Chapter 0739: Eldest Brother and Second Sister
When faced with the enthusiastic Li Jingtao, Li Luo felt a little embarra.s.sed. He wanted to break free from Jingtao's grasp, but the hug was simply too tight! As a result, he could only force a smile. "Nice to meet you, Eldest Brother. I'm Li Luo."
From a seniority point of view, he really was his Eldest Brother.
"Haha. You really are Third Uncle's son. You possess the same handsome and dashing looks. It's a pity Third Uncle wasn't my father... That way, I wouldn't have turned out like this." Li Jingtao eagerly patted Li Luo's shoulder.
The smile on Li Luo's face froze. Wasn't he asking for a beating from his own father?
"Li Jingtao, can you restrain yourself?" The young lady's voice icily rang out.
Li Fengyi's willow-like eyebrows frowned as she peered at the overly energetic Li Jingtao. “This brat is too much! How could you just hug and pat the shoulders of someone you've just met? That's just disgraceful.”
Hearing Li Fengyi's warning, Li Jingtao hurriedly retracted his hands, and even though he was supposed to be the Eldest Brother, it seemed he was a little afraid of his fierce and resolute Second Sister.
"Fengyi, weren't you here even earlier than me? Don't you idolize Third Uncle?" Li Jingtao grumbled.
Li Fengyi glared at Li Jingtao as she gritted her teeth. "Shut up. The one I idolize is Third Uncle and not his son!"
After which, she no longer bothered with him and instead stared at Li Luo, walking forward and seized him up more closely. "You do resemble Third Uncle. I'm Li Fengyi, and you can call me ‘Second Sister,’" She said coolly.
Li Luo smiled. "Li Luo greets Second Sister."
Looking at his calm expression without the slightest hint of panic despite being in the Dragon's Fang Lineage territory, admiration flashed through her eyes. He had come from an outer divine continent, a wasteland, and yet he stood proud and confident. Although she did not know how talented he truly was, the composure he possessed was expected from the child of her Third Uncle.
He was also quite good-looking. Being from the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, she had seen countless attractive youths, but this younger brother of hers was definitely amongst the best.
“Li Luo has clearly inherited his parents’ good looks.”
After hearing such a handsome youth call her ‘Second Sister,’ her heart couldn't help but feel a little more at ease, and a hint of delight blossomed. In the past, all she had was the average-looking Jingtao to look at, and she had grown sick of his face. Now that she finally had a younger brother, could she finally have someone she could bully at will? The next time she met those b.i.t.c.hes from the other four lineages, she would definitely drag this little brother along and brandish him around. Just wait... they would be so jealous that their drool might pool on the ground!
"Little brother, you must be tired from the long journey. Unfortunately, Grandpa and my father are currently waiting for you, so you will have to hold on a bit longer. There's no need to be too anxious. Everyone has been awaiting your return," Li Fengyi continued.
He nodded cheerfully.
"Let's go, Little Brother. Your Eldest Brother here will lead the way." Jingtao fervently pulled at Li Luo's arm and dragged him towards the stone steps.
Li Fengyi swept her gaze throughout the crowd before loudly scolding, "What are you looking at? This is my Third Uncle's son. His name is Li Luo and he is one of us. Whoever dares to make fun of him being from the outer divine continent will have me to deal with."
Her declaration drew some laughter, but the gazes that were focused on Li Luo turned away and the crowd gradually dispersed. However, there were still some whispers that could be heard.
"That's the Third Master's son?"
"He's handsome, he's got the same demeanor."
"So what if he's good-looking? This isn't a beauty pageant. Only talent and might matter. I heard that the outer divine continent's resources are spa.r.s.e and so cultivation is slow. Thus, I don't think Li Luo will be anything impressive."
"You don't know that..."
"Let's wait and see. We will definitely get a chance to see clearly. It's like the First Master said, everything in the Dragon's Fang Lineage must be obtained by our own hands. If he is merely average, being the Third Master's son doesn't matter."
Li Fengyi then turned towards Li Luo. "Little Brother, there are many people in the Dragon's Fang Lineage, and if anyone dares to bully you, just let me know."
Li Luo smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Second Sister. However, I have a slight request..."
"Speak."
"Could you address me as ‘Li Luo’ or ‘Little Luo,’ please? ‘Little Brother’ doesn't sound very good..."
Li Fengyi nodded in agreement. "Sure, Little Brother. Do you have any other suggestions, ‘Little Brother?’"
Li Luo was speechless.
"No..." He then shook his head and followed Jingtao with a hint of depression.
Li Fengyi followed right behind with a smirk on her face. Li Rouyun had similarly caught up, walking side by side with her as she lightly laughed. "What's up?"
She then grasped Li Rouyun's arm and whispered in a soft voice only the two could hear, "He's not bad! He's good-looking, and I hope his talent isn't bad. Despite wasting a period of time in the outer divine continents, he should still be able to catch up."
Li Rouyun thought of Li Luo's triple resonances and chuckled in her heart. This was talent that did not lose out to a ninth-grade resonance. Triple resonance users were rare even in the inner divine continents, and Li Luo's innate potential could not be doubted. Still, he was a step behind. Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi, for example, were only a year older than Li Luo, but they were already at the Fiend Body Tier.
The most important thing was the difference in age. When the two were the same age as Li Luo, Li Rouyun vaguely remembered that the two had just stepped into the Fiend Palace Tier. Comparatively, this meant that Li Luo could very well be better when compared to them, especially considering the fact that he came from the outer divine continent, where his resources were incomparably worse to the ones the duo had. Even so, he was not far behind, and this demonstrated his extraordinary potential.
Of course, cultivation was a gradual process of advancing to the next stage. Talent was a much broader concept as well. It would not be solely dependent on one's resonance grade, especially when it came to Duke Arts. The strength one could display would far surpa.s.s someone with a higher resonance grade if they could not utilize a similar art.
This was most obvious during the Holy Grail Meet, where Lan Lan, despite having a lower resonance grade, was able to suppress Gong Shenjun and the First Princess with his cultivated Three Kowtows of the Enlightened Sage despite their higher grade resonances.
Li Luo was eagerly dragged along by Li Jingtao up the stone steps as his cheap Eldest Brother constantly rambled on and on about how hard his life had been so far.
Listening to the droning sounds, Li Luo felt utterly helpless once again. His cheap Eldest Brother gave everyone an indolent impression, so why was he so talkative? However, his att.i.tude seemed genuine.
Clearly, Li Jingtao didn't harbor any sort of enmity towards him.
Li Fengyi was similarly so. In their short encounter, she had expressed some curiosity but was also quite kind.
This caused Li Luo to believe the words Li Rouyun had told him beforehand. The att.i.tude his uncles had towards him wasn't bad.
All of this caused Li Luo to heave a sigh of relief. He was here to cultivate, not to engage in some family feud.
A few minutes later, Li Luo reached the top of the stone steps and saw an ancient pavilion that seemed like an ancestral hall appear before him. It was surrounded by water on three sides, and a small, bluestone path surrounded by lush green shade led the way in.
The group arrived before the ancestral hall with Li Rouyun in the lead, respectfully announcing their presence. "Respected Father, I’ve brought the offspring of Taixuan back."
"You may enter." An old man's voice echoed out from within the ancestral hall, accompanied by a mountain-like tranquility. It was like an ancient dragon that was entrenched atop a mountain peak, able to command the elements as it seemed fit.
Li Rouyun pushed the large doors aside, and a ray of light extended along the crack that opened up.
Li Luo looked directly inside.
Numerous figures were seated in the ancestral hall, all possessing uncommon temperaments. The first individual that Li Luo set his eyes upon was sitting at the center. It was a hale and hearty gray-robed man whose eyes opened at this very instant.
His gaze was focused upon the youth who was bathed in sunlight at the door.
He was tall and slender, with a slightly immature face. However, his face reminded the old man of a familiar figure. At this moment, despite all of the worldly strength he held in his grasp, he still fell into a trance. An old memory surfaced within his thoughts.
It was as though he was being reminded of a younger Li Taixuan. He had similarly stood before them at this very door, revealing his brilliance coupled with his youthful, grinning face. He would then wave his hand and rudely call him an old man without the slightest remorse.
The old man couldn't help but stagger to his feet, a raspy voice sounding out. "Taixuan... you're finally back."