Put Down the Wandering Dragon Steps

"Kid, are you deaf, or can't you understand plain speech? I told you to put down the Wandering Dragon Steps!"

As he spoke, the group came right up to Qin Hao. Seeing that Qin Hao still held the Wandering Dragon Steps manual, the arrogant youth's face darkened. "Put it down," he ordered.

"Sorry, I've already chosen the Wandering Dragon Steps. Pick another martial technique."

Qin Hao's voice was flat.

"You dare defy me?"

The arrogant youth smiled, but his gaze turned razor-sharp. "Kid, I'll say this one last time. Put down the Wandering Dragon Steps!"

"Idiot."

Qin Hao could not be bothered with him. Holding the three manuals, he walked straight toward the exit of the Martial Arts Hall.

"You dare insult me?! Do you know who I, Pei Yangrong, am?" The arrogant youth stepped forward and blocked Qin Hao's path.

"Who you are is none of my business. A good dog doesn't block the road. Move."

Qin Hao found it ridiculous. Without even asking what had happened, this youth had repeatedly ordered him to put down the Wandering Dragon Steps, as though he had every right.

At those words, the arrogant youth's face turned hideous.

Nearby, many new disciples browsing manuals were drawn by the commotion. When they noticed Pei Yangrong, one of them cried out.

"What? That's Pei Yangrong, the genius from Martial Extremity City!"

"Pei Yangrong placed second in Martial Extremity City's Genius Tournament! He's terrifyingly strong!"

"Who's that kid? How dare he go head-to-head with Pei Yangrong?"

The new disciples erupted in chatter.

Although the Initiation Trial had yet to begin, the new disciples had already ranked the geniuses with exceptional strength and talent.

Pei Yangrong was one of them.

Liu Ruoxue said coolly, "Qin Hao, you really are a fool. Pei Yangrong is not only exceptionally talented and powerful, but his elder brother, Pei Shan, is also a member of the outer hall's Enforcement Hall. If you had even a shred of sense, you'd read the situation and kneel to apologize!"

"Qin Hao?" Pei Yangrong's eyes narrowed. "You're Qin Hao, that piece of trash from Tianshui City with a First-Grade Martial Soul?"

"So you were the one who used a Secret Art on the Ninth Side Peak to release pressure comparable to a Fourth-Grade Martial Soul and deceive my brother?"

"Kid, do you know what you've done? You dared deceive my brother. Your nerve knows no bounds, and you deserve to die ten thousand times!"

By then, Pei Yangrong's voice had turned icy.

"What? He has a First-Grade Martial Soul?"

"How... How did someone with a mere First-Grade Martial Soul get into the Myriad Phenomena Hall?"

More and more new disciples gathered around, each looking at Qin Hao with surprise and disbelief.

Qin Hao might well be the first person with a First-Grade Martial Soul to enter the Myriad Phenomena Hall!

Pei Yangrong sneered at Qin Hao. "Trash like you, with your First-Grade Martial Soul, could never master the Yellow Tier high-rank Wandering Dragon Steps."

"I'll give you one last chance. Put down the Wandering Dragon Steps, kneel, and apologize to me. Then I might spare your miserable life!"

Many of the new disciples around them nodded to themselves.

A Martial Soul was tied to comprehension. The higher its grade, the stronger one's comprehension.

If Qin Hao truly had only a First-Grade Martial Soul, there was almost no chance he could master the Wandering Dragon Steps!

Besides, Qin Hao could not compare to Pei Yangrong at all.

Once the Initiation Trial began, Qin Hao's life might even be in danger.

Killing was permitted in the Initiation Trial!

"I told you, I've already chosen the Wandering Dragon Steps. As for whether I can master it... what the hell is that to you?"

Qin Hao looked at Pei Yangrong as though he were an idiot, utterly unfazed by his killing intent. "Stop ordering people around as if you're above them. Didn't your parents ever tell you there are skies beyond the sky and people beyond people?"

"If you want to curry favor with the Lei family and Liu Ruoxue, that's your business. But if you want to use me to get in with the Lei family, sorry to disappoint you!"

Pei Yangrong flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead. "Qin Hao, trash like you dares speak to me that way? Fine. Do you dare make a wager with me?"

"You want the Wandering Dragon Steps, don't you? Then we'll wager on who can comprehend more of it in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. The winner takes the Wandering Dragon Steps!"

"Why would I bet with you?"

Qin Hao looked at Pei Yangrong as though he were an idiot.

"You..."

Pei Yangrong choked on his words. His face darkened, and he shouted, "Five hundred Contribution Points!"

"It costs five hundred Contribution Points to exchange for the Wandering Dragon Steps. If you win, I'll pay the five hundred myself. If you lose, I won't ask for your Contribution Points. You only have to hand over the Wandering Dragon Steps!"

"Qin Hao, if I wagered five hundred Contribution Points against you, trash like you would know you'd lose and never dare accept. But now, even if you lose, all you have to do is hand over the Wandering Dragon Steps. You wouldn't still have the nerve to refuse, would you?"

"If you refuse even this, stop making a spectacle of yourself at the Myriad Phenomena Hall. Go home and be a spineless nobody."

The crowd burst into an uproar.

Even first place in the Genius Tournament awarded only a thousand Contribution Points. Pei Yangrong staking five hundred was no small bet!

And losing meant nothing more than handing over the Wandering Dragon Steps!

Pei Yangrong looked at Qin Hao with confidence. He had a Fourth-Grade Wood-Attribute Martial Soul, and the Wandering Dragon Steps was one of the best wood-attribute movement martial techniques among Yellow Tier high-rank techniques. It suited him exceptionally well, so cultivating it would bring twice the result with half the effort.

That was why Pei Yangrong was so confident. Given the time it took an incense stick to burn, he was certain he could grasp the basics of the Wandering Dragon Steps!

"You want the Wandering Dragon Steps that badly?" Qin Hao stopped, his interest piqued. "If you're so eager to lose five hundred Contribution Points, I can oblige. But since you're so confident, let's raise the stakes..."

"On top of the five hundred Contribution Points..."

"Whoever loses is banned from the Martial Arts Hall for life!"

"Well, Young Master Pei? Do you dare?"

At those words, the entire first floor of the Martial Arts Hall fell silent as a graveyard.

Pei Yangrong froze too. His earlier arrogance and confidence vanished as he stared at Qin Hao in disbelief.

Qin Hao smiled faintly. "What's wrong, Pei Yangrong? Are you afraid?"

"Banned from the Martial Arts Hall for life?"

Silence gripped the Martial Arts Hall.

Even Pei Yangrong caught his breath.

But after a moment of stillness, the hall erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha... Did I hear that right? This guy proposed a lifetime ban from the Martial Arts Hall?"

"He's trash with a First-Grade Martial Soul. Where did he get the nerve?"

"Does he think that'll scare Pei Yangrong off? He has no idea how firm a true genius's heart for martial arts is. Qin Hao doesn't know what he's talking about!"

The Martial Arts Hall stood at the very heart of the Myriad Phenomena Hall.

It was vital to both outer hall and inner hall disciples.

Being barred from it for life meant it would be difficult to choose martial techniques suited to oneself!

It was practically the same as cutting off one's path of cultivation!