Chapter 50: Chapter 47 Martial Arts Eight Realms
By the time Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao returned to the foot of the mountain, the square was already lit up with bright lamps. Although it was night, it was still bustling with people, the crowd showing no sign of thinning.
The scene reminded Li Hao of the night markets from his previous life. He took a deep breath, and along with the refreshing night breeze, he could detect the aroma of charcoal-grilled delicacies wafting through the air, which instantly whetted his appetite.
“Let’s go find something to eat.”
On the entrance stairs, scions from various states were still hastening to the summit, vying for fame and prestige.
Yet at the summit, the figure of the young man leaped down, rushing toward the worldly splendor of the teeming throng below.
Before long, relying on his own culinary skills, Li Hao quickly identified some delicious food among the numerous stalls, and packed everything up to go.
Both he and Li Yuanzhao held their arms full of food, munching while walking toward the carriage, attracting the eyes of many passers-by.
“What’s that smell?”
In the carriage, an impatient Li Yun had been waiting and was suddenly greeted by the scent of roasted meat, causing him to pause and lift the curtain.
The aroma hit him immediately and he saw Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao approaching with their mouths greasy from eating.
“Fu, sorry to keep you waiting, here.”
“Ming, this is yours, is it enough?”
Sharing with everyone he met along the way, Li Hao distributed generously from the ample food he bought. Of course, he did not forget to include his personal maid Qing Zhi’s share.
After that, he boarded the carriage with his big and small bags of food and went inside.
The oil lamp had been lit inside the carriage, the brothers’ and sisters’ cheeks illuminated by the warm yellow light. They sneakily glanced at Li Hao and his company – enticed by the alluring scent, they salivated and their expressions became somewhat unnatural.
“I thought you had gone back first.”
After sitting down, Li Yuanzhao took a bite of the roasted meat and then, as if remembering something, offered the other two bags he held to Li Zhining:
“Zhi Ning, would you like some?”
Li Zhining hesitated before accepting, tempted by the delicious smell coming from the bag.
At the same time, she noticed her brother discreetly swallowing saliva, his Adam’s apple bobbing. She quietly took the bags, whispering, “Thank you, Yuan Zhao.”
“If you had left earlier, you wouldn’t have had this good fortune,” laughed Li Yuanzhao.
Li Zhining didn’t say much. Instead, she glanced at the figure who had not looked back at them from the start, and there was a faint hint of sadness in the depths of her eyes.
Without dwelling on it, she opened the bag and handed one to Li Yun, “Brother.”
“I don’t want it.”
Li Yun turned his head away with a sour expression, “Street vendor food could be dirty and unwashed; you’d be better off eating less of it.”
“Even if it’s unwashed, it won’t kill you,” retorted Li Yuanzhao, his appetite dampened by the comment.
“You!”
Li Yun was enraged and glared at him. Realizing he didn’t have much of an argument, he snorted and turned his head away, sticking it out of the carriage as though the night scenery had suddenly become extremely interesting.
Li Zhining knew her brother was too proud to relent. Although she felt a bit helpless, the savory aroma from the bag was overwhelming, and she couldn’t resist taking a delicate bite. Her eyes quickly brightened up a little.
This taste was even better than the fine dishes they were used to eating at home.
“Ming, aren’t we leaving yet?”
Li Yun shouted through the carriage curtain to the front of the horse carriage.
Ming, with a piece of roasted meat in his mouth, immediately took the reins and urged the hippocampus to turn around and head back to the house.
Once back home, Li Yun and the other two parted ways with Li Hao.
Each returned to their own homes to find their own mothers.
In Piaoxue Courtyard, Lady Gao Qingqing was embroidering in the main hall when she heard a maid rush in with news, nearly pricking her finger with the needle. She promptly got up, tossed aside the handkerchief she was working on, and hurried to the entrance of the courtyard.
She saw a son and a daughter arriving under the accompaniment of Li Ming.
“How did it go, everything went smoothly?” she quickly asked.
Li Ming stood aside with a silent smile, while the well-behaved Li Zhining nodded, “Yes, both brother and I have entered Alpha Academy.”
“You both comprehended it in just one day?”
Gao Qingqing’s face lit up with surprise as she lovingly kissed her son’s forehead.
Feeling shy, Li Yun pushed his mother away and walked towards the main hall with a bit of a sulk.
Unperturbed, Gao Qingqing also gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead and then pulled her back to the main hall, instructing the steward to quickly reheat the evening meal to bring over.
Upon hearing this, Li Zhining shook her head, “Just warm up my brother’s portion, I’ve already eaten.”
“What did you eat?” Gao Qingqing was surprised.
“Food sold by the street vendors there, it was very tasty,” said Li Zhining, still savoring the flavor in her mouth.
“Hmph, don’t end up with a stomachache,” Li Yun grumbled from ahead.
Gao Qingqing laughed softly, sitting down with her daughter and talking about the day’s events.
“Truly my children, to comprehend in just half a day.”
“He also made it into Alpha Academy?”
Hearing her daughter’s words, Gao Qingqing slightly raised her eyebrows in surprise, then nodded:
“The child is very intelligent, what a pity that he follows the path of Body Refinement, which has a very low ceiling. Otherwise, he would most likely be the True Dragon of your generation.”
Li Zhining thought of that indifferent and casual face, her eyes flickering slightly; it was not the first time she had heard her mother say this.
In her heart, there was also a faint regret for him.
“Humph, what’s so great about that talent? If it were my sister, she could probably grasp it in the time it takes an incense stick to burn!”
Li Yun sat opposite, snorting coldly.
When it came to his eldest sister, there was a bit of envy and jealousy in his heart, along with a slight sourness, yet at the same time, there was a sense of pride and arrogance, extremely complicated…
Gao Qingqing smiled and said, “Although your sister is intelligent, you guys are not bad either. You are all my most proud children.”
Li Yun’s stern face relaxed slightly. As the butler served the warmed dinner, he began eating, and gradually, a smile appeared on his face…
Inside Mountain and River Courtyard.
Li Hao returned to the courtyard accompanied by Li Fu and Qing Zhi.
Under the chilling moonlight, Butler Zhao, wearing a coat, hurried to greet them and said, “Young Master, did everything go smoothly? I’ll go warm up your dinner.”
There’s no need for you to go to such troubles, Zhao,” Li Hao said with a smile. “I’ve already eaten outside. I was afraid it would lose its flavor on the way, so I didn’t bring any for you.”
“You’re thoughtful, Young Master,” Zhao said with a smile, knowing that Li Hao was not lying; there were still traces of grease on the corners of his mouth.
Li Fu, who had been standing outside the carriage earlier and hadn’t had the chance to talk to Li Hao, couldn’t help but ask:
“How did you feel about today?”
Li Hao thought for a moment and replied, “The food was quite good.”
Li Fu was speechless; that wasn’t what he was asking about.
After asking a few more questions, he learned that Li Hao had been admitted to Alpha Academy. Both he and Qing Zhi showed surprised and delighted smiles on their faces.
The “Leap Immortal Gate” exam at Tan Palace Academy had ended.
Many young people who couldn’t make it in time could only sigh as they gazed at the entrance steps.
Some tried to pull strings through relationships, hoping to squeeze in a few more, but the response they received was that admissions were already full.
There were a total of 825 people.
Some asked, why couldn’t they admit more?
They were even willing to pay astronomical tuition fees.
But the response they got was—
It’s because there were only 825 seats available.
Thus, many scions of noble families could only sigh in disappointment and turn to leave.
This gathering that brought Qingzhou to the forefront gradually subsided.
At the mountain top, as the official school term started, it became lively again.
There are four courtyards: Alpha, Beta, Bing, and Ding.
Alpha Academy has only fifty seats.
Beta Courtyard has two hundred seats.
Bing Courtyard and Ding Courtyard… let’s skip that.
Aside from the freshmen in each courtyard, there were also some repeating students lingering.
At this moment, in Alpha Academy, Li Hao sat next to Li Yuanzhao in the second row, as the other new students had already arrived for enrollment.
In front, Li Hao saw Shen Qingyun, accompanied by two senior Alpha Academy students, carrying a pile of Tan Palace Academy uniforms to be distributed, intending to unify the attire in the future.
This made Li Hao feel like he had returned to his past life when he went to junior and senior high school.
Looking around at the young boys and girls, who were also young in age, he couldn’t help but smile, feeling somewhat nostalgic.
After the uniform distribution ended, Shen Yunqing outlined some of the basic rules of Tan Palace Academy, such as no private fighting, not humiliating the sages, and so on.
Afterwards, as Shen Yunqing left, a woman with a slender figure and waist as flexible as a willow in the wind approached. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with black hair and eyebrows like ink, eyes like paintings, giving off the feeling of a bright moon shining on snow-covered mountains.
Hearing her introduce herself as Su Yehua, she turned out to be the dean of Alpha Academy, as well as the first lecturer.
The previously departed Shen Yunqing was the movement technique lecturer.
The first lesson in the academy would be taught by Su Yehua.
Li Hao clearly noticed that after Su Yehua’s arrival, the courtyard, which was initially a bit noisy, suddenly became quiet, and those young men who were previously not caring and chatting, all sat upright.
“There are Eight Realms in Martial Arts,”
Standing in front, Su Yehua, with her willow-leaf-shaped eyebrows and a natural cool demeanor, yet with a soft gentle smile on her lips, said:
“The first four realms are Strength, Circulation, Soul Succession, and Divine Traveling.”
“The last four realms are Fifteen Li, Heaven-Man Connection, Three Immortalities, and Four Standings!”