"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted in the cafeteria, no one could contain it any longer.
Just a few days ago, when Song Tianming came looking for trouble with Shi Hao, wasn't Shi Hao also suffering from damaged leg meridians, making it difficult for him to walk? Yet no one saw you, Song Tianming, show any mercy.
Not to mention, Shi Hao's arm meridians were also injured at the time.
And now you're the one crying foul?
Song Tianming also realized that the man in front of him was likewise "crippled".
What sympathy could you possibly garner by complaining to a disabled person?
Song Tianming felt incredibly wronged, he was clearly the one who had been injured, so why did no one sympathize with him?
"Attack, take him down for me!" But his viciousness was immediately apparent.
He was the young master of the Song Family; did he really need to worry about whether he had a just cause or not?
Originally, since Shi Hao was already a "cripple", he didn't bother to openly bully him, as he was someone who cared about face—more importantly, Shi Hao was quite popular with the female students at the academy, and anyone who openly bullied him would become the public enemy of the girls.
Song Tianming, arrogantly confident in his own suaveness, certainly did not want to become the rat crossing the street in the eyes of the girls.
But now, Shi Hao had broken one of his legs, so it was no longer a matter of face.
Suddenly, the six men behind him stepped forward, closing in on Shi Hao.
"Six against one, how shameless!" Immediately, some girls voiced their dissatisfaction on behalf of Shi Hao.
"That's right, and Shi Hao even has injured meridians, you're just bullying!"
"Quick, go inform the teachers!"
A few girls were about to slip out to call the academy's teachers to the scene.
"Who dares!" Song Tianming said coldly, his gaze sweeping around the room, "Whoever dares let out a word about what happens here today will be declaring themselves an enemy of the Song Family!"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent at once.
The Song Family, one of the Five Great Noble Families in the city, had a martial master in their ranks, and the Five Great Noble Families controlled ninety percent of the city's economy. Being an enemy of the Song Family meant you wouldn't necessarily be attacked directly; you could simply be starved to death or impoverished to death by their economic clout.
Here, all were students of the People Character Courtyard, none with powerful backgrounds, so they dared not oppose the Song Family. Even if not for themselves, they had to consider their families, right?
Song Tianming smirked disparagingly; these people were so despicable, forcing him to invoke his family's name.
At that moment, his six lackeys had already surrounded Shi Hao.
Among the six, one was an intermediate martial disciple from the Earth Character Courtyard, Wang Qian, who came to help because the Wang Family was a vassal to the Song Family. Even though Wang Qian was stronger than Song Tianming, at his beck and call, he came immediately.
"Hold on!" Shi Hao waved his hand.
"Begging for mercy, are you?" Wang Qian sneered.
At nineteen years old, he would age out and automatically leave the academy next year. Precisely for this reason, he had already crossed the five-thousand-jin strength threshold.
He wasn't the strongest in Starwind Academy, but to deal with someone who was half-crippled and had only two thousand jin of strength, this was no challenge at all.
What a waste, Song Tianming was; to have such an advantage in strength and still have his leg broken by Shi Hao, a waste among wasters.
Shi Hao just smiled, "Wait till I finish eating."
Wait, wait till you finish eating?
Wang Qian instantly exploded; who did you think you were?
"You insolent brat, you sure are arrogant!" He bellowed, lunging towards Shi Hao.
Shi Hao moved swiftly, bypassing his attack, grabbed his neck, and flung him backwards.
Wang Qian hit the ground, rolling several times before he finally stopped, his face filled with disbelief.
He had just been knocked down by a "cripple"!
After the shock, he couldn't help but be greatly terrified.
Because if Shi Hao had wanted to kill him just now, all he needed to do was twist his neck, easily and effortlessly.
My God, killing a mid-level martial disciple in seconds?
The other five were also completely intimidated, their raised hands held high, but none dared to bring them down.
They were all frightened, even Wang Qian was defeated so quickly, what use would it be for them to join forces?
Shi Hao paid them no attention, just focused on eating, making all his secret admirers swoon with hearts in their eyes.
"Does this guy really only have the strength of two thousand jin?"
"And, he just used his right hand."
"If we say Song Tianming was just careless the other day, but what about now?"
"Could it be that his injury had already healed a long time ago, and he has just been hiding his skills all this time?"
"Worthy of being a genius, he defeated Wang Qian with one move, he could probably even match Gao Feng."
"But Gao Feng is already eighteen years old, a whole two years older than him. By the time Shi Hao reaches eighteen, how much stronger will he become?"
Everyone whispered among themselves, completely shocked and confused.
Shi Hao ate quickly, and after a short while, he put down his chopsticks and stood up, heading towards Song Tianming.
Song Tianming involuntarily moved his wheelchair backward. He had already witnessed Shi Hao's ruthlessness; a few days ago, without any hesitation, he had broken one of his legs, letting him know that the other party truly didn't fear the power of the Song Family.
"You've bothered me again," Shi Hao said casually.
The words were calm, but Song Tianming couldn't help trembling because he remembered the words Shi Hao had whispered in his ear before—if he dared to provoke him again, Shi Hao would kill him.
"How can you possibly be this strong?" he said begrudgingly. Last year, when he competed with Shi Hao for the spot to compete in the fifteen-year-old category, though Shi Hao was indeed more skilled, he definitely wasn't so overwhelmingly superior.
"I'm a genius," Shi Hao smiled and then said, "This time, how about I cripple another one of your legs?"
"No! No! No!" Song Tianming spoke with a quivering voice, shaking his head repeatedly.
Shi Hao wasn't going to listen to him; with a stomp, there was a "crack," and Song Tianming's other leg was also crushed, twisted to an exaggerated degree.
"Ahhh—" Song Tianming started screaming again.
"No next time," Shi Hao clapped the other's shoulder and left.
Song Tianming cried out in pain, his heart collapsing inside him.
Twice he had sought trouble with Shi Hao, why did both times end with one of his legs broken?
If he provoked Shi Hao again next time, would there be a third leg to break?
Well, there was one, but that one absolutely could not be broken.
Shi Hao returned to his dormitory, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to sort out his thoughts, planning what to do next.
The big direction, of course, was to head to the Imperial Capital, where his enemies and his adoptive father's enemies were.
But to just kill his way over there?
That would be suicidal unless he became a Martial Venerable. Otherwise, even a high-level Martial Sect wouldn't be able to withstand the bombardment of the Purple Crystal Cannon.
—An individual's strength cannot compete with the power of a nation's machinery.
Moreover, Shi Hao also wanted to enter the Imperial Capital Academy.
Although after inheriting Yuan Chengmie's memories, there wasn't much the Imperial Capital Academy could teach him, but entering the Imperial Capital Academy was something Shi Tianyang had always hoped for him.
For his adoptive father, he had to enter the Imperial Capital Academy, even if just for one day.
Therefore, the martial competition in the Imperial Capital three months later was a good opportunity.
(During the new book phase, there will be three updates per day. Upon official launch, updates will resume to four per day. All saved Chapters will be released on the day of launch.)