Time flew by. While great winds and clouds surged through the Great Xia Prefecture, the small city of Nanyuan was spared much of the turbulence. Even so, as the Higher Academy Examination drew near, the city grew increasingly busy.
Nanyuan Academy.
Large conference room.
At that moment, the room was packed with people.
Liu Wenyan sat in the front row on the left side of the room, head bowed, quietly jotting notes and sketching without speaking a word.
The meeting was presided over not by the Old Principal, but by a stern-faced man in his thirties. Sweeping his gaze across the room, the man began, "With the Higher Academy Examination at hand, acting under orders from the Great Xia Prefecture, the Quest Realm, and the War God Temple, the Higher Academy Examination is to be coordinated by the Great Xia Prefectural Yuqiang Department, with cooperation from all academies. Does anyone have any objections?"
The Yuqiang Department was specifically responsible for administering the annual academy examinations. Its authority was not immense, but it was certainly not small either.
Present in the conference room were admissions instructors from various academies, as well as officials from the Great Xia Prefectural administration and the Nanyuan local administration.
Holding the meeting at Nanyuan Academy made sense, as it was Nanyuan's largest base for feeding candidates into higher academies. Very few students from the other minor academies ever qualified.
As soon as the man finished speaking, someone raised a hand. Waiting until the man looked over, the speaker asked, "I have a question. Given the policy changes in the Great Xia Prefecture this year, will the standards for nonlocal candidates and local candidates be unified?"
The man replied briskly, "According to the preliminary registration data, there are 418 registered nonlocal examinees and 2,892 local Nanyuan examinees. Across the Civilization and War Academies, forty nonlocal examinees will be admitted, and two hundred local examinees will be admitted."
Civilization and War were two distinct academy systems, each comprising multiple institutions.
The War Academies included the Great Xia War Academy, Longwu War Academy, Wind Arrest Academy, Sea Domain War Academy, and several others.
The Civilization Academies included the Great Xia Civilization Academy, Jiutian Civilization Academy, Wendao Civilization Academy, and more.
When Su Yu and his peers spoke of admission quotas, they generally referred specifically to either the Great Xia Civilization Academy or the Great Xia War Academy, which were the premier institutions in the Great Xia Prefecture. Ranked third was the Longwu War Academy.
After reciting the figures, the man continued, "The admission quotas are set. The criteria are unified, the examinations are unified, and the academies will lower score thresholds for Nanyuan candidates during final admissions."
These words were somewhat demoralizing. Neither Liu Wenyan nor the Old Principal said anything.
It was a given that Nanyuan students lagged behind candidates from the Great Xia Prefectural capital and other major cities.
Consequently, the passing scores had to be lowered every year; otherwise, practically none of them would make the cut.
Still, hearing it stated so bluntly in a setting like this was rather embarrassing.
A total of two hundred spots across all War and Civilization Academies was not a large number. Those left out would either go to the Internal Affairs Academy, attend a Scientific Research Academy, or seek out other paths entirely.
Once the man finished, the Old Principal raised his hand in a hurry. "Section Chief Sun, how many students will the Great Xia Civilization Academy, Great Xia War Academy, and Longwu War Academy be admitting from Nanyuan this year?"
The man did not answer directly. Turning to several individuals nearby who had remained silent the entire time, he asked, "Researcher Huang, what have your academies decided?"
On the right side, a young man who had been reading with his head down looked up. Smiling unhurriedly, he said, "For the Great Xia Civilization Academy, the usual rule applies: anyone with an examination score of 200 or above may apply!
"Given Nanyuan's weaker footing, tiered admission applies—scores of 180 and above will be considered at our discretion!"
The Old Principal let out a quiet sigh of relief. Fortunately, Nanyuan's threshold had not been raised; it remained the same as previous years.
"The Great Xia War Academy admits at 200 and above, lowering to 180 for the reduced tier."
"The Longwu War Academy admits at 180 and above, lowering to 160 for the reduced tier."
The representatives of the two War Academies were men of few words. Once the young man spoke, each offered a single sentence and fell silent.
After listening to them, the Yuqiang Department official looked at the Old Principal. "Does Principal Wang have any objections?"
"None," the Old Principal answered.
Liu Wenyan, who had not spoken until now, cut in. "I have a question. Su Yu and Liu Yue are recommended students holding Bai Feng's Civilization Academy quota. By the rules, these two do not count toward Nanyuan's general quota, which allows Nanyuan to admit two lower-ranked students in their place."
Opposite him, Researcher Huang looked up once more. "Instructor Liu, the regulations do allow it, but students admitted that way each year are almost invariably eliminated later. It wastes their time and ruins their prospects. Why derail their futures, Instructor Liu?"
Liu Wenyan replied calmly, "At least give them a chance. Even a carp leaping through the dragon gate needs an opportunity."
"As you wish, Instructor Liu. However, since Su Yu and Liu Yue are recommended by Bai Feng, they must still pass the evaluation, scoring above the reduced 180-point threshold. You have no objection to that, Instructor Liu?"
"None."
Liu Wenyan had no objections whatsoever. Given Su Yu's and Liu Yue's capabilities, they could qualify under normal standards, let alone a reduced threshold.
The young man said no more and returned to his reading. In truth, it was not a book, but the compiled registry of Nanyuan examinees.
At that moment, the page he had opened showed Su Yu's entry.
*Su Yu: Kaiyuan Fifth Layer, passed evaluation in 18 All-Races languages, 21 accumulated merit points, comprehensive score 300 points, low-medium ranking.*
This profile was more than a month old and had not been updated since.
The young man studied it for a moment, turned the page with a faint smile, and said nothing.
A month-old profile left unupdated—was Nanyuan saving him as their trump card to push forward at the end?
Hardly meaningful!
Nanyuan was too small. No matter how impressive someone hidden here might seem, they were merely ordinary once they reached the Great Xia Prefecture.
*A student recruited early by Bai Feng... I hope there's something special about him,*
the young man mused. Even before enrolling, this Su Yu had drawn considerable interest. Prior to coming here, several people had asked him to take a look and see whether the youth truly possessed anything extraordinary.
Bai Feng might have recruited him ahead of time, but that did not prevent the student from switching to another mentor.
If the student himself wished to switch, could Bai Feng really stop him?
Whether Su Yu was an undiscovered genius or simply someone Bai Feng had picked up on a whim would soon become obvious.
If he was mediocre, it would be treated as a joke.
If he was a genius, there would surely be people stepping in to poach him.
Up front, Section Chief Sun saw that no further objections were being raised and announced, "Make your preparations and await the examination! Nanyuan City will oversee security. With examinees gathering, remain vigilant against sneak attacks by the All-Races Sect!"
"Understood!"
Below, the commander of the City Guards responded promptly.
Section Chief Sun nodded slightly, then glanced at Xia Bing with a smile. "Decurion Xia, the Longwu Guards must also cooperate with Nanyuan to ensure security."
"Understood!"
Xia Bing kept his response brief. Without looking back at Section Chief Sun, he offered a slight nod toward the admissions instructor from the Longwu Academy across the room.
The Longwu Guards and the Longwu Academy shared close ties; many of the academy's instructors were veterans who had retired from the Longwu Guards.
The two knew each other, and the Longwu Academy instructor returned the nod.
Before long, the meeting adjourned.
The attendees dispersed.
Xia Bing hung back a step, and the instructor from the Longwu Academy slowed his pace to fall in beside him.
"Old Xia, how have things been in Nanyuan these past few years?"
"Just so-so. Aside from that recent All-Races Sect raid being somewhat interesting, it's boring enough to drive a man mad!"
Xia Bing grumbled briefly, then quickly changed the subject. "Enough about that. There are several promising prospects in Nanyuan. Keep an eye on them. Su Yu in particular—he's powerful, bold, and meticulous. He even accomplished something huge a few days ago. Liu Wenyan is dead set on sending him to a Civilization Academy and has been keeping it quiet. Luckily, I'm stationed here."
"What huge accomplishment?"
"He worked with a Wind Arrest squad to kill a Wanshi!"
Xia Bing lowered his voice to a whisper. "Keep this strictly confidential. It's enough that our Longwu Academy knows. If word gets out... you and I will both be in trouble. It bends the rules. I'm only telling you because you're one of our own. Find a way to recruit this kid!"
The admissions instructor was startled. "Worked with them? The Wind Arrest Hall actually needed a Kaiyuan's help?"
"He isn't just an ordinary Kaiyuan. He's likely already outlined a divine character!"
Xia Bing spoke rapidly. "When Bai Feng came by last time, he transcribed a willpower text for him. The kid has probably outlined a complete divine character, or else he wouldn't have been able to unleash its might."
At these words, the instructor's eyes lit up. "Really? Bai Feng was only here about two months ago, right? From a single willpower text transcription, he managed to outline a divine character—completing the outline in under two months?"
"Most likely. Of course, Liu Wenyan probably taught him some fundamentals beforehand."
"Even so, that's a genius!"
The admissions instructor beamed with excitement. It was not that he had never seen geniuses, but he had never expected to recruit one in Nanyuan. Finding one out of nowhere, how could he not be thrilled?
"Old Xia, thanks a lot. Don't worry, I won't let a word slip and screw you over!"
Growing even more energized, the instructor added, "Our Longwu Guards have always wanted to cultivate our own Civilization Masters. Longwu Academy even opened a Civilization Master class, but we could never turn out real talent—we only ever got the rejects left behind by the Great Xia Civilization Academy. This time, we're intercepting one!"
A genius who had outlined a divine character!
A complete divine character, at that!
If this were in the Great Xia Prefecture, the Great Xia Civilization Academy would have known long ago and granted him early admission.
Naturally, Su Yu was in a similar position.
Yet Bai Feng, terrified of having his student poached, would never broadcast the news to anyone.
Seeing his excitement, Xia Bing gave it some thought and said, "Old Xie, recruitment is recruitment, but I don't want to ruin the kid either. I know full well what that Civilization Master class at Longwu Academy is like. My thought is, if he truly has talent for that path, we can handle his physical cultivation ourselves, but for Civilization Master training... do you think the academy can bring back a few mid- and senior researchers from the Longwu Guards to teach?"
"You don't even need to ask!"
Old Xie chuckled. "General Zhao lost his temper this time and got into a huge row with Principal Wan! Principal Wan tried to choke us using Civilization Masters, so General Zhao declared that Longwu Academy will ramp up Civilization Master cultivation this year. Those Civilization Masters in the army have nothing to do right now anyway, so they'll be coming to Longwu Academy to instruct classes."
"Really?"
Xia Bing was delighted. "Then there's no problem! By the way, when you approach the kid, bring up his father. His father, Su Long, is a veteran of the Demon Suppression Army who was recalled to service not long ago."
"A Demon Suppression Army man!"
At this revelation, Old Xie cursed aloud, "The Demon Suppression Army is our territory! Liu Wenyan has crossed the line, trying to steal one of our own!"
The Longwu Guards, the Demon Suppression Army, and the Prefectural Army—these three military branches were practically one family.
To have a son of their own ranks targeted by a Civilization Academy infuriated Old Xie!
Xia Bing gave a light cough and did not pursue the point.
Say what they might, they both knew the sorry state of Longwu Academy's Civilization Master class. It was only natural for someone like that to apply to a Civilization Academy. He was simply acting on personal bias, hoping to keep the kid within the Longwu Guards' sphere.
"I need to get back on duty, so I won't say more. Pay close attention to this kid. For him to reach this point in Nanyuan, I'd say he's no worse than those Kaiyuan Ninth Layer students in the Great Xia Prefecture—in fact, he's probably stronger. Oh, by the way, the kid is already at the Kaiyuan Eighth Layer himself!"
"..."
Old Xie's eyes flared with excitement. "Then why even study the civilized path? Walk the warrior's path! At their peak, Civilization Masters aren't necessarily stronger than us warriors!"
"Do as you see fit."
With duties awaiting him, Xia Bing had no time to linger and quickly took his leave.
...
Outside the conference room.
Liu Wenyan glanced back over his shoulder, spotting the two figures loitering in conversation. He chuckled dismissively.
*What are they thinking!*
*How could that kid possibly join the Longwu Academy? After all these years of my personal instruction, if that boy ever defects to a War Academy, I'll... I'll make him compensate me for the Thunder Yuan Saber! Does he even have the money to pay me back?*
...
The Su residence.
Su Yu had not stepped outside for days.
For more than ten days, he had opened the album once every day, absorbing yuanqi each time to temper his apertures, consuming over a dozen drops of blood essence in the process.
His ninth aperture, the Baihui aperture, was now shimmering with radiant light. Yuanqi had begun gathering above his crown—a clear sign that the ninth aperture was on the verge of opening.
He was almost there!
In less than half a month, he was about to complete the opening of his ninth aperture. Such speed was staggering. Of course, the cost had been substantial, but to anyone else, what were a dozen-odd drops of blood essence?
If a dozen drops of blood essence could buy entry into the Kaiyuan Ninth Layer, the line of people selling their homes to fund cultivation would stretch all the way to the Great Xia Prefecture.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
"A-Yu, open up!"
It was Chen Hao's voice.
Su Yu got to his feet and opened the door.
Carrying takeout in his hands, Chen Hao complained, "Stuck inside again! A-Yu, you haven't cultivated yourself into Qi deviation, have you? My dad told me to talk some sense into you—balance work and rest! Don't be so stubborn. It's not like failing to reach the Kaiyuan Ninth Layer will hurt your chances anyway. What are you driving yourself so hard for?"
Su Yu smiled without offering an explanation. Taking the food, he opened it, took a look, and frowned in mild distaste. "Braised pork again? Couldn't you get something lighter for once?"
"Eat it or leave it! I bought it with my own pocket money!"
Chen Hao grumbled gloomily, "A-Yu, you've almost drained all my pocket money!"
"Drained?"
Su Yu chuckled. "Starting tomorrow, you don't have to buy anything. I drained you? Would you have reached the Kaiyuan Fifth Layer if I were draining you? Believe it or not, if I put out the word, the line of people wanting to bring me food would stretch all the way to the Great Xia Prefecture!"
At that, Chen Hao broke into a broad grin. "A-Yu, cultivating at your place is amazing. Does your house have great feng shui or something?"
"Idiot!"
Su Yu cursed playfully, too amused to argue. Great feng shui? With all the yuanqi he had been gathering over the past few days, the guy had been freeloading immensely.
Of course, Su Yu did not mind. He could not consume it all anyway, and Chen Hao's absorption of the excess had helped him advance to the Kaiyuan Fifth Layer.
After basking in his joy for a bit, Chen Hao quickly remembered his main purpose. "The examination schedule came out. It's about the same as last year. Want to take a look?"
"Hand it over."
Su Yu took the schedule Chen Hao held out and scanned it, nodding slightly. There was little difference from previous years.
The War Academy examination was set for the morning of the 25th.
The Civilization Academy examination was set for the afternoon of the 25th.
The scoring rules followed the precedent of past years:
Kaiyuan Third Layer and below: 10 points per layer, requiring evaluation and verification.
Kaiyuan Fourth through Sixth Layer: 30 points per layer, all requiring evaluation and verification.
Kaiyuan Seventh through Ninth Layer: 50 points per layer.
All-Races languages: 10 points per language mastered, requiring evaluation and verification.
Aside from All-Races languages, accumulated merit points earned 10 points per point.
"I'm at the Kaiyuan Eighth Layer, which gives 220 points. Twenty All-Races languages give 200 points. Ten accumulated merit points outside the languages give 100 points. In addition... outlining a divine character adds 100 to 300 bonus points?"
Su Yu spotted a tiny rule for bonus points that he had nearly overlooked.
Presumably because no one expected anyone in Nanyuan to qualify for it, that particular clause had been printed in noticeably smaller type.
"So that means my score will be at least 620 points?"
Su Yu looked it over and chuckled.
In Nanyuan's examinations, by past standards, scoring above 200 points meant virtually any academy was within reach. Of course, the bonus rules differed slightly between War Academies and Civilization Academies, but the general framework was similar.
However, War Academies imposed a cap on bonus points from All-Races languages, allowing no more than 100 points.
Likewise, Civilization Academies enforced baseline requirements, demanding mastery of no fewer than eight All-Races languages.
These measures were meant to prevent physically powerful candidates from drifting into Civilization Academies or linguistically adept candidates from wandering into War Academies. Teaching students according to their natural aptitude prevented talent from being squandered on the wrong path.
"Doesn't concern me. I meet the criteria for both anyway."
Su Yu did not pay it much mind. For him, the examination was merely going through the motions; what mattered was the prize for first place.
As for Chen Hao, Kaiyuan Fifth Layer gave 90 points, three basic All-Races languages gave 30 points, and he received 30 bonus points, bringing him to 150 points. That bonus covered the three extra merit points he had earned, so those three merit points would not be counted separately.
Beyond that, War Academies offered other test-based bonuses; scoring in the excellent tier generally added roughly 30 points without much difficulty.
All told, that placed him around 180 points.
"The Great Xia War Academy might be tough, but other War Academies shouldn't pose much problem."
Su Yu ran the numbers for him. Chen Hao had never aimed for the Great Xia War Academy anyway. With plenty of War Academies around, scoring above 150 points was enough to qualify for almost any of them besides Longwu and Great Xia.
Consequently, Chen Hao was under little pressure. So long as he passed the evaluation, he would secure a spot at a War Academy.
Other students at the Kaiyuan Fourth or Fifth Layer also stood a decent chance of entering an ordinary War Academy. Those at the Third Layer, however, had slim prospects unless they performed exceptionally across all other areas.
Thus, in previous years, those from Nanyuan who gained admission to War Academies were almost entirely students at the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer or above.
Even at the Kaiyuan Fourth Layer, getting in still required a degree of luck.
Su Yu ate his meal as he continued reading down the sheet, checking the rewards for first place.
Previously, Nanyuan's reward for first place on the War Academy track had been three drops of yuanqi liquid.
For the Civilization Academy track, the reward had been an original Qianjun-tier All-Races text.
Those were the rewards provided locally by Nanyuan. As for the academies themselves, no details were listed, and it was unclear whether they offered prizes of their own. People said such rewards were only granted upon matriculation.
"In addition, first place is awarded 10 merit points, counted as accumulated merit!"
Su Yu spotted another reward clause. This was a standard reward. His eyes brightened—if he claimed first place in both tracks, wouldn't he earn an extra twenty merit points?
Was he about to strike it rich?
Chapter 45