Outside the registration office.
Su Yu had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly turned around, surprised.
"Why are you still following me?"
Chen Hao looked confused."Aren't we going to class?"
"I'm not."
"…You're not?" Chen Hao blinked. "Then where are you going?"
He felt wronged.You were the one who said we were going to school. How did you change your mind again?
"The library," Su Yu replied calmly.
"I don't need to attend the other classes anymore. The instructors approved it."
He glanced at Chen Hao."You, on the other hand—if you skip class now, are you ready to have your parents summoned?"
"…!"
That one hurt.
Deeply.
Chen Hao covered his face and fled on the spot.
Indeed, Su Yu was allowed to skip classes with special permission.Chen Hao absolutely was not.
As for cultivation lessons—Origin Opening Third Layer was more than enough for Su Yu's current curriculum. No teacher had ever expected him to apply for the War Academy, so naturally, no one pushed him to train harder.
Watching Chen Hao disappear, Su Yu shook his head and laughed.
Chen Hao's father was an old friend of his own father. They were classmates too—close enough to count as best friends.
The only problem?
The guy was way too noisy.
Library.
The librarian was very familiar with Su Yu.
Su Yu came often—sometimes staying half a day at a time. After years of that, unfamiliarity simply wasn't an option.
"Su Yu," the librarian joked,"you've already mastered more than a dozen alien languages. Instead of relaxing, you're still studying?"
Su Yu had become something of a minor celebrity at Nanyuan Secondary Academy.
Most students struggled just to learn the three mandatory languages:Immortal-Demon Language, Demon Beast Language, and Common Tongue.
Su Yu, however?
He treated rare languages like collectibles.
Su Yu smiled politely and said nothing.
He walked straight into the library and headed for the third floor.
It was class time. The library was nearly empty.
Aside from a few teachers researching materials, there were barely any students.
Most teenagers preferred sweating through cultivation over staring at strange symbols all day. If brute force could solve a problem, why bother thinking?
The teachers glanced at Su Yu but didn't greet him.
Silence was the norm here.
Su Yu followed familiar paths and stopped at the bookshelf he visited most often.
After a brief search, he pulled out a thick volume.
— The Yu Fish.
This was part of the Myriad Races Codex.
Humanity had compiled records of every race encountered or discovered, gathering them into volumes for study.
Of course, this was only one book.
The Myriad Races Codex wasn't a single volume, but an entire series. How many existed exactly, Su Yu didn't know. Some were classified, available only to select groups.
Nanyuan Secondary Academy had thirty-nine volumes—covering thirty-nine races.
Each book contained detailed information:appearance, habits, customs, language, unique techniques, combat styles, even recommended killing methods.
That wasn't what Su Yu cared about right now.
He flipped straight to the opening illustration.
Despite its name, the Yu Fish wasn't really a fish.
The illustration depicted a creature resembling a bull.
Not entirely, though.
It had a serpent-like tail—and an extra pair of wings.
As for the name?
According to the codex, the Yu Fish was an amphibious race capable of living in rivers and seas. Its combat ability in water far exceeded its land combat strength.
The wings?
Mostly decorative.
More like chicken wings—good for flapping, terrible for flying.
"Yu Fish flesh," Su Yu read softly,"can dispel poison. A top-tier antidote."
"Inhabits the Di Mountain Realm. Terrain dominated by hills and water regions. Yu Fish hibernate in winter and awaken in summer."
"During summer, entry into the Di Mountain Realm is extremely dangerous."
"Battlefield of the Heavens status: Neutral. Unauthorized killing prohibited."
Su Yu skimmed through.
He'd read this before.
He hadn't learned the Yu Fish language—it was too niche. The Di Mountain Realm wasn't even ruled by them.
What he was really studying…
Was the illustration.
"Yu Fish…"
Su Yu murmured, recalling last night's nightmare.
The creature chasing him…
Was it a Yu Fish?
As a child, he never thought much about his dreams.
But after dreaming for over a decade, and growing older, he had started analyzing them—comparing details, checking records.
The monsters that hunted him in his dreams…
Did they exist in reality?
People thought he was a genius for mastering eighteen alien languages.
They admired his discipline.
The truth?
Not exactly.
Because of his dreams, Su Yu had paid far more attention to the myriad races than most.
Years of research. Endless reading.
That was why he learned so many languages—not talent alone.
"The dream was vague… I can't be sure."
"But that monster did have wings. And its roar sounded like a bull…"
Su Yu frowned.
Over the years, he had noticed something unsettling.
Many of the creatures from his dreams had counterparts in the Myriad Races Codex.
If that pattern held…
Then what chased him every night wasn't random imagination.
It was the myriad races.
For over ten years.
Four to five thousand nights.
He had seen thousands of different monsters.
If they weren't from the myriad races…
Did the world really have that many unknown species?
"…You're really giving me face," Su Yu thought bitterly."All the myriad races hunting me in my dreams."
Too much honor.
He was just a nobody.
Was it really necessary to hunt him like this?
Annoyance turned into anger.
"I don't even know you. I've never met you. Why are you trying to kill me?"
Was tormenting an ordinary person that entertaining?
"But why… why do these dreams even exist?"
That was the real mystery.
He'd never left Nanyuan City. At most, he'd read about these races in books.
So why was he connected to them?
Unable to dig deeper for now, Su Yu returned the book to its place.
Some answers were beyond him—for the moment.
He moved on.
This time, he entered a different section.
Origin Opening Zone.
Books here focused entirely on cultivation at the Origin Opening stage.
Humanity began cultivation with the Origin Opening Art.
Even without opening all nine apertures, one could absorb trace amounts of vital energy, temper the body, and gradually open the apertures—eventually stepping into the Thousand-Pound Realm.
Opening the nine apertures was a slow process.
Children started practicing early.
It was gradual.
And brutal.
This was where talent truly showed.
Those with strong aptitude surged ahead.
Su Yu wasn't ignorant of cultivation. He had read most of these books already.
Origin Opening emphasized natural progression. Grinding alone wouldn't force breakthroughs.
Still, today, he wanted to see if any faster methods existed.
He searched.
And searched.
Nothing.
He frowned.
Was there really no way?
If so, his chances of reaching Fourth Layer before the assessment were slim.
"Su Yu, what are you looking for?"
A short-haired girl nearby finally spoke up.
She had been reading there for a while.
She recognized Su Yu—not classmates, but frequent library visitors all knew each other.
Su Yu apologized quietly.
"I'm looking for records on accelerating Origin Opening cultivation. I didn't find any."
"Accelerated cultivation?"
She thought for a moment.
"There are methods," she said carefully."But humanity doesn't recommend external acceleration during Origin Opening."
"This stage is foundational—opening apertures, laying the groundwork."
"Stability matters more than speed."
She hesitated, then added,"Su Yu, aren't you applying to the Civilization Academy? These won't be tested."
"You're not planning to force cultivation, are you?"
Concern crept into her voice.
"A bad foundation can cause serious problems. Even if you succeed, it can affect your entire future."
Su Yu smiled.
"I know. I'm not stupid. I just want to see if there are safer options. If not, I'll drop it."
"…I see."
She thought again, then pointed toward the bottom shelf in the far corner.
"There are a few books there."
"But some methods are extreme."
"Honestly, I don't recommend trying them. People have died."
"Back in the early Anping era, some human experts tried because they had no time."
"But none of them reached invincibility."
"Most died early—because their Origin Opening was flawed."
"Thanks," Su Yu said sincerely.
He recognized her—Liu Yue, from Preparatory Class One.
He didn't know her well, but she came to the library often. Rumor said she also knew many alien languages.
Likely a Civilization Academy candidate.
Which explained why she didn't care much about cultivation speed.
After thanking her, Su Yu found the books she mentioned.
Titles jumped out immediately:
Accelerated Methods of Origin OpeningMy Views on Origin OpeningOn the Importance of Foundation
Su Yu stared at them.
And slowly reached out.