https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-91-Granting-of-a-Peerage-First-Update-/13450033/
Chapter 90: Sword Dao and the Secular World
Chapter 90: Sword Dao and the Secular World
The family banquet was held in the Mountain and River Courtyard.
Madams from various courtyards gathered to congratulate Li Tiangang.
Outside the courtyard, many other concubines and secondary lineage descendants had gathered, peering through the fence, eager to catch a glimpse of the young prodigy whose talent was unparalleled in Li Family history, wondering what kind of extraordinary abilities he possessed.
Li Hao's name had spread throughout the Li Manor, and the servants and maids from each courtyard, including the kitchen workers, chatted about this remarkable Li Family Young Master while chopping wood and preparing meals.
After fourteen years of obscurity, his emergence shook the heavens and the earth.
The news not only spread within the Li Manor but also flew over the rooftops of countless households, reaching the intelligence networks of major forces stationed in Qingzhou City.
Subsequently, these pieces of information, like threads on a spider's web, were swiftly and secretly transmitted to various places.
Every force and every person watching Qingzhou received this news, and all were deeply shaken.
The Li Family's True Dragon, who had fallen fourteen years ago, seemed to have resurrected with a new and even more powerful form!
Amidst the rapid spread of his name and the festive atmosphere of the family banquet, Li Hao, led by Old Zhao, arrived at a secluded house deep within the inner courtyard.
He pushed open the door and saw the neatly arranged scrolls inside.
His divine sense swept over them, and he counted; none were missing.
"Young Master, please don't be angry with Master. Yu Xuan has followed Master for many years, through life and death on the battlefield, and being an orphan, Master naturally protects him. It's not that Master truly wants to anger you."
Old Zhao stood behind Li Hao, sighing softly.
An orphan, huh... Li Hao mused to himself.
Although he had parents, wasn't he just like an orphan?
He sighed inwardly, trying to push away his thoughts.
After all, it had been fourteen years of waiting, and this was his father in this life.
He didn't just accept it; he had no choice.
"Young Master, now that you have revealed your cultivation, the world will know your name. No one will dare to look down on you or underestimate you again."
Old Zhao, seeing the somber mood, switched to talking about the day's good news. Thinking of Li Hao's cultivation, his face couldn't help but show a hint of excitement and warmth.
Li Hao smiled. "When I was born, didn't the world already know my name?"
Old Zhao was taken aback, then realized Li Hao was right. Li Hao, the son born when the Li Family's True Dragon fell, had been personally named by Emperor Yu and announced to the world through an imperial edict.
"But so much time has passed..." Old Zhao chuckled awkwardly, adding that at the time, Li Hao was just a baby, and no one paid much attention. The world's gaze was focused on the illustrious Ninth Son of the Li Family.
"That's why everything will pass."
"In the vast expanse of time and space, even sages are but specks of dust in the annals of history."
Li Hao turned and walked out of the room, looking at the empty courtyard. The starlight and moonlight fell from the sky, contrasting sharply with the bright lights of the front courtyard:
"Let's go, let's join the festivities."
"Yes, Young Master."
Old Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. He had come to persuade Li Hao to attend the family banquet.
...
At the family banquet, the atmosphere became even more lively with Li Hao's arrival.
Li Wushuang and her siblings, along with the third-generation main lineage descendants like Li Jiangying and Li Rumei, sat at one table.
Most of the children from the other madams had not returned.
Their gazes immediately focused on Li Hao, each with different expressions.
"Brother Hao is amazing!"
Li Yuanzhao was the most excited. He had known about Li Hao's strength in Cangyu City and had been looking forward to this moment. Seeing the others' amazed reactions, he felt as if he had eaten ice on a scorching summer day, tingling with satisfaction.
He glanced disdainfully at Li Yun, a smug look in his eyes.
But Li Yun and Li Zhining, the siblings, were too preoccupied to pay attention to Li Yuanzhao. Their expressions were complex, reminiscent of the scene when their elder sister returned a few days ago, surrounded by adoration.
However, today's scene was even more lively and impactful.
"Hmph, just reaching the Fifteenth Li Realm, what's so great about that? It's only impressive when you reach the Grandmaster level."
At another table, Li Rumei suddenly snorted.
Li Yuanzhao was startled, surprised to hear such a discordant voice. He turned to see that it was Eighth Lady's precious pair of children.
He had seen them when he visited his mother in the morning, but they had never really gotten to know each other.
Since the other party had finished their formal greetings, they wouldn’t even exchange a word with Li Yun and the others, maintaining an extremely high and distant demeanor.
On ordinary days, they wouldn’t come out to play with them, and in the Training Grounds, they wouldn’t chat much either, treating them as if they were from the Secondary Lineage.
This brother and sister always ate and practiced martial arts together, almost forming their own little world, never interacting with outsiders.
Eighth Lady, who doted on her children immensely, was extremely protective. When Li Yuanzhao was young, he once saw a Secondary Lineage disciple accidentally scratch Li Jiangying during a sparring session in the Training Grounds.
It was just a small sword cut, and with the Li Family’s precious medicines, a little ointment would have been enough for her to recover the next day.
However, Eighth Lady rushed to the Training Grounds, ordered the Secondary Lineage disciple to be dragged out, and broke one of his arms.
It was said that the Secondary Lineage disciple had decent talent, but the incident left him traumatized, and he soon withdrew from the Training Grounds.
His mother even cried and begged for forgiveness at Eighth Lady’s courtyard.
This incident caused quite a stir at the time, providing some entertainment for the young ones. It was only after their mother intervened to calm things down that the matter was resolved.
Eighth Lady came from a prominent family, surnamed Wang.
She had married into the Li Family, and among the aunts, she was known for her temper and personality, making her someone not to be trifled with.
However, upon hearing Li Rumei’s sarcastic remark, Li Yuanzhao couldn’t sit still and sneered, “Not much to brag about? Then please tell me, at sixteen and fifteen, what cultivation levels do you and your brother have?”
Li Rumei, already jealous, was taken aback by Li Yuanzhao’s taunt and immediately became furious, “We don’t spend all day hanging around Second Uncle like he does. He can cultivate so fast because Second Uncle favors him!”
Li Yuanzhao grew even angrier and retorted, “Then why doesn’t Second Uncle favor you?”
“Of course, it’s because he’s more cunning and knows how to flatter better than we do!” Li Rumei sneered.
Li Yuanzhao’s face turned red with anger as he glared at her.
Li Yun and his sister furrowed their brows and glanced at Li Rumei. While they kept their distance from Li Hao, they were wary and disliked Eighth Lady’s children, preferring not to provoke them.
They didn’t want to risk any minor skirmishes that might lead to Eighth Lady confronting their mother.
“Hmph, all of you are Li Family children. If you have no talent, you shouldn’t be jealous of others. It’s shameful!” Li Wushuang coldly remarked.
Li Yuanzhao looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to speak up for Hao Ge.
Hao Ge had beaten this elder sister before…
“You, who do you think has no talent?!” Li Rumei angrily demanded.
Li Wushuang gave her a cold, disdainful look, “Whoever shouts the loudest is the one I’m talking about! You two are just at the Soul Continuation stage, yet you dare to say that Hao Ge at fifteen is nothing special. Do you think your Soul Succession Realm is so impressive?”
“They’ve reached Soul Continuation?”
Li Yuanzhao and Li Yun’s siblings were shocked. They had been training together in the Training Grounds, with similar talent, yet the other party had progressed faster.
“It’s nothing special,” Li Jiangying said coldly, seeing her sister being bullied.
“Li Wushuang, don’t think you’re anything special just because you’re at the Divine Wanderer Realm. There’s a long road ahead. Outside the Tianren Realm, everyone is just an ant. Wait until you can cross that threshold before you talk!” Li Jiangying continued.
Li Wushuang’s eyes turned cold and sharp, “How dare you! You don’t even call me Elder Sister and dare to use my name directly? Is this how your mother taught you? As for that threshold, rest assured, I will cross it before you. Wait until you reach the Divine Wanderer Realm to talk!”
“You’re just relying on your master’s reputation. We’re not even interested in bowing down to them!” Li Rumei said angrily.
Li Wushuang couldn’t help but laugh in anger, about to say more, but Li Yun held her back.
“Sister, don’t stoop to their level. Be careful, or they’ll drag their mother into this,” Li Yun said sarcastically.
“What do you mean?” Li Jiangying glared at Li Yun.
Li Yuanzhao said coldly, “Calm down. This is the Mountain and River Courtyard, not your Mourning River Courtyard. Even if your mother comes, she’d still have to call Uncle Tian Gang ‘Brother’!”
Li Jiangying and his sister's faces changed slightly, their expressions faltering for a moment. Although they were spoiled and willful, they felt constrained by the current situation and didn't dare to escalate the argument.
Seeing the siblings calm down, Li Wushuang shot them a disdainful glance and decided to ignore them, finding it amusing that Eighth Lady’s children could be so rude and unreasonable.
At this moment, Li Zhining noticed Li Hao walking straight toward their mother and couldn’t help but ask, "Why isn’t Brother Hao coming over here?"
Li Yuanzhao glanced over and chuckled, "Brother Hao eats at the adults’ table, not the kids’."
...
On the other side, Li Tiangang was now being interrogated by the various Madams.
They questioned him about why he had concealed Li Hao’s cultivation and how Li Hao had managed to cultivate.
Li Tiangang found their questions a bit overwhelming, feeling that even the roar of a thousand soldiers on the battlefield couldn’t compare to the chatter of these seven or eight women.
However, he still smiled and responded to each question.
Initially, he had thought Second Uncle had helped, but upon learning that wasn’t the case, he couldn’t explain it any further and could only attribute it to Li Hao’s innate talent.
No one really believed this, though. While no one said anything, they all had their suspicions.
Li Hao’s sudden ability to cultivate, and his monstrous progress, made it hard not to think that Second Uncle or Fifth Master had somehow defied heaven to alter his fate.
When Li Hao approached, the aunts immediately surrounded him, asking questions enthusiastically. The older ones couldn’t get anything out of him, so they turned to the younger ones, but Li Hao’s mouth was even tighter than Li Tiangang’s.
Liu Yuerong couldn’t get a single word out of him and was seething with frustration, hating both him and his father.
...
...
Nine thousand miles to the south, in the Sword Hut.
"Master!"
Three or four figures rushed into the thatched cottage, reporting the news they had just received to their master, who was reading a Sword Manual.
"Fifteen Li Realm?"
Hearing the news from his disciples, Jian Wudao was momentarily stunned.
Is it still Xue'er’s little fiancé?
Slowly, some buried memories in his mind resurfaced, and he vaguely recalled the child with an old soul he had met eight years ago in that bustling city, in that grand yet empty courtyard.
Fourteen years old... just a few months older than Xue'er.
And Xue'er had only just entered the Divine Wanderer Realm last month.
A full major realm ahead!
Jian Wudao’s expression turned serious.
Such talent was far superior to his own when he was young, even surpassing the previous True Dragon of the Li Family.
"The Li Family is producing another True Dragon!"
"Such talent, if he becomes the next successor, the True Dragons of the other Divine General Manors will surely be restless."
"For the past hundred years, the Li Family has truly been blessed by heaven, chosen by fate."
The disciples discussed and marveled, considering themselves geniuses, but they were all left speechless by this news.
"Master, I heard that you almost took this Li Family’s Qilin Child as a disciple back then, and he could have been our junior brother. We almost had a monster like him as a peer", a young disciple said.
Jian Wudao immediately recalled the scene of that day, but he shook his head slightly.
"At the time, it was widely rumored that this child had a Wasted Martial Body. Now, it seems either the Li Family deliberately concealed it, or some of the old timers there defied heaven to alter his fate."
"However, even with his extraordinary talent, he would not have become my disciple."
"Why is that, Master?" the disciples asked.
"He is not a Sword Dao practitioner, and thus, he is not on the same path as us", Jian Wudao explained.
The disciples immediately understood.
Genius though he may be, he was not a sword cultivator.
"Pity, otherwise, it would have been quite inspiring to have such a monster as a junior brother", someone laughed.
"Fourteen years old and already at the Fifteen Li Realm, indeed, that is terrifying", someone nodded.
Jian Wudao glanced at them and said, "I have always told you that there is always someone better out there. Now you know, don’t you? Your talents are good, but to dominate for the next sixty years, you still have a long way to go. Go and practice your swords more!"
They all smiled bitterly, knowing that few could truly dominate the world for sixty years.
"Has Xue'er already left the mountain?"
Jian Wudao thought of something and asked.
One of the handsome young men smiled, "Little Junior Sister broke through to the Divine Roaming Realm and immediately said she wanted to leave the mountain and return home. She has already set off."
Jian Wudao frowned slightly and sighed, "She has received the Li Family’s favor, and I hope this trip will help her make a decision. The path of the Sword Dao and the secular world ultimately cannot be chosen together."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
