Initial Blood Qi Formation! Young Genius!

"Besides..." Su Hao shifted his tone, "Even if I were to fight Su Yue, he is no match for me."

"Hmph, whether he is your match or not is something we'll only know after a fight. My son Su Yue is inferior to no one!"

Su Lie let out a cold snort.

Su Yue was Su Lie's son, naturally gifted with good bone structure and comprehension. Su Lie had poured his heart and soul into him, believing him to be among the very best of the younger generation in the Su family. He didn't believe Su Hao was necessarily stronger than Su Yue!

Sometimes... you must demonstrate your strength so that your value becomes greater, granting you more leverage to obtain more benefits!

Su Hao thought to himself. Hiding one's light is not the same as being a fool; sometimes, revealing a certain level of strength is the best way to gain benefits and recognition.

Su Hao immediately took a handkerchief used for wiping sweat from his bosom. With a gentle flick of his hand, he tossed the handkerchief into the air. Su Yun and Su Lie watched his movements with confusion.

The next instant, Su Hao moved abruptly. He clenched his right fist, bringing with it a whistling gust of wind, and struck the floating handkerchief.

Striking a light, fluttering piece of cloth with a heavy punch would normally only cause it to drift away with the wind, light and weightless, without suffering the slightest damage.

"Crack!"

However, when Su Hao's fist struck the fluttering handkerchief, a crisp sound like a firecracker exploded. The handkerchief was blasted into pieces, scattering in all directions like fluttering butterflies before falling to the ground!

"This is... Heavy Mountain Fist? Have you cultivated Blood Force?"

Seeing this, Su Lie and Su Yun instantly judged the profound mystery of that punch with their experienced eyes.

The Su family's Heavy Mountain Fist is a martial art that focuses on the application and mastery of power. When practiced to the realm of "lifting the heavy as if it were light," a set of heavy punches can be executed as fluidly as flowing water, nimble and agile, while attempting to condense Blood Force to enter the Blood Strengthening realm.

Blood Strengthening is the step where Blood Force is nurtured to its peak. The physical body grows accordingly, reaching the limits of human potential. When facing an enemy, one can channel this Blood Force to unleash greater destructive power—shattering rocks with a bare fist is no problem at all!

In their eyes, Su Hao's ability to shatter a light, weightless handkerchief with a single punch meant he had utilized Blood Force.

Of course, what Su Hao actually used was the technique of "Ming Jin" from internal martial arts. Given the current state of this body, unleashing Ming Jin was his absolute limit.

The reason this force could cause such destruction was that it combined power with technique. When a martial artist who hasn't mastered force strikes someone, the opponent can retreat to dissipate the impact. But by using internal force, the opponent is unable to retreat or dissipate the blow, as if they were pinned against something from behind. The resulting damage is naturally multiplied!

The same amount of power can produce several times the destructive force!

That was why Su Hao could shatter a light, weightless handkerchief with a single punch!

"Ah Hao... have you cultivated Blood Force?"

Su Yun couldn't help but ask, his face full of joy. If one can reach the realm of lifting the heavy as if it were light in the Heavy Mountain Fist and condense Blood Force to enter the Blood Strengthening realm, one can officially begin body tempering once that Blood Force is nurtured to the extreme, breaking through human limits to enter the realm of the Four Temperings!

Without Blood Force, the Heavy Mountain Fist is ultimately just flashy, useless movements. But if Blood Force is cultivated, one can use it to refine secret medicines, step by step making the physical body extraordinary and possessing superhuman physique. The powerful can easily take on a hundred enemies!

Su Hao was only fourteen, yet he had successfully cultivated Blood Force. His future would be very bright! He would likely become a pillar of the Su family in the future, and as the family head, Su Yun was naturally overjoyed!

"Yes. I faced danger a few days ago, and after waking up, I had a stroke of luck and managed to break through."

Su Hao nodded in acknowledgment. Naturally, he wouldn't tell others that he was using internal martial arts.

Beside him, Su Lie's mouth twitched slightly. He understood that Su Hao was right; since he had already cultivated Blood Force, even if his son Su Yue were to gamble on a fight, he wouldn't have a ten-percent chance of winning.

Su Hao locked his gaze on Su Lie. Seeing the changing expression on Su Lie's face, he said slowly, "Elder Su Lie, this quota was earned by my father through years of accumulated merit for the family. Its price is priceless!"

Su Lie didn't lose his composure as an elder. With a complex expression, he said, "Since you have already cultivated Blood Force... it is indeed true that you are better suited to represent the Su family at the Martial Academy."

Su Lie had no intention of continuing to tangle with this; he knew that Su Hao, having cultivated Blood Force, deserved the Martial Academy quota.

But to Su Lie's surprise, Su Hao looked at him with a faint smile: "Elder Su Lie, as you said, I need to take care of my mother and cannot travel far. Letting Su Yue have this quota is a good choice. Su Yue's talent is not inferior to mine, and I believe he won't lose face for the Su family. For the sake of my mother and the peace of my family, I am willing to give it up. One thousand taels of silver, or I enter the Martial Academy myself and use my strength to fight for a future. What do you think?"

These words left Su Lie stunned. It wasn't that Su Hao was unwilling to give up the quota, but that the price offered previously hadn't satisfied him. The other party had only revealed his strength to earn more profit!

Su Yun was startled. He quickly said, "Ah Hao, you are only fourteen and have already cultivated Blood Force. If you enter the Martial Academy, you have great potential. If you can carve out a future, it will be a matter of bringing honor to your ancestors!"

Su Yun had originally felt that Su Yue's potential was no less than Su Hao's, and it made no difference who went. But seeing Su Hao's potential, Su Yun began to advise him otherwise.

However, Su Hao was thinking further ahead. My current strength still has a gap compared to a true martial artist, and I am relying on internal martial arts. If I go to the Martial Academy, a place where geniuses from all over Longshan Prefecture gather, I might not necessarily rank at the top. Even if I could eventually catch up, it would take time. Why not use this quota to exchange for enough resources to repair my body's hidden injuries, quickly make myself strong again, return to the peak of my previous life, and then consider other things!

Having lived two lives, Su Hao's mind was very mature. He was not only worried about his mother's health and his young sister, but also considering his own development.

The Martial Academy gathered the most talented elite, much like a top student from a small-town school going to a key school in a big city where elites from everywhere gathered—they might not necessarily rank in the middle.

Even if Su Hao went to the Martial Academy, his body was suffering from a lack of blood and hidden injuries. There would be no shortage of people whose talent and background in body tempering surpassed his. He might not be able to compete with other geniuses in the short term to secure enough resources for himself!

Rather than that, Su Hao felt it was better to cash in the quota immediately and exchange it for a significant amount of resources to help himself "rehabilitate" and return to the level of a master of internal force from his previous life. Only with sufficient strength could he protect himself and his loved ones.

As for entering the Martial Academy? That would only be a delay of a year or two!

Hearing that Su Hao was willing to give up the quota, Su Lie felt a glimmer of hope. He quickly said, "Ah Hao, it's rare that you have such filial piety. It was my lack of consideration. One hundred taels is indeed too little, but I cannot come up with one thousand taels either. However, I will try my best to satisfy you... I can give you three hundred taels."

"Then eight hundred taels. Not a penny less."

Su Hao hadn't expected Su Lie to come up with one thousand taels to buy his quota; the initial figure was just a starting point for negotiation.

"Five hundred taels... no more than that. I still have to borrow this money. If you are still not satisfied with this price, then forget the quota. At worst, I'll let my son go to the Martial Academy next year."

Su Lie gritted his teeth. Five hundred taels was his limit. If Su Hao's appetite was any bigger, he would have no choice but to give up!

"Five hundred taels, then five hundred it is."

Su Hao finally nodded slowly, not being greedy anymore. After a round of back-and-forth, the price was set at five hundred taels.

Five hundred taels of silver... I still have to borrow it, but it's worth it to get this Martial Academy quota for Yue'er. With the best environment and the best teachers, once he succeeds in the future, he can stay in Longshan City to develop...

Su Lie felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he also felt that paying five hundred taels for this quota was worth it. Every parent wants to do their best to provide the best resources for their children, even if it means smashing pots and selling iron or going into debt, and Su Lie was no exception. As for whether this investment would pay off, that wasn't something to consider right now.

"Sigh... I hope you don't regret this."

Seeing that both sides had reached an agreement, Su Yun sighed and shook his head, throwing these words at Su Hao with a sense of disappointment.

In Su Yun's view, sacrificing an infinite future and a bright career for immediate, short-term gain was quite immature!

Naturally, Su Yun did not know Su Hao's thoughts: use these immediately available resources to quickly strengthen himself, for strength is the foundation of everything!