Nanyuan Secondary Academy.
Chen Hao headed off to his preparatory class for lessons, while Su Yu made a beeline for the resource office.
...
"Su Yu, you want to exchange for Ironwing Bird blood essence?"
The resource office administrator looked at him in surprise. "Qianjun Realm blood essence is only useful to those in the Qianjun Realm. For someone in the Kaiyuan Realm, it's not just unhelpful—it's practically poison. Why do you want to trade for that?"
"Teacher Zhang, can it be exchanged?" Su Yu asked with a smile. "You know I've always been studying materials on the myriad races. The Ironwing Bird happens to be one of the species I've studied the most, so I wanted to procure some blood essence for research. The market price is too steep, though, which is why I came to ask here at the academy..."
"Technically, yes. Over the years, you've earned certificates in eighteen languages of the myriad races. Aside from the three mandatory ones, the other fifteen each came with a reward, giving you fifteen merit points in total. Reaching the third stage of the Kaiyuan Realm gave you another three, making eighteen merit points..."
The administrator checked the records and quickly said, "However, you've already spent six points, all on the library archives, leaving twelve."
"Yes, I know," Su Yu replied with a smile. "So how many drops of Ironwing Bird blood essence can those twelve points get me?"
"You want to trade for that... It really isn't worth it. It's a huge waste!"
The administrator couldn't help but urge him to reconsider. "A Qianjun Realm Ironwing Bird might seem powerful to you, but on the All-Heavens Battlefield, it's nothing more than cannon fodder. Merit points are universally accepted across all academies, and you can even save them up for when you enter a higher academy to trade for valuable resources.
"Here at a secondary academy, accumulating eighteen points was easy enough—mastering a language earned you one point. But once you reach a higher academy, it won't be nearly so simple.
"Trading them for this just isn't worth it! Once you're in a higher academy, classified archives, advanced cultivation arts, and even certain courses might require merit points to access. They can even be used within the military..."
"I know all of that, Teacher, but I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Su Yu gave a wry smile. He understood.
Wasn't it simply because he lacked money?
He did have some savings—just over two hundred thousand coins—enough to buy five drops without issue. The problem was that he still had to support himself going forward.
A cultivator in the Kaiyuan Realm had virtually no income, and he needed to keep a reserve of funds for his time at a higher academy.
Merit points were the most crucial transaction system outside of Anping coins.
Money could buy many things, but there were plenty of things it couldn't buy.
High-level strategic resources, advanced cultivation arts, and even certain inheritances all required merit points. They were the metric of an individual's contribution to humanity.
If you made no contribution to the human race, then no matter how wealthy you were, you might not be able to buy what you wanted.
The earning and spending of merit points were strictly tracked, including a person's cumulative total. For instance, Su Yu had earned eighteen points; even if he spent them all, those eighteen points would still count toward his cumulative record.
Once he reached one hundred points, his clearance level would increase.
This system prevented wealthy individuals who made little contribution to humanity from privately buying up large amounts of merit points to purchase scarce strategic supplies.
Even if a wealthy merchant somehow acquired tens of thousands of merit points, without a high enough initial clearance tier, those points still couldn't buy certain restricted items.
Hearing Su Yu's insistence, the administrator sighed. "In that case, I won't try to dissuade you any further. To be frank, it's far too early for you to be doing research! Nanyuan Secondary Academy simply lacks the proper conditions. Once you reach a higher academy, you can apply for research grants, and the authorities might even allocate resources directly for your projects.
"Ironwing Birds are extremely common on the All-Heavens Battlefield, so their research value isn't particularly high. If you ask me, even if you want to conduct research, you ought to pick a different race..."
Su Yu smiled. "You have a point, Teacher. Does the academy happen to have Lu fish blood essence?"
"..."
The administrator looked a bit sheepish. "Well, no. Those creatures live in the Dishan Realm, and they're rarely seen on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Besides, any that do come to the battlefield are at least in the Wanshi Realm, or even the Tengkong Realm. Great Xia Civilization Academy certainly has some, but there's no way we'd have it here."
*Then that settles it,* Su Yu thought.
He could identify a few of the races from his dreams, including the Lu fish.
However, Lu fish started at the Wanshi Realm. If he were to consume Wanshi Realm blood essence now, even if the mysterious book absorbed the energy, his physical body wouldn't be able to bear the strain and he might well blow apart.
As for blood essence from races he couldn't identify with certainty, he dared not take it recklessly. If it came from a creature he had never dreamed of and the book didn't absorb it, he would never survive the backlash.
Weighing everything, the Ironwing Bird remained his safest bet for now.
"Teacher, please exchange some for me, then."
"How many drops do you want? At one merit point per drop, it's truly not worth it..."
The teacher reminded him once again. "On the surface, a merit point might seem like it's only worth ten thousand coins, but in reality, some things cannot be measured in money. You understand what I mean."
"Thank you for the reminder, Teacher!"
Su Yu nodded quickly and said, "Just trade three drops for now. If it's not enough, I'll come back."
"You stubborn kid!"
Seeing that Su Yu wouldn't heed his advice, the administrator shook his head helplessly and dispatched an assistant to fetch the items. While waiting, he thought for a moment and cautioned, "Your father headed to the All-Heavens Battlefield a couple of days ago—the academy knows about it. With your father away from home, you need to be careful lately. You should already know that scoundrels from the All-Races Sect have been active in Great Xia Prefecture."
"Yes, but that shouldn't have anything to do with me, right?"
"How could it not!" the teacher scolded. "It never hurts to be careful! The beasts of the All-Races Sect don't primarily target the strong, nor do they target ordinary martial prodigies—at least, not martial prodigies. Their main targets are the wise!
"While you might not qualify as a scholar of that caliber just yet, you are one of the few prospective candidates for a civilization academy in all of Nanyuan Secondary Academy!
"The destruction wrought by a warrior is limited, but the impact of a scholar is boundless! Humanity has held the All-Heavens Battlefield for hundreds of years not merely by relying on invincible powerhouses, but also thanks to the scholars holding down the rear!
"Which top researcher at the civilization academies hasn't faced assassination attempts? Those scholars deciphered the cultivation techniques of the myriad races and delved deep into their civilizations, swelling the ranks of human experts and giving humanity greater confidence against the myriad races..."
A note of deep respect entered the administrator's voice. "Their quiet contributions are no less significant than those of any invincible expert! Yet most of them lack substantial combat prowess, so even in the rear, they often become prime targets for the myriad races. Assassinations are a common occurrence.
"When those bastards from the All-Races Sect cause trouble in human territory, it isn't to kill a handful of individual martial experts. Their primary targets are those scholars!
"You haven't entered a civilization academy yet, and you haven't mastered an extraordinary number of languages, but you're young. In that sense, you're actually in greater danger than the few martial prospects in our academy. Those at the fourth or fifth stage of the Kaiyuan Realm aren't even worth their trouble.
"How long does it take an ordinary Kaiyuan cultivator to reach the Tengkong Realm?
"Yet a scholar, in ten or twenty years, might decipher a cultivation art, identify a race's weaknesses, and devise targeted ways to eliminate them... That poses far more danger to them than a single Tengkong Realm expert."
Su Yu smiled wryly. Could it really be that serious?
Although he had mastered eighteen languages and scripts, compared to the myriad races across the heavens, that was only a tiny fraction, and most of them were common tongues.
"Don't take this lightly. Keep your guard up and stay alert! If you run into danger, call for help immediately. Nanyuan has stepped up patrols; the Wind Arrest Hall has begun deploying reinforcements, and a squad of Longwu Guards stationed in Nanyuan has started patrolling the streets.
"If you find yourself in trouble, shout for help at the top of your lungs. Someone will arrive within tens of seconds at most."
Seeing how serious the teacher was, Su Yu quickly nodded. "Don't worry, Teacher, I understand! Nanyuan is such a small place, those people might not even come here. And even if they did, to put it bluntly... I probably wouldn't even register on their radar."
"That's true enough," the teacher laughed. "Still, don't let your guard down, especially when you visit Instructor Liu. You must be extra cautious!"
"Huh?" Su Yu paused. "Instructor Liu..."
"Don't get the wrong idea. What I mean is that Instructor Liu is the most accomplished teacher of myriad race languages in Nanyuan Secondary Academy. Nine out of ten students from our academy who pass the Civilization Academy entrance exams each year were taught by him.
"Instructor Liu is undoubtedly the biggest target for the All-Races Sect here. If they come to Nanyuan, the first person they'll want to assassinate is him, not the academy head, and not the city lord.
"Instructor Liu is a spark—a spark that kindles the fire of civilization, at least for Nanyuan. That's why I'm warning you to be careful."
Su Yu's expression changed. "Teacher, doesn't that mean Instructor Liu is in danger?"
"He'll be fine, don't worry too much. The academy head is personally guarding Instructor Liu right now, and members of the Longwu Guards are protecting him from the shadows. The Wind Arrest Hall even dispatched an entire squad. I'm just reminding you to stay alert on your way to visit him!"
Su Yu let out a breath of relief. The Instructor Liu the administrator spoke of was Su Yu's direct teacher. Nearly all of the eighteen myriad race languages Su Yu knew had been taught by this elderly instructor.
Just as the administrator had said, Instructor Liu might not be considered a titan in the wider Great Xia Prefecture, but in Nanyuan—and particularly at Nanyuan Secondary Academy—he was truly a bearer of the flame of civilization.
Over his decades of teaching, he had trained over a hundred students who went on to enter civilization academies.
Most of those hundred-plus students had already graduated, and they were now playing significant roles across Great Xia Prefecture and throughout humanity.
Individually, their contributions might not shake the world, but the transmission of human civilization relied on this grassroots foundation to sustain itself.
If the All-Races Sect came to Nanyuan City to carry out assassinations, Instructor Liu was indeed a higher-priority target than even the city lord.
While they were talking, the assistant returned with the Ironwing Bird blood essence.
Three drops!
Having traded for three drops of blood essence, Su Yu had nine merit points remaining. He felt a pang of heartache; after all these years of scouring countless records in the library, he had only spent six points. Parting with three points all at once felt extraordinarily extravagant.
Taking the vial containing the blood essence, Su Yu asked, "Teacher, has Instructor Liu come to the academy these past few days?"
"He's working as usual. They tried to have him take shelter at the City Lord's Estate for a while, but he refused, so they had to let him continue his work."
"Then I'll go see Instructor Liu."
Su Yu had initially planned to head home and experiment right after picking up the blood essence. Now, however, he had changed his mind; he wanted to check on Instructor Liu, and consult him on a few questions while he was at it.
...
The Instructors' Office.
Liu Wenyan, a man past sixty, was busy writing notes. Without lifting his head, he said, "Headmaster, there's really no need to follow me around like this. We're inside the academy; how dangerous could it possibly be?"
Beside him, the academy head—also in his sixties—chuckled warmly. "It's not like I'm bothering you. Why are you trying to chase me away?"
"Your heavy breathing is distracting me."
"..."
The academy head didn't know whether to laugh or cry. A moment later, Liu Wenyan dealt him another verbal jab: "Besides, you only just broke through to the Wanshi Realm. Weak as you are, you wouldn't be of much use even if something did happen."
"I..."
The old academy head felt utterly helpless. Was he really that weak?
Perhaps a little.
For someone past sixty, only reaching the Wanshi Realm was indeed nothing to boast about. But this was the rear, this was Nanyuan City—the smallest of the twenty-eight cities under Great Xia Prefecture's jurisdiction.
He wasn't the city lord, just the head of a secondary academy. Why would he need to be that powerful?
The truly strong had either moved to Great Xia Prefecture's capital or gone to the All-Heavens Battlefield. In Nanyuan City, he wasn't doing too badly, was he?
"Hmph, you think I want to spend all day keeping you company?" the old academy head grumbled in annoyance. "It's only because an old codger like you is too important. Over the past twenty years, three hundred and twenty students from Nanyuan City have been admitted to civilization academies—an average of just sixteen a year. Half of them were taught by you! How could you not be a thorn in someone's side?"
"It's not that dramatic."
Liu Wenyan chuckled. "After all, this is just tiny Nanyuan City, producing only that handful of students each year. Compared to the entirety of Great Xia Prefecture, it's hardly worth mentioning. Do you really think the All-Races Sect would set their sights on me?"
"Hard to say. In any case, you're more important than this old man. As a weak Wanshi cultivator, they probably wouldn't even bother looking at me; I'm not worth killing."
The academy head made a self-deprecating joke, but it held truth. The Wanshi Realm wasn't weak, but it didn't hold decisive sway on the All-Heavens Battlefield.
Assassinating a sixty-year-old Wanshi cultivator in the rear might cost the lives of several operatives. The All-Races Sect wouldn't engage in such a losing proposition.
As the two were chatting, the academy head's ears twitched slightly. He soon smiled. "Su Yu is here. That kid shows more promise than his father!"
"Don't look down on Su Long. Isn't this just because he turned down your offer to be the academy's security chief? Do you really have to hold a grudge over that?"
Liu Wenyan also smiled and looked up. "Su Long still has fire in his belly. I could tell years ago that he was never content with retiring here. He spent years planning to join the Longwu Guards, only giving up when it became truly hopeless."
The old academy head snorted dismissively, shooting back, "He clearly never had a chance. Reaching the ninth stage of the Qianjun Realm before thirty might have given him a shot, but at his age, hoping to join the Longwu Guards? He'd need to be at the ninth stage of the Wanshi Realm for that."
"Even so, he's stronger than you. If he survives the All-Heavens Battlefield, he'll probably come back in a couple of years in the Wanshi Realm."
Liu Wenyan smiled as he spoke, then added, "Su Yu is a fine young man as well. Once he enters Great Xia Civilization Academy, he might not be a top-tier genius, but he will become a pillar in the fight against the myriad races in the future. That father and son are both better than the two of us..."
The old academy head nodded slightly, then let out a sigh. "If I hadn't damaged my foundation on the All-Heavens Battlefield back then, I wouldn't have retired to be this lousy academy head. It's dreadfully boring."
"Just coming back alive is a blessing. How many soldiers on the All-Heavens Battlefield manage to leave without damaging their foundations? In that environment, if you don't force a breakthrough to the seventh stage of the Qianjun Realm or higher in time, you're not even fit to be cannon fodder."
Liu Wenyan sighed as well. More than half the soldiers on the All-Heavens Battlefield would likely never have any hope of reaching the Tengkong Realm in their lifetimes, but there was no helping it.
In that hellish place, the slaughter was brutal. Without rapid breakthroughs, recruits would die within days of arriving; who could afford to worry about long-term foundations?
The war academies skimmed off the top prodigies, leaving ordinary folk to struggle merely to survive.
As they spoke, Su Yu stepped through the door.
A warm smile appeared on Liu Wenyan's face. He was thoroughly pleased with this student. Su Yu could endure hardship and had patience. Though he might not be an extraordinary prodigy, humanity needed more than just geniuses; it also needed steadfast, diligent young seeds who took things one firm step at a time.
Chapter 8