Second-Level Student

After running continuously like this for a month, Class Eight finally reached Bald Old Liu's standards and moved on to the next stage of training—Unarmed Combat.

Su Hao learned very quickly. He grasped the basic forms as soon as he saw them, and by the next day, he could already perform them convincingly.

When it came time for simulated sparring between students, not a single person was willing to be Su Hao's opponent.

But this was not a problem for Su Hao. He walked over to Rong Guming, pointed at him, and said, "You. Be my opponent."

Rong Guming's hairs stood on end in fright. He looked at Su Hao in terror, yet did not dare resist, so he could only obediently spar with him. However, after taking several hits, Rong Guming still did not dare fight back. Su Hao immediately said, "No strength? Hurry up and hit back!"

Rong Guming immediately pulled a long face and said, "I... I don't dare!"

Su Hao was truly speechless! He began to reflect on whether he had gone too far during this period.

What could he do? Theory and forms alone were not enough for many things. Combat techniques needed to be tempered through fighting opponents, until one grasped the most suitable ways to apply them.

Thus, Su Hao turned his gaze toward Bald Old Liu. He walked over and said, "Teacher Liu, be my opponent!"

Bald Old Liu naturally had no objection.

Thus, Bald Old Liu became Su Hao's personal sparring partner.

Su Hao had looked into it privately. Bald Old Liu was a High-Rank Grandmaster-Level Warrior, immensely powerful. Not only him—every Yellow-Robed Teacher in the Academy was a High-Rank Grandmaster-Level Warrior, while the principal, Xiao Jixuan, was already a Great Master Level Warrior. Lingyun Warrior Academy had a formidable lineup.

Su Hao's plan was to first finish learning the foundational skills at the Academy, then take the chance to build a good relationship with Bald Old Liu. Once the time was right, he would ask Old Liu about the methods for advancing to Grandmaster Warrior.

At present, he was already a High-Rank Elite Warrior. One step further, and he would become a Grandmaster Warrior.

He was not in a hurry to advance to Grandmaster Warrior. There were three reasons. First, although he was a High-Rank Elite Warrior, he was still growing and was far from reaching his peak. As he aged and his physique strengthened, he could advance a great deal further.

Second, there was still much foundational knowledge he had not learned. If he rashly advanced to Grandmaster Warrior, his knowledge structure would inevitably be left with many hidden dangers. It was like studying mathematics—if one did not lay a solid foundation in middle school, barely getting into high school would be pointless. Third, the Warrior Academy had a rule: once someone advanced to Grandmaster Warrior, regardless of age, they had to graduate from the Warrior Academy.

Therefore, he gave himself one year to adapt and study. After a year, he would assess the situation and devote himself fully to advancing to Grandmaster Warrior.

Another month later, they entered the next stage of learning—weapon and armor theory and maintenance.

The practical study of theory went quickly. A few days later, they began learning the fundamentals of using various weapons. Learning such skills was a matter of steady, grinding effort.

The basics were easy enough to grasp. The difficult part was integrating them thoroughly, applying them in all kinds of situations, and using them to solve problems.

And this was where one's true talent showed. So-called Geniuses could often use basic skills to pull off all kinds of unimaginable tricks. There was only what others could not think of, never what they could not do.

Ordinary people, on the other hand, could only use methods exactly as their teachers had taught them, rigidly and by the book.

Thus, during the first two months of foundational training, everyone's level had been roughly the same. But after learning the basics of weapon use and beginning sparring, the difference between Geniuses and mediocre people immediately became apparent.

On the Martial Arts Field, after assigning the tasks, the eight teachers gathered together to chat.

"Old Liu, how is that Wu Xiangwu in your class?" The teacher leading Class Four moved close to Bald Old Liu and asked.

The teacher leading Class Four was named Mo Fenghua, a young man with slicked-back hair parted twenty-eight and a sharp face.

After Mo Fenghua asked his question, every teacher's gaze immediately focused on Bald Old Liu.

Sure enough, the teachers' attention was forever drawn to the brightest star. So-called bottom-rankers, outside of comics and novels, would never receive anyone's attention.

The two scars on Old Liu's face squeezed aside as he revealed an ugly smile. "Unbelievable. There is actually such a Genius in this world."

The teacher leading Class Three was a great beauty named Feng Man'er. A tear mole beneath the corner of her eye made her look especially delicate and moving. At this moment, her lips parted slightly as she said, "For Old Liu to rate him so highly, he must truly be extraordinary!"

The other teachers all nodded.

At this moment, Old Liu said, "He truly is a Genius, a Genius unlike any I have ever seen. I do not know how to describe the feeling he gives me. It seems there is nothing under heaven that he cannot accomplish. So far, I have not seen anything that could stump him..."

Old Liu said seriously, "If he can grow smoothly, then give him another twenty years, and he will surely reach the summit of the legendary Ancestor Level Warrior."

The Class One teacher was a cold-looking woman named Shui Zhitao. Raising her brows, she asked skeptically, "Old Liu, are you sure you did not see wrong?"

Bald Old Liu smiled. "Let us wait and see! We can look at him again in a few years. But during these years, I ask all of you teachers to pay him a little more attention and help me look after him."

"Of course, of course!"

A moment later, the topic shifted. Feng Man'er asked Shui Zhitao, "Peach, doesn't your class have someone named Jin Dayan? Isn't he Jin Datong's younger brother? I heard he is also a rare Genius."

At the mention of Jin Dayan, a smile appeared on Shui Zhitao's face. "The Jin Clan Bloodline is indeed extraordinary. Added to that, he works hard himself, so his future is immeasurable. It is hard to say whether he can reach the highest realm. There is also one named Mo Xin, the treasured jewel in the Mo Clan's palm. Her talent is truly remarkable."

The tear-eyed beauty Feng Man'er said with a face full of envy, "Ah, I truly envy you. You have two peerless Geniuses in your class. Our Class Three is so sparse and scattered—none of them are much good."

Mo Fenghua of Class Four, with his oily twenty-eight part, said sourly, "Doesn't your Class Three have someone named Kong Yang? Tall and sturdy—I heard he is the treasure of your heart."

Feng Man'er immediately giggled. Turning to look at a middle-aged man, she asked, "Old King, doesn't your class have a young lady from the Jin Clan, Jin Xiaohan? How is she?"

Old King stroked his stubble and smiled faintly. "Not bad."

Very soon, the teachers began discussing enthusiastically which students were such-and-such Geniuses and which ones had limitless potential.

Half a year after Su Hao enrolled, he finally completed all the foundational training. From then on, the Academy no longer packed the entire day with lessons. The teachers led training and study for half the day, leaving the other half for students to train or study freely in fields they excelled in.

During those six months, Su Hao's name as a Genius had spread throughout the Academy. It was not limited to the new students; even upper-year students had heard of Wu Xiangwu's great name.

After half a year of intensive training ended and he finally had time of his own, trouble came knocking.

Several students who were obviously from higher grades blocked Su Hao's way back.

"You're Wu Xiangwu?" One of them, a crew-cut man who seemed to be the leader, tilted his head and asked.

A moment later, all the upper-year students were sprawled on the ground, howling and weeping in pain.

Su Hao swaggered away. Before he had gone far, he turned back. They thought he had returned to beat them up again and immediately began begging for mercy.

Imitating the crew-cut man, Su Hao tilted his head and asked, "What level are you?"

The crew-cut man immediately answered, "We're Second-Level Students."

Su Hao nodded in understanding. Second-Level Students meant students in their second year at the Warrior Academy. Students like Su Hao, who had not yet completed one year, were called First-Level Students.

Su Hao said, "Where are all your Second-Level Students? Take me there!"

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