Dazzling brilliance [Fourth update]

"Free?"

"For example, you can no longer ask me to practice martial arts, nor can you interfere with what I do," Li Hao said.

Li Tiangang was speechless.

Only then did he realize Li Hao's usual habits: neglecting his duties and wasting his top talent.

This is something he absolutely cannot tolerate.

But... you just promised Li Hao, and now you're going back on your word?

He hesitated for a moment, then Dark Dao, "With Hao'er's talent, even if he doesn't cultivate for the time being and continues to live his previous life, it won't have much of an impact."

When he becomes True Dragon in the future, inherits the family business, feels the heavy burden on his shoulders, and senses the countless soldiers eagerly awaiting his arrival, placing all their lives and hopes in him, perhaps then he will wholeheartedly devote himself to cultivation.

Thinking of all this, Li Tiangang nodded to Li Hao and said with a smile, "Alright, I agree!"

"Real?"

"Real!"

Li Hao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

Judging from the father's strictness, he is probably the most rigid in the Li Family, much stricter than any of the other women in the First Madam. Without revealing his Panel, it's really hard to understand why.

He didn't deliberately show off his strength back then, partly because he was afraid that the First Madam would push themselves to cultivate more if they thought they had more talent.

It's like someone who's good at making money, earning millions in no time, but you see them lying there playing games.

This is outrageous!

My situation is special; although I can make millions in a minute, it's really just like playing a game. And I can't say it, because if I did, no one would understand.

"Then I'll go find Fifth Master to Chess with later."

Li Hao said.

I've been staying at the Sandalwood Palace for a while, plus I've been training in Cangyu City.

It's been a long time since I've seen him; the old man must be quite lonely.

Li Tiangang's eyelids twitched, and he remained silent, only saying, "You may go, but you must not disturb the Heroic Soul of our ancestors."

"Don't worry, I have experience."

Li Hao's words nearly made Li Tiangang choke.

Seeing that Li Hao was about to leave, Li Tiangang immediately said:

"Wait, I haven't finished telling you what happened earlier. The final decision will True Dragon Selection in two months. You need to prepare well during this time. I asked your Uncle Yu Xuan to inquire about your biggest competitor, and it seems to be your second sister-in-law's child."

Upon hearing Liu Yuerong, a cold glint flashed in Li Hao's eyes.

He looked at his father, thinking of the Poison Pill, and hesitated, but held back.

If he were to tell his father now, it would surely alert the enemy, and he was unsure of his father's methods.

Besides being a marquis and a general, Li Tiangang was also the Minister of Justice, in charge of the Great Yu Criminal Law Division. Therefore, his Personal Guards guard was also known as the Fa Character Battalion, and he himself was granted the title of "Marquis Xingwu"!

However, that woman held the Merit and Fame Imperial Order Lady, and was of the First-rank State Madam. Even if the Ministry of Justice wanted to deal with her, it could only temporarily detain her and had to report to the imperial court and make multiple declarations.

If we were to capture him, it would surely alarm his son. He would be so frightened that he wouldn't dare to return to participate in the True Dragon Contest, and would instead retreat to that Boundless Mountain. That would be a real problem to deal with.

Moreover, this possibility is extremely high.

In Li Hao's view, his Fifteen Li Realm information had already been exposed, so there should be no suspense Heavenly Talent. The other party's chances of competing for the True Dragon were not great, so it was better to take a step back and preserve his own.

But this was not the outcome he wanted.

Once the enemy retreats to Boundless Mountain, they will truly be helpless against them.

After all, the other party was a disciple of that Buddha Master back then, and was his Personal Disciple!

Over the years, Li Hao has also conducted a great deal of detailed research on Boundless Mountain.

The Great Yu Dynasty had Three Top-Tier Powers.

The first is Qian Dao Palace, the second is Boundless Mountain, and the third is Hanlin Academy.

The number one power is undisputed, because it has the strongest person in the Great Yu, Yu the True Person, in charge.

The second Boundless Mountain is presided over by the Boundless Buddha, second only to the True Person.

The third is the Hanlin Academy, which is full of scholars, Grand Preceptor, but has no martial arts skills. However, behind it is the imperial court and the mysterious and All Under Heaven Yu Emperor.

The scholars of this world do not possess the power to eloquently attack with their writings; they merely possess written rules and regulations. Yet, these documents are the Principle and the rules!

Even a first- Sect wouldn't dare utter a sound if their property was confiscated with a single document.

Rebellion?

Soon the Army at the Borders. At that time, not only will they confiscate your property, but they'll even break the yolks of your eggs.

Therefore, although the Hanlin Academy had no military force, no one dared to provoke it. The power of Laws was equal to that of military force. By using Martial Dao to uphold the Literary Dao, the Great Yu was able to live in peace for thousands of years.

Otherwise, if Warrior arbitrarily abuse and kill civil officials, and disregard the system with force, and this country is ruled by Martial Arts Compendium, it will surely be a disaster, with the people already suffering and on the verge of Destruction.

Below these Three Top-Tier Powers are the Five Divine General Residences, which are considered semi-top-tier.

Next are the various departments of the imperial court, such as the Demon Suppression Division and the Mo River Division.

They were all established by the imperial court. Not to mention their military strength, their status was undeniable, and no one dared to offend them casually. Otherwise, their armies would sweep across the land, and no one could stop them.

Only after these come the top-tier martial arts forces like Sword Hermitage and Thousand Machines Mountain.

If the Buddha Master of Boundless Mountain were to protect his Personal Disciple, even the status of the Divine General Residence would be difficult to shake.

Besides, if we really look at it, Liu Yuerong's child wasn't involved and is therefore innocent.

But in Li Hao's eyes, the other party had benefited from his mother's kindness and enjoyed the advantages she brought, so naturally he should repay her in kind.

When Liu Yuerong poisoned him back then, frankly speaking, there was no grudge between them; her main purpose was to pave the way for her own child.

Li Hao's goal was not merely to seize the True Dragon Seat, but to make Liu Yuerong witness firsthand how he had ruined her child's future!

That Poison Pill I swallowed thirteen years ago.

Its fierce and cruel toxicity will truly erupt thirteen years later!

At this moment, Li Tiangang continued speaking:

"Apart from the second sister-in-law's child, the children of the Eldest Sister-in-Law and third sisters-in-law also have a chance to compete, but the third sister-in-law's family is a daughter, and it is said that she met her lover in the army and is already married. Therefore, the married-out daughter automatically withdraws from the True Dragon Seat."

"As for Eldest Sister-in-Law two children, they are already over thirty. They have made great achievements and hold the rank of general in the army. They are quite competitive if it comes to competing with you. However, in terms of Heavenly Talent, they are still a notch below your and your second sister-in-law's children."

"Besides, my Eldest Sister-in-Law said years ago that she wouldn't let her children participate in the True Dragon Contest, and I trust Eldest Sister-in-Law on that point."

Li Hao nodded; he was aware of these matters as well.

"That child, Qian Feng Heavenly Talent, may not be as talented as you, but he is a disciple of the Buddha Master and has cultivated his mind and body by the Buddha Master's side, so his temperament is naturally up to par. I heard that he is now at the Fifteen Li Realm, having reached it at the age of seventeen. If we disregard you, his Heavenly Talent is quite remarkable."

Li Tiangang said.

He himself reached the Fifteen Li Realm around this time, then became Grandmaster at nineteen, and entered the Three Immortalities- three.

This is already quite Prodigy, far surpassing even the top geniuses.

Of course, the premise is not to compare yourself to that guy, Ninth Brother.

"Their connections, even with the Buddha Master's involvement, are no less impressive. Another advantage is their official rank and Merit and Fame."

Li Tiangang said to Li Hao, "I've already inquired. The other party has already gone down the mountain but hasn't returned. He must be accumulating Merit and Fame, which is a plus."

"Since you've spent most of your time in the manor without any Merit and Fame or title, it will be slightly less of a problem, but it won't matter. In the next two months, I plan to send you to the Frontier to behead Great Demon, which will also earn you some Merit and Fame."

Upon hearing about the Merit and Fame, Li Hao smiled slightly.

Li Fu, standing next to him, couldn't help but chuckle.

Li Tiangang noticed their strange expressions and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"

Li Hao remained silent, but Li Fu respectfully said, "My lord, the young master's Merit and Fame must be quite high."

"Um?"

Li Tiangang and Yu Xuan both looked at him, their faces showing confusion.

Li Fu smiled broadly and said, "Lord Marquis, do you still remember how I learned about Young Master's cultivation level? It was when Cangyu City was attacked by Demon Calamity that Young Master single-handedly saved the entire city!"

Upon hearing his words, both Li Tiangang and Yu Xuan were stunned and somewhat taken aback.

They looked at Li Hao. Saving the entire city? That's a tremendous achievement!

For them, who had been fighting for many years, the process of reckoning with their achievements was all too familiar.

"Hao'er, how could you..."

Li Tiangang looked at Li Hao with utter astonishment, his eyes revealing excitement and joy, and his affection for this son greatly increased.

I thought Li Hao was just a carefree person who only played around, but who would have thought he would quietly build such a successful career!

Yu Xuan looked at Li Hao with admiration, his eyes showing appreciation. Saving people from Water and Fire was already a great achievement!

"The news of the young master's meritorious service and rewards should reach Qing Prefecture soon," Li Fu said with a smile, clearly looking forward to it.

"Okay, okay!"

Li Tiangang said "good" three times in a row and then burst into laughter.

"In that case, the True Dragon Position is a sure thing!"

Li Tiangang was completely relieved.

With Heavenly Talent -notch talent and immense achievements, even if Li Hao's temperament is somewhat undisciplined and not at its peak, the fact that he could accomplish such a great feat shows that he is not lacking in other aspects, and that is enough.

Such a gap is difficult to bridge.

Even if the second sister-in-law's child were to make a name for himself, it would be difficult for him to have such an opportunity to achieve success in just two months.

Making meritorious contributions isn't something that happens overnight. Even if one were to achieve merit on the Border Battlefield, the Li Family's Frontier, except for Northern Yan, were basically pacified and there was no trouble for the time being.

Going to other Frontier complicates matters.

Besides, making meritorious contributions on the Frontier isn't easy. What is Fifteen Li Realm compared to the hundreds of thousands, even millions, of Demon Beast Tide?

Those who can command hundreds of thousands of Demons are mostly leaders at the Heaven and Man Grandmaster level.

Seeing his response, Li Hao said, "In that case, does that mean I'm no longer needed?"

Li Tiangang had just finished laughing when he heard these words and immediately felt helpless. This child hadn't been disciplined for many years and was really too idle.

"If you don't cultivate, what do you want to do?" Li Tiangang asked.

"Just do whatever comes to mind, like painting, playing the piano, or writing poetry," Li Hao said.

Li Tiangang's lips twitched; he didn't even look at any of these things.

If Li Hao had said that earlier, he probably would have refused everything, but remembering that he had just promised Li Hao, he could only hold back and sighed, "Fine, whatever you say. I promised you, and I will keep my word."

"Good."

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him say that. The other party didn't like what he was doing, but he didn't expect the other party to understand. He was just glad that the other party allowed it.

He immediately said goodbye and went to find Fifth Master to Chess.

Li Tiangang did not stop him any further and let Li Hao go.

After Li Hao left, Li Tiangang sighed to Xuan Yu, "I wonder when this child will truly grow up."

Li Fu smiled and said, "My lord, the young master is actually much smarter and more mature than other children his age. He went to see his Fifth Uncle not so that he could play by himself, but to keep his Fifth Uncle company."

Li Tiangang was taken aback, thinking of the lonely old man in the Ancestral Shrine and the solitary Go Board in front of him.

His expression shifted, and he fell silent.

Several days later.

Li Hao's rewards were indeed bestowed.

In recognition of Li Hao's meritorious service in defending the city and protecting millions of its inhabitants, he is hereby granted the Third-rank Bo-rank Noble!

Fief a city!

In addition, there were ten chests of jewelry and gold.

A set of Divine Weapon and Treasure Armor within the Fifteen Li Realm.

For soldiers and nobles, these valuables were merely an add-on.

Just like when Li Junye perished, the reward of the Yu Dragon Token and ten bushels of gold was merely an extra, not worth mentioning.

The real reward is the Yu Dragon Token, a get-out -Golden Token!

He was spared death Three Times with just three Yu Dragon Tokens, which shows how great his achievements were!

After the investiture ceremony, Li Hao received the Imperial Edict and rewards from the "top student" from the Imperial Palace and bowed in gratitude.

The news spread throughout the entire prefecture in an instant, and even beyond to Qing Prefecture.

The Young Master of the Li Family, at only fourteen years old, has been granted the title of Bo-rank Noble!

They also have their own Fief!

In addition, Li Hao's meritorious service in defending the city spread throughout the city and was constantly publicized, which amazed the people and made them exclaim that he was indeed a son of the Li Family!

Some people still vaguely remember the rumors that circulated about ten years ago, saying that the Young Master of the Li Family was Martial Dao Wasteland Physique. Now it seems that it was all a misunderstanding and a rumor back then.

Li Hao's name now resounds throughout Qing Prefecture and spreads to even more distant places!

Inside the mansion.

The ladies of the various courts were all stunned upon hearing the news.

He Jianlan was somewhat taken aback. Ever since Li Tiangang returned, one piece of news after another had come out of Li Hao, almost making her numb with shock.

Is this still the child she loved so dearly?

It was so dazzling that she could barely look at it.

"That child... he..."

In the Snowdrift Courtyard, Gao Qingqing was somewhat incredulous upon hearing the news. Thinking back to her advice to her child years ago, which advised the child to distance themselves from Li Hao, she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

Upon hearing this news, Li Xuanli, who was standing nearby, was overjoyed and exclaimed in admiration:

"As expected of the Seventh Brother's son, his demeanor is no less impressive than the ninth prince's back in his day! No, the ninth prince wasn't nearly as dazzling as him at fourteen!"

"Wow, the Seventh Brother is really good at having kids!"