Chapter 35: Ancestral Hall
Months later...
At the edge of the Blackwater Demon Lake, Li Hao hauled up a fish demon at the eighth level of the Zhoutian Realm. With a casual swing of his sword, he dispatched the creature. He then set up a large pot over a crackling fire to cook.
Scaling the fish, skinning it, and removing the bones, his movements were fluid and efficient, like flowing water.
This time, he omitted spicy peppers and prepared a nourishing soup instead, tossing in a variety of wild mushrooms he had foraged.
The rich aroma of mushrooms wafted through the iron pot's lid, carried by the steam. The two elderly men fishing by the lake couldn't help but sniff the air and frequently cast curious glances toward the pot.
When Li Hao announced, "Let's eat," the two elders appeared by the pot as if by magic, each already holding their own utensils—one wielding finely crafted jade chopsticks, the other a pair of crude chopsticks carved from twigs.
“Not bad!”
Li Muxiu slurped a piece of fish and gave Li Hao a thumbs up.
Old Feng chuckled as he ladled himself a bowl of fish soup and began to savor it slowly.
...
The fish had served its purpose well. Besides enhancing his fishing expertise, it also earned Li Hao several dozen points of cooking experience. He speculated that his Dao of Cooking might surpass his Chess Dao as the first of his arts to reach the third rank.
“Come here, little one, have a taste too.”
Li Hao picked up a piece of fish and placed it on a nearby leaf. A snowy white figure darted out, eagerly munching on the fish atop the leaf.
“That’s a fox, but you’ve trained it to act like a dog,” Old Feng remarked with a laugh.
He had been back for several months now, but whatever business had taken him away, he hadn’t shared it with Li Muxiu or Li Hao, nor had they inquired.
“There’s not much difference,” Li Hao replied with a smile.
Halfway through the meal, Li Hao deemed it the right moment to broach the subject. He turned to Li Muxiu and said, “Second Grandfather, I plan to attempt breaking through to the Soul Fusion Realm soon. Would you be able to accompany me to the ancestral hall?”
“Hmm?”
Both elders paused, their chopsticks mid-air, and looked at Li Hao.
“You’re going to attempt the Soul Fusion Realm? Are you already at the peak of the Zhoutian Realm?” Li Muxiu asked, visibly surprised.
Li Hao nodded. He had intentionally delayed telling his grandfather for months, fearing that his rapid progress might seem too extraordinary.
“Are you serious?” Feng Boping was so startled that he momentarily forgot about his food, staring at Li Hao in disbelief.
He knew this boy had a playful side, but when it came to cultivation, Li Hao never joked.
Still, attempting the Soul Fusion Realm at eight years old? That was utterly absurd.
“Have you really perfected your Dragon River Divine Veins? How could that be possible? Even if you weren’t born with a Martial Waste Body, your father only reached the Soul Fusion Realm at nine.”
Li Muxiu eyed Li Hao skeptically. He knew the boy wouldn’t make such a claim lightly, but it was hard to believe. Even the most gifted genius he had ever encountered—Li Junye—had only reached the Soul Fusion Realm at eight and a half.
And that boy had been relentless in his cultivation, gifted and extraordinarily diligent.
But Li Hao? He spent his days fishing with him, sometimes for an entire day at a stretch. Where did he find the time to cultivate?
“It’s true.” Li Hao sensed he might have overestimated his grandfather’s ability to take this revelation in stride, but since the matter was already out in the open, he pressed on.
“Did your meridians clear up on their own?”
Li Muxiu scrutinized him. “Even though you have exceptional talent in body refinement, breaking through to the Soul Fusion Realm typically takes seven to eight years—or even decades. How could you achieve perfect meridians in less than a year?”
“That’s easy to verify—let the boy show us,” Old Feng suggested.
Li Muxiu nodded. “Good idea. Let’s see.”
“All right.”
Li Hao stood up and moved a bit away from the pot. Drawing on his inner strength, he activated all 54 major meridians. A surging wave of energy coursed through his body, the concealed effects of his “All-Manifestations” attribute temporarily lifted. The energy burst forth, unrestrained.
Li Muxiu and Feng Boping’s eyes widened in shock. Li Muxiu’s reaction was so exaggerated that his chopsticks slipped from his grasp and fell into the pot.
“Is this real?”
As a cultivator in the Fourth Pillar Realm, there was no way he could mistake what he was seeing.
Fifty-four meridians, fully activated—this was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the Zhoutian Realm!
Yet the child before him was only eight years old.
After a moment of stunned silence, Feng Boping turned to Li Muxiu, his expression incredulous. “Your Li family really does produce freaks. First, it was that boy, Li Junye, and now it’s this one. If the other Divine General Mansions learn about this, they’ll be green with envy—and eager to file some complaints about your family!”
Li Muxiu remained dumbfounded, staring at Li Hao as thoughts churned in his mind.
This wasn’t just extraordinary talent for reaching the peak of the Zhoutian Realm; it meant something even more significant—Li Hao’s meridians had cleared!
This meant he was no longer a Martial Waste Body; he could cultivate properly now!
Moreover, this kind of talent was even more astonishing than Li Junye’s, making Li Hao undoubtedly the most gifted individual of his generation—and perhaps even across the past ten generations.
Countless thoughts swirled in Li Muxiu’s mind, but one loomed large: guilt.
Here was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, yet he had spent his days indulging the boy in fishing and idling, wasting precious time.
“Second Grandfather?” Li Hao withdrew his energy and called out, noticing the distant look on his grandfather’s face.
Li Muxiu snapped back to reality. His first instinct was to pick up his chopsticks to feign calm, but they were already in the soup. Letting out a bitter laugh, he gazed deeply at Li Hao.
“How did your meridians clear?”
“I think it happened in a dream,” Li Hao explained. “One night, I dreamed about cultivating. Suddenly, I felt a surge of strength, and my whole body felt lighter. When I woke up, cultivation became easy, and I progressed through the meridians effortlessly.”
“...”
The two elders were speechless.
Clearing one’s meridians in a dream?
This sounded more like sleep-talking than a plausible explanation.
But apart from Li Hao’s account, they had no other theory.
“Could it be that this boy’s previously blocked meridians were a false blockage?” Feng Boping mused, stroking his pointed white beard. “I’ve heard that some Martial Waste Bodies are only temporarily blocked. Sometimes, their meridians clear up unexpectedly during cultivation.”
“Perhaps,” Li Muxiu agreed, though he knew such cases were exceedingly rare.
“Now that this boy can cultivate, your Li family has truly risen to prominence again,” Feng Boping said with a sigh. “One dragon may have fallen, but now another has risen to take its place. Incredible.”
Li Muxiu, however, let out a deep sigh. “If I had known this earlier, I would have trained him properly instead of letting him waste so much time idling with us, fishing all day.”
Hearing this, Li Hao panicked. “Grandfather, you’re not planning to force me into strict cultivation now, are you?”
“What do you mean, force you?” Li Muxiu retorted. “Now that your meridians are cleared, don’t you want to cultivate properly and achieve great renown in the future?”
“Don’t joke with me,” Li Hao protested without hesitation. “Grandfather, please don’t ruin my life. I have no interest in military exploits or fame. I’m perfectly happy with my current carefree life. Let someone else chase after glory!”
Li Muxiu was left speechless. Most people would have been overjoyed at the prospect of making a name for themselves. But this boy? He dismissed the idea outright.
“Hahaha...”
Feng Boping burst into hearty laughter. “This boy is nothing like Li Junye. Honestly, I think he has a point. Fame? Wealth? They are fleeting. In the end, even the most glorious fortunes fade into dust.”
Li Muxiu’s expression shifted subtly, as if a thorn had been driven into his heart.
Li Junye had once been a dazzling genius, shining brighter than anyone else.
But his brilliance had burned out too quickly, and he had fallen like a shooting star.
Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, who was staring back at him nervously. His heart twisted. If this boy were to be sent to the battlefield, who could guarantee he wouldn’t meet the same tragic fate as Li Junye?
“Forget it...” Li Muxiu let out a heavy sigh. “Since you don’t wish for glory, so be it. From now on, just follow my example—stay with the Li family, enjoy a quiet life, and become an insignificant, unremarkable old fool.”
Feng Boping chuckled. “Who dares call the Fist Saint insignificant? Anyone who tries would likely end up eating through a straw!”
Li Muxiu shot him a glare before turning back to Li Hao. “When your parents hear about this and come looking for answers, I’ll endure their scolding. Now, sit down and eat!”
With a flick of his fingers, he retrieved the chopsticks from the pot and replaced them with a freshly whittled pair of twigs. But as he resumed eating, his movements carried a weightier, more contemplative air.
Relieved, Li Hao let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. As long as he could keep fishing with his grandfather, life was good.
Although he could fish on his own, having Li Muxiu by his side meant not only safety but also the chance to catch larger and more exotic prey. It was a sweet deal.
Settling back by the pot, Li Hao continued eating.
...
“Second Grandfather, about the Soul Fusion attempt...”
“Eat now. I’ll take you there later,” Li Muxiu said with a pointed look before resuming his meal.
Reassured, Li Hao dove into his food with gusto.
...
...
The Li Family’s ancestral hall was located in the deepest part of the Divine General Mansion, carved into a mountainside.
The outer perimeter of the mountain was heavily guarded by warriors clad in heavy armor. But on the steps leading up to the hall, there was only the sound of fallen leaves rustling in the wind.
Outside the grand and solemn ancestral hall, an expansive plaza held several towering incense burners, each wafting trails of fragrant smoke skyward.
Two figures descended from the skies, landing gracefully in the plaza before walking up the stairs.
Even Li Muxiu, who was typically lighthearted and carefree, adopted a serious and composed demeanor as he led Li Hao into the hall.
“Second Brother, what brings you here today?”
A calm voice, as serene as a still lake, drifted out from within. Merely hearing it brought a sense of tranquility to the mind.
Li Hao looked ahead and saw rows of ancestral tablets displayed within the hall. Among them stood a golden statue of the Li family’s founding ancestor, the Divine General Li Tianyuan.
Seated on a futon to the side of the tablets was an elderly man with long eyebrows and a flowing beard. He sat alone before a chessboard, quietly playing a game against himself, his hand occasionally placing pieces with measured precision.
“I brought the younger generation to pay respects to the ancestors,” Li Muxiu said, stepping over the threshold.
The elder lifted his gaze slightly, his ancient, inscrutable eyes landing on Li Hao as he followed Li Muxiu into the hall. A faint ripple of emotion broke through his calm demeanor.
“A Soul Fusion attempt? This boy looks even younger than Li Junye. Are you joking, Second Brother?”