Mutual Harm, Who's Afraid of Whom! (Revised)

"Four Key Universities." Wang Hao narrowed his eyes as he flipped through the memories in his mind.

The Four Key Universities were the most powerful among the civilian universities, but getting in was like crossing a single-plank bridge with thousands of troops and horses.

Still, if you were selected, it meant countless job opportunities after graduation.

And his father had come from one of those Four Key Universities—Tianbei University.

He was the brightest star in Tianbei University's history, and the most dazzling civilian prodigy in the entire Interstellar Federation.

But heaven was jealous of geniuses; seven years had passed, and he was still missing.

"That old man back then, he swept through the entire Royal Academy with just a spear, beat those noble prodigies until they had no temper left, and made the Royal Academy lose all face, didn't he!"

Wang Hao thought it over and felt that the reason he'd been kicked out of the Royal Academy must have something to do with that old man. But if the old man provoked them and made them lose face, they should go settle accounts with him—what did it have to do with Wang Hao?

"Ah, forget it. Kicked out is kicked out." Wang Hao sighed, then snorted coldly. "But this debt isn't settled. Since that old man could sweep through the entire Royal Academy, then I won't just sweep through it—I'll tear the Royal Academy down."

Before long, Wang Hao returned to the home in his memory.

But the moment he opened the door, he instantly felt terrible. The place was littered with smelly socks and dirty clothes, the trash probably hadn't been taken out for days, and there was a pungent odor in the air.

Especially when his stomach growled and he found a bag of cookies, only to realize they were long expired.

"Unlucky Egg, what kind of life were you living!?"

Wang Hao rubbed his forehead, feeling sorry for this unlucky guy. Who would have thought that the son of a Marshal could be so crushed by those nobles?

Helpless, he tapped the Smart Bracelet on his wrist—a standard-issue smart computer for all Interstellar Federation members. It stored the owner's identity information and could also be used as a computer, very convenient.

When Wang Hao checked the bank account balance, he immediately lost his composure. This unlucky guy's total savings were less than five hundred bucks.

And with the interstellar era already underway, the population was countless, leading to inflation. Five hundred bucks was equivalent to about five bucks in his past life.

"Is it possible that before I even rise up, I'll starve to death on the streets!?" Wang Hao sighed to the heavens.

"Forget it. What's the use of blaming the Unlucky Egg? Now he and I are one person. Blaming him is blaming myself. Let's just cultivate first!" Wang Hao sighed, took out a Level One Potential Pill, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged on the messy bed.

"Wu Yao Heavenly Demon Art, beginning infusion." The system's voice rang out.

"Rumble!!"

In an instant, a massive flood of information poured into Wang Hao's mind like a tidal wave. Every Meridian in his body appeared clearly in his thoughts, and the secrets of how the technique circulated were laid bare before him.

"What a powerful technique!" A look of shock flickered in Wang Hao's eyes.

His father had been a Marshal-level figure, so Wang Hao had seen a bit of the world. He knew something about whether a cultivation technique was powerful or not.

To judge a technique's quality, first you looked at how much spiritual energy from the heavens and earth it could absorb.

Second, you checked whether it could quickly solidify the foundation. If the foundation wasn't solid, the absorbed spiritual energy would definitely burst a person apart.

But this Wu Yao Heavenly Demon Art not only absorbed spiritual energy quickly, it also rapidly stabilized the foundation.

Combined with the Level One Potential Pill, it allowed for immediate breakthroughs—one level after another—without needing time to polish the foundation.

"Boom!"

After receiving the system's infusion, Wang Hao was thoroughly familiar with the Wu Yao Heavenly Demon Art. He entered a meditative state instantly, his mind empty and serene.

As time passed, the spiritual energy drifting through the air surged into his body, continuously strengthening his flesh.

In the cultivation system, the physical body was the foundation of everything and had to be rigorously tempered at all times.

During the Martial Apprentice stage, cultivation relied solely on using spiritual energy to refine the body. After the body was strengthened nine times, one could shift from external to internal training, begin opening the Meridians inside the body, reach the Martial Master stage, and gain the ability to use Hidden Force.

Cultivation knew no passage of time; a night passed in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

When the sun came out, Wang Hao's body trembled. A terrifying stream of energy burst from within, blasting everything around him away.

Wang Hao opened his eyes, a flash of golden light flickering with dazzling brilliance.

"Martial Apprentice, fifth level. As expected of a divine technique from the system—it's truly incredible." Wang Hao sighed with emotion. If he were on a higher-level planet, he'd probably have broken through in just a few hours, no need for an entire night.

You see, a planet's level determined the density of spiritual energy in its heavens and earth.

On a Level One Planet like Earth, the spiritual energy was pitifully weak.

But if you went to Emperor Star, the only Level 6 Planet in the Interstellar Federation, the spiritual energy there fell like a gentle drizzle, never ceasing.

"Emperor Star, I'll return sooner or later."

Wang Hao clenched his fist, a resolute light shining in his eyes. Emperor Star was where he was born, where his childhood lay, and where his home was.

But after his father went missing back then, he was driven out of the Marshal's mansion.

Still, he believed that when he returned, those who had stolen his family's property would regret ever being born.

"Damn, I'm going to be late."

Wang Hao glanced at the time, scrambled to his feet, and dashed toward Eleventh High School.

If he wanted to tear down the Royal Academy or get justice from those who bullied him, he first had to get into the Four Key Universities. So he absolutely couldn't miss today's school assembly.

On the way, Wang Hao learned from the system how to earn Villain Points.

First, it could stir up a sense of justice in others, making them represent Justice in eliminating the evil version of himself.

Of course, he could also avoid lifting a finger—earning points through public scorn alone would be easy enough.

But the points gained from being scorned wouldn't be much; the advantage, however, was that it could spread far and wide, achieving a chain effect of one telling ten, and ten telling a hundred.

Second, he could commit some misdeeds. Depending on their severity, he'd earn generous points—especially for shady dealings, which could even net him titles, a nice bonus. Yet, picking a fight with someone for no reason didn't seem like something he could bring himself to do.

Third, he could play the sly old fox, setting traps to screw people over. The more impressive the victim, the more points he'd rake in, and there might even be a Super Value Gift Pack thrown in.

But to successfully set up a scheme, he'd need not only top-tier intelligence but also plenty of patience and subordinates to carry out orders. The downside was that the whole cycle took too long.

Of these three methods, Wang Hao felt only the first suited him; the other two could only serve as supplements.

"Sigh, from today on, I'm going to become a shameless bastard who saves the world but gets cursed by a thousand fingers." Wang Hao let out a sigh, sensing that he'd have to stay on high alert, facing all kinds of challenges—otherwise, he might really be burned alive as a villain.

"Actually, we're just on different paths, so we don't scheme together. In your eyes, I'm the villain; in my eyes, you're the villain too. And the one who laughs last is the true arch-villain. Since that's the case, let's hurt each other!"

A gleam of sacred light flickered in Wang Hao's eyes. He decided to grow amid others' misunderstanding and scorn, forging a path of self-strengthening that could weather any storm.