Descendant of King Wu?

Sage Su Yu! Over the past few days, Su Yu had gradually been elevated to mythical status. Although the news had spread so rapidly that some wondered whether Su Yu had orchestrated the whole thing himself, did that even matter? It didn't, so long as the news was true! Su Yu was indeed immensely powerful; the faction standing behind him was real; none of the prefectures could refute his deeds; his rescue of King Daqin was genuine; and the fact that he had struck terror into the all-heavens was an undeniable truth! When every bit of it was real, how the news had spread was utterly inconsequential. Ordinary citizens had their own worldly wisdom. They didn't care about the political squabbling and power struggles among the upper echelons. They truly didn't care! What did they care about? They cared about the safety of the Human Realm, their own safety, and the safety of their families. Su Yu was powerful, and a formidable force backed him. That force could support the human race, or it could choose not to. When that reality was laid bare before you, would you want Su Yu to join humanity's grand alliance or be pushed out? Any sane person would know the answer! As long as the faction behind Su Yu harbored no designs to usurp or conquer the human race, that was more than enough. Anything else was something they neither wanted nor needed to know. No one was a fool! Not a single soul was stupid, not even the commoners who knew nothing about cultivation. Humanity had waged war on the Allhead Battlefield for countless years, mobilizing millions upon millions of soldiers. Which household didn't have someone who had served in the army? Even if your own family didn't, your neighbor certainly did! With that connection, they naturally understood the precarious situation humanity faced against the myriad races of the heavens. Humanity was one of the overlords, yet it was besieged and targeted by all the other races. Everyone knew this. Under such circumstances, what could possibly be wrong with Su Yu bringing a powerful faction to bolster the human race? Su Yu was human himself, and he had been slaughtering the myriad races across the heavens. A figure like him had hardly betrayed humanity to defect to the enemy. Thus, everything fell naturally into place! The masses cared nothing for the machinations of the high and mighty; their concern was their own survival and well-being. Consequently, sit-in petitions broke out before the prefectural government offices across multiple prefectures—appeals made for the people, and appeals made for themselves! …… Three days had already passed. The grand assembly was scheduled for the seventh day. By now, representatives from the various prefectures had begun departing for the Great Xia Prefecture. Su Yu, however, didn't bother paying attention to all that. At that moment, he was chatting with Zhao Li while watching Old Zhao forge armaments. When he had come to see Old Zhao the previous day and the old man saw the mountain of treasures he brought, Zhao Li had completely forgotten to ask about Su Yu's return. In truth, Zhao Li had forged the civilization chronicle alongside Su Yu not too long ago, so they hadn't been parted for long. There was simply no question of missing each other. Su Yu didn't mind. Old Zhao was currently warming up by crafting an ordinary armament, so Su Yu wasn't worried about disturbing him. He asked, "Teacher, has Elder Zhao still not come out of seclusion?" "Nope." Zhao Li found Su Yu quite annoying. Why hadn't this kid left yet? Disrupting his smithing was infuriating! Furthermore, the kid talked endlessly. Zhao Li was normally a man of few words, but ever since Su Yu arrived, he had dragged Zhao Li into conversation for nearly a full day. Damn it, the boy just wouldn't stop boasting about his glorious exploits. It was exasperating. Still, having just accepted so many gifts from him, Zhao Li couldn't very well refuse to speak. He could only force himself to humor him. With so many treasures sitting right here, how delightful it would be to forge in peace! He truly resented Su Yu's presence right now. Su Yu couldn't care less and asked again, "Teacher, is that Elder Zhao related to you in any way?" "No!" "You share the same surname..." "So what if we share a surname? There are plenty of people surnamed Su—are they all your relatives?" Fine, why did he have to sound so prickly? Su Yu curled his lip and continued, "Then did this Elder Zhao, having been in secluded cultivation for so many years, have any conflict with our Multiple Divine Characters Department?" "Not much. He went into seclusion years ago. The bitter feud between the single and multiple divine character factions only escalated in the later years; it wasn't that severe back then." *That's good to know!* Su Yu followed up, "Then can I go visit the place where he's in secluded cultivation?" "What for?" "To save him! His student, Liu Hong, asked me to help him out so he doesn't end up dying in secluded cultivation." As Zhao Li hammered the metal, he replied, "Then just go. Mention it to Ji Hong first!" "Alright!" Seeing how enthusiastically Zhao Li was hammering, Su Yu curled his lip once more and casually tossed a jade talisman over. Without looking up from his work, Zhao Li said dismissively, "What is that junk? I don't lack treasures!" Su Yu turned to leave, saying offhandedly, "Nothing much, just trash. After I killed countless people, the world rewarded me with the Detailed Explanation of Armament Forging. It's an ancient smithing technique, probably left behind by a Heaven armamentsmith—or maybe even a Divine armamentsmith?" Su Yu tossed the words out lightly. It was indeed a world reward he had earned from his slaughter in the Star Residence Mansion. The instant the words left his mouth, Zhao Li blurred into motion with a *swoosh*, snatching the falling jade talisman just before it hit the floor. The armament he had been hammering immediately exploded from the lack of control, but Zhao Li didn't care in the slightest. Glaring furiously, he roared, "You bastard! You're casually tossing around a Detailed Explanation of Armament Forging from an ancient Divine armamentsmith?!" Su Yu shrugged. *Who told you to be so dismissive?* *Not welcoming at all!* *I wanted to give it to you yesterday, but every time I spoke, you brushed me off.* Zhao Li fumed, "You reckless brat! This thing is infinitely more valuable than all that Dragon Coiling Wood of yours!" Su Yu chuckled. "Teacher, didn't I give it to you anyway? Look how worked up you are! I took a glance at it; it probably isn't a method for forging Divine armaments. Most likely, it was written by a Heaven armamentsmith, briefly outlining some of his forging theories and insights..." "Is a Heaven armamentsmith weak?!" Zhao Li was speechless. Damn it, did this kid hear himself? *A Heaven armamentsmith is weak?!* With that dismissive tone, whom did he think he was looking down on? Su Yu smiled. "Not at all, Teacher. You go ahead and get busy. I'll go have a chat with Bureau Chief Ji Hong, and while I'm at it, settle Elder Zhao's matter so that's one less thing on my mind." "Get lost!" Su Yu curled his lip. *Turning on me so fast! Next time I get good stuff, you won't see a speck of it!* …… Before long, Su Yu found Ji Hong, the acting academy head. After the Sixth Head, Wan Tiansheng, stepped down, Ji Hong didn't dare assume the mantle of the Seventh Head, feeling unworthy of the position. Thus, he had remained the acting head ever since. The previous six academy heads had been more terrifying than the last, and the Seventh Head... was truly not a post just anyone could handle. Even though the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy's prestige had declined today, Ji Hong still believed he wasn't qualified to hold the title. Xiuxin Pavilion had been uprooted and taken away by Wan Tiansheng, and Ji Hong had no intention of rebuilding it. He currently resided in a spacious courtyard within the academy. The environment was quite pleasant, though it lacked the solemn majesty of Xiuxin Pavilion. Seeing Su Yu, Ji Hong looked slightly surprised before quickly smiling. "City Lord Su, forgive me for not welcoming you sooner!" He knew Su Yu was at the academy, but he hadn't sought him out, knowing Su Yu's current status was extraordinary and beyond the reach of ordinary people. "Bureau Chief Ji!" Su Yu smiled. "No need to be so polite. After all, your daughter and I were classmates!" Ji Hong chuckled and nodded, gesturing for him to enter. "City Lord Su, please take a seat. Have you come with instructions?" "You flatter me!" Su Yu didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Two things. First, where is Liu Hong's teacher, Elder Zhao, in secluded cultivation? I'm not here to kill him, but to help him break through to the Sun Moon Realm. That's a promise I made to Liu Hong. "Second, the materials and files you compiled back then are useless now. I'd like to borrow them for a look." The first matter was trivial. Ji Hong immediately answered, "Elder Zhao is in secluded cultivation at the bottom of Biyue Lake in the academy. That area has been sealed off and forbidden to outsiders. Even during the previous turmoil, the fighting never reached that far. "As for the second matter... now that Fenhai has been executed, those records are indeed of little use. Does City Lord Su have a use for them?" Su Yu nodded. "Yes. I want to check if any fish slipped through the net." Su Yu smiled. "Quite a few people betrayed us back then. My martial uncle purged a batch, and Head Wan killed another batch later, but I worry that a few remnants might still be lurking!" Ji Hong pondered for a moment and nodded. "There may very well be. Some matters did seem rather suspicious. If City Lord Su wishes to review them, I will have all the dossiers delivered immediately..." "Then I'll trouble Bureau Chief Ji!" "You're most welcome!" Ji Hong smiled, paused thoughtfully, and said, "City Lord Su, there is also a matter I'd like to trouble you with." "Please, speak." "..." Ji Hong remained silent for a moment before speaking. "It concerns the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. This academy was founded by Academy Head Xia Chen, its foundation was solidified by the Second Head, and its glory was expanded by the Third Head. The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Heads were each more formidable than the last! As the acting head... I've always felt uneasy. Now that several members of the Multiple Divine Characters Department have returned... I've been thinking, could you ask Liu Wenyan..." Su Yu looked at him. Ji Hong said earnestly, "If you ask me, the most suitable candidate for Seventh Head is you! Of course, with your current standing, you probably look down on the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. However, Liu Wenyan and the others still have deep emotional ties here! Hong Tan, Chen Yong, and the rest lived here for decades! The Seventh Head can only come from the Multiple Divine Characters Department!" Su Yu considered it and replied, "I'll ask him, but... I make no guarantees!" "Thank you for your trouble!" "It's nothing." Su Yu smiled. "Then I'll take my leave, Bureau Chief Ji. When the documents are ready, please just have them sent to my father's place." "Understood!" Ji Hong agreed readily. Seeing that Su Yu was about to depart, he suddenly remembered something and said, "City Lord Su, there is one more matter. I wonder if you might be interested?" "What is it?" Ji Hong hesitated briefly, then asked, "You know Zhou Hao, correct?" "Of course!" "Here's the situation. During the last turmoil in the Great Xia Prefecture, Academy Head Xia Changqing was killed, and Xia Yuwen... was exiled to the Allhead Battlefield! Because he didn't take part in the rebellion, he wasn't executed, merely banished! Now, Zhou Hao is left without a master. His talent is exceptional, and my thought is... the Cultural Research Academy can no longer offer much help to Zhou Hao. I wonder if City Lord Su might be interested in taking on a student?" "Hmm?" Su Yu was startled. Ji Hong said earnestly, "His talent is truly extraordinary—primarily in the warrior path, of course! Zhou Hao has already opened 270 origin apertures, stepped into the Soaring Realm, and completed 21 body sculpts! Yet, we know this is not his limit! He stopped at 270 apertures only because he doesn't know the locations of the subsequent apertures... City Lord Su, Zhou Hao is remarkably talented, and in the entire human race today, you are the one who has opened the most apertures and undergone the most body sculptings! If you are willing to accept him as a student, I believe Zhou Hao will advance by leaps and bounds, perhaps even..." Su Yu chuckled. "Me take a disciple? I'm only twenty years old..." Ji Hong was at a loss for words, replying helplessly, "Your strength can already shake the heavens, City Lord. Even at twenty years of age, you are more than qualified to establish your own sect!" Su Yu fell into thought. *Take a disciple?* He had never considered this. However, he was familiar with Zhou Hao. That fellow was wild and untamed, yet strictly speaking, he possessed a sense of honor, acted decisively, and fought with ferocious abandon. In fact, the very first time Su Yu had been severely injured in combat was at that punk's hands. He had already opened 270 origin apertures and completed 21 body sculpts... Most likely, the Xia family had provided the resources. Opening that many apertures and undergoing so many body sculpts required a massive amount of resources; the Xia family must have valued him highly. "What does the Xia family say?" Su Yu asked. Ji Hong smiled. "Prefectural Head Xia actually wanted to take him on... but the Prefectural Head hasn't opened many apertures himself and only underwent the standard thirty-six body sculptings. To be frank, aside from providing resources, he couldn't offer much guidance. So the Prefectural Head shared the same sentiment and hoped City Lord Su could offer him some pointers." Su Yu pondered. *Zhou Hao!* That guy's physical talent... his physical body aptitude might be the most terrifying Su Yu had ever seen. In terms of opening origin apertures, truth be told, even though Su Yu's talent was monstrous, if he had the exact same resources as Zhou Hao, he might not necessarily have cultivated faster than him. Human talent always had an upper limit. An ordinary person opening 270 apertures might blow themselves to pieces, yet Zhou Hao had opened 270 with no adverse effects whatsoever. He had only stopped because opening more would be pointless without the method to utilize them. Without forming the Heavenly Cycle Apertures, opening 359 apertures was practically meaningless! *With such absurd talent, does he carry an ancient bloodline? Or is he just an ordinary human?* Even if he was an ordinary human, it wouldn't be surprising. There were always monstrous anomalies blessed with freakish innate gifts! After reflecting for a moment, Su Yu said, "I'll take a look when I have time, or you can have Zhou Hao come find me. Xia Yuwen was exiled—what did Zhou Hao have to say about that?" "He didn't say much... When Xia Yuwen was sent off to the All-Heavens Prefecture, neither of them said much either. However, Xia Yuwen revoked their master-disciple relationship at the academy. Xia Yuwen may have had various flaws, but in the critical moment, he made his own choice. By severing the bond, he made it clear that Zhou Hao is free to take another master, and that Zhou Hao has nothing to do with him from now on..." That had been Xia Yuwen's final decision. He was a genius. Even though Bai Feng had defeated him, he remained exceptionally talented, and during the chaos, he had not participated in the rebellion. Su Yu held no good impressions of Xia Yuwen. As for resentment... he had felt some back then, but later he couldn't be bothered; the man was just a small fry. Thinking of all this, Su Yu said nothing more. He would see how it went! *Take a student?* Su Yu smiled. He had almost forgotten that he was still a senior researcher and an honorary elder of the Great Ming Prefecture. Even if it was only honorary, he had long been qualified to take disciples! Back when he had apprenticed under Bai Feng, his teacher had merely been an assistant researcher! And his cultivation... had been at the Soaring Realm! Su Yu wanted to laugh. An assistant researcher at the Soaring Realm. Now his teacher had finally entered the Lingyun Realm; having bathed in Old Zhou's blood essence last time, his strength had likely surged, perhaps even reaching the ninth transformation of the Lingyun Realm. Over the past few days, Su Yu hadn't seen him anywhere. He had probably gone off to the Great Ming Prefecture with Liu Wenyan and the others, but Su Yu hadn't checked on them. The chances of them running into trouble now were slim. Even if the myriad races launched an assassination attempt, they wouldn't strike at them first and alert their target. If anyone was going to be targeted, it would be Su Yu himself. "Zhou Hao!" Su Yu muttered the name under his breath, stopped dwelling on it, and vanished from the spot. …… A moment later. Biyue Lake. This place lay close to White Dragon Mountain. White Dragon Mountain, as the name implied, was where a white dragon dwelled. Shortly after Su Yu appeared, an elderly figure manifested. Looking at Su Yu with a complex gaze, he bowed slightly and said, "Greetings, City Lord Su!" "Old Bai, you are too polite!" Su Yu smiled. "Old Bai's strength has improved; you're nearly at the ninth stage of the Sun Moon Realm!" The white dragon replied softly, "Still far inferior to you, City Lord." "Your cultivation realm is much higher than mine!" Su Yu chuckled. "Old Bai, I didn't have the chance to thank you properly before. I heard that you stepped forward several times to uphold justice for my Multiple Divine Characters Department. Thank you!" Old Bai murmured, "It was merely my duty! The City Lord is too courteous!" "It was necessary!" Su Yu smiled. "Old Bai, there's no need to be so restrained. You are a senior. As for my grievances with the Dragon race, they have nothing to do with you! The Great Ming Prefecture also has a Little Golden Dragon, a descendant of an Invincible, yet when Prefectural Head Zhu slaughters dragons, that Little Golden Dragon doesn't care at all. You should look at the bigger picture, Old Bai... Of course, race is race, and I understand it is difficult for you to let go..." Old Bai sighed. "Perhaps you are right! I shouldn't concern myself with these matters. I am merely a mount subdued by the Second Head. I ceased to be part of the Dragon race long ago and was even struck from their clan records. It's just... I can't help wondering: will a war ultimately break out between the Dragons and humanity? And when that happens... where should I go?" He felt lost about the future! Would war break out between the Dragons and humanity? This time, King Dazhou had led a group of Invincibles on a rampage through the Dragon Realm, slaying two Dragon Kings. Inside the Star Residence Mansion, another two Dragon Kings had been killed, and later, the Iron Eating Beast Emperor had devoured yet another... In just a short span of time, the Dragon race had lost five Dragon Kings! Their foundation could not compare to the Gods, Demons, or Immortals; losing five Dragon Kings in one go was nearly more than they could bear. Su Yu nodded. "True. A war between humans and dragons may indeed break out! This time, I also invited Long Wuyou from the Dragon race to see what their intentions are. You might want to chat with Long Wuyou, Old Bai. He is the grandson of the Golden Dragon Grand Elder and might know something." "Thank you for your consideration, City Lord!" "You're welcome!" Su Yu smiled and said no more. Walking on air, he plunged straight into the lake. The lake water parted automatically, revealing a secluded mansion chamber deep beneath the lakebed—a place designated for death-seclusion cultivation within the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. A divine glow erupted from Su Yu's eyes, penetrating the secret chamber in an instant. Inside sat an emaciated old man. His long, dull hair trailed across the floor, his aura was exceedingly feeble, and his tattered garments clung to a body that looked as if it might expire at any second. This was Liu Hong's teacher, the long-secluded Elder Zhao. The aura of a peak Shanhai cultivator faintly flickered around him. There were signs of the Sun Moon Realm, yet he remained unable to take that final step. Su Yu's sharp gaze immediately pierced through the underlying cause. There were too many divine characters, including numerous foreign divine characters. The resulting conflict of rules prevented him from ever crossing that threshold and merging his divine apertures. His divine characters were clashing! Now, Su Yu possessed a much deeper understanding of these principles. Human divine characters and foreign divine characters inherently harbored conflicts in their fundamental rules, something present from the very beginning. However, in past years, other cultivators had managed to advance. Su Yu surmised that back when the Human Realm first opened, the rules of the foreign races had not deeply permeated it, meaning the Human Realm was initially a blank canvas of rules. Now, the rules of the ancient council had likely seeped in, drastically intensifying the conflict between human and foreign rules. This hypothesis was far more reasonable than any previous speculation. Su Yu watched in silence: a clash of rules, a conflict of divine characters! All of this prevented the old man from breaking through, trapping him in a permanent deadlock. He possessed many human divine characters, but just as many foreign ones. To advance, however, solutions existed. And quite a few of them! First, suppress the human rules; second, suppress the foreign rules; third, bring the two into equilibrium. The little fur ball could do it, and Su Yu could do it himself. After a moment's contemplation, Su Yu observed the old man, who was completely unaware of his presence. Su Yu sent a direct voice transmission: "Elder Zhao, junior Su Yu has come at the request of Teacher Liu Hong to assist you in breaking through to the Sun Moon Realm!" *Pfft!* Inside the secret chamber, the old man suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and opened his eyes. His gaze was dim as he looked ahead. At that moment, a figure manifested before him. He could sense no cultivation aura from this person, only a single overwhelming impression—power! Inconceivable power! With an unfathomable aura and an effortless demeanor, the visitor wore a faint smile. At first glance, Elder Zhao was shaken to his core. Gasping for breath, he croaked, "You... who are you?" "Junior Su Yu!" Su Yu smiled. "A successor of the Multiple Divine Characters Department." "Multiple Divine Characters... Ye Batian..." Elder Zhao stared at Su Yu. Su Yu had not actually stepped inside the chamber, nor were its walls transparent, yet his silhouette appeared vividly in Elder Zhao's vision, clear as day. "Ye Batian... was my grand-martial-ancestor. I am the disciple of Bai Feng. Does Elder Zhao know Bai Feng?" "I do..." Elder Zhao panted. When he had taken on students, Bai Feng had just enrolled in the academy. He remembered a little, but in his memory, Bai Feng was still just a child. *Bai Feng already has a student?* *What year is it now?* "Has the outside world... changed completely?" Elder Zhao felt a wave of daze. Had Bai Feng's student already grown so powerful that he couldn't even fathom his depths? Then what about Bai Feng? What about Hong Tan? "What... what year is it now?" "Year 352 of the Anping Calendar!" "Year 352?" Elder Zhao froze. He had only been in seclusion for ten years! *In just ten years... the world has turned upside down?* "Did Liu Hong... send you?" Su Yu smiled. "Yes. He had business and departed for the Allhead Battlefield, and may have moved elsewhere by now. Before leaving, he asked me to lend you a hand! I see that your vitality is heavily depleted, yet you remain just one step away from the Sun Moon Realm. I give you three options! "First, eliminate all your non-human divine characters, and you will naturally advance to the Sun Moon Realm! "Second, eliminate all your human divine characters, and you will also advance! "Third, retain all your divine characters. I will help you balance both types so you can advance to the Sun Moon Realm, but future breakthroughs will be nearly impossible unless you maintain that balance indefinitely!" Elder Zhao was astounded. Three choices! Three different methods, and this person claimed all of them could help him advance to the Sun Moon Realm. Just... what kind of power did this person possess? Bewildered and shaken, he gasped, "You... what is your cultivation, sir?" Su Yu smiled. "Shanhai." "Shanhai?" Impossible! How could that profoundly mysterious, heart-stopping aura belong to a Shanhai cultivator? Su Yu smiled again. "Cultivation realm is just a realm; combat strength is another matter entirely. Senior need not overthink it. Please make your choice quickly. Helping you advance will also take a load off my mind!" *Cultivation realm is just a realm...* Elder Zhao understood the implication: his actual strength was far beyond the Shanhai Realm! His mind raced before he spoke: "I'd like to ask something..." "Please, go ahead!" "Where is Zhou Mingren?" "Dead!" Elder Zhao sighed, yet showed no surprise, having evidently prepared himself for such an outcome. He lamented, "Did you kill him?" "No!" Su Yu replied calmly, "He committed suicide, more or less. Several elders of the single divine character faction... are all dead! Well, that's not entirely accurate. Elder Zheng Yuming is still alive, but he's entered death-seclusion. He may emerge one day, or he may not!" "Did the multiple divine character faction win? Have they taken over the academy?" Su Yu chuckled. "No, the multiple divine character faction has already withdrawn from the academy. Myself included—I am no longer part of the academy either. I only returned this time to have a look around! Elder, the world outside has changed. The struggle between the single and multiple divine character factions has ended! The single divine character faction is essentially destroyed, while the multiple divine character faction... gained little from it either. We have already withdrawn from the Great Xia Prefecture, and even left the Human Realm..." *Left the Human Realm!* Elder Zhao's gaze shifted rapidly. "Has it truly come to this? A struggle between single and multiple... mutually assured destruction... *sigh*!" He let out a heavy sigh and asked, "Then after I break through and step out of this place, what will become of me?" "What will become of you?" Su Yu chuckled. "I wouldn't know. That is for you to decide, Elder! None of this concerns me anymore! Nor do you need to worry about anything. My visit to the Human Realm this time was at the invitation of King Daqin and the others; it has nothing to do with you, nor with the single divine character faction." "..." Silence fell. *Invited by King Daqin!* Elder Zhao realized that he had vastly underestimated the situation. The young man standing before him was likely far more formidable than he could possibly imagine! "Then... I trouble you, sir, to eliminate my foreign divine characters and preserve the human ones, so that I may advance to the Sun Moon Realm!" "Are you certain, Elder? You only have three human divine characters, while you possess six foreign ones, all of which are quite powerful..." "I am certain!" Elder Zhao affirmed. Su Yu smiled, and his sea of will stirred, jolting the sleeping little fur ball awake. "Go, devour his non-human divine characters. Make it quick!" "So troublesome!" The little fur ball was rather unwilling and even disdainful. Such weak divine characters, merely at the Shanhai Realm, didn't smell appetizing at all; it didn't even want to eat them. *Whatever!* It would reluctantly eat a few mouthfuls so it could go back to sleep. The little fur ball's silhouette flickered and vanished. Elder Zhao only felt his sea of will violently shudder; in a single instant, his sea of will was penetrated, and the six foreign divine characters floating inside vanished without a trace! By the time he came to his senses, the auras of his three human divine characters surged dramatically! All at once, the repulsive force vanished, and his divine apertures began to merge! *Rumble!* His sea of will shook violently. He had already been on the verge of stepping into the Sun Moon Realm, held back only by the clashing willpower and repulsive divine characters that prevented his divine apertures from fusing. Now, eight divine apertures merged into one in a single breath! He cultivated the standard divine aperture technique from the past, which opened seventy-two apertures. Merging eight apertures into one signified the Sun Moon Realm! In the blink of an eye, eight apertures merged! *Boom!* A crescent moon manifested high in the void above. Soon, powerful auras throughout the academy surged rapidly in this direction! *Sun Moon!* *Someone is breaking through to the Sun Moon Realm!* Before long, figures began to arrive. The first to reach the scene was Ji Hong, who hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Shortly after, Wu Yuehua, Elder Qi, Elder Nie, and Old Huang all arrived. These people constituted the current leadership of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. When they saw Biyue Lake and spotted Su Yu hovering above the water's surface, realization dawned on everyone! It wasn't Su Yu breaking through; Su Yu was helping someone else break through. "City Lord Su!" Elder Qi and the other elders bowed in greeting with evident shock. Su Yu smiled and nodded slightly. Glancing at Elder Nie and Old Huang, he chuckled, "You two teachers have been living quite comfortably lately!" Seeing that he was still approachable, Old Huang let out a breath and said, "Not bad, though hardly as comfortable as you! We knew you were back, but we didn't expect you to come here!" "I was entrusted with a task by Liu Hong!" Su Yu stepped through the air and landed before them, smiling. "Has the academy been doing well recently?" "Fairly well!" Old Huang smiled. "What about you? How long do you plan to stay this time?" "We'll see how things develop!" Su Yu glanced back at Elder Zhao, who was in the midst of his breakthrough, and smiled. "More and more people are arriving, so I won't linger. Teachers, if you have time, feel free to visit the Su Manor to chat about life... Back when I was at the academy, I owed much to your help in upholding fairness and justice!" Without waiting for their reply, he looked at Wu Yuehua and smiled. "Martial Mother, I'll take my leave first. When Teacher Liu returns, you can visit me together with him. I won't chat any longer!" With those words, he vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind! Not even Old Bai could perceive how he had departed. In the distance, the white dragon let out a soft sigh. "Too strong!" Nearby, Wu Yuehua didn't pay much attention to his departure. Beaming with joy, she quickly sneered, "Liu Wenyan, that shameless bastard! To think he actually has the right to claim Su Yu as his student! He's lived off women his entire life, and now he's living off his free-lunch disciple?" "..." The crowd around her fell silent. *You can say that, but none of us dare.* Liu Wenyan was now a powerhouse in his own right, having reached the fifth stage of the Sun Moon Realm and nearing the sixth. Quite apart from his own strength, with this prodigy of a student backing him, who would dare cross him? Did they have a death wish? The group said nothing and waited in silence. A moment later, the lake waters parted once more. Elder Zhao's aura was significantly more powerful; his withered flesh had regained its lustrous sheen, and his dull hair had sheared itself short, now falling neatly over his shoulders with its former vitality restored. Stepping out above the lake, he swept his gaze across the gathering by the shore... and noticed that far too many familiar faces were missing. He bowed slightly toward Old Bai, nodded to Ji Hong, and looked at the others, speaking softly: "It seems I have missed a great deal! Many old faces are gone. That young man Su Yu just now... he's no ordinary figure, is he?" At these words, expressions turned peculiar. Someone spoke gently: "Congratulations, Elder Zhao! City Lord Su... is naturally extraordinary! A month ago, he slaughtered multiple Invincibles. Today, he stands as one of the overlords of the all-heavens, contending directly with the half-emperors of each race..." Elder Zhao froze in shock. To the side, Wu Yuehua sneered, "Elder Zhao, you had best focus on being an elder in peace. Zhou Mingren is dead, and his backer, the Great Zhou Prefecture, has already yielded to keep the peace! Even with four Invincibles in one clan, the Zhou family was still no match for Su Yu. You'd do best not to harbor any foolish notions!" *Four Invincibles in one clan!* Elder Zhao felt the world spinning around him. Things had changed beyond recognition—and it had only been ten years! *The world has truly changed!* *Su Yu, an overlord of the all-heavens.* *The Zhou family, four Invincibles in one household!* *The feud between single and multiple divine characters had long ended; everything was different.* Elder Zhao let out a deep sigh and nodded. "I understand! Having broken through to the Sun Moon Realm with Su Yu's help, I already owe him a debt of gratitude... I will not be a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating my own strength!" The others refrained from further comment. Ji Hong smiled and said, "Elder Zhao's breakthrough is an occasion for celebration, so let us set those matters aside! With so few Sun Moon cultivators left in the academy today, your advancement is a joyous occasion! The Great Xia Prefecture still gathers many talents... and this fills some of the vacancies!" With a sigh, Ji Hong recalled the Sun Moon experts who had perished in the previous battle; far too many had fallen! Others shared his somber mood and murmured, "Bureau Chief, it's all in the past. Everything will only get better!" "Indeed!" Ji Hong nodded. Elder Zhao was bewildered, but he understood that some deeply unpleasant events had transpired. For now, he was in no hurry to speak; he needed to understand the full picture first. …… Meanwhile, Su Yu quickly returned to the Su Manor. Shortly after his return, a figure appeared outside the gates. The person stood silently before the closed doors, gazing at them with a blank expression. Su Yu smiled. *Zhou Hao!* He had arrived quite quickly. The question was, what did he mean by standing outside the door like that? *Did he expect me to personally invite him in?* Right at that moment, the mother ball, who had been slumbering all this time, suddenly awakened and murmured in confusion, "King Wu?" "Hmm?" The mother ball muttered, "I wonder if it's true... Is this King Wu's bloodline?" "..." Su Yu was stunned. People had always talked about King Wen, causing him to completely forget about King Wu. What had the mother ball sensed? The mother ball added, "I don't know, I'm not sure, but it feels somewhat familiar... That guy outside might be a descendant of King Wu... I'm not certain though; I wasn't close with King Wu. The master of the house might know." Su Yu's expression grew strange! *A descendant of King Wu?* King Wen had been a bachelor, the Human Sovereign had been a bachelor, but King Wu... he actually wasn't? How could that be! Su Yu asked in surprise, "King Wu wasn't single?" The mother ball was even more astonished. "Of course not! King Wu had so many wives—so many he couldn't even count them!" "..." *Holy crap!* No wonder King Wu couldn't match the Human Sovereign or King Wen! Su Yu knew very well that only the single were truly powerful! How could someone stay at the absolute peak once women entered the picture? No wonder King Wu, who had once suppressed Old Zhou, ultimately had a reputation inferior to King Wen and the rest. It turned out he had slacked off in his later years and married an entire harem of wives! At that moment, enlightenment dawned upon Su Yu! *Women... sigh, King Wu had truly fallen!* *Zhou Hao... could be of King Wu's bloodline?* Su Yu drew in a sharp breath. If that were truly the case, things were about to get very interesting!