In the blazing heat of summer, Li Hao sat in the bamboo fence courtyard within Cang Cliff City, enjoying chilled fruit and occasionally guiding Ren Qianqian in her swordsmanship.
A year had passed since spring, and now he was already fifteen years old.
Ren Qianqian, too, had just turned fourteen.
At her young age, Ren Qianqian had already cultivated a top-notch swordsmanship technique to the pinnacle level.
Among her peers, excluding the royal family, there were hardly any who could match her skills.
Having consumed the culinary delights prepared from powerful demons and the Ghost Lady Demon Queen, which were rich in energy, her realm had advanced by leaps and bounds. Within just half a year, she had broken through to the Divine Travel Realm and now stood at the seventh level of that stage.
This level of strength completely surpassed that of the city lord Li Hao had encountered when he slew the demon in Qi Zhou's Cang Yu City.
At just fourteen years old, Ren Qianqian already possessed the strength to hold her ground in a continental city by herself.
After all, many cities within the borders enjoyed peaceful lives, and the surrounding wild demons were generally not strong. The Divine Travel Realm was enough to deter them, and coupled with the city's defensive formation, even a Heaven-Man Realm demon could be held off momentarily, allowing for reinforcements to arrive.
Aside from practicing swordsmanship, Li Hao also shared his insights on opening both the Yin and Yang Divine Vessels with Ren Qianqian.
Learning that Li Hao had managed to open both of the supreme vessels, Ren Qianqian was astonished yet felt that it was within expectations. After all, Li Hao's strength far surpassed those at the same realm as him...
Following Li Hao's guidance, Ren Qianqian was fortunate enough to open one of the Divine Vessels, the Yin Vessel.
As for the Yang Vessel, aside from those born with the aptitude for it, attempting to open it post-innately was extremely perilous, as one wrong step could result in a burst brain.
Countless geniuses had perished throughout history due to forcibly opening the Yang Vessel, including some exceptional freaks believed to be capable of succeeding that True Man's position.
Despite her repeated attempts, Ren Qianqian lacked the confidence, and Li Hao did not encourage her to take the risk. This endeavor had little to do with bravery, and one's luck also played a significant role.
Otherwise, among the countless brave warriors in the world, only a handful had successfully opened the Yang Vessel.
The difference between a brave warrior and a reckless fool often lay in the outcome of their actions.
Knowing when to stop was also a form of wisdom.
However, with the opening of the Yin Vessel, Ren Qianqian now had the capital to contend with the royalty.
Most of the proud sons and daughters of the royal family had opened one Divine Vessel.
Those who had opened two were considered exceptional figures of their generation and could be counted on one's hands.
Aside from swordsmanship practice, Li Hao occasionally took Ren Qianqian with him on walks outside the pass.
They ventured into areas that extended further horizontally to the east and west, as the vertical depth of five thousand li was already sufficient. However, only about a thousand li had been explored horizontally.
Li Hao's excursions caused the Celestial Platform to fall into another frenzy, with demons scurrying about in panic everywhere.
Li Hao captured some fifteen li realm demons and used them as sparring partners for Ren Qianqian, providing her with extremely intense training. With Li Hao's presence to intercept any fatal attacks, the sessions were both thrilling and safe.
Under this form of combat training, Ren Qianqian's battle prowess skyrocketed.
Her encounters with demons outside the pass were also detected by the Heaven's Secret Tower, and her name was added to the Heaven and Earth Roll of Honor.
Currently, on the two lists of the Heaven and Earth Roll of Honor, Li Hao ranked first.
As for Ren Qianqian, she entered the Kun Phoenix Roll of Honor at fifth place.
On the Qian Long Roll of Honor, she ranked twenty-ninth.
This sudden surge in fame attracted the attention of numerous factions.
The most crucial factor was Ren Qianqian's young age.
At only fourteen years old, with such rankings and achievements, she had a high probability of entering the top ten of the Qian Long Roll of Honor and stepping into the Heaven-Man Grand Master Realm before the age of twenty-two.
With her newfound fame, people also dug up basic information about Ren Qianqian, learning that she was the daughter of a Grand Master, a disciple of the Tan Palace, but had dropped out and was now following Li Hao as his sword attendant.
When Li Hao's name appeared in this information, all the factions paying attention had their eyes widen in surprise, and their focus immediately shifted.
Ever since Li Hao suppressed Fo Zi with a single finger and defeated all the Grand Masters in front of the Heavenly Masters, his fame among the younger generation in the Great Yu Dynasty had reached unprecedented heights, with his name known to all.
Any news related to Li Hao would swiftly attract the attention of the masses.
Over the past six months, teenagers from various states had traveled to Tian Men Pass, eager to catch a glimpse of this young elite's true appearance.
Some even wished to engage in discussions and exchanges with Li Hao, as even being defeated by him would bring them fame throughout the land.
This led to an increase in the bustle and prosperity of Cang Cliff City.
In turbulent times, people seek survival, but in prosperous eras, they seek fame.
Currently, the Great Yu Dynasty was transitioning from prosperity to decline, but this subtle shift was not something everyone could perceive acutely.
Amidst the mountains and cities, there were still many spirited youths, galloping across the land in fine clothing and on swift horses, chasing after glory and honor.
They disturbed the peace of the nobles and high officials, who couldn't see through the changing times, let alone the young boys and girls who were still wet behind the ears.
When the elders of these youths learned about the reconstruction of the formation in Cang Cliff City and heard about the four Establishment Realm experts secretly guarding the city, the consecutive slayings of demon kings, and the cooking and feasting that involved the entire city, they no longer stopped their children from traveling to this dangerous borderland.
However, upon arriving at Cang Cliff City, these youths were blocked outside the bamboo fence courtyard.
Within the courtyard, there was a youth playing the zither and painting, while outside, the Hao Tian Army stood guard with dedication and loyalty, and Grand Masters patrolled the four directions around the courtyard.
Among the younger generation, very few could defeat Ren Qianqian. Combined, the Kun Peng and Qian Long Honor Rolls had only about two dozen names, and those were all scions of famous clans who wouldn't come to this pass beyond the borders to seek fame by challenging Li Hao.
The rest were mostly young people over the age of 22, or even in their thirties, and they could still pressure Ren Qianqian to a certain extent.
However, even if they defeated Ren Qianqian, they wouldn't get the chance to meet Li Hao.
The young man who possessed a renowned reputation throughout the world was right there in the small courtyard, yet countless people could only yearn for a glimpse, their hopes forever out of reach.
Glory and honor were just a wall away.
The path of pursuit was always arduous, and this was why Li Hao chose to rest for extended periods.
Painting, playing chess, and playing the zither were all activities he could do while seated.
If he could sit, he absolutely would not stand.
Over the past six months, Li Hao had immersed himself in the Way of Music, and he had now reached the fourth level.
The heartstate he gained from this was then applied to his bodily movement technique.
As his heartstate broke through the bottleneck of the third level of bodily movement, he consecutively added points three times, bringing his bodily movement technique directly to the sixth level.
Previously, when he added points to his physical body technique and reached the seventh level, he had five art points remaining. Now that his music technique had reached the fourth level, he gained one more point, but using it cost three, so he still had three points left.
Li Hao kept these three points for when his heartstate reached the spiritual level, so he could use them on the Way of Control or the Way of the Sword at any time.
After reaching the sixth level of bodily movement, Li Hao's previously mastered bodily movement technique underwent a qualitative transformation. He independently deduced the technique to the level of an ultimate bodily movement technique and cultivated it to the true state!
Now, if he encountered the demon kings he had faced before, Li Hao was confident he could chase and kill them one by one!
Unless they used Reverse Life to rely on fate to interfere with him.
But they would no longer have that opportunity.
On this day, the Dragon Skyward Sword, which had previously been sent to the Myriad Treasures Tower for forging, was personally delivered by the three non-hereditary grandmasters from the tower.
The one who came was a middle-aged man with a stout and sturdy build, and he personally handed the Dragon Skyward Sword to Li Hao.
He came in person to deliver the divine sword, not only because he was afraid that this divine weapon might be lost, but also because he wanted to see with his own eyes the young man who had shaken the world with his fame.
Li Hao, at the age of fourteen, had slain a minor demon king at the Three Non-hereditary Grandmaster Realm, causing these strong men, famous for many years, to feel uneasy.
"Young General, this Dragon Skyward Sword has been forged three times and tempered with stellar fire. You can try it out and feel its handling."
The middle-aged man, named Lu Cheng, spoke to Li Hao in a very polite and natural manner.
Li Hao nodded; he had known about this beforehand.
Originally, they had planned to forge it twice, using the materials from the black bird demon king's physical body and its demon soul.
But later, after killing the Ghost Lady Demon Queen, they were able to melt and cast it once more.
If a divine weapon could be recast nine times, there would be a chance for it to transform into a Saint Heart Heavenly Treasure!
That was a weapon coveted by Four Establishments Realm cultivators. Only a very small number of Four Establishments Realm cultivators possessed such treasures, and each Saint Heart Heavenly Treasure was an extremely formidable weapon, with offensive power that could easily deter those of the same realm.
The prerequisite for a weapon to be considered a divine weapon was that it must be forged using at least a demon king-level demon soul.
Originally, the Dragon Skyward Sword was able to become a top-notch divine weapon mainly because the true dragon soul sealed within was too strong, far surpassing the black bird demon king and the Ghost Lady Demon Queen that were currently sealed within.
Now, after being recast three times, its power would greatly increase. Just by manipulating the sword soul within the Dragon Skyward Sword, one could injure a demon king at the Dao Heart Realm.
"If I slay six more demon kings, it can be recast nine times and challenge the realm of a Saint Heart Heavenly Treasure."
Li Hao's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
A Saint Heart Heavenly Treasure required the true souls of at least nine Four Establishments Realm cultivators, including both demon kings and humans.
As Li Hao took the Dragon Skyward Sword, he immediately felt a difference, not just in its appearance but also in the weight and balance of the sword in his hand.
Originally, it contained a hidden fiery power of a true dragon, but now it felt more mellow, like a blend of yin and yang.
In addition, the sword edge seemed sharper than before, with a deeper hue.
Li Hao did not test it within the city, as doing so would definitely attract attention if he summoned the sword soul sealed within.
"Thank you."
Li Hao expressed his gratitude.
"You're welcome, Young General. Those extra demon king corpses you gave us can be considered as payment for the forging fees. In fact, we still made quite a profit," Lu Cheng laughed, appearing very generous.
Li Hao smiled and said, "In the future, if I find more demon kings, I'll have to trouble you again."
Lu Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then he laughed. Hearing Li Hao mention the words "demon king" so casually, as if seeing a demon king meant he could definitely slay it, this attitude was indeed different from that of ordinary young men.
But he also knew that Li Hao had the protection of Four Establishments Realm experts, and perhaps not long from now, he really would receive more demon king materials.
After all, this area beyond the pass was a dangerous place, and encountering demon kings was not uncommon.
The two men chatted for a while before Li Hao bade farewell to the stout man.
Later that evening, after finishing his meal, Li Hao went beyond the pass to test out the sword.
In addition to the original true dragon sword soul, the black bird demon king's and the Ghost Lady Demon Queen's demon souls had also been melted and cast into the sword. With the combined might of the three demon kings' true souls, the heavens and earth seemed to howl with a chilling wind, and the sound of ghosts crying and dragons roaring was extremely terrifying.
"The guide from the Heaven's Secret Tower has left the pass!"
"According to our intelligence, he's here to escort that Hao Tian General, the one who placed first in the Grand Master Convention and earned the reward of accessing the Heaven's Secret Tower's collection of cultivation techniques," another bird demon added.
"He's finally leaving Liangzhou, is he?" asked a third bird demon.
"Have you spotted him?"
"No, but he's most likely concealed his presence."
"Could this be a decoy?"
The bird demons in the Celestial Platform discussed the situation among themselves.
Standing beside the red-skirted girl was a purple-skirted girl, seemingly a few years older, around fifteen or sixteen years old. She had a delicate appearance, with a strand of purple feather adorning her black hair and a look of nobility.
"He doesn't need to deceive us intentionally unless he's trying to lure us into attacking Tianmen Pass. But both the Dragon Gate and the Holy Palace have already agreed to first conquer Liangzhou and deal with this thorn later," the red-skirted girl said swiftly.
"He couldn't possibly know about our plans. Therefore, his actions have only one implication: he's worried that we might attack Tianmen Pass in his absence, so he's concealed his movements," the purple-skirted girl added.
The red-skirted girl nodded slightly, "Indeed, but his concerns are unnecessary. Attacking Tianmen Pass without killing him is pointless. Now that this young man is heading to the Heaven's Secret Tower to study cultivation techniques, we have some time. This is the best opportunity to strike Liangzhou."
"Notify the Dragon Gate immediately and ask about the status of their Grand Elder," the purple-skirted girl instructed.
"Yes, Elder," the bird demons replied in unison.