The Human Realm.
Word came that the Great Zhou Prefecture was also about to restart the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. The moment the news broke, shock waves rippled across the domain of Civilization Masters. The Great Zhou Prefecture was the stronghold of the Single Divine Character Faction. If even Great Zhou was going to restart the faction, it meant the suppression of the past few decades had become a complete joke!
Of course, Shan Xiong of the Great Zhou Prefecture concluding his seclusion and preparing to set off for the Great Ming Prefecture to challenge Su Yu was another piece of massive news.
In the clash between Single and Multiple, who was truly stronger?
Both were geniuses. Su Yu was a year younger than Shan Xiong and had only just stepped into the Tengkong Realm, but Su Yu’s fame was known throughout the Human Realm. Would he be a match for Shan Xiong?
...
Word of what had occurred on the All-Heavens Battlefield had not yet traveled back to the Human Realm.
Yet the news of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction's imminent revival had already triggered seismic changes across the realm of Civilization Masters.
Great Ming Prefecture.
It was only three days later that Su Yu received word that Shan Xiong had emerged from secluded cultivation and might come to the Great Ming Prefecture to challenge him.
The news had been brought to Su Yu by Niu Baidao in person.
Inside the magnificent Four Seasons Pavilion, Niu Baidao sipped tea, looked out at the scenery below, and chuckled. "You boy, cooped up inside without taking a step out these past few days, deaf to everything beyond your window. Be careful Shan Xiong doesn’t arrive before you even realize it."
Su Yu also held a teacup, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "If he comes, he comes."
"Don't get careless."
Niu Baidao reminded him nonetheless. "If he really comes, he might already be at the ninth layer of the Tengkong Realm. You're not weak, and can even defeat some experts at the fourth, fifth, or even sixth layer of the Lingyun Realm—I know that. But if Shan Xiong weren't a concern, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to warn you."
Niu Baidao grew solemn. "Do you think Bai Feng is strong? Or rather, do you think people like Xia Yuwen are strong?"
"..."
Su Yu thought about it and nodded slightly. They were decent—quite impressive, in fact.
"Shan Xiong might be able to fight them across cultivation levels!"
Niu Baidao explained, "Divine character masters are formidable. Divine character masters of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction are reputed to be able to battle primordial gods and demons on equal terms in the same realm, yet Shan Xiong has defeated many Civilization Masters of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction at his own rank."
Su Yu nodded slightly, but still replied, "I'm not afraid of him. If we're strictly talking Civilization Master cultivation, I could be counted at the seventh or eighth layer of Tengkong right now..."
"You?"
Niu Baidao looked at him, smiled, and nodded. "You could count as that, but only as an ordinary divine character master, not among the peak of Tengkong. Let me ask you: how many divine character martial techniques do you know? Divine character martial techniques—divine techniques—aren't just divine character battle techniques; they also include the application of divine apertures. How many do you know?"
Su Yu thought for a moment and shook his head. Not many. If it came to genuine divine character martial techniques, he only knew one: smashing people with a little hammer using the Expanding Will Art.
And the Expanding Will Art was not actually an offensive battle technique.
"See? There you go!" Niu Baidao chuckled. "That's not how a divine character master operates. Divine characters are key, but divine apertures play an immensely important role as well. You're still too green. When you have time, learn a few divine character martial techniques to put your divine apertures to use. Otherwise, opening so many apertures was completely wasted."
Su Yu nodded slightly. That was true enough.
He really did need to learn a few. The main reason he lacked divine techniques was that the blood essence he devoured rarely granted him innate skills related to divine characters.
"Alright, Manor Head, I'll find a few divine techniques to study later..."
Niu Baidao didn't press the matter and went back to his tea.
After drinking for a while, he fell silent.
Su Yu looked at him curiously. Was there something else?
Niu Baidao stayed quiet for another moment, then finally spoke: "Over the next few years, the Human Realm may fall into turmoil. Once the chaos ends, peace will likely return to the Human Realm, and a unified stance will be formed—at least in broad strokes!
"And in these next few years, you'd better be extra careful. Recently, experts from all races may infiltrate human territory, and the All-Races Cult might throw caution to the wind and come after you at all costs!"
Niu Baidao took a deep breath. "Earlier, after several Sun Moons were killed, the All-Races Cult was actually terrified and didn't dare poke their heads out. But now, they will receive direct backing from all races themselves."
"What do you mean, Manor Head?"
Su Yu frowned and asked gravely, "Manor Head, what are you trying to say?"
Niu Baidao hesitated, but said nonetheless, "Invincible experts among all races want your life! To achieve that, they're willing to pay a massive price and concede immense benefits, which might cause some ripples."
Niu Baidao let out a breath. "Things are shifting fast—faster than we imagined. The Multiple Divine Characters Faction terrifies all races even more than expected. Fortunately, Hong Tan is shouldering a lot of the pressure for you back in the Great Xia Prefecture. Even so, you must be careful. Moving forward, don't release any more powerful cultivation methods. Even if you have them, only circulate them in small circles."
Su Yu frowned. "Are you saying that what you advised me before—showing my value to prove I'm more important than an Invincible—won't work anymore?"
"More or less!" Niu Baidao sighed. "All races' fear of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction exceeds all expectations. It hasn't been long at all, yet it has already drawn the attention and dread of those Invincibles..."
Niu Baidao's eyes flickered. "Everyone knows what all races intend, and all races aren't afraid of us knowing. They are giving our human race a hundred years—which means they are confident that within a hundred years, they can suppress humanity without paying too great a price. Meanwhile, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction... might not produce an Invincible within a hundred years. Right now, it's a matter of weighing the scales."
A hundred years!
All races gave the human race a hundred years because they felt that even if humanity gained a few more Invincibles within a century, it wouldn't make much difference.
Yet could the Multiple Divine Characters Faction produce an Invincible in a hundred years?
Who could be sure?
Who was currently closest to the Invincible Realm?
Hong Tan?
He had only just entered the Sun Moon Realm. Ahead of him lay nine layers of Sun Moon, followed by a Civilization Master leaping across the chasm into the Invincible Realm!
Could Hong Tan do it?
Could he accomplish what Ye Batian had failed to achieve?
As for Su Yu... he was simply too young.
Niu Baidao believed Su Yu had a very high chance of reaching the Invincible Realm through physical body cultivation, but... what about the Civilization Master path?
The current Multiple Divine Characters Faction could not inspire confidence that anyone could reach the Invincible Realm within a hundred years.
In that case, humanity gaining several new Invincible experts became critical.
The future might be turbulent beyond measure.
All races had laid bare their intentions without hiding them. They didn't care if humanity knew. So what if you know? We simply won't allow the Multiple Divine Characters Faction to rise. Within a hundred years at most, we will surely suppress you humans!
A few more Invincibles wouldn't change anything!
However, if humanity refused to suppress the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, all races wouldn't even let humanity gain more Invincibles now.
"A hundred years?" Su Yu murmured, looking at Niu Baidao. What did he mean?
Niu Baidao was silent for a moment before continuing, "I learned this from the Manor Lord, who received word via messengers sent by old friends of King Daming, warning the Great Ming Prefecture to be extra cautious! On the All-Heavens Battlefield, Invincibles negotiated with King Daqin: surrender a few people in exchange for a century of peace for humanity, with no interference against anyone attempting to break through to the Invincible Realm within those hundred years!"
Su Yu’s heart jolted!
"Surrender a few people... you mean..."
"Yes!" Niu Baidao nodded. "Right now, this news is only circulating among a small circle of Invincibles and their descendants. It hasn't spread and cannot be allowed to spread. Keep it in mind. Perhaps... it's my fault."
He had told Su Yu to demonstrate his value and prove to everyone that he was more important than an Invincible.
Su Yu had done it!
He had done it flawlessly!
Yet Niu Baidao had underestimated all races' fear of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, never anticipating that the experts of all races would rather let people like Xia Longwu attain the Dao than allow Su Yu, Hong Tan, and the others to carry on.
This showed that in the eyes of all races, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was far more dangerous than a few new Invincibles.
The powerhouse races such as the gods and demons made no pretense this time. They bluntly informed humanity that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction could not be allowed to rise, effectively confirming that the suppression field of the Human Realm could only be activated by the Multiple Divine Characters Faction.
Only the suppression field of the Human Realm was truly more critical than a few Invincibles.
Once the suppression field was active, humanity could retreat into the Human Realm, and even a united front of gods, demons, and immortals might fail to breach it. That was humanity's true foundation.
Niu Baidao looked at Su Yu and said in a low voice, "So what comes next is bound to be complicated! Because... everyone saw hope, but Ye Batian's fall plunged everyone into despair once before! Back then, countless people died for Ye Batian, including King Dazhou's younger brother..."
Niu Baidao gave a bitter smile. "Truly, it was Ye Batian who made it, and Ye Batian who broke it! He was the first to make all races feel genuine pressure. Sadly, he failed. Had he succeeded, all races' wariness wouldn't have mattered. But his failure brought enormous trouble to those who followed, ratcheting up all races' vigilance to the extreme.
"Likewise, it left humanity's Invincibles worried and dispirited. If someone as mighty as Ye Batian failed, what about the rest of you? If Ye Batian couldn't do it, could Hong Tan? Could Liu Wenyan? Could you, Su Yu?"
Su Yu took a deep breath. "In other words, everyone now knows our Multiple Divine Characters Faction is the key to unlocking the Human Realm's suppression field, but... no one has faith in us. What happened to the Fifth Head made everyone despair and lose heart. The Fifth Head had the greatest hope of attaining the Dao, yet he failed."
"Exactly!" Niu Baidao nodded. "Everyone knows now, and the attitude of the gods and demons makes everything plain! They don't even mind humanity knowing, because... can the human race ever produce another Ye Batian? How long would it take? How many years? Even so, just to be safe, they still have to suppress the development of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction."
"How arrogant the gods and demons are!" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "They may be stronger than humanity, but the human race isn't weak either. Are we just going to accept this? Have the Invincible experts silently agreed to it?"
"Preventing humanity from unlocking the suppression field... isn't just about the gods and demons," Niu Baidao sighed. "If it were only the two of them, they'd be stronger than us, but if we fought to the death, both would suffer catastrophic losses. The real problem is that it isn't just them. The immortals, the fiends, and every other race with Invincibles—who among them would want the human race to unlock its suppression field?"
Niu Baidao said helplessly, "Once humanity's suppression field is active, it's game over. Humanity can fall back into our realm—would anyone dare invade? Even if humanity only had thirty Invincibles, you'd need three hundred to invade! Even if those primordial ancestors of the gods and demons are unimaginably powerful, the moment they enter the Human Realm, they'd be suppressed. Even if you're terrifyingly strong and only suppressed down to ordinary Invincibles, would the human race fear you? But humanity, on the other hand, can strike out at them...
"To put it bluntly, all races preventing us from unlocking the suppression field is an act of self-preservation."
Self-preservation!
All races were protecting themselves—that was another way to look at it.
And it was indeed the truth!
When you go to someone else's home, you have no suppression field, but when they enter yours, they are suppressed—how could anyone fight that?
Humanity claimed to love peace... What a joke!
If the Human Realm's suppression field truly activated, humanity could leave twenty Invincibles guarding the realm, making it completely impenetrable. Then they could dispatch ten Invincibles to attack whoever they pleased!
After all, you couldn't touch their home base, so they could do whatever they wanted outside. If they couldn't win, they could just run back and hide—what could anyone do?
Thus, even if all races weren't united, their stance toward humanity was completely aligned.
Normally, when you fight, we watch from the sidelines.
But the moment the human race tries to unlock its suppression field—sorry, everyone joins forces to crush you. Neutral races or not, all of them would attack, because the alternative was simply too terrifying!
Even the so-called immortals would make that choice.
If humanity were in their shoes, they would do the same.
All races could coexist in balance, but no single race could be allowed absolute dominance. Once the Human Realm's suppression field opened, even if their offensive combat power remained unchanged, the Human Realm would dominate unconditionally. That was far graver than simply producing a few more Invincibles.
At this moment, Su Yu abandoned all illusions!
The gods and demons knew.
They understood crystal clear what the Multiple Divine Characters Faction represented.
Hoping they would overlook it, ignore it, and give you time to grow was impossible now.
And humanity was now faced with a monumental decision:
Wage all-out war to protect the Multiple Divine Characters Faction and spare no effort to ensure an Invincible emerged from it, or... abandon them and continue lying low?
His thoughts were a tangled mess.
If it were me, if I were an Invincible, what would I choose?
Could Su Yu become an Invincible?
He didn't know!
What about Hong Tan?
What about Liu Wenyan?
Who dared guarantee they could definitely reach the Invincible Realm and become the first Invincible of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction—or even the first Invincible among all human Civilization Masters?
Without that guarantee, no one could blame people for worrying that all their sacrifices would yield nothing in return.
"I understand what you mean, Manor Head..." Su Yu sighed. "If it really comes down to that, I will leave the Great Ming Prefecture and wander the All-Heavens Battlefield so as not to bring trouble upon Great Ming."
Niu Baidao sighed as well. "Brat, we're not driving you away. Great Ming has no intention of killing the donkey once it's done turning the millstone. We're worried about you, and even more worried that the Great Ming Prefecture lacks the strength to protect you. Things are actually somewhat manageable for you right now—you're only driving reform among the low-to-middle tiers of Civilization Masters. But Hong Tan is driving reform among the upper echelon. The real storm is heading his way. Now that the disassembly art has been revealed, the Great Xia Prefecture will soon become the focal point of the turmoil!
"Unless pressed to extremes, all races don't want to start a full-scale war right now either. But they will never allow Hong Tan to spread or develop his disassembly art. Honestly, Hong Tan shouldn't have announced it..."
Su Yu shook his head. "Even if Grandmaster hadn't said anything, it wouldn't have made much difference. Once he entered the Sun Moon Realm, people would have targeted him regardless! Besides, my master and I have both used and demonstrated the disassembly art—especially my master..."
Back when Bai Feng had just developed it, he hadn't thought about all this; he had only wanted to revive the Multiple Divine Characters Faction.
When he used it against Xia Yuwen, even if people didn't grasp it immediately, they would have caught on eventually. Too many people had watched that battle, making it impossible to hide forever.
If Hong Tan hadn't stepped forward to announce it and shoulder the blame, it would still have leaked, and Bai Feng would have become the target. Sooner or later, it would have been exposed.
One could only say that the disassembly art should never have been revealed in the first place.
Yet at the time, Bai Feng had never anticipated this outcome. In Bai Feng's mind, the suppression of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction was merely the doing of the Single Divine Character Faction, and all he needed to do was make his faction strong.
Niu Baidao nodded. "So Hong Tan stepping forward... was also to shoulder the burden for Bai Feng and for you. Bai Feng is currently being urgently recalled. It's no longer safe for him to remain on the All-Heavens Battlefield, or all races would soon hunt him down in force.
"And Bai Feng... in all likelihood, will return to the Great Xia Prefecture. If he came to Great Ming, he would draw even more attention and greater danger here!"
Su Yu nodded.
Knowing his master, Bai Feng would likely make that very choice.
The Great Xia Prefecture... truly was going to become the epicenter of this chaotic era. Words Marquis Xia had spoken in the past echoed in his mind once again.
The Xia family... was already prepared for this.
Su Yu pushed these thoughts aside. In the end, he was simply too weak. If his strength were sufficient, or if those Invincibles could see hope that the Multiple Divine Characters Faction could produce an Invincible, humanity's Invincibles wouldn't want to be suppressed by all races either.
Unlocking the suppression field was an outcome every human Invincible desired.
Except for the traitor, of course.
As long as there was hope, as long as people understood that someone could unlock the suppression field within a hundred years—or even sooner—humanity's Invincibles would quickly unify their stance. They wouldn't be struggling in hesitation as they were now because they saw no hope.
Su Yu put it out of his mind and said quickly, "Manor Head, let's set this aside for now. If huge trouble comes, they'll target Grandmaster first, not me. To wipe out any hope of an Invincible, they'd have to kill Grandmaster or Teacher Liu first. I'm further down the line..."
Su Yu smiled. "I did the math myself. In terms of priority, my grandmaster is first: he's in the Sun Moon Realm and knows the disassembly art, giving him the greatest hope of advancing to Invincible. Second seems to be me for now, but once Teacher Liu grows stronger, he'll be second. With the cultivation methods I've released, I'm probably third."
This was his assessment, and likely the kill order all races would follow: first Hong Tan, then Liu Wenyan, and only then him. He was in the Great Ming Prefecture, where several Sun Moons had just died and where Great Ming had gone all out to protect him, so all races' primary target would definitely not be him.
"You certainly have a good mindset," Niu Baidao said, surprised. He had expected Su Yu to fly into a rage.
Su Yu chuckled. "If Grandmaster and Teacher Liu end up dead, my mindset will collapse. But for now, I'm doing fine! Honestly, Manor Head, you don't need to say much—I understand everything I need to understand! At least for now, we still have protection. There hasn't been a widespread collapse of hope among the Invincibles. Otherwise, the one arriving today wouldn't be you, Manor Head, but people from the War God Hall or the Quest Realm escorting me to the All-Heavens Battlefield."
The very fact that Niu Baidao had the luxury of coming by to warn him was already a victory.
It gave Su Yu some confidence!
Humanity's Invincibles had not descended into chaos, nor had they completely lost faith in the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. If they had, they would have quietly carted him away without a word leaking, keeping the information locked down tight.
The fact that even Su Yu himself knew about it was a good sign.
Niu Baidao nodded with a smile and soon said, "It's best that you see through it clearly. Still... Hong Tan is in massive trouble moving forward. And not just Hong Tan—the Xia family's concessions and retreats will soon land them in a dilemma as well."
Su Yu pondered for a moment and smiled. "Not necessarily! The Xia family might not simply be backing down. What do you think?"
Niu Baidao thought about it and nodded. "Perhaps. The Xia family's blade is still sharp. But it isn't sharp enough yet; it's still missing that final tempering."
Su Yu remained silent.
Probably so!
His thoughts weren't on the Xia family, but on Hong Tan... His grandmaster was truly in deep trouble.
A crisis might erupt there at any moment.
The Great Ming Prefecture had been eclipsed by Great Xia as the focal point, but that wouldn't last forever. Furthermore, he couldn't just watch his master and grandmaster walk into death.
The life-extension method had to be disseminated as soon as possible.
He needed allies!
Not only that, he needed to accelerate his body casting to build his own strength, while also elevating his divine characters and willpower. Otherwise, if the Invincibles saw no hope whatsoever, abandonment would become inevitable.
"Manor Head, does the Hundred Dao Pavilion still have much willpower left? I might need to run through it again soon..."
Niu Baidao replied helplessly, "Wait a while. Using the Hundred Dao Pavilion to kill enemies last time took a heavy toll. Let it recover on its own for a bit, or there won't be enough willpower for you to absorb."
"Alright, understood."
Niu Baidao added, "What we really need is Heavenly River Sand. The Star Astral Mansion will open soon. Quotas will be finalized by the end of this year, and by mid-next year, people will likely head to the Sea of Stars to explore the mansion. If you can obtain a large quantity of Heavenly River Sand, willpower won't be an issue."
Heavenly River Sand was still essential!
The Star Astral Mansion!
Before Su Yu could speak, Niu Baidao chimed in, "Don't tell me you want to go. Going there is fraught with danger, and the Manor Lord might not agree to let you go."
"We'll see. It's still early," Su Yu smiled. He'd judge based on circumstances.
If it was too dangerous, he'd reconsider.
Still... if things became too perilous in the Great Xia Prefecture, he might need to stir up some commotion to take some heat off his grandmaster and the others.
Right now, Su Yu felt fortunate that he had come to the Great Ming Prefecture. If everything had remained concentrated in Great Xia, major chaos might have erupted immediately, with no one around to divert the pressure.
Having seen Niu Baidao off, Su Yu pondered for a moment, then soon stepped out and headed toward Mingxin Hall.
He would first test the life-extension method with Hu Qi to see how effective it was.
If it worked well, he could win over a group of veterans.
On the way, Su Yu muttered to himself. He could no longer simply focus on raising his fame. At this stage, he had more than enough fame. What he needed now was strength—his own strength and his own faction!
"Completing the fourth cast will take at least three more days. The quantity of Heaven Yuan Qi isn't enough; I need far more Heaven Yuan Qi!"
"I need blood essence—massive amounts of blood essence!"
At his current pace, even with the Vitality Stimulation technique, completing a single cast of his physical body would take about ten days. That was far too slow. How could he afford to spend two years finishing seventy-two casts?
Therefore, Su Yu needed much more Heaven Yuan Qi!
Ideally, he would complete a cast every three to five days, finishing seventy-two casts within a single year.
"I need massive quantities of blood essence—huge amounts. Relying purely on purchasing, even with profits from cultivation methods, might not be sustainable forever. Besides, I can't keep releasing vast numbers of cultivation methods; that would easily turn me into the primary target!"
"Blood essence... the All-Heavens Battlefield..."
Relying on others was never as good as relying on oneself. Even if the Great Ming Prefecture wanted to provide him with massive amounts of blood essence, it would be a heavy strain; Great Ming had an army of a million to support.
"Humanity shouldn't slaughter massive numbers from all races right now either, lest it escalate conflicts..."
"And I need to keep a low profile for a while."
Thoughts flashed through Su Yu's mind. He had plenty of tricks. What if... he impersonated an expert of an ancient race?
An ancient race expert who had just emerged from their realm!
What about hunting members of all races?
"My strength is still too low. I must at least wait until my strength approaches the Shanhai Realm. Then I can disguise myself as an ancient race expert to hunt across the battlefields, gather blood essence, and divert some attention away from Grandmaster and the others."
"Only through continuous fighting and slaughter can I elevate myself quickly. Merely staying in seclusion behind the front lines, even with adequate resources, makes growing strong far too difficult. And the expedition to the Star Astral Mansion will inevitably draw the eyes of all races, making it unsuitable for revealing too much..."
Ideally, he should catch everyone off guard and rapidly attain the Dao as an Invincible Civilization Master!
At that moment, Su Yu arrived at another realization.
Attaining the Dao!
Attaining the Dao as an Invincible Civilization Master!
Then all these troubles would cease to be troubles. Furthermore, if he truly had the hope of attaining the Dao, it would be best not to do so under a human identity. Otherwise, it would bring catastrophic trouble, carrying the same risk of being surrounded and slaughtered just like the Fifth Head.
Attaining the Dao as an Invincible of one of the other races would be much safer. Even if someone tried to stop him, not many Invincibles would come—one or two at most.
"That means I need a secondary identity under which I can attain the Dao openly and legitimately!"
At this moment, Su Yu was already planning his own Dao attainment.
Preparing for a rainy day!
He wasn't afraid of letting his imagination run wild; he was only afraid of having no chance of surviving when the moment to attain the Dao actually arrived.
While his grandmaster and the others could still draw everyone's attention, he should probably keep a low profile and fade from the public eye.
"What about 'preparing for the Star Astral Mansion'?"
The thought struck Su Yu, and he smiled. It might make a fine excuse.
"Still, I must at least wait until I clear beyond the sixtieth level of the Hundred Dao Pavilion. Otherwise, rushing recklessly onto the All-Heavens Battlefield wouldn't be hunting—it would be getting hunted!"
Reaching level sixty would grant him strength on par with an entry-level Shanhai.
With that strength on the All-Heavens Battlefield, even if he couldn't roam about completely unchecked, he would still count as an expert.
...
That day, Su Yu met with Hu Qi, briefly explained the cultivation technique, and mentioned the need to use Heaven Yuan Qi.
Upon hearing that a large amount of Heaven Yuan Qi was required, Hu Qi almost wanted to give up.
However, Su Yu provided her with some to test it out—an amount equivalent to roughly thirty Heaven Yuan Fruits, which was no small amount. Some of this Heaven Yuan Qi was left over from what he had handed to Niu Baidao and the others last time, while the rest came out of Su Yu's own pocket.
In any case, Zhu Tiandao and the others already knew he had obtained a vast quantity of Heaven Yuan Qi last time.
Su Yu wasn't burning through it that quickly anyway.
Having provided the technique and the Heaven Yuan Qi, Su Yu didn't linger. He hurried back to the research institute and began casting his body once more.
Not only did he cast his body, but he also began studying Invincible manuscripts to prepare for outlining more divine characters. A temporary lack of willpower wasn't an issue; once the Hundred Dao Pavilion recovered, he would clear its levels and hopefully push his willpower into the third tier rapidly, which would place him in the Lingyun Realm.
When that time came, he would also need to sneak back to the Great Xia Prefecture to help Zhao Li complete the forging of the Earth-rank cultural weapon.
The Great Xia Prefecture would soon become the focal point of gathering storms. Zhao Li's Lingyun Realm strength wouldn't be enough to protect him, making it very easy for trouble to arise.
...
While Su Yu began planning for the future, back in the Great Xia Prefecture:
The Multiple Divine Characters Academy was preparing to open. According to Hong Tan's plan, the academy would formally open next semester to enroll new students.
It was already mid-March, and the term began in August.
Less than five months!
And this window of time was what Hong Tan had reserved for himself—and for certain other people.
Planning the opening of the Multiple Divine Characters Academy, Hong Tan was very different from how he used to be.
He was no longer keeping a low profile!
Inside the Library Pavilion.
Hong Tan had directly driven out the new head of the library and seized the pavilion for himself.
When Yuan Qingdong arrived, Hong Tan had just finished throwing the man out.
Yuan Qingdong frowned at Hong Tan. At the entrance to the Library Pavilion, a sizable crowd had already gathered.
"Elder Hong, what is the meaning of this?"
Just moments ago, Hong Tan had brazenly made a move to chase someone out, forcibly ousting an expert at the ninth layer of the Lingyun Realm whom Yuan Qingdong had promoted.
Hong Tan, who was just about to shut the doors, smiled upon hearing this. "What do you mean, 'what's the meaning'? This place belongs to my Multiple Divine Characters Faction! It's property left behind by our faction. Now that the Multiple Divine Characters Academy is opening, of course we're taking it back as private property of the academy to prepare for its launch!"
With that, ignoring Yuan Qingdong's changing complexion, Hong Tan smiled and continued, "Not just this—soon, I'll take back the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm and the Battle Demon Field as well, all in preparation for the academy's opening! Once the disassembly art comes out, everyone will be students and teachers of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. Besides, the *Primordial Spirit Cultural Art* is best cultivated in our faction; otherwise, it won't be of much use. Even the Great Zhou Prefecture understands this truth—does Vice Head Yuan fail to understand?"
Hong Tan chuckled. "Not only that, starting next semester, fifty percent of the academy's resources must be allocated to the Multiple Divine Characters Academy. In addition, I need substantial funding to research the disassembly art. Vice Head Yuan, I'll have to trouble you with all of this."
Yuan Qingdong's brows knitted tightly as he stared at him. *Are you insane? How is that possible!*
Hong Tan couldn't care less. Wan Tiansheng was in seclusion, and Hong Tan wasn't afraid of this guy at all. He chuckled and said, "It's settled then. Rebuilding the Multiple Divine Characters Academy wasn't even my idea; it was agreed to by the Great Xia Prefecture, the Yuqiang Department, and the academy. Vice Head Yuan, don't go against their word. If there's no money or resources, you can go apply for them. But today, I'm taking back the Library Pavilion first. From now on, this is the turf of our Multiple Divine Characters Faction!"
Yuan Qingdong scowled, his voice deep. "Elder Hong, this is improper. Besides... the current situation is complicated. Whether the Multiple Divine Characters Academy will actually be rebuilt... remains uncertain!"
"That's your problem. Since the Great Xia Prefecture hasn't spoken against it, I will rebuild it. You people were the ones who agreed to rebuild it, and now you want to renege on your word?"
Hong Tan chuckled. "Let's leave it at that. If the day comes when they say it's forbidden to rebuild, we'll talk then!"
"Hong Tan!"
Yuan Qingdong grew irritated and frowned. "Even if you open an academy, these assets belong to the institution, not to you personally! For you to seize them privately... at the very least, it requires the approval of the Elder Council meeting!"
"No need for all that fuss. These things truly belong to our faction—just ask anyone and you'll see. Using them for a long time doesn't make them yours!"
Hong Tan laughed. "That's all for now, Vice Head Yuan. I have things to do, so I won't chat any longer."
With that, he slammed the doors of the Library Pavilion shut.
Yuan Qingdong's expression turned exceedingly ugly, yet he said nothing further.
With the current situation in turmoil, even he couldn't see clearly anymore. Could Hong Tan's Multiple Divine Characters Academy really open?
Could the disassembly art truly have a chance of being spread?
And what was the Xia family actually planning?
One issue after another left him uncertain about the future, uncertain about everything.
Inside the Library Pavilion, Hong Tan smiled faintly. Since he could no longer keep a low profile, he simply wouldn't. Being a little ostentatious felt rather good!
Chapter 316