Chapter 8 - 8

Chapter 47: Big Spender

The principal was worried. "Would this affect Su Yu? I heard that each time that competition draws near, things will grow intense there. Even the war academies will get involved. Some people have even lost their lives in the competition..."

"It is very rare for someone to actually die from it." Liu Wenyan knew more than the principal. He explained, "The big shots are all keeping watch. Scenarios where lives were lost were mostly accidents."

"Even if they were mostly accidents, the danger still exists." The principal was extremely worried. "Su Yu is just a normal secondary school student. For him to get engulfed in all that...should he change his target and join a war academy instead? He's already a seventh-stage Source Opening cultivator. That's good enough to join a war academy. What do you think?"

"That is unacceptable." Liu Wenyan frowned. "Even if he can achieve something in a war academy, he won't achieve more than what he could in a cultural research academy. This is merely his first trial. If he gets through it, he will go further, faster, and higher."

"Old Liu, he's only eighteen. He knows nothing."

Liu Wenyan firmly said, "He can learn. Nobody's born knowing everything. Su Yu is a tenacious kid. Little setbacks won't stop him. And if he manages to get through the trial, he will grow into one of the most outstanding students they have ever seen.

"You see this as a danger. I see this as an opportunity. A regular student will probably need at least five years in the academy before getting the chance to be involved in something like this. But now, he will be able to get involved with the best the academy has to offer right after joining. This will only be helpful for his future."

"As for the danger...it might not be too bad," Liu Wenyan said. "Among the younger generation, Bai Feng is no pushover. His teacher is also one of the few top experts among the academy's senior researchers.

"In fact, Su Yu will have a rather high starting point there. That will only make it easier for him to go further and higher in the future. Also, Su Yu's isn't worse than the other geniuses."

Liu Wenyan smiled, "We have yet to update Su Yu's information with the academy. We will maintain his profile at fifth-stage Source Opening Realm and eighteen languages mastered. Let him hold back and catch them all by surprise after entering the academy."

Seeing that Liu Wenyan had reached a decision, the principal stopped advising him to change his mind. Instead, the principal said, "Do you think he'll be able to reach the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm?"

Recently, Su Yu had stopped going everywhere to complete the various tasks assigned by Liu Wenyan. He would only go to school and learn some new languages from Liu Wenyan before going home early. He was focused on reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm.

That was a major milepoint in the Source Opening Realm. Upon reaching that point, he would finally gain the ability to utilize his source qi. His strength would increase, and together with his Divine Character, he would be having a much easier time ambushing Great Strength cultivators.

"I don't know." Liu Wenyan was unsure. "He has been progressing rapidly. In less than two months, he has advanced from the fourth-stage to the seventh-stage. He's even getting near the eighth-stage. Bai Feng's Source Opening Codex has helped him a lot. But at the seventh-stage, that willpower text will no longer be that helpful to him."

"Didn't you say that you're writing him a willpower text? Why don't you write a new Source Opening Codex for him?"

The principal was looking forward to Su Yu's breakthrough. If he managed to do that, he would be the first eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator produced by the Nanyuan Secondary School in twenty years.

Twenty years ago, there was an eighth-stage Source Opening genius in the school, but that wasn't really something they could take credit for. That fellow was someone from the capital, only transferred here temporarily to take the academy entrance examination before leaving.

"It won't help." Liu Wenyan shook his head. He said, "I already know what I'm writing for him, but I need you to pay for it."

"What are you writing?" the principal asked cautiously.

"First chapter of the Lightning Source Blade, Great Strength version."

Liu Wenyan said, "He doesn't lack cultivation methods. He can get even more cultivation methods at the academy. However, he lacks martial techniques written with willpower. He can practice from a regular book, but that would be too slow. Only a willpower text can help him rapidly learn and master this technique."

"Lightning Source Blade? The middle-tier profound-grade martial technique?"

The principal exclaimed in shock. He asked, "Can he learn it? Wait, no, can you even write it? Are you sure you can write something like that now?"

Strength was not the thing that made cultural researchers great. After all, warriors were actually very strong as well. Cultural researchers have different types of strength. For example, their willpower texts. A half-assed Source Opening Codex written by Bai Feng is enough to greatly help Su Yu, bringing him to the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm without using any blood essence.

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Wenyan glared furiously. "It's only a low-tier profound-grade technique. It's also a Great Strength version of the technique. Why can't I write something like that? Who do you think you're looking down on?

"However, you need to pay for it! I want a hundred drops of rumble lightning beast. I only need the blood of Great Strength beasts. Additionally, I also want the powdered form of their horns. I'll also need the hide of an Infinite Strength beast to be written on."

"You..." The principal's eyes widened. He did a short calculation and said, "A hundred drops of Great Strength rumble lightning beast. That will cost me a hundred merit points. The horn would cause five merit points each. The Infinite Strength beast hide suitable for willpower text writing won't come cheaper than ten merit points...That's about 115 merit points in total. Are you robbing me?"

"Uncouth!!" Liu Wenyan berated, "You're too uncouth! Why are you thinking about money all the time? It's only a hundred merit points. Wasn't the school rewarded a thousand merit points for the victory over the cult previously?"

"That's the paltry savings of the school!"

"Paltry my ass. Didn't I kill a Skysoar cultivator? I didn't even ask you about that. Be honest. Did you steal the merit points for that kill from me?"

"What do you mean I stole your points?" The principal was stamping his foot in anger, "Stop acting dumb. You used our points to purchase a Skysoar Realm original text. Have you forgotten? You finished all your points and even owe the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy a lot of points.

"You should be glad that the capital decides to forget about your debt, not getting even more greedy. Do you not know shame? You're actually accusing me of stealing your merit? I—"

Liu Wenyan coughed and interrupted, "Oh, I finally remember. I was forced to spend my merit points. I need to increase my strength and protect Nanyuan. That should be an expense I can claim from Nanyuan. Cough, cough. Fine, fine, that is my personal expense. But we're training a genius for Nanyuan. It is only natural for the school to support that, right?

"Think about it. Su Yu is a rare genius of Nanyuan. My willpower alone will have a hard time completing the Lightning Source Blade for him. If he manages to learn the Lightning Source Blade, he will be able to stand strong even in the capital. What do you think? If he gets first place in his academy exams, wouldn't it bring glory to our school? Wouldn't it bring more merit your way?

"If he does well in the capital, won't he return and repay the school in the future? If he reaches the Skysoar or even the Cloudbreach Realm, a tiny bit of his grace when he's in a good mood will be invaluable. For example, writing a random willpower text for the school when he feels like it. That one text will be worth everything you spend today.

"Old Wang! You need to look further. As an old man, why is your worldview still so narrow?"

Liu Wenyan advised with a disappointed expression, "He is talented. He is tenacious. He has decent foundations. He is also someone who remembers those who have been good to him. If you don't spend now, why would he repay you in the future?"

The principal stroked his beard, pulling at them real hard as he sighed, "That's over a hundred points!"

"So what? You can get that much by killing only one Skysoar cultivator."

"Only? Go on. Go ahead and do it. Kill a Skysoar cultivator for me then"

Liu Wenyan turned impatient, "Why are you wasting our time here? What's the point of keeping all those merit points unspent? The school has been awarded a decent amount of points recently. Nobody is in need of them for now. Just pretend you're using them on me. I'm a Skysoar cultivator. I'm eligible for certain benefits from the prefectural government. You can claim what you spend on me from the government."

As a cultural researcher, even if he wasn't in a cultural research academy, he was still eligible for some basic grants for his research.Writing willpower texts and refining his body were both activities that required the support of cultivation resources. He was only a tiny cultural researcher in a small city, but he should still receive the benefits a cultural researcher should get.

The principal glared at Liu Wenyan and said, "Claim? I asked previously. The capital said that you owe them thirty thousand merit points. You won't be able to repay them your entire life. Don't even dream of it."

"Thirty thousand?" Liu Wenyan blanked out. His expression turned odd, "Only thirty thousand? When I left the academy back then, I owed them over a hundred thousand points. Why is it only thirty thousand now?"

"..."

The principal was speechless. What the fuck. So this fellow was aware of his debt?

After taking a deep breath, the principal said, "In any case, you can no longer claim anything from the capital. I can sponsor this writing session, but I'll say this. If Su Yu manages to achieve willpower materialization one day, he needs to repay us with one willpower text."

"That is only natural. If he doesn't repay the school, I'll write one for you after recovering my willpower."

A smile bloomed on Liu Wenyan's face. Finally, he could avoid spending the little wealth he had.

At that, the principal let out another sigh. He couldn't help but to say, "The capital isn't giving you even the basic grant a Skysoar cultural researcher is entitled to. How are you going to refine your body? Are you going to take a few more years? You're too old for that." The rıghtful source is novel(ꜰ)ire.net

"It doesn't matter." Liu Wenyan smiled. "I have enough to eat and drink and that's good enough for me. By the way, did you ask them about my debt? Why is it only thirty thousand?"

"I did. Researcher Wu paid fifty thousand of your debt."

Liu Wenyan frowned. After a long while, he scolded, "Fool."

"Huh?"

"Brainless fool. When your debt reaches a certain level, you don't really care about it anymore. What's the point of paying fifty thousand points? Furthermore, the so-called debt wasn't something I had really borrowed from them. The debt had only grown so big due to my arrogant words back then."

Liu Wenyan felt helpless. Fifty thousand merit points wasn't a small number.

He couldn't be bothered to keep talking about that anymore. He shifted the topic and said, "Forget about that. Prepare the materials. I'll write the Lightning Source Blade tomorrow. If that kid can really learn it, even as an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator, with the Lightning Source Blade and his Divine Character, he will be able to defeat regular second or third-stage Great Strength cultivators."

The principal nodded in agreement, no longer thinking about the price of the materials. If that kid could really reach a high height in the future, his conscience would be the only thing deciding if he would repay the secondary school or not.

After all, Liu Wenyan was still here. He was a Skysoar cultural researcher. The principal might object, but if Liu Wenyan insisted, nobody would object even if they had to spend everything the school had.

The principal was walking away when he suddenly stopped and said, "Old Liu, if you really have no choice...just give up. If you use the blood of divines or devils to refine your body, you can reach the third-stage immediately. After a few years, you might be able to enter the Cloudbreach or even the Mountainsea Realm."

Liu Wenyan grinned and said, "Give up on what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Old Liu...you're over seventy!" The principal had a complicated look in his eyes. Instructor Liu was no longer young.

Liu Wenyan glared at the principal furiously. "So what if I'm over seventy? An Infinite Strength cultivator like you dare to question a Skysoar cultivator like me? Do you even know how to fly?"

"..."

The principal was speechless. He left while mumbling to himself. That old fellow was still as stubborn as ever.

After the principal left, Liu Wenyan heaved a long breath and grumbled, "Blood of divines and devils...do you think I'm stupid? Trying to win me over with only a few drops of blood? Dream on! Back then, I owed them more than a hundred thousand merit points. They should offer me at least a complete corpse of a king."

"Over seventy..." Liu Wenyan muttered to himself. He was indeed not young anymore. But he decided to keep waiting for a bit. If Su Yu could really go far...and...Liu Wenyan needed to observe more before making his decision. Five years wouldn't be enough. Ten years. He needed to keep observing for at least ten years. He needed to see if Su Yu could stay true to himself even after entering the capital, remain indomitable, and continue advancing forward.

"I'm not about to die so soon. I can still wait a while."

Liu Wenyan muttered to himself. If Su Yu proved to be a disappointment, he would continue waiting. He would be willing to keep waiting until he was dead before returning to the academy.

"Wu...what happens there will depend on what you do."

Liu Wenyan looked out the window. Since he had waited fifty years, he didn't lack the patience to wait more.

Shortly after, he pulled himself out of the melancholy and cursed, "Fool! Fifty thousand points! You're better off giving those points to me! Why did you use them to pay the debt? You're as stupid as fifty years ago!"

"No wonder you're still stuck as a senior researcher after so many years. You couldn't even get promoted into a deputy principal!"

"Cultural researchers are supposed to be smart. But you...do you have the brain of a pig?"

"..."

Liu Wenyan spent a while cursing away, but he still couldn't reduce his anger. Fifty thousand points! Was that fellow crazy? Who told him to pay the debt?

Chapter 48: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (1)

Su family's residence.

Chen Hao, who was still on sick leave from school, was reading in the living room. His head kept dropping while his vision was spinning. Telling him to read was basically the same as killing him.

While yawning, he forced his eyes to stay open. Looking at the shut door of Su Yu's bedroom, he wondered how his friend managed to stay so long in the room. Did top students not need to use the toilet or something?

...

Inside the room.

Su Yu had consumed the drop of source qi liquid formed by Bai Feng. The source qi density gathered by this drop wasn't that high, but it was just nice for him. At the same time, he had also swallowed the drop of iron-winged bird blood essence he had purchased with thirty thousand dollars.

With the Source Swallowing Technique activated, he maximized the speed in which he was absorbing source qi. Once again, he enjoyed the feeling of having all nine acupoints temporarily opened. Seven of his acupoints were properly opened while his eighth acupoint was half-opened.

His seven opened acupoints were glowing with a radiance no ordinary person could see. A circuit took form connecting all these acupoints, and the circuit was slowly forming a connection with the eighth acupoint.

"Opening the Spirit Palace, forming a proper connection with source qi!"

The ninth acupoint, known as the One Hundred Openings, could connect his body with the ambient source qi of the world. Meanwhile, the eighth acupoint, the Spirit Palace, could connect the acupoints within one's body into a circuit. That was why a cultivator would only gain proper combat strength upon reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm.

The Source Opening Codex had always been the foundational cultivation method of humanity. Every human would have some source qi gathered in their body. But without opening the eighth acupoint, they would have no way of utilizing the gathered source qi. They could only allow the source qi to passively temper their acupoints.

After opening the eighth acupoint, they would gain the ability to actually control the source qi and practice martial techniques. By utilizing source qi, their moves would be much more destructive than before.

The biggest difference between the eighth and the ninth stage was that those in the eighth-stage could only use their own source qi while those in the ninth-stage could utilize the ambient source qi around them as well.

"After opening the Spirit Palace, I'll be able to start using martial techniques. My offensive power will increase and situations where I fail to kill a Great Strength cultivator after hitting them with my blade will no longer happen."

Su Yu was absorbing source qi at a rapid pace. He had a feeling that his body was going to explode soon. A Source Opening cultivator was not able to contain too much source qi within their body. Not only had Su Yu activated the Source Swallowing Technique, he had even used a drop of source qi liquid. Because of that, he was absorbing source qi at a faster speed than even regular Great Strength cultivators.

"Temper the acupoint!"

With a roar, Su Yu gathered his source qi at his Spirit Palace acupoint. He had been stuck at the seventh-stage for quite a while. He had reached the seventh-stage on the 16th of May. It was already the 5th of June.

It had been nearly twenty days since his last advancement. That was the longest he had been stuck ever since he had obtained the ability to use the Source Swallowing Technique. He even had Bai Feng's Source Opening Codex helping him, so he was getting impatient after twenty days of no breakthroughs.

Hum!

Source qi converged on him and the air around him trembled. Humming sounds echoed in his room. Outside, Chen Hao had an odd look on his face. For some reason, he felt incredibly comfortable. Source qi was gathering, and he could feel it even though he still couldn't see it. That sensation was similar to having a bowl of hot soup after several days of hunger.

"It sure is comfortable here at Yu's place. That's probably because Dad's not here to nag at me all the time."

After muttering to himself, Chen Hao looked at the shut door of the bedroom again. Was Yu cultivating martial techniques in the room? It was getting quite noisy.

...

"Still not opening?"

Su Yu felt himself nearing his limit. If he couldn't open his acupoint today, he would have wasted the drop of source qi liquid and blood essence. That was basically the same as spending nearly a hundred thousand dollars for nothing.

He was halfway through opening the acupoint, and if he didn't complete it this time, he would need another drop of blood essence or even source qi liquid the next time he repeated the attempt. At that point, he would be doing more than cultivating. He would be driving himself straight to bankruptcy.

Su Yu was finding it hard to bear with the amount of source qi in his body so he stood up. He needed to do something to vent his excess source qi as he felt like his body was going to burst apart soon.

When cultivating, one wasn't forced to remain in the lotus position or remain still. Sitting still in the lotus position was merely helpful in staying calm and focused on the process. That was the most efficient way one could absorb source qi. The more one moved, the lower the efficiency would be, and the more source qi would go to waste.

But that was no longer an issue for Su Yu since he had too much source qi in his body. In any case, all the gathered source qi would disperse if he failed this breakthrough anyway. After stretching his arms, he started practicing a fist technique.

Tiger Fist, a low-tier yellow-grade fist technique that was also a foundational fist technique of the human race. This martial technique mainly served to temper one's body instead of combat. It had low efficiency in the utilization of source qi and focused more on the strength of one's physical body.

Hum!

Su Yu's fists shot forth rapidly with the momentum of a pouncing tiger. This technique was actually an adaptation of a martial technique of the actual tiger race. It focused on ferocity and its moves were simple. Strength gathering through breathing, strength amplification through the positioning of legs, before bringing the strength upward.

"Hah!"

A roar erupted from Su Yu's mouth. When practicing fist techniques, the act of shouting would also bolster one's presence. That was why many people would actually shout during combat. Outside, Chen Hao jumped. For some reason, that roar from Su Yu sounded much more imposing than usual, giving him a sensation that a tiger was pouncing on him.

Downstairs, an old man felt his ceiling trembling and looked up while clicking his tongue in wonder, "This kid's Tiger Fist is getting pretty good. He's good enough to be put to use in the army."

Although this kid was still in the Source Opening Realm, the old man had to admit that the roar earlier held an imposing presence even those in the Great Strength Realm would have a hard time releasing.

Even without personally witnessing the punch, the old man could still hear that there was something special about that roar earlier. In fact, that was a roar Su Yu had released with some of his willpower mixed into it. Therefore, it was only natural that the roar sounded different.

...

"Hah!"

One roar after another resounded, and as Su Yu threw punch after punch, rumbling sounds echoed in the room. Apart from punching, all his fingers were used as well. The Tiger Fist might be a punching technique, but the claws of a tiger was also a potent weapon.

With a pop, Su Yu's arm shot forth and his fingers stabbed through his closet's door. He merely shot the damaged closet a glance and forgot about it. His room was too small, so it was normal to cause some damage while training there.

After a while, he finally exhausted enough source qi that he no longer felt like bursting apart. He continued absorbing source qi to temper his acupoint. Slowly, the eighth acupoint opened and formed a connection with his seventh acupoint.

The more he practiced the Tiger Fist, the better he felt. His roars were getting louder and louder. Abruptly, he felt his strength increasing exponentially. Without any hesitation, he sent his right fist toward his closet. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel-fire.net

Boom!

The closet's door was blasted apart. Even the closet broke apart with wood shavings flying everywhere.

"Hahaha!"

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to spare any attention to the broken closet as a wide smile covered his face. Even though he was calmer than his peers, he still couldn't stop himself from feeling excited. His Spirit Palace acupoint had been opened! He had reached the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm!

Boom!

The door was pushed open as Chen Hao rushed into the room. He first looked at the destroyed closet before looking at Su Yu. Scratching his head, he asked, "Yu, are you fine? I know Uncle Su has a bad taste in closets, but you don't have to smash it apart, right?"

Meanwhile, Su Yu was panting heavily while looking at Chen Hao speechlessly. Was the closet the issue here? The issue should be him destroying the closet with one punch. Was this idiot even aware of what that signified?

Prior to the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm, at best, one would only be able to punch through a closet door. But the entire closet had been destroyed. Did this fellow think nothing of it? If it was an ordinary person instead of a closet, that punch would have blasted that person apart.

Su Yu couldn't even be bothered to explain himself. He pulled his arm back and stood up. After a short stretch, he checked his fist and saw that it remained uninjured. During the punch, a small amount of source qi had also erupted from his fist, protecting it from damage.

"Eighth-stage Source Opening Realm!"

Su Yu was overjoyed. He was twenty days away from the examinations and he had successfully hit one of his goals, reaching the eighth-stage.

"I need a personal saber. I also need a proper martial technique and adapt to my new strength and the new technique. Then, I'll be able to look for a chance to kill a Great Strength cult member. I wonder if there are still any of them left in Nanyuan. I hope there are."

Recently, the Windcatcher Department has been very active. Many of the well-hidden cult members were caught, making it difficult to encounter a large number of cult members. He would consider himself lucky if he could even encounter one.

While thinking, Su Yu looked at Chen Hao and said, "Pick up the clothes and clean the room for me."

"What?" Chen Hao had a blank look. "I didn't do this."

"Sure. Go read instead. One hour."

"Cough, cough. Let me help you clean the room."

Chen Hao instantly decided that he would rather clean the room than read. For him, reading was akin to torture. Only then did Chen Hao finally realize something. He asked, "Yu, did you reach the eighth-stage?"

"You only realized that now?" Su Yu looked at Chen Hao speechlessly. This guy's reaction time sure was slow.

"Huh? Really?" Chen Hao was shocked, "This is too fast!"

"I told you before that I'm nearing the eighth-stage. Is it so surprising that I've finally broken through?" Su Yu frowned, "Next time, you need to cultivate while I'm cultivating as well. You're wasting all the source qi around us."

Chen Hao had just broken through into the fourth-stage. However, it wasn't hard to reach the fifth-stage from the fourth-stage. After opening one ear acupoint, it was much easier to open the next ear acupoint.

The entrance examination was twenty days away. If Chen Hao was lucky, coupled with the help of rich source qi density, he might be able to reach the fifth-stage before then. Although he could probably enter the academy with his current cultivation and the bonus thirty marks, having a better result in the examination would still be helpful for him. Students entering the academies with bad results would generally have a hard time in the academies.

"Eighth-stage..."

Chen Hao was dispirited, to the point he wasn't even listening to Su Yu. Before this, he had been happy with the fourth-stage. Although Su Yu had reached the seventh-stage, that was still different from the eighth-stage.

In a fight, he might not lose to a seventh-stage Su Yu. But at the eighth-stage, their bodies no longer played that big of a role in combat. Rather, it was the utilization of source qi. Even if he grew ten times stronger, he still wouldn't be Su Yu's match.

"Yu...I'm really stupid, right?" Chen Hao was disheartened. "I can't even bring myself to read. My dad told me that the Source Opening Codex you gave me is something good. Only a big shot can write something like that. You only gave it to me because you see me as your brother. But I...simply can't read...And now, you're already at the eighth-stage while I'm still stuck at the fourth-stage..."

Su Yu did not try to lift Chen Hao's mood and said, "Do not compare yourself with me. I am someone chasing after the geniuses of the capital. You're not doing that. You only need to catch up with Zhou Chong. If you reach a point where you can whoop his ass easily, you can already be considered a successful person."

"But didn't you tell me to expand my worldview and aim for the Skysoar Realm?"

"What nonsense is that? Goals need to be set in stages. First, you will overtake Zhou Chong. Then, enter the Great Strength Realm before entering the Infinite Strength Realm. You can then start aiming for the Skysoar Realm. Did I tell you to reach the Skysoar Realm in one go? Cut your goals into segments and achieve them one at a time. That way, you can stay motivated."

Su Yu was speaking from experience. A big goal would seem too far away. By cutting his path toward the ultimate goal into multiple smaller goals, he would find his journey much easier than before. It was also easier to maintain his motivation.

"Is that so?" Chen Hao gave it some thought and nodded. "Sure. In that case, my current goal is to kick Zhou Chong's ass. I'll go to school and whoop his ass tomorrow."

"..."

For some reason, Su Yu found himself pitying Zhou Chong. He was saying that as a metaphor. He actually meant for Chen Hao to surpass Zhou Chong in cultivation. Furthermore, Chen Hao had already beaten Zhou Chong once. How could he bring himself to do it a second time?

"Whatever. Get to work. When you're done cleaning the room, go to the Xia Trade Company with me."

Chapter 49: Eighth-Stage Source Opening (2)

Su Yu wanted to buy some blood essence and see if he could find a suitable weapon for himself. If he had enough money, he also wanted to buy a suitable martial technique. The secondary school would provide foundational martial techniques. Those were low-tier yellow-grade techniques.

At a place like Nanyuan, even if the school provided a better martial technique, the students wouldn't be able to use it either. As for students capable of reaching the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm, Nanyuan might only see one every few decades.

Of course, the instructors had middle-tier yellow-grade or even better techniques, but merit points would be required to purchase those. Su Yu would rather spend some cash instead of merit points. He had finally realized how much more useful merit points were than cash. For example, he would be able to purchase original myriad race texts after entering the academy with merit points. Those were things he wouldn't be able to purchase with money.

In fact, he also had a martial technique with him. The Blood Clotting Blade he had looted previously was a middle-tier yellow-grade technique. His father also had a military-issue technique, but that technique was more suited for those in the Great Strength Realm. The present him would find that technique hard to comprehend.

Chen Hao hurriedly got to work. While sweeping the floor, he asked, "Yu, do you want to buy some beast meat from the Xia Trade Company? We can roast them when we return. They taste wonderful when roasted."

"All you know is eat!" Su Yu chided. "We'll see. Also, it would be fine if nobody asks, but if someone asks the reason I'm buying blood essence, just say that I'm studying Divine Characters."

"Ok. Got it."

Chen Hao wasn't really too worried about that. However, he was also curious as to the reason Su Yu was buying blood essence. If he remembered it correctly, Su Yu had bought quite a lot of blood essence by now. This fellow couldn't be consuming blood, right? According to his father, it was very dangerous for someone to consume blood essence before reaching the Great Strength Realm.

"Yu, why don't you teach me how to form a Divine Character as well?" For origınal chapters go to novel※fire.net

"Huh?" Su Yu was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"My dad said that cultural researchers are actually very strong as well. Of course, the warriors are still stronger."

Su Yu rolled his eyes. "Forget it. You want to form a Divine Character? How about you finish reading and master the Source Opening Codex I gave you first?"

Su Yu didn't even bother explaining much to Chen Hao. That fellow would probably disregard most of what he heard, so it would be a waste of time. He was never one to never think too deeply into things.

...

One hour later.

Xia Trade Company.

Su Yu still had 170,000 dollars and ten gold coins with him. Out of respect for Liu Wenyan, the trade company had been allowing him to purchase blood essence at thirty thousand per drop recently. That was much cheaper than their previous price.

"Three drops of iron-winged bird blood essence."

Su Yu was already an old customer at this point. He went straight to the blood and meat section and the supervisor personally received him.

The supervisor did not ask much and directly had some employees go get what Su Yu wanted. When she saw that Su Yu was looking at a different section, he smiled and asked, "Mister Su, are you interested in something else today?"

"What's the price of your weapons?"

"Depends on what you need. As a rule of thumb, Source Opening cultivators only require weapons forged of regular iron. Those at the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm can start using yellow-grade weapons. Those weapons are more suited for them and will be helpful for source qi channeling."

The supervisor continued introducing, "Weapons, cultivation methods, and martial techniques are the same. They're separated into the grades of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow. Their grade is mainly decided by the materials used, which will affect the rate in which they could channel source qi."

Su Yu nodded. He knew that. Regular iron did not have the ability to channel source qi. The training blades in the secondary school were all made of regular iron. These weapons were cheap. However, materials capable of channeling source qi weren't cheap either. Thus, when cultivators reached a point where they needed weapons, they wouldn't be able to get these weapons for cheap.

"Those in the Great Strength and Infinite Strength Realms only need yellow-grade weapons. At the Skysoar Realm, they will need to make an upgrade to profound-grade weapons. The richer ones can even start using earth-grade weapons. Of course, only the big shots at the capital can afford to use those. Nobody in Nanyuan can afford something like that."

The supervisor flashed a smile and asked, "Mister Su, do you want regular iron weapons or proper cultivator weapons?"

"Proper cultivator weapons." Su Yu gave it some thought. "A poor weapon will only last me until the middle-stage Great Strength Realm. At the late-stage Great Strength Realm, one needs to use at least a middle-tier yellow-grade weapon, right?"

"Yes, but it is still too early for you to think about that, Mister Su..." The supervisor was telling the truth. That was still quite far away from Su Yu. "Therefore, a low-tier yellow-grade weapon will be sufficient for you, Mister Su."

Su Yu did not say anything about that. He could unleash the strength of a late-stage Great Strength cultivator with blood essence. He was afraid that a low-tier yellow-grade weapon would be broken after a few times of doing so.

"I want a middle-tier weapon. I can keep using it instead of changing when I reach the late-stage Great Strength Realm." Su Yu asked, "What's the price?"

"Depends on the type of weapon. But for middle-tier yellow-grade weapons, the price ranges between a hundred to three hundred thousand."

"So expensive?" Su Yu frowned. "Premium regular iron weapons can be purchased at around three to five thousand each. Even low-tier yellow-grade weapons will only be around ten thousand each."

"You're right. But a single increase in tier would mean higher forging difficulty and better materials. The cost is much higher."

The supervisor explained, "Mister Su, you're Instructor Liu's student. We won't deliberately raise our price when selling to you. That is a fair price. These weapons are mainly prepared for late-stage Great Strength cultivators. Most middle-stage Great Strength cultivators won't use them."

"For those at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above, that is an expensive but affordable price."

Su Yu was speechless. Affordable? Were they serious? Would his father be able to afford a weapon like that? Wait, his father would probably really be able to afford it. But his father would have to pay the price of losing half his life savings to buy only an average quality weapon. To get the best in the tier, his father would probably need to exhaust all his savings for one such weapon.

"After spending ninety thousand on the three drops of blood essence, I still have eighty thousand in cash and ten gold coins, adding to a total of 180,000 dollars in value. I can afford a weapon, but...this is too expensive.

"I'll also be needing martial techniques...I'm better off forgetting that. I guess I'll be practicing the Blood Clotting Blade. It is trash, but it's good enough for now."

After a quick calculation, Su Yu discovered that although he could earn money easily, it was even easier to spend all he had earned. He was going to finish spending the three hundred thousand his father left him soon. Even the ten gold coins he looted previously would probably be spent soon.

His instructor was right. Martial cultivation was for the rich while studying was for the poor. If even Great Strength weapons were so expensive, how about the Infinite Strength Realm? Or the Skysoar Realm?

Cultivation methods, martial techniques, weapons, blood essence, pills...At the thought of all that, Su Yu shivered. No wonder those fellows from the Myriad Race Cult were so eager to hunt the Myriad Race Cult, sparing no effort to get even one cult member. Those cult members were basically walking bags of money.

One could earn a single merit point for an early-stage Great Strength cult member, two merit points for middle-stage, and three merit points for late-stage. There was much more money in that compared to the paltry salary they received.

Before long, Su Yu received the blood essence he bought. As for the weapons sold in the trade company, he did not bother checking them up. Most weapons sold in Nanyuan were standardized weapons similar to what the military used.

If he wanted custom-made weapons, he needed to go to the capital. In any case, custom-made weapons would be excessively expensive anyway. He would probably have to forget about it and just use a regular standardized weapon for now. A standardized middle-tier yellow-grade weapon was priced at 150,000 dollars. That was the price after his special discount.

As for his choice to use sabers, that was because that was what the secondary school had trained him in. That was also his father's weapon of choice in the army. There was a saying that the saber represented the courage of soldiers. But the main reason for the saber to be so widespread in the military was due to the relative ease in which one could learn it. Weapons such as spear, sword, halberd, and so on were much harder to learn.

With a saber in hand, one could make it work even if one was randomly swinging it around. One would not end up injuring oneself doing so. But if one did the same with a sword, perhaps one would only get away if one was using a broadsword. A smaller sword with a flexible blade could easily injure an inexperienced user.

After paying for his purchases, Su Yu was left with thirty thousand in cash. He would need to keep that money for his daily expenses. He had completely given up on martial techniques. He was broke! Sure, he still had some merit points, but he had more use for them. He wasn't willing to waste them.

"Three drops of blood essence can activate the book three times. I can use them for either cultivation or combat. They won't last long...Sigh. My money is flowing away like tap water. Life is so hard."

While leaving with what he had bought, he made a short calculation. With three drops of blood essence and thirteen merit points, he hoped to reach the ninth-stage Source Opening Realm. He wouldn't be able to make more money for now. Nowadays, the Source Opening and the Great Strength Realms weren't exactly money-making realms.

If his instructor hadn't brought him everywhere to hunt the Myriad Race Cult, he wouldn't even have the chance to earn more merit points. Nanyuan did not lack Great Strength cultivators. The entire Windcatcher Department was eagerly waiting for more cult members to appear.

"Hao..."

"What?"

Chen Hao, who was walking out of the trade company with Su Yu, was still daydreaming about roasted beast meat. He appeared dazed when his name was suddenly called.

"If I sell my house, will my father whoop my ass when he returns and find his house gone?"

"..."

Chen Hao was dumbstruck. Yu was selling his house?

Su Yu continued muttering, "If I sell the house, I can get at least 500,000 dollars. But I'm afraid that my father will come back and see that he no longer has a house. He'll probably pick up a saber and turn me into mincemeat on the sidewalk."

Chen Hao nodded repeatedly, "Don't court death! If I sell my house, my parents can probably spend a lifetime hunting me down. Yu, you need to calm down!"

Chen Hao wiped his sweat. He was feeling nervous on behalf of Su Yu. He concluded that a top student was very scared when they went crazy.

"I'm just saying. Do you think I'll really do it?"

Su Yu smiled. How would he do that? Even if he wanted...he wouldn't be able to! The house was under his father's name. His father was absent and the ownership of the house had yet to be transferred. How was he supposed to sell it? Sigh. He regretted that he hadn't asked for the ownership before his father left. Otherwise, he could keep the house as his final trump card to be used during emergencies.

...

Allheaven Battlefield.

Within a military tent.

Su Long was muttering, "I left that kid over three hundred thousand dollars. I'm also sending my monthly salary back. With my monthly salary of over ten thousand, that is enough money to keep that kid fed for life. If he doesn't squander the money away, it will probably be enough for him to buy a small house in the capital by the time I return."

Su Long was confident that his son wasn't the kind of person to spend money recklessly.

Chapter 50: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (1)

The academy entrance examination season was drawing nearer and nearer. On the second day after Su Yu went shopping, he went to school. There, he could feel the nervous atmosphere pervading the students. Those in the final year seemed to always be in a rush. The fighting trend in the school had also ended. None of the students were in any mood to pick fights any longer. Su Yu was on his way to meet Liu Wenyan when he stumbled upon someone unexpected.

Xia Bing. A squad leader in the Martial Dragon Guards, leader of the Martial Dragon Guards stationed in Nanyuan. During the Myriad Race Cult's attack, the Martial Dragon Guards had been temporarily stationed in Nanyuan Secondary School. However, their actual Nanyuan base was somewhere else. Few people knew the actual location of the base.

Xia Bing was a second-stage Skysoar expert. That was the same cultivation level the mayor had. Su Yu was naturally aware of how powerful the Martial Dragon Guards were. He had wanted to join them previously. Even after learning about the prowess of cultural researchers, he still had a tiny urge to join the Martial Dragon Guards deep within his heart. But that wasn't an easy army to join. His father had been wanting to join them for many years but never succeeded.

Xia Bing naturally saw Su Yu as well. He was rushing away, but when he walked near Su Yu, he stopped.

When Su Yu felt Xia Bing's gaze on him, he hurriedly stopped and bowed. "Sir Xia."

Xia Bing nodded. He studied Su Yu for a bit before an odd look covered his face. "You reached the eighth-stage?"

Su Yu was surprised that Xia Bing was paying him that much attention. He replied, "Yeah. I broke through yesterday."

"You're improving very fast." After a short pause, Xia Bing continued, "I had thought that you would reach the seventh-stage rapidly and slow down after that. It's quite surprising that you can reach the eighth-stage."

Su Yu did not know what to say. Was Xia Bing actually paying attention to his progress? There was no connection whatsoever between the two of them.

With the same serious expression that seemed eternally imprinted on his face, Xia Bing said, "Bai Feng's Source Opening Codex was merely an incomplete product. Since you can reach the eighth-stage with it, it is clear that you have a decent talent in physical cultivation. I know your father. He has visited us multiple times to join us, but he is not good enough to join."

Su Yu felt somewhat awkward. He didn't know what to say to that as well.

Xia Bing did not care about Su Yu's reaction. He continued, "I am also a veteran of the Devil Subduing Army. However, I joined the army much later than your father. He was already retired when I joined. Six years ago, I was transferred to the Martial Dragon Guards and appointed the squad leader of the Nanyuan branch."

Su Yu remained silent. He did not know why Xia Bing was telling him all that.

"The cultural research academy isn't as good as you think. They spend their time scheming against each other and can never amount to anything before achieving willpower materialization. I don't like the people there. I prefer war academies and the Martial Dragon Guards. Of course, my preference has nothing to do with you."

His face turned solemn, "Your father once said that since he couldn't join the Martial Dragon Guards, he hoped that his son could one day do so and continue serving under the prefect. You can consider joining the Martial Dragon War Academy instead. That place…is not as dirty as the cultural research academy."

"Sir..." Su Yu was astonished. Was Xia Bing trying to recruit him?

Xia Longwu calmly said, "The Martial Dragon Guards are stationed in the various cities. They are also in charge of selecting the preparatory soldiers of the prefecture. You were unqualified to join before. But that has changed. Of course, this is only a suggestion."

"I shouldn't be telling you all this, but your father is a fellow veteran of the Devil Subduing Army so I don't mind telling you more. The cultural research academy is a much more complicated place nowadays. It is unpeaceful inside with numerous factions. Some fellows who used to focus on research are starting to stir as well. Because of that, things are getting messier and messier there.

"Your current teacher Liu Wenyan, Bai Feng who is trying to accept you as his personal student, and Bai Feng's teacher, Researcher Hong, are from the same faction. The situation there is much more complicated than what I can tell you. In short, it won't do you good to get involved in that mess."

Su Yu was lost. He softly said, "I don't understand what you're saying, sir. I'm only a secondary school student that has yet to get through the entrance examination."

"You'll come to understand." Xia Bing said, "Remember. Great Xia is still Great Xia."

He then walked away. Su Yu sank into thought. After a short while, he smiled helplessly before walking away as well. He really didn't understand what Xia Bing was trying to say. Clearly, Xia Bing was trying to warn him of something, suggesting that the cultural research might not be that good and the Martial Dragon War Academy might be a better place with more focus on cultivation.

In the past, Su Yu would definitely be overjoyed to hear that. But he had already decided to enter the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. In terms of willpower cultivation, there was no comparing a war academy with a cultural research academy.

Furthermore, he had learned from Liu Wenyan for so long. His initial goal had been to join a cultural research academy. He had only changed his mind because he was worried that a cultural research academy wouldn't help with his combat strength, a concern that was no longer present.

.

...

Inside the office.

This time, Liu Wenyan wasn't reading. Instead, he was writing. From Su Yu's perspective, the characters Liu Wenyan wrote were nice and much better looking than his.

"Something in your mind?" Liu Wenyan did not have to look up to sense that something was troubling Su Yu.

"Nothing. I stumbled on Squad Leader Xia just now..."

"He told you to join the Martial Dragon War Academy?"

"Yes."

"Ignore him." Surprisingly, Liu Wenyan wasn't furious. He sighed and said, "Did he say that the cultural research academy does not suit you? Or did he say that the cultural research academy has degenerated?" Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by NoveI-Fire.ɴet

"Erm..."

"Don't worry about it. This isn't the first time he said something like that. In fact, a lot of people in the Martial Dragon Guards are saying the same thing.

"He's right. The cultural research academy is no longer the same. After the fifth principal passed and the sixth principal took office, the academy entered a phase of rapid development. The rapid growth has inevitably brought about some negative influences.

"Fifty years ago, the academy wasn't as strong as it is now. But it is also not as messy. There is no avoiding that. Ambition grows alongside strength. Schemes, lies, and competitions are things you need to experience. It is also a form of training. The ones capable of rising in such a chaotic situation will be the truly strong ones."

Su Yu frowned, "Instructor, are things really that messy in the cultural research academy."

"It's not that bad. The overall situation is still under control. Naturally, there are things happening in the dark."

Liu Wenyan looked up at this favorite student of his and said, "The Martial Dragon Guards are very unhappy with the academy, but that's mainly because of the prefect."

"What?" Su Yu was astonished. "Is Prefect Xia unhappy with the academy?"

"I guess so." Liu Wenyan sighed. "This has nothing to do with you, so you don't really need to care about it too much. But since Xia Bing has touched on the topic, I'll tell you a bit about it.

"Prefect Xia...I won't be commenting on how he is as a person. But the various factions have different views on him. Some see him as a strict person, some see him as a strong person, and some see him as a stubborn person. Those were the three terms most commonly used to describe Prefect Xia."

"Stubborn?" Su Yu caught onto the main point. He asked, "What do you mean by stubborn?"

"The literal meaning of the word." Liu Wenyan put his pen down and said, "It's not derogatory, but some of his political views are unpopular among a lot of people. Back then at the Allheaven Battlefield, he encountered a lot of resistance due to his political views."

"Why?"

"He's too stubborn. On the Allheaven Battlefield, numerous races fight against each other. Some races are our sworn enemies that can't be spared. But there are also races that can actually be roped in as allies. At the very least, we can turn them into neutral parties."

Liu Wenyan shook his head and sighed, "But during the period of time when Prefect Xia was in command of the Devil Subduing Army, he had slaughtered the armies of many different races, including several neutral races that turned antagonistic toward the human race as a result. That was why he was removed from his position."

Chapter 51: A Glimpse Behind the Curtain (2)

Su Yu wanted to speak but he hesitated. Eventually, he made up his mind and said, "Instructor, those so-called neutral races are merely opportunistic wolves. The moment humanity shows signs of weakening, these fellows will not hesitate to move against us and swallow up our Human Realm. I've heard of the major battles the Devil Subduing Army was involved in from my father. I agree that those races deserved to be killed."

"You're not alone in thinking that way," Liu Wenyan smiled. "Xia Longwu has a lot of supporters, including the soldiers at the front line. I did not say that he was wrong. However, it is also understandable that there are many divergent thoughts among the human race. What do you think?"

Liu Wenyan was satisfied with what Su Yu said. It was good that he had his own opinion. It would be bad if he was only a yes-man who only knew to follow others blindly.

"Each person has their own thoughts. Nobody is saying that the prefect was wrong, but nobody can deny that because of him, humanity has gotten dragged into even more conflicts than before. We found ourselves fighting more battles, with the battles being more intense as well."

Su Yu disagreed. "But we also managed to scare a bunch of races into maintaining their neutrality."

"I guess so." Liu Wenyan nodded, "We won't be talking about that for now since that's more of an issue for those at the front line. Returning to our topic, Prefect Xia is unhappy with the academy because some people in the academy have suggested that we need to know our enemy better to beat them, so they wanted to open the academy for the myriad races as well."

"What?" Su Yu was alarmed.

"Accepting the myriad races as students!" Liu Wenyan's voice turned solemn, "The current principal is an adventurous person. He proposed that rather than bitterly studying the various races, we might as well accept them into the academy and learn from them. After all, who would know the other races better than themselves?

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. We will have them study the original texts of their own races and let them contribute the information related to their own races."

Su Yu exclaimed, "But that also means that we'll have to let them learn our ways as well, right?"

"Exactly. The myriad races aren't stupid. They won't voluntarily deliver us the ways to counter them. We want to learn more about them, but they also want to learn more about us. That idea is a double-edged sword. It cuts both ways. That's why it has never been approved. It has its supporters, but there are also a lot of people against it.

"Prefect Xia is one of those who is against that idea. Because of that, there is a split between the prefect and the academy. The prefect even...forget it. It's best not to mention that."

That only caused Su Yu to feel anxious. It was not nice to leave sentences unfinished.

"Instructor, what did the prefect do?" Looking at the agitated Su Yu, Liu Wenyan laughed and said, "That...is really not something I should speak about. It is a dark history. Remember to never mention it in the academy."

"Yes, yes, I'll remember."

Liu Wenyan shook his head and said, "Twelve years ago, the academy made the same proposal. The prefect did not say anything, nor did the prefectural government respond to the proposal.

"The principal thought that the prefect was tacitly agreeing with the proposal. Thus, he contacted several minor races to conduct his first attempt at accepting foreign students."

"In the end...right after those foreign students arrived, war broke out at the Allheaven Battlefield. Leading the Martial Dragon Guards, Prefect Xia ambushed the races involved and even raided their realms. Numerous cultivation methods and other resources were plundered.

"After that, the prefect didn't even bother visiting the academy. He only had the Martial Dragon Guards deliver tens of thousands of original texts to the academy. The meaning behind that action is obvious. The things the academy tried so hard to get can be directly taken on the battlefield."

Liu Wenyan sounded melancholic as he said, "With that, the academy's plan was completely ruined. After all, the races involved had their homes raided after sending their people to the academy. Would any other race still dare to get involved?

"A project the principal had contacted various parties and planned for many years to launch was ruined just like that." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel⚑fire.net

For some reason, Su Yu felt his blood boiling in excitement listening to that story. He said, "Isn't...that good?"

If he wanted something, he would take it himself. Rather take than beg.

"I'm not saying that the prefect was wrong. But what he did has indeed created a lot of fear among the myriad races," said Liu Wenyan softly. "Humanity can't face all the other races alone. This is what you need to understand.

"The minor and weaker races can be roped in. The minor races involved in that project were the ones we could have brought to our side. In the end, those races ended up destroyed by us. That would only cause the other minor races to fear us more.

"And if we turn them into enemies, one of them might not be our match, but what about ten or a hundred of them? You won't be able to kill them all."

Su Yu nodded. He understood that. But he had to admit that Xia Longwu's actions were truly inspiring and stirring.

"And thus, a split appeared in the capital." Liu Wenyan sighed. "Prefect Xia is very stubborn. He believes that severing heads was the better way of keeping the various races awed and fearful. But many also believe that doing so will put the human race in an even more difficult position. Fortunately, Prefect Xia was eventually ordered to never step foot on the Allheaven Battlefield again. Only then did we manage to placate the various minor races."

Su Yu was not reconciled to that ending. "So Prefect Xia can no longer enter the Allheaven Battlefield? Isn't that the same as crippling ourselves?"

"Not really." Liu Wenyan smiled. "That is merely a compromise made by the experts on the front line to placate the minor races. In practice, if the prefect wants to go there, nobody would care as long as he does not kick up a big ruckus. Who would be stupid enough to retire a super expert like that?

"Also, that might not be a bad thing. By retiring him from the front line, he is given the time to temper his cultivation. At that time, he had been flying through his cultivation levels. A cultivator needs to advance a step at a time to eventually reach that realm.

"This isn't bad at all. The prefect himself knows that. Otherwise, with that temper of his, do you really think he's going to be so obedient? He'll stay in the prefecture just because he was told to do so?"

Liu Wenyan laughed, "You look down on our prefect too much. Although he has left the Allheaven Battlefield for many years, that's only what's on the official records. The battlefield is too massive. Nobody can keep their eyes on him at all times.

"The Martial Dragon Guards are also commonly sighted there. Even the Great Xia Army will frequently go there for training. By the way, that is why Great Xia is one of the strongest human prefectures."

Su Yu nodded silently. He finally understood what Xia Bing was trying to say previously.

Liu Wenyan heaved out a long breath and said, "Just think of all this as a story. You're far from qualified to take part in these matters. Not even Bai Feng or even his teacher is qualified to get involved. This is something for the higher ups to consider. It doesn't have much to do with us.

"Xia Bing only thinks that you're quite talented and don't want to see you affected by the bad practices of the academy. In truth, that is precisely what I want to see."

Liu Wenyan spoke slowly, "There are many aspects to life, and everything can be a form of training. A clean and pure environment suits soldiers. That is what the military needs. However, a true expert needs to be experienced and knowledgeable. Without witnessing the darkest tendencies hidden within the human heart, without experiencing numerous conspiracies and schemes, a single scheme might put an end to you on the battlefield.

"Xia Bing does not understand. If Prefect Xia truly hates the academy, why didn't he restrict the academy's growth? Why did he allow the academy to keep growing?

"He is stubborn, not stupid. Great Xia needs different trains of thoughts as well. That way, we will be able to nurture all sorts of experts.

"Without the cultural research academy, the various armies will not be able to recruit powerful cultural researchers anymore. In fact, there are many powerful cultural researchers on the front line leading our armies against our enemies."

Su Yu nodded. He was starting to get what Liu Wenyan was saying. Of course, he was still weak. A nobody. These conflicts were unrelated to him. He could only treat them as a story. Perhaps when he reached a sufficient height to get involved in those matters he would see and feel things differently.

"Instructor, will my father be fine in the Devil Subduing Army?"

"He will be fine. We still have many invincible experts at the front line. Nobody among the human race will dare to touch the Devil Subduing Army because of this little internal conflict."

Liu Wenyan shook his head, "The front line concerns the survival of humanity as a whole. Thus, we keep our internal struggles out of the battlefield. Nobody dares to bring that to the front line. Things are much more straightforward at the front line.

"War is war. Even if there is a big ruckus back home, those at the front line will still need to follow their military orders.

"Even Prefect Xia will need to report to the invincible experts in charge of the front line before he can carry out any military operations unless he is there alone on a personal business."

Su Yu's eyes flickered as he asked, "So that event from back then where the prefect led the Martial Dragon Guards and the Devil Subduing Army in an attack against the minor raids were approved as well?"

"Of course." Liu Wenyan's smile grew wide. "Do you really think Prefect Xia would start a war without any approval? Even among the invincible experts, he has a lot of support."

"I see."

Su Yu heaved a sigh in relief. He was worried that Xia Longwu would be isolated due to his extreme actions, but it turned out that he had been worried over nothing. He was only a tiny Source Opening cultivator. Why was he worrying about a super expert? That was really stupid.

"Let's move on." Liu Wenyan smiled, "You will come to learn what you need to know when the time is right. As for the things you shouldn't know, it's pointless to learn more. It won't bring you any benefits and will only disturb your peace of mind.

"You're already at the eighth-stage. I can feel the source qi undulations around you. Looks like you've been improving quickly."

Liu Wenyan was very satisfied. "Get ready. Later this afternoon, I'll write a willpower text for you. I'll be writing the Lightning Source Blade. Before that, read a regular copy of that technique and get familiar with it."

Su Yu was overjoyed, "Instructor, is that a martial technique?"

"Yes." Liu Wenyan nonchalantly said, "But I'm afraid you won't gain much if anything at all from the session. You're still only an eighth-stage Source Opening cultivator. That cultivation level is too low. Even if you manage to learn the technique, you might not be able to utilize it properly. The Lightning Source Blade requires a lot of opened acupoints to be used."

"Yeah. I understand." Su Yu hurriedly nodded, but he still couldn't stop feeling excited. He knew very well how beneficial a willpower text could be. Learning from a willpower text was akin to learning straight from someone's mind. That was an entirely different experience than learning from a normal book.

Of course, that also depended on the writer's mastery of the contents of the text. After all, when writing the text, the writer would be imprinting their comprehension in the text. If the writer did not know much, the reader wouldn't be able to learn much either.

Chapter 52: Storm Is Coming (1)

Great Xia City, capital of Great Xia.

While Liu Wenyan and Su Yu were having their talk, an argument was happening in the prefect's manor. There were only a few people in the spacious hall. Xia Longwu was seated with his back perfectly straight and looking straight down from his throne.

Below him, an old man was seated to the left. That was a military advisor in the capital. A smile was on his face as he listened silently. Seated to the right was a scholarly and amiable old man with white hair. He also had a smile on his face as he listened silently. Googlᴇ search n0velfire.net

Apart from the two, there was a middle-aged muscular man who was standing alone while loudly rebuking, "Wan Tiansheng, stop promoting that worthless idea. This is Great Xia, not the Knowledge Seeking Realm."

The muscular man was shouting at the white haired old man on the right. The white-haired old man was Wan Tiansheng, the sixth principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Wan Tiansheng had a friendly smile on his face. Even with the muscular man shouting at him, he appeared calm. His voice wasn't loud, but when he spoke, everyone could hear him clearly, "Zheng Ping, speak normally. Don't shout. I'm not deaf. I can hear you."

He smiled as though this was only a casual conversation between neighbors as he softly said, "The Martial Dragon Guards should return. You already fought the battle you wanted. In the battle against the divine skywing race, almost a thousand of the three thousand soldiers sacrificed their lives. That is a heavy loss.

"When it's time to fight, we shouldn't be pulling our fists. I don't have an issue with that. But are you really going to destroy the entire divine skywing race?"

Wan Tiansheng looked at Xia Longwu and said, "Prefect, you should understand. We won't be able to do so. The divine skywing race only has an army of ten thousand in the Allheaven Battlefield. That's far from everything they have.

"If we continue pushing, we might be able to get more results, but we will also pay more lives as the price. Do you intend to lose all three thousand of the Martial Dragon Guards?"

Wan Tiansheng shook his head, "There is no need for that. This is too rash. The fight is done. Now, it's time to talk. Talk to the divine skywing race. Make them pay a price for permission to withdraw their defeated army from the battlefield..."

The muscular man shouted in fury, "We have them surrounded! They're near the optimal encirclement spot. We can clearly destroy the entire army. Wan Tiansheng, what are your intentions? Why do you insist on releasing them? Did they bribe you?"

Wan Tiansheng wasn't angry. He smiled, "Zheng Ping, there is no need to launch personal attacks. I don't deny that we'll be able to take down that army. But the question is, is it worth it? Three thousand Martial Dragon Guards. An army Great Xia had paid a large price to build. We're going to lose them all only for a single army of ten thousand?

"In that army, there are people from your war academy and people from our cultural research academy. These are all elites of humanity. Are we going to sacrifice them all just to exterminate a defeated army?"

Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Some people don't like to use their brain and can only use their muscles. These people should just remain a regular soldier instead of being in a commanding position."

The muscular man coldly said, "I've been in the army for thirty years. I started as a regular soldier and killed my way to my current rank."

Wan Tiansheng laughed. "In that case, you should just focus on your role as a muscle. Why do you insist on getting involved in strategic decisions?"

The muscular man roared, "I know you look down on me, but I do not need your respect. We only need to send the remaining two thousand Martial Dragon Guards in Great Xia to the battlefield to achieve our goal. We don't need to pay too much price to eliminate that army!

"After losing a thousand soldiers, we have successfully pushed the enemies into desperation. Wan Tiansheng, you want us to withdraw our army now? Have you considered what the Martial Dragon Guards will think? Will the soldiers at the front line be willing to accept that?

"I'm a military man. I know them best. They won't be able to accept it. They will not be satisfied. After losing one third of their own, they have finally gained the absolute upper hand. Nobody will be willing to stop now!"

The muscular man's eyes turned red in agitation, "We paid a high price for this victory! We must continue until we get our due!"

Wan Tiansheng softly said, "Fighting a war is not a matter of blind aggression. Zheng Ping, why do you not understand that after so many years in the military? At times, the number of enemies you kill does not determine the result of a war. Rather, our gains determine the result.

"I dislike Great Xia's combat doctrine. Never showing mercy and always pushing things too far. This is bad. Very bad. You will only provoke our enemies into making a last stand with us, ensuring that we will suffer alongside them.

"It is important to know when to stop. Let them pay for their lives with resources, cultivation methods, martial techniques, blood, and other treasures.

"That way, during the next war, they will be willing to surrender much earlier and buy their way out with treasures. We need to prioritize collapsing their will to fight, not arousing their will to fight."

Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Great Xia has been involved in so many wars over the years. Sure, we have been able to kill the most in every war, but each time, we're also the ones to suffer the biggest losses while gaining the least when compared with the other human prefectures.

"Our enemies' will to fight have all been aroused by you. The myriad races know that against Great Zhou, they can pay for survival if they can't win. But against Great Xia, they have to fight until the bitter end.

"In that regard, I think Zhou Potian did very well. Even Great Ming handled things better than us. Great Xia has powerful soldiers and commanders with unrivaled combat prowess. But what about our losses? What about the death compensation?"

Wan Tiansheng shook his head and sighed, "Zheng Ping, I really believe that the prefect should send you to our treasury. You can see for yourself how empty it already is."

Zheng Ping trembled. He looked up at Xia Longwu.

Xia Longwu had been remaining silent. When he saw Zheng Ping looking at him, he calmly said, "Our treasury is not very full at the moment, but it's fine. Great Xia's foundation is strong enough to withstand our losses."

Wan Tiansheng smiled, "So prefect, do you intend to continue the war?"

Xia Longwu looked at Wan Tiansheng and indifferently said, "Wan Tiansheng, some of the things you said are right. Great Xia has always been the one to kill the most and gain the least. I know that better than you. But even so, I've never listened to your suggestions. Do you know why?"

Wan Tiansheng wasn't surprised. He slowly said, "I understand. You want to forge the strongest human army, allowing humanity to possess a heroic vanguard army."

"It's good that you understand." Xia Longwu stood up and coldly said, "In the past, Great Zhou was the strongest. Their armies swept through the Allheaven Battlefield and were without rival. They did what you suggested, allowing their enemies to pay their way out of the war.

"That continued for a year, two years, ten years, and a hundred years. During one campaign, after pushing their enemies into a corner, they felt that it was time to stop again. It was time to reap their harvest. Alas, they were wrong. The elite army of the divine race they were facing had decided to make a last stand.

"With ten thousand soldiers, they defeated Great Zhou's army of one hundred thousand when they had their guards down. Great Zhou had forgotten how it feels to fight until the bitter end. They had forgotten how to fight with everything on the line. An army of a hundred thousand was defeated."

Xia Longwu sneered, "That battle came to be known as the Battle of Lazo Sea. Humanity suffered a crushing defeat there. An elite of a hundred thousand was defeated by a broken army. It was inconceivable. It shocked the myriad races. They discovered that the most elite army of humanity was merely a paper tiger."

Xia Longwu's face turned cold, "The unequaled Great Zhou Army has their legends shattered there. Why? Because they're used to it. They're used to not losing lives in war."

Xia Longwu looked at Wan Tiansheng and solemnly said, "The example of our predecessors is right before our eyes. Wan Tiansheng, do you still believe that there is no need to be harsh on the battlefield?"

"That was not what I meant." Wan Tiansheng shook his head. "But Great Xia is really on the verge of collapse. Prefect, we need a balance in everything. We can't deny everything the Great Zhou Army had done just because of a single defeat. They were able to rapidly rise up from that defeat. Their ample harvest from their past wars played a great role in that, allowing them to rapidly rebuild another elite army.

"But for us...if we lose the Martial Dragon Guards, it will be too difficult to rebuild another elite army."

Standing in front of his throne, Xia Longwu stared at Wan Tiansheng from above.

Wan Tiansheng did not give up. Meeting Xia Longwu's gaze, he said, "Withdraw, negotiate, and allow them to pay for their lives."

"I am the soul of Great Xia. I can't step back!"

"You still need to do it!"

The scholarly Wan Tiansheng suddenly became overbearing as his eyes turned sharp. "If you refuse, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy will no longer provide the Martial Dragon Guards with any manpower. You won't see a single cultural researcher in the Martial Dragon Guards after this."

"Are you threatening me?" asked Xia Longwu with an overcast voice.

Wan Tiansheng stood up and solemnly said, "If you refuse to take a step back, I would rather have our teachers and students seek refuge at Great Zhou than to let our children throw their lives away for the sake of your reputation!"

"Bastard!" Zheng Ping was furious. "Wan Tiansheng, are you betraying Great Xia?"

"No. I'm saving Great Xia. I'm willing to fight for the human race, but I'm not willing to fight for a dictator."

Wan Tiansheng then removed the official's hat from his head and said, "Wan Tiansheng hereby resigns as the principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy."

Xia Longwu stared at Wan Tiansheng silently for a long while.

Suddenly, the old man to the left laughed and said, "Principal Wan, stop messing with Principal Zheng."

Zheng Ping frowned unhappily. What did that mean?

The old man said, "Like it or not, we still need to take that step back. Great Xia has been in war after war for decades. We have suffered and lost a lot. We have been gathered here today by the prefect to talk about this.

"Since you were able to guess the purpose of this meeting, what is the point of making the prefect lose face?"

Wan Tiansheng pretended to be confused, "What do you mean?"

The old man laughed and shook his head. "You're still the same. Why are you constantly arguing with each other? Can't you talk calmly?

"The prefect wanted to take a step back as well, but he can't do so. He is a rallying banner of humanity. He is also the soul of Great Xia. If he takes a step back, what will our soldiers at the front line think? After all, he's not the same as that shameless Zhu Tiandao..."

At the mention of that name, the mood in the previously solemn room changed.

Even Xia Longwu with his perpetual solemn expression sat down and coughed awkwardly, "Stop talking drivel. Prefect Zhu...cough, cough. He still cares a great deal about his face when it's needed."

Everyone continued laughing. The old man said, "You're right. I was wrong. Let's not talk about that person and return to our topic. There is no changing the fact that we will need to pull our army back. The Martial Dragon Guards will not sacrifice thousands of lives to eliminate an army of ten thousand from the divine skywing race.

"However, the order can't be made under the prefect's name. After killing several divine skywing experts, the prefect urgently needs to enter a secluded cultivation session.

"Today, the two of you are gathered to talk about the appointment ceremony a few days later. With the prefect in seclusion, Marquis Xia will be appointed as the acting prefect. At that time...Wan Tiansheng, you can repeat your performance today."

A grin unfolded on the old man's face, "Have Marquis Xia make the order to withdraw. Since the prefect is in seclusion, the order will have nothing to do with him.

"Even if our soldiers at the front line are unhappy, it doesn't matter. Marquis Xia does not mind. He has always been a merchant. He will take charge in the talks with the divine skywing race, asking for compensation from them. Even the divine skywing race won't suspect anything. The myriad races won't be able to detect Great Xia's weakness."

Zheng Ping was hit by a realization. He scolded, "Old fart, is that really fine? Marquis Xia...he has been the fall guy way too many times. Nowadays, his reputation is terrible."

"Since he already has a bad reputation, why does it matter if his reputation drops further?" The old man smiled, "Principal Zheng, what Principal Wan said is true. Great Xia's treasury is nearly empty. We can't afford to keep fighting. We won't be able to afford building a second Martial Dragon Guards. And after losing our current Martial Dragon Guards, Great Xia would be left with no elites.

"It's only a divine skywing race, not the entirety of the divine race. What's the point of sacrificing everything we have for them? Since our prefect is entering seclusion, Marquis Xia who loves money more than his reputation will take charge. Even the myriad races are aware of his reputation.

"And with him in charge, who will suspect him when he decides to withdraw our army for money?"

The old man had a bright smile on his face, "The divine skywing race will even rejoice that Marquis Xia has taken office during this critical moment. If Prefect Xia was still in charge, they would probably lose this army of ten thousand entirely.

"The prefect is known for being unyielding. If he is the one to make this order, everyone will be surprised. They will all assume that Great Xia is in some sort of trouble."

Zheng Ping found himself speechless. After a while, he asked, "Are things really that bad?"

"Yes. The treasury is almost empty." The old man sighed. "Why else would we withdraw now after fighting for so many years? In the past, we will not stop attacking a race that has created trouble in our prefecture like the divine skywing race until we damage them lethally."

"But now, we have no choice but to stop and recuperate." The old man solemnly said, "This is why the prefect has decided to enter seclusion now. We can't keep fighting. That applies to not only the Martial Dragon Guards, but the Devil Subding Army as well. They have suffered so many losses that they have been recalling veterans year after year. They will need to stop and recuperate as well.

"Great Xia looks powerful, but in truth, we're losing manpower faster than we can replenish it. After spending so many years building a resounding reputation, it is time for us to rest. There is no avoiding that.

"The prefect will end his seclusion after Great Xia is done recovering. At that time, the prefect will also be making his debut as an invincible expert!"

Xia Longwu indifferently said, "I have been planning to enter the Allheaven Battlefield and slaughter a king to push myself into that realm. But...to be safe, we will withdraw our army and delay this battle for the future. I believe that Great Xia will only need a few years to make a full recovery."

"Wise choice, prefect." Wan Tiansheng praised fawningly, "I see a bright future ahead of Great Xia with this choice!"

Xia Longwu was having none of that. He asked nonchalantly, "Aren't you resigning? How about this, you can officially submit your resignation during the ceremony a few days later. Since Zhou Potian is willing to take you, feel free to go there."

Chapter 53: Storm Is Coming (2)

"The prefect is really humorous!" Wan Tiansheng remained completely calm as he said, "I was only practicing earlier! I can't let Marquis Xia and the others see through my performance during the ceremony! Zhou Potian? That's a crafty old fox! I am unwilling to associate myself with the likes of him!"

"Heh." Xia Longwu sneered. "Let Zhou Potian know what he said."

He looked at the old man to the left. The old man laughed. Looking at Zheng Ping, he said, "Principal Zheng, take charge of that. Do not miss a single word of what Principal Wan said about Prefect Zhou."

Zheng Ping had a dark expression. He remained silent.

Xia Longwu ignored them and started walking away as he said, "It's settled, then. The Martial Dragon Guards will withdraw. The divine skywing race will pay a price for that. I'll enter seclusion. The day I leave seclusion is the day I use the divine skywing race to test my blade."

The others voiced their agreement. Nobody objected.

Wan Tiansheng's face was brimming with a smile. Before leaving, he glanced at Zheng Ping and sighed, "It truly is a waste of time to talk strategy with a brute."

Zheng Ping had a dark expression as he said, "Old fart, during this year's academy exchange, I'll make sure to fill your academy with mournful wails."

Wan Tiansheng did not seem to mind. Instead, he happily laughed, "I'm waiting for you. Go for it. Don't hold back. In the past, the people from your war academy were too weak. I almost wonder if you were starving them.

"How about this? I'll provide you with ten thousand kilograms of meat for free. Feed your people well so that they have more strength. If your people can scare half our students away, I'll give you a velvet flag of honor as a gift. The cultural research academy is too crowded. What's the point of keeping so many people with us?"

Wan Tiansheng shook his head, "A bunch of mediocre fools. I've been meaning to cut down on manpower. If it wasn't for those old farts getting in my way, I would have reduced our yearly intake into only a thousand students.

"Old Zheng, I'll be relying on you. Work hard and kick at least a thousand of those students away. If you can do so, I'll personally visit your academy with a velvet banner of honor to thank you."

Zheng Ping's face turned even more unsightly. He had never won a verbal spar against this old bastard.

Wan Tiansheng laughed happily and strolled out of the room while lamenting, "The Great Xia War Academy...has declined. Sigh. The Martial Dragon War Academy, on the other hand, looks promising. As for your Great Xia War Academy...if you can't kick at least a thousand of our students out this year, I'll really start looking down on you."

Wan Tiansheng then vanished into thin air.

Only then did Zheng Ping helplessly mutter, "These old bastards are getting more and more difficult to deal with. Prefect, are we really going to stop?"

Beside him, Xia Longwu, who had left earlier, suddenly appeared. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel※fire.net

Looking at the direction Wan Tiansheng had left, Xia Longwu remained silent for a while before softly saying, "We're not stopping. We're waiting. Waiting until we recover. Wan Tiansheng has been waiting so many years for this. Finally, the prefecture is weakened, allowing him to successfully push his agenda."

Zheng Ping sighed and said, "I'm slightly afraid."

"Of what?"

"I'm afraid that our people will lose their will to fight, their confidence, and their morale."

Zheng Ping looked at Xia Longwu with a complicated expression and continued, "I'm afraid that this withdrawal will also change the heart of Great Xia."

"What will happen, will happen." Xia Longwu calmly said, "We can't keep fighting until even our retired veterans are forced to return to the battlefield. Rest is required. It is better to rest now than to rest when we're no longer capable of putting up a fight.

"Old Zheng, the war academy has suffered great losses over the years. It's time to take a rest."

Xia Longwu then stopped talking and stood there bleakly. He had been unyielding for his entire life. Finally, he was forced to stop. He might have claimed that he looked down on Zhu Tiandao and Zhou Potian, but in truth, he actually admired and envied them somewhat.

"At the very least, much fewer of their warriors have perished compared to Great Xia..."

Xia Longwu muttered to himself with a bitter look in his eyes. He wanted to keep fighting, but reality forbade him from doing so. He had been too aggressive before. As a result, Great Xia was akin to a slab of meat in a boiling pot. It might look great, but danger surrounded it from all sides.

"Wan Tiansheng, we have been competing against each other for so many years. Let me see just what you can accomplish now that you're getting what you want."

Xia Longwu was also curious to see just what Wan Tiansheng could accomplish.

"Cultural research academy...hopefully things won't go wrong at the next step. Teacher, can you really keep everything under control?"

Xia Longwu smiled to himself. The person he called teacher was his first teacher. However, it had been so many years since they last met that he had almost forgotten that such a person existed.

…

Nanyuan Secondary School.

Afternoon.

General office.

Apart from Su Yu and Liu Wenyan, there were many other people in the office. All the students with the potential to get into the cultural research academy were there. Including Su Yu, there were twelve of them.

Previously, Liu Wenyan had forced Bai Feng to teach two of his students. He couldn't send more students to Bai Feng because Bai Feng wasn't a part of the secondary school and he wasn't sure if Bai Feng would teach them anything about Divine Characters.

Today, he was going to personally write a willpower text. That was different. Even if he was biased toward Su Yu, this was still a rare opportunity for the other students. Thus, he had gathered all the students for the writing session.

Liu Wenyan and the principal were standing side by side. A large desk stood before them. There was no paper on the desk. Instead, there was only a beast hide unfurled on it. The hide was massive.

There was also a basin of red liquid on the desk. The red liquid was going to serve as the ink for the writing session today. Currently, Liu Wenyan was grinding the red liquid, preparing it for writing. The principal's heart was still aching from what he had spent. Everything on the desk had been purchased with a large number of merit points.

He had spent over a hundred points for this. The secondary school had truly paid a large price for this writing session.

"Everyone, stay focused when it starts. This is a rare opportunity. If you find yourself reaching your limit, shut your eyes and rest. Do not force yourself to keep going."

The principal reminded all the students sternly. In truth, it was still too early for most of these students to start studying willpower texts. Even the academy would not open any Divine Character lessons to students below twenty percent willpower.

Most students also wouldn't bother trying to study Divine Characters before then. That was basically a waste of time and money. After all, in the academy, reading a single willpower text, especially when it was being written live, was not something one could do for free.

In the academy, a single willpower text lesson would cost one at least five merit points. And that was only the cheapest lesson where it was conducted in a large group, with the price being a discounted price since they were the students of the academy.

It would cost an outsider far more to attend one of such classes. The cultural researcher's mood would also decide whether these outsiders could attend the lesson. After all, writing one such text would exhaust a large amount of willpower, so each lesson was invaluable.

"Today, Instructor Liu will be writing the Lightning Source Blade, a low-tier profound-grade martial technique. Try to see as much as you can," reminded the principal again.

After Liu Wenyan's willpower materialization, the people of Nanyuan had learned a lot more about cultural researchers than before. In the past, decades would pass before Nanyuan could see a single cultural researcher. People like Su Yu practically knew nothing about cultural researchers.

After all, nobody would talk much about something that had not appeared in their life before. With Liu Wenyan's advancement, things were no longer the same in Nanyuan. The students in the office appeared incredibly excited.

Willpower text!

A Skysoar cultivator was going to personally write the text for them, kickstarting their path of Divine Character cultivation. Beside Su Yu, Liu Yue's eyes were also brightly lit. She couldn't help but to glance at Su Yu. She knew that Su Yu was most likely the intended recipient of this session.

That was because apart from Su Yu, everyone else would not be able to gain much from this session. In fact, it would be quite wasteful for them to learn this at their current stage of cultivation.

As someone who had studied willpower texts before, she knew how valuable and expensive each text was. Disregarding the materials used, even a hundred merit points might not be enough to hire a cultural researcher to write a willpower text. After all, they could earn as much just by killing a Skysoar Realm enemy.

"His willpower is only ten percent full..."

Liu Yue was envious of Su Yu. She couldn't understand why Liu Wenyan looked so highly upon Su Yu. After all, her willpower was already fifteen percent full during their previous lesson with Bai Feng. And after her recent hard work, she was already starting to study incomplete original texts.

That signified that she was nearing or had reached twenty percent willpower. Even so, Su Yu was the one Liu Wenyan had chosen to bring around for the past month. She was never in his mind. She was envious, and she could only sigh. Perhaps Instructor Liu had never truly viewed her as his student.

But in truth, she was wrong. Liu Wenyan only believed that the other students wouldn't be able to learn what he had been teaching Su Yu. Killing Great Strength cultivators as a Source Opening cultivator? Staying a week in a warehouse filled to the brim with corpses? Learn more languages?

These students hadn't even finished mastering their existing lessons. And for lessons everyone could attend such as this writing lesson, he did not exclude anyone even if he believed that the others wouldn't be able to gain as much as Su Yu from it. But there was no helping that since willpower text was not something everyone was capable of studying.

If this was the cultural research academy, he could have charged them five merit points each just for this one lesson. No, not even five merit points would be enough. That was merely the payment for the most basic of lessons. Since he was writing a profound-grade technique, he could charge even ten or twenty merit points and the academy students would still not hesitate to attend the class.