Chapter two, the system of four universities

Su Long left, leaving with ease. 

Su Yu, however, felt a bit empty. His father left so suddenly without giving him any time to prepare. On one hand, he worried about his father's safety. On the other hand, he was anxious about his own future. 

Having grown accustomed to his father's care and company for the past 18 years, the thought of living alone suddenly felt strange to him. 

"Dad... you didn't wash the dishes before you left!" Su Yu muttered to himself, trying to find humor in his situation as he sighed. He tried not to think too much about certain things, fearing that he might get too anxious and end up chasing after his father to bring him back home from the dangerous battlefield of the heavens.

"The Civilization Academy..." 

Su Yu couldn't be bothered to wash the dishes and instead sat on the sofa, lost in thought. His father had urged him to apply to the Civilization Academy before leaving. Su Yu had indeed planned to apply there, but now...

"If you hadn't gone to the battlefield of the heavens, I would have applied to the Civilization Academy. But since you insisted on going, how can I stay worry-free?"

"You might not come back for years, and you expect me to stay in the rear and worry about you every day?"

"How old are you? Don't you have any sense?"

Su Yu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

"You forced my hand. Since you're not at home, I'm not applying to the Civilization Academy anymore. I'll apply to the War Academy instead!"

Su Yu gritted his teeth. The Civilization Academy was great, deciphering the cultures of various races, analyzing their techniques, and researching their civilizations. Every civilized researcher was a treasure, safely staying in the rear without needing to go to the front lines. 

The War Academy, however, prepared students for the front lines. He had previously worked hard to learn the languages of various races so that he could safely stay in the rear and always be with his father. But now, his father, at his age, had decided to go to the perilous battlefield of the heavens.

Getting into the Civilization Academy would almost guarantee not going to the front lines. But the War Academy was different; he had heard that practical courses often involved going to the battlefield of the heavens.

"The War Academy... the admissions criteria are based on strength!"

Su Yu pondered. While he wanted to apply, he was also worried. Getting into the War Academy wasn't easy. In fact, for him, it was even harder than getting into the Civilization Academy. The Civilization Academy didn't have high physical requirements, but the War Academy did, as it was meant to train frontline warriors.

Kaiyuan, Qianjun, Wanshi... this was the cultivation system of the human race.

The human body wasn't naturally suited for cultivation. One needed to open the nine orifices of Kaiyuan to connect the body, allowing it to absorb vital energy and formally embark on the path of cultivation.

Kaiyuan had nine orifices: the seven orifices of the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, plus the Shenque and Baihui, which were the top and navel orifices.

Only by opening these nine orifices could one absorb vital energy, temper the body, strengthen the bones, and undergo a metamorphosis to become a powerful warrior.

"I've only opened the three orifices of the mouth and nose. The ear orifices haven't shown any signs of opening. Without reaching Kaiyuan level four, it's not easy to get into the War Academy."

Su Yu muttered. The War Academy trained strong warriors and wouldn't waste resources on the weak. 

To ensure a spot, it would be best to open the ear orifices and reach Kaiyuan level five. Of course, if he could open the eye orifices and reach level six or even seven, there would be almost no risk. 

If someone was incredibly talented and opened the Shenque and Baihui, the War Academy would directly recruit them. 

Anyone who could open all nine orifices before the age of twenty could directly enter the War Academy, as all academies would eagerly recruit them.

"I'm only at Kaiyuan level three..."

Su Yu sighed. Being at Kaiyuan level three wasn't too bad, but it certainly wasn't outstanding. 

At Nanyuan Middle School, where he studied, there were 750 students in the pre-exam class, over a hundred of whom were at Kaiyuan level three or higher. More than ten were above level three. 

Based on the usual admission rate of the War Academy from Nanyuan Middle School, no more than 20 students would be accepted each year.

This meant that reaching level four would give him a good chance, while being at level three meant he'd be one in a hundred.

Moreover, the War Academy had varying levels of prestige. If he got into one that only accepted level three students, it wouldn't be very reputable, and it might be better to go to the Civilization Academy instead.

"There are more than three months left. The War Academy... I'll decide later!"

Su Yu gritted his teeth. Since his father was unreliable, he needed to be more reliable himself. 

Why did he, at his age, insist on going to the battlefield of the heavens?

...

"Huff..."

In the dead of night, Su Yu woke up again, covered in cold sweat.

"That damn dream again... Dad..."

Su Yu instinctively called out. In the past, whenever he woke up from a nightmare, his father would quickly come to his side. But this time, there was no response from outside his room.

Su Yu paused, then remembered that his father had left that afternoon.

"Sigh!"

He sighed, turned on the light, and looked at his communicator. It was only a little past three in the morning, still far from dawn.

"It's been over ten years, and it hasn't stopped!"

He had been having this dream for over ten years. Anyone else would have been driven mad by now. 

He had gotten used to it. In the early years, Su Yu had nearly died from sleep deprivation due to his fear of falling asleep.

"What's going on?"

Leaning against the headboard, Su Yu pondered this question, one he had been thinking about for many years.

He had mentioned it to his father, but his father was also at a loss. He had seen doctors, who attributed it to excessive fright, causing psychological trauma.

The problem was, Su Yu didn't recall ever being frightened.

"It's always the same. In the dream, I'm always being chased, either by humans, monsters, or some other creatures..."

Su Yu was troubled. The dream was always about being chased, but the pursuers varied and often weren't even human.

Various monsters, though blurry, didn't appear to be of the same kind.

Who had he offended to deserve this?

Being chased in dreams for over ten years was beyond frustrating.

His father once suspected it might be the work of the Dream Demon clan's magic, but this was the human realm. If it were really the Dream Demon clan, causing this for over ten years, they would have been slain by human realm warriors long ago.

If a Dream Demon clan member infiltrated the human realm, they would target powerful warriors, not waste over ten years on an ordinary person unless they were a complete idiot or a super idiot!

"This is endless and annoying!"

Su Yu complained, wondering when it would finally stop. By now, he had somewhat adapted, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to live a normal life.

"Dad said that once I open the nine orifices and reach the Qianjun realm, I'll be free of all illnesses and evil influences. Vital energy will temper my body, and maybe then, this will all end."

At this moment, Su Yu could only hope that once he reached the Qianjun realm, the nightmares would cease.

Time flew by as Su Yu pondered, and soon, light appeared outside the window. Dawn had arrived.

Su Long had left, but life went on. Today wasn't a holiday, and Su Yu had to go to school.

...

After washing up and making a simple breakfast, Su Yu grabbed his backpack and left the house.

Downstairs, a short-haired boy was already waiting. Seeing Su Yu come down, he hurriedly called out, "Ah Yu, I heard from my dad that Uncle Su left yesterday..."

"Yeah."

Su Yu answered before he could finish.

The short-haired boy got anxious. "Why did Uncle Su go? He's not young anymore! Going to the battlefield of the heavens at this time, isn't he..."

He stopped mid-sentence. He wanted to say that Su Long was going to die, but he couldn't say that. Although he believed it was true, he couldn't say it in front of Su Yu.

"He insisted on going; I couldn't stop him."

Su Yu forced a smile. "Besides, there are millions of soldiers and many invincible human warriors on the battlefield of the heavens. It's not that easy to get into trouble."

"I know, but Uncle Su is only... at the Qianjun realm!"

The short-haired boy was more anxious than Su Yu. "The Qianjun realm is very powerful to us, but on the battlefield of the heavens, it's the weakest. The soldiers of the myriad races there start at the Qianjun realm."

"I know."

"Ah Yu, how can you not be worried at all?"

The short-haired boy was worried for Su Yu. If it were him, he would have been crying and making a fuss by now.

"Will worrying help?"

Su Yu was helpless. His father had already left, and being anxious now wouldn't change anything. The most urgent thing was not to worry needlessly. This guy was still so impulsive.

"Let's go to school. Stop talking nonsense."

"School?"

The short-haired boy was surprised. "You still want to go to school..."

Su Yu stared at him, making him a bit embarrassed.

"Of course, I'm going to school. Should I stay home, crying every day, waiting for bad news from the front lines?"

Su Yu rolled his eyes. What kind of nonsense was this guy talking about?

"Let's go to school! In a few days, the school will recommend candidates for the university entrance exams. I need to register."

"Didn't you already register?"

Chen Hao asked in confusion, "You and I registered together last week. Did you forget?"

"I know. Last time I registered for the Civilization Academy, this time I'm registering for the War Academy."

Chen Hao was stunned. The War Academy?

"You..."

"Let's go!"

Su Yu didn't give him a chance to talk more. He had already made up his mind yesterday. He would apply to the War Academy, whether he could get in or not.

...

Nanyuan Middle School.

At the registration office.

The teacher in charge of registration checked the records and said in surprise, "Su Yu, didn't you already register for the Civilization Academy? You've mastered eighteen languages of the myriad races. You're one of the top students in Nanyuan. Even the Great Xia Civilization Academy would surely accept you. Why are you applying to the War Academy?"

Usually, students who applied to both systems did so because they weren't confident in getting into either and had to prepare for both.

Su Yu was smart and hardworking. He had mastered eighteen languages of the myriad races over the years. Even the prestigious Great Xia Civilization Academy would welcome him.

If not for this, Su Long wouldn't have been so certain that his son would get in before he left, even asking Su Yu to send letters to him.

Su Yu didn't explain much and smiled. "Teacher, I'm just preparing for both, just in case. Everyone can apply to both systems, right? It's good to have a backup plan."

"That's true, but you really don't need it. Just perform well in the exams."

The registration teacher smiled and said, "The school has already submitted the list of top students to the universities. Although you still need to take the exams, those of you on the list are already noted by the higher institutions in the Great Xia Prefecture. Even if you fail the unified exam, they might give you a second chance."

Hearing this, Chen Hao was envious and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, am I on the list?"

The registration teacher glanced at him and smiled. "Yes, you're on the list for the Domestic Affairs Academy."

Chen Hao's face fell.

The Domestic Affairs Academy!

Among the four university systems, there were War, Civilization, Research, and Domestic Affairs.

The Domestic Affairs Academy covered a wide range of practical skills, such as auto repair, cooking, driving, administration, and entertainment.

The War Academy trained warriors, the Civilization Academy decoded the civilizations of the myriad races, and the Research Academy developed weapons and elixirs...

These three systems were good, but the Domestic Affairs Academy was the last resort for young people when they had no other choice.

The registration teacher didn't pay him any more attention. He finished registering Su Yu and smiled. "Focus on the Civilization system. Try to master one or two more languages of the myriad races in this period. It will help you in the future. As for cultivation, don't rush it. Reaching the Qianjun realm in the Civilization Academy will be enough. Staying healthy is the key."

The Civilization Academy didn't emphasize combat power. The teacher was just worried that Su Yu might get sidetracked at this moment.

Su Yu nodded with a smile, not refusing the teacher's good intentions.

However... he did need to pay more attention to cultivation during this period.