Keep Going, Young Man!

Ten minutes later.

Liu Wenyan returned.

Su Yu snuck a few glances but didn't notice anything amiss.

Liu Wenyan's expression was calm. "Bai Feng went into seclusion as soon as he got back. I couldn't reach him. You should have told me about this earlier. Next time, just say what you need to say. Don't be so hesitant; it's not how a cultivator should act!"

Liu Wenyan lectured him, clearly dissatisfied. "You should know that whether you're a Civilization Master or a Warrior—Warriors are the self-proclaimed name for cultivators of the physical body path. Experts all share a common trait: decisiveness and determination are a must. You held onto a small matter for a month; don't you think that's too indecisive?"

Liu Wenyan slammed the table, nearly shattering it!

The more he spoke, the more he felt he was right!

"Are you going to hesitate for a month next time you encounter an army of gods and demons marching in the Battlefields of the Heavens?"

"Are you preparing to collect corpses for the human race soldiers?"

"Even if the commanding officer doesn't give you a chance, you have to create one to speak!"

Liu Wenyan wore an expression of disappointment, as if he couldn't believe Su Yu wasn't living up to his potential. "I thought you were steady, but it turns out you're not steady, you're indecisive! I'm very disappointed!"

"..."

Su Yu wanted to say something but stopped. Then, he felt that this might make him seem even more indecisive, so he quickly said, "Teacher, it's my fault. I won't do it again!"

"Good!"

Only then did Liu Wenyan smile, secretly taking a breath. He had finally regained his dignity as a teacher.

"Show me your Divine Script erupting."

As soon as he finished speaking, the character "Blood" erupted in Su Yu's mind.

The illusion reappeared!

This time, it wasn't the Iron Winged Bird, but hundreds of demon beasts charging, the ground rumbling.

Liu Wenyan focused his gaze, frowning slightly.

These demon beasts were very realistic, but there were also some flaws.

"Did you evolve these from the demon beast corpses you saw at the Xia Family Merchant Guild?"

"Mm."

"They're quite realistic, but what you saw were just corpses, lacking vitality. Some Qianjun who haven't been to the battlefield might fall for it, but those who have will react quickly."

Liu Wenyan commented a few times, then added, "It's not bad. At least ordinary Qianjun Realm cultivators might be fooled by you, though only for a moment."

Nodding, Liu Wenyan's eyes brightened slightly. The previous illusion instantly vanished.

Su Yu, on the other hand, looked slightly pale, but it didn't seem to affect him much.

"Not bad. Your willpower isn't particularly strong, but it's tenacious, like being tempered a thousand times..."

Having said that, Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu, appearing somewhat puzzled. "Logically, you haven't been to the battlefield and haven't experienced any major upheavals. Your willpower shouldn't be this tenacious. When I destroyed your illusion, you should have suffered some backlash."

Even if Su Yu's willpower was weak, the backlash wouldn't be severe, but he shouldn't just look pale. This was a sign of excessive consumption, not backlash.

Su Yu quickly replied, "I often watch the Academy Head behead people. I don't know if that has anything to do with it."

"..."

Liu Wenyan couldn't help but want to retort. You often watch Xia Longwu behead people... Could it be that you recorded it and watch the replay every day?

How twisted are you?

This kid... could he have a twisted tendency?

He glanced at Su Yu suspiciously but didn't say anything, continuing, "Didn't you say you wanted to absorb blood? Show me."

"There's no blood..."

"You don't need blood. Command your Divine Script to absorb my blood!"

Su Yu tried it and shook his head. The "Blood" little brother seemed uninterested.

Liu Wenyan considered for a moment, then suddenly cut his finger, and a drop of blood flowed out.

"Continue!"

"Teacher... this..."

"Hurry up, what are you hesitating for!"

Su Yu didn't dare to delay and once again commanded the "Blood" character to absorb blood.

This time, the "Blood" little brother stirred. The Divine Script in his mind vibrated, and the next moment, a suction force erupted. The drop of blood on Liu Wenyan's finger was struggling to break free from his control.

Liu Wenyan's eyes moved slightly. "That's enough!"

He didn't let the blood break free and nodded. "Not bad, this is the path of attack! Before, it was the path of illusion!"

"Your Divine Script is quite interesting. Although it's very weak, it has quite a few functions."

"Under normal circumstances, a Divine Script might have a few functions, but usually, one is primary, and the others are supplementary. Yours... does it have any other functions?"

Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu. "During combat, when your Divine Script becomes stronger, as long as the opponent is injured and has a wound, if your Divine Script erupts, the opponent might bleed profusely and die from excessive blood loss. That's why I say this is the path of attack."

Su Yu nodded, then shook his head. "For now, it seems I can only create illusions and absorb blood. I haven't discovered anything else."

"So, that's two functions..."

"No!"

Saying that, Liu Wenyan hesitated for a moment. He produced a drop of essence blood in his hand. "This is essence blood from a Qianjun Realm Fire Pig. Try absorbing it..."

After speaking, he shook his head. "No, wait. I'll go get some ordinary demon beast blood. Try absorbing it when I get back."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared.

Soon, Liu Wenyan returned with a bottle. "This is ordinary Mang Niu blood. Try absorbing it."

Su Yu commanded his 'Blood' minion to get to work again. The blood in the bottle trembled slightly, and then a wisp of blood vanished into thin air.

Su Yu felt it. The 'Blood' minion in his mind suddenly changed color, becoming a shade deeper than before.

"Absorb more!"

Su Yu didn't delay and continued to absorb.

The blood in the bottle gradually disappeared, evaporating. Soon, the small bottle of blood was gone.

The color of the 'Blood' character became even more vibrant red.

"How do you feel?"

"The Divine Script seems to have become a bit stronger, but I don't feel anything else."

"Stronger?"

Liu Wenyan fell into thought. Soon, he spoke, "So, this Divine Script can strengthen itself with blood. That's a good thing. Generally, Divine Scripts can only be strengthened through willpower. Some special Divine Scripts can be strengthened in other ways."

"Your Divine Script is just in its initial sketching phase. The fact that it can strengthen itself with blood makes it a special type of Divine Script."

"Very good!"

"Having such a characteristic with the very first Divine Script is of great help to its growth."

Liu Wenyan nodded continuously. Su Yu's willpower was still weak, making it difficult to strengthen his Divine Script at the moment. The fact that his Divine Script could absorb blood to strengthen itself was excellent.

"Teacher, then can I condense essence blood?"

Su Yu quickly asked, "I heard some people say that some Divine Scripts can condense essence blood."

"Yours can't."

Liu Wenyan shook his head. "Your Divine Script is too weak, and it strengthens itself by absorbing blood. Therefore, the power of the blood is consumed, not gathered together."

"Of course..."

Liu Wenyan smiled. "It's not necessarily impossible. Your Divine Script is still weak now. If it becomes stronger, then when you don't need to devour the power of weak blood, it might be possible to refine essence blood from blood."

"You can't try this now, and there's no need to. Wait until you reach the manifestation stage, or the late stage of Yangxing. Even if you could refine it now, at your absorption speed, it might take you half a month to refine a single drop of essence blood. It wouldn't be worth the effort."

Su Yu was a little disappointed upon hearing this. It seemed his dream of getting rich was shattered, and his dream of going bankrupt was about to come true.

This guy really just absorbs blood and doesn't make money!

"Illusion, blood absorption, strengthening – three characteristics!"

Liu Wenyan nodded again. "It's not bad."

As for refining essence blood, it couldn't be seen for now, and it wasn't a major function. Liu Wenyan didn't pay much attention to it.

Su Yu was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Teacher, three characteristics, does that mean the Divine Script is very powerful?"

He had heard Liu Wenyan say that many Divine Scripts only had one characteristic.

"Very powerful?"

Liu Wenyan smiled faintly. "The number of characteristics doesn't really mean anything. To give a simple example, I have a Divine Script that specializes in breaking the enemy's sea of consciousness. It only has this one characteristic! Do you think this Divine Script or yours is better?"

"..."

Su Yu chuckled sheepishly. That was true. The characteristic of breaking the sea of consciousness was too powerful.

"So, don't focus on the quantity, but on the effect and its power."

"Let's talk about the fourth head of the Civilization Academy. He left behind a character 'Yuan'. It could only absorb Yuan Qi, forming the Yuan Qi Treasure Realm. So, tell me, is this function strong or weak?"

Liu Wenyan smiled. "It's actually quite weak. In battle, would you rely on this Divine Script to absorb Yuan Qi and recover faster than others to be considered powerful? But for the entire human race, the value of this Divine Script exceeds that of a Shanhai Realm expert!"

"No matter how strong you are in the Shanhai Realm, you are still just one person. But the Yuan Qi Treasure Realm can benefit countless students of the Civilization Academy. So, tell me, is this Divine Script strong or not?"

Su Yu understood and nodded slightly. He said, "Teacher, I understand what you mean. Strength isn't about the number of characteristics, but about how it's used and where. The 'Yuan' Divine Script is insignificant in combat, but as an auxiliary, it's a supreme treasure!"

"Exactly!"

Liu Wenyan smiled. "So, don't pay too much attention to the number of characteristics. Having more characteristics in the early stage is fine, but in the later stage, people generally pursue specialization. A Divine Script that specializes in one characteristic is easier to nurture to its extreme."

Saying that, he tossed the previous Fire Pig essence blood to Su Yu again. "Try absorbing essence blood again. You can't use Qianjun Realm essence blood for Kaiyuan, but the Divine Script's absorption doesn't care about that. I'm just worried you won't be able to handle it."

Su Yu didn't stand on ceremony and continued to control his 'Blood' minion to absorb it.

This time, it was difficult, and very slow!

Su Yu could clearly feel his willpower being consumed, and the 'Blood' minion was also trembling, like a person trying to drink water through a dozens-of-meters-long pipe – extremely difficult.

The "Blood" brother, who was so excited it was practically jumping earlier, was now deflated.

When it actually tried to absorb, it couldn't!

After expending immense effort, Su Yu felt like his head was about to explode. The Fire Pig's essence blood in front of him only trembled slightly, showing no significant change.

Liu Wenyan, however, noticed something different and chuckled, "It absorbed about one percent of its essence. It seems the power of Blood Absorption is still quite weak."

Su Yu felt his "Blood" brother being enveloped in a bloody mist in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. You're not absorbing anymore?

As soon as it absorbed a little essence blood, this guy played dead, acting as if it was utterly exhausted.

I thought you were so amazing, but you're this weak! One drop of Qianjun essence blood, and you absorbed one percent. What were you jumping around for before?

"Teacher, can absorbing blood make Divine Script grow stronger?"

"It should be possible, depending on the characteristics of your Divine Script!"

Liu Wenyan nodded, then warned, "Don't absorb randomly. It's not good for your Divine Script to become too powerful! If your strength isn't sufficient and your willpower isn't strong enough, let me put it this way: if your Divine Script truly becomes powerful to a certain extent and you can't suppress it with your willpower, it will backfire on you!"

"Backfiring is the least of it. I'm afraid it could directly drain your willpower!"

Liu Wenyan said gravely, "Back then, some of those people died because of this. Those idiots relentlessly strengthened their Divine Script. Some of them, like you, could strengthen their Divine Script through external means. They paid a huge price to enhance their Divine Script. As a result, their Divine Script became powerful, but it, in turn, required a massive amount of willpower to nurture..."

"And now, their willpower wasn't strong enough. They were instantly drained of their willpower, their sea of will collapsed, and they were finished!"

Liu Wenyan said sternly, "Therefore, when you feel you can't bear it anymore, when your will is under pressure, immediately give up on strengthening your Divine Script! Divine Script and willpower are mutually reinforcing. It's fine if your willpower is stronger than your Divine Script, but if your Divine Script is stronger than your willpower, you're most likely going to die, or at least be crippled!"

Su Yu nodded solemnly.

He had actually thought about it before, wondering if, after his Divine Script became powerful, he could directly drain someone in the Soaring Realm...

But after Liu Wenyan's explanation, he immediately understood the danger.

The first time he had inscribed the Divine Script "Blood," he had fought with the Divine Script many times.

A powerful Divine Script could also backfire on him.

"This is all common knowledge. Civilization Academy will teach you, but you're a bit special, having inscribed a Divine Script early. In Southern Yuan, only I have some understanding of these things. If you have any questions, be sure to ask me. Never experiment on your own."

Liu Wenyan's tone was extremely serious. "Absolutely do not try anything rash! Also, since you've inscribed your first Divine Script, you might inscribe a second one. That's fine, but it must be within your limits!"

"When you feel you can't bear it, even if the Divine Script is floating right in front of you, don't try to inscribe it. Don't let greed cost you your life!"

"Divine Script isn't about quantity. Many but scattered is worse than few but refined. If you can't even handle cultivating one diligently, let alone many."

Su Yu nodded again. This was his teacher's hard-earned experience, and as a novice, he had to remember it carefully.

Liu Wenyan continued to speak, sharing what he knew with Su Yu.

He hadn't taught these things in many years, but his experience was still there.

Towards the end, Liu Wenyan expressed some regret, "After all, I've only just manifested, and I've been in Southern Yuan for too long. I'm actually a bit out of touch with the times. Times are changing, and the path of cultivation is also changing. Some things you can only learn at Civilization Academy."

"For the next month, don't try to inscribe any more Divine Scripts. Focus on one, and also strengthen your willpower. Willpower is the foundation!"

"Teacher, I understand."

"Also..."

Liu Wenyan hesitated for a moment, then thought about it. "Your willpower talent is actually average, but you inscribe Divine Scripts very quickly. I don't know if this is a good thing, but it's also an extraordinary talent."

"With your talent, if it were exposed and you went to Civilization Academy, you should be able to find a good teacher to guide you."

"Bai Feng previously said he wanted to take you as a student. I thought it was your good fortune before, but now... I'm actually in a difficult position."

Su Yu looked confused. Liu Wenyan gave a wry smile, "I just thought about whether I should tell Bai Feng's teacher about your situation. If I told him, he might take you in."

"But... it might not be better than Bai Feng."

Liu Wenyan sighed, "He has many students, and he himself is very powerful, so he might not spend much time at the academy, and he might not have the inclination to teach you."

"He is a Civilization Master in the Shanhai Realm, and he travels to the Battlefields of the Heavens, the sea world, and many other places... so the time he can teach you throughout the year is limited."

"Although Bai Feng is only in the Soaring Realm, he spends more time at the academy. He can provide you with more help in the early stages. In the later stages... actually, when you reach the Soaring Realm, his teacher will also guide you, because you'll be like his disciple's disciple. Geniuses are valued everywhere."

He had been angry before, but after careful consideration, he realized some things needed to be considered for Su Yu's sake.

Bai Feng was weaker than his teacher, but Bai Feng had no students and spent more time at the academy, so he could offer Su Yu more assistance.

Once Su Yu became stronger, as Bai Feng's student, he could naturally follow along with Bai Feng's teacher.

Liu Wenyan considered it further and slowly said, "Actually... there's another way! You could become a disciple of Bai Feng's teacher, and then have his teacher order Bai Feng to guide you as a senior disciple... Of course, the premise is that Bai Feng is willing, and won't beat you to death."

Su Yu coughed dryly and said with a bitter smile, "Teacher, I think I'll be beaten to death. Bai Feng is preparing to take me as a student, and I suddenly become his junior, and I have to ask him to guide me. Isn't that... a bit excessive?"

Liu Wenyan shrugged, "That's your own business. Of course, the choice is yours! Actually, Bai Feng is also an option, but this guy... it's hard to say. He's about to break through to the seventh level of Soaring, and he's even preparing to break through to the Lingyun Realm soon. You need to think carefully, his time might not be abundant either."

Su Yu nodded, that was true.

"There's no rush for the apprenticeship. The researchers at Civilization Academy aren't just the two of them," Liu Wenyan mused for a moment, then added, "Don't reveal that you've inscribed Divine Scripts to outsiders. Consider it your trump card."

"Even during the assessment, you don't need to show it, or you can say you've successfully inscribed it, but only one or two strokes, that the foundation is laid. That's also fine."

"Civilization Academy, War Academy... no matter which academy, it's not necessarily peaceful."

Liu Wenyan sighed, "Su Yu, remember, people's hearts are unpredictable! Most of humanity is fighting against the Myriad Races, but that doesn't mean everyone is. If that were the case, the Ten Thousand Races Cult wouldn't have been born!"

"The Ten Thousand Races Cult has many factions, and some of them are deeply hidden. Killing weaker geniuses is more cost-effective. It's necessary to reveal your talents appropriately! Otherwise, you won't be taken seriously or cultivated."

"Holding back is also necessary!"

Liu Wenyan said sternly, "Holding back can save your life! You can showcase yourself and prove to everyone that you are worth cultivating, but you must keep some trump cards. Strike back at a critical moment!"

"Teacher, I understand!"

Su Yu nodded quickly. He got it.

"It's good that you understand."

Liu Wenyan was pleased and smiled, "Then go back and cultivate. Also... since you've mastered Divine Script, for the next month... you'll accompany me to Jifeng Hall."

"Jifeng Hall?"

"That's right. Although we defeated the Ten Thousand Races Cult's previous operation and everyone who came died, some troublemakers outside the city escaped and haven't been apprehended yet."

"They have the blood of innocent civilians on their hands, so they cannot be allowed to live!"

Liu Wenyan looked at him and slowly said, "You'll act with Jifeng Hall to capture and kill them! I want you to... see blood! It was good that you killed one at the academy last time, but it's not enough. I want you to not be nervous about seeing blood before you enter Civilization Academy."

"Civilization Masters also kill, and they kill many. Civilization Masters who don't kill are the lowest, most ordinary, and most useless kind. I don't want you to become that kind of person, but rather a potential strongman on the path to becoming a true powerhouse!"

"Except for not revealing your daily Divine Script inscription, you can reveal everything else. Steal the show in the assessments, be the undisputed best, attract the attention of the academy, and receive corresponding treatment. That's what you should do, because you don't have parents in the Shanhai Realm to rely on!"

"Surpass the geniuses from the prefectural cities, forge ahead, and rise!"

Liu Wenyan smiled at Su Yu, "There's not much I can do to help you, so... work hard! The harder you work now, the greater your rewards will be in the future!"

Su Yu shivered slightly. When his teacher said that, he felt like he was in for some trouble.

PS: Requesting recommendation votes. Thank you all for your tips. The list of tippers will be compiled at the end of the month. Thank you all for your support!