Geniuses Just Play Around

Great Ming Prefecture. Inside the research institute, Su Yu received the news as well. While eating his meal, he asked in surprise, "My grandmaster has emerged from seclusion?" Wen Zhong, Jin Sheng, and the others were all present. Wen Zhong nodded. "The academy head mentioned it. When I was heading out this morning, he told me that both Elder Hong and Zhou Mingren had come out of seclusion. They advanced to the Sun-Moon Realm at roughly the same time. Great Xia Prefecture truly boasts a profound heritage and formidable might, gaining two Sun-Moons in one go. And Hong Tan isn't even that old." As he spoke, a tinge of envy colored his tone. Great Ming Prefecture had plenty of old-timers, but their combat strength was lacking. In Great Xia Prefecture, the elders died off quickly, but one had to admit their younger generation was exceptionally powerful. Indeed, Hong Tan was considered a youngster. Wan Tiansheng counted as a youngster, too! In any case, anyone around a hundred years old was considered a youth. Jin Sheng chuckled. "There's no helping that. One side is willing to fight and kill, while the other does research in the rear. If those doing research were stronger than those fighting on the battlefields, that would truly defy all reason!" "You can't put it that way either. It depends on talent, luck, and serendipity." The elders began bickering among themselves. Su Yu laughed, then quickly changed the subject. "Senior brothers, let's not dwell on that. Has there been any progress lately on the method to fuse divine apertures?" "None." Dejected, the group fell silent. Soon, Wen Zhong composed himself and smiled. "Don't be impatient, and don't blame us. You ought to pay a visit to the Bai family. You haven't located your Primordial Spirit Aperture to this day. In my view, it might not just be an issue of having opened too few apertures. You've opened far more apertures than Bai Tianhao ever did. If Bai Tianhao could find it, why haven't you?" Su Yu nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. He had wanted to visit the Bai family several times, but something had always come up. It really was time to visit the Bai family! He had opened so many apertures, yet he still hadn't found the Primordial Spirit Aperture. Where exactly did the problem lie? The Immortal blood essence hadn't arrived yet, so he had little else to do over these next few days anyway. Why not pay the Bai family a visit, then? The Bai family... Bai Junsheng. Dropping in unannounced wouldn't be appropriate, so why not go talk to Bai Junsheng first? With that thought, Su Yu shoveled some food into his mouth and said between bites, "Fair enough. I'll go pay a visit this afternoon. Is an afternoon visit in line with Great Ming Prefecture's etiquette?" "Cultivators don't care about such trifles," Wen Zhong said with a smile. "Would you like me to accompany you?" "No need, I can go on my own." Su Yu politely declined with a smile, then pondered for a moment before asking, "I don't know much about the Bai family's circumstances either. Would barging in and asking to view the Bai ancestor's private records be seen as presumptuous?" Jin Sheng chuckled and said, "That's simple enough. The Bai family is a warrior family, and Bai Junsheng is the eldest Bai brother's only son. His physical body has just entered the Tengkong Realm. You're not short on god and demon blood essence, so if you present some as a gift, there shouldn't be any difficulty in getting the Bai family to share Bai Tianhao's notes." Once Bai Junsheng reached the Tengkong Realm, he would need to forge his body. Up to now, he probably hadn't even completed his first forging. As for the Bai family, the family patriarch was Bai Feng's grandfather, a Shanhai Realm expert currently in seclusion who hadn't emerged for years. With him in seclusion, the eldest Bai brother and Bai Feng's father, the second Bai brother, were both in the Lingyun Realm, making it difficult for them to obtain potent god and demon blood essence. If Su Yu offered some god and demon blood essence, there should be no problem. On Su Yu's end, the remaining Primordial God and Primordial Demon blood essence had been given to Xia Huyou, but Great Qin Prefecture had given him plenty of other god and demon blood essences, which he could easily present to Bai Junsheng. With that thought, Su Yu felt reassured. As for Hong Tan emerging from seclusion, Su Yu wasn't overly worried. His grandmaster was a Sun-Moon expert now, and a Multiple Divine Characters Sun-Moon at that. What was the use of Su Yu worrying over him? This grandmaster of his wasn't someone incapable of endurance; he was a man of great patience. As for the vague rumors circulating about the disassembly art... Su Yu didn't want to ask or say much about it. This matter was rather unusual. They had agreed not to spread it rashly, yet now it had become known to practically everyone. That was deeply abnormal. Of course, the outside world didn't know much either, only that Hong Tan possessed a classified technique capable of revolutionizing the world of Civilization Masters. Right now, the focus of the Human Realm was indeed locked onto that side. This was a good thing as well, as it drew considerable attention away from Su Yu. *Grandmaster can shoulder it himself. If things go south, he can just go back into seclusion,* Su Yu mused to himself, chuckling inwardly. Right now, his only lingering concern was Chen Yong. A full ten Sun-Moon Realm experts had mobilized to search for him, yet there was still no word. Su Yu had no idea what Chen Yong was doing. Logically speaking, given how large the commotion had been, Chen Yong should have learned of it if he had contacted anyone. Even for the sake of revenge, he could borrow their strength to strike down his enemies. Su Yu made up his mind to visit the Bai family in the afternoon. As for Chen Yong, now that his grandmaster had emerged, he would see how his grandmaster handled it. Su Yu had neither the means nor the reach to intervene. *** Just as Su Yu was thinking of Chen Yong... At that exact moment. Great Barren Mountain. The eastern region of the Human Realm. Near the area of the eastern Heaven-Ascending Sea. The Human Realm had three great sea regions: the Heaven-Ascending Sea in the east, the Heaven-Falling Sea in the west, and the Boundless Sea in the south. Along with the All-Heavens Prefecture in the north, they were all considered hazardous lands of the Human Realm. At that moment, inside a cavern within Great Barren Mountain. Chen Yong leaned against the wall, roasting a yaomo beast. Beside him, Feng Qi's face was pale and his chest soaked with blood. Leaning against the opposite wall, Feng Qi laughed weakly. "Chen Yong, your culinary skills keep getting better. When you're too old to fight, you could open a restaurant." Chen Yong chuckled and said nothing. Once the meat was roasted, he tore off a haunch, tossed it over, and began eating quietly himself. After a while, he asked softly, "Can you still hold out?" "Won't die yet." "That's good." Chen Yong smiled, then added shortly after, "Once we finish this meal, we're heading to the Heaven-Ascending Sea." Feng Qi nodded without asking further. Chen Yong laughed despite himself. "You're just like you were back then—not a peep out of you. All these years, and you haven't changed a bit." "Used to it." Feng Qi smiled as well. "Then tell me, what are we going to the Heaven-Ascending Sea for?" "To kill people," Chen Yong said calmly. "To kill a few enemies." Feng Qi nodded again, still asking no questions. Helpless, Chen Yong took the initiative. "Do you know who we're killing?" "No." "Then why nod?" "You saved my life. I'll kill whoever you tell me to kill." "..." Chen Yong laughed softly and said, "Since I've come out this time, I don't plan on going back so soon. Opportunities to leave are rare, and right now, no one is watching me. A rare opportunity indeed! Do you remember Xiao Maozi?" "I remember. That fellow who was slightly bald on top and felt uneasy without a hat on. Later on, you expelled him from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, right?" "Yes." Chen Yong said calmly, "Back then, I expelled them hoping the Multiple Divine Characters Faction could preserve some seeds. In the end... even after I cast them out, someone still refused to let them go. Xiao Maozi went to the Heaven-Ascending Sea to gather some materials, and he died here. Later, I had people investigate secretly. He didn't die by accident; he was trapped and murdered. And it wasn't just Xiao Maozi—most of the people I expelled back then ended up dead. Very few survived." Saying that, he chuckled mirthlessly. "Not just them. My junior brother and I barely ever left the academy, and our teacher kept a close watch over us, which was the only reason we barely managed to survive. Over the years, have few experts from our Multiple Divine Characters Faction died?" Feng Qi nodded. "I've seen that much. Over the years, far too many experts from the Multiple Divine Characters Faction have fallen. Anyone who doesn't pay attention wouldn't know, but paying close attention reveals just how many have perished." "Yeah. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, we were targeted—all races went out of their way to slaughter our people, and there was nothing to be done about that. But on missions inside the Human Realm, plenty died as well. I've secretly combed through the records, and the Heaven-Ascending Sea area saw the highest number of deaths. Xiao Maozi died here as well." He chewed a mouthful of meat and said slowly, "I suspect this place might be that fellow's old nest." "The one lurking in the shadows?" "Yes." Nodding slightly, Chen Yong said calmly, "So coming out this time, I had revenge in mind. I want to kill some people to see if I can force that fellow into the open. Even if I can't smoke him out, startling the snake will let him know we might have discovered his identity, prompting him to jump out again! He's already made several moves. Right now, he's like a cornered beast on the verge of madness. He must be terrified of exposing his identity. We'll force him to show his face!" Gnawing on the roasted leg, Feng Qi considered this and asked, "You won't kill the wrong people, will you?" "No. Without evidence, I won't slaughter indiscriminately." Chen Yong smiled and continued, "Once the killing is done, we'll hide in the Heaven-Ascending Sea! We'll force that fellow to show himself. If he doesn't, I'll keep on killing. Over all these years, it's not as though I've done nothing. I've gathered some intelligence. Those people are very likely his men. Even if they aren't, they're no good people either. Killing one is one less scourge." Feng Qi nodded, then pondered for a moment before saying, "The Heaven-Ascending Sea region is adjacent to Great Qi Prefecture. The King of Great Qi fell in battle a hundred and sixty years ago, and the one ruling Great Qi Prefecture now is his son, Qi Xuan. There are no Invincible Realm experts here, nor is there an Invincible garrisoning the Heaven-Ascending Sea. So tell me, which Invincible could it be? Could it be Great Jin Prefecture further to the east?" "The King of Great Jin?" Chen Yong chuckled. "Who knows? If I knew, would I need to test the waters like this?" "Even if you force that Invincible into the open, you won't be able to do anything to him." "Exposing him is enough. Once he's exposed, we can keep our eyes pinned on him. Sooner or later, there'll be a way to deal with him. The greatest hurdle right now is that the bastard hasn't been exposed!" Saying that, Chen Yong smiled. "Setting that aside, if he doesn't dare step out, all the better—I'll take the opportunity to slaughter his claws and teeth! Those people are executioners as well, their hands stained with the blood of our Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Xiao Maozi and the others cannot have died in vain. I have to avenge them!" Feng Qi said no more, and the two quietly finished their meal. Once they were done, Chen Yong swept away any traces of their presence and smiled. "Time to move. We'll take the hounds behind us for another spin, ideally leading them all the way to the Heaven-Ascending Sea. Dog eat dog would be ideal. Though I suspect the Six-Winged Divine Cult might be working with those bastards; it just depends on whether their masters have informed each other." If they hadn't, a dog-eat-dog clash would be wonderful! If they had, that would be fine too—it would confirm his suspicion. The two sides were indeed in cahoots. Soon, Chen Yong and Feng Qi departed the cave. This time, Chen Yong had set out specifically to kill. It wasn't as though he lacked an information network; on the contrary, he knew many people were searching for him, and that martial nephew of his had even dispatched Sun-Moon experts to look for him. He was deeply moved, but... he did not want to return. He had endured inside the academy for far too many years. Having finally seized this rare chance to escape its confines, now that he was out, he would not go back until blood flowed like rivers. He would seize this opportunity to slaughter a batch of enemies he had longed to kill in the past but had never found the chance to touch. Emerging from the cave, Chen Yong quickly altered his appearance and vanished into the earth in the blink of an eye. Up on the surface, Feng Qi continued to serve as bait, walking forward with heightened vigilance. However, his shadow was subtly different. It was slightly darker and denser. Hong Tan had captured Shadow for many years, and Shadow had once mentioned that his innate racial ability had almost degenerated because far too much blood essence had been drawn from him. And that period coincided with the time Chen Yong had spent the longest studying under Hong Tan. With Feng Qi bearing visible injuries, the two had already worked together to eliminate quite a few powerful foes along the way. Feng Qi fled swiftly, exercising extreme caution. Not long after they left, several figures flashed into view. Shanhai Realm experts! And one Sun-Moon Realm expert! All of them wore black masks without any distinguishing features. The mask of the leader bore a faint sheen of silver. After inspecting the cave, he said in a low voice, "They left just moments ago; some warmth still lingers!" Looking outside the cave entrance, he added, "Further east lies the Heaven-Ascending Sea!" Behind him, another voice spoke low, "Cult Master, should we continue the pursuit? Over the past few days, our strongholds have been continuously raided. The Quest Realm has dispatched eight Sun-Moon experts to search for us, and our divine cult's foundation has already sustained severe damage!" "They were merely cannon fodder. Their deaths mean nothing. We have plenty of such useless trash. The Human Realm lacks many things, but it never lacks people—especially those yearning for immortality and power!" With a cold snort, he snapped, "Chen Yong and Feng Qi must die! Those two scoundrels have slain several of our experts. If I do not kill them, my heart will know no peace!" The Shanhai experts behind him kept silent. Several Shanhai cultivators had already perished along this journey. Now that they were nearing the Heaven-Ascending Sea, they were genuinely reluctant to keep pursuing, especially with the Eight Great Families scouring the lands for them. Their current situation was perilous. Sensing the silence of the Shanhai cultivators, the Sun-Moon expert knew what they were thinking and said flatly, "This is also the will of the Six-Winged God Race. Chen Yong must die! Either kill Chen Yong, kill Su Yu, or kill Hong Tan—which do you prefer?" The men fell speechless. Kill Su Yu...? Forget it. Under the protection of Great Ming Prefecture, an entire batch of Sun-Moons had died just a few days ago. Kill Hong Tan? The man had just advanced to the Sun-Moon Realm and was inside Great Xia Prefecture. Who could kill him there? Weighing all options, killing Chen Yong was indeed the easiest. The men said no more, though frustration gnawed at their hearts. Why insist on killing Chen Yong right now...? Who knew what the Cult Master was thinking? As for the Six-Winged God Race, who cared? They weren't in the Human Realm anyway, so what was there to fear? They had pledged allegiance to the Six-Winged God Race in pursuit of immortality and strength, not to throw their lives away. Reading their thoughts, the Cult Master of the Six-Winged Divine Cult smiled. "Don't think you are being sent to your deaths. If we succeed this time, every one of you will have the opportunity to enter the God Transformation Pool of the Six-Winged Divine Realm. You might be able to achieve aperture fusion within days and advance to the Sun-Moon Realm!" "Only if we live to enjoy it," someone muttered under his breath. Everyone wanted to reach the Sun-Moon Realm, but one had to stay alive first. "Enough!" The Cult Master barked in a low voice, "Speak no more of this. The Vice Cult Master has already led a force to lure those Sun-Moons away. Right now, we are safe! Over on their side, it is far more dangerous!" The others fell silent, compliance forced despite their reluctance. Having reached this point, they had no other choice. "Move!" As he spoke, the Sun-Moon expert discerned the direction and swiftly gave chase along the trail Feng Qi had left. They had not pursued for long when a thunderous boom erupted! A Shanhai Realm expert coughed up blood and was blasted backward. The others scattered in an instant. A moment later, as the smoke and dust cleared, the Sun-Moon expert stepped forward to inspect the blast and sneered, "Keep chasing! Chen Yong and his companion have used countless divine talismans along the way. I refuse to believe he has that many left!" Beneath his mask, the blood-spitting Shanhai expert wore an expression of sheer rotten luck! Fortunately, he had been somewhat prepared! The first time had been truly disastrous, instantly blasting a Shanhai expert to death. Who knew how much gear Chen Yong had stockpiled over the years? Weren't members of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction supposed to be destitute paupers? Where on earth had he gotten so many divine talismans? Without another word, the group pressed forward in pursuit. Since there was a trap, it proved they were heading in the right direction. *** Great Ming Prefecture, Forging College. This was the first time Su Yu learned that Bai Junsheng was a student of the Forging College. He had assumed the fellow belonged to the Beast Taming College, only to discover upon asking that he was in the Forging faction. Inside the massive armament-forging workshop. Su Yu found Bai Junsheng hammering away at a piece of metal. Around them, several students and instructors looked at Su Yu with surprise, but after a few glances, they went back to their business. Not being well-acquainted, few came forward to greet him. Bai Junsheng spotted Su Yu as well. At the moment, he was pounding a hook-shaped weapon. He laughed and said, "Su Yu, did you come looking for me?" "Yeah. Forging armaments?" "That's right! How is it, impressive?" Bai Junsheng chuckled heartily. "Take a look at the weapon I forged: Yellow rank, low-grade, a ranked cultural armament with seven gold lines! Even among low-grade Yellow rank weapons, this is considered top tier! My willpower is only at the Character Nurturing stage. Once I reach the Tengkong Realm, I'll definitely be able to forge mid-grade or even high-grade Yellow rank armaments. At the seventh layer of Tengkong, I'll forge peak Yellow rank armaments. In the Lingyun Realm, I'll craft Profound rank armaments. In the Shanhai Realm, Earth rank armaments! And once I reach the Sun-Moon Realm, I'll be a Heavenly Armament Master!" "..." Su Yu was speechless. Seeing this, Bai Junsheng chuckled, "What, don't believe me? I have real talent for forging armaments. If you don't believe me, ask around!" Nearby, a burly young man laughed heartily. "It's decent enough, not too much of a brag. Forging a Yellow rank weapon at Character Nurturing is quite good. Though... still a bit behind me! Haha, I can forge cultural armaments with eight gold lines!" Everyone here was a forgemaster. Of course, their abilities varied, but anyone below the Tengkong Realm capable of forging a ranked cultural armament was considered a genius. Back in Great Xia Prefecture, the Forging faction had few members, and barely anyone could forge a cultural armament at Character Nurturing. Bai Junsheng's claim of having good forging talent wasn't an empty boast. The Eight Steeds of Tiandu did possess genuine skill. This fellow had a physical body at the Tengkong Realm and could forge armaments while still in Character Nurturing, truly living up to his title among the Eight Steeds. Su Yu smiled. "Decent. Not bad." "Decent?" Bai Junsheng bristled. "Su Yu, calling it 'decent' rubs me the wrong way! My forging skills would be top-notch even in Great Xia Prefecture. Practically none of the students in your Great Xia Prefecture could match me. Great Xia's Forging faction declined long ago; hardly anyone there has genuine skill..." Su Yu frowned slightly, shooting him a look. "There are still formidable experts in Great Xia Prefecture's Forging faction." He knew Bai Junsheng might not understand the full picture, but it still irritated him. In a heavy tone, he said, "Instructor Zhao Li of Great Xia Prefecture's Forging faction is a top forgemaster with first-rate forging techniques!" Bai Junsheng retorted testily, "I know of Instructor Zhao Li. But calling his forging techniques first-rate—if a Profound rank forgemaster is first-rate, what does that make Earth rank ones? Great Xia Prefecture's forging simply isn't up to par. Ever since the fourth head of the Great Xia Civilization Academy fell, forging there has declined day by day. Anyone with real ability fled to Great Zhou Prefecture. Now Dean Zhao Tianbing—he's a truly top-tier forging powerhouse!" Without another word, Su Yu stepped forward and began measuring out materials. Bai Junsheng froze. "What are you doing?" "Forging an armament!" "You know how?" "I don't!" "Then why—" Su Yu said calmly, "I attended a total of three lectures by Instructor Zhao Li! Less than five hours in all. I don't mean anything special by this, except to say that if your own forging is mediocre, shut your mouth. You have no right to judge a master forgemaster!" "..." Bai Junsheng was struck dumb. After a long pause, he said, "Are you serious? Don't waste materials! If you think I said something wrong, I'll apologize, alright? Master Zhao Li is very impressive..." "Save the chatter. Even on my very first attempt at forging, with Instructor Zhao Li's guidance, I'll still do better than you!" Su Yu snorted, visibly displeased. This fellow dared look down on Instructor Zhao Li. In Su Yu's eyes, Zhao Li was the ultimate master. Had he not been overly reckless in the past, he would have long since become an Earth rank forgemaster in the Shanhai Realm, perhaps even capable of forging peak Earth rank cultural armaments! If nothing else, that *Expanding Will Art* alone was a peerless divine art. Extracting materials, using the Fire character from the Five Elements divine characters to melt and extract, the Water character to condense and refine, the Wind character to quench, and the Metal character to sharpen the blade... Gradually, a crowd began to gather around. It was obvious this was Su Yu's first time operating the tools. Yet he knew the procedures. Though his technique was somewhat clumsy, one could tell he had studied under someone, clearly guided by a master. When he mentioned having attended Zhao Li's lectures, the onlookers found it plausible. A peak Profound rank forgemaster was by no means weak. Great Ming Prefecture didn't have many Earth rank forgemasters either. Extracting, refining, quenching... Completing step after step, Su Yu took a deep breath. Bringing forth the Mind Expansion Hammer, he began pounding! Once, twice! *Clang! Clang! Clang!* His strikes were blisteringly fast, each blow stirring up a wave of air. Gradually, a gold line appeared on the pitch-black blade! Ten minutes, twenty minutes... Someone winced. *Damn, that stamina!* For someone at Character Nurturing, hammering for twenty minutes was the absolute limit; usually, nobody could endure that long. Yet by now, Su Yu had already hammered out five gold lines! Beside him, Bai Junsheng grimaced. "This... isn't this cheating? You're already at Tengkong!" "Shut up!" An instructor nearby barked, "That is Master Zhao Li's exclusive secret art. Even if you were at the same stage of Character Nurturing, you couldn't match his stamina!" "This is likely Su Yu's first time forging. His technique is unpolished, and his extraction lost some essence. You've studied for years, yet you're comparing yourself to someone who only studied for a few hours. Is that fair?" Bai Junsheng was left speechless! Meanwhile, Su Yu said nothing and continued hammering. He knew his technique was rusty. He had made several forging errors that nearly ruined the cultural armament. As a first attempt, he was far too inexperienced, and the material proportions were somewhat unbalanced. However, relying on his formidable willpower, the miraculous properties of the Mind Expansion Hammer, and his abundance of divine characters, he adjusted constantly. Gradually, more and more gold lines appeared on the small black blade! Seven, eight, nine... When it reached nine lines, Bai Junsheng grimaced, saying helplessly, "Alright, you're amazing, I apologize, okay? Instructor Zhao Li really is incredible. I never said he wasn't. I only said he hadn't reached Earth rank, and that's just a fact..." He hadn't lied! Zhao Li truly hadn't reached it! Su Yu ignored him and kept hammering. One hour, two hours, three hours... The surrounding students and instructors were utterly dumbfounded! *Damn!* Forging continuously for three hours—they were thoroughly convinced. Just how boundless was this guy's willpower? By now, eighteen gold lines gleamed upon the cultural armament! Su Yu frowned slightly and shook his head. Stowing the Mind Expansion Hammer, his expression unchanged, he tossed the small blade to Bai Junsheng and said, "My skill is lacking. The proportions were slightly off, there were issues with material selection, and the quenching was flawed as well... Otherwise, using the same materials, Instructor Zhao Li could have forged at least thirty gold lines!" The surrounding onlookers stared at him, grimacing in disbelief. Peak mid-grade Yellow rank! On his very first attempt at forging! This defied all reason! If he became proficient, Su Yu could probably forge high-grade Yellow rank armaments next time. Under normal circumstances, seasoned veterans and master smiths in the Tengkong Realm could only forge high-grade Yellow rank cultural armaments. As for peak ones, most were crafted by those in the Lingyun Realm. Someone like Zhao Li, who could forge peak Profound rank armaments while in the Lingyun Realm, was exceedingly rare, if not unique. The main barrier was that normal willpower simply lacked the endurance to complete the forging of sixty-four gold lines or more. Without sixty-four gold lines, an armament could not be classified as peak Profound rank! Su Yu paid no mind to the onlookers. He was pondering how effective his Five Elements divine characters were for forging armaments. Furthermore, during the forging process, his divine characters were also being tempered and honed. He had always wanted to learn armament forging, and now seemed like an opportune time to pick it up. He had not forgotten that upon reaching the Lingyun Realm, he planned to assist Instructor Zhao Li in forging an armament! That was an Earth rank cultural armament! Without a solid foundation and basic competence, how could he hope to forge an Earth rank armament when he had only managed a mid-grade Yellow rank weapon today? What a joke! He would be lucky not to cause trouble for his instructor! While he was lost in thought, an old man beside him sighed with emotion. "This must be Zhao Li's *Expanding Will Art*, and the technique is his Zhao clan forging method. You said you only listened for five hours, but to me... it looks like he groomed you as his personal disciple! You have remarkable talent—I mean forging talent. What a pity. Your other talents are even greater and of higher utility, so you can't afford to spend too much time on forging... A true pity!" It was indeed a pity! This elder was quite powerful, nearing the peak of the Lingyun Realm. After sighing for a moment, he smiled and said, "If you study diligently for a few months and gain more experience, you could probably forge peak Yellow rank armaments! If you have free time, feel free to come over and play around. My teacher mentioned that you possess talent in this area and have a very solid foundation." Su Yu paused, surprised. "Your teacher is..." "Teacher Hu," the old man replied with a smile. "I am her student." Su Yu was startled and hurriedly said, "Greetings, Instructor. I've embarrassed myself. I was merely joking around with Bai Junsheng. This fellow forged a low-grade Yellow rank armament and insisted that everyone else was incompetent..." Bai Junsheng felt utterly wronged. *I was telling the truth, and this guy actually went and tattled on me!* The old man chuckled. "What does he know! That boy relies on a bit of talent and needs to be taken down a peg! Let him understand that there is always a heaven beyond heaven, and people beyond people! Zhao Li is among the absolute peak of Profound rank forgemasters—you could even call him the foremost among them. Without a primary divine character, he relied purely on auxiliary divine characters to forge an armament with seventy-two gold lines. That is not something just anyone can accomplish. Even newly advanced Earth rank forgemasters would find it difficult." Bai Junsheng didn't mind being scolded and asked, "Instructor, Master Zhao Li is that formidable? But... I know of him, yet I've rarely heard of his armaments circulating outside." That was precisely why he had assumed Zhao Li wasn't that impressive. For a forgemaster, what mattered most was which powerful figures wielded your armaments, spreading your fame far and wide. The old man chuckled. "He has an eccentric temper and refuses to forge for anyone he finds disagreeable. It's normal that you don't know—that only shows your narrow experience. Our academy actually has a cultural armament forged by him. The weapon Wen Zhong uses was forged by his hands, and it's of supreme quality." Realization dawned on Bai Junsheng! "That cultural armament... I know it! It truly is top-tier. Rumor has it that it rivals Earth rank armaments... Instructor Wen poured his entire fortune into having it forged. I thought he had requested Elder Hu to make it, but it turned out to be Instructor Zhao Li..." The old man nodded with a smile. "So next time, if you don't understand, don't pretend to know everything and make a fool of yourself!" After rebuking Bai Junsheng, he turned back to Su Yu and said, "Setting other matters aside, feel free to come play around whenever you have time. Treat it as a pastime. For a genius like you, you could excel in whatever you pursue. Just focus on your primary path, and knowing a bit of other crafts is enough. If you can forge Profound rank armaments, you'll be welcomed wherever you go." The others broke into a sweat! *Damn!* Forging Profound rank armaments was just "playing around" and "knowing a bit"? Their instructor certainly thought highly of Su Yu, while looking down on the rest of them. How disheartening. Was this what geniuses were like? A craft to which you dedicated your entire life was merely a casual hobby for someone else. Thinking about it, that was true. Su Yu had only studied for a few hours, yet on his first attempt, he had forged a mid-grade Yellow rank cultural armament. What could they say? Among this crowd of students, let alone eighteen gold lines, only one or two across the entire academy could forge ten. They felt dejected! Utterly deflated! Su Yu smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with the elder, then quickly dragged Bai Junsheng away. Bai Junsheng cried out in horror, "No, I only said one thing, why are you being so petty? You're not going to silence me, are you? Su Yu, this is the academy! If you really want, beat me up, just don't kill me..." *Holy crap!* *I only said that one line! Slapping my face wasn't enough, you want to kill me too? That's way too ruthless!* His reputation as a homicidal maniac truly wasn't exaggerated. "For my brother's sake, Su Yu, let's talk this out nicely..." Bai Junsheng struggled, but Su Yu gripped his arm tightly, rendering him completely immobilized. He was terrified out of his wits! Su Yu said nothing and dragged him out of the Forging College. Only when they exited did he smile and say, "Let's go. We're paying a visit to my teacher's father—and to your father..." "..." *Fuck you!* Hearing that, Bai Junsheng almost cursed out loud! *Why couldn't you just say so? Why scare me like that!* *I almost thought you were going to drag me into a grove and finish me off.* Breathing a sigh of relief, he said glumly, "Visiting my dad and my second uncle? Look, you'd better not go. My dad and second uncle are deeply dissatisfied that my cousin joined Great Xia Prefecture's Multiple Divine Characters Faction... If you go, you might get beaten and thrown out." Su Yu smiled. "Hardly. I'm a guest of the Manor Lord, aren't I?" "True enough!" Bai Junsheng nodded. "If you're not afraid of getting cursed at, then go right ahead!" "No problem. Even if I get scolded... aren't you there? You can help put in a good word for me." "Why should I—" Before he could finish, Su Yu said coolly, "Because my fists are bigger than yours! Help back me up properly. Otherwise... once we're back at the academy, I'll beat you up once a day from now on. Brother Bai, think it over carefully!" Bai Junsheng's face changed several times! *You bastard!* *This guy actually dared to threaten me! Shameless!* *My cousin is your teacher!* *You dare threaten me and treat me like this? You're not human!* Though he cursed countless times in his heart, the harsh reality remained: his fists truly weren't as big as Su Yu's. Helpless, he hung his head and mumbled, "Fine, fine, don't get violent. We Civilization Masters are gentlemen, we don't fight..." "Then why did you beat up Zhu Hongliang?" "His fists aren't as big as mine." Bai Junsheng answered matter-of-factly. It was that simple: *My fists aren't as big as yours, so I back down. Isn't that obvious?* Su Yu chuckled. *Your fists are big? That Iron-Eating Beast simply couldn't be bothered with you; otherwise, one slap would have flattened you!* Without further banter, Su Yu quickly led him out of the academy. Bai Junsheng was quite talkative. Having this rare chance for close contact with Su Yu, he asked non-stop questions along the way, inquiring extensively about Bai Feng. He actually didn't know much about his cousin. Bai Feng had been away from home for a full ten years! Over those ten years, Bai Feng had only returned once, staying for a very brief time before leaving again. The Bai Feng in his memory was rather blurry. Naturally, Su Yu only shared flattering tales. As for Bai Feng getting beaten up three times by Huang Teng, he didn't utter a word. If he spoke of that, Bai Feng's image would thoroughly collapse.