Work Hard, Young Man!

More than ten minutes later, Liu Wenyan returned. Su Yu stole a few glances at him, but didn't notice anything amiss. Liu Wenyan looked completely calm. "Bai Feng went into secluded cultivation right after returning, so I couldn't reach him. You should have told me about this earlier. Next time, say what you have to say without hesitating. Hedging and stammering doesn't befit a cultivator!" Liu Wenyan gave him a stern scolding, clearly dissatisfied. "You must understand that whether one is a Civilization Master or a warrior—'warrior' being the title physical-path cultivators use for themselves—all experts share common traits: decisiveness and resolve are absolute necessities. How could you let a minor issue fester for an entire month? Don't you think you're being far too indecisive?" Liu Wenyan slammed his palm onto the desk, nearly shattering it to pieces! The more he spoke, the more righteous he felt! "What if you run into an advancing army of gods and demons on the All-Heavens Battlefield next time? Are you going to dither for an entire month before saying something?" "Are you planning to collect the corpses of human soldiers?" "Even if your commanding officer doesn't give you the chance to speak, you must create that chance yourself!" Liu Wenyan wore an expression of bitter disappointment. "I thought you were steady and composed, but who knew you weren't composed at all—you were just indecisive! I am thoroughly disappointed!" "..." Su Yu started to speak, then hesitated, realizing that hesitating would only make him seem more indecisive. He blurted out, "Teacher, it was my fault. I won't do it again next time!" "Good!" Only then did a smile return to Liu Wenyan's face. He let out a quiet sigh of relief, having finally salvaged his dignity as a teacher. "Now, unleash your divine character and let me have a look." As soon as he spoke, the 'Blood' character in Su Yu's mind erupted. The illusion resurfaced! This time, it wasn't an Ironwing Bird, but an entire roaring army of hundreds of demon beasts charging forward. Liu Wenyan narrowed his eyes and inspected the scene, frowning slightly. These demon beasts looked very realistic, but there were still some flaws. "Is this derived from the demon carcasses you saw at the Xia Trading Company?" "Yes." "It's fairly lifelike, but after all, you only saw carcasses, so it lacks vitality. Some Qianjun Realm cultivators who haven't set foot on a battlefield might be fooled, but veterans who have actually seen war would see through it very quickly." After offering his critique, Liu Wenyan added, "Still, it's not bad. At the very least, an ordinary Qianjun Realm cultivator might be bluffed by it—for a brief moment, anyway." Nodding, Liu Wenyan's eyes flashed faintly, and the illusion instantly vanished. Su Yu's face turned slightly pale, though he suffered no serious ill effects. "Not bad. Your willpower isn't particularly strong, but it's tenacious enough, as if tempered through a thousand trials..." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu with a trace of puzzlement. "Logically speaking, you've never been on a battlefield and never experienced any major upheaval, so your willpower shouldn't be this resilient. When I shattered your illusion, you should have suffered some backlash." Even though Su Yu's willpower was weak and any backlash would not be severe, he shouldn't merely look pale. Paleness indicated overexertion, not the backlash of a broken illusion. Su Yu immediately replied, "I often watch the Prefect chop off people's heads. I don't know if that has anything to do with it." "..." Liu Wenyan felt an overwhelming urge to retort. *You often watch Xia Longwu chop off heads... Did you record it and watch the replay every day?* *Just how twisted are you?!* *Could this kid... have tendencies toward becoming a lunatic?* Shooting him a suspicious glance, Liu Wenyan said nothing more on the subject and continued, "Didn't you say it wants to absorb blood? Try absorbing some and let me see." "There's no blood..." "You don't need external blood. Order your divine character with your consciousness to absorb mine!" Su Yu gave it a try, then shook his head. Little Blood didn't seem interested. Liu Wenyan considered it for a moment, then suddenly slit his own finger, letting a drop of blood well up. "Try again!" "Teacher... this..." "Hurry up, what are you hesitating for!" Not daring to delay, Su Yu once again commanded the 'Blood' character to absorb the blood. This time, Little Blood reacted. The divine character inside his mind shook, and in the next instant, a wave of suction burst forth. The drop of blood on Liu Wenyan's fingertip began struggling to break free from his control. Liu Wenyan's gaze shifted slightly. "That's enough!" He did not let the drop of blood detach, nodding in approval. "Good, this is an offensive path! Earlier was an illusion path!" "This divine character of yours... is quite interesting. Though it's very weak, it possesses quite a few functions." "Under normal circumstances, a divine character might have several functions, but usually one is primary and the rest are auxiliary. Does this one... have any other functions?" Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu. "In combat, once your divine character grows stronger, as long as your opponent is wounded and bleeding, unleashing your divine character might cause them to bleed uncontrollably and die from blood loss. That is why I call it an offensive path." Su Yu nodded, then shook his head. "For now, it only seems able to create illusions and absorb blood. I haven't noticed anything else." "Then it has two functions..." "Wait, no!" Saying that, Liu Wenyan hesitated for a moment before producing a drop of blood essence in his hand. "This is the blood essence of a Qianjun Realm Fire Swine. Try absorbing this..." He then paused and shook his head. "No, wait here. I'll fetch some ordinary demon beast blood. Wait until I get back and try absorbing that first." With that, he vanished. Before long, Liu Wenyan walked back holding a small vial. "This is ordinary Wild Bull blood. Try absorbing it." Su Yu once again ordered Little Blood to get to work. The blood inside the vial trembled faintly, and then a wisp of blood vanished into thin air. Su Yu felt it distinctly: inside his mind, Little Blood's color shifted, turning slightly deeper than before. "Absorb more!" Su Yu didn't delay and continued absorbing. The blood in the vial gradually dwindled and evaporated until the entire small vial was empty. Meanwhile, the 'Blood' character turned an even richer shade of crimson. "How does it feel?" "The divine character seems to have grown slightly stronger. Other than that, I don't feel anything." "Grown stronger?" Liu Wenyan fell into deep thought before speaking. "So this divine character can strengthen itself using blood. That is a good thing. Typically, divine characters can only be tempered and strengthened through willpower, though certain special divine characters can be enhanced through other means." "Your divine character was only just outlined, yet it can strengthen itself with blood. That classifies it as a special-type divine character." "Very impressive!" "For your very first divine character to have such a trait will be of immense help to its growth." Liu Wenyan nodded repeatedly. Su Yu's willpower was still weak, making it difficult to temper a divine character right now. The fact that his divine character could absorb blood to strengthen itself was exceptional. "Teacher, do you think I can condense blood essence with it?" Su Yu asked hurriedly. "I've heard that some people's divine characters can condense blood essence." "Not this one." Liu Wenyan shook his head. "Your divine character is too weak, and it absorbs blood to strengthen itself, meaning the power of the blood is entirely consumed rather than accumulated." "Of course..." Liu Wenyan smiled. "It's not entirely out of the question either. Right now, the character is still weak. If it becomes powerful enough in the future, it won't need to devour the energy from weak blood, making it possible to refine ordinary blood into blood essence." "You can't attempt that now, nor is there any need to. Wait until you reach the Manifestation stage, or at least the late stage of Character Cultivation. Even if you could refine it now, given your absorption speed, it might take ten days or half a month to condense a single drop of blood essence. The gains wouldn't justify the cost." Hearing this, Su Yu felt somewhat disappointed. It seemed his dream of striking it rich was shattered, whereas his dream of going broke was right on track. This little guy really only drank blood without making any money! "Illusion, blood absorption, self-enhancement—three traits!" Liu Wenyan nodded again. "Quite good." As for refining blood essence, there was no sign of it yet, and it wasn't considered a major function anyway, so Liu Wenyan didn't pay it much mind. Su Yu brightened slightly upon hearing this. "Teacher, does having three traits mean the divine character is very strong?" He had heard Liu Wenyan say that many divine characters only had a single trait. "Very strong?" Liu Wenyan smiled faintly. "The number of traits doesn't actually mean much. To give a simple example, I have a divine character whose sole purpose is to shatter an enemy's sea of will—it has only this one trait! Between that character and yours, which do you think is better?" "..." Su Yu smiled sheepishly. That was true enough; shattering the sea of will was an absurdly powerful trait. "So don't look at quantity; look at effectiveness, look at whether it is potent." "Take the fourth-generation head of the Civilization Academy. He left behind a 'Yuan' character that could only absorb yuanqi, which formed the Yuanqi Treasure Realm. Let me ask you: is that function strong or weak?" Liu Wenyan chuckled. "In truth, it's very weak. In battle, just because you can absorb yuanqi faster and recover more quickly than others, does that make you formidable? Yet to the entire human race, the value of that divine character surpasses that of a Shanhai Realm expert!" "No matter how powerful a Shanhai Realm expert is, it's the strength of a single person. But the Yuanqi Treasure Realm can benefit countless students of the Civilization Academy. So tell me, is that divine character strong or not?" Su Yu understood and nodded. "I understand what you mean, Teacher. Strength doesn't lie in the number of traits, but in how and where they are applied. The 'Yuan' character is negligible in combat, but as support, it is a supreme treasure!" "Correct!" Liu Wenyan smiled. "So there's no need to care too much about the number of traits. Having many traits in the early stages is nice, but in the later stages, one usually strives for specialization. Focusing a single divine character on a single trait makes it much easier to nurture it to the absolute peak." Saying that, he tossed the previous drop of Fire Swine blood essence to Su Yu. "Try absorbing blood essence again. A drop of Qianjun Realm blood essence is something you can't use in the Kaiyuan Realm, but a divine character isn't bound by those limits. My only worry is whether you can withstand it." Su Yu didn't hold back and manipulated Little Blood to begin absorbing it. This time, it was extraordinarily difficult and slow! Su Yu could distinctly feel his willpower being depleted, and Little Blood was trembling, much like someone trying to drink water through a straw dozens of meters long—it was exceedingly arduous. Little Blood, which had bounced with excitement at the sight of blood essence earlier, was completely deflated now. When actually given the chance to absorb it, it couldn't manage! After exhausting immense effort to the point where Su Yu felt his head was about to burst, the Fire Swine blood essence before him merely trembled slightly, showing no significant change. Liu Wenyan, however, noticed a difference and chuckled. "It absorbed about one percent of the essence. It seems its blood-absorbing power is still very minor." Inside his mind, Su Yu felt Little Blood wrapped in crimson light and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. *You're not absorbing anymore?* After absorbing just a tiny sliver of blood essence, this fellow was playing dead, as though utterly exhausted. *And here I thought you were so formidable—turns out you're this weak!* *A single drop of Qianjun blood essence, and you only absorbed one percent! What were you hopping around so excitedly for earlier?!* "Teacher, can absorbing blood allow the divine character to grow?" "It should, depending on the traits of your divine character!" Liu Wenyan nodded, then warned sternly, "Do not go absorbing blood recklessly! A divine character becoming too powerful isn't a good thing either! If your cultivation isn't high enough and your willpower isn't strong enough—put it this way: once the divine character truly grows powerful enough that your willpower cannot suppress it, it will backlash against you!" "Backlash is the milder outcome. What's terrifying... is if it drains your willpower dry!" Liu Wenyan said gravely, "Back in that generation, several of those who died met their end exactly like this! Those fools blindly strengthened their divine characters. A few of them were just like you, possessing characters that could be enhanced through external means. They expended enormous costs to temper them, but once the characters grew powerful, they in turn demanded vast amounts of willpower to sustain them..." "And then disaster struck. Their willpower wasn't strong enough, so it was drained dry in an instant. Their seas of will collapsed, and they were utterly ruined!" Liu Wenyan said with utmost seriousness, "Therefore, the moment you feel you can no longer bear it, when your will feels strained, immediately stop strengthening your divine character! Divine characters and willpower complement each other. It doesn't matter if your willpower is stronger than your divine character, but if your divine character becomes stronger than your willpower, nine times out of ten you will die—and even if you don't die, you'll be crippled!" Su Yu nodded solemnly. Earlier, he had indeed wondered whether, once his divine character grew powerful enough, he could directly drain a Tengkong Realm cultivator dry... Hearing Liu Wenyan's words, he instantly realized the peril involved. When he first outlined the 'Blood' character, he had fought several fierce battles against it in his mind. If the character grew too strong, it would turn against him. "These things are common knowledge taught at the Civilization Academy, but your situation is special since you outlined a divine character early. In Nanyuan City, only I know a bit about this. If there's anything you don't understand, you must come ask me. Never conduct reckless experiments on your own." Liu Wenyan's tone was extremely stern. "Never experiment blindly! Furthermore, since you've outlined your first divine character, you might outline a second. That's fine, but it must strictly remain within your capacity to bear!" "When you feel you cannot handle more, even if a divine character is floating right before your eyes, do not outline it, lest greed cost you your life!" "More divine characters isn't always better. Many means messy, while few means refined. You can't even properly sustain one right now, let alone multiple." Su Yu nodded again. This was the voice of experience from his teacher; as a novice, he had to take it to heart. Liu Wenyan continued speaking, sharing everything he knew with Su Yu. He hadn't taught these concepts in many years, but his experience remained intact. Toward the end, Liu Wenyan said with a trace of regret, "After all, my will has only just manifested, and I've stayed in Nanyuan for too long, so I'm somewhat out of touch with the times. The era is changing, and so is the path of cultivation. Certain things you can only learn at the Civilization Academy." "For the next month, do not attempt to outline any more divine characters. Focus on this single one. In addition, strengthen your willpower—willpower is the true foundation!" "I understand, Teacher." "Also..." Liu Wenyan hesitated, pondering for a moment before saying, "Your willpower talent is actually ordinary, but your speed in outlining divine characters is extraordinarily fast. I don't know whether this is a good thing, but it certainly counts as an extraordinary talent." "With your talent, if it were exposed, you could surely find an excellent mentor to nurture you once you arrive at the Civilization Academy." "Bai Feng mentioned earlier that he wanted to take you as his student. Before, I thought that was your good fortune, but now... your teacher is actually in a dilemma." Su Yu showed a look of confusion. Liu Wenyan laughed self-deprecatingly. "Just now, I was wondering whether I should inform Bai Feng's teacher about your situation. If I tell him, he might take you under his wing." "However... that might not necessarily be better than choosing Bai Feng." Liu Wenyan sighed. "He has many students and is very powerful himself, so he might not spend much time at the academy, nor will he necessarily have the inclination to teach you attentively." "He is a Shanhai Realm Civilization Master who frequents the All-Heavens Battlefield, the ocean realms, and many other places... Throughout the year, the time he has to teach you would be limited." "Though Bai Feng is only in the Tengkong Realm, he spends more time at the academy right now and can offer you greater help in the early stages. As for the later stages... once you reach the Tengkong Realm, his teacher will naturally guide you as well, since you would be his grand-disciple. Geniuses are valued anywhere." He had been furious before, but thinking it through carefully, he had to consider what was best for Su Yu. Bai Feng was weaker than his master, but Bai Feng had no students and spent more time at the academy, meaning he could offer Su Yu far more assistance. Once Su Yu grew stronger, being Bai Feng's student would naturally allow him to benefit from Bai Feng's teacher as well. Liu Wenyan pondered a bit more and said slowly, "Actually... there's another way! You could take Bai Feng's teacher as your master, and then have his teacher order Bai Feng to guide you as a senior brother... Of course, that's assuming Bai Feng is willing and doesn't beat you to death." Su Yu gave a dry cough and laughed wryly. "Teacher, I think I'd be beaten to death. Instructor Bai was planning to take me as his student, and suddenly I become his junior brother and demand his guidance—isn't that... a bit too much?" Liu Wenyan said nonchalantly, "That's your own business. Naturally, the choice is yours! Actually, Bai Feng works too, but that fellow... it's hard to say. He's about to break through to the Tengkong seventh stage and will soon be preparing to charge into the Shanhai Realm, so you must think it through carefully; he might not have much time either." Su Yu nodded. That was indeed true. "There's no rush in choosing a master; they aren't the only researchers in the Civilization Academy." Liu Wenyan mused for a moment, then added, "Do not tell anyone outside about having outlined a divine character. Treat it as your trump card." "Even during the examination, there is no need to display it. Or at most, you can claim that you've only sketched a stroke or two and laid the foundation—that is acceptable." "The Civilization Academy, the War Academy... regardless of which academy, none of them are necessarily peaceful." Liu Wenyan sighed. "Su Yu, remember this: the human heart is inscrutable! Most humans are fighting against the myriad races, but that doesn't mean everyone is. If that were the case, the All-Races Sect wouldn't have been born!" "The All-Races Sect has many factions, and some lurk very deep. Killing weak geniuses offers them the best return on investment. Displaying your talent appropriately is necessary, or else you won't gain recognition and cultivation resources." "However, keeping a card up your sleeve is equally essential!" Liu Wenyan said sternly, "Holding something back can save your life! You can showcase yourself and prove to everyone that you are worth nurturing, but you must always retain some hidden trump cards to strike back at the critical moment!" "Teacher, I understand!" Su Yu nodded quickly. He understood this principle well. "It's good that you understand." Gratified, Liu Wenyan smiled. "Then head back to cultivate. Furthermore... since you have mastered a divine character, for the next month... accompany me to the Wind Arrest Hall." "The Wind Arrest Hall?" "Correct. Although we crushed the All-Races Sect's operation last time and everyone who entered the city was killed, a portion of the troublemakers outside the city managed to escape, and they haven't all been rounded up yet." "Their hands are stained with the blood of innocent people; they cannot be allowed to live!" Liu Wenyan looked at him and said slowly, "Operate alongside the Wind Arrest Hall to capture and eliminate them! I want you... to see blood! Killing one person at the academy last time was decent, but it's not enough. Before you enter the Civilization Academy, I want to ensure you won't freeze up at the sight of blood." "Civilization Masters kill people too, and they kill many. Civilization Masters who don't kill are the lowest, most ordinary, and most useless kind. I don't want you to become that sort of person; I want you to become a reserve powerhouse stepping onto the path of the strong!" "Aside from outlining a divine character in a single day, which you must keep hidden, you can show off everything else. Steal the limelight in the exam, take first place, draw the academy's attention, and secure the treatment you deserve! That is what you should do, because you don't have elders in the Shanhai Realm to rely on!" "Suppress the geniuses from the prefectural city, forge straight ahead, and rise!" Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu with a faint smile. "There isn't much your teacher can do to help you, so... work hard! The harder you work now, the greater your harvest in the future!" Su Yu shivered slightly. Hearing his teacher say these words, he had a distinct feeling that he was in for a miserable time.