40: Chapter 40 Half a Broken Gun

Su Yu stepped forward.

He crossed the two towering stone pillars that exuded a murderous aura.

There were no security guards blocking the way, nor was there any tedious registration process.

It was still one day before official registration.

The campus was mostly filled with freshmen like him who had come early to scout the location, as well as hurried upperclassmen dressed in various martial arts uniforms.

Su Yu carried his washed-out, old canvas bag on his back.

His hands were shoved into his trouser pockets.

He walked aimlessly along the wide, tree-lined main road.

Kyoto Martial Arts University was huge.

It was as big as an independent city.

The concentration of Qi and blood permeating the air was several times higher than in the center of Jiangcheng.

Without realizing it.

Su Yu followed the flow of people and arrived at the very center of the campus.

His field of vision suddenly opened up.

This was a huge artificial lake.

Weiming Lake.

The lake water was deep; there were no fountains, nor were there any pleasure boats for people to enjoy.

Not even a hint of a breeze could be felt on the surface of the lake.

It was dead silent.

Oppressive.

Su Yu stopped and cast his gaze across the calm lake surface toward the center.

There were no ornate pavilions or towers built there.

There was only a bare, massive reef that appeared a deathly black.

On the rock.

Half of a dark red long spear was stuck at an angle.

The spear blade had already broken off and was nowhere to be found.

The exposed part of the spear shaft was covered in dense, spiderweb-like cracks, resembling a dried-up riverbed.

It looked broken and desolate.

Yet, it was this half of a broken weapon that made everyone passing by unconsciously lighten their steps, their eyes filled with deep awe and reverence.

Su Yu approached along the path by the shore of Weiming Lake.

By the lakeside stood a massive black stone tablet.

Engraved upon it was a passage of text that carried a strong scent of blood.

Su Yu's gaze fell upon those characters that looked as if they had been carved with knives and axes.

"The 240th Year of the Great Xia Kingdom calendar."

"A massive Earth Cave fissure suddenly erupted in Kyoto."

"Tens of thousands of high-ranking exotic beasts surged out from the surface like a black tide, and Kyoto was in imminent danger."

"The third headmaster of Capital Martial Arts University, alone, held a long spear."

"At the core of the fissure, he fought to the death for seven days and seven nights."

"He slew over ten thousand high-ranking exotic beasts."

"When his strength was exhausted, in order to stop a Rank-9 Beast King from rushing out to the surface."

"The headmaster ignited all his Qi and blood, sacrificed his life, and nailed this spear firmly into the core node of the fissure."

"He suppressed it with his life."

"Later, the military arrived and sealed the fissure."

"Only half of the broken spear was recovered from the ruins."

"The spear shaft is dark red; it is the dried heart's blood of the headmaster, which will never fade."

"Its name: Soul-Suppressing Spear."

After reading the inscription.

Su Yu stood there, motionless for a long time.

Seven days and seven nights.

One man, one spear, suppressing tens of thousands of high-ranking exotic beasts.

In the end, he even used his life to seal the fissure.

How tragic and fierce.

How sorrowful and heroic.

Su Yu looked at the lonely half-spear in the center of the lake, a trace of deep reverence flashing in his deep eyes.

He did not deliberately hide his cultivation.

One thousand points of Martial Master-level Qi and blood flowed slowly within his body like a great river.

He attempted to release a trace of perception to touch that peerless lethal weapon from sixty years ago.

Boom!

The moment Su Yu's mental energy touched the edge of the Soul-Suppressing Spear.

A terrifying, indescribable murderous aura.

As if spanning sixty years of time and space, carrying the destructive pressure of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, it slammed heavily into Su Yu's mental sea!

Su Yu's face turned deathly pale instantly.

His body swayed violently, out of control.

He took half a step back with his right foot, leaving a deep footprint on the hard alloy path, and only then managed to steady himself.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Su Yu's pupils contracted violently.

Shock!

Extreme shock!

He was a genuine Martial Master now!

A terrifying existence with one thousand points of Qi and blood!

But just a moment ago.

Facing this half-broken spear whose owner had fallen sixty years ago.

He actually felt the powerlessness of an ant looking up at the starry sky!

That one thousand points of Qi and blood, in the face of this residual pressure, was like a flickering flame in a raging storm.

If the opponent wished, they could crush him completely at any moment!

"Too strong..."

Su Yu panted heavily, forcibly cutting off his perception.

"Just the residual pressure alone is more than my one thousand points of Qi and blood can bear."

"What kind of monster was the third headmaster back then?"

Martial King? Martial Emperor?

Or even... above Martial Venerable?!

Su Yu didn't know.

But he finally understood why Lin Zhentian said that Kyoto Martial Arts University was a shura field where monsters gathered.

Foundation.

This was the foundation of the highest martial arts institution in the Great Xia Kingdom!

At this time.

Around the shores of Weiming Lake, quite a few people had gathered.

There were upperclassmen wearing various martial arts uniforms, sitting cross-legged on the grass by the lake, eyes slightly closed.

There were also freshmen like Su Yu, faces full of curiosity and shock.

Everyone was staring intently at the spear in the center of the lake.

Their brows were tightly furrowed.

They seemed to be struggling to comprehend something.

Not far away.

A middle-aged man wearing the uniform of a Capital Martial Arts University instructor was standing by the lake with a dozen or so freshmen.

"Did you see it clearly?"

The instructor pointed at the broken spear in the center of the lake, his voice low and powerful.

"This is the spiritual totem of our Capital Martial Arts University."

"It is also the first stop that you freshmen must visit after entering the campus."

The freshmen looked in the direction of the instructor's finger, their eyes filled with awe.

"Within this spear lies a trace of the purest, most domineering, and most resolute Spear Intent from the third headmaster before his death."

A flash of fanaticism crossed the instructor's eyes.

"On the path of martial arts, cultivation techniques and martial skills can all be learned."

"Only 'Intent' is the hardest to comprehend!"

"If any of you can comprehend even the slightest bit of fur from this half-broken spear..."

The instructor paused, his voice suddenly rising.

"Within the same rank, you will be invincible in slaughter!"

"You can even kill those of higher ranks!"

Whoosh—

The dozen or so freshmen were immediately in an uproar.

Everyone's eyes became incredibly fervent, wishing they could rush into the center of the lake right now, pull that spear out, and hold it in their arms.

Kill those of higher ranks!

These four words held a fatal temptation for any martial artist.

But.

The instructor immediately poured a bucket of cold water on them without mercy.

"But, all of you, put away those little thoughts!"

"Do not be too hasty."

"And do not be overly ambitious."

The instructor snorted coldly.

"This Spear Intent is too domineering, too tragic."

"Without having experienced a true mountain of corpses and sea of blood, without that absolute will to live while facing death, it is impossible to resonate with it."

"Often, it takes many years for our Capital Martial Arts University to produce one peerless monster who can barely resonate with the Soul-Suppressing Spear."

"The last person who comprehended a trace of Spear Intent from here was ten years ago, that War God upperclassman who now guards the Northern Abyss!"

Hearing the words "War God."

The fervor in the freshmen's eyes instantly solidified, replaced by deep despair.

One every ten years?

And it's a War God-level existence?

Then, wouldn't they, these ordinary geniuses, not even have the right to drink the soup?

"Therefore, keep a level head."

The instructor waved his hand.

"Just consider this a visit to pay respects to the martyrs and experience the baptism of martial arts will."

"Find a place to sit down and try to observe for a while."

"It's best if you can gain something, but gaining nothing is also the norm; don't force yourself to the point of going into Qi deviation."

The freshmen dispersed helplessly.

Each found a spot, imitated the upperclassmen, sat cross-legged, and stared intently at the center of the lake.

Su Yu stood at the very back of the crowd.

He withdrew his gaze.

He didn't go to squeeze in with the other freshmen.

Instead, he found a slightly secluded corner overgrown with weeping willows.

He sat down cross-legged.

His eyes were slightly closed.

Su Yu concentrated his mental energy highly, following the source of that pressure from earlier, attempting to touch that tragic aura hovering over the center of the lake.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour passed.

Su Yu slowly opened his eyes.

His brows were tightly knitted together.

He rubbed his throbbing glabella again and again, then sighed.

Nothing gained.

Apart from feeling that murderous aura that could crush a person until they vomited blood, he couldn't touch any so-called "Spear Intent" at all.

It was like a blind man looking at a peerless masterpiece.

He could feel its existence, but he was completely unable to understand its spirit.

"As expected."

Su Yu muttered inwardly.

"This kind of thing that depends on comprehension, luck, and ethereal talent has never been suitable for me."

"I am just an ordinary person who crawled up from the bottom."

"I don't have that innate, supreme comprehension."

Su Yu looked at the broken half-spear in the center of the lake.

In his deep eyes, there was no sign of discouragement due to failure.

Instead, a trace of calmness flashed through.