Chapter 11 - 11

Chapter 378: Blatantly Helping The Enemy (2)

Liu Hong thought about it and nodded, "You're right. Then we can only get the other top 10 students to help us. We can also get the Foreign Students Faculty to help. We can even get the help of the veteran students from the Elderly District..."

Zhou Pingsheng sank into a short silence before saying, "We have a lot of veteran students in our faction. We even have a few that are stuck at peak Mental Tempering Stage and ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm. These people are no weaker than Zhan Hai."

They had a lot of veteran students. The Skysoar Realm was a bottleneck that many people were stuck at. Many would remain stuck for decades. These veteran students had powerful Divine Characters, strong willpower, and incredible physical strength.

They also knew a lot of martial techniques and possessed a lot of Divine Characters. Apart from their inability to advance, they were actually quite useful as some of them were even stronger than Zhan Hai.

Zhou Pingsheng frowned, "But according to the academy rules, those at 30 and below are not at the same level as those above 30..."

Liu Hong smiled, "Senior Brother Zhou, I know that. I also know that Su Yu is good at playing with the rules."

The moment those words were said, the faces of Xia Yuwen and Zhou Pingsheng fell.

Liu Hong said, "But...we are the ones with the authority to do something about the rules. We can simply organize a tournament and not limit it to those at 30 and below, allowing anyone below the Skysoar Realm to join. And as long as we can provide a reward that can attract Su Yu, he would definitely bite the bait. And once that happens, everything will be under our control."

Liu Hong confidently said, "For example, he is probably trying to enter the Infinite Strength Realm. Fusing acupoints is hard and the heavenly source fruit is very helpful for him. The acupoint fusion pill and the acupoint purifying talisman are also helpful. Does he want these treasures?

"With his confidence, if he wants these treasures, would he join the tournament? We can even offer a slot in the Willpower Grotto as the reward. At that time, the myriad race students and the geniuses of the various batches will gladly join the tournament. Anyone below the Skysoar Realm will join.

"Who wouldn't want to join? Who wouldn't want to enter the Skysoar Realm? At that time, we won't even need our people to make a move. For the sake of the slot, those people will definitely move against Su Yu. They won't be pulling their punches since he is definitely strong enough to compete against them."

Liu Hong stopped to take a sip of tea and said, "There are many ways we can deal with Su Yu. The question is, are we willing to pay the price? In truth, we already lost a lot. If this continues, the losses we accumulate will surpass the value of a slot into the Willpower Grotto."

Hearing his words, a lot of people nodded. Someone agreed, "That's right. This is a good idea. This idea has my support."

"I think it's good as well. With this plan, we won't need to put the lives of our students on the line anymore. They won't have to spend months in recuperation and fall behind their peers anymore. The disruptions to the top 100 are going to keep inflicting us more and more losses if things continue as they are."

"..."

More and more people voiced their agreement. This was a plan where they could send Zhan Hai or even those from the Elderly District against Su Yu without sacrificing anyone from their side. That was an excellent idea.

Zhou Pingsheng frowned, "I'm only afraid that we will only help Su Yu grow even stronger. He is too talented. How long has he even been in the academy? Look at how strong he already is. If he really manages to get the slots or the other benefits we are using as bait..."

Liu Hong smiled, "Then we'll allow him to reach the Skysoar Realm. That's even better. Senior Brother Zhou, are we afraid of a single strong Skysoar? We are only afraid of Su Yu destroying the morale of our students."

"No matter how strong he is, what can a Skysoar do? Bai Feng is strong, right? But can he change anything?"

Xia Yuwen suddenly said, "Then that's what we'll do. With this plan, the result of the tournament no longer matters. If he loses, he will suffer. If he wins and enters the Skysoar Realm, nobody can help Wu Jia in the top 100 anymore. We can even take this chance to drag Chen Yong down."

He was very supportive of this plan. Liu Hong was indeed quite witty. In truth, Liu Hong might not be the only one who had thought of something like this. The others were probably worried that this plan might turn Su Yu into an even more troublesome opponent. At that time, the person who had suggested this plan would have to shoulder the blame. All these people were more concerned with protecting themselves. They definitely wouldn't dare to suggest a plan so crazy. What a cowardly bunch.

Seeing that Xia Yuwen was agreeing with him, Liu Hong said, "Senior Brother Xia, the best option is still to push Su Yu to the Skysoar Realm. If he is allowed to keep challenging the top 100, he will be able to keep injuring our students. Sure, that won't hurt us too much, but some of our people occupy important positions in the academy. If their students are kicked out of the top 100, they will probably have a hard time getting through their second review."

They weren't worried about those not occupying important positions. They were only worried about those with important positions such as Zhou Pingsheng. As a manager at the books depository, the moment his student was kicked out of the top 100, he would be subjected to a second review. The review would be conducted by a group of people from the neutral factions.

The first review was easy to get through. But during the second review, one's ability as a teacher would be brought into question and one would be investigated for dereliction of duty. Thus, the second review was much stricter than the first review. This was a very important review, one that served to maintain the standards of the academy.

If his student could get into the top 100, then it signified that he had carried out his duties as a teacher satisfactorily. But if his student performed badly, the academy would start questioning him about the resources the academy had allocated him each year. What had he done with the resources if he hadn't been teaching his student properly?

This was a review that even the research centers would be subjected to. One could say that the second review was the main reason the various academies had been able to stay standing for so many years and keep producing so many experts.

Most of the time, these academy teachers enjoyed a high degree of freedom. But if they failed their review, they would be in trouble. And Liu Hong's reminder caused a lot of faces to change.

Even Zhou Pingsheng was alarmed. He solemnly said, "I have done nothing wrong so I'm not afraid of the second review. But those fellows holding the second review enjoy picking faults and escalating even the tiniest of problems. Thus, it is very important that we deal with Su Yu."

Hearing that, Liu Hong and the others only snorted with disdain inwardly. Not afraid? He was a manager at the books depository. Was he really clean? He had done things like letting people enter the books depository without permission and swapping the ancient willpower texts in the books depository with some of the newer willpower texts in his possession.

Sure, Chen Yong had done all that as well. But he had done so to support the multiple character faction, so the academy had generally turned a blind eye. If a review was really conducted, neither Chen Yong or Zhou Mingren would be able to escape punishment.

At the very least, Chen Yong had repaid what he had taken. Meanwhile, Zhou Pingsheng had not done so at all. Someone like him was not afraid of the second review? How funny.

Zhou Pingsheng's eyes turned cold as he said, "We must deal with Su Yu. As for the events outside the academy, Teacher and the others will deal with them. Wu Yuehua and the others won't be able to last too long. They have been the main individuals standing against us all these years. As long as we can deal with Liu Wenyan this time, they will lose their pillar. Without him, these people won't be so united anymore. After all, they aren't really that close with each other."

Liu Wenyan was the sole bond linking all these people. Without him, they would no longer act as one. It would be for the best if they could deal with all these people in one fell swoop. If they could do so, the single character faction would no longer have any other challengers in the academy or even the entire Great Xia Prefecture.

Liu Hong smiled, "Of course. I believe in the faculty head and the others. Liu Wenyan is merely a fresh Skysoar. Thus, we should prioritize keeping things calm in the academy. If we allow Su Yu to create too much trouble, it will be hard to explain ourselves to the faculty head and the others when they return."

Suddenly, Zhou Pingsheng asked, "Su Yu's father is in the army?"

"..."

Liu Hong and the others looked at him, but nobody answered.

Xia Yuwen glanced at him and said, "Keep these thoughts out of your mind. You need to know that the Devil Subduing Army is the prefect's exclusive property. Anyone daring to stretch their hand into that army will pay with their life."

"I understand." Zhou Pingsheng wasn't stupid. He said, "I don't intend to do anything. I mean we can arrange for Su Yu's father to be assigned more missions. It is reasonable for a soldier to assist a cultural researcher with missions, right?

"There are too many experts in the Allheaven Battlefield. A normal soldier can die very easily there. If the worst really happens, would Su Yu still have the mood to keep creating trouble for us?"

"..."

Liu Hong was filled with disdain. What was this fool thinking? The moment he was discovered, he would be executed. He could court death as much as he wanted, but he better not drag them down with him.

Xia Yuwen frowned, "Don't create further trouble than required. He is only a normal soldier. Why put your effort on him? Just dealing with Su Yu is enough. If you dare to mess around with the army and the Devil Subduing Army discovers it, the consequences would be far more serious than what even your teacher can handle."

Zhou Pingsheng thought about it and nodded. That was actually right. Messing around with the military was still quite risky. Forget it. If he was discovered, even if the mission he arranged was a regular mission, he would still be in great trouble.

"In that case, we'll follow Liu Hong's plan. Our best option is a tournament with no age limit. As long as one is below the Skysoar Realm, one can join it. That won't break any academy rules.

"I'll try to ask for a few slots of the Willpower Grotto from my teacher. I'll also try to get some other rewards for the tournament. I will take care of this. Additionally, we need to make sure that Wu Jia is not in the top 100 by the time December ends."

Xia Yuwen did not care about these details. He stood up and said, "I only need this guarantee from you. You guys will deal with Su Yu. Also, make an arrangement for my student to enter the books depository's ninth floor, Manager Zhou."

"You're talking about Zhou Hao?" Newest update provıded by novel※fire.net

"Yes." Zhou Pingsheng frowned, "That...would be hard. The ninth floor is under Chen Yong's control. He watches over that place like a hawk. When I brought a group over previously, he lost his temper. I'm afraid that he would really go crazy if I continue provoking him."

"Just force Chen Yong to leave the academy to get an opening." Xia Yuwen said nothing else and left.

After he left, someone said, "The people from the Xia Family are really still quite overbearing. Look at how he comes and leaves as he wishes when this is our meeting."

It was as though a meeting of the single character faction had turned into Xia Yuwen's personal playground.

Zhou Pingsheng looked at the person who had spoken with a frown and said, "Are you going to be the one to tell him off? We are currently in a partnership with him. Since my teacher is not around, don't create a conflict with him needlessly."

"Heh." Someone sneered.

Meanwhile, Liu Hong was merely watching the show. Inwardly, he was clear that Zhou Pingsheng was doing this for the sake of getting the position of the faction master.

Zheng Yuming had been seriously injured and it was starting to become clear that Xia Yuwen was going to lend his support to Zhou Pingsheng when competing for the position of the new faction master. But there were a few other ninth-stage Cloudbreach cultivators in the faction. And these people were naturally unhappy to see that.

Chapter 379: Blatantly Helping The Enemy (3)

When Zheng Yuming got the position previously, it was because of his strength and Zhou Mingren's support. But if Zhou Mingren's line wanted to take the leadership position again, the others would naturally be unhappy to see them monopolize the position.

After all, the faction master would have a high possibility of being promoted into an elder as well. And the moment one became an elder, one's status and treatment would change completely. Newest update provıded by ɴovelfire.net

One could even use that position as the stepping stone to enter the Knowledge Seeking Realm. Sure, one could still visit the Knowledge Seeking Realm without being an elder, but it was pointless as one would not be able to stay there and would instead be ignored.

But if one was an elder of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, one would have a certain level of status even in the Knowledge Seeking Realm. If one could cultivate in the Knowledge Seeking Realm, one would have a higher possibility of breaking through into the Mountainsea Realm.

Of the 36 Mountainseas of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, almost half of them had broken through after visiting the Knowledge Seeking Realm.

Zhou Pingsheng couldn't be bothered to give that person further attention. He impatiently declared an end to the meeting.

Everyone left, leaving only Liu Hong behind.

And the moment the others were gone, Zhou Pingsheng berated, "Is the data real or fake? Previously, Su Yu claimed that you"

"He is slandering me, Senior Brother!" Liu Hong helplessly said, "I already explained myself to the faculty head. He accepted my explanation..."

Zhou Pingsheng frowned and said, "Did you tell the faculty head the price of the data?"

"I did..."

"Hmph!" Zhou Pingsheng was furious. He gloomily said, "It's enough that you told Teacher about it. Do not tell anyone else. Junior Brother Li, you're a smart guy. You understand what I mean."

Liu Hong's eyes flickered as he nodded, "I understand. Don't worry, Senior Brother. If words of this spread, I will be in trouble as well. It is very likely that the data is fake. And the moment that is proved, both of us will suffer. Things are already quite difficult for me. Therefore, I will be the one to suffer more. I am not stupid enough to make more trouble for myself."

"Good." Zhou Pingsheng nodded. That was true. Even if he was going to suffer, Liu Hong was going to be right beside him when he was suffering.

He transmitted his voice, "Only 50 people at maximum can enter the Willpower Grotto at once. If there are too many experts among them, that number will drop. Thus, each slot is very important. I will try to get more slots from Teacher as the price to deal with Su Yu.

"We can allocate one slot each for those in the top three or even the top five. But I hope that the people ultimately getting these slots will be our people. Junior Brother Liu, we are now in the same boat. Some people will definitely try to do something during this tournament and use it to pull me down.

"You're different. As Elder Zhao's student, you are also qualified to compete for the position. Thus, if those people start making trouble, I will try to let you take charge of this plan instead. You know what to do."

Zhou Pingsheng said, "You love your little brother a lot. If more of our people can get these rewards, it is not impossible to give your little brother one of the slots as well. As for the rest of the winners, I hope that all of them will be the people I want to see. Do you understand me?"

Liu Hong was alarmed. He replied with voice transmission as well, "Senior Brother, a lot of people will pay close attention to the tournament. It won't be easy to rig the matches. If I end up discovered, the outsiders might not be able to do anything. But the faculty head and the elders will not let me off lightly!"

Zhou Pingsheng was growing impatient, "Can't you do even this much? Since the main purpose of the tournament is to give us a chance to act against Su Yu, the others from our faction won't say anything even if they notice you doing anything. Just let Su Yu encounter one strong opponent after another. Everyone will understand that you're using this chance to get rid of some outsiders and target Su Yu. How hard is that?"

"But Senior Brother, even if I can ensure that Di Feng and Qiu Yi won't encounter any strong opponents, there is still no guarantee they can actually win one of the rewards. Also, isn't Di Feng already guaranteed a slot internally?"

"I'm not talking about them." Zhou Pingsheng frowned, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't know. If we can really make the tournament happen, I will give you a list of names. Nobody will notice what we're actually trying to do. I won't make things that obvious."

Liu Hong started guessing. Was this guy planning to sell the slots? Or was he secretly nurturing his own experts? But that seemed quite unlikely. In that case, was he really selling the slots?

Holy shit! This fellow was really quite a greedy one.

The slots of the Willpower Grotto would sell really well. There were plenty of people waiting to enter the Skysoar Realm. And these people would be willing to bankrupt themselves for one of these slots. Even at the price of 2,000 or 3,000 merit points per slot, there would still be countless buyers.

In fact, if Zhou Pingsheng could find someone who was rich yet stuck below the Skysoar Realm, he could probably sell a slot for 5,000 merit points! What some people lacked was not money, but an opportunity. And opening the Willpower Grotto was not something money alone could accomplish.

After guessing Zhou Pingsheng's actual goal, Liu Hong hesitated slightly and said, "Sure. If you can help me get a slot for my little brother, I'll...do my best to help you with the slots. Sigh. I am really doing everything I can for my little brother."

Zhou Pingsheng patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry. If I really manage to become the faction master, I will take care of your line as well."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Liu Hong had a look of gratitude on his face. Zhou Pingsheng smiled indifferently and left. After he left, Liu Hong also slowly walked away. He was still busy thinking.

A big show was going to unfold.

The grave of Zhang Ruoling was being targeted. This time, a fight might really break out between the single and multiple character factions. Their conflict had even involved some powers from outside Great Xia.

"Zhang Ruoling..."

The image of a certain person appeared in his mind. He really knew Zhang Ruoling. He was not lying when he told Su Yu about his connection with Zhang Ruoling previously. Surprisingly, that person had actually become the spark to ignite this conflict.

"When Su Yu learns of this, he will probably suspect me even more for not helping them..."

Liu Hong laughed. He soon moved on to think of a different matter. That bastard Bai Feng had actually grown so strong. With Bai Feng's strength, Liu Hong's importance in the single character faction would drop. And he would need someone to replace Bai Feng's role. And Su Yu was the perfect person for that.

Since he could no longer suppress Bai Feng, he could suppress Su Yu instead, right? No matter what, he was still a genius teaching assistant.

"Single character faction...just what are they thinking?"

Liu Hong muttered to himself. What was Zhou Mingren trying to do? Even the Xia and Zhou Families had been dragged in. Could he really profit off this conflict with so many heavyweights involved?

He had created too big of a ruckus. Did he really believe that their principal was a forgiving person? He had actually gone over the principal to contact the various academies. One ought to know that nominally, Wan Tiansheng was the actual leader of all cultural researchers in Great Xia. Zhou Mingren had crossed a line there.

If he really succeeded in destroying the multiple character faction this time, who would be the actual leader of cultural researchers moving forward?

"Zhou Mingren might not be unaware of all that. And if he knew yet still proceeded with his plan...then it signified that he is confident he can enter the Sunmoon Realm!"

Liu Hong's heart trembled. If Zhou Mingren was confident he could enter the Sunmoon Realm, then what Xia Yuwen suggested...replacing the principal...would actually be feasible. Could it be that their actual goal was not to destroy the multiple character faction. Instead, they were trying to get Zhou Mingren promoted?

Liu Hong knew too little to draw a proper conclusion. If Zhou Mingren really had a chance to enter the Sunmoon Realm or if he was already at that realm, then their real goal could very well not be the multiple character faction's destruction.

The Great Xia Cultural Research Academy was under the jurisdiction of two different authorities. The Great Xia Prefecture and the Knowledge Seeking Realm.

Was that person from the Zhou Family trying to plant one of his own in the upper echelons of Great Xia?

"Things are really getting chaotic. During times like this, even Skysoars are nothing but ants."

This was now a conflict between two prefectures. Two of the strongest prefectures in the Human Realm.

Great Zhou, Great Xia, and Great Qin were the three strongest prefectures. All these prefectures had probably planted a lot of their people in the other prefectures. Was Great Xia the new target of Great Zhou? Was Great Zhou trying to gain control of Great Xia?

The more Liu Hong thought, the more terrified he was. It was time to stop thinking.

The more he knew, the more dangerous it would be for him. The people involved in this conflict might be the ones at a level far beyond his imagination. He should keep a low profile and focus only on gaining some little benefits for himself in the academy. He reckoned he was not the only one who understood what was happening but was acting dumb.

"I should stay in my lane. Yes, time to pay Su Yu a visit. Someone is actually trying to dig up the grave of my respected teacher. I am furious and indignant! I am heartbroken!"

At that thought, grief and indignation covered his face. But that expression only lasted for a moment before it was replaced by a smile.

He was satisfied with that mask. He smiled happily. These days, it was hard to survive without at least several layers of masks.

Nobody knew if the person in front of you was a fool or a smart person. And nobody knew if a smart person was actually a super genius. For example, Zhou Pingsheng. Who knew what that person was thinking?

"Cloudbreach...Willpower Grotto..."

It was time he entered the Cloudbreach Realm as well. Xia Yuwen had entered that realm. Wu Qi was going to enter that realm soon. Bai Feng was already killing Cloudbreach cultivators. It would be too embarrassing for him to remain stuck below the Cloudbreach Realm.

Chapter 380: If I'm Brave Enough, The Whole Academy Could Be Mine (1)

Wentan Research Center.

Su Yu had been staying indoors.

His injuries weren't light. Even with the medicines his martial uncle had sent over, his right arm had not fully healed up.

It was already the 10th of October. It was also the third day after Bai Feng's departure. During the past few days, Su Yu had not attempted to call Bai Feng and the others to find out what was happening. And Bai Feng had not contacted him either.

Su Yu was worried that Bai Feng was in the process of researching Liu Wenyan, so he didn't dare to call. And communicators might not be safe communication channels. While Su Yu was letting his right arm rest, his communicator rang. He thought it was Bai Feng and hurriedly picked up the call, but it was actually Xia Huyou.

...

Outside Wentan Research Center.

Xia Huyou was looking around while waiting for Su Yu. When Su Yu came out, he smiled, "Su Yu, let's talk inside. It doesn't feel right to talk outside."

Su Yu couldn't even be bothered to entertain that request. That was totally out of the question.

Too many people were paying attention to the Wentan Research Center. And there was still quite a lot of important information in the research center. Even the data of ability blood essence paled in comparison to some other information stored in their research center.

For example, the information about racial ability characters and the Soul Devouring Art was definitely more important than the information about ability blood essence. This damn fatty was definitely trying to take advantage of him.

"Sit."

Su Yu said before sitting down on the stairs in front of the door. Xia Huyou felt slightly awkward that he was seen through, but he did not mind and sat down smiling.

"Su Yu, didn't you say that you want to auction the Soul Devouring Art? It has been a few days and you're already starting to use it. It must already be ready, right? Why are you still not selling it?"

"Has it been long?" Su Yu rolled his eyes, "It has only been a few days."

He had only made his announcement on the 3rd in the challenge ring. Only a week had passed since then. Why was this fatty so impatient?

Xia Huyou anxiously said, "Su Yu, you don't understand. A lot of people are paying close attention after you defeated Zhu Hong and the others yesterday with the Soul Devouring Art. I'll be honest. The number of people eyeing you will surpass what you can handle soon if you don't sell the art now. Your faction is already in a bad situation. Be careful lest you give someone the chance to fish in troubled water."

"Fish in troubled water?"

Su Yu had a pensive look. Was that possible?

Yes!

Originally, only the single character faction was truly against them. The others only participated for the fifth principal's Divine Character. Warriors had generally stayed clear of their conflict.

But now, he had delayed selling the Soul Devouring Art. Perhaps even some warriors would be dragged into the conflict as a result. As far as many people were concerned, this was an art derived by Bai Feng. Thus, they all believed that Bai Feng knew the art as well.

When Xia Huyou saw Su Yu in thought, he smiled, "So? Am I right?"

"Yes. You're right." Su Yu nodded, "I have no problem selling the art. In truth, this art is good, but it is nothing too special. Against a Skysoar cultural researcher with second-grade willpower, it can only cause them some pain, unlike my current opponents with first-grade willpower who I can burn through easily." The source of this content ɪs novel-fire.net

The Soul Devouring Art was a good art, but at only 36 acupoints, its strength was limited. Of course, if one could fuse all its acupoints into one at a higher cultivation level, the art would receive a considerable enhancement.

Xia Huyou hurriedly said, "What do you think about letting the Xia Family handle the auction for you?"

"No thanks." Su Yu sank into a short silence before saying, "I don't intend to sell it to just anyone. I'm still afraid of getting in trouble after accidentally selling it to the Myriad Race Cult. Fatty-cough, cough. Huyou, tell me something. How many people from the other prefectures are currently present in Great Xia?"

Xia Huyou was somewhat speechless. He thought for a bit and coughed, "Uhm...we barely have anyone from other prefectures in Great Xia."

Su Yu glanced at Xia Huyou and said, "You know what I mean. There is no need to lie to me about this. Our business relationship can be maintained long term. Don't set your sights on only this transaction. Furthermore, your Xia Family can't give me what I want."

Xia Huyou frowned and said, "Su Yu...certain things are not really as they seem. The Xia Family is still quite overbearing. We are not being neutral and allowing the fight to play out because we can't suppress the single and multiple character factions. The main reason is...very complicated."

"Complicated?" Su Yu smiled, "How complicated can it be? It's simply a matter of you losing control over your own prefecture. How is that complicated? Do you believe me when I say that when news of this spread, the masses would be furious?"

Xia Huyou smiled, "Well, that won't happen. Because...news of this won't spread."

Su Yu frowned. He glanced at Xia Huyou and said, "Since the Xia Family is not doing anything, I'll look for some other helper. I won't be selling the art for money..."

"I know what you mean." Xia Huyou said, "You want to involve the warriors in the conflict? To be perfectly honest, would anyone get involved in the affairs of a bunch of Mountainseas or even Sunmoons for a single Soul Devouring Art? It was possible that even those close to the Invincible Realm are involved in this conflict as well. And this is, strictly speaking, an internal affair of cultural researchers. If you really do that, you will invite the hostility of all cultural researchers."

Xia Huyou earnestly said, "Nobody will get involved in the conflict, including those from the other prefectures. The Xia Family is staying neutral while Great Zhou is maintaining that this is a matter of the fifth principal's inheritance and not their business. Only the Great Zhou Cultural Research Academy is involved..."

Xia Huyou solemnly said, "I believe you know about some things as well. This involves the death of an Invincible. We can all understand the anger of that person from Great Zhou. There's nothing to be done since the data is missing. But they are refusing to show the Divine Character of the fifth principal as well. Was the life of an Invincible so cheap?"

Su Yu frowned, "Was that Great Zhou Invincible really killed while fighting for the fifth principal?"

"Yes!" Xia Huyou sternly said, "That is really true! I asked some seniors about this as well. Back then, the fifth principal was attacked by two Invincibles. At the time, there weren't a lot of Invincibles in that area. All of them were overseeing other areas in the Allheaven Battlefield. They had to make their way over from very far away to give the fifth principal aid, but the myriad races were prepared. Numerous Invincibles showed themselves and intercepted all reinforcements."

Xia Huyou thought for a bit and said, "The fifth principal was actually quite close to that person from Great Zhou. At the time, that person had just broken through while the fifth principal was on the cusp of breakthrough. Thus, the two could be considered experts of the same level. And because of that, they maintained close contact with each other. But for the sake of reinforcing the fifth principal, he was ambushed by two Invincibles on his way. Ultimately, he was killed."

"The fifth principal was close to that person?"

"Yes." Xia Huyou nodded, "To be honest, not even Great Xia King can say anything about this matter. Previously, there were rumors that this was a scheme by the Xia Family because the Zhou Family was getting too strong after producing two Invincibles. They claimed that Great Xia King had intentionally arrived late during the day of the battle."

Xia Huyou sighed, "Of the people involved in that battle, Great Xia King was actually the strongest. After defeating the enemies sent to tangle with him, he had two options. He could either reinforce that person from the Zhou Family or reinforce the fifth principal. And you know his choice. He headed toward the fifth principal. Unfortunately, he was still too late.

"The Zhou Family had no grounds to claim that he had made the wrong choice. After all, the fifth principal was someone from Great Xia. But because of that, Great Xia King was placed in an awkward position. He wasn't the right person to call for peace between Great Zhou and the multiple character faction."

Xia Huyou was feeling very helpless. The Xia Family's hands were tied. Great Xia King was the strongest of the human Invincibles who had tried to help the fifth principal. He had the chance to reinforce both the fifth principal and the person from Great Zhou. He believed that the Invincible from the Zhou Family wouldn't die so easily. After all, not even an Invincible could kill another Invincible easily.

Alas, reality proved that Great Xia King was wrong. He had overestimated that person.

Su Yu thought for a bit and said, "Of the two dead myriad race Invincibles, one was killed by the fifth principal. Was the other killed by that person from the Zhou Family?"

"No..." Xia Huyou looked at Su Yu speechlessly. He said, "Like I said, Great Xia King went to reinforce the fifth principal and fought the enemy off. Naturally, the other Invincible was killed by Great Xia King."

"..."

Su Yu was shocked. Great Xia King?

He had thought that the second Invincible and the Zhou Family member had killed each other. But the second Invincible had actually been killed by Great Xia King?

"Then when you talk about fighting off the enemy..."

"Exactly. Another Invincible appeared to stop the fifth principal from advancing." Xia Huyou smiled, "My ancestor is great, right? But there is no need to tell everyone about that. After all, with the deaths of the fifth principal and that fresh Invincible from the Zhou Family, the human race was the one suffering the bigger loss in that battle."

He shook his head with regret. There was no doubt that the fifth principal was very strong. But that Zhou Family member was not bad as well. He was still very young in comparison to people like Great Zhou King.

He was also someone who had affirmed his dao after the start of the Anping Calendar. One could say that he had endless potential. Unfortunately, both of them had perished. They were worth a lot more than two Invincibles.

Su Yu understood Xia Huyou's meaning. The Xia Family had probably stayed out of this conflict due to Great Xia Kings shame and guilt. But as a result, the multiple character faction suffered.

Su Yu frowned, "So we are not going to be given any protection even within Great Xia? Also, the members of Great Xia's single character faction are still the people of Great Xia, not Great Zhou. Is the Xia Family really going to stay out of this?"

Xia Huyou said, "It's pointless to tell me all this. I'm not an important individual in the Xia Family. Marquis Xia is the one currently in charge of Great Xia. If he wants to stay out of this, then there's nothing we can do. Do you want to ask Marquis Xia yourself? Or maybe you can try asking Xia Chan?"

Ask his mother!

Wait, no, if this fellow was really Xia Longwu's son, then it would be a matter of asking his second granduncle.

"Xia Family...I really can't understand what you guys are thinking." Su Yu went straight to the point, "I can sell the Soul Devouring Art to the Xia Family, but you must guarantee the safety of my two teachers. How about that?"

"We can't." Xia Huyou helplessly said, "We really can't. The moment the Xia Family makes a stand, things might get even more troublesome. The Zhou Family might be forced to do something as well."

"..."

Su Yu cursed before saying, "I refuse to believe that anyone else apart from the Xia Family can call the shots in Great Xia."

"Yes, the Xia Family has the final say in Great Xia. But to be honest, it is possible that...the Xia Family also wants to take a look at that Divine Character."

Chapter 381: If I'm Brave Enough, The Whole Academy Could Be Mine (2)

Xia Huyou shrugged. When he saw Su Yu glaring at him, he helplessly said, "Don't look at me like this. Maybe the Xia Family is only curious. Instructor Liu has kept the character with him for 50 years with nothing to show for it. The Xia Family is really curious. Just what is going on? A senior of the Xia Family is also in a similar situation yet Marquis Xia is refusing to even help that senior."

"How heartless." Su Yu cursed.

Xia Huyou shrugged. He really didn't know the exact story. He was still too weak to get involved in the affairs of his seniors.

Su Yu inhaled deeply and said, "Then I'll start an auction. I refuse to believe that I can't find a single person with a spine. I won't sell it for money. I'm only selling it for the assistance of Mountainseas. I will sell it to the ones willing to help."

"It is really not proper to involve warriors in this conflict. Su Yu, it's better to just sell the art for some money..."

"Piss off." Su Yu scolded, "I insist on involving the warriors. What about it? You think I'm afraid? If push comes to shove, I'll just join a war academy. Zheng Yunhui told me that his grandpa loves talents. I'll simply go under the Zheng Family if I really have no choice."

"..."

Xia Huyou was left completely speechless. After a long while, he said, "There...really is a chance that the Zheng Family will buy your art."

"Will the Xia Family try to ruin that deal?"

"Don't worry. That won't happen." Xia Huyou shook his head, "Since the Xia Family has said that they will stay neutral, they won't go back on their words. If the old man from the Zheng Family decides to get involved, that is his personal affair. It would be fine as long as he doesn't drag the entire war academy into it as well."

"Then I'll do just that." Su Yu said, "Help me invite some Mountainseas over. As for those below that realm, forget about it. Also tell them my intention. Those who are too cowardly can forget about coming."

"Sure. But my service charge..."

"Get those Mountainseas to pay. You can charge them as much as you want. I don't have any money."

Su Yu couldn't even be bothered to say more.

"How about the venue?"

"Do it in the academy."

"We can't." Xia Huyou shook his head, "This is the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. The other Mountainseas won't enter carelessly to avoid misunderstandings. After all, Principal Wan is still in the academy."

"Oh?" Su Yu smiled, "What do you suggest?"

"Xia Trade Company in the city..."

"No." Su Yu refused unhesitatingly. He said, "Just do it right outside the academy gate. I'll stand inside the academy. They will stand a few meters outside the academy. If they disagree, forget it."

"..."

Xia Huyou was dumbstruck. What the fuck? Was there a need to be so cautious? Really?

"Su Yu, is this really proper?"

"What's so improper about that?" Su Yu said in astonishment, "You can never be too careful. These days, not even the Great Xia City is a safe place anymore. What can I do if even the Xia Family is encouraging internal conflict? In the past, safety was still guaranteed in the city. But now...I believe the academy is safer. At the very least, there is a principal here that might act at any time."

"I'll be standing right behind the entrance while they will stand outside. That should be fine, right?" Su Yu said, "Since they are Mountainseas, I reckon they won't care about these small issues. If they really want to buy the art, they can come. If not, they can fuck right off. Don't tell me it's improper. I don't care. They are free to not buy it if they disagree."

"I have no interest in getting killed right after stepping out of the academy. Even if you guys manage to capture and execute the killer...wouldn't I still be dead?" Su Yu smiled, "The Xia Family has managed this city for over 300 years yet you guys can't even ensure the safety of your subjects. I am truly amazed. You are on the verge of getting your second Invincible yet you're causing so much disturbance in your own territory. Truly amazing."

"..."

Xia Huyou looked embarrassed. There was nothing he could say to that. In fact, even he was perplexed and unsatisfied with the stand his family had taken. A conflict between the single and multiple character factions had actually ruined the prestige his family had taken hundreds of years to build. That was not good at all.

He really couldn't understand what his second granduncle was thinking. Sure, his second granduncle had given him an explanation, but he still disagreed. As far as he was concerned, this was the time for them to take action and suppress both factions harshly.

Just cut down anyone who dared to keep running their mouth after that. This issue could be solved easily. Liu Wenyan only needed to show the Divine Character. But since he claimed that he still couldn't materialize the character, there was nothing they could do. Of course, Liu Wenyan's request to wait until he reached the Invincible Realm would definitely not be accepted.

They could accept giving him a time limit with the threat that they would make things simple and cut him down if he still couldn't show the character at the end of the time limit. Would Liu Wenyan still insist that he couldn't materialize the character then?

As for the single character faction, they were definitely not qualified to take a look at that character. The character would only be shown to those with the rights to study it. And after all those people were shown the character, they would all be sent back where they came from.

If anyone dared to keep making trouble after that, they would come to learn that the Xia Family's blade was still sharp.

Great Zhou would be unhappy with that?

So what?

The Xia Family was already showing them a lot of respect by allowing them to take a look at the character. If the Xia Family really wanted to be an asshole, all those people wouldn't even get to take a look at the character.

As for the struggle between the various prefectures...Xia Huyou personally believed that it was pointless. The two holy lands should simply take control and force a union of all prefectures. Who would dare to actually disobey the two holy lands? Basically, he couldn't understand what all those big shots were actually thinking.

"Are you sure you're doing your auction at the academy entrance?"

"Yes."

Su Yu had no hesitation. What stupid question. He definitely wouldn't leave the academy. In the academy, he could still rely on Wan Tiansheng's strength as long as he followed the rules. Who knew if someone would try to kill him outside the academy to create more chaos?

Xia Huyou was starting to get a headache. His second granduncle intended to have this fellow take a stroll outside the academy. But this fellow was actually refusing to step outside. What should he do now?

"Su Yu, I still think it's improper to do it at the academy entrance. Also, to be honest, you can attract hostility easily by selling this art in the academy. Aren't you afraid that all the cultural researchers would start targeting you? I still think you should maintain a low profile..."

"Would they not know about the sale if I keep a low profile?" Su Yu rolled his eyes, "It's completely pointless since everyone will know anyway."

"That's still better than doing it publicly."

"Fine. Forget it." Su Yu said, "I'm not selling anymore. Maybe I'll sell it in the future."

"No!"

Xia Huyou was really speechless. Was this fellow really so cautious? He believed that the capital was still quite safe.

"I am afraid that if you do it openly, it will be treated as a black market transaction..."

"I won't be selling it for merit points." Su Yu nonchalantly said, "What can they do? This is something we came up with ourselves. We can sell it to anyone we want. I can even sell it to the principal. Wait, that's a good idea. Do you think I can tempt him to make a move with the art?"

"..." The most update n0vels are published on nοvelfire.net

Xia Huyou was starting to get tired. Forget it. This fellow was insisting on staying in the academy. Fine.

"Wait! Fine, I'll contact the Mountainseas for you. When do you want to hold your auction?"

"When do you think the fight will break out?"

Xia Huyou thought about it and said, "Soon. When your grandteacher returns, the final clash will happen. Probably in a day or two."

"Then I'll do it tomorrow."

Su Yu was very straightofrward. As for the matter of money, now was not the time to be thinking about money. If he could get the help of several Mountainseas, that would be worth it.

He said, "By the way, I still have 5,000 merit points. Buy some mountainbreak bull blood essence for me. I accept five elemental blood essence as well. I only want those two types of blood essence."

"Why are you still buying so much blood essence? Are you going to keep opening acupoints? You're not going to enter the Infinite Strength Realm?"

"What's the rush?" Su Yu said, "What can the Infinite Strength Realm do for me? So what if you're a first or second or third stage Infinite Strength cultivator? You might not be stronger than me. I am going to open more acupoints. That way, I can save a lot of time at the Infinite Strength Realm. I need to plan for the future, right? I can even save more time at the Mountainsea Realm doing this."

"Fine."

Xia Huyou was speechless. This fellow was really planning very far ahead. He couldn't help but to admire Su Yu's patience. It was reasonable to say that if Su Yu broke through now, he would probably take a year or two to reach the Skysoar Realm through physical cultivation alone. But this fellow did not seem to care about that.

After seeing Xia Huyou off, Su Yu left as well.

...

Mental Tempering Garden.

Special zone.

When Zhang Hao saw Su Yu, he said in excitement, "Brother Su, you're finally here! What's the update on the matter we discussed? I can't wait to start!"

Su Yu smiled, "Be patient. It hasn't been that long. I am thinking of a way to peel the ability imprint out of the blood essence. My teacher is not around so I have to do it myself. Brother Zhang, why are you even more impatient than me?"

"Doesn't being impatient fit my exploding character?"

Zhang Hao laughed. When Su Yu heard that, he laughed as well.

Chapter 382: If I'm Brave Enough, The Whole Academy Could Be Mine (3)

Zhang Hao's gaze landed on Su Yu's arms as he asked, "How are your wounds? If you're not recovering well, I can get some healing talismans from a few teachers in the talisman faction for you."

"It's fine. Thank you for the thought. My martial uncle bought me some. I have enough." Su Yu then sighed and said, "You are quite brave for having the courage to invite me into your home even now."

Zhang Hao laughed, "Why should I be afraid? You have only offended the single character faction, not the talisman faction. In fact, the talisman faction is quite friendly with your faction. Is the single character faction going to create trouble for us just because of this?"

He then asked, "Brother Su, are you not here today to talk about the blood essence production?"

"We'll do that next time. There's no rush." Su Yu said, "You see, I am trying to get some sound transmission talismans. They don't need to work long-distance. I only need them to work within the academy. Security is extremely important so I need some that won't be intercepted or spied on. Can you get me some?"

"That is...possible." Zhang Hao nodded, "But in terms of security...Brother Su, I respect you a lot. To be honest, even if I find you some, I won't be able to guarantee the security unless I am the maker of these talismans. You never know if the maker of a talisman had left a backdoor in it. Thus, there is no promise that your conversations through the talismans won't be listened in on."

Su Yu frowned, "So there's no way to guarantee security?"

"Yeah." Zhang Hao thought about it and said, "In truth, it's not that hard to produce a talisman like this. You only need a few specific characters. Firstly, a location finder character. Secondly, a seeking character. Thirdly, a manifestation character. With all three characters, you can even make these talismans yourself."

Su Yu was somewhat speechless. Making his own talismans? Why did it feel like nothing was safe anymore? Not long ago, Teacher Zhao had also told him that some people loved leaving backdoors in the weapons they forged. But that was also the case for the talisman faction? Was everyone really so dishonest? Were the outsiders even aware of this practice?

Seeing Su Yu's expression, Zhang Hao smiled, "It's fine if you don't know how to produce a talisman. To guarantee the security of the talisman, you can have multiple people complete the talisman separately. The location finder and seeking functions are the more important functions so you can get some people you trust to work on those functions."

"Can a Cloudbreach do something like this?"

"Are you talking about Head Manager Chen? I think so." Zhang Hao nodded, "If you keep the different stages of production separate, the likelihood of someone leaving backdoors in your talismans will be greatly decreased. After all, a backdoor can be easily discovered if others are going to keep working on the talisman after you're done with your part."

Su Yu was somewhat speechless. He said, "Why does this feel like what a Myriad Race Cult agent would do?"

Zhang Hao said, "In fact, these backdoors have been very useful in detecting numerous cultists. The general populace is unaware of this, but the cultists are very careful with all their purchases nowadays for fear of being detected out of nowhere. That was especially true for things involving communication. It is very easy for your conversations to be spied on if you're doing it with a talisman."

"Fine. Thank you. I know what to do." Su Yu nodded and said, "Brother Zhang, I need to ask you about something."

"Feel free to ask, Brother Su."

"Not long ago, I started a club for fun. Some people have been recruited..."

Su Yu gave a simple description of the Mutual Aid Club before saying, "This is a small club established to help each other in our path of cultivation. This is definitely not an official organization or faction. I wonder if you would be interested in joining, Brother Zhang?

"Of course, since I have so many enemies, this club will have to remain a secret since we don't want to be targeted. The members of the club will not even know who the other members are. I will be the middle person connecting everyone in the club."

When it comes to recruitment, a different approach was required for different individuals.

Lin Yao had been tricked to join.

Hu Zongji had been awed into joining.

As for Zhang Hao, Su Yu was taking the earnest approach.

Zhang Hao's interest was piqued. He said, "Interesting. But I have a question. Is the club helpful enough? If not, then there is really no need for me to join."

He was also a freak. And he had a good family background and a strong teacher. He was the sole freak of the talisman faction this batch. If the club wasn't that helpful, then it was pointless to join.

"It's decently helpful, I suppose. All the brothers and sisters that have joined are people of decent background and far reaches." Su Yu smiled, "Willpower texts, cultivation manuals, blood essence, cultural weapons...all these things can be obtained through the club. The club can get an easy mission that pays well for you through the Missions Department if you're thinking of doing missions..."

Zhang Hao smiled, "I don't really lack any of that. But this sounds like a decent club. Are you the founder, Brother Su?"

"Something like that."

"Something like that..." Zhang Hao's eyes flickered as he asked, "So is the club also capable of getting some unique resources?"

"What are you referring to?"

"Ability blood essence."

Su Yu laughed, "That is really not so special and valuable. If you really want some, you can really get some through the club. And our research center doesn't lack ability blood essence either. I thought you would ask for treasures like foundation cultural art. But you're happy with only some ability blood essence? Brother Zhang, don't tell me you actually think that the Mutual Aid Club is the same as all those garbage regional clubs?"

Zhang Hao blanked out slightly.

Foundation cultural art?

Garbage regional clubs?

Before this, he really thought that this Mutual Aid Club was only a small club formed by a few individuals. But from Su Yu's words...

Zhang Hao's expression changed. He was no longer so relaxed as he said, "Brother Su, don't mess with me. Can the club really provide something like foundation cultural art?"

"Yes, but the price is very high." Su Yu smiled, "You should understand why. This is something that is generally only passed down in the families of Invincibles. We paid a high price to get our hands on one. I can only say that there is hope to get one if you join, but I can't promise that you will really be able to get it."

"Why bother mentioning it, then? Are you trying to trick me into joining?"

Zhang Hao thought to himself that this Su Yu was such a swindler.

Su Yu laughed, "Why should I trick you? Am I such a person? You probably won't be able to get the full manual. Instead, you will be given the positions of your soul apertures and instructions on how to open them. The complete manual will be very difficult to obtain."

After saying that, Su Yu indifferently activated one of his apertures. Instantly, the source qi around them rippled while the willpower from a willpower text on Zhang Hao's desk moved.

Zhang Hao's eyes widened.

Su Yu nonchalantly said, "I only managed to obtain the instructions to open a few apertures. Of course, I have yet to link these apertures into a full system. I also don't know when I will get the complete manual. But it is not completely hopeless..."

Zhang Hao's expression changed completely.

He was also in the Mental Tempering Stage. He could naturally sense the changes when Su Yu activated an aperture. He could no longer maintain his calm. He said, "Brother Su...is there...a descendent of an Invincible in your club?"

"I can't tell you anything about that." Su Yu shook his head, "But don't worry. All our manuals have been obtained through legal means. You won't be troubled by an Invincible after cultivating it. Of course, it won't come cheap. As one of the leaders, I was given preferential treatment. And I have also contributed a lot to the club. For example, my Soul Expanding Art has also been contributed to the club. Only after all that was I given this cultural art."

Zhang Hao swallowed, "Are Teacher Bai and Teacher Chen aware of this?"

"I don't know. In any case, when I asked for those things, my teacher did not refuse. He gave me everything I asked for. Thus, even the Soul Devouring Art of the club can be safely practiced without any issue."

Zhang Hao was shocked. Holy shit. Was this the so-called small club? He had thought that it was a useless club. But this fellow was telling him that he could even get a cultural art from the club!

Su Yu asked in astonishment, "Brother Zhang, you're not too far from the Skysoar Realm already. Why do you care so much about some cultural art? It's not like a cultural art will affect you much at this stage..."

Zhang Hao's tone turned gloomy as he said, "How is it the same? Prior to the Skysoar Realm, apertures were much easier to open. It's like acupoints. It will be much harder to open at the Skysoar Realm. If you can open one aperture every three days now, then you will probably take an entire month to open one at the Skysoar Realm. Also, opening aperture now will allow you to cultivate your willpower in advance and increase the speed of your growth. And you can even continue cultivating this art at the Skysoar Realm to the fourth or even the fifth stage."

Zhang Hao asked doubtfully, "Don't you know all that?"

Su Yu smiled, "Of course I know. But I feel that even without a cultural art, you are talented enough to easily enter the Skysoar Realm. But it looks like this cultural art is a much bigger deal to you than I have expected."

"..."

Zhang Hao felt like shouting.

Bullshit.

How could that not be a big deal?

So were there some Invincible descendents in the club as well? Who were they? Were they from the Xia Family? Those from the Xia Family wouldn't lightly spread the cultural art of their family. Could it be the descendants of a dead Invincible who had fallen into hard times? Or was it something left behind by the fifth principal? He had no idea.

Su Yu did not say much. He indifferently said, "If you're really interested to join, we can talk further after I get my hands on some sound transmission talismans. With the talismans, we will be able to maintain our communication without even meeting each other. If you need anything from the club, you can contact me through the talisman. At times, some missions might even be issued by the club. You guys are free to accept those missions if you're interested."

Zhang Hao said, "Your club isn't related to the Myriad Race Cult, right?"

Su Yu rolled his eyes, "Myriad Race Cult? Do you think they're stupid? Would they dare to spread something like this if they really have one? Do they even have one? Using a cultural art just to rope in some students like us? Are we guaranteed to reach the Invincible Realm or something?"

"..."

That made so much sense. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Zhang Hao couldn't help but ask, "Why invite me, then?"

Su Yu said, "Brother Zhang, I am the one inviting you, not the others. I can be considered one of the founders. And I believe in your character. That's why I invited you. If you're unwilling to join, just forget it. I only hope that you can keep this between us. After all, this can still bring us trouble if words spread to more people."

Zhang Hao nodded and asked, "Can I really get the cultural art from the club?"

"Of course." Su Yu nodded, "You can even get things like heaven-grade cultivation methods and martial techniques. Cultural weapons are slightly troublesome to get, especially the earth-grade weapons. Profound and yellow weapons are much easier to get. But that doesn't matter since we're still too weak to be using earth-grade weapons anyway."

"..."

Chapter 383: If I'm Brave Enough, The Whole Academy Could Be Mine (4)

Zhang Hao was still deep in shock. What? Heaven-grade cultivation methods? Profound and yellow cultural weapons could be obtained easily? Earth-grade cultural weapons were only troublesome but still possible to get? Was this fellow aware that in the entirety of Great Xia, there was only one individual capable of forging earth-grade cultural weapons.

Was this fellow sure that this was a club for students instead of a club for Mountainseas and Sunmoons?

Zhang Hao swallowed and nervously asked, "What...is the price of joining?"

"The price?" Su Yu laughed, "Keep anything involving the club a secret. The more you give, the more you get. For example, you have some information to submit. I will be the middleman. Anyone in the club interested in that information will have to offer something for the information. It's that simple. This is basically a club to connect different people and help each member get what they want. We're not a cult. We don't need your devotion and soul."

"..."

Zhang Hao had an embarrassed look when he heard that. He inhaled deeply and said, "I wish to join. But I need to make one thing clear. If it is revealed one day that this club is an illegal club that is acting against humanity, I will withdraw from it and report it to the authorities. At that time, I hope you won't blame me for my lack of loyalty..."

"Don't worry. That won't happen." Su Yu smiled, "If that's really the case, I'll be the first person to give myself up to the authorities. Doing something like that in the Human Realm is the same as suicide. Only those idiots from the Myriad Race Cult will do something this stupid. I am a genius with a boundless future. Why should I do something like that?"

"True..." Zhang Hao turned excited as he said, "Then...can I ask about the cultural art? What's the price for one?"

"That is quite expensive. I'm a founder yet even I had to pay 100 mutual aid points for the instructions to open each aperture. You will probably need to pay double the price. The value of one mutual aid point is roughly the same as one merit point."

"So cheap?"

Zhang Hao blanked out slightly. That was really cheap. That was basically 200 points! In that case, he only needed 3,600 points for 18 apertures! Was that expensive? No! After all, that was something generally only found within Invincible families. You wouldn't be able to find it in public.

"Cheap?" Su Yu helplessly said, "You guys sure are rich. It's very expensive for me. Also, you're not using merit points. Sure, the value is equal, but the Mutual Aid Club is new. We don't even have that many missions yet. Mutual aid points are very hard to earn. I only earned 500 mutual aid points for the entire Soul Devouring Art."

"You...already earned 500 points?"

Zhang Hao was stunned. This guy was really going all in.

"It's fine. The art will only be spread within the club so there shouldn't be any problem." Su Yu said, "At the very least, I managed to get something out of it. The other fellows have a lot more good stuff than me. Things like source qi purification art, body strengthening art, and so on can be found. I am really envious of them."

At this point, Zhang Hao was already starting to develop a sense of admiration toward the Mutual Aid Club. He wanted nothing more than to complete some club missions immediately and buy the aperture opening instructions.

"Brother Su...are there any recent missions that are suitable for me?"

"Yes." Su Yu smiled, "In fact, I was the issuer. My senior sister will be challenging the top 100. I need people to intentionally lose to my senior sister. The one to receive her can let her win for a reward of 10 mutual aid points. I will be the one paying. So are you interested?"

"Of course!" Zhang Hao was overjoyed, "The next time there are such simple missions, remember to look for me as well. Brother Su, you're trying to use the sound transmission talismans to issue these missions, right?"

"Yeah."

"I can craft these talismans for you! Wait, nevermind. You might not trust me enough. How about this? I'll supply you with a batch of talismans that have been crafted in stages like I suggested. You can then get some people to check these talismans. We need to quickly set up a proper communication channel or I will only be able to watch these arts with envy without being able to get any of them."

Su Yu smiled, "You sure are impatient. Sure, we can do that. This club is still in an early phase. We don't even know if the club will last. Our main goal is to grow and gain more strength to protect ourselves. But secrecy is still very important. We don't want to catch any unwanted attention."

"I understand."

"..."

The two continued their conversation for a while before Su Yu left. At that point, Zhang Hao could no longer hold his emotions in. His face was filled with excitement.

Mutual Aid Club!

Mutual Aid Club!

That was the reason! That was why Su Yu had been growing so fast! Who was the true controller of the club? Hong Tan? Or someone else? What was the origin of that cultural art?

"Zhao Li, Hong Tan, Liu Wenyan, Xia Family..."

Numerous names appeared in his mind. Access to cultural weapons below the earth-grade. Who else in Great Xia could provide something like that? As for cultivation manuals, very few individuals in Great Xia were actually capable of creating and providing original cultivation manuals. One needed to study meticulously for many years to be capable of that.

Since Su Yu dared to put these manuals in the club, then these manuals were definitely not available for the public yet.

"Is this the trump card of the multiple character faction? The inheritances of the fifth principal?"

"..."

It no longer mattered. In any case, this was definitely related to the multiple character faction. None of that mattered to him. He only needed to know that this club could benefit him.

...

Walking out of the Mental Tempering Garden, Su Yu smiled.

Another member was recruited!

As for the cultural art, he had only revealed it to Zhang Hao after thinking deeply about it. He might not be able to keep it hidden for long. In that case, it might be a good idea for him to take out a part of the cultural art.

After all, the Five Elemental Cultural Art could actually be split into five parts, one for each element.

He could take out one part and use Bai Feng as his scapegoat. If Bai Feng wasn't enough, he would let his grandteacher be the scapegoat instead. If even that wasn't enough, he could just claim that the cultural art was a secret inheritance of the fifth principal. And a single part only opened 36 apertures, not 180 apertures.

Strictly speaking, a single part wasn't even as good as the Myriad Text Sutra. It was merely helpful for those below the Skysoar Realm. And the Invincible families would already have their own cultural arts so he wouldn't even invite the greed of people too strong for him to handle.

"Zhang Hao..." Official source ıs novel•fire.net

For now, he should plant his seeds everywhere. By the time the entire academy was filled with his seeds, the time would be ripe for him to reap the harvest that the club could provide.

The people he recruited were no simple individuals. These individuals were also related to other powers. That was the case for all geniuses. The moment they were mobilized, the powers behind them might also end mobilized. For example, a freak like Zhang Hao could very well be connected to a large group of experts. Even Su Yu himself was connected to a decent number of experts.

"Sigh. It's a pity that this will take some time."

But with the club, if he was given a decade or so, the true decision maker in the academy could very well change. At that time, the academy would be filled with his people. His enemies would tremble in fear.

The Mutual Aid Club members would be everywhere, from the Heart Cultivating Pavilion to the Top 100 Ranking. That would be terrifying. And not even the fellow members would know who the other members were. How scary was that?

"I can even open some smurf accounts with fake identities to keep issuing missions that are beneficial to me. Yes, each member needs to be given a code name. I can start from one and expand infinitely."

After thinking about it, Su Yu decided to reduce the frequency of direct meetings with the members. And he could use numerous smurf accounts and pretend to be descendants of Invincibles, geniuses of other academies, experts who had fallen into hard times, and so on.

Basically, he had to make all the members believe that the club was incredible. He needed them to believe that he was merely the face of the club, not the true leader. Why him? Because he was talented enough. And he also had powerful backers.

"Yes, I should do just that!"

He decided to try issuing a mission to suppress the single character faction and see how it went. Perhaps Zhang Hao and the other members couldn't do something like that, but what about the powers behind them?

These people might even trick their backers to get involved for the sake of mutual aid points. But the club was still too small. And the Zhang Family did not seem too powerful. They only had a ninth-stage Cloudbreach in the family.

Chapter 384: Genius Bai Feng (1)

The Xia Family worked fast.

Before long, news that Su Yu was selling the Soul Devouring Art started spreading. Stories about how Su Yu had used the Soul Devouring Art to easily defeat some top 100 students previously were also spread. In truth, those who had been paying attention already knew all that.

...

Eighteenth Secondary School.

Rear mountain.

Inside the small building, Bai Feng looked exhausted, his face pale.

He indifferently spat a mouthful of blood out before shaking his head. These days, he had suffered numerous attacks from the Divine Character in Liu Wenyan's sea of willpower. With his willpower constantly under assault, he was already used to coughing blood.

Looking at Bai Feng, Liu Wenyan showed his concern, "So you're not going to die yet, right?"

"..."

Bai Feng felt like he didn't really need such a form of concern. But he was generous enough to not bicker with his martial uncle so he answered, "No, I won't die. Martial Uncle, just how have you survived 50 years like this?"

Bai Feng couldn't help but to be filled with admiration. "This thing is constantly jolting your sea of willpower. It has been doing the same thing for 50 years. How can you withstand this torture?"

Liu Wenyan smiled, "You only need to get used to it."

Fine. It was scary how one could eventually get used to anything.

After a few days of hard work, Bai Feng had finally discovered something. He said, "Martial Uncle, your inheritance is not a single character. Rather, you have inherited multiple characters."

"Hmm?"

Liu Wenyan frowned. Nonsense. How could he not know how many characters he had inherited?

"I'm telling the truth." Bai Feng solemnly said, "It's a group of characters linked together. It is probably Grandteacher's character technique. That one character you see was formed of 22 different characters. I checked the repelling force of each character earlier. Each character actually has a different repelling force."

Bai Feng gave a short description of the characters before saying, "Martial Uncle, you already forcefully squeezed some of your own characters into Grandteacher's character technique, but this won't work long term. If you continue down this path, you will either complete the assimilation successfully or have all your characters devoured for nothing."

"Devour?"

"Yeah." Bai Feng nodded.

Liu Wenyan thought for a bit and asked, "You already studied the character for a few days. So do you have a solution?"

"It's difficult..."

The look in Liu Wenyan's eyes turned dangerous. If it couldn't be done, why had he spent the past few days like a lab rat?

Bai Feng smiled, "Don't worry, Martial Uncle. Not easy is not the same as impossible. I still have some tricks up my sleeve."

He looked at Liu Wenyan with an odd gaze as he asked, "Martial Uncle, have you been planning to crush your Divine Characters when you have no choice left for a short burst of strength?"

Liu Wenyan did not answer.

Bai Feng wasn't surprised. He sighed, "I knew it. Your return isn't so simple. Your willpower is very strong since you are able to withstand the assaults of this inherited character for decades without dying. In fact, your willpower is probably as strong as a Mountainsea's. It has probably reached the fourth tier, right?

"Meanwhile, the inherited character is probably at the fifth or the sixth tier. As for your apertures, back then, your sea of willpower suffered a great damage from this inherited character. Many of your apertures were destroyed. Over the years, you have not been opening any new apertures. Instead, you have been repairing your sea of willpower, doing what is essentially similar to what Mountainseas do when fusing apertures. Now that you have finished mending your sea of willpower, have you finished fusing your apertures as well?"

Liu Wenyan smiled and said nothing.

Back then, the inherited character nearly killed him. His sea of willpower suffered a heavy blow. He had indeed spent the past 50 years mending his sea of willpower.

"Sea of willpower, apertures, character...Martial Uncle, if you remove this character now, you might even be able to reach the Mountainsea Realm."

Bai Feng sternly said, "Martial Uncle, do you still want this character? If you don't want it, I have some confidence I can remove it. At worst, you'll only need to recuperate for a period of time. Naturally, your own characters will also suffer some damage. But it's not a big deal as a period of recuperation is enough to repair everything."

"Remove the character?"

"Yeah." Bai Feng nodded, "With the character removed, you won't need more than three years to enter the Mountainsea Realm."

Liu Wenyan was silent. He ultimately shook his head.

"My teacher left this for me. Unless I can find a more suitable inheritor, I won't remove it."

Bai Feng inhaled deeply and said, "But even now, it has yet to fully fuse with you. It is too strong. You are probably planning to unleash a single powerful attack to...kill a Sunmoon, right? To accomplish that, you will destroy some of your characters and even damage your sea of willpower, right?"

Bai Feng stared at Liu Wenyan with a sharp gaze. This martial uncle of his was truly like a silent dog that bites—cough, cough. This martial uncle was truly very good at hiding his true power.

After checking his martial uncle's condition, Bai Feng could guess that his martial uncle was aiming to kill a Sunmoon with one move. That was most definitely his plan.

By damaging his own characters and sea of willpower, he could take the life of an expert and deter the various parties. But it was also very unlikely that he would be able to survive the damage done to his sea of willpower.

Liu Wenyan smiled, "You're wrong. I still want to live longer and enter the Invincible Realm."

"Sure. Whatever you say, Martial Uncle." Bai Feng said, "Since you're unwilling to remove the character, I have a different idea. I don't know if you'll agree to it."

"What is it?"

"Remove—"

Liu Wenyan frowned, "Like I said, I'm not removing it!"

"I'm not removing the entire thing." Bai Feng explained, "I'll be perfectly honest. This character is ultimately not yours. Just because your teacher gave it to you does not mean that it suits you. If it is really compatible with you, you would have completed the assimilation long ago.

"Since this character is essentially formed of 22 characters, it is not a perfect character. The 22 characters are not in full harmony with each other. They are still rejecting each other. Through my observation, around half of them are human characters. It is clear that Grandteacher held a strong belief in human characters.

"I intend to disassemble the inherited character and separate the human characters from the rest."

Liu Wenyan said in astonishment, "Disassemble? Are you sure you're not talking nonsense? I have studied this character for decades. This is clearly a single character. Why are you insisting that it is actually 22 characters? And you even want to dismantle it? Kid, are you trying to kill me in a roundabout fashion?"

"..."

Bai Feng had an aggrieved look when he heard that accusation.

"Trust me, Martial Uncle. I am a genius."

"..."

Bai Feng's eyes turned fanatical as he said, "I'm telling the truth! I have performed a lot of research on this topic. I believe that very few humans know Divine Characters as well as me! Martial Uncle, I can definitely disassemble your inherited character. Just look at my Dragon Slaying Sword! I have successfully disassembled it as well!

"Disassemble this character and leave only the useful characters behind and fill the empty spots with your own characters."

The more Bai Feng spoke, the more excited he became, "Martial Uncle, divine and devil characters might be powerful, but I believe they are actually useless. You have formed a large number of characters yourself. Just kick out all the non-human characters and fill the blank spots with your own human characters."

"If you do that, you will be able to truly assimilate Grandteacher's character! It will no longer reject you!"

Liu Wenyan hesitated and said, "But won't the character drop in strength?"

"Yes." Bai Feng nodded, "After all, we are kicking the stronger characters out and filling your characters in. And since your characters are weaker, the overall strength of the inherited character will definitely drop."

Bai Feng quickly followed up, "But Martial Uncle, this is a process of waste removal. The character might drop in strength, but in exchange, you will gain a bright future."

Liu Wenyan rolled his eyes, "This is my first time hearing someone call divine and devil characters waste. Also, the divine and devil characters in your Grandteacher's character technique are very powerful. If we use a modern term to describe them, then they are basically Eternal characters. Can Eternal characters really be considered waste?"

The characters left by the fifth principal were all characters in the Sunmoon Realm. Due to the lack of human Invincible cultural researchers, the human race had opted to call Sunmoon characters Eternal characters instead.

And Bai Feng was suggesting that they remove these Eternal characters like they were some waste that needed to be purged. Those were some big words.

Bai Feng's eyes were still burning as he said, "Exactly! Waste! Martial Uncle, I have two Dragon Slaying Swords, right? Guess what? One of them is formed by the non-human characters I have separated from my human characters. That is the stronger sword, the one I used to kill Zhang Yu.

"The other is a weaker sword, the one blocked by Zhang Yu. Everyone believed that I would attach more importance to the stronger sword. But that is wrong. The weaker sword is more important for me. As for the stronger sword, it is something I don't mind losing."

Liu Wenyan's eyes flickered as he gave his martial nephew a deep look. In all honesty, he had always thought that Bai Feng's talent was nothing special. Even his combat strength was...not too special. The so-called Dragon Slaying Sword was only something with 12 foundational characters. It really wasn't anything special.

Bai Feng had only been lauded as a genius because there were no true geniuses around. Back during his era, could someone with only 12 foundational characters in their character technique even be considered the strongest among their peers in the multiple character faction?

If so, what about people like him with 18 characters in his character technique? What about people like Xia Yunji with 17 characters in his character technique? There was also Zhang Mingyue and Hu Ping. Every single one of them was far more talented than Bai Feng. Even the person buried here, Zhang Ruoling, was someone with 15 characters in his character technique.

Thus, when Liu Wenyan said that Bai Feng was merely mediocre in talent, he was actually being honest. Compared with the geniuses of his resplendent era, Bai Feng was really quite mediocre. For the very first time, Bai Feng had surprised him.

Liu Wenyan was not completely clueless about this topic. Hearing Bai Feng's words, he frowned, "But if you lose the foundational characters of your character technique, you won't be able to replace them."

Members of the multiple character faction could only fill in their foundational characters prior to the Skysoar Realm. Only after filling that would they be able to continue adding non-foundational characters into their character techniques at the Skysoar Realm and beyond.That had always been the case.

A character technique that wasn't filled with enough foundational characters before the Skysoar Realm was as good as a crippled technique.

"Martial Uncle!" Bai Feng had an odd look as he asked, "Martial Uncle, just...how many years have it been since you last used your brain? Since I am already capable of disassembling my character technique, why won't I be able to replace my foundational characters?"

"..."

Liu Wenyan was about to give Bai Feng a beating when his expression changed.

"You..."

Shock covered his face.

"Are you...telling the truth?"

His voice was shuddering. He seemed even more agitated than when he was talking about his own life. Disassembly, replacing foundational characters... What did that signify? What was the reason for the decline of the multiple character faction? The biggest reason was the strict requirement of forming enough characters to fill the foundational character slots in their character techniques prior to the Skysoar Realm.

At the Skysoar Realm, these character techniques would solidify and stabilize. One would no longer be able to modify or add new foundational characters into it. One could only add non-foundational characters to strengthen the technique, but the foundation would already be fixed.

Thus, members of the multiple character faction had always been troubled by the fact that they needed to form 10 or more characters before the Skysoar Realm.

A lot of people had failed to resist the temptation of breaking through. Some had simply failed to suppress their advancement. As a result, these people ended up losing their status as members of the multiple character faction.

But now...

Earlier, Liu Wenyan had not put much thought into it. Now that he was thinking, he exclaimed in shock, "Do you mean that you have the means to fully disassemble character techniques, allowing one to fill their technique with foundational characters even after the Skysoar Realm?"

"Yeah." Bai Feng nodded.

Liu Wenyan's face changed as he said, "Go back! Return to the academy! I will get Wu Yuehua to send you back! This needs to be passed down! This must be passed down! Disassembly, assembly, adding foundational characters..."

Liu Wenyan muttered with a crazed expression, "With this, members of our multiple character faction will no longer be forced to form a large number of characters before the Skysoar Realm! Even without enough characters, they can continue their work at the Skysoar Realm with the disassembly method! You...have changed the traditional cultivation path of the multiple character faction! Bai Feng, you are a genius!"

This was the very first time he had ever called Bai Feng a genius. This was a true genius!

The thought had never crossed Liu Wenyan's mind. Since Bai Feng was already capable of disassembling his Dragon Slaying Sword, why couldn't the same be done for everyone else, allowing everyone to keep adding foundational characters after reaching the Skysoar Realm?

In that case, those from the multiple character faction would no longer need to suppress their cultivation before the Skysoar Realm. Googlᴇ search novel⟡fire.net

Liu Wenyan asked, "Can this also help those at the Skysoar Realm obtain their own character technique? For example, can those from the single character faction obtain character techniques at the Skysoar Realm and fill those techniques with foundational characters?"

"Theoretically, yes." Bai Feng nodded, "Of course, I still can't solve the issue of the technique frame. Those at the Skysoar Realm and above shouldn't be able to enter the technique wall anymore. Without an existing template, they can only form their own original character techniques. That will greatly increase the difficulty."

But still, there was hope!

Liu Wenyan also understood what Bai Feng was saying. In that case, if one had enough characters, even a Mountainsea or Sunmoon of the single character faction would stand a chance at obtaining their own character technique, becoming a member of the multiple character faction!