Prelude to Chaos!

"What... why did sister come at a time like this..."

Hearing the voice from outside the door, panic flooded Hu Tian's eyes.

He had originally intended to leave the Bluestone Martial Academy and join the Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall before mentioning the matter to his sister.

This was because he had previously spoken to her about Zhang Xu, but she held a deep aversion toward him, repeatedly warning him not to get too close to a wealthy young master who offered such unprovoked displays of kindness.

Therefore, if Hu Li were to find out that he was following Zhang Xu's advice to leave the Bluestone Martial Academy, she would almost certainly disapprove.

"It is just as well; your sister is here, so let her join in the discussion."

Liu Qingshi's calm voice rang out.

He had met Hu Li a few times and knew that for Hu Tian, she played the role of a mother as much as an elder sister.

Liu Qingshi opened the door and had one of his disciples bring Hu Li over.

Hu Li arrived quickly.

She had clearly been jogging the whole way; fine beads of sweat clung to her temples, and her breathing had yet to steady. In those eyes, which bore a five-part resemblance to Hu Tian's, there remained the joy and anticipation of seeing her younger brother.

In her hand, she clutched a bundle carefully wrapped in several layers of coarse cloth. It contained osmanthus cakes she had specifically bought that morning from a time-honored shop in the south of the city—her brother's favorite treat as a child, something he could only taste during festivals.

But as she stepped into the study and met Liu Qingshi's eyes, which were as calm as an ancient well, and saw Hu Tian standing there with his head bowed and cowering like someone awaiting a verdict, that joy was extinguished instantly, like a candle flame snuffed out by a cold wind.

"Master..." Instead of questioning her brother immediately, she bowed respectfully to Liu Qingshi, holding the bundle slightly forward. Her voice was gentle, carrying the simple, rustic charm typical of a country woman, "These cakes are something I just bought in the south of the city. If you do not mind, please, have a taste..."

After Liu Qingshi waved his hand in a polite refusal, he informed Hu Li of Hu Tian's desire to leave the academy.

"What?"

The bundle in Hu Li's hand dropped to the floor with a thud.

"You want to leave the academy?"

She nearly shrieked the words, staring at Hu Tian in utter disbelief, as if she were seeing the brother she had raised with her own hands for the first time.

"Sister... I have my reasons..."

Hu Tian lowered his voice, not daring to meet Hu Li's eyes.

"Is it that 'good brother' of yours, Zhang Xu, who has been whispering in your ear again!"

Hu Li looked at Hu Tian, her heart aching as she spoke in a stern voice:

"I told you long ago that those people showing you kindness must have ulterior motives! You are too naive; you are being used as a blade and you don't even realize it!"

She understood the malice of the world far better than Hu Tian did.

When Hu Tian had previously told her that Zhang Xu, the second young master of the Zhang Family, treated him like a biological brother, she hadn't believed a word of it.

Now, to think he was actually seducing her brother into leaving the academy and betraying his master—how could such a person be anything but a villain!

"Master, I am truly sorry. Please, just consider what my brother said to be nonsense..."

Hu Li turned to apologize to Liu Qingshi.

"I am not talking nonsense!"

Hu Tian suddenly raised his head and blurted out.

He did not know why he was suddenly so agitated, but the words long suppressed in his heart finally broke through the boy's fragile self-control.

"You always treat me like a child, thinking I don't understand anything and that I must listen to you for everything! But how much do you actually know about my life at the academy? How much of the kindness Brother Zhang Xu has shown me have you actually seen? He is the dignified second young master of the Zhang Family; he lowers himself to show me the world and help me make connections—what could he possibly want from me? My poverty? My rural background?"

He spoke faster and faster, feeling more and more justified.

"I reached the Bright Strength realm in half a month! Looking at the younger generation in all of Anxi County, how many can do that? Yet what has this academy given me? Two bottles of Blood Replenishing Pill? Even Shi Lei, with his mediocre talent, gets one bottle! You call this preferential treatment? This is lumping me in with the likes of him!"

"The Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall has two Transformation Strength masters presiding over it. Their master appreciates me and is willing to take me in, providing monthly pills—my future will be limitless! Am I supposed to throw away such a bright future just because of your warning about 'being used as a blade'?"

"Brother Zhang Xu is my good brother; he would never harm me!"

Hu Tian took a deep breath, looked at Liu Qingshi, and said in a low, firm voice: "I have made up my mind. I am leaving the Bluestone Martial Academy!"

"You dare!"

Hu Li roared these two words.

Her usually gentle face was now slightly distorted by extreme rage and heartache. Her eyes were rimmed with red, yet she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

She stared fixedly at Hu Tian, enunciating every word: "If you dare to walk out of this door today, then from now on... don't you ever call me sister again!"

The words were heavy.

So heavy that her own voice trembled uncontrollably at the end.

Because she knew better than Hu Tian the price of leaving an academy and switching allegiances.

Seeing the fury on his sister's face, Hu Tian's heart tightened for a moment, but then he thought of the glorious future awaiting him at the Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall and the promises Zhang Xu had made. The struggle in his eyes turned into resolve.

He knew his sister was surely just speaking in anger.

She would calm down before long.

Once he reached the Dark Strength realm, or even stepped into the Transformation Strength realm, and became a prominent figure in Anxi County, his sister would surely be overjoyed.

When the time comes, she will know just how wrong her attempt to stop him today truly was.

And he will use his success to prove that he was right all along.

"Sister, just you wait and see!"

As if he could already see his future of boundless glory, Hu Tian gave Hu Li a smug, satisfied smile before turning to leave the study.

"Xiao Tian, you..."

Seeing that Hu Tian actually dared to leave, Hu Li's body trembled violently, and a trace of sorrow flickered across her angry face.

In that instant, she even began to doubt whether her initial decision to desperately save money to send her brother to learn martial arts had been the right one...

"Sigh, forget it. Everyone has their own destiny."

Liu Qingshi sighed slightly and offered a few words of quiet comfort to Hu Li.

At the same time, he looked at Hu Tian's retreating back, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes, "So, it's the Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall, is it..."

The news of Hu Tian leaving the academy was like a drop of water hitting boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar.

"Is it true? Has Hu Tian gone mad? How dare he leave the academy?"

"I heard the kid has already found a new place to go—the Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall..."

"Tsk, one can only say that people climb to higher places just as water flows to lower ones."

"With that kid's talent, he'll probably manage to secure decent treatment at the Extreme Fist Martial Arts Hall."

"That may be so, but betraying one's sect is a major taboo anywhere. In the future, whenever people mention Hu Tian, the first thing they'll say is 'that guy who betrayed the Bluestone Martial Academy'."

"Master Liu is truly merciful; he didn't even cripple one of his legs!"

"Regardless, that kid's reputation is completely ruined..."

Some were disdainful, some were emotional, some watched with cold eyes, and others felt a secret sense of regret.

The genius youth who had once been the envy of many for mastering the Seven-Day Fist Technique and reaching the Bright Strength realm in half a month gradually shifted in the public discourse from "Junior Brother Hu Tian" to "that Hu Tian."

A difference of a single word, yet the gap between them was as vast as clouds and mud.

Shi Lei stood at the edge of the Inner Courtyard Martial Practice Field, remaining silent for a long time after hearing his junior brother's whispered account.

He did not turn to look at Hu Tian's now-vacant training spot; he simply withdrew his gaze and reset his stance.

Sweat beads slid down his brow, hitting the ground and soaking into a small dark patch.

He said nothing at all.

By the academy gate, Jiang Ye sat withered on his small, greasy stool, taking in every word of the commotion within the courtyard.

His eyelids drooped, and a hidden, icy glint flashed through his aged eyes, "So that's why he was in such a hurry; he was rushing to run away."

However, this clamorous discussion did not last long.

An Outer Courtyard disciple came sprinting in from outside, panting heavily, his face deathly pale as if he had seen something terrifying.

He rushed into the crowd, his voice slightly distorted by his urgency:

"It's bad! Outside the city gate... there are so many refugees outside the city gate."

"Refugees from Lushan County..."

"They... they have fled here!"