Above Soaring

Teacher's dormitory.

A four-bedroom, two-living room apartment, quite large.

Liu Wenyan could disregard Bai Feng, but the Academy Head couldn't, nor could Nan Yuan. No one could afford to ignore a researcher, even with an assistant.

Therefore, Bai Feng's temporary residence was no worse than any other teacher's; in fact, it was better.

Bai Feng sat on the sofa, while Su Yu and Liu Yue stood obediently by his side like schoolchildren, waiting for him to finish watching television.

"Pfft!"

Rows of people were dragged out and beheaded!

Yesterday, the Great Xia Prefecture's Dragon Martial Guard led the prefecture army to kill thousands of Ten Thousand Races Cult members and capture over three thousand more, totaling nearly ten thousand people.

The Great Xia Prefecture's policy was iron-fisted: if caught, no trial was needed. Once identified, the verdict was simple – kill!

Today, the beheadings were being broadcast live on television.

Over three thousand people sounded like a lot, but in reality, the beheadings had been going on for over ten minutes and still weren't finished.

Liu Yue couldn't bear to watch too much and averted her gaze from the television.

Su Yu also felt a bit uncomfortable, not out of sympathy, but because seeing so many severed heads spewing blood made him feel nauseous, even though he had killed two himself yesterday.

Bai Feng, however, watched with great interest, sipping his tea and commenting with a smile, "The Ten Thousand Races Cult has many sects, but the Tianyi Divine Cult is one of the stronger ones. Its leader is an ultimate expert. They came to Great Xia Prefecture this time and completely failed. Their leader perished, and their elite members were almost all wiped out."

"It seems Great Xia Prefecture made a huge profit this time."

Su Yu and Liu Yue didn't quite understand what he meant. Profit?

"Don't you understand?"

Bai Feng chuckled, "Isn't it simple? Their elites are all dead, their leader is dead. Who killed him? How many people in Great Xia Prefecture could kill him? If he dared to come to Great Xia Prefecture and cause such a stir, he must have been confident, believing he wouldn't die and no one would dare to cross him."

"If that's the case, he must have had some backing. What was his backing? Was it other leaders of the Ten Thousand Races Cult? No, it must have been the powers behind him that gave him the courage to come to Great Xia Prefecture and cause trouble!"

Su Yu's eyes flickered, and he softly said, "Teacher Bai means that someone from the Tianyi Divine Race has arrived?"

"Exactly, they must have come. Since their leader is dead, did the Tianyi Divine Race members also die?"

"If they died, do you think we've profited?"

Bai Feng laughed, "The Academy Head is probably in trouble this time."

"Trouble?"

"Yes, trouble! Just wait and see. All the major War Academies, including Civilization Academy, will likely surround him, applying for the Tianyi Divine Race's flesh and blood and other treasures."

Bai Feng chuckled, "I wonder if our Academy Head has returned. We need to get some good stuff back quickly. We've struck it rich! Divine Race essence blood, Divine Race flesh and blood, Divine Race weapons, Divine Race cultivation techniques... Tsk tsk, if this isn't getting rich, who is?"

"The Academy Head is probably going crazy from all the noise. I can imagine Great Xia Prefecture is in chaos right now."

Hearing him say that, Su Yu and Liu Yue finally understood.

They both had expressions of longing, not truly desiring these items, but simply finding the thought exhilarating. Divine essence blood, divine bodies – these were treasures!

"Teacher Bai, are the people from the Tianyi Divine Race very strong?"

"Naturally, very strong!"

Bai Feng looked at Su Yu and Liu Yue and said with a smile, "I tend to speak directly, so please don't mind. To people from Nan Yuan like you, Soaring is the heavens. But to Great Xia Prefecture, Soaring is merely the backbone, the starting point for the strong."

"People from small places can never imagine how strong the truly powerful are. Actually, there's no need to know, because in their eyes, whether you're in Soaring or above Soaring, it's all the same; they can destroy you with a flick of their wrist."

"In terms of cultivation, Kaiyuan, Qianjun, and Wanshi are the foundation, a physical strengthening that prevents you from being overwhelmed by primal energy. Only when you reach Soaring do you gain the right to speak in the major academies, the major legions, as well as sects, the Battlefields of the Heavens, the sea realms, and the human sacred realms. Only then can you truly be considered on the path of the strong."

Su Yu's eyes lit up. This lack of exposure was due to the smallness of Nan Yuan, the smallness of this sky!

"Teacher Bai, I know there are realms above Soaring. My father once said that when he was in the Demon Suppression Army, the commander of ten thousand men was in the Lingyun Realm. Is Lingyun a realm one level higher than Soaring?"

"Yes."

Bai Feng sipped his tea and said calmly, "How far can one soar? How high? Soaring is, after all, just the beginning for the strong. Traveling on clouds, soaring above the clouds – at this point, you can call yourself strong! What can the myriad Wanshi or Qianjun do to you then?"

"I travel on clouds, never touching the ground, a thousand zhang above the earth. With all your arm strength, with all your military formations, can you shoot me down from the air?"

"In the Battlefields of the Heavens, commanders of ten thousand men are almost all in the Lingyun Realm!"

"In the Lingyun Realm, if you join the Dragon Martial Guard, you'd be more than qualified to be a commander of a thousand men!"

"In the Dragon Martial Guard, the squad leaders who are strong are in Soaring, while the weaker ones are at the ninth level of Wanshi. The centurions are almost all in Soaring, and generally at the mid-stage or above, at the fourth level or higher. There are five commanders of a thousand men in the Dragon Martial Guard; three of them are in Lingyun, and two are at the ninth level of Soaring!"

Su Yu's throat bobbed. That strong?

Then what about the deputy generals of the Dragon Martial Guard?

The Grand General was the Great Xia Prefecture Lord, no need to mention him. How strong were the deputy generals?

Bai Feng glanced at him and chuckled, "Above Lingyun is the Shanhai Realm! They can split mountains and sever seas; every move they make shakes the surroundings! A single strike can cause mountains to collapse and seas to dry up; they are unbelievably powerful!"

"And above the Shanhai Realm..." Su Yu quickly asked, "I've heard of ultimate experts, invincible experts. Are they in the Shanhai Realm?"

"No."

Bai Feng said with a smile, "The Shanhai Realm experts can guard a region. Even in the Battlefields of the Heavens, they can lead an army alone. With a single command, a hundred thousand men will move, deterring powerful enemies! They can be Grand Generals, or they can be deputy generals of powerful legions, like the deputy generals of the Dragon Martial Guard, who are Shanhai Realm experts!"

"Above the Shanhai Realm, that's where the ultimate experts reside, that's where the invincible are!"

"It's too far for you to know. You just need to know that you'll find out when you get to Great Xia Prefecture. As for the Peak and Invincible realms, they aren't our domain, so what's the point of knowing?"

"Your ambitions are high, but your fate is thin. You haven't even reached the Qianjun Realm. Even if you knew, could you achieve Invincible overnight?"

"You just need to know that they are very strong, unbelievably strong! Most of the Prefecture Heads are Peak Realm powerhouses, and the founders of the prefectures are almost all Invincible powerhouses. That's enough."

Su Yu's throat felt dry. For the first time, he felt that the sky in Southern Yuan was truly low!

Wanshi was considered a strong individual, and Soaring was considered invincible.

Above those, in the Lingyun and Shanhai Realms, he had never heard of any such powerhouses in Southern Yuan.

In the Lingyun Realm, one could become a commander in the Battlefields of the Heavens.

In the Shanhai Realm, one could preside over a region in the Battlefields of the Heavens, commanding an army and becoming a overlord.

And above all of that, there were still Peak and Invincible realms!

Bai Feng looked at their expressions and smiled, a genuinely happy smile.

He enjoyed seeing people's shocked expressions; it was a bit of a wicked pleasure.

These things didn't really need to be explained in detail; they would find out once they reached Great Xia Prefecture. But he still explained them because he wasn't entirely pleased after being put down by Liu Wenyan. Did Su Yu, this little genius of Southern Yuan, truly know how high the sky was?

The next moment, Su Yu let out a long breath, suppressing his thoughts and forcing himself to calm down.

Bai Feng glanced at him and thought to himself, 'Good composure.'

He's just a child who hasn't seen the world. It's not easy for him to calm down so quickly.

As for Liu Yue, although she was excited, she had already calmed down. Bai Feng didn't pay her much attention. He could sense that this girl had already known these things; her excitement was merely a current desire.

The truly ignorant one, in reality, was Su Yu.

It was because he was born in Southern Yuan, grew up here, and had never left in his 18 years.

Su Long had protected him very well, but Su Long himself was only in the Qianjun Realm, so his knowledge couldn't be that extensive. Liu Wenyan wouldn't tell Su Yu these things, and it was difficult for Su Yu to find this information in books. Therefore, he was genuinely ignorant.

"All of this is still far from you. Time is precious. Are you sure you want to waste it on this?"

Bai Feng didn't invite them to sit, letting the two of them stand, and said with a smile, "I'll be staying here for two days. From now on, you can ask anything you want to ask or understand. I'll tell you what I can. This is a rare opportunity."

Su Yu hurriedly asked, "Teacher Bai, what exactly is Willpower? How is it cultivated? How is it measured? What is strong, and what is weak?"

"Willpower..."

Bai Feng glanced at him and smiled, "Yours isn't weak, of course. You haven't specifically sensed it, cultivated it, or paid attention to it, so you can't perceive all of this. Your Martial Uncle asked you to go to Civilization Academy because he noticed something and didn't want you to go down the wrong path."

"In my opinion, Willpower is similar to physical strength. It's also a form of power, just one that manifests externally and the other internally..."

As he spoke, Bai Feng picked up a black cup and covered the opening with his hand, explaining, "Physical strength is essentially the cup itself. If I hit you with the cup, can you feel the pain?"

Su Yu nodded.

"This is physical strength. If I hit you, you'll feel pain. You can directly perceive it and see it. How much pain you feel depends on the cup's properties; the harder, bigger, and heavier it is, the more pain you'll experience."

"As for Willpower, it's actually the force inside the cup. You can't feel it right now. When we cultivate Willpower, we're essentially filling the cup with water."

He conjured some water from mid-air and poured it into the cup.

"When the cup isn't full of water, Willpower hasn't manifested. Even if it reaches the brim, it's still useless. This was the state of your teacher, Martial Uncle Liu, before. His cup was full, but the water hadn't overflowed."

"When Willpower manifests and overflows the brim, that's manifestation!"

At this moment, the cup was full, and the water began to overflow.

More and more!

Under Bai Feng's control, the water increased, gushing out.

"Right now, a little bit of water overflowing might not seem like much, perhaps not even as strong as physical strength. But what if it's not just a little bit?"

The water kept increasing!

Rumble!

Su Yu had an illusion. He saw the water turn into a river, surging out, flooding the room, flooding the academy.

Rivers, floods, waves, towering waves!

"Boom!"

Destroying heaven and earth, cities submerged, mountains collapsing.

Bai Feng's voice echoed in his ears, "This is Willpower. It can transform water into ice, or gather water to form rivers and seas. In essence, it's the same as physical strength; it's just a different application of power."

"But it has its uniqueness; there's no visible end!"

"Physical cultivation, at least as far as we can see now, has an end, though we can't see it yet."

"When you reach the Soaring Realm, you cultivate both. But for us, the water overflows first, and then we use that water to wrap around and strengthen the physical body. For the path of the physical body, the cup first changes from porcelain to stone, and then you desperately try to pour water into it."

"If you ask me which path is better, they are essentially the same. It depends on your own choice and talent. Whichever path is easier, take that one."

Su Yu's vision blurred, and everything that had just happened disappeared.

Bai Feng was still holding the water cup. Su Yu took a breath, "So, if it's not filled, or if it reaches the brim like my teacher's and doesn't overflow, does that mean it's completely useless?"

"You can't say that. At the very least, your thinking will be clearer, and your energy will be more abundant."

Bai Feng smiled and said, "If you don't even have the ability to manifest, it doesn't matter what path you cultivate; you're destined not to become a strong individual. Is there really that much difference between Qianjun and Wanshi?"

"Can you tell the difference in strength before it's full?"

"Yes."

Bai Feng began to explain, "Once you reach a certain point, you can actually feel it yourself. Of course, strong individuals who have manifested can also observe it. For example, your cup is about one-tenth full right now, and I can feel it very clearly. As for you, you can't perceive it yet."

"When will I be able to perceive it?"

"When it's half full, you'll be able to feel it very clearly. That power is within you, but you can't use it, you can't unleash it. We call this stage 'Nurturing Nature'!"

Bai Feng said with a smile, "Nurturing Nature isn't a realm. Of course, you can consider it part of Kaiyuan, Qianjun, or Wanshi! This period is very difficult to endure! It's meant to nurture your state of mind. You feel the power, but you can't use it. Aren't you anxious?"

"You clearly feel like you can fight a Wanshi-level opponent one-on-one, but you get sent flying by a Qianjun-level cultivator with a single slap. Aren't you anxious?"

"You're beaten bloody by a Qianjun-level cultivator, but your water is actually at the brim, and the next moment you'll reach Soaring Realm. Aren't you frustrated?"

"But no matter how anxious or frustrated you are, it just won't overflow. Aren't you angry?"

"Your anger is useless. At this point, many people can't hold on, lose their composure, become disheartened, and switch to cultivating the physical body. It's very common because it's so infuriating!"

Bai Feng chuckled, "I'm really looking forward to seeing that day, to seeing you all angry and helpless! You should know that whenever this time comes, the academy will do something. During your Nurturing Nature stage, students from the War Academy will come for exchanges... which really means beating you up!"

"Abusing you!"

"Humiliating you!"

"Making you furious!"

Su Yu was dumbfounded. Liu Yue also couldn't help but softly ask, "Teacher Bai, why does the academy do this?"

"It's simple, to stimulate you! Only if you can calm down and recognize your true self do you have hope of manifesting. This is a double-edged sword; it might drive students crazy, make them give up on this path, or even kill them. However, if they endure, the results are usually good."

Bai Feng smiled happily, "This is the grand spectacle of the Civilization Academy. Once you enter, you can watch your seniors being abused. It's too tragic! The students from the War Academy love to say, 'I abused so-and-so back then, and now that person is a Shanhai Realm expert, while I'm still only Wanshi...' "

"Back then, I beat a Shanhai Realm expert until he was crawling on the ground, crying like a river... Many people thought I was bragging, but it's true."

Su Yu couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Bai, does everyone have to go through this? Then you..."

"Me?"

Bai Feng said calmly, "I didn't. Because I was very strong. Even during the Nurturing Nature stage, I was very strong."

As soon as Su Yu asked, he felt it was inappropriate and gave an awkward smile, not asking further.

Did he really not?

It seemed unlikely. Perhaps he had been beaten to tears before.

However, Su Yu was truly opening his eyes to witness such a scene in the Civilization Academy.

"As for the cultivation of willpower..." Bai Feng changed the subject and continued, "Read books! Study! Of course, it's not about reading ordinary books or learning ordinary characters. You've all learned the languages of the myriad races; you know about them."

"Why do we need to learn the languages of the myriad races?"

"The languages of the myriad races themselves aren't much. However, some carriers that record cultivation techniques and martial skills in the languages of the myriad races are filled with willpower. When you read them, it's a confrontation of willpower!"

"The stronger the cultivation technique, the stronger the recorder. The more difficult it is for you to resist. This can actually serve as a test."

"In the Civilization Academy, when you can read the original texts of Qianjun Realm cultivation techniques, it means your willpower can resist cultivators of the Qianjun Realm's physical body. When you can read the original texts of Soaring Realm cultivation techniques, it means you can manifest!"

"Reading Wanshi Realm original texts is roughly equivalent to the Nurturing Nature stage, marking the beginning of this phase."

Su Yu finally understood everything. At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly produced a fragment of white bone.

"This is a book of the myriad races that records a Qianjun Realm cultivation technique. Of course, it's just a fragment, a single piece. The Battlefields of the Heavens are not short of these things, nor is the Civilization Academy. When you first enter the academy, your main task will be to study these fragments."

"You can take a look now. The power of the fragment is very weak. If you can see the text, it means you are close to reaching two-tenths of your capacity."

Bai Feng had just said Su Yu had accumulated one-tenth, but he was now showing him something that required two-tenths.

Su Yu didn't think much of it. He took the white bone fragment and examined it.

Bai Feng instructed, "Look with your heart, just focus."

Su Yu nodded and looked intently, concentrating fully.

Gradually, the bone fragment seemed to change in his eyes, emitting a faint glow. There seemed to be some text on it.

Su Yu was curious and focused even more, wanting to see it clearly.

Boom!

At that moment, his head felt like it had been struck by a hammer. The bone fragment emitted a glow, and Su Yu cried out in pain, instantly dropping the fragment.

Bai Feng had anticipated this and said with a smile, "Reading also comes at a price! This is the way of cultivation, this is the Civilization Academy. Don't think that going to the Civilization Academy is like going to Southern Yuan, where you can just look at translated versions. That's nothing."

"Every confrontation is tempering your willpower. Of course, you can't do it too many times a day; once or twice is enough, otherwise, you'll go mad. The Civilization Academy is not short of madmen. Many people overestimate themselves and try to read original texts beyond their capabilities, which is why so many have gone mad."

Su Yu's head throbbed intensely!

Tears were almost falling; it was so painful!

However... after about ten seconds, Su Yu opened his eyes, breathing heavily as he regained his composure.

It felt as painful as being killed in a dream!

Even though I've been killed for so many years, I'm used to it. It was just a moment ago that the pain was almost unbearable.

Bai Feng was about to continue speaking, saying, "It's okay if you cry for a while, it's not like you're the first or second new student to cry..."

However, as the words reached his mouth, he suddenly swallowed them.

He glanced at Su Yu, raising his eyebrows slightly.

He was sure that Su Yu's willpower had only been filled to one-tenth of its capacity, yet this guy... had actually endured it?

How was that possible!

The willpower on this bone fragment was twice as strong as Su Yu's. Su Yu should have been in pain for at least half an hour.

Bai Feng blinked. Not bad!

No wonder his senior uncle thought highly of this kid. It seemed that this guy's talent might not be that strong, but his resilience was terrifyingly strong. Sometimes, when cultivating willpower, talent isn't the key; resilience is the key to determining the future.

Su Yu recovered, baring his teeth slightly, and asked, "Teacher Bai, is the willpower of ordinary people strong?"

"One percent!"

Bai Feng suppressed the thoughts in his heart and smiled, "That's the level of ordinary people, meaning they don't have this talent. You have decent talent. As for Liu Yue... she's a bit stronger than you, around 15%."

Su Yu felt a little awkward. So, I'm not even as strong as Liu Yue.

Bai Feng smiled and didn't say anything more. He could actually tell that Liu Yue had seen some original cultivation technique fragments!

That's why she was stronger than Su Yu, but in reality, Su Yu would catch up soon.

Liu Yue, standing beside them, didn't speak either, but she looked at Su Yu with a strange expression.

She had seen the original, so she knew how painful the first collision was when one wasn't used to it or hadn't experienced it.

The first time she saw it, she cried for half an hour and only recovered after sleeping for more than half a day.

And Su Yu... was this guy a beast?

No, was this guy slow to react?

Did he not feel pain?

After the first time, she didn't want to see it again. She was afraid, fearful.

But Su Yu... at this moment, he actually took the bone fragment again, his face full of desire, as if he wanted to see it again!

Bai Feng couldn't help but chuckle. He hadn't paid much attention to these two before, but now he was focused on Su Yu. He smiled and said, "It's yours! You can only look at it twice a day at most, don't look too much, or you won't be able to bear it. When you can truly see the text clearly, you will have reached 20%, one step closer to the Cultivation of Temperament stage."

"This is just one bone fragment. The entire book has 3 pages. If you finish reading them, and read them all at once, you will reach 40%."

"When you can read the Wanshi cultivation technique, you will reach the Cultivation of Temperament stage."

Bai Feng gave the bone fragment to Su Yu. This item was quite valuable, but it wasn't much to him.

Su Yu didn't know its value, but Liu Yue did, and she felt a bit envious at the moment.

Even for her, whose family was quite wealthy in Nanyuan, an original bone fragment purchased from the Xia Family Merchant Guild would cost at least a hundred thousand.

They had come together, and clearly, she was stronger, yet Bai Feng still gave it to Su Yu.

From this, it could be seen that Bai Feng was more interested in Su Yu.