The group of elders was full of experience and worldly wisdom, and they quickly discerned Feng Hao’s background.
"Huh? Isn’t that the Shadow Legacy of the Thief God Hall? Is this kid one of theirs?" an old man asked, surprised.
"It’s the Shadow Legacy, all right. But don’t those folks from the Thief God Hall disdain coming to martial arts halls?"
"Who knows? In any case, that Bai Yin girl is probably in for a tough time." Another elder subconsciously glanced at Elder Yun.
Elder Yun’s brow furrowed. Her Divine Sense quickly located Feng Hao, and she shook her head in resignation. "She’s already lost. With Bai Yin’s current Divine Sense, she can’t detect him at all."
"It can’t be helped. The Shadow Legacy of the Thief God Hall is notoriously difficult to counter," a few of the old women consoled her.
Meanwhile, Bai Yin was frozen in place, completely unable to track Feng Hao’s movements. All she could do was have her ice spikes and whirlwind spin aimlessly around her in a desperate attempt to stay safe.
Unfortunately, the ice spikes and whirlwind were completely useless at stopping Feng Hao. A single Shadowstrike carried him effortlessly through the cyclone, and with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a [Moon Thorn].
BANG!
Before Feng Hao, Bai Yin’s less-than-40,000 Qi Blood was as fragile as paper, instantly depleted to zero.
At the same time, Feng Hao appeared behind Bai Yin. He aimed a kick right at her shapely rear and sent her flying. "Take that! How dare you act all high and mighty in front of me!"
Bai Yin collapsed weakly onto the stage, clearly still in a daze. She was a complete and utter mess.
Gasps of shock erupted from the audience below. No one could believe what they were seeing.
"Er... what was with that extra kick at the end? Doesn’t the kid have any sense of chivalry?" one of the elders asked, bewildered.
Elder Yun’s expression soured. Bai Yin was her beloved disciple. She could accept her losing a spar, but that final kick was just too much to bear.
"Kid, don’t you know when to stop?" Elder Yun leaped onto the stage in a fury, hastily feeding Bai Yin a Blood Recovery Pill.
Feng Hao paused, confused. "Hey, old lady, let’s not pretend you didn’t see what happened. I was already holding back."
Hearing him call her "old lady," Elder Yun nearly exploded with rage. "You insolent brat! Don’t you know to address me as ’Senior’?" she snarled, gritting her teeth.
"Alright, Senior. Whatever makes you happy," Feng Hao said with a faint smile, sheathing his dagger and turning to leave.
By now, Bai Yin had recovered. Her eyes filled with defiance. "Don’t you dare leave! That didn’t count. Let’s go again."
"Sorry, I’ve got places to be," Feng Hao said with a wave and a smile. He swaggered off without a backward glance.
Bai Yin tried to run after him, but Elder Yun grabbed her. "Xiaoyin, stop it. You can’t beat him right now."
"But..." Bai Yin looked at Elder Yun, her eyes welling with tears of frustration. That’s right—the number one beauty of Five Provinces Academy, the champion of the grand academy tournament, had just been beaten so badly she was crying.
While everyone was still reeling from the shock, Feng Hao had already left Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall, hopped into his [Savage], and sped off.
Not long after Feng Hao left, Houhuiyao, fresh from a shower, rushed over.
When he walked into the hall, he found everyone in a daze. What shocked him even more was the sight of his idol, Senior Sister Bai Yin, standing on the stage looking utterly defeated. The unwillingness and frustration in her eyes, combined with her stunning beauty, made his heart ache for her.
"Senior Sister, what happened here?" Houhuiyao asked in disbelief as he stepped forward.
Bai Yin didn’t say a word. Elder Yun, standing beside her, answered for her. "The girl was just defeated. She’s not in a good mood."
"How is that possible? Who’s that strong?" Houhuiyao asked, incredulous.
"Feng Hao," Bai Yin bit out, her voice thick with frustration.
Houhuiyao’s eyes instantly went wide. "My boss?" he exclaimed.
Elder Yun paused, looking at Houhuiyao in surprise. "You know that boy, Feng Hao?"
"Yeah, he’s my boss." Houhuiyao nodded subconsciously, still in a state of disbelief. ’Holy cow, my boss really did this?’
When they both tacitly confirmed it, Houhuiyao couldn’t help but gulp. He nervously contacted Feng Hao through his [Listening Stone]. "Boss, did you really defeat Senior Sister Bai Yin?"
"Huh? How’d you know?" Feng Hao asked in surprise from behind the wheel.
"I just got to Iron Hand Martial Arts Hall."
"Ah, that explains it." Feng Hao understood. "Good of you to remember to pick me up. But I’m already gone."
"Boss, I was wrong! So you really could beat Senior Sister Bai Yin?!"
"Haha... good that you admit it," Feng Hao laughed, satisfied. "If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. Dean Sun has been bugging me for days."
"Wait! Boss Xiyue asked me to tell you to go get something from her when you have time."
"Alright, got it." Feng Hao was a bit surprised. ’Looks like Yao Girl’s reply has arrived.’ The real headache, however, was how he was supposed to face Xiyue Frost.
Ever since he’d returned the stolen goods to her, the woman hadn’t contacted him once. Just like now—she could have easily used a [Listening Stone] to tell him directly, but instead she had to go out of her way to have Houhuiyao pass on the message. ’I really have no idea what she’s thinking.’
’Damn it. For Yao Girl’s message, I’ll just have to risk it.’ Feng Hao gritted his teeth, turned the car around, and headed for the Strength Department.
He was originally supposed to go to the Apothecary Department to meet Sun Yaowen. More than a week ago, Sun Yaowen had told him to come study the corpse of the outer-domain demon beast. After delaying for so long, he was getting rather impatient to see it.
Unfortunately, compared to a message from Yao Girl, the corpse of an outer-domain demon beast just wasn’t as important.
Arriving at Xiyue Frost’s dorm room again, Feng Hao couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. But for the sake of Yao Girl’s message, he gritted his teeth and knocked.
Man Tiaotiao opened the door. She shot him a glare with a "harrumph" and turned back to her bed.
Feng Hao walked in awkwardly and quickly spotted Xiyue Frost cultivating with her eyes closed. "Ahem, so... has Yaoyao’s message arrived?"
"Mm." Xiyue Frost opened her eyes slightly. Her expression was frighteningly calm, reminding Feng Hao of how she used to be back in Rongcheng.
Xiyue Frost casually tossed him a [Communication Jade Scroll] and closed her eyes again, seemingly unwilling to spare him another glance.
"Thanks," Feng Hao said, catching the jade scroll with an awkward smile. He wanted to say something more but didn’t know where to begin. With a helpless sigh, he turned and left.
Just as he reached the door, Man Tiaotiao spoke up. "Hey, you hick! Are you still selling that Body Refining Nutrient Liquid?"
"Not for sale." Feng Hao was in no mood to banter with her. He eagerly jumped into his [Savage].
"What’s with the attitude? It’s not like I wanted to buy it anyway!" Man Tiaotiao grumbled, rolling around on her bed. She clearly didn’t mean what she said.
Inside the car, Feng Hao eagerly sent his Divine Sense into the jade scroll. As he once again heard the Yao Girl’s imperious voice, a sweet smile touched his lips.
"You stupid medicine peddler! What took you so long to message me? Don’t you know I miss you?"
"The gear you sent me looks great. All my little underlings are so jealous. It really made me look good, so you deserve some praise for that."
"Oh, right! I’m totally invincible now. I’ve even beaten up Zhou Chen tons of times. When I get to Five Provinces Academy next year, the first thing I’m gonna do is beat the crap out of you, you heartless jerk! How about that? Scared yet?"
"My sister said you got expelled. Don’t worry! When I get to Five Provinces Academy, I’ll be sure to pluck every last hair from that old geezer who kicked you out!"
"Hmph, hmph. Aren’t you touched?"
...
"AHHHH! Time is passing so slowly! I still have to wait more than half a year to see you! What am I gonna do?!"