"Um... all these dishes are ready, and it'll be a waste not to eat them. What do you think...?"
Only Wang Hao and Zhao Fengrou remained there, along with the waiters carrying the plates. Wang Hao stared fixedly at the dishes in the waiters' hands and licked his lips. His meaning was plain enough.
Replenishing his energy was secondary. The food here simply tasted too good; even after eating for most of the day, he still hadn't grown tired of it.
"Whimper! Whimper!"
On the dining table, Little Erha's big belly stuck out as his little eyes stared just as fixedly at the dishes, his little tongue licking his nose back and forth. Unfortunately, his little belly was too full to hold another bite.
"Didn't you just say you couldn't eat anymore?"
Zhao Fengrou looked at Wang Hao's bulging belly in puzzlement, unable to understand what was going on with him.
He also knew that some people with formidable martial skills could eat a great deal. For instance, True Person Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Sect was rumored to have been able to eat an entire cow in one sitting when the nation was founded.
Battlefield generals who specialized in hard-body arts could likewise eat a great deal, but none were as outrageous as this kid.
"I digest food pretty quickly. Haven't you noticed my belly's already gotten a size smaller? I feel like I can eat a little more."
Wang Hao rubbed his bulging belly and spoke rather sheepishly.
Of course, he had deliberately made his belly bulge.
Ever since awakening his storage Bloodline Divine Ability, his stomach could hold up to three cubic meters of things at once. Although he had eaten plenty of dishes, once the moisture was squeezed out, they didn't add up to three cubic meters.
It would have been too outrageous for him to eat so much and still have nothing wrong with his belly. Even though he'd visited the privy several times in between, it would have been hard to explain, so he'd made his belly bulge to make it a little more plausible.
"..."
Zhao Fengrou and the surrounding workers were collectively speechless. Was this something fast digestion could explain?
"Go on in first. I have something to take care of."
Zhao Fengrou brought Wang Hao to the Blood Robe Tower headquarters, led him to a hall, and left after saying that.
Wang Hao didn't think much of it. With his greatsword and a bundle on his back and Little Erha, whose belly was round from eating, in his arms, he strode into the hall.
As soon as he entered, he saw an old man sitting upright in the seat of honor. At first sight of him, Wang Hao's pupils involuntarily contracted.
This was a powerful expert, second only to Dugu Qiubai among the experts he had met. The man had also comprehended Sword Intent.
"Are you the person Dachui sent here?"
The old man took a sip of tea from his cup and spoke mildly.
"Dachui? Uh! Senior, I may have entered the wrong room. Sorry, I'll leave right away."
Wang Hao was utterly baffled. After thinking carefully, he was sure he had never met anyone named Dachui, so he guessed he might have come to the wrong place... no, Zhao Fengrou, that woman, must have sent him to the wrong place.
"Dachui is this old man's son!"
The old man looked equally baffled. Once he recovered, he explained in a deep voice.
"But I don't know your son either!"
After giving that puzzled reply, Wang Hao hurried out of the hall. He looked back at the plaque above it, engraved with the three large characters for Blood Wind Hall, and muttered inwardly.
This can't be right!
Inside the hall, the old man was baffled once again. After a good while, he chuckled. "Interesting kid!"
Outside, Wang Hao wandered around with Little Erha in his arms, looking for Leader Zhao's father and Zhao Fengrou.
He didn't find Leader Zhao's father, but he found Zhao Fengrou first. She was talking to someone.
"Why did you come out so soon?"
Hearing the movement behind her, Zhao Fengrou turned and saw Wang Hao, feeling quite puzzled.
"Don't even mention it. You brought me to the wrong place. There was an old fellow in that hall, all right, but he was waiting for someone sent over by a man named Dachui. It wasn't me at all."
Wang Hao was rather depressed. He had thought an assassin organization as famous throughout the world as the Blood Robe Tower would be extremely rigorous and strict, but who would have thought such a mix-up would happen on his very first day?
What the hell was this?
"Huh?"
Zhao Fengrou froze, then looked behind Wang Hao and smiled. "Father, you've come out!"
"Greetings, Hall... why is it you?"
Wang Hao hurriedly turned to greet him, but when he saw who was behind him, his mind went blank. It was the same old man he had seen in the hall.
"Why aren't you calling me an old fellow anymore?"
The old man stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Wang Hao with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Cold sweat broke out all over Wang Hao.
The old man was the current hall master of the Blood Wind Hall and Zhao Fengrou's father, Zhao Fengxue. He also served as an elder of the Blood Robe Tower.
"Hall Master, please let me explain. Actually..."
Wang Hao went pale and was about to explain, but Zhao Fengxue cut him off. "Fight me. If you can last ten breaths against me, we'll let this matter drop. If you can't, you can wait to be fed to the dogs!"
"Uh! All right, but please wait a moment, Hall Master. I ate a little too much just now. Let me digest it first."
Wang Hao also knew his ultimate test was coming. Whether he could truly join the Blood Robe Tower and use its resources to grow depended on this fight.
He did have some complaints, though. He had never imagined that the ever-suave Leader Zhao would have such a crude, lousy name. No wonder the man had never been willing to reveal his real name.
With that, he bent down and put Little Erha and the bundle from his back on the ground. Then he pressed both hands lightly against his bulging belly and rubbed it flat.
After all, the coming fight was bound to be brutal. He didn't want his belly getting in the way.
This was an assassin organization, after all. If he couldn't last ten breaths, he didn't doubt for a moment that the old man would chop him up and feed him to the dogs.
So he had to get himself into peak condition!
Xiao Mengmeng, keep an eye on things. If I really can't hold on, help me activate the Dao Comprehension Function to boost my fighting strength.
As he prepared, Wang Hao called out to Xiao Mengmeng in his mind.
Although he was certain Zhao Fengxue wouldn't go all out and that lasting ten breaths against him wouldn't be much of a problem, he wasn't afraid of ten thousand possibilities, only the one that might happen. It never hurt to be more prepared.
The Dao Comprehension Function wasn't just useful for cultivation; it could also be a tremendous help in battle, at the very least giving his fighting strength a substantial boost.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'll keep an eye on things."
Xiao Mengmeng, who was watching Boonie Bears in the System Space, replied casually. Clearly not taking the matter to heart, Xiao Mengmeng remained wholly focused on the Boonie Bears cartoon.
"Hall Master, here I come. Be careful!"
After loosening his limbs, Wang Hao drew the greatsword from his back. Without offering to let his opponent strike first, he immediately unleashed Two Armies Facing Off, the move with the greatest explosive power from a standstill. The sharp greatsword swept upward from below with tremendous force.
"Somewhat interesting!"
Seeing Wang Hao's slash, Zhao Fengxue grew somewhat interested. He joined two fingers like a sword, condensed a strand of Sword Qi, and pointed it at the blade of Wang Hao's incoming greatsword.
Clang!
His two fingers, wrapped in Sword Qi, struck the edge of the greatsword with a dull metallic clang. Wang Hao felt a tremendous force travel through the blade, nearly knocking the greatsword from his hands.
"Sweep Away a Thousand Troops!"
Without the slightest hesitation, he spun and swung the greatsword in a horizontal slash, executing Sweep Away a Thousand Troops from the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle.
Yet Zhao Fengxue blocked the move with those same two sword fingers. He even sent out a strand of Sword Qi that cut Wang Hao's cheek. Had Wang Hao not dodged in time, a hole might have been punched through his entire head.
Without a trace of fear, Wang Hao continued his furious assault with the greatsword, attacking desperately and abandoning his own defense entirely.
Against an expert whose cultivation was unquestionably above Super-First-Rate, he was no match even if the man wasn't using his full strength. Defending himself would make little difference, so he might as well attack with everything he had and try to last ten breaths.
Of course, Wang Hao also used his True Spirit Sword Intent to focus intently on Zhao Fengxue's two sword fingers.
Although his opponent was only using his fingers to respond, it was still a kind of swordsmanship.
And as long as it was swordsmanship, it was very much to his advantage.
Whether because of the True Spirit Sword Intent or the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, he didn't know, but once Wang Hao entered a fighting state, his mind and will would focus intensely. He forgot everything about himself and threw his whole being into the fight.
What Wang Hao didn't know was that, as the fight continued, the Bloodline Power within him began to stir. It rapidly consumed the stamina converted from the dishes he had eaten to strengthen his body, increasing its strength bit by bit and gradually bringing it close to a minor bottleneck in its current state.
Ten breaths quickly passed. Though Zhao Fengxue's Sword Qi had left cuts all over Wang Hao, they were only flesh wounds and nothing serious.
Wang Hao seemed to have entered a state of sudden enlightenment, and his assault continued without pause. At the same time, the force-circulation method that accelerated food digestion began running on its own, driven by his Bloodline Power. It sped up the digestion of the dishes he had eaten, converting them into energy and nutrients to strengthen his body.
"This kid is actually using me to break through in his cultivation!"
Zhao Fengxue had a remarkably sharp eye and saw Wang Hao's state at a glance. He wasn't annoyed, however. Instead, he appreciated the boy and cooperated with him.
Part of the reason he had made a move this time was Wang Hao's earlier disrespect, but more than that, he wanted to test the kid and see whether he was truly the monstrous talent his son had described.
If he really was, and if his character proved dependable, they would have to devote every resource to nurturing him.
And from the look of it now, the kid's talent was indeed impressive.
"Reign Over the World!"
Suddenly, Wang Hao's presence surged to its peak. With a furious roar, he unleashed the strongest killing move of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle, its final stance: Reign Over the World.
The greatsword in his hands thrust straight at Zhao Fengxue with unstoppable, savage force. It also carried an iron-blooded air that made one feel as though they stood on a battlefield where two armies clashed.
"He really broke through?"
Zhao Fengxue was astonished. Though surprised that Wang Hao had entered a state of sudden enlightenment during the fight, he hadn't expected him to actually break through.
Surprised as he was, his response was swift. Once again, he condensed a strand of Sword Qi around his sword fingers and pointed them at the tip of Wang Hao's incoming sword.
Clang!
The sword fingers wrapped in Sword Qi collided once more with the greatsword bearing its savage force, producing a metallic clang far duller than before.
The power of this collision was greater than ever. Wang Hao was sent flying, only coming to a stop after crashing into and cracking a wall. Both hands gripping the greatsword were covered in blood, the skin between his thumbs and forefingers evidently split by the impact.
Wang Hao didn't care, however. On the contrary, he was delighted, because he had broken through.
Not only had his physical cultivation broken through, but his mastery of the Ten Stances of Bloody Battle had also reached a new level.
"Ten breaths have passed. You pass this time. Nine Five Two Seven, take him to have a file made. From now on, he'll be under your command."
Standing with his hands behind his back, Zhao Fengxue gave the order mildly to a young man who had accompanied him here.
"Come with me!"
The young man called Nine Five Two Seven glanced mildly at Wang Hao, then turned and left.
"Hall Master, what are the benefits like in our Blood Wind Hall? I don't care about the five social insurances and housing fund, as long as you provide my meals. I want meat at every meal."
Wang Hao knew he had passed, so he scampered over and stated his terms.
He could do without anything else, but food was absolutely indispensable.
"Haha... you're the first person to make demands of this old man. But don't worry, the Wind and Snow Hall definitely won't shortchange you. I guarantee you'll have meat at every meal!"
Zhao Fengxue froze for a moment, then laughed heartily. He really did find the kid interesting.
The boy was indeed qualified to make demands, and his terms weren't unreasonable either. He only wanted meat at every meal, which their Blood Wind Hall could still afford to provide.
But when Zhao Fengrou heard this, her expression turned strange, and she couldn't help warning him. "Father, this kid's appetite is downright uncanny. You'd better be careful."