Night fell.
Jiang Hao had just finished washing up and was getting ready for bed.
His Personal Terminal rang with an incoming call.
It was Lu Ming.
Jiang Hao answered calmly.
Lu Ming's anxious face appeared in the holographic projection.
"Jiang Hao, are you ready for tomorrow?"
There was a faint note of tension in Lu Ming's voice.
Jiang Hao's expression didn't change in the slightest. He only smiled faintly.
"Of course I'm ready."
Just then,
both Jiang Hao's and Lu Ming's Personal Terminals chimed with an @ notification.
They both froze.
Someone had tagged them both in the Class Group.
Jiang Hao casually opened the chat for Class 3-2.
It was a few classmates who loved stirring up a fuss.
"@Jiang Hao @Lu Ming, you two have to see this! The photo Lin Qiu just posted!"
"Holy crap! That picture is insane!"
Right above that message,
there was a photo Lin Qiu had just posted.
It showed a Blood Qi Intensity testing machine.
The bright red number on the screen was—[9.0]!
Lu Ming clicked in and saw it too. He immediately panicked, his face blanching as his nervousness turned to dread.
"H-he really reached 9.0!"
Lu Ming gritted his teeth.
"With 9.0 Blood Qi, plus that Shadowless Blade Martial Skill..."
"That guy's actual combat strength might even be enough to take on someone at 9.5!"
"Damn it!"
Lu Ming paced in a panic.
He looked at Jiang Hao, hesitated, then couldn't help saying,
"Jiang Hao, how about we lie low a little longer?"
"Forget the fight! There's no shame in admitting defeat!"
"You're on such a roll right now, and the Key Class Assessment is coming up soon!"
"If he injures you and you miss the assessment, then it's all over!"
Jiang Hao was calmly looking at the group chat.
After Lin Qiu posted the screenshot of his 9.0 result, the chat had exploded.
"Holy crap! Brother Qiu is awesome! A genuine 9.0!"
"@Jiang Hao, see the difference? This is what you're up against!"
"@Jiang Hao, stop struggling and admit defeat already. You'll save yourself a beating."
"Exactly. Why go looking for trouble?"
"A Dust-grade Martial Bone thinks he can challenge a 9.0 genius? Have you lost your mind?"
Jiang Hao looked away.
He glanced at Lu Ming on the call, who was more worried than the person actually involved, and couldn't help finding it funny. Then he smiled and said,
"Lu Ming."
"Trust me."
"Everything will become clear tomorrow."
Seeing that Jiang Hao was still this calm, even now, Lu Ming could only sigh helplessly.
"Fine..."
With that,
Lu Ming and Jiang Hao ended the call.
Lu Ming looked out the window at the clear night sky and let out a heavy breath. "I hope... Jiang Hao really does have some trump card I don't know about."
He could only pray.
The next day.
Early morning.
The moment Jiang Hao stepped into the Class 3-2 classroom, the entire room fell silent. A moment later, it erupted into a commotion!
Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward Jiang Hao.
Some were sympathetic, some pitied him, some were gleeful, and some were simply there for the spectacle.
Jiang Hao ignored it all and walked to his seat as if nothing had happened.
But before he could sit down,
a figure strode over, radiating a sense of oppression.
It was Lin Qiu.
With his hands in his pockets, he looked down at Jiang Hao, who remained composed.
Lin Qiu's face was openly mocking.
"Well, well, Jiang Hao."
"See the Blood Qi Intensity test I posted in the group last night?"
"9.0."
"Has that number already made you despair?"
"I hope you don't run away at the last minute this afternoon."
Faced with Lin Qiu's arrogance,
Jiang Hao didn't even look up. He simply continued tidying his desk.
"After training."
"We'll settle it in one fight."
His calm voice carried clearly to Lin Qiu and the surrounding students.
"Whoa—!"
The whole classroom erupted!
"He's crazy! Jiang Hao's really gone crazy!"
"He saw that 9.0 screenshot and still dares to talk back?"
"Has he just given up completely?"
"What a tough guy! This is going to be good!"
Lin Qiu's expression darkened at once.
He hadn't expected Jiang Hao to address him with such dismissive indifference!
Just then,
Lu Ming arrived. The moment he saw what was happening, he rushed into the classroom. Seeing Lin Qiu blocking Jiang Hao, he hurried over in three long strides.
"Lin Qiu, what are you trying to do?"
Lu Ming planted himself firmly beside Jiang Hao, glaring at Lin Qiu with him.
Lin Qiu gave a disdainful shrug.
"Got all the losers together, have you?"
He was about to say more,
when Mentor Song Jun's tall figure appeared in the classroom doorway.
"Quiet!"
"Training starts now!"
At that, Lin Qiu could only back down reluctantly!
After all, even Lin Qiu didn't dare provoke Song Jun. He could only give Jiang Hao and Lu Ming a look that said, "You're lucky," before turning away.
When Lin Qiu left, Lu Ming looked back at Jiang Hao with concern.
Jiang Hao smiled faintly, showing a neat row of white teeth!
Lu Ming pressed a hand to his forehead and said, "You have to win, Jiang Hao. If you do, I'll even call you Brother Jiang!"
Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow.
"Deal!"
Before long,
inside the training room reserved for Class 3-2,
Lin Qiu was clearly enjoying being the center of attention.
He didn't start training right away.
Instead, surrounded by a crowd, he swaggered over to the Blood Qi Intensity testing machine.
"Brother Qiu, are you going to show us what 9.0 looks like in person?"
"Yeah, yeah! 9.0—that's a number you only see in the Key Class!"
"Give us a look!"
Amid the classmates' chorus of flattery,
Lin Qiu grinned smugly and threw a powerful punch!
"Bang!"
[9.0]!
The glaring number set the whole room buzzing again!
"Awesome! It really is 9.0!"
"Brother Qiu is invincible!"
"Someone's probably already shaking in his boots, huh?"
Lu Ming stood in the distance, listening to all the praise with utter disdain. He muttered to himself,
"What's so impressive about 9.0?"
"If Jiang Hao went over there and hit 9.0 too, I guarantee their jaws would hit the floor!"
"Hmph, Jiang Hao was only at 8.1 half a month ago!"
"In less than a month, his Blood Qi has gone up by almost a whole point!"
"Lin Qiu couldn't catch up to that pace even if he rode a horse!"
As Lu Ming was muttering to himself, Jiang Hao suddenly patted his shoulder, making him jump.
"What?"
Lu Ming looked at Jiang Hao in confusion.
Jiang Hao pointed to an empty spot nearby and said something that left Lu Ming staring at him in disbelief. "Go practice Stance Training over there. I've reached the Seventh Revolution in Stance Training. I'll give you some pointers!"
"What?"
"Seventh Revolution?"
Lu Ming's eyes widened. He even dug at his ears, wondering if he'd heard wrong!
After all, Jiang Hao had only reached the Sixth Revolution at the beginning of the month!
Damn it, and now it was already the end of the month, and he was at the Seventh Revolution?
That kind of training speed?
Even a Star Grade genius couldn't be this fast, could they?
What had been going on before?
Had Lu Ming been the real clown all along?
Under Lu Ming's doubtful gaze, Jiang Hao led him to the empty spot he'd pointed out and gestured for him to begin.
"Fine, fine, I'll start right now!"
Seeing this, Lu Ming had no choice but to grit his teeth and begin practicing Stance Training.
Jiang Hao wouldn't lie to him, after all!
But in the Ordinary Class, the gap between classmates wasn't that big. Now Jiang Hao, who used to be less skilled than Lu Ming, was giving him pointers instead!
There was no question about it—
It was sure to attract attention!
Before you continue