Chu Hao quickly lost interest; such an opponent was too weak to give him the feeling of a real battle. However, Feng Ming and the other two had bullied the past Chu Hao mercilessly, and of course, this grudge had to be avenged—after all, the two Chu Haos shared the same body.
After beating them for about ten minutes, Chu Hao finally stopped, smack, smack. Feng Ming and Zhou Ding both fell to the ground, emitting low groans.
"Let's stop for today, but whatever you took from me in the past, you'll have to spit it all out without missing anything," Chu Hao said coldly. Why be polite when avenging a grudge?
He frisked Feng Ming and Zhou Ding, cleaning them out of all their money. Then, he turned his gaze to Li Shuangyuan.
Li Shuangyuan trembled immediately, and without waiting for Chu Hao to say anything, he emptied his pockets on his own, turning them inside out to show that he wasn't hiding even a single copper coin.
Chu Hao then looked toward Sun Yi, who, as a conditioned reflex, also began to rummage through his pockets. Chu Hao smiled involuntarily and extended his hand, signaling that he wanted to help the other man up.
Only then did Sun Yi realize, his face turning red with embarrassment. He grabbed Chu Hao's hand, using it to stand up, and said awkwardly, "Chu Hao, thank you."
Chu Hao smiled and said, "No, I should be the one thanking you."
"No, I wasn't of any help to you at all," Sun Yi said, his face still red with shame.
"It's the thought that counts," Chu Hao said. "Let's go."
Sun Yi took a few steps but then turned back to look at the three lying on the ground, worrying, "What about them?"
"Just let them lie there," Chu Hao said indifferently.
"Chu Hao, Li Shuangyuan and Zhou Ding are no big deal, but Feng Ming's brother, Feng Yuan, is a student at the Heavenly Court," Sun Yi reminded him.
Although the Eastern Sect and Western Faction of the Earthly Institute each had over two thousand people, the combined total of students from both factions at the Heavenly Court only amounted to a little over a hundred, signifying the difficulty of the martial arts path. Those who could make it into the Heavenly Court were certain to have a part of them reach the Great Mahayana realm in the future.
Such an enemy was naturally terrifying.
Chu Hao nodded; he was full of confidence in himself but would never underestimate his opponent. However, although the academy was divided into the Eastern Sect and the Western Faction, it strictly prohibited students from the Heavenly Court from attacking students from the Earthly Institute—this was a rule that everyone had to abide by.
Within the same Realm, if you can't win, it's because you're not strong enough, but crossing a Realm counts as bullying. If your family has someone in the Middle Mahayana realm, doesn't my family have someone in the Great Mahayana realm? This would lead to chaos.
Therefore, Feng Yuan would never lay a hand on him. At least, he wouldn't do it personally.
Moreover, if Feng Yuan was reasonable, that would be one thing, but if he wasn't... Chu Hao couldn't beat someone in the Middle Mahayana realm yet, but his Cultivation was advancing so fast, he was bound to catch up. Feng Yuan was always adventuring outside, probably with many treasures on hand, and Chu Hao wouldn't mind if the other party used a Treasure Artifact to compensate him.
After both of them entered the academy, Sun Yi quickly found an excuse to leave.
Chu Hao knew the other man still couldn't swallow his pride; for an expert on the verge of reaching the Lesser Mahayana realm to be saved by an idiot was surely a burning shame, and every second he stayed with him was torture.
He didn't pay it much mind and made his way directly to the training ground.
The academy's training ground was much larger than the Chu Family's, but because of the strife between the Eastern Sect and Western Faction, it too had been divided in half, with a high wall erected in the middle, signaling that the waters of each side should not interfere with the other.
It was quite necessary, for if both sides were to practice in the training ground, mere provocation from either party could easily lead to a mass brawl. Should a life be lost in such a fray, it would be a difficult matter to settle.
Even so, this half of the training area remained immensely large, at least the size of three soccer fields. The ground was covered with fine sand that felt soft underfoot, like walking on a beach. Even falling would not hurt much.
The weather was gloomy and cold. The new year had just passed, and it was still the season of deep winter. Yet today was particularly chilly; Chu Hao had not been standing for long when he saw snowflakes begin to fall.
It was indeed a heavy fall of snow swiftly transforming the ground into a vast expanse of white. Judging by this trend, it seemed destined to snow for quite some time.
There was nowhere to take shelter from the snow.
Despite the academy's size, aside from the teachers' lounges, places to seek shelter from the rain and snow were limited to the cafeteria, restrooms, and a few other spots. But at this time, the cafeteria was definitely closed, and how many could the restrooms hold?
Fortunately, the students were mostly young men and women who loved to play, and this was the first snowfall of the year, which excited everyone. One could even hear cheering from beyond the high wall.
By now, Chu Hao had long outgrown the age of playing in the snow. He walked to a large tree under which he could temporarily shelter from the snow, but once the snow accumulated to a certain thickness, exceeding the leaves' capacity, it would fall not in flakes but in heavy clumps.
The Eastern Sect and Western Faction had nearly equal numbers since the Heavenly Court had very few students who were mostly concentrated in the Earthly Institute. Consequently, this training ground designated for the Earthly Institute gathered over ninety percent of the Thousand Winds Academy students.
Even seeing only half of it, the presence of over two thousand people was no small number, and it was impossible for just one or two teachers to lead and manage them all.
In Thousand Winds Academy, every fifty students were grouped into a team led by a teacher. Once students were assigned to a team, they could not switch — unless they advanced to the Heavenly Court.
Students of the Heavenly Court had much more freedom. They were either hunting ferocious beasts outside the city or capturing wanted criminals.
The team names were taken from the surnames of the lead teachers, such as Captain Hu, the team that Chu Hao belonged to, led by a teacher called Hu Jianren. Because "Jianren" sounded like a derogatory term in the local dialect, Hu Jianren adamantly forbade anyone from addressing him by his full name, especially forbidding the title "Teacher Jianren."
This teacher was over 40 years old, in the Fourth Tier of the Middle Mahayana realm. He was a former student of the Heavenly Court and chose to stay in the academy after graduation. Unfortunately, despite the years, he had not managed to step into the Great Mahayana realm.
Of course, being in the Fourth Tier of the Middle Mahayana realm within the Earthly Institute meant he was an absolute superpower, capable of suppressing the ordinary students with ease.
Chu Hao stood in isolation like a solitary pine tree.
It wasn't that he was unsociable by nature, but having previously been mocked as a simpleton, slow in response by nature, how could he possibly make friends?
"Chu Hao, I heard your 'simpleton' sickness is cured?" It was at that moment that a tremendously built young man approached, and despite the wintery month, he was shirtless, his arms as thick as the average person's thighs, his muscles knotted like chunks of stone, brimming with explosive strength.
This person was... Zhang Kan.
Zhang Kan couldn't be considered an expert at the Earthly Institute, mainly because he was single-minded to a fault, and his intelligence was somewhat lacking. However, he possessed an excellent physique and extraordinary strength. Barely 16, he had already stepped into the Lesser Mahayana realm with a strength of over 1800 jin. The Iron Hammer Palm he practiced matched his personality perfectly: straightforward and overwhelmingly fierce.
He also had another identity, that of Ma Long's lackey.
Chu Hao's gaze swept the area, only to see Ma Long watching him not far away, his face revealing a sneer as their eyes met. And by his side stood an exquisitely beautiful woman, dressed in white that seemed purer than the snow beneath her feet, her elegance otherworldly.
It was none other than his disgraced ex-fiancée, Lin Yuqi.
What an act, to appear so pure despite harboring a vicious heart.
Ma Long must have grown impatient too, desiring nothing more than to strike Chu Hao dead with a single blow after Chu Tianyun's demise. However, even he didn't dare to wreak havoc in the household of a former noble. Now, with the start of school, he couldn't wait to unleash his lackey to bite others.
Little did Ma Long know that in just half a month's time, Chu Hao had increased his strength to 500 jin and had fully mastered the advanced martial technique Mad Wind Fist, capable of executing an attack known as Triple Wave.
Moreover, Feng Ming had "gifted" Chu Hao a Treasure Artifact that added another 1500 jin to his strength, enough to compete with Zhang Kan.
Were Ma Long to take action personally, his Fourth Tier Lesser Mahayana realm cultivation and strength exceeding 4000 jin would definitely crush Chu Hao. Even Chu Hao's formidable analytical abilities would be useless. But if Ma Long were to lay a hand on Chu Hao, he would certainly be mocked to death.
Have they no shame?
Chu Hao redirected his attention back to Zhang Kan and said, "Do you have any objections?"
"Once you're recovered, let's have a practice match," Zhang Kan said, his naturally booming voice so loud that it drew the looks of many nearby.
However, the onlookers all scoffed in their minds.
So the idiot is cured, but can one's strength increase so quickly? Zhang Kan is a First Tier Lesser Mahayana realm fighter, rumored to be close to Second Tier. Isn't this bullying? While there may be many from the Earthly Institute, only a little over 500 have reached the Lesser Mahayana realm. Most could only curse quietly in their minds, not daring to offend Zhang Kan, let alone Ma Long.
Huff!
Before Chu Hao could accept or refuse, Zhang Kan's palm had already swung toward him, the force of the blow whistling through the air, astonishingly powerful.
He was following Ma Long's orders to teach Chu Hao a harsh lesson.
A coldness settled in Chu Hao's heart. He was not yet capable of dealing with Ma Long, so he decided that beating up his lackey would serve as gathering some interest. His right hand shook, and the bracelet clasped around his wrist immediately lit up, but it was covered by his sleeve, invisible to onlookers.
"Since you're asking for a beating, I'll give you one," he chuckled.
"Hahahaha, I think you haven't recovered from your stupidity; you're talking nonsense again," Zhang Kan laughed heartily, as his right palm aimed directly for Chu Hao's left shoulder— he also didn't dare to hit too hard, so his goal was merely to break Chu Hao's bone.
That would surely result in punishment from the academy, but Ma Long would certainly compensate him financially.
To be a lackey, one must take the fall for their master.
The palm strike approached.
In Chu Hao's eyes, the world suddenly slowed down, allowing him to clearly see the trajectory and changes in Zhang Kan's palm strike. Of course, since Zhang Kan didn't take him seriously, the attack lacked variation, coming straight at him.
Chu Hao also threw a punch, meeting Zhang Kan head-on.
A direct collision.
Bang!
A muffled sound echoed as Chu Hao and Zhang Kan both staggered back several steps. In this exchange, the two seemed evenly matched.
What?
But this outcome left everyone watching in utter shock.
Everyone knew Chu Hao as a fool who, despite spending two years at the academy, had never practiced cultivation. And Zhang Kan, though a bit rough around the edges, was nearly a Second Tier Lesser Mahayana realm fighter.
Why would they be evenly matched? Even if Zhang Kan wasn't using his full strength, it shouldn't be like this.
Zhang Kan was also startled. As a simple-minded man, he was even more confused, saying, "How can you be so strong?"
Chu Hao didn't bother to answer; with a light tap of his foot, he charged at his opponent.
"To clash with me is simply asking for a beating," Zhang Kan said disdainfully. He specialized in the path of strength and ferocity; if one with equal power was to clash head-on with him, it would be foolish.
Still an idiot, then.
He swung his palms again, but this time he wasn't being careless and executed the Iron Hammer Palm.
Intermediate Martial Technique.
Chu Hao's pupils dilated slightly. As his brain received the imagery, he immediately began a feverish analysis, parsing each of Zhang Kan's movements. A smile couldn't help but spread across his lips as he paused ever so slightly.
Whoosh!
Zhang Kan's palms swooped down, aiming directly at Chu Hao's chest.
Did it hit?
No.
By a hair's breadth, Zhang Kan's palms came to a halt less than half an inch from Chu Hao's chest.