Chapter 53: Chapter 50 A Half Day of Leisure in a Fleeting Life
In Alpha Academy, after half a month of interaction, the fifty students have become familiar with each other.
At least they can call out each other’s names.
“Yuan Zhao, the people from your Divine General Mansion are truly incredible. They are clearly newcomers, yet they came close to monopolizing the top ten rankings.”
Seated on the grass, the slender Du Qiuyue expressed her admiration to Li Yuanzhao.
She is a returning student, eighteen this year, in the prime of her youth, but within Alpha Academy, she already counts as an “elder.”
Before the semester started, she was in the top ten on the Martial Arts Ranking, but now she has fallen to the fifteenth place and beyond.
All because this year’s new students are too fierce, with seven coming from the Divine General Mansion alone, plus two royal princes; she simply couldn’t compete.
Additionally, there are children of a Grandmaster, a county princess from a certain city, all with backgrounds that are intimidating. In total, there are thirteen of them.
The returning students have practiced hard for many years to reach Cycle Heaven Realm Perfection, yet these newcomers arrived already at or near Cycle Heaven Realm Perfection, entering the school with a deeply established family foundation.
Even though their realms are the same, there are gaps in the levels of the Qi Circulation Skills and Meridian Opening Skills they practice, leading to a nearly twofold difference in strength. They are truly no match, having been thoroughly intimidated by the descendants under the supreme authority of Dayu.
“It’s alright, I guess, I’m only sixth, still a bit away,” Li Yuanzhao scratched his head as he said.
Du Qiuyue was left speechless.
Beside them, another newcomer from the prominent families of Liangzhou, Zheng Bai, gave a bitter smile.
As a new student, he only ranked 38th.
Only those with sky-high connections can bully the returning students like this. As for the children from prominent families like them, they still need to follow the rules and accept guidance from the senior students.
In the field, some are sparring and exchanging techniques.
Du Qiuyue gazes at the Martial Arts Ranking with complex emotions.
Currently, in the top five, there’s only one returning student clinging on, as if representing the last ounce of dignity for them seniors.
The two princes occupy the first and second spots, with the royal family’s Meridian Opening Skill and Qi Circulation Skill considered unrivaled in the world, naturally practiced by the princes as well.
Ranking third is Wang Han from the Divine General Mansion. At the sight of this name, Du Qiuyue’s eyes shift slightly. Aside from the princes, the most daunting figure in Alpha Academy at present is this Wang Han.
Although only fifteen, he is ruthless and decisive in his attacks, fierce in his tactics, completely unlike the others, as if he had been through the baptism of blood and fire.
It had been discovered that this Wang Han seemed to have served in the Mo River Authority for a year.
Ranked fourth is the daughter of that Grandmaster. It is said she has already comprehended the heart of swordsmanship, her sword skills are ethereal and terrifyingly powerful.
Ranked fifth is that returning student, the former number one on the Martial Arts Ranking, whose spear skills have reached the high-grade perfection level. Just yesterday, he fought against Li Yuanzhao and narrowly won by half a move.
Li Yuanzhao who sits nearby is ranked sixth, followed by his two fellow disciples, Li Yun and Li Zhining.
“Strange, where is your brother Hao? How come he’s not here?”
Du Qiuyue’s curiosity was piqued as she scanned the courtyard. Given the way Li Yuanzhao always refers to ‘Hao’ reverently, it’s clear to anyone with eyes that he greatly respects this young man of similar age.
This naturally aroused a sense of wonder and astonishment.
However, every time a lesson ends, that person bolts away as if he’s rushing to the latrine.
In these spontaneous sparring sessions and challenges for the Martial Arts Ranking, they have never seen his figure, as if he exists outside of Alpha Academy’s everyday life.
Even during lessons, each time she glanced over, he was either lying down asleep or holding something resembling a book, continuously taking notes.
Working so hard? At first, she felt somewhat impressed, but later, upon a casual glance, she realized there wasn’t a single word in the book, only full of sketches.
The drawings were all fierce demon creatures and seemed to be from the Aquatic Clan…
Besides that, there were also many of Teacher Su Yehua’s drawings, some with cat ears and tails added on, portraying Teacher Su Yehua like an incompletely transformed demon.
This was nothing short of doodling.
Yet despite this, Du Qiuyue could still tell that the artistic skill was exquisite, brought to life with precision, something that could not be achieved without considerable practice.
But then again, they are all Martial Artists. Who has the leisure to spend time on other things?
“Brother Hao must have gone to play,” Li Yuanzhao said nonchalantly.
He had become accustomed to Li Hao’s behavior. Practicing with them? Joking aside, even with Great Aunt pleading desperately, the shadow of Hao was never seen in the arena.
Since childhood, Hao had never mingled with others his age, unless they went to him.
“Play…” Hearing Li Yuanzhao speak so casually, both Du Qiuyue and Zheng Bai were stunned.
The whip marks on their small bottoms and the cane scars on their backs had long ingrained the word “strive” into their beings.
Play?
They wanted to, but didn’t dare.
In their fathers’ words:
“What you’re playing with now is time, and what you’ll be playing with in the future will be your life!”
“How can you become an extraordinary person if you don’t endure the bitterest of hardships?”
“The prosperity of the family depends on you. How can you live up to your ancestors if you’re so lax?”
“Play” is such a frivolous word, yet for them, it’s incredibly distant, like a taboo, unspeakable.
“Isn’t he participating in the Martial Arts Ranking? If so, he’ll be challenged by students from the Beta Academy, and then he’ll be demoted there,” Du Qiuyue hesitated to say.
Li Yuanzhao’s eyes opened wide in a slight rage, “Who dares! If anyone challenges Brother Hao, I’ll get demoted to Beta Academy and beat them back up!”
Du Qiuyue:
Zheng Bai:
Wow, now that’s being domineering.
“You have the Divine General Mansion backing you, so there probably won’t be many challengers, but you’ll have to rely on yourself for the Mo River Battlefield test in a year.”
Du Qiuyue said resentfully, “On extermination missions outside, we can still rely on the hidden protection of the experts our families send, but in the Mo River Battlefield, we’re on our own and can’t join forces. The Mo River Battlefield we are tested in only allows one person to enter at a time.”
“That’s true.”
Li Yuanzhao slightly frowned and thought for a moment, “I’ll talk to Hao about this matter later.”
Du Qiuyue was at a loss for words. Did the young master of the Divine General Mansion not take this matter seriously at all?
Behind Alpha Academy, atop a waterfall.
Two figures sat at the edge of the cliff atop the waterfall, drinking and playing chess, chatting and laughing leisurely.
Suddenly, a figure leapt from the bottom of the waterfall, jumping over the several dozen feet high cascade without a drop of water touching him, and landed in front of the two, holding two skewered roasted rabbits.
“You little…” Seeing the newcomer, both of the chess-playing elders laughed, then immediately sniffed, “Smells good!”
Li Hao handed the roasted rabbits over to the two elders, smiling, “Try these.”
The chess-playing elders were none other than Zhao Zongyuan and Shen Yunqing, both instructors at Alpha Academy, and had been completely conquered by Li Hao’s cooking over the past half month.
“Tsk, your cooking skills are really something else.” Shen Yunqing took a bite and couldn’t help but praise.
He and Zhao Zongyuan appeared carefree and amiable at this moment, but when teaching in the academy, they maintained a stern authority as instructors. Even the two princes had to behave properly in front of them, strictly following the rules.
Being a prince was certainly prestigious, but princes studying at Tan Palace Academy weren’t necessarily favored, and their lives might not even be as long as the instructors’. The two didn’t need to be overly subservient or flatter the royal token at their waist.
“You’ve already lost two games to me today, shouldn’t you go back to your martial arts practice?”
While eating the rabbit, Zhao Zongyuan noticed Li Hao eager to try his hand and couldn’t help but mention.
He loved playing chess… but not losing all the time.
Playing chess with Shen was more relaxing, not too draining, and he could actually win.
“Martial arts practice is so boring, especially when it’s not from the Black and White Hall.” Li Hao said.
“You just arrived and already thinking of peerless techniques, wishful thinking,” both said, shaking their heads at Li Hao’s unrealistic expectations. Previously, when Li Hao came to them for chess, they had gauged his ability. He was not the frivolous dandy they had imagined, and was even more powerful than most at Alpha Academy.
But the issue was the young man was disinterested in practicing martial arts. When they played chess and occasionally tried to offer him some pointers, it backfired:
“You’re about to lose, and you still have time to talk about other things?”
“Can you focus, pick up the chess piece, pick up the chess piece!”
“How about, I give you a five-stone handicap?”
The elders were somewhat taken aback, feeling a mix of annoyance and affection for Li Hao.
“Elder Shen, the wine.”
Li Hao motioned with his lips toward the wine flask at Shen Yunqing’s waist, “You’ve lost two sips to me today and haven’t paid up yet.”
Shen Yunqing’s mouth twitched slightly. He was originally only sharing with Zhao Zongyuan, and now there was one more little mouth to feed, causing his Drunken Wind Brew to run low even for himself.
As a man of his word, he snorted lightly and tossed the wine gourd to Li Hao, “Easy there, you’re still young.”
Li Hao chuckled, uncorked the bottle and took two hearty swigs, then wiping his mouth contentedly, “Really does taste good.”
Cooking in six ways, his scope was broad, he could brew fine wines himself but it took too much time, and he was too lazy to bother.
Seeing Li Hao’s carefree demeanor, the elders just smiled helplessly and continued munching on their roasted rabbits.
Li Hao returned the wine gourd to Shen Yunqing, patted his rear and said, “I’ll come again tomorrow.”
With that, he leaped gracefully, his figure swift as the wind, and landed on the white stones beyond the waterfall.
Then, strolling along, humming a tune, he leisurely left the place.
He had climbed up to the waterfall just for a couple of sips of wine and to give the two elders the rabbits as a token of appreciation.
“This kid…” As they watched his departing figure, both laughed wryly, having never met such an unusual youth.
“By the way, that movement technique he just used, wasn’t it the superior ‘White Phoenix Skill’ you teach?” Zhao Zongyuan asked.
Chewing on his rabbit, Shen Yunqing spoke vaguely, “That’s right, and that kid seems to have already mastered it to perfection. I’m starting to doubt whether that Wind-Slashing Fist he learned was truly mastered on the same day…”
“To reach perfection in half a month…”
Thoughtfully, Zhao Zongyuan murmured, “Did the Li Family release false information in the past? Marshal Li spends all his time on the borders, and his wife is not by his side…”
Without finishing his thought, there was no need for further words.
Shen Yunqing swallowed down the rabbit meat, took a gulp of wine, and almost lost his eyebrows in the comfort of it, he sighed, “As unpredictable as the depth of a marquis’s manor; who could really know? At any rate, this boy is definitely a rare genius, I suppose he will make a grand entrance in a year’s time at the Mo River.”
Zheng Bai slightly nodded, not denying the possibility, wondering whether Li Hao would be willing to show his talent when the time came.
Suddenly, he noticed Li Hao’s figure disappearing around the corner, and couldn’t help raising an eyebrow, “Did that kid take a wrong turn?”
“Hm? Didn’t you tell him? That way leads to Mo River.”
Chapter 54: Chapter 51 Battle Realm Name
Li Hao followed the slippery, broken stone path for several miles, arriving at the edge of another deep pool formed by a waterfall.
“Strange, I thought I heard the sound of a flute.”
Li Hao looked around, wondering if it was just an illusion.
The waterfall in front of him was like a curtain, but through the gaps in the flowing water, there appeared to be a small temple inside.
Li Hao was slightly taken aback. His figure flickered as he used the top-level Bai Fengxing movement technique, darting through the water curtain like a bird through the trees, emerging on the other side without a single drop of water on him.
The previously reserved 3 Skill Points, he spent two on his movement technique, which allowed him to easily comprehend this high-grade Cultivation Technique.
As Li Hao entered through the water curtain, in the distance at another moss-covered stone platform, stood two delicate figures.
“Eh, Yue Yao, was there someone just over there?” Lin Feifei asked in surprise, pointing to the waterfall in the distance.
“It seemed like it.”
Song Yueyao also noticed, but the figure flickered and disappeared, appearing to wear the garb of an external academy disciple.
“It seems I’m not seeing things. What is an external disciple doing here? It’s not yet time for the new students’ annual exam, is it?”
Lin Feifei wondered with confusion, “He seemed to have entered the Regional Lord’s Temple. Could he be going into the Meng River?”
Song Yueyao withdrew her gaze, shook her head slightly, and continued to play her flute softly, uninterested in such extraneous matters.
Behind the waterfall, Li Hao looked at the temple before his eyes.
It was very small, about half a person tall.
However, it was exquisitely crafted, with two effigies inside, one male and one female. They appeared ancient, and time had blurred their features. On closer inspection, one could see that they were once gentle and kind.
But with mottled chunks of clay falling off and the faces decayed, the half-smiles on their lips now seemed somewhat eerie and ferocious.
On either side of the temple, there was a vertical couplet:
The earth can produce all things,
The soil can bury all lives.
Above it, there was a horizontal scroll: A Regional Lord.
As Li Hao was examining the temple, suddenly a small booklet flew out from inside, opening in front of his eyes.
Subsequently, a sheet of paper flew out from the booklet, shooting towards Li Hao’s head with divine swiftness.
Li Hao was shocked and tried to dodge, but even with his Fifteen Li Realm Cultivation Level, he could not react in time, and the divine light penetrated his head.
In an instant, the world around him seemed to be submerged in water light, and then as the water light faded, another layer of the world, both real and illusionary, revealed itself.
The dim cave became blurred, as if there was a barrier-like water glow enclosing him within three feet.
At the same time, illusory golden characters appeared before Li Hao’s eyes:
[You have entered the Meng River.]
[Your place of residence has been confirmed: Great Yu Dynasty, Qingzhou]
[Please leave your name for use within the Meng River.]
Li Hao paused, he had entered the Meng River?
He looked around. A flowing, film-like barrier enveloped him, and beyond the barrier’s dim light, he could vaguely see some broken mountains in a vast expanse, far from the narrow cave just now.
Was this the legendary place of mysterious perils?
Incredible!
Despite knowing some stories about the Meng River, experiencing it firsthand still left him astonished. This was beyond the scope of ordinary martial arts.
Still, it was unclear which level this Meng River belonged to?
Li Hao, who usually passed the time fishing, had heard from Second Master that there were five levels of the Meng River, and even Second Master and Elder Feng would not dare to enter a Meng River of the Youdu level lightly, as it contained great terrors.
At this moment, the previous divine light that had entered Li Hao’s forehead converged in his hand, forming a piece of gold paper.
The paper was blank.
As information flowed into his mind, Li Hao understood. He thought for a moment, bit his finger, and left his name for the Meng River on the gold paper:
Chong Er.
As he finished writing, the paper gleamed with golden light, engulfing and submerging the blood-written name, then transforming back into divine light that disappeared into Li Hao’s body.
Simultaneously, the water film-like barrier around him gradually faded, revealing the outside world of broken mountains and desolate lands.
In his mind, a message automatically appeared:
Realm: Fengshan Menghe River.
Meng River Completion Rate: 0%.
Li Hao looked up, seeing the red sky with the setting sun like blood, half-sunken into the earth on the other side.
In front of him lay a desolate mountain, within which a village and wisps of smoke from cooking fires could be seen.
Li Hao’s gaze shifted slightly as he released his divine soul to scout ahead.
A soul shadow that looked exactly like his real body flew out from the top of his head and, in the blink of an eye, soared thousands of miles into the sky above the village, overlooking the entire mountain below.
At the same time, the perspective of the divine soul rapidly ascended, looking towards farther lands to get a clearer view of the whole Meng River Battlefield.
But as his gaze spanned the horizon, Li Hao saw that at the end of the Mo River, darkness enveloped the area. When the vision of his divine soul penetrated that darkness, he felt an eerie chill, as if something in the darkness should not be disturbed!
Li Hao quickly retracted the perception of his divine soul, limiting its range to just the village and its surroundings.
Inside the village, old and young walked about, men farmed, and women weaved, appearing very harmonious.
… provided one could ignore their faces.
Everyone’s face was withered and dry, the elderly looked as if they were corpses, children’s eyes were like black holes, tongues hanging down to their chests, women weaving by the windows had nails sharp as knives, teeth fierce, bearing sinister smiles.
Truly a paradise beyond this world… Li Hao sighed.
Having seen the fierce appearance of various fish demons, he did not find these dead souls of the Mo River to be that terrifying.
“Do I need to resolve all of them to complete the task?” Li Hao pondered with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He had thought about retreating, but he needed to enter the corresponding temple in the Mo River first.
Through the patrol of his divine soul, he had already found the temple’s location, right in the middle of the village, on a stage-like spot.
This positioning is really cunning…
“That person, he seems to be the boss around here, right? In the Soul Succession Realm, can the dead still have their own soul shadows?”
Li Hao’s gaze settled on the hill behind the village, where a black-robed scholar was seated, with the soul shadow of a woman billowing with black smoke prostrated on his back, giving off a rather eerie vibe.
After surveying the situation, Li Hao didn’t linger and, once his divine soul returned to his body, he strode towards the village.
The villagers loitering at the entrance soon noticed Li Hao.
“Hello, hello…” Li Hao greeted with a smile and a raised hand.
The elder originally leading a child barked violently and rushed towards Li Hao with a ferocious expression.
The child, who had originally appeared “naively silly,” suddenly looked vicious, revealing sharp teeth as he charged at Li Hao.
“Such enthusiasm.” Li Hao couldn’t help but feel helpless.
He casually broke off a dead branch and flicked it lightly.
Snowflakes fluttered down, the old man and child who rushed towards him had not yet reached within two yards of Li Hao when they suddenly stiffened, their heads breaking off, the wounds strangely sharp and clean.
After that, Li Hao casually carried the dead branch and walked into the village along the ancient path.
The villagers transplanting rice seedlings in the fields became violent after noticing Li Hao, roaring as they pounced on him.
Some farmers wearing straw hats and carrying grain also rushed over with their shoulder poles.
“Do you also dream of conquering the great sea?” Li Hao asked as he walked, his footsteps uninterrupted, swinging the dead branch casually as if snow was falling. Each snowflake that landed on these villagers seemed to act like a seal, causing their bodies to freeze suddenly.
As Li Hao went deeper into the village, more and more villagers surged towards him, including women carrying pots and those long-tongued women who were weaving.
“They’re all in the Zhou Tian Realm, tsk, and there are even a few at the Perfect Zhou Tian,” Li Hao mused as he swung the dead branch, walking along the broad road, leaving behind a trail of severed corpses.
These dead seemed to be ghosts, supposedly without physical form, but in this Mo River, they possessed bodies, blood, and flesh, spraying black blood when severed.
“Could this be the same Mo River that we’ll be tested at in a year?” Li Hao mumbled to himself.
The difficulty of this Mo River didn’t seem high to him.
The only real danger he had seen so far was the black-robed scholar behind the village in the Soul Succession Realm.
Using the Soul Succession Realm to test the disciples of Alpha Academy was indeed appropriate.
As villagers fell one by one, Li Hao glanced at the gold paper in his palm, which displayed a message:
Meng River Completion: 89%.
It seemed that with each villager he slain, the completion would advance by about 1%.
“Given the nature of the Mo River, even if I resolve all of them, it seems impossible to reach 100% completion, to completely disintegrate it,” Li Hao murmured.
The difficulty in suppressing the Mo River lied here; only with a hundred percent resolution could it be made to disappear.
It was said that someone tried exterminating all the dead in the Mo River, destroying everything, but still failed.
The Mo River couldn’t be destroyed or worn away; unless it was resolved, it would regenerate, come back again, and extend to any part of the world.
Li Hao passed by the temple next to the stage, glanced at it but chose not to exit right away.
Since he was here, he decided to try and see to what extent he could achieve this, as it was his first encounter.
Chapter 55: Chapter 52 Merit List
Li Hao invoked his divine soul, and the resplendent soul silhouette flew out from the top of his head, roaming the sky.
Soon, Li Hao found two wandering children at the corner of the village’s edge.
Without moving his body, his divine soul swooped down. With a casual sweep, the sand and dust on the ground stirred, and pebbles shot out, piercing the two remaining fish that had slipped through the net.
Completion of Mo River: 90%.
His divine soul returning, Li Hao stepped forward, spanning fifteen miles, and in the next moment, his figure appeared directly on the hill behind the village, next to the black-robed scholar.
Feeling the sudden appearance of Li Hao, the black-robed scholar was slightly startled.
Li Hao had already noticed that this black-robed scholar was different from the villagers outside, his expression not numb but possessing independent thought.
The woman’s soul silhouette lying on the black-robed scholar’s back suddenly looked up, her gaze coldly fixed on Li Hao.
“A person of your realm should not appear here,” the black-robed scholar said softly.
Li Hao replied, “I didn’t want to either, but I accidentally wandered in.”
The black-robed scholar fell silent for a moment, then said, “Before we fight, could you let me finish my work?”
Li Hao saw that he was holding a palette in one hand and a brush in the other, the brush tainted with blood, while in front of him on the easel was a portrait of a woman.
The woman in the painting bore a striking resemblance to the one on his back.
“You also have an appreciation for the Art of Painting?” Li Hao was quite surprised, not expecting a deceased soul to still indulge in such a pastime.
The black-robed scholar did not reply but started to add strokes to the paper with his brush.
Seeing this, Li Hao leaned in with interest to observe.
The painting skill of the black-robed scholar was not bad, considered top-notch among those Li Hao had come across before.
“You seem different from the villagers outside,” Li Hao remarked.
The black-robed scholar frowned; he did not like to be disturbed while painting, but Li Hao’s strength left him no choice but to tolerate the interruption.
“They are merely my slaves,” the black-robed scholar said indifferently.
“So, you are the obsession that has bred this Menghe River,” Li Hao said, “If I settle things with you, this Menghe River should be considered destroyed, I presume.”
“You cannot kill me.”
The black-robed scholar spoke indifferently, “Even if you destroy this place, I will come back again.”
“Having already died, why do you refuse to move on?” Li Hao sighed.
The hand of the black-robed scholar that held the brush paused slightly, and the corner of his mouth curled up in a mocking cold smile. He seemed on the verge of saying something but suddenly stopped, as if recalling something he feared, the words never leaving his lips.
He laughed coldly a few times, ignoring Li Hao and concentrated on his painting.
Li Hao paced about next to him, examining the surroundings. Seeing that the black-robed scholar no longer paid him any attention, his gaze also moved to the artwork.
The brush was dipped not in ink but in blood, thus the painting appeared rather fierce and formidable.
However, Li Hao was looking at the inner painting skill.
“Your brushwork here is too soft,”
Noticing an area that lacked detail, he couldn’t help but point it out:
“There is too little blood here; you need more, let it saturate with one stroke, allowing it to diffuse naturally—that would be more lifelike.”
The hand of the black-robed scholar clutching the brush froze somewhat, and he turned to look at Li Hao with a deep gaze: “You understand painting?”
“A little bit,” Li Hao modestly replied.
The black-robed scholar sized up Li Hao, who, although only possessed the strength of the Soul Succession Realm, existed thanks to the special power of the Menghe River and had been trapped in this place called Tan Palace Academy for hundreds of years.
Over the hundreds of years, many martial artists had entered this place, some strong, some weak. The stronger ones were more formidable than this youth, capable of destroying the entire Menghe River Village with a mere gesture.
The weak ones were just like the villagers outside—many have lost their lives over the centuries, accumulating in the village. Some more outstanding managed to reach him, only to be directly killed without mercy.
He had seen all kinds of people, but someone like this youth was very rare.
Despite his young age, his mastery of the martial arts was terrifying, and he even understood some peripheral paths.
“The Art of Painting is profound and unfathomable. No matter how clever you are, it’s not something you can master with just a little effort,” the black-robed scholar said, then went back to his painting without paying Li Hao any more attention.
I’m just being modest, and you really take me for it? Li Hao squinted slightly, wondering if this boy really thought his painting skills were impressive.
To say you’re impressive in Martial Arts, I would have let it go, but in painting?
“Indeed, the Art of Painting is profound, but unfortunately, you are just an outsider,” Li Hao no longer held back and spoke frankly.
“What?”
The black-robed scholar raised an eyebrow and turned his cold gaze toward Li Hao.
“This painting of yours has at least sixteen flaws. It’s so rigid, it truly lacks spirit!” Li Hao said unequivocally, no longer sparing the feelings of this fellow practitioner.
“What are you blabbering about!” The black-robed scholar lost his composure, his pallid face turning a shade of angry red, as he glared at Li Hao.
“Here, here, here…”
Li Hao pointed to various parts of the paper, “All defects. You can’t see them because your skills are too low!”
“You!”
The black-robed scholar trembled, the woman behind him brimming with black mist, ready to clash with Li Hao in a ferocious battle.
Li Hao naturally wasn’t afraid; even an angry Soul Succession Realm was still just that—a Soul Succession Realm. Did you think you could turn into a golden-haired spirit?
“Give me the brush.”
Without saying a second word, Li Hao snatched the brush from his hand, then tore off the piece of drawing paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it aside.
Seeing his painstaking artwork treated so disdainfully, the black-robed scholar could no longer hold back his fury and let out a piercing shriek.
His originally serene and handsome face suddenly became twisted and fierce, as terrifying blood seeped from his seven apertures, bubbling forth.
His entire black robe also flew up, revealing the blood-stained garment beneath.
This was actually a robe that had been soaked in blood for who knows how many years, and only because the bloodstains had dried and settled did it appear black.
Li Hao didn’t even glance at him, his divine soul flew out, easily pressed down on the scholar’s and his soul’s head, pinning both firmly to the ground, rendering them immobile.
With such a wretched drawing, still having the face to get angry, Li Hao couldn’t understand.
The one who should truly be angry was himself!
His gaze became focused, for towards the Art of Painting, his heart was sincere.
With brush in hand, Li Hao’s movements were swift, the blood on the brush tip flinging about, the lines naturally forming, with layers overlapping in light and heavy strokes, giving a clear sense of depth.
Soon, as the blood at the tip of the brush was about to run out, Li Hao picked up the scholar, dabbed the brush onto his face to get more blood, and then resumed his painting.
In just a short while, a lifelike beauty, as if standing sideways within the painting, looking down demurely, emerged on the paper.
It was still the portrait of that woman from before, but this time, it was truly alive.
The best way to punish the stubborn is to beat them with their proudest technique.
Li Hao let go of the black-robed scholar and said indifferently, “Take a look for yourself, and if you still can’t see the difference, then you better not touch a brush again. Go cultivate some crops in the village instead.”
The black-robed scholar almost spat blood with anger. Have him cultivate crops?
Just as he was about to furiously rush forward, he stiffened all of a sudden, his peripheral vision caught the piece of drawing paper, and then he couldn’t look away.
Yue…
The black-robed scholar was as if struck by a sudden realization, standing there dumbfounded.
His eyes fixed on the woman in the painting, his body that was poised to pounce began to tremble slightly.
Suddenly, two lines of bloody tears streamed from his eyes.
Yue, is that you…?
Is it really you…?
The black-robed scholar approached the painting hurriedly and eagerly, stumbling as he went. He reached out, wanting to touch the woman on the paper, but as his fingers were about to make contact, he panicked and withdrew, fearing he would tarnish the woman’s face.
His shoulders began to shake lightly, and the blood tears flowed unstoppably.
The female soul on his back was also staring dumbly at the painting, her black and fierce eyes slowly revealing a hint of thought.
“How is it compared to yours?”
A mismatched voice from the side broke through the black-robed scholar’s immersion.
He paused, coming back to his senses and turned to look at Li Hao.
Seeing the young man’s slightly proud demeanor, this time he didn’t get angry, but suddenly, with a thud, he knelt down on both knees in front of Li Hao.
“Thank you…”
The black-robed scholar bowed his head, his eyes filled with gratitude, “Thank you for allowing me to see Yue again.”
So the woman in the painting is called Yue? Li Hao raised an eyebrow, but didn’t care much. Seeing the other party had conceded, he immediately helped him up, “This Art of Painting, it’s profound and unpredictable. Not only must you take it to heart, but you must also have spirit…”
As Li Hao was explaining, the black-robed scholar turned his head, gazing besottedly at the woman on the drawing paper.
The noise at his ear was automatically blocked out by him.
A long time passed, a long time.
Li Hao, parched from talking, became indignant when he saw the person in front of him daydreaming, “Are you listening to me?”
The black-robed scholar came back to himself, smiled at Li Hao, and his black robe began to change in color, gradually fading from black to blood-red, then to light red, and finally transformed into a white scholar’s robe.
Looking at that outfit, he seemed to have been a scholar in life.
“My wish has been fulfilled, thank you, benefactor…” The scholar, no longer in black, wore a smile of relief and release on his face.
Behind him, the female soul that had been on his back also dispelled the black mist to reveal a form similar to that of the woman in the painting. In the void, she bowed gracefully to Li Hao, her eyes showing gratitude.
Then, the figures of both began to fade gradually.
“Yue…” The scholar’s figure grew fainter, murmuring to himself with a smile on his lips.
Li Hao was stunned. What’s going on?
Just then, his palm grew warm, and the Gold Paper emerged.
Lettering on the Gold Paper seemed to chisel through the surface:
[Progress 100%, Fengshan Menghe River pass completed, reward, 100 merit points.]
[You have entered the Merit List.]
[Menghe River will soon vanish, please leave quickly.]
