https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-314-Ten-Years-Sword-Ancestor-Sanctuary-Part-Two-/13450483/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-316-Chess-Dao-Spiritual-Immersion-Part-2-/13450485/
Chapter 315: Holy Land Sword God Battle
Chapter 315: Holy Land Sword God Battle
"You've just recovered a bit, so it's best not to move around too much. You should rest more."
The Old Man with White Beard kindly advised.
"Understood."
Li Hao nodded.
He could feel his current physical condition was worse than ever before. Staying in the void for too long had shattered his War Body and deeply eroded it with void Power. This Power seemed to have congealed within him, like vicious spikes continuously damaging his Physical Body, balancing out his body's natural healing process.
He could only rely on the Hiding One's Light attribute to slowly heal.
The Dao Power within his body had also dissipated significantly, causing his Cultivation to drop to the early True Person stage. He needed to condense Dao Power again.
This injury was severe, but at least he had managed to save his life.
Escaping from Under a Sage was nothing short of a miracle.
Thinking of the Virtual Sage and Yang Sage, Li Hao couldn't help but feel a surge of killing intent, but he quickly reined it in. He needed to focus on recovering his injuries for now.
"From your accent, you don't seem to be from our Canglan World, right?"
The Old Man with White Beard asked gently.
Canglan World? Li Hao's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a sense of relief. It was good that it wasn't the Cloud Mist World.
Otherwise, being under his enemy's nose with his current strength would be too dangerous.
"I was being pursued by my enemies and fled here. Thank you, Senior, for taking me in."
Li Hao said with a lowered head. This was a truthful statement, though he didn't mention that his pursuer was a Sage.
The Old Man with White Beard's eyes flickered, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Getting involved in the Jianghu, one can't avoid entanglements. I won't ask about your enemies. This is the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary. You can stay here and recover in peace."
"Thank you." Li Hao thanked him again.
The Old Man with White Beard didn't say more. He picked up some herbs and began grinding them to make Healing Powder.
A gentle Clear Wind blew through the courtyard. The woman's sword movements seemed to draw energy from the air, with white mist gathering at the tip of her sword, swirling like silk ribbons in a graceful and beautiful manner, yet harboring a fierce offensive force. Her technique was a perfect blend of soft and hard, deeply rooted in the principle of ultimate gentleness.
Li Hao sat on a straw mat and watched her, recognizing the depth of her sword skills, which were not inferior to his own.
His Sword Dao was still at the 6th stage, and he hadn't yet grasped the Spiritual Immersion of any Artistic Skills, preventing him from advancing to the 7th stage.
In recent battles, his realm had continuously improved, but his Sword Art and Fist Technique had gradually fallen behind, leaving him feeling somewhat powerless during combat. This was a good opportunity to use his recovery period to enhance his Sword Dao.
Li Hao summoned his Panel and reviewed his current attributes:
Flesh Dao: 9th stage, Yudao: 7th stage, Body Movement Path: 6th stage, Sword Dao: 6th stage, Fist Dao: 6th stage.
In terms of Artistic Skills: Chess Dao: 6th stage, Music: 4th stage, Poetry and Literature: 4th stage, Sculpture: 4th stage, Cooking Dao: 9th stage, Art Dao: 7th stage, Fishing Dao: 5th stage.
Remaining Art Skill Points: 5 points.
Mindset: Poetry and Literature Heart, Sculpture Heart (usable)
The two Mindsets he had exchanged for 200 Virtues in the Virtue Treasure Vault had allowed Li Hao to smoothly reach the 4th stage in Poetry and Literature and Sculpture, enabling him to continue gaining experience.
If he had to study and comprehend these on his own, it would take at least two to three months of full dedication, saving him several months of effort.
Currently, the best choice for his third Artistic Skill would be the 6th stage Chess Dao.
After playing chess with Emperor Yu, Li Hao had already glimpsed the Spiritual Immersion of Chess Dao. Now, he only needed a final push.
Suddenly, a distant bell rang out.
The bell's sound resonated like a drumbeat at dusk, creating a soothing vibration that cleared the mind of all distractions.
"Grandfather, I'm going to the Holy Land to practice my morning exercises."
In the courtyard, the woman finished her sword practice and turned to look at the alchemy room. Her gaze swept over Li Hao, and she spoke to the Old Man with White Beard.
"Go ahead."
The Old Man with White Beard, focused on grinding the Healing Powder, responded without looking up.
Li Hao watched as his savior rode his sword into the sky, vanishing on the horizon.
The courtyard fell quiet again, with only the sound of the stone hammer grinding Healing Powder.
Li Hao was curious about his surroundings but knew that rushing into exploration would be counterproductive. He closed his eyes to rest, focusing on healing his wounds.
Time flew by.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
With the help of recuperation and the self-healing ability of Hiding One’s Light, one-third of the void corruption in Li Hao's body had been purged, and his complexion had improved.
In the courtyard, Li Hao sat on the veranda, his legs swinging in the air like a child on a swing. In his hand, he held a small knife and a piece of wood about the length of chopsticks. The knife danced skillfully in his fingers, gradually carving out the likeness of an old man with kind, benevolent features.
Soon, with the final cut, Li Hao finished his work. He saw the experience notification appear on the panel and smiled.
During this month, he had intended to delve into Chess Dao and Fishing, aiming to achieve Spiritual Immersion in these Artistic Skills. However, with no one around to play chess and no suitable place to fish outside the Holy Land, he found himself unable to gain any experience in these areas.
With his injuries not yet fully healed, Li Hao didn't want to wander around and risk any accidents.
So, in his free time, he decided to improve his Carving Dao.
He would eventually need to enhance it, and this peaceful environment was perfect for slowly and steadily making progress.
Besides accumulating Carving experience, he would occasionally ponder the last thread of Spirit Light in Chess Dao, though he still had no clear idea how to proceed.
"You're quite skilled at carving. You must have studied it before."
The voice of the Old Man with the White Beard came from behind him. He glanced at the old man Li Hao had carved, recognizing his own likeness, and his eyes softened. He said gently, "I just received a message. We need to refine 300 Spirit Concentration Pills today. You can help, right?"
"Sure thing."
Li Hao put away his knife and placed the wooden old man on the wooden rack beside him. The rack was already adorned with many other carvings, including familiar faces from the Mortal World, Little White Fox, and even some of the Great Demons he remembered.
After placing the carving, Li Hao headed to the alchemy room.
Over the past month, Li Hao had come to know the identity of his master, Lin Shanhai, a high-ranking alchemist at the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary, second only to the Semi-Saint Elders in status.
There were also alchemists in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, under the jurisdiction of the royal family, as well as some who belonged to sects in the Jianghu, but their knowledge and techniques were limited, and their treatment couldn't compare to that of those in the royal alchemy academy.
"Same routine. You start with the Stir-frying, and I'll handle the refining."
Lin Shanhai moved the herbs over and said, "Your family’s Stir-frying technique is truly remarkable. Ever since you’ve been helping, the success rate and quality of my elixirs have significantly improved. However, it has also increased the number of tasks I have to handle..."
He said this with a hint of exasperation, but his face remained cheerful.
After all, each alchemy session brought a commission, and more tasks meant more benefits.
"It’s just a minor skill, not worth mentioning."
Li Hao smiled. He hadn’t expected his Cooking Dao to be applicable to alchemy.
Watching Lin Shanhai refine elixirs and smelling the unique aroma of the herbs, he had a sudden idea: Could his Cooking Dao extract the essence of the herbs to create dishes that were as effective as elixirs?
With this thought, he used leftover low-grade herbs from Lin Shanhai to experiment. Using the core extraction ability of his Ninth Stage Cooking Dao, he extracted the essence of the herbs and created a simple herbal dish. The effect was surprisingly comparable to that of an elixir.
Moreover, unlike elixirs, these dishes had no Fire Toxin, allowing for pure absorption. Even Li Hao, with his unique condition, could absorb their benefits without being blocked by the panel.
"This isn’t just a minor skill. It’s a technique many alchemists dream of mastering. The core of alchemy is extraction, followed by the mixing and refining process. Your extraction technique is the best and most unique I’ve ever seen. Even I, an old man, can’t match it."
Lin Shanhai praised him. "Your ancestors must have been extremely skilled alchemists, who disguised this Purification Technique as a cooking method to avoid attracting unwanted attention, passing it down in this subtle manner."
"…Maybe."
Li Hao felt a bit embarrassed. His casual demonstration of cooking extraction had led the master to imagine a dramatic backstory of first-rank grudges and revenge, even speculating that he was being hunted by enemies because this secret had been discovered.
Li Hao naturally didn’t bother to explain... the way things were was just fine.
At that moment, he stepped forward to help, preparing the medicinal herbs.
When Lin Shanhai opened the furnace, Li Hao immediately began refining the herbs in the air, using his Qi Power as a spatula to extract their essence.
Soon, the herbs were cooked, and a bright green juice began to seep out.
Lin Shanhai, with his extensive experience, silently pried open the furnace lid.
Li Hao directed the refined medicinal juice into the alchemy furnace.
A flame appeared in Lin Shanhai’s palm, and he began manipulating the herbs inside the furnace to condense them.
The two worked in clear division, and before long, one by one, fragrant elixirs were taken out of the furnace.
“Done.”
Two hours later, all three hundred Spirit Concentration Pills were successfully refined.
Lin Shanhai’s face relaxed into a smile, and he patted his old back, saying:
“With your help, it’s much easier. You’re new to Canglan World and don’t have any relatives or friends. If you’re willing, why don’t you stay here and be my Pill Refinement Assistant? Once you learn those few Intermediate Pill Formulas, you can become a mid-level alchemist and enjoy a distinguished status. In the future, I’ll also pass on my few Advanced Pill Formulas to you.”
“Senior Lin, you’re too kind. Helping out is a small matter, and talking about pill formulas makes it seem too formal.”
Li Hao shook his head.
Lin Shanhai chuckled and shook his head. He had suggested this before, but Li Hao had repeatedly declined, and he was used to it by now.
“Come, have some tea.”
Lin Shanhai brought over a cup of tea and invited Li Hao to rest and drink.
Li Hao also sat down at the tea table, slowly sipping the tea with him, his gaze resting on the woman practicing sword techniques in the courtyard.
Her name was Lin Qingying, Lin Shanhai’s granddaughter, and one of the Ten Holy Maidens of the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary. She had exceptional Sword Dao talent and a Sacred Bone, and was suspected to be the Reincarnation of a Sage.
However, until a Reincarnation of a Sage achieves Sagehood, they cannot recover all their memories.
At the moment, she was still Lin Shanhai’s granddaughter.
“Miss Lin is really diligent...”
Li Hao watched the woman practice her sword techniques day after day without pause, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. Whenever he saw people diligently cultivating, he felt a bit ashamed.
But thinking that his sculpting could also be considered cultivation, he felt a bit more at ease.
“Soon, it will be the Holy Land Sword God Battle. This time, it will determine the strongest prodigy in the Holy Land, who will represent the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary in the Heavenly Pride of the Sages Battle. The slot is extremely precious and concerns the Path to Sagehood. Naturally, she can’t afford to stop.”
Lin Shanhai held his teacup and smiled, but there was a hint of worry in his eyes.
Struggle with others can lead to injury, even death. But all things that struggle, if they do not advance, will fall behind. This path is destined to be one of blood and tears.
Li Hao had heard many stories about the Land of Sages over the past few days and was no longer as unfamiliar with it as he was initially.
The Thirty-Three Realms, 108 Sages—since a thousand years ago, many Sages have reincarnated or returned to their True Selves to undergo trials and cultivate in the Secular World.
Since a thousand years ago, every hundred years, there has been a prodigy battle that sweeps through the Thirty-Three Realms, involving numerous dynasties.
It’s said that the one who comes in first will receive the Worship from Ten Thousand Nations and instantly achieve Sagehood!
This has led to the Great Nations’ Talents Battle every hundred years being extremely intense, with many Reincarnations of a Sage also vying for the opportunity.
The morning bell rang with a thud.
Hearing the bell, Lin Qingying slowly sheathed her sword and turned to see the old man and the young man drinking tea in the courtyard. Her gaze was calm.
After a month of living together, she had grown accustomed to Li Hao’s presence. From her grandfather, she learned that the man she had brought back was from a noble alchemy family, but his ancestors had likely encountered some trouble, leading to the family’s decline. Now, he had become her grandfather’s Pill Refinement Assistant.
She wasn’t interested in alchemy, so she didn’t pay much attention to him.
“Grandfather, I’m going to the Holy Land to practice my morning routine.”
Lin Qingying said to Lin Shanhai.
With that, she mounted her sword and flew away.
(End of Chapter)
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