While Wang Hao was struggling in his match, Li Derong's bout was relatively effortless—she won after barely half an incense stick's worth of time.
On stage, she glanced in Wang Hao's direction and asked,
"Is an hour enough for you to recover?"
Even with restorative pills, Wang Hao had only regained half his mana—and even if he'd been at full strength, he had no more talismans left to use. So he replied coolly,
"There's no need to continue. I admit I'm no match for the 'Fairy' and concede willingly."
Wang Hao didn't care for empty glory. The prizes for the top three were identical, so it made no sense to fight for first place. Besides, a Sixth-Level Qi Refinement cultivator who had just beaten several Eighth–Level opponents would draw plenty of attention. Winning again would only invite more covetous stares—after all, "a tree that stands out in the forest is first to be struck by the wind." In truth, Wang Hao simply knew he couldn't win Li Derong's match and didn't want to take unnecessary punishment!
Everyone had witnessed both fighters' strengths, and with Wang Hao's concession, no one objected. Li Derong, however, looked slightly dissatisfied—as though she would only be content if she'd beaten him herself. Her almond-shaped eyes gleamed as she said,
"I'll spare you today—but once you reach Advanced Qi Refinement, we'll have another duel!"
Back among the Wang clan disciples, Wang Hao noticed that the gazes cast his way had shifted—many now looked at him with admiration. Yet cultivators, proud by nature, rarely approached immediately to flatter or strike up shallow conversation. Wang Hao, who disliked fuss, found this rather convenient—no more empty chatter to endure.
Still, Wang Wenmei and Wang Wenzhi—closest to him—came forward to congratulate him. Both were of similar age and cultivation level but had fallen in the third round. Compared to him, their combat power was far weaker. Wang Wenmei couldn't help asking,
"Fifth Brother, how did you train those spells? They're so powerful!"
Others gathered to listen—after all, no one ever thought they could have too much cultivation experience.
"Oh, it's nothing special," Wang Hao said, allowing himself a small flourish. "Three years ago I began training spells—two sessions a day, depleting my mana each time before stopping. If you all persist like that for three years, you'll naturally reach mastery too!"
"That… if we train two sessions a day, I fear we'll have little time left for cultivation!" Wang Wenmei fretted. With her triple roots, she still hoped to reach Foundation Establishment and couldn't afford to waste hours on spells.
Wang Hao tilted his chin upward and spoke in a deep tone,
"Since I turned eighteen, I've slept only two hours a day—the rest devoted entirely to cultivation. There are no shortcuts; only diligence. Have any of you ever seen Qingniu Town at the Yin hour (3–5 a.m.)?"
"Fifth Brother? If we work that hard, can we really become as strong as you? But cultivation depends on aptitude, right?" piped a young girl with braided hair and big, sparkling eyes.
Wang Hao thought, "How innocent!" Beyond diligence and aptitude, the key factor was resources—given unlimited resources, even a pig could reach Foundation Establishment!
"This is Fifteenth Sister, Wang Wenzhu," Wang Wenmei introduced.
Wang Hao sighed and said,
"I used to think the same—that someone with four or five spiritual roots, no matter how hard they tried, could never reach Foundation. But how do you know it won't work if you don't try?"
"I won't even speak of myself—I'm only at Sixth-Level Qi Refinement, far from Foundation. Let me tell you about Senior Han. He also had mediocre aptitude—only four roots—but never gave up. From youth he vowed to seek longevity…"
Wang Hao briefly recounted the story of Old Demon Han and concluded,
"Senior Han proved by his deeds that poor aptitude doesn't equal low achievement. Beyond talent and resources, the most important thing in cultivation is the heart of the Dao!"
"Fifth Brother, what is the heart of the Dao?" the little girl asked, eyes wide—though she only half understood.
"You can think of the heart of the Dao as your reason for cultivating. Once you grasp that purpose, you have your Dao-heart. With it as your goal and guide, your will strengthens—and the cultivation path naturally smooths out!"
Wang Hao confessed he didn't truly understand the Dao-heart, but that didn't stop him from speaking with confidence. Everyone loves a bit of "soul-nourishing chicken soup," so why not?
"So, Fifth Brother, what is your Dao-heart?"
Wang Hao turned his back, slightly embarrassed. He'd spent these years cultivating quietly and had never deeply reflected on his motive. But having boasted, he couldn't back down—and fortunately, he was good at improvising.
"I often read biographies in Qingniu Town and learned that we inhabit only a small corner of the South Sea Realm, and the South Sea Realm is just a sliver of this world. Great sects and millennia-old clans aren't even found in our Sea—…"
"So your Dao-heart is to lead our Wang clan into becoming a thousand-year family?" Wang Wenzhu exclaimed, awe in her voice—her admiration growing.
"Uh, ahem, cof, cof…" Wang Hao couldn't help coughing.
"Fifth Brother, you're incredible!"
Meanwhile, Wang Longyou sighed to Wang Yanzhao:
"Yanzhao, it seems Wenhao holds no grudges against the clan and gets along well with his peers. It's we elders who have been petty."
Wang Hao's generation shared the "Wen" character—becoming known as Wang Wenhao. Colleagues and even some elders sometimes called him "Wenhao."
Wang Yanzhao could hardly believe it, yet his son's stellar performance and lack of trouble over the years left him no choice but to accept it. As a father, he couldn't belittle him, so he replied:
"Wenhao endured much hardship in childhood; some resentment was inevitable. But in recent years he's worked tirelessly—studying alchemy and even selling his surplus to the clan. Just as Sixth Uncle said—but he still has a certain airs about him."
"That's no harm. Young people need that drive. His Dao-heart is firm, his combat skill superb, and his conduct blameless. Plus, he knows alchemy. Making him manager of the Qingniu Town shop truly is the best choice. Don't worry about the elders' meeting—I'll explain everything myself!"
"Then your nephew thanks Sixth Uncle on his behalf!" Wang Yanzhao bowed.
"We're all family, and Wenhao has talent. How could we waste his ability over old grievances? That would be a great loss for the clan!"
Across the plaza, Li Derong, Li Dexi, and Li Qinxin—whom Wang Hao had defeated in the first round—were discussing him.
"Aunt, is that really your son? Then he'd be my cousin?" Li Qinxin asked, tugging at Dexi's sleeve.
Li Derong shot her a glare:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Your Aunt Dexi only married into the Wang clan a little over ten years ago. He's over twenty—how could he be her son?"
Li Dexi shook her head:
"Derong, Xin'er is right. He is indeed Yanzhao's son."
"So he is my cousin! He embarrassed me so badly in the arena… Auntie, will you punish him?" Li Qinxin pouted.
"How could I punish him?" Li Derong said. Though she disliked Wang Hao personally, she'd heard his story and realized that, without family support, he had nonetheless defeated the top youths of multiple clans. If he was a "good-for-nothing," what did that make all those other young masters?