Zhang Hao walked out of the passage, feeling countless burning gazes fall upon him. Especially the Deacons and Elders of the Qianlong Pagoda present were standing at the very front to welcome him.
"He's the one who broke into the 95000th spot on the Qianlong Ranking?"
"Heavens! Is this really his first time attempting the Pagoda? In our Hualong Empire, how long has it been since a Genius reached such a high rank? Especially since he's only sixteen, it's simply defying the heavens. According to the regulations of the Three Great Academies, this achievement allows him to join any one of the Three Great Academies at will. This is the first time in so many years that someone has met this special requirement of the Three Great Academies."
"He's indeed a Genius! No, I must have the Family Head recruit this person in advance, or it will be too late."
Although Zhang Hao had long been mentally prepared, he was still startled by the lively scene.
"Kid, although I had expectations, you truly did it, which still greatly surprised this old man!" It was Elder Wei who spoke. Even at this moment, he felt as if he were still dreaming.
"Haha, Old man, I'm a Genius! Geniuses can't be measured by common sense." Zhang Hao burst into laughter, feeling very pleased.
"Right, kid, there's a question I want to ask you. Why, in your final challenge, were you able to leap directly to the 95000th spot? According to the rules of the Qianlong Pagoda, for the top 100,000 ranks, you can only challenge once each time, and based on your rank, you should only be able to challenge the one at the very end." Elder Wei looked at Zhang Hao with some confusion.
This was indeed something Elder Wei couldn't figure out even now. Although he was the head of the Qianlong Pagoda in Hualong City, he didn't have such great authority to change the rules. Only higher authority could do that.
"Oh, that! There was an Old man who helped me."
Zhang Hao had no intention of hiding it. Anyway, that Old man didn't tell him to hide it either.
"Oh, what was that Old man you mentioned like?" Elder Wei's heart stirred.
"Hmm, how should I describe him? This Old man looked quite tall. White hair, deep wrinkles on his face. His eyes were sharp, and his smile was very lewd... Right, his smile is similar to yours!" Zhang Hao quickly added.
Elder Wei's face twitched instantly. What the heck, what do you mean by saying that, kid? Are you implying that this old man is very lewd?
However, from Zhang Hao's description, he suddenly thought of someone.
"Could it be... that Old Man!"
Elder Wei's heart trembled. His gaze towards Zhang Hao instantly became somewhat fervent. This kid could actually gain the favor of that Old Man, it must be said, it was definitely a great fortune!
"Elder Wei! Do you know who that person is?" Zhang Hao asked curiously.
When he asked that Old man earlier, the Old man wouldn't say anything about his background. He was so mysterious, which made Zhang Hao feel a bit unhappy.
"Cough cough, you kid, can you be a bit more polite? Calling me 'Old man' or 'Elder' so casually sounds awkward. If you don't mind, you can call me Elder Brother Wei." Elder Wei smiled wryly.
"You people are just being pretentious. You are Old men, so what's wrong with me calling you Old man? The Old man I saw in the Pagoda earlier, I also called him that. Like you, he puffed out his beard and glared. He just wasn't convinced. But Young Master is used to calling people that. However, Elder Wei, since you said so, I'll call you Elder Brother Wei now. Haha..." Zhang Hao laughed.
"Cough cough cough..."
Hearing Zhang Hao actually call the person who appeared in the Pagoda an Old man, Elder Wei's face couldn't help but twitch.
"What's wrong, are you unwell?" Zhang Hao watched Elder Wei cough continuously and asked with concern.
"You really called that person an Old man?" Elder Wei asked in disbelief.
"Yeah! Is that strange? A rotten Old man who won't tell me his name, what else should I call him besides Old man? It's not like I can call him an old immortal, right?" Zhang Hao said nonchalantly.
Elder Wei couldn't help but twitch again. Thinking of the likely identity of that Old Man, a strange expression couldn't help but appear on his face. However, since that person didn't want to reveal his identity, Elder Wei naturally wouldn't dare to reveal it. Otherwise, if that Wu Ming Old Man blamed him, he wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility.
At this moment, all the Elders and Deacons of the Qianlong Pagoda collectively showed goodwill towards Zhang Hao. To be able to obtain the qianlong bronze token at sixteen and enter the bronze ranking, his future prospects were absolutely boundless.
"Kid, don't think you can be arrogant just because you entered the Qianlong bronze ranking. I will settle this score with you. Zeng Ru, let's go!"
The one speaking was precisely the Blue-Clothed Youth who had a conflict with Zhang Hao earlier. Seeing Zhang Hao's boundless glory at this moment, jealousy took over, and he couldn't help but jump out again.
The Red-clothed girl glanced at Zhang Hao awkwardly. Naturally, she didn't want to make an enemy of Zhang Hao, a Genius with boundless future prospects. But she was helpless.
Seeing the two were about to leave, Zhang Hao frowned.
"Hold on!"
The Blue-Clothed Youth glanced at Zhang Hao and said unhappily, "What, you still want to keep me? Don't forget, this is Hualong City."
He brought this upon himself. If the Blue-Clothed Youth had restrained himself a little, Zhang Hao might have let it go due to his good mood. But just his luck, he jumped out again at this moment. Zhang Hao couldn't even let him off the hook now.
"You haven't forgotten our previous bet, have you! Elder Wei was the witness to that. You want to leave just like that? Where do you put Elder Wei!" Zhang Hao looked at the Blue-Clothed Youth with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, the Blue-Clothed Youth's face turned pale.
Earlier, he was only focused on his anger and unwillingness, but he forgot that he still had a bet with Zhang Hao. Now that Zhang Hao mentioned it, his heart instantly turned cold. This bet... was very terrifying.
Elder Wei also suddenly remembered that he had indeed agreed to be the witness for the two of them earlier. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Elder Wei naturally wouldn't break his word. Moreover, the person involved was Zhang Hao, a young man with boundless future prospects. This time, he would also rely on the other party as a highlight on his resume. Therefore, he naturally wouldn't offend him.
"That's right, since this old man has acted as a witness, you must fulfill the bet." Elder Wei said seriously.
The Blue-Clothed Youth was dumbfounded at this moment. If he really fulfilled the bet, his reputation would be completely ruined, and he would bring shame upon his Family. How could he continue to make a living in Hualong City in the future?
"No... I can't do that. Let's change the terms!" The Blue-Clothed Youth looked at Zhang Hao, his eyes full of resentment.
Zhang Hao snorted coldly. This person really didn't know what was good for him. If the other party had apologized nicely, he wasn't the type to be aggressive. But his performance at this moment made him prepared to be tough to the end. He knew the principle that a good horse is ridden, and a good person is bullied.
"Hmph, if you don't fulfill the bet, then don't blame this old man for being impolite." Elder Wei said in a cold voice.
Under the powerful pressure of the Martial King, the Blue-Clothed Youth's face was pale. Gritting his teeth, he said humiliatingly, "Okay, I'll fulfill the bet."