Coercion

In Great Ming Prefecture, Su Yu paid no mind to any of that. Having handed the matter over to Zhu Tiandao, he washed his hands of it. Zhu Tiandao had reaped the benefits and gained fame and profit; naturally, it was up to him to handle things. Besides, Su Yu was weak and held low status; he couldn't get involved in such high-level affairs anyway. Meanwhile, Great Ming Prefecture had been buzzing with excitement lately. News of the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art had spread far and wide. Not only that, students could now begin exchanging for the first volume of the divine aperture method. Fifty merit points! Absurdly cheap! Right now, almost every single student in Great Ming Prefecture had a copy in hand. Not just students—almost every teacher had exchanged for one as well. Within a single day of opening the exchange, nearly ten thousand copies had been claimed by nightfall! Five hundred thousand merit points! According to their split, Su Yu was entitled to forty percent, which amounted to two hundred thousand merit points. Of course, it was only this frantic because the technique had just been released. In the years ahead, these people would only need to exchange for the second half; getting the first half once was enough. It wasn't just students of the civilization academies. Even over at the war academies, many people were clamoring for exchanges to open for them too, shouting that they wanted to learn it as well. Even if they didn't cultivate it, reading it was worthwhile. A cultural art that could be cultivated at Character Nurturing! If warriors studied it, perhaps it could quickly boost their willpower. Some warriors hadn't even manifested their willpower even after reaching the Shanhai Realm. Cultivating it now might actually help. Strengthening their sea of will was immensely beneficial to them. Previously, before their willpower manifested, knowing how to cultivate the Myriad Characters Scripture was useless; they couldn't open divine apertures. Now, however, they might be able to. Su Yu had actually overlooked a point about this technique: it might facilitate many warriors dual-cultivating both paths. In the past, people didn't train willpower because reaching Tengkong was difficult. Now, opening divine apertures at Character Nurturing would also boost willpower. Su Yu's original goal in opening divine apertures was merely to rapidly elevate his willpower; as for advancing early to the ninth layer of Tengkong or even Lingyun later on, he had only learned of that after Zhang Hao brought it up. The purpose of divine apertures was to absorb more willpower and accelerate advancement. ... Great Ming Prefecture was in a boil of clamor. The storytellers had work to do once again. These past few days, the storytellers across major taverns hadn't strayed from the name "Su Yu." In a tavern within Tiandu Prefecture. The storyteller bellowed, "As expected, just days after arriving in Tiandu Prefecture, this Su Yu pulled off an earth-shattering feat! Everyone knows that basic cultural arts can only be cultivated by descendants of Invincibles—and not even all Invincible descendants have them! "Is King Daxia powerful? He has one basic cultural art that opens eighteen divine apertures! Treasured as a priceless heirloom, passed to sons and not daughters, to direct lineages and not concubine branches! "Is King Daming powerful? He too possesses a basic cultural art that opens twenty-four divine apertures, the Zhu family's ultimate treasure, passed to no one outside the Zhu clan... "Yet now Su Yu is spreading this technique—and that is extraordinarily dangerous! "Not only has he offended a bunch of Invincibles and stripped those descendants of kings of their edge, risking suppression, but now that the All-Races Cult and the myriad races know Su Yu's talent, they might relentlessly assassinate him from here on out! "Some things aren't withheld out of greed, but because they mustn't be shared! Su Yu is likely in dire peril now... Who knows if Great Ming Prefecture can protect him!" "..." As the storyteller spoke loudly, someone questioned, "Does the All-Races Cult really have the guts to enter the city and kill people?" "Hard to say!" The storyteller laughed heartily. "What's stopping an assassination inside the city? And why just the All-Races Cult? Next up, our own people might try to kill Su Yu... Even if I don't say it, everyone knows who I mean. Su Yu is bold indeed, truly refusing to teach those people! Don't you all know how brazen they can be?" "You mean the Single Divine Character Faction of Great Xia Prefecture? Are they really that bold? Didn't a bunch of them get killed last time?" The storyteller chuckled. "Plenty were killed, yet several Sun Moons arrived to stir up trouble again. The way I see it, Su Yu will have to hand it over sooner or later. If he doesn't, will those people let him off?" "Are they really that abominable?" "They truly are!" The storyteller sighed. "Sometimes, so-called allies are even more terrifying! I also heard that with the appearance of the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art, the realm has been shaken, and the Myriad Characters Scripture might be abolished. If that happens... massive trouble! In the past, the Myriad Characters Scripture was a hen that laid golden eggs. Now that the hen has been slaughtered, hundreds of thousands—even millions—of merit points a year are gone! Su Yu is cutting off people's livelihoods! His Primordial Spirit Cultural Art is priced far too cheaply; it doesn't just cut off the livelihood of the owner of the Myriad Characters Scripture, but also cuts into the revenue of the prefectures and the Quest Realm..." "What a pity. This Su Yu won't live long!" At those words, someone scolded, "Sheer nonsense! The Quest Realm is a sacred ground; would they kill a genius researcher over a few merit points? Haven't you heard about the Primordial Spirit Cultural Art? It saves Civilization Masters twenty years on their way to Lingyun, rendering immense service to humanity! Why would the Quest Realm do such a thing?" The storyteller shook his head. "You only know half the story! The Quest Realm... doesn't mean it's an immortal paradise! The Invincible kings are all on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Today's Quest Realm is controlled by prestigious aristocratic clans born right within it, many of whom are enemies of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction... I'd say Su Yu is in serious danger!" "Our King Daming is immensely powerful, among the very best in the Quest Realm. Could he possibly fear them?" "Fear them? No, but it's troublesome!" The storyteller chuckled. "King Daming has to face the god and demon Invincibles on the front line; can he stay in the Quest Realm every day? Even if he were there, he wouldn't necessarily know about or bother with matters below. And even if he intervened, it might not accomplish much!" "..." The storyteller continued prattling on, lamenting that Su Yu's days were numbered. At the same time, this talk was spreading not only in Tiandu Prefecture, but all across the various prefectures. On the third floor of the tavern. In a large private room, several men were drinking wine and dining. Listening to the clamor below, the middle-aged man seated in the center—imposing and dignified without needing to display anger—remarked faintly, "Old Zhu, did you have people spread this? Sowing panic like this is unnecessary!" Zhu Tiandao was among them, though not occupying the head seat. Hearing this, he chuckled. "Brother Qin, how can you say that? Why would I have people spread this? Would I sabotage my own father? Things in the Quest Realm truly have been a bit abnormal lately. Who knows what happened? It was one thing when they ignored everything, but now they're stirring up trouble. That Yuan-whatever-his-name-was... stirred up quite a fuss. What are they playing at?" With that, Zhu Tiandao looked at the others around the table and smiled. "I say, brothers, you rushed over here and inspected the technique. It's the real deal, so what else is there to say? Are your prefectures going to disseminate it or not? If not, don't waste my time..." The middle-aged man in the center glanced at him, drank a cup of wine, and said indifferently, "Disseminate it! Great Qin Prefecture doesn't care about this messy nonsense! Civilization Masters... you Civilization Masters have far too much bullshit! Aside from disseminating the technique, I want to meet Su Yu. I heard he has a supreme version of the aperture fusion method that can even fuse apertures for the Thousand Mountains Art. I want to discuss bringing it into Great Qin Prefecture with him!" Great Qin Prefecture was a heaven for warriors. He needed this supreme version of the technique! Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "He really does have it. Impressive, truly. Su Yu opened hundreds of apertures and fused them effortlessly, reaching the ninth layer of Wanshi in a flash! People in Great Xia Prefecture have cultivated it as well—that kid cultivating the Thousand Mountains Art has reached the ninth layer of Wanshi by now, possessing unmatched combat prowess! There are others too, like that kid from the Xia family; he cultivated it and has now entered the ninth layer of Wanshi, directly fusing apertures for the Heaven Cleaving Saber without the slightest hitch." Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Brother Qin, Su Yu is willing to share it, but he reached an agreement with the Xia family back then. It's stored with the Xia family, so Su Yu won't just spread it around willy-nilly, lest spreading it make the Xia family feel slighted. His father is still in the Demon Suppressing Army, after all." "..." Qin Zhen looked at him and said flatly, "Don't feed me that crap. No matter how foolish the Xia family might be, they wouldn't murder Su Long to threaten Su Yu. Drop the act and name your price!" It was nothing more than money! Zhu Tiandao beamed. "It's not about money... How about this: forget money. That boy Su Yu loves doing research, and Great Qin Prefecture doesn't lack the things he needs. Provide tens of thousands of drops of god and demon blood essence, from Tengkong to Shanhai. The aperture fusion method would be a minor detail then!" Qin Zhen looked at him, watching him in absolute silence. No pressure, no threats, just staring. After a long while, Zhu Tiandao coughed dryly. "Fine, fine, tens of thousands is too much. A few thousand, then?" Qin Zhen said calmly, "Have Su Yu come negotiate. You're demanding exorbitant prices, yet the technique isn't even yours!" "I'm his agent right now!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Previously, you had to go through the Xia family, but now coming to me is enough. Su Yu authorized me as his full proxy. Not only that, Su Yu has recently been researching a spirit fusion method!" Zhu Tiandao marvelled, "Incredible! That kid dares to imagine anything! Once this spirit fusion method comes out, good heavens, the world will be overturned! Of course, that's probably still a ways off! But another technique is almost ready..." He looked at Qin Zhen, smiling broadly. "A basic origin art deduced from the aperture fusion method. Nothing too special, really—the aperture fusion method opens thirty-six apertures, and overlaps with that origin art by more than twenty-seven!" Zhu Tiandao continued with a grin, "That's the Yellow-rank version. Su Yu and the others are still researching and deducing a Profound-rank version. Once the Profound-rank version is out, it might directly encompass all thirty-six apertures! When that happens... tsk tsk, magnificent!" Qin Zhen didn't speak. He glanced at the others and suddenly said, "Aside from Su Yu, are all other Civilization Masters useless trash? Why has no one deduced these techniques over all these years?" Before they could respond, Qin Zhen said coldly, "Don't bring up warriors. Most warriors are fighting on the front lines! If we have to battle, research cultivation arts, and spend massive amounts of time deducing techniques, what on earth do we need you Civilization Masters for? "Every year, the various civilization academies consume countless resources. Frontline warriors scrimp and save to supply Civilization Masters with vast wealth, yet you only send a trickle of Civilization Masters to the front line each year, and in the end, you haven't researched a damn thing?" How many Civilization Masters were actually on the front line? The vast Great Xia Prefecture was considered to have sent a relatively large number of Civilization Masters into battle, yet there were still fewer than ten thousand Civilization Masters in their army—just a few thousand. Meanwhile, there were over a million warriors! A ratio of several hundred to one! Qin Zhen snorted. "Neglecting proper business, stirring up endless nonsense! If you ask me, if they don't produce results, they might as well shut down all the civilization academies. A waste of time and money, holding back generations of talent!" "Old Qin, how can you say that..." Someone chuckled. "It has nothing to do with us. We still produce plenty of results: alchemy, talisman crafting, beast taming... all of these have seen considerable success. Your Great Qin's Iron Wing Guards sweep across all quarters and campaign across the heavens. Tell the truth, could you be this strong without the beast tamers among the Civilization Masters?" "Exactly, Old Qin. Don't lump all Civilization Masters together in one breath!" "Did the pills your warriors eat and the talismans they used appear out of thin air?" As several men reproached him, Qin Zhen brushed it off, saying indifferently, "Fine, setting that aside, back when the Multiple Divine Characters Faction had many experts, one frequently saw them campaigning on the front lines. Now... there are fewer and fewer Civilization Masters who can fight on the front line. Not many from the Single Divine Character Faction go to the front, and when they do, their combat power is mediocre at best. If this continues, Civilization Masters will be reduced entirely to support!" Someone sighed helplessly. "We know this, but Old Qin, don't play dumb! The moment experts from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction arrive at the front, they get targeted. Their decline over the years wasn't solely caused by the Single Divine Character Faction. You admit that, right?" Qin Zhen sneered. "I know! But there was no need to cower! Whenever the gods and demons tried to kill experts of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, they suffered heavy losses every time. Just wear them down! Train more Civilization Masters of the multiple divine character faction to fish on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Every cast gets a bite, and usually snags a big fish. My Great Qin Prefecture used Civilization Masters of the multiple divine character faction to hook several Sun Moons!" Everyone was speechless. *Nonsense, you folks in Great Qin Prefecture are a bunch of lunatics who don't fear death. If you really want most Civilization Masters of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to be used as bait... have you stopped to consider if the people of the faction would agree?* Hooking big fish was great, but plenty of geniuses from the multiple divine character faction had died. The multiple divine character faction in Great Qin Prefecture had probably been driven to extinction by their own people. That really couldn't be blamed on anyone else! Zhu Tiandao wasn't interested in this. He smiled and said, "None of that has anything to do with me. Let's drop it, everyone. Let me ask: which clan is running the Quest Realm right now? What the hell happened? Why were people like Yuan Qingdong dispatched to Great Xia Prefecture?" "Old Zhu, you really are a slacker. You don't even pay attention to this?" Someone chuckled. "Right now, it's joint deliberation among eight clans, decided by vote. The Zhou family, Yuan family, Zheng family... these clans hold joint governance. Don't tell me you don't even know who the Realm Lord is?" "I truly don't!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "I can't be bothered with other people's affairs. The Quest Realm can do whatever it likes; I run my Great Ming Prefecture. If only my older brother hadn't died early—otherwise, he'd be running Great Ming Prefecture, and I'd have gone to the Quest Realm to take a turn as Realm Lord. But our Zhu family is short on people right now, aren't we?" "You people really lead leisurely lives... If you can't go, send your son. At least occupy a seat instead of ignoring everything." The group bantered for a bit before someone soon said, "As for Great Xia Prefecture, it's the cradle of the multiple divine character faction. We're all sensible people here. A few clans don't want to see the multiple divine character faction rise from the ashes, so suppressing them over there was inevitable. It's a delicate matter." Zhu Tiandao scoffed. "What's delicate about it? It's just drinking poison to quench a thirst! Regardless of anything else, suppress the multiple divine character faction first, lest they anger the mighty god and demon races into invading the Human Realm at all costs—isn't that their line of thought?" Zhu Tiandao said dismissively, "Achieving a brief peace with the gods and demons by suppressing our own people... makes little sense. Let them make a scene. After all this commotion, as you can see, public sentiment is already wavering!" Qin Zhen frowned at this and said, "I've heard of what those people are thinking—sacrificing a portion of our own to buy time for the human race... But this policy... speaking honestly, if they could instantly suppress the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, fine, just don't make an uproar that everyone knows about! Instead, they lacked the ability to suppress them—pure incompetence on their part—and made it known to the entire realm. Sooner or later, a massive problem will erupt!" Great Qin Prefecture rarely meddled in these matters, nor could they be bothered to. Great Qin Prefecture didn't agree with the policy of those factions, but they couldn't be bothered to oppose it either. If you had the ability, go ahead and instantly crush the other side—just like how the multiple divine character faction easily suppressed them back then, and no one said a thing. The problem was, they lacked the ability, causing things to spiral worse and worse! It was even affecting the entire Human Realm! At this point, it was no longer just their private affair. If this continued, the Human Realm would descend into chaos. Qin Zhen said a few words, then soon continued, "Great Qin Prefecture won't get involved in this, but if this keeps going, it will inevitably affect the front lines! If life-and-death battles are being waged in the rear, how can the front line stay stable?" Qin Zhen looked at the others. "You gentlemen handle yourselves accordingly. Currently, Great Qin Prefecture cannot govern other people's heads, but just don't cause trouble for us in Great Qin Prefecture. Great Qin is under military control; all experts are soldiers. Anyone who disobeys military orders gets executed! "The few of you can pass word to the Quest Realm. Relay my attitude, and don't force me to purge a batch of people in Great Qin Prefecture!" The others said nothing. The Quest Realm... actually didn't interfere much in Great Qin Prefecture. As they spoke, someone outside chuckled, "Gentlemen, am I late?" A moment later, Marquis Xia walked through the door. He laughed heartily. "I had planned to come earlier, but a minor matter delayed me. My apologies, my apologies! Old Qin, Old Zhu, you're both already here!" Zhu Tiandao beamed at him. "Xiao'er, you got here quite fast. I thought you wouldn't make it!" Marquis Xia glanced at him. "Old Zhu, don't go looking for trouble!" "Fine, fine, fine, Xiao'er. I won't call you by your name in the future. Your father gave it to you, not us!" Marquis Xia snorted and sat down. Qin Zhen asked directly, "When will Longwu attain the Dao?" "Not sure. Soon, probably." Qin Zhen thought for a moment and said, "If Longwu attempts to attain the Dao, my father will certainly take action. But... you know the situation. Many eyes are on my father. Even if he steps in, he can only tie down an enemy or two." "The sentiment alone is enough!" Marquis Xia sighed. "It's difficult, troublesome! Too many people are staring at Longwu. Damn it, Zhou Potian and Zhou Polong are close as well, yet everyone is fixated on my Longwu. It's ridiculous!" Qin Zhen said indifferently, "Longwu's talent is too formidable, and he's a staunch iron-blood hardliner. If I were them, I'd keep an eye on Xia Longwu too, rather than Zhou Polong and his kind!" It was that simple. Xia Longwu was far too ruthless and iron-blooded. He had slaughtered far too many! If he attained the Dao, he would likely trigger battles between Invincibles on a regular basis. Back in the day, Xia Longwu led the Demon Suppressing Army in slaughtering countlessly, whipping up storms of blood across the All-Heavens Battlefield again and again. When the Demon Suppressing Army campaigned, they had to replenish recruits almost every single year, fighting every battle to the bitter end and leaving not a single blade of grass standing! Because of this, without a doubt, quite a few Invincibles would move to block Xia Longwu from attaining the Dao. Zhou Polong and the others weren't in a hurry. If they attempted Dao attainment at the same time as Xia Longwu, chances were no one would even pay attention to them. Quite a few people harbored such thoughts right now! Let Xia Longwu serve as the target! When an unyielding, iron-blooded figure like him tried to attain the Dao, the myriad races would inevitably obstruct him; even certain races with Invincibles who had previously stayed their hand would likely strike this time. Someone had already thought of Xia Longwu's title after attaining the Dao—the Blood Slaughter King. He was a butcher! Whom else would they stop if not him? Marquis Xia sighed. "Indeed, everyone is watching Longwu. Damn it, we can't afford to offend those bastards too deeply right now. When others attempt Dao attainment, having a few Invincibles protect the Dao gives them a high chance of success. But for our Longwu, I'm afraid nothing short of dozens of Invincible Dao protectors will do... How can we go and offend everyone? Su Yu doesn't understand, but Old Zhu, don't you understand? Why are you fanning the flames behind the scenes?" Zhu Tiandao cried foul. "Nonsense! I even spoke up for your Xia family. But there was nothing I could do—he's a young man, and those clans kept disgusting him. How could he not be furious?" Snorting, Marquis Xia didn't dwell on it and quickly said, "Since you gentlemen are all here, I won't bother visiting each clan individually. Longwu will attain the Dao soon; when the time comes, please lend a hand... If Longwu truly dies, my father won't be able to take the blow..." Qin Zhen interrupted, "The Qin family is with you. As for the rest... we can't force them!" Marquis Xia curled his lip. "I really wonder—you're no saint either, Qin Zhen, and you're close to attaining the Dao as well. Why is nobody watching you?" Qin Zhen laughed. "I have Longwu to thank for that. Xiao'er, jokes aside, when Longwu actually attempts it, the rest of us might just tag along and break through together. Maybe a few of us will succeed this time!" "Get lost!" Qin Zhen chuckled. "I'm being honest. I don't think Longwu has a high chance of surviving. Why not just let him serve as the target? Your Xia family should do whatever needs doing without swallowing your grievances—kill whoever needs killing..." "Screw you!" Marquis Xia snapped in annoyance, "Kill my ass! At the very least, we have to get them to pitch in. Whether Longwu succeeds or fails, at least my old man won't have any regrets. But if we don't try and just send him to die... the old man won't accept it." "Then just don't attain the Dao," Qin Zhen joked. "Even without attaining the Dao, he isn't weak right now." "Longwu refuses." Marquis Xia sighed. "You think I haven't tried to persuade him? If it won't work, just give it up! If worst comes to worst, attain the Dao in a minor realm..." "Don't!" Qin Zhen cut him off immediately. "That's worse than not attaining the Dao! Attaining the Dao in a minor realm has a higher success rate, but you become bound to that minor realm, and your strength will never be very high. A man like Longwu—forcing him to bind to a weak realm, stuck at that level for the rest of his life, bottom-tier among Invincibles... you might as well let him die in battle." Marquis Xia was helpless. Indeed, that was why there was no way around it. Downing a cup of wine, he stopped talking about it and looked at Zhu Tiandao. "Cut the crap. The technique still has to be taught. If it isn't, the Civilization Masters of Great Xia Prefecture will stage a revolt! Name your conditions!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "What conditions? It's not my technique. Su Yu won't allow it..." "You instigated it, didn't you?!" "Bullshit!" Zhu Tiandao laughed. "What's the rush? Let public opinion blow up first, let it simmer, and find a way to make guys like Yuan Qingdong take the blame!" Marquis Xia frowned. "That's what I was thinking too. The problem is, we haven't reached an agreement with those clans yet!" He said with a headache, "We at least need to settle things with them first and get the Invincibles from those clans to step forward. No matter what, they have to help Longwu intercept a few Invincibles! Honestly, we've endured all these years, so enduring two more years doesn't matter. But forcing us to give up on Longwu at this stage... we can't accept it!" "What does Xia Longwu himself say?" Marquis Xia grumbled, "What does he know? He's just like that. In his mind, taking down an Invincible before dying is a win! He won't lose out, but if he dies, hasn't he considered whether Great Xia Prefecture's military morale will collapse...?" He then added, "If Longwu really dies, Great Xia Prefecture probably won't guard the front line anymore. You folks can play by yourselves in the future... I don't know what those bastards are thinking." Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Who knows! Maybe they think a dead Xia Longwu is better. With Xia Longwu dead, maybe there will be fewer major wars!" "..." Marquis Xia fell silent. That made sense too. Frustrating! There was no simple way to talk about this, and nothing to regret either. If Xia Longwu hadn't slaughtered across all sides, he wouldn't be this strong. But now, because he slaughtered too much in his youth and remained fiercely iron-blooded, nobody would believe him if you said he had changed. Qin Zhen asked again, "Did Great Xia Prefecture discover any Invincible ruins?" "Discover my ass!" Marquis Xia cursed again. "If we had, would we be in this mess?" "What about the ruins Su Yu inherited?" Marquis Xia shook his head. "Never mind that it hasn't been found—even if it were, with Longwu's personality... Old Qin, do you think he'd go attain the Dao in a ruin? We've racked our brains for this fellow, yet he doesn't appreciate it at all..." "Forget it, let's not talk about it. I'll go talk to Su Yu myself later!" Marquis Xia glanced at Zhu Tiandao and snapped, "Quit making trouble for me! You just love stirring up commotion and watching the spectacle. Let me tell you: stop fanning the flames and doing nothing good all day long!" Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "How can you say that? Xiao'er, you have to speak with a clear conscience! Back when Su Yu produced the aperture fusion method and you came to extort me, did I say anything? Right?" Marquis Xia felt exhausted. *You bastard, look at you gloating now!* Zhu Tiandao yawned. "All right, drop the pretense. Su Yu isn't targeting your Xia family! Using this opportunity, the Xia family can even reap some benefits. Yuan Qingdong and his crowd caused massive trouble, and you're helping clean up the mess—it's a good thing. Can't you just force King Dayuan to promise he'll step in and be done with it?" Zhu Tiandao sneered contemptuously, "Acting all aggrieved, when on the inside you're probably overjoyed! 'My Xia family can't easily act, so Su Yu makes a great blade, a free blade at that.' How wonderful! I saw right through you long ago!" Marquis Xia kept a straight face, then bared his teeth in a grin a moment later. "What are you talking about? When did I ever use Su Yu as a knife?" Clearly Su Yu had wanted to be the blade himself! "Cut the sob story!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Actually, it's a good thing. My Zhu family even shouldered a lot of pressure for you. It's fine if you don't thank me, but why come here acting pitiful right off the bat? My father will act. Xia Longwu staying alive... is actually quite entertaining!" "Hahaha! I knew Brother Zhu wasn't ordinary! We're all family, no need for polite distance!" Marquis Xia chuckled and raised his cup. "Let's drink! Brother Zhu is a straightforward man, and these are all minor matters. Our Xia and Zhu families are the best of neighbors..." The others were speechless, shaking their heads. This Fatty Xia changed his face faster than turning a page. After eating and drinking some more, Marquis Xia soon grinned. "I feel like the pressure isn't strong enough yet! How about this, Old Zhu: find someone to impersonate the Yuan or Zhou family and assassinate Su Yu, then expose it to put some pressure on those two clans?" *Screw your uncle!* Zhu Tiandao cursed inwardly, ignoring him. Marquis Xia chuckled. "Forget it, impersonation is unnecessary! If all else fails, take Su Yu out for a stroll; maybe someone really will make an assassination attempt. Our demands aren't high—just catch a few more compromising blunders and use them to coerce some fellows into helping... Who cares if they're sincere or not, as long as they block an Invincible. If they fail to block one, we can settle scores afterward." He shook his head again. "What a headache! If Su Yu had only appeared after Longwu's Dao attainment, whether Longwu succeeded or failed, it wouldn't be this difficult to manage, nor would your Great Ming Prefecture have scooped up such a bargain!" Zhu Tiandao laughed without arguing. Xia Longwu's Dao attainment was like a hand strangling the Xia family's throat; it was inevitable that the Xia family was in a tough spot right now. He couldn't care less about that! Nor could this matter be blamed on him—it couldn't be blamed on anyone. Xia Longwu's character was too unbending and he had killed too many people. Attaining the Dao would be grueling, something he himself should have prepared for. The others beside them didn't say much either. Qin Zhen drank a cup of wine and sighed after a long while, "When all is said and done, hearts aren't united. The war faction, the peace faction, and even the surrender faction haven't resolved their struggle!" It was that simple! Marquis Xia was equally helpless. "Indeed. Sometimes I truly wish King Daqin could succeed and take another step forward. Not much—just reaching the level of those two old monsters from the Primordial Demon Race and the Primordial God Race would be enough. Humanity would know peace then!" Qin Zhen shook his head. "Difficult! If it were that simple, he'd have succeeded long ago! Be it my father, King Dazhou, or King Daxia... they may seem close, but in truth, the gap remains vast!" Zhu Tiandao said wistfully, "Why didn't you mention my father? My father actually has a chance too..." The others cast him a side-eye. *Your father?* *If your father could take another step, King Daqin and the rest might as well commit suicide. Where would your father get that capability!* Zhu Tiandao snorted. *What's with those looks!* "Gentlemen, licensing it to you is fine, but double the merit points!" Just that arrogant! As for Great Xia Prefecture, let them talk to Su Yu themselves. He couldn't be bothered to interfere; this matter depended on Su Yu's own thoughts. ... Meanwhile. In the research lab, Wu Lan asked curiously, "Su Yu, are you really not going to pass it to Great Xia Prefecture?" "Not Great Xia Prefecture—the three academies." Su Yu corrected her. "Then... whatever, do as you please!" Wu Lan didn't care to press further and went back to her own work. Su Yu chuckled. "Your Wu family can learn it." "Oh..." Wu Lan didn't pay it much mind. She already knew it, and her sister and the others didn't need to learn it anyway. Whether it was disseminated or not made little difference to them. Su Yu was speechless and didn't bother saying more. Opening apertures was key. He needed to open his apertures quickly and enter Tengkong. As his fame grew, so did the pressure. *Maybe it's time to pay a visit to the Bai family... to see if there are any unexpected discoveries.* Su Yu muttered to himself. He didn't know whether the Bai family would welcome him; going uninvited might not be wise, as they might not appreciate his presence. As for Great Xia Prefecture, leave them hanging for now! Taking down that Yuan Qingdong might be difficult this time, but as for Shan Xiong—letting Shan Xiong enter the Great Xia Civilization Academy... they could play around on their own then! *Perhaps... I can use this opportunity to get rid of him!* Su Yu curled his lip. Going around challenging Tengkong cultivators of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction—quite arrogant, wasn't he? Clearly, he hadn't experienced a proper beating from society! Forcing several major prefectures to shut down their multiple divine character factions, slapping the faction across the face... arrogant to the extreme. *I must enter Tengkong as soon as possible!* Su Yu felt a bit of urgency. He was still short three apertures. Even if he found them, things might not go smoothly. He couldn't afford to waste too much time on this.