Junior Brother Su, You Stood Me Up Again!

Hong Family Martial Hall.

"Master, it's getting late. This disciple will take his leave."

Qin Hao, who had been drilled by Hong Ming all afternoon, wiped the cold sweat from his brow and cupped his hands toward Hong Ming.

Ever since Hong Ming formally accepted him as a disciple, he had often given him extra training to help with his cultivation.

Every time he came to the martial hall, he endured Hong Ming's harsh treatment. Though exhausting, his strength had indeed improved significantly.

Now, the Blood Line on his arm was transitioning from a light red to a deeper red, about ten percent complete.

Hearing this, Hong Ming said, "Stay for a meal. I have some things I want to tell you."

At that, Qin Hao's face showed a hint of hesitation. Seeing this, Hong Ming asked, "What's wrong?"

"To report to Master, I've already made plans with Senior Brother Zhou Tao..." Qin Hao forced himself to reply.

Hong Ming's gaze fell on Qin Hao, holding it until Qin Hao grew uneasy, before he spoke:

"Qin Hao, though you joined the sect last, you are the most talented disciple under my tutelage.

With your talent and my guidance, I believe it won't take many years for you to master the Iron Wire Fist.

When that time comes, even in White Stone City, you'll have a place for yourself.

Your Senior Brother Zhou Tao and the others—their family backgrounds, while not top-tier, are not poor either.

So their minds are more on other things than martial arts.

I don't oppose you getting close to Zhou Tao and the rest, but you must know that excessive indulgence in pleasure will only bury your talent."

Qin Hao was silent for a long moment, then said, "Thank you for the warning, Master. This disciple will remember it!"

Seeing this, Hong Ming waved his hand, signaling that Qin Hao could leave, no longer intending to keep him for dinner.

"This disciple takes his leave." Qin Hao said, then turned and walked away.

"Senior Brother Li Mo."

Before he had even left the courtyard, he ran into Li Mo rushing toward him, so Qin Hao greeted him.

"Junior Brother Qin Hao."

Li Mo replied hastily, then ran into the courtyard.

"Master!"

Seeing Hong Ming, Li Mo stopped, his breath a little ragged, but his face carried a lingering, eager surprise.

"What's the rush about?"

Seeing Li Mo, usually so steady, in such a state, Hong Ming glanced at him and asked.

"Master, I have good news to tell you."

Li Mo scratched his head and grinned.

"Let's hear it."

Li Mo dropped the smile. "Master, Junior Brother Su Chen has stabilized his Blood Line!"

Just as Qin Hao stepped out the door, Li Mo's voice came from behind, making him pause slightly.

A storm stirred within his heart.

"Su Chen... he actually stabilized his Blood Line!"

He hadn't forgotten how Su Chen had stolen his thunder ten days ago.

He never expected that in just ten days, Su Chen had already stabilized his Blood Line.

That pace was almost catching up to his own.

For certain reasons, he had deliberately concealed the number of days, delaying his report to Hong Ming by a few days.

In truth, it had only taken him nine days to stabilize his Blood Line.

Comparatively, he was only a day faster than Su Chen.

But the problem was that Su Chen never came to the martial hall, meaning he had likely done it on his own, while Qin Hao had Hong Ming's help.

Setting that aside, the gap between them wasn't that big.

"Su Chen..."

Qin Hao murmured the name, his expression gradually growing unsettled.

His heart stirred at the name, and a sense of crisis began to creep in.

"What did you say?"

Hong Ming, as if struck by sudden deafness, raised his voice and stared at Li Mo.

Seeing Hong Ming so flustered, Li Mo couldn't help but smile wryly.

But recalling how he himself had reacted the same way, he let it go.

"It's like this..."

Then, Li Mo told Hong Ming what had happened. Hong Ming took a moment to process it, then a smile spread across his face.

"Good, good, good. This Su Chen is truly something. I never expected he could cultivate to this level on his own!"

Without the help of the Martial Hall, without his guidance or the supply of medicinal soups, Su Chen had mastered Iron Wire Fist in less than a month.

With talent like that, he could go toe-to-toe with Qin Hao.

"Li Mo, bring him to see me tomorrow."

Hong Ming had wanted to see Su Chen right away, but glancing at the sky, he changed his mind.

"Yes!"

Qin Hao walked out of the Martial Hall with a gloomy expression.

Zhou Tao, waiting in the carriage, noticed and asked, "Junior Brother Qin Hao, what happened?"

Qin Hao shook his head, hesitating to speak.

"Junior Brother Qin Hao, feel free to say whatever's on your mind. If you're in trouble, don't hesitate to tell your big brother."

Seeing Qin Hao like this, Zhou Tao had a vague idea and smiled.

"It's nothing major. Senior Brother, do you still remember Su Chen?" Qin Hao pursed his lips.

"Su Chen?" Zhou Tao thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "That Martial Hall disciple from when you first joined?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?" Zhou Tao asked curiously.

Qin Hao lowered his eyes and hesitated before saying, "He's mastered Iron Wire Fist."

"This..."

Zhou Tao naturally understood what Qin Hao meant. By "mastered," he meant stabilizing the Blood Line.

"If I remember correctly, it's been less than ten days since he sensed the Blood Line, right?"

Qin Hao didn't speak, just nodded.

He saw the surprise in Zhou Tao's eyes—the same look he'd seen when Zhou Tao first learned that Qin Hao himself had mastered Iron Wire Fist.

"It looks like Su Chen will soon become our junior brother."

After hearing Qin Hao's words, Zhou Tao understood and smiled lightly.

He could clearly see why Qin Hao was down, but he didn't call it out.

Qin Hao nodded. "Senior Brother, I'm afraid I won't be able to join you for a hearty drink tonight."

"Haha, Junior Brother, why go that far? With your talent, your future is bright. Why fret over temporary gains and losses?"

"Senior Brother, you're wrong there."

Qin Hao shook his head, a hint of indignation in his voice.

"To be honest, Senior Brother, although Su Chen only took ten days to stabilize the Blood Line, I'm still ahead of him."

Zhou Tao looked confused, and Qin Hao explained, "I stabilized the Blood Line in just nine days. I just delayed reporting it for a few days because I was worried it would be too shocking."

"I see."

Zhou Tao was secretly stunned. He hadn't expected Qin Hao to stabilize the Blood Line in nine days—a talent even better than he'd imagined.

"In that case, Junior Brother, you have even less reason to care about him. Come on, tonight's on me. We'll go to the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, and after we eat, I'll take you to the pleasure houses for some music!"

"This..."

"Come on, come on, Junior Brother."

"Alright, then thank you, Senior Brother."

The next day.

Li Mo walked out of the Inner Courtyard, his face slightly dark.

He never expected that Su Chen had stood him up again.

They'd agreed to meet at the Martial Hall today, but by evening, there was still no sign of him.

Seeing Li Mo like this, Fang Rou, who had just become a disciple, asked with concern, "Senior Brother Li Mo, you look terrible. Are you sick?"

Li Mo looked up to the sky and shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister. I'm fine. By the way, Fang Rou, did you need something from me?"

"It's like this, Senior Brother. I wanted to..."