Chapter 542: Bottleneck Breakthrough, Fishing Spot!
The Heavenly Palace territory was vast, the entire continent spanning an area comparable to over a thousand immortal cities—its domain immense.
Li Hao knew that finding Huang Tian Sheng here wouldn't be easy. If he could locate Chi Ying from earlier, perhaps he could ask her to help inquire.
Chi Ying had also reached the summit of Wendao Mountain, but with so many events during the trial, they hadn't had the chance to speak.
Now that the trial had ended, the disciples from each immortal dynasty were tightly watched. Randomly seeking others out could cause misunderstandings.
After all, the Southern Region battle was just around the corner. Each dynasty would guard their disciples carefully, preventing any sabotage or accidents before the match.
"Yuan Sheng and Shen Zhu are also here in the Heavenly Palace territory. I wonder if they know I've arrived."
Li Hao's eyes flickered. Back in the Tianyang False Realm, those two had faked their deaths, forcing him to face the ancient True Immortal demon alone—he'd nearly died. That debt still lingered in his mind.
Still, the upcoming battle took priority.
Li Hao shook his head and left the courtyard. As soon as he stepped out, the Grand Dream Master's voice rang beside his ear:
"Where are you going?"
"Just out for a walk."
Li Hao replied.
"You're famous across the Southern Region now. Be careful when you're out. There are only three days left."
Her tone carried concern and a hint of caution.
"Sitting in the courtyard doing nothing isn't much fun."
Li Hao understood her worry, a little helpless, and had already prepared to return.
But after a short pause, the Grand Dream Master said, "With the Supreme watching over the Heavenly Palace, it shouldn't be too dangerous. How about this—I'll give you an immortal treasure to disguise your aura. If you're in danger, crush this signal talisman, and I'll appear instantly."
As she spoke, the Grand Dream Master descended before Li Hao, handing him two items.
One was a golden round hat, no larger than a thumb.
The other was a multicolored signal talisman, radiating pure immortal Power.
Li Hao thanked her and promised to return them later.
The Grand Dream Master shook her head and simply said, "Be careful."
Li Hao bound the golden hat to himself. It immediately transformed into a stream of golden light, forming a feathered robe around him, completely concealing his aura.
He glanced around and activated his Myriad Forms attribute. Then he layered several aura-concealing techniques on top. With all this protection, he believed no one below the Immortal King Realm could detect him.
And even if it was an Immortal King, he still wasn't sure if they could see through his Myriad Forms disguise.
Currently, his Water Dao Origin was at the fourth stage, which helped immensely with concealment and disguise.
The same applied to his Space Origin.
With everything prepared, Li Hao left the courtyard protected by formation arrays and stepped out into the Heavenly Palace territory.
The vast continent spread out before him. Feeling a pull in his heart, he turned to look far to the north and faintly saw golden light on a distant mountaintop—Wendao Mountain.
With no restraints, Li Hao felt free and cheerful as he moved forward.
Before long, he arrived at a city within the Heavenly Palace domain.
The streets bustled with people. Everyone wore silk robes and luxurious garments—clearly nobles and the wealthy, with grandeur everywhere.
Li Hao landed and walked through the crowd, spotting many street vendors giving off mouthwatering aromas. He approached a few, bought some snacks, and nibbled as he walked.
Along the way, he overheard people discussing the previous two trials—debating who would win the upcoming Southern Region battle.
Within the city were also sects whose disciples had participated but been eliminated in the first round. These disciples now sat cultivating on the sect's Dao platforms, awaiting the start of the regional battle. Their presence drew large crowds of spectators.
Even though they were eliminated from the trials, they were still top-tier geniuses in their local cities, respected by many.
Li Hao visited a few local restaurants, enjoying the food and drink. He left with some specialty pastries and continued exploring.
In just a day and night, he had already wandered through seven or eight cities, gaining a taste of the customs and culture of the Heavenly Palace domain.
The next day, on his way back, he passed through a rural area and suddenly spotted an old man fishing on a cliff beside a lake.
Surprised, Li Hao drifted closer and saw the old man's fish basket was empty. Yet his fishing rod was inlaid with gold, looking extremely expensive.
He couldn't help but chuckle. Landing nearby, he glanced at the lake in front of the rod. Without using divine sense to scan the lakebed—doing so would ruin the point of fishing—he judged just from the surface ripples, current, and surrounding temperature that this wasn't a good fishing spot.
Still, a poor spot could yield results if the technique was good. But judging from the old man's relaxed posture, he clearly wasn't trying hard—just hoping something would bite.
"Old man, caught anything?"
Li Hao asked with a smirk, pretending not to know.
The old man heard the voice and turned, giving him a once-over. Seeing Li Hao's unfamiliar face, he snorted, "Where'd this brat come from?"
Still, he added, "I just got here."
Li Hao laughed to himself but didn't say anything. He pulled out some tasty snacks he'd picked up from the cities and handed the old man a portion of fried crispy pork.
"Hungry? Want a bite?"
"Hmm?"
The old man looked at the offered food in surprise. Clearly, he hadn't expected this young man to be so casual and generous despite being a stranger. He had intended to refuse—fishermen didn't like being disturbed—but the aroma of the fried pork stirred his appetite. After a pause, he accepted it and asked:
"Kid, where're you from? From your accent and looks, you don't seem like a local."
"I came with my master to join the fun at the Southern Region battle."
Li Hao casually made something up.
The old man nodded and didn't press further. He pulled out a flask of wine from his spatial storage, paused, then asked Li Hao:
"Got a cup?"
"I do."
Li Hao smiled and retrieved a small crystal cup from his storage.
The old man uncorked the flask and poured Li Hao a full glass, then drank some himself.
"You brought meat, I brought wine—call it even," he said.
Li Hao didn't mind. As he lifted the cup, the rich aroma surprised him—this was clearly an extremely rare vintage.
He took a sip and instantly felt a surge of potent immortal Power rushing into his body. His organs burned, refined by the fiery energy.
Li Hao was stunned. He focused, letting the intense sensation fade. Then he noticed—his immortal Power, which had already reached a saturated bottleneck, had been reduced, but was now more condensed and pure.
What once felt like mist now resembled dense cotton.
He was amazed and began eyeing the old man more carefully—yet could only sense a True Immortal Realm aura from him.
Still, with a wine like that, no way the old man was just at the True Immortal Realm. Just drinking it often would be enough to reach the Immortal Lord Realm.
Without question, the old man had used some secret technique to conceal his real cultivation.
Li Hao understood, but didn't expose him—after all, he was also hiding his identity. They were even.
"Excellent wine!"
He smacked his lips and praised.
Hearing Li Hao's comment, the old man smirked and gave him a sideways glance, as if to say, 'Obviously.'
"That fried pork from the southern city isn't bad either. Old Zheng's recipe—been passed down for three hundred years. One of the few things I actually like in the southern city. Not bad taste, kid."
The old man commented casually.
Li Hao was surprised. He hadn't expected the old man to recognize where the food came from.
"When it comes to good food, great minds think alike!"
Li Hao laughed.
Hearing that, the old man raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. This young man really was a bit unusual.
He said nothing more and quietly ate, drank, and kept an eye on the float of his fishing line.
"Old man, you won't catch anything like that. Your hook hasn't even reached the bottom—just drifting in the water. Too obvious."
Li Hao noticed he wasn't doing things properly and gave a kind reminder.
But the old man didn't even look back, just said flatly, "Who says you can't catch fish this way?"
Li Hao was speechless. The old man might have high cultivation, but his fishing skills were clearly lacking.
Just as he was thinking this, the old man's wrist gave a sudden twitch. Ripples spread across the lake's surface.
Li Hao's expression shifted in surprise.
He'd misjudged.
The next moment, a golden dragon carp was yanked from the lake—it was actually at the True Immortal Realm, fifth stage. It struggled fiercely but was instantly bound by powerful Law force and couldn't break free.
"Spare me! Senior, please spare me!"
The dragon carp tried to reveal its fierce true form, but one glance from the old man hit it like lightning, leaving it limp and powerless.
The old man casually unhooked it and dropped it into his fish basket. It jumped around inside, but couldn't get out—there was a formation barrier sealing it in, leaving it to struggle and plead.
He closed the basket lid, cutting off the sound, and looked at Li Hao. "See? Told you it'd bite."
His expression was calm, but Li Hao could clearly sense the joy in him.
Li Hao gave a bitter smile. He'd clearly misread the whole situation. He wasn't sure whether the dragon carp was too dumb, or the old man just had outrageous luck.
"Impressive."
He let out a genuinely admiring sigh.
The old man replied casually, "You look like you know how to fish. Want to give it a try?"
Li Hao's interest was piqued—he couldn't say no. He immediately released a thread of immortal Power, as fine as silk, casting it into the lake.
He'd already examined this lake's terrain and flow. With his fishing skill level, he expected results quickly.
Time passed in silence. The fried pork was gone, his cup was empty, and the immortal Power inside him was now burning hotter and thicker, with a faint stringy texture.
But despite the physical benefits, Li Hao's focus was all on fishing. To his surprise—nothing bit.
He thought about using divine sense to probe the lakebed. 'Could it be there's only one dragon carp in the entire lake?'
In the end, he held back.
He didn't believe his skills could fail him here.
But as time went by, the old man casually reeled in a tiger shrimp.
Li Hao, still with nothing, was stunned.
"What's going on?"
His expression shifted. His whole view of reality felt shaken.
Could it be the old man had that legendary beginner's luck?
"You're too restless, kid. That's the number one taboo in fishing."
The old man chuckled.
Li Hao snapped out of it. He realized he'd let his thoughts wander. He calmed himself and this time used both Space and Time Origin Powers to extend the line deeper, seeking his prey.
Yet even after sweeping the entire lake—nothing. It was empty.
Just when Li Hao thought the only two fish had already been caught, the old man reeled in a blackwater catfish.
Li Hao fell silent.
At this point, if he didn't realize something was off, he'd be a fool.
But he still didn't know what was wrong.
He stared at the lake surface, examining it carefully. Still, he couldn't detect anything unusual.
Time passed. The sun set and stars reflected in the water like broken jewels.
The old man reeled in his line, opened the basket, and released all three creatures back into the lake.
"It's getting late. My old lady's waiting for dinner."
He stood up and stretched, patting his back.
Li Hao blinked, realizing he was still empty-handed. He felt a bit unwilling—this was his first time being completely outmatched in fishing, and in such a strange way.
"I'll keep trying a bit longer."
As someone who'd just been thoroughly defeated, Li Hao said those classic stubborn words.
The old man chuckled. "Kid, you've got the skills—but do you know why you didn't catch anything?"
"Why?"
Li Hao asked without hesitation.
"Because… this is my fishing spot."
The old man smiled, then slung his fishing rod over his shoulder and walked off down the mountain path.
Li Hao stared after him, watching his figure disappear into the forest. His mind exploded like thunder, and he sat frozen in place.
"…Fishing spot."
Li Hao's mind buzzed. Those words weren't just ordinary—they struck like the voice of the Great Dao itself. And what he heard wasn't just some normal concept of a fishing location—countless insights burst forth and converged into one word: domain.
In that instant, Li Hao felt as if he'd been enlightened.
No wonder. No wonder he hadn't caught anything. It was the old man's domain.
Everything he had sensed had been veiled and distorted by the immortal Dao Laws of that domain. That's why the lake had seemed empty to him—while the old man could keep pulling in catches.
"Domain…"
Li Hao murmured, chewing over the word.
His Fishing Dao had already reached the bottleneck at segment eleven. He could already draw up time and space from the mists, pulling echoes of ancient moments.
But those were like drifting grains in a sandstorm—he had only gathered them up.
True fishing… meant forming one's own domain.
Li Hao now faintly sensed that he had pierced halfway through the bottleneck. The direction was finally clear.
Still, how to actually form a domain—that wasn't something a single phrase could explain.
Li Hao sat quietly at the cliff's edge, lost in thought.
Time passed. Stars faded, the moon dipped, and the first light of dawn rose.
On the mountaintop, the young man remained seated in stillness.
Until a familiar voice came from behind. "Still here?"
Li Hao startled awake and turned. He saw the same old man, once again carrying his fishing rod, emerging from the forest.
He snapped out of it and smiled brightly. "Senior, you came!"
The old man saw the radiance of insight glowing in Li Hao's eyes. He was a little surprised. 'I just casually mentioned it… and the kid actually grasped it?'