"I just saw a member of the Saint Clan nearby. It seems they were looking for trouble. Do you find that intriguing?" Ying Xiaoxiao said with a light laugh.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow, having already sensed the two presences chasing each other outside the city after their brief encounter in the teahouse.
"The Ancient Saint Clan?" Li Hao's eyes narrowed as he thought of the Ji family and the other Saint Clans of the Great Desolate Heaven. "Were they scared away by you two?" he asked.
"Something like that," Ying Xiaoxiao replied with a slight smile. "Won't you invite us to sit down? We haven't eaten yet, and that grilled fish smells delicious." She glanced at the fish cooking over the firewood.
"Please, take a seat," Li Hao said, gesturing to the chairs. Sensing that they meant no harm, he added, "That Saint Clan member, were they looking for trouble with you or me?"
"You, of course," Ying Xiaoxiao said, her lips curving into a mischievous smile. "They wouldn't dare cause trouble for us."
"Are the two of you also from the Ancient Saint Clan?" Li Hao asked.
"You guessed it," Ying Xiaoxiao said, sounding slightly surprised before adding with a hint of resignation, "How did you know?"
Li Hao glanced at her, feeling that this young lady was a bit of an overactor.
However, aside from the Ancient Saint Clan, he couldn't think of any other possibility at the moment.
These two had their auras well-concealed, and although he couldn't pinpoint their exact details, the fact that he couldn't sense anything meant that they were incredibly powerful.
Clearly, both of them were formidable, most likely at the Realm of Understanding.
"How about I paint a portrait of the two of you?" Li Hao suddenly suggested.
Ying Xiaoxiao looked at the easel beside him and said with interest, "You really know how to paint? If it turns out ugly, I'll tear it up."
"I guarantee it will be beautiful," Li Hao assured her.
The old man running the tea stall spoke up, "Paint me first."
Li Hao smiled inwardly, recognizing the cautious nature of this old fox. "Of course," he agreed readily.
The old man was clearly on guard, having heard tales of demon arts where demons would paint portraits to steal souls. Although such tricks wouldn't work on those at the Realm of Understanding like them, he wanted to be cautious against any other strange abilities.
Once the old man was seated, Li Hao prepared his ink and began painting with focused concentration.
Before long, a lifelike portrait took shape.
Painting Skill Experience +18790.
Li Hao was stunned for a moment as he read the notification that appeared on the easel, and he drew in a sharp breath.
What a bonanza! Nearly 20,000 experience points just from one painting!
His current Painting skill level:
Painting, 7th Level (38279/500000)
He needed 500,000 experience points to reach the 8th level.
While he could accumulate experience points over time through consistent painting, and the speed would undoubtedly be much faster than pure cultivation, it would still take at least half a year to gather 500,000 points.
After all, painting ordinary landscapes, no matter how artistically brilliant, would only yield symbolic amounts of experience. It was only when he painted subjects that contained profound auras or powerful beings that he would gain substantial experience.
"Are you done?" the tea stall old man asked.
Li Hao snapped out of his thoughts and handed the painting to the old man to inspect. As he turned to look at the two guests, his eyes shone with anticipation, as if they were treasure chests of experience points.
"Hmm, it's quite good," Ying Xiaoxiao commented, leaning in for a closer look. She was surprised to find that it wasn't merely a replica but captured a unique spirit and vitality.
The tea stall old man examined the painting for a moment and was equally pleased. He quietly sensed his own being to ensure that he hadn't fallen victim to any strange attacks, curses, soul-stealing, or hidden rule-based techniques during the process, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Would you like me to paint you as well?" Li Hao asked, turning to the young lady.
Ying Xiaoxiao nodded eagerly, seeing no objection from the old man.
Soon, Li Hao was once again fully immersed in the act of painting.
Painting Skill Experience +15832.
Wow! Li Hao was astonished. This young lady was indeed extraordinary, granting him 15,000 experience points. If he painted ten portraits of her, even with the decreasing returns for subsequent paintings, he could still expect to gain around 100,000 experience points.
If he really wanted to milk it, painting a hundred portraits and squeezing her dry would net him at least 2 million experience points.
Combined with the old man's potential experience, the two of them could provide nearly 500,000 points!
With just these two individuals, he could almost make up the entire experience gap to reach the 8th level.
Earlier, when the Emperor had left, they had focused on discussing important matters, and Li Hao hadn't had the chance to paint him. Next time he had the opportunity, he would ask the Emperor and that Qian Dao Palace cultivator to sit for him. He estimated that he could squeeze out 400,000 to 500,000 experience points from them, which would significantly boost his progress toward the 9th level.
Li Hao's excitement grew as he thought about it, and then he suddenly realized something else. "Didn't we just chase away a member of the Saint Clan? That's like losing an experience package, isn't it?"
"Are you done painting?" Ying Xiaoxiao asked eagerly as she saw Li Hao pause.
Li Hao nodded and handed her the painting.
In the portrait, Ying Xiaoxiao's blue-green dress seemed to flow with the wind, and the golden bell on her wrist appeared to tinkle in the breeze. Her black hair tumbled like a waterfall, framing her bright eyes and pearly teeth, creating an image of breathtaking beauty.
A gleam appeared in Ying Xiaoxiao's eyes as she examined the painting, and she asked, "Can you give this to me?"
"Of course," Li Hao replied.
"I'll treasure it," Ying Xiaoxiao said, a smile of delight spreading across her face.
Li Hao smiled back and said, "If you like it, I can paint more portraits of you in different poses, like walking through a flower garden or something."
"Sure," Ying Xiaoxiao readily agreed.
Li Hao chuckled inwardly and immediately began painting her a second portrait.
Based on the experience gained, Li Hao could also roughly deduce that these two were most likely at the Realm of Understanding. After all, he hadn't received such abundant experience when he painted the Candlelight God.
For two individuals at the Realm of Understanding to appear here out of nowhere, claiming to be from the Ancient Saint Clan... Who were they trying to fool?
Previously, when he had visited the Ji family, he learned that they were not among the most prosperous of the Ancient Saint Clans. Those at the Realm of Understanding were already considered war god-level existences within the clan, and there were only two or three of them. Even if he doubled the numbers for the other Ancient Saint Clans, they wouldn't have the leisure to come here and tail him.
However, aside from the Ancient Saint Clans, Li Hao was curious about what other forces might exist. Perhaps he would need to ask that Emperor to find out more, as his current knowledge was limited to the intelligence gathered by the God General Mansion, excluding the secret information only accessible to the True Dragon of the family.
"Young Master, the grilled fish is almost ready. Should we eat first and then continue painting?" Ren Qianqian asked as she approached.
Li Hao nodded and finished the current portrait before inviting the old man and the young lady to join him for the meal.
Ying Xiaoxiao readily agreed, but the tea stall old man tried to stop her, only to be a step too late. He sent a silent message to her, "Miss, we barely know each other."
"Don't worry, I have an iron stomach. Even if it's poisoned, I can digest it," Ying Xiaoxiao replied, causing the old man to nearly spit out blood. He could only smile wryly and follow the young lady's lead.
However, when the food was served, the old man moved faster than Ying Xiaoxiao and took the fish cube from Li Hao, swallowing it down quickly.
As they savored the food, Ying Xiaoxiao ate with relish, not entirely without manners, but not overly concerned with them either.
The tea stall old man smiled bitterly inwardly. Seeing Li Hao eating and drinking so casually, he felt that he might have been too uptight.
If it weren't for the young lady's presence, he wouldn't have minded so much. But with her around, he always felt overly tense.
As they enjoyed the grilled fish, the group chatted casually, starting with food and drinks and eventually turning to the topic of cultivation.
It was Jiang Lichen who steered the conversation towards cultivation, and soon they were discussing the Realm of Understanding, the Realm of Comprehension, and the existence of the Saint realm.
Li Hao listened quietly while Jiang Lichen and Ying Xiaoxiao delved into the paths to sainthood.
Having witnessed the Buddha Lord's attempt to leap from the Realm of Great Dao to sainthood in one step, Jiang Lichen was also contemplating this path.
"There are three paths to sainthood," Jiang Lichen said. "One is through incense worship, another is through sacrificial rites, and the last is through the extreme path."
Ying Xiaoxiao, assuming that Jiang Lichen was one of Li Hao's companions, explained, "You're thinking of taking the path of sacrificial rites, which is the most difficult and relies heavily on one's enlightenment."
Jiang Lichen hummed in agreement as he ate. "I enjoy taking on the most challenging path. When my sword cultivation reaches its pinnacle, I shall perform the sacrificial sword rite and become a saint, capable of slaying all in my path!"
"..."
After exchanging a few more words with him, Ying Xiaoxiao felt that this old man might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, so she turned her attention back to Li Hao. "Which path do you intend to take?"
Li Hao, having listened to their conversation, already understood the differences between the three paths.
The first was sainthood through incense worship, the most common and mainstream path, chosen by almost ninety-nine percent of saints.
The second was the path of sacrificial rites, the most arduous and demanding path that Jiang Lichen had alluded to.
By cultivating the Dao to its utmost limit, one could perform the sacrificial rite and transcend through the power of the Dao.
This path did not rely on incense worship but on the power of the rite to overcome the three saintly tribulations!
And among all the paths, this one valued enlightenment the most!
Moreover, the level of enlightenment required was extraordinarily high, surpassing the norm, as one's enlightenment had to be able to match the power of countless incense worshippers.
This was the most challenging path, and no one would willingly choose it. Instead of racking their brains over this path, most would rather focus their efforts on gathering incense worship.
It was akin to the difference between taking the entrance exam for Qingbei (a top university) and earning a million dollars.
Earning a million dollars might take a few decades if one worked hard and was lucky.
If that wasn't enough, one could always rely on connections or borrow from parents to make up the difference.
But getting into Qingbei... that was not something that hard work alone could accomplish.
Without the necessary intellect, no amount of studying would suffice.
Unless one was reborn with a different brain, the odds were slim.
The path of incense worship was similar. Almost all who reached the Realm of Comprehension were prodigies, and none would consider themselves lacking in enlightenment. However, on the path of sacrificial rites, countless people had failed throughout history.
As a result, fewer and fewer people chose this path. Occasionally, there would be some stubborn souls who insisted on walking this path, but they would only end up wasting their time without achieving anything noteworthy.
Thus, the path of incense worship became the predominant choice. After all, those in the Realm of Comprehension were already exceptional, and who wouldn't have some connections? Borrowing, gathering, and scraping together incense worship was still within the realm of possibility.
If that wasn't enough, one could always fall back on time and wait it out.
Although incense worship was always in short supply, much like money, with enough effort, there was still a glimmer of hope.
Aside from these two paths to sainthood, there was the third path that Ying Xiaoxiao mentioned, the extreme path, which was a rather unorthodox method.
It was similar to the path of incense worship, but instead of collecting the power of incense worship, it relied on negative emotions like resentment and the energy of slaughter.
Compared to earning reverence, inspiring fear seemed like a simpler task, especially when one possessed immense power.
This path seemed well-suited for the unruly Jiang Lichen, but unfortunately, he was too fixated on the path of the sword.
However, according to Ying Xiaoxiao, this secret method could only be practiced by their clan, and the specifics of how to control it were not shared with outsiders. Even if an outsider learned it, they wouldn't be able to utilize it due to their physical limitations.
"I... I'll decide when the time comes," Li Hao replied to Ying Xiaoxiao's inquiry.
According to her, he could choose between the path of incense worship and the path of sacrificial rites.
Li Hao had not yet reached the Realm of Comprehension, so he could only wait until his panel allowed him to allocate points before making a decision.
Based on how the panel allocated points, he felt that he might be inclined towards the path of sacrificial rites.
Physical body ascension to sainthood!
As they chatted casually, the group's relationship grew closer. Although Jiang Lichen seemed eccentric and erratic, after their conversation with Ying Xiaoxiao, he quietly sent a message to Li Hao:
"They might be from the Demon Clan, so be cautious."
"Demon Clan?"
"Yes, the extreme path to sainthood is a long-lost method and the most evil path. If a saint were to discover it, it would bring about a calamity."
Li Hao was surprised to find that this seemingly crazy old man knew quite a lot, befitting his royal lineage.
"However, whether it's the Demon Clan or the Divine Clan, it doesn't make much difference to us. At least, they don't seem to bear any ill will towards us," Li Hao replied through a transmitted message.
Jiang Lichen thought about it for a moment and then agreed. "That's true."
After that, he went to find Ren Qianqian to continue teaching her sword techniques.
Li Hao also finished his meal and resumed painting for Ying Xiaoxiao and the others, his experience in the painting skill steadily increasing.
Time passed quickly.
An old man and a young girl had joined the small courtyard, each finding their own entertainment.
Two days later, Li Hao received news from the Imperial City about the Wind Elder from the Wang Family. The missing piece of his soul was indeed in the River of Extinction!
"Qianqian, stay here in the courtyard and practice your sword techniques. I'm going to the Wang Family, do you want to come along?"
"Wang Family? No, I don't want to go."
Jiang Lichen waved his hand dismissively. "Go quickly and come back soon. I'll take care of teaching your little disciple in your stead."
"She's not my disciple."
"What's the difference? Just go."
"..."
Li Hao then turned to Ying Xiaoxiao and the tea stall old man, whose name he had learned was Ying Lizhong, although he wasn't sure if it was his real name.
"Would you two like to accompany me?"
Ying Lizhong looked at the eager Ying Xiaoxiao and shook his head. "Miss, the Wang Family is surrounded by the River of Extinction. Let's not get involved in that mess."
Ying Xiaoxiao considered for a moment and agreed. "Alright, we'll wait for you here."
"Good, then I'll trouble the two of you and the Ninth Prince to take care of Wind Elder in my absence."
Li Hao nodded. Although they had only known each other for a short time, a friend in need was a friend indeed.