Chapter 56: Nearing the Limit (2)
Half an hour later, Su Yu woke up. He looked around and saw that only he and Liu Wenyan were left in the office.
Alarmed, he hurriedly said, "Instructor...I didn't manage to observe all..."
He was annoyed with himself. He was too focused on beating up his newly recruited little brother and had forgotten to focus on the subsequent moves. He wasn't stupid. He understood that writing a willpower text wasn't an easy task. He had wasted the session.
Liu Wenyan did not seem to mind. He smiled and asked, "How many moves did you see?"
"Three. I wasn't able to see the fourth move in time."
Su Yu was feeling very regretful.
"Hu!"
Liu Wenyan let off a long breath. He was relieved that Su Yu had only managed to see three moves. If this fellow continued until the subsequent moves, he would probably be confused when the miniature figures stopped appearing on the text.
"It's fine. Even if you had managed to see more, you wouldn’t be able to master them. Take this text back. Don't leak it. Hide it carefully. Read it when you have time. Of course, the longer you wait, the less effective it would be. I'm only a Skysoar cultivator, not a Mountainsea cultivator. I can't keep my willpower in the text for too long."
Liu Wenyan was managing Su Yu's expectations, telling Su Yu in advance that the longer he waited, the weaker the willpower text would be. It would be Su Yu's responsibility to study as much as he could from the text before it failed, not Liu Wenyan's. As a teacher, Liu Wenyan had already given Su Yu the best he could.
Liu Wenyan then changed the topic, "Did you form a new Divine Character?"
"Yes. It's the lightning character."
"How many strokes did you form?"
"I think...the entire character. Wait, I think I almost got the entire character..." With an embarrassed tone, Su Yu added, "I think I missed a stroke."
"Huh?"
Liu Wenyan was surprised. This student of his had successfully formed a Divine Character yet again...again?
Fine, he decided to just forget about his student's abnormal talent and asked, "Missed a stroke?"
"Yeah. When I was capturing it, it resisted fiercely..."
"That's because your willpower is not strong enough, making it so that you can’t capture it in its entirety. You should have given up or aimed to capture only one stroke and stop there. Next time, you can't force yourself like this. Understand?"
Liu Wenyan was stern. "Once or twice, you might succeed with luck. But you could have easily suffered a backlash from pushing yourself too far. But of course, I was at fault too. I did not expect you to be able to form a second Divine Character so soon so I forgot to remind you.
"Also, prior to the Mental Tempering Stage, do not attempt to form your third Divine Character."
"Alright!" Su Yu asked, "Instructor, I feel like I'll need at least ten days or half a month to complete the character."
"That's normal. In fact, it's very normal for a cultural researcher to take half a year or even one year to complete a Divine Character."
This time, Liu Wenyan did not try to keep Su Yu grounded by playing down the feat of forming two Divine Characters so soon. Instead, he sternly warned, "Your speed of forming Divine Characters is too fast. This is very abnormal. I don't know if this is good or not, but it is not necessarily a good thing to have too many Divine Characters. Like I said before, too many Divine Characters might result in weak Divine Characters."
"I understand, Instructor."
Su Yu nodded. He wouldn't be able to test his new Divine Character since it was incomplete. That would have to wait. Of course, if he had to guess, it probably had the ability to electrocute his opponents.
After all, that character had done exactly that to him earlier. He wouldn't have been forced to break a "leg" of that character otherwise. The electrocution was rather painful, so he wasn't able to hold back.
Liu Wenyan was relieved to see that Su Yu was taking his words seriously.
After thinking for a bit, he slowly said, "At this point, I've taught you almost everything I can. As for the basic knowledge you need to know, you'll be able to learn them in the academy.
"Things like complicated cultivation methods, usage of Divine Characters, formation and nourishment of Divine Characters, and more myriad race languages are all part of the regular lessons in the academy. You can spend a few years slowly learning them all after entering the academy. That will be a way to strengthen your foundation."
Suddenly, Liu Wenyan turned solemn again, "Early on, don't get distracted and focus only on building your foundation. Us cultural researchers need to be patient. Those in the war academies can enter the Great Strength Realm in about half a year or one year after entering the academy.
"But us cultural researchers will normally be stuck for years before entering the Skysoar Realm at one go."
Su Yu hurriedly nodded before softly asking, "Instructor, I feel like I can reach the Great Strength Realm in a few months."
"..."
Liu Wenyan's words were stuck in his throat.
Damn it! He forgot that this kid was already at the eighth-stage!
As a student preparing to join the cultural research academy, he had five years in secondary school to learn various languages. He had to learn everything from scratch. In that context, was five years really a long time?
Apart from languages, these students still had to learn many other things as well. For example, mathematics, structure of basic weapons, geography, history, and so on. The secondary school had a stacked curriculum.
With the heavy curriculum, a student could be considered hard working just practicing the Source Opening Codex after school. Not many of them could actually go beyond the fourth-stage.
Students like Chen Hao who were not aiming to join a cultural research academy were different. They did not need to learn too many different languages. They only needed to learn the three compulsory languages.
Even so, that was enough to cause these students massive suffering. They would want nothing more than to abandon all the language classes altogether.
Su Yu was remarkably talented in terms of Divine Characters. Because of that, Liu Wenyan had even forgotten that this fellow was already at the eighth-stage. In fact, this entire lesson today was for the sake of helping this newly advanced student of his.
His intention was never to help Su Yu form a second Divine Character. Liu Wenyan found himself speechless.
Initially, he wanted to tell Su Yu to not envy those fellows from the war academies. Many of them could reach the Great Strength Realm after one year. He had to be patient. After a few years, they would still be stuck in the Great Strength Realm while he was already in the Skysoar Realm.
But he was unable to say those words anymore. This kid was already at the eighth-stage Source Opening Realm.
Liu Wenyan coughed to cover his awkwardness and calmly said, "Yes, your cultivation level is decent. But so what if you can reach the Great Strength Realm? That is a worthless realm. At the academy, you will discover that some of your senior brothers are already in the Skysoar Realm..."
Su Yu hurriedly said, "Instructor, I have a question."
"Ask it."
"I have checked many documents. I can't seem to find a record of the actual number of years a student will take to graduate from a cultural research academy. I can't find a single record with that information..."
Su Yu was very curious. Just how long is a student going to be studying there?
"Years?" Liu Wenyan blanked out. After a while, he laughed and said, "I almost forgot to tell you that the students in the academy are not graded by years. Rather, those below twenty percent willpower are all grouped into the junior grade. These students are still incapable of studying Great Strength original texts.
"Those between twenty to fifty percent willpower that are already capable of studying Great Strength original texts will enter the intermediate grade. At fifty percent and above, also the Mental Tempering Stage, one could enter the senior grade.
"And at the Skysoar Realm, you'll be able to graduate. Of course, not everyone will be able to reach the point of graduation. Many will stay there for a few years before leaving after failing to make any headways in their cultivation. Some will return home, some will join a different academy, some will go to the battlefield, and some might find a different thing to do. At that point, the academy will stop supporting you.
"At the Skysoar Realm, you can also decide to stay in the academy. Bai Feng is one such example. Staying in the academy, he took the position of an assistant researcher. However, only a genius would be able to do so. If you only manage to reach the Skysoar Realm at fifty years old, it is unlikely that you'll be able to stay. You will have to look for an alternative yourself, but you will still be able to do well outside of the academy considering your cultivation level.
"Generally, most people will leave if they fail to reach the Skysoar Realm by thirty."
Liu Wenyan sighed. "At thirty...one can still change their focus from willpower into physical cultivation. But after that, it will be too late. The golden period of cultivation would be over. For example, you're currently eighteen. You'll be in the academy for more than ten years. If you still can't reach the Skysoar Realm then, you'll give up as well."
So many people had entered the academy with outstanding talent and great ambitions. Unfortunately, many also ended up wasting over ten years without being able to reach the Skysoar Realm. Ultimately, these people were forced to give up on willpower cultivation. This had happened many times before.
"You might even find some people in their fifties or sixties in the academy. They aren't even your teachers. They're only your senior brothers. These will probably be the ones teaching you some of the basic lessons. Through the lessons, they can earn some merit points and provide for themselves. That way, they can at least still support their family despite their stunted cultivation.
"These people aren't even assistant researchers. But of course, you won't have to address them as senior brothers. Just address them as instructors. After all, calling them senior brothers would be the same as rubbing salt to the wound. If you're unlucky enough to encounter a less magnanimous person, they will start creating trouble for you."
Liu Wenyan laughed, but his laugh was somewhat bitter.
].
"I...would have been one such instructor if I had stayed in the academy. I'll be your senior brother, not your teacher. An old fart over seventy years old will be considered your peer."
Apart from themselves, nobody could understand how bitter that felt. Not one person who had managed to enter a cultural research academy was a fool. Alas, these intelligent individuals had all ended up wasting decades of their lives there without anything to show for it. Nobody could imagine how they felt.
Su Yu was still young, so he couldn't fully understand that feeling. But just hearing about these people from Liu Wenyan was enough to cause him to shiver. Wasting decades without achieving anything. Being the peer of a bunch of teenagers.
'I won't suffer the same fate!'
Su Yu vowed inwardly. He wouldn't allow that to happen to him. He didn't want that to happen to him. Today, he learned that apart from geniuses, there were also a group of pitiful individuals in the cultural research academy. Sure enough, where there was light, there would be darkness.
"Go, go back and take a few days of rest. Study the Lightning Source Blade, nourish your Divine Character, and wait for the exam."
"Instructor, about the middle-stage Great Strength cultivator I need to kill..."
"Forget about that. You don't have enough time."
Su Yu thought about it and insisted, "Instructor, why don't I continue trying. I'll spend a few days practicing the Lightning Source Blade before trying. I'll give up if I fail."
"Sure."
Liu Wenyan did not try to stop Su Yu. Stubbornness could be a virtue as well.
After tossing the beast hide with the Lightning Source Blade on it to Su Yu, Liu Wenyan walked out with his hands clasped behind him. But before he could leave, Su Yu said, "Instructor, I'll come and learn more from you tomorrow morning. I'll practice the blade technique in the afternoon..."
Liu Wenyan nearly staggered and fell.
I told you to rest at home and study the blade technique. Are you thinking that I'm doing that because I'm feeling generous? What a foolish kid!
I've exhausted too much willpower. I'm the one needing the rest. I can't be showing my pale face at school everyday, right? People will think that I have been indulging excessively in debauchery if they see me like that! Can't you read between the lines, kid?
With his back facing Su Yu, Liu Wenyan's face fell as he said with a flat tone, "There is no need for that. I have something to take care of for the next few days. I'm trying to push my physical body to the Skysoar Realm as well. I'll be occupied."
Su Yu came to a realization and hurriedly said, "Ok, Instructor. I won't be bothering you."
"Alright."
With the look of an unfathomable expert, Liu Wenyan drifted away. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep maintaining his dignified appearance if he stayed in the office any longer.