The Four Great Academy Systems

Su Long left.

He left with easy grace.

But Su Yu felt somewhat hollow inside. His father had left just like that, without giving him any time to prepare.

On one hand, he worried about his father's safety. On the other, Su Yu was troubled over the life that lay ahead.

He had grown used to his father taking care of him, used to having his old man around. Suddenly having to live alone, he truly was not accustomed to it.

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

Su Yu muttered to himself, finding amusement amid bitterness. He sighed. There were some things he did not want to think about; the moment he did, he could not help growing nervous. The Battlefields of the Heavens were incomparably dangerous. He feared that if he thought too much, he would chase after his old man and drag him back home.

"Civilization Academy..."

Su Yu could not even be bothered to wash the dishes. He sat on the sofa in a daze.

Before leaving, his old man had kept telling him to apply to a Civilization Academy. That had indeed been Su Yu's plan before, but now...

"If you weren't going to the Battlefields of the Heavens, I'd apply to a Civilization Academy. But you just had to go to the Battlefields of the Heavens—how can you expect anyone not to worry?"

"You might not come back for years, and you expect me to worry about you from the rear every day?"

"At your age, don't you have any sense at all?"

Su Yu rubbed his temples, his head aching.

"You forced my hand. Since you're not home anyway, I'm not applying to a Civilization Academy anymore. I'm applying to a War Academy no matter what!"

Su Yu gritted his teeth. Civilization Academies were wonderful—they deciphered the cultures of the myriad races, analyzed the cultivation methods of the myriad races, and delved into the civilizations of the myriad races.

Every civilization researcher was a precious treasure. They could remain safely in the rear and did not need to fight and kill on the front lines.

War Academies, on the other hand, existed to prepare people for the front lines.

Hadn't he worked so hard to study Myriad Races Language so that he could safely remain in the rear and stay with his old man forever?

Yet now, his father, already at such an age, had run off first—off to the perilous Battlefields of the Heavens.

Once admitted to a Civilization Academy, there would practically be no chance of going to the front lines.

War Academies were different. He had heard that their practical classes often took students to the Battlefields of the Heavens.

"War Academies... require strength for admission!"

Though Su Yu thought that way, he was still troubled. A War Academy was not somewhere one could enter just by saying so. Strictly speaking, it was even harder than entering a Civilization Academy, at least for him.

Civilization Academies did not demand much in terms of martial strength, but War Academies did. After all, they existed to send powerful warriors to the front lines.

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

The human body was not naturally suited to cultivation. One had to open the Nine Apertures of Kaiyuan to connect the body through and draw in vital energy, formally stepping onto the path of cultivation.

Kaiyuan had nine apertures: the seven apertures of the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, along with Shenque and Baihui—the aperture at the crown of the head and the one around the navel.

Only by opening all nine apertures could one absorb vital energy, temper the body, strengthen the bones, shed one's mortal form and exchange one's bones, and formally become a martial cultivator with formidable combat power.

"I've only opened the three apertures of my mouth and nose. There's still no movement from my ear apertures. Without reaching Kaiyuan Fourth Stage, getting into a War Academy won't be easy."

Su Yu muttered to himself. War Academies existed to nurture the strong and consumed enormous resources; they would not waste those resources on the weak.

To secure admission, he would ideally need to open both ear apertures and reach Kaiyuan Fifth Stage before he could truly be certain.

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

If someone possessed astonishing talent and opened Shenque and Baihui, the War Academies would directly grant them special admission.

Anyone who could open all nine apertures before the age of twenty could directly enter a War Academy at any time. Every major academy would recruit them immediately.

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

Su Yu sighed. Kaiyuan Three Stages was not too bad, of course, but it definitely was not very good either.

At Nanyuan Middle Academy, where he studied, there were nine Pre-exam Classes with a total of 750 students. More than a hundred were at Kaiyuan Three Stages, while more than ten had surpassed it.

Based on the admission ratios of the major War Academies at Nanyuan Middle Academy in previous years, there should not be more than twenty students admitted.

In other words, reaching the fourth stage gave one a strong chance, while the third stage meant being one picked from a hundred.

Besides, War Academies also varied in quality. An academy willing to choose someone at Kaiyuan Three Stages would not be particularly strong anyway. In that case, he might as well attend a Civilization Academy.

"There are still over three months left. War Academy... I'll see when the time comes!"

Su Yu gritted his teeth. His old man was unreliable, so he had to be more reliable himself.

At such an age, yet he insisted on running to the Battlefields of the Heavens!

"Huff..."

Late at night, Su Yu jolted awake again.

His head was covered in cold sweat.

"That damned dream again... Dad..."

Su Yu called out instinctively. Whenever he woke from a nightmare in the past, his old man would quickly rush over. But after he called out today, there was no movement outside the room.

Su Yu froze slightly before remembering that his old man had left that afternoon.

"Ah!"

Su Yu sighed, turned on the light, and glanced at his communicator. It was only a little past three in the morning. Dawn was still far away.

"It's been more than ten years, and I haven't had a single peaceful night!"

He had been having dreams continuously for over ten years. No one could endure that.

Only because he had gotten used to it had he managed to hold on. In his early years, Su Yu had nearly died suddenly because he was too afraid to sleep.

"What exactly is going on?"

Su Yu leaned against the headboard, thinking about the question. He had pondered it for many years.

He had mentioned it to his father, but his old man had been at a loss as well. They had gone to the hospital and seen doctors. The doctors said it was excessive fright that had left a psychological shadow.

The key was that Su Yu did not remember ever being frightened.

"It's always like this. At the end of every dream, someone is hunting me down—demons hunting me down, monsters hunting me down..."

Su Yu was distressed. The dream was the same every day, though that was not quite accurate. More precisely, he was hunted down in his dreams every day, but those pursuing him were different. Or rather, some of them were not human at all.

There were all kinds of monsters. Though they were hazy and unreal, their sizes showed that they were not the same species.

Who had he offended?

Being hunted down in dreams for more than ten years straight—there really was no one else like him.

Back then, his father had even guessed that perhaps Su Yu had been struck by a spell from the Nightmare Clan. But this was the Human Realm. If a member of the Nightmare Clan had truly cast a spell, and one that lasted more than ten years at that, they would have long since been slain by the Human Realm's experts.

If someone from the Nightmare Clan had truly infiltrated the Human Realm, they would be targeting powerful experts. To spend more than ten years on an ordinary person—either they were an idiot, or an utterly colossal idiot!

"It never ends. So annoying!"

Su Yu complained. He had no idea when it would end. He had gotten somewhat used to it now; otherwise, he would not have been able to live peacefully at all.

"Dad said that once all nine apertures are opened and one enters the Qianjun Realm, all illnesses vanish and evil influences cannot invade. Vital energy tempers the body... maybe then it'll be fine?"

At this moment, Su Yu could only hope that once he entered the Qianjun Realm, the nightmares would no longer continue.

As he thought over these matters, time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, light had appeared beyond the window.

Dawn had come!

Su Long had left, but life had to go on. Today was not a holiday; he still had to go to the academy later.

After washing up and making himself something simple to eat, Su Yu picked up his backpack and left home.

Downstairs.

A Flathead youth had already been waiting there. When he saw Su Yu come downstairs, he hurriedly called out, "Yu, I heard from my dad that Uncle Su yesterday..."

"Mm."

Su Yu answered before he could finish.

Flathead became anxious. "What is Uncle Su doing? He's already so old! Going to the Battlefields of the Heavens at a time like this, isn't that just seeking..."

At that point, Flathead abruptly stopped speaking.

He had wanted to say that Su Long was going there to seek death, but he could not say that. Though he felt it was the truth, he could not say it in front of Su Yu now.

"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, and many invincible human experts standing guard. It won't be that easy for something to happen."

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

Flathead was even more anxious than Su Yu. "The Qianjun Realm is incredibly strong to us, but it's the weakest level on the Battlefields of the Heavens. The soldiers of the myriad races over there start at the Qianjun Realm."

"I know."

"Yu, why aren't you worried at all?"

Flathead was frantic on Su Yu's behalf. If it had been him, he would have long since cried and caused a scene.

"Would worrying help?"

Su Yu was helpless. His old man had already left. No matter how worried he was now, it would not change anything.

The most urgent matter was not useless worrying. This guy was still as hot-tempered as ever.

"Go to school first. Stop talking nonsense."

"School?"

Flathead asked in surprise, "You're still going to school..."

Su Yu stared at him until Flathead looked embarrassed.

"Nonsense. If I don't go to school, should I stay home, wipe away tears every day, and wait for news of disaster from the front lines?"

Su Yu rolled his eyes. What kind of thing was this guy saying?

"Come on, let's go to school! In a few days, the academy will recommend candidates for the entrance examinations of the major academies. I'm going to register first."

"Didn't you already register?"

Chen Hao asked strangely, "You registered with me last week. Did you forget?"

"I know. Last time, I registered for a Civilization Academy. This time, I'm registering for a War Academy."

Chen Hao was stunned. A War Academy?

"You..."

"Let's go!"

Su Yu did not give him the chance to keep talking. He had already made up his mind yesterday. He still had to apply to a War Academy; whether he could get in was another matter.

Nanyuan Middle Academy.

Registration office.

The teacher in charge of registration checked the records and asked strangely, "Su Yu, didn't you apply for the Civilization Academy examination? You've mastered eighteen Myriad Races Languages, making you one of the best in Nanyuan. Even Daxia Civilization Academy would be a sure thing for you, so why apply to a War Academy?"

Under normal circumstances, students who applied to both major systems lacked confidence in getting into either one and had no choice but to make two preparations.

Su Yu was quick-witted and willing to put in the work. Over the past few years, he had mastered a full eighteen Myriad Races Languages. Even Great Xia Prefecture's most famous Daxia Civilization Academy would open its doors to him.

If not for that, Su Long would not have been so certain his son could get in when he left, nor would he have specifically told Su Yu to send him a letter.

Su Yu did not explain much. He smiled and said, "Teacher, it's better to make two preparations just in case. Doesn't everyone get to apply to both major systems? It's good to take precautions."

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

The registration teacher beamed. "The academy already submitted the names of top students like you. Though you still need to take the examination, you few have already been placed on record at the higher academies in Great Xia Prefecture. Even if you do poorly on the unified examination, they may give you a second chance."

The moment those words came out, Chen Hao, standing nearby, was filled with envy. He could not help asking, "Teacher, am I on there?"

The registration teacher glanced at him and said with a chuckle, "You are. The Internal Affairs Academy submitted your record."

Chen Hao's face immediately fell.

Internal Affairs Academy!

The four great academy systems were War, Civilization, Research, and Internal Affairs.

Internal Affairs studied a hundred practical trades, such as auto repair, cooking, driving, administration, entertainment... all of those fell under the Internal Affairs system.

War Academies cultivated the strong, Civilization Academies deciphered the civilizations of the myriad races, and Research Academies developed weapons and pills...

Those three systems were all good. Only the Internal Affairs Academy was something these youths would apply to only when they had no other choice.

The registration teacher ignored him and completed Su Yu's registration. Smiling, she said, "Your main focus should still be on the civilization system. It would be best if you mastered another one or two Myriad Races Languages during this period; it will help you in the future. As for cultivation, don't be too anxious. For Civilization Academies, reaching the Qianjun Realm in the future will be enough. As long as you are free from illness, that will do."

Civilization Academies did not pursue overwhelming combat power. This teacher was also worried that Su Yu would take a wrong turn at this point.

Su Yu smiled and nodded without refusing. The teacher meant well.

But... during this period, he really did need to put more effort into cultivation.

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