The Four Great Academy Systems

Su Long was gone.

He left without a backward glance.

But Su Yu felt a hollow ache. His father had left on a whim, giving him no time to prepare at all.

On one hand, he worried about his father's safety ahead. On the other, he fretted over how he'd manage from now on.

He was used to his father's care, used to the old man's company. Suddenly living alone—he really wasn't used to it.

"Dad... before you left... you didn't wash the dishes!"

Su Yu muttered, finding bitter humor in it. He sighed. There were things he didn't want to think about—the moment he did, he couldn't help but tense up. The Battlefields of the Heavens were perilous beyond measure. He feared that if he dwelled on it too much, he'd chase after his father and drag him back home.

"Civilization Academy..."

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to wash the dishes either. He sat on the sofa, staring blankly into space.

Before leaving, his father had nagged him to apply for the Civilization Academy. Su Yu had indeed planned to do just that. But now...

"If you weren't going to the Battlefields of the Heavens, I'd apply for the Civilization Academy. But you insist on going—how can you let me rest easy?"

"You might not be back for years. You want me to stay behind and worry about you every single day?"

"A man your age—don't you have any sense?"

Su Yu rubbed his temples, his head throbbing.

"You forced my hand. Since you're not home, I'm not taking the Civilization Academy exam. I'm going for the War Academy!"

Su Yu gritted his teeth. The Civilization Academy was great—deciphering myriad races' cultures, analyzing their techniques, studying their civilizations.

Any civilization researcher was a treasure, safely stationed in the rear, never needing to fight on the front lines.

The War Academy, on the other hand, was built for the front.

He'd worked so hard to learn the Myriad Races Language, all so he could stay safely in the rear and keep his father company forever, right?

But now, his old man—already well along in years—had run off first, straight into the perilous Battlefields of the Heavens.

If he got into the Civilization Academy, he'd almost never have a chance to go to the front.

The War Academy, though—he'd heard that many of its practical classes were held on the Battlefields of the Heavens.

"The War Academy... the exam requires real strength!"

Su Yu thought about it, but still felt troubled. Getting into the War Academy wasn't something you could just wish for. Strictly speaking, it was even harder than the Civilization Academy—at least for him.

The Civilization Academy didn't demand much in terms of combat power. But the War Academy did—after all, it was meant to supply the front lines with strong warriors.

Kaiyuan, Thousand Jun, Ten Thousand Stones... that was the human cultivation system.

The human body was naturally unsuited for cultivation. One had to open the Nine Apertures of Kaiyuan to connect the body, link with primal energy, and formally step onto the path of cultivation.

The nine apertures were the seven orifices—mouth, nose, eyes, ears—plus the Baihui and Shenque, the crown of the head and the navel.

Only by opening all nine apertures could one absorb primal energy, temper the body, strengthen the bones, shed the mortal shell, and formally become a warrior with formidable combat power.

"I've just opened the three apertures of mouth and nose. My ear apertures haven't stirred yet. Without reaching Kaiyuan Fourth Stage, getting into the War Academy won't be easy."

Su Yu muttered. The War Academy was built to nurture the strong—it cost a fortune and wouldn't waste resources on the weak.

To secure a spot, he'd better open his ear apertures and reach Kaiyuan Fifth Stage to be truly safe.

Of course, if he opened his eye apertures and reached the sixth or even seventh stage, there'd be almost no risk at all.

If someone had astonishing talent and opened both Shenque and Baihui, the War Academy would recruit them directly.

Anyone who could open all nine apertures before age twenty could walk straight into the War Academy anytime—every academy would take them in.

"I'm only at Kaiyuan Three Stages..."

Su Yu sighed. Kaiyuan Three Stages wasn't too bad, but it certainly wasn't great.

At his Nanyuan Middle Academy, there were nine pre-exam classes with 750 students. Over a hundred were at Kaiyuan Three Stages, and more than ten were above it.

Based on past years' recruitment ratios for War Academies at Nanyuan Middle Academy, they'd take no more than twenty students.

That meant Kaiyuan Fourth Stage was a sure bet, but Kaiyuan Three Stages was one in a hundred.

Besides, War Academies varied in strength. If an academy only recruited at Kaiyuan Three Stages, it wasn't that strong either—in which case, he might as well go to the Civilization Academy.

"Three more months... the War Academy... I'll decide then!"

Su Yu clenched his teeth. His father was unreliable, so he had to be reliable himself.

A man his age, and he had to run off to the Battlefields of the Heavens!

"Huff..."

In the dead of night, Su Yu jolted awake again.

His forehead was drenched in cold sweat.

"Again with this damn dream... Dad..."

He called out instinctively. In the past, whenever he woke from a nightmare, his father would rush over quickly. But today, after he called out, there was no sound from outside the room.

Su Yu paused briefly, remembering that his father had already left that afternoon.

"Ah..."

Su Yu sighed, turned on the light, and glanced at his communicator. It was just past three in the morning—still hours until dawn.

"Over ten years, and not a moment's peace!"

Having nightmares every single night for more than a decade would drive anyone mad.

He'd gotten used to it, more or less. In the early years, he'd nearly died from sleep deprivation, too afraid to close his eyes.

"What the hell is going on?"

Su Yu leaned against the headboard, mulling over a question he'd pondered for years.

He'd mentioned it to his father, who was equally baffled. They'd seen a doctor, who diagnosed him with severe fright leading to psychological trauma.

The thing was, Su Yu didn't remember ever being scared like that.

"Every time, it ends the same—chased down by demons, monsters, freaks..."

Su Yu grimaced. The dreams were identical in structure but not exactly the same. More precisely, he was hunted every night, but the pursuers changed—some weren't even human.

All kinds of creatures, hazy and indistinct, but clearly different species from their builds.

What had he done to deserve this?

Being chased in his dreams for over a decade—that had to be some kind of record.

Back then, his father had wondered if it was a spell from the Nightmare Clan. But this was the human realm. If a Nightmare Clan member had cast a spell lasting over ten years, a human powerhouse would've killed them long ago.

If a Nightmare Clan intruder had slipped into the human realm, it'd be to target a strong opponent. Wasting over a decade on an ordinary person? They'd have to be an idiot—or a colossal one.

"Endless and annoying!"

Su Yu grumbled, unsure when it would ever stop. He'd adapted somewhat, or else he'd never have a normal life.

"Dad said opening the nine orifices and stepping into the Qianjun Realm would ward off all ailments and evil, tempering the body with primal energy. Maybe it'll stop then?"

For now, Su Yu could only hope that entering the Qianjun Realm would end the nightmares.

Lost in thought, time flew. Before he knew it, light was seeping through the window.

Dawn had broken.

Su Long was gone, but life went on. Today wasn't a holiday—he still had to go to the academy.

After washing up and grabbing a quick bite, Su Yu picked up his bag and headed out.

Downstairs.

A young man with a flat-top haircut was already waiting. Spotting Su Yu, he called out urgently, "Ayu, my dad said Uncle Su left yesterday..."

"Yeah."

Su Yu cut him off with a nod.

Flathead grew anxious. "What was Uncle Su thinking? At his age! Heading to the Battlefields of the Heavens now—that's just asking..."

He stopped mid-sentence.

He wanted to say Su Long was asking for death, but he couldn't. He believed it was true, but now wasn't the time to say it in front of Su Yu.

"He wanted to go. I couldn't stop him."

Su Yu forced a smile. "Besides, there are millions of soldiers on the Battlefields of the Heavens, with plenty of invincible human powerhouses stationed there. It's not that easy for something to go wrong."

"I know, but Uncle Su is only... at the Qianjun Realm!"

Flathead was more worked up than Su Yu. "The Qianjun Realm is impressive to us, but on the Battlefields of the Heavens, it's the weakest. Every soldier from the myriad races starts at the Qianjun Realm."

"I know."

"Ayu, why aren't you worried at all!"

Flathead was frantic on Su Yu's behalf. If it were him, he'd be crying and making a scene.

"Does worrying help?"

Su Yu sighed. His father was already gone. Fretting now wouldn't change a thing.

Panicking wasn't the priority. This guy was always too impulsive.

"Let's go to school. Less talk."

"School?"

Flathead was stunned. "You're still going to school..."

Su Yu stared at him until Flathead looked away, embarrassed.

"Obviously. What, should I stay home, cry all day, and wait for bad news from the front?"

Su Yu rolled his eyes. What nonsense was this guy spouting?

"Come on, let's go to school! In a few days, the academy will release the recommendation list for the major institutes. I'm going to sign up."

"You already signed up, didn't you?"

Chen Hao said, puzzled. "You and I went to sign up together last week. You forgot?"

"I know. Last time it was for the Civilization Academy. This time I'm signing up for the War Academy."

Chen Hao froze. War Academy?

"You..."

"Let's go!"

Su Yu didn't give him a chance to argue. He'd made his decision yesterday—he still had to try for the War Academy. Whether he passed or not was another matter.

Nanyuan Middle Academy.

Registration Office.

The teacher in charge of registration checked the records and said, puzzled, "Su Yu, didn't you already sign up for the Civilization Academy assessment? You've mastered eighteen Myriad Races languages. That's top-tier even here in Nanyuan. Even the Daxia Civilization Academy is practically a sure thing. Why are you also applying for the War Academy?"

Normally, students who applied to both systems did so because they weren't confident in passing either one and needed a backup plan.

Su Yu was sharp and hardworking. Over the past few years, he'd mastered eighteen Myriad Races languages. Even the most prestigious Daxia Civilization Academy in Great Xia Prefecture would open its doors to him.

If it weren't for that, Su Long wouldn't have been so certain his son would pass before he left, and he wouldn't have specifically told Su Yu to write him letters.

Su Yu didn't explain much. He smiled and said, "Teacher, it's just a precaution. Everyone can apply to both systems, right? It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"That's true, but you really don't need to. Just do well during the assessment."

The teacher beamed. "The school has already submitted the list of top students. Even though you still need to take the exam, you and a few others are already on file with the higher academies in Great Xia Prefecture. Even if you mess up the unified exam, they might give you a second chance."

Hearing this, Chen Hao was green with envy. He couldn't help asking, "Teacher, am I on the list?"

The teacher glanced at him and chuckled. "You are. The Internal Affairs Academy has your file."

Chen Hao's face fell.

Internal Affairs Academy!

Of the four academy systems—War, Civilization, Research, and Internal Affairs—Internal Affairs covered everyday skills like auto repair, cooking, driving, administration, and entertainment. It was the system of last resort for most young people.

The War Academy trained powerhouses. The Civilization Academy deciphered the cultures of myriad races. The Research Academy developed weapons and elixirs...

Those three were all respectable. But the Internal Affairs Academy? For these teenagers, it was where you went when you had no other choice.

The teacher ignored him, finished Su Yu's registration, and said with a smile, "Focus your energy on the Civilization system. Try to master one or two more Myriad Races languages in the coming days—it'll help you later. As for cultivation, don't rush. Reaching the Qianjun Realm at the Civilization Academy is enough. Just keep yourself free from illness."

The Civilization Academy didn't prioritize combat strength. The teacher was worried Su Yu might go down the wrong path.

Su Yu nodded with a smile and didn't refuse. The teacher meant well.

But... lately, he really needed to put more effort into cultivation.

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