Chapter 34 - 34

Chapter 520: Genius Researcher (1)

Silence.

Shock.

Only sounds of heavy breathing could be heard.

They had all witnessed it with their own eyes.

The massive repelling force had vanished.

Zhao Ming, the strongest individual in the room, had his eyes and mouth wide open in stupefaction. Was he dreaming? This must be a dream, right? Yeah, he was probably too tired. That was why he was dreaming about something so ridiculous.

As for Xia Huyou and the others, they were so shocked they didn't even know how to express it anymore. Nothing could express what they were feeling.

Suddenly, Xia Huyou gravely said, "Seal this place."

He looked at Su Yu and the others before solemnly saying, "This matter is of utmost importance. Su Yu, I'll..."

At that moment, a commanding aura actually started appearing on this son of the prefect. This matter was too big. He could not allow this cultivation method to leak. That would create a lot of trouble.

In fact, the moment news of this cultivation method spread outside the Human Realm, it might even spark a massive war. The myriad races would not give up on trying to weaken humanity and snatch this cultivation method. It would be acceptable if the cultivation method would only remove a small portion of the repelling force. But this fellow had...removed all of it! This was too terrifying.

Su Yu appeared indifferent. He smiled, "It's not that bad. To be blunt, the number of acupoints you can open still depends on your talent. Some people only have the potential to open 36 acupoints. If you let someone like that cultivate this method and use all his potential on it, what's the point? That person will take longer time opening acupoints than fusing acupoints."

Something like this was only useful for geniuses. It was meant to save the time of geniuses.

Xia Huyou was still unable to calm himself. He said, "I'll be blunt as well. The future of humanity has always been reliant on these geniuses. And this cultivation method will benefit a lot of geniuses."

Those who were only capable of opening 36 or 72 acupoints never had much chance to enter the Mountainsea Realm anyway. But for those capable of opening 108 or 144 acupoints, these were the future Mountainseas and Sunmoons.

With this cultivation method, even if these people did not switch to a better cultivation method, they would still save a lot of time. And that was only considering the time they would save at the Infinite Strength Realm. What about the Mountainsea Realm?

This cultivation method might even be useful for Mountainseas. And anything greatly useful for Mountainseas would be a big deal. The human race would gain a large number of Mountainseas in a short amount of time.

Su Yu said, "It's not that crazy. I know you're worried. But I doubt this thing will be this helpful to Mountainseas. With only 36 acupoints, it wouldn't be able to suppress the massive repelling force of Mountainseas. Sure, it will still help, but it wouldn't completely remove the repelling force."

"But—"

Xia Huyou wanted to keep arguing, but Su Yu waved and said, "I won't be disseminating this method."

"But..."

Xia Huyou looked at everyone. Finally, his gaze stopped at Zhou Hao. He announced, "Before long, the Xia Family will perform an in-depth investigation on all of you. Since Su Yu has allowed all of you to learn this cultivation method, I believe you are aware of the significance behind this method."

Su Yu smiled and asked, "So are you telling the Xia Family this?"

Xia Huyou sank into silence. After a short moment, he nodded, "Yes. Su Yu, I know what you mean. You believe that this won't leak if only the people here know about it. Letting the Xia Family know might escalate this matter. But...I am duty-bound to let them know about this.

"Not only that, but I wish to teach my father and second granduncle this cultivation method as well. Of course, we won't teach anyone this method without your permission. You will still have full control over it."

He could no longer be bothered with hiding his identity. This matter was too important. He had not expected this. He really hadn't. A research center that seemed like a joke had produced such a shocking result in only one week.

Su Yu smiled, "Sure, I won't stop you. But if you do this, the multiple character faction's debt to Marquis Xia will need to be erased as the payment."

"..."

Xia Huyou stared at Su Yu. That was a debt of 300,000 merit points.

Erasing it just like that?

"Sure."

He nodded, "But if we have to erase the debt, we need the right to teach this method."

"Su Yu smiled, "The right to teach it? Nope. You can only teach it to the ones from the main branch. Nobody else can learn it. I can only give you partial rights for this cultivation method. Of course, you can do what you want after I die. You can even take credit for the creation of this method. I don't care. But as long as I'm alive, you can't teach it to anyone outside of the main branch without my agreement."

Yes, he would only agree to give the Xia Family partial rights for the cultivation method. Getting full rights for only 300,000 merit points? Dream on!

After a short silence, Xia Huyou nodded, "My father or second granduncle might talk more about this with you. Let's set this aside for now."

He then looked at the others. Hu Qiusheng was from Administrator Hu's family. He could be trusted. Wu Jia was Su Yu's senior sister. Not trusting her was out of the question. Wu Lan was from the Wu Family, a powerful and influential family local to Great Xia.

Zheng Yunhui...well, this fellow looked completely dumbstruck. Xia Huyou shouted, "Zheng Yunhui, if you dare to leak this, I will have your grandpa personally take your life!"

"..."

Zheng Yunhui felt wronged.

Fuck!

He hadn't even said anything! Why was he being shouted at?

He was only displaying his shock to them. He was only busy thinking that the 20,000 merit points he had spent to join this research center was the best investment ever. One ought to remember that even the 20,000 merit points had been earned with Su Yu's help. He was busy praising his own incredible talent in investment.

He had practically gotten such an amazing cultivation method for free, even with the limitation of teaching it to anyone else. Furthermore, Su Yu had also promised to let the Zheng Family have the Pure Source Art.

Looking at Su Yu, Zheng Yunhui's eyes were shining brightly. How was this a human? This was money in human form! No, this was a tree that could grow money on it! Xia Huyou moved on to Jiang Mu and Zhou Hao.

He said, "My father is Xia Longwu." The source of this content ɪs n0velfire.net

The two said nothing.

Xia Huyou's usual friendly expression was nowhere to be seen. With a frosty voice, he said, "I don't know what Su Yu is thinking. I don't understand why he trusts the two of you..."

Su Yu curled his lips. What a stupid thing to say. He didn't really trust those two that much either. He simply didn't care if this cultivation method was leaked. In truth, this was something that could increase the strength of humanity as a whole. But for Su Yu himself, it was merely an auxiliary cultivation method.

It wasn't something too miraculous. And it would not benefit those above the Mountainsea Realm. It would not encroach upon the realm of Invincibles.

Mountainseas were experts. They could be considered hegemons. But they were not strong enough to determine the direction of the Myriad Realms. Only Invincibles were capable of that.

Thus, this cultivation method could be important, but it wouldn't be so important that it would drive the Invincibles crazy. A genius would still be able to enter the Mountainsea Realm even without this cultivation method. It would only allow them to enter that realm a few years in advance.

That was naturally not Xia Huyou's thought. He solemnly said, "The two of you need to be aware that just because Su Yu trusts you does not mean that I trust you. It also doesn't mean that the Xia Family trusts you. It's not that we don't want humanity to get stronger, but some things can't be spread easily. A lot of variables need to be taken into consideration before we do that.

"Why do the War Shrine and Knowledge Seeking Realm keep so many cultivation methods to themselves? I believe all of you understand why. Humanity is not truly united. We have some parasites among us."

"Apart from that, the myriad races are also staring at us hungrily. They don't want to see us grow. They don't want us to get the strength to dominate the Myriad Realms. Therefore, they will constantly disturb our peace and obstruct our growth. If we really need to fight, the human race is not afraid of them. But releasing something that should increase our strength only to lose more strength is not worth it."

"The powerful races like the divines and the devils are afraid that we will grow too strong. Every now and then, they will find some excuse to suppress us. It's not that we don't want to strike back, but we also need to consider the consequences. There are a lot of things that can't be done just because we want to do it."

With a stern tone, Jiang Mu said, "We understand that. But we have not expected to be allowed to see something like this so easily."

He was really very surprised. Wasn't Su Yu a tad bit too generous? He was showing them this cultivation method so easily?

They didn't even know what to feel anymore. They were touched, but they were also feeling rather helpless. This fellow should have hidden a part of the cultivation method, right? Why did he show them everything? They fully understood Xia Family's worries.

Zhou Hao looked at Xia Huyou and Su Yu before giving a simple reply, "Not going to spread it."

"..."

That was the only thing he had to say. He honestly didn't know what else he could say.

Xia Huyou was feeling very helpless. Su Yu was the creator, not him. That bastard Su Yu should have been more careful with something like this, right? Why was he exposing his cultivation method so easily?

Xia Huyou was so infuriated he felt like he was getting a heart attack.

Su Yu completely ignored the furious Xia Huyou. He looked at Zhou Hao and asked, "How do you feel? Was all the repelling force suppressed?"

"Not all, but the remaining force is negligible."

"Indeed." Su Yu sighed, "The repelling force will only grow stronger at the Skysoar, Cloudbreach, and Mountainsea Realms. The power of 36 acupoints won't be enough to suppress the repelling force of a Mountainsea. That will require at least 72 acupoints. What a pity. I doubt I can produce one with 72 acupoints."

"..."

Silence, yet again.

Xia Huyou and the others stared at Su Yu. They were on the verge of getting a collective heart attack.

Big Brother.

Grandpa.

Please. Was he actually looking down on this cultivation method?

Was this bastard done showing off?

Suddenly, Wu Lan said, "If we're not teaching it to anyone, do we still announce the name of this cultivation method to the public?"

"..."

Xia Huyou was going crazy. Was that even the point? Why was she worried about something like that?

Chapter 521: Genius Researcher (2)

Su Yu smiled and said, "Of course we will. It's fine. I still have a few weaker versions. I will forget about the versions that are too weak. Including this version, let's make it three versions.

"The first version will have 18 acupoints, capable of suppressing a third of the repelling force. The second version will have 32 acupoints. Maybe we can simplify it to only 30 acupoints. It can suppress two-thirds of the repelling force."

They all stared at him in stupefaction. Just how many versions did he produce?

Zhao Ming asked with disbelief, "Su Yu...just how did you do this?"

Su Yu did not waste his breath and activated one of his characters. Immediately after, he started radiating an aura of wisdom. His entire body was shining with the light of wisdom. With a gentle smile on his face, his radiance filled the room.

"Because...I'm a wise man. My character has provided me wisdom."

"..."

He was totally talking nonsense, but Zhao Ming blanked out for a long while before asking, "This character...is a full support character. Is this..a character capable of increasing your comprehension ability?"

"Good eyes, Teacher." Su Yu deactivated his fire character and said, "This is the power of wisdom. I am already a genius to begin with. Combined with my character, everyone's assistance, and the multiple character faction's blood essence extraction technique that allows me to deduce the cultivation methods of the myriad races through reverse deduction, I was finally able to come up with this cultivation method."

A character capable of increasing one's comprehension ability. This was an incomparably valuable character.

Xia Huyou couldn't help but say, "Before you die, you need to push this character to the Sunmoon Realm. It might turn into a super grotto that can drive all cultivators mad."

He believed Su Yu's words. Or to be precise, he believed most of Su Yu's words. A character like this was extremely rare. How had Su Yu gotten one?

"Which willpower text did you get this character from?"

"None." Su Yu explained, "Back then, I read too many cultivation manuals. When I discovered that there are a lot of similarities between these cultivation methods, a new thought came to me. At that time, this character appeared by itself. Would you believe that?"

"Yes." Xia Huyou nodded.

Zhao Ming's eyes flickered as he said, "Yes. Su Yu, you're...a freak. Such characters exist. They have appeared before. Natural characters will only form after a certain accumulation of comprehension. You're...a true freak."

Jiang Mu was also shocked. He said, "I know about these characters as well. I read about them in some travelogs before. In ancient times, there were people with naturally formed characters. I've never expected that I'll see someone like that with my own eyes one day."

What terrifying talent. What was Su Yu's cultivation level? How many things had he experienced? He had actually formed a natural character through comprehension at his current level of cultivation? These characters usually possess inconceivable abilities.

Su Yu smiled. He was not lying. This fire character was really something he had comprehended by himself. It was as though he had suddenly reached enlightenment about something and the character had taken form as a result.

A lot of people believed that Su Yu lacked a strong knowledge base. But that wasn't exactly accurate. He had read a lot of books over the years. And he also had a lot of cultivation methods, willpower texts, cultural arts, and source arts... One could say that there were definitely people who were more knowledgeable than him in Great Xia, but he was probably the person who knew about the highest variety of topics.

That golden book had given him a lot. He had witnessed the cultivation methods of the myriad races. He could even try these cultivation methods with his own body. That was an advantage unique to himself.

And the multiple character faction had always been a gathering of knowledgeable and talented individuals. His interactions with people like Bai Feng, Chen Yong, Hong Tan, and even the others like Zhao Li, had been constantly increasing his knowledge base.

The accumulation of knowledge and experience from all that had finally enabled Su Yu to derive this cultivation method with 36 acupoints. Sure, he had consulted a lot of cultivation methods for it, but being able to identify 36 suitable acupoints was proof of his ability.

Su Yu smiled, "I believe we will be fine making the first version available to the public. The second version can be marketed to the geniuses. As for the third version, only the people here can learn it. None of you will be given the right to teach it. Naturally, I am free to teach it as I see fit."

The others nodded. They were already happy enough with this.

Suddenly, Xia Huyou said with a sullen tone, "With this thing, are you reaching the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm soon?"

He felt like all the efforts he had spent to fuse his 15 acupoints had been for nothing. He would have been better off using that time to sleep and wait for this cultivation method to appear before starting his fusion.

Su Yu smiled, "It won't be so fast. From what I can see on Zhou Hao's body, the repelling force is gone, but the fusion process can't be skipped. A single fusion will take between three to five hours..."

After a short calculation, Su Yu said, "If I cultivate 6 hours per day, or 8 hours, I will be able to fuse 2 or 3 acupoints per day. Since I need 15 fusions to reach the first stage, I'll need at least 5 days."

Su Yu sighed, "Thus, I'll probably take a month or two to reach the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm. And this is in a situation where I can afford to use a lot of cultivation resources. A different person will probably take months or even half a year. And they also need to open new acupoints for this fusion method. Even someone who has opened a lot of acupoints like Zhou Hao still needs to open 10 new acupoints for it. Others might need to form 20 or 30 new acupoints. And that requires a lot of time as well..."

Su Yu calculated and said, "For a regular cultivator, they will probably take a year. In practice, this cultivation method will only save a year or two for cultivators in the Great Strength Realm. It really isn't a big deal."

"..."

Fuck you!

Was he even listening to himself?

Saving a few years of time in cultivation was nothing? Not to mention that opening more acupoints would increase one's strength. At the very least, it would allow one to fight longer. Why was this bastard neglecting that? Any genius would be willing to open 10 or 20 new acupoints to save some time.

Normally, the geniuses of the war academies will remain at the Infinite Strength Realm for two or three years. Even so, there was no guarantee that they would be able to fuse the maximum number of acupoints. But this fellow here would be able to do so in a year and reach the ninth stage. Was that nothing?

After fusing the maximum number of acupoints at the Infinite Strength Realm, things would be much easier at the Mountainsea Realm. In fact, one would also have an easier time at the Skysoar and Cloudbreach Realms. Was that nothing?

This was a life-altering cultivation method!

It would enable someone who would be stuck at the Cloudbreach Realm to enter the Mountainsea Realm. Was this bastard trying to say that Mountainseas were nothing?

Meanwhile, Su Yu ignored their gazes and started thinking. If he could fuse three acupoints per day, he would take around a month or two to reach the ninth stage. This was much shorter than his previous estimation of a year and a half.

But...that really didn't feel too special.

Also, he was aiming to open even more acupoints. And he would probably need to fuse the acupoints of multiple cultivation methods. That would take some time. Perhaps he would ultimately need to take half a year before he could start entering the Skysoar Realm.

Su Yu stopped thinking and said, "Looks like the test is a success. As for the effect of this cultivation method, we will have to wait and see. Zhou Hao will need to finish his fusion first. This is just the beginning."

Zhou Hao nodded. Inwardly, he was starting to feel excited. He could finally reach the Infinite Strength Realm! Entering the Infinite Strength Realm with the Thousand Mountain Art was much better than what he had been prepared to do before.

As for Xia Huyou, he was having a headache. These people were too troublesome.

He couldn't help but repeat himself, "Wu Lan, Senior Sister Wu Jia, remember to not tell anyone about this. This could really cause someone to die. Su Yu is too talented. If news of this spread, he might directly catch the attention of some super experts. He is doing fine now. But if this is leaked, Mountainseas, Sunmoons, or even Invincibles might start paying attention to him. And they will have a lot more confidence in the source soul acupoint he proposed."

For now, a lot of people were still skeptical. But if what Su Yu did today was exposed, they would have no choice but to believe that he might really be able to pull it off. That was certain. He was a genius.

And he was not just a cultivation genius. A cultivation genius would generally only benefit themselves. And there was no guarantee that a genius could become an Invincible. But a research genius like Su Yu could benefit the entire humanity. He might become the source of several or several dozen Invincibles.

At that time, Su Yu would find himself in a lot of trouble.

Su Yu smiled, "It is necessary to showcase your talent when required or you will really turn into an untalented individual. Imagine the multiple character faction recruiting an untalented student and Xia Huyou befriending an untalented person. That would look even more abnormal. Thus, we need to find some time to auction off the first version of the Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Technique. This will also gather some money for our research center."

Before he could finish his words, Zheng Yunhui shouted, "The Zheng Family will buy it! We are willing to pay!"

"..."

Xia Huyou glared at Zheng Yunhui.

Hu Qiusheng grinned and said, "The Hu Family is richer than the Zheng Family."

Getting the rights for this cultivation method was the same as getting the ownership of an inexhaustible mine. This was something that would benefit generations of a family.

Su Yu seemed uninterested in slowly reaping the benefits of this cultivation method over time. He needed some fast money. That was why he had decided to sell it in an auction. Otherwise, he could have taken it slow. This inferior version alone was enough for him to retire comfortably. So long as the Human Realm remained, his Su Family would eventually grow into one of the hegemons of the Human Realm relying on this one cultivation method.

Su Yu didn't even need to worry about growing strong himself anymore. Yes. With this cultivation method alone, Su Yu could retire, start a family, and enjoy a peaceful life in Great Xia.

Xia Huyou said, "Our Xia Family will naturally be the best choice to handle the dissemination of this cultivation method. Su Yu, how can these people compare against our Xia Family? I'll get my second granduncle to talk with you..."

At this point, Wu Lan finally reacted, "Your second granduncle is Marquis Xia?"

Xia Huyou was speechless. He had already said so earlier. Did she only realize this now?

"You're Prefect Xia's son?"

Wu Lan felt like her worldview had been shattered. She was in complete disbelief. As she stared at Xia Huyou, despair appeared on her face. Xia Huyou was feeling rather helpless. What was the meaning of that look on her face? Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel⸺fire.net

Wu Lan muttered, "You...look nothing like the prefect. Previously, my grandpa told me that the Xia Family wishes to have a marriage alliance with our family. I thought that Prefect Xia's son would resemble him..."

She was glad she had not agreed to that marriage proposal! Appearances were very important for her. And Xia Huyou's appearance...was completely not to her liking. No, it wasn't that he was ugly. But when one compared him to the domineering Prefect Xia, one couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed.

Xia Huyou was collapsing mentally.

Holy shit!

Was he really that ugly?

He personally believed that he would resemble his father a lot if he lost a tiny bit of weight.

This was the very first time someone had looked at him like this. He had the urge to beat her to death. But ultimately, he decided to let it slide. He certainly didn't want to drive the Wu Family crazy.

Chapter 522: Genius Researcher (3)

Su Yu smiled, "There is no rush. Everyone will have a fair chance to purchase it during the auction. Also, I have three versions, right? I won't sell the third version. The first and second versions will be sold separately. People like Administrator Hu, Principal Zheng, and Marquis Xia can talk it out among themselves."

Su Yu wanted to say that he was a good businessman as well. Just look at how he was able to sell a single cultivation method three times. Wait, to be precise, it was two times. He wasn't selling the third version.

But that was enough.

Su Yu said, "The Xia Family is allowed to keep a copy of the third version, but they won't be given the right to disseminate it. For this copy, my debt needs to be wiped. I won't budge from this so don't bother trying to change my mind."

Xia Huyou was somewhat speechless. He asked, "Are you not afraid that the Xia Family will decide to ignore the rules and swallow you whole?"

"Are you going to be the one to do so? Would the Xia Family really do something like that?" Su Yu rolled his eyes, "If the Xia Family is really so untrustworthy, Great Xia would have fallen long ago. As the rulers of the prefecture, if they don't even understand something like sustainable development, it is only a matter of time before the prefecture falls apart. We won't be enjoying our current prosperity and peace.

"But sure. You are free to take this cultivation method from me. But you can forget about getting anything else from me in the future."

Xia Huyou awkwardly said, "I was just joking. Our Xia Family is completely trustworthy. None of us will do something like that. Do you think that my great grandpa and father will ignore this?"

The Xia Family was the pillar of Great Xia. As leaders, they needed to lead by example. If they weren't able to conduct themselves properly, those below them would do the same. Eventually, the entire prefecture would sink into chaos.

Su Yu looked at Zhou Hao and said, "Stay here for the next few days. We can't have you leaving this place and accidentally exposing anything. After all, not even the second version is as efficient as the version you're cultivating. Also, don't be in a rush to fuse acupoints. Try to open more acupoints while waiting for your acupoints to fuse. You're going to be sitting around waiting anyway.

"If you have enough patience, you can consider opening 360 acupoints and see what happens. I have been thinking about one thing. Would opening 360 acupoints result in the formation of a large cycle?"

"..."

Once again, silence descended. Should they be calling him daddy? He was totally showing off.

Others would show off their wealth. This fellow was showing off his talent. Casually opening 360 acupoints and seeing what would happen? Was he listening to himself?

Zhao Ming couldn't resist saying, "Humanity has yet to discover 360 acupoints."

Su Yu smiled, "That's not a problem. And I'm in no rush. I can slowly take my time until the Mountainsea Realm. I'll only be required to fuse all acupoints into one at the Mountainsea Realm so I have plenty of time."

He looked at the others and said, "Some of you are already at the Infinite Strength Realm. Some are near. This cultivation method will be very helpful for you, especially Xia Huyou. You have fused a lot of acupoints, but your speed is too slow. With this cultivation method, you should try to reach the ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm and enter the Skysoar Realm as soon as possible. Your competitor Xia Yuwen is already a Cloudbreach. Why are you still so weak? How embarrassing."

Zheng Yunhui said, "I am going to switch my cultivation method. With this fusion method around, I wish to fuse even more acupoints." Content orıginally comes from novel·fiɾe·net

He could no longer be satisfied with only 108 acupoints. He wanted to cultivate a heaven-grade cultivation method. In the past, he had avoided cultivating one because it was troublesome. He needed to open a lot of acupoints and spare a lot of effort to fuse the acupoints. That would slow him down too much.

A lot of geniuses preferred cultivation methods with 108 acupoints. Even if they could find some heaven-grade methods, they would not be willing to cultivate one. Why? Because that would slow them down too much.

"Why are you telling me this? Don't tell me there are no heaven-grade cultivation methods in the Zheng Family."

Principal Zheng was probably someone on the verge of becoming a Sunmoon. And unlike cultural researchers, warriors did not need to worry about their characters stopping them from entering the Sunmoon Realm. Perhaps Principal Zheng was already a Sunmoon. This fellow should look for his grandfather. Why was this fellow saying this here?

Zheng Yunhui said, "I'll give it a try. There is one heaven-grade cultivation method that is very easy to obtain: the Thousand Mountain Art. I'll...see what happens with Zhou Hao. If it works..."

At this moment, Xia Huyou blanked out slightly before saying, "True. A lot of people have actually cultivated the Thousand Mountain Art. And many of them are still stuck at the Great Strength Realm. Some are already at the end of their lifespan.

"What if the Xia Family gathers these people and forms a small unit? Anyone capable of cultivating the Thousand Mountain Art can be considered a genius when they were young. A lot of them have wasted their youth on the Thousand Mountain Art before eventually switching to a different cultivation method. If this fusion method works, a lot of people would gain a large increase in strength."

For example, some Mountainseas were people who had cultivated the Thousand Mountain Art in the beginning. They had only been forced to switch their cultivation method to something with only 72 acupoints for the sake of breaking through. Even at the Mountainsea Realm, they would be forced to only fuse these 72 acupoints to 1.

But if they could start fusing the acupoints of the Thousand Mountain Art, they would be able to fuse 144 acupoints. With this, they would gain a massive boost in strength. The difference between fusing 72 acupoints and fusing 144 acupoints was very big.

Su Yu did not seem to care. He said, "I won't be disseminating the third version. I can only agree if the Xia Family can guarantee that there will be no repercussions. Also, I'll need a payment of 10,000 merit points per person."

Fuck!

Was this a robbery?

Su Yu couldn't even be bothered to say anything else. Even with the inferior versions, he would still be known as a research genius after this. He would start gaining the attention of some people. But it wasn't enough to attract much attention from Sunmoons and Invincibles. But the third version would probably change that.

"By the way...can I apply for a promotion into a researcher now?" Su Yu said, "At the end of each year, people can apply to be assessed for promotion. Previously, my teacher created the Soul Devouring Art with my assistance. Now, I have produced the Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Art. Is this enough for me to apply for a promotion?"

Everyone was stunned.

Su Yu muttered, "As a researcher, one will be eligible for yearly subsidies. They can also apply for funding. Oh, and they also enjoy some other benefits, such as limited yearly free entries into the academy grottos. Also, a researcher can only be punished through a meeting of elders. This is a much better position than a student."

Yes. He would be the one to achieve his teacher's unattained goal! Even prior to his exile, Bai Feng was still an assistant. He stood a chance to be promoted at the end of this year, but due to his exile, that was no longer happening.

To be promoted to a researcher, one needed to either be a Cloudbreach or someone who had contributed academically to the academy. Su Yu believed that he could probably get a promotion.

Yet again, silence descended. Zhao Ming had a grudging look on his face. He was really tired. He had only received his promotion not long ago after years of hard work. But...was Su Yu going to be his equal soon?

As for the promotion to an intermediate researcher, that was generally available only to high-stage Cloudbreach cultivators. Just being a regular researcher was already a great accomplishment. One ought to remember that there were still a lot of assistants in the academy. All these people were Skysoars. There were very few full researchers in the academy.

Xia Huyou changed the topic, "I'll be taking a trip back. Su Yu, don't leave this place. Someone will come looking for you soon. If you ask me, I think you should stop participating in all those conflicts. Just focus on research. Why don't you come into the Xia Family's employment? You can become an official researcher of the Xia Research Center. You will receive the direct backing of the Xia Family."

Su Yu smiled, "Sure. Send me some bodyguards and have them kill anyone attempting to kill me."

"..."

Xia Huyou was tired. He knew what Su Yu was planning.

"You're not about to visit Zhou Mingren and scold him right in front of his face after getting your new bodyguards, right? Are you intending to even swing your saber at him and force him to make a move before having the Xia Family kill him?"

"..."

Su Yu moodily said, "You sure are ambitious. I was only thinking of removing Zhou Pingsheng. You're actually trying to remove Zhou Mingren? You're too ruthless."

Xia Huyou was really tired.

Screw him!

If this fellow was given some Xia Family guards, he might even go to Great Zhou and swing his saber at Zhou Polong.

Forget it.

He knew this was not where Su Yu's ambitions lay. This fellow was indeed a researcher, but his main focus was still his own strength. Research was merely something he would do on the side.

Xia Huyou solemnly said, "Everyone, I need to repeat this. Do not spread this. The Xia Family will be paying close attention. For yourself, your families, and your future, do not do anything stupid."

Su Yu laughed, "Alright, alright. If you repeat yourself more, it will start sounding like a threat."

Xia Huyou wanted to say that he was indeed threatening them. Was that not obvious enough?

Su Yu said, "This is an auxiliary cultivation method, so it honestly isn't anything special. If anyone here ends up leaking it, the Xia Family will deal with them. I honestly can't be bothered. But I hope that nobody here will be so shortsighted. Even if you wish to backstab me, it's not too late to wait until the discovery of the source soul acupoint."

The others were speechless. Why was he talking like they were definitely going to betray him?

Su Yu said, "We will be putting the matter concerning the acupoint fusion method aside for now. I have a new task for all of you. Gather more cultivation methods for me. I am starting to suspect that the source soul acupoint might be related to the opening of 360 acupoints. Xia Huyou, your family has plenty of cultivation methods. I don't even want those cultivation methods. I only need to know the locations of all acupoints. I need your help in this."

Xia Huyou nodded, "I'll get a puppet and mark all the acupoints we know on it for your reference."

"Good!"

Xia Huyou said nothing else. He needed to take a trip back. This was a major matter.

In fact, there was a moment when he even considered getting experts to erase the memories of these people.

But he gave up on that thought since Su Yu did not seem to care. The Xia Family cared a lot, but Su Yu was the actual creator. As for dealing with Su Yu directly, well, that was the act of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. The Xia Family wouldn't have survived this long if they were so shortsighted.

"What a freak. This fellow might really have a ruin for himself."

Su Yu had definitely obtained a lot of things from an unknown source. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to produce something like those cultural arts.

No matter how talented one was, as someone below the Skysoar Realm, one would have zero experience with cultural arts. It was not possible that Su Yu would be able to create his own cultural arts out of nowhere.

"Drawing close to me...roping me in...he's trying to make the Xia Family choose a side."

He knew why Su Yu had involved him in so many things. He also understood why Su Yu did all this. But he wasn't the decision-maker of the Xia Family. In his opinion, Su Yu was actually more important than the single character faction.

But his father and second granduncle had their own plans.

"The path to the Infinite Strength, Skysoar, and Mountainsea Realms are now completely open for that fellow. Just how far can he go in the future?"

With complicated expressions, Xia Huyou rushed away.

Looking at the departing Xia Huyou, Su Yu smiled. Xia Family...In Great Xia, they were still the ultimate decision-makers. In fact, they had a lot of say even in the entirety of the Human Realm. Hopefully, he was able to show the Xia Family that there was more to the multiple character faction than the fifth principal's character.

Chapter 523: I Know Your Secret (1)

Prefect's manor.

While eating, Marquis Xia looked up at Xia Huyou. An odd look appeared on his plump face as he said, "The entire repelling force was removed?"

"Yeah." Xia Huyou nodded and clicked his tongue, "Zhou Hao, the guy cultivating the Thousand Mountain Art and a student of Cousin Yuwen, was able to instantly remove the repelling force and bring two acupoints together. That's the Thousand Mountain Art, the cultivation method with the strongest repelling force."

Marquis Xia had a pensive look. He nodded and said, "In that case, this is definitely a good cultivation method. Even at the Mountainsea Realm, it would still be useful despite the weaker effect. This is the most suitable cultivation method to alter the situation of lower level cultivators. Geniuses would also be able to save a lot of time with it."

Xia Huyou smiled, "Second Granduncle, I have good eyes, right?"

"..."

Marquis Xia glanced at Xia Huyou and said, "If you really have good eyes and are capable enough, he would have willingly become your little brother by now. But instead, you are the one acting like his grandson right now."

Xia Huyou was left completely speechless.

That...wasn't actually wrong.

Marquis Xia snorted and said, "Seems like that kid has been hiding a lot of good stuff. The Xia Family can't turn into robbers, but we also love getting things for free." Check latest chapters at novel·fiɾe·net

"Huh?" Xia Huyou hurriedly said, "Second Granduncle, don't be reckless. The moment we start breaking the rules..."

"Piss off." Marquis Xia berated, "Idiot. Who's breaking the rules? Do you think my old man won't take care of me if I do that?

"You fool! If it wasn't for your lack of ability, do I need to be the one to do this? Can't you learn from your dad? Don't only learn from me. You're turning into a greasy businessman. Because of this, none of the geniuses look highly upon you. This is not a good thing."

He was actually quite happy with this grandnephew of his. But this grandnephew was too greasy. That wasn't necessarily a good thing. As the son of Xia Longwu and the future prefect of Great Xia, he couldn't be too overly greasy.

"Look at your dad. He was stubborn back then, but he had still managed to rope in a large number of experts to his side. How about you? Who has you roped in?"

"SuYu."

"Piss off." Marquis Xia scolded, "Is that even the result of your recruitment? That kid was the one who had taken the initiative to approach you and make you his backer. That kid is even better than you at roping people in. Just look at those people in his research center. They have all been converted into his loyal supporters. He had earned their loyalty with his trust in them. Are you capable of this? You are on the verge of becoming his little brother!

"He has accomplished this much even as a member of the multiple character faction, the declining faction that is being suppressed. As for you, you're a member of the Xia Family!"

After scolding Xia Huyou, Marquis Xia was able to vent some of his anger. But he was still unhappy. Using 300,000 merit points as the payment? Was the kid so generous because that wasn't his money?

300,000 merit points!

This fool had only obtained partial rights to the cultivation method with that much money! This was too infuriating!

Xia Huyou showed no anger. He smiled and said, "Second Granduncle, that's nothing. All geniuses are proud. If I reveal my identity straight away, they would probably think that I'm trying to bully them with my status. Things are great right now. We can become normal friends. In the future when they eventually found out about my identity, they would feel touched after recalling how friendly I have been."

"So was Su Yu not aware of your identity before this?"

"Yeah."

"So was he touched after finding out about your identity?"

"Uhm...I don't think so..."

"Then what the fuck is the point?"

Marquis Xia was speechless. What was the point of saying all that if it wasn't working?

He took another mouthful of food, wiped his oily mouth, and stood up before saying, "A good ruler should not be stingy with respect toward the wise. Since he has displayed his talent and potential, it is time for me to pay him a visit. I'll visit him as the acting prefect. As for your dad, forget about him. He's too dumb. He might end up selling the entire Xia Family on the negotiation table."

Xia Huyou: "..."

He couldn't say anything. That was his father. If he joined in, his father would probably give him a beating after learning about it.

While walking, Marquis Xia said, "What are you waiting for? Let's go. I met that fellow once. We had a short conversation, but that was enough for me to see that he was a scoundrel through and through. Do not be careless around him. I checked his background before. He was never a good person since he was young. His neighbors, teachers, and classmates all thought that he was a good kid. Meanwhile, his neighbor's kid, Chen Hao, was a troubled child who would always get into fights. Through my investigation, nothing seemed wrong about that."

Marquis Xia said, "But with one look, I can see that those two were partners. One was the mastermind while the other was the thug. That Chen Hao was frequently made the scapegoat for that kid to maintain his persona of an obedient child."

Following behind Marquis Xia, Xia Huyou asked curiously, "Second Granduncle, why would that Chen Hao agree to be the scapegoat for everything? With Su Yu's ordinary family background, he won't be able to give Chen Hao much. At the very least, that's the case during their childhood."

Marquis Xia smiled, "That's his ability. Chen Hao had not suffered any losses being the thug of Su Yu. He had only gained the reputation of being a simpleton. But due to that reputation, nobody dared to bully him. Everyone knew him as an honest and silly kid with a bad temper. Since he wouldn't suffer any losses and would even get someone to do all the plotting and scheming for him, why not?"

Xia Huyou nodded with a pensive look. The two got into a carriage pulled by a cloudrush horse with an unassuming old man as the coachman. Marquis Xia gave the coachman their destination.

He then looked at Xia Huyou again and said, "Su Yu was also very crafty. Right after Chen Hao beat up the people who had offended him, he would be the one to apologize on behalf of Chen Hao, saying things like Chen Hao was too simple and honest. He would tell them to not waste their time bickering with a simpleton like that. He would even drag Chen Hao out and give Chen Hao a few casual slaps to alleviate the other party's anger.

"Just look at how he does things. He was the mastermind. Chen Hao was the one to do the dirty deed. After his enemy suffered, he stepped forth to be the peacemaker. With an apology, the other party would feel too embarrassed to pursue the matter. They might even thank Su Yu for keeping the simpleton in line. Basically, Su Yu was able to get someone beaten and still have that person thank him."

Xia Huyou inhaled in shock, "He's already so crafty as a boy? How about his father? Is he such a crafty person as well?"

"I'm not too sure about that."

Marquis Xia had investigated Su Yu's father before, but he wasn't able to get much out of it. He said, "This is something you need to learn. You need your enemy to thank you even after suffering a loss from you. And you only need to give something as insignificant as an apology. Those people would stop slandering you. Instead, they would start praising you for being a kind person."

Xia Huyou nodded and asked, "Second Granduncle, how should we proceed with this negotiation?"

"Negotiation about what?"

"The acupoint fusion method."

"Piss off." Marquis Xia said, "This is only a one-off deal. What is there to negotiate? Just wait and see. Your second granduncle is not going to talk about that."

"..."

Xia Huyou didn't know what to say. He could only sigh inwardly and lament the fact that there was still a lot for him to learn. He had thought that he had learned the craftiness of his second granduncle, but he was clearly wrong.

...

Outside the Source Soul Research Center.

A chariot stopped there.

Inside the chariot, Marquis Xia curled his lips and lifted the curtain. With a soft voice, he mumbled, "I'm only here to take a look. Stop looking at me. Monitoring the acting prefect can be viewed as an act of rebellion."

No response came.

"Pfft!"

Marquis Xia walked off the chariot and wobbled toward the research center. Inside the Source Soul Research Center. Su Yu's eyes flickered as he stood up and headed toward the entrance.

Standing outside the building, Marquis Xia gazed at the signboard and sighed, "Lan Tian...Su Yu..."

Back then, the Lan Tian Research Center was a name that one couldn't neglect. And the current Source Soul Research Center might turn into an even more unforgettable name.

After standing there for a bit, Su Yu arrived. The moment Su Yu saw the marquis, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Marquis."

"There is no need to be too polite." Marquis Xia stepped forth and helped Su Yu up before saying, "Didn't you say that Huyou's family is your family? My good grandson, you don't need to bow to me anymore. Just call me grandpa the next time we meet."

Su Yu's face turned stiff.

Marquis Xia smiled and said, "Come on, let's take a look at my good grandson's research center. I had been sad at the fact that I didn't have a grandson. Huyou is ultimately not my grandson, you know. But now, I have gained my very own grandson."

"..."

Su Yu was completely speechless.

After calming himself, Su Yu smiled and said, "Sure, Grandpa. Do you want me to show you around the academy? The last time you visited must be so long ago."

He then wrapped his arms around Marquis Xia's arm with a smile on his face. If the marquis wanted to be his grandpa, sure.

Marquis Xia said, "Forget that. By the way, why is there a security camera in front of the research center?"

"Don't worry about it, Grandpa. It's here to notify us if there are intruders."

Marquis Xia said, "I see. You couldn't be recording something with the camera, right? For example, what's happening right now? I won't wake up tomorrow to find that this scene has been spread all over Great Xia, right?"

Su Yu's face twitched slightly as he said, "Absolutely not. You think too much, Grandpa. I know that your identity is sensitive. I won't be carelessly spreading this scene around."

He only intended to show this scene to Xia Chan, Marquis Xia's granddaughter. Yes. That was the only person he wanted to show the recording of this scene to. After showing proof of his relationship with his new grandpa, could he start calling her sister? She would probably feel too embarrassed to outright deny him, right? In that case, he could probably do that right in front of Zhou Mingren, right?

Marquis Xia was beaming widely while Su Yu had a gentle, reserved, admiring, and friendly look on his face. He looked like the perfect example of a scholarly and refined cultural researcher.

Chapter 524: I Know Your Secret (2)

"The young are getting better and better."

Marquis Xia lamented to himself. It didn't seem like he had gained much advantage from their first exchange. This fellow was too shameless. He didn't even mind being called a grandson. What could he do? As a genius, shouldn't this kid be at least a little aloof? Shouldn't he be somewhat prideful? Su Yu had none of that!

This was a tricky opponent.

While thinking about all that, Marquis Xia looked at the people in the room. The girl from Wu Family was looking at him and Su Yu with an odd expression. Clearly, the recording wouldn't even be necessary anymore. This girl could very well be the one to spread the news that he was very close to Su Yu.

Hu Qiusheng and the others looked somewhat reserved. When they saw the marquis, they all greeted him politely, "Greetings, Marquis."

"No need for formalities." With a genial smile, Marquis Xia said, "We're basically family. I consider everyone from Great Xia as family. Youngsters, all of you are excellent. I am happy to see so many talented youths here." Follow current novels on N()velFire.net

Then, he looked at Wu Lan and said, "Is this the girl from the Wu Family? Send my greetings to your great grandma. It has been so many years since I last saw her. Tell her to take a break sometimes. She's already a Sunmoon. She can take a rest." Wu Lan hurriedly nodded.

Marquis Xia said, "You're a good child as well. I heard you're the leader of the Breakthrough Team. Well done. The women of the Wu Family were indeed exceptional. I am very optimistic about your future, child."

"Thank you, Grandpa Xia."

Wu Lan was so happy that she couldn't even hide the smile on her face. She had been praised by Marquis Xia! Sure, her great grandma once told him that this Marquis Xia was not a good person, but it didn't matter. This Marquis Xia was still a big shot. And he was definitely a good man or he wouldn't have praised her.

Marquis Xia was suddenly feeling very tired. He was a Sunmoon! Why was that girl thinking all that in his presence? Her family was the one filled with bad person! That great grandma of hers, in particular, was definitely not a good person!

Next, Marquis Xia's gaze landed on Wu Jia. With a smile, he said, "You must be Wu Jia. I saw you once when you were young. You're an excellent student as well."

Marquis Xia sighed and said, "You have a family of martyrs. Your parents have perished while fighting the Myriad Race Cult. You are the descendent of heroes. I heard that you have contributed greatly to this research as well. I believe your parents deserve a spot in Great Xia's Shrine of Heroes."

The moment those words were said, tears streamed down Wu Jia's cheeks. She started sobbing.

Su Yu frowned slightly before softly saying, "Don't cry, Senior Sister. This is something good! With your parents in the Shrine of Heroes, you will be considered a daughter of the Xia Family from now on. During the founding of Great Xia, they made a promise. All descendents of those in the Shrine of Heroes will be cared for as the children of Xia Family. Come here, greet your grandpa."

"Grandpa..."

Wu Jia called out while choking with emotions.

Shrine of Heroes.

Only those who had contributed greatly to Great Xia would be honored there. Prior to this, Wu Jia's parents did not have the qualifications to be honored there.

Sure, they had perished while fighting the cult, but they hadn't perished while carrying out their official duty. Of course, if one wanted to be argumentative, one could say that Chen Yong was a researcher. As soldiers of the Great Xia Army, protecting Chen Yong could be considered a part of their duty. Thus, one could argue that they had indeed perished in the line of duty.

But the Shrine of Heroes had strict requirements for admission. It honestly wasn't surprising that they couldn't get a spot there.

Su Yu was about to curse at Marquis Xia's shamelessness when he hurriedly erased that thought. He couldn't do so. This was a Sunmoon.

But this Marquis Xia sure was crafty. His attack was too effective.

At this point, both Wu Jia and Wu Lan had probably fallen completely. Fortunately, Su Yu had not expected much from these two. Marquis Xia could probably fool them into doing the stupidest thing possible if he wanted.

Marquis Xia had a genial smile on his face. When he saw Su Yu placating the girl, he said, "Stop crying, child. I am only carrying out the duty of the Xia Family. I hope you can forgive me for being this late. After all, we have our own difficulties."

The issue here was the fact that Wu Jia's parents had perished protecting Chen Yong, but Chen Yong wasn't traveling on official duty during the incident. That left the status of their sacrifice vague as one couldn't absolutely say that they had perished in the line of duty.

After all, the status as a descendant of people honored in the Shrine of Heroes was a form of protection. With this protection, Zhou Pingsheng would no longer dare to do what he did against her. Great Xia King himself had promised that the Xia Family would care after the descendants of those in the Shrine of Heroes.

Laying hands on such a person could result in death. Generation after generation of heroes had fought for the glory of Great Xia. And the only reason they had fought so hard was to create a safe home for their loved ones. And these perished soldiers were accorded the greatest of care and compensation by Great Xia. In fact, this was one of the largest reasons why the treasury was now empty.

Su Yu didn't know what to say. He could only sigh inwardly. This was probably a good thing. With her parents in the Shrine of Heroes, the schemes against Wu Jia would probably reduce in number. More importantly, her safety was now guaranteed. Killing the previous Wu Jia and killing the child of someone in the Shrine of Heroes were very different from each other.

If this escalated, Great Xia would be forced to punish the perpetrators to placate the military and the common people. And a lot of heads would fall because of that. Marquis Xia glanced at Su Yu and flashed him a smile. He seemed to be talking through his eyes.

"Is this enough face for you? Your senior sister's parents were originally unqualified to enter the Shrine of Heroes."

Su Yu said nothing. He merely cupped his hands at Marquis Xia to show his gratitude.

"Grandson, let's have a private chat."

"..."

Su Yu smiled helplessly and nodded, "This way, Marquis."

He stopped calling the marquis grandpa. That felt too uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to control his thoughts, he would be cursing in his mind already.

...

First floor. Tea room.

Both Xia Huyou and Marquis Xia were there. Su Yu was pouring them tea with a humble and genial face.

After pouring them tea, he sat down.

Marquis Xia smiled, "We're family. In that case, we should not be talking about money as that will only strain our relationship. I can erase your grandteacher's debt of 300,000 merit points. But all three versions will go to the Xia Family. What do you think?"

Su Yu flashed an honest smile and said, "Marquis...about that...maybe you should just take Wentan Research Center."

There was no way he would agree to that. That wasn't his debt in the first place.

Marquis Xia laughed and said, "Fine, let's stop talking about money. I can send some people to ensure the safety of your father and two teachers. Additionally, I'll wipe the debt. Is this enough?"

"..."

Was that enough?

Su Yu sighed as he said, "Yes. That is enough."

Marquis Xia said, "Don't think that I'm threatening you. Protecting your father is what we should do anyway. A soldier of Great Xia should naturally receive the protection of the Xia Family. But protecting criminals is not part of our duty. The Vanguard Regiment is also known as the Suicide Regiment and the Crime Regiment. You understand what I mean, right?"

"Yeah." Marquis Xia said, "Like I said, we are family so we should be honest with each other. It's not that the Xia Family is greedy. We are merely hiding it for you. Do you think that we're not aware of what you have obtained in Nanyuan?

"We know about that, but we have our bottom line. We will not take what is not ours. Otherwise, would you be able to stop us from taking it from you?"

Su Yu was alarmed. But he didn't dare to let his mind run wild.

At that, Marquis Xia's eyes flickered. He smiled. Scared now? This kid was definitely terrified of having his hidden ruin taken.

"That thing is why you were able to come out with all these cultivation methods, right?" Marquis Xia smiled and said, "The Xia Family advocates for fair trade. We do not enjoy employing dishonest practices. Why? Because we are the family of an Invincible. We are the pillars of humanity. We are responsible for the protection of humanity. This was why we had founded Great Xia back then."

Su Yu nodded.

Marquis Xia said, "Also, the Xia Family will be able to make better use of some things. How many people can you impart this cultivation method to? And what can you even get from imparting this method to them? You might gain some trouble instead. Or you might only receive something as pointless as a thank you."

Su Yu nodded and sighed, "You're right. I know how troublesome this cultivation method will be. Thus, I've decided to stop creating cultivation methods. That will only bring me trouble. I might as well stop."

"..."

Marquis Xia laughed. The kid was counterattacking.

Fine.

"There is no need for something so drastic. The Xia Family will still provide you with what you deserve." Marquis Xia said, "How about this? I'll give you a promise on behalf of the Xia Family. But the premise of this is for the Xia Family to have priority over your future creations."

"You mean..."

Marquis Xia took a sip of the tea in an unhurried manner before saying, "Simply put, Great Xia KIng, also my old man, is quite strong. You should know who he is. Your faction is in so much trouble because some people are targeting you guys. If that person makes another move and we manage to find proof of who that person is, I can promise that my old man will personally make a move. Even if that person does nothing but your faction manages to find proof, my old man will still act on it. What do you think?"

Su Yu frowned, "But if we really have proof—"

Marquis Xia cut in, "Even if you have proof, do you think that the other Invincibles would be willing to help? Would they be willing to kill that Invincible for you? Are you dreaming? The fifth principal is dead. The value of the dead fifth principal is much lower than the value of an Invincible who is still alive. As long as that person has not betrayed humanity as a whole, plenty of people would be willing to forgive them."

Marquis Xia's voice turned cold, "This is the fact. I'll be blunt. Take you as an example. One day, you kill someone weaker than you in the wilderness. When the truth is unveiled in the future, would we get you to pay for the crime with your life?"

With an unfeeling tone, Marquis Xia said, "We won't. Even with solid proof of your crime, even if the victim was a little genius. you would most likely end up being sent to the Vanguard Regiment. Do you think this is fair?"

"No." Su Yu had an overcast tone.

"Exactly. That's not fair. We need to kill you to make it fair. But from the point of view of those Invicibles and the masses, taking your life for the sake of a less talented individual who is already dead is not worth it. They are better off giving you a second chance."

Chapter 525: I Know Your Secret (3)

Marquis Xia sighed and said, "And this is reality. A cruel reality. Do you still think that you only need proof for everyone to kill that Invincible and avenge the fifth principal? At most, that person would be told to fight an enemy Invincible to the death. The matter would be erased with the death of one of them. Without my old man's help, who can you rely on?"

Su Yu had nothing to say. Yes. That was reality. Marquis Xia was not giving an empty promise. Great Xia King was the only person who might be willing to punish the perpetrator for them.

"I understand." Su Yu sighed and nodded, "I can agree to this. The Xia Family will be given priority when I have new cultivation methods to sell in the future. But the Xia Family needs to give me fair prices for those cultivation methods."

"Sure." Marquis Xia said, "Don't think that you have been wronged. Don't think that this is a loss. To speak the truth, the Xia Family could always pretend to be blind like all the other Invincibles. Do you think that an Invincible is so easy to deal with? A single mistake might destroy the entire Xia Family. What would happen then? This might be our promise to you, but this is also our way of showing our regret to the fifth principal. This is also a way to showcase my old man's determination to eradicate all evil."

"Great Xia King is a great man."

Su Yu praised. But he had to admit that Marquis Xia was really...persuasive.

Sigh. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⸺fire.net

He had not managed to get any benefits from this talk. Threats and promises, carrot and stick. The marquis had utilized all that masterfully.

Marquis Xia smiled, "Su Yu, do you have any other requests?"

"Yes. The Xia Family can all three versions of the acupoint fusion method, but the best version can only be taught to those from the main branch. My permission is required if you wish to teach it to anyone else. And I need payment for each person you taught."

Marquis Xia raised his brow. He still need to pay?

"I will get some people to protect Liu Wenyan and Bai Feng..."

Su Yu said, "That was why I agreed to give you the first and second versions without charging you anything. The removal of the debt is only worth getting a copy of the three versions and no other associated rights.

"If you think this isn't worth it, just stop protecting. If even the Vanguard Regiment, a place receiving so much attention from the Invincibles, can be touched by people with ulterior motives, I can only say that there is no light in the Human Realm. In that case, I should stop struggling and go into retirement. I'll calmly wait for death."

Marquis Xia was completely speechless.

Su Yu continued, "Both the first and second versions must be named the Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Art. They are the products of our Source Soul Research Center. Be sure to put that label on every copy you make.

"Also, for the two versions, the Source Soul Research Center will be entitled to one merit point per person you teach. This isn't an excessive request, right? After all, we need money for research and development."

Marquis Xia said, "So 300,000 merit points, protection for your father and teachers, and more payments after that?"

Su Yu shook his head, "No. The one merit point is the copyright fee for letting you use the name of our Source Soul Research Center on your cultivation manual. It's fair, right? After all, you're making a profit from a product with our name on it."

"..."

Fuck!

What manner of logic was this?

This kid was the one who had asked to have the Source Soul Research Center labeled on each copy. And now, he was charging for that? In that case, why should he agree to label the copies?

Su Yu solemnly said, "Because not long after this, the Source Soul Research Center would become a research center known throughout the Human Realm or even the Myriad Realms. Our name would embody quality and evoke confidence in others. There are a lot of other acupoint fusion methods in the market. Why should others buy ours? Because ours came from the Source Soul Research Center!"

"Those are some boastful words." Marquis Xia laughed, "You seem quite confident."

Su Yu nodded, "Yes, I'm confident. If the marquis thinks that I don't deserve to be confident, you are free to get the Xia Family to create their own acupoint fusion method."

"..."

Marquis Xia laughed and asked, "Are you not afraid of offending me? I might hold a grudge from this."

"The marquis is a generous person. He naturally wouldn't hold a grudge over something like this. Business is not something you do once or twice. It is something you do long-term. If you're unwilling to take a step back even once, how can you do it for long?"

Su Yu smiled, "After taking a loss this time, I might start asking myself if there is any need for me to take out my new creations. After all, I won't get anything out of them. Wouldn't it be better to cultivate them myself? Apart from a bellyful of anger, I would get nothing out of disseminating my creations. You're taking this step back today for the sake of more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Marquis Xia smiled, "Interesting. Are you interested in joining the Xia Family after reaching the Skysoar Realm?"

"Sure."

Xia Huyou hurriedly said, "Second Granduncle, he's trying to provoke the enemies of the multiple character faction. He might even go and provoke the Zhou Family. That will bring a lot of trouble to us!"

Marquis Xia laughed and gave Xia Huyou a kick before saying, "What are you scared of? So what if we provoke them? All smart people know that to get more, you need to give more as well. If he decides to provoke the Zhou Family, he naturally has to produce enough benefits to offset that level of trouble. Do you understand now?"

"Why should the Xia Family protect him from the Zhou Family?" Marquis Xia smiled, "If he has more value than the Zhou Family, we would definitely do so. For example, he is someone capable of creating a profit of millions and millions of merit points for us each year. In that situation, we can easily get your great grandpa to go and fight a few rounds against the Zhou Family. He can satiate his lust for battle while we get to profit from it. Isn't that great? What do you think, Su Yu?"

Su Yu had a helpless smile. The marquis was right.

Marquis Xia said, "The Xia Family won't kill anyone for him. If he is capable of killing an Invincible, he is free to do so. But if he provokes one without the ability to face that Invincible, we can simply protect his life. If we can get something in equal value for that protection, we won't make a loss."

He looked at Xia Huyou and sighed. What a stupid grandnephew. What was this silly grandnephew thinking?

Why would they be afraid of the Zhou Family? What was the big deal of offending them? Did the silly grandnephew not know that his dad and great grandpa were both free labor? If there was an opportunity to send those two out to fight while they kick back and earn money, why would they say no?

The two of them could simply treat the fights as an exchange of pointers. How great was that? The Xia Family was wary of the Zhou Family, but was the Zhou Family not wary of them as well? What a joke!

Su Yu laughed, "The marquis is wise. Compared to Brother Xia, the marquis is truly an example I should learn from."

Marquis Xia smiled, "Why didn't you ask for protection for yourself?"

"There is no need for that."

Su Yu grinned.

Marquis Xia smiled as well. Yeah, there was no need to ask for that. Because they would protect him even without being asked to do it. They couldn't allow him to die, right? That would be a great loss! The kid was still hiding a lot of things in that brain of his. If he was killed off just like that, it would be a massive loss.

At this point, Marquis Xia stopped talking about business. While sipping on his tea, he sighed, "At such a young age, you sure specialize in a lot of things. Do you even have enough time?"

Su Yu smiled, "It's fine. I'm not really specializing too much. I simply never enjoyed getting bullied since I was a boy. These days, some people love bullying others. Someone without a background would be bullied even worse. I don't know why some people enjoy doing something so unethical."

"This is a flaw of humanity." Marquis Xia said, "You're right. Nobody has it easy nowadays. This has been a productive talk. Do you have anything else to sell? A cultural art or something like that?"

"I'm not lacking in money for now."

Marquis Xia said, "Money is not the only thing you can get. You can also consider selling your stuff for natural treasures, grotto entries, willpower texts, or anything you lack. Feel free to tell us about it. The Xia Family is still quite wealthy."

Su Yu smiled, "I don't lack anything for now. I'll be sure to look for you when I need something."

"Sure." Marquis Xia stood up. He suddenly recalled something and smiled, "If we manage to find that Nanyuan ruin, we can split what we get at a ratio of 3:7. You'll get 3 while we'll get 7. What do you think?"

"..."

Su Yu's expression did not change in the slightest. His mind remained empty as he smiled, "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Forget it. When you need to look for that ruin again, let me know. This ruin...is very interesting. I think I underestimated it before."

"..."

Marquis Xia left with Xia Huyou in tow. Meanwhile, Su Yu was still forcing his mind to stay empty. Although Sunmoons were supposed to only be able to sense the thoughts related to themselves, he still didn't want to think anything. A ruin!

"Yes. I can't expose the ruin!"

Su Yu started madly thinking about that one thing. He continued walking with Marquis Xia until the entrance while repeating that thought in his mind. Even when Marquis Xia's carriage was already far away, he was still maintaining that thought. Yes. He had discovered a ruin in Nanyuan. That was how he had accomplished all this. That was why he was so special.

A ruin!

After a long, long time, Su Yu finally stopped. Ruin your mother. Why was he not aware that he had found a ruin? Had he obtained the golden book from a ruin? He was unsure, but it felt unlikely. Or perhaps there was really a ruin there. He had obtained a book through the ruin by pure chance when he was young. Who knew the truth?

Evidently, Marquis Xia believed that he had received the inheritance of a ruin.

At this moment, Su Yu started growing curious about these ancient ruins. Were these ruins...so amazing? He could use one of these ruins as the scapegoat for the incredible cultivation method he created and the marquis wouldn't even doubt it? In that case, these ruins might really be quite impressive.

Chapter 526: Ruckus (1)

Su Yu stood there and gazed at the departing marquis.

A strong thought rose in his mind.

He still needed a bigger fist.

Marquis Xia's words had crushed some of his delusions.

The current human race was in an era of separate governance, with the various super experts ruling their own lands. Unity was only present at the front line for the sake of contending against the myriad races. But there was no supreme expert capable of suppressing everyone above these warlords.

Like the other Invincibles, Great Xia King was one of these warlords. The traitor Invincible was also one of these warlords. The fifth principal was already dead. Even if they could find out who that traitor was, the other warlords might only pay some lip service, show some anger, and suppress the traitor somewhat, but they might not be willing to kill the traitor.

The so-called War Shrine and Knowledge Seeking Realm were akin to a conference of warlords meant to present a united front against the enemies of humanity. But these two were not meant to meddle with the internal situation within the Human Realm. The various prefectures were ruled by their own respective governments.

"I was too optimistic."

Su Yu sighed. In truth, both his grandteacher and Teacher Liu had long realized all that. They wouldn't have opted to stay silent for so many years otherwise. It was unlikely that anything would be done by relying on others. In Great Xia, they could only try to gain the support of Great Xia King. Because the multiple character faction had a deep involvement with Great Xia King.

Back then, many people believed that the advancement of the fifth principle was something that would benefit only Great Xia and none of the other warlords. Sure, they would be happy to see him succeed, but most didn't care if he failed.

"A realm ruled by various warlords." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel·fire.net

This was the current situation of the Human Realm. He stopped thinking about the so-called ancient ruins. Something like that was still too far away from him. If that was what the others believed, so be it. His top priority was his own cultivation.

With the acupoint fusion method, fusing acupoints would be much easier for him. It was time for him to enter the Infinite Strength Realm. As for his acupoints, he would open as many as he could, but he wouldn't delay his advancement just to open more.

...

Time passed, but news of the Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Art had yet to be spread. It was likely that the Xia Family had some other considerations.

Su Yu did not mind. With the acupoint fusion method, he had successfully gained a certain level of status within Great Xia. And that was what he wanted.

This fusion method would help him with his own cultivation and increase the level of his importance in the eyes of some people. An untalented individual would not receive any attention. Only a genius capable of creating value was worth being viewed with importance.

Cultivation level alone was not enough to create value. Even if he was a Skysoar or a Cloudbreach, that still wouldn't be enough strength to catch Great Xia's eye.

But his acupoint fusion method and the additional foundation cultural arts that he might create in the future served as the perfect chips for him to bargain with. With these chips, he would receive the protection and assistance he required.

On the 18th of November, Su Yu officially entered seclusion.

He entered a grotto for his seclusion.

The Source Qi Secret Grotto was a better place for acupoint fusion and source qi absoprtion.

...

While Su Yu was in seclusion, Great Xia started stirring.

Marquis Xia was finally getting to work.

And the name Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Art started spreading throughout Great Xia.

...

Academy.

Dao Preaching District.

A researcher was in the middle of a lecture. He was speaking about a certain topic. The more he spoke, the more excited he became. "When it comes to the advancement from the Great Strength Realm into the Infinite Strength Realm, everyone knows that the biggest hurdle is the fusion of acupoints.

"The more of a genius one is, the more powerful one's cultivation method is. But acupoint fusion would also be much harder. All of you know about the repelling force between acupoints. The experts and sages of humanity have been exploring and researching this topic for generations. How can we reduce this repelling force?"

The researcher increased the volume of his voice in excitement, "Let me give a simple example. A student cultivating the regular version of the War God Art needs to fuse eight acupoints into one to achieve perfect fusion. Those with the earth-grade version of the same art need to fuse twelve acupoints for perfect fusion. Under regular circumstances, how long would that take?"

The researcher pointed at one of the students and said, "If you advance after fusing eight acupoints, how long would you take to reach first-stage Infinite Strength Realm from ninth-stage Great Strength Realm?"

The student thought about it and answered, "At least three months."

"Exactly. At least three months." The researcher smiled, "And how long would you take to reach ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm? If your speed remains constant, you will take 27 months. But in reality, you would take longer. Generally, a high-tier student would take around three years to do so."

"That's a genius high-tier student. And you need three years as a genius cultivating a 72-acupoint art. Don't talk about those fusing only two or three acupoints. That's pointless. As cultural researchers, we would take more time as we also need to cultivate our willpower."

A lot of the students nodded. That was true. Their physical cultivation was slower as they needed to split their focus for their willpower cultivation. The perfect example would be the top 100 students. They needed more than three years for their advancement.

A lot of them were still stuck at the Great Strength Realm. It wasn't that they couldn't reach the Infinite Strength Realm, but they lacked the time. The cultivation of willpower and Divine Characters took a lot of their time.

The researcher said, "But now, someone has produced a cultivation method capable of assisting with acupoint fusion. This cultivation method will allow you to save a third of the time you would otherwise take. If you originally require three years, with this cultivation method, you only need two years."

The students started whispering among themselves. Shortly after, one of them asked, "Teacher, is this reliable? It's not like there are no acupoint fusion methods available in the market. But most of them aren't too efficient. And you need to open more acupoints to cultivate them. This would waste even more time."

"Yes, it's reliable." The researcher said, "Because this cultivation method is being disseminated by the Xia Family. And the creator of this cultivation method is not a stranger to any of you. This cultivation method comes from a research center of our very own academy, the Source Soul Research Center."

The researcher's voice was loud, "All of you are aware of how high Marquis Xia's standards are. After this cultivation method was produced, Marquis Xia had paid 300,000 merit points to buy all the rights for this cultivation method. 300,000 merit points! Would Marquis Xia pay that kind of money for something unreliable?"

300,000 merit points!

Boom!

All the students were stunned.

That was a crazy figure.

It was only an auxiliary cultivation method. If it wasn't really good, who would spend 300,000 merit points to buy it? That was especially true for someone as stingy as the marquis. It was truly unbelievable that someone had actually made Marquis Xia pay 300,000 merit points.

"Teacher, is this true?"

"Source Soul Research Center...isn't that Su Yu's new research center?"

"Heavens, they made so much money from this cultivation method?"

"..."

All the students were shocked.

Sounds of discussion grew louder and louder. Selling one cultivation method for 300,000 merit points. That was something they would never have imagined happening. Just how long had Su Yu's research center been established?

The researcher raised his hand, but he wasn't able to calm the students. He raised his voice and said, "Of course I'm telling the truth. The Great Xia War Academy, Martial Dragon War Aacdemy, Marine War Academy, Windcatcher Academy, and so on are already trying to obtain this cultivation method. I heard that like the War God Art, there are two versions to this cultivation method: the genius and regular versions.

"The regular version requires only 18 acupoints. Some of them overlap with the War God Art acupoints. For most people, they only need to open about seven or eight additional acupoints. You can save at least a year's worth of time with this cultivation method."

The researcher's voice grew louder, "If you're fast, you can probably open seven or eight acupoints in a month. Even if you're slow, you can probably complete it in three months. This would save a year or two for you. With more acupoints, your foundation would also be stronger..."

At this point, the students could barely control their excitement anymore.

Someone loudly asked, "Teacher, what about the genius version?"

"That requires 30 acupoints. It can suppress two-thirds of the repelling force. But that doesn't mean that you will only save two-thirds of the time. After all other factors come into play, you might be able to cut your initial advancement period from three years to one year."

Boom!

The students were incomparably excited. As cultivators, saving a few years of time during their prime was an inconceivable concept. Even more inconceivable was the fact that something like this had been produced by the Source Soul Research Center.

They had sold the cultivation method for 300,000 merit points. It was truly too surprising even if that was a purchase of all the rights.

At this moment, someone thought of something and exclaimed, "Shit! Wouldn't the number of Infinite Strength students in the war academies increase sharply with this? In that case..."

That reminded everyone of the war academies.

This was a cultural research academy, so the people here weren't that crazy about physical cultivation. Even so, they were already wild with joy. One could only imagine the kind of commotion this would create in the war academies.

The students there had probably gone crazy. That was especially true for the geniuses there. Acupoint fusion was too difficult.

For this cultivation method, they only needed to open a few additional acupoints. Even the genius version only required 30 acupoints. Many of these acupoints might already overlap with their existing acupoints.

Thus, they would probably need to open about a dozen new acupoints. For a genius warrior, that would only take them three months. In exchange, they would be able to reach ninth-stage Infinite Strength Realm at least two years earlier.

The researcher did not seem to care about that. He smiled and said, "With this result, Su Yu is applying to be promoted to a full researcher during the year end evaluation. The young nowadays are truly getting more and more talented. I believe it is very likely that he would get the promotion. Once promoted, he would become an official researcher.

"People like Wu Jia, Wu Lan, and Hu Qiusheng are also applying to be promoted into assistant researchers due to their roles in producing this cultivation method. Our academy will welcome a new batch of researchers before long."

Those words caused yet another sensation among the students. Researcher and assistant researchers. Those people had only been in that research center for a few days! That was too scary!

Someone couldn't resist asking, "Teacher, was this cultivation method really created by the Source Soul Research Center? Just how long has it been since they started their research center?"

The researcher smiled, "Yes, I'm certain about that. That was why I called them geniuses. In one week, they gathered thousands of cultivation manuals and checked over ten thousand books on various topics. Previously, I didn't take a research center staffed by students seriously. But reality proves that we can never underestimate anyone.

"This cultivation method has been officially named the Double Wu Acupoint Fusion Art. This is Su Yu's way of honoring the contributions of Wu Jia and Wu Lan during the research. Those two were the ones who had discovered the key information that had allowed for a breakthrough in research.

"I'm saying all this so that all of you will learn from them. In a cultural research academy, we should never forget who we are. We are cultural researchers. We are explorers. We are not brutes.

"No matter how strong the warriors in the war academies are, they can't forget that their powerful cultivation methods originate from us.

The researcher loudly said, "Remember this, we are cultural researchers. For cultural researchers, strength is not everything. Yes, strength is important, but don't forget the essence of what we are. We are seekers of knowledge.

"I hope everyone here won't forget why they are here. I believe that every single student of this academy had entered the academy with the intention of analyzing the various cultures and civilizations, exploring the true nature of life, pursuing the power of culture, and preserving the fire of civilization.

"I am very happy to see that a group of students that has not forgotten why they are here has appeared. I am happy to see that the true essence of cultural researchers remains.

"In my opinion, our academy is currently in a state of impatience. It isn't wrong to pursue strength. But everyone has something they are good at. If you are not good at combat, move to other pursuits instead of stubbornly doing the same thing. That was not the intention behind the founding of this academy."

"..."

One could say that this researcher was actually one of the pedantic scholar types. He was very unhappy with the current state of the academy where everyone pursued strength. It was understandable that geniuses would pursue strength.

But a lot of people were less talented in combat and better in research. Some students had entered the academy with over 100 languages, but after entering, they switched their focus to cultivation instead. As a result, they were unable to gain much from their hard work after abandoning what they were good at.

Thus, this researcher had given Su Yu and his research center such high praise for one reason: to bring the academy back to the correct path! He wanted to show everyone what they should be doing.

300,000 merit points. Was that enough incentive?

Leaving their names in the annals of history. Was that enough incentive?

Strength was not the only way for one to earn respect and admiration.

...

The news spread all over the academy.

The students of the war academies were a lot more excited to hear this.

Some of the genius students had already obtained the second version and had entered seclusion to cultivate it.

It was time for them to open more acupoints.

Then, they would be able to cultivate this method at the side before entering the Infinite Strength Realm.

Even those who were already at the Infinite Strength Realm could cultivate this method. This included those who had not fused the maximum number of acupoints before their advancement. These people had started cultivating this method as well.

In fact, there were even some Skysoar and Cloudbreach cultivators cultivating this method. Everyone was busy fusing the acupoints they weren't able to fuse before this. They were trying to reduce the obstacles they would face at the Mountainsea Realm.

Of course, Marquis Xia was no philanthropist. He was charging an arm and a leg for this cultivation method. The regular version would be sold at 20 merit points. The genius version would be sold at 50 merit points. And these were merely regular copies, not willpower texts. The price would be much higher for the willpower texts.

Unfortunately, there were no cultural researchers familiar enough with this cultivation method around yet. Thus, the willpower texts of this method would not be available for now. It was quite shocking that a regular copy was being sold at such a high price.

Of course, this thing would only cost this much in the beginning. As time passed, prices would drop. The current high price was mostly due to the impatience of some people to cultivate it. This was something that could be sold in mass numbers.

The common version wasn't exactly something everyone could cultivate, but with only 18 acupoints, anyone talented enough to enter an academy would have the talent to cultivate it. They only needed to open a few extra acupoints.

And there were hundreds of thousands of students across all the war academies. If all of them wanted to cultivate this method, Marquis Xia would be able to earn millions from selling to these people. And this only applied to Great Xia. There were other prefectures in the Human Realm.

Of course, this was a long-term business. Thus, a large amount of manpower would also be required. The various academies would also take a cut as intermediaries, so the Xia Family would not receive the full profit. But it was still apparent to everyone that Marquis Xia was going to earn a lot from this.

In a short period, the Marquis had earned much more than the 300,000 merit points he had supposedly used to purchase this cultivation method.