Chapter 73: The True Dragon of the Li Family
A soldier from the Yuan Battalion glanced at the young monk, recognized his identity, nodded, and turned to enter the Vajra Heart Hall to report.
Before long, a youth dressed in a green robe with a half-draped Xuanhuang kasaya stepped out of the hall.
He was tall and upright, with sword-like brows and starry eyes. Beneath his sharp browline were a pair of cold and resolute eyes.
A sword hung at his waist, and his bearing was imposing, resembling a proud dragon.
"Senior Brother Song."
Upon seeing the young monk, Li Qianfeng nodded slightly.
"Li Qianfeng, do you still remember me?"
A beautiful woman standing nearby spoke up, her gaze fixed on the youth, her eyes brightening.
Li Qianfeng glanced at her and frowned. "You are?"
"A year ago, at Qingfeng Ridge!"
The woman’s eyes shone with hope. "Do you remember?"
"Qingfeng Ridge..." Li Qianfeng's eyes revealed a hint of reminiscence as he thought aloud. "It seems the monsters there have already been eradicated."
"It’s me, Murong Qiulan! Back then, you shielded me from the attack of that Yin Wind Serpent Demon. If not for you, I would have died!" Murong Qiulan quickly said.
Li Qianfeng frowned slightly and looked at her. "Why are you here?"
"I told you back then that I would repay your kindness. I, Murong Qiulan, will marry no one but you in this life!"
Murong Qiulan's face flushed with a hint of shyness, but she still mustered the courage to bite her lip and speak.
"So, you’re here to repay kindness with ingratitude?"
Li Qianfeng raised an eyebrow.
Murong Qiulan: "..."
The young monk beside them cast a look of amazement at Li Qianfeng. To say such ruthless words to such a beautiful woman, this junior disciple was truly deserving of his position as the Buddha Lord’s personal disciple.
"I only want to repay your kindness..." Murong Qiulan bit her lip, looking aggrieved.
She had traveled a long way, used connections to ascend the mountain, only to encounter such cold indifference.
"What is your family background?"
Li Qianfeng remained unmoved by her pitiable demeanor and asked calmly.
Murong Qiulan was momentarily stunned but quickly responded, "My Murong family is the most prominent family in Baifeng City. My father is the clan leader. In his youth, he reached the Fifteen Li Realm and made connections far and wide. Now he has already stepped into the Heaven and Man Realm. With some luck, he may even aspire to the Three Immortal Realm in this lifetime."
"Your father's age?"
"He just turned fifty-four this year."
"He is already old."
Li Qianfeng shook his head slightly. "With such aptitude, advancing to the Three Immortal Realm is arduous. Even if he does achieve it, it is insignificant before the Li family. Your family background is too lowly."
Murong Qiulan opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.
How could she not know? In terms of family heritage, how many in Dayu could compare to the youth before her?
She gritted her teeth and said, "But my mother said that if two people truly love each other, why should family background matter? I don’t care about that. I don’t need a betrothal gift or anything else. I only want you!"
"Your words themselves are greedy!"
Li Qianfeng replied coldly, "I alone am worth more than countless betrothal gifts. Marrying me is like gaining half a province! My marriage will be decided by my mother, and I will only wed someone of equal standing, such as a royal princess or a noble lady. Your family’s status is beneath my mother’s notice."
Murong Qiulan’s face turned ashen, rendered speechless.
She hadn’t expected this outcome. Despite taking the initiative as a woman, even to the point of offering herself, she was still rejected.
The young monk beside them regarded Li Qianfeng’s words as nothing short of astounding. This junior disciple was truly fierce!
"What if the person you marry in the future isn’t someone you like?"
Murong Qiulan bit her lip tightly, her heart feeling as if it were bleeding.
"Marriage is a transaction," Li Qianfeng said indifferently. "What does liking have to do with it? In this life, I follow the sword. Everything else is merely baggage."
These words left the two of them stunned, followed by silence.
The peerless youth before them, like a proud dragon beneath the sun and moon, possessed unparalleled talent. Yet, it seemed all his thoughts were devoted solely to the sword in his hand.
Matters of love between men and women clearly meant nothing to such a person.
Murong Qiulan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I understand. If... if I am willing to marry you as a concubine, would that suffice?"
At this, she raised her head again, looking at the youth of extraordinary poise.
Beside her, the young monk’s expression changed slightly. He glanced at her, then inexplicably turned his head away, as if he could no longer bear to watch.
So this is what Master meant by the world’s infatuation?
"A concubine..." Li Qianfeng considered for a moment and said, "The daughter of a Grandmaster would barely qualify, but only after I marry properly would I accept a concubine."
"I can wait!" Murong Qiulan said immediately.
"Very well."
Li Qianfeng nodded and said no more. Instead, he turned to the young monk and asked, "Senior Brother Song, did you bring the registry? I plan to leave the mountain for a while now that my seclusion is complete."
The young monk snapped out of his thoughts and nodded, retrieving a registry from his kasaya along with pen and ink.
"Junior Brother Qianfeng, after over a decade on the mountain, are you finally heading home?"
"I do need to visit home, but before that, I’ll claim some merit for myself."
Li Qianfeng took the pen and ink and began recording as he spoke.
The young monk was surprised. "Oh? Junior Brother Qianfeng still needs merit?"
"Senior Brother Song, you jest. All Li family disciples must earn their own merit. Besides, my return home this time is to compete for the True Dragon Seat. Having some merit will naturally help."
At this moment, Li Qianfeng seemed amiable. With a few strokes, he finished recording and returned the pen and ink to Senior Brother Song.
The young monk dried the registry, closed it, and put away the writing tools with a smile. "Junior Brother Qianfeng is too modest. With your cultivation, who could possibly contend with you for the True Dragon Seat?"
Li Qianfeng smiled faintly, his gaze distant.
In his mind, a figure surfaced—someone his mother had mentioned during a visit to the mountain.
Li Wushuang.
During his monster-slaying expedition a year ago, he had also heard her name. She had already made it onto the Qian Kun Ranking!
A Ninth-Class Battle Body, apprenticed to a renowned master, and a year and a half younger than him. She had already made a name for herself in the martial world, preceding him in gaining fame.
This time, she was his greatest competitor.
Although they hadn’t met, Li Qianfeng felt a subtle sense of connection, as if she were closely following in his footsteps.
Thinking of this, a slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He would let his cousin know that his shadow wasn’t something just anyone could catch up to.
He believed in himself and in the sword in his hand.
...
...
In Cangyu City.
Since the monster calamity had been resolved, Li Hao and his group prepared to return home.
The tasks of the Demon Subduing Division had also quieted down. Apart from clearing the monster corpses outside the city, there was little else to do.
For the time being, almost no monsters dared to trespass into Cangyu City, except for the occasional foolish minor demons lacking intelligence, who braved the risk of acting against the city.
Meanwhile, Li Hao wandered through the various parts of the city, collecting calligraphy, paintings, and poetry. His efforts were quite fruitful.
...
Name: Li Hao
Age: 14
Cultivation: Peak of the Fifteen Li Realm
Sword Dao: Six Stages (Flying Slash, Hidden Bow)
Sword Techniques: Boundless Sea (True State), Falling Snow Sword Technique: Avalanche (True State)
Body Dao: Six Stages (All-Manifestations, Tiger Pressure)
Body Techniques: Golden Skin Hundred Refinements: Vajra (True State), Thousand Flood Sacred Body: Transmutation of the Flood Dragon (True State), Taichu Stage Five (Primeval Body True State), Dragon Cicada True Vacuum Body: Dragon Ascension (True State)
Royal Dao: Six Stages
Royal Techniques: Tiangang Zhoutian Technique: Tiangang (True State), Hundred Battles Zhoutian Technique: Wushuang (True State), Dragon River Divine Vein: Dragon Breath (True State), Ninefold Star Zhoutian Technique: Ninefold (True State)
Fist Dao: Six Stages
Fist Techniques: Half-Step Invincible Fist, Sixth Layer (Supreme Perfection), Heaven-and-Earth Unifying Fist (Supreme Perfection)
Movement Dao: Two Stages
Movement Techniques: White Phoenix Style (Supreme Perfection)
Chess Dao: Five Stages (18322/50000)
Painting Dao: Five Stages (8273/50000)
Poetry and Literature: Three Stages (4999/5000)
Music Dao: Three Stages (4999/5000)
Fishing Dao: Five Stages (21827/50000)
Cooking Dao: Six Stages (99999/100000)
Collected Chess Manuals: All-Manifestations, Tiger Pressure, Flying Slash, Hidden Bow, Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness, Seven Phoenixes Lighting Lamps
Collected Paintings: Thousand Mountain Birds in Flight, Snow Mountain Spirit Fox, Kirin and Gallant Horse, Blood Sea Savage Flood Dragon, Coiled Mountain, Qiongqi Mountain Diagram
Collected Poetry Anthologies: Zhao Xinhua’s Poetry Anthology, Song Yuan’s Poetry Anthology
Collected Music Scores: Phoenix Seeking Mate, Orchid in the Valley, Moonlit Serenade, Little Nomadic Song
Fishing Catalog: None
Cooking Recipes: None
Mental States: Chess Heart (Consumed), Painting Heart (Consumed), Fishing Heart (Consumed), Cooking Heart (Consumed)
Skill Points: 1
...
During this trip, Li Hao acquired two new chess manuals: "Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness" and "Seven Phoenixes Lighting Lamps."
He chose to integrate "Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness" into his Body Dao. Soon, its attributes became apparent.
Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness: In a relaxed state, the body rapidly heals itself, and severed limbs can regenerate gradually.
This effect was impressive, though it was of little practical use to him as he rarely sustained injuries.
The second manual, "Seven Phoenixes Lighting Lamps," was a chess array designed for entrapment and killing.
Li Hao debated whether to apply it to his Sword Dao or Royal Dao. After some thought, he decided to integrate it into his Royal Dao.
Once embedded, its attributes became clear:
Seven Phoenixes Lighting Lamps: After seven cycles of energy circulation, power temporarily doubles.
Li Hao was momentarily taken aback by the effect.
This enhancement was exceptionally potent. By completing seven circulations of energy through meridians, a full doubling of strength could be achieved?
It was crucial to note that with the progression of his Royal Dao to six stages, most of his mastered techniques had reached their True State.
Some lower-tier techniques, under the influence of Dao comprehension, had even evolved into top-grade techniques.
As his techniques advanced, his number of opened meridians increased significantly—from 69 to 98!
Energy circulations in his Zhoutian technique had also risen from 248 to 369 cycles.
The raw strength of his energy circulations alone exceeded 8 million jin.
With the instantaneous doubling provided by the Yin-Yang Double Burst, his strength soared to over 17 million jin!
Even the royal clans only reached around 2 million jin—a disparity of nearly ninefold. With this enhancement, the gap widened to eighteenfold!
The difference was as vast as the sky and the mud.
However, Li Hao understood the toll of such rapid enhancement on the body. It was a short-lived burst for critical moments.
Moreover, he had yet to unlock all 108 major meridians to their full potential. There was still room for further improvement.
The only aspect that had reached its peak was his soul cultivation, as he had already condensed his Heavenly Soul Fusion into a manifestation of the Heavenly Avatar.
This trip yielded substantial rewards: two chess manuals, three famous paintings, two poetry anthologies, and four music scores.
For now, Li Hao had not integrated the newly acquired items.
He planned to test his limits against experts at the Heaven and Man Realm before deciding which areas needed improvement.