"Clang! Clang! Clang! Squelch!"
Yang Lianting was worthy of his place among the upper ranks of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. He was considerably stronger than the other three brocade-clad youths who had died. Wang Hao had killed each of the others with a single strike, but Yang Lianting had blocked three moves before a sword pierced his heart.
"You saw through my sword... swordsmanship!"
Only as he was dying did Yang Lianting realize why Wang Hao's strength had suddenly soared. Wang Hao had pinpointed the flaws in each of the three moves he had just unleashed, greatly reducing their power, and killed him on the fourth move.
What he didn't understand was why, if Wang Hao had seen through the flaws in his swordsmanship, he had gone to the trouble of fighting them earlier. Wouldn't it have been better to kill them outright?
Yang Lianting could never have imagined that Wang Hao possessed such monstrous talent in the sword, enough to see through the flaws in an opponent's swordsmanship during a fight.
"Letting you die so quickly was getting off easy!"
Wang Hao pulled out his greatsword and flicked the blood from it. Looking at Yang Lianting, who had died with his eyes open, he wore an icy expression.
"Haha... as expected of a genius even Elder Chu holds in high regard. You're truly extraordinary!"
The balding elder's expression turned as sinister as could be as he watched Yang Lianting, whom he had valued and entrusted with great responsibility, get killed. Yet he suddenly burst out laughing, turned to Zhao Fengxue beside him, and said with a sinister smile, "Old ghost Zhao, do you dare wager again? I'll put up a million taels of silver against my Mysterious Water Sword."
He had no choice. He absolutely could not afford to lose the Mysterious Water Sword, or his strength would take a tremendous blow, falling by at least half.
More importantly, the Mysterious Water Sword had been the personal weapon of Mystic Water Hall's successive hall masters. It had almost become a symbol of their status and held extraordinary significance.
Of course, precious as the sword was, it wasn't worth a million taels of silver. His other purpose in making the offer was to find another chance to eliminate Wang Hao, a junior with terrifying potential.
Otherwise, once Wang Hao grew up, it was practically inevitable that he would become a Grandmaster-level expert.
Blood Wind Hall already had Zhao Dachui, who possessed Grandmaster-level potential. Add this even more monstrous brat and Zhao Fengxue himself, and that made three Grandmaster-level experts.
That would be a tremendous threat to their halls, so they had to get rid of Wang Hao as soon as possible, killing him before he grew up.
"How do you want to wager?"
Zhao Fengxue grew interested and decided to hear what the balding elder had in mind.
"It's simple. Let that brat face a killing formation laid by my Mystic Water Hall's yellow-rank killers, alone with just his sword. If he makes it through, I'll hand over a million taels of silver with both hands."
The balding elder made it sound simple and said nothing about the consequences of failing to break through, because failure could only end in death.
"Brat, you decide!"
Zhao Fengxue's expression grew grave. Rather than agreeing at once, he left the choice to Wang Hao.
Wang Hao had given him quite a few surprises today, and he couldn't even tell whether this was the other man's limit.
The challenge the balding elder had proposed was no simple matter. All of Mystic Water Hall's yellow-rank killers would form a great formation, one that even a Super-First-Rate expert would risk dying in.
Wang Hao was strong, but he might not actually be able to get through such a formation.
"Sure! I'll take on the formation in three days!"
Zhao Fengxue had expected Wang Hao to think it over, but to his surprise, Wang Hao agreed without a second thought, looking excited and eager.
"Xiao San, Mystic Water Hall has more than four hundred yellow-rank killers stationed there. If they set up a killing formation, even I might not make it out. Think it over carefully."
Zhao Dachui couldn't help offering a well-meant warning, his expression tinged with worry.
He was no stranger to killing formations. Blood Wind Hall had one too, and he had even experienced it once. The memory was unbearable.
He didn't want Wang Hao to lose his life over this. That would be far too great a loss.
"Don't worry, Chief. I know what I'm doing."
Wang Hao nodded gratefully but stuck to his decision, evidently having some confidence in himself.
"Good! Heroes truly do emerge among the young! I'll be waiting at Mystic Water Hall in three days for you to take on the formation."
The balding elder shot Wang Hao a sinister glare, then swept his sleeve and left.
He didn't understand why Wang Hao had agreed so readily or what trump card he possessed, but he had great confidence in his subordinates.
Even a killing formation made up of yellow-rank killers was enough to threaten a Super-First-Rate expert. Wang Hao was strong, but he couldn't contend with a killing formation of four hundred people.
When the time came, the brat would die of exhaustion if nothing else!
"Hall Master Zhao, we're also willing to wager a million taels of silver under the same conditions as Hall Master Fu Lin. Do you dare accept?"
The other three hall masters who had lost their swords exchanged glances and one after another proposed wagers with Zhao Fengxue to win their weapons back.
They had already thought it through. The three of them joining in would serve as insurance. If Wang Hao used some trump card to get through Fu Lin's killing formation at Mystic Water Hall, the three of them could set up killing formations of their own and kill that monstrous junior.
Even if Wang Hao saw the difficulty and backed down, they would lose nothing and could instead take the opportunity to win back their swords.
"You three old fellows have your abacuses clacking away, but this isn't mine to decide. You'll have to ask that brat."
How could Zhao Fengxue not see what the three were thinking? He gave a mocking laugh and once again left the choice to Wang Hao.
The three hall masters turned to Wang Hao, waiting for his decision.
"It's not impossible for me to agree to take on your formations, but what's in it for me?"
Wang Hao was somewhat tempted, but he wasn't about to agree rashly.
After all, they were wagering with that old fellow Zhao Fengxue. Even if Wang Hao won, he wouldn't get a share of the million taels of silver, so he naturally had to seek some other benefit.
And the reason he had agreed so readily to Mystic Water Hall Master Fu Lin's wager earlier, aside from some personal reasons, was to lure these three old fellows into taking the bait.
Sure enough, the three old fellows had taken the bait.
"What kind of benefit do you want? As long as it isn't excessive, I can agree to it."
Seeing that Wang Hao was tempted, the three hall masters were secretly delighted. After a moment's thought, they readily made a generous offer.
As far as they were concerned, Wang Hao was already a dead man. No matter how enormous a benefit they promised, they wouldn't have to deliver it, so they had nothing to lose.
"Hall Master, please make the arrangements for me!"
Wang Hao did not speak for himself on the matter, instead leaving the choice to Zhao Fengxue.
After all, he had only recently joined Blood Robe Tower and knew little about the three halls or what treasures they possessed. Naturally, he could only let Zhao Fengxue choose and speak for him.
Besides, he trusted Zhao Fengxue's judgment. Whatever he chose would certainly be best suited to Wang Hao.
"You little rascal!"
Zhao Fengxue laughed and scolded him, but he didn't refuse. After a moment's thought, he said, "One purple lingzhi, one thousand-year blood ginseng, and one supreme-grade Tianshan snow lotus. Just those three things. Work out how to provide them among yourselves."
"Zhao Fengxue, you've had your eye on my medicine stores for a long time, haven't you?"
One of them, a short, stout elder, glared furiously at Zhao Fengxue. Those three spirit medicines were precisely the treasures he had acquired with great difficulty. He had thought everything was watertight, but somehow word had still leaked out, and Zhao Fengxue had found out.
"If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place! You three can discuss it among yourselves. Without those three spirit medicines in the wager, I won't agree to let the brat take on your formations. I might even persuade him not to take on old fellow Fu Lin's killing formation either!"
Zhao Fengxue leisurely sipped the Dahongpao tea in his cup, showing no sign of haste. By the end, his words carried a hint of a threat.
He was certain the three old fellows would agree!
"Don't be angry, Hall Master Guo. It's only a formality anyway. Even if something does go wrong, I can compensate you for the corresponding loss."
The other two hall masters hurried to placate him. They had finally managed to lure the brat into taking the bait; they couldn't let all their efforts fall short for want of one final basket of earth.
"Hmph! I'll see how you get through the formations!"
Hall Master Guo shot Zhao Fengxue and Wang Hao a resentful glance, then turned and left in a rage.
The other hall masters exchanged glances and followed, their faces gloomy.
Their losses today had been enormous. Not only had they lost the yellow-rank killers with the greatest potential under their command, they had also lost their shares of this year's dividends.
Those dividends amounted to over a million taels of silver!
Just like that, it was gone. How could they feel good about it?
Worse still, Blood Wind Hall had gained such a monster, and he posed too great a threat to them.
Fortunately, the monstrous brat was courting death himself. Although they didn't understand what gave him such confidence, the killing formations of four great halls were not so easy to get through.
No matter what trump cards the brat had, if he really went in, he would be crippled if he didn't die, and he would no longer pose a threat.
Even so, today's losses still made their flesh ache!
Leaving aside the hall masters' miserable departure, Zhao Fengxue gestured to Wang Hao and Zhao Dachui, then entered a pavilion at the edge of the training ground.
"Are you really confident you can get through a killing formation laid by hundreds of people? You should know this is nothing like the playing house you did with us before. They'll be coming at you with real blades and spears."
Inside the pavilion, Zhao Fengxue sat in the seat of honor and looked seriously at Wang Hao.
He knew about Wang Hao's training progress over the past half month. The yellow-rank killers had used the cooperative methods of a killing formation when sparring with him, but that was only the most rudimentary application, and their weapons had all been unsharpened.
But old fellow Fu Lin wouldn't let his subordinates use unsharpened weapons. They couldn't possibly all wield divine weapons, but their blades would at least be of the hundredfold-refined iron grade.
With Wang Hao's current mastery of the Golden Bell Shield, he couldn't withstand strikes from weapons that sharp, so doing this was truly very risky.
"I know. That's why I said I'd take on the formation in three days!"
Wang Hao nodded seriously. The reason he had left himself three days was to make some preparations and have some things forged.
Once those things were made, let alone a killing formation of four hundred, he could force his way through one of four thousand.
"Oh?"
Zhao Fengxue looked at Wang Hao in surprise. After a moment's thought, he didn't ask what trump card Wang Hao had. Instead, he waved a hand generously and said, "For these three days, you can use any of Blood Wind Hall's resources. Don't die in the battle against the formation three days from now!"
With that, Zhao Fengxue gave Wang Hao a long look, then flashed away.
He had said and done everything he needed to. The rest was up to the brat.
He hoped the brat would give him another surprise in three days.
"Xiao Sanzi, come on, tell me. What method makes you so confident?"
After his father left, Zhao Dachui couldn't help asking out of curiosity.
"You'll find out when the time comes!"
Wang Hao smiled mysteriously, evidently unwilling to reveal his trump card ahead of time.
"How boring!"
Having gotten nowhere, Zhao Dachui waved a hand gloomily, but he didn't press the question.
"Enough about me. How are things with sister-in-law? And your back..."
Sensing the awkwardness, Wang Hao changed the subject, looking teasingly at Zhao Dachui's lower back as he spoke.
He had seen Sun Ruonan's strength with his own eyes that day. In terms of sheer power, even now he was far below her. He even suspected that she could contend with a Grandmaster-level expert using her physical body alone.
Last time, a single hug had nearly snapped the waist of Zhao Dachui, a Super-First-Rate expert. That showed just how terrifyingly fierce she was.
Meeting such a violent wife really was one of life's great sorrows!
"Don't remind me. I still haven't fully recovered!"
Zhao Dachui had been fine until it came up, but at the mention of it, his face filled with misery. He subconsciously rubbed his poor lower back, which was still aching faintly.
"Chief, why don't you train in the Golden Bell Shield with me? Never mind how much stronger it makes you; at least it'll give you a sturdy body, so sister-in-law doesn't get excited and squeeze your back in two when you're being intimate someday."
Wang Hao made the suggestion with a grin.
"Forget it. Compared to that, working hard to break through to the Acquired Grandmaster Realm is more reliable. Then I can form protective Gang Qi to improve my defense too."
Zhao Dachui rolled his eyes, evidently uninterested in developing his external skills. He then reached out and patted Wang Hao on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "And stop calling me Chief, brat. Just call me Brother Chui."
He knew how highly his father regarded the brat. For all he knew, the brat really might become the next hall master of Blood Wind Hall, so it was necessary to build a good relationship with him.