Self-Reliance

Outside the academy gates. It was finally Su Yu and his group's turn. Passing through the main gates, Su Yu officially set foot into the Great Xia Civilization Academy. Shaded by lush green trees, the roadside was lined with flowers and greenery, patches of red and expanses of green adorning the academy like a vast garden. Small animals could be seen scampering across the lawns. In the distance, lotuses competed in splendor across the surface of an artificial lake. "So pretty!" Liu Ke gasped in admiration. The others nodded in agreement. The environment of the academy's Main Campus was truly beautiful, devoid of the earlier oppressive atmosphere. Zhou Hui had long grown tired of the view and felt no anticipation whatsoever. Once the students had looked around for a moment, she urged, "Let's go. Head to the registration desk. You'll get sick of looking at this stuff eventually." *** A few minutes later, the group arrived at the freshmen reception hall. There was still a queue, but ten windows were open this time, so progress was swift. After waiting for a little over ten minutes, Su Yu and his companions reached the front. "Liu Ke... High-tier. Are you staying in the Character Cultivation Garden?" The person handling registration was an instructor, not a researcher. He looked up at Liu Ke. "If you stay in the Character Cultivation Garden, the accommodation fee is fifty thousand, or one merit point." "I'll stay!" Liu Ke nodded repeatedly. Zhou Hui had warned her that the eight-person rooms were dreadfully cramped. She quickly added, "I'll pay with cash, not merit points!" "All right. That's sixty-seven thousand in total." Card swiped, registered—the process was over in a flash. In the blink of an eye, sixty-seven thousand was gone. Watching from behind, Su Yu's heart ached. *They sure know how to bleed people dry!* What was he supposed to do? Su Yu was next. Handing over his registration certificate, the instructor reviewed the information and looked up in mild surprise. "Su Yu?" "Here!" "So you're Su Yu." The instructor smiled. "You've made quite a name for yourself. The Character Cultivation Garden is divided into sections—Standard and High-grade. Which one do you want?" "..." Su Yu was speechless. *Why aren't you even asking whether I want to stay there in the first place?* Nevertheless, Su Yu grew curious and asked, "Instructor, what's the difference?" "Simple. The Standard area consists of small personal apartments. The rooms aren't large—one person per room, with people above and below you. The High-grade area features detached villas with great surroundings, making cultivation very convenient." He smiled and continued, "The academy also has a Special-grade area! Those are detached villas as well, but with one major advantage: the yuanqi is extraordinarily dense because it's right next to the Yuanqi Secret Realm! "The Standard area costs one merit point per year, the High-grade area is ten merit points per year, and the Special-grade area is too expensive at one hundred merit points per year." The instructor advised, "I suggest you take the High-grade area. Special-grade would be too stressful for you, but Standard isn't ideal either. As a top-high evaluation, you receive an academy reward of three merit points each month, so ten merit points a year isn't excessive." He added, "Not just anyone can stay there, mind you. These options are open to you only because you're top-high. Lower-tier students can only go to the Standard area even if they have merit points; they aren't permitted into the High-grade or Special-grade areas unless they accumulate enough merit." Su Yu smiled bitterly. He had no money. Or rather, no merit points. All his previous merit points had been spent, and the points from his recent journey hadn't arrived yet. "Instructor, I'll take a standard dorm room." "Hmm?" The instructor looked at him in surprise and said seriously, "Young man, don't be stingy with your spending, or you'll regret it!" Su Yu said helplessly, "I don't have any merit points left..." "No problem. I just checked for you—a transfer of forty-two merit points came in this morning! Otherwise, I wouldn't have recommended the Special-grade area to you!" "..." Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. *So you could see my balance all along?!* No wonder the man had pitched the High-grade and Special-grade areas right from the start! It seemed the merit points from the military had finally cleared. Their efficiency wasn't bad at all. Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling far less pinched. After a brief thought, he said, "Standard area, then." He could afford one merit point. As for High-grade... forget it, far too expensive. Zhou Hui's mention of eight people to a room had dispelled Su Yu's desire for the regular dorms. With too many people, cultivating properly would be impossible, and devouring blood essence to cultivate could easily be discovered. "I'd still recommend the High-grade area..." Despite his words, the instructor processed the paperwork and instructed, "Go pick up your books and uniform this afternoon. The specific schedule will be posted at your residence." "Thank you, Instructor." Su Yu expressed his thanks, a key now resting in his palm. *** In the hall, Zhou Hui waited until Su Yu walked over and asked, "Are you staying in the Character Cultivation Garden?" "Yes." "Perfect, I'm over there too," Zhou Hui said with a smile. "My assignment is done. You and Liu Ke can come with me; it's right on the way." Su Yu had been worrying about finding the place. Relieved, he thanked her, "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister." "Don't mention it!" Zhou Hui paid no more attention to the students still in line. Once those students finished registering and received their dorm assignments, they would find their own way; she had already explained the dorm locations on the road here, so she didn't need to worry about them. Beside them, Liu Ke dragged two large suitcases and caught up. As they walked, she looked curiously at Su Yu. "Student Su Yu, earlier... did your family transfer merit points to you?" She had overheard that forty-two merit points had been credited to Su Yu's account today. So wealthy! Of course, as a high-tier student, she wasn't particularly short on merit points either. She was just curious—wasn't Su Yu from Nanyuan? She had heard his family background was ordinary, so where did so many merit points come from? Su Yu smiled. "Yes, my dad gave them to me." "Your dad is so generous!" Liu Ke said with envy. "When I left, my dad said I had to rely on myself, so he only transferred thirty merit points." "..." Su Yu was speechless. *Are all of you this rich?* Casually tossing around dozens of merit points! Still, it made sense. Sending a child off to the academy was expensive, so how could families not do their best to support them? Even Chen Hao had secretly told Su Yu that before leaving, his father had transferred twenty merit points to him. Chatting along the way, they soon reached a garden-style residential complex. Academy Guards were on duty outside the gate. Even before entering, one could see towering trees shooting up toward the clouds. Zhou Hui explained, "The Character Cultivation Garden is huge, but only students under thirty are allowed to live here now; otherwise, there wouldn't be nearly enough room. New students who are high-tier can move in, while senior students must reach Character Cultivation. Most Character Cultivation students live here—nearly five thousand of them. "There are fifty standard apartment buildings in total, all six stories tall with twenty units per floor. Fully occupied, they can house six thousand people. Then there's the High-grade area, which isn't with us." Fifty buildings would make for an exceptionally large residential complex anywhere. Zhou Hui smiled. "You two should be assigned to Buildings 3 and 4; that's where freshmen usually stay. Some senior students over thirty recently moved out, so the academy cleared out two buildings, presumably prepared for your batch." Su Yu checked the number on his key and nodded. "Building 3, Room 609." "Then Liu Ke is in Building 4. Building 3 is for guys, and Building 4 is for girls." Liu Ke glanced at her key and hurriedly said, "Yes, I'm in Building 4, Room 303." Zhou Hui pointed toward several buildings ahead. "They're right over there. I live in Building 28. Feel free to come find me if you need information or have any questions." She led the two forward. Several senior students passed by along the way, but they walked in a hurry and paid them no mind. *** A few minutes later, they arrived at Su Yu's Building 3. It was just an ordinary old building. The Character Cultivation Garden had been established for a long time, and while it had seen occasional renovations, it still looked somewhat aged. "Su Yu, I won't walk you up!" Zhou Hui bid Su Yu farewell with a grin. "I gave you my communication number. Remember to call if anything comes up." "I will. Thank you for your help, Senior Sister!" "Don't mention it!" Zhou Hui beamed brightly. "Keep your senior sister in mind if anything good comes along. Life isn't easy for us older students, but just a little leftover grease from you geniuses is enough to keep us fed." Su Yu smiled and nodded without promising anything. He could barely take care of himself right now, so he naturally lacked the capacity to make commitments. Besides, he wasn't particularly close to Zhou Hui. Of course, if a simple favor arose that was within his power, lending a hand wouldn't hurt. "Goodbye, Student Su Yu!" Liu Ke waved to him as well, then hurriedly jogged off after Zhou Hui, looking somewhat intimidated by Su Yu. Su Yu sighed helplessly. No matter how he looked at himself, he didn't think he looked like a bad guy. Why did Liu Ke always look at him as if he were a villain? *** The old building had no elevator. Because it was designated for freshmen, few people were around at the moment, and the entire building was virtually silent. Sixth floor, Room 609. Su Yu opened the door, and a musty smell wafted out. The previous occupant had moved out some time ago, and when a place sat vacant for too long, it was bound to smell foul. Before Su Yu could step inside, someone beside him chuckled heartily. "Hey classmate, need a hand?" "..." Su Yu turned his head. A slightly chubby boy with an honest face and a somewhat comical smile was looking at him. Seeing Su Yu glance over, he smiled amiably. "Classmate, you're a freshman too, right? The rooms are filthy. I just checked—need me to help you clean?" Su Yu looked him up and down. "Free of charge?" "..." The slightly chubby boy gave a dry laugh. "Well... just a token amount. I have a divine character specifically for cleaning. Super convenient—takes only a moment!" Su Yu's heart tightened. A divine character! One that could already utilize its traits, meaning he had outlined a complete divine character. He hadn't expected to run into a freshman who had already outlined a complete divine character the moment he arrived—and what's more, the guy was soliciting business to clean rooms! Su Yu peered into the room. It wasn't large, around forty square meters. There was a bathroom and an open kitchen, but no living room—or rather, the living room and bedroom were a single space. Not bad, though it was indeed quite grimy. "You can buy bedding at the shops downstairs. Classmate, I can also run errands to buy it for you—just pay a small delivery fee!" "..." Su Yu turned back to the chubby boy, mouth hanging open for a second before he couldn't resist asking, "What are your rates?" "Cheap!" The chubby boy grinned guilelessly. "One merit point for cleaning. No merit points for errands—just a hundred-dollar delivery fee! After all, cleaning with a divine character expends willpower." Su Yu looked at him, offered a faint smile, stepped inside, and slammed the door shut with a bang! *Do you take me for a fool?!* One merit point was worth tens of thousands of dollars. Living in the Character Cultivation Garden for a whole year cost only one merit point, and even that had made his heart bleed. To charge him for cleaning? If it were free, he might... consider it. Outside, the chubby boy looked somewhat disappointed. *Is one merit point really that much?* *What a miser!* The next instant, his ears twitched. A new target had appeared. Soon, voices drifted up from below: "Classmate, need a hand?" "..." Clearly, another freshman had arrived. *** Inside the room, Su Yu shook his head, smiling without a word. He was certain this fellow would find customers. Nearly everyone staying in the Character Cultivation Garden was a high-tier genius, many hailing from prominent clans and large families. With the rooms so dirty, spending a single merit point for a cleaning wouldn't bother them in the least. "That really is a good business!" Su Yu sighed, feeling frustrated at his own shortcomings. "I have two divine characters, so why didn't either get a trait like that? Otherwise, I could've made a killing today!" A building had over a hundred units. Even if not fully occupied, fifty or sixty people would move in. If half of them were unwilling to clean themselves, that would be an income of thirty merit points. That was massive business! And the money came fast, safely, and effortlessly—comparable to killing three early Wanshi Realm experts. Feeling a bit of regret, Su Yu could only accept that his divine characters lacked such convenience. Setting down his luggage, Su Yu surveyed the room. Aside from being filthy, it lacked basic daily necessities. "Sigh!" Time to spend money again! Since he hadn't taken a standard dorm room, the academy had charged him seventeen thousand in tuition fees. Su Yu was left with around five thousand dollars in cash and forty-one merit points. "Time to clean first!" Grabbing an old rag of clothing at random, Su Yu began cleaning the room. *** While Su Yu cleaned, Building 3 gradually grew lively. Freshmen began moving in one after another. Not everyone could afford the High-grade area, and even among those who could, some chose not to. Ten merit points—unless one's family was exceedingly wealthy, spending that much purely for better living conditions was too wasteful. Some students also preferred a lively environment. A detached villa was fine, but living alone in isolation lacked bustling energy. Ordinary dorms housed too many people per room, hindering cultivation. By contrast, this kind of apartment setup—one person per unit, yet all under one roof—struck the perfect balance. As Building 3 bustled with activity, a slightly chubby boy shuttled between floors, raking in profits hand over fist. While older students were still racking their brains over earning merit, this chubby boy had already pulled in more than a dozen merit points simply by doing basic cleaning. "Making money... isn't that hard after all!" the chubby boy marveled, finding it remarkably easy. On his very first day of school, he had already earned over a dozen merit points. And from the looks of it, another wave would arrive in the afternoon. Pulling in thirty points wouldn't be difficult at all. At that moment, the fat youth was cleaning a student's room. The student couldn't resist asking, "Classmate, what divine character did you outline? Can it only clean?" The fat youth smiled guilelessly. "At the moment, this seems to be its only trait." "What a waste, such a shame!" The student lamented for a moment, then added, "By the way, what's your name?" "Xia Huyou." "Xia Huyou? Blind swindler?!" The student was dumbfounded. What kind of name was that! The fat youth quickly explained, "Not that meaning! It's Xia as in Great Xia, Hu as in tiger, and You as in especially..." "Surnamed Xia?" The new student was stunned. "You aren't from the Xia family, are you?" "Sort of, a distant branch," Xia Huyou said helplessly. "The Xia family of Great Xia has passed down its bloodline for so many years that quite a few people share the surname. Aside from the King of Great Xia's direct lineage, the rest of the Xia family isn't any different from ordinary folks." Hearing this, the new student nodded. "True. Otherwise, having someone from the Xia family clean my room would be downright terrifying! Right, I heard that someone from Marquis Xia's branch is entering the academy this year. Do you know about that?" "I know." Xia Huyou curled his lip. "A girl. What was her name again? I forgot. A thoroughly arrogant type, but she isn't staying here. She moved into the Special-grade area. So rich—what a waste, willing to throw away one hundred merit points a year!" "Marquis Xia is wealthy, the richest man in Great Xia Prefecture. Would he care about a bit of merit?" The new student sighed, reflecting on how people differed from one another. Living in the Special-grade area cost a hundred merit points—an extravagance even prominent clans hesitated to indulge in! Seeing that he was talkative, the new student asked, "You've been running around all over. Are there any formidable figures in our building?" "The top monsters are staying in either the Special-grade or High-grade areas. In our building... the most formidable is probably the guy in 609: Su Yu, Nanyuan's Su Yu, top-high evaluation." "Su Yu?" The new student quickly made the connection. "The guy who got a top-high evaluation because the civilization chronicle broke?" "You all know about that?" Xia Huyou said in surprise. "You don't seriously think he made top-high just because the civilization chronicle broke, do you?" "Isn't that true?" the student asked, surprised. "That's what I heard. His willpower isn't strong, yet he scored remarkably high on that section without even reaching Character Cultivation. If the civilization chronicle hadn't broken, how could he have gotten top-high?" Xia Huyou chuckled. "Believe whatever you like, but... don't go provoking him. He's at the Kaiyuan ninth layer, after all. With our current strength having barely entered Character Cultivation, unless your divine character is overwhelmingly powerful, he could slap us dead in a single strike." "Kaiyuan ninth layer..." The new student nodded. Indeed, while their willpower might be stronger than his, some were terribly weak in the warrior dao. Picking a fight with Su Yu at this stage was asking for a beating. "Those monstrous talents aren't afraid of him, though. I heard some are already in the Qianjun Realm." "That has nothing to do with us!" Xia Huyou had finished cleaning the room and said as he walked out, "You can call my communication number if you need anything later. I'll print some business cards to hand out. I can clean your room once a week so you don't have to lift a finger." "Sure, thanks, Student Xia!" "Don't mention it!" Xia Huyou beamed once more. See? Making money was just that simple! You took their money, and they still thanked you. If he contracted out cleaning for the entire Character Cultivation Garden, he would make an insane fortune. Then again, he had heard the academy offered that service as well. Soon, Xia Huyou reached the sixth floor. He lived on the sixth floor too, which was why he had spotted Su Yu so quickly earlier. His gaze turned toward Room 609; the door was tightly shut. Xia Huyou raised an eyebrow. *Su Yu, top-high, Nanyuan genius, Liu Wenyan's student...* *Great in every way, except a bit of a tightwad!* *Unwilling to part with a single merit point. Serves you right if you work yourself to exhaustion!* Just as he thought this, the door opened. Su Yu spotted the chubby youth in the corridor and smiled. "Classmate, quick question: are there many places selling bedding downstairs?" "Not many, just three. There's only one near us." "Thank you!" Su Yu thanked him, closed the door, and stepped out. Xia Huyou asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to buy it for you? A hundred dollars is dirt cheap. If you don't have cash, we can swipe a card right here—I brought a card terminal." "No, thank you." Su Yu wore a polite smile while cursing inwardly. *Who's going to let you earn my money?!* *Is a hundred dollars not real money?* *It's just a trip downstairs—do you think I don't have legs?* "By the way, where's the cafeteria?" "The cafeteria is a bit far. There's one in the Character Cultivation Garden, but it's over by Building 15..." Su Yu nodded and suggested, "Classmate, you could buy boxed meals and deliver them. Everyone just arrived and is exhausted, so they'll definitely be too lazy to walk. Delivering meals door-to-door should net you a decent profit." Xia Huyou sighed. "I wanted to, but the profit margin is too slim. The cafeteria bleeds people dry too; it's absurdly expensive. If I add a markup, people would rather go outside for a feast." "Is it that expensive?" "Very!" Xia Huyou nodded, gritting his teeth. "You have to top up with merit points, which spend like ten thousand dollars. A single meal runs you several hundred, and after a month, an entire merit point is gone!" Su Yu was speechless! *Damn it, has the academy lost its mind over money?!* "Then if someone has no merit points, do they starve?" "Not quite. You can cook for yourself, or you can eat at the New Student Reception Area. They accept cash there, and it's not too bad. It's just the cafeteria that's extortionate!" "..." Su Yu gave a wry smile. Only upon arriving at the academy did he realize just how poor he was, and how predatory the academy could be! Seeing that Su Yu was engaging in conversation, Xia Huyou walked alongside him, chattering as they went, "Classmate, at the academy, you have to learn how to make money yourself! The academy encourages students to be self-reliant; otherwise, with so many people, all of them cultivators, the academy couldn't possibly support everyone." Su Yu nodded. That made sense. With nearly one hundred thousand people, the academy was far too massive to provide for everyone. "We're all freshmen, and our avenues for earning money are limited. We can't compete for missions. Don't be fooled by how lavishly everyone is spending right now—in a few months, freshmen won't look any different from beggars." Xia Huyou sighed, "You have to open up new revenue streams. Relying on family won't work!" "Yeah." Su Yu nodded again. Xia Huyou lowered his voice. "Brother, I have a lucrative venture. Want a piece of the action?" Su Yu turned to look at him with a grin. "A way to make money, and you're coming to me? We barely know each other, don't we?" "Strangers at first, friends the next—it's nothing." Xia Huyou waved it off dismissively, smiling. "Your name is Su Yu; I know who you are. A top-high genius, though your family background is ordinary, right? Want to make money?" Su Yu looked at him without speaking. "It's really simple. I'll handle the publicity, stir up the flames, and get people to challenge you to duels. Win or lose, you collect the money. How's that sound?" "..." Su Yu smiled. "How about I handle the publicity and find people to challenge you instead?" Xia Huyou said helplessly, "I'd love to, but I don't have your fame. You're famous, Su Yu! Conveniently, the civilization chronicle broke during your exam, so plenty of people feel you don't deserve top-high. This is an opportunity. Grab the cash while you can! Once you actually reveal your talent and strength, nobody will question you anymore, and the opportunity will be gone." "Forget it, play that game yourself." Su Yu admitted he had felt a brief flicker of temptation, but quickly realized that doing so would invite endless trouble and make too many enemies—it wasn't worth it. He still had forty-one merit points. Cultivating to the Qianjun Realm as quickly as possible and achieving Character Cultivation through willpower was the proper path. Once he broke into the Top 100 Rankings, he could choose to lie low for a while. Bide his time! Feigning weakness to the outside world might... allow him to wait for challengers and collect challenge entry fees, which cost ten merit points a pop. Of course, after too many times, no one would fall for it. *I could play gatekeeper for a while...* Su Yu calculated inwardly. As for the present stage, feigning weakness was pointless; it would only make people view him as useless trash. Once he reached the Top 100 Rankings, there would be no such worries. "Classmate, I forgot to ask—what's your name?" "Xia Huyou. Xia as in the Xia family, Hu as in tiger..." Xia Huyou hurriedly explained, having grown accustomed to clarifying over the years. Su Yu chuckled. That name... was quite fitting!