The crowd stared, dumbfounded. Everyone who could get into the Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall was an elite, and they all took pride in achieving a high rating.
But now, Feng Hao was rejecting the Silver Nine Stars privileges, insisting on Copper Five Stars instead. The crowd looked down on this money-saving behavior. In all its years of operation, the Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall had never encountered such a troublemaker.
"My rating was clearly Copper Five Stars, so what right do you have to change my privileges? Is this how your martial arts hall does business?"
"Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, then get the hell out," the old hall master ground out through clenched teeth. If there weren’t so many people around, he really would have beaten the kid up.
Hearing this only made Feng Hao angrier. He raised his voice and shouted, "Everyone, you see this? The Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall is blatantly ripping people off! Think about it, everyone! You all worked your butts off to earn your ratings, but he just went and openly boosted mine by a huge margin. It doesn’t matter much to me, but I’m worried it’s unfair to all of you!"
The moment he said this, the entire hall erupted into a commotion. The old hall master was about to die from anger.
They knew Feng Hao was just trying to mislead the crowd, but what he said made a lot of sense. That’s right, on what grounds did he just get a Silver Nine Stars badge?
"Yu, this is indeed improper," a few of the other old men beside him said, nodding in agreement.
"You..." The hall master trembled with rage but was at a loss for a rebuttal. He could only bite the bullet and say, "This kid managed to drain the simulator, which proves his strength qualifies him for a Silver Badge. If any of you feel it’s unfair, you’re welcome to give it a try. As long as someone can drain the simulator, I will grant them Silver Nine Stars privileges as well."
"Hey, hey, hey, you can’t just fool people like that. You already banned the use of pills, so how could anyone else possibly do it?" Feng Hao clamored.
The old hall master nearly fainted from rage. "Are you ever going to shut up, you brat?" he roared. "Now get out of my sight."
"You wouldn’t let me leave when I wanted to, and now I don’t feel like leaving!" Feng Hao was thoroughly annoyed.
Just then, the beauty with the black mole brought over the Silver Badge. The old hall master took it and, without another word, shoved it into Feng Hao’s hands. "Go do whatever the hell you want. I don’t have time to waste on your nonsense."
With that, the old hall master flicked his sleeves and stormed off. He couldn’t help it; if he stayed any longer, he would have died of sheer anger.
Feng Hao pouted and unhappily weighed the Silver Badge in his hand, sighing to himself. ’A Silver Badge it is, then. It’s not like I come here often anyway. It probably won’t cost me that much money.’
Seeing Feng Hao act all coy after getting a great deal, the onlookers all felt the urge to beat him up.
Over with Bai Yin and Bao Dafeng, both wore expressions that were caught between laughter and tears. Even Elder Yun couldn’t help but chuckle. "What a little rascal. I’m afraid Yu is quite livid."
"Master, do you think I could drain the simulator’s energy if I used Qi Recovery Pills too?" Bai Yin asked.
"You probably could, but you’d need to use Tier Four Qi Recovery Pills at the very least. The cost would outweigh the benefit," Elder Yun analyzed thoughtfully.
"Then how do you think he did it?" Bai Yin pressed.
Elder Yun shot Feng Hao a meaningful glance and said with a frown, "An ordinary Third-tier Mage couldn’t do it, even with an ample supply of Qi Recovery Pills. It can only mean that his strength is far greater than that of other Mages of the same tier."
"Is that so?" Bai Yin smiled charmingly. "I’ll go spar with him and test his limits."
"Go ahead. I’m quite interested myself," Elder Yun said approvingly.
With her master’s permission, Bai Yin no longer hesitated. She gracefully walked toward Feng Hao. "You’re Feng Hao, right?"
Feng Hao was still stewing with frustration when Bai Yin suddenly blocked his path. Naturally, he wasn’t in a good mood. "Move it, move it. I’m in a really bad mood right now."
Bai Yin’s brow furrowed in displeasure. "Didn’t you want to spar with me? I’m accepting now."
"Well, now I’m not," Feng Hao sneered, pouting. ’To be honest, a month ago, this girl might have had a chance against me, but now, she’s just a weakling.’
"Why is that?" Bai Yin asked, puzzled.
Feng Hao pointed smugly to the Silver Badge on his chest, his eyes filled with disdain. "See this? I’m a Silver Nine Stars now. If you want to spar, go find someone closer to your own level."
"..." Bai Yin was rendered speechless, lines of exasperation appearing on her forehead.
Seeing Bai Yin’s frustrated expression made Feng Hao feel incredibly satisfied. ’As they say, the tables have turned. Now it’s my turn to look down on others.’
’Who would have thought? The Silver Badge might be a rip-off, but it’s pretty damn effective for showing off.’
Meanwhile, Bao Dafeng couldn’t watch any longer. He grabbed his sword and was about to charge in. "This kid is too arrogant! I’ll go teach him a lesson."
Elder Yun stopped him with a light chuckle. "Forget it. You are not his opponent."
"How is that possible? I may not be on Bai Yin’s level, but I still have some strength," Bao Dafeng said, stunned.
"You will find out in a moment. This young man is anything but simple," Elder Yun said seriously.
Although Bao Dafeng wasn’t convinced, he still listened to Elder Yun and stood obediently to the side to see how things would unfold.
By now, Bai Yin was so angry she started to laugh. Thinking Feng Hao was just holding a grudge, she chuckled and offered an apology. "I was in the wrong before. I apologize. Surely we can spar now?"
"Whoa, you know when to back down," Feng Hao said with a surprised laugh, though he remained unconcerned. "Too bad I’m not interested in fighting you right now."
"What, are you scared?" Bai Yin asked with a smile.
Feng Hao did not like the sound of that. ’I was trying to be nice and let her off the hook, and this is how she repays me? Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness. Does she really think I’m some kind of pushover?’
"Where are we fighting? What are the rules? Let’s get on with it, don’t waste my time," Feng Hao sneered.
Bai Yin smiled, pressing her lips together, then turned to lead the way. "The sparring platforms are outside. Follow me."
Feng Hao swaggered after her, sneering inwardly. ’A weakling Mage dares to challenge an Assassin? If I don’t beat the absolute crap out of her, I won’t be able to show my face again.’
Seeing this, the curious crowd followed them outside. For one, they wanted to see Feng Hao’s true strength. For another, Bai Yin’s skills were already widely recognized, and they wanted to see how much she had improved.
Elder Yun and a group of other elders also followed along. After all, she was Elder Yun’s Direct Disciple; they had to show some respect.
In the martial hall’s courtyard, there were a dozen or so sparring platforms of various sizes, all used for daily sparring among members.
Feng Hao couldn’t be bothered with pleasantries. He leaped onto a nearby platform, Su Mu Dagger in hand, and shouted, "Hurry up! I have other things to do, so don’t waste my time."
"As you wish." Bai Yin smiled confidently and floated gracefully onto the platform, a colorful Treasure Pearl swirling in her palm.
"So, what are the rules?" Feng Hao asked impatiently.
"We’ll follow the standard rules. The fight is over when one person’s Qi Blood is depleted. No attacking vital points," Bai Yin said with a slight smile.
Feng Hao nodded in understanding and yelled, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go, let’s go!"
"Watch out!" Bai Yin smiled confidently as the Treasure Pearl in her hand began to shine brightly. Just like she had in the tournament, she activated three Secret Techniques at once. The sky above the sparring platform instantly darkened with ominous clouds as a fierce wind began to howl.
Just as everyone was marveling at Bai Yin’s power, Feng Hao’s figure strangely vanished.
The next moment, the entire crowd burst into an uproar. Even Elder Yun and the other senior masters were stunned.