Martial Dao Eight Realms

By the time Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao returned to the foot of the mountain, bright lamps had already been lit across the plaza. Though night had fallen, it was still extremely lively, and the crowd had not thinned in the slightest.

It made Li Hao think of the night markets in his previous life. He sniffed lightly, and on the fresh night breeze he could still smell the drifting fragrance of charcoal-grilled food. His appetite was instantly stirred.

"Come on, let's find something to eat."

On the Entrance Stairway, there were still noble-family geniuses from every prefecture, scrambling over one another as they rushed toward fame and honor at the mountaintop.

Yet on the mountaintop, that youth's figure leapt down in a single bound, charging toward the worldly prosperity of the countless crowds below.

Before long, relying on his own culinary standards, Li Hao accurately picked out a number of tasty things from among the many stalls and had them all packed up.

He and Li Yuanzhao each held an armful, eating as they walked toward the carriage, drawing quite a few looks from people along the road.

"What's that smell?"

Inside the carriage, Li Yun, who had already waited until impatience showed on his face, suddenly smelled the fragrance of roasted meat. He could not help freezing, then lifted the curtain.

The aroma rushed into his nose. Then he saw Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao walking over, both eating until their mouths gleamed with oil.

"Uncle Fu, you've waited a long time, right? Here."

"Uncle Ming, this is yours. Is it enough?"

Everyone who saw got a share. Li Hao had bought plenty, and with a chuckle he handed out quite a lot along the way. Of course, he did not forget a portion for his personal maidservant, Qingzhi.

Afterward, carrying the remaining large and small bags, he stepped onto the carriage and entered the compartment.

The oil lamp had already been lit inside the carriage. The siblings' cheeks were both reflected in the warm yellow lamplight as they secretly looked toward Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao. Smelling that tempting aroma, saliva welled in their mouths, and their expressions both became somewhat unnatural.

"I thought you'd gone back first."

After Li Yuanzhao sat down, he bit off a mouthful of roasted meat. Then, as if thinking of something, he handed the other two bags in his arms to Li Zhining. "Sister Zhining, want some?"

Li Zhining had wanted to refuse, but the tempting fragrance from the bags made her hesitate.

At the same time, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the Adam's apple of the elder brother beside her rolling as he secretly swallowed. She gently took them and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Brother Yuanzhao."

"If you'd left first, you wouldn't have had this good fortune." Li Yuanzhao smiled.

Li Zhining said nothing. Instead, she glanced slightly at that figure, only to see that from beginning to end, he had not looked their way even once. Deep in her eyes, a faint trace of dim disappointment showed.

But she did not think too much of it. She opened the bag and handed one to Li Yun. "Brother."

"I'm not eating."

Li Yun turned his head instead, his face stern, his brows furrowed in disgust. "Food from street peddlers. Who knows if it was washed clean? Filthy as anything. I advise you to eat less too."

"It won't kill you even if it wasn't washed clean, right?" Li Yuanzhao said, glaring. Those words had ruined his appetite.

"You!"

Li Yun was furious. He glared at him, then seemed to feel he did not have much of a leg to stand on. With a cold snort, he turned his head away and leaned it out toward the carriage curtain, as though the night scenery had suddenly become exceedingly beautiful.

Li Zhining knew her brother could not bring himself to lower his face, and she felt somewhat helpless. But the fragrance from the bag kept assailing her nose in waves, and unable to endure it, she picked up one portion and took a small, careful bite. Very quickly, her eyes brightened slightly.

This taste was actually a little better than the delicacies she was used to eating in the manor.

"Uncle Ming, are we not leaving yet?"

Through the carriage curtain, Li Yun shouted from the front of the carriage.

Uncle Ming was holding a piece of roasted meat in his mouth. Hearing this, he immediately grabbed the reins with both hands, urged the Flood Dragon Lion on, turned around, and headed back to the manor.

After returning to the manor, Li Yun and the other two parted ways with Li Hao.

The three of them each went back to their own homes, each to find their own mothers.

In Snowdrift Courtyard, Fifth Madam Gao Qingqing was embroidering in the main hall. When she heard the maid outside come hurrying in with a report, the needle in her hand nearly pricked her finger. She hastily rose, tossed aside the embroidered handkerchief, and hurried to the courtyard gate.

There, she saw her son and daughter walking over under Li Ming's escort.

"How was it? Did everything go smoothly?"

Gao Qingqing quickly asked.

Li Ming stood quietly at the side with a smile. The more obedient Li Zhining nodded and said, "Mm. Brother and I both entered Class A Institute."

"You comprehended it in one day?"

Some pleasant surprise appeared on Gao Qingqing's face. She picked up her son and kissed him on the forehead.

This made Li Yun feel a little embarrassed. He pushed his mother away at once and walked toward the main hall with a somewhat sullen air.

Gao Qingqing did not mind. She picked up her daughter and kissed her forehead as well, then immediately took her daughter by the hand and walked back to the main hall. As she walked, she instructed the steward to quickly reheat dinner and bring it over.

Hearing this, Li Zhining shook her head and said, "Just reheat Brother's portion. I've already eaten."

"What did you eat?" Gao Qingqing was surprised.

"Things sold by the small merchants over there. They were very tasty," Li Zhining said, the flavor still lingering somewhat in her mouth.

"Hmph, don't come crying later if you get the runs." Li Yun, walking ahead, said irritably.

Gao Qingqing smiled and pulled her daughter down to sit. Mother and daughter exchanged words, chatting about the day's events.

"As expected of my children. You could comprehend it in half a day."

"He also entered Class A Institute?"

Hearing her daughter's words, Gao Qingqing was somewhat surprised, then nodded again. "That child is very clever. Unfortunately, he has taken the body-refining path, so his upper limit is very low. Otherwise, the true dragon of your generation would most likely be him."

Li Zhining thought of that calm, casual face, and her eyes flickered slightly. This was not the first time she had heard her mother say this.

Deep in her heart, she also faintly felt a few traces of pity and regret for him.

"Hmph, what does that little bit of talent count for? If Eldest Sister were here, she'd probably comprehend it in the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

Li Yun sat opposite them and spoke with a cold snort.

Mentioning Eldest Sister, in the bottom of his heart he felt a little envy and jealousy, and a little sourness too, but at the same time, there were also traces of pride and honor. It was complicated to the extreme...

Gao Qingqing smiled and said, "Although your Eldest Sister is clever, the two of you are not bad either. You are all the children I am proudest of."

Li Yun's stiff face relaxed slightly. As the steward brought over the reheated dinner, he ate and ate, and slowly, a smile appeared on his face too...

In Mountains and Rivers Courtyard.

Li Hao returned to the courtyard accompanied by Li Fu and Qingzhi.

Cold moonlight shone down. The steward, Uncle Zhao, hurried over with an outer coat draped over his shoulders and immediately said, "Young Master, did it go smoothly? I'll go heat your dinner."

"No need to trouble yourself, Uncle Zhao. I ate outside," Li Hao said with a smile. "I was afraid it would get cold on the road and taste bad, so I didn't bring you any."

"Young Master is thoughtful." Uncle Zhao smiled, knowing Li Hao was not lying. There were still traces of oil at the corner of his mouth.

Li Fu had been standing guard outside the carriage earlier and had not had a chance to speak with Li Hao. At this moment, he could not help asking, "How did it feel today?"

Li Hao thought for a moment, then said, "The food was pretty good."

Li Fu was speechless. That wasn't what I was asking.

He pressed with a few more questions, and when he learned that Li Hao had entered Class A Institute, both he and Uncle Zhao, along with Qingzhi, all revealed pleasantly surprised smiles.

Tan Palace Academy's "Leaping Immortal Gate" trial ended.

Many youths who had not managed to arrive in time looked at the Entrance Stairway and could only sigh long and hard.

Some people entrusted others to pull strings, seeing if they could stuff a few more in, but the answer they received was that all the places had already been filled.

A total of 825 people.

Someone asked, why could they not recruit more? They were even willing to pay sky-high tuition fees.

But the reply they received was—

Because there were only 825 empty seats.

And so, the many noble-family descendants could only sigh and groan, then turn and leave.

This grand feast that had gathered Qing Prefecture gradually settled down as well.

But on the mountaintop, with the official start of classes, things became lively.

A, B, C, D had four institutes.

Class A Institute had only fifty seats.

Class B Institute had two hundred seats.

Class C Institute and Class D Institute... skipped.

In each institute, besides the new students, there were also some old students who had been held back.

At this moment, in Class A Institute, Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao sat together in the second row. The other new students had also come to enroll.

Up ahead, Li Hao saw Shen Yunqing bringing two old students from Class A Institute over, carrying a pile of Tan Palace Academy uniforms, and distributing them one by one. From now on, everyone would dress uniformly.

This made Li Hao feel a little as if he had returned to middle and high school in his previous life.

Then he looked at the boys and girls around him. They were not very old either, and he could not help smiling, with a few traces of nostalgia.

After the uniforms were distributed, Shen Yunqing explained some of Tan Palace Academy's basic rules: no private fights, no dishonoring the sages, and so on.

After that, once Shen Yunqing withdrew, a tall, slender woman walked in, her waist like a fine willow swaying in the wind. She looked twenty-five or twenty-six. Her black hair was like ink, her brows and eyes like a painting, and she carried the feeling of a bright moon shining upon a snowy mountain.

From her self-introduction, her name was Su Yehua. She was actually the dean of Class A Institute, as well as their first instructor.

Shen Yunqing, who had just left, was their movement technique instructor.

This first lesson after entering the academy was to be taught by Su Yehua.

Li Hao clearly noticed that after Su Yehua arrived, the courtyard, which had still been somewhat noisy before, fell quiet in an instant. Those youths who had been chatting without a care earlier all sat up obediently.

"There are Eight Realms in the martial dao."

Su Yehua stood at the front. Her willow-leaf-like brows and eyes carried an innate clear, cold air, but a faint, gentle smile hung at the corners of her lips.

"The first four realms are Strength Channeling, Heavenly Circuit, Soul Inheritance, and Spirit Roaming."

"The last four realms are Fifteen Li, Heaven and Man, Three Immortalities, and Four Establishments!"