Outside the temple.
Li Junhao didn't choose the main road but instead slipped into a cluster of trees.
Although there were nearly a hundred people, they seemed insignificant inside the vast five-kilometer radius; he randomly walked a distance and easily lost those people.
Their encirclement route didn't change.
"The target isn't me!"
Li Junhao's heart relaxed slightly, but he nonetheless decided to keep distancing himself.
He noticed that these people were divided into eight or nine teams, each with a fierce hunting dog, apparently tracking something. It was better not to get close and cause a misunderstanding.
Hu~ Hu...
The sound of the mountain wind howled, accompanied by faint sounds of tearing through the air.
"Who's there!"
Li Junhao called out lowly.
Sword drawn from its sheath, he slashed it diagonally, forming a perfect arc, only to be blocked mid-way by a gleaming white sword, emitting a sharp noise.
Expose Sword Style!
Li Junhao felt a numbing force approaching, causing his sword arm to tremble slightly, but it was quickly dispersed by the well-refined muscles throughout his body, leaving him unscathed for the moment.
Inner Energy Realm martial artist!
However, compared to his classmates, the other person's Inner Energy was very weak, less than one-third as strong.
A figure in a white gown flew backward, spitting out blood, leaving plum blossom-like stains on the lofty crest of her dress.
"How is this possible? You're clearly not an Inner Energy Realm martial artist!" the other person said with blood spouting from their mouth, in disbelief.
A collision and immediate collapse!
Although he himself was injured, having Inner Energy within him meant that even a Body Refining Martial Artist with innate divine strength should be killed in one blow; this was against all reason.
"Why are you attacking me?"
Li Junhao held his sword, stepping forward slowly. His tailbone shivered, and slivers of killing intent uncontrollably spread around him.
Civilian drones are too unreliable!
He had never encountered such a situation before.
From childhood to adulthood, he was guided by teachers, sparred with classmates, and even if there were grievances, it was all about wanting to give someone a deliberate beating. He had never experienced this kind of coldness where meeting meant fighting for life and death.
"Why?"
The woman stared blankly, examining the youth in blue clothes before her, and joyfully exclaimed, "You're not from the Jindao School?"
Li Junhao was still approaching, step by step.
"Young master! It's my family's fault; I mistook you for the one hunting me!" With snow-white skin and baby fat cheeks, the woman looked cute with a height of around 1.5 meters.
Her gown was dirtied, but her face and hair were very clean, creating a contrast.
"My name is Gong Caiyu, a disciple of the Qixuan School. The Jindao School annihilated my sect, killed my family, and I overreacted in the moment. I beg for the young master to forgive my offenses!" Tears shimmered in her eyes as she pressed her hands together and pleaded.
Li Junhao paused in his steps.
From the drone's perspective.
A large group of people in black clothes, with the Golden Knife emblem on their chests, changed their route of action and began to encircle in this direction, with hunting dogs barking loudly.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's leave it at that," said Li Junhao with a change of expression.
He was sure that these black-clothed people were after this woman and, not wanting to get overly involved, he turned and walked away, leaving a remark.
"I suggest you check for any tracking methods someone may have placed on you. Also, consider escaping in this direction."
A piece of tree branch was thrown down, landing beside her.
He knew from the drone that there was a river in that direction, which might provide a chance for survival.
"Thank you, young master!" Gong Caiyu said gratefully, staggering away.
She didn't harbor any suspicions, for the peculiar man before her had almost crushed her current strength; if he were an enemy, why bother with these actions.
Li Junhao ran for several kilometers, crossing mountains and ridges, and finally took refuge in the canopy of a big tree.
"They really were chasing her."
The black-clothed men's route kept changing but mostly followed the woman's path, and they quickly disappeared from the drone's view in the chase.
He had no intention of letting the drone continue to track her.
"Alas, what she said must be true," Li Junhao sighed, his heart swelling with pity.
But there was little he could do, being just a small Body Refining Martial Artist; he could be in mortal danger if discovered by any possible local cultivator.
After confirming several times that no one was nearby, Li Junhao left the area.
...
Back in his room, Li Junhao opened his eyes.
With simple furnishings, traffic flowed outside the window, and neon lights blinked.
The tension in his heart relaxed.
After practicing swordplay for a while and chatting with his mother and Jiang Yuan when they returned, at eleven o'clock, Li Junhao went to sleep punctually.
...
By the time he arrived at the classroom, the metal cabinet had already been unlocked, and many classmates were changing into army green camouflage uniforms.
Purchased online, they could resist bullets, change color, and transform, but these were school property, not to be taken out of school and to be returned upon graduation.
"The first two periods are about firearms?" Li Junhao put down his backpack and casually said.
"Yes, and the last two periods are nearly the same," Li Junhao replied, having changed into a fitting camouflage outfit and put on a bulletproof panoramic helmet. The addition made his slight frame suddenly look more valiant: "Zhang Dingjun is ex-military; being even a second late has serious consequences."
The guy had dark circles under his eyes and a pale complexion, clearly showing he had stayed up at least until two or three in the morning studying the previous night.
Li Junhao quickly got dressed.
Dingling dingling…
After waiting a while, at seven fifty, the pre-class bell rang.
"Stand!"
At the lectern, Class Leader Hua Bing, looking dashing, called out loudly.
Swish!
Thirty-two senior high students stood up promptly, rigid as nails.
"First squad, move out."
"Yes, class leader!"
Sun Xiao of the Internal Qi Realm saluted and jogged out of the classroom in the lead, with others from various parts of the classroom following suit, totaling six people, forming a straight line.
"Second squad..."
"Third squad..."
Li Junhao and Li Junhao hurriedly followed, trailing behind their Internal Qi Realm classmate Li Hu, and ran forward.
The three squads were like three lines that shifted from following to being side by side and finally formed a neat block, with every student's stride and swing of the arm being exactly the same, making the dozens of them appear as one from afar.