Leaving Openly and Honestly

Stepping out of the Myriad Races Academy, Su Yu gave a soft chuckle. The fish had bitten! *My friend, when I leave, remember to accompany me.* *One Shanhai, one Lingyun!* Su Yu made an appraisal in his mind based on the fluctuations in the perception jade. There should be two people! One of them was actually in the Shanhai Realm! The Cloud Tiger race was not powerful. From what he had heard, their clan leader was only at the peak of the Shanhai Realm. Yet to escort a princess here for study, they had actually dispatched a Shanhai Realm expert. Quite an impressive show of force! He would ask around about the specific details later. *Xia Qing, Niu Zhen...* Su Yu muttered internally, wondering whether Xia Qing would come alone when the time came, or call a few more over. If there were too many, his side would not be able to handle them. Unless he released several great demons! Shanhai great demons! However, according to those fellows' demands, they would take flight after striking a single blow. Su Yu would never agree to that. If they really did act once, it certainly would not be wasted on dealing with these small fry; that would be a gross waste of resources. He pushed the matter aside for now. He would deal with it once Xia Qing truly took the bait. …… Primordial Spirit Research Institute. Late at night. By this point, the research institute had transformed. It was no longer the empty, desolate place it had been; it was now fully furnished. Sofas, a television, a coffee table, a dining table... everything one could ask for. Moving all of Wu Lan's belongings over had still not been enough, so Wu Jia had rushed off to the Library Pavilion and practically cleared out Chen Yong's residence. Only then did the place gain its current cozy ambiance. Food and wine were now laid out across the dining table. Without preamble, Su Yu stood up, raised his wine cup, and said with feeling, "I'm still only in the Yangxing Realm. When I founded this research institute, I thought no one would believe I could succeed. Starting from nothing, with empty pockets, I thought no one would fight alongside me. I never imagined that today, so many friends would support me! "Enough said—thank you, everyone! A friend in need is a friend indeed!" Hu Qiusheng and the others raised their cups one after another. Xia Huyou chuckled and said, "The founding of the research institute is a joyous occasion! What's more, it was created by you, Su Yu. I believe it holds great promise for the future!" "May your words come true!" Su Yu smiled and said, "I also hope everyone works hard together so we can produce results soon!" He glanced at the crowd and said, "The primordial spirit apertures are of paramount importance, but the primordial spirit apertures are only a broad direction. If we want to deduce whether primordial spirit apertures truly exist, we still have many hurdles to overcome in the early stages! "We are all cultivators. Tonight's meal serves as our opening banquet. Once we finish eating, we have to get to work!" Su Yu smiled and said, "I hope we can eat a victory banquet soon. Time is short, so I won't waste any!" "Jiang Mu, Hu Qiusheng, Xia Huyou, Wu Lan, Wu Jia, Zheng Yunhui, plus me—seven people! None of us are in the Tengkong Realm. Even the strongest among us, Jiang Mu, is currently at the eighth stage of the Wanshi Realm, not yet at the ninth. Cultivation progress is equally important!" The others nodded in agreement. Su Yu smiled and said, "So right now, I'll set up a small hurdle for everyone to tackle: deduce an aperture-merging auxiliary method. Consider it our opening triumph..." "..." The group stared at him blankly. *Holy shit!* *Are you kidding?!* *This is a 'small hurdle'?!* Xia Huyou said in a daze, "Do you mean we should first deduce an aperture-merging auxiliary method? The kind that allows one to merge apertures rapidly—you mean a method to eliminate repulsive force?" "Correct!" "Su Yu..." Xia Huyou looked at him with concern. "Don't fool around. The mighty figures of the human race are researching this very thing. Put it this way: this hurdle is practically on the same level of difficulty as the primordial spirit apertures. And you're calling this an introductory prelude?" "The mighty figures of the human race are indeed formidable, but that refers to their cultivation realms. Research doesn't depend on cultivation realms!" Su Yu said calmly, "My teacher is a research genius! So am I! Let me put it this way: the Multiple Divine Characters Faction's innate blood essence method developed over the years is far more important than you imagine, including... extracting certain innate skills!" The group nodded. They were all aware of that. Su Yu said indifferently, "Ignorant! Since we can already extract innate skills, we actually have the opportunity to deduce the innate skills of certain races. That includes the Soul Devour Art from before—it was deduced and extracted through an innate skill!" Su Yu practically radiated the light of supreme intellect! Surveying the room with authority, he said, "Now, everyone's mission is to collect all materials related to aperture merging. I need a massive amount of information and cultivation arts to study and analyze! "We might even need to supply a batch of blood essence from corresponding races to extract innate skills, and even extract memory fragments, in order to obtain certain arts!" Su Yu said in a grave voice, "As for the primordial spirit apertures, while discovering them would certainly help many people, it... might not be of immense help to ourselves right now. But once an aperture-merging auxiliary method is created, it won't just help others—it will directly help us! "Even after reaching the Shanhai Realm, it will be of tremendous assistance to our aperture merging!" Su Yu looked at the group and said solemnly, "I have the confidence and certainty. What about you? If you feel it cannot be done, then forget it. You can withdraw right now, and I will refund all the funds you advanced!" Su Yu quickly added, "The seven of us, including Teacher Zhao—eight people in total—are the founding elders of this Primordial Spirit Research Institute! If we truly produce something good, I announce that you may use it for yourselves free of charge... Of course, leaking it to outsiders is strictly forbidden. Anyone who disagrees with this can choose to withdraw!" Xia Huyou nodded. "That is only natural. Freely leaking it to outsiders is intolerable to anyone. Otherwise, every research institute would go bankrupt. Institutes need to be profitable, too." That was how proper operations worked. Providing it for free... Unless official funding supported it, no one would generate power out of pure charity. After Xia Huyou spoke, Hu Qiusheng said in a deep voice, "Su Yu, are you certain this is what you want to tackle first? To be frank, it has been many years since the rise of the Human Realm, and plenty of people have tried to work this out. Some research results have even emerged, but there is still no concrete solution. If it were truly that simple... there wouldn't be so few genuine Wanshi Realm experts today." Su Yu raised a hand and cut him off. "Do not doubt! In our institute, you may raise suggestions, but that is for when we encounter difficulties, not when decisions are being made at the very start! During decision-making, even if you have doubts, keep them to yourself. If you feel it is inappropriate, you can opt out of this project!" Su Yu looked at the group. "Whoever doesn't want to participate in this project may temporarily withdraw and focus on other directions!" Wu Lan snorted. "Of course I'm participating! Those without ability shouldn't pour cold water on everything!" "..." Hu Qiusheng was speechless. Su Yu was truly something, bringing this girl into the fold. She was acting as if she had been injected with chicken blood! If you didn't let her work on it now, she would turn hostile on the spot. Su Yu smiled and said, "If there are no objections, this project is officially launched! Xia Huyou is responsible for supplying the required blood essence. Wu Lan, you are responsible for looking up reference materials. Hu Qiusheng, you are responsible for collating the corresponding cultivation arts, whether from the human race or the myriad races—we need both. "Jiang Mu, you are responsible for scouring travelogues. Certain things might not be recorded in orthodox texts, but travelogues will mention them." "What about me?" Wu Jia looked at him. Su Yu smiled and said, "Senior Sister, assist Wu Lan. She might not be able to handle it all alone." Wu Jia was a bit reluctant, but since her junior brother had spoken, she nodded in agreement. Wu Lan felt delighted! *Sure enough, I am the team leader. Even Wu Jia has to listen to me.* Zheng Yunhui asked sheepishly, "What about me?" "You..." Su Yu chuckled. "Your task is very simple: go fight! Don't you love fighting?" "Fight?" "Right!" "Fight the Single Divine Character Faction?" "No!" Su Yu said indifferently. "Can you finish off those ranked fellows from the myriad races? Don't let them sit idle. Stir up some drama. It's easy to steer public sentiment in the Great Xia Prefecture. Turn public sentiment against them until everyone rejects them—to the point where if they step outside and die, people will applaud!" "..." Zheng Yunhui and the others froze, staring at him. What did he mean by that? Su Yu smiled faintly. "What, aren't you good at this? I think you're perfectly suited for the job! Don't look at me like that. This is something the research institute needs done. When students of the myriad races disturb your institute director, they disturb our research progress!" The others continued staring at him. Wu Lan looked at him with an odd expression. What was Su Yu getting at? Su Yu checked the time and didn't bother elaborating further. "Move out! Starting today, we work through the night. The sooner the aperture-merging auxiliary method is created, the better. It benefits everyone!" The others exchanged glances. Putting them to work on their very first day—how miserable! Su Yu ignored them. Once they finished gathering most of the materials, he would test them one by one. Tossing down a copy of the *Yuan-Purifying Art*, he said, "Everyone can cultivate this in your spare time. If there are no results after three months, the Zheng family is authorized to sell it, and the copyright belongs to the Zheng family!" He then added, "As the creator, I reserve the right to teach it freely. That is not within the restriction. Zheng Yunhui, you have no objection to this, right?" Zheng Yunhui was overjoyed. "None, of course not!" This was fine merchandise! If the Zheng family acquired it, they would earn far more than twenty thousand merit points; it could feed them for a lifetime. Su Yu didn't bother saying more. The Yuan-Purifying Art was merely a foundational art, and he had plenty. Moreover, spreading it around would be good; when the time came, the members of the Mutual Aid Society knowing it wouldn't stand out so much. Su Yu rose, preparing to leave. Xia Huyou hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?" *We're all going to work, so what about you?* "I have some business. Go do your work. Why are you questioning the director?" Su Yu retorted testily. Now that they were a small clique, he spoke with far less restraint. *Ask only what you should ask!* *Do you understand the hierarchy between superior and subordinate?* Xia Huyou felt thoroughly depressed. *I'm the son of the Manor Head, not your son! Has this bastard truly taken me for a hired hand?* …… Once Su Yu left, Wu Lan paid no mind to the others and said with slight excitement, "Let's go, get to work! Check the materials and conquer our first hurdle!" "..." Everyone felt drained. Making you work without pay, and you were actually this pumped up? They truly had to hand it to Su Yu. Not only had he found a group of unpaid laborers, but they even had to pay out of pocket. …… While they were working, Su Yu wasn't idle either. As he walked, he chatted with someone via voice transmission talisman. "Zongqi, have you found a mission to the All-Races Pit?" "Found one... but this mission... is kind of a trap." Hu Zongqi quickly replied, "A few days from now, a researcher from the Divine Pill College is leading a team to the All-Races Pit to extract death qi for refining poison pills. The reward is meager—only three merit points. They need students to help find corpses with dense death qi..." "Isn't researching corpses forbidden?" "It's not researching corpses; it's extracting death qi. That is permitted." "Understood..." Su Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Sign me up first... Forget it, wait a bit." If he signed up himself, wouldn't it be too conspicuous? However, if he didn't go, for one thing, extracting blood essence wasn't something just anyone could do, and then there was separating memory fragments, which likely had to be done on-site. Upon leaving the All-Races Pit, there was usually an inspection to prevent anyone from carrying anything away. Tapping his thigh lightly with a finger, he knew he definitely had to go. If he kept a low profile, no one might notice anything. Still... it was best to have a pretext. Running off for a mere three merit points would make anyone realize he had an ulterior motive. *Aside from dead bodies, there's nothing in the All-Races Pit...* Su Yu pondered for a while. After some thought, he suddenly walked toward the Mission Office. Taking a mission was out of the question; he would see if he could issue a mission and lead a team there himself. …… Mission Office. When Su Yu stepped through the doors, there were quite a few people in the main hall. There were teachers as well as students. Different cultivation realms had different sections. Su Yu headed straight for the Yangxing section. Here, several people recognized him, and Su Yu even spotted some intermediate class students. Right then, someone hastily called out, "Class Monitor!" Su Yu turned his head, smiled, and nodded. "Chen Ming, you're here." By this point, many people had noticed Su Yu, wondering curiously what he was doing here. There weren't many missions in the Yangxing section. For geniuses, these trivial, petty missions were beneath notice—they consumed too much time and offered few benefits. The student addressed as Chen Ming chuckled. "I came to take a few small missions to supplement my pocket money. Class Monitor, if you came to accept a mission, there aren't really any suitable for you..." Su Yu smiled. "I'm not here to accept a mission; I'm here to post one!" Looking troubled, Su Yu said, "Haven't I been nurturing a 'Kill' divine character? Lately, I've felt that its killing intent isn't dense enough. I was thinking of finding a suitable place to temper and hone it, so I came to ask if there's any appropriate place I could go..." "The Demon Battle Field!" "Too expensive. I don't have the money to go, not to mention my accumulated merit points haven't reached two hundred yet." Su Yu laughed self-deprecatingly. Someone nearby chimed in, "Then in the Great Xia Prefecture, there aren't many places to temper a 'Kill' divine character. It's either the battlefield, or places with heaps of dead bodies and heavy killing intent..." "Indeed!" Su Yu nodded with a headache. "I'm looking for one as well. "Chen Ming, I've been recuperating from injuries these past few days. Do you know of any suitable places?" Chen Ming looked awkward; he truly didn't know. A young man beside him laughed and said, "Believe it or not, I actually know a place that suits you perfectly! Do you know about the All-Races Pit?" "What's that?" "It's the place where the Great Xia Prefecture captures and executes members of the myriad races. Severed heads roll everywhere, killing intent soars to the heavens, and death qi floods the air..." Su Yu said in surprise, "The corpses aren't incinerated?" "Nope. They leave the bodies exposed right there to strike terror into the rest of the All-Races Sect!" Su Yu said with astonishment, "That... seems a bit inhumane..." The speaker looked utterly exasperated. "Junior Su, they're enemies, traitors, race betrayers! Why be humane to them? You're just too kindhearted. That's why there have been some rumors flying around lately... saying you have some sort of connection with those students from the myriad races..." The moment those words came out, even more people turned their attention over. Everyone wanted to hear what Su Yu would say. Su Yu frowned slightly, then nodded. "I understand what Senior means, and I've heard about this matter too. But... I don't care to refute anything. To be honest, my principle has always been: if others don't offend me, I won't offend them. I know Xia Qing. When she sees me, she's very polite, so naturally I treat her warmly in return. As long as they can survive peacefully in the Human Realm, I believe we can be friends. But if they are genuine enemies, like members of the All-Races Sect, my hand won't waver when killing them! "As for her claiming to stand up for me..." Su Yu chuckled. "I don't know the full story either. Whatever. Frankly speaking, I have zero goodwill toward the Single Divine Character Faction. I don't care what their motives are—whether out of genuine kindness or malice, I accept it. Consider it compensation for teaching the Single Divine Character Faction a lesson." The student sighed. "Junior Su... you're still too young! If you just tacitly accept it like this, there could be trouble later. Many people in the military oppose associating with the myriad races. It's fine in the academy, but if you join the military after graduation, that will spell trouble." Su Yu smiled. "If others don't offend me, I won't offend them. I don't really care about external opinions. I walk upright and act honorably!" He didn't dwell on the topic, quickly changing the subject: "Could Senior tell me more about the All-Races Pit?" "Sure!" "..." This senior was very enthusiastic. In his view, the idea that students from the myriad races were Su Yu's friends was completely unbelievable; setting Su Yu up was far more likely. What true friend would sabotage someone like that? Su Yu was simply too young! He thought the other side harbored no ill intent, when in reality, the malice was glaringly obvious! He was simply too proud! Young geniuses were all like this. Until they suffered a loss, they never realized where they had stumbled. After discussing it for a while, Su Yu came to a sudden realization. "To think there's such a place within the borders of the Great Xia Prefecture... It really is a great spot to nurture killing intent!" Su Yu quickly added, "Senior Wang, if I want to go there, what conditions must be met?" "It's simple. You just need to file an application, but it requires approval from the academy. For you, there shouldn't be any problem. Post a mission, and once the academy approves it, you're set. However, a trip usually requires three people..." Su Yu nodded, thought for a moment, and suddenly asked, "Chen Ming, Senior Wang, are the two of you busy? If not, how about accompanying me on a trip? I'll pay... five merit points per person!" Su Yu added hurriedly, "I don't know many other people. Frankly speaking, with strangers, I'd worry about getting scammed. I'm familiar with Chen Ming, and Senior Wang just gave me such enthusiastic guidance—otherwise I wouldn't even know where to go. If five merit points aren't enough, I can add a bit more..." Hearing this, the onlookers grew restless. *Damn it!* *Five merit points!* *Su Yu, you fool, if you're posting a mission, call on us!* *Three points would be plenty!* It was just tagging along to make up the head count. Senior Wang looked embarrassed as well. "No, Junior Su, that's too much! Normally, for this sort of mission leaving the academy grounds, two or three merit points are more than enough. Since it doesn't leave the Great Xia Prefecture, the distance isn't far, and there's no real danger, people would even go for one point. Given that the All-Races Pit has some baleful qi, two points are plenty..." Su Yu smiled. "No, I never take advantage of others! Senior Wang guided me for so long just now; that was how I learned about such a place. If not for Senior, I would still be running around blindly. Think of how much time that saved me!" Su Yu glanced at the time and continued, "Today probably won't work. How about tomorrow? We'll go together tomorrow. I'll go post the mission in a moment—five merit points per person, recruiting just two people... It won't take long. I'll nurture my 'Kill' divine character for a bit, and we can come right back." Both Senior Wang and Chen Ming felt somewhat bashful. Yet neither refused. Five merit points! Mission merit points also counted toward accumulated merit points. Just for making a trip, they were making a massive profit! Su Yu... was truly generous! Senior Wang sighed inwardly. He had merely spoken up out of sympathy and offered a few pointers. Su Yu truly had the bearing of a great general; he was just a bit too straightforward! Regarding the students from the myriad races, he should have stepped forward to deny it immediately. Otherwise, letting the rumors brew would ruin his reputation. Su Yu possessed extraordinary talent; he was just too careless about minor matters. Su Yu acted decisively, quickly posting the mission. The academy actually charged a fee of one merit point just to post a mission. What a rip-off! All told, it would cost eleven merit points. Once the mission was posted, the two accepted it. Although others could have accepted it as well, Su Yu clearly only wanted those two. If anyone else accepted, it would be a slap in the face. Despite their envy, no one did so. …… Having posted the mission, Su Yu waved to Senior Wang and Chen Ming. "See you tomorrow at the entrance of the Primordial Spirit Research Institute. We'll leave in the morning and try to return by the afternoon. Half a day should be plenty!" With that, Su Yu called out loudly, "I'm heading out to nurture my divine character. It's still within this prefecture. If anything happens to me, it's murder by the Single Divine Character Faction, and I ask the academy to uphold justice for me!" "..." Many people in the hall heard him. The members of the Single Divine Character Faction wanted to curse his ancestors! *Screw your uncle!* *Who the hell wants to kill you all day long?!* *You're within the prefecture. Do you really think the Xia family of the Great Xia Prefecture is a pushover?* The All-Races Pit was located within the prefectural city, out in the suburbs, but wasn't that still within the boundaries of the prefectural city? Who would take the risk to eliminate you there? Unless it was someone from the All-Races Sect, and even then, they would have to be throwing their life away! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to say more. Making a big scene was better; sneaking around would only invite suspicion. As he walked out, Su Yu called out, "Tell Zhai Feng to wash his neck and wait! Yield the top spot! Is he even worthy of first place? When my 'Kill' divine character reaches great success, I hope he doesn't pee his pants in terror!" At these words, everyone finally understood why this fellow was going to nurture his 'Kill' divine character—it was to deal with Zhai Feng! Zhai Feng had indeed taken first place recently. After Zhan Hai dropped down, Zhai Feng challenged the original second place. It turned out that person wasn't in the academy, and being absent at the end of last month counted as a forfeit, allowing Zhai Feng to take first place. Meanwhile, Jiang Mu, who was ranked right behind, hadn't challenged either and remained third, leaving Zhai Feng as the current number one. The eyes of several students from the Single Divine Character Faction flickered. Once Su Yu left, they hurriedly departed as well. To notify Zhai Feng! Su Yu was going to nurture a divine character—and a bloodthirsty 'Kill' divine character at that. He was going to the All-Races Pit. If that divine character truly grew powerful there, drenched in soaring baleful qi, it would be quite formidable. Back in the hall. Someone chuckled. "Wang Zhishan, you lucky bastard. Just a few casual words and you landed such a sweet mission. Five merit points is no small sum. You're treating tonight!" Wang Zhishan chuckled. "No problem! Su Yu is truly generous! Frankly speaking, I couldn't bear to watch it either. Don't forget, back during the competition when people conceded over eight thousand matches, all of us benefited. And now... that Myriad Races Academy... heh! As long as you don't make an enemy of Su Yu, he's pleasant to everyone; he treats anyone as a friend. That Xia Qing claiming to be his friend—do you believe it?" Chen Ming hurriedly chimed in, "Class Monitor Su is precisely that kind of person. As long as you don't provoke him, he's good to everyone. Toward the Myriad Races Academy, the class monitor was just being civil. Someone is probably setting him up on purpose, or that Xia Qing took it upon herself! Either way, I don't believe the class monitor has any deep involvement with them!" Having received benefits, the two of them naturally helped Su Yu spread good publicity and clear his name. The others smiled, and no one refuted them. Saying too much was pointless anyway. Those who refused to believe wouldn't change their minds no matter what was said, while those who knew it was fake yet insisted on believing it harbored malicious intentions. Explaining anything to either group was useless. They dropped the subject and began discussing the All-Races Pit instead. "The baleful qi in the All-Races Pit is very dense. Wang Zhishan, you two be careful when you go; don't let it batter your sea of will." "When Su Yu returns, will he challenge Zhai Feng?" "Hard to say. I don't think Zhai Feng is necessarily his match!" "Su Yu has kept a very low profile. He only fought a few matches on the Top 100 Arena, and he was forced into all of them..." "By the way, people from the War Academy are coming early next month. They won't provoke Su Yu, will they? As the number one of this year's freshmen, Su Yu's strength is nothing to scoff at. He can even fight for the top of the Top 100. Those fellows better not be stupid enough to provoke him!" "I actually hope they do provoke him. That would be entertaining! We've always been the ones suffering losses in the past. If those brutes from the War Academy dare talk nonsense this time, they'd better watch out or Su Yu will beat them to a pulp!" "..." The crowd chatted animatedly, not paying much mind to Su Yu's trip to the All-Races Pit. He hadn't even known about the All-Races Pit beforehand; Wang Zhishan had brought it up on the spot. Who could possibly find fault with that? That place was indeed suitable for nurturing a divine character. A very fine place indeed! …… Meanwhile. Zhai Feng also received the news and let out a cold snort! "The All-Races Pit... nurturing a divine character!" *Su Yu plans to nurture his divine character and come back to fight me?* Beside him, Huang Qifeng asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother Zhai, should we stop him?" "Stop him for what?!" Zhai Feng said coldly, "I was worried he wouldn't dare come looking for me! It seems he's indeed lacking confidence, needing to boost his strength before daring to come. Why stop him? If we stop him and he keeps hiding, am I supposed to keep waiting for him?" Without dealing with Su Yu, Zhou Pingsheng likely wouldn't permit him to advance to the Tengkong Realm. His mission was to suppress Su Yu! Once he crushed Su Yu, he would naturally be able to advance. Zhai Feng wished Su Yu would hurry up and challenge him! "Let him go! The All-Races Pit... nurturing killing intent. Does he really think I've never killed anyone or seen blood?" Zhai Feng snorted coldly. It wasn't as if he had never killed anyone; he had even killed Tengkong experts! *You, Su Yu, think you can scare the wits out of me just by nurturing a bit of killing intent?* *That's looking down on me far too much!* Huang Qifeng said quietly, "Senior Brother Zhai... do you think his going out right now is some kind of conspiracy?" "..." Zhai Feng gave him an exasperated glare! *Conspiracy my ass!* *An insidious villain like you sees conspiracies in everyone! The man is going openly and honestly to nurture a divine character. He didn't even know where to go and asked right on the spot—how could that be a conspiracy? Has water gotten into your brain?* He couldn't be bothered to pay Huang Qifeng any mind. With Zheng Yuming gone, Zhai Feng reigned supreme among their generation; there was no need to indulge Huang Qifeng.