In less than half a day, Li Hao had returned to Youzhou.
This time, considering the pace of the old gentleman, Xia Yuanwu, he did not rush the journey. After all, besides reaching their destination, the scenery along the way was also important.
Upon arrival at the Xia Family’s residence, just as they reached the gate of the Divine General Mansion, he saw Xia Linglong personally there to welcome them again. This time there were a few more people with her, including three elders whose aura was contained yet profound, obviously from the older generation of the Xia Family.
Seeing the young man step down from the back of the Candle Flame God, the former elders who led armies felt compelled to watch intently.
In Youzhou, his sword had slain the Gluttonous Valley Master and stirred up the Sword Tide to quell disasters—an event witnessed by millions.
Moreover, when they first rushed to aid Qingzhou, they learned that the Dragon Gate and Holy Palace besieging Qingzhou City had also been annihilated by Li Hao.
The leaders of those two major forces were all from the Grand Tao of Peace Realm. For years, they had been a major concern for several Divine General Mansions. Yet now, in one fell swoop, Li Hao had cut them down, shocking the older generation.
“Haotian General, please.” Enjoy new chapters from empire
Xia Linglong gazed tenderly at the young man before her, smiling as she invited him inside.
Seeing him again, her feelings had shifted from before. Having witnessed Li Hao kill the Gluttonous Valley Master alongside Xia Yuanwu and learning about Li Hao’s defeat of the Old Demon Kings, Dragon Absolute God, and Feng Lingxiao in Qingzhou, she knew, despite his teenage years, he had already reached the pinnacle of Dayu.
Apart from the True Person of Gan Tao Palace, perhaps only the Buddha Lord, widely recognized as the second strongest, could contest him, and the outcome was still uncertain.
Many of Xia Linglong’s generation, including the next, as well as those of Li Hao’s age, had also hurried over, observing from a distance within the mansion.
Knowing that the legendary young man was visiting, many young members of the Xia family were extremely excited, both curious and respectful.
Born into the Marquis family, they bore the glory of the Xia Family and inherently admired the strong. After all, in the military, confrontations depended not on words but on tangible skills.
And those straightforward natures also prevailed among the Marquis-born; disliking empty talk, they valued tangible realms and tangible achievements as the most convincing.
And Li Hao had both.
Whether it was his enviable cultivation in the Four Stands Realm or his tangible feats in slaying Demon King leaders, each was enough to leave his peers in the dust.
“Originally, they said he reached the Fifteen Li Realm at fourteen, logically, his cultivation speed should have slowed down, but instead, it accelerated.”
“Is this the Haotian General? Indeed, he is as young as the legends say.”
“I heard that he severed the Gluttonous Valley Master with a single sword, and in the Grand Tao of Peace Realm, he is also at the Killer God level.”
Many young members of the Xia Family observed from afar, whispering among themselves.
Among them, some extraordinarily talented prodigies had complex expressions; it was not envy but the awareness of a vast gap, a blow to their confidence.
They were still competing with their peers, not yet dominating, while that young man was already exalted by their parents and even older generations, standing out like the crane among chickens.
The gap was simply too vast.
Upon reaching the Xia Family’s guest hall, Li Hao sensed the warm atmosphere of the Xia family and immediately told Xia Linglong that he wished to visit Lingyuan Pavilion.
Noticing Li Hao seemed to dislike the noise, Xia Linglong saw a sense of quiet in the young man’s bones. Wherever he went, it was as if he was sitting on a lonely peak, serene and distant.
She promptly had other members of the Xia Family leave and then accompanied Li Hao to Lingyuan Pavilion.
Li Hao had Xiyan wait on the Candle Flame God while he was there.
He also asked the old gentleman, Xia Yuanwu, to take care of Ren Qianqian.
Ren Qianqian had been nervous and restrained all along, yet her heart was full of excitement and astonishment; she had not expected Li Hao to receive such a reception at the Xia Family, also a Divine General Mansion.
Seeing Li Hao about to leave her side, her heart tensed, but she still obediently nodded and flashed a reassuring smile to Li Hao.
Seeing the girl’s discomfort, Xia Yuanwu, aware of the dignity of the General Mansion and the Marquis family, led her to his courtyard to ease her nerves.
Meanwhile, Li Hao reached Lingyuan Pavilion.
Xia Linglong smiled and said, “Haotian General, this is the heart of my Xia Family, Lingyuan Pavilion, where the spirits soar. Built by our ancestors, it was their hope that all the world’s martial arts would be gathered here for future generations to freely cultivate and master various skills, creating a brilliant era of martial arts.”
Li Hao nodded and said, “If you speak of a martial arts era, then you need to share the Cultivation Techniques.”
Xia Linglong looked at the young man, somewhat surprised, then pursed her lips and smiled.
“Haotian General is right. My family was indeed planning to distribute Low to Mid Grade Skills throughout various martial academies, teaching the common people. Although this would mean verbal battles with the scholars at court, it wouldn’t be too difficult. The real challenge is that demons rampage outside the borders, and external threats persist, risking internal strife.”
Li Hao was slightly surprised, pondered for a moment, then immediately understood.
The external threats were the demons. If martial arts were widely and cheaply, or even freely, shared, the number of martial artists would rapidly increase. But with more martial artists, disorder ebbs, leading to internal strife.
Some Jianghu martial artists, possessing martial skill but lacking martial virtue, would act selfishly for profit, competing and even colluding with demons for personal gain.
Should demons infiltrate and conspire with these Jianghu sects, the simultaneous outbreak of internal and external threats could hasten Dayu’s decline by promoting martial arts.
But suppressing demons and cultivating more martial artists was a contradiction.