"After all, he’s just a young man."
"People chase fame and fortune, but not as elegantly as us two."
Two young temple acolytes chuckled as they conversed.
Having walked away, Li Hao overheard their words and turned back, grabbed a few chess pieces from the Chess Box, tossed them onto five spots on the board, hummed lightly, and strode away.
"Brazen youth, you..."
The acolyte playing with the white pieces was furious and just about to scold when the young man had already walked far away. Angrily retracting his gaze and about to clean up the disrupted chess pieces, he saw his friend across the table staring blankly at the board.
He felt a surprise in his heart, looked down, and instantly realized that his previous trouble had been reversed—the placement of the five pieces opened up a new territory for him.
Most crucially, with one piece less, it would all appear as scattered placements, undetectable.
"This..."
...
After strolling around the vicinity, Li Hao got a bit bored. Seeing that Ren Qianqian’s Soul Continuation ritual hadn’t ended, he promptly found an elderly temple acolyte and asked him to tell the young lady who had just entered to wait here for him after she came out and not to wander off.
After passing over two silver coins, the temple elder accepted with a pleased smile and agreed to pass the message.
Li Hao immediately left the Martial Temple, swinging his sleeves as if riding the breeze, and headed to the busiest winehouse in the city to inquire about the Grandmaster Bai Chunhai.
The winehouse was bustling with guests filling the hall. At the staircase in the middle of the floor, a candle hung flickering, with a beautifully crafted dagger inlaid with amber jewels dangling half a meter below it on a string.
Below, many people were egging on.
Li Hao glanced at it twice. It turned out the winehouse was running a promotion amidst the hustling crowd—if someone could take down the dagger without making the candle sway, it would be theirs to keep.
Just from the gems on the dagger, it was clear that it was worth a fortune, no wonder it attracted so many people.
Li Hao had little interest in the dagger and headed up another staircase to find a spot by the railing to sit down.
He surveyed his surroundings, filtering out the various noises heard around him, continuously sorting through the whispers and low-talking he heard.
His hearing was sharp, and many conversations from outside the winehouse, in nearby teahouses, and from passersby on the street were all caught in his ears.
This included some people’s secretive conversations, such as a few women at the next table quietly whispering downstairs, "The young man leaning on the railing looks so handsome..."
Li Hao’s mood brightened.
Suddenly, Li Hao heard the words "Bai Chunhai" from a table in front of the window and was taken aback. He saw three figures, two women and a man, conversing in low voices:
"The master has a challenge arranged with Grandmaster Bai Chunhai after the Grandmaster Conference ends, to spar at Heavenly Sword Peak."
"Bai Chunhai’s palm technique, I’ve heard, is so refined that it can shatter a snow-covered tree without causing the snow to tremble—I wonder if it’s true."
"Maybe it’s his disciple boasting..."
Li Hao’s eyes gleamed, and he immediately stood and approached their table:
"Excuse me for interrupting, but do you happen to know Grandmaster Bai Chunhai?"
Their conversation stopped abruptly, their expressions changing slightly as they seemed not to expect their private discussion to be overheard.
"Are you his disciple?"
They looked up at Li Hao with unfriendly faces, but after seeing Li Hao’s young age, they sighed with relief.
Talking about someone’s master behind their back—if it came to a fight, this youngster probably wouldn’t stand a chance against them.
"No, I just wish to meet him," Li Hao shook his head.
They looked at each other bewildered and relaxed a bit.
"You’re here to become his disciple, right?"
The girl in the plain white dress, who seemed gentle and spoke softly, spoke up.
Li Hao looked at her in surprise, then realized that besides attracting Grandmasters from all over the world, the Grandmaster Conference also drew many young Martial Artists who aspired to become disciples.
Like some young masters and ladies from newly risen or declining noble families, they traveled from afar to seek a master.
After all, with so many Grandmasters present, one might get lucky and meet one or two of them.
Li Hao smiled but didn’t explain, saying, "Then do you know where he might be?"
"What’s it to you, why should we tell you?"
Another girl in an orange dress, even more delicate in appearance but somewhat fierce in demeanor, glared at Li Hao, clearly displeased with his eavesdropping.
The young man in the middle did not intervene, merely saying,
"If you wish to become a disciple, wait outside after the Grandmaster Conference ends, and naturally, you will get to see him."
The girl in the plain white dress, seeing their unease towards Li Hao, just gave Li Hao a look and said nothing more.
Li Hao wasn’t upset, instead, he pulled out the remaining half bag of silver, saying, "I’d appreciate some help, if you could be my guide."
"That little money? Who would want it?"
The girl in the orange dress glanced at it, snorted, and as she turned her head, she saw the dagger hanging beside the spiral staircase, pointed at it casually:
"If you’re really sincere, bring down that dagger for me, then I’ll tell you."
Hearing this, the young man realized his sister was deliberately creating a difficult challenge for the youth.
He, himself, had already tried and been unable to achieve it.
"Ling’er."
The girl in the white dress softly called to the younger girl, apologizing to Li Hao, "Sorry, we can’t disclose Grandmaster Bai Chunhai’s whereabouts—that would be... if we were to be blamed...""A dagger, you say? Sure thing."Li Hao smiled and quickly pocketed the half bag of silver, keen to save money.Though the dagger was more expensive than the sum he had, in his eyes, be it money or treasures, all were but conveniences for oneself, as long as they were useful.With his current strength, making money was easy; slaying a few demons could earn him a handsome fortune. At any time, he could live the life of a wealthy man, free and joyous.Seeing Li Hao turn to walk down the stairs.The three were stunned, exchanging looks of bewilderment. Zhou Ling’er snapped back to reality and couldn’t help but say, "Is he an idiot, really thinks he can get it?""He probably didn’t read the rules clearly, thinking that jumping three meters high is enough," the young man shook his head, a sneer tinged his voice.While speaking, the three still stood up and moved to the railing, looking down curiously.Li Hao reached the ground floor where many were eagerly waiting to try.To challenge, one had to order a ’Treasures of Gold and Jade’ feast first as a ticket to the attempt.This familiar setup brought back memories for Li Hao.He spent ten silvers to purchase one, not waiting for the dishes to arrive, and stepped into the challenge area.The surrounding gazes instantly converged on him, and upon seeing Li Hao’s age, the jeering grew louder, thinking him to be a young master from some family unable to contain his urge to show off.The money in these young masters’ pockets was also the easiest to earn.A middle-aged man, who seemed to be the restaurant manager, enthusiastically explained the rules to Li Hao, continuing to contribute to the lively atmosphere.Li Hao did not wait for the crowd to start hollering; he had already lightly leaped up and, under the gaze of everyone in the floor, glided up like a gentle breeze, then gently plucked the dagger tied above the candle.The rules forbade anyone in the Fifteen Li Realm from participating, and one could not use Object Control to directly take the dagger; it was a test of pure Martial Arts foundation.Thus, even if one’s cultivation reached the Divine Travel Realm but had average martial skills, it would still be difficult not to disturb the flame.However, at this moment, as Li Hao landed, the candle flame was still burning quietly, with a straight tip.Li Hao gave a slight smile to the bewildered restaurant manager and turned upstairs with the dagger in hand.After a brief silence in the restaurant, an uproar suddenly erupted. The crowd all let out shocked exclamations, countless eyes following the youth’s figure as he ascended.Li Hao went upstairs and handed the dagger to the still-dumbfounded Zhou Ling’er at the railing, smiling, "Lead the way, if you please."Zhou Ling’er and the others snapped out of it, having clearly seen that the flame had not flickered in the least, and Li Hao’s approach seemed to stir not even a breath of air."How, how did you do that?" Zhou Ling’er couldn’t help but ask, stunned, holding the dagger.The young man beside her gaped, looking Li Hao up and down. He himself was a talent on the Qiankun List, yet what he couldn’t achieve, this youth had done.Could it be that the other party was also on the Qiankun List?Li Hao, feeling the increasing attention around him, repeated, "Lead the way, please."The three regained their composure, the young man taking a deep look at Li Hao before saying, "Please follow us. Grandmaster Bai Chunhai should be with our master, but I can’t guarantee you’ll meet him.""Alright."Li Hao agreed.The young man led the way, escorting the group out of the restaurant.The restaurant manager watched them leave and ultimately resisted the urge to run up and pull them back. Recently in Dayue City, it was best to avoid provoking the young lords; it was too easy to hit a snag.Zhou Ling’er kept eyeing Li Hao with interest as they walked. Though hot-tempered, she respected and admired those with great strength and bombarded him with questions."How exactly did you do it?""What’s your name?""Where are you from?"Li Hao did not respond, only feeling like a bee was buzzing in his ear.The young lady in her white dress was also stealthily appraising Li Hao, curiosity in her eyes. Among her peers, she rarely saw someone so formidable.Before long.Under the young man’s lead, they arrived at the Grandmasters’ Debate Platform in the city center, where a sea of people gathered, the perimeter already crowded.The surrounding inns were also at full capacity.In a restaurant where a stage had been set up, the young man found their master, a short and stocky middle-aged looking Grandmaster named Zhou Haitang.The young man introduced Li Hao and quietly recounted the events at the restaurant.Zhou Haitang, who was absorbed in a play, couldn’t help raising his head to look at Li Hao, then let out a light chuckle, "May I inquire, young master, from whence you hail, and how do you wish to be addressed?""Ji Hao."Li Hao simply said.Zhou Haitang pondered for a moment, not recalling the name from the Qiankun List; perhaps it belonged to someone newly introduced to the world, considering Li Hao’s young appearance."Only a surname away from that unmatched talent on the Qian Dragon List."Zhou Haitang chuckled and asked, "Are you seeking to become Grandmaster Bai Chunhai’s apprentice? I also have some understanding of fist and foot fighting; might you be interested?"Zhou Ling’er and her companions watched in surprise. They didn’t expect their master to consider taking the youth under his wing upon recognizing talent.However, with Li Hao’s demonstrated skills, his mastery of Martial Arts was profound; if he truly became a disciple, perhaps he would surpass them even more quickly.Considering this, the three felt both nervous and expectant."I’m not here to apprentice."Li Hao shook his head slightly, "I want to buy a painting from him."