Turmoil

Su Yu watched Marquis Xia disappear into the distance, putting all other thoughts out of his mind. At this moment, only a single conviction remained. Only the strongest fists truly mattered! Marquis Xia's words had shattered his naive illusions. Humanity was currently living in an era of divided domains and rival feudal lords, united at the front lines solely to resist the myriad races. Yet above these lords, there was no supreme powerhouse capable of holding sway over all. King Daxia was one lord among many, and every other Invincible was likewise a lord in their own right. The traitorous Invincible was also one of them. The Fifth Principal was dead. Even if the truth were uncovered at last, the other lords might condemn, express outrage, or exert pressure, but... they would not necessarily lift a finger to execute the traitor. The Quest Realm and the War God Hall were merely deliberative bodies to coordinate frontline strategy, not executive authorities holding domestic sway over the domains. The internal affairs of each domain were governed strictly by that domain itself. *I was still far too optimistic!* Su Yu sighed softly to himself. In truth, Grandmaster Hong and Teacher Liu had seen through this long ago, which was why they had spent all these years keeping a low profile. Pinning hopes on outsiders offered little promise. In the Great Xia Prefecture, all they could rely on was the backing of King Daxia. This was because the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was tied most intimately to King Daxia. Once the Fifth Principal attained the Dao, it would have been seen by many as a massive surge in the Great Xia Prefecture's strength, not that of the other lords. Success would have been wonderful, but failure... to many of the others, brought no personal loss. *Rival lords dividing the realm!* That was the reality of their present world! He put all thoughts of the ruins out of his head. Such matters were too far removed from his current standing; others could think whatever they pleased. The most pressing priority was cultivation! With the aperture fusion art finalized, fusing his apertures had become simple. It was time to advance into the Wanshi Realm. As for any additional apertures, he would open as many as he could along the way. ... The Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art was not released immediately to the public; the Xia family clearly had other considerations to weigh first. Su Yu did not mind. Creating it had earned him recognition in the Great Xia Prefecture. On one hand, it aided his own cultivation; on the other, it drew the attention of those in power. Mediocres had no right to consideration; only geniuses capable of creating real value were worthy of regard. Even if he were to reach Tengkong or Lingyun, the Great Xia Prefecture might not take much notice. Yet producing an aperture fusion art—with the prospect of following it up with basic cultural arts—gave Su Yu leverage. It was bargaining power, capital to secure protection and aid. On November 18, Su Yu officially entered seclusion. This time, he went to the secret realm. The yuanqi secret realm was far better suited for aperture fusion and absorbing yuanqi. ... While Su Yu went into seclusion, the Great Xia Prefecture began to stir. Marquis Xia had begun to make his moves. The name of the Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art began to ripple throughout the prefecture. ... Great Xia Civilization Academy. The Preaching Area. A researcher was delivering a lecture. As he spoke, his voice grew excited. "When transitioning from Qianjun to Wanshi, as you all likely know, the greatest hurdle is aperture fusion! "The more talented a cultivator is, and the more powerful their cultivation art, the harder it becomes to fuse apertures! "Repulsive force exists between apertures. Everyone knows this. For generations, the powerhouses and wise minds of humanity have explored and sought knowledge on how to reduce this repulsion!" The researcher raised his voice. "To put it simply, take a student cultivating the standard version of the War God Art. They must fuse eight apertures into one to complete a stage, whereas the Earth-rank version requires fusing twelve apertures into one! "How long does that normally take?" The researcher pointed at a student below. "You, tell us. To fuse eight apertures into one and enter the first stage of Wanshi from the ninth stage of Qianjun, how long does that typically require?" The called-upon student pondered for a moment before answering, "At least three months!" "Correct, at least three months!" The researcher smiled. "Then how long for all nine stages of Wanshi? Twenty-seven months? In reality, it takes even longer. Typically, an upper-tier student takes around three years! "Around three years to reach the ninth stage of Wanshi—and that is for an upper-tier genius cultivating a seventy-two aperture art! That assumes fusing every single aperture; don't bring up those who only fuse two or three, as that is meaningless! "As for Civilization Masters, we are actually even slower, because we must also cultivate our sea of will!" Many in the audience nodded. Indeed, their physical cultivation progressed slower because they had to nurture their seas of will. Neglecting the physical body extended the timeline—three years was hardly enough, as one could tell just by looking at the students on the Top 100 Rankings. A great many of them were still physically in the Qianjun Realm! It was not that they could not cultivate to Wanshi, but that they lacked the time. Nurturing willpower and divine characters was already more than enough to handle. The researcher on the platform smiled. "Yet now, someone has introduced an auxiliary aperture fusion art capable of cutting that time by a third! What originally took three years will now take at most two years with this art!" A small commotion broke out across the audience. Soon, someone asked, "Teacher, is it reliable? Humanity already has a few auxiliary fusion methods, but their results are generally mediocre, and they require opening extra apertures, which can end up wasting even more time." "It is reliable!" The researcher smiled. "Because this did not come from just anyone, but from the Xia family of the Great Xia Prefecture! And the creators are no strangers either—it was deduced by one of our academy's very own institutes, the Primordial Spirit Research Institute!" The researcher proclaimed loudly, "Everyone knows what kind of eye Marquis Xia has! This time, when the Primordial Spirit Research Institute deduced the art and presented it to the Xia family, Marquis Xia paid three hundred thousand merit points for the buyout rights! Three hundred thousand! Everyone, if it weren't effective, would Marquis Xia ever part with three hundred thousand merit points?" The hall erupted! Three hundred thousand points! The students were utterly stunned! That was an astronomical sum! For a mere auxiliary art, unless its effects were astonishing, who would spend three hundred thousand merit points on it? Especially the notoriously stingy Marquis Xia. Getting Marquis Xia to fork over three hundred thousand merit points was nothing short of miraculous! "Teacher, is that real?" "The Primordial Spirit Research Institute... isn't that the institute Su Yu only recently established?" "Heavens, it sold for that much?" "..." The students were buzzing with excitement! The murmurs swelled louder and louder. A single cultivation art selling for three hundred thousand merit points was, to them, incomprehensible and staggering. Hadn't Su Yu and the others only just established their institute? The researcher pressed down with his hands, failing to quiet the stir, and declared, "It is entirely true! Right now, the Great Xia War Academy, Longwu Academy, Sea Territory War Academy, Wind Seizing War Academy... are all fiercely competing for the Xia family's earliest authorized transmission of the art! I hear that, like the War God Art, it comes in two versions: a genius edition and a standard edition! "The standard edition requires opening only eighteen apertures, several of which overlap with the War God Art. For most people, opening seven or eight additional apertures is plenty, saving you at least an entire year!" The researcher projected his voice. "Opening seven or eight apertures takes a month if you're fast, or three months at most if you're slow! Yet it will save you one to two years, while adding several extra apertures to deepen your foundation..." The audience was already growing uncontrollable. Someone called out loudly, "Teacher, what about the genius edition?" "That one requires opening thirty apertures. It suppresses nearly two-thirds of the repulsive force, and the actual time saved is more than two-thirds. What once took three years to reach the ninth stage of Wanshi might take only one year with the genius edition!" *Boom!* The students truly went wild. Saving several years during their prime developmental window was incredible. Of course, what was even more unbelievable was that this had been deduced by the Primordial Spirit Research Institute. And it had sold for a full three hundred thousand merit points! Paying such a staggering sum for a buyout was monumental. Suddenly, someone realized the implications and blurted out, "Wait, doesn't that mean the War Academies are going to see an explosion in Wanshi cultivators? Then what about us..." Others grasped the point immediately. Even in the Civilization Academy, where students were relatively reserved, the reaction was already this intense. One could only imagine what kind of storm this art would cause once it reached the War Academies! The War Academy students would surely go mad for it! Especially the geniuses! Aperture fusion was excruciatingly difficult! Opening a few extra apertures was trivial in comparison. Even the genius edition only required thirty apertures, with overlapping ones already counted. Most cultivators would only need to open ten to twenty new ones, taking a genius three months at most, yet it would save them two full years in reaching the ninth stage of Wanshi. The researcher on the platform paid no heed to their worries and chuckled. "Furthermore, on the back of this research, Su Yu is currently applying for the academy's year-end researcher evaluation. The youth of today are formidable indeed! I believe his chances of passing are exceptionally high. Once he succeeds, he will become an official researcher! Meanwhile, Wu Jia, Wu Lan, and Hu Qiusheng, having assisted in the development, are all applying for assistant researcher titles. It looks like our academy will soon have several more researchers in its ranks!" This sparked yet another uproar! Researchers and assistant researchers! How many days had those people even been enrolled? It was terrifying! Someone couldn't help asking, "Teacher, was it truly developed by the Primordial Spirit Research Institute? Their plaque was hung up only a few days ago, wasn't it?" The researcher smiled. "It is genuine. That is why I say they are geniuses! In just one week, Su Yu and his team gathered thousands of cultivation texts and reviewed tens of thousands of reference materials. Earlier, I too felt that a student-run institute was more of a joke than anything serious, but reality has proven that one should never underestimate anyone! "This fusion art has now been officially named the Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art, which Su Yu chose to honor the contributions of Wu Jia and Wu Lan. It was the two of them who uncovered the crucial elements... ultimately bringing the fusion art to fruition! "The reason I am sharing this with you is so that you learn from them. In a civilization institute, we must always remember our identity: we are Civilization Masters, we are explorers, not brutes! "No matter how much the War Academies grow in strength or how many powerhouses they produce, they must acknowledge that this cultivation art was not researched by them, but by us Civilization Masters!" Thrilled and elated, the researcher declared, "Remember, we are Civilization Masters! Civilization Masters are not judged solely by combat strength. Strength is important, yes, but never forget our essence: we are seekers of truth! I hope none of you forget your original aspiration. I believe that when every student first stepped into this academy, they held a conviction: that we are a collective that deciphers civilizations, explores the essence of life, pursues the flourishing of civilization, and passes on its sacred flame! "I am deeply gratified that our academy has fostered people like Su Yu who have not forgotten our essence! "I am overjoyed that the lineage of Civilization Masters endures, and the flame of inheritance will not die! "Today's academy, in my view, has become far too restless. There is nothing wrong with pursuing strength, but specialization matters. Many students unsuited for combat cultivation have abandoned their true strengths to blindly obsess over martial advancement. That was never the founding purpose of the Civilization Academy!" ... This researcher was of the old-scholar mold. He harbored deep reservations about the modern Civilization Academy's singular focus on pursuing martial prowess. It was understandable for geniuses to pursue strength. Yet many were not geniuses of martial cultivation, but geniuses of academic research. Some had enrolled having mastered a hundred languages and possessing vast knowledge of various civilizations, only to cast aside their strengths upon entering the academy to focus exclusively on cultivation. The result was failing to advance in cultivation while abandoning their original talents. His lavish praise of Su Yu's institute and Su Yu's cohort today was driven by a simple motive: to set things right! To make everyone understand what they ought to be doing! Were three hundred thousand merit points enough to excite them? Was leaving a mark in the annals of history enough to tempt them? Martial advancement was not the only way to earn respect. ... The news spread far beyond the Great Xia Civilization Academy. In fact, the various War Academies were vastly more excited. Several talented students had already obtained the second version of the art and immediately entered seclusion to cultivate. Open apertures! Then practice the auxiliary art, and break through to Wanshi! Those who had already entered Wanshi could cultivate it as well, including students who had previously failed to fuse all their apertures completely. Even some in Tengkong and Lingyun were currently cultivating it, striving to fuse the apertures they had missed previously, all to make entering the Shanhai Realm easier when the time came. Of course, Marquis Xia was no philanthropist. The fees were steep! Because it was not written as a text of will, the basic edition cost twenty merit points per copy, while the advanced edition cost fifty merit points per copy. Had it been written as a text of will, the price would have been even higher. Unfortunately, no Civilization Master had yet thoroughly mastered the technique to write it down as such. Charging this much for plain text copies was already astonishing. Because it had only just been released, the price was set high. Over time, the price would drop, as everyone knew, but those who were impatient hardly cared about a handful of merit points. This was a game of volume. The basic edition required opening eighteen apertures. Even if not everyone was willing to learn it, nearly anyone capable of entering an academy would seize the opportunity to open a few extra apertures. The various War Academies held hundreds of thousands of students. If everyone practiced it, the revenue from that alone would reach millions! And that was only the Great Xia Prefecture. Across the Human Realm, there were numerous other prefectures. Of course, long-term distribution required considerable manpower and material resources, and the academies would take their cut, reducing the net profit. Still, anyone with discerning eyes could see that Marquis Xia had struck gold. In the short term, the merit points earned would far exceed three hundred thousand! ... While rumors were spreading across the Great Xia Prefecture, another Elder Council meeting was convened at Xiuxin Pavilion. Elder Sun slammed the table and fumed, "Has Su Yu forgotten that this institute was approved by the academy and the college? Now that he has produced an aperture fusion art, his first duty was to report it to the college and the academy! Not to conduct unauthorized transactions, even if the other party is the Xia family! "According to regulations, the academy holds the right of first refusal for buyouts! No one is trying to covet his research achievements, but selling it off directly—doesn't that violate the rules?" A few elders nodded in agreement. This was not baseless faultfinding. Under academy regulations, such a provision did exist. The institute was, after all, granted to him by the academy, and he remained a member of the academy. Upon achieving a breakthrough, he should have engaged with the academy first rather than selling it to outsiders, even if those outsiders belonged to the Xia family. Elder Sun's fury stemmed partly from this, but also from the realization that once the aperture fusion art spread and the Primordial Spirit Research Institute and Su Yu achieved widespread fame, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction might rise from the ashes! Previously, Su Yu's reputation had taken a hit. Colluding with students of the myriad races! Yet now, the moment the aperture fusion art appeared, all earlier controversies were instantly rendered trivial! Especially in the War Academies. The art had just been released, and its results were not yet visible; once the results materialized, Su Yu would become a legend in the eyes of martial cultivators! The Single Divine Character Faction's plans would collapse entirely! During this recent period, Su Yu had kept silent and offered no public explanation regarding the myriad races incident, which had pleased Elder Sun immensely, thinking the brat had finally been suppressed. Yet in the blink of an eye, Su Yu had become the shining exemplar of the Civilization Academy! If this continued, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly stood a chance of reviving. Elder Sun looked toward Wan Tiansheng and said in a heavy voice, "I know that everyone outside praises Su Yu as peerlessly talented, a rising star in research. But rules are rules! Principal, shouldn't you be fair and impartial?" Wan Tiansheng nodded. Just as he was about to speak, someone chuckled and interjected, "Old Sun, what's the rush? Next time, read the regulations carefully before coming here to stir up trouble! According to academy rules, the first priority for an institute's research results does not belong to the academy, but to the personnel within the institute itself. "Xia Huyou's identity needs no introduction at this point. He is the son of Manor Lord Xia, and he represents the Xia family! "Su Yu providing the cultivation art to the Xia family, and the Xia family buying it out, is entirely reasonable, fair, and legal!" Elder Qi said with a smile, "Not just to him—providing it to the Wu family, the Zheng family, or the Hu family would all be equally valid. Internal members hold priority rights that supersede the academy's right of first refusal. I hope you understand that!" Elder Sun paused, then said in a deep voice, "Xia Huyou and the others are not the registered owners of the institute..." "Who says they aren't?" Elder Qi laughed. "Su Yu's research funding and materials were provided by the others. Moreover, Hong Tan and his people owed a full three hundred thousand merit points. Su Yu was pushed forward by Hong Tan as the representative of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction... effectively acting as the lineage master. Even though the lineage has been dissolved, Su Yu assumed those debts. Those people provided actual capital, making them partners. That is a fact. Therefore, Su Yu violated no rules whatsoever." Elder Qi added coolly, "Old Sun, don't think only of yourself. As a Shanhai, picking quarrels with a mere student—don't you feel it beneath your dignity? If you have grievances, go settle them with Hong Tan! Su Yu likely understands the academy regulations better than you do. Would he have acted without certainty? You're only humiliating yourself!" Not mincing his words, Elder Qi turned directly to Xia Changqing. "Ask Vice Principal Xia: was selling to the Xia family reasonable?" "..." Xia Changqing was at a loss for words. *You're asking me?* *Damn it!* *What am I supposed to say?* *If I say it's unreasonable,* *I can expect Marquis Xia to come knocking on my door. That cousin of mine is not someone to mess with.* *If I say it's reasonable, it slaps Elder Sun right in the face.* As Elder Qi spoke, another elder chimed in with a laugh, "Elder Sun, stop making trouble! Su Yu's current stance is that the Single Divine Character Faction is also permitted to learn it. If you truly provoke him into withholding authorization from your faction, and word gets out, you will be the chief culprit! Unauthorized learning... is a crime! Does no one in your Single Divine Character Faction wish to practice it?" The expressions of several elders from the Single Divine Character Faction shifted. Elder Sun snapped, "Outrageous! Using the transmission rights of a cultivation art to restrict students—is Su Yu attempting a rebellion?" "..." Some sneered, while others gave him cool, knowing looks. After a long pause, Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "Watch your words. The cultivation art is his. Even if bought out by the Xia family, it remains his creation, and he retains partial say. If he refuses to authorize the Xia family to teach it to the Single Divine Character Faction... you may condemn him, you may dislike him, but you have no right to interfere with how he distributes it!" Wan Tiansheng continued, "Sun Xiang, stop bringing trouble upon your faction. Must you push until you are all utterly disgraced? Do not forget that the Single Divine Character Faction extends across every domain. If students of your faction in other prefectures are barred from learning it, they will hate Su Yu first, and they will hate you second! Do you wish to shoulder that blame? In fact, you might very well be the one they hate most!" Elder Sun's face tightened! Indeed, if the Single Divine Character Faction were truly restricted, the resentment directed at him might surpass what was directed at Su Yu. The Single Divine Character Faction of the Great Xia Civilization Academy could quickly become an outcast among their peers across the other prefectures. Wan Tiansheng said indifferently, "Let this matter end here! Had you approved seed funding for Su Yu back then, we would still hold some authority over the matter. But as everyone knows, Su Yu was granted nothing more than an empty shell. Such an institute holds little value; at worst, they could simply relocate. Do you honestly believe no other place would welcome the Primordial Spirit Research Institute with open arms? Must you drive Su Yu and his people away before you are satisfied?" Yu Hong spoke up, unwilling to concede. "Principal, but his distributing the art brings no benefit to the academy..." Wan Tiansheng glanced at her and said calmly, "You fail to see the forest for the trees! His breakthrough elevates the academy's renown, and the art is being taught within our walls—that is benefit enough! It benefits not just the academy, but the Great Xia Prefecture, and even humanity as a whole! The interests of the Single Divine Character Faction are not synonymous with the interests of the entire academy. Stop constantly equating the two!" He turned to the other elders and asked evenly, "What say the elders?" Elder Qi chuckled. "The Principal is right!" "Indeed. The dissemination of the art benefits everyone, which means it benefits the academy. When the Primordial Spirit Research Institute of the Great Xia Civilization Academy makes a name for itself, people think first of our academy, bringing glory to us all!" Yu Hong and Elder Sun exchanged glances and fell silent. Pursuing the matter further would truly isolate the Single Divine Character Faction, setting them against the academy's senior leadership, and even against the Xia family. They had originally hoped to rally other elders to condemn Su Yu. Instead... the wind had shifted! This was a very dangerous signal! Elder Sun had assumed that because Su Yu sold the art to the Xia family without direct profit to the academy, everyone would join in condemnation. Yet Elder Qi had pushed back, and Wan Tiansheng had leaned toward Su Yu... causing the entire council's stance to swing. What was done was done; arguing now was pointless. It was their own fault that the Divine Character College had refused to approve any initial funding. That was virtually unprecedented; for any other institute, the academy would provide at least some seed money. Su Yu had received not a single copper! They had only themselves to blame. Had they allocated even a modest sum at the start, even if Su Yu declined, forcing it through would have left him unable to refuse. Refusal would have marked him as ungrateful, scheming to deliberately cut out the academy. Now... that card could no longer be played. Elder Sun and his allies ceased their arguments, knowing further persistence would only breed more resentment. Setting the cultivation art aside, Elder Sun raised another matter. "Then regarding Su Yu's application for researcher status, I believe it warrants grave consideration and rigorous scrutiny. The aperture fusion art has been deduced, but whether it was truly Su Yu who deduced it remains questionable. Accomplishing this in under ten days—I am certain everyone harbors some doubts..." They could not allow Su Yu to become a researcher! If he succeeded, amid the surging fame of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, academy rules would permit him to take on students under his own name. Before long, the faction might exceed ten members and officially reopen as an independent lineage. All their years of suppression would become an utter joke. "We will discuss that at year's end!" Wan Tiansheng dismissed the topic out of hand. "Besides, the Yuqiang Department will conduct its own review. Elder Sun need not trouble himself. Tend to your own affairs!" Wan Tiansheng's demeanor today was rather peculiar. Elder Sun frowned. In the past, Wan Tiansheng remained aloof, staying out of their factional disputes. Today, however, he had interrupted him several times. "Principal..." "Meeting adjourned!" Wan Tiansheng waved his hand impatiently. "Every single time, it is these petty squabbles wasting everyone's time! A gathering of Shanhai experts, coming out of seclusion and casting aside research again and again, merely to debate the affairs of a few students? "Sun Xiang, Yu Hong—if you truly have time on your hands, focus on nurturing your students! Producing a few standout disciples in the Single Divine Character Faction would do more good than anything, rather than having the few of you step onto the front lines time after time!" Did Shanhai experts stepping forward personally not feel disgraceful? Elder Sun and the others fell silent, cursing inwardly! If their students could best Su Yu, would they have needed to step forward at all? The problem was that their students simply couldn't beat him! ... The meeting dispersed. Elder Sun and his companions walked away in grim silence. Along the path, Elder Sun suddenly remarked, "If this continues, all our early efforts will have come to nothing!" The elders remained silent. Elder Sun added, "At the top, we cannot suppress Hong Tan. In the middle, we cannot suppress Chen Yong and Bai Feng. Now, we can't even handle Su Yu and Wu Jia... What good is having superior numbers? A mere handful of people has left us humiliated and bruised. What are we even competing for?" None of them felt good about the situation. "Old Zhou didn't come this time," Elder Sun noted in a heavy voice. "What is he thinking?" Yu Hong spoke up, "He went into seclusion to break through to Sun Moon. If he can truly reach Sun Moon, that will be for the best." She paused, then added, "Hong Tan is also in seclusion, which cannot be taken lightly. If Hong Tan reaches Sun Moon while Old Zhou fails, we will fall even further behind. Therefore, the matter with Su Yu's group can only be handled by us!" Zhou Mingren entering seclusion was a positive development. At the very least, they needed an equal counterweight to Hong Tan! Otherwise, once Hong Tan emerged from seclusion later, their troubles would multiply. Elder Sun said no more, sighing inwardly before sending a voice transmission: "Su Yu's trouble must be resolved. It is inconvenient for us to act openly, so let the people from the Myriad Races Academy step forward. An all-in-one solution would be best! Let them figure out a way. If those weak races want to survive in the Human Realm without paying a price, being humanity's allies is hardly so simple. If they succeed, we will introduce them to some of our faction's Sun Moon powerhouses!" Humanity was still formidable. In the eyes of Elder Sun and his peers, calling those weak races allies was giving them too much credit. Those minor races whose strongest experts were merely Shanhai kings—the Single Divine Character Faction alone could wipe out several of them. And that was merely the Single Divine Character Faction of the Great Xia Civilization Academy! Neither Yu Hong nor Elder Li uttered a word. The group walked on in silence. Having suppressed the Multiple Divine Characters Faction for so many years, only to watch all their achievements unravel at the hands of Su Yu, was a reality none of them could easily swallow.