Chapter 38: Unperturbed (2)
Inside the office.
Even during an off day, Liu Wenyan did not stay at home. He had been busy taking Su Yu everywhere during the past month, so he had quite a lot of accumulated work at school. Since it was a free day, he took the chance to deal with them. He was able to sense Su Yu’s arrival outside the office.
When Su Yu started knocking on the door, Liu Wenyan looked up and frowned as he said, "You should rest properly when it's time to do so. It is important to strike a balance between work and rest. It has been a tiring month for you. It's not a good thing to push yourself too much."
He knew that Su Yu was a hardworking student, but during the past month, he noticed that Su Yu had been working even harder than before. That was an excellent student to have. But that was also a worrisome student to have. Liu Wenyan was worried that one day, this student would work himself to death.
Furthermore, Su Yu was also simultaneously working on his physical cultivation. His progress in physical cultivation was so fast that even Liu Wenyan wondered if this kid was more suited for physical cultivation.
"I'm not tired, instructor." Su Yu said, "Instructor, I'm here today to ask you about Divine Characters--"
"I told you. At the present stage, you need to focus on building your foundation and complete your first Divine Character. With Bai Feng's previous help, you will be able to complete your first Divine Character soon."
Liu Wenyan interrupted Su Yu. This wasn't the first time Su Yu was asking him the same question. But he believed that Su Yu was getting impatient. Without a strong enough willpower, it wasn't a good idea for him to focus too much on Divine Character studies.
Liu Wenyan sternly said, "Su Yu, cultivation is something you need to do a step at a time. You can't keep looking for shortcuts. I've advised you several times about Divine Character cultivation. Why are you being stubborn?
"When your willpower is twenty percent full, I'll write a willpower text for you, giving you the chance to capture a Divine Character and see if I can help you complete your foundation building. Don't think about Divine Characters before that."
Liu Wenyan was displeased. But he also made it clear that after some time, he would personally write a willpower text for Su Yu.
Su Yu had no idea what price a freshly advanced Skysoar cultivator like Liu Wenyan needed to pay to conduct a single willpower text writing session, but he knew that it wouldn't be easy for Liu Wenyan. Back then, as someone on the verge of reaching the seventh-stage Skysoar Realm, Bai Feng had paled from writing the Source Opening Codex.
Su Yu had a helpless expression. He had tried asking the same question several times before. But every single time, he would be reprimanded. At times, Liu Wenyan could be very stubborn. As a teacher, he was responsible for imparting knowledge and dispelling doubts. Apart from that, he also believed that a teacher should guide their student to the right path.
He believed that Su Yu was taking the wrong path by putting so much focus on Divine Characters. Willpower was what he should be working on for now. Divine Characters should be left for the future. He could very easily step on a wrong path by biting off more than he could chew.
"Instructor..."
"Stop asking!"
"Instructor!" Su Yu felt his head aching. This old man could be terrifyingly scary at times. "I've formed my first Divine Character..."
"Shut up!" Liu Wenyan was furious.
Su Yu blanked out. He noticed that something was different with Liu Wenyan's anger this time.
Liu Wenyan himself was shocked by how much anger he was feeling. His expressions changed several times before he regained his calm and said, "I'm regretting my decision to make Bai Feng give you that lesson. Divine Characters might be incredible, but I've not expected you to get so obsessed with them. Su Yu, cultural researchers are inseparable from Divine Characters. But you must also remember that as a cultural researcher, willpower is the basis of cultivation."
He had completely ignored what Su Yu said. Of course, he had also misunderstood Su Yu. Forming his first Divine Character was different from completing his first Divine Character.
Liu Wenyan inhaled deeply before saying, "Take a seat."
Su Yu did as told.
An empty look seeped into Liu Wenyan's eyes but he quickly recovered. After some hesitation, he said, "Some cultural researchers believe in the might of Divine Characters. During their youth, before building a sufficiently strong willpower, they stubbornly pursue the path of Divine Characters.
"Several former principals of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy had left a Divine Character behind each. All the Divine Characters came with incredible usages. Creating a brand new world with one character. That is the type of power everyone yearned for.
"Fifty years ago, the fifth principal of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy passed away. He left a single Divine Character behind. That character changed a lot of things. It also changed a lot of lives."
Liu Wenyan had a bitter look in his eyes. "Some powerful cultural researchers have stepped into a different path: the path of Divine Characters. Instead of cultivating Divine Characters at the side, they specialize in Divine Characters and put everything else second.
"Some geniuses in the Mental Tempering Stage back then who were on the verge of willpower materialization had been greatly influenced by this trend. They decided to complete a powerful Divine Character before willpower materialization, aiming to kill Skysoar cultivators before their advancement.
"They were proud. They were ambitious. They believed they were capable of anything. They were unwilling to become ordinary cultural researchers. They wanted to dazzle the world with their brilliance. They wanted to complete powerful Divine Characters and even create eternal Divine Characters that would leave a mark on the world, standing tall above the myriad races.
"They wanted to slaughter divines and devils with their Divine Characters, contend against the myriad races, and sweep all opposition in the same cultivation realm."
"But..." Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu and spoke calmly, "They failed. Many of them died. Many of them were stuck at the Mental Tempering Stage for life. These were geniuses with a bright future ahead of them. They could become the pride of humanity. But they walked down the wrong path.
"Today, if you enter the academy, they will still teach you about Divine Characters. But before that, they will warn you to not be obsessed with the power of Divine Characters. That is something you should work on more in the future, not now.
"They will give you examples, telling you about so-and-so who were incredibly talented back then. However, those people had ultimately turned into cripples due to their obsession with Divine Characters.
"One of those so-and-so...could be a person named Liu Wenyan."
Su Yu's heart trembled. In truth, at the beginning of the story, a guess had appeared in his mind. And now, Liu Wenyan had confirmed his guess.
With a downcast voice, Liu Wenyan said, "Fifty years ago, I was a fellow apprentice of Bai Feng's teacher. We were both learning under the same teacher. Back then, both of us were in the Mental Tempering Stage. My willpower was eighty percent full and I was on the cusp of willpower materialization. At the time, he had only freshly entered the Mental Tempering Stage.
"The fifth principal of the academy had passed away, leaving behind one character. That character changed my life. It changed many lives.
"Fifty years later, I'm a trash cultural researcher who has just achieved willpower materialization. My junior brother is already a Mountainsea expert capable of dominating a region, waging wars against the myriad races, and slaughtering the divines and the devils."
Liu Wenyan's voice turned bitter, "Su Yu, let go of your obsession. I'm regretting this. I should have told you about this earlier. I am worried that you will walk the wrong path. Divine Characters should be your supplementary path, not your main path. Even if you want to improve your mastery in Divine Characters, you should wait.
"One is a first-stage Skysoar cultivator. The other is a Mountainsea cultivator. That is the result of walking the wrong path. One is high in the sky. The other is down below on the ground."
Su Yu's throat was dry as he softly asked, "Instructor, can Divine Characters interfere with willpower materialization?"
"Yes and no. Generally, that won't happen. But nourishing Divine Characters will exhaust too much of your willpower. Of course, if you only nourish your Divine Characters normally, it will be fine. But back then, we went mad with our pursuit."
Pain covered Liu Wenyan's face.
"We wanted to create a Divine Character capable of manifesting in the real world before willpower materialization. We were not happy with keeping our Divine Characters inside. We wanted to manifest our Divine Characters and turn them into weapons, perhaps even granting them the power to stay in the real world for eternity. We were...indeed mad."
Liu Wenyan mocked himself, "We were only at the Mental Tempering Stage! How strong could our willpower be? We exhausted so much willpower that we harmed our foundations. If we weren't mad, what were we?
"We were merely a bunch of fools who had overestimated ourselves. Serves us right for getting ourselves killed, crippled, or expelled."
Liu Wenyan once mentioned that he was an expelled student of the academy. He was telling the truth. Back then, the group that had been obsessed with Divine Characters were all super geniuses of their generation. Influenced by the fifth principal, nearly the entirety of that generation's students were crippled.
These people had massive influence in the academy. They nearly severed the academy's inheritance. At that time, the sixth principal, who was also the current principal, made a decision. All those people were expelled. All of them.
These people were thrown out and abandoned by the academy, preventing them from affecting the next generation. Otherwise, their presence could bring terrifying effects, perhaps even destroying the academy itself.
Liu Wenyan had not intended to tell Su Yu all that. But today, he was forced to remind Su Yu. He did not want to see Su Yu walking the same wrong path. Liu Wenyan spoke sincerely, using his own past as an example.
And Su Yu...hesitated greatly.
Looking at the expression on his instructor's face, an expression full of expectation, Su Yu was greatly troubled. Scratching his head, he awkwardly said, "Instructor, cultivating Divine Characters normally will be fine, right?"
"Of course. But your willpower is still too weak. It won't be too late to start after reaching the Mental Tempering Stage."
"But instructor...I've formed a character." Su Yu was having a hard time explaining himself. "It has been a month. I succeeded on the day Teacher Bai taught us. He even told me to try capturing a few more characters."
"..."
Liu Wenyan looked at Su Yu indifferently. "You succeeded?"
"Yes."
"On the day Bai Feng taught you?"
"Yes."
Liu Wenyan nodded. He still had a calm expression, but he was cussing furiously inwardly. Succeeded? Why hadn't this kid mentioned it then? This damn idiot! And Bai Feng was an absolute bastard. Neither of the two had bothered telling him!
He could forgive Su Yu since the kid was probably unaware of the significance of that. But Bai Feng...what a bastard. No wonder. No wonder the bastard offered himself as Su Yu's teacher. Did he know no shame?
Liu Wenyan spoke expressionlessly, "Since you've succeeded, just spend your time slowly completing it. Why do you keep asking about it?"
"No, Instructor. I completed my character on that day. But this character is very restless. It keeps demanding to consume blood..."
Pop!
The pen in Liu Wenyan's hand pierced through the table. With a frown, he said, "The quality of this table is too poor! I know that the school is lacking in funding, but Old Wang is too stingy. Don't learn from him. Always acting so miserly."
Su Yu blinked in confusion. He was talking about Divine Characters. What was this change of topic?
"What a shitty table!" Liu Wenyan threw the pen aside angrily. Looking at Su Yu, he furrowed his brows and said, "You completed your Divine Character on your first attempt?"
"Yes. It's the character ‘blood’," Su Yu hurriedly said. "I have been wanting to tell you, but...well...there is no rush and you told me to focus on my foundations, so I didn't get the chance to touch the topic."
In truth, Su Yu had attempted to talk about this a few days ago, but like today, Liu Wenyan had interrupted him before he could finish. He greatly respected Liu Wenyan, so he would naturally shut his mouth each time his instructor interrupted him and told him to focus on his foundations. But today, he couldn't afford to keep waiting.
After all, the instructor had gone as far as telling Su Yu his past. The instructor looked ready to sever their relationship if he continued being stubborn. Thus, he had to brace himself and tell the instructor everything. It wouldn't be a big deal that he had completed his Divine Character, right? Bai Feng hadn't said anything about that at all. But who knew if Bai Feng was dependable?
"The character ‘blood’..." Liu Wenyan nodded. "This is not the first time someone has formed this character. Consuming blood...is normal for this character. As long as it isn't consuming your own blood, there won't be any issue. A month ago…first pletion..."
Liu Wenyan muttered and nodded to himself before saying, "I misunderstood you earlier. Not bad at all. So you have already completed your first character. No wonder you have been mentioning this topic repeatedly."
He then stood up and said, "I'll give Bai Feng a call and look for more information on the character ‘blood’ to see if it has any special characteristics. Wait here. I'll be back shortly."
While walking away, Liu Wenyan said, "Don't leave. By the way, don't tell anyone about this. Nanyuan is too small. Be careful lest the Myriad Race Cult makes a move on you..."
He said the same thing as Bai Feng.
Then, ignoring the shut door, Liu Wenyan rammed through the door while grumbling, "That Old Wang is really too stingy. Why is everything here in such poor quality? Even the door has a terrible quality. If he keeps running the school this way, it is only a matter of time before the school shuts down. Even if we shouldn't be wasteful, we shouldn't be too stingy either."
"..."
Liu Wenyan walked away while swearing non stop. Not far away, the principal was stroking his beard with an aggrieved expression.
Were they really that bad? Not really! The furniture in Old Liu's office was actually quite good. They were the best the school had to offer. Still swearing, Liu Wenyan continued walking, and walking, and walking...before suddenly flying away. Before anyone knew it, he vanished.
When he was finally alone, he rammed his head into a random pillar as he muttered, "Completing a Divine Character in one day. Completing a Divine Character in one day. The fuck? How embarrassing. Why did nobody tell me that? Bai Feng, I'm not going to forget this! You want to take him as your student? In your dreams! This is not over! That was too embarrassing. What did I tell that kid earlier?"
At this moment, Liu Wenyan was hit by another realization. He seemed to have revealed his shameful past to Su Yu before proudly telling Su Yu to stop being obsessed with Divine Characters, to not bite off more than he could chew!
How...embarrassing!
Just like that, the reputation he had spent years building was ruined. That kid was also a bastard. Why did he leave his sentence unfinished? Would it kill him to finish his sentence?
"When your teacher is wrong, you need to bravely correct him. Did I not teach him that? I...don't think so."
Liu Wenyan continued mumbling to himself. Then, he started roaring profanities again.
"I need to keep calm! Su Yu is just an ignorant kid. If I keep silent, what would he know? Pfft. It's only a Divine Character...what's so special about that?"
While rubbing his own face, Liu Wenyan convinced himself to stay calm, telling himself that this was no big deal. Someone as knowledgeable as him wouldn't be troubled so easily.