Chapter 3 Song Tianming

Shi Hao was also filled with surprise.

No one could possibly understand better than him how his strength had plummeted to just a little over 1,000 jin. This meant that he had increased his strength by nearly 1,000 jin by cultivating the Nine Revolutions Sky-Plundering Scripture just once.

It was too astonishing, too terrifying.

Moreover, according to Yuan Chengmie's words, the location of cultivation greatly affected efficiency, for the energy of heaven and earth varied from place to place.

So what if he found a place rich in energy and cultivated the Nine Revolutions Sky-Plundering Scripture there again?

To what degree would his strength increase then?

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and strode back with composure, facing the stunned and irritated gazes of the male students, while the female students looked on with adoring eyes.

The annual trial continued, and everyone was abuzz, still astonished by Shi Hao's performance.

However, after the time of an incense stick had passed, the annual trial ended.

This time the majority had done well, with only one person failing to meet the requirement of a thirty percent improvement. They would need to pack up and leave upon return.

"Those who passed, do not become arrogant or careless. In the new year, you must continue to strive even harder," said the record-keeping teacher before departing with the other two teachers.

A buzz of conversation followed among the crowd as they prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Several girls stepped forward and stopped Bu Bowen in his tracks.

How dared he bully their male god?

"What is it?" Bu Bowen said with a dark face, extremely displeased by the fact that Shi Hao hadn't been expelled from the academy.

"You lost the bet to Shi Hao, now are you trying to renege?" the girls demanded one after another.

Shi Hao had wanted to find Bu Bowen as well, but since these girls were taking care of it for him, he stood by to enjoy the spectacle.

He had long grown accustomed to the special treatment by women, knowing a refusal would only anger them.

So it was best to just silently accept.

Watching these enraged girls, whose fighting spirit was soaring, the male students felt as if their hearts were being carved with knives.

—So what if he's just a bit better looking?

This pretty boy, still so dazzling even after becoming debilitated, was intolerable.

With the mindset that a good man does not fight with women, Bu Bowen tried to slip away. Besides, these were not ordinary girls but female martial artists, not to be underestimated.

But he really shouldn't have provoked Shi Hao!

"Hit him!" A girl shouted, and in an instant, all the girls surged forward, overwhelmed by emotion, and quickly submerged Bu Bowen.

To enter Starwind Academy, one either belonged to a family with power, wealth, or prodigious talent.

—Students from the People Character Courtyard were the poor kids who got in through their talent, unlike those from the Heaven Character Courtyard and Earth Character Courtyard who were children of either the mighty or the wealthy.

Even if Bu Bowen had talent, he couldn't withstand the onslaught of a group of equally talented girls and, worse, they were enraged like tigresses.

Not a single male student intervened.

First, it wasn't their business; second, there was no sense of achievement in fighting with women and losing would be embarrassing; and third, the most important reason, what good would it do for one or two to step in when they couldn't win against this group of women?

They all glared at Shi Hao, gritting their teeth.

—So what if he's just a bit better looking?

But after taking another look, they sighed in defeat; this guy was truly good-looking, surpassing the usual definition of handsome by countless times.

A while later, Bu Bowen lay on the ground like a dead dog, his head swollen as a pig's.

"The loser admits defeat!" The girls were relentless, forcing Bu Bowen to kneel on the ground, insisting he keep to the terms of the bet—some with an excited expression, not yet satisfied from the earlier bout of violence.

Bu Bowen trembled with fear. These women had been too ruthless; he did not want to go through that again, as it might actually kill him.

With no other choice, he mumbled, "Song Tianming is a bastard."

"Louder!"

"Can't hear you!"

The girls got energized and shouted loudly in unison.

"Song Tianming is a bastard!" Bu Bowen raised his volume.

"Even louder."

"Song Tianming is a bastard!" Bu Bowen shouted loudly, and as he did, tears streamed down his face.

This was too humiliating, being bullied by women like this!

Only then were the girls satisfied. They let go of him and once again became the picture of ladylike grace, smiling coyly at Shi Hao as if the fierce shrews from moments before were completely different people.

Bu Bowen took the opportunity to slip away. When he was being beaten earlier, he had protected his head with his hands and curled up his body, avoiding serious injury to any vital areas.

Thus, although his whole body ached terribly, it didn't affect his ability to move.

"Shi Hao, you just wait!" After running a good distance, he dared to turn back and shout at Shi Hao, before hastily running off again.

He hadn't gone far when he stopped, turned around, and came back.

By his side stood another youth of about fifteen or sixteen, dressed in brocade and adorned with jade, looking extremely lavish.

That youth was also quite handsome, but compared to Shi Hao... the difference was quite significant.

"Not good, Song Tianming is here!"

The students of the People Character Courtyard immediately showed nervous expressions.

It was unavoidable. Song Tianming was from the Heaven Character Courtyard, and those who could enter the Heaven Character Courtyard were descendants of the great families of Mengyang City—people the students of the People Character Courtyard dared not provoke.

Even the women who had just acted like fierce tigresses showed fear. Bu Bowen they could bully at will, but with Song Tianming, who would dare to be presumptuous under the title of the Song Family's Seventh Young Master?

Song Tianming looked at Shi Hao with undisguised loathing.

He was not only born into a powerful family, but his martial arts talent was also outstanding, and he was handsome to boot. He should have been the brightest star at the academy.

But then, there was Shi Hao.

The same age, yet stronger than him, more handsome than him, even the female students of the Heaven Character Courtyard were enamored with him.

Last year, Shi Hao had even beaten him and won the right to represent the academy in the martial arts competition at the Imperial Capital.

All these things made him hate Shi Hao to the bone.

He had been waiting for this day when, once Shi Hao was expelled, he would have someone kill Shi Hao.

Although the death of a person would be a serious incident, if Shi Hao was no longer a disciple of the academy, just a nobody, who would die; who would bother to investigate thoroughly?

It would surely end up unresolved.

However, he had just received news that Shi Hao had somehow managed to scrape through!

He couldn't believe it and had come here in person to check, only to encounter Bu Bowen and learn about the bet.

"Shi Hao, you've got some nerve!" he said darkly, his aura intimidating.

Even though the girls from the People Character Courtyard all wanted to protect their male god, under Song Tianming's oppressive presence, they didn't dare raise their heads.

"Moderately," Shi Hao responded indifferently. Since Song Tianming harbored killing intent towards him, why should he remain polite?

"You're nothing but a crippled waste. Where do you get the courage?" Song Tianming stepped assertively towards Shi Hao, his heavy footsteps tremoring the ground.

Watching this scene, the boys displayed expressions of schadenfreude, while the girls were incredibly anxious.

Song Tianming, after all, had demonstrated a strength of 2,800 pounds in the exam the day before yesterday and was on the verge of becoming an intermediate martial disciple.

The difference in strength was too great.