Foolish Little Kid

"He didn't give me a single benefit, just duped me!" Walking down from Xiuxin Pavilion, Su Yu felt rather speechless. No wonder people said Wan Tiansheng and Marquis Xia were cut from the same cloth—only taking in, never giving out. For a grand principal to summon a student and not even offer a sip of water... Too stingy! Thoughts aside, Su Yu did not dare blow his top. Boss Wan was far too strong, someone he couldn't afford to provoke. In the academy, he still needed Boss Wan to suppress his opponents at any time. Other matters weighed on his mind. So many things! Chen Yong, Hong Tan, Bai Feng, Liu Hong, Xia Huyou... including Wan Tiansheng today, many people had told him about what happened in the past. They spoke of the Fifth Generation's death, the Zhou family's suppression, the betrayal of an Invincible... By now, Su Yu had learned a great deal about the past. At the very least, he understood the general direction, even if he still didn't know who was friend and who was foe. "Told me to cultivate diligently..." Su Yu sighed. That was fair; it really was time to cultivate with all his might. Especially after this, once he entered the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm and absorbed enough willpower, he would outline another divine character and prepare to step into the Wanshi Realm. Right now, his strength was nothing to scoff at. If he used all his trump cards, even an ordinary, weaker Tengkong expert might fall victim to his schemes. Yet Tengkong... just as Bai Feng had said back then, Tengkong was merely the beginning. True cultivators only began their journey at the Tengkong Realm. That was the true foundation of an expert! "My accumulated knowledge is still too shallow. I need to attend classes properly and study!" Su Yu thought to himself that he needed to attend classes, read books, and learn the languages of all races. By now, many pages of his booklet had been unlocked. However, because he didn't know many of those racial languages, he couldn't tell the effects of their cultivation methods or innate skills. He didn't dare test them recklessly; if he triggered a self-destructive innate skill, wouldn't he just be seeking his own death? He only knew some racial languages, which was why he had been able to learn those specific cultivation arts. Without knowing the language, he couldn't even read them. "Time to be a good student!" Su Yu nodded. Indeed, he was still a freshman; he ought to be a good student. Next time he ran into Zhou Pingsheng and the others, he would show them respect! As for digging a pit to bury Zhou Pingsheng... perhaps he wouldn't even need to bother. That fellow would first have to endure the internal suppression within the Single Divine Character Faction. After causing so much trouble, would Elder Sun and the rest go easy on him? Su Yu had committed many of Wan Tiansheng's words to memory. Not everything Wan Tiansheng said was necessarily true or correct, but Su Yu felt it couldn't all be fabricated either. There was no need to construct an entire web of lies just to deceive a lowly student like him. As for the vision he had seen—of himself slaughtering wildly inside the academy—Su Yu frowned slightly. Was that possible? Perhaps it really was! Back then in the war zone, when Liu Wenyan and the others were besieged, not a single person had stepped forward to help. Even when Su Yu threw out cultivation methods and martial skills, still no one was willing to intervene. At that moment, Su Yu had felt that the Great Xia Prefecture was not bright and noble in the slightest! It was a dark Great Xia Prefecture, a selfish Great Xia Prefecture! Grandmaster had also urged him not to hold too deep a grudge. Yet how could Su Yu simply listen! He had opened so many acupoints and participated in the Divine Character Competition, directly crippling multiple students of the Single Divine Character Faction, entirely driven by hatred. In the past, when he dealt with Liu He or other students of the Single Divine Character Faction, apart from being harsh on Huang Qifeng, he hadn't been overly ruthless to the others. That included Chen Qi, Lin Yao, Yang Sha... many people who had targeted him! Even with Zhou Hao, he had called out offering cooperation. Only toward the Single Divine Character Faction did Su Yu harbor immense resentment. And toward anyone outside the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, Su Yu could hardly say he felt any fondness either. The Civilization Academy had thoroughly disappointed him! Back when his father returned to the Demon Suppression Army, he spoke of camaraderie, of brotherhood forged in battle... Though Su Yu never said it aloud, his heart had yearned for it, his blood boiling with emotion. When his father left, he hadn't complained much, precisely because of that deep bond. Yet here in the Civilization Academy, Su Yu felt none of it. In a place like this, once he grew truly powerful, perhaps the scene in that vision really would come to pass. Walking along, he pondered deeply. His lingering malice receded a fraction. As for giving up entirely on opposing the Single Divine Character Faction... that was out of the question! Old Wan was right about one thing, though: there was no need to be so high-profile, making a grand spectacle for the whole academy to see him laying black hands on their students. Before, when the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was weak, fighting back garnered sympathy. Now that Su Yu had thoroughly suppressed their younger generation, if he continued clinging to them relentlessly, outsiders would think he was being unreasonable and aggressive. "Reputation... public image... is still very important!" Su Yu reflected on himself. The cautious prudence he had displayed upon entering the academy was truly necessary. Ever since the battle in the war zone ended, he had stopped keeping a low profile, which was tied to the recent shift in his state of mind. Previously, everything he did had justification, adhering to rules, logic, and decency. Coming from a small place, newly arrived in the Great Xia Prefecture, he had always acted with great caution. Over the past few days, he had indeed been somewhat impulsive. "Dealing with the Single Divine Character Faction is a must, but there's no need to make it so obvious. Now even several elders have their eyes on me. That's not a good thing!" Su Yu engaged in some self-reflection. Keep a low profile! Inflicting heavy injuries on those students every time was pointless. If he truly wanted to do it, he should find an opportunity to leave the academy, lure a few rivals out, and finish them off in the wilderness! Bastards like Huang Qifeng... injuring them once or twice accomplished nothing. They had money; they could heal! Either beat them to death on the spot, or hold back, wait for the right moment, and eliminate them in one fell swoop to pull them up by the roots! *Dad always said that on the battlefield, one must learn patience! Sometimes you set an ambush and bury yourself in a dirt hole for seven or eight days, and that's completely normal!* *Either don't strike at all, or strike to kill!* *Act like a docile grandson in front of big shots, and strike with ruthlessness against the small fry...* Recalling everything he had learned over the years, Su Yu weighed the gains and losses. He decided there was no point in defying Wan Tiansheng's rules right now; otherwise, he would only be the one to suffer. There was no need to butt heads recklessly. ... October 21st. The tournament for slots had concluded. The Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm would open on the 25th. During these few days, the Single Divine Character Faction was finalizing the roster and making preparations. Meanwhile, Su Yu began attending class that day. Strive to be a good student! Going to class was still very necessary. In the lecture hall, fewer students were present. By now, many had stopped coming altogether. Su Yu couldn't be bothered with them; everyone had their own path. Many familiar faces were absent, though a few monstrous geniuses had shown up. As the old instructor finished the lecture, Su Yu packed up his textbooks and was just about to leave when a figure appeared before him. Hu Qiusheng wore a warm smile as he looked at Su Yu, asking gently, "Care to chat a bit?" Su Yu smiled brightly as well and nodded. "Sure, let's talk as we walk." The two stepped out together. The other students in the room glanced over but didn't pry. In the presence of these two, the other classmates felt utterly overshadowed. Though they considered themselves geniuses, they fell far short compared to these monsters. ... Beneath the teaching building. Students hurried to and fro. Seeing the two walk by, many moved aside automatically. Some students from intermediate and lower-tier classes called out greetings upon recognizing them. Su Yu and Hu Qiusheng responded with smiles; both carried a scholarly demeanor, their expressions approachable and relaxed. As they walked, Hu Qiusheng remarked, "Earlier, you mentioned wanting to establish a research institute. To be honest, opening an institute is also my dream—or rather, any student genuinely interested in research shares that ambition." Hu Qiusheng paused, then added with a hint of hesitation, "But you spoke of researching cultivation methods and divine characters... Those are well-worn topics. Nine out of ten institutes in the academy are already researching them. What special focus would yours have?" Divine characters and cultivation methods were utterly commonplace! Everyone was studying them! Yet hardly anyone ever produced anything groundbreaking! Su Yu looked at him and smiled. "Brother Hu, are you interested in joining my institute?" Hu Qiusheng chuckled softly. "Depends on whether there's something to attract me. I actually applied to an institute before, and they've just accepted me. I'm quite interested in their work, though there are quite a few experts there..." Su Yu grew curious and asked, "Which one?" "The Divine Character Arrangement Research Institute..." Su Yu recalled hearing about it and said in surprise, "That one! That's not bad at all. It's the institute that studies the permutations and combinations of divine characters, right? Like combining several single divine characters to form a unified system—is that the one?" "Yes!" Hu Qiusheng nodded. "Back then, your faction introduced the theory of merging divine character traits. Later, you abandoned that line of research, but the Divine Character Arrangement Research Institute has been pursuing it all these years. The results haven't been bad at all. Nowadays, many students of the Single Divine Character Faction walk the path of divine character combinations. In truth, it acts as a bridge between the Single and Multiple factions, though it's still classified under the Single Divine Character Faction." Su Yu nodded. He was indeed aware of this. For instance, Zheng Yuming's grandson was pursuing that exact path. Even Wan Mingze, with his multiple sealing-type divine characters, could be considered part of a combination system. Within the Single Divine Character Faction, internal divisions had begun to emerge. Some still walked the true path of a solitary divine character. Just one single character! Experts who focused solely on a single character were by no means weak, for they had ample time and energy to nourish that one character. Moving past that, Su Yu explained, "The institute I want to set up has some relation to that field as well. I want to delve into combining divine character traits and testing their compatibility. Of course, since we aren't at the Tengkong Realm yet, our characters cannot manifest materially, so that won't be our primary focus for now. The primary focus will remain cultivation methods." "Cultivation methods..." Hu Qiusheng frowned slightly. "That's too broad. Do you have a narrower plan?" "I do!" Su Yu nodded and said, "Before this, didn't our Wen Tan Research Center deduce the *Soul Devour Art*? Even though the *Soul Devour Art* is merely a Yellow rank cultivation method, its properties are extraordinary. It can burn and corrode willpower, causing origin qi to mutate! Even during the Divine Character Competition, when my willpower entered the mystic realm, it still carried that effect. That got me wondering about the commonality between origin qi and willpower." "Commonality?" Hu Qiusheng was taken aback. "Do you mean the conversion between origin qi and willpower?" Su Yu nodded. "People actually researched this a long time ago, but no one ever produced a feasible plan. However, the emergence of the *Soul Devour Art* gave me an inspiration. Perhaps through the Soul-Devouring Insect race, we can discover certain characteristics!" Su Yu smiled. "Of course, it's just a concept right now, without any real progress! I can't do this alone. My teacher is about to leave the academy, and my grandmaster will be entering secluded cultivation..." Su Yu sighed. "I can only establish an institute and seek out like-minded friends to work on it together! If we succeed in discovering something that allows willpower and origin qi to intercommunicate, we can blur the boundary between warriors and Civilization Masters! Currently, the divide between Civilization Masters and warriors is far too deep..." Su Yu said earnestly, "Naturally, this is a massive project. I imagine many warriors and Civilization Masters might already be working on it. But we hold an advantage: we've already deduced the *Soul Devour Art*, giving us a solid foundation. Furthermore, certain races are indeed capable of bridging the two." Hu Qiusheng raised an eyebrow and remained silent. For a mere Yangxing cultivator like Su Yu to take on such a monumental project was, frankly speaking, a bit fanciful! Put modestly, it was researching a cultivation method; put grandly, it was attempting to shatter the barrier between warriors and Civilization Masters. "Su Yu, are you certain you want to pursue this direction?" Su Yu nodded. "Certain! Not only that, but I have a few other ideas. You know me; I've opened many acupoints. Having opened so many, I discovered something: once I've opened hundreds of origin apertures, if I also open a fair number of divine apertures, I suspect a line will eventually connect the two!" Su Yu continued seriously, "Or perhaps not a line, but an aperture! There might be an aperture that links the divine apertures and origin apertures together. If I hypothesize that such an aperture exists, then unlocking it would mean a Civilization Master is a warrior, and a warrior is a Civilization Master..." Hu Qiusheng felt a jolt in his chest. "Are you serious?" "Just a hypothesis!" Su Yu laughed. "When conducting research, you formulate a hypothesis first and work toward it. Only when you dive into the research do you find out whether it's real or false!" Hu Qiusheng took a deep breath. "Did Instructor Hong or Instructor Bai propose this?" Su Yu rolled his eyes. "It's my own conjecture! When I opened three hundred acupoints, I realized that such an aperture might actually exist!" "Three hundred acupoints..." Hu Qiusheng was rendered speechless. Over the three centuries since humanity's powerhouses rose, had anyone opened more acupoints than Su Yu? Hard to say! Perhaps there were, but he had never heard of them. "Su Yu, if such an aperture truly exists, could our predecessors really have missed it?" Su Yu replied exasperatedly, "How would I know! Maybe they kept it a secret. Maybe no one found it. Or maybe the conditions required are simply too demanding—say, needing over three hundred origin apertures and over a hundred divine apertures, or even more! Origin apertures are relatively easy to open, but can the same be said for divine apertures?" "Then... even if you research it, it wouldn't have any practical value for widespread adoption." Su Yu was utterly exasperated. "Brother Hu, are you an idiot? If we truly pinpoint the location of that aperture, perhaps we can attempt opening that aperture first!" Su Yu said in a grave voice, "For hundreds of years, our human race's cultivation has required opening the initial nine apertures before beginning formal cultivation! Yet other races don't operate this way; they can generally cultivate right from the start. The common consensus is that humans are innately unsuited for cultivation. What rubbish! If humans are unsuited for cultivation, how could Invincibles emerge among us? How could we rank among the ten strongest races?" "Therefore, I believe we simply haven't explored the human body thoroughly enough. Tell me: if one day that hypothetical aperture is found, allowing people to open it directly without going through the passive Kaiyuan stage, what kind of impact would that have on the entire human race?" "..." Hu Qiusheng shuddered slightly. After a long pause, his voice sounded raspy. "The number of human cultivators would explode! Bypassing the passive Kaiyuan stage would let people cultivate immediately, preventing them from missing their prime cultivation window! From elementary academies to intermediate academies, everyone could cultivate. By the time they entered higher academies at eighteen, they might already be in the Qianjun, Wanshi, or even Tengkong Realm!" Su Yu beamed. "Exactly!" Hu Qiusheng inhaled deeply. "I had never considered such a conjecture before! How about this: I'll head back and search the records of various academies and the Quest Realm to see if any research exists in this area. You've enlightened me. Human powerhouses couldn't have overlooked the idea of skipping the Kaiyuan stage. I suspect someone is already conducting research on this, and perhaps we can reference it..." *And just like that, it's 'we'!* Su Yu chuckled inwardly. Had this guy just decided to join his research institute? Hu Qiusheng had the backing of the Hu family, a prominent clan. Chief Hu was an expert of the Sun and Moon Realm, and not just an early-stage one at that. Hu Qiusheng looked at Su Yu with a peculiar expression. "Su Yu, are you certain you didn't read some research proposal on this beforehand, and that you came up with this hypothesis on your own?" This conjecture was staggering! Even without proof that the aperture existed, the hypothesis alone constituted a massive research direction of immense value. Su Yu chuckled. "It's a natural realization for someone who has opened this many acupoints. You haven't opened that many, so naturally you wouldn't understand." "..." *Right through the heart!* Hu Qiusheng felt an urge to cough up blood. Yet Su Yu twisted the knife further: "Your cultivation talent is quite decent, but that's not the kind of person I'm looking for. Brother Hu, don't take offense, but having great cultivation talent makes one a warrior or a divine character master—not necessarily a Civilization Master..." *Even if you want to join, I might not take you.* Hu Qiusheng didn't mind. He replied swiftly, "To date, I have mastered seventy-seven racial languages. Growing up, I've read 1,082 cultivation arts—not texts of will, of course, just translations! I once modified a high-tier Yellow rank cultivation method. Originally, it required opening twenty-seven acupoints. Instead of adding more, I reduced it by one, down to twenty-six acupoints, and the explosive power remained identical!" Su Yu was genuinely surprised! Modifying a cultivation art? Reducing acupoints! Reducing didn't mean making it weaker; some methods were poorly designed, and though they opened twenty-seven acupoints, the power unleashed only matched twenty-six, with one being redundant. Removing it saved cultivation time while achieving the exact same result. Mastering seventy-seven languages and familiar with 1,082 cultivation methods... He truly was from a prominent clan! This fellow was only eighteen years old. Even if he began studying at age six, over twelve years, that amounted to mastering more than five languages a year and reviewing over ninety cultivation arts annually. Impressive! Su Yu's eyes lit up. "In that case, you do qualify to join my research institute—even if the institute doesn't exist yet!" Hu Qiusheng sighed. "What a pity... I think you should focus entirely on research. Why bother getting entangled in the academy's factional disputes? If push comes to shove, once we produce results, I can have my grandfather recommend you to the Quest Realm for advanced studies..." "We'll see!" Quite a few people had tried to persuade him over the past two days. Su Yu was somewhat surprised. Had he really changed that much? Even Hu Qiusheng was trying to get him to step away from these struggles, something he had never mentioned before. Moreover, the two of them weren't particularly close. Was this Hu Qiusheng's own intention, or... Chief Hu's? Hard to say. Would Chief Hu really pay attention to a small fry like him? ... Parting ways with Hu Qiusheng, Su Yu calculated his upcoming plans. Cultivation came first. Getting the research institute off the ground was another priority. Beyond that, stirring up trouble for the Single Divine Character Faction, and finding a chance to slip outside for treasure hunting—the treasures of the Tianyi God Cult! That was a massive cult! Its cult master was a powerhouse of the Sun and Moon Realm! Though he had been slain, his corpse still lay in the Myriad Races Pit. Su Yu wasn't sure how to retrieve it yet. If all else failed, he could bring Xia Huyou along. ... While Su Yu was reflecting and keeping busy... Eighteenth Middle School, back mountain. By now, the back mountain had become a restricted zone. The teachers and students of Eighteenth Middle School stayed far away, knowing that several powerhouses had arrived recently. Bai Feng finished sorting out Liu Wenyan's divine characters once more, letting out a breath. "Martial Uncle, you blew up so many divine characters, yet you still have this many left! Were you really that idle all these years, doing nothing all day except outlining divine characters?" Liu Wenyan couldn't be bothered to argue. Sensing his no longer chaotic divine characters, he said, "Only eight of the characters left by your grandmaster remain!" Eight characters, all human race divine characters! All of them had reached the Sun and Moon Realm! In other words, at this moment, he commanded eight Sun and Moon divine characters. Bai Feng nodded. "Martial Uncle, this is actually an opportunity—a chance to integrate your own divine characters into them and reconfigure your divine character battle technique. Detonating a few earlier wasn't entirely bad; it wore away most of Grandmaster's imprint! Otherwise, the repulsion would have been too severe for your characters to blend in." "Reconfigure..." Liu Wenyan nodded. "My previous battle technique was shaped like a sword, while your grandmaster's was an axe. Because your grandmaster's battle technique overwhelmed mine, I was forced to use the axe... That axe is just too ugly..." "..." Bai Feng was speechless. *And you accuse me of not respecting teachers? What about you?* *You actually disdain the Fifth Generation's axe for being ugly!* *That axe chopped an Invincible to death!* "Then what shape does Martial Uncle want to reconfigure it into?" "Naturally into a... Why should I tell you?" Liu Wenyan couldn't be bothered to elaborate. What use was telling him! Dropping the topic, he quickly said, "I've felt it out; I still can't utilize all of them. My own characters are only second-tier, without even a single third-tier character, creating a massive disparity. At most, I can only unleash power roughly equivalent to ninth-stage Tengkong..." "Martial Uncle, your willpower and divine apertures have already kept pace. All you lack is the character tiers. With such potent willpower nourishing them, they'll reach the third tier very soon!" Third-tier corresponded to the Lingyun Realm. Bai Feng estimated it would take at most a year or so. Reaching the fourth tier would allow Liu Wenyan to advance to the Shanhai Realm without obstruction, which would also happen swiftly. Within three years, he would certainly enter the Shanhai Realm on his own. Furthermore, those eight human Sun and Moon characters were not entirely unusable; in critical moments, deploying them would allow him to display Sun and Moon combat strength once again. It just wouldn't last very long. His martial uncle's sea of will was still slightly lacking in resilience, and his physical body was somewhat weak as well. Liu Wenyan nodded. "I'm in no rush. Reaching the Shanhai Realm within three years is well within my grasp. As for you, you'd better restore your strength sooner, or life in the Vanguard Camp won't be easy." Bai Feng didn't seem concerned. What was the hurry? Not wanting to dwell on it, he changed the subject: "Martial Uncle, once we all leave and my master enters secluded cultivation, what about that kid Su Yu?" Liu Wenyan smiled. "No need to worry. I've already asked several old friends to look after him; it won't be a problem. You should focus on recovering quickly, or he might actually catch up to you. Your master mentioned earlier that he already defeated several students at peak Yangxing. At this rate, it won't be long before he hopes to reach Tengkong!" Bai Feng felt depressed. He hadn't even returned to the academy, yet that brat was still managing to irritate him from afar! It seemed he truly needed to put effort into raising his cultivation realm! The two chatted a bit more before Liu Wenyan suddenly remarked, "You'd better try to catch the opening of the Star Mansion! I've never been there, but your master has. When he returned, he told me about it. I suspect that mansion is the ruins left behind by an Invincible Civilization Master! Quite likely a human, and possibly someone who surpassed the Invincible Realm... Of course, having never visited, I can't say for certain!" Liu Wenyan said solemnly, "Don't neglect your cultivation. Your division-and-filling theory makes some sense, but it might not be complete! At least from what I can see, reaching the Sun and Moon Realm shouldn't be an issue for me, but reaching the Invincible Realm... to be frank, I don't feel confident." Bai Feng nodded. That was true. After all, among human race divine characters, not a single Eternal divine character had ever been discovered; he still lacked a reference point. It would be best if he could obtain a human divine character at the Eternal Realm to study and dissect; only then would he have sufficient certainty. Otherwise, he was merely gambling on luck. Bai Feng glanced toward the Great Xia Civilization Academy. What a shame that when that kid broke through to the Tengkong Realm, he might not be there by his side. He truly wanted to slice him open and take a look! "An Eternal divine character?" He stared in that direction. There was something he had never voiced to anyone. Could Su Yu... have inherited a genuine Eternal divine character? A human one! He had entertained such a suspicion. His foolish disciple was constantly trying to hoodwink him with that "Blood" character—what utter rubbish! He had seen Sun and Moon divine characters; Liu Wenyan possessed them. They weren't that absurd! Could the character Su Yu held be an Eternal divine character? Most likely a human one! Otherwise, why would it repel foreign characters while exclusively allowing the outlining of human characters? *That foolish kid... He exposed far too much in front of me. I just hope you stay cautious!* Bai Feng muttered inwardly. *Foolish little kid!* *I just can't be bothered to expose you!*