https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-327-Defeat-Ninth-Rank-of-the-Art-Dao-Part-2-Unity-Part-1-/13450502/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-328-Sword-Dao-Ninth-Rank-Li-Hao-s-Fury-Part-2-Part-1-/13450504/
Chapter 327: Defeat, Ninth Rank of the Art Dao (Part 2 Unity) (Part 2)
Chapter 327: Defeat, Ninth Rank of the Art Dao (Part 2 Unity) (Part 2)
During the three-day rest period, Lin Qingying continued to meditate on her sword in the courtyard. Li Hao felt she was too tense.
"Over these few days, you should take a break and relax."
Li Hao noticed that she spent most of her time, aside from eating and drinking, with her sword, more engrossed than he was in his chess games.
Lin Qingying opened her eyes and saw Li Hao preparing to leave, a rare occurrence. "Where are you going?"
In the past, Li Hao often went out, but she never asked.
"To the Sword Tower, to fish. Do you want to come along?"
Li Hao said with a smile.
Lin Qingying was surprised. The Sword Tower was a critical area where Sword Masters resided.
She thought for a moment and then stood up. "Sure, I'll go with you."
Li Hao was a bit taken aback. He had only invited her casually, never expecting her to agree.
"Alright, let's go together then." Li Hao smiled. Constant sword practice can easily lead to a mental bottleneck. Occasionally relaxing can actually be more beneficial for cultivation. It's like how he alternates between chess and painting; otherwise, focusing too much on one thing can make you miss out on other scenery.
Occasionally looking at different scenery can better stimulate one's thoughts, leading to new insights.
Immediately, Li Hao took flight, leading the way.
Lin Qingying followed behind, her face showing a hint of oddity. Li Hao had only been in the Holy Land for a year, yet he now seemed like a regular, moving about with ease and familiarity.
In contrast, although she had cultivated in the Holy Land for many years, she hadn't seen much of its entirety. Most of her time was spent eating, drinking, and practicing sword techniques, staying within the confines of her courtyard.
Soon, Li Hao led Lin Qingying to the Holy Mountain. Along the way, many disciples recognized Lin Qingying and exclaimed in surprise.
Li Hao felt a bit helpless. Bringing the Holy Maiden along was like accompanying a major celebrity; it was a bit too attention-grabbing.
Fortunately, the Sword Tower was a sacred place, and disciples dared not linger, making it very peaceful.
The male Sword Attendant noticed Li Hao's arrival and glanced at Lin Qingying, who was behind him, somewhat surprised. "What's this about?" he asked.
Lin Qingying recognized this male Sword Attendant. When she had come to the Sword Tower to choose cultivation techniques, she learned that he was a disciple of the Sword Master, extremely powerful and a standout in the Dao Law Realm. Even Holy Sons and Holy Maidens like herself might not be able to match him.
After all, he was a Holy-Level disciple from the previous era, now over a hundred years older than them, and his cultivation was naturally more formidable.
"Come to fish, and I thought I'd bring her out for a walk."
Li Hao smiled.
The Sword Attendant glanced at Lin Qingying, who maintained a calm expression but subtly averted her eyes, appearing slightly uncomfortable.
The Sword Attendant chuckled. "Alright, go ahead. The Sword Master is waiting for you. He said fishing without you around isn't as much fun."
Li Hao inwardly smiled. Although they were usually quiet while fishing, the feeling of reeling in a catch was a different matter altogether. Getting used to competing with each other, it felt a bit bland when he was alone.
After exchanging a greeting, Li Hao led Lin Qingying around the bamboo grove of the Sword Tower, heading toward the Sword Cliff.
Lin Qingying followed, her heart filled with surprise and curiosity. Could it be that he really did come here to fish with the Sword Master?
And it seemed he was quite familiar with the place. Could he have been coming here all along during his outings?
A strange feeling stirred in Lin Qingying's heart. The Sword Master was a Sage Realm existence, and many Holy Sons would love to gain his favor, but it was almost impossible. Li Hao had only been in the Holy Land for a year, yet he seemed to have become quite close to the Sword Master, which was hard to believe.
Soon, they arrived at the Sword Cliff. Li Hao saw that, besides the Sword Master, Qiu Wuheng was also there.
Lin Qingying noticed Qiu Wuheng and her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Sword Master, senior."
Li Hao approached and greeted with a bow.
The Sword Master turned his head slightly, noticing Li Hao and naturally seeing Lin Qingying as well. His eyes flickered. "This little girl is here to fish too?"
Under the Sword Master's gaze, Lin Qingying felt her hair stand on end, a strange sense of pressure overwhelming her. She immediately bowed her head in respect.
Upon hearing the Sword Master's question, she shook her head slightly. "I just came along to see, didn't expect to run into you, senior."
"Seeing, huh? Well, just take a look then."
The Sword Master said no more upon hearing this.
Qiu Wuheng, however, looked at Lin Qingying and nodded slightly, then said, "I saw your battle. Your Sword Intent Perfection was impressive!"
"I saw yours too. Your Thousand Threads Sword was impressive."
Lin Qingying replied.
Qiu Wuheng's lips twitched slightly. He had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Hao Yue Holy Son in that battle.
Li Hao sighed and rubbed his forehead when he heard Lin Qingying’s words. What kind of blunt woman was this, greeting people like this?
"Come, sit down."
Li Hao gestured for Lin Qingying to sit at the edge of the cliff, then returned to his usual spot. He then focused his energy into a thread and cast it into the Sword Cliff.
Lin Qingying watched the three people fishing, feeling somewhat curious. Was there any point to this?
She looked at the Sword Master. For the Sword Master, this might be a hobby, and it was the same for Li Hao, but for Qiu Wuheng...
"Are you using this to comprehend the sword?" Lin Qingying wasn’t stupid and could sense the purpose behind his fishing.
Qiu Wuheng nodded slightly. "Yes."
Lin Qingying’s eyes showed a hint of contemplation.
Li Hao smiled at Lin Qingying. "Your Utmost Softness Sword Intent is quite suitable for fishing. You can feel the water’s movements in detail and judge whether something is hooked. You should give it a try."
The Sword Master heard Li Hao’s words and laughed, scolding him. "You little rascal!"
Clearly, he was saying that Li Hao was trying to corrupt her.
Li Hao chuckled awkwardly; he was telling the truth.
Lin Qingying, however, shook her head slightly. She wasn’t interested in this.
Nevertheless, she didn’t leave. Instead, she sat quietly beside Li Hao, enjoying the peaceful and natural surroundings.
Soon, Li Hao caught something.
Lin Qingying looked over and was surprised to see a True Dragon.
"Again, it’s you."
Li Hao, seeing the Dragon Monster Ao Jie once more, couldn’t help but glare.
Ao Jie was also taken aback and quickly pleaded for mercy.
They were almost becoming old acquaintances.
Li Hao, feeling helpless, unhooked Ao Jie and let him go.
Hearing the Dragon Monster’s words, Lin Qingying realized that Li Hao was a regular here. Her eyes fell on the side of Li Hao’s face, and she suddenly remembered the day she returned from cultivation and heard an earthquake. She went to investigate and found Li Hao severely injured in a deep pit...
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked into the distance.
When the sun set, Li Hao said goodbye to the Sword Master and Qiu Wuheng, then took Lin Qingying back to the Alchemy Academy.
Over the next two days, Lin Qingying didn’t practice her sword skills but followed Li Hao to the fishing spot every day.
Qiu Wuheng, however, didn’t come, seemingly in seclusion for the upcoming loser’s group match in three days.
Lin Qingying sat at the edge of the cliff, gazing at the water in the deep pool, her thoughts drifting far away.
The Sword Master chatted casually, but seemed to intentionally bring up the Utmost Softness Sword Dao, allowing Lin Qingying to catch the Dao Sound he was transmitting. She glimpsed the levels beyond Sword Intent Perfection, but only found a direction. Truly reaching that point was still a long way off.
On the fourth day, the loser’s group match began, and Lin Qingying went to watch, while Li Hao didn’t go. Instead, he came to the Sword Cliff to continue fishing.
For him, fishing was a form of cultivation.
"Today’s match is happening, so why didn’t you go?"
The Sword Master was surprised when he saw Li Hao come again today.
Li Hao smiled. "I’ve already seen it."
"Are you saying you didn’t understand it, or that you found it too boring?" The Sword Master looked at him with a knowing smile, his eyes seemingly seeing through Li Hao’s thoughts.
Since learning that Li Hao was 28 years old and had cultivated to the 97th level of the Dao Domain, the Sword Master knew that Li Hao’s talent was beyond imagination, ranking among the top in the Holy Sons.
"Didn’t understand it..." Li Hao chuckled awkwardly.
Saying it was too boring would be a bit too embarrassing, considering those Holy Sons were carefully cultivated by the Sword Ancestor Sanctuary.
The Sword Master rolled his eyes. If he didn’t understand it, he would have gone to watch it. How could he have the leisure to come here?
He had been in the Ascension Realm for so many years and had never met someone as peculiar as Li Hao.
Qiu Wuheng came here to fish to comprehend the sword, but for Li Hao, fishing had nothing to do with the sword. It was just a hobby.
When Qiu Wuheng caught something, his expression remained unchanged, as if he had just picked up a rock.
But when Li Hao caught something, the excitement in his eyes was unmistakable.
This emotion couldn’t be hidden; only someone who truly enjoyed fishing would have such a reaction.
"If you feel that watching the match is a bit intrusive, don’t worry. They will eventually face the other two Holy Lands and the prodigies of the Thirty-Three Realms in their quest for the title of the strongest. If someone can spot their weaknesses just by looking, they deserve to lose."
Sword Master said calmly.
Li Hao nodded. The Sword God Battle now not only decided the strongest prodigy within the Holy Land but also selected the top ten to compete with the other two Holy Lands, vying for the position of the top ten in the Canglan World.
Seeing that Li Hao remained unmoved, Sword Master did not urge him further. In his heart, he regarded Li Hao as a prodigy under another Supreme Sage, destined to meet his own Holy Land's Holy Son on the Thirty-Three Realms Prodigy Battle. Li Hao's unwillingness to pry, though he thought nothing of it, earned his admiration for its pride.
After half a day of fishing, Li Hao caught Ao Jie repeatedly, but the Fishing Experience he gained had diminished significantly.
He sighed, put away his fishing line, and said to Sword Master:
"Senior, may I paint a portrait of you?"
Sword Master raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised, but quickly recalled Li Hao's famous paintings of the Sword God Battle. He smiled and said:
"If you wish to paint, go ahead."
Li Hao was delighted and immediately took out a Painting Board from the Heavenly Earth Space, beginning to paint at the Sword Cliff.
The sound of the waterfall, Sword Master sitting quietly on the cliff's edge with his hood up, and the brilliant, profound sword mark on the opposite Sword Cliff, radiating heavenly sword qi—Li Hao captured all of this in his painting.
When depicting a Sage, Li Hao felt the difficulty of the Art Dao, which was entirely different from painting others.
His expression was serious as he observed carefully, but he always felt a mist surrounding the subject. The detailed observation required for painting was different from casual viewing.
He aimed to capture the essence of the subject, but that essence was elusive, like a dragon whose head could not be seen, constantly changing and impossible to grasp.
As Li Hao vaguely perceived it, he suddenly felt a sharp, buzzing sword qi explode in his ears.
Sword Master's expression changed slightly, surprised. It seemed that his hidden Sword Dao had been glimpsed?
"Hmm? Are you alright?"
Sword Master looked at Li Hao, only to see that golden blood was seeping from his eyes, as if they had been cut and blinded.
From his eyes, he sensed a faint sword intent, reflecting his own Sword Dao and cutting his eyes.
This was not his doing, and he raised his hand to withdraw the sword force, for if it continued to affect Li Hao's eyes, they would not heal.
"Senior, don't worry about me, I'm painting!"
Li Hao seemed to sense his intention and immediately said.
Sword Master was taken aback and looked at Li Hao intently. At that moment, he suddenly understood why Li Hao could paint those famous Sword God Battle paintings.
He was not a sword fanatic but a painting fanatic!
His obsession with painting was so intense that it even surpassed the fascination many Holy Sons had with the Sword Dao!
Sword Master gazed at him deeply. It was hard to imagine that someone who could immerse himself so deeply in painting could also have such a profound understanding of fishing, and even more astonishingly, could reach the 97th Dao Domain at the age of 28!
Such a prodigy, even a Sage Reincarnation, was truly awe-inspiring.
At that moment, Li Hao's eyes were cut, and blood continued to flow, but his painting did not stop.
He painted with his heart!
As time passed, the outline on the painting paper became clearer, and the seated side profile of Sword Master gradually came to life.
At first glance, it was an old man sitting, but upon closer inspection, it resembled a sharp sword standing on the cliff's edge!
And when looked at again, it was still an old man.
When the painting was complete, Li Hao transferred the sword force reflected in his eyes into the painting using the Art Dao.
As the painting took form, Li Hao's eyes also regenerated.
At the same time, a panel appeared before him:
【Painting Experience +372742】
【Eighth Rank Painting Experience is full】
【Congratulations, you have comprehended the Heart of Art Dao, advancing to the Ninth Rank in the Art Dao】
(End of Chapter)
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