"Blood!"
In his mind, the hazy character stirred, as though it were trying to break free of his control.
Su Yu exhausted every ounce of strength, desperately thinking, controlling, suppressing.
The character "blood" darted about inside his head. Su Yu did not know whether it was truly in his mind or in some deeper space, but at this moment, he had no time to think about that.
Control it!
From now on, this character would be his!
His will was suppressing the character. Su Yu did not know whether it was truly his will, but in any case, he felt utterly exhausted. It was like fleeing in his dreams, the same feeling—very real.
The character resisted and struggled, while Su Yu braced himself and suppressed it with all his might.
No one knew how long passed before the character "blood" seemed to admit defeat.
Inside his mind, the character stopped moving.
"Are you convinced?"
Su Yu questioned it in his consciousness. He felt as if he had just punched and kicked the character "blood" until it finally submitted.
Without thinking, he asked, "Are you convinced?"
The next moment, however, the character "blood" seemed unconvinced and suddenly began to stir again.
"I'll beat you to death!"
Boom! Boom!
At that moment, Su Yu felt as though he were fighting in a dream. In the past, he had always been unable to defeat those monsters and had been killed. This time, though, he felt that he had a chance of winning.
Wasn't it just a matter of seeing who could beat whom into submission?
After all these years, this was the first time he had encountered someone a little weaker than himself. Before this, he had always been the weakest one in his dreams.
This time, this "blood" was the weakest!
"I'll beat you to death!"
No one knew how long passed before the character "blood" stopped moving again.
"Are you convinced?"
Boom!
They started fighting again!
Once again, he beat the other side until it could no longer move.
"Are you convinced?"
Boom!
"..."
This continued an unknown number of times. When Su Yu asked again, the character "blood" no longer moved, as though it had exhausted all its strength.
It had submitted!
Inside the room, Bai Feng had been waiting.
The longer he waited, the more astonished he became.
Still not awake?
This brat was laying the foundation for a Divine Script this time. By rights, he should have awakened long ago. Why had he not woken yet?
He waited patiently.
After a long while, Su Yu finally woke up.
Opening his eyes and seeing Bai Feng before him, Su Yu hurriedly said, "Teacher Bai, I just fell asleep..."
"You didn't fall asleep."
Bai Feng did not explain much and asked, "How much did you retain?"
"Huh?"
Su Yu was bewildered.
"It's your first time capturing a Divine Script. You have no experience, and your Willpower isn't strong enough. You definitely couldn't retain all of it. How much of that 'blood' character did you retain?"
"How much did I retain?"
Su Yu was still confused. What did that mean?
"I mean, how many strokes are still clear!"
Bai Feng was speechless. Was it really that hard to understand?
"The character 'blood' has six strokes. How many do you still retain? Even one stroke would be pretty good. As long as there are remnants left, it counts as you having formally laid your foundation."
This time, Su Yu understood.
How many strokes had he retained?
Did a character have to be divided into individual strokes?
Wasn't he supposed to retain the whole thing?
He hesitated. Was I imagining things, or did I actually fail to retain it?
Because he felt that his character was complete.
Seeing that he remained silent, Bai Feng continued, "There's no need to be discouraged. Retaining one stroke, or even half a stroke, is already quite good. Outlining a Divine Script is extremely, extremely difficult for a beginner like you. It requires a great deal of time."
"Even though it's merely a Divine Script I wrote, with the strength of your will, completely outlining it would take at least three months, perhaps even half a year. But as long as you have a foundation, you can slowly outline it in the future..."
Bai Feng smiled. He was in a good mood this time and did not mind saying a few more words to Su Yu.
"When a Divine Script has been fully outlined, even if your will has yet to manifest, you can still sense some of its wondrous uses."
"You outlined the character 'blood.' Others have outlined this character before, but its uses differ."
"Some can absorb their enemies' blood while fighting. Some can condense the blood essence of the myriad races—what is now called essence blood. In fact, much of it is refined by Civilization Masters."
"Of course, the world is vast, and all manner of strange things exist. A character's function may be completely different from its literal meaning. That is also possible. Once you fully outline it someday, you can sense it. Then, you'll discover what it can do."
Su Yu listened attentively, sensing within his mind as he listened.
What use did his little brother, the character "blood," have?
Only a fully outlined Divine Script could be sensed. Did his count as fully outlined?
The character "blood" in his mind trembled. The next instant, Su Yu received a vague sensation.
Bai Feng was still speaking when the space before him trembled slightly. A hazy image appeared: an Iron Winged Bird swooped down to kill him!
"Moonlight!"
A violent roar echoed beside his ears. Bai Feng froze for a moment. He was powerful; such a tiny illusion could be shattered with a puff of breath.
But he did not do so. He allowed the brief scene to continue, allowing the Iron Winged Bird to swoop down at him.
He was dumbfounded!
Truly, utterly dumbfounded.
The next moment, he tore through the air. The door shattered, but he did not care. In an instant, he appeared before Liu Wenyan.
Liu Wenyan stared at him dumbfounded. What were you trying to do?
"Senior uncle, are you joking with me?"
Liu Wenyan blinked, then immediately blew his beard and glared. You suddenly charged in here and nearly scared the life out of me. Who the hell was joking with you?!
"Are you looking for a beating?"
Bai Feng looked at him, studying him seriously. It was not him.
That just now had not been Liu Wenyan's will interfering with him!
He only found it impossible to believe, so he had come to ask, to test whether Liu Wenyan was playing a joke on him.
It was too weak!
It could not harm a single hair on his head, nor interfere with him in the slightest. One glance was enough for him to know it was an illusion, and a feeble one at that.
But if it was not Liu Wenyan, could it have been Su Yu?
What kind of joke was that!
He did not believe it!
He believed Su Yu had laid the foundation for a Divine Script. He had seen it, so he had reluctantly accepted that Su Yu was a genius.
But if Su Yu was now telling him that he had not only laid the foundation, but had also fully outlined the Divine Script, Bai Feng did not believe it!
He simply did not believe it!
If this brat were at the Nurturing Nature stage, he would believe it. Geniuses, after all, were bound to be somewhat extraordinary.
But with 10% Willpower reserve, you were telling him he had successfully outlined it?
Were you trying to say that the Willpower Script he, Bai Feng, had written was trash?
It had been captured so easily by you, then fully outlined?
"Hey!"
Liu Wenyan shouted with a dark expression, "Bai Feng, did you come here to provoke this old man?"
Bai Feng came back to his senses. Just as he was about to speak, his expression shifted, and he smiled. "Senior uncle, just a joke, just a joke. Didn't I give Su Yu some guidance today? I think his talent is average. If he enters the Civilization Academy, he will probably just be an ordinary student. But after all, he is a student you taught..."
Bai Feng seemed somewhat hesitant. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Senior uncle's face must be respected. I thought about it. If he goes to the Civilization Academy, I'm afraid no one will take him as a student. He can only be an ordinary student. Although I'm merely an assistant researcher, I can take students now. How about letting him be my assistant?"
"Me?"
Liu Wenyan found it strange. He could no longer be bothered to ask whether Bai Feng had come to provoke him. "You want to take a student?"
"Having him help me out is better than letting him be an ordinary student at the academy, isn't it?"
Liu Wenyan said solemnly, "Are you serious?"
"Yes. I think his talent is average, but he has great perseverance. He watched the Willpower Script for quite a while just now. Perhaps he may have some prospects in the future."
Liu Wenyan chuckled. "Of course! If you ask whether this kid's talent is exceptionally strong, then no, not really. But he truly is persevering. At such a young age, he can settle down and endure. He can study a Myriad Races Language for days without sleeping. He can bear hardship, and he has the ability too..."
"In recent years, it's not as though the academy hasn't produced geniuses more talented than him. But that doesn't necessarily mean I value them more."
"I think this kid truly has the makings of a powerhouse, if only he gets the opportunity."
Liu Wenyan sighed. He was only afraid that Su Yu would not get such an opportunity.
But remembering what Bai Feng had just said, Liu Wenyan smiled. "You really want to take him as your student? You're an assistant researcher. Before you become a full researcher, you can take at most two people, right?"
"Yes, but I haven't taken a single one before."
Bai Feng smiled. "It's not as if no academy geniuses want to enter under my tutelage, but frankly, geniuses... I've seen plenty! How many are more talented than me? Some are quite clever and think I have great potential. Urged on by their parents, they keep trying to worm their way into my circle."
"And then there's my teacher's status. He is a senior researcher, and there aren't many of those in the academy. They have that thought too, trying to curry favor with my teacher."
"But I don't think much of them. Su Yu, on the other hand, suits my temperament somewhat. He's quite good. Being steady is enough."
Bai Feng chuckled. "He isn't outstanding, but neither is he the worst. And he is a student you taught, senior uncle. I came to Nanyuan this time and got to know him. That counts as fate. So what do you think, senior uncle?"
Liu Wenyan glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Although his talent isn't particularly strong, I still hope he can go farther. If you're only going to muddle through it, then forget it. I know this is a good opportunity, but I would rather he continue waiting for one."
"Let him accumulate experience at the academy for a few years. With his personality and diligence, I believe someone will appreciate him in a few years!"
"If you are willing to teach him seriously, then I have no objections to him becoming your student. This is his fortunate opportunity. I will not stop him. I will only congratulate him."
Liu Wenyan's expression was completely serious. Su Yu was a genius in Nanyuan, but in Great Xia Prefecture, he truly was not much.
Yet Liu Wenyan felt that Su Yu had the foundation of a powerhouse. So long as he accumulated experience at the academy for a few years, he had hope of soaring into the sky in a single leap!
He did not want Bai Feng to ruin Su Yu.
Even if becoming Bai Feng's disciple now was an enormous stroke of fortune for Su Yu, he would still stop it if necessary.
"Rest assured, senior uncle!"
Bai Feng smiled. "Either I won't take him, or if I do, I'll naturally teach him properly. If he can rise above the rest, I, as his teacher, will benefit as well. Perhaps I can even become a full researcher ahead of schedule."
"According to the Academy Rules, either I break through to the Lingyun Realm, or I train several students who achieve something before I can become a full researcher. But I'm too lazy to teach students. Before, I had planned to reach the Lingyun Realm as soon as possible myself. Yet if he truly has that chance, perhaps I can become a full researcher early too."
Liu Wenyan beamed. "Teach him well, and you will definitely have that chance. I think highly of him!"
"Then senior uncle agrees?"
"Well... I have no objections, but you should ask him yourself."
Bai Feng smiled. "You're closer to him, senior uncle, so say a few more words to him. Otherwise, he may think becoming my student is a loss. As an assistant researcher, he might not even think much of me. There are countless students who know neither heaven nor earth, especially geniuses from small cities like this. They always think themselves unmatched under heaven."
"He won't."
Liu Wenyan smiled. "I'll explain it clearly to him."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior uncle."
Bai Feng nodded and soon vanished from before Liu Wenyan.
Once he left, Liu Wenyan suddenly laughed, laughing so hard his beard trembled. This kid... he was truly not bad!
Su Yu had actually caught Bai Feng's eye!
Who was Bai Feng?
An assistant researcher, a Soaring Sixth Level genius. His teacher was a senior researcher, a top powerhouse of the Shanhai Realm!
Bai Feng himself also had hope of soon advancing to the Soaring Seventh Level. He might reach the Lingyun Realm in five years, perhaps eight; in any case, he would definitely have hope of reaching it within ten years.
Lingyun before forty!
At fifty or sixty, he would have hope of charging into the Shanhai Realm. Before a hundred, he might even have a chance to challenge the realm above Shanhai!
Could such a figure be the mediocre talent he claimed to be?
Naturally not!
Great Xia Prefecture's Prefecture Lord, Xia Longwu, had his name as a genius spread throughout All Heavens and Myriad Worlds. When he took command of the Demon Suppression Army twenty years ago, he was only at the peak of Shanhai Peak. At that time, Xia Longwu was just over forty, a genius acknowledged by All Heavens and Myriad Worlds.
Bai Feng might be somewhat inferior to Xia Longwu, but across All Heavens and Myriad Worlds, how many Xia Longwus were there?
"Su Yu, your opportunity has arrived!"
Liu Wenyan felt gratified and was in an excellent mood.
Bai Feng was in an even better mood!
His senior uncle was far too easy to fool. Of course, at this stage, if he casually told anyone he wanted to take Su Yu as a student, everyone would probably think Su Yu had struck gold.
He, Bai Feng, had passed over the academy's geniuses to take a mediocre student from a middle-grade academy. What an honor for Su Yu!
Bai Feng returned to the room once more. As for the shattered door, he could not be bothered to look at it.
Su Yu was still waiting, somewhat bewildered and uneasy.
What had happened to Bai Feng just now?
He had suddenly run off. Could there be an enemy secretly watching them?
Cough, cough!
Bai Feng coughed lightly, stepping through the air before landing. He looked at Su Yu and smiled. "I had something to deal with just now, and I've handled it. By the way, judging by how you look, have you already finished outlining a divine script?"
"Um... I think so."
Su Yu said quietly, "I'm not sure whether it counts, but there really is a complete 'Blood' character in my mind."
"Mm, not bad. I felt it just now—it seemed capable of creating some illusions. That is one manifestation of Willpower interfering with reality."
As he spoke, he looked at Su Yu. "Your Willpower is not strong, so the effect is very weak. Once your Willpower manifests and you interfere with reality again, that Iron Winged Bird you manifested just now might directly pounce on and kill a Soaring Realm cultivator. That would be quite impressive!"
Bai Feng said with a cheerful smile, "I told you before that I was very strong during the Nurturing Nature stage. Do you know why? I wasn't lying—I really was strong, because I had outlined a complete divine script back then. I was powerful. At that stage, I beat quite a few War Academy students until they cried for their fathers and mothers."
"You have now outlined a divine script. Although this divine script is very weak, this is an opportunity!"
"Of course, it really is very weak."
Bai Feng said seriously, "This is merely a Willpower Script I wrote on the spot. Its carrier is not strong; it was outlined entirely through my Willpower, not from the essence blood of a powerful race. Comparatively speaking, this divine script... is truly far too weak!"
"It cannot really be considered a Soaring Realm divine script. At most, it is a fragmentary character."
"So even if you have successfully outlined it, it will not be very useful. Compared with geniuses... you are far too lacking!"
Bai Feng sighed. "Some geniuses at the academy have even entered the Nurturing Nature stage already. I mean the sort who have just enrolled. They have outlined complete divine scripts, and some are even divine scripts of the Divine Demon Race."
"While in the Nurturing Nature stage, some of them have even observed original texts from peak Ten Thousand Stones Divine Demon Race cultivators. In other words, the complete divine scripts they outlined may possess enough power to kill a Wanshi Ninth Layer cultivator!"
"Nurturing Nature does not mean one has no combat power. Of course, that is a field reserved for geniuses!"
"Mediocrities cannot outline complete divine scripts even in the Nurturing Nature stage. Such mediocrities are not worth mentioning!"
"The world is vast, and there are many geniuses, but how many can reach the pinnacle?"
"Every year, the ones beaten up at the academy are those mediocrities. Geniuses only forge ahead, sweeping all before them, invincible..."
Bai Feng said a great deal, mostly about how powerful those geniuses were and how they dazzled the world in all directions!
"In Great Zhou Prefecture, at the Great Zhou Civilization Academy, there is a genius who enrolled last year. Half a year after enrollment, his Willpower manifested. He controlled nine complete divine scripts, forged his body with god-race blood, and reached the Soaring Third Level in a single day!"
"After entering the Battlefields of the Heavens, he killed a Soaring Fifth Level expert. The Great Zhou Civilization Academy is already discussing whether to grant him the status of assistant researcher ahead of schedule."
"That is a genius!"
Bai Feng spoke calmly. He was not lying, of course, but he had overlooked certain facts. For example, that fellow's grandfather was a senior researcher, his grandmother was also a senior researcher, his father was a Lingyun Realm expert from the War Academy, and his mother was a genius researcher from the Research Academy.
Those things were unimportant!
Bai Feng silently told himself, Were those things important?
They were completely unimportant!
If you had the ability, Su Yu, go find yourself a few senior researchers to be your parents. Then I'd admit you were impressive!
Su Yu was shocked!
"How... old is he?"
"Nineteen. One year older than you."
Su Yu was completely dumbfounded. Was the sky beyond Nanyuan truly this high?
"Of course, that is rare. Do not despair."
Afraid that Su Yu would truly be struck into despair, Bai Feng smiled. "He is a genius. You are not, but as long as you work hard, you still have hope of reaching that step. Do not rush to move forward. We Civilization Masters either remain silent, or astonish the world with a single cry!"
"Teacher Bai, then I..."
"Oh, right. Do not tell anyone about outlining your divine script. You are in Nanyuan, and people here make a huge fuss over everything, treating every tiny matter as earth-shattering news. If people from the Ten Thousand Races Cult find out, you will be in trouble!"
Bai Feng said seriously, "Before you possess corresponding strength, keep a low profile. You are fairly good. At the very least, in Nanyuan, you count as a genius. That Liu Yue is inferior to you."
"In a little over two months, the Civilization Academy assessment will begin. Getting in should not be a problem for you. There will be a month of rest in between, and enrollment starts in August. At that time, the academy will conduct an investigation—whether students are assigned uniformly or choose a researcher as their teacher and pass that person's assessment... You can choose me."
"You are senior uncle's student. Our meeting is fate. When the time comes, I will go easy on you and let you enter my branch. Of course, before choosing, you may ask around whether joining me, Bai Feng, would put you at a loss. I do not mind if you give up this opportunity!"
After saying that, Bai Feng folded up the "Kaiyuan Jue" he had written earlier and tossed it to Su Yu. "Take it back and study it slowly. Although it is not as good as when I wrote it on the spot, reading it will help strengthen your Willpower. Or perhaps you may have a chance to capture a few more divine scripts."
"For now, this is all I will teach you. Chewing too much will leave you unable to digest it! Your foundation is still poor, and your Willpower is also weak. We can discuss everything else once your Willpower has grown stronger."
At this moment, Su Yu did not know what to say.
He... seemed to have been admitted early, and Bai Feng had even accepted him as a student in advance. What did this count as?
Good luck?
Or... was Bai Feng merely perfunctorily dealing with him for Teacher Liu's sake?
Looking again at what he held in his hands—a drop of Qi Liquid, a bone fragment containing an original text of a Thousand Jun Realm race, and a Willpower Script written by a Soaring Sixth Level Civilization Master—had he struck it rich?
A pie falling from the sky?
Su Yu was completely muddled. He did not realize that his greatest gain today was not these things, but that he had captured a divine script and completely outlined it. Though it was still weak, the foundation of his divine script had already been laid.
"Go back and rest well. Your Willpower has been greatly exhausted today."
Bai Feng's voice drifted over faintly. "I will wait for you at the Civilization Academy. Of course, truly earning my recognition will not be so simple! Before enrollment, reach 20% Willpower and become able to observe Thousand Jun bone fragments. At that point, you will barely be qualified to become my student rather than a mere errand-runner!"
"After returning this time, I believe I have hope of breaking through to the Soaring Seventh Level. Within three years, I will strive to break into the Lingyun Realm. If by then you are still as mediocre as you are now, perhaps... you will not even be qualified to tell others that I am your teacher."
Bai Feng spoke calmly, standing with his hands behind his back, looking so lofty and imposing!
You were too mediocre!
Today, he had given Su Yu an opportunity, but whether Su Yu could seize it depended on himself.
Su Yu said nothing. He silently clenched his fist. Am I really that mediocre?
Perhaps so!
A Civilization Master who was about to reach the Soaring Seventh Level and might soon enter the Lingyun Realm, still not even thirty this year—Su Yu had no way to refute such words when they came from him.
"I will work hard!"
Su Yu murmured almost inaudibly before turning and leaving.
Bai Feng maintained his lofty expert's bearing all the while. Once Su Yu had gone, he suddenly let out a long breath and broke into a wide grin.
"Damn, damn! He outlined a complete divine script! Damn, what the hell is going on with this kid? This is too unbelievable!"
He found it somewhat hard to believe, but it quickly turned into a smile. This trip to Nanyuan had truly been a huge gain.
"Kid, keep a low profile, keep a low profile! Don't fucking mess around before you even enter the academy. Once you enter, don't mess around either. Keep a low profile first. Wait until you reach the Soaring Realm before doing anything!"
Bai Feng muttered for a while, then suddenly thought of something. "No, I need to go back to the academy and register this. I accepted this kid in advance for senior uncle's sake. If anyone dares accept him as a student, I'll never let them off!"
"No, that won't work either. Teacher knows my personality. If I accept a student for senior uncle's sake, won't he suspect me?"
"What if someone steals my student?"
"No, this is so troublesome!"
"What do I do? I'm in such a hurry... Got it! I'll trick Teacher into going out before registering him. Right, that's what I'll do. Didn't a new race appear on the Battlefields of the Heavens? Teacher will definitely be interested. Teacher, please leave. Do not come back until after enrollment!"
Bai Feng muttered to himself, wishing he could immediately return to the academy.
Daxia Civilization Academy.
A refined middle-aged man was reading in a garden. At this moment, he suddenly frowned slightly. "Is Senior Brother Liu cursing me again?"
"Ah, curse away. As you wish."
The refined man smiled and shook his head slightly before continuing to read.
Before you continue