A Dragon Lurks in the Deep

The Su residence. Ever since he gained the ability to study the original All-Races cultivation manuals, Su Yu had once again turned into a complete homebody. Every day was spent shut inside, either reading or practicing the Thunder Yuan Saber. On June 29th, Su Yu made a trip to the academy. The *War God Art* manual had arrived, and Liu Wenyan notified him to come collect it. *** Inside Liu Wenyan's home. Su Yu stroked the booklet in his hands with quiet delight. This was the foundation cultivation art of the War Academy—the *War God Art*. It was said to have been developed and released by the War God Temple, a sacred sanctuary of the Human Realm. The War God Temple was a mysterious place. Mention of it appeared in certain ancient texts, but where it was located and what it looked like were entirely unknown. All Su Yu knew was that while the various prefectures of the Human Realm operated independently under normal circumstances, in critical times the War God Temple and the Quest Realm would reveal themselves to lead humanity against formidable enemies. A sacred sanctuary of humanity, home to countless experts. It was only briefly touched upon in the records, yet legend had it that there were quite a few powerhouses within it comparable to the King of Great Xia. That was where humanity’s true foundation lay. Seeing Su Yu's excitement, Liu Wenyan said with a touch of regret, "I have never cultivated the *War God Art* myself, and I truly cannot write out a willpower text for it. Without a willpower text to assist you, cultivating it might prove extraordinarily difficult." Su Yu was unbothered and smiled. "Teacher, without a willpower text, opening apertures will only be slightly harder. It's fine. In any case, I have the time to figure it out slowly." "It is best that you see it that way. Originally, this should have been taken to Bai Feng, but... you haven't enrolled yet. You might not necessarily become his student, and there is no need to let a single willpower text interfere with your decision." With that, Liu Wenyan added, "Though I haven't cultivated it myself, I know the *War God Art* very well. Since this is your first time encountering it, I will explain the basics to you." "Thank you, Teacher!" Su Yu was thrilled. Just because you got a cultivation art didn't mean you could cultivate it or know how to do so. Having a teacher guide you—even if the teacher had not cultivated it personally—made a world of difference. Liu Wenyan was in his seventies, after all, rich in experience and knowledge, far better than Su Yu fumbling around in the dark on his own. *** Over an hour later, Su Yu gradually understood how to cultivate the first layer of the *War God Art*. It required opening seventy-two apertures in total, with eight apertures per layer. In truth, the moment you opened the very first aperture of the first layer, you could be considered to have stepped into the Qianjun domain. Strictly speaking, however, you were not yet a true Qianjun practitioner. Since the eight apertures had not formed an interconnected pathway, you did not possess the corresponding combat strength of the Qianjun Realm. Only when all eight apertures linked to form a pathway could yuanqi circulate. At that point, you could use blood essence for body casting to temper the physical body, and only then would you attain the corresponding combat power. Thus, under normal circumstances, only by opening all the apertures of a given layer was one considered to have advanced. Opening eight apertures marked the Qianjun first layer. Opening sixteen apertures was the Qianjun second layer. Once seventy-two apertures were opened, one reached the Qianjun ninth layer. *Even if I open eight apertures, I cannot immediately break through. I must wait until I obtain the advanced version of the War God Art and open four more apertures before I advance. Otherwise, I will be stuck cultivating the ordinary version throughout the Qianjun stage.* *Cultivating the second slash of the Thunder Yuan Saber requires mastering twelve apertures. Aside from the nine Kaiyuan apertures, I only need to master three additional ones. Two of them overlap with the War God Art. In other words, as long as I open just one extra aperture, I can master the Thunder Yuan Saber's second strike.* Leaving Liu Wenyan's home, Su Yu began planning his upcoming cultivation routine. He would be very busy over the next month, between opening apertures and reading. A single month was not long at all. Halfway home, Su Yu gave it some thought, turned around, and headed back to the resource office. He exchanged for twelve drops of Ironwing Bird blood essence, leaving him with thirty merit points. *Twelve drops of blood essence and three drops of yuanqi liquid. Will that be enough for me to open eight apertures? No, I need to open one more, so that makes nine apertures.* Su Yu was not certain. At this point, he realized that cultivation was an immense drain on resources. Being a Civilization Master was much nicer—just reading books was enough. Of course, original manuals of the myriad races were also extremely expensive and were consumable items as well. He had just asked Liu Wenyan about it, and Liu Wenyan had given a definitive answer. Such items were indeed consumables. As for how long they lasted, it depended on the frequency and count of Su Yu's uses. That bone fragment of his would probably shatter into dust after another dozen or so sessions. *** "Yu, where were you so early in the morning?" Chen Hao had come over again. This guy had vanished for two days after the exam, messing around somewhere unknown. Su Yu did not bother asking. Bumping into him downstairs, he said directly, "This vacation month, you're going to cultivate at my place. You supply the food and wash my clothes, and I'll find a way to help you open your eye apertures!" "..." Chen Hao stared blankly, his face falling after a long pause. "Yu, I'm out of pocket money. It's all spent." "Cut the crap. Are you in or not? If not, forget it!" Su Yu could not be bothered arguing. When he cultivated, the ambient yuanqi was bound to be extraordinarily rich, beyond anything other places could offer. This guy actually looked reluctant? It was an absolute bargain for him. If they weren't best friends, Su Yu wouldn't have bothered. Feeling glum, Chen Hao nodded with a bitter face. "How did you know my dad rewarded me again? Did he tell you?" "Hm? Your dad beat you again?" Su Yu was surprised. Chen Hao had performed well on the exam, so why would his dad hit him? A "reward" in Chen Hao's vocabulary usually meant Old Chen gave him some money to soothe him after beating him black and blue. "Don't bring it up!" Chen Hao grumbled for a bit and recounted what had happened earlier. Su Yu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by Chen Qinghe's thoughts. Soon, however, he let out a soft breath. "Your dad is right. Even before arriving at Great Xia Prefecture, I can already feel the pressure. My cheap teacher Bai Feng clearly isn't someone to mess with. He stirs up wind and rain in Great Xia Prefecture, and thanks to him, I've already offended quite a few people before even setting foot there." Zhou Tianqi, Wu Lan—these people had all come because of Bai Feng. Without Bai Feng, they would never have paid any mind to a petty genius from Nanyuan. This cheap teacher had brought him considerable trouble right from the start. Of course, the trouble itself was manageable; the key issue was the loss of merit points. Hearing this, Chen Hao whispered, "Yu, since that guy is so troublesome, why don't you just ignore him and find another teacher..." Su Yu shook his head without answering. He started up the stairs. Chen Hao followed behind, confused. "Yu, was I wrong?" "Right and wrong, but it's more complicated than you think." "First, Bai Feng is a genius—a genius of the Civilization Academy and a teaching assistant. His teacher is also a powerhouse in the academy. Backing out now would offend him directly." "Second, Teacher Liu has taught me for so many years, initiating me onto the path of Civilization Masters. He shares an extraordinary relationship with Bai Feng. I have effectively already been branded as someone from Bai Feng's faction. I can only go to his faction; if someone else takes me in, they won't necessarily teach me sincerely." "Third, for Bai Feng to attract this much attention means he cannot be judged merely as an assistant researcher. There must be things going on that I don't know about. Danger lurks around a genius assistant instructor, but so do opportunities!" "Fourth, even if there are conflicts within the academy, they will be kept within a certain boundary. It isn't as chaotic as they make it out to be. The danger is manageable, and the opportunities are far greater!" Su Yu said earnestly, "I don't have a Civilization Master lineage, nor do I have a powerful clan to rely on. Right now... Bai Feng is an excellent backer! At this moment, not only can I not refuse, but I must also stand firmly by his side. No matter who tries to poach me, I will ignore them entirely. This counts as offering charcoal in snowy weather!" "Finding an ordinary researcher as a teacher and drifting through a few peaceful years of cultivation—only to end up with no share in any fortuitous encounters and no opportunities granted—is peace of mind all you want?" Su Yu shook his head. "Hao, I won't settle for mere peace of mind. I want to become strong! Quickly! Risk goes hand in hand with opportunity. The greater the risk, the greater the opportunity. This is venture capital in a crisis!" Chen Hao understood only half of it, scratching his head in confusion. "Then... nothing will happen to us, right?" "Not for the time being. The factions in the Civilization Academy struggle without breaking. Clearly, everything remains under the control of the leadership. Besides, the Prefecture Lord is still around. The Civilization Academy is still part of Great Xia Prefecture. As long as nothing happens to the Prefecture Lord, the Civilization Academy won't descend into utter chaos so easily." "Yu, you think about so much!" Chen Hao looked at him with sheer admiration. He never spared a thought for such matters; they were simply too far removed from him. Su Yu chuckled. "It's not that I think too much; it's that you think too little. If people like us want to climb up, we must seize every opportunity. Opportunities don't fall from the sky. Even if a meat pie does drop, you still have to catch it yourself." Chen Hao scratched his head again. "Yu, then what should I do when I get to the War Academy?" "Do what you ought to do. Don't try to play clever schemes; you're not cut out for it." Opening the door, Su Yu continued, "Just cultivate well in the academy and work hard to climb up. Become strong! I'll be in the Civilization Academy, and you'll be in the War Academy. We can share intelligence and exchange resources. Certain resources might not be available in the Civilization Academy but can be found in the War Academy. Once your rank is high enough, you can trade them for me." "Your dad was right. Once we reach Great Xia Prefecture, don't interact with me too openly. Don't let people notice. Just treat me like an ordinary classmate. That way, nobody will pay attention to students from Nanyuan like us..." "Yeah, I get it." Chen Hao nodded heavily. Though he did not grasp everything, he roughly understood Su Yu's intent. "At the Kaiyuan fifth layer, you're too weak. Open your eye apertures as soon as possible this month to reach the Kaiyuan seventh layer. At the seventh layer, you won't be trailing behind at the bottom of the War Academy—you'll be part of the backbone. That will give you better opportunities." "The Kaiyuan seventh layer..." Chen Hao muttered with little confidence. "Can I really do it? Opening apertures is so hard." "There's a chance. What our people from Nanyuan lack is yuanqi. With yuanqi, you'll get twice the result with half the effort. As long as you work hard this month, you definitely have a shot!" Su Yu turned around, patted him on the shoulder, and said with gravity, "Hao, if you aren't strong, I won't have you to rely on! When a crisis strikes, I won't even have a retreat path left. If you become strong and do well in the War Academy, then if I ever find myself in dire straits one day, I can still seek refuge with you." Chen Hao grew slightly nervous. "Yu, why does going to Great Xia Prefecture sound like walking into a tiger's den?" "It *is* a tiger's den!" "At least for me, it is!" Su Yu said solemnly, "I intend to contend against the geniuses, prodigies, and monsters of this era. It is very much a tiger's den. Some things must be fought for. If you don't fight... you end up with nothing! No matter how talented or monstrous you are, if you don't display your worth and talent, no one will pay you any attention." Chen Hao nodded again, answering earnestly, "Alright, I'll definitely cultivate with all my might!" "Good that you understand. Once I reach the Civilization Academy, I'll find a way to get you some willpower texts for cultivation so you can progress faster." Su Yu had already calculated that being in the Civilization Academy would make acquiring such things much easier. Without a willpower text to assist, Chen Hao cultivating on his own would be agonizingly slow. With one, his cultivation speed would increase dramatically. *** Starting that day, Su Yu plunged back into shut-in mode. He read books in the morning, cultivated at noon, and practiced the Thunder Yuan Saber in the evening. At night, dreams did not occur every day, but they came intermittently. Now, Su Yu actually looked forward to entering the dreams. Only in dreams could he better familiarize himself with divine characters. When divine characters appeared in his dreams, it felt exactly like being enveloped by the civilization chronicle during the exam. Just like reality! Moreover, it did not consume willpower, allowing him to master the divine characters at a much faster rate. On July 1st, the exam results were released. Su Yu took first place in both categories! As for Chen Hao, he scored 220 points, including bonus points. That meant he had scored 60 points between the listening comprehension and liquid identification sections—slightly higher than Su Yu had expected, but far lower than Chen Hao had imagined. He was thoroughly depressed. The listening test was worth 60 points and the liquid identification 30, totaling 90. He felt he could have gotten all of them, so why had he suddenly lost 30 points? Su Yu did not bother explaining the reason to him. A score of 220, or 190 without bonus points, barely allowed him to scrape through the bottom threshold of Great Xia War Academy. However, Su Yu had already advised him to attend Longwu Academy, and Chen Hao had raised no objections. A score of 220 was decent for Longwu Academy, but at Great Xia War Academy, it would truly be too low. Over at Longwu, Old Xie at least had some connections. At Great Xia Civilization Academy, no one knew Chen Hao, and no one would look out for him. Those at the bottom of the ranks did not qualify for special attention. On July 2nd came the submission of academy preferences. Su Yu did not go in person, simply sending Chen Hao to fill it out for him. Filling in Great Xia Civilization Academy was all that was needed. Even if Chen Hao made a mistake, it didn't matter. Su Yu was considered a special admit. He could contact Great Xia Civilization Academy at any time to rectify it, so he saw no reason to waste his time going over. Over the past few days, having consumed one drop of yuanqi liquid and three drops of blood essence, Su Yu was set to open his first aperture outside the nine Kaiyuan apertures today. He had no time to waste at the academy! *** The first aperture to be opened beyond the basic nine apertures was located on the left arm. Across the limbs, torso, and head lay the eight apertures of the first layer. Their primary purpose was to connect the physical body, establishing a basic internal circulation to absorb yuanqi and temper the physique. At the Kaiyuan ninth layer, Su Yu could already absorb yuanqi on his own. However, the efficiency and speed of absorption at the Kaiyuan ninth layer differed vastly from that of a Qianjun seventh layer, so Su Yu still used blood essence to activate the manual's illustrations for cultivation. Even so, the effect was significantly lower than before. Inside the bedroom. White light flickered across Su Yu's left arm. A previously chaotic and indistinct speck of light suddenly condensed into a unified bright point! The bright point flashed and promptly vanished into his left arm. This was an aperture! The first aperture on his left arm had opened! Clenching his left fist, Su Yu threw a punch. With a sharp crack, the air exploded with sound. His strength was markedly greater than before! Although he had not opened all eight apertures to form a complete cycle, the strength in his left arm had surged noticeably. An additional aperture meant absorbing and storing that much more yuanqi. *I suppose this can be considered barely entering the Qianjun realm...* If one cultivated the lowest Yellow-rank Low-grade cultivation arts, opening a single aperture allowed one to advance into the Qianjun Realm. Such Qianjun cultivators did exist, but they were exceedingly rare; Yellow-rank Low-grade cultivation arts were simply too abysmal. Under normal circumstances, these were the arts chosen by ordinary people who truly lacked talent. Entering the Qianjun Realm was still better than staying at Kaiyuan; at the very least, one possessed greater physical strength and could move bricks faster than a Kaiyuan cultivator. If by some stroke of luck they managed to advance to the Wanshi Realm—even as an unimaginably weak Wanshi—they could still land a comfortable, well-paying job in a small city. Such individuals were unsuitable for the front lines, but they could occasionally be used to intimidate common folk in the rear. *From the 29th to the 2nd, opening the first aperture went fairly quickly, but the expense is sheer madness.* The basic apertures were actually harder to open than those of the Qianjun Realm. That was why Su Yu had progressed slower through the Kaiyuan eighth and ninth layers, whereas he opened the first Qianjun aperture much faster. If not for this, the geniuses of the War Academy would not advance to Qianjun or even Wanshi so rapidly. If everything were as slow as the Kaiyuan stage, it would take decades just to break through. *I've attained the basics of the War God Art, and my willpower has grown a bit lately. However, that bone fragment looks about ready to shatter, while with the Thunder Yuan Saber, I can only continue familiarizing myself with the first strike...* In terms of comprehensive strength, Su Yu had made substantial progress recently. He had even begun attempting to genuinely fuse the divine character "Thunder" into the Thunder Yuan Saber, which would drastically heighten its explosive power. Presently, Su Yu was making progress with every passing day. *Less than a month until school starts. I should strive to open another five to six apertures!* *And ideally, get my willpower to thirty percent.* Su Yu set his goals. With enough merit points to spare and his strength in a phase of rapid growth, he had zero interest in undertaking missions for the Wind Arrest Hall right now. Once he stepped into the Qianjun Realm, earning merit points would be far simpler than it was now. Su Yu knew how to prioritize. *** At the same time. Great Xia Civilization Academy. Inside a towering pavilion steeped in the heavy weight of history. Bai Feng stood with lowered eyes and a bowed head, speaking in a mild tone. "Elders, my teacher has researched the blood essence of the myriad races for many years, and the research is now on the verge of bearing fruit. Terminating this project now would be a devastating blow to humanity's future..." Within the pavilion, elderly figures sat encircling the hall, listening in silence. After a long while, someone spoke in a heavy voice. "Hong Tan has invested too much energy into this matter over the years. He no longer cares about teaching in the academy, frequently travels to the All-Heavens Battlefield for years at a time, and no longer supplies resources to the academy. If everyone behaved like this, how could the academy flourish? Where would incoming students obtain resources to cultivate?" "It isn't that we haven't given you time. The academy has continuously provided funding for decades. It is time to call a halt!" Bai Feng said in a deep voice, "Results truly are imminent. This project is of monumental significance. Once successful, our human race will also be able to wield the innate skills of the myriad races. In fact, humanity may very well possess innate skills of our own that have simply never been discovered..." "Bai Feng, we understand Hong Tan's project better than you do!" someone replied sternly. "Extracting blood essence from the myriad races and deciphering their innate skills—Hong Tan is not the first to attempt this research. The Quest Realm has been researching and exploring it all along." "Yet facts have proven that humanity possesses no innate skills, and the innate skills of the myriad races cannot be transplanted..." Bai Feng frowned. "All facts must be proven through evidence and practice, not empty words!" "Then where... is your evidence!" The speaker was not angry. Since you demand evidence and practice, has there been any success all these years? Bai Feng's expression shifted through several nuances. The next moment, he suddenly produced a drop of blood essence and swallowed it whole. Letting out a low roar, his body abruptly expanded, shooting upward like a sprout in the wind, transforming within the blink of an eye into a giant seven to eight meters tall. He threw a punch. With a deafening boom, a massive sonic tremor echoed through the pavilion. Ahead of him, an old man caught his gigantic fist with a single hand. His expression grew solemn, and he said in a low voice, "Ram?" "Yes, the Fire Swine Race's innate skill, Ram!" In the next instant, Bai Feng's body returned to normal, leaving his clothes torn to shreds. Unbothered by his attire, he said in a low voice, "My teacher's research has already borne fruit, though it is not yet perfected. At present, we have only managed to extract the innate skill of a weak race like the Fire Swine... but this is only the beginning. I believe rapid progress will follow, and before long, we may even extract the innate skills of mighty races like Gods and Demons!" "This may even unlock the innate skills of humanity itself, granting us another trump card. This is an endeavor that benefits the entire human race... The research institute cannot be abolished!" In the pavilion, the senior figures exchanged glances. One of them sighed. "Bai Feng, we saw what you just did. However... to be frank, extracting the innate skills of weak races like the Fire Swine has already been accomplished by the Quest Realm. Yet even for the Fire Swine, extraction becomes impossible once they reach the Tengkong Realm." "What you extracted is only at the Qianjun Realm. You must have attempted it with Wanshi and Tengkong specimens as well. Did you succeed?" Bai Feng had not expected the Quest Realm to have accomplished this as well. Frowning, he soon countered, "Even if both sides achieved this, our research approaches may not be identical. We walk our path, and they walk theirs; who ultimately succeeds is not set in stone! But we have already proven that we have results. Why can you not grant us a little more time?" The elders exchanged voice transmissions among themselves. Soon, an elderly man seated above spoke slowly, "Giving you time is not out of the question. However, going forward, the academy will no longer allocate funding to you." "Furthermore, if there are still no results within five years, Hong Tan must return dutifully. He will teach what needs teaching, accept the students he ought to accept, explore secret realms, and maintain his merit rank... If he continues down this path, the academy will strip him of his senior researcher status!" The old man said gravely, "Bai Feng, humanity's strength lies in its rules! Hong Tan enjoys the treatment of a senior researcher of both the academy and Great Xia Prefecture, yet he has consistently failed to produce results and has contributed nothing to either. He enjoys privileges superior to others year after year—is that fair?" "Research... everyone is doing research! If everyone acted this way, where would our resources come from? Are we supposed to abandon all other projects and simply wait for the front lines to supply us with resources?" Bai Feng gritted his teeth and nodded. "Very well, I will relay this to my teacher! If there is no further progress within five years, we will relinquish the institute inside the academy and provide a full copy of the research data to the Quest Realm." "You still refuse to give up..." Someone sighed. Clearly, Bai Feng meant that if the academy withdrew its support, they would continue the research outside the academy. The pavilion elders did not press him further. Hong Tan had poured far too much effort into this matter over the years; had he not, he might have broken through long ago. What a pity for Hong Tan! And now Bai Feng was deeply entangled in it as well. They feared that Bai Feng, too, would jeopardize his own future because of it.