While they were talking, the gate of the villa was opened vigorously.
Hundreds of dignified warriors who wore the clothes of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect came out successively.
A middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, who looked like the manager of the villa was at the front of the crowd. His aura was calm and he looked unfathomable, who should be the great grandmaster superior in the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking villa mentioned by Li Lan. The crowd respectfully welcomed the arrival of the head and the other experts of the sect.
In the distance.
The warriors who had arrived after hearing the news tightly congested the road; everyone wanted to capture the presence of “Single-minded Sword King” Li Jianyi, a dominating expert in the Snow Province. Ding Hao was also very popular, and countless young boys and girls shouted Ding Hao’s name in the crowd.
Li Muyun and Liang Feixue were silent.
The youth who was in an absolute inferior position in their past confrontation had changed into a super genius that all the people from the Snow Province were crazy about. For them, though they were a little famous in the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect, if the scope was extended to the whole Snow Province, no one knew who they were… Distance had been gradually produced and it would become wider and wider.
“Is this junior brother Ding Hao?” said the middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, who was responsible for various affairs of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking villa. He approached and continued with a smile, “My name is Huang Xiong, you can just call me senior brother Huang.”
“Senior brother Huang,” Ding Hao saluted and said. The middle-aged man was a.s.signed to manage the villa in such an important place by the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect, so he definitely had skills of his own.
“Are you Ding Hao? You look normal. I thought you had three heads and six arms,” said an arrogant and clear female voice that was heard from the side. It was a pretty looking girl around thirteen to fourteen years old, wearing a red tight long skirt and having a sword hung at the waist. She directly looked Ding Hao up and down.
“Rong, you can’t be naughty,” Xing Xiong rebuked that girl with a straight face and said to Ding Hao with a bitter smile, “Don’t mind, junior brother Ding. This is my daughter Huang Rong. She has been spoiled since she was a child and does not know the etiquette. I apologize to you in her behalf.”
Huang Rong?
When Ding Hao heard that name for the first time, he almost spit. Fortunately, that was not Louis Cha’s martial arts world, and the arrogant girl before his eyes was not that quick-witted Rong. Ding Hao smiled and said, “Senior brother Huang, you are too serious.”
Huang Xiong rebuked his daughter with a few more words, and then he ordered his subordinates to clear the way. He himself led the way, taking everyone to the villa.
The banquet had been prepared to welcome all the people in the villa, but everyone was very tired after a long journey. Also, people who had practiced martial arts to a high realm, such as Li Jianyi, would not like to toast each other and be in a bustling scene, so they went back to their rooms and rested.
Ding Hao was a.s.signed to an ancient wood pavilion beside the Mirror Lake.
That ancient wood pavilion was called Strolling in the Moon Palace, which meant winning the first prize, strolling in the moon palace and catching the moon in the ninth heaven. That definitely expressed the wish that Ding Hao could win first place in the Sect Level Conference, which included an excellent implied meaning.
If he walked along the waterside pavilions, he could go deep into more than fifty meters of the Mirror Lake. The ancient wood pavilion was next to the swaying bamboo forest, and when he opened the window, he could have an overview of the Mirror Lake scenery. That was an excellent place for a silent practice. The treatment was even better than that of some sect elders. It showed that Huang Xiong, the princ.i.p.al of the villa, was very scheming. He did not dare to slight Ding Hao one bit, the rising star of the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect.
Though the food in the villa did not contain mighty energy as the one made in the Sword-hidden Peak did, it was more delicate and delicious. It was obvious that the food was carefully cooked by an invited skillful chef. It seduced Ding Hao to be greedy and have a big meal. After that, Ding Hao began to practice the Mind Essential to calm his spirit and divine awareness, as well as to relieve his tiredness from the journey.
At dusk, Ding Hao gradually woke up from his cultivation.
He had already practiced the Mighty Power Like a Prison, the fourth level of the Mind Essential, to the peak state. He only needed one step to enter the Body Sh.e.l.l in Fire.
Once he entered that realm, he could completely achieve the inner vision of his body. His body would be like a big oven to smelt all energy and transform into an energy beneficial to the body. Ding Hao didn’t even need to intentionally meditate to absorb heaven and earth energy. His body would automatically absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy all the time and smelt it for its own use. It could improve his const.i.tution and eliminate foreign matters. Even if Ding Hao was injured or his body was invaded by some heterogeneous genuine Qi, it could gradually care for injuries or genuine Qi.
It could be said that the Body Oven Realm could definitely be a realm that entered the house of the Mind Essential of the Invincible Fighting Method.
Ding Hao did not suffer from bottlenecks when he practiced saber and sword techniques, and he did not have tribulations when he promoted his strength. However, in the aspect of divine awareness’ practice, bottlenecks seemed to exist. Ding Hao tried several times that day, but he did not break through that thin film. There was still a little distance for him to enter the Body Oven Realm.
“The Invincible Fighting Method is an extremely outstanding set of martial arts, and its profoundness and wonders can’t be described by words. It is not easy for you to practice to this realm in one go. For ordinary people, they can’t have such achievements even if they practice for a hundred years. It’s expected to encounter several bottlenecks,” Saber Master suddenly said.
“Yes, the road of martial arts lies in intrepid diligence and forging ahead, but it also lies in the well-balanced tension and relaxation. Opportunities can be met but can’t be requested. You were too nervous when you practiced these days and acted a little bit impatiently. It may be better for you to go out and relax yourself,” Sword Master uncommonly advised as well.
Ding Hao practiced day and night those days. Even the two old monsters felt distressed when they saw it.
Common people just said that Ding Hao was a super genius with good luck, but no one knew how much he had paid for his strength and fame at the moment.
“Yes, it’s good to go out and have a look. Warriors have gathered around the Mirror Lake and it is said that the leading figures in the young generation of every sect have all come. It’s time to meet them,” Ding Hao nodded and said, and then he turned away from the Strolling in the Moon Palace Pavilion.
…
As the time of the Sect Level Conference got closer and closer, more and more warriors who came from different places gathered around the Mirror Lake.
After thousands of years of operation around the lake, the place had a small scale. It was like a middle-sized human settlement city, and the streets were packed with people. For many large business groups, that great event was a business opportunity that could not be missed. If they could have chances to meet some of the young talents of various sects, it would be a great harvest.
Ding Hao and Li Lan dressed up and secretly went to the street. They were in the crowd and curiously looked around.
Except for staying a period of time in Peaceful City, Ding Hao seldom went to human settlements. For Li Lan, he grew up in the Swordsmans.h.i.+p-seeking Sect and seldom went out. For the two atypical homebodies, the bustling scene in front of them was quite novel. Even Li Lan, who was usually fanatic for cleanliness was interested in it.
Since they had gone out to relax, Ding Hao completely let himself free and spent money buying many impractical gadgets. As long as he saw a food stall, he would go there and have a taste.