Chapter 6 - 10: The Three Holy Lands. Physical Body Path. Power Passage Realm. The Primordial. Myriad Attributes
In addition, as his swordsmanship advanced, Li Hao had perfected his "Endless Sea·Tide" technique, progressing from (Perfect) proficiency to (Flawless)!
Rich memories of swordsmanship made Li Hao feel as though he had been wielding a sword for decades.
Flaws started to appear in the Tidal Sword Skill, which he had originally mastered to the pinnacle of perfection—in his eyes.
These were the inherent flaws of the sword skill itself.
In other words, they were the limits of what the sword move could achieve.
After all, no sword technique could cover every aspect perfectly.
Like an extremely perfect stick, it could be used for slashing and smashing, but it couldn't cut others.
Now, the shortcomings in that sword skill Li Hao had compensated for through his own understanding of swordsmanship.
Li Hao thought of the swordsmanship instructor from the military who taught Li Qianfeng and said that beyond the three realms of technique, there existed a fourth layer.
Today, Li Hao had reached that fourth realm, Flawless!
But.
Although his swordsmanship had improved and the Tidal Sword Skill had attained flawlessness, Li Hao had not executed it even once.
He had only pushed it to the limit in his mind.
Yet, Li Hao had a feeling that as long as he had a sword in his hand, he could execute it exactly as envisioned.
However, he couldn't predict what kind of toll it would take on his body when the time came.
His current child's body was far too fragile, and even if he were to grow up, he feared that a normal body wouldn't be able to withstand such a dazzling technique.
An extremely strong physique was required.
"No matter how exquisite the sword technique is, if it can't be executed, it ultimately remains a moon reflected on the water."
"Perhaps, I should find a Body Refinement Cultivation Technique; I wonder if I could include one…"
The Li Family's martial arts secret archives were countless and varied in nature.
All of these were housed in the Listening Rain Tower within the Divine General Mansion.
In Qingzhou City, there are three renowned holy places, where multitudes of martial artists long to visit in their dreams.
One is the Black and White Hall of Tan Palace Academy, one is the Hundred Birds Garden of Rouge Pavilion, and the last is the Listening Rain Tower owned by the Li Family of the Divine General Mansion.
Li Hao planned to look for an opportunity to visit there.
But before that, the special blood prepared for him within the mansion had already been concocted.
This year, like Bian Ruxue, he would undergo the Blood Melting with the same age group.
The blood used for Blood Melting was still of the highest quality, a master-level potion refined from the bones of a millennium Great Demon.
Furthermore, it was said that the Martial Lord of the Northern Yan's frontline had, especially for his adopted father, slain a Great Demon with three thousand years of cultivation and sent it back to the Divine General Mansion, elevating the grade of this Blood Melting potion to another extreme.
A Great Demon of three thousand years was nearly as old as the age of the Great Yu Dynasty.
Beyond awe, Li Hao also had a new understanding of that man's strength.
With Lin Haixia's assistance, Blood Melting commenced.
The crimson liquid exuding an exotic fragrance covered Li Hao's body.
Li Hao was tense.
Before long, the familiar text appeared before his eyes again.
{Unknown substance detected, beginning analysis…}
{Analysis failed; automatically isolated.}
Li Hao was completely speechless.
But this time, he felt some heartache.
After all, this was something the man had prepared for him at great risk, and now it was wasted.
Lin Haixia shared in that heartbreak.
When he saw that Li Hao's body had no abnormal reactions and that he was trembling slightly more than Li Hao himself, it looked like Lin was even more excited.
But everything seemed to have a trace to follow. Having experienced the failure of Foundation Establishment before, this time he didn't lose his composure but silently closed his eyes for a moment, restraining his feelings of loss and sadness.
"Uncle Lin, did it fail?"
"Hmm…"
Lin Haixia gently opened his eyes, his gaze slightly weary. He looked at Li Hao's young face, inwardly bitter-smiling, as despite being reborn into the golden cradle of the Divine General Mansion, the countless top resources prepared for Li Hao by the Divine General Mansion were something this boy couldn't enjoy.
It was hard to tell if his fate was good or bad.
"Uncle Lin, do you think I can give this special blood to that little girl?"
Li Hao asked.
Lin Haixia nodded slightly. At this point, since Li Hao was not blessed to benefit from it, the next best thing was to make it available for the little girl.
"That's great." Seeing that nothing was wasted, Li Hao smiled.
Lin Haixia also revealed a slight smile, telling Li Hao, "Young Master, I'll scrape it off for you, then you go rest."
His smile was feigned, carrying a touch of sorrow in his eyes.
"Okay."
Li Hao nodded, not pointing out what went unsaid.
The news of Li Hao's failed Blood Melting quickly spread to the ears of the various ladies of the courtyards.
In Shuihua Courtyard, Liu Yue Rong slightly raised her eyebrows upon hearing the quiet report from a maidservant by her side, though her face showed little joy, just a faint shake of her head.
She had secretly inquired on Mount Wuliang, and knew the medicine wouldn't cause such side effects, which meant this boy was naturally defective. It was only his luck to have been born into the Li Family and in Ji Qingqing's belly.
Had she known earlier, she wouldn't have even needed that medicine.
A defective being, even with Divine Blood, what could he amount to?
On the contrary, it would only serve to highlight her own son Qianfeng's superiority.
After all, when the time came, both were third-generation of the Li Family, both possessing Divine Blood, but one would be useless while the other a True Dragon among men. Everyone knew how the old matriarch would choose.
After Li Hao's Blood Melting failure, the little girl's fusion was outstanding.
Having absorbed the foreign blood prepared for Li Hao, Bian Ruxue's martial talent was further enhanced.
In the coming days, all she needed was to be nurtured slowly, and at the age of five, the bone-measurement would reveal the specific outcomes.
Li Hao, upon hearing the news, was happy for the little girl, but he himself had encountered a troublesome issue. No longer could he gain experience from Chess Tao through self-play, so he had to find the maids around him to accompany him in his chess games.
Though these maids didn't dare contradict their young master's daily commands, they were all hesitant and afraid to agree to this request.
These servants knew Li Hao had failed his Blood Melting and possessed no talent for martial arts, yet now he still wanted to play chess…
They were aware that the young master had been plopped before a chessboard since childhood, seemingly born with a natural talent for Chess Tao.
But in a military family of such standing, such talent was trivial…
It was even seen as indulging in frivolities that could lead to ruin!
If the ladies found out they were accompanying Li Hao in such an "irresponsible" activity, they wouldn't be able to guarantee that the wrath derived from Li Hao's inability to practice martial arts wouldn't be taken out on them.
Smart as they were, these servants in the Divine General Mansion dared not touch such bad luck.
Thus, having no other choice, Li Hao had to find Lin Haixia.
Knowing he wanted her to play chess with him, Lin Haixia was speechless, unfamiliar with such things and somewhat helpless towards the young master's optimistic ignorance.
However, she did not outright refuse.
"Perhaps, this last year before the bone-measurement ceremony is this child's final period of happiness…" Lin Haixia thought to herself.
She agreed to Li Hao's request, and after sorting out Bian Ruxue's situation, she started accompanying Li Hao in his chess games.
From then on, a common scene in the courtyard was the two figures, one tall, one short, playing opposite each other in the pavilion, with a little maid standing on tiptoes nearby, peering over.
Now and then, the voice of the child bent over the chessboard could be heard shouting:
"That's not right, you have to place it at the intersection of the lines, not inside the squares!"
"That's not cheating, that's called capturing!"
"This has already been surrounded and is dead, you can't place anymore inside!"
"You're so silly, I've already told you three times."
After one game of chess, Li Hao would be exhausted, having gained just 1 point of experience.
This was far more tiring than playing against himself.
Whenever the opponent broke a rule, the game would be invalidated, so he had to teach while playing, explaining the rules to his opponent.
Lin Haixia, who had thought she was merely humoring a child, did not expect there to be so many rules and regulations, and her face showed signs of strain.
After several days, Lin Haixia disappeared, leaving Li Hao stamping his little feet in frustration. Having no choice, he decided to first pay a visit to Listening Rain Tower.
Listening Rain Tower stood north of Divine General Mansion, leaning against the mountain.
The Divine General Mansion covered an extensive area, so vast that one could even ride a horse carriage within it.
Apart from the ladies' courtyards, there were also sceneries like mountains, lakes, and gardens.
Weathered through the years, Listening Rain Tower appeared to be nothing more than an old building midway up the mountain, quite unremarkable.
Yet in the world, countless eyes yearned to glimpse its true face.
However, all those gazes dared not cross that golden wall towering above.
Accompanied by the old steward Zhao from Mountain and River Courtyard, Li Hao arrived in front of the tower. Zhao put Li Hao down and, with a tone of earnest caution, advised, "Young master, this place is a crucial site for the Li Family. Even if the ladies of the courtyards come, they must seek permission from the senior madam. Let's go back, shall we?"
Aside from the direct second-generation descendants of the Li Family, only two ladies could freely enter Listening Rain Tower—one being the senior madam.
"Didn't I ask you to send someone to notify them? I just came to look around, should be fine, right?" Li Hao said nonchalantly, hands clasped behind his back.
Zhao had long grown accustomed to the young master's precociously stern demeanor, baffled about whom he might have picked it up from, replying with a pained expression, "But no reply has come yet, and the senior madam might not give her consent. Although you are entitled to enter, young master, you are still very young after all…"
"So what if I'm young, you look down on me?" Li Hao said, keeping a straight face.
"I wouldn't dare, young master," Zhao hastily replied.
Li Hao, bored by the exchange, quietly surveyed the Listening Rain Tower before him. The ancient tower, aged and seven stories high, had been the place where, after his bone-measurement, Li Qianfeng reached the Ninth-Rank War Body, and that night, the woman sought permission from the senior madam to choose a martial art for her child. She found the "Endless Sea" at the top of the tower.
There were a total of four styles within "Endless Sea."
Each style was tremendously difficult, with rumors suggesting only the third uncle had mastered the final style, almost cleaving half of Jingzhou with a single sword stroke.
____________________________________________________
Eternal Spring Court.
He Jianlan sat dignified on the smoothly polished nanmu armchair, listening to the young house servant's trembling report, a trace of movement stirred in her heart.
She had long heard that the child was precocious and very clever, but sadly lacked martial arts talent, wasting all that intelligence.
Thinking of the letter from the border side of the Li Family, He Jianlan sighed inwardly and said indifferently, "Xuejian, keep an eye on the child, just make sure he doesn't tear up the books."
"Yes."
To the side, a woman with almond eyes and red lips, fair complexion, quietly answered.
The directive from Eternal Spring Court was conveyed to the outside of Listening Rain Tower. Li Hao looked at the young girl who came to supervise, a bit surprised, but he did not mind, since it was quite normal for the lady of the house to not feel at ease letting him enter the tower alone given his young age.
Both house servants, but Zhao's status was clearly lower than that of this girl called Xuejian, who stopped him from entering the tower.
Inside the ancient tower, the light was dim, and dust covered the floor.
Rows of towering bookshelves stood in the tower, each side bearing a wooden label, categorizing them.
There were books on swordsmanship, saber techniques, spear methods, as well as categories on weapons, poisons, and more.
The variety of books was vast, almost anything you could think of.
Li Hao couldn't help but exclaim.
This small tower practically contained half of Jianghu.
Before long, Li Hao found the Body Refinement sect's secrets, the shelves densely packed with various Body Refinement techniques.
Vajra Secret, Divine Turtle Nine Transformations, Seven Stars Seal, and so on.
Li Hao casually took down a book called Stone Skin Hundred Refinements and began to leaf through it, leaning against the bookshelf.
The tower was extremely quiet, with only the breathing of the two of them, one large, one small.
Xuejian followed Li Hao like a shadow, proper in her behavior and even more dignified than the daughters of ordinary nobles. She watched the young master who had been the center of attention since birth and curiosity glimmered in her eyes.
He really does seem very precocious, and he even seems to be literate.
And he's reading with such focus, can he really understand it?
Time passed.
As Li Hao read over the initial chapters repeatedly, trying to understand every word, a joyous message finally appeared before him:
"You have learned the basics, do you wish to record this?"
Li Hao immediately chose yes.
Soon after, a panel leaped before his eyes.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 4]
[Cultivation Level: Mortal]
[Swordsmanship: Level 2]
[Skill: Endless Sea·Tide (Exquisite) [Forbidden]]
[Physical Body Path: Not Started]
[Skill: Stone Skin Hundred Refinements (Not Started) {Forbidden}]
[Chess Tao: Level 2 (18/1000)]
[Chess Manual Collection: 0]
[Skill Points: 0]
Seeing the successful recording, Li Hao felt pleasantly surprised, his speculation was correct, and with this, he could officially start his cultivation.
But before that, he needed to accumulate new Skill Points.
Thinking of this, Li Hao's brows furrowed in worry.
Grinding experience by himself was fast, but playing against others was much slower.
It took three days just to accumulate 18 experience points, and the scapegoat had been frightened away.
He needed to find a stable scapegoat… Li Hao muttered to himself, stuffed the secret back on the shelf, and then turned to ask the young girl behind him, "Which floor has the best Body Refinement secrets?"
Xuejian was a bit surprised, does this child truly understand Body Refinement?
Who taught him?
Could it be that military officer who helped him with Foundation Establishment?
Martial meridians blocked, so he intends to pursue the pure Body Refinement Path… Realization flickered in Xuejian's eyes as she replied softly, "To answer the young master, Listening Rain Tower's strongest Body Refinement secrets are on the sixth floor, I will take you there."
"They're not on the seventh floor?"
Li Hao felt a tinge of disappointment, saying, "The strongest should mean the only one, right?"
"Because one text is complete and can be cultivated, while the other is incomplete, it can still be practiced, but not to the pinnacle," said Xuejian.
Li Hao was somewhat surprised, an incomplete text made it to the sixth floor?
Soon, under the little girl's guidance, Li Hao was carried up to the sixth floor.
By his own efforts, he had already begun to tire by the third floor.
The higher up they went, the fewer the secret manuals on the floors became, and by the time they reached the sixth floor, there were only a few short bookshelves left. Glancing over them, it appeared that all the secret manuals combined might total to just twenty or thirty books.
However, Li Hao didn't underestimate this number; with the thousand years of accumulation of the Li Family, these twenty or thirty books would probably be invaluable if placed outside.
Very quickly, Xuejian brought back the two Body Refinement secret manuals she had mentioned to Li Hao.
One was called "Thousand Jiaos Holy Body."
The other one was named "Taichu."
The covers were somewhat worn and damaged, likely to be treated as trash by ordinary households, used to prop up a wobbly table leg.
Li Hao took them and started flipping through them one by one.
Just the opening of the manuals made him feel a vast difference from what he had seen on the first floor.
He… couldn't understand it at all.
The words within were extremely abstruse, like reading classical Chinese, oh no, it should be said more like oracle bone inscriptions; with great difficulty, he recognized a few characters, but when strung together, they were completely incomprehensible.
Li Hao's little face scrunched up in frustration.
He kept at it stubbornly for a while, but ultimately decided to give up decisively.
He couldn't even grasp the basics.
"When I first watched that little brat practice swordsmanship, it also took me several days to record the 'Endless Sea,' and that was directly observing someone demonstrating. This is self-study…"
Li Hao shook his head; it was better to wait until he had accumulated enough Skill Points to enhance his Physical Body Path before trying again.
He had Xuejian carry him downstairs.
Although Li Hao wanted to learn other types of secret manuals, it was clear that he didn't have the energy to spare at the moment.
Without Skill Points, everything else was in vain, and the problem returned to… the lack of tool people.
After leaving the Listening Rain Tower, Li Hao said goodbye to the little girl, who was very precise in dealing with people, and then returned to the Mountain and River Courtyard with Zhao.
"Brother Hao,"
Seeing Li Hao's return, Bian Ruxue immediately ran over but tripped and almost fell.
"Don't rush, don't rush," Li Hao quickly said.
"Where did Brother Hao go? Can you take me with you next time?" Bian Ruxue pouted, her eyes filled with hope.
Over the past year, the little girl had become attached to Li Hao, even taking her pillow at night and sneaking into Li Hao's room. Only with this arrangement would she willingly go to sleep.
At first, Li Hao had driven her away several times, but after the little girl woke up crying several times in the middle of the night, running to find Li Hao, her tearful appearance finally made it impossible for him to harden his heart.
Fortunately, the bed was big and his own body small; having one more person did not make much difference, and as the little girl was quiet and did not fuss in her sleep, he let her be.
"You must be obedient, as long as you stay here, no matter where I go, I will come back," Li Hao said, patting her small head.
The surrounding house servants and maids were accustomed to this scene and did not find it surprising.
"Pinky promise,"
Bian Ruxue extended her small hand.
Feeling helpless, Li Hao pacified her with a pinky promise.
"No take-backs, you said it, whoever changes is a puppy," Bian Ruxue pouted slightly.
"Alright, alright," Li Hao said helplessly.
In the following days, Li Hao was determined to showcase his Chess Tao talent and began to forcefully request the house servants and maids to play chess with him.
Those who disobeyed would receive three strikes from Zhao.
After three strikes, even though their skin wouldn't split, it was enough to deter them from sitting down on a chair for half a day.
Under the tyranny of the young master, these maids and house servants had no choice but to take turns at the table to entertain him.
As days went by.
Two scenes appeared in the courtyard: one was Lin Haixia teaching Bian Ruxue simple swordsmanship and boxing, suitable for the young and the small.
It wasn't formal Cultivation Level training, just routines for getting familiar with the feel for martial arts.
Though occasionally painful, the little girl was rather stubborn and never cried over this.
On the other side, things were bustling.
A group of house servants gathered in the pavilion, as Li Hao played against one of them, with the order that the onlookers had to study the game.
Among these house servants, some were clueless about chess, while some seemed to have picked up a bit from somewhere. Li Hao found that when playing against those with chess skills, if he won, he would gain not just 1 point of experience, but 2, and occasionally even 3!
On the other hand, playing against those who were ignorant of the game, even if he won, he would only get 1 point of experience.
If the opponent carelessly made a wrong move, the whole game would be invalid.
So, gradually, these house servants were no longer needed on rotation, and Li Hao picked out the two with the best chess skills to accompany him in grinding experience every day.
In the blink of an eye, Li Hao was five years old.
________________________________________________________
This year, the conflict on the Northern Yan border grew increasingly tense, with constant battle reports. There were problems with weaponry and military supplies, and Prince Pingcheng's collusion with the Great Demon implicated yet another force behind the scenes, making the war situation even more complex and difficult.
Within the Divine General Mansion, there was much discussion and concern for the frontline.
It was said that the court was also in constant debate over this matter, with many proposals being put forward.
But although the storm of politics blew into the Mountain and River Courtyard, it did not touch upon those two young figures.
At five years old, Li Hao underwent the usual bone measurement.
"Weak bones, no special color, no special glow, no marrow condensation…"
The elderly Taoist measuring Li Hao's bones was from Qingqiu Mountain, with the looks of a crane-haired youth. He examined the little boy before him with doubt. If it wasn't for the presence of the Li family's lady, he might have even suspected a case of switched at birth—a grudge between noble families, with the young master being secretly replaced.
"Bone talent, inferior to inferiors, battle physique not of any rank, just a normal skeleton of an ordinary child."
The elderly Taoist eventually concluded the bone measurement.
Upon hearing this, ladies such as He Jianlan had difficult expressions, and the fifth lady couldn't help but say, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? How could Hao'er… How could he possibly have such a talent?"
The other ladies remained silent. This elderly Taoist was a familiar figure in the Divine General Mansion, having measured bones for the children of various courtyards, never making mistakes.
Moreover, since Li Hao's Foundation Establishment had failed before, and then his Blood Melting failed, they were all well-prepared for this outcome. Now seeing this result, it was almost as expected.
Li Hao quietly scanned the expressions of everyone present. That second mother of his was also there, her face even more sorrowful, perhaps even more so than the others.
Yet, of all these people, how many were truly upset for him, he couldn't tell.
"Brother Hao."
Bian Ruxue clutched at Li Hao's clothing, her little face full of tension.
Although she did not understand what was happening, she felt that Li Hao seemed to have lost something.
Li Hao looked at the pitiful expression on the little girl's face and couldn't help but grin.
He pinched her tender little face; he should be the one to feel sad, after all. In two months' time when she had her bones measured, she would probably astound everyone.
The elderly Taoist left, and the crowd dispersed.
It was like the receding tide; the Mountain and River Courtyard returned to calm, with only the two small figures left, and Lin Haixia standing nearby.
That night, the military officer, who had refrained from drinking for many years, drank alone in the courtyard.
Smelling the alcohol, Li Hao also developed a craving. He found a small jade cup and, hugging the bottle, was just about to pour himself a little when Lin Haixia, who had gotten tipsy, gave him a fierce look. She snatched the bottle from his hand and scolded with rare anger, "You're incredibly bold, even daring to drink alcohol!"
"I'm just keeping you company," Li Hao said with a cheeky smile.
"What do you know? Drinking is for adults," Lin said irritably.
"Drinking alone is lonely; it's better to have company," Li Hao tried to snatch the bottle back but couldn't reach it as the military officer lifted his hand higher.
Lin Haixia gave Li Hao a look, intending to reprimand him, but hearing his words, she suddenly fell silent.
It was then she suddenly remembered that this little guy had been alone since his parents left after the hundred-day banquet.
Yes, he must want company too. When Xue'er's father wasn't around, the little girl had cried all the way to the Divine General Mansion…
Looking out at the vast Mountain and River Courtyard, with its beautiful interior, Lin realized that even the most scenic beauty could not replace the accompaniment of parents.
Lin Haixia said nothing, poured herself another two gulps of alcohol, then looked at Li Hao, who wore a carefree smile. Out of the blue, she remembered she had been at this place for two years and had never seen the little guy cry.
"Hey."
Perhaps the alcohol was getting to her, but Lin Haixia couldn't be bothered with formalities and no longer called Li Hao 'young master'; in her eyes, he was still a little brat.
"Do you miss your parents?" she asked.
Li Hao was taken aback.
His mind conjured up the image of the young girl holding him at the window, mumbling to herself in sorrow.
Five years had passed, and he had already forgotten the warmth of that embrace, but the sorrow in those eyes had instead been seared into his heart.
"I guess I do," Li Hao gazed up at the starry night sky and said softly, "It must be hard fighting in Northern Yan, I hope they're okay."
Lin Haixia was stunned.
She had thought the child would become sad or had perhaps forgotten his parents, since they were not around when he was so young, and he probably had no concept of them.
But not only did he remember, he harbored no grievances and was even worried about the generals.
For a moment, Lin Haixia felt as if her heart had been harshly stabbed; she felt a pang of heartache.
She rubbed her eyes and tipped her head back to gulp down more alcohol.
"Uncle Lin, are you crying?"
"Nonsense, it's just a spilled drink, what do you know!"
The night wind turned cold.
Haixia became drunk.
The drunken Haixia began reciting war poems in the courtyard, practicing her punches and kicks, and eventually collapsed like a heap of mud.
Li Hao instructed a house servant to carry her back to her room to sleep, to avoid feeding the mosquitoes.
Two months later.
It was time for Bian Ruxue to have her bones measured.
It was the same elderly Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain, in the same courtyard, at the same spot, measuring Bian Ruxue's bones.
It wasn't long before the old Taoist's eyes widened, and he looked at the little girl with barely concealed excitement, laughing loudly, "Bones like Gold Iron Divine Jade, Divine Bones indeed, seven-colored dim light, bone marrow full and flowing with patterns, supreme quality, Ninth Layer Peerless Battle Body! Haha, worthy of a child from the Divine General Mansion, truly not disappointing. The Qiankun List will surely add a new name in the future!"
As he spoke, he glanced at Li Hao when he looked down and his smile instantly stiffened.
He then coughed twice, feeling slightly embarrassed.
That was close, he had almost forgotten about this record-breaking little fellow from the Divine General Mansion.
This time, only He Jianlan was beside them, other ladies from the various courtyards were not interested in Li Hao's daughter and did not come over.
Hearing the old Taoist's words, both He Jianlan and Lin Haixia's faces broke into smiles.
Then, both of them glanced at Li Hao at the same time.
Although Li Hao did not have martial arts talent, having such a wife with peerless talent, he would have support for his future.
"Amazing, little girl."
Li Hao said with a smile as he pinched the cheeks of the cluelessly cute Bian Ruxue, who still had a clueless expression on her face, clearly not understanding what had happened.
Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Bian Ruxue did not look happy but instead pouted slightly.
At this moment, the little girl only wished that the old grandfather had treated Brother Hao the same way earlier.
After sending off the old Taoist, Lin Haixia started to teach martial arts knowledge to Bian Ruxue in the courtyard.
The little girl was already five years old and had started to understand things; it was time to teach her some things.
A Ninth Layer Peerless Battle Body, breaking through realms as easily as eating and drinking—once she started her cultivation, it was estimated that within a year, she would break through the First Realm.
In three years, break through two realms.
In less than ten years, reach the peak of the Third Realm.
This is the terrifying part about the Ninth Layer Battle Body!
The three realms of martial arts are the Power Passage Realm, Circulation Realm, and Soul Succession Realm.
Each realm has ten layers.
The Fourth Realm is Divine Traveling.
Lin Haixia is a Fourth Realm strong practitioner.
And he, this year, is already over forty.
One should know, in ten years, Bian Ruxue would be merely sixteen years old.
A sixteen-year-old at the tenth layer of the Soul Succession Realm would be an existence as dazzling as the moon, capable of overseeing a city as the city's guardian, a true strong practitioner.
While an ordinary martial artist, being able to step into the Circulation Realm at sixteen, would already be quite an accomplishment, enough to be accepted into a prestigious clan.
With the placement of the piece, the game of chess was decided.
Li Hao won.
Experience Points +2.
Li Hao yawned, glanced out the window, and saw the little girl practicing swordsmanship with Lin Haixia, her posture awkward and adorable.
He withdrew his gaze, told the house servant who had been playing chess with him to leave, and then pulled up his panel.
After a year, he finally had enough experience in Chess Tao.
He had earned another Skill Point.
Without hesitation, Li Hao chose to add the point to the Physical Body Path.
Soon, a complicated surge of information flooded in, and he frowned slightly as he endured it. After a while, he had slowly digested it all.
As insights about the Body Refinement Realm came to mind, Li Hao felt inspired, closed the window, the door, and then started practicing poses in his room.
He began practicing the Body Refinement Art, "Stone Skin Hundred Refinements."
As he assumed his pose, his body moved like a dragon in flight and a leaping tiger, and his body emitted cracking sounds.
His blood, meridians, and bones all seemed to twist, and the cells in his body seemed to be activated, his whole body burning hot.
With the completion of one set of "Stone Skin Hundred Refinements," Li Hao's entire skin turned red and emitted steam, while his hair was wet with sweat, his little face covered with dense beads of sweat.
Feeling something special, Li Hao checked his panel and was astonished to find that his attribute in cultivation level had changed from ordinary to the Power Passage Realm, Third Layer!
Li Hao could feel an unprecedented strength filling his body, as if he could easily split rocks and crack steles.
He was extremely delighted and then repeated the practice once more.
This time, with abundant strength, his posture was more precise, and his skin swelled even redder, with heat wafting like smoke.
After practicing the second time, Li Hao saw his cultivation level had unexpectedly risen to the Fourth Layer!
He then continued to practice.
The third time, the fourth time.
Until after the eighth round, his cultivation level no longer increased and settled at the Seventh Layer of the Power Passage Realm!
______________________________________________________-
Strength akin to that of lions and elephants roamed within his body, as Li Hao slightly clenched his fist, feeling as if his small hand could effortlessly crush a large rock!
Merely moments ago, he was a mere mortal, but now, in a short span of time, he had become a cultivator!
The Power Passage Realm is the first realm of martial arts, focusing on strength!
Strength pervading the entire body is called Power Passage.
After long years, each level of the Power Passage Realm has been clearly defined, with the first level being the ability to lift a tripod, which is to say a 200-jin arm strength.
Ordinary families, through common sustenance and exercise, could also barely match the first level of the Power Passage Realm.
But to reach higher levels, one either needed to be born with great strength or had to enhance it through cultivation.
With each advancement of a level, the strength increased by the weight of an additional tripod.
Seven levels equated to seven tripods; that is to say, Li Hao at the age of five, could now lift an object weighing 1400 jin.
And that was just the strength of his arms; the power that could burst forth from his entire body would allow him to easily leap a hundred meters, move as fast as lightning, and effortlessly combat a hundred ordinary robust men.
"I can finally cultivate, at least now I have the power to protect myself," he thought with excitement.
Li Hao felt that with just a bit of effort, his entire body tensed, and the surface of his body became incredibly thick, although still tender to the touch. But if one were to pinch him, the skin wouldn't pinch up easily; it was like stretched oxhide, impossible to twist!
"However, this is probably just the limit of the Stone Skin Hundred Refinements. If I were to cultivate those two secret manuals, my cultivation level should increase further!"
Li Hao thought to himself.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his body's condition, and waited for the reddish hue on his skin to gradually disappear and revert to normal, before leaving the room.
Next, Li Hao called for Zhao and asked him to send word to his aunt.
Soon, his aunt's response came, still accompanied by the maidservant named Xuejian.
This time, he went straight to the sixth floor, picked up the two secret manuals, and began to leaf through them one by one.
With his understanding and insights from the initial segment of the Physical Body Path, Li Hao found many previously incomprehensible sections suddenly clear to him.
"Learned the basics, would you like to record them?"
Yes!
After consecutively recording both secret manuals into the panel in less than a moment, Li Hao had Xuejian take him downstairs.
Although Xuejian felt helpless inside, she didn't show it on her face. After all, the child was just playing, so she indulged him. As for understanding the secret manuals—well, not to mention this short amount of time, even if he studied for several more days, if he could understand them, that would be something.
Even the secret manuals on the first floor, which would be considered mid-tier if taken outside, required at least three to five days of contemplation to learn the basics.
Let alone those on the sixth floor.
The more powerful they are, the more difficult naturally, with higher thresholds for cultivation.
But Li Hao was unaware of the young girl's thoughts, and even if he did know, he wouldn't care. After all, who takes a child's notions seriously?
Back at the Mountain and River Courtyard, before starting his cultivation, Li Hao had the maidservants prepare some food and drink.
After cultivating Stone Skin Hundred Refinements, he felt a great depletion in his body, and now, in just a moment's time, he felt ravenously hungry.
"Is this little bit enough for anyone?"
"Bring me another serving, I mean one more of each item. I am still growing, don't you think I can't eat that much?"
Under the dumbfounded gazes of the maids, Li Hao ate an entire table's worth of meat, and after wiping his greasy little mouth, he felt only six parts full.
But fearing to scare the servants, he did not continue. Instead, he swaggerishly returned to his room and began to cultivate.
The previously obscure Thousand Jiaos Holy Body, had four layers, and when he recorded it onto the panel, only the first two layers showed as mastered.
The first layer, Jiao Fiend Body, conferred a body with bones as hard as the hardest substance and skin like dragon scales, impervious to blades and swords.
The second layer, Jiao Dragon Body, contained half-dragon's strength, further enhancing various aspects of his body.
Phew!
Li Hao took a stance, his body crouched like a fierce tiger, his spine arched like a drawn bow, and his bones made a light crackling sound.
With the understanding from the initial segment of the Physical Body Path, he was opening the secret gates of his body.
Every cell in his body seemed to be stimulated, his blood circulation accelerated once again. This time, Li Hao also felt a cool, subtle energy permeating from the outside world and seeping into his body.
This was the Power of Taiyin from the celestial energies.
As the Power of Taiyin entered his body, Li Hao's previously reddened flesh gradually returned to its normal hue, while his flesh and blood rapidly transformed.
The secret gates were opened, refining himself with the forces of heaven and earth.
As more and more Power of Taiyin surged in, Li Hao's skin turned pale and then a shade of blue, as if he were a corpse. Even on the surface of his skin, faint protrusions akin to dragon scales started to appear.
After three incense sticks of time, the first layer's cultivation was complete.
Li Hao glanced at his cultivation level, and to his surprise, it had risen from the seventh level of the Power Passage Realm to reach the tenth level, perfection!
The first nine levels of the Power Passage Realm were not significantly different, each with a 200-jin increase as the boundary, but the jump from the ninth to the tenth level was a threshold, where the strength would double!
The tenth level signified complete Power Passage, strength reaching through the whole body, perfectly unified!
And the strength he could lift with both hands would reach 3600 jin!
Overjoyed, Li Hao meticulously felt his physical body, and immediately a tinge of regret crossed his mind—Divine Blood had not awakened.
Those with the inheritance of Divine Blood would awaken it upon reaching Power Passage Realm perfection, at which point their strength would increase again, reaching 7200 jin!
Such a gap was sufficient for those of Divine Blood in the Power Passage Realm to easily sweep across peers in the same realm, and even make up for differences in technique, forcefully breaking through with strength!
It was like the difference between a big-spender and an ordinary player in a game.
It looked extremely unfair, but that was normal because Divine Blood inheritance required a parent to reach the Three Immortal Realms, and across the nineteen states of the Great Yu Dynasty, few reached such a realm.
Without the enhancement of Divine Blood, Li Hao was not discouraged but simply adjusted himself a bit and continued to cultivate the second layer of the cultivation technique.
Half an hour later, he slowly finished his practice. As he opened his eyes, divine light seemed to burst forth, and his pupils appeared even darker and more profound.
He felt his own body, the strength was significantly greater than just before, at this moment he even wanted to find someone to spar with, to test out his exact level of power.
Bringing up the panel, Li Hao was astonished to see that he hadn't made a breakthrough in realm; his cultivation level was still at the tenth level of the Power Passage Realm.
His strength had clearly surged, yet it did not reach the Zhou Tian Realm?
Li Hao was startled for a moment before he realized that he still did not know how to channel his qi.
After reaching the Power Passage Realm Perfection, a kind of energy known as "qi" had emerged in his body—where there is strength, qi follows.
This sensation of qi was like the feeling of power swelling in the biceps.
However, the qi roamed through his body uncontrollably.
Li Hao suddenly remembered that the second layer of the Thousand Jiaos Holy Body did not seem to mention how to channel qi either.
And for the third layer, with his current understanding of the Physical Body Path, it was beyond his ability to comprehend.
"With the Jiao Dragon Body, commanding the power of the half-dragon, I wonder how much strength I possess now?" Li Hao mused silently. He could feel that he was much stronger than before, at least twice as much, if not more.
Li Hao was not in a hurry to test his strength but turned his attention to another Body Refining Skill:
The incomplete "Primordial" volume.
With the insights of the Physical Body Path bolstering him, Li Hao quickly understood much and began practicing immediately.
The general outline of the incomplete Primordial volume recorded that this Body Refining Skill has five realms.
However, the incomplete volume in Li Hao's hands only contained the first two realms; the latter three had been lost.
Just the first volume of the Primordial Secret Technique required one to open the secret gates within the body, to feel the power of the sun and the power of Taiyin from the heavens and earth, and to achieve the simultaneous infusion of both Yin and Yang forces to temper the body.
Without the aid of the Physical Body Path, it would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens for ordinary people to complete the first step.
But at this moment, Li Hao handled it as if it were second nature, with ease.
As the Yin and Yang forces converged in his body, his physical form was continuously transformed.
By the second volume, it was about using the Yin and Yang forces contained within the body to draw in the power of the stars, cultivating a Starry Body.
This was a physique more domineering than the Jiao Dragon Body, containing the power of both Taiyin and the sun within, with the body as the furnace core like that of a star, brimming with vigorous heat and strength.
When Li Hao opened his eyes again, it was already the middle of the night.
He had been practicing for seven or eight hours without realizing it.
His eyes were retracted and calm, slowly opening, his breath deep and continuous like a coiled dragon resting.
His hearing and vision had been greatly enhanced.
Li Hao could even hear a faint whooshing sound within the courtyard, not of the wind, but of swords.
Someone was practicing swordsmanship.
With Li Hao's swordsmanship realm, he could visualize a person's sword-fighting stance and style based solely on the sound of the sword wind.
It was that little girl.
Was she also working so hard?
A smile appeared on Li Hao's lips as he then checked his status on the panel.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 5]
[Cultivation Level: Power Passage Realm Level 10]
[Swordsmanship: Level 2]
[Skill: Endless Sea·Tide (Sublime) [Forbidden]]
[Physical Body Path: Level 1]
[Skills: Stone Skin Hundred Refinements (Great Accomplishment) Thousand Jiaos Holy Body (Small Success of Jiao Dragon Body) Primordial (Starry Body Beginner)]
[Chess Tao: Level 3 (0/5000)]
[Chess Manual Collection: 0]
[Artistic Skill Points: 0]
"Still at the Power Passage Realm?"
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. He could feel tremendous changes in his body, several times stronger than when he had just reached the tenth level, and he believed that even using the Sublime level of the Tidal Sword Skill would be effortless for him. Yet, he still had not broken through.
However, up to this point, he indeed did not know how to circulate qi throughout his body.
These first two volumes of the Primordial Body Refining Skill seemed only to be applicable within the Power Passage Realm.
Yet, the strength they brought was far beyond the Power Passage Realm.
The only problem was that cultivation was extremely difficult!
Even with his current insights at Level 1 of the Physical Body Path, he was barely a beginner. Ordinary people would probably take ten or twenty years to reach this level.
By that time, they would have likely already stepped into the Zhou Tian Realm.
After all, compared to entering the Zhou Tian Realm, this seemed even harder.
Li Hao stood up and got used to his body before he opened the window and saw indeed, in the courtyard under the starlight, a small figure was practicing swordsmanship.
However, to Li Hao's surprise, compared to the clumsy and awkward sword swinging in the morning, she was now wielding the sword with proper form.
That little girl actually had some talent.
Li Hao smiled and, with a push of his hand, flipped through the window, landing agilely on the ground.
He went to another part of the courtyard by a rockery. Zhao had mentioned that this rockery was personally carried back by his father in his youth, weighing a hundred cauldrons!
Crouching slightly, as all the house servants and maids were resting and a few guards were patrolling elsewhere, Li Hao took advantage of the absence of others. He went to the front of the rockery, found a groove in a stone cave, and tried to push it.
Gurgle!
To Li Hao's amazement, when he exerted all his brute strength, he actually lifted the rockery weighing over ten tons!
As the rockery moved, the water in the nearby pond surged and backflushed beneath the rockery.
At the Power Passage Realm level 10, without Divine Blood, capable of lifting ten thousand catties!
Startled, Li Hao quickly let go, gently setting down the rockery.
___________________________________
Li Hao was wondering if he were to have his bones measured again, what the result would be.
But the chance came only once, and no one thought the old Taoist from Qingqiu Mountain had made a mistake.
Since the day of the bone measurement, he had clearly felt the bustle at the Mountain and River Courtyard diminish. In the past, the ladies from each courtyard would often bring their children over to play or invite him over to eat some border or tributary state's delicacies and specialty fruits, then let their children play with Li Hao, trying to become closer from a young age.
But now, two months had passed, and only the First Lady, Fifth Lady, and that young Ninth Lady had come to visit him.
They just saw that he was unharmed, and then they didn't come over again.
However, he occasionally received fruits, pastries, and the like sent over from the Eternal Spring Court.
Now that it was winter, he had even received two sets of little cotton-padded trousers and jackets made of fine beast fluff, as well as a scarf.
Li Hao put the scarf around the young girl's neck.
The next day.
At the break of dawn, Lin Haixia was already practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard with Bian Ruxue.
Previously at the weapon rack, Lin Haixia had the child choose among various weapons, performing drills with each to gauge her affinity for them, and Bian Ruxue ultimately chose the sword.
And through practice, Lin Haixia found that she indeed had a talent for swordsmanship, so she taught her earnestly, occasionally being strict.
Around noon, Li Hao finally woke up leisurely. He was not yet six years old and didn't have to abide by the family rules of visiting the Eternal Spring Court each morning to greet the head lady, so he could comfortably sleep in.
Seeing the diligent little figure practicing in the courtyard, Li Hao shook his head slightly and murmured to himself, feeling sorry for her, then, with the help of his personal maid, washed and had breakfast. Afterward, he routinely summoned the two house servants who knew how to play chess to set up the game in the pavilion.
Before long, the game of chess came to an end, but Li Hao noticed he didn't receive any notification of experience points increasing, which made him pause in surprise.
Then he saw the following words appear before his eyes:
{To advance to the third segment of Chess Tao, one needs a chess heart.}
A chess heart?
Li Hao was puzzled.
As if sensing his thoughts, the words gradually faded away, then another line appeared:
[To cultivate a chess heart, one's mind must contain only chess, only a passion for chess.]
Good, a straightforward explanation.
Li Hao was somewhat surprised that he could actually interact with the words.
Hello?
The words disappeared.
Li Hao tried calling out a few more times, but there was no response, so he stopped pondering about it, and instead ruminated internally, a passion for chess?
So, he needed to refine a chess heart first before he could earn experience points?
At the Divine General Mansion, Li Hao had heard of a sword heart, a spear heart, and even the phrase 'sharp-tongued but soft-hearted.'
But he had never heard of a chess heart.
It made sense, after all, playing chess and other minor pursuits were considered insignificant trifles not worthy of attention at the Divine General Mansion.
However, a chess heart should be something similar to a sword heart, right?
He thought back to when the ladies in the courtyard would hold him and chat idly about how a certain young man had been practicing swordsmanship every day since childhood, holding a sword even while eating, sleeping with a sword, and after refining a sword heart, progressing at a rapid pace in his swordsmanship training.
So, did he need to do the same to refine a chess heart?
But did Li Hao like Chess Tao?
In his previous life, he had only a slight understanding of chess, but it was really just a little.
Playing chess… who really enjoys playing chess among serious people?
Playing poker is more enjoyable than playing chess.
After a day's hard work, who has the energy for such a brain-draining activity?
Unless it's for a change of pace or an occasional alternate form of entertainment.
Even though he had a panel that could improve his Chess Tao experience, Li Hao only saw it as a tool for farming Skill Points, not something to truly fall in love with or become passionate about.
That would be difficult.
Li Hao was a bit stubborn and had the house servant play another round of chess with him.
Then he became a believer.
This left Li Hao somewhat troubled, his little face creasing in frustration. Just when he was starting to enjoy cultivation practice, you tell me I can't earn experience from playing chess, how can this be?
Does it really mean that he should embrace the chess set every day?
But without the experience, why would I bother holding it?
Maybe he should switch to practicing some other art?
But this chess heart, he wondered what its use was; he'd figure it out later.
In the following days, Li Hao moved the chess board to his bed, laid a blanket on it, and simply used it as a pillow.
During meals, he also set the chess board beside him as if it were a statue of Buddha.
But this formality seemed to have no effect.
Li Hao didn't continue to play chess with the servants, instead spending his time watching the young girl practice swordsmanship or browsing through various books at Listening Rain Tower.
One day, while flipping through books at Listening Rain Tower, Li Hao saw several pages of a chess manual in one of them, which made him curious.
The book told stories of a famous figure from hundreds of years ago, who had been humiliated in his youth and sought revenge later on. However, his enemy had given up martial arts for chess.
The figure had said that when the day of retribution came, he would crush his opponent completely, driving him to despair before killing him.
It turned out that the opponent had been studying chess for many years already.
They engaged in a chess battle right on the spot.
The figure was soundly defeated, and although he was stubborn, he did not kill his enemy then and there.
Instead, he executed the enemy's entire family, sparing no one, not even children, leaving only the enemy alive, vowing to return in the future.
But he never managed to solve that chess game before he died.
After reading this, Li Hao couldn't help but want to laugh.
It seemed the enemy knew the figure very well. Although his talent for martial arts was inferior, he was clever enough to learn this skill to avoid a deadly fate.
Suddenly, Li Hao felt that chess might be somewhat interesting after all.
It's not surprising that the Li Family, like him, in this martial world deep down felt that playing chess was merely casual entertainment, meaningless.
But now, this idea had changed somewhat.
{Chess Manual 'Myriad' detected, would you like to include it in the collection?}
Text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Li Hao was surprised and then remembered that there was a feature on his panel for collecting chess manuals.
It was also clear that he indeed had no interest in Chess Tao, having treated it only as a tool for gaining experience. In five years, he had never bothered to collect any chess manuals.
At this moment, he felt somewhat ashamed.
Li Hao immediately chose yes.
Soon, an entry named "Myriad" appeared in the collection section of his panel.
At the same time, there was a prompt indicating that it could be embedded.
Li Hao, puzzled, tried selecting the embed option.
Then a line of text popped up:
{Please select an embed target: Physical Body Path, Swordsmanship.}
Li Hao was surprised, what did this mean?
He thought about it and chose the Physical Body Path.
He had just begun cultivating and experienced the feeling of a sudden increase in strength all over his body, so he was looking forward to the Physical Body Path even more.
[Embedding successful.]
At that moment, Li Hao suddenly felt a complex stream of information rushing towards him.
This feeling was very familiar to him, and after a brief moment, it was completely assimilated. Li Hao saw behind his panel:
[Physical Body Path: Level One (Myriad)]
And the patchy information in his mind told him exactly what had happened.
Myriad: Places the target amidst the myriad elements of the world, impossible to discern, concealing all traces of one's energy.
Li Hao exerted a little bit of effort, and his bodily presence immediately retracted; the surging strength and energy inside his body seemed to shrink into every pore and cell, invisible to any observer.
"A special attribute?"
Li Hao was shocked, he hadn't thought that a chess manual could have such an effect, it was simply inconceivable.
With his level two Chess Tao, he could somewhat understand this manual. It contained a grand maze within a smaller one, with traps and pitfalls at every turn; it was no wonder that the great figure had never been able to solve it in their lifetime.
However, after embedding this chess manual into the Physical Body Path, it turned out to give similar attributes.
If he had chosen Swordsmanship as the embedding target, would his sword techniques possess additional deceiving effects, making the true killing moves imperceptible to others?
If matched with the Tidal Sword Skill's exquisitely lavish sword moves, it would probably be even more dazzling to the eye.
Li Hao glanced at his panel where the option to embed Myriad Chess Manual had disappeared, signifying that only one choice could be made.
However, this had opened a new world for him. Chess manuals were truly the way to go!
If he could collect various other chess manuals, wouldn't he be able to imbue his attacks with all kinds of special buffs?
Thinking of this, Li Hao's interest was piqued, and he began searching around the tower.
But Listening Rain Tower, while a sacred place for martial artists, was not a sanctum for chess players. After several days of searching within the Listening Rain Tower, Li Hao only found three chess manuals, one of which was even used to prop up a bookshelf.
"Flying Phase," "Hidden Bow," "Tiger Press."
After obtaining these three chess manuals, Li Hao studied them and guessed their attributes based on the characteristics of each, embedding "Flying Phase" and "Hidden Bow" into Swordsmanship.
"Tiger Press" was embedded into the Physical Body Path.
Flying Phase: Doubles the attack range, gaining long-range striking effects.
Hidden Bow: The killing move remains hidden until it strikes fatally in one move.
Tiger Press: Slightly increases strength and has an intimidating effect.
The three chess manuals brought significant improvement to Li Hao.
Unfortunately, although Divine General Mansion had everything one could possibly need, the martial artist household did not have the habit of collecting chess manuals.
Li Hao returned to his courtyard and could only ask the house servants to look for chess manuals outside on his behalf, but they all made excuses, none daring to aid the young lord on a path that seemed far from the right vocation.
With no other choice, Li Hao had to offer a hefty reward to entice them.
In the following days, aside from waiting for chess manuals, Li Hao slowly began to ponder over the art of chess.
He removed the blanket covering the chessboard at his bedside, put it back, and took away the chessboard on the dining table. Occasionally, he would walk around the courtyard or watch the young girl practice swordsmanship.
Perhaps because she had lost her parents at a young age and experienced hardship, the young girl had an extremely hardworking nature. Under the guidance of Lin Haixia, her swordsmanship improved day by day.
"That's not right, this move is not correct," said Lin Haixia as she was teaching swordsmanship one day, showing her strict military officer side. Even though she was very pleased with Bian Ruxue's natural talent for swordsmanship, she still severely criticized any mistakes made during practice.
The young girl held back her tears and stubbornly practiced over and over again.
Li Hao shook his head helplessly, thinking that even though Lin was a nice person, he might not always teach according to the learner's abilities.
A few harsh words, and the young girl's sword moves were almost deformed.
That night, Li Hao saw the little one still practicing in the yard and called her over.
"Your posture is incorrect, bend your arms a bit more, yes, like that. Don't be too stiff in the waist…"
With no one around, Li Hao took the time to personally guide the young girl.
Bian Ruxue was not dull; in fact, she indeed had a talent for swordsmanship. Under Li Hao's instruction, she quickly corrected her stance and began to emit the essence of swordplay.
"Brother Hao, do you know swordsmanship too?" the young girl asked excitedly after practicing, "Then can we practice together tomorrow?"
"Don't talk nonsense, I don't want to get up early," Li Hao said, startled and quickly responding.
"If Uncle Lin finds out that you know swordsmanship, he will be very happy," Bian Ruxue said, hopeful. Although she didn't understand many things, she could see that the adults around seemed somewhat disappointed with Li Hao.
The young girl was so diligent and hardworking because, deep down, she was filled with the desire to prove something. Everyone said Brother Hao was no good, but she believed Brother Hao was actually very smart.
"I don't know swordsmanship, don't go spreading rumors," Li Hao quickly said, hoping the young girl wouldn't shoot herself in the foot and ruin his chance to sleep in. It would make him cry.
Bian Ruxue looked puzzled: "But you clearly…"
"Go to sleep, sleep," Li Hao rolled his eyes and sent the young girl off, reminding her not to talk nonsensically.
The next day.
In the courtyard, Lin Haixia watched Bian Ruxue swing her sword and slowly her eyes began to widen in disbelief.