Volume 2 - Chapter 53: Li Hao Emerges from Seclusion, Liang Province in Peril - First 1
The scorching summer sun blazed overhead.
In the small courtyard surrounded by fences within Cangya City, Li Hao sat leisurely, enjoying chilled fruits while occasionally offering pointers on Ren Qianqian’s swordsmanship.
Spring had come and gone, and now, Li Hao was already fifteen years old.
Ren Qianqian, too, had just turned fourteen.
At present, Ren Qianqian had refined a top-tier swordsmanship technique to the realm of supreme perfection. Within her level of cultivation, excluding members of the Imperial Clan, few could rival her.
After consuming dishes prepared from the flesh of great demons and the Ghost Lady Demon King, all of which were brimming with immense energy, her cultivation had progressed rapidly. In just six months, she had broken into the Spiritual Wandering Realm and advanced to the seventh stage of the same realm.
This level of strength had completely surpassed that of the city lord Li Hao had encountered in Cangyu City, Qizhou, during his demon-slaying days.
At merely fourteen years of age, Ren Qianqian already possessed the capability to single-handedly oversee the safety of an inland city.
...
Many cities within the territory enjoyed peaceful lives, and the demons in the surrounding wilderness were generally not particularly formidable. The presence of a cultivator at the Spiritual Wandering Realm was enough to instill fear. When combined with a city-protecting divine array, even Heaven and Man Realm demons could be held off temporarily, allowing time to request reinforcements.
In addition to sword training, Li Hao shared his insights on opening the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians.
Upon learning that Li Hao had managed to open both divine meridians, Ren Qianqian was both astonished and unsurprised—it was, after all, consistent with his overwhelming strength, far surpassing his peers.
Following Li Hao’s guidance, Ren Qianqian managed to open one divine meridian: the Phantom Vein.
However, opening the Yang Meridian was exceptionally perilous unless one was naturally gifted. Attempting it postnatally was fraught with danger, and a single misstep could lead to a fatal cerebral explosion.
Throughout history, countless prodigies had perished trying to forcibly open the Yang Meridian, including some who were considered candidates to succeed the position of a True Person.
Ren Qianqian attempted multiple times but was unable to grasp it fully. Li Hao advised her against continuing such trials. This was not a matter of courage but rather of luck to some extent.
If courage were the only prerequisite, the world would have countless brave warriors capable of opening the Yang Meridian. Yet, in truth, such individuals were extraordinarily rare.
The distinction between courage and recklessness often lay in the outcome. Knowing when to halt was also a form of wisdom.
After successfully opening the Phantom Vein, Ren Qianqian now had the strength to contend with members of the Imperial Clan.
Within the Imperial Clan, most prodigies had opened at least one divine meridian.
Those capable of opening two were renowned figures of their era, their numbers so small they could be counted on two hands.
...
Occasionally, Li Hao would take a stroll beyond the pass, sometimes bringing Ren Qianqian along.
They ventured into regions further east and west, traveling vertically as far as 5,000 li but only carving out a horizontal range of about 1,000 li.
Li Hao’s travels once again caused turmoil within the Tianji Hall, sending demons scattering in panic.
He captured demons at the Fifteen Li level to serve as sparring partners for Ren Qianqian, subjecting her to highly intense training. With Li Hao keeping watch, however, these exercises were thrilling yet without real danger.
Through such practical combat experience, Ren Qianqian’s fighting prowess grew at an astonishing pace.
Her encounters with demons beyond the pass were also detected by the Tianji Tower, which recorded her into the Qian Kun Ranking.
Currently, Li Hao held the top position on both lists of the Qian Kun Ranking, while Ren Qianqian ranked fifth on the Kun Feng List and twenty-ninth on the Qian Long List.
This meteoric rise in reputation drew the attention of many factions.
Most notably, Ren Qianqian’s youth garnered significant interest.
To achieve such rankings and accomplishments at just fourteen years of age meant that ascending into the top ten of the Qian Long List and reaching the Heaven and Man Realm before the age of twenty-two was highly probable.
...
As Ren Qianqian’s fame spread, her basic information was unearthed by many. It was revealed that she was the daughter of a master swordsman, a former disciple of the Tangong Academy. However, she had since left her studies to serve as Li Hao’s sword attendant.
Whenever Li Hao’s name appeared in reports, factions across the land felt their attention drawn immediately.
Since Li Hao had subdued the Buddha’s Son and defeated grandmasters from across the world with a single gesture, his name had become renowned among the younger generation of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty.
Anything connected to Li Hao invariably captured widespread interest.
Over the past six months, youths from various provinces had made their way to Tianmen Pass, hoping for a glimpse of this illustrious figure.
Some came with hopes of sparring with Li Hao, believing that even a defeat at his hands would bring them fame across the land.
As a result, Cangya City grew increasingly lively and prosperous.
In turbulent times, survival was paramount; in times of peace, fame became the pursuit.
Although the Great Yu Divine Dynasty was transitioning from prosperity to decline, this subtle shift was not easily perceptible to most.
Among the mountains and cities, many young individuals still exuded vitality, dressed in splendid robes, riding fine steeds, and chasing after glory and honor.
From the rulers to commoners, all were swept up in this fervor, unable to discern the bigger picture, much less the unbridled ambition of youth.
The elders of these young adventurers, upon hearing that Cangya City had rebuilt its protective divine array and learning of the tales of a Fourth Pillar expert who had slain demon kings and hosted city-wide feasts, did not prevent their children from venturing to this perilous borderland.
However, upon arriving in Cangya City, these youths found themselves barred from entering the small courtyard fenced with simple wood.
Within the courtyard, Li Hao painted, played music, and engaged in leisurely activities, while outside, the Haotian Army diligently stood guard. Additionally, grandmasters patrolled the area, ensuring the perimeter remained secure.
Even when some determined youths spent significant effort to send in invitations, Li Hao handed them off to Ren Qianqian, who dismissed the visitors.
This became another form of training for her.
Among the younger generation, very few could defeat Ren Qianqian. Even considering both rankings of the Qian Kun Ranking, there were only about twenty individuals who might stand a chance, all of them prodigies from prominent factions. Such figures were unlikely to travel to the borderlands seeking fame.
The majority of challengers were older individuals, aged twenty-two and above, or even into their thirties or forties. Some of them could put up a decent fight against Ren Qianqian.
Yet, even those who managed to defeat her were unable to gain an audience with Li Hao.
The young man, whose reputation spanned the realm, remained just within that simple courtyard. Countless individuals awaited a chance to meet him, yet none could succeed.
Honor and disgrace, fame and obscurity, were separated by a single wall.
The pursuit of glory was always arduous. Perhaps that was why Li Hao chose to spend most of his time seated, resting in contentment.
Painting, playing chess, and playing music—all these could be done sitting down. And so he sat, rarely standing if he could avoid it.
...
Over the past six months, Li Hao had integrated the principles of music into his heart, achieving the fourth segment in the Dao of Music.
The insights he gained from this newfound state of mind were then applied to his movement techniques.
With his enhanced mental state, he shattered the bottleneck of the third segment in the Dao of Movement. Through three consecutive breakthroughs, he raised his proficiency to the sixth segment.
Earlier, after pushing his Body Dao to the seventh segment, he still had five skill points left. Achieving the fourth segment in the Dao of Music earned him another point, but he used three points on his movement techniques, leaving him with three remaining.
Li Hao reserved these points for when his mental state advanced further, planning to allocate them to the Dao of Royalty or the Dao of the Sword as needed.
...
Reaching the sixth segment in the Dao of Movement had caused a qualitative leap in Li Hao’s mastery of movement techniques. He independently refined his skill to the level of supreme movement techniques and cultivated it to its true form.
Now, if he were to encounter the same demon kings from before, Li Hao was confident he could hunt them down one by one.
Unless they resorted to reverse fate techniques, relying on Heaven’s Mandate to obstruct him.