C16 Say It Again!

At that moment, Bao Guang, seated beside Zhang Hao, noticed his companion's odd behavior and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

In the Central Cafeteria, disciples not of the family lineage had no voice; they were expected to sit in silence and eat their meals.

Even Bao Guang, let alone the others, wouldn't dare to challenge this rule for fear of provoking the family disciples.

"Zhang Hao, sit down quickly. Don't provoke the family disciples, or even I won't be able to save you!" Bao Guang hissed urgently, his voice barely above a whisper.

But Zhang Hao, with a dark, twisted expression, was beyond reach of reason. He strode toward a seat on the left side of the cafeteria.

Bao Guang, alarmed, reached out to grab Zhang Hao, but it was too late.

Boom—a dull thud echoed as a surge of energy overwhelmed Bao Guang, who found himself dragged down to the floor.

Humiliated by his fall in front of everyone, Bao Guang's anger flared. He scrambled to his feet and, without a second thought, swung a punch at the back of Zhang Hao's head.

The sudden violence left everyone, family and non-family disciples alike, in shock.

Bang—the punch landed, but the outcome was not as Bao Guang had anticipated. He had expected Zhang Hao to crumple, unconscious.

Instead, Zhang Hao remained standing, seemingly unfazed by the blow to his head.

When Zhang Hao turned to glare back, Bao Guang recoiled in terror, stumbling backward and collapsing to the ground.

The nearby disciples in blue robes burst into laughter at the sight.

"Bao Guang, you're so pathetic that a mere country disciple has you falling over in fear. You're a disgrace," they taunted.

"And you claim to be the strongest among the non-family disciples?"

Seething with rage at their mockery, Bao Guang remained on the ground, but the sight of Zhang Hao's retreating back filled him with dread, especially as he recalled the intensity of Zhang Hao's stare.

Twisted and grotesque, it resembled a venomous serpent or a savage beast, sending chills down one's spine.

When he found himself the target, Bao Guang felt an icy chill envelop his body, and the scent of death pervaded his soul.

Despite the fear gnawing at him, Bao Guang couldn't afford to dwell on it and quickly got to his feet.

He could afford to be embarrassed in front of his own clan's disciples, but he absolutely could not show weakness in front of an outsider.

Otherwise, none of the other disciples would respect or fear him, and he had to reclaim his dignity.

"Zhang Hao, get over here and kneel before me! Maybe then I'll consider forgiving you!"

Bao Guang's fury made the surrounding disciples freeze in terror, holding their breath, too scared to utter a sound.

Yet Zhang Hao seemed oblivious to his words and continued walking towards Kong Peng.

The sight caused the dozen or so disciples in blue robes to furrow their brows in disapproval.

Zhang Hao had now entered the territory reserved for the clan's disciples. One of them, a blue-robed disciple, scoffed.

"Bao Guang, you're a disappointment. You can't even keep a country bumpkin in line. We'll have words later!"

Bao Guang's face turned pale with fear upon hearing the blue-robed disciple's threat.

The speaker, Kong Huo, was the most powerful among them, a late-stage Foundation disciple.

Enraged by the prospect of Kong Huo's reprimand, Bao Guang's glare intensified towards Zhang Hao.

He blamed him for everything; if Zhang Hao hadn't been so reckless, Kong Huo wouldn't have taken his anger out on him!

Fourteen-year-old Kong Huo, unbothered by Bao Guang's rage, spoke with contempt.

"You rural kid, since Bao Guang failed to teach you the Kong family's rules, I guess it falls to me!"

With that, Kong Huo rose and advanced towards Zhang Hao, reaching out to seize him.

But before his hand could make contact, a punch flew straight at him.

With a thud, a figure was sent soaring, and Kong Huo slammed into a wall, collapsing into unconsciousness several meters away.

As everyone came to their senses, Zhang Hao had already approached Kong Peng, his face contorted with fury, his voice icy as he demanded,

"What did you just say? Repeat it!"

The abrupt turn of events left everyone, whether they were original disciples or outsiders, utterly shocked and rooted to the spot.

It was unthinkable that Kong Huo, at the late Foundation Stage, could be knocked out cold with a single punch.

And the one who had sent Kong Huo flying was none other than an outsider disciple who had been with the Kong family for less than a day.

Zhang Hao, expressionless, stepped directly in front of Kong Peng and repeated his cold demand,

"What did you just say? Say it again!"

It was only after Zhang Hao spoke that the outsider and original disciples alike snapped out of their daze.

The angriest of all was Kong Peng, a disciple from the Kong family lineage. He couldn't believe that a lowly country disciple would dare to insult him.

Kong Peng rose to his feet, glaring at Zhang Hao with contempt.

"Kid, do you have any idea who I am..."

He didn't get to finish his sentence before Zhang Hao lunged at him, and with a thunderous crash, the table shattered.

Kong Peng was pinned to the ground, Zhang Hao's hand clamped around his throat.

Zhang Hao, his face still void of emotion, held Kong Peng's neck in a vice-like grip.

Both the family's disciples and the outsiders were left speechless.

Within the Kong family, it was customary for outsider disciples to bow respectfully to those of the main lineage.

Never before had an outsider disciple shown such disrespect to a member of the main family.

Kong Peng, throttled and thrown to the floor, seethed with rage.

For a main family disciple to be manhandled and subdued by an outsider was an unparalleled disgrace.

Desperate to reclaim his dignity, Kong Peng bellowed with fury, ready to strike and put Zhang Hao in his place. But before he could act, the grip on his throat tightened mercilessly.

His face drained of color, Kong Peng struggled to breathe.

Zhang Hao's expression twisted into a visage of wild rage as he bellowed,

"Repeat what you said earlier, now!"