Lingyun Town (Thanks to Jiyu Lanting for the monthly ticket and Lu Baobao for the donation)

Su Hao turned to glance at He Qingqing and smiled. "Nothing. It's just my first time entering a city, so I'm a little curious!"

He Qingqing was startled by her own reaction and immediately turned her face away.

Compared to a few years ago, He Qingqing had become much more reserved, truly like a grown young lady. Ever since Su Hao had killed the Green-Eyed Coyote before her eyes, she seemed to have matured overnight and never again asked Su Hao to play with her.

Yet from that time onward, the relationship between He Qingqing and Su Hao had become very strange. It was no longer Su Hao avoiding He Qingqing—it was He Qingqing avoiding Su Hao. Even when they finally ran into each other, she would hurriedly leave after only a few words.

Su Hao had puzzled over this for a long time. Could this girl have developed autism or something?

Little Fatty, on the other hand, had not changed much. Not long after they set out, he was already chattering away beside them, asking one question after another.

"Dad! You said you studied at the Warrior Academy too? You're bragging, right?" Little Fatty looked at his old man with suspicion written all over his face.

Old Li glared fiercely. "Bragging? Your father never brags! Back then, your father was a famous figure at the Academy. Who didn't know Old Li? Let me tell you, back then..."

Little Fatty and He Qingqing listened with great seriousness, their eyes wide as they stared at Old Li. After hearing him out, Little Fatty still had little faith in his father and muttered, "Dad, why does everything you said sound made up?"

Old Li said nonchalantly, "Believe it or not. That's how your mom chased me back then. And when you go to the Academy, don't bring shame on your father. Whoever dares bully us, beat him black and blue."

Little Fatty immediately patted his chest and promised, "Of course! I definitely won't embarrass Dad. I'll protect Qing Qing properly. Whoever dares bully us, I'll beat him up. Right, Xiangwu?"

Su Hao casually replied, "Right, right, right!"

Little Fatty glanced at He Qingqing and immediately said smugly, "Ah, what a pity Silly Tao still hasn't found his Blood Qi. Otherwise, he could help protect Qing Qing too."

Then he turned to He Qingqing. "Qing Qing, don't worry. Even if it's just me, I won't let anyone bully you."

He Qingqing rolled her eyes. "Do I need your protection?"

Little Fatty did not look embarrassed in the slightest and immediately said, "I'm just making my position clear."

Then he ran over to Su Hao, grabbed him, and said, "Xiangwu is so strong. If we can't win, we'll ask Xiangwu to help."

He Qingqing asked in confusion, "We're going there to study. Why would there be so many bad people specifically bullying others?"

At that moment, Old Li, who was walking behind them, suddenly chuckled. "There definitely will be. Otherwise, why would it be called the Warrior Academy? It teaches you how to fight, heh heh heh!"

Su Hao glanced at He Qingqing and Little Fatty, secretly feeling a headache coming on. Doesn't that mean there'll be a mountain of bullshit every day? And I'll have to look after these two little brats. Just thinking about it gives me a headache! What should I do? Should I beat all my classmates until they cry as soon as I get to school? If I become the school bully, there'll definitely be much less trouble, right?

He Qingqing frowned at first, then suddenly seemed to think of something, and her gaze gradually became resolute.

Little Fatty, however, optimistically waved his fists. "Other than Xiangwu, who have I ever been afraid to fight? Bring one, beat one. I'm already a Low-Rank Ordinary Warrior. I'll soon become a Mid-Rank Ordinary Warrior!"

Then he turned and asked Su Hao curiously, "Xiangwu, what rank are you now?"

The moment Little Fatty asked about Su Hao's rank, He Jianyong, walking at the very front, immediately pricked up his ears.

He was actually very curious about Su Hao's current rank as well. With his sharp Perception, he could faintly sense a trace of threat from Su Hao. That was abnormal—extremely abnormal.

He had never felt such a thing from a child or a teenager. It made him strongly suspect that he was overthinking it.

Su Hao laughed vaguely. "Well... I'm not too sure either. More or less, I guess!"

Little Fatty was very dissatisfied with Su Hao's perfunctory attitude, so he guessed, "Xiangwu, don't tell me you're already a High-Rank Ordinary Warrior? A few years ago, I heard people say you were already about as strong as a Mid-Rank Ordinary Warrior. By now, you must have reached High-Rank Ordinary Warrior!"

Su Hao chuckled. "Heh heh, more or less. I'm not really sure either."

Little Fatty took that as Su Hao's agreement and immediately exclaimed, "Xiangwu, you're amazing! You really are a Genius. I can't compare at all. I heard that a High-Rank Ordinary Warrior at your age is already among the most outstanding Geniuses in the Academy. They're the kind of people the Academy focuses on cultivating."

Su Hao praised him, "Is that so? Little Fatty, you sure know a lot."

Little Fatty said proudly, "Of course."

There were no twists or turns along the way, and the Ferocious Beast attack Little Fatty had been looking forward to never came.

The group hurried onward and finally reached the destination of their journey—Lingyun Town—in the afternoon.

"So this is Lingyun Town?" Little Fatty stood beneath Lingyun Town's gate, his mouth hanging open in exaggerated astonishment.

Even He Qingqing exclaimed, "Lingyun Town is so big! The city walls are so tall too. It's spectacular!"

Old Li laughed heartily. "Didn't expect that, did you? Hahaha! Once we enter the city, don't keep making that face, or people will say you're country bumpkins and look down on you."

When he saw the city, even the well-traveled Su Hao was struck by its sheer grandeur.

Never mind how much land Lingyun Town covered—the city walls alone looked magnificent and towering. Their ends could not be seen in either direction, and they were at least fifteen stories tall. How high was fifteen stories? Forty or fifty meters at the very least. That was rather exaggerated.

Standing beneath the city wall, a person looked incredibly tiny.

Such high walls clearly had not been built to stop human attackers. They seemed more like defenses against gigantic ferocious beasts. That raised the question: what kind of beast could be so formidable that the residents of a small town needed to build walls so tall and imposing?

If he did not understand something, he asked. That was one of Su Hao's good qualities. He asked curiously, "Uncle Yong, why are these walls built so high? Are they meant to defend against some powerful enemy?"

He Qingqing and Little Fatty also looked curious. "Yeah, why are they so tall?"

He Jianyong burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Every so often, some powerful Ferocious Beasts pass through Lingyun Town. The walls are to stop them from entering the city to eat people when they get hungry. Making the walls taller can block some of those beasts."

Su Hao and the others all knew what Ferocious Beasts were. Ferocious Beasts and ordinary wild beasts were not creatures of the same kind.

The strongest ordinary beasts were merely some enormous wild animals. Reaching the strength of a High-Rank Ordinary Warrior was their limit.

Ferocious Beasts, however, had no upper limit. Their appearances varied, and their sizes were unpredictable. The small ones could be no bigger than a fist, while the large ones could resemble mountains. They were terrifying.

A powerful Ferocious Beast could even destroy an entire city with a single strike.

Seeing He Qingqing and Little Fatty shivering at the words "eat people," He Jianyong laughed again. "You don't need to worry either. The city is much safer than Tea Mountain Outpost. Powerful warriors guard the walls at every moment. Once they discover a Ferocious Beast approaching, they'll drive it away immediately."

With that, he took the lead into the city gate. "Let's go! We're entering the city. We need to register as soon as possible."