Chapter 23: Total Defeat (2)
"How lucky. There's one here." The young man had a smile on his face.
The old man's expression changed, "You..."
"Assistant Researcher Bai Feng of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Merit points acquired."
Next, the old man felt his source qi dispersing. He paled and said, "Y-you dispersed my source qi?"
"Yeah. That's easy." Bai Feng explained with a smile, "The Divine Skywing Technique cultivated by the Divine Skywing Sect's master is a useless cultivation method with numerous openings. It was something the divine skywing race used to deceive you fools. It is way too easy to make you suffer from the backlash of your own cultivation. Ah, sorry, I can't keep chatting. I still have something else to do. Die, my friend. Thank you for the merit points."
Once again, Bai Feng flashed the old man a big smile. His willpower erupted and instantly punctured the nine acupoints of the old man. The old man suffered a backlash from his own source qi, instantly killing him.
"Well this is profitable." With a wave of Bai Feng's hand, the old man's possessions flew toward him. "I love nothing more than free merit points. A fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator is worth quite a lot of merit points."
He then looked at the ongoing battle not far away and asked, "Do you need help?"
The Martial Dragon Guards' squad leader roared, "Piss off! Bai Feng, you have been hiding all along. Now you're here to reap the harvest of our hard work?"
"That is absolutely not true!" Bai Feng said with an aggrieved tone, "I just arrived! Sigh, you fellows from the Martial Dragon Guards really have a bad temper. I'm a great researcher. Why would I do something like that?"
Looking at Liu Wenyan who was flying in his direction, Bai Feng immediately smiled, "Congratulations, Martial Uncle Liu for your breakthrough!"
Liu Wenyan glanced at Bai Feng with an unhappy expression. "Shut your mouth. I'm not your martial uncle."
"Martial Uncle, Teacher reminded me to--"
"Scram!" Liu Wenyan showed no mercy and shouted with an ugly expression. He did not seem happy seeing this guy.
Bai Feng sighed. Just how had he offended these people here? He was telling the truth! He had really just arrived! And since he happened to encounter a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator upon arrival, he decided to help them with that enemy. Was this how they repay him?
Bai Feng stopped talking and landed on the ground. He ignored the ongoing battle as the Martial Dragon Guards and the mayor should be able to deal with one third-stage Skysoar cultivator. If they could get themselves killed even in such a situation, they deserved the death.
"Martial Uncle..."
Bai Feng had barely said anything when Liu Wenyan berated, "Who's your martial uncle?"
"Cough. Cough. Instructor Liu, I'm calling you Instructor Liu!" Bai Feng smiled awkwardly and said, "Instructor Liu, right after receiving your request, the academy sent me over. Teacher is very worried about you--"
Liu Wenyan became even more furious. "I don't need him worrying over me. I'm living a good life. Also, for how tardy you are, you want me to consider this a favor from him? This is an official business, not a private matter! Nobody is doing anyone any favors!"
"Yes, yes! Exactly! You're right!" Bai Feng did not mind the harsh words. With the same fawning smile, he said, "Mar-Instructor Liu, the school is fine, right?"
Liu Wenyan frowned. Behind him, the principal walked over while breathing heavily. With a sad tone, he said, "Five instructors were killed. The city guards and Windcatcher Department have lost more than ten people as well. As for the students...those in the classrooms are fine. Those outside...I'm afraid more than ten of them were killed."
Liu Wenyan's face turned ugly. Bai Feng stopped smiling and awkwardly said, "I had really tried my best to get here as soon as possible. I didn't even stop along the way. Principal Wang, Martial Uncle, I'm sorry. I thought I could arrive in time..."
"Hmph!" Liu Wenyan only snorted angrily instead of saying anything.
The principal did not blame Bai Feng. He said, "All things considered, this is actually a good result. It is even better that you have managed to kill their last Skysoar cultivator as well."
As for the casualties, there really wasn't anything they could do about it. The Myriad Race Cult wasn't weak. With only thirty deaths, they had eliminated so many cult members. This could be considered a great victory even on the Allheaven Battlefield.
...
"So strong!" Su Yu and Chen Hao had arrived near the school gate. They had both witnessed the previous battle. Su Yu was very shocked to see how powerful that young man was.
Previously, the Martial Dragon Guards had spent a long time fighting Hallmaster Chen yet failed to defeat him. There were even a couple of close calls where Hallmaster Chen was nearly able to kill some of them. However, this Bai Feng fellow was able to easily kill Hallmaster Chen. What was his cultivation level?
"So this is someone from a cultural research academy?" Su Yu couldn't help but to give Liu Wenyan a glance. So the instructor hadn't been lying, after all. A random person from a cultural research academy was already this strong. Even a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator was instantly killed.
Also, the instructor had instantly killed several Infinite Strength cultivators and one second-stage Skysoar cultivator right after his willpower materialization. That was too unbelievable.
"Is this the strength of cultural research academies, the strength of willpower?"
Beside him, Chen Hao was also blanking out from shock as he muttered, "Yu, Skysoar cultivators don't seem that strong at all. Why...do they feel as weak as paper?"
That was really how it looked when Liu Wenyan killed Wu Hen. It was the same when Bai Feng killed Hallmaster Chen. The two cult members had been killed before they could even blink.
"I don't know..." Su Yu was finding all this hard to process as well. His father was a ninth-stage Great Strength cultivator. He had always thought that his father was quite strong. But after witnessing people like Instructor Liu and Bai Feng, his father was truly weak! In fact, dozens of Infinite Strength cultivators were killed today. His father must be quite fearless to enter the Allheaven Battlefield with that little strength of his.
While Su Yu was in thought, a shrill voice rang out in the air. The woman's head was cleaved open by Xia Bing, killing her on the spot. Just like that, the attack of the cult came to an end. It ended with a total defeat for them. Hundreds of their elite members had been killed. Not one was spared.
On that day, Su Yu had killed two high-stage Great Strength cultivators. He also got to witness the strength of cultural researchers. In his mind, cultural research academies had been elevated to a much higher height than before. Any random person from a cultural research academy could kill Skysoar cultivators like bugs. As for Instructor Liu, yeah, that guy was probably telling the truth when he claimed that he was the weakest among them.
Su Yu was completely unaware of what the title assistant researcher signified.
…
Nanyuan City had won the conflict with the Myriad Race Cult. After the victory, their next step was to clear the city of the remaining cult members. Thıs content belongs to novelꜰire.net
At the same time, outside Great Xia City.
Severed Head Mountain.
At the top of a mountain shaped like a body with a severed head, Xia Longwu swung his saber, severing the final head of the divine race experts he had been facing. With a rumble, the five-meter-tall corpse collapsed onto the ground.
"Have mercy!"
Five divine race corpses could be seen on the ground. There was also one survivor. The survivor was not a divine. Rather, it was a human, the sect master of the Divine Skywing Sect. This was someone the humans had hunted for many years. They had never succeeded. He was an extremely powerful cultivator.
At this moment, the mighty sect master was on his knees while trembling in fear. He loudly begged, "Spare me!"
Xia Longwu raised his saber expressionlessly and glanced at the sect master before saying softly, "Since your masters are dead, you should accompany them."
"No! Lord, I can be useful for you!"
The trembling sect master pleaded, "I can lure more divines into Great Xia for you! I can convene a general assembly of the Divine Skywing Sect for you! I can even help you penetrate the inner circle of the Myriad Race Cult and locate the strongholds of the other sects! Lord, spare me! I can be helpful for humanity!"
Begging for mercy was pointless. He had to demonstrate his worth. Xia Longwu was too strong. He must have entered that realm. They had been mistaken. Completely mistaken. The divine skywing race had suffered disastrous losses during this operation. Five of their super experts had been killed in Great Xia. Everything was over for the Divine Skywing Sect. They must have suffered great losses from their attacks in the other cities as well. The sect master knew that this was the end of their sect.
But he didn't want to die. It had been very difficult for him to reach this level of cultivation. He was someone capable of eventually stepping into that realm. He was even willing to give up the chance to transform into a divine. He believed that he could step into that realm even while staying human.
Xia Longwu overlooked the sect master from above. After a long while, he spoke, "Anything else?"
"Yes! Yes! The Divine Skywing Sect has a lot of treasures hidden in a secret grotto. I've been to the divine skywing race's territory. I know the situation there. I can lead the way for humanity! I can help assassinate their experts! Lord, I can even go to the Allheaven Battlefield and fight for humanity! As long as you spare me..."
The sect master trembled as he spoke in panic. He didn't want to die. They had been defeated. Six super experts had attacked Xia Longwu and five had been rapidly killed. That was too terrifying.
"Where is the secret grotto?" Xia Longwu asked coldly.
"Lord, as long as you spare me..."
"Where is the secret grotto?" Xia Longwu asked again. His killing intent surged, not caring for anything other than the answer to his question.
"Lord..."
Swish!
A blade was swung, and a head was severed. Xia Longwu snorted coldly. This fellow sure had a lot of useless things to say. It didn't matter if he was unwilling to talk. Xia Longwu would just get his people to search around. If they couldn't find the treasure, so be it. A mere animal dared to bargain with him? Wanting to live? Dream on! Not one of the six super experts had survived the encounter with him.
Xia Longwu started harvesting the corpses. These divine race corpses were all treasures, and there were five of them here. While he was busy looting the battlefield, a silhouette appeared atop a nearby mountain peak. Xia Longwu did not even spare that silhouette a glance and continued his harvest.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The newcomer was a middle-aged man. While clapping, he smiled and said, "Xia Longwu, looks like you didn't need my help, after all."
Xia Longwu ignored the newcomer.
"Are all geniuses so arrogant?" The middle-aged man had a carefree smile. "That's understandable. It is incredible that you can reach this level at your age. That is definitely surprising. I had thought that I would need to make a move to prevent these divines from escaping, but you were surprisingly able to defeat them all by yourself. Speaking of, why didn't you keep Yun Hao alive?"
Yun Hao was the sect master of the Divine Skywing Sect. He was a powerful expert.
"Scum like him does not deserve to keep living." After Xia Longwu was done looting the battlefield, he looked at the newcomer and coldly said, "Zhu Tiandao, I don't remember inviting you to Great Xia. What are you doing here?"
"Why are you talking like that? No matter what, I can be considered an uncle of yours. Why are you addressing me by my name? Sigh..." But Zhu Tiandao still smiled and said, "Just because you hadn't invited me does not mean that someone else hadn't. Those old fogies had invited me before leaving."
Xia Longwu did not say anything. Clearly, some people in the prefecture were worried about him since he was going to face the enemies alone.
Zhu Tiandao moved on to a different topic and asked, "You haven't entered that realm, right? I think you're still a little bit off. You're probably in the same situation as me. This feeling of being stuck is terrible, right?
"If you're already in that realm, you would have been able to instantly kill those bastards instead of taking so long to defeat them. I have an opportunity that can allow people like us to progress. We might even be able to get a better look at the path forward..."
Chapter 24: Gains
Xia Longwu replied indifferently, "No thanks. I know my path. I can see it very clearly. After a while, I'll pay the Allheaven Battlefield a visit and kill a king. With that kill, I'll be able to step into that realm. I'm different from you."
That rendered Zhu Tiandao speechless. He couldn't help but to curse inwardly. Was this guy trying to anger him?
"You really think you can do it? You won't be able to get them. The kings are all getting more and more crafty nowadays. The moment you step on the Allheaven Battlefield, they will join hands against you, severing your path forward. Also, the difference before and after stepping into that realm is very big..."
"I don't need you to tell me that." Xia Longwu did not really care about the advice he was being given. It wasn't like he had never seen an invincible expert before. His grandfather, the Great Xia King, was one such invincible expert.
Zhu Tiandao asked helplessly, "Are you not interested in what I have to say?"
"No." Xia Longwu turned and started leaving. "If your method works, you wouldn't have been so weak. If your elder brother is still alive, he would probably have a higher chance to enter that realm. You...are too weak compared to your brother."
"I--" Zhu Tiandao was furious. "Kid, you're lucky you're only saying this to my face. If you try saying it at Great Ming, you'll get yourself beaten to death. Also, my elder brother was nine when he passed away. How are you sure that he could be better than me?"
"Because he is the first human to have ever entered the Great Strength Realm at nine years old."
"I--"
Zhu Tiandao had nothing to say. Yes, his elder brother was a genius who had reached the Great Strength Realm at nine. However, it was precisely his fast speed that had practically turned him into an example of what one shouldn't do.
Bathing in the blood of divines and devils, entering the Great Strength Realm in one day.
Firstborn of the Great Ming King.
Even now, there were more humans who knew his elder brother instead of him. Nevertheless, it still felt like he was being insulted hearing those words from Xia Longwu's mouth.
Xia Longwu was serious. "At least he has the courage to try. If you had entered the Allheaven Battlefield a hundred years ago to fight the myriad races, you would have probably become an invincible expert by now. I'm not taking your advice. You're not worth learning from."
"..."
Zhu Tiandao had nothing to say. Only after a while did he open his mouth, "You're making it sound so simple, Xia Longwu. I want to see if you're really undefeatable before the war formations of the myriad races. That's the same as throwing your life away. As someone with a chance to step into the invincible realm, why are you insisting on throwing your life away? If you get yourself killed, who can Great Xia rely on? Your grandpa? Nobody even knows where he is!"
That caused Xia Longwu to pause slightly. He then said, "It doesn't matter. My second uncle is alive. He can always come back."
"Him? He's even weaker than me. At that time, your Great Xia will no longer be one of the three strongest prefectures."
"It's fine. Even if we are to fall, it won't be your Great Ming that will replace us."
"..."
Zhu Tiandao found himself incapable of communicating with Xia Longwu. He did not know whether he should laugh or cry. Seeing that Xia Longwu was about to leave, he hurriedly said, "Three years later, the Star Mansion will open. Great Ming has ten openings while you guys have twenty openings. If we join hands..."
"You're too weak. We won't be working with you guys." Read complete versıon only at novel-fire.net
"Xia Longwu!" Zhu Tiandao was infuriated. "I came from so far away. Is this how you treat a faraway guest? How is our Great Ming weak? Three years later, we will be sending our strongest generation to the Star Mansion. If you're unwilling to work with us, we'll have to talk business. According to the policy, you need to give me one divine race corpse for my assistance here."
"..."
Xia Longwu's expression changed.
"If you disagree, work with us."
Xia Longwu turned around and glared at Zhu Tiandao before cursing, "Shameless."
"How am I shameless?" Zhu Tiandao said helplessly, "We're proposing a cooperation. It's not like we're asking you to do all the work. Your Great Xia might be strong, but we're not weak either."
"Hmph!" Xia Longwu snorted coldly. After a while, he replied, "Fine. But if your people turn out to be too weak, I would rather give you a corpse instead. Weaklings are not worthy of working with us."
He then soared into the sky and flew away.
Looking at the departing figure, Zhu Tiandao stood there cussing for a while before smiling, "This kid...sigh, he's really strong."
Xia Longwu was indeed near that realm. They might seem similar in strength, but Xia Longwu was in a much better position. After all, Zhu Tiandao had been stuck at the same level since a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, this kid wasn't even born yet! Each time they saw this kid, he would show considerable progress.
It was no wonder that he dared to take the risk and face five divine race experts in battle. As strong as the divine skywing race, this was still a disastrous defeat for them. Not only had they lost five super experts, they had even lost their Divine Skywing Sect.
...
Few people were aware of the situation at Great Xia City. Even fewer people knew about the deaths of the five divine race experts and the sect master. That was a matter involving only those at the highest ranks. Regular people would not be informed of such a matter.
Back at Nanyuan, the mayor, Liu Wenyan, and the other higher ups were discussing the cleaning up of the remaining cult members outside the city. That wasn't a matter Su Yu could participate in. At the moment, Su Yu was hiding at a corner with Chen Hao while checking their gains.
"Yu, are we rich?" Looking at the loot before them, Chen Hao asked in excitement, "Yu, why do these people walk around with so much valuables on them?"
"Those in the Myriad Race Cult trust nobody. They are also frequently forced to migrate to a new stronghold. It is only natural that they will carry all their valuables with them."
Su Yu wasn't too surprised. When it came to the Myriad Race Cult, killing their higher ups would sometimes grant a pitiful amount of loot. That was because the higher ups generally had a fixed residence. Those people were hidden very well in the Human Realm. That wasn't the case for the lower-ranked members. They had no fixed base of operation. They were always on the move, and killing them would generally net one all their belongings.
"Two cultivation methods, two martial techniques, five drops of unknown blood essence. We can easily learn more about the blood essence by asking around." The more Chen Hao spoke, the wider the grin he had.
"There's also a bottle of Body Forging Pills. Too bad there are only five pills left. They will be very helpful for Great Strength cultivators. Sixteen pieces of anping gold coins with a value of ten thousand anping dollars each...This is the first time I've ever touched a gold coin. My dad has some, but he never gave me any..."
Gold coins were quite valuable. Some of the Myriad Race Cult members didn't keep too much money on them as it was quite inconvenient to carry all that money around. Thus, they would convert their money to gold coins for ease of carry.
As for bank cards, they were worried that their bank accounts would be frozen in the event they were discovered. Thus, Su Yu and Chen Hao had gained a decent number of gold coins after killing the two cult members. Sixteen gold coins could be exchanged for 160,000?dollars. In truth, for those in the Great Strength Realm, this wasn't a large amount of money. After all, it wasn't cheap for them to cultivate.
"Yu, do we submit our loot to the city?" Chen Hao was clearly unwilling to do so. But he still asked, "According to the policy, all spoils of war need to be reported and submitted."
That was a reasonable policy. After all, there were more than one person participating in the battle.
"Submitting them..." Su Yu gave it some thought. "Let me think about it. Submitting our loot will basically tell them that we've killed two cult members. But we're so weak. How did we accomplish that? Hao, don't tell anyone that I was the one who had killed them. You know what I mean."
"Mhm..." Chen Hao nodded. He whispered, "Yu, why are you suddenly so strong? Those are Great Strength cultivators! I heard from the instructors that the cult members attacking this time are all at the seventh-stage Great Strength Realm and above. How did you penetrate their defense?"
"Don't ask. I won't tell you."
Su Yu's gaze landed on the two tiny black badges on the ground. Those were the badges of the Myriad Race Cult. To keep their identities hidden, the cult members would normally not carry these badges around.
But since this was a major operation, they were expected to pull out after it was completed. To make it easier to identify themselves to their people, they all carried these badges to the mission. That was how Su Yu and Chen Hao had come into possession of these badges. These badges could serve as the proof of their contribution during the battle.
After thinking about it, Su Yu tossed one of the badges to Chen Hao before picking a cultivation method, a martial technique, two drops of blood essence, and six gold coins from the pile and giving them all to Chen Hao.
"If you want to join a war academy, submit these. Use them to prove that you have killed a cult member."
Chen Hao grew excited, but his mood quickly deflated as he said, "Forget it. It'll be hard to explain myself. You were the one who had killed the cult members. They will investigate the claim if I report it..."
He wanted to join a war academy, but submitting these items would expose Su Yu.
Su Yu smiled, "It doesn't matter. It's not like Great Strength cultivators can't die. Of course, we definitely can't claim the kill for the second guy. I pierced his heart with my bare hand. It wouldn't be an issue to claim the first kill. With a saber, it won't be too surprising to make a kill by cutting harder. Just report the kill and claim that the enemy was careless and gave you the chance to make the kill."
"Yu, will this really work?" Chen Hao was nervous. "Why don't you claim the kill instead? I thought you wanted to join a war academy as well?"
"Me? I won't be needing this." Su Yu was indifferent. "I can kill Great Strength cultivators. Do you think it'll be hard for me to join a war academy? Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you that I've broken through to the fourth-stage a few days ago. I can also feel that the fifth-stage is near."
"..."
Chen Hao felt like someone was stabbing his heart with needles. Was Su Yu telling the truth? That was too fast an improvement! But Su Yu was someone who had killed Great Strength cultivators. He had no choice but to believe those words.
Chen Hao gazed at Su Yu with an aggrieved look. Were all geniuses this crazy? But Su Yu had not been so crazy in the past.
Su Yu ignored Chen Hao. After putting away the rest of the items, he whispered, "You can claim the kill, but I need the merit points for it. Also, you still have about ten thousand dollars in your savings, right? I want all of them as well. Consider it a payment to purchase this kill from me. Do you understand me?"
"..."
Chen Hao had a pitiful look on his face. What a greedy fellow. This fellow had gained so many from the kills and was still trying to get his personal savings? It wasn't like he had gotten the money easily. It had taken him years to save all that money. Was Su Yu going to take everything he had saved all these years?
"Why are you looking at me like that? You'll be rewarded after submitting the loot..."
"But the reward will be in the form of merit points!" Chen Hao had a pitiful expression. Was Su Yu taking him for a fool? Su Yu had demanded for the merit points as well. That basically meant that Su Yu was going to wipe him clean!
"At the very least, you're getting a chance to join a war academy. Am I right? It's only ten thousand dollars. Between ten thousand dollars and a war academy, what's your choice?"
Chen Hao sank into confusion. He nodded blankly. Su Yu was right. It was completely worth it to exchange ten thousand dollars for a chance to join a war academy.
"Then it's decided. You can say that I helped you, but remember to claim that you were the one to make the killing strike."
"What if they check the wound and find out that it's something left by someone with more than a bit of physical strength?"
Chen Hao wasn't a complete fool. An expert could easily see a lot of details by inspecting the wound.
"Don't worry. I saw that they have gathered all the corpses to be cremated. Just wait until they're done before making the claim. At that point, there won't be anything left for them to inspect. What are you afraid of?"
"But..."
"Fine, why don't we forget it? I'm not the one desperate to enter a war academy here."
Chen Hao sank into hesitation.
"Fine. I'll do it. Don't worry, I won't betray you. If they're going to investigate, they can do it to me. What's so weird about me killing a cult member? I'm just that strong!" Chen Hao made his choice. He still wanted to enter a war academy. This was his best chance to do so.
Su Yu moved on from the topic. It wasn't likely that the school would conduct a detailed investigation on the claim. Of course, they would be doubtful. But with the corpse cremated and nobody else to claim their kill, the worst that could happen was the school paying a little more attention to Chen Hao. That was only a Great Strength cultivator, not an Infinite Strength cultivator. It wasn't impossible that a Source Opening cultivator could kill one by a stroke of luck. It really wasn't that big of a deal.
"Ten gold coins, three drops of blood essence, five Body Forging Pills, one cultivation method, one martial technique..."
Su Yu was in a great mood as he tallied his gains from the day. Using a drop of blood essence, he had earned ten times the value in loot. He could finally stop worrying that he would use up all his father's money and starve. He needed to figure out what race the blood essence belonged to. Maybe they could help him activate more pages in his book.
Chapter 25: Merit Claiming (1)
While Su Yu and Chen Hao were splitting their loot.
In the Instructor's Office.
Bai Feng looked bored as he sat on a chair while looking at the endlessly arguing group before him. When they were at the end of their discussion, he finally said, "Martial Uncle, do I still need to take those students to the capital?"
"What stupid question is that? Do you think it's cheap to stay in Great Xia City?"
Bai Feng had a helpless expression. These people were the ones who had wanted to send the students away. He was only confirming if that was still the case. Why was his martial uncle taking it out on him?
"Martial Uncle, how about your body refinement? Is there any powerful blood essence or source qi core here at Nanyuan?"
The principal laughed awkwardly, "About that...Researcher Bai, you see...the academy..."
"You don't need to plead for their help!" Liu Wenyan said indifferently, "I can take my time and slowly refine my body. My willpower has materialized. There is no rush."
Bai Feng hurriedly said, "Martial Uncle, you can't say that. Without a powerful blood essence to refine your body, you might not be able to push your body to the level of a regular Skysoar cultivator. That will greatly affect your future progress.
"The stronger the blood essence, the more helpful it will be for you. If you can get the blood of a Skysoar Realm divine or devil, with the strength of your willpower, you'll be able to instantly push your cultivation to the third-stage."
For the path of willpower, one would not prioritize the physical body during the early phase. But upon reaching the Skysoar Stage, that must change. One would start training one's physical body then. At that point, the more powerful the blood essence one used, the stronger a foundation one could forge.
.
Liu Wenyan completely ignored Bai Feng. Blood essence of divines or devils? Blood of Skysoar Realm experts? Where was he supposed to find something like that? Even at the Allheaven Battlefield, it was extremely difficult to kill a divine or a devil.
Furthermore, even the weakest of them at the Allheaven Battlefield would be at the Skysoar Realm. If they were too strong, their blood wouldn't be suitable for him. That was also the case if they were too weak. His best option was the blood of someone in the Skysoar Realm.
Liu Wenyan had never entertained the thought of forging his foundation with the blood of divines or devils. Even in a cultural research academy, few would be able to do something like that. The blood essence of divines and devils were simply too rare.
When Bai Feng saw that Liu Wenyan was ignoring him, he thought for a bit before saying, "Teacher has a few drops of Skysoar flying sky tiger blood essence. The flying sky tigers are very powerful with strong bodies. Why don't you tell Teacher..."
"Scram!" said Liu Wenyan.
Immediately after, the principal exclaimed in excitement, "Flying sky tiger? The 32nd-ranked race among the myriad races?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ noⅴelfire.net
"Yes."
"Old Liu!" The principal was getting more and more excited. "Forget your ego! If you rely on yourself and Nanyuan, how are you going to get the blood essence of a top hundred race? Even if the flying sky tigers aren't as good as the divines and the devils, they aren't that much worse. Their blood essence can help you reach the second-stage or even a third-stage if you're lucky. You're an old man. Don't tell me you're going to waste more time lingering at the early stages of the Skysoar Realm."
Without a powerful blood essence to help build a foundation, Liu Wenyan might need at least five years or even ten years to reach the third-stage despite his strong willpower. He was over seventy. He did not have much time to waste.
Nearby, Xia Bing of the Martial Dragon Guards opened his mouth in hesitation. After some time, he finally said, "Instructor Liu, the flying sky tigers are very powerful. It will be a good idea for you to get a few drops of their blood essence from the academy. The Myriad Race Cult has entered Great Xia. Nanyuan has limited strength, so they will be needing your help."
With the blood essence of flying sky tigers, Liu Wenyan would be able to build a strong foundation that might bring him to the middle-stage of the Skysoar Realm in only a few years.
If he did so, Nanyuan would gain a middle-stage Skysoar Realm expert. That would place the city in a much better position, unlike now where they were having difficulties even defending themselves.
Liu Wenyan ignored them. He looked at Bai Feng and frowned as he said, "I don't need you to worry about this for me. Bai Feng, how many students are the academy accepting from Nanyuan this year?"
"Around ten." Bai Feng smiled, "Martial Uncle, do you plan to add a few additional students?"
Liu Wenyan ignored the question and asked, "How many students are the academy accepting in total?"
"Around two thousand, but five hundred of the two thousand will be accepted from the other prefectures. The rest of the students will be accepted from within Great Xia. According to the statistics, the academy will accept around a thousand students from the capital each year. The remaining five hundred students will come from the other cities in Great Xia."
Of the twenty-eight cities in Great Xia, Nanyuan was the smallest and the weakest. That was why they had the lowest number of accepted students. Each year, the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy would only accept around ten students from Nanyuan.
"Take more this year." ?Liu Wenyan demanded. "At least two more."
"Martial Uncle, this isn't something I can decide..."
"Assistant researchers have at least two free slots. Since you've stolen a fourth-stage Skysoar cult member from us, pay with those two slots of yours."
"Martial Uncle, you're being unreasonable here. I was the one who had killed the cult member. It's not like you guys can kill him if I hadn't arrived in time..."
"Exactly. I'm being unreasonable." Liu Wenyan started acting shameless. "Nanyuan lost over ten students over this. The students are all feeling downcast at the moment. That is Nanyuan's fault, but at the same time, Great Xia is also at fault. The capital has failed to assist us in time. That should not have happened in the first place. It's only fair that you accept a few more students to help them recover from their emotional damage."
Bai Feng opened his mouth helplessly, but no words came out. Yes, he had not been using the two slots assigned to him, but that was still quite a big favor to give.
Finally, he gave up and said, "Sure, Martial Uncle. Nanyuan can get two additional slots, but the students need to meet the minimum requirements. Otherwise, I can't do it. They will only end up kicked after entering the academy."
Finally, a smile appeared on Liu Wenyan's face, "That is only natural. Su Yu and Liu Yue will get the two slots."
"..."
Everyone looked at him in astonishment. What a crafty fellow. Those two were basically guaranteed to pass their examinations. They would definitely not be disqualified after getting the two slots. And by giving them the additional slots, Nanyuan's original slots remained the same, allowing two additional students to get into the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy this year.
Bai Feng was aware of that since the academy had the names of these students as well. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Fine. That's good, I suppose. Their performance and accomplishment after entering the academy will add to my records."
At the very least, those two wouldn't embarrass him. He would lose a lot of face if the two joined through him only to get themselves kicked out of the academy due to their bad results.
Liu Wenyan smiled, "Good. Also, since they're entering with your slots, you should offer them some guidance to make sure they get in. I won't spare you if they end up failing their entrance exam."
"Martial Uncle, about that..." Bai Feng had a gloomy look. "I'm a researcher. They're only secondary school students..."
The gap between them was too big. Was there even a need for someone like him to teach them?
"Assistant researcher." Liu Wenyan emphasized, reminding Bai Feng that he was an assistant first and a researcher second.
"Fine, fine. Since that's what Martial Uncle wants, I have no problem with it. Tell them to come see me. I'll be staying here for three days. I'm tired from the long journey anyway."
With his goal accomplished, Liu Wenyan waved Bai Feng away impatiently.
"Kicking me off after getting what he wants," Bai Feng muttered helplessly and left.
The principal couldn't help but to laugh and say, "Old Liu, you're still very well-respected, it seems. Looks like two additional talents will emerge from our school this year."
To the side, the straightforward Xia Bing remarked, "It's Senior Researcher Hong that's the well-respected one."
"What did you just say?"
Liu Wenyan's eyes immediately turned unfriendly, so Xia Bing hurriedly shut his mouth. That was the truth. Why couldn't Liu Wenyan accept it? If it wasn't for Senior Researcher Hong, Bai Feng wouldn't have shown Liu Wenyan so much respect. For someone like Bai Feng, Liu Wenyan's current cultivation was nothing special.
Xia Bing did the smart thing and voiced none of that. Instead, he shifted the topic and said, "Earlier, someone reported that two cult members were killed near the cafeteria. One was killed using the school's training saber. The other had his heart crushed by claws. During the time of death, no instructors, city guards, or Windcatcher Department officers are around that area."
Liu Wenyan frowned and said, "It doesn't matter. Are you suggesting that you need to have an official position to kill someone from the Myriad Race Cult?"
"You misunderstand, Instructor Liu. I am worried that we have an undercover in the school. But the undercover is not likely to be too strong. The cult member has probably been killed by a sneak attack. The attacker is most likely a Great Strength cultivator."
"Did anyone claim the kill?"
"Not yet. We're still tallying the results of the battle."
The principal gave it some thought and said, "If it's a Great Strength cultivator, it will be hard to find. But if we really have an undercover Great Strength cultivator here, it doesn't matter. The school isn't so weak that we can't handle a Great Strength cultivator. Old Liu has broken through. We can even deal with Infinite Strength cultivators now. You can stop the investigation for now. Don't worry about it. Maybe it's the parent of a student or something."
The principal wasn't too bothered. It was likely that a parent was worried about their child and had sneaked into the school and killed the cult member during the battle. After the battle ended, they sneaked off again since sneaking into the school wasn't exactly a feat worth bragging about.
"You're right." Xia Bing smiled, "We'll see. Maybe someone will claim the kill. I'm just worried that a student will come and claim the kill instead. After all, false claims are a serious matter. The academy entrance exam is near. If a student has a record of making a false claim, it won't be a good look."
"Which student would be stupid enough to do that?" The principal was unbothered. It was a punishable offense for a parent to kill a cult member and have their child take the claim to help with their entrance examination.
Liu Wenyan said impatiently, "Don't be so narrow minded. It's not impossible that a student can kill a cult member through sheer luck. If a student really comes forward to make the claim, just investigate it. There is no need to make a big deal out of it."
That was the end of the topic. The principal did not think that any student would claim the kill. But in truth, a certain student was actually roaming nearby, waiting for the corpse to be cremated before claiming the kill.
Chapter 26: Merit Claiming (2)
By the time the school was done handling the aftermath of the battle, it was already late evening. Su Yu did not follow Liu Wenyan home. The instructor was very busy at the moment, so he did not intend to bother the instructor. After the emergency status was lifted, he went back home. He found his home dusty after being devoid of people for several days.
Su Yu heaved a long breath of relief after arriving home. He had killed two individuals today. He had been able to stay calm in front of Chen Hao, but in truth, he was feeling extremely stressed. He was no seasoned warrior. He was only an ordinary secondary school student. This was his first time killing someone. How could he not feel anything?
"I was lucky. If I had been unlucky, I would have been killed today."
That was especially true for the first cult member. At the time, Su Yu himself had nearly believed that the cult member was an instructor. If he hadn't been able to see through the lie, both him and Chen Hao would be corpses by now.
"Although I can unleash the offensive prowess of a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator, I am still too weak compared to a real Great Strength cultivator. If the enemy can react in time, I won't be able to survive.
"I'm still too weak. Only the strong can determine the result of a battle. If Instructor Liu hadn't broken through, the school would have suffered a defeat. No, that might not be the case. Bai Feng is around. But that proves even more that only the strong can affect the result of a battle..."
He had learned a lot today. During the battle earlier, the Skysoar cultivators were the ones to truly affect the tide of the battle. If Mayor Wu Wenhai and Squad Leader Xia Bing were defeated, that would be the same as Nanyuan's defeat.
That was also the case for the Myriad Race Cult. After one of their Skysoar cultivators were killed, they fell apart like dominoes. A single individual had altered the course of the battle, ultimately resulting in the complete defeat of the Myriad Race Cult.
"Therefore...Dad is nothing but cannon fodder on the battlefield."
Su Yu was getting worried. The battle today was merely a small skirmish. His father, on the other hand, was on a super battlefield involving the myriad races. That was completely different from what he had experienced today.
"Even Skysoar cultivators aren't anything special there. If seven Skysoar cultivators can appear in a skirmish in a small city like Nanyuan, what about the Allheaven Battlefield? Perhaps a random battle there would have the involvement of dozens or even hundreds of Skysoar cultivators.
"I have been too naive. Even if I join a war academy and get myself an opportunity to enter the battlefield for training, I still won't be able to do anything. What can a Great Strength or Infinite Strength cultivator even do there?
"I need to reach the Skysoar Realm, at the very least. Only then will I have the mobility to move around the battlefield. Skysoar cultivators are strong enough to be a mainstay of the forces on the Allheaven Battlefield."
Many thoughts crossed Su Yu's mind, but ultimately, he concluded that strength was what he needed. He had to get as much strength as he could in the shortest time possible.
"I need to continue cultivating with blood essence."
He still had five drops of blood essence on him. Three were looted off the two cult members while the other two drops had been obtained through trade.
"Twenty-six thousand dollars, ten gold coins, five drops of blood essence, five Body Forging Pills, seven merit points, one cultivation method, one martial technique..."
Those were everything Su Yu had at the moment. The Body Forging Pill wasn't something he could use at the moment. Only Great Strength cultivators could use those pills. In fact, those pills weren't cheap. The Xia Trade Company was selling them at thirty thousand per pill.
"I need the two drops of iron-winged bird blood essence for my cultivation. I'll need to trade for more at a later date. No, I need to actually buy some with money and keep some merit points for myself."
He also needed to keep a drop of blood essence for emergencies. After all, he didn't know if there were more cult members hidden around him.
"Continue cultivating."
Su Yu had never felt so weak before. He was even weaker than cannon fodder. While staying with Liu Wenyan, he hadn't dared to cultivate with blood essence. Now that he was back home, he no longer had any reservations.
After swallowing a drop of blood essence, he repeated what he did before and source qi started gathering around him. His nine acupoints shone with a faint glow. His right ear acupoint trembled, showing signs that it was going to be opened soon.
Previously, Su Yu had only utilized less than half of the one hour active duration a drop of blood essence gave him. This time, he was able to last longer. The Source Swallowing Technique was only the foundation cultivation method of the iron-winged birds. Thus, it wasn't exactly a fast cultivation method, but that was precisely why it was suitable for the present Su Yu who was too weak to withstand a faster cultivation method. Follow current novels on novｅlfire.net
...
About forty minutes later, Su Yu stopped his cultivation. His right ear acupoint remained shut. However, he had a feeling that one more session would open that acupoint and push him into the fifth-stage. However, his body had taken in too much source qi today so he would have to do it another day.
"I'll use another drop of blood essence tomorrow after school. I might be able to enter the fifth-stage then."
Su Yu was in a good mood. The Source Opening Realm wasn't a special realm. People generally couldn't distinguish how many acupoints one had opened. He wasn't sure if there were fifth-stage Source Opening cultivators in Nanyuan Secondary School. After all, some people enjoy hiding their cultivation to shock everyone during their entrance examination.
As far as he knew, there wasn't any fifth-stage Source Opening cultivator in Nanyuan Secondary School. After the cultivation session, he used his remaining free time to study the loot he had gotten from the two cult members earlier.
...
At the same time.
Nanyuan Secondary School. The sky was turning dark.
In the Instructor's Office.
Chen Hao was brought into the office. He had been waiting at school. After all the corpses were cremated, he finally went in to claim the kill. That led to the current scene where he was brought to the Instructor's Office. The principal and Liu Wenyan personally questioned him about the claim.
The principal was incredibly furious. He asked solemnly, "You made the kill?"
"Yes."
"You will be punished severely for falsely claiming a kill, do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Chen Hao nodded. He was aware of that. But for him, Yu's kill was the same as his kill. He was most certainly not making a false claim. He did not feel any pressure making this claim. In any case, he had exchanged the claim with all his savings! It was a fair trade! As Yu didn't need the extra marks, it would be a waste to not claim it. Since he had purchased the kill with the money he saved over ten years, the kill naturally belonged to him.
Chen Hao was very confident. He was not making a false claim! He had even helped Yu attract the enemy's attention during the fight. He had contributed to the kill. As far as he was concerned, his contribution of luring two enemies was basically equal to killing one of the two himself. That was a perfectly logical explanation.
The principal shot Liu Wenyan a glance. The instructor was stroking his beard, but he looked more like he was trying to pull his beard off. The instructor signaled that it did not seem like Chen Hao was lying. The principal was stunned. Was Liu Wenyan incapable of detecting if this student was lying? Was Chen Hao actually such a crafty kid? But he did not look like someone so crafty. For them, Chen Hao was basically a baby. How could he be considered shrewd compared to them?
"Tell us. How did you make the kill?"
"I was hiding in the cafeteria with Yu. Someone suddenly pretended to be an instructor and charged into the cafeteria. Yu saw through the lie and made up a story that there are more students around. That fellow stupidly followed him away. I followed behind him before cutting him down with my saber."
Following Su Yu's instructions, Chen Hao gave a simple story. In truth, Su Yu was afraid that Chen Hao wouldn't be able to remember a more complicated story. Thus, a simple story had been fabricated for Chen Hao.
"Su Yu?" Liu Wenyan muttered.
"Yes."
"You were together?"
"Yes."
"Why were you holding a saber? The practical instructor said that the two of you had taken two sabers from the store at an earlier time..."
"Yu said that he had broken through into the fourth-stage. I refused to believe him, so we went to the combat room for practical combat. But he said that he wanted to keep a low profile, so we eventually left to look for a suitable place for combat..."
"Fourth-stage Source Opening?" The principal was astonished. "He reached the fourth-stage?"
"Yeah. He's cultivating very hard nowadays. I reckon that's related to Uncle Su's departure to the Allheaven Battlefield."
The principal nodded in understanding. He wasn't too surprised. If one was lucky, it wouldn't be hard to advance into the fourth-stage from the third-stage. Su Yu was a smart kid. He probably wasn't even trying very hard in cultivation previously. To reach the third-stage while not trying was quite a respectable achievement.
Liu Wenyan gave it some thought and said, "How did you perform the cut?"
"Just like this!" Chen Hao swung his hand, imitating what he saw Su Yu did.
To the side, Xia Bing was watching silently. He nodded when he saw Chen Hao's movement. As a Skysoar cultivator from the Martial Dragon Guards, he was able to judge that this was the exact move used to kill the cult member based on the wound he saw previously.
Liu Wenyan asked, "There is another dead cult member outside the cafeteria. Was that your work as well?"
"What?" Chen Hao pretended to be clueless. That wasn't a kill they could claim. Yu told him that. One kill could be attributed to luck. Two kills would be suspicious.
Liu Wenyan smiled, "You only killed one?"
"Yes."
"Do you know how strong that fellow is? After all, you managed to kill him with one cut."
"No idea. I wasn't able to ask while I was cutting his head off."
"..."
The answer enraged the principal so much he nearly laughed in anger. He said with a flat face, "Why did you wait until now to make the claim? Why not earlier?"
"I was scared." Chen Hao said with an innocent expression. "This was the first time I've ever killed someone. I nearly pissed myself. It took me quite a long time to recover. But I guarantee I didn't piss myself today! I definitely didn't!"
The principal ignored those words. He scanned Chen Hao and saw some traces of blood on Chen Hao's body. He frowned slightly as he wondered if this kid was really telling the truth.
"Where's Su Yu?"
"He went back home. Yu said that he only wants the merit points. I can have the kill. Since he has contributed his brains for the kill, he deserves to get a share in the reward."
Liu Wenyan laughed, "So you're getting the contribution while he's getting the merit points. You can get the extra marks for your entrance exam while he can get the tangible benefits for the kill?"
"Yes."
Liu Wenyan looked at the principal before looking at Xia Bing. At that point, the principal no longer knew what to say.
Xia Bing gave it some thought before saying, "Have you practiced any claw techniques before?"
.
"Nope."
"What did you feel when you cut the cult member?"
"Nothing. I was too scared. I think I got my saber stuck. His neck was so hard."
"Where's the saber?"
"I returned it to the Practical Office earlier."
"Did your father come to school?"
"Nope. I called him earlier. He's on overtime today. My dad is the deputy head of the Traffic Department."
Xia Bing ordered, "Man, investigate his father's whereabouts today."
"Roger." A Martial Dragon Guards member answered outside the room. About five minutes later, someone reported, "Chen Qing has been staying at the Traffic Department the whole day. During the battle, he stayed in the department to maintain the order of the city traffic."
"Alright."
Xia Bing glanced at Chen Hao who had a silly smile on his face. After thinking about it, Xia Bing looked at the principal and Instructor Liu. "The school and Martial Dragon Guards can sign the document acknowledging that he made the kill. By killing a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator during active combat, a student is eligible to earn thirty additional marks and three merit points."
He looked at Chen Hao and said, "There is also a dead cult member near the cafeteria. If that was your work as well, you can get sixty marks and six merit points. With sixty marks, as long as you're not a total idiot, you'll be able to enter a war academy."
"Huh? There's one more?" Chen Hao asked, "So can that kill be considered mine as well? You can't find anyone to claim it? What a waste! W-why don't I take it as well? I don't even want the merit points. I just want the sixty marks."
Xia Bing was speechless. Both the principal and Liu Wenyan were speechless as well. Just what was this kid thinking in that brain of his?
Since the one in the cafeteria was killed by Chen Hao and Su Yu, how about the one outside? Liu Wenyan shook his head and decided to let go of the matter. It was no big deal. However, it was indeed quite surprising that Chen Hao was actually able to kill a seventh-stage Great Strength cultivator.
"I'll check with Su Yu tomorrow."
Liu Wenyan nodded as he reached a decision. "We'll sign our acknowledgement. The time, location, and circumstances surrounding the kill have all been explained properly. The spoils of war have been submitted as well. Even the killing weapon has been found. Unless someone else decides to claim the same kill, this case can be closed here."
Xia Bing nodded in agreement. It was only a Great Strength cultivator. They had only paid so much attention to it because the one who had performed the kill was a student. Otherwise, they wouldn't even pay attention to the one claiming the kill. And thus, the matter was put to rest.
Chen Hao left happily. Suddenly, the principal said, "Old Liu, did you really believe his words?"
Liu Wenyan said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. Whether he's a genius or a fool, it will be shown when he joins a war academy. If a fool insists on joining, he can only blame himself after getting himself killed. Also, Su Yu was present as well. He's a smart kid. It's possible that they have performed the kill with trickeries or something. There is no reason to further investigate this."
"True. We also don't need to spread the news about this kill. We don't want the cult to look for the kids for revenge. We also don't want the other students to imitate their behavior. It will be too dangerous."
The principal paused slightly before continuing, "By the way, that student of yours is quite similar to you. He's very crafty. Instead of the extra marks, he requested for the merit points. After all, he won't need any extra marks to join a cultural research academy."
Liu Wenyan also smiled. "Well, he can only do so because he's capable. Were you able to kill a Great Strength cultivator when you were a Source Opening cultivator?"
"..."
The principal was rendered speechless. Shortly after, the two smiled at each other. There was no need to pursue this matter. This year, their school would gain an additional war academy student. Xia Bing's acknowledgment would be enough for that.
After all, the words of the Martial Dragon Guards had a lot of weight attached to it. Bribing someone in the Martial Dragon Guards was harder than buying a position in a regular war academy. It wasn't like the war academies hadn't been accepting special students that came together with large donations to the academies.
Xia Bing ignored the two. After signing the document, he left the office. Outside, he stopped and said, "I believe he did participate in the kill. But I'm unsure if he was the actual killer. It would either be him or Su Yu. Since Su Yu is uninterested in claiming the kill, I'll let Chen Hao have it. But if he does not have the talent or strength to do so, entering a war academy might do him harm instead. I hope you can tell him that."
"We will."
Xia Bing left. He still had some questions related to the dead cult member outside the cafeteria. But as mentioned by the principal and Liu Wenyan, it was no big deal. Chen Hao was the one who had chosen this path for himself. He better not regret it.
Chapter 27: Chill (1)
Divine Skywing Technique: Great Strength Chapter and Blood Clotting Blade.
One cultivation method and one martial technique. These were the two books Su Yu had obtained from the cult members. He only gave the Blood Clotting Blade one look before tossing it aside. This was a low-ranked martial technique. The school had many similar techniques. There was no need to waste his time on it.
Cultivation methods and martial techniques could be divided into the four grades of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow. Each grade was further divided into tiers of peak, high, middle, and low.
That was how the cultivation methods and martial techniques of the myriad races were graded. The Blood Clotting Blade was a middle-stage yellow-tier martial technique. It wasn't completely useless, but it also wasn't anything valuable. There were a lot of such books in the school. It would be a waste of time to study this technique.
As for the Divine Skywing Technique, even if it only had the Great Strength Chapter, he still spent a lot of time reading it. According to Bai Feng, the Divine Skywing Technique was a trash cultivation method. But that was someone speaking from a much higher position. A cultivation method treasured by a higher up of the Myriad Race Cult would not be so worthless.
"Top-tier profound-grade."
That was the grade of the cultivation method. Unfortunately, Su Yu only had the Great Strength portion of the cultivation method instead of the full copy. The classification of heaven, earth, profound, and yellow included the cultivation methods of all races. Su Yu did not know much, but he knew that a lot of human supreme experts only cultivated earth or profound grade methods.
The Anping Calendar started over three hundred years ago. At that time, humanity did not have a lot of powerful cultivation methods. And most of these supreme experts were people from that era.
"Divine Skywing Technique..."
Su Yu read the book over and over again, going through the body cultivation and source qi absorption methods described in it.
"The human body mostly relies on the acupoints to channel the source qi and refine the body. The more acupoints one opens, the more source qi one can absorb, and the more source qi one can store. The opening of the nine acupoints will build the foundation. At the Great Strength Realm, one can start opening other acupoints and absorb source qi to refine one's body.
"The Great Strength Chapter of the Divine Skywing Technique shows the opening of seventy-two acupoints. After opening all those acupoints, one would reach the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm."
This wasn't Su Yu's first time reading a cultivation method for Great Strength cultivators. Way before this, he had read the basic cultivation method of the military: the Great Strength Art. That was a simple name, and that was also a simple cultivation method.
A majority of human soldiers cultivated that method. It wasn't that humans didn't have better cultivation methods, but those cultivation methods require richer source qi and stronger physical body to support the opening of more acupoints.
Even if a regular cultivator was given a heaven-grade cultivation method, that person wouldn't be able to cultivate it. There just wasn't enough source qi in the Human Realm to support the cultivation of better methods.
And without a strong physical body and foundation, one's body wouldn't be able to withstand the opening of too many acupoints. That would only cause one's body to implode from absorbing too much source qi. The Great Strength Art was capable of opening thirty-six acupoints. It was a top-tier yellow-grade cultivation method.
For a regular soldier, it was very good. It could help one rapidly grow, and it would also grant one a relatively fast progression without much cultivation resources. In fact, some people had access to better cultivation methods but would still cultivate the Great Strength Art since progress with that method would be easier, granting them an easier avenue to extending their lifespan.
As for the Divine Skywing Technique, one could open seventy-two acupoints during the Great Strength Realm. It could be considered a rather powerful cultivation method. The opening of acupoints wasn't something to be done randomly.
In the Divine Skywing Technique, all seventy-two acupoints were described in detail, with the opening sequence and the circulation route of source qi through the acupoints provided as well. Opening acupoints in the wrong sequence could easily cause the collapse of circulation. At that time, one's source qi would start dispersing and in the worst case scenario, one might even die from the backlash.
After spending a long time on the book, Su Yu concluded that this book was indeed a much better cultivation method than the Great Strength Art. Someone cultivating the Divine Skywing Technique would be stronger than a Great Strength Art cultivator.
As for whether someone with a better cultivation method could kill a soldier with a basic cultivation method on the battlefield, that would depend on factors such as experience and determination. Strength alone would not guarantee victory.
"This method can open seventy-two acupoints. It can be considered a decent method."
Of course, Su Yu did not intend to cultivate it. However, it was not a bad idea to learn more. After all, accumulation of knowledge would only benefit himself. As a researcher of the myriad languages, these cultivation methods were also the subjects of his research.
For example, now that he was aware of the positions of the seventy-two acupoints opened by the Divine Skywing Technique, he could target these acupoints the next time he encountered someone from the Divine Skywing Sect and sever the source qi circulation of his opponent. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel·fire·net
That was why cultivation methods were not something that should be easily revealed to others. The seventy-two acupoints were their source of strength, also their weak points. Of course, not all acupoints were weak points. But the hallmaster from the Myriad Race Cult was an example of what would happen when some of the acupoints were destroyed. His source qi had dispersed and even lashed back at him, killing him immediately.
That was why Bai Feng had been able to defeat that hallmaster so easily. In fact, Bai Feng had spent less than ten seconds killing Hallmaster Chen, with half that time spent on talking. If Bai Feng had to rely only on his combat strength, it would probably not be as easy even if he could still defeat Hallmaster Chen.
Naturally, the Divine Skywing Technique would be even more complicated at the Skysoar Realm. More acupoints would be opened and many of the previous weak points would no longer be a weak point. Thus, it was clear how well Bai Feng knew the Divine Skywing Technique: Skysoar Chapter.
Su Yu only placed the book down after two hours. He couldn't practice a Great Strength cultivation method yet. He was only reading it to learn more about it. If he was a better researcher, he might even be able to infer the true cultivation method of the divine skywing race through the book. Naturally, he wasn't at that level yet. Not even Bai Feng would be capable of doing so.
"Cultivation methods and martial techniques aren't that useful for me at my current level. Blood essence, on the other hand..."
Su Yu had studied the three drops of blood essence as well. The projection within each drop of blood essence was basically the willpower imprint of the beings these drops of blood essence had been harvested from. By studying the projections, he could determine the actual owners of these blood essence.
"One drop of iron-winged bird blood essence, one drop of fireboar blood essence, and one drop of blood-thirsty rabbit blood essence."
All three drops came from commonly seen races, and none belonged to the divine race or the devil race. That wasn't surprising at all. How was an ordinary Great Strength Realm cult member supposed to get his hands on the blood essence of powerful beings? These common blood essence was what these regular cult members usually used to help with their cultivation.
The blood essence of the myriad races could provide a higher source qi density and strengthen one's physical body. That was extremely helpful for Great Strength cultivators. Humans generally used blood essence and pills to assist with their cultivation during the Great Strength Realm. The three drops of blood essence might not be anything valuable, but they were still sold at no less than 150,000 dollars at the Xia Trade Company.
"Not bad. Blood essence worth 150,000, ?Body Forging Pills worth 150,000, and ten gold coins. Altogether, I've earned 400,000 dollars from the two kills."
Su Yu was very satisfied with his harvest. It was true that riches and honor came amidst danger. The situation today might have been dangerous, but he had earned a lot from it. If he had submitted the cultivation method and the martial technique as well, he would have earned even more rewards.
Even if what he submitted was not something new to humanity, he would still be rewarded as an encouragement for his contribution. After all, the two served as proof that he had killed at least one cult member.
All in all, his wealth had reached 700,000 dollars in value. He grinned, wondering if his father would feel embarrassed to learn that his son had earned more money in one day than what he had saved over eighteen years.
...
That night, Su Yu dreamed again. The day he activated the book in his head, he had not dreamed. He did dream the next day, but unlike before, he no longer dreamed every single day. At times, his dreams would come every other day and at times, he would dream every day like in the past.
Su Yu suspected that his dreams were appearing in a lower frequency because almost all races in existence had already appeared in his dreams. He was now only dreaming of the few remaining races, so his dreams became more sporadic.
.
In fact, he hadn't been able to see any popular races in his dreams recently. Perhaps he had seen them a long time ago and had simply forgotten. He suspected that the races he were seeing now were simply the weaker races. They were so weak that the book itself had nearly forgotten them, resulting in their late appearance.
The monster Su Yu encountered in his dream tonight looked rather familiar to him. It resembled the looping turtle he once saw in a book. However, he was unsure if he was right. He would have to test it out with a drop of looping turtle blood essence to be sure. But after thinking about it, he concluded that unlocking the looping turtle's page wouldn't be of much help for now. He should wait and see. In any case, his body needed a break after consuming so much blood essence recently.
Ox-faced fish, iron-winged bird, and looping turtle were all races Su Yu were able to recognize in his dreams. That represented that the more common races were finally starting to appear in his dreams. At the same time, the fact that he could recognize these races also signified that his knowledge had been growing. If it wasn't for the sheer number of books he had read, he wouldn't have been able to recognize the indistinct monsters in his dreams.
Chapter 28: Chill (2)
Nanyuan Secondary School.
On the way to school, Su Yu learned of what happened the previous evening from Chen Hao. He was somewhat worried, but the deed was done. Chen Hao wanted to enter a war academy and Su Yu certainly couldn't sit aside and do nothing when a chance presented itself.
That was why he had allowed Chen Hao to claim the kill. That was possibly the only way Chen Hao could get into a war academy. With a nervous feeling, Su Yu entered his classroom. He had barely entered the room when he was summoned by a teacher.
...
In the Instructor's Office.
.
The teacher left after taking Su Yu to the office. There were only Liu Wenyan and a youth in the office. The youth was Bai Feng. Liu Wenyan was reading. With a large book in hand, Bai Feng was happily reading away while crouched at the side. Yes, he was crouched, not seated. A wide smile covered his face, as though he had reached an interesting part of the book. He did not look like a super expert capable of easily killing a fourth-stage Skysoar cultivator.
The two did not react to Su Yu's arrival. After offering his greetings, Su Yu stood there and waited nervously, wondering the reason for him to be summoned here. After entering the Skysoar Realm, Liu Wenyan's willpower had grown considerably. He was actually secretly observing Su Yu, and he was happy with what he saw.
That kid had indeed reached the fourth-stage. Previously, Liu Wenyan had not been able to sense it as he still hadn't materialized his willpower yet. In fact, he could sense some weak source qi undulations on Su Yu's right ear acupoint. This kid was probably going to reach the fifth-stage soon.
After a while, Liu Wenyan looked up and indifferently said, "You've been spending your time cultivating recently?"
"Yes."
"Have you been reading?"
"Not that much," Su Yu appeared somewhat embarrassed. "I have been worried after my father left, so I placed most of my focus on cultivation."
"It is good to think of danger in times of safety. It is also good to cultivate hard. However..." Liu Wenyan's tone turned unhappy, "Reading is also a form of cultivation! Reading ten thousand books, reaching the Skysoar Realm with one step. I won't stop you from cultivating. In fact, that is something you should do. But you shouldn't neglect reading!
"I know what you're thinking since you've even applied to the war academies. But like I said, it will take you too long relying on physical cultivation alone. It is an entirely different matter if you have deep knowledge and are well read. I believe you've seen this person before. He's Bai Feng, an assistant researcher from the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy.
"He's twenty-eight and has been in the academy for nine years. Both his physical body and willpower are at the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm. However, his true combat power is higher than that. Why? Because of his willpower. Not even regular seventh-stage Skysoar cultivators can be his match."
Liu Wenyan said sternly, "He is only a mediocre student of the academy. If even someone like him can reach this level in nine years, you can definitely do better!"
Bai Feng: "..."
Bai Feng looked up and glanced at Liu Wenyan before lowering his head again after some thought. Fine. What could he do if this old fellow wanted to use him as an example to teach a student?
Bai Feng was a mediocre student? Could a mediocre student become a researcher? Even if Bai Feng wasn't the top genius of the academy, he was still one of the best. He had entered the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm before thirty. He also had a chance to reach a higher level of cultivation within two years. Was someone like that mediocre? This martial uncle of his must have misunderstood what the word mediocre meant.
Su Yu hurriedly said, "Don't worry, instructor. I will place equal importance on both. I've been studying for so many years. I won't give up on it now."
"Good." Liu Wenyan had a solemn tone as he said, "Your cultivation speed is fast. You've never cared about it in the past. Now that you started caring, you were able to easily reach the fourth-stage. You might even reach the fifth-stage soon. This will probably give you a misconception that a war academy is more suitable for you. The path of physical cultivation might be the better choice...
"What if I tell you that even after entering a war academy, you'll still need a year to finish opening the nine acupoints, maybe three years to reach the ninth-stage Great Strength Realm, and probably five years to reach the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm?
"That's the trajectory of a decent genius. Someone like that can probably reach the Skysoar Realm in nine years. But you need to understand that the gap between the first-stage Skysoar Realm and the sixth-stage Skysoar Realm is very big. You might be stuck in the same realm for decades.
"You're only at the fourth-stage Source Opening Realm. Do not have the misconception that you're amazing or you're a genius. Nanyuan is a small city. If even Nanyuan can produce fourth-stage or fifth-stage Source Opening cultivators, what about the other cities? What about the capital?"
Beside him, Bai Feng smiled and said, "I've been paying attention to the other cities. There are several seventh-stage Source Opening geniuses in the list of students this year. Of course, seventh-stage Source Opening Realm is basically unattainable for Nanyuan. Meanwhile, such geniuses can be found everywhere in the capital. You can even find eighth-stage Source Opening cultivators there.
"We also have some ninth-stage geniuses that only need to link up their acupoints to step into the Great Strength Realm. Of course, they are all holding back so that they can break through after entering the academies."
This time, Liu Wenyan did not interrupt Bai Feng. He looked at Su Yu and sighed, "I'm not trying to force you to enter a cultural research academy. But you need to understand that your talent does not lie on the path of physical cultivation. Even if you're somewhat talented there, your talent is still a far cry from true geniuses.
"Physical cultivation requires a large amount of resources. Blood essence, pills, combat experience, weapons, and all that will only make you poor. As the saying goes, martial cultivation is for the rich while studying is for the poor.
"Su Yu, as someone from an ordinary family, if you're not talented when it comes to willpower cultivation, I'll be happy to see you enter a war academy. But you have talent in willpower cultivation! I hope to see you walk further and climb higher in the future!
"The cultural research academy does not care much for your cultivation early on, so you won't spend too much resources on cultivation. Even without money and combat strength, you can still reach the Skysoar Realm. But if you enter a war academy, it will be very unlikely for you to reach the Skysoar Realm.
"Do you know why aren't I telling this to the others? To Liu Yue? Even if she applies for a war academy, I won't stop her. Because her family is rich enough to support her cultivation.Su Yu, this is why I hope you can walk the path of mental cultivation. I don't want you to wallow in regret just because you lack the resources you need.
"Even if you're talented, you won't be given cultivation resources freely. Nothing comes free! There are a lot of geniuses in the war academies. You won't stand out, so that will be a much harder path for you. I only hope that you can walk a smoother path."
Su Yu nodded repeatedly. He was touched. He knew that these were his instructor's heartfelt words. For someone from an ordinary family like him, there were things he couldn't afford. Of course, it wouldn't be an issue if he only aimed to reach the Great Strength Realm. But he aimed to rapidly reach the Skysoar Realm. His family certainly didn't have the wealth to support that.
"I understand, instructor. I did not think it through. I'll work hard."
"Good." Liu Wenyan smiled, "In the coming days, have Bai Feng give you some guidance. Just ask him anything you don't know. He isn't that special in the academy, but he's good enough to teach you."
Bai Feng: "..."
Liu Wenyan had belittled Bai Feng so many times that even Bai Feng started doubting himself. Was he really nothing special? But he was quite popular in the academy and even the capital itself. He was someone with the potential to step beyond the Skysoar Realm before thirty. He was also one of the few assistant researchers younger than thirty.
But why...did all that feel so worthless here?
Why?
Bai Feng felt incomparably gloomy. This martial uncle should probably look himself in the mirror when calling someone else mediocre. As someone who had only achieved willpower materialization after seventy, calling someone else mediocre was basically the same as insulting himself.
When Bai Feng saw that Su Yu seemed to actually approve of Liu Wenyan's words, he smiled indifferently. These kids really knew too little about the world. Just wait. After joining the academy, he would come to learn just how amazing his Big Brother Feng was.
He would come to learn how difficult it would be to reach Bai Feng's level. Never told an ant the might of an elephant. The ant would not be able to comprehend the concept of that. Only by standing on the same height would that ant understand how incredibly powerful an elephant was.
"I'll be staying at Nanyuan Secondary School for the next two days. You can come see me anytime while I'm here," said Bai Feng before leaving with the book in his hand.
After Bai Feng left, Liu Wenyan spoke with a low voice, "Learn properly. Treasure the two days you have with him. Use everything you have and take everything he can offer. Although you won't be able to learn everything he knows, you should still make good use of the two days I gave you. This is a good opportunity that you might not even get after entering the academy."
"I see."
Su Yu was shocked. Was his instructor saying that even after entering the academy, he might not be able to obtain the guidance of a researcher?
"For one class with an assistant researcher, you need to pay five merit points. Each class will only last one hour. You're getting two days, forty-eight hours for free. Don't bother sleeping. Learn everything you can from him. This is worth 240 merit points. That is an amount you will take very long to earn. Go. I believe in you."
"Thank you, Instructor."
Su Yu's eyes lit up.
The instructor and student looked at each other as a wide smile bloomed on their faces. Far away, Bai Feng suddenly felt an intense chill creeping up his spine. He turned around and cursed inwardly. Was his martial uncle preparing to scam him? What was his martial uncle going to do?