Perfect Score!

Su Yu did not take Old Xie's words to heart. While envious and petty people certainly existed, this was an official testing ground for the Higher Academy Examination of an entire city. No matter how corrupt people from the Great Xia War Academy might be, they would never stoop so low in broad daylight, even if things might be different behind closed doors. Regardless, Su Yu ignored it. Keeping to himself, he began absorbing the yuanqi liquid, preparing for his breakthrough. He was already very close to Kaiyuan Realm Stage Nine. Had time not been running out, he could have opened the album today and absorbed a single drop of blood essence to break through, which would have saved him four merit points. Still, weighing four points against twenty—plus whatever reward came with taking first place—Su Yu ran the numbers and decided that breaking through right now was well worth the cost. …… Just as Su Yu was preparing for his breakthrough, an examiner passed word to the other chief examiners. The middle-aged man from the Great Xia War Academy was surprised upon hearing the news. At that moment, the other chief examiners were also present. Section Chief Sun of the Yuqiang Department and a chiliarch of the Demon Suppression Army had both received the report as well. "Kaiyuan Stage Nine?" The middle-aged man murmured under his breath. After a moment of thought, he looked over at Wu Wenhai, who had just arrived on inspection, and asked, "City Lord Wu, Su Yu's father is only at Qianjun Realm Stage Nine, isn't he?" "Yes. Su Long has been at Stage Nine of the Qianjun Realm for several years, but due to a lack of resources, he's never broken through to the Wanshi Realm." Wu Wenhai naturally knew Su Long, and he knew Su Yu just as well—after all, the boy was Liu Wenyan's star pupil. "A few months ago, he was still at Kaiyuan Stage Three, and now he is on the verge of breaking through to Stage Nine..." The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before speaking. "City Lord Wu, if you don't mind, could you provide us with Su Yu's latest file?" Wu Wenhai had no objections. This was a good thing; it meant everyone was taking notice of Su Yu. Nanyuan might very well produce a genius student this year—not just a talent of Nanyuan, but of the entire Great Xia Prefecture. Wu Wenhai sent someone to fetch the records, and within a few minutes, an updated file was delivered. "Half a month ago, he was awarded seven merit points... Seven points!" The middle-aged man was astonished. What kind of deed could earn seven merit points? Previously, Su Yu's records had only shown a cumulative ten merit points outside of the All-Races languages exam, excluding gifts from others. While ten merit points was substantial, assisting the local Wind Arrest Hall in completing certain missions occasionally yielded point rewards as well. Accumulating ten points over a span of several years was hardly conspicuous. Yet here, the record showed that Su Yu had received seven points all at once. One had to realize that slaying an early-stage Wanshi Realm cultivator without any bonus rewards only yielded ten merit points. "Awarded seven points in one go..." The middle-aged man abruptly looked at Wu Wenhai. "City Lord Wu, has there been any major battle in Nanyuan recently? Did a Wanshi Realm cultivator fall?" Wu Wenhai's eyes flickered. The middle-aged man smiled and added, "We can verify this ourselves; we just don't want to waste time. What do you say, City Lord?" Wu Wenhai chuckled and nodded. "Half a month ago, a stronghold of the All-Races Sect was eradicated, and a Wanshi Realm ringleader was slain." "I see!" The middle-aged man understood completely. If one never looked into such matters, they went unnoticed, but once attention was paid, deducing the origin of the merit points was simple. In the slaying of that Wanshi Realm cultivator, Su Yu had definitely contributed, and in no small way! Otherwise, he could never have obtained seven merit points so easily—unless, of course, Su Yu had slain multiple Qianjun Realm enemies single-handedly. Flipping through Su Yu's file, the middle-aged man frowned slightly. "The student Bai Feng reserved in advance truly is extraordinary. For an examinee in the Kaiyuan Realm to assist in slaying a Wanshi Realm cultivator, he almost certainly relied on a divine character. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have had the right to get close..." "A divine character!" At those words, both the section chief from the Yuqiang Department and the chiliarch from the Demon Suppression Army turned their eyes sharply toward the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man chuckled. "Don't look at me like that; analyze it yourselves and you'll see. When a Kaiyuan cultivator assists the Wind Arrest Hall in killing a Wanshi Realm foe, do you think he helped with physical strength? Or did he support them with a longbow from a distance? A Kaiyuan cultivator's archery couldn't make a scratch on a Wanshi Realm expert, and Nanyuan hasn't fallen so low as to need that. "So the only possibility is that he either possesses immense willpower or has condensed a divine character. I checked his willpower records: his previous file recorded a fullness of ten percent. Even now, he could reach twenty percent at most—it couldn't possibly be higher. "Only a divine character explains it!" "No wonder!" The middle-aged man let out a breath. Kaiyuan Stage Eight was not that significant, and the Great Xia War Academy had no shortage of Stage Nines either. Even if Su Yu's performance in Nanyuan was astonishing, it was unremarkable when placed against the Great Xia Prefecture as a whole. Reaching Stage Eight in Nanyuan was impressive, but no matter how impressive, it fell short of being monstrous. Su Yu was not an ordinary person; he had a Civilization Master in the Tengkong Realm as his mentor. His reaching Stage Eight did not truly surprise anyone, for who knew how much private assistance Liu Wenyan had given him? Forming a divine character, however, was not something that could be bought by Liu Wenyan's generosity. Liu Wenyan had achieved Manifestation only recently, so at most he could have penned a single willpower text for Su Yu. When Bai Feng had visited previously, he had stayed only briefly. At most, Su Yu could have viewed willpower texts twice. In an instant, the experts pieced the progression together. Section Chief Sun of the Yuqiang Department smiled and said, "In that case, the boy is a genius of the divine character path? As for his breakthrough to Kaiyuan Stage Nine, that isn't strange at all. He recently acquired a fair amount of yuanqi liquid. If his divine character aids his cultivation, reaching Stage Nine is well within reach." The file even showed the three drops of yuanqi liquid gifted by Chen Hao's father, along with what Su Yu had exchanged for himself and whatever covert support Liu Wenyan might have provided... All of them agreed that Su Yu was by no means lacking in resources. "He also exchanged for quite a bit of blood essence..." At that moment, the middle-aged man spotted another entry and suddenly asked, "Could his divine character be related to blood?" With that, he looked toward Wu Wenhai. Wu Wenhai shook his head and laughed. "I wouldn't know about that. Elder Liu keeps his cards close to his chest, and I could hardly go prying into a youngster's private affairs." Right then, the middle-aged man linked the blood essence to the divine character. Early on, Su Yu had exchanged for very little blood essence; the bulk of his exchanges had occurred later, right around the time he condensed his divine character. "His divine character might be tied to blood essence, and absorbing it may boost his strength..." The middle-aged man deduced. This new file had revealed many things that had gone unnoticed before. "A genius of the divine character path..." The middle-aged man murmured, "He may have traced it completely, or he wouldn't be able to utilize its traits! "To go from nothing to completion in a matter of months—even counting from the day Bai Feng arrived, that's only two months. He traced a divine character completely. Before that, Liu Wenyan hadn't reached the Tengkong Realm and couldn't transcribe a willpower text for him, and Su Yu had no channel to obtain one on his own..." As for whether Liu Wenyan had other channels, they did not care. Even if Liu Wenyan had possessed such connections, he would not have given one to Su Yu back then. "Two months!" the middle-aged man stressed with heavy emphasis. A moment later, he stood up. "I'm going to take a look..." Beside him, the chiliarch from the Demon Suppression Army was already striding toward the door, speaking as he walked: "There's no need for the War Academy to recruit him. The Civilization Academy suits him best. Of course, the Civilization Academy is far too cushy; developing his career in the military would be much better. "His father belongs to the Demon Suppression Army. After enlisting, he broke through to the Wanshi Realm and now serves as a centurion. Although he isn't under my direct command, I became acquainted with him years ago..." The others looked at him with sheer contempt. Who are you trying to fool? Su Long retired eighteen years ago, before you had even enlisted! What are you doing pretending to be old pals? Section Chief Sun chuckled and said, "Gentlemen, it is best to teach according to individual aptitude. Since Bai Feng has already taken an interest in him, let him enter the Civilization Academy. Why disrupt his path now?" The middle-aged man shook his head. "You can't put it like that. Since he chose to sit for the War Academy examination, reaching Kaiyuan Stage Nine will qualify him for high tier. High-tier students are highly valued in the War Academy as well. He is still young and has yet to fix his path. Which road he takes must remain a choice." Everyone knew Su Yu was better suited for the Civilization Academy, but... Kaiyuan Stage Nine and high-tier student status made entering the War Academy an appealing option as well. The War Academy focused on the warrior's path, but that did not mean no one cultivated divine characters there. It was merely a difference of which was primary and which was secondary. Wu Wenhai paid little mind to their rivalry. A smile played across his face; a genius fought over by multiple parties was a true genius, and that was a wonderful thing. As for where Su Yu ultimately went, that was up to the boy himself. Regardless of his choice, Su Yu's treatment would not be poor. It seemed Nanyuan would not be so humiliated this year after all. At the very least, they had a decent fig leaf. …… *Boom!* A sound like exploding air cracked above him, a rumbling roar echoing outward as yuanqi converged. Nine apertures shone with brilliant light, and in the next moment, all nine were fully opened! "This kid..." Old Xie clicked his tongue in wonder. The boy truly had been only a single step from Kaiyuan Stage Nine; no wonder he had been so confident in breaking through. Su Yu had completed his breakthrough. Yuanqi gathered around him from all directions—the hallmark of Kaiyuan Realm Stage Nine, marking the ability to absorb external yuanqi. To put it plainly, Stage Nine of the Kaiyuan Realm was the divide between the innate and the postnatal. He could now absorb yuanqi from the outside world! From this point on, as long as Su Yu absorbed enough yuanqi, practiced a Qianjun cultivation technique, opened further apertures, and tempered his physical body, he would advance to the Qianjun Realm. Su Yu opened his eyes. Old Xie checked the time and chuckled. "No rush. Take a moment to adjust. Only three hours of the exam have passed; you still have an hour left. The practical combat and realm assessments will take only a few minutes. As long as you finish within four hours, you're fine." Just as he spoke, Old Xie's eyes flickered slightly; he sensed people heading their way. *They sure came fast!* Old Xie cursed inwardly, though his expression remained unchanged as he said, "Su Yu, do you know which academy among all the higher institutions is the safest?" Su Yu looked at him in confusion. What did he mean by that? "The Great Xia War Academy and the Great Xia Civilization Academy have been around for far too long, making them a mixed bag. Who knows how many All-Races Sect infiltrators are lurking inside? Some of them have even reached high-ranking positions without being exposed! "Only the Longwu Academy is made up almost entirely of retired Longwu Guards, making it the purest of all. The All-Races Sect has virtually no spies in the Longwu Academy, and even if they do, they're merely small fry, simply because our institution was founded so recently. "Even when All-Races Sect members lie low, they seek revenge against certain people—specifically, the geniuses who have killed their kind! A Kaiyuan cultivator who slays a Wanshi Realm expert, even if only as an assistant, is considered a priority target for assassination by the All-Races Sect! "Once you lose your life, you can't accomplish anything. No matter how much of a genius you are, how wealthy you are, or how much talent you possess, it all counts for nothing." Old Xie sighed. "So think it over carefully, and choose wisely!" *You know what I'm talking about!* Old Xie had not spelled it out completely, but it was practically stated: *You helped kill a Wanshi Realm cultivator, and the All-Races Sect won't let you off. Come to Longwu—Longwu is the safest!* Su Yu did not answer immediately. He familiarized himself with the incoming yuanqi while turning the words over in his mind. After a moment, he asked, "Instructor Xie, is the All-Races Sect really that rampant in the Great Xia Prefecture?" Old Xie started to speak, then stopped, momentarily lost for words. If he called them rampant, it made the Great Xia Prefecture look completely incompetent. If he called them negligible, wouldn't that make everything he had just said sound like nonsense? *This kid is digging a hole for me!* Old Xie chuckled. Quite interesting—the boy's mind was exceptionally sharp. Being clever was good; it meant he would not die easily. "To us, they're naturally negligible. But to an examinee in the Kaiyuan Realm like you... even someone at the Qianjun Realm can threaten your life." Su Yu gave a faint smile. "Hard to say. I've killed someone in the Qianjun Realm before—at the mid stage, no less. You should know that, Instructor." "..." Old Xie genuinely had not known. He only knew the kid had assisted in killing a Wanshi Realm cultivator. "You killed a mid-stage Qianjun cultivator on your own?" "Yes, with the help of my divine character." Su Yu already knew the man had guessed the existence of his divine character, so he did not bother hiding it. Smiling, he said, "So the Great Xia Prefecture isn't quite as dangerous as you make it out to be, Instructor." "..." This time, Old Xie was truly rendered speechless. He sighed. "Choose for yourself, then. In truth, your viable options are only Longwu, Great Xia War, and the Civilization Academy. Each has its pros and cons. "The more talented you youngsters are, the more set in your ways you become. Once you make up your mind, nobody can sway you. I imagine you have your own judgment." Old Xie continued earnestly, "If you pursue the path of warfare, Longwu is better. If you take the path of civilization... Great Xia Civilization Academy is naturally the best choice. "Longwu is safer and more peaceful, and securing resources is relatively simpler. Over at Great Xia Civilization Academy, the competition is far fiercer." Abandoning his disparagement, Old Xie offered a serious analysis: "Especially right now. Wan Tiansheng lay low for fifty years, and now that the Manor Head is in seclusion, Wan Tiansheng has seized momentum in an instant. Great Xia Civilization Academy has become the focal point of attention for the entire Great Xia Prefecture, the Human Realm, and even the myriad realms of the heavens! "In the days ahead, countless eyes will converge on the Civilization Academy. It will be a chaotic, turbulent place! "Chaotic times forge heroes! "I understand that during a time like this, people at the Civilization Academy either wash out or rise to greatness. This era is bound to produce one or several mighty powerhouses from among them. But the dangers involved... you're a smart kid; you should know them well." Su Yu nodded, then smiled. "Instructor, I'm merely in the Kaiyuan Realm. That's far too distant for me!" "That's true as well. Right now, the ones who truly have a chance of rising are Bai Feng's cohort—a group of young people in the Tengkong Realm. For them, reaching the Lingyun Realm, the Shanhai Realm, or even higher isn't out of the question." Old Xie sighed with emotion, then laughed. "No point in talking about this with a youngster like you. Figure it out yourself! If you don't come to Longwu Academy, there's even less reason to go to Great Xia War Academy. Both focus on the physical path, and they're far less reliable than us." Su Yu nodded and said nothing more. …… Half an hour later, having grown accustomed to the incoming yuanqi, Su Yu walked out of the small classroom. The examiners from the Great Xia War Academy had not come over. Whether Old Xie had intercepted them or they were waiting for the examination to end before speaking with Su Yu remained unclear. The final testing arena was sparsely populated. This area was reserved exclusively for assessing examinees at Kaiyuan Stage Eight and above. In previous years, Nanyuan had never opened this venue, but it was open today. In the massive arena, there were only two examinees: Su Yu and Wu Lan. Wu Lan had not actually intended to take part in the practical combat assessment; she needed to conserve her energy for the civilization examination in the afternoon. However, seeing that Su Yu was participating, she had followed along out of curiosity. At Kaiyuan Stage Eight, she was fully qualified to enter, even if she did not take the test. There were five examiners present, all of them chief examiners leading their respective delegations: Old Xie, Section Chief Sun, the chiliarch from the Demon Suppression Army, the team leader from the Great Xia War Academy, and... Wu Wenhai! All five were experts of the Tengkong Realm! This was the most formidable lineup sent by the Great Xia Prefecture, save for the absence of anyone from the Civilization Academy. Every year, the Great Xia Prefecture placed immense importance on the Higher Academy Examination. The various academies took it just as seriously! This was merely Nanyuan; in other major cities, even smaller academies dispatched Tengkong Realm experts to serve as examiners, rather than having numerous Wanshi Realm cultivators filling general examiner roles as was done here. As Su Yu and Wu Lan stepped inside, the five chief examiners turned their gazes toward them. Su Yu felt a faint pressure. Five Tengkong Realm experts! Aside from dealing with the All-Races Sect incident, Nanyuan rarely saw five Tengkong Realm cultivators gather in one place. This was the first time Su Yu had faced five such powerhouses directly. His earlier interactions with Old Xie had been gentle and relaxed, so Su Yu had not felt much strain. Now, however, with the gazes of five Tengkong Realm experts converging on him, he felt completely laid bare. Section Chief Sun looked at Su Yu for a moment, then smiled. "Su Yu, have you decided to initiate the Kaiyuan Stage Nine practical combat assessment?" "Yes." "You've only just broken through. I recommend you only take the Stage Eight assessment. While that won't qualify you for high tier, you will comfortably secure first place in Nanyuan." Section Chief Sun smiled. "If you aren't aiming for the War Academy, there is no need to test for Stage Nine. What do you think?" "I'd like to try." Su Yu answered seriously, "Since I've reached Kaiyuan Stage Nine, I want to give it a shot!" Only by reaching high tier could he claim the twenty merit points. Since he was already exposed, he saw no reason to turn down twenty free merit points. That was worth four drops of yuanqi liquid, or twenty drops of blood essence—a reward equivalent to slaying two Wanshi Realm foes. Earning that much through other channels would cost him an immense amount of time and effort. "Then we shall begin the Stage Nine assessment!" Section Chief Sun pressed the matter no further, speaking briskly: "The practical combat assessment for Kaiyuan Stage Nine is quite difficult. Your opponent will be a City Guardsman at Qianjun Realm Stage Three. Both sides will go all out. If you can hold out against him for one minute, you pass. "Passing does not mean a perfect score. "If you can hold out against him for three minutes, that is a perfect score. "Of course, simply passing will still qualify you for high tier. Practical combat carries a maximum of one hundred points, and the two realm stages offer another one hundred points. As long as you pass, you can secure around one hundred and eighty points at minimum..." "Understood!" Su Yu replied firmly. Qianjun Realm Stage Three! Hold out for one minute! Though he had previously slain mid- and even late-stage Qianjun opponents, those had been ambushes rather than head-on clashes, and the targets had known nothing of his true strength. He had never engaged in a genuine, direct confrontation with a Qianjun Realm cultivator. With five chief examiners scoring and both sides fighting with everything they had, there would be no mortal danger—five Tengkong experts would never let an examinee suffer fatal harm. But injuries were another matter; the examiners would not intervene to prevent those. To the side, Wu Lan watched Su Yu with curiosity. She could not comprehend why this fellow was so determined to qualify for high tier. Was he truly planning to enter the War Academy? If he got injured, he might be unable to sit for the afternoon examination. She failed to realize how precious twenty merit points were to Su Yu! If he lacked the ability to claim them, that would be one thing, but since he was capable, why on earth should he refuse? Wu Lan might dismiss twenty merit points as trivial, but to Su Yu, they were immensely important. That was no mosquito leg; it was an elephant leg, enough to feast upon until he was stuffed. …… A few minutes later, a City Guardsman walked out carrying a wooden saber, speaking solemnly: "Zhao Yunsheng of the Nanyuan City Guards! In this assessment, I will hold nothing back, bring no shame upon the name of the City Guards, and commit no favoritism or fraud, as witnessed by the five chief examiners!" For a Qianjun cultivator to hold back beneath the eyes of five Tengkong experts was impossible. Furthermore, with his own City Lord watching, he dared not pull punches. He did not know Su Yu anyway, so he would never risk his neck over something like this. Su Yu took a deep breath, picked up a wooden saber from a nearby weapon rack, and gripped the training blade. "Su Yu, Nanyuan Secondary Academy!" "Begin the assessment!" At Section Chief Sun's command, Zhao Yunsheng kicked off the ground and slashed his wooden saber directly forward. Not daring to take the blow head-on, Su Yu hastily retreated. Without hesitation, Zhao Yunsheng pressed his attack, hacking toward Su Yu again. His speed and strength far exceeded Su Yu's. With nowhere left to dodge, Su Yu let out a low shout and swung his own saber to meet the strike. *Bang!* The wooden sabers were made of exceptional material, and neither shattered upon impact. Su Yu was forced back several paces, the web between his thumb and forefinger on the verge of tearing. "Qianjun Stage Three..." Su Yu's eyes turned grave. The man's strength far surpassed his own! A single exchange had proven he was completely outmatched. The shockwave left his internal organs throbbing with pain. Zhao Yunsheng paid no heed to Su Yu's discomfort. As Su Yu stumbled backward, he struck again with blistering speed and impeccably solid fundamentals. With a sharp crack, Su Yu failed even to parry in time. The wooden saber landed squarely on his right arm, nearly knocking his weapon from his grip. Su Yu felt his right arm swell immediately! He scrambled backward, grimacing from the excruciating pain. The chief examiners above remained silent. Su Yu had only just entered Stage Nine, so being outmatched was a given; the only question was whether he could endure for a full minute. *Whoosh!* The wooden saber tore through the air, stirring the currents as it swept straight toward Su Yu's legs. Su Yu leaped upward. A confident smile crossed Zhao Yunsheng's stoic face, and in the next instant, a leg lashed out, sending the airborne Su Yu flying with a resounding *thud*! *Crash!* Su Yu slammed into the ground, his face already bruising and swelling, his head buzzing violently. The gap was simply too vast! Su Yu's combat experience lagged far behind his opponent's. The moment Zhao Yunsheng initiated the sweep, he had already anticipated the leap, and jumping into the air before reaching the Tengkong Realm was practically suicidal against a seasoned fighter. On a real battlefield, Su Yu might well have died just now. The chief examiners shook their heads. Su Yu was still too young; even if he had drawn blood before, he was still far behind these City Guardsmen. Wu Lan felt a touch of schadenfreude. *I told you not to take the test, but you insisted. You took good intentions for ill will, and now you're paying the price!* …… Su Yu scrambled up quickly, rolling aside to dodge Zhao Yunsheng's follow-up strike. Taking a beating was nothing; he was resilient, and it was not yet time to give up. Besides, he had not even played his trump card. The whistling of the wooden saber sounded once more. Su Yu rolled again, his hair rustling as the blade clipped his locks, severing several strands. Zhao Yunsheng pressed relentlessly, quickly driving Su Yu into a corner. Less than a minute had elapsed. The gulf between Kaiyuan Stage Nine and Qianjun Stage Three was simply too wide. Su Yu had just broken through and opened only nine apertures; he was no match for his opponent. Up above, Section Chief Sun said softly, "Still lacking a bit. After all, he just advanced. I'm afraid he won't pass. He falls quite short of some Stage Nines from the Great Xia Prefecture..." He was already preparing to halt the exam, convinced Su Yu would not make the cut. Right then, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Su Yu's eyes before he instantly made up his mind. Just as Section Chief Sun opened his mouth to call a stop, Zhao Yunsheng suddenly slashed his blade to the side of Su Yu. In his eyes, Su Yu stood directly beneath his weapon, but in reality, his strike was far off mark! Meanwhile, light flashed across the real Su Yu's wooden saber as he swung with full force! *Crack!* Zhao Yunsheng went flying backward, his chest covered in splinters! Su Yu had struck using the flat of the blade, which had completely shattered on impact. Su Yu panted heavily as yuanqi gathered around him. Section Chief Sun and the others exchanged glances in silence. Su Yu kept his head down, equally quiet, unsure of what to say. He had cheated! Of course, the willpower was his own, and the divine character was his own, but deploying them in a physical combat assessment for the War Academy felt like cheating. An illusion had disrupted Zhao Yunsheng, and Su Yu had unleashed a strike of the Thunder Yuan Saber to take him down cleanly. He had won, defeating a Qianjun Stage Three combatant outright. Yet he had also lost. At Kaiyuan Stage Nine, he possessed no true ability to fight above his realm. Relying on physical strength alone, a Qianjun Stage Three fighter could have killed him within a minute with absolute certainty. Over to the side, Wu Lan wore a look of utter stupefaction. What had just happened? She had neither understood nor clearly seen what took place. All she saw was Su Yu, who had been on the verge of defeat, suddenly turn the tables and fell a Qianjun Stage Three City Guardsman with a single stroke! How... how had he done that? Section Chief Sun and the others looked at one another. After a long silence, Old Xie cleared his throat and asked, "How... should we score this?" He had defeated the examiner outright—how were they supposed to grade that? Su Yu had utilized willpower... Wu Wenhai chuckled and remarked, "The examination rules don't forbid that, do they?" Old Xie nodded. "Of course not. That's his own capability. On the battlefield, one resorts to anything to survive; that's perfectly normal. It's just that..." The team leader from the Great Xia War Academy hesitated. "Strictly speaking in terms of Kaiyuan Stage Nine physical combat ability, he didn't quite pass. But in the end, he defeated the examiner. We placed no restrictions on willpower, and while similar cases have occurred in past years, dispatching an examiner so cleanly is rare indeed." Old Xie pondered before saying, "It wasn't just willpower—that final blow was almost certainly the Thunder Yuan Saber! A Profound-rank martial skill that this kid mastered long ago. Mastering a strike like that while still in the Kaiyuan Realm makes him quite the genius in its own right. Let's give him full marks for this stage." The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Full marks it is, then. But no extra bonus points." Bonus points! Section Chief Sun thought it over and smiled. "Then no bonus points. It's a bit inflated after all. Though if the Civilization Academy ever hears you calling their divine characters 'inflated,' hehe..." The others were speechless. *You're the one who said it, not us!* Defeating an examiner had happened before and typically earned extra bonus points. However, Su Yu's victory had not been achieved through physical supremacy over a higher realm, and measuring willpower at this stage was difficult, so they could only treat it as an equal-realm victory without additional bonus points. The examiners reached a consensus and swiftly awarded him a perfect score. Two hundred points! By now, Su Yu had composed himself. Defeating a Qianjun Stage Three opponent as a Kaiyuan Stage Nine cultivator had been impossible to begin with; he had simply overestimated himself earlier, assuming that knowing the Thunder Yuan Saber meant he could hold his own against early-stage Qianjun fighters in a one-on-one duel. Now he saw that he was still far from that level. He could put aside any notion of defeating higher-realm opponents for the time being. Willpower and divine characters were capabilities too, so he needed to be more open-minded. *A win is a win...* A smile soon returned to Su Yu's face. Winning was all that mattered. His willpower had been forged through his own cultivation anyway, so why get so worked up over it?