Chapter 7: Flesh Dao
Chapter 7: Flesh Dao
In the Changchun Courtyard.
He Jianlan sat gracefully in the polished golden-threaded nanmu armchair, listening to the nervous report of the young servant before her. A faint ripple of emotion stirred within her.
She had long heard that the child was precocious and very intelligent, but unfortunately, he lacked Martial Dao talent, rendering his intelligence wasted.
Thinking of the letter from the border, He Jianlan sighed inwardly and said softly, "Xue Jian, go and keep an eye on the child. Just make sure he doesn’t tear up the books."
"Yes, Lady."
Beside her, a fair-skinned woman with almond eyes and red lips replied softly.
...
The instruction from Changchun Courtyard reached the Rain Listening Pavilion. Li Hao looked at the young girl who had come to supervise him, feeling a bit surprised, but he didn’t mind. After all, he was so young, and it was understandable that the First Lady wouldn’t feel comfortable letting him enter the building alone.
Among the servants, Old Zhao’s status was clearly lower than that of the young girl named Xue Jian, who had been left outside the building.
Inside the ancient building, the light was somewhat dim, and a layer of dust covered the floor.
Row after row of bookshelves lined the building, towering and massive. Li Hao walked along, examining the shelves. Each side of the bookshelves had wooden plaques, categorizing the books.
There were Sword Techniques, Saber Techniques, Spear Techniques, and even Weaponry and Poison.
The variety of books was vast, almost encompassing everything.
Li Hao couldn’t help but marvel.
This small building seemed to contain half the world of martial arts.
Before long, Li Hao found the section dedicated to body refinement techniques. The bookshelves were densely packed with various hard cultivation manuals.
*Vajra Sutra*, *Divine Turtle Nine Transformations*, *Seven Stars Seal*, and so on.
Li Hao casually picked up a manual called *Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin* and leaned against the bookshelf to read it.
The building was extremely quiet, with only the breathing of two people echoing.
Xue Jian followed Li Hao silently, her demeanor impeccable, her presence even more refined than that of a typical noble lady. She watched the young master, who had been in the spotlight since birth, with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Indeed, he seemed very precocious, and he could read.
Moreover, he was reading so intently. Could he really understand it?
Time passed.
Li Hao repeatedly read through the introductory section of the manual, understanding each word. After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw a message that filled him with joy:
"Basic understanding achieved. Do you wish to record it?"
Li Hao immediately chose yes.
Soon, a panel appeared before his eyes.
【Name: Li Hao】
【Age: 4】
【Cultivation: Commoner】
【Sword Dao: Second Rank】
【Skill: Endless Sea·Tide (Perfection) [Prohibited]】
【Flesh Dao: Novice】
【Skill: Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin (Novice) {Prohibited}】
【Chess Dao: Second Rank (18/1000)】
【Chess Spectrum Collection: 0】
【Art Skill Points: 0】
Seeing the successful recording, Li Hao was pleasantly surprised. His hypothesis was correct, and now he could officially embark on his cultivation journey.
However, before that, he needed to accumulate more Art Skill Points.
Thinking of this, Li Hao’s face fell.
Solo grinding for experience was quick, but playing against others was much slower.
It took three days to accumulate 18 experience points, and the tool user had been scared away.
He needed to find a stable tool user… Li Hao muttered to himself, putting the manual back on the shelf. He then turned to the young girl behind him and asked, "Where is the best body refinement manual located?"
Xue Jian was slightly surprised. This child actually understood body refinement?
Who taught him?
Could it be the military captain who had helped him lay the foundation?
With his blocked meridians, he must be trying to pursue a pure body refinement path… A realization flashed in Xue Jian’s eyes, and she said softly, "Reporting to Young Master, the strongest body refinement manual in the Rain Listening Pavilion is on the sixth floor. I will take you there."
"Not on the seventh floor?"
Li Hao felt a bit disappointed and said, "The strongest should mean the only one, right?"
"One is complete and can be cultivated, while the other is a fragment and can be practiced, but not to the highest level", Xue Jian explained.
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. A fragment could enter the sixth floor?
Soon, under the little girl's guidance, Li Hao was carried to the sixth floor.
If he had climbed on his own, he would have been exhausted by the third floor.
The higher they went, the fewer secret manuals there were. By the time they reached the sixth floor, there were only a few short bookshelves left. A quick glance revealed that the manuals on them probably numbered no more than twenty to thirty in total.
However, Li Hao did not underestimate this small number. The Li Family's millennium of accumulation meant that these twenty to thirty manuals, if found outside, would likely be invaluable treasures.
Before long, Xue Jian brought the two body refinement manuals she mentioned back to Li Hao.
One was titled *Thousand Dragon Sacred Body*.
The other was called *Primordial*.
Their covers were somewhat worn and old; if left in an ordinary household, they would likely end up as scraps to prop up table legs.
Li Hao took them and began to flip through them one by one.
Just the opening of the manuals made him realize the vast difference from what he had seen on the first floor.
He... couldn't understand a thing.
The text was extremely obscure, almost like classical Chinese, or even oracle bone script. He could barely recognize a few characters, but when put together, they made no sense at all.
Li Hao's little face scrunched up.
He forced himself to keep reading for a while but eventually decided to give up.
He couldn't even grasp the surface of it.
"Back then, watching that little brat practice swordsmanship, it took me several days to record *Endless Sea*. That was by watching someone perform it directly. This is self-study..."
Li Hao shook his head and decided to wait until he accumulated enough Art Skill Points to enhance his *Flesh Dao* before trying again.
He had Xue Jian carry him back downstairs.
While Li Hao wanted to learn other types of manuals, he clearly didn't have the energy for it at the moment.
Without Art Skill Points, everything was futile, and the problem came back to... the lack of a tool person.
After leaving the Rain Listening Pavilion, Li Hao bid farewell to the well-mannered little girl and returned to the Mountain and River Courtyard with Old Zhao.
"Brother Hao."
Seeing Li Hao return, Bian Ruxue ran over, nearly tripping and falling.
"Take it easy, take it easy", Li Hao said quickly.
"Where did Brother Hao go? Can you take me with you next time?" Bian Ruxue pouted, looking at him with pleading eyes.
Over the past year, the little girl had become very attached to Li Hao. At night, she would even bring her pillow and crawl into Li Hao's room, only then would she sleep soundly.
Li Hao had tried to send her away a few times, but the little girl would often wake up in the middle of the night, crying and running to Li Hao. Her tearful face made it impossible for him to be heartless.
Fortunately, the bed was large, and his body was small. Having one more person didn't make much difference, and the little girl slept quietly without causing any trouble, so he let her stay.
"You have to be a good girl and listen. As long as you stay here, I'll always come back no matter where I go", Li Hao said, patting her head.
The servants and maids nearby were already used to this scene and were not surprised.
"Promise?"
Bian Ruxue extended her little hand.
Li Hao sighed and humored her by making a pinky promise.
"You can't break it. You said it, whoever breaks it is a little dog", Bian Ruxue said, pouting slightly.
"Alright, alright", Li Hao said, helpless.
...
In the days that followed, Li Hao decided to demonstrate his talent in Chess Dao and began to demand that the servants and maids play chess with him.
Those who refused would be given three swats by Old Zhao.
Three swats wouldn't break the skin, but they were enough to make one's bottom sore for half a day.
Under the little master's tyranny, the servants and maids had no choice but to take turns playing with him.
As the days passed, two scenes emerged in the courtyard.
On one side, Lin Haixia was teaching Bian Ruxue basic swordsmanship and martial arts. This wasn't formal training, just practicing movements and getting familiar with the feel of martial arts.
The process was occasionally painful, but the little girl's stubborn nature meant she never cried over it.
On the other side, things were lively.
A group of servants gathered around the pavilion, with Li Hao playing chess against one of them. He ordered the others to watch and learn.
Among the servants, some knew nothing about chess, while others had picked up a bit from somewhere. Li Hao found that when he played against those who knew chess, winning would grant him 2 points of experience, sometimes even 3!
In contrast, when he played against those who knew nothing, winning only gave him 1 point of experience.
If the opponent made an illegal move, the entire game would be invalidated.
Gradually, the servants no longer needed to take turns. Li Hao found the two best chess players among them and had them play with him every day to farm experience.
Before he knew it, Li Hao was five years old.
(End of Chapter)
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