Su Yu's refusal to disseminate it to Great Xia's civilization academies slightly surprised Zhu Tiandao, who was taken aback by just how vindictive the young man could be.
This little fellow really intended to fight them to the bitter end.
Even though he was secretly pleased, Zhu Tiandao still remarked, "Su Yu, doing this might not be entirely appropriate. You still have friends over there, after all..."
"I'll pass it to them personally!"
Zhu Tiandao nodded. "Then what is your objective? Truth be told, banning the civilization students of Great Xia Prefecture from learning it won't actually cause much damage to your enemies."
For those above the Tengkong Realm, whether they cultivated it or not made little difference.
It primarily affected those below Tengkong!
Su Yu remained silent for a moment before speaking. "At the Great Xia Civilization Academy, a new deputy head has arrived, and Jiutian Academy also received a new head. Both are in the Sun Moon Realm. The moment they arrived in Great Xia Prefecture, they made no secret of their hostility toward me and the Multiple Divine Characters Faction..."
Su Yu paused, then continued slowly, "I don't know whether this was their own idea, an instruction from the Quest Realm, or at the behest of some Invincible. Without someone pulling the strings, there's no reason for two Sun Moons to target the Multiple Divine Characters Faction the second they arrived.
"I even heard that they intend to recruit Shan Tianhao's grandson into the Great Xia Civilization Academy!" Su Yu's eyes turned frosty. "That Shan Xiong has been challenging people across the lands, leveraging his momentum to pressure several major prefectures into banning the Multiple Divine Characters Faction! Shan Xiong is merely a blade representing certain people's stance. Now, Great Xia Civilization Academy actually wants to take him in. Since no one cares, no one stops it, and no one objects, why should I be polite?"
Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Keep out of affairs that do not concern oneself! That is the attitude of many in the Great Xia Civilization Academy: 'It has nothing to do with me, so I won't bother.' Little do they realize that their indifference is precisely what gives the other side the capital to target us!
"Since that's how it is, I will make them understand that when the Single Divine Character Faction targets us, innocent bystanders end up suffering as well. They are not blameless; it is because of their passive indulgence that they will lose out on these opportunities!"
At this point, Su Yu smiled. "Since they don't care about the conflict between the Single and Multiple Divine Characters Factions, they shouldn't care about the cultivation art I developed either, right?"
*It's my cultivation art—I'll share it with whoever I please!*
*Since you don't care, I have no reason to consider your feelings.*
Zhu Tiandao raised an eyebrow. This kid was quite capable. Despite being in Great Ming Prefecture, he could still receive intelligence from Great Xia Prefecture—and not just any intelligence, but information from their Elder Council meetings!
*Does he still maintain contacts over there?*
Zhu Tiandao grasped his intention and asked, "So your plan is to force them to make a choice or concessions?"
Su Yu smiled. "At the very least, force everyone to ostracize the individuals who harmed their interests. I'll state it plainly: I have enemies in Great Xia Prefecture, and to counter them, I will not give them any chance to grow stronger... As for who those enemies are, I won't name names. They can figure it out for themselves!
"No one would be foolish enough to strengthen their own enemies, would they?"
Su Yu laughed. "If they can understand, fine; if not, so be it. But if anyone steals and cultivates my art without authorization, I hope the Prefecture Lord will uphold justice for me. My reach doesn't extend to Great Xia Prefecture yet."
Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "That's simple. If someone steals it, Great Xia Prefecture will have to deal with it themselves! If they don't... everyone else can follow suit. It's not like Great Xia Prefecture doesn't have cultivation arts circulating externally. If they let that happen, everyone can stop paying and just learn them illicitly. Splendid—let the era of free cultivation arts begin! No one will ever make their arts public again, and no one will bother settling down to research new ones. Continuing down that path will cause massive trouble sooner or later, as anyone with eyes can see."
Once cultivation arts could be freely copied without paying a cent, who would bother researching them?
Did everyone think research didn't cost time and money like Su Yu's?
If Civilization Masters conducting research went broke, drowning in debt and starving to death in their research institutes, who would still have the heart to innovate?
Allowing that to happen would eventually stall the development of new cultivation arts entirely, putting an end to iterative progress.
Great Xia Prefecture naturally understood the gravity of this.
Unless a major prefecture purchased an art outright, or the military bought low-tier arts to distribute freely, unauthorized sharing could not be tolerated.
Zhu Tiandao thought about it and asked, "You're only barring the civilization academies?"
"Yes!"
Su Yu nodded. "Most Civilization Masters in the military are at or above the Tengkong Realm, so whether they have access doesn't matter much. However, academies like Longwu Academy and Great Xia War Academy also have their own Civilization Master traditions; we won't restrict them."
Zhu Tiandao laughed helplessly. "You're putting a stranglehold strictly on Great Xia's three civilization academies."
Su Yu merely smiled without saying more.
Hostile Civilization Masters kept emerging from those three academies, so of course he had to target them.
"What about Great Zhou Prefecture..."
Zhu Tiandao asked with a teasing look, "...not placing restrictions on them?"
Su Yu smiled. "Not for now. One step at a time. I haven't even finished off my enemies in Great Xia Prefecture yet; picking a fight with an even stronger foe isn't worth it. Even though I suspect the root cause lies there, it's not wise to rush things right now."
He knew Great Zhou Prefecture was behind much of it, but he couldn't afford to provoke too many enemies at once. One had to eat one bite at a time.
He would first nail down the bastards in Great Xia Prefecture targeting him!
Zhu Tiandao was slightly surprised.
Then Su Yu added, "Prefecture Lord, there's one more thing. Disseminating the art and negotiating licensing with other major prefectures is fine, and Great Ming Prefecture can keep the revenue. However, if the Yuan and Zhou families come looking for trouble with me, I hope the Prefecture Lord will shield me."
Zhu Tiandao was once again taken by surprise.
Su Yu smiled. "To be honest, divine apertures carry inherent risks and uncertainties. The Myriad Characters Scripture has been around for many years, so people place high trust in it. But my new art won't command that level of confidence yet. If those two families try to stir up trouble—for instance, claiming someone's apertures exploded or their sea of will was crippled during cultivation—it could cause serious problems!
"If that happens, I hope you, Prefecture Lord, or even King Daming, will speak on my behalf."
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Of course. Considering the immense revenue at stake, Great Ming Prefecture won't stand idly by. But this cultivation art... is it really free of flaws?"
He was also worried that it might only work for Su Yu, which would be disastrous.
"It won't be an issue; several people have already opened many apertures with it."
People like Zhang Hao and Lin Yao had both opened divine apertures. Even Xia Huyou had likely completed the first set of thirty-six divine apertures without running into any issues, so Su Yu was confident there wouldn't be problems.
Zhu Tiandao nodded. "Then I will test it myself. If there are no issues, we'll start circulating it within Great Ming Prefecture first. After letting it build momentum for a while, we'll rapidly roll it out across all the major prefectures in the Human Realm!"
"All right!"
Su Yu nodded. That worked for him.
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "We can build up the hype first. The wind heralds the approaching storm. Let Great Xia Prefecture feel the sting in advance, while swiftly educating the public on the benefits and importance of a basic cultural art."
Su Yu smiled. That suited his taste perfectly.
Having reached an understanding, Su Yu said no more and handed a jade talisman to Zhu Tiandao with a smile. "Prefecture Lord, then I'll leave the publicity and promotion to Great Ming Prefecture."
No matter how exceptional a cultivation art was, it required promotion.
Without the backing of a powerful faction, even an extraordinary art might fail to gain traction. If the public was unaware and practitioners didn't trust it, what good was its strength?
Great Ming Prefecture could provide precisely that credibility and reach.
Hence, giving Great Ming Prefecture a cut was only fair.
The same logic applied to the Quest Realm; they would assist with dissemination.
However, after some thought, Su Yu still asked, "Prefecture Lord, could the Quest Realm create obstacles? After all, it is the sacred land of Civilization Masters in the Human Realm."
From his past experiences, Su Yu felt that the Quest Realm wasn't necessarily friendly toward the Multiple Divine Characters Faction.
One could glean as much from how the Quest Realm repeatedly planted experts inside Great Xia Civilization Academy.
Zhu Tiandao dismissed it casually. "Don't worry about them. My father is the second-in-command of the Quest Realm, after all. Right now, there might be a few individual Invincibles working against you, but ignore them. A powerful cultivation art benefits the entire Human Realm and will be of immense help to the descendants of many Invincibles. If a faction within the Quest Realm dares to block it, that's actually a good thing! If the Quest Realm truly tries to stop it, so much the better—I'll just negotiate with the War God Hall. Warriors don't care about their sectarian politics..."
He chuckled. "Once it spreads and proves its worth, the Quest Realm will have slapped its own face, tarnishing its reputation as the sacred land of Civilization Masters. Once their name stinks, the neutral Invincibles will step forward to call them out. You won't even need to lift a finger—those neutral Invincibles will make those fellows cough up blood in frustration!"
Su Yu understood. In that case, if certain people in the Quest Realm tried to obstruct it, it would actually work in their favor.
*Let's hope they're foolish enough to try!*
*Jumping out into the open only to become targets.*
Leaving the matter behind, Su Yu asked, "Prefecture Lord, do you know the locations of any other origin apertures?"
He explained the 357 apertures he currently knew, retrieved a puppet from his storage ring, and recounted Wu Lan's findings...
Zhu Tiandao nodded slightly. "You certainly know a lot. What that Wu Lan girl suggested makes sense too. People have speculated about it before, but apertures in those locations... honestly, they are tricky to open. Opening the wrong one leads to catastrophic consequences. Apertures were discovered through trial and error, one by one. Back when people tried to locate apertures like the Baihui aperture, plenty died from opening the wrong ones.
"Later, once the majority of useful apertures had been mapped out, although there might still be more along that central axis, practically no cultivation arts utilized them, so nobody was willing to take the risk..."
He glanced at Su Yu, thought for a moment, and said, "Here's what we'll do: don't rush. I'll have people test it. We can use convicts from the death row camp. Whoever successfully maps out those three apertures will be granted a full pardon! If their apertures explode, so be it—just don't experiment on yourself. Unlike Great Xia Prefecture, which executes everyone right away, our Great Ming Prefecture keeps a number of condemned prisoners locked up. They make excellent test subjects for cultivation arts!"
Su Yu was delighted to hear this. That was the ideal solution.
"Then I will trouble the Prefecture Lord with it!"
Zhu Tiandao waved his hand casually. "A trivial matter! It's all in the name of research. I'll begin preparations immediately. We should see results in a few days. We'll start testing in Great Ming Prefecture, and before long, it will sweep across the entire Human Realm!"
"Thank you, Prefecture Lord..."
...
After concluding their discussion with Zhu Tiandao, Su Yu and Wen Zhong departed.
Over the next few days, Su Yu busied himself with searching for origin apertures. While Zhu Tiandao conducted tests, Su Yu continued activating various cultivation arts to see if he could locate any unique apertures.
If that still yielded nothing, he intended to exchange for some god and demon blood essence to activate arts unique to those races.
He now possessed numerous cultivation arts, but he had never consumed the blood essence of gods or demons.
Among them, the blood essence of the Origin Demon Race and Primordial God Race was the most precious. As the two strongest races, their cultivation arts or innate martial techniques very likely contained unique apertures.
...
While Su Yu was preparing all this, news regarding a basic cultural art began circulating across the Human Realm.
What was a basic cultural art?
How did it differ from ordinary cultural arts?
What benefits and assistance could it offer practitioners?
These concepts required public explanation; not everyone understood the rarity of a basic cultural art.
However, countless ordinary citizens and martial artists only needed to hear one single statement:
"At present, not even the Kings who founded the various major prefectures possess a complete basic cultural art."
That alone was enough!
It was priceless!
Across every region, a fervor surrounding basic cultural arts erupted.
With such an art, Civilization Masters could advance rapidly, saving at least twenty years on their path to the Lingyun Realm!
Just as the fervor swept across the land, a name surfaced!
Su Yu!
Su Yu's Primordial Spirit Research Institute!
The former genius of Great Xia Prefecture, who had fled and reestablished his Primordial Spirit Research Institute in Great Ming Prefecture, was willing to make public the foundation of his immense strength—a basic cultural art titled the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art—and disseminate it throughout the Human Realm!
A basic cultural art that opened seventy-two divine apertures!
An incomparable treasure!
A treasure more precious than top Heaven-rank cultivation arts, a peerless technique capable of transforming the landscape for all Civilization Masters below the Shanhai Realm across the entire Human Realm!
The Shanhai Realm was rarely seen in everyday life; Tengkong and Lingyun were the true mainstream experts in the eyes of the public.
The revelation sent shockwaves in every direction.
Opening seventy-two divine apertures!
Soon, envoys from major prefectures across the land rushed toward Great Ming Prefecture.
Right at that moment, certain prerequisites for authorization were made public: the local region had to maintain a Multiple Divine Characters Faction, led by at least one Tengkong Realm expert and comprising ten or more members.
Furthermore, Great Xia Prefecture's three civilization academies were strictly forbidden from teaching it, and unauthorized cultivation was completely barred!
This condition sent another shockwave reverberating across the realm.
Countless eyes turned toward Great Xia Prefecture. According to information released by Great Ming Prefecture, several civilization academies in Great Xia Prefecture had refused to let Su Yu and the Multiple Divine Characters Faction be; even after Su Yu fled, instead of showing restraint, they had intensified their suppression!
Among them, the two newly appointed Sun Moon Realm figures at Great Xia's three civilization academies bore the brunt of the blame, singled out as the chief instigators behind the persecution of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction!
Yuan Qingdong of the Great Xia Civilization Academy, and Zheng Yunhe of Jiutian Civilization Academy!
The news spread rapidly: it was because these two adamantly pushed to eradicate the Multiple Divine Characters Faction that Su Yu, who hailed from that very faction, had suffered relentless torment at the hands of the Single Divine Character Faction and was ultimately forced to flee Great Xia Prefecture.
Now, even after a group of culprits had been executed, those individuals remained unrepentant, persisting in their quest to destroy the faction. In Great Xia Prefecture, Chen Yong of the Shanhai Realm had been stripped of his position as head of the Library Pavilion.
Hong Tan, the pillar of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, had been forced into secluded cultivation, powerless to retaliate.
The Wen Tan Research Center, the faction's sole research institute, had announced its complete closure, halting all research and development.
All because Great Xia Prefecture and the academy not only refused to provide funding, personnel, or resources, but continuously squeezed the research center's survival!
News reports of every kind proliferated at lightning speed.
The dust had barely settled from the last incident; Great Xia's Single Divine Character Faction had already earned widespread revulsion. Just as the Xia family had clamped down on them with thunderous measures, the opposition immediately struck back by deploying two Sun Moon experts to crush Su Yu's faction anew.
Once this narrative emerged, public outrage flared once more!
Previously, it had been fury among the common folk.
This time, it was the wrath of countless Civilization Master students.
...
Great Xia Civilization Academy.
The atmosphere was stiflingly tense!
Even the sky appeared grim and overcast!
Nobody had challenged the Top 100 Arena for days; there was no point anymore.
At that moment, students gathered in twos and threes, conversing in hushed voices.
"Bastards! The Primordial Spirit Cultural Art won't be taught at Great Xia's civilization academies! What kind of joke is this? You can't even buy it with money! If this continues, students from other major prefectures will overtake us in no time—they'll crush us!"
"Saving twenty years to reach Lingyun! Once you step into Tengkong, you can rapidly hit peak cultivation, and people can even start training in it from childhood... Heh, it's over! At this rate, in a few decades... no, in just a few years, Great Xia's civilization academies won't be able to recruit a single person!"
"In a few months, the new semester starts and freshmen enroll. With things like this, just you watch—it'll be a miracle if a single new student shows up!"
"..."
Student after student engaged in impassioned debate.
Indignation, grievance, and rage filled the air!
Everyone else could learn it, but they couldn't.
It wasn't that Su Yu refused to share it out of pettiness, but out of fear that making his enemies stronger would lead to his own murder.
In the past, claiming such a thing would have sounded like sensationalist nonsense!
Yet now... it was cold, hard reality.
The Single Divine Character Faction had sent so many people to assassinate Su Yu not long ago, a fact fresh in everyone's minds. Wasn't it entirely natural for Su Yu to have such fears?
The crux of the matter was that barely after the previous affair subsided, the newly arrived deputy head had resumed persecuting Chen Yong and the others.
He had even declared at the Elder Council meeting that they should arrest the "defector" Su Yu.
That statement had also leaked out.
Defected?
Had he defected?
He had been driven away by their relentless persecution!
Now, they dared brand Su Yu a traitor during an Elder Council meeting! The former star student was now labeled a defector, yet right after arriving in Great Ming Prefecture, the creator of the Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art unveiled the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art! Had he stayed in Great Xia Prefecture, he surely would have released it here!
Damn them!
Scoundrels!
Someone ground their teeth and spat, "I don't care. If Great Xia Prefecture can't secure access... I'm transferring! Life here is unbearable. Our resources were already slashed, and now this? Great Xia's civilization academies have zero advantage left!"
"Exactly! How are we supposed to get stronger like this?"
"With our talents, other major prefectures would gladly take us. Great Ming Prefecture isn't that far; at worst, we can just go there!"
"..."
Hearing those words, the surroundings fell quiet for a moment.
Soon, a passing researcher snapped in reprimand, "Nonsense! If you dare utter such rubbish again..."
The student who had spoken glared at the researcher and gritted his teeth. "Rubbish? What did I say that's rubbish? Are you going to expel me from the academy? Expulsion would be even better—freelance Civilization Masters aren't restricted! At Great Xia Civilization Academy, we ask for resources, but there are none! We ask for cultivation arts, but there are none! We ask for fairness, but there is none! If you achieve anything of note, you get suppressed instead. Leaving is no great loss!"
The researcher's expression shifted erratically!
Without another word, he hurried away.
If he continued arguing and provoked a student riot or mass withdrawals, it would turn into a catastrophic disaster!
What was once revered as the sacred land of Civilization Masters was now reeking with infamy.
The art hadn't even begun circulating yet.
Its tangible results hadn't even been demonstrated yet!
Once people truly began advancing rapidly into Tengkong and Lingyun using this art, the Civilization Masters of Great Xia Prefecture would instantly become the laughingstock of the world!
Morale was unraveling!
After incident upon incident, the academy's collective spirit was teetering on the edge of chaos.
Should they stay, or should they leave?
Principal Wan seemed to have stepped back from administrative affairs recently, leaving daily operations to the newly arrived Sun Moon Realm deputy head!
Yet that man was the chief culprit!
*Keep out of affairs that do not concern oneself.*
But when the matter directly affected one's own future and personal interests, who could afford to stay indifferent?
It hadn't mattered to them who Yuan Qingdong suppressed, so long as it wasn't them.
Yet if his actions deprived Great Xia Prefecture of this vital heritage, that was an unforgivable sin.
Right then, someone suddenly shouted, "Good news! We don't need to transfer to another prefecture! I heard Longwu Academy, the War Academy, and several others obtained authorization! The Primordial Spirit Cultural Art can be taught at their academies!"
"What?"
"Damn it! We are the civilization academy, yet this cultural art can't be taught here, while war academies can teach it... What an absolute joke!"
"Save your breath. I heard Longwu and Great Xia War Academy are already expanding their Civilization Master departments! It used to be just a minor sideshow for them, but now who knows? Next semester, they might see a massive influx of freshmen!"
"Fuck!"
Someone cursed under their breath!
Soon, another whispered, "Isn't that great? Weren't people just talking about going to Great Ming Prefecture? That's far away, but transferring to other academies within Great Xia Prefecture is right next door. We wouldn't even have to leave home..."
"Can we transfer?"
"Shouldn't be a problem, right? As long as our academy releases us, they have no reason to turn us away."
"What if our academy refuses to let us go?"
"Then they'd better get their hands on that cultivation art! Otherwise, in a few years, our Top 100 Rankings will be utterly humiliated by them. How could we even have the face to call ourselves a civilization academy?"
Cultivating a divine aperture art in the Yangxing Realm would drastically boost one's prowess.
If someone opened dozens of divine apertures while in Yangxing, their willpower alone would be several times stronger than a Yangxing practitioner without a cultural art!
How could anyone compete with that?
Even if your divine characters were exquisite, your willpower decent, and your physical body solid... the other party wouldn't even need elaborate tricks; their sheer Tengkong-level willpower would suppress you into helplessness!
The students on the Top 100 Rankings would likely be beaten to a pulp.
Once they reached Tengkong, it would be even worse.
Others would rapidly ascend to the seventh or eighth stage of Tengkong, while you remained stuck for decades at the third or fourth stage. How could you fight back?
When they reached Lingyun while you were still hovering in Tengkong, how could you possibly compete?
...
The entire Human Realm was paying close attention, with Great Xia's three civilization academies thrust squarely into the center of the storm.
What were they to do?
If they didn't teach this art, the students would be overwhelmingly resentful, and would any incoming freshmen even consider enrolling next semester?
Once the art spread elsewhere, could the students in Great Xia Prefecture bear being left behind?
...
Xiuxin Pavilion.
Inside the Elder Council conference room, barely a few days had passed before another meeting was convened.
Dead silence!
This time, Chen Yong didn't even show up, claiming he was in secluded cultivation.
Wan Tiansheng was absent as well, likewise in seclusion.
Over the past several days, Yuan Qingdong had been presiding over daily affairs.
At this moment, Yuan Qingdong looked exceedingly grim.
He had actually been checkmated by Su Yu from all the way in Great Ming Prefecture!
What was he supposed to do?
Right now, panic ran rife among the students. No one had any heart for their studies; all they cared about was whether this cultivation art would be taught at the academy.
If other academies taught it while Great Xia Civilization Academy did not... who would take the blame?
"Does no one have anything to say?"
Yuan Qingdong surveyed the room, his expression tightening.
"Also, regarding Su Yu's divine aperture cultural art—many of you know him personally. Is it genuine or fake?"
In truth, he already knew the answer: it was genuine.
If it were fake, after causing such a colossal stir, Su Yu could look forward to being targeted by every Civilization Master under the heavens!
Tricking the world with a fake art would be suicidal!
"It's likely genuine," someone replied flatly.
"In fact, Su Yu demonstrated it long ago: he opened divine apertures. Back then, everyone assumed it was just a minor art opening a dozen or so apertures, so no one paid much heed. But now... it turns out to be seventy-two divine apertures!"
That made all the difference in the world!
"As for withholding it from the three academies..."
An elder said cryptically, "Thinking about it, it's only natural. After all, he was chased out, forced to leave. Failing to avenge a grudge and bestowing benefits on your persecutors instead makes you an idiot, not a saint! It's completely understandable, isn't it?"
Yuan Qingdong's eyes flickered as he glared at the elder.
The speaking elder smiled. "Deputy Head Yuan, this isn't an easy situation for us either. Why don't you talk to Su Yu yourself? Perhaps you can persuade him to change his mind..."
Yuan Qingdong said coolly, "If anyone is to negotiate, it should be the Great Xia Prefecture!"
He paused, then added, "Besides, this matter doesn't directly concern you and me. At our level of cultivation, whether we practice it or not makes no difference..."
Before he could finish, someone interjected with sarcastic mockery, "Indeed! Great Yuan Prefecture can cultivate it, and the Yuan clan can cultivate it. Certain individuals don't have their clans rooted here and don't need to cultivate it themselves, so why would they care?"
At those words, Yuan Qingdong cast an icy glare at He Qi.
He Qi wore an easy smile, shrugging his shoulders. "What? I'm just telling the truth! This doesn't affect Deputy Head Yuan in the slightest. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't care either! Unlike us, who have students, friends, and family all within Great Xia Civilization Academy!"
*You're not a local!*
*Of course you don't have to give a damn!*
Yuan Qingdong said coldly, "Elder He, Su Yu refusing to teach it to Great Xia Civilization Academy is not my responsibility, is it?"
He Qi chuckled. "No, of course not! But people outside are talking, insisting it's all Deputy Head Yuan's fault because you called him a traitor... Su Yu took offense. He was originally prepared to let bygones be bygones and disseminate it in Great Xia Prefecture, but now... he's no longer willing."
Yuan Qingdong frowned. "A conclusion was already reached on that matter during the last meeting! Su Yu is not a traitor. That misunderstanding arose only because Feng Qi's identity had been concealed. Moreover, matters discussed in the Elder Council meeting were actually leaked to the outside. Everyone... isn't this inappropriate?"
He Qi smiled nonchalantly, shrugging. "Whatever you say. I'll just go to Su Yu later and ask for a personal favor so he doesn't shut us out completely. After all, I'm on pretty good terms with his teacher."
He couldn't care less about Yuan Qingdong's posturing!
At worst, he could make a trip to see Chen Yong or Su Yu; how big a deal was it?
Genuine authorization—strictly genuine!
As for anyone learning it illicitly, that was their own problem. Cultivating an art without authorization was a grave offense. Today you could steal someone else's technique, but tomorrow others could steal yours. If unauthorized distribution was permitted, in a few days, the Xia family's Heaven Cleaving Saber might end up circulating all across the world.
When that happened, the Xia family wouldn't even have ground to stand on to complain.
Some secret arts of Invincibles weren't entirely unknown to others.
They could just circulate them too!
Frowning, Yuan Qingdong looked at Xia Changqing. "Deputy Head Changqing, what is the Xia family's stance?"
Xia Changqing glanced at him, then at the others, before replying after a long pause, "Negotiate first! If negotiations fail, we will consider other options."
They would first send someone to negotiate with Great Ming Prefecture and Su Yu. If talks broke down, they would figure something else out.
Yuan Qingdong fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Once everyone returns, pacify the students. Tell them that they will get to learn the cultivation art..."
He Qi chuckled. "And what if they don't? Won't that be an outright lie?"
Yuan Qingdong said coldly, "If they can't, there are plenty of ways around it. If worse comes to worst, Great Xia Civilization Academy can simply change its name, and they'll be able to learn it all the same. Does Su Yu dare keep piling on conditions without fearing the ridicule of the world..."
At that moment, all the elders stared at him.
He Qi laughed scornfully. "Deputy Head Yuan, you are not a man of Great Xia Prefecture. Do you understand what the name 'Great Xia Civilization Academy' represents? It is the honor of our Great Xia Civilization Masters, our heritage, the sacred sanctuary of generations of Great Xia Civilization Masters! Change its name?"
He scoffed. "How lightly you say it! Then again, to Deputy Head Yuan, it's merely a triviality—just changing a name, so simple. But I'm afraid you don't realize that once that name is changed... Great Xia Civilization Academy will likely dissolve completely!"
With a cold sneer, He Qi stood up and walked toward the exit. "Ignorant! And boring! Since it's not your own turf, you feel free to ruin it as you please. Just as I said: someone who isn't a local will never care about how this academy fares. An outsider... knows jack shit!"
"You..."
Just as Yuan Qingdong was about to erupt in anger, the elders began standing up one after another. Xia Changqing also frowned slightly and said, "Deputy Head Yuan, do not bring up changing the name again. The Xia family will never agree to it, nor will the Civilization Masters who have graduated from here!"
What a preposterous joke!
Change the name?
How simplistic could he be!
This was the pride of Great Xia Prefecture, the spiritual sanctuary of Great Xia Civilization Masters. To change its name... and even if they did, if Su Yu still refused authorization, it would treat the symptom without curing the disease, turning them into a colossal laughingstock!
Elder Qi also spoke as he walked toward the door. "With Deputy Head Yuan's attitude, there's no point continuing discussions! In our view, we ought to treat the Multiple Divine Characters Faction well right now, perhaps even rebuild it, grant Chen Yong some support... and let there be fair competition. Yet Deputy Head Yuan hasn't mentioned a word of that. No need to hold any more meetings. Let's disband!
"The cultivation art has only just been announced, so the impact isn't overwhelming yet. But once its influence peaks... Great Xia Civilization Academy, with over three hundred years of heritage... might genuinely collapse!"
Someone sighed, shaking their head at the absurdity.
At a time like this, how could anyone be stupid enough to headbutt the problem head-on?
Another chuckled. "Actually, there's a simple solution: just release a similar cultivation art, and everything is resolved! But if there's no comparable art to replace it... gentlemen, our real troubles are yet to come!"
If there were an art of the same caliber to replace it, this would be trivial.
The question was, did one exist?
Like hell there was!
When a cultivation art was irreplaceable, it held an absolute monopoly. If you didn't practice it, you were left behind!
And to fall behind was to be at the mercy of others—to be beaten!
The Xia family wouldn't allow that to happen, nor would the three academies. Next, elders in seclusion, or even those fighting on the All-Heavens Battlefield, would likely return one after another.
Neutral elders, uninvolved elders, and even Lingyun and Tengkong figures would soon step forward.
Unless a resolution was reached, this matter wouldn't blow over.
If pushed to the extreme, the three civilization academies could very well fracture and disintegrate.
"Heh, 'traitor' Su Yu probably won't agree to negotiate with Great Xia Prefecture either... After all, he's a 'traitor,' isn't he?"
As they left, another elder tossed out sarcastic remarks.
The people were gone, and Chen Yong had been staying quietly in the Library Pavilion without causing trouble. Yet when Yuan Qingdong arrived, he insisted on stirring the pot. After Yu Hong and the others were executed, Su Yu had probably felt he had few enemies left in Great Xia Prefecture. But now... Yuan Qingdong had served himself up on a silver platter!
It would be a miracle if Su Yu didn't target him—and in the process, they were the ones caught in the crossfire!
Yuan Qingdong remained silent, letting them leave.
The Elder Council meeting broke up in utter discord!
Wan Tiansheng's refusal to show himself was clearly an intentional move to make him take the heat.
Yuan Qingdong's eyes grew sullen. These people had neatly dumped the entire blame onto his shoulders.
He said nothing further. The Xia family wouldn't just sit back and do nothing about this. The only condition... was making sure he wasn't sacrificed in the process. Who he really needed to guard against wasn't Su Yu, but the Xia family using him as a scapegoat.
"The Quest Realm..."
At that moment, he thought of the Quest Realm. Perhaps his only option was to have the Quest Realm pressure Great Ming Prefecture. But Zhu Tiandao of Great Ming Prefecture... gave him a massive headache.
It was a colossal nuisance!
Chapter 282