Chapter 4 - 4

Chapter 335: Words Can Also Kill (1)

Challenge ring. Silence enveloped the area.

All the students waited with looks of expectation, as though they were waiting for a lucky draw. Was the single character faction paying? Even if they weren't giving out Mountainsea willpower texts, these students would be happy with just Skysoar willpower texts.

Zhou Mingren looked at the students and slowly said, "Tomorrow, I will publicly write a War God Art willpower text. All students are allowed to attend the writing session..."

Wu Yuehua said, "When a Mountainsea cultivator writes a willpower text, only about a dozen people who are in the front row can gain something. Well, I suppose it is still a good thing that Faculty Head Zhou is personally teaching the students for free. How about the others?"

Even the willpower text written by a Mountainsea cultivator had its limits. It would probably be ruined after being read by a few dozen people. Of course, if he actually wrote a Mountainsea cultivation method instead of some Great Strength or Infinite Strength cultivation method, these students wouldn't even be able to read it.

Zhou Mingren looked at Wu Yuehua. A free lesson was the solution he could think of. The students might not be happy, but at the very least, it was a free lesson and it should somewhat placate these students. If nobody said anything, he might really be able to solve this issue with one lesson.

"Wu Yuehua, if you have any issues, you can talk to me privately. Why must you create a mess in the academy?" Zhou Mingren questioned through voice transmission. He sounded angry, "It does not benefit either of us to hurt the prestige of a Mountainsea cultivator in front of so many students. I can offer you five spots when we activate the grotto."

Zhou Mingren could only make an offer to Wu Yuehua. He wanted to solve this issue, but she had been creating trouble for him. If this continued, things would only get more and more troublesome.

Wu Yuehua looked at Zhou Mingren coldly and replied through voice transmission, "Where is your sense of shame when you thought of digging Zhang Ruoling's grave?"

"..."

Zhou Mingren looked at her, his eyes flickering repeatedly. He then looked at the old woman, Elder Sun, and the other elders before finally looking at the Heart Cultivating Pavilion. Was Wan Tiansheng the one who had told her?

He had mentioned the matter to Wan Tiansheng before. It wasn't surprising that the principal could guess his target. After all, Zhang Ruoling's character was the most fitting replacement for what Zheng Yuming lost.

Zhou Mingren's expression changed repeatedly. Just what was Wan Tiansheng planning? Hadn't he said that he wouldn't get involved? Damn it! So this was why Wu Yuehua had been repeatedly making trouble for him today?

The students were initially slightly excited upon hearing the offer of a free lesson. But upon hearing Wu Yuehua's reminder that only about a dozen people could actually benefit from it, they started worrying again.

That was not enough. There were thousands of them here. How about the rest of them if only about a dozen could benefit?

Previously, Su Yu had been remaining silent. But he suddenly said, "If Faculty Head Zhou is willing to open one free class per day, he will only need around a year to finish repaying everyone."

"..."

Zhou Mingren glanced at Su Yu and decided to ignore that remark. A year? One class per day? Did the kid think that writing willpower text is an easy task? Also, was he so free that he could spend an entire year writing willpower text every single day?

Zhou Mingren ignored Su Yu and sank into thought. He was looking around randomly when he noticed someone among the crowd. His eyes lit up as he focused on that person.

Within the crowd, Liu Hong was still busy eating his snacks. Suddenly, his heart thumped as Zhou Mingren's voice resounded in his ears, "Liu Hong, you have been spending more time with these students so you know them better. Think of a way to solve this."

Liu Hong cursed inwardly. Damn it! Why was he being dragged in? He was only here to enjoy the show! If he had known this would happen, he should have stayed home today. What a blunder!

"If you can solve this issue, you will be granted entry into the Willpower Grotto as well."

Zhou Mingren made his offer. They had already decided to let Liu Hong enter, but Liu Hong was still unaware of that. Thus, he could use this to make Liu Hong work for him instead.

Mountainsea elders spent far too little time with these students. Zhou Mingren really couldn't think of a way to solve this issue.

"Willpower Grotto..."

Liu Hong was tempted. That was a good place. And that grotto was closed most of the time. Solving this issue was the same as saving the entire single character faction. If he could complete this task, his status in the faction might rise as well.

At that thought, Liu Hong transmitted his voice, "Faculty Head, I can give it a try. But I'm afraid that we can't get away with paying nothing."

"It's fine. I'm willing to offer something to them."

"I understand."

...

The students were still waiting for an answer.

Right that moment, someone cleared his throat and stepped forth with a smile. When Su Yu saw who that person was, he frowned. Liu Hong! What was this bastard doing?

"Students!" Liu Hong sighed, "Nobody has expected that things would develop in such a direction. If we allow this issue to persist, it won't benefit the students, the elders, and the academy. This involves over 8,000 willpower texts. Honestly, all of you are aware that not everyone will be able to get a willpower text."

Liu Hong earnestly said, "You guys were already aware of this when you challenged Su Yu. Yes, I admit that we have allowed a loophole to exist in our offer. But gaining a willpower text by defeating Su Yu is not something written in the academy rules..." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs NoveIꜰire.net

Su Yu interrupted, "Teacher Liu, in short, you are reneging on the debt?"

Liu Hong smiled, "Of course not. But if everyone continues to be stubborn, nobody will benefit. I have a suggestion. Maybe you guys will find it acceptable?

"Four elders, forty Cloudbreach cultivators, and sixty Skysoar cultivators from the single character faction will write a willpower text every three days at the Dao Preaching District for free. Additionally, they will also be answering any questions you have during those classes.

"This will continue for a year. With around 100 researchers and teaching assistants on standby to guide you for a year, you will gain far more than what you can get from a single willpower text. This is a very rare opportunity. You may use the number of victories you have today as the entry ticket for the open classes. Each victory will grant you a single entry."

"Since you have bought each victory with one merit point, I believe one merit point is totally worth a class from a researcher or a teaching assistant, right? This is the best solution. Of course, if you insist on receiving your willpower texts, we can provide you with your willpower texts..."

The faces of many single character faction members dropped when they heard that.

But Liu Hong smiled, "But we never gave a time limit when offering the reward, right? Faculty Head Zhou will need some time to write those willpower texts. Even at a normal speed of one text every three days...well, you guys will have to get in line. Some of you can probably get your willpower texts after ten years or so.

"It's not that we are going back on our words. We will never do something like reneging on a debt. The single character faction would never do something like this. You are all free to choose what you want. Do you want to attend free classes or do you want to wait for the willpower texts to be written? Don't worry. Faculty Head Zhou is definitely willing to write those texts. But he will need some time to do it."

The students looked at each other. In truth, that was actually a decent offer. They wouldn't mind attending some free classes. Wait? Nonsense! If Zhou Mingren decided to spend a year on each text, they were going to die from old age before getting anything.

They had not reneged on the debt. They were merely taking some time to produce the promised reward. What else could they say? They had only obtained this reward through exploiting a loophole. Thus, they were happy to even get a tiny reward from this. They found Liu Hong's offer acceptable.

One of the students noticed Liu Hong's gaze on him and hurriedly said, "I have no issue with that, Teacher. But if I want to attend the class of a Mountainsea teacher, what should I do if there are too many people?"

Liu Hong smiled, "Weigh your options before making your choice. The classes of Skysoar and Cloudbreach cultivators will have less students. And these teachers are closer to your cultivation level. It might be more practical to attend their classes. You might not be able to understand what an elder is talking about even if you manage to get a spot in their class. In that case, you would have wasted this valuable opportunity for nothing.

"You are free to make your own choice. If you insist on attending the classes of Mountainsea cultivators, you can't blame me for not reminding you if you end up not learning much from it."

This fellow had easily switched the topic from willpower texts to which classes would be better for these students to attend. With the time limit of one year, each researcher of the single character faction probably only needed to open a single class. This was basically nothing for them.

As for the materials they might require during those willpower text classes, they would simply use ordinary paper and ink for the writing. It wasn't like they intended to preserve these willpower texts for a long time. There was no need to ensure the quality of these willpower texts.

Su Yu's expression changed. Liu Hong! That bastard! The elders were too rigid in their thinking. As they didn't know the students well enough, this issue was too hard for them to solve. They kept thinking about obeying the rules.

But for someone like Liu Hong, the rules were filled with loopholes. The students could be satisfied with something other than willpower texts. They would be happy so long as there was something to gain. Why would they care about anything else?

It wasn't like they were from the multiple character faction. They had only participated because there was strength in numbers so they could obtain some benefits without sacrificing anything.

Su Yu inhaled deeply and said, "That's a decent idea. Guys, what did I say so earlier? If you sign up for a match with me, you can at least get a free class from this. So I have been proven right. But I believe there is still a need to give some hope to everyone when it comes to willpower texts. For example, use blood essence and high-quality hides for the writing in these free classes. The student with the best performance during the class can get the finished willpower text as the reward. This will only encourage all students to work harder!

"This way, some of them will still get some willpower texts so not everyone will return empty-handed. The students with the willpower texts will most definitely be grateful for this kindness after making something out of themselves in the future..."

Liu Hong glanced at Su Yu. Even now, this kid was still digging a hole for them to ensure that they would bleed more. With that proposal, they would still need to give out over 100 willpower texts.

And if they had to write all these texts with blood essence and hides, the cost alone would reach five digits. And that was the cost before taking into consideration the value of the time and effort of all these researchers.

Su Yu looked at Liu Hong and smiled, "According to Teacher Liu, if some of you prefer to receive some willpower texts instead of attending some classes, they are willing to provide these willpower texts. That is good to hear. I believe there are some who would really prefer willpower texts here. And with a lesser number of students requiring willpower texts, the elders will be able to write all these texts in a shorter time frame."

Su Yu earnestly said to the crowd, "I advise everyone to just attend the classes unless you have a Mountainsea cultivator in your family or you are confident you have a way to actually get the willpower texts you are owed. If you are finding this hard to accept, you can also consider selling your debt to those capable of actually collecting the debt."

Liu Hong said, "Su Yu, are you instigating the students to get involved in black market transactions? Buying and selling willpower texts privately is a violation of the academy rules."

Su Yu smiled, "You misunderstand, Teacher Liu. I wasn't specific enough. The War God Art is a public cultivation method in the academy. Everyone can learn it. Thus, moving this cultivation method is not considered a black market transaction. Everyone, you should borrow a willpower text of this cultivation method from your wealthier friends. And if you are unlucky enough to lose it, well, this would be the best opportunity for you to return what you lost to your friend. Remember, everyone. You are repaying your friend. Do not buy or sell cultivation methods privately."

"..."

The students had odd expressions. At this point, if they still didn't understand what he was getting at, then they would be true fools. Borrow? What nonsense.

That was merely an excuse. Nobody knew if they were telling the truth. They could simply claim that they had borrowed one and lost it. Then, they could simply transfer this debt to their friend as a repayment. That would allow them to complete their transaction without any issues.

As for how much they could get from selling this debt or if it would be more valuable than a single free class, well, either way, they would still gain something. They could always opt to attend the free class if the offered price was too low. Some of the students were clear that there was no way they could get any single willpower text from the single character faction.

Chapter 336: Words Can Also Kill (2)

One teacher and one student engaged in a battle of words. Both were constantly dancing around the loopholes of the rules.

One argued that no frame of time had been given when the rewards were promised.

One argued that no transaction was happening. Everyone had simply lost the willpower texts they had borrowed from their friends.

In any case, Su Yu was going to make sure the single character faction would bleed this time. He would ensure that they would bleed massively. They would not be able to get off easily.

Since those people were trying to annoy him by offering rewards for his defeat, he was more than happy to play that game. He happened to be very good at annoying others as well.

At that moment, even the elders had been reduced into background characters. None of them said anything, allowing the two youngsters to go at it. As elders, it would be too embarrassing if they had to personally argue against a kid.

"Su Yu, this is still not acceptable. We promised to reward the ones capable of defeating you with one willpower text per victory. Transferring the rights to the reward...is not acceptable. In the academy, buying and selling cultivation methods in private are not allowed. This naturally applies to the rights to obtain cultivation methods as well. The only way you can transfer the rights is by paying the copyright fee.

"And the payment must be made to the academy. Take the War God Art as an example. To teach someone else this method, you need to first be qualified to do so. On top of that, you also need to pay a fee of 100 merit points. Only then can you get the rights to teach it. As a student of the academy, are you not aware of this?"

Xia Huyou was greatly troubled upon hearing those words. Was Liu Hong trying to ruin this transaction? Was he supposed to pay the fee of 100 merit points for each student selling their rights to him? That would only push his cost to an unreasonable level.

Su Yu smiled, "I know all that. But there are two editions of the War God Art. One is the profound-grade edition and the other is the earth-grade edition. You were referring to the earth-grade, but I wasn't talking about that. Also, I never said that you can only borrow War God Art willpower texts from your friends.

"They can always use the Great Strength Art instead. This is a public cultivation method in the entire Human Realm. It can be taught for free. Since you guys have not mentioned any specific willpower text when offering the reward, then everyone can simply ask for Great Strength Art willpower texts as the reward.

"As long as the elders are willing to write, it doesn't matter if it is the Great Strength Art or even the Source Opening Codex. A willpower text is still a willpower text. But be sure each willpower text is a peak Mountainsea willpower text. That is something you guys did specify when promising the reward. Don't forget that."

"..."

Liu Hong looked at Su Yu and smiled. But inwardly, he was cursing. Well done, little bastard! He seemed really well-versed with the academy rules. Both of them were using the rules as the basis for their arguments.

Listening to them, many people had an illusion that the rules had basically been created for people like these two. In their hands, the rules were akin to toys.

Heart Cultivating Pavilion.

Wan Tiansheng was staring at the sky blankly. Were there...so many loopholes in the rules? Were the rules...so lax? Why did it feel like those two bastards could play with the rules as they wished? It almost felt like the rules only exist to serve them! He shook his head and started contemplating the matter of rewriting the academy rules.

Near the challenge ring.

Liu Hong stopped arguing with Su Yu and transmitted his voice to Zhou Mingren, "Faculty Head, this fellow is very difficult. He is clearly encouraging the students to sell the debt to the students from the major families and have those families create trouble for us. Most of the students will be happy with a free class, but I'm afraid some will not be satisfied with just that."

At this time, Zhou Mingren had calmed down considerably. He said, "Those willing to attend the free classes may leave now. Often, researchers will share some of their own unique experiences during their classes. This is not something you can get with just some merit points. But if you don't mind waiting, you are free to wait for me to finish writing the willpower texts..."

He stopped and looked at the students. Many of them started hesitating, and some even started feeling fearful upon meeting his gaze. Before long, the students started leaving.

Instantly, over a thousand students left. And some who wanted to stay also decided to leave after seeing that so many students were leaving. They were only here to get some benefits for themselves. They should know when to stop.

If they keep pushing it, they might end up with nothing even after offending these experts. That would not be worth it. There was strength in numbers, but the numbers were clearly decreasing. No matter what, they had already gained something today. This was good enough for them.

Su Yu was truly incredible. Many of them couldn't help but to admire Su Yu. He had dug a big hole for the single character faction this time. All their researchers were forced to open a free class each. Sure, that was nothing, but some people were unwilling to conduct even a single free class.

Su Yu was not surprised to see so many people leaving. He did not think it was wrong for them to leave. It was a good thing that those students knew when to stop. As for the ones left behind, they were either the ones with good backgrounds or those looking to sell the debt to someone else.

For those without strength or background, a single free class was good enough. And these students weren't really that important for Su Yu's plan anyway.

The ones left behind were those with proper backers. These were the ones truly difficult to deal with. Zhou Mingren did not know what kind of cost he needed to pay to resolve this issue.

Nevertheless, the elders of the single character faction were still relieved to see so many students leaving. Good.

Previously, there were too many students around. They really didn't know what they should do with all those students. Thus, they were happy to see more than half of those students leaving. It would seem like Liu Hong could really be quite useful at times.

As for Liu Hong, he smiled and said, "Looks like the remaining students are prepared to claim your willpower texts. Think carefully, students. Remember that you are not allowed to buy or sell willpower texts. Sure, borrowing the Great Strength Art or the Source Opening Codex is fine, but the moment you involve yourself in a transaction, you might not be able to hide it. The academy has a monitoring system in place to detect all illegal transactions. If you are caught, you might end up getting nothing from this. You might even end up punished. Don't blame me for not reminding you when that happens."

After he said that, more students hesitated and left. He made sense. There was a monitoring system in place to detect any illegal transactions. They could be caught easily when transacting in merit points. And if they were caught, they would end up with nothing.

More and more students left. Su Yu was indifferent. Since Liu Hong was really so good at talking, he should continue talking. Let's see if he could really make all the students leave.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong was feeling very troubled. Even after all that, there were still about 600 students left.

These were either the students of Mountainsea or Cloudbreach cultivators or those with the backing of the military such as the Devil Subduing Army or the Martial Dragon Guards or the juniors of some powerful families and individuals.

These students were the ones who were truly difficult to deal with. Just a free class was far from enough to satisfy them. They were here for peak Mountainsea willpower texts. Such a text would have a value of thousands of merit points. The single character faction wanted to dispose of them with one free class? Dream on!

Su Yu was still smiling brightly. These people were the ones who truly mattered. There were still hundreds of them here. And the single character faction still owed them hundreds of willpower texts. How should they solve this issue?

Reneging on the debt? Then they might as well declare war against every single family in Great Xia. Sure, it was an exaggeration to call that a war, but at the very least, Zhou Mingren would invite the displeasure of these families.

Even if they kept silent, they would probably remember this grudge. The grudge would slowly fester. In the future when these people and Zhou Mingren had to fight alongside each other, these people might even end up as the ones to deliver Zhou Mingren a knife to his back.

Suddenly, Su Yu asked, "I have a question. So is the offer of one willpower text per victory against me still valid? If it is still valid, then I will continue accepting challenges after today. If not, then it's fine. Since a certain someone is thick-skinned enough to go back on their words, then I suppose it also won't be surprising for that someone to change his mind so soon after making a decision."

"..."

Was the offer still valid? Nonsense. Of course it was no longer valid!

And Su Yu was clearly waiting to deliver a slap to their face by making them withdraw their own offer. That offer was meant to trouble Su Yu, but he was perfectly fine. Instead, they were the ones to suffer.

Liu Hong smiled, "That offer was made to encourage all students to work harder, including you, Su Yu. You kids are simply too willful. You don't understand the intention behind our offer. In that case, we might as well cancel the offer."

"So you have the final say now?" Su Yu looked at Liu Hong with a curious expression and asked, "Since when were you the faction master of the single character faction? Or are you perhaps the faculty head or the vice principal? Teacher Liu, I'm not looking down on you, but you're only a teaching assistant. Are you qualified to make this decision for the single character faction? Do you have the authority to cancel an offer made by the faculty head? Are you the acting faculty head? Or the acting vice principal? Ohhh, I understand! You are replacing Elder Zheng as the faction master!"

Su Yu assumed a shocked expression as he hurriedly said, "Congratulations, Faction Master Liu!"

"..."

Liu Hong had the urge to run over and kill the kid right then and there. To hell with that! Who the fuck wants to be the faction master?

Suddenly, Su Yu had a new idea. He smiled, "Faction Master Liu, don't tell me that the previous incident was the reason for your promotion? Don't tell me that you have actually been rewarded for losing your faction over 40,000 merit points?"

The moment those words were said, Zhou Mingren and the others frowned. What was the meaning of that? Before this incident, none of them would take Su Yu's words seriously. He was unworthy of their attention.

But now, only a fool would continue looking down on this kid. 40,000 merit points? What was the kid talking about? They had not lost that much money. The biggest recent expense was the 100,000 merit points they had spent to buy something.

And that something...originated from Su Yu. At that thought, the expressions of the elders changed as they glanced at Liu Hong. Prior to this, they had never doubted Liu Hong. But now...what was the meaning behind Su Yu's words?

Meanwhile, Liu Hong was cursing inwardly. Screw you! Su Yu had decided to throw caution to the wind! Since he had already offended the elders badly, he decided that he was no longer afraid of having his previous scam exposed.

In any case, there was no way Zhou Mingren and the other elders would let the incident today slide. Thus, he might as well expose the previous scam and screw Liu Hong over in the process.

"Su Yu, stop talking nonsense..."

Su Yu smiled, "What did I say? I said nothing. I will never do anything that is against the rules. But I really need to thank you. I wouldn't have been able to improve so quickly without your help. Thank you."

Su Yu then leaped off the ring and said, "I still have something to take care of so I'll be taking my leave. Bye. I have been busy with research recently. I can't afford to waste more time on these challenges. By the way, please spread this news for me. The Wentan Research Center has successfully derived the Soul Devouring Art. With this cultivation method, you can alter your source qi and grant it the ability to burn and corrode willpower. We will be holding an auction for the copyright of this cultivation method soon.

"This is a martial cultivation method, not a willpower or martial technique. Don't forget this. For warriors, this will be an excellent weapon against opposing cultural researchers in the battlefield. We welcome all buyers. Regardless of whether you are from Great Xia or a different prefecture, everyone is allowed to attend the auction. We hope to spread this cultivation method and increase the overall strength of humanity.

"For a period of time after this, the multiple character faction and Wentan Research Center will become the center of attention in the Human Realm. Some people should think carefully before trying to pull anything stupid against us lest you end up offending all human warriors in existence.

"As for the willpower texts, you guys can deal with it yourselves. I won't be getting involved in that matter. I still need to participate in the final experiments of the Soul Devouring Art. Thank you for the 40,000 merit points. We have only gotten half of the total amount, but that is enough. Without that injection of funds, we wouldn't have been able to complete our research on the Soul Devouring Art so quickly."

Su Yu then drifted away, his white clothes flowing behind him. Chen Yong followed behind him silently, as though he was the student here. In truth, he was only there to ensure Su Yu's safety. Everyone was in stunned silence.

Suddenly, Zheng Yunhui exclaimed, "The Soul Devouring Art can alter one's source qi?"

"Yeah."

Su Yu answered without even looking at him.

"How many acupoints?"

"36. And almost half of them are overlapped acupoints."

"So it actually only requires around 18 additional acupoints?"

"Pretty much."

Zheng Yunhui's expression changed as he ran off unhesitatingly. He needed to go home and look for the old man. A cultivation method that could alter source qi. Not only that, but it could grant one's source qi the ability to harm willpower. Holy shit. This was an incredible cultivation method.

It required less than 20 additional acupoints. Sure, it wasn't easy opening that many acupoints, but for geniuses, this was a great opportunity for them to further increase their strength. This method would only grant them an additional trump card against cultural researchers.

Some other people were also silently leaving the area. Some were leaving to notify their families, and some were leaving to notify their backers. For warriors, this was a massive opportunity.

Zhou Mingren's eyes flickered. He understood what Su Yu was trying to do. The kid had chosen this time to make this announcement. Clearly, the kid intended to turn the multiple character faction into the center of attention. Was the kid trying to prevent him from carrying acts of revenge?

Zhou Mingren and the other elders remained silent. They would think about revenge later. The appearance of the Soul Devouring Art would attract numerous gazes toward the Wentan Research Center. More importantly, would the transmission of that cultivation method harm the single character faction? And what were they supposed to do with the remaining students?

Zhou Mingren was about to take this chance to leave when a shy girl among the crowd said, "Faculty Head Zhou, I only want three willpower texts. I only won three times. Su Yu told me to win ten times but I refused."

The girl had a timid face. When Zhou Mingren's gaze landed on her, she looked like she was about to cry as she said, "I won all the matches myself. My dad never gave me any merit points yet he keeps demanding me to grow strong. I only have three merit points left and all of them have been spent on this...Grandpa Zhou, are you going to renege on this?"

Zhou Mingren suddenly found the girl familiar-looking.

Beside him, a researcher said through voice transmission, "This is Ji Xiaomeng, the youngest daughter of the Talent Fostering Bureau's director." Fresh chapters posted on novᴇlfire.net

Finally, Zhou Mingren recalled who she was. This was the youngest child of that old fellow, also his sole daughter. As this was a daughter he had gotten at an old age, he doted on her very much. During her tenth birthday, he had invited numerous experts over to celebrate her birthday.

He treated this daughter much better than his other children. So it was this girl? Zhou Mingren's head hurt. Damn it! Damn that Su Yu!

Chapter 337: The More You Know, The Faster You Die (1)

Su Yu no longer concerned himself with the matter involving the willpower texts.

He was returning to the research center.

Chen Yong followed behind him silently. After a while, when they were finally far away from the others, he softly said, "I guess we have officially fallen out with them today."

Su Yu looked at his martial uncle and said, "Martial Uncle, do you think that we need to keep holding back?"

"We're not holding back. We are really weaker than them."

Chen Yong sighed.

Su Yu nodded. He said, "I know. But if we remain silent, they will keep pushing. If this continues, we won't have any future. With Zheng Yuming seriously injured and the single character faction occupied, this is the best chance for us to make a counterattack."

Chen Yong stayed silent for a long while before saying, "But we need to at least wait until your grandteacher is back before counterattacking."

At the mention of his grandteacher, Su Yu asked gloomily, "Why is grandteacher not back yet?"

Without the support of a Mountainsea cultivator, he felt extremely unsafe.

"It's your teacher's fault!" Chen Yong said, "A new race has appeared in the Allheaven Battlefield. Nobody knows where that race can be found. Your grandteacher is looking for that new race all over the Allheaven Battlefield so nobody knows his exact location. And we can't even contact him through communicators since a realm tunnel stands between us. Your teacher was the one who had instigated your grandteacher to leave. He might have stayed in the academy otherwise."

After giving Su Yu a simple explanation of what Bai Feng had done, Chen Yong asked, "Were you telling the truth about the Soul Devouring Art?"

"Yeah." Su Yu nodded, "I wouldn't have dared to announce it so publicly otherwise. I only hope that they will refrain themselves for fear of courting more trouble. After all, the single character faction is not the only faction in the academy. Martial Uncle, they don't seem that scary. Although they are strong, I feel like the other factions are not weak either. They can't exactly do anything they want in the academy."

He felt like there was no need for them to be overly worried about the single character faction. It wasn't like they were the ones running the academy.

Chen Yong hesitated slightly before deciding to be frank, "You're wrong. Yes, the single character faction is not running our academy. But in many other academies, their principals are actually from the single character faction. The single character faction does not exist only in our academy. But it exists in the entire Human Realm."

Chen Yong sighed, "Similarly, the multiple character faction does not refer only to the one in our academy. Over the past decade, the multiple character faction has declined to the point where we have less than a thousand members. I doubt we even have more than 500 members left across the entire Human Realm. As for the single character faction, they have over 10,000 members just in our academy alone."

Su Yu frowned, "Other factions are able to exist just fine. Some factions are even smaller than us. Why must the single character faction target us?"

From what his martial uncle had said, the entire single character faction of humanity was against them. But why?

Chen Yong sank into silence. Su Yu frowned. Was there an even bigger reason that could not be spoken about?

After a short silence, Chen Yong said, "Go back to the research center first. We'll call your teacher out before we continue this conversation."

"Alright."

...

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the research center.

When Bai Feng was dragged out of the laboratory, he was completely confused. Just what was happening this time?

"Senior Brother, why are you here?"

"..."

Chen Yong looked at Bai Feng with sympathy. As Su Yu's teacher, this fellow was actually the last to know about what had happened today.

Su Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher, I earned a lot of money today! I earned thousands of merit points!"

Bai Feng's eyes lit up. More money?

But his face soon sank as he asked, "How did you earn it? Who did you scam this time?"

"..."

Su Yu was rendered speechless. He explained, "I didn't scam anyone. I fought in a few matches and lost."

Bai Feng asked blankly, "So you were fighting in fixed matches?"

He then nodded, "Well done! Back then, your teacher used to fight in fixed matches too. During my time in the top 100, a few fellows bribed me to help increase their ranks. But you can't really earn much doing this. Who bribed you? How much did they pay you?"

This was...a dark piece of history.

Beside him, Chen Yong's face fell as he scolded, "You actually fought fixed matches back then?"

Bai Feng answered righteously, "Yeah. What about it? I didn't have money to cultivate so I had to earn some money. What's the problem? Senior Brother, don't be so pedantic."

"..."

Chen Yong didn't know what to say. So Su Yu wasn't the only one from their faction who had done this? Before Su Yu, there was Bai Feng?

Sigh.

He could only sigh.

Su Yu coughed awkwardly and said, "Exactly! Teacher, I fought in some fixed matches. I lost over 8,000 times!"

Bai Feng stared at his student expressionlessly.

"Kid, the moment you say that, I know something big must have happened. What could happen that would require you to lose over 8,000 times?"

Su Yu gave a simple explanation of what he had done. Bai Feng stared at his student for a while before saying, "In other words, we have openly fallen out with them?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Bai Feng curled his lips, but he wasn't too surprised. Instead, he gloomily said, "Idiot! You should have waited until your grandteacher is back first! Can't you be patient for a few more days? Your grandteacher is not around while we are not strong enough to withstand this pressure. Don't you understand?"

As for the fact that they had openly fallen out with the single character faction, that was no big deal. They had never gotten along well with each other, anyway. The main issue here was that this stupid kid had done so before Hong Tan returned.

Bai Feng helplessly said, "Just be patient for now. Stay indoors for a period of time. You need to know that these people are all very treacherous. Even if they don't have the guts to personally kill you, they can still get others to do it for them. Don't underestimate how evil a human can be. It would be perfectly normal for a bunch of people you consider brothers to suddenly betray you if the benefit is big enough.

"We also have some Myriad Race Cult spies that would be more than happy to kill you and frame the single character faction, turning your grandteacher against them and sow chaos within the academy."

Bai Feng exhaled and said, "But don't worry. Just stay in the research center for a period of time. You will probably be fine as long as you remain in the academy."

Su Yu nodded. His teacher was right. Even if the single character faction did not have the courage to actually kill him, some other people might do it to sow chaos.

"I understand. That was why I had announced the matter concerning the Soul Devouring Art. That way, the warriors will start paying close attention to us. With more eyes on us, anyone wishing to touch us would have to think twice."

"Have you completed the research?" Bai Feng asked doubtfully, "Don't even think of coming out with some fake data like you did previously. I'm warning you. If you try to pull something like that, you will die a miserable death."

Bai Feng appeared rather calm despite what Su Yu told him. He was only slightly astonished in the beginning, but it did not take him long to become completely calm again.

Meanwhile, Chen Yong was completely dumbstruck. This was a very big deal! Why was this bastard acting like it was nothing?

Furious, he said, "Bai Feng, this is very troublesome. Do you understand?"

"Senior Brother, don't make a big fuss out of nothing." Bai Feng indifferently said, "We have never gotten along well. What's the point of staying patient all the time? Since they have been targeting us, what's the problem with hitting back every now and then? So what if they were embarrassed? They were the ones who had started it."

Chen Yong exhaled and said, "It's not this simple. Su Yu asked me why was the single character faction so hostile toward us." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ⓝovelFire.net

"It's a matter of resources, right? They are afraid that we will snatch their position if we are able to rise to prominence again."

"Nonsense." Chen Yong scolded.

Bai Feng was stunned. What? Was he wrong?

Chen Yong inhaled deeply and said, "You need to understand that the single and multiple character factions do not exist only in our academy. Both factions are spread across the entire Human Realm, including the military and the holy lands."

"Bai Feng, you need to know that we are not the only ones being targeted. The entire multiple character faction of humanity is being targeted. Do you understand? This is happening everywhere."

Su Yu frowned. With a slight hesitation, he asked, "Martial Uncle, is this a conflict of ideals?" If that was the case, then this would be very troublesome. For scholars, even a grudge involving life and death could be forgiven. But a conflict of ideals would result in a grudge that would last for generations. Generally, the conflict would persist until one side was utterly eliminated.

"Ideals?" Chen Yong shook his head, "The core ideal of all cultural researchers is the pursuit of strength. Ideals? Orthodoxy? None of this matters for cultural researchers."

"Why, then?"

Even Su Yu was starting to get confused.

Bai Feng also asked doubtfully, "What? There is a deeper secret to this conflict? I thought it's because we need more resources for our cultivation and those people are jealous of our individual strength?"

Chen Yong said, "Bullshit. If that's the reason, why hadn't they targeted us before that incident 50 years ago?"

"Because we were strong!"

"There have been times when the single character faction was strong as well. Back then, we only disliked each other. But the hostility has not escalated to its current level where they are essentially trying to erase our legacy."

That piqued the interest of both Bai Feng and Su Yu. Was there really a different reason?

Bai Feng thought about it and said, "Everything seems to have started after the battle involving the fifth principal, our grandteacher. After that defeat, they started targeting us. In that case, whatever this secret reason is, it is related to the fifth principal."

Chen Yong nodded. After thinking about it, he continued the conversation through voice transmission, "The multiple character faction is not targeted due to ideals. It isn't due to resources either. It is due to a personal grudge."

"Personal grudge?"

"Yeah. It's related to the fifth principal. Su Yu, you should be aware about the fifth principal's death, right?"

Su Yu nodded.

"Back then, a total of three Invincible experts had perished. You're also aware of that, right?"

Su Yu nodded again.

"Two of them were from the myriad races while the other was a human. That human came from Great Zhou. He was the younger brother of Great Zhou King. During the time of his death, he had just entered the Invincible Realm. His son...is the current principal of the Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy.

"Back then, the fifth principal had not requested the help of any Invincible experts for his advancement. He was too arrogant. He believed that he could affirm his dao all by himself. He only brought a group of passionate cultural researchers not to help him, but to observe the process of dao affirmation.

"Alas, it ended in a disaster. Not only has the multiple character faction suffered a calamity, many of the helpers perished as well.

"The Great Zhou King had not said anything, but that person from the Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy had never gotten along well with the fifth principal. Do you think he can accept the fact that his father had perished while helping the fifth principal?

"Since then, the Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy started suppressing the multiple character faction. The Great Zhou King remained silent while the prefect of Great Zhou said nothing as well. Because of that, the people of Great Zhou viewed that as a tacit approval to start suppressing the multiple character faction.

"Subsequently, those from the other prefectures followed along. Some did it for benefits, some did it for a sense of unity, some did it to fawn on the Great Zhou King, and some did it because they hated the fifth principal.

"That coupled with the decline of the multiple character faction and numerous other factors have resulted in the current situation where the multiple character faction is being suppressed in the entire Human Realm.

"And that's not the biggest issue. The fifth principal once left a set of data behind. The data concerns the advancement of cultural researchers into the Eternal Realm. Additionally, the fifth principal had also left a Divine Character behind. The principal from Great Zhou insisted that since his father had perished while aiding the fifth principal, all those things belong to him. That was the price for his father's life. He requested access to the data..."

Su Yu couldn't help but say, "That...should be fine, right? After all, those people have perished while helping the fifth principal."

He had not imagined that there would be such a story behind the hostility between the two factions.

Su Yu had not thought too much about the three dead Invincible experts when Bai Feng mentioned it previously. But things seemed to be much more complicated than he had imagined. One of them was actually a human.

Chen Yong smiled bitterly, "Yes, we should. But...we don't have the data."

"What?"

"Yes. We don't have it. The fifth principal had two students. One was Martial Uncle Liu Wenyan and the other was our teacher, your grandteacher. The Divine Character was given to Martial Uncle. Everyone claimed that the data had been given to us. But...that wasn't the case."

Chen Yong sighed, "Teacher has been looking for the data. He has even checked everything he has multiple times, but the fifth principal's data is nowhere to be found. But nobody believes us. Everyone thinks that your teacher is unwilling to share. And it's obvious why that would offend everyone.

"From then on, with Great Zhou as the leader, the single character faction started targeting us and the entire multiple character faction. You have been wondering why the multiple character faction was so easily suppressed despite having some surviving experts back then? This is the reason. There is no way for them to do anything out of guilt. Things still weren't that bad when those experts were still alive. But as more and more died, things became harder for us."

Su Yu frowned, "Martial Uncle, just let them search us then. Since we don't have the data, how are we supposed to give them what they want?"

"That won't work. They will only believe what they want to believe. It doesn't matter what we say. Also, the single character faction has immense prestige and power. Since they are only suppressing us instead of actually coming after us directly, what can we do?"

Bai Feng gloomily said, "So there is still a hidden story like this? I was wondering why those Skysoar cultivators from Great Zhou looked at me like I was their sworn enemy back when I visited the Allheaven Battlefield. Senior Brother, why hadn't you told me earlier?"

Chen Yong rolled his eyes, "What's the point of talking about that? Strictly speaking, we really can't say or do anything. If we really have the data, we are more than willing to share. But we really don't have the data."

Bai Feng cautiously asked, "Senior Brother, maybe Teacher hid the data away?"

"Piss off!" Chen Yong cursed.

He glared at Bai Feng and said, "How would Teacher do that? We really don't have the data. If we really have it, some people would have found out about it by now. But we really don't have it. Do you really think that nobody else is interested in the data left behind by someone on the cusp of reaching the Invincible Realm? Both the Knowledge Seeking Realm and War Shrine are curious as well.

"Nobody was able to find anything. But...Teacher said that the data might really exist."

"What do you mean?"

Chen Yong exhaled, "Teacher said that some of Grandteacher's belongings have gone missing. But Grandteacher used to stay in the Heart Cultivating Pavilion. He had even set up a formation before leaving. Nobody should be able to enter and steal his belongings...

"There was simply no way for Teacher to convince the others of the truth. Some things were missing, so the data might be one of the missing things. But we really don't have the data. Nobody knows if Grandteacher himself had removed the data. It has been so many years. There is no way for us to find out the truth.

"There is a possibility that someone had entered Grandteacher's dwelling back then and stolen the data. We have no choice but to become the scapegoat."

"Someone took the data in advance? What do you mean? With Grandteacher's strength, apart from Invincible experts, who can sneak through his formation?" Right after saying that, Bai Feng's expression changed.

Su Yu's expression also changed. He finally understood. No wonder Hong Tan had never talked about it all these years. No wonder he had prevented Chen Yong from talking about it. Who was capable of stealing from the fifth principal?

Invincible! If the missing data really existed, then an Invincible expert had definitely arrived before everyone else and took the data. But how was that person so sure that the fifth principal would perish?

That person had to be sure to be the first to arrive at the fifth principal's place. One ought to know that the fifth principal's remains had been brought back by Great Xia King himself shortly after his death. Thus, the thief had clearly known about the fifth principal's death even before the Great Xia King returned. All three of them sank into silence.

Chapter 338: The More You Know, The Faster You Die (2)

After a while, Chen Yong continued transmitting his voice, "There are too many variables in this. Thus, Teacher stopped talking about it. After all, we don't have the strength to contend against some people. If the data had really been stolen, then you should understand the implications behind it...Even the truth behind the death of the fifth principal might be put into question."

The expressions of Su Yu and Bai Feng changed. Someone had known that the fifth principal would die in advance? That shouldn't be possible. Then, there was only one other possibility. The death of the fifth principal was premeditated.

There was a traitor among humanity! A traitor that might be an Invincible.

Chen Yong said with anguish, "Therefore, we need to stay low key. Pretend we know nothing. We have to ignore all suppression. Not even Teacher can rashly break through into the Sunmoon Realm as doing so might invite the caution of our enemy. That person might even consider eliminating all of us as precaution..."

Su Yu asked, "Why don't we report it..."

Chen Yong sorrowfully said, "But...do you know who the traitor is?" Read complete versıon only at novel✶fire.net

"..."

Yes. Who was the traitor? What if they reported it and the traitor decided to silence them by killing?

"Then we should escalate the matter." Su Yu said, "Make a big ruckus out of it. Making it impossible for that person to do anything against us from the shadows."

"Where's your proof? Everyone would only believe that we are trying to avoid responsibility by framing an Invincible. They would suspect that we are trying to cause internal strife between Invincible experts of humanity. You need to know that these experts are the ones holding the fort at the front line. Can anyone bear with the consequences of internal strife?"

Chen Yong sighed, "We can't. If the human Invincibles start suspecting each other, what would happen during war? Thus, even if you know something, you can only keep it to yourself. You can't say anything unless you have irrefutable evidence of who the culprit is."

"Irrefutable evidence..."

Chen Yong shook his head. But how were they supposed to find irrefutable evidence?

He looked at Su Yu and said, "Thus, it might not be a good idea to fully fall out against the single character faction. In truth, I think that their suppression can act as a form of protection for us."

Su Yu frowned.

Bai Feng gloomily said, "Senior Brother, you're basically saying that the end result would be the same regardless of whether we sit back or hit back. If this continues, it is only a matter of time before our legacy is severed."

"Yeah." Chen Yong sighed, "Thus, Teacher suspected that even the suppression might be the handiwork of that person. Of course, we don't know for sure since everything we know seems to suggest that Great Zhou King is the culprit. But there is no need for him to do this. Teacher speculated that someone is using the Zhou Family as scapegoat. There is another group of people working in the shadows. And these are the ones actually trying to end our legacy."

Bai Feng and Su Yu sank into silence. In short, if they showed off too much, trouble would come knocking. But even if they remained silent, the multiple character faction would be pushed even closer to extinction.

Su Yu was completely speechless. This matter actually involved several Invincibles.

Great Zhou King was one. The dead brother of Great Zhou King was one. The potential traitor was also one.

Su Yu scratched his head, "Martial Uncle, what about Great Xia King?"

Chen Yong replied, "It's improper for the Great Xia King to show preference toward any side. The fifth principal had stubbornly fought until his death at the Allheaven Battlefield. He had even caused an Invincible of the Great Zhou to die alongside him. What can the Great Xia King say in this situation? When you lose in a factional struggle, is the Great Xia King supposed to show bias and help you?

"He is an Invincible of Great Xia. He is an Invincible of humanity. He is not an Invincible of the multiple character faction. He needs to be fair in his dealings and not act solely based on his feelings. Otherwise, he would have definitely helped us since he is actually quite close with the fifth principal and by extension, the multiple character faction."

This was so troublesome. Both Su Yu and Bai Feng looked gloomy.

Su Yu said, "Martial Uncle, so you're saying that we should continue acting like a turtle?"

"..."

Chen Yong said, "Are you scolding me in a roundabout manner?"

"..."

Su Yu felt aggrieved. That was definitely not the case! He was simply feeling sullen about the situation.

Chen Yong said, "We don't need to be too timid. This really doesn't have that much to do with us. If there is really a traitor, then that traitor will be targeting Teacher and Martial Uncle Liu."

Chen Yong exhaled, "Martial Uncle Liu is the inheritor of the Divine Character. He won't be able to escape being targeted. Thus, it is actually a good thing that Martial Uncle Liu has been maintaining a low profile for so many years. But recently, he has entered the Skysoar Realm."

Su Yu asked, "Martial Uncle, you mean..."

Chen Yong rubbed his temple and sighed, "I have been thinking about one thing. The cult attack in Nanyuan resulted in Martial Uncle's breakthrough...was it a coincidence or was it actually a plot to get a clearer look at Martial Uncle's condition?"

Su Yu blinked. What? So there was also a hidden story behind the attack on Nanyuan?

Bai Feng asked in astonishment, "Really? But I rushed over the moment we found out about the trouble..."

Chen Yong glared at him, "You were late! You only arrived after Martial Uncle's breakthrough."

"But I did travel as fast as I could. I traveled straight from the capital to Nanyuan without even making a stop. And I set off right after Martial Uncle's message arrived."

Chen Yong said, "Maybe even your travel time has been taken into consideration. They had carried out their operation earlier to make sure that you wouldn't arrive in time."

"What?" Bai Feng said, "That...should be a coincidence, right?"

"Coincidence or not, who knows? Even ignoring the matter involving Martial Uncle, too many things have been happening in the academy recently. I keep having a feeling that there is a big hand controlling everything behind the scenes. Zheng Yuming's crippling, the increased suppression on us by the single character faction, the single character faction genius from Great Zhou traveling the Human Realm to challenge multiple character faction cultivators...all these are coming together to unload a massive pressure on us. The pressure is so heavy that it's starting to feel suffocating."

Chen Yong sighed, "That big hand is pushing us, pushing us to stop hiding and make a move. I don't know what is going on. I don't know if everything has been intentional. I don't know if there is such a person behind the scenes. I only feel like someone is trying to push us to the center of a massive conflict."

"Someone is manipulating everything behind the scenes?"

Su Yu frowned. Who was that person? Was it the traitor Invincible? Or someone else? Forcing the multiple character faction to do something? Why?

His appearance was probably outside their calculations. He was too unimportant for anyone to plot against him yet. Suddenly, he asked, "Is Grandteacher still fine? Also, will Teacher Liu be fine?"

If someone was really making a move against their faction, it was unlikely that the three of them would be the actual targets. Instead, Hong Tan and Liu Wenyan would be the targets.

Chen Yong shook your head, "You don't have to worry about your grandteacher. But things might get dangerous for Martial Uncle Liu. He has been staying in Nanyuan for so many years and he wouldn't leave unless absolutely necessary. If he remains in Nanyuan, his safety is assured since there are people watching over him there. But it is also unlikely that someone would actually launch a direct attack on him..."

"That's good to hear."

Su Yu was relieved. In that case, there was nothing he needed to worry about.

After thinking for a bit, he asked, "Since there are some people watching over Teacher Liu, why had nobody helped during the cult attack?"

Chen Yong smiled bitterly, "Watching over does not mean they are friendly. Do you understand now?"

"Oh."

Understanding dawned on Su Yu. Rather than saying that those people were watching over Liu Wenyan, it was more apt to say that they were monitoring him. For them, it really wasn't that important whether Liu Wenyan was dead or alive. They only needed to stay informed about his situation.

Su Yu had not expected that things were actually this complicated. Clearly, Chen Yong had initially intended to hide this from them. Su Yu could also guess the reason for Chen Yong to say all that now.

"Martial Uncle, you mean that we should maintain the status quo and stay low key?"

He suspected that both Hong Tan and Chen Yong had deliberately acted as turtles all these years. They were able to stay patient even after their faction was on the verge of being suppressed out of existence.

Chen Yong said, "You're a new student. If you want to put up a fight, do it. It is better for you to do it than us since that would limit the conflict to the realm of students. But never mention any of what you have learned today. Remember that unless absolutely necessary, even with your grandteacher around, he will not be making any moves."

Chen Yong inhaled deeply and said, "Just do as you see fit. Perhaps...only silently taking a beating is not a good idea. Maybe your rise can bring us some pleasant surprises. But you need to be very careful."

Su Yu nodded. Sure enough, the more one knew, the more dangerous things would get. Sigh. His martial uncle should have kept him ignorant. Wasn't it blissful to be ignorant? Why must his martial uncle tell him? Because of that, he was starting to feel slightly afraid.

Sigh. If even his teacher had been clueless for so many years, why had his martial uncle decided to tell him? What was his martial uncle thinking?

As he thought about that, he looked at Bai Feng. At this time, the same thought crossed Bai Feng's mind as he questioned, "Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this. Why hadn't you told me all these years? Why are you telling us today after what this kid did?"

Chen Yong replied unhurriedly, "Because...you're not as good at making trouble as him."

Yes. It was that simple. Sure, Bai Feng was no pushover, but his actions were still reasonable. As for this student of his, he could probably cause the sky itself to collapse if they left him alone for three days.

Just look at him! He had been in the academy for two months. What had he done during this period of time? How many times had he scammed the single character faction?

He had even offended a peak Mountainsea cultivator like Zhou Mingren. Previously, Zhou Mingren had not been taking Su Yu seriously. He had been happy with letting his underlings handle Su Yu. But Su Yu had most definitely left a deep impression of himself in Zhou Mingren's mind after the earlier incident.

Simply put, Chen Yong had said all that to scare Su Yu, hoping that he would hold back a little after this. Otherwise, he was really going to attract more trouble than they could handle one of these days.

Bai Feng had an awkward look. Was his senior brother looking down on him? Did his senior brother think that he wasn't good enough at making trouble? Just wait!

Wait until his research on racial ability character was completed. At that time, he would create a storm that would engulf not only the academy, but the entire Human Realm or even the Myriad Realms. Nobody would dare to think that he was not good at troublemaking anymore. How would he, the great Bai Feng, be incomparable to his own student?

Of course, Bai Feng himself was also aware of the trouble he might attract after completing his research. He was starting to wonder if the data left by the fifth principal was related to the same subject.

After all, they had only started researching ability blood essence due to some of the information the fifth principal had left behind. Hong Tan wouldn't have insisted on working on the same research for so many years otherwise.

Chapter 339: Returning (1)

The three continued chatting for a while.

But none of them touched on the previous topic. Those things were too far away from them. It would be honestly quite pointless for them to keep talking about those matters.

Bai Feng suddenly recalled something and said, "Little Yu, have you called my martial uncle yet?"

Su Yu shook his head. He had been too busy recently so he hadn't been able to find any time to do so. He hadn't even answered Principal Wan's invitation. He kept having a feeling that the old man was harboring some bad intentions toward him.

"Call him!" Bai Feng said, "That character of martial uncle-cough, I mean I really miss martial uncle a lot. Invite him over to visit us for a bit. Don't you know your manners? You need to show gratitude to my martial uncle who had spent so many years teaching you."

Su Yu was speechless. Bai Feng was clearly intending to study his Teacher Liu. Why bother saying all those lies?

Chen Yong glanced at Bai Feng and couldn't even be bothered to say anything. He stood up and said, "I need to leave. Jia is still waiting there. She must be feeling very anxious now. Bye."

Wu Jia had run off with over 8,000 merit points. Chen Yong knew her well. She was probably so anxious and worried of being robbed that she was on the verge of tearing up at the moment. That was too much money. She had never seen that much money before.

"I'll transfer the merit points to you later..."

Su Yu was about to generously reject the offer when he recalled how he was in need of merit points as well. Thus, he smiled and said, "Sure. Martial Uncle, I only need 5,000 merit points. You can keep the rest as your fee. I'll be getting more money somewhere else."

"Kid..."

Chen Yong laughed. He knew what Su Yu was talking about.

After giving it a thought, he said, "It is not a bad idea to get involved with people from the Xia Family, but remember to not get too involved. Things are not too calm within the Xia Family recently. The prefect is in seclusion to prepare for his breakthrough into the Invincible Realm. The moment he breaks through, a new prefect will be picked. You need to know that a lot of people are eyeing that position. And Xia Yuwen is one of the strongest candidates for that position."

"Xia Yuwen?" Su Yu recalled what Hu Zongji told him before. He hesitated slightly before saying, "Martial Uncle, someone told me that Zhou Pingsheng wanted to replace you as the head manager while the vacant deputy head manager will be given to Xia Yuwen."

"What is he trying to do?" Out of nowhere, Bai Feng raged. "Xia Yuwen! Damn that person! I was wondering why the single character faction is targeting you this year. But is it because of him?"

Bai Feng snorted coldly and gnashed his teeth, "Xia Yuwen! He is quite ambitious, but he should look in a mirror and understand that not everyone is worthy of being a prefect."

Su Yu looked at Bai Feng curiously. It was very rare to see this teacher so angry. At most, this teacher would give some exaggerated reactions from being shocked. He had never seen his teacher so agitated before. This time, his teacher seemed to be really angry.

Noticing Su Yu's gaze, Bai Feng snorted, "I admit that Xia Yuwen is very talented. He is definitely very strong. But his heart is too dark and cold. If he becomes the prefect, Great Xia will descend into chaos."

Bai Feng seemed to know even more that he was unwilling to say. He clenched his teeth and said, "Senior Brother, even if you really lose the head manager position to that garbage Zhou Pingsheng, you can't allow Xia Yuwen to get anything. Hmph. He sure loves to dream. Why doesn't he find a mirror and take a good look at the type of person he is first?"

Chen Yong glanced at Bai Feng. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Xia Yuwen is very talented and strong. He has already entered the Cloudbreach Realm. Back then, he tried roping you in. There is no need for you to show so much hostility to him. Nothing much will change for us regardless of who the new prefect is."

Bai Feng furiously said, "I'm not a sore loser!"

Both Su Yu and Chen Yong stared at him silently.

That rendered Bai Feng somewhat speechless. He grumbled, "Fine, fine, I'm not the most graceful of losers. That bastard from the war academy whooped my as-cough, defeated me. I was angry, but I had still acknowledged his strength. But Xia Yuwen is not a good person. Back then, he used a 100-man squad as bait in the Allheaven Battlefield. Damn him. I saw with my own eyes how every last one of them was killed. That person does not mind using human lives as bait.

"When I arrived, he had the nerves to blame me for arriving too early and alerting the enemy. When I reported him to the Devil Subduing Army, that damn fucker actually claimed that he did so for the sake of mission. Damn him!"

Bai Feng kept cursing. He was clearly unhappy with Xia Yuwen. Su Yu couldn't quite picture the situation where a 100-man squad was used as bait, so he didn't feel as strongly about it. But he still found it somewhat distasteful.

While he was thinking that, Bai Feng suddenly asked, "Su Yu, imagine if your father was the leader of that 100-man squad. How would you feel about it?"

Instantly, Su Yu's expression changed.

Previously, he still didn't feel that strongly about the topic. But now, his eyes turned red as he scolded, "Scumbag! Animal! Is that person even worthy of being a prefect? He should be killed and be fed to the dogs. A piece of shit like this is worthy of being a member of the Xia Family? I reckon he's a cult member. He deserves to be killed without mercy the moment anyone sees him."

Bai Feng shrugged at Chen Yong. See? It wasn't that he was jealous of Xia Yuwen or that he was a sore loser. Look at the kid. He seemed even angrier.

Su Yu spent some time raging. After a while, he said dispiritedly, "Teacher said that he used a 100-man squad as bait. I didn't feel too strongly about it initially. I even felt that perhaps if they could kill an expert doing that, it would be worth it..."

Su Yu reflected on himself, "But when Teacher told me to imagine my father being the leader of this squad. I suddenly understand that only the relevant individuals will understand the pain involved. If Xia Yuwen had succeeded in killing a Cloudbreach enemy with that ploy, he would be lauded as a brilliant tactician after returning to Great Xia. Nobody would put much thought into the sacrificed soldiers..."

Su Yu sighed. Suddenly, he was at a loss. Was Xia Yuwen brilliant? Perhaps there were people who really believed so. With a 100-man squad led by only an Infinite Strength cultivator, he was able to kill a Cloudbreach enemy. Would the military praise him for that performance? Would Great Xia praise him for that performance? It was very likely that he would win more praise than criticism. Who would think about the 100 dead soldiers?

Bai Feng said that Xia Yuwen's heart was too dark and cold. Su Yu initially felt that his teacher was speaking out of envy since his teacher had never been able to defeat Xia Yuwen. But when he thought about it again, he found that he had made the right choice in becoming Bai Feng's student.

At the very least, his teacher's heart was not that cold yet. He wouldn't have been so hostile toward Xia Yuwen otherwise. He had been beaten up by someone from the war academy before as well. Yet when he mentioned that person, he was only filled with respect. Thus, Bai Feng was not really a sore loser.

Even Chen Yong started reflecting on himself. What was his first thought when hearing about the bait incident? Did he feel that Xia Yuwen was too cold? Or...did he feel more indifference?

Chen Yong sighed. When he looked at Bai Feng and Su Yu again, he nodded and said nothing. Before this, he still believed that he might be able to build some sort of relationship with Xia Yuwen. But after this conversation, he did not think that it was possible anymore.

Bai Feng and Su Yu would definitely not get along well with Xia Yuwen. Perhaps things would change in the future, but it wouldn't happen anytime soon. The hearts of these two were still warm, unlike Xia Yuwen whose heart was already cold.

"I'll be leaving. Xia Yuwen is returning soon. Even if you dislike him, do not provoke him. Junior Brother, don't forget that you're still a Skysoar."

Bai Feng snorted. So what if he was still a Skysoar? Just wait. When he formed his racial ability character, even those in the Cloudbreach Realm wouldn't be his match.

Su Yu was wondering if Xia Yuwen had reached an agreement with the single character faction. There was no reason for the single character faction to be working on his behalf otherwise.

What was the position of Vice Principal Xia Changqing in all this? After all, he was a senior from Xia Yuwen's branch in the Xia Family.

...

Chen Yong left.

Right after he left, Bai Feng berated, "You are creating trouble again! Kid, you are getting better and better at creating trouble. Just what is your cultivation? Instead of focusing on cultivation, you spend all of your time courting trouble!"

Su Yu had an aggrieved expression. Was he the one courting trouble? Not at all! He was the one who had been constantly targeted by others!

"Just focus on cultivating for now. I already issued a mission to look for your grandteacher. By the way, don't forget to call my martial uncle. Trick him into becoming my research subject."

Su Yu was speechless. Then again, he could really consider giving his Teacher Liu a call. It had been a while since they last spoke.

Su Yu took out his communicator and dialed a number. But after a short wait, he shook his head, "No connection."

"No connection? There shouldn't be any connection issues within cities. What is happening?"

"No idea."

Su Yu shook his head. Maybe one of those communication stations out in the wilderness had been damaged again.

"Forget it. Just focus on your cultivation. Don't go out for no reason."

"Alright."

Su Yu did not argue. It was about time he started focusing on his cultivation again. After receiving the merit points from his martial uncle, he could consider buying more blood essence and cultivate in the grotto. Or he could consider prioritizing the cultivation of his cultural art first.

He still found himself too weak. Wang He, who was ranked 38th in the top 100, was already strong enough to make him feel pressure. Even with a heaven-grade technique, his cultivation level was still much lower in comparison. Thus, he reckoned that he wouldn't be a match to those within the top 30.

"Cultural art, Infinite Strength Realm, form new Divine Characters, perfect the character technique..."

Thinking of all the things he needed to do, Su Yu's head started aching. Why did it feel like he simply had too many things to cultivate? Perhaps life would be easier if he had chosen to walk the physical path instead? Wouldn't it be incredible to use brute force as the solution for everything? That way, he wouldn't need to spend so much time learning about Divine Characters.

Su Yu was only musing to himself. Deep inside, he still believed that cultivating both paths was the correct option. As far as he was concerned, warriors were too coarse and boorish. They did not look graceful and cool in combat. As a warrior, he would have a hard time building a good public image for himself. Thıs content belongs to Nove1Fire.net

Chapter 340: Returning (2)

At the same time.

On the way from Nanyuan to the capital.

The old principal of Nanyuan Secondary School was driving an old truck with Liu Wenyan in the passenger's seat.

While driving, he nagged, "Old Liu, you're not young anymore. Don't be so stubborn. With your strength, what can you do in the capital?"

Liu Wenyan did not say anything. Instead, he was staring ahead in daze. It had been 50 years. He had stayed in Nanyuan for 50 years. He had not contacted any of his old friends. Even when some of his old friends passed away, he only mourned in silence.

Today, he was returning. He felt like this still wasn't the time for him to return. He should have returned in the future. But...some people were forcing him to return. For more chapters visıt NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Zhang Ruoling...

Numerous scenes from the past rose in his mind. Back then, he was in his prime.

Back then, he was high-spirited.

Back then, he looked down on all the heroes under the sky. He, Liu Wenyan, was capable of fighting and slaying Skysoars at the Mental Tempering Stage.

First place in the top 100? That was something he could get by merely reaching out and taking it.

His teacher was the strongest human Sunmoon in existence. With a teacher that reigned supreme above so many people and a student who was similarly as impressive, who could contend against them?

Even before entering the Skysoar Realm, he could already disregard all in the Skysoar Realm.

That year, his teacher failed to affirm his dao. His martial uncles were all killed in battle. His teacher was carried back as a corpse, leaving only a single character behind. Nothing else remained.

He was not reconciled to that. He could not accept that. He believed that there was a conspiracy. His teacher once said that he was capable of fighting Invincibles. He was the strongest Sunmoon across the Myriad Realms.

Anyone might fail in their dao affirmation, but not his teacher. Alas...his teacher had ultimately failed. The few seniors that were able to return with their lives were filled with regret and indignance. They could do nothing but to leave with indignation.

They couldn't accept that result either. How could the fifth principal fail? Why would there be two Invincibles ambushing the fifth principal?

That year, he took in his teacher's Divine Character, hoping to recreate the glory of the fifth principal. Alas, the heavens played a joke on him. The character was too powerful, resulting in his sea of willpower suffering a heavy injury. His existing characters were damaged and even his physical body broke apart.

A genius once capable of slaughtering Skysoars had been reduced into a cripple that couldn't even kill a chicken. That year, a group of his close friends walked the same path as him. They were similarly indignant. They were similarly unwilling to give up.

How could the fifth principal fail? They believed that the fifth principal should have succeeded even against two Invincibles. The fifth principal should have been able to break through in combat and kill the two Invincibles. There must be an issue somewhere.

"Zhang Ruoling..."

Muttering that name, Liu Wenyan's eyes turned red. It had been nine years since that person was dead. Why were they disturbing him even after he was dead? Was it really a good thing to pass these characters on?

Zhang Ruoling had carried his character to his grave because he did not wish to ruin the life of another cultivator. Why couldn't those people understand him? Even Liu Wenyan himself planned to bring his character to the grave if he couldn't find a suitable successor.

While he was thinking, a demon beast appeared ahead of their vehicle. The old principal was alarmed. This was going to get troublesome. But suddenly, a streak of sword light erupted, cutting the beast into pieces. A silhouette appeared ahead of them.

"Teacher!"

The newcomer looked young. If Su Yu was present, he would recognize that this was the young teacher who had tried advising him against fighting Huang Qifeng during the challenge matches.

Liu Wenyan stared at the youth silently.

The old principal stared at the newcomer for a bit before exclaiming in astonishment, "Liu Chuan, is that you?"

This was a student of Liu Wenyan from a long time ago. In truth, this student was probably near 50 years in age already. He only looked young.

The principal had heard that this student had been stuck at the Skysoar Realm for many years. He was currently serving as a teaching assistant in the academy. Over the years, he had never returned to Nanyuan. Why was he here?

"Greetings, Principal." He extended his greeting to the principal before looking at Liu Wenyan. His eyes turned red as he said, "Teacher, let me clear the path for you."

Liu Wenyan stared at him silently for a long time before finally saying, "Why are you getting yourself involved in this? Do you even have the strength to get involved? After entering the academy, you are no longer my student. I have merely taught you for a few years. We don't have any other relationship."

"Teacher!" The man said, "I might be weak, but I am still willing to clear the path for you. There are a lot of people waiting for your return in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy."

"Return?" Liu Wenyan had a self-mocking smile as he shut his eyes and ignored his student, "Drive."

The old principal did not know how he should react. While driving, he hollered, "Liu Chuan, just go back. An old bag of bones like me is enough to send your teacher there. You can go back."

Liu Chuan said nothing. He merely flickered before vanishing into thin air. Not far ahead of them, sounds of combat started ringing out.

"Old Liu..." The old principal asked, "What is going on? Did you contact him in advance without telling me about it? Are you pretending to be clueless now?"

Liu Wenyan opened his eyes and glared at the old principal. Bullshit! He knew who was the one who had notified Liu Chuan. Apart from that crazy old woman, nobody else would do so. He couldn't even be bothered to give the old principal an answer.

...

At the same time.

Even further ahead of them.

Wu Qi killed an enemy with a swing of her sword and smiled, "Why is the Myriad Race Cult getting involved in this as well? What a bother. Because of you, I need to make a move as well. His return has nothing to do with you guys. By the way, since that's grandaunt's lover...is he my granduncle?"

Wu Qi almost laughed in amusement.

...

Even further ahead.

A silhouette flickered in the air.

Then, someone appeared. That was Wu Yuehua.

She stared at the empty space in front of her and sneered, "Are you guys thinking of stopping his return as well? Dream on!"

"Wu Yuehua!"

An old woman walked out of thin air and coldly said, "Liu Wenyan was expelled. He was exiled. Nanyuan is his place of exile. He does not have permission to leave. There was an agreement that he could leave with the fifth principal's character, but he could no longer return to the capital unless he could find a way to repay all the losses their faction had incurred all those years ago."

The old woman was none other than Elder Yu Hong. When Wu Yuehua mentioned the matter involving Zhang Ruoling's grave earlier in the day, Zhou Mingren guessed that Liu Wenyan might have learned of it as well.

And sure enough, he was right. Liu Wenyan was really on his way back.

"He is free to return if he wants. As for dregs like you, feel free to try digging out Zhang Ruoling's grave. As long as you dare to do so, I'll kill all of you and fill the grave with your bodies."

"Wu Yuehua, don't get too cocky."

Wu Yuehua merely sneered. Suddenly, the space around the two of them started collapsing. A short while later, Wu Yuehua walked out of the area of disturbance, leaving the old woman coughing blood behind her.

"Garbage."

Wu Yuehua sneered and did not spare her a second glance. "You're actually someone from the fifth principal's generation. Why are you such a piece of trash? So what if you're a Mountainsea? The pillmaking faction is still good enough to suppress you."

The old woman had nothing to say. A moment later, the air flickered and a different individual appeared.

Elder Sun had arrived. Taking a step forward from thin air, he said, "Yuehua, Liu Wenyan can't be allowed to return. At the very least, not now."

"Hmph!"

Wu Yuehua snorted with contempt.

Yet again, the air flickered. A middle-aged man stepped out of thin air. With a somewhat pale face, he coughed and said, "Old Sun, don't block the way. Both you and Yu Hong are not good enough to stop us. As for Old Li, I reckon he won't be able to make it here."

Elder Sun's face changed as he asked, "What did you do to Old Li?"

"Nothing much. He was feeling unwell so he returned to the academy."

The middle-aged man said, "Don't push things too far. Big Brother Liu has been keeping to his word all these years. If you guys hadn't gone so far, he wouldn't have decided to return right now."

Elder Sun's face changed repeatedly. After a while, he said, "I might not necessarily agree with Old Zhou. But there is no denying that the living is more important than the dead. Zhang Ruoling's character can save Yuming. And Zhang Ruoling is already dead. He passed away from illness. None of us had pushed him to his death. It would be a waste to keep the character in his grave..."

"Nonsense!" Wu Yuehua asked, "Would you agree if I dig up your grave for our characters after your death?"

Elder Sun calmly replied, "Yes. In fact, I don't even need you to do so. I will voluntarily leave my characters behind before my death."

"Are you going to insist on stopping us?"

Wu Yuehua questioned with an unsightly expression. She no longer felt like arguing more with them.

Elder Sun said, "Tell Liu Wenyan to return to Nanyuan. The academy is no longer the same academy from 50 years ago. The fifth principal had exhausted the academy's accumulation of many years. Because of the fifth principal, the entire academy nearly shut down. Are we going to let Liu Wenyan lead the academy to ruin once again?"

"You sure sound righteous." Wu Yuehua coldly said, "If you can get Zhou Mingren to give up on the grave, Liu Wenyan can definitely stop his journey. Otherwise, we will wait until he's here before starting a new faculty with him. At that time, we can have some fun with each other."

Elder Sun said, "Yuehua, back then, I was also a good friend of your mother..."

Wu Yuehua sneered with disdain.

Elder Sun shook his head, "Unless Liu Wenyan fully recovers and enters the Mountainsea Realm, he will never be able to start a new faculty. Stop dreaming already. That person from Great Zhou is already on the cusp of the Invincible Realm. He once said that the moment he reaches the Invincible Realm, he would come to collect his debt and settle the score of his father's death with the multiple character faction."

Wu Yuehua's face finally changed.

Elder Sun said, "If Liu Wenyan continues keeping to himself, that person might not make a move against a cripple like him. But the moment Liu Wenyan ends his retirement, that person will not let the matter rest."

That person was from the Zhou Family of Great Zhou. A prefecture that was likely to be even stronger than Great Xia. But after the death of Great Zhou King's younger brother 50 years ago, Great Zhou had been maintaining a relatively low profile after losing one of their Invincible experts.

And now, they were going to welcome a second Invincible other than the Great Zhou King. This was going to be an Invincible who was hostile toward the multiple character faction.