Returning to Chores Peak from Jade Wind Valley, Li Hao headed to the Meal Hall. As soon as he entered, half the gazes in the hall fell upon him. Some chore disciples offered friendly smiles, while others wore expressions of gleeful anticipation.
Nodding to those who smiled, Li Hao moved to get food when a cold shout rang out behind him.
"Li Hao, stop right there!"
Frowning, Li Hao recognized the voice—Manager Liu. Trouble had found him again.
Turning, Li Hao faced Manager Liu. The manager was in his forties, obese, with a face so fleshy his eyes were barely visible from a distance. He wore a loose chore uniform, stretched taut by his bulk, the fabric straining against his ruddy skin. In Sword Sect, Manager Liu had a nickname: Liu the Skin-flint, because any disciple who crossed him would be skinned alive.
Beside Manager Liu stood Zhang Qiang and two others, sneering coldly.
Seeing the four, many chore disciples showed deep fear and resentment. These bullies had exploited them relentlessly, but none dared speak up.
"I told you—Li Hao beat Zhang Qiang; Liu the Skin-flint would never let it slide. Now Li Hao is done for."
"Yeah, remember that guy who resisted Liu? He was beaten to death on the spot. Why couldn't Li Hao just endure it? Youthful impulsiveness is costly."
"Hush, or you'll taste the whip."
Manager Liu and his group approached Li Hao. Wielding a whip, Manager Liu grinned viciously. "Li Hao, know your place. You were an outer disciple once, but no more. On my turf, you follow my rules. You beat my nephew—how do we settle this?"
"Uncle, why waste words? Kill him!" Zhang Qiang glared at Li Hao, fury boiling over from his humiliation.
Li Hao shot Zhang Qiang a cold look, then turned to Manager Liu. "How do you propose we settle it?"
Manager Liu chuckled, pulling a torn envelope from his robe. He extracted a letter. "Li Hao, I heard you have a young sister, barely teen-aged? Unmarried? How about me? I adore little girls. Let her be my concubine, and kneel to apologize to Zhang Qiang—"
Abruptly, Manager Liu choked off as a fist smashed into his face.
Hearing his sister insulted, Li Hao's face twisted with rage. He struck without hesitation. His mother and sister were his bottom line—untouchable.
"Thud!"
Caught off guard, Manager Liu took the full blow, screaming as he collapsed, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.
Li Hao didn't stop. He lunged forward, snatched the whip, and rained blows on Manager Liu's bloated body.
"You trash! How dare you covet my sister? I'll end you!" Li Hao roared, whipping relentlessly.
"Ah! Li Hao, you're dead! Stop! Please, Master Li, no more! I yield!" Manager Liu wailed.
The Meal Hall froze in shock. No one had dared attack Liu the Skin-flint—a Sword Sect-appointed manager. But soon, exhilaration spread. Li Hao was doing what they'd only dreamed of.
Many clenched their fists, eyes blazing with excitement.
"Li Hao! Release my uncle, or you're dead!" Zhang Qiang shouted, but fear of Li Hao's strength kept him at bay.
Ignoring him, Li Hao intensified the whipping. Soon, Manager Liu's body was crisscrossed with bloody welts, a horrific sight.
For Li Hao, personal slights he might endure, but threats to his family turned him demonic. Manager Liu's scheme was unforgivable.
"Ah! Ah!"
Manager Liu's screams echoed, thrilling the disciples—long oppressed by his exploitation: withheld wages, arbitrary whippings. Over ninety percent of Chores Peak's thousands had suffered under him.
"Halt!"
A elder in blue-white robes appeared, his voice infused with Profound Qi, vibrating through the hall.
Li Hao started, recognizing Elder Shu. Complexity flickered in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he dropped the whip, stepped over the nearly unconscious Manager Liu, and bowed deeply. "Elder Shu!"
This elder had recruited him as an outer disciple in Pingnan City, changing his fate. Without Elder Shu's warning to the Zhao Family, Li Hao's mother and sister might have been captured.
Though demoted by Elder Shu, Li Hao held no grudge—only gratitude. His relentless efforts were partly to prove the elder right, to show Sword Sect he was no waste.
Elder Shu's gaze also held complexity. He knew Li Hao's potential better than anyone. Yet, failing to absorb Profound Qi for a year had forced the demotion. Seeing Li Hao now stirred mixed feelings.
Zhang Qiang scrambled to kneel before Elder Shu. "Elder! Justice! Li Hao grievously injured me, forced me to do his work! My uncle came to reason, but Li Hao nearly killed him! Please uphold justice!"
Hearing the distortion, Li Hao frowned but stayed silent.
The other disciples seethed at Zhang Qiang's audacity.
Elder Shu glanced at the battered Manager Liu, then astounded, focusing on Li Hao. He cast his Spiritual Sense over him. Moments later, his eyes lit up. "You… you've reached Profound Practitioner Fourth Grade?"
Li Hao nodded, circulating Profound Qi. Golden light flickered on his palm. "Elder, I can absorb Profound Qi now." Speaking these words, a weight lifted. He'd desperately wanted to prove himself to this elder.
Seeing the golden light, Elder Shu's eyes widened as if witnessing a marvel. He stepped close, staring intently. "Your Profound Qi… it's golden?" His hands clenched unconsciously.
Noting Elder Shu's intensity, Li Hao hesitated, then nodded. His Profound Qi might not be metal-attribute, but it was no weaker.
"Hah!"
Elder Shu burst into laughter, then checked himself, suppressing excitement. He patted Li Hao's shoulder. "Good. Very good. Excellent."
Five Elements Profound Qi appeared in one in millions—and Li Hao had the strongest, Metal Attribute Profound Qi. How could he not be thrilled?
Zhang Qiang felt a chill. But seeing his uncle, he knelt again. "Elder, please grant us justice!"
Elder Shu frowned coldly. "State what happened truthfully. With me here, no one will threaten you. But any omission will be punished."
The disciples spilled everything, some adding past abuses by Manager Liu, seizing the chance to topple him.
Zhang Qiang and his cohorts paled, trembling. They knew they were doomed.
Li Hao walked to Manager Liu, retrieving the letter and tucking it away.
Elder Shu's face darkened. "I never imagined—while outer elders and disciples focused on cultivation, Chores Peak became your personal fiefdom! Audacious!"
"Mercy, Elder! We'll never dare again!" Zhang Qiang and the others kowtowed, regret consuming them. If they'd known Li Hao was a Profound Practitioner, they'd have stayed far away.
"From now on, Manager Liu is dismissed. All four of you will mine at Crystal Mine for ten years, surrendering all gains to the sect. After ten years, you're expelled from Sword Sect forever." Elder Shu nodded to Li Hao, gripped his shoulder, and vanished from the hall.
The disciples erupted in cheers. Zhang Qiang and his crew fainted.
They faced a decade of servitude.