Inside the Principal's Office.
Principal Zhongli spoke hesitantly, "Senior Su Mu, while Wang Hao's talent is truly astonishing, his personality is a little… different from Marshal Wang Tianyi's…"
"Different? How so?" Su Mu's white brows furrowed sharply.
Flinching in fright, Principal Zhongli hastily explained, "Senior, Marshal Wang Tianyi was the very model of a man of honor and integrity. But Wang Hao… he's a little prone to petty greed."
Through days of observation, Principal Zhongli had found that any other student could finish carving a statue of this scale in at most a single day. But that little bastard Wang Hao? It had been three days, and he was still not done. Of course, he knew exactly what the boy was up to—he'd seen how lavish the meals were, and he was simply here mooching free food!
At the same time, Principal Zhongli was drowning in regret. He'd initially thought Wang Hao would finish the job in a day, so he'd told his secretary to prepare a luxury set meal for the boy, hoping to butter him up a little. But with Su Mu's impending arrival, he'd been swamped with work and hadn't paid Wang Hao any mind. The end result? Wang Hao had eaten his fill for three straight days.
He knew full well that a single luxury set meal cost 30,000 Federation Credits, adding up to 100,000 a day. Over three days, that was nearly his entire monthly salary. If the boy kept this up, he'd be flat broke before he knew it. But the little bastard still hadn't shown the slightest intention of finishing the statue and leaving.
Su Mu stroked his beard and chuckled, "Integrity is a fine thing, but being too rigidly upright, like his father, can border on foolishness. A few small flaws are no bad thing at all."
Principal Zhongli let out a relieved breath and asked in a low voice, "Senior, would you like me to send for Wang Hao?"
"No need." Su Mu waved a hand dismissively. "Tomorrow is your school's arena tournament. I'll stay and watch it."
"That's wonderful! I'll make the arrangements at once!" Principal Zhongli's face lit up with joy. This was the principal of Tianbei University, after all—if any student caught his eye, it would be tantamount to a direct acceptance letter to the university itself. This was nothing short of a resounding endorsement of his abilities as an educator.
"By the way, how is the boy's skill in alchemy?" Su Mu asked suddenly.
Principal Zhongli replied hastily, "We've only announced him as a Tier 1 Alchemy Apprentice to the public, but in truth, Wang Hao's alchemy skill has already reached Tier 2 Alchemist. He's not far off from Tier 3 Alchemy Grandmaster. There isn't a single teacher in this school who can teach him anything more."
Once he'd finished speaking, Principal Zhongli's cheeks flushed slightly. It was more than a little embarrassing, after all—they were a school, yet none of their teachers were qualified to teach one of their own students.
"A Tier 2 Alchemist at seventeen!?" Su Mu stared at Wang Hao in the distance, stunned. This boy really was delivering unprecedented surprises, one after another!
Across the entire Interstellar Federation, there were six official tiers for alchemists, and fewer than ten people in history had ever reached Tier 2 Alchemist by the age of seventeen. Every single one of those prodigies had been groomed from childhood by the Alchemy Guild, one of the five great powers of the Interstellar Federation. For someone like Wang Hao to reach Tier 2 Alchemist through solitary, independent study? It was unheard of. Completely unprecedented.
"Excellent! Excellent! This is perfect!" Su Mu stroked his beard and laughed heartily. The stronger Wang Hao's abilities, the more the Royal Academy would regret their actions—they'd end up gnashing their teeth in bitter remorse for the rest of their days.
…
On the sports field.
Wang Hao wore a look of pure bliss as he slipped another piece of demon beast meat into his mouth. He couldn't believe how generous Principal Zhongli was, serving him luxury set meals for three straight days, no questions asked. The meat was so rich with spiritual energy that he could feel his cultivation on the brink of a breakthrough, even without actively meditating these past three days.
Of course, he hadn't been idle these three days either. He'd used the convenience of his smart bracelet's internet access to pore over endless information about this world. After all, the previous owner of this body had barely had room in his mind for anything other than alchemy knowledge, leaving him with absolutely zero understanding of anything related to martial arts.
Burp!
Wang Hao let out a loud belch and patted his round, full stomach, glancing back at the half-carved statue behind him. "Today's the day I finish carving the old man's stone likeness."
If he was being honest, he'd have been happy to keep mooching free meals forever. But the arena tournament was tomorrow, and he had no time to waste dawdling over a stone statue any longer. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and set to work.
…
At that same time, several of the top powers on Earth had also received word of Su Mu's arrival. They immediately sent messages to the principals of all ninety-nine high schools on Earth, ordering them to spare no expense to convince Su Mu to stay and watch the Hundred Academy Battle.
If their children caught Su Mu's eye during the tournament, they might even be taken on as his personal disciple. It was an opportunity that would bring glory to their entire family for generations, and they were more than willing to spend a fortune to make that happen.
The second the ninety-nine principals received the order, they rushed to Number Eleven High School without delay, all hoping to curry favor with the principal of Tianbei University.
But when Principal Zhongli got word of their arrival, he flew into a rage and cursed loudly. Were these bastards all bloodhounds? How did they sniff this out so fast?
"Old Zhong, you can't hog Senior Su all to yourself at Number Eleven High! You have to put in a good word for us with him."
"That's right! We've been friends for decades, for heaven's sake. You have to convince Senior Su to stay for the Hundred Academy Battle."
"If Senior Su stays, our schools will get countless donations from the wealthy families on Earth."
"Old Zhong, we're all in the education business, all for the sake of the children on this planet. You can't only care about the kids at your own school."
"Exactly! We're all one big family here. No need to act like we're strangers."
Principal Zhongli's face turned black with rage. These bastards were absolutely shameless! When their students had mocked and bullied the kids from Number Eleven High in the past, he'd never heard any of them prattle about being "one big family". But the second Senior Su arrived, suddenly they were all brothers? They were a pack of shameless, opportunistic bastards.
Still, with a super prodigy like Wang Hao under his wing, his horizons were far beyond these backwater hicks now. His future stage was the entire education world of the Interstellar Federation.
"Fine. I'll speak to Senior Su, and see if he's willing to stay for the Hundred Academy Battle." Principal Zhongli waved a hand dismissively, then added gravely, "But I can't make any promises. A man of his stature does as he pleases, and his decisions are far beyond my control."
At that, the principals of the other high schools nodded eagerly. As long as someone was willing to put in a word, there was hope.
…
As dusk fell, Wang Hao finally finished carving his father's statue. He dropped his hammer and chisel, glanced at the stone likeness of his father, and nodded in satisfaction, before turning and heading home. He needed to spend the entire night cultivating, aiming to break through to Level 6 Martial Apprentice, to properly prepare himself for tomorrow's arena tournament.
The second Wang Hao left, a soft breeze swept across the field, and Su Mu appeared beside the newly finished statue. He watched Wang Hao's retreating back, his voice heavy with sorrow as he spoke softly, "Tianyi, no matter where you are, this old master of yours believes you're still alive. As for your son… since he's willing to walk the path of martial arts, this old master will clear the way and guard him with my life. As long as I draw breath, no one will lay a single finger on him."