Finders Aren't Necessarily Keepers

The inner examination hall. Not many candidates had followed along this time. In Nanyuan, very few had ever come into contact with willpower texts or divine characters, and even in Great Xia Prefecture, not many had reached that level at this stage. Some might have had no experience with them at all, but either refused to give up or simply wanted to watch the spectacle, so they tagged along as well. Su Yu swept his gaze across the crowd. There were only about a hundred students in total. Soon, the group arrived at the topmost floor of the examination building. Before them stood a sealed classroom, guarded by City Guards standing watch outside the door. Section Chief Sun looked at the two chief examiners from the Civilization Academies. The two exchanged glances and nodded in unison. Moments later, Researcher Huang turned to face the crowd and said solemnly, "This trial mainly tests your willpower, divine characters, resilience, and other comprehensive faculties! "As I mentioned before, any students who have not had prior contact with these things must proceed with extreme caution! "Outlining a divine character to completion makes it unique to each individual. Even for the very same word, different people bring out different traits. Evaluating divine characters in isolation doesn't really tell you much. "When both are complete divine characters, how do we distinguish which is stronger? How do we assign different scores? "Therefore, at this stage, the Civilization Academy's examination employs specialized methods of appraisal. Those who have begun outlining a divine character without fully completing it can also earn bonus points." From the back, an uncomprehending student could not help asking, "Teacher, if a divine character hasn't been completely outlined, it doesn't possess any traits. Besides, without having manifested our willpower, we can't actually display anything outwardly. Whether we've outlined a divine character or not comes down entirely to what we say. If we don't speak up, no one would know, right?" In other words: if I want to lie and claim I outlined one when I actually haven't, you wouldn't be able to tell, would you? Researcher Huang smiled. "If you're harboring hopes of getting lucky or faking your way through, then I can only say you're dreaming. The Civilization Academy examinations have been conducted for hundreds of years. There might have been loopholes in the early days, but they were patched long ago. "The mysteries of a Civilization Master are far beyond your imagination! "In the examination hall ahead of you, there is currently a divine character being maintained specifically for testing purposes. "When you go in shortly, those who have read willpower texts will know that there is a certain amount of pressure. It's the same inside. If your willpower or divine character falls short of the mark, you will swiftly be overwhelmed by the shock and won't be able to stay inside at all." With that, Researcher Huang explained, "You will understand once you're inside. If you can't bear it, walk out on your own. If you find yourself unable to step out, call for the examiners to rescue you. Do not force yourself. If your sea of will is injured due to your sheer ignorance, it will be too late for regrets! "Those who wish to enter the Civilization Academy should be intelligent people, not idiots! If you don't even have self-awareness, then you are not worthy of becoming a Civilization Master. The test carries a certain degree of danger, yet we persist with this method regardless!" Researcher Huang continued solemnly, "We want students with courage, perseverance, and resilience, but we do not want students who are blindly arrogant and lack a clear understanding of themselves. Such students... should not waste the academy's resources!" Su Yu raised his hand, waited for the examiner's nod, and hastily asked, "Teacher, how are points scored?" "Go in, and you will see for yourself!" Researcher Huang said no more. Turning to the City Guards, he said, "Let them enter!" The students began filing in one after another, and Su Yu followed them inside. It was a vast, empty room, spartan and plain, with nothing unusual visible at first glance. However, at the very front of the classroom stood a small raised platform. Upon it rested an object resembling a bone book, which Su Yu guessed might be an original All-Races cultivation manual. Several examiners entered at this time as well. Researcher Huang, the elderly man from Jiutian Academy, and Section Chief Sun. Wu Wenhai, however, had not come. They walked straight to the front platform. Once the candidates had finished filing inside, Researcher Huang spoke again: "Wait outside the red line. Later, whoever can no longer hold out, withdraw on your own!" As the words fell, Su Yu felt a surge of willpower, vast as the sea! At least, that was how it felt to him! Researcher Huang seemed to be activating something—perhaps the divine character he had spoken of. The next instant, a beam of golden light surged upward. Su Yu and the others saw only a blinding blaze of radiance before their eyes; everything else vanished from view. "Candidates wishing to be assessed, walk forward! The further you go, the higher your score!" …… A hazy voice echoed by his ears. At this moment, Su Yu felt as though he had stepped into a dream. The classmates around him were gone! Su Yu opened his eyes. He seemed to have entered an entirely different world. All around him was an endless expanse of white. "Is this... produced by a divine character?" Su Yu stood dazed. Was this a dream, or an illusion? His Little "Blood" could also generate illusions, but Su Yu could always distinguish truth from falsehood. Right now, he felt as if he truly existed within another world, bearing a sensation reminiscent of dreaming. It was somewhat similar to the feeling he had in his recurring dreams. "Walking forward yields high scores?" Su Yu grew genuinely curious about the world of Civilization Masters. Liu Wenyan had once said that a single word held an entire world. Back then, he had not fully understood, but now he seemed to grasp a trace of it. This was merely an examination hall in Nanyuan. Even if the divine character here was formidable, it likely was not excessively powerful. Otherwise, it would never have been brought to Nanyuan. This divine character did not appear to belong to Researcher Huang himself either. *Could it have achieved true Manifestation... Surely not?* The thought crossed Su Yu's mind. He had heard that achieving true Manifestation with a divine character required an extraordinarily high realm. Across several generations of academy heads, only one had seemingly left behind a truly manifested divine character. With countless stray thoughts whirling through his mind, Su Yu quickly put them aside. He just needed to walk forward! Only by walking far could he claim first place and win back the twenty merit points he had lost. Su Yu took a step... The moment he stepped forward, he sensed a difference. The pressure was immense! Ahead of him stood what felt like a wall of air, blocking his advance. "Willpower..." Su Yu murmured. The next instant, Little "Blood" in his mind stirred as if rejoicing, vibrating within his mind. The invisible wall of air in front of Su Yu seemed to dissolve. Su Yu began stepping forward. He recalled being less than fifty meters from the examiners. He should be able to cover that distance shortly. *I can't see what's in front of me; I won't run into a wall, will I?* Su Yu let his mind wander briefly. Fifty meters was very short; he would reach it soon. …… Just as Su Yu and the others were immersed in this rudimentary world, several examiners stood beside the platform, looking toward the students ahead. At this moment, all the students had their eyes open, wearing various expressions, wandering aimlessly across the room. Researcher Huang swept his gaze over them and waved his hand. Beams of crimson imprints shot forth, and within moments, dozens of students had crimson marks floating above their heads. "Take these students away!" Several more examiners swiftly entered the field, stepping into the cluster of students and escorting those dozens away. Only after being led outside the divine character's area of effect did these candidates snap back to reality in a daze, looking around in bewilderment. Where on earth had they just been? They had clearly been in a classroom. Why had it felt as though the entire sky and earth had suddenly changed? "Those who failed to endure for a full minute receive no bonus points. You may leave!" Researcher Huang's voice rang out as the examiners began ushering those students out. One of them hastily cried, "Teacher, the exam isn't over yet! We..." "An examination is not a show. Get out!" Researcher Huang's tone was icy. "Refuse to leave, and your examination qualifications will be revoked, barring you from admission!" At those words, the dozens of students dared not utter another sound and obediently left with the examiners. As they departed, they looked back at the students who remained, their eyes brimming with boundless envy and jealousy. They knew they had been eliminated in this trial, earning zero points. Glancing sideways, they saw that Su Yu and the rest were actually all mostly pacing around in place. A few students had managed to advance a little, though not very far. The most conspicuous was Wu Lan, who stood out brilliantly ahead of everyone else, having advanced at least ten meters. Second place was not Su Yu, but Zhou Tianqi, who had walked six or seven meters. Su Yu felt as though he had walked a great distance, but in reality, he had only covered about two or three meters. …… Once those candidates were gone, Researcher Huang dropped his stern demeanor, looked at the students remaining in the classroom, and smiled. "These little fellows probably think they've lost their way, wondering why they haven't seen us after walking for so long..." Section Chief Sun chuckled as well and said, "Back in my day, I attempted this too. In the end, I covered five meters and earned fifty bonus points. My luck wasn't bad; I hadn't even outlined a divine character back then." "That's normal. After all, those among the candidates who have outlined divine characters are a minority. Generally speaking, walking about ten meters isn't an issue once one is outlined." As Researcher Huang spoke, he glanced at Su Yu again. "He probably outlined one, perhaps even a complete one, but his willpower is too weak and the character's might is too small. If it were a complete divine character handled by someone who had truly reached the Character Cultivation stage, covering twenty meters wouldn't be a problem at all. For him, it will be tough." Section Chief Sun sighed softly. "It is a bit tough, but he should only be slightly behind Wu Lan. Zhou Tianqi probably won't beat him; Zhou Tianqi likely hasn't outlined a complete divine character, only laid the foundation." Though Zhou Tianqi had currently walked further than Su Yu, the examiners did not think highly of his chances. The boy was already on the verge of collapsing. Those present who could walk beyond five meters were generally those who had laid the foundation for a divine character. A single sweep of their eyes showed there were at most ten such candidates. This meant that among the applicants in Nanyuan this year, at most ten had laid a divine character foundation. In normal years, this examination hall might not have opened at all. This year was an exception mainly because many people had arrived from Great Xia Prefecture. Otherwise, Su Yu might have been the sole candidate taking this test here. Of course, while Liu Yue had not laid a foundation, she had interacted with willpower texts several times and had managed to cover two or three meters by now. As the Civilization Masters chatted, the elderly man from Jiutian Academy glanced toward the bone book on the platform. Watching the shimmering golden light upon it, he said with a hint of sorrow, "What a pity." At those words, the expressions of Section Chief Sun and Researcher Huang shifted. "What's there to pity..." Section Chief Sun said in a deep voice. "No matter how tragic, they are still better off than us! Even though they didn't achieve true Manifestation, they still managed to leave something behind. A man leaves his name behind him; though they have fallen, legends that belong to them endure!" Every bone book preserved a single divine character. This was the true resting ground of a Civilization Master—not of their flesh, but of their heritage. Their divine characters could not be preserved through true Manifestation, so they could only rely on special methods to lodge them within bone books, in which their entire lives were recorded. These semi-manifested divine characters had mostly been left behind by masters of the Lingyun and Shanhai Realms. They were also among the treasured heritage of the Civilization Academies! Of course, without true Manifestation, once the master perished, the divine character's power diminished significantly. It was sufficient against ordinary Qianjun or Wanshi Realm opponents, but posed virtually no threat to someone in the Tengkong Realm, rendering it somewhat marginal in combat. Even so, the greatest wish of Section Chief Sun and his peers was that after death, they could leave a bone book of their own in the Heart Cultivation Pavilion of the Civilization Academy. The academy called it a civilization chronicle. While the men conversed, Researcher Huang did not slow down his marking. Soon, another batch of dozens of students received crimson imprints—candidates who could no longer endure and were to be eliminated. Enduring for one minute, even without advancing a single meter, yielded ten bonus points. This was their reward. That they could persevere without having outlined a divine character was an achievement in itself. Fewer and fewer people remained. …… *Haven't reached the end yet?* Su Yu was somewhat bewildered by now. Had he entered an illusion? Whether it was an illusion, hypnosis, or something else, he didn't care much at the moment. The key point was that he was real, so why hadn't he reached the end after walking for so long? *Has the world been expanded?* Su Yu pondered this. He suspected space might have been magnified. The world of divine characters was too mysterious, and he understood very little of it. Just as he was about to press forward, Su Yu's gaze shifted. Ahead, where there had only been an expanse of white, a pack of demon beasts suddenly materialized. *What is this? Why does this feel so similar to my dreams...* *This is fake, definitely fake. We're still in the classroom; there can't be demon beasts here.* Even as the thought crossed his mind, the pack of demon beasts pounced toward him with murderous intent! At that moment, the "Blood" divine character in Su Yu's mind suddenly pulsed. The next instant, a blood-red divine character manifested right before his eyes! Little "Blood" had popped out! He didn't know whether people outside could see it, but he could see it clearly now, just as he did in his dreams. "Hm?" Su Yu started slightly. The next moment, his eyes lit up. The Little "Blood" before him suddenly transformed into a blood-red saber. Grasping the blade, Su Yu slashed toward the pouncing demon beasts! *Pfft!* A soft sound echoed. An instant later, the foremost beast was slain. "Too weak..." Su Yu wore a strange expression. Compared to the savage demon beasts in his dreams, these before him were utterly fragile! The beasts in his dreams slaughtered him like a chicken, but here, he butchered them just as effortlessly. They were pitifully weak. Su Yu had dared to try only because these beasts gave off no sense of threat whatsoever. There was none of that impending crisis of imminent death that haunted his dreams. Having transformed into a saber and slain a beast, Little "Blood" seemed to want to absorb blood, only to find... there was no blood to absorb at all. Even so, Su Yu felt it had still absorbed a tiny trace of something, though he wasn't sure what it was. …… Just as Su Yu slew the beast and Little "Blood" absorbed that trace, Researcher Huang felt a slight tremor. He turned toward Su Yu, unable to suppress a chuckle. "Interesting. What sort of divine character did this kid outline? It seems to possess an absorptive trait; it just drew a sliver of my willpower..." Opening the bone book had required his own willpower, and just now, a fraction of it had vanished, originating from Su Yu's direction. Though it was an infinitesimally small amount that had practically no effect on him, he had still detected it. He immediately formed a conjecture: Su Yu's divine character possessed a certain absorption trait, and Researcher Huang's willpower had been siphoned by it. As he spoke, Researcher Huang noticed Wu Lan looking somewhat frightened, an expression of terror surfacing on her face. His eyes flickered, and the next moment, he sent a voice transmission: "It's fake, Wu Lan. Su Yu is already ahead of you by thirty points! Do you want to take second place and lose face?" "..." Section Chief Sun glared at him! Researcher Huang smiled. "Just spurring the students' fighting spirit. Getting a few more points is always a good thing. This is only an exam. If they're scared even now, I worry they'll amount to nothing in the future." Section Chief Sun said coldly, "Examiners are forbidden from interfering with candidates' tests! Huang Sheng, I warned you before! The Yuqiang Department will recommend that the Civilization Academy dock your stipend for three years. Dare to do it again, and I will recommend sending you to the Demon Suppression Army vanguard battalion for three years!" Researcher Huang's face stiffened, turning rather bitter. "Section Chief Sun, I... was only saying a word..." "Dare to quibble further, and see if I don't report to the Yuqiang Department right now to strip you of your assistant researcher status!" Huang Sheng dared not speak another word, wearing a look of helpless resignation. *Liu Hong, oh Liu Hong, this time you'd better compensate my losses.* The loss was simply too great! He hadn't actually dared to cheat or suppress anyone; after all, he was not the only examiner present. He had merely given Wu Lan a slight nudge. As a member of the Wu family who had outlined a complete divine character, she shouldn't be so fragile. He had only been firing up her competitive drive; strictly speaking... it wasn't truly cheating. How far Wu Lan walked still came down to her own abilities. Even so, for an examiner to secretly intervene in such a setting was a grave taboo. Had he not refrained from directly taking the field himself, Section Chief Sun might have arrested him on the spot. Wu Lan had originally walked nearly fifteen meters, earning 150 bonus points. Adding that to her previous score brought her to 805 points, barely reaching the top-high tier. This was why Wu Lan, who had previously been ranked mid-high, had felt confident in reaching top-high this time. However, 800 points was merely the threshold, far behind the true monstrosities. Even so, a top-high candidate was considered a top-tier genius even within the academy. At this moment, Huang Sheng's words appeared to have taken effect. The instant Wu Lan heard them, she flared with indignation. She... was actually going to lose? Impossible! The next instant, Wu Lan squeezed her eyes shut and began flailing wildly. Whatever she was encountering, she threw a flurry of wild punches at the empty air ahead, unexpectedly advancing about two more meters in the blink of an eye. Section Chief Sun looked at Huang Sheng again, his gaze freezing cold. That was an extra twenty points; otherwise, Wu Lan would have given up right then. Huang Sheng turned his head away, avoiding his gaze. Over a single sentence, he had just lost three years' salary, yet this senior brother of his still wanted to find fault with him... Talk about bullying! Beside them, the elderly man from Jiutian Academy smiled without saying a word. He had no interest in Wu Lan; she was bound for Great Xia Civilization Academy anyway. Su Yu, on the other hand... had caught his interest. At this point, Su Yu had covered nearly ten meters, coming from behind to overtake Zhou Tianqi. Zhou Tianqi had also walked nearly ten meters, now lagging just half a step behind Su Yu. Meanwhile, almost all the other students could hold out no longer. One after another, they were escorted out by the examiners. When Liu Yue came to her senses, she had walked three meters. Seeing that only Su Yu and a handful of others remained in the hall, Liu Yue sighed softly, feeling both envious and jealous. She had known Su Yu for a long time. Before this, though Su Yu was outstanding, she had ranked first among the Civilization Academy applicants from Nanyuan Secondary Academy, while Su Yu was second. Yet in this Civilization Academy examination, she had scored 240 in the cultural assessment, 63 in the cultivation realm, and gained 30 bonus points in the final trial, totaling 333 points. She had attained mid-tier, but the gap between her and Su Yu was vast. Her merit point bonus was zero. In Nanyuan, as a mere Stage Four Kaiyuan cultivator, she had nowhere to earn merit points. Scoring over 300 points and reaching the mid-tier made her exceptionally accomplished compared to past Nanyuan examinees. In previous years, Nanyuan produced a mid-tier student only once every few years. Yet this year, there was Su Yu, who had already secured a spot in the high tier even without counting this trial. The gap between them was only widening. Feeling dejected, Liu Yue did not linger. She left swiftly, her emotions swirling with turbulent waves. …… "Utterly useless..." Su Yu cursed under his breath. Panting heavily, the blood saber in his hand collapsed back into the character "Blood." Little "Blood" seemed stuffed and exhausted, panting as well, ready to head back for a nap. It could hold out no longer! Su Yu didn't know how far he had walked, nor could he see the students around him, but he knew he must not have walked as far as Wu Lan yet. That silly girl had probably outlined a complete divine character and reached the Character Cultivation stage; she would inevitably walk faster and further than him. *Looks like I have to use Little 'Thunder.'* Watching the demon beasts pouring forth endlessly, Su Yu felt a touch of helplessness. While these beasts posed no real danger, they blocked the path and prevented him from moving forward. His willpower consumption was not small either. If this continued, he would not be able to hold out. "Come forth!" The next instant, the "Thunder" divine character appeared. *Rumble!* Like a thunderous explosion, Little "Thunder" unleashed lightning that struck the demon beasts, blasting them into pieces and instantly clearing the space ahead. Su Yu was overjoyed. This fellow was so much easier to use than Little "Blood"; it just drained willpower too quickly. Su Yu felt his willpower was nearly exhausted. Still, he could keep pushing. These divine characters were nurtured in his sea of will and stored willpower during normal times, possessing an intrinsic might of their own. Su Yu had not used Little "Thunder" until now. The very instant he unleashed the "Thunder" character, the examiners all turned their eyes toward him in unison! "He surged forward three meters in an instant..." At this moment, Su Yu had covered roughly fifteen meters, trailing just slightly behind Wu Lan. Section Chief Sun's expression shifted. "Did you sense that just now? Was it a second trait of the same divine character, or did a second divine character appear?" Su Yu lacked the ability to manifest characters outwardly; everything happening now was mediated by the illusion. The examiners could not see how many characters he had deployed; they could only sense the distinct traits present. Had Su Yu mastered a second divine character, or was it just one character with multiple traits? With Su Yu's modest willpower, walking about ten meters should have been his limit by all rights. After all, he could not compare to those students who had reached Character Cultivation and laid their character foundations. Yet here he was, nearly catching up to Wu Lan. Huang Sheng didn't know either. Shaking his head, he could not help muttering, "How on earth did that fellow Bai Feng pick up such a gem?" In Nanyuan, of all places! To find such a prize in a forsaken place like this was simply astounding. Great Xia Prefecture was massive with a vast population, while Nanyuan was just a tiny, insignificant city. To stumble upon talent here—what absurd luck Bai Feng had! Section Chief Sun remarked faintly, "Who says... finders are necessarily keepers?" "..." Huang Sheng froze, then turned to stare at Section Chief Sun. "Section Chief Sun... you're planning to poach him?" "Not me. I have plenty of classmates in the academy, and even my teacher is there!" Section Chief Sun said nonchalantly, "Just because Bai Feng found him first, does that make him Bai Feng's? Who made that rule? Is Bai Feng's name carved onto Su Yu's forehead?" Huang Sheng bared his teeth in an urge to laugh, but held back. In any case, this was Bai Feng's business; what did it have to do with him? He had never intended to take Su Yu as a student anyway. If the boy achieved top-high, Huang Sheng wouldn't even have the qualifications to take him on. Bai Feng, on the other hand, did—partly because he was young and a recognized genius of the academy, and partly because his own teacher was formidable. What other assistant researcher had the credentials to recruit a top-tier student? Nor would the students choose them, unless they were family.