Noble Titles and Rewards [First Update]

The day after the Li Family banquet ended.

The distant Yu Province, the Imperial City.

That luxurious Imperial Palace, which attracts countless eyes from All Under Heaven, yet whose high walls are difficult to breach.

A majestic Ancient Hall, standing for a thousand years, is adorned with a long, dark gold Dragon Scales scale carpet that stretches from the entrance to the steps leading to the dragon throne inside the palace.

The civil and military officials residing in Yu Province were arranged on both sides.

From high-ranking officials of the Principal First Rank, such as Grand Tutors, Grand Preceptor, Supreme General, to the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy of various prefectures and Chancellors of the Imperial Academy of the Subordinate Fourth Rank, all bowed their heads and hung their hands in solemn silence.

Even the lowest-ranking official among these positions could make the people of dozens of cities bow their heads and grovel with a stomp of their foot.

Congratulations, Your Majesty.

"The Li Family of Qing Prefecture held a family banquet yesterday, announcing to the All Under Heaven that another prodigy has emerged from the Li Family!"

Someone respectfully reported this.

The imposing figure seated on that deep and solemn Dragon Throne, though aged in appearance, stood tall and straight, clad in a black Dark Robe with nine dragons, his gaze as unbearable as a candle flame, looking down upon all the ministers.

Upon hearing this, a slight smile appeared on his face.

"Your Majesty, I've heard that the Qilin Child is none other than Li Hao, whom you blessed and named fourteen years ago!"

"He is also the Minister of Justice who came here a few days ago to receive his official appointment, and the son of the Marquis Xingwu!"

"Your Majesty Sagacity!"

The other officials couldn't help but offer their praise and congratulations.

"Your Majesty recognized this child's extraordinary Heavenly Talent fourteen years ago; he is truly General Star descended to earth, a blessing indeed for our Great Yu!"

Someone said excitedly.

Fourteen years ago, the Marquis Who Pacifies the Nation quelled the century-old Demon Calamity in Cang Province, slaying Great Demon and Demon King. Unfortunately, he was swept away by the Youdu-level Mo River and Cang Province, his Heroic Soul still resting in peace.

"Perhaps, this Li Hao is the General Star the Marquis Who Pacifies the Nation, a new lucky general bestowed upon my Great Yu by Heaven!"

Someone spoke with great passion.

As the ministers offered their congratulations, the figure on the Dragon Throne seemed to be drawn back to that sorrowful day more than a decade ago.

The infant who received the Dragon Blood Jade as a gift has now grown into a young man; has he achieved such accomplishments?

A faint smile appeared on his face, his gaze seemingly sweeping across the outside of the hall, looking towards Qing Prefecture, thousands of miles away.

"Your Majesty, this child Heavenly Talent unparalleled talent, yet he has never previously gained fame. I believe the Li Family needs to provide an explanation."

After the congratulations were finished, someone suddenly stood up and said, "Deceiving His Majesty should be punished!"

Everyone was surprised and glanced sideways. When they saw that it was He Lian Family from the same Divine General Residence, they realized that it was no surprise.

Among the Five Divine General Residences, some have closer relationships, such as the Wang Family and the Li Family, who are even Betrothal Marriage Alliance.

Where there is intimacy, there is also estrangement, and even mutual disdain is the case between the Li Family and the He Lian Family.

Seeing that His Majesty had not spoken, another military officer stepped forward. He was a Principal Second Rank Commander who had accompanied the Li Family on campaigns. He respectfully said:

"My lord, I believe that Marquis Xingwu and his wife have been fighting in Northern Yan for many years, leaving their young child alone in the courtyard with no one to rely on. Naturally, they would want their child to conceal his cultivation level to avoid being secretly harmed or spied on. This is understandable!"

"Snort!"

He Lian Boya sneered, "Although the child is young, he is protected by many military officers within the Divine General Residence. Who could possibly harm him? Are you perhaps questioning the loyalty of the Imperial Order Lady of the Li Family, believing they would frame the young child?"

Most of the wives in the Li Family had been granted official ranks; for example, the eldest wife, He Jianlan, was First-rank State Madam.

Although they had no real power, they held extremely high status and could enter the palace to meet the emperor at any time. Even if they made a mistake, the Punishment Office could not punish them directly.

"In my opinion, the Li Family has been suppressing demons for many years and has slain countless demons. They have long harbored resentment among many Demons. Therefore, such precautions are not wrong."

The Commander remained with his head bowed as he spoke.

He Lian Boya sneered, "Are you saying that in Qing Prefecture, there are still demons and Demon that dare to invade? You dare to look down on the Li Family?"

"My lord, I think the Li Family's cautious approach is somewhat justified. Li Hao has now reached the Fifteen Li Realm and is capable of protecting himself. If he were to reach the Grandmaster in a few more years, he could travel the All Under Heaven without any further worries."

Another civil official stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Besides, Marquis Xingwu has just returned and has already spread the news throughout the All Under Heaven. He has no intention of deceiving His Majesty. It's just a trivial matter; why should Your Excellency take it so seriously?"

"Since it's a small matter, we shouldn't lie about it," He Lian Boya insisted.

The crowd secretly shook their heads, feeling that this marquis's attack was completely unreasonable, but they were used to it.

In recent years, apart from the time fourteen years ago when the Li Family Li Family True Dragon fell and the whole world grieved, the He Lian Family has not dared to utter a word when the Li family bestowed titles upon them. On other occasions, they have mostly chimed in with a few words.

Even when Marquis Xingwu returned triumphantly from Northern Yan, quelling the demon rebellion, defeating the Saint Palace, and making outstanding contributions, this Marquis of the He Lian Family argued for half the court about the protracted war and the serious depletion of supplies.

During the more than ten years of fighting in Northern Yan, many of the civil and military officials and generals close to the He Lian Family were finding fault with the situation from the rear, and some even made unrealistic proposals such as Marquis Xingwu Marshal.

But everyone knows that only the He Lian Family can say such things. If anyone else were to nitpick like that, they would have been labeled a treacherous minister and killed long ago.

The He Lian Family has countless merits to their name. You can say that their relationship with the Li Family is extremely bad, which is common knowledge, but you can't say that they are treacherous officials.

After all, the blood of the He Lian Family flowed far beyond the Frontier, enough to stain several cities red.

"Lord Boya is too hasty. Marquis Xingwu has made great contributions this time. Even if he caused trouble at such a critical juncture, he would not be punished, let alone for such a trivial matter..."

Many ministers Dark Dao to themselves.

At this moment, Yu Emperor on the Dragon Throne raised his hand, quelling the argument, and smiled as he said:

"Liu is right, it's just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning. This time, Marquis Xingwu has distinguished himself in battle, sacrificing his family to protect the Border Pass. His loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. Let's talk about the matter of Cangyu City."

Seeing that Yu Emperor had made his decision, He Lian Boya glanced at the civil official, snorted coldly, and said nothing more. He simply turned to look at the dragon pillars in the main hall, expressing his dissatisfaction, as if to say, "You two talk, I won't participate."

Everyone knew about this kind of thing; if the He Lian Family didn't get involved, fine, but if they did, they would definitely find fault. So they didn't pay much attention to it and started discussing it.

"Cangyu City was nearly destroyed. Yue Shuhong, carrying thorns on his back, pleaded guilty and has been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. His Confession of Guilt clearly. It is all thanks to that Young Master of the Li Family that Cangyu City was protected. Truly, a hero emerges from among the young!"

"Based on the number of demons slain, each one counted individually, he should rightfully be granted the First-Rank Zi-rank Noble."

"You have rendered meritorious service in defending the city, and the city's population is numerous. I believe you should be rewarded further..."

Many ministers began to discuss it.

In a forest Flying General City, Jing Province.

Dozens of meters thick trees collapsed rapidly, splitting apart like weeds on both sides. A Glaring-Eyed Tiger, leaped forward. On each side of its body, there were four huge eyes that gleamed with a ferocious and eerie red light.

But at this moment, several of them were stabbed in the eye, their eyes closed, and blood flowing continuously.

Suddenly, the tiger turned its head to look.

With a whoosh, a golden light streaked across the sky, and a figure radiating brilliant golden light, with a Buddhist wheel behind him, charged into the forest.

This Buddha-like Divine Soul had the face of a young man, his expression calm and devoid of Killing Aura, yet his attacks were incredibly ruthless.

"Roar!!"

The tiger roared furiously, shouting, "Li Family, I will never let you go, even if it means my death!!"

"Then you should just die!"

The young man's Divine Soul clapped his hands, and the violent Divine Power suppressed the tiger.

A demonic figure emerged from behind the tiger, but before it could rush out more than a few feet, it was suppressed by the golden palm of the Buddha Light.

"My children, avenge me! The Li Family of Qing Prefecture killed me!"

A furious roar echoed throughout the mountains and forests.

But it stopped abruptly. The Demon Soul dissipated, and the giant tiger's body couldn't stop. It rolled forward, crashing through more than a dozen large trees before finally coming to a stop. Half of its eyes were closed, and it was lifeless.

The amber pupils reflected the figure of a boy chasing after them from the forest behind, until the boy stopped and the sand under his feet splashed onto the tiger's eyes.

The boy glanced at it twice, then stomped on it several times, cracking its head before stopping.

"Slaying this Great Demon deserves First Class Merit..."

The boy muttered to himself.

He was none other than Li Qianfeng.

He bent down to cut off the tiger's head and was about to leave when suddenly a figure as small as a palm flew in from the sky, accompanied by a soft chirping Purple Sparrow, like an arrow.

The boy was slightly taken aback, then dropped the enormous tiger head and reached out to catch the Purple Sparrow.

This is the little demon bird raised by his mother. It is extremely good at flying. Its combat strength may not even reach the Circulation Realm, but even some Warrior in the Spirit Wandering Realm may not be able to catch up with it.

The Demon Race's cultivation progresses slowly, but they possess various Demon Race Divine Ability, just as the Human Race can cultivate rapidly.

The Purple Sparrow opened its beak and spat out a note that looked like oiled paper.

Li Qianfeng took a look at it, and his slightly puzzled and frowning expression immediately changed.

Fifteen Li Realm?

Li Hao? Who's that?

Uncle Seven's son?

Shock was evident in Li Qianfeng's eyes. The crucial point was that the creed stated the other party was only... fourteen years old!

Is he four years younger than me?

He only entered the Fifteen Li Realm at the age of seventeen, while the other party did so three years earlier!

Although these three years are nothing compared to the Heaven and Man Realm, they reveal a huge difference in their aptitude and talent.

Moreover, if Li Qianfeng remembered correctly, this speed of progress was even more impressive than that of Ninth Uncle!

The creed was instantly crushed into dust by two fingers.

Li Qianfeng's face was clouded with worry. Originally, his target was only Li Wushuang, but since the other party was at the Spirit Wandering Realm, he did not feel much pressure.

On the contrary, he kept some of his attention on his First Madam's son and daughter, his cousins.

There's also Third Madam's only daughter, her cousin who joined the army at fifteen and is now a female general.

However, they are older, and although they have achievements to show for it, the True Dragon values aptitude more. Among his peers, he should be the first to enter the Fifteen Li Realm at the age of seventeen!

But now... suddenly Li Hao appears.

A minor character he had never noticed before.

"It's impossible to achieve this quickly through self-cultivation. Even Ninth Uncle only reached the Fifteen Li Realm at the age of fifteen. Could it be that the older generation intervened..." Li Qianfeng frowned.

He recalled that the other party didn't seem to have studied under Famed Master; he had stayed at his family's residence.

This gave me the opportunity to meet the older generation of the Li Family.

But shouldn't the older generation of the Li Family be prohibited from influencing the younger generation before the True Dragon is confirmed? This would be biased!

"It seems we'll have to ask our ancestors to verify this when we go to the Ancestral Shrine. Also, should we inform our Master about this?"

Li Qianfeng glanced into the distance, a glint of light flashing in his gloomy eyes for a moment, but it was ultimately overshadowed by a hint of arrogance:

"Never mind."

He picked up the tiger's head and quickly returned to Flying General City.

"With this merit in my name, I'll go back and check on things ahead of time."

Qing Prefecture, inside the Divine General Residence.

After the family banquet ended, Mountains and Rivers Courtyard returned to tranquility from its hustle and bustle, but it was still much livelier than usual. From time to time, concubines and ladies from various courtyards came over to deliver gifts, leading their children to greet Li Hao, hoping to become acquainted with this Future Li Family True Dragon.

Among these Concubine-born Disciples, some were well-behaved and sensible, some were reserved and nervous, and some had already learned to flatter and fawn.

Gradually, they all got to know Li Hao, which made Li Hao realize the hardships these Concubine-born Disciples.

At the very least, he should feel embarrassed when his parents force him to flatter another teenager, but some kids have already mastered it.

This kind of thing seems to have nothing to do with maturity and experience. Some kids are more eloquent and persuasive than adults; it's purely a difference in personality and temperament.

Li Hao, on the other hand, has a somewhat laid-back personality and tends to take things as they come.

It's early morning again.

Li Hao was still fast asleep when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

He opened his eyes, scanned the room with his Divine Soul, and saw his father's beloved general Yu Xuan, standing outside the door.

He rolled over and said, "Are you making me practice martial arts again?"

Yu Xuan that day's events, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. He said, "Young Master, the Marshal wants you to wash up and go with him to pay respects to the Ancestor, and also to ask the Ancestor to decide on the matter of the True Dragon."

Li Hao raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, then sat up and called Qingzhi to quickly change her clothes.

Soon, after washing up, Li Hao pushed open the door, glanced at the young man, and said indifferently:

Let's go.

Yu Xuan knew that Li Hao was angry with him that day because of the painting, but he didn't care and gestured, "Please, young master."

After turning through the corridors, we arrived at the main hall of the courtyard.

Li Hao saw his father, who had already removed his armor and changed into white clothes. However, his father did not have the refined demeanor of his fifth uncle. It seemed that his father's face had a stern and majestic air, which was due to years of fighting.