The Name of Eternals

Chapter 240: How Did You Cultivate Him?

"My son… is a prodigy of your clan?" Hearing Ji Yunyu's words, Li Tiangang was stunned, unable to process what this meant.

That child had become a Ji family prodigy? "Yes, your son escorted our Ji family's war god's spirit back and challenged all our clan's prodigies to see his mother. He defeated them all. His talent is unparalleled in history!" Ji Yunyu said, his eyes gleaming as he spoke of Li Hao.

The other Ji family members nearby, hearing Ji Yunyu talk about the young man, also showed expressions of respect.

Defeating all the prodigies—those four words were as difficult as reaching the sky, but that young man had done it, forging an invincible legend with the Three Immortals Realm! "He challenged all the Ji family prodigies?" Li Tiangang's heart trembled.

He had long heard from his wife about how outstanding the Ji family prodigies were, far surpassing those of the Great Yu Dynasty. Even the most ordinary one might be as exceptional as his ninth brother, or even more so.

"Didn't he offend any of you?" Li Tiangang asked cautiously.

Defeating a clan's prodigies would undoubtedly be a great humiliation. If not for seeing the smile on the other party's face while talking about it, he would have thought Li Hao had already been killed by the Ji family in their fury.

"Haha, you worry too much. Your son is polite and humble. How could he offend us?" Ji Yunyu laughed. "Besides, it's normal for young prodigies to be a bit spirited and proud. Every prodigy has a unique character. Without it, they would just be a lucky inheritor of their ancestors' talents."

Li Tiangang breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, "You are right, senior."

"This is your only son?" Ji Yunyu asked with a smile.

Li Tiangang quickly nodded, "Yes, he is my only son."

"You've raised him well," Ji Yunyu praised.

Li Tiangang felt a bit embarrassed, his cheeks heating up, not daring to meet Ji Yunyu's eyes.

Raised him well? When that child left home, his second uncle and eldest aunt had told Li Hao about his life in the Li family over the years.

Except for food and drink, the child had hardly used any of the Li family's cultivation resources. His wife and he had not accompanied him. How could he talk about raising him well?

"We've arrived. This is the Ji family," Ji Yunyu said.

Li Tiangang looked up, seeing the towering mountain gate and the long, extending steps.

The gate looked like it was forged from the bodies of a group of dragons, imposing and awe-inspiring.

Li Tiangang's eyes narrowed, immediately feeling the terrifying heritage of this ancient family, far more magnificent and powerful than their Divine General's Mansion.

News of Ji Leping's father's arrival had already reached the Ji family. As Li Tiangang followed Ji Yunyu up the mountain, many people came to watch from a distance, curious about the father of the Dao Seed.

Since Li Hao defeated all the prodigies, won the Dao Seed, and received the Saint Mark, his remarkable deeds had been the talk of the Ji family. Everyone was discussing this most powerful prodigy.

Talking about Li Hao inevitably led to discussing his mixed-blood status. People were highly curious about his father's family.

Many speculated that his mother might have secretly married into an ancient hidden family outside the Great Wilderness, and the combination of these bloodlines produced such a rare genius.

"That's Ji Leping's father?"

"A Four Li Realm, Reverse Fate Realm aura. His cultivation is decent but not as strong as imagined."

"He's said to come from outside the Great Wilderness, from a dynasty in Jiang's territory. That place is energy-poor. Reaching this level might already be considered a great talent."

Along the mountain path, many Ji family members watched from afar, whispering.

These murmurs inevitably reached Li Tiangang's ears, making him feel he was under intense scrutiny. These Ji family members seemed to be observing him because of Li Hao.

Thinking about Ji Yunyu's words about Li Hao defeating all the Ji family prodigies, Li Tiangang couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

He never doubted Li Hao's talent, but he didn't expect that even in this ancient family, Li Hao could lead and defeat his peers.

As they reached the mountain's belly, Ji Yunyu dismissed the entourage who had accompanied them to intimidate the Qin family and led only a few people, including Li Tiangang, toward the holy mountain's peak.

"Senior, are my son and Qing Qing up ahead?" Li Tiangang asked nervously as they ascended.

"Qing Qing is on Prison Island, imprisoned for her mistakes. But your son has redeemed her. By becoming the Dao Seed, he can pardon his mother. You will see them soon," Ji Yunyu said.

Li Tiangang was stunned. The child had already washed away his mother's sins? He suddenly recalled that day at the Divine General's Mansion when he angrily slapped that child.

His heart tightened.

Can I still make amends?

He gritted his teeth, silently resolving that no matter how the child blamed or questioned him when they met, he would accept it, hoping the child could forgive him.

Upon reaching the holy mountain's peak, many high-ranking Ji family members and elders were already waiting.

Hearing that Ji Leping's father was arriving, they had all come to give him a grand welcome.

Before, a man like him, marrying Ji Qing Qing, would have been executed on the spot for daring to come to the Ji family. But now, due to his son's accomplishments, they had to treat him with respect.

"These are the elders of our Ji family," Ji Yunyu introduced.

Li Tiangang's face changed slightly upon seeing these elders. Although most had restrained their auras, he could still sense that many were at his second uncle's level, with a few even more formidable, likely at the Taiping Daoist level! In the Great Yu Dynasty, these were comparable to Buddha Masters. Here, several had appeared one after another.

"Greetings, seniors," Li Tiangang bowed respectfully.

The elders didn't put on airs, courteously returning the greeting and exchanging pleasantries.

Li Tiangang felt surprised, facing their smiling, polite conversation, almost feeling overwhelmed.

His wife had told him about the Ji family's strict rules and potential wrath, but what he encountered now felt surreal.

From what he overheard and the elders' mentions of Ji Leping, Li Tiangang understood that it was all because of the child.

His arrival had smoothed everything over, solving all the problems.

Even in a place he dared not tread, the child had come, redeemed Qing Qing, and earned the Ji family's recognition for him!

During these exchanges, Li Tiangang's feelings grew more complex and indescribable.

His father's words echoed in his mind again.

That child is incredibly talented.

If I don't bring him back, I will die with regret! Now, these powerful Ji family members were all speaking highly of that child.

Li Tiangang felt a mix of guilt and confusion.

Had he been utterly wrong?

"You're Ji Leping's father?" a voice called out from the crowd, sounding very young.

Li Tiangang looked up, seeing a group of young figures standing aside, led by an extraordinary young man with a transcendent aura.

Li Tiangang was shaken, noticing the young man appeared only twenty-six or twenty-seven but had an aura not inferior to Ji Yunyu's.

Was this a Taiping Daoist?

"Who are you?" Li Tiangang cautiously asked.

"He's our Ji family's former strongest prodigy, Ji Xuan Shen!" an elder explained, smiling at the young prodigy and the others behind him. "He's twenty-six and already a Taiping Daoist. He's expected to become our Ji family's war god. The ones behind him are also our family's prodigies."

He turned to Li Tiangang, smiling, "But they were all defeated by your son."

Hearing the young man's age and cultivation, Li Tiangang was already deeply shocked. When he heard the elder's last sentence, his pupils shrank, and he stared at him in astonishment.

These were Ji family prodigies? Li Hao had defeated them all?

He had thought Li Hao might have beaten some prodigies, maybe in the Reverse Fate or Absolute Art Realm, but this young man was a Taiping Daoist! Even such a prodigy had lost to that child?

"Has your son recently broken through? You seem unaware of your son's strength," a joking elder said, seeing Li Tiangang's shocked expression.

The casual remark felt like a heavy blow, making Li Tiangang's ears ring.

Unaware…

It seemed so. If the child hadn't shown it himself in Qingzhou and Liangzhou, he really didn't know his cultivation level.

Li Tiangang's gaze grew complex, remaining silent, feeling his blood boil with mixed emotions, eager to see Li Hao.

Ji Xuan Shen observed the middle-aged man, his eyes calm.

"I'm here to know how you cultivated him. What resources and techniques did you provide?"

Seeing the young man's question, Li Tiangang's face changed. If not for the calm expression, he might have thought it was mockery.

He had no answer.

Ji Xuan Shen frowned slightly, "It's understandable if you can't say. But tell me, do you have Saints among your ancestors, or other bloodlines? How else could he defeat me with the Three Immortals Realm?"

"The Three Immortals Realm…" Li Tiangang wondered if he misheard. He thought the child had broken through to the Four Establishments Realm in this time, but he defeated the Taiping Daoist with the Three Immortals Realm?

"Hm?"

Ji Xuan Shen's gaze became doubtful. The man seemed shocked by everything, as if they were discussing a stranger.

But wasn't he the child's father? He asked directly, "Are you really his father?"

Li Tiangang snapped back, seeing the doubt in Ji Xuan Shen's eyes, his face burning with shame. He bowed his head,

"The child grew too fast. There are things I don't understand, but I am his father."

Ji Xuan Shen studied him, thinking it unlikely for a Four Establishments cultivator to come to the Ji family without good reason. He nodded, though disappointed.

It seemed even the boy's father didn't know his cultivation. Could it be pure talent?

He was reluctant to admit it, as it would be a huge blow to them.

Just talent, surpassing them who were nurtured by the Ji family's resources? That would mean his talent was crushingly superior. "Elders, where is my son now?" Li Tiangang asked, relieved as Ji Xuan Shen stepped back.

"Leping insisted on personally fetching his mother and went to Prison Island," Ji Yunqing said, arriving and speaking kindly to Li Tiangang.

Li Tiangang's face changed. Thinking of Li Hao and Qing Qing's fifteen-year separation, his son had chosen to follow his mother's surname over his own. He returned to the Li family and spent time with him.

But recalling those moments and the angry slap, his face turned grim. He hurriedly asked,

"I should go too. Senior, can you tell me where Prison Island is?"

"It's dangerous. Wait here," Ji Yunqing smiled, reassuring him.

Li Tiangang shook his head, bowing deeply, his eyes sincere and pleading,

"Please, let me see them. I owe them. I should have come to take responsibility, not a child. Let me do something for them!"

Everyone was surprised, exchanging looks.

Ji Yunqing, seeing his earnestness, thought for a moment and said,

"Very well. The Archaic Sea has calmed. Reuniting your family and returning together will be a joyous occasion."

Hearing "joyous occasion," Li Tiangang envisioned a warm, harmonious scene—a family reunion with laughter.

He felt an indescribable excitement, eager to see Li Hao and seek his forgiveness.

After years of war in the Northern Frontier, such a scene was what he had always hoped for. Now, back from the front lines, the battles and noise gone, he longed for this—a peaceful family life, with his wife and son.