Being a Good Class Monitor

Another night of bitter cultivation passed. The next day. August 6th. Early in the morning, Su Yu arrived at the standard section of the male dormitories with a gentle smile on his face, knocking on the doors one room at a time. "Classmate Hu Ming, you have class this morning. Don't forget!" Hu Ming, who had just gotten out of bed, was completely dazed. It took him a good while to realize who this was. Wasn't this their class monitor from yesterday? A sudden feeling of being overwhelmed by unexpected favor washed over him! "Class Monitor, why did you come in person...?" A top-high genius! Actually coming in the morning to wake him for class—had the sun risen in the west? Su Yu smiled guilelessly. "I asked yesterday, and a monitor's job is really just to help remind everyone so nobody misses their classes." Saying that, Su Yu smiled again. "So I got up a bit earlier. I was worried you might still be asleep, but I only knocked once I heard sounds from inside." "Monitor, this... this is too embarrassing for us. You don't need to call us next time, we can go on our own!" Hu Ming hurriedly thanked him. Inside the dorm, the other roommates scrambled out of bed as well. Even those who had no classes this morning chimed in hastily, "Class Monitor, you should sleep in a bit more yourself! Coming so early in the morning makes us feel so bad." "It's fine." Su Yu smiled. "As long as you don't find me annoying. If anyone needs to request leave, you can call my comms beforehand. I'll help you submit the leave request. Here at the academy, skipping classes leaves a bad record." "Carry on, I'll go check the next dorm..." Su Yu waved and walked toward the next room. He knocked door by door! Whoever had class, he gave a heads-up. He had obtained everyone's class schedules yesterday. Right now was the time for morning classes, and many people were already up. Some students from the lower classes looked on in astonishment, asking those around them, "Is that the intermediate class monitor?" "Yeah, and he's a top-high admitted genius!" "Then why didn't he go to the advanced class?" "His willpower isn't strong enough. He's only at the Ninth Layer Kaiyuan Realm, though he's already mastered a divine character. A genius from Nanyuan..." "He actually came early in the morning to tell you guys to go to class?" "..." The students were dumbfounded. Wasn't this class monitor... a bit too responsible?! Su Yu didn't care about their thoughts. After notifying the students who had morning classes, he soon called out in the corridor, "Those of you with afternoon classes, don't forget to attend! I'll come remind you later. Don't bring the wrong books..." Su Yu added sheepishly, "I come from a small place like Nanyuan, so I haven't been exposed to much, and there's a lot I don't understand. If anyone feels I'm doing something wrong, please feel free to tell me directly. It's totally fine." In the crowd, Liu Wu, who had tried to get on his good side yesterday, hurriedly smiled and said, "Class Monitor, you're way too responsible! Honestly, being class monitor is just something people slack through to earn some merit points. Who runs over to our dorms all day long? You should focus on nurturing your willpower to Character Cultivation and enter the advanced class as soon as possible." Su Yu smiled. "It's fine, it doesn't get in the way. There are still many things I don't understand, and I hope everyone can give me plenty of guidance in the future." Liu Wu laughed. "Class Monitor, you're truly modest!" Everyone chimed in, chatting back and forth, as Su Yu followed the students heading to morning classes toward the teaching complex. A massive crowd! Out of six hundred people, at least two hundred had classes this morning, including over a hundred boys. As for the female dormitories, Su Yu hadn't gone there in person. Instead, he had asked Liu Yue to help notify them. Along the way, Su Yu encountered the main group of female students and hurriedly said, "Hello, everyone, I'm Su Yu. It wasn't appropriate for me to disturb you at the female dorms, so I asked my classmate Liu Yue to help out. If we bothered anyone, I apologize..." "Class Monitor, you're being far too polite!" A girl in the crowd giggled. "This is the first time I've ever heard of the academy having such a conscientious class monitor! The room next to ours was totally stunned this morning—a wake-up service and everything!" "That's right, Class Monitor. Your talent is so high, yet you're so humble. How are the rest of us supposed to survive?" "..." Everyone chimed in enthusiastically. Geniuses typically felt distant from ordinary students. If a genius acted arrogant, people took it as expected and simply couldn't be bothered with them. But when a genius lowered his stature and mingled with them on equal terms, they would instinctively want to draw closer. Some even felt quite flattered! Even Su Yu, someone with top-high talent, was so approachable. What right did they have to be haughty? They weren't monstrous freaks, after all! Nor were they the high-tier geniuses who suspected Su Yu's top-high evaluation was slightly inflated; even a top-low student was an object of admiration to them. A smile remained plastered across Su Yu's face. *I have finally become the very thing I despise!* *Liu Hong, just you wait!* *Once I get through this month, we'll see who laughs last.* *These students are far too naive. People who smile all the time are never good people—don't you get it?* Within the crowd, Kong Sheng grew impatient and muttered under his breath, "Are we walking or not? If we don't move, we'll be late!" Su Yu's hearing was sharp. In the next moment, he looked toward Kong Sheng and said, "Apologies for taking up everyone's time! Kong Sheng, although we had a minor misunderstanding back in Nanyuan, I sincerely hope we can clear it up. We're classmates now, and we might even be comrades-in-arms in the future." Su Yu continued earnestly, "I apologize for what I said back in Nanyuan. I shouldn't have spoken like that and gotten you fined. At the time, I thought you were looking for trouble, so my words were a bit extreme. I'm truly sorry!" Kong Sheng's face flushed bright red! Nearby, several students who seemed to know what had happened spoke up in displeasure. "Class Monitor, why apologize to him? Everyone knows they went to Nanyuan just to steal your admission spot! Shameless bastard—how dare he still oppose the class monitor now!" "Exactly! With just mid-tier talent, he ran off to Nanyuan to snatch a spot. Serves him right!" "..." Back then, quite a few students in the Great Xia Prefecture knew about the incident. Those people had hurried to Nanyuan hoping to steal Su Yu's recommendation spot, only to prove that they were completely useless. Now hearing Su Yu apologize, these students immediately stood up to defend him against the injustice. The students who hadn't known began asking around. Once they learned the story, they all cast contemptuous glances at Kong Sheng. What a shameless scoundrel! The class monitor actually apologized to him? Someone like that deserved a beating! Kong Sheng's face burned red. Surrounded by so many people, he couldn't say anything back. If he kept going, he wouldn't be able to survive in this class anymore. Su Yu hurriedly urged, "Everyone, please don't be like this. We came to the academy to become stronger, to learn knowledge and empower ourselves, not to engage in petty squabbles. Class is about to start—let's go to the lecture halls together!" The large group surged forward toward the teaching complex. As for Kong Sheng, he was instantly isolated! That guy was shameless and capable of anything dirty. Who would want to walk with someone like that? Behind them, Kong Sheng ground his teeth in fury. *What did I even say?!* *I didn't say a damn thing, so how did it turn into this?!* *Su Yu... that bastard set me up!* Kong Sheng didn't believe for a second that Su Yu was truly this reasonable and easygoing. Back then, Su Yu had been sharp-tongued and ferocious, bringing disaster upon them with just a few sentences. How could he possibly be simple and honest?! *To hell with that!* *Who are you trying to fool?!* Kong Sheng felt like the only sober man in a world of drunks! He wanted to scream out, warning everyone not to be tricked by Su Yu, but he knew it would be futile. The students weren't fools either; whether Su Yu was genuinely honest or faking it didn't really matter to them. A top-high student was showing them respect and recognition. If you called him a fake right now... did you want to end up like Kong Sheng, ostracized by everyone? Would you only be satisfied if Su Yu looked down his nose at you? Besides, he was the class monitor. They would still need to go through him for leave requests later on, so why offend Su Yu? ... Not far away. Wu Lan stood dazed. *What's going on?* *Why is that guy so popular? Hundreds of people are crowding around him on the way to class!* She was thoroughly baffled! In the next instant, Wu Lan shook her head with a huff! She raised her chin proudly and looked around. Very good, no one was around her! So what if she was alone? What was the big deal? She, Miss Wu, didn't care in the slightest; she disdained keeping company with mediocre fools! *Su Yu is so childish!* Head held high and chest puffed out, she strutted forward. Yet as she walked, a twinge of sadness crept in. Nobody was walking to class with her—why did Su Yu get to have so many people around him?! ... Quite a few people witnessed this grand spectacle. On an upper floor of the teaching complex. Liu Hong glanced down. With his keen eyesight, he spotted Su Yu and couldn't help chuckling. "Fascinating!" "Truly fascinating!" "Is he genuinely honest, or... just pretending?" Supreme villainy often resembled upright loyalty! If Su Yu had been reluctant, come to argue with him, or tried to decline the monitor duties, Liu Hong would have felt more at ease and thought less of him. Instead, the boy had accepted the assignment without a peep. Not only that, he was performing his duties with utmost devotion, completely unconcerned about falling behind in his cultivation, instantly establishing an admirable image before the students. An honest, dutiful fellow! And what did that make Liu Hong, who had bullied such an honest boy? A villain! Liu Hong chuckled, muttering, "If you're faking it... you really ought to take me as your master!" A moment later, a knock came at the door. "Enter!" "Teacher!" Lin Yao walked inside behind him, a trace of arrogance lingering on his youthful face. A top-high genius! Hailing from the Lin family, though not quite on par with major clans like the Wu or Hu families, it was still a family of experts. They had a Lingyun Realm Civilization Master and a Lingyun Realm warrior, possessing substantial strength. "Teacher, I don't want to attend the academy's foundational classes anymore!" Lin Yao stated as soon as he entered. "I already learned all of that at home!" Liu Hong turned to face him with a smile. "It's still good to solidify your foundation. Spending just two hours a day on it is enough." "Teacher, it interferes with my cultivation too much!" Lin Yao frowned, speaking softly. "Teacher, I'm currently in the acupoint-opening stage. My primary goal is breaking through to the Qianjun Realm. I shouldn't waste time on these basic courses." Liu Hong smiled. *Are you the student, or am I?* Comparisons truly were odious. The moment he compared them... why did this student he had taken in seem like an absolute moron?! Su Yu had to attend five to six hours of classes every day, yet he hadn't heard a single complaint from him. And this interfered with your cultivation? Are you cultivating twenty-four hours a day? Liu Hong didn't get angry. In a gentle, laughing tone, he asked, "Then how long will it take you to enter the Qianjun Realm?" "Two months at most!" Lin Yao replied with pride. "Teacher, I plan to enter a secret realm to make my breakthrough. If not for that, and the fact that I previously focused my energy on the physical body, I would have broken through to Qianjun long ago!" "Two months, is it?" Liu Hong nodded slightly, then smiled again. "Have you prepared the blood essence for your foundation building?" Lin Yao blinked, taken aback. Coming here today was partly motivated by this matter. Hadn't Liu Hong prepared it for him? Liu Hong said softly, "I know what you mean. I had originally prepared some for new students, but... a few days ago... sigh!" Liu Hong let out a sigh. "The black market was swept through several times. Everything I had people bring in ended up confiscated by the academy! Right now... asking me to find it on short notice simply isn't possible." "Teacher, this..." Lin Yao grew anxious. "Teacher, then what about the blood essence for my Qianjun foundation building...?" "Don't worry, wait a bit longer!" Liu Hong chuckled. "You can build your foundation anytime from the First to the Ninth Layer of Qianjun. I'll think of something for you. If all else fails... I'll apply to the dean! You're a genius, so how could we let your cultivation be delayed? And if even that doesn't work..." Liu Hong adopted a slightly playful tone. "Didn't Bai Feng recently win a hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence from Hu Wensheng? Find a way to see if you can get your hands on it from his student, Su Yu." "Su Yu..." Lin Yao frowned. "That fake genius?" "Fake genius?" "Everyone in class says so. Something went wrong during the exam in Nanyuan, which is how he received a top-high rating. Otherwise, at best, he'd only be low-high!" "Never underestimate the people of the world..." Liu Hong chuckled, waving a hand. "Head out for now. If you don't want to attend the foundational classes, then don't. Just cultivate properly on your own!" "Understood, Teacher!" Lin Yao bowed and retreated. Once he was gone, Liu Hong frowned, muttering to himself, "Useless trash! If not for your Lin family's wealth, did you really think you'd be worthy of entering my tutelage?" *So what if you're top-high?!* Never lacking yuanqi liquid, reading willpower texts every day, studying All-Races languages since childhood, reaching the Ninth Layer Kaiyuan, entering Character Cultivation, outlining a divine character, mastering over thirty All-Races languages... If you couldn't even reach top-high with all that, you might as well drop dead! A top-high like you had the nerve to look down on a top-high from Nanyuan? Where did that confidence come from? Even if Nanyuan produced a top-low student, you ought to look up to them! Liu Hong shook his head. Fortunately, he hadn't relied on this garbage to deal with Bai Feng and the others. Otherwise... he would have been dragged into an early grave, exhausted just from wiping up after them! ... Inside the classroom. Su Yu listened attentively. This was a class for a new language. It wasn't among the twenty languages he had already mastered, but rather a language of the Oceanic Demon Race. "When we speak of the ocean, we usually refer to the seas of the Human Realm. In reality, there is also an ocean on the All-Heavens Battlefield, known as the Star Sea!" The instructor was elderly and well-traveled, speaking with effortless authority. "The Star Sea isn't very well known in the Human Realm, where people generally lump everything together under the All-Heavens Battlefield. In reality, among higher echelons, the Star Sea is extremely famous!" "Deep within the Star Sea, there is a very famous location!" "Xingyu Mansion!" The old instructor smiled. "Has anyone heard this name before?" Most of the class looked blank. A few students seemed to have heard of it, anticipation gleaming in their eyes. The old instructor chuckled. "Some of you have likely heard of it—perhaps your parents mentioned it, or your teachers brought it up... That is a land of stellar glory, a gathering place for the elites of the all-heavens myriad races. Some of you may have the opportunity to go there in the future!" "Three years from now, the Great Xia Prefecture will send twenty of its strongest elites there to battle the elites of the myriad races. Some will rise, and some will fall! Tengkong forms the foundation, Lingyun acts as the mainstay, exploring the cosmic mysteries... Truly something to look forward to!" The old instructor had drifted somewhat off-topic, but no one interrupted him. Among the students, someone couldn't resist asking, "Instructor, will there be Shanhai Realm experts going?" "Generally not." The old instructor smiled. "It is strictly for the young generation of elites! For our human race, the baseline is usually forty years of age, preferably around thirty. As for the myriad races, although their lifespans differ from ours, according to their age proportions, it corresponds roughly to thirty to forty in our years." "Alright, let us not dwell on that!" The old instructor brought the topic to an end and returned to his previous point. "We generally do not venture into the oceans of the All-Heavens Battlefield. Today, our primary focus remains the Oceanic Demon Race of the Human Realm..." "The oceans of the Human Realm are divided into three main bodies: the Tiansheng Sea to the east, the Tianluo Sea to the west, and the Wuji Sea to the south!" "..." As the old instructor spoke with eloquence and grace, Su Yu felt as though he had traveled across the three great oceans himself. For a time, he felt immense admiration for the instructor's teaching ability! What astonished him even more was that a large screen soon illuminated the lecture hall. A lifelike oceanic demon appeared before everyone's eyes. In the next moment, something that shocked Su Yu even further occurred: the demon on screen began to speak. "Jili-wala..." Su Yu couldn't understand much of it, but for the first time, he felt as though the academy had unlocked a whole new world for him! Video-assisted teaching! Incredible! The old instructor smiled. "This is the Sea Lion clan from the Oceanic Demon Race. What you just heard is the Sea Lion language. It's considered a minor dialect, but it's quite useful. The Sea Lion clan has a large population in the oceans. If you ever have the chance to visit the sea in the future, you will most likely encounter them and can try communicating..." "..." Su Yu felt as though he had entered a brand-new realm! Hearing a member of the myriad races speak directly was an experience he had never had before. In the past, when he studied All-Races languages, Liu Wenyan had taught him directly; there had been no such resources available. Glancing around, he saw many students acting as if this were completely ordinary. Su Yu smiled wryly. Sure enough, Nanyuan had been far too backward! With teaching conditions like this, was it really surprising to master thirty or even more All-Races languages? No wonder that idiot Wu Lan had mastered over thirty of them! Su Yu muttered to himself inwardly: *Given learning conditions like this, I could easily master forty!* ... A full day of classes passed in busy productivity and fruitful gains. Su Yu suddenly found that he didn't hate Liu Hong quite as much anymore! He realized that he genuinely needed to make up for these foundational gaps. Studying minor dialects, the composition of divine characters, protecting the sea of consciousness, analyzing All-Races languages... He had been running around nonstop, but the harvest was enormous. "So divine characters can't just be fused recklessly..." Su Yu muttered softly. No wonder Section Chief Sun and the others had repeatedly warned him during the assessment that haphazardly fusing divine characters could easily cause trait conflicts or even trigger character collapse. Only today did he understand the principle behind it. It was because two divine characters could have diametrically opposed properties! Only divine characters that possessed mutually supporting traits could be fused; otherwise, catastrophe would follow. ... Su Yu stayed very late, helping the students on duty finish cleaning before finally preparing to head back, grab a bite to eat, and begin his daily cultivation. Yet he was blocked once again! This time, it wasn't just one person blocking his path, but two. Seeing Lin Yao, Xia Huyou smiled and took a step back, wearing an expression that said, *You first, speak your piece,* showing no intention of interfering. Lin Yao glanced at him without speaking. The Xia family wasn't one to provoke unnecessarily. Turning to Su Yu, Lin Yao spoke bluntly. "Su Yu, my name is Lin Yao. Let's get straight to the point. I'm about to enter the Qianjun Realm, and I want to buy your Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. Name your price, or I can trade it for Dragon Silkworm blood essence, ranked eighty-sixth among the Top 100 Races!" "The Mountain-Breaking Ox is ranked ninety-ninth. Of course, it's slightly more suitable for Qianjun foundation building, so I can add another hundred merit points!" Lin Yao stated directly, "Building your foundation with Dragon Silkworm blood essence yields almost the same result as Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence, and you'll gain an extra hundred merit points. How about it?" Su Yu didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked over at Xia Huyou. "How much does Dragon Silkworm blood essence sell for?" Xia Huyou smiled. "Qianjun Realm Dragon Silkworm blood essence isn't cheap either. If Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence goes for ten merit points a drop, Dragon Silkworm blood essence could realistically sell for nine. The gap isn't huge. With him making up the hundred merit points, it's about fair." Su Yu nodded slightly, turning his gaze back onto Lin Yao. *I was just getting ready to beat you up, and you actually delivered yourself to my doorstep!* *What a coincidence!* "If I refuse to trade, will you cause trouble for me?" Lin Yao frowned. "You aren't even at Qianjun yet—I disdain bullying you! Once you reach Qianjun or Character Cultivation, then come talk to me about that!" Su Yu chuckled. "Then I won't trade!" "You..." Lin Yao's brow furrowed in annoyance. "I already told you, whether it's Dragon Silkworm or Mountain-Breaking Ox, it hardly makes a difference to you. It's practically the same!" "Then why don't you use the Dragon Silkworm yourself?" Su Yu found it bizarre. If you claimed it was practically the same, why bother trading?! Lin Yao grew somewhat irritated. "Are you playing dumb or truly ignorant? Our goal is to compete for the Top 100 Rankings! Right now, the stronger we are, the better, even if it's just by a fraction. But you... you're at least a year behind us. Over a year's time, that tiny difference will easily be made up!" "I'm willing to pay an extra hundred merit points. Su Yu, let me ask you: can you even produce a hundred merit points right now? There's no need to forfeit real benefits over petty pride. A smart person knows how to choose rather than stubbornly insisting on acting tough!" Su Yu was getting annoyed. "I'm not selling. Is it okay if I don't sell? Is it okay if I don't trade?" Pausing, he added, "If you insist on forcing me to sell... Selling it normally is out of the question. In one month, the top three from the monthly assessment can challenge advanced class students. You're at Ninth Layer Kaiyuan, and so am I. I haven't reached Character Cultivation while you have, but I don't care!" "I will challenge you then. If you win, I'll trade with you on today's terms!" "If I win..." Su Yu said calmly, "I won't take your blood essence either, lest you lack blood essence for your foundation building and delay your cultivation. I'm not that kind of person. Just give me three hundred merit points. That shouldn't be too much, right?" Lin Yao stared at him, frowning. "Are you sure? Su Yu, don't say I'm bullying you! Your willpower hasn't even reached Character Cultivation, yet you want to challenge me?" "Yes!" Su Yu smiled faintly. "Because I don't want to keep attracting so much trouble. If I really lose, I'll trade with you and pocket a hundred merit points—sounds pretty good to me. Just don't hit too hard when the time comes; I don't have the money to treat heavy injuries." Lin Yao scrutinized him deeply, then let out a laugh. "It seems you have some confidence... However... let me tell you: confidence is a good thing, but conceit... only brings humiliation!" "Fine. We'll talk after the monthly assessment!" Lin Yao turned and strode away. At any rate, he wouldn't reach Qianjun that quickly. Challenging him after the monthly exam... Su Yu certainly had nerve. Once he was gone, Xia Huyou smiled slyly. "Su Yu, setting people up like that isn't very nice, is it?" "What?" Su Yu looked surprised. "Setting who up?" "You didn't set him up?" Xia Huyou chuckled. "I think you're going to win—it's practically in the bag! What a lucrative deal, fleecing him for three hundred merit points in one go... Also, you actually knew that the top three of the monthly assessment can issue challenges? You asked around beforehand, didn't you?" Su Yu wasn't an academy veteran, and people rarely went out of their way to explain such rules. For Su Yu to know, he had obviously looked into it recently. It seemed this guy had already set his sights on someone in the advanced class! Could it be Lin Yao? Could it really be that coincidental? Xia Huyou scratched his large head. Probably not. Then could it be Wu Lan? Su Yu smiled. "Don't talk nonsense. I was just fed up with being pestered. Asking me for blood essence day in and day out—isn't it annoying? I'll go back and ask my teacher to see if he agrees. If he does, the worst that can happen next time is that I lose to him. Trading for Dragon Silkworm blood essence works just as well. Hopefully nobody else will target me after that." "That won't happen..." Xia Huyou laughed. "Dragon Silkworm blood essence is quite rare too, but it's honestly not well-suited for foundation building. Its effects are considerably worse than Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence. While the Mountain-Breaking Ox is ranked lower, its actual efficacy is truly top-tier. Those monstrous geniuses never lack such blood essence; Mountain-Breaking Ox is simply the best among the best. Teaching Assistant Hu really treated that disciple of his well." "Understood!" Su Yu nodded, saying no more. This was great! Lin Yao had actually come knocking on his own door. It seemed... another name on his little grudge ledger could soon be crossed off after he beat the living daylights out of him! Earlier, he had felt slightly embarrassed since they didn't know each other. But the moment Lin Yao showed up demanding to trade for his Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence, Su Yu had every reason to pummel him into the dirt! "Hey, don't run off! Do you still want the Ironwing Bird blood essence?" Seeing Su Yu about to dash, Xia Huyou hurriedly chased after him. "I do. Ninety points, not a point more. If you don't want to sell, forget it—I've already found another supplier!" "Hey, don't be like that..." Xia Huyou said hastily, "Ninety points it is! Su Yu, do you want to pre-order another hundred drops? I'll only charge you three hundred merit points, payable on the first of next month. I can even let you run on credit for a few days!" Su Yu turned to look at him and chuckled. Impressive! He was thoroughly amazed! This fellow was even proposing a pre-order now. Clearly, Xia Huyou believed Su Yu would win and pocket those three hundred merit points. "Aren't you afraid I'll lose and have no money to pay you?" "No worries! If you lose, can't you trade for the Dragon Silkworm blood essence? You'd still get a hundred merit points..." Xia Huyou beamed. "Su Yu, think about it. What do you say?" "Not interested!" Su Yu couldn't be bothered with him, walking away as he spoke. "Just give me thirty drops. Make it quick, I need them!" "Alright, delivered tomorrow without fail! When I handle things, you can rest easy!" ... Xia Huyou's voice gradually faded into the distance. Su Yu took a deep breath. *Bitter cultivation, bitter cultivation, and more bitter cultivation!* *This month, I must open enough acupoints to reach the breakthrough point, and my willpower must grow stronger. Once I beat Lin Yao to a pulp, I'll enter the advanced class and have an easier time. Would Liu Hong dare make me the advanced class monitor then?* *I didn't pick this fight; your student came looking for it himself!* Su Yu felt a surge of eager anticipation. In less than a month... he had felt utterly stifled and infuriated lately. Anyone and everyone thought they could push him around. Lin Yao was just having bad luck this time! He had never even considered losing. If he could still lose after devouring blood essence, then Lin Yao might as well charge straight into the Top 100 Rankings this very year!