Chapter 23: Rapid Growth in Experience
Li Hao did not hide anything and truthfully explained to the old man.
When Li Muxiu heard it was the Bull Strength technique, he nodded slightly without saying much, then tossed a rucksack to Li Hao.
“This has your bait in it. Tongli Realm creatures are quite fond of it. What you catch depends on your luck.”
With that, he prepared to lead Li Hao downstairs.
“What about my fish basket?” Li Hao asked.
“Hah...” Li Muxiu chuckled and said, “Let’s see if you can catch anything first. If you do, we’ll share the same one.”
“Fine.”
Li Hao did not push further.
As the two descended, they saw Li Fu waiting outside the building.
“Second Uncle, what are you...”
Seeing the fishing rod in Li Hao’s hand, Li Fu was momentarily stunned, then his eyes widened slightly.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going fishing,” Li Muxiu replied with a glance, clearly disinterested in speaking further with this blockhead.
Li Fu looked as if he was on the verge of tears and protested, “Second Uncle, Hao’er learned Bull Strength in just three months and mastered it. His body-refining talent is exceptional! You can’t waste it like this!”
“You said the same thing yesterday. Can you think of something new to say?”
Li Muxiu rubbed his ears impatiently and retorted, “What’s the point of body refining? Even at your peak, could you block an army of ten thousand troops? Tell me, can you?”
Li Fu fell silent, unable to respond.
The "ten thousand troops" Li Muxiu mentioned naturally referred to the Li Family's elite Yuan Battalion, a force so formidable it could crush half a city. There was no way Li Fu could stand against such power.
“Hao’er, don’t mind him. Let’s go.”
Fearing that Li Fu might influence Li Hao’s thoughts, Li Muxiu took the boy’s hand and led him away.
“Uncle Fu, don’t worry.”
Li Hao waved at Li Fu. Although this man’s personality was stern and rigid, Li Hao appreciated his genuine concern.
“Hao’er...”
Li Fu opened his mouth slightly, wanting to call them back. But as he saw Li Hao being pulled along, that bright, innocent face turned back with a smile. His words seemed to get stuck, unable to come out.
“The Divine General Mansion can’t possibly fail to raise a single child, can it?”
Yesterday’s words echoed in his ears once again, each syllable resonating.
Li Fu stood silent.
Perhaps at this moment, Hao’er was happy.
At least he could have a joyful childhood...
The figures of the old man and the child quickly disappeared, leaving behind a man who stood rooted to the spot. After a long, lingering gaze, he sighed softly...
...
...
The sensation was like riding on clouds and mist. Li Hao was being led by Li Muxiu, flying high in the sky.
The courtyards of the Divine General Mansion zipped past beneath them. Li Hao saw maidservants and housekeepers drawing water and preparing meals early in the morning, noticed the eldest lady strolling in her courtyard, and caught sight of the fifth lady sending her children to the martial training grounds, giving them earnest instructions at the gate...
These fleeting scenes made Li Hao marvel. He hadn’t realized that while he usually indulged in sleeping late, the world was already bustling with such vivid activity.
...
“Are you afraid?”
Li Muxiu looked down and asked calmly.
“Afraid of heights? Not really,” Li Hao replied.
He felt as if he were standing on solid ground, supported by an immensely stable force.
The cold morning wind rushing past seemed filtered somehow, leaving only a gentle breeze that brushed against his face and ruffled his hair.
Li Muxiu smiled faintly. “I’m going to speed up.”
Before the words had fully landed, the scenery before Li Hao’s eyes blurred, transforming into a whirlwind.
In an instant, they had flown out of Qingzhou City and were heading toward the vast wilderness beyond.
Half an hour later, Li Muxiu descended slowly with Li Hao to the edge of a vast lake.
The lake stretched endlessly, its waters dark and foreboding.
Green waters signify depth, black waters signify abyss.
The lake was clearly bottomless, its surface rippling only slightly, giving an illusion of calm.
But precisely because of this tranquility, it exuded an eerie, foreboding sense of dread.
Surrounding the lake were several towering mountains, their terrain diverse—some steep and cliff-like near the water, others gently sloping and expansive.
The two landed at the foot of a mountain. Scanning their surroundings with a practiced eye, Li Muxiu said, “The water here is shallow. Fish here. I’ll head to the center of the lake for bigger catches. Take this—it can protect you in an emergency. Don’t worry, if anything happens, just shout, and I’ll be there immediately.”
“Okay.”
Li Hao nodded, accepting the golden talisman his grandfather handed him.
“Do you know how to bait a hook? Let me see how you do it first.”
Li Muxiu didn’t leave immediately. With a wave of his hand, a nearby boulder weathered and transformed into a fishing platform.
He then cleared away the surrounding grass and shrubs to prevent the fishing line from getting tangled, knowing that as a novice, Li Hao would struggle to fix such issues without losing time.
Li Hao hopped onto the stone platform and opened the rucksack. Inside was a bag of soft, wet, red dough.
“To catch these Tongli Realm fish, dead bait is enough. Once your strength improves, I’ll let you use live bait, which increases your chances.”
Li Hao didn’t complain, nodding as he pinched a handful of bait. Immediately, a pungent fishy smell wafted into the air.
He kneaded the bait onto the hook—a hook the size of a fist—using a considerable amount to cover it completely.
Li Muxiu observed with some surprise and asked, “Have you fished before?”
“No.”
Li Hao asked, “Am I doing it wrong?”
“You’re doing it right.” Li Muxiu nodded, giving Li Hao a glance but not thinking much of it. From their brief interaction yesterday, he already knew this child was unusually clever.
“This powder will mask your scent.”
Li Muxiu produced some powder from an unknown source and patted it onto Li Hao. “Now cast your line. If you manage to catch one today, I’ll bring you back tomorrow.”
“Alright.”
Li Hao nodded.
He swung the fishing rod, letting the line fly out to its maximum length before it splashed into the water a hundred meters away.
The moment the hook entered the water, a notification appeared before Li Hao’s eyes:
[Fishing Dao: Level 0 (1/100)]
[Fishing Experience +2]
Li Hao smirked inwardly. As expected, his gaming experiences in fishing arts translated into progress on his panel.
What surprised him even more was that simply casting the line had already earned him 2 experience points!
When playing chess, he usually only gained 1 point per game. Only highly challenging matches yielded 2 points.
It seemed that fishing, like Chess Dao, was categorized as an advanced skill. This also meant the lake before him was a high-difficulty fishing spot.
...
“Patience is key. Stay quiet and avoid startling anything underwater.”
“Don’t look around. Focus on the float.”
“At first, fishing may seem boring, but once you get a bite, you’ll understand—it’s worth all the waiting.”
Li Muxiu gave earnest instructions, worried that Li Hao’s youthful restlessness might cause him to lose interest quickly.
Fishing, after all, was an activity most suited to old-timers, not a seven- or eight-year-old child with boundless energy.
“Got it.”
Li Hao nodded.
Seeing the boy’s calm and composed demeanor, Li Muxiu’s lips curled into a faint smile. He said no more and quietly observed from the side.
Since he wasn’t fishing himself, he discreetly extended his mental awareness to check underwater activity. Soon, he spotted two fish—a four-layer Tongli Realm fish and a seven-layer one—heading toward the bait.
“Newbie protection phase, indeed. Movement so soon. Let’s see if he can reel it in.”
Li Muxiu felt a twinge of envy. Though he could intervene and force the fish onto the hook to bolster Li Hao’s enthusiasm, his own love for fishing wouldn’t allow such a dull approach.
Moments later, Li Hao noticed the float twitch.
His eyes lit up as he held his breath, waiting for the float to submerge halfway before swiftly pulling the rod.
The line went taut immediately, the hook on the other end snaring something that began to thrash violently, sending a powerful force through the rod.
To Li Hao, however, this force felt no stronger than cotton. He tugged hard, causing the hooked creature to lose control and hurtle toward the surface.
“Don’t rush! You’ll lose the catch. Reel it in steadily,” Li Muxiu urged.
Startled, Li Hao quickly adjusted, moderating his movements. Following his grandfather’s guidance, he reeled the fish in with controlled precision.
Waves churned on the dark water as the struggle created large splashes.
After ten minutes, the exhausted fish was finally hauled ashore. It measured four to five meters long, its mouth lined with razor-sharp fangs capable of swallowing a grown man whole.
If anyone fell into the lake, they would undoubtedly become this demon fish’s meal.
Since it was still in the Tongli Realm, the fish hadn’t yet gained the ability to shapeshift. Its rudimentary intelligence left it driven by bloodthirsty instincts.
As the fish flopped violently on the shore, its menacing jaws snapped toward Li Hao.
Li Muxiu flicked a finger, and the fish’s body shrank into the size of a regular fish. Picking it up with ease, he tossed it into the fish basket.
“Well done, kid! You’re off to a great start.”
Li Muxiu chuckled and said to Li Hao, “How was it? Tired? That fish was a seven-layer Tongli Realm catch. The strength it can muster underwater is immense—someone at the eighth layer might struggle to reel it in. Yet, you handled it like a pro!”
“Not tired.”
Li Hao grinned.
“Good. Keep at it. I’ll use this one as bait for the big ones.”
Unable to suppress his own excitement, Li Muxiu grabbed the fish basket and leaped toward the lake’s center, vanishing in a flash.
Li Hao gazed after him, squinting to make out a tiny figure at the lake’s farthest reaches.
Shaking his head, Li Hao returned his focus to gaining experience.
Once again, he coated the hook with bait and cast the line.
[Fishing Experience +2]
Li Hao sat on the fishing platform, his eyes fixed on the float as he patiently waited.
The earlier example proved that successfully reeling in a catch would yield far more experience points, so he refrained from distractions.
Time passed slowly.
Perhaps the commotion caused by the earlier catch had scared off nearby fish. For a full hour, the float didn’t move.
Could the bait have already been eaten?
The thought crossed Li Hao’s mind, and he was tempted to pull the line up to check. But he resisted.
Earlier, he had tried to exploit a “glitch” by repeatedly casting and retrieving the line to farm experience points quickly.
On the second cast, only 1 experience point had been gained.
By the third, no experience was awarded at all.
Clearly, frequent casting without a catch had diminishing returns.
Just then, the still float twitched slightly.
Li Hao’s almost numb gaze instantly sharpened.
Before he could react further, the float plunged straight underwater and vanished.
Li Hao pulled the rod with all his strength, and the line snapped taut with a sharp whine. From the other end came an immense force, estimated to be dozens of dings in weight.