Su Yu was finding it hard to accept all that. This was the first time he had ever heard that cultural research was also a path of cultivation.

"In fact, I would have gone looking for you even if you're not here today. I won't stop you from looking for your father at the Allheaven Battlefield. In fact, I'm glad to hear that. Human nature. Yes, that's how human nature works, and that's what humanity relies on to stand tall against the myriad races. However, you can't be rash. You must stay calm.

"The number of students accepted into cultural research academies each year is smaller than those accepted into war academies. It might also appear as if the cultural research academies have lower requirements, but in truth, the requirements are higher. Do you really think that the cultural research academies are only a gathering place for a bunch of bookworms?"

Liu Wenyan's smile grew wider as he said, "No. We're not only capable of researching behind the front line, but we can also enter the battlefield and slaughter our enemies. Those among us who could enter the battlefield would be at least a Skysoar Realm expert. Great Strength? Infinite Strength? Those are merely the realms where you refine your body with source qi. Us cultural researchers can finish that process in one day!" 

"..."

Su Yu froze. After a while, he finally asked, "Instructor, y-you're a Skysoar cultivator?"

"No," Liu Wenyan replied indifferently.

"So you're stronger than that?"

"No." Liu Wenyan had the same indifferent appearance.

Su Yu blanked out. What exactly was his instructor trying to say?

"I told you. Only upon willpower materialization will one be able to refine one's body. I'm not at that stage yet."

That single statement made everything Liu Wenyan had spoken earlier seem like a joke. He...had yet to materialize his willpower. He was really only a Great Strength cultivator. Su Yu looked up at his instructor in astonishment. 

Old man, how can you say all that with a straight face? You're almost seventy for fuck's sake! You have yet to materialize your willpower yourself but you're here telling me a cultural researcher can reach that stage in three to five years? There should be a limit even if you want to brag!

"Don't look at me like that." Liu Wenyan replied calmly, "I was merely a failure of a student at the academy back then. I'm not one of their genius students. I've been wasting my life away after graduation, so it's normal for me to be incapable of willpower materialization. If it's really that easy, the number of human experts coming from cultural research academies wouldn't be as low as thirty percent. Instead, it would be something like ninety percent.

"Cultivation is not an easy feat regardless of the path you take. However, I still believe that the path of willpower is the faster and more promising one. If you want to grow strong quickly, this is your only option. The path of willpower."

Su Yu sank into a long silence before saying, "Instructor, are there cultivation methods meant for willpower?"

"Yes." Liu Wenyan suddenly coughed awkwardly. "But we don't have any in Nanyuan. You'll get them after entering an academy."

Of course, the premise of getting a willpower cultivation method was to first accomplish willpower materialization. He left that unmentioned. Otherwise, Su Yu would probably start cursing at him.

"In fact, the process of studying the languages of the myriad races and their cultivation methods is an act of training your willpower. The effect is even more pronounced when studying the original texts..."

Liu Wenyan's expression turned stern again, "You need to know that the reading materials we have here are not the original texts. The original texts would actually contain the power or willpower of the corresponding race within. After studying and deciphering these reading materials, one would benefit greatly.

"Of course, working with these materials can also be dangerous. For example, one might lose their mind. Every single year, there would be some academy members losing their mind while studying these original texts. Remember to be careful when you start working on them in the future. The more powerful a cultivation method or the more important a document, the more powerful the willpower contained within would be.

"Because of that, it is rather easy to discern how important a document can be. The more powerful the willpower within, the more important the document would be. You can try visiting the Xia Trade Company. The ordinary looking cultivation methods are guaranteed to be trash. In fact, the things they sell there are all leftovers, useless things that are completely harmless to the general public."

Su Yu smiled helplessly. He knew it! Something good would not be left on the shelf for long.

Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "Tell me. Do you still intend to join a war academy? In a cultural research academy, you can still train your body. But in a war academy, you might not have the opportunity to train your willpower anymore. After all, the powerful original texts will only be available in the cultural research academies.

"As long as you have the required strength, such as reaching the Skysoar Realm, you'll be able to enter the Allheaven Battlefield at any time. Going there at the Infinite Strength Realm is the same as going as cannon fodder. What's the point? Or do you simply lack the confidence to grow strong as a willpower cultivator? In that case, it wouldn't matter which academy you join. You won't be able to grow strong."

...

Su Yu had never been certain of his decision to join a war academy. But now, he was even more uncertain. Should he still try joining a war academy? There did not seem to be a need to do so anymore. So it turned out that he could grow strong in a cultural research academy as well?

"Cultural research academy...original texts...willpower cultivation..."

Su Yu was deep in thought as he walked out of the office with the bottle of blood essence in hand. He still intended to try using the blood essence. It would naturally be even better if he could cultivate both his willpower and physical body at the same time. The Source Swallowing Technique might be the key to accelerating his physical cultivation. 

"Cultural research academy..."

Su Yu came to a decision. Perhaps he should really join a cultural research academy. That had been his original goal anyway.

...

After Su Yu left, the principal entered the office while shaking his head. "Old man, you're scamming a student again."

"What do you mean?" Liu Wenyan was displeased.

"Willpower materialization...you've been cultivating for fifty years. Have you materialized your willpower?"

"That will happen soon!" Liu Wenyan declared confidently, "I'll reach the Skysoar Realm the moment I materialize my willpower. At that time, a puny fresh Infinite Strength cultivator like you will be nothing for me."

"You--" The principal was speechless. Fine, he would let the instructor have this. As for Su Yu, it was indeed better for him to join a cultural research academy. After all, cultivation in a war academy was far too dangerous.

This instructor had been using the same story to sway the mind of numerous students over the years. Each time a student started doubting their decision to join a cultural research academy, he would give them the same speech, sending them all to the various cultural research academies.

"The Great Xia Cultural Research Academy should really confer you an award. Without you, they would have missed out on a decent number of students every year..."

Liu Wenyan did not seem to mind. "I don't have an award, but they have been sending me a bonus of 200,000 dollars each year. That's enough for me."

"..."

The principal was left speechless. He couldn't resist scolding, "You must be a spy from Great Xia Cultural Research Academy!"

"Why are you saying it like that? I've never denied that. I've always been listed as a staff member of the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. How can you call me a spy?"

Liu Wenyan laughed happily. The principal had nothing to say. Liu Wenyan was right. Most of these language instructors were sent directly from the cultural research academies. Even the rare instructors that weren't from the academies would find themselves quickly recruited. 

That was all for the sake of making sure that the talented students wouldn't all join the war academies. After all, research was much less exciting than physical cultivation, and youngsters were all rather hot-blooded. It was important that they kept a closer eye on these youngsters.

Su Yu returned home with the glass bottle containing three drops of blood essence. The blood essence of a Great Strength Realm being might be worthless for experts, but it was extremely valuable for Su Yu. After all, each drop was worth fifty-thousand dollars. If it wasn't for his lack of money, he wouldn't have been willing to spend his merit points for this.

Even without the teacher's reminder, Su Yu still knew how important merit points were. That was something you might not be able to buy even with money. Of course, he certainly would entertain the thought of selling his points if someone offered him more than fifty-thousand per point. 

"Thinking about it, I seem to be even richer than Dad? He was only able to save over 300,000 dollars after so many years..."

Su Yu laughed in amusement. The 300,000 dollars in his father's bank account might not even be as valuable as his eighteen merit points. However, his father was also someone with merit points. Some had been spent for cultivation. As for the remaining points, Su Yu knew what the points were used for even though his father had not talked about them. His father had probably given those points out during his retirement.

In fact, that was something a lot of retired veterans would do. Su Yu knew that many of the retired veterans in the neighborhood had done so. After all, their comrades that were still fighting on the battlefield would need those points more than them.

Helping each other, trusting each other. That was how the soldiers of humanity had always been. If not for the age restriction, there would probably be even more retired veterans returning to the army this time. A lot of the veterans were already approaching fifty during their retirement, so these people would not have the chance to return to the army for a second time. 

Clearing his mind of all the random thoughts, Su Yu willed for the book to appear in his mind. As usual, the pages started flipping before stopping at the iron-winged bird's page.

"Blood essence activation...what should I activate? An ability or the cultivation method?" 

After a short thought, Su Yu decided.

Source Swallowing Technique!

It was very likely that the abilities would provide him with an instant burst of strength. Without an actual opponent before him, it would be a waste to activate them. Of course, he wouldn't mind trying the abilities if he had enough blood essence. After all, it could be very dangerous to use the abilities without knowing their strength.

"How many drops per activation? Is one drop enough?"

As Su Yu willed in his mind to have the cultivation method activated, he swallowed a drop of blood essence. This time, he suffered no pain whatsoever. The blood essence was instantly absorbed by the book the moment it entered his mouth.

Hum!

The book in his mind trembled. Next, the words on the golden page changed.

Foundation source technique: Source Swallowing (activated for a duration of one hour)

"One hour?"

Su Yu cursed. He could feel all his pores opening up to rapidly absorb the ambient source qi around him. It felt as though all nine of his acupoints had been temporarily opened. That was the work of this book!

Someone at the Source Opening Realm wasn't supposed to be able to do so. Without opening the nine acupoints, one wouldn't be able to sense source qi. By extension, one wouldn't be able to actively absorb source qi either.

With the book, Su Yu had gained the ability to sense source qi. He could absorb the source qi all around him with a thought. The ambient source qi of Nanyuan was rather thin in density, but that was only relative to what an Infinite Strength cultivator needed. For Great Strength and Source Opening cultivators, what Nanyuan had was more than enough.

Crack!

This was the first time his body had ever actively absorbed source qi. Like a ravenous beast, his flesh started madly taking in the qi to temper and refine itself. A faint glow covered all nine of his acupoints while a large amount of source qi gathered around his head to temper his acupoints.