The Name of Eternity.

Chapter 41: Surviving the Jianghu depends on

The fragrant and crispy aroma of cotton balls wafted over, and Li Hao could smell it from a distance. This was made by Uncle Liu himself.

Even though Uncle Liu is just a small vendor, he is an expert at making crispy fried food. The fact that he has been able to set up a stall on the most prosperous street outside the God's Mansion for many years shows just how good he is.

The fragrance was at the edge of the square. When Li Hao and Li Yuanzhao arrived, they saw that there were obviously fewer boys and girls here. They were all rushing towards the entrance stairs of Tan Gong Academy. However, there were still many figures stopping in front of various stalls. Judging from their clothes, they were obviously from other states.

It’s a rare trip to Qingzhou, so you can try the local food.

Li Hao saw a long queue in front of Uncle Liu's stall. Most of the people were women, and some servants dressed as servants came to line up to buy things for their masters.

Li Hao pulled Li Yuanzhao and waited in line at the back of the long queue.

"Brother Hao, haven't you had breakfast yet?"

Li Yuanzhao couldn't help but ask.

Li Hao nodded.

"Wait a minute, I'll buy it for you."

After Li Yuanzhao finished speaking, he immediately shouted to the front: "Uncle Liu, prepare two breakfasts for us!"

The voices were loud and clear, and the people queuing around looked over. When they saw the two men dressed in gorgeous, expensive clothes, they knew which wealthy family they were from.

Next to Uncle Liu at the stall, Aunt Liu was busy collecting money and entertaining guests. When she heard Li Yuanzhao's words, she looked up and found that it was Young Master Li Hao behind him. She smiled and agreed, and then gave instructions to Old Liu who was working hard:

"Master Hao from the God General's Mansion is here. Hurry up and make two servings for him."

Old Liu was stunned, and looked up in his busy schedule. When he saw the young man at the end, he couldn't help but grin on his wrinkled old face.

The powerful and wealthy have always looked down upon these peddlers and servants, the lowest of the lowest classes, with their eyes full of disdain and contempt.

But only this Young Master Hao treated them all equally without any reservations. Three years ago, he even sat on the ground in front of his stall and shouted to them about his products. That scene scared the couple a lot, but they were also flattered to the extreme. From then on, they remembered this peculiar young master from a famous family.

"You kid..."

Li Hao originally wanted to hold Li Yuanzhao and wait patiently, but when he saw Aunt Liu heard the shouting and smiled at him, he had no choice but to lead Li Yuanzhao forward and wait quietly on the other side of the stall.

Some servants and maids standing in line nearby kept looking at him but didn't dare to say anything.

However, the women who lined up in person had their faces drooped and cast hostile glances. Some said dissatisfiedly:

"Why can he just cut in line? This is not fair!"

"that is!"

"Boss, you are so unfair!"

Li Yuanzhao became anxious when he heard these accusations, and was about to reveal the identity and title of the Divine General's Mansion, but Li Hao held his chest and stopped him.

At this point, Li Hao had no choice but to come forward to solve the problem. He felt a little helpless, but he smiled at the chattering girls. He then took out a gold ingot from his bag and handed it to Uncle Liu's stall, saying in a gentle tone:
"Ladies, don't be angry. I gave you five times the price to be fair."

Aunt Liu panicked and hurriedly stuffed the gold back into Li Hao's hands: "Master Hao, we can't accept this!"

"No need to give me the change. Just consider it as all future payments." Li Hao smiled and pushed it back, but his gentle eyes left no room for doubt.

The small vendor was a well-travelled man with a good eye. Aunt Liu understood what was going on immediately and stopped shirking her responsibility.

Li Hao said, "Uncle Liu, please give me five servings."

"Oh, okay!" Uncle Liu agreed quickly.

My wife doesn't even bother to be humble, so I just do it myself.

The other girls in the queue were furious when they saw how rich Li Hao was. Even if a crispy bun cost five times as much, they could afford it, but they didn't want to be taken advantage of.

Soon, five servings of crispy cotton balls were obtained. Li Hao handed over a bag of Li Yuanzhao and returned to the crowd.

"There are so many, can you finish them, Brother Hao?"

Li Yuanzhao looked at the four bags in Li Hao's hand, took a bite of his own, and said, "It smells so good, no wonder Brother Hao likes it!"

Li Hao smiled and returned to the front of the carriage. Seeing Qingzhi and Li Fu standing at the back of the carriage, he handed them a bag respectively.

"Young Master, you haven't gone to the gate yet?" Li Fu took the breakfast and looked at Li Hao in surprise.

Li Hao said: "We have to fill our stomachs first."

"..." Li Fu was speechless, but having followed Li Hao for five or six years, he understood this kid's temperament and didn't say anything more. After all, the invitation was there.

Li Hao returned to the front of the vehicle and glanced at Ming Bo who was sitting on the board. Although the other party was from Piaoxue Courtyard, he was usually quite polite to him, so he handed him a portion.

"Thank you, Master Hao."

Mingbo quickly took it with both hands, stood up and thanked him.

Immediately, he expressed the same doubt as Li Fu and asked, "Master Hao, you... haven't gone to the gate yet?"

"Let's go after we finish eating." Li Hao said.

Li Ming was slightly speechless. Master Yun and Miss Zhining must have already entered the mountain gate, but this Master Hao was still wandering around at the foot of the mountain. Just like the rumors said, he was really leisurely...

……

After eating and drinking, Li Hao took the impatient Li Yuanzhao, squeezed through the crowd, and came to the stairs.

It is said to be a ladder, but in fact it is a long staircase.

I heard that there are a thousand floors leading to the entrance of Tan Gong Academy.

This is also the first test of Tan Palace Academy.

Climbing the thousand steps is not difficult, but at this moment, on the other side of the steps, close to the forest, there are figures moving one after another, and they are all monkey monsters.

Although they are monsters, they are all tamed by the Tan Palace Academy.

Those who challenge the ladder will be harassed and attacked by these ape monsters during the climbing process. If they cannot climb to the top within ten breaths despite the attacks of the ape monsters, it will be considered as a failure in the first level.

This test is no small feat. Just climbing up requires strength of the sixth or seventh level of Tongli Realm, not to mention having to avoid the ape monster that may attack at any time. This is even more of a test of one's eyesight and body skills.

"Miss, this test seems a bit difficult!"

In the crowd, a maid holding an umbrella spoke nervously to the girl in white beside her.

"It's not that difficult. It's just the first level of the test. It won't be difficult for me."

Si Xiaolan looked calm, but her eyes were scanning the crowd: "Compared to this kind of test, there are quite a few strong opponents among these people..."

With her excellent vision, she saw many nobles as she looked around.

Among these, some have higher status than their Si family, while some are slightly lower.

"Miss, the two people over there seem to be the young masters of the Qingzhou Divine General's Mansion." The maid stood on tiptoe and looked around, suddenly pointing to a place on the left.

Si Xiaolan looked up, recognized the sleeve patterns, and nodded slightly: "Yes." At this moment, when she looked, the two people were just about to register for entry.

Si Xiaolan's heart moved, and she immediately stepped forward to register together.

"So what about the Divine General's Mansion? I heard that the Li family are all real dragons. I want to see how much worse I am than them." Si Xiaolan thought to herself, with a gleam in her eyes and a hint of stubborn fighting spirit.

"Age, place of origin, name."

"Jizhou, Si family."

In front of the registration staff, Si Xiaolan only reported her family name. This first stage of registration was very casual. Sure enough, when the registration staff heard the word "Si family", he looked up at the girl and nodded immediately:

"Go ahead. You all know the rules, right? No matter what, just reach the top within ten breaths."

"Ten breaths? That's too long."

Next to him, another young man in fancy clothes said calmly.

Si Xiaolan took a look and after recognizing that it was a famous family from another state, her eyes brightened a little.

"Miss, they are all from famous families. Should we wait for the next batch..." The maid next to her was nervous and hesitant, pulling at the corner of the girl's clothes.

"What are you afraid of?"

Si Xiaolan's eyes sparkled: "To survive in the martial arts world, you don't rely on a reputation, but on real skills!"

After saying this, he told the maid to wait here obediently and followed the people in front of him into the venue.

She wanted to make a secret comparison.

"Get ready." An old man who seemed to be in meditation beside him raised his eyelids and said lightly.

Everyone was adjusting their breathing and moving their joints.

"Yuanzhao, come on." Li Hao encouraged Li Yuanzhao with a smile.

This kid insisted on passing this level on his own, and he had no choice.

"Ok!"

Li Yuanzhao nodded heavily.

The others looked at Li Hao and felt that what he said was a bit strange, but they didn't think much about it.

At this time, following the old man's order, more than ten people began to exert their strength at the same time!
call!
A strong wind suddenly blew up nearby, and Li Yuanzhao's figure was like a cannonball, suddenly shooting out, and a dent appeared on the spot.

Almost in the blink of an eye, he climbed up the hundred steps, then took another step, leading like a hurricane and quickly reaching the top!
It only took three breaths.

Li Hao knew that for Yuan Zhao, who had reached perfection in the Zhoutian realm, this was not yet a real effort.

The moment Si Xiaolan saw Li Yuanzhao's figure running out, her beautiful eyes shrank slightly, and then she suddenly burst out with strength, turning into a white light, and quickly chased after him, but was left behind in the blink of an eye.

On the way, the ape monster suddenly attacked, but she was prepared and dodged it like a butterfly, then took a few steps and rushed to the top.

She counted and it was seven breaths.

When she arrived, someone followed almost immediately.

After ten breaths, only seven out of the twelve people passed.

The people standing on the top of the mountain looked at the short, fat, and ugly guy with complicated expressions, and there was fear in their eyes.

The speed of Li Yuanzhao's previous explosion was too terrifying. The strong wind created by his body alone had the power of a tiger's roar.

Is this the demon from the God General's Mansion? The gap is too big.

Si Xiaolan's eyes were solemn as she kept looking at the fat boy who seemed to be one or two years younger than herself. She felt extremely uncomfortable and deeply frustrated in her heart.

At this time, someone noticed that out of the two people from the God General's Mansion, only one reached the top.

Someone looked back and was surprised to see a figure walking slowly towards them on the steps.

However, the surrounding ape monsters did not attack it.

"Brother Hao."

Li Yuanzhao turned around and waved hello.

Soon, Li Hao also walked up to the top floor and smiled at Li Yuanzhao.

"Did he pass?" someone asked in surprise.

"Ten breaths have already passed, right?"

Everyone was shocked and confused.

There was also an old man on the top of the mountain who was checking the candidates. After hearing what they were talking about, he said calmly, "You have all passed. Go to the second level. You will lose your life there. If you want to quit, you can give up. After all, there are other famous families who will accept disciples."

These words leave people speechless and also make them feel the other person's confidence.

"Does he pass too?" Si Xiaolan asked with a frown, pointing at Li Hao.

"Of course, he has an invitation." The old man said calmly.

"invitation?"

"Tan Gong Academy actually has an invitation?"

Everyone stared in astonishment, apparently it was the first time they heard of such a thing.

Everyone was scrambling to cross the river, but someone just rowed the boat? And the boat ticket was given by Tan Gong Academy himself!
Li Hao smiled at the righteous little girl in white. Wanting to tease her, he took out the invitation from his arms and shook it, then walked away.

Si Xiaolan was stunned for a moment, thinking about what she had said before, that to survive in the underworld one must rely on fists and feet...fists and feet are bullshit, one must rely on the support of others!
Thinking of Li Hao's showing off, she stomped her feet in anger, and then followed him with gritted teeth.

……

Soon, everyone arrived at the second level.

Not far from the top of the mountain, there is a cliff, and chains are nailed under the cliff, connecting to the other side.

The chains are spaced far apart from each other, which means that you can only step on one chain.

A thousand-foot cliff, walking alone on it?

Some people's faces changed slightly and they began to back out.

Si Xiaolan's eyes narrowed slightly, and cold sweat broke out on her palms. Then, she looked at the two noble figures in front of her.

We can't rely on invitations anymore here, right?
She sneered secretly in her heart.

(End of this chapter)