A Glimpse of the Future

As he journeyed toward the Great Xia Prefecture, Su Yu quietly began cultivating. Body-casting. Heaven Yuan Qi was steadily, covertly absorbed into his flesh. In a world like this, having no strength meant having nothing; without sufficient power, one could accomplish nothing at all. Yet his current progress felt far too slow. It was not a lack of resources! Nor was it a lack of cultivation methods! What Su Yu lacked were repeated brushes with death, life-or-death trials that could push him to evolve rapidly, deepen his insights, and let him rise through death to swiftly traverse a path that took others decades or centuries. Seclusion could make him strong, but it required time—massive amounts of time. He could not afford to wait! The Great Ming Prefecture could still protect him now, just as the Great Xia Prefecture once might have sheltered the multiple divine character faction. But today... Great Xia's hands were tied because of Xia Longwu. If the day came when Zhu Tiandao was on the verge of attaining Dao confirmation, would Great Ming still have the confidence and resolve to shelter him? In this world, one ultimately had to rely on oneself. *** Mounted on the Cloud-Galloping Horse, Su Yu kept his eyes closed in cultivation. Seeing him cultivate, the others refrained from disturbing him. When Su Yu finally opened his eyes, Zhou Hongbo smiled and said, "Brother Cui, are you... out on this journey to temper yourself and break through to the Lingyun Realm?" To him, Su Yu did not look like he was merely out philandering; there was clearly an element of experiential tempering to his travels. Su Yu smiled. "Indeed. I have lingered in the ninth stage of the Tengkong Realm for some years now. I'm just a step away from Lingyun. It's only that my willpower isn't strong enough yet. Once my willpower level suffices, I'll be able to step right into Lingyun!" With that, he chuckled. "Brother Zhou must be one of the top prodigies at Quest Academy, right? It seems to me your strength is comparable to mine, and you must be younger than me, aren't you?" Zhou Hongbo smiled. "Just average. At Quest Academy, I don't amount to much. It's true I'm at the ninth stage of Tengkong, but I'm still quite a ways from Lingyun." "How old are you, Brother Zhou?" "Twenty-eight." Su Yu marveled, "Twenty-eight? At that age, with that cultivation, you'd be a top-tier genius no matter which prefecture you went to! Even the likes of Huang Teng and Qin Fang can hardly surpass that, right?" Zhou Hongbo smiled faintly without denying it. Beside them, the young woman who had barely spoken, Liu Han from the War God Academy, said indifferently, "When speaking of geniuses in the Human Realm today, Su Yu and Shan Xiong are the true standouts. Compared to them, we still fall short." Zhou Hongbo smiled without speaking, while Su Yu acted dismissive. "That's only because they came across immense opportunities. If the rest of us had such great fortunes, we wouldn't necessarily be worse than them." Liu Han said nothing more, disinclined to argue. Besides, she did not even know Su Yu. At that point, Su Yu asked with a grin, "Brother Zhou, are you from the Great Zhou Prefecture?" Zhou Hongbo offered a light chuckle. "You could say that." "'Could say that'?" "Brother Cui probably doesn't know the specifics. Typically, an Invincible family is split into two branches: one oversees the prefecture, while the other resides in the sacred land. I come from the Zhou family line in the sacred land. When you speak of the Great Zhou Prefecture's lineage... there are actually some differences." Zhou Hongbo offered that bit of explanation. Their ancestors were of the same family, but now, clear divisions existed. Su Yu showed comprehension, nodding with a smile. "Ah, I see. In our Great Ming Prefecture, the Manor Lord's eldest prince also went off to make his way in the Quest Realm. Have you seen him, Brother Zhou?" At the mention of Zhu Guangshen, Zhou Hongbo let out a dry laugh and did not answer. That guy... was naturally there. They saw him every single day! The people in the Quest Realm had nearly been driven mad. That lunatic had actually started tilling the land right in front of the Quest Realm's main gate, leading ten thousand laborers in farming. Could anyone even imagine such a spectacle? No one could! Never had anyone witnessed someone so utterly absurd. Even King Dahan was left speechless. After inspecting the site once, he had said nothing and simply relocated the entire sacred land's front gates by a thousand zhang, essentially telling Zhu Guangshen: *Go ahead and keep farming, we're not playing your game.* Nearby, Liu Han was also aware of this matter. She let out a soft laugh but kept quiet. Zhu Guangshen, the Zhu family of Great Ming... they were truly a fascinating clan. Nowadays, he could be considered a tyrant of sorts in the Quest Realm. Yet when he chose to farm, nobody could do anything about it. He held legitimate inheritance rights after all! The Eight Great Families had effectively become nine. Judging by his posture, Zhu Guangshen truly intended to take root in the Quest Realm. Seeing that they refrained from discussing Zhu Guangshen, Su Yu dropped the subject. After a brief pause, he feigned curiosity once more. "To be honest, I've never visited either of the two sacred lands. Are the academies in the sacred lands very powerful? A while ago, some students from the sacred lands came to our Great Ming Prefecture, but I couldn't see anything particularly remarkable. Their strength felt... just ordinary." Zhou Hongbo replied with a calm smile, "The sacred land academies are exceptionally strong! They gather the geniuses of numerous prominent clans throughout the Human Realm. They have abundant resources, exceptional talent, broad horizons, and a vast collection of cultivation methods. Moreover, with the Heaven Yuan Sacred Land available, one generally only graduates upon reaching the Lingyun Realm. Even now, I am still counted as a student." Su Yu drew in a sharp breath. "Damn! So you're saying that if I were in a sacred land, I'd still be just a student?" "That's indeed the case." Zhou Hongbo chuckled. "However, Brother Cui, your armamentsmithing has already reached the Profound rank, so you need not be judged purely by cultivation. A Profound-rank armamentsmith enjoys a status comparable to that of a Lingyun or Shanhai expert. Once you reach the Earth rank, that's equivalent to the Sun Moon Realm, making you an honored guest even to Invincibles." What he truly valued was Su Yu's smithing rank. As for cultivation... the ninth stage of Tengkong really was not that rare. At twenty-eight, Zhou Hongbo was already at the ninth stage of Tengkong himself. Lingyun was not far off! Furthermore, the strength of sacred land students was not something that students from ordinary academies could compare with. "Are there many people in the sacred land academies?" Su Yu wore an inquisitive look, and just as Zhou Hongbo furrowed his brows slightly, Su Yu leaned in and chuckled under his breath, "Brother Zhou, are there any women in there who have great talent, decent strength, and pretty looks, but don't come from any big background?" "..." Zhou Hongbo felt thoroughly exhausted. Over on the side, Liu Han let out a cold snort. "Students in the sacred land are either the descendants of Sun Moon experts or descendants of Invincibles. Even those who aren't still possess peerless talent, or their elders hold high office!" Wan Tiansheng, for instance, was nominally at the Shanhai Realm, but as a headmaster, his descendants were eligible to attend. Zheng Yunhui's grandfather was a headmaster, so Zheng Yunhui was also eligible to go. Naturally, the children of ordinary Shanhai experts rarely had such opportunities. Su Yu acted utterly unfazed. "I'm not afraid of Sun Moon descendants! There are plenty of Sun Moon experts around, and they have heaps of descendants. In terms of status, are they any more noble than me?" He gave a contemptuous laugh. "Little girl, don't put on airs with me! Bluntly speaking, an Invincible's descendant might warrant some face from me, but only if they're within three to five generations. Beyond three to five generations of bloodline... unless the Invincible king personally values them, how could they possibly compare to me? And you act so haughty, looking down on people? Heh!" Su Yu appeared arrogant and brazen! Zhou Hongbo smiled without speaking, while Liu Han's expression shifted before she chose to keep her mouth shut. Around them, several geniuses secretly rejoiced. Those who were not the descendants of Sun Moon experts felt especially gratified. Indeed! What was there to be proud of? Cui Lang might not be the descendant of an Invincible or a Sun Moon expert, but he was the disciple of a Sun Moon master and a prospective grandson-in-law to a ninth-stage Sun Moon powerhouse. In terms of background, he had no reason to fear anyone. Su Yu maintained a nonchalant expression, curling his lip. "I was just inquiring a bit, and you act like you're above everyone else! Tch! Sacred land geniuses who've never seen the world, is that it? What do the sacred lands amount to anyway? Just an alliance hub for the various prefectures. Without the prefectures, the sacred lands wouldn't mean shit!" "Cui Lang!" Someone snapped softly! It was the Shanhai elder from the Quest Realm. The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "Cui Lang, you should run your words through your head first. Do not speak recklessly!" Su Yu shrugged. "My apologies. People from our Great Ming Prefecture tend to speak casually; it's a habit. But it's also the truth. What are the sacred lands anyway... without the Invincibles of the various prefectures... they wouldn't amount to much in the first place. Our Great Ming Manor Lord said it himself: the sacred lands don't count for jack, and the people from the sacred lands wouldn't dare mess with Great Ming. Apologies, apologies, I don't mean you all, Brother Zhou—don't misunderstand. Anyway, that's just how we talk about the sacred lands; Great Ming doesn't pay much attention to all that nonsense." His remarks put the experts from the sacred lands in an awkward spot. Yet none of them retorted, because the various prefectures truly did share that attitude. As for the sacred lands, when people gave them face, it was because they served as an alliance hub and had Invincibles holding the fort. Without Invincibles holding the fort... whether anyone gave them face was another story entirely. Even with an Invincible stationed there, like the current situation where the Great Han Prefecture could hardly be bothered to pay attention to the others in the sacred land, it was because their own ancestor was the one in charge. Why bother giving face to others when King Dahan was the one propping it all up? Huang He and the others could only conclude that the people of Great Ming were genuinely unrestrained. To utter such words right in front of people from the sacred lands—was he not afraid they would hold a grudge? Su Yu grinned merrily. "I have a foul mouth, so please don't take offense. It's just my personality; has been for years. Please bear with me, everyone—I have no intention of belittling anyone." "Understood!" Zhou Hongbo's smile returned as he said, "Brother Cui is indeed forthright! Just as Brother Cui said, 'sacred land'... is merely a title. It is essentially the same as the various prefectures, an integral whole. The original intention behind establishing the sacred lands was simply to provide an additional place for communication across the Human Realm, so people could become more familiar and integrated." Having a branch from each prefecture relocate there had indeed carried the purpose of integrating the various prefectures. Yet the result... had clearly been a failure. The branch that moved over did not necessarily see eye to eye with the branch remaining in the home prefecture. This was perfectly normal; one ran a major prefecture while the other was stationed in a sacred land, and instances of mutual defiance were common. Chatting along the way, the group advanced at great speed. They drew closer and closer to the Great Xia provincial capital. Nothing unexpected occurred during the rest of the journey. Cui Lang, as portrayed by Su Yu, was exceptionally talkative, chatting with one person, then striking up a conversation with another. Before long, everyone had become familiar with him, even those who had not known him prior. He had no malicious habits; he simply spoke too casually and without ill intent. Yet at times, his words could truly provoke anger. In the words of those who understood Cui Lang: that scoundrel criticized everyone unless the topic was women, and after tearing someone down, he might not even remember who he had just offended. *** All along the road, Su Yu continuously tempered his willpower. He wanted his willpower to advance! To break into the third tier, to enter Lingyun, so that his divine characters would have a chance to reach the fourth tier. If divine characters like "Conceal," "Shift," and "Still" could all reach the fourth tier, they would become Shanhai-tier divine characters. Paired with a third-tier willpower at the genuine Lingyun Realm, one hundred and eighty opened divine apertures, corresponding techniques and innate skills, plus the divine talisman bestowed by Old Bull, fooling all Sun Moon experts should not be an issue, even if he could not fool an Invincible. As for Invincibles, they would only see through him if they probed him thoroughly, but were Invincibles really that idle? At this moment, he no longer cared about continuing to forge and temper his willpower to extreme purity. He just wanted to advance! Originally, the Expanding Will Art could have continued purifying his willpower, but Su Yu had no intention of doing so right now. He needed to enter Lingyun first; at the very least, he had to be able to deceive Sun Moon experts like Marquis Xia. Neither outlining new divine characters nor expanding the sea of will was an urgent priority. Perhaps... he could use the feedback from armamentsmithing to nourish himself! With that thought in mind, Su Yu began laying the groundwork for his upcoming meeting with Zhao Li, turning the conversation toward smithing. Soon, he looked toward a young genius in the group and asked, "Xiao Li, besides Master Ma, are there any other formidable experts from the Forging faction here in the Great Xia Prefecture?" Master Ma was Great Xia's sole Earth-rank armamentsmith. Xiao Li, an alumnus from the Great Xia Prefecture who had graduated long ago, smiled upon hearing Su Yu's inquiry. "Of course there are. Although Great Xia has only one Earth-rank armamentsmith, strictly speaking, there is also a quasi-Earth-rank master." Su Yu immediately replied, "You wouldn't happen to be talking about Master Zhao Li, would you? The son of the Great Xia Civilization Academy's Fourth Headmaster, and the junior brother of Headmaster Zhao Tianbing of the Great Zhou Armament Academy?" "That's Master Zhao Li!" Xiao Li smiled. "I knew Brother Cui would know of Master Zhao. When I call Master Zhao a quasi-Earth-rank master, Brother Cui has no objections, right?" Su Yu shrugged. "None at all. However... it's quite a pity. I've heard my teacher mention Master Zhao several times with great regret, saying that if his ambitions hadn't been overly grand back in the day, he would have become an Earth-rank armamentsmith long ago. Given my status, visiting Master Ma might be overstepping, but do you think if I visit Master Zhao, I might be able to exchange insights with him?" Xiao Li smiled wryly. "That's really hard to say. Master Zhao has a peculiar temper, and over the past six months, it's become exceedingly eccentric. However... Brother Cui is a genius in armamentsmithing. Let me give you an idea: say that you know Su Yu. Master Zhao shares something of a master-disciple relationship with Su Yu, so you can see if you can use that opportunity to converse a bit." "Su Yu?" Su Yu feigned astonishment. "He shares a master-disciple relationship with Master Zhao? He knows how to forge armaments? You're not pulling my leg, are you? I've never heard of this." Xiao Li laughed. "Of course he doesn't know armamentsmithing. But when he was at the Great Xia Civilization Academy, he minored in the Forging faction, primarily to learn Master Zhao's Expanding Will Art. That's the technique that has become quite famous now—the one that conjures a colossal hammer specifically used to smash people. Master Zhao originally used it for smithing, but Su Yu learned it just to kill people." "The Expanding Will Art... that's indeed a fine treasure." Zhou Hongbo chimed in with a smile. "I know of it as well. It's truly a shame he refuses to pass it on to outsiders. Such a divine art, top-notch for smithing and equally lethal for killing, ought to be inherited and propagated." Su Yu said with amusement, "Brother Zhou, don't drool over it. Everyone drools over the secret arts of Invincibles too, but how many of those are passed to outsiders?" "That's different." Zhou Hongbo smiled. "Invincible secret arts aren't passed outside because of fears that the various races might obtain them and devise specific counter-researches. Researcher Zhao Li is not an Invincible, only a Lingyun. In truth, the art could easily be passed on. Brother Cui, what do you think?" "What do I think? What does it have to do with me? I won't get to learn it anyway." Su Yu chuckled. "Still, I wouldn't mind having a chat with him. Does Master Zhao have a granddaughter? A great-granddaughter works too. Frankly speaking, if he's willing to teach me the Expanding Will Art, I wouldn't mind marrying into his family..." The crowd fell silent. Here he went again! Just how many grandfathers did this bastard plan on adopting? Su Yu laughed heartily and soon looked at Xiao Li. "Xiao Li, when we arrive in the Great Xia Prefecture, I'll have to trouble you to introduce me. I won't let you run errands for nothing—how about a Profound-rank civilized armament?" Grinning, he added, "It's nothing major. I just want to deliver a civilized armament I forged for Master Zhao to inspect, to get some pointers from him. If he looks down on it, so be it. But if he takes an interest, learning from a smith of the same rank who is on the verge of advancing should benefit me greatly. Coming to the Great Xia Prefecture this time, I had this intention in mind." Su Yu sighed. "A Profound-rank civilized armament requires at least thirty-seven gold patterns, with nine patterns per grade; forty-six patterns makes it middle-grade Profound. In the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao, I actually managed to forge a middle-grade Profound civilized armament with forty-six patterns. But whenever I try forging it in reality, the heat always seems just a bit lacking..." The moment these words left his mouth, the expressions of several people shifted. Middle-grade Profound rank? The Pavilion of a Hundred Dao could essentially be regarded as reflecting reality! This meant Cui Lang was genuinely just a sliver away from advancing to middle-grade Profound rank, which was on a completely different level from low-grade Profound! At that moment, a Shanhai elder from a prominent clan spoke directly: "Young Friend Cui, did you truly forge an armament with forty-six gold patterns in the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao?" "Would I need to lie about that?" Su Yu retorted in annoyance. "Yet it doesn't work in reality. My journey this time carries this exact purpose: I want to consult armamentsmiths from different lineages. What I learned belongs to the orthodoxy of the Great Ming Prefecture, but now I always feel something is missing, or perhaps my willpower is still too weak. Once I reach Lingyun, I'll likely reach middle-grade Profound." Middle-grade Profound rank! This time, even Zhou Hongbo and his companions took him considerably more seriously. This fellow's talent in armamentsmithing was genuinely formidable. By his own account, once he reached Lingyun, he would inevitably be able to forge middle-grade Profound civilized armaments. At the Lingyun Realm, he might very well reach the peak of the Profound rank, just like Zhao Li. In ten or twenty years, this man might become another Earth-rank armamentsmith! Xiao Li hurriedly said, "No problem, Brother Cui, rest assured! I'm very familiar with Master Zhao Li's disciple, and I'll have him pass it along. However... Master Zhao might not necessarily look at it. That... is something I can't guarantee." Su Yu smiled. "That doesn't matter. Once we enter the city, let's head straight to the Great Xia Civilization Academy. To tell you the truth, I'm also very interested in that failed Earth-rank civilized armament Master Zhao was working on. I've been wondering: if I assist him in smithing it, and it succeeds, could I reap some benefits? When a civilized armament is successfully forged, the feedback of willpower that aids in tempering—could it help me step into Lingyun?" The moment those words were spoken, everyone fell silent at once. Forget it! You? Forge an Earth-rank civilized armament? Aren't you being far too brazen! Su Yu laughed. "Just an assistant, not the primary smith! My system is the orthodox smithing lineage from the Great Ming Prefecture, whereas Master Zhao's smithing system should be different from mine, derived from the Great Xia Civilization Academy's Fourth Headmaster..." "That's not the issue!" Xiao Li explained, "Master Zhao's temper is truly bizarre. You must know of his senior brother, who is close to becoming a Heaven-rank armamentsmith. If Master Zhao were willing, he could have sought his senior brother's help years ago. Yet because Headmaster Zhao went to the Great Zhou Prefecture back then, Master Zhao refuses to even acknowledge him as a senior brother..." Su Yu showed surprise. "Really? I recall that in the recording Su Yu released not long ago, Master Zhao's senior brother went to help. Master Zhao must have been the one who invited him, right?" "I'm not clear on that, but everyone in the prefecture knows Master Zhao doesn't hold Headmaster Zhao Tianbing in high regard. So do you really think he'd let you assist him in smithing? He has backed himself into a corner now, determined to succeed in smithing on his own; otherwise, he'd rather not forge at all." Su Yu smiled. "That might not be the case. He holds a grudge against his senior brother, but he doesn't hold one against me! Let's just give it a try. If it doesn't work, so be it; broadening my horizons is good enough." "Fair enough, then!" Xiao Li felt he was dreaming—it was practically impossible. Zhao Li was not someone known for a pleasant disposition; did Cui Lang truly believe Zhao Li would fawn over a mere genius from the Forging faction? Among his own disciples, there were already Profound-rank armamentsmiths. If he truly needed help, there was no need to look for Cui Lang. *** The group chatted all along the journey. It was not until May 22 that they finally arrived at the Great Xia Prefecture. At this point, Feng Qi had just been escorted back by General Zhao. No one knew whether any Invincible powerhouses had arrived yet, but the Great Xia Prefecture had not officially announced the public trial. Others prepared to visit friends, while some headed toward the Xia family of Great Xia to inquire about the public trial. Su Yu, along with Xiao Li and a few others, headed straight for the Great Xia Civilization Academy. *** Great Xia Civilization Academy. The Forging College. Inside Zhao Li's research institute, Zhao Li was immersed in researching puppets, paying no heed to the outside world. He had not gone out for a long time and could not be bothered to. The present Great Xia Civilization Academy felt lifeless. It had become livelier recently, but that was not the kind of liveliness he desired. Lately, he spent most of his time conducting his own research. The doorbell rang. Zhao Li ignored it, acting as though he had heard nothing. Outside the door, his eldest disciple called out with a helpless expression, "Teacher, a guest has arrived!" He had not actually wanted to deliver some civilized armament for his teacher to inspect. In the past, he would not have bothered either, but right now, he felt his teacher needed a distraction. A genius armamentsmith from the Great Ming Prefecture seemed like a good candidate. "I'm not seeing anyone!" "Teacher, it's an armamentsmith from the Great Ming Prefecture who claims to know Junior Brother Su. He has attained the Profound rank himself. Teacher, he also sent over one of his pieces. Would you like to take a look?" "From Great Ming?" Zhao Li said impatiently, "Hasn't Great Ming always looked down on Great Xia's armamentsmiths? What did he come to Great Xia for?" "He is stuck between the low grade and middle grade of the Profound rank, and wants to seek different smithing approaches to break through. Knowing of Teacher's prowess, he came specifically to pay his respects. He is also Headmaster Niu's nominal disciple and knows Junior Brother Su." "Su Yu..." Zhao Li murmured the name. Someone who knew that kid? After a moment of consideration, he turned around and opened the door. His disciple was overjoyed! Yet looking at Zhao Li again, seeing how much he had aged, a wave of sorrow welled up inside the disciple. "Teacher, please take care of your health, rest more..." "Cut the crap!" Zhao Li snapped in annoyance, "Do I need you to lecture me? If you had any capability, you'd reach the Earth rank sooner and spare me the headache! Where is the item? Let me see it. If it's garbage, tell him to get lost; I have no time to see trash!" His eldest disciple dared not tarry, hurriedly handing over a box. Zhao Li took it, opened the box, and froze slightly. It was a blade! A small black blade. It looked very similar to the blade he had once gifted to Su Yu. Of course, it was not that same blade; this was a peak low-grade Profound civilized armament forged with forty-five gold patterns, quite a decent piece. He picked it up and examined it closely. It employed the orthodox smithing methods of the Great Ming Prefecture. Zhao Li curled his lip. "Standardized smithing—far too ordinary, just another assembly-line product! King Tianzhu does nothing but mislead disciples with this nonsense! Craftsmanship straight out of the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao—everything from Great Ming looks cut from the same mold! Does King Tianzhu really think that everyone learning from him can become the next Heaven-rank armamentsmith? If that were possible, Great Ming would have produced one long ago! Back then, if Hu Qi hadn't learned his standardized smithing, she might have had a chance to rival that Zhao fellow from Great Zhou. Now, she's far behind!" Indeed, the smithing heritage of the Pavilion of a Hundred Dao originated from King Tianzhu, the Human Realm's sole Heaven-rank armamentsmith. Yet Zhao Li believed that was King Tianzhu's own path, which did not mean it suited everyone. It lacked a spark of spirituality! To his eyes, everyone learning this smithing method was merely producing assembly-line products. An armamentsmith needed independent thought and unique ideas, rather than rigidly adhering to standard templates! These so-called Great Ming geniuses were utterly worthless in his view! His disciple hurriedly said, "It's actually quite impressive. The smith is only thirty-five years old. Judging by this weapon, he is just one step away from middle-grade Profound. Before forty, he has a solid chance of becoming a high-grade Profound armamentsmith." "Tch, it's still standardized!" Zhao Li scoffed dismissively, then flipped the blade over, only to freeze. Carved on the back of the blade were several small characters: *The day I step into Lingyun, the heavens forge an Earth-rank armament.* Zhao Li was momentarily lost in thought. His disciple caught sight of the inscription as well and chuckled. "This Cui Lang certainly doesn't lack ambition. I've long heard he likes to boast, and it seems the rumors were true! Is he claiming that the moment he achieves Lingyun, he'll be able to forge an Earth-rank armament? If it were that easy, Earth-rank armamentsmiths would be everywhere." Zhao Li said nothing. He gently caressed the blade. The style of this weapon, combined with those words... he knew who had returned. That kid had returned. So fast! It had been barely half a year, yet that kid had actually come back. Cui Lang! He wanted to laugh, but keeping a straight face, he forced down his amusement and said, "Fine, it's passable. Since he's from the Great Ming Prefecture, have him come see me. What kind of garbage did he make? Filled with flaws! Otherwise, it would have reached middle-grade Profound long ago. Still, it's slightly better than you. If you don't reach peak Profound rank soon, get the hell out of my sight and don't tell anyone you're my disciple!" His disciple was ecstatic—his teacher was finally willing to see someone! As for the scolding, he simply tuned it out. He hurriedly said, "Yes! I'll inform him to come see you right away! Teacher, please wait a moment, I'll be right back!" "Hurry up!" The eager disciple thought nothing of the urgency in those words. Had he reflected deeper, he might have wondered why his teacher would urge him to hurry, why there was any rush at all. With Zhao Li's temperament, even if an Invincible arrived, he might not show much regard. The disciple departed in haste. Zhao Li smiled, then quickly composed his expression and turned back into the research institute. *That kid... is this really a weapon he forged?* *Remarkable!* *A Profound-rank weapon already!* *Such smithing craftsmanship is truly splendid. I knew my judgment wasn't wrong. How much time did that kid even have to study smithing?* *And yet, with just casual practice, he's already near middle-grade Profound.* *If he had studied under me all along, he might already be at the Earth rank. Perhaps the next Heaven-rank armamentsmith in the Human Realm would have been him.* *What a waste, choosing to cultivate the multiple divine character lineage.* *Sigh!* He let out a sigh, feeling a touch of regret. *Back then, I should have insisted on taking him as my disciple. What Bai Feng? I should have slapped him to death for stealing my student! Now look at what happened—Su Yu was dragged into that massive quagmire.* *Multiple divine characters... hmph!* *Extinction is only a matter of time!* With the current situation, others might not understand, but how could he fail to see it? It was doomed to end in disaster! Hong Tan insisting on founding some Multiple Divine Character College would invite catastrophe sooner or later. And now, Su Yu had returned. Zhao Li's brows furrowed. *He returned too early; he shouldn't have come back so soon. But... it's still fine. If he had waited another year, he might not have even seen Hong Tan and the others again.* Pondering this, Zhao Li smiled, baring his teeth. It was good that he had returned! *** Meanwhile. Behaving as though he were entering the Great Xia Civilization Academy for the very first time, Su Yu carried an air of curiosity and novelty as he smiled and asked, "Senior Brother Wang, I heard that Great Xia has students from various other races. How come I haven't seen any?" Senior Brother Wang, Zhao Li's disciple, replied with a smile, "Normally, they operate within the Myriad Races Academy, which isn't in the same zone as ours." "Ah!" Su Yu sighed with regret. "That's too bad." As he spoke, he walked along the familiar paths. Along the way, he spotted several familiar faces among the students, and in the distance, he even saw Lin Yao walking with his head down. A faint smile graced Su Yu's face. *I have returned!* *After nearly half a year, I've returned to this place. Yet... I am no longer Su Yu.* *I am Cui Lang!* *I am a Profound-rank armamentsmith!* *I am an outside prodigy visiting Zhao Li, no longer the Su Yu of the Great Xia Civilization Academy.* Looking toward the distant Xiuxin Pavilion, Su Yu smiled faintly. *That headmaster who loves monitoring the academy—is he watching again this time?* *Can he see through my identity?* With a smile, Su Yu followed Zhao Li's disciple forward. *** At that very moment, inside the Xiuxin Pavilion. A figure appeared before Wan Tiansheng's eyes. Initially, he had paid it no mind, but the instant Su Yu stepped into the academy... Wan Tiansheng let out a soft laugh. *What did you come back for at this hour?* *You've disguised yourself quite well!* *Unfortunately... you forgot that back then, I left something on you.* *If I hadn't been paying attention, I might truly have overlooked it.* *What a pity, did you really think you could fool me?* *At the very moment Feng Qi has been escorted back, when Chen Yong is on the verge of being branded a traitor, and when Hong Tan is about to inaugurate the Multiple Divine Character College—what did you rascal come back for?* *Have you reached the ninth stage of Tengkong?* The next instant, he froze slightly. *Ninth-stage Tengkong?* *Lingyun... battling Shanhai!* *Which stage of Lingyun?* He had not paid attention to that detail! All he knew was that it would happen in the Lingyun Realm! Wan Tiansheng fell into a brief daze. *Just... how far into the future did I see?* *I burned a century of lifespan and saw him battling a Shanhai as a Lingyun, but did I see which stage of Lingyun he had reached?* *Did I see when he battled that Shanhai?* *He looks like he's about to step into Lingyun!* In that instant, Wan Tiansheng shot up straight! His gaze shifted dramatically. Burning a century of lifespan, he had assumed he had caught a glimpse of events at least ten years into the future, perhaps even twenty years... Yet now, Su Yu had arrived, and he was on the verge of entering the Lingyun Realm! Wan Tiansheng rose to his feet and looked into the distance. At this moment, several immensely powerful auras were approaching. Naturally, ordinary people could not sense them, but he knew that Invincible experts would soon arrive. Invincible... Lingyun... Shanhai... His mind spun! The Great Xia Civilization Academy! A sea of blood and a mountain of corpses—that was what Su Yu had witnessed, and Wan Tiansheng had caught glimpses of it as well. The Great Xia Civilization Academy... the Great Xia Civilization Academy! Wan Tiansheng walked to the window, gazing down at the academy and down at Su Yu. His expression underwent a complete transformation. After a long silence, a single curse escaped his lips: "Fuck." *Could what I saw actually be happening in the coming days?!* *Fuck!* *I burned a century of my lifespan, and you're telling me what I saw is about to unfold right now?* *How much time has even passed?* *So a century of lifespan only bought me a view of six months or a year ahead?* *That can't be!* Wan Tiansheng's face shifted through multiple expressions. *I feel like everything has slipped entirely out of control.* *It shouldn't be. How could a massive upheaval occur right now?* *Preparations aren't even finished!* *Just how far into the future was that vision?* "You little bastard... you're a jinx!" Helplessness filled his heart. *Now I'm truly questioning my life. Is it really happening this time?* Invincibles were arriving this time around as well.