Ethan Sutton stood in front of the door, gritting his teeth, and suddenly shouted, “If you don’t come back, I’ll go be a live-in son-in-law! I’ll change my surname and cut off the Sutton family line. If you don’t care, then I’ll really do it!”

“I…”

Logan Sutton stumbled, almost turning back to curse.

Suddenly, he didn’t want to leave anymore—he wanted to go home and beat this brat!

This kid really would do it!

It had taken so much for the old Sutton family to finally produce a talent, and if he became a live-in son-in-law, he’d never rest in peace!

Chapter 2: The Four Great Academy Systems

Logan Sutton left.

He left decisively.

But Ethan Sutton felt a bit empty inside. His father left just like that, without giving him any time to prepare.

On one hand, he was worried about his father’s safety; on the other, Ethan Sutton was anxious about his own life ahead.

He was used to his father’s care, used to having his old man around. Suddenly living alone, he really wasn’t used to it.

“Dad… before you left… you didn’t even wash the dishes!”

Ethan Sutton muttered, trying to find humor in his misery. He sighed. There were some things he didn’t want to think about—if he did, he couldn’t help but get nervous. The battlefield of the myriad realms was unimaginably dangerous, and he was afraid that if he thought too much, he’d end up chasing after his dad to drag him back home.

“Civilization Academy…”

Ethan Sutton couldn’t be bothered to wash the dishes either. He sat on the sofa, staring into space.

Before leaving, his old man had nagged him to apply to the Civilization Academy. Ethan Sutton had indeed planned to apply before, but now…

“If you weren’t going to the battlefield, I’d apply to the Civilization Academy. But you insist on going, how am I supposed to feel at ease!”

“You might not come back for years, and I’ll be left worrying about you from behind the lines every day?”

“How old are you already, don’t you have any sense?”

Ethan Sutton rubbed his temples, his head aching.

“You’re forcing me into this. Since you’re not home, I won’t apply to the Civilization Academy—I’ll apply to the War Academy instead!”

Ethan Sutton gnashed his teeth. The Civilization Academy was great: deciphering the cultures of myriad races, analyzing their techniques, researching their civilizations.

Every civilization researcher was a treasure, able to stay safely behind the lines, never needing to fight on the front.

The War Academy, though, was for those heading to the front lines.

He’d worked so hard to study the languages of myriad races, all so he could stay safely behind the lines and always be with his dad.

But now, his old man, at his age, had run off himself—to the perilous battlefield of the myriad realms.

If he got into the Civilization Academy, he’d almost never have to go to the front.

But the War Academy—he’d heard that their practical courses often took students to the battlefield.

“The War Academy… you need real strength to get in!”

Ethan Sutton thought about it, but was still worried. The War Academy wasn’t something you could just get into; strictly speaking, it was even harder than the Civilization Academy—at least for him.

The Civilization Academy didn’t require much martial strength, but the War Academy did. After all, it was meant to train strong fighters for the front lines.

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

The human body wasn’t naturally suited for cultivation; you had to open the nine Kaiyuan apertures to connect the body, link to vital energy, and officially step onto the path of cultivation.

There were nine Kaiyuan apertures: mouth, nose, eyes, ears—seven in total—plus Shenque and Baihui, which were the crown of the head and the navel.

Only by opening all nine could you absorb vital energy, temper the body, strengthen the bones, and be reborn—officially becoming a powerful martial artist.

“I’ve only opened the mouth and nose apertures—three in total. The ear apertures haven’t responded yet. I haven’t reached Kaiyuan Tier Four. It’s not that easy to get into the War Academy.”

Ethan Sutton muttered. The War Academy was for training the strong, with huge resources invested—they wouldn’t waste them on the weak.

To be sure of getting in, it was best to open the ear apertures and reach Kaiyuan Tier Five.

Of course, if you opened the eye apertures and reached Tier Six or even Seven, there’d be almost no risk at all.

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

Anyone who could open all nine apertures before age 20 could go straight to the War Academy—any academy would take them.

“I’m only at Kaiyuan Tier Three…”

Ethan Sutton sighed. Tier Three wasn’t too bad, but it certainly wasn’t great.

At his Nanyuan Intermediate Academy, there were nine pre-exam classes, 750 students in total. Over a hundred were at Tier Three, and more than a dozen above that.

Based on previous years, the War Academies would recruit no more than 20 from Nanyuan Intermediate Academy.

In other words, Tier Four was a sure thing; Tier Three was one in a hundred.

Besides, there were strong and weak War Academies. If you only got into one that accepted Tier Three, it probably wasn’t very good—might as well go to the Civilization Academy.

“There are still more than three months left. War Academy… I’ll see when the time comes!”

Ethan Sutton gritted his teeth. Since his old man was unreliable, he had to be reliable himself.

At his age, and he still insisted on running off to the battlefield!

…

“Whew…”

Late at night, Ethan Sutton woke up again in a fright.

His head was drenched in cold sweat.

“That damned dream again… Dad…”

Ethan Sutton called out instinctively. In the past, whenever he woke from a nightmare, his old man would rush over right away. But tonight, after he called out, there was only silence outside the room.