The Great Debtor

Nanyuan.

These past two days, the academy had been in an uproar. Chen Hao, who had been at Kaiyuan Three Stages, broke through to the fourth stage and challenged Zhou Chong, who was at Kaiyuan Fifth Stage...

There was practically no gap between the fourth and fifth stages. In truth, both were still ordinary people.

Zhou Chong's realm was higher than Chen Hao's, yet in their one-on-one fight, Chen Hao beat him until he howled like a wolf and wailed like a ghost.

And that was not the end of it. After beating Zhou Chong, Chen Hao felt the fight had been too short and kept looking for people to challenge. On the first day alone, he fought more than ten students.

He won some and lost some, but Chen Hao did not care. He treated it all as practical combat training.

In less than three days, Chen Hao had fought at least thirty times. If not for the sheer number of bruises on his body, and his mother forcibly making him stay home for a day to recover, that fellow would have kept fighting.

Chen Hao had stopped coming, but he had opened the floodgates for Nanyuan Academy.

Usually, everyone thought Kaiyuan Fourth Stage was incredibly formidable, while the fifth stage was a star in the sky.

But now that they looked at it, Chen Hao had beaten them all before.

It was as though a new world had been opened before them. In the past, quite a few students had been bullied by those so-called geniuses. Now, with Chen Hao absent from school, the academy was even livelier that day.

More than one or two people were shouting that they wanted to challenge geniuses one-on-one. Zhou Chong had a foul mouth and had offended plenty of people. For the sake of his genius's pride, he refused to back down. That day, he fought at least six or seven students one-on-one.

Win or lose, he got injured either way. Anyone unfamiliar with him who saw him now would barely recognize the fellow.

"Utter nonsense!"

In the office, Liu Wenyan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had known at once who had egged this on!

Chen Hao was simple and honest. Without someone instigating him, why would he have gone looking for a fight with Zhou Chong? This was clearly Su Yu's handiwork.

Beside him, the old Academy Head continued tugging at his beard. These days, he had plucked out quite a lot of it.

With a sigh, the old Academy Head let out a long breath. "These little fellows are truly brimming with energy! The assessment is almost here, yet they still will not settle down. It is fine for them to make a little noise—at least they are more passionate about cultivation—but..."

The old Academy Head was nearly in tears. "But do not hit the girls! These little fellows... I am worried about their futures! There are not many girls in the War Academy to begin with. If they bring this habit with them into the War Academy, will our Nanyuan... become a den of bachelors?"

Liu Wenyan's body trembled slightly. Yes, this was a serious problem!

"That brat Chen Hao... needs a beating!"

Liu Wenyan was growing worried as well. What was this batch of Nanyuan students supposed to do?

Now every one of them was shouting, "Men and women are equal; on the battlefield, there is no distinction between men and women!" Equal my ass!

You are all this straight—what will you do in the future?

Could it be... that every male student in this batch would stay single until death?

The old Academy Head sighed. "This atmosphere is not only corrupting this batch. The batches below them are all watching as well. There are quite a few eleven- and twelve-year-old children in the academy. These past two days, I heard from the other instructors that many male students are preparing to challenge female students..."

"Have they lost their minds?" Liu Wenyan was speechless.

"They have not lost their minds. The older students spread the word that beating girls proves one's resolve in the path of cultivation and helps one advance in cultivation."

"..."

Liu Wenyan looked at the old Academy Head, and the old Academy Head looked back at him. The two old men suddenly both wore dejected expressions.

This could not be allowed to spread!

If this continued, in a few years, the entire Nanyuan Academy truly would become a monk's temple.

Too terrifying!

And once this notorious reputation spread, if even Great Xia Prefecture learned of it, would Nanyuan students still dream of falling in love with girls after arriving in Great Xia Prefecture?

What were they thinking!

The old Academy Head sighed again. "Let us send off this batch of students first. Old Liu, forget that for now. You heard the news sent back from Daxia Civilization Academy, did you not?"

As Nanyuan's strongest middle-level academy, it naturally had connections with the major academies of Great Xia Prefecture.

Some news would spread over quickly.

Besides, there were also some graduates of Nanyuan Academy there, so the old Academy Head's information network was fairly well-connected.

Liu Wenyan nodded slightly, then said unconcernedly, "It is an old tradition. There is nothing new about it! The key is not Su Yu, but Bai Feng. That fellow just happened to break through to Soaring Seventh Level, and the threat he posed suddenly became much greater."

"Before, although he was at Soaring Sixth Level and was still outstanding, there were seven or eight others around his age at Soaring Sixth Level in Daxia Civilization Academy, as well as several in the late Soaring stage. Even his place in the top ten was somewhat controversial. But now that he has broken through so quickly... naturally, people are paying attention."

Bai Feng taking a disciple had not originally been such a sensation.

If he had taken a student at the sixth level, people would have paid attention, but it definitely would not have been this serious.

The key was that he was at the seventh level now!

Although there was only one level between the sixth and seventh levels, this meant Bai Feng would face almost no bottlenecks in reaching Soaring Eighth Level and Soaring Ninth Level.

With that, Bai Feng had risen into the ranks of the top five among Daxia Civilization Academy's younger generation.

This referred to Bai Feng's generation and did not include those old-established figures in the academy.

The old Academy Head worried, "Will Su Yu be affected? I have heard that whenever this time comes, the competition over there is fierce. It is not only the Civilization Academy—the War Academy is the same. Some have even lost their lives..."

"That only happens in extremely rare circumstances." Liu Wenyan understood better than he did and explained, "There are people watching from behind. The deaths you mentioned are mostly accidents."

"Accidents still happen."

The old Academy Head said anxiously, "Su Yu is merely a student from a middle-level academy, yet he has suddenly been dragged into this. Old Liu, I was thinking... does he really need to go to the Civilization Academy? He is already at Kaiyuan Seventh Stage. He can safely test into the War Academy too, so what do you think..."

"No!"

Liu Wenyan frowned. "Even if he achieves something in the War Academy, it will never be as great as what he could achieve in the Civilization Academy! Going to the Civilization Academy now is a hurdle, but once he crosses it, he will be able to go faster, higher, and farther!"

"Old Liu, he is only eighteen. He understands nothing."

"He can learn what he does not understand. No one is born knowing everything!" Liu Wenyan said firmly. "Su Yu possesses great tenacity. Small setbacks cannot crush him. Once he pulls through, he will become the finest!"

"You see this as a crisis, but I see it as an opportunity. If he entered as an ordinary student, he would need at least five years before he could come into contact with this circle. But now, he can meet these most outstanding young people as soon as he enters. It will only help his future, not hinder it."

"As for danger... it will not come to that." Liu Wenyan said in a deep voice, "Bai Feng is no weakling among the younger generation, and his teacher is likewise one of the few top figures among the Civilization Academy's senior researchers."

"Su Yu will not be starting from a low point after he goes there. Only a high start and a high starting point can make his path easier!"

"Besides... Su Yu is no worse than anyone!"

At that, Liu Wenyan smiled. "The information Daxia Civilization Academy has on him has not been updated yet. Kaiyuan Fifth Stage, eighteen Myriad Races Languages—let that information remain for now. Do not update it! Keep a card up our sleeve and buy Su Yu some time. Once he reaches the Civilization Academy, he can catch them completely off guard!"

Seeing that he had made up his mind, the old Academy Head stopped trying to persuade him and asked, "Then does he have hope of reaching Kaiyuan Eighth Stage?"

These past two days, Su Yu had not gone on any missions. He came to the academy to check in, learned some Myriad Races Language from Liu Wenyan, then quickly returned home.

He was preparing to break through to Kaiyuan Eighth Stage.

Kaiyuan Eighth Stage was a major watershed in the Kaiyuan Realm. After breaking through, Su Yu would be able to use origin qi, and his explosive power would become stronger. Combined with his Divine Characters, it would be even easier for him to kill a Qianjun Realm cultivator in a sneak attack.

"I do not know."

Liu Wenyan hesitated. "He has progressed quickly lately. In less than two months, he went from the fourth stage to the seventh, and he may even reach the eighth soon. Bai Feng's Willpower Script of the 'Kaiyuan Jue' has helped him greatly, but after Kaiyuan Seventh Stage, that Willpower Script will have limited effect."

"Did you not say before that you wanted to write him a Willpower Script? How about writing another 'Kaiyuan Jue' for him?"

The old Academy Head still hoped that Su Yu could break through. If he did, Su Yu would become Nanyuan's first Kaiyuan Eighth Stage genius in twenty years.

Twenty years ago, Nanyuan had produced a Kaiyuan Eighth Stage cultivator, but... that had been somewhat fake.

That person had come from Great Xia Prefecture and was only temporarily enrolled. He left after the assessment.

"It would be useless for me to write that now."

Liu Wenyan shook his head, then smiled. "I have already decided what to write for him, but you need to bleed a little."

"What are you writing?" The old Academy Head was somewhat wary.

"The first chapter of the 'Thunder Origin Blade,' the Qianjun chapter!"

Liu Wenyan said in a deep voice, "He does not truly lack cultivation methods. There will be some at the Civilization Academy as well. What he lacks are martial skills! Martial skills passed down through Willpower! He could learn ordinary martial skills too, but the speed would be too slow. Only by writing a martial skill into a Willpower Script can he quickly gain its inheritance and master it."

"The 'Thunder Origin Blade'? A low-grade Profound-tier martial skill?"

The old Academy Head stared at him in surprise. "Can he handle it? No, can you handle it? Can you write the Qianjun chapter of the 'Thunder Origin Blade' now?"

The strength of a Civilization Master was not limited to combat power. In fact, warriors were not weak in terms of combat strength.

But Civilization Masters had many powerful aspects. For example, a Willpower Script—Bai Feng had written a half-baked 'Kaiyuan Jue,' and Su Yu had benefited enormously. He had broken through to Kaiyuan Eighth Stage without using much essence blood. That was all because of the influence of that Willpower Script.

"I cannot?"

Liu Wenyan blew out his beard and glared. "It is only low-grade Profound-tier, and merely the Qianjun chapter at that. Why would I not be able to? Who are you looking down on?"

"But... you need to bleed a little! I want one hundred drops of Thunderclap Beast essence blood. Qianjun Realm will do. Also, I need a Thunderclap Beast horn ground into powder, and you need to provide a Wanshi Realm beast hide for me to transcribe the 'Thunder Origin Blade.'"

"You..."

The old Academy Head's eyes widened as he counted on his fingers. "One hundred drops of Qianjun Realm Thunderclap Beast essence blood—that is one hundred Merit Points. A Thunderclap Beast horn costs five Merit Points each. A Wanshi Realm beast hide suitable for transcribing a Profound-tier martial skill costs at least ten Merit Points..."

"One hundred and fifteen Merit Points? Are you robbing me blind?"

"Vulgar!"

Liu Wenyan rebuked him. "You are far too vulgar! You link everything to money! It is only a little over one hundred Merit Points. When the Ten Thousand Races Cult attacked and was wiped out last time, did the academy not receive an additional thousand Merit Points?"

"That is the academy's nest egg!"

"What nest egg? Did I not kill a Soaring cultivator? I cannot even be bothered to calculate it. Did you embezzle those Merit Points?"

"What do you mean, I embezzled them!"

The old Academy Head was so angry he nearly jumped. "Stop pretending to be confused with me. You exchanged them for a Soaring-level original text from the Myriad Races, did you forget? You spent all your own Merit Points, and you still owe Daxia Civilization Academy quite a lot!"

"Great Xia Prefecture has not bothered to hold you accountable, and now you are pushing your luck?"

"Do you have any shame?"

"Are you even human? You accuse me of embezzling those Merit Points, I—"

Liu Wenyan coughed lightly and interrupted, "I remember now. Was that not to improve my strength and protect Nanyuan? That should count as Nanyuan's public expenses, right? Cough, cough. Fine, fine, count it as mine. But now I am nurturing a genius for Nanyuan. The academy should provide at least some support, should it not?"

"Think about it. Su Yu is a rare genius in Nanyuan. I am writing the 'Thunder Origin Blade' for him. In any case, it would be difficult to transcribe it directly with my own Willpower alone. If he learns the 'Thunder Origin Blade,' he will be able to establish himself in Great Xia Prefecture too, do you not agree?"

"If he takes first place in the examination, will Nanyuan Academy gain face? Will it gain credit?"

"If he does well in Great Xia Prefecture, will he repay the academy in the future?"

"If he reaches Soaring, or even Lingyun Shanhai, and casually lets a little profit leak out, then one day, when he is in the mood, he can come back and transcribe a few Willpower Scripts for the academy. Would a single Willpower Script not be worth more than what you are spending today?"

"Old Wang! One must look far ahead in life. You are already so old—why is your vision still so shallow?"

Liu Wenyan said with heartfelt anguish, "He has talent, tenacity, a solid foundation, and he is someone who remembers favors. If you do not bleed a little for him now, why would he repay you after he makes a name for himself?"

The old Academy Head tugged at his beard, pulling out several more hairs. After a long while, he sighed. "More than a hundred Merit Points..."

"What is that? It is only killing a Soaring cultivator."

"You... only? Go kill another one, then!"

Liu Wenyan said impatiently, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? What are Merit Points for if not to be used? Last time, the instructors gained quite a lot, and no one needs to use them for now. Just treat it as giving them to me. As a Soaring Civilization Master, I still have basic Merit Point expenses. Great Xia Prefecture will definitely allocate funds later."

As a Civilization Master, even though he was not at the Civilization Academy, he still had basic research funds.

Transcribing Willpower Scripts and tempering one's body both consumed resources.

Although Liu Wenyan was merely an unaffiliated Civilization Master, according to the rules, he was still entitled to some basic income.

The old Academy Head glared at him with wide eyes. "Allocate funds? I asked last time, and Great Xia Prefecture said you owe them thirty thousand Merit Points. You cannot repay it in your lifetime, so stop dreaming!"

"Thirty thousand?"

Liu Wenyan froze for a moment, then said strangely, "Only thirty thousand? When I left the academy back then, I owed more than one hundred thousand. How did it become only thirty thousand?"

"..."

The old Academy Head was speechless. Damn it, so you knew!

Taking a deep breath, the old Academy Head said angrily, "In any case, you have no hope of paying yours off. I will give you the materials, but... I must say this in advance. When Su Yu's Willpower manifests one day, he must find time to repay the academy with a Willpower Script!"

"Of course. If he does not repay it, then once my Willpower recovers, I will write another one myself."

Liu Wenyan smiled. At last, he would not need to spend the little nest egg he had left.

The old Academy Head sighed again, then could not help complaining, "Great Xia Prefecture will not even allocate you the basic Merit Points. What will you do about tempering your body from now on? If you delay for another few years, how old will you be?"

"If they do not give them to me, then they do not give them to me."

Liu Wenyan chuckled. "I do not lack food or clothes, anyway. Speaking of which, I only owe thirty thousand now. Did you ask what happened?"

"I did. Researcher Wu repaid fifty thousand for you."

Liu Wenyan frowned. After a while, he cursed softly, "Idiot!"

"Hm?"

"He has a screw loose! When debts pile up, there is no need to worry. What is the use of repaying fifty thousand? Besides, the Merit Points owed to Great Xia Prefecture were not real Merit Points. Back then, in a fit of anger, my brain was full of water and I said some harsh words. I did not truly borrow that many Merit Points!"

Liu Wenyan was somewhat helpless. Fifty thousand Merit Points was no small sum!

It was an enormous sum!

He could not be bothered to speak of it further and changed the subject. "Forget it. Prepare the materials as soon as possible. Tomorrow, I will transcribe the 'Thunder Origin Blade.' If that brat can learn it, then even at Kaiyuan Eighth Stage, with the 'Thunder Origin Blade' and his Divine Characters, he can easily deal with ordinary Qianjun Second or Third Level cultivators."

At that point, the old Academy Head could no longer care about the cost. He nodded. Whether the kid repaid the academy in the future would depend on his conscience.

After all, Liu Wenyan was here. A Soaring Civilization Master might only say things casually, but if Liu Wenyan truly insisted, no one could object even if he used up every bit of wealth the academy had accumulated.

As he was leaving, the old Academy Head suddenly turned around. "Old Liu, if it truly does not work... then give up! Exchange for God-Demon Blood to temper your body. You will soon reach Soaring Third Level, and in a few years, you may even enter Lingyun Shanhai!"

Liu Wenyan smiled with narrowed eyes. "Give up what? I do not understand."

"Old Liu... you are over seventy!"

The old Academy Head's expression was complicated. Over seventy—he truly was not young anymore.

Liu Wenyan blew out his beard and glared. "What is wrong with being over seventy? You are merely Wanshi, yet you are questioning me, a Soaring cultivator. Do you know how Soaring cultivators fly?"

"..."

The old Academy Head did not know whether to laugh or cry. Muttering a few words, he quickly left.

That old fellow was still the same after all these years.

After he left, Liu Wenyan let out a breath and said irritably, "God-Demon Blood... do they think I am stupid? A few drops of Soaring God-Demon Blood and they want to take it from me? Dream on! I owed over one hundred thousand Merit Points back then... they would need to give me the complete corpse of a Myriad Races King at the very least!"

"Over seventy..."

Liu Wenyan muttered to himself. He truly was not young anymore.

Wait a little longer!

If that brat Su Yu could truly go far, and... he still needed to observe him further.

Five years was not enough!

Ten years. He needed to observe him for at least another five years. Once Su Yu reached Great Xia Prefecture, he would continue observing him, to see whether he could maintain his original heart, whether he could remain unyielding and forge ahead all the way.

"I am not dead yet... I can still hold on!"

Liu Wenyan murmured. If Su Yu was not suitable, then he would continue waiting until he died, and only then return to the Civilization Academy.

"Surnamed Wu... once you get there, it will depend on you."

Liu Wenyan looked out the window. He had waited fifty years already. Was he still lacking this little bit of time?

The next moment, the melancholy Liu Wenyan suddenly burst into loud curses. "You idiot! Fifty thousand Merit Points—you should have given them to me! You actually used them to repay debts, just as stupid as you were fifty years ago!"

"No wonder after all these years, you are still only a senior researcher and have not even managed to become a vice academy head!"

"A Civilization Master's strength lies in the brain. That brain of yours is pig brain!"

"..."

Liu Wenyan cursed for a long while, yet he still could not vent his anger. Fifty thousand Merit Points! Were you insane? Who told you to repay it?