Su Long was gone.
He left in a carefree manner.
However, Su Yu felt a bit empty. His father had left just like that, without giving him any time to prepare.
On one hand, he was worried about his father's safety in the days to come. On the other hand, Su Yu was also worried about his upcoming life.
He had been used to his father's care and company. Suddenly having to live alone, he really wasn't quite used to it.
"Dad... You didn't wash the dishes before you left!"
Su Yu muttered, trying to find some humor in the midst of hardship. He sighed. There were some things he didn't want to think about because whenever he did, he couldn't help but feel nervous. The battlefields of the Heavens were extremely dangerous, and he was afraid that if he thought too much, he would run after his dad and drag him back home.
"The Institute of Civilization..."
Su Yu was too lazy to wash the dishes. He sat on the sofa, lost in thought.
Before leaving, his father had been nagging him to apply to the Institute of Civilization. Previously, Su Yu had indeed planned to apply to the Institute of Civilization, but now...
"If you hadn't gone to the battlefields of the Heavens, I would have applied to the Institute of Civilization. But you just had to go to the battlefields of the Heavens. How can you make people worry less?"
"You might not come back for years. Do you want me to worry about you every day in the rear?"
"Don't you have any sense at your age?"
Su Yu rubbed his temples, feeling a headache.
"You forced me to do this. Anyway, since you're not at home, I won't apply to the Institute of Civilization. I'll apply to the War Institute instead!"
Su Yu gritted his teeth. The Institute of Civilization was so good. One could decipher the cultures of all races, analyze the cultivation methods of all races, and study the civilizations of all races.
Any civilization researcher was a treasure. They could stay safely in the rear without having to fight on the front line.
The War Institute, on the other hand, was prepared for the front line.
He had been studying the languages of all races so hard before just to be able to stay safely in the rear and keep his father company all the time.
Now look at this. His old father, at his age, had actually run off first to the dangerous battlefields of the Heavens.
Once you were admitted to the Institute of Civilization, there was almost no chance of you going to the front line.
As for the War Institute, it was said that the practical courses often involved going to the battlefields of the Heavens.
"The War Institute... The assessment requires strength!"
Su Yu was thinking about it, but he was still a bit worried at the moment. The War Institute wasn't something you could get into just by wanting to. Strictly speaking, it was even more difficult than the Institute of Civilization, at least for him.
The Institute of Civilization didn't have high requirements for martial strength, but the War Institute did. After all, it was to supply strong fighters to the front line.
Kaiyuan, Qianjun, Wanshi... This was the cultivation system of the human race.
The human body was not naturally suitable for cultivation. One needed to open the nine apertures of Kaiyuan to connect the human body, link up with the primordial qi, and officially embark on the path of cultivation.
There were nine apertures in Kaiyuan: the seven apertures of the mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, and the other two were Shenque and Baihui, that is, the apertures on the top of the head and at the navel.
Only by opening these nine apertures could one absorb the primordial qi, temper the body, strengthen the bones, be reborn, and officially become a martial artist with strong combat power.
"I've just opened the three apertures of the mouth and nose, and there's no movement in the apertures of my ears. Without reaching the fourth level of Kaiyuan, it won't be that easy to get into the War Institute."
Su Yu murmured. The War Institute was to cultivate strong fighters. It cost a huge amount of resources and wouldn't waste them on the weak.
To be sure of getting in, it would be best to open the apertures of the ears and reach the fifth level of Kaiyuan.
Of course, if one opened the apertures of the eyes and reached the sixth or even seventh level, there would be almost no risk.
If someone was amazingly talented and opened Shenque and Baihui, the War Institute would directly recruit them on special terms.
Anyone who could open all nine apertures before the age of 20 could go directly to the War Institute at any time, and all major institutes would directly admit them.
"I'm only at the third level of Kaiyuan..."
Su Yu sighed. The third level of Kaiyuan wasn't too bad, but of course, it definitely wasn't very good either.
In the Nanyuan Middle Institute where he was, there were a total of 9 preparatory classes with 750 students. There were over a hundred students at the third level of Kaiyuan, and more than a dozen at a level higher than the third level of Kaiyuan.
According to the enrollment ratios of major War Institutes in the Nanyuan Middle Institute in previous years, it should not exceed 20 people.
In other words, having the fourth level would give one a good chance, while being at the third level meant being one in a hundred.
Besides, there were differences in strength among the War Institutes. If one really chose an institute that only recruited students at the third level of Kaiyuan, its strength wouldn't be that great. In that case, it would be better to go to the Institute of Civilization instead.
"There are still more than three months left. The War Institute... I'll see when the time comes!"
Su Yu gritted his teeth. Since his father was unreliable, he had to be more reliable himself.
At his age, he just had to run off to the battlefields of the Heavens!
...
"Hu..."
In the middle of the night, Su Yu woke up again with a start.
His head was covered in cold sweat.
"Another damn dream... Dad..."
Su Yu called out subconsciously. In the past, whenever he woke up from a nightmare, his father would come quickly. But today, after calling out, there was no sound outside the room.
Su Yu paused slightly. Only then did he remember that his father had left in the afternoon.
"Alas!"
Su Yu sighed. He turned on the light and looked at his communicator. It was only a little after three in the morning. It was still a long time before dawn.
"For more than ten years, there's been no peace!"
Having the same dream for more than ten years would be unbearable for anyone.
He was just used to it. In the early years, Su Yu had almost died of sudden death because he was too afraid to fall asleep.
"What on earth is going on?"
Su Yu leaned against the headboard, thinking about this question. He had been thinking about this question for many years.
He had mentioned it to his father, and his father was also at a loss. He had also been to the hospital to see a doctor. The doctor said it was due to excessive shock, which had caused a certain psychological shadow.
The thing was, Su Yu didn't remember being shocked at all.
"Every time it's like this. In the end of the dream, I'm being chased by people, by monsters, by demons..."
Su Yu was distressed. Every day it was the same dream. It wasn't exactly the same. To be precise, he was being chased in his dreams every day, but the people chasing him were different, or some of them weren't even human.
There were all kinds of monsters. Although they were very illusory, they didn't seem to be the same kind of creatures from their shapes.
Who had he offended?
Being chased in dreams for more than ten years continuously was really something.
Back then, his father had guessed that it might be caused by the spell of the Nightmare Clan. However, this was the Human Realm. If it was really the Nightmare Clan casting spells and it had lasted for more than ten years, they would have been killed by the strong men in the Human Realm long ago.
If there really were guys from the Nightmare Clan breaking into the Human Realm, they would be here to deal with the strong men. Spending more than ten years on an ordinary person would mean that the other party was either an idiot or a super idiot!
"It's never-ending. Annoying!"
Su Yu complained. He didn't know when it would end. Now he was a bit used to it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live a peaceful life.
"Dad said that once I open the nine apertures and enter the Qianjun Realm, I'll be free from all diseases, immune to yin and evil, and my body will be tempered by the primordial qi. Maybe then it'll be okay?"
At this moment, Su Yu could only hope that after entering the Qianjun Realm, the nightmares would stop.
With things on his mind, time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, there was light outside the window.
It was dawn!
Su Long was gone, but life had to go on. Today wasn't a holiday. He still had to go to the institute later.
...
After washing up and quickly making something to eat, Su Yu picked up his schoolbag and walked out of the house.
Downstairs.
A boy with a crew cut had been waiting there for a long time. Seeing Su Yu coming downstairs, he quickly shouted, "Ayu, I heard from my dad that Uncle Su yesterday..."
"Yeah."
Su Yu responded before he could finish.
The crew cut boy got anxious. "Uncle Su, what was he thinking? He's already an adult! Going to the battlefields of the Heavens at this time, isn't he looking for..."
At this point, the crew cut boy suddenly stopped talking.
He wanted to say that Su Long was looking for death, but he couldn't say that. Although he thought it was the truth, he couldn't say it in front of Su Yu.
"He wanted to go himself. I couldn't stop him."
Su Yu forced a smile. "Besides, there are millions of soldiers on the battlefields of the Heavens, and there are many invincible strong men of the human race in charge. It's not that easy to get into trouble."
"I know, but Uncle Su is only at the Qianjun Realm!"
The crew cut boy was even more anxious than Su Yu. "The Qianjun Realm is very powerful for us, but on the battlefields of the Heavens, it's the weakest. The soldiers of all races on the battlefields of the Heavens start at the Qianjun Realm."
"I know."
"Ayu, why aren't you worried at all?"
The crew cut boy was so worried for Su Yu. If it were him, he would have been crying and making a fuss long ago.
"Is being worried useful?"
Su Yu was helpless. His father had already left. No matter how worried he was at this time, it wouldn't help.
The most urgent thing wasn't to worry blindly. This guy was still so impatient.
"Let's go to school first. Less talking."
"Go to school?"
The crew cut boy was surprised. "You still want to go to school..."
Su Yu stared at him, making the crew cut boy feel a bit embarrassed.
"Nonsense. Am I supposed to stay at home, crying every day, waiting for bad news from the front line?"
Su Yu rolled his eyes. What kind of talk was that?
"Let's go. To school! In a few days, the school will recommend the assessment lists of various institutes. I'll go and sign up first."
"Aren't you already signed up?"
Chen Hao was surprised. "You signed up with me last week. Don't you remember?"
"I know. I signed up for the Institute of Civilization last week. This time I'm going to sign up for the War Institute."
Chen Hao was stunned. The War Institute?
"You..."
"Let's go!"
Su Yu didn't give him another chance to talk nonsense. He had made up his mind yesterday. He would still apply to the War Institute. Whether he could get in or not was another matter.
...
Nanyuan Middle Institute.
The application office.
The teacher in charge of registration checked the information and said strangely, "Su Yu, didn't you sign up for the assessment of the Institute of Civilization? You've mastered eighteen languages of all races. You're one of the best in our Nanyuan. Even the Great Xia Institute of Civilization would be a sure thing for you. Why are you signing up for the War Institute?"
Normally, students who applied to both systems were those who weren't sure if they could get into either one and had to make preparations for both.
Su Yu was smart and willing to work hard. In the past few years, he had mastered eighteen languages of all races. Even the most famous Great Xia Institute of Civilization in the Great Xia Prefecture would open its doors to him.
If it weren't for that, Su Long wouldn't have been so sure that his son could get into the institute before leaving. He had even specifically asked Su Yu to send him a letter.
Su Yu didn't explain much. He smiled and said, "Teacher, it's just in case. Everyone can apply to both systems, right? It's good to make a precaution."
"That's true. But you really don't need to. Just perform well during the assessment."
The registration teacher said with a smile, "The school has already submitted the lists of you top students. Although there is still an assessment, in fact, you guys have been registered in the higher institutes of the Great Xia Prefecture. Even if you mess up the unified assessment, they might give you a second chance."
As soon as these words were said, Chen Hao beside him was so envious that he couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, am I on the list?"
The registration teacher glanced at him and said with a smile, "Yes, the Interior Institute has submitted your registration."
Chen Hao's face fell.
The Interior Institute!
There are four major institute systems: War, Civilization, Research, and Interior.
The Interior Institute studies various life skills, such as auto repair, cooking, driving, administration, entertainment... and so on. They all belong to the Interior system.
The War Institute cultivates strong fighters, the Institute of Civilization deciphers the civilizations of all races, and the Research Institute develops weapons, pills...
These three systems are all good. Only the Interior Institute is the last choice for these teenagers.
The registration teacher didn't pay attention to him. He helped Su Yu complete the registration and said with a smile, "You should mainly focus on the civilization system. It would be better if you could master one or two more languages of all races during this period. It will be helpful for the future. As for the cultivation path, don't rush. It will be enough if you cultivate to the Qianjun Realm in the Institute of Civilization. As long as you are free from all diseases."
The Institute of Civilization doesn't pursue high combat power. This teacher was also worried that Su Yu might take a wrong turn at this time.
Su Yu nodded with a smile. He didn't refuse. The teacher was also being kind.
However... during this period, he really should pay more attention to his cultivation.