After several dozen attempts, Huangfu Ji finally managed to stand on the rock. However, the waterfall's impact made it impossible for him to remain standing for long, and he wanted to sit cross-legged and cultivate.
Yet the rock had been polished incredibly smooth by the rushing water. With both the current and the slick stone working against him, it was difficult for him to cultivate atop it.
Even so, Huangfu Ji did not give up. If once did not work, then he would try ten times. If ten times did not work, then a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times. Eventually, he would succeed.
For some time after that, there was an extra boy beneath the waterfall, trying to conquer it.
After Huangfu Ji arrived, Zhao Hong and the others had a noticeably easier time at the academy. At the very least, no one dared to bully them anymore, because Huangfu Ji truly stood up for them.
In his view, Zhao Hong and the others were descendants of loyal subjects. They were his own people. Once he returned to the Duchy and seized power in the future, he would certainly settle accounts with Yuan Hao's people, then place his own men in every important position.
Naturally, Zhao Hong and the others would be among the first to be assigned such posts.
Thus, during this period, aside from attempting to cultivate beneath the waterfall, he also continuously worked to win Zhao Hong and the others over. By methods including, but not limited to, standing up for them, he made them feel grateful toward him.
At the same time, he made promises to Wang Zhi, Liang Wu, and the others, letting them know that only by following him could they obtain what they wanted.
In a short time, Wang Zhi and Zhao