[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity":3,"chapter-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-79":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Name That Echoes Through Eternity",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2282628,4466,"Chapter 79: Great Demon King","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-79",79,"\u003Cp>The Tan Palace Academy attracts talents from the Nineteen Provinces not only because of its instructors’ exceptional teaching, but also because of this supreme art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It is also the academy’s treasured treasure, never lightly passed on—but anyone who claims the top rank in the Tan Palace White Hall is naturally worthy to study it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I could learn this sword art along the way, that would be quite fine,” Li Hao admitted with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had indeed come for this supreme art, though not as the primary goal, as the other had assumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, if he truly needed it urgently, he could simply ask Grandpa Feng to secretly steal and copy a copy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Hao say this, Huang Lica’s lips curled into a smirk—he’d known it all along. This kid was a master of deception, nearly fooled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yufeng and the others exchanged glances, then smiled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Hao left the Tan Palace, Song Yufeng turned to the group and said, “Since he came for the Taiji Qiankun Sword Art, what do you all think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Li family did keep their word.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yun lightly stroked his beard and smiled. “Back then, the third young master of the Li family took a copy of the Taiji Qiankun Sword Art from us and swore he’d never teach it to a second person. I never thought he’d actually keep that promise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed. No wonder this kid came here,” an Elder nodded, clearly holding a favorable view of the Li family’s third young master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though that Li family third young master had once enraged the entire Tan Palace Academy when he climbed the mountain, time had passed—he had long since died fighting beyond the borders, and they had long since let go of their resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, it was said that before his death, that Li family third young master had used the Taiji Qiankun Sword Art to pierce through seventeen Great Demon Kings, striking fear into all demons—a moment when this supreme art shone brighter than ever, bringing honor to the Tan Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s only just enrolled. We can’t just hand it over so easily,” someone said, glancing at Song Yufeng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yufeng felt a flicker of thought but remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what? He’s at the Fifteen Li Realm—he could crush all the others in the White Hall with one hand. He’ll take the top rank whenever he wants. Are we supposed to step down and fight him ourselves?” Zhao Zongyuan grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You forgot our rule: one must study in the academy for three years before qualifying. Otherwise, the true dragons from the Divine Generals’ mansions would come and take it whenever they pleased,” the Elder said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True, but making him wait here three years for nothing? We have nothing to teach him. Wouldn’t that waste such a genius’s time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yun frowned slightly—he’d played chess and drunk wine with Li Hao, even eaten his barbecue, which had been absolutely exquisite. He couldn’t help but lean slightly in the boy’s favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The academy’s rules are the rules. We can’t make an exception for the Li family,” said a long-faced Elder, expression stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Lica said, “We’ve already broken the rules this time. Remember, we teach only geniuses—and geniuses must break conventions. If we bind them with rigid rules, that’s when real trouble begins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if we set this precedent, won’t all the Divine Generals’ geniuses come demanding the same?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Song Yufeng watched them argue, then said, “How about we give him two choices: teach here at the Tan Palace for one year, or become a registered instructor in our Black-and-White Hall. That way, the sword manual isn’t simply given away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the headmaster’s words, everyone fell silent, exchanging glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the headmaster truly understands cunning…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the Thousand-Foot Cliff of the Tan Palace, beside a deep pool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao passed by on his way down the mountain, saw the emerald pool, felt its quiet charm, and was moved. He immediately returned to the student quarters, fetched paper and brush, and came back to the pool’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set up his easel and began sketching beside the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system’s experience gain was surprisingly considerate: the growth in Painting Dao experience depended on the depth of meaning or cultivation level of what he painted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, copying a Great Demon would yield substantial experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So too would portraits of high-cultivation individuals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after repeatedly painting the same subject a certain number of times, experience gains would gradually diminish, requiring constant new subjects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Li Hao suspected that to truly enter the Spirit of Painting, one must abandon the pursuit of experience entirely and render a single subject to an extraordinary level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repetition—hundreds, thousands, ten thousand times—might one day produce true spiritual resonance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his Painting Dao experience was only at Stage Five, still far from the peak of Stage Six. He’d focus on filling that first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With ink and wash, Li Hao swiftly sketched towering, precipitous cliffs, then shifted his brush to trace the pool’s contours—a painting emerged on the paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He painted three more in succession; his Painting Dao experience rose each time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>+183, +145, +92…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the bottom of the pool, a massive black shadow lay coiled atop a stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, it opened its eyes, sensing a strange feeling of being watched—it disturbed its rest, and it was displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a whoosh, its spiritual sense swept out, discovering a boy on the shore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where did this brat come from…? It snorted, rose from the stone, and swiftly swam toward the pool’s edge, leaping out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splash! Water erupted onto the bank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao, mid-fourth sketch, preparing to squeeze every last drop of inspiration from the pool’s beauty, froze as the water surged upward and split open—revealing a fully azure qilin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water qilin? He stared, dumbfounded. One boy, one beast, locked eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who gave you permission to be here? Get out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin shook water from its head and snapped—a voice as melodious as spring water, unmistakably feminine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao had heard the legend: the Tan Palace Academy’s founding headmaster had subdued a qilin demon to guard the academy. He never imagined it stood right before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said this was a Great Demon King of the Fourth Realm! Li Hao’s eyes lit up, sparkling with stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao bowed deeply, respectfully: “Might I be permitted to paint you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could paint this water qilin, his Painting Dao experience would surely surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already stripped all the wool from Second Elder, Grandpa Feng, Fifth Elder—they’d given him plenty of experience already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin blinked, tilting its head, a giant question mark forming in its mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this academy student’s brain damaged from cultivation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense are you spouting?” The water qilin’s eyes flashed with irritation; its breath exhaled frost, chilling the pool water as if it would freeze:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave now, or I’ll eat you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao knew it was bluffing—the water qilin couldn’t harm Tan Palace students, unless they provoked it beyond reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, seeing its current aura, he felt a chill—Second Elder and the others had never radiated such divine power before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forced himself to speak: “I’m from the Li family below the mountain. If you eat me, you’ll find my taste quite unpleasant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin’s icy gaze paused slightly—not just unpleasant, it might shed its own skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. Even if I don’t eat you, I can still make you suffer some pain. The Li family won’t dare touch me,” the water qilin snorted—but it had no intention of harming Li Hao. If those old Li family “kids” came demanding answers, it would be hard to justify.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it say, “Your brat disturbed my nap, so I beat him”? After all, it was an elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to human customs, one must show some grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, it grew annoyed, stirred the pool water to fling Li Hao away—when suddenly Li Hao shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder, don’t move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao pleaded urgently: “Just hold still for a moment. I’ll finish quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin’s large, pure blue eyes filled with confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao immediately raised his brush and began painting furiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin stood atop the emerald pool, waves surging around it, flanked by a ten-thousand-zhang cliff—a masterpiece.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder, please, don’t move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin was both annoyed and strangely curious. In over a thousand years, it had never met such a peculiar little creature. What was it doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the water qilin truly still, Li Hao’s gaze sharpened. He stared at the paper, utterly focused—this moment, he forgot himself, painting with wild speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ink flowed like flowing clouds and running water—dots, strokes, pressure, speed, all layered with perfect rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a stick of incense later, as he neared completion, the water qilin grew impatient. It summoned the pool water to splash down: “Hey, what are you playing at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Hao had already finished the swirling water. He focused, brush racing—until the final blade of grass beside the pool was sketched, and the painting was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Painting Dao Experience +1986】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing such massive experience, Li Hao was stunned with delight—this one painting equaled his usual hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Elder!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao snapped back to reality, bowed deeply before the water qilin, whose eyes burned with irritation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bow wasn’t just for the experience—it was for the qilin’s cooperation, allowing him to complete such a painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Painting Dao had entered his heart; his love for the artwork now rivaled his joy at gaining experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The water qilin raised an eyebrow. It knew a little about human customs. It ordered coldly: “Show me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Hao nodded and turned the easel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a breathtaking painting appeared before the water qilin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp, sword-like cliffs, a lonely, profound emerald pool, and the azure qilin standing atop it—majestic, untouchable, the undisputed sovereign of the waters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its eyes slowly brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was that… me? I looked… this beautiful?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a flash, the water qilin’s form shimmered, stepping out of the pool. As its front hooves touched ground, its body shrank rapidly—within moments, it became a woman draped in azure silk robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her hair was water-blue, a tear-shaped ink mark beneath her eye, her face breathtakingly beautiful, bare white feet floating gently as she stepped toward the painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1726,"2026-06-20T02:15:40.176Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f62431fbb8557b80bb6e989b26e84691f5748762a67257fbbe240a776404d365","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-80","the-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-chapter-78",929,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-name-that-echoes-through-eternity-cover.jpg"]