Great Xia Civilization Academy.
With new students about to enroll, the Civilization Academy bustled with activity.
The academy's atmosphere was far livelier than usual.
Students hurried to and fro, and instructors bustled about in every direction.
With the All-Races Training Academy opening this year as well, there were even more matters to attend to.
Yet beneath the lively surface lurked an undercurrent of brewing storms.
***
Heart Cultivation Pavilion.
Inside the massive pavilion, disputes flared up once more.
As Wan Tiansheng's words fell, someone immediately raised a vehement objection. "I disagree! Wan Tiansheng, what in the world are you trying to pull?"
An elder shouted in fury, "Are you seeking to betray the human race?
"Setting up the All-Races Training Academy was bad enough, but now you want to open secret realms to them as well? Why don't you just escort them straight to the Quest Realm to study? Wouldn't that be even better?"
Wan Tiansheng replied mildly, "Going to the Quest Realm isn't entirely out of the question either."
"You!"
The white-haired, white-bearded elder bristled with rage and barked, "You want to revolt against the human race!"
"I never said anything of the sort."
Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "As I've said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles! If you refuse to pay a price, why would the various races hand over vital information to us? Why would they risk their lives for our human race?
"Expecting only gains without any sacrifice—how could that ever work?"
Wan Tiansheng remained unperturbed. "Opening a few secret realms for them counts as betrayal? Even if we truly nurture a few powerhouses among them, what of it?"
"Wan Tiansheng, you make it sound so grand!" someone remarked coldly. "But remember: those who are not of our kind are sure to be of a different mind! You want to nurture a few experts to become pillars of their respective races, hoping they will later give back to humanity... I can only say you drastically underestimate how ruthless people can be!
"When that day truly arrives and they hold high status and immense power, do you think they will care in the least about the favors they received from the human race back then?"
Wan Tiansheng said blandly, "Even if just one of them remembers that gratitude, it might pull an entire race to our side. Why shouldn't we do it?"
"Hmph!" an elder snapped coldly. "Then haven't you considered that for every powerhouse you nurture for the myriad races, the human race loses one? If a powerhouse of the myriad races slaughters our human experts, who will bear the consequences?"
Wan Tiansheng feigned surprise. "Do you think that if we don't grant resources to all-races students, they won't have any of their own? And if we pour resources into human students, does that guarantee they will become powerhouses?"
"Absurd fallacy!"
"Wan Tiansheng, what are your true intentions?!"
"..."
Outcries broke out across the room!
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Everyone, calm yourselves! Stop escalating everything to grand accusations of rebellion and treason before I've even finished speaking. What's the point?"
Shaking his head, Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Put it this way: if we pay a certain price, we can reap corresponding rewards. On the All-Heavens Battlefield, these races can provide us with intelligence. Furthermore, regarding the All-Races Sect, the factions under their control can be put to our use. That is far better than having a few scattered operatives infiltrate them as deep-cover spies.
"Besides, it's like buying old horse bones for a thousand gold pieces—this year is a trial run. Once the first batch of all-races students reaps substantial benefits and powerhouses emerge from them, the smaller races will follow suit.
"Follow the human race, and there will be meat to eat! Why wouldn't they do it?
"However, if we fail to provide any benefit whatsoever to this first batch of students... frankly speaking, with the myriad races watching closely and the smaller races hesitating, would any of them still be willing to come?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "They won't. If they risk offending the major powerful races just to come to the human race and end up receiving nothing, who would want that? The smaller races would continue wavering, and at a critical juncture, they might even bite humanity back... In reality, as long as we pay a meager price, we can resolve all these risks."
As his voice faded, an elder in the pavilion spoke coldly, "Since you, Wan Tiansheng, value these all-races students so highly, you mustn't favor outsiders over our own! These resources don't fall from the sky. Since you're so willing to give them to all-races students, you might as well distribute more. If you can open them to the myriad races, then open a few more secret realms to our own students as well!"
Wan Tiansheng said indifferently, "Why not? However, opening a secret realm consumes a massive amount of resources every time. When all-races students open them, they pay out of their own pockets. If you want to open them, pay for it yourselves!"
"Fine, it's a deal!"
The speaking elder quickly finalized the agreement. They had long wished to open more high-end secret realms, and now that Wan Tiansheng had agreed, matters would be far simpler.
In the crowd, a middle-aged woman who had remained quiet the entire time spoke up lazily, "Opening advanced secret realms? How about this: our faction wants ten slots. Oh, and we're not paying a coin—only sending people."
The moment those words were spoken, the elder who had just spoken flared with rage and barked, "Wu Yuehua, what is the meaning of this?"
The woman replied languidly, "What meaning could there be? Did I not speak clearly enough? You pay the money, I provide the people. When the secret realm opens, I'll send my people inside. It's that simple. Are you deaf, or can you just not understand plain words?"
The old man's face darkened. "Provide the treasures required to open it, and I'll permit your people to enter!"
The woman spread her hands. "No money, no resources, no merit points! None at all! If you don't believe me, ask that guy surnamed Wan whether I have any."
"Then don't even dream of it!"
The old man flatly refused. Wanting to send people inside without contributing anything was pure fantasy.
Wu Yuehua paid him no mind and gave a faint smile. "Then no one goes in. Those secret realms... don't belong to your faction anyway! They are inheritances left behind by generations of Civilization Masters—some left by my teacher, some by my martial uncle, some by my grandmaster... Oh, and some left by the Fifth Academy Head and the Fourth Academy Head..."
Wu Yuehua said with absolute composure, "Since my people can't enter, then no one enters! Whoever dares step inside... hehe, I'll blow up the secret realm and let you play by yourselves!"
Saying that, she shot a glance at Wan Tiansheng, who was watching the show, and sneered, "You have money and influence, while we have nothing. And since we have nothing... those with bare feet have nothing to fear from those wearing shoes! All these years, you've been suppressing our factions, and now you want to play good cop, bad cop with me? Keep dreaming!
"Did you really think no one could keep you in check?"
*Bang!*
Wu Yuehua slammed her palm down, shattering the table beneath it. "I'll lay my words right here! If my people can't enter, no one gets in! Who gives a damn about the myriad races, about factions, or the academy's future? I'm a woman; I don't care about any of that!
"Don't force my hand. Piss me off, and we'll burn the bridge completely! I've already made up my mind: the Divine Character path, the Divine Alchemy path, the Divine Talisman path... we'll all leave the Great Xia Civilization Academy! The Great Zhou and Daming Academies have already offered sky-high prices waiting for us to join!"
Wu Yuehua said coldly, "Since you want to suppress us, we'll simply found another academy! Wan Tiansheng, Zhou Mingren, you two can sing your double act all you want, but play by yourselves! Fifty years ago, we conceded. Fifty years later... you want to pull that stunt again? Do you think I'm that fool Liu Wenyan, who would yield to you for the sake of some grand righteousness or future?"
Wu Yuehua barked, "I'll leave my words right here: dare to leave us behind and hog the benefits for yourselves... and we'll break off completely! I will gather Civilization Masters from various factions across the Great Xia Prefecture, defect to the Daming Prefecture, and establish a new academy. Let's see who comes out on top!"
"Let's go!"
With that, Wu Yuehua turned on her heel and strode out.
At the same time, four or five of the thirty-odd elders stood up and filed out behind her.
Before leaving, one of them said faintly, "Pushing things too far isn't wise. Hong Tan hasn't even returned yet. Wan Tiansheng, stop bending wherever the wind blows, catering to whichever side grows stronger. Who doesn't see through your little schemes? You might have maintained stability, but we are anything but stable... If you still refuse to hold the bowl level, then you can pursue your grand ambitions all by yourselves!"
"Impudent nonsense..." the elder who had scolded Wu Yuehua earlier roared. "Is there no respect for rules anymore?!"
"Hehe..."
From outside the door came Wu Yuehua's cold sneer. "Zhou Mingren, don't play the elder card with me! Fifty years ago, if those fools hadn't backed down of their own accord, would it ever have been your turn to bark orders? What, trying to wipe out our lineages so your faction can rule supreme?
"If you dare flap your gums again, I'll throw caution to the wind today! I'll tear down this Heart Cultivation Pavilion, smash the academy gates, and defect to another prefecture right this instant! Let's see how arrogant you can be then!"
"..."
Zhou Mingren's face was ashen. He snorted coldly, but did not utter another word.
The sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
Once they had left, the old man fumed, "Academy Head, this is the result of your indulgence!"
Wan Tiansheng looked innocent. "Old Zhou, that has nothing to do with me, does it? I can't afford to offend either side. You two started arguing the moment you opened your mouths—what was I supposed to do?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Look, didn't I say we shouldn't push them too hard? You insisted on doing so... When opening secret realms, give them a few slots regardless. Otherwise, I won't be able to smooth things over either.
"If they truly run off, Great Xia Civilization Academy's strength will instantly drop by thirty percent. Once the Manor Head comes out of secluded cultivation... I won't hear the end of it, and neither will you."
The old man said coldly, "Wu Yuehua was throwing a tantrum on purpose! I made it clear: when the secret realm opens, if they put up their own resources, everyone can enter together. Did I bar them? They're the ones unwilling to pay, expecting a free lunch! Can that kind of behavior be indulged?"
The old man added with indignation, "Did our resources not come from our own hard work?"
Wan Tiansheng gave a light cough and said helplessly, "That matter... is hard to say. Back then, quite a few geniuses from their lineages were expelled. Some of them are still alive today, but without any income, struggling even to support themselves... Wu Yuehua and the others have had to subsidize them heavily..."
"That is their own responsibility!"
Wan Tiansheng interrupted, "That may be true in theory, but back then, they were stripped of all their resources, and many were saddled with substantial debts. Over the years, Wu Yuehua alone has paid off fifty to sixty thousand merit points on Liu Wenyan's behalf. She has also helped settle the debts of quite a few others, amounting to well over a hundred thousand merit points in total."
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "Old Zhou, if you truly push them to the brink, neither of us will have an easy time. Let it go."
The old man said in a low, heavy voice, "The debts left behind back then weren't forced upon them by us, were they? Furthermore... they took away many critically important items. Wan Tiansheng, speak for yourself: did we force them? If they hadn't taken those items away, would things have come to this?
"Over the years, have we seized them by force? Their cultivation has made no progress at all, stuck below Manifestation. How many of them refused to return those things even on their deathbeds, preferring to take them into the grave? Is that proper?"
The old man grew agitated. "Who is truly more selfish? Just because Wu Yuehua helped pay their debts and ran out of income, does that give her the right to freeload off us? If she dares take her people and leave, then let her! Did she think we wouldn't dare leave? Daming, Great Zhou, Dashang—which prefecture wouldn't welcome us with open arms?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed. "What you say is true; everyone has their difficulties. But over the years, your side has had far more income after all. The annual funding from the academy, the Quest Realm, and the Great Xia Prefecture is considerable, whereas their side gets very little. As Academy Head, being too biased looks bad. I still have to keep the bowl level.
"Old Zhou, how about this: we'll yield to Wu Yuehua this once. If she dares make threats next time, we'll expel them!"
Old Zhou opened his mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. After a long moment, he snorted coldly, rose to his feet, and left.
The moment he departed, multiple elders stood up and followed him out.
Inside the hall, a dozen or so elders remained.
Wan Tiansheng smiled, entirely unbothered.
Among the remaining elders, one chuckled and said, "Old Wan, you went too far! Don't keep instigating fights between them. If they clash too fiercely and truly turn into bitter enemies, that won't be good either."
"No matter,"
Wan Tiansheng laughed. "Wu Yuehua just has a sharp tongue. If you actually asked her to rebel... could she bring herself to do it? Even if she agreed, Hong Tan and the others wouldn't. As for Old Zhou's side, if they want to take advantage, they have to pay some price.
"That old fellow has spent all these years coveting the things left with those guys. What is there to covet?"
Wan Tiansheng said dismissively, "With that amount of time, he could have figured it out himself. Fifty years have passed, and he still can't let it go—what's the point?"
Wan Tiansheng shook his head, then added, "A bit of infighting is fine. If they don't fight, it's not as convenient for us to get things done. See? The moment they start bickering, who pays any attention to how we handle our affairs?"
Someone in the hall chuckled and said, "Old Wan, mind your boundaries. Be careful you don't actually piss them off so much they leave. You won't even have a place to cry then."
"Don't worry..."
Wan Tiansheng said casually, "As if you don't know: half of those so-called emissaries from the various prefectures were sent by us. We quoted them astronomical prices, and since they were too embarrassed to inquire directly with the Manor Lords of those prefectures, they took it as fact. If they actually defected... and heard the real offer, hehe, it wouldn't even be a tenth of the quoted price! They'd be lucky not to flip the table on the spot!"
At these words, several elders could barely hold back their laughter.
Someone cursed softly, "You absolute bastard!"
Wan Tiansheng truly wasn't a decent human being!
Afraid those people would actually run away, he had secretly dispatched people to pose as emissaries and offer exorbitant prices. Since this wasn't an official recruitment campaign, but covert poaching behind closed doors, even if the other prefectures found out, they would be too embarrassed to speak of it publicly.
Yet if Wu Yuehua and the others truly ran over and tried to finalize things... disaster would strike!
The prices Wan Tiansheng had offered were far beyond what any prefecture could bear—how could they not turn hostile?
Earlier, Wu Yuehua had acted so haughty, and Old Zhou had been equally indignant, both claiming other prefectures were waiting for them with sky-high offers...
Those present had simply listened and secretly amused themselves, not daring to expose the truth.
If the truth were exposed, both sides would beat Wan Tiansheng to death right here today.
He truly was incorrigible!
Amusement aside, someone spoke up with a solemn tone: "Old Wan, your reputation in the academy hasn't been good lately! The establishment of the All-Races Training Academy has already dragged the academy into major trouble..."
"It's not trouble!"
Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "It's an opportunity! An opportunity for reform! The academy right now is bloated and inefficient, and the students have grown complacent! Internal strife is endless! I want them united against external threats, and the All-Races Training Academy is the target. We cannot allow internal friction to continue indefinitely—even conflict must have limits!
"Fight the all-races students, and use their hands to clear away dead weight! Ignite the students' fighting spirit and return the academy to the orthodox path! Those who should leave will leave, those who should stay will stay, streamlining the institution. In addition, we open up new revenue sources, and that revenue... lies with those smaller races!
"Rather than letting our own people fight internally, it's better to unite against outsiders. Whether it's Wu Yuehua or Old Zhou, their infighting causes too much harm. By introducing the myriad races, they will soon turn their hostility toward them. Internal strife will diminish, and using the myriad races to temper ourselves and our students will yield great results!"
An elder asked hesitantly, "Then what about the myriad races...?"
"No matter!"
Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "Strife is also a crucible. Without conflict, how can powerhouses emerge? How can elites be born? In the end, only the strong and the elite will remain. All-races students who were originally merely upper-middle tier will be honed until only the elite survive! To the myriad races, losing a few pieces of trash in exchange for forging a cohort of elites—do you think they will care about the useless ones who die?"
"They won't!"
"Then isn't that settled?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled amiably. "I've already prepared the next step: the God Race's Myriad Gods Manor and the Demon Race's All-Worlds Purgatory will be the next targets of our Great Xia Civilization Academy! We will fight them and defeat them!
"When the all-races students and human students in the academy reach a boiling point and are about to tear each other apart, we will shift their focus once more to unite against gods and demons! Let the all-races students see that gods and demons are not invincible!
"Once we defeat them, the all-races students will realize... gods and demons are nothing to fear!"
Wan Tiansheng narrowed his eyes, grinning broadly. "Since gods and demons can also be defeated and aren't terrifying, why fear them? Those wavering smaller races, with their dread lessened, will they still obey them blindly? When that happens, Great Xia Civilization Academy will grow stronger, our students will grow stronger, internal discord will vanish, confidence will be restored, and resources will pour in... What a marvelous outcome!"
An elder spoke up again, "That's assuming everything goes smoothly. I'm afraid things won't."
"If it doesn't..."
Wan Tiansheng nodded. "There is a possibility of failure. The Myriad Gods Manor and All-Worlds Purgatory are not to be trifled with. If we lose, all previous efforts will be wasted, and the other races will only witness the might of gods and demons."
Everyone turned to Wan Tiansheng with concern. "At that point, you'll be in immense trouble!"
"No trouble at all."
Wan Tiansheng said nonchalantly, "When that time comes, Xia Longwu will emerge from secluded cultivation, lead the Longwu Guards and the Demon Suppression Army into the All-Heavens Battlefield, slay gods and demons, and attain the Invincible Realm! He will strip me of my post as Academy Head, sweep away the old order, and lay all the blame for the failure squarely on my shoulders. With the spearhead aimed at me, the Great Xia Prefecture will remain the Great Xia Prefecture. I, Wan Tiansheng, will simply find another corner to fool around in—could they actually execute me?"
Wan Tiansheng laughed heartily. "Therefore, this is a prime opportunity to reform, to break the mold, without bearing too high a cost. Everyone, such an opportunity is exceedingly rare—how could we possibly cast it aside?"
Someone sighed softly!
He made it sound easy. In the end, his lifetime of renown would be utterly ruined; he would be nailed to the pillar of shame, becoming a disgrace to the Great Xia Prefecture and even the entire human race!
He would be saddled with labels like traitor, human colluder, incompetent fool... all manner of humiliating prefixes.
At that time, Wan Tiansheng would be reviled by all, his sacrifice paving the way solely for Xia Longwu.
Wan Tiansheng cared nothing for their thoughts and continued, "Talk aside, these upcoming batches of students must be nurtured properly! We cannot let them become useless any longer!"
His expression grew far more solemn, his voice deepening. "In the past, when we fought behind closed doors, losing was no great disaster. But now, it's no longer a domestic quarrel—we must fight outsiders! Losing means death!
"That's fine too. I want them to witness the cruelty of the outside world. Certain things cannot be learned through internal bickering!"
Wan Tiansheng took a deep breath and said seriously, "Nurture them well. This year, all senior researchers are to go out and lead students! Among the students, I don't expect everyone to be outstanding, but you must arrange a few monstrous geniuses to stimulate them! Even if they're plants, make sure they play the part of a proper plant!
"If there truly are no outstanding ones..." Wan Tiansheng gritted his teeth, "then a few of you will disguise yourselves, find artificial bodies, and pretend to be students to act out a few monstrous talents! Do you understand?"
"..."
Everyone was speechless!
Old Wan had lost his mind!
Having them pretend to be students!
They were all Shanhai Realm powerhouses, and he wanted them to pretend to be greenhorns...
Someone sighed, "Old Wan, this hardly seems appropriate. If we crush the students' spirits entirely, it will be hard to explain."
"Afraid of setbacks? Then are they still monstrous talents? Are they still geniuses? If they're afraid of being crushed, they might as well pack up and go home!"
Wan Tiansheng said dismissively, "It's precisely to let them experience what true cruelty means! When they reach the Tengkong Realm in half a year, you appear as a seventh-stage Tengkong; when they reach Lingyun, you appear as Shanhai... Always stay one step ahead of them, letting them know there is always a mountain beyond the mountain, a person beyond the person!
"That kid from the Great Zhou Prefecture is far too arrogant, thinking he's invincible. In my view, he will be spoiled sooner or later—insolent, untamed, fancying himself an unparalleled talent when in truth he doesn't amount to a fart!"
Wan Tiansheng cursed colorfully, then swiftly added, "That's how we'll do it. I don't care—a few of you will announce seclusion to the outside world. If you're too embarrassed to join someone else's faction, just pick someone in this room as your teacher, enter their lineage, and pop up from time to time to intimidate the students!"
Wan Tiansheng gave a sinister grin. "Go all out; don't worry about crushing them. Oh, and pick fights with those so-called genius monsters periodically, stepping on them to climb higher. Stomp out as many as you can! Providing resources to true monsters is always better than wasting them on trash!"
An elderly man sighed. "If they find out one day... how could we ever show our faces again?"
"What is there to fear? Rest assured, as long as none of us sells you out, who could ever know?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled. "This is also for the academy's future. On a grander scale, it's for the entire human race. If the results are good, I'll recommend that the Quest Realm and the War God Temple promote it across the board!"
The more Wan Tiansheng spoke, the more enthusiastic he grew, his tone turning somewhat devious. "If these kids truly grow up in the future, not only will they not hold a grudge, but they'll also join in and become part of it! Shouldn't the suffering they endured back then be recouped from someone else? This is how traditions are passed down from generation to generation, the flame never dying..."
Someone chuckled helplessly. "Old Wan, I can't shake the feeling that if word ever gets out, it will provoke catastrophic trouble sooner or later. You're simply not leaving these students any room to breathe."
First all-races students, then powerhouses from the supreme academies of gods and demons, and on top of that, older-generation experts lurking in disguise... Wan Tiansheng truly was incorrigible, laying out scheme after scheme to drive the students to absolute despair.
If someone truly broke through, how could they not seek revenge against him?
Wan Tiansheng didn't care in the slightest and made the final call: "It's settled then! Furthermore, focus primarily on the new students this year. I hear quite a few geniuses arrived, each more arrogant than the last—hammer them ruthlessly!"
"Old Wan, your own lineage has juniors among them..."
"Don't worry about it. Torment them relentlessly! If you even dare to ruthlessly stomp on Academy Head Wan's descendants, no one else can complain! Oh, and Old Man Zheng's grandson is also there—he's another great target. If you dare offend the descendants of two academy heads, who else would you fear? The Xia family, the Hu family... discipline all of them thoroughly!"
Having said that, Wan Tiansheng added with glee, "Also, hit Fatty Xia's descendant relentlessly—driving him to drop out would be best! Fatty Xia is filthy rich, yet two days ago he actually told me he couldn't afford tuition this year and asked for a waiver... Give his kid a proper thrashing!"
Laughter broke out across the room once more. Marquis Xia truly was stingy to an absurd degree.
"Winds and clouds are rising; I hope the next few batches of students produce a few promising seeds..."
Wan Tiansheng let out an emotional sigh and murmured, "Fifty years ago, after expelling those fellows, the academy did grow stronger, but... it also restrained people. No one dared take risks anymore; no one dared act unconventionally. We ended up churning out cookie-cutter products, and many students were ruined under my watch... I let them down. We produced Shanhai Realm cultivators, but not a single top-tier powerhouse... Fifty years!"
A full fifty years had passed without Great Xia Civilization Academy producing a single top-tier powerhouse.
Though fifty years was not extraordinarily long, in earlier eras—even when the academy was weaker—a top-tier figure would invariably emerge every few decades.
Yet now... none!
Wan Tiansheng knew that certain things were irreversible. The current students had become obedient lapdogs, standardized cogs in a machine. If reforms were not enacted, Great Xia Civilization Academy might continue to appear prosperous, but it would never again serve as humanity's bedrock against the myriad races.
A severe flaw and generational gap had emerged in cultivating high-end powerhouses. To Wan Tiansheng, that was far more terrifying than the academy's outright destruction!
Even more terrifying was that the incident fifty years ago had not merely involved the Great Xia Prefecture—it had swept across the entire Human Realm!
It was terrifying!
So terrifying that over the past few decades, he had barely been able to sleep. If he didn't enact reforms now, he feared he might not live to see that day arrive.
Chapter 71