"Liu He's team wins!"
Those words almost made Su Yu burst out laughing, while beside him, Liu He turned bright red, thoroughly mortified.
His older brother had actually announced that his team had won...
At this moment, Liu He wished he could sink straight into the floor!
It was utterly humiliating!
From morning to night, the competition had run the entire day, and aside from acting as background scenery, he hadn't done a single thing.
How could he look anyone in the eye?
Did he have no shame at all?
Liu Hong had thick skin and couldn't care less.
Having announced the result, he quickly continued, "The first-place team receives five slots for the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, and the rewards for the other teams will be distributed shortly! Those teams that didn't place in the top ten shouldn't be disheartened. Any squad that demonstrated outstanding performance today will also receive certain rewards!"
With a smile across his face, Liu Hong added, "As for students who performed well today and do not yet have a mentor—even if you've already passed thirty years of age—the researchers of the Divine Character College will accept a batch of students at their discretion!"
The moment those words landed, an uproar broke out below the stage.
Recruiting students at a time like this?
Did the Single Divine Character Faction feel they were running out of lackeys, or did they want to recruit fresh cannon fodder?
Elder Sun and the other elders remained silent. It was evident that this wasn't a unilateral decision by Liu Hong, but something decided by several elders.
Even though becoming cannon fodder was a real possibility, those words still caught the attention of many.
Someone in the crowd immediately called out, "Teacher Liu, what are the requirements?"
"That depends on each individual researcher!" Liu Hong chuckled. "Taking disciples comes down mostly to affinity!"
Total nonsense!
If you lacked talent and strength, who would spare you a second glance?
Yet despite not knowing the criteria, quite a few people felt tempted at this moment.
While Liu Hong spoke, Su Yu paid him no mind. He had already stepped off the stage and was speaking with Chen Yong. Hearing Liu Hong's announcement, Su Yu whispered a few words to him.
Chen Yong frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and gave a slight nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Su Yu didn't hold back. Raising his voice, he shouted, "The Multiple Divine Characters Faction has been abolished and can't take in students right now! However, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction is preparing to open an extracurricular tutoring class. To put it bluntly, it's just to build up our momentum and make it look like we have plenty of people! Anyone interested can sign up with me!"
Su Yu declared loudly, "Our Director Chen is the director of the academy's Cangshu Pavilion, a senior intermediate researcher who is widely knowledgeable and deeply experienced! Anyone with ambition who isn't afraid of being suppressed is welcome to give it a try! Naturally, you'll need to do some minor chores within your ability for the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. We won't make you foolishly go up on stage to throw your lives away; it'll just be running errands, gathering some materials, collecting some data, and things like that..."
Su Yu's voice boomed, completely drowning out Liu Hong. Liu Hong shot him a glance, merely smiling without taking offense.
How interesting!
He was gathering heads!
The Multiple Divine Characters Faction had been pruned down for years until barely anyone remained, yet here was Su Yu roping people in for them.
Would the people he gathered even be useful?
Su Yu couldn't care less about him and continued, "Let me make things clear in advance: we don't have any perks or merit point rewards. Don't join the tutoring class only to complain that we aren't handing out benefits... Knowledge is priceless!
"Those interested can come; those who aren't can forget it!
"Only like-minded people are worth making friends with!"
After he spoke, someone below the stage hastily shouted, "Does this mean we get to learn the divine character battle techniques of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction?"
Su Yu chuckled. "You'll need to outline ten or more divine characters before reaching Tengkong. That's not something just anyone can do, and I'm not going to fool everyone here. If you can do it, then after the Multiple Divine Characters Faction evaluates you, as long as there are no major issues, inheriting a divine character battle technique shouldn't be difficult!
"If you can't, dragging out your breakthrough to Tengkong would be meaningless! The decline of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction is plain for all to see. In truth, it's mainly because our threshold is so high. Of course, a high threshold has its perks—at the very least, you are far stronger than your peers!"
Su Yu bellowed, "That includes the genius students of the academy! Even if you already have a teacher, as long as you believe you have hope of outlining ten or more divine characters, you can apply through me to learn divine character battle techniques! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction embraces all; so long as you pass the evaluation, we will teach you, regardless of faction!"
Su Yu added once more, "Once you've learned a divine character battle technique, you can even deny that you're part of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction when you step out into the world. We aren't taking disciples; we are merely passing down the spark of civilization!"
Finally, Su Yu looked over at the students of the Single Divine Character Faction and shouted, "This includes those from the Single Divine Character Faction—you can come too! Especially those students who have formed your own divine character systems; I think coming to study divine character battle techniques should definitely offer hope of boosting your strength!"
The moment these words rang out, Elder Sun and several others snapped their heads toward Su Yu and Chen Yong!
Their expressions twisted!
What tutoring class? This was a thinly veiled attempt to expand the influence of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction and bolster their numbers!
Elder Sun stated coldly, "According to the academy's rules, those outside an official faction may not pass down cultivation arts or martial skills privately..."
Su Yu cut in directly, "Understood! As I said, this isn't an official faction inheritance. And like I said, there's no need to join the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. It's simply a benefit for everyone. The Divine Character Battle Technique Wall belongs to our Multiple Divine Characters Faction—there is no doubt about that. We are willing to share it with certain people. Those we share it with are our own, so this can be regarded as a gift!"
Su Yu called out loudly, "Elder Sun, that includes your students! If they wish to learn, I'll welcome them too!"
A bright smile adorned Su Yu's face!
He looked exceedingly gentle!
Come on, I welcome you all to come study divine character battle techniques.
How could the Multiple Divine Characters Faction ever perish?
It wouldn't!
As long as you pursued strength, harbored ambition, and possessed drive, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction would never die out.
And now, Bai Feng had developed a method to fill in divine characters after reaching Tengkong, which was nothing short of a stroke of genius!
If other students came to study divine character battle techniques, they could be evaluated for a few years. Even if they couldn't finish outlining the characters before Tengkong, that didn't matter. They could continue to be vetted afterward, and if their hearts truly aligned with the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, the method to outline divine characters beyond Tengkong could be imparted to them. That would settle it.
Recruiting troops and buying horses!
That was the primary goal Su Yu had set out to accomplish today!
Of course, this wasn't factional disciple recruitment. On one hand, they didn't have the quota; on the other, Su Yu lacked the authority. He had simply sought Chen Yong's consent to see if they could win over a cohort of people. Even if they couldn't bring them completely into their fold, they could at least ensure those individuals remained neutral.
Only geniuses would come to study divine character battle techniques!
And geniuses were typically the descendants or disciples of elders.
If your own kin were studying divine character battle techniques, would you have the face to suppress them?
Elder Sun scowled and snapped, "Too many people have forgotten what happened fifty years ago! Do not ruin your entire lives! If you waste too much time beneath the Tengkong Realm, will you ever break through? Over ten divine characters, countless texts of will... History has already proven that so-called divine character battle techniques are nothing but a drag!"
Su Yu smiled without pressing the issue, speaking in a faint, wistful tone. "Perhaps. That must be why the academy's First, Third, and Fifth Heads were all powerhouses of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. And my grandteacher is merely a half-step Sun-Moon, having not yet reached the Sun-Moon Realm. Perhaps the Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly has declined, and its strength is only so-so..."
"..."
Elder Sun nearly spat blood.
This little beast was citing several generations of academy heads as examples—how could he possibly refute that?
While Elder Sun seethed, Liu Hong suddenly chimed in, "Everyone should weigh this for yourselves. Su Yu is undeniably powerful, as you've all witnessed. But before even reaching Tengkong, Su Yu has burned through tens of thousands of merit points. Not everyone can afford to do what Su Yu did!"
Those words sent a shockwave through the crowd!
How much?
Tens of thousands of merit points?
Holy crap!
This guy was a walking money incinerator!
At that moment, quite a few people breathed a sigh of relief. So that was it. No wonder this guy progressed so freakishly fast.
For a brief second, some even thought: *If I had that, I could do it too!*
Su Yu didn't mind at all and chuckled. "Shouldn't I be thanking Teacher Liu and Director Zhou for that? If you two hadn't gifted me so many merit points, I wouldn't have been able to squander them either! Oh, by the way, gifting merit points privately isn't actually allowed, but I've already spent them all. Dean Huang, please don't come inspecting me!"
Su Yu grinned, bowed to Liu Hong, and said with an expression full of deep respect, "Teacher Liu, thank you! If not for you, I wouldn't have been able to obtain so many merit points. If not for you, I wouldn't have secured these slots for the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm either..."
Su Yu proclaimed loudly, "Thank you for nurturing me, Teacher Liu! Today I have returned favor for favor—Brother Lin and the others have all secured slots. I am truly delighted that I could repay Teacher's generosity!"
Liu Hong glared at him!
*Do you know I'm an undercover agent?*
*Do you know we're on the same side?*
*And you still dare frame me!*
A trace of amusement flickered in Su Yu's eyes. *Undercover my foot!*
He had already asked, and his grandteacher had no clue about this at all. Liu Hong was shameless to the extreme.
Several thousand onlookers watched the two put on their show.
Even though everyone knew Su Yu was putting on an act, many still cast peculiar looks at Liu Hong and the others. *All those merit points were gifted by Liu Hong?*
*You can gift them like that?*
*How was it done?*
*Gift us some too!*
*We don't need tens of thousands—just give us a hundred!*
Liu Hong said in a cold, flat tone, "One can eat whatever one likes, but one shouldn't speak recklessly. Su Yu, who gifted you merit points? That is a breach of the rules, you know.
"Tens of thousands of merit points is an extraordinarily massive sum. Once confirmed, all your merit points would be frozen!"
To the side, Old Huang couldn't even be bothered to speak.
In all likelihood, some under-the-table transaction had indeed taken place!
As for what had been traded... he couldn't care less.
A transaction of such scale had to involve critical items, and it was obvious that the powerhouses of both the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions were aware. Without catching them in the act, pursuing it now was pointless.
The academy turned a blind eye to such matters anyway.
Certain items were indeed cheaper on the black market!
And the academy's resources weren't overly abundant. The black market served as a supplement; as long as the broader direction remained within the academy's control, it didn't matter.
Su Yu chuckled and let the matter drop.
Looking at Lin Yao and the others, he smiled. "Gentlemen, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction welcomes you to come study at any time! Now that you've earned your slots for the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, be careful that no one snatches them away! Certain people are entirely capable of that. Especially Brother Lin—your strength is a bit lacking, so someone might very well confiscate your slot under some high-sounding pretext..."
Lin Yao stared at him blankly. Was it really appropriate to say that on such an occasion?
Acting as if he had his best interests at heart... Then, in the next second, he vaguely grasped Su Yu's intent!
Was Su Yu doing this on purpose to dispel suspicion from others?
By pretending to act close to him, everyone would assume they couldn't possibly be on good terms... just like between him and Teacher?
Who on the outside would believe Teacher and Brother Su were on the same side?
Thinking he had deduced the hidden meaning, Lin Yao shouted, "None of your business! If I want to give my slot to someone else, I will..."
Su Yu laughed. "Suit yourself! Feel free to give it away. In truth, you wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. I truly do hope Brother Lin can go inside... After all... Brother Lin's strength is a bit lacking, and you need to improve!"
"You!"
Lin Yao wore an enraged look, as if gravely insulted, and glared over at Liu Hong.
Liu Hong cursed inwardly!
*You've been in contact with Su Yu behind my back—did you really think I didn't know?*
Liu Hong kept his mouth shut. Over on the side, Elder Sun spoke up coldly, "Su Yu, there is no need for you to trouble yourself over this! As a genius student of the Single Divine Character Faction, Lin Yao earned that slot through his own capability. The Single Divine Character Faction does not lack slots!"
Trying to use this to smear their reputation?
Keep dreaming!
It was merely a slot. It had been earmarked to be given away anyway, and now three had been claimed back by their own people, saving the one they had previously prepared for Liu He.
As for Lin Yao, he was indeed too weak, and Elder Sun had previously entertained the thought of reclaiming his slot.
However... it would look terrible, and Lin Yao's grandfather was an important member of the faction.
Under such circumstances, there was no need to stir up trouble over a single slot. His grandfather's side had effectively saved a slot instead, which was fine as well!
Words flew back and forth like clashing blades. Facing the crowd alone, Su Yu showed no fear.
The elders considered themselves mighty powerhouses and disdained endlessly bickering with a junior, which was precisely why Su Yu wasn't afraid of trading barbs with them.
These elders cared deeply about saving face!
Whether they truly had face left was an entirely different story.
Elder Sun paid him no further attention. Just as Su Yu had anticipated, arguing with a student was humiliating whether one won or lost, and squabbling endlessly would utterly drag an elder's dignity through the mud!
Elder Sun departed directly!
The tournament was over; why stay behind to be made a spectacle of?
Su Yu gave a chuckle and suddenly called out, "Teacher Liu, I will pay you a visit tonight. Please don't hide and refuse to see me!"
Liu Hong frowned!
What was this bastard scheming now?
"Su Yu..."
"Teacher, have you forgotten? You're the head instructor for our freshmen. Isn't it only natural for me to pay you a visit? I am a Top 100 student, yet I somehow feel Teacher harbors a huge prejudice against me!"
Su Yu smiled brilliantly. Liu Hong's brow furrowed, and he glanced toward Elder Sun and the others nearby.
A moment later, Elder Sun transmitted his voice: "It's fine. Meet him! See what he wants to do!"
"Understood!"
Liu Hong replied, then quickly smiled. "Very well, Su Yu. Let us catch up properly tonight!"
Yet suspicion gnawed at his heart. What was the game?
Did he want to frame him?
Framing him by announcing a visit before a crowd wasn't a good move; sneaking over in secret would have been far better.
Then he could intentionally leave clues to be discovered, making the trap far more devastating. Visiting openly like this wouldn't raise any real trouble. What in the world was Su Yu thinking?
...
Dusk had fallen, and the tournament was over.
After exchanging a few more words with Liu Hong, Su Yu did not linger and soon returned to the Research Center.
Hong Tan was currently drinking tea. Bai Feng had not yet returned, likely still busy combing through Liu Wenyan's divine characters.
Seeing Su Yu walk in, Hong Tan couldn't help feeling a wave of emotion!
This kid was astonishing!
How many days had it been since he enrolled? And he had already defeated the number one rank on the Top 100 Rankings.
"I heard about what happened today. You want to open a research institute?"
Su Yu gave an honest-looking smile. "Grandteacher, it's not really a research institute. It's just an excuse to gather a group of people and win them over. Our faction has too few people. My idea was to find some bodies—even if they don't do real work, they can bolster our presence! Helping out with minor chores would be fine too!"
Hong Tan nodded slightly, then thought for a moment. "Bolstering our presence... To be frank, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction isn't as miserable as you think. There are still some of our own people within the academy... *Cough*, never mind that. Those are people gathered by your martial uncle and the others. If you want to recruit a batch of hands yourself, go ahead."
He couldn't be bothered to interfere with such matters.
The Multiple Divine Characters Faction did indeed have some supporting helpers.
Su Yu's eyes flickered. Was that so?
He had genuinely thought the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was reduced to only the few of them.
"Grandteacher, what about those who were expelled before..."
He wasn't referring to fifty years ago, but those who had been expelled in recent years because their divine characters didn't meet the requirements. Were they also on their side?
Hong Tan chuckled. "Those people... speaking of which, it was partly my fault. I didn't teach them well, and some couldn't resist breaking through directly to Tengkong, failing to outline divine character battle techniques... Back then, in a fit of rage, your martial uncle expelled them all!
"Still, while some were plants sent by other factions, others had genuinely joined our school..."
Hong Tan spoke a few more words, then sighed. "Back then, our methods for expelling them were a bit too harsh! Let's wait and see. Once your teacher's splitting and filling method is perfected, I'll see if I can bring a few of them back."
"Are they still in the academy?"
"Some are; some aren't."
Hong Tan didn't elaborate. Chen Yong had made arrangements of his own regarding those matters, and Hong Tan hadn't paid much attention to them in recent years.
On the other hand, once Bai Feng's splitting and filling method was perfected, it would become the cornerstone for the rise of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction.
Otherwise, no matter how nicely they spoke or how much they did, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction would continue to dwindle, and its eventual decline would be inevitable.
Hong Tan pondered briefly, then looked at Su Yu and said solemnly, "You are still weak. Don't go provoking those fellows again and again, or they might make an underhanded move against you! You still need to keep a low profile..."
Su Yu disagreed. "Grandteacher, I understand, but even if we do nothing, those people won't live in peace with us! Keeping a low profile or not leads to the exact same outcome. You saw what happened to Senior Sister. She rarely gets involved in these things, and what was the result?"
Wu Jia rarely took part in major faction affairs; she simply cultivated, grew stronger, and challenged the rankings like a simpleton...
And what had come of it?
Sometimes, keeping a low profile wasn't going to solve the problem.
Su Yu wanted to keep a low profile too!
He wanted to cultivate in peace as well!
Hong Tan thought it over and nodded slightly. "Once I enter the Sun-Moon Realm, such things will lessen, unless Zhou Mingren enters Sun-Moon as well."
With that, he fell silent for a moment.
Entering the Sun-Moon Realm...
His stepping into Sun-Moon carried its own complications, though there was no need to tell Su Yu about that.
Once he reached Sun-Moon, Zhou Polong might come looking for him.
Hong Tan studied him for a while, then smiled. "Forget it, make your own decisions! You're a man with his own ideas, so go ahead and cause whatever trouble you want! You're better at this than your teacher. Though your teacher... is actually quite good too!"
Bai Feng wasn't one for plotting, but on the bright side, he rarely fell into others' plots either.
He possessed a knack for pursuing advantages and dodging harm.
If something benefited him, he listened; if it didn't, he pretended not to hear. No matter what you said, the outcome remained unchanged.
He rarely engaged in shouting matches with Liu Hong. Years ago, when Liu Hong had competed against him, Bai Feng had thrashed him on more than a few occasions.
*If I sense you're trying to harm me... I'll just hack you down!*
Confronted with such an opponent, Liu Hong had been utterly helpless.
Su Yu smiled as well. Letting that matter rest, he brought up another topic: "Grandteacher, Principal Wan asked me to visit him earlier, but I haven't gone yet. Should I pay Principal Wan a visit?"
"Wan Tiansheng wants to see you..."
Hong Tan had heard about this last time. After some thought, he said, "You can go! I can't see through what Wan Tiansheng is thinking either, but generally speaking, he is someone you can trust! Oh, and keep your mind blank before him; don't let your thoughts wander. Don't forget what happened when Fatty Xia dealt with you last time!"
"..."
Su Yu was left speechless.
He couldn't help asking, "Grandteacher, can they read minds?"
"Not read minds, but your willpower is weak. When your thoughts fluctuate, they can sense a hint or two. If it involves them directly, their perception is even sharper!"
Su Yu nodded. He would indeed have to be careful.
In the future, whenever he encountered powerhouses like that, even if he despised them to the bone, he would have to make himself think about how much he loved them!
Having covered that, Hong Tan continued, "Your teacher has been nursing his injuries lately while helping my senior brother comb through his divine characters. He won't be back anytime soon, and next month he has to leave for the All-Heavens Battlefield. After this, I'll need to prepare to break through into the Sun-Moon Realm. Your martial uncle won't be going into seclusion, though, so if anything comes up, just look for him..."
"Martial Uncle..."
Su Yu lowered his voice. "Martial Uncle's state has seemed a bit off lately, Grandteacher. Has his cultivation hit a snag?"
"His state is off?"
Hong Tan hadn't actually noticed. Pondering for a moment, he said, "Could it be about Jiajia? Your martial uncle... sigh, it's hard to explain. Years ago, your martial uncle was ambushed by the All-Races Sect, and Jiajia's parents died during that ambush while saving him. Your martial uncle feels he owes Jiajia an immense debt, and he has always doted on her like his own daughter. When Jiajia was injured last time, your martial uncle blamed himself for not teaching her well—he felt he had made her too rigid, resulting in her being severely wounded...
"And then those people went and targeted Jiajia again, which probably put your martial uncle in a foul mood!"
Hong Tan wore a melancholic expression as he brought this up, sighing softly. "Zhou Mingren and his lot—once wasn't enough; they had to provoke your martial uncle again and again. I actually thought about telling your martial uncle to give up the position of director, break through to Shanhai as soon as possible, and stop holding onto the Cangshu Pavilion."
"Give it up?"
Su Yu felt dejected. "Grandteacher, if we give up the Cangshu Pavilion too, we'll have nothing left!"
Hong Tan smiled. "Objects aren't important; what matters is that the people remain. I don't really care much about these things. Objects are dead, but people are alive, aren't they?"
Fighting so fiercely over the post of Cangshu Pavilion director posed little danger to Chen Yong, but Wu Jia would constantly be targeted.
Although the Single Divine Character Faction had suffered a major setback this time, they wouldn't necessarily give up.
Wu Jia still hadn't made it onto the Top 100 Rankings!
Su Yu nodded slightly, then asked, "Grandteacher, if someone framed and got a researcher killed through conspiracy in the academy, would it be uncovered?"
"..."
Hong Tan stared fixedly at him. *Brat, what are you getting at?*
*Speak plainly!*
Su Yu maintained an innocent expression. "I'm just making an analogy. If someone framed a researcher and claimed they were colluding with the All-Races Sect, what would happen?"
Hong Tan frowned. "Don't go doing that, or you won't be able to clean up the mess! Others aren't fools. Unless the evidence is ironclad, a frame-up is bound to leave flaws. Once it's uncovered and traced back to you, even if you don't die, you'll be shipped off to the Vanguard Camp!"
"What if they can't uncover it?"
"There's nothing that can't be uncovered!"
Su Yu said faintly, "Yet that Invincible on our opposing side has never been uncovered!"
Hong Tan looked at him and frowned. This granddisciple of his... was truly unlike Bai Feng!
Nor was he like his father!
He had met the boy's father on the battlefield—such an honest man. Wait... was he truly honest?
Not necessarily!
Hong Tan sighed, then said after a moment's contemplation, "Some things will come to light sooner or later. Not everything needs to be done by you. Don't look down on us either; if something happens, we can resolve it ourselves! Just focus on cultivating in peace!"
Su Yu smiled and nodded. Hong Tan had no idea whether the boy had taken it to heart.
Only after Hong Tan finished did Su Yu speak: "Grandteacher, I understand! The Single Divine Character Faction is our shield; you've always felt that way and believed that. But the way I see it, after all this time, they've forgotten that fact themselves! They need to suffer a bit to remember who the masters are! Being too gentle only results in Senior Sister being severely injured, Teacher being severely wounded, Teacher Liu being heavily injured, and Senior Xia Yunqi and the others being battered..."
Su Yu looked at Hong Tan. "Grandteacher, if we never strike back, others will think we're easy targets! I originally wanted to keep a low profile and cultivate in peace too, but as you've seen, though the tiger harbors no intention to harm man, man ever plots against the tiger!"
Hong Tan's brows knitted slightly. "Don't blow things out of proportion, or even I won't be able to shield you. Don't forget that that person is still in the academy! He can protect you from harm, but he can also protect others. Minor matters he will ignore, but once lives are lost, he will not sit idly by!"
Su Yu nodded. He understood that.
Hong Tan said no more. The young people of today were ruthless and black-hearted, far darker than his own generation. Forget it, no use talking about it.
His generation had been rather simple and honest.
By Chen Yong's generation, things had started to change. By Bai Feng's generation, the change was even greater. And by Su Yu's generation, Hong Tan felt he could barely keep up with the rhythm.
All he could do was fight battles and conduct research.
Su Yu didn't disturb Hong Tan any further and headed upstairs to cultivate. He would meet Liu Hong tonight, and as for Wan Tiansheng, it was about time he paid him a visit as well. Truth be told, having spent months in the academy, he had never once met Wan Tiansheng in person—only his phantom projection.
Chapter 211