Once the assembly concluded, the students scattered in a chaotic rush. Wang Hao headed straight for the registration office and signed up for Number Eleven High School's arena tournament.
In the blink of an eye, news of Wang Hao joining the arena tournament spread like wildfire through the entire school, leaving every single student utterly dumbfounded.
"Are you kidding me? Wang Hao actually signed up for the arena tournament!?"
"He's a student from the alchemy class. Why on earth would he want to join the arena tournament?"
"His cultivation is only at Level 4 Martial Apprentice—wait, no, Level 5 now. Looks like he broke through this morning."
"Even Level 5 is useless. Every year, the students who compete in the Hundred Academy Battle are all Level 9 Martial Apprentices. Sometimes there are even Martial Master powerhouses among them."
"I reckon this kid's gotten too big for his boots. Just because he's good at mixing elixirs, he's gotten way overconfident."
"Or maybe all that time mixing elixirs has fried his brain."
"Who cares what his deal is? He dared to defile my goddess, and when we meet in the arena, I'm gonna beat him within an inch of his life."
"Damn right. Defiling Goddess Mengmeng and Goddess Weiwei? He's signing his own death warrant."
"Graduation's right around the corner, so if we beat him up on school grounds, we'll get in trouble. But in the arena? We'll make this bastard regret ever being born."
"Level 5 Martial Apprentice? If I get paired up with him, that's a free ticket to the next round!"
"Haha, hell yeah, that'd be perfect!"
Right now, Wang Hao couldn't have cared less about the gossip swirling around him. He was in the laboratory, tucking the three vials of Passion Burst the previous owner of his body had mixed into his pocket. He needed to offload these elixirs fast, or he'd end up starving to death on the streets.
"System, I need a martial skill. Got any good recommendations?" Wang Hao asked.
"The Host currently possesses 10,400 Villain Points. Based on the Host's current situation, the System recommends the Phantom Hand Technique."
The second the System finished speaking, the full details of the Phantom Hand Technique appeared before Wang Hao's eyes.
Phantom Hand Technique, Elementary Martial Skill. Once mastered, it drastically increases the user's hand speed, and when wielded, creates layer upon layer of afterimages to confuse and disorient opponents, making it impossible for them to distinguish the real attack from the fakes. Exchange Price: 10,000 Villain Points.
"Increased hand speed!?" Wang Hao's eyes lit up. He knew better than anyone that hand speed was the most critical part of elixir refinement. Without fast enough hands, it was impossible to achieve the perfect fusion between different medicinal ingredients.
The Phantom Hand Technique wasn't just for combat—it could be used for elixir refinement too. It was absolutely the perfect martial skill for his current needs. Though 10,000 points was an exorbitant price, nearly wiping out his entire savings.
"Fuck it. Exchange it!" Wang Hao gritted his teeth.
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for exchanging for the Phantom Hand Technique. Commencing knowledge infusion."
The next second, countless afterimages and movements flooded into Wang Hao's mind, as if they'd been etched into his very soul.
"Wait—this Phantom Hand Technique is already at the Complete Proficiency realm!" Wang Hao exclaimed in shock.
"System Tip: Any martial art exchanged by the Host through the System will start at a minimum of the Complete Proficiency realm."
Hearing this, Wang Hao was overcome with joy. This put his starting point for martial arts leagues ahead of everyone else's.
…
Meanwhile, in the principal's office of Number Eleven High School, Principal Zhongli was on an interstellar long-distance call.
"Hello? Senior Su? It's little Zhongli!" Zhongli bowed and scraped obsequiously, not a trace of his usual principal's dignity in sight. If anyone saw him like this, their jaws would hit the floor.
"Little Zhongli? Is that you? Has something happened to Wang Hao!?" Senior Su on the other end of the line asked hastily.
"Wang Hao is fine. It's just that I've discovered he's a martial arts prodigy, even more talented than his father. At his young age, he's already mastered the Lightning Step to the Peak Perfection realm."
"WHAT!? Lightning Step at Peak Perfection? Are you sure you didn't see wrong!?" Senior Su exclaimed, certain he'd misheard. If he remembered correctly, that boy Wang Hao was only seventeen years old this year. Even Wang Tianyi back in his prime had never mastered the Lightning Step to Peak Perfection at that age.
"Absolutely true. This boy holes up in the laboratory every single day, yet his Lightning Step has truly reached Peak Perfection."
"How dare you wait this long to report such a momentous matter to this old man? Hmph! Wait for me. I'll be on Earth within the next two days."
The second he finished speaking, the line went dead with a beep.
Principal Zhongli stared at the dead line, thoroughly dejected. He'd wanted to report it sooner, but that boy Wang Hao holed up in the laboratory every day. Who could have known he'd mastered the Lightning Step to Peak Perfection? If the kid hadn't lost his mind today and run around causing trouble, he'd still have no idea!
Bang! Bang! Bang! A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in!"
The principal set down the phone, and in an instant, he'd slipped back into his dignified principal's demeanor.
A long-legged, beautiful secretary walked in and handed a file to the principal. "Principal, this is the list of students who signed up for the arena tournament. Wang Hao's name is on it. Should we try to talk him out of it?"
"Wang Hao signed up!?" The principal froze, then flipped open the folder at lightning speed, quickly locating Wang Hao's name.
"The boy's finally come to his senses!" The principal broke into a huge grin, then waved his hand. "You don't need to worry about this. Right now, go arrange the highest standard of reception immediately. A very important person will be arriving in the next two days."
The long-legged secretary nodded. "Understood, Principal!"
Once she'd left, the principal jumped up in excitement. "Thank the heavens!"
Fifty years ago, Number Eleven High School had produced Wang Tianyi, which had turned the previous principal into a titan of the education world, awarded countless medals and honors by the Ministry of Education. And now, fifty years later, with him as principal, a super prodigy even more incredible than Wang Tianyi had walked through the school's doors: Wang Hao.
If Wang Hao broke all his father's records, he'd be just like the previous principal, showered with flowers and endless applause. Just the thought of it made his heart race with excitement.
"Boy Wang Hao, you're my only hope. Don't let me down!"
The principal puffed out his chest and strode to the window, gazing out at the sports field below. Boundless ambition swelled in his heart. This backwater planet could no longer contain him. He would advance to the higher-tier planets, and become a living legend in the education world.
"Huh? What's that…"
The principal froze suddenly. A figure had appeared on top of the sports field wall, clearly about to climb over and skip class. Wait, that figure was familiar. He took a closer look, and who else could it be but his great hope, Wang Hao!
"That little bastard actually dares to skip class? He's got no respect for the future legend of the education world!" The principal's beard bristled with rage, and he leaped straight out the window, sprinting after Wang Hao.
Just then, Xia Weiwei suddenly darted out from the shadows, yelling at the top of her lungs: "Someone! Come quick! Wang Hao's skipping class! Wang Hao's climbing over the wall to skip class!"
Wang Hao, who was perched on top of the wall, stared in stunned disbelief. Why the hell was this violent little loli here?