Rumors Stir the Heart

Great Xia Civilization Academy. Inside the filtration chamber. Su Yu unrolled the manual—the Heaven-Cleaving Blade of the Xia family, renowned as the number one technique in the Great Xia Prefecture. The moment the booklet opened, his vision blurred. A figure flashed before him! It was someone he recognized, someone familiar: Xia Longwu! This was a text of will penned by Xia Longwu himself! "The Heaven-Cleaving Blade, the Xia family's supreme art!" "It is divided into two parts: cultivation art and martial skill. In truth, they are one and the same. Martial skills and cultivation arts ultimately lead to the same destination. Once you enter the Shanhai Realm, cultivation arts are martial skills, and martial skills are cultivation arts!" Within the manual, Xia Longwu spoke in an even voice, without excessive arrogance or bluster. "The Heaven-Cleaving Blade requires opening 144 apertures. Cultivate the complete art, but master the martial skill layer by layer!" "Sixteen apertures per slash. The Heaven-Cleaving Blade has nine slashes: three slashes slay Tengkong, six slashes kill Lingyun, and nine slashes shatter Shanhai!" Nine slashes of Heaven-Cleaving, with the ninth shattering Shanhai! Su Yu smiled. It seemed the Xia family didn't boast after all. Just look at *Time*—now that was boasting. One strike to shatter Shanhai, two strikes to suppress Riyue, three strikes to battle Invincibles. Xia Longwu was merely an imprint, naturally paying him no heed as he began explaining the cultivation method for the Heaven-Cleaving Blade—how to open the apertures and how to connect them seamlessly. One hundred and forty-four apertures! There were quite a few overlapping apertures. Su Yu had already opened 186 apertures, and after reviewing the manual from start to finish, he still needed to open another 84 apertures, with 60 already overlapping with what he had unlocked. If he opened all of them successfully, that would total 270 apertures. "Eighty-four..." Su Yu felt a headache coming on! That was so many! Opening 84 more would bring his total to 270 apertures, nearly double the number cultivated by geniuses practicing top Heaven-rank arts! Even for those monstrous geniuses, opening 144 apertures consumed countless resources and time. Not to mention that Su Yu had to open nearly twice as many! "Eighty-four..." The later one went, the harder opening apertures became. Su Yu calculated that unlocking 84 more apertures would require at least 500 drops of early Wanshi Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence, though he would need fewer drops if using late Wanshi blood essence. "With that much blood essence, I could open the apertures for the Body Strengthening Art!" Su Yu weighed the options in his mind. In that case, it would be better to open the apertures for the Body Strengthening Art first, then cultivate it on his own to open the Heaven-Cleaving Blade's apertures. The only difference would be spending a bit more time. The primary purpose of consuming blood essence was to open temporary apertures to achieve the yuanqi absorption speed of the Wanshi Realm. In truth, having opened so many apertures already, Su Yu cultivated no slower than an actual Wanshi. Therefore, opening the Body Strengthening Art's apertures was a better choice, allowing for sustainable development without burning through Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence every single time. An entire century-ox squad of Mountain-Breaking Oxen had practically died for his sake already. …… Yangxing Garden. Without wasting words, Su Yu tossed a jade talisman straight to Xia Huyou and said, "This is a gift for you—no sharing it outside! Also, did you procure the 5,000 merit points' worth of Mountain-Breaking Ox and Five Elements blood essence I asked for last time?" Xia Huyou ignored his question and inspected the jade talisman before curling his lip. "You traded for this art; what do you mean by 'gift'?!" With that said, he asked curiously, "Do you really need more?" "Of course. I need to cultivate your family's Heaven-Cleaving Blade. Without blood essence, my speed will be too slow!" Xia Huyou clicked his tongue. "You're still opening apertures? You're crazy! Just advance to Wanshi already! Reach the Shanhai Realm sooner, merge your apertures into one, and Heaven-rank arts won't matter as much anyway—merging more apertures yields the same result." "Do you think I'm an idiot?" Su Yu retorted in annoyance, "With a top-tier art, a Shanhai might directly merge 144 apertures. If I switch to the War God Art, I can only merge 108 apertures. Every additional aperture increases the difficulty exponentially! Are you afraid I'll surpass you, so you're deliberately misleading me?" "……" Xia Huyou was at a loss for words. How could he argue with that? Forget it, no more advice! "The tournament on the Single Divine Character Faction's side is only a few days away. Are you going to give it a shot?" "What date?" "The 20th. You have no idea—just for those five slots, quite a few senior students from the retirement zone have crawled out!" Xia Huyou wore a deeply meaningful expression. Senior... students! Just how old were they? Extremely old! Some had been stuck at the peak of the Yangxing Realm for decades and were on the verge of death. Hearing that they could enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, they were excited enough to leap straight out of their coffins. There were even grandfathers and grandsons entering the fray together! The grandfather had failed to reach Tengkong back then, and now his grandson was on the verge of Tengkong, both entering the tournament to fight for a slot. Su Yu said speechlessly, "Even if they go in, it doesn't guarantee they'll reach Tengkong, does it?" "But the chances will increase drastically!" Xia Huyou explained, then added, "In the past, the academy opened the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm too, but almost no slots were offered to outsiders; they were all reserved internally. If they hadn't fallen out with your Multiple Divine Characters Faction this time, forcing the Single Divine Character Faction to surrender a few slots, no one else would have stood a chance!" "The academy doesn't care about those veteran students?" Su Yu shook his head as he spoke. There were simply too many to manage. Moreover, failing to break through at such an advanced age meant either a lack of talent or a lack of courage to fight for themselves. If they weren't willing to risk their lives, why would the academy care about their survival? Xia Huyou also said, "To be honest, those people don't deserve sympathy! Quite a few are at peak Yangxing. If it really doesn't work out, they could spend some time tempering their physical bodies, join the army, or join the Wind Chasing Hall to carve out their own future! That's how it works—everyone's strength is forged through their own struggles. If they don't even dare to fight once, they deserve to be useless!" It wasn't as if there were no weak cultivators on the All-Heavens Battlefield! There were plenty of Qianjun and Wanshi cultivators there! If others dared to go, why couldn't they? Besides, they possessed the willpower of the Yangxing Realm. If they truly tempered their bodies, they would progress faster than ordinary people, and their combat prowess would definitely surpass warriors who purely cultivated the physical path. Su Yu said nothing further on the matter and cut to the chase: "Enough chatter. Do you have the blood essence? I need to open my apertures as quickly as possible and master the Heaven-Cleaving Blade!" The tournament wasn't until the 20th, still a week away. "You... you're a gold-devouring beast!" Xia Huyou exclaimed with emotion. This guy really knew how to burn through wealth! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to argue. He had earned it himself; what did it matter how he spent it? "The Mountain-Breaking Oxen really had bad luck running into you..." Xia Huyou muttered under his breath. Su Yu pretended not to hear. If you're so noble, don't sell it to me! If you sold it, what right did you have to complain? Su Yu had brought up buying the blood essence days ago. Xia Huyou knew he needed it; having acquired the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, the guy would definitely be itching to cultivate it. …… Following Xia Huyou back to his residence, Su Yu collected the blood essence. Two hundred drops of late Wanshi Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence, worth 4,000 merit points, along with 20 drops of Wanshi-level Five Elements blood essence Xia Huyou had gathered for him, came out to exactly 5,000 merit points. This guy never gave an extra penny, keeping accounts crystal clear. Su Yu didn't say a word and headed straight for the Secret Realm Area. …… "This kid is back again!" At the yuanqi secret realm. Old Huang sighed with emotion as he packed his belongings, preparing to depart. "Old Nie, tell me, what's so great about the Court of Inspectors? It's not nearly as carefree as staying here. You all just had to push me into it..." Old Nie said flatly, "Then don't go." "Forget it, I'll reluctantly take the job!" Old Huang gave a dry laugh. Refuse? What a joke! After toiling for decades, Old Nie, that bastard, had long been an Elder while he was not. Now that the opportunity had arrived, even if it was just to experience the thrill of being an Elder, he had to take up the post! Before Su Yu stepped inside, Old Huang lowered his voice: "When will you be able to step into Shanhai?" "No rush!" Old Nie was unhurried as he transmitted his voice: "After researching the 'Yuan' divine character for so many years, haven't you noticed anything?" "You mean..." Old Huang's eyes flickered as he replied via transmission, "You want to outline a divine character battle technique?" "Even if I don't outline a battle technique, I must form a complete system to merge them!" Old Nie didn't hide his intentions. "This 'Yuan' character is not a single divine character, but a fusion of several divine characters. After all these years, you should have realized it too! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction does have real capability, which is why they cannot be wiped out. Pushing you to replace Old He was done for this exact reason! We need to suppress the Single Divine Character Faction. Right now, the higher-ups' stance is hard to read, but since we've discovered something, we can't allow the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to truly perish!" Having guarded the mystic realms for so many years, everyone knew the first and third generation realms belonged to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, whereas the fourth generation belonged to the Single Divine Character Faction. The yuanqi secret realm belonged to the fourth generation! Logically, the fourth generation's realm was formed by a single divine character, but after decades of study, they had discovered an anomaly: the fourth generation's character was not a single entity, but an amalgamation of several divine characters merged together. It was bizarre! The fourth generation was a genuine expert of the Single Divine Character Faction. Although he loved forging weapons, his blacksmithing never achieved greatness, and he remained fundamentally a Single Divine Character powerhouse. This showed that the fourth generation had also researched divine character fusion in his early years and had made notable progress. This changed everything! It meant that upon reaching Riyue, the fourth generation had actually walked the path of multiple divine characters. Old Huang nodded and transmitted, "I understand! But I can't be too biased either. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction indeed cannot be allowed to be suppressed into ruin. As for the Court of Inspectors, I will clean it up thoroughly. During the year-end inspection, I will do my best to weaken the Single Divine Character Faction and protect Chen Yong's side." Old Nie nodded, adding, "No need to be too deliberate. They aren't that weak anyway!" The two exchanged a few more words before Su Yu walked through the entrance. The moment Su Yu stepped in, he noticed the baggage beside Old Huang and asked curiously, "Teacher Huang, are you going on a long trip?" "Not leaving the academy!" Old Huang replied calmly, "Just changing posts. From now on, Old Nie will guard this place alone! I'm off to coast by somewhere else." "Where are you going, Old Huang?" Su Yu was curious. Did the teachers guarding the mystic realms rotate posts? He had heard these two had been guarding here for many years! "The Court of Inspectors!" Old Huang said nonchalantly, "I told them I didn't want to move, but the academy insisted I take charge of the Court of Inspectors. Such a nuisance!" "……" Su Yu stared at him blankly. The Court of Inspectors! Taking charge of the Court of Inspectors! Was he kidding?! Last time, Chen Yong had told him that the head of the Court of Inspectors was an Elder. What did this mean? Noticing his expression, Old Huang felt secretly smug. *You little brat, always acting so arrogant and provoking us every day. Now it's your turn to be shocked, isn't it?* "That's right, I'm going to serve as an Elder!" Old Huang wore a look of utter exasperation. "I didn't want to go at all. Being an Elder is so dull! Besides, I'm only at the ninth layer of Lingyun; being an Elder like this is meaningless! Even though the Court of Inspectors is fairly relaxed, there are still official duties to handle. A hassle!" Su Yu blinked, then immediately beamed with immense enthusiasm. "Old Huang—no, Elder Huang! Elder Huang is truly formidable, actually taking charge of the Court of Inspectors! Elder Huang, will the year-end inspection be led by the Court of Inspectors?" Old Huang kept a placid expression. "Yes, what a pain. What about it?" "Nothing, nothing! Teacher Huang, you're amazing!" Su Yu's thoughts raced in shock. A gatekeeper... turned into an Elder in the blink of an eye? Holy crap! What was going on? He truly hadn't known. Information regarding the Elders in the Secret Realm Area was murky, and most students had no idea which Elders were stationed here. They only knew the academy had six non-Shanhai Elders! Who would have guessed that this decrepit old man before him had suddenly become an Elder! The Court of Inspectors... last time, Xia Yuwen had mentioned he was an inspector of the Court of Inspectors, an office holding immense authority! And the man in front of him was now its head. Impressive! Old Huang looked relaxed and leisurely. Shocked, aren't you? Astonished, aren't you? I'm an Elder now! Of course, the other decrepit old man sitting beside him had been an Elder for years, but Old Huang didn't bother mentioning that. Dropping the topic, Old Huang looked at Su Yu and asked, "Going in to cultivate again? Preparing to enter Wanshi?" "No, I'm preparing to cultivate a new art." "A new art?" Old Huang was slightly surprised. Su Yu remembered something and asked hurriedly, "It's a Heaven-rank art, but it wasn't passed down by an Invincible. It's... at the peak of Riyue. There won't be any issues, right?" Something had seemingly gone wrong last time; would it be safe this time? He was bringing a text of will inside. "……" Old Huang felt exhausted. *I just finished showing off, and this kid turns right around and smacks me in the face!* Were Heaven-rank arts a dime a dozen now? Were peak Riyue texts giving out free samples? "It shouldn't be a problem. As long as the technique hasn't formed an independent domain, it will be fine." "That's a relief. Thank you, Teacher!" Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. Old Huang asked curiously, "What technique? Of course, if it's a secret, you don't have to say." "It's no secret, just a common art—the Heaven-Cleaving Blade!" "……" *You call that a common art?!* *Fine, you win!* The Xia family's cultivation art wasn't taught to just anyone. It seemed the Xia family considered this kid worthy of grooming to have passed it down to him. After chatting a bit more, Su Yu added, "Teacher, I have a friend from the War Academy who wants to enter the Secret Realm Area. If he holds Teacher Zhao's token, can he enter?" "Old Zhao's token..." Old Huang pondered for a moment and said, "Normally, only people from our academy can enter, mainly to prevent the Myriad Races Cult from infiltrating. However, if you act as his guarantor and agree to compensate an Eternal divine character if anything goes wrong in the realm, then there's no issue." "……" Old Nie glanced at him but remained silent. By rights, even with a token, visitors from the War Academy couldn't simply enter without strict vetting. It was best to have a Shanhai from the War Academy act as a guarantor before permission was granted. However, upon second thought, forget it. Su Yu had Old Zhao's backing, and since Old Zhao thought highly of him, they saw no need to raise objections. "Understood. Thank you, Teacher!" Su Yu quickly thanked him! Old Huang didn't bother saying more. Taking the 100 merit points, he practically kicked the boy inside, muttering crossly, "Old Zhao's token ended up in his hands, and he's lending it all over the place. Old Zhao gave it to him to use, yet this punk... doesn't take it seriously at all." "He can enter on his own; borrowing it was obviously to let others use it. If Old Zhao didn't say anything, what right do you have to complain?" Old Nie was unconcerned, reminding him once more: "Once you go to the Court of Inspectors, especially with the year-end inspection coming up, investigate properly. Don't be like Old He! Old He was an expert at smoothing things over and blurring lines—don't learn from him! Clear out what needs to be cleared from the academy. For the year-end inspection, it's best to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys! People in the academy nowadays have forgotten the Court of Inspectors even exists, treating the first round of assessments like a mere formality. This year, show them it isn't!" "I know!" The two chatted, turning their gaze toward the entrance of the secret realm. Who knew how long that kid would stay inside this time? The Single Divine Character Faction was about to organize the tournament for the entry slots. Judging by Su Yu's actions, learning the Heaven-Cleaving Blade at this critical juncture was likely preparation for that competition. …… At the same time. Inside the Single Divine Character Teaching and Research Building. In the office. Zhou Pingsheng looked at the young students before him and said slowly, "Although the Teacher agreed to yield five slots, he never said they had to go to outsiders! The best outcome is for our own people to take all of them back! Even if they don't go to our faction, they must not fall into the hands of hostile students!" "Among the younger generation, your strength is decent, but against those veteran senior students, even Zhai Feng might not necessarily win..." Zhai Feng looked somewhat unconvinced, but held his tongue. It was true—those old fogies were older than his grandfather, yet they still showed up to compete. He felt a bit of shame on their behalf. "Not guaranteed to win? That doesn't matter. None of you are weak. If you truly run into formidable opponents, you can wear them down through attrition!" He continued, "Our main objective this time is still to stop Su Yu and his lot. He Qi, Wu Yuehua, and the others only received one slot each, so they certainly won't be content. Your mission is to prevent them from fishing in troubled waters and snatching the slots!" Zhai Feng nodded and asked, "Teacher, that fellow Su Yu hasn't registered yet. Could it be that he won't participate?" "It's possible!" Zhou Pingsheng was unsure as well. After a moment of thought, he said, "If he comes, we'll make him suffer. If he doesn't, he won't be able to enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. Once you enter and come out, with good luck you'll reach Tengkong, and even with poor luck, you'll reach peak Yangxing!" "At that point, there will be no need to care about him!" Though he said that, Zhou Pingsheng actually hoped Su Yu would participate. That kid had heavily injured several geniuses of the Single Divine Character Faction. With so many participants and powerful competitors this time, even Zhan Hai couldn't guarantee securing first place. If Su Yu showed up, they could pull some strings in secret and make him suffer a crushing defeat! Zhou Pingsheng added, "Hong Tan also secured a slot, clearly meant for Wu Jia! Wu Jia cannot be allowed to enter the Top 100 Rankings! If she enters the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm and her strength grows, you might not be able to stop her from ranking. With Hong Tan back, her sea of will injuries have likely healed as well." Zhai Feng couldn't help asking, "Why did Grandmaster give them a slot? If Wu Jia's strength grows, stopping her from entering the Top 100 will become far more difficult!" That would be extremely disadvantageous for his teacher! Originally, if Wu Jia failed to make the rankings, Zhou Pingsheng stood a strong chance of becoming the head of the library, using that leverage to become a faction leader and an Elder. But now, it would be much harder! "Your grandmaster has his own considerations!" Zhou Pingsheng was naturally dissatisfied as well, but he couldn't alter the decision made jointly by his teacher and several Elders. Not wishing to dwell on it, Zhou Pingsheng spoke briskly: "Now that Wu Jia's injuries have healed, she hasn't been staying in the library all the time! Compared to that sly little fox Su Yu, Wu Jia is far greener! Your Grandmaster intervened personally regarding Junior Brother Huang's injuries, and he's mostly recovered now..." "He's recovered?" Zhai Feng was somewhat surprised. Such severe injuries had healed already? How immense a price must that have cost! Grandmaster was truly willing to spend! Zhou Pingsheng gave him a sideways glance and ignored the comment, continuing, "Wu Jia despises your junior brother; after all, he almost crippled her last time. Find time to walk around with him. If you run into Wu Jia... I shouldn't need to teach you what to do! It would be best to cripple her before she enters the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm!" His gaze turned venomous as he emphasized, "Remember, stay within the rules! Leave the Multiple Divine Characters Faction no room to find fault! Your Junior Brother Huang handled things well previously! If it weren't for Su Yu, how could they have turned the tables?" He still held Huang Qifeng in high regard! Though Huang Qifeng was Zheng Yuming's student rather than his own, that didn't stop him from appreciating the boy. His strength was slightly lacking, and his luck was poor, but his strikes had hit right where it hurt! If not for Su Yu suddenly appearing out of nowhere, Wu Jia definitely wouldn't have stood a chance of ranking this year, even with Hong Tan back! "Will Junior Brother Huang be willing?" Zhai Feng was uncertain. After being beaten half to death by Su Yu, would Huang Qifeng dare to show his face again? "Within the rules, what is there to fear?!" Zhou Pingsheng sneered. "Are we really supposed to sit and wait for their faction to rise again? Once the Multiple Divine Characters Faction rekindles its flame, with their talent and strength, at least thirty percent of the Divine Character College's resources will be diverted to them! Do you think you'll still enjoy the life you have now?" "Lacking no cultivation arts, no cultural weapons, no pills, no divine talismans..." Zhou Pingsheng snorted. At that time, your days won't be nearly so comfortable! The students' expressions tightened. Zhou Pingsheng waved his hand dismissively. "Go, do as I instructed! Besides, when it comes to stirring up trouble, I don't believe you're inferior to Su Yu. If he can turn the whole academy against you, can't you turn the academy against Su Yu and Wu Jia? Are you all useless?" Zhai Feng thought it over and nodded. "Teacher, I understand! Rest assured, I won't give Wu Jia the chance to enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm!" "Go!" Zhou Pingsheng said no more and dismissed the students. Once they left, his brow furrowed. He had no idea what his teacher was thinking! The position of faction leader remained undecided, and regarding the library, his teacher was wavering simply because Xia Yuwen had been injured. The crucial point was that the post of library director was being pursued for *him*, not Xia Yuwen! Without the prestige of the director position on his record, how could he enter the council of Elders? Even if he became a faction leader, his chances would be slim! "Teacher cares more about his own breakthrough to Riyue than about any of us..." Zhou Pingsheng scoffed inwardly. That included digging up divine characters for Senior Brother Zheng—what had come of that? To this day, Zheng Yuming was still bedridden with shattered divine characters. If things continued like this and he was dispatched to the All-Heavens Battlefield, he might not even survive! Tapping on the desk, Zhou Pingsheng's eyes flickered. Perhaps... he needed to take matters into his own hands rather than relying constantly on his teacher! At the very least, he had to secure the director's position! "Arrange ten people to block Wu Jia's path to the Top 100, while keeping Su Yu pinned above rank 90 so he can't drop down. If Wu Jia can't climb up, that's ideal!" This was the best plan: keep Wu Jia off the rankings before the end of the year. Otherwise, driving Chen Yong away would be difficult. However, the premise was that Wu Jia couldn't beat those ten people. Now that her injuries had healed, her strength was not to be underestimated unless she was injured again... Below the Top 100 Rankings, few could defeat Wu Jia. The next moment, a name crossed his mind! Zhou Hao! Now there was a truly ruthless character. He had suffered severe injuries last time, but Xia Yuwen didn't lack money, so healing physical wounds wasn't difficult. Zhou Hao had seemingly recovered as well. "Zhou Hao..." "That kid crawled out of a beast den; he kills without batting an eye... Accidentally killing Wu Jia wouldn't be surprising at all! As for paying with his life... that would be between Zhou Hao and Xia Yuwen." However, he couldn't carry this out himself, lest someone catch wind of it! Liu Hong! Zhou Pingsheng thought of that man. Having him handle certain matters would work well. …… Su Yu was still deep in secluded cultivation. Meanwhile, rumors began spreading across the academy. As Wu Jia walked along the path, she overheard whispers among several students: "I heard that Wu Jia wasn't originally supposed to get a slot for the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction sacrificed Su Yu just to get one for her!" "What a pity for Su Yu. Last time, he fought Zhou Hao, Qiu Yun, and the others for Wu Jia's sake until his arm broke, only to be cast aside like this!" "Su Yu offended so many people—wasn't it all for Wu Jia? Otherwise, with Su Yu's strength and talent, why wouldn't the Multiple Divine Characters Faction support him?" "True. Why do you think they abandoned Su Yu to back Wu Jia?" "She's a woman, isn't she? Who knows what's going on behind closed doors... you know what I mean! Hehe..." Wu Jia's face turned ashen! She whipped around to glare at them and shouted, "What did you say?!" Seeing her, the group hurriedly scattered without answering. Wu Jia was so furious she felt ready to burst. She wanted to chase after them, but stopped herself, stomping her feet in anger! Along the way, similar gossip and slander continuously reached her ears. Wu Jia was on the verge of exploding with rage! And the rumors grew increasingly vile and unbearable! Suppressing her fury, she prepared to return to the library, only to bump into several people on the path. Huang Qifeng! Zhai Feng! A bunch of bastards! Huang Qifeng's face remained pale, his injuries not yet fully healed. Seeing Wu Jia, his eyes filled with venomous hatred! The injuries to his sea of will were nearly mended, but his divine characters had been shattered by Su Yu that day. That wasn't a matter of recovery—he had to outline them anew! Doing so would take him at least six months to a year! Catching sight of Wu Jia, Huang Qifeng sneered, "Heading to the library? Students have their own dorms, but some people treat the library as their home! A solitary man and woman alone together—tsk, tsk. Well, no wonder the Multiple Divine Characters Faction fought so hard to get her a slot in the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm!" Zhai Feng chuckled. "Junior Brother, say no more! Su Yu standing up for her was unavoidable—after all, that's his senior martial uncle's wife..." "You bastards, what did you say?!" Fury rushed to Wu Jia's head! She wanted to kill! They were concocting filthy lies about her relationship with her teacher! Bastards, beasts! She wanted to tear them to pieces! Huang Qifeng coughed lightly, his pale face twisted in a sinister sneer. "What? People aren't allowed to speak anymore? Since when has the Multiple Divine Characters Faction been so tyrannical? The library... more like a cesspool hiding filth! If you haven't done anything shameful, why fear people talking? A man and woman alone together all day—who knows what you're doing in there! Heh, no wonder Su Yu fought so viciously; he didn't dare hold back, did he!" "You're full of crap!" Wu Jia roared in fury. Huang Qifeng smiled, acting completely unbothered. "Fine, take it as crap then! But every student in the academy knows the truth. Otherwise, why was Su Yu barred from entering while you managed to snag a slot in the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm... Hahaha, even Bai Feng didn't get one!" Wu Jia was burning with rage, shouting frantically, "That's because you blocked my junior brother from entering—" "Didn't Su Yu offend the dean precisely because he stood up for you?" Huang Qifeng chuckled. "Tracing it back, aren't you the root of it all? Wu Jia, stop acting innocent and pure! Don't play the saint when you've already sold yourself..." "I'll kill you!" Wu Jia went ballistic. Her cultural weapon materialized as she prepared to strike! She was truly pushed over the edge! These people were slandering her, slandering her teacher, slandering her junior brother... Huang Qifeng's eyes narrowed into a cold sneer as he stepped back a few paces, while Zhai Feng and the others looked eager to fight, hoping she would strike so they could execute her on the spot! Inside the academy, attacking another student outside the arena allowed one to be treated as a member of the Myriad Races Cult! Killing her would carry no penalty! Right then, someone passing by barked in rebuke, "What are you doing?! Brawling inside the academy? Have you lost your minds? What a foul mess!" Wu Jia regained a sliver of clarity and turned her head. Over there, Zhang Hao was conversing with several genius students. Looking at the group, he frowned in disgust. "Disgraceful! Any trash can enter the academy these days! What are you looking at!" Snorting coldly, he bypassed them and left. The other students also cast contemptuous glances at the group. The academy had been turned into a circus by people like them; Junior Brother Zhang was entirely right. Zhai Feng and the others frowned, glaring at Zhang Hao's back while cursing inwardly! That damn bastard had ruined their plan! Yet they didn't think too much of it. A monstrous genius like Zhang Hao, the darling of the Divine Talisman College, had always looked down his nose at everyone. Even though Zhai Feng was stronger, it was normal for Zhang Hao to despise him. Nowadays, many senior students in the Divine Talisman College orbited around him. At this moment, Wu Jia had sobered up somewhat. Though still trembling with fury, she knew that striking here was suicidal. Gritting her teeth, she spat, "You bastards, just you wait!" Huang Qifeng felt a twinge of regret, but sneered mockingly, "Waiting for Su Yu to come avenge you? Heh, sleeping with your teacher wasn't enough, so you had to sleep with your junior brother too..." "I'll kill you!" Wu Jia lost control again! Her willpower erupted. Just as Zhai Feng was about to make his move, a voice chuckled from nearby: "If you want to spar, go to the arena! What's the point of playing around down here? I'll be your referee—how about a life-and-death battle?" Zhai Feng was furious enough to explode! Damn it, who was it now?! Over there, Zhao Ming stood lounging casually, sipping a beverage as he laughed. "Wu Jia, where did your junior brother run off to? We agreed to challenge the Top 100 Rankings after three days, and I've been waiting for days! Where is he? Tell him to come out quickly and give me something to do!" Interrupted twice in a row, Wu Jia finally regained her composure! Glaring furiously at the group, she ignored Zhao Ming, lowered her head, and marched straight back! She knew these scoundrels were trying to provoke her into striking, but she had almost failed to hold back. She was about to burst with anger! Going to the arena... in the arena, she was no match for Zhai Feng, nor was she qualified to challenge him, while that beast Huang Qifeng certainly wouldn't dare step onto the stage! Zhai Feng and Huang Qifeng were also thoroughly frustrated. Zhao Ming! Damn him! That guy had jumped in to meddle again! Today's plan had fallen through. Zhai Feng signaled Huang Qifeng with a glance. No rush—with Wu Jia's fiery temper, as long as they kept this up for a few days, she would explode sooner or later! Without a word, the group quickly departed. Once they were gone, Zhao Ming frowned slightly, glancing in the direction Wu Jia had left. That girl wasn't particularly strong, yet had a blazing temper. Unable to deal with the others, the Single Divine Character Faction had now set their sights on Wu Jia. Who told the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to either stay hidden, possess terrifying patience, or be a cunning fox like Su Yu? All things considered, Wu Jia was indeed the easiest weak point to exploit. "Chen Yong..." Glancing at the distant library, Zhao Ming muttered to himself. There was nothing he could do about this either. If he saw it happening, he could step in, but he couldn't trail her constantly. That girl Wu Jia needed to learn some restraint. If it were that slippery brat Su Yu, he probably wouldn't care in the slightest. …… Meanwhile. Inside the Secret Realm Area. A jade talisman on Su Yu's person vibrated slightly. Su Yu was startled. Messages could reach inside the secret realm? He had assumed it would be completely isolated! It seemed this voice transmission jade talisman was remarkably effective. With that thought, Su Yu activated the talisman and checked the message, a murderous glint instantly flashing in his eyes! Courting death! After being thrashed within an inch of his life, Huang Qifeng still dared to show his face? Did he truly have no fear of death? And Zhai Feng! Did these bastards really think he didn't dare to kill? A life-and-death stage... A phrase crossed Su Yu's mind. Didn't it require a teacher's signature? Last time, if Bai Feng hadn't been absent, he would have beaten Zhou Hao to death on the spot! "Indeed, weeds must be pulled out by the roots!" Su Yu gritted his teeth. These people had been beaten so badly, yet they still dared to stick their heads out. They truly didn't know what was good for them! Grandmaster said the Single Divine Character Faction was a shield, but if the shield didn't know its place and lacked all sense of propriety, it should be destroyed and replaced! After thinking it over, Su Yu sent a transmission to Xia Huyou. Although that guy hadn't invited him to join the Mutual Aid Society, when he saw Su Yu give Chen Hao a transmission talisman last time, he had insisted on having one as well. Su Yu hadn't refused, and now it came in handy. The other members of the Mutual Aid Society lacked the power to intervene, but Xia Huyou should be able to find a way to stall things for a few days. "Once I get out, I'll take care of you properly!" Su Yu's eyes gleamed with cold malice. At this moment, the apertures he was unlocking were not for the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, but for the Body Strengthening Art. Right now, Su Yu had opened a staggering 210 apertures! He was only a little ways off from completing the Body Strengthening Art. Once finished, he would move on to opening the apertures for the Heaven-Cleaving Blade. In three days at most, he would emerge from the secret realm! "Legal killing..." "A life-and-death stage, or provoking them into attacking me outside the arena!" Last time, he had nearly provoked Zhai Feng into attacking him. Zhai Feng wasn't particularly bright and had a short fuse. Su Yu began calculating quietly. "Huang Qifeng... Zhai Feng... Zhou Pingsheng..." Names flashed through his mind one by one. These fellows truly didn't know when to quit, completely throwing away all shame for the position of library director. Huang Qifeng's teacher, Zheng Yuming, was critically injured. The reason this guy had stepped forward now was likely because he knew he had no one left to rely on, hoping to latch onto Zhou Pingsheng. "Chen Qi..." Another name surfaced in his mind. He could gather some intelligence through him and ask what these people feared the most! *I'll make sure you can't enter the mystic realm, and then you're finished!*