The sun shone down on the courtyard, and the sparkling water droplets made the grass appear even greener.
Li Hao's four-room house looked like a refined three-star courtyard, complete with polished stone seating.
Inside the house, in Li Hao's bedroom,
the little girl woke from her sleep. Her expression remained blank, and every movement of hers was unpredictable.
She walked out of her room and made her way to Li Hao's cultivation chamber. Reaching the door, she gently pushed it open and peeked inside.
In the center of the room was Li Hao's soft cushion, used to make his sitting posture more comfortable—but his figure was nowhere to be seen.
She opened the door fully and scanned the room. Still no sign of him. After thinking for a moment, she turned and headed outside.
At the main door that led out into the courtyard, she slowly opened it, sunlight spilling into the dim room.
She shielded her eyes under her sleeve as she stepped outside. But before she could leave, Li Hao's figure appeared from afar.
He walked through the forest, raindrops falling gently around him like a scene from a celestial realm. His presence shifted the entire atmosphere of the stone steps, making it feel ethereal.
On his shoulder rested a black-and-white beast, with horns growing from its skull that curved out of its cranium.
As Li Hao came closer, the beast became clearly visible—a Black-Tusked Tiger: a tiger-type beast with a white body, thick black stripes, and a heavily muscled upper body. From its skull protruded two black horns that curved toward its mouth.
Its body size was about two-thirds the height of a full-grown adult, yet it weighed nearly twice as much.
But the one Li Hao carried was only an apprentice beast, with the strength of a Fifth Level, First Turn cultivator.
Its strength could rival that of an early-stage, first-rate martial artist, and it weighed 1,140 kilograms.
This was due to the nature of cultivation: the higher the realm, the stronger the body, and the greater the density of muscle and bone—resulting in abnormal weight.
However, due to the lean physiques of cultivators, this effect was usually unnoticed. Only weaker beasts, lacking refined strength, made this contrast more apparent.
As Li Hao entered the courtyard, the little girl's legs trembled slightly. The beast's internal Qi still radiated an intense bloodlust.
Even though it was dead, the killing intent it had accumulated throughout its life still lingered strongly.
Li Hao tossed the beast's body down without a second thought. To him, the killing aura was meaningless. His strength was too overwhelming to be affected.
Even if he could feel it—so what? Such weak intent couldn't even stir the edge of his feet. The gap between him and this beast was astronomical.
Li Hao raised two fingers, sword qi gathering as his intent focused on slicing a chunk of meat from the beast's body.
WHOOSH
His fingers moved sharply as he slashed off one of its legs. Catching the meat before it could hit the ground, he turned and walked back into the house without saying a word.
The little girl stared at the beast's corpse, then quickly followed him inside.
The lingering intent from the tiger had felt like a mountain of horror to her—a monstrous pressure that still loomed in the air, despite its lifeless body.
Inside, she saw that Li Hao had started a fire. One might assume this world was underdeveloped due to its era of immortality.
But that wasn't true at all. This was a highly advanced world—just not in terms of technology.
If it were to clash with a technologically advanced world, it would still come out victorious. This was due to the world's high levels of spiritual and intellectual development.
On the stove burned a small flame formation, which ignited steadily. Li Hao placed a pan over it, adding the meat along with fresh oil and water.
As he waited for the meat to reach its proper stage, he began preparing additional ingredients.
The water came to a boil, steam rising steadily. After a short while, the meat reached the optimal texture.
He tossed in the ingredients one by one, splashing over the tender meat. Then, lifting the leg with two fingers, he sliced it into small pieces and placed them back into the pot.
He covered it and waited another hour.
This long cooking time was necessary—the flesh of a beast was far tougher than one might think. Ordinary flames would take ages to cook it. Only extremely high-temperature fires could cook such meat in seconds.
Li Hao brought out two plates and poured the meat soup into them. He remained calm throughout the process, as though he had done this countless times.
His past life taking care of his grandmother had taught him everything he needed to know. All those cooking lessons culminated in this quiet moment.
Li Hao brought the plates to the table, placing them opposite each other.
He gestured for her to sit.
As they sat across from each other, the girl silently watched him eat. He ignored her gaze, calm and unbothered.
She took a small sip of the broth. The meat melted in her mouth, tender and rich in flavor. She began to eat quickly, savoring every bite.
After they finished, she relaxed. Her thoughts calmed, and her usual stillness returned.
She looked up and asked, "How may I address you, sir…?"
"Li Hao. My name is Li Hao," he replied. "And what may I call you?"
"Me? My name is Xian Ling… I want to ask something."
Her fingers twitched nervously.
"Ask away."
"Brother Hao… can you please teach me martial arts?" she asked softly, her voice firm but hopeful.
"No, I can't," Li Hao replied.
His voice was calm, his words falling into the moment like a stone in still water.
"I'm not a martial artist."