A Genius Draws the Eye

The next day. Early in the morning, outside the entrance of the Primordial Spirit Research Institute. Both Wang Zhishan and Chen Ming had arrived. Watching the genius students and powerful researchers bustling back and forth, both of them felt a touch of envy in their eyes. Birds of a feather flocked together. Unless one stood at that height, the circle one moved in was entirely different. People like them usually interacted with ordinary students at best, whereas Su Yu's circle was filled almost entirely with renowned geniuses. After a brief wait, Su Yu walked out. "Sorry to keep you two waiting!" Su Yu checked the time. It was barely seven in the morning; the two had arrived quite early. Chen Ming hastily said, "Class Monitor, we were the ones who showed up too early." Su Yu smiled and said no more on the matter, quickly continuing, "Then let's head to the All-Races Pit." The three set off together. Instead of walking the whole way, they first stopped by the Beast Taming College to rent an earth dragon beast. It had a massive build suited for multiple riders, and while its strength was only mediocre, it had a thick, durable hide. Renting it for a day cost one merit point. It was not expensive, and above all, it was convenient. As for cars, encountering rugged terrain made them impractical; a demon beast like this was far better suited to the environment. *** Outside the Civilization Academy. Su Yu and his two companions rode atop the earth dragon beast. It moved swiftly, its back remarkably level with barely any jostling. Pedestrians on the streets paid it no heed. This was the Great Xia Prefecture, the seat of the provincial capital. In a place like this, powerful experts taking to the air were a common sight on any given day. Riding demon beasts was likewise nothing unusual. Naturally, a permit was generally required; without a license, one was forbidden to fly or ride demon beasts, preventing gridlock in the capital's traffic. The Civilization Academy, of course, held the qualifications for it. As the earth dragon beast bounded onward, Wang Zhishan, worried Su Yu might not know the circumstances, quickly said, "Su Yu, it'll take about an hour to reach the All-Races Pit. That's where members of the All-Races Sect are usually executed. The place isn't particularly dangerous, but after some experts die, they leave behind quite a bit of resentment and baleful aura. Don't go near the pit itself to nurture your divine character; just find a spot where the baleful aura is faint enough." "Senior Wang makes a good point." Su Yu nodded and said nothing further, keeping his eyes on the changes in his perception jade. Venturing outside, he dared not let down his guard now. As for Old Wan's promise that no one at or above the Shanhai Realm would make a move on him... well, who knew if Old Wan's word could be trusted? It was better to be cautious. The perception jade flickered from time to time, mostly glowing blue. That meant someone in the Tengkong Realm was observing him! Su Yu was not surprised. The Great Xia Prefecture had plenty of Tengkong Realm cultivators, and there could easily be some standing right by the roadside. While caution was necessary, there was no need to panic. He had not detected anyone in the Lingyun Realm yet. He could not tell whether they simply lacked interest in watching them or if he simply had not crossed paths with any. *** Meanwhile. In the outskirts of the Great Xia Prefecture. Inside a sprawling manor compound. This belonged to a prominent family on the outskirts, possessing considerable local fame. While they could not compare to the great clans and prominent lineages within the city, they still had Tengkong experts overseeing the estate, and more than one Tengkong cultivator had emerged from their ranks. In a basement. The surrounding wards were currently active, the lighting dim. "Su Yu is heading to the All-Races Pit!" Several figures flickered indistinctly in the darkness of the basement. "Su Yu... now that's a big fish! His bounty was previously five thousand contribution points, and now it's gone up—a full eight thousand points, provided he's captured alive!" A moment later, an old woman spoke in a shrill voice. "I know. I heard he set up some kind of research institute to study... primordial spirit apertures? Did the higher-ups actually take that seriously? A wet-behind-the-ears kid who just enrolled, claiming he can discover a primordial spirit aperture that not even an Invincible has found—do you believe that?" Her tone dripped with disdain and skepticism. Primordial spirit apertures! The institute had only been established yesterday, and the news had already spread today. In the Great Xia Prefecture... secrets were hard to keep, as was true in every prefecture. Still, Su Yu had opened three hundred apertures, which was precisely why many thought he had a chance of succeeding. Perhaps he really had discovered something! To the old woman's left, a white-haired old man sat puffing on a water pipe. Amidst the swirling smoke, he chuckled and said, "Whether we believe it or not doesn't matter. What matters is that the higher-ups are interested. In fact, plenty of people are interested in him. Opening three hundred apertures... and in how much time? I doubt it's purely for the primordial spirit apertures; his very body makes excellent research material. What's more, he's mastered the cultivation method of the Soul Devour Art, and he's likely inherited some of the Wen Tan Research Center's data on innate blood essence..." Su Yu's worth was by no means low! If they could genuinely take him alive and pry something from his lips, it would far exceed eight thousand contribution points. "There's also the Xia Family's Heaven-Cleaving Blade. What he cultivates is top-grade Heaven rank, and rumors say he knows several other Heaven-rank techniques... That fellow's value is immense." When the old man finished, the old woman frowned upon hearing this. "The Xia Family's Heaven-Cleaving Blade... This is the Great Xia Prefecture; coveting that is seeking death! If the Xia Family dared to pass it down, they aren't afraid of people knowing. The question is, who would dare learn it? Without the Xia Family's permission, even if our people reached the Sun Moon Realm after using it... they still wouldn't escape the Xia Family's hunt!" It was best not to entertain ideas about that! It was suicide! The old man smiled. "I'm not setting my sights on the Heaven-Cleaving Blade, nor would the higher-ups necessarily dare to practice it. But if we can learn it, even if just to seal it away or study it, we could gain some insight into the Xia Family." The Heaven-Cleaving Blade... Countless people coveted it. Over the years, aside from those authorized by the Xia Family, it was not as though no one had ever acquired it. Without exception, however, anyone who exposed that they knew it did not live long. As for whether anyone currently knew it and kept it hidden, that remained unknown. In any case, no one dared use it in public, such was the Xia Family's might. Even if it were given to you, you wouldn't dare learn it! Moving on from the Xia Family, the old man glanced around at the other people present. Counting him and the old woman, there were five in total. There was also a young man, an attractive young woman, and a figure who looked like a young child. "Well, everyone... what do you say? Are we making a move? The area around the All-Races Pit is crawling with Longwu Guards, and once he enters the city, we won't dare act. If we really strike, there's a stretch of road between the All-Races Pit and the inner city—about twenty li. We can't get too close to the inner city, nor can we approach the All-Races Pit... A span of ten li at most. That will be our window of opportunity." Ten li, at the speed of an earth dragon beast, would take barely five minutes to cross. If they were going to act, that was their chance. The child who had not spoken until now spoke up in a tender voice, "Su Yu is a genius of the Civilization Academy. When he steps outside, is there someone secretly acting as his Dao Protector? That's the crux of the matter! If someone is protecting him from the shadows... then we're walking straight into our graves!" The old man took another drag from his water pipe and smiled. "Chen Yong hasn't left Cangshu Pavilion, that much is certain. As for anyone else... I wouldn't know. The information from above says Su Yu left with two students: one hasn't even reached the Yangxing Realm, and the other only entered it recently. Su Yu himself... isn't weak. Cultivators at the first or second layer of the Tengkong Realm might not even be able to take him down." They had not underestimated Su Yu in the slightest. Their assessment was that low-layer Tengkong cultivators might not be able to subdue him, so sending a single low-layer Tengkong would certainly fail. For a new student, this was an exceptionally high evaluation of strength. After all, Su Yu was someone capable of taking the top spot on the Top 100 Rankings. "What about Hong Tan? Could he appear?" "..." At the mention of Hong Tan, several of them fell silent. That, they had no way of knowing. A half-step Sun Moon expert was far beyond their ability to fathom. The child's voice remained youthful, yet carried a hint of worry. "My fear is that Hong Tan shows up. If he does, we're as good as dead! Would a genius like Su Yu really step outside without a shred of protective measures?" Putting themselves in the academy's shoes, if such a genius belonged to them, they would certainly assign a Dao Protector. The old woman snapped sharply, "Where would the Multiple Divine Characters Faction find the manpower! Chen Yong is their strongest right now, and Hong Tan is in seclusion trying to break through to the Sun Moon Realm—how could he possibly come out! Bai Feng went to the All-Heavens Battlefield, so who else is there to help them? Do you think elders like Wu Yuehua have nothing better to do than spend all day and night guarding a single student?" Seeing that the others still remained quiet, the old woman said in mounting irritation, "Eight thousand contribution points for capturing him! Divided equally among the five of us, that's sixteen hundred points each. It's more than enough to exchange for treasures, perhaps even giving us a shot at reaching the Lingyun Realm... Otherwise, are we just going to idle our lives away hoping to reach Lingyun? If we don't take risks like this, will we ever get a chance?" Su Yu was currently the weakest target, yet carried the highest bounty. A full eight thousand contribution points—even assassinating a Lingyun expert wouldn't yield that much. The crucial point was that a genius like him might be carrying other fine treasures. Such as cultural weapons—even if an incompatible cultural weapon was difficult to use—or secret cultivation arts, as long as it wasn't the Heaven-Cleaving Blade. Or blood essence, yuanqi liquid, or even other natural treasures. A genius was likely to carry these on his person, given that Su Yu was heading out to cultivate. The group fell silent for a long while. The old man tapped his pipe against the ground, and the old woman quieted down. Only after a pause did the old man speak. "Establishing this stronghold wasn't easy! All five of us are in the Tengkong Realm. Lurking here all these years, we've provided plenty of intelligence to the sect. Our contributions haven't been small, and our annual harvest isn't bad either—we can pull in two to three hundred contribution points a year..." For a few Tengkong cultivators, that was hardly a meager sum. Back when Bai Feng was at the academy, he only earned three to four hundred merit points a year. Yet compared to capturing Su Yu, a single job would be worth seven or eight years of their labor. Su Yu himself posed little threat to them; what was terrifying was the possibility of a Dao Protector. That would make it perilous. The old man pondered for a moment before continuing, "Crazy Hag, go scout along the route. You don't have to strike. Unless we confirm there's no Dao Protector, everyone must tread carefully. We've lurked here for so many years; we can't afford to ruin ourselves over a single mission! "Also, check with the higher-ups again on whether Su Yu truly has someone protecting him. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction might have no one left to spare, but the Civilization Academy itself is hard to say..." The old woman said shrilly, "Fine, I'll go have a look! There's no rush; we won't act on his way there. We'll wait until his return!" At this moment, the young woman in the basement suddenly smiled. "The boy and I will go observe as well. We'll get closer to the All-Races Pit to look around. If there really is an expert trailing him, there should be some sort of ripple." "All right!" The old man nodded and said solemnly, "If we don't strike, so be it, but if we do, we must be completely certain! Eight thousand contribution points aren't handed out easily. If it were truly simple, they wouldn't offer such a price. We'll treat him as though he were a Lingyun expert. If we act, we go all out—all five of us striking together!" Among the five, both the young woman and the old woman were at the seventh layer of the Tengkong Realm, while he was at the ninth layer. The child and the young man were at the fifth and third layers, respectively. With strength like this, they could put up a fight even against a Lingyun expert. If their target was truly just Su Yu alone, it would naturally be effortless. *** The earth dragon beast sprinted rapidly. Wang Zhishan and Chen Ming chatted in hushed voices, while Su Yu looked around with an air of curiosity, appearing as though he had never left the city before. It was not that he had never set foot outside; he had seen the sights when he first entered the city back then. Even so, one had to admit that the Great Xia Prefecture was indeed remarkably prosperous and powerful. Even on the outskirts, traffic bustled and the clamor of voices filled the air. Wang Zhishan reminded him, "We'll be there soon. The earth dragon beast is fast, and there are fewer people on the outskirts, so we'll arrive in no time." The inner city was actually immense, and traveling from the Civilization Academy to the city gates took a long time. Once out here, they were already quite close to the All-Races Pit. Su Yu smiled and gave a slight nod, the perception jade in his mind continuously running. There were far fewer experts in the outskirts, and the perception jade barely shifted. After the earth dragon beast ran for a while, the crowds thinned out. The road ahead opened up wide, with far fewer pedestrians. Just then, the perception jade in Su Yu's mind shifted slightly. Blue! A Tengkong cultivator was observing him! Showing no sign of disturbance, Su Yu glanced around as though admiring the scenery and smiled. "Senior Wang, are there many Tengkong experts outside the city?" Wang Zhishan chuckled. "Tengkong cultivators are generally the backbone of our forces, and there are quite a few around the Great Xia Prefecture. There are plenty outside the city too—some passing through, others settled nearby." "Settled?" Su Yu asked curiously. "Yuanqi is much denser inside the city. Why wouldn't they go inside? Shouldn't a Tengkong cultivator have the capital for that?" Wang Zhishan explained, "There are too many experts in the city. A lone Tengkong cultivator going inside might not count for much of an important figure, but out in the suburbs, their status is quite high. Some Tengkong experts even own businesses out here—mines, factories, and the like. It's no worse than being in the city, and it's less likely to offend major powerhouses." Su Yu nodded. At that moment, his gaze brushed past an old woman. Without lingering, his eyes shifted away immediately, as if merely casting a casual glance. The old woman was walking slowly along the roadside. Seeing the earth dragon beast approaching, she yielded a bit of the way. Su Yu paid her no heed, but vigilance stirred in his heart. *It should be her, right?* *A Tengkong Realm cultivator!* *And so low-key?* Nowadays, it was normal for experts to keep a low profile, but keeping such a low profile that she gave way to an earth dragon beast... that was hardly normal. Did Tengkong cultivators have so little face? Yielding the road the moment she saw an earth dragon beast? They had encountered several Tengkong cultivators earlier along the road, and none of them had moved aside unless someone was blocking their path dead center. This old woman had already been at the side of the road—why yield at all? Su Yu said nothing. The earth dragon beast sped forward, leaving the spot behind. Behind them, the old woman continued strolling slowly. Once Su Yu was gone, the old woman glanced after him and walked a short distance further, waiting for about two or three minutes. She verified that no one was truly following, unless it was someone in the Shanhai Realm. Otherwise, even with a Lingyun expert, she would have sensed some inkling. "No one!" "He really has some nerve!" The old woman was somewhat surprised. On second thought, however, the kid probably believed that traveling within the borders of the Great Xia provincial capital was safe, so not bringing anyone made sense. Besides... there might not even be anyone available to escort him. Saying nothing more, the old woman silently continued on her way. *** At the same time. High up in the air. A middle-aged man traversed the void. He cast a glance down at the old woman below, his brow furrowing slightly. Without a word, he sped away. Down below, the old woman failed to notice the slightest anomaly. As the middle-aged man tore through the air, he transmitted his voice through a transmission talisman. "Elder Hu, there are quite a few Tengkong cultivators along the way, but they're all known figures with verifiable backgrounds. I haven't spotted anything out of the ordinary! By the way, Su Yu brought his own guardian beasts—two in the Lingyun Realm." Back in the Great Xia Prefecture. Chief Hu let out a chuckle. *This little rascal certainly prepared thoroughly; he's quite afraid of dying, isn't he?* Just taking a trip to the All-Races Pit, and he actually brought along two Lingyun guardian beasts. "The All-Races Pit..." To nurture a divine character? Chief Hu sank into thought. Was he truly going just to nurture a divine character? The Primordial Spirit Research Institute had just been founded, yet instead of staying there, Su Yu was running off to the All-Races Pit. Feeling doubtful, he said nothing more and quickly replied, "Keep following him, and be careful! Even though the primordial spirit aperture is merely a concept, Su Yu has opened three hundred apertures. Plenty of people have their eyes on him." Caution was still warranted. The primordial spirit aperture was merely a concept that had not actually been discovered. If it were truly found... that would no longer be something a single Shanhai expert could hold back. It would be enough to reshape the entire landscape of the Human Realm, likely escalating into a situation where Invincibles were ambushed and slain. Of course, that assumed Su Yu had not leaked the information. If the knowledge became public, killing Su Yu would no longer serve much purpose. Chief Hu was even pondering whether they should swiftly take over the institute the moment Su Yu truly discovered the primordial spirit aperture. At that thought, he suddenly laughed at himself. He was actually contemplating what to do once Su Yu succeeded! How amusing! *** The All-Races Pit drew near. From far away, a plume of blood-red haze could be seen drifting through the air, as if the area were blanketed in a bloody mist. Even from a distance, Su Yu could sense the killing intent. He could not help remarking, "Just how many people have been killed here?" Wang Zhishan gave a bitter smile. "Don't you know our Manor Lord? Everyone in the Great Xia Prefecture knows he leaves no survivors—he has heads rolling every few days! Our Great Xia Prefecture has prisons, but no condemned convicts on death row; death row prisoners are either sent to the All-Heavens Battlefield or dragged out here to be beheaded. It's been decades—how many people do you think have died here?" Su Yu recalled that back then, he had frequently watched Xia Longwu carrying out executions on television. At least once a month, with no fewer than a dozen decapitated each time. In a year, that was at least over a hundred people. And that was during normal times. This year, with the All-Races Sect stirring up trouble, thousands had been beheaded across various incidents. By that calculation, this All-Races Pit had buried at least tens of thousands of people, perhaps even more. And all of them were cultivators! Their vigorous vitality, combined with the dispersed willpower of certain Civilization Masters, caused the baleful aura in this place to seethe furiously. "The Manor Lord's slaughterous aura is indeed terrifyingly heavy!" Su Yu nodded. Only a Manor Lord like this could keep the Great Xia Prefecture under control, making the All-Races Sect think twice before causing trouble here. He had heard that in other major prefectures, members of the All-Races Sect dared to show their faces in broad daylight to preach their doctrines. Ahead lay the All-Races Pit. Su Yu already spotted the Longwu Guards! The Longwu Guards patrolled this place regularly. Arriving here, Su Yu's earth dragon beast dared go no further. Several hundred meters from the All-Races Pit stood a rest pavilion alongside several hitching posts. Guards were stationed here as well. Seeing Su Yu's earth dragon beast, the stationed soldier promptly called out, "From the Great Xia Civilization Academy? How long are you staying? Keeping the earth dragon beast here costs one merit point per day!" "..." Helpless, Su Yu grumbled inwardly. *Highway robbery!* *Why does everyone in the Great Xia Prefecture resort to robbing people at the drop of a hat these days?* Helpless though he was, he still had to park it. It was a monopoly—take it or leave it. If he refused and the earth dragon beast ran off, Su Yu would have to compensate the academy hundreds of merit points. He dismounted the earth dragon beast and began securing it. Beside them, a young woman leading a child was also tethering her mount. A Cloud-Galloping Horse! Su Yu had seen one before; he had ridden one during the Higher Academy Examination. The woman was quite formidable! A Tengkong Realm cultivator! The perception jade sent a blue warning, but Su Yu did not pay it much mind. It was normal; Tengkong cultivators were plentiful and could be met everywhere in the Great Xia Prefecture. As if sensing Su Yu's scrutiny, the woman turned to glance at him, offering a smile and a nod. Holding the child's hand, she said to the guard, "Xiao Zhang, I'm just going inside to collect some baleful aura and will be right back out. Waive the fee this time, won't you? Your rates are far too steep!" The guard seemed to know her and smiled. "Madam Zhang, these aren't my rules; they were laid down by the Marquis. Once parked, it's at least one merit point! Otherwise, if the horse is lost, we won't be held responsible!" "Black-hearted scoundrels!" The woman scolded with a chuckle and pressed no further, leading the child toward the All-Races Pit nearby. Su Yu glanced in that direction but chose not to pry. After a thought, however, he whispered, "Brother, taking a child in there... won't something go wrong?" Waiting until the woman and child had walked some distance away, the guard chuckled and said, "That's Madam Zhang, the young mistress of a prominent family nearby. Her child was injured during cultivation and needs the baleful aura to suppress the backlash. It'll be fine." Su Yu nodded. He had simply felt that bringing a child inside seemed somewhat inappropriate, but upon hearing this explanation, he said nothing more. Asking no further questions, Su Yu walked toward the pit. The All-Races Pit was massive, bordered entirely by enclosing walls primarily meant to prevent people from wandering in by mistake. A breach had been opened in the wall, guarded by a squad of Longwu Guards. The guards stationed here were all at the peak of the Wanshi Realm, and there was likely a Tengkong expert concealed in the shadows. Su Yu sensed the shift in his perception jade, but paid it little heed. Su Yu presented the academy's mission token. After inspecting it, the Longwu Guard quickly said, "You may enter. Pay five merit points. In addition, do not venture into the depths; those who died down there were all powerful experts. Don't go harboring any strange ideas. You students always love to daydream, wishing some expert had left behind a legacy for you to pick up. Could a legacy from the All-Races Sect ever compare to the academy's heritage?" The man spoke bluntly, addressing what many people fantasized about. With that, he added a warning: "Where powerful experts die, the killing intent and baleful aura are intense. Once they batter your sea of will, it's entirely common for someone in the Yangxing Realm to suffer a complete collapse of their sea of will. I assume you know the price of that, so don't act recklessly!" "Thank you for the warning, Brother!" Su Yu expressed his thanks with a smile. "I won't go looking for death." "Good that you understand. Head on in!" Su Yu nodded, leading Wang Zhishan and Chen Ming inside. The moment they stepped through, a foul stench assaulted their nostrils—the odor of decay. It was suffocating! Not far away, the young woman was collecting the blood-baleful aura drifting through the air. The child stood beside her as wisps of blood-baleful aura entered his body, seemingly suppressing his injuries. He was so young; could something have gone wrong while opening his yuan apertures? Su Yu speculated internally, but refrained from meddling in other people's affairs. Not planning to linger here, Su Yu walked deeper inside. After a few steps, his brow suddenly furrowed. *I'm just passing by, so why do you keep watching me?* His perception jade changed color once more. It had changed color several times already! It had to be that woman observing him. Watching him once was one thing, but repeatedly staring—did she take him for someone without a temper? Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been able to detect it. Yet didn't he have the perception jade? Frowning, Su Yu kept quiet, feeling a growing suspicion. *We're complete strangers, so why do you keep watching me? Something isn't right!* The other party was someone the guards recognized, evidently belonging to a prominent local household, not to mention being a Tengkong expert herself. He hadn't paid it any mind earlier, but now... he couldn't help being suspicious. *Damn it!* Between strangers, was it normal for a Tengkong expert to constantly observe a student from the shadows? Beside him, Wang Zhishan and Chen Ming were completely oblivious to anything amiss. Su Yu kept his brow furrowed and said nothing, continuing to stride forward. The All-Races Pit was truly an enormous crater. However, roads skirted its perimeter, allowing one to walk along the paths toward the deeper sections without having to descend into the pit itself to endure the stench of decay, though it wasn't much better up above. As Su Yu kept walking forward, the perception jade finally ceased changing color. The woman had stopped observing him. Even so, Su Yu remained on high alert. That person had tracked him with her gaze across several hundred meters; staring from such a distance meant she was quite likely up to no good! As for the possibility that his good looks had caught her eye... that was technically possible. Yet Su Yu had zero interest in her! Her child was already that big. Young though she looked, who knew if she was in her fifties or sixties? Did she really want a taste of tender grass? *** Once Su Yu had walked far away, the woman transmitted her voice: "Any issues?" Beside her, the child likewise transmitted his voice: "Nothing detected, but that fellow... his yuanqi is ridiculously dense!" His voice carried a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred! That yuanqi, even with Su Yu concealing much of it, gave the impression of a ferocious beast! Was this what a genius looked like? Opening that many apertures! A flash of jealousy surfaced in the child's eyes. Back in his day, he had only opened seventy-two apertures before advancing to the Tengkong Realm; compared to Su Yu, the gap was astronomical. The woman gathered a bit more baleful aura and transmitted, "If there's no problem, let's head back first. Stay close to me so no one detects you." With the child at her side, she exposed her own Tengkong aura to mask the child's anomaly. Even if others sensed a Tengkong presence, they would generally assume it was hers, never suspecting that the child was also in the Tengkong Realm. The child transmitted, "We aren't making a move here?" "Fool!" The woman cursed under her breath! This was the All-Races Pit! There were Longwu Guards stationed outside. While killing someone in here might indeed be relatively safe, once they left and the students were discovered dead, they would be hunted relentlessly across the lands. After all, they had left behind numerous traces, and the Zhang family... carried a degree of prestige around here. Throwing away everything just to kill Su Yu would be absurd. If they struck, it had to be done covertly so that no one could trace it back to them. What's more, their goal wasn't merely to kill Su Yu—it was best to capture him alive. "We'll talk once we get back. Crazy Hag has already returned!" The woman ignored him, knowing his jealousy had flared up. Envying geniuses and resenting them was a common malady among many people. A genius like Su Yu was envied by friends, revered by the weak, and naturally despised by enemies. *Why couldn't I open hundreds of apertures?* *It's not that I'm stupid; it's that I lacked Su Yu's fortunes and backing...* Such was the mindset of these people! Rebuked, the child felt a prick of irritation, but said no more, following the woman out. Before leaving, he cast another glance toward Su Yu's back as it vanished into the bloody haze, a glint of cold malice surfacing in his eyes. What did being a genius matter? He was still doomed! No Dao Protector! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly had fallen into decline. Otherwise, in years past, a genius of this caliber would have had at least a Lingyun expert acting as his Dao Protector. Yet today, there was no sign of anyone at all.