Barely Holding It Together!

Liu Wenyan briskly dashed off the remaining five strikes, finally letting out a long sigh of relief. Sensing the Old Principal's gaze lock onto him, Liu Wenyan maintained a calm and composed demeanor, muttering as if to himself, "Once you get into the rhythm of this, it actually gets easier and easier." The Old Principal did not know much about this. The world of Civilization Masters was beyond his understanding. Much of the knowledge he possessed had been shared with him by Liu Wenyan. Hearing those words now, the Old Principal's expression shifted before he suddenly stared at Liu Wenyan with burning fervor. Liu Wenyan turned to look at him, taken aback. *Why so passionate?* "You... you can still write more?" The Old Principal's question made Liu Wenyan's heart skip a beat! "Old Liu!" The Old Principal quickly crept closer and whispered, "Can you really write more? Is it really that simple? A single willpower text written by a Tengkong Realm Civilization Master sold to a wealthy merchant for their descendants would easily fetch three hundred merit points—and that's a conservative estimate!" "If you write a hundred copies, your debt will be cleared! And once it's cleared... can't you return to the Civilization Academy?" "Of course, there are material costs... but that's only around a hundred merit points or so. Even then, writing a hundred and fifty copies would still pay it off!" The Old Principal was ecstatic! Liu Wenyan was dumbfounded! *I... I was just making casual conversation.* *You actually took it seriously?!* Never mind a whole book—just transcribing those four strikes had nearly run him ragged. Besides... how could a willpower text ever be that simple? First, as a Civilization Master, he had to possess an exceptionally deep foundation in the *Thunder Yuan Saber* and have mastered it thoroughly. Civilization Masters simply did not have the spare time to learn so many things. On top of that, the willpower drain was enormous, and recovering it was vastly more difficult than recovering yuan qi. Three hundred merit points... Writing one text every few months was feasible. Demanding he write one every day? You could beat him to death and he still couldn't produce it. Writing three or four simple texts a year, like the *Kaiyuan Art*, was something Liu Wenyan could manage. But transcribing three or four copies of the *Thunder Yuan Saber* a year would be more than he could bear; he would have no time left to cultivate or do anything else. "Old Wang..." Liu Wenyan cursed internally, but a mysterious smile played across his lips as he said in a low voice, "Watch your words! There are strict rules in the trade of Civilization Masters. Many things cannot be spread outside, lest they fall into the hands of All-Races Sect spies." "The All-Races Sect doesn't lack Profound-rank martial techniques like the *Thunder Yuan Saber*, but aside from their own Civilization Masters writing willpower texts for them, the willpower texts written by Civilization Masters from the various prefectures are strictly forbidden from circulating to outsiders!" "Even if one leaked out, it wouldn't be one freshly written on the spot like this. It would be an old copy stored for who knows how long, its power almost completely faded to that of an ordinary object. A willpower text like that is practically useless and worth very little." Smiling faintly, Liu Wenyan whispered, "Don't bring this up again. Be careful, or the higher-ups will come looking for trouble." The Old Principal paused, looking somewhat disappointed. "I see. I thought it sounded too good to be true. If earning merit points were really that easy, Civilization Masters wouldn't lack them, and Bai Feng wouldn't have needed to come all the way here just to kill a fourth-stage Tengkong..." He had only entertained the idea because Liu Wenyan claimed it grew simpler as he wrote. Now hearing that there were restrictions, he felt he finally understood! Liu Wenyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Restrictions did exist, of course, but standard private transactions with the wealthy were generally overlooked. The real problem was... he couldn't actually do it! Never mind him—even if you asked a powerhouse of the Lingyun Realm or Shanhai Realm to write a hundred copies a year, could they? They couldn't do it either! Even if they could, they wouldn't. They had their own cultivation and duties to attend to. Depleting their willpower excessively would leave no willpower to nurture their divine characters. If problems arose because of that, who would take the blame? Liu Wenyan simply ignored the Old Principal and turned his attention to Su Yu. At that moment, Su Yu was still struggling. His focus was no longer on the saber technique, but on the divine character he had captured. Liu Wenyan watched with anticipation, but also felt a growing headache. *His willpower is too weak. Nurturing a single divine character is already difficult, yet now he's captured a second one... Sigh. If this continues, the growth rate of his willpower will be severely dragged down!* Liu Wenyan was delighted, yet worried at the same time. Having too many divine characters was truly not a good thing. Of course, having none at all was even worse. Yet with so many, how was Su Yu supposed to nurture them? His willpower was limited. If a divine character went without nourishment, it would eventually dissipate. Yet nurturing them demanded tremendous consumption that he could not readily replenish, which could easily drag him down. *His willpower fullness is around nineteen percent now, nearly twenty. Nurturing two divine characters... that 'Blood' character can absorb blood to nourish itself, so he should be able to hold on with two.* *He absolutely cannot nurture a third. At least until he reaches Character Cultivation, he must not outline another divine character.* Liu Wenyan felt conflicted. Sometimes encountering a genius was a headache in its own right. Because Su Yu captured divine characters so rapidly, it was easy for him to overdo his talent and run himself into the ground—or take on too many characters, stagnating for decades without making an inch of progress, which would essentially ruin him. "The rest of you may head back now!" Liu Wenyan spoke up, then added with utter solemnity, "The Thunder Yuan Saber must not be leaked! As a Profound-rank martial technique, even an ordinary rubbing is forbidden from being shared! Even in a Civilization Academy or War Academy, an ordinary rubbing of such a technique costs a hundred merit points to exchange for!" The Old Principal had been so fixated on the value of a willpower text that he had overlooked the fact that this was a Profound-rank martial technique. Now, he snapped back to his senses as well. Hearing this, the Old Principal hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, absolutely do not spread it! The martial techniques in War Academies are almost entirely rubbings; willpower texts are rare exceptions! If a Profound-rank technique is leaked and traced back to you, it will cause immense trouble!" Not having a willpower text did not mean one could not practice the technique. It merely meant progress would be far slower, relying entirely on self-comprehension. The function of a willpower text was akin to having a supreme powerhouse provide a comprehensive, real-time breakdown, allowing deeper comprehension and far faster mastery. Only now did the Old Principal recall this detail, glancing at Liu Wenyan with concern. This old fellow had talked only about willpower texts earlier, causing him to forget how precious the rubbing itself was. This wasn't an academy technique; Liu Wenyan had brought it himself. Would he get into trouble for passing it on? Liu Wenyan was not nearly as anxious. Seeing the students looking nervous, he dropped his stern demeanor and smiled. "Practicing it yourselves is fine—I am the one bestowing it upon you. But no outsiders, including family members, may be taught." "The human race does not encourage reaping without sowing. Everything requires paying an equivalent price; those who take without giving are parasites! Consider this *Thunder Yuan Saber* my graduation gift to you all. Even if you didn't master it today, it doesn't matter. You still have long lives ahead of you." "Thank you, Instructor Liu!" The students hurriedly expressed their gratitude. Although none of them had fully perceived the willpower text—a few had caught glimpses, though their gains were modest—they had all read the rubbing. "All right, go home and rest well. It doesn't matter if you couldn't perceive it this time. It was your first try. Once you have experience, you'll gain more next time. Civilization Academies have plenty of Civilization Masters capable of transcribing willpower texts, as long as you work hard!" "Thank you, Teacher!" The students thanked him once more and filed out full of anticipation. Many glanced back at Su Yu, whose body was still trembling slightly, wondering with curiosity which strike Su Yu had managed to see. As for Su Yu learning more than them, they weren't surprised. Liu Wenyan had been taking Su Yu everywhere these past few days, clearly giving him private tutelage. Envy and jealousy were pointless. *** Half an hour later. Su Yu woke up. By now, only he and Liu Wenyan remained in the office. Startled, Su Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher, I... I didn't finish reading it just now..." He felt somewhat chagrined. He had been so preoccupied with beating his new underling into submission that he had forgotten to watch the subsequent saber strikes. He wasn't stupid; he naturally understood that transcribing a willpower text was no easy feat, and he had wasted the opportunity. Liu Wenyan, however, did not mind in the slightest and asked with a mild smile, "Which strike did you reach?" "The third strike... I didn't have time to look at the fourth." Su Yu wore a look of remorse, filled with regret. *Phew!* Liu Wenyan let out a quiet sigh. That was a relief. Seeing three strikes was plenty. If the boy had actually looked further, he would probably be bewildered as to why the subsequent strikes lacked any figures! "No matter. Even if you saw them now, you wouldn't be able to learn them. Take this back with you. Do not reveal it to anyone, hide it carefully, and study it when you have time. Of course, its effectiveness will drop drastically over time. After all, my willpower is only at the Tengkong Realm, not the Shanhai Realm; I cannot make it endure indefinitely." He laid the groundwork in advance: when the effect turned out poor later on, that would be Su Yu's fault, not his. As a teacher, he had already provided the best he could! Liu Wenyan swiftly changed the subject. "Did you outline another divine character?" "Yes, the character 'Thunder.'" "How much of it did you outline?" "It seems... all of it. Wait, not quite..." Su Yu looked somewhat embarrassed and murmured, "It seems one stroke snapped off." "Hmm?" Liu Wenyan was surprised. On one hand, he was shocked that Su Yu had outlined another complete character... *Another?* All right, he gave up questioning why he used that word and quickly asked, "A stroke snapped?" "Yes. When I captured it, it resisted fiercely..." "That's because your willpower isn't strong enough to forcibly capture and outline it. In that situation, you should have let go, or outlined just a single stroke. You must not forcibly capture them like that again, understand?" Liu Wenyan's expression turned stern. "Once or twice can be chalked up to luck, but doing it again makes you prone to backlash! Of course, that is my responsibility as well; I didn't expect you to outline a second divine character so soon, so I forgot to warn you." "Furthermore, before reaching Character Cultivation, you are not permitted to outline a third divine character!" "Yes, sir!" Su Yu responded immediately, then added, "Teacher, with that stroke broken off the 'Thunder' character, I think it will take at least ten days to half a month to recover." "That's normal. Spending six months to a year outlining a single complete divine character is nothing unusual." Liu Wenyan didn't shoot him down this time, saying solemnly, "The speed at which you outline divine characters is too fast; it's honestly abnormal. I don't know if that's a bad thing, but... having too many divine characters isn't necessarily good. As I told you before, having too many can lead to being a jack of all trades and master of none." "I understand, Teacher." Su Yu nodded quickly. As for the trait of the 'Thunder' character, there was no way to test it right now because the character was incomplete; he would only know once it fully recovered. Of course, Su Yu could already guess one trait... shocking people to death! That thing had shocked him repeatedly earlier. If not for that, he wouldn't have accidentally snapped the fellow's "leg" at the end. The shocks had hurt so much that he couldn't keep his grip steady. Seeing that Su Yu took his words to heart, Liu Wenyan relaxed a little. After a moment's thought, he spoke slowly, "At this point, I've taught you just about everything I can teach. As for the fundamentals, someone at the Civilization Academy will naturally teach you once you arrive." "That includes advanced cultivation manuals, the application of divine characters, the outlining and nurturing of divine characters, and the study of various myriad-race languages... These are all standard. Once you get to the academy, you'll spend several years gradually learning them, which serves as building your foundation." As Liu Wenyan spoke, his tone grew earnest again. "In the early stages, don't worry about too much else; focus primarily on laying your groundwork! We Civilization Masters must be able to endure loneliness. Those in the War Academies might hope to step into the Qianjun Realm within six months or a year of entering the academy." "Yet most Civilization Masters only step into the Tengkong Realm in a single bound after many years..." Su Yu nodded along obediently. Once he finished nodding, he whispered, "Teacher, I think I can reach Qianjun in a few months." "..." Liu Wenyan choked on his words! *Damn it, I forgot this brat is already at the eighth stage of Kaiyuan!* As preparatory candidates for civilization academies, students spent five years in intermediate academy learning multiple language courses, all starting from scratch. Was five years really that long? Besides language courses, they had numerous other subjects. Mathematics, basic weapon mechanics, geography, history... The curriculum was by no means light. Under such circumstances, practicing the *Kaiyuan Art* once every night was already considered diligent. How many could actually cultivate to the fourth or fifth stage of Kaiyuan? Unlike Chen Hao and the others, who didn't need to learn many myriad-race languages—three basic ones were enough. Even so, those students whined endlessly, wishing they didn't have to learn a single one. Su Yu's performance along the path of divine characters was so dazzling that for a moment, Liu Wenyan had completely forgotten that this kid was already at the eighth stage of Kaiyuan, and that transcribing the *Thunder Yuan Saber* had been intended to enhance his combat strength in the first place. Capturing divine characters had merely been secondary! The words stuck in Liu Wenyan's throat simply couldn't come out. He had originally intended to say, *"Don't envy those fellows at the War Academies. A year from now, many of them will be in the Qianjun Realm, but you must endure the loneliness. Years later, when you reach Tengkong, they will still be in Qianjun..."* Yet now, he couldn't say it! This brat was at the eighth stage of Kaiyuan! Clearing his throat to mask his awkwardness, Liu Wenyan said calmly, "Being at the eighth stage of Kaiyuan is fine and all, but so what if you reach Qianjun? The Qianjun Realm is the least valuable of all! When you arrive at the academy, some of your senior brothers and sisters might already be in the Tengkong Realm..." Su Yu immediately spoke up. "Teacher, I have a question." "Ask." "I looked through some literature earlier, and none of it ever mentioned how many years the program lasts at a Civilization Academy. It seems like none of the records mention that..." Su Yu was genuinely curious. Just how many years did one have to study at a Civilization Academy? "How many years?" Liu Wenyan blinked, then chuckled after a moment. "I forgot to mention that. Civilization Academies don't divide by years. Those with willpower fullness under twenty percent—students who cannot view Qianjun Realm original texts—belong to the beginner class." "From twenty to fifty percent, those who can view Qianjun Realm original texts belong to the intermediate class." "Above fifty percent is the Character Cultivation stage, which makes up the advanced class." "Once you reach Tengkong... you are considered to have graduated. Of course, not everyone can graduate. Many study for several years without making progress; they might leave the academy, go home, head to the battlefield, or pursue other paths... At that point, the academy won't hold you back." "If you reach Tengkong, you can choose to stay on at the academy. Bai Feng, for instance, chose to stay and serve as an assistant researcher. But... that is the treatment reserved for geniuses! If you only reach Tengkong in your fifties or sixties, the academy generally won't keep you. You'd have to find your own path, though you won't fare poorly either way." "Under normal circumstances, if someone hasn't managed to reach Tengkong by age thirty, many will choose to leave." Liu Wenyan sighed. "Thirty... At that age, switching to become a warrior is still viable. But past thirty, it really is too late; the prime golden window for cultivation will have passed. Someone like you entering the academy at eighteen might stay for over a decade. If you still can't reach Tengkong by then, you'll give up too." How many people entered the academy brimming with extraordinary talent and lofty ambitions! In the end... they squandered more than a decade, failing to achieve Manifestation and Tengkong, ultimately abandoning the path of Manifestation altogether. This was all too common in Civilization Academies! "In the academy, you might even see some elders in their fifties or sixties. They aren't teachers; they are technically your senior brothers. Some of your foundational courses might be taught by them to earn a few merit points to support themselves, just so they don't struggle to feed their families." "They aren't even considered assistant researchers. Of course, you shouldn't call them senior brothers either—just call them instructors. Calling them senior brothers... cuts too deep. Be careful, or the petty ones might give you a hard time." Liu Wenyan chuckled as he spoke, though a hint of bitterness laced his voice. "If your teacher... had remained at the Civilization Academy back then, I would be an instructor, a genuine instructor. Even if you called me senior brother, it wouldn't be wrong. An old fellow in his seventies, sharing the same generational standing as you." The sweet and bitter sorrow embedded within this was something perhaps no one could understand except those who had lived it. Few who tested into a Civilization Academy were fools. Yet to squander decades in such a place—one could imagine what kind of burden these people bore. Su Yu was still young and did not fully understand, yet merely listening to Liu Wenyan talk sent a shiver through his heart. Squandering away until old age, achieving nothing, having a crowd of teenagers call him senior brother... *I won't let that happen!* Su Yu vowed silently. He wouldn't, and he refused to. It turned out the Civilization Academy held not only geniuses, but also such a tragic group of figures. Indeed, where there was brilliance, there was bound to be gloom. "Go on. Head back and rest for a few days. Ponder the Thunder Yuan Saber carefully, nurture your divine character, and await the examinations." "Teacher, what about killing a mid-stage Qianjun..." "No need to do that anymore. There isn't enough time." Su Yu thought it over, then persisted, "Teacher, why don't I give it a try? In a few days, once I make progress with the Thunder Yuan Saber, I'll test myself. If it doesn't work, I'll give up then." "Suit yourself." Liu Wenyan didn't stop him. Tenacity was a virtue in its own right, and a good one at that. Tossing the *Thunder Yuan Saber* beast-hide manual to Su Yu, Liu Wenyan clasped his hands behind his back and strolled out of the office. Before he could step away, he heard Su Yu call out, "Teacher, tomorrow morning I'll come back to the academy to study with you, and then head home in the afternoon to practice the saber technique..." Liu Wenyan nearly stumbled and fell! *I told you to go home and rest for a few days to ponder the saber technique—did you think I was just being lenient with you?!* *Foolish boy!* *Your teacher depleted his willpower excessively and needs to hide at home for the next few days to recover, so I don't show up at the academy every day looking deathly pale like I overindulged in vice! Can't you understand my deeper meaning?!* With his back turned to Su Yu, Liu Wenyan's face darkened, though his tone remained placid. "No need to come. I have matters to attend to over the next few days, to see if my physical body can build a foundation to step into Tengkong. I will be quite busy lately." Su Yu realized at once and said hurriedly, "Understood, Teacher. Then I won't disturb you." "Mm." Adopting an unfathomable air, Liu Wenyan drifted away. If he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to keep up the act.