Return Gift

A galaxy of talents had gathered. Yet Su Yu refused to come out of seclusion, paying no heed to external matters and continuing his solitary practice. Body casting! As he tempered his physical form, he also read voraciously. These days, his reading was eclectic—he read everything, not merely to outline divine characters. When it came to texts of will, he would study them for a period, rest a bit, and browse through assorted miscellaneous books instead. Blacksmithing, linguistics, travelogues, and personal treatises. Su Yu had arrived at an epiphany: if your horizons were narrow and your knowledge reserve was shallow, there were many things you wouldn't truly comprehend. You might know *what* something was without knowing *why* it was so. And that was useless! The Fire of Inheritance was something that required a foundational reservoir of knowledge before it could illuminate your understanding. It didn't simply grant omniscience out of thin air. When you possessed an immense store of knowledge, the role of the Fire of Inheritance was to synthesize it all when the need arose. It didn't make you inherently know everything from birth. All sudden awakenings and moments of divine inspiration were predicated on having broad horizons and a sufficient repository of knowledge. At that moment, with the Fire of Inheritance burning, Su Yu was reading through the booklet he had brought from the Bai family. Over the past two days, what he had read most was not texts of will, but this booklet and the annotations on *Time*. The annotations on *Time* given to him by King Miecan. Those were commentaries penned many years after creating the cultivation technique, distilled from an Invincible's hard-won experience. Nor was that all. Over these past few days, Su Yu had realized there were still many things he had never fully grasped. When he had a free moment, he would also take out the jade talisman Liu Wenyan had given him upon departing, studying it closely. It contained the lifelong cultivation insights of Liu Wenyan himself. Liu Wenyan wasn't particularly powerful; even now, he was only in the Tengkong Realm. Su Yu was almost catching up to him! Yet as a former top genius who had slain Tengkong experts while still in the Character Nurturing Realm, Liu Wenyan possessed insights and experiences that Su Yu now recognized as well worth studying. For instance, Liu Wenyan's method of nurturing divine characters. That man had outlined numerous divine characters during his Character Nurturing stage. Early on, he had nurtured them by absorbing willpower, but in the later stages, lacking enough texts of will, he had turned to absorbing the power of the fifth Manor Head's divine characters to nourish his own. Now that was intriguing! The fifth Manor Head's divine characters were at the Sun Moon Realm, likely not yet reaching the Eternal Realm. However, due to their high degree of compatibility, Liu Wenyan had been able to accommodate those divine characters, ultimately using the fifth Manor Head's characters to nourish his own. What about himself, then? Su Yu actually possessed Sun Moon divine characters as well. Having previously slain five Sun Moon experts, Zhu Tiandao had agreed to bestow them upon him. By now, the divine characters had been extracted—three in total—but they were stored in the laboratory, untouched by Su Yu. He had originally intended to use them to forge mystic realms. Yet according to Liu Wenyan's principles, whenever you were capable of fusing with a divine character, you could actively absorb its power to strengthen your own divine characters. *If I can fuse with Sun Moon divine characters, can I absorb their power to bolster my own characters?* As for shattering them to absorb their essence, that was certainly possible, but once shattered, the residual resonance of a divine character dissipated in mere moments. If you stored it within your sea of will and allowed your own divine characters to slowly absorb it, you could maximize the efficiency of extracting that divine character's power. *I can test this out later.* Mulling this over, Su Yu turned his attention back to the diagram booklet brought from the Bai family. First shatter the origin apertures, and only then seek out what Su Yu defined as the yang aperture. *Shattering... does it truly require shattering?* *The purpose of shattering is aggregation and traction, drawing forth the yang aperture. In that case, the yang aperture likely doesn't exist on the surface, but deep within. Only with sufficient force can this aperture be drawn out.* *Shattering... the purpose of shattering must be to concentrate energy. By detonating origin apertures, one borrows the force of the rupture to exert that pull.* *Even a ninth-stage Lingyun could only draw it out by borrowing the force of shattering. That means the traction force required might have to reach the Shanhai Realm!* Idea after idea flickered across his mind. At the same time, Su Yu didn't neglect his body casting. The fifth casting would probably take a little more time. He was in no hurry! It didn't matter whether Shan Xiong came or not. If Shan Xiong arrived just when Su Yu was in the midst of an epiphany, Su Yu wouldn't even bother acknowledging him. If Shan Xiong could wait, he could wait; if not, he could take a hike. You came to challenge me, so why should I be the one in a rush? Rushing out flustered just because someone challenged you, eagerly scrambling forward—there was no need for that. Their status was not equal! As an honorary elder, he had an image to maintain. A mere teaching assistant like Shan Xiong couldn't compare to him. *Shattering force, traction force, explosive power... Unfortunately, if there were a Lingyun who had opened 360 apertures, erupting with the power of their origin apertures, they would surely unleash strength approaching the Shanhai Realm. Then they might actively draw out the yang aperture!* Vaguely, Su Yu formed a judgment. Once he reached Lingyun, or perhaps the ninth stage of Tengkong, he might have a shot at actively drawing out this yang aperture. Could the yin aperture he defined be located the same way? Combining yin and yang to form a stable Primordial Spirit Aperture? If the yang aperture and yin aperture appeared in isolation, they probably couldn't exist for long, because an individual aperture was incomplete. *Yang aperture...* With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Su Yu rose to his feet and walked outside. Outside the door, Wu Lan was reading a book, seemingly waiting for him. Seeing him emerge, she hurriedly said, "That Shan Xiong has arrived, and he's already submitted a letter of challenge to the academy. Are you going to accept it?" "We'll talk about that later. I have something to take care of." Wu Lan pouted, not out of displeasure toward Su Yu, but grumbling indignantly, "By the way, they arrived yesterday afternoon. The moment they arrived, people started spreading word that you're only formidable because of good fortune and sheer reliance on ruins—that otherwise, you're nothing at all!" *Though that's what I think too!* *Just because I think so doesn't mean I want to hear others saying it.* Su Yu nodded. "Makes sense! I did rely on ruins. Can't help it—just good luck." "..." Wu Lan felt exasperated. "Aren't you angry?" "What's there to be angry about?" Su Yu said as he walked. "Only what people can't obtain makes them green with envy. If he doesn't have it and you do, he'll envy you, thinking he could do just as well in your shoes. That's a common mindset. The crux is... he simply doesn't have it, so what can I do about that?" Su Yu chuckled, then added, "Did Shan Xiong start that rumor? If so... he's hardly worth taking seriously! Belittling your opponent means that even if you win, you only prove your own mediocrity! I don't care for people like that. I prefer my enemies to be strong—or even if they aren't, to have everyone perceive them as formidable. Take Zhai Feng, for instance. Everyone thought he was an apex expert, rank one on the Top 100 Rankings. Yet I hacked him down in no time, which only highlighted my own prowess." Shaking his head, he dismissed the matter. Relying on belittling opponents to make oneself look good was utterly foolish! Defeating a weakling proved nothing about your own strength. If Shan Xiong was the one spreading such talk, it only showed how unremarkable he was. Su Yu wouldn't need to pay him much mind. Wu Lan thought it over and nodded, finding some logic in it. "That does make sense. So should we proclaim how powerful Shan Xiong is instead, and then when you swiftly beat him to death, it will make you seem even more formidable?" Su Yu smiled and nodded. "Exactly! Better yet, claim Shan Xiong can slaughter Shanhai experts. When I chop him down, it'll mean I'm even stronger than that! All the glory he built up beforehand will belong to me, shining even brighter! That's borrowing momentum! People don't know how strong Su Yu is, but they know Shan Xiong defeated every single multiple divine character faction cultivator in his realm. If I defeat him, I won't need to fight all those battles myself. Not at all—I'll step on him and ride his momentum to the top." He continued, "Belittling Shan Xiong would make defeating him utterly meaningless! Better to claim that within the Single Divine Character Faction, no one rivals him—that he's the undisputed number one in the entire faction, surpassing even his master. That way, when I defeat him, Zhou Polong may be infinitely stronger than me, but... even Zhou Polong will end up under my heel!" Wu Lan blinked. *Makes sense, and quite profound!* *So this is how one borrows momentum?* *Defeat an enemy while magnifying their might, and you become all the mightier!* *Indeed!* "Where are you going?" Wu Lan trailed behind him, growing curious as they walked. "What are you off to do?" "Just heading down to the basement to take a look. You don't need to follow me." Su Yu smiled. "You won't have the stomach for the scene down there..." "Oh!" Wu Lan didn't really mind, remarking casually, "You mean those villains down there? Are you experimenting on them? You can't do that. Why don't you just kill them? Experimenting is against the law..." She wasn't as delicate as Su Yu imagined. In the Great Xia Prefecture, very few people were fragile; they had grown up watching Xia Longwu execute criminals at the chopping block. Living in the Great Xia Prefecture, she had sneaked out as a child to watch an execution in person. It had scared her half to death back then, but seeing it later on, she no longer felt anything out of the ordinary. "I'm not doing research on them, just running some aperture-opening tests. Nothing sinister. Letting them atone through service—it's fine," Su Yu smiled. "They're all condemned convicts. Testing aperture-opening methods is their way to redeem their lives. If they manage to survive to the very end, I can spare them." Wu Lan nodded and pressed no further. Whatever! They were all wicked people anyway; if they died, so be it. Once Su Yu descended into the basement, she thought for a moment, let out a huff, and dashed off. What Su Yu said made complete sense! The stronger Shan Xiong was made out to be, the more renown Su Yu would gain upon defeating him. Besides, she could vent some of her irritation along the way. Leaving the residence, Wu Lan quickly rounded up a group—the most gossipy figures in the entire academy, led by Zhu Hongliang and Bai Junsheng. ... In a secluded corner of the academy. Wu Lan huddled conspiratorially with them, whispering, "When you go back, have people spread the word: say Shan Xiong is terrifyingly powerful, that he once defeated Qin Fang and Huang Teng on the All-Heavens Battlefield until they were on their knees begging for mercy." "Also, add that he could have stepped into Lingyun long ago, but held back intentionally so he could break straight into the Shanhai Realm in a single day, meaning he's actually stronger than certain Shanhai cultivators!" "And one more thing, spread word that he's actually King Dazhou's closed-door disciple! King Dazhou simply stopped taking disciples publicly, so he deliberately had Zhou Polong take him in as a student. He's the closed-door disciple of an Invincible, with horrifying strength, and he's been bathing in Heaven Yuan Fruit essence since he was a kid!" As Wu Lan rattled this off in hushed tones, Zhu Hongliang and the others were left completely dumbfounded. What in the world was this about? Why spread such nonsense? "Wu Lan, why on earth would we say all that?" By now, they had grown fairly acquainted. Zhu Hongliang and Bai Junsheng occasionally dropped by to visit Su Yu, though Su Yu spent most of his time in seclusion and rarely bothered entertaining them. Wu Lan didn't have much to do, so she sometimes came out to greet them. Wu Lan scoffed, "Aren't they saying Su Yu relies entirely on ruins? That Su Yu's actual strength is pathetic? Then let them revel in their conceit! Let Shan Xiong be the greatest under heaven! Once Su Yu beats him to death, the whole world will know that the Single Divine Character Faction is utterly useless!" Zhu Hongliang asked in a low voice, "Then... what if he loses?" Wu Lan froze, pausing for a good while before saying, "Loses?" She hadn't even considered that possibility! It seemed Su Yu had never lost! Wait, no, he used to lose all the time. Once, he had lost more than eight thousand times! Even if he lost... Wu Lan snorted, "With Shan Xiong built up to be so invincible, it would be only natural for Su Yu to lose, and not shameful in the least! But if Su Yu wins, Shan Xiong will have disgraced himself thoroughly! You can't even grasp that? How foolish!" Zhu Hongliang was rendered speechless, but on second thought, it actually sounded reasonable. "Fine, leave it to us. It's no big deal. Don't worry, by tonight, the entire Tiandu Prefecture will know that Shan Xiong is peerless under heaven, slaughters people like flies, has slain Shanhai experts, and has traded blows with Sun Moon titans..." "Isn't that a bit too exaggerated?" Bai Junsheng whispered, "Isn't that stretching it too far? Slaying Shanhai and fighting Sun Moon—nobody's going to buy that." "Then say he slaughters Lingyun and clashes with Shanhai. That should be fine, right? That fellow ought to have the strength to kill some weaker Lingyun cultivators; otherwise, his ninth-stage Tengkong cultivation wouldn't carry any intimidation at all." "That works!" As the group muttered their plans, Wu Lan quickly stood up. "Alright, that settles it! You guys are truly hopeless—I still had to be the one to come up with the plan. If it were Fatty Xia, he would have resolved it on his own long ago. Fatty Zhu, you're not even half as capable as Fatty Xia!" Zhu Hongliang felt aggrieved. Get lost! Xia Huyou, was it? That guy had arrived this time as well. He wasn't even as fat as Zhu Hongliang and didn't seem all that impressive, so what was there to brag about? ... Su Yu couldn't be bothered to care about Wu Lan spreading rumors outside. Here in the Great Ming Prefecture, he had little to worry about. Down in the basement, Su Yu looked at a Lingyun cultivator before him and said briskly, "Try detonating your origin apertures all at once. Don't worry—as long as your sea of will isn't destroyed, your physical body can be recast. At worst, you start from scratch; you won't die that easily." The Lingyun expert before him turned pale. Beside Su Yu stood all three Shanhai great demons. Su Yu wore an indifferent expression. "Down here, you're doomed to die sooner or later. There's no way out! Detonate your origin apertures so I can observe the effect, and you might still have a chance to live. Consider it gambling on the odds." Face drained of color, the Lingyun cultist stammered, "Lord Su, if I detonate my origin apertures, can I really survive?" "Hard to say," Su Yu replied calmly. "Depends on your luck! Of course, if there are worthwhile results, I will grant you a chance at survival." "Then what objective does My Lord hope to achieve by having me detonate my origin apertures?" "Locating the Primordial Spirit Aperture!" Su Yu didn't bother hiding it. "Here's the situation: I currently hypothesize that when origin apertures detonate and release a certain threshold of power, creating sufficient traction, they might draw out an energy locus I've named the yang aperture... Naturally, detonating at random is useless." He pondered a moment and quickly instructed, "You must detonate inward toward a central point. All your apertures should ideally form a ring, detonating toward the center to erupt with power, so we can see if it can be drawn out." "You've opened quite a few apertures—108 of them. You count as a minor genius, and being in the Lingyun Realm, your detonation might unleash considerable force..." The man's face grew deathly pale. "My Lord, reconstructing a physical body requires rare treasures. If I truly detonate my flesh, my willpower won't be able to persist for long..." Su Yu nodded. "That's no problem. Essence blood paired with Heaven Yuan Qi is the finest treasure for reconstructing a body. Restoring a Qianjun Realm physique is hardly a challenge; it's not like I'm rebuilding you all the way back to Lingyun." With that, Su Yu smiled. "How about giving it a try? It will count as one merit point. Once any of you accumulates ten merit points, I will let you go. I never go back on my word!" Ten points! In other words, one would have to almost kill oneself roughly ten times to earn a chance—and it was merely a chance, not a certainty, since it still depended on Su Yu honoring his word. The Lingyun expert's face turned even paler. In the corner of the basement, the Suanni and the Mountain-Boring Ox, who had wandered over, watched with wide, pitying eyes. *Thank goodness we're weak!* *Terrifying!* *Now Su Yu is forcing Lingyun experts to blow themselves up!* *He has zero intention of recruiting them!* When so many people had been imprisoned earlier, they had assumed Su Yu intended to subjugate them. Turns out they were all just lab rats! Testing techniques on condemned convicts was permitted by law. How pitiful these cultists were! Su Yu had no attention to spare for the two beasts. Those two had shown signs of advancing recently, often coming over to consult the three great demons on precautions for breaking through. Since they were too weak, Su Yu couldn't muster the interest to bother with them. After a long pause, the pale-faced Lingyun cultivator choked out, "Very well... I agree, My Lord!" Either die right now, or agree. It was that simple! Su Yu appeared easygoing on the surface, but in reality, he was harder to negotiate with than anyone. He didn't view them as human at all. Despite his youth, he was thoroughly ruthless, having already executed several defiant rebels who refused to comply. People from the Great Xia Prefecture treated cultists this way without exception. Slaughtering them like beasts! Even beasts had value, whereas cultists were worth less than dirt. Su Yu smiled. "Very good. Follow my instructions: detonate exactly when and how I tell you to..." Turning to the three great demons, he added, "I need to observe from close range. Senior demons, please protect me so that the blast doesn't catch me." "Understood!" The three great demons secretly clicked their tongues in awe at his ruthlessness. This kid was remarkably young, yet when it came to cruelty, he was truly vicious. Where on earth did he get such a heavy murderous nature? He acted as though he had witnessed countless life-and-death struggles! Though the Great Xia Prefecture was packed with ruthless figures, few were quite like Su Yu. Those capable of remaining utterly unfazed while going this far were usually old veterans who had bathed in rivers of blood on the battlefield. Su Yu didn't bother explaining anything. He soon gave the Lingyun cultivator a few precise instructions. How to detonate, which aperture to begin with, how to respond following the blast... He simply wanted to test whether detonating the apertures could blast the yang aperture into visibility. A third-stage Lingyun with 108 opened apertures detonating himself would yield considerable destructive force. Shortly after, a resounding explosion shook the secret chamber! The three great demons unleashed their auras, constraining the blast radius within a confined space. Standing right before the despairing, detonating Lingyun cultivator, Su Yu watched coldly, perceiving every nuance with the Fire of Civilization ablaze. Silently observing, experiencing every shift in detail, Su Yu furrowed his brow one moment and smoothed it the next. "It seems to resemble it slightly... but the blast's power isn't enough!" Su Yu reached out with a casual sweep of his hand, drawing essence blood and Heaven Yuan Qi together. Rapidly, the essence blood and Heaven Yuan Qi coalesced into the outline of a human form. A moment later, the figure opened his eyes, his face entirely bloodless and his gaze dull and vacant. "Credited with one merit point!" Su Yu noted offhandedly, his thoughts still absorbed in analyzing the blast's power and the fleeting sensation from just moments ago. "It's still lacking a bit. It requires at least someone with 144 origin apertures or more. A Lingyun of that caliber detonating might actually pull out the yang aperture." He had felt a faint trace, but it had been exceedingly vague and unstable. "The detonation must reach the destructive caliber of a Shanhai!" Su Yu murmured, "Or at least a seventh-stage Lingyun with 108 apertures! Unfortunately, all those experts were wiped out last time. Ideally, a ninth-stage Lingyun. It seems I'd better capture some experts like that, or simply capture Shanhai cultivators!" The great demons winced, thoroughly speechless. This kid had been acting downright deranged lately. Talking about capturing Shanhai cultivators just to blow them up for fun! He was a truly ruthless character. If he ever gained sufficient strength, anyone who crossed him would surely meet a miserable end. "The Primordial Spirit Aperture is probably still missing an element." Su Yu shook his head, realizing he had no choice but to temporarily shelve this line of research. He lacked research subjects—enough individuals willing to blow themselves up. In the nearby cells, everyone looked as pale as ash. Being in Su Yu's hands, dying felt preferable to living. Yet death... was never that simple. If they weren't afraid of dying, they would have ended it long ago; it was precisely because they feared death that they clung to life. Just as Su Yu turned to leave, an expert in one of the cells knelt down and shouted, "Lord Su! Lord Su! This lowly one is willing to serve My Lord with my life..." Su Yu glanced back and chuckled. "You? You're even weaker than the Suanni. A piece of trash—what use do I have for you? Unless an experiment calls for it, I might consider you then. Ten merit points, and I'll let you go!" Without another word, he waved his hand, completely sealing all the cells so no sound could escape. Near the doorway, two great demons shrank into the shadows, doing their best to hide, terrified Su Yu might notice them and drag them into his schemes. Yet Su Yu spotted them anyway; he wasn't blind. Seeing the two demons cowering in fear, he said in exasperation, "If you two can't reach Lingyun within a month, I will definitely send you both to Yuexin Island. Manor Head Niu told me that beef paired with Suanni brain makes for a renowned delicacy. I wouldn't mind tasting it!" "We will definitely reach it!" The two demons were practically sweating bullets in sheer terror. He was genuinely threatening to eat them! They took Su Yu at his word. He was a pragmatic person: when you were useful to him, you were a friend; when you weren't... and had never shown him any kindness, he wouldn't hesitate to do as he pleased. "And that goes for Water Person and Shadow as well. Your injuries have mostly healed by now. Cultivate diligently and enter the Shanhai Realm as soon as possible!" Su Yu said calmly, "If you can't keep up with the pace of my growth, you'll be fine if you're my friends, but if you're merely partners in mutual interest, you will inevitably be phased out or die. I am likely to encounter dangerous situations, and if your strength falls short and you end up killed, there won't be anything I can do." Leaving behind those words, Su Yu strode out of the basement. Inside, the demons fell into a heavy silence. Phased out? Dead? Perhaps... that day truly wasn't far off! ... Emerging from the basement, Su Yu returned to the cultivation chamber to resume his practice. The Lingyun cultivator's self-detonation had provided him with a spark of inspiration after all. Power! If his own power fell short, could he borrow external force to unlock it? As for Shan Xiong... he could leave him dangling for a few days. ... While Su Yu remained in seclusion conducting his research... In a grand courtyard near Baidao Pavilion. Shang Tianjiao said excitedly, "Brother Shan Xiong, did you know? I just stepped out, and everyone outside is talking about you! All good things, all praise! I thought that arriving in the Great Ming Prefecture, people would target you because Su Yu is here. Who would have guessed they'd all be singing your praises!" "Praising me?" Shan Xiong was perusing a booklet detailing Baidao Pavilion. Hearing this, he laughed. "What are they praising me for?" "They say you once defeated Huang Teng and Qin Fang! Is that true?" Shang Tianjiao asked excitedly, "Why didn't you mention it to me?" "Hm?" Shan Xiong was slightly taken aback. There was no such thing. "Who said that?" "Everyone is saying it!" Shang Tianjiao said eagerly. "When I went out just now, I ran into that Wu Lan from the Great Xia Prefecture's Wu family. Her face was as dark as thunder, glaring down her nose at me like she wanted to pick a fight. She claimed that defeating Huang Teng was nothing special anyway since Huang Teng isn't even a Civilization Master. I could smell the sour jealousy on her from miles away!" "Wu Lan? Wu Qi's younger sister?" Shan Xiong wasn't familiar with Wu Lan, but he knew of Wu Qi. Hearing this, his mind stirred slightly. Shang Tianjiao continued, "Yes, her! She's from an illustrious clan of the Great Xia Prefecture, and even she admits you defeated Huang Teng. Now nobody can deny it, not even Huang Teng himself!" "..." Shan Xiong was speechless. After a moment, he said, "A misunderstanding, a wild rumor! I've never even interacted with Huang Teng or Qin Fang, let alone exchanged blows with them!" After a brief pause, Shan Xiong added, "This isn't a good thing. I have no major feud with Huang Teng or Qin Fang. They are warriors, while I am a Civilization Master. Spreading rumors like this—once the Great Xia Prefecture and Great Qin Prefecture learn it's false, and the word gets around, it won't reflect well on me." "A false rumor?" Shang Tianjiao blinked in surprise. Shan Xiong nodded. "Yes, completely fabricated!" With that, he pondered and asked, "Did Wu Lan spread it? Or did it come from Su Yu's side?" "I don't know..." Shan Xiong exhaled a breath and sighed, "Then when I fight Su Yu, if I fail to defeat him, the Single Divine Character Faction will truly become a laughingstock, and I will have needlessly offended a bunch of people. Unless, after defeating Su Yu, I find opportunities to defeat Huang Teng and Qin Fang as well, thereby confirming the rumors." As for issuing an explanation, there was little need. Since he wasn't the one who had made the claims, there was no point in rushing to explain. He looked at Shang Tianjiao. "You didn't go around spreading anything, did you?" "No, I came straight back to tell you the moment I heard the news. Brother Shan Xiong, isn't this a good thing?" Shan Xiong smiled faintly. "Hardly. Of course, if I defeat Su Yu, none of it will matter much. But if I lose... Forget it, let's not dwell on that. You don't need to meddle in these matters. In the end, strength speaks for itself." He didn't bring up the subject again, though he still reminded Shang Tianjiao not to spread such rumors outside. It was utterly meaningless, would only antagonize people, and invited trouble where none existed. *Was this Su Yu's doing?* *Is he afraid of losing, or does he believe victory is assured?* Pushing the thought aside, he resumed reading the booklet. He wanted to give Baidao Pavilion a try! Just then, footsteps approached, and Wen Zhong knocked before stepping inside. He said with a smile, "Teaching Assistant Shan, Junior Brother Su has accepted your challenge. Five days from now, on March 25th, you will spar right here within the academy! As for whether it will be a life-and-death match or a standard duel, we shall see once Junior Brother exits seclusion." Shan Xiong furrowed his brows slightly. "Senior Wen, is Su Yu particularly fond of life-and-death matches?" "That I wouldn't know." Wen Zhong chuckled. "Teaching Assistant Shan, spend these next few days preparing well and familiarizing yourself with the academy's grounds. Additionally, if it truly turns into a battle to the death, it will require signatures from the elders on both sides. I'm merely responsible for delivering the message; I know nothing beyond that." "Understood. Thank you for the reminder, Senior." Shan Xiong said nothing more, but Shang Tianjiao interjected anxiously, "It's just an ordinary spar, so why must it be a life-and-death battle? When Shan Xiong challenged experts across more than ten prefectures, every match was a friendly exchange; he never took a single life..." Though she claimed to believe Shan Xiong would win, what if... what if he lost? Wen Zhong smiled faintly. "Princess Shang, that is beyond my knowledge. We can discuss it further once Junior Brother Su emerges from seclusion!" "But..." Ignoring her, Wen Zhong turned and took his leave. Shang Tianjiao was somewhat upset. Looking at Shan Xiong, she said, "Fighting a life-and-death battle... that's far too dangerous. Maybe we should..." Shan Xiong shook his head. "It's fine. A life-and-death match doesn't necessarily mean someone will die! Don't let it bother you too much. This is also a battle of momentum—he's attempting to suppress my spirit from the outset. The moment you refuse, you suffer a defeat in momentum. I will weigh it carefully. Tianjiao, don't worry about me, and don't lose your composure either." "I know, but... but I'm still worried..." "Truly, there's no need." Shan Xiong gave a reassuring smile, casting his gaze toward a distant grand building—the renowned Primordial Spirit Research Institute. *Is Su Yu entering five days of seclusion to grind down my momentum, or does he genuinely have pressing cultivation matters to attend to?* Shan Xiong drew a deep breath. He would use this time to visit Baidao Pavilion. Perhaps he might gain something from it! Even before crossing blades, he could already feel a faint prickle of pressure. He only hoped for a favorable outcome! ... The news of Su Yu accepting the challenge spread rapidly. March 25th! At the Great Ming Civilization Academy, the two would clash—though whether it was a duel to the death or a standard match remained unconfirmed. Instantly, the Great Ming Prefecture erupted in festive fervor, boiling with excitement once more. Another grand spectacle was about to unfold! Unfortunately, this match likely wouldn't be open to the general public. Because it was taking place inside the academy, entry would probably be restricted to students and select high-ranking figures. This left many spectators thoroughly disappointed and dejected. ... Day by day, time slipped away. The Great Ming Civilization Academy gradually became the focal point of countless eyes. It even overshadowed several other major events! News concerning supreme geniuses invariably drew far more attention than news about less prominent figures. For instance, the not-so-extraordinary Bai Feng had been ambushed by the All-Races Cult on his journey back. A fierce battle had ensued, resulting in the death of a Shanhai cultivator—a piece of news that barely made a ripple. Of course, the fallen Shanhai expert belonged to the All-Races Cult. In a desolate wilderness. Bai Feng chewed on roasted meat, feeling thoroughly sour inside. Damn it! *Here I am fighting tooth and nail, risking my neck, while my disciple is merely preparing to spar with someone. Before their fight has even started, the news of my glorious return as a genius has been completely eclipsed! Hardly anyone is paying attention to me!* Even the ambushes from the All-Races Cult had dwindled! According to Xia Yunqi, a contingent of experts had likely slipped away toward the Great Ming Prefecture. Naturally, they would be ten thousand times more cautious this time around, lurking near the Great Ming Prefecture in hopes of watching that clash of prodigies. As for assassinating Bai Feng... killing him didn't serve much purpose. They could put it off for later; Sun Moon experts couldn't easily be spared anyway, so they might as well abandon the attempt. Bai Feng was feeling bitter, while Xia Yunqi and the others couldn't help but chuckle wryly. Well then, all their preparations had gone to waste! They probably wouldn't catch any big fish after all. It was simply that Bai Feng didn't carry enough weight. Had it been Su Yu, they could definitely have baited massive fish—though perhaps fish so massive that they couldn't handle them. Still, returning safely wasn't a bad outcome. Pity the Great Xia Prefecture, which had laid extensive preparations only to end up catching nothing at all. ... As the rumors swirled, March 25th arrived in the blink of an eye! On this day, Su Yu stepped out of the cultivation chamber. He was utterly serene. Defeating or killing Shan Xiong wouldn't alter the grand scheme of things, but Shan Xiong had shattered the confidence of many in the multiple divine character faction. Su Yu needed to win it back, and along the way, fulfill one of his teacher's wishes. Hadn't there been two wishes? One was to deal with Shan Xiong, and the other was to teach Huang Teng a lesson. "Teacher, consider this my return gift to you!" Su Yu gazed toward the north and smiled faintly. *You ought to be returning soon as well.* *By my calculations, today should be roughly when you make it back to the Great Xia Prefecture.* *As for Huang Teng, if the chance presents itself, I'll beat him up for you. He gave you three thrashings, so I'll do my best to return the favor on your behalf.* Having changed into fresh clothes, his white robes fluttered in the breeze. Su Yu smiled in quiet satisfaction. Shan Xiong... let's see what you've got!