Impossible to Reason With

For practical combat and the Stage Eight and Nine assessments, Su Yu received a perfect score of two hundred points. For the basic assessments covering the first seven stages, worth a total of one hundred and seventy points, Su Yu received one hundred and seventy points. For general academics, worth a maximum of one hundred points, Su Yu received eighty points. For riding and archery, worth a maximum of one hundred points, Su Yu received ninety-seven points. Bonus points from merit points: one hundred points. Total score: 647 points. With two hundred points being enough to gain admission into a war academy, a score of 647 was, to many ordinary students, a towering peak they would never dare imagine. Even so, within the Great Xia Prefecture, such a result was only rated as low-high tier. Only a score above seven hundred qualified for mid-high, and only above eight hundred qualified for top-high. Reaching the Qianjun Realm, possessing substantial merit, or defeating an examiner above one's realm all counted as bonus points. There were even bonus points in other events. In riding and archery, for example, if someone in the Qianjun Realm could land an arrow squarely in the bullseye of a target five hundred meters away, that also earned bonus points. Naturally, in a place like Nanyuan, no one even bothered to mention it. Five hundred meters... Even with his eye apertures unblocked, Su Yu could not see that far, let alone hit the mark. Nor did he possess the strength to shoot an arrow that far while keeping it forceful. At this moment, Su Yu finally understood what Bai Feng had said back then. There were plenty of geniuses out there; Su Yu was nothing special. Of course, there had been some exaggeration in that claim, but Su Yu was willing to measure himself fairly. Old Xie was right: if you considered yourself a genius, you had to compare yourself against the best, not against those weaker than you. Since tiers like mid-high and top-high existed, it meant there truly were peers stronger than him. Regardless of how unequal backgrounds or resources might be, those advantages were still part of who they were. Some people were simply born with greater advantages than you. Having powerful parents was an advantage too. Yet every powerhouse had once risen from the ranks of ordinary people, so there was no need to wallow in self-pity or blame the heavens. Right now, Su Yu saw himself clearly. He had many advantages others lacked as well. He had simply gotten a late start. Su Yu was confident that given a little more time, he would catch up. …… Inside the examination grounds. The chief examiners conferred for a moment before one of them turned to Wu Lan. "Wu Lan, are you sure you want to forfeit the assessment?" Wu Lan nodded. She had no desire to get injured. If she got hurt, what would happen to her Civilization Academy examination in the afternoon? Even now, she was still puzzled over how Su Yu had actually won. In truth... she had a suspicion in her heart, but she hardly dared believe it. A divine character! A complete divine character! She found it unbelievable. If someone told her Su Yu had outlined a divine character, she might have believed it. But Su Yu's willpower was clearly not very strong. How could he have outlined a complete divine character, and even activated its innate property? That was what she could not accept. It wasn't that such people didn't exist. The Great Xia Prefecture was vast; it had geniuses like that. Yet Su Yu... was from Nanyuan. His teacher, Liu Wenyan, was also only a newly ascended Civilization Master in the Tengkong Realm. He wasn't a dedicated private tutor either, but merely an instructor at an academy. That was a world of difference. Since Wu Lan had forfeited the assessment, the examiners said nothing more. Everyone already knew where she was headed. The team leader from the Great Xia War Academy pondered for a moment, then looked toward Su Yu. "Su Yu, once your Civilization Academy examination is over, we can talk. Don't rush into a decision. Compare your options, weigh the pros and cons, and decide after that." Nearby, the chiliarch from the Demon Suppression Army was even more direct. "Su Yu, you can ask for your father's opinion! He's at the front line now and has already been promoted to centurion. If you need, I can have a message sent to ask what he thinks." Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he hurried to ask, "Teacher, is my father doing well at the front line?" "He broke through to the Wanshi Realm and earned a promotion. What do you think?" The chiliarch chuckled. "All is well. There hasn't been much heavy fighting in the Great Xia Prefecture recently—just small skirmishes, no major operations. Your father and I are comrades-in-arms, both in the Demon Suppression Army. If you join the Demon Suppression Army, there's no need to attend any academy. You can temper yourself directly in the military, saving several years compared to an academy..." Section Chief Sun cleared his throat, cutting in, "We'll see about that later. Leave these discussions until after the examinations are over! Su Yu still has his Civilization Academy examination. Don't distract him now and disrupt his performance this afternoon." Turning to Su Yu, he added, "Your arm is injured. Be mindful of it during the Civilization Academy examination this afternoon." "Thank you, Teacher!" After thanking him, Su Yu hesitated and asked, "Does this mean my examination is over for now?" "That's right." "Then... did I take first place in Nanyuan?" "Of course!" Section Chief Sun smiled. "The official scores haven't been posted yet, so don't be impatient. First place is definitely yours." "Then..." Su Yu still hesitated, giving a light cough before asking, "Teacher, when will the three drops of yuanqi liquid for first place... be handed out?" Off to the side, Wu Wenhai laughed helplessly. "You might not even enroll in a war academy, and you're already fretting over that?" That reward was funded directly by the City Lord Manor. Su Yu offered an embarrassed grin and said nothing. Amused, Wu Wenhai continued, "You won't be cheated of a single drop! You brought glory to Nanyuan and slapped quite a few faces. I like that! It's just three drops of yuanqi liquid. Even if I don't cultivate myself, I'll condense them for you!" Those in the Tengkong Realm could produce yuanqi liquid themselves, and Wu Wenhai was a Tengkong cultivator. Since he had made that promise, Su Yu dropped the matter. However, his peripheral vision kept darting toward Old Xie and the other examiner. *What about the merit points?* *When are you settling that?* *You haven't forgotten, have you?* *Should I remind you that you haven't given me the merit points you promised?* *I reached the high tier!* The two men above seemed entirely oblivious, packing up their things and preparing to leave. With Su Yu's assessment complete and Wu Lan forfeiting, their duties here were done. Su Yu cursed inwardly. *Come on! You can't be serious!* *It's only ten merit points each. That shouldn't be much to Tengkong Realm experts, right?* *Are they trying to renege on the debt, or... did they really just forget?* To reach the high tier, he had consumed a drop of yuanqi liquid. Now, he was down to just two merit points and under thirty thousand in cash. Without income, the days ahead were going to be rough. "Teacher, I heard that taking first place comes with additional rewards from the Great Xia Prefecture, like merit points. Was it ten points or twenty points, I wonder..." Old Xie shot him a sidelong glance. *Dropping hints for us, are you?* *Merit points, ten points, twenty points—do you take us for fools?* Wu Wenhai found the exchange amusing and spoke up. "You two, I heard all about your wager. Stop teasing the boy. Since you promised, you're not planning to renege, are you?" Old Xie chuckled heartily. "Impatient brat! Who said anything about reneging? What's ten merit points anyway? It's nothing. The exams aren't even finished yet, so what's the rush?" Turning back to Su Yu, he said, "Come find me once the examinations are over. No, better yet, I'll come find you to talk, and I'll transfer them to you then." Beside him, the leader from the Great Xia War Academy smiled as well. "They'll be given to you once it's over. Maybe you'll receive even more, depending on whether you can seize the chance." With Nanyuan producing a high-tier student, both chief examiners were in high spirits. Ten merit points were merely a little bonus spice. …… Su Yu finally stopped worrying. With the examination finished, although he had performed exceptionally well, he hadn't ended up surrounded by examiners who refused to let him leave. They were all powerful figures in the Tengkong Realm. Whatever needed to be said or negotiated could be handled together at a later time. There was no need for them to cling to Su Yu; that would only make them look undignified and lacking in composure. Once they left, the allotted exam time was just about up as well. Seeing Su Yu walking with his head down, deep in thought, Wu Lan caught up again. Feeling stifled, she held back for a long time before finally blurting out, "High tier is divided into ranks too! Even though you made high tier, you've barely crossed the threshold. A high-tier rating at the Civilization Academy is far harder to earn and carries far more authority than one at the War Academy!" Su Yu turned to glance at her and smiled. "Are you rated high tier at the Civilization Academy?" Wu Lan let out a breath of relief. *You finally asked!* "That's right!" "Oh." "..." And that was it! Su Yu kept walking, planning to find some medicinal plaster outside to dress his arm. His right arm was still swollen. Wu Lan couldn't hold it in and hurried up again. "A high-tier rating at the Civilization Academy is truly difficult! The afternoon exam depends entirely on raw ability. My previous internal evaluation was mid-high, but that was months ago. My evaluation now is definitely top-high!" "Oh. Impressive!" Su Yu offered a word of praise. He hadn't realized she was quite so capable. "Even among the academy's annual intake, top-high ratings are rare!" "Yeah, truly impressive!" "..." Wu Lan was on the verge of losing her mind. *I'm very strong!* During the War Academy exam just now, she hadn't taken things seriously at all. She truly was strong! With a top-high rating, teachers at the Civilization Academy would be fighting over her. The fact that Bai Feng had looked down on her was just because there was something wrong with Bai Feng, not because she lacked strength! "Have you mastered a divine character?" "That's a secret." "Even if you've mastered a divine character, you might not reach mid-high. You'll probably only get a low-high rating!" "Oh. That's pretty good too." "..." Wu Lan was genuinely going crazy. With a flare of annoyance, she snapped, "Su Yu, you are far too arrogant!" "..." Su Yu was dumbfounded. *Was I?* *I don't think so!* *How am I being arrogant?* *You said you were top-high, and I praised you for being impressive. I didn't say anything else, so how does that make me arrogant?* Su Yu felt deeply exasperated. No wonder his teacher said women only hindered one's progress and brought no help at all. "Classmate Wu Lan!" Su Yu turned around, his expression solemn. "Thank you for your multiple reminders, and thank you for continually motivating me. But right now, I need to go home. I'm not being arrogant either. Could you please stop following me?" "..." Wu Lan was furious. "Who's following you? Su Yu, don't get too full of yourself!" "..." "You are completely impossible to reason with!" Su Yu's mood soured entirely. *How am I full of myself?* *Where am I supposed to go to find reason!* *Have these women lost their minds?* *When I try to reason with you, you call me arrogant and full of myself. When I tell you you're impressive, you get upset too. Am I supposed to tell you you're mediocre instead?* Su Yu ignored her, turning on his heel and striding out the door. Wu Lan exploded behind him. "I won't go easy on you this afternoon! I'll make you realize you're not the only genius around. There are plenty of geniuses in the Great Xia Prefecture, so don't go thinking you're the only capable one!" "Classmate..." Su Yu turned back to look at her and said in all seriousness, "I know there are plenty of geniuses, and I never thought I was all that impressive. All I know is... if you're so determined to compete with me, let's have a duel. A wager of twenty merit points. Whoever loses gives the other twenty merit points. If you take that bet, I'll happily keep bickering with you all day, whether through words or fists." Su Yu's tone was thoroughly sincere. "Truly, I don't bully girls. If you think you can't beat me in a fight, we can have a shouting match instead. I'll accept that too. I can keep trading insults with you, and whoever loses pays the merit points." "..." Wu Lan broke down completely. *Who wants to fight you!* *Who wants to have a shouting match with you!* *This guy... is utterly shameless!* With a sharp huff, Wu Lan decided to ignore him altogether. Tossing her head with an air of pride, she marched away. She had no intention of lowering herself to deal with someone like him. "Crazy!" Su Yu muttered under his breath. Women were simply impossible to reason with. Once he reached the Great Xia Academy, there would probably be even more women like her; he needed to stay far away from them. Or he could take a page out of Chen Hao's book: if someone wouldn't stop jabbering, drag them out for a duel! Of course, Su Yu completely chose to overlook who had originally suggested the idea of Chen Hao beating up girls. *I've never beaten a girl, after all.* …… Outside the examination grounds. The moment Wu Lan emerged, several students who had come from the Great Xia Prefecture gathered around her. One of them asked hastily, "Wu Lan, how did Su Yu do in practical combat?" "Average." "Is he really at Kaiyuan Realm Stage Nine?" "He broke through by consuming yuanqi liquid. What's so special about Stage Nine!" Wu Lan was thoroughly impatient. *Ask, ask, ask—what's there to keep asking about!* "Is he still taking the Civilization Academy examination this afternoon?" "Nonsense!" Wu Lan's temper flared. "If he doesn't take it, are you going to take it in his place? Even if you pass, you'll only end up with a low-medium rating. What are you badgering me for? Does it have anything to do with you?" The expressions on their faces shifted repeatedly. Wu Lan couldn't be bothered with them and walked away. Once she was gone, someone muttered indignantly, "She only managed to scrape a high rating by relying on the Wu family. What's she so smug about!" "Exactly!" "You can't really say that. Both she and her older sister are considered top talents among the Wu family descendants..." "..." The group gossiped among themselves for a while. Then Su Yu walked out, his face bruised and swollen. Seeing his battered appearance, the group visibly relaxed. It looked like his assessment hadn't gone very well. Still, being at Stage Nine of the Kaiyuan Realm made him a formidable rival. "He probably won't have much energy left for the Civilization Academy exam this afternoon, right? His hand looks completely swollen. What if he can't even handle the All-Races languages test?" "If his results for the Civilization Academy are subpar, he might end up going to the War Academy instead. In that case, would Teaching Assistant Bai recruit another student in Nanyuan?" The opportunistic students from the Great Xia Prefecture chimed in one after another, brimming with anticipation. They hoped Su Yu's results would be poor, and they hoped Bai Feng would reopen recruitment. Someone whispered, "Wu Lan probably has the same idea. Her results are outstanding... What do you think..." "Don't worry. Wu Lan is arrogant to a fault. Provoke her a bit, and even if Teaching Assistant Bai is willing, she won't agree." At those words, the others nodded in agreement. It was true enough. Wu Lan wasn't stupid, but she had an extreme temperament; otherwise, she wouldn't have come all the way to Nanyuan to take the examination. With her results, had she taken the exam in the Great Xia Prefecture, she would have been one of the most eye-catching geniuses around. If they spread a few rumors behind the scenes and provoked her pride, then even if Bai Feng was willing to accept her, she would probably refuse. …… Su Yu paid no attention to the group gathered together. He had noticed them, but didn't care. He hadn't even cared about Wu Lan, let alone them. At this moment, Su Yu was filled with sheer delight. Why would he waste thought on them? *Twenty merit points, three drops of yuanqi liquid, plus the additional rewards from the Great Xia Prefecture, which also include merit points. And if I take first place at the Civilization Academy, there's the reward of an original Qianjun Realm cultivation manual...* Su Yu was in high spirits. Taking first place for the War Academy had been fairly straightforward. Granted, that had a lot to do with how small Nanyuan was. Still, the rewards were real, and that was all that mattered. *I wonder if the Civilization Academy exam this afternoon will be as troublesome as this morning's...* The morning examination had been quite a hassle, and Su Yu worried he would have to go through the same routine in the afternoon. Just then, the bell rang, officially signaling the end of the four-hour examination period. Across the academy grounds, some students wore dejected expressions while others beamed with joy, looking as though they had done quite well. Su Yu didn't see Chen Hao at first, but it didn't take long to spot him. Or rather, it wasn't that Su Yu spotted him, but that Chen Hao was loudly looking for him. The fellow was standing atop a raised platform, yelling at the top of his lungs, "A-Yu! I'm over here! Are you still alive?" "Get over here, the exam is over!" "..." Su Yu felt a headache coming on. He didn't particularly want to walk over, but the boy kept shouting; who knew how long he would keep it up if Su Yu didn't go. Quickly, Su Yu hauled him down from the platform! Chen Hao didn't care in the slightest, beaming ear to ear. "A-Yu, I did great this time! But you said that horse was just a little big—it's way bigger than 'a little,' okay!" "I almost pissed my pants! Luckily, I remembered what you said and ran up to punch the thing once. That big horse calmed right down... Heh, I have to say, it worked like a charm! But the examiner insisted on docking ten points, telling me that if I ever dared hit a Cloud-Galloper Horse again, he'd throw me out!" Su Yu's head ached even more. "He didn't throw you out on the spot?" "Nope." Chen Hao chuckled. "I'm not stupid. I asked before I hit it. The examiner himself said to go ahead if I wasn't afraid of dying, so I went for it..." "You actually dared to punch it!" Su Yu was speechless. The boy was only at Kaiyuan Realm Stage Five. Wasn't he terrified the horse would go berserk and trample him to death? "So that means you got forty points?" "Yep." "Not bad!" Su Yu nodded slightly. "Can you pass all three general academic subjects?" "Probably?" "Then that's thirty points. You got forty points in archery, plus thirty bonus points, and forty points in riding. What about practical combat?" Chen Hao grinned broadly. "Practical combat was so simple! You just walk up like an idiot and slash a training dummy once. As long as you leave a mark on it, you get points. I slashed pretty deep, so I got twenty points." "Isn't practical combat worth one hundred points? You only managed twenty?" Chen Hao replied exasperatedly, "Nonsense, those hundred points aren't meant for people like us! Only those at Stage Eight or higher have any hope of getting a full hundred. People like us take whatever points we can get. Leaving a mark worth twenty points is already great! I checked Zhou Chong's score—that guy only managed ten points. He's at Stage Five too, what a piece of trash!" Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. *You're really obsessed with Zhou Chong, aren't you?* "That puts you at 160 points. That's not counting the ninety points for the first five stages of Kaiyuan... Even twenty or thirty points there would be enough." "How could it only be twenty or thirty? I got them all right!" Chen Hao protested, unconvinced. "For the listening comprehension, out of sixty points, getting fifty is no problem, right? And identifying liquids—those thirty points were practically handed to us! That should easily put me at eighty points!" Su Yu felt this guy desperately needed a realistic assessment of himself! *Fifty points out of sixty on listening comprehension?* Su Yu suspected thirty points would be stretching it to the absolute limit! Still, regardless of the details, Chen Hao hitting around two hundred points shouldn't be much of an issue. However, without his bonus points, hitting two hundred might have been a struggle. Su Yu sighed softly to himself. Chen Hao was actually considered quite good. At Kaiyuan Realm Stage Five, he had done well in practical combat, archery, and riding. Yet even so, reaching two hundred points without bonus points would have been difficult, let alone for everyone else. In Nanyuan, there probably weren't many who scored two hundred points each year. No wonder the people from the Great Xia Prefecture looked down on them. Some students from the Great Xia Prefecture could even score above eight hundred points. The gap between them was simply too vast. Even for the ninety base points of Kaiyuan Realm Stage Five, Chen Hao wasn't guaranteed to get full marks. It was no wonder that in previous years, even Stage Five applicants had been eliminated. "Let's head back first. My arm is still injured, and I don't want it to mess up my exam this afternoon..." Chen Hao looked at him with profound sympathy. "I don't have to test this afternoon. My dad wanted me to take the Internal Affairs Academy exam tomorrow, but I can't even be bothered to go. I'm definitely getting in anyway. By my calculation, I'll get at least 240 points!" The corner of Su Yu's mouth twitched. *That calculation assumes you'll get at least eighty points on the basics. Don't you have any self-awareness?* *Just wait until you get zero points on the listening test, and then cry your eyes out!* "Right, A-Yu, about how many points did you get?" "Not many." "Did you reach three hundred?" "Your math is terrible. I think you should hire another tutor to practice more!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered to entertain him. "Come on, how many exactly?" "Not many, just over six hundred. Too bad scores can't be split, or I could get into three war academies." "..." Chen Hao felt he really shouldn't have asked. He was truly an idiot! *Over six hundred points... Is he even human?* *Can a human score that high?* *Liar!* He didn't believe it! "A-Yu, scoring over six hundred points is useless anyway. We're all going to academies, and once you get there, it's all the same. Scoring that high is just a waste." Su Yu walked on with his head down, speaking as he went. "Right, a waste. It's only rewarding me dozens of merit points and a few drops of yuanqi liquid. And once I reach the academy, where they previously offered me a hundred merit points, they'll probably offer two hundred or even more now. It's really nothing special." Chen Hao hung his head and walked in silence, thoroughly dejected. He made up his mind: he wouldn't speak to Su Yu for at least three days! Not a single word! The guy was always tearing him down! Two minutes later, Chen Hao spoke up. "A-Yu, I'm starving. I'm not going to your place today; I want to eat at home. Do you want to come?" "No." "How about we eat out together then? You treat, okay? You've earned so much money..." "I don't have money. Didn't your family just sell an apartment? You've got more pocket money now, so you treat me. Otherwise, I'll tell your dad that the examination didn't charge any fees and you scammed him out of a thousand bucks!" Chen Hao cried out in grievance, "I didn't! My dad knew there were no fees! He beat me up for it, and that thousand bucks was compensation for my medical bills! I didn't scam him!" Su Yu nodded, having forgotten about that. "Then it's your treat. Consider it a proper celebration for getting into a war academy!" "Well... alright then!" Chen Hao felt that a celebration was indeed in order. Getting into a war academy was an incredible achievement! Su Yu sighed inwardly. Who knew if this simpleton would get conned out of his entire family fortune once he reached the Great Xia Prefecture? Then again, the chances were slim. If someone tried to swindle him and Chen Hao could beat them in a fight, he would probably beat the living daylights out of them. "Civilization Academy..." Su Yu murmured to himself. *Top-high tier!* Wu Lan claimed she could score top-high. What about him? If he lost to that woman, it would be rather humiliating! *Forget it, we'll see when the time comes.* Su Yu stopped dwelling on it. Even if he lost, it wouldn't be the end of the world. He wasn't that petty, nor would he lower himself to a woman's level. At worst, once they reached the academy, he would find opportunities to swindle her a few times. That woman looked thoroughly foolish and easy to trick.