The Examination Concludes

At the entrance of the examination hall. Su Yu and Wu Lan walked out, both looking utterly dejected. The students still waiting outside stared blankly. How had those two done? Did both of them bomb it? That did not make sense either. The two of them had stayed until the very end. When some of the candidates had stepped out earlier, those two had already advanced very far. Why did they look like their souls had been sucked out? Did Wu Lan take first place? Then why that expression? Was Su Yu first? It hardly looked like it. Su Yu was listless, his face pale, wearing a defeated scowl as if he had just lost hundreds of millions. How could that be the face of someone who took first place? The examinees were completely baffled. Outside the doors, Zhou Tianqi was also waiting for the results, equally perplexed. What was going on with the two of them? He had done fairly well this time. Across all three exams, his total score came out to 470 points. As for merit bonus points—sorry, none. In Great Xia Prefecture, geniuses were everywhere. To earn bonus points from merit like Wu Lan, one needed willpower at the Character Cultivation stage. Zhou Tianqi had not reached that level yet; if he really were at Character Cultivation, he would not have come to Nanyuan. A mid-mid tier evaluation—though not high tier, this rating was already very respectable. In fact, with slightly better luck, he could have made mid-high tier. High tier was generally reserved for geniuses who had outlined a complete divine character. He had only outlined a portion of a divine character and had not reached that stage yet. Zhou Tianqi looked suspiciously at the two. Aside from them, he was the last to leave. When he withdrew, both had already traveled far, but Su Yu was still trailing Wu Lan. By all logic, Wu Lan should have been a surefire winner. So what was with Wu Lan's expression right now? The crowd felt as if cats were scratching at their hearts, itching with curiosity. They wanted to ask, but did not know who to approach. Wu Lan had a fiery temper, and Su Yu was not close with them. There were not many people here from Nanyuan, and even Liu Yue did not know Su Yu well enough to pry. Seeing the two about to walk off on their own, one student grew anxious and hurriedly called out, "Su Yu, how did you two do on the exam?" They did not dare ask Wu Lan. Wu Lan looked devastated right now, and by the looks of her expression, if anyone dared question her, she might try to tear them apart. A desperate woman was terrifying. Su Yu seemed a bit more approachable. "Not bad," Su Yu replied. "Not bad?" Everyone was at a loss for words. Even without taking this exam, Su Yu was already practically guaranteed a high-tier spot—and he called this "not bad"? Su Yu did not elaborate. Even if he told them, they would not give him merit points, so why waste his breath? He did not speak, but someone spoke for him. The dazed Wu Lan snapped back to her senses. Glaring at Su Yu with righteous indignation, she suddenly yelled, "Su Yu, I lost this time, but I won't lose next time! I'm going back to Great Xia Prefecture. I'll be waiting for you at the Civilization Academy!" "..." Having said that, the girl stomped away at a run. From the look of her, she seemed so bullied she was ready to explode. Su Yu figured he should just get used to it. That idiot always loved spouting chuunibyou nonsense; he would get used to it in time. He was used to it, but everyone else was dumbstruck. Su Yu won? That made no sense! Earlier, Su Yu had been trailing Wu Lan by a considerable margin. How had the tables turned in the blink of an eye? What on earth happened in there after they all left? Zhou Tianqi's expression changed as well. Wu Lan possessed willpower at Character Cultivation and had outlined a complete divine character, yet she had lost to Su Yu. What did that signify? *A complete divine character, and it must be exceedingly powerful—at least stronger than Wu Lan's...* Otherwise, Su Yu had no way of winning. *Can this really be the performance of someone with only 20% willpower fullness?* Zhou Tianqi could not comprehend it. At this stage, Su Yu being able to outline even a stroke or two of a divine character would already make him a genius. Why was he able to outline a complete divine character, and one superior to Wu Lan's at that? Recalling Su Yu's earlier threat... Zhou Tianqi felt a headache coming on. Once he reached the Civilization Academy, his family had some background, but against the backdrop of the Civilization Academy, that background was negligible. Before even arriving at the academy, he had already provoked a high-tier genius—no, a top-high tier genius! Wu Lan was definitely top-high tier. Since Su Yu had won, he was certain to have made top-high tier as well. Having offended such a genius, would he have any peace once he entered Great Xia Civilization Academy? "Will he go to Great Xia Civilization Academy?" Zhou Tianqi did not know, but he had already reached a faint decision in his heart: if Su Yu went to Great Xia Civilization Academy... he would go to Jiutian Civilization Academy. He could not stay at the same academy as that guy! In truth, he felt rather wronged. He had not done anything malicious, just offered a few compliments to Su Yu, and what he said had been honest truth. If one ignored the context of the occasion, there was nothing wrong with it at all! Yet Su Yu... seemed to hold one hell of a grudge. Zhou Tianqi cursed inwardly. He was truly down on his luck this time. Out of nowhere, he had managed to offend a whole crowd of people. Who could he even complain to? Section Chief Sun, Su Yu, Wu Lan, his other companions, plus his family back home... The more he thought about it, the more miserable Zhou Tianqi felt. There was no justice in this world! ... "Su Yu took first?" At that moment, the examinees finally registered what happened, finding it utterly incredible. Su Yu beat Wu Lan, the genius from Great Xia Prefecture! A true miracle had actually occurred in a place like Nanyuan! Su Yu had no interest in watching their expressions shift. Severely drained, all he wanted was to go home and sleep. He had no energy to socialize with anyone. ... At the same time. Great Xia Civilization Academy. "Su Yu took first?" "Top-high tier?" Bai Feng was stunned when he heard the news. What was going on? Top-high tier required over 800 points! He had kept an eye on Su Yu's progress all along. With one divine character and willpower barely reaching 20% fullness, the third stage would grant 150 points at most. 100 points from merit, 200 from the cultural exam, plus the cultivation realm assessment capping out at 250 points at best. Adding it all up, even with absolute maximum points, it should only be around 700 points. Top-high tier—over 800 points! A gap of more than a hundred points was not something one could pick up casually. "How could this be..." Bai Feng sat on the sofa, lost in thought. He was not surprised that Su Yu stood out. If the boy could not stand out, Bai Feng would not have bothered with him in the first place. Yet now Su Yu had suddenly exceeded his expectations by more than a hundred points, which completely caught him off guard. "From his cultivation realm? He took first place in the War Academy exam this morning, so did he earn a lot more points for his realm? Aside from that, the only explanation is that he performed exceptionally well in the third stage..." "Which involves divine characters and willpower..." Bai Feng's lips suddenly twitched. "Could he... have outlined another divine character?" He recalled how, during their first encounter, Su Yu had outlined a divine character the very first time he read a willpower text. Could it have happened a second time? "Did Martial Uncle show him another willpower text?" Bai Feng speculated, finding the possibility quite high. The more he thought about it, the bigger his headache became. When he left last time, he thought that since the exams were just around the corner, Su Yu would properly nurture the divine character he had gained. Yet now Su Yu might have two divine characters. Was that a good thing? Not necessarily! "Too many divine characters, and your willpower won't be able to nurture them. It might drag you down..." Bai Feng frowned. Two divine characters were certainly a delightful surprise, but for Su Yu himself, it might not be a blessing. Martial Uncle was being reckless! If Liu Wenyan knew, he would probably cry injustice too. He had given Su Yu the text to learn a martial technique, not to outline a divine character! Who would have thought the kid was such a monster that reading it once would condense a divine character? Could Liu Wenyan be blamed for that? "Still, if he's nurturing two divine characters and his willpower is still steadily growing, that means it's within his capacity..." Bai Feng let out a breath of relief, but then his expression darkened. Top-high tier! He was screwed! Without a doubt, Su Yu's profile was likely already sitting before numerous researchers right now. The next moment, Bai Feng pulled out his communicator, dialed a number quickly, and urgently said, "Spread the word: Su Yu making top-high tier was all thanks to my painstaking instruction and the dozens of willpower texts I gave him! Whoever wants to poach him has to compensate me!" "..." Silence hung on the other end for a moment before a voice replied, "Bai Feng, do you think anyone will believe that?" "Who cares if they believe it! Just spread it!" Bai Feng said grumpily, "The kid getting top-high tier was a surprise to me too. I never expected him to reach the ninth layer of Kaiyuan so quickly, let alone make top-high tier. Back then, even high tier was a stretch for him—mid-high tier was more likely, which wouldn't have drawn any attention. "Now, look at this. My genius cultivation plan... shattered." It was infuriating! "When you egged Teacher into leaving earlier, you wouldn't have done it just for this Su Yu, would you?" The person on the other end asked, beginning to suspect Bai Feng's motives. "Nonsense!" Refusing to admit it, Bai Feng denied flatly, "Back then Su Yu was just an ordinary student. Why would I urge Teacher to leave for his sake? Stop talking rubbish and hurry up and spread the word." "You really are something!" The person sighed helplessly and soon continued, "Whether Su Yu is willing to follow you depends on his own wishes. Besides... it's not like you lack top-high tier students. If you truly wanted to take one in, you could easily get one. What's the rush?" An assistant researcher naturally did not have such capital, but a genius assistant researcher did. A seventh-level Tengkong in his twenties held a status practically on par with an intermediate researcher at the academy, valued even more than ordinary Lingyun Realm experts. Bai Feng snapped irritably, "I discovered him! Why should I surrender him to anyone else?" It was true—he had discovered him. Without his willpower text, Liu Wenyan might not have written one for Su Yu before the exam, since Su Yu's willpower had still been weak back then. Why should he hand over a genius he had scouted himself? Besides, he had hoodwinked his teacher into leaving for this very purpose; wouldn't it be an immense loss if he did not take Su Yu as a student? Furthermore, on Liu Hong's side, they were preparing to pull off something big together, and Su Yu was a crucial link in that plan. The person on the other end could not be bothered to argue further and quickly dropped the subject, saying, "Don't just obsess over students. You have heavy responsibilities on your plate right now! The academy might shut down our research institute, and Teacher isn't here... That's all thanks to your handiwork! The institute hasn't produced any results for years while consuming heaps of resources. Once it's shut down, do you have any idea how catastrophic our losses will be? "All of Teacher's blood, sweat, and tears over all these years were poured into it. Almost all the resources of our faction are concentrated in that institute. Once it gets shut down, Bai Feng, that's what truly determines our future!" Bai Feng knitted his brows. "There's word from above?" "Yes, it's currently under discussion!" The voice sighed. "Teacher's reputation holds weight, but after all these years, the academy has been allocating funds every single year, not to mention tying up other academy resources. The Headmaster's side has also suggested putting things on pause..." "Pause..." Bai Feng's face looked grim as he said in a low voice, "How can we pause? We paid such a massive price in the beginning. If we pause now, everything is ruined!" "There's no other way unless the institute presents results right now to convince the upper echelons." "We can't present them..." Bai Feng said in a heavy tone, "It's not time for results yet. We have nothing to present!" "Then once the upper echelons pass it and the institute is shut down, all materials will be handed over and sealed, and the institute might be reassigned to other researchers..." "No way!" Bai Feng said with irritation, "If that happens, decades of Teacher's life's work and all our efforts over the years will go down the drain!" "That's why I'm saying the priority right now isn't taking in students, but keeping the institute alive," the voice sighed again. "Pay more attention to this and stop fussing over trivial matters all day. "By the way, if all else fails, go look for Wu Qi, Xia Yuwen, and the others. See if you can drum up some support, or at least secure a few more supporting votes at the academy's Heart Cultivation Pavilion meeting." Bai Feng said gloomily, "I can't do that. My relationship with those people isn't even good." "Don't geniuses respect other geniuses? I think you can do it. If worst comes to worst... sell your looks and try seducing Wu Qi..." "Are you asking for a beating?" Bai Feng rolled his eyes. A moment later, he sighed, "It won't work. Wu Qi doesn't take to soft or hard tactics. Selling my looks is useless. Try it yourself if you don't believe me; I guarantee it won't do a thing. If push comes to shove... why don't you head to the Heart Cultivation Pavilion and seduce a Pavilion Elder?" "Get lost!" After bickering for a bit, Bai Feng took on a serious tone. "Enough nonsense. Over the next few days, I'll find a way to convince a few Pavilion Elders. With Teacher away, this project cannot be stopped, or I'll be dead when he returns—Teacher will hack me to death." "Be thorough!" "I know!" Bai Feng acknowledged, then added, "Do you think we should ask Martial Uncle for help? Although Martial Uncle left so many years ago, he still has connections in the academy." "Not until the very last moment," the person replied swiftly. "Connections are like that—use a favor once, and there's less goodwill left. Martial Uncle has lived peacefully in Nanyuan all these years partly for that reason; people are still wary of crossing him. "Once we cash in that favor now, it'll be hard to resolve things if trouble comes next time. Besides, Martial Uncle hasn't involved himself in the academy's affairs for years. Dragging him into this won't do any good." Bai Feng nodded slightly, then grumbled with dissatisfaction, "Does the Headmaster have nothing to say on this? Is he the one pushing for it, or someone else?" "Hard to say." "What's hard to say!" Bai Feng muttered in displeasure. "Nine times out of ten, it's the Headmaster behind it!" "Not necessarily. After all these years, the Headmaster had plenty of opportunities to shut it down, but he never said a word. I don't think it's him." Bai Feng did not pursue the topic. Whether it was or was not didn't matter right now. Once the matter reached the Heart Cultivation Pavilion, it had to be resolved properly. If it was truly shut down, they would be in massive trouble. After hanging up the call, Bai Feng sank into thought. A moment later, he dialed another number. The second it connected, he blurted out, "Find a way to shoot down the proposal to shut down the institute at the Heart Cultivation Pavilion!" Liu Hong's voice came through: "Do you really take me for your lackey?" "Cut the crap. If you don't do something and the institute gets shut down, our side will suffer heavy losses, and your side will push forward en masse. They might end up swallowing us whole. If we lose, what good does that do you?" Bai Feng snapped irritably, "Win-win, do you understand? Without us keeping them in check, what right does a mere sixth-level Tengkong like you have to be involved in this at all?!" "I..." Liu Hong felt like he had boarded a pirate ship! Feeling powerless, Liu Hong groaned, "Bai Feng, you're the one asking me for help, not the other way around! Where do you get the nerve to act so arrogant with me?" "Whether I act arrogant or not, the result is the same, so why shouldn't I be arrogant?" Bai Feng was brazen, but then chuckled. "Of course, we're partners. Just a joke, don't take it to heart. Old Liu, you don't want to lose your income stream in the future, do you? Relying on your meager salary, you'll never reach the Lingyun Realm in this lifetime. Are you planning on making a score in the All-Heavens Battlefield or something?" "..." Liu Hong felt utterly defeated and quickly said, "Fine, I can lend a hand! But... once the institute produces results, I want a share of the profits!" "No problem!" "Your word doesn't count. I'll talk to Elder Hong myself once he's back. Elder Hong has more shame than you do—unless... Elder Hong refuses to acknowledge it too!" Bai Feng sneered dismissively. "Is my teacher that kind of person? A petty man like you only knows how to measure a gentleman's heart with your own vile yardstick!" "I'm hanging up." Liu Hong could not be bothered to argue and promptly hung up. After the call ended, Bai Feng stroked his chin and chuckled suddenly. "A share of the profits... I never said what I'd share with you. Tossing you some scraps won't count as breaking my word. "Still, relying on Liu Hong alone won't be enough..." Bai Feng turned his gaze out the window. He had to look for others as well. "As for Su Yu, that can wait until enrollment." He had originally intended to make a trip over there right now, but now it looked like he had no time. There was only a month or so left until enrollment anyway, which was not too long. ... Nanyuan. Word gradually spread. This year, first place in both the War Academy examination and the Civilization Academy examination had been swept by the exact same person. Su Yu! He had defeated the outsiders from Great Xia Prefecture, including several geniuses who held considerable fame even back in the prefectural capital. In an instant, Su Yu's name resonated throughout Nanyuan. Of the four great academy examinations, War and Civilization were the most crucial. As for the Internal Affairs and Scientific Research exams tomorrow, their weight was far lesser by comparison. Su Yu had captured first place in both of the most vital examinations, leaving countless people awestruck. ... The Chen household. Chen Qinghe was filled with emotion and disbelief. He knew Su Yu was clever, but having brains did not equate to raw strength. To sweep first place in both academy examinations in one go was not something mere intellect could accomplish. "Su Yu is about to soar..." Looking at his own son, who was currently doing nothing but grinning like an idiot, Chen Qinghe felt helpless. The next second, a wooden stick was in his hand, and he glared at Chen Hao, barking, "Instead of cultivating, you're sitting here grinning like an idiot! Get over here and take your beating!" Chen Hao was dumbfounded. *I got into a War Academy today! Dad was so thrilled he was practically bursting at noon, so why is he beating me again?* "You won't remember unless I beat it into you! Remember this: once you get to Great Xia Prefecture, keep a low profile, behave yourself, and don't stir up trouble! "As for Su Yu, even with your close friendship, you need to mind your boundaries. It's best... to keep your distance from him. "Silly boy, he's a genius, and you're not..." Fleeing for his life, Chen Hao cried out in protest, "Ah Yu isn't the kind of person to look down on others! He wouldn't care about that..." "Stupid fool!" Chen Qinghe chased after him and struck, his voice deepening as he swung the stick. "Idiot! He's a genius, and everyone knows the Civilization Academy hasn't been peaceful lately. When he goes there, the rivals he attracts will certainly be extraordinary figures. If they can't deal with him, think they can't deal with you? "Su Yu only has a handful of people close to him. His father joined the Demon Suppression Army—who would dare provoke him? Liu Wenyan is a Civilization Master of the Tengkong Realm; hardly anyone would dare look for trouble with him. Only you... you're close to him, weak in strength, and completely dense. If you don't want to bring trouble to Su Yu, stay grounded! "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer—and you're that fish! I'm not forbidding you from being close with him, but you must know your limits! Don't let the whole world know that Chen Hao is Su Yu's die-hard best friend! That won't just invite trouble for you; it'll drag Su Yu into trouble too!" "Dad, then just explain it clearly! Why did you have to hit me?!" "Would you remember if I didn't hit you?!" Chen Qinghe brought the stick down on his buttocks blow after blow, fuming, "Don't think I don't know! You little bastard never remember anything else, but every time I beat you, you write it in your diary!" "Dad..." Chen Hao shrieked. *Dad peeked at my diary!* "Make sure you remember this one too! Remember it clearly: on June 25th, your father gave you a thrashing! Carve it into your heart!" *Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* Chen Hao wailed repeatedly. He was definitely going to remember this time. His dad was way too ruthless—if he had something to say, why couldn't he just say it? Why did he have to beat him up?! ... Su Yu was unaware of the farce at the Chen household. Nor did he know of the turmoil within the Civilization Academy. The severe depletion of his willpower and divine characters had left him with no mind for anything else. As soon as he returned home, he fell into a deep sleep. And while he slept, within his mind, the golden booklet rippled faintly. The next moment, the surrounding origin qi converged. Streams of origin qi were absorbed by Su Yu—not by his physical body, but by the booklet. The absorbed origin qi was rapidly transformed through the booklet, turning into distinct currents of power that diffused into his sea of will. The two dimmed divine characters seemed to receive nourishment, gradually beginning to regain their luster. His heavily drained willpower also began to recover. Su Yu's furrowed brow slowly smoothed out, and the splitting headache that had plagued him gradually vanished in his dreams.