Methods of the Civilization Academy

"Instructor, Academy Head."

After entering the instructors' office and seeing that Liu Wenyan and the Academy Head were both there, Su Yu hurriedly greeted them.

"Su Yu is here."

Liu Wenyan wore a smile, far warmer than he had been toward the Academy Head just now. Beaming, he said, "Your father has gone to the Battlefields of the Heavens. Have there been any inconveniences in your daily life lately?"

"No, everything has been quite good."

Su Yu thanked him, then quickly asked with some concern, "Instructor, I heard people from the Ten Thousand Races Cult might come to Nanyuan soon..."

"No matter!"

Liu Wenyan did not take it seriously. Smiling faintly, he said, "Not to mention they may not come at all—even if they truly do, so what? If they dare make a move against me, they must be prepared for massive casualties. Trading the lives of a whole crowd for this old man's life—who profits and who loses is hard to say."

Liu Wenyan rose to his feet and looked out the window, smiling. "When great events arise, one must remain calm; the heart must not fall into disorder! Su Yu, what I have admired most about you these past few years is your ability to settle your heart and remain unflustered when trouble comes. That is the foundation that makes you stronger than others."

"Do not let a few minor disturbances throw your mind into turmoil."

After saying a few words, Liu Wenyan quickly turned to the Academy Head. "You may leave first. Su Yu and I have something to discuss."

The Academy Head smiled. This time, he did not insist and soon left the office.

Once the Academy Head had gone, Liu Wenyan's smile vanished.

He pressed down with his hand, signaling Su Yu to sit. Su Yu found it a little strange but did not ask. He sat down across from Liu Wenyan.

"Su Yu, I heard you applied to the War Academy?"

"Yes."

"You want to attend the War Academy, don't you?"

Su Yu was slightly startled and explained, "No, it was just an extra preparation..."

"Do not lie to me. Your teacher is not that foolish. Your father went to the Battlefields of the Heavens, so you want to go too, don't you?"

Su Yu fell silent.

Liu Wenyan smiled faintly. "Fool! Even if you go to the War Academy, how long will it take before you cultivate to the point where you can protect your father?"

"..."

Su Yu said nothing. He had considered that question, but he did not want to think about it. Besides, there was now an extra book in his mind, so anything could happen.

"Do you know which top-tier experts the human race has?"

"King Daxia, King Dazhou, the King of Great Ming..."

Liu Wenyan nodded slightly, then quickly asked, "Then do you know which experts emerged after the Anping Calendar?"

Without waiting for Su Yu to answer, Liu Wenyan smiled. "The most famous and widely known are probably the rulers of the various provinces, as well as the commanders of the major war legions."

"But do you know that thirty percent of them came from Civilization Academies?"

Su Yu froze. Thirty percent came from Civilization Academies?

Weren't Civilization Academies meant to train...

As if he knew what Su Yu was thinking, Liu Wenyan chuckled. "You think people from Civilization Academies ought to be like your teacher—only knowing a few Myriad Races Languages, weak in combat, ready to topple at the first gust of wind?"

"Wrong!"

Liu Wenyan's expression turned solemn. "Your teacher did not tell you before because you had not reached that stage yet!"

"In truth, many experts in Civilization Academies—even some top-tier experts—are more powerful than those from War Academies!"

"We study the civilizations of the heavens. How could we possibly be so weak? If we were, how could we comprehend the deeper levels of cultivation arts and secret realms?"

Liu Wenyan's eyes blazed. "I am merely an insignificant, failed student of a Civilization Academy, but do you truly think your teacher is so frail that the wind could blow him over?"

"Hm?"

Su Yu opened his mouth, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Teacher, could you stop being so shameless?

You're only at the Qianjun Seventh Level. Isn't that far too weak?

"You want to say that I am only at the Qianjun Seventh Level and far too weak?"

"..."

Su Yu blinked, feeling as though his teacher had seen right through him.

"That is right. I can see some of what you are thinking."

Su Yu was instantly shaken upon hearing that!

"Surprised?"

Liu Wenyan smiled. "You are too weak, so you are practically defenseless before me. Be more careful in the future. Keep your thoughts a little more restrained."

"Your teacher is telling you this only because I hope you will not cast aside your strengths and embrace your weaknesses, abandoning the Civilization Academy for the War Academy."

Liu Wenyan said seriously, "Originally, your teacher intended to wait until you entered a Civilization Academy, where you would naturally learn these things yourself. But now, I must tell you in advance, lest you stray onto the wrong path."

"There are countless paths under heaven. Different races have different paths, but at their root, they are nothing more than absorbing and exhaling essence qi, tempering oneself, and making oneself stronger!"

"To strengthen oneself, there are two aspects: one is the body, and the other is will—or spirit!"

"Will is ethereal and difficult to strengthen, so ordinary people begin by strengthening the flesh. Only after becoming stronger do they come into contact with will!"

"We are different..."

Liu Wenyan smiled. "We people have encountered many civilizations of the myriad races. Our horizons are broad, and our wills are strong, so we travel the road in reverse: first strengthen the will, then strengthen the body."

"Once your will becomes strong, strengthening the body instead becomes much easier."

"Of course, it is difficult!"

Liu Wenyan said in a deep voice, "When your will becomes strong enough to solidify the body, allowing you to absorb and exhale more essence qi without harming yourself, that requires time and greater foundations. Some Civilization Masters in Civilization Academies, once their wills become as radiant as the blazing sun, can leap from Qianjun to the Soaring Realm in a single day—or even higher!"

"Though the paths differ, they lead to the same destination. The ultimate road of both Civilization Academies and War Academies is to strengthen oneself and strengthen the entire human race!"

"The body is easy to cultivate; will is hard to obtain!"

"It is even harder for Civilization Academies to reach that stage, so few people mention these things. It is to prevent some people from overestimating themselves and taking the wrong road."

Liu Wenyan looked at the stunned Su Yu and smiled. "Surprised, are you? In truth, there is nothing to be surprised about. You have studied the Myriad Races of the Heavens. Though not much, you should know a little. For example, the Nightmare Clan whose language you have mastered—they are illusory and intangible, and their true bodies are nearly impossible to see."

"They can invade your dreams at will. Yet it is not truly a dream. Their wills merely create a world, causing your will to sink into it."

"That is the foundation of their strength. Strictly speaking, the cultivation of Civilization Masters is somewhat similar to theirs."

Su Yu's mouth felt dry. He softly said, "Teacher, you mean the path of civilization can also be very powerful..."

"Not merely can—it is faster!"

Liu Wenyan smiled. "First temper the will, then temper the body. Some geniuses in Civilization Academies can manifest their wills and solidify their bodies in three to five years, advancing into the Soaring Realm in a single day! The path of further cultivation is faster than the Physical Body Dao!"

"And how long would it take at a War Academy to cultivate to the Soaring Realm?"

"Even geniuses need years of grinding!"

"Of course, we have a harder beginning and fewer people. Even so, thirty percent of the human race's top-tier experts came from Civilization Academies. That speaks for itself!"

Su Yu absorbed and digested the news, then quickly asked, "Will can be cultivated?"

"It can."

"Ordinary people cannot?"

"That is right. There is a threshold, one higher than that of the Physical Body Dao. Will and spirit are the same. In the early stages, they cannot be seen or grasped. How many Myriad Races Languages one has mastered is actually an assessment..."

Liu Wenyan smiled. "Many times, it is not that some people do not work hard. Rather, they lack sufficient energy and a powerful enough will to absorb and digest that knowledge. You can master eighteen Myriad Races Languages, so why can others not?"

"Are they not working hard enough? Wrong. Some are actually very diligent, perhaps no less than you, but they simply cannot learn it. If they think too much, they may even suffer pain as though their brains are splitting apart, because the foundation of their wills is not strong enough."

"Because of this, they can only temper their bodies first and strengthen themselves before they can strengthen their wills."

Su Yu let out a long breath. "Then does that mean my talent lies not in the Physical Body Dao, but in the Dao of will?"

"You may understand it that way."

Liu Wenyan smiled. "That is why the myriad races fear Civilization Masters, and why the Ten Thousand Races Cult assassinates some Civilization Masters. When your will is not enough to strengthen your body, your strength is still quite weak. That is also when you are easiest to kill."

Su Yu found it difficult to accept. This was the first time he had learned that Civilization Masters were also a path of cultivation.

"Even if you had not come to see me today, I would have gone to find you. You want to go to the Battlefields of the Heavens to find your father. I will not stop you. Instead, I am happy for you. This is human nature, this is the human heart, this is the foundation of why the human race remains undefeated!"

"But you cannot act blindly. You must calm down."

"Every year, Civilization Academies select fewer students than War Academies. They appear to have no requirements, yet their requirements are higher—vaguely even more difficult than War Academies. Do you truly think they are merely a gathering place for bookworms?"

Liu Wenyan could no longer hide his smile. "Wrong. That is because we can not only study knowledge in the rear, but also go to the front lines and kill enemies. And those who can go to the front lines are at least in the Soaring Realm! So-called Thousand Jun, Ten Thousand Stones are merely simple essence qi body tempering. One day is enough to achieve them!"

"..."

Su Yu's face stiffened. After a long while, he asked, "Then, Teacher, are you in the Soaring Realm?"

"No."

Liu Wenyan looked utterly calm.

"Then are you even stronger?"

"No!"

Liu Wenyan remained calm.

Su Yu was dumbfounded. What did that mean?

"I told you already. Only when will manifests can it strengthen the body. I have not achieved will manifestation."

Liu Wenyan made it sound as though everything he had said just now had been pure boasting!

He... had not manifested his will, so he truly was in the Qianjun Realm.

Su Yu looked up at his teacher, his face blank. How had this old man managed to remain so calm?

He was already seventy years old, and he had still not manifested his will. Yet just now, he had told Su Yu it could be done in three to five years?

That was not how one boasted!

"Do not look at me like that!"

Liu Wenyan calmly said, "Back then, I was merely the most failed student in the Civilization Academy, not a genius. After graduation, I drifted muddleheadedly for many years. It is perfectly normal that I have not manifested my will. If it were truly so easy, then thirty percent of the human race's top-tier experts would not come from Civilization Academies—it would be ninety percent."

"On the path of cultivation, no road is easy. But compared to the Physical Body Dao, I believe this is faster and offers more hope."

"If you want to grow strong in a short time, then you can only take this path: the path of will!"

Su Yu fell into thought. After a long while, he asked, "Teacher, does the path of will have cultivation techniques?"

"It does..."

As Liu Wenyan spoke, he smiled. Just as he was about to continue, he quickly coughed and said, "There are none in Nanyuan. You will know once you reach the Daxia Civilization Academy!"

Of course, that was assuming Su Yu manifested his will.

He did not say it. If he did, Su Yu would probably curse him.

"Actually, the process of learning Myriad Races Languages, including the process of analyzing certain cultivation arts and secret realms, is all tempering the will—especially the originals..."

This time, Liu Wenyan became much more serious. "You know that some of the things we encounter are not originals. Those originals contain some of the power of the myriad races, even spiritual will. Once you decipher and translate them, you gain immensely."

"Of course, there is danger too. For instance, mental disorder. Every year, some people in Civilization Academies suffer mental disorders from deciphering these originals. You must be careful when you encounter them in the future. The more powerful the cultivation art and the more important the ancient text, the stronger the will mixed within it, and the more likely it is to throw you into disorder."

"So judging the importance of ancient texts from the myriad races is easy. If the will mixed within is powerful, then it must be important!"

"You can visit the Xia Family Merchant Guild and look at those unknown cultivation arts. Anything that looks simple at a glance is trash. In truth, those things were selected long ago. What remains is safe, harmless... trash!"

Su Yu smiled bitterly. I knew it. Otherwise, people would have snatched them up long ago.

Seeing this, Liu Wenyan smiled again. "So, are you still going to apply to the War Academy?"

"At a Civilization Academy, you can cultivate the Physical Body Dao as well. But if you go to a War Academy, you may not have the chance to cultivate the Dao of will. At the very least, nearly all the powerful original ancient texts of the myriad races are in Civilization Academies."

"As long as you become strong enough and reach the Soaring Realm, you can go to the Battlefields of the Heavens whenever you want, can't you?"

"Why insist on going to the Battlefields of the Heavens while still in the Thousand Jun, Ten Thousand Stones stages? You would only be cannon fodder there. What meaning is there in that?"

"Unless... you lack confidence in yourself. If that is the case, it does not matter where you go, because you will never become strong!"

Liu Wenyan's words shook Su Yu's already uncertain resolve.

Was he still going to apply to the War Academy?

Perhaps... there was no need anymore?

So the Civilization Academy could make him strong too!

"Civilization Academy... original ancient texts of the myriad races... spiritual will..."

As he walked out of the instructors' office, Su Yu tightened his grip around the bottle in his hand. He would try it when he got back. Strengthening his body while strengthening his will—wasn't that even better?

If he activated the Essence Gathering Art, perhaps the strengthening of his body could accelerate as well.

"Civilization Academy..."

At that moment, Su Yu made his decision. Perhaps he should attend a Civilization Academy after all. That had always been his goal.

After Su Yu left, the Academy Head entered and shook his head. "Old fellow, you fooled someone again!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Liu Wenyan was displeased!

"Will manifestation... You have cultivated for fifty years. Have you manifested it?"

"Soon!"

Liu Wenyan calmly said, "Once I manifest it, I will be in the Soaring Realm. Then someone like you, who has only just entered Ten Thousand Stones, will be nothing to look at!"

"You..."

The Academy Head did not know whether to laugh or cry. Fine, let him be. As for Su Yu, it truly would be better for him to attend a Civilization Academy. The War Academy was still too dangerous.

But this old fellow used the same argument every time. How many students had he tricked over the years? Whenever a student wavered, he would fool them with this line of reasoning, and in the end, they would all go to Civilization Academies.

"The Daxia Civilization Academy should give you an award. Otherwise, they would lose several students every year..."

Liu Wenyan did not care. "Though there is no award, the Daxia Civilization Academy gives me a bonus of two hundred thousand every year. That is enough."

"..."

The Academy Head was speechless. Unable to help himself, he cursed, "You are a spy for the Daxia Civilization Academy!"

"What are you saying? I already am one. I count as an employee of the Daxia Civilization Academy. How can I be called a spy?"

Liu Wenyan laughed, and the Academy Head was utterly speechless. It was true. These Myriad Races Language instructors were almost all dispatched by the Daxia Civilization Academy. Even if they were not, they soon would be. The main purpose was to prevent students from being lost, with everyone flocking to the War Academy.

After all, research could not compare to cultivation for excitement. Young people loved hot blood. If no one kept an eye on them, it would not do.