SWNOVELXO Chapter 133: Ten Years of Change
Although he had expected it, Zhao Li was still a bit disappointed to know that some people in the family were starting to go down a bad path.
Seeing the coldness flash in Zhao Li's eyes, Han Xiangyu sighed deeply and said nothing more. She was a little afraid that Zhao Li's relationship with the family members would sour, but she also knew Zhao Li's nature and that he would never compromise.
Seeing the worry on Han Xiangyu's face, Zhao Li also knew what she was concerned about and comforted her:
"Mother, don't worry, things haven't gotten that bad yet. Dealing with it early will save us from offending someone we shouldn't later and getting us involved."
Zhao Li had always known that there were many strong cultivators on the Dou Qi Continent, and it was possible that someone stronger than him, who hated evil, would appear at any time and destroy the Zhao Family.
Han Xiangyu also understood this principle and nodded, not wanting to say anything more, changing the subject:
"Li'er, what do you want to eat? Mother will make it for you!"
In the Zhao Family, she truly only cared about a few people, and she would absolutely stand by her son's side.
Zhao Li casually mentioned a simple and tasty dish, then urged Han Xiangyu, who was still asking questions, to go make it.
The sun had set for the most part, and the evening glow was fiery red, illuminating the world. Zhao Li faced the rosy clouds, looking at Han Xiangyu's departing back, feeling incredibly warm.
For a moment, the setting sun, the distant mountains, and the rosy clouds stretched the figure standing under the ancient tree very, very long.
...
In the evening, Zhao Lingxiao returned. He had indeed gone to show off to his childhood friend again.
After returning, when he saw Zhao Li, after the initial excitement, he forced himself to calm down. He just took the opportunity to insist on pulling Zhao Li to drink.
He had always been like this, always putting joy and care behind him.
Zhao Li cast an inquiring look at Han Xiangyu. He knew his father just had low family status.
Han Xiangyu smiled and didn't stop him.
Zhao Li was helpless. He knew his old man's alcohol tolerance; he was the typical case of someone who loved to drink but was bad at it.
But seeing his father happy, he still accompanied him and drank a few bowls, talking about his experiences over the years while drinking.
Zhao Lingxiao and Han Xiangyu listened quietly, without saying a word.
After three bowls, Zhao Li saw his father lying on the table, muttering drunken words:
"Little Li, your old man is a Dou Emperor! I can still look out for you in the future, don't go so far away anymore, it makes your mother worry all the time..."
Zhao Li was about to pick him up when he heard this and froze.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if his father was truly drunk or pretending.
But after just a moment's愣, he snapped back to reality, still picking up Zhao Lingxiao, chuckling softly, and then loudly muttered to himself:
"Ah, a genius like me, accidentally broke through several more times."
Zhao Lingxiao's eyelids trembled slightly, but he didn't move.
Zhao Li sent his father back to his room and returned to see Han Xiangyu tidying up the dishes. He stepped forward to help.
Han Xiangyu said to herself:
"You two are really something. What can't you just say directly? You're both putting on an act?"
Zhao Li's hands didn't stop, and he smiled:
"I didn't expect Father's alcohol tolerance to have improved a bit over the years. If it were before, he would have been truly drunk, and he wouldn't have had such thoughts. Mother, you rest, I'll do it."
"Go away..."
"Okay!"
...
The bright moon hung high, casting down silver light. On the pavilion in the small courtyard, Zhao Li sat on the roof, his thoughts drifting back to the past.
A gentle breeze blew. Zhao Li blinked, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, feeling refreshed and happy.
After ten years of absence, returning home, Zhao Li felt a long-lost peace in his heart.
Satisfaction rose in his heart:
"This is great!"
Family sitting around, the lamplight warm and inviting.
Ten years later, returning home again, Zhao Li found this kind of happiness so heartwarming.
He knew that he had been cultivating all along precisely so that this small happiness could last longer.
After a long time, the moonlight passed through Zhao Li's body. At some point, Zhao Li had already left the rooftop.
Gentle breeze, bright moon, tree shadows, and the chirping of insects filled the small courtyard.
The night passed without a word. The next morning, in the back mountain of the Zhao Family, Zhao Li sat cross-legged on a bluestone, his five hearts facing the sky.
His chest rose and fell with his breathing. Between his nostrils, Dou Qi circulated, almost forming a small storm. Gradually, Zhao Li's breathing weakened, and the lazy Dou Qi within a hundred-mile radius seemed to find an outlet, surging towards Zhao Li.
After a while, Zhao Li opened his eyes. In his dark eyes, a faint light flickered, like twinkling stars.
"Finally a Nine-Star Dou Venerate! From now on, I can also embark on the path of Nine Revolutions to Sainthood. I didn't expect it to take nearly a year to barely break through. Alas, who knows how much longer it will take to truly become a Dou Sheng."
Zhao Li sighed. After breaking through to Dou Venerate, he still spent nearly six years, with the help of pills, coupled with constant cultivation, and even the accumulation of insights from the long years in the conscious space, to reach Nine Star Dou Venerate. If calculated at this speed, Nine Revolutions to Sainthood would likely be a long endeavor.
"If I cultivate like this, even just accumulating energy will likely take decades. If I could find something containing immense energy and refine it, that should save a lot of time."
Upon breaking through, Zhao Li naturally understood the secret of Nine Revolutions to Sainthood: accumulating power and breaking through limits, with no fancy tricks involved.
He thought of Heavenly Flames. He hadn't cultivated the Flame Mantra, so he naturally didn't need the energy from Heavenly Flames for evolution. The energy accumulated by Heavenly Flames over countless years should be able to help him shorten this process.
He pondered, his brow furrowed:
"But without cultivating the Flame Mantra, I can probably only absorb two or three types of flames at most. That's like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water."
Having witnessed the growth of the Bone Chilling Flame, Zhao Li naturally knew that Heavenly Flames accumulated energy extremely slowly. The Bone Chilling Flame spent most of its life only at Half-Saint strength, and after being devoured, it took nearly ten thousand years to recover to barely Dou Venerate level.
Zhao Li snapped his fingers, and the Bone Chilling Flame appeared at his fingertip, looking somewhat enchanting under the sunlight.
At this moment, it was no different from a normal Heavenly Flame; even a Dou Venerate would need to handle it carefully. Zhao Li speculated that it had absorbed a lot of energy from that entity similar to the 'Heavenly Dao', replenishing its origin.
"The easily found flames I know of are just the Fallen Heart Flame and the Green Lotus Flame. Neither of their energies is as strong as the Bone Chilling Flame. As for the others, never mind whether I can find them, even if I did, how much energy they've accumulated is unknown. Forget it, I'll just cultivate diligently and stop thinking about shortcuts all day."
Looking at the flickering pale white flame on his fingertip, Zhao Li withdrew his thoughts and gave up on the idea of searching for Heavenly Flames.
Zhao Li stood up tall. Under the morning sun, his shadow gradually disappeared into the mountains.
At the Zhao Family, Zhao Li arrived at the academy he had once established.
It was clearly still early morning, but several people were already inside, ranging from five or six years old to over ten.
Zhao Li walked in and found a seat.
A few minutes later, a young man sat down beside him, casually tossing the folding fan in his hand onto the table and spreading his legs wide, sitting in a relaxed posture.
At this time, the Mister hadn't arrived yet. He looked at Zhao Li a few times, found him somewhat unfamiliar, and asked:
"Big brother, is this your first time at the academy? I don't think I've seen you before."
Those who could come to this academy were all direct descendants of the Zhao Family. He didn't believe outsiders could enter. Zhao Li didn't look much older than him, making it even more impossible for him to have that kind of ability.
Zhao Li didn't recognize him either, but seeing his face which bore some resemblance to Zhao Ze, he had a guess. He nodded:
"Yes, this is indeed my first time here since I returned."
Seeing this, Zhao Yannian's eyes lit up:
"You've been away? What's it like outside? Are there Sword Immortals who can illuminate fourteen prefectures with a single sword strike? Are there foxes that can transform into beauties?"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read 666+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------