[My Immortal Diary]

After a month of continuous running, Class 8 finally reached the standard set by their instructor, Baldy Liu. They were ready to move on to the next stage of their training—hand-to-hand combat.

Su Hao picked up the basics of combat quickly. On the second day, he was already proficient enough to perform the moves with a degree of fluidity.

But when it came time for sparring, none of the other students were willing to pair up with him.

For Su Hao, though, this wasn't an issue. He walked directly over to Rong Guming, pointed at him, and said, "You. Be my opponent."

Rong Guming, terrified, felt his hair stand on end. He looked at Su Hao with fear in his eyes, not daring to refuse. Reluctantly, he faced Su Hao for the match. However, after being struck several times, Rong Guming didn't even dare to fight back.

Su Hao immediately scolded him, "Out of energy? Fight back!"

Rong Guming, close to tears, cried out, "I... I don't dare!"

Su Hao was speechless. He started to reflect on whether he had been too harsh recently.

But what could he do? It wasn't enough to just learn the theory and techniques; combat skills needed to be honed in real battles to truly grasp their proper use and application.

So Su Hao turned his gaze toward Baldy Liu. Walking up to him, he said, "Instructor Liu, how about you spar with me?"

Baldy Liu had no objections.

Thus, Baldy Liu became Su Hao's personal sparring partner.

Su Hao had privately learned that Baldy Liu was an high-level master warrior—a highly powerful one at that. In fact, all the teachers at the academy who wore yellow robes were high-level masters. The academy's principal, Xiao Jixuan, was already a grandmaster-level warrior. The faculty lineup at Lingyun Warrior Academy was indeed quite formidable.

Su Hao's plan was simple: He would first master all the foundational skills in the academy, then use the opportunity to build a good relationship with Baldy Liu. When the time was right, he would ask for guidance on how to advance to the master level himself.

Currently, Su Hao was already an high-level elite warrior. The next step for him would be to become a master warrior.

However, Su Hao wasn't in any rush to advance to the master level just yet. He had three reasons for this. First, though he was an ahigh-level elite warrior, his body was still growing. He hadn't reached his physical peak. As he grew older and his physique developed further, his potential would increase significantly.

Second, there were still many fundamental concepts he hadn't fully grasped. Rushing into becoming a master warrior without a solid foundation would leave gaps in his knowledge, much like trying to advance in math without mastering the basics of algebra—getting into high school without the proper foundation would only lead to struggles down the line.

Third, the academy had a rule: Any student who advanced to the master level, regardless of their age, had to graduate from the academy immediately.

For these reasons, Su Hao set himself a goal of spending one year focusing on adaptation and learning. After that, he would decide whether to fully commit to advancing to the master level.

A month later, the class transitioned to their next learning phase—weapon and armor theory and maintenance.

The theoretical lessons were covered quickly, and after a few days, they began learning the basics of using various weapons. This was where true skill refinement came into play.

While the basics of weapon use could be easily grasped, the difficult part was integrating those skills into various situations and using them to solve different combat challenges.

This was where individual talent came into play. True geniuses could take simple skills and apply them in unpredictable and creative ways. They could accomplish things others hadn't even thought possible.

On the other hand, the average student could only follow the standard methods taught by the instructors, using the skills exactly as they had been shown, with little innovation.

For the first two months of training, everyone's progress was about the same. But after they began learning the basics of weaponry and started sparring, the gap between the gifted and the ordinary became obvious.

At the training field, after assigning the students their tasks, eight instructors gathered together for a casual chat.

"Hey, Old Liu, how's that Wu Xiangwu kid in your class?" asked Mo Fenghua, the instructor of Class 4, a young man with slicked-back hair and a pointed face.

As soon as he brought up Wu Xiangwu, all the instructors turned their attention to Baldy Liu.

As expected, teachers were always most focused on the brightest stars. The so-called bottom-tier students were rarely discussed, except in comic books or novels.

The scars on Baldy Liu's face shifted as he smiled awkwardly. "It's unbelievable. I've never seen a genius like him before."

Fenghua's eyes widened, and the other instructors nodded in agreement.

Class 3's instructor, a beautiful woman named Feng Man'er, with a tear-shaped beauty mark below her eye, slightly parted her lips in surprise. "For Old Liu to give such high praise, this student must be extraordinary."

The other instructors nodded their heads in agreement.

Old Liu then said seriously, "He truly is a genius, unlike anyone I've ever seen. I don't even know how to describe the feeling he gives me, as if there's nothing in this world he can't do. So far, I haven't seen anything that has challenged him."

With a firm tone, Old Liu added, "If he continues to grow without any issues, give him twenty years, and he will undoubtedly reach the legendary Grandmaster warrior level."

Class One's instructor, Shui Zhitiao, a cold and stern-looking woman, raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Old Liu, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

Baldy Liu chuckled, "Just wait and see. Give it a few years, and you'll all understand. But for now, please, keep an eye on him for me. Help me look out for him when you can."

"Of course! No problem!" the other instructors quickly agreed.

After a moment, the conversation shifted, and Feng Man'er turned to Shui Zhitiao, asking, "Peach, isn't there a student in your class named Jin Dayan? Isn't he the younger brother of Jin Datong? I heard he's also quite the genius."

Upon hearing Jin Dayan's name, Shui Zhitiao (Peach) smiled slightly. "The Jin family's bloodline is indeed extraordinary, and he works hard on top of that. His future is limitless. It's hard to say if he'll reach the highest level, but it's definitely possible. We also have Mo Xin, the treasured daughter of the Mo family. Her talent is remarkable."

Feng Man'er sighed with envy. "Ah, I'm so jealous. Your class has two exceptional geniuses. In Class 3, it feels like we're lacking. None of our students stand out."

Mo Fenghua of Class 4, his voice laced with envy, added, "Didn't you say you have that tall, burly kid, Kong Yang? I heard he's your favorite."

Feng Man'er giggled at that, then turned to a middle-aged instructor. "Old Wang, you've got Jin Xiaohan, the Jin family's young lady, in your class, right? How is she?"

Old Wang stroked his stubbled chin and smiled. "Not bad."

Before long, the instructors were fully immersed in a lively discussion, comparing which students were the most talented and who had the greatest potential.

....

After six months at the academy, Su Hao had finally completed all his foundational training. From that point on, the academy's schedule wasn't as tightly packed. Half of the day was dedicated to instructor-led training, while the other half was reserved for students to pursue their own areas of interest, allowing them to focus on their strengths.

During this time, Su Hao's reputation as a genius had spread throughout the academy. Not only the freshmen, but even the older students knew of the prodigy named Wu Xiangwu.

However, with fame came trouble.

One day, as Su Hao was on his way back, a group of older students blocked his path.

"You're Wu Xiangwu, right?" the leader, a short-haired boy, asked, tilting his head.

....

Moments later, all the older students were lying on the ground, groaning in pain and tears.

Su Hao walked away nonchalantly, but after a few steps, he turned around. The older students, thinking he had come back to beat them up again, immediately begged for mercy.

Imitating the short-haired boy, Su Hao tilted his head and asked, "What year are you guys?"

The short-haired boy quickly replied, "We're second-year students."

Su Hao nodded in understanding. Second-year students had been in the warrior academy for two years. Freshmen like Su Hao, who hadn't even completed a full year yet, were called first-year students.

Su Hao then said, "Where are the rest of the second-year students? Take me to them."