The Dream

Not finding a suitable acceleration method in the library didn't particularly disappoint Su Yu. If such shortcuts were common, the academy wouldn't have kept quiet about them. He had only clung to a sliver of hope, and reality proved he had overthought things. Since that was the case, his only option was to continue arduously cultivating the Kaiyuan Art. ... He ate lunch at the academy. When he returned home that evening and looked around the desolate apartment, Su Yu fell quiet. With his old man gone, the house had turned lifeless in an instant. In the past, whenever he came home from the academy, his father would have hot meals waiting. Now, faced with the cold silence, Su Yu still felt unaccustomed to it. In no mood to cook, Su Yu slumped onto the sofa and switched on the television, letting his thoughts wander as the chatter served as background noise. Televisions nowadays couldn't pick up many channels. Here in Great Xia Prefecture, one could at most tune into Great Xia Television and a handful of local stations. Affected by the All-Heavens Battlefield and several other war zones, signal coverage was limited and transmission difficult, so prefectures could generally only receive their own local broadcasts. "Recently, traces of the All-Races Sect have been discovered within Great Xia Prefecture. If citizens notice any suspicious persons, report them immediately to your local Wind Arrest Hall..." "Scum!" Hearing the news broadcast, Su Yu couldn't help but curse under his breath. A bunch of filthy scum! Ever since the war across the heavens broke out, humanity had managed to fend off hostile races, yet mankind was hardly among the strongest in the myriad races. At times like these, there were always scoundrels who harbored traitorous thoughts and chose to defect to other races. The All-Races Sect was not a single entity, but many factions comprised of human dregs who had pledged allegiance to different alien species. These people banded together to stir up chaos from within human territory. Having been influenced by his father since childhood, Su Yu felt nothing but utter disgust for these traitors. Glancing up at the screen, he saw a middle-aged man with a square jaw, an imposing air of natural authority, and a crimson war robe appear on television. The man's expression was grim and his voice bone-chilling as he barked, "Execute!" *Thwack!* The next instant, over a hundred people knelt on screen. Behind them stood an array of armored guards who swung their blades in unison, sending over a hundred heads rolling to the ground! "For cultists of the All-Races Sect: capture one, execute one!" The middle-aged man was stern beyond measure, his gaze fixed forward as though he might step right out of the screen. He spoke in a frigid tone: "Step foot into my Great Xia Prefecture, and death is your only end! Starting today, the Longwu Guards will patrol Great Xia Prefecture. Scum of the All-Races Sect, if you're not afraid of dying, just try staying here and see how many of your dog heads we can lop off!" On the sofa, Su Yu suddenly felt a surge of excitement. Xia Longwu! The Prefect of Great Xia Prefecture! As for the beheadings, he didn't mind them; everyone was long accustomed to such sights. Scenes like this appeared on television all the time. Humanity's sole policy toward cultists of the All-Races Sect was execution upon capture, severing heads until no one dared commit treason—an uncompromising, iron-fisted doctrine. Public executions were meant to terrify the public and crush any lingering treachery in the bud. Su Yu didn't dwell on the killings; his attention was entirely on Xia Longwu. This Prefect of Great Xia was exceptionally domineering and unfathomably powerful. Twenty years ago, this prefect had commanded the Demon Suppression Army on the All-Heavens Battlefield—the very corps Su Yu's father had served in—making him his father's direct superior. Over the years, whenever Xia Longwu appeared on screen, Su Long would get ecstatic, grabbing Su Yu and pointing at the television: "That's your old man's former commander! Back on the All-Heavens Battlefield, he swept through all quarters, utterly invincible, routing the armies of the myriad races until they threw down their armor and fled..." Over time, Su Yu had been swayed by his father's fervor and grew to revere this powerhouse who had carved a bloody path through the All-Heavens Battlefield. *If only I could become as strong as Prefect Xia one day... that would be incredible!* A spark of yearning flickered in Su Yu's chest. This was a true powerhouse. Among all the prefects today, none were weak. Yet Xia Longwu was top-tier even among his peers. More importantly, while Su Yu didn't know who the strongest prefect was, he knew Xia Longwu was still relatively young—only in his sixties. Meanwhile, other prefects, like the mighty Zhou Potian of Great Zhou Prefecture, were figures from the dawn of the Anyuan Calendar, meaning they were well over three hundred years old. Twenty years ago, Xia Longwu had taken command of the Demon Suppression Army in his mere forties. That was what Su Yu envied most. Truly terrifying strength! Just forty-odd years old—in this era, that was extraordinarily young. What level of strength did it take to command the Demon Suppression Army? Su Yu had no idea, but he knew it had to be formidable. It wasn't something achieved merely because one's grandfather was the King of Great Xia. Among the various prefects, some were the direct sons of founding kings, yet none displayed such ferocity. "Xia Longwu..." "Longwu War Academy!" "Longwu Guards!" Su Yu licked his lips, his throat running dry. He was young, after all; what youth didn't harbor burning ambitions? Had he never thought of testing into a war academy? Of course he had! Great Xia Prefecture possessed multiple higher war academies. Among them, Great Xia War Academy had a heritage spanning over three hundred years, making it the oldest and mightiest war academy in the prefecture. Yet today, Great Xia Prefecture boasted another elite war academy. Longwu War Academy! Named after Xia Longwu himself, it had been founded fifteen years ago. In just fifteen short years, it had risen to become one of the premier academies in Great Xia Prefecture. Most of its graduates went straight into Great Xia Prefecture's strongest military formation—the Longwu Guards! It was said that the city lord of Nanyuan City had hailed from the Longwu Guards, which spoke volumes about their prestige. Although his father, Su Long, had served in the Demon Suppression Army, he had wanted to join the Longwu Guards after his discharge to continue following his old commander. Unfortunately... the Longwu Guards had rejected him. He was too old, his cultivation too weak; they wouldn't take him. Su Long had cursed furiously over that for quite a while. Naturally, he didn't curse Xia Longwu, but the recruiters—on what grounds did they look down on him? Rumor had it that a squad of Longwu Guards was stationed in Nanyuan City as well. Su Yu didn't know whether that was true; at least, he had never crossed paths with them. "Great Xia War Academy, Longwu War Academy... Great Xia War Academy mostly feeds troops to the front lines, and they rarely return home. But the Longwu Guards..." Su Yu's eyes gleamed. Longwu War Academy was different; it served primarily as a reserve pool for the Longwu Guards. Cadets from Longwu War Academy also saw action on the front lines and enjoyed similar benefits to those of other war academies, but the Longwu Guards possessed one distinct advantage: their primary mission was defending the homeland. In other words, they spent most of their time stationed within Great Xia Prefecture. Of course, if a massive war broke out, the Longwu Guards, as an elite corps, would be the very first to deploy to the All-Heavens Battlefield. If the Demon Suppression Army was the standing garrison of the All-Heavens Battlefield, the Longwu Guards were the mobile field army. "Fewer restrictions, more freedom, though any major engagement means the most perilous siege assaults and counteroffensives..." "If I truly want to test into a war academy, I should aim for Longwu War Academy." Su Yu muttered to himself. Unfortunately, Longwu War Academy was even harder to get into. Because it fed the reserves of the Longwu Guards, its cultivation requirements were slightly higher than even those of Great Xia War Academy. Rubbing his cheeks, Su Yu smiled wryly. He was daydreaming. A regular war academy was already out of reach, let alone Longwu. Why bother overthinking it! "To think the All-Races Sect dares set foot in Great Xia Prefecture—they're courting death! Now that the Longwu Guards are deployed, I wonder if we'll see them around Nanyuan..." Su Yu wasn't overly concerned. Those cowards from the All-Races Sect couldn't show their faces and wouldn't dare stick their necks out. They only dared scurry about in the dark. With the Longwu Guards sweeping through Great Xia Prefecture, those vermin would hide deeper than rats; who among them would dare surface? Even if they did, Su Yu had nothing to fear. In this day and age, nearly everyone was a soldier. While there were no Wanshi Realm experts in his residential compound, quite a few Qianjun Realm cultivators lived there. Aside from returning veterans like his father, several hadn't re-enlisted, and there were also elderly veterans past military age. If a few Qianjun Realm cultists dared show up, they would be walking straight to their deaths. Any old man who managed to retire from the battlefield was a ruthless veteran with blood-stained hands; none of them would blink an eye at taking a life. With a single shout, seven or eight Qianjun cultivators could spring into action at any moment. ... After finishing the broadcast, Su Yu cooked a simple bowl of noodles, washed up, practiced the Kaiyuan Art several times, and went to bed early. If he didn't turn in early, his nightmares would wake him early, leaving him short on sleep. By now, Su Yu had figured out a pattern: the nightmares usually struck in the small hours before dawn. The time before then was when he slept best, and he had to make the most of it. ... Night. Pitch black. In the dream. A scene repeated countless times unfolded once more. A colossal bird was relentlessly pursuing Su Yu. "Fuck!" Su Yu hated avian beasts most of all. They flew terrifyingly fast, leaving him no way to run. In the past, encountering land monsters was bearable; occasionally, he could find an opening to escape without being caught and chewed apart. Yet against flying monsters, he had never once escaped. Every single time, he was ground into paste, waking up in agonizing pain. He truly despised these winged bastards! This time was no exception. The massive bird moved with shocking speed, unhindered by any terrain in the dream, and closed the gap rapidly. Sprinting for his life, Su Yu twisted his head to look back. He wanted to see if he recognized the creature. *Huh?* He stole a glance. There were countless avian races, and Su Yu only knew of a dozen or so, but this one... felt very familiar! Though somewhat blurry, a fleshy crest could be faintly discerned atop its massive head. "That's... the Ironwing Bird race!" "Holy crap, after all these years, I finally ran into one I know!" Su Yu felt a spark of excitement. Knowing eighteen alien languages didn't mean he had encountered those races; he hadn't even met them in his dreams, only feeling a vague familiarity toward them. He had only learned their tongues because instructors at Nanyuan Secondary Academy happened to teach them. Although he had never crossed paths with an Ironwing Bird before, he knew their language! Among the eighteen languages he had mastered was the Ironwing tongue. People at Nanyuan Academy knew it because, on the All-Heavens Battlefield, dominant races like the gods and demons often harnessed these birds as airborne forces. Su Yu quickly looked back and bellowed, "Weiyi xijiuyun? (Why are you chasing me?)" The massive bird gave no response, as if completely deaf to his words, and continued hurtling forward. "Luyijiyou... (We are friends!)" Still, there was no reply. Su Yu cursed inwardly. Watching the giant bird extend its talons into a dive, he knew he was about to die again. This was almost certainly an Ironwing Bird, but it clearly possessed no intelligence—it was merely a phantasm in a dream, after all. *Crack!* Sure enough, blinding agony tore through his head. Su Yu's skull was instantly crushed, and the dream world began to dissolve. Su Yu knew he was about to wake up! Awakened by the pain! Yet right at that moment, the instant the colossal Ironwing Bird crushed Su Yu's head, it let out a sudden, shrill screech. "Yuese!" Su Yu froze for a fraction of a second. The next moment, he jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat. "Yuese... No, not yuese—blood!" Su Yu's eyes flew wide. He had heard it clearly. The Ironwing Bird had killed him, yet it had shrieked in fury, as though killing him hadn't yielded what it sought. "Blood!" "It killed me for blood—fresh blood!" That had been spoken in the Ironwing language, which was why Su Yu understood it. He had undergone similar experiences before, but he hadn't understood back then because those monsters spoke languages beyond his knowledge. This time, he understood! "Blood!" "It wants blood. What does that mean?" "My blood? But I've been injured and bled before, and nothing ever happened. What could it possibly mean?" His head pounded, but setting the nightmare aside, his mind raced furiously. "It needs blood, but killing me in the dream produces none. My blood doesn't seem to work either. Could it be... it needs blood from its own kind?" "Ironwing Bird blood?" "If I have Ironwing Bird blood, what will happen?" "A dream is just a dream, though. Even if I had it, could I really bring it into the dream?" Su Yu massaged his temples, his palms slick with sweat. He couldn't worry about that now. This dream... seemed to be gaining clarity. For the first time in all these years, he sensed that the mystery of his nightmares was solvable. His study of alien languages hadn't been in vain. Even catching just a single word today made it all worthwhile. "No, I have to try. Whatever happens, I must give it a shot. If I get my hands on Ironwing Bird blood, what changes will it bring? Besides, once this dream passes, tomorrow might bring a different creature. Will Ironwing Bird blood still be useful then?" "Forget it!" Su Yu sat straight up. His mind was made up; he had to try. After being hunted down in his dreams for so many years, he was sick and tired of it. He needed to put an end to these nightmares as soon as possible. Carrying this burden around while being butchered every night was simply intolerable for anyone. "As soon as it's daylight, I'll go check the Xia Trading Company. They sell everything, so they might have Ironwing Bird blood. After all, Ironwing Birds are quite common on the All-Heavens Battlefield, so there's a chance I can buy some!" Having made his decision, Su Yu lost all desire to sleep. He eagerly awaited the dawn so he could go purchase Ironwing Bird blood. Even if there were only the faintest sliver of hope to resolve the nightmare, it was worth trying. He had truly had enough of this tormenting ordeal.