https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-200-Fourth-Stage-Body-Dao-Bone-Measurement-/13450271/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-202-Seven-Years-Old-a-Million-Catties-of-Divine-Power/13450273/
Chapter 201: Wielding the Sword Again (Second Update)
Chapter 201: Wielding the Sword Again (Second Update)
"Comparable to the Transcendent Saint Posture!"
Old Daoist of Qingqiu Mountain didn't keep them in suspense any longer. His face was a mix of surprise and excitement as he said, "Young Master's bones far surpass those of a Ninth-Rank War Body. I haven't seen such a case in thousands of years!"
After Qingqiu Mountain pledged allegiance to Dayu, it lived in peace. Old Daoist was an ancient fox with vast knowledge and experience.
"Oh?"
Li Tianzong's eyes lit up. Transcendent Saint Posture?!
Chen Hefang and the others were also shocked, staring at Old Daoist in disbelief.
"Typically, a Ninth-Rank War Body has at least one main bone as strong as metal and jade, with a surface that glows with seven colors and flowing patterns, marking it as Upper Grade."
Old Daoist, visibly moved, continued, "But Young Master's entire body is like this!"
"Seventy-two main bones, all radiating Divine Light and flowing patterns, as if they are Innate Dao Patterns!"
"Once Young Master steps onto the path of Cultivation, he will surely rise like a soaring phoenix, comparable to a Sage reborn. His journey in Cultivation will likely be unstoppable, breaking through realms as easily as eating and drinking, unmatched by anyone!"
Hearing Old Daoist's words, Chen Hefang and the others snapped back to reality, looking at Li Hao with a mix of shock and joy.
This was a legendary talent assessment!
A Ninth-Rank War Body was already the pinnacle, but Li Hao had Divine Bones throughout his body, his physique as refined as jade, comparable to a Saint!
True Sages were always the stuff of legend, said to live in seclusion, transcending the mortal world. The closest to a Sage in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty was the True Person of Qian Dao Palace.
"Excellent, excellent, worthy of my son!"
Li Tianzong laughed heartily, his face beaming with pride.
"Congratulations, Duke, congratulations, Madam!"
Old Daoist bowed in congratulations, his eyes sweeping over the children around him, inwardly amazed. Such talent was even more fearsome than that of the former Emperor of Dayu.
This line of the Li Family was truly blessed with talent, and it would likely bring the Li Family to new heights once again!
"Truly worthy of being the tenth son!"
"Great job, little tenth, you've outpaced us by a mile!"
"Uncle Nine, you've been outdone by the youngest!"
The other "brothers" gathered around Li Hao, some draping their arms over his shoulders, others ruffling his hair, all showing their excitement and joy.
Uncle Nine, Li Junye, who was two years older than Li Hao and now seven years old, had already shown remarkable insight and talent in the Training Grounds.
But being a child, he was also filled with delight, saying, "Little brother, in another year, you can start Cultivating too!"
"We won't be caught up by little tenth, will we?"
"Looks like we'll have to work even harder."
The other "brothers" laughed.
Li Hao looked at these "uncles" surrounding him, his expression somewhat awkward. Although he knew his current identity and had joined their ranks, such close interaction still felt a bit strange to him.
His gaze swept over their genuine smiling faces, and he could feel the unbreakable bond of brotherhood among them.
This was partly due to the guidance of their elders and the fact that they were all brothers from the same mother.
Faced with their enthusiastic and affectionate touches, Li Hao felt a bit uncomfortable and wanted to avoid it.
But being the center of attention, he feared that skipping it might reveal a difference from his "entrusted" self, leading to a direct comparison and potential exposure. So, he decided to endure it for now.
"You little rascal, you really are something!"
"How come the younger ones are the smarter ones? Did Mother save all the good genes for the later ones?"
"Are you saying the eldest isn't the smartest? Do you have an itchy skin?"
"Hey, hey, stop pinching me, it hurts!"
The "brothers" surrounded Li Hao, playfully roughhousing, sometimes using him as a shield.
Li Hao was pulled this way and that, his hair tousled into a mess.
Seeing these joyful and excited figures, he felt a bit helpless. His mature soul made it hard for him to fully join in their exuberance, but for some reason, the atmosphere made him feel comfortable and content.
That day, Li Tianzong spread the news and held a grand feast.
The manor was abuzz with activity.
Li Hao watched the brightly lit Divine General Manor, his eyes lingering on the lively scene of the Li Family's nine sons laughing and playing. His gaze was somewhat distant.
Was this how the Li Family used to look?
Compared to the once empty and cold courtyards with only women left, things were much livelier now.
When they all got married, it would undoubtedly be even more bustling.
But for some reason, despite being in the midst of all this activity, Li Hao felt as if he was isolated from it all.
Surrounded by noise, his heart felt calmer and more composed than ever, almost as if the night was growing colder.
He knew that the harmonious scenes like this no longer existed outside the Mourning River, and he was no longer a part of the Li Family.
"Old Ten, what are you thinking about?"
Eldest brother Li Xingbei, holding a wine cup, walked over. He had just been toasting with the nobles who had come to congratulate them. Now, he circled around to Li Hao and smiled.
"Is the food not to your taste? Tell your big brother, and I'll have a new table set up for you."
"Old Ten, you're not nervous because of the crowd, are you? Haha, there's no need to be. Even the nobles and princes bow low to the Li Family!"
Second brother Li Fengping also walked over, chuckling, but his voice was hushed.
He then burst into a hearty laugh.
"Several Dukes wanted to propose to Old Ten just now!" Third brother Li Jianming laughed. He was around fifteen, a spirited young man.
Li Hao remembered that their Third Uncle had died fighting demons at the Frontier. His only daughter, seeking revenge for her father, had joined the army at the Border Pass and hadn't returned to the Li Family Manor in years.
"It's true. When Uncle Nine was young, many people came to propose, but Father turned them all down."
Li Xingbei smiled. "Now that Old Ten's talent is even higher, even if the Imperial Clan proposes, Father would have to think twice."
They chatted around Li Hao, who sat quietly at the table, listening. When he saw a few more figures approaching, including one that made him feel uneasy, he turned away, closed his eyes, and sped through the memory.
The sound of wine cups and laughter quickly faded, the scenery changed, and a wave of weakness washed over him.
Li Hao was surprised to find himself lying on a bed.
He touched his arm, but it felt weak and powerless.
Noticing his awakening, a figure nearby, who had been dozing off, suddenly jumped up and rushed to the bedside.
"Old Ten, how are you feeling? Are you better?"
Li Hao looked at the person's face. From the memory of the Bone Measurement, he recognized him as Li Family's Sixth Brother, Li Ziyeh.
He was also Li Yuanzhao's father.
At the moment, Li Ziyeh was only a little over ten years old, still very young.
But the concern and tension in his eyes were genuine.
Perhaps because of his connection to Li Yuanzhao, Li Hao felt a natural fondness for him and asked, "Sixth Brother?"
"You're finally awake. At the banquet, some Demons disguised as nobles almost killed you."
Li Ziyeh seemed relieved and immediately raised his voice to call for help outside.
Demons attacking... Li Hao felt a chill. He was only five, and the Demons couldn't wait to kill him, even managing to infiltrate the Divine General Manor.
He wondered if it was a flaw of the Mourning River or if the Demons had special infiltration techniques.
"Fortunately, Fourth Uncle acted in time and killed the Demon", Li Ziyeh told Li Hao.
Li Hao felt a wave of relief. It seemed Fourth Uncle had been keeping an eye on him, allowing him to intervene in time.
"Eldest Brother and the others were also injured, but they are recovering", Li Ziyeh said.
Li Hao asked, "Are the others okay besides me?"
"They're all fine, just minor injuries. The Demon's main targets were you and Ninth Brother."
Li Ziyeh continued, "Ninth Brother was standing farther away and wasn't seriously hurt."
"Good", Li Hao said, feeling relieved.
As news of his awakening spread, many people rushed over.
"Little Ten, are you okay?" Chen Hefang arrived, looking tense and concerned.
Li Hao also saw the other "brothers", but there was no sign of Li Tianzong. He asked, "Where is Father?"
"Father went outside the city to slay demons and seek justice for you", Second Brother Li Fengping said, his forehead bandaged, indicating he was injured.
Li Hao fell silent.
He knew he needed to focus on cultivation.
His gaze swept over their faces, and then he closed his eyes, speeding through the recovery time.
When he opened his eyes again, Li Hao found himself in a side room, facing a painting board. His body was fully healed, and the weakness had vanished.
The people who had gathered around him were gone, and the emptiness made him pause briefly, but he quickly adjusted, picked up a brush, and began to paint.
While painting, Li Hao pondered that he needed to expand his skills and increase his Art Skill Points.
As Li Hao was halfway through his painting, the door opened, and Li Hongzhuang poked her head in.
Li Hongzhuang is now three years old and has started Foundation Building.
Li Hao asked, "Did you finish your Foundation Building today?"
"Mm-hmm."
Li Hongzhuang nodded. Despite her young age, she was very well-behaved and showed a clever side, saying, "Tenth Brother, why do you draw every day?"
"Because I like it."
"Do you like Red Makeup too?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then you should spend more time with Red Makeup."
Li Hongzhuang came over, tugging at Li Hao's sleeve, and said with pleading eyes.
Li Hao was speechless. This little one had learned how to manipulate people with words.
"Alright, alright, I'll spend time with you", Li Hao said, growing more comfortable and adept in his current role.
"Hmph, Tenth Brother always does his own thing and never plays with Red Makeup."
Li Hongzhuang pouted.
Li Hao quickly suggested they play hide-and-seek.
Li Hongzhuang's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed, running out of the room.
Li Hao sent her off and continued his painting. When he got tired, he thought about going to the kitchen to accumulate some Cooking Dao experience. It was relatively easy to gain Art Skill Points in the early stages.
He could also find some dry wood in the kitchen to practice Carving Dao.
With that in mind, Li Hao got up and headed out, only to see Li Hongzhuang standing at the door, looking puffed up with anger. Li Hao was surprised and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Tenth Brother, you didn’t come to find me!"
Li Hongzhuang huffed angrily.
Li Hao was speechless and cleared his throat, saying, "I did look for you. I searched everywhere but couldn’t find you, so I thought you might be hiding here, and I came back."
"Tenth Brother, you’re lying."
Li Hongzhuang huffed, "I was hiding in the flower bed by the door just now."
"..."
Li Hao was speechless. This little rascal was hard to fool.
"Come on, Tenth Brother will take you to make something to eat", Li Hao said, quickly changing the subject and leading her to the kitchen.
After all, Li Hongzhuang was just a three-year-old child. Her curiosity was easily piqued, and she asked, "What are we making?"
"You’ll see."
Li Hao smiled and took Li Hongzhuang to the kitchen. The servants there hurriedly bowed when they saw him.
Li Hao, however, acted very maturely, asking them to clear the stove and fetching the ingredients. He let Li Hongzhuang help with the cooking.
Children, especially little girls, seemed to naturally enjoy playing house. Li Hongzhuang quickly forgot about her earlier grievances and began washing and preparing the ingredients with great seriousness, arranging them neatly on the plates.
"Young Master..."
The servants in the kitchen gathered around, standing at attention as if facing a great threat, fearing something might go wrong with Li Hao.
They also curiously observed this Young Master, who was renowned throughout the Divine General Manor. As kitchen servants, they rarely had the chance to see the illustrious Main Lineage Young Masters.
As the stove was lit, Li Hao began cooking with a serious demeanor.
"Brother, can I pour it in now?"
"Not yet, wait a bit longer."
"Okay!"
"Brother, do we add the scallions last?"
"Yes."
Li Hongzhuang stood by, clearly acting as Li Hao’s top assistant.
Seeing his experience points increase, Li Hao smiled. This way, he could accumulate another four or five Art Skill Points before his Cultivation at six years old.
Soon, the servants outside suddenly knelt in panic.
"Master, please calm down."
Two figures approached, dressed in fine clothing. They were Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang.
Seeing Li Hao standing on a stool, flipping the food in the kitchen, the couple was taken aback. They had rushed over after hearing the news from the servants.
Li Tianzong had just returned from slaying demons outside the city, having changed out of his armor into fine clothes. It had been half a month since Li Hao’s banquet injury.
"Little Ten, what are you doing?"
Li Tianzong couldn’t help but ask, "Who taught you this? Why are you in a place like this?"
Seeing the frown on his father’s face, Li Hao felt a twinge of anxiety and thought of an excuse, "I wanted to cook something for you to eat."
Li Hongzhuang nodded and smiled, "Daddy, Mommy, we’ll be done soon. Do you want to eat with us?"
Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang were speechless. Cooking was a servant’s job; it was beneath them to do such menial tasks.
However, seeing the tension in Li Hao’s eyes and Li Hongzhuang’s beaming face, they exchanged a glance and their expressions softened.
Without waiting for them to speak, Li Hao lifted the lid and said, "The dish is ready, add some salt."
Li Hongzhuang immediately stopped laughing, his face tense as he carefully scooped a few grains of salt from the salt jar.
"Not enough."
He then scooped out half a spoonful.
"Still not enough, add more."
A full spoonful of salt was promptly sprinkled in.
Li Hao was speechless and quickly used the spatula to stir, saying, "That's enough, enough."
He thought to himself that next time, he should handle seasoning matters himself.
He then struggled to serve all the food from the pot, glancing at the couple who seemed hesitant to speak. Li Hao smiled awkwardly and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Li Tianzong looked at him, then picked up a piece of the dish and began eating. He winced slightly from the heat but nodded without showing any discomfort, saying, "Mm, it's quite good."
"Use chopsticks."
Chen Hefang sighed, finding men to be too rough. She took the chopsticks offered by the maid and picked up a small piece to taste, frowning slightly.
But seeing Li Tianzong smiling contentedly beside her, she said helplessly, "You've worked hard. It's rare to see such effort. Go wash your hands and come back with us."
"Sure, take this dish with us. My son's cooking suits my taste. Bring me a small pot of wine, I want to savor it slowly."
Li Tianzong instructed.
Li Hao was a bit surprised. He hadn't even reached the 1st Rank in cooking, and his skills were entirely based on his previous life's experience as a single man.
He also picked up a piece of meat to taste and nearly spat it out—it was indeed too salty!
Seeing Li Hao's scrunched-up face, Li Tianzong laughed, saying, "Next time, use less salt. Don't waste this meat. Our people work hard to grow crops, risking attacks from Demons, toiling from dawn till dusk. We must treat food with respect."
Li Hao was momentarily stunned but nodded, "I understand."
Before leaving, he found two wooden blocks to take with him.
"What are you taking those for?" Chen Hefang asked in surprise.
Li Hao replied seriously, "I want to carve some figurines for you."
"Huh? Can you carve?" Li Tianzong, walking ahead, asked in surprise.
"Not yet, but I can learn."
"Don't put all your effort into this. You've already undergone Bone Measurement, and you should focus more on Martial Cultivation Techniques. You're about to embark on your cultivation journey", Chen Hefang advised, somewhat helplessly.
Li Tianzong nodded slightly, "Your main focus should be on martial arts. If you like these things, you can play with them, but don't get too absorbed. Understand?"
"I understand."
Seeing that their attitude wasn't too strict and they weren't overly opposed, Li Hao felt a bit relieved.
Back in the courtyard, Li Hao asked Old Zhao for a small knife and began carving.
With the Carving Dao also included, Li Hao started his journey to accumulate experience again.
His carvings became increasingly lifelike and expressive over time.
Time flew by.
Li Hao had to jump forward in time every two days. Although his five-year-old body, with its Divine Bones as smooth as jade, was stronger than an average child's, his spirit was still not strong enough to go without sleep for long periods.
After two or three jumps, Li Hao was six years old.
During his time jumps, the skills he had mastered, such as carving and Art Dao, continued to accumulate experience as planned.
Now, Li Hao was at the 5th Rank in Art Dao, 2nd Rank in Cooking Dao, and 3rd Rank in Carving Dao.
He had accumulated 5 skill points!
"Xiao Shiyi, this is your first time cultivating. Look at these weapons and choose one you like."
Li Tianzong led Li Hao to the Training Grounds, where many of the Li Family's Main Lineage and Secondary Lineage young disciples, as well as his "older brothers", were practicing.
Li Hao noticed a young face that resembled Li He.
Additionally, there was another face that looked like Li Fu.
Li Fu didn't live in the Divine General Manor's main courtyard but was raised as Li Tianzong's illegitimate son in the Secondary Lineage's courtyard.
Li Hao didn't waste any time, his eyes landing on a weapon placed second from the front—the Long Sword.
He walked over, picked up the sword, and swung it a few times, feeling quite proficient.
After all, he was at the 1st Rank in Sword Dao.
"Do you like the sword? Then give it a try."
Li Tianzong smiled gently and signaled the instructor at the Training Grounds to teach Li Hao the basic sword techniques.
The instructor approached, politely demonstrating with a sword and then said, "Young Master, did you remember what I just showed you? Try to replicate it and let me see your Sword Dao insight."
Li Hao immediately raised his hand, and the sword glinted as he began to dance it.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
