Chapter 308: The Sword of Honor, Testing the Limits
When Emperor Yu personally greeted him, Jiang Ziyan and the others were surprised. They quickly realized that this must be the person Emperor Yu had previously mentioned.
Due to their status, they did not step forward to greet him but instead used their divine sense to observe.
On the other side, Daoist Master Qin of the Qiandao Palace also sent a telepathic message to Li Hao:
"General, the sword I forged for you is ready. When will you come to retrieve it?"
"I'll come by shortly," Li Hao responded.
"Very well, I await your arrival," Daoist Master Qin replied warmly before retracting his divine sense.
At this moment, Emperor Yu led Li Hao to the rear hall of the imperial palace.
Ren Qianqian followed closely beside Li Hao, feeling somewhat nervous. This was the imperial capital, and even though her father was a grandmaster, she had never witnessed such grandeur. Moreover, the elderly man before her, who appeared so gentle, was actually the emperor of the Dayu Dynasty.
"Your Majesty, have you found any trace of the little fox demon I mentioned before?" Li Hao inquired as they reached the rear hall.
Previously, he had asked Emperor Yu to help locate the white fox, but there had been no news so far.
Emperor Yu shook his head slightly. "I've had the Demon Suppression Division searching diligently, with the Minister personally overseeing the hunt. But we haven't found any leads yet. There's too little information to go on, and there are many fox demons. It may take some time."
Li Hao sighed. Where could that little creature have gone? Could it have fallen prey to another demon?
The thought furrowed his brow. "I would appreciate it if Your Majesty could continue the search."
"Fox demons are adept at hiding. I've spread the word through the Demon Suppression Division. Perhaps one day, it will reveal itself, knowing you're looking for it," Emperor Yu reassured him.
Li Hao nodded, then asked, "And the paintings and chess manuals…?"
Emperor Yu chuckled. "We've gathered quite a few. I'll take you to see them shortly."
"Good," Li Hao replied, curious about what unique attributes he might find this time.
At that moment, several figures approached—Jiang Ziyan and the others. They observed the young man seated across from Emperor Yu, conversing warmly. Their eyes flickered with surprise. Before they left for the Immortal Gate, no one outside of the royal family had ever dared to speak so casually with their father.
If they hadn't just returned from the Immortal Gate with increased cultivation, they might still be intimidated by Emperor Yu's authority.
Noticing Jiang Ziyan and his other children and royal relatives approaching, Emperor Yu introduced them to Li Hao.
Once Li Hao entered the Immortal Gate, with his talent, he would undoubtedly be accepted into a prestigious sect. They could support each other in the future.
"This is my daughter, Jiang Ziyan. Ziyan, this is the young man I've told you about, who saved our Dayu Dynasty and is now a benefactor of the Jiang family," Emperor Yu said. Although he didn't explicitly ask Jiang Ziyan to look after Li Hao, his gaze was serious.
Jiang Ziyan studied Li Hao. Although she was in the Dao Law Realm, she couldn't perceive Li Hao's aura at all. The only hint she had was the trace of Dao Comprehension Realm energy he had deliberately revealed earlier.
So young, and yet able to kill six Dao Law Realm cultivators while still training in the mortal world?
Jiang Ziyan found it hard to believe, but she knew her father wouldn't lie, nor would he be easily deceived. Additionally, she had visited Grandfather Qin in the past few days and learned about the battle.
In the Immortal Gate, she had seen many secret techniques and divine abilities. With the existence of martial arts in their most extreme form, it was indeed possible to defy the odds in battle.
Moreover, the young man before her was a reincarnation of a saint, so his methods must be extraordinary.
"General, thank you for aiding the Jiang family. I will remember this debt," Jiang Ziyan said softly. "In three days, the three great sects of the Yunxia Realm will come to recruit disciples. This time, they're mainly looking for those who have mastered the extreme limits of martial arts, as well as top prodigies. Since you were able to defeat Dao Law Realm cultivators, you must have mastered several martial arts to the extreme, right?"
Li Hao had already learned about this from Chu Jiuyue and simply nodded.
"If you have mastered one extreme martial art, you can be selected by the sects. If you've mastered three, you may be accepted by a Semi-Saint or even attract the attention of a full-fledged saint. If you've mastered four, you could become a direct disciple of a saint…"
Jiang Ziyan glanced at Li Hao. "If you have the chance to become a disciple of a Semi-Saint, I hope you'll choose my Yuan Shi Sect. Even in the Realm of the Saints, my sect is renowned and the most prestigious in the Yunxia Realm."
Li Hao's eyes flickered with interest, and he asked her more about the Realm of the Saints.
Jiang Ziyan didn't hold back and shared what she knew.
Li Hao finally realized just how vast the Realm of the Saints truly was, with its thirty-three small worlds and one hundred and eight holy sects. It was no wonder it was called the Realm of the Saints.
In the mortal world, saints were rare, but in that realm, they shone like blazing suns, illuminating countless dynasties.
However, even in the Realm of the Saints, it was difficult to meet a saint in person. Only those with unparalleled talent had a chance to see them.
Occasionally, when a saint preached, it would attract prodigies from all corners, becoming a grand event.
After a brief conversation, Jiang Ziyan and the others left to seek out some royal prodigies who might be willing and qualified to join the Immortal Gate.
Li Hao, on the other hand, followed Emperor Yu to the royal treasury to browse the collected paintings and chess manuals.
Additionally, Li Hao retrieved his crafted battle flags and presented them to Emperor Yu.
He had left ten of them at Tianmen Pass, which was more than sufficient.
Li Hao explained the power of the battle flags to Emperor Yu, who had already learned from the battle in Liangzhou that these flags contained powerful formations capable of immense destruction. Now, seeing Li Hao gift them to him, Emperor Yu was not only surprised but also curious.
"Where did you learn to make these?" Emperor Yu couldn't help but wonder if Li Hao was indeed a reincarnated saint, given his mastery of such extraordinary techniques.
"I figured it out on my own," Li Hao replied, unable to provide a more detailed explanation.
Emperor Yu chuckled and didn't press further, understanding that some things were best kept secret.
He stored the battle flags, feeling a bit emotional. According to Li Hao, the power of these flags might surpass even the talismans Jiang Ziyan had gifted him.
After all, the battle flags not only had great destructive power but could also be used in more ways than one.
Each flag held an intimidating presence.
"If Dayu ever faces another catastrophe, your flags will surely stand tall," Emperor Yu said softly.
Li Hao couldn't help but sigh inwardly—such words might jinx it.
Emperor Yu led Li Hao to the paintings and chess manuals and said, "These are all for you to choose from. I'm not much of a connoisseur, so if you need anything, just call for me. I have some matters to attend to."
Li Hao nodded, and Emperor Yu left, seemingly unconcerned about leaving an outsider like Li Hao alone in the royal treasury.
Once Emperor Yu was gone, Li Hao's gaze swept over the various paintings as he activated his interface and began scanning and collecting them.
Soon, a prompt appeared on his interface:
Detected famous painting "Roaring Earth Under the Moon." Would you like to collect it?
"Collect."
The painting vanished from sight as it was added to his collection.
Li Hao selected the "Roaring Earth Under the Moon" painting and integrated it into his Martial Arts of the Flesh.
Immediately, the painting's attribute appeared:
Roaring Earth Under the Moon: Attacks gain a penetration effect.
Li Hao was momentarily stunned. Penetration effect?
This was the first time he had encountered such an attribute, but it seemed powerful.
Could it allow his attacks to bypass the rough, tough bodies of dragonkin or even pierce through protective armor? Could it enable his strikes to penetrate the indestructible Dao force, allowing him to kill enemies more effectively?
Only practical experience would reveal the answers.
Li Hao continued collecting more paintings and chess manuals.
While not all of them were masterpieces worthy of collection, he still added over a dozen new entries to his collection.
…
Meanwhile, across the nineteen provinces, prodigies from all factions gathered in the capital.
The area outside the imperial palace was bustling, with prodigies from various families eagerly awaiting their chance.
"Do you think Brother Hao will enter the Immortal Gate this time?"
"Mother sent us to try our luck. I wonder if we'll succeed."
In a nearby tavern, several figures gathered. Among them were Li Wushuang and Li Yuanzhao.
So far, no selection criteria had been announced. They only knew that disciples were being recruited. Although they considered themselves among the best in the mortal world, even though they couldn't compare to someone like Li Hao, they were still top-tier.
If they could catch the attention of one of the holy sects in the Immortal Gate and cultivate under a saint, even hearing a saint preach once or twice would be immensely beneficial.
"It's a pity that Uncle Nine isn't here. With his talent, he would have been selected for sure," Li Yuanzhao sighed as he looked toward the imperial palace. Knowing that Li Hao would be there soon, he couldn't help but feel excited about seeing his older brother again.
Li Wushuang and her younger sister, Li Zhineng, were also present. Their cousin, Li Yun, who had slightly less talent, didn't join them.
"I've heard that the selection process will be extremely strict. We may not even make it," Li Wushuang remarked. Although she wished to enter the Immortal Gate, she wasn't overly fixated on it.
Apart from them, many other prodigies from the Divine General Mansions had also arrived. It wasn't just the younger generation; many older figures had come too. Although they were older, their long lifespans still offered hope.
During the last Immortal Gate recruitment a thousand years ago, it wasn't just the younger generation that was chosen—many seasoned powerhouses had also been accepted as disciples.
Compared to the Li family, other Divine General Mansions had far more descendants. After all, the demon invasion that had been planned for centuries had primarily targeted the Li family, trying to tear down one Divine General Mansion as a starting point.
As excitement built in the imperial capital, figures from the Great Wilderness emerged at the borders, swiftly heading toward the imperial city to participate in this grand event.
Meanwhile, after collecting the paintings and chess manuals, Li Hao made his way to Qiandao Palace.
Daoist Master Qin greeted him and handed over the sword he had forged.
The sword was pitch black, heavy, and dull, without the radiant essence of a Saint Heart Treasure. It felt lifeless, but it was heavy and sharp enough.
Holding the sword, Li Hao felt as if he were gripping a mountain.
Had his physical strength not reached nine hundred thousand catties after his breakthrough to the Dao Comprehension Realm, he might have struggled to wield it easily.
"A sword weighing a million catties—its heft is sufficient."
Li Hao tested the sword's weight, finding it quite comfortable.
Despite the sword's enormous weight, he could wield it effortlessly, even standing on a willow leaf without bending it.
"What name would the General like to give this sword?" Daoist Master Qin asked with a smile.
Li Hao pondered for a moment before replying, "Since it was forged from the Dao Palace, let's call it Gongming, after honor and merit."
"Gongming…"
Daoist Master Qin considered it and nodded. "It's a fitting name for such a sharp blade."
Li Hao sheathed the Dao Sword, "Gongming," and returned to the imperial palace, where he played two games of chess with Emperor Yu.
At Emperor Yu's strong recommendation, Li Hao agreed to enter the Immortal Gate. After all, Feng Lao was waiting there for a reunion, and he still needed to deal with that Saint's disciple.
"I'll return after I kill him," Li Hao told Emperor Yu.
Emperor Yu smiled wryly. "I hope you achieve sainthood while you're there."
"I'll do my best," Li Hao replied.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. As the morning light shone upon the imperial palace, the energy in the air suddenly began to stir, boiling like water.
Then, a golden light appeared, gradually opening and revealing endless rays of divine light.
In that moment, the magnificent Immortal Gate opened.
The awe-inspiring aura that emanated from it stirred every powerful figure in the imperial capital, their gazes all turning toward the sky above the imperial palace.