บท 33: Chapter 33
Nanyuan.
The past couple of days have been quite lively at the academy. Chen Hao, who was at the third level of Kaiyuan, broke through to the fourth level and challenged Zhou Chong, who was at the fifth level.
There's not much difference between the fourth and fifth levels; they're both just regular folks. Even though Zhou Chong had a higher realm, he got beaten up by Chen Hao, who made him cry like a ghost.
But that wasn't the end of it. After beating Zhou Chong, Chen Hao thought the fight was too short and continued challenging others. On the first day alone, he fought over a dozen students.
There were wins and losses, but Chen Hao didn't mind. He treated it as practical combat training.
In just three days, Chen Hao had fought at least thirty times. If it weren't for the numerous bruises all over his body, forcing his mother to keep him home to recuperate for a day, he would have kept fighting.
Chen Hao might have stopped coming, but he had set a precedent at Nanyuan Academy.
Usually, everyone thought that the fourth level of Kaiyuan was impressive, and the fifth level was like a star in the sky.
But now, seeing Zhou Chong beaten by Chen Hao opened a new world for everyone. Many students, who were often bullied by some geniuses, got excited. With Chen Hao absent from school, the academy became even more lively.
There were quite a few students clamoring to challenge the so-called geniuses. Zhou Chong, known for his foul mouth, had made a lot of enemies. Unwilling to back down, he ended up in at least six or seven duels that day.
Win or lose, he got hurt each time. Now, people who didn't know him well could hardly recognize him anymore.
...
"Foolishness!"
In his office, Liu Wenyuan shook his head, somewhat amused.
He could guess who was behind this!
Chen Hao, being simple-minded, wouldn't have picked a fight with Zhou Chong on his own. It was obviously Su Yu's doing.
Beside him, the old headmaster continued tugging at his beard, which had noticeably thinned in recent days.
Sighing deeply, the old headmaster lamented, "These youngsters are so full of energy! The assessments are coming up, and they're still causing trouble. A little ruckus might be good, as it brings passion to their training, but…"
The old headmaster looked on the verge of tears, "But why are they fighting the girls? I worry for their future! There aren't many girls in the War Academy to begin with. If they take this habit there, our Nanyuan… will it become a den of bachelors?"
Liu Wenyuan's body trembled slightly. Yes, this was a serious problem!
"This kid Chen Hao... he deserves a beating!"
Liu Wenyuan was also growing concerned. What would happen to this batch of students from Nanyuan?
Right now, they were all shouting about "gender equality" and how "there's no distinction between men and women on the battlefield." Equality, my foot!
If these boys remained this straightforward, what would happen in the future?
Would this batch of male students remain single for life?
The old headmaster sighed deeply, "This bad influence isn't just affecting this batch. The younger ones are watching too. There are still quite a few eleven and twelve-year-olds in the academy. These past couple of days, I've heard from other teachers that many male students are preparing to challenge the female students…"
"Are they out of their minds?" Liu Wenyuan was speechless.
"They're not out of their minds; it's the influence of the older students. They say that fighting girls shows strong determination in pursuing the Dao and aids in progress."
"..."
Liu Wenyuan glanced at the old headmaster, who looked back at him. The two old men suddenly showed dejected expressions.
This can't continue!
If this goes on, in a few years, Nanyuan Academy really will become a monastery.
It's too terrifying!
Moreover, if this bad reputation spreads, and even the Great Xia Prefecture gets wind of it, how can Nanyuan students hope to have any romantic relationships when they get there?
What are they thinking!
The old headmaster sighed again, "Let's focus on getting this batch of students out first, Lao Liu. Putting that aside, did you hear the news from the Great Xia Civilization Academy?"
As the top medium-level academy in Nanyuan, they naturally had connections with various academies in the Great Xia Prefecture.
Some news spread quickly.
Besides, there were graduates from Nanyuan Academy in those academies, so the old headmaster was quite well-informed.
Liu Wenyuan nodded slightly, then said indifferently, "It's the same old story, nothing new! The key is not Su Yu, but Bai Feng. This guy just broke through to the seventh level of the Soaring Realm, which suddenly makes him a much bigger threat."
"Before, even though he was at the sixth level of the Soaring Realm and quite outstanding, there were still seven or eight people at his age at the same level in the Great Xia Civilization Academy. There were even several in the later stages of the Soaring Realm. His ranking in the top ten was debatable, but now he's rapidly broken through… this naturally draws attention."
Bai Feng taking a student wouldn't have caused such a stir otherwise.
If he had taken a student at the sixth level, it would have attracted attention, but not as seriously as now.
The key is that he's at the seventh level now!
Though there's only a one-level difference between the sixth and seventh, it means that Bai Feng is now almost free of bottlenecks on his way to the eighth and ninth levels of the Soaring Realm.
As a result, Bai Feng has now ascended to the top five in the Great Xia Civilization Academy.
This refers to Bai Feng's generation, excluding the more senior members of the academy.
The old headmaster said worriedly, "Will Su Yu be affected? I heard that during these times, the competition over there is fierce. It's not just the Civilization Academy; the War Academy is the same. Some even lose their lives…"
"That's very rare," Liu Wenyuan knew better and explained, "There are always people watching. The deaths you're talking about are mostly accidents."
"Accidents can still happen."
The old headmaster worriedly said, "Su Yu, a student from a medium-level academy, suddenly gets involved in this. Lao Liu, do you think he should go to the Civilization Academy? He's at the seventh level of Kaiyuan now, so he's set for the War Academy. What do you think..."
"No!"
Liu Wenyuan frowned and said, "Even if he achieves something at the War Academy, it won't be as significant as at the Civilization Academy! Going to the Civilization Academy now is a hurdle, but if he crosses it, he'll advance faster, higher, and further!"
"Lao Liu, he's only 18. He doesn't understand anything."
Liu Wenyuan firmly said, "If he doesn't understand, he can learn. No one is born knowledgeable! Su Yu has great resilience. Small setbacks won't break him. Once he gets through this, he'll be the best!"
"You see this as a crisis; I see it as an opportunity. If he entered as an ordinary student, it would take at least five years to reach this field. But now, he can immediately connect with the best young talents, which will only help, not hinder him."
"As for the danger... it's not that serious." Liu Wenyuan said solemnly, "Bai Feng is not weak among the young generation, and his teacher is one of the few top researchers in the Civilization Academy."
"Su Yu's starting point won't be low, and only with a high starting point can he progress more easily!"
"Besides... Su Yu is not inferior to anyone!"
Speaking of this, Liu Wenyuan smiled, "We haven't updated the information at the Great Xia Civilization Academy yet. The record still shows him at the fifth level of Kaiyuan, mastering eighteen languages of the ten thousand races. Let's keep it that way for now, to buy Su Yu some time. When he gets to the Civilization Academy, he can surprise them all!"
Seeing that Liu Wenyuan had made up his mind, the old headmaster didn't persuade him further and asked, "Does he have a chance to reach the eighth level of Kaiyuan?"
Su Yu hadn't been on any missions recently. He just came to the academy to report, learned a bit of the languages of the ten thousand races from Liu Wenyuan, and quickly went home.
He was preparing to break through to the eighth level of Kaiyuan.
Reaching the eighth level of Kaiyuan is a major milestone. After the breakthrough, Su Yu will be able to use his vitality, with stronger explosive power. Combined with his divine texts, it will be easier for him to sneak attack and kill those in the Qianjun realm.
"I don't know."
Liu Wenyuan hesitated and said, "He's been progressing very quickly recently. In less than two months, he went from the fourth level to the seventh level and is about to reach the eighth. Bai Feng's 'Kaiyuan Art' helped him a lot, but at the seventh level, the benefits of the will text are limited."
"Weren't you going to write a will text for him? How about writing 'Kaiyuan Art' again?"
The old headmaster was still hopeful for Su Yu's breakthrough. If he succeeded, he would be the first genius in Nanyuan in twenty years to reach the eighth level of Kaiyuan.
Twenty years ago, there was indeed an eighth-level Kaiyuan student in Nanyuan, but it was somewhat deceptive.
That person was temporarily transferred from the Great Xia Prefecture and left after the assessment.
"It's useless if I write it now."
Liu Wenyuan shook his head, then smiled, "I've already decided what to write for him, but you'll have to bleed a bit."
"What?" The old headmaster was wary.
"The first chapter of 'Thunder Origin Blade', the Qianjun chapter!"
Liu Wenyuan said solemnly, "He doesn't lack techniques; he'll have plenty in the Civilization Academy. But he lacks martial skills! He lacks will-text-inherited martial skills! Learning ordinary martial skills is too slow. Only with will texts can he quickly grasp the inheritance and master the skill."
"'Thunder Origin Blade'! A lower-grade profound martial skill?"
The old headmaster looked at him, surprised, "Can he handle it? No, can you handle it? Can you write the Qianjun chapter of 'Thunder Origin Blade'?"
The strength of a civilized master is not only in combat, as warriors are not weak in combat either.
But civilized masters are powerful in many ways. For example, will texts: Bai Feng's half-baked 'Kaiyuan Art' helped Su Yu a lot. He broke through to the eighth level of Kaiyuan with minimal use of blood essence, all thanks to the will text.
"Are you saying I can't do it?"
Liu Wenyuan glared, "It's just a lower-grade profound martial skill and only the Qianjun chapter. Do you doubt my abilities?"
"But... you'll have to bleed! I need a hundred drops of Thunder Beast blood essence, Qianjun level. Also, I need a Thunder Beast horn ground into powder, and provide me with a piece of Ten Thousand Stone level beast skin. I'll use it to transcribe 'Thunder Origin Blade'."
"You..."
The old headmaster's eyes widened, calculating, "A hundred drops of Thunder Beast blood essence, Qianjun level, that's 100 merit points. Thunder Beast horns are 5 merit points each. Ten Thousand Stone level beast skin suitable for transcribing profound martial skills costs at least 10 merit points..."
"115 merit points, are you robbing me?"
"You're so vulgar!"
Liu Wenyuan scolded, "You're too vulgar! Everything is about money to you! It's just over 100 merit points. Last time when the Ten Thousand Races Cult attacked and were wiped out, didn't the academy gain an extra 1000 merit points?"
"That's the academy's savings!"
"Savings? Didn't I kill one of the Tengkong? I didn't even bother to count. Did you embezzle my merit points?"
"What do you mean, I embezzled them!"
The old headmaster was furious, "Don't play dumb with me. Didn't you exchange your merit points for an original book of the Tengkong from the Ten Thousand Races? You forgot? You spent all your merit points and even owe the Great Xia Civilization Academy!"
"The Great Xia Prefecture didn't hold it against you, and you still have the nerve to demand more?"
"Shameless, aren't you?"
"Are you even human? Accusing me of embezzling merits, you..."
Liu Wenyuan coughed lightly, interrupting, "I remember now. I had to improve my strength to protect Nanyuan, right? That should count as a public expense for Nanyuan, right? Alright, alright, it's my own expense. Now, for cultivating a genius for Nanyuan, shouldn't the academy support a bit?"
"Think about it, Su Yu is a rare genius in Nanyuan. If I write the 'Thunder Origin Blade' for him, even though it's hard to transcribe it purely with my willpower, if he learns it, he can establish himself in the Great Xia Prefecture, don't you think?"
"If he takes first place, won't Nanyuan Academy gain face and credit?"
"If he does well in the Great Xia Prefecture, won't he repay the academy in the future?"
"If he reaches Tengkong or even Lingyun, just a bit of his surplus effort, if he decides to transcribe a few will texts for the academy, won't one will text be worth your investment today?"
"Lao Wang! One must have a long-term vision. You're getting on in years, yet you still have such a shallow perspective!"
Liu Wenyuan said with a pained expression, "He has talent, resilience, a solid foundation, and he's someone who values relationships. If you don't make some sacrifices now, why would he repay you when he succeeds?"
The old headmaster tugged at his beard, breaking a few more strands. After a while, he sighed, "Over a hundred merit points!"
"So what? It's just the price of killing a Tengkong."
"You... just a price! Why don't you go kill another one!"
Liu Wenyuan impatiently said, "Why so much nonsense? What are the merit points for? The academy gained a lot from the last teaching session, and no one needs them for now. Just consider it used for me. As a Tengkong civilized master, I have basic merit expenditures, and the Great Xia Prefecture will definitely allocate funds later."
As a civilized master, even if he wasn't at the Civilization Academy, he still had basic research expenses.
Transcribing will texts and tempering the body all required resources.
Although Liu Wenyuan was an unofficial civilized master, by the rules, he still had some basic income.
The old headmaster glared at him, "Allocations? Last time I asked, the Great Xia Prefecture said you owe them 30,000 merit points. You'll never pay it off in your lifetime, so don't even think about it!"
"Thirty thousand?"
Liu Wenyuan was stunned for a moment, then curiously said, "Only thirty thousand? When I left the academy, I owed over a hundred thousand. How is it only thirty thousand now?"
"..."
The old headmaster was speechless. Damn, you knew all along!
Taking a deep breath, the old headmaster angrily said, "Anyway, your case is hopeless. I'll give you the materials, but... let me make it clear, when Su Yu manifests his willpower someday, he has to write a will text in return!"
"Of course. If he doesn't, when my willpower recovers, I'll write another one."
Liu Wenyuan smiled. Finally, he didn't have to spend his limited savings.
The old headmaster sighed again and couldn't help but complain, "The Great Xia Prefecture won't even allocate basic merit points to you. How will you continue tempering your body? Dragging on for a few more years, how old will you be by then?"
"If they don't allocate, then they don't."
Liu Wenyuan chuckled, "At least I have no worries about food and drink. By the way, if I only owe thirty thousand now, did you find out what happened?"
"I did. Researcher Wu paid off fifty thousand for you."
Liu Wenyuan frowned and cursed after a while, "Idiot!"
"Hmm?"
"His brain is missing a wire! Too many debts aren't a worry, what's the point of paying fifty thousand! Besides, the merit points owed to the Great Xia Prefecture aren't real merit points. It was just something I said impulsively when I was angry years ago. I didn't actually borrow that many merit points!"
Liu Wenyuan was a bit helpless. Fifty thousand merit points was no small amount!
A lot, really a lot!
He couldn't be bothered to talk about it anymore, so he changed the subject, "Let's not discuss this. Prepare the materials quickly. Tomorrow, I'll transcribe 'Thunder Origin Blade'. If this kid can learn it, even if he's at the eighth level of Kaiyuan, combined with 'Thunder Origin Blade' and his divine text, he can easily deal with ordinary Qianjun second or third level."
The old headmaster couldn't afford to feel heartache anymore and nodded. If the kid really achieves something, whether he repays the academy depends on his conscience.
After all, Liu Wenyuan was here, a Tengkong civilized master. Even if he insisted, no one could oppose him if he used all the academy's accumulated resources.
Before leaving, the old headmaster suddenly turned and said, "Lao Liu, if it really doesn't work out... you should give up! Use the blood of gods and demons to temper your body. You'll immediately reach the third level of Tengkong, and in a few years, you might even reach Lingyun and Shanhai!"
Liu Wenyuan smiled and said, "Give up what? I don't understand."
"Lao Liu... you're over seventy!"
The old headmaster's eyes were complex. Over seventy, really not young anymore.
Liu Wenyuan glared, "So what if I'm over seventy! You're just a Ten Thousand Stone, and you're questioning my Tengkong abilities. Do you even know how to fly in Tengkong?"
"..."
The old headmaster didn't know whether to laugh or cry and muttered a few words before quickly leaving.
The old guy, still the same after all these years.
After he left, Liu Wenyuan took a deep breath and muttered, "Gods and demons' blood... Am I stupid! Gods and demons' blood, you think you can take it away with just a few drops of Tengkong gods and demons' blood? Dream on! I owed over a hundred thousand merit points back then... A complete corpse of a Ten Thousand Races king would suffice!"
"Over seventy..."
Liu Wenyuan muttered to himself. Indeed, not young anymore.
Just wait a bit longer!
If this Su Yu kid can really go far, and... he still needs further observation.
Five years isn't enough!
Ten years, at least another five years of observation. When he goes to the Great Xia Prefecture, he needs to continue observing him, to see if he can maintain his original intention, continue to be resilient, and move forward.
"I'm not dead yet... I can still hold on!"
Liu Wenyuan mumbled, if Su Yu doesn't make it, he'll keep waiting until he dies, then return to the Civilization Academy.
"Wu... it's up to you now."
Liu Wenyuan looked out the window. After waiting fifty years, what's a bit more time?
The next moment, the sentimental Liu Wenyuan suddenly burst out cursing, "Idiot! Fifty thousand merit points, why the hell did you give it to me! You actually used it to pay off debts, just as stupid as fifty years ago!"
"No wonder you've been an advanced researcher for so many years and haven't even become a deputy headmaster!"
"Civilized masters are strong because of their brains, and your brain is like a pig's brain!"
"..."
Liu Wenyuan cursed for a while, still not satisfied. Fifty thousand merit points, are you crazy, who told you to pay it back?
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