Genius Researcher

Silence! Shock! At this moment, the basement was so quiet that only the sound of heavy breathing remained. They had seen it with their own eyes! The immense repulsive force had vanished. Zhao Ming, the strongest researcher present, stared with eyes wide and mouth agape, completely dumbfounded. *Am I dreaming? Did I not wake up yet? Right, I definitely didn't get enough sleep last night.* Meanwhile, Xia Huyou and the others were shocked beyond words. Nothing could adequately describe what they were feeling. The next instant, Xia Huyou suddenly said in a low voice, "Lock down this place!" He snapped his gaze toward Su Yu, then looked at the others, his voice grave. "This matter is of monumental importance. Su Yu, I..." At that moment, an innate aura of authority inexplicably radiated from this son of the Manor Lord. It was simply too shocking! This cultivation art... could never be leaked to the outside world! The moment it spread, immense trouble would follow. Aperture repulsion was suppressed. If word got out across the Human Realm, it could trigger massive wars. Whether to weaken the human race's strength or to seize this technique, it would spell catastrophe. Eliminating a portion of the repulsive force was normal enough, but making it vanish entirely... was terrifying! Su Yu, on the other hand, did not mind at all. He chuckled. "It's not that exaggerated! To put it bluntly, how many apertures you open still depends on your own talent. Some people only ever open thirty-six apertures in their lives. If you have them cultivate this and open another thirty-six, what's the point? The time they spend fusing apertures wouldn't even be as long as opening those extra thirty-six!" This technique was only suitable for geniuses. It was meant to save time for geniuses. Speechless and somewhat anxious, Xia Huyou retorted, "To put it bluntly, the future of the human race depends on geniuses! Once this technique comes out, how many geniuses will benefit from it?!" Those who opened thirty-six or seventy-two apertures had little hope of ever stepping into the Shanhai Realm. However, those who opened 108 or 144 apertures were the true backbone of the future Shanhai and Sun Moon Realms. Once this technique emerged, even if they did not switch cultivation arts, it could save them years of effort. And that was merely during the Wanshi Realm! What about once they reached Shanhai? When fusing into a single aperture, it might also prove immensely useful! If it proved tremendously useful even for Shanhai cultivators, the consequences would be staggering. In no time, the human race would produce a fresh batch of Shanhai experts. Su Yu smiled. "It hasn't reached that point yet. I know what you're worried about—that the number of Shanhai experts might multiply. But... it probably won't be that effective for Shanhai. Thirty-six apertures can't suppress the repulsion of the ultimate aperture fusion in the Shanhai Realm. It can only be said to have a decent effect, but to claim it can directly suppress the repulsive force for Shanhai cultivators is likely impossible." "Even so..." Xia Huyou wanted to say more, but Su Yu waved his hand. "This won't be spread outside!" "But..." Xia Huyou glanced at the others, his gaze soon settling on Zhou Hao. He suddenly declared, "My Xia family will soon place all of you under surveillance and file official records! Since Su Yu taught this to everyone, I know you all understand what this technique represents!" As he spoke, Su Yu smiled. "You want to report this back to the Xia family?" Xia Huyou fell silent. After a moment, he nodded. "I must report it back! Su Yu, I understand what you're thinking. You think it won't necessarily leak if it stays within our small circle, and that taking it to the Xia family might blow things out of proportion. But... I have to take it back! Not only do I have to take it back, I want to inform my father and my second granduncle... Of course, without your permission, the Xia family will not spread it to outsiders..." At this moment, he no longer concealed his identity. The implications were too vast! He truly hadn't expected that opening a research institute almost as a joke would yield an earth-shattering breakthrough in just one week. Su Yu gave a faint smile. "If you want to report it to the Xia family, go ahead. I won't stop you! But that debt with Marquis Xia is cleared!" "..." Xia Huyou stared at him. A debt of three hundred thousand points. Cleared! "Agreed!" Xia Huyou nodded. "However, if that debt is cleared, the Xia family should be allowed to teach it!" Su Yu replied with a faint smile, "Teach it? No, absolutely not! Unless it's a few core members of the Xia family's direct lineage, it is forbidden! I'm only permitting your Xia family to keep a backup copy as a legacy. Unless I agree to it myself one day, nobody else may learn it! Of course, if I die, you can spread it however you like. You can even claim you invented it!" Giving it to the Xia family was merely keeping a backup. Three hundred thousand points to buy him out completely? Keep dreaming! Xia Huyou remained silent for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Later on, my father or my second granduncle will step forward to negotiate with you. Let's not discuss that for now!" With that, he turned to the others. Hu Qiusheng was from Chief Hu's household; he could be trusted. Wu Jia was Su Yu's senior sister; there was no reason to doubt her. Wu Lan was from the Wu family, a prominent clan in the Great Xia Prefecture. Zheng Yunhui... this fellow was already struck dumb. Xia Huyou barked, "Zheng Yunhui, if you dare leak a single word, I'll have your grandfather execute you with his own hands!" "..." Zheng Yunhui felt wronged! *Fuck!* *When did I ever say I was going to leak it?* *I'm just expressing my utter shock! I was just thinking that the twenty thousand merit points I chipped in were damn well worth it! And the most crucial point is, those merit points were earned alongside Su Yu in the first place! I... I'm practically an investment genius!* *Without spending a single cent of my own, I actually gained such an incredible technique, even if I can't spread it to outsiders.* *Besides, Su Yu already said the Yuan-Purifying Art will still be given to the Zheng family.* Zheng Yunhui stared at Su Yu, a golden gleam in his eyes. *This isn't a human being; this is money! No, this isn't just money—this is a money tree that prints cash!* Ignoring him, Xia Huyou turned to Jiang Mu and Zhou Hao. He stated bluntly, "My father is Xia Longwu!" The two remained silent. Xia Huyou shed his customary grin, his voice cold. "Su Yu... I don't know what he was thinking, or why he trusts that you two won't leak it..." Su Yu curled his lip. He hadn't thought about it much, nor did he place absolute trust in them. He had only one thought: if it leaked, so what? To be frank, this technique offered tremendous help in elevating the strength of the human race, but for Su Yu himself, it was merely an auxiliary technique. Once he used it, its value to him dropped significantly. Moreover, at most, it was only effective up to the Shanhai Realm. It was nowhere near deciding the emergence of Invincibles! Shanhai cultivators were experts, regional overlords in their own right. Yet when facing all races, while Shanhai cultivators were strong, they could not determine the course of the myriad realms. What truly decided everything was the Invincible Realm. One could say this technique was extremely important. Or one could say it wasn't... At the very least, it would not trigger an all-out clash among the Invincibles. Even without this technique, geniuses would enter Shanhai sooner or later. With it, they would merely enter a few years earlier. That was the only difference. Xia Huyou lacked such detachment. At this moment, he said solemnly, "Gentlemen, just because Su Yu trusts you does not mean I trust you! Nor does it mean the Xia family trusts you! It's not that the Xia family doesn't want the human race to grow stronger, but some things... cannot simply be spread just because you want to spread them. Many factors must be considered!" "Why don't the Quest Realm and the War God Hall publicly distribute many of their cultivation arts? Even if I don't spell it out, everyone understands! The human race is not a monolith; there are scoundrels among us!" "The myriad races are also coveting our Human Realm!" "They do not want us to rise. They do not want us suppressing the myriad realms!" "That is why they obstruct us and cause trouble... If it truly comes down to war, the human race doesn't fear them. But what was originally meant to strengthen our forces might end up causing heavy losses instead. It wouldn't be worth it!" "Powerful races like the gods and demons are terrified of our rise, constantly inventing excuses to suppress us. We want to strike back, but... we also have to consider the consequences." "Many things can't be done just because we feel like doing them..." He said a great deal. Jiang Mu replied in a low voice, "We understand your point. We didn't expect this technique... to be shown to us directly either." He was truly surprised as well. Su Yu... was too damn generous! He had just let them see it like that? At this moment, neither of them could describe what they felt. There was gratitude and helplessness. *Even if you hid some of it, that would have been fine, but you showed us everything... Now, the Xia family's concerns are entirely justified.* Zhou Hao looked at Xia Huyou, then back at Su Yu, before saying gruffly, "Won't leak." "..." He offered only two words: he wouldn't leak it. Beyond that, he didn't know what to say. Xia Huyou felt helpless inside. Su Yu was the creator, not him. Su Yu... *you bastard, couldn't you be a little more cautious? You just hand out any technique you create!* He was nearly fuming with anger! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind. Looking at Zhou Hao, he asked, "Do you feel that the repulsive force has been completely suppressed?" "A tiny bit remains, but it's not very noticeable." "Just as I thought!" Su Yu said with regret, "In that case, once you reach Tengkong, Lingyun, and Shanhai... the repulsive force will be even greater. The suppression won't be enough. Opening thirty-six apertures probably won't suppress the repulsion when fusing into a single aperture in the Shanhai Realm. It will require at least seventy-two apertures! Unfortunately... a seventy-two aperture version probably can't be deduced." "..." Silence. Xia Huyou and the others stared at him, practically wishing for death. *Brother!* *Grandpa!* *You actually have the nerve to find fault with it?!* *Enough already!* As they stood there dumbfounded, Wu Lan suddenly asked, "Then if we're not spreading it, will... the name of the cultivation art still be announced publicly?" "..." Xia Huyou was about to lose his mind! *What kind of moment is this, and you're still worrying about that?!* Su Yu thought nothing of it and smiled. "Of course we will spread it. No problem at all. I still have stripped-down versions here. The overly weak ones can be discarded, but including this one, we can divide it into three versions! The first version opens eighteen apertures and suppresses about one-third of the repulsive force. The second version opens thirty-two apertures, which can be streamlined—perhaps thirty apertures will suffice—suppressing about two-thirds of the repulsive force..." The group stared at him blankly. *Just how many versions did you create?!* Zhao Ming asked almost frantically, "Su Yu... how did you do it?" Without wasting words, Su Yu ignited a divine character! The next instant, he stood like a colossus of intellect, bathed in the radiant glow of wisdom, smiling as his brilliance illuminated the surroundings. "Because... I am a wise man!" "My divine character provides me with an abundance of wisdom!" "..." He had spoken offhandedly, but Zhao Ming froze for a long while. "You... this divine character... is purely supportive? Is it... a divine character that enhances comprehension?" "Teacher has a sharp eye!" Su Yu retracted the 'Fire' divine character and smiled. "This is wisdom! I am already a genius to begin with. Combined with the boost from my divine character, everyone's cooperation, the collection and sorting of reference materials, and our faction's innate blood essence extraction method to reverse-engineer the innate abilities of certain races... only then did this cultivation art come into being." A supportive divine character that boosted comprehension and wisdom! Such a divine character was an absolute treasure! At this moment, Xia Huyou couldn't help but exclaim, "If you die, this divine character must be forged into a Sun Moon divine character and passed down! It might very well form a supreme mystic realm capable of driving all cultivators mad!" He believed it! At least, he believed most of it. Such a divine character was exceptionally rare. How had Su Yu comprehended it? "Which book did you comprehend it from..." "It wasn't from any book..." Su Yu explained, "Back then, I browsed through too many cultivation arts and noticed heavy homogenization among many of them. After that, a few ideas sparked, and it formed naturally. Would you believe that?" "I believe it!" Xia Huyou nodded. Zhao Ming's eyes flickered with emotion as well. "I believe it! Su Yu, you're... a monster! Such divine characters do exist, and people have comprehended them before—natural comprehension, taking shape as smoothly as water flowing into a channel. You... are truly a monster!" Jiang Mu bared his teeth and added, "I know of this too; it was mentioned in travelogues! In the past, someone did naturally comprehend a divine character. I never expected... I would see a living example!" What terrifying talent! What realm was Su Yu at? How much of the world had he even seen? Yet he had naturally comprehended a divine character! Such divine characters possessed all manner of incredible capabilities. Su Yu smiled. In truth, his 'Fire' character really could be considered naturally comprehended; back then, it had formed effortlessly and spontaneously. Many people assumed Su Yu had seen very little, but in reality, he had seen quite a lot. Over the years, he had read countless books. And as for the cultivation arts, texts of will, cultural arts, and divine arts he possessed... It was fair to say that while there might be individuals in the Great Xia Prefecture who knew more than him, there was likely no one whose repertoire spanned a broader variety of races. A single album had brought him far too much! He was constantly studying the cultivation arts of the myriad races of the heavens. He had even experienced them firsthand! That was something nobody else could replicate. Moreover, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was inherently a group of remarkably knowledgeable and extraordinarily talented figures. Bai Feng, Chen Yong, Hong Tan, and even Zhao Li—every exchange between them and Su Yu served to expand his knowledge. That was why Su Yu had been able to deduce the thirty-six apertures on his own this time. Although he had referenced a great deal and merely adapted certain elements, being able to compile thirty-six viable apertures was an undeniable display of skill. Su Yu smiled. "I think the first version can be made public. The second version can be passed on to select geniuses. The third version... is strictly limited to those present. None of you may spread it outside. As for whether I pass it down myself, that's my business!" The others all nodded. This was already more than enough to shock and satisfy them. Xia Huyou suddenly spoke with a trace of grievance, "Um... now that you've made this, doesn't that mean you'll reach the Wanshi Ninth Layer in no time?" With this technique available, the fifteen apertures he had spent countless hours fusing previously felt... felt like a complete waste of effort compared to taking a nap. Had he known earlier, he would have just waited for this technique to come out! Su Yu chuckled. "How could it be that fast? I observed the fusion progress on Zhou Hao. The repulsive force is gone, but one still has to carry out the fusion process. Fusing a single aperture takes at least three to five hours..." Su Yu calculated mentally and soon added, "Cultivating six or eight hours a day, one can only fuse two or three apertures a day at best. Advancing a single layer requires fusing fifteen times, so that will take at least five days!" Su Yu sighed. "In other words, reaching the Wanshi Ninth Layer will take at least a month or two. And that's under the premise that we cultivate for long hours and have no shortage of resources. For others... it will take at least several months, possibly even half a year! Furthermore, they still need to open the apertures. Thirty-six apertures in total. Zhou Hao and I already had many open, yet even he was short by ten. Others might be short by twenty or even thirty, which means spending more time opening apertures..." Doing the math, Su Yu concluded, "All told, it might take around a year. So in reality, it only saves people a year or two. It's nothing special." "..." *Fuck you!* *Are you even speaking human language?!* In the path of cultivation, saving someone several years was called "nothing special"?! Besides, opening more apertures inherently enhanced a cultivator's strength—at the very least, it provided greater combat endurance. Why didn't he mention that?! If geniuses had to open an extra ten or twenty apertures, they would do so gladly. Under normal circumstances, geniuses at the War Academy had to spend two to three years in the Wanshi Realm, and even then, they might not fuse all their apertures. Now, one could finish everything within a year and directly become a Wanshi Ninth Layer! And that didn't count as anything special?! Once all apertures were fused, merging into a single aperture in the Shanhai Realm would become much simpler, and advancing through Tengkong and Lingyun would be far smoother. That still didn't count as anything special?! This was enough to alter the entire trajectory of a person's life! Someone who might have remained in Lingyun for their entire life could potentially step into the Shanhai Realm because of this. Did Shanhai truly count for nothing in Su Yu's eyes?! Ignoring their reactions, Su Yu calculated his own timeline. Even if he fused three apertures a day, reaching the Wanshi Ninth Layer would likely take a month or two—far shorter than the previous year and a half. Still... it felt rather ordinary. Moreover, he planned to open even more apertures and would likely need to fuse apertures from other cultivation arts later on, which would also consume time. It seemed that advancing to Tengkong in half a year was still a set outcome. Setting those thoughts aside, Su Yu spoke up. "For now, the technique appears to be a success. As for the finer details, let's wait a bit longer until Zhou Hao finishes fusing. This is only the beginning!" Zhou Hao nodded, feeling a surge of excitement inside. *I can reach the Wanshi Realm!* Advancing into Wanshi with the Thousand Mountains Art as his foundation was far better than what he had originally anticipated! Xia Huyou, however, had a pounding headache. Truly, he could not bring himself to trust these people completely. At this moment, he could not help reiterating, "Wu Lan, Senior Sister Wu Jia, don't you two leak it either. People will truly die over this! Su Yu's talent is simply too terrifying. If word gets out, top-tier powerhouses will target him! Right now things are fine, but once this spreads, Shanhai, Sun Moon, and perhaps even Invincibles will fix their eyes on him!" "When that time comes, everyone will hold limitless expectations for him developing the primordial spirit aperture!" Right now, many people dismissed the notion. Yet once Su Yu revealed today's achievement, would they still doubt him? At the very least, they would believe a good portion of it! He was a genius in this field! Not a genius of personal combat cultivation—a combat genius only benefited themselves; no matter how brilliant, reaching the Invincible Realm didn't truly make one invincible. But someone like Su Yu benefited the entire human race. He might pave the way for several, or even dozens, of Invincibles! When that time came, Su Yu would be in immense danger. Su Yu smiled. "Demonstrating one's talent in moderation is necessary, or else people will treat me as mediocre! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction recruiting a mediocre talent, or you, Xia Huyou, befriending a mediocre talent—that would be abnormal! Therefore, when the time is right, we will auction off the first version of the Dual Wu Aperture Fusion Art. Opening eighteen apertures will also raise some funds for our research institute..." Before he could finish, Zheng Yunhui shrieked, "The Zheng family will buy it! We have the cash!" "..." Xia Huyou glared at him! Hu Qiusheng smiled faintly. "The Hu family has more money than your Zheng family!" Getting their hands on such an art and securing the distribution rights was equivalent to holding a mountain of gold and silver! It could benefit multiple generations! Su Yu, however, seemed to have no interest in that. He preferred quick money, which was why he wanted to auction it off. Otherwise, he could have taken his time. Relying on this single cultivation art alone, Su Yu could retire comfortably and pass it down. As long as the Human Realm did not descend into chaos, his Su family... would sooner or later grow into a prominent clan. There would be no need for Su Yu to push himself to become immensely powerful! Right now, Su Yu could simply retire as a researcher, establish his family clan, and live out his days peacefully in the Great Xia Prefecture. Xia Huyou couldn't resist chiming in, "Naturally, it's best for my Xia family to distribute it! Su Yu, how can their families compare to mine? I'll have my second granduncle come speak with you..." Only then did Wu Lan, who was a beat slow to react, ask, "Your second granduncle... Marquis Xia?" Xia Huyou was speechless. *I already said it earlier, and you're only realizing it now?* "The son of Manor Lord Xia... is you?!" It seemed as though Wu Lan's worldview had shattered! At this moment, she appeared thoroughly disillusioned. She looked at Xia Huyou with an expression of utter despair. Xia Huyou looked back, thoroughly helpless. *What is that supposed to mean?* Wu Lan muttered, "You... look nothing like the Manor Lord! My grandfather mentioned before that the Xia family wanted to... wanted to arrange a marriage with our family... I was even thinking that if Manor Lord Xia's son looked like Manor Lord Xia..." *Thank goodness I ignored it!* She was a woman who judged by appearances, and Xia Huyou... was far too despair-inducing. It wasn't that he was hideous—he wasn't that ugly. But for the peerlessly domineering Manor Lord Xia to produce a son like this... the greater the hope, the greater the despair. Xia Huyou nearly broke down! *Holy shit!* *Am I that ugly?!* *If I slimmed down a bit, I'd look very much like my old man!* *I...* He almost wanted to cry. This was the first time he had ever been despised so openly. He genuinely wanted to beat her to death. On second thought, if he killed her, the Wu family would revolt. Su Yu smiled. "No rush. We can simply compete fairly! Didn't I mention there are three versions? The third version won't be sold, but the first and second versions can be sold separately. When the time comes, Chief Hu, Principal Zheng, Marquis Xia, and the others can sit down together for tea, chat, and negotiate." *Did you all really think I don't know how to do business?* *Selling one cultivation art three times!* *Well, the highest version won't be sold.* *Selling it twice is pretty good too.* Su Yu added, "As for the supreme version, the Xia family may keep a backup, but you are forbidden from distributing it. The price is wiping out the three hundred thousand merit points. There will be no further discussion on this; otherwise, the Xia family won't even get a backup copy!" Xia Huyou said helplessly, "You... aren't you afraid the Xia family will pull a fast one and rob you blind?" "Are you corrupt? Is the Xia family corrupt?" Su Yu retorted in annoyance, "If the Xia family were that shady, the Great Xia Prefecture would have collapsed long ago! As the Xia family governing an entire prefecture, if you didn't even understand sustainable development, you would have finished yourselves off long ago. How could you enjoy today's prosperity? Fine, if you rob me of a cultivation art, it's no big deal. Unless you kill me, we simply won't do any business ever again!" Xia Huyou chuckled awkwardly. "Don't be like that, I was just joking. Our Xia family conducts business with integrity; nobody would dare do such a thing. Do you really think my great-grandfather and my father would just sit by and watch?" The Great Xia Prefecture relied on the Xia family to hold it together. Leaders set the tone; if those at the top acted recklessly, chaos would have erupted below long ago. Su Yu couldn't be bothered to argue further. Glancing at Zhou Hao, he instructed, "Stay here for a few days. Do not go outside, lest people notice something is off. Not even the second version produces this level of effect! While you have time, don't rush to fuse apertures—open a few more instead. It's not like you have anything better to do!" "If you're not in a hurry, try opening 360 apertures. I've been pondering a question lately: if one opens 360 apertures, can they form a grand cycle?" "..." Everyone fell silent! *I might as well call you father!* *You are too damn willful!* Others acted willfully because they were rich, but this guy acted willfully because he was talented and capable. *'Try opening 360 apertures'*—was that something a human being would say?! Zhao Ming felt compelled to interject, "Right now, the human race probably hasn't even discovered 360 apertures." Su Yu laughed. "No problem, there's no rush for that. It won't be too late to find them all once you reach the Shanhai Realm. In Shanhai, you fuse into a single aperture anyway; fusing then won't be a problem." With that, he turned to the others. "Some of you are already in Wanshi, while others are close. This cultivation art will be of great help to you, especially Xia Huyou. You've already fused quite a few apertures, but your fusion speed is too slow. With this technique, hurry up and reach the Wanshi Ninth Layer so you can enter Tengkong. Xia Yuwen is already in Lingyun, yet you're still so weak. It's embarrassing!" Zheng Yunhui murmured wistfully, "I want to switch cultivation arts. With this aperture fusion method, I want to fuse even more apertures!" *I feel like I'm looking down on 108-aperture arts now!* *I want to cultivate a Heaven-rank art!* Previously, he hadn't cultivated one because it was too troublesome. Not only were there more apertures to open, but fusing them was also exceedingly difficult, which severely hindered progress. Many geniuses preferred 108-aperture arts; even if Heaven-rank arts were available, they wouldn't necessarily cultivate them. It was precisely because they feared aperture fusion would be too difficult and stall their cultivation. "Why are you telling me? Doesn't your Zheng family have them?" Principal Zheng was likely close to the Sun Moon Realm. There were no bottlenecks preventing warriors from advancing to Sun Moon, and he might very well be in Sun Moon already. *Go ask your grandfather, why tell me?* Ignoring Su Yu's retort, Zheng Yunhui pondered for a moment. "I'll give it a try. Among Heaven-rank arts, there is one that isn't hard to acquire: the Thousand Mountains Art! Su Yu... let me see Zhou Hao's results first. If it works well..." Just as he said that, Xia Huyou paused, muttering, "Now that you mention it, quite a few people cultivated the Thousand Mountains Art and remain stuck in Qianjun to this day—some are even on the verge of dying of old age! What do you think... what if the Xia family searched everywhere for such people, gathered them, and formed a squad? Those who cultivated the Thousand Mountains Art back then were considered geniuses. Of course, many delayed their progress and switched to other arts later. Some people also cultivated the Thousand Mountains Art in their early days. If they can truly fuse their apertures... their strength would surge!" For instance, certain Shanhai experts who cultivated the Thousand Mountains Art early on had no choice but to switch to another art later, opening seventy-two apertures. When they reached Shanhai, the single aperture they fused was based on those seventy-two apertures. Yet if the apertures of the Thousand Mountains Art could now be fused, they could fuse them again, becoming Shanhai experts with 144 fused apertures! Their strength would increase by leaps and bounds! A Shanhai with seventy-two fused apertures versus one with 144 was worlds apart! Su Yu couldn't be bothered to care. He stated directly, "The supreme version is strictly forbidden from being leaked! Unless your Xia family can keep it under complete control, each external recipient will cost ten thousand merit points. Simple as that!" *Fuck!* *Highway robbery!* Su Yu saw no need to elaborate. Spreading a non-supreme version would solidify his status as a research genius and draw the attention of important figures, but it wouldn't reach the point where Sun Moon or Invincible experts knelt before him calling him daddy. If the supreme version were leaked, however, it would at least draw the personal scrutiny of Sun Moon and Invincible experts. "Right... do you think I can apply for researcher status now?" Su Yu asked suddenly, "Every year at the end of the year, there's a title evaluation. Previously, I assisted my teacher in researching the Soul Devour Art, and now I've developed the Dual Wu Aperture Fusion Art. Do you think I can apply for an evaluation?" The group froze. Su Yu murmured, "Researchers receive allowances and can apply for funding. Oh, and researchers have other privileges, like guaranteed free access to mystic realms every year. What's more, penalizing a researcher requires approval from the Elder Council meeting... That's far better than before!" *Teacher didn't accomplish this goal, so leave it to me!* Right up until he left, Bai Feng had only been a teaching assistant. Originally, he would have had a chance to become a researcher at the end of this year, but now... that was out of the question. Becoming a researcher required either reaching the Lingyun Realm or making significant academic contributions. Su Yu felt his chances were quite good. At these words, everyone fell silent once more. Zhao Ming wore a look of deep sorrow! He felt utterly exhausted! After struggling for so many years, he had only recently become a researcher himself. What Su Yu meant was... he would soon be standing on equal footing with him?! As for intermediate researchers, that title was generally only open to high-stage Lingyun experts. Even a basic researcher... was already remarkable! Within the academy, many instructors were merely teaching assistants at the Tengkong Realm. Official researchers were few and far between. Xia Huyou gave up on the topic and promptly steered the conversation away. "I need to head back now. Su Yu... don't go running around! Someone will come looking for you soon. If you ask me... you shouldn't get involved in all these power struggles. Just focus on your research. How about the Xia family hires you as an official researcher of the Xia Research Institute, and we protect you directly from now on?" Su Yu smiled. "Sure! Send people to protect me, and if someone tries to kill me, you guys can just eliminate them!" "..." Xia Huyou felt drained. *I know exactly what you're thinking.* "You aren't planning to barge into Zhou Mingren's house to curse him, are you? And maybe slash him a couple of times so that when he strikes back, you can get the Xia family to kill him?" "..." Su Yu said dejectedly, "You really dare think big. I was only thinking of Zhou Pingsheng, yet you actually want to kill Zhou Mingren. You're a monster!" *Exhausting!* *Get lost!* *Knowing you, barging into the Great Zhou Prefecture to slash Zhou Polong wouldn't even be out of the question.* *Forget it!* He knew Su Yu's ambitions lay elsewhere. The young man was indeed a genius in this field, but his primary goal remained making himself stronger. Research was merely a secondary pursuit. Xia Huyou said no more on the subject, stating solemnly, "Everyone, I must reiterate my earlier words: this cannot be leaked outside! The Xia family will definitely monitor this closely. For your own sakes, for your families, and for your futures... I hope you all think this through carefully!" Su Yu chuckled. "That's enough already! You're making it sound like a threat." *I AM threatening them!* Xia Huyou felt exasperated. *It IS a threat, can't you tell?!* Ignoring him, Su Yu said briskly, "This cultivation art is auxiliary; to be frank, it's merely decent! If anyone leaks it, the Xia family can handle it—I can't be bothered. Nobody should lose big for small gains. Even if you truly have treacherous intentions, wait until I develop the primordial spirit aperture before you betray me..." The group was rendered speechless. The way he phrased it made it sound as if they were all waiting to betray him. Su Yu added, "The matter of the aperture fusion art ends here for now. Next, everyone help me collect some cultivation arts—or rather, aperture locations. I've been wondering whether the primordial spirit aperture is connected to the 360 apertures. Xia Huyou, your family has countless cultivation arts. I don't need the arts themselves; I only need the locations of apertures I don't know yet!" "You have to help me gather and provide some!" Xia Huyou nodded. "When I get back, I'll prepare a puppet for you with all the apertures we know marked on it for your reference." "That would be ideal!" Xia Huyou lingered no longer. He had to make a trip back; this truly was a matter of supreme importance. For a fleeting moment, he had even entertained the thought of finding powerful experts to wipe the memories of Zhou Hao and the others! On second thought, he abandoned the idea. Even Su Yu didn't care. While the Xia family cared, Su Yu was the creator. As for dealing with Su Yu... that would be killing the goose that laid golden eggs. If the Xia family were so shortsighted, they wouldn't have survived to this day. *A monster... this guy might truly have gained access to an ancient ruin!* Xia Huyou thought with emotion. Su Yu likely possessed a wealth of knowledge; otherwise, those cultural arts had no identifiable origin. No matter how monstrous a genius he was, without reaching Tengkong or delving deeply into this domain, Su Yu could never have deduced them out of thin air. *Drawing close to me, roping me in... he's forcing my Xia family to take a side!* At this moment, he understood clearly why Su Yu dragged him into everything. He could empathize, but... the Xia family wasn't his to command. In his view, Su Yu was far more important than the Single Divine Character Faction. Yet his father and second granduncle might hold their own views. *Wanshi, Tengkong, and even Shanhai have opened their doors to him. Just how far will this guy go in the future?* With a sigh of amazement, Xia Huyou hurried away. Watching his departure, Su Yu smiled faintly. The Xia family... In the Great Xia Prefecture, the Xia family held final say. Even across the entire Human Realm, the Xia family possessed immense deterrent power. He hoped his recent performances would help the Xia family realize that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction relied on far more than just the fifth-generation head's single divine character.