Eternal Heavenly Emperor

When Chu Hao regained consciousness, he found himself in a cell, his neck still throbbing with pain.

The cell was small, lacking even a bed, so he lay directly on the floor, with very little room to move—walking two steps was impossible, and a cold iron railing was within arm's reach.

He was locked in a dark cell.

Chu Hao couldn't help but mock himself with a smile, knowing that disobedience would certainly be punished, but he hadn't expected it to be so severe that he would end up in a cell.

Fortunately, he had kept the Mustard Seed Ring close to his body; otherwise, in Tianhe County, such an item was not rare and would surely have been discovered. If someone took the Star Stone and "Sky Wind Eight Styles" from it, he would have deeply regretted it.

The cell wasn't very sturdy; he could break out forcefully if he wanted, but that would mean openly defying the Yunliu Sect, which was unwise.

He was still alive, which meant the Yunliu Sect didn't want him dead.

Indeed, if he died, wouldn't all the disciples from the Lower World explode in anger?

Looking out the window, it was still morning. Chu Hao sat down, feeling waves of hunger that made him extremely uncomfortable. He moved closer to the iron bars and looked around.

There were other cells around, but after he called out a few times and no one answered, he guessed it might be just him in there.

Perhaps this place was specifically for detaining Outer Sect disciples who had committed offenses, and he might have been the only one who broke the Sect's rules recently.

It wasn't until noon that an elderly man slowly made his way down the corridor, his stature slender and his expression grim, exuding an aura of chilling coldness.

"My surname is Mo, name Mo Sanyun," the elderly man began, "Indeed, the Mo Guxin you injured is my grandson."

Chu Hao smiled and said, "I'm really sorry, I hope I didn't hurt him too badly?"

"He will have to lie in bed for at least a month," Mo Sanyun said sternly, his face very grim.

Anyone would be upset if their grandson got injured.

"That's good," Chu Hao nodded, meaning the injury was about as serious as Fu Xue's.

Mo Sanyun grew even angrier. This young man still dared to mock? Suppressing his anger, he said, "I am here to announce the Sect's punishment for you."

"You will labor in the Cold Water Pool for a month. Each day, you must carry one hundred buckets of water and chop down ten trees. If you fail to meet this quota any day, your period of labor will be extended by a day."

"Now that you are awake, follow me."

This is easy?

Chu Hao was surprised; a month of hard labor was a long time, but Mo Guxin would be bedridden for just as long. Keeping his composure, he followed Mo Sanyun as he unlocked the cell door.

They went down the mountain and walked a long way, the temperature suddenly dropping as if they had entered the dead of winter.

Moreover, the further they walked, the colder it got, causing Chu Hao to involuntarily clasp his hands to his chest, his face turning pale.

Mo Sanyun cracked a cold smile, thinking this young man had no idea what it was like at the Cold Water Pool.

Usually, Outer Sect disciples would be punished with a stay here for a maximum of seven days. Any longer could be fatal. But Chu Hao dared to disobey the command of a senior of the Sect, insisting on injuring Mo Guxin, which irritated the higher-ups.

More crucially, it was clear to anyone but a fool that the Sect was protecting Mo Guxin to secure his victory. And yet, this young man blindly snatched away the championship.

That was what most upset the higher-ups.

—Allowing a mere commoner from the Lower World to win the championship was like a slap in the face to all of the Native Faction.

Thus, even the Ling Family's opposition was futile, powerless as they were.

Staying a month in the Cold Water Pool would be sufficient for this young man to suffer. He would surely have lasting health impacts, making it difficult for him to progress further in martial arts.

Who asked this young man to be so tactless? So disobedient?

The Sect needed talent, but not talent that couldn't follow rules.

Mo Sanyun knew Chu Hao could summon the Power of Flame, but naturally, he didn't think this was Chu Hao's own ability; relying on a Treasure Artifact… that power would quickly exhaust itself.

The Cold Water Pool would be the perfect punishment for Chu Hao; Mo Sanyun didn't even deign to intervene personally.

After entering a valley, the place was completely blanketed in ice and snow, but surprisingly, trees still grew there, though their leaves were thin and pointed, and the trees themselves were quite tall, at least a hundred meters high.

Mo Sanyun had already activated a layer of Star Force shield to withstand the severe cold, which was trivial for someone of his Martial Sect cultivation. He watched Chu Hao shiver and his cold smile grew wider.

He led Chu Hao to a deeper part of the valley, where there was a small cabin. Outside, there was a bucket, an axe, and a length of rope. He said, "Every day chop down ten trees, carry one hundred buckets of water, place the wood here, and the water there."

He pointed respectively to an empty space and a large cistern as he continued, "Food will be delivered every evening, along with an inspection, and if you fail to meet the standards, that day's efforts will count for nothing. During this period, do not think about leaving, as there are guards outside."

Chu Hao smiled and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Mo Sanyun's face grew even darker; this young man was still talking tough? Humph, after staying here a day, he would see just how tough it was. With a flick of his sleeve, he strode away.

Bang!

After the other man had left, Chu Hao immediately summoned the Power of Flame, the sudden heat driving away the intense cold.

He ignited only his hands, firstly to conserve power, and secondly because if his whole body were to blaze, his clothes would be ruined. He certainly didn't want to spend a month streaking in this valley.

By rights, having reached the Tenth Tier Martial Disciple, he was qualified to aim for the Martial Master Realm, but now, trapped here with no guidance, he had no idea how to make the leap.

This meant he would waste an entire month.

However, having advanced from the seventh-tier to the tenth-tier Martial Disciple so swiftly, it was a good opportunity to use this month to strengthen his physique and unify strength and body, laying a more solid foundation for entering the Martial Master Realm.

Chopping wood and carrying water, these physical tasks were just right.

Chu Hao stepped out of the wooden hut and immediately felt a chill. However, while fetching water and chopping wood, how could he allow his hands to ignite? Wouldn't that destroy the axe and the bucket? Wait, could he just let the Power of Flame burn inside him?

Thinking this, he retreated back into the wooden hut.

Let's try.

He consciously controlled the cells within his body, making their reactions a bit weaker.

It was like a nuclear power station—if it exploded, it would be equivalent to a nuclear bomb. However, if controlled properly, it could convert the energy into a gentle flow, becoming usable.

He continually experimented and exerted effort, but it was easy to unleash a powerful force; controlling that force's intensity proved much more difficult. By sunset, he had still not succeeded.

The person delivering food came by, simply placing the items in front of the hut and leaving without speaking to Chu Hao.

Indeed, Chu Hao was now seen as a plague god; who would want to associate with him?

Chu Hao took the food inside. There was no stove here; if it were someone else, they might at most use their body heat to warm the food and make do. But he was different. Igniting the Power of Flame, he quickly roasted the pieces of ferocious beast meat until they were sizzling fragrantly.

Due to extreme hunger, he wolfed down the food and found the tough, old meat of the ferocious beast surprisingly delicious.

That evening, Chu Hao continued to study how to control the Power of Flame within him.

He finally began to understand, and three days later, he was able to control the power as he wished.

But since he hadn't done any work for three days, the duration of a month naturally had to be extended by three days.

On the fourth day, Chu Hao went outside.

Hiss!

As soon as he stepped out, countless streams of white vapor rose from his body. His body temperature was so high that it evaporated the snow and ice around him.

"Hehe, although I haven't cultivated Star Force yet, I happen to have a fire physique. This environment doesn't affect me at all; on the contrary, it has helped me master this power faster. I wonder what expression would be on the faces of those big shots in the Sect if they knew," he muttered.

"But I'm definitely not going to thank them," Chu Hao thought to himself, feeling no resentment for being punished for breaking the rules. However, it upset him that the creators, maintainers, and implementers of the Sect's rules had been the first to break them.

This made him feel disenchanted with Yunliu Sect; he felt a total lack of belonging, enduring discrimination as someone from the Lower World.

But he had no regrets.

He did not regret coming from the Lower World, nor did he regret defending Fu Xue, ignoring the elders of the Sect and severely injuring Mo Guxin.

The Lower World was simply too small for him; his aspirations were too large. Moreover, he was someone who greatly valued love and righteousness, always repaying kindness manifold.

On the other hand, he was also a person who held grudges.

Just wait.

Chu Hao picked up the water bucket to fetch water; the bucket was taller than him, and he couldn't possibly lift it, so he had to carry it on his back. He went to the Cold Water Pool in the center of the valley. The pool emitted endless chill, keeping the entire valley in perpetual wintry conditions.

He filled the bucket and lifted it out of the pool, feeling an instant heaviness in his hands.

So heavy.

It was almost fifty thousand catties.

But for Chu Hao at the moment, fifty thousand catties was trivial. He ran back to the hut with the bucket on his back and poured the water into the pond. One bucket of water only raised the water level slightly; indeed, it would take around a hundred buckets to fill it completely.

He went back and forth, continuously carrying water. By midday, the pond was overflowing, and he was overwhelmed with exhaustion.

After a brief rest at noon, he started chopping wood.

Carrying an axe, he approached a tall tree in the forest at the valley center and hacked at it.

Crack!

The blade entered the trunk but only made a small incision.

So tough.

Chu Hao was surprised. He hadn't used his full strength, but with a force of three to four hundred thousand catties, he could only make such a small cut?

The trees grown in cold regions indeed had terrifying toughness.

Let's try the Shocking Force.

(Dear brothers and sisters, please favorite and recommend! Thanks to Zhang Fish Swordfish and Quantity ge for their donations yesterday.)