Office.
"You're at the Kaiyuan Fifth Stage?"
Holding a teacup, Liu Wenyan looked Su Yu up and down for a while, somewhat surprised.
His earlier perception had not been very clear, but now that his Willpower had manifested, Su Yu was obvious at a glance.
Ordinary people could neither see nor sense the Nine Apertures of Kaiyuan, but Civilization Masters could clearly perceive nine points of light. Five of Su Yu's points were lit—that meant he had reached the Kaiyuan Fifth Stage.
"Yes."
Su Yu nodded. "I was still at the fourth stage yesterday, but Elder Bai wrote out the Kaiyuan Jue once. After reading it, I felt as though I knew the Nine Apertures of Kaiyuan like the back of my hand, and I directly entered the Kaiyuan Fifth Stage."
"That was your fortunate opportunity."
Liu Wenyan did not doubt him. Smiling lightly, he said, "Bai Feng may have seemed relaxed, but with his strength, writing out the complete Kaiyuan Jue still consumed an enormous amount of Willpower. If his foundation were not so profound, even an ordinary seventh-stage Soaring cultivator would struggle to finish writing that cultivation method."
"At the Civilization Academy, instructors also would not casually write Willpower Scripts. The expenditure of Willpower is too great, and recovering it is difficult. They also need to nurture their Divine Scripts, so under normal circumstances, they are unwilling to consume large amounts of Willpower. That is why their classes are expensive—the students' Merit Points are compensation for them."
After saying that, Liu Wenyan smiled. "Kaiyuan Fifth Stage. It seems your talent in the path of the physical body is fairly decent."
"However, the speed of Kaiyuan cultivation is not actually that important."
Liu Wenyan truly did not care much about such things. A Kaiyuan Realm genius—so what?
Even if you entered Kaiyuan at nine years old, what of it?
The day a Civilization Master's Willpower manifested was the day he entered Soaring. That was the true, enormous gap.
"I did not ask you yesterday. Did you kill that fellow from the Ten Thousand Races Cult?"
"Yes."
Su Yu did not deny it. He nodded; before Liu Wenyan, he could not be bothered to deny it.
"Not bad. When it is time to act, you must act!"
Liu Wenyan chuckled. "You consumed essence blood and erupted with its power to kill him, correct?"
"Teacher, you could sense that?"
Su Yu was rather surprised.
"Of course. Did you think you could hide it from a Civilization Master?"
Liu Wenyan laughed, then turned serious. "Your physical body is too weak. The Kaiyuan Realm is not suited for consuming essence blood to cultivate, nor is it suited for consuming essence blood to erupt with power. You are making a mess of things!"
"Urgent matters called for flexible measures. You were in danger then, and we teachers had failed to protect you properly, so I could say nothing when you consumed the essence blood."
"But from now on, you are forbidden from consuming essence blood to cultivate!"
Liu Wenyan said sternly, "Do not ruin your entire life for a momentary increase in cultivation speed! Essence blood can strengthen the physical body and accelerate cultivation, but you have not yet completed Kaiyuan. With the nine apertures still blocked, essence blood will accumulate inside your body. Do you know how much trouble that will cause?"
"When the day comes for your Willpower to manifest, if too much essence blood from the myriad races has accumulated within your physical body, then when you forge your body, the essence blood will resist and clash with one another. It will greatly weaken the strength of your body forging!"
Liu Wenyan's tone was exceptionally stern. "Remember this: you are forbidden from consuming essence blood to cultivate again. Do not keep gambling on a single chance. You will not emerge unscathed every time!"
"I understand!"
Su Yu hurriedly answered. In truth, he had not consumed the essence blood himself—the atlas had absorbed it. Only a faint trace of its aura remained in his body.
That was all Liu Wenyan had sensed. In reality, it had no effect on Su Yu whatsoever.
Of course, there was no need to explain that to Liu Wenyan in detail.
"Good!"
Liu Wenyan smiled again. "There are still more than two months until the Academy assessment. You can already be considered accepted in advance, but that does not mean you can waste these two months. Bai Feng said that you were considered a genius in Nanyuan, but merely mediocre once you reached Great Xia Prefecture. He was not wrong."
"But... that was before!"
Liu Wenyan smiled. "Before, my Willpower had not manifested, so there were things I could not teach you and matters in which I could not help you. But now it is different. For the next two months, you will mainly cultivate under my guidance."
Su Yu seemed to want to speak but stopped himself. After thinking for a moment, he finally asked softly, "Teacher, will it just be me?"
"Yes."
"Teacher... could my dad be your long-lost son?"
"..."
Liu Wenyan was so irritated that he laughed!
"You want to be my grandson? I have no use for that!"
Liu Wenyan pointed at him. After a while, he laughed helplessly. "You, stop overthinking things. Here in Nanyuan, both you and Liu Yue have decent talent, but Liu Yue has family to guide her, family to help her, and resources provided to her. That is why she is stronger than you now."
"As for you, you have nothing. Your father has also gone to the Battlefields of the Heavens, and over these five years at the middle academy, I have watched you grow up."
"Your teacher is not some completely fair, impartial, selfless person either. The other students at the academy... strictly speaking, their futures are limited. You may be able to go farther than them, and the human race... needs the strong."
Liu Wenyan spoke bluntly. "Because I believe you may become strong in the future, I am willing, within my capabilities as your teacher, to help you more and let you walk a smoother path. Of course, there is a condition: you must be worth my favor. If you are unruly and arrogant, thinking yourself above all others, then your teacher will only watch silently and say nothing more."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Su Yu thanked him sincerely.
Over five years at Nanyuan Middle Academy, Liu Wenyan had helped him greatly. His study of Myriad Races Language, his mastery of eighteen languages—none of it could have happened without Liu Wenyan's help.
Over five years, he had grown from an ignorant boy into someone about to enter a Civilization Academy. Liu Wenyan had played an extremely important role in that.
"You need not thank me. When the day comes that you are truly strong, remember... kill more enemies on the battlefield. That will be the best repayment you can give me!"
Liu Wenyan rose and put the subject aside. "Come with me. Learn a few more Myriad Races Languages these next few days, and raise your Willpower as well. Right now, you are far too weak."
Su Yu said nothing and silently followed Liu Wenyan outside.
Xia Family Merchant Guild.
Warehouse.
Accompanied by a guild steward, the two entered an enormous warehouse.
When he saw everything inside, Su Yu was stunned.
"Today's first lesson: identifying corpses!"
"This is the main warehouse of the Xia Family Merchant Guild in Nanyuan. There are 132 demon corpses inside, most killed on the Battlefields of the Heavens and dragged back directly without being processed. Your task today is to remain inside for an entire day and identify the corpses!"
Liu Wenyan tossed him a small booklet. "Record their data: height, width, weight, number of bones..."
Su Yu's face was blank, and he vaguely felt like vomiting.
The stench of blood was too thick!
Stay for an entire day?
"Go in. You will stay in there alone today. Of course, do not touch those Demon Race corpses carelessly. They are very valuable, and you cannot afford to compensate for them."
As Liu Wenyan spoke, he added, "Tonight, I want to see the data you recorded. Also, for unfamiliar races, I want to see your own deductions. Even if you are making it up out of thin air, you still have to write something!"
"Teacher... alone?"
Su Yu's face was bitter. It was not as though he was terribly afraid.
But such a huge warehouse, such a thick stench of blood—was it really appropriate to throw an eighteen-year-old kid like him in here alone?
"Alone!"
Liu Wenyan said flatly, "Can you not even endure this much? On the Battlefields of the Heavens, soldiers sometimes have to lie in ambush amid piles of corpses for days. If you cannot bear even this, then do not go to the Battlefields of the Heavens. You would only be throwing your life away."
"I... understand!"
Su Yu said no more. Alone it was, then. It was not bad—there were many Demon Race corpses here, and he had never seen some of them before. Perhaps he could find some of the monsters from his dreams.
"Close the door!"
Liu Wenyan exited the warehouse. The next moment, someone from the Xia Family Merchant Guild shut the warehouse's door, an exceptionally heavy metal gate.
Once the door was shut, the steward who had remained silent earlier smiled. "Elder Liu, is this your personal disciple?"
"Yes."
Liu Wenyan did not say much, and neither did the steward. It was an unnecessary question.
If he were not a personal disciple, Liu Wenyan would not have paid such a high price to have the Xia Family Merchant Guild open its warehouse for a student to enter.
The Xia Family Merchant Guild's main warehouse was not a place just anyone could visit.
"Elder Liu, he is still a newcomer who has never been to a battlefield. He is too young. After one day, I fear he will have nightmares for several days. Should we turn on the lights and make it easier for him?"
The lights inside were off. Only a few dim safety lamps provided illumination, making the warehouse even more sinister in such an environment.
"No need. Civilization Masters often have to deal with corpses. If he cannot pass even this hurdle, how will he deal with the future?"
Liu Wenyan smiled. "Powerful Civilization Masters go directly to the Battlefields of the Heavens to capture Gods and Devils, then bring them back for research. Since he intends to walk this path, he must learn to get used to it."
The steward smiled but did not respond. Civilization Master... it was too early to say that.
Too many people remained stuck at the Nurturing Nature stage for their entire lives. Not everyone could be called a Civilization Master.
Capture Gods and Devils... How many people in Great Xia Prefecture could accomplish that?
Liu Wenyan thought too highly of this student and placed too much importance on him.
Of course, he could not refute Old Liu's words. Liu Wenyan's Willpower had manifested, so he counted as a Civilization Master.
The Xia Family Merchant Guild did not particularly care about a Civilization Master who had only just advanced, but Liu Wenyan had a junior brother who was a senior researcher at Daxia Civilization Academy. That demanded attention. In any case, someone from the Nanyuan branch like him could not afford to offend such a person.
"This is a Fire Pig. It stands 3.1 meters tall and is 7.2 meters long. It excels at breathing fire and charging. It is a cannon-fodder race on the Battlefields of the Heavens, primarily at the Qianjun Realm..."
Looking at the immense corpse before him, Su Yu began recording.
Liu Wenyan thought he would be afraid, disgusted, and terrified. Yet Su Yu did not find it that horrifying. It was merely pungent—the blood stench in this warehouse was too thick for him to bear.
"As for its weight..."
Su Yu calculated its volume, recalled the density of Fire Pig meat and the proportion of bones, then roughly estimated it at between twenty and twenty-five tons.
That was forty to fifty thousand jin!
The weight of one Fire Pig!
Its size and weight were terrifying. That was why even though the Fire Pig was merely a cannon-fodder race at the Qianjun Realm, its charge was still horrifying.
If a Qianjun Realm squad was not prepared in advance, it could easily be smashed apart by a Fire Pig's charge.
"Hm?"
As he calculated, Su Yu frowned slightly. The little "Blood" character in his mind was boiling.
"You want to drink blood?"
Su Yu bared his teeth. "This is not mine. Even though the essence blood has been extracted, ordinary blood is still worth money. Stealing other people's things is very bad, understand?"
In truth, there was very little blood left in these corpses.
The essence blood had been extracted, and the remaining ordinary blood was scarce. Most of it had been incorporated into the essence blood.
But no matter how little there was, it did not belong to him. His teacher had brought him here to broaden his horizons. If he took something, Liu Wenyan would have to take the blame. That would not do.
"You can actually drink blood..." Su Yu muttered.
The little "Blood" character seemed somewhat unhappy. It was a Blood Divine Script. Was drinking blood not perfectly normal?
"Can drinking blood strengthen you?"
Su Yu was unsure, but he could not drink the blood here, or it would be difficult to explain.
"Stop stirring around. When I have money later, I will buy you some myself. Ordinary blood is not very expensive."
Last time, he had bought a bottle of ordinary Iron Winged Bird blood for five thousand yuan. Of course, the amount had not been much.
In reality, if purchased in large quantities, it would not be expensive and would even come with substantial discounts.
The key was that no one would buy ordinary blood in large quantities, unless...
Su Yu's eyes flickered. Essence blood was actually refined from ordinary blood. He could not help muttering, "Little brother, can you refine essence blood?"
If it could, that would be a path to fortune.
Some Civilization Masters could refine essence blood. Refining a single drop paid quite well.
For one drop of Qianjun Realm essence blood, the Xia Family Merchant Guild dared charge fifty thousand!
In reality, there was little cost involved. The main expenses came from storage, transportation, refinement, and personnel.
As for the original cost... if you went to the Battlefields of the Heavens with one hundred thousand yuan, you could have the military haul back dozens or even hundreds of Qianjun demon beasts for you. Those things were trash on the Battlefields of the Heavens. Soldiers did not even eat them—there were too many, more than they could finish.
The major costs all came later. The cost of refining essence blood, the transportation costs—bringing Qianjun demon beasts back from the Battlefields of the Heavens was not worthwhile unless they were transported in bulk. Otherwise, selling a drop for fifty thousand would still mean a loss.
Of course, the military also had Civilization Masters who refined it directly on the Battlefields of the Heavens. But Qianjun Realm essence blood generally was not worth much, and Civilization Masters could not be bothered to act.
Su Yu had not understood these things too well before, but now that he knew Civilization Masters existed, he could connect the dots and understand most of it.
"The Blood Divine Script needs to absorb blood..."
Su Yu sighed. He felt that he was going to go bankrupt soon. If blood could nurture Divine Scripts, would he not have to buy it?
He definitely would have to buy it!
Nurturing Divine Scripts was extremely important.
If his Willpower was insufficient, then he would have to use other methods to nurture them. It seemed he would be very short of money in the future.
Alone in the warehouse, Su Yu amused himself as he examined corpses, sweating profusely from exhaustion.
The corpses were too heavy. As someone in the Kaiyuan Realm, he sometimes could not even move them, let alone carry them.
Some were piled together, and he had to slowly shove them aside bit by bit with all his strength, or he would not be able to see clearly.
Before long, Su Yu was covered in bloodstains and grime, turned into a bloody figure.
The "Blood" Divine Script throbbed even more violently, as though it wanted to emerge and drink blood. Su Yu suppressed it. Was this thing looking for a beating again?
It was not until evening, when the warehouse door opened, that Su Yu was released.
Outside the door, Liu Wenyan saw Su Yu's filthy appearance and the small booklet filled with dense writing. A smile appeared on his face.
Very good!
No complaints, no perfunctory work. Very good indeed.
"That is enough for today. Continue tomorrow. Stay in this place for five days, then change locations after five days."
After speaking, Liu Wenyan thought for a moment and added, "Previously, Bai Feng taught you to try outlining Divine Scripts. Of course, you cannot do that yet, but you can begin adapting in advance and give it a try."
"Outlining Divine Scripts consumes a great deal of Willpower. There is actually a shortcut: use Demon Race essence blood to outline them. Essence blood carries its own Willpower and source qi. First outline a Divine Script with spiritual resonance in the outside world, then use Willpower to outline it. That is the normal cultivation method for students at the Civilization Academy."
"I did not teach you this before. I will teach you from now on. Every five days, you may receive one drop of essence blood suitable for outlining Divine Scripts from me, provided that you complete your coursework exceptionally well!"
Su Yu was excited at first, then embarrassed. "Teacher, forget it. I do not need it."
There was no way the academy would reimburse this essence blood.
Clearly, Liu Wenyan intended to pay out of his own pocket. Even if he exchanged it at the academy, it would still cost one Merit Point.
"I said you must complete your coursework exceptionally well. Do you think I am giving it to you for free?"
Liu Wenyan said irritably, "Do you think you can complete it easily? Perhaps after two months, it will already be impressive if you receive even one drop. What does one Merit Point amount to for me?"
Su Yu smiled awkwardly. He wanted to say that he had actually already finished outlining it, but with people from the Xia Family Merchant Guild nearby, he held his tongue.
Better wait and see. Besides, his teacher was right—he might not necessarily be able to complete the task assigned to him.
If he had not grown accustomed to being killed in his dreams today, then faced with so many corpses and such a thick stench of blood, he probably would not have been able to bear it.
"Let's go. Go back tonight and get some proper rest. Your tasks have been heavy lately; you can ease up on Kaiyuan cultivation a little."
"Mm, I understand. Don't worry, Teacher, I won't let it delay me."
"..."
After exchanging a few words, Su Yu went home while Liu Wenyan returned to the academy.
Time passed day by day like this.
During the day, Su Yu studied under Liu Wenyan. At night, his tasks were just as heavy: Kaiyuan cultivation, studying the Kaiyuan Jue, fighting in his dreams, and finding time to learn the Myriad Races Language.
He also began formally studying the original text formed from Qianjun Realm bone fragments. Though he still could not see it, every clash of Willpower helped strengthen his own Willpower.
Bai Feng said twice a day at most. Su Yu... looked at it at least a dozen times a day.
He did not feel there was anything wrong with that. His head did swell and ache a little after every look, but he recovered quickly afterward. It was nothing worth worrying about.
As for the little brother of the "Blood" character wanting to absorb blood, Su Yu was so busy right now that he had no time to deal with it at all.
He would nourish it with Willpower first. When he had more time, it would not be too late to experiment slowly.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Time had reached mid-May.
Before you continue