Nanyuan.
In the blink of an eye, July 28th arrived.
The day of departure.
School began on August 1st, but with travel time factored in, the students from Nanyuan had to set off a few days in advance.
Over the past two weeks or so, Su Yu had cultivated like a madman, sparing no expense, and his strength had seen significant progress once again.
He had opened a total of six apertures!
However, only five belonged to the *War God Art*. Of the eight apertures in the first layer of the *War God Art*, three overlapped with those for the second strike of the Thunder Yuan Saber, while the second strike required one aperture that did not overlap.
Faced with the choice between continuing to open apertures for the *War God Art* or opening the ones for the Thunder Yuan Saber, Su Yu chose to open the aperture for the saber's second strike first.
In any case, there was no way he could advance to the next layer in the *War God Art* in the short term, so he might as well master the second strike of the Thunder Yuan Saber along the way.
Even though it felt like opening an extra aperture for nothing, and mastering a powerful martial skill at this stage seemed pointless to many students, having an extra survival skill was always better than having none as far as Su Yu was concerned.
His yuanqi liquid was completely gone, though a few drops of blood essence remained.
His merit points were exhausted, leaving only twenty-odd thousand yuan in cash reserved for registration.
He was down to virtually nothing!
After casually packing a few changes of clothes, grabbing several willpower texts, and taking his saber, Su Yu prepared to head out.
A knock sounded on the door.
Su Yu's ears twitched, and he stepped forward to open it.
Outside, Chen Hao grinned cheerfully. "Yu, let's go! My dad's downstairs with the car to drive us to the academy."
The gathering point was at Nanyuan Academy. Chen Qinghe had taken the day off from work to see his son off, clearly reluctant to part with him.
Su Yu said nothing, simply picking up his small suitcase to head out.
Seeing that he carried so little, Chen Hao couldn't help remarking, "Yu, that's it? Just one suitcase?"
"How much more do I need?"
Su Yu shook his head, too indifferent to argue. He glanced back at the house, a sudden pang of reluctance welling up within him.
He had lived here for over ten years, and now he was leaving.
Once he walked out this door... who knew when he would return?
He had depended on his father since childhood. His father had left a few months ago, and now he was leaving too. The home had lost all its former warmth and bustle, feeling utterly silent.
"Yu, having second thoughts?"
Chen Hao chuckled. "I'm not reluctant in the slightest! I can't wait to get to the Great Xia Prefecture right now. I heard it's bustling beyond belief! Crowds everywhere, shops everywhere, food, drinks, clothes, martial training halls... everything has way more variety than Nanyuan!"
Su Yu teased, "And your dad won't be around to beat you!"
Chen Hao grinned sheepishly, looking slightly regretful a moment later. "If my dad doesn't beat me, I won't get any bonus pocket money."
"You glutton for punishment!"
Su Yu had no other words for him. This guy actually seemed reluctant to lose that source of income.
Chen Hao had also made progress recently.
Unfortunately, he had fallen just short of the Kaiyuan seventh layer and was currently at the Kaiyuan sixth layer.
After all, during the Kaiyuan Realm, one could only absorb yuanqi passively, resulting in immense waste. Even though Su Yu had called him over every time he gathered yuanqi, Chen Hao had still run out of time to open his seventh aperture.
Taking one last look at the room, Su Yu let out a soft breath, turned, closed the door, and locked it.
***
Downstairs.
Chen Qinghe was chatting with several elderly residents of the neighborhood. Seeing Su Yu and Chen Hao come down, he smiled. "Xiao Yu, didn't you pack a few more clothes?"
"The academy will issue uniforms. A few changes of clothes are enough."
As Su Yu spoke, he greeted the elderly men and exchanged pleasantries.
The old men looked emotional as well. Old Man Wang from downstairs sighed, "In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yu is heading off to an advanced academy. Back then, you were no taller than a radish, and now you're all grown up. If your dad were home today, he'd probably be wiping away tears."
"Undoubtedly. That fellow Su Long played both father and mother to raise Xiao Yu—it wasn't easy."
As the elders reminisced, Su Yu smiled quietly without joining in.
After a few more words, Su Yu and Chen Hao climbed into the car.
Chen Qinghe started the engine and drove toward the academy, warning them as he drove, "Stay alert on the road. There are demon beasts in the wilderness—don't run off on your own."
"Dad, how many times are you going to repeat that?"
Chen Hao grew impatient; his father had nagged him countless times already.
Chen Qinghe barked, "Cut the attitude! Are you itching for a beating? Listen to Xiao Yu on the way, stick with the City Guards and the Longwu Guards, and don't wander off! Once you reach the Great Xia Prefecture, behave yourself! I'll find time to visit you later."
"Dad, why would you go there? It's so dangerous!"
Chen Hao hastily said, "Traveling alone is very dangerous. You should just stay home. I'll come back when I have time."
"Cut the nonsense!"
Chen Qinghe scolded, "You brainless brat, running back home is even more dangerous! Remember, every three months, Nanyuan organizes the City Guards to pick you all up. That's the only time you're allowed to come home! No running around outside of that!
"Or check with the Xia Trading Company to see if they have caravans scheduled. If they do, you can travel with them. Under no circumstances are you to set off alone, understand?"
Chen Qinghe still felt uneasy and kept lecturing.
In this era, the wilderness was unsafe.
Even though the military conducted yearly purges, it remained perilous.
Once students arrived in the Great Xia Prefecture, if they wanted to return to Nanyuan, they had to either travel with the City Guards or accompany the formidable Xia Trading Company. Striking out on their own might well mean walking straight to their graves.
Of course, if one possessed sufficient strength, such concerns were unnecessary.
Listening to the father and son's banter, Su Yu felt a twinge of envy.
His father was on the battlefield. Otherwise, his father would surely have been doing the same today, perhaps nagging even more.
While bickering with Chen Qinghe, Chen Hao tugged at Su Yu, beaming with delight as he showed off the long saber in his hand.
It was a standard-issue military saber. Su Yu took a look; it was similar to his own, likely from the same series.
"Yu, I finally have a ranked weapon too!"
Chen Hao rejoiced. In the driver's seat, Chen Qinghe barked, "Weapons are meant for practical use, not for showing off!"
Chen Hao curled his lip. What was wrong with showing off a bit?
Yu had flaunted his saber plenty of times after buying it, leaving Chen Hao envious for days. Now that he finally had one, he naturally wanted to show it off.
Su Yu merely smiled, not bothering to tease him.
Looking out at the streets and the familiar scenery, he felt a wave of nostalgia.
Before long, the car came to a stop.
They had arrived at Nanyuan Academy.
***
Outside the academy, numerous vehicles were lined up today.
No smoke rose into the air.
These vehicles ran on yuanqi rather than petroleum fuel.
A tiny amount of yuanqi allowed them to run for a long time.
Yet even with low running costs, buying a vehicle nowadays cost hundreds of thousands, and operating it ran several thousand yuan a month.
Su Long had never bought one before. He always claimed that instead of buying such a contraption, riding a Fire Swine was far more exhilarating. Su Yu hadn't taken it seriously in the past, but thinking about it now, riding a massive Fire Swine beast truly looked far more imposing than riding in a car.
Of course, the more likely reason was that old Su simply couldn't afford one.
Inside the academy, students carrying luggage continuously converged on the academy square.
Parents trailed behind, some wiping away tears while others offered endless instructions.
In this era, without strength, returning home once every few months from the Great Xia Prefecture was considered lucky; some might not return for years.
Communication was possible, but local calls were cheap, whereas calling outside the city to the Great Xia Prefecture cost several yuan per minute.
For an ordinary family, that was a considerable expense.
Outside the cities, communication base stations were frequently attacked, jammed, or destroyed by demon beasts.
As a result, calls outside the city often failed to connect entirely.
Conditions within the Great Xia Prefecture were relatively decent, but outside the prefecture, communication was nearly impossible. The vast wilderness teemed with demon beasts and All-Races Sect fanatics, who took great pleasure in destroying these stations to sever contact between the prefectures.
Su Yu spotted the Old Principal, Liu Wenyan, and other classmates and teachers.
Liu Wenyan waved to him.
Saying goodbye to Chen Qinghe, Su Yu hurried over toward Liu Wenyan.
***
Liu Wenyan shifted his gaze to Su Yu, nodding slightly with a faint smile. "Not bad. You've opened quite a few apertures... but more importantly, your willpower has progressed considerably. It seems you haven't slacked off these days."
With that, Liu Wenyan handed him a slip of paper and smiled. "Once you reach the Great Xia Prefecture, if you run into trouble, you can dial this communication number. Of course, don't call unless it's serious!"
"Understood."
Su Yu took the paper, memorized the number with a glance, and asked curiously, "Teacher, whose number is this?"
"Don't ask. If something happens, just give my name."
Liu Wenyan offered no explanation. What was there to explain? Was he supposed to tell this kid that the number belonged to his... so-and-so?
How embarrassing would that be!
"Spent all your merit points?"
Su Yu nodded. He was completely out of merit points.
"Don't look at me. Even if you do, I can't give you any—I don't have enough for myself."
Liu Wenyan chuckled. "Once they're gone, find a way to earn more yourself! When you take a master, go earn some merit points. It's not difficult.
"I know you don't want to abandon the warrior's path, and I won't stop you. But don't neglect your willpower cultivation. In terms of pure combat strength, Civilization Masters and warriors might not differ much, but when it comes to the bizarre and the mystical, it's undeniably the domain of Civilization Masters."
Liu Wenyan let out a soft breath. "In a direct confrontation, Civilization Masters and warriors are evenly matched. But in an indirect encounter, a Tengkong Realm Civilization Master has countless ways to ambush and kill a Lingyun Realm warrior. On the battlefield, Civilization Masters are the true enigmas."
Su Yu nodded again.
Liu Wenyan lapsed into silence as well.
Nearby, students and parents were exchanging reluctant farewells, though while some students looked sorrowful, others appeared thrilled.
Many had never left Nanyuan and had only heard of the Great Xia Prefecture's prosperity. Being able to go there now filled the students with nervous anticipation; as for homesickness, they had yet to feel it.
Only after some time passed would these students truly miss the feeling of home.
A moment later, Xia Bing appeared, leading the rest of the Longwu Guards.
Besides the Longwu Guards, there was a hundred-man unit of City Guards—one hundred and ten escorts in total to accompany this cohort of students to the Great Xia Prefecture.
The number of students wasn't particularly large, around two hundred.
These were the students bound for all the War Academies and Civilization Academies. As for those attending administrative or Scientific Research Academies, they were traveling separately, escorted by a different unit of City Guards.
However, they had no Longwu Guards assigned to them; the treatment was distinctly different.
Such was reality: Civilization and War Academies trained the strong, so their students' safety was of far higher priority.
Moreover, the other group comprised well over a thousand students.
Under normal circumstances, that group was actually safer, as the All-Races Sect held ordinary students in contempt and would not deliberately target them. The gains would be meager, while the potential losses were substantial, making it not worth the effort.
Xia Bing walked over. He was leading the escort this time, assisted by the City Guards.
After exchanging a few words with the Old Principal, Xia Bing walked up to Liu Wenyan and said gravely, "Instructor Liu, we are about to set off! This period is the most volatile. The wilderness is chaotic, and the cities are restless. With the City Guards and Longwu Guards departing, petty scoundrels will inevitably be tempted to make trouble. Please keep a watchful eye on Nanyuan, Instructor Liu."
With one Tengkong expert leaving with the escort, Nanyuan had one fewer Tengkong expert, as well as a detachment of Longwu Guards and City Guards gone, making this the city's period of weakest defense.
Liu Wenyan nodded and remarked nonchalantly, "It's best if they dare to show themselves. I happen to be short on merit points lately!"
He then added, "You must be careful as well. At this time in previous years, the wilderness was perilous, and those beasts from the All-Races Sect even stirred up beast stampedes intentionally. Don't fall into a trap."
"We will be on guard!"
Xia Bing replied solemnly. He was a veteran soldier and naturally understood these matters.
After the two Tengkong experts finished speaking, more than a dozen trucks appeared at the entrance.
The next moment, someone shouted, "Students, board the trucks! When your name is called, get on immediately! If you miss it, no one is waiting for you! You'll have to find your own way to the Great Xia Prefecture!"
"Truck 1 roll call!"
"Truck 2 roll call..."
The academy instructors maintained order, directing the students onto the vehicles.
Su Yu soon boarded Truck 1.
Chen Hao was on this truck as well, along with Liu Yue, Zhou Chong...
All familiar faces, or rather, top students.
The Great Xia War Academy, Great Xia Civilization Academy, Longwu Academy, Jiutian Academy...
Students heading to these top-ranked academies were all gathered on this truck.
The interior of the truck was spacious, yet still somewhat crowded.
Parents stood outside, some reluctant to let go, others craning their necks to look inside with worried expressions.
Chen Hao harbored few such sentimentalities. Looking at Liu Yue, he asked curiously, "Liu Yue, doesn't your family have ties with the Xia Trading Company? Why are you squeezing in with us? Wouldn't traveling with their caravan be way more comfortable?"
Liu Yue offered a polite smile but didn't respond.
Chen Hao scratched his head and dropped the subject.
There were both young men and women in the truck.
Roughly twenty people in total, with more males than females.
Hardly anyone spoke. Aside from a few acquaintances whispering among themselves, many cast their eyes toward Su Yu, though none initiated a conversation with him.
"Depart!"
Accompanied by Xia Bing's loud command, the engines roared to life.
Over a dozen trucks drove out of the academy, interspersed with the vehicles of the City Guards and Longwu Guards escorting the students from front and rear.
***
Inside the academy.
The Old Principal sighed with deep emotion. "Another batch of students sent off. The Great Xia Prefecture... alas!"
Nanyuan!
Year after year, large numbers of students marched toward the Great Xia Prefecture.
Yet in the end, some died, some were crippled, some settled in the Great Xia Prefecture, and some abandoned cultivation altogether...
Those who truly made a name for themselves were few and far between.
Watching batch after batch sent off, only to see them become dejected or disheartened, devoid of the soaring ambitions they held when leaving—the Old Principal had witnessed it for decades. Even though he had grown somewhat accustomed to it, a trace of melancholy and helplessness remained.
Watching the vehicles depart, Liu Wenyan said calmly, "This is their path, an unavoidable one. Those who can walk far on this path will always be a minority. People like us... are all failures."
The Old Principal didn't respond to that, instead asking, "Are you truly not returning to the Great Xia Civilization Academy?
"Now that Su Yu has left, among all the students you've taught over the years, there probably won't be another as exceptional. To be frank, the upcoming batches might not even measure up to Liu Yue and the others. For a Tengkong Civilization Master to remain here is a waste."
"No rush. I haven't finished recasting my physical body yet. Going anywhere right now makes no difference."
Hearing Liu Wenyan say this, the Old Principal asked curiously, "What blood essence are you using for your body casting?"
Liu Wenyan hadn't submitted a requisition request to him. Where had this guy gotten the blood essence for body casting?
"What blood essence? I rely on myself!"
Liu Wenyan replied with an air of nonchalance, "Why would a Civilization Master of our caliber use the blood essence of the myriad races? Yuanqi alone is sufficient for body casting!"
The Old Principal looked suspicious. Truly?
Body casting using only yuanqi—are you sure you aren't pulling my leg?
"Old Liu, a few days ago, someone said they saw a woman visiting your home... She didn't look like a local from Nanyuan..."
"Nonsense!"
Liu Wenyan snapped in annoyance, "Who's spouting such rubbish? I, Liu Wenyan, am pure and upright! Why would I let a woman through my door?"
Seeing his indignation, the Old Principal dropped the subject.
Yet he couldn't help wondering what was going on with Old Liu. He didn't even need blood essence for body casting anymore. Could it be... an old flame had sent him some?
Someone not from Nanyuan coming to find Liu Wenyan was nine times out of ten from the Great Xia Prefecture.
"Old Liu, tell me, how many of this batch of students do you think will ultimately reach the Tengkong Realm?"
"Hard to say."
Seeing that the Old Principal wasn't pressing the previous topic, Liu Wenyan breathed a sigh of relief and sighed, "Three to five would be a bounty; one or two would already be lucky. If we don't count Su Yu... it's hard to say if even one will make it."
After all these years, batch after batch of students had gone through, yet those who truly reached the Tengkong Realm were exceedingly rare!
Over forty years ago, he had arrived in Nanyuan.
He had trained over forty classes of students, with more than two hundred entering the Great Xia Civilization Academy, but those who ultimately graduated... were fewer than five!
The Great Xia Civilization Academy admitted nearly two thousand students each year, and only about fifty graduated—a mere one in forty.
In fact, Nanyuan's graduation rate was even lower, with only three individuals having truly reached the Tengkong Realm.
Three Tengkong experts in over forty years wasn't terribly low.
However, one had fallen in battle, another was still leading a squad in the military, and the last had become a teaching assistant at an academy. Decades had passed, and he remained a Tengkong assistant, having clearly hit the ceiling.
Over the years, this small city of Nanyuan had truly produced no phoenixes.
A Tengkong expert was considered immensely powerful in the eyes of Nanyuan, but in the Great Xia Prefecture, they were truly nothing out of the ordinary.
Chapter 66