Chapter 13: A Different Great Xia Mansion

On this day, Su Yu followed Liu Wenyan.

He was not in a hurry. This was not the first time he followed Liu Wenyan; he often did so while studying the languages of the myriad races.

Su Yu continued with his own activities: cultivating, reading, studying... He just didn't use the essence blood to activate the Yuan Absorption Art for cultivation anymore.

In the shadows, Dragon Martial Guards protected him.

Su Yu hadn't seen them, and they hadn't appeared, but he was somewhat curious and eager about the Dragon Martial Guards.

He had heard that the Dragon Martial Guards were very strong, so strong that even his own father couldn't get in.

How strong were they exactly?

While Su Yu was curious, Liu Wenyan was as usual, drinking tea, reading, and teaching.

...

"Do you desire to join the Dragon Martial Guards?"

Seeing Su Yu look outside several times, seemingly trying to find the previous Dragon Martial Guard experts, Liu Wenyan couldn't help but ask with a smile.

Su Yu felt a bit embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Just curious. I wonder what the number one elite force in the Great Xia Prefecture is like."

"Dragon Martial Guards..."

Liu Wenyan sighed a little, "The Dragon Martial Guards have existed for many years. The Prefecture Lord's title comes from the Dragon Martial Guards. First, there were the Dragon Martial Guards, then the Prefecture Lord, and then the Dragon Martial War Academy. However, the current generation of Dragon Martial Guards is considered the strongest in history!"

"The Dragon Martial Guards don't have many people, as they are elite. There are only about 5,000 of them."

"Only that many?"

The information about the Dragon Martial Guards was not publicly available, and this was the first time Su Yu knew that the number one elite force in the Great Xia Prefecture had only this many people.

5,000 people? 

Too few!

Scarily few!

One should know that just the city guards of Nanyuan City alone exceeded a thousand, and the city guards in the Great Xia Prefecture exceeded 50,000.

The Great Xia Prefecture Army also exceeded 100,000!

Yet the Dragon Martial Guards, who surpassed them all, were less than 10,000!

"The Dragon Martial Guards are elite. They don't need that many people. Quality over quantity."

Liu Wenyan smiled, "The Dragon Martial Guards claim to have 10,000 people, but actually, they don't. However, they are indeed very strong. Ten soldiers make a squad, a hundred make a company, a thousand are invincible..."

"Invincible?"

Su Yu murmured, and Liu Wenyan chuckled, "Just a slogan, don't take it seriously. But they are indeed very strong! Generally, the soldiers are at the Ten Thousand Stone Realm, squad leaders are either at the ninth level of the Ten Thousand Stone Realm or the Soaring Realm, and most company commanders are at the high levels of the Soaring Realm."

Su Yu was astonished!

Indeed, very strong!

With 5,000 people, there would be at least 50 company commanders, all at the seventh level of the Soaring Realm or higher?

You should know, even the Lord of Nanyuan City is not that strong.

What about the Centurions above the Company Commanders?

Aren't they even stronger?

Maybe they surpass the Soaring Realm?

And how strong are the Deputy Generals of the Dragon Martial Guards?

Su Yu knew that the Commander of the Dragon Martial Guards was Xia Longwu.

The soldiers are basically all at the Ten Thousand Stone Realm, which is quite terrifying. On the battlefields of the myriad races, the Demon Suppression Army is not considered a weak army. Su Yu's father, who was at the seventh level of the Thousand Pound Realm back then, could become a captain. His status was actually similar to that of a squad leader in the Dragon Martial Guards.

A seventh-level Thousand Pound Realm compared to the weakest ninth-level Ten Thousand Stone Realm, no wonder the Dragon Martial Guards didn't accept his father.

Liu Wenyan smiled and continued, "There is a squad of ten stationed here in Nanyuan. The guy who spoke earlier is one of their team leaders."

"Is he strong?"

"Quite strong, at the ninth level of the Ten Thousand Stone Realm."

Su Yu was astonished again, "A team leader is at the ninth level of the Ten Thousand Stone Realm?"

"Though he's called a team leader, this squad stationed here is relatively strong. In a weaker squad, he could easily be a squad leader."

Liu Wenyan smiled again, "Don't be envious. The Thousand Pound and Ten Thousand Stone Realms are just the basics. The Soaring Realm is where it truly starts. Even on the battlefields of the myriad races, those in the Soaring Realm are not cannon fodder but elite soldiers!"

"When your willpower manifests and you step into the Soaring Realm, you'll understand."

Su Yu was a bit expectant, "I wonder how many years it'll take..."

"..."

Liu Wenyan couldn't help but laugh and cry. Years?

You little guy really took it seriously. I said three to five years before, but that's for top geniuses. You are quite good, but not to that extent. If you're lucky, you'll succeed in ten years. If not... then you'll be like me, stuck at this hurdle for life.

But even ten years is much faster than conventional physical cultivation.

After chatting for a while, Su Yu asked some questions about the languages of the myriad races.

After thinking for a bit, Su Yu asked, "Teacher, is there really no way to advance quickly in the Kaiyuan Realm? Besides those risky methods, isn't there any other way to progress quickly? Many students enter advanced academies at the fourth level of the Kaiyuan Realm and quickly reach the Thousand Pound Realm. How do they do it?"

"From the fourth level of the Kaiyuan Realm to the first level of the Thousand Pound Realm, there are six levels in between. To go from the fourth to the fifth level of the Kaiyuan Realm takes at least half a year, right?"

"Even if each level after that takes half a year, it would take at least three years to reach the Thousand Pound Realm. But I've heard that many students in the War Academies reach the Thousand Pound Realm in about a year."

This was something Su Yu had always wanted to ask, but the instructors always smiled and told them that they would know when they got to the advanced academies.

Taking this opportunity, Su Yu wanted to learn more, especially since his progress might soon speed up.

Liu Wenyan probably felt that Su Yu would soon enter the Civilization Academy, so he didn't hold back and smiled, "You should have seen a term in some books—Academy Secret Realms."

"Yes!"

"The reason lies there."

With a hint of a test in his voice, Liu Wenyan asked, "In the myriad worlds, among the myriad races, why must they establish the battlefields of the heavens outside their realms?"

"Suppression!"

Su Yu answered without any hesitation, "Different environments in each realm—gravity, air, the concentration of vital energy... they all vary. When the gods go to the demon realm, they might be suppressed and only be able to exert thirty percent of their strength. The same goes for the demons in the god realm. Therefore, these powerful races dare not rashly invade another race's realm."

"Right, so there is the battlefield of the heavens."

As Liu Wenyan spoke, his eyes turned somewhat cold and stern. "But do you know why the human race gets dragged in and becomes a target for many races?"

"The human race... weak? They want to invade the human race?"

Su Yu hesitated. That's what the books said, but his father had told him otherwise. The human race was not weak; it was quite powerful.

"Weak? Not at all!"

Liu Wenyan gave the same answer, saying calmly, "How could the human race be weak! If we were truly weak, we would have been defeated in the battlefield of the heavens long ago! Among the myriad races, the human race might not be in the top three, but it certainly ranks in the top ten. Very strong!"

"Then..."

Su Yu was puzzled, "Why do we have so many enemies?"

"Because of the Human Realm!"

Liu Wenyan smiled, "You'll learn more about this at the advanced academies. It's not exactly a big secret, but because the Human Realm is special. You know that other realms have restrictions, making it hard for a major race to invade another major race. But the Human Realm... has no such restrictions."

"Huh?"

"No restrictions!" Liu Wenyan sighed, "This is the key point. That's why the Human Realm is seen as a juicy piece of meat by everyone, even a strategic location! The Human Realm poses little restriction on foreign races. Just think, the myriad races are all trying hard to invade other realms, but their combat power is greatly reduced upon entry... Meanwhile, the Human Realm is open to them without defenses. Can you see why it becomes the target of the myriad races?"

"Billions of humans, the vital energy of the world, vast lands, heavenly treasures, devouring the world... there's too much to gain!"

"Since other realms are hard to attack, naturally, they aim at the human race!"

"It's not because we are weak... it's because the Human Realm... is unreliable..."

Liu Wenyan used the word 'unreliable,' showing a bit of helplessness. Other realms have suppressive power, but we do not. We're defenseless against the myriad worlds. What can we do?

"Why?"

Su Yu was hearing this for the first time and was stunned. Why?

No wonder the battles in the battlefield of the heavens were getting more severe!

No wonder the human race had so many enemy races, abnormally many. He thought it was because the human race was weak, which made these guys target them.

But now both his father and teacher said it wasn't so. The human race was strong, at least in the top ten.

A top-ten powerful race had become a thorn in the side of others. He didn't understand before, but now he did. Because the Human Realm opened its arms to them, how could those races not be thrilled?

It's like a peerless beauty undressing and calling you over. Could you resist?

"Why?"

Liu Wenyan smiled wryly, "There are two explanations. First, the core of the Human Realm was damaged, so the realm's suppressive power disappeared."

"Second, it is said that in ancient times, the human race had peerless experts who suppressed the myriad worlds, and the myriad worlds paid homage. As the center of the myriad worlds, the Human Realm welcomed all. At that time, the Human Realm naturally didn't need defenses. Only weaker races needed such self-protection."

Su Yu was shocked, "Is that true?"

"It's just a legend, maybe just to glorify ourselves. Anyway, that's what some people say."

Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "These things aren't important because they can't be changed. The fact remains."

"You can learn more about these things later. Didn't you ask why cultivation speeds up so much after entering advanced academies? It's because of the academy's secret realms. These so-called secret realms are actually small worlds, fragments of space taken from places or worlds rich in vital energy..."

Su Yu was a bit confused. Fragments of space?

"To put it simply, for example, the secret realm of the Great Xia War Academy is actually a small space cut out by the Great Xia King when he invaded the Golden Roc Realm. He brought it back after cutting out a piece outside the Golden Roc Realm."

Su Yu was stunned.

Brought... back?

No, he cut open a world with a single slash and brought back a piece of space. Is he even human?

"The Golden Roc Realm is rich in vital energy and also contains some heavenly energy, so as long as some preliminary work is done, entering it to cultivate will be very fast. This is why students in advanced academies can quickly reach the Thousand Pound Realm."

Su Yu was shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Doesn't the human race have places rich in vital energy or heavenly energy..."

"Of course we do!"

Liu Wenyan laughed, "But... there are already so many people in the Human Realm, and we can't casually take pieces from our own world; it might cause the world to collapse. Since others want to take advantage of the human race, naturally, we fight back, tit for tat!"

As he spoke, Liu Wenyan's expression turned cold, "Over the years, the human race has fought back, exterminating many small races and small realms, capturing their world's core and bringing the entire realm back to the human race, creating human holy lands!"

"It's not our style to just take hits without retaliating. Small races daring to invade the human race are seeking death!"

This scholar rarely showed a bit of killing intent.

"Do you think the materials from the Civilization Academy came from the battlefield of the heavens? If you think so, you're wrong. They were seized by directly invading and taking them!"

Su Yu's expression changed, and after a while, he said, "Impressive! I thought the human race was always on the receiving end, but it seems we also strike back."

"Of course!"

Liu Wenyan laughed heartily, "If we didn't strike hard, we would have become the fat meat for the myriad races long ago. Striking hard to deter some and win over others is the foundation for the human race to stand firm. For example, the Great Xia King hasn't appeared for many years. Do you think he's in seclusion?"

"Isn't he?"

Su Yu was stunned. Isn't he?

That's what everyone says.

"Of course not!"

Liu Wenyan stroked his beard, smiling brightly, "How could an invincible strongman be in seclusion all the time? The Great Xia King left long ago. No one knows his exact whereabouts, but it's said, just said... that he might have gone deep into the God Clan's territory. It's not clear if it's true."

"So fierce?"

Su Yu felt like he was listening to a story, so thrilling!

"Then why not announce it..."

"Announce what?" Liu Wenyan dismissed it, "Stay in the battlefield of the heavens for a few years, and you'll know. Those who don't go to the battlefield, knowing or not knowing makes no difference. A bit of crisis awareness is good."

"If we only report good news, with no sense of crisis, do you think the people in the rear will work so hard to cultivate?"

"Over the years, the continuous emergence of human strongmen is closely related to this sense of crisis. Look at how hard you all are working now."

It made sense. Su Yu thought about it and agreed. If the front line was all good news, would the people in the rear still work so hard?

But this had its pros and cons, and it wasn't up to Su Yu to decide.

...

After chatting with Liu Wenyan for a long time, things quieted down.

Su Yu continued to cultivate the "Kaiyuan Technique." He didn't know if the myriad races cult had come to Nanyuan City, but Su Yu wasn't worried. Since the Great Xia Prefecture had arrangements, the myriad races cult was not a threat.

The propaganda over the years had made everyone know that the myriad races cult was just a bunch of clowns, cowardly, just a bunch of scum.

In the Great Xia Prefecture, they didn't pay much attention to the myriad races cult because they had the invincible Dragon Martial Guards, the powerful Great Xia King, and the formidable Prefect Xia Longwu. No one thought much of the myriad races cult.

Didn't those guys on TV get beheaded every day?

Su Yu didn't really care either because he didn't know much about the myriad races cult and had never encountered them. He just knew they were traitors of the human race, and everyone would kill them on sight.

...

"Thud!"

A sword pierced through an elderly man in the Thousand Pound Realm, and a young man with red eyes cursed, "Is the Great Xia Prefecture crazy? Don't they know fear? Aren't they terrified? Even when we killed a Thousand Pound warrior, they..."

Not far away, an elderly man with white hair said coldly, "We haven't been to the Great Xia Prefecture for many years. The Great Xia Prefecture has been brainwashed by Xia Longwu, thinking the myriad races cult is nothing. They have forgotten the cult's might!"

As he spoke, the old man couldn't help but curse in his heart!

The resistance in the Great Xia Prefecture was terrifying. When a group of people knew they were from the myriad races cult, not only did they not fear, but they also charged at them fiercely.

Elderly, middle-aged, young...

No one ran away or collapsed just because a few people died. Under the leadership of a few retired veterans, even a small village often caused them significant damage.

The myriad races cult had been struggling in the Great Xia Prefecture, which made the old man slightly worried.

Would slaughtering a few medium academies really scare the Great Xia Prefecture?

Would it really intimidate the Great Xia Prefecture?

"I'm afraid... the Great Xia Prefecture will not be scared. Instead, they might go mad and hunt us down... That would be troublesome!"

The old man was worried but didn't dare say it out loud.

They had been too smooth in other prefectures, causing panic by killing a few geniuses. The streets would be deserted for days.

But that was other prefectures. This was the Great Xia Prefecture.

Even a village had such strong resistance. What about the entire Great Xia Prefecture?

"Hopefully... everything goes well."