Chapter 9: Tai Chu

A power as mighty as a lion or an elephant surged within Li Hao’s body. He clenched his small fist lightly, and the sensation in his tiny hand felt as if it could crush stone with ease. Just moments ago, he had been nothing more than an ordinary child—now, in the span of mere breaths, he had become a cultivator.

The Strength Integration Realm was the first stage on the Martial Path, focused solely on cultivating physical force. When strength flowed through every fiber of the body, it was called Tong Li—complete unity of force. After countless generations, the standards for each level had been clearly defined: one level meant lifting one tripod, equivalent to 200 jin of arm strength.

Even an ordinary family, through daily labor and simple food, could train themselves to reach the first level of the Strength Integration Realm. But to advance further? Only those born with extraordinary strength could do so without cultivation. Each level-up added another tripod of power. Seven levels meant seven tripods—meaning Li Hao, at just five years old, could now lift 1,400 jin.

And that was only arm strength. The explosive power radiating from his entire body allowed him to leap over a hundred meters in a single bound, move like lightning, and effortlessly overpower a hundred ordinary strongmen.

“Finally… I can cultivate,” Li Hao thought, his heart pounding with excitement. Just a slight exertion of effort, and his whole body tensed—his skin thickened instantly, though still tender, yet no longer flimsy. It no longer tore or peeled with the slightest tug. Instead, it felt like stretched oxhide—taut, unyielding, impossible to twist.

But this is only the limit of the Stone Skin Hundred Smelts technique, he mused. If I train with those two secret manuals, my cultivation level should rise even further.

Taking a deep breath of Qi, he adjusted his body’s state. As the crimson flush on his skin gradually faded back to normal, he left the room.

He called for Zhao Bo and instructed him to send word to the elder lady. Soon, a reply came—once again, it was the maid Xuejian who arrived to accompany him.

This time, they went straight to the sixth floor. Li Hao picked up the two secret manuals and began flipping through them one by one. With his newfound understanding of Body Dao, the once confusing, tangled passages now fell into place, making perfect sense.

[Basic Level Learned. Acquire?]

Yes.

In less than half a moment, he had acquired both manuals into his Character Panel. Without delay, he had Xuejian lead him back downstairs.

Xuejian sighed inwardly, though her expression remained neutral. Children, she thought. Just playing around. What could he possibly understand from reading these manuals? Even if he spent days staring at them, he’d understand nothing. The manuals on the first floor were considered mid-tier—mere days of contemplation were needed to grasp the Basic Level. And these? These were from the sixth floor. The stronger the technique, the harder it was to master. The cultivation threshold was far too high.

Li Hao, however, had no idea what the girl was thinking. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared. What did a child know about such things?

Back in the Mountain and River Courtyard, before beginning cultivation, Li Hao had the maids prepare a feast of food and drink. The previous practice of Stone Skin Hundred Smelts had drained his body’s energy. Now, barely half an hour later, he felt an intense hunger gnawing at his stomach.

“Is this enough for one person?”

“Bring another plate—no, one more of each dish. I’m still growing. You think I can’t eat?”

To the maids’ stunned silence, Li Hao devoured an entire table of meat, then wiped his greasy little mouth with the back of his hand. Only then did he feel about six parts full.

But sensing their wide-eyed horror, he didn’t push further. With a casual swagger, he sauntered back to his room and began his cultivation.

The Thousand Dragon Sacred Body had four levels. When acquired into his Character Panel, only the first two were unlocked.

- First Level: Demon Dragon Body – When perfected, bones hardened like steel, skin turned to dragon scales, impervious to blade and sword.

- Second Level: Dragon Body – Infused with half a dragon’s power, the body advanced in every aspect.

Huff! Li Hao assumed the stance—body coiled like a vicious tiger, spine arched like a drawn bow, every joint creaking faintly.

With his understanding of Body Dao, he opened the hidden door within his flesh. His cells ignited as if awakened. Blood surged faster through his veins. This time, he sensed something cool—Taiyin Energy, the essence of the moon, seeping in from the outside world, flowing into his body.

As the Taiyin Energy entered, his crimson skin slowly returned to normal. Yet beneath the surface, his flesh was undergoing rapid transformation.

The hidden door was open—his body forged by the trials of heaven and earth.

With more and more Taiyin Energy pouring in, his skin turned pale, then faintly blue—like a corpse. On his surface, tiny ridges began to rise, faint but unmistakable: dragon scales.

After three incense sticks’ time, the first level concluded.

Li Hao glanced at his cultivation level—his rank had surged again, now reaching Ten Levels of the Strength Integration Realm, the full completion stage!

The first nine levels were only incremental—each a 200-jin increase. But the leap from ninth to tenth level was a true threshold: power doubled.

At the tenth level, one achieved complete unity of force, strength flowing through every inch of the body as one. His hands, when raised, could now lift 3,600 jin.

Li Hao was thrilled—but also slightly disappointed. Divine Blood had not awakened.

Those blessed with Divine Blood heritage could awaken their power at the peak of the Strength Integration Realm, instantly doubling their strength to 7,200 jin. Such a gap could easily dominate peers of the same realm, even overcoming technical disadvantages through sheer force alone—like a premium player versus a casual in a game.

It seemed unfair. But it was natural. Divine Blood inheritance required one’s parent to have reached the Three Immortal Realm. And across the entire Great Yu Dynasty’s nineteen provinces, such individuals were few and far between.

Without Divine Blood, Li Hao didn’t falter. He adjusted himself, then pressed on to the second level.

Half an hour later, he slowly opened his eyes—pupils now dark as night, glowing faintly like twin lightning strikes.

He could feel his body—stronger than ever. The urge to test his power was overwhelming. He reached for his Character Panel.

But his eyes widened.

No breakthrough.

Still Strength Integration Realm, Level Ten.

His power had surged—but no realm advancement?

Li Hao paused. Then it hit him.

He still didn’t know how to circulate Qi.

After reaching the peak of the Strength Integration Realm, a new essence—Qi—had formed within him. Li Qi, Li Qi—when force is full, Qi is born.

The sensation of Qi was like the tautness in a bicep muscle—present, but uncontrolled. It flowed through his body, yet he could not guide it.

He suddenly remembered—The Thousand Dragon Sacred Body’s second level didn’t explain how to circulate Qi. And the third level? His current understanding of Body Dao wasn’t deep enough to comprehend it.

Dragon Body—possessing half a dragon’s strength… just how much power do I have now? Li Hao wondered. He could feel it—his power had increased at least double, possibly more.

But instead of rushing, he turned to another cultivation technique:

Fragmentary Version of Tai Chu.

With the aid of his Body Dao insight, he grasped the core principles quickly and began training immediately.

According to the fragmentary preface, the Tai Chu method had five realms. But Li Hao’s version only contained the first two. The final three had been lost to time.

The first level required opening the body’s hidden door, sensing both Taiyang Energy (sunlight essence) and Taiyin Energy (moonlight essence), and simultaneously drawing both into the body to refine the flesh.

Without Body Dao, even the first step was nearly impossible for ordinary people. But Li Hao—like a seasoned master—moved through it effortlessly.

As the dual energies converged within him, his flesh reshaped itself, layer by layer.

By the second level, he learned to harness the internal Taiyang and Taiyin energies to draw in the power of the stars, forging a Stellar War Body—a far more ferocious constitution than the Dragon Body. Within his body, the heart of a star burned—radiating intense heat and boundless power.

When Li Hao opened his eyes again, it was deep into the night.

He hadn’t realized it, but he had trained for seven or eight hours.

His gaze was calm, deep—like a coiled dragon at rest. His breath was slow, long, and profound.

His senses had soared. He could hear, even in the courtyard, the faint whisper of wind—not wind, but the sound of a sword slicing through air.

Someone was practicing swordplay.

With his Sword Dao at the second level, he could already visualize the entire form, the stance, the motion—just from the sound.

It was the little girl.

She was working so hard too?

A faint smile touched Li Hao’s lips.

Then he opened his Character Panel.

---

[Name: Li Hao]

[Age: 5]

[Cultivation Level: Strength Integration Realm, Level 10]

[Sword Dao: 2nd Level]

[Skill: Sea Without Horizon · Tidal Surge (Perfected) [Prohibited]]

[Body Dao: 1st Level]

[Skills: Stone Skin Hundred Smelts (Mastery), Thousand Dragon Sacred Body (Dragon Body, Partial Mastery), Tai Chu (Stellar Body, Beginner)]

[Go Art: 3rd Level (0/5000)]

[Go Manuscript Collection: 0]

[Art Skill Points: 0]

Still Strength Integration Realm? Li Hao was surprised. He could feel the change in his body—far stronger than when he’d first reached level ten. He even believed he could now perform Supreme Perfection-level tidal sword techniques without strain. Yet no breakthrough.

But then he realized: He still couldn’t circulate Qi.

These two levels of Tai Chu were still within the Strength Integration Realm’s domain. Yet their power far surpassed the realm’s usual limits.

The only problem? The cultivation was incredibly difficult.

Even with his current Body Dao insight at level one, he was barely at the beginner stage. An ordinary person might take ten or twenty years to reach this point—by which time, they’d likely already entered the Circulation Realm.

Because compared to that, this seemed harder.

Li Hao stood up, adjusting to his new body. Then he opened the window.

Outside, in the moonlight, a small silhouette practiced sword forms.

But what startled him was the difference from earlier—where once her movements were clumsy and awkward, now they were fluid, precise, almost natural.

This little girl… she has real talent.

Li Hao smiled, then pushed off the windowsill. With a single leap, he landed lightly on the ground.

He walked to a nearby rock formation—Zhao Bo had told him this rock was carried here by his father in his youth, weighing a hundred tripods—over ten tons.

Li Hao crouched slightly. The servants were asleep. The guards were patrolling elsewhere.

With no one watching, he stepped forward, examined the rock, and reached into a hidden crevice. He placed his hands and pushed with all his might.

Gurgle…

To his shock, the massive rock—over ten tons—lifted.

With sheer force, he raised it.

As it moved, the pool beside it surged, water rushing in.

Strength Integration Realm, Level 10 — No Divine Blood — Lifting 20,000 jin.

Li Hao gasped, quickly releasing the rock and setting it back down gently.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end