Brimming with Malice

"Yi Shen Jue—Qianjun Chapter," "Blood Condensing Blade."

One cultivation method and one martial skill—those were the manuals Su Yu had gained this time.

Su Yu took one look at the "Blood Condensing Blade" and tossed it aside. This kind of martial skill was of very low grade and could be found in academies everywhere. There was no need to study it further.

Cultivation methods and martial skills were divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Each tier was further divided into top grade, high grade, middle grade, and low grade.

Four tiers, sixteen grades—this was how the cultivation methods and martial skills of the myriad races were classified.

Su Yu skimmed through the "Blood Condensing Blade." Yellow Tier middle grade. It was not the absolute worst, but it was hardly anything good either. The middle academies had plenty of such things, and he could not be bothered to look any further.

However, although "Yi Shen Jue" only contained the Qianjun Chapter, Su Yu studied this cultivation method for a long time.

Bai Feng called "Yi Shen Jue" trash because he stood at a different height and saw things from a different angle.

How could a cultivation method that tempted experts of the Ten Thousand Races Cult, one capable of establishing a major faction within the cult, truly be trash?

"Peak Mysterious Tier!"

That was the grade of this cultivation method. Of course, what Su Yu had obtained was only its Qianjun Chapter.

Cultivation methods were said to have Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow tiers, but in truth, they encompassed the methods of the Myriad Races of the Heavens. Su Yu did not know the specifics, but many invincible human experts seemed to cultivate only Earth Tier or Mysterious Tier methods.

Over three hundred years ago, when the Anping Calendar began, humanity did not yet have so many powerful cultivation methods to choose from.

"Yi Shen Jue..."

Su Yu read it over and over. It was a method for tempering the body, a method for drawing in vitality to refine the flesh.

"The human body primarily uses bodily acupoints to connect with vitality. Vitality tempers the body. The more acupoints opened, the more vitality one can absorb and store."

"The Nine Apertures of Kaiyuan form the foundation. Based on those, Qianjun opens further acupoints to absorb vitality and temper the body."

"The Qianjun Chapter of 'Yi Shen Jue' opens seventy-two acupoints. Once all seventy-two are opened and filled with vitality, one reaches the Qianjun Ninth Stage!"

This was not Su Yu's first encounter with a Qianjun Realm cultivation method. Long ago, he had come across the military's basic Qianjun cultivation method—the "Qianjun Art."

It was simple and crude.

Most people in the military cultivated it. It was not that there were no better methods, but cultivating those methods required vitality, a powerful body, and the capacity to support the opening of more acupoints.

Even if ordinary cultivators obtained a Heaven Tier cultivation method, they would not necessarily be able to cultivate it successfully.

There was not enough vitality. At the very least, the vitality in the Human Realm was insufficient to sustain their cultivation.

If the body was not strong enough and the foundation not firm enough, opening too many acupoints would overload it. The body would collapse and be burst apart by vitality.

The "Qianjun Art" could open thirty-six acupoints and was considered a Yellow Tier Top Grade Cultivation Method.

That was already quite good. It could rapidly increase a soldier's combat strength, allow faster advancement, and require fewer resources.

Some people did possess stronger cultivation methods, yet in the end they switched to the "Qianjun Art," because it was easier to advance with it and easier to extend one's lifespan.

"Yi Shen Jue" could open seventy-two acupoints in the Qianjun Realm to cultivate and store vitality. It was already considered a fairly powerful cultivation method.

Acupoints could not be opened haphazardly.

"Yi Shen Jue" described in detail the process of opening all seventy-two acupoints, their sequence, and the vitality cycle ultimately formed. Opening acupoints recklessly could easily cause that cycle to collapse. At best, one's vitality would disperse; at worst, one would explode and die.

Su Yu studied it for a long time before finally confirming that it was indeed far more profound and wondrous than the "Qianjun Art."

At the Qianjun Ninth Stage, someone who cultivated it would be much stronger than someone who cultivated the "Qianjun Art," with greater strength and a tougher body.

As for whether he could kill a soldier of the same realm if they met on the battlefield, that depended on combat experience, will, and other factors. Greater strength and a stronger body did not guarantee victory.

"Opening seventy-two acupoints makes it a good thing."

Su Yu had not considered cultivating it himself, but knowledge in one field could illuminate another. The more he read and encountered, the stronger his own foundation would become.

He studied the Myriad Races Language, and this was naturally within the scope of his research as well.

For instance, he had not known the positions of the seventy-two acupoints in "Yi Shen Jue" before, but now he did. If he encountered followers of the Tianyi Divine Cult again, he could target their acupoints, destroy them, and sever their vitality circulation system.

That was why cultivation methods could not be leaked lightly.

Those seventy-two acupoints were the foundation of their strength, but they were also where their weaknesses lay.

Not every acupoint was a weakness, but once some of them were destroyed, they would produce the tragic outcome suffered by that Soaring Fourth Level hall master before—vitality scattering, backlash following, and immediate death.

That was why Bai Feng had been able to kill him so easily.

Bai Feng had killed Hall Master Chen in less than ten seconds. Half that time had been spent talking; the rest had been spent destroying his opponent's key acupoints. That was why he killed so quickly.

If it had truly been a contest of martial force alone, even if Bai Feng could have killed him, it would never have been so easy.

Of course, the Soaring Realm portion of "Yi Shen Jue" was more complicated and opened more acupoints. Many weaknesses from the Qianjun Realm were no longer weaknesses there, which showed that Bai Feng had also studied the "Yi Shen Jue—Soaring Chapter" deeply.

Su Yu read for nearly two hours before finally setting the cultivation method down.

He could not cultivate a Qianjun Realm method yet. He was merely researching it. If he became strong enough, perhaps he could even deduce the cultivation methods of the Tianyi Divine Race. Naturally, that was not something Su Yu could accomplish, nor even something Bai Feng could accomplish.

"Cultivation methods and martial skills aren't much help to me at this stage. Essence blood, though..."

Su Yu also examined the three drops of essence blood. Within essence blood remained a trace of the creature's Willpower from before its death—that was, an image—so one could roughly identify the species.

"One drop of Iron Winged Bird Essence Blood, one drop of fire pig essence blood, and the remaining one should be Bloodthirsty Rabbit essence blood."

The three drops were all essence blood from common races. There was no God-Demon Blood, nor any essence blood from powerful races...

That was only natural!

Where would a Qianjun Realm cultist of the Ten Thousand Races Cult find such powerful essence blood? These common varieties were the mainstream materials they used to assist cultivation.

The essence blood of the myriad races could provide rich vitality and strengthen the body. It was greatly beneficial to those in the Qianjun Realm.

Human Qianjun Realm cultivators mainly used essence blood and pills to cultivate.

Though there was nothing particularly precious among them, even these three drops of essence blood would sell for at least one hundred and fifty thousand at the Xia Family Merchant Guild.

"Not bad. The essence blood is worth one hundred and fifty thousand, the body-tempering pills are worth another one hundred and fifty thousand, and ten gold coins make four hundred thousand Anping Coins!"

Su Yu was quite satisfied. Wealth and honor were sought amid danger.

This time had been somewhat dangerous, but he had gained over four hundred thousand. If he turned in the cultivation manuals, there would be rewards as well. Even if humanity already possessed these cultivation methods, they would grant some reward, because such spoils represented the killing of a Ten Thousand Races Cult member.

After doing the math, his assets had instantly exceeded seven hundred thousand.

Su Yu grinned. If his father found out, he wondered whether he would feel inferior. What Su Yu had earned in one day was more than his father's savings from eighteen years.

That night, Su Yu began dreaming again.

The dream continued.

On the day the Iron Winged Bird essence blood had opened the atlas, Su Yu had not dreamed again. But starting from the next day, he began dreaming. Still, Su Yu's dreams did not continue every day now. Sometimes there was one every other day, sometimes even once every two days.

The dreams did not keep opening. Su Yu suspected the previous dreams had already brought out nearly all the races.

What opened now might be some remaining races, so the dream occasionally supplemented his illustrated guide.

There were many common races Su Yu had not seen, or did not remember seeing. He had a small suspicion that perhaps these weak races would only be opened later. They were too weak, so the dream had tossed them to the back—as though even the atlas itself had forgotten them.

Su Yu had a vague impression of the monster he dreamed of that night.

It looked somewhat like the Xuangui recorded in the Myriad Races Atlas. Whether it truly was one, he could buy a drop of Xuangui essence blood to test it. But after considering it, Su Yu felt there was little use in opening the Xuangui illustration now.

He would look into it later. Swallowing essence blood repeatedly had already placed some strain on his body.

Liyu, Iron Winged Bird, Xuangui—these were the three races Su Yu had identified. It meant that the races he saw were becoming more common, and likewise that Su Yu's knowledge was growing.

If he had not read so many books, it would have been difficult for him to identify these races through a few details and blurry figures.

Nanyuan Middle Academy.

On the way, Su Yu had already learned yesterday's outcome from Chen Hao. He felt slightly worried, but the matter had already been set in stone. Chen Hao wanted to enter the War Academy, and Su Yu could not simply watch the opportunity slip away.

So he had Chen Hao claim the merit, because only then would Chen Hao have a chance to enter the War Academy.

Feeling somewhat uneasy, Su Yu had barely entered the classroom when an instructor called him away.

The instructors' office.

That instructor had already left. At the moment, only Liu Wenyan and a young man remained in the office. The young man was Bai Feng.

Liu Wenyan was reading, and Bai Feng was reading as well.

Bai Feng held a thick volume and squatted happily to one side as he read. He was squatting, not sitting. As though he had found something marvelous, his smile was brilliant. He did not look at all like an expert capable of easily killing a Soaring Fourth Level cultivator.

When Su Yu entered, neither of them greeted him.

Su Yu offered his greetings and stood to one side, waiting uneasily. He did not know why his teacher had summoned him.

Liu Wenyan, who had entered the Soaring Realm, possessed even stronger Willpower. He quietly swept it over Su Yu and nodded to himself.

He was indeed at the Kaiyuan Fourth Stage. Before his Willpower had manifested, Liu Wenyan had not sensed it.

Not only was he at the Kaiyuan Fourth Stage, but with a slight probe, Liu Wenyan sensed faint vitality fluctuations from the acupoint in his right ear. He even felt Su Yu was close to the Kaiyuan Fifth Stage.

After a moment of silence, Liu Wenyan raised his head and said calmly, "Have you been cultivating all this time?"

"Yes."

"Have you been reading?"

"I've slacked off a little." Su Yu looked somewhat embarrassed. "Ever since my father left, I've been worried, so I put most of my energy into cultivation."

"It is good to stay vigilant in peaceful times, and it is good to cultivate diligently, but..."

Liu Wenyan said unhappily, "Reading is cultivation too! Read ten thousand volumes until they are worn through, and one day you may enter Soaring. I will not stop you from cultivating; that is what you should do. But you cannot abandon reading."

"When you signed up for the War Academy before, I knew what you wanted. But I also told you then: if you walk only the path of the body, how long will it take for you to reach Soaring?"

"But if your knowledge is vast and you have read ten thousand volumes, then it will be completely different."

"You have seen this one as well. Bai Feng, an assistant researcher at the Civilization Academy. He is twenty-eight years old and has been at the Civilization Academy for nine years. Judging only by his body and Willpower, he is at the Soaring Sixth Level. In reality, his combat strength is even greater, because his Willpower is powerful... An ordinary Soaring Seventh Level cultivator might not be able to defeat him."

Liu Wenyan said solemnly, "He is merely one of the many mediocre talents at the Civilization Academy. If even he can cultivate to this level in nine years, you will only be stronger than him!"

Bai Feng: "..."

Bai Feng, who had been reading, raised his head and glanced at Liu Wenyan. After thinking it over, he lowered his head and continued reading.

Say whatever you like. The old man was using him to lecture his student. What could he say?

I'm mediocre?

Could a mediocre person become a researcher?

Though I'm not among the most monstrous batch at the Civilization Academy, I'm still among the top batch!

Entering the Soaring Sixth Level before thirty, perhaps even reaching a higher realm in the next two years—this is called mediocre?

Did martial uncle misunderstand the meaning of mediocre?

Su Yu hurriedly said, "Rest assured, Teacher. From now on, I'll give equal weight to both. I've read for many years. I won't give it up at a time like this."

"It is good that you understand."

Liu Wenyan said earnestly, "You cultivate quickly. You did not focus on it before, but once you did, you swiftly reached the Kaiyuan Fourth Stage and may even soon reach the fifth. Perhaps that has given you some misconceptions, making you feel that you are more suited to the War Academy and the path of the body..."

"But I must tell you, even if you go to the War Academy and reach the Kaiyuan Ninth Stage in a year, will the Qianjun Ninth Stage take three years? Will the Wanshi Ninth Layer take five?"

"That would already make you a rather good genius. In nine years, you might have hope of entering the Soaring Realm."

"But you must understand how enormous the gap is between Soaring First Level and Soaring Sixth Level. After that, you may remain in the Soaring Realm for decades."

"You are only at the Kaiyuan Fourth Stage. Do not have the illusion that you are truly exceptional or truly a genius! We are merely the small city of Nanyuan. If Nanyuan can produce fourth-stage and fifth-stage cultivators, what about other cities?"

"What about Great Xia Prefecture?"

At the side, Bai Feng said with a chuckle, "I looked into the other cities. There are several Kaiyuan Seventh Stage geniuses among those reported. Of course, the Kaiyuan Seventh Stage is already beyond reach for Nanyuan, but Great Xia Prefecture has quite a few seventh-stage cultivators. There are even eighth-stage ones!"

At the eighth stage of Kaiyuan, one opened the Purple Palace Acupoint and formally cultivated martial skills. Vitality could barely be used continuously at that point, and cultivators began to possess a certain degree of combat strength.

"There are also Kaiyuan Ninth Stage cultivators, just one step away from connecting the nine apertures and entering Qianjun. Of course, none of those fellows has entered Qianjun yet. They are waiting to advance after entering an academy."

This time, Liu Wenyan did not interrupt him. He looked at Su Yu and sighed. "It is not that I insist on making you apply to the Civilization Academy. I only want you to understand that your talent does not lie in the path of the body. Even if you do have some talent, you... are still far behind."

"The path of the body consumes immense amounts of treasures of heaven and earth. It requires essence blood, pills, combat, weapons... Scholarship impoverishes, martial arts enriches!"

"Su Yu, if you had no talent in the scholarly path as someone from an ordinary background, I would be very happy for you to enter the War Academy and fight for an opportunity!"

"But you do have talent in this regard. Your teacher hopes you can go farther and climb higher!"

"The Civilization Academy does not place much importance on those things in the early stages, and the expenditure will not be too great. Even if you have no money and no combat strength, you can still hope to reach Soaring. But at the War Academy... there is little hope!"

Liu Wenyan looked at him and said softly, "Do you know why I do not try to persuade others? Why I do not even persuade Liu Yue? Even if Liu Yue applies to the War Academy, I will not persuade her otherwise! Her family is wealthy and can support her future cultivation."

"Su Yu, this is why your teacher hopes you will walk the path of civilization. I hope you will not ultimately fade into the crowd because of material shortages. Even if you have talent... resources will not be given to you for nothing, and pies will not fall from the sky!"

"There are many geniuses at the War Academy. You are not outstanding among them, so your path will be harder. Your teacher hopes you can walk it a little more smoothly."

Su Yu nodded vigorously, deeply moved. He knew these were his teacher's heartfelt words.

For someone of his common background, some things truly were difficult to afford. If he set his sights on Qianjun and Wanshi, that would naturally not be a problem. But if he aimed to rapidly enter Soaring, his family clearly could not support it all.

"Teacher, I understand. I did not consider so much before, nor did I think so deeply. From now on, I will work hard."

"It is good that you understand."

Liu Wenyan smiled. "For the next few days, let Bai Feng give you some guidance. If there is anything you do not understand, anything you are unclear about, you can ask him. Though he is not outstanding at the Civilization Academy, he is more than enough to guide you."

Bai Feng: "..."

After hearing Liu Wenyan say it so many times, Bai Feng was beginning to doubt himself.

Am I really not outstanding?

At the Civilization Academy, even in Great Xia Prefecture, I'm at least somewhat famous, right?

I have hopes of going beyond Soaring, before thirty at that. And I'm one of the few assistant researchers under thirty...

Why did I suddenly feel like I was not worth mentioning at all here?

Why?

Bai Feng was incomparably depressed. Martial uncle, when you call me mediocre, think about yourself. Your Willpower only manifested in your seventies. Why belittle yourself like this?

He glanced at Su Yu. Seeing that Su Yu seemed to agree somewhat with Liu Wenyan's words, Bai Feng smiled. Young people really had limited horizons.

Once you enter the Civilization Academy, you'll know what kind of man Brother Feng is.

Then you'll understand just how difficult it is to reach my level!

Do not tell an ant about the enormity of an elephant. An ant's imagination is limited; it cannot conceive of it.

Only when it stands at a certain height can an ant understand that an elephant's enormity exceeds all imagination.

"For the next two days, I'll be staying at Nanyuan Academy. I'll leave after two days. You can find me anytime."

Bai Feng tossed out those words, took his book, and left with a chuckle.

After he had gone far away, Liu Wenyan suddenly said in a low voice, "Study hard. Cherish these two days! Use all your wisdom to fleece him, to empty him out. Though you cannot truly do it, this is the most time your teacher can secure for you. Even after you reach the Civilization Academy, you may not have such an opportunity. Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

Su Yu trembled slightly. What his teacher meant was that even after entering the Civilization Academy, he might not have a researcher to guide him?

"An assistant researcher's lesson costs five merit points!"

"One lesson lasts one hour!"

Liu Wenyan said softly, "Two days, forty-eight hours. Don't sleep. Go learn! Once you're done, that's two hundred and forty merit points. You may not earn that in years. Go on. Your teacher believes in you!"

"Thank you, Teacher!"

At that moment, Su Yu's eyes lit up!

Master and disciple exchanged a glance, both smiling brilliantly.

In the distance, Bai Feng suddenly felt a tide of malice washing over him. A chill ran down his spine. Turning his head, he could not help but curse under his breath. Is martial uncle planning to set me up?

How was he going to do it?