"A talent comparable to a Saint's!"
The old Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain was no longer holding back, his face filled with not only joy but also excitement. "Young Master's bones far surpass a ninth-grade battle physique. I, this old Taoist, haven't seen such a case in thousands of years!"
After the submission of Qingqiu Mountain to the Great Yu Dynasty, they lived in seclusion and avoided worldly affairs. This old Taoist was an ancient fox with extensive knowledge and experience.
"Oh?"
Li Tianzong's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "A talent comparable to a Saint's transformation?"
Chen Hefang and the others were also shocked, staring at the old Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain in surprise.
The old Taoist explained, "Usually, a ninth-grade battle physique will have at least one main bone made of gold, iron, or divine jade, containing a seven-colored subtle light. The patterns on the surface of the bones flow, making it a supreme product!"
"But Young Master's entire body, every single bone, possesses this quality!" The old Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain was thrilled. "Seventy-two main bones, all radiating divine light and flowing patterns, resembling innate Dao patterns!"
"Once Young Master embarks on the path of cultivation, he will soar to the heavens. His talent is comparable to a Saint's reincarnation, and his cultivation journey will be unparalleled. Breaking through boundaries will be as easy as eating and drinking for him; no one will be able to catch up!"
Hearing the old Taoist's words, Chen Hefang and the others snapped out of their daze, looking at Li Hao with a mix of astonishment and delight.
This was a legendary talent evaluation!
Typically, a ninth-grade battle physique was already the limit, but Li Hao's entire body was made of divine bones, his posture as exquisite as jade, comparable to a Saint's!
Saints were always figures of legend, said to live in seclusion away from the mortal world. The most saint-like person in the Divine Yu Dynasty was the real immortal of Qiandao Palace.
"Excellent! My son, you've done well!"
Li Tianzong laughed heartily, his face brimming with excitement.
"Congratulations, Duke! Congratulations, Madam!"
The old Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain bowed to offer his congratulations, his eyes scanning the children beside him. In his heart, he was secretly amazed. This talent far surpassed that of the Great Yu Emperor of the past.
The Li family was blessed with so many talented individuals. It seemed that this branch of the family would once again bring great glory to the Li name.
"Indeed, he's the tenth son!"
"Tenth brother, you've really outdone us this time!"
"Ninth brother, you've been outshined by the tenth!"
The other "brothers" excitedly gathered around Li Hao, wrapping their arms around his shoulders, neck, and playfully ruffling his hair. They were all filled with joy and excitement.
Among them was the ninth brother, Li Junye, who was two years older than Li Hao and had already displayed remarkable comprehension and talent on the martial arts field at the young age of seven.
However, they were still children at heart, and Li Junye looked at Li Hao with pure happiness, saying, "Tenth brother, in one more year, you'll be able to start cultivating too!"
"Do you think we'll be outdone by the tenth?"
"Looks like we'll have to step up our game as well."
The other "brothers" laughed and agreed.
Li Hao looked at these "uncles" surrounding him, feeling a bit odd. Although he now knew his current identity and had joined their ranks as a "super senior brother," he still felt uncomfortable with this kind of interaction.
However, as his gaze swept over them, he saw the sincere joy on their faces, and in his heart, he could sense the genuine brotherly love they shared without any gaps between them.
Of course, this was also due to the guidance of their elders, as well as the fact that they shared the same mother.
Li Hao felt a bit overwhelmed by their enthusiastic and exuberant physical displays of affection, and he wanted to dodge their touches.
But at that moment, being the center of attention, he worried that if he dodged, it might reveal some discrepancies between his current self and the "fostered" self they knew. A direct comparison might expose his true identity, so he could only endure it for the time being.
"You little rascal, you've got some skills!"
"How come the younger one is smarter? Don't tell me Mom saved the best for last?"
"Are you itching for a beating? Are you saying your big brother here is the least intelligent?"
"Ouch, ouch! Stop pinching me, it hurts!"
The numerous "brothers" surrounded Li Hao, playing and joking around, sometimes using Li Hao's body as a shield.
Li Hao was pulled this way and that, his head ruffled like a bird's nest.
Seeing these cheerful and happy fellows, he felt a sense of helplessness. His mature soul prevented him from joining in their exuberant dancing and prancing, but for some reason, this atmosphere made him feel comfortable and content.
That day, Li Tianzong spread the news far and wide and held a grand feast.
The mansion was bustling with activity.
Li Hao looked at the brightly lit Shenjiang Mansion, at the lively Li family's nine sons laughing, chasing, and playing during the feast. However, his gaze was somewhat dazed.
Was this the scene that used to play out in the Li family?
Compared to the cold and empty courtyards that were left with only the ladies, the current atmosphere was much livelier.
When they all got married, it would probably be the noisiest.
However, for some reason, even though he was in the midst of this liveliness, Li Hao felt as if he were standing outside of it, alone.
Although there was clamor all around him, his heart felt calmer and more composed than ever before, even giving him the illusion that the night was growing colder.
Because he knew that beyond the Yue River, the Li family no longer enjoyed such harmonious gatherings.
And he was no longer a member of the Li family.
"Tenth brother, what are you thinking about?"
The first brother, Li Xingbei, walked over with a wine cup in hand. After greeting and toasting with the nobles who had come to congratulate them, he made his way to Li Hao and smiled, "Is the food not to your taste? Tell your brother, and I'll have someone bring you a new table of dishes."
"Tenth brother, are you feeling nervous with so many people around? Don't be. When the royalty and nobles come to visit our Li family, they must also bow their heads in respect!" Li Xingbei laughed heartily and added in a lowered voice.
After saying this, he threw his head back and laughed boisterously.
"Just now, several dukes came to propose marriage for the tenth brother!" The third brother, Li Jianming, smiled. He was around fifteen years old, a dashing young man.
Li Hao recalled that the third uncle had died on the border while suppressing demons, and his daughter had left to join the army at a young age to avenge her father. She hadn't returned to the Li Mansion for many years.
"Indeed," Li Xingbei smiled. "Many people came to propose marriage for the ninth brother back then, but Father rejected them all."
"Now that the tenth brother has an even more outstanding talent, even if the royal family were to propose marriage, Father would have to consider it carefully."
As they chatted around Li Hao, he sat quietly, listening. When he saw several figures approaching in the distance, including that eye-catching figure, he turned his gaze away, closed his eyes, and accelerated his consciousness to skip ahead.
When he reached out, he felt his arms were soft and weak.
Sensing his awakening, a drowsy figure by his side started and leaped to his side.
"Little Ten, how do you feel? Are you feeling better?"
Li Hao recognized the face of his sixth brother, Li Ziye, from the bone assessment earlier.
He was also the father of Li Yuanzhao.
However, at this moment, Li Ziye looked barely over ten years old, still very young.
But the concern and tension in his eyes were genuine.
Perhaps due to his connection with Li Yuanzhao, Li Hao felt a natural affinity for him and asked curiously, "Sixth Brother?"
"You finally woke up. Earlier, during the banquet, a demon disguised as a nobleman tried to assassinate you." Li Ziye seemed relieved but immediately shouted toward the door.
Demon attack... Li Hao's heart sank. He was only five years old, yet the demon couldn't restrain itself from trying to kill him, and it had even infiltrated Shenjiang Mansion.
He wondered if it was because of his defective soul or if the demon had a unique infiltration technique.
"Fortunately, Fourth Uncle acted in time and killed the demon," Li Ziye said to Li Hao.
Li Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the Fourth Uncle had been keeping an eye on him, which was why he could act so promptly.
"Big Brother and the others were also injured and are currently recuperating," Li Ziye added.
"Aside from me, is everyone else alright?" Li Hao asked.
"They're fine. Just minor injuries. The demon's main targets were you and Ninth Brother," Li Ziye explained. "Ninth Brother was standing further away, so he wasn't hurt as badly."
"That's good," Li Hao said, relieved.
Just then, as the news of his awakening spread, many people rushed over.
"Little Ten, are you alright?" Chen Hefang hurried over, her face filled with worry and concern.
Li Hao also saw the other "brothers," but Li Tianzong was nowhere to be seen. He asked, "Where's Father?"
"Father went outside the city to slay the demon and get you justice," said the second brother, Li Fengping, with a bandage on his forehead, indicating an injury.
Li Hao fell silent.
He knew that he had to start cultivating as soon as possible.
Li Hao's gaze swept across their faces before he closed his eyes, accelerating the healing process during this period of rest.
When he opened his eyes again, Li Hao found himself in a side room, with a painting board in front of him, and his body had recovered from its previous weakness.
The stark contrast of the empty room, devoid of the crowd that had surrounded him earlier, caused him to pause momentarily, but he quickly adjusted and picked up a brush to start painting.
As he painted, Li Hao contemplated expanding his skills and quickly accumulating art technique points.
When he was halfway through the painting, the door opened, and Li Hongzhuang, now three years old and starting her foundation establishment, entered the room.
"Did you finish your foundation establishment today?" Li Hao asked.
"Mhm." Li Hongzhuang nodded. Although she was only three, she was exceptionally well-behaved and clever, asking, "Why do you paint every day, Tenth Brother?"
"Because I like it."
"Do you like me, Tenth Brother?"
"I like you, too."
"Then you should spend more time with me."
Li Hongzhuang tugged at Li Hao's sleeve, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Li Hao was speechless. This little one had learned to wrap people around her finger.
"Alright, alright, Brother will spend time with you," Li Hao said, growing more accustomed to his current identity.
"Hmph, Tenth Brother only does what he wants and never spends time with me," Li Hongzhuang pouted.
Li Hao quickly came up with an idea and suggested playing hide-and-seek with her.
Li Hongzhuang's eyes lit up at the idea, and she immediately agreed, rushing out of the room.
After sending her off, Li Hao continued his painting.
When he grew tired of painting, he suddenly thought of going to the kitchen to accumulate experience in culinary skills. It would be relatively easy to gain art technique points in the early stages.
While in the kitchen, he could also look for some dry firewood to practice woodcarving.
With that in mind, Li Hao headed out but was surprised to see Li Hongzhuang standing at the door with a sullen expression. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"You didn't come find me!" Li Hongzhuang pouted.
"I already looked for you. I searched everywhere but couldn't find you, so I thought you might be hiding here and came back," Li Hao explained.
"Tenth Brother, you're lying. I was hiding in the flower bed just outside the door," Li Hongzhuang accused.
"..." Li Hao was speechless. This little one was indeed hard to fool.
Changing the subject, he said, "Come, Tenth Brother will take you to make something to eat," and led her toward the kitchen.
The three-year-old Li Hongzhuang was easily intrigued. "What are we making?" she asked curiously.
"You'll see when we get there," Li Hao smiled, leading her into the kitchen. The servants there hurriedly bowed to him.
Li Hao, however, acted very maturely, asking them to make way at the stove. He then took the ingredients and had Li Hongzhuang help him cook.
Children, especially little girls, seemed to have an innate love for make-believe, and soon, Li Hongzhuang was fully engaged in the cooking, forgetting her earlier grievance. Her small hands kneaded and washed the ingredients, her face serious as she arranged the cleaned ingredients neatly on a plate.
"Young Master..."
The servants in the kitchen rushed over, standing by warily as if facing a formidable foe, afraid that Li Hao might come to some harm.
At the same time, they curiously observed this young master, whose fame had spread throughout Shenjiang Mansion, a privilege they, as kitchen servants, rarely had.
As the stove fired up, Li Hao skillfully prepared the meal.
"Okay!"
"Big brother, do we add the scallions last?"
"Mhm."
Li Hongzhuang stood by his side, having become Li Hao's top assistant.
A smile appeared on Li Hao's face as he saw the experience points increasing. With this, he should be able to accumulate another four or five art technique points before he turns six and begins his cultivation journey.
Before long, the servants outside suddenly knelt down in a panic:
"Please calm your anger, Lord."
Two figures approached, dressed in luxurious clothing. They were none other than Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang.
Seeing Li Hao standing on a stool and stirring the food in the pan, the couple was taken aback. They had only rushed over after hearing the news from the servants.
By now, Li Tianzong had returned from slaying the demon outside the city and had changed into fine clothes. Half a month had passed since Li Hao's injury during the banquet.
"Little Ten, what are you two doing here?"
Li Tianzong asked, his brows furrowed: "Who taught you to come to such a place?"
Li Hao's heart tightened slightly at the sight of his father's furrowed brows, and he quickly thought of an excuse: "I wanted to cook a meal for you."
Li Hongzhuang nodded and smiled, showing her teeth, as she stood beside Li Hao. "Father, Mother, we'll be done soon. Do you want to eat?"
Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang were both speechless. Cooking was the servants' job; how could they let their children do such menial work?
However, seeing the tension in Li Hao's eyes and the bright smile on Li Hongzhuang's little face, they exchanged a glance, and their faces softened.
Before they could say anything, Li Hao lifted the lid and said, "It's done. Time to add the salt."
Li Hongzhuang immediately stopped smiling and looked tense as she carefully scooped a few grains of salt from the salt container.
"Not enough."
She added half a spoonful more.
"Still not enough. Add more."
A whole spoonful of salt was poured in.
Li Hao was stunned and quickly used the spatula to scoop some of it back out. "That's enough, that's enough."
He thought to himself that next time, it would be better if he handled the seasoning himself.
Then, with some effort, he emptied the entire contents of the pan onto a plate. Seeing the hesitant couple, Li Hao smiled awkwardly and said, "Do you want to try some?"
Li Tianzong looked at him and then picked up a piece of meat with his hand, blowing on it lightly before popping it into his mouth. He nodded slightly as he chewed, saying, "Hmm, it tastes pretty good."
"Use chopsticks."
Chen Hefang sighed. Men were so uncouth. She took the chopsticks from a maidservant and gracefully picked up some food to eat, her brows furrowing slightly.
But seeing Li Tianzong's beaming face, she helplessly said, "You two have worked hard. It's rare to see such thoughtfulness. Go wash your hands, and let's head back."
"Mhm, bring this plate of food with us. I like the food my son cooked. Also, bring me a small jar of wine. I want to savor this meal."
Li Tianzong instructed.
Li Hao was surprised. He hadn't even reached level 1 in cooking yet, and all his skills came from his previous life as a single man.
He also picked up a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth, only to almost spit it out. Indeed, it was too salty!
Li Tianzong laughed heartily at the sight of Li Hao's scrunched-up face. "Next time, add less salt. Don't waste the meat. Our common folk work hard in the fields and face the risk of demon attacks. They toil from sunrise to sunset, so we must not waste food."
Li Hao nodded slightly. "I understand."
Before leaving, he found two more blocks of wood to take with him.
"What are you doing with those?" Chen Hefang asked, puzzled.
Li Hao replied seriously, "I want to carve little figurines for you."
"Hmm? Do you know how to carve?" Li Tianzong asked in surprise as he walked ahead.
"Not yet, but I can learn."
"You... Don't spend all your time on these things," Chen Hefang said helplessly. "You've had your bone assessment, and you should focus on studying martial arts and cultivation techniques. You'll be starting your cultivation journey soon."
Li Tianzong nodded slightly. "Your priority is to cultivate. If you like these things, it's fine to play around with them, but don't take them too seriously, understand?"
"I understand."
Li Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that their attitude wasn't too forceful and that they weren't completely opposed to his interests.
Once they returned to the courtyard, Li Hao asked Zhao Bo for a small knife and began carving.
With the inclusion of the carving technique, Li Hao once again embarked on his journey of accumulating experience.
And the figures he carved became increasingly lifelike and exquisite.
Time flew by.
Li Hao had to skip time every two days because, despite having a divine body, his five-year-old self still lacked the spiritual energy to stay awake for long periods without rest.
After two or three time skips, Li Hao turned six years old.
During these time skips, he continued to accumulate experience in carving, painting, and other techniques he had already mastered.
Now, Li Hao had reached level five in painting, level two in cooking, and level three in carving.
He had earned another five art technique points!
"Little Ten, this is your first time cultivating. Look at these weapons and tell me which one you like."
Li Tianzong brought Li Hao to the training field, where many of his "brothers" were practicing martial arts, along with other direct and collateral descendants of the Li family.
Among them, Li Hao spotted a young face that resembled Li He, as well as another face that looked like Li Fu.
Li Fu didn't live in the main compound of the Shenjiang Mansion but was raised as Li Tianzong's illegitimate son in the compound for collateral descendants.
Without wasting any time, Li Hao's gaze landed on the weapons, and he immediately spotted the longsword in the second position.
Li Hao stepped forward and picked up the sword, waving it around a few times with a sense of familiarity.
After all, he had already reached level one in Sword Technique.
"Do you like the sword? Then give it a try."
Li Tianzong smiled slightly and signaled to the instructor in the training field to teach Li Hao some basic sword techniques.
The instructor stepped forward and politely demonstrated a set of sword techniques before saying, "Young Master, did you remember the moves I just demonstrated? Show me how much you've grasped, and let me see your talent for the sword."
Li Hao immediately raised his hand, and the sword glowed as he swung it through the air.