The Wonders of the Great Ming Prefecture

Inside Tiandu Prefecture, within the Prefecture Lord Manor. A bustling crowd milled about. "Ninth Prince, Su Yu has entered the city!" "Eighth Princess, Su Yu is in the city!" "..." Outside the main hall, guards and palace maids hurried back and forth spreading the news, informing the princes and princesses that the murderous fiend Su Yu had arrived. Inside the grand council hall. Zhu Tiandao beamed. "Everyone, Su Yu has entered the city!" An elderly man well past eighty sat within the hall, speaking with total nonchalance. "Prefecture Lord, he's entered the city, so be it. Did you summon all of us just to have us go out and welcome him?" Isn't that taking things a bit far? No matter how brilliant a prodigy he was, he was still only in the Yangxing Realm. Most of them couldn't be bothered with him. Su Yu could do whatever he pleased; wasn't it great if they just stayed out of each other's way? Why summon them here? "No, no. I've already sent someone to summon Su Yu to the manor so everyone can meet him. From now on, you'll be colleagues!" "..." The crowd fell silent. Colleagues? Isn't that moving a bit fast? The kid was still just a student back in the Great Xia Prefecture. "Prefecture Lord, is that really appropriate?" A burly man frowned. "Are you saying you plan to give Su Yu an official post in the Great Ming Prefecture?" "What's inappropriate about it?" Zhu Tiandao chuckled heartily. "Back in Great Xia, he was already applying for the title of researcher. Now that he's come to Great Ming, I've already spoken with the Yuqiang Department. Starting today, Su Yu is a researcher. We'll see if he wants to attach his name to the Zhu Family Research Institute..." In the hall, an old man yawned. "Sure, let him attach his name. He came up with the aperture fusion method, so whether he developed it personally or not, putting his name on something is no issue. As long as it's under the Zhu family, it's fine. Prefecture Lord, our research institutes aren't taking anyone in!" Under your family? We have no objections. Just don't meddle in our business. Who has the time to bother with him! Zhu Tiandao sighed helplessly. "Everyone, do you have any idea how close the Xia family came to having a falling-out with me over this kid? Not because he fled Great Xia, but because Great Xia regretted it and didn't want to let him go! While our Great Ming's Civilization Masters are formidable, we lack prowess in the ways of combat..." Below the dais, someone immediately remarked in surprise, "Civilization Masters shouldn't be dabbling in combat in the first place! As the saying goes, let specialists handle their specialties. Fighting and killing is a warrior's job..." "Bullshit!" Zhu Tiandao cursed, "Nonsense! It's one thing for you old fogies to be lazy, but take a look at what the younger generation in Great Ming has turned into under your influence! Do you really have no self-awareness? Bringing Su Yu into Great Ming is my attempt to see if we can turn things around. I'm warning you old bastards: if you don't want to work or fight, that's your own business, but don't you dare interfere with Su Yu!" The gathered elders closed their eyes in silence. They simply acted as if they hadn't heard a word! Do whatever you want. We won't meddle anyway. If any of the young geniuses want to deal with Su Yu, let them; the old folks wouldn't get involved. "Su Yu intends to re-establish the Primordial Spirit Research Institute!" Zhu Tiandao continued, "The Yuqiang Department will allocate a portion of the funding. As for the remaining materials, resources, and personnel, each faction will contribute a little..." "Ahem!" An elder in the crowd spoke up. "Prefecture Lord, that hardly seems right, does it? Allocating some official funds is fine, but expecting all of us to chip in? No one's research institute is funded entirely by outsiders, is it? If the Prefecture Lord isn't short on cash, you can pay for it yourself." Asking us to pay to build Su Yu an institute? That's unacceptable! Your Zhu family is wealthy; pay for it yourselves. Zhu Tiandao couldn't even be bothered to argue. "Forget the money, then. I was referring to special resources, if they're needed! Everyone, don't think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. You're all experts in this field, so you should understand the immense benefits of that aperture fusion method. Su Yu mentioned earlier that he wants to deduce methods for fusing divine apertures, including the primordial spirit apertures. I believe he stands a good chance of succeeding..." The moment those words were spoken, the elders in the hall exchanged glances. After a long pause, someone remarked, "That... actually has potential. In truth, quite a few people in our prefecture have researched such things. Special resources might be hard to part with, but we can provide some reference materials. Personnel is fine too. A few old fellows are on the verge of kicking the bucket anyway; how about we send them over to him?" "..." Zhu Tiandao felt a deep weariness in his soul. The speaker gave a light cough and added, "They are all profoundly knowledgeable scholars, just lacking a bit in combat strength. It can't be helped—several of those old folks are nearing three hundred years old, yet they're only in the Tengkong Realm, right at the end of their lifespans... We have no way to extend their lives any further, so why not send them to Su Yu? Perhaps they'll find a new lease on life, have a sudden epiphany, and break through to the Lingyun or Shanhai Realm!" Zhu Tiandao was at a loss for words. That was almost verbatim what he had told Su Yu last time. He nodded. "Fine. Have the three great academies compile a list for me later, and we'll see if Su Yu wants them." As they spoke, Zhu Tiandao's eyes flickered, and several elders turned their heads toward the outside, eager for some excitement. Watching drama and gossip was their favorite pastime! Life was too dull; watching some fun unfold wasn't a bad idea. …… Meanwhile. Outside the Prefecture Lord Manor. Su Yu followed a Tengkong-level guard who was filled with intense curiosity. Su Yu felt helpless inside. *This guy in front of me needs to cut it out—stop constantly turning back to stare at me like I'm some kind of freak.* A massive palace gate now loomed before them. The gates stood wide open, flanked on both sides by the Zhu family's personal guard. There were plenty of formidable experts! Su Yu could even sense the presence of Lingyun-level cultivators, though he didn't pay it much mind. He had seen the world by now; he had witnessed the fall of Sunmoon experts on multiple occasions. Just as the guard was about to lead him inside, he suddenly said, "Lord Su, trouble's here!" Su Yu was slightly taken aback. Trouble? This was right at the entrance of the Zhu family manor—where would trouble come from? A moment later, his gaze shifted. More than a dozen young men and women walked out through the palace gates. They varied in age, but all were relatively young; the oldest appeared in their twenties or thirties, while the youngest seemed to be only four or five years old. Had the entire younger generation of the Zhu family shown up? The group stared at Su Yu as if observing a monkey in a cage. Their expressions were a mix of wonder, curiosity, gloom, realization, and disappointment. "Eighth Sister, is that the Great Demon King Su? He doesn't even look as fierce as Ninth Brother!" "Ninth Brother, is that Bai Junsheng's nephew? Did Bai Junsheng use him to scare you?" "Ninth Brother, can you beat him?" "..." The youngsters chattered all at once, as if completely forgetting that Su Yu was a living, breathing person standing right in front of them. In the Zhu family's fourth generation, there were only three direct descendants. The fourth generation meant Zhu Tiandao's grandchildren's generation, corresponding to Xia Huyou's generation. This so-called Ninth Brother... was likely ranked according to the overall fourth generation. In reality, Zhu Tiandao's maternal grandchildren were not considered direct lineage; only his paternal grandchildren were. Maternal grandchildren did not carry the Zhu surname, though they still lived within the Zhu household. Su Yu had done some homework before coming, though he naturally didn't know all the precise details. Now, he studied the group. There were quite a few young men and women, led by a young man and a young woman at the front. Both looked very young! The young man... Su Yu could tell at a single glance that he was a descendant of Zhu Tiandao. His appearance was... difficult to describe. Xia Huyou could be considered a chubby fellow, but he was built solidly; the young man leading this group, on the other hand, was genuinely fat! Morbidly obese, in fact! He had a broad face and fleshy cheeks—or rather, a fat head and big ears! The young woman... might not carry the direct Zhu family bloodline. If you sliced that fat fellow in half, either half would still be plumper than this girl. These were evidently the Eighth Sister and Ninth Brother mentioned by the children. Su Yu deduced that they were likely Zhu Tiandao's grandson and... granddaughter? The two sides exchanged glances. The fat youth, who was slightly out of breath just from walking, bared his teeth in a grin. "Su Yu of the Great Xia Prefecture?" Su Yu gave a faint smile. "Su Yu of the Great Ming Prefecture!" "Heh, whatever you say!" The fat youth didn't mind in the slightest and chuckled merrily. "Bai Junsheng told me you're really something! He said if I dared mess with him, he'd have you beat me to death. Su Yu, my grandfather is the Prefecture Lord. Are you going to beat me to death?" "..." Su Yu felt a wave of exhaustion. Bai Junsheng... *do I even know the guy?* *Why would I be bored enough to beat the Prefecture Lord's grandson to death the moment I arrive!* Zhu Tiandao supposedly had only two grandsons and one granddaughter. The eldest grandson was already in the Lingyun Realm and wasn't present; this had to be the younger grandson, likely the Zhu Hongliang mentioned by the storyteller. He had quite a few maternal grandchildren, but Su Yu hadn't inquired into every single one. "Your Highness misunderstands!" Su Yu replied calmly, "Bai Junsheng... is Your Highness referring to my teacher's cousin?" "Yes, that's him!" Zhu Hongliang gnashed his teeth. "That despicable scoundrel! When we sparred, he actually ambushed me..." *Did he really need to ambush you?* Su Yu sensed his aura; his cultivation wasn't very strong, still in the Yangxing Realm. Hadn't Bai Junsheng already broken through to the Tengkong Realm? Being stuck in the Yangxing Realm was understandable. The Zhu family had their own cultural method that required opening twenty-four divine apertures. The younger generation would typically open all twenty-four apertures during the Yangxing stage, which naturally took several years. Bai Junsheng was in the Tengkong Realm—third layer, no less—so beating him was only natural. Su Yu was slightly surprised. He had heard that his teacher's father was only in the Lingyun Realm, and the head of the Bai family was Bai Feng's eldest uncle. Bai Junsheng was likely the son of that eldest uncle. The son of a family head dared to beat Zhu Hongliang? What was the story there? Had the Bai family head reached the Shanhai Realm? Su Yu hadn't asked in detail, but probably not, right? Looking at the group before him, Su Yu smiled and asked, "Your Highness, Bai Junsheng beat you up, and the Zhu family did nothing about it?" Zhu Hongliang looked puzzled. "Why would they do anything?" "..." Su Yu mused privately, *I really need to read up more on the Great Ming Prefecture's laws.* "Your Highness was bullied by an outsider, and the Zhu family didn't stand up for you?" Zhu Hongliang looked even more baffled. "Why should they stand up for me? Isn't it completely normal for students to spar?" "I see." Su Yu nodded. He understood now. The Zhu family didn't interfere! That was a good thing. If this guy tried to pick a fight later, Su Yu could beat him up, and presumably nothing would come of it either. After all, he was only in the Yangxing Realm! Even when Bai Junsheng beat him up as a Tengkong expert, nothing happened. Su Yu was only in the Yangxing Realm, so it should be even less of an issue, right? Just as he was thinking this, the young woman who had remained silent spoke up: "You're Su Yu? The Su Yu my grandfather wants to marry me off to? You look decent enough, just too skinny." She looked Su Yu up and down, speaking with clear dissatisfaction. "So skinny—do you not eat every day? Or do you spend all your time wandering through brothels and pleasure houses? I don't like guys like you!" She was thoroughly displeased! Anyone so scrawny definitely wasn't up to any good. She had seen far too many such people in Great Ming. She had zero interest in romantic rakes. Great Ming was overflowing with such frivolous prodigies! Even if Su Yu possessed astonishing talent, she had no interest. Su Yu laughed. "The Prefecture Lord was merely joking. My heart is devoted entirely to cultivation; I have no time for other pursuits." Hearing this, the girl gave him an odd look. "Are you a hypocrite? Are you saying that on purpose just to catch my attention? Do you already have a lover? I read in our Zhu family records that Liu Wenyan, the teacher you had when you were young, was a romantic rake. Are you just pretending to be upright?" "..." Su Yu felt exhausted. *You're way too blunt!* Besides, was the Zhu family really so idle that they even kept records of Teacher Liu's romantic escapades? Come to think of it, he'd have to borrow those records to take a look later. Before even entering the manor, he had already run into two eccentric oddballs. Su Yu felt thoroughly helpless. He forced a smile. "If the Princess says so, then so be it!" At that moment, a child in the crowd piped up curiously, "Su Yu, Great Demon King, can you beat my Ninth Brother?" "If you can beat Ninth Brother, can you beat Eighth Sister?" Su Yu smiled and looked at Zhu Hongliang and the young woman. "Did the two of you block my path because you want to spar?" "Nope!" Zhu Hongliang said flatly, "Not sparring, no interest! If we really want to compete, we can compete in something else, like who eats more or drinks more. Fighting is boring!" Zhu Hongliang quickly added, "I'm just curious why my grandfather values you so highly. Even if you killed Lingyun experts, that was only by using innate blood essence. Some geniuses in our Great Ming Prefecture can also defeat stronger foes by relying on external tools..." He truly found it puzzling. He admitted that Su Yu was a genius, a monstrous talent! There was nothing wrong with admitting that! Yet Zhu Tiandao taking him this seriously seemed excessive. He was even convening a high-level council meeting on Su Yu's account, which was an exaggerated level of importance. He even wanted to betroth Eighth Sister to Su Yu! Eighth Sister was his grandfather's only paternal granddaughter! Betrothing a maternal granddaughter wouldn't have surprised him as much. "External tools?" Su Yu smiled. "Do you mean this?" With that, he reached out and snatched at the empty air. With a *pop*, he crushed a tiny insect hovering in the void! The next instant, his figure blurred. With a heavy *boom*, his fist smashed down onto Zhu Hongliang's head, and with an explosive blast, "Zhu Hongliang" blew apart into pieces! The young boys and girls around them were completely stunned! "Murder!" The guards were also seized with shock. But in the next moment, the shattered "Zhu Hongliang" spoke up in astonishment: "How did you see through it?" "Trivial tricks!" Su Yu said calmly, "There's still a difference between a person and a puppet. Though I must say, this puppet was remarkably lifelike!" A fake! Yet inwardly, Su Yu was slightly startled. He hadn't noticed at first; only after crushing that tiny insect had he detected a clue. "Impressive!" A moment later, another fat youth walked out from the palace gates. It was Zhu Hongliang once more. The fat youth marvelled, "I thought this puppet of mine was completely indistinguishable from the real thing..." *Boom!* The newly emerged Zhu Hongliang exploded again. Su Yu said coolly, "Your Highness had better stop playing around. It's a waste of money. These puppets are far from cheap. Even if they possess the strength of the first or second layer of the Tengkong Realm, to me, they're nothing more than a single slap. Why bother, Your Highness?" Zhu Hongliang appeared yet again, and this time, it was his true self. Looking at Su Yu, he clicked his tongue in shock. "You really just strike to kill without hesitation! Weren't you afraid of actually killing me?" So ruthless! How could he be so sure it was a puppet? If that had been the real body and Su Yu had killed him, how could he possibly survive in Great Ming? Beside him, the young woman also exclaimed in surprise, "You're so strong! You can be this powerful even without innate blood essence!" Even though it had been a puppet, it truly possessed Tengkong-level strength. Yet Su Yu had dispatched it with effortless ease! Su Yu smiled. "It's alright. I don't usually kill people." If he truly wanted to kill, none of them would be a match for him. Even this Eighth Princess, who seemed to be at the fourth or fifth layer of the Tengkong Realm, was far from enough! "Are you really eighteen?" The girl continued questioning him, quickly adding, "My name is Zhu Qingyan, ranked eighth. I'm two years older than you, so you can call me Eighth Sister." "The Eighth Princess is too polite!" Su Yu didn't indulge her. Calling her Eighth Sister was out of the question; there was no need to get overly familiar with them. Who knew if Old Zhu was running a honey trap? Women were obstacles on the path of cultivation; there was no need to pay them any mind. Although this Zhu Qingyan was better looking than he had imagined, Su Yu had no interest. "You're... no fun at all!" Zhu Qingyan shot him a glance, speaking with disappointment. "Aside from being somewhat strong, there's nothing special about you. I'm warning you: if my grandfather brings up that marriage again, you must refuse!" Su Yu nodded and said earnestly, "Rest assured. Even if I go back to Great Xia and marry that girl who looks at everyone through her nostrils, I still wouldn't have any interest in you..." "..." Though she didn't quite understand the reference, Zhu Qingyan felt a wave of intense hostility at that moment! Zhu Hongliang clicked his tongue. What audacity. You're in for it now! My Eighth Sister has violent tendencies! Of course, she probably couldn't beat Su Yu anyway. "Hmph!" Zhu Qingyan ignored him, turning on her heel and stalking off. How boring; he completely failed to match the image in her mind. In her imagination, the Su Yu who shook both Great Xia and Great Ming ought to be an ethereal, white-robed swordsman roaming the realm. The current Su Yu wore a green scholar's robe and had a reserved bearing, looking completely unremarkable—no different from an ordinary scholar. Great Ming had far too many people like that. When he had shattered Zhu Hongliang's puppet earlier, she had looked at him a bit longer, but that impression had vanished in an instant, leaving behind nothing distinctive. He was just somewhat strong, that was all! It wasn't as if Great Ming lacked powerful cultivators. Su Yu didn't mind her leaving; good riddance, less hassle. Ignoring Zhu Hongliang, Su Yu turned to the guard leading the way and smiled. "Can you take me to see Prefecture Lord Zhu now?" "This way, my lord!" The guard dared not say another word, hurriedly leading Su Yu toward the grand hall. Behind them, the Zhu family descendants erupted into chatter. "Ninth Brother, he showed you no respect at all! Beat him up!" "He doesn't look that fierce; Eighth Sister was just angry and left." "..." As everyone talked over one another, Zhu Hongliang smiled without replying. He looked at Su Yu with curiosity and suddenly called out, "Su Yu, I heard you're on good terms with Xia Huyou from Great Xia. How do you think I compare to him?" "Does Your Highness mean in terms of strength, or something else?" "In every aspect!" Without turning his head, Su Yu replied, "I don't know Your Highness very well, but judging solely from today, if you encountered Xia Huyou in a life-or-death fight, you probably wouldn't survive three minutes." "..." That was a dagger straight to the heart! "Is he that formidable?" "Mediocre." "Then..." "Your Highness is even more mediocre!" "Fuck!" Zhu Hongliang cursed aloud. Just how little did this guy think of him? "What about our magnanimity?" "Your Highness has quite good magnanimity." "Compared to Xia Huyou?" "Is Your Highness willing to lend me a million merit points? If you are, you surpass him. When I asked him for a million merit points, he agreed without hesitation!" "..." Zhu Hongliang was thoroughly dejected. Forget it, he wouldn't ask anymore. Even if he sold himself, he wouldn't have a million merit points. Was Xia Huyou really that generous? After a moment's thought, Zhu Hongliang suddenly shouted, "Then are you willing to stay in our Great Ming Prefecture long-term? I heard that once you're strong enough, you'll return to Great Xia. If you borrow money from me and then never come back, wouldn't our Great Ming be taking a huge loss?" "If my lord treats me as a hero of the realm, I shall repay him as a hero of the realm!" Su Yu called back in a clear, resonant voice. Zhu Hongliang fell into deep thought, then suddenly grinned. "You say Xia Huyou is better than me, but I don't accept that. There's at least one thing where he can't match me: he's not as fat as me!" "..." Fine, you win! Su Yu's footsteps paused briefly without turning back, and he chuckled inwardly. This was getting interesting. Whether it was the descendants of the Xia family or the Zhu family, to be honest, both possessed a certain broad-mindedness. At the very least, they were far superior to the descendants of those mediocre, middling clans. …… Without continuing his exchange with Zhu Hongliang, Su Yu stepped into the grand hall. He saw the crowd around him, each staring at him as if he were a rare spectacle. He paid them no mind, keeping his eyes forward as he bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Prefecture Lord. Student Su Yu expresses his gratitude to the Prefecture Lord for saving my life!" "At ease!" Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Just before you arrived, I was discussing things with everyone. Tell us your thoughts: do you wish to study at the academy, or conduct your research independently?" "This student wishes to enter the Great Ming Civilization Academy!" Zhu Tiandao nodded slightly. "That is only natural. Since you want to rebuild the Primordial Spirit Research Institute, make a list of whatever specific items you need and hand it to Old Hou. Great Ming supports your re-establishment of the institute." "Thank you, Prefecture Lord, for your generosity!" Su Yu expressed his gratitude. Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask. Furthermore, your title as a junior researcher has already been approved. From this day forward, you are a genuine Civilization Master!" Su Yu thanked him once again. Seeing this, Zhu Tiandao added, "You are still young, and Great Ming is in no rush. For now, your priority should be studying, with research as a supplement. The feud between the single and multiple divine character factions will not spill over into Great Ming. As long as you remain in Great Ming, the Zhu family will ensure your safety. But once you step outside Great Ming... you must fend for yourself!" Zhu Tiandao's expression turned stern. "Right now, there are experts of the Single Divine Character Faction present in this very hall. Everyone, I hope the scenes from Great Xia will not be repeated in Great Ming!" "Oh!" "Understood!" "Sure!" "We won't beat up Old Hu next time!" "Old Hu still owes me thirty thousand merit points. How about Su Yu repays it for him, so no one can accuse us of bullying the Multiple Divine Characters Faction?" "..." Su Yu stood frozen. What did that mean? Zhu Tiandao gave a dry cough. "Hu Xiansheng, Dean of the Multiple Divine Characters College at the Great Ming Civilization Academy, seventh layer of the Shanhai Realm. He didn't come today because he's in closed-door cultivation. He owes a small amount of money, nothing to worry about." A small amount of money? Su Yu remained silent, feeling as though disaster was looming over him. He had just arrived, and someone in the grand hall was already asking him to pay off debts for this Dean Hu? What was going on here? The elder who had spoken earlier looked at Su Yu, smiling warmly. "Once you enter the academy, protocol dictates that you belong to the Multiple Divine Characters College. While Great Xia abolished their Multiple Divine Characters College, we still have ours. Your faction doesn't produce anything, doesn't fight well, can't forge weapons, and does mediocre research. You owe us a bit of pocket change—only about two hundred thousand merit points or so..." "Student Su Yu, if you have any desire to revitalize the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, you'd best help Old Hu settle that debt. The reason he didn't show up today isn't because he's in seclusion; he's terrified of us collecting our debts, so he refuses to step out the door. Carrying on like this isn't sustainable, right?" "..." Su Yu was struck speechless. Dean Hu Xiansheng hadn't stayed away because of cultivation! It was because... he had too many creditors! What the hell! Two hundred thousand merit points? *I just helped pay off three hundred thousand merit points back in Great Xia, and now here you go again. Do you all take me for the God of Wealth?* The hall grew somewhat noisy. A moment later, a burly man stepped toward Su Yu, his voice booming like thunder: "Owing money is a small matter. Earlier, Old Hu mortgaged the Multiple Divine Characters College to me to construct some useless research institute. The loan matures in three months, and I'll have to go seize the property. It's doubtful your Multiple Divine Characters College can even be preserved. Su Yu, why don't you just enroll as an unaffiliated student instead!" "..." Su Yu looked at Zhu Tiandao with blank, glassy eyes. Even this was allowed? Zhu Tiandao coughed lightly. "Well... that's their private business. Generally, the Zhu family doesn't interfere. Dean Hu mortgaged the Multiple Divine Characters College... so there's not much I can say. However, the institute he built is quite nice. How about this: instead of asking for research funding, you let the Zhu family use the funds allocated for you to pay back Old He? That way, your dean's research institute will belong to you, and you can use it as your Primordial Spirit Research Institute. Truth be told, it really was built exceptionally well!" Old He was this burly man. The Zhu family wouldn't give Su Yu the cash, but they would pay off the debt on his behalf—how about that? The research institute built by your dean would be given to you! Su Yu continued to stare blankly. *Where on earth am I?* *What am I doing?* He was in the core council hall of the Great Ming Prefecture, and right here, the Prefecture Lord was telling him that his academy dean had mortgaged the entire college away, and it was gone! If he wanted the college back, he had to repay the debt. The dean? Hu Xiansheng? Su Yu asked somewhat numbly, "If I take the research institute, will Dean Hu agree?" The crowd didn't seem concerned in the slightest. The burly man said casually, "He owes the debt! I'll hand over the IOU and the mortgage contract to you. If he refuses to hand over the institute, you can just seize the Multiple Divine Characters College directly and make yourself the dean. Wouldn't that be even better?" "...I can be the dean?" His mind went completely blank. What kind of absurd farce was this! "Sure, you can!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Though... you'd better not take on that mess. Ahem, let me warn you: if you become dean, you have to feed the entire college. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction... burns through too many resources. You know that yourself; expenditures far exceed income." It was unavoidable. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction consumed an enormous amount of resources, as Su Yu well knew. There was a reason they were impoverished and destitute. Old Hu didn't have it easy either! In an attempt to turn things around, he had built a high-end research institute, only to... lose disastrously, burning through even his life savings. Now, he spent his days dodging creditors everywhere. Below the dais, an elder with the ethereal air of a Daoist immortal smiled warmly at Su Yu. "Student Su, if you ever go to the Great Ming Civilization Academy, remember to dress in rags. Old Hu has been driven mad by his lack of money lately, borrowing from anyone and everyone. If he sees you dressed nicely, he might cling to you and never let go. Be careful!" The crowd chimed in with agreement. Someone added, "He lost everything down to his underwear. That damn institute cost an astronomical sum, only to churn out a defective product. What use is it? A spatial transference formation? That guy has truly lost his mind! He must have poured over a million merit points into it, right? And now look: ruined completely, broke to the bone. The Multiple Divine Characters College is starving; the students are probably going to transfer to other factions soon, or they'll starve to death!" "..." Su Yu was utterly shaken! Holy crap! What were they researching? A spatial transference formation! Wasn't that a teleportation array? Su Yu had heard of the theory, but even Invincible experts couldn't create one. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction of Great Ming was actually trying to research that? Had they gone mad? No wonder they accumulated so much debt! That sort of project was a bottomless pit that consumed endless resources without producing a shred of return! Su Yu felt a splitting headache coming on. Great Xia had been the same way; Hong Tan and the others had spent years researching innate blood essence, which constantly drained funds without any returns, nearly bleeding them dry. Now, Great Ming turned out to be the exact same! They had lost so much that the dean mortgaged the entire college! And Great Ming actually permitted such transactions! Were they all crazy? Just imagine if Zhou Mingren tried to mortgage the Divine Character College—the Xia family would have hacked him to death on the spot! "I... I'll think about it!" *I need some peace and quiet!* That was all Su Yu could say for now. Whether he would join the Multiple Divine Characters College remained entirely up in the air; he needed to observe further. This felt like a massive trap! Zhu Tiandao cleared his throat lightly. "It's fine. Take your time to think it over before deciding. There are still several days before the term begins, so there's no rush! Furthermore, once the semester starts, Great Ming has an allocation of thirty thousand merit points for the Multiple Divine Characters College this year..." Before he could finish, an elder below the dais interjected, "Prefecture Lord, allocate that to our Beast Taming faction. Old Hu took an advance on it and mortgaged it to me. Just transfer it directly to my department!" "..." Well then. Zhu Tiandao was completely helpless as well. He gave a dry cough and said, "Coordinate the handover with Old Hou." He glanced at Su Yu with a look of helpless sympathy. The Great Ming Prefecture truly had no bias or suppression against the Multiple Divine Characters Faction; conditions were great. But... their dean had lost his mind and failed to live up to expectations, mortgaging even the funding for next semester. Su Yu had better think very carefully before deciding whether to join!