Experience Soared

Li Hao did not hide it, and told the old man the truth.

When Li Muxiu learned it was Wild Bull Strength, he nodded slightly and said nothing. He tossed Li Hao another pack. "Inside is bait for you to use. Demons in the Power Through Realm all quite like eating it. What kind you can catch will depend on your luck."

With that, he was about to take Li Hao downstairs.

"What about my fish basket?" Li Hao asked.

"Ha..." Li Muxiu laughed and said, "Catch one first, then we'll talk. If you really do catch one, share mine."

"All right."

Li Hao did not insist.

The two had just gone downstairs when they saw Li Fu actually waiting outside the building.

"Second Uncle, what are you..."

Seeing the fishing rod in Li Hao's hand, Li Fu froze at once, then his eyes widened slightly.

"Do you even need to ask? We're going fishing." Li Muxiu glanced at him, clearly not interested in talking to this blockhead.

Li Fu immediately looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears. "Second Uncle, Hao'er learned Wild Bull Strength in three months and trained it to great accomplishment. His body-refining talent is extremely high. You, you can't delay him!"

"You said that yesterday too. Can't you change the line?"

Li Muxiu picked at his ear and said, "What future is there in body refining? Even if you refine yourself to death, you'll only reach about your level. Let me ask you, are you very good at fighting? Ten thousand troops—can you stop them?"

Li Fu was left speechless.

The ten thousand troops Li Muxiu spoke of were naturally not ordinary soldiers, but the Li Family's Yuan Character Camp, filled with the most elite warriors. Ten thousand troops were enough to trample half a city flat. How could he possibly stop them?

"Hao'er, ignore him. Let's go."

Li Muxiu seemed afraid Li Fu would interfere with Li Hao's thoughts, so he took Li Hao's little hand and left.

"Uncle Fu, don't worry."

Li Hao waved to Li Fu. Though this man's personality was stern and rigid, Li Hao would not ignore the care he showed him.

"Hao'er..."

Li Fu opened his mouth slightly, wanting to ask him to stay, but when he saw Li Hao being pulled away, that bright little face looking back, the words that had reached his lips suddenly seemed blocked by something, and for a moment he could not speak.

"Can the vast Divine General Residence really not support one child?"

The words from yesterday seemed to echo by his ears again, one by one.

Li Fu fell silent.

Perhaps, in this moment, Hao'er was happy.

At least he could have a happy childhood...

The two figures, one old and one small, vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving only the man standing rooted where he was. After gazing after them for a long time, he let out a soft, low sigh...

It was an experience like soaring through clouds and riding mist. Held by Li Muxiu, Li Hao sped through the high sky.

The various courtyards of the Divine General Residence flashed past beneath his feet. Li Hao saw maidservants and household servants in each courtyard rising early to draw water and cook. He also saw First Madam, already awake and strolling in the courtyard, and Fifth Madam sending her child to the Martial Arts Arena, still earnestly instructing him on something even as they reached the courtyard gate...

These sights swept by in a hurry, making Li Hao sigh with feeling. He had not expected that while he usually slept in, the mortal world was already so rich and colorful.

"Scared?"

Li Muxiu lowered his head and asked calmly.

"Of heights? I'm all right," Li Hao said.

He felt no different from standing on flat ground, as if an extremely solid force were supporting him.

The chilly morning wind blowing head-on also seemed to have been filtered by something, leaving only a slightly cool breeze brushing his face and stirring strands of hair.

Li Muxiu smiled faintly and said, "I'm going to speed up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Hao felt the scene before his eyes blur abruptly, swift as wind and lightning.

In the blink of an eye, they had already flown out of Qingzhou City and were heading toward the vast mountains and wilderness beyond the city.

Half an hour later, Li Muxiu brought Li Hao slowly down beside a vast great lake.

The lake stretched as far as the eye could see, black waters surging.

Green water meant depth, black water meant Abyss.

It could be seen that this great lake was bottomless. At this moment, only faint ripples moved across its surface, and it looked calm, with the wind stilled and the waves quiet.

Yet precisely because of that, it gave off a hair-raising feeling, as if one stood on the edge of an Abyss.

Around the lake stood several great mountains. The terrain was open and broad; some peaks were steep and pressed close to the lake, while others were low, round, and expansive.

At this moment, the two landed at the foot of one mountain. Li Muxiu swept his gaze around and said with practiced experience, "The water is shallow here. Cast your hook here. I'll go to the middle of the lake to fish for the big ones. Take this. If the situation turns dangerous, it can help block for you a little. Don't worry. If there's any movement on your side, shout, and I'll arrive at once."

"All right."

Li Hao nodded and took the golden talisman the old man handed him.

"You know how to bait the hook? I'll watch you cast first."

Li Muxiu did not hurry to leave either. With a brush of his palm, the large rock beside them weathered away, turning into a fishing platform.

He waved his hand again, clearing away the messy weeds around them to prevent the fishing line and hook from catching on branches and grass when cast. Otherwise, for a novice like Li Hao, cleaning it up would inevitably waste some time.

Li Hao jumped onto the large stone fishing platform and opened the pack. Inside was a bundle of damp, soft red dough.

"To fish for these little demons in the Power Through Realm, dead bait is enough. Later, when you have sufficient strength, I'll give you live bait to fish with. The chance of a bite will be higher," Li Muxiu said.

Li Hao was not picky either. He nodded, then skillfully pulled out a lump of bait and immediately smelled waves of fishy odor.

He kneaded the bait onto the hook. The hook was the size of a fist, and it took quite a bit of bait to wrap it completely.

Seeing Li Hao's movements, Li Muxiu was somewhat surprised. "Have you fished before?"

"No."

Li Hao asked, "Isn't it done like this?"

"It is." Li Muxiu nodded. He glanced at Li Hao but did not think too much of it. From the few words they had exchanged upon first meeting yesterday, he had already seen that this child was intelligent.

"This thing can conceal the scent on your body."

Li Muxiu pulled out a handful of powder from who knew where and patted it over Li Hao's body, then said, "Cast the hook. If you can catch one today, I'll bring you here to play again tomorrow."

"All right."

Li Hao nodded.

Then he swung the fishing rod, cast the line out to its full length, and flung it a hundred zhang away, where it dropped into the lake.

As the fishhook entered the water with a ding-dong, a line of text appeared before Li Hao's eyes: Fishing Dao: zero stage (1/100)

Fishing experience +2

Li Hao smiled inwardly. As expected, the fishing art from that game could also be recorded on the panel.

Moreover, what surprised Li Hao was that just casting the hook had actually given him 2 points of experience! One had to know that when he played a game of chess, he usually gained only one point.

Only when he encountered a slightly technical chess game would he gain 2 points of experience.

It seemed fishing was the same as the chess path. That also meant the lake before him belonged to the more dangerous sort, and for fishing, it was relatively difficult.

"Remember, be patient. Don't make a sound. Don't startle the things underwater."

"Don't look around. Keep your eyes on the float."

"When you first start fishing, you may find it a little dull, but when you get a bite, you'll know that all the dull waiting was worth it."

Li Muxiu taught him seriously, worried that Li Hao, with a child's temperament, would give up after a short while.

After all, fishing was mostly something done by old fellows like them. A seven- or eight-year-old child was at the age when he was most restless. How could he endure this loneliness?

"Mm."

Li Hao nodded.

Seeing Li Hao's calm and composed manner, the corners of Li Muxiu's mouth lifted slightly in a smile. He said no more and quietly watched from the side.

Since it was not his own hook, he secretly released his spirit to investigate the movement underwater. He saw that something was already swimming this way: two little fish at the fourth and seventh levels of the Power Through Realm.

"As expected of the beginner's protection period. There's movement so soon. Now it depends on whether he can reel it in."

Li Muxiu felt envious inwardly. Although he could secretly use means to make the fish bite directly, which would greatly cultivate Li Hao's interest in fishing, his own love of fishing did not allow him to let anyone do such a boring thing.

Before long, Li Hao saw the float move.

His eyes brightened. He endured for a little while, waiting until more than half the float had sunk before quickly pulling the rod.

With this pull, the line instantly stretched taut. Something had caught on the other end of the hook and was struggling with all its might, sending over waves of tremendous force.

But in Li Hao's hands, this tremendous force was like willow catkins rubbing against him. He yanked hard, and the thing on the other end was pulled over uncontrollably.

"Don't be too hasty. Be careful it gets off the hook," Li Muxiu hurriedly said from the side.

Li Hao's heart tightened. He quickly eased up a little. Then, under Li Muxiu's guidance, he played the fish with proper give and take.

In the black lake water, waves surged and spray burst up tremendously.

After spending a dozen or so minutes, Li Hao finally dragged the exhausted demon fish ashore. Its body was actually four or five meters long, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs. It could swallow an adult in one bite.

If anyone lost their footing and fell into the water, they would absolutely become this fish demon's feast.

Fish in the Power Through Realm had not yet learned to transform, and their intelligence had only just begun to appear. They possessed only a bloodthirsty, vicious demon nature.

As the fish was dragged ashore, text leaped out before Li Hao's eyes.

Fishing experience +37

Li Hao's eyes widened slightly. Good heavens, that was almost half a bar of experience in one go! The fish demon came ashore and thrashed with all its might, actually opening its mouth and pouncing viciously at Li Hao, wanting to devour this human.

Li Muxiu flicked his finger casually. The fish demon's body shrank, actually turning into a pellet-like little fish. He scooped it up casually and tossed it into the fish basket.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to make your first catch this quickly."

Li Muxiu laughed and said to Li Hao, "How does it feel? Tired? This fish was at the seventh level of the Power Through Realm. The force it erupted with underwater was even greater. Even someone at the eighth level of the Power Through Realm might not be able to hold onto the rod. You've got some ability, kid!"

"Not tired."

Li Hao grinned.

"Good. Then keep going. Perfect timing—I'll take this fish to use as bait."

Li Muxiu was somewhat unable to restrain his itch to fish. After speaking, he lifted the fish basket and stepped out, flying into the distance. In the blink of an eye, only a black dot remained.

Li Hao gazed over from afar and discovered the other party had gone to the center of the lake. With his eyesight, he could only barely make out a tiny dot.

Shaking his head, Li Hao did not keep looking. He continued to seize the time to farm experience.

He wrapped on bait again and cast the hook.

Fishing experience +2

Li Hao sat on the fishing platform, staring at the float and waiting quietly.

The example just now had shown that if he could fish one up, there would be even more experience, so he did not let himself get distracted.

Time slowly passed.

Perhaps because he had spent too long playing that fish just now, and the splashing had been too loud, startling the fish nearby, Li Hao sat there for an hour without seeing the float move at all.

Could it have secretly finished eating the bait already?

This thought emerged in Li Hao's heart. He wanted to pull the hook up and take a look, but held back.

Just now, he had wanted to exploit a BUG by casting the rod repeatedly. That would have been much faster than directly fishing to farm experience.

In the end, the second time he cast, it only increased by one point of experience.

The third time, it did not increase at all.

Clearly, if the frequency was too high and there was no sign of a bite, the experience gained from merely casting the rod was limited.

Just then, the motionless float suddenly jerked.

Li Hao's nearly numb eyes instantly lit up, but before he could continue holding back, the float instantly sank into the water and vanished.

Li Hao hurriedly pulled the rod. The line went taut with a hum, stretched utterly straight, and an immense force instantly came from the other end, actually weighing dozens of ding.