Martial Academy Quota! Su Family Patriarch!

"Mortal-Shedding Bead..."

Information about this bead naturally emerged in Su Hao's mind; its name was the "Mortal-Shedding Bead."

"This bead, was it the one I found in a dilapidated mountain temple just before I died in my previous life? Could it be the reason I transmigrated?"

Su Hao's body trembled slightly as he recalled his previous life. While traveling, he had accidentally discovered a crystal-clear bead in a ruined temple deep within the mountains. When he reached out to pick it up, he had abruptly lost consciousness. Upon waking, the bead had vanished, and Su Hao had assumed he had suffered a hallucination caused by errors in his martial arts practice.

"It seems... only when the energy within is fully accumulated can the mysteries of the Mortal-Shedding Bead be unleashed."

As Su Hao observed the wisps of blood-colored energy flowing within the Mortal-Shedding Bead, he roughly understood that to activate it, he first needed to accumulate energy. The source of this energy might depend on time or certain conditions, so for now, he had to let it be.

"Since I am here, I shall settle here. Being able to live another life is already the greatest stroke of luck. In this life, I must climb to the absolute peak of martial arts and reach heights far beyond what I achieved in my past life!"

Night fell, and Su Hao lay on his bed, feeling quite excited.

According to what Su Hao knew, this Central Great Gan was unlike the Blue Star of his previous life, which could be called an age of declining magic. In this world, martial arts flourished; powerful martial artists possessed the strength of ten thousand jun, capable of fighting a thousand alone, with experts emerging one after another.

There were even traces left behind by so-called "Immortals." It was a place that Su Hao, who pursued the ultimate in martial arts, had dreamed of coming to. He silently swore that he would once again climb to the pinnacle of martial arts!

The most urgent task was to nurse his body back to health and recover to the peak state of his previous life before considering anything else.

The night passed without incident. Six or seven days went by, and thanks to the internal martial arts breathing techniques, Su Hao's recovery speed far exceeded that of an ordinary person. His injuries had healed by eighty or ninety percent, and moving about was no longer a problem, which allowed Mother Su and Su Xiaoqing to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Ah Hao, the Clan Head wants you to go to the Council Hall."

At noon that day, while Su Hao was in the courtyard practicing the Five Animals Fist to stimulate his blood and qi, someone came to notify him.

"The Clan Head wants to see me? Could it be about what happened a while ago?"

Su Hao's heart stirred. He had informed the current Clan Head of the Su Family, Su Yun, about the assassination attempt a few days prior. Su Yun had promised to look into the matter, and perhaps there was some news now.

Su Hao immediately headed toward the Su Family's Council Hall.

Inside a spacious hall, Su Hao met the Su Family Clan Head, Su Yun. Su Yun was in his forties, sporting a beard and a dignified appearance that commanded respect without anger.

To Su Hao's surprise, besides Su Yun, there was another middle-aged man of similar age with slightly graying hair but a sturdy build.

"Elder Su Lie? Why is he here?"

Su Hao recognized this man as one of the elders of the Su Family, considered one of the pillars of Su Family Fort.

At this moment, Su Yun spoke, his expression serious: "Ah Hao, I just received news. A bloody battle occurred within the borders of Longshan City a while ago. One of the parties involved was the Flying Cloud Gang, and over a dozen of their disciples were killed."

"The Flying Cloud Gang?"

Su Hao's heart skipped a beat. He had heard of the Flying Cloud Gang; it was one of the gangs that had risen in recent years, and their strength was quite formidable. There were over ten martial artists in the gang who had entered the First Refinement realm, and it was rumored that their leader had reached the Second Refinement realm or higher. Such martial artists were not nobodies in Longshan City!

Su Yun continued: "The person the Flying Cloud Gang surrounded and killed was a mysterious individual, but the martial arts he used... looked very much like our Su Family's Heavy Mountain Fist."

"Could it be... Father? Were those assassins from the Flying Cloud Gang?"

Su Hao felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Among the Su Family, only a few people mastered the Heavy Mountain Fist and could kill over a dozen members of the Flying Cloud Gang. Linking this to the assassins he had encountered a few days ago, Su Hao roughly pieced together the cause and effect.

For some unknown reason, the missing Su Yu had come into conflict with the Flying Cloud Gang and killed many of their members. In their fury, the Flying Cloud Gang had dispatched assassins to deal with Su Yu's family, implicating Su Hao in the process.

"Father... what exactly are you doing?"

Su Hao was filled with confusion. He could not understand why Su Yu had been missing for so long without a word, and why the first news he received suggested he had made an enemy of the Flying Cloud Gang.

Su Yun comforted Su Hao: "Ah Hao, don't worry. You are a member of our Su Family. No matter how powerful the Flying Cloud Gang is, they wouldn't dare to attack us openly. As long as you are within Su Family Fort, the Flying Cloud Gang cannot touch you!"

Although the Su Family was not a top-tier clan within the borders of Longshan City, they were a deeply rooted local power within Su Family Fort, and protecting Su Hao's family was not a problem.

"Thank you, Clan Head!"

Su Hao expressed his gratitude to Su Yun.

"It is nothing. You are our clansman, and the family has an obligation to protect its own," Su Yun smiled.

"Actually, there is another matter. Let Elder Su Lie explain it himself."

Su Yun said, his gaze flickering toward Su Lie beside him.

The sturdy Su Lie sighed softly before speaking: "Ah Hao, I have something I wish to discuss with you regarding the quota for the Martial Academy."

"The Martial Academy quota?"

Su Hao frowned inwardly, thinking that it had finally come to this.

The Martial Academy was an institution established by Longshan City. Its primary responsibility was to recruit and cultivate young martial artists with potential within the city's borders to foster talent for the future. Many of those who performed exceptionally well became the pillars of Longshan City, making the quotas extremely precious.

The Su Family had paid taxes to Longshan City for many years to earn three quotas for the Martial Academy, and Su Hao had obtained one of them. It was clear that Su Lie had designs on this quota.

Sure enough, seeing that Su Hao remained silent, Su Lie continued: "Ah Hao, I have heard about your father's situation. The Flying Cloud Gang has their eyes on you now. We can protect you within Su Family Fort, but if you leave, we cannot guarantee your safety if the Flying Cloud Gang strikes."

"So... why not hold off on using your Martial Academy quota and let Su Yue go in your stead? You are still young; you can settle down for a while. Once the storm passes and the academy recruits again in a year or two, you can still go. This is the best choice for now. I will fully support you then, and I will also provide you with some compensation."

Su Lie stated his true purpose. His voice was gentle, yet it carried an unquestionable tone, as if he were declaring a fact.

Su Yue was Su Lie's son, fifteen years old this year, and also possessed outstanding talent. However, the Su Family only had three quotas, and with more monks than gruel, Su Hao's current trouble and his father's unknown fate had given Su Lie the idea to target the quota that originally belonged to Su Hao.

Su Hao replied calmly: "If I enter the Martial Academy, I will be even safer. No matter how ruthless the Flying Cloud Gang is, they would not dare to act recklessly in front of the Martial Academy."

The Martial Academy was an institution founded by the top dignitaries of Longshan City; who would dare to attack its students?

Su Lie's mouth twitched slightly, though he maintained his smile. "Hao, your father's whereabouts are unknown and your mother's health is poor. I believe that staying in the Su family to care for your mother and fulfill your filial duties is exactly what a son should do!"

Su Lie was attempting to use filial piety to coerce Su Hao, but Su Hao remained unmoved.

Su Hao looked toward Su Yun, but Su Yun instinctively avoided his gaze. This made Su Hao sigh inwardly; his father had been a meritorious servant of the Su family, but after three years of disappearance, it seemed the protection he had left behind had all but evaporated.

The Martial Academy quota that Su Hao had originally secured was now viewed by some in the family as nothing more than a tradable commodity.

In order to secure this quota for his own son, Su Lie gritted his teeth and continued, "Of course, I will provide you with compensation. I will give you one hundred taels of silver; with this money, your family can improve your standard of living."

For an average family of four, after deducting expenses for food and clothing, saving ten or so taels of silver a year was considered quite good. One hundred taels was a sum that most families couldn't scrape together even if they sold everything they owned.

Su Hao's heart stirred slightly. In truth, Su Hao's family lived in dire straits. His mother was seriously ill and frequently required medicine, while Su Hao himself needed to practice martial arts every day, leaving him only enough time for minor chores. He was essentially unemployed, which was why he had considered going into the mountains to hunt and supplement the household income.

Moreover, if Su Hao wanted to repair his body's hidden injuries, forge a perfect foundation, and restore the peak strength of a Master of Transformation from his previous life, he would need a massive amount of silver to purchase cultivation resources!

However, Su Hao shook his head. "One hundred taels of silver for a Martial Academy quota? How could there be such a cheap deal? One final price: give me one thousand taels, and I will transfer the quota to you."

Su Lie was instantly enraged. "One thousand taels? Have you lost your mind?"

As a family elder of the Su clan, Su Lie held a high position, yet even he could not produce such a large sum of silver!

But Su Lie quickly calmed down. He glanced at the silent Su Yun beside him and said in a deep voice, "Patriarch, why not have a fair competition? Let Su Hao and Su Yue fight; whoever wins is more qualified to represent the Su family and receive this quota."

Su Yun felt secretly helpless. Both sides were members of the Su family—one was the elder Su Lie, and the other was the son of Su Yu, whose whereabouts were unknown. Su Yu had only been missing for two or three years; if he were to treat his son too harshly and Su Yu were to return in the future, it would undoubtedly lead to an incredibly awkward situation.

Su Yun immediately chose to remain neutral, kicking the ball back to Su Hao. He looked at Su Hao with a pleasant expression. "Hao, what do you think?"

"I refuse," Su Hao replied without hesitation. "My father rendered great service to the family, which is how I earned this quota for the Martial Academy. Why should I use this precious quota to gamble against Elder Su Lie?"

The quota belonged to Su Hao in the first place. While Su Hao believed he had a ten-tenths chance of winning a fight against Su Yue, there was no benefit to winning, and losing would mean forfeiting the quota. Su Hao was no fool!