Chapter 38: Chapter 35: Ancestral Temple
Several months later.
By the Blackwater Demon Lake.
Li Hao hauled up a fish demon of the Eighth Layer of Zhou Tian Realm, casually drew his sword to slay it, then set up a cauldron over a fire to cook.
Scaling, skinning, deboning—his movements were as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water.
This time, without adding spicy peppers, he prepared a nourishing soup, tossing in some wild mushrooms to cook together.
The rich mushroom aroma drifted out with the steam from the edge of the iron lid, making the two elders fishing by the lake sniff the air and cast occasional glances.
As Li Hao announced, “Let’s eat,” the two elders materialized beside the cauldron like phantoms, each already holding their own eating utensils—a pair of exquisite jade chopsticks and a pair of rough ones made from tree twigs—simultaneously diving into the pot.
“Tsk, tsk, not bad!”
Li Muxiu slurped up a slice of fish and gave Li Hao a thumbs up.
Old Master Feng also smiled as he served himself a bowl of fish soup, savoring it slowly.
The contribution of this fish was significant, adding several dozen points to his cooking experience along with the fishing practices, Li Hao figured his Cooking would be the first artistry to reach the third segment after Chess Tao.
“Here, little guy, try some.”
Li Hao picked up a piece of fish and placed it on a nearby leaf, and a white figure darted out to nibble on it.
“That’s a fox, and you’ve raised it to be a dog,” Feng laughed.
He had been back for several months now, and as for what he did, he didn’t tell Li Muxiu or Li Hao, and naturally, they would not ask.
“There’s not much difference,” Li Hao chuckled.
Halfway through the meal, Li Hao felt the timing was right, and said to Old Master Li Muxiu, “Second Grandpa, I’m planning on breaking through to the Soul Succession Realm soon, do you have time to take me to the ancestral shrine?”
“Hmm?”
Both elders paused with their chopsticks and turned to look at Li Hao.
Li Muxiu inquired in astonishment, “You’re going to break through to the Soul Succession Realm? You’ve reached Cycle Heaven Realm Perfection?”
“Hmm,” Li Hao nodded.
He had deliberately delayed mentioning this to the old master to avoid progressing too quickly, which might appear too shocking and outlandish.
“Really? For real?” Feng Boping put aside his eating and drinking altogether, staring at Li Hao in astonishment.
He knew that even though the boy played around, he would never joke about cultivation.
But at the age of eight, breaking through to the Soul Succession Realm?
That seemed a bit too far-fetched.
“Your Dragon River Divine Meridian is at perfection already? Impossible. Even if you disregard your disability in Martial Arts, even your father didn’t step into the Soul Succession Realm until he was nine.”
Li Muxiu looked doubtfully at Li Hao, knowing he wouldn’t make such a pointless joke, but still found it unbelievable. He had seen prodigies with shocking talent, like Li Junye, who also reached Soul Succession at eight and a half years old!
Furthermore, that person was diligent, day and night, intelligent, and extremely hard-working.
But Li Hao… spent his days fishing with him. Sometimes, they fished for an entire day. When did he have the time to cultivate?
“Um, it’s true,” Li Hao felt he might have overestimated the old master’s capacity to cope, but there was no turning back now, so he reluctantly carried on.
“Could it be that your meridians have cleared on their own?”
Li Muxiu scrutinized Li Hao: “Even though you have an extraordinary talent for Body Refinement, breaking through to Soul Succession would at least take seven or eight years, or even a dozen years to a lifetime. How can Meridian Opening Perfection be achieved in just a short year?”
“That’s simple, just let the young lad show us,” Old Master Feng intervened.
Li Muxiu agreed with a nod, “Right, show me.”
“Fine then.”
Li Hao immediately stood up, away from the cauldron, then stirred his Qi Force, activating 54 major meridians throughout his body, with formidable Qi waves surging all over. He briefly suppressed the concealment effect of the “All-Encompassing” attributes, allowing the Qi waves to burst forth from his body.
Li Muxiu’s and Feng Boping’s eyes went wide with disbelief, Li Muxiu’s reaction even more so, as his chopsticks fell into the pot.
He looked at Li Hao in a daze, slack-jawed.
“Is it really true?”
As a Four Stands Realm powerhouse, how could he be mistaken?
54 meridians, full and robust, a bona fide perfection of the Perfect Zhou Tian Realm!
But the boy before him was only eight years old!
After a moment of being stunned, Feng Boping turned to look at Li Muxiu with a speechless expression, “Your Li Family really knows how to breed monsters. First, it was that kid Li Junye, and now it’s this one. If the other Divine General Mansions knew about this, they’d probably be green with envy and thoroughly scrutinize you guys!”
Li Muxiu had yet to snap out of his shock, just staring blankly at Li Hao.
This wasn’t just a freakish talent of Perfect Zhou Tian, it also revealed something else—Li Hao’s meridians were unblocked!!
It meant that Li Hao was no longer a Martial Arts invalid, he could cultivate!
And with such talent, he would definitely become the number one of the Li Family’s next three generations!
Even considering the past ten generations, this aptitude would unquestionably be the best!
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind at that instant, and Li Muxiu suddenly felt a surge of guilt and self-reproach.
Such a genius, and yet he had been leading him astray every day with trivial pursuits: eating, drinking, playing, fishing indiscriminately. Had he not severely hindered his progress?
“Second Grandpa?”
Li Hao finished cultivating and noticed his second uncle lost in thought, so he reminded him.
Li Muxiu came back to his senses, and the first thing he wanted to do was grab the chopsticks to maintain his composure, but they had already fallen into the soup. He couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh, then stared deeply at Li Hao:
“How did your meridians become so unblocked?”
“It seemed to happen in a dream.”
Li Hao said, “One day I had a dream, and in the dream I was cultivating. Suddenly, as I exerted myself, my whole body felt relaxed, and when I woke up, cultivation seemed extremely simple. I went through meridian opening without any obstacles.”
The two elders were speechless.
Did you unblock it all in your sleep?
You’re surely speaking in your dreams now.
But other than what Li Hao said, they couldn’t find any other possibility.
“Could it be that this boy’s previous meridian obstruction was a feigned obstruction?” Feng Boping pinched his sharp white beard, pondering:
“I’ve heard that some martial arts invalids are temporary, and some become unblocked suddenly during practice. He might be one of those.”
“Maybe.” Li Muxiu nodded. He had also heard of such a possibility, but the chances were extremely low.
“Now that this boy can cultivate, your Li Family is truly impressive. A true dragon has fallen, yet another one stands. Tsk tsk.” Feng Boping couldn’t help but express his admiration.
Li Muxiu sighed and said, “Had I known it would be like this, I would have nurtured him properly. He has been wasting a lot of time hanging around with us.”
Li Hao was startled by these words and quickly said, “Elder, you aren’t going to force me to cultivate from here on, are you?”
“What do you mean force you to cultivate?”
Li Muxiu said irritably, “Now that your meridians are unblocked, don’t you want to properly cultivate and establish a great and illustrious reputation in the future?”
“Stop joking around.”
Without a second thought, Li Hao hurriedly said, “Second Uncle, don’t ruin me, I don’t want to join the army and go to war. Life is too comfortable now, and fame and honors, a dog wouldn’t even want them, let whoever wants them have them!”
Li Muxiu was at a loss for words. Others would have been thrilled at the chance to become famous, but this kid, what nonsense was he talking about.
“Hahaha…”
Feng Boping burst into laughter, “It seems this little scoundrel is nothing like Jun Ye. I think what he says is quite right. Fame? Youngsters have pursued fame since ancient times, but in the end, wealth and honors aren’t for this world!”
Li Muxiu’s expression shifted subtly, and deep down he felt as if a fishbone had pierced his heart, painfully stabbing him.
Li Junye had once emerged dazzlingly spectacular.
But afterwards, like a shooting star, he briefly shone before falling rapidly.
He looked at Li Hao, who was nervously watching him.
Li Muxiu’s heart felt like a flower being crumpled. If he sent this child to the battlefield, who could guarantee that he wouldn’t become a second Li Junye?
Forget it… Li Muxiu sighed deeply and said, “If you don’t want to compete for fame, so be it. From now on, just like old me, stay at the Li Family, live a life of leisure, and be an unknown old invalid.”
Feng Boping chuckled, “Who dares say the Fist Saint is unknown, unless his mouth hasn’t been knocked crooked by you yet.”
Li Muxiu shot him an annoyed look and said to Li Hao, “From now on, when your parents hear the news and come looking, I’ll set aside my old pride and take their scolding. Kid, come and eat!”
After saying that, he flicked his finger and a pair of chopsticks flew out of the pot. He then pulled over a branch, peeled it to make chopsticks, and began eating, but it was noticeably less carefree and joyous than before, as if burdened with heavy thoughts.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief; no matter what, as long as he could continue fishing with the old man, it was good.
Although he could fish on his own, fishing at the Blackwater Demon Lake with the old man meant not only assured safety but also the chance to catch big fish, which was a delightful prospect.
Sitting by the pot, Li Hao continued eating.
“Second Uncle, about the Soul Succession…”
“Hmph, eat up, and afterwards, I’ll take you there,” Li Muxiu glanced at Li Hao and then started eating the fish vigorously.
Li Hao felt at ease and began to eat and drink heartily.
The Li Family ancestral hall was located in the deepest part of the Divine General Mansion, carved into a mountain slope.
The security outside the mountain was tight, with warriors clad in heavy armor, but there were only fallen leaves on the steps leading up the slope, empty and silent.
Outside the majestic and solemn ancestral hall on the flat square stood several large cauldrons with incense wafting from inside.
Two figures descended from the sky, gliding toward the square in front of the ancestral hall, and then ascended the steps on foot.
Even Li Muxiu, the old man, reined in his usual playful demeanor and took on a calm expression as he led Li Hao up the steps with measured pace.
“Second Brother, what brings you here?”
A calm voice came from inside, as tranquil as a placid lake. Just the voice itself seemed to settle one’s myriad of thoughts.
Li Hao looked inside and saw many ancestral tablets on display. Among them prominently stood a golden statue of the Li Family’s founding divine general, Li Tianyuan!
Off to the side in front of the ancestral tablets was an old man with a long beard and eyebrows, sitting alone on a cushion, with a chessboard placed before him, playing against himself, gently making his moves.
“Of course, I’m bringing the younger generation over for the ancestors to take a look,” Li Muxiu said as he stepped over the threshold and entered.
Upon hearing this, the old man slowly lifted his head, and as his gaze landed on Li Hao, who had just stepped through the threshold, his unfazed eyes revealed a hint of ripples:
“Soul Succession? This child seems even younger than Jun Ye. Second Brother, you can’t be joking, can you?”