Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Chapter 204: Chapter 18: The Fifth on the Qiankun List_3

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“These reptiles, after cultivating for just dozens of years, can reach the Heavenly Human Realm, and their breeding capacity is rapid, they are truly disgusting!”

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The purple-gold robed youth spoke coldly, a trace of cruelty crossing his face.

The few people beside him all wore faint smiles, not speaking.

“Let’s go, let’s have some fun in that city first. Have the army standby, ready to act on our signal. Once we break the city’s formation, we can take it down in one fell swoop and minimize casualties.”

The purple-gold robed youth said, walking towards the city.

“Young master, if you are going into the city, you need to change your clothes, and your divine eyes…”

The gray-robed elder hastily interjected.

The horns of the dragon above his head also retracted into his hair, while the gray scales around his neck also disappeared, making him look just like a normal elderly man.

“What a hassle.”

The purple-gold robed youth frowned, clearly displeased.

“The purple-gold garb is exclusively used by the royalty of the Human Race, drawing too much attention.”

The gray-robed elder respectfully advised.

“Hmph, damn reptiles!”

The purple-gold robed youth’s face was full of dissatisfaction, but the color of his clothes still changed slightly, turning into a simple yellow robe, and the purple in his eyes also disappeared, replaced with black.

“Let’s go.”

“Young master, here is your command token.”

The gray-robed elder handed over a token.

The token was stained with some blood.

…

…

Two figures flew swiftly, landing on the official road outside Dayue City, then paced towards the city.

Li Hao casually plucked a blade of grass from the roadside, twirling it idly in his hand. He occasionally hopped over the uneven snow and slush that marked the rutted road, to keep his boots clean.

Ren Qianqian hugged her sword, following steadily in his steps. The two occasionally stepped wide or leaped to avoid mud puddles, finally arriving at the city gate.

After paying the silver for the entrance fee, they entered the cobblestone streets of the city.

“There sure are a lot of martial artists.”

Li Hao scanned his surroundings, noting many martial artists along the way, mostly of the Divine Travel Realm with a few from the Soul Succession Realm, probably here for the excitement.

The shops and taverns in the city were bustling with crowds, extremely prosperous.

As they passed by, Li Hao listened to various conversations and exchanges. Some discussed the Grandmaster’s convention, some gossiped about certain Grandmasters, and in those conversations, Li Hao even heard his own name mentioned.

“Did you hear about the fifth ranked on the Qian Dragon List? The youngest Grandmaster in history!”

“I heard from my father that this record was broken by a prodigy of the Li Family over a decade ago, and now it has been refreshed by someone from the Li Family again.”

“The Li Family should be the first among the five Divine General Mansions, right?”

“Shh, keep your voice down. Let me tell you a secret, my friend told me that the least known of the five Divine General Mansions, the Wang Family, is actually the most fearsome…”

…

The topic gradually veered off course.

Li Hao was slightly surprised; he was aware of the Qian Dragon List, updated monthly by Tianji Tower.

The Hermit Tianji, who had issued a broad invitation for Grandmasters to seek the Dao, was one of the masterminds behind Tianji Tower.

Tianji Tower was said to know everything, as Li Hao had seen in Listening Rain Tower, where the vast majority of strange and interesting stories from the Jianghu were the work of Tianji Tower, even recounting the details of a Grandmaster taking revenge and annihilating a family as if they were present at the scene.

There were even accounts of a Grandmaster keeping a beautiful young lady, included in the Chronicle of Romantic Affairs.

However, Li Hao had heard from his Second Uncle that the reason Tianji Tower was so well-informed was not due to fabrications, but rather because it was backed by the Royal Family.

Tianji Tower had high prestige in Jianghu, and it was one of the methods the imperial court used to infiltrate Jianghu from the temples.

This showed how terrifying the power that the Dayu Dynasty actually held.

Was it because of that battle… Li Hao’s lips twitched slightly, not expecting to end up on the Qian Dragon List because of it.

As for the list itself, he didn’t care much.

Most people fought for a spot on the list for fame and fortune; with fame came wealth.

There were also a minority who simply yearned for fame, aiming to be remembered by the world, recognized wherever they went, and mourned after their deaths.

But Li Hao had little interest in either fame or fortune.

He just wanted to live longer, more leisurely, to be an ordinary guest, wandering through the world.

Perhaps the most precious thing in life is to live freely.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the Soul Succession in the Martial Temple first.”

Li Hao said to Ren Qianqian.

Ren Qianqian’s eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded in agreement.

Li Hao casually asked someone for directions, learning there were three Martial Temples in Dayue City; the largest was on City God Street in the city center.

Immediately, Li Hao took Ren Qianqian there.

Along the streets, they encountered many martial artists from various provinces, mostly in small groups led by an elder.

City God Street was extremely lively, with temples where many came to burn incense and pray.

This temple was also under Mount Wuliang’s jurisdiction, belonging to one of Mount Wuliang’s subordinate forces.

Li Hao glanced at it without any intention of praying, leading Ren Qianqian straight to the central Martial Temple of the street.

At the Martial Temple, there were also sacrificial altars, but surprisingly fewer people burning incense than at the temple.

Li Hao watched with a frown, then he and Ren Qianqian each bought some incense with a few silvers, lit them, and paid their respects to the heroic spirits in the temple.

Once done, Li Hao brought Ren Qianqian to the front of the Martial Temple and found the temple’s keeper.

The keeper, an old man, upon seeing Ren Qianqian’s identity, learning her father’s status, and verifying her initial entry into the Soul Succession Realm, accepted their silver, recorded her name in the register, and granted Ren Qianqian entrance into the Martial Temple.

The heroic spirits inside the Martial Temple were in a semi-somnolent state; whether one could move them or not depended on personal skill.

With nothing better to do, Li Hao strolled around the temple, noticing two temple keepers playing chess behind the temple. He squatted down to watch.

A pair of stinking chess baskets.

After watching for a moment, Li Hao could not bear to look any longer, shook his head, and left disinterestedly.

The two young keepers just glanced at each other and smiled, treating Li Hao as a youth who didn’t understand the intricacies of chess, lacking the patience to play.