Each with Their Own Choice

The moment Little "Thunder" made its entrance, it slaughtered everything in its path, clearing away gods and buddhas alike. It struck with the force of ten thousand thunderbolts! This divine character seemed to possess only a single trait: blasting you to death! A purely offensive divine character. Utterly unadulterated! When Su Yu had subdued it before, it had nearly electrocuted him to death. This was his first time actually wielding it, and the slaughter felt incomparably exhilarating. At present, Su Yu's willpower was still weak, and Little "Thunder" had only been nurtured for a short time. Given enough time, it would surely become an overwhelmingly powerful offensive divine character. "The willpower drain is too high..." Su Yu muttered under his breath. A sudden whim struck him. What if he used Little "Blood" as a saber, infused Little "Thunder" into the blade, and unleashed the Thunder Yuan Saber? What would happen then? Looking at the seemingly endless horde of demon beasts before him, Su Yu felt he was nearing his absolute limit. *Why not give it a shot?* His head was swimming now. His willpower had been depleted to the dregs. If this went on, he was doomed to fail anyway. He might as well try! The next instant, Little "Blood," who had just been drained extensively, appeared once more, transforming into a crimson saber. Under Su Yu's control, the "Thunder" character attempted to merge into the blade. Yet the two repelled each other! Little "Blood" resisted Little "Thunder"'s entry, and Little "Thunder" seemed just as reluctant to merge. The two pushed back against each other, much like how each occupied its own separate corner in Su Yu's sea of will, completely incompatible. *Be good, behave, and don't make me beat you!* Su Yu threatened the two subordinates with his conscious intent. *Merge obediently so we can pull off something big together!* *Both of you are spent arrows! If you don't join forces now, how are we supposed to push forward?* *How am I supposed to take first place?* *"Only by earning money and securing those twenty merit points can I trade for good resources to feed you! You're both gold-devouring money pits. If you don't earn your keep, just wait around to fade away into nothing!"* Su Yu continued his barrage of threats. *If you don't merge, believe me, I'll beat you right now!* The two divine characters still resisted each other, but sensing their master's will, they gradually began to fuse. Su Yu had no idea that this was not something within his power to control. Divine character fusion did exist, and at the Civilization Academy, it was an advanced, high-level subject. In fact, it was usually not even part of the standard student curriculum. In other words, only those at the Tengkong Realm and above would ever attempt it. The path of Civilization Masters had developed over countless years, with successive generations constantly breaking new ground. The dao of divine characters was a cornerstone of that path, so naturally, countless individuals had researched it. Divine character fusion was typically performed between characters with similar traits or complementary effects. For characters like "Blood" and "Thunder," whose traits had nothing in common, the chances of failure were extraordinarily high. If it failed, the destruction of the divine characters would be a minor issue compared to the severe backlash inflicted upon the sea of will. Su Yu was blissfully unaware. Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng had never imagined he would even contemplate divine character fusion at this stage. This kid had mastered divine characters at a terrifying speed, grasping two of them in barely two months. Even less had they anticipated that on a whim, he would try fusing them to assist in combat. All of this was happening within the domain of the bone civilization chronicle. In reality, before reaching the Tengkong Realm, without divine characters being manifested outside the body, fusion was practically impossible. Yet within the chronicle's area of effect, an opportunity had presented itself. The environment was unique: this was neither true manifestation nor true fusion, but rather the fusion of the divine characters' projections from his sea of will. It was intensely complex. Su Yu did not understand it, and nobody else had any clue what he was doing. Even Section Chief Sun and the others outside could not sense the slightest hint of it. *** The blood saber and thunder merged. Su Yu prepared to carve a path forward! At this point, only he and Wu Lan remained in the examination hall. Wu Lan was currently stuck around the eighteen-meter mark. She stubbornly refused to withdraw, and even though sweat was pouring down her face, she still would not call for help. Meanwhile, Su Yu, using the thunder to blast a path, had reached her vicinity, less than a meter apart from her. Up ahead, Huang Sheng glanced at Section Chief Sun. "Should we make Wu Lan withdraw?" "What's the rush?" Section Chief Sun was unconcerned. "Her willpower has reached Character Cultivation, and her divine character is fully formed. Advancing a few more meters shouldn't be an issue for her. The only reason she can't push forward right now is fear and dread, combined with this being her first time experiencing this, which has wasted a lot of her willpower. Staying a bit longer won't harm her." Wu Lan had a solid foundation; she simply lacked experience—or rather, had none at all. As a prospective Civilization Master, it was not that the Wu family was unwilling to let their scions take risks or endure hardships. Wu Lan's elder sister, Wu Qi, was a genuine powerhouse, a formidable woman who outperformed even Bai Feng. The Wu family's philosophy was that before reaching the Tengkong Realm, there was no need to send weak juniors out to their deaths. This was also standard doctrine among Civilization Masters. Thus, all of Wu Lan's accumulated merit points had come from assisting with translations and similar tasks, rather than participating in dangerous missions. Commoners like Su Yu were entirely different. They had to temper themselves and take risks starting from the very bottom. Otherwise, they could never sustain their cultivation or continue growing stronger. Since Section Chief Sun had spoken, Huang Sheng raised no objections. He looked back toward Su Yu and shook his head. "He won't be able to keep going. Seventeen meters is already far beyond expectations! Even though he fully formed a divine character, his willpower limits his progress. Otherwise, with his tenacity, reaching twenty meters wouldn't have been difficult at all." Although Huang Sheng had certain dealings with Liu Hong, he still had to acknowledge Su Yu's exceptional talent. For him to reach this point in Nanyuan, even with Liu Wenyan's help, that assistance would have been quite limited. Material resources were not the deciding factor here; some things simply could not be solved with resources. Section Chief Sun looked at Huang Sheng and smiled. "Do you think that if he enters the academy, he might become the next Bai Feng?" "Bai Feng?" Huang Sheng hesitated. "Su Yu is indeed remarkable, but Bai Feng was also one of the monstrous geniuses back in his day. If those scions from the Wu and Xia families hadn't overshadowed him, and if he hadn't spent these past few years immersed in Elder Hong's research, he might not have lagged behind them... Compared to him, Su Yu falls a bit short, doesn't he?" With that, Huang Sheng added, "How far along has Elder Hong's research actually progressed? Do you know, Chief Sun?" "What a joke. I'm not stationed at the academy; you're the academy researcher, and you're asking me?" Section Chief Sun was speechless. Disinclined to say more, he turned his gaze back toward Su Yu. At that moment, Su Yu's face was flushed red, and large beads of sweat were dripping down. Yet he seemed oblivious to it. His face was lit with a trace of excitement, brimming with anticipation as if he had just accomplished some grand objective. "Su Yu needs to come out... He won't be able to take it much longer." Section Chief Sun made his decision. Su Yu could not hold on; he had already reached his limit. Pushing any further would only harm him. Although Sun also wished to see Su Yu claim first place and shatter the monopoly of the prominent clans, injuring himself just for the sake of placing first in an exam was simply not worth the cost. Just as Section Chief Sun was about to have someone pull him out, the bone book vibrated faintly. Huang Sheng, who had been constantly supplying willpower to it, experienced a slight change in expression. "What is this kid doing?" All eyes snapped toward Su Yu! The next instant, a faint golden glow appeared above Su Yu's head. Section Chief Sun's expression shifted. *An accident?* *What's happening?* This was the first time he had ever witnessed such a phenomenon. A student in the Kaiyuan Realm with a golden glow appearing above his head... A golden glow only manifested when willpower was exceptionally formidable and on the verge of Manifestation, bursting forth in an explosive display. Back when Liu Wenyan achieved Manifestation, a similar golden light had appeared. The glow around Su Yu was faint, yet its very presence meant that he was currently erupting with his meager willpower—and it was growing steadily stronger! "Not good..." Section Chief Sun was startled, and a single phrase suddenly flashed through his mind: the final flare of a dying candle! Could this kid have pushed his willpower to the absolute extreme, causing his sea of will to collapse? He had never heard of someone in the Kaiyuan Realm experiencing a collapse of their sea of will! Just as he was about to toss Su Yu out of the area, a faint golden light erupted from Su Yu's hands. He seemed to be raising an object high, slashing downward with all his might toward the space ahead! "A divine character... He's using a divine character!" The examiners recognized it instantly. Su Yu was likely manifesting a divine character into a weapon to resist the chronicle's suppression. "Do we pull him out or not?" Section Chief Sun and Huang Sheng exchanged a hesitant glance. Pull him out? Su Yu was clearly unleashing his final strike. Dragging him out now would be unfair. Yet if they didn't pull him out, what if the backlash injured the kid? "Liu Wenyan, Bai Feng, Elder Hong..." Several names flashed through their minds, and both men felt deeply exasperated. This was a thorny situation. There was no longer any need to hesitate, however! Su Yu had already released his strike, and it was too late to stop him. The next moment, a tremendous boom echoed across the hall! *Crack!* The pedestal holding the bone civilization chronicle abruptly collapsed. Huang Sheng's willpower was violently drained in an instant, and caught off guard, he stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face. *** In Su Yu's eyes, he had used the "Blood" character to form a blade, reinforced it with the "Thunder" character's offensive power, and unleashed the Thunder Yuan Saber. With that single strike, dozens of demon beasts before him were blasted straight into dust! *Bang!* With a loud crash, the saber in Su Yu's hand shattered into fragments, fading away shortly thereafter. Both divine characters vanished, returning to his mind, utterly dim. The drain had been immense! Su Yu felt a splitting headache, as though his skull were about to burst, yet he still remembered that he needed to keep walking forward. Forward... Keep moving forward! *Wait, the pressure is gone?* *The demon beasts were killed, so the pressure vanished?* Dazed, Su Yu took a few more steps forward. The next moment, several blurry figures appeared before him. Su Yu shook his head, still somewhat disoriented. In front of him, Section Chief Sun and the others were staring at him with bizarre expressions. The pedestal supporting the civilization chronicle had collapsed, and the bone book was now held in Huang Sheng's hands, looking rather dim. Huang Sheng's heart ached terribly; he was in big trouble. The drain on the chronicle had been massive. Leaving aside the drain on his own willpower, whatever Su Yu had just pulled off had severely depleted the chronicle's internal reserves. If the chronicle ended up collapsing, he would be held accountable. This was a legacy left behind by a fallen Civilization Master, usually an expert of the Shanhai Realm who had left only this single civilization chronicle behind. If it were ruined, he couldn't afford to pay for it. Behind Su Yu, Wu Lan opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Su Yu, and when she checked the distance... they were separated by at least twenty meters! Her face completely changed! *How is that possible?!* The gap couldn't possibly be this large. No matter how much of a genius Su Yu was, no matter how incredible, there was no way he could outdistance her by over twenty meters. It was impossible! Wu Lan was struck dumb with disbelief. The next moment, her eyes suddenly turned red, welling with tears. She... wanted to cry. She couldn't bear such grievance! It was so utterly unfair! She felt terribly, terribly wronged. Her lips trembled. She wanted to cry, but she fought it back. She couldn't cry; people would laugh at her. And yet... she really, really wanted to cry. *** The examiners up ahead paid her no mind. Section Chief Sun's brow twitched. He looked at Su Yu and frowned slightly. "Nonsense!" Su Yu was still somewhat dazed. "Completely reckless!" Section Chief Sun's brow furrowed, his expression a mix of astonishment and fury. "Did you take none of my earlier words to heart? Nearly destroying yourself for the sake of a single exam—that's the behavior of a reckless brute! And here I was, praising you for your wisdom earlier. Now it seems... it was merely petty cleverness, devoid of true wisdom!" He was genuinely angry. Su Yu's current state was clearly the result of severely overtaxing his willpower. Had the consequences been more severe, it could have caused his sea of will to completely fall silent and wither away. Trading one's future for a trivial first place! Knowing what to give up... knowing how to choose. Su Yu's choice infuriated him. Su Yu gradually regained his senses. Opening his eyes, he looked at the figures before him. Section Chief Sun was furious; Huang Sheng looked as though his heart were bleeding; and the old man from Jiutian Academy was tugging at his beard, seemingly contemplating the meaning of life. After venting his temper, Section Chief Sun said briskly, "How do you feel right now? Are there any issues with your sea of will?" Su Yu's head still throbbed painfully, but when he checked internally, the two little subordinates appeared to be fast asleep with no movement, and his sea of will seemed mostly fine... In fact, there was no problem at all. The golden album was still floating inside his sea of will, and Su Yu felt that as long as that thing was present, nothing could possibly go wrong with him. Su Yu shook his head. The motion made his headache even worse, and he quickly said, "I'm fine. The divine characters just took a heavy toll; it will take some time to nurture and restore them." "That's a relief." Section Chief Sun exhaled, then asked in a heavy voice, "What exactly did you do in there just now?" "Nothing much..." Su Yu wanted to play dumb! It was not that he wanted to hide the two divine characters, but Huang Sheng had been gently stroking the bone book with a look of utter distress, as if the object had been damaged. Su Yu was terrified that Huang Sheng would demand compensation, which he surely could not afford. Apprehensively, Su Yu asked, "Did... did the divine character for the exam break? Can it be repaired?" "..." Section Chief Sun was torn between anger and amusement. Speechless, he replied, "It didn't break, just heavily depleted. This was prepared for Kaiyuan Realm candidates. Whatever you pulled off in there caused an excessive drain. It will be fine once it's sent back and nurtured for a while!" Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't broken, that was fine. Huang Sheng stopped stroking the book, looked up at Su Yu, and said somewhat helplessly, "How did you pull that off? The willpower you unleashed just now was stronger than what Character Cultivation can produce. Nanyuan is merely a small city, and this chronicle isn't exceptionally powerful, but it usually handles the Character Cultivation level with ease..." He didn't know what to say anymore. He was going to have to pay up! Of course, if he explained the circumstances, he probably wouldn't have to pay. But... how could he explain it?! Nobody would believe him! People would only assume he had failed to inject enough of his own willpower beforehand in order to conserve strength, thereby draining the chronicle's own reserves. Before coming out here, strict rules had been set: if the chronicle was excessively depleted, the examiner had to cover the cost. Huang Sheng turned to Section Chief Sun, hoping the man would vouch for him, since he had indeed poured a substantial amount of willpower into it. Section Chief Sun completely ignored him. It wasn't his money being docked, so why should he bother explaining? He had no desire to get involved, let alone go to the academy and face that group of old fogies. As for the elder from Jiutian Academy... there was no point in counting on him either. Ignoring Huang Sheng, Section Chief Sun pressed again, "Su Yu, how did you do it just now?" Su Yu hesitated. Seeing this, Section Chief Sun said, "Is it your trump card? Frankly speaking, that move wouldn't pose the slightest threat to a Tengkong cultivator, nor would it threaten a Wanshi. I'm only concerned that reckless experimentation might get you hurt." He was speaking the truth. A Kaiyuan student's trump card was not worth mentioning to cultivators of their realm. Su Yu thought it over and said, "It was the Thunder Yuan Saber. I attached a divine character to a weapon and unleashed the Thunder Yuan Saber, executing a slash. Then this happened." "The Thunder Yuan Saber?" "The second stance?" Section Chief Sun couldn't help but ask. If it was the second stance, it might have been possible. More importantly, if this kid had mastered the second stance while only at the ninth level of the Kaiyuan Realm, he would be an unparalleled genius of the warrior path! "No, just the first stance." "Impossible!" Section Chief Sun shook his head. The first slash, combined with Su Yu's willpower and a single divine character, could never have produced such destructive force. Su Yu scratched his head and finally confessed, "It wasn't one divine character. It was two." Su Yu put on an innocent look. "I had no idea it would damage the thing. I have two divine characters. One manifested into a saber, and the other added a lightning attack. Then it turned out like this..." "What?" The next instant, six eyes as large as lanterns glared straight at him! Three people, six eyes, all glowing with golden light! Literal golden light! Tengkong experts with manifested willpower and unsealed acupoints, now failing to restrain themselves, genuinely emitted a radiant golden glare. Su Yu felt his scalp go numb and his limbs turn to jelly—it was terrifying! In the next moment, the six lantern-like glows vanished completely! The old man from Jiutian Academy, who had appeared lazy and indifferent the entire time, had countless thoughts race through his mind. Before the other two could even speak, he blurted out, "Come to Jiutian Academy! A Shanhai Realm expert as your master, five hundred merit points, one hundred drops of yuanqi liquid, and three entries into secret realms! The Head of Jiutian Academy specializes in divine character fusion and is one of the trailblazers in that field across the entire Great Xia Prefecture—even the entire Human Realm!" The old man's eyes shone brightly. "This offer is exclusive to Jiutian Academy! Huang Sheng is right here. The Great Xia Civilization Academy doesn't lack top geniuses. If they can match this offer, you're free to go with them, and I won't say a single word to stop you!" Huang Sheng froze, looking embarrassed. The old man was right. The Great Xia Civilization Academy could not match such terms. They had no shortage of monstrous talents and were unwilling to expend such massive resources on a genius who had not even achieved Manifestation. With those resources, they could cultivate multiple talents. Even without any incentives, geniuses would flock to the Great Xia Civilization Academy of their own accord. That was the academy's confidence and prestige. Section Chief Sun said nothing to dispute it either. Clearly, what the old man said was true. Sun was still processing Su Yu's words, and after a moment, he said, "Su Yu, divine character fusion is not something you should be attempting at your stage! "Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng may not have taught you, but today I will instruct you and warn you: this is extremely dangerous! You only got away with it because you were within the domain of the civilization chronicle. Had you attempted this in the outside world, you would be dead! "As for divine character fusion, you can learn more about it once you enter an academy. You can choose to attend courses taught by researchers in that field, which will be of immense benefit to you!" Section Chief Sun paused, his brow furrowing slightly. "Your willpower has been severely drained, and it might take a considerable amount of time to recover. Restoring your divine characters will also require ample time and resources. You took far too great a risk this time!" "Furthermore, you've mastered two divine characters..." Section Chief Sun asked, puzzled, "When did you first come into contact with divine characters?" Su Yu kept a straight face, replying naively, "Several years ago. Instructor Liu started teaching me years back, though I hadn't finished forming them at the time. Later, after reading five or six willpower texts, I formed two divine characters." "Several years ago?" Section Chief Sun breathed a sigh of relief, then added, "Liu Wenyan still had that many willpower texts?" Su Yu shook his head. "I don't know. He had them from before." "That old fox..." Section Chief Sun coughed lightly, unable to suppress a wry chuckle. "He'd better keep those things well hidden, or else... Great Xia Prefecture will be coming to collect his debts!" To the side, Huang Sheng was equally speechless. Liu Wenyan was actually hoarding a fair number of willpower texts; the old man certainly knew how to hold his cards. Every year he cried poverty to Great Xia Prefecture, claiming he didn't even have money for food, yet he still had willpower texts to spare for his student... On second thought, Huang Sheng kept his mouth shut. The man's junior brother was now a senior researcher at the Great Xia Civilization Academy, so a few willpower texts were hardly out of the question. Besides, there were rumors floating around the academy about some romantic history back in the day. Who knew who Liu Wenyan had obtained them from? If the man had coasted on his charms... *cough cough*, even if he had, nobody dared say a word, given the extraordinary identity of the other party. Not someone to provoke! Huang Sheng fell silent at once, pretending he hadn't heard a thing. He wouldn't dare meddle in that business. Still, as for this kid Su Yu... was he a sign that Liu Wenyan wanted to return? By sending Su Yu to the academy, was Liu Wenyan looking to rejoin the Great Xia Civilization Academy? "Two divine characters..." While the examiners were still lost in thought, Su Yu couldn't help but ask, "Examiners... um... how many bonus points do I get for this?" At those words, the examiners looked at one another. After a long pause, Section Chief Sun said hesitantly, "This was our oversight. Had we known beforehand, we wouldn't have used this particular civilization chronicle. By Great Xia Prefecture's standards, with the power of your final burst, clearing the pressure ahead should have easily allowed you to advance ten meters." Huang Sheng also nodded. "The chronicle in Great Xia Prefecture is considerably stronger than the one we have here. Based on the power of that burst, advancing ten meters should have been well within reach. Adding that to the seventeen meters from before, reaching twenty-seven meters would have been entirely feasible." At this point, they could only make an estimate. Section Chief Sun looked at Su Yu and said, "You walked all the way up to us. Strictly speaking, since this was our oversight, counting it as fifty meters wouldn't be out of the question. The fault lies with us, and both the academies and Great Xia Prefecture will penalize us, which has nothing to do with you. "However... Su Yu, you must understand that if you claim to have walked fifty meters, certain monstrous geniuses at the Great Xia Civilization Academy will not go easy on you!" Section Chief Sun continued earnestly, "Reaching the very end is something virtually no one can achieve. You don't possess that level of strength yet, and forcing yourself to shoulder such glory will only bring you trouble without a shred of benefit. "Civilization Masters possess wisdom. I will give you two choices right now. First, we record that you walked fifty meters. "Second, by Great Xia Prefecture's standards, we record it as twenty-seven meters, granting you two hundred and seventy bonus points. "If you choose the first option, your total score will be 1,127 points. If you choose the second, your total score will be 897 points." Section Chief Sun said solemnly, "897 points qualifies you as top-high! "1,127 points puts you in the tier of Great Xia Prefecture's monstrous geniuses. You will be thrust directly into the spotlight. Everyone will watch you, stare at you, and challenge you. If you choose to bear that halo, you must be prepared for the consequences!" Section Chief Sun took a deep breath. "Are you... prepared for that? A monstrous genius... that means people who are merely half a step away from the Tengkong Realm. The genius at the Great Zhou Civilization Academy who reached the Tengkong Realm within six months of enrolling is an example of a monster. "On Great Xia Prefecture's side, Wu Lan's elder sister, Bai Feng, and Xia Yuwen are all considered part of that tier. Bai Feng is considered the weakest among them, having actually fallen behind somewhat. "Wu Lan's sister, Wu Qi, enrolled at eighteen, broke through to the Tengkong Realm at twenty, reached the fourth level of the Tengkong Realm at twenty-two, the seventh level at twenty-five, and is now at the eighth level at age twenty-six! "Wu Qi is certain to step into the Lingyun Realm before turning thirty, perhaps even in the next year or two." Section Chief Sun said solemnly, "This was our mistake. The choice is yours, and we will not make you retake the exam." Su Yu considered it for a moment, then asked, "Examiner, is there a big difference in treatment upon enrollment?" "Not much, because by the time students reach that level, they've usually already been taken in as personal disciples by experts, so they don't care much for the academy's basic stipends." Section Chief Sun smiled. "Take yourself, for example. If you go to Jiutian Academy with all the perks he just offered, would you still care about the pocket change of a single merit point per month? Of course, a top-high genius receives three free merit points a month, while a monster-tier genius receives five." Su Yu muttered, "So the difference is two merit points a month, twenty-four a year. Even if I stay at the academy for five years, that's only a gap of one hundred and twenty points, not counting certain other disparities..." Section Chief Sun merely smiled without comment. Su Yu then asked, "Examiner, if you're penalized this time, how much will the fine be?" Section Chief Sun raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "At least a hundred merit points each, equivalent to slaying a Tengkong Realm enemy to make up for it." Having committed an error, they naturally had to bear the responsibility. Slaying a Tengkong Realm foe would roughly offset the penalty. Su Yu scratched his head and said, "Examiner, that hardly seems fair! Getting fined for nothing... How about... what if each examiner gives me twenty points, and we just pretend this never happened...?" "..." The examiners stared at him with bizarre looks. *Kid, you've got some nerve!* *He's actually negotiating a deal with us?* Amused, Section Chief Sun asked, "You don't want to be hailed as a monster? If you take it, the entire Great Xia Prefecture will know your name!" Su Yu looked innocent. "I'm not one! If I were, I'd own it. But since I'm not... it's meaningless. Whatever I want, I'll take with my own hands when I feel I've truly reached that level. "When that day comes, who cares whether they call me a monster or not? If I'm stronger than them and beat them till they cry, could anyone still claim I'm not? But right now... I'm afraid of getting beaten to tears. If people come looking for trouble every single day, how am I supposed to cultivate?" Su Yu sighed. "You're right, Examiner. I can't shoulder that kind of treatment right now, and there's no need to do so. Aside from a bit of empty fame, it would only bring endless trouble. What's the point?" Section Chief Sun smiled and said slowly, "Knowing your own limits is a talent in itself! Still... forget about doing business! We can easily afford a hundred merit points. An oversight on our part was carelessness. This is the rear; on the front lines, carelessness results in total annihilation! "Consider it buying a lesson to remember: never underestimate the people of this world again!" Section Chief Sun was no longer smiling, his expression turning solemn. "I failed to consider the matter thoroughly this time and didn't apply for a stronger civilization chronicle before coming. That is my own responsibility. Don't even think about taking advantage of it, kid! "As for the two of them..." Section Chief Sun glanced at the other two. Huang Sheng and the old man hurriedly said, "We'll follow Chief Sun's lead!" "Good. There's no need to shirk responsibility; it's not like our heads are on the chopping block!" "Slaying a Tengkong Realm enemy will win it all back!" Section Chief Sun smiled and turned back to Su Yu. "You're clever. Of course, in my eyes, it's still petty cleverness rather than great wisdom! But then again, when it comes to great wisdom, even I wouldn't dare claim to possess it. Petty cleverness is plenty—plenty enough to keep you alive longer and living more comfortably than others. "Let this matter end here. You'll take your rewards, and we'll shoulder our responsibility. You place first in the Civilization Academy assessment, and the rest of the rewards will follow standard protocol, with Huang Sheng providing an additional twenty merit points as a bonus..." Su Yu felt a twinge of disappointment. He had sensed that Huang Sheng and the old man were actually tempted to settle the matter by paying twenty merit points. Yet Section Chief Sun, who had been all smiles before, was the one who refused when it came down to it. Su Yu felt helpless. That was sixty merit points down the drain! No—counting the points he'd missed out on earlier, he had lost eighty merit points in total. His heart ached terribly! *** While Su Yu's heart was aching, Wu Lan, standing behind him, was utterly heartbroken. Nobody... was paying any attention to her! 655 points, plus the 180 points from just now, made 835 points—a top-high genius! She had been standing here the entire time, practically on the verge of tears, yet no one gave her a second glance, acting as though she didn't even exist. *I want to cry...* She really felt like crying again. These people were all so awful; not a single one came to comfort her.