Chapter 150: The Start Of A Feud (1)
Bai Feng was surprisingly strong.
News of his feat was instantly spread through the academy.
...
Not long after Bai Feng left.
Heart Cultivating Pavilion's area.
In a beautiful villa, Vice Principal Zhou Mingren sighed. WIth a look of recollection in his eyes, he softly said, "It is not surprising that Wensheng is still not his match."
Apart from Zhou Mingren, there was another old man in the villa. The old man was Zhou Mingren's student, someone he accepted many years ago. He had recently reached the Mountainsea Realm and was admitted into the Heart Cultivating Pavilion.
"Teacher, Martial Brother Wen..."
"Let him get over this himself." Zhou Mingren said, "Everyone talks about cultivating the heart...If he can't even get over a defeat, how can he cultivate his heart? The multiple character faction used to suppress us badly. They don't have a lot of members now, but any cultivator they send out would end up being an expert. That is not surprising."
The look in Zhou Mingren's eyes turned firm as he said, "I know they have a lot of elites, but elites are different. Not everyone can be an elite. Otherwise, the multiple character faction wouldn't have declined."
He looked at his student and declared with conviction, "Only the path that can be spread to the common populace is the best path. Not everyone is Hong Tan. Not everyone is Bai Feng. The academy can nurture some geniuses here and there, but trying to turn the academy into the multiple character faction's playground is a mistake."
Zhou Mingren sighed and continued, "Yuming, you have followed me for many years. You should be aware of why your teacher is fighting them. I don't want to see a repeat of the tragedy 50 years ago. The multiple character faction can continue existing, but it can't grow."
WIth a look of pain and anger, Zhou Mingren said, "The generation from 50 years ago was filled with geniuses and freaks. But all of them...ended up crippled. Liu Wenyan, Zhao Mingyue, Xia Yunji, and Hu Ping...that was the golden generation of the academy!
"At that time, heroes and geniuses gathered in the academy. We have plenty of students who were able to form seven or eight Divine Characters at the Mental Tempering Stage. Liu Wenyan even managed to form 20 Divine Characters and gained the strength to fight Skysoar cultivators at the Mental Tempering Stage. But that generation ended up ruined!"
The more Zhou Mingren said, the angrier he looked, "So many geniuses and freaks were ruined! So many of them! Without that tragedy, how many of them would have reached the Mountainsea Realm and beyond by now?"
Calm returned to his face as he took a deep breath and said, "Therefore, I can tolerate their existence, but we can't allow them to grow strong once again. Otherwise, the trend would shift and the tragedy 50 years ago would repeat. The academy has spent 50 years painstakingly recovering from that incident. We can't allow the same thing to happen again."
Beside him, Yuming nodded and said, "I understand, Teacher. I won't give them the chance to grow."
His tone turned gloomy as he continued, "You're still too kind, teacher. Hong Tan shouldn't have been allowed to stay after that tragedy..."
Zhou Mingren waved his hand and softly said, "There is still a need for the multiple character faction to exist, but their growth should be restricted. They can be allowed to accept a student or two per batch and grow silently instead of reopening their faction with great fanfare and take the dominant position in the academy. I heard Bai Feng accepted a student?"
"Yeah. Su Yu, a high-high student from Nanyuan. Liu Wenyan's student."
"Liu Wenyan is still unwilling to give up," Zhou Mingren sighed. "WIth him staying in Nanyuan, does he really believe that someone else would rise and carry the banner of the multiple character faction? Even he is already crippled. He has just reached the Skysoar Realm not long ago. He has not done anything all these years. Even if he can fuse all his characters, even if he is still as talented as ever, even if he can fight ninth-stage Skysoar cultivators, even if he can fight above his class against those in the Cloudbreach Realm...so what?
"If he had walked the path of single character, he would have reached the Mountainsea Realm or even the peak of that realm by now. If he was lucky, he could have gone beyond that realm. Is that all really worth it?"
Yuming sighed and said, "It's not worth it. Back then, he was a super genius while I was an unremarkable student. At that time, those people were akin to the suns in the sky. Meanwhile, I was an insignificant speck of dust. Fifty years later, I'm a Mountainsea cultivator. Meanwhile, they are either old or dead. Even entering the Skysoar Realm is greatly challenging for them."
Yuming sank into a melancholy mood. That was a batch of freakish geniuses. It was similar to Bai Feng's batch. No, to be precise, that batch was even more prominent. Perhaps...this year's batch would be the closest in quality to the batch 50 years ago.
Liu Wenyan, Wu Yuehua, Zhao Mingyue, Xia Yunji…Those were the names that were known throughout Great Xia and even the entire Human Realm back then. That was an era of freaks. Mental Tempering Stage challenging Skysoars, Mental Tempering Stage killing Skysoars, completing a Divine Character in three days, upgrading a Divine Character in ten days...
The geniuses of that era were incomparably dazzling. Meanwhile, he, Zheng Yuming, was an ordinary student. But 50 years later, everything changed. All those geniuses and freaks were as good as crippled. He, on the other hand, had stepped into the Mountainsea Realm.
Zhou Mingren was also melancholic as he recalled that era. He said, "That is the past. We can't allow the same tragedy to repeat. I know what Wan Tiansheng is thinking. He's still not willing to give up. He still wishes to see the multiple character faction rising once again. He wants to give them another try and see if the academy can finally produce someone above the Mountainsea Realm after all these years. But he never stopped to consider the fact that if even all those freaks were ruined, what can the multiple character faction do now? Is he not afraid that yet another batch of students would be ruined?"
Zhou Mingren snorted unhappily.
Zheng Yuming softly said, "Teacher, is the principal really thinking of helping the multiple character faction grow? But back then, he was the one who had expelled all those people. If he now—"
"You don't understand." Zhou Mingren waved his hand, "Wan Tiansheng does not care about the dominant faction of the academy. He is an ambitious person. What he wants is someone above the Mountainsea Realm. He wants to figure out a stable path to the realm above the Mountainsea Realm. But that is something not even the Knowledge Seeking Realm and War Shrine can accomplish. Can he do it? Who does he think he is?"
Zhou Mingren had no confidence that Wan Tiansheng could accomplish it. He coldly said, "Ignore him. Wan Tiansheng is an advocate of the survival of the fittest. He believes in meritocracy. Thus, he won't meddle in our affairs.
"As for Wensheng, let him get over this defeat himself. Increase our support to Liu Hong and push him to the ninth-stage Skysoar Realm as soon as possible. Have him continue suppressing Bai Feng."
Zheng Yuming asked doubtfully, "Can Liu Hong do it? He's worse than Wensheng. How can he compete against Bai Feng?"
"Liu Hong..." Zhou Mingren smiled, "Don't look down on him. He is not as strong as Wensheng, but he is much smarter. Among those in the Skysoar Realm, only Xia Yuwen and Wu Qi are capable of suppressing Bai Feng. And I'm not even sure if Wu Qi can actually do it. Therefore, we can't hope to suppress Bai Feng with strength. We need someone with intelligence."
"I understand."
"Tell Liu Hong to not allow the multiple character faction to gain any sort of fame. Also, suppress Bai Feng's student. If the multiple character faction is allowed to rebuild and rise to prominence once again, the people in the academy might start flocking to them again. At that time, the tragedy would repeat and chaos would erupt in Great Xia yet again."
Zheng Yuming nodded. He was about to leave when he recalled something and said, "Teacher, how about Liu Wenyan?"
"Liu Wenyan..."
Zhou Mingren sank into thought. After a while, he said, "Ignore him. If he is really capable of rising again, that would also be a good thing. But if he can only remain a Skysoar or a Cloudbreach, he won't be able to change anything. After all, if the multiple character faction can forge a path beyond the Mountainsea Realm, the entire humanity would benefit from it. Unfortunately, I doubt that day would arrive."
"I understand."
Zheng Yuming turned around and walked away. Hu Wensheng's defeat came as a surprise for all of them. But for now, the multiple character faction was still incapable of changing anything. The single character faction had dominated the academy for 50 years. They had multiple Mountainsea experts in the academy. As for the multiple character faction, they only had Hong Tan. He could barely keep the faction running.
...
Research center.
/p>
Su Yu had rushed back after the challenge. And sure enough, Bai Feng was there.
His teacher was seated on the couch while watching television. When he saw Su Yu, he indifferently asked, "I thought you're going to take a stroll outside before coming back."
"Teacher, you're so strong!"
Su Yu praised sincerely. His teacher was too incredible! Bai Feng had an indifferent expression, but inwardly, he was feeling incredibly smug.
Kid, weren't you cocky earlier? Are you not cocky anymore? Do you now know what a true genius looks like?
While Bai Feng was entertaining himself with those thoughts, Su Yu solemnly said, "This student has been ignorant previously. If I had offended you with my ignorance, I hope you can forgive me, teacher. Teacher, did you change into a new set of clothes? Let me wash your old clothes for you..."
Bai Feng's eyes flickered for a bit before indifferently saying, "It's fine. There is no need to wear the same clothes twice. People like us should not waste our time doing laundry."
Su Yu blanked out slightly. Wasting time? If that was a waste of time, why did his teacher tell him to clean the research center everyday? Was that not a waste of time?
Su Yu stole a glance at Bai Feng suspiciously and noted that Bai Feng was slightly pale. Did Bai Feng...throw those clothes away because he was too embarrassed to show them to anyone? He had changed into a new set of clothes right after coming back. Did he cough some blood after the fight and stained his clothes with blood?
Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He had discovered something about Bai Feng. This fellow enjoyed bluffing too much. In truth, even if Bai Feng had really coughed blood after the fight, Su Yu would still view him with admiration. As a seventh-stage Skysoar, he had defeated a ninth-stage Skysoar instantly. How would Su Yu look down on him just because of some blood?
Then again, nobody was perfect. In fact, this little fault of Bai Feng was very easy to accept. It made one realize that he was also a human, not a god. Su Yu tossed the matter out of the mind and started hesitating to talk about something else.
Bai Feng seemed to have seen through Su Yu as he smiled and asked, "Are you trying to ask about the move I used against Hu Wensheng?"
"Yeah." Su Yu nodded. He was very curious.
"Multiple character fusion." Bai Feng explained, "That is the origin of our faction. Of course, it is pointless to tell you now. You're not even at the Mental Tempering Stage. What's the point of knowing so much? I'll teach you when you reach the Mental Tempering Stage. Don't worry. Since you have joined us, I won't be stingy with knowledge."
Bai Feng's smile grew as he said, "I am not afraid that my student would learn too much. I am also not afraid of being surpassed by my student. If my student can really surpass me, I would even be happy as that would prove that I have yet to reach my limit. There are still a lot of mysteries in the path of cultivation waiting for me to discover."
Hearing that, Su Yu stopped asking. It was important to advance step by step in the path of cultivation. He shouldn't be biting off more than he could chew.
Bai Feng shifted the topic and said, "When cultivating, it is better if you can set small goals for yourself. Since you have just joined, I won't have high requirements for you during the first month. For the first monthly exam, I only need you to place in the top 10 in your middle class. Use this month to master the basics and familiarize yourself with the academy. Your future tasks will only grow harder and harder."
"Top 10 in the intermediate class..."
Su Yu was aware of how students were grouped. Those below 20 percent willpower were placed in the junior class. Those between 20 percent willpower and the Mental Tempering Stage would be placed in the intermediate class. Those at the Mental Tempering Stage were all placed in the senior class.
He was an intermediate class student. This year, the academy had accepted nearly 2,000 new students. Most of them were intermediate class students. In fact, there were nearly 1,000 of them.
"Also..." Bai Feng continued, "I defeated Hu Wensheng today. You'll have to watch your back. A lot of people don't want to see us bath in the limelight. They can't do anything to me, but that might not be the case for you."
Su Yu couldn't help but to ask, "Teacher! We only have a few people in our faction. Even if there is competition for resources in the academy, we won't take much since there aren't a lot of us. Why are those people insisting on going after us?"
Bai Feng smiled and said, "You got this wrong. They're not the ones insisting on going after us. We're the ones insisting on going after them."
Su Yu was dumbfounded.
Bai Feng calmly said, "They walk the wrong path. They are all garbage. That is a path that will ruin the future of true geniuses. We disagree with their path, so we naturally need to go against them. We need to prove that our path is the right one.
"Why shouldn't we go against them? The holy land of willpower cultivation is the Knowledge Seeking Realm. Why knowledge seeking? The path of cultivation is long. Before walking until the very end, nobody knows which path is the right path. But there is no denying that the so-called geniuses they have produced all these years are weaker than the others in the same cultivation level. Apart from that, they weren't even able to get into the higher realms. Even Zhou Mingren isn't a match for your grandteacher.
"In that case, why waste the academy's resources on those weaklings? Why support them when they're walking the wrong path? My teacher once suggested that low and middle-tier students should all walk the ordinary character path while the high-tier students should all walk the path of multiple characters. We should teach in accordance with our students' ability. We can't reject the multiple character faction just because of one incident."
Bai Feng continued with an dissatisfied tone, "If even geniuses are made to walk the common path, wouldn't their talent go to waste? Each student should be taught in accordance to their ability! Teacher had suggested that several times before, but he was rejected again and again!"
He did not think that Zhou Mingren's faction should stop existing altogether. He believed that it was better for the ordinary students to walk that path. But why should geniuses walk that path as well? Even if the multiple character faction could easily ruin a genius, as long as one out of ten could rise to prominence, that would still be worth it.
A single Bai Feng would definitely not consume as much resources as 10 Skysoars with the same cultivation level walking the path of single character. But in terms of importance, Bai Feng was confident that he could kill all 10 of them on the Allheaven Battlefield unless he had to fight all of them at the same time.
Su Yu found himself speechless. So...it wasn't that the others were going against them. They were the ones going against the others? Why...did he feel like a villain?
Bai Feng smiled and said, "Of course, that's not the complete truth. We simply dislike each other. Don't worry about that. It's no big deal. Just compete like usual. As long as you stay within the bounds of the rules, you can do whatever you want. As for anyone stepping outside the bounds of the rules, treat them like cult members."
Bai Feng added indifferently, "At that point, it no longer matters if they are actually cult members or not. Treat anyone breaking the rules as cult members. It would be even better if you can prove that they are actual cult members. The academy might even reward you for killing them."
"What are the rules?"
Bai Feng smiled, "As long as they don't kill or sever your path of cultivation, everything is doable. Those trying to kill or sever your path like destroying your sea of willpower can be considered to have broken the rules. Those people can be treated as cult members. Feel free to kill them. The academy will have your back. Don't worry!"
Once again, Su Yu found himself speechless. That was so simple and straightforward. But it was clear that the academy still intended to keep the competition within certain limits. As long as the path of the students weren't severed, they were free to do whatever they wanted to compete. One would have nobody but themselves to blame if they lose out in the competition.
"Alright. We'll stop here. I still need to go to the main lab later..." Bai Feng stood up and said, "The advanced War God Art will arrive later. Cultivate it as you see fit. Just let me know when you reach the Mental Tempering Stage or when you're about to break through into the Great Strength Realm."
"Alright."
...
Bai Feng went to the third underground floor, leaving Su Yu alone. After cleaning up the living area, Su Yu wasted no time and went straight to the second floor.