Chapter 41: Relying on the World
Chapter 41: Relying on the World
The aroma of Cotton Jade Fragrant Crisp wafted through the air, and Li Hao could smell it from a distance. It was made by Uncle Liu himself.
Don't be fooled by Uncle Liu's small vendor status; his fried, crispy snacks were exceptional. The fact that he had been able to set up his stall on the busiest street outside the Divine General Manor for many years was a testament to his skill.
The scent lingered at the edge of the square. When Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao arrived, they noticed that there were far fewer young men and women around, as most were heading toward the Entrance Stairs of Tan Palace Academy. However, there were still quite a few people lingering at various stalls, judging by their clothing, they were clearly from other provinces.
It was rare to visit Qingzhou, so it was a good opportunity to try the local delicacies.
Li Hao saw a long line at Uncle Liu's stall, mostly women, and some servants in the livery of their masters queuing up to buy for their owners.
Li Hao pulled Li Yuanzhao and joined the queue at the back.
"Brother Hao, you haven't had breakfast yet?"
Li Yuanzhao couldn't help but ask.
Li Hao nodded.
"Wait here, I'll go get some for you."
Li Yuanzhao then shouted loudly to the front, "Uncle Liu, prepare two breakfasts for us!"
His voice echoed, and the people in the queue turned to look. Seeing the two of them in their fine, expensive attire, they recognized them as wealthy young masters.
Beside Uncle Liu's stall, Aunt Liu was busy collecting money and serving customers. Hearing Li Yuanzhao's words, she looked up and saw that it was Young Master Li Hao standing at the back. She quickly smiled and instructed the hardworking Uncle Liu:
"It's Young Master Hao from the Divine General Manor. Make two breakfasts for him quickly."
Uncle Liu was taken aback, but he looked up from his work and, upon seeing the young man at the end of the line, his weathered face broke into a smile.
To vendors and lowly helpers like them, the nobility often looked down on them with disdain. But Young Master Hao treated them equally, without any pretense. Three years ago, he had even sat on the ground and advertised for them, which had left the couple both surprised and deeply grateful. Since then, they had always remembered this unique young master from a prestigious family.
"You little rascal..."
Li Hao had intended to hold Li Yuanzhao back and wait patiently, but seeing Aunt Liu smile at him, he could only lead Li Yuanzhao forward, waiting quietly on the side of the stall.
The servants and maids in the queue glanced at them frequently but dared not say anything.
However, the women who were queuing personally were not as accommodating. Their faces fell, and they shot hostile glances at Li Hao. One of them complained:
"Why should he be allowed to cut the queue? That's not fair!"
"Exactly!"
"The boss, you're being unfair!"
Hearing these complaints, Li Yuanzhao became agitated and was about to reveal his identity as a member of the Divine General Manor, but Li Hao pressed his hand against his chest to stop him.
With the situation as it was, Li Hao had no choice but to step in. He felt a bit helpless but smiled at the chattering girls and then took a gold ingot from his bag, placing it on Uncle Liu's stall and said calmly:
"There's no need to be upset, ladies. Here's five times the price for the fairness."
Aunt Liu was flustered and tried to push the gold back into Li Hao's hands. "Young Master Hao, we can't accept this!"
"No need to give change. Consider it a payment for future visits", Li Hao said with a smile, his gentle eyes leaving no room for argument.
Vendors who have been in the business for a while have keen eyes. Aunt Liu immediately understood and stopped protesting.
Li Hao continued, "Uncle Liu, it's five portions, please."
"Oh, okay!" Uncle Liu quickly agreed.
Seeing that his wife wasn't arguing further, he got to work.
The other girls in the queue, seeing Li Hao's generosity, were furious. Even at five times the price, they could afford it, but they didn't want to be the ones to pay it.
Soon, five portions of Cotton Jade Fragrant Crisp were ready. Li Hao handed a bag to Li Yuanzhao and stepped out of the crowd.
"Is that all, Brother Hao? Can you finish it?"
Li Yuanzhao looked at the four bags in Li Hao's hands, took a bite of his own, and said, "It's really delicious. No wonder Brother Hao likes it so much!"
Li Hao smiled and returned to the carriage. He saw Qingzhi and Li Fu standing behind the carriage and handed each of them a bag.
"Young Master, you haven't gone to the Entrance Stairs yet?" Li Fu took the breakfast with a surprised look on his face.
Li Hao replied, "I need to fill my stomach first, don't I?"
"..." Li Fu was speechless. Having followed Li Hao for five or six years, he understood the young man's nature and didn't say anything more. After all, they had the Invitation.
Li Hao walked back to the carriage and glanced at Uncle Ming, who was sitting on the carriage board. Although Uncle Ming was from the Snowfall Hall, he usually treated Li Hao with courtesy. Li Hao handed him a bag as well.
"Thank you, Young Master Hao."
Uncle Ming quickly took the bag with both hands and stood up to thank him.
Then, he echoed Li Fu's confusion, asking, "Young Master Hao, you... haven't gone to the Entrance Stairs yet?"
"I'll go after I finish eating", Li Hao said.
Uncle Ming was slightly taken aback. By now, Young Master Yun and Miss Zhining were probably already in the mountain gate, while this Young Master Hao was still loitering at the foot of the mountain. It was just as the rumors said; he was indeed quite leisurely...
...
After eating his fill, Li Hao led the eager Li Yuanzhao through the crowd to the Entrance Stairs.
It was called a staircase, but it was actually a long flight of steps.
Allegedly, it had a thousand steps, leading to the entrance of Tan Palace Academy.
This was the first test of Tan Palace Academy.
Climbing a thousand steps wasn't difficult, but on the other side of the stairs, next to the forest, shadows were darting about—these were Monkey Demons.
Though they were monsters, they were all tamed by Tan Palace Academy.
Those challenging the Entrance Stairs would be attacked by these ape demons during their climb. If they couldn't reach the top within ten breaths, they would fail the first test.
This test was no small challenge. Climbing alone required the strength of Force Mastery at the sixth or seventh level, and dodging the sudden attacks of the ape demons tested one's eyesight and agility even more.
"Miss, this test seems quite difficult!"
In the crowd, a maid holding an umbrella spoke nervously to the white-clad girl beside her.
"It's not that hard. It's just the first minor test. It can't stop me."
Si Xiaolan's expression was calm, but her eyes scanned the crowd. "Compared to this test, there are many strong opponents among these people..."
With her keen insight, she noticed several prominent figures from noble families as she looked around. Some were of higher status than the Si Family, while others were slightly lower.
"Miss, the two over there seem to be the Young Masters from the Divine General Manor in Qingzhou", the maid said, tiptoeing to look around and pointing to the left.
Si Xiaolan glanced up and recognized the sleeve patterns, nodding slightly. "That's right."
At that moment, the two were just about to register and enter.
Si Xiaolan's heart stirred, and she immediately stepped forward to register as well.
"So what if it's the Divine General Manor? I've heard the Li Family are all True Dragons. I want to see how much I fall short of them." Si Xiaolan thought, her eyes gleaming with a hint of stubborn determination.
"Age, place of origin, name."
"Jizhou, Si Family."
Before the registration officer, Si Xiaolan only gave her family name. The first test's registration was quite casual. Sure enough, when the officer heard "Si Family", he looked up at the girl and nodded.
"Go ahead. Do you know the rules? Use any means necessary to reach the top within ten breaths."
"Ten breaths, that's too long."
Beside her, another young man in fine clothing said calmly.
Si Xiaolan glanced at him and recognized him as a descendant of a prominent family from another state. Her eyes brightened even more.
"Miss, they are all from noble families. Should we wait for the next batch?" the maid asked nervously, tugging at the girl's sleeve.
"Fear nothing."
Si Xiaolan's eyes sparkled with determination. "In the world of martial arts, it's not your reputation that counts, but your true abilities!"
With that, she instructed her attendant to wait here obediently and followed the person in front into the venue.
She wanted to secretly compare herself. "Prepare yourselves", a meditative old man said, lifting his eyelids slightly.
Everyone began adjusting their breathing and loosening their joints.
"Yuanzhao, good luck", Li Hao said with a smile, encouraging Li Yuanzhao.
This young man insisted on relying on his own abilities to pass this challenge, and Li Hao had no choice but to let him.
"Sure!"
Li Yuanzhao nodded vigorously.
The others glanced at Li Hao, finding his words a bit strange, but they didn't think much of it.
At the old man's command, more than ten people began to exert their strength at once!
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept by, and Li Yuanzhao shot forward like a cannonball, leaving a slight indentation on the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he had stepped onto the hundred-step staircase, then took another step, racing ahead like a hurricane and quickly reaching the top!
It took him no more than three breaths.
Li Hao knew that for Li Yuanzhao, who was in the Complete Circulation Realm, this was not even his full strength.
The moment Li Yuanzhao's figure dashed forward, Si Xiaolan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. She then unleashed her power, transforming into a white light and quickly chasing after him, but she was soon left behind.
Along the way, a monkey demon suddenly attacked, but she was well-prepared, dodging it like a butterfly turning, and then sprinted to the top with a few quick steps.
She calculated that it took her seven breaths.
As she arrived, someone else followed closely behind.
After ten breaths, out of the twelve people, only seven made it through.
Those standing on the mountaintop looked at the short, unremarkable figure with complex expressions, their eyes filled with shock.
Li Yuanzhao's burst of speed had been terrifying, the wind he generated roaring like a tiger.
Are these the monsters from the Divine General Manor? The gap is too wide.
Si Xiaolan's expression turned serious as she scrutinized the young, chubby figure who looked a couple of years younger than her. A deep sense of frustration welled up inside her.
At this moment, someone noticed that only one person from the Divine General Manor had made it to the top.
Looking back, they were surprised to see a figure slowly walking up the steps.
The surrounding monkey demons did not attack him.
"Brother Hao."
Li Yuanzhao turned and waved a greeting.
Soon, Li Hao also reached the top, smiling at Li Yuanzhao.
"Does he count as passing?" someone asked in surprise.
"Ten breaths have long passed, right?"
Everyone was uncertain.
An old man on the mountaintop, who was responsible for verifying the candidates, heard their discussion and said calmly, "You have all passed. Go to the second challenge. There, you might lose your lives. If you want to quit, you can, as other prestigious schools will also accept apprentices."
His words left them speechless, but they could sense his confidence.
"Does he count as passing?" Si Xiaolan asked, frowning and pointing at Li Hao.
"Of course, he has an Invitation", the old man replied calmly.
"An Invitation?"
"The Tan Palace Academy has Invitations?"
Everyone stared in shock, clearly hearing this for the first time.
They had all struggled to get here, but someone had taken a shortcut, and this ticket was personally given by the Tan Palace Academy!
Li Hao smiled at the righteous-looking girl in white, intending to tease her. He took out the Invitation from his chest, waved it, and then walked away.
Si Xiaolan stood there for a moment, recalling her earlier words about relying on one's own abilities. What a joke, he relied on connections!
Thinking of Li Hao's smug expression, she stomped her foot in anger and gritted her teeth, following him.
...
Soon, they arrived at the second challenge.
Not far from the mountaintop, there was a cliff, and below the cliff, chains were nailed to the rock, connecting to the opposite shore.
Each chain was spaced far apart, meaning they could only step on one chain at a time.
A thousand-foot cliff, and they had to walk on a single chain?
Some faces turned pale, and they started to back out.
Si Xiaolan's eyes narrowed, and cold sweat trickled down her palms. She then looked at the two imposing figures ahead.
Surely, he can't rely on an Invitation here, right?
She sneered inwardly.
(End of Chapter)(End of Chapter)
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