When Xiong Batian and the others quickly left, the crowd of onlookers dispersed as well. But word of what had happened soon spread throughout the school, especially in Xia Ping's class, Class 16 of Grade 12. Pretty much everyone knew about it.
After all, one of the people involved was in their class. They couldn't help paying attention.
Xia Ping, however, remained completely calm. After finishing his meal in the cafeteria, he returned to the rooftop of the teaching building. There was still more than half an hour before afternoon classes, and he wanted to keep exploring the Super Hatred System.
"System, you said earlier that Hate Points could be exchanged for things. How exactly does that work?" Xia Ping asked.
With a ding, a virtual panel suddenly appeared in his mind. It displayed a shop listing weapons, pills, martial arts techniques, combat skills, and all kinds of other items. It was like an online store where you could buy just about anything.
"Host, as long as you have enough Hate Points, you can buy anything in the shop," the system replied.
Xia Ping rubbed his chin. "You can buy anything?" He focused his thoughts and opened the martial arts techniques section. A page immediately popped up.
A list of martial arts techniques appeared:
Great Emperor Sutra, divine-grade, price: 10 billion Hate Points;
Void Sutra, divine-grade, price: 10 billion Hate Points;
Star Devouring Art, divine-grade, price: 10 billion Hate Points;
Demonic Prison Profound Embryo Sutra, divine-grade, price: 9 billion Hate Points;
Yin Yang Life and Death Art, divine-grade, price: 8 billion Hate Points
Xia Ping gaped at the prices. Tens of billions, even a hundred billion Hate Points—how could he possibly afford them? He checked his current balance: a mere 120. He couldn't even afford a single hair on one of their legs.
"Forget it. I already have the Pure Yang Indestructible Art, so there's no point looking at more martial arts techniques. I might as well check out the combat skills." A gleam entered Xia Ping's eyes. Martial arts techniques were the foundation: they tempered the body, absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and evolved the human body into something superhuman.
Combat skills, on the other hand, were supreme techniques for unleashing one's power. The more formidable the skill, the more terrifying it was. Some skills could only turn a hundred pounds of force into a hundred pounds of destructive power, while an advanced skill could make that same hundred pounds hit with the force of a thousand. That was the difference combat skills could make!
Of course, the more formidable the skill, the harder it was to master.
With that thought, he opened the combat skills section. Another page popped up, listing countless mysterious and powerful manuals:
Great Desolation Heaven Imprisoning Seal, divine-grade, price: 10 billion Hate Points;
Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist, divine-grade, price: 10 billion Hate Points;
Immortal Execution Sword Art, divine-grade, price: 9 billion Hate Points;
Eight Desolations and Six Harmonies Palm, divine-grade, price: 8 billion Hate Points;
Void Displacement Step, divine-grade, price: 7.5 billion Hate Points;
Xia Ping was speechless. Just from their names, he could tell how powerful these combat skills were. But they were all just for looking at, not buying. Tens of billions, even a hundred billion Hate Points—he couldn't get that kind of money even if they killed him.
Besides, after all his hard work, insulting the whole class and taunting every student, he had earned only 120 Hate Points. Who knew how many years it would take him to earn tens of billions?
"Host, there's no need to worry."
The system seemed to sense what Xia Ping was thinking. "As long as you keep working hard and accumulate Hate Points day by day, earning a hundred billion will be no problem. Then you'll be able to buy anything you want from the shop."
"Ridiculous! Easy for you to say."
Xia Ping's mouth twitched. Setting aside how long it would take to earn a hundred billion Hate Points, earning Hate Points at all was a pain in the neck.
Just those 120 Hate Points had made him the enemy of his entire class and even drawn Yang Wei's retaliation. If he ever earned a hundred billion, how many enemies would he have made by then?
He carefully calculated it in his head. To earn a hundred billion Hate Points, he would probably have to make everyone on Yanhuang Planet hate him. At that point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the whole world was against him.
Just imagining an entire planet full of enemies, all clamoring for revenge, vowing to fight to the death and wipe out his whole family, gave him a headache.
"Forget it. I don't need to worry about that for now."
Xia Ping quickly reconsidered. "I might not need a hundred billion Hate Points. As long as I can get the things I need, that'll be enough. If they're just ordinary goods, then offending people is no big deal."
Though this system was dangerous and had serious side effects, constantly getting him into trouble with people, if he used it well, it could help him rise to prominence and glimpse the pinnacle of martial arts.
"Although the host can't afford such expensive items just yet, the shop also has some cheaper ones that should be enough for now," the system said.
Hearing that, Xia Ping immediately said, "Sort the combat skills by price, from lowest to highest."
With a ding, the combat skills page refreshed, displaying a series of cheaper skills. The cheapest ones cost five Hate Points, such as basic boxing techniques—common skills that could be found anywhere.
"Huh? This Five Forms Fist costs 100 Hate Points. Why?" Xia Ping immediately noticed one of the combat skills, called the Five Forms Fist. It had been created by an ancient martial arts master who studied animals such as tigers, Vipers, apes, White Cranes, and tyrannosaurs. The powerful skill incorporated countless fighting techniques and had great destructive power.
It was also a required course at school, and every student had to learn it. It was considered a basic combat skill, yet the system's shop charged 100 Hate Points for it. That was outrageous.
"That's because the combat skills sold by the system are bestowed through direct infusion and inheritance."
The system explained, "With ordinary combat skills, the host has to grasp the techniques through hard work and practice, step by step. But the system doesn't teach them that way. It instantly infuses the memories of the techniques into the host's body, allowing the host to master them at once, as if he were a martial arts master who had practiced for years. The Pure Yang Indestructible Art worked the same way."
"What?!"
Xia Ping was startled. If that was true, then it was worth every point. Learning it instantly would save him ten years of practice. The benefits were beyond imagination.
"I'll buy it," Xia Ping said at once.
"Understood, Host," the system replied.
As soon as the words left its mouth, a massive warm current surged into Xia Ping's mind. His soul seemed to be dragged into a white space where there was nothing at all.
His hands and feet seemed to be controlled by some mysterious force and began moving. He performed the postures of tigers, Vipers, apes, White Cranes, tyrannosaurs, and other creatures one after another, his body moving like the wind.
At that moment, it was as if he had transformed into a tiger, a Viper, an ape, a White Crane, a tyrannosaur, and all kinds of ferocious beasts. A terrifying beastly aura radiated from him as his fists and feet struck out together.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Explosions rang through the air as he threw punch after punch, each one seeming to break the sound barrier. Their power was terrifying!
He kept practicing in that white space, seemingly for decades, until he had honed the Five Forms Fist to its limit and reached a level of mastery that seemed almost divine.
With a sharp crack, the space shattered. His soul was pulled out and returned to his body.
"The Five Forms Fist!" Xia Ping clenched his fists. They crackled, and a glint flashed in his eyes. He felt a confidence unlike anything he had ever known. A martial arts master's air radiated from him, as if it came naturally.
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