As Outstanding as Me!

Three hours had passed! Bai Feng was genuinely growing anxious. "He's still not out?" Bai Feng frowned and looked toward the two elders. The elderly man surnamed Huang hesitated for a moment. "If we go in to check, we might disrupt his cultivation, and that could cause trouble. We are in the Lingyun Realm. The moment we step inside, yuanqi will naturally converge on us..." "Then I'll go! I'm only in the Tengkong Realm!" "Nonsense. It'd be the same if you went in—yuanqi would still converge automatically!" The Yuanqi Secret Realm was just like that. Once you entered, yuanqi would flock toward you and automatically fill your apertures. With their strength, entering would easily interfere with Su Yu. Bai Feng had only offered on an impulse. Elder Huang hesitated. "How about sending a Qianjun in to take a look? I'm mainly worried he'll be disturbed. If he truly has talent..." Bai Feng understood his meaning. If Su Yu truly possessed remarkable talent, he might still be tempering his apertures right now! If someone disturbed him and caused him to miss this opportunity for breakthrough, it would be an enormous waste! "Bai Feng, truthfully, do you really think this apprentice of yours can hold out this long?" Bai Feng calmed down, took a deep breath, considered it, and nodded. "It's possible! He has talent and plenty of tenacity. My only worry is... what if he clearly can't take it anymore yet stubbornly insists on pushing through? He could easily hurt himself!" Of course Su Yu was talented! If he weren't, why would Bai Feng have bothered bragging to him? Wasn't it precisely because he feared being shown up? That was why he had claimed he had held out for three hours. And as it turned out, even claiming three hours had come back to bite him. After thinking for a moment, Bai Feng said, "I wouldn't feel at ease letting someone else in either! How about this: could the two of you use a yuanqi mirror to observe the flow of yuanqi? If it's still flowing, then he's still cultivating, and I can relax a bit!" "A yuanqi mirror..." Elder Huang said in a heavy voice, "A yuanqi mirror can peer into yuanqi flow, which often involves a cultivator's private cultivation secrets. Without the person's consent..." "I am his teacher. My consent is enough!" Bai Feng made the final call! Elder Huang said no more. He exchanged a glance with the other elder, and both nodded simultaneously. In the next instant, both let out a low cry! *Buzz!* Space rippled, and in the blink of an eye, a mirror materialized in midair! Inside the mirror, red dots appeared. In the outermost sector, there was only a single small red dot. Around this red dot, rippling currents like flowing water swirled, converging toward it. Elder Huang waved his hand, and aside from the red dot, all other areas went dark. Those areas were other people cultivating. The yuanqi mirror could spy on others, and spying on someone else's cultivation was a major taboo. Even activating it required the agreement of both elders. "He's still cultivating!" Elder Huang said with a hint of surprise, "The yuanqi is flowing very fast—almost on par with a Wanshi. This student of yours... is something special!" Bai Feng let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "As long as he's still cultivating. Who doesn't have a few secrets? Can a genius be compared to an ordinary student?" He gave a chuckle. "This brat... gave me quite a scare! Looks like he's gaining plenty from this trip!" With a light cough, Bai Feng added, "Uh, you two can put away the yuanqi mirror now. It wouldn't be proper to spy on the secrets of our faction, right?" "..." *Damn it!* Both elders cursed inwardly at the same time! Who was the one who just begged us to use it? And now it's 'spying on the secrets of your faction'? Have some shame! With dark expressions, they let the mirror in the air disperse on its own, ignoring Bai Feng entirely. This bastard turned around and bit the hand that helped him; they couldn't be bothered to waste words on him. However, they did take a keen interest in Su Yu. This new student was genuinely formidable. "Who knows if he can hold on a bit longer. It would be best if he broke that person's record from the War Academy..." And so, the group went back to waiting. By this point, they felt much more at ease. The yuanqi was still flowing steadily at a brisk pace, so Su Yu could likely hold out for a while longer. As for why Su Yu was absorbing yuanqi so quickly... just as Bai Feng had said, what genius didn't have secrets? In this world, Civilization Masters were the most mysterious group of all! Never pry into the secrets of a Civilization Master! It could be due to a divine character, other unique factors, or even bloodline heritage. There was no need to investigate thoroughly, as long as he wasn't from the All-Races Sect. As for Su Yu, before Bai Feng accepted him, the necessary background checks had naturally been conducted; Su Yu simply didn't know it. *** Three hours, four hours, four and a half hours... Bai Feng's expression grew stranger and stranger! Could this kid really break that bastard's record? *** Meanwhile. Su Yu had already exhausted his blood essence, and the Illustrated Guide to the Myriad Races was no longer active. Twenty-three apertures opened! He was only one aperture away from Qianjun Realm Stage Three. That was the sole reason Su Yu refused to leave. At this moment, he was frantically absorbing yuanqi, relying on the War God Art rather than the Body Strengthening Art. He refused to accept this! He was so close! Wouldn't reaching Qianjun Realm Stage Three be fantastic? Yet he had run out of blood essence! Just like that, he stubbornly ground away for half an hour, refusing to budge. If he left now, he would take a loss! *Just one more aperture...* Su Yu prayed! Opening one more aperture would bring him into Qianjun Realm Stage Three, allowing him to link them again and form a complete circuit so he could absorb even more yuanqi. Otherwise, once he left, opening that last aperture would cost him at least seven or eight drops of yuanqi liquid just to complete the circuit! He had only this single opportunity; he wouldn't get another free entry into the Yuanqi Secret Realm! *One more aperture saves at least forty merit points. Open for me!* Su Yu roared in his heart! Seeing that his other apertures were already brimming with yuanqi, if he didn't open this one, he would soon be forced out. Gritting his teeth in resolve, Su Yu suddenly took out another drop of blood essence! Ironwing Bird blood essence! Last time, he had traded with Xia Huyou for thirty drops. Over these past days, Su Yu had consumed one drop per day, leaving him with only ten drops today. Originally, he had been reluctant to use these, especially since Ironwing Bird blood essence wasn't very helpful for tempering the physical body. But right now, he didn't care anymore. He wasn't using the blood essence directly for body tempering; what he needed was a powerful technique and more temporary apertures to absorb yuanqi and temper his true apertures! Devour! In the next instant, a massive surge of yuanqi converged once more. The apertures Su Yu had opened felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from them, instantly bringing him immense relief. *Just like this!* Su Yu was overjoyed. Keep this up, just hold on a bit longer! Soon, the final aperture showed signs of giving way. Before long, however, the power of the blood essence ran dry. Su Yu cursed under his breath, unsure whether this was truly cost-effective. He swallowed another drop of Ironwing Bird blood essence! This time, with a thunderous blast, the final aperture successfully burst open! Su Yu swiftly linked the thirty-six apertures of the War God Art, which, combined with the nine Kaiyuan apertures, totaled forty-five apertures. Shining brightly, they quickly formed a net-like circuit! *Rumble!* The moment the circuit formed, Su Yu felt his physical body quake continuously, expelling large amounts of dark impurities from his pores. This was the effect of blood essence tempering! In truth, Su Yu hadn't used blood essence directly to temper his body; he had channeled the Body Strengthening Art and Yuan Absorption Art through the booklet. Yet the body-strengthening effect of the Body Strengthening Art was not in the least inferior to using blood essence itself! The Yuan Absorption Art's body-strengthening effect, on the other hand, was negligible. It seemed the Mountain-Breaking Ox race's Body Strengthening Art was exceptionally suited for tempering the physical body. *Foundation building... builds the foundation of the physical body!* *Only by possessing a physical body stronger than those of the same realm can one defeat peers of the same realm!* If everyone was at Qianjun Realm Stage Three and practiced the advanced War God Art, whoever had the stronger physical body held the greater chance of victory. At this point, Su Yu knew he couldn't stay much longer. He stopped opening apertures and instead began absorbing massive amounts of yuanqi to strengthen his body! Aperture after aperture gleamed with radiant light, bursting forth in dazzling luminescence that made Su Yu look as if he were stepping out of a beam of radiance. Opening his eyes, Su Yu looked not far away, toward the Wanshi Area. He could sense the denser yuanqi and greater pressure there, but he knew that as he was now, he couldn't withstand it. *Next time... the next time I enter, I must go over there to temper myself. Once I've accumulated enough, I'll come back in and won't stop until I've absorbed to my heart's content!* As someone who had just stepped into the Qianjun Realm, the yuanqi he had absorbed was barely a drop in the ocean for the entire Yuanqi Secret Realm! Perhaps not even that! Even in this small Qianjun Area, despite absorbing so much yuanqi, the surroundings showed virtually no change at all. *I absorbed the equivalent of at least a hundred drops!* Su Yu calculated in his mind. He felt he had absorbed an amount equivalent to at least a hundred drops of yuanqi liquid. A massive profit! Though his consumption had also been terrifyingly steep: a hundred drops of Mountain-Breaking Ox blood essence and two drops of Ironwing Bird blood essence. *Calculated at official prices, that's fifteen hundred and ten merit points!* Su Yu clicked his tongue in awe! Cultivating to Qianjun Realm Stage Three had cost that much merit. Buying time with merit! Without blood essence and without the Yuanqi Secret Realm, he could only have absorbed the faint ambient yuanqi of the Human Realm. Back in Nanyuan, reaching Qianjun Realm Stage Three might have taken him several years! Yet at the Civilization Academy, it had taken him just a few hours—provided he burned through money! *If I reach the Tengkong Realm, could I absorb this yuanqi and condense it directly into yuanqi liquid to take with me?* Su Yu suddenly entertained this thought, but upon reflection, realized there was likely a catch. Otherwise, since Tengkong experts could enter as well, wouldn't this place have been sucked dry long ago? *The divine character 'Yuan'...* Even though he hadn't seen this divine character, a sense of yearning arose within him. A single divine character had created such a magnificent pocket dimension! *** At nearly five hours, Su Yu walked out. He didn't force himself to hold out any longer; there was no need. He had opened twenty-four apertures and formed the circuit. Staying longer would burn Wanshi Realm Ironwing Bird blood essence, which might not be worth it, especially since opening more apertures would be extremely difficult right now. Absorbing more yuanqi at this point would also be somewhat wasteful; it was better to take things step by step. The door was knocked on. Elder Huang waved his hand to open the door. Right now, Su Yu's clothes were filthy and his face was smeared with dirt, yet his eyes shone exceptionally bright! Having opened so many apertures, his physical body had undergone a complete scouring. Moreover, since he couldn't restrain his aura right after a breakthrough, his momentum surged like a rainbow! He looked even more imposing than the two Lingyun elders and Bai Feng! Bai Feng looked at Su Yu and clicked his tongue in admiration! This kid really had what it took! A bit of a pity, though—it seemed he hadn't broken that fellow's record. Of course, that hardly mattered; it wasn't an official record anyway, and breaking it brought no rewards. A sharp light flashed in Bai Feng's eyes, like a lantern beam cast toward Su Yu! Su Yu felt as if he were being seen right through. In the next instant, Bai Feng retracted his gaze! A brilliant smile spread across his face! "Qianjun Realm Stage Three!" Bai Feng smiled, beaming with sunny warmth. Beside him, the two elders hadn't probed Su Yu, but hearing Bai Feng's words, they couldn't help looking surprised. Looking at Su Yu again, admiration crept into their eyes! A genius! A monster! Setting everything else aside, in terms of cultivation talent alone, this new student named Su Yu was not in the least inferior to that person from the War Academy. "Qianjun Realm Stage Three..." Elder Huang remarked with emotion. "Not bad, very good! Compared to your teacher..." Before he could finish, Bai Feng laughed loudly. "He's about the same as me! Earlier, I was afraid of hurting your confidence, so I didn't want to brag. Back then, I stayed inside for five hours as well, and came out at Qianjun Realm Stage Three with twenty-four apertures opened..." Bai Feng sighed with feeling. "I originally thought that being this outstanding was already defying the heavens, and that my student couldn't possibly be just as brilliant—otherwise, wouldn't the other factions die of jealousy? And yet... who would have thought? Su Yu, you are just as outstanding as me!" This time, Bai Feng didn't belittle Su Yu, but he certainly elevated himself, laughing heartily. "Su Yu, well done, you didn't disgrace your teacher! Our faction is destined to produce powerhouses, and now it seems you have the foundation for it!" The two elders rolled their eyes violently! Do you have no shame at all? Your skin really is thick! Su Yu, on the other hand, asked in surprise, "Teacher, you also came out directly at Qianjun Realm Stage Three?" "Indeed!" Bai Feng said wistfully, "Yes. In fact, it wasn't just me; several others have come out at Qianjun Realm Stage Three like you, and there are some at the War Academy too. After all, this world never lacks geniuses. While we are very outstanding, there are quite a few outstanding people out there..." Bai Feng sighed. "Of course, I was slightly better than you by just a tiny bit. I entered this secret realm immediately upon enrollment. You delayed for a month, so it looks like you're a month slower than me. I wonder if you can catch up to me." Su Yu had never asked when Bai Feng reached the Tengkong Realm, so he couldn't help asking now, "Teacher, how old were you when you entered the Tengkong Realm?" "Me?" Bai Feng smiled. "I was actually a year older than you when I enrolled—nineteen years old, and I reached Tengkong at twenty-two..." Su Yu froze for a moment. Three years? He couldn't hold back and whispered, "I heard Wu Lan's sister, Wu Qi... reached Tengkong at twenty..." Bai Feng gave a faint smile. "Yes, she's two years younger than me, but we reached Tengkong in the same year. I reached Tengkong at twenty-two, and she did at twenty. I was actually one cohort ahead of her. Hu Wensheng was one cohort ahead of me, Xia Yuwen and Wu Qi were in the same cohort, and Liu Hong was in my cohort... Within three cohorts, people are practically considered peers, which is why outsiders say we're all from the same class, but in truth, we weren't." "Then..." Su Yu's gaze grew odd. *Then why are you still so confident?!* Bai Feng said faintly, "Reaching Tengkong in three years—is that slow?" He turned to Elder Huang and the other elder, smiling faintly. "Ask Elder Huang and the others: is your teacher more formidable, or is Wu Qi more formidable?" Su Yu was somewhat surprised. In the next instant, he seemed to realize something. Sure enough, although Elder Huang was displeased with Bai Feng's bragging, he still chuckled and said, "It's different. In your faction, one must outline many more divine characters before reaching Tengkong, so your speed of reaching Tengkong has always been a bit slower than others. Bai Feng reaching Tengkong in three years was indeed very fast. As for talent... he isn't inferior to Wu Qi." Bai Feng protested dissatisfiedly, "Elder Huang, I'm clearly stronger than her!" Elder Huang smiled without answering. That wasn't necessarily true! No one denied that Bai Feng was a genius, but to claim he was definitively stronger than Xia Yuwen or Wu Qi—no one would buy that. Su Yu understood! He had considered this before; he had heard from Xia Huyou that Bai Feng had outlined twelve divine characters before reaching Tengkong. In that case, reaching Tengkong in three years was indeed very fast. Bai Feng smiled. "So, if you can reach Tengkong within three years, you'll have caught up with your teacher. From the look of things, there's still hope. After all, your performance in the Qianjun Realm was just as outstanding as mine!" "..." Elder Huang and his companion had no desire to speak at all. To preserve face in front of his apprentice, this fellow had completely abandoned all shame. Bai Feng cleared his throat and smiled. "Time to go!" With that, he turned to the two elders and said with a grin, "Sirs, Su Yu still has a wager on him. Before the wager concludes, please don't spread word of him reaching Qianjun Realm Stage Three. If he ends up losing over a thousand merit points... while our faction isn't short on money, the two of you would have to chip in some compensation..." "..." Elder Huang couldn't hold back a roar: "Get lost! Get the hell out of here!" With this guy around, he had been provoked into anger several times over. If you don't scram right now, believe me, I'll expose you on the spot! Immediately! *** Only after Bai Feng led Su Yu away did Elder Huang speak up: "Old Nie, what do you think?" "What do I think about what?" "This Su Yu..." Old Nie said flatly, "Geniuses appear every year, and monsters aren't rare either. What can Qianjun Realm Stage Three tell us? We'll see once he reaches Tengkong! Before entering Tengkong, are there few monsters stuck at the peak of Character Cultivation? Once he reaches Tengkong, only then is he a true genius. Right now... it's too early to say anything!" "True enough!" Elder Huang nodded, then smiled. "The moment Hong Tan left, Bai Feng took this student in. Hong Tan left in such a hurry... I'd wager it was this kid Bai Feng egging him on, afraid Hong Tan would snatch his apprentice!" "..." Old Nie was taken aback, then couldn't help laughing and cursing under his breath, "Unfilial brat!" "Don't scoff, it's very possible!" Elder Huang laughed. "Besides, Hong Tan is entirely capable of doing such a thing, what do you think? Back then, Chen Yong was clearly the one planning to take Bai Feng as a student, but Bai Feng ended up turning around and becoming Chen Yong's junior brother instead! Tell me, could Bai Feng not be on guard against him?" "*Cough, cough, cough!*" Old Nie dropped his stern face, nearly choking on his laughter. "The multiple divine characters faction... not a single one of them is normal! Fortunately, Chen Yong took in Wu Jia afterward. Wu Jia lived up to expectations, fighting her way into the Top 100 Rankings in just a few years..." Saying that, he fell silent. Not long ago, Wu Jia had been heavily injured by someone and fallen off the Top 100 Rankings, and in the short term, she likely had no hope of fighting her way back up. The infighting within the academy seemed somewhat out of control lately. Elder Huang thought of this as well and said, "From what I see of this Su Yu, he's close to Character Cultivation too. Character Cultivation, Qianjun... wait a few more months until the end of the year, and he'll probably reach Qianjun Realm Stage Six. Combined with Character Cultivation... even if he can't make it this year, he has a shot at the Top 100 Rankings next year. Looks like next year's rankings will see quite a fight." "Next year? In just a few months this year, there will already be plenty of fighting!" Old Nie said gravely, "Among this year's batch of monsters, I took a covert look last time—some have already entered Qianjun Realm Stage Seven!" "That fast?" "Yes, that fast! They're all holding back right now. Just watch, in a few months, once someone steps into the Wanshi Realm or reaches Qianjun Realm Stage Nine, the Top 100 Rankings will be stirred up!" *** Su Yu was unaware of the two elders' conversation. At this moment, he was still bathed in joy. Breaking through to Qianjun Realm Stage Three in a single day—even though the consumption had been massive, he was still overjoyed. Qianjun Realm Stage Three... thirty-six apertures opened! If he had cultivated the Qianjun Art like his father, he would already be at Qianjun Realm Stage Nine by now! He was thrilled and excited. Beside him, Bai Feng was happy for him too, yet an indescribable sorrow lingered in his heart! He couldn't even lie properly anymore! How humiliating! To think he had lied about lasting three hours and opening twelve apertures, only to be slapped in the face by this kid in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, his skin was thick enough that he had overturned his previous lie in an instant and spun a new one! *Doubling it won't work in the future; I'll have to multiply it by ten!* Bai Feng sighed. If not for the fact that too many people knew when he had reached the Tengkong Realm, he would have loved to claim he reached Tengkong in three months! Seeing Su Yu still riding high on excitement, Bai Feng cleared his throat and said, "Don't get too worked up! Qianjun Realm Stage Three is just the beginning; you haven't even reached Character Cultivation! A Civilization Master's foundation is still willpower. Qianjun and Wanshi are merely transitions! Tengkong is the true foundation!" "Understood, Teacher!" Su Yu turned solemn and said hurriedly, "I won't get arrogant. When I go back tonight, I'll train extra hard! Next month, I won't serve as class monitor anymore, and I'll cultivate for over twelve hours every day!" "..." Bai Feng was utterly speechless! Can't you slack off even a little bit?! You reached Qianjun Realm Stage Three today—why are you still this disciplined? You've said everything I wanted to say, so what am I supposed to say now? Being a teacher like this gives zero sense of accomplishment, alright?! Couldn't you just say, 'I made great progress today, let me rest for a few days,' and then let me scold you and tell you not to get arrogant? Exhausted in spirit, Bai Feng thought about it and could only say, "Good, but you still need to balance work and rest. Don't push yourself too hard. Also... you can feel a little proud, just don't get complacent. After all, that fellow from the Great Zhou Prefecture who's a year older than you is about to reach Tengkong Realm Stage Six!" Bai Feng felt an odd melancholy! Since when did he have to borrow an outside monster to suppress his own apprentice? Was he, Bai Feng... not genius enough? Taking in someone else, he should have easily suppressed them on his own! Back in the day, when his teacher taught him, his teacher had used his own achievements to keep him humble. Now, it turned out he could barely keep a lid on his student! *Sigh!* A faint sigh escaped his lips. Su Yu seemed to understand something and said solemnly, "Teacher, don't worry. For the blood essence used today, once I have money in the future, I'll find a way to repay you..." Bai Feng rolled his eyes! Who the hell is sighing over blood essence?! As if recalling something, Bai Feng said strictly, "Learn more All-Races languages. Otherwise, I'm worried you won't even be able to read original All-Races texts when the time comes. When I entered the academy, I mastered thirty-five... major categories, totaling... a hundred and twenty major and minor languages!" Confidence suddenly surged within Bai Feng, and he smiled. "You must master these languages as quickly as possible. Otherwise, what will you do when you study divine characters? Pick only the ones you recognize? The divine characters outlined from the races you know might not suit you, nor will they necessarily be powerful. Do you understand?" His confidence had returned! Back then, he had mastered thirty-five... major categories! Su Yu asked in surprise, "Thirty-five major categories? Do All-Races languages have major categories too?" "Of course!" Bai Feng said coolly, "Among demon beasts, is there only one kind? Among tiger races, is there only one kind? Those count as a single major category. Of course, there are many ways to classify them; I'm referring to my own system of classification, so don't worry about it!" "Oh!" Su Yu nodded. A hundred and twenty languages... impressive! He knew twenty languages before, and these days he had attended every class, coming into contact with twelve new languages, though he hadn't fully learned them yet—he had merely grasped some basics. The road ahead was long and arduous! *Still... I can't help feeling Teacher is bragging!* Su Yu muttered internally. A hundred and twenty languages—was that real or fake? *Teacher, it's not like I know nothing. I've been at the academy for a month now.* *I remember an instructor mentioning last time that the academy's most formidable researcher mastered three hundred and seventy languages.* *The most impressive new student had mastered seventy-nine languages upon enrollment.* *They never mentioned you!* *Could it be that he mastered a hundred and twenty languages some time after enrollment?* Of course, that would still be very impressive! Although Su Yu felt his teacher had a slight habit of bragging, he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Forget it, no need to dwell on it. Previously, he had felt Bai Feng didn't value him much, but when Bai Feng casually tossed him blood essence worth over a thousand merit points, he decided... his teacher was quite endearing after all. Though he was broke, he was generous despite his poverty. If he truly had money, he would probably be very generous. It was just a pity that he had no money.