First Meeting with Liu Hong

On August 5, the academy officially opened. The selection of colleges and instructors was completely wrapped up. If any student felt they hadn't finished choosing by now... sorry, that just meant no instructor wanted you, so go cultivate on your own! ... The previous night, the security team had sent Su Yu his class schedule. For the first lesson for freshmen, the beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes were arranged differently. Su Yu was heading to the intermediate class. ... Divine Character College, intermediate class. When Su Yu arrived, a large crowd had already gathered in the lecture hall. The Divine Character College was the largest college in the academy, boasting even more students than the Willpower College. Divine characters were simply too mysterious; cultivating willpower might be fast, but how could it inspire as much anticipation as divine characters? Out of two thousand freshmen in total, at least a thousand had enrolled in the Divine Character College, and nearly six hundred were in the intermediate class. All six hundred students were attending their first class together in one massive lecture hall. The room was vast and packed with people. Su Yu kept a very low profile. After arriving, he didn't wander around, merely taking a seat in a corner. Glancing across the room, he soon spotted a familiar face—Liu Yue. Liu Yue was also a genius from Nanyuan, possessing a willpower fullness degree above twenty percent, so her placement in the intermediate class came as no surprise. He didn't see anyone else from Nanyuan; they were probably all in the beginner class. Their foundations were weaker than Su Yu's, and when Bai Feng had first arrived in Nanyuan, Su Yu's willpower fullness degree had only been around ten percent. Besides Liu Yue, Su Yu soon noticed another acquaintance—or rather, a familiar stranger. Kong Sheng! Su Yu had a decent memory. Kong Sheng had been one of the eight little prodigies who visited Nanyuan, part of Zhou Tianqi's clique. Counting Wu Lan, only three of those nine had been admitted. Wu Lan and Zhou Tianqi were guaranteed spots, and the last one turned out to be Kong Sheng, exactly as expected! Su Yu remembered that this guy had scored 150 points on the cultural examination back then. In Nanyuan, that had been considered among the very best. As Su Yu looked toward him, Kong Sheng was also scanning the room. Their eyes suddenly met, and Kong Sheng's face instantly shifted! Su Yu! The person he feared running into most at the academy was Su Yu. Back in Nanyuan, this guy had made ruthless threats about making their lives hell once they got here. Zhou Tianqi had been terrified of dying and fled, directly applying to the Jiutian Academy. Kong Sheng, however, couldn't bear to give up the Great Xia Civilization Academy, ultimately choosing to enroll here anyway. What was more, he had also chosen the Divine Character College! The moment he saw Su Yu, his heart fluttered with panic, but he quickly composed himself. This was the academy; why should he be afraid of Su Yu? He had heard Su Yu had taken Bai Feng as his teacher, but so what? The academy was brimming with teaching assistants! Would Bai Feng really stoop to making trouble for an ordinary student like him? His initial panic gradually subsided. He shot Su Yu another glance and quickly turned his head away, deliberately ignoring him. Students continued to trickle in, and the lecture hall grew livelier. Acquaintances and strangers alike began to chat. Some were in standard eight-person dorms, so they were already fairly close, leaving Su Yu looking rather isolated. He had stayed in a single room before moving straight into the research institute. In this vast hall, aside from those two familiar faces, he didn't know anyone. Liu Yue was chatting with some girls. Naturally, Su Yu wouldn't go over to disturb her, and even if she came over, he wouldn't have had much to say anyway; they had never been close. As he sat in isolation, a light cough sounded from outside the door. The students fell silent at once. A moment later, a young man walked in. A slight smile rested on his face, and a book was tucked under his arm. Walking up to the podium at the front, the young man flashed a radiant, sunny smile. "Hello, everyone. Let me introduce myself. I am the general supervisor for the Year 350 Anping Calendar freshmen of the Divine Character College. To put it bluntly, every freshman in this cohort—beginner, intermediate, or advanced—falls under my supervision!" "My name is Liu Hong!" *Boom!* A low clamor broke out across the hall. "Assistant Researcher Liu Hong? The one ranked fourteenth on the teaching assistant rankings?" "Must be! He looks so young. I can't believe he's our general supervisor!" "I heard these genius assistants rarely teach classes. In the past, weren't general supervisors usually older junior researchers?" "..." The students of the Divine Character College clearly hadn't been idling away the past few days. Most had gathered some information about the academy, and hearing Liu Hong's name, the vast majority immediately recognized him. Down below, Su Yu's expression flickered slightly. Liu Hong! He had heard this name long ago. Liu Hong's younger brother, Liu He, had even provoked him before. Even if it was just a few petty jabs, Su Yu had thoroughly noted it in his little mental ledger. Now, the main target had arrived! This was Bai Feng's rival, and now that Su Yu was Bai Feng's disciple, Liu Hong was naturally his rival as well. Liu Hong smiled warmly at the room, letting the chatter continue. Once the murmurs died down, he smiled. "Now that everyone has finished chatting, let's have some quiet!" The hall fell utterly silent in an instant. "As the freshman general supervisor, I don't have too many heavy duties. My main task is organizing routine assessments, monthly exams, quarterly exams, and the like." Liu Hong smiled. "Of course, there are also miscellaneous trifles, such as student advancements." "You are intermediate class students. If you want to enter the advanced class, you'll need to pass an assessment under me." With that, Liu Hong continued, "Today is your very first class, which is why it's a combined lecture. It's mainly to explain your upcoming assignments and duties so you won't be at a loss." "Naturally, it is also for me to understand the student situation this year!" Liu Hong maintained his smile throughout, looking remarkably bright and pleasant. This was vastly different from what Su Yu had imagined! He had pictured Liu Hong with a dark scowl, looking as if the whole world owed him a debt—gloomy, brooding, sinister... Yet now, Liu Hong shattered that impression entirely. He appeared sunny and handsome. A few girls in the class even had starry-eyed looks. He was handsome, powerful, and young—the exact type of man that made young women swoon. Catching Liu Hong's eye meant they wouldn't even need to struggle anymore. Liu Hong paid no mind to those admiring gazes. Opening the booklet in his hand, he chuckled softly. "Fascinating. This year's intermediate class is somewhat different from previous years. We actually have a student with a top-high evaluation. That hasn't happened in past years. The closest was three years ago, when a student with a low-high evaluation entered the intermediate class." "Is Student Su Yu here?" Liu Hong looked downward, prompting a ripple of hushed whispers across the room. Su Yu's expression shifted slightly before he stood up and spoke. "Instructor, I am Su Yu." "Very good, excellent!" Liu Hong beamed, nodding. "I hope you can advance to the advanced class as soon as possible. The intermediate class isn't quite suited for you, given your top-high evaluation... Of course, I don't mean to look down on the rest of the class. I'm merely worried that studying alongside a top-high student might put undue pressure on everyone else." With that, Liu Hong gestured with his hand and smiled. "Please sit, don't be nervous." Once Su Yu took his seat, Liu Hong added, "Student Su Yu, since you are in this class, you will serve as the class monitor for this year's intermediate class! You must shoulder this responsibility and lead everyone to strive upward together!" Su Yu frowned slightly, raised his hand, and stood again. "Instructor, I don't think I'm suited for the role. I'm not very familiar with the academy yet. Perhaps it's better to let someone else—" "No, it has to be you!" Liu Hong laughed. "Student Su Yu, do not shirk your responsibilities! With great ability comes great responsibility! Besides, being class monitor comes with perks—a reward of three merit points each month. Plenty of people covet this position, but who told you to be a top-high genius? It has to be you, if only to save everyone the trouble of competing for it!" At those words, the expressions of several students across the room flickered. Those who knew the system and had originally intended to run for class monitor felt rather dejected. One student couldn't resist calling out, "Instructor, won't there be an election?" Liu Hong smiled. "In ordinary years, there certainly would be. But there's no need this year. To be frank, a top-high evaluation would be competitive even in the advanced class. To put it bluntly, this is an academy where strength reigns supreme. If he isn't the class monitor, anyone else taking the seat would feel uncomfortable, unable to command the respect of the peers." "Let's leave it at that!" Liu Hong turned back to Su Yu and said warmly, "Student Su Yu, you must shoulder this duty well! If you perform poorly, it will prove I had poor judgment." Unease stirred in Su Yu's eyes. What did this mean? Him, delivering benefits to me? Three merit points a month! If any other instructor had appointed him monitor, it wouldn't be an issue, but coming from Liu Hong, it felt terribly wrong. Three merit points was no small sum! Though Su Yu was spending points lavishly these days, for ordinary students, earning three merit points required killing an enemy at or above the seventh layer of the Qianjun Realm! And this was every single month! Who wouldn't want such an opportunity? *Is he drawing hostility to me?* Su Yu secretly speculated, yet immediately thought it unnecessary. Was there any point in drawing hatred from this crowd? To put it bluntly, what threat could a bunch of intermediate class students pose to him? Liu Hong's smile broadened as he continued, "The matter of class monitor is settled. Keeping it simple saves everyone plenty of time! As for the specific duties, Student Su can visit the Divine Character College's instructors' office after class and consult the intermediate class's head instructor." "Next, I will go over your course schedules, as well as several academy rules and guidelines..." "..." Liu Hong paid no further attention to Su Yu, earnestly explaining the details to the students. Everyone felt Instructor Liu Hong was exceptionally gentle, affable, and easy to talk to! Only Su Yu felt an enduring sense of dread. The freshman general supervisor had appointed him monitor right off the bat. Could it be he didn't know Su Yu had apprenticed under Bai Feng? Surely not? ... The two-hour lecture concluded before long. Several students lingered reluctantly, wishing Liu Hong would speak longer. Around Su Yu, a few classmates quickly gathered. One chuckled, "Monitor, please look out for us in the future! Congratulations!" "A top-high genius, truly amazing!" "Monitor, let's get acquainted. I'm Liu Wu, looking forward to your guidance!" "..." Several students stepped forward to build rapport. A top-high genius and the class monitor was someone well worth getting on good terms with. Su Yu barely managed to humor them, his heart still heavy with doubt. Once out of the classroom, Su Yu headed toward the instructors' office. He was utterly clueless and had no idea what a class monitor was actually supposed to do. From behind him, a voice murmured, "Su Yu, congratulations!" Su Yu turned and saw Liu Yue. Nodding slightly, he offered a strained smile. "Nothing worth congratulating. I need to head to the instructors' office first; let's talk later." "Sure, go ahead!" Liu Yue smiled and turned to leave without pressing further. Su Yu took a deep breath and strode toward the instructors' office. ... The office of the intermediate class's head instructor. This was the instructor primarily responsible for them during their time in the intermediate class. He was not a researcher, but an elderly student at the peak of Character Cultivation. The old man was well advanced in years, likely no younger than Liu Wenyan. A nameplate on the desk read: Wang Ming. Su Yu knocked, entered, and explained the situation. Wang Ming flipped through Su Yu's student profile, looked up at him, and asked softly, "Assistant Researcher Bai Feng's student?" "Yes." "Assistant Researcher Liu Hong appointed you class monitor?" "Yes." "Top-high evaluation, yet to step into Character Cultivation..." "Yes!" Su Yu answered each question. The old man frowned slightly, pausing for a long moment before speaking. "The intermediate class monitor receives a reward of three merit points each month. You know that?" "Instructor Liu mentioned it." "You harvest as much as you sow—that is the academy's rule!" The old man spoke cryptically. "There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. To receive, you must give. Without paying the price... why would anyone hand you merit points for nothing?" Su Yu's heart jolted. "Instructor... what are the duties of a class monitor?" "Not many..." The old man looked at Su Yu and said gently, "First, arrive early at the Teaching Area every day to take attendance. Anyone absent or requesting leave must be reported to me!" "Second, return to the dormitory late each day, supervising the students' cleaning duties. You may only leave after the cleaning is finished." "Third, manage routine course schedules and liaison work, acting as a bridge between instructors and students. For instance, if an instructor takes a leave of absence, you must notify the students and coordinate with other instructors to arrange a makeup session!" "Fourth, resolve disputes among students. Young people can be hotheaded and prone to conflict. As monitor, you must resolve these petty troubles so instruction proceeds smoothly." "Fifth..." Strictly speaking, being class monitor didn't involve momentous tasks or crushing burdens. Yet it was overwhelmingly tedious! In that instant, Su Yu suddenly understood! He realized why Liu Hong had forced this position onto him. Su Yu turned slightly pale, asking in a low voice, "Instructor, does that mean I must attend every single class?" "Yes!" Seeing that he understood, the old man replied gently, "As the monitor, you must be present for all intermediate class courses! Early to arrive, late to leave. Of course, to many, this is a rare privilege. Earning three merit points isn't easy, let alone through such a safe and convenient route..." Yet Su Yu's face only grew paler! He had to work at the research institute! He had to minor in the Forging faction! How could he possibly afford the time to attend every single class? Ordinary students could select elective courses and were not required to attend every session. As monitor, however, he would be chained to every class! That would severely disrupt his cultivation. He wouldn't have time to go to the research institute or take minor classes. He would only be able to squeeze in time at night. But at night... didn't Bai Feng need to rest? Didn't Zhao Li need to rest? Would they wait for Su Yu until late into the night just to teach a single student? Su Yu asked hurriedly, "Instructor, what if I don't show up..." "Merit points will be deducted!" The old man remained soft-spoken. "Furthermore, failing to fulfill your duties will result in negative remarks on your record—things like 'unfit for heavy responsibilities,' 'lacking discipline,' 'disregard for rules'... These are evaluated by the academy! It may even affect your post-graduation prospects; certain institutions refuse to recruit individuals lacking responsibility, no matter how strong they are!" "Instructor..." Su Yu pleaded, "Can I resign from being class monitor?" The old man gave him a profound look and whispered, "During the first class, when you were appointed by name, you didn't refuse on the spot..." "I did refuse!" Su Yu protested indignantly. He had refused, but Liu Hong had brushed him off! "It's too late for that now." The old man sighed softly. "Truth be told, this really is a good thing and a great opportunity. To many people, such a chance is hard to come by! Three merit points—you know yourself that even a top-high genius receives a monthly stipend of only three merit points, while a low-high genius gets only one!" "Ordinary students don't have personal mentors, leaving them with ample free time each day. They aren't busy at all; they yearn to stay occupied, building rapport with instructors in hopes of gleaning some benefits." "So you should understand that many in your class craved this opportunity. Now that Assistant Researcher Liu has handed it to you... you... on the surface, at least, should be grateful to him!" The old man didn't spell it out completely, yet his tone was deeply suggestive. This was considered a favor. You didn't manage to refuse on the spot, and turning back now would make you seem ungrateful! Naturally, anyone with discerning eyes could see the scheme beneath the surface. Yet... who could say anything? Even Bai Feng wouldn't have ground to stand on. Appointing your student as monitor wasn't trying to take his life; others couldn't even dream of getting such a post. What right did you have to complain? Su Yu clenched his teeth! He had walked right into a trap! He had been thoroughly schemed against! Sure enough, not a single one of these figures was easy to deal with. Liu Hong had effortlessly slapped shackles onto him. Su Yu, completely naive to the system, had fallen for it in his ignorance. If his permanent record were branded with comments like 'unfit for heavy responsibilities' or 'irresponsible'... Such remarks would plague him for a lifetime. If he wanted to join the military, for example, the army would see that evaluation, and even if they accepted him, they would never entrust him with critical missions. A few simple remarks might cost Su Yu ten or a hundred times the effort to undo. *Liu Hong!* Su Yu burned with silent fury! Liu Hong! He was far more troublesome than his brother Liu He! *I'll remember this!* *You're a seventh-layer Tengkong expert, yet you set a trap for an incoming freshman? Do you have no shame?* *What a bastard!* *Calm down. Stay calm! I won't stay in the intermediate class for long. I'll get to the advanced class soon enough. Since the deed is done, I'll endure it for now!* *Three months at most, and I'll leave this intermediate class behind!* *Losing my temper right now or confronting Liu Hong will accomplish nothing. It would only satisfy him and feed his smugness. You bastard, mark my words!* Su Yu cursed over and over in his heart! What a shameless animal! A grand seventh-layer Tengkong cultivator picking on a nobody like me—have you no decency? Yet he had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill in silence. He couldn't even complain to others. Could he really go around telling people he was too busy, had no time to be monitor, and didn't care about a measly three merit points? Even though it was the truth, saying it aloud would only invite a wave of scorn! Suppressing the blaze in his chest, Su Yu forced a slight smile. Instructor Wang Ming didn't seem to be on Liu Hong's side, though he certainly didn't belong to the multiple divine characters faction either. "Instructor, may I ask if Assistant Researcher Liu Hong has any students?" Wang Ming gave him a meaningful look and smiled faintly. "He does. Not just one, but two! One is a senior student, and the other is a freshman. Both are in the advanced class. The senior student even challenged someone on the Top 100 Rankings recently. He failed, of course, but I reckon he's getting close." "As for the new student, he also holds a top-high evaluation. I heard he's on the verge of breaking through to the Qianjun Realm—nearly a monster-level genius, very impressive!" Su Yu let out a breath and asked again, "Instructor, what are their names?" "The senior is named Yang Sha, and the freshman is Lin Yao!" Su Yu continued, "Instructor, does the academy have any... you know... the kind of mechanism where an intermediate class student challenges an advanced class student, and you aren't held liable if you cripple or kill them?" "..." Wang Ming sat up straight! *Well, well!* *Turns out he's a ruthless one!* A moment ago, he had felt some pity for Su Yu, but now... he felt he needed to change his perspective. A student whom Bai Feng favored enough to accept in advance, and the sole top-high genius Nanyuan had produced in years—how could he possibly be dead weight? Word had it he was also Liu Wenyan's student... Heh, Liu Wenyan! A classmate from fifty years ago! A dazzling leader of his generation! It seemed there was going to be a grand spectacle to watch after all! Wang Ming grew intrigued and smiled. "Funny you should ask—there actually is! The top three students in the intermediate class's monthly exam earn the right to challenge students in the advanced class. If they win, they can advance to the advanced class for their studies, even if they haven't reached Character Cultivation!" "This was designed specifically for top geniuses, giving them a chance to enter the advanced class ahead of schedule!" "Win the challenge, and you move up; lose, and you remain in the intermediate class." Taking a deep breath, Su Yu said in a heavy voice, "Is it a martial challenge, or something else?" "You can choose martial combat, pill crafting, talisman making... Of course, this is the Divine Character College, so martial combat is the primary form!" "Instructor, what cultivation realm is Yang Sha at physically?" "Yang Sha is at the seventh layer of the Qianjun Realm. Lin Yao is at the ninth layer of the Kaiyuan Realm." Su Yu understood and inquired once more, "If I challenge Lin Yao, will he accept?" "That... depends on the student's willingness! If they finish in the bottom ten of the monthly exam, they have no right to refuse a challenge. As for the rest, they have the right to decline. Lin Yao is a top-high student, so the odds of him ending up in the bottom ten are slim." Su Yu nodded and said no more. Decline? How could he possibly decline! Their two factions were like fire and water. As Liu Hong's student, if Lin Yao refused the challenge, he wouldn't deserve the title of a top-high genius! *Fine, we'll see about that!* Su Yu gritted his teeth. Twenty-five days remained until the monthly exam. On the first of next month, he would make Lin Yao pay dearly! If he didn't show his fangs, they would genuinely treat him like a pushover. He couldn't touch Liu Hong, couldn't handle Liu He, and couldn't take down Yang Sha, but could he really not crush a mere Lin Yao? *Xia Huyou said I had to be ruthless once I entered the academy... I didn't take it to heart at first, but now it seems that if you aren't ruthless, people will treat you like a fool. Chen Qi picking fights, Liu Hong scheming against me, Liu He looking for trouble...* Su Yu took a deep breath, flames of fury licking at his mind. *Since that's how it is, don't blame me for biting back!* *In twenty-six days, if I don't beat Lin Yao half to death, consider me a coward!* ... Su Yu turned and left. Watching him go, Wang Ming smiled with rising anticipation. How intriguing. After the freshmen's first monthly exam, there was bound to be a splendid show. "Su Yu... Lin Yao..." "Bai Feng... Liu Hong..." Wang Ming chuckled softly. He had spent far too many years as an instructor, and life had grown terribly dull. It was nice to sit back and watch the youngsters clash.