Chapter twenty-two, up in the air

**Teacher's Dormitory.**

The house was quite large, with four bedrooms and two living rooms.

Although Liu Wenyuan could disregard Bai Feng, the prefect could not, and neither could Nanyuan. No one could ignore a researcher, even an assistant researcher.

Therefore, Bai Feng's temporary residence was no worse than any other teacher's, in fact, it was even better.

Bai Feng was sitting on the sofa, while Su Yu and Liu Yue stood obediently like primary school students, waiting for this person to finish watching television.

"Wham!"

Rows of people were dragged out and beheaded!

Yesterday, the Dragon Martial Guards of the Great Xia Prefecture, along with the prefecture's military, dispatched forces, killing thousands of the Ten Thousand Races Sect members and capturing over three thousand, totaling nearly ten thousand.

The Great Xia Prefecture's policies were ruthless. Once captured, there was no need for a trial; once their identity was confirmed, one word - kill!

Today, the beheadings were broadcasted live on television.

Three thousand people might not sound like many, but actually, it had been over ten minutes of beheadings and it still wasn't over.

Liu Yue didn't dare to watch much and averted her eyes from the television.

Su Yu also felt slightly nauseous. It wasn't out of sympathy but because the sight of blood-spraying heads made him feel queasy, even though he had just killed two people yesterday.

Bai Feng, on the other hand, was watching with great interest, sipping tea and commenting with a smile, "The Ten Thousand Races Sect has many factions, but the Tianyi Divine Sect is considered one of the stronger ones. Their leader is an absolute top-tier expert. This time, coming to the Great Xia Prefecture, they've suffered a complete defeat. The leader has fallen, and the elite sect members have been almost entirely wiped out."

"It looks like the Great Xia Prefecture has made a big profit this time."

Su Yu and Liu Yue didn't quite understand what he meant. A profit?

"Don't understand?"

Bai Feng smiled, "It's simple. The elite are dead, the leader is dead. Who killed him? How many in the Great Xia Prefecture can kill him? For him to dare cause trouble in the Great Xia Prefecture, he must have felt secure, thinking he wouldn't die. No one seeks death without reason."

"Given that, he must have had some assurance. What was his assurance? Could it be the other leaders of the Ten Thousand Races Sect? No, it must be his backer coming. Only then would he dare cause trouble in the Great Xia Prefecture!"

Su Yu's eyes moved slightly, and he asked softly, "Teacher Bai, do you mean someone from the Tianyi Divine Clan came?"

"Exactly, they must have come. Since the leader is dead, did the person from the Tianyi Divine Clan die as well?"

"If they did, wouldn't that be a profit?"

Bai Feng laughed, "This time the prefect might have trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Yes, trouble! Just wait and see, all the War Academies, including the Civilization Academies, will probably besiege him, demanding the blood and other treasures of the Tianyi Divine Clan."

Bai Feng chuckled, "I wonder if our academy's prefect has returned. He needs to quickly get some good stuff back, make a fortune! Divine Clan's blood essence, Divine Clan's flesh, Divine Clan's weapons, Divine Clan's techniques... Tsk tsk, if this isn't a fortune, what is?"

"The prefect is probably being driven mad by the noise now. I bet the Great Xia Prefecture is in chaos."

Hearing this, Su Yu and Liu Yue naturally understood too.

Both of them were also filled with desire, not really hoping to obtain these things but just listening made them excited. Divine and Demonic blood essence, Divine and Demonic flesh, these are all treasures!

"Teacher Bai, is someone from the Tianyi Divine Clan very strong?"

"Of course they are!"

Bai Feng looked at Su Yu and Liu Yue, smiling, "I'm quite straightforward, so don't mind me. To people from Nanyuan, Tengkong is like heaven. But to the Great Xia Prefecture, Tengkong is just the backbone, the starting point of strength."

"People from small places can never imagine how strong the truly powerful are. Actually, there's no need to know, because in their eyes, whether it's Tengkong or beyond, it's all the same. They can destroy you effortlessly."

"In terms of cultivation, Kaiyuan, Qianjun, and Wanshi are just the foundation, a reinforcement of the physical body, so that you won't be blown apart by Yuan Qi. Only when you reach Tengkong, in the major academies, military units, sects, the Battlefield of the Heavens, sea realms, and the human sacred lands, do you have the right to speak. That's when you truly embark on the path of strength."

Su Yu's eyes were shining. This was due to his lack of knowledge; Nanyuan was too small, the sky here was too limited!

"Teacher Bai, I know there's a realm beyond Tengkong. My father once said that when he was in the Demon Suppression Army, the Wanfuzhang was in the Lingyun realm. Is Lingyun a realm higher than Tengkong?"

"Yes."

Bai Feng sipped his tea and said calmly, "How far can Tengkong fly? How high can it fly? Tengkong is ultimately just the beginning for the strong. To walk on clouds, to hover above the clouds, only then can you truly call yourself strong! No matter how many Wanshi or Qianjun there are, what can they do against you?"

"I walk on clouds without touching the ground, a thousand feet above. No matter how strong your arm strength or military formation is, can you hit me?"

"In the Battlefield of the Heavens, those who can command ten thousand people are almost all in the Lingyun realm!"

"The Lingyun Realm. You could be a Centurion in the Dragon Martial Guard and it would be more than sufficient!"

"In the Dragon Martial Guard, the stronger Centurions are in the Tengkong Realm, while the weaker ones are in the Ninth Layer of Wanshi. Most of the Centurions are in the Tengkong Realm, generally in the mid-stage or above, at least the fourth layer or higher. As for the five Centurions in the Dragon Martial Guard, three are in the Lingyun Realm, and two are in the Ninth Layer of the Tengkong Realm!"

Su Yu gulped, feeling overwhelmed by their strength.

Then what about the Vice-General of the Dragon Martial Guard?

The General is the Prefect of the Great Xia Prefecture, no need to mention that, but how strong is the Vice-General?

Bai Feng glanced at him and smiled, "Above the Lingyun Realm is the Shanhai Realm! They can cleave mountains and part seas, their every action radiates immense power! With one strike, mountains crumble and seas dry up, unbelievably powerful!"

"Above the Shanhai Realm..." Su Yu quickly asked, "I've heard of supreme experts, invincible ones. Are they in the Shanhai Realm?"

"No."

Bai Feng chuckled, "The Shanhai Realm can govern a region. Even on the Battlefield of the Heavens, they can lead an army, command a hundred thousand troops with a single order, intimidating powerful enemies! They can be Generals or Deputy Generals of powerful legions, like the Vice-General of the Dragon Martial Guard, a Shanhai Realm expert!"

"Above the Shanhai Realm, that's where the supreme, the invincible ones are!"

"That's too far from you. Just knowing about it is enough; no need to delve deeper. You'll learn these things in the Great Xia Prefecture. As for the supreme and the invincible, that's beyond our scope. Knowing it serves no purpose."

"Aiming too high, yet being as fragile as paper, you're not even in the Qianjun Realm. Knowing about it, can you become invincible in a day?"

"Just know that they are incredibly strong, unbelievably powerful! Most Prefects of the various prefectures are supreme experts, and the founders of the various prefectures are almost all invincible experts, and that's enough."

Su Yu's throat was dry. For the first time, he felt how low the sky in Nanyuan was!

Wanshi is considered strong, and Tengkong is regarded as invincible.

But above that, the Lingyun and Shanhai Realms—he had never heard of such experts in Nanyuan.

Lingyun Realm, capable of being a Warlord on the Battlefield of the Heavens.

Shanhai Realm, able to command an army, govern a region, and be a dominant force on the Battlefield of the Heavens.

And above that, there are the supreme and the invincible!

Bai Feng watched their expressions and smiled, quite pleased.

He enjoyed seeing these shocked expressions; it was a bit of a guilty pleasure.

These matters weren't necessary to elaborate on; they would learn naturally in the Great Xia Prefecture. But he still said it because he was somewhat displeased by Liu Wenyuan's criticisms. Did Su Yu, this little genius from Nanyuan, really know how high the sky was?

The next moment, Su Yu took a deep breath, suppressing his thoughts and gradually calming down.

Bai Feng glanced at him, thinking, "Not bad composure."

He's just a child who hasn't seen the world. To calm down so quickly was already impressive.

As for Liu Yue, though excited, she had already calmed down. Bai Feng didn't look at her much, sensing that she already knew about these things. Her excitement was just a momentary yearning.

The truly ignorant one was Su Yu.

Because he was born and raised in Nanyuan for 18 years, never leaving.

Su Long protected him well, but Su Long himself was only in the Qianjun Realm, with limited knowledge. Liu Wenyuan wouldn't tell Su Yu these things, and it was hard to find such information in books. So he was truly unaware.

"These are all far from you. Time is precious, are you sure you want to waste it on this?"

Bai Feng didn't invite them to sit, letting them stand as he smiled, "I'll be here for two days. From now on, you can ask me anything you want to know. If I can tell you, I will. This opportunity is rare."

Su Yu quickly said, "Teacher Bai, what exactly is willpower? How do you cultivate it? How do you evaluate it? What's strong, what's weak?"

"Willpower..."

Bai Feng looked at him and smiled, "Yours is not weak, of course. You haven't specifically sensed it, cultivated it, or cared about it, so you can't detect it. Your teacher, Master Liu, wants you to go to the Civilization Academy because he sensed it and doesn't want you to take the wrong path."

"In my view, willpower is similar to physical strength, just another form of power. One manifests outwardly, while the other is internal..."

As he spoke, Bai Feng picked up a black cup, covering the mouth with his hand, and explained, "Physical strength is like the cup itself. If I hit you with it, you can feel the pain, right?"

Su Yu nodded.

"That's physical strength. If I hit you, it hurts. You can directly feel it and see it. How much it hurts depends on the nature of the cup. The harder, bigger, and heavier it is, the more it hurts."

"And willpower is like the force inside the cup. At this moment, you can't feel it. When we cultivate willpower, we're filling the cup with water."

He drew some water into the air and poured it into the cup.

"When the cup isn't full, willpower doesn't manifest. Even if it reaches the brim, it's still ineffective. That's the state your teacher, Master Liu, was in. His cup was full of water but not overflowing."

"When willpower materializes and overflows from the cup, that's manifestation!"

At this point, the cup was full of water, and it began to overflow.

More and more!

Under Bai Feng's control, the water kept increasing, gushing out.

"At this moment, a little water overflowing doesn't seem like much, not as powerful as physical strength. But what if it's not just a little?"

The water kept increasing!

Boom!

Su Yu experienced a hallucination. He saw the water forming a river, gushing out, flooding the room, engulfing the academy.

A river, a flood, waves, towering waves!

"Boom!"

Heaven and earth were destroyed, cities submerged, mountains collapsed.

Bai Feng's voice echoed in Su Yu's ears, "This is the power of willpower. It can turn water into ice or gather water into rivers and seas. Essentially, it's just another form of using power, similar to physical strength."

"But it has its own peculiarities, with no apparent limit."

"Physical cultivation, at least for now, seems to have an endpoint, although we can't see it yet."

"When one reaches the Tengkong Realm, both forms of power are cultivated. But we first let the water overflow, using it to envelop the cup and strengthen the body. On the physical path, the cup first transforms from porcelain to stone, and then we desperately fill it with water."

"If you ask which path is better, it really depends on your choice and talent. Choose the path that suits you best."

Su Yu's vision blurred, and everything disappeared.

Bai Feng still held the cup, and Su Yu took a breath. "What if it doesn't fill up, or if, like my teacher, it reaches the brim but doesn't overflow? Does that mean it's useless?"

"Not exactly. At the very least, your mind will be clearer, and you'll have more energy."

Bai Feng smiled, "If you don't even have the ability to manifest, whichever path you choose, you're destined not to become a strong person. Then does it really matter if you're in the Qianjun or Wanshi Realm?"

"Can strength be judged before the cup is full?"

"Yes."

Bai Feng explained, "At a certain point, you can actually feel it yourself. Of course, those who can manifest can also observe it. For example, I can clearly sense that your cup is about one-tenth full, but you can't perceive it yet."

"When will I be able to sense it?"

"When it's half full, you'll be able to feel it clearly. That power is within you, but you won't be able to use it yet. This stage is called 'nurturing the nature'."

Bai Feng smiled, "Nurturing the nature isn't really a realm, but you can think of it as a stage like Kaiyuan, Qianjun, or Wanshi. This period is tough! It nurtures your disposition. You'll feel the power but won't be able to use it. Won't you be anxious?"

"You'll feel you can challenge Wanshi but get slapped by Qianjun. Won't you be frustrated?"

"You get beaten by Qianjun until you're bloody, even though your water has reached the brim, and the next step is Tengkong. Won't you be angry?"

"But no matter how anxious or angry you get, it just won't overflow. Won't you be furious?"

"No matter how mad you get, it's useless. Many can't withstand this stage, break down, get disheartened, and switch to the physical path. It's infuriating!"

Bai Feng laughed, "I look forward to seeing that day, seeing you frustrated and helpless! You must know, during this nurturing phase, the academy will arrange for students from the War Academy to come and interact... essentially to beat you up!"

"To abuse you!"

"To humiliate you!"

"To anger you to death!"

Su Yu was dumbfounded, and Liu Yue couldn't help but ask softly, "Teacher Bai, why does the academy do this?"

"It's simple, to stimulate you! If you can stay calm and understand your essence, you have a chance to manifest. It's a double-edged sword. It might drive students crazy, infuriate them, or make them give up this path. But those who endure often succeed."

Bai Feng smiled happily, "This is a grand tradition of the Civilization Academy. Once you enter, you can see how your seniors are abused. It's brutal! War Academy students love to say, 'I once beat up so-and-so, who is now a Shanhai Realm expert, while I'm still in the Wanshi Realm.'"

"'I made a Shanhai Realm expert cry like a baby back then...'. Many think it's boasting, but it's true."

Su Yu couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Bai, does everyone have to go through this? What about you..."

"Me?"

Bai Feng calmly said, "I didn't, because I'm very strong. Even in the nurturing phase, I was very strong."

As soon as Su Yu asked, he felt it was inappropriate. He awkwardly smiled and didn't ask further.

Really? It seemed unlikely. Maybe he had been beaten to tears before.

However, Su Yu was astonished to learn that such a scene existed in the Civilization Academy.

"As for the cultivation of willpower..." Bai Feng changed the topic and continued, "Read books! Study! Of course, not ordinary books or regular texts. You've all studied the languages of various races and know about them."

"Why learn the languages of different races?"

"The languages themselves are not much, but some texts that record cultivation methods and martial techniques are imbued with willpower. When you read these books, it's a confrontation of wills!"

"The stronger the cultivation method and the recorder, the harder it is to confront. This can actually serve as a test."

"In the Civilization Academy, if you can read the original texts of Qianjun-level cultivation methods, it means your willpower can contend with a Qianjun-level physical cultivator. When you can read the original texts of Tengkong-level methods, it means you can manifest!"

"Reading Wanshi-level original texts is roughly equivalent to the beginning of the nurturing phase."

Su Yu finally understood thoroughly. At this moment, Bai Feng suddenly took out a piece of white bone fragment.

"This is a piece of a book recorded in the language of various races, detailing a Qianjun-level cultivation method. Of course, it's just a fragment. The battlefield of the heavens is full of these, and the Civilization Academy has plenty. When you first enter the academy, you will mainly study these fragments."

"You can look at it now. The power within the fragment is weak. If you can see the characters, it means your cup is nearly 20% full."

Bai Feng had just said that Su Yu had only accumulated 10%, but now he gave him something requiring 20% capacity to read.

Su Yu didn't think much about it and took the white bone fragment to observe.

Bai Feng instructed, "Look with your mind, focus."

Su Yu nodded and concentrated on it.

Gradually, the bone fragment began to change in his eyes, emitting a faint light, with some characters vaguely visible.

Su Yu became more curious and focused even harder, trying to see clearly.

Boom!

At that moment, it felt like his head was struck by a hammer. The fragment glowed, and Su Yu screamed, instantly dropping it.

Bai Feng had expected this and laughed, "Reading also comes with a price! This is the method of cultivation at the Civilization Academy. Don't think you can just read translations like in Nanyuan. That doesn't count."

"Every confrontation hones your willpower. But don't do it too many times a day, once or twice is enough, or you'll go mad. The Civilization Academy isn't short of madmen. Many overestimate themselves and read originals beyond their capacity, which drives many insane."

...

Su Yu's head was throbbing!

Tears almost fell; it was so painful!

However... after more than ten seconds, Su Yu opened his eyes, breathing heavily but calming down.

It felt just like the pain of being killed in his dreams!

But after years of being killed in his dreams, he had gotten used to it. The pain was unbearable at first, but only for a moment.

Bai Feng was about to say it was okay to cry for a while, as many new students did...

But he swallowed his words, glancing at Su Yu with a raised eyebrow.

He was sure Su Yu's willpower was only 10% full, but this guy... endured it just like that?

How was it possible!

The willpower on the fragment was twice as strong as Su Yu's. He should be in pain for at least half an hour.

Bai Feng blinked. Not bad!

No wonder Master valued this kid. It seemed that although his talent might not be very strong, his resilience was astonishing. Sometimes, resilience, not talent, determines the future in willpower cultivation.

Su Yu recovered, wincing, and asked, "Teacher Bai, is the willpower of ordinary people strong?"

"One percent!"

Bai Feng suppressed his thoughts and smiled, "That's the level of ordinary people, meaning they don't have the talent. Your talent is quite good. As for Liu Yue... she's slightly stronger, about 15%."

Su Yu felt a bit embarrassed, realizing he wasn't even as strong as Liu Yue.

Bai Feng smiled and didn't elaborate. He could tell Liu Yue had seen some original cultivation fragments before!

So she was stronger than Su Yu, but Su Yu would catch up soon.

Liu Yue remained silent, though her expression was peculiar when looking at Su Yu.

She had seen original texts, so she knew how painful the first confrontation was without prior experience.

The first time she read, she cried for half an hour and slept for most of the day to recover.

And Su Yu... was he a beast?

No, was he insensitive?

Did he not feel pain?

After her first time, she didn't want to look again. She was afraid, terrified.

But Su Yu... was now holding the bone fragment again, looking eager, as if he wanted to read it again!

Bai Feng couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't paid much attention to these two before, but now he was interested in Su Yu. He smiled and said, "I'll give it to you! Read it up to twice a day, no more, or you won't be able to take it. When you can see the characters clearly, you'll be at 20%, closer to the nurturing phase."

"This is just one fragment. The entire book has three pages. When you finish all three, you'll reach 40%."

"When you can read Wanshi-level cultivation methods, you'll enter the nurturing phase."

Bai Feng gave the bone fragment to Su Yu. It was valuable, but not to him.

Su Yu didn't know its value, but Liu Yue did, feeling envious.

Even though her family was well-off in Nanyuan, a fragment like this would cost at least ten thousand yuan at the Xia Trading Company.

The two came together, and even though she was stronger, Bai Feng still gave it to Su Yu.

This showed that Bai Feng was more interested in Su Yu.