Chapter 202: Seven Years Old, A Million Pounds of Divine Strength

The sword technique was graceful, as light and agile as a dancing dragon.

Li Hao did not hide his talent and casually displayed the sword technique that the instructor had just practiced, infusing it with a nimble and dexterous flair.

The instructor was left stupefied, his eyes wide in astonishment.

But before he could finish processing his shock, Li Hao performed the technique again. The second time was executed with flawless precision.

The instructor's eyes nearly popped out of his head as if he had been struck by lightning. He stared at Li Hao in astonishment; it had only taken two attempts to achieve perfection?!

Li Hao casually handed the sword back to the instructor, holding it by the hilt.

The instructor snapped out of his daze and took the sword. He turned to look at Li Tianzong, knowing that even without saying a word, Li Hao's innate talent for the sword path was evident to all and was truly terrifying.

As expected, Li Tianzong stood there, dumbfounded. It was only when Li Hao finished his sword dance that he came back to his senses. He couldn't help but get excited, stomping his foot and rushing to Li Hao. "Little Ten, is this your first time practicing the sword?"

He placed his hand on Li Hao's shoulder, his eyes shimmering with emotion.

"Mhm."

Li Hao saw the excitement and trembling in his eyes, feeling the intensity of the moment.

"My son is a genius!"

Li Tianzong was so excited that he lifted Li Hao high into the air and spun him around several times before setting him down. He then turned to the instructor and exclaimed, "Did you see that? Did you see that?!"

The instructor collected himself and respectfully replied, "Congratulations, Lord. Young Master Ten's talent for the sword path is unparalleled. He has the potential to reach the pinnacle and become a Sword Saint!"

"Sword Saint? He'll be a Sword God!"

Li Tianzong laughed exuberantly. "When the Sword Saint was young, he would have been considered smart if he could practice and achieve agility. But my son has achieved perfection directly!"

The instructor thought about it and nodded in agreement. He couldn't help but marvel at Li Hao's talent and once again offered his congratulations.

"With such talent for the sword path, coupled with his innate gifts, in ten years, he will surely shake the world!"

Li Tianzong laughed heartily, his laughter echoing throughout the hall.

The distant onlookers, both the direct descendants and the lesser branches of the Li family, were equally stunned and speechless.

Li Tianzong's bold proclamation did not seem exaggerated because the young boy's performance was truly terrifying.

"Old Ten!"

The nine sons of the Qinglian Court surrounded him, both excited and awestruck.

Li Tianzong smiled and said, "From now on, Little Ten will cultivate here. Take good care of him."

"Mhm."

The boys nodded, then started poking and prodding Li Hao like they were looking for lice, curious and fascinated.

Li Hao felt a bit helpless. These casual moments of interaction were the times he wanted to skip over, as he was eager to focus on his cultivation.

Li Tianzong gave a few more instructions to the instructor before leaving to attend to his military affairs.

After he left, Li Hao resumed his training with the instructor.

However, upon learning that the instructor's teachings were quite basic, Li Hao decided to skip this period of time.

It would be a waste of his conscious time to cultivate here when he could be earning art experience instead.

Coming to the martial arts field to cultivate was merely a prelude to the display of his true strength later on.

...

Time passed.

At the age of six, when Li Hao stepped into the martial arts field to cultivate, he truly began to show his potential and embarked on his cultivation journey.

He could now practice the various techniques he had previously acquired. He repeatedly practiced the body refining techniques, causing his physical strength to surge, and his cultivation level to rapidly advance. He reached the tenth level of Tongli Realm and then broke through the realms one after another, eventually reaching the perfect stage of Zhoutian Realm!

By cultivating his physical body alone, he had reached the limit of the Zhoutian Realm. The strength in a single arm alone amounted to more than 300,000 pounds!

Li Hao knew that this was not his limit.

He invested another two art skill points to increase his physical body cultivation from the fourth stage to the sixth stage.

As he re-enacted the various body refining techniques, they evolved, their grades and levels increasing. Moreover, due to his increased understanding of the Dao, he was able to draw inspiration from numerous techniques and create seven or eight powerful new techniques.

After practicing these, Li Hao's physical strength increased once more. He broke through the limitations of the Jihun Realm, using his physical body to communicate with the power of the world, refining his true soul, and allowing him to internally observe his meridians. His will was like a divine blade projecting outwards!

His eyes shone with a cold, electric light, and his mental strength surged. Even if he went a month without rest, he would still be full of vigor!

At this moment, his strength had reached over 900,000 pounds, approaching the limit of the Tongli Realm—a million pounds—and was on the verge of touching the divine power state.

Unfortunately, the body refining techniques in the Listening to the Rain Tower were fewer than the ones he had obtained before. They lacked the cruel and brutal body refining techniques of the demon race.

Those body refining techniques were suitable for demons and were rough and savage, resulting in a significant increase in physical strength.

Li Hao had three art skill points remaining, which he used entirely on the Way of Control.

During this cultivation session, Li Hao planned to focus on the Way of the Physical Body and the Way of Control, with the Sword Dao and the Way of Movement coming second. Any remaining art skill points would be used for the Way of Boxing.

Taking the opportunity, he also sought out Li Xiaoran to see if he had any demon cultivation techniques.

Although Li Xiaoran didn't know what Li Hao was up to, he was left dumbfounded when Li Hao, at the age of six, displayed the aura of the Zhoutian Realm in front of him.

Even though he was re-cultivating, his previous cultivation insights were sealed, and this new journey was not a familiar path but rather a fresh start.

However, with a more mature mindset and a deeper understanding of martial arts, he could make more rational cultivation plans.

"How did you cultivate so quickly?" Li Xiaoran asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Li Hao smiled and replied, "Maybe I just have good aptitude."

Li Xiaoran was speechless.

He had also heard about Li Hao's aptitude, a legendary talent known as the "Transcendent Saint". No wonder it was so extraordinary.

"It seems that you truly are the hope of our Li family." Li Xiaoran murmured softly.

Li Hao was slightly taken aback by his sudden comment but shook his head without saying anything.

Li Xiaoran found the sealed shelf on the sixth floor and retrieved three demon cultivation techniques from the bottom, handing them over to Li Hao.

"These are cultivation techniques of demons. We can't practice them due to our different bodily structures and meridians. They are only useful for gaining insight into martial arts and understanding demons," Li Xiaoran explained.

Li Hao didn't say much and started browsing through them intently.

Soon, he had absorbed all three cultivation techniques into his panel, and through the transformation of the Physical Body Dao, they had been altered to suit human cultivation.

"Thank you," Li Hao expressed his gratitude and returned the techniques to Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran saw that Li Hao was just browsing and didn't comment further.

After all, Li Hao had already reached the Three Non-Mortal Realms outside of Mohe, and it wouldn't hurt for him to get a head start on these techniques in case they proved useful when he reached the Heavenly Man Realm in the Listening to the Rain Tower.

After bidding farewell to Li Xiaoran, Li Hao continued his solitary cultivation journey.

The three demon cultivation techniques enhanced his physical body, making it as sturdy as a golden body, imbued with unimaginable might.

Li Hao found the chess manuals he had seen before in the Listening to the Rain Tower and hid them under the cover of the Myriad Chess Manual to avoid arousing too much attention.

Although his previously displayed aptitude was already legendary, and his cultivation speed far exceeded the imagination of ordinary people, it shouldn't exceed their expectations by too much.

At the age of six, if he were to reveal a million pounds of divine power directly, he would be seen as a monster!

This would not merely be shocking but downright terrifying!

Seven Years Old.

A year had passed since Li Hao embarked on his cultivation journey, or rather, ten-something days had passed with Li Hao's accelerated time.

In the martial arts field, a crowd had gathered.

Today was the Sparring Assembly, an event to assess the progress of the disciples' cultivation.

Bang!

A nine-year-old child burst with energy, his long spear dancing as he effortlessly sent a sturdy-looking youth flying.

The youth was at least thirteen or fourteen years old, but he was overwhelmingly defeated by the younger child.

"Well done!"

Li Tianzong had also arrived to observe, accompanied by Chen Hefang, with a fruit platter and pastries between them.

Li Tianzong applauded and cheered loudly, not holding back his praise.

On the stage, Li Junye, only nine years old, exuded a vigorous aura in his brows. Hearing his father's applause, he glanced over with a hint of a smile on his lips before calling out again, "Li Tian, come and fight me!"

"Bring it on!"

A youth around the same age as the previously defeated boy stepped forward. Tall and straight, he held a battle sword in his hand.

As the instructor below gave the signal, the two youths clashed fiercely.

Li Tianzong watched with great interest, a smile on his face. "Junye is truly remarkable. He's only nine and has already reached the perfect stage of the Zhoutian Realm, and he's even opened up the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians!"

"His Yang Meridian is innate, but he cultivated the Yin Meridian himself. His talent is indeed rare," Chen Hefang agreed, smiling. "The instructor says that whatever he teaches, Junye understands immediately and grasps it with just one try!"

Li Tianzong laughed and picked up a pastry to eat. He couldn't help but praise, "Little Ten's culinary skills are improving day by day."

Chen Hefang was also tasting the pastries, and upon hearing this, she glanced at the child sitting on the steps beside them and said with a hint of helplessness, "This child has unparalleled talent, but his interests lie in many other areas as well."

Li Tianzong smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? Little Ten hasn't neglected his martial arts. I heard he practices in the martial arts field every day. He grasps whatever the instructor teaches with just one look. True genius takes the road less traveled. We shouldn't hinder him."

Chen Hefang sighed, "I'm just worried about you. You have a heavy burden on your shoulders, and the demons outside Dragon City are always a threat. If these children could grow up faster, they could share some of your burden."

Chen Hefang glanced at him, her eyes filled with tenderness. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Li Tianzong patted her hand gently and smiled. "The children are here. Let's eat the pastries."

But Chen Hefang had lost her appetite.

Just then, a loud collision sounded from the stage, and the battle seemed to have concluded.

The victor was none other than nine-year-old Li Junye.

However, his victory hadn't come easily. His body now bore several gray footprints, and he looked rather disheveled, his qi and blood in turmoil. This battle had forced him to exert his full strength.

In contrast, his opponent was sent flying off the stage, spewing blood.

"Well done!"

Li Tianzong cheered loudly at the sight.

The other Li family disciples were equally astonished. The direct descendants of the Li family were indeed freakish, each capable of easily defeating their peers from the collateral branches.

"Good job, Ninth Brother!"

The other eight brothers cheered and applauded Li Junye.

"Big Brother Nine is amazing!"

Sitting next to Li Hao on the sidelines was four-year-old Li Hongzhuang, who waved her tiny, pink fists and cheered for Li Junye with a crisp, childish voice.

Instead of stepping down from the stage, Li Junye scanned the audience and spotted Li Hao. A smile appeared on his face as he said, "Little Tenth, it's your turn now."

"Alright," Li Hao replied without intending to be modest or hide his abilities. He had decided to reveal a bit of his cultivation this time, or else it would be too bizarre if he exposed too much at once later on.

Li Hao popped a peanut into his mouth, then stood up and said, "Here I come."

As he stepped forward, he gently leaped and landed gracefully on the stage.

Many people were taken aback by his agile movement, clearly impressed by his skills.

Li Tianzong was initially startled but soon burst into laughter. "Look, Little Tenth's cultivation is at least at the perfect stage of the Tongli Realm!"

Seeing this, Chen Hefang heaved a sigh of relief. "It seems that even though he plays around all day, he hasn't neglected his cultivation. Moreover, in just one year of training, his progress is slightly better than Junye's!"

"Little Tenth has the talent of a Transcendent Saint. Even if he cultivates casually, he can easily surpass others," Li Tianzong explained with a light laugh.

At that moment, Li Hao had already landed on the stage. Li Junye looked at him with shining eyes and said, "Little Tenth, it seems your cultivation is going well!"

"It's alright," Li Hao replied with a smile.

"I'll hold back a little," Li Junye said, then began to adjust his breath and smoothen his qi.

"Go ahead, Ninth Brother. I can take your full strength," Li Hao said bluntly, having decided to reveal a bit of his strength.

Hearing this, Li Junye was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily. "Then let's give it a try!"

He kicked the spear with his toe, and like a dancing dragon, he thrust the spear toward Li Hao.

Li Hao stood his ground, neither dodging nor evading.

Just as the spear was about to hit him, Li Junye's expression changed slightly, and he flicked the spearhead to change its direction, worried that he might injure Li Hao. However, Li Hao grabbed the spearhead with his hand and shook his arm, sending a powerful vibration through the spear shaft, causing Li Junye's palm to ache with force.

But Li Junye didn't let go, and his palm split open before he finally released the spear.

Li Hao casually flicked his wrist, and the spear tail struck Li Junye's waist and abdomen like a club, sending him several steps back.

Li Junye staggered backward, his qi and blood churning wildly. When he finally managed to steady himself, he stared at Li Hao in shock.

Li Hao looked at this dazzling genius on the stage and put aside his words. Indeed, his opponent was the most outstanding genius the Li family had seen in thousands of years.

"Little Tenth, your strength..." Li Junye was still a little dazed.

"Ninth Brother, you were merciful!"

Li Hao flicked his finger, sending the spear back to Li Junye.

Li Junye caught the spear, his eyes shimmering with astonishment. Since he began cultivating, he had been unmatched among his peers, but today was the first time he had been defeated by someone of the same generation, and that person was two years younger than him!

"What incredible strength!"

Li Tianzong watched the entire exchange intently from below the stage. It was a beautiful victory, appearing effortless yet achieved with tremendous power and flexibility.

"Could he have reached the perfect stage of the Zhoutian Realm as well?" Chen Hefang asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

In just one year of cultivation, was this legendary talent so terrifying?