Eternal Heavenly Emperor

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Since the top eight had already been decided, there was naturally no need to continue the competition. A teacher whistled a long cry, followed by four short ones, and soon after, echoing whistles responded from the distance.

Campfires in the distance were extinguished one by one, leaving only the torches here casting their light.

The crowd began to surge forward; it was time to return.

"We're missing one person!" Upon counting the students, they discovered one was missing, and a teacher immediately said, "Everyone stay here and don't move. Zhang, Liu, Seven, come with me to search."

"Okay!"

The four teachers split up and entered the graveyard, while the others had no choice but to wait idly. Some students even grew impatient and suggested leaving first, after all, four teachers were still there.

The remaining seven teachers thought about it and agreed; there was no need to make everyone wait here, especially if the search might take all night.

"Alright then, let's set off first!" Six teachers led the way back to the city, leaving only one waiting at the original spot.

By the time they returned to the Chu Family's place, it was already late at night, and Chu Hao took a bath before going to bed.

The next day at school, the atmosphere became extremely tense.

Ma Long's body had been discovered!

The graveyard was near Eastern Cloud City, where ferocious beasts occasionally appeared, but bandits were basically impossible. Ma Long's heart had been violently blasted apart, clearly not the work of ferocious beasts.

Therefore, the murderer must have been someone involved in yesterday's selection battle—including the teachers!

People from last night were called in for questioning to see if they'd noticed any clues or inconsistencies. Perhaps the murderer would lose their composure and give themselves away under scrutiny.

Chu Hao might appear to be a 17-year-old boy, but he was actually a 27-year-old adult who had witnessed big events and would not be flustered by such scenes.

Besides, while everyone knew about the deep animosity between the Chu and Ma families, what was Chu Hao's cultivation level?

He had not even reached the First Tier of the Lesser Mahayana realm!

How could he have killed Ma Long? Conversely, if Chu Hao had been the one to die, then Ma Long would certainly have been the prime suspect!

—Who knew if Ma Long, upon learning of his own death, would have been so angry that he would come back to life only to die once again!

The focus was on a few individuals capable of killing Ma Long head-on, of whom Chi Dao was the most suspect. First, he had the strength; second, he had the courage; and third, he had the motive!

At the Beast Fighting Arena, Chi Dao had once forced Ma Long to crawl like a dog and did not take Ma Jicheng seriously either. What was so surprising about them having a severe conflict when they crossed paths?

Moreover, people of that age are often impulsive, so accidentally killing someone could be imagined.

Ma Jicheng was extremely agitated, personally pressuring Thousand Winds Academy to find the murderer quickly so that Ma Long did not die in vain!

The accusations pointed directly at Chi Dao!

Chi Dao naturally wouldn't admit it, but regardless of his denial, everyone believed he was the one capable and motivated to do it.

Chu Hao did not intend for Chi Dao to take the fall, but since he took it, Chu Hao naturally wouldn't step forward to clarify, given how loathsome that guy was.

However, once the conflict between the eastern and western factions began, Chu Hao would inevitably reveal his strength, and his suspicion would skyrocket. But suspicion was just suspicion; as long as he steadfastly denied it, it would be fine.

...

Madam Yun's secluded courtyard.

"Madam, a Junior from the Chi Family has come here, and he's also had a conflict with Chu Hao!" Uncle Yuan reported to Madam Yun the recent events, including the conflict between Chu Hao and Chi Dao at the Beast Fighting Arena, and how, afterward, Chi Dao used the power of the City Lord's Mansion to shut down the Fortune Full Building.

"Oh? Which one?" Madam Yun asked casually.

"Chi Dao!"

Madam Yun's brows furrowed slightly as she spoke, "This child has a very bad reputation; he is a troublemaker wherever he goes. It seems likely he has caused a major incident this time and has been sent to Eastern Cloud City to lay low!"

"Well, he does have a brother with exceptional talent!" Uncle Yuan chuckled and then suggested, "Madam, should I go warn that Chi Family Junior?"

"No need!" Madam Yun thought for a moment before shaking her head, "If we appear too concerned, it may draw other people's attention to Chu Hao, which is not a good thing! Just keep a subtle watch over him to ensure he does not die or get severely injured!"

"Also, tell Chu Hao to go ahead and do as he pleases, even if it means giving Chi Dao a beating—as long as he doesn't kill or cripple him!"

"Madam, do you believe that boy can contend with Chi Dao?" Uncle Yuan appeared somewhat surprised.

"A person of such high perception shouldn't be underestimated in martial techniques!" Madam Yun tapped on the table and continued, "And if he can truly absorb the power of the Star Stone, his strength should not be inferior to Chi Dao's after all these days! You might as well sound him out. If that's the case, I will have to intervene earlier to help the boy grow faster!"

"Yes, Madam!" Uncle Yuan replied, bowing his head, his heart filled with surprise. Madam Yun actually had such a high regard for Chu Hao! He did not believe that someone at the Lesser Mahayana realm could absorb the power of a Star Stone—it was a joke! This had nothing to do with perception levels!

But since Madam Yun had issued an order, he naturally had to comply resolutely and set off for the Chu Family immediately.

Chu Hao returned from the academy and, upon hearing from Uncle Yu that a guest surnamed Yuan had come to visit, was first stunned, then remembered it must be Uncle Yuan! It seemed that Madam Yun had already learned of his issue with Chi Dao, but he wasn't sure if Uncle Yuan was here to advise him to swallow his anger or to stand up for him.

To be honest, Chu Hao wasn't particularly combative, but Chi Dao hadn't given him any chance at all. After failing to forcefully take Flying Fire the first time, he directly cut off the economic sources of the Chu Family, leaving no way out for Chu Hao.

"Uncle Yuan!" Chu Hao personally went out to welcome him. Not to mention anything else, just the fact that Madam Yun had invited Li Li to support him on the opening day of Fortune Full Building was already an enormous favor.

One must repay kindness!

Uncle Yuan smiled faintly and said, "You really know how to cause trouble, kid. How did you end up clashing with Chi Family's little devil!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Hao immediately felt somewhat relieved. At least the power backing Madam Yun was not weaker than the Chi Family's, or else Uncle Yuan wouldn't have addressed it so lightly. He also smiled and replied, "I had no choice; that guy first tried to force-buy my Beast Pet, and after being rejected, he became furious! Now I'm the one suffering.

Uncle Yuan, are you here to give me a timely help?"

"Chi Dao is indeed spoiled. There's no helping it, his brother— heh heh!" Uncle Yuan stopped himself, then continued, "Madam Yun asked me to bring you a message; if you can stand up to Chi Dao, then just go for it, don't hesitate to give him a good beating to vent your anger!"

Chu Hao showed a confident expression and said, "If it's just Chi Dao, he doesn't even deserve my attention!"

Uncle Yuan couldn't help but be astonished and said, "Chi Dao is at the Fourth Tier peak of the Lesser Mahayana realm, just one step away from the Middle Mahayana realm!"

Chu Hao smiled slightly and said, "You may not be aware, Uncle Yuan, but I have also stepped into the Fourth Tier of the Lesser Mahayana realm!" In front of Uncle Yuan, he didn't need to hide his strength. On the contrary, the faster his progress, the more support he could get from Madam Yun.

Right now, he very much needed Madam Yun's support.

Uncle Yuan was so shocked, it was as if he had seen a ghost; his eyes bulged!

In terms of age, being at the Fourth Tier of the Lesser Mahayana realm at seventeen years old wasn't considered weak in Eastern Cloud City, but neither was it considered strong. Placed in "that place," it wasn't worth mentioning at all! But how long had Chu Hao been cultivating?

Two months!

No matter how high your understanding or how exceptional your talent, in a small place like Eastern Cloud City with limited resources, you could, at most, increase your strength by 30 pounds a day. That means the limit for two months wouldn't even reach 2,000 pounds!

The Fourth Tier of the Lesser Mahayana realm... how could that be possible!

Unless!

Uncle Yuan's eyes gleamed as he said, "You can absorb the power of Star and Cloud Mist Stones!"

Chu Hao was astonished; he had thought no one in Eastern Cloud City knew the secret of the Cloud Mist Stones, otherwise how come no one had been buying them? Unexpectedly, Uncle Yuan deduced the secret of the Cloud Mist Stones just from the rate of his strength enhancement!

He nodded and confirmed, "Indeed, that's the case!"

Uncle Yuan's face involuntarily twitched. It was as Madam Yun had expected—this kid could absorb the power of the Star Stones! Oh my god, being able to absorb Star Stones at this stage, that's the mark of a prodigy with outstanding talent!

What conditions are needed for rapid advancement in martial arts?

First, physique!

If you were born frail and sickly, how could you cultivate? The better the physique, naturally, the faster the cultivation speed, and people of different physiques can experience differences of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times in their cultivation!

Second, comprehension!

Not only is comprehension needed to master Martial Techniques, but after reaching high realms, strong comprehension is equally essential to further improve cultivation! If your physique is good but your comprehension is poor, then you can only advance rapidly in the early stages; after reaching high realms, progress would come to a standstill.

Physique and comprehension support each other; strictly speaking, comprehension is more important. It determines the heights a Martial Artist can ultimately reach, while physique merely determines the speed of the process, an added luxury.

But if one has both, that's naturally the best situation.

In front of him, right now, was such a genius!

Uncle Yuan was almost excited to the point of fainting. He and Madam Yun stayed in Eastern Cloud City partly to amass wealth through the auction house and to acquire Precious Medicines and materials, but another mission was to scout talents for the Ling Family's use!

Tang Xin and Fu Xue were talents they had their eyes on, but compared to Chu Hao, the difference was too vast!

"Uncle Yuan, are you alright?" Chu Hao asked upon seeing Uncle Yuan's strange behavior.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Uncle Yuan forcibly calmed himself down, but the thought of Chu Hao being able to absorb Star Stones made his heart beat uncontrollably once again. It took him a while to barely suppress his excitement, and he patted Chu Hao's shoulder with an unprecedented serious tone and said, "You just be at ease; everything will be taken care of by Madam Yun!"

Chu Hao felt a stirring in his heart. Previously, although Uncle Yuan held him in high regard, he had never lost his composure like this. Moreover, from Uncle Yuan's tone before, it seemed that while Madam Yun was standing by his side, it was merely to ensure his personal safety.

Obviously, Madam Yun had considerable reservations about the Chi Family and would reduce troubles whenever possible. But now, without even consulting Madam Yun, Uncle Yuan said everything would be taken care of on his behalf!

And all this was because Uncle Yuan found out he could absorb Cloud Mist Stones!

He always knew that not many could absorb Cloud Mist Stones, which was why their function had remained obscure. But now it seemed he had underestimated such a capability!

However, what if Uncle Yuan knew that Flying Fire could also absorb Cloud Mist Stones? Would that really cause him to faint? Forget it, it's better not to shock him further! (My novel "Eternal Heavenly Emperor" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform. There will also be a 100% draw gift for everyone!

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