The shadow hurriedly revealed himself and asked, "You must be messing with us, right?"
"What a joke." Su Yu sneered. "You're a bunch of prisoners. Why do I need to lie to you? I have only been spending so much time here with you guys because I happen to have some free time. If it wasn't for the sake of practicing the Soul Expanding Art, my willpower would have reached the Skysoar Realm long ago."
After saying that, a powerful burst of willpower erupted from him. His willpower was much stronger than regular peak Mental Tempering Stage cultivators. With 44 apertures and a sea of willpower that had been tempered for about a dozen times, his 80 percent willpower was almost as strong as second-tier willpower.
The only reason his willpower was still at the first-tier was because it had not achieved materialization. Next, a thick killing intent rippled out, electrical currents cackled, and illusions danced around him.
Su Yu smiled and continued, "I have even obtained several second-tier characters. For me, the Skysoar Realm is nothing special."
"..."
The beasts stared at him and sank into silence. With this display, Su Yu was definitely near the Skysoar Realm.
The water elemental softly asked, "You have been hiding your strength from us since the beginning, right? You're not a new student, right?"
"Wrong. I'm a new student." Su Yu smiled, "I am merely a much bigger genius than you have imagined. Also, my backer is much stronger than you have imagined. My first teacher killed a Sunmoon with a single strike just a few days ago. He is Liu Wenyan of the multiple character faction and the first student of the fifth principal. I wonder if you know his name.
"That is only my willpower teacher. As for my physical cultivation, the Xia Family regards me highly enough to have Prefect Xia, someone on the cusp of entering the Invincible Realm, personally teach me the top-tier Sky Sundering Saber."
As he said that, a saber appeared in his hand. This was the cultural weapon he had named the Sealing Saber.
"Kill!"
With a roar, an intense killing intent surged out. Without even swinging the saber, the entire room was flooded with source qi, willpower, and killing intent.
The water elemental sighed.
Freak!
Just this killing intent alone was enough to directly crush the seas of willpower of ordinary Mental Tempering Stage cultivators.
Strong.
This person was probably already the strongest within the same cultivation level.
The water elemental and the shadow were finally taking Su Yu seriously. Their contempt from before had vanished completely. The water elemental said, "Looks like we have underestimated you. It is clear that you have never trusted us from the beginning. That's understandable. If you're that stupid, you wouldn't have been able to win the favor of those experts.
"Su Yu, since you're not hiding your strength anymore, be frank with us. Tell us what you want. We only want to live. What do we need to give to keep our lives?"
Su Yu smiled, "That's more like it. Before this, you guys have been really arrogant just because you're in the Skysoar and Cloudbreach Realms. When I become a Skysoar myself, I can kill even Cloudbreach cultivators! I am only here because I am still slightly interested in you guys. When I lose interest, you guys will all turn into food."
The suanni was no longer arrogant. He solemnly asked, "What do we need to give to live on?"
Su Yu said, "There is no rush. I have already asked my grandteacher to register all of you as mounts. I will come again when I need you. For example, I might need to leave the academy for missions. At that time, I can take you guys with me. Of course, you guys are too crafty. I might not be able to trust you guys. It is very likely that you will turn against me after leaving the academy. Sure, you won't be able to leave the Human Realm alive after killing me, but my life is much more valuable than pieces of trash like you guys. That won't be a fair trade."
The beasts were visibly angered by that statement.
Su Yu coldly said, "Am I wrong? What are you within your respective races? Are you the elites of your races? The royals of your races? The descendants of Invincibles? If you're really that special, you wouldn't have ended up here. As for me, I have the backing of the Xia Family and the multiple character faction. Mountainsea, Sunmoon, and Invincible experts regard me highly. Is there a need to compare the worth of our lives?"
The beasts said nothing. They might be geniuses, but the Invincible Realm was too far away from them.
Su Yu flicked a few drops of source qi liquid to the beasts before saying, "Alright. Don't be angry. That was just a joke. We'll talk more next time. Don't die. You will have hope as long as you stay alive. Hope will only truly extinguish when you lose your life."
After saying that, Su Yu turned around to leave. The fire crow hurriedly said, "How about my offer?"
"I'll think about it. If possible, I can take you to Grandmaster Zhao Li, the son of the fourth principal, for a checkup to prevent any tricks from you. You know who Zhao Li is, right? That's my teacher as well."
The fire crow hesitated slightly and said, "The descendant of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy's fourth principal, Three Days Zhao?"
Three Days Zhao?
Su Yu frowned. The fire crow saw the displeased expression and hurriedly explained, "That's what the myriad races used to call him. He had a source character that could provide him with unending source qi. He also had a robust willpower. He once fought a peak Sunmoon for three days and three nights before exhausting that opponent to death. Of course, he had also suffered greatly from that battle. Ultimately, he perished. This is a title given out of respect, not disrespect."
Su Yu was shocked to learn all that. He really didn't know about that. The fourth principal had actually perished together with a peak Sunmoon. When experts fought, a result could often be decided instantly. A fight that could last three days and three nights would usually only appear in legends.
Yet the fourth principal had actually achieved such a feat. He wasn't even a peak Sunmoon, right?
"I see. Yes. It's him. He's my weaponsmithing teacher." Su Yu smiled and said, "Looks like the fourth principal is still quite famous. It's good that you know who he is. Teacher Zhao is an expert in weaponsmithing. Since you're offering to refine my weapon...If you can catch Teacher Zhao's attention, I'll send you to him as a helper. You can become his little fire pet. What do you think?"
The fire crow didn't know what to say. Little fire pet? What was that?
He could only helplessly said, "If Lord Zhao does not mind having me around, I am naturally willing to serve him."
"We'll see."
Su Yu did not give a definite answer. These beasts needed to have their pride tempered. They had always felt superior when facing him, viewing him as a weakling with no experience. They believed that they only needed to give him some small benefits to win him over.
Today, Su Yu had told them that they were nothing. And after some time when he grew more, they would be even more useless.
...
Su Yu left.
After he left, the shadow sighed, "We have been tricked. He had known our intentions since the beginning. He had only been playing around with us. Everyone, time for us to find our own way out. He is right. When he reaches the Skysoar Realm, would he still need us?"
"Look at Bai Feng. Before entering the Skysoar Realm, he was very interested in us. But after reaching the Skysoar Realm, we had turned into blood suppliers. When Su Yu becomes a Skysoar, the same will happen."
Their value would only drop the stronger these people became. In Hong Tan's eyes, they were only blood suppliers and test subjects of his students. They were probably more useful to him as food than anything else.
As one's strength changed, one's knowledge would grow. And the way one viewed the world would change as well. When Su Yu reached Hong Tan's level, a few Skysoar and Cloudbreach beasts would be nothing for him.
"Shadow, what do you mean?"
The shadow said, "Nothing. But I am a natural assassin. I am not suited as a mount. And the human race does not have the habit of taking humanoid life forms as mounts. Thus, this isn't the path for me. I'll have to see if this person has any dirty deeds he needs done. If he does, then I will have something to offer."
The water elemental said, "I am also great at assassinations."
The white civet's flirtatious voice rang out, "I'm good at it as well."
The shadow said, "Let's see if he intends to do something like that. I think he does. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any point in telling us clearly about his background, his backers, and his talent. But it's clear he also has a lot of enemies."
"Would he dare to raise his own assassins within the Great Xia capital?"
The mountaindrill bull had just asked the question before the suanni chided, "You are truly stupid. As long as he conducts his business outside the cities, why would the authorities care? This kid is too good at acting. Maybe he's acting weak to bait some of his enemies outside the city. At that time, we would be put to use. The multiple character faction is too small. Their members are strong, but they have too many eyes on them. It is clear he's trying to create a secret force that can be used to protect himself or stab someone in the back."
The shadow said, "Exactly. I believe this is what he intends to do. He might be young, but he is as crafty as an old fox. He is also patient. This is a much harder person to deal with than Bai Feng."
The suanni rolled his eyes and said, "Do we need you to tell us that? At the very least, Bai Feng would be afraid of starving us to death. But this kid really doesn't care one bit. In his eyes, as long as we lose our value, we no longer exist. All of us can see this."
"I didn't realize that..."
The mountaindrill bull muttered softly. How had they realized all that?
The suanni was speechless. He decided to ignore the dumb bull.
The shadow said, "Time for us to think about our own futures. I am thinking of finding a job for myself as well. It has been too many years. I'm already sick of this cage..."
If they failed to earn Su Yu's favor, would there be a next new student for them to curry favor with?
They didn't have much time left.
Su Yu might really completely lose interest on them after reaching the Skysoar Realm. They had to fully submit to him before that time. This was their final opportunity.
...
Upstairs.
Su Yu had a smile on his face. He wasn't too bothered about the beasts. It was pointless to keep acting dumb in front of those beasts. Being honest with them would only make things more interesting.
Two of them were at the Cloudbreach Realm while the other four were Skysoars. The weakest of them was a seventh-stage Skysoar. This was actually quite a formidable force to have.
The multiple character faction was too small. That was the truth. Even if Su Yu was considered an important student, it would be a dream to receive protection if he needed to leave the academy. They simply didn't have enough manpower. Thus, taming those beasts would be a good option.
But it wasn't easy to tame these ferocious beasts. Thus, he had to be careful around them. He tossed the matter out of his mind and took out a voice transmission talisman.
"Brother Lin, have you registered for the tournament?"
"No. Brother Su, I can't win so what's the point? I'm too weak..."
"It's fine. Just register for it. I already made some arrangements. This tournament will be in the form of team battles. Teams of five will be formed. You will be assigned to my team. I will lead you to victory."
The shadow hurriedly revealed himself and asked, "You must be messing with us, right?"
"What a joke." Su Yu sneered. "You're a bunch of prisoners. Why do I need to lie to you? I have only been spending so much time here with you guys because I happen to have some free time. If it wasn't for the sake of practicing the Soul Expanding Art, my willpower would have reached the Skysoar Realm long ago."
After saying that, a powerful burst of willpower erupted from him. His willpower was much stronger than regular peak Mental Tempering Stage cultivators. With 44 apertures and a sea of willpower that had been tempered for about a dozen times, his 80 percent willpower was almost as strong as second-tier willpower.
The only reason his willpower was still at the first-tier was because it had not achieved materialization. Next, a thick killing intent rippled out, electrical currents cackled, and illusions danced around him.
Su Yu smiled and continued, "I have even obtained several second-tier characters. For me, the Skysoar Realm is nothing special."
"..."
The beasts stared at him and sank into silence. With this display, Su Yu was definitely near the Skysoar Realm.
The water elemental softly asked, "You have been hiding your strength from us since the beginning, right? You're not a new student, right?"
"Wrong. I'm a new student." Su Yu smiled, "I am merely a much bigger genius than you have imagined. Also, my backer is much stronger than you have imagined. My first teacher killed a Sunmoon with a single strike just a few days ago. He is Liu Wenyan of the multiple character faction and the first student of the fifth principal. I wonder if you know his name.
"That is only my willpower teacher. As for my physical cultivation, the Xia Family regards me highly enough to have Prefect Xia, someone on the cusp of entering the Invincible Realm, personally teach me the top-tier Sky Sundering Saber."
As he said that, a saber appeared in his hand. This was the cultural weapon he had named the Sealing Saber.
"Kill!"
With a roar, an intense killing intent surged out. Without even swinging the saber, the entire room was flooded with source qi, willpower, and killing intent.
The water elemental sighed.
Freak!
Just this killing intent alone was enough to directly crush the seas of willpower of ordinary Mental Tempering Stage cultivators.
Strong.
This person was probably already the strongest within the same cultivation level.
The water elemental and the shadow were finally taking Su Yu seriously. Their contempt from before had vanished completely. The water elemental said, "Looks like we have underestimated you. It is clear that you have never trusted us from the beginning. That's understandable. If you're that stupid, you wouldn't have been able to win the favor of those experts.
"Su Yu, since you're not hiding your strength anymore, be frank with us. Tell us what you want. We only want to live. What do we need to give to keep our lives?"
Su Yu smiled, "That's more like it. Before this, you guys have been really arrogant just because you're in the Skysoar and Cloudbreach Realms. When I become a Skysoar myself, I can kill even Cloudbreach cultivators! I am only here because I am still slightly interested in you guys. When I lose interest, you guys will all turn into food."
The suanni was no longer arrogant. He solemnly asked, "What do we need to give to live on?"
Su Yu said, "There is no rush. I have already asked my grandteacher to register all of you as mounts. I will come again when I need you. For example, I might need to leave the academy for missions. At that time, I can take you guys with me. Of course, you guys are too crafty. I might not be able to trust you guys. It is very likely that you will turn against me after leaving the academy. Sure, you won't be able to leave the Human Realm alive after killing me, but my life is much more valuable than pieces of trash like you guys. That won't be a fair trade."
The beasts were visibly angered by that statement.
Su Yu coldly said, "Am I wrong? What are you within your respective races? Are you the elites of your races? The royals of your races? The descendants of Invincibles? If you're really that special, you wouldn't have ended up here. As for me, I have the backing of the Xia Family and the multiple character faction. Mountainsea, Sunmoon, and Invincible experts regard me highly. Is there a need to compare the worth of our lives?"
The beasts said nothing. They might be geniuses, but the Invincible Realm was too far away from them.
Su Yu flicked a few drops of source qi liquid to the beasts before saying, "Alright. Don't be angry. That was just a joke. We'll talk more next time. Don't die. You will have hope as long as you stay alive. Hope will only truly extinguish when you lose your life."
After saying that, Su Yu turned around to leave. The fire crow hurriedly said, "How about my offer?"
"I'll think about it. If possible, I can take you to Grandmaster Zhao Li, the son of the fourth principal, for a checkup to prevent any tricks from you. You know who Zhao Li is, right? That's my teacher as well."
The fire crow hesitated slightly and said, "The descendant of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy's fourth principal, Three Days Zhao?"
Three Days Zhao?
Su Yu frowned. The fire crow saw the displeased expression and hurriedly explained, "That's what the myriad races used to call him. He had a source character that could provide him with unending source qi. He also had a robust willpower. He once fought a peak Sunmoon for three days and three nights before exhausting that opponent to death. Of course, he had also suffered greatly from that battle. Ultimately, he perished. This is a title given out of respect, not disrespect."
Su Yu was shocked to learn all that. He really didn't know about that. The fourth principal had actually perished together with a peak Sunmoon. When experts fought, a result could often be decided instantly. A fight that could last three days and three nights would usually only appear in legends.
Yet the fourth principal had actually achieved such a feat. He wasn't even a peak Sunmoon, right?
"I see. Yes. It's him. He's my weaponsmithing teacher." Su Yu smiled and said, "Looks like the fourth principal is still quite famous. It's good that you know who he is. Teacher Zhao is an expert in weaponsmithing. Since you're offering to refine my weapon...If you can catch Teacher Zhao's attention, I'll send you to him as a helper. You can become his little fire pet. What do you think?"
The fire crow didn't know what to say. Little fire pet? What was that?
He could only helplessly said, "If Lord Zhao does not mind having me around, I am naturally willing to serve him."
"We'll see."
Su Yu did not give a definite answer. These beasts needed to have their pride tempered. They had always felt superior when facing him, viewing him as a weakling with no experience. They believed that they only needed to give him some small benefits to win him over.
Today, Su Yu had told them that they were nothing. And after some time when he grew more, they would be even more useless.
...
Su Yu left.
After he left, the shadow sighed, "We have been tricked. He had known our intentions since the beginning. He had only been playing around with us. Everyone, time for us to find our own way out. He is right. When he reaches the Skysoar Realm, would he still need us?"
"Look at Bai Feng. Before entering the Skysoar Realm, he was very interested in us. But after reaching the Skysoar Realm, we had turned into blood suppliers. When Su Yu becomes a Skysoar, the same will happen."
Their value would only drop the stronger these people became. In Hong Tan's eyes, they were only blood suppliers and test subjects of his students. They were probably more useful to him as food than anything else.
As one's strength changed, one's knowledge would grow. And the way one viewed the world would change as well. When Su Yu reached Hong Tan's level, a few Skysoar and Cloudbreach beasts would be nothing for him.
"Shadow, what do you mean?"
The shadow said, "Nothing. But I am a natural assassin. I am not suited as a mount. And the human race does not have the habit of taking humanoid life forms as mounts. Thus, this isn't the path for me. I'll have to see if this person has any dirty deeds he needs done. If he does, then I will have something to offer."
The water elemental said, "I am also great at assassinations."
The white civet's flirtatious voice rang out, "I'm good at it as well."
The shadow said, "Let's see if he intends to do something like that. I think he does. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any point in telling us clearly about his background, his backers, and his talent. But it's clear he also has a lot of enemies."
"Would he dare to raise his own assassins within the Great Xia capital?"
The mountaindrill bull had just asked the question before the suanni chided, "You are truly stupid. As long as he conducts his business outside the cities, why would the authorities care? This kid is too good at acting. Maybe he's acting weak to bait some of his enemies outside the city. At that time, we would be put to use. The multiple character faction is too small. Their members are strong, but they have too many eyes on them. It is clear he's trying to create a secret force that can be used to protect himself or stab someone in the back."
The shadow said, "Exactly. I believe this is what he intends to do. He might be young, but he is as crafty as an old fox. He is also patient. This is a much harder person to deal with than Bai Feng."
The suanni rolled his eyes and said, "Do we need you to tell us that? At the very least, Bai Feng would be afraid of starving us to death. But this kid really doesn't care one bit. In his eyes, as long as we lose our value, we no longer exist. All of us can see this."
"I didn't realize that..."
The mountaindrill bull muttered softly. How had they realized all that?
The suanni was speechless. He decided to ignore the dumb bull.
The shadow said, "Time for us to think about our own futures. I am thinking of finding a job for myself as well. It has been too many years. I'm already sick of this cage..."
If they failed to earn Su Yu's favor, would there be a next new student for them to curry favor with?
They didn't have much time left.
Su Yu might really completely lose interest on them after reaching the Skysoar Realm. They had to fully submit to him before that time. This was their final opportunity.
...
Upstairs.
Su Yu had a smile on his face. He wasn't too bothered about the beasts. It was pointless to keep acting dumb in front of those beasts. Being honest with them would only make things more interesting.
Two of them were at the Cloudbreach Realm while the other four were Skysoars. The weakest of them was a seventh-stage Skysoar. This was actually quite a formidable force to have.
The multiple character faction was too small. That was the truth. Even if Su Yu was considered an important student, it would be a dream to receive protection if he needed to leave the academy. They simply didn't have enough manpower. Thus, taming those beasts would be a good option.
But it wasn't easy to tame these ferocious beasts. Thus, he had to be careful around them. He tossed the matter out of his mind and took out a voice transmission talisman.
"Brother Lin, have you registered for the tournament?"
"No. Brother Su, I can't win so what's the point? I'm too weak..."
"It's fine. Just register for it. I already made some arrangements. This tournament will be in the form of team battles. Teams of five will be formed. You will be assigned to my team. I will lead you to victory."
