The Super Sensing Jade was complete, but Su Yu remained unaware.
It was not until the night of the twenty-first that he finally finished extracting all the blood essence. When he emerged from the cultivation room, his head was spinning with dizziness.
Devouring blood essence and running the body-casting art meant keeping himself in a perpetual state of explosive exertion. Even with his vigorous vitality, days of continuous outbursts left him thoroughly drained and languid.
The moment he stepped outside, Wu Lan called out, "Su Yu! Principal Niu said to go find him once you're out!"
"Alright!"
Principal Niu wanted him? What for?
...
Puzzled, Su Yu fought through his exhaustion and left the research institute.
Yuexin Island.
Su Yu climbed onto the giant turtle again, crossed the lake, and reached the island.
The moment he stepped ashore, he realized why the principal had summoned him.
The three great demons!
One-Eye, Ju Shan, and Xue Yue swiftly materialized before him, staring at him with aggrieved expressions.
They were terrified!
Over the past several days in this ghastly place, Principal Niu and Zhu Tiandao seemed to have been torturing someone nonstop. The endless, bloodcurdling screams had chilled them to the bone.
It was living hell!
"Seniors..."
Su Yu felt a prickle of embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about them.
My apologies, my apologies!
"I ran into an important research project these past few days that demanded my immediate attention, but I came straight over to receive you seniors and wash away the dust of your travels..."
"No need!"
One-Eye's voice was eerie and hollow. His third eye was tightly closed, and his two normal eyes were entirely pitch-black with no visible whites, giving him a terrifying appearance.
"Su Yu, your grandmaster Hong Tan and you both promised us that once the deed was done, you would let us return to the All-Heavens Battlefield... Does your word still stand?"
Su Yu smiled. "Of course! If you seniors wish to leave right now, I'll have someone escort you away immediately. My word is my bond! But let me speak frankly. You leaving isn't just about having slain several experts of the Single Divine Character Faction that day. What truly matters is that you saw many things others didn't. There's a very good chance an Invincible is pulling the strings behind those people... and they might hunt you down!"
Ju Shan rumbled in a muffled voice, "You mean that if we leave, we'll certainly die!"
"Yes!" Su Yu replied candidly. "The probability is exceedingly high. Killing humans still comes with some hesitation, but killing demon race members who return to the All-Heavens Battlefield involves zero repercussions—unless you can flee to somewhere no one can ever find."
Xue Yue said coldly, "So you've got us trapped, is that it?"
Su Yu said calmly, "Not at all, nor do I need to. While you seniors are in the Shanhai Realm... to be quite frank, Shanhai is powerful, but it isn't all that useful to me right now! If you seniors truly wish to leave, I'll ask Manor Lord Zhu to help send you on your way back to the All-Heavens Battlefield!"
As soon as he said that, a chuckle drifted out from the pavilion. "Su Yu is right. If you wish to go, it's simple enough. A contingent of the Tiandao Army happens to be heading to the All-Heavens Battlefield next month, and you can travel right alongside them. Shanhai... is strong, but that's about all!"
It was Zhu Tiandao's voice!
Su Yu did not press further and said promptly, "Seniors, consider it yourselves. If you stay, you'll receive the same treatment as Senior Old Turtle; I won't impose many restrictions on you. But if you wish to leave, I won't stand in your way either!"
The three great demons fell silent.
Su Yu said no more and briskly walked into the pavilion.
Zhu Tiandao and Niu Baidao were sipping tea. Beside them stood a young woman, delicately pouring and serving their drinks.
Zhu Tiandao wore a look of pure amusement.
Once Su Yu offered his greetings and took a seat, Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Su Yu, look at how utterly exhausted you are. Did you get up to some mischief these past few days?"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. What could I have done?
"Manor Lord, I've been in closed-door cultivation these past few days."
"Cultivating until you look like this?"
Zhu Tiandao chuckled heartily. "You, ah, don't understand that when men and women work together, the work never feels tiring!"
After cracking the joke, he pointed at the young woman beside him. "This is Little Xu. Pretty, isn't she? If she catches your eye, take her back to keep you company. That little lass at your place won't get jealous, will she?"
"..."
Su Yu remained silent, looking down to sip his tea.
Pointless!
Manor Lord Zhu really had too much time on his hands sometimes.
As for the woman beside him, she was indeed good-looking, but Su Yu had zero interest. In fact, not only did he have no interest, but he also felt a faint stir of unease. His "Calamity" divine character gave a slight flicker.
What was this?
Had the "Calamity" divine character malfunctioned these past few days? It seemed to flicker all the time.
Just as he was pondering this, the young woman walked over to his side and said softly, "Teacher Su, why keep people at such an arm's length..."
Her hand gently rested on Su Yu's shoulder.
Su Yu's expression shifted abruptly. The next instant, a sharp crunch resounded!
The little fur ball flashed into view!
Su Yu's blood and qi surged with a deafening boom as his yuan apertures acted in unison. Twisting to the side, he hurled a ferocious fist!
Boom!
The woman let out a shriek as a divine character suddenly manifested, a piece bitten clean out of it.
She could have dodged Su Yu's punch entirely, but the moment her divine character was bitten and cracked, a hammer of willpower smashed down simultaneously, making her tremble. Immediately after, Su Yu's punch crashed forward as his "Slow" divine character erupted, striking her dead on!
With a heavy thud, the woman stumbled back several meters, her face pale with shock!
Su Yu did not strike again. He swiftly snatched the little fur ball, stuffed it into his robes, and looked at the woman before glancing at Zhu Tiandao and Niu Baidao with a frown. "This senior is a Shanhai? Manor Lord, Principal, what is the meaning of this?"
Zhu Tiandao laughed, pressing down with his hand. "Sit, let's talk!"
Turning to the woman, he furrowed his brows. "Useless! You boast such a grand reputation, yet Su Yu is only at the Yangxing Realm, and you couldn't even pick his pocket without making a mess. Are you sure you're the Thousand-Handed Bandit?"
Truly useless!
The woman's face twitched with utter disbelief. Yangxing?
Are you kidding me?!
His senses were absurdly sharp—terrifyingly so!
If it were just that, fine, but his concealed divine character had been bitten in an instant by some unknown creature. Damn it, what was that thing?
He had a Shanhai divine character!
In the blink of an eye, a small piece had been chewed right off. Even if the damage wasn't critical, it was shocking enough.
What stunned him even more was Su Yu's bizarre divine skill. That hammer blow had shaken his willpower, and before he could react, Su Yu's punch had struck him squarely. Right now, his shoulder was rapidly bruising and blackening, even beginning to corrode.
He was a Shanhai Realm cultivator!
Of course, part of it was that he hadn't dared to hit back.
Even so, even if he didn't fight back, not even a Lingyun cultivator should have unleashed such a staggering counterattack!
Su Yu glanced at the woman, his brows knitting slightly.
Just now, his "Calamity" divine character had pulsed again. Before he could react, the little fur ball had responded first. To the little fur ball, any divine character attaching itself to Su Yu was an interloper trying to steal its food!
The little fur ball hadn't held back in the slightest, putting everything it had into taking a bite out of the stranger's divine character.
The opponent was a Shanhai, while the little fur ball had only recently entered the Lingyun Realm. It hadn't managed to chew off the entire divine character undetected, but damaging it had been enough to alert Su Yu instantly.
Niu Baidao gave a light cough and chuckled. "Don't take it to heart. We were just testing his skills, and also seeing how capable you are. This fellow swore up and down that anyone beneath Shanhai wouldn't even notice if he stole their heart... Talk about a slap in the face!"
"Stealing hearts?"
Su Yu's gaze turned cold.
Across from him, Xu Bin felt utterly helpless and hurried to explain, "No, no, I just wanted to show off my skills by swiping your storage ring. But before I even touched it, my divine character got... bitten."
He was mortified!
He had actually botched a job against a mere Yangxing cultivator!
Su Yu looked at him, frowning slightly. Who was this person? One of Zhu Tiandao's men? Didn't seem like it.
Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Just a fellow we caught recently. A rather famous thief in the Human Realm who dares to steal anything. Oh, right, he's a guy. Well, actually, nobody knows whether he's a man or a woman. He transforms until even his own mother wouldn't recognize him."
Su Yu narrowed his eyes. "From the Modification Department?"
"No."
Xu Bin answered sullenly from the side, "My divine characters are unique, and I have quite a few of them, which is how I possess this ability. I'm not from the Modification Department. Those people completely alter their physical bodies, whereas I merely employ advanced disguises and face-changing arts. Modifying one's own body is just foolish."
Zhu Tiandao laughed merrily. "Foolish? If word of that gets out, you won't survive more than a few days!"
"I wouldn't dare."
Xu Bin dared not say another word. Zhu Tiandao chuckled and said, "Go wait down below and prepare some food for the great demons. Off you go!"
"Understood!"
Xu Bin had no desire to linger in their presence either and made a hasty exit. Zhu Tiandao's voice echoed faintly behind him: "Don't go thinking about running away. If you run and get dragged back, you won't enjoy the same treatment as before!"
"I wouldn't dare!"
Xu Bin cursed inwardly as he vanished swiftly from sight.
Once he was gone, Zhu Tiandao beamed. "We caught him at the academy earlier. Impressive, isn't he? His concealment techniques are no joke; he almost fooled us. We originally wanted to nab Lan Tian, but couldn't find him—probably never came to Great Ming Prefecture."
The higher-ups knew bits and pieces about Lan Tian.
After all, it involved the Cult Master of the Primordial Demon Cult, and Great Xia Prefecture had passed along some intelligence.
Su Yu nodded slightly without saying much.
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Having him test you was meant to gauge his skill! Seems ordinary now. But you, kid... your strength is quite something!"
After offering the praise, Zhu Tiandao got straight to the point: "To make a long story short, Great Ming Prefecture has yielded some minor results recently. Old Niu and I don't have the time to play hide-and-seek every day, and plenty of eyes are fixed on you. I was thinking: why not seize an opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop?"
"One fell swoop?"
Su Yu wasn't overly optimistic. "After what happened at Starfall Mountain, unless they're certain of success, they won't take reckless risks!"
Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "We don't need them to take risks. People naturally love spectacle! They gather to pry for information, join the crowd, fish for intelligence..."
Su Yu looked at him, not quite following.
Zhu Tiandao elaborated, "Here's the plan. Aren't you about to begin casting your body? I want you to make it public... The people of Great Ming love a spectacle. Let them see how a genius casts his body and breaks through to Tengkong! A completely public demonstration!"
Niu Baidao chimed in, "Some fellows in Great Ming love showing off when breaking through realms, though they usually aren't much to look at. But you're a genius—a peerless genius. If you break through, everyone will be immensely interested!"
Niu Baidao laughed heartily. "At the same time, you can use the occasion as an excuse to promote your cultivation arts. For instance, publicize your body-casting art, declare that you plan to promote it, and invite everyone to witness its effects... That's bound to draw massive crowds!"
Zhu Tiandao nodded. "When that happens, anyone who wants to target you—or even those who don't, but simply want to watch the show and gather intelligence—will show up. After all, large crowds offer perfect camouflage without drawing attention."
Su Yu was inclined to refuse.
"Manor Lord, wouldn't that be too dangerous? Some members of the All-Races Sect are deeply concealed. Even if they blend into the crowd, you can't possibly scan everyone thoroughly. Probing people without cause is a major taboo..."
Zhu Tiandao smiled cunningly. "We naturally have our ways of identifying them! Of course, anyone concealing their strength or sneaking in can be weeded out, though it's harder to tell if someone possesses a legitimate public identity."
Some individuals weren't faceless infiltrators; they held overt, legitimate standing.
Su Yu's interest was piqued. "You can determine their identity and strength?"
How was that possible?
Zhu Tiandao laughed. "That fellow just now was found using precisely this method! A Shanhai concealing his cultivation is nearly impossible to spot, especially a specialist in that field, yet he was still rooted out!"
He added, "Of course, if you feel it's too dangerous, never mind. We'll track them down one by one sooner or later!"
At worst, they would spend more time and effort combing through the area piece by piece. Naturally, covering all of Tiandu Prefecture was still difficult right now and remained in the calibration phase, but covering a localized zone posed no difficulty at all.
Su Yu hesitated. "Manor Lord, is this detection method reliable? The enemy was right beside you, and you didn't even notice..."
"Completely reliable!"
Zhu Tiandao chuckled merrily. "Utterly foolproof! Not even a Sun Moon can hide! Even individuals whose combat strength exceeds their realm won't slip past! For example, if someone is in the Yangxing Realm but possesses Lingyun combat strength, we can detect it."
Su Yu stared at him. Why does it feel like you're talking about me?
Have you scanned me?
Su Yu asked suddenly, "When was this Xu Bin caught?"
"Yesterday!"
Su Yu looked thoughtful. "I see! Yesterday afternoon around two o'clock, you caught him, didn't you? At that time, Manor Lord, you probably scanned me as well!"
No wonder his "Calamity" character had reacted. It had pulsed out of nowhere yesterday!
Zhu Tiandao narrowed his eyes and exchanged a look with Niu Baidao, frowning. The Sensing Jade had failed? Su Yu had actually detected it!
Niu Baidao was equally surprised. "You noticed?"
Su Yu said calmly, "Yes, though it was indeed very subtle. I almost overlooked it!"
He sounded composed, but was inwardly shocked. Yesterday, he hadn't noticed a thing! His own sensing jade hadn't shown any reaction whatsoever!
That meant no one had probed him through conventional means. Of course, his jade couldn't detect an Invincible's probe, but this clearly hadn't been an Invincible.
In that case, what method had Zhu Tiandao and the others used to scan him? Furthermore, the triple formation outside his research institute hadn't blocked it at all. That was genuinely terrifying!
Zhu Tiandao didn't dwell on it, surprised by Su Yu's sharp intuition. The youth had to possess some unique method of perception, or he wouldn't have sensed it.
Without probing further, Zhu Tiandao said quickly, "You can rest assured regarding safety. Su Yu, on that day, Old Niu and I will both stand guard beside you. That's only natural. Great Ming Prefecture can't make it look too obvious, like an obvious trap. Instead, we'll make a show of protecting you with all our might. That way, no one will be suspicious, and we can lure all those fellows into the vicinity."
With Great Ming Prefecture's two strongest powerhouses protecting Su Yu in person, no one would suspect an ambush.
What kind of trap brought out the absolute highest combat power right off the bat?
Zhu Tiandao continued, "We won't strike immediately on-site; keeping our eyes on them comes first! However, we hope you can draw out some true experts. Under normal circumstances, small fry come to scout for intel while the strong sit securely in their dens waiting for reports... But if the stakes are high enough, the powerful will show themselves in person, even if it means taking a risk."
He looked at Su Yu. "What do you think? Are you willing to act as bait once? Of course, we need sufficient certainty that we can lure out some true powerhouses. Small fry aren't worth the effort! At the very least, we need to draw Lingyun or Shanhai experts. If cultivators of that level report intel, they'll inevitably seek out someone stronger than themselves, potentially leading us straight to the Sun Moon Realm!"
As for the weaker ones, they were useless; even if closely shadowed, they could hardly reach a Sun Moon cultivator.
Seeing Su Yu remain silent, Zhu Tiandao gave a dry cough and offered, "How about this: when we wipe out the experts... especially any Sun Moon Realm cultivators, if there are spoils, we'll split them thirty-seventy. Thirty percent for you, seventy for us. A Sun Moon's divine characters, physical body, cultural weapons... are all priceless treasures! If we can strip away some divine characters and craft secret realms, that'll be pure profit! And the merit points from the bounties on their heads will all be yours. How about it?"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow and soon replied, "Breaking through publicly... wouldn't that be too troublesome? Wouldn't it be better to host an auction... selling cultivation arts..."
Zhu Tiandao shook his head. "Useless! Once an art is sold, it'll circulate sooner or later anyway! The All-Races Sect doesn't care about techniques that are about to spread far and wide! What they're interested in is you as a person, not the arts you're about to release. What they covet is you, and perhaps the Invincible ruins you might possess..."
Su Yu was speechless. He made it sound as if Su Yu were some peerless beauty.
The main issue was that his breakthrough required a massive amount of Heaven Yuan Qi to lay his foundation. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter, but right now, he couldn't expose that.
As if discerning something, Zhu Tiandao asked with a grin, "Is there something unusual about your breakthrough?"
"Perhaps!"
"Even better!"
Zhu Tiandao bared his teeth in a wide grin. "The more unusual, the better! Only then will you pique their interest! It would be best if it's so extraordinary that, just like last time, it triggers a heaven-and-earth anomaly! Good grief, if that happens, I guarantee any Sun Moon from the All-Races Sect nearby won't be able to resist! A heaven-and-earth anomaly upon reaching Tengkong? That's unthinkable! A person like you becomes an absolute must-kill target!"
Su Yu said helplessly, "Manor Lord, wouldn't that doom me for good? I'll be permanently marked!"
"Aren't you already?"
"But what if... what if I draw the attention of an Invincible?"
Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "Hardly. We'll fabricate a fake anomaly. Afterward, once we kill those people, we can just explain that it was a ruse to lure them into a trap. It's no big deal—would an Invincible care about that? Besides... the All-Races Sect has no Invincibles. The myriad races do, and if an Invincible from the myriad races runs into you, they'd kill you regardless. Don't overthink it."
A fake anomaly?
Su Yu paused, quickly understanding. "Manor Lord, you mean manufacturing a false anomaly? Is that feasible?"
"Entirely feasible. Fooling ordinary Sun Moon cultivators won't be a problem..."
Su Yu asked curiously, "Do genuine anomalies really occur when advancing to Tengkong?"
"No!"
Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Where would an anomaly come from just by entering Tengkong? Of course, if someone is remarkably powerful and blessed by heaven, an anomaly might appear when breaking through to Shanhai and unifying the apertures! Xia Longwu had one back in the day: when he stepped into Shanhai, golden rain fell from the sky, bathing all living things across a radius of a hundred meters. This time, we'll craft a fake anomaly covering three to five meters. We happen to have experience with that—we'll just stage a shower of yuanqi rain..."
That experience had come from the little fur ball.
Zhu Tiandao grinned. "Good heavens, if an anomaly appears for a mere Tengkong, wouldn't people flock to see what's happening? Even if they can't kill you on the spot, they'll want to observe you up close... Great Ming Prefecture will show how much we value you by deploying five or six Sun Moon experts to guard you. Seeing fewer Sun Moon experts stationed elsewhere, those infiltrators will grow bolder. Observing from ten thousand meters away is standard, and if they're even bolder, blending into the crowd and watching you right under our noses is completely normal!"
He chuckled merrily. "Don't worry, safety won't be an issue at all! Afterward, we'll explain that it was fake, manufactured by ourselves, so it won't cause excessive trouble!"
Su Yu understood. After a moment of thought, he said, "Promoting cultivation arts isn't really necessary. I can demonstrate opening all three hundred and sixty apertures to show the sheer might of advancing to Tengkong, and promote the Primordial Spirit Aperture Opening Art while I'm at it. That works too..."
At this thought, Su Yu added, "However, I have one condition: I must break through in private isolation. It cannot be fully exposed to the public..."
Zhu Tiandao was surprised. "You mean..."
"My breakthrough requires certain treasures to assist me, which aren't suitable for public display."
"Oh, that..."
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Simple! We'll set up a chamber where people can see you, but not clearly or entirely, and where they can't probe inside. We'll just enclose you. No need for a whole room—we can use that advanced arena platform and activate its formation. With the mix of truth and illusion, outsiders won't see clearly; they'll only get a general sense of what you're doing. You've seen the contraption used for arena battles, haven't you?"
Su Yu nodded. He had seen it on his very first day at the academy.
An idea formed in his mind; this might actually work.
"Then it would be best to add an anti-peeping formation..."
As Su Yu spoke, he glanced at the two men and pondered for a moment. "Manor Lord, does this count as an open scheme? We're baiting them deliberately, so even if they know Great Ming Prefecture might have planned this, they'll still come to their deaths?"
Zhu Tiandao laughed. "Partly, yes. Of course, they're extremely confident! What expert isn't? They aren't planning to attack immediately—they just want to look. You, Zhu Tiandao, aren't an Invincible, so what could you possibly discover? Even an Invincible wouldn't dare probe everyone indiscriminately. That's a major taboo. Cultivators value privacy above all else. On your first day of cultivation, someone probably told you never to casually probe others, or it would be taken as an act of hostility."
Su Yu nodded. Cultivators probed others in only two scenarios: a master testing a disciple, or facing an enemy.
A reckless novice might do it once, but never a second time.
Back in the yuanqi secret realm, Su Yu had done it once and was promptly reprimanded.
Later, when Old Huang and the others wanted to inspect Su Yu, they had to concoct all sorts of excuses, claiming they were helping him conceal his aura. Looking back, it was quite amusing.
Zhu Tiandao smiled. "They're gambling that we won't dare probe everyone one by one. Especially in a place like Great Ming Prefecture, where the populace places great value on personal freedom, probing people indiscriminately is asking for unrest. Great Qin Prefecture is a bit stricter... Moreover, our Great Ming Prefecture has historically stayed out of these conflicts, which has made the All-Races Sect bold enough to infiltrate our academies and steal research in the past!"
"When the anomaly truly manifests, those fellows won't be able to hold back. Even if they resist at first, they'll eventually come over..."
Having said that, Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Su Yu, what do you say? If this succeeds, I believe we can hook some Sun Moon experts! Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys means that whatever you do in the future, they'll suspect you're fishing. Even if they get an opening to strike, they'll lack the nerve. If you travel alone, they'll assume it's a trap!"
Su Yu considered it and smiled. That was genuinely possible.
If they could take down Sun Moon cultivators this time, then the next time he went out completely unattended, any nearby Sun Moon from the All-Races Sect would probably worry whether this kid was baiting them again.
Safety would indeed be far better guaranteed.
Once might be a fluke, but if Sun Moon experts died a second time... Su Yu doubted anyone would dare provoke him.
Those people were greedy, not suicidal.
Men died for wealth, and high stakes were real, but once dead, no amount of profit mattered.
Zhu Tiandao continued, "In the vicinity of our Tiandu Prefecture, I wager there are definitely cult masters from the All-Races Sect lurking right now. Those scoundrels won't give up. Unless we frighten them into submission, as more and more experts gather, they might even become bold enough to launch an outright assault on Tiandu Prefecture!"
"Right now it's still manageable; not many have arrived, or perhaps some are waiting for reinforcements... waiting for experts from their respective races to arrive in person!"
"Given enough time, if you produce a few more achievements, they won't be able to wait any longer!"
Su Yu looked thoughtful and nodded. Such a scenario was indeed likely.
"Manor Lord, are you certain you can locate them? And without losing track of them?"
"Certain!"
Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "If we didn't even have that much certainty, what kind of fishing would this be? We'd end up swallowed by the fish! Once we pull off this job, Great Ming Prefecture will enjoy long-lasting peace, and you can breathe easier without constantly worrying about people lurking in the shadows waiting to assassinate you. Of course, if an Invincible sneaks in to kill you... you'll just have to accept your bad luck!"
There was no helping that!
Su Yu nodded. "Understood! As for the thirty-seventy split... no need for that, Manor Lord. If we slay those fellows, I'll just need some of their divine characters if any can be harvested. What do you say?"
"No problem!"
"Also, it would be best to capture a few alive!"
Su Yu considered it and added, "Preferably through a discreet capture, without outsiders realizing it!"
Zhu Tiandao looked surprised. "Capturing them alive without outsiders knowing? Are you planning to infiltrate the All-Races Sect? There's no need for that; every major prefecture already has a few spies planted inside."
Su Yu smiled. "We'll see when the time comes. I want to see... if I can establish a cult of my own or something. I've heard that swindlers make up a fair share of the All-Races Sect's mainstream."
"..."
Silence fell.
Zhu Tiandao was rendered speechless. "You certainly dare to dream. Usually, they only swindle minor races, which isn't worth the effort. How many good things can small races possess? Having a single Sun Moon overseeing them is considered decent; what could they possibly give you? Don't waste your energy!"
He didn't care much for minor races; looking down on them was normal, considering the human race had eradicated plenty of them.
Su Yu spoke up again: "Manor Lord, regarding manufacturing the anomaly... wouldn't plain yuanqi rain be too cheap and shabby? People might suspect it's fake. Why not do what the little fur ball did last time and shower down Heaven Yuan Qi..."
"Get lost!"
Zhu Tiandao snapped bluntly. "Do you think Heaven Yuan Qi grows on trees? Giving you a single Heaven Yuan Fruit last time pained me for half a day! Where am I supposed to find Heaven Yuan Qi to use as bait..."
Yuanqi rain was shabby?
What was this kid thinking?!
Did he really believe everyone was like him, rolling in wealth to the point where they practically drank yuanqi liquid like water?
Su Yu still felt the spectacle lacked grandeur. Yuanqi rain was nice, but to true experts, it was unremarkable!
If they could disguise Heaven Yuan Qi as an anomaly... Su Yu was certain that even Sun Moon experts would believe it was authentic!
Who on earth would use Heaven Yuan Qi to fabricate a fake anomaly? Wouldn't that be a monstrous waste?
Without a source that produced Heaven Yuan Qi, how many Heaven Yuan Fruits would that consume?
Heaven Yuan Qi from natural deposits differed from that of Heaven Yuan Fruits—one was violent, while the other was gentle. The kind produced by anomalies was always gentle!
And Su Yu possessed plenty of it!
He felt that if he managed it himself, the fabricated anomaly would be indistinguishable from the real thing!
It would undoubtedly fool everyone!
Even Sun Moon cultivators would be duped!
Besides... wouldn't he be the one absorbing the anomaly in the end anyway? Barely anything would go to waste.
Su Yu calculated in his head. How should he frame this?
At that thought, Su Yu suddenly said, "Manor Lord, do you recall that small box I obtained back at Starfall Mountain?"
"That dragon horn box?"
Of course he remembered! That brat had refused to open it for him!
Su Yu nodded. "That's the one. I opened it, and it really was a treasure!"
"What kind of treasure?"
Zhu Tiandao grew interested. "Tell me, what treasure required a storage box crafted from dragon horn?"
"A ball."
"A ball?"
Zhu Tiandao was curious. What kind of ball?
Niu Baidao was equally intrigued. "The Heavenly Archer Cult is considered a major cult, and its Cult Master was at the seventh stage of the Sun Moon Realm. The treasures he hoarded wouldn't be ordinary; it might have been bestowed by the Tianyi God race. What kind of treasure is it? Care to let us broaden our horizons?"
Su Yu smiled. "It's actually not that important of a treasure. Just a large, compressed ball. I almost destroyed it, but fortunately managed to wrap it in divine characters afterward... I think it's good stuff, and I intend to rely on it for my body casting this time..."
"It's useful to you too?"
Now both men were thoroughly intrigued. A treasure hoarded by a seventh-stage Sun Moon cultivator that was also useful to Su Yu—what could it be?
Helpful for body casting?
Zhu Tiandao joked, "It couldn't be Heaven Yuan Fruits, could it? Although... the god race does have those, but to the Tianyi Cult Master, one or two wouldn't mean much, aside from grooming a genius or two to open apertures..."
The Tianyi God race indeed possessed Heaven Yuan Fruits, but to a Sun Moon, a couple meant very little; nurturing one or two geniuses was just a minor affair.
Su Yu smiled. "It seems like it, but also doesn't... I don't know whether it's valuable or not. Seeing how much he valued it, I thought it was excessive..."
As he spoke, he retrieved a massive black sphere from his storage ring.
It was enormous!
The instant the sphere appeared, both men swept their gazes over it, then fell dead silent.
The roaming strands of Heaven Yuan Qi, resembling tiny golden dragons... weren't entirely shocking on their own; neither man was ignorant of the world.
However... damn it all, there was just too much!
At a single glance, the volume was staggering!
Zhu Tiandao probed it with his senses. Holy crap!
Only that single phrase echoed in his mind!
How much was this?
It had to be equivalent to at least a hundred and fifty Heaven Yuan Fruits!
The entire Human Realm only produced a hundred and eighty Heaven Yuan Fruits every nine years, roughly equal to the amount inside this sphere. And that was shared across tens of billions of humans!
Was this a lot?
It was an astronomical amount!
Great Ming Prefecture was allocated two every nine years. Since the fruit had only appeared three hundred years ago, they had received barely over thirty in total. The combined allocations of Great Ming and Great Xia over the past three hundred years didn't even equal this amount!
No, not even half!
After a long silence, Zhu Tiandao muttered, "The Tianyi God race is that generous? Holy crap! If I'd known, I would have gone and founded an All-Races cult myself! Since when was the god race so lavish? Did they send over several years' worth of their domestic output?"
Niu Baidao also muttered, "This makes sense now. To kill Xia Longwu, how could they not invest heavily? No wonder the Heavenly Archer Cult mobilized in full force to cause trouble for Xia Longwu in Great Xia Prefecture. They were prepared to sacrifice those cannon fodder to forge true geniuses! This is enough to let one or two hundred geniuses achieve Kaiyuan in their youth. With more geniuses, there would be more experts, far superior to those mediocre fools!"
Zhu Tiandao nodded, marveling, "What a grand gesture! In purely monetary terms, it isn't absurdly high—Heaven Yuan Fruits are valued at just over two thousand merit points each, so this is worth three or four hundred thousand merit points. But... you can't buy them on the market!"
"Three or four hundred thousand merit points is enough to tempt the Heavenly Archer Cult!"
"..."
The two men bounced comments back and forth, piecing together a complete explanation in their minds in an instant!
So that was it!
Everything clicked!
No wonder!
It was for this that the Heavenly Archer Cult had mobilized everything. These goods were truly extraordinary.
Niu Baidao sighed with emotion. "This stuff is a supreme treasure for nurturing geniuses. The entire Human Realm only produces roughly this much in nine years, and how many people have to divide it? They got it all to themselves. It makes me want to start a cult of my own just to swindle some good stuff back."
Both men were thoroughly awestruck!
Neither harbored the slightest suspicion.
Dragon horn was indeed capable of storing Heaven Yuan Qi, so using a dragon horn box for this purpose was entirely logical!
It was well worth storing in such a precious container!
Zhu Tiandao was merely curious about one thing: "How did you open it so quickly?"
Su Yu smiled. "I had the little fur ball help me grind it open. When I first saw it, I suspected it was fake. Didn't you give me a Heaven Yuan Fruit last time, Manor Lord? When I looked at this... it seemed so similar!"
"You lucky rascal!"
Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "This is indeed excellent for body casting, but... do you have any idea that once this thing breaches and leaks, it immediately degrades into ordinary yuanqi? If that goes to waste... this isn't just a tiny bit, it's the equivalent of over a hundred Heaven Yuan Fruits... Has the Tianyi God race lost their minds?"
He felt utterly speechless. To throw out this much just to kill Xia Longwu showed terrifying commitment!
Su Yu smiled. "I was scared afterward too, but isn't it preserved perfectly right now? Manor Lord, what if we take out a portion of this to fabricate the anomaly? It'll be far more realistic. Even if some dissipates, the anomaly belongs to me, and I'll be the one absorbing it. Hardly anything will be wasted. At worst, wasting eight or ten fruits' worth to hook Sun Moon cultivators is a sacrifice I'm willing to make!"
"..."
You truly don't mind throwing wealth around!
Zhu Tiandao felt a pang of envy. "Uh... how about we don't do that? Fishing isn't all that interesting. Su Yu, spare some for me, and I'll trade you other treasures for it. The Zhu family has some youngsters; we could just have them open their apertures right away..."
"The main Zhu lineage still has youngsters?"
"Branch lineages count too! Great Ming has plenty of geniuses..."
"No, I want to go fishing!"
Su Yu refused flatly, insisting on using it for bait.
Zhu Tiandao looked at Old Niu, feeling thoroughly conflicted. Wasn't this too wasteful?
Niu Baidao thought about it and said, "If we use this to fake the anomaly... it will be remarkably convincing! If Su Yu is willing to part with some, then the moment the anomaly appears, letting a fraction of Heaven Yuan Qi erupt and evaporate will definitely be felt by any Sun Moon. Even if they had doubts, they'd rush over to look... Now that is genuine bait!"
The bait was simply too authentic!
Authentic to the point where no one would ever suspect a ruse.
Great Ming Prefecture didn't possess this many Heaven Yuan Fruits.
Su Yu's heart beat slightly faster. They didn't suspect anything, did they?
Some things were best left unsaid.
The dragon horn box had served as the perfect excuse. As for the real dragon horn box, Su Yu currently had no way of opening it; it wasn't that simple.
Zhu Tiandao hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "Let's do it! It's just a bit of Heaven Yuan Qi, what does it matter? It's not like we're bumpkins who've never seen the world!"
Besides, it wasn't his anyway!
Zhu Tiandao felt sour inside. Su Yu really was loaded with wealth!
Even he couldn't bear to squander resources like this!
Was this thing... really found inside that dragon horn box?
He couldn't be entirely certain!
Yet he couldn't question it either. This was indeed a supreme treasure; over a hundred Heaven Yuan Fruits, if sold to the right buyers, would fetch an astronomical sum!
If one targeted great clans and sold them for their geniuses—the kind identified in early childhood—charging ten thousand merit points apiece to let them reach the Qianjun Realm at age eight or nine, would people buy it?
Absolutely!
Sold to the right people, netting a million merit points wouldn't be difficult.
The Heavenly Archer Cult wouldn't have fetched that much even if sold as an entire package. That explained why the Tianyi Cult Master had fearlessly ambushed Xia Longwu.
What was strange was why the Tianyi God race, possessing countless treasures, had resorted to handing out Heaven Yuan Fruits as rewards.
Peculiar!
Though it was strange, this wasn't the time to probe. Zhu Tiandao calculated for a moment and quickly said, "With this, things become much easier. We might truly hook some Sun Moon experts. Su Yu, how much longer until you can break through? Do you need any assistance?"
Su Yu calculated mentally and soon replied, "Three days will do. That gives everyone time to prepare, and gives me some time as well. A heavenly anomaly... I'm afraid I'll truly become famous this time!"
He chuckled, and Niu Baidao laughed along. "Kid, if you really trigger a genuine heaven-and-earth anomaly when the time comes, that'll be quite the sight..."
"How could he..."
Zhu Tiandao's laughter suddenly froze.
Niu Baidao froze as well!
Could he?
Surely not!
Others only triggered anomalies at Shanhai; Su Yu... couldn't possibly, right?!
Su Yu looked at the two of them, puzzled. What's with them? Why are they staring at me?
Niu Baidao glanced at Zhu Tiandao and said in a low voice, "Prepare the fake anomaly! Regardless of whether it's real or fake... it must be fake!"
Holy crap, he wouldn't actually trigger a real one, would he?
Whatever the case, real or fake, it had to be labeled fake.
Otherwise, things would truly spiral out of control.
Chapter 298