Volume 3 - Chapter 400: The Celestial Grace of the Purple Osmanthus (Part 2)
The moment the doors opened, the first thing she saw was that detestable figure.
It had been nearly six years, yet he still persisted, day and night, showing no sign of giving up.
For someone with a centennial soul lifespan to squander six years was no different from an ordinary cultivator wasting sixty.
Su Muqing's gaze was frigid as she stepped into the courtyard.
“Wanxue-jie.”
Su Muqing nodded slightly in greeting.
Seeing her stunningly beautiful and cold younger sister, Su Wanxue couldn’t help but feel a twinge of awe. No wonder so many proud sons of heaven had fallen for her.
“The Sword Pool Festival is starting soon—only half a month away,” Su Wanxue said confidently. “We came early to let you know. This time, all eyes will be on you. Make sure you’re prepared. I heard that aside from the Divine Spring Golden Osmanthus, the once-in-ten-thousand-years Immortal Aura Purple Osmanthus will also bloom. It may come with exceptional requirements. When the time comes, let’s try to harvest them all!”
“The Immortal Aura Purple Osmanthus is blooming?” Su Muqing’s eyes lit up. “Excellent. I’ll make sure to claim it.”
Su Wanxue laughed. She had full faith in her sister’s capabilities. If even she failed to pick it, then no one in the entire Gusu Imperial Star could.
The three women stood together, chatting away, gossiping about the younger generation of various clans and exchanging secrets only sisters would share.
Only when the conversation turned to more sensitive matters did they remember there was an outsider nearby.
Noticing Li Hao’s gaze, Su Muqing’s expression darkened. Since stepping out of the hall, his eyes hadn’t left her.
“You really think these little tricks of yours will move me?”
Her voice was cold and emotionless. “You’ve been in my Su Clan for nearly six years. If you had focused seriously on cultivation during that time, with the celestial energy in this courtyard—which rivals that of a foreign sacred land—you should have long reached the second layer of the Celestial Lord Realm!”
“Based on the pace of your cultivation before reaching your centennial soul lifespan, combined with the underground celestial vein of my Su Clan, with effort you might’ve even reached the third layer!”
“But now? You’re still stuck at the first layer, wasting your talent, placing all your hopes on that betrothal letter, dreaming of using me to attain wealth and power. Don’t you think that’s laughable?”
Li Hao said nothing, simply gazing at her in silence.
He filtered out her words entirely. All he did was quietly look at that face.
Beside them, Su Wanxue remained composed. In truth, Su Muqing had voiced what she herself had always thought. But seeing Li Hao’s face devoid of shame or remorse made her frown.
Su Wanqing, who had spent five years getting to know him, couldn’t help but speak up. She had always found Li Hao a bit of a free spirit, yes, but never greedy or shameless. Hearing this, she said softly:
“Jie, wasn’t that a little harsh?”
As soon as she finished, Su Wanxue tugged her sleeve in subtle disapproval.
Su Muqing frowned, and seeing that Li Hao’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, she sneered.
“Maybe it was harsh. But some people are shameless. How could words possibly hurt them?”
Su Wanqing opened her mouth again but ultimately held her tongue when she saw Li Hao remain stone-faced.
“He clearly hasn’t seen battle,” Su Muqing said with a cold smile. “What use is talent alone? Once he steps onto a real battlefield, he’ll crumble like a paper tiger.”
“Only those who have faced steel and blood understand—of all things in this world, only your own strength can be relied upon. Everything else is an illusion.”
Li Hao’s eyes flickered faintly. He hadn’t expected such clarity of perspective from her.
“Jie, I won’t see you off,” Su Muqing said, turning away to Su Wanxue.
Su Wanxue nodded and tugged at Su Wanqing, motioning to leave. But Su Wanqing pulled free and chose to stay behind.
Helpless, Su Wanxue walked off first.
Su Muqing said nothing more and turned to return to the hall.
As the door closed behind her, Li Hao withdrew his gaze and looked down again, quietly resuming his chess match.
Su Wanqing stood there with a conflicted look on her face. “Muqing-jie said all that… you really don’t stand a chance.”
Li Hao didn’t lift his eyelids. He simply placed another piece and replied, “What she said doesn’t matter.”
“Then what does?”
“What matters is that I know what I’m doing.”
Su Wanqing smiled wryly. She reached into her spatial storage and took out a glass-like vial, handing it to him.
“These are three Mixed-Origin Immortal Pills. They can help you raise your cultivation. Take them as payment for my lessons.”
Li Hao glanced at the vial and didn’t refuse. Even if he didn’t use them himself, he could always give them to someone else in the future.
With a sigh, Su Wanqing turned and left the Celestial Courtyard.
Peace returned once more.
Li Hao calmed his thoughts and resumed contemplating the Chess Dao.
Once his belly finished digesting the fiendish flesh, he would resume grilling more, eat his fill, and return to his meditations.
Time flowed on, and half a month passed in a blink.
To a genius like Su Muqing, half a month was no different from a single closed-door session of cultivation—no different than a night’s sleep to an ordinary person.
When Su Wanxue and Su Wanqing returned once more, Su Muqing exited the hall. The three women set off together.
Seeing that Su Muqing was leaving, Li Hao immediately put away his chessboard and followed.
Seeing him trailing after them again, Su Muqing felt irritated but had grown used to it. She merely gave a cold snort.
Su Wanxue noticed her sister didn’t object, so she too held her tongue.
Su Wanqing deliberately slowed her pace, causing Su Muqing and Su Wanxue to also reduce their speed, making it easier for Li Hao to catch up. Soon, the four of them were walking nearly side by side.
“We’re heading to the Sword Pool,” Su Muqing said coldly as she noticed Li Hao catching up. “Once you’re there, don’t embarrass yourself.”
“Oh.”
Li Hao answered softly and continued to follow.
Seeing how little regard he gave her warning, Su Muqing fumed. In the past, every man who had courted her had fawned endlessly over her, praising her without pause the moment they had a chance to speak.
But this boy had always followed her silently, with an attitude that was neither hot nor cold.
Still, she remembered that among the many who had pursued her, some had gone so far as to anger or even insult her, all in hopes of gaining her attention.
She found such tactics the most repulsive of all.
With a silent scoff, she chose to ignore Li Hao completely.
“Haotian,” Su Wanqing said warmly, “we’re going to the Sword Pool—it’s one of the liveliest gatherings in Gusu Imperial Star. Though it’s called a gathering, it’s really a contest, a chance for young talents from all the noble clans to compete.”
“If you can show your skills there, you’ll definitely draw attention. You could make a name for yourself.”
Li Hao gave a small nod but said nothing.
Su Muqing, hearing this, suddenly recalled his performance at the painting exhibition. Her expression darkened.
With his talent, even though he was still at the first layer of the Celestial Lord Realm, when combined with a centennial soul lifespan, he was undoubtedly a top-tier genius.
He might very well make a name for himself at the Sword Pool.
Her face turned slightly grim at the thought.
Before long, the four arrived outside Gusu City, standing before a towering mountain peak.
It was a majestic sight, sharp and steep like an unsheathed sword piercing through the heavens.
The peak soared ninety thousand zhang high, standing tall amidst the three thousand ridges of the Dragon Spine Range—an unmistakable landmark.
“This is Sword God Peak,” Su Wanqing whispered to Li Hao.
Hearing the name, Li Hao’s heart stirred.
He thought of the Sword God Technique he had studied in the Nine Abysses of Dream. But then, the title of Sword God was one every sword cultivator aspired to—there was nothing unusual about it.
Outside Sword God Peak, a warded formation and guards stood watch. But Su Muqing and her group didn’t even need to present an invitation—they were recognized immediately and allowed in.
In Gusu City, if one didn’t recognize the Four Phoenixes of the Su Clan, then clearly the event’s scale wasn’t worth attending.
“He’s with us.”
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