The Divine Character Battle Technique Stele, Fire of Inheritance to Tier 3

March 19. Su Yu was still cultivating in his cultivation chamber when a voice sounded from outside, summoning him from his seclusion. Slightly puzzled, Su Yu stood and exited the chamber. The golden glow clinging to his body gradually dissipated, returning him to his normal appearance. ... Stepping out of the secret room into the lounge, he found Wen Zhong and several others waiting. Seeing Su Yu emerge, Wen Zhong smiled and asked, "How was your harvest?" "Not bad!" Su Yu gave a faint smile and asked, "Is something the matter, Senior Brothers?" "It's not about us—it's about you," Wen Zhong said. "Over in the Great Shang Prefecture, Shan Xiong has come out of seclusion. He set off yesterday and is heading our way. At normal speed, he should arrive within three days, meaning tomorrow or the day after." "Shan Xiong..." Su Yu had heard of this genius from the Great Zhou Prefecture long ago. The foremost genius of the Single Divine Character Faction! He had defeated countless multiple divine character Civilization Masters of the same tier and was hailed as invincible within his rank—a feat the Single Divine Character Faction had never achieved in the past. Was he finally coming? Wen Zhong added, "Shan Xiong comes on Zhou Polong's orders to challenge you. The Manor Lord came by earlier and said that if you don't wish to accept the challenge, you don't need to pay him any mind. After all, you've only just entered Tengkong." "No problem," Su Yu said with a smile. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually looking forward to it! Since I began cultivating, I've fought experts, weaklings, and geniuses, but... a truly top-tier monster—I've never faced one before." Unlike others who could venture onto the All-Heavens Battlefield to test their skills against gods and demons, Su Yu hadn't had the chance. Shan Xiong would likely be the very first top-tier monster he fought. Off to the side, Jin Sheng spoke up: "You should still be careful, Junior Brother Su. Everyone is warning you not out of a lack of confidence, but because we hope you won't be careless. Shan Xiong swept through the multiple divine character Civilization Masters across more than ten prefectures. His combat strength is definitely formidable." Wen Zhong nodded in agreement. "We've actually made inquiries with people from other great prefectures. Shan Xiong's physical body isn't weak either; he has opened 144 apertures and undergone more than 15 body castings. In terms of willpower, he possesses Tier-2 peak willpower, while his divine character has already reached Tier 3. He only has a single divine character, but those who fought him couldn't tell whether it's truly a single character or multiple divine characters fused into one. Those are two very different things." "They couldn't tell?" Su Yu was surprised. Shouldn't something like that be obvious? Wen Zhong shook his head. "They couldn't. That divine character of his is rather peculiar; it seems to carry several traits. Yet if it were truly a combination of multiple divine characters, the fusion of traits would be unnervingly seamless and perfect. Aside from that, he has mastered several divine techniques that don't rely on divine characters. Composed purely of willpower and divine apertures, their destructive power is terrifyingly high." Pausing briefly, Wen Zhong continued, "He has also opened a great number of apertures. Even at the ninth stage of Tengkong, the *Myriad Characters Scripture* only opens 36 divine apertures. He has opened far more. He likely cultivated a set of basic cultural arts, probably originating from King Dazhou. King Dazhou's basic cultural art most likely opens more than 30 divine apertures, which means the divine apertures Shan Xiong has opened should now exceed 60." More than 60 divine apertures opened, Tier-2 peak willpower, a Tier-3 divine character, mastery of divine techniques, plus a Heaven-tier physical cultivation art with over 15 body castings. He truly was powerful! The explosive power of his physical apertures likely exceeded the force of 2,000 apertures. As for divine characters, it was hard to predict; it all came down to their traits. The opponent with the most troublesome traits Su Yu had ever encountered was probably Wan Mingze. All seals! A combined set of sealing divine characters! Against such an opponent, if their willpower was slightly stronger than yours and their divine characters surpassed yours, they could seal you entirely, leaving you with no way to break free. It was exceedingly difficult to handle. You wouldn't even get the chance to strike back! He had no idea what Shan Xiong specialized in. Even so, Su Yu felt no fear. Let him come! That man had challenged powerhouses of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction across the great prefectures, forcing several academies to shut down their multiple divine character branches. Su Yu didn't have a good impression of him anyway. More importantly, Shan Xiong's grandfather, Shan Tianhao, had repeatedly provoked trouble back then until Liu Wenyan ultimately executed him. Technically speaking, there was a blood feud between them. "Understood. I'll stay vigilant. We can talk more once he arrives." Wen Zhong smiled and added, "There is one more thing I should remind you of. He came alongside a descendant of the Shang family from the Great Shang Prefecture—Shang Tianjiao, King Dashang's great-granddaughter. Shan Xiong stayed in Great Shang for quite a while, and Shang Tianjiao was deeply impressed by him. The Shang family also intends to arrange a marriage alliance with him. You need to keep that in mind." "The Shang family?" Su Yu frowned slightly, then chuckled. "The Shang family is fine. Once on the arena stage, if it's a battle to the death, fate determines life and death! That is the rule! Could the Shang family really make trouble for me over this? If they do, I'm not afraid!" Of course, Great Ming Prefecture might face a bit more trouble. Su Yu wasn't particularly surprised. It was inevitable for geniuses and prodigies to be courted. When he arrived in Great Ming, Old Zhu had wanted to introduce his granddaughter to him as well. In terms of status, she was King Daming's great-granddaughter, holding the exact same standing as Shang Tianjiao. Shan Xiong's extraordinary talent was an undeniable fact. After all, with so many descendants of the Invincibles, very few could ever reach his level. It was entirely normal for the Shang family to invest in him. Which great prefecture didn't have its chosen targets for investment? People like Huang Teng were classic examples, and the same applied to Su Yu. Wen Zhong smiled. "I'm just giving you a heads-up. But if you truly clash, you don't need to hold back. Hesitation will only hinder you. Even if you really kill Shan Xiong, it won't be a big deal." This was the Great Ming Prefecture's attitude. Of course, if Su Yu were the one killed... well, the Great Ming Prefecture would hardly let that happen. It was simply the way things were! If Su Yu ran off to Great Zhou to kill Shan Xiong, the chances of success would be near zero; at the critical juncture of life and death, an expert from Great Zhou would surely step in. Shan Xiong certainly had guts to come all the way to Great Ming. Su Yu was no innocent novice who had never killed anyone before. The chances of Shan Xiong killing Su Yu were slim, but if Su Yu defeated Shan Xiong, the likelihood of Su Yu killing him was quite high. "We'll see!" Su Yu chuckled softly. "Senior Brothers, you don't need to worry too much. When it comes to having tricks up one's sleeve, no matter how many Shan Xiong has, he can't have more than me!" He possessed that much confidence! When it truly came to variety of methods, could Shan Xiong possibly match him? If nothing else, take the Immortal race's flesh and blood regeneration art: halfway through a fight, even if his body was smashed to pieces, he could suddenly regenerate his flesh and recover his physical body, beating his opponent senseless. Su Yu felt a faint flicker of anticipation, itching to test himself. Facing someone like that would also allow him to gauge his own strength—whether he truly measured up against top-tier geniuses, and whether he could fight above his rank even against the very best. Shan Xiong's strength was probably comparable to that of gods and demons, right? A ninth-stage Tengkong Civilization Master... could Shan Xiong contend with top-tier ninth-stage Tengkong gods and demons? If he could... that would truly be impressive. A top-tier ninth-stage Tengkong god or demon possessed a physical force equivalent to ten thousand apertures. A Civilization Master's willpower was often difficult to evaluate; there were too many factors to consider, making overall combat power hard to quantify. ... After chatting with Wen Zhong and the others for a while, Su Yu saw them off. As Wu Lan turned to leave, Su Yu waved at her. "Stay behind for a moment!" Wu Lan looked at him curiously. "What is it?" "Over the past few days, I looked into the Divine Character Battle Technique Stele," Su Yu said hesitatingly. "Inheriting a specific divine character battle technique is extraordinarily difficult!" He had promised Wu Qi that he wouldn't drag Wu Lan into dangerous whirlpools. However, a support-type divine character battle technique would indeed benefit Wu Lan, providing her with the foundation to protect her life in the future. "Furthermore, outlining twenty divine characters..." Wu Lan didn't care about that at all. Delighted, she said, "What of it? The *Primordial Spirit Cultural Art* exists precisely to outline divine characters. If I don't outline more, I won't be able to hold back much longer and will have to advance to Tengkong!" Once willpower grew strong without a corresponding expansion of the sea of will, one might involuntarily break through to Tengkong when the sea could no longer contain it. There was no helping it, which was why countless people now desperately wanted to join the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. "All right then, we can give it a try!" Su Yu stood and walked forward, saying as he moved, "Follow me. That thing is hard to control. The only thing I can do is enter first to scout it out and see if I can use my own divine character battle technique to draw some powerful technique templates to the shallower areas. Then you can enter to outline your technique. Even if you don't manage to outline twenty divine characters right away, it doesn't matter too much; you can supplement them later once you reach Tengkong." "The disassembly art?" "Yes." "You know it too?" Wu Lan was surprised. *You know that as well?* "A little. It's useful up to Tengkong, but beyond that, there's nothing I can do." Wu Lan beamed. "In that case, even after I reach Tengkong, I can still outline them at my own pace. Then naturally, the more powerful the technique, the better! There's no rush to force it all while I'm still in Character Nurturing anyway." "What suits you best is what's truly best!" Su Yu said with a smile, "Some battle techniques might be powerful, but they might not suit you. If they don't, forcing yourself to outline them could eventually cause conflicts between your sea of will and the battle technique down the line, which isn't worth the cost. There's no need to obsess over the First Generation's battle technique." "I know that!" Wu Lan said proudly, "My talent is exceptional; there won't be any problem! Back then, my sister and the others wanted me to join the Multiple Divine Characters Faction, but I refused! My grandaunt told me there was no need to compete with you or look for someone like Bai Feng—she told me to go straight to Hong Tan... She said I could become your martial aunt!" "I just wasn't willing, otherwise you'd have to call me Martial Aunt right now!" Su Yu considered this and gave an awkward laugh. Fortunately, Wu Lan was immensely haughty and refused to pull strings. Otherwise, if Wu Yuehua had really asked, would Hong Tan have accepted her? Of course he would have! Damn it! He had nearly ended up with another martial aunt. What a terrifying thought—if this woman had become his martial aunt, he would have lost all his dignity. Su Yu chuckled. "Then I really must thank you. What a relief." Wu Lan waved it off casually. "Actually, it doesn't matter what I learn, as long as it's interesting. I used to admire my sister and thought absolute strength was all that mattered. But later, when the *Twin Wu Aperture Fusion Art* was released, I realized that one person being strong is nothing compared to making everyone strong! No matter how strong you are alone, even if you become an Invincible, it's just a drop in the bucket for humanity. But if something you create can produce ten Invincibles, or a hundred Invincibles, then you are a savior." "Of course, being powerful while also achieving great results is even better." At that point, she glanced at Su Yu, muttering inwardly: *You're exactly that.* She was so envious! She wanted that too! Though she claimed individual strength wasn't everything, deep down she was still jealous. What was so special about Su Yu? She had been better than him back then; during the exams, her cultural course score had been far higher than his. It was infuriating! It had gotten to the point where she didn't even dare bring up personal strength in front of Su Yu anymore—it was simply too embarrassing. She had no choice but to change the subject! Su Yu found it amusing and held back his laughter. Soon, Su Yu led her to the small study on the second floor. A massive stone stele stood erected in the room. Su Yu warned, "When you outline your technique in a moment, be careful. Some divine character battle techniques are traps—they look formidable on the surface, but are actually hollow! I almost fell for one last time!" Wu Lan nodded. "Do I go in with you? Since you've already succeeded in outlining yours, can you still enter?" "Yes, I can!" If one couldn't enter again, how could anyone imprint and leave behind their own divine character battle techniques? Of course, Su Yu entering could easily disrupt others. Under normal circumstances, it was best for a person to enter alone. If an expert entered, they could easily shatter the divine character templates inside or attract too many techniques at once, preventing others from outlining anything or causing them to become lost inside the stele. "You don't need to come in with me. I'll enter first and guide some of the stronger technique templates toward the entrance. You can enter afterward and pick for yourself. I'll do my best to draw over the First Generation's template." As he spoke, Su Yu extended his willpower, delving deep into the Divine Character Battle Technique Stele. ... It was just like the first time, yet subtly different. When Su Yu's willpower entered again, he was greeted by the same boundless cosmic starry sky and countless stars—each star representing a divine character template. Some were bright, while others were dim. That part was identical, but what differed was that Su Yu could see much farther now. In the boundless void, countless stars rotated in staggering numbers. He could see far more stars than on his first visit! Moreover, the stele seemed to exert a faint repelling force against him. Su Yu felt a sudden realization: having already outlined a battle technique, entering again naturally met with resistance. He wouldn't be able to hold out here for very long. *So many stars... Did the Multiple Divine Characters Faction really have this many people?* Su Yu was surprised. He hadn't thought much of it the first time, but coming back today, the question struck him. A Civilization Master of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction could seemingly only imprint their battle technique template once in their lifetime. The stars here felt boundless—could the Great Xia Civilization Academy's Multiple Divine Characters Faction truly have produced so many? If he recalled correctly, over the three hundred years since the First Generation, even at its peak, the faction only recruited around ten students a year. In recent decades, they had hardly taken in anyone; and even of those recruited, not all managed to outline a battle technique and step into Tengkong. Over three hundred years, at most there would be three thousand-odd people. Yet this... were there only three thousand stars here? Far more! Some Civilization Masters had died suddenly, with no time to imprint their templates, leaving many academies on the brink of losing their heritage. Why were there so many here? *This Divine Character Battle Technique Stele... is truly a treasure.* With these thoughts in mind, Su Yu wasted no time. He erupted his willpower, spreading it in all directions to pull a star toward him. He disassembled and scattered his divine characters, using them to attract those battle techniques. Logically speaking, once in Tengkong, his battle technique should have been fixed, and divine characters could not be separated. But the disassembly art allowed Su Yu to break them apart, making it appear as if he had never outlined a battle technique at all. Instantly, his individual divine characters formed resonances with several stars. Gradually, some divine character templates began drifting toward him. Su Yu didn't linger; he quickly flew into the distance, using his divine characters to lure stars along the way. Gradually, more and more stars gathered behind him. Scanning them one by one, he found that ten divine characters as base points was the minimum; there were templates with eleven, twelve, and more... However, after a full circuit, he didn't see any with more than eighteen. Deeper in, there were some exceptionally bright stars. Under normal circumstances, a Character Nurturing cultivator couldn't reach that depth at all; running out of willpower before outlining a technique and failing to exit would easily leave one stranded in this space. Su Yu continued onward, thoughts rising rapidly in his mind! He wondered whether he could disassemble his divine character battle technique to mimic the forms of these other techniques. Hong Tan possessed both a sword and a shield, which proved that a battle technique didn't have to be restricted to a single form. Could he, upon disassembling it, reassemble it into whatever form he needed? Assembling it into different shapes meant different overall traits—just like the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm. Or the Demon Battleground! Using different divine characters as the core might yield different combined effects. *Once I'm out, I can test it. If it works, I can alter the form of my battle technique and outline whatever divine characters are required, becoming an all-purpose multiple divine character Civilization Master.* Su Yu looked at template after template, committing their base point structures to memory, intending to experiment as soon as he exited. He had outlined eighteen divine characters. If he found a suitable technique to emulate, he might be able to unleash a complete eighteen-character battle technique, which could prove even more potent. *You think my technique is a saber?* *Nonsense, mine is a shield for defense!* *You think mine is a shield?* *Wrong, it's a spear to pierce you to death!* This was just like having opened numerous yuan apertures: he could adapt and shift, utilizing any cultivation art. Having many divine characters and base points seemed to allow for the exact same flexibility. *Then I can copy Master's Dragon-Slaying Sword, Martial Uncle's giant defensive cauldron, Grandmaster's sword and shield...* Su Yu bared his teeth in a grin. Fascinating. This would be fun. If he reached the same realm as Hong Tan and copied his technique, then ran outside masked to kill people, everyone would assume Hong Tan had done it. Grandmaster would have to take the blame whether he liked it or not. However, Su Yu didn't know the exact base points of his master and the others. Unless they opened up and showed him, their templates no longer existed here; once outlined by them, the templates had vanished. They wouldn't reappear unless they returned to imprint them again someday. To memorize more templates, Su Yu walked, observed, and attracted them as he went. Soon, hundreds of stars were swirling around him. Right then, a colossal star flew toward him. Looking from a distance, Su Yu saw it had eighteen divine characters! *This one isn't weak at all—on par with Teacher Liu's!* *Wait, this shape... is a pot?* Su Yu stared at it, grinning wryly. Was this a frying pan? Was it meant for hitting people, acting as a shield, or concocting pills? *...Concocting pills...* Su Yu froze slightly. Right! Why couldn't a divine character master outline support techniques to assist other professions? *What about weapon forging?* *A furnace would be fantastic, and a hammer...* Su Yu's thoughts raced violently. A whole new avenue of thought had opened up for him. If he outlined a hammer template and integrated the Mind Expansion Hammer into it, would that make the divine technique even more powerful? In the past, the hammer could only strike on its own. But what if he outlined a hammer battle technique? Integrating the Mind Expansion Hammer into it, augmented by divine characters... a single strike from that hammer would probably smash a Lingyun's head to pieces, wouldn't it? A miscalculation! He had never thought of this before. With ninety-nine divine character base points, what technique couldn't he outline? Especially with the disassembly art, he could completely take it apart and reassemble a brand-new technique! *A hammer... a furnace!* *Better yet, a canopy!* *No, a shield too!* *A shield isn't enough—defensive armor would be best!* *...* Su Yu felt as though an entire world had opened before his eyes! Why on earth did he have to stick rigidly to a saber? Just because he knew saber techniques? Just because his cultural weapon was a saber, he had to use a saber? He could be ever-changing! What was wrong with using a hammer? Now, he was in no hurry to leave. He continued roaming around, memorizing one template structure after another. The deeper he went, the more base points the techniques had—eighteen characters, nineteen characters... Gradually, Su Yu grew alarmed! These... couldn't have been left behind from the Founding Era, could they? The deeper he ventured, the larger the stars became. Some even possessed twenty divine character base points. Could these have been left behind by ancient Civilization Masters? *This wasn't created by the First Generation—it was probably recovered from a ruin!* Su Yu was shaken. This was likely an inheritance artifact left behind by an ancient sect of Civilization Masters, or an institution similar to an academy or sacred ground. The First Generation couldn't have created this! Not because he lacked the capability, but because there wouldn't have been so many templates to choose from. Just then, a star suddenly took the shape of a swordsman, transforming into a blade that slashed toward Su Yu! The next instant, another star formed a broadsaber, cleaving down at him! Su Yu swiftly combined his divine characters into a broadsaber to clash with the incoming weapons. Amidst his surprise, he vaguely sensed something. *Holy crap!* *There's a trial?* Did one have to defeat these technique templates before outlining them? No, he had already outlined his own. That meant this was a trial for newcomers. If Wu Lan wanted to inherit such a powerful template, she might have to battle and defeat them first. Could she do it? If he defeated them without inheriting them, could he let Wu Lan take them instead? Thoughts tumbled through Su Yu's mind as he fought the blade and sword. Soon, the weapons were driven back. A moment later, they shrank into miniature versions and circled around him, seemingly yielding to him. Su Yu gazed into the distance; the space remained boundless! Awe welled up within him. Just how many battle techniques had been stored in this stele back then? And how many divine characters had the ancient experts outlined? *This thing... is an invaluable treasure of inheritance! Even if the Multiple Divine Characters Faction were wiped out, as long as this object remains, it will inevitably rise from the ashes sooner or later!* *As long as people continue cultivating willpower, whoever acquires this will definitely be able to pass down the faction once more. This was the work of ancient Civilization Masters, which the First Generation must have obtained, allowing him to establish the Multiple Divine Characters Faction.* At this moment, Su Yu understood how the faction had truly come to be, and how Xia Chen had founded it. It was derived from this very stele! This stone stele was the true key to their heritage. Su Yu swallowed hard. His martial uncle had actually handed this over to him—was he out of his mind?! If this was lost, the Multiple Divine Characters Faction would eventually face extinction. Su Yu laughed bitterly inside. Just how careless was his martial uncle to casually toss such an artifact to him? He wondered whether his grandmaster had cursed Chen Yong's ancestors when he discovered the stele was missing. Without this, how was he supposed to establish a divine character academy? Even if he borrowed Jiutian Academy's stele, how many templates could it possibly hold? Probably not many! The range of options would be far too narrow! As Su Yu pondered, a sobering thought struck him. Many people had likely guessed that he possessed this, and the core of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction—or at least the core of its inheritance—lay entirely in this stele. If this stele were seized, the faction could never grow strong. Even if everyone mastered the disassembly art in the future, they would still need templates. Creating them from scratch wasn't impossible, but the difficulty was immense. *Damn, someone must know how many templates are inside this thing, right?* *All those years Martial Uncle spent guarding the Library Pavilion were probably for this. Now that it's in my hands, won't someone try to snatch it?* Chen Yong had guarded the Library Pavilion for decades primarily for this object. The more Su Yu thought about it, the more his head ached. It was very likely that eyes were on this—perhaps even the Invincible hidden in the shadows had their gaze fixed on it. It seemed he might run into trouble in the future. While lost in thought, Su Yu encountered more stars, some exceptionally luminous! He had already spotted five or six with twenty light points. It seemed the First Generation outlining twenty divine characters wasn't exceptionally rare after all; in ancient times, such Civilization Masters appeared quite common. *Which one belongs to the First Generation?* Su Yu didn't know; he had never seen what the First Generation's template looked like. Never mind—as for Wu Lan, it would come down to her luck. Whether she could even outline a twenty-character template was a major question. Of course, having cultivated the *Primordial Spirit Cultural Art*, Wu Lan's willpower wasn't weak, so she might just pull it off. After attracting several more templates, Su Yu felt his willpower draining at an accelerating rate. Wasting no time, he turned and sped back. Soon, he reached the edge of the entrance. Behind him trailed hundreds, if not thousands, of battle technique templates. Ignoring them, Su Yu flickered, his willpower vanishing from the space. ... "Get in!" The moment Su Yu emerged, he barked, "The entrance is packed with battle techniques! Don't let them escape—hurry, outline whichever one you can manage!" Nervous, Wu Lan said nothing and swiftly projected her willpower inside. Su Yu paid her no further attention, leaving it to fate. At that moment, his sea of will churned as his saber battle technique began disassembling. The next instant, eighteen base points were pulled apart. Gradually, those eighteen base points formed a hammer. He had actually found an eighteen-point hammer template! Integrating his divine characters, Su Yu then fused the Mind Expansion Hammer into it. A hammer formed within his mind! A complete, eighteen-base-point hammer divine character battle technique! "Little fur ball, come out!" Su Yu's sea of will stirred, and a dazed little fur ball tumbled out. "How about I hit you with a hammer in exchange for a wisp of Heaven Yuan Qi?" The little fur ball blinked. One hammer strike? It got hammered all the time anyway; that was no problem. "Can I have two wisps?" it bargained. That stuff was delicious. "Deal!" Su Yu felt generous. No problem—give it a try, it probably wouldn't hammer it to death. The little fur ball was thrilled at the prospect of food. Just as it was celebrating, its fur suddenly stood on end. Right at that moment, Su Yu brought the hammer down with full force! *Boom!* A sonic wave rippled outward! The little fur ball was sent flying, dizzy and disoriented, before slamming into the floor with a splat, flattened like a pancake! A long time passed—several dozen seconds—before the little fur ball gradually recovered and opened its eyes. By then, Su Yu was happily examining his hammer. As for the fur ball... well, it wasn't dead, so it didn't matter. Struggling back into its round shape, the little fur ball floated up to Su Yu. It leaned close to inspect the hammer, practically drooling. "So amazing... It smells so good, even better than before, and much stronger! Good person, can I eat it?" "Get lost!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered with it, asking excitedly, "How did it feel? Is it much stronger than the old hammer?" "Uh-huh!" The little fur ball nodded vigorously—or rather, bounced its entire body. "The hammer struck so hard! Stuff I couldn't digest for days was almost completely digested in one hit!" In principle, it was still a support technique. As long as the sea of will didn't collapse from the strike, it offered real benefits. The little fur ball was remarkably resilient, so it wasn't easily hammered to death. Yet it was currently at the Lingyun Realm, a creature that specialized in devouring divine characters. Struck by Su Yu's hammer, it had remained stunned for dozens of seconds! Against Civilization Masters, this was practically a lethal weapon. One blow, and even a Lingyun would be incapacitated for dozens of seconds—more than enough time to be killed a hundred times over! Su Yu grinned broadly. This trip into the Divine Character Battle Technique Stele had yielded unexpected rewards, granting him a deeper understanding of battle techniques. Bai Feng's disassembly art had proven profoundly significant at this juncture! *The disassembly art!* *This might not have even existed in ancient times!* *Bai Feng... That teacher of mine might have garbage strength, but I must admit, this accidental discovery of his is truly extraordinary!* Su Yu was amazed. The disassembly art was magnificent. Unfortunately, it seemed usable only up to Lingyun; once in Shanhai, it would no longer function. That meant Su Yu had to outline all ninety-nine divine characters before reaching Shanhai. Otherwise, once in Shanhai, he wouldn't be able to disassemble them, making subsequent additions exceedingly difficult. Glancing sideways at Wu Lan, he saw her brows tightly furrowed, clearly struggling. Su Yu sighed and casually tossed over a few wisps of Heaven Yuan Qi, which helped replenish willpower to some extent. Regrettably, he lacked pure willpower, which would have allowed her to absorb it directly. "If you can't hold on, just give up and pick an inferior one. Nobody expects miracles from you anyway," Su Yu muttered under his breath. This woman cared far too much about saving face—even more than he did. She was probably clinging stubbornly to a twenty-character template. Otherwise, with willpower comparable to an ordinary Tengkong cultivator, why would she struggle so much? Leaving Wu Lan be, Su Yu looked back at the stele and sank into thought. It would be best not to display this item openly, lest it invite disaster. Although some had guessed it was in his possession, who could be certain? Perhaps it was still with Chen Yong. Could Chen Yong's ongoing pursuit be related to this? *Combinations of divine character battle techniques...* Su Yu continued manipulating the technique, shifting its form, murmuring, "For a hammer, I need a 'Vibration' divine character. The Mind Expansion Hammer already vibrates the sea of will, so pairing it with 'Vibration' will enhance the effect; I can swap divine characters around..." "When turned into a hammer, 'Vibration' takes the lead!" "When turned into a saber or sword, 'Kill', 'Pierce', and 'Power' dominate." "When turned into a furnace for forging, the Five Elements will lead." "When turned into armor, defense takes priority." "When turned into... a teleportation gate, spatial divine characters will be the core!" Idea after idea sparked. At this moment, Su Yu gained a deeper enlightenment regarding Civilization Masters. His venture into the stele had yielded tremendous benefits. Right then, the fire of inheritance—the "Fire" divine character—flared up. The character, previously stalled at the Tier-2 peak after failing its last breakthrough, now began to advance! At the same time, a smile broke across Wu Lan's face nearby, the struggle gradually fading. Firelight bathed her! She had been on the verge of failure, entirely unable to subdue the twenty-character technique. But just as Su Yu's "Fire" character advanced, the flames washed over her. Inside the stele, the violently resisting template was suddenly enveloped by a gentle firelight. The thrashing template seemed to sense something, and a moment later, it was drawn into Wu Lan's exhausted sea of will! Subjugation successful! Wu Lan opened her eyes, overjoyed. She was about to share the good news when she felt the soothing warmth of the firelight. A moment later, a sense of familiarity washed over her. "Su Yu..." Turning toward the meditating Su Yu, her first thought was that he looked rather handsome and emitted a remarkably gentle presence. Her second thought was... *It was you all along!* Every night she had felt shrouded in firelight—it had been him doing it! No wonder she had been so energetic every single night, completely unable to sleep! It was all because of this bastard! Whenever the firelight covered her, her mind felt exceptionally clear and alert every night; how could she possibly feel like sleeping? She hadn't slept in days! This bastard Su Yu was simply inhuman. It was bad enough that he didn't sleep, but he wouldn't let her sleep either! Wu Lan puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Yet deep down, she felt a trace of envy. This fire... was truly extraordinary. She wanted it too. Such a wonderful fire—it allowed one to cultivate and work without needing sleep, making everything far more efficient and focused. In the past, she had often felt drowsy, but now she didn't feel sleepy at all!