Chapter 79: Great Demon King
Chapter 79: Great Demon King
Tan Palace Academy attracts geniuses from the Nineteen Provinces not only because of the exceptional teaching standards of its faculty but also due to this secret technique.
This secret technique is the pride of Tan Palace Academy, rarely shared with outsiders. However, those who can become the champion of the Tan Palace White Hall naturally have the qualifications to study it.
"If I can learn this Sword Technique on the side, that would be great too", Li Hao admitted with a smile.
He indeed came for the secret technique, but it wasn't his primary goal.
After all, if he really needed it urgently, he could have asked Uncle Wind to secretly steal an imprint of it.
Hearing Li Hao say this, Huang Lica's lips curled up, and a look of "I knew it" appeared on her face. She thought to herself, this kid really knows how to put on a show; almost had me fooled.
Song Yufeng and the others exchanged glances, also smiling in relief.
After Li Hao left the Tan Palace, Song Yufeng looked at everyone and said, "Since he's here for the Taiji Universe Sword, do any of you have any thoughts?"
"The Li Family has indeed kept their promise", Shen Yunqing said, stroking his beard with a smile. "Back when the Third Son of the Li Family took the imprint of the Taiji Universe Sword from us, he promised not to share it with a second person. It seems he really did keep his word."
"Indeed, no wonder this young man came to us", an elder nodded, clearly having a good impression of the Third Son of the Li Family.
Although the Third Son of the Li Family's actions back then had infuriated the entire Tan Palace Academy, time has passed, and the Third Son has long since fallen in battle beyond the borders. They have long since let go of their grudges.
Moreover, it was said that before his death, the Third Son of the Li Family used the Taiji Universe Sword to pierce through seventeen Demon Kings with a single strike, striking fear into the hearts of the demons. This was the most brilliant moment for this secret technique, and it certainly brought glory to Tan Palace.
"He just enrolled, so we can't just give it to him right away, can we?" someone said, looking at Song Yufeng.
Song Yufeng's heart stirred, but he remained silent.
"What do we do? He's in the Fifteenth Li Realm. If he joins the White Hall, he'll dominate everyone with one hand. We can't have us old guys stepping in, can we?" Zhao Zongyuan said irritably.
"You forget, we have a rule that requires three years of enrollment before one can qualify. Otherwise, the True Dragons from Divine General Manor could just come and take it whenever they want", the elder said.
"That's true, but making him stay here for three years without us teaching him anything would be a waste of his time, wouldn't it?"
Shen Yunqing frowned. After all, he had played chess, drank, and even eaten the barbecue made by Li Hao, which was truly exceptional. He couldn't help but lean a bit in favor of the young man.
"Palace rules are clear; we can't make an exception for the Li Family, can we?" a long-faced elder said, his expression stern.
Huang Lica said, "We've already made an exception this time. Don't forget, we teach geniuses here, and geniuses are meant to break the rules. If we bind them with rigid regulations, that's when we'll have real problems."
"But if we set this precedent, what if other geniuses from Divine General Manor come to claim it? Won't it become commonplace?"
Song Yufeng, seeing the ongoing debate, thought for a moment and said, "How about we give him two options: one, he can serve as a teacher at Tan Palace for a year, or two, he can become a Registered Teacher in our Black and White Hall. This way, the sword manual won't be easily passed on to others."
Hearing the Palace Master's words, everyone fell silent, exchanging glances.
You truly are the most cunning of all, Palace Master...
...
...
Beside the Thousand-Feet Cliff of Tan Palace, there was a deep pool.
Li Hao was on his way down the mountain when he passed by this Emerald Deep Pond. Feeling its charm, he was inspired and immediately returned to the student quarters within Tan Palace to fetch paper and brush, then came back to the pool.
He set up his painting board and began to sketch by the pond.
The experience system for the Art Dao was quite considerate. The amount of experience he gained depended on the artistic or cultivation value of the subject he was painting.
For example, copying a Great Demon would earn him a lot of experience.
The same went for portraits of high-realm individuals.
However, after repeating the same subject a certain number of times, the experience gained would gradually decrease. Therefore, he needed to constantly paint different subjects.
However, Li Hao speculated that if he wanted to achieve Spiritual Immersion in the Art Dao, he would need to set aside the notion of gaining experience and strive to capture the essence of his subject to a transcendent level.
Painting the same thing a hundred times, a thousand times, or even ten thousand times might be necessary to infuse it with a spiritual aura.
But currently, his Art Dao experience was only at the fifth level, not yet reaching the peak of the Sixth Rank. So, he decided to focus on maxing out his experience first.
With a few strokes, Li Hao's painting board depicted the majestic and perilous cliff, and then the outline of the deep pool appeared, forming a vivid scene on the paper.
Li Hao painted three consecutive pieces, and his Art Dao experience increased each time.
+183, +145, +92...
At the bottom of the deep pool, a large black shadow lay on a stone. Suddenly, it opened its eyes, sensing a prying gaze that made it quite uncomfortable, disturbing its rest.
With a hiss, its divine sense swept around, detecting a young boy on the shore.
What kind of brat is this... It snorted, suddenly rising from the stone and swiftly swimming towards the pool's edge, leaping out.
Splash! Water splashed violently onto the shore.
Li Hao, who was preparing to paint the fourth time and capture the beauty of the deep pool and the cliff, was taken aback when he saw the water suddenly rise and split, revealing a fully blue Qilin emerging from within.
A Water Qilin?
He stared in shock, and for a moment, they locked eyes, man and beast.
"Who gave you permission to be here? Get lost quickly!"
The Water Qilin shook the water off its head and barked, its voice melodious, like the tinkling of a spring.
Li Hao had long heard that the First Palace Master of Tan Palace Academy had once tamed a Qilin Great Demon to guard the palace. He never expected it to be right in front of him.
It was said to be a Fourth Establishment Realm Great Demon King!
Li Hao's eyes lit up, sparkling with excitement.
"Senior!"
Li Hao hurriedly clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his attitude humble and reverent. "Could I have the honor of painting you?"
If he could paint the Water Qilin, his Art Dao experience would definitely skyrocket.
He had already "sheared" quite a bit of Art Dao experience from Second Uncle, Wind Uncle, and Fifth Master.
"?"
The Water Qilin was taken aback, tilting its head, a large question mark forming in its mind.
Had this disciple of the academy been driven mad by martial arts practice?
"What are you babbling about?" The Water Qilin's eyes flashed with anger, and a cold breath exhaled from its nostrils, causing the surrounding water to seem as if it was about to freeze.
"Get lost quickly, or I'll eat you!"
Li Hao knew it was trying to intimidate him. The Water Qilin couldn't harm Tan Palace disciples, of course, unless some disciple went too far and truly enraged it.
However, seeing the overwhelming aura it was displaying, Li Hao still felt a bit uneasy. After all, Second Uncle and the others had never exuded such divine might in front of him.
He steeled himself and said, "I am from the Li Family of the Mountain Below. If you eat me, I’m afraid I won’t taste very good."
"Li Family?"
The coldness in the Water Qilin’s eyes faltered slightly. It wouldn’t just taste bad; it might even lose a layer of skin.
"Hmph, even if I don’t eat you, making you suffer a bit, your Li Family won’t dare do anything to me", the Water Qilin coldly snorted. It didn’t really plan to harm Li Hao, though. If it did, the older generation of the Li Family’s ‘little ones’ would come questioning, and it would be somewhat unreasonable.
It couldn’t just say, "Your kid disturbed my peaceful sleep, so I beat him up."
After all, it was a senior.
By human standards, it should have some tolerance.
Thinking of this, it felt a bit annoyed and began to stir the pond water, intending to send Li Hao flying away. However, Li Hao suddenly shouted:
"Don’t move!"
"Senior, don’t move!"
Li Hao said nervously, "Just a moment, please stay like this. I’ll be done soon."
"?"
A hint of confusion appeared in the Water Qilin’s large, pure blue eyes.
At that moment, Li Hao had already picked up his brush and was rapidly drawing on the painting board.
The scene was too perfect.
The Water Qilin stood in the emerald pond, surrounded by surging waters, with a thousand-foot cliff beside it. This painting would be a masterpiece.
"You…"
"Senior, please, don’t move!"
The Water Qilin felt both embarrassed and annoyed, but at the same time, it was inexplicably curious. It hadn’t seen such a strange little one in over a thousand years. What was he doing?
Seeing that the Water Qilin had truly remained still, Li Hao’s eyes sharpened. He stared intently at the painting paper, fully focused, almost losing himself in the moment as he drew rapidly.
His brush movements were fluid, sometimes dabbing, sometimes pressing, with varying pressure and speed, creating a clear sense of depth and layers.
Half an incense stick later, just as he was about to finish, the Water Qilin had already grown impatient and manipulated the pond water to fall, saying, "Hey, what are you up to?"
Fortunately, Li Hao had already completed the surging pond water. With a concentrated expression, his brush moved swiftly, and soon, with the final stroke of green grass by the pond’s edge, the entire painting was complete.
[Art Dao Experience +1986]
Seeing such a large amount of experience, Li Hao couldn’t help but feel delighted. One painting was worth more than a hundred of his usual works.
"Thank you, Senior!"
Li Hao came back to his senses and looked at the Water Qilin, who still had a hint of anger in its eyes. He bowed deeply.
This was not just for the experience but also for the Water Qilin’s cooperation, which allowed him to complete such a painting.
His passion for painting, his love for the art itself, already rivaled the joy of gaining experience.
"Finished?"
The Water Qilin raised an eyebrow. It had some understanding of human behavior and coldly commanded, "Let me see."
Li Hao nodded and turned the painting board around.
Instantly, a breathtaking painting appeared before the Water Qilin.
A cliff sharp as a sword, a solitary and deep emerald pond, and the azure Qilin standing on the pond, exuding a natural majesty, surrounded by surging waves, like a dominant force in the water.
Its eyes gradually brightened.
Was this Qilin in the painting really it?
It actually looked so good?!
In a flash, the Water Qilin’s figure flickered, stepping out of the emerald pond. As its front hooves moved, its body rapidly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a woman in a deep blue silk dress.
Her hair was water blue, with a tear-like ink mark at the corner of her eye. Her beauty was breathtaking, and her bare, porcelain-white feet slowly floated down to the painting board.
(End of Chapter)
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