Chapter 445: Violent Victory (2)
Elder Sun's face turned frosty. At that moment, someone else rushed out of the crowd with murderous eyes.
Zhou Pingsheng!
Li Shiyun and Sun Qian were his students. Even though he had almost given up on them before this, they were still his students. And they had been crippled.
Sun Qian was in an especially bad condition. Li Shuyun's physical body had been completely ruined.
And they were only at the Mental Tempering Stage, not the Sunmoon Realm. For people at this level, recovering their physical bodies was extremely expensive and difficult. It was more likely that they would remain crippled for life.
Zhou Pingsheng glared at Su Yu furiously. He really wanted to throw caution to the wind and kill Su Yu.
Of his six students, Qiu Yi and Di Feng had been forced to leave the academy and attack some cult strongholds to remove the ban placed on them. The other two had just been crippled. His remaining two students were at the Skysoar Realm, but neither of them was currently in the academy.
Silence descended.
Nobody made a single sound. Liu He and the others were completely dumbstruck. This was not something they had imagined happening. Some of the stronger students were also greatly alarmed by what they saw. That included people like Zhan Hai, Jiang Mu, and Li Minyu.
Su Yu was too strong. From the short battle they had witnessed, they couldn't even find a single opening.
All cultural researchers had their own weaknesses. The most common weakness of cultural researchers was a weak body. But Su Yu's physical body was stronger than even a regular Skysoar cultural researcher. That was too terrifying.
A heaven-grade art specializing in physical enhancement.
A total of 300 opened acupoints.
And Su Yu wasnt even tired after that match.
Shameless boasting?
Blind arrogance?
Su Yu had used his own actions to prove that he had not been blindly arrogant when he made his earlier declaration. He was a true freak. If this wasn't a match and was a fight in the battlefield, none of the five would survive an encounter with him.
Su Yu wasn't lying when he said that he had been holding back out of respect for Zhao Ming. If it was any other referee, the other students might have survived, but Wang Chao would definitely die. That final saber attack of his had been completely soundless while Zhao Ming was too occupied with saving the other students to notice it.
Su Yu had spared Wang Chao for Zhao Ming's sake. Of course, he was also doing that to further annoy the single character faction. By leaving Wang Chao alive, the single character faction would be forced to spend more money on treatment.
If they ignored him, they would only disappoint all the regular members in the faction. Since Wang Chao's injuries included willpower injuries, he would either need treatment from a Sunmoon or a large amount of expensive resources to recover.
...
Among the crowd.
Wu Lan was completely stunned. After a long while, she turned her head to look at her elder sister.
"Sister...he's...so strong..." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs noveⅼfire.net
Wu Qi inhaled deeply and nodded. Yes. He was very strong.
"He is even stronger than the Xia Yuwen of the past."
Even when Xia Yuwen was reigning as the number one student back then, he wasn't this strong. That signified that Su Yu was already strong enough to do what Xia Yuwen did back in the days: sweeping through all the top 10 students.
Even more terrifying was the fact that Su Yu wasn't even at the peak of a student's cultivation level yet.
His physical cultivation had yet to reach the Infinite Strength Realm. However, it also seemed like he would have a hard time reaching that realm. Due to the large number of acupoints he had opened, fusion would be hard due to the stronger repelling force between his acupoints. And he had yet to reach the peak of the Mental Tempering Stage either.
Even someone like Wu Qi had the urge to start cussing. Was this really a human? Was he not a member of the first divine race instead?
In terms of combat strength at the lower cultivation levels, the first divine race stood at the very top. But this Su Yu seemed strong enough to even suppress the geniuses of the first divine race.
...
Zhan Hai had a solemn expression on his face.
Strong.
Very strong.
Was this really a new student?
Bullshit!
When he compared himself against Su Yu, he found that his physical body was weaker, he did not have as many heaven-grade techniques, and even his willpower might not necessarily be stronger than Su Yu's. He did not have as many second-tier characters and he did not know any soul technique
He had no choice but to ask himself if he could win in a fight against Su Yu. The sole advantage he had over Su Yu was his nine fused acupoints that had been fused from 108 basic acupoints. In terms of offensive strength, he probably had a slight advantage when compared to Su Yu who was still incapable of fully utilizing the strength of all his acupoints.
But the gap between them wouldn't be that big. Even though Su Yu had yet to fuse any acupoints, he had cultivated the Sky Sundering Saber and opened 300 acupoints. Fusing acupoints would only grant him a tiny bit of speed and strength.
By fusing 108 acupoints into 9 fused acupoints, Zhan Hai was basically a super expert who had advanced into the Infinite Strength Realm through fusing 12 acupoints. His offensive strength was basically equivalent to the strength of 200 unfused acupoints. Apart from that, he had no other advantages.
Su Yu would definitely not be much weaker than him when martial techniques came into play.
...
In the ring.
Su Yu looked at the silent crowd before looking at the furious Zhou Pingsheng. He smiled and asked, "What's with this reaction? The only thing I did was winning a match. Manager Zhou, why are you looking at me like this? Are you thinking of killing me? Feel free to do it! My neck is right here. Come and chop my head off. Do you want me to stretch my neck out for you?"
Zhou Pingsheng was furious.
He nearly lost control of his temper then and there.
Disaster. This person was definitely a disaster in making.
At the Skysoar Realm, he might even gain the strength to fight those in the Cloudbreach Realm. And he was also growing at such an unbelievable speed. After reaching the Skysoar Realm, would any Skysoar cultivator be able to suppress him?
And he was already this strong before even completing his character technique. At the Skysoar Realm, how strong would he be with a completed character technique? At that point, Su Yu would gain an additional trump card: the character technique.
More importantly, he would be able to enter the Willpower Grotto after winning this tournament. Zhou Pingsheng was even starting to feel fear. Su Yu must not be allowed to enter the grotto! That dumb Liu Hong had underestimated this kid. They couldn't allow this kid to successfully materialize his willpower.
After willpower materialization, this kid would be able to forge his physical body for the second time and gain a body that was even stronger than regular warriors in the same cultivation level. Could he still be considered a cultural researcher with that body of his?
Zhou Pingsheng clenched his teeth in fury. After a moment, he shrieked, "I will reward anyone capable of defeating Su Yu a high-tier profound-grade cultural weapon."
Su Yu said, "If you're going to play this game again, I suppose I'll have to start conceding..."
"..."
Zhou Pingsheng blanked out momentarily before his face turned red. He nearly spat blood from sheer anger.
Shameless!
He was forced to change his offer, "My reward is only applicable for the next match. As long as you can defeat him, I promise that you will get a high-tier profound-grade cultural weapon!"
Even a regular Cloudbreach would not be able to afford a weapon at that level. After making his offer, Zhou Pingsheng looked at Zhan Hai and the other old students in the crowd. These were the only people that could potentially defeat Su Yu.
Su Yu must not be allowed to enter the Willpower Grotto. Even if he had to further embarrass himself and pay the price of a high-tier profound-grade cultural weapon, he had to stop Su Yu from winning a third match.
Su Yu had shown too much strength. Who would dare to challenge him without some motivation?
Su Yu smiled and said, "One weapon is not enough for a team of five. You're asking five people to cripple themselves for one cultural weapon. And these are no ordinary people. They are all genius cultivators. One cultural weapon is not enough for that. Manager Zhou, since you're rich, forget the weapon. Why don't you offer something like 10,000 merit points instead? I reckon that will be attractive enough for some of them."
Not even Elder Sun tried stopping Zhou Pingsheng. Su Yu's growth was too rapid. Even their strongest team had been defeated so easily. It was totally worth spending 10,000 merit points to crush an enemy like this. They had to deal with him. If he was allowed to reach the Skysoar Realm, who could suppress his growth?
Zhou Pingsheng gnashed his teeth and roared, "10,000 merit points for anyone capable of defeating Su Yu!"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Don't forget to clarify that this offer is only valid for the next match. Otherwise, I'll have to start conceding. What can the winners do if you end up going back on your words? You never know when I'll concede."
"..."
Zhou Pingsheng was so furious that he couldn't even say anything anymore.
With a toying tone, Su Yu said, "How about this? I'll withdraw from the tournament. You can pay me 10,000 merit points instead. This will satisfy both of us!"
"Impudent!"
Zhou Pingsheng was infuriated.
Su Yu spoke with a mocking tone, "How am I impudent? You want me to lose. Wouldn't it benefit both of us if you pay me to withdraw? I'm a new student. If you get some other students to fight me, I might lose control of my strength again and end up crippling a few genius students. The future of a genius is not something you can measure with merit points."
The crowd remained silent. Gambling with the future of 5 geniuses for the sake of 10,000 merit points? Even if Zhan Hai was willing to do so, his team members might not agree. He might be confident that he could protect himself well, but that wasn't the case for the rest of them.
10,000 split five ways meant that they would each get only 2,000 merit points. For that much money, who would be willing to cripple themselves?
They were all students of a cultural research academy. All of them were aiming to reach the Skysoar Realm and beyond. Selling their future for a price of 2,000 merit points? That wouldn't even be enough money for them to seek treatment after the match. Once again, Su Yu smiled.
"I am showcasing the true strength of cultural researchers. Without research, how would you obtain things like cultivation manuals and secret arts?"
Suddenly, Zhou Pingsheng thought of something.
He shrieked, "You're a cultist! Apart from the Sky Sundering Saber, what is the origin of your other heaven-grade techniques?"
The moment those words were said, numerous gazes landed on Su Yu. Yeah. Where had he gotten so many heaven-grade techniques?
Su Yu smiled, "Why should I tell you? These techniques are my inheritances. Some have been obtained through research. What can you do about it? It's not like these are stolen techniques. Who are you to ask for the origin of my techniques? Why don't you show the proof that these are stolen inheritances? If you can show the proof, I'll tell you the origin of my techniques."
Su Yu roared with laughter and said, "So this is the single character faction? Labeling me a cultist just because I'm stronger than their students? How ridiculous. I also think that you're a cultist. Why else would you insist on suppressing a talented student like me? What evil intentions are you harboring?"
At the end, Su Yu was practically roaring.
"The conflict between the single and multiple character factions have been limited in scope. For you to suddenly accuse me of being a cultist, what evil intentions are you planning? You are coveting the personal inheritances of a student. What evil intentions are you harboring? The Human Realm is filled with experts. Every single one of these experts would have obtained some sort of inheritance in their path of cultivation. Are you demanding all of them to reveal the origin of their techniques to you as well? How audacious of you!"
Su Yu's voice reverberated throughout the arena. He looked at Old Huang and loudly asked, "Elder Huang, he is coveting the inheritances of a student and accusing a student of consorting against the enemies. Is this something a manager at Great Xia Cultural Research Academy's books depository should be doing?"
Zhou Pingsheng roared furiously, "Accusing? I was merely questioning you! You have a common background. You came from a place like Nanyuan. How have you gotten these inheritances? Who can guarantee that you're not a spy of the cult?"
Su Yu said, "Over 300 years ago, the first batch of human Invincibles had also emerged from humble beginnings. Are all of them cultists as well?"
"You! Bastard! You're twisting my words! Su Yu, if you can't reveal the origin of your techniques, it can only mean that you're a cultist!"
Zhou Pingsheng was throwing caution to the wind. Four of his students had been ruined. His reputation had been destroyed. And the people within his own faction were finding him an eyesore. If he didn't take Su Yu down, he would no longer be able to stabilize his position within the faction.
Su Yu smiled, "Origin? Simple. My grandteacher. How's that for an answer? If you want to know more, feel free to question my grandteacher. Go on. Do it."
"You..."
Right that moment, someone laughed and said, "Yes. I taught him those techniques. What's the issue? Is it so weird that I have some extra manuals lying around? Zhou Pingsheng, I suspect you're not your mom's son. I demand proof that you're your mom's son. Otherwise, you are an illegitimate child of Zhou Mingren and a female fire hog."
Those words shocked countless people in the arena.
Holy shit!
Those were some harsh words. Who was courageous enough to say these words to Zhou Pingsheng? Next, they noticed the newly arrived old man.
Hong Tan.
With a crooked back, Hong Tan smiled and said, "Come on. Show me the proof. Otherwise, you are definitely a child of the fire hog race. Come on. Prove your birth. There's also Zhou Mingren. Prove that he is not sleeping with a female fire hog. Prove that he's not your dad. If you can't, I'll kill you as a spy of the fire hog race."
At that, the aura of a pseudo Sunmoon spread out of his body. At the same time, a powerful aura surged out of the Heart Cultivating Pavilion.
With a nonchalant smile, Hong Tan said, "Principal, I suspect that a descendent of a foreign race has infiltrated our academy. I am trying to find out the truth. If he can't prove otherwise, I'll have no choice but to kill him."
As his aura surged, Hong Tan coldly said, "Since when have we started applying the principle of guilty until proven innocent in the academy? If that's the case, don't blame me for playing this game as well."
In the Heart Cultivating Pavilion.
After a short silence, Wan Tiansheng's voice rang out, "Stop escalating things. Do not provoke me again and again. The rules are the only thing restricting me, you, and a lot of people. If all of you really want to forget the rules...I won't mind granting you your wish."
At that very moment, numerous people felt a chill crept up their spines. Zhou Pingsheng, in particular, was trembling in fear. An incomparably intense killing intent had entered his sea of willpower, nearly causing a complete destruction of his sea of willpower.
Splurt!
After Zhou Pingsheng coughed a mouthful of blood, Hong Tan, with his throbbing eyes, hurriedly smiled, "I was joking. How would I kill anyone in the academy? I'm an honest man. This fellow was the one creating trouble. Ahh, I just remember that I forgot to clean my place earlier. I'm taking my leave, everyone..."
He immediately tore through space itself before streaking away.
At that moment, Old Huang, Elder Sun, and the others stood up and looked in the Heart Cultivating Pavilion's direction.
Wan Tiansheng's voice rang out again, "This is my final warning. The rules do not exist so that they can be broken. Zhou Pingsheng, do not covet the belongings of a student. Do not try to take what is not yours to take. Unless you can find proof that Su Yu had obtained a forbidden inheritance, if this happens again, I will send you on a mission to the Devil Realm."
"PIngsheng will keep this in mind."
Zhou Pingsheng replied with a pale and terrified face. Earlier, he even had the illusion that he was already dead. The principal was much scarier than he had imagined.
In the ring, Su Yu had his head lowered with an honest expression on his face in his attempt to stay low key. Inwardly, he was shocked. Holy shit. They had even provoked Old Wan. If the principal really started punishing all the troublemakers, he might be one of the ones to suffer as well. Thus, the smart choice here was to stay low key.
What a terrifying killing intent. He had only sensed a tiny bit of the principal's killing intent yet his sea of willpower had been nearly destabilized. And look at that grandteacher of his. That old man had scampered off in fear. It was clear just how terrifying Wan Tiansheng was.
Chapter 446: Snatching The Championship (1)
Wan Tiansheng's aura did not linger for long. It soon vanished without trace. Everything had ended quickly, just like the day when the principal had punished Zheng Yuming. It was as though nothing had happened.
The principal did not care about the conflicts between students. As long as they stayed within the bounds of the rules, he wouldn't be bothered to interfere. But the moment his bottom line was crossed, he would unleash a terror far surpassing the expectations of everyone in the academy.
Amid the crowd, Chen Yong looked at the Heart Cultivating Pavilion for a very long time. He was wondering. If he killed Zhou Pingsheng, would he be able to escape the principal? From what he saw today, that was highly unlikely.
His teacher was a pseudo Sunmoon as strong as some of the newer Sunmoon cultivators. Even someone like that had escaped without hesitation, not willing to face the principal. It was clear not even his teacher had the confidence to face the principal.
...
Silence descended.
Zhou Pingsheng stopped talking. The injured students were carried away. Ten students had stepped into the ring. And ten had been crippled. The students had suffered far lighter injuries during the first round.
Su Yu waited until Wan Tiansheng's aura was gone before smiling, "The second match is over. I am now open for the third challenge."
Nobody said anything.
Liu Hong's eyes flickered. Su Yu's strength had far surpassed his imagination. This kid was probably already strong enough to take the first place in the top 100.
Liu Hong did not say anything unrelated to the tournament. He was also trying to keep a low profile. He said, "The other students should also proceed with the tournament. We have more than one ring available. The ones willing to challenge Su Yu are free to enter his ring."
"..."
The students ignored him. Amid the crowd, Zhan Hai gave Su Yu another look, inhaled deeply, and stepped into a different ring. Jiang Mu, Li Minyu, and the other top 10 students did the same.
Each of the teams confident in themselves had occupied a ring for themselves. The second round had finally started for real.
When Su Yu saw that, he laughed.
He looked at the crowd and said, "After this, I am going to apply for a research center and recruit talented individuals to join me. Of course, I will only accept like-minded individuals. And in the beginning, I won't be taking in too many people. Everyone, please consider joining my research center.
"Also, if you're afraid of the backlash of joining me, don't bother joining. Students of the single character faction can also forget about joining. You guys are probably spies or the losers of some internal power struggle in your faction. There is no need to waste our time with this."
Su Yu started taking the opportunity to advertise himself, "The main goal of my research center is to study the cultivation methods and techniques of the myriad races and decipher the myriad cultures. Our study also extends to topics like characters and cultural weapons. As for the other topics, we won't be touching upon them for now.
"As for the main focus of my research, I might sound boastful, but I wish to focus on a select group of cultivation methods of a few specific races..."
He spoke confidently, completely indifferent to the fact that nobody was responding to his words.
Establishing a research center. This was his way of giving himself an avenue to put more of the functions of his book into use. There were things that he could spread to the public. But there were also things that could not be spread to anyone.
As for the Wentan Research Center, that was a place predominantly involved in blood essence research. If he kept using it as the scapegoat for all the cultivation methods he was going to come out with, he would invite suspicion. It would be fine if he only came out with one or two cultivation methods, but things would get suspicious if he came out with more.
This research center would also be a good tool to rope in some talented students. For this research center, he was only interested in recruiting geniuses. As for those who weren't geniuses, forget about it. In terms of the topics he was going to be researching, a non-genius might not even be able to understand what he was talking about.
He not only needed people who were talented in cultivation. He also needed talent in other aspects. For example, he needed language experts, exploration of different cultures, and so on.
Suddenly, Zhou Hao said, "You're too strong."
Zhou Hao suddenly felt like there wasn't even a need for him to be there.
Su Yu said, "Don't worry. This is only the second round."
Would Zhan Hai and the others give up on the tournament? No, they wouldn't. They were simply unwilling to fight Su Yu this early and benefit the other participants. If they really intended to give up after witnessing Su Yu's strength, they would have stopped right now.
Zhan Hai and the other top students were unlike the opponents Su Yu had faced earlier. The students who had fought Su Yu earlier were merely a bunch of old people who had long lost their fighting spirit. There was no comparing them with young geniuses like Zhan Hai.
...
Su Yu continued advertising his plans eloquently.
In the spectating zone, the single character faction researchers were still in complete silence. Their plan had failed. Even with their numerical advantage, they had failed to stop Su Yu. They had even ended up as Su Yu's stepping stone, helping him prove his strength and talent to the entire academy.
At this time, Elder Sun placed a soundproofing formation around them. Yu Hong and Elder Li had arrived. Zhou Mingren was the only elder present. But none of them could find anything to say.
A single Mental Tempering Stage student had slapped their faces repeatedly. The multiple character faction had remained silent for so many years and were finally starting to hit back recently. Surprisingly, the single character faction was completely helpless before the counterattacks of the multiple character faction.
Elder Sun looked at both Zhou Pingsheng and Liu Hong coldly.
With a helpless expression, Liu Hong said, "I...I intended to have his team members drag him down. I never expected him to be so strong..."
He was also feeling very helpless. Could these elders stop looking at him like that? That Su Yu hadn't even won through a team battle. Instead, he had defeated all his opponents alone! He had fought five opponents at once and defeated all of them easily!
Elder Sun suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "You can't be blamed for this."
It would be irrational to blame Liu Hong for this. And at this point, it was pointless to assign blames. If someone must be blamed, Zhou Pingsheng should be the one taking the blame.
"Pingsheng, were you the one who had supplied Su Yu with the funds for his initial growth?"
The moment that question was asked, Zhou Pingsheng's expression turned unsightly. He gloomily said, "I asked for the permission of a few elders before doing that. And the elders agreed. Junior Brother Liu was there as well. He knows the full story."
Liu Hong had a helpless expression as he said, "That's right, Elder Sun. None of us have expected Su Yu to be so devious. There were even some Xia Family members present during the day of the sale. And the people from other factions and forces were there as well. Nobody noticed anything wrong with his formula."
Liu Hong had no choice but to speak for Zhou Pingsheng. He couldn't allow them to start pursuing the matter related to the purchase as that would get him in trouble as well.
"Oh?"
Elder Sun coldly said, "So did you really spend 100,000 merit points for that purchase?"
His gaze settled on Liu Hong as he said, "Liu Hong, you'll answer."
Liu Hong cursed inwardly.
Holy shit!
Why him?
Wouldn't he fully offend both Zhou Pingsheng and Zhou Mingren if he answered?
Damn this Elder Sun! Why was Elder Sun insisting on dragging him down? Was this the time to be doing something like that?
Zhou Pingsheng remained silent with an ugly expression on his face. Beside him, Liu Hong awkwardly said, "Uhm...about that...Elder Sun, we can talk about this later. For now, we should prioritize dealing with Su Yu. Our previous plan is not working. He is too strong. He will be even more troublesome if we allow him to reach the Skysoar Realm."
Elder Sun remained silent.
Yu Hong coldly asked, "Who's going to stop him? Zhan Hai and the others? Can they even do it?"
"It's not completely hopeless. Su Yu is alone. No matter how strong he is, he's fighting alone..." Liu Hong hurriedly said, "If not even this works, we can send a large number of experts to surround Su Yu in the grotto. They will snatch all the willpower and push the rest away before he can absorb anything. He won't be able to do anything about it." Dıscover more novels at novel•fire.net
The elders all nodded at that suggestion. It was very likely that Su Yu would end up with a slot. They needed a countermeasure for that.
Since they couldn't attack students, the best option was to have several experts surround Su Yu and absorb all the willpower near him, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to absorb anything.
Liu Hong added, "Also, Su Yu is trying to start a research center. Elder Sun, should we deny him? We can all see that Su Yu isn't a fool. Nobody knows what he's planning. We should be prudent and just deny that request of his."
Elder Sun remained silent. Doing so was tantamount to going back on his own words. He didn't feel like doing so. Also, Su Yu was only asking for a building. That wasn't a hard thing to get unless they decided to completely ruin his application.
Elder Sun said, "We'll discuss that later."
As for the matter regarding the actual price of the formula, since Liu Hong had avoided answering the question, everyone had the answer. The price was definitely lower than 100,000 merit points.
Not only had that garbage Zhou Pingsheng provided Su Yu with a lot of money, but he had also embezzled a lot of money himself. Elder Sun and the others had the urge to kill Zhou Pingsheng then and there.
This Zhou Pingsheng was only good at causing them troubles.
Elder Sun warned, "Zhou Pingsheng, stop creating trouble for us. If you dare to keep messing around in the academy, you will be sent to the Allheaven Battlefield."
Because of this idiot, they had provoked Wan Tiansheng yet again. When Wan Tiansheng flipped out earlier, even Elder Sun himself was trembling with fear. The principal had most likely reached the Sunmoon Realm.
Zhou Pingsheng lowered his head and said nothing. He knew that as of this moment, he was the target of their anger. These people would not admit to their own mistakes. Thus, they were basically blaming him for everything bad that had happened.
Was he the one in charge of the plan to suppress Wu Jia and remove Chen Yong from the books depository? That was the plan of the entire faction.
But they were making it look like the plan had only been carried out for his sake. Sure, he wanted to become the head manager as well, but the faction had most certainly not started the plan for his sake.
As for the matter involving the purchase of the formula, without their approval, would he be able to get his hands on those merit points? Was he the one who had told them to organize this tournament? Was it his idea to deal with Su Yu through this tournament?
No!
But now that things weren't going well, they were placing all the blame on him.
In fact, they should be blaming themselves for failing to suppress Hong Tan and Liu Wenyan. That was why the multiple character faction had been able to create more trouble for them. Without Hong Tan and the others, what could a mere Su Yu do?
Chapter 447: Snatching The Championship (2)
While the single character faction members were busy shirking responsibility.
Su Yu was nonchalantly recovering his source qi. He had used quite a lot of source qi for his previous battles. Those fights may have been short, but he had used all his strength for those fights.
More big fights were waiting for him. He might be claiming that he was not interested in the slot, but he did not mean any of that. He had only fought so hard because he wanted a slot.
"Senior Brother Liu, Senior Brother Yang, Brother Lin, there is still hope for us to get the slots."
The moment those words were said, Yang Sha looked at Lin Yao. Just what was going on exactly? Lin Yao had promised him that they might really be able to get some slots for themselves. And that was indeed the truth.
Su Yu smiled and said, "Before this, it won't be too convenient for you guys to fight against your own people. But now, if someone else wins the tournament, the slots will fall into the hands of outsiders. The strongest participants of your faction have been eliminated. Do you guys want to ask your teachers, your elder brothers, or your elders for permission to fight? If we win, your faction can still get back three of the slots..."
Their expressions changed.
Su Yu suddenly shouted, "Elder Sun, why don't you let Liu He and the others help me out? If we win, your faction will be able to get three of the slots! No, Zhou Hao is one of you as well. So you guys are going to be getting four slots back! If you insist on stopping me, all the slots will fall into the hands of others."
Su Yu laughed and continued, "As for me, this slot really isn't that important. But your single character faction should nurture the few seedlings left in your faction well, right? The other elite students of your faction have either been crippled or deprived of all academy benefits. Are you guys going to send no new students into the grotto this time?"
"..."
Elder Sun removed the soundproofing formation around him with an unsightly expression. Those words...
Were actually very reasonable.
Through this tournament, ten more of their students had been reduced into cripples. People like Di Feng and the others had also been banned from all grottos. Without all these students, how many genius students did they still have in the faction?
How many top 100 students did they still have?
But he was unwilling to give Su Yu a reply.
Since they didn't have that many talented students left, they would probably try to send people like Liu He into the grotto after this even if they failed to get anything from the tournament.
Students like Di Feng, Qiu Yi, and Huang Qifeng had been banned from grottos. Guo Shengquan had joined the so-called neutral faction. That actually left Liu He as their top under 30 student. This was...ridiculous.
The more Elder Sun thought about it, the more indignant he felt. A Mountainsea like him was actually being humiliated by a mere student. Su Yu wanted them to tell Liu He and the other students to fight alongside him? Dream on!
While resting, Su Yu smiled, "Elder Sun, don't be too petty. Consider my words. To speak the truth, I can win the tournament even if I fight alone. But that will only further showcase how worthless the single character faction is. If Senior Brother Liu and the others are willing to help me, they can at least save a tiny bit of face for you. I'm being honest here."
Elder Sun looked at Su Yu coldly.
Yu Hong snorted coldly and said, "You have a sharp tongue."
Su Yu smiled, "Thank you for the praise. But I'm really being honest. If you're unwilling to work with me, forget it." Chapters fırst released on ɴovelfire.net
Su Yu sighed and loudly said, "Today, I shall lead my seniors from the single character faction and fight for the slots. I am thankful to the single character faction for this opportunity. If I really do end up defeated, so be it. But does the 10,000 merit points reward offered by Manager Zhou previously still count? I understand if it doesn't count anymore. This won't be the first time you guys go back on your own words."
"..."
Zhou Pingsheng looked at Su Yu coldly. Su Yu merely smiled and repeated his question, "So does it still count?"
Amid the crowd, someone joined in, "Yeah! Does it still count? If it counts, I can probably give it a try!"
That was none other than Zheng Yunhui. He seemed to know no fear. He was always around when there was a flame to be fanned.
Wu Jia also added, "If it counts, I'll challenge my junior brother as well! Maybe this will be my chance to earn some extra merit points!"
"..."
Zhou Pingsheng was furious.
Damn them!
He was a seventh-stage Cloudbreach expert, a manager at the books depository. But today, he had been turned into a joke. A bunch of juniors actually dared to humiliate him in public? This was too hateful! All of them should be killed!
After giving Su Yu a deep look, he decided to leave. He was afraid that he would really lose control over himself if he remained. He turned around and walked away.
Behind him, Su Yu's loud voice rang out, "Elders, Old Huang, so does his promise still count or not? Please give us a clear answer. He is an intermediate researcher and a manager at the books depository. We can't ignore his words, right?"
Elder Sun and company wanted to ignore Su Yu, but Old Huang asked, "Elder Sun, so does that promise still count?"
They really needed a clear answer to prevent further bickering.
Elder Sun coldly said, "Yes. It counts. Anyone capable of defeating Su Yu during this tournament will be eligible for the reward."
They could still afford to give out a reward of 10,000 merit points. If they could really stop Su Yu from getting a slot, that would be money well spent. They couldn't go back on their words this time as their reputation had already been very bad recently.
The incident involving the willpower texts had nearly turned them into the public enemy of the academy.
Su Yu smiled, "Good. Everyone heard that, right? You are all welcome to challenge me. Perhaps I might concede due to my good mood or something. Who knows? If that happens, just remember to give me a tiny share of the reward."
Nobody took those words seriously. What a joke! The only way Su Yu would actually concede was if he really couldn't get a slot for himself. Thus, their team remained unchallenged despite the reward.
Intense battles were already starting to break out in the other rings. Some of the students turned excited while some turned solemn. So what if they could win now? Would they be able to defeat Su Yu and the other strong students? These top students were too strong.
Su Yu had used only two matches to establish his dominance in the tournament. This was only the second round yet he was already failing to find a willing challenger. After witnessing his strength, a lot of people were even starting to consider giving up on the slots.
...
Time passed, and eventually, the second round came to an end.
A total of 160 teams had obtained 3 victories.
Apart from them, there was an outlier: Su Yu's team with 2 victories.
All 160 teams focused on Su Yu's team. According to the rules, they were allowed to pick a team as their challenger. They would replace the other team and advance to the next round if they could win. If not, they would be eliminated.
Some of the weaker teams started feeling helpless. There were also teams that were already badly bruised from three matches. These teams did not have the strength to keep fighting.
More importantly, there were still a few single character faction's teams among the 160 teams.
Due to the sheer size of the single character faction, they had been able to send a lot of members to the tournament. Even after so many of them were eliminated, there were still some of them left. And all these people were in fear.
Su Yu was too heavy-handed when fighting them. So many top 100 students had been crippled by him. Without a good background or support in the faction, they wouldn't even be able to properly recover from the injuries they would suffer fighting him.
Su Yu did not hesitate. He pointed at one of them and smiled, "Are you surrendering now or do you want me to beat you to a state of near death before surrendering?"
There was a familiar face in the team Su Yu had singled out. That familiar face was the reason why Su Yu had noticed them so easily.
"Senior Sister, I spared your life once. Are you thinking of fighting me again?"
Yes, the familiar face in the team was the same girl whose chest was pierced through by Su Yu previously. At that time, she had been very furious and had even claimed that she wouldn't let the matter rest.
Su Yu felt like he should give her a chance to take her revenge. Amid the crowd, Chen Huan had an ashen expression. During their previous encounter, Su Yu had humiliated her. He was setting his eyes on her again? This was too hateful!
This was unacceptable! She was about to gnash her teeth and step into the ring when her team members looked at her with unwilling expressions. They did not wish to court death. As a top 100 student, Chen Huan was not weak. But...Su Yu was too ferocious.
The rest of them weren't even top 100 students. They might even end up dead before the referee could do anything.
"Senior Sister Chen..."
They looked at her pleadingly. Just surrender. Don't bother. They didn't want to enter the ring.
...
Everyone was looking at them, waiting for their answer.
When Chen Huan sullenly admitted defeat, numerous people sighed. Su Yu alone had broken the spine of an entire generation of the single character faction.
They had been thoroughly defeated. Facing him, some of them had been crippled, some had been seriously injured, and some had ended up punished by the academy.
Among their stronger students, Di Feng, the strongest of them, was the only one who had yet to fight Su Yu. But even Di Feng was only as strong as the five students Su Yu had defeated earlier. A fight between them would only end in humiliation for Di Feng.
Su Yu said, "What a pity that Senior Brother Di Feng and the others aren't in the academy. Otherwise, I could have challenged the top 100 as well. I wonder how high I can climb this time."
Nobody answered.
Liu Hong ignored that final remark and announced, "The second round is over. 160 teams have advanced to the next round. For the third round, you will be drawing for your opponents. Half the teams will advance to the next round. This will be repeated until the sixth round when the top 10 will be decided."
He no longer bothered with special formats. Su Yu had smashed through all his tricks with brute force.
If he kept coming up with more special formats, Su Yu might even find the chance to ruin the few remaining single character faction teams. That would only give the single character faction more trouble.
Chapter 448: Snatching The Championship (3)
The tournament progressed. Third round, fourth round, fifth round...
Su Yu had advanced through all the rounds without fighting a single match. He had easily reached the top 20. He had advanced so easily that it was almost unbelievable. Nobody dared to even face him in a fight. Apart from him, people like Zhan Hai had also enjoyed a similarly smooth and unchallenged advancement.
The gap between the stronger and weaker students was too big. Prior to this, some people might still not be aware of the big gap between some students. But after Su Yu defeated Li Shiyun's team and after Zhan Hai easily defeated a bunch of old students, everyone finally understood how big the gap between them was.
The students of this generation were too strong. The old students who had failed to reach the Skysoar Realm before 30 were simply not their match. In the sixth round, Su Yu drew for an opponent as usual. But the result surprised him.
He had drawn Wu Jia's team. They had actually reached the top 20 as well. Li Minyu was the strongest in that team. She occupied the fourth place in the top 100. There were also Wu Jia and Lin Qing in the team. Both of them were also top 100 students.
Li Minyu first looked at Su Yu before looking at Wu Jia. With a smile, she said, "Looks like we won't be able to advance into the top 10. I really want to fight you, but I'm afraid that your senior sister might side with you. That would make the match pointless."
As someone near the Skysoar Realm, she was actually quite interested in fighting Su Yu at least once. But today was not the time for it.
"Are you not going to give it a try?"
Su Yu smiled, "Maybe it's worth trying? After all, I have four deadweights with me..."
Li Minyu smiled, "Forget it. I'll give Zhan Hai this chance. I hope you won't meet each other too soon. I would rather see the two of you meet at the final round. That would be a lot more interesting."
Su Yu smiled, "Regardless of the time we encounter each other, the match between us will be the final match."
That was a simple yet domineering declaration. The match between them would be the final match regardless of time. Basically, after defeating Zhan Hai, the victory was already his. Not one of the other teams would be able to pose a threat to him.
As the number one student, Zhan Hai was no pushover. Even those old students who were said to be as strong as Zhan Hai actually looked quite weak when Su Yu was finally looking at them. Earlier, Zhan Hai had even encountered one such team. And he had been able to obtain an easy victory.
Li Minyu said, "That might not be the case. Look, there's a myriad race team here. Have you noticed them?"
"Yeah."
Su Yu nodded and flashed the team of cloaked and masked students a gentle smile. Myriad race team. This was a unique team filled with myriad race students. They had probably been given special permission to form a team between themselves.
Their actual strength was still unknown. In any case, they had easily reached the top 20 without even using all their strength. Su Yu was actually quite interested in testing them out. Unfortunately, he had yet to encounter them in the tournament. With Li Minyu's surrender, Su Yu reached the top 10.
...
Before long, the other matches came to an end as well. The teams of Zhan Hai, Jiang Mu, and the myriad race students had all advanced into the top 10. Apart from these three teams and Su Yu's team, the other six teams were also decently powerful. All of them were filled with students near the Skysoar Realm.
Suddenly, Zhan Hai said, "Su Yu, it is too boring to keep fighting one round after another like this. Why don't we split the remaining eight teams between the two of us. Let's see who can smash through four teams first."
Zhan Hai was still as arrogant as ever. He was starting to get bored with this tournament. In fact, he had been wanting to fight Su Yu for quite a while. But he also didn't want to give others the chance to take advantage of him. That was why he was making this proposal.
Zhan Hai looked at Liu Hong and asked, "Teacher Liu, will that be acceptable?"
Liu Hong narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhan Hai before looking at Su Yu.
After looking at the other teams as well, he smiled, "The number one student is still as confident as always. Zhan Hai, are you sure?"
Zhan Hai said, "If Su Yu is fine with it, I'll be fine. As for the others...this is a chance for them. Are they going to let go of this chance? They will get the chance to force us into four consecutive matches. If they don't even dare to accept a challenge like this, they should just withdraw right now since they will never be able to get first place."
Su Yu said, "I don't mind. This is a great idea since we can save some time. Just look at the time. It's getting late. I still need to go back and study after this. I have yet to finish my homework for the day."
Both of them were similarly arrogant.
A small clamor erupted from the remaining teams. Before long, a sullen voice rang out, "Since both of you have agreed, we will naturally agree as well. As for the sequence in which we fight..."
Before he could finish, Zhan Hai indifferently said, "You guys are free to decide on the sequence. I won't need to spare too much energy on you guys either way."
"..."
Something seemed odd about Zhan Hai today. He had never been so domineering before.
Suddenly, Jiang Mu looked at Zhan Hai and nodded with a sigh, "Sure."
Jiang Mu had realized something. Zhan Hai was preparing to advance into the next realm. He wanted to kick everyone out of the tournament before using his fight with Su Yu to attempt his breakthrough.
This fellow did not want to compete against Su Yu in the top 100 anymore. If Jiang Mu himself was in the same position...perhaps he would also do the same.
He sighed inwardly. He had never ascended to the first place before. With Zhan Hai's departure from the ranking, he was supposed to get a chance to snatch the top position. But with Su Yu's appearance, he wasn't so sure anymore. Updates are released by novelFɪre.net
After giving Zhan Hai a look, Liu Hong nodded, "Sure. Zhan Hai, the restriction preventing Skysoars from bullying those in the Mental Tempering Stage won't apply for someone breaking through in the middle of the battle. Good luck with your advancement."
Zhan Hai ignored Liu Hong. His focus was only on Su Yu.
Su Yu had also guessed Zhan Hai's goal. He merely smiled and said nothing. Using him as the grindstone to push for an advancement? Too bad. Zhan Hai would need to get through Zhou Hao first. Otherwise, Su Yu wouldn't even waste his time fighting Zhan Hai. It was pointless.
...
The tournament continued. There was no denying that each of the top 10 teams was very strong. In fact, the first team Su Yu encountered was about as strong as the single character faction team he had fought before. This team did not concede upon facing him.
But since Su Yu had been able to easily defeat the previous team, he was naturally able to do the same to this team. After around one minute, the match ended. The second match started immediately.
This time, he faced Jiang Mu's team. Su Yu had a rather deep impression on Jiang Mu as this was the first top 100 student he had seen after entering the academy. This was a student who had caused even a seventh-stage Infinite Strength expert to move aside.
Sure, that level of cultivation was nothing for the current Su Yu. But back then, someone like that was already a super expert for him. Instead of letting his team members fight, Jiang Mu decided to face Su Yu alone.
Jing Mu was a strong opponent. He also had second-tier characters in his possession. The fight lasted around three minutes before Su Yu obtained victory through the Crushing Mountainsea move.
After confirming his defeat, Jiang Mu left the ring instead of insisting on wasting more of Su Yu's strength. It was pointless.
He had already verified that he was indeed slightly weaker than Su Yu. If he continued fighting, he might be able to cause Su Yu some serious injuries, but he was more interested in seeing Su Yu's fight with Zhan Hai.
Su Yu was very interested in fighting the myriad race students. Unfortunately, that team had been assigned to Zhan Hai's team instead. The following two teams he faced were also quite strong, but they weren't so strong that he couldn't easily defeat them.
...
While Su Yu was easily defeating one opponent after another, Zhan Hai was doing the same. After telling his team members to stand aside, he defeated four teams all by himself.
When Su Yu finally found some time to look over, he was greeted with the sight of Zhan Hai sending a masked student flying away with a punch.
Looking at the myriad race students, Zhan Hai coldly said, "It is pointless if you're going to fight while hiding your strength. If you're unwilling to do your best, why join a tournament like this?"
One of the myriad race students said, "Senior Brother Zhan is too strong. Even if we fight in our true forms, we might not be able to win. Student Su is quite strong as well. And he is still in a good condition. I am more interested to see the two of you face each other in peak condition."
Zhan Hai snorted coldly. He disliked these myriad race students. He could sense that these students were actually quite strong. But not one of them had used their true strength. They hadn't even used their racial abilities. He didn't even have the interest to say more to such individuals.
Looking at Su Yu, he said, "Why don't we make it a fight between the two of us? There is no need for our team members to participate."
Su Yu smiled, "Forget it. Your team members have reached this far with great difficulty. Telling them to stand down at this point is too disrespectful. Senior Brother Zhan, this is not a top 100 match. This is a tournament."
At those words, the look in the eyes of Zhan Hai's team members changed. They all looked at Su Yu with gratitude. Yeah! This was not a top 100 fight. This was not a one on one fight. This was a fight for the grotto slots. Since they could fight him five against one, why must they pick the stupid choice of fighting one against one?
Zhan Hai did not care about the slots, but that wasn't the case for them. As for the fact that they were bullying Su Yu with their numbers, what could they do if the rules allowed it? It wasn't their fault Su Yu's team members were unwilling to help.
Zhan Hai could always go back to the top 100 ring if he wanted to have a one on one fight that much.
The look in their eyes changed when they were looking at Su Yu. He was such a good man! Junior Brother Su was such a considerate person!
Inwardly, Su Yu was laughing. What a pity. The four of them better be ready to have their asses kicked by him. Their strength...really wasn't anything special.
At that thought, he glanced at Zhou Hao. Zhan Hai would be left to Zhou Hao. This fellow had been standing around for an entire day. It was time for him to do his part.
Zhou Hao said nothing. He was greatly looking forward to the fight. He was the type of person who enjoyed taking what he wanted with his own two hands.
Zhan Hai...a student near the Skysoar Realm. This was an extremely strong student. But he wasn't scared of such an opponent!
Chapter 449: Snatching The Championship (4)
It was time for the final match.
Both teams stepped into the ring.
Exhaling slightly, Su Yu was somewhat absent-minded. On his very first day in the academy, he had thought about defeating the number one student in the top 100 and becoming the new number one student. This day had arrived way too early.
He couldn't help but to praise himself for being such an incredible genius.
Zhan Hai...
Su Yu recalled someone and suddenly laughed. He seemed to have completely skipped over Lin Qing, the person he had first designated as his first obstacle to the top 100. For this match, Zhao Ming was personally acting as the referee.
After looking at the students of both teams, he warned with a grumpy tone, "I'm warning all of you. Don't kill anyone!"
It had been too embarrassing for him earlier. A student had nearly died under his watch!
Su Yu smiled, "Don't worry, Teacher. It won't happen."
Don't worry his ass. This kid was the most worrisome of them all. What a little bastard.
"Start!"
The moment the match began, Su Yu shot forward. Zhan Hai did the same. Su Yu was the only person in his eyes. But suddenly, an intense burst of source qi suddenly appeared beside him. Zhou Hao had noiselessly appeared beside him, akin to a silent hunter.
A punch was thrown Zhan Hai's way. That was an incomparably powerful punch. Zhou Hao's vitality surged, his source qi erupted, and all 144 of his acupoints shone brightly.
Zhan Hai was surprised. He had not expected someone other than Su Yu would join the fight. He reacted by sending a kick to the side.
Zhou Hao showed no inclination to avoid the kick. Instead, he put his head into the path of the incoming kick while his fist continued shooting forward. Zhan Hai was slightly shocked, but that did not stop him from reacting speedily. His cultural weapon, a sword, appeared. As for his kick, he had moved it away from Zhou Hao's head.
That was what Zhou Hao had been waiting for. He was betting on the fact that Zhan Hai wouldn't dare to kill. As far as he was concerned, a cultivator without the courage was nothing but garbage. Such a cultivator deserved to be killed.
Boom!
The punch struck Zhan Hai's leg, pushing him several meters back. By the time he stopped, his leg was already dyed red with blood. He frowned. This Zhou Hao was much stronger than he had imagined. He had to pull his attention away from Su Yu and focus on Zhou Hao instead.
Had this person gone crazy? Why was this person challenging him? He had been planning to fight Su Yu with all his strength and use the pressure to break through into the next realm.
Zhan Hai was not the only person to bleed from the exchange. In the process of landing a punch on Zhan Hai, Zhou Hao had also suffered a sword wound on his arm.
But he was completely indifferent. Almost immediately, he charged forward murderously.
"Kill!"
That roar of his caused even Zhan Hai's heart to shiver. He regained his clarity of mind almost immediately as he released his willpower and sent it toward Zhou Hao.
The willpower interruption dazed Zhou Hao momentarily, but he recovered almost instantly. His vitality surged and his source qi erupted as he spat a mouthful of blood out. He had actually bitten through the tip of his tongue just to wake himself from the willpower attack before continuing his charge forward.
He was akin to a mad beast that had broken free of its cage. The baleful and bloody aura coming from his opponent caused Zhan Hai to feel sick. Just what was up with this opponent? During that slight moment of distraction, he felt a chilly sensation coming from his back.
Fuck!
Zhan Hai cursed inwardly.
He had been trying to avoid ganging up on Su Yu, but Su Yu had turned around to do that to him instead. Yes. In such a short moment, Su Yu had kicked all four of Zhan Hai's teammates out of the ring.
Everything had happened too fast. Before any of the spectators even realized what was happening, they were already greeted with the sight of Zhan Hai being attacked by two mad beasts.
Yes. Two mad beasts.
The battles of Su Yu and Zhou Hao had always been brutal and bloody. And when the two of them joined hands, they were akin to a pack of wild wolves out on a hunt. The two attacked from two different directions. Despite not having worked together previously, they were able to work surprisingly well.
Right after Zhan Hai dealt with Su Yu's attack, an attack came toward his waist from Zhou Hao. The attack gave him the sensation of a crumbling mountain while the killing intent of his opponent was so intense that it almost felt like it would materialize into a physical form.
With a roar, Zhan Hai released his willpower to deal with his opponents. But at that exact moment, Su Yu's hammer descended, stunning him for a split second. During that moment, Zhou Hao clawed at him, spilling even more blood.
Su Yu and Zhou Hao were incredibly wild.
Zhan Hai's consciousness had been constantly subjected to the attack of their intense killing intent. And his sea of willpower had also endured a strike from Su Yu's hammer. The sheer fact that he was still conscious showed how strong he was. However, the hammer strike had still caused him to bleed from his seven orifices.
Advancement? Skysoar Realm? Forget it. He couldn't even concentrate anymore.
Zhou Hao was only a Great Strength cultivator, but he was too crazy. He fought in a suicidal manner, always aiming to take an injury just to injure his opponent. Any carelessness by Zhan Hai would immediately result in a new wound on his body.
...
The spectators were all stunned.
Was that really Zhan Hai?
Zhan Hai wasn't supposed to be that weak!
But Zhan Hai wasn't a particularly murderous combatant while both his opponents were fighting like wild animals. Both also worked well together while attacking in a suicidal manner. That was too annoying to deal with.
Eventually, Zhan Hai lost his temper and struck Zhou Hao with a palm attack, breaking several bones and causing Zhou Hao to cough blood. Zhan Hai was just about to turn around to deal with Su Yu when he felt a sharp pain in his arm.
It was only then that he realized that Zhou Hao had directly grabbed his arm before biting down, causing even more blood to flow. The rıghtful source is novel{f}ire.net
Zhou Hao was fighting like a mad animal, but his eyes were still as clear as ever. When he noticed Zhan Hai turning to look at him, he slammed his head into Zhan Hai's face unhesitatingly.
With a bang, he turned Zhan Hai's face into a bloody face. Zhan Hai was furious. He landed a heavy attack on Zhou Hao's face, breaking Zhou Hao's nose. But Zhou Hao merely grinned before biting down on Zhan Hai's arm.
"You..."
Furious, Zhan Hai sent his sword toward Zhou Hao. This time, he was not holding back and was finally attacking to kill. But right that moment, he felt a chill on his neck.
A loud pop sounded.
A short saber swept past his neck. Blood started sputtering out of his neck.
Zhan Hai was further infuriated. Right that moment, Zhao Ming dragged Zhou Hao away to save him from death. Even when being dragged away, Zhou Hao still had a chunk of Zhan Hai's flesh in his mouth.
Zhan Hai's arm was hurting badly while his sword attack had failed to hit anything since Zhou Hao had been rescued by the referee. He did not have the chance to do anything else before he felt another sharp pain in his back. With a boom, he crashed outside the ring.
He had an incomparably ugly expression. He looked at the grinning Zhou Hao before looking at Su Yu.
With a smile, Su Yu said, "Since this isn't a top 100 challenge match, I won't be playing around with you, Senior Brother."
Zhan Hai didn't know what to feel. He had been kicked out of the ring just like that?
Fuck!
He had encountered two lunatics! He didn't even know what to say.
Not only had he been defeated, he had also gained dozens of wounds on his body. Each wound was deep enough that his bones could be seen. That crazy Zhou Hao had even torn off two chunks of flesh from his arm.
He was actually much stronger than what he had shown during the fight. He had been intending to use Su Yu as the pressure to push him into the next realm. But he had been defeated before he could even use his real strength!
He was so angry he felt like killing someone. He couldn't accept a defeat like this.
When he looked at Zhou Hao again, he felt helpless. That lunatic was standing there while grinning happily. That was a true madman. No, both of them were lunatics.
That killing intent was so intense even someone like him felt slightly fearful. He could understand why Zhou Hao had such intense killing intent, but what was up with Su Yu? How had he gained such a baleful killing intent as well?
Zhou Hao was a barbarian who had grown up among beasts. Zhan Hai had heard of that before. But how about Su Yu? His killing intent gave Zhan Hai the sensation of facing death itself.
He couldn't even understand how he had been defeated. That crazy Zhou Hao had not done anything throughout the tournament. Who would expect him to suddenly attack? All the spectators were similarly stunned.
They had all believed that the final match would be a personal fight between Su Yu and Zhan Hai. They had even believed that this would decide who the true number one student would be. But just like that, the final confrontation had been ruined by Zhou Hao?
A mere Great Strength cultivator?
Due to the interruption by Zhou Hao, Zhan Hai had ended up defeated even though he had ultimately managed to deal heavy injuries to Zhou Hao. Even the spectators felt bad for Zhan Hai.
How pitiful.
Jiang Mu and the others sympathized with him, but they also felt like laughing. Anyone would be angry after something like that happened. Zhan Hai's advancement plan had been ruined just like that.
He wasn't even given the opportunity to focus on the fight. How could he break through in such a situation? Even if he really tried to force a breakthrough, it would have probably failed due to the disturbance caused by the two mad animals he was facing.
To deal with him, he would be forced to split his attention two ways. That was basically a situation where a breakthrough was impossible. Not far away, Liu Hong was completely speechless.
It had ended just like that?
He kept having a feeling that the single character faction had gained nothing from this tournament. Sure, he had also expected that Su Yu would win. But he had expected Su Yu to emerge victorious after a bitter battle. But now...what the fuck was this? Even Zhou Hao had suffered more injuries than him.
That was not what Liu Hong had expected. This kind of ending would cause him to be questioned by the single character faction. After all, he had failed to even cause Su Yu to be injured.
They had ended up giving away five slots for no return whatsoever. Liu Hong could already feel the gazes of Elder Sun and the others behind him. He felt a chill creeping up his spine.
"This fellow is too strong. He's making my life hard."
Liu Hong grumbled inwardly. He was going to be in trouble.
Damn that kid. Couldn't the kid suffer some injuries to put the elders in a better mood? He should have reminded the kid before this and offered some merit points for the kid to pretend to be injured.
From the start of the tournament until the end, not a single thing that could please the elders had happened. Instead, they had been infuriated again and again.
Liu Hong might be feeling helpless, but when everyone looked at him, he still opened his mouth, "The victory goes to Liu He's team."
Yes. That was his final struggle. Calling them Liu He's team instead of Su Yu's team.
Chapter 450: Darker And Darker (1)
"The victory goes to Liu He's team."
Su Yu had the urge to laugh when he heard that. Beside him, Liu He's face was flushed red.
His elder brother had actually named the team after him... He wished there was a hole for him to bury himself in. That was too embarrassing.
The tournament had taken an entire day. Apart from standing around like a background decoration, he had not done anything.
The nerve of him. Was his brother not embarrassed? But Liu Hong was shameless enough to not care about that.
After announcing the winner, he said, "The team in first place will be given five slots to the Willpower Grotto. The other teams will also be receiving their rewards shortly. Those not in the top ten, do not lose heart. The teams that have performed admirably will also be receiving some rewards even if you're not in the top ten."
"As for the students who have performed well this time, if you are without a teacher, the researchers of the Character Faculty will be accepting some of you as their students. Of course, the selection criteria are entirely up to them. This will apply to even those above 30 years old."
A clamor erupted from the crowd. Accepting new students? Was the single character faction running out of cannon fodder?
Elder Sun and the other elders had remained silent while Liu Hong was talking. Clearly, that was the decision the elders had made. Even with the possibility of being used as cannon fodder, a lot of people were still interested.
Someone amid the crowd asked, "Teacher Liu, what are the requirements to join?"
"That is up to each researcher to decide. After all, they are the ones that will be accepting the students. At the very least, they need to be satisfied with the students they are accepting, right?"
Liu Hong was basically babbling nonsense.
Without enough talent or strength, could someone even earn the attention of a researcher?
However, a lot of people were still tempted by the announcement.
While Liu Hong was talking, Su Yu nonchalantly moved off the ring, ignoring the announcement. He was in the middle of conversing with Chen Yong when Liu Hong talked about the recruitment of new students. Upon hearing that, he softly said a few words to Chen Yong.
Chen Yong frowned as he thought for a bit before eventually nodding in agreement.
With Chen Yong's agreement, Su Yu wasted no time and loudly said, "The multiple character faction has been canceled, so we won't be able to accept new members. But we are planning to start offering private classes after this tournament. I'll be perfectly honest. We're doing this to get some momentum going for our faction with some numbers. If you're interested, contact me to sign yourself up."
"Head Manager Chen of the books depository is an intermediate researcher who is experienced and knowledgeable. If you are interested and not afraid of being suppressed, feel free to give our class a try. Naturally, you might need to do something small for the multiple character faction if you do end up joining, but don't worry. We won't be asking you to throw your lives away. You might only be asked to run some small errands like purchasing some materials, gathering some data, and so on."
Su Yu was speaking over Liu Hong. After giving the kid a glance, Liu Hong merely smiled and ignored him.
Interesting.
They were basically doing this to get more people on their side. After so many years of decline, the multiple character faction did not have a lot of members remaining. This time, Su Yu was actually trying to remedy that for the multiple character faction. But would the members recruited in this manner even be useful?
Su Yu continued his announcement, "I'll be straightforward. We don't have any benefits to offer. We don't have any merit points to offer. Don't join the class before complaining about the lack of benefits. Knowledge in itself is invaluable. Come if you're still interested. Only those with a similar mindset are worth befriending."
Someone from the crowd asked, "Do we get to cultivate the character techniques of the multiple character faction in this class?" New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel⚑fire.net
Su Yu smiled, "To do that, you need to form at least 10 characters before the Skysoar Realm. This isn't something everyone can do. I won't lie. Those capable of doing so will most likely be allowed to learn our character techniques after getting through our test and inspection. If that is not something you can do, we won't be delaying your advancement into the Skysoar Realm by making you cultivate a character technique. It's pointless. Everyone can see how we have declined. The main reason for our decline is the strict requirements for cultivating character techniques. Of course, the stricter requirements also mean stronger combat strength.
"My offer extends to even those genius students with teachers. If you are confident you can form at least 10 characters before the Skysoar Realm, you are free to apply for a chance to learn a character technique.
"The multiple character faction is inclusive. As long as you can get through our test and inspection, you will be allowed to learn from us. We won't impose any restrictions based on your background.
"After mastering a character technique, you are free to deny any relationship with us. We are not doing this to recruit new students. We are only doing this to spread the fire of culture."
Finally, Su Yu looked at the single character faction students and said, "This applies to the students of the single character faction. You are free to learn from us as well. That is especially true for those who have formed their own character systems. I believe these students will be able to gain an increase in strength after learning about character techniques from us."
The moment those words were said, Elder Sun and the other elders focused on Su Yu before looking at Chen Yong.
Their expressions were unsightly.
Classes? No! That was them spreading their influence indirectly. That was them increasing their headcount indirectly.
Elder Sun coldly said, "According to the academy rules, those who are not a part of a registered faction are not allowed to spread their teachings in private—"
Su Yu interjected, "Yeah, I know that. Like I said, we are not passing on the legacy of our faction to anyone, which is forbidden by the rules. Nobody will need to join the multiple character faction. We are merely offering everyone some free benefits. There is no doubt that the character wall belongs to the multiple character faction. We are merely sharing this wall with some people we consider friends. This is basically a gift between friends. Elder Sun, this offer extends to even your students. If they want to learn from us, I'll welcome them."
Su Yu had a gentle smile on his face.
Come. They were more than welcome to learn the character techniques of the multiple character faction. How would the multiple character faction be wiped out? That would never happen. As long as this thing called ambition existed, the multiple character faction would continue to exist.
Bai Feng's discovery of a way to continue completing a character technique at the Skysoar Realm and beyond was basically a lifesaver.
With this new method, they could take a few years to observe the students learning from them. It wouldn't matter even if these students ended up reaching the Skysoar Realm before completing their character techniques. The multiple character faction could freely continue observing these students. After verifying the loyalty of these students, they could then help these students complete their character techniques.
Expansion. This was what Su Yu had been doing the entire day.
Of course, he wasn't recruiting direct members to their faction. They were not able to do that since officially, their faction was no longer a thing. Additionally, this wasn't a decision he could make on behalf of the faction. He had merely asked Chen Yong for permission to rope in some allies. Even if they couldn't rope these people into their side, they could at least ensure that these people stay neutral.
Only geniuses would bother with learning character techniques. And most geniuses were people with strong backgrounds. If even the descendants of these big shots were cultivating these character techniques, would these big shots continue suppressing the teachings of the multiple character faction?
Elder Sun frowned as he loudly said, "A lot of people must have forgotten about what happened 50 years ago. Do not make the wrong choice and ruin your future. If you wait too long below the Skysoar Realm, will you still be able to advance when you want to do so? More than 10 characters and countless willpower texts. This is what you need to cultivate character techniques. History has already proven that the so-called character technique is nothing but baggage in your path of cultivation."
Su Yu smiled and said, "Maybe he's right. That was why the first, third, and fifth principals of our academy were all from the multiple character faction. My grandteacher is only a pseudo Sunmoon. Perhaps the multiple character faction is really worthless. That is all we amount to..."
"..."
Elder Sun felt like coughing blood. That little bastard was using the past principals as an example. What else could he say?
While Elder Sun was simmering in rage, Liu Hong said, "Everyone can make their own choice. All of you can see how strong Su Yu is. But as someone below the Skysoar Realm, he alone had consumed resources worth tens of thousands of merit points for his cultivation. Not everyone can afford to spend that much money in cultivation."
Those words shocked countless people.
What?
Tens of thousands of merit points?
Holy shit!
Did that fellow eat merit points for breakfast or something?
A lot of people were also relieved to hear that. No wonder that fellow had been growing so fast. So that was why. Some of them even started thinking that they would be able to do the same with that much money.
Su Yu wasn't bothered. He smiled, "Yeah. I really need to thank Teacher Liu and Manager Zhou for their merit points. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to get so many merit points I can use for my cultivation. By the way, I know that private merit point transactions are technically illegal, but I have already used up all my merit points. Please don't investigate me, Hall Master Huang."
With a look of reverence, Su Yu bowed to Liu Hong and said, "Thank you, Teacher Liu! Without you, I wouldn't have been able to get so much money. Without you, I wouldn't have gotten a Willpower Grotto slot."
Su Yu increased the volume of his voice, "Thank you for your help, Teacher Liu! Today, I have repaid you for your favor. Brother Lin and the others have all obtained a slot into the grotto as well. I am very happy that I can finally repay you for all the help, Teacher Liu!"
Liu Hong glared at Su Yu! Had the kid forgotten that he was supposed to be a spy in the single character faction? Had the kid forgotten that they were on the same side? Why was the kid still trying to screw him over?
Su Yu had a smile on his face. Spy his ass! According to his grandteacher, there was no such thing! This Liu Hong was completely shameless!
Thousands of people were watching as the show unfolded. They all knew that Su Yu was putting on an act, but a lot of them still couldn't resist looking at Liu Hong in astonishment. So all the merit points Su Yu had used were provided by Liu Hong?
What?
How?
Why couldn't he give them some as well?
They didn't even need tens of thousands of merit points. They would be happy with only a hundred merit points!
Liu Hong said, "You should be careful of what you say, Su Yu. I have most certainly done nothing like that. Don't you know that transferring merit points privately is illegal?"
"That's a lot of merit points. Once proven, all your accounts will be frozen," Old Huang gave a lazy reminder.
He could guess that all those merit points must have been transferred through private transactions. As for the purpose of those transactions...he didn't even want to ask.
A transaction that large had most certainly involved something extremely important. Clearly, the experts of both factions knew about the transaction. Since they had not been caught red-handed, there was no point in pursuing that offense after the deed was done.
The academy itself had a policy of closing one eye to these private transactions. There was no denying that some things could be bought cheaper in the black market.
The academy had a limited amount of resources. Thus, the black market could actually be considered an additional source of resources for them. As long as the academy could still keep things in check, the existence of the black market could be tolerated.
Su Yu smiled and did not insist on pursuing the matter.
Looking at Lin Yao and the others, he smiled, "Guys, the multiple character faction welcomes you as well. Feel free to sign up if you're interested in learning from us. Also, be careful with the grotto slots. You don't want to get your slots taken away from you after all this, right? Don't make the mistake of thinking that some people won't be shameless enough to take from you. That's especially true for you, Brother Lin. Since your cultivation is a tad bit weak, some people might even find an excuse to take your slot from you."
Lin Yao looked at Su Yu blankly. Was it proper for Su Yu to give him this reminder so openly? Wouldn't that make it obvious that they were quite close? But soon after, a realization hit him.
Su Yu was doing this deliberately to dispel the doubts others might have over their relationship! When it became too obvious, people would suspect that Su Yu was merely putting up a show!
Wasn't this the exact play Su Yu and his teacher had been putting up? Who would believe that his teacher and Brother Su were actually on the same side?
The enlightened Lin Yao shouted, "Why do you care? Even if I do end up giving the slot away, that will be something I do voluntarily!"
Su Yu smiled, "Sure. I doubt you can keep the slot anyway. I do hope to see you in the grotto. After all, you're...quite weak. You could use some growth."
"You!"
Lin Yao put on a furious look on his face and looked at his teacher, Liu Hong.
Upon seeing that, Liu Hong cursed inwardly. Did the kid really think that he wasn't aware of the secret friendship between the kid and Su Yu?
Liu Hong said nothing, but Elder Sun coldly said, "Su Yu, there is no need to trouble you about this. As a genius student of the single character faction, Lin Yao will certainly get to keep a slot he has obtained with his own ability. The single character faction does not lack slots. We don't need to steal from our own."
Trying to sully their reputation with something like this?
Dream on!
That was only a slot. And it was a slot that they had given out for the tournament. Since Liu He had gotten the slot back, they could even save the slot they were planning to give Liu He before this.
As for Lin Yao, yes, he was too weak. Elder Sun had indeed considered taking Lin Yao's slot. But that would ruin his own reputation, and Lin Yao's grandfather was also a rather important member of their faction.
In that case, there was no need for him to go through so much trouble just for a single slot. Furthermore, now that Lin Yao had gotten a slot, the faction would no longer need to give Lin Yao's grandfather a slot.