Like Master, Like Disciple

Great Xia Civilization Academy. The fierce battle from the previous night had not disrupted the students. Most researchers might have known a thing or two, but it had little effect on them either. The academy carried on as usual. Everything was normal. Students went to class when they needed to and cultivated when they had to. As long as no storms broke out over the Top 100 Rankings, the academy remained quiet and peaceful. After bidding farewell to Xia Huyou and the others, Su Yu made his way toward the Wen Tan Research Center. ... His divine apertures were now at an exact forty. All of his divine characters were dormant—or rather, not entirely dormant, but still absorbing and digesting the lingering divine essence they had previously drawn in. Several eternal divine characters had shattered, the equivalent of multiple mystic realms collapsing. The divine essence contained within, even if he had only absorbed a tiny sliver, represented a massive improvement for Su Yu. As for his origin qi apertures, Su Yu had also taken this opportunity to open quite a few. The second tier of *Time*, named Suppressing the Sun and Moon, required opening forty-four apertures. However, many of those apertures overlapped. Su Yu had already unsealed 180 apertures previously, with a great number of overlapping ones. The previous night, he had opened six more, and now, by opening just sixteen more apertures, he would fully master the second tier, Suppressing the Sun and Moon. At this moment, Su Yu had reached a total of 186 opened apertures. Pondering these thoughts, Su Yu stepped into the Wen Tan Research Center. The moment he entered, he noticed something was different. The floor... was clean! A thought struck him. Had Grandmaster and his teacher returned? Or was it someone else? Within the academy, with Wan Tiansheng around, he had always felt fairly safe, yet right now, he dared not let his guard down. "Teacher?" Su Yu called out, one foot hovering at the threshold, not daring to step inside. "Get in here!" Bai Feng answered weakly. Relieved, Su Yu stepped into the research center. In the living quarters, Bai Feng lay slouched on the sofa. Facing him sat an elderly man, his face weathered by the elements. Beside Bai Feng, Chen Yong wore a grim, sorrowful expression. Wu Jia was there as well. Seeing Su Yu, she wanted to move, but after casting a cautious glance at the old man in the room, she dared not budge. The old man did not care about formalities. He looked at Su Yu, glanced at Wu Jia, and then looked at Bai Feng... Suddenly, he cursed, "A bunch of useless trash!" Their entire faction had only five people! Aside from him and Chen Yong, the other three were all injured! Bai Feng had it the worst, followed by Wu Jia, and then Su Yu, whose broken arm had yet to fully heal. *This* was the invincible Multiple Divine Characters Faction? What a pathetic sight! How long had he been away? Not even three months! If he had delayed his return any longer, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction would probably have gone extinct! Chen Yong said awkwardly, "Teacher, I..." "You're the most useless of all!" Hong Tan snapped. "You almost let someone snatch away your position as library director! Your own student was beaten into this state, and you still have the nerve to show your face?" "..." Chen Yong sighed helplessly and kept quiet. Hong Tan picked up a teacup and took a sip, feeling utterly frustrated. After taking a swallow, he suddenly raised the cup, examined it closely, and muttered in confusion, "This isn't my old teapot!" Bai Feng stared up at the ceiling, pretending not to hear. *Has nothing to do with me!* Su Yu kept his mouth shut. It was gone; Old Nie had crushed it to dust, so there was no getting it back even if they wanted to. "Grandmaster!" Su Yu greeted politely, then obediently stood behind Bai Feng. Over on the side, Wu Jia gave him a sympathetic look. They shared the same miserable fate—now that Grandmaster was back, he was looking for trouble with everyone right off the bat! Hong Tan did not press the matter. If the teapot was gone, so be it; perhaps it had been taken away to be washed. He raised his head, glanced at Su Yu, and gave a slight nod. "Not bad. Ninth stage of Qianjun, and you've opened a great deal of apertures! Your willpower fullness is close to eighty percent. Very impressive!" For a freshman, this was outstanding! Far better than he had imagined! Of course, he did not know the specifics. He only knew this kid had come from Nanyuan, and he had even met his father on the battlefield. The father was honest and simple, so this kid shouldn't be bad either. During the fierce battle earlier, when things were so perilous, this young fellow had dared to run toward the danger; he was clearly a loyal, sentimental person. He was just a bit foolish! A little naive! With things being so dangerous, why would a mere Yangxing cultivator go rushing over there? "Thank you, Grandmaster!" Su Yu grinned naively, wearing an embarrassed expression. Being praised by a Mountainsea powerhouse would make anyone blush. "Passable!" Hong Tan nodded, his anger cooling slightly. Glancing at Su Yu's arm, he asked, "Who broke your arm?" "Teacher Xia Yuwen's student..." "Bastard!" Hong Tan cursed. "That scoundrel again! Does Xia Changqing have a death wish? I leave for a few months, and that old fool goes mad, daring to let his people lay a hand on mine!" Hong Tan spat curses, seething with anger. Su Yu kept quiet and didn't elaborate. Zhou Hao was in a far worse state than he was, but there was no need to tell Grandmaster that. After venting for a while, Hong Tan sank into self-pity. "It's my fault too. Over these past few decades, I couldn't be bothered to argue or fight with them. I thought keeping a low profile would prevent us from sticking out too much, since there are only a few of us and we couldn't withstand the pressure anyway. Yet these people just keep pushing further!" Wu Jia whispered, "Grandmaster, are we going to keep acting like turtles pulling our heads in?" "..." What kind of phrasing was that?! Hong Tan glared, his beard bristling! "What turtle? That's your teacher! Does your grandmaster look like that kind of coward to you?" Chen Yong took the blow innocently, not saying a word. Wu Jia remained unconvinced. Grandmaster had been pretty cowardly himself. Hong Tan could not be bothered to yell anymore. He sighed. "Even if we wanted to hide in our shells, we can't anymore! My senior brother returned this time and even hacked Shan Tianhao to death. How could we possibly stay quiet? Before, when they hadn't returned, I guarded whatever ground I could, and as a result... we only declined further!" He felt helpless, outmatched by circumstances. Bai Feng could not help chiming in. "Teacher, our faction isn't weak either! We have so many Mountainsea powerhouses backing us. What's there to be afraid of?" "..." Hong Tan glared at him and snapped, "Why drag others down into muddy waters for no reason? Wu Yuehua and the others don't belong to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Even if they hold up the banner for you, that's the glory of the Divine Pill and Divine Talisman departments. What does that have to do with us? The Multiple Divine Characters Faction would remain just as neglected as ever!" Bai Feng shrugged and went silent. Chen Yong pondered for a moment and asked, "Teacher, what did Martial Uncle and Martial Uncle Xia have to say?" "Them... we can't count on them!" Hong Tan sighed. "Your martial uncle's injuries haven't healed at all, and now they're only getting worse. He killed two Mountainsea experts this time, so he'll probably have to head to the All-Heavens Battlefield soon. The same goes for Bai Feng. This idiot—why kill someone for no reason when crippling them would have been enough? Once you reach the All-Heavens Battlefield and enter the Vanguard Camp in your current state, you won't even know how you died!" "The All-Heavens Battlefield?" Su Yu could not resist speaking up. "Teacher, you have to go to the All-Heavens Battlefield?" Bai Feng replied casually, "Yeah. I have to go; the Xia family's rules... still need to be followed! Following the rules is for our own good; sometimes, rules are what keep us alive! Slaying ten Lingyun experts... I'll just take my time and grind it out!" If he had to go, he went. He wasn't afraid. Battles were frequent in the Vanguard Camp, but if one truly carved out a name for oneself there, their strength would advance rapidly. "Then... when?" "Within a month!" Bai Feng smiled. "Don't worry, Zheng Yuming hasn't even left yet. What's my rush?" "Zheng Yuming?" Hong Tan had only just returned and knew nothing about this. Bai Feng explained, "Senior Brother did it; he almost dug a grave for that guy!" "..." Chen Yong had an innocent expression. It really wasn't him! "My martial nephew did it..." He pointed at Su Yu. He wasn't going to take the blame for this. Su Yu felt awkward. "It wasn't me. I was sparring with his student, and he tried to intervene. Martial Uncle stopped him, and then Principal Wan severely injured him and punished him by sending him to the All-Heavens Battlefield." Hong Tan grasped the general picture. He glanced at Chen Yong, then looked at Su Yu, puzzled. "How did you get into a conflict with his student? You haven't been enrolled for that long, have you?" "His student severely injured Senior Sister!" Hong Tan frowned slightly, understanding everything. He sighed. "These days, every stray dog and cat dares to find fault with us! Back in our generation, that fellow Zheng Yuming wasn't worth a fart, and now he dares to let his student cause trouble for my people..." He felt deeply melancholy. Shaking off the thought, he looked at Su Yu again and nodded. "Not bad. Standing up for your senior sister is a good thing, but the tallest tree catches the wind; it's also easy to bring disaster upon yourself! Your injury probably stemmed from this as well!" With that, he asked, "You were brought up from Nanyuan by my senior brother?" "Yes, Teacher Liu taught me..." "Good. It seems Senior Brother trained you well..." Before he could finish, Bai Feng said speechlessly, "Teacher, what does this have to do with Martial Uncle? I trained him! When Su Yu arrived, he wasn't even in the Qianjun Realm. Look at him now—how strong he is! Before, he wasn't even in the Yangxing Realm, and look at him now?" Bai Feng claimed the credit. "Teacher, I'm the one who discovered this talent, alright? I was even the one who taught him his first divine character..." "You..." Hong Tan asked in astonishment, "When?" "When I went to Nanyuan last time..." Hong Tan thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Half a year ago?" Bai Feng indeed seemed to have gone to Nanyuan back in April! But... that was only half a year ago, wasn't it? "That's right!" Hong Tan suddenly realized something. He looked at Su Yu, then back at Bai Feng, his gaze turning bizarre. "Are you saying that half a year ago, he wasn't in Qianjun, wasn't in Yangxing, and hadn't outlined a single divine character..." "Yeah..." As Bai Feng spoke, his heart lurched, and he hurried to say, "No, just kidding. Su Yu was already at the seventh stage of Qianjun and in the Yangxing Realm when he enrolled." "Shut up!" Hong Tan suddenly pulled out a bamboo cane and whacked him over the head! "You unfilial wretch!" "You bastard!" "No wonder you suddenly urged me to leave after coming back from Nanyuan! Turns out you were afraid I'd snatch your student!" "I'll beat you to death, you scoundrel!" "..." *Smack, smack, smack!* A series of whipping sounds rang out. Bai Feng wailed miserably, "Teacher, that's not true! I'm injured, I'm dying, and you're still beating me!" "Beating you to death will settle everything!" "Teacher, don't I get to keep any dignity? My student is right here!" "You're already crippled. What student do you need? From now on, he follows me..." "..." To the side, Su Yu's expression turned strange. He exchanged glances with Wu Jia and Chen Yong, showing his confusion. Wu Jia whispered, "Grandmaster is just like this, don't mind him! Grandmaster is actually very kind, it's just... it's just that he's getting old, acting like a child!" Hong Tan: "..." The cane halted mid-air. He glared at Wu Jia. *Wretched girl, who are you talking about?!* *Getting old?* *How old am I?!* *Not even seventy yet—am I really that old?!* Too exhausted to keep thrashing this unfilial disciple, Hong Tan regained his composure. He turned his attention back to Su Yu and nodded. "Very good! So you reached this level after less than three months since enrolling. Truly magnificent!" Having not witnessed Su Yu's growth from scratch, he was surprised, but not overly shocked. As an expert on the verge of stepping into the Sun Moon Realm, he was not too easily shaken by a Yangxing student. Looking at Wu Jia once more, he thought for a moment and said, "A willpower injury... I examined it; in another month or two, you should be fine, but it has indeed delayed your cultivation!" Pondering, he gestured to Wu Jia. She walked over obediently. Hong Tan placed his large palm against her head. A powerful surge of willpower erupted, and moonlight-like brilliance overflowed from his palm, bathing Wu Jia in its glow. A moment later, Hong Tan withdrew his hand and exhaled. "It's not a severe injury. Rest for a few days and you'll be fine! Cultivate hard, and strive to enter Tengkong soon!" At this moment, the pallor had faded from Wu Jia's face, replaced by a healthy flush. Surprised and delighted, she said, "Grandmaster, you can even heal injuries to the sea of will now? Then I won't have to fear getting hurt in the future..." "Shut up!" Chen Yong scolded. "What nonsense are you spouting! Your grandmaster hasn't reached Sun Moon yet. Using the radiance of Sun Moon to heal your injuries will delay his breakthrough! Hurry up and thank your grandmaster!" Wu Jia promptly expressed her gratitude! Hong Tan did not mind much. Waving his hand, he sighed. "Our branch has fewer and fewer people. With great difficulty, we took in two students; we can't let them end up crippled, or our lineage will truly be severed." "On my way back, I passed through Great Zhou Prefecture and heard that their side has completely surrendered. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction there is now history!" His voice was tinged with unspeakable sorrow! Back in the Great Zhou Prefecture, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction used to be very strong. There were even more Civilization Masters in Great Zhou Prefecture than in Great Xia Prefecture, and there had been plenty of experts from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. But over the years, they had fallen one after another, until finally, even the last Mountainsea elder could no longer hold on. This time, that elder had not come to reinforce them, but Hong Tan did not blame him. Facing Zhou Polong in Great Zhou Prefecture, he had held out for decades. Hong Tan understood his difficulties; it had been far harder than in Great Xia Prefecture. For him to hold on until now was already no small feat. At the mention of this, everyone's expressions turned grim. Bai Feng gritted his teeth. "Sooner or later, I'll make that Zhou Polong pay!" "Save your tough talk until after you recover!" Hong Tan did not care to lecture him further and said briskly, "In this battle, killing Shan Tianhao makes a complete fallout inevitable! And I severely wounded Zhou Mingren, tearing away the very last shred of pretense!" "Everyone, be careful. Do not leave the academy without good reason!" "Senior Brother and the others are wounded or crippled now. The support they can provide us is limited, but they will still serve as a deterrent!" "This clash has bought us a bit of breathing room. The key factor was that Senior Brother stepped out into the open, which is actually a good thing..." For the past few decades, they had been constantly on edge, fearing an ambush from that hidden Invincible expert. This time, even if it meant startling the snake in the grass, it was a good thing. At least it would make that fellow hesitate out of fear of collateral damage! The Xia family's laissez-faire approach this time carried that exact implication. They had investigated secretly for decades and found nothing. Since that was the case, they might as well startle the snake. The Great Xia King and the others had likely intended a covert investigation before. Since that hadn't worked, alarming the other party would at least force them to show some restraint and think twice before acting rashly. This aligned fairly well with Hong Tan's expectations, making it acceptable. With that, Hong Tan looked at Chen Yong. "Your junior brother will be leaving soon. As for me... I'll probably enter secluded cultivation shortly to prepare for the Sun Moon barrier, so everything will depend on you! If you don't enter Mountainsea, it will be hard to deter them!" Wu Jia whispered, "Grandmaster, Master lacks the resources to break through. How about you go snatch some back for him..." Hong Tan chuckled. "You certainly know how to protect your master! Resources? What resources does he need? He's already reached the ninth stage of Lingyun. After all these years, how could he still lack resources? Your master..." "*Ahem!*" Chen Yong coughed lightly and smiled. "Teacher, I will break through as soon as possible!" "You!" Hong Tan laughed. "Do as you see fit, then!" To the side, Su Yu remained quiet. Those words were quite intriguing! *Do as Chen Yong sees fit.* Could it be that his martial uncle had been capable of breaking through long ago? When he had asked him last time, Chen Yong hadn't said much. Had he been suppressing his cultivation because he wanted to merge more divine apertures before advancing? After thinking for a moment, Su Yu spoke up. "Grandmaster, we killed two Mountainsea experts on their side this time, and Grandmartial Uncle Xia Yunqi and the others all possess Mountainsea combat strength. Would the Single Divine Character Faction still dare to make things difficult for us? Do they really want to push us to the brink even now?" "Grandmaster, you're about to advance to Sun Moon as well. Have they lost their minds?" Hong Tan smiled. "In terms of pure combat strength, we aren't weak! But... the Single Divine Character Faction has been powerful for so many years and has countless people on their side. Do you think they'll willingly surrender their current power and status? They probably won't dare use open force, but within the academy, not everything is settled through violence." Hong Tan continued, "Suppressing our living space within the limits permitted by the academy is something they've always done! Zhou Mingren doesn't have grand ambitions. His greatest goal is likely to dominate Great Xia Civilization Academy alone." "Besides, he is a member of a branch family of the Zhou clan. To have come this far, the Zhou family supported him considerably, and he must return the favor!" "Therefore, when it comes to suppressing us, he will certainly keep doing so!" "Earlier, he wanted to use my pressure to break through to Sun Moon, but he clearly failed, mainly because the recoil was too severe!" Zhou Mingren had wanted to use Hong Tan to advance, but failed. Otherwise, he would have entered the Sun Moon Realm the previous night. Decades ago, at that stage, Zhou Mingren would have been virtually guaranteed to advance. Back then, the so-called half-step Sun Moon didn't really exist. Those who could break through did, and those who couldn't simply wouldn't have reached that stage of cultivation in the first place. Su Yu understood. "So that means they'll still suppress us?" "Inevitably!" Hong Tan smiled. "We'll just play along and fight them! Don't learn from your teacher. That idiot insisted on clashing with Xia Yuwen. What would have been wrong with simply ignoring him? Xia Yuwen is already in Lingyun. If he dared lay a hand on you, did he really think the rest of us were dead?" He was still deeply displeased with Bai Feng's foolish choice! He had crippled himself! Otherwise, let Xia Yuwen try finding fault. Did he truly believe the Multiple Divine Characters Faction had no powerhouses left? Hong Tan wasn't dead yet! Bai Feng replied dismissively, "I wasn't afraid of him! I wanted to fight him for a long time anyway! Oh, by the way..." Pausing to think, he said, "Jiajia, I left a research document upstairs called *Thirty-Six Methods of the Fusion Department*. Go fetch it for me..." Wu Jia looked puzzled. *Why send me? Isn't Junior Brother right here?* Well, since Martial Uncle had asked, she didn't argue. Nodding, she headed upstairs. Once Wu Jia had gone up, Bai Feng spoke quickly, "Teacher, check the surroundings. Last time, that fellow Wan Tiansheng actually siphoned off Su Yu's willpower right here in the research center!" Hong Tan frowned, quickly understood, and probed the surroundings with his perception. Shaking his head, he said, "It's fine. With me here, he wouldn't dare eavesdrop on me! That fellow... must have stepped into the Sun Moon Realm long ago, masquerading as a Mountainsea!" "I knew it!" Bai Feng said in realization. Chen Yong nodded as well. "I also suspected the principal had reached Sun Moon. Otherwise, dealing with Zheng Yuming last time wouldn't have been so effortless. It seems the principal isn't hiding it anymore. I wonder what tier of Sun Moon he has reached." "At least the third tier of Sun Moon!" Hong Tan assessed. "That's the bare minimum. If it's higher... the fourth or fifth tier wouldn't be surprising! Great Xia Prefecture still has a few Sun Moon cultivators. If he hadn't reached Sun Moon, he couldn't have held onto his position securely!" Su Yu was somewhat curious now. He asked in a low voice, "Grandmaster, does our Great Xia Prefecture have many Sun Moon experts?" "A fair number!" Hong Tan smiled. "Hu Dehao, Zhao Rui, Ji Hong, Wan Tiansheng... are all among them. That old ghost Zheng Ping is almost there too. In addition, on the All-Heavens Battlefield, the commander of the Demon Suppression Army is one, as well as that fatty from the Xia family, that old lady from the Wu family..." Great Xia Prefecture actually possessed quite a few Sun Moon experts. Hong Tan listed a few simply, then added, "Besides, on the All-Heavens Battlefield, there should be several others who serve as guest elders for the Xia family. I'm not very familiar with them, but they are in Sun Moon as well." Su Yu nodded. That seemed like a lot, yet relatively speaking, it wasn't that many. Great Xia Prefecture was one of the three strongest prefectures, yet these were all the Sun Moon experts it had. Hong Tan said no more on the topic and looked at Bai Feng. "Did you have something to say?" "Yes." Bai Feng had sent Wu Jia away precisely to discuss something important. He explained, "Senior Brother, there's no need for Jiajia to get involved. Knowing too much would only bring trouble upon her." Chen Yong nodded and said nothing. Hong Tan, on the other hand, glanced at Su Yu and then at Bai Feng with a slight smile. This disciple of his clearly placed great value on this grand-disciple. Bai Feng cut straight to the chase. "Here's the thing. I can still recover. Of course, I'm not certain right now..." He gave a brief overview of dismantling divine character battle techniques, followed by replenishing them with base-point divine characters. The moment he finished, Hong Tan looked on in utter shock. "They can really be replenished?" "They should be, which is why I'm testing it on myself!" Meanwhile, Su Yu was also mildly excited. "Teacher, battle techniques can be dismantled?" "Of course!" Bai Feng nodded. "You probably haven't read the materials I left for you; there's a brief introduction there! I'll teach you later. These things can indeed be dismantled. Didn't I mention it to you last time?" Hong Tan's eyes shone brightly. "In that case, anyone could have the chance to join the Multiple Divine Characters Faction! That way, our branch would never face extinction! Those bastards—I know what they're thinking. They envy us! But once they have a way to convert to divine character battle techniques... ha, I guarantee they'll behave like obedient grandsons, eager to convert on the spot!" Bai Feng caught the implication and asked, "Teacher, do you want to spread this method?" "Of course!" Hong Tan's eyes flickered. "I'll let them see how awkward they'll look for suppressing the Multiple Divine Characters Faction all this time! Let's see how they suppress us then! Kid, once this method is spread, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction will swiftly become the dominant force among Civilization Masters in the Human Realm..." "I'm afraid of dying!" "Hmm?" Bai Feng sighed. "I'm afraid of dying! Teacher, I thought about spreading it before too! But later, I discovered something else. I believe the Multiple Divine Characters path is a true road to Invincible! Someone is deliberately suppressing us—the myriad races, and quite possibly some traitors within the Human Realm. They are suppressing us on purpose!" Bai Feng sighed again. "I'm even worried that once the Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly rises again, the tragedy from fifty years ago will repeat itself! Back then, it wasn't an accident; it was a setup! The myriad races haven't launched a full-scale assault on us now because they want to dismantle us silently from within. But once this method from our faction gets out and all Civilization Masters become Multiple Divine Characters powerhouses, then... a grand war might erupt very quickly, a war of racial extinction!" "Hmm!" Hong Tan's expression changed instantly! A war of extinction? He frowned. "Aren't you overthinking things? A war of extinction—our Human Realm still has multiple Invincible experts..." "Teacher, I'm not overthinking it!" Bai Feng said softly. "This kind of thing shouldn't be publicized recklessly. Right now, we should develop quietly, not spread it everywhere! I've been pondering a question: what exactly happens when a Civilization Master advances to Invincible? The human race has plenty of Invincibles, so what if a Civilization Master reaches Invincible? Yet judging from various signs, they simply dare not let us reach Invincible!" The "they" referred to the myriad races, traitors, gods, and devils! They dared not let human Civilization Masters follow the path of Civilization Masters to reach Invincible! As for the physical path, they didn't seem to care as much. Hong Tan frowned. "Are you certain the Multiple Divine Characters path is the only correct road to Invincible?" "Yes!" Bai Feng answered with certainty. "If you don't believe me, wait until I reach Invincible and see for yourself!" Hong Tan couldn't even be bothered to roll his eyes at him. After a moment of thought, he said, "It's normal for the myriad races to dread Civilization Masters reaching Invincible! Just look at your grandmaster—at the Sun Moon Realm, he killed an Invincible! Let me put it this way: an Invincible of the physical path can fight one-on-one, but according to our current understanding, an Invincible Civilization Master would have no trouble fighting three at the same tier. In a one-on-one fight, we are guaranteed to win!" Chen Yong interjected, "Teacher, in a one-on-one fight, warriors aren't weak either, are they?" Warriors were by no means weak. In a true one-on-one battle, it all came down to their respective methods. Hong Tan shook his head. "Wrong. Warriors aren't weak, but they definitely aren't a match for a Civilization Master of the same tier—that is, assuming they are Civilization Masters of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. If the Multiple Divine Characters path is indeed the road to Invincible, then those who reach Invincible will naturally be experts of our faction!" He looked at Bai Feng. "How many warriors of the same tier do you think could defeat you?" "There's one..." Bai Feng muttered sheepishly. Hong Tan recalled that person as well and chuckled. "That's different. His talent is absurdly high, one in hundreds of millions. As for Civilization Masters, your talent... be honest with yourself; in our academy alone, there are eighty if not a hundred who match you!" "Yet because you cultivate the Multiple Divine Characters path, you've become this strong!" Bai Feng's talent wasn't primarily in raw cultivation, though his cultivation talent was certainly formidable. Still, there were quite a few people in the academy with talent on par with Bai Feng's. As for that individual from the War Academy, a monstrous genius rarely seen in ten thousand years, he had thrashed Bai Feng three times, and Bai Feng had never managed to turn the tables. Bai Feng felt utterly deflated. That stung! Hong Tan continued, "In any case, once a Civilization Master of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction reaches Invincible, their combat prowess will be terrifying—one person worth three! If their divine characters have diverse traits, Civilization Masters are also exceptionally hard to kill. Warriors only have those few methods: flesh regeneration from a drop of blood, shattering the void... But Civilization Masters have far too many tricks!" Hong Tan sighed with feeling. "Divine character avatars, world projections, cloned true bodies, Five Elements escape techniques, immortality as long as the sea of consciousness remains intact... invisibility, possession, transforming into ten thousand bodies..." In Hong Tan's description, Civilization Masters sounded virtually omnipotent. Bai Feng muttered, "One still has to know those specific divine characters; those are exceptions!" "What you say is true, but their life-preserving methods are undeniably far more numerous than a warrior's. That much is beyond question!" Hong Tan continued, "You mentioned you discovered that the Multiple Divine Characters path is the only road to Invincible. What's the reasoning?" Bai Feng thought for a moment and said, "Innate divine characters!" "Hmm?" Bai Feng explained briefly, concluding, "Right now, this is only a theory; I don't have any successful cases yet. So I've decided to use Martial Uncle as my first research subject, and Martial Uncle Xia Yunqi and the others will be my test subjects as well!" Bai Feng said gleefully, "There are actually plenty of experimental materials. I'll test it out first; if it works, we'll talk further! If it fails, I think we can continue digging deeper. Besides, there's this fellow Su Yu..." He glanced at Su Yu. "I've decided to treat him as nurturing material, having him outline purely human divine characters first to see how it goes!" "You..." Hong Tan was astonished by his ideas, yet also felt helpless. This kid was simply running wild! He glanced at Su Yu, only to see the youth smiling naively. "Whatever Teacher says, goes. I have no objections; I'll listen to Teacher!" Inside, Su Yu was rejoicing! Wonderful! That meant he wouldn't have to outline other races' divine characters in the future, saving him the trouble of pretending he could outline characters from the myriad races every time. Hearing this, Hong Tan felt deeply moved! What a good student! So obedient! "Su Yu, you must think this through carefully. Your teacher has only proposed a theory; there are no actual cases proving this is the correct path. You are exceptionally talented. If you take the wrong path, you will ruin yourself..." Hong Tan sighed. Many people had ruined themselves for the sake of research. How many geniuses had been destroyed in such a manner? His own senior brother had been held back for fifty years because of it! Otherwise, he would have stepped into the Sun Moon Realm long ago! Su Yu said honestly, "Grandmaster, I'm not afraid. If Teacher says it's fine, I trust Teacher's words!" "..." Bai Feng rolled his eyes. *Like hell I believe you!* *You little brat definitely have a secret!* *Wait, could it be that this bastard really can only outline human divine characters? Last time, he lied and said he was outlining a divine character from the myriad races, but after all these days, I haven't seen him succeed once.* *Where's that foreign character?* *Big fat liar!* *Sooner or later, I'll slice open your sea of will to see what's really going on. Now you're just going with the flow and pretending to be honest in front of your grandmaster—don't you feel any shame?* Since what Bai Feng brought up was of paramount importance, Hong Tan pondered for a moment and nodded. "We can try it out first. Your senior brother and I cannot attempt it right now; we still need high-end combat power to ensure no accidents occur!" With that, he said briskly, "Bai Feng's concerns are valid. Little Yong, Su Yu, let what was said today leave your minds as soon as you hear it. Do not spread it outside!" Turning back to Bai Feng, he said, "Practice on your martial uncle first. Leave Xia Yunqi and the others alone for now; they can still unleash some combat strength and aren't under immense pressure. It would be troublesome if you ruined their divine characters. As for your martial uncle... he's half-crippled anyway. Feel free to experiment on him; it won't be a big problem." Su Yu felt mentally exhausted! At this moment, he finally understood where Bai Feng's constant urge to slice people open came from. His grandmaster taught by personal example! Were those words fit for a human to speak? What did he mean by *your martial uncle is half-crippled anyway, feel free to experiment on him, it won't be a big problem*?