Ambush

The next day's Finals no longer held Su Hao's attention. He buried his head in optimizing the Radar's functions. For example, familiar friends would be marked with a green ring, strangers with a gray ring, and enemies directly marked blood-red, and so on.

After several days of integration, the network formed by his Perception Rune had begun to slowly show its effects. Not only had his basic perception range expanded to two hundred meters, but he had also mastered how to control the Perception Radar.

He could control Blood Qi to circulate through the Rune along certain routes, thereby strengthening his perception range. After testing it, he found that at his current strength, when going all out, he could sense Blood Qi up to a thousand meters away. Of course, the farther away it was, the blurrier his perception became.

Once Su Hao stopped actively controlling his Blood Qi, however, his perception range returned to its basic two hundred meters.

I didn't choose wrong. This is a god-tier survival skill! With this, my ability to survive will rise greatly!

Still, Su Hao was truly coveting the Beast Patterns stored on the third floor of Lingyun Library. He wanted to record every last one of them into the system for research. But a dull-looking old man guarded the place year-round, making it impossible to slip in unnoticed and stare each Rune down. More importantly, he did not want to clash with Academy staff.

The reason he coveted other Runes was because he had always harbored a question: why could Runes produce such strange effects? What secrets were hidden within their complex structures?

Without getting to the bottom of that question, it felt as though a hand were constantly scratching at his heart, leaving him unbearably itchy.

Although he now had a Perception Rune, he simply could not obtain any useful information from its complicated lines.

I still need to record more Runes. As long as I have enough sample data, I'll definitely be able to crack the secrets hidden inside.

Su Hao firmly believed that no matter how mysterious Runes were, they would follow some law or principle of the universe. Their special effects could not appear out of thin air. As long as he continued learning new knowledge, one day he would be able to unravel their mysteries.

Su Hao first took stock of his remaining money: 2 Gold Yuan and 35 Silver Yuan.

Then he left the Academy and wandered through the streets and alleys of Lingyun Town.

Thinking of Wu Yuntian's worn-out single-layer clothes and padded jacket, both of which leaked cold air every winter and looked freezing just to see, he first went to a clothing shop and picked out two sets of clothes based on Wu Yuntian's build. One set was for summer, and the other for winter.

He chose only good ones, spending a total of 20 Silver Yuan.

After thinking about it, he bought a set of bedding as well. That cost another 10 Silver Yuan.

He then went to a weapons shop and bought some maintenance oil and repair tools for weapons and armor, spending 35 Silver Yuan.

Finally, he replenished a great deal of cooking spices and salt, along with a barrel of fruit wine. That cost 10 Silver Yuan.

In total, he spent 75 Silver Yuan.

When he returned to the Warrior Academy, the enormous bundle on his back was nearly three times the size of his body.

The next day, after Su Hao had packed everything up, he carried a gigantic bundle and met Little Fatty and He Qingqing outside He Qingqing's dormitory.

When Little Fatty and He Qingqing saw Su Hao's massive bundle, both of their mouths fell open. Little Fatty stared in shock. "Xiangwu, what did you pack in there? Are you moving house?"

Little Fatty and He Qingqing's bundles were not small either, but compared to Su Hao's, the difference was glaring.

He Qingqing said, "Xiangwu, is that bundle heavy? I don't have much stuff. Let me carry some for you."

Su Hao shifted the bundle to adjust its center of gravity, then smiled. "No need. It's just some daily necessities I'm bringing for my father. This little weight is nothing."

The bundle's weight truly was not worth mentioning to Su Hao. He could even carry it around Lingyun Town for several laps without breathing heavily.

Little Fatty immediately looked troubled. "I forgot to bring my dad a gift. What do I do now?"

He Qingqing also hesitated. "I forgot too..."

Su Hao said, "It's fine. These are household items, not gifts. Let's go!"

The three of them arrived at the Academy gate together and immediately spotted He Jianyong and Old Li waiting outside. The two men smiled at the three emerging students and kept waving.

Yet what surprised Su Hao was that he saw a familiar figure.

"Father?"

It was Wu Yuntian. Su Hao had thought Wu Yuntian would not come.

"Dad!"

He Qingqing gave a delighted cry and ran toward He Jianyong like a jubilant sparrow, grabbing his arm in one motion.

He Jianyong looked fondly at his grown daughter and could not help sighing. She had grown so much, and become more reserved. A few years ago, she would definitely have leaped up and hung herself around his neck when she ran over.

He Jianyong reached out and took He Qingqing's bundle. "Qing Qing, you've grown quite a bit taller!"

Little Fatty was much more bashful. Wearing an arrogant expression, he walked to Old Li's side and said, "Dad, can you tell what's different about me?"

Old Li raised his hand and smacked Little Fatty on the head, took his bundle, then laughed and scolded, "What else could you be? You're still your old man's son!"

Little Fatty became anxious. "Can't you tell? I'm already a Mid-Rank Ordinary Warrior!"

Then his father smacked him on the head again.

Su Hao's side, on the other hand, was somewhat calmer.

Su Hao stepped forward with a delighted expression. "Father, has everything gone well this past year?"

Wu Yuntian still looked as impassive as ever. He carefully looked Su Hao over. Seeing his son, still not even shoulder-high to him, standing before him full of vigor, he nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad."

As he spoke, he reached out to remove the gigantic bundle from Su Hao's back.

Su Hao immediately stepped aside. "No need. I can carry it myself. It's only bedding, not heavy."

Wu Yuntian nodded.

When He Qingqing saw that Su Hao could carry his own bundle, how could she let her dad help with her little one?

She immediately snatched her bundle back from He Jianyong's hands. "Dad, give me my bundle back. I'll carry it myself!"

Little Fatty scratched his head awkwardly and followed suit. "Dad, I'll carry mine myself too!"

Su Hao was speechless. They could even turn carrying bundles into a competition. A world with humans in it really was terrifying in the same way everywhere.

He Jianyong looked speechlessly at his empty hands, exchanged glances with Old Li and Wu Yuntian, then shook his head. "Let's go!"

The group of six left through the town gate. After glancing back at the towering city walls, they did not linger and headed straight along the path toward Tea Mountain Outpost.

As they gradually moved farther away from Lingyun Town, the three warriors immediately became more vigilant, guarding against any Ferocious Beasts that might suddenly appear.

Although this was still within Lingyun Town's territory, Elite Realm Ferocious Beasts would occasionally wander nearby in search of food. Ordinary people were often attacked and killed.

Suddenly, Su Hao frowned. The Radar showed ten unfamiliar sources of Blood Qi two hundred meters ahead, positioned on both sides of the road and standing perfectly still.

No, they were not all strangers. Two of them showed previous Records.

Su Hao quickly checked the information. One was Dan Sui, a Mid-Rank Ordinary Warrior, while the other was the passerby he had encountered outside the Academy, a High-Rank Elite Warrior.

They were coming for him! A month ago, he had kicked Level 3 Student Dan Sui's crotch apart. Dan Sui was surely here for revenge now. Judging by their formation, they intended to assassinate him directly out in the Wilderness.

Su Hao immediately checked the other eight people's information. All of them were High-Rank Elite Warriors.

What should I do? Su Hao slowed his pace and considered his options.

If it were only himself, he could just charge over, one man and one blade against them all. But now there were two people without the ability to protect themselves, Little Fatty and He Qingqing, which made things troublesome.

Neither of them had any chance of surviving an assassination attempt by High-Rank Elite Warriors.

He had no problem beating people or killing people, but protecting both Little Fatty and He Qingqing at the same time was something he might not be able to accomplish with absolute certainty, given his current combat experience.

Wu Yuntian noticed Su Hao's abnormality and turned his head. "What's wrong, Xiangwu?"

Thanks to Dusk After 1996 for the reward and monthly ticket, and thanks to Eh, What Is This?, Dust-Avoiding Mage, Fishing Lights Brighten the Way, Scholar Snake Xiaosheng, Dream Chaser, Melody of Fantasy, and Wang Quantong for their monthly tickets.