A Simpleton Enters the Academy

Starting on October 22nd, Su Yu skipped class once again. Not a trace of him could be seen anywhere in the academy. No one knew where he had gone. The tutoring class for the Multiple Divine Characters Faction he had mentioned before had vanished into thin air, and his application to establish a research institute saw no further progress. It was as though the overbearing, arrogant Su Yu from before had never existed. …… While Su Yu and Zhao Li secluded themselves from the outside world, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Chen Hao looked around in all directions. Was this the Great Xia Civilization Academy? It didn't look like much! It didn't even have half the imposing aura of their Longwu Academy! "Chen Hao?" A male voice called out beside his ear right at that moment. Chen Hao turned his head and quickly recognized the speaker. "It's you! The fat guy from last time who was standing next to Ah Yu?" "……" Xia Huyou felt utterly exhausted! If you weren't Su Yu's friend, I'd beat you to death right here and now! Who are you calling fat? Am I fat? This is called sturdy! Healthy! This bastard only had his height going for him. In terms of build, he was much broader than Xia Huyou himself, yet he still had the nerve to call someone else fat. "Xia Huyou!" Xia Huyou introduced himself casually, then said, "Su Yu told you, right? He's busy right now and can't step out, so I'm handling your arrangements!" "Xia Huyou? Blind bluffer?" Chen Hao muttered. What kind of godforsaken name was that! Just hearing it made him sound like a shady character! Xia Huyou couldn't even be bothered to argue. Over the past few days, he had gotten used to it. He'd just have to live with it. Beckoning to Chen Hao, he walked ahead and said, "Come on, let's go inside. By the way, be smart. Don't speak carelessly. Don't mention Su Yu's name, and don't say you're his friend. Got it?" "Got it!" Chen Hao nodded. Xia Huyou looked at him in surprise. What do you mean you 'got it'? Aren't you going to ask what's going on? Before Xia Huyou could say anything, Chen Hao lowered his voice and whispered, "Did Ah Yu screw someone to death? Or did he just kill them outright? How many did he kill? Killing people around here is illegal, right? Did he get caught?" "……" Fuck! That was the only word Xia Huyou could muster in his mind! You know him this well? So Su Yu was never a good egg to begin with? The first time I met him, I thought he was such an honest, well-behaved kid! But just listen to this—his childhood friend knew he had gotten into trouble without even asking! He really has been rotten to the core since childhood! What a headache! Walking forward, Xia Huyou said, "He didn't break any laws. Just keep it in mind and watch yourself so you don't get targeted!" "Of course!" Chen Hao nodded, glancing around curiously. "Is it okay if I just call you Fatty? Calling you by your name makes me feel like you're a crook." "Fine!" Xia Huyou gritted his teeth. Whatever! You little bastard, you're from Longwu Academy, right? Sooner or later you'll join the Longwu Guards. If I ever feel like taking up a commander post in the Longwu Guards in the future, I'll work you to the bone! "Fatty, are you strong?" "I do all right." "A freshman?" "Yeah." "You've reached the Qianjun Realm, right? People who know Ah Yu are usually pretty strong." "I'm in Qianjun." "Not bad. About the same as me, then." Chen Hao nodded with a proud look. He had reached Qianjun as well. Xia Huyou had no energy left to retort. Sure, I'm in Qianjun, but is your Qianjun the same as mine? Su Yu's childhood friend really had no eye for talent. No wonder he could only make it into Longwu Academy. As Chen Hao walked, he looked around. After a while, he suddenly remarked, "The Great Xia Civilization Academy doesn't seem very lively. Back at our place, there's shouting and yelling all day long. People are practicing martial arts from morning to night, and people are always brawling. It's bustling and full of energy. Why is it so quiet here?" When nothing special was going on, the Great Xia Civilization Academy was indeed exceedingly quiet. Students either attended lectures or cultivated in seclusion. Rarely did anyone wander around aimlessly. Xia Huyou replied casually, "Those are warriors. We're Civilization Masters. It's different!" "Is that so?" Chen Hao nodded. Civilization Masters were truly boring. On top of that, every single one of them wore long robes that looked like a hassle to move in. When they got into fights, weren't they worried about ripping their clothes to shreds? Just as he was thinking this, people passed by, and Chen Hao caught a familiar name. "Where did Su Yu disappear to? I thought he'd fight for first place on the Top 100 Rankings this month. Zhan Hai lost last time and went into seclusion. Looks like he's preparing to break through to Tengkong. Once he reaches Tengkong, Su Yu taking first place won't mean as much." "True enough. Last time, he teamed up with Zhou Hao to fight Zhan Hai. The rankings lock on the twenty-fifth because people enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm that day, so there are only the next two days left to challenge him. Otherwise, once Zhan Hai comes out of the mystic realm, he's guaranteed to advance!" "……" Su Yu? First on the Top 100 Rankings? Chen Hao froze for a moment. He looked at Xia Huyou leading the way ahead, waiting until the two students had walked far off before whispering, "Fatty, were they talking about Ah Yu just now?" Xia Huyou glanced back at him and chuckled. "Who else?" "First place on the Top 100 Rankings?" Chen Hao looked astonished. "Yeah. It's like sweeping the number one spot on your academy's Dragon-Tiger Rankings just for fun!" "……" Chen Hao looked downcast. Really? Didn't he say he was going for the top five last time? How did he jump straight to first place! That was way too fast. It had only been a few days! "Did he beat someone up and hide because he's scared to come out?" "No..." Xia Huyou thought for a moment before saying, "The Great Xia Civilization Academy is much more complicated than your academy. Longwu Academy is relatively united; after all, there's a high probability you'll become comrades-in-arms after graduation, and most join the army. Over here... things are a bit messy!" "Messy?" Chen Hao asked softly, "Do people die?" "They do." Xia Huyou nodded. People died—that was no exaggeration. Just a few days ago, two Shanhai experts and one Lingyun expert had died, while several well-known geniuses had been crippled... The struggle had reached a white-hot stage by now. Chen Hao said nothing more. By then, they were approaching the Secret Realm Area. Right at that moment, several people walked toward them from ahead. Spotting Xia Huyou, one of them said with a chuckle, "Brother Xia, heading to the Secret Realm Area?" As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Hao with mild surprise. From Longwu Academy? Chen Hao was still wearing the Longwu Academy uniform. What was someone from Longwu Academy doing at a Civilization Academy? And his strength... wasn't impressive at all! Seeing them, Xia Huyou also laughed amiably. "Where are you guys off to? Xia Chan, you don't even greet your older brother when you see him? How rude..." Surrounded like a star among lesser celestial bodies in the group was Xia Chan. Xia Chan gave him a flat look and stayed silent. Weren't you trying to conceal your identity? You're supposed to be a disciple of a branch family—isn't it normal for me to ignore you? This fat guy bullied her constantly just because he was a few months older. She couldn't be bothered to engage with him. The person who had greeted Xia Huyou earlier smiled upon seeing this and said, "Brother Xia, we're on our way to welcome someone back. Senior Brother Zhai Feng and the others have returned in triumph! They wiped out an All-Races Sect stronghold, and Senior Brother Zhai and his group even killed a Tengkong Realm powerhouse... If things go smoothly, that might just cancel out his previous penalty..." Saying that, he swept a careless glance over Chen Hao, not paying him any mind, and added casually, "Brother Xia, aren't you close with Su Yu? Where did that guy run off to these past two days? After slaying a Tengkong, Senior Brother Zhai's strength has grown instead of regressing. He's practically on the verge of the Tengkong Realm now. If he enters the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, he'll definitely break through. Let's see if Su Yu has the guts to come out and challenge the Top 100 Rankings over the next two days..." Xia Huyou felt exhausted. Why are you telling me all this? I'm a businessman; I don't get involved in these disputes! Though annoyed inside, he maintained a smiling face. "I wouldn't know anything about that, but congratulations to Senior Brother Zhai! As for Su Yu, I'm in the dark too. If you gentlemen want to buy intelligence, I can look into it. I only do business—I don't meddle in your squabbles..." "We understand that!" The others laughed. When Li Shiyun and his cohort were routed earlier, the Single Divine Character Faction had truly felt despair. Fortunately, perhaps to restore morale, news had quickly arrived: Zhai Feng had eradicated an All-Races Sect stronghold outside, teaming up with several students to slay a Tengkong Realm powerhouse! It had to be said that hearing such news at this juncture allowed them to breathe a massive sigh of relief! Killing a Tengkong! Even Zhan Hai hadn't managed that, yet Zhai Feng had. His strength was even greater than Zhan Hai's! Zhan Hai was formidable too, but if Su Yu and Zhou Hao hadn't ambushed him together, two against one, Zhan Hai wouldn't necessarily have lost. With this, the morale of the Single Divine Character Faction was rekindled! After speaking a bit more, the young man asked curiously, "Brother Xia, this person is... from Longwu Academy? He can't enter the Secret Realm Area, can he? Are you heading to the Secret Realm Area?" "Yeah!" Before Xia Huyou could answer, Chen Hao spoke up. Xia Huyou cursed internally. What the hell are you doing? Don't make trouble for me! Su Yu's childhood friend really seemed like an absolute idiot! Now, the group looked at Chen Hao with puzzled expressions. You can enter the Secret Realm Area? Chen Hao put on an honest, naive smile. "Senior brothers, I'm a student of Longwu Academy, a reservist in the Longwu Guards, and a follower of the Xia family. My teacher secured a slot for me to enter your academy's mystic realm..." Saying that, he turned toward Xia Chan in the group, scratching his head. "Is this senior sister from the Xia family? That means you'll be my master in the future. May I ask if you're from the main direct lineage of the Xia family...?" Hearing him say this, the person who had spoken earlier chuckled immediately. "You have a sharp eye. Martial Aunt Xia Chan is indeed of the Xia family's direct lineage—the direct granddaughter of Marquis Xia..." Chen Hao dropped to one knee on the spot and offered a salute. "Chen Hao of Longwu Academy, trainee in the Longwu Guards reserve, pays his respects to General Xia!" "……" Xia Chan was left speechless. How had she run into someone from Longwu Academy out of nowhere? The Xia family was indeed the master of the Great Xia Prefecture, and the Longwu Guards were their private army, effectively the Xia family's personal guard. Chen Hao paying respects wasn't improper. Although Xia Chan felt somewhat awkward, she still spoke up. "There is no need for such formalities. We do not do this within the academy!" "Understood!" Chen Hao stood up respectfully with an honest, simple smile. "My name is Chen Hao. My strength is humble, but I'm a meat shield, part of the Xia family's private army. Since you senior brothers are General Xia's friends, feel free to call on me whenever you need help!" Chen Hao said with a foolish grin, "When you go out on missions, if you don't mind my slow speed, you can call me along. Respected Civilization Masters always need guards, and my specialization at Longwu Academy is bodyguard work! I can effectively guard against sneak attacks and take a blade for you lords at any time!" Saying that, Chen Hao scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Senior brothers, you can save my communication number. When we execute missions, just pay me a few merit points, and I promise to fight without fear of death!" He wore an earnest expression, showing the awkwardness of being poor. Seeing them stare at him, he added self-consciously, "Normally, we wouldn't cooperate on missions with people from other academies, but since you are friends of General Xia, an exception can be made... because we are the Xia family's private army... My strength is modest, but once I enter the mystic realm, I'll improve. I came here precisely for foundation building. I'll definitely become stronger!" The group looked at him, and the leader smiled. "What is your cultivation level right now?" "Qianjun second layer!" Chen Hao hurriedly said, "We warriors advance very quickly. Unlike you lords, who need to enhance willpower, opening apertures is fast for us. By the end of the year, I'll be at Qianjun fourth or fifth layer..." A meat shield at the fourth or fifth layer of Qianjun wasn't particularly impressive. However, the fact that Longwu Academy had secured a mystic realm slot for him was intriguing. Which mystic realm was he entering? The yuanqi secret realm? Or another minor mystic realm? Although they weren't entirely sure, anyone granted access to a mystic realm was likely a seeded talent at Longwu Academy. The group chuckled without probing further. Once Chen Hao recited his communication number—whether they actually took it down or not—they quickly took their leave. …… After they departed, Xia Huyou looked at Chen Hao with surprise. Chen Hao kept his head lowered and continued following behind him. Nearly bumping into Xia Huyou, Chen Hao scratched his head. "Fatty, why'd you stop?" Xia Huyou looked at him strangely and lowered his voice. "You dropped to your knees the moment you saw Xia Chan. I'm surnamed Xia too, you know?" "……" Chen Hao said, exasperated, "You already told me!" "I'm a member of the Xia family too, you know?" "Yeah, I know!" "Then why didn't you..." Xia Huyou was at a loss for words, then quickly added, "What was that all about? Those guys are at odds with... cough, with that guy. They're enemies, you know that?" "Yeah, I know!" Chen Hao nodded. Well of course I know. This fat guy was asking such idiotic questions. How on earth did Ah Yu become friends with someone so dense? "Then why did you..." Xia Huyou frowned at him, pausing for a long while before saying, "Big guy... do you realize that those guys just now, setting aside my sister Xia Chan, are almost all at the Wanshi Realm?" "Yeah, I know!" Chen Hao nodded. "They felt really strong!" "Then you... still want to stand up for that guy?" Xia Huyou roughly understood his intentions and felt somewhat surprised. This guy had serious guts. He had played the servile fool so convincingly that Xia Huyou had genuinely thought he was an idiot! Chen Hao chuckled innocently. "Not really. They're Civilization Masters, and I'm a warrior! Warriors advance really fast. We focus purely on the physical body. Plus, I don't have that many apertures to open—only seventy-two. With this chance to enter your academy's mystic realm, once I head back, I'll be one of the top fighters among our freshmen and can apply for more resources. I think I'll reach Wanshi soon!" Chen Hao beamed. "Once I reach Wanshi, my physical body will definitely be stronger than a Civilization Master's. In close quarters, any Civilization Master below Tengkong gets utterly thrashed by us warriors!" Didn't you know that? This fat guy was so dumb. In every year's sparring matches between War Academies and Civilization Academies, when had a War Academy not beaten the Civilization Academy students black and blue? In close-quarters combat, they could kill them in an instant! Little fatty, don't you get it? Unless they were at the Tengkong Realm, Civilization Masters had very few methods before their willpower materialized. People like Su Yu were rare exceptions. Xia Huyou stared at him in utter shock! Holy shit! The dog that bites doesn't bark! Was this guy... planning to ambush and slaughter those people? Holy shit! That ruthless? He was completely taken aback and quickly said, "Let me tell you, that girl among them, Xia Chan, is Marquis Xia's granddaughter, you understand? The Xia family has powerful protectors guarding her!" Chen Hao nodded, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "I know that. I wasn't planning on getting to know her. She's a member of the Xia family, so of course she has guards when she goes out. But those senior brothers shouldn't have guards, right?" Chen Hao looked at him with a puzzled expression. Didn't he understand? Those were ordinary students who wouldn't bring guards outside. A warrior approaching them voluntarily, someone who was a genius of Longwu Academy, part of the Xia family's private army, a Longwu Guards reservist, the most dependable and honest kind of soldier... going on a mission with someone like that, how convenient would that be? Just a few merit points! He could handle all the dirty and exhausting work while 'protecting' them at close range! Wasn't that far more reliable than hiring an outsider warrior? His strength was a bit low for now, but he was in his prime cultivation period. Advancing through the Qianjun and Wanshi Realms happened very quickly. Xia Huyou was rendered completely speechless! This guy... really intended to ambush and kill them? What massive balls! By now, they had almost reached the Secret Realm Area. Xia Huyou whispered, "You claimed Longwu Academy sent you. If they look into it, they'll know it's fake..." Chen Hao smiled innocently. "It doesn't matter. I'll just ask my teacher for help. I'm already inside anyway—it's just a formality to put my name down. The academy would be more than happy to register my name casually. As Ah Yu puts it, it doesn't cost them a penny, and they get to claim the credit, so why wouldn't they? The academy can even say, 'Look, even Chen Hao can go to the Civilization Academy's mystic realm. As long as you work hard, the academy will fight for opportunities for you too...' "When that happens, it'll become true! It'll be the academy that sent me!" "……" Xia Huyou had no comeback! That makes so much goddamn sense! I can't even argue with that! You've already come and entered through your own personal connections. Longwu Academy would be thrilled that you got in on your own dime. Putting your name down and claiming they secured the slot for Chen Hao... there was practically zero downside for them! The Great Xia Civilization Academy wouldn't care much either. It was just a formality on paper; Chen Hao was genuinely entering anyway! That way, there wasn't a single loophole. "You're from Nanyuan..." Chen Hao scratched his head. "Yeah, but aren't student profiles confidential? They aren't big shots either. Would big shots bother checking my file?" "……" Xia Huyou was utterly defeated. Fine, I won't ask anymore. You bastard, playing dumb the whole time! Holy shit! To think I actually took you for a simpleton! You're birds of a feather with Su Yu—no wonder you two get along so well. His talent was slightly lacking, but it wasn't terrible either. At least he had gotten into Longwu Academy. With more opportunities there, he might well become a powerhouse in his own right. Xia Huyou stopped asking questions, but Chen Hao spoke up, "Do they hate Ah Yu that much? And who's that Zhai Feng guy?" "A guy on the verge of Tengkong. You heard them—he killed a Tengkong!" Xia Huyou said offhandedly, "As for whether they hate him... of course they do. They'd love nothing more than to butcher Su Yu. The only reason they haven't is that we're inside the academy!" "Oh!" Chen Hao didn't press further, letting the matter drop after that single question. Xia Huyou couldn't hold back. "You should know that mission departures are logged!" "Oh!" "You'll be finished. Even without concrete evidence, failing in your duty as a guard will leave a black mark on your record and ruin your future prospects." "Oh!" "……" 'Oh' your granddaddy! Xia Huyou asked in bewilderment, "Don't you want to join the Longwu Guards anymore?" Chen Hao smiled with genuine warmth. "I do! But I wasn't qualified to begin with. I couldn't have passed the exams on my own—it was only because Ah Yu helped me that I got in!" Xia Huyou was completely silenced. This guy... damn, he looked so honest on the surface. He looked far more pleasant and harmless than Su Yu! With that plain, honest face, even with my discerning eye, I thought you were a dependable, good-natured kid. You big-eyed, thick-browed bastard, you're actually a villain through and through! …… Xia Huyou wasn't the only one whose judgment was deceived. In the Secret Realm Area. When Xia Huyou produced the token and paid the one hundred merit points, and Chen Hao timidly and naively addressed Old Nie as "Grandpa," Old Nie couldn't help but chuckle. Where did this blockhead come from? A friend of Su Yu's? Seeing Old Nie beaming, Xia Huyou felt helpless. Are you blind? He's Su Yu's friend! How can you believe he's a good person! Not bothering to say more, Xia Huyou handed a bottle of blood essence to Chen Hao and instructed, "Try to use it all up. There's a lot—one hundred drops! Su Yu told me to pass it to you." "What kind of blood essence is this?" "Mountain-Breaking Ox!" "Oh!" Chen Hao nodded, took the bottle without asking further questions, and walked through the door with an honest demeanor. Xia Huyou felt a pang of heartache. Do you have any idea how much that's worth? To be frank, even he felt the sting. Chen Hao's talent wasn't anything special—what was the point of using this? It was practically a waste. A full thousand merit points, plus the hundred merit points to enter the Secret Realm Area—eleven hundred merit points in total! This was meant for top geniuses to build their foundations! Within the academy, even top-high students struggled to get their hands on it. Did Chen Hao really need this? Su Yu was truly generous! Most importantly, it had been bought on credit! That guy spent money like water, burning through all his prior earnings. Once Chen Hao went inside, Old Nie asked curiously, "From Longwu Academy? His talent is ordinary, yet someone went all out on him!" Xia Huyou nodded and asked with a grin, "Elder Nie, how far do you think this guy can cultivate?" "Probably around Qianjun fourth layer!" Old Nie smiled. "He hasn't opened many apertures. Opening eight apertures advances one layer, so sixteen will bring him to the fourth layer! One hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence is quite the investment, and since he walks the path of a warrior, reaching the fourth layer should be feasible!" The main factor was that he had fewer apertures to open—far fewer than the geniuses of the Civilization Academy, who typically cultivated arts opening one hundred and eight apertures. Xia Huyou nodded; this aligned with his own estimation. Some students in the academy who didn't specialize in the physical path could still reliably advance two layers after entering the mystic realm and consuming a hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. It could only be called middling. "Qianjun fourth layer... Longwu Academy is inferior to the Great Xia War Academy to begin with, and he's just a freshman. Once he returns to his academy, he'll likely receive some attention..." Xia Huyou calculated silently. Not bad. There were still two months left until the end of the year, so reaching the fifth or sixth layer shouldn't be difficult. He just hoped those fools from earlier wouldn't try to save a few coins and actually invite this guy on a mission. Otherwise, with a warrior of the fifth or sixth layer of Qianjun acting as their close-range bodyguard, even if their physical bodies were in Qianjun—or even Wanshi—they'd be hacked to death in a single strike without warning! They wouldn't even have time to unleash their willpower! Putting Chen Hao out of his mind, Xia Huyou prepared to leave when Old Nie suddenly said, "Seeing that kid just now reminded me of something. Once Su Yu reaches Tengkong, why doesn't the Xia family recruit him into the Longwu Guards?" Xia Huyou frowned slightly. Old Nie smiled. "The Longwu Guards are your Xia family's private army and personal guard. No one dares lay a finger on the Longwu Guards. Su Yu is talented and has a boundless future. What do you think?" Xia Huyou chuckled. "Elder Nie, I'd love to, but the problem is he won't agree!" Old Nie nodded slightly and smiled before continuing, "He'd better stop making such a scene. What about you? Aren't you planning to make a name for yourself? In all the generations of the Xia family, there has never been such a low-profile direct descendant. Don't take after Marquis Xia." He added, "Besides, Marquis Xia wasn't exactly low-profile in his youth either." Xia Huyou laughed dryly. "My strength is too weak; I won't embarrass the Xia family! My sister Xia Chan is quite formidable—already at Qianjun ninth layer and about to enter Wanshi. I have high hopes for my sister!" "……" Old Nie couldn't help laughing and shaking his head. "Some people shouldn't be too high-profile, but others shouldn't be too low-profile. You, you're far too discreet. Even if you truly take charge of the Great Xia Prefecture in the future, who will defer to you?" Xia Huyou grinned broadly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Even if I really do inherit the Great Xia Prefecture... my great-grandfather was utterly domineering, and my old man is domineering beyond measure. Each generation is more tyrannical than the last. I'd better be a little softer. Otherwise, with four generations of Prefectural Masters all being peerlessly overbearing, won't all the races of the heavens focus all their attacks on our Great Xia Prefecture...?" Finishing his piece, Xia Huyou chuckled slyly. "It's better for me to act cowardly. If I act cowardly, someone might even help me rise to power without me lifting a finger, just out of fear that my cousin Yuwen might take over and imitate my dad. My cousin didn't pick up anything else, but he certainly learned my dad's overbearing unreasonableness!" With successive generations of Prefectural Masters being fiercely aggressive and bent on fighting the myriad races to the bitter end, even the myriad races suffered headaches. Xia Huyou was even contemplating whether one day, sleeper agents from the All-Races Sect might actively approach him and help him take power. A Prefectural Master who loved doing business... how wonderful would that be! Weak in strength and incapable of commanding respect—failing to prop me up would be a massive loss for the myriad races! Anyone capable of helping him take power would surely hold a high position and possess considerable strength... Heheh! Xia Huyou smiled inwardly. He was just waiting for some high-ranking figures to make contact. He genuinely hoped he could reel in a few big fish and wipe them all out in one net. As for keeping a high profile, there was no need. Harmony breeds wealth! I'm a businessman. There's no need to follow Su Yu's example. If I act too high-profile and get assassinated, what then? Seeing his attitude, Old Nie smiled and said no more. Xia Huyou... this generation of the Xia family was certainly intriguing. Xia Yuwen, who wasn't a direct son, was hell-bent on imitating Xia Longwu. Meanwhile, the actual son was desperate to distance himself from his father. "Fine, I get it." Old Nie didn't say anything further, waving his hand. "Go on, get out of my sight. Barely a single person in your Xia family is any good." Xia Huyou didn't take offense. Smiling, he bowed and took his leave. Not a single good person in the Xia family? Elder Nie dared to slander our Xia family! I'll definitely have to visit this mystic realm more often. I recorded audio and visual footage. If you don't grant me free entry, I'll hand the evidence over to my second granduncle and let him teach you a lesson! Leaving Elder Nie behind, he thought about Chen Hao for a while before his thoughts quickly shifted back to Su Yu. Zhai Feng was actually back! The Single Divine Character Faction had certainly been willing to pay a heavy price, directly eradicating a Tengkong stronghold. One had to realize that an All-Races Sect stronghold guarded by a Tengkong might have served as bait to catch bigger fish! "Holding so many All-Races Sect strongholds without reporting them, and yet making no progress over the years..." Xia Huyou muttered to himself. A total cancer! Who knew what Second Granduncle and the others were thinking? And as for Su Yu, once he came out and learned that Zhai Feng could also enter the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm, would he challenge Zhai Feng in advance to severely injure him? …… While Xia Huyou was pondering this, Zhou Pingsheng, having just met with Zhai Feng, gritted his teeth and whispered, "If Su Yu tries to challenge you, do not accept the match! Choose to ignore him, and wait until after you come out of the mystic realm!" Zhai Feng felt frustrated, but he nodded nonetheless. "Teacher, I understand!" "Slaying a Tengkong this time can only offset your penalty; the others... still won't be able to enter!" Zhou Pingsheng continued, "Suppress your breakthrough—do not enter the Tengkong Realm! Our faction doesn't lack Tengkong cultivators; what we lack is an invincible champion below Tengkong. At the very least, you must monopolize first place on the Top 100 Rankings. This is our chance to wash away our humiliation! Furthermore, suppressing it will help stabilize your foundation!" "I understand!" Zhai Feng nodded. Though unwilling in his heart, he could not advance to Tengkong. The Single Divine Character Faction did not lack Tengkong cultivators; what they needed was someone like him, poised on the brink of Tengkong with overwhelming combat prowess at the Mind Tempering stage. Zhou Pingsheng gave a few more instructions, said no more, and quickly departed. Once he was gone, Zhai Feng shattered the table before him with a single kick. Su Yu! If not for him, I could have broken through to Tengkong upon entering the mystic realm this time—there wouldn't have been so much trouble! Just to suppress Su Yu, his breakthrough had actually been restricted! His teacher spoke pretty words about bringing glory to the Single Divine Character Faction and stabilizing his realm, but wasn't it really because he hadn't given up on the director position? As long as Zhai Feng wasn't at Tengkong, he still had a chance! "Su Yu... Wu Jia..." Zhai Feng snorted coldly. The last time he had been framed was definitely connected to the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Just wait and see!