Seeing Bai Feng again genuinely lifted Su Yu's spirits.
He felt delighted and truly happy.
Though this teacher of his was somewhat irresponsible, it had to be said that during his early days at the Great Xia Civilization Academy, Bai Feng had taught him a great deal and provided immense help.
Moreover, Bai Feng had taught him everything, even things involving confidential secrets.
Splitting divine character battle techniques, crafting innate blood essence—Su Yu knew how to do all of it. Outsiders yearned desperately for such secrets, but Bai Feng had casually passed them on to him without reservation.
Then there were the hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence used for foundation building at the very beginning. Only because of that did Su Yu realize how useful Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence was. Honestly, with so many Mountain-Breaking Oxen slaughtered, Bai Feng was indirectly an executioner himself.
Ever since Bai Feng had been sentenced to the All-Heavens Battlefield, Su Yu had hardly seen him. Last time, when he had appeared under the guise of Cui Lang, he hadn’t met Bai Feng either.
Now, reuniting, Su Yu was in truly high spirits.
On the All-Heavens Battlefield, surrounded by wolves with not a single trustworthy soul nearby, living in the cracks with the constant dread that someone would plunge a blade into his back, Su Yu had been severely starved of any sense of security.
Yet at this moment, he felt vastly more relaxed.
While he relaxed, Bai Feng remained on high alert, scanning the surroundings while cursing under his breath.
This cousin of his was an absolute menace!
They still had to be careful on the journey back.
Wu Yuehua had already vanished into the void to scout for hidden enemies. As Bai Feng led the way, his scolding drifted back: "Once we reach Great Xia Prefecture, there are merchant caravans heading to Great Ming Prefecture. You're leaving with one of them! Get lost as soon as possible, you idiot!"
"We share the same bloodline," Su Yu shot back with a grin. Ruffling Old Bai's feathers in the identity of Bai Junsheng felt surprisingly satisfying.
"You..."
Bai Feng was half-dead with anger. He barked furiously, "What happened to Grandpa? What did my father actually tell you to pass on to me?"
"Grandpa failed to open his Yang acupoint and was injured..."
Hearing this, Bai Feng wasn't terribly surprised. He sighed and said, "I guessed as much!"
Su Yu asked with some curiosity, "Do you know how to open the Yang acupoint?"
It made sense—his teacher was of the Bai family, so did he know how? And if opened, could it be controlled?
Truth be told, Su Yu felt opening all Yang acupoints would make one incredibly strong, but he didn't dare.
Because once the Yang acupoint opened, it couldn't be halted, constantly draining the power of one's acupoints. Su Yu had immense acupoint power and could hold out for a while, but ordinary people couldn't.
Did Old Master Bai really open all his Yang acupoints?
If so, surviving until now without dying was truly extraordinary—he was tough!
"No, I don't!" Bai Feng snapped. "Opening the Yang acupoint means bursting acupoints first—seeking one's own death! The method left by the ancestors was unreliable to begin with. There has to be another way to open the Yang acupoint..."
As he spoke, Bai Feng realized something, looking surprised. He suddenly turned to Su Yu and said, "Yang acupoint?"
He felt something was off. What Yang acupoint?
Of course, he understood the general concept behind it, so he hadn't thought much of it at first. But now he suddenly froze. The Bai family had never named this acupoint.
Likewise, no one else had named it either.
The one who actually named it was Su Yu.
And Su Yu hadn't told many people; he had only mentioned it briefly to Liu Wenyan.
Thus, this was the first time the term "Yang acupoint" had surfaced. Back then, Su Yu had introduced the concept of the origin spirit acupoint, not Yin and Yang acupoints.
Su Yu hadn't noticed at first since he was used to saying it. Seeing Bai Feng's expression, Su Yu feigned calm and said, "You don't even know what a Yang acupoint is? Su Yu mentioned it when he visited our family last time. He said what our Bai family ancestor opened was actually a Yang acupoint, and correspondingly, there should be a Yin acupoint! Only by balancing Yin and Yang can the Yang acupoint be opened without complications!"
"Su Yu..."
Bai Feng looked enlightened and nodded slightly. Yin acupoint and Yang acupoint.
He pondered and said, "That's what he calls the origin spirit acupoint. Both yuan acupoints and divine acupoints have an eruption point, a convergence point, a combination point! I've read some of his theories. Speaking of which... all his theories were taught to him by me."
Bai Feng sighed with emotion. "Actually, I was the one who discovered the origin spirit acupoint first. It's just that Su Yu made some more prominent breakthroughs in that area. At least he didn't embarrass me as his teacher..."
Yeah, right!
Su Yu couldn't even be bothered to argue. His teacher only had this one hobby: boasting whenever he got the chance.
Back in the day, he had constantly claimed that no one could beat him and that he was invincible among his peers. Later, Su Yu found out that Huang Teng had beaten him three times. A dead duck stubbornly keeping a hard beak—Su Yu had only learned about it from others.
Since Su Yu had been mentioned, Su Yu decided to probe for information: "Bro, is Su Yu doing alright on the All-Heavens Battlefield?"
"He's alright!"
Bai Feng didn't elaborate. Alright, my foot! He was practically on the brink of death!
That bastard wasn't happy unless he was causing trouble!
Look at him now—rumor had it no one even dared go to Xinghong Ancient City anymore, so that fellow couldn't stir up trouble even if he wanted to.
Turning his head to look at his cousin, Bai Feng said with displeasure, "Don't you go learning from him!"
There was already a tendency!
Stirring up trouble in Nanyuan wasn't the Bai family's style; it was Su Yu's style...
Su Yu felt this couldn't be blamed on him.
Causing trouble... Bai Feng had taught him that.
Yes, Bai Feng taught him.
Su Yu remembered that when he first arrived at the academy, in order to show him how powerful multiple divine character battle techniques were, Bai Feng had gone and beaten Zhou Mingren's disciple Hu Wensheng, defeating a ninth-stage Tengkong while being at the seventh stage of Tengkong himself.
Afterward, Hu Wensheng went into seclusion.
That had sparked the clash between the Multiple Divine Characters and Single Divine Character factions. Wasn't it you, Bai Feng, who taught me how to pick fights?
And now you deny it!
Su Yu muttered inwardly. Bai Feng didn't think that far ahead. Su Yu stirring up trouble everywhere and possessing first-rate provocation skills—what did that have to do with Bai Feng?
He certainly didn't remember doing anything like that!
Right now, he was still getting headaches over these matters.
Seeing his cousin behind him looking nonchalant, he couldn't help barking angrily, "Cut the crap! Did you hear what I said? Once we get to Great Xia Prefecture, you pack your bags and leave with the caravan tomorrow!"
"I'm not leaving!"
"You..."
Bai Feng's chest ached with fury. "Fine, if you don't leave, I won't care about you either! Live or die as you please! And how did you get involved with the Heaven Hunting Pavilion? That organization is bad news. Today, all the major prefectures are hunting them down, do you know that?"
Su Yu promptly replied, "I know, but they offer great benefits and protect me for free. Look, they already killed several people who tried to cause trouble for me!"
"You..."
Bai Feng was speechless. "Great benefits? They give you free protection? What are you dreaming of!"
"It really is free! Of course, I promised I'd introduce you to them."
"Nonsense!"
Bai Feng was furious.
Su Yu smiled. "Don't be rash, bro. They said they just started business here, so there are tons of promotions! For example, since I introduced you, they help me once for free. If you introduce Elder Hong, there might be free benefits for you too. Then if Elder Hong introduces Mansion Master Wan or Marquis Xia, maybe they'll get free perks as well..."
Bai Feng froze. After a long moment, he asked, "How much do they give?"
"..."
Su Yu curled his lip inwardly. I knew it.
"Depends on how you negotiate!"
Bai Feng grew thoughtful. Free stuff... why refuse it?
Wasn't it just introducing them to his teacher? What was the big deal?
On the All-Heavens Battlefield, one feared being tracked, but in the Human Realm, what was there to fear?
This cousin of his had actually learned how to do business now.
"Do you have a Heaven Hunting sub-list?"
"Yes!"
"Let me use it!"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. You're really in a hurry.
Soon, he took out a sub-list and handed it to Bai Feng. This was the one he had used earlier as Bai Junsheng, just to avoid any slip-ups.
Leaving Bai Feng to it, Su Yu quickly did some maneuvers of his own. The white mask entered his sea of will. The white mask was of Earth-grade rank, so it could naturally be stored away. Previously, Su Yu had refrained from storing it in his sea of will out of caution and fear of hidden dangers.
Right now, he had to take a small risk.
Otherwise, without communication, it would be troublesome. He couldn't just put the mask on his face right now.
In his sea of will, Su Yu sensed for a moment and quickly saw Huang Jiu's message. He replied: "I have withdrawn. The mission was successfully completed. Early missions won't yield much profit; this one was free. Colleagues, let's look further ahead—cast a long line to catch a big fish!"
Usually, missions offered rewards, but this time there were none because no fee had been charged.
Huang Jiu quickly replied: "No problem. I saw Bai Feng. He's one of the focal figures in the Human Realm this time. It's great to establish contact with him so quickly!"
"Xuan Jiu's operational capability is quite impressive!" Earth Eighteen also praised him at this moment.
While the first mission seemingly yielded nothing, quickly penetrating the core circle of figures in the Human Realm and building connections was crucial.
While White Masks in other prefectures were still looking for locations and strongholds waiting to integrate, Great Xia Prefecture had already started taking missions and making a name for itself.
Su Yu didn't reply, because soon he received a message from Bai Feng.
"Heaven Hunting Pavilion? I am Bai Feng. My cousin says using your sub-list and introducing my master to you will earn me 1,000 wisps of Heaven and Earth Mystic Light. Is that true or false?"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. He glanced up at Bai Feng strolling ahead.
You're something else! Lying through your teeth!
Su Yu quickly replied in his mind: "Impossible! However, if Researcher Bai uses our sub-list and is willing to introduce Elder Hong Tan, we can offer certain considerations within our capabilities."
"Cut to the chase. What benefits?"
Su Yu grumbled inwardly. So blunt! Not beating around the bush at all. He swiftly responded: "Assassination or protection—anyone beneath the Sun Moon Realm is free of charge! Of course, only once, and we will assess the danger level. If it's too dangerous, we will decline!"
"That's it?"
Walking in front, Bai Feng seemed very dissatisfied, even looking back to glare at Bai Junsheng... Alright, Su Yu almost thought his identity had been blown. Why are you glaring at me!
Soon, another message from Bai Feng arrived: "Forget assassination and protection. Help me find my senior brother and protect him secretly for half a year!"
"..."
Get out of here!
Su Yu was speechless. That was far too difficult. Frankly, even the Heaven Hunting Pavilion might not know where Chen Yong was.
And secret protection for half a year? Are you kidding?
Still... it might not be entirely impossible. It was worth a shot.
Thinking this, Su Yu immediately contacted Cai Yi. Cai Yi was the enforcer of the Xuan Division. Not sure if Cai Yi was dead or alive. Bai Yi was at the sixth stage of Sun Moon, so Cai Yi was probably mid-stage Sun Moon as well.
As Su Yu's superior in the Human Realm, Su Yu could reach out to him.
Su Yu promptly transmitted: "Enforcer Cai Yi, our division has established itself in Great Xia Prefecture. We took our first mission earlier to protect Bai Feng's younger brother, Bai Junsheng. The mission was successfully completed. Now, Bai Feng has initiated contact with us, wanting our division to locate Chen Yong and provide protection..."
"Get straight to the point!"
Cai Yi's reply arrived swiftly. "Bai Feng, apprentice of Hong Tan, grand-disciple of Ye Batian..."
Clearly, Cai Yi was considering it.
It had to be said that the Great Xia division had entered its role remarkably fast. Cai Yi, who was currently hiding and evading pursuers, could actually monitor their communications; the channels opened between Su Yu, Huang Jiu, and the others were visible to the enforcers.
Su Yu had guessed as much, so he never chatted casually in these shared channels. The only thing he could be sure of was that his conversations with Elder Xuan Jia were likely invisible to others—a top-secret channel.
As for the others, they might all be monitored.
Including his current exchange with Bai Feng!
Of course, Su Yu had no hard proof.
Cai Yi soon said: "You want assistance from the Human Realm branch?"
"Yes. To open up the market, we need more support from headquarters. Bai Feng is a key figure, and Great Xia Prefecture is the eye of the storm. I hope headquarters will provide us with greater backing!"
Cai Yi pondered for a moment and soon replied: "Very well. I will report this upward—locating Chen Yong and providing protection. However... Xuan Jiu, Great Xia Prefecture is treacherous. You may interact with figures like Bai Feng, but proceed with caution lest you fall into their schemes!"
"Understood. Furthermore, Enforcer Cai Yi, when will the Black Masks, Colored Masks, and Grey Masks enter the realm? We are severely shorthanded. Even minor missions require us White Masks to deploy personally. We're stretched too thin to take on more."
"Arrangements will be made as soon as possible!"
"Thank you!"
"No need."
Terminating the communication, Su Yu soon replied to Bai Feng: "I will get back to you shortly. I have reported this to headquarters. Locating Chen Yong's whereabouts will take some time, and providing protection requires deploying personnel, so completion cannot be guaranteed."
"Fine!"
Bai Feng hadn't held much hope anyway. Soon, he added: "By the way, do you take missions to assassinate Invincibles?"
"... Insufficient authorization. Cannot conduct transaction!"
Damn it, that's almost the exact same conversation I had when I first met the Heaven Hunting Pavilion!
"And you call yourselves omnipotent?" Bai Feng scoffed, then asked, "What about other missions, like going to rescue Su Yu or something..."
"Cannot accept!"
"..."
Bai Feng snorted. Su Yu could hear it, feeling a tiny touch of warmth in his heart—this teacher of his actually remembered to rescue him.
In the next moment, Bai Feng transmitted another message: "Then can you pass a message to Su Yu?"
"We can try!"
"Tell him to announce in the ancient city that I am his teacher and can hand in missions on his behalf. That kid killed so many Sun Moons—it's a waste to leave those bounties unclaimed. As his teacher, I will reluctantly go collect some rewards for him!"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. Oddly enough, his teacher was on the exact same wavelength as him!
I also think letting those rewards go unclaimed is too wasteful!
"We can try."
"Do your best. You Heaven Hunting Pavilion folks can't accomplish anything right. With this level of competence, you still want to establish a foothold in the human race?"
Look who's talking down to me!
"Also, send a sub-list to me as soon as possible. Can you deliver it to the Great Xia Civilization Academy? Right to our research institute's doorstep!"
Su Yu felt helpless. That was courting death.
Of course, he could do it himself.
But if he did, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion would likely deduce that he had infiltrated the Great Xia Civilization Academy. It wasn't that easy, and Su Yu's identity would be easily exposed.
Right now, he was running cons on multiple sides!
"It will be delivered to you as soon as possible, but the exact location... cannot be disclosed!"
"Hmph, just admit you're scared!"
Bai Feng said no more and casually tossed the sub-list back to Su Yu. Turning around, he warned, "Stay away from that organization! You're too dim-witted, and that organization is up to no good. The strength they brought into the Human Realm this time can only be called mediocre—they can't even complete most tasks!"
Su Yu felt Xuan Jiu had been thoroughly disrespected!
Whatever, have it your way.
Nodding, he smiled. "Got it, bro. Should we set a trap and wipe them all out in one swoop?"
"Nonsense, you think I haven't thought of that?" Bai Feng retorted crossly. "I told them to deliver the sub-list so I could find a chance to take them out! But they aren't stupid either. Knowing the danger, they didn't dare tell me when, where, or who would deliver it."
I knew it!
Su Yu felt resigned. Poor Pavilion—he had to be extra cautious in the future. Bai Feng wasn't the only one thinking this way; plenty of people wanted to slaughter the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's operatives.
As the two chatted, Wu Yuehua appeared from above and spoke: "No one else seems to be coming. We'll leave the matter of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion for Great Xia Prefecture to resolve later. Do not get involved individually!"
She added solemnly, "This organization is exceptionally powerful! On the All-Heavens Battlefield, they are utterly mysterious and possess vast knowledge of ancient secrets. There are even rumors that some of their Pavilion Masters or Tower Masters might be Invincibles passed down from the ancient era!"
Su Yu was surprised. Such rumors existed?
Probably. It seemed plausible given the organization's ancient heritage.
If that were the case, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion's strength was truly terrifying. Ancient Invincibles... Su Yu had witnessed the stone sculpture's sheer power, obliterating Demon King Rade with a single punch. That was an Invincible passed down from antiquity.
Bai Feng nodded slightly. "I know this. In fact, some people from Great Xia Prefecture have infiltrated them, but only at the lowest tier. Their upper echelons are tightly organized. From Invincibles to Elders to White Masks, very few outsiders can infiltrate; they are mostly experts trained internally."
Is it really that hard to infiltrate as a White Mask?
Su Yu was astonished. I slipped in so easily!
Infiltrating the Heaven Hunting Pavilion wasn't unprecedented. The organization actively recruited talent—when they first met, they had invited Su Yu to join.
Of course, those who joined usually weren't part of the higher ranks.
Thus Bai Feng knew a bit, but not in great detail, having only heard rumors.
Wu Yuehua descended from the void and said as she flew: "It's best to keep your distance. Of course, if you truly lack certain treasures or cultivation resources, you can trade with them. Even if they don't have what you need, the Heaven Hunting Pavilion sometimes acts as an intermediary to connect you with those who do."
Bai Feng nodded.
Dropping the topic of the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, he glared at Su Yu again: "You'd better scurry back obediently to cultivate. A Tengkong like you, how can you have the cheek to run around everywhere?"
"You're Tengkong too!"
"Me?" Bai Feng snorted coldly. "If not for you, after a few more days of secluded cultivation, I would've been in the Lingyun Realm! Besides, my Tengkong is nothing like your Tengkong!"
Indeed it isn't, Su Yu agreed mentally. Your Tengkong would be crushed by my single pinky. To be fair, my physical body is also at the Tengkong Realm.
Strictly speaking, my physical body is only at the eighth stage of Tengkong, having just entered it. In terms of realm, I'm even lower than your ninth stage.
...
Walking and chatting, their pace wasn't slow.
As they approached the capital of Great Xia Prefecture, the All-Races Cult wasn't foolish enough to come here to assassinate them. Since the mission couldn't be fulfilled, the cult gave up. Not only was the bounty modest, but the cost was far too steep.
No matter how weak a Shanhai was, they were still Shanhai. Several had been killed along the way; who would take this job now?
They cursed the client endlessly for treating the All-Races Cult as cannon fodder.
...
They arrived at the Great Xia Prefecture capital.
Su Yu no longer felt the awe and country-bumpkin trepidation of his first arrival.
Now, the capital seemed unremarkable to him.
As for the defending garrison, a bunch of Wanshi cultivators led by a few Tengkong, they seemed genuinely weak. Unlike his first visit, when he gasped in awe at so many Wanshi "experts."
Now... on the All-Heavens Battlefield, outside the military, solitary Wanshi cultivators were practically nonexistent. Anyone seen was either an expert in disguise or someone stranded by accident.
Nowadays, calling a Wanshi an "expert" would make people laugh their heads off.
The three swiftly made their way toward the Great Xia Civilization Academy.
Bai Feng spoke as he walked: "You rest at the academy briefly, then leave immediately..."
"How many times are you going to repeat that? I will leave, but can't you let me rest for a few days?" Su Yu complained. "For a big shot of the Multiple Divine Characters Academy, what's wrong with letting me stay a few days?"
"You..." Bai Feng fumed. Was that the point?
Did this idiot realize he was dragging the Bai family into the crosshairs?
He was furious to no end!
Too lazy to argue further, Bai Feng marched toward the academy with his head down. A good-for-nothing blunderer!
Three days at most. If he didn't leave after three days, Bai Feng would knock him unconscious and ship him out!
...
Great Xia Civilization Academy.
As always, quiet, but not peaceful.
It was already October.
Two months had passed since the new students enrolled.
There were more people in the academy now.
And more experts!
Many powerful figures had arrived: Dao protectors for students of the ten thousand races, protectors for scions of major clans, and recruited researchers. Compared to when Su Yu had left, the academy was packed with far more experts.
At this moment.
Inside Xiuxin Pavilion.
In the Elder Council meeting room, the elders were holding a meeting. Of course, this had nothing to do with Wan Tiansheng; he hadn't participated in these for a long time, claiming secluded cultivation to break through to the Sun Moon Realm.
These days, meetings were usually presided over by Yuan Qingdong, the vice principal dispatched from the Quest Realm. Initially flamboyant and arrogant, he had maintained a much lower profile recently.
After Hong Tan's breakthrough to the Sun Moon Realm, Yuan Qingdong had become even more subdued.
Today, there were quite a few matters to address.
Yuan Qingdong didn't waste words. Once everyone arrived, he said straightforwardly: "Meeting called to order. First matter: Principal Zhou Mingren is returning. In the Vanguard Camp, he slew a Sun Moon expert and completed his mission! Not only him, his student Zheng Yuming is also returning."
He glanced at Hong Tan and added quickly: "The Quest Realm's stance is that Zhou Mingren will continue to oversee the Divine Character Academy... well, the Single Divine Character Academy, as it's called now. Any objections?"
Having said this, he looked around. Seeing everyone looking toward Hong Tan, he turned his gaze to Hong Tan as well.
Hong Tan ignored them, wondering why that kid Bai Feng hadn't returned yet.
"If there are no objections, then it is settled!"
Yuan Qingdong forced a smile. "With Principal Hong and myself included, the Great Xia Civilization Academy has regained some strength, now possessing three Sun Moon experts."
Everyone remained silent.
Accustomed to this, Yuan Qingdong continued: "Second matter: The Heaven Hunting Pavilion began infiltrating the Human Realm yesterday. Large numbers of experts have sneaked in, and traces of them have appeared within Great Xia Prefecture. Great Xia Prefecture requires our assistance in the investigation. Everyone, stay alert. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion operatives this time are formidable. If encountered, stall for time and await Great Xia Prefecture's intervention!"
"Third matter: It is now October, and assassinations outside are ongoing. The Quest Realm asked me to inquire with Principal Hong: when will Chen Yong return?"
Hong Tan looked up in surprise. "My apprentice is missing, and you ask me? Instead of rescuing him, you come asking me?"
"..."
Yuan Qingdong didn't bother arguing. In the past, he would have contested every point and bickered with Hong Tan at length. Now... forget it.
Not one of these people feared him or the Quest Realm.
"Suit yourself. By the end of December, if Chen Yong fails to appear, the resolution passed by the three Invincibles will take effect!"
Hong Tan didn't care in the slightest. Say whatever you want.
Yuan Qingdong continued: "Fourth, Elder Jia and the others have been in secluded cultivation for a long time. The current situation is unstable. Unless it is a life-and-death seclusion, they should come out as soon as possible!"
No one answered. An elder's seclusion was their own business.
Who knew whether they were at a critical juncture?
"Fifth, the Quest Realm wants us to do our utmost to uncover Lan Tian's whereabouts. Recently, the All-Races Cult appears intent on uniting, and large numbers of experts from the various races have snuck into the Human Realm. Lan Tian is our most clearly identified high-ranking leader of the All-Races Cult..."
Still silence.
This was par for the course. Having finished these items, Yuan Qingdong exhaled, paused for a moment, and delivered the final point.
"Lastly, the Quest Realm hopes Elder Zhao Li can make a trip to Xinghong Ancient City to make contact with Su Yu, discuss upgrading his innate blood essence extraction technique, and request that Su Yu provide some resources to the human race..."
Before anyone could speak, he added rapidly: "This has nothing to do with me. I am merely passing along messages and directives. Don't ask me about the rest; I don't know! If you refuse to go, decline yourselves, and I will report back truthfully to the Quest Realm. That is all!"
He knew that the moment he uttered these words, he would be berated.
But he didn't want to get yelled at.
So don't take it out on me—I'm just a tool delivering messages!
I don't care about anything else.
Even though Su Yu had departed, he still held immense influence within the Civilization Academy.
Among the elders, setting aside the Multiple Divine Characters faction, there were neutral elders like Elder Huang and Elder Nie, as well as the newly promoted elder and Earth-grade armorer Elder Zhao, all firmly in Su Yu's camp.
Within the Divine Talisman Department, elders also spoke up for Su Yu.
Not to mention the Divine Pill Department.
Thus, this proposal was bound to draw fire.
However, this time Hong Tan didn't lash out. Instead, he nodded slightly and said: "If that kid can truly extract Sun Moon blood essence as rumored, neither Bai Feng nor I have mastered such a technique. It's indeed worth learning... But right now, he may have lost his original nature, driven purely by slaughter. Tell the Quest Realm: if anyone isn't afraid of death, they're welcome to try. Zhao Li is an Earth-grade armorer, so count him out!"
Hong Tan smiled. "Go ahead and try. If a ninth-stage Sun Moon goes, the danger shouldn't be fatal. At worst, he'll seal the city around you, and the human race can figure out a way to mount a rescue!"
His smile was rather strange.
Go on, go!
Can you people really threaten or boss around today's Su Yu?
The man ruled an entire territory as an ancient city overlord; even Invincibles suffered misfortune when visiting, let alone Sun Moons. Anyone not afraid of dying could knock themselves out. Did they still think this was the same Su Yu who was hounded out of the prefecture back then?
Hong Tan added: "If I recall correctly, King Daming is currently overseeing the Quest Realm. Is this King Daming's directive?"
"No."
"Then who in the Quest Realm gave you this order?"
Yuan Qingdong replied numbly, "Probably the Nine Great Families, I'm not sure. Usually, trivial affairs are handled by them. Don't ask me; I haven't returned to the Quest Realm in a long time!"
Hong Tan pondered and said, "How about this: tell the Quest Realm to provide some resources. The innate blood essence method was developed by us originally. We can also produce Sun Moon blood essence... we just need large quantities of Sun Moon blood essence for experiments. We hope the Quest Realm can provide several thousand drops."
"I will pass it along!"
Yuan Qingdong wore an emotionless expression. I'll pass it along; don't tell me anything else.
Hong Tan was genuinely surprised. I said this, and you won't even argue? You'll just pass it along?
Have you... been bullied into idiocy here?
What a weird guy!
Yuan Qingdong couldn't care less to bicker with him. Bickering only bred trouble. In Great Xia Prefecture, at the center of this storm, he had begun to sense impending pressure and mortal danger.
He truly couldn't linger here much longer!
Those fellows back in the Quest Realm hadn't come here personally, hadn't experienced the recent undercurrents in Great Xia Prefecture, and couldn't perceive it. But he had a clear sense: he had better leave soon, or he might genuinely lose his life here!
Wan Tiansheng remained in seclusion, leaving him, a representative of the Quest Realm, to oversee the academy... Initially, he had been thrilled, but now he felt only dread and unease!
The Great Xia Civilization Academy was like a crematorium primed to detonate.
When it blew, not even a corpse would remain!
After speaking a bit more, Yuan Qingdong rose. "That's all for today. I may enter seclusion soon. Unless there is urgent business, try not to disturb me. Principal Xia and Principal Su can handle things!"
Dropping these words, he made a swift exit.
Inside the meeting room, the elders looked at each other in dismay. This Yuan Qingdong was completely different from when he first arrived!
Back then, he wanted his fingers in every pie.
Now, he wished he didn't have to manage a single thing.
An outsider might think we had suppressed him into submission—well, alright, we did suppress him for a while.
"Principal Hong, how is the situation on your end? The Multiple Divine Characters Academy reopened, and it's utter chaos with all sorts of people flocking in. Can you still hold down the fort?"
Hong Tan smiled. "No problem. Once Mansion Master Xia attains the Dao, everything will be fine. Enrolling these students was meant to ease relations with the ten thousand races. Lately, students from the God, Demon, Immortal, and Dragon races have been studying happily. This will help smooth things over between Great Xia Prefecture and them."
"..."
Pure nonsense!
Everyone was speechless. Smooth things over?
Nobody held any hope of that!
They couldn't shake the feeling that recently, from top to bottom, the entire Great Xia Prefecture was behaving bizarrely.
...
At that exact moment, on the upper floor of Xiuxin Pavilion.
Wan Tiansheng abruptly turned his gaze toward the academy gates. His eyes held a complex mix of amusement and melancholy. Back!
You sure returned fast!
So fast that you've caught me a bit off guard.
"Sigh!"
"Fatty Xia ought to be coming back too!"
With a soft sigh, Wan Tiansheng smiled. Oh well, he was back. Good that he was back. Fatty Xia should return as well; what was he dawdling outside for?
The Dragon Martial Guards had all assembled, and most of the prefecture's experts had returned.
Now, on the All-Heavens Battlefield, Great Xia Prefecture hardly had any presence left.
"Liu Wenyan and the others should be returning too!"
"Xia Yunqi and the rest ought to break through to the Sun Moon Realm!"
"..."
Wan Tiansheng counted off the items one by one. It was time to begin.
The swift resurgence of Great Xia Prefecture's Multiple Divine Characters faction, the emergence of the Invincible ruins, Chen Yong and the others discovering clues... Chen Yong alone wasn't enough; it required someone at Director Ji's level. That fellow had been investigating for so long; it was time for him to pop up and let people know he had uncovered something.
Gazing in the direction of the Yuqiang Department, Wan Tiansheng chuckled. That guy was quite daring.
Still dared to keep investigating!
If Great Xia Prefecture hadn't covered for him previously, he would have been discovered long ago.
Being too bold wasn't necessarily a good thing, though right now it served well—another piece of the puzzle.
After mulling over this, his gaze fell once more upon the departing Yuan Qingdong, feeling somewhat surprised. This hadn't been in the plan. This was very bad. Yuan Qingdong was supposed to be overbearingly arrogant, supposed to be calling for reinforcements from the Quest Realm, not lying low in hibernation like this!
This didn't align with his expectations!
Things needed a little adjustment!
Chapter 449