Chapter 456: I Understand! (2)
"Because the human race is strong enough. We are strong enough to threaten even the almighty divines and devils. Thus, each Invincible we produce will result in a great battle with the myriad races. They will battle us to prevent the birth of a new Invincible, just like how they battled us to prevent the fifth principal's ascension back then.
"Thus, some people suggested maintaining the status quo. We don't need new Invincibles. We should restrain ourselves and maintain the balance with the myriad races. This is the way for prolonged peace."
Su Yu was shocked. He said, "Isn't this the same as not eating for fear of choking? We stop producing experts because the myriad races would be afraid of us. Are these people stupid?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed, "Are they? Perhaps that's what you think. But what if I tell you that each new Invincible will result in the death of an old Invincible? Would you still think that?"
Su Yu asked, "Why?"
Wan Tiansheng sighed again, "Because of the myriad races. Each time someone attempts to break through into the Invincible Realm, a major battle will erupt. And almost each time, at least one Invincible will perish. The new Invincible might be successful in the breakthrough, but an old Invincible will die as a result. This has happened each time a human tries to advance."
Wan Tiansheng sighed, "This is the long term strategy of the myriad races. They won't invade us. Instead, they are slowly grinding us down. The moment we try to produce one Invincible, they will attack us en masse. They will scare us so much that we won't dare to produce new Invincibles anymore."
Su Yu clenched his teeth and said, "So they are trapping us, forcing us to restrict our own growth and die a slow death?"
"Yeah." Wan Tiansheng nodded, "That's the gist of it. But that is the reality. Can those old Invincibles accept such a cost? Losing an old Invincible each time we produce a new Invincible? This has happened almost every single time. Do you still think that they are stupid for making that suggestion?"
Su Yu had nothing to say. Was that stupid? It was no longer so straightforward. Replacing a veteran Invincible with a new Invincible? Was that worth it?
Since he wasn't the one who would die, it would be easy for him to say that humanity should stand up and fight until the very end.
But what about the old Invincibles? They wanted to live as well. These were the heroes of humanity who had risen up and protected humanity when humanity was on the brink of extinction. It was understandable that they didn't want to die after finally pushing the myriad races out of the Human Realm, right?
Yes, that was perfectly understandable.
But Su Yu couldn't help but say, "If this continues, the human race will not be able to produce enough new Invincibles to replace the ones we're losing. This is not sustainable."
"That's right. Thus, a different group led by Great Zhou King is trying to reactivate the Human Realm's suppressive power toward the foreign races. That is one of the solutions we have."
"The old Invincibles are hesitating. Which side should they choose? Should they keep fighting or should they take a defensive stance?"
Su Yu asked, "Can't we kill some of them each time they attack us as well?"
"Sure we can." Wan Tiansheng nodded, "Don't look down on the old Invincibles. They will have no problem taking one or two enemy Invincibles down with them before dying. But we are fighting against so many races. Combined, they have a lot more Invincibles than us. We will still be the ones to lose more."
"But why are they insisting on attacking us?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Because it's worth it. The Human Realm is a land of treasures. You will understand why one day. The Human Realm isn't too big. And it hasn't risen to power for long. But despite our short history, we have been able to produce as many Invincibles as the powerful races such as the divines and the devils. The only thing we lack is accumulation. There are also some other reasons for that, but that's irrelevant to our current discussion."
Wan Tiansheng asked, "Do you know the reason for the fifth principal's death?"
"..."
Su Yu was speechless. How the fuck was he supposed to know that? But he still answered after a short thought, "Because they don't want to see us produce a cultural researcher Invincible. My grandteacher said that a cultural researcher Invincible is much stronger than a warrior Invincible. One of them can fight multiple warrior Invincibles."
"Idiot!" Wan Tiansheng said, "Hong Tan is a fool. What does he know?"
Su Yu was out of words. What could he say to that? Just what was this principal trying to say?
Wan Tiansheng glanced at Su Yu and gloomily said, "The fifth principal's death proved one thing. You said that everyone is ignoring the suppression of the multiple character faction. In truth, there is a group of people encouraging this suppression from behind the scenes..."
Su Yu's head started hurting. Why was the principal telling him all that? Knowing more would only put him in more danger.
"I am only trying to make you realize what your priority is." Wan Tiansheng said, "Let me put it this way. Do you know my theory about a human cultural researcher Invincible? What is their biggest function? To activate the Human Realm's suppressive force. Do you understand now?"
Su Yu blanked out.
Wan Tiansheng said, "That's the crux of the issue. That was why the fifth principal was killed. That is why the multiple character faction is being suppressed. Like I said, some people wish to prolong this status quo and maintain this peace for a longer time. But the multiple character faction is the spark that will result in a major war with the myriad races. The moment the multiple character faction cultivators start advancing into the Invincible Realm, a major war will break out. Do you think the fifth principal and Liu Wenyan are the targets of those people? Do you think they only attacked because they fear a single new Invincible? Do you really think they attacked because a cultural researcher Invincible is stronger? Bullshit!"
Wan Tiansheng coldly said, "Because the multiple character faction, or to be more precise, human cultural researchers are not allowed to produce an Invincible. It is that simple. The moment one such Invincible is produced, war will come. A war that will engulf the Myriad Realms. Will the myriad races be willing to see us reactivate the suppressive force of the Human Realm? You need to understand this. Great Zhou King might not even be an enemy of the fifth principal. His little brother wouldn't have been there to help the fifth principal otherwise. Remember my words!"
"..."
Su Yu was completely stunned.
Holy shit!
What was this?
He finally understood. But he couldn't help but shiver in fear.
He swallowed and said, "You mean...there is more than one person. There is an entire group of people trying to stop the multiple character faction from producing an Invincible to avoid war? They are even going as far as preventing any multiple character faction member from even producing someone with the potential to enter the Invincible Realm just to prevent a major war with the myriad races from happening in advance?"
"So you finally understand." Wan Tiansheng smiled, "I told you to maintain a low profile. But you were stubborn. To speak the truth, I don't hold high hopes for people like Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan. It is very unlikely that they will be able to reach the Invincible Realm. But you...have some potential. Therefore, don't show off too much. Do you think your grandteacher and the others are all stupid? They have been able to sense the impending crisis. Therefore, even without knowing the truth, they have decided to lay low for so many years."
Su Yu was completely stunned. Was that the case? In that case...He couldn't resist looking at Wan Tiansheng again. But according to his grandteacher, the warzone incident might be related to this principal?
Since they had to stay low key, why had this guy pushed for that confrontation to happen? Wasn't this guy contradicting himself?
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Stop thinking. Some things are less complicated than you have imagined. It has been 50 years. For a lot of people, Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan have exhausted their potential and can no longer reach the Invincible Realm. At a time like this, allowing them to show some strength is also a valid way to protect the multiple character faction."
"..."
Su Yu said nothing. But he felt like Wan Tiansheng was telling him too much. He was starting to feel scared of how much he knew. He didn't want to know that much! He was only at the Mental Tempering Stage!
Among the human Invincibles, a group of them was trying to delay the major war. These people were supportive of the suppression of the multiple character faction since the multiple character faction might produce cultural researcher Invincibles and cause the major war to happen sooner.
There was also a group of Invincibles that did not wish to see new Invincibles to rise and old Invincibles to die.
And there was another group led by Great Zhou King aiming to activate the Human Realm's suppressive force. They believed that a cultural researcher Invincible was required to actually do that. Thus, Great Zhou King could actually be a secret supporter of the multiple character faction.
Fuck!
What the fuck?
Su Yu was completely stupefied.
And as the successor of the multiple character faction, it was very advisable for him to hide his talent for a bit. If he showed too much talent and strength, he would alarm some people.
As for the older generation of the multiple character faction, according to Wan Tiansheng, some people believed that they had exhausted all their potential. It might be slightly dangerous for them to reveal some strength at this point, but the danger on them still wouldn't be as high.
So...he, a mere student, was much more dangerous than Teacher Liu and the others? There was no way this was true, right?
Su Yu stared at Wan Tiansheng blankly. The principal smiled, "Do you understand now?"
"I understand...but...Principal...are you not exaggerating to scare me?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Do I even need to? You're not at the Skysoar Realm yet so it will still be fine for now. You can only demonstrate the strength of your physical cultivation. I am only trying to make you understand the truth.
"I want to remind you to stop exposing your talent on the path of cultural research. Since you have chosen to walk both paths of cultivation, it is fine to show off your strength in physical cultivation. Just hide your talent in willpower cultivation. Those people won't feel threatened by you.
"Since you already know all this, it will be fine. You're a smart person. Use your intelligence where you should. When you first entered the academy, you were quite low key. That's very good. Just focus on cultivating and learning. But nowadays, you have been showing off repeatedly. Without this meeting, you will probably do something to shake the entire academy next. Am I right?"
"No."
Su Yu denied. What a joke. He was only a Mental Tempering Stage student. The principal sure looked highly upon him.
He finally understood what the principal was trying to say. He muttered, "So I can display the strength of my physical cultivation. As for my willpower cultivation, just show a rather ordinary level of talent? At the very least, that is the impression I need to show everyone. As for the ones who have witnessed my true talent in willpower cultivation, I need to ensure that they can't talk anymore?"
Ohhh, Su Yu finally understood! So he needed to kill some people and silence them forever! Principal Wan had spent so long talking, and finally, Su Yu was able to draw a conclusion from all the talking.
Firstly, if an enemy found out about his talent in willpower cultivation, he needed to kill and silence that person.
Secondly, he needed to be low key. If possible, he should scheme and plot in the dark, not in the open.
Thirdly, he was better off as a treacherous snake, not a righteous dumbass.
Fourthly, there was no need for him to worry about Liu Wenyan and the others. Instead, he should be worried about his own life.
Fifthly, the single character faction might actually exist to protect the multiple character faction even if they themselves were unaware of their true purpose.
...
Su Yu nodded in understanding.
Instead of retorting, he said, "Principal, I understand what you're trying to say! From now on, I will keep doing the same: only reveal the strength of my physical cultivation. You don't need to show too much bias toward me, Principal. I don't want people to think that I'm very talented in willpower cultivation. I don't want anyone to believe that I can become a cultural researcher Invincible and kill me to eliminate me as a threat. Am I right?"
Wan Tiansheng smiled. Was the kid right?
Perhaps.
Did the kid really have the potential to enter the Invincible Realm?
Not necessarily.
As far as he was concerned, this version of Su Yu still couldn't be relied on. The kid was too conspicuous and attracted too much attention. And attention was the source of all danger. The kid could easily get himself killed.
"In truth, I have also been considering a different possibility. Perhaps if you can show enough talent, you might attract a different group of people. They might finally decide to make a move. But I'm also worried that if you show off too much, even the final hope will be extinguished...
"It's enough for your teacher and grandteacher to be the ones attracting all the attention. You should just focus on cultivation. Forget all these after leaving this place. Do not keep thinking about them. I am only telling you all this so that you will have a smoother path of cultivation."
Complicated.
Principal Wan's feelings were complicated. He believed that Su Yu was really talented enough to lure out the hidden enemies.
But Su Yu was too young. He still had a lot of untapped potential. As for people like Liu Wenyan and Hong Tan, it was fine for them to be used as bait. It wasn't like they had a high chance of entering the Invincible Realm.
Su Yu scratched his head and said, "Principal, I understand. Since you look so highly upon me, why don't you give me some benefits? With money, I can definitely cultivate faster."
Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Benefits? The words I've spoken today are invaluable. Is this not enough?"
What a straightforward kid. He was actually directly asking for benefits.
Su Yu bashfully said, "Yeah, those words are important. They have helped me understand some things. But Principal, they aren't really that helpful for me. Without resources, I can't advance. What's the point of telling me all that if I can't keep growing?"
"Rely on yourself," Wan Tiansheng said lazily. "You know the Divine Skywing Sect's hidden stash, right? Just go look for it if you want money. Both Bai Feng and Chen Yong know how to extract memories from blood essence. You probably know how to do so as well, right?"
"..."
At that very moment, only the word fuck could express what Su Yu was feeling.
Why was this principal aware of everything?
Was this principal omniscient and omnipotent?
That thought had only crossed his mind for a split second yet the principal had caught on to that.
Additionally, a lot of the things the principal had told him were definitely top secrets. How did the principal know all that? Did the principal guess all of that or did the principal really have proof of all that? It was clear that the principal knew a lot more than many people.
Su Yu was starting to get confused. Why did it feel like this principal might be even more well-informed than even the prefect?
There was nothing Su Yu could do about the lack of material benefits from this meeting. At the very least, he had learned some information that money couldn't buy. With nothing left to say, he took his leave.
Unknown to him, when he was walking through the door, a white flash appeared behind him before vanishing immediately.
...
After Su Yu left, Wan Tiansheng shut his eyes and sank into thought. There were some words that shouldn't have been spoken to Su Yu yet. Was there a point in letting a mere Mental Tempering Stage student know so much? But he couldn't let go of the tiny hope he saw.
The kid was still so young. In that case, the kid should live longer. At the very least, he needed to preserve the future of a Cloudbreach with the strength to battle Mountainseas.
That future he had seen after sacrificing a lifespan of 100 years was most definitely an important future.
Even if Su Yu had only appeared in a tiny part of the future he saw, the sheer fact that the kid had appeared signified that the kid was definitely not someone of no significance.
"Su Yu..."
Once again, he recalled the unique aura he felt from Su Yu when the semester first started. During that time, he had assumed that the kid had inherited Liu Wenyan's character. But he had concluded that instead of Liu Wenyan's character, the kid had stumbled upon his own fortuitous encounter.
Shaking his head, Wan Tiansheng smiled, "Pressure is the greatest source of motivation. Is this pressure enough for you?"
Was that enough?
He believed that it was.
The kid should stop putting all his effort on defeating the single character faction. The defeat of the single character faction would only be the start of an even harder life for the multiple character faction.