Either a Saint or a Hypocrite

Outside the prefectural city. Su Yu held fast to Xia Huyou, his vigilance never dropping. Xia Huyou was entirely at his wit’s end. As he ran, he pleaded, “Cut it out, will you? With so many powerhouses out here today, if anyone still dared lay a finger on you, I’d get on my knees and call them Daddy!” He rolled his eyes. Look what time it was! Who in their right mind would make a move now? From the All-Races Sect, the Cult Master of the Blood Fire Sect had probably just come to watch the commotion... and got slaughtered! Whether that was the real motive, Xia Huyou couldn't say for sure. The Blood Fire Sect was filled with lunatics, and their cult master was bellicose to a fault. Except for a handful of them, most were reckless brutes. Coming just to watch the show was completely plausible—yet who could have predicted that Xia Longwu would slay him across the void with a single saber slash? A Sun Moon cultivator had already perished. Who would dare take such a gamble now? Tonight, Shanhai experts were a dime a dozen, and even Sun Moon powerhouses weren't scarce. Who would dare strike? Su Yu didn’t care what he said. He was determined to stick to him like glue! Speechless, Xia Huyou gave up arguing. As he sprinted, he pulled out a jade talisman, sank his willpower inside to inspect it, and after a moment, his eyes lit up. “Holy crap, it’s real!” He whipped his head toward Su Yu. “Left behind by the Fifth Head?” “Guess!” “An unexpected gain? You just cracked it? I’ve never heard of Bai Feng knowing this!” Xia Huyou asked hurriedly, “Opening thirty-six apertures... Why are you so generous today, just handing it over like that?” This really was top-tier stuff! Su Yu gave a faint smile. “Brothers for life! Your father is my... godfather! Your grandfather is my god-grandfather, and your second grandfather is my god-second-grandfather!” “...” Damn it! Xia Huyou was utterly dumbfounded. This bastard had definitely deduced his identity. What kind of nonsense was this? “You want my wife too?” “No, thanks!” “Well, thank goodness for that!” Xia Huyou rolled his eyes again and continued running. “Let me ask you something, though. Why are there only opening methods for thirty-five apertures? Where’s the last one? It feels like the circuit won’t close!” “Your father isn’t my godfather yet. Once he is, I’ll give it to you.” “...” Xia Huyou had no retort and desperately wanted to curse him out. After a brief thought, he let it go. Fine, thirty-five would do for now. It wasn't as if he could open that many apertures overnight anyway. He could worry about it when he reached the final divine aperture. Still, without forming a complete circuit, opening thirty-five apertures would yield heavily diminished results—it might not even match his eighteen-aperture cultural art. As they ran at full speed, Xia Huyou could already faintly sense the dense origin qi up ahead. He warned hurriedly, “Don’t go spouting nonsense about my identity out there. It’s an easy way to get someone killed!” “Relax. You’re my brother. Would I ever harm you?” Xia Huyou felt utterly exhausted. He decided it was best to keep his distance from this guy. Su Yu was far too good at seizing any opening to climb higher! Just like that, my father became your godfather! The Lord of Great Xia, an expert on the verge of advancing to the Invincible Realm—and you have the nerve to arbitrarily claim him as your godfather? While they were talking, they reached their destination! People were already there! Su Yu froze for a moment. Not far off, Liu Hong grinned at him with an exceptionally amiable expression. “Ah, Su Yu is here, and Student Xia Huyou has arrived as well. Come, cultivate together! The gifts left behind by the fall of a Sun Moon realm expert are far too rare to pass up!” *Damn it!* Su Yu cursed inwardly. *I have to hand it to you!* *You managed to arrive before us even for this?* “Teacher Liu, why didn’t you head over to that side?” Su Yu asked, though that didn't stop him from promptly sitting down cross-legged to absorb both willpower and origin qi. It was overwhelmingly rich! It felt even more invigorating than the Origin Qi Mystic Realm, and the origin qi was extraordinarily pure! Time to open apertures! Origin apertures and divine apertures alike! Liu Hong chuckled. “Over there, it’s all powerhouses. We’re just minor pawns; going there would be useless. They have their battles, and it has little to do with us, wouldn't you say?” As he was speaking, more people arrived. Lin Yao and Yang Sha. The moment the two landed, they exclaimed excitedly, “Teacher, will our cultivation speed increase here?” Liu Hong instantly put on a gentle smile. “Of course. Your teacher came ahead to scout for danger. Seeing that it’s safe, I had you come right away! Cultivate diligently and don't squander this opportunity!” “Thank you, Teacher!” The two were thrilled. Lin Yao caught sight of Su Yu and broke into a smile, but the moment he saw Xia Huyou, the smile vanished. An outsider was here! He couldn’t show any signs of friendliness toward Su Yu! Liu Hong noticed this and cursed inwardly, though he didn't dwell on it. He couldn't be bothered to overthink and quickly began absorbing the willpower. He didn't care about the origin qi, but willpower was another matter. The willpower dispersing from the death of a Sun Moon cultivator was exceptionally pure! As for Lin Yao and Yang Sha, absorbing some origin qi was enough. They wouldn't be able to seize much willpower anyway; at best, it would nurture their sea of consciousness, since they didn't have divine apertures to absorb it. One after another, more people arrived. Wan Mingze, Hu Qiusheng, Zhao Shiqi... These genius students were all escorted by their seniors, rushing over in haste. Not only them, but students from other academies also showed up in succession. Beyond the students, various other cultivators gathered in the surroundings. However, they all kept their distance. A Sun Moon cultivator had fallen here today, and not knowing the exact situation, they dared not step forward rashly. If the people from the major academies hadn't arrived, they wouldn't have dared approach at all. Su Yu absorbed the willpower quietly, keeping his presence subtle. With the fall of a Sun Moon expert, minor ripples went unnoticed by the crowd. Just then, an excited voice rang out from behind Su Yu: “Ah Yu!” Recognizing the voice, Su Yu’s heart leaped. He turned around, and sure enough, it was Chen Hao! Su Yu was utterly astonished. How had Chen Hao gotten here? This wasn't a place just anyone could enter. By now, the Longwu Guards had already arrived at the perimeter. For the major academies, aside from Su Yu and his companion who had arrived early, everyone else was brought in by powerful figures. How could Chen Hao possibly be here? Taking a closer look, Su Yu was even more stunned! This guy... had reached the Qianjun Realm! First stage of Qianjun! Even if it was only the first stage, it was impossibly fast. How long had it been? Su Yu had expended an enormous price to reach the ninth stage of Qianjun, yet this guy was already at the first stage! Chen Hao didn't care about any of that. Just as he was about to run over excitedly, he seemed to remember something, let out an awkward laugh, and said nothing. He walked over to sit beside Su Yu, absorbing origin qi to open apertures while whispering, “Ah Yu, is it okay for us to be like this?” He still remembered his father telling him to keep his distance from Su Yu in public. Su Yu was speechless. “It’s fine. We’re just regular classmates catching up. What’s wrong with chatting when we run into each other?” Ignoring Xia Huyou’s gossipy gaze, Su Yu asked curiously, “Who brought you here?” “Teacher Xie!” Chen Hao whispered. “Teacher Xie has connections. The Longwu Guards outside know him, so when they saw him bringing me, they let us in! Ah Yu, did you sneak in too?” *Sneak in?* Beside them, Xia Huyou gave the boy a bizarre look. Did Su Yu need to sneak in? The battle tonight had erupted because of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Even if Su Yu had come alone, the Longwu Guards wouldn't have stopped him. “Teacher Xie?” Su Yu was surprised. Glancing toward the perimeter, he indeed spotted Old Xie chatting with the guarding Longwu Guards. Surprised as he was, Su Yu didn't dwell on it. He casually tossed a jade talisman to Chen Hao. Chen Hao picked it up, examining it, while Su Yu murmured, “A voice transmission talisman. It works anywhere within the Great Xia Prefecture—within the prefectural city, that is!” “Oh!” Chen Hao hurriedly stowed it away, though he wondered why they didn't just use communication devices instead of this gadget. Civilization Masters really were eccentric! Ah Yu had grown eccentric too! “What cultivation technique are you practicing?” “The God of War Art!” “Which version?” “Huh?” “How many apertures does it open?” Su Yu asked helplessly. No need to ask further; it was almost certainly the seventy-two aperture version. Sure enough, Chen Hao whispered, “The seventy-two aperture one. It’s really formidable!” *Formidable, my foot!* “What blood essence did you use for your foundation?” “I haven't built my foundation yet...” Cultivators could build their foundation at any point in the Qianjun Realm. Chen Qi, for instance, had only prepared to build his foundation at the seventh stage of Qianjun, so it wasn't too late. After a moment's thought, Su Yu gestured for him to pick up the voice transmission talisman. Chen Hao picked it up, clueless about how to use it. Su Yu felt a headache coming on. “Willpower... never mind, activate it with origin qi.” Chen Hao possessed no active willpower—well, technically everyone had some, but his was so faint he couldn't even detect it. “Alright...” Intrigued, Chen Hao fumbled with it for a moment, and his mouth fell open in awe. Amazing, it could display text messages! *“Cultivate first. Find some time to look for me later—keep it low-key—and I’ll take you to build your foundation!”* Where was the best place to build a foundation? The Origin Qi Mystic Realm! What was the best blood essence? Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence! At the War Academy, only monstrous geniuses would have an immense fortune spent on them to build their foundation this way, like that monstrous genius who was in the same class as Bai Feng. As for the others... not a chance. Su Yu held Zhao Li’s token, which allowed him to bring someone inside. Of course, he had to keep it low-profile so as not to provoke gossip. Chen Hao was just about to speak when Su Yu transmitted another message: *“Don’t talk out loud! When you come to the Cultural Academy, don’t announce that you’re looking for me either! Message me beforehand through the talisman, and I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up!”* Chen Hao fiddled with the talisman and figured out how to send transmissions. His typing was painfully slow, and only after a while did a reply come through: *“Got it! Ah Yu, let me tell you a great trick to speed up your cultivation. You can pretend to help the teachers clean up their offices. The environment there is amazing with tons of origin qi, so you cultivate super fast!”* “...” Su Yu was at a loss for words. This blockhead! *Super fast, my ass!* Those offices were occupied by powerhouses. Origin qi was denser there, but could you really compete with them to absorb it? Still, reflecting on how fast Chen Hao had cultivated, Su Yu began to piece things together. Old Xie? Most likely! Without Old Xie’s help, how could Chen Hao have broken through to Qianjun so quickly? Of course, it was also tied to his cultivation technique. For a seventy-two aperture technique, opening eight apertures per stage was enough. Su Yu had originally considered giving him the Earth-rank God of War Art, but on second thought, decided against it. It wasn't that Old Xie lacked access to it; he simply hadn't given it to Chen Hao, clearly believing Chen Hao would cultivate it too slowly and derail his progress. Indeed, without resources, exceptional talent, or a powerful backer, what good was a Heaven-rank technique? You wouldn't even have the chance to open that many apertures! Opening seventy-two apertures didn't mean one had no future. Even if his combat strength at the same stage was slightly weaker, as long as he advanced quickly enough to become an Invincible, a slightly weaker Invincible was still an Invincible—far beyond the reach of any Sun Moon cultivator! Top geniuses pursued invincibility within the same realm, but Chen Hao didn't need to burden himself with that, lest it stall his progress. *“Understood. I also have a text of will for the God of War Art, plus a Broken Heaven Strike martial skill. When you come over, I’ll hand them all to you!”* *“What’s Broken Heaven Strike?”* “...” Su Yu went silent. What had this guy been doing for the past two months at the academy? He knew absolutely nothing. Then again, breaking through to Qianjun had probably consumed all his time, leaving none to learn anything else. Ending the conversation, Su Yu quickly focused on opening apertures. Earlier, having absorbed a large amount of charm from the eternal divine character, he had already opened several divine apertures, which he hadn't fully digested until now. At this moment, his divine apertures were being unsealed in rapid succession. Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five... A moment later, Su Yu’s sea of consciousness shuddered slightly! The thirty-sixth divine aperture was successfully opened! *Boom!* Inside his sea of consciousness, the thirty-six apertures linked together in an instant, establishing a complete circulation. The ambient willpower rushed toward Su Yu, absorbed at an astonishing rate. Xia Huyou was also absorbing willpower nearby when his expression suddenly changed. Staring at Su Yu, he muttered under his breath, “A complete circuit?” A complete circuit meant a full cultivation technique had been successfully mastered! *Holy shit!* Could this guy have already opened thirty-six divine apertures? This was utterly preposterous! Too fast! Even he had absorbed quite a bit of willpower back there, yet it was only willpower without any divine character charm. His progress had been swift, and he had just fully mastered his eighteen divine apertures! Yet what was with Su Yu? He had completed all thirty-six! Su Yu ignored him. He had already opened over twenty previously, so was opening a dozen more really that shocking? With his divine apertures forming a complete circuit, his absorption speed accelerated. Worried about drawing attention, Su Yu leaned closer to Xia Huyou. Even if someone noticed the anomaly, they would assume it was Xia Huyou’s doing, not his! Inside his mind, the small hammer pounded furiously against the newly absorbed willpower! Compress! Earlier, during that brief surge of absorption, Su Yu’s willpower fullness had approached ninety percent. The speed had alarmed him; if he accidentally broke through to Tengkong, it would cause serious trouble! Now, the small hammer hammered away with relentless force, bringing searing pain! Sweat poured from Su Yu’s brow like rain, but he paid it no heed. Compress! Compress! Compress further! Eighty-five percent, eighty percent... He kept hammering until it reached seventy-five percent, at which point the willpower became too dense to compress any further. Only then did Su Yu resume absorbing willpower to open more divine apertures. No point in wasting it! He still had many more divine apertures to open! A full one hundred and eighty, and he had only opened thirty-six so far. Now, his absorption speed was blazing fast. A ninth-stage Tengkong cultivator typically opened only thirty-six divine apertures. That didn't mean Su Yu was at the ninth stage of Tengkong, but if his willpower were to advance to Tengkong right now, once his willpower reached the peak of the second tier and his divine characters did the same, he would effectively be considered a ninth-stage Tengkong! Of course, thirty-six divine apertures were too few. Once he reached Lingyun, sticking to this technique would leave him at a dead end unless he also cultivated the *Myriad Characters Scripture*. In the small circle ahead, people were gathered in all directions, mostly students, with a handful of Tengkong and Lingyun cultivators cultivating as well. However, upon reaching Tengkong and Lingyun, rich origin qi and willpower didn't automatically translate into breakthroughs; bottlenecks still had to be overcome. Constrained by the ranks of their divine characters, apertures, and willpower, they usually absorbed a certain amount until reaching saturation, then promptly ceased cultivating. *** One hour passed, then two. Dawn was approaching. Just then, someone finished their cultivation and walked toward Su Yu. Su Yu quietly concealed the fluctuations of his divine apertures and began absorbing origin qi to open his origin apertures instead. “Su Yu!” Su Yu looked up at Wan Mingze, who had approached, and smiled. “Brother Wan!” Wan Mingze wore a somber expression. “I heard some news about last night. Teacher Bai is severely injured, and even after he recovers, he might not be permitted to stay at the academy; he’ll likely be penalized and sent to the All-Heavens Battlefield. Consider my previous suggestion.” “Joining the Neutral Faction?” “Yes!” Su Yu smiled. “The Neutral Faction... You told me before that Xia Yuwen belonged to the Neutral Faction. Well, he isn't anymore!” What a joke! Wu Qi belonged to the Neutral Faction, and so did Xia Yuwen, yet Xia Yuwen had still made a move against Bai Feng! Su Yu didn't know the exact details since he hadn't witnessed it, but he had heard Zheng Ping mention it earlier: Xia Yuwen was indeed injured! “Which is why he’s no longer part of it!” “No longer part of it? And the Neutral Faction won't avenge him?” “He meddled in the conflict. Why should we avenge him?” “So the purpose of the Neutral Faction is to play dead like salted fish?” “No, our priority is the All-Heavens Battlefield!” Su Yu considered this, then smiled. “Sounds great! But I’m afraid of being stabbed in the back. Vice Principal Xia Changqing belongs to the Neutral Faction, doesn't he? Now he’s dropped his neutrality to push Xia Yuwen toward the position of academy head. Xia Yuwen is... crippled now, right? If I join now, won't I become a target?” “They won’t target you!” “Do you have the final say?” Wan Mingze said in a low, earnest voice, “I do! Let me put it plainly: the Neutral Faction exists in every major academy. It wasn't something created by our academy alone, but spearheaded by the Quest Realm! Its primary purpose is to shield students from being caught in the crossfire between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions, protecting those who have no wish to get involved!” “Over the years, while the Quest Realm hasn't stepped in to resolve the feud between the two factions, it has provided a haven for other students so they wouldn't be disrupted. That is the Quest Realm’s response.” Su Yu came to an understanding! So that was it! He had wondered why the Neutral Faction spoke with such grand authority, claiming it could shield anyone it wished. It turned out to be orchestrated by the Quest Realm. In other words, the Quest Realm was well aware of the feud between the two factions, yet chose not to intervene. Whether for the same reasons as the Xia family or out of deliberate negligence, he didn't know. “We’ll see,” Su Yu smiled. “Given my current situation, even if I don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for me. I’d rather not bring trouble to your doorstep!” “Su Yu... students should never have been dragged into these conflicts. If you join us, once you reach Tengkong or Lingyun and wish to return, we won’t stop you. I genuinely hope you’ll consider it!” Wan Mingze spoke with immense sincerity. He truly wished for Su Yu to cultivate without interference. Even returning to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction upon reaching Tengkong or Lingyun would not be too late. This was special treatment granted to geniuses—opening a back door, explicitly siding with Su Yu during this stage. It was an exceptional offer! Su Yu understood his good intentions this time and felt a brief pang of guilt for having assumed the worst. He chuckled and said, “Thank you, Brother Wan. Let me be blunt: struggling against others brings boundless joy! Without struggle, how am I supposed to improve? How do I reap gains? My teacher is severely wounded, my foundational mentor is severely wounded, and so is my senior sister... I don't know many people, and the few close to me have all ended up like this. Can I really just dust off my hands and walk away?” Impossible! After a pause, he added, “Brother Wan, do you think the Single Divine Character Faction will stop targeting us after tonight?” “No,” Wan Mingze answered candidly, his tone heavy. “Unless Instructor Liu relinquishes that divine character or makes it public, otherwise... this matter is far from over!” “Then that settles it!” Su Yu said no more. Since the other side wouldn't stop, Su Yu intended to settle the score with every single one of them! The Great Xia Prefecture still had rules. The battle zone had been revoked, the original rules remained in place, and those above Tengkong couldn't touch him. What did he have to fear? Wan Mingze looked regretful. “Very well, I respect your choice. But let me say one last thing: at a critical juncture, you can always join us! Backed by the Quest Realm, we welcome geniuses like you. The feud between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions is no longer a battle of philosophical paths; it has devolved into personal grudges, petty grievances, material interests, power, and status. It was corrupted long ago!” “I don't know what the Quest Realm is thinking, but if one day I can enter the Quest Realm and wield a voice, I will urge them to step forward and change all of this!” “Ambitious!” Su Yu praised with a grin. “You said it yourself—to have a voice, you still have to fight for it! Brother Wan, don't idealize the Quest Realm too much. Wherever there are people, there is a jianghu, governed by seniority and ruled by strength!” “In my eyes, the current state of the Human Realm exists primarily because there is no supreme figure capable of forcefully suppressing all beneath the heavens!” “Or perhaps, the crisis facing the Human Realm simply isn't dire enough yet!” Su Yu shook his head; he had figured it out! Through these repeated skirmishes, battles, and chaos, he had seen through it all. These were merely localized skirmishes among the various powers before a true hegemon emerged! Because they lacked a figure who could dominate all the heavens and suppress those unyielding powerhouses, nobody bowed to anyone else, and nobody had the authority to suppress or command the others. Consequently, each major prefecture refused to submit to the rest! Although the two sacred lands were formidable, their experts owed allegiance to their origins! King Daxia naturally had to fight for the interests of the Great Xia Prefecture, just as King Dazhou had to champion the Great Zhou Prefecture... Unless an expert emerged who could suppress all these Invincible cultivators! *In the Human Realm, my word is law!* Only then would all friction, conflict, and infighting vanish. Otherwise, it would come down to who proved superior in the end and could force the other prefectures into submission. If even Su Yu could see this clearly, let alone the others—let alone the Invincibles! They had understood this long ago! That was why they sat on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, observing in silence. The frontline maintained unity, while the home front squabbled and competed! Were it not for the existential threat of the myriad races, the home front would have erupted into an all-out free-for-all long ago! The threat of the myriad races was actually a blessing in disguise right now, keeping the frontline unified. After all, the Invincibles knew that if the frontlines collapsed, it wouldn't matter who held sway in the rear. Wan Mingze was an intelligent man; he naturally understood this as well. His expression shifted, and he nodded. “You're not wrong! But the Invincibles are all supreme experts; who can suppress whom? That’s why I’ve been thinking: we need to make everyone realize the crisis at the frontlines, understand the hardships there, and comprehend the threat of the myriad races...” “Unite the majority, starting from our generation, to face the external threat together!” Wan Mingze said earnestly, “I know you might think I’m daydreaming, but I must say this: the frontline isn't peaceful at all. The Great Xia Prefecture is somewhat better off, but you have no idea—in many other major prefectures, because warfare hasn't been intense, people are already questioning whether the myriad races truly harbor any intention to invade humanity!” Wan Mingze sighed. “Be prepared for danger in times of peace—unfortunately, so many have forgotten that today! If this continues, the Human Realm will be in peril! The Invincibles have noticed this shift, which is why they are pushing for coordination among the major prefectures. They understand that continuing down this path is unsustainable!” “Then wage more wars!” Su Yu stated simply. Wan Mingze couldn't even bring himself to refute that. He sighed. “I won't say more, then. Brother Su, I hope you can walk your path to the very end!” With that, he glanced at Xia Huyou and murmured, “Brother Xia, if there comes a day... I still hope the Xia family will consider the bigger picture...” Xia Huyou rolled his eyes. “Go tell that to the other families! It’s not like our Xia family is the only one acting this way! Just as Su Yu said, either the external crisis becomes dire enough for everyone to put aside their prejudices, or a supreme powerhouse emerges to suppress everything. Otherwise, you expect our Xia family to bow our heads and play second fiddle? Do you really think we’d agree?” That was impossible! Only at this moment did it become clear just how difficult the unification of the Human Realm truly was. The Xia family thought this way, the Zhou family thought this way, the Zhu family thought this way, the Qin family thought this way... Every one of them shared the same mindset! *Why should we bow to anyone else?* Disappointed, Wan Mingze took his leave with a wistful sigh. Once he was gone, Xia Huyou remarked abruptly, “He’s either a saint or a massive hypocrite! Personally, I hope he grows stronger. From the sound of it, he plans to travel around and persuade various experts to unite against the common foe! The intention is noble, but it’s too hard—harder than becoming an Invincible!” A saint, or a hypocrite? Hard to say for now! Wan Mingze was still too weak to show his true colors. Once he grew powerful enough, perhaps one could discern the truth. Continuing, Xia Huyou added, “He’s about to enter the Tengkong Realm! That guy is stronger than you think. His willpower is at the peak of tier one, and his divine characters are tier two. I’d say cracking the top thirty of the Top 100 Rankings would be effortless for him! He’s also suppressing his willpower to keep it from overflowing!” Suppressing it as well! That “as well”—it was unclear whether he meant Su Yu was suppressing his, or that he was doing so himself. “Is he planning to blindside someone?” That had been Bai Feng’s guess last time. “Not necessarily!” Xia Huyou explained. “It depends on whether he has a basic cultural art. If he does, he might be using this stage to open more divine apertures, saving massive amounts of time once he hits Tengkong! He might be aiming to step directly into the fourth or fifth stage of Tengkong. After all, once you break through to Tengkong, advancement slows down drastically!” He added, “Since he claims to represent the Neutral Faction, I suspect some old monster in the Quest Realm has taken a liking to him. His mentor might very well be an Invincible powerhouse!” “If that’s the case, he could easily possess a basic cultural art!” Su Yu’s heart stirred. “Right, he never formally apprenticed under anyone at the academy... wait, no, he has a teacher...” “Yes, he does!” Xia Huyou said flatly. “His teacher is the Principal, but the Principal doesn't bother with him at all. Do you really think he counts as having a teacher?” “...” Su Yu snapped to attention! Indeed, he had only known that Wan Mingze had a mentor, yet had subconsciously forgotten who it was—Wan Tiansheng! In that case, the relationship might not be real at all! It was just that everyone subconsciously assumed it, so everyone took it as fact! Perhaps... Wan Mingze truly was the disciple of an Invincible! As the two conversed, Chen Hao, sitting nearby, had his jaw hanging slack! What was all this? Tengkong, Shanhai, Invincible... The Quest Realm, the Neutral Faction, the conflict between Single and Multiple characters, the struggles between major prefectures... Was he listening to celestial scriptures? “Ah Yu, are you in the Qianjun Realm?” Chen Hao asked in a tiny voice—very tiny, feeling as though he had just woken from a dream, wanting to check reality. Just now, a random guy had walked over, and this fat guy said the newcomer was close to Tengkong and had an Invincible master. What did that even mean? That fellow who was even more handsome than Ah Yu—Chen Hao understood every word he spoke, but strung together, he couldn't comprehend a single sentence! Su Yu glanced sideways at him and murmured, “I’m in Qianjun!” “What about Wanshi?” “Not yet.” “Oh... good, you scared me to death!” Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, all was well. “I can beat a seventh-stage Wanshi to death, though. On your academy’s Wanshi Rankings, I think I could crack the top ten. What do you think, impressive?” “...” Chen Hao remained dead silent. He had already reached his origin qi saturation point. Silently, he stood up, turned around, and walked away, utterly heartbroken. *I’m not talking to you anymore!* Through the voice transmission talisman, Su Yu received a message: *“You’re lying to me, aren’t you? Ah Yu, we’re good brothers, comfort me a little!”* *“I lied. Your academy isn’t the Great Xia War Academy. On your Dragon-Tiger Rankings, I think I could crack the top five!”* Further away, Chen Hao stumbled, nearly face-planting! With a face full of sorrow, he looked back at Su Yu. That wasn't comforting at all! Walking out of the circle, he found Old Xie still waiting. Seeing Chen Hao’s devastated look, Old Xie asked curiously, “What’s wrong?” “Teacher, I just opened four apertures!” “Not bad!” “Teacher, do you think I can fight on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings?” Old Xie was speechless. “Fight your ass. Anyone ranked around one hundred could take you out in a single move!” “Teacher, then how strong does someone have to be to make the top five of our Dragon-Tiger Rankings?” “How strong... At the very least, seventh-stage Wanshi or higher, and they’d need to have merged at least ten apertures. Don't even dream about it. You’re only opening seventy-two apertures, meaning you can merge eight apertures at most, making you an Eight-Shi martial artist. That’s your ceiling. So even if you reached the ninth stage of Wanshi, cracking the top five would still be difficult!” Even if Chen Hao reached the ninth stage of Wanshi, he would only be merging eight apertures into one, which could never match the true Wanshi combatants. Seeing Chen Hao look crestfallen, Old Xie consoled him, “It’s fine! If you can't beat them at Wanshi, advance to Tengkong early and beat them then! When they reach Tengkong, you’ll reach Lingyun and beat them! What’s so special about geniuses? Being a genius doesn't mean advancing faster. The real gap lies in the future—say, reaching Sun Moon or Invincible... which you won't reach anyway. Don't worry, as long as you can beat them before Shanhai, that’s plenty!” Old Xie’s consolation pierced straight through the heart! *Which you won't reach anyway!* Chen Hao said dejectedly, “Teacher, please stop comforting me!” *No need! You’re even more ruthless than Ah Yu!* Old Xie chuckled. “Seriously, don't be discouraged! If worse comes to worst, you can figure things out later! You know our King Daxia, right? In the Qianjun Realm, he only opened thirty-six apertures, cultivating all the way to the peak of Lingyun before reopening apertures in the Shanhai Realm. Opening apertures back then was grueling, sure, but his strength was immense, allowing him to contest for more resources and enjoy a longer lifespan! His Heaven Opening Saber evolved step by step from Yellow-rank, to Profound-rank, to Earth-rank, and finally to Heaven-rank... It was all forged by his own efforts! Have some confidence—you’re the next King Daxia!” After a dose of poisonous chicken soup, Chen Hao’s fighting spirit reignited! Right! He would reach Wanshi, Tengkong, Lingyun, and enter Shanhai before opening more apertures! He would transform a top-tier Profound-rank technique into Earth-rank, and then Heaven-rank! Old Xie sighed inwardly. *Silly boy, it’s just talk, don't take it seriously!* There were at least eight hundred million, if not a billion people harboring that exact same delusion. Reaching Tengkong would already be a blessing; what was he dreaming about? Did he really think he could emulate those geniuses and start laying foundations for Shanhai and Sun Moon right now? Geniuses opened so many apertures early on to lay foundations for the future, to re-merge apertures in Shanhai, and to unleash one martial skill or technique per aperture in the Shanhai Realm. As for a student like Chen Hao, reaching Tengkong was already more than enough. Once in the Tengkong Realm, going back to Nanyuan would easily earn him the post of city lord. Granted, Nanyuan was small, but even in a larger city, he could become a figure of high standing. Joining the military, he could easily secure a post as an ordinary chiliarch. That was already wonderful. Old Xie didn't expect much from him! “Head back and cultivate diligently. I’ll find a way to get you some good stuff.” Old Xie leaned in conspiratorially. “I have channels to procure blood essence from races ranked in the top one thousand to help build your foundation. Kid, remember to pay me back later, got it?” “Build my foundation?” Chen Hao remembered something: Ah Yu seemed to have told him to visit so he could help him build his foundation. “No need, Teacher! I’ll build my foundation myself!” “You fool, you aren't planning to use Fire Swine blood essence to build your foundation, are you?” Old Xie sighed. *Silly kid, using Fire Swine blood essence to build a foundation makes you laughably weak. Don't give up on yourself! The blood essence I get from the top one thousand races will still yield great results!* Chen Hao scratched his head. He had no idea. Ah Yu had mentioned it, so how was he supposed to know what blood essence would be used? Ah Yu was pretty poor too. Oh well, he’d see when the time came!