After half a month together in the Class A Institute, the fifty students had grown familiar with one another.
At least they could all put names to faces.
"Yuanzhao, you people from the Divine General Residence really are incredible. You're all new students, yet you nearly swept the top ten."
Sitting on the grass, the slender Du Yueqiu spoke to Li Yuanzhao with a sigh of admiration.
She was a returning student, eighteen this year, in the most beautiful years of her life, yet she already counted as an "old-timer" in the Class A Institute.
Before the term began, she had still been in the top ten of the Martial Dao Ranking. Now she had fallen below fifteenth place.
It was simply that this year's newcomers were too ferocious. Seven came from the Divine General Residence alone, and there were also two princes of the Imperial Clan. There was no competing with them.
There was also the child of a certain grandmaster and a commandery princess from some city. All had terrifying backgrounds, thirteen of them in total.
The returning students had trained hard for years just to reach perfection in the Circulation Realm. These newcomers, however, had arrived already at perfection or close to it, entering the academy with formidable resources behind them.
Moreover, although their realms were the same, the quality of their qi circulation methods and Meridian Opening Methods differed, creating a nearly twofold gap in strength. The returning students were no match for them, thoroughly cowed by these scions of Great Yu's highest powers.
"I guess we're all right. I'm only sixth. Still a little short," Li Yuanzhao said, scratching his head.
"..."
Du Qiuyue was struck speechless.
Beside them, Zheng Bai, a young master from an Aristocratic Clan in Liang Prefecture, gave a bitter smile.
He was a new student too, but had only managed thirty-eighth place.
Only these fellows with heaven-reaching connections could push around the returning students. Scions of Aristocratic Clans like him still had to behave themselves and accept the older students' instruction.
In the arena, some students were sparring.
Du Qiuyue looked toward the Martial Dao Ranking, her gaze complicated.
Only one returning student remained among the top five, struggling to hold his ground, as though he represented the last shred of their dignity.
The two princes ranked first and second respectively. The imperial Meridian Opening Art and qi circulation method were unrivaled throughout the world, and naturally, the princes had cultivated them.
Third was Wang Han of the Heavenly Illumination Divine General Residence. Du Qiuyue's gaze shifted slightly at the sight of his name. Aside from the princes, Wang Han was currently the most intimidating person in the Class A Institute.
Although he was only fifteen, his attacks were ruthless and decisive, his moves ferocious. He was nothing like the others, looking instead as though he had been baptized in blood and fire.
Someone had made inquiries and learned that Wang Han seemed to have served in the Mo River Division for a year.
Fourth was the grandmaster's daughter. She had reportedly comprehended a sword heart already, and her swordsmanship had reached a breathtaking level. She was exceedingly frightening.
Fifth was that returning student, the former number one on the Martial Dao Ranking. His high-grade spear techniques had reached the Perfect Level, and yesterday he had narrowly beaten Li Yuanzhao by half a move.
Li Yuanzhao, sitting beside her, ranked sixth. Behind him were his two fellow Lineage members, Li Yun and Li Zhining.
"Strange. Where's that Hao Ge of yours?"
Du Qiuyue shifted her gaze, scanning the institute curiously as she asked.
She was even more interested in Li Hao. After all, Li Yuanzhao kept calling him Hao Ge, and whenever the two were together, anyone with eyes could see how deeply Li Yuanzhao respected that boy of roughly his own age.
That inevitably left people surprised and puzzled.
Yet every time lessons ended, he vanished in a flash, as though he were rushing to the privy.
He never appeared at their impromptu sparring sessions, exchanges, or Martial Dao Ranking challenges. It was as though he existed outside the Class A Institute altogether.
Even during lessons, whenever she glanced over, he was either sleeping with his head on the desk or holding something like a book and continually jotting things down.
So diligent? At first, she had secretly admired him. But once, by chance, she caught a glimpse and discovered that there was not a single word in the book. It was filled with sketches.
They all depicted hideous monsters, and seemingly aquatic ones at that...
There were also drawings of Teacher Su Yehua, many of them interspersed among the others. Some even had cat ears, tails, and the like, depicting Teacher Su Yehua as a monster whose transformation into human form was incomplete.
That was pure doodling.
Even so, Du Qiuyue could tell that the artistry was exquisite and lifelike, nothing someone could produce casually. He must have put in considerable hard work.
But they were all martial artists. Who had that kind of spare time to spend on something else?
"Hao Ge probably went off to have fun," Li Yuanzhao said casually.
He had long since grown accustomed to Li Hao's ways. Train alongside them? What a joke. Even with First Madam pleading tirelessly, Hao Ge had never been seen in the Martial Arts Arena.
Ever since childhood, Hao Ge had never mingled with others his age unless they went looking for him.
"Have fun..." Hearing Li Yuanzhao say it so casually, Du Qiuyue and Zheng Bai both stared blankly.
Ever since childhood, whips across their bottoms and switches across their backs had carved the words "work hard" into them.
Have fun?
They wanted to as well, but did not dare.
As their fathers put it:
"What you squander now is time. What you'll squander in the future is your life!"
"If you won't endure the bitterest hardships, how will you rise above other men?"
"The prosperity of our Lineage rests entirely on you. How can you face your ancestors if you're this indolent?!"
"Fun" was such a frivolous word, yet it lay so far beyond their reach, like an unspeakable taboo.
"Isn't he taking part in the Martial Dao Ranking? If not, students from the Class B Institute can challenge him. Then he'll be demoted to the Class B Institute," Du Qiuyue said hesitantly.
Li Yuanzhao's small eyes widened slightly in anger. "Who would dare! If anyone challenges Hao Ge, I'll drop down to the Class B Institute myself and challenge them right back!"
Du Qiuyue: "..."
Zheng Bai: "..."
Good grief. That was far too overbearing.
"With the Divine General Residence behind you, probably no one will want to challenge him. But in the Mo River Battle Realm trial a year from now, he'll have to rely on himself."
Du Qiuyue said ruefully, "For monster-slaying missions outside, your elders can still secretly send experts to protect you. But in the Mo River Battle Realm, you can only rely on yourself, and you can't go in with companions. The Mo River Battle Realm used for the trial only allows one person in at a time."
"That's true."
Li Yuanzhao frowned slightly and thought for a moment. "I'll mention it to Hao Ge later."
Du Qiuyue had no words. So that young master from the Divine General Residence had never even taken this matter to heart?
On a waterfall in the mountains behind the Class A Institute.
Two figures sat at the cliff's edge above the waterfall, drinking, playing a board game, chatting, and laughing.
Suddenly, a figure sprang up from below, leaping straight over the waterfall dozens of yards high without getting a drop of water on himself. He landed before the pair, carrying two skewered, roasted wild rabbits.
"You little rascal..." Both old men laughed at the newcomer, then sniffed. "That smells wonderful!"
Li Hao handed the two roasted rabbits to them with a smile. "Here, have a taste."
The two old men playing were Zhao Zongyuan and Shen Yunqing, both instructors at the Class A Institute. Over the past half month, Li Hao's food had utterly won them over.
"Mm, you really do have a remarkable touch," Shen Yunqing said, unable to keep from praising him after tearing off a mouthful.
He and Zhao Zongyuan were all smiles and casual ease now. Normally, while teaching in the institute, they maintained the stern authority of instructors. Even the two princes had to sit straight and behave properly before them.
Princes were certainly noble, but those sent to study at Tan Palace Academy were not necessarily all that favored. They might not even live as long as these two in the future. There was no need for the old men to bow and scrape, fawning over the gold tokens at their waists.
"I've already lost two games to you today. Isn't it time you went back to practice martial arts?"
Eating his rabbit, Zhao Zongyuan could not help speaking when he saw Li Hao itching to play.
He liked playing... but he did not like losing all the time.
Playing with Fatty Shen was much more comfortable. It took little effort, and he could win.
"Practicing martial arts is so boring. It's not as though they're the martial arts from the Black White Hall," Li Hao said.
"You've only just arrived, and you already want supreme arts? Dream on."
Both men shook their heads helplessly at Li Hao. When he had first sought them out to play, they had tested his abilities. He was no idle wastrel; in fact, he was stronger than most of the Class A Institute's students.
Yet the boy had no interest whatsoever in martial training. Occasionally, while playing, they tried to give him some private instruction and pointers, only to receive a scolding instead:
"You're about to lose, and you still have time to chatter about other things?"
"Could you take this seriously? Pick up the stone. Pick up the stone!"
"How about I give you a five-point handicap?"
The two old men felt their composure cracking. They both loved and hated Li Hao.
"Elder Shen, the wine."
Li Hao gestured with his chin toward Shen Yunqing's waist. "You lost two mouthfuls to me today. You haven't paid up yet."
The corner of Shen Yunqing's mouth twitched. Previously, he had only shared with Zhao Zongyuan. Now there was another little mouth, and he barely had enough Drunken Wind Brew left for himself.
But a wager lost was a wager paid. With a soft snort, he tossed the wine gourd to Li Hao. "Take it easy. You're still young."
Li Hao chuckled, pulled out the stopper, and tipped his head back to gulp down two mouthfuls. Then he wiped his mouth and said contentedly, "It really does taste good."
The six paths of cooking covered an enormous range, and he could brew fine wine himself. But it took too much time, and he could not be bothered.
Seeing how carefree and uninhibited Li Hao was, the pair could only resign themselves to it and continue gnawing on their rabbits.
Li Hao returned the wine gourd to Shen Yunqing, dusted off his backside, and said, "Then I'll come again tomorrow."
With that, he sprang away, his figure swift as the wind, and landed on a white rock beyond the waterfall.
Then he strolled off, humming a tune, utterly at his leisure.
He had only come up to the waterfall for two mouthfuls of wine and to treat the old men to the wild rabbits.
"That boy..." Watching him leave, both men smiled wryly. They had never seen such a strange young man.
"Come to think of it, wasn't that movement technique he just used the high-grade White Phoenix Skill you teach?" Zhao Zongyuan asked.
Chewing his rabbit, Shen Yunqing replied indistinctly, "That's right. And the boy seems to have already trained it to the Perfect Level. I'm honestly starting to suspect he really did comprehend the Wind Severing Fist that very day..."
"Mastering it to the Perfect Level in half a month..."
Looking thoughtful, Zhao Zongyuan murmured, "Could the news the Li Family released back then have been a smokescreen? Marquis Xingwu spends his years at the border, and neither he nor his wife is around..."
He left the thought unfinished. Nothing more needed saying.
Shen Yunqing swallowed the rabbit meat and took a mouthful of wine, so content that his eyebrows almost sagged off his face. He sighed.
"A marquis's gates conceal depths like the sea. Who can say? In any case, this boy is unquestionably an extraordinary talent. When the Mo River trial comes a year from now, he ought to stun everyone with his first cry."
Zhao Zongyuan nodded slightly, not disputing it. The only question was whether Li Hao would be willing when the time came.
Suddenly, he noticed Li Hao's back disappearing around a bend and raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't that boy gone the wrong way?"
"Hm? Didn't you tell him? That way leads to the Mo River."
(End of chapter)
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