The Great Debtor

Nanyuan. Over the past two days, the academy had been in an uproar. Chen Hao, having broken through from the third to the fourth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, had challenged Zhou Chong, who was at the fifth stage... Between the fourth and fifth stages, there was virtually no real gap; in truth, both were still ordinary humans. Zhou Chong possessed a higher stage than Chen Hao, yet during their duel, Chen Hao beat him until he wailed like a ghost and howled like a wolf. And that was not the end of it. After thrashing Zhou Chong, Chen Hao felt the match had been far too brief, so he continued looking for opponents to spar with. On the first day alone, he fought over a dozen students. He won some and lost some, but Chen Hao did not care in the slightest; he simply treated it as combat training. Just like that, in less than three days, Chen Hao fought at least thirty matches. Had it not been for his body being covered in far too many bruises, prompting his mother to force him to stay home for a day to recuperate, the fellow would have kept right on fighting. Chen Hao might not have come to school, but he had started a trend across Nanyuan Academy. In normal times, everyone thought the fourth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm was incredible, and the fifth stage seemed like stars high in the sky. Yet now, looking at them, every one of them had been beaten by Chen Hao. It was as if a whole new world had opened before them. In the past, many ordinary students had suffered plenty of bullying from the geniuses. Now, every one of them grew excited. With Chen Hao absent from school, the academy became even livelier. More than a few clamored to duel the geniuses. Zhou Chong had a foul mouth and had offended plenty of people; bound by his pride as a genius, he refused to back down either, dueling at least six or seven students that day alone. Win or lose, he ended up bruised and battered regardless. Anyone unfamiliar with him who looked at him now would barely recognize the guy. *** "Utter nonsense!" Inside the office, Liu Wenyan shook his head, caught between laughter and tears. With a single guess, he knew who had instigated it! Chen Hao was simple and honest; without someone egging him on, how could he have picked a fight with Zhou Chong? This was clearly Su Yu's handiwork. Beside him, the Old Principal continued tugging at his beard, having plucked out quite a few hairs over the past few days. Sighing heavily, the Old Principal lamented, "These young rascals really have too much energy! The examination is right around the corner, and they still won't settle down. Stirring up some excitement isn't necessarily bad; at least they're passionate about cultivation, but..." The Old Principal was practically on the verge of tears. "But don't go beating up the girls! I'm genuinely worried about these brats' futures! War Academies already have so few girls. If they carry this habit over to the War Academies, is our Nanyuan... going to turn into a den of bachelors?" Liu Wenyan shivered slightly. Right, that was a grave problem! "That little brat Chen Hao... needs a beating!" Liu Wenyan also felt a surge of worry. What was to become of this year's batch of Nanyuan students? Now they were all clamoring that "men and women are equal, and on the battlefield there is no distinction between men and women"—equal, your grandmother's foot! If you boys are all this dense, what are you going to do later in life? Could it be... that this entire cohort of male students would remain single until death? The Old Principal sighed dolefully. "This bad habit hasn't just ruined this cohort; the lower grades are watching too. The academy still has plenty of eleven- and twelve-year-old kids. Over the past two days, I heard from other instructors that quite a few male students are preparing to challenge female students..." "Have they gone stupid?" Liu Wenyan was left speechless. "They haven't gone stupid; word spread from the upperclassmen that beating girls demonstrates an unyielding martial will and helps one advance in cultivation." "..." Liu Wenyan glanced at the Old Principal, and the Old Principal looked back at him. Both old men suddenly wore crestfallen expressions. Rumors like that couldn't be allowed to spread! If this went on, in a few years, all of Nanyuan Academy would truly become a monastery. It was terrifying! Moreover, once this terrible reputation spread and even reached the Great Xia Prefecture, would Nanyuan students ever hope to find love with girls when they arrived there? In their dreams, perhaps! The Old Principal sighed once more. "Let's just see off this batch of students first. Old Liu, enough of this for now. Have you heard the news coming back from the Great Xia Civilization Academy?" As the strongest intermediate academy in Nanyuan, it naturally maintained communication with the various academies in the Great Xia Prefecture. Certain news would spread over very quickly. Furthermore, there were Nanyuan Academy graduates currently at the academy, so the Old Principal was fairly well-informed. Liu Wenyan gave a slight nod, then said dismissively, "An old tradition, nothing new! The key isn't Su Yu; it's Bai Feng. That fellow just happened to break through to the seventh stage of the Tengkong Realm, which suddenly made him a far greater threat." "Before, though he was excellent at the sixth stage of the Tengkong Realm, there were still seven or eight others his age at that stage in the Great Xia Civilization Academy, along with several in the late Tengkong Realm. His placement in the top ten was even somewhat debatable. But now he broke through so quickly... Naturally, it drew everyone's attention." Bai Feng recruiting a student wouldn't have caused such a commotion originally. If he had taken an apprentice at the sixth stage, people would have paid attention, but it never would have been this serious. The crucial point was that he had reached the seventh stage! Though only a single stage separated the sixth and seventh stages, it meant that the bottlenecks toward the eighth and ninth stages of the Tengkong Realm were practically gone for Bai Feng. As a result, Bai Feng soared into the ranks of the top five at the Great Xia Civilization Academy. This referred to Bai Feng's generation, not counting the venerable elders of the academy. The Old Principal asked worriedly, "Then will Su Yu be affected? I heard that whenever this time comes, the infighting over there is fierce—not just at the Civilization Academy, but at the War Academy too. People have even lost their lives..." "That only happens in extremely rare circumstances," Liu Wenyan explained, understanding the matter far better than the principal. "People are watching from behind the scenes. Those who lost their lives were mostly due to unforeseen accidents." "Accidents happen, though." The Old Principal said with deep concern, "Su Yu is just an intermediate academy student who was suddenly dragged into this mess. Old Liu, I was wondering... does he really need to go to the Civilization Academy? He's at the seventh stage of the Kaiyuan Realm now, so getting into a War Academy is guaranteed. What do you say..." "Out of the question!" Liu Wenyan furrowed his brows. "Even if he achieves success at a War Academy, it will never compare to what he can achieve at a Civilization Academy! Going to the Civilization Academy now is indeed a hurdle, but once he clears it, he will walk faster, climb higher, and go further!" "Old Liu, he's only eighteen. He doesn't understand any of this." Liu Wenyan said firmly, "If he doesn't understand, he can learn. No one is born understanding everything! Su Yu has immense tenacity; minor setbacks won't break him. Once he weathers this, he will be the most outstanding of them all!" "You see this as a crisis, but I see it as an opportunity. If he entered as an ordinary student, it would take him at least five years before he could touch this sphere. Yet now, the moment he enrolls, he will be in contact with the most exceptional youths. That will only help his future, not hinder it." "As for danger... it won't come to that," Liu Wenyan said in a deep voice. "Bai Feng is no weakling among the younger generation, and his teacher is likewise one of the very few top figures among the Civilization Academy's senior researchers." "When Su Yu arrives, his starting point won't be low. And only with a high starting point and a high baseline will his path forward be that much easier!" "Besides... Su Yu is no worse than anyone else!" At this point, Liu Wenyan smiled. "We haven't updated his profile for the Great Xia Civilization Academy yet. Kaiyuan fifth stage, eighteen All-Races languages—we'll keep it at that for now and not update it! Keep a card hidden to buy Su Yu time, and once he arrives at the Civilization Academy, we'll catch them completely off guard!" Seeing that he had already made up his mind, the Old Principal dropped the subject and asked, "Does he have any hope for the eighth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm?" Over the past two days, Su Yu had not gone out on missions. He merely checked in at the academy, studied a bit of All-Races languages with Liu Wenyan, and quickly headed home. He was preparing to break through to the eighth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm. The eighth stage was a major watershed in the Kaiyuan Realm. Once he broke through, Su Yu would be able to utilize yuanqi and produce far greater explosive power. Paired with his divine character, assassinating an opponent in the Qianjun Realm by surprise would become far less difficult. "I don't know," Liu Wenyan hesitated. "His progress recently has been rapid. In less than two months, he went from the fourth stage to the seventh, and is practically at the eighth. Bai Feng's Kaiyuan Art willpower text helped him considerably, but by the seventh stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, the assistance of that willpower text became limited." "Didn't you say earlier that you would write him a willpower text? Why not write another copy of the Kaiyuan Art for him?" The Old Principal still held some hope for Su Yu's breakthrough. If he succeeded, Su Yu would be the first eighth-stage Kaiyuan genius produced by Nanyuan in twenty years. Twenty years ago, Nanyuan had indeed produced an eighth-stage Kaiyuan student, but... that was somewhat disingenuous. That person had transferred over temporarily from the Great Xia Prefecture and departed immediately after the examinations. "It's useless for me to write that thing now." Liu Wenyan shook his head, then chuckled. "I've already thought of what to write for him, but you'll have to bleed some resources." "Write what?" The Old Principal grew wary. "Thunder Yuan Saber, Chapter One: Qianjun Chapter!" Liu Wenyan said solemnly, "He doesn't lack cultivation methods—he can obtain those at the Civilization Academy—but he lacks martial techniques! He lacks a martial technique carrying an inherited will! Learning ordinary martial techniques is fine, but it's too slow. Only when a martial technique is transcribed as a willpower text can he rapidly absorb the inheritance and master it." "The Thunder Yuan Saber! A Low Mystical-rank martial technique?" The Old Principal stared at him in astonishment. "Can he handle it? No, wait, can you handle it? Can you actually transcribe the Qianjun Chapter of the Thunder Yuan Saber right now?" The strength of a Civilization Master lay not only in combat power; in truth, warriors were certainly not weak in raw martial might. Yet Civilization Masters were formidable in countless ways—such as willpower texts. Bai Feng had written an incomplete Kaiyuan Art, and Su Yu had gained immense benefits from it, reaching the eighth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm with barely any blood essence consumed. That was entirely the influence brought by that willpower text. "I can't handle it?" Liu Wenyan bristled, glaring with indignation. "It's merely Low Mystical-rank, and only the Qianjun Chapter at that! I wouldn't be able to manage it? Who are you looking down on?" "However... you'll have to bleed! I need a hundred drops of Thunder Roar Beast blood essence; Qianjun Realm will do. In addition, I need a Thunder Roar Beast horn ground into powder. And provide me with a piece of Wanshi Realm beast hide so I can transcribe the Thunder Yuan Saber." "You..." The Old Principal's eyes widened as he counted on his fingers. "A hundred drops of Qianjun Realm Thunder Roar Beast blood essence, that's one hundred merit points. A Thunder Roar Beast horn is five merit points apiece. A Wanshi Realm beast hide suitable for transcribing a Mystical-rank martial technique costs at least ten merit points..." "One hundred and fifteen merit points! Are you robbing me?" "Vulgar!" Liu Wenyan scolded, "You're far too vulgar! Tying everything to money! It's only a hundred-odd merit points! Last time the All-Races Sect attacked and was wiped out, didn't the academy receive an extra one thousand merit points?" "That's the academy's foundation!" "What foundation? Didn't I kill a Tengkong expert? I didn't even bother calculating it—did you pocket those merit points for yourself?" "What do you mean I pocketed them!" The Old Principal jumped up in fury. "Stop playing dumb with me! You exchanged them for an original Tengkong All-Races manual yourself, remember? Not only did you spend all your own merit points, but you also ended up heavily indebted to the Great Xia Civilization Academy!" "The Great Xia Prefecture didn't hold it against you, and now you have the nerve to push your luck?" "Do you have any shame?" "Are you even human? Slandering me by saying I pocketed those merit points, I—" Liu Wenyan gave a light cough and interrupted, "I remember now. Wasn't that to improve my strength so I could protect Nanyuan? That ought to count as an official Nanyuan public expense, right? Cough, cough, fine, fine, fine, count it as my own. But now, when it comes to nurturing a genius for Nanyuan, shouldn't the academy offer a bit of support?" "Think about it: Su Yu is a rare genius in Nanyuan. It's difficult for me to transcribe the Thunder Yuan Saber directly relying purely on my own willpower. If he manages to learn it, he'll be able to establish a firm foothold in the Great Xia Prefecture. What do you think?" "If he takes first place in the exams, won't Nanyuan Academy share the honor? Won't that be a great merit for us?" "If he thrives in the Great Xia Prefecture, won't he repay the academy in the future?" "If he reaches the Tengkong Realm or even the Lingyun Realm, whenever he has some spare resources or feels inspired, he could come back to the academy and transcribe a few willpower texts. Wouldn't a single willpower text more than cover what you're paying today?" "Old Wang! A person needs to look far ahead. You're getting on in years, so why is your vision still so shortsighted?" Liu Wenyan spoke with heartfelt indignation. "He has talent, resilience, a solid foundation, and he's someone who remembers kindness. If you don't bleed a little now, why should he come back to repay you once he makes a name for himself?" The Old Principal tugged at his beard, pulling out several more strands. Only after a long silence did he sigh and groan, "Over a hundred merit points!" "What's the big deal? It's just the equivalent of killing one Tengkong cultivator." "You... 'just'? Go ahead and kill another one for me to see!" Liu Wenyan snapped impatiently, "Why all the nonsense? What are merit points saved for anyway? Last time, the instructors at the academy all earned quite a lot, and none of them need to spend any right now. Just consider it an advance for my use! As a Tengkong Civilization Master, I still have basic merit point expenditures, and the Great Xia Prefecture will definitely allocate funds later." As a Civilization Master, even though he was not at the Civilization Academy, he still received basic research stipends. Transcribing willpower texts and tempering the physical body all required resources. Although Liu Wenyan was merely an off-roster Civilization Master, by standard regulations, he was entitled to a portion of basic income. The Old Principal glared at him with wide eyes. "Allocate funds? I asked last time, and the Great Xia Prefecture said you owe them thirty thousand merit points! You won't be able to pay it back in your lifetime, so forget about it!" "Thirty thousand?" Liu Wenyan paused, looking puzzled. "Only thirty thousand? When I left the academy back then, I owed over a hundred thousand. How did it become thirty thousand?" "..." The Old Principal was rendered speechless. Damn it, you actually knew! Taking a deep breath, the Old Principal said irritably, "In any case, your allocation is long gone. I'll give you the materials, but... I must state this in advance: when Su Yu achieves will manifestation one day, he has to take the time to return a willpower text to us!" "That's a given. If he doesn't, once my willpower recovers, I'll write another one." Liu Wenyan smiled, finally relieved that he wouldn't have to dip into his meager personal savings. The Old Principal sighed again, then could not help but grumble, "The Great Xia Prefecture won't even allocate basic merit points to you. What are you going to do about your body tempering moving forward? If you delay for a few more years, just how old will you be?" "If they don't give it, then so be it," Liu Wenyan chuckled. "At least I don't have to worry about food or drink. Speaking of which, I only owe thirty thousand now? Did you ask about the details?" "I did. Researcher Wu paid off fifty thousand for you." Liu Wenyan frowned, and after a moment cursed under his breath, "Fool!" "Hm?" "Missing a screw in his head! When you owe too much, you don't worry about debt—what bloody use was paying fifty thousand? Besides, the merit points I owed to the Great Xia Prefecture weren't real merit points. That was just hot-headed, harsh talk I spouted in a fit of rage back then. I never actually borrowed that many merit points!" Liu Wenyan felt somewhat helpless. Fifty thousand merit points was no small sum! It was an enormous amount! Unwilling to dwell on the matter, he shifted the topic. "Let's not talk about that. Prepare the materials as quickly as possible. Tomorrow, I'll transcribe the Thunder Yuan Saber. If that kid can master it, then even at the eighth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, paired with the Thunder Yuan Saber and his divine character, he can easily handle ordinary second- or third-stage Qianjun opponents." At this point, the Old Principal could no longer bother fretting over the cost. He nodded. If the kid truly achieved greatness, whether he repaid the academy would depend on his conscience. After all, Liu Wenyan was right here, a Civilization Master of the Tengkong Realm. The principal had only been complaining in jest; if Liu Wenyan truly insisted, he could spend every bit of the academy's accumulated assets, and no one would be able to object. As he was about to leave, the Old Principal suddenly turned around and said, "Old Liu, if it really won't work... just give up! Switch to god and demon blood to temper your body. You'll immediately reach the third stage of the Tengkong Realm, and in a few years, you might even enter the Lingyun or Shanhai Realm!" Liu Wenyan beamed. "Give up what? I don't understand." "Old Liu... you're over seventy!" The Old Principal's gaze was complicated. Over seventy was truly no longer young. Liu Wenyan glared, his beard bristling. "What's wrong with being over seventy? You, a mere Wanshi, dare question me, a Tengkong? Do you even know how a Tengkong flies?" "..." The Old Principal was caught between tears and laughter. Muttering a few words, he quickly walked away. That old fellow had remained this way after all these years. Once he was gone, Liu Wenyan exhaled and grumbled irritably, "God and demon blood... am I an idiot? God and demon blood—they want to take it away with just a few drops of Tengkong-level god and demon blood? Keep dreaming! Back then I owed over a hundred thousand merit points... giving me a complete corpse of an All-Races King would barely be enough!" "Over seventy..." Liu Wenyan murmured to himself. Indeed, he was no longer young. Just wait a little longer! If that brat Su Yu could truly go far... but he still needed to observe him further. Five years was not enough! Ten years—he needed to observe him for at least another five years. Once Su Yu reached the Great Xia Prefecture, he had to keep watching him to see whether he could maintain his original aspiration, remain unyielding, and keep pushing forward all the way. "I haven't died yet... I can hold out!" Liu Wenyan muttered softly. If Su Yu didn't work out, he would just keep waiting, wait until his death, and only then return to the Civilization Academy. "That Wu fellow... once he goes there, it'll depend on you." Liu Wenyan looked out the window. He had waited fifty years; what did a little more time matter? The next instant, the sentimental Liu Wenyan suddenly burst out cursing, "Dumbass! Fifty thousand merit points—if you bloody well didn't want them, you could have given them to me! You actually used them to pay off debt, just as stupid as fifty years ago!" "No wonder after all these years you're still a senior researcher and haven't even made vice principal!" "A Civilization Master's strength lies in their brain, and that brain of yours is a pig's brain!" "..." Liu Wenyan cursed for a good while, but his anger still hadn't subsided. Fifty thousand merit points—have you gone mad? Who asked you to pay it back?