https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-318-Bian-Ruxue-the-Holy-Maiden-Part-Three-Part-2-/13450490/
Chapter 318: Bian Ruxue, the Holy Maiden (Part Three) (Part 1)
Chapter 318: Bian Ruxue, the Holy Maiden (Part Three) (Part 1)
Hearing the whisper from behind, Lin Qingying frowned slightly. She disliked being disturbed while practicing her sword, especially by someone who knew nothing about it.
However, she did not turn around immediately. Instead, she held her sword and lowered her head, reflecting on the Sword Momentum she had just executed.
She cultivated the Supreme Soft Sword Intent, but the essence of Utmost Softness lay in the concept of a delicate limit. This limit was difficult to grasp; if she exceeded it, her Sword Intent would lose its focus, but if she fell short, her Sword Intent would lack the necessary precision, leaving her vulnerable.
At that moment, as she reviewed her thoughts, she realized that her Sword Intent had indeed scattered slightly, surpassing the limit of Utmost Softness. Such a mistake in battle would be a significant vulnerability.
However, to notice such a flaw, one would need to be at least on par with her in Sword Art.
"Do you understand swords as well?"
Lin Qingying turned around, her eyes, clear and cold like the moon, fixed on Li Hao, a hint of suspicion in her gaze.
If his Sword Dao could rival hers, he must be at least on the level of a Holy Son in the Holy Land.
How could such a person be seriously injured here, and coincidentally be saved by her? Was it intentional, or just a chance encounter?
"Um, I was just talking off the top of my head."
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Li Hao quickly corrected himself.
He had spoken impulsively, with good intentions, after all, she had saved his life.
But with his injuries not yet fully healed, revealing too much might only invite unnecessary suspicion and trouble.
"Just talking off the top of your head?"
Lin Qingying raised an eyebrow. To casually point out her mistake like that? Even a child wouldn't fall for such a lie.
She scrutinized Li Hao closely and asked, "How did you see it?"
Seeing her serious expression, Li Hao knew that if he didn't explain properly, she would likely suspect he had ulterior motives.
"It's just a feeling", Li Hao said.
"A feeling?"
"Yes, I like painting and am quite sensitive to posture and lines. When I saw your sword movement, it was clearly too soft. As a swordsman, such a soft swing would make it hard to apply force, and it could easily be exploited as a weakness", Li Hao explained, half-truth and half-lie.
"Do you really expect me to believe such a flimsy explanation?"
Lin Qingying raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in her eyes.
With the Sword God of the Holy Land approaching, it was a matter of great importance, and she couldn't afford to be too trusting.
"Did Clear Wind's words come true?"
Lin Shanhai, overhearing their conversation, stopped fiddling with his herbs and looked at them in surprise. He had thought Li Hao was just making a casual comment, but seeing his granddaughter's reaction, it seemed Li Hao had indeed hit the mark.
Li Hao smiled bitterly and said, "Just wait a moment, I'll show you."
He got up, found some paper and a brush, and used a wooden board as a painting board. After grinding the ink, he began to paint.
Soon, a graceful figure, as beautiful as a celestial being, wielding a long sword, appeared on the white paper, her movements soft and elegant.
Art Dao experience +32,837.
Wow, no wonder he was an Enlightened Realm being; the experience points from painting were plentiful!
Li Hao put down his brush. Lin Shanhai, who had been watching Li Hao paint, was stunned. When Li Hao finished, the entire figure seemed to come to life, as if infused with Spiritual Immersion, dancing on the paper.
"This..."
Lin Shanhai, though only interested in alchemy and tea, was well-versed in many things. He could tell that this was no ordinary painting. It wasn't just lifelike; it conveyed a sense of being there in the scene.
"Hmm?"
Lin Qingying also came over and was taken aback when she saw the figure on the paper.
She recognized the figure immediately; it was her, depicted in meticulous detail. The sword movement, imbued with a sense of spirit, truly captured the essence of her Supreme Soft Sword Intent!
He had managed to capture her Sword Intent in the painting!
Lin Qingying stared at the painting, lost in thought. After a moment, she seemed to realize something and a hint of embarrassment and annoyance flashed in her eyes.
The painting was too detailed, as if he had memorized every detail in his mind.
Though she knew nothing about painting, she understood that the first step in painting was close observation.
Thinking of this, her neck turned a faint shade of red, and she glared at Li Hao.
Li Hao, confused by her glare, thought she hadn't understood and pointed to the painting, saying, "Look here, the lines of your arm and waist, the overall softness, like there's no bone. But your sword acts as the bone, supporting you. However, when you swung it here, the arc of the sword was a bit scattered..."
"Stop it!"
Lin Qingying's face was flushed with embarrassment and anger. Although she and Li Hao had been under the same roof for over a month, they had barely spoken. Now, he was pointing at her painting and discussing her body curves in such detail. If it weren't for the sincerity and seriousness in his eyes, she would have thought he was being a pervert.
“Uh...” Li Hao also realized he might have sounded a bit offensive.
Lin Qingying was too annoyed to bother with him anymore. She just stared at the painting, examining it closely. Soon, she roughly understood why Li Hao had been able to pinpoint the mistake in her Sword Dao.
He had used the painting to judge the shape, rather than the Sword Dao itself.
Typically, cultivation involves shaping the form through the Dao, but Li Hao was using the form to point to the Dao.
Lin Qingying’s eyes flickered, and she glanced at Li Hao, who looked somewhat helpless. She quickly retracted her gaze and fell silent.
To be able to capture Sword Intent through the Art Dao, she wasn’t sure if this person was a genius in Art Dao or Sword Dao.
Earlier, her grandfather had been praising Li Hao’s high alchemy talent repeatedly. Zhao Yingzhen, Shi Huajin, and others had also visited, and she had seen them all speak highly of Li Hao. Though she didn’t understand alchemy, she knew he had an exceptional talent in the Pill Dao, making him a Pill Dao prodigy.
Perhaps, he wasn’t lying after all?
Lin Qingying’s eyes showed a hint of contemplation.
Top prodigies never wasted their energy on multiple paths of cultivation. If they did, it was usually to cultivate another Martial Dao, such as Body Movement Techniques or Fist Techniques, which could enhance their overall cultivation.
There was already too much to hone within a single Martial Dao, leaving no time to explore other paths.
Unless, of course, it was an old monster who had hit a bottleneck in their Martial Dao.
Thinking this, Lin Qingying stepped away from the painting board and said, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
As she spoke, her figure vanished, leaving the courtyard.
“You little...”
Once Lin Qingying was gone, Lin Shanhai snapped back to reality and glared at Li Hao with a hint of irritation. “Don’t you dare have any ideas about my granddaughter!”
Li Hao was taken aback, somewhat bewildered. “Elder Lin, what are you talking about?”
“You know what I mean!”
Mentioning his granddaughter, Lin Shanhai became even more protective. He glared at Li Hao. “Qingying is destined for Ascension. Whether for her sake or yours, you two are not suitable.”
“...”
Li Hao was speechless. Why did the conversation suddenly turn to this?
He looked at the painting paper and realized what was happening, forcing a bitter smile. “Elder Lin, you’ve misunderstood. I have no such intentions toward Qingying.”
“You brat, do you even have the right to call her by her name?”
Lin Shanhai became agitated. He only had one precious granddaughter, and although he admired Li Hao, he felt like a wolf was about to snatch her away.
“...”
Li Hao forced a smile.
Lin Shanhai continued to nag at Li Hao, who could only nod and promise not to have any thoughts about his granddaughter.
“What were you talking about?”
Not long after, Lin Qingying reappeared as if by teleportation. She seemed to have heard something and raised an eyebrow, glancing at Li Hao.
Lin Shanhai shook his head. “Nothing. What’s in your hand?”
“Bone Reflection Mirror.”
Lin Qingying held a pure black, oval mirror. Li Hao had seen such a mirror before when he ascended the Immortal Gate, but that one was much larger.
“Let me see your age. Is that okay?”
Lin Qingying looked at Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded; there was no need to hide his age.
Lin Qingying immediately pointed the Bone Reflection Mirror at Li Hao. Soon, a dark image of Li Hao appeared in the mirror, revealing his age.
27 years old.
Lin Qingying was taken aback, her eyes showing a hint of surprise. This age was too young.
When Li Hao had been unconscious and she had brought him back, she had explored his body and noticed that he was severely injured, but his realm was the Fourth Establishment Realm.
To reach the Fourth Establishment Realm at 27 was already a remarkable achievement, placing him among the elite prodigies.
Within the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary, he would be considered one of the top Inner Disciples.
For someone of his age to cultivate the Martial Dao to the Fourth Establishment Realm, and to also have a mastery of alchemy purification as mentioned by her grandfather, and now to see Li Hao’s profound understanding of the Art Dao, these were all pursuits that required significant effort.
Sword Dao?
It was impossible for him to have the energy to delve into that as well.
After all, human energy was limited.
She felt reassured. This age alone was enough to prove that Li Hao’s earlier words were true. He had used the painting to identify the flaw in her Sword Dao.
She didn’t understand painting and couldn’t grasp it, but now this was the only explanation.
“You’re so young?”
Lin Shanhai, seeing Li Hao’s age, was also surprised. “27 years old and already at the Fourth Establishment Realm? Your Martial Dao talent is quite extraordinary. Did your family give you any divine pills or treasures? With this talent, you could directly join the Holy Land’s inner gate. Cultivating here for a hundred years, you might even have a chance to become a disciple of a Semi-Saint.”
Li Hao gave a wry smile at the other party’s words, feeling a pang of regret. The battle with the Virtual Sage had been an unexpected disaster, wasting ten years of his life.
When he escaped from the void, his War Body was shattered, his Dao Power dissipated, and his realm plummeted. They had mistaken him for being at the Fourth Establishment Realm, but now, thanks to Hiding One's Light, his Dao Power had condensed, and he had long since returned to the Enlightened Realm.
However, with Omni Attributes concealing his true state, Li Hao did not deliberately reveal his current condition. His internal injuries had yet to fully heal.
“Take medicine?”
Upon hearing Lin Shanhai’s words, the surprise in Lin Qingying’s eyes turned to understanding.
Li Hao’s Purification technique had been mistaken by Lin Shanhai as a declining Alchemy family that once had a glorious past and still possessed Divine Pills and spirit medicines. It wasn’t strange for such a family to have such legacies.
If he had reached this realm through the use of medicines, it wouldn’t be too surprising.
However, medicines that could significantly aid the cultivation of the Three Immortalities and Fourth Establishment Realm were quite rare, and even Senior Alchemists could only produce them in small quantities.
“If you want to join the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary, I can recommend you.”
Lin Qingying put away her Bone Reflection Mirror and said calmly. This was a way to make up for her earlier suspicions about Li Hao.
Li Hao understood her intention and shook his head slightly. “I’m not interested in cultivation.”
Hearing Li Hao’s response, Lin Qingying didn’t press further, becoming even more convinced that Li Hao had reached this realm through the use of medicines. After all, during this time, though she hadn’t deliberately observed him, she had noticed that he had never practiced cultivation.
To have such a realm, it was likely that he needed it for alchemy, just like his grandfather.
Generally, alchemists needed to master some fire-based cultivation techniques, secret techniques, and even Dao Arts to refine certain elixirs. Alchemy was also a physically demanding task, and if one’s realm was too low, they couldn’t produce high-quality medicines.
Some Divine Medicines were extremely difficult to tame, and using Demonic Precious Blood in their refinement required suppressing the soul essence within, which demanded a certain realm.
“Regardless, I should thank you for pointing out the flaws in my Sword Dao. If you have any requests, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to help.”
Lin Qingying said, her expression cool and detached. She didn’t like owing anyone and preferred to keep things clear.
“I haven’t repaid you for saving my life, so this small favor is nothing. I was just saying it casually.”
Li Hao glanced at her, thinking of the massive amount of experience he had just gained. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “If you really want to thank me, how about letting me paint a few more portraits for you in the future?”
“You brat!”
Before Lin Qingying could respond, Lin Shanhai blurted out, glaring at Li Hao. Had everything he said just now been for nothing?
Lin Qingying was also taken aback. Thinking about the portrait he had just painted, her earlobes turned slightly red. She stared at Li Hao, as if searching for something in his eyes.
But Li Hao’s gaze was steady and unflinching.
Lin Qingying looked at him deeply, then turned away, saying calmly, “Fine, if you can find more flaws in my Sword Dao, I will be grateful.”
“So, you agree?”
Li Hao’s face broke into a smile.
Lin Qingying didn’t respond but flew to the courtyard to continue practicing her sword techniques. This was as good as an agreement.
Otherwise, if she didn’t want to, she could have found a thousand ways to make it impossible for Li Hao to see her again.
After all, she was the Holy Maiden of the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary, with authority second only to the Semi-Saint Elders.
“Clear Wind, Clear Wind, why can’t you listen to reason?”
Lin Shanhai’s face fell, feeling as if he had invited a wolf into his home.
“Old Lin, don’t worry. I have no ulterior motives with Qingying. Believe in my dedication to the Art Dao. It’s just painting, and I can paint a few for you too, if you like.”
Li Hao said earnestly.
Lin Shanhai looked at Li Hao’s sincere eyes, still somewhat skeptical. “Really?”
“Absolutely!”
Li Hao affirmed.
Seeing Li Hao’s firm assurance, Lin Shanhai let out a sigh of relief and said, “Alright, I’ll trust you this once.”
Li Hao felt a bit helpless but didn’t press the matter further.
The conversation between the two didn't escape Lin Qingying's ears. She frowned slightly, and the sword in her hand swung even faster, as if trying to slash away those words.
Before long, she was once again fully immersed in her Sword Intent cultivation.
...
Ever since Li Hao offered to paint Lin Qingying, Lin Shanhai had his Alchemist's Apprentice build another courtyard at the back of the yard for Li Hao.
Though Old Lin claimed he trusted Li Hao, he still quietly took precautions.
Li Hao merely smiled wryly, not taking it to heart. Having his own courtyard actually gave him more peace and quiet.
Aside from painting and sculpting, he also spent his days quietly recuperating.
The void power that had seeped into his body had already been reduced by nearly half. One advantage of the Land of Sages was its extremely dense Heavenly and Earthly energy, which was more than ten times that of the Mortal World.
No wonder martial artists yearned to step through the Immortal Gate.
A tenfold increase in cultivation speed, along with a slower aging process, made a year in this place equivalent to ten years in the Mortal World, and it only cost one year of one's lifespan!
However, to Li Hao, whether it was here or the Mortal World, it made little difference. He simply wanted to live each day with a sense of stability and enjoyment.
Two months passed in a blink.
Li Hao's injuries had mostly healed, and the void power that had once fractured his body was being cleared out more quickly as his physical body continued to mend.
As his body recovered, Li Hao, in addition to painting and sculpting, also began to cultivate.
The battle with the Virtual Sage had severed his Heavenly and Earthly Pulse, which meant all his major meridians had been shattered and destroyed.
While his physical body had healed, these meridians needed to be reconstructed.
Fortunately, with his previous cultivation techniques, reopening the major meridians was not a difficult task for Li Hao.
He set up a barrier in his small courtyard and used the Hidden Bow and Myriad Phenomena attributes to completely conceal his presence.
He then began to circulate the Pulse Opening Cultivation Technique, gradually reopening each of the major meridians.
All 108 major meridians were successfully reopened as Li Hao's cultivation technique flowed through them.
The remaining two meridians were the Yin Pulse and the Yang Meridian. Li Hao could reopen the Yin Pulse by cultivating the Thousand Dragon Sacred Body technique.
The Yang Meridian, located at the top of the skull, was a dangerous spot. A minor mistake could lead to dementia, and a major one could result in a burst brain.
However, for Li Hao, who had attained the seventh Ultimate Realm, reopening the Yang Meridian was the easiest task.
Even if his head burst, he could regenerate through Blood Drop Rebirth.
After two attempts, the first one failed, causing his head to burst, but the second attempt was successful after he regenerated.
Without the seventh Ultimate Realm, any other prodigy, no matter how talented, would face certain death if they failed to open the Yang Meridian without a special secret art.
With the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians now open, the Heavenly and Earthly Pulse reappeared.
Seven Ultimate Realms plus half a final realm—this was the height Li Hao had reached.
In the days that followed, he began to refine his Dao Power. When he first entered the Immortal Gate, he had just stepped into the Enlightened Realm, and his Dao Power had not yet fully transformed. After the battle, his Dao Power had been scattered, and he was now only in the early True Person Realm, with a shallow amount of Dao Power in his body.
The strength of a Dao Enlightenment True Person Realm cultivator depended on the refinement of their Dao Power.
The indestructible nature of Dao Power meant that, in theory, if it was refined deeply and powerfully enough, it could provide almost absolute defense.
Sitting in the courtyard, aside from sculpting and painting for leisure, he spent his days on the tedious task of converting Dao Power.
Every morning, Li Hao would visit Lin Shanhai's alchemy room to help purify herbs.
(End of Chapter)
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