The entire arena fell silent.
"He won... Su Hao won?"
"How did Su Hao make his move just now? He was so fast! I didn't even see him attack before Su Hu went down!"
After a brief silence, a string of excited cheers erupted. They understood that Su Hao had won this fight—and he'd won cleanly and decisively, without a shadow of a doubt!
"I remember Su Hao is two or three years younger than Su Hu. There's no doubt he deserves that spot!"
After seeing the strength Su Hao had displayed, even the Su family disciples who had originally questioned whether he'd secured a Martial Academy spot only because of his father, Yu Hui, were thoroughly convinced.
"That kid... he really is a genius. His battle instincts and his command of martial arts are clearly far superior to Su Hu's! If only he were my son!"
Su Lie's eyes held a hint of amazement, too. He could tell that Su Hao had been completely at ease throughout his fight with Su Hu. Even when Su Hu unleashed his Blood Energy, Su Hao had still defeated him with a single strike!
Su Lie couldn't help envying Su Yu for having such a fine son.
It took Su Hu quite a while to struggle back to his feet. His face was pale, and his body seemed weak. He stared at Su Hao with a complicated expression, then lowered his proud head. "I lost... I accept my defeat completely."
Su Hu understood that if this had been a fight to the death, he would already have died at Su Hao's hands. There was nothing he could do but accept that his opponent was stronger. He silently vowed to work twice as hard and win back everything he'd lost.
"You were generous."
Su Hao nodded slightly. Sometimes, displaying a certain level of strength really could put an end to a lot of trouble. After this fight with Su Hu, surely no one in the Su family would bother his household again!
As for defeating Su Hu, Su Hao didn't feel any sense of accomplishment or joy. With his temperament, he wouldn't take pleasure in bullying someone younger than himself.
After settling things with Su Hu, Su Hao didn't linger. He greeted Su Lie and went home for dinner, leaving the Su family disciples behind to discuss the fight they'd just witnessed.
"Su Hao... beat Su Hu?"
Su Yun, the family head, was among the first to learn that Su Hao had defeated Su Hu.
"There are no spots left this year. Next year... I'll secure another Martial Academy spot for Su Hao. His talent shouldn't be buried!"
Su Yun made up his mind. Su Hao had sold his Martial Academy spot for this year to Su Lie in exchange for silver, so Su Yun could only try to secure one for him next year. He regretted that he'd have to wait. The years before twenty were a golden age, and it was a real shame for Su Hao to lose a year!
Su Hao, of course, had no idea what Su Yun was thinking. He returned home and ate dinner with his mother and younger sister, while considering the next step in his training. Next, I'll practice Ape Form Fist.
Trading his Martial Academy spot for a large amount of resources right away had been well worth it to Su Hao. They could help him grow quickly. Otherwise, even if he'd gone to the Martial Academy this year, without enough resources he would still have needed a long time to build up his strength!
Those resources had played no small part in helping Su Hao bring Tiger Form Fist and Crane Form Fist to perfection and develop force in just half a year.
His fight with Su Hu had been no more than a minor interlude for Su Hao. The next day, after the rooster crowed three times and the sky had just begun to brighten, he washed up, got out of bed, and started a new day of training.
"Ape Form Fist is known for its agility. It strikes far and fast. Once mastered, its techniques become ever-changing, and force can flow through both arms, making them like whips and hammers. At the very edge of its range, it can deliver its most devastating blows. And as soon as you take up a weapon, it moves like an extension of your arm, whirling like a cape in a storm."
Su Hao stood in an open space, recalling the characteristics of Ape Form Fist.
Then he began practicing the stance training that went with Ape Form Fist. He shifted his legs between solid and empty, slightly hunched his back, and let his arms hang naturally at his sides, taking on the appearance of an old ape.
Su Hao had already brought Tiger Form Fist and Crane Form Fist to perfection. The five styles of Five Animals Fist complemented one another, altering the bones and sinews and gradually making the body more suited to unleash their power.
The year-end had passed. Su Yue and the other Su family disciples who had earned spots at the Martial Academy left Su Family Fort under the escort of the family elders, bound for the Martial Academy in Longshan City to register. Su Family Fort seemed much quieter afterward, but Su Hao paid no attention to such worldly matters, immersing himself in the study of martial arts.
Most days passed quietly and busily. Unexpected events were few and far between, and Su Hao's life was much the same.
The Flying Cloud Gang might seek revenge, so before he had enough strength to protect himself, Su Hao naturally stayed almost entirely within the bounds of Su Family Fort!
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half a year had passed. The year-end had come and gone.
On this day, Su Hao practiced Ape Form Fist in the back hills of Su Family Fort!
His movements grew faster and wilder, like a nimble white ape dancing madly in a rainstorm. His arms swung like whips and hammers, weaving a dense, impenetrable flurry. His robes snapped and cracked, his fists flashed like lightning and struck with the force of hammers, and the power behind his punches whipped up a gust of wind that seemed capable of sweeping away the rain curtain overhead.
If anyone else in the Su family saw the exquisite skill of this boxing style, they would be left dumbfounded. This Ape Form Fist, whirling like a cape, with mind and force in harmony and changes beyond measure, was the very sign of perfection!
"Ape Form Fist... perfected! This is the Ape Spirit Force that comes from perfecting it!"
After completing a full set of Ape Form Fist, Su Hao let out a long breath, calming his surging blood and energy as he felt the changes in his body. A sincere smile touched his lips.
Ape Spirit Force was swift as thunder and ever-changing, blending the solid with the empty. When the force gathered in both arms, the arms became whips and the fists hammers, allowing the user to unleash their most devastating power at the very edge of their range. It could also mix the solid with the empty, like an ape reaching for the moon: a punch that appeared weak actually concealed tremendous force, while one that seemed ferocious could be a feint, leaving an opponent unable to respond.
"Three different forces have formed inside me. Each has its own characteristics, but that's not all... they're attracting one another. That's the mystery of Five Animals Fist!"
After perfecting three of the Five Animals Fist styles, Su Hao noticed the changes in his body.
The three forces were clearly different, yet they seemed to draw one another in, as though they had always been one. A thought stirred in Su Hao's mind, and he deliberately urged the three forces to unite!
In that instant, the three forces merged. Su Hao's body trembled slightly, but there was no clash at all—the process was utterly smooth, as if this was how they had always been meant to come together. The three forces, each with its own distinct characteristics, fused perfectly, and their quality surged, as though they had undergone some kind of transformation.
With the power inside him swelling, Su Hao couldn't resist unleashing it. He gathered the united force in his arm, raised it, and suddenly punched into the air. Unlike the explosive crack that came when he'd used force before, this punch was utterly silent and seemed exceptionally slow!
In truth, its force was simply too heavy and powerful, distorting the senses. In reality, its speed and explosive power both far exceeded anything he'd achieved before.
Whoosh!
The punch struck empty air, but its powerful, domineering force seemed to make the air shudder, raising a gust of wind that sent the dust on the ground swirling. It was as if he had compressed the air and shoved it forward; a wooden chair Su Hao had been sitting on during his rest was blown over by the gust.
The force of this punch into empty air was more than several times greater than before! Even a boulder weighing a thousand catties would have been smashed to pieces by it!
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