Chapter 44: A Master’s Power

"No wonder you were able to challenge all the students in the academy—turns out you've already reached the peak of the high-level elite warrior stage. I thought you were just a combat genius, but I clearly underestimated you," Old Liu said with a shake of his head and a chuckle.

Su Hao modestly replied, "It's all thanks to my father's teachings."

Bald Liu nodded, not probing further. Since Su Hao had reached this point, he could now teach him how to advance to the rank of a master warrior. Whether Su Hao could successfully make the breakthrough, however, depended on him.

After a moment of contemplation, Bald Liu spoke slowly, "Xiangwu, has your father ever mentioned what it means to be a master warrior?"

Su Hao shook his head. "My father is a high-level elite warrior, so he never talked to me about master-level warriors. I've also scoured all the records in the Lingyun library, but I couldn't find any information about the master level or anything beyond it."

Bald Liu nodded in understanding. "Of course. The knowledge about master-level warriors and above is considered top-tier confidential information among humanity, and it's not easily shared. Those who successfully advance to the master level usually rely on their family's legacy."

Su Hao was taken aback, immediately realizing that in this world, knowledge was tightly controlled by the upper-class families. Ordinary people had no access to such information. He hesitated, then asked, "So, will it be a problem for you to teach me, Teacher Liu?"

Bald Liu smiled. "Family legacies aren't the only way. There are other avenues, such as the Warrior academies. Since you're a student of this academy and have reached a certain level, learning higher-tier knowledge is only natural. The purpose of our academy is to cultivate talent and create more powerful warriors for the human race.

"If the transmission of knowledge were entirely reliant on great families, the human race would never have been able to hold its ground. We would've been wiped out by the fierce beasts long ago."

Su Hao nodded in understanding.

Bald Liu continued, "You may not know this, but from the perspective of the human body, reaching the high-level elite warrior stage is the limit. There's no path forward from there."

Su Hao pondered over the meaning of Old Liu's words but couldn't quite grasp it. "From the perspective of the human body?"

Bald Liu had said there was no path beyond this point, but master warriors, grandmasters, and Mystical-level warriors all existed. So the key to his statement must lie in the phrase "from the perspective of the human body."

Bald Liu nodded. "That's right. From the perspective of the human body, reaching the high-level elite warrior stage is the peak of what we can achieve."

Seeing the confusion on Su Hao's face, Bald Liu smiled, satisfied that Su Hao was trying to grasp the deeper meaning of his words. He continued, "Humans are different from fierce beasts. Our strength comes from our intelligence, not our physical bodies. Our entire bodily structure is designed to serve our brain, sacrificing physical power for intellectual capability.

"It's this clever brain of ours that has allowed humanity to survive from ancient times until now. But even with such intelligence, without physical power, we still wouldn't be able to overcome the powerful fierce beasts. We would have to hide and struggle just to survive."

Su Hao nodded in agreement. Indeed, intelligence was humanity's foundation.

Bald Liu went on, "Fierce beasts don't need clever brains. Their entire bodies are built for strength, and as their bodies grow, their power grows accordingly.

"Some powerful beasts can grow endlessly, becoming unstoppable until they eventually die from starvation when they can no longer find enough food to sustain their massive size."

"To improve humanity's survival chances, our ancestors embarked on a long journey of experimentations.

"First, they discovered the methods of training common warriors, then broke through to the elite warrior stage. Our ancestors were stuck at the elite warrior stage for nearly a thousand years. They found that elite warriors seemed to be the pinnacle of what humans could achieve."

Su Hao asked curiously, "What happened next?"

Bald Liu proudly replied, "Then, a once-in-a-generation genius emerged among us, someone who single-handedly carved a path beyond the elite warrior stage. Xiangwu, remember this name: He is The Emperor of Mankind, Ancestor Wuzong or kown as Mystical Beast Slayer."

Su Hao's eyes gleamed with admiration. "The Emperor of Mankind, Ancestor Wuzong?"

Bald Liu nodded. "Yes. That's why the highest level of warriors is named after him. It's called the 'Mystical warrior' level. No one has forgotten his contribution."

Bald Liu continued, "After reaching the high-level elite warrior stage, the Emperor ventured alone into the dangerous wilderness, hunting countless fierce beasts and studying the mysteries of their bodies. Why could beasts grow infinitely, while humans couldn't? Ten years later, he broke through to the master level and returned to the human settlements."

Su Hao could imagine the scene. The Ancestor Wuzong was truly the "child of destiny" in this world.

"Everyone went crazy! The bottleneck that had trapped humanity for nearly a thousand years was shattered by his effort alone. Afterward, the Emperor began to freely teach the method for breaking through to the master level. After spreading this knowledge, he once again ventured into the wilderness, and no one ever heard from him again."

"Yet, within just a few short years, everyone remembered him and honored him as the Emperor of Mankind. Countless years have passed since then, and humanity has advanced further, reaching the grandmaster level and even the Mystica level. One day, we will undoubtedly break through to even higher realms."

At this point, Bald Liu sighed. "I'm afraid I won't live to see that day."

Su Hao smiled and said, "Don't be discouraged, Teacher Liu. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to make that breakthrough!"

Bald Liu laughed, rubbing his shiny bald head. "I'm already struggling to break through to the grandmaster level, let alone the Mystica level."

"Back to the main topic. What I'm about to teach you is the method to break through to the master level."

Su Hao immediately straightened his posture, maintaining the same respect for knowledge he always had.

Bald Liu extended his hand, clenched it tightly, and veins bulged along his arm. A fierce aura radiated from him, spreading outward. The pressure was so strong that even Su Hao's short hair was blown slightly backward.

Su Hao was stunned by the aura. Facing Bald Liu now felt like standing before a primordial beast—completely overwhelming.

The sheer force of his aura had reached such an incredible level.

Bald Liu explained, "This is the power of a master. It's overwhelming, wild, and fundamentally different from the elite level. If you think of the elite level's strength as a bucket of water, then the master level's strength is like a rushing river."

Su Hao's eyes widened in disbelief. "Is the difference really that huge?"

Bald Liu relaxed his hand and smiled. "It's bigger than you think."

Worried that Su Hao might still doubt him, Bald Liu stood up and gestured for Su Hao to hit him. "Come, punch me with all your strength. See for yourself the difference between a master and an elite."

Without hesitation, Su Hao nodded and moved to stand opposite Bald Liu. "I'm coming, Teacher Liu. Be careful."

Su Hao's elite-level blood Qi surged, roaring out from the nine palaces within his body and enveloping him entirely.

Assuming a stance that maximized his punching force, Su Hao let out a low shout.

«Charged Iron Punch»

Combining the technique of channeling all his power into one blow with the explosive force of the «Iron Punch», Su Hao unleashed his strongest punch to date.

"Bang∼!"

There was a muffled sound.

Old Liu took the punch squarely on his chest.

He felt an unexpectedly immense force that actually made him stagger backward five or six steps.

The confidence on Old Liu's face vanished as he widened his eyes in shock. Holding his chest and coughing, he muttered in disbelief, "Xiangwu, are you sure you're only at the high-level elite stage? You're not lying to me?"

Su Hao shook his slightly sore fist and replied, surprised, "That's right. My father told me this is the high-level elite stage."