"Besides..." Su Hao changed tack. "Even if I fought Su Yue, he wouldn't be a match for me."
"Hmph. The only way to find out is to fight. My son Su Yue is as good as anyone!"
Su Lie gave a cold snort.
Su Yue was Su Lie's son. He had excellent natural aptitude and comprehension, and Su Lie had poured his heart and soul into raising him. In Su Lie's view, Su Yue was one of the few outstanding young members of the Su family. Su Hao wasn't necessarily any better!
Sometimes... you have to show your strength to prove your worth and gain more leverage, so you can get more out of it!
Su Hao thought to himself. Keeping a low profile didn't mean acting stupid. Sometimes, showing some strength was the best way to earn benefits and respect!
Su Hao immediately took a handkerchief from his robes, the kind used to wipe away sweat. With a light flick of his hand, he tossed it into the air. Su Yun and Su Lie watched, puzzled by what he was doing.
The next instant, Su Hao sprang into action. He clenched his right hand into a fist, sending a howling gust of wind before striking the handkerchief as it floated through the air.
A heavy punch against a fluttering scrap of cloth would only send it drifting along with the wind, light as a feather and unharmed.
"Crack!"
Yet when Su Hao's fist struck the fluttering handkerchief, it burst with a sharp pop like a firecracker. The cloth exploded into tatters, which fluttered down like butterflies and scattered across the ground!
"That's... Heavy Mountain Fist? You've developed Blood Energy?"
At once, Su Lie and Su Yun saw the subtleties of that punch.
The Su family's Heavy Mountain Fist was a martial art focused on wielding and controlling strength. Once mastered to the point of lifting heavy things as lightly as if they weighed nothing, its heavy punches could flow like water and move with effortless grace. From there, one could try to condense Blood Energy and enter the Blood-Strengthening stage.
Blood-Strengthening meant nourishing Blood Energy to its peak. The body would grow along with it, reaching the limits of human potential. In battle, one could drive Blood Energy through a strike to unleash far greater destructive force—enough to smash rocks with one's bare fists!
In their eyes, Su Hao had shattered the light, yielding handkerchief with a single punch by using Blood Energy.
In truth, however, Su Hao had used the Inner Fist technique for releasing visible force. With this body in its current state, that was the limit of what he could manage.
The reason that force could cause such tremendous damage was that it combined strength with technique. A martial artist who hadn't mastered force might injure someone with a heavy punch, but the victim would be knocked back and able to absorb some of the impact. A strike infused with force, however, left the target unable to retreat and disperse the blow, as if something were bracing them from behind. Naturally, the damage was multiplied!
The same strength could unleash several times the destructive power!
That was how Su Hao had shattered the weightless, fluttering handkerchief with one punch!
"A-Hao... you've developed Blood Energy?"
Su Yun asked, his face bright with joy. The Su family's Heavy Mountain Fist could not only be mastered to the point of lifting heavy things as lightly as if they weighed nothing, but could also condense Blood Energy and enter the Blood-Strengthening stage. Once Blood Energy had been nourished to its utmost, one could officially begin body refinement, break through the limits of the human body, and enter the Four Great Refinements!
Without Blood Energy, Heavy Mountain Fist was all show and no substance. But once Blood Energy had been developed, one could use it to refine secret medicines, gradually transform the body beyond the ordinary, and gain a superhuman physique. The strongest could face a hundred opponents alone!
Su Hao was only fourteen, yet he had already successfully developed Blood Energy. His future looked bright! He would very likely become a pillar of the Su family one day, and as the family head, Su Yun was naturally delighted!
"Yes. A few days ago, I was in danger. When I woke up, I was fortunate enough to have made a breakthrough."
Su Hao nodded. Of course, he wouldn't tell anyone that he had used Inner Fist.
Beside him, Su Lie's mouth twitched. He knew Su Hao was right: he had developed Blood Energy, so even if his son Su Yue fought him, victory was far from certain.
Su Hao fixed his gaze on Su Lie. Seeing the changing expression on his face, he said slowly, "Elder Su Lie, my father earned this place for the family through years of accumulated merit. It's priceless!"
Su Lie did not lose the dignity expected of an elder. His expression complicated, he said, "Since you've already developed Blood Energy... you really are the better choice to represent the Su family at the Martial Academy."
Su Lie had no intention of arguing further. He knew that Su Hao deserved a place at the Martial Academy now that he had developed Blood Energy!
But to Su Lie's surprise, Su Hao smiled faintly at him. "Elder Su Lie, as you said, I need to take care of my mother and can't travel far. Giving the place to Su Yue is a fine choice too. Su Yue is no less talented than I am, and I'm sure he won't bring shame on the Su family. For the sake of my mother's peace of mind and my family's, I'm willing to give it up. A thousand taels of silver, or I go to the Martial Academy myself and fight for a future with my own strength. What do you think?"
At those words, Su Lie froze. Su Hao wasn't unwilling to give up the place; the price he had offered earlier simply hadn't satisfied him. That was why he had shown his strength—to get more out of the deal!
Su Yun was startled, and hurriedly said, "A-Hao, you developed Blood Energy at just fourteen. If you go to the Martial Academy, you could achieve great things. If you make a future for yourself, it'll bring glory to our ancestors!"
Su Yun had originally thought Su Yue's potential was no less than Su Hao's, and that it made little difference which of them went. But after seeing Su Hao's potential, he began urging him to reconsider.
Su Hao, however, had thought further ahead. My strength still falls short of a true martial artist's, and I'm relying on Inner Fist. The Martial Academy gathers geniuses from all over Longshan Prefecture, and I might not rank among the best there. Even if I could gradually catch up later, that would take time. I might as well trade this place for enough resources to heal my hidden injuries and quickly grow stronger, returning to the peak I reached in my previous life before I think about anything else!
Having lived two lives, Su Hao was mature beyond his years. He was thinking not only of his mother's health and his young sister, but also of his own future.
The Martial Academy gathered the most talented young people, much like a top student from a small-town school going to a prestigious school in a big city, where the best students from every region gathered. Even there, he might not rank in the middle.
Even if Su Hao went to the Martial Academy, this body was depleted of Blood Energy and burdened with hidden injuries. Plenty of students would surpass him in talent and background, and he might not be able to compete with them for enough resources anytime soon!
Rather than that, Su Hao thought it better to cash in the place immediately and get a handsome sum of resources to help him "rehabilitate." Once he had returned to the level of a Master of Transformation from his previous life, he would be strong enough to protect himself and his family.
As for entering the Martial Academy? He would only be putting it off by a year or two!
But when Su Lie heard that Su Hao was willing to give up the place, he saw a fresh ray of hope. He hurriedly said, "A-Hao, it's rare to see such filial devotion. I didn't think things through. A hundred taels really is too little, but I can't afford a thousand either. Still, I'll do my best to meet your demands... I can give you three hundred taels."
"Then eight hundred. I won't take a copper less."
Su Hao hadn't expected Su Lie to hand over a thousand taels to buy his place. He had only named that price to start high.
"Five hundred taels... I can't offer more. I'll have to borrow the money, and if that price still doesn't satisfy you, then forget the place. At worst, I'll send my son to the Martial Academy next year."
Su Lie gritted his teeth. Five hundred taels was the limit of what he could manage. If Su Hao demanded more, he would have no choice but to give up!
"Five hundred taels, then. Five hundred it is."
Su Hao finally nodded, no longer pushing for more. After some back-and-forth, they settled on five hundred taels.
Five hundred taels of silver... I'll have to borrow it, but getting Yue'er a place at the Martial Academy is worth it. He'll have the best environment and the best teachers. If he makes something of himself, he can stay and build a future in Longshan City...
Su Lie felt the pain of the expense, but still thought five hundred taels was a fair price for the place. Every parent wanted to give their children the best resources they could, even if it meant pawning everything and taking on debt. Su Lie was no exception. Whether the investment would pay off wasn't something he needed to consider yet.
"Sigh... I hope you don't regret this."
Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Su Yun sighed and shook his head. He left Su Hao with those words, disappointed that he couldn't seem to make the boy understand.
In Su Yun's eyes, giving up an unlimited future and a bright career for short-term gain was terribly immature!
Of course, Su Yun had no idea what Su Hao was thinking. With resources he could obtain immediately, he could make himself stronger quickly. Strength was the foundation!
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