The Laid-Back Great Ming Prefecture

Stepping out of the research institute, the clamor outside remained as lively as ever. Su Yu paid it no mind; he was heading out to look for someone. Now that someone had come from the Great Ming Prefecture to negotiate, it meant the time of his departure was drawing near. There were matters he still needed to prepare. After walking for a while, Su Yu noticed that many students in the academy looked at him with far more fear than respect. Seeing him approach, people parted and steered clear, no longer treating him with the casual familiarity of the past. More than that, they barely dared to interact with him at all. They were terrified of getting dragged into his troubles! Even though the Single Divine Character Faction had been thoroughly humiliated and suffered devastating losses, they still boasted over a hundred researchers and several elders. That power was undeniable. Su Yu did not care in the slightest. He would walk his own path! As he walked on, shouts and cheers echoed from up ahead. Su Yu glanced over toward the source of the noise. That was the Preaching Area. He remembered now—today was supposed to be the day the War Academy visited for an exchange tournament. He had not expected them to proceed with their schedule under the current circumstances. Not that Su Yu thought too highly of himself, but he had just killed two Tengkongs yesterday, sending shockwaves through the entire academy. Yet the War Academy had still come... Su Yu smiled faintly, grasping the underlying intent. It was to divert people's attention. The War Academy might not have been eager to visit at a time like this, but they had likely arrived to help smooth over the fallout from the previous night. "Are Xia Qing and the others over there?" Su Yu had originally intended to seek out Xia Qing. Seeing such a massive crowd at the Preaching Area, he figured the myriad races students had probably gathered there as well. After a moment's thought, Su Yu chuckled and turned toward the venue. ... The Preaching Area. The exchange matches were already well underway. Up on the ring, a newcomer from the War Academy kicked a student from the Civilization Academy off the platform and laughed boisterously. "Too weak, far too weak! You can't take a beating at all. No wonder everyone says you folks from the Civilization Academy are like scrawny chickens!" The youth on the stage shouted arrogantly, brimming with bravado. This was the annual highlight of the event: the trash talk. "Anyone else?" "A bunch of garbage who can't take a single hit... Pathetic!" As the youth jeered without restraint, he was about to unleash another volley of insults when he suddenly saw the surrounding crowd part. A young man in white robes strolled over from behind with a placid expression, saying nothing, looking as though he had merely dropped by in passing. Hearing the hushed murmurs rippling through the crowd, the youth on stage instantly swallowed the insults on the tip of his tongue. He had been right in the middle of shouting that "this year's freshmen at the Civilization Academy are all useless trash," but the moment he caught wind of that name, cold sweat broke out all over his body. He had nearly forgotten about this monster! Was this guy actually taking part in the exchange matches? Though he had no idea what was happening, the youth instantly changed his tune. "Aside from Su Yu, every single one of you this year is useless trash! Your parents wasted good grain bringing you into the world..." Below the stage, Su Yu could not help but chuckle. The fellow had singled him out on the spot, excluding him from the insult... He had to admit, the students from the War Academy were not completely brainless. He paid it no further mind, his gaze already catching several cloaked figures standing off to the side of the crowd. They were likely from the Myriad Races Academy. By now, the youth on stage had stopped cursing, and the students below had fallen silent as well. Countless eyes turned toward Su Yu. Was Su Yu going to step onto the stage? If he went up and taught the War Academy a lesson, how satisfying would that be! Among the crowd, many students from the War Academy looked toward Su Yu with solemn expressions. Was he really going to fight? If so, today's exchange tournament would simply turn into an exercise in self-inflicted torment for them. Even though the War Academy had produced remarkable prodigies this year, claiming any of them could surpass Su Yu... Even the War Academy lacked the confidence to make such a boast. One had to possess some self-awareness. Su Yu had effortlessly slaughtered a third-layer Tengkong and intimidated a sixth-layer Tengkong so badly that the man dared not step onto the stage. Which freshman could possibly hold a candle to him? The once-bustling arena fell into an eerie quiet the instant Su Yu arrived. Off to the side, several elders from both the War Academy and the Civilization Academy who had been chatting casually shifted their gazes toward Su Yu as well. His arrival sucked all the flavor out of the competition. Seeing so many eyes fixed on him, Su Yu smiled and said softly, "Carry on, everyone. I was just passing by and stopped to watch the excitement." He had no interest in competing. As long as the War Academy did not come looking for trouble with him, he could not be bothered to pay them any mind. Realizing he was drawing too much attention, Su Yu refrained from lingering. He glanced sideways at the cloaked figures, gave a slight nod, bowed briefly toward the elders not far away, and swiftly slipped out of the crowd to walk away. He had come quickly and left just as swiftly! Yet with his brief appearance, the matches suddenly felt thoroughly uninspiring. Up on the ring, the youth who had just been bellowing insults curled his lip, looking thoroughly bored. Forget it, what was the point of trash-talking? Even if he cursed out every single person and defeated them all, would he ever be a match for Su Yu? Su Yu alone suppressed every freshman of this entire intake. What used to be an entertaining annual show, a festive bout of roughhousing, had completely lost its appeal this year. ... Ignoring the scene behind him, Su Yu continued walking through the academy grounds. Whenever he crossed paths with members of the Single Divine Character Faction—be they students or instructors—he took the initiative to greet them warmly. Yet his polite greetings cut deeper than any blade. The people of the Single Divine Character Faction wished they could dig a hole in the ground and crawl inside. To them, Su Yu was clearly picking a fight on purpose. And indeed, Su Yu genuinely aimed to nauseate them, leaving the faction seething with even greater humiliation and resentment. Before long, a cloaked figure fell into step behind Su Yu. "Brother Su, were you looking for me?" Behind him, Xia Qing glanced around before asking in a hushed voice. Su Yu had suddenly shown up at the arena and glanced in her direction. She was sharp enough to figure out that he had likely come looking for her. As for the ripple effect his appearance had caused, Su Yu did not care, though that incidental disruption had instantly rendered the exchange tournament utterly dull. Xia Qing had originally considered stepping up to test her skills, but seeing the War Academy students fighting with all the enthusiasm of wilted cabbage, she had lost interest and quickly slipped away to track down Su Yu. Without turning his head, Su Yu whispered, "Yes. How about we find a place to talk tonight? Too many ears around here..." He added, "Be careful. Yesterday, I offended those people to the point of no return. If you have concerns, Princess Qing, there is no need to keep the appointment, lest you be dragged into my mess." "No matter. Brother Su's affairs are my affairs!" Xia Qing agreed without hesitation. Regardless of the details, it was best to accept first. "Then we'll talk tonight. I'll come find you!" "Agreed!" ... After exchanging a few brief words with Xia Qing, they parted ways. Soon after, Su Yu headed toward the Character Cultivation Garden. Beside an artificial rockery. Zhang Hao peered in all directions, and moments later, Su Yu arrived. Seeing Su Yu, Zhang Hao's eyes showed a flicker of complicated emotion. "Brother Su, you truly gave me quite a shock last night." Su Yu smiled. "A small matter. I thought you would be over at the Preaching Area." "Boring!" Zhang Hao replied bluntly, "With a peerless gem like you overshadowing everyone this year, many people didn't even bother attending that exchange tournament. It's completely meaningless. We can't surpass you, so even if we suppress the War Academy... it amounts to nothing!" He quickly changed the subject. "Did Brother Su come to ask about long-distance voice transmission?" "That's right." "Those long-distance voice transmission talismans do exist, but they are exorbitantly expensive. A single jade talisman costs over a thousand merit points! And just like comm devices, they aren't always very sensitive... Buying them really isn't cost-effective." "That doesn't matter. Get me a few." Su Yu added, "Handle it personally so no one tampers with them." "All right!" Zhang Hao nodded, then quickly advised, "Brother Su, take my advice—don't go wandering outside recently, and don't make any long journeys." Su Yu's sudden request for long-distance transmission talismans made him worry that this fellow was planning to leave on a distant trip. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Su Yu chuckled and said, "Cover the merit points for me first, and I'll pay you back later..." "No problem. If you're short on funds, just use them first." Zhang Hao did not mind at all. Was Su Yu really going to shortchange him by a few thousand merit points? In fact, he was secretly eager for it! He had heard that Su Yu owed Zheng Yunhui tens of thousands of merit points and intended to settle it with the Yuan-Purifying Art cultivation technique, which was practically giving away money. Zhang Hao wished Su Yu were broke; Su Yu was not the type to mistreat his allies, and handing over a few methods to open divine apertures would be a massive windfall. After a brief exchange, Su Yu said, "The Mutual Aid Society will be posting some missions soon. Keep an eye out, and feel free to take a few if you're interested." "Understood!" After thinking for a moment, Su Yu added, "Coming to see you today wasn't just for this matter. I've drawn too much attention lately. For my sake and for everyone's safety, the Mutual Aid Society may need to lie low for a while." "I understand." Zhang Hao nodded in agreement. Even now, he did not know who all the members of the Mutual Aid Society were. Yet he knew that Su Yu was undoubtedly a pivotal figure among them. The two talked for a short while before Su Yu took his leave. He did not seek out Lin Yao or Hu Zongqi in person, merely sending them brief voice transmissions telling them to pay attention to upcoming missions. Since he was preparing to leave, he felt he should leave these fellows some benefits. Giving them outright would look improper, so posting a few simple missions would do. That way, they could redeem some cultivation techniques or even basic cultural arts. ... Walking along and pausing occasionally, Su Yu found himself standing outside the Zhao Li Research Institute several times. He wanted to step inside, but ultimately gave up on the idea. Better not go in for now! He would speak to him when the moment of departure truly arrived. Teacher Zhao had an eccentric temperament, and Su Yu felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of confessing that he was leaving. Zhao Li had placed immense hopes on him, even going so far as to tell him that if he could no longer survive here, he should simply proclaim himself a member of the Forging faction. "Forge Earth-rank cultural weapons..." Su Yu murmured softly. He would return, and he would help Teacher Zhao forge Earth-rank cultural weapons. For now, he was simply not qualified. With far too many affairs occupying him lately, he had not even mastered the basics of forging. Rushing to help would only cause a mess. ... He wandered through the academy until nightfall. Su Yu then brought along Shadow and Water Person, using their concealment abilities to slip out of the academy under the cover of darkness. He had strolled around all day, and by now, anyone from the Single Divine Character Faction steered clear the moment they spotted him. Even if they had been keeping an eye on him before, they likely lacked the stomach to monitor him now, knowing he was only wandering about to disgust them. ... The Xia Clan Restaurant. This was a grand establishment located in the heart of the city. The prefectural capital was a city that never slept; even late into the night, the streets teemed with people. This was the very first time Su Yu had the leisure to wander the streets. Truly his first time! He had rarely left the academy at all—once to go to Eighteenth Middle School, once to the All-Races Pit. Where would he have found the time to sightsee? Tonight, Su Yu witnessed the true prosperity of the Great Xia Prefecture. Bright lanterns illuminated the roads! Pedestrians flowed like a river! A sea of bustling people! So crowded, so lively, so prosperous. It was a vista Su Yu had never seen before. Shops lined both sides of the street, some bellowing invitations to customers, while hearty laughter and the clinking of cups drifted from others. Cultivation dojos stood in rows, and civilian practitioners were abundant. Even in the dead of night, the thudding impacts and shouts of martial training could be heard echoing through the air! This was the civilian heart of the Great Xia Prefecture! The waters of Great Xia ran deep, but that depth lay among the upper echelons. The grassroots had barely changed—still martial, still hot-blooded. With a single order from Great Xia, a million troops could march to war at any moment. Veterans were everywhere, just like Su Yu's father. Once a military summons arrived from Great Xia, legions of veterans would return in droves. That was the Great Xia Prefecture. Su Yu walked slowly, blending into the crowd. Having swapped his white robes for green ones, he drew little attention as he wove through the throng. Before long, a towering restaurant came into view. The Xia Clan Restaurant! Su Yu turned up the collar of his robe, using his shadow divine character to weave a hazy veil of shadows over his face. He could not quite understand why the meeting had been set here, nor did he know who had arrived tonight. With people coming and going constantly, this place hardly fit Su Yu's idea of a venue for confidential talks. Stepping into the Xia Clan Restaurant, a server was just about to welcome him when a middle-aged man waiting off to the side stepped forward with a gentle smile. "Mr. Su?" "It is I." "Please follow me. The lord is already upstairs!" The middle-aged man gestured for Su Yu to head up. Su Yu felt a slight shock in his heart. A Shanhai! Indeed, a Shanhai Realm expert! Water Person and Shadow had transmitted signals to him, and he had sensed it himself through the reaction of his resonance jade. This was a Shanhai expert! Then the lord he spoke of... was he a peak Shanhai or a Sunmoon? Who had come? Keeping his composure, Su Yu followed the man upstairs. He was not overly concerned. This was the Xia Clan Restaurant; no one had the audacity to make a move against him here unless they were suicidal. To attack Su Yu inside the Xia family's largest restaurant within the Great Xia Prefecture—even the Hierarch of the Primordial Religion would not be foolish enough to try it. Anyone who did would never leave alive. ... Third floor. Inside a massive private room, Zhu Tiandao sat sipping tea by the open window, gazing down at the streets below while humming a light tune in high spirits. Hearing footsteps approach, he smiled and called out, "Enter!" The door swung open. Led by the middle-aged man, Su Yu stepped into the room. At first glance, Zhu Tiandao looked faintly familiar, but Su Yu could not place him right away. Portraits and recordings of the various prefecture lords did circulate, and had he been in Great Ming, Su Yu might have recognized him instantly. But this was Great Xia, where records concerning Zhu Tiandao were sparse. Even so, he knew this was a figure of immense standing. "My lord, I shall take my leave below..." the middle-aged man said. Zhu Tiandao nodded with a smile, then looked at Su Yu. "Su Yu, if you don't mind, have him take those two little fellows with him for now. Let's have a private chat. Having those two around feels a bit awkward." Su Yu's heart gave a slight jolt, and he nodded. An instant later, Shadow and Water Person emerged, their forms materializing. Trembling slightly, the two great demons bowed toward Zhu Tiandao in deep respect. Without a word, they swiftly melted into the middle-aged Shanhai's shadow and vanished. The middle-aged man smiled, stepped backward, and closed the door. "My lord..." Before Su Yu could finish, Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "No rush to talk business. Come, sit, and take a look at Great Xia's night view!" Su Yu walked over and took a seat opposite him. The dining table was already laden with an array of dishes. Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "That fat Xia fellow is truly unscrupulous. Just for a few plates of demon beast meat, he dared to charge a hundred merit points! An absolute swindler!" Su Yu smiled and nodded. "My lord speaks the absolute truth!" Marquis Xia was indeed extortionate. Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Brat, you've got guts, daring to slander Fat Xia behind his back." Su Yu was taken aback. I didn't say a word out loud, and you could sense it? Zhu Tiandao grinned. "Brat, the resonance in your reaction was far too genuine. Anyone could tell it wasn't mere lip service. You genuinely believe I'm right and that Fat Xia is rotten to the core, don't you?" Su Yu smiled and nodded, adding, "Marquis Xia may be rapacious, but he is fair in his dealings. At the very least, when he fleeces you, he leaves you with nothing to say." "True enough. That's his skill." With that, Zhu Tiandao looked at Su Yu with a grin. "Having your cultivation technique fleeced like that, how do you feel about it?" "It's merely a small matter," Su Yu said softly. "The aperture fusion method is decent, but it only took a week of my effort. Not only did it wipe out three hundred thousand merit points in debt, but I'll also receive ongoing revenue down the line, which shouldn't be negligible." "Then do you know how much he charged just to grant the Great Ming Prefecture authorization to distribute it?" "A million merit points?" That was Su Yu's estimate, but Zhu Tiandao's reply instantly shattered his expectations. "A million for the basic version! Three million for the advanced version!" Su Yu was left speechless! Truly unscrupulous! He took a sip of tea to calm his nerves. That Fat Xia—cough, Marquis Xia—was black-hearted enough to be made of iron. There were thirty-six prefectures in the Human Realm! "Of course, that authorization is permanent, so it isn't entirely unreasonable," Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Great Ming can still scrape together some money. We aren't as impoverished as Great Xia. They've been fighting wars for so many years that their treasury is practically drained dry. If Fat Xia hadn't resorted to trickery and extortion to bring in funds, they probably couldn't even pay their military expenses." Su Yu did not chime in. He knew nothing about that, and empty speculation was pointless. Zhu Tiandao smiled, looked at Su Yu, and asked, "Do you know who I am?" "I do not know for certain, but you must be a high-ranking figure of the Great Ming Prefecture." "Slick tongue." Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "My surname is Zhu, a direct descendant of the Zhu family. Can you guess?" Su Yu took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and bowed deeply. "Greetings, Prefecture Lord!" He had guessed it! A direct descendant of the Zhu family and a Sunmoon Realm expert—there was only one such person: Prefecture Lord Zhu Tiandao of the Great Ming Prefecture! It truly exceeded his wildest expectations. The moment he entered the room, he had harbored faint suspicions, but now it was confirmed. It truly was Zhu Tiandao, not someone from a collateral branch. He was both surprised and shaken. He had never imagined that the Prefecture Lord of Great Ming would come in person! Among those beneath the Invincible stage, he was part of the group holding the highest status! His standing far exceeded that of ordinary Sunmoon experts! Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "You've seen Great Ming's sincerity! Whatever conditions you have, feel free to name them later! But I want to ask: what can you bring to the table for me? I wouldn't want to nurture you to prominence only to have you turn around and run back to Great Xia, handing the fruits of my labor to someone else. Wouldn't that be a massive loss for me?" Su Yu nodded and said solemnly, "Setting my own cultivation aside for now, and leaving uncertain future prospects off the table, let me state one point: there are three versions of the aperture fusion method. The first two were licensed to the Xia family. The supreme version was backed up by the Xia family, but they were never granted distribution rights—it remains entirely in my hands. It can completely eliminate the repulsion force of the Wanshi Realm!" Zhu Tiandao's eyes flickered. Good grief! It really existed! "How many apertures does it open?" "Thirty-six!" "How many overlap with the War God Art?" "Eighteen!" "So that means opening eighteen new apertures?" "Correct!" Zhu Tiandao drew a sharp breath. "Are you willing to license it to the Zhu family?" "That depends on your attitude, my lord!" Su Yu said in a heavy voice. "If word leaks out, I fear people will come for my life!" "They won't!" Zhu Tiandao replied indifferently. "We aren't the Xia family! Those who offend the Xia family aren't fearless; they just know the Xia family exercises restraint and tolerance. But offending my Zhu family? They had better think twice. Even an Invincible would need to consider whether crossing my Zhu family leads to a good end!" The Zhu family's overall military might was inferior to the Xia family's, but they had far fewer burdens and reservations—and that made them terrifying. Su Yu nodded and continued, "In addition, I once traded a basic cultural art to the Xia family that opens thirty-six divine apertures, and I never authorized them to distribute it!" "..." Zhu Tiandao took another deep breath. "It seems the terms I prepared are useless! My Zhu family is also a family of Civilization Masters, and we possess a basic cultural art that opens twenty-four divine apertures. I had originally planned to use that as my bargaining chip, but... you've truly taken me by surprise!" The Zhu family's progenitor, King Daming, was an almighty expert along the path of Civilization Masters. He possessed his own basic cultural art! Yet it fell short of Su Yu's! Su Yu smiled. "I possess a natural, profound comprehension of cultivation techniques. I excel at deducing techniques from the myriad races. Furthermore, my Multiple Divine Characters Faction specializes in producing innate blood essence. Combined with my analytical methods, I can deconstruct the cultivation techniques of many races, including their innate skills. Does that count as an ability?" "It does!" Zhu Tiandao nodded, visibly shaken. "An immense ability. Your combat talent is secondary compared to this... This is worth thousands of armies!" The Xia family were fools! To drive away a genius like this! If Xia Longwu wanted to attain the Dao, they should have just staked everything on a battle. They deserved this frustration! Zhu Tiandao grinned. "Say no more. Name your conditions. As long as they aren't completely unreasonable, I grant them all!" Deconstructing the techniques of the myriad races! Damn it all! What kind of monstrous talent was that? He had struck gold! Su Yu said seriously, "My lord, I can deconstruct techniques, but certain secret arts unique to my lineage will not be shared! That includes the production method for innate blood essence, because I was not the one who created it, so I cannot pass it on!" "Naturally!" Su Yu let out a breath of relief and continued, "Furthermore, my purpose in going to the Great Ming Prefecture is freedom and peace of mind. Great Ming must not place excessive pressure on me. Also, regarding the Single Divine Character Faction in Great Ming..." "Treat them as nonexistent!" Zhu Tiandao laughed heartily. "Those fellows are all wooden blocks. To be frank, while I find Great Ming's state comforting, it's also utterly exasperating. A bunch of bookworms!" He sighed. "The dispute between the single and multiple factions has its pros and cons. Kept under control, it's actually a healthy competition. But... people still have to actually compete!" He added with a tinge of resentment, "The Civilization Masters in Great Ming... they simply refuse to fight!" They simply refuse to fight! That aggrieved complaint left even Su Yu momentarily stunned. Zhu Tiandao sighed in exasperation. "In other prefectures, they at least put up a fight. In Great Ming, it's practically a pool of stagnant water! A bunch of old fogies who do nothing but compose poetry, admire the scenery, or engage in high-minded debates. They're great at verbal sparring, but as for actual fighting... I honestly doubt whether Great Ming's Civilization Masters can even throw a punch anymore! Among all the prefectures, Great Ming's military has the fewest Civilization Masters!" "Great Ming has plenty of Civilization Masters, but... those fellows are on great terms with the War Academy. Whenever a major battle looms, they send cultivation techniques, battle strategies, martial arts, weapons... they'll send everything except people!" In other words, when war broke out, their Civilization Masters contributed money and materials, but never themselves. They let the War Academy folks take the field! War was a matter for martial brutes; as scholars, their job was merely to handle logistics from the rear. Su Yu was at a loss for words. Had the Great Ming Prefecture... reached such a state? Wasn't this taking laid-back slacking a bit too far? Did these Civilization Masters truly view themselves as frail, defenseless scholars? Zhu Tiandao sighed. "So once you arrive, don't worry about any factional strife unless you want to stir it up yourself. In fact, I'd be thrilled if you did... But let me warn you in advance: even if you pick a fight, people might not even bother responding. It's as simple as that! The Multiple Divine Characters Faction also has some people in Great Ming—not many, maybe fifty or sixty. They aren't doing great, but they aren't doing poorly either. Even so, those guys are wooden blocks who rarely even step outside..." "..." Su Yu had nothing left to say. After a long silence, he asked, "My lord, can Great Ming handle the situation on the All-Heavens Battlefield like this?" "Easily!" Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Great Ming doesn't engage in many wars, but don't think for a second that we're weak. Our warriors are remarkably formidable, even though outsiders perceive Great Ming as a major prefecture of Civilization Masters." Their King Daming was a Civilization Master and the second-in-command of the Quest Realm, yet their Civilization Masters... were thoroughly useless in combat. Their warriors, on the other hand, were anything but weak! They possessed top-tier equipment, excellent cultivation techniques, advanced martial arts, abundant pills, numerous mounts, and plenty of divine talismans. There were just hardly any Civilization Masters taking the field. Su Yu imagined the scene and suddenly remarked, "I'm starting to understand why my teacher came to Great Xia!" Zhu Tiandao shook his head wryly and nodded. "Indeed. Great Ming is rather stagnant. If your teacher wanted to make rapid progress, coming to Great Xia was truly a sound choice." "Aren't you worried I might change my mind after hearing you say that, Prefecture Lord?" Zhu Tiandao waved it off dismissively. "What would you stay here for? If you were a prodigy of the Single Divine Character Faction, I'd encourage you to stay a few years. But you aren't, so you'd better leave early. The conflict here is fierce, but the crucial problem is: what is your current strength? You aren't qualified to participate in it!" Su Yu nodded, and Zhu Tiandao quickly added, "Do you have any more demands? Lay them all out in one breath. Once we're done, if it's convenient, we can leave right now!" Su Yu smiled. "About that, my lord... I can't leave until the end of the month at the earliest!" Zhu Tiandao frowned slightly. "Why?" "I need to look after my senior sister's standing on the Top 100 Rankings. Besides, I have several matters left to resolve. Furthermore, I refuse to leave quietly like this. Even if I go, I must make them pay. I am not a broad-minded person; since they forced me out, I intend to take my revenge!" "Well..." Zhu Tiandao mused. "Once you're in Great Ming, that's easy. But within Great Xia, Great Ming cannot readily interfere, or we'll cross boundaries." Su Yu nodded. "I understand, so I won't put you in an awkward position, Prefecture Lord. If it's convenient, you could arrange for people to receive me at Starfall Mountain. I worry that powerful experts might try to move against me then. While within Great Xia territory, not many top figures would dare make a move openly." "That won't be a problem!" Stroking his chin, Zhu Tiandao said, "Just don't go dying halfway, brat, or I'll be out of pocket!" "I won't. Even if I truly perish along the way..." Su Yu paused, then said, "That would simply be fate. Lacking sufficient fortune, luck, strength, and foresight—that would be sheer stupidity!" If he dug his own grave with the schemes he laid, he would have only himself to blame. If he didn't die now, he would die of foolishness sooner or later. Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Good! I'd like to see what you're capable of! Any other requests?" "When I go to Great Ming, I plan to re-establish the Primordial Spirit Research Institute. I will need a vast amount of reference materials and cultivation techniques, including confidential archives, as well as a batch of human race texts of will..." "How many is a batch?" "At least a hundred volumes!" "Any grade requirements?" "None. As long as they are texts of will." "A trifle!" Zhu Tiandao smiled. That was an insignificant matter. "I also need large quantities of blood essence for research..." Su Yu explained, "Whether for researching the production of innate blood essence or deciphering myriad races' techniques, I require blood essence!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "As long as it isn't exceedingly rare, that's also a trifle! Of course, god and demon blood essence... lower grades are fine, but higher grades are difficult to acquire. After all, we don't clash with gods and demons very often." Delighted, Su Yu nodded. "That will be plenty!" He quickly added, "Wait, one more thing. I need you to assign me several researchers... Their cultivation strength doesn't matter, as long as they can help me organize materials and assist in deducing techniques." "That..." Zhu Tiandao pondered briefly, then nodded. "That works. There are a few old fellows whose cultivation is terrible and who are knocking on death's door anyway. How about I stuff them into your institute so they can live out their retirement?" Su Yu was speechless. What did that mean? "I mean those fools who do nothing but read books and barely cultivate!" Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "Don't look at me like that—we have plenty of them! They think cultivating is tedious, and now their lifespans are almost exhausted. But when it comes to erudition, they are absolute scholars!" It took Su Yu a good while to process that. He was thoroughly amazed! The Civilization Masters of Great Ming truly viewed themselves as mere bookish scholars. No wonder they couldn't wage factional warfare—he doubted they even possessed the strength to fight! "Prefecture Lord, how many elders does the Great Ming Civilization Academy have?" "Sixteen!" "..." Good grief, that was pitifully few, less than half the number at the Great Xia Civilization Academy. "Are they all in the Shanhai Realm?" "Fourteen are in Shanhai, and two are at the ninth layer of Lingyun!" Zhu Tiandao cleared his throat and said, "It's decent enough, honestly! In some of the weaker prefectures, their civilization academies only have three to five elders. We're considered strong!" He said it without a shred of confidence. Their leader, King Daming, was the second-in-command of the Quest Realm, second only to King Dazhou! "Then the principal of the Great Ming Civilization Academy..." "You mean Old Niu?" Zhu Tiandao coughed lightly. "He went traveling to take in the scenery. He'll be back soon. He isn't weak—third layer of Sunmoon, a veteran Sunmoon who reached that realm years ago." How veteran was a veteran? Old enough to be... approaching his lifespan's limit? Only now did Su Yu truly understand why Great Xia claimed to be formidable! The Great Xia Civilization Academy alone possessed twice as many Shanhai experts, not to mention Sunmoon experts. Wan Tiansheng, Hong Tan, and Zhou Mingren were all claimed to be in Shanhai, but... were they truly all just Shanhai? Then there were the Jiutian and Wendao Academies, whose combined elders numbered around thirty! If the Great Ming Civilization Academy was already like this, how many elders could the other civilization academies in Great Ming possibly have? Su Yu could not resist asking, "Prefecture Lord, can these elders fight?" "..." Zhu Tiandao glanced at him and remained silent for a long moment before answering, "Civilization Masters pass down the flame of civilization. Fighting... isn't their forte, but once they reach Shanhai, they still have some capital!" Understood! They probably weren't adept at combat either! Su Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Prefecture Lord, once I arrive, will I be allowed to go to the All-Heavens Battlefield?" "Of course!" Zhu Tiandao did not care much about that. "I looked into your background. Your father is in the Demon Suppressing Army. We can transfer him over to Great Ming. It's fine; he can just retire and live out his days comfortably." "Forget it." His father would definitely refuse. If he had wanted that, he would have retired at home long ago instead of enlisting in the Demon Suppressing Army. Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Is that all?" "Yes." "Then it's settled!" Zhu Tiandao grinned. "These are all minor matters. If you can achieve great things in Great Ming, I have a granddaughter who is still young. You can marry her and marry into the Zhu family. You'd even have a shot at becoming Prefecture Lord..." Su Yu glanced at his face, fell silent, and lowered his head. "My heart is devoted solely to cultivation!" "..." Fuck! Zhu Tiandao cursed inwardly! Goddammit! You took one look at my face and then said your heart is devoted solely to cultivation—what the hell are you implying?!