A few months later.
By the Black Water Demon Lake, Li Hao caught a fish demon at the eighth level of the Zhou Tian realm. With a quick swing of his sword, he sliced it down. Then, he set up a fire and a big pot to cook.
He skillfully scaled the fish, skinned it, and removed the bones, moving with the grace of flowing water. This time, he didn’t make a spicy dish but prepared a nourishing soup, adding various wild mushrooms he had gathered.
The rich aroma of the mushrooms wafted out from under the iron lid, making the two old men fishing nearby sniff and glance over frequently.
When Li Hao announced, “It’s ready to eat,” the two old men appeared by the pot like shadows, each holding their own utensils—one with exquisite jade chopsticks and the other with rough chopsticks made from tree branches—both diving into the pot.
“Wow, not bad!” Li Muxiu slurped a piece of fish and gave Li Hao a thumbs-up.
Old Master Feng smiled as he filled a bowl with fish soup, savoring it slowly.
The fish had made a significant contribution. Besides his fishing experience, Li Hao gained several points in cooking skills. He estimated that cooking would be the first of his arts to reach the third stage, right after chess.
“Here, little guy, you should try some too.” Li Hao picked up a piece of fish and tossed it onto a nearby leaf. A white figure darted out and quickly started nibbling at it.
“That’s a fox; you’ve raised it like a dog,” Old Master Feng chuckled.
He had been back for several months but hadn’t told Li Muxiu and Li Hao what he had been up to, and they didn’t ask.
“It’s not much different,” Li Hao laughed.
As they were halfway through their meal, Li Hao felt it was the right time and said to Li Muxiu, “Second Uncle, I plan to break through to the Soul Inheritance realm soon. Do you have time to take me to the ancestral hall?”
“Huh?” Both men paused, looking at Li Hao.
Li Muxiu was surprised. “You’re going to break through to the Soul Inheritance realm? You’ve completed the Zhou Tian realm?”
“Yeah,” Li Hao nodded.
He had purposely delayed telling the old man for a few months, worried that his progress might seem too shocking.
“Is that true?” Old Master Feng stopped eating, staring at Li Hao in disbelief.
He knew this kid liked to have fun, but he never joked about cultivation. However, breaking through to the Soul Inheritance realm at eight years old seemed a bit too exaggerated.
“Your Dragon River divine vein is fully cultivated? How is that possible? Don’t forget, your father only stepped into the Soul Inheritance realm at nine years old.”
Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao, puzzled. He knew this kid wouldn’t joke about such things, but it was hard to believe. Even the most talented genius he had seen, like Li Junye, only reached the Soul Inheritance realm at eight and a half!
And that kid had been practicing diligently, showing great talent and hard work. But Li Hao? He spent all day fishing, sometimes for the whole day. When would he have time to cultivate?
“Um, it’s true,” Li Hao felt he might have overestimated the old man's ability to handle this news, but it was too late to back out now.
“Could it be that your meridians have opened up?”
Li Muxiu scrutinized Li Hao. “Even though you have a high talent for body refinement, it usually takes at least seven or eight years, or even ten years or a lifetime, to break through to the Soul Inheritance realm. How could you have completed your meridians in just a year?”
“That’s easy; let the little mouse show us,” Old Master Feng said.
Li Muxiu nodded. “Right, let’s see.”
“Okay.”
Li Hao stood up, moved away from the pot, and then gathered his energy, activating 54 major meridians. A powerful wave of energy surged through his body as he temporarily suppressed the hidden effect of his “Myriad Manifestations” attribute, allowing the energy to burst forth.
Li Muxiu and Old Master Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief. Li Muxiu reacted more dramatically, dropping his chopsticks into the pot.
He stared at Li Hao, dumbfounded. “Really? Is this real?”
As a strong practitioner at the Fourth Stage, how could he be mistaken?
Fifty-four meridians, all fully open—a definite completion of the Zhou Tian realm!
But this child was only eight years old!
Old Master Feng was stunned for a moment before turning to Li Muxiu, speechless. “Your Li family really raises all sorts of monsters. First, there was that Li Junye, and now this kid. If the other divine generals find out, they’ll probably be so jealous they’ll want to tear you apart!”
Li Muxiu was still in shock, staring blankly at Li Hao.
This wasn’t just a monstrous talent in the Zhou Tian realm; it also meant one thing: Li Hao’s meridians were open!!
This meant Li Hao was no longer a waste in martial arts; he could cultivate!
And this talent was even more terrifying than Xiao Jiu’s; he would definitely be the best among the next three generations!
In fact, even looking at the past ten generations, this talent was undeniably the best!
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind in that instant, and suddenly, a wave of guilt and self-blame surged in Li Muxiu’s heart.
With such a genius, he had only taken him fishing and enjoying life, wasting so much time!
“Second Uncle?”
Li Hao finished his energy work and noticed Li Muxiu lost in thought, prompting him to speak up.
Li Muxiu snapped back to reality, wanting to grab his chopsticks to maintain his calm, but they had already fallen into the soup. He couldn’t help but smile wryly and then deeply looked at Li Hao.
“How did your meridians open up?”
“It feels like a dream,” Li Hao replied. “One day, I dreamed I was cultivating, and suddenly I felt a surge of power. I felt so light all over, and when I woke up, everything about cultivation seemed easy, and I opened my meridians without any obstacles.”
“…”
The two old men were speechless.
You opened your meridians while sleeping?
You must be joking!
But aside from Li Hao’s explanation, they couldn’t think of any other possibility.
“Could it be that this kid’s previous blockage was just a false blockage?” Old Master Feng stroked his pointed white beard, pondering. “I’ve heard that some martial arts wastes are temporary. Some suddenly open up while practicing; he might be one of those.”
“Maybe,” Li Muxiu nodded. He had heard of such possibilities, but they were rare.
“Now that this kid can cultivate, your Li family is truly impressive. You’ve raised a true dragon and now have another one standing up,” Old Master Feng exclaimed.
Li Muxiu sighed. “If I had known it would be like this, I would have trained him properly instead of letting him waste time fishing with us.”
Li Hao jumped in fright at those words. “Old man, you’re not going to force me to cultivate, are you?”
“What do you mean by forcing you to cultivate?”
Li Muxiu replied impatiently. “Now that your meridians are open, don’t you want to cultivate well and make a name for yourself in the future?”
“Don’t joke around.”
Li Hao quickly replied without thinking, “Second Uncle, don’t put me in that position! I don’t want to join the army and fight. I’m enjoying life now, and fame is something even dogs don’t want. Whoever wants it can have it!”
Li Muxiu was speechless. If it were someone else, they would be eager to make a name for themselves. But this kid? He was talking nonsense.
“Hahaha…”
Old Master Feng laughed heartily. “It seems this little mouse is nothing like Junye. I think he’s right; fame? Throughout history, fame comes from youth, and in the end, wealth is not everything!”
Li Muxiu’s expression changed slightly, as if a fish bone had pierced his heart, causing him pain.
Once, Li Junye was a dazzling talent, so remarkable.
But later, he fell like a shooting star, disappearing quickly.
He looked at Li Hao, who was nervously watching him.
Li Muxiu felt as if his heart was being squeezed. If he sent this child to the battlefield, who could guarantee he wouldn’t become the second Li Junye?
Forget it… Li Muxiu sighed heavily. “Since you don’t want to pursue fame, that’s fine. Just stay in the Li family like I do, enjoy life, and be an unknown old waste.”
Old Master Feng chuckled. “Who dares to say the Boxing Saint is an unknown? Unless their mouth hasn’t been twisted by you yet.”
Li Muxiu shot him an annoyed glare and turned to Li Hao. “When your parents find out about this, I’ll take the blame and let them scold me. Kid, come eat!”
With that, he flicked his fingers, and the chopsticks flew out of the pot. Then he grabbed a branch, peeled it, made chopsticks, and started eating. But he seemed heavier and more thoughtful than before.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, he could still go fishing with the old man.
Although he could fish on his own, being with the old man at the Demon Lake was safer and offered a chance to catch big fish. That was a delightful thing.
Sitting by the pot, Li Hao continued to eat.
“Second Uncle, about the Soul Inheritance…”
“Humph, eat up. We’ll go after this,” Li Muxiu glanced at Li Hao, then dug into the fish meat.
Li Hao felt reassured and began to eat heartily.
…
…
The Li family ancestral hall was located deep within the Divine General’s residence, on a carved hillside.
The outside was heavily guarded by armored warriors, but the steps leading up the hill were empty, covered in fallen leaves.
In front of the majestic ancestral hall, the flat square held several large cauldrons, with incense burning gently inside.
Two figures descended from the sky, flying in and landing in the square outside the ancestral hall. They then walked up the steps.
Here, even Li Muxiu’s usual playful demeanor faded, and he walked in with a calm expression, bringing Li Hao along.
“Second Brother, what brings you here?”
A calm voice came from inside, like a tranquil lake, instantly calming many thoughts.
Li Hao looked in and saw many ancestral tablets displayed inside. Among them was a golden statue, the ancestor of the Li family, the founding divine general, Li Tianyuan!
Beside the side of the futon in front of the tablets sat an old man with long beard and eyebrows, quietly playing a game of chess by himself, gently placing pieces.
“Of course, I brought the younger generation to pay respects to the ancestors,” Li Muxiu said as he stepped over the threshold.
Upon hearing this, the old man slightly raised his head and glanced at Li Hao, who had just followed him in. A hint of surprise flickered in his calm eyes.
“Breaking through to the Soul Inheritance realm? This child looks even younger than Junye. Are you joking, Second Brother?”
(End of Chapter)