The smell of crispy fried treats wafted through the air, and even from a distance, Li Hao could catch a whiff. This was made by Uncle Liu himself.
Don’t be fooled by Uncle Liu being just a small vendor; his fried snacks were exceptional. He had been selling them on the busiest street outside the Divine General’s Mansion for years, which spoke volumes about his skills.
As they arrived at the square, Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao noticed that there were noticeably fewer young boys and girls around. Most of them were heading towards the entrance of the Tan Palace Academy. Still, there were quite a few figures lingering at various stalls, dressed in clothing that clearly indicated they were from other states.
It was a rare chance to visit Qingzhou, so they might as well try the local delicacies.
Li Hao saw a long line at Uncle Liu’s stall, mostly made up of women and some servants dressed in fine clothes, waiting to buy food for their masters.
Li Hao tugged at Li Yuanzhao, and they joined the line at the back.
“Brother Hao, haven’t you had breakfast yet?” Li Yuanzhao asked, surprised.
Li Hao nodded.
“Wait here, I’ll go buy it for you,” Li Yuanzhao said, and then he shouted towards the front, “Uncle Liu, prepare two servings for us!”
His loud voice drew the attention of those waiting in line. When they saw the two dressed in fine clothes, they immediately recognized them as wealthy young masters.
Uncle Liu’s wife was busy taking money and serving customers. Upon hearing Li Yuanzhao, she looked up and quickly smiled, telling Uncle Liu, “It’s Young Master Hao from the Divine General’s Mansion. Hurry and make two servings for him.”
Uncle Liu was momentarily taken aback. When he looked up and saw the young master at the end of the line, his wrinkled face broke into a smile.
For vendors like them, people from high society usually looked down on them, filled with disdain. But Young Master Hao treated them equally, never avoiding them. Three years ago, he even sat on the ground in front of their stall, shouting to sell their snacks. That scene had shocked them, and they had remembered this unique young master ever since.
“You brat…”
Li Hao wanted to stop Li Yuanzhao, thinking they could just wait patiently. But seeing Aunt Liu smile at him after hearing the shout, he had no choice but to lead Li Yuanzhao forward to wait quietly at the other side of the stall.
Nearby, some servants were casting glances at them but didn’t dare to say anything. However, the young women in line frowned and shot them hostile looks, with one complaining, “Why does he get to cut in line? That’s not fair!”
“Exactly!”
“Boss, you’re being unfair!”
Hearing these complaints, Li Yuanzhao got anxious and was about to reveal their identity from the Divine General’s Mansion, but Li Hao held him back.
At this point, Li Hao had to step in to resolve the situation. Feeling a bit helpless, he smiled at the chattering girls and took out a gold ingot from his bag, handing it to Uncle Liu’s stall. He said gently, “Ladies, there’s no need to be upset. I’ll make it fair; here’s five times the price.”
Aunt Liu was flustered and quickly tried to return the gold to Li Hao. “Young Master Hao, we can’t accept this!”
“No need for change; just consider it for future purchases as well,” Li Hao smiled and insisted, his warm gaze leaving no room for refusal.
As a vendor, Uncle Liu was quite perceptive, and he quickly understood. He stopped resisting and said, “Alright, Young Master, that’s five servings.”
“Oh, okay!” Uncle Liu quickly agreed.
Since his wife had stopped being modest, he figured he might as well get to work.
The other young women in line were furious at Li Hao’s generosity. Even if the snacks were five times the price, they could afford it, but they didn’t want to be the ones to pay that much.
Soon, five servings of crispy treats were ready. Li Hao handed one bag to Li Yuanzhao and turned back to the crowd.
“That’s a lot, Brother Hao. Can you finish it all?” Li Yuanzhao asked, looking at the four bags in Li Hao’s hands. After taking a bite of his own serving, he exclaimed, “So delicious! No wonder you like it!”
Li Hao smiled and returned to the carriage, where Qingzhi and Li Fu were waiting at the back. He handed each of them a bag.
“Master, haven’t you gone to the entrance yet?” Li Fu asked, surprised as he accepted the food.
Li Hao replied, “I need to fill my stomach first.”
“…” Li Fu was speechless, but after following Li Hao for five or six years, he understood the young master’s personality and didn’t say more, especially since they had an invitation.
Li Hao returned to the carriage and glanced at Ming Bo, who was sitting on the carriage board. Although he was from the Snowfall Courtyard, he usually treated Li Hao politely, so Li Hao handed him a serving as well.
“Thank you, Young Master Hao,” Ming Bo said, quickly accepting it with both hands and expressing his gratitude.
Then, he echoed Li Fu’s earlier question, “Young Master Hao, you… haven’t gone to the entrance yet?”
“I’ll go after I finish eating,” Li Hao replied.
Ming Bo was slightly taken aback. He thought that Young Master Yun and Miss Zhi Ning must have already entered the academy by now. Here was Young Master Hao, leisurely lingering at the foot of the mountain, just as the rumors said—so relaxed…
After finishing their meal, Li Hao took the impatient Li Yuanzhao and squeezed through the crowd to the entrance.
Though called a ladder, it was actually a long flight of stairs.
It was said to have a thousand steps leading to the entrance of the Tan Palace Academy.
This was the first test of the academy.
Climbing a thousand steps wasn’t particularly hard, but on the other side of the stairs, near the woods, there were moving shadows—monkey-like creatures.
Though they were demons, they were trained by the Tan Palace Academy.
Those attempting to climb the stairs would be disturbed and attacked by these monkey demons. If they couldn’t reach the top within ten breaths after being attacked, they would fail the first challenge.
This test was no joke; climbing required strength at the sixth or seventh level of the Body Refining stage, not to mention dodging the monkey demons’ surprise attacks, which tested one’s agility and eyesight.
“Miss, this test seems a bit tough!” A maid holding an umbrella said nervously to the young lady in white beside her.
“It’s nothing difficult; just a small first test. It won’t stop me,” Si Xiaolan replied calmly, though her eyes scanned the crowd. “Compared to this test, there are some strong opponents among these people…”
With her keen perception, she noticed several noble families around.
Some of them were of higher status than her family, while others were slightly lower.
“Miss, those two over there look like young masters from the Divine General’s Mansion,” the maid said, pointing to the left.
Si Xiaolan looked up and recognized their clothing. She nodded slightly, “That’s right.”
At that moment, the two young masters were registering to enter.
Si Xiaolan felt a stir in her heart and immediately walked over to register as well.
“What does the Divine General’s Mansion matter? I’ve heard that the Li family is a true dragon. I want to see how much better they are than me,” she thought, her eyes shining with a hint of stubborn fighting spirit.
“Age, origin, name.”
“Jizhou, Si family.”
In front of the registration staff, Si Xiaolan only mentioned her family name. The registration for this first test was quite casual. When the staff heard the Si family name, they looked up at her and nodded.
“Go ahead, you know the rules, right? Just reach the top in ten breaths by any means.”
“Ten breaths? That’s too long,” another young man in fine clothes said lightly.
Si Xiaolan glanced at him and recognized him as a noble from another state, making her eyes shine even brighter.
“Miss, they’re all nobles. Should we wait for the next group…” The maid hesitated, pulling at the young lady’s sleeve.
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Si Xiaolan’s eyes sparkled. “Walking the Jianghu relies not on status but on real skills!”
After saying that, she told the maid to wait obediently and followed the others into the entrance.
She wanted to compare herself secretly.
“Get ready,” said an old man nearby, lifting his eyelids slightly.
Everyone adjusted their breathing and loosened their joints.
“Yuanzhao, good luck,” Li Hao encouraged Li Yuanzhao with a smile.
This kid insisted on relying on his own skills to pass this challenge, and Li Hao had no choice.
“Mm!” Li Yuanzhao nodded earnestly.
Others glanced at Li Hao, finding his words a bit strange, but they didn’t think too much about it.
At that moment, with the old man’s command, more than ten people began to exert their strength at the same time!
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind whipped up nearby, and Li Yuanzhao shot forward like a cannonball, instantly launching himself, leaving a dent in the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he had climbed a hundred steps, and then with another leap, he surged ahead like a whirlwind, quickly reaching the top!
It took only three breaths.
Li Hao knew that for someone at the peak of the Body Refining stage like Yuanzhao, this wasn’t even him exerting full strength.
Si Xiaolan’s eyes slightly narrowed as she saw Li Yuanzhao burst forth. Then she also unleashed her power, transforming into a streak of white light, quickly chasing after him, but in an instant, she was left behind.
As the monkey demons suddenly attacked along the way, she was already prepared and gracefully dodged like a butterfly, then took a few quick steps to reach the top.
She calculated it took her seven breaths.
As she arrived, several others followed closely behind.
After ten breaths, twelve people had attempted the challenge, but only seven passed.
Those standing at the top looked at the short, unremarkable figure with complex expressions, their eyes revealing shock.
Li Yuanzhao’s explosive speed earlier had been astonishing; the wind he created felt like a tiger’s roar.
Is this the prodigy of the Divine General’s Mansion? The gap is too big.
Si Xiaolan’s expression grew serious as she studied the plump boy, who looked like he was a year or two younger than her, feeling a deep sense of defeat.
At that moment, someone noticed that among the two from the Divine General’s Mansion, only one had reached the top.
Someone turned to look and was astonished to see a figure leisurely walking up the steps.
The surrounding monkey demons did not attack him.
“Brother Hao,” Li Yuanzhao turned and waved.
Soon, Li Hao reached the top and smiled at Li Yuanzhao.
“Does he count as passing?” someone asked in confusion.
“Hasn’t he already passed the ten breaths?”
Everyone was uncertain.
An elder at the top, responsible for verifying the candidates, heard their discussion and replied calmly, “You all have passed. Go to the second challenge. It can be life-threatening there. If you want to back out, you can, as there are other noble families that will take in disciples.”
His words left everyone speechless, and they could feel his confidence.
“Does he count as passing?” Si Xiaolan frowned, pointing at Li Hao.
“Of course, he has an invitation,” the elder replied indifferently.
“An invitation?”
“The Tan Palace Academy actually has invitations?”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock, clearly surprised to learn this for the first time.
While others struggled, he was given a free pass? And it was personally provided by the Tan Palace Academy!
Li Hao smiled at the spirited young lady in white, wanting to tease her a bit. He took out the invitation from his pocket and waved it before heading straight ahead.
Si Xiaolan was momentarily stunned. Thinking of what she had said earlier about relying on skills… what skills? He relied on having someone behind him!
Remembering Li Hao’s smug look, she stomped her foot in frustration and gritted her teeth, following after him.
Not long after, everyone arrived at the second challenge.
Not far from the mountaintop, there was a sheer cliff, with chains nailed into it connecting to the other side.
The chains were spaced far apart, meaning one could only step on one chain at a time.
A bottomless chasm, and they had to walk on a single chain?
Some people’s faces changed, and they began to reconsider.
Si Xiaolan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt a bit of cold sweat in her palms. Then, she glanced at the two noble figures ahead.
Surely, they couldn’t rely on invitations again here, right?
She silently scoffed to herself.
(End of Chapter)