Chapter 613: First Visit To The Great Ming Cultural Research Academy (1)
Year 351 of the Anping Calender, 15th of January.
This was the day the various academies would reopen. A new semester was starting after two weeks of holiday. The Great Ming Cultural Research Academy was massive. Early in the morning, the academy that had been silent for half a month bustled with noise and activity again.
Numerous people could be seen in front of the large and grand gate of the academy. In the sky, massive flying mounts were descending. On the ground, majestic mounts were running over. And in front of the academy, one mount after another transformed into metallic blocks after their masters hopped off them.
One student after another stepped into the academy.
"Bai Junsheng is here!" Someone in the crowd exclaimed after noticing a flying mount in the sky. That person yelled in excitement, "Bai Junsheng has broken through into the Skysoar Realm! He's amazing!"
"He's so handsome!"
"He has only reached the Skysoar Realm through physical cultivation. Meanwhile, his willpower cultivation is still stuck at the Mental Tempering Stage. What's so amazing about that?"
"..."
As the crowd talked among themselves, a handsome youth landed on the ground with a wide grin on his face while the flying mount above him vanished.
Right after he landed, a chubby youth nearby laughed and said, "Bai Junsheng, since you've reached the Skysoar Realm through physical cultivation, you should go to a war academy instead. The Bai Family is a family of warriors. What are you doing in a cultural research academy? Are you here because you're afraid of death? Be honest. Are you afraid of the battlefield? Is that why you're here?"
Bai Junsheng's face turned unsightly.
He snorted and said, "You're the one who's scared of the battlefield. Who says that there are no cultural researchers in the Bai Family? My cousin is a cultural researcher!"
Zhu Hongliang laughed and said, "Your cousin is currently at the Allheaven Battlefield. Why don't you go there as well? You're already a Skysoar so you are now free to go there if you want."
"..."
Bai Junsheng furiously said, "I'll go there sooner or later!"
Suddenly, someone asked, "Ninth Zhu, is Su Yu joining the academy or not? Where is he? Why is he not here yet?"
Zhu Hongliang smiled and said, "Of course he'll be here. Why should I lie about that? He looks ordinary so stop fantasizing about him. He's a boring dude..."
"But he's strong!"
Zhu Hongliang laughed, "True. But we're cultural researchers. Strength is not everything for us. In my opinion, he's more like a warrior with very few tricks up his sleeve. Sure enough, the Bai Family is only capable of producing warriors."
Right at this moment, someone behind him laughed and said, "Prince, it's rude to talk badly about someone behind their back."
Zhu Hongliang's face turned stiff.
Holy shit! When did this fellow arrive?
Turning around, Zhu Hongliang saw that Su Yu was standing there with his hands clasped behind him. He gazed at Zhu Hongliang with a calm smile.
An awkward expression covered Zhu Hongliang's face. But at that moment, someone else exclaimed, "This is Su Yu! Everyone, come! Su Yu is here!"
"Su Yu is here!"
"Come take a look!"
"The psychopath is here!"
"Stop shouting! He's right there! He can hear you!"
"..."
The area seemed to have turned into a market. Numerous people rushed over to take a look at the magical Su Yu.
Huh? He was...just a human.
He did not have a third eye, a second nose, or an extra pair of limbs. Why was he so strong?
"Guys, do you think he will cut anyone down simply because he finds that person an eyesore?"
"Be careful. Keep your distance from him."
"It's fine. We have numbers on our side."
"..."
Su Yu was already getting tired. He was standing right there. He could hear them. He was not an exotic animal in a zoo. Were the cultural researchers of Great Ming mentally challenged?
He could even see some teachers amid the crowd, participating in the idiotic conversations. What was so interesting about him? If he had known that this would happen, he would have sneaked into the academy.
At this moment, Bai Junsheng spoke, "Are you my martial nephew, Su Yu?"
Su Yu looked at Bai Junsheng expressionlessly. Seeing his reaction, Bai Junsheng stiffened. That look in Su Yu's eyes did not seem too friendly.
"I am Bai Feng's younger cousin. It's not wrong for me to call you martial nephew, right?"
Bai Junsheng did not sound too confident, but he personally believed that he was right. In terms of seniority, Su Yu was indeed his martial nephew. Why was Su Yu looking at him like that?
Su Yu smiled and said, "I am Teacher Bai Feng's student, but I don't acknowledge anything other than that."
He did not intend to get himself a new uncle.
Bai Junsheng awkwardly said, "You're a dull man."
How boring.
Su Yu was also quite speechless. He suspected that the cultural researchers of Great Ming lacked societal experience, unlike those in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy who would obediently move aside in the presence of genius students.
Surrounding and watching a genius student like the student was an exotic animal? More likely than not, they would end up challenged to a spar and beaten up badly. Then again, this wasn't too bad either. These people were merely curious, but they did not seem to hold any malice toward him. They would probably leave after losing interest.
That thought had barely crossed Su Yu's mind when he came to learn just how fickle these people could be.
"Guys, Big Ball in the Organic Farm has given birth to three little balls!"
"What?"
"She gave birth? Were the little balls males or females? Three of them? Shit! I wagered on there being five little balls!"
"Let's go take a look!"
Beside Su Yu, Zhu Hongliang ran off in excitement as well. But after running a few steps, he recalled something and turned around to ask, "Su Yu, are you coming? Big Ball is a beautiful creature. She has just given birth to a few cubs. What a surprise. I thought she would only give birth to a single cub."
Someone else said, "I don't care about that. I'm more curious about the father. Who's the culprit? Who's the dad of those little balls? Everyone, let's investigate. I suspect it's that large bear."
"Bullshit. It must be that tiger. That tiger spends a lot of time with Big Ball."
"..."
Su Yu watched on in stupefaction as the crowd ran off. In the blink of an eye, the crowd in front of the gate had shrunk by more than half. For some reason, Su Yu felt abandoned. All those people were still looking at him earlier. But that so-called Big Ball was a much bigger attraction than him?
"A bunch of weirdos."
Fortunately, someone appeared to heal his damaged heart. A petite young woman walked over and smiled, "Ignore them. That's how they have always been. Nothing can hold their interest for long."
Su Yu smiled, "I'm fine."
Finally, someone else was speaking to him. He needed someone to show him the way to the Multiple Character Faculty.
But right at that moment, the young woman took out a pile of items and said, "Student Su Yu, I noticed that you don't have a rapid transit beast. I have several different models of rapid transit beasts here. Flying, running, or even swimming models are available."
"Hey, I have some to sell as well!"
Next, a few other students walked over as well.
"Student Su, do you love drinking? I have a magical automatic brewer with me. It's very cheap. You can get one for only thirty merit points. With this brewer, you can taste any liquor you can think of. My brewer is as useful as the Myriad Liquor Grotto."
"Student Su Yu, drinking is boring. I have a beautiful lifelike puppet that can transform into any form you want..."
"Student Su is not vulgar like you guys. All geniuses of Great Xia are battle fanatics. Student Su, I have a mobile ring with me. You only need to toss it out to create a proper ring. With this thing, you can get into a fight at any time!"
After saying that, the student tossed an item to the ground. And indeed, a ring appeared out of thin air. The student said, "This thing comes with a defensive barrier that can resist even the attacks of a Skysoar. If you order the custom-made ring from me, I can even get you one that can resist the attacks of Mountainseas. You can even use this ring as a temporary defensive camp when you're out traveling. It has multiple functions. You can use it to both pick fights and protect yourself. You can even request for some special functions for the custom-mode version."
"..."
For some reason, Su Yu was starting to feel like he was a country bumpkin. He stared at the ring in stupefaction. He was actually interested in it.
But immediately after, someone else said, "There's nothing special about that. Look at what I have."
At that, a massive map appeared in the air.
"This is a detailed map of the Human Realm with navigational functions. It is something all intrepid travelers must possess. With this map, you will never lose your way!"
Incredible!
Before Su Yu could say anything, someone else said, "That's useless. Who would lose their way in the Human Realm? Look at this. I have a super beast tamer. You only need to toss it out in the wilderness to instantly lure countless demonic beasts over."
"Bullshit. That beast tamer of yours is only good for suicide."
"Nonsense. This treasure of mine is very useful for someone strong like Student Su. Look, it's this thing..."
"No! Don't take it out!"
Boom!
Instantly, about a dozen demonic beasts rushed out of the academy and charged the ball in that student's hand with red eyes.
A Cloudbreach teacher appeared in the sky and scolded, "Put that away! You! Put that away! Do you want the Beast Taming Faculty to flatten your Manufacturing Faculty?"
"..."
It was total chaos.
Su Yu decided to walk away silently. Was this the so-called Great Ming Cultural Research Academy?
It was truly chaotic. But it was also fun. All those tools were interesting and creative. If they weren't expensive, he wouldn't mind buying some of them. That was especially true for the ball capable of luring beasts. But it seemed somewhat hard to control. It would be troublesome if he accidentally lured over someone stronger than him.
But from what he saw, the ball in the student's hand wasn't that powerful yet. It was only capable of luring some weak beasts over. The water elemental and the shadow were completely unaffected.
This place was chaotic, but it was a different kind of chaos than the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. The chaos here was full of vitality. The students here were filled with life and vigor.
Su Yu started walking silently while observing his surroundings.
He saw someone caring for some flowers in the academy. Yes. Flowers. As he walked, one of the flowers turned into a massive jaw before trying to bite down at him. The girl caring for the flower furiously said, "I rented this plot of land! You're not allowed to walk on it lest you damage the plants I'm planting! You need to compensate me if you end up damaging anything!"
Su Yu apologized and hurriedly left.
After a while, he saw a pond and someone fishing by the pond. When the angler saw Su Yu, he said, "Student, are you interested in fishing? You can train your willpower and your arms here. There is an orange fish beast in the pond. When you fish here, you can engage the beast in a clash of willpower. Training here is better than training with a willpower text!"
"..."
Su Yu politely rejected the offer before leaving.
Along the way, he saw all sorts of unique individuals. The Great Ming Cultural Research Academy was truly full of life. He saw several students working on a large machine before the machine exploded, leaving the students filthy with grime and soot. Surprisingly, the students grew even more excited as they scurried over and continued their work on the machine.
Su Yu also saw an old man taking a casual stroll. At a closer look, he noticed that the old man was actually skating on a pair of flaming wheels. When the old man saw Su Yu, he smiled and asked, "Child, where are you going? Are you interested in buying a pair of flaming wheels from me? You can use this to travel all over Great Ming!"
"Thank you, but I'm not interested."
The old man did not seem to mind. He continued skating around on his flaming wheels.