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In the market of Danyuan City, after bidding farewell to Wang Chen, Zhao Li and his companions headed towards the Zhao Family.
"Little brother, you were indeed too rash this time. Since we started cultivating, the elders of the clan have warned us many times that cultivation requires a quiet environment. If you are disturbed during cultivation, a single mistake can lead to a disastrous outcome," Zhao Ning said to Zhao Li.
Zhao Li sighed helplessly:
"Opportunities come and go, and I couldn't resist it. I didn't expect to break through to the Martial Practitioner stage so easily. I don't even know what happened."
Zhao Li shrugged, looking innocent.
Zhao Li's words made the others feel like they wanted to punch him. Zhao Ze said with a sigh:
"You're truly something, impressive. I'm sure Uncle Three has already heard about the incident in the market. I wonder what he'll say. Genius, you'd better think about how to get through this 'trial.' Hehe!"
"Uh..." Zhao Li, hearing Zhao Ze's words, looked to Zhao Hongyu for help.
Zhao Hongyu seemed not to notice, only holding Zhao Zhenzhen's hand, silent.
The group returned to the clan and parted ways.
Zhao Li stood in front of his home for a long time, dreading the impending scolding from his parents.
"What a disaster. Although I had a ninety-eight percent chance of breaking through, my parents won't care about that. What kind of situation is this?"
Zhao Li sighed inwardly, then pushed the door open and entered.
In the small courtyard, under an ancient tree, a middle-aged man and a beautiful woman sat by a stone table.
"Oh, who's this?" Han Xiangyu glanced at Zhao Li and said to Zhao Lingxiao.
"He's the prodigy who can break through in public, I wonder what he's doing in this remote place," Zhao Lingxiao replied.
Zhao Li, hearing his parents' sarcastic remarks, knew they were still angry. He quickly walked behind his mother and began massaging her shoulders:
"Father, Mother, your son knows he was wrong. I won't be so careless in the future."
As for his father, he ignored him, focusing on his mother.
"Li'er, come here and let me take a look at you."
Han Xiangyu's cold face couldn't hold, and she looked worried and anxious, quickly pulling Zhao Li in front of her and examining him carefully. Only when she found nothing wrong did she relax, but her face turned cold again:
"Li'er, do you realize that in such a situation, if someone had ill intentions, we might never see you again? What would I do then?"
"Remember this well. You must always be cautious; there are no good people in the world. This time, we were lucky that Grandfather Wang Chen was there to deter the bad people."
Zhao Lingxiao, seeing his wife's relieved expression after checking their son, understood that nothing was wrong. His heart also eased, and he sternly instructed:
Zhao Li, hearing this, silently remembered the favor from Senior Wang Chen. He then listened obediently to his parents' scolding, occasionally nodding to show he understood.
Only when his parents talked about the dangers of the continent, such as murders and the suppression of geniuses, did Zhao Li feel a wave of fear.
In the past dozen years, he had never ventured out to train, never experienced those things, and had not truly integrated into this world. He had forgotten that the Dou Qi Continent was a world where the strong ruled, unlike the Blue Star, which had many laws and regulations. Even on Blue Star, there were no shortage of people who harmed others for no gain. Zhao Li hadn't forgotten the numerous incidents exposed on the internet in that age of advanced technology...
"I remember, I won't do it again. You can rest assured. Mother, I'm hungry. I've been wandering around all day and haven't eaten anything..."
After being scolded by his parents, Zhao Li put on a serious face, indicating that he had recognized his mistake and would correct it. He then found an excuse to change the subject.
Seeing their son like this, the couple shook their heads in unison. Then, Han Xiangyu got up and walked towards the kitchen, preparing to cook personally.
"Li-er, this time it was quite a close call, but you managed to condense your Qi Vortex and advance to the Martial Practitioner stage. This is an Intermediate Rank Fire Attribute Profound Technique. Take it and look it over. Whether you practice it or not is up to you. Perhaps your teacher has other plans for you."
Seeing his son about to slip away, Zhao Lingxiao pointed to the black scroll on the stone table.
Zhao Li picked up the scroll and stored it in his Storage Ring, saying, "Thank you, Father, for your efforts."
Zhao Lingxiao, seeing his son's calm reaction, which was not as eager as when he asked for the technique yesterday, thought he might have said too much and that his son might not be able to accept it right away. "I'm not telling you this to make you do anything. I just hope that in the future, no matter what you do, you will prioritize your own safety."
"I understand, Father," Zhao Li replied.
The Bright Moon hung high, with countless stars twinkling in the sky, illuminating the Summer Night as if it didn't want people to miss the beauty of the night because of the darkness.
At the back mountain of the Zhao Family, the moon's silver light fell in strands, covering the forest with a layer of silver gauze.
A young man lay on his back on the grass, his right hand stretched out as if trying to touch the moon that seemed close but was actually far away and unreachable.
In fact, what his parents had said today had a much greater impact on Zhao Li than they imagined.
Although Zhao Li had not experienced the dark and hidden aspects his parents mentioned, which were part of the previous life's shadows, he clearly knew that in this continent, where the Law of the Jungle, the survival of the fittest, and the respect for the strong were the oldest rules, those things were real and were happening somewhere on the continent at this very moment.
On this continent, those things did not need to be hidden because, for thousands, tens of thousands, or even longer, the people of the continent had long been accustomed to them...
Zhao Li was different. He had lived for twenty years on that magical blue planet, in that wondrous country with a history of only five thousand years. During those twenty years, although Zhao Li was still in the Ivory Tower and had not experienced the harsh realities of life, he gradually formed his own worldview.
In the more than ten years since he was born on this continent, perhaps because he had never gone out to experience anything, Zhao Li had always adhered to the worldview he had gradually formed during his twenty years on Blue Star. Apart from his curiosity about martial arts and cultivation, he always maintained a certain distance from the people around him.
For the past ten years, it was as if he had moved from the fast-paced city of Blue Star to this ancient and picturesque mountain, living with a group of strangers and gradually making a few close friends. Everything else seemed the same.
But when Zhao Li truly integrated into this world, his initially formed worldview was severely shaken, nearly collapsing.
"Raising my head to look at the Bright Moon, lowering my head to think of my homeland. So this is what it feels like to miss your hometown."
Zhao Li muttered to himself, slowly withdrawing his outstretched hand.
Zhao Li felt inexplicably irritable and stifled, "So, I am already far from that kind of life."
As tears slid down the corners of his eyes, Zhao Li finally understood.
Under the moonlight, in the forest, the young man curled up on the grass, his sobs occasionally mingling with the sounds of insects in the Summer Night. Soon, the young man burst into loud sobs.