When the massive turtle saw Su Yu, he asked, "Little Wen, is this a newcomer? I've never seen him before."
"Yeah. He's new here." Wen Zhong said, "Old Turtle, please send us to the Heart Paradise Island. Is the principal around?"
"Yeah."
Wen Zhong stepped onto the turtle's shell. Su Yu hurriedly did the same. The moment he landed on the turtle's shell, he could feel how solid the shell was. Noticing that Su Yu was staring at the shell, Wen Zhong said, "The principal took this turtle in during the early years of the academy. This old turtle has been staying in the academy for over 300 years. To visit the Heart Paradise Island, you will need the old turtle's help if you don't want to be treated as an invader."
The turtle leisurely swam toward the island as he laughed and said, "Little Wen, I'm only doing this because it's you. Do you think I'll let just anyone through? Hey, newcomer, don't you have any gift for me since this is our first meeting?"
Wen Zhong smiled and said, "Junior Brother Su, give him a bottle of the liquor you bought. Old Turtle, remember Junior Brother Su's aura. He might be a frequent visitor here in the future."
The turtle agreed with a laugh. Su Yu tossed a bottle of liquor out. The moment the bottle left his hand, it floated in the air before pouring its contents into the turtle's mouth. The turtle seemed quite picky as he remarked, "The quality isn't the best, but it's acceptable, I guess. Little Newbie, why are you staring at my shell?"
Su Yu said, "Senior—"
"Just call me old turtle. There is no need to refer to me as a senior."
Su Yu continued, "Senior, if I recall correctly, the looping turtles are known for their incredible defense. Can I ask if that is due to natural talent or if it is a result of body forging? And how strong is the looping turtles' defenses compared with the iron devourers?"The turtle blanked out slightly before answering, "It's hard to answer that. We specialize in defense, but that's mostly due to our natural talent and our shell. As for the iron devourers...they have probably obtained their strong defense from body forging."
Su Yu asked in a straightforward manner, "Are you a Cloudbreach or a Mountainsea, Senior?"
He couldn't see through the turtle's cultivation.
"You can consider me an early Mountainsea."
Su Yu grimaced. After living over 300 years, this turtle was only an early Mountainsea. That was not too surprising, but that was also quite weak.
"Senior, do you have any blood essence left behind from when you were weaker? Are you willing to sell some blood essence to me? I've been looking for looping turtle blood essence for a very long time."
The turtle sighed and said, "I can sense the thick aura of blood on you. In fact, you remind me of someone called Hong Tan. Is your line currently focused on blood essence research?"
"Yes."
Su Yu wasn't surprised to hear that. The first principal of Great Ming Cultural Research Academy was still alive and this turtle had been living here for over 300 years. He could only imagine the number of big shots this turtle had met before.
"Are you trying to research my racial ability?" The looping turtle said, "My racial ability is basically a defensive ability utilizing my shell. Without a shell, it won't be useful for you."
Su Yu nodded, "I understand. But perhaps I can learn something new from studying your racial ability."
"Nobody will bother preserving some of their blood essence when they were weak. If you're interested, I can form a drop of my current blood essence for you. But although you look calm, your murderous aura is too strong. If you accept my blood essence, please promise to refrain from slaughtering my brethren if you encounter them at the Allheaven Battlefield in the future."
Su Yu smiled and said, "This is a misunderstanding, Senior. My murderous aura comes from my kill character. I don't enjoy killing."
"..."
The looping turtle decided to say nothing. He had lived for a long time. Why was this kid trying to fool an old turtle like him? This kid was clearly a natural-born butcher.
Su Yu said, "It's still too hard for me to study Mountainsea blood essence so I won't be needing anything for now. Don't worry, Senior. Feel free to let me know what you want. You will harm yourself somewhat producing that drop of blood essence. So if you have any requests, feel free to voice them. I will try to help you out."
"We'll talk again in the future. Come look for me when you need my blood essence."
The looping turtle did not ask for anything. It wasn't like Su Yu would be able to provide him with the things he truly needed. He couldn't help but wonder just how many more lives would this kid take after arriving at the Allheaven Battlefield in the future.
After a while, they arrived at the Heart Paradise Island. Instead of resting in the island manor, Niu Baidao was currently standing outside the manor. Not far away from him, several puppets that looked like real humans were busy filling the table in front of him with food.
A large amount of food could be seen on the table.
The table was dozens of meters in length. Niu Baidao was testing the dishes one after another. Ignoring the visitors, he complained, "No, this isn't the right taste. It's different from what I tried in Great Han. Further improvement is needed. Oh, this dish is decent. It is quite similar to what I tried in Great Qin."
With his mouth stuffed with food, Niu Baidao looked at the two guests and asked, "Do you want to try?"
"Greetings, Principal."
"Make yourself at home"
Niu Baidao continued eating while the puppets around him continued serving him numerous different dishes. With a smile, he said, "I'm preparing these for the coming Myriad Delicacy Festival. Little Su Yu, don't forget to take part in it."
Su Yu blanked out. What?
Wen Zhong offered an explanation, "On the 28th of January each year, we celebrate the Myriad Delicacy Festival in the academy. Of course, it's no big deal since we have a lot of festivals in the academy. For example, we have the Hundred Flower Festival, Liquor Tasting Festival, Beast Fighting Festival, Moon Viewing Festival, Exquisite Music Festival, and so on."
"..."
Su Yu felt like he still had a lot to learn. The people of Great Ming were truly great at living life.
Seemingly having guessed his thoughts, Niu Baidao smiled and said, "There needs to be a balance between work and rest, right? As a cultivator of the dao, you cultivate your mind as well. If your mind is too tired, your path of cultivation will not be as smooth. With a tranquil mind, everything will progress smoothly.
"And this is how things are. When things are progressing smoothly, everything will seem smooth. And when things aren't progressing smoothly, everything will seem difficult. Great Xia places a lot of emphasis on cultivating the body, but Great Ming focuses on cultivating the mind. We walk different paths. There is no right or wrong. It's merely a matter of choice."
Su Yu nodded, "Thank you for the guidance, Principal."
Niu Baidao waved his hand and said, "Come on, grab something to eat. As a living being, you need to have some pursuits in life. Only a saint will have no desire whatsoever. The desire for good food is a way for one to enjoy some pleasure. Do we cultivate so hard and fight the myriad races to death for the sake of a life of bitter cultivation? No. We do all that so that we can enjoy the pleasures of life."
Su Yu said, "But for me, pleasure is a matter for the future."
There were things that he disagreed with, but it didn't mean that he found those things unacceptable. He was fine as long as those principles were not imposed upon him. Niu Baidao did not seem to mind. He continued eating. Even Wen Zhong was enjoying the food with a grin on his face.
Niu Baidao said, "For you, it is a matter for the future. For me, that is a matter for the present. I'm over 400 years old. Before long, I'll be celebrating my 500th birthday. How much longer can I live? Should I not be enjoying life at my age?"
"You should."
"There you have it."
Niu Baidao wiped his hand, sat down, and invited Su Yu to take a seat as well. "Little guy, relax. The sky is not going to collapse yet. Don't be so stressed all the time. Just look at how people like us are still enjoying life.
"The human race is very strong. We have a lot of Invincibles. If the worst is really going to happen, do you really think that everyone will continue fighting among themselves?"
"We are all aware of the threat posed by the divines and the devils. In that case, why is everyone still busy fighting against each other? Because the time for us to unite has yet to come.
"The human race has a lot of potential. We have a lot of individuals with the potential to step into the Invincible Realm. All these people are merely maintaining a low profile because they have yet to find the perfect opportunity to break through.
"I'm aware of the things that had happened in Great Xia. I know about your two teachers. Going to the Allheaven Battlefield might not be a bad thing for them. Don't worry about them too much."
Su Yu nodded, but he said nothing.
Niu Baidao said, "For now, you should focus on yourself. Focus on growing. Stop worrying about the others. It's good to remain cautious, but don't make the mistake of thinking that you are the only person capable of saving the human race."
With a toying look on his face, Niu Baidao said, "If things really get so bad that you become the final hope of humanity, you might as well let the human race be. If the human race, with so many Invincibles, reaches a point where it can only rely on you for survival, it is no longer worthy of existing."