asking Xia Chan!" *Ask your granddaddy!* *Wait, if this guy really is Xia Longwu's son, then it would be asking his second granduncle!* "The Xia family... I really don't get what you people are trying to do!" Su Yu wasted no more words and said directly, "I can sell the Soul Devour Art to the Xia family, provided the Xia family guarantees the safety of my two teachers. How about it?" "We can't take that deal!" Xia Huyou said with a bitter face. "We really can't! If the Xia family steps forward, it might cause even more trouble and force the Zhou family to intervene openly!" "..." Su Yu cursed under his breath and snapped, "I refuse to believe that in the Great Xia Prefecture, it isn't your Xia family that has the final say!" "The Xia family does have the final say, but... frankly speaking, maybe... the Xia family wants to see that divine character too!" Xia Huyou shrugged. Seeing Su Yu glaring at him, he said helplessly, "Don't look at me like that. The Xia family might just be watching the show. Instructor Liu held onto the divine character for fifty years without any results, so the Xia family might also be curious about what's going on... That includes an elder-generation expert in the Xia family who's in the same boat. Marquis Xia's attitude has always been that if they die, he won't care..." "Heartless!" Su Yu cursed! Xia Huyou shrugged. He truly did not know the details; their cultivation was too low to see through the grand scheme. Taking a deep breath, Su Yu thought it over and said, "Then let's hold an auction! I refuse to believe there isn't a single person with guts out there! I won't sell it for money; I'll sell it in exchange for a Shanhai Realm expert's promise to take action! Whoever is willing to strike, I'll sell it to them!" "Dragging warriors into this is really a bad idea, Su Yu. Just sell it for some cash..." "Get lost!" Su Yu barked. "What if I insist on dragging warriors into it? What's wrong with that? You make it sound like I'm terrified! If worst comes to worst, I'll just head over to the War Academy! That fellow Zheng Yunhui said his grandfather values geniuses immensely. If all else fails, I'll seek refuge with the Zheng family!" "..." Xia Huyou was rendered speechless. After a long pause, he finally said, "You know what, that old master of the Zheng family might actually buy it!" "The Xia family won't cause trouble, will they?" "They won't!" Xia Huyou shook his head. "I already told you, the Xia family is adopting a wait-and-see posture, so they won't slap their own face. If Old Master Zheng gets involved, that's his personal business, as long as he doesn't drag the entire academy into it!" "Then that's what we'll do!" Su Yu did not stand on ceremony and said bluntly, "Help me arrange it. Invite some Shanhai experts; anyone below Shanhai needn't bother! Convey my general intention. If they don't have the guts, tell them not to come." "Alright, but the handling fee..." "Make those Shanhai experts pay it themselves! Whatever your Xia family wants, get it from them. I don't have any money!" Su Yu was too lazy to say more. He was broke! "What about the venue..." "Right inside the academy!" "That won't work..." Xia Huyou shook his head. "This is the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Other Shanhai won't come in rashly; it would easily cause misunderstandings. Prefect Wan is still in the academy, after all." "Is that so?" Su Yu smiled. "Then what do you suggest?" "Let's hold the auction at the Xia Trading Company in the city..." "No!" Su Yu refused flatly, saying directly, "Here's how we'll do it: we conduct the transaction right at the main gates of the Civilization Academy. I'll stand inside the academy grounds, and they can stand outside the gates, separated by a few meters. If they don't agree, then forget it!" "..." Xia Huyou stared at him blankly! What kind of arrangement was that? *Are you... are you really that terrified of dying?* *There's no need to go this far!* "Su Yu, isn't this a bit inappropriate?" "Why would it be inappropriate?" Su Yu asked in surprise. "Careful sailing keeps the boat afloat for ten thousand years! In times like these, even the Great Xia Prefecture isn't safe! The Xia family is currently letting chaos run rampant in the city, so what else can I do? In the past, the Great Xia Prefecture could guarantee safety, but now... I actually feel the academy is safer. At least there's a prefect here who could intervene at any moment! "I'll stand just inside the academy gates while they stay outside. What's wrong with that?" Su Yu thought for a moment and added, "They're all Shanhai experts; surely they won't care about such trivial details. If they have the heart to buy it, they'll come; if not, then forget it! Don't tell me it's improper—calling it improper is useless. If it doesn't work, I simply won't sell! I don't want to step outside only to be struck down immediately. Even if you catch the killer and chop off their head afterward... wouldn't I have died for nothing?" Su Yu smiled faintly. "The Xia family has managed this prefectural city for over three hundred years, yet now it makes people feel there's no safety guarantee at all. Your Xia family is truly something else. You're on the verge of producing two Invincibles in a row, yet the people are left panicked and anxious. It's truly unprecedented!" "..." Xia Huyou felt somewhat sheepish. There was simply no way to refute that. Indeed, he harbored some dissatisfaction and confusion in his own heart as well. A mere dispute between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions was on the verge of ruining the prestige the Great Xia Prefecture had built up over hundreds of years. This was truly terrible—exceptionally so! He genuinely could not fathom what his second granduncle was thinking! His second granduncle had explained it to him, but... he still disagreed. In Xia Huyou's view, they should have used thunderous force right now to suppress both sides directly! Whoever dared to keep chirping would be chopped down with a single blade strike, ending the matter once and for all! In truth, the matter was very easy to resolve. Liu Wenyan had agreed to let people view the divine character, but not right now because it had not yet materialized. Then they should just wait until it did... Of course, Liu Wenyan had meant waiting until he reached the Invincible Realm, which was definitely unacceptable! Set a deadline for him. When the time came, if he failed to materialize it, try executing Liu Wenyan with a swift slash. As for the Single Divine Character Faction, they were not qualified. Only those with the right to view it would be allowed to see it. It was as simple as that. Once they finished looking, everyone could go back to their own homes and mind their own business. If anyone dared to complain further, the rule remained the same: another word, and they would be cut down. The Xia family's blades were still extraordinarily sharp! The Great Zhou Prefecture was dissatisfied? Their dissatisfaction didn't mean jack shit! Allowing the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to share it with them was already giving them face; without that face, they wouldn't even get a glimpse. As for the struggles between the great prefectures... Xia Huyou felt all this bickering was utterly pointless. The two Holy Lands should just issue a direct decree and forcibly merge everyone. Who would dare disobey? In any case, he could no longer make sense of the current situation! "Are you sure you want to trade right at the gates?" "I'm sure!" Su Yu answered calmly. *No shit, I'm definitely not stepping outside, so don't even dream about it!* Inside the academy, he could only place his hopes on Wan Tiansheng being formidable and truly adhering to the rules. If he stepped outside, who knew if someone might try to kill him to stir up a storm? Xia Huyou had a headache. His second granduncle's intention had been to have this kid take a stroll outside, but he refused to leave! What... what was he supposed to do now? "Su Yu, trading at the gates... I still think it's a bit improper. And to be frank, trading this at the Civilization Academy makes it far too easy to draw criticism. Aren't you afraid of the academy's Civilization Masters targeting you? I think it's better to keep a low profile..." "Would keeping a low profile stop them from finding out?" Su Yu said in exasperation. "Isn't that just burying your head in the sand?" "Even so, it's better than doing it in broad daylight!" "Then forget it..." Su Yu considered it and said, "I won't sell it. We'll talk about it later." "Don't!" Xia Huyou was truly defeated by him. *Can someone really be this cautious and afraid of dying?* He felt the Great Xia Prefecture was still very safe! "I'm genuinely worried that trading here... might get treated as a black-market transaction..." "I'm not selling it for merit points!" Su Yu said nonchalantly. "How could they penalize me? This is an art we researched ourselves. Isn't it our freedom to sell it to whomever we choose? Speaking of which, if all else fails, I could sell it to the prefect. Do you think the prefect would take it? How about selling it to him in exchange for him taking action?" "..." Xia Huyou was exhausted. Fine, this kid was dead set on not leaving! Then so be it! "Don't do that. I'll help you contact them. Which day do you want to sell it?" "When do you think a fight will break out over there?" Xia Huyou thought for a moment and said, "Soon. When your grandmaster returns, things will probably come to a head. A day or two at most!" "Then we sell it tomorrow!" Su Yu was decisive. As for money, he wasn't even thinking about it. If a single copy of the Soul Devour Art could get several Shanhai experts to take action, that would be more than enough. At this point, Su Yu added, "Right, I still have five thousand merit points. Help me purchase Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence! Five elements race blood essence works too. I only want these two types!" "You want that much? Are you still going to open apertures? Aren't you going to advance to Wanshi?" "What's the rush?" Su Yu said unhurriedly. "What's the point of Wanshi? First-stage Wanshi isn't necessarily stronger than I am right now. Not to mention first-stage, what about second or third stage? If I open more apertures now, I'll save a lot of time once I reach the Wanshi Realm. I have to plan for the future; when I reach Shanhai, I'll save even more time." "Fine!" Xia Huyou was speechless. *You're certainly planning far ahead.* He even admired Su Yu. Where did this guy get such immense patience? Logically speaking, if Su Yu advanced to Wanshi right now, he might be able to reach physical Tengkong within a year or two. Yet this guy didn't seem to care much about that. *** After sending Xia Huyou away, Su Yu thought for a moment, then stepped out. *** Temperament Garden. Special District. When Zhang Hao saw Su Yu visiting again, he said excitedly, "Brother Su, you're finally here! How did that matter from last time go? If you hadn't come looking for me, I wouldn't have been able to wait any longer!" Su Yu smiled and said, "We've barely started, so what's the rush? I've been trying to extract the Soul-Devouring Insect blood essence lately. My teacher is away, so I have to handle it myself. Brother Zhang, why do you seem even more impatient than me..." "Don't I just have an explosive temper?" Zhang Hao laughed, and Su Yu chuckled in response. Looking at Su Yu's arm, Zhang Hao couldn't help but ask, "Can the injury heal? If not, I can help you find a few instructors to get some healing divine talismans." "No need, I appreciate the thought, but my martial uncle bought plenty for me. It's more than enough!" Su Yu smiled, then remarked with feeling, "You're quite bold to open the door for me at a time like this." Zhang Hao found that amusing. "Why wouldn't I dare? Brother Su, the ones you offended are the Single Divine Character Faction, not our Divine Talisman Department. Our department has a pretty good relationship with yours. Could the Single Divine Character Faction come after us instead?" Waving it off, he asked, "Brother Su, did you come here for something other than the blood essence?" "We'll talk about that next time, no rush." Su Yu smiled and said, "Here's the thing: I want to get some divine talismans—voice-transmission divine talismans, the short-range kind, even ones that only work on campus. The key is that they must be secure, without leaking information, and immune to eavesdropping. Can Brother Zhang help me get some?" "That... we have those!" Zhang Hao nodded and said, "We do have them, but regarding security... Brother Su, I truly admire you as a person, so to be blunt, even if I find them for you, as long as I didn't craft them personally, I can't guarantee they're completely secure. The creator might have tampered with them, meaning your conversations through the talisman could easily be monitored." Su Yu frowned. "Those aren't safe either?" "Yeah, not entirely!" Zhang Hao thought for a moment and said, "Crafting them isn't actually difficult; it mainly requires the coordination of a few divine characters. First, a Positioning divine character! Second, a Tracking divine character! Third, a Manifestation divine character! With these three divine characters, you could make them yourself!" Su Yu was speechless. *Make them myself?* Why did it feel like nothing was safe nowadays? Over at the weapon forging department, Teacher Zhao had mentioned that some people liked to leave backdoors, and now, the Divine Talisman Department was the same! Were they all this deceitful? Did outsiders know about this? Seeing Su Yu's dilemma, Zhang Hao smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you don't know how to make them yourself. If you want to ensure security, just commission different people to craft the separate components. Besides, you can have someone you trust inspect the Positioning and Tracking divine characters." "Can a Lingyun expert detect problems?" "Are you referring to Curator Chen? He should be able to!" Zhang Hao nodded. "If you split the work, the probability of someone meddling is low. Since it's not the work of a single person and there are divisions between the steps, any issues can be spotted." Su Yu was at a loss for words and gave a wry smile. "It feels like I'm arranging secret rendezvous with the All-Races Sect..." Zhang Hao said in an eerie tone, "You'd be surprised, but through methods like this, who knows how many movements of the All-Races Sect have been uncovered! Of course, ordinary people don't know about it. Members of the All-Races Sect don't even dare buy things recklessly now, fearing they'll be monitored! Especially communications—both comm devices and divine talismans can potentially be traced!" "Alright then, sorry to trouble you, Brother Zhang. I know what to do!" Su Yu nodded, then added, "Brother Zhang, there's something I'd like to get your thoughts on..." "Speak freely, Brother Su!" "A while back, I set up a Mutual Aid Association just for fun, and I invited a few people to join..." Su Yu briefly explained the concept of the Mutual Aid Association and smiled. "It's just a small circle where we help each other advance. It's not any kind of formal organization. I wanted to see if Brother Zhang would be interested in joining. Of course, because I've offended quite a few people, this group can't operate out in the open to avoid being targeted. The brothers and sisters in the association don't even need to know about each other's existence. If someone needs something, they can communicate through me, and perhaps we can help each other out." Su Yu used different tactics for different people. For Lin Yao, it was bluffing. For Hu Zongqi, it was intimidation. For Zhang Hao, it was frankness. Zhang Hao grew interested and smiled. "Sounds rather intriguing. But... let me ask first: is the help significant? If not, there's no point in participating." He was also a genius, a monstrous talent with a solid family background and a powerful teacher. As the sole prodigy student of this year's Divine Talisman Department, if the benefits were negligible, joining would be meaningless. "It's decent. The brothers and sisters who joined have considerable backgrounds and quite a few methods at their disposal," Su Yu said with a smile. "Texts of will, cultivation arts, blood essence, cultural weapons... they can get hold of anything! If you want to take on missions outside, they can also secure high-reward tasks from the Mission Office..." Zhang Hao chuckled. "I'm not really lacking in those things! Still, it sounds pretty good. Brother Su, did you set this up?" "You could say that!" "You could say that..." Zhang Hao's eyes flickered, and he smiled. "Can you procure special items, then?" "What do you mean?" "Innate blood essence!" "..." Su Yu laughed. "That stuff is only so-so, not worth much! If you really want it, I can get some for you! Our research center has no shortage of it! I thought you were going to ask for a treasure like a basic cultural art. Turns out you just wanted innate blood essence. Brother Zhang, you don't really think the Mutual Aid Association is some low-level group like those local regional societies, do you?" Zhang Hao froze! A basic cultural art? Local regional societies... low-level? He had genuinely assumed the Mutual Aid Association was just a small circle thrown together by a few students, but the implication behind Su Yu's words... Zhang Hao's expression shifted, losing its casual air as he said in a low voice, "Brother Su, don't joke with me. Do you really have treasures like basic cultural arts?" "There are some, but the price to pay is immense!" Su Yu said with a light chuckle. "As you know, such things are generally passed down only within Invincible families! Obtaining them cost us a tremendous price! I'm only saying that joining gives you a chance; it doesn't mean you're guaranteed to get one..." "Then why bring it up? Are you trying to trick me!" Zhang Hao said exasperatedly. *What a scammer!* Su Yu chuckled. "Why would I trick you? Would I, Su Yu, stoop to such things? However, under normal circumstances, they won't be passed down in their entirety. You might be told which divine aperture you can open, how to open it, and where to open it. Obtaining a complete art is extremely difficult!" As he spoke, Su Yu casually opened a divine aperture. The surrounding origin qi rippled slightly, and the willpower within a text of will on Zhang Hao's desk stirred. Zhang Hao's expression changed dramatically! Su Yu said offhandedly, "I've only managed to obtain the methods to open a few divine apertures. Of course, they haven't formed a complete system yet, and I have no idea when the full art will be pieced together. But at least there's hope..." Zhang Hao's face was completely pale with shock! As someone in the Temperament stage, he could naturally perceive that change. His demeanor lost all composure, and he said in a heavy voice, "Brother Su, you... does this Mutual Aid Association have... descendants of Invincibles in it?" "That's not convenient to disclose!" Su Yu shook his head and smiled. "Rest assured, however, that these arts are legitimately authorized. If you cultivate them, no Invincible will come looking for trouble with you, so you can put your mind at ease! Of course, the cost is steep. As one of the initiators of the Mutual Aid Association, I received certain discounts, and I've contributed quite a few things to it—such as the Soul Devour Art, which counted toward it—before I could exchange for these." Zhang Hao swallowed hard. "Do Instructor Bai and the others know?" "Hard to say. In any case, when I said I needed these things, my teacher didn't object and granted me full authorization directly. So even if you obtain the Soul Devour Art, you can cultivate it without worry!" Zhang Hao was utterly shaken. *Holy crap, this is what you call a 'small circle'? I thought it was some shabby little gathering, but you're telling me you can even trade for this!* Su Yu said in surprise, "Brother Zhang, you aren't far from Tengkong either, are you? Is there really a need to be so astonished? Whether you cultivate it or not, it's all the same..." Zhang Hao said plaintively, "How could it be the same! Opening divine apertures before Tengkong is as simple as opening acupoints! Once you reach Tengkong, opening apertures becomes immensely difficult! Right now, you can open a divine aperture in three days, but once in Tengkong, opening one every three months is completely normal! Moreover, opening them early allows you to cultivate willpower in advance, accelerating your breakthrough speed and strengthening yourself. Once you reach Tengkong, if that art can still be cultivated, you might jump straight to the third, fourth, or fifth layer..." Zhang Hao said in exasperation, "Don't you know any of this?" Su Yu smiled and said, "I do know. I just thought that given Brother Zhang's talent, reaching Tengkong wouldn't be difficult even without it. Now it seems... you're even more shocked than I imagined." "..." Zhang Hao wanted to swear! *No shit! It'd be weird if I weren't shocked!* *Were descendants of Invincibles really part of this?* *Who?* *Someone from the Xia family?* *Even the Xia family wouldn't leak such things recklessly!* *Could it be the descendants of a fallen Invincible whose clan had declined? Or... something left behind by the Fifth Head?* He couldn't be sure! Su Yu did not elaborate further, saying casually, "If Brother Zhang wants to join, we can discuss the details once I've prepared the voice-transmission divine talismans! In the future, we can communicate without meeting face-to-face. If you need anything, just say the word! Of course, missions might be posted occasionally; you can accept them as you see fit..." Zhang Hao said in a low voice, "This doesn't involve the All-Races Sect, does it?" Su Yu rolled his eyes in exasperation. "The All-Races Sect? Are they out of their minds? Would they spread such treasures around? Besides, do they even possess them? Just to bribe a few dozen of us geniuses? Do they really think all of us will become Invincibles?" "..." *That actually makes a lot of sense!* Zhang Hao still couldn't help asking, "Then... why invite me?" Su Yu felt tired. "Brother Zhang, I was the one who invited you. As one of the founders, I think you're a good person, which is why I extended the invitation. If you're unwilling, pretend I never brought it up. However, I hope Brother Zhang will keep this confidential! After all, if word gets out, it will cause plenty of trouble." Zhang Hao nodded hastily and soon asked, "Can they really be exchanged for?" "Of course!" Su Yu nodded. "Heaven-rank arts, martial techniques—anything can be traded for! Cultural weapons are a bit trickier; Earth-rank weapons are hard to come by, but Profound-rank and Yellow-rank are no problem. Besides, we can't make use of Earth-rank weapons for now anyway." "..." Zhang Hao remained stunned. *What do you mean Heaven-rank arts can be traded for at will, and Profound and Yellow-rank cultural weapons are no problem? Do you have any idea that in the entire Great Xia Prefecture, only one person can forge Earth-rank cultural weapons?* *Are you sure this is a circle of students? Not a circle of Shanhai and Sun-Moon experts?* Swallowing his saliva, Zhang Hao asked nervously, "Then... what do I need to contribute?" "Contribute what?" Su Yu laughed. "Confidentiality! Aside from that, you get what you give! For example, if you provide useful intelligence, I'll act as the intermediary; whoever needs it will pay the price to buy it. It's that simple! It's just a mutual aid association, not some cult. Did you think we'd demand your loyalty and your soul?" "..." Zhang Hao looked embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, he said, "I want to join! But on one condition: if it is ever proven that this Mutual Aid Association violates righteousness or the law, I will withdraw and report it! When that time comes, Brother Su, don't say I, Zhang Hao, lacked honor..." "That won't happen!" Su Yu laughed. "If it ever comes to that, I'll be the first to turn myself in. Trying to pull something like that in the Human Realm is suicidal! Only those idiots from the All-Races Sect would do such a thing. I'm a genius with limitless prospects; why would I associate with scum like them?" "True enough..." Zhang Hao said excitedly. "Then... may I ask how much it costs to exchange for a cultural art?" "Well... it's quite expensive! Even for me, it takes one hundred mutual aid points to exchange for the opening method of a single divine aperture. For you, it will probably be double that, roughly equivalent to merit points..." "That cheap?" Zhang Hao was dumbfounded! *That's so few!* One hundred points doubled was only two hundred points! By that calculation, an eighteen-aperture cultural art would only cost 3,600 merit points. Was that considered expensive? It truly wasn't! After all, such arts were only circulated within Invincible families and were not publicly available. "Cheap?" Su Yu said helplessly. "You guys sure are wealthy; I thought it was pretty steep! Besides, they aren't merit points. Even if they hold equal value, the association has only just been founded, so there are barely any missions available, making points very hard to earn! Earlier, when I contributed the Soul Devour Art, I only received five hundred mutual aid points..." "You... contributed it for five hundred points?" Zhang Hao stared blankly again. *You're truly willing to part with it!* "It's fine. It's only circulated internally within the Mutual Aid Association and won't be leaked outside, so it's not a big deal," Su Yu said casually. "At least I got something in return. Those people have far better stuff than I do—arts to purify origin qi, arts to temper the physical body... It makes my eyes turn green with envy!" By now, Zhang Hao was completely filled with yearning for this Mutual Aid Association! He wished he could carry out missions immediately, earn mutual aid points, and trade for the divine aperture opening methods! "Brother Su, is... is there any mission suitable for me right now?" "There is!" Su Yu laughed. "I posted it myself! My senior sister is challenging the Top 100 Rankings. Anyone who receives a challenge from her and goes easy on her gets ten mutual aid points, deducted directly from my own points. Will you take it?" "I'll take it!" Zhang Hao said in delight. "For simple missions like this, come to me next time! Brother Su, you wanted voice-transmission talismans earlier just to post missions, right?" "You could say that!" "I'll handle them... Actually, Brother Su might not fully trust me. How about this: I'll provide a batch of voice-transmission talismans crafted by different people just as I suggested earlier. Brother Su can have someone inspect them. Let's get this system set up as soon as possible so we don't have to just watch from the sidelines with envy!" Seeing his eagerness, Su Yu smiled. "You really are impatient. Alright then. To be honest, a few of us are just testing the waters, so we aren't in a rush to see results! The main goal is self-improvement and self-preservation! Safety comes first to avoid being targeted." "I understand that!" "..." The two continued chatting for a while. Once Su Yu left, Zhang Hao could no longer contain himself, his face flushed with excitement! The Mutual Aid Association! The Mutual Aid Association! So that was it—no wonder Su Yu had grown strong so quickly! Who was leading it? Hong Tan? Or someone else? Just who had passed down that cultural art? "Zhao Li, Hong Tan, Liu Wenyan, someone from the Xia family..." In an instant, numerous names flashed through his mind. Cultural weapons—who else could provide weapons below Earth-rank at will? And cultivation arts could only be created and provided by powerful experts who had researched them for many years! Since Su Yu dared to distribute it, it was definitely something not found on the market! *A hidden trump card of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction?* *A legacy left by the Fifth Head?* *...* He didn't care anymore. Regardless, he could guess that it was closely tied to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. That didn't matter; he didn't care about factional politics as long as it benefited him! *** Walking out of the Temperament Garden, Su Yu smiled. Another one in the bag! As for revealing the cultural art to Zhang Hao, he had thought it through thoroughly. The matter of the cultural art couldn't be kept secret forever, and if worst came to worst, he would simply produce one! The five elements arts consisted of five separate arts! Bringing out one and letting Bai Feng take the blame... If Bai Feng couldn't handle it, his grandmaster could shoulder it, or it could be claimed as a secret legacy from the Fifth Head! It only opened thirty-six apertures, not one hundred and eighty. Strictly speaking, it was not as formidable as the *Myriad Characters Scripture*. It was merely immensely helpful to those below the Tengkong Realm, and since Invincible families generally possessed their own heritages, it wouldn't draw the attention of experts who were overwhelmingly powerful. "Zhang Hao..." Plant seeds everywhere first! Once the Civilization Academy was filled with his pieces, it would be just about done. These people often represented more than just themselves; a single pull could move the entire body. Geniuses represented more than their own person, and a prodigy like Zhang Hao was bound to be tied to a large group of people! For instance, Su Yu himself could already mobilize a large cohort of experts. "Sigh, what a pity... it's a bit too slow!" Su Yu felt that if he were given another ten years, it was truly up in the air who would call the shots in this Civilization Academy! *My people everywhere—scared yet?* *From the Xiuxin Pavilion at the top to the Top 100 Rankings at the bottom, all members of my Mutual Aid Association—scared yet?* *Even the members of the Mutual Aid Association don't know who their fellow members are—scared yet?* "I can also create alternate identities, disguising myself to post missions continuously... Right, I need to come up with code names. Number 1 through Number 10000 will work just fine..." Su Yu pondered it. In the future, he would reduce face-to-face meetings. He would continuously adopt alternate identities, posing as the descendant of an Invincible, a genius from another academy, a fallen expert... In short, he would make the members believe the Mutual Aid Association was unfathomably powerful! He, Su Yu, was merely a fake figurehead pushed out to the front. As for why they chose him... because he was talented enough and had powerful backing! "That's the plan!" Su Yu made up his mind. Soon, he would post a mission to suppress the Single Divine Character Faction and see how it went. Zhang Hao and the others might not be able to do it themselves, but what about their families? Perhaps for the sake of mutual aid points, these people would find excuses to coax their families into stepping in! There were just a bit too few people right now. The Zhang family didn't seem to have any Shanhai experts, though they did have someone at the ninth stage of the Lingyun Realm.