I am studying financial management

"Yatong, don't stir up trouble like that…"

"Brother Hao, don't worry about me; just give it your all!" Musashi said in a deep voice, taking a deep breath, his pupils suddenly contracting. "Be careful."

Bang…

With one step forward, the combat platform shook violently as he threw a punch— a straight punch with no frills. There was no room for Li Hao to retreat; he had no choice but to take the hit with his right hand, sending him stumbling back. Musashi then struck with a knife-hand to the ribs, but Li Hao quickly countered, darting to the other end of the platform.

At this point, everyone realized Li Hao wasn't fighting with his full strength. The movements looked easy, but one move was impossible to defend against, and Li Hao felt like he could just lay on the ground waiting for help.

Musashi furrowed his brow, not pursuing further, just watching Li Hao. "Brother Hao, do you look down on me? I hope you'll fight me seriously."

The 16th class all knew Musashi's stubbornness had kicked in; he was a martial arts fanatic with no other hobbies. Last time, he had stalked a senior from the mecha department for a week, even following him to the restroom, just to have a match.

Li Hao knew if he didn't satisfy Musashi, life would be tough. He helplessly raised his hands. "Fine, let's do this."

Musashi's body gradually tensed, muscles twitching, veins bulging, slowly taking a stance. He realized that conventional attacks wouldn't impose any pressure; he needed to use the true techniques of the Musashi family.

As he moved step by step, maintaining a dominating stance and closing the distance, the moment he entered the absolute range of pressure, his body, like a drawn bow, suddenly shot forward.

Haa~~~~

Musashi lunged like a tiger descending a mountain, a deafening shout erupting from his core, his footwork syncing with a twist of his waist, he punched out as if he had instantly reached Li Hao.

Musashi's—Tian Tong Fist.

Yet, at this near-victorious moment, Musashi suddenly froze. In an instant, cold sweat broke out all over him, his pupils constricted violently, and his steady breath collapsed into rapid gasps.

Li Hao was already at his side, their bodies almost touching, but Li Hao's right hand was at his throat. In a life-or-death struggle, he would have been dead.

The training ground fell silent. The Musashi family was a famous ancient martial arts clan in the Asia-Pacific region. Once faded, they gradually rose again by mastering golden genes and became an important force in USE, supplying many elite military personnel.

Every generation of the Musashi family had members as guest instructors in the Tianjing military region, and with strict family education and a solid foundation, they produced martial arts enthusiasts perfectly suited for military careers. Musashi, a first-year student, had already proven to be a core member of Tianjing Mecha.

If mechs and combat had a layer of operations and diversity in mecha, Musashi was undoubtedly a master in hand-to-hand combat.

Musashi's face turned pale as Li Hao released his grip, casually wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "What's up, buddy? Just sparring, right? Your family is really good at sword techniques; specialize in your strengths."

Clap, clap, clap~~~

Yatong had already started applauding, and Li Hao frowned. "Yatong, what are you doing?"

Others felt Yatong was indeed a bit antagonistic towards Li Hao.

Yatong looked at Musashi. "Brother Musashi, you don't need to feel discouraged; losing to Brother Hao is an honor."

Brother?

Li Hao was stunned, staring at Yatong, suddenly recalling a chubby figure from his childhood.

"You... you're the little chubby girl?"

Yatong's eyes turned red, biting her lip in frustration. "Brother, you only recognize me now?"

Li Hao felt a mix of embarrassment and nostalgia. "Haha, not really; you were so small back then. People change, huh?"

Everyone else was dumbfounded. Li Hao was supposed to be an orphan, so how did a sister suddenly appear?

Seeing their confusion, he gently patted Yatong's shoulder. "She's the sister of a brother from the Youth Class, also a backup member. Your real name is Yatong; I thought it was Nangong Tong."

Only over six hundred were formally selected into the Youth Class, but many remained as backups. Yatong was one of them, often coming to play with them.

Yatong nodded, lightly leaning against Li Hao. Everyone remained astonished, the renowned Yatong showing such a dependent side.

Musashi, watching them, suddenly remembered the major event that shocked the upper echelons of the Solar System Alliance years ago.

It was a significant incident that occurred in the Solar System Youth Class, where the alliance had good intentions, gathering elites for training to unlock their genetic potential. However, a group of headstrong, mature top youths often fought among themselves, which was intended and initially effective until the leader of the Earth faction, Nangong Yuhang, clashed fiercely with Moon's Hilian Melafis. For unknown reasons, the usually neutral Martians sided with the Moon, leading to Earth's defeat and Yuhang's death at the hands of two moonlings.

What others didn't know was that Yatong was a direct witness; that day, Li Hao wasn't there. She had informed him, but he stopped her at the door and locked it.

When the guards opened the door, the two who had killed Yuhang were already dead, and Melafis had been gravely injured. Had the guards not arrived in time, he too would have faced death.

The Nangong family was one of the five great ancient martial families and held significant influence in the military. However, the Melafis family was even more terrifying, being the behind-the-scenes boss of the Lunar Federal Reserve Committee. After all, with Nangong Yuhang dead and the two "killers" dead at Li Hao's hands, the Melafis family's hopes for Hilian were dashed. For the higher-ups, it was hard to pursue further.

In the end, Li Hao became the scapegoat; although justifiable, he was sentenced to a year of imprisonment and eventually faded from the scene as the Youth Class disbanded.

Yatong was the younger sister of Nangong Yuhang, taking her mother's surname. The Nangong and Yatong families were also ancient martial arts families, and their union was powerful; Yuhang's untimely death hit both families hard.

"Everyone, let me reintroduce you. This is my brother, my hero, my idol. Please take care of him!" she said, wrapping her arm around Li Hao's.

Li Hao looked at Yatong, faintly recalling her childhood self, but she had lost her baby fat. Time flashed back five years, with many memories rushing by; it felt nostalgic yet distant.

A year of imprisonment… that result was unexpected and lengthy, but Li Hao had no intention of appealing. From the start, he didn't have high hopes for others.

During that time, his strength skyrocketed, breaking through bottlenecks again. A year later, he was released, spent a few more years in preparatory school, then applied to Tianjing Mecha's news department, not knowing how he ended up in the mecha department.

"Yatong, you've grown up." Li Hao said sincerely, noting how Yatong was hard to relate to the round, chubby girl he once knew.

"Here we go again, always this old-fashioned attitude. You'll be single for life at this rate!" Yatong laughed. "Can you believe it? He used to talk like this when he was ten!"

Li Hao felt a fond urge to pat Yatong's head, but she cleverly dodged, saying, "Enough, I'm not a child anymore! Captain, shouldn't you thank me? Li Hao is strong, and if he integrates his combat skills into mecha battles, he'll be a powerhouse."

Li Hao explained the situation to everyone, knowing that if he didn't clarify, it could lead to more trouble, but he only briefly touched on the past, saying the chaos had negative outcomes. "Everyone, it's been a long time, and I don't want to stir up trouble. Please keep this a secret. Also, Class Monitor, I'm just a ticking time bomb. I can be a sparring partner, but competing in matches is definitely out of the question; I might drag the whole team down."

Zhou Naiyi and the others were trying to digest this information. They never expected that the disbandment of the sensational Youth Class had anything to do with the person before them, and everyone knew how formidable the Melafis family was, being one of the three main families in NUP currency reserves.

However, Zhou Naiyi quickly regained composure, his gaze steady. "Li Hao, don't be too overconfident. While combat and mech warfare are related, they are fundamentally different. You probably only started learning about mechs after entering Tianjing Mecha, right?"

Li Hao nodded. "That's true; I was studying finance in preparatory school…"

Including Yatong, everyone was stunned. Li Hao shrugged helplessly. "Sigh, I was cautious when I chose; you all know I was short on money. The finance program itself is good, offering broad perspectives on management, operations, stock trading, and wealth growth, but they never told me where my assets came from…"

Seeing Li