Chapter 115: Hao'er's Natural Talent—Beyond Your Wildest Dreams!

“Second Uncle, stop shielding him!” Li Tiangang’s voice cut through the air like a blade. “Though you are my uncle, I am still the True Dragon of the Li Family. You’d do well not to interfere. Don’t forget the Ancestors’ Laws—do you really wish for me to summon the Sacred Souls of our Forebears, at the cost of their sanctity?”

“You—you’re out of your mind!” Li Moxiu snarled, raising a hand as if to strike.

Li Tiangang didn’t flinch. He merely stared coldly back.

“Second Uncle,” he said, “this ends today. Enough people have already watched this farce. Must we let them laugh at us even more?”

“You still care about being mocked?!” Li Moxiu’s face turned ashen. He could feel it—the entire city’s martial cultivators were converging on this place, drawn by the spectacle unfolding at the Divine General’s Residence. And among them, several indomitable auras—figures long renowned across the realm. This incident would spread like wildfire. The family’s honor would be utterly shattered.

“You’re a disgrace!” Li Moxiu spat, glaring at him with venomous fury, then turned to the blood-soaked boy lying on the ground. His eyes welled with tears as he knelt, cradling Li Hao in his arms. “Li Tiangang! I entrusted you with protecting Hao'er before I left—how dare you fail so utterly?!”

Li Tiangang’s expression remained grim. “I gave him a chance. But he was too reckless. If he hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have had to act this way.”

Li Moxiu trembled violently, but he held himself in check. Now wasn’t the time for rage—Hao'er needed healing.

“Hao'er… hold on. Second Uncle will make them pay for this.”

He moved to carry Li Hao away.

Li Hao shook his head weakly. “It doesn’t matter anymore… Second Uncle.”

The old man’s body tensed. Then came the boy’s next words—sharp, clear, and devastating:

“From now on, I will no longer bear the Li name. I will never use anything from the Li Clan again. All I’ve eaten, all I’ve drunk—I’ll repay it all.”

“But this life… is mine. Tell him—his son is already dead. He died long ago. Assassinated.”

As he spoke, blood surged in his chest. A violent cough erupted, spewing crimson across the ground.

The two dragon spikes pierced through him, their chains heavy and unyielding. The pain was excruciating—like his spine was being torn apart. Li Hao bit down hard, grinding his teeth until his jaw ached.

Li Moxiu felt his heart split. His eyes burned, red with anguish.

“Hao'er… why would you say such things? Second Uncle came too late. I’ll get you healed right away.”

“No.” Li Hao’s weak eyes suddenly flared with fierce light. “Second Uncle… just pull these out. I can walk on my own.”

He wasn’t lying entirely. Thanks to the Chess Manual: Conceal Light and Hide Brightness, his body possessed the ability to regenerate—even severed limbs could regrow. It was akin to the first level of the Three Immortalities. It would just take time.

Li Moxiu’s gaze fell upon the two dragon fangs embedded in his son’s body. His eyes blazed with fury. He raised a hand, releasing a surge of power to stabilize the fangs—preventing them from jostling and tearing further at the wounds.

Then, without a word, he spun and vanished into the depths of the Divine General’s Residence at breakneck speed.

He couldn’t risk pulling them out here. The pain might kill Li Hao.

“Second Uncle!” Li Hao called desperately—but the strain was too much. Qi surged backward, his vision darkened, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

“Heavenly Pole… you’ve disappointed me.” Once Li Moxiu had carried Li Hao away, Li Qingzheng turned to Li Tiangang, his voice heavy with sorrow. He shook his head, then followed after.

The onlookers watched in silence, their expressions complex. They wanted to intervene—but Li Tiangang had clearly reached his limit. Even Fifth Uncle couldn’t calm him. How could they?

And Li Hao had dared to defy Li Tiangang like that. Who should they side with? To defend Li Tiangang would imply Li Hao’s actions were justified—contrary to filial piety. But to defend Li Hao would be to challenge the authority of the family’s elder.

The best course was to wait—let Li Tiangang take control, then guide the boy with reason. But no one expected this clash to escalate into such a cataclysm. Li Tiangang’s strike had been brutal. Li Hao’s resistance… was equally unyielding.

“Seventh Elder,” Li Xuanli approached, his voice laced with concern. “You’ve acted rashly. After all, Hao'er is still a child. And he’s intelligent—though I’ve not known him long, I can see he holds himself with care. This matter deserves investigation, not punishment.”

Li Tiangang opened his mouth—but suddenly his face twisted. A spray of blood erupted from his lips.

He clutched his chest, his towering frame swaying as if about to fall.

Li Xuanli rushed forward in alarm, catching him.

Only then did he realize: the man had suppressed his Heart Oath, suffering grave injury. He hadn’t expected such a battle to push Li Tiangang to this point.

But then, a thought struck him. His eyes lit up with sudden delight.

“Heavenly Pole… did Hao'er just step into the Sect Master Realm?”

Li Tiangang’s eyes narrowed. He nodded slowly.

“Indeed.”

“Hah! You’re incredible!” Li Xuanli burst into laughter. “A Master at fourteen? That’s absurd. We’ve never seen such a prodigy in the Li Clan!”

Li Tiangang remained silent, shaking his head slightly. “Let’s return first. No matter how great his talent, it must be guided along the righteous path.”

Li Xuanli hurriedly added, “Go speak with the child. This whole thing—”

He leaned in, sending a mental message: “There’s something strange here. The truth may be far more complicated.”

Li Tiangang’s eyes turned icy. “Compared to what he did today… that no longer matters.”

Li Xuanli froze. He stared at his brother’s cold, resolute gaze—this man who had fought across Yanbei for over a decade now seemed… unfamiliar.

…

In the Divine General’s Residence, everyone had returned.

In the Mountain and River Courtyard, within the bedroom, the assembled elders stared at the blood-stained boy lying on the bed. Their eyes shifted to the Divine Physician, who was urgently treating Li Hao.

“He Jianlan,” the woman said, voice trembling with worry, “how is he? Why hasn’t he woken up yet?”

The Divine Physician frowned, his expression one of deep confusion. “Strange… truly strange.”

“What’s strange?” Li Moxiu snapped, pacing back and forth.

The physician hesitated. “The young master’s body… it’s not absorbing the medicinal potions. It’s as if his meridians are blocked. The healing elixirs… they’re all ineffective!”

Li Moxiu’s face paled. He rushed to the bedside, peering at the treasure medicine smeared over the wound. It was seeping out with the blood—refused, unabsorbed.

“How… how can this be?!”

The physician had never seen such a phenomenon. He was speechless.

“And Hao'er’s injuries?” Li Moxiu clenched his fists. “Are we just to wait for him to die?”

“No!” The physician shook his head. “He can’t absorb the medicine… but his body is healing spontaneously. Slowly… but it is healing.”

He paused, then spoke with growing awe: “It’s… similar to the Immortal Unbroken Realm of the Three Immortalities.”

He’d treated patients in that realm before—this was the exact same phenomenon.

The room fell silent. Everyone froze. Their faces twisted in shock.

The Immortal Unbroken Realm?

Was it possible… that Li Hao had stepped into the Three Immortalities?

Impossible! No one had ever advanced from the Fifteen Li Stage to Immortality in a single leap—not even a reincarnated sage!

Even Li Tiangang, lying in pain in another room, felt his breath catch.

Li Hao reaching the Human-Heaven Stage was shocking enough. But from Fifteen Li to Immortality? This defied all known laws of cultivation.

Among the onlookers, Liu Yuerong’s face turned ashen, her expression dazed.

“Li Tiangang!” Li Moxiu whirled around, storming toward him, voice trembling with fury. “Look at this! Look what you’ve done! Hao'er’s body is unique—medicine can’t even be absorbed! You claim he only reached this level through Li Clan elixirs? You don’t even know your own son!”

Li Tiangang fell silent. He hadn’t anticipated this.

His union with his wife had been rare—so rare, in fact, that a body like Li Hao’s had never existed before. Even if such individuals had appeared in the past, the clan had never paid them attention.

The others exchanged glances, their faces pale.

No medicine… yet he’d reached this level? That was unthinkable. Unbelievable.

Even the most legendary prodigies—those they’d seen in their lives—had never come close to this.

Outside the room, Li Mingguang, Li Wushuang, Li Qianfeng, and the others stood in stunned silence. They’d seen countless prodigies. But this boy—lying broken on the bed—was beyond anything they’d known.

Li Qianfeng’s face drained of color. His fingers clenched tightly in his sleeve.

“Hao-ge…” he whispered.

Inside the room, Bian Ruxue stood at the foot of the bed, eyes wide with shock and dread.

“What do we do now?” Li Moxiu turned to the physician, voice urgent.

The physician looked at the boy, his face pained. “Without medicine, the only option is to let his body heal on its own. But… with those dragon fangs still embedded, his body is under constant torment. The healing process is being severely hindered.”

Li Moxiu’s fists cracked with tension. “Then we remove the fangs.”

Li Tiangang’s lips parted—almost as if to speak—but he closed them again.

“I’ll help,” Li Qingzheng said immediately.

The physician nodded. “Secure his Heart Meridian. We can’t risk tearing it during extraction.”

Under his direction, Li Qingzheng and Li Moxiu worked in tandem—one shielding the heart meridian, the other pulling the fangs free.

As the chains were wrenched from flesh, Li Hao spat blood, his face contorting in agony. His brows furrowed, trapped in a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

Li Moxiu’s eyes filled with tears as he watched the physician wrap the wounds, wipe away the blood. He took a deep breath, clenched his jaw, and said:

“Everyone—leave. Let Hao'er rest. I’ll see exactly why you treated him like this.”

His eyes locked onto Li Tiangang for a final, searing glance—then he turned and strode out.

The others sighed, exchanged glances, and followed.

But Li Qingzheng remained behind, staying to watch over Li Hao. His eyes lingered on Liu Yuerong, who lingered at the back—his gaze darkening with suspicion.

He had witnessed everything. And now, deep in his heart, a chilling theory took root.

…

“In the Li Clan Enforcement Hall,” the elders gathered.

Li Moxiu sat on the dais, aura tinged with blood. His gaze swept over Liu Yuerong.

Then he remembered—when he’d first met Li Hao, the boy had shown him a flicker of wariness.

Now it made sense. Hao'er had remembered the poisoning.

He felt a wave of sorrow. The boy had been afraid—because he remembered.

“Second Uncle,” Liu Yuerong stood, voice quick. “This is baseless. You can’t accuse me without proof. Hao'er has always been rebellious, reckless. Who knows what he heard from servants? Or who might have stirred up trouble just to mock us?”

“Shut your mouth!” Li Moxiu roared, slamming his fist on the table.

“Cunning witch! You think I don’t know Hao'er’s character? If he had no grudge against you, why would he care about the True Dragon title?”

“Titles? Power? Wealth?” He laughed bitterly. “With Hao'er’s talent, all of it would be within reach. He could claim them with a flick of his wrist!”

He leaned forward, voice low but thunderous.

“He reached the Fifteen Li Stage at thirteen!”

“What?!” The room erupted in shock.

Thirteen years old… already at the Fifteen Li Stage?

Li Moxiu stared at the trembling woman. “Tell me—how many people would not know the name of a child who reached the Fifteen Realm at thirteen?”

Silence. Utter silence.

Li Moxiu’s words carried the weight of truth. Even if it was just fourteen, the boy would be astonishing.

But the shock had been too sudden. No one had thought of that.

Liu Yuerong forced her voice steady. “Even if Hao'er is a genius… that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t want the True Dragon position. With the resources and ancestral spirits of the Li Clan, he could go even further. Isn’t that tempting for any prodigy?”

“Still lying?” Li Moxiu sneered. “You think I don’t know his nature? Fame, wealth, honor—none of it matters to him. He doesn’t care about praise or disgrace.”

“His talent… it’s beyond anything you can imagine. Remember—he’s either fishing with me… or playing. Have any of you ever seen him cultivate?”

The words struck like lightning.

Li Xuanli and Li Fenghua remained silent. But the ladies in the courtyard turned pale.

It was true.

They’d never once seen the boy cultivating.

He spent his days eating, drinking, playing—laughing in the kitchen, learning cooking from the chefs. Wasting time.

And yet… this boy—this idiot—had reached such heights without cultivation?

To believe he’d kill Qianfeng just to gain the title? To murder over a legacy?

Who would believe that?

At that moment, the truth was undeniable.

Liu Yuerong trembled. “Second Uncle… you’ve been with him too long. You’re biased. Hao'er may seem simple… but he’s not. He claims to remember everything after the age of one. If that’s true… what kind of monster is he?”

“He’s been faking all along. Playing the innocent child. Hiding his true self.”

“A child with such depth at such a young age… can we really trust him?”

“Shut up!” Li Moxiu bellowed, slamming the table again. “Even if he’s faking… how much time does a prodigy lose? One day has only so many hours!”

“Even the greatest genius can’t waste time playing! If he spent that time cultivating—not pretending to be idle—he could’ve reached the Three Immortalities by now!”

“Then who are you to say his son is worthy to challenge Hao'er? He wouldn’t even survive a single strike!”

The room fell silent. Everyone looked at Liu Yuerong.

Her words meant nothing now.

The truth was plain. Li Moxiu had spoken the unshakable truth.

Hao'er had never cultivated. Even if he pretended to be idle, he’d lost precious time.

And yet—he was still stronger than any rival.

The truth was unbearable.

Li Hao’s potential… was simply too great.

There was no other explanation.

No reason for him to harm Liu Yuerong. To kill Li Qianfeng.

Competition? Li Qianfeng was a talented disciple of the Buddha Lord—yes. But compared to Li Hao?

He wasn’t even in the same league.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end