Hearing the whispers behind her, Lin Qingyue slightly frowned. She didn’t like being disturbed while practicing her swordsmanship, especially by laymen.
However, she didn’t immediately turn around, but instead held onto her sword, bowed her head in thought, and reflected on the Sword Momentum she had just displayed.
The Sword Intent she cultivated was the utmost softness, but the ultimate in softness lies in “ultimate”, which is the extreme, and extremes are hard to grasp. If exceeded, the Sword Intent would dissipate; if not reached, the Sword Intent isn’t optimal and would leave vulnerabilities.
At this moment, as she reflected in her heart, she realized that her Sword Intent had indeed become a bit scattered, exceeding the limits of utmost softness. If such a mistake were to occur in battle, it would be a significant vulnerability.
However, to notice such a flaw, at least someone with swordsmanship comparable to hers would be required to catch it.
“Do you also understand swords?”
Lin Qingyue turned around, and her eyes, cool as the autumn moon, fell upon Li Hao, revealing a trace of skepticism.
If his Sword Dao could compare with hers, he would at least have to be at the Saint Heir level in the Holy Land.
How could such a person be seriously injured here and, by sheer coincidence, be saved by her? Was it a deliberate approach, or a simple accident?
“Uh, I was just saying.”
Seeing the skepticism in her eyes, Li Hao quickly changed his statement.
He had just blurted out the words, with good intentions, after all, the person was his savior.
But now, with his injuries not yet healed, if he revealed too much, it might instead lead to unnecessary suspicion and trouble.
“Just saying?”
Lin Qingyue raised an eyebrow. Just saying and yet you happened to pinpoint her mistake—such a story wouldn’t even deceive a child.
She gazed intently at Li Hao and asked, “How exactly did you spot it?”
Seeing her serious look, Li Hao knew that if he didn’t give a reasonable explanation, she would most likely suspect that he had ulterior motives for approaching her.
“Actually, it’s a feeling.”
Li Hao said.
“A feeling?”
“Yes, I like painting and am quite sensitive to gestures and lines. Just now, when I saw your sword-wielding posture, it was obviously too soft. As a Swordsman, such a soft sword is ineffective and easily becomes a vulnerability,” Li Hao explained, mixing truth and fiction.
“You think I will believe such a far-fetched explanation?”
Lin Qingyue slightly raised her eyebrows, a hint of chill appearing in her eyes.
With the Sword God selection in the Holy Land approaching, a matter of great importance, she had no choice but to suspect that someone might deliberately approach her.
“Was Qingfeng right?”
Lin Shanhai, hearing their conversation, also stopped fussing with his medicinal herbs, looked at them in surprise, and thought Li Hao’s offhand comment was just casual talk—he didn’t understand swords—but seeing his granddaughter’s reaction, it seemed Li Hao had hit the nail on the head.
Li Hao gave a wry smile and simply said, “Wait for me, I’ll draw it for you.”
Saying this, he got up to find paper and a brush, then took a wooden board as a makeshift easel and began to paint.
Soon, on the white paper, a figure emerged, as breathtakingly beautiful as a startled swan, wielding a long sword with a graceful posture.
Artistic Path Experience +32837.
Wow, truly worthy of someone at the Tao Comprehension Realm, even the painting experience given is so generous!
Li Hao put his brush aside. Lin Shanhai, who had approached to watch Li Hao’s painting, witnessed the process, and when he saw Li Hao’s pen and ink bring his granddaughter to life on paper—especially toward the end when the entire posture seemed infused with a soul as if a real person was dancing on the paper—was somewhat stunned.
Despite his interest only in Alchemy and tea, knowing nothing about the Artistic Path, Shanhai’s age brought wisdom, and he could recognize something significant.
This was no simple painting but had captured the immersive essence within the artwork.
“Hm?”
Lin Qingyue also came over, and upon seeing the figure on the paper, she couldn’t help but be taken aback.
That image she knew all too well, now meticulously captured in painting, and the sword’s posture even carried a semblance of her Sword Intent!
He had actually captured a semblance of her Sword Intent in his drawing!
Lin Qingyue stared in amazement, somewhat lost in the drawing. After a moment, she snapped out of it and suddenly realized something, a hint of embarrassment flashing in her eyes.
The drawing was too meticulous, as if memorized in his mind thousands of times over.
Although she didn’t understand painting, she knew that the first step in drawing was meticulous observation.
At this thought, her neck reddened slightly, and she couldn’t help but glare briefly at Li Hao.
Li Hao was puzzled by her glare, thinking she didn’t understand, and he immediately pointed to the drawing and explained:
“Look here, your arm lines, including your waistline, they’re overall graceful, as if boneless. But your sword is like your spine, supporting you. It’s just that when you swung to this point, the arc of the sword became a bit loose…”
“Stop talking!”
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Lin Qingyue’s face flushed with embarrassment. Although she and Li Hao had shared a roof for more than a month, they had barely spoken a few words to each other, not even familiar, and now he was discussing her body curves with her, pointing at her painting. If not for Li Hao’s earnest and pure gaze, she would have thought he was being a scoundrel.
“Uh…” Li Hao also realized that he might have been a bit offensive.
Lin Qingyue didn’t bother with him anymore, just staring at the drawing, scrutinizing it closely. Soon, she roughly understood why Li Hao could pinpoint the flaw in her Sword Dao.
He had judged through the painting, not through the Sword Dao.
Usually, cultivation is about using the Dao to shape the form, and here Li Hao was using the form to guide the Dao.
Lin Qingyue’s eyes flickered, glancing sideways to see him looking helplessly innocent. She quickly withdrew her gaze and fell silent.
Being able to capture Sword Intent through the Artistic Path, she wasn’t sure whether to consider this man a prodigy of the Artistic Path or a prodigy of the Sword Dao.
Grandpa had been singing high praises nonstop, claiming that the other party possessed exceptional talent in alchemy. During this period, Zhao Yingzhen and Shi Huajin had visited as well, and she had seen it all. They too spoke highly of Li Hao. She might not understand alchemy, but she had come to know that the other party had extraordinary talent for it and was indeed an alchemical genius.
Perhaps the other party wasn’t lying?
Lin Qingyue appeared deep in thought.
The top talents would never squander their energy mastering various paths. Even if they were to practice other paths, it would be other aspects of martial arts, such as movement techniques and fist skills, which could enhance their cultivation.
There were just too many aspects in martial arts alone to refine, leaving no energy to research other paths.
Unless it was some old monster who had hit a bottleneck in martial arts.
With that thought, Lin Qingyue left the easel and said, “Wait for me here, I’ll be back shortly.”
In the middle of speaking, her figure vanished instantaneously, leaving the courtyard.
“You, kid…”
As soon as Lin Qingyue had left, Lin Shanhai also snapped out of it, glaring irritably at Li Hao: “You better not have any designs on my granddaughter!”
Li Hao was startled, somewhat puzzled: “Mr. Lin, what do you mean by that?”
“As long as you’re aware of it!”
When it came to his granddaughter, Lin Shanhai obviously became even more protective, glaring unhappily at Li Hao: “Qingyue is a being that is destined to become a Saint. Whether it’s for her good or yours, you two are not suitable.”
“…”
Li Hao was speechless. Why the sudden mention of this matter?
Looking at the drawing paper, he soon realized and said with a bitter smile, “Mr. Lin, you’ve misunderstood. I don’t have such thoughts about Qingyue.”
“You call her Qingyue?”
Lin Shanhai immediately became agitated; he only had this one precious granddaughter. Although he appreciated Li Hao, he also felt the sensation of his treasure being snatched away by a wolf.
“…”
Li Hao could only offer a wry smile.
Lin Shanhai went on and on advising Li Hao, who could only nod continuously in agreement, promising not to entertain any inappropriate ideas.
“What are you talking about?”
Soon after, the figure of Lin Qingyue suddenly appeared through instant teleportation, seemingly having heard something. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Hao.
Lin Shanhai shook his head and asked, “What’s that in your hand?”
“The Bone-Reflecting Mirror.”
Lin Qingyue was holding an oval mirror of pure black in her hand. Li Hao had seen such a mirror before at the Immortal Gate, but that mirror was much larger than this one.
“May I check your age? It won’t be a problem, right?”
Lin Qingyue stared at Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded; there was no need for secrecy on this matter.
Lin Qingyue immediately aimed the Bone-Reflecting Mirror at Li Hao, and soon, his reflection appeared on the pitch-black mirror, revealing his age.
27 years old.
Lin Qingyue was taken aback, her eyes showing a hint of astonishment as she looked at Li Hao. That age was too young.
Previously, when Li Hao was unconscious, and she had picked him up, she had also casually explored Li Hao’s body, sensing that he was extremely injured inside, but was at the Four Stands Realm.
To be able to cultivate to the Four Stands Realm at 27 was to be considered a dragon among men, a talent among the elite.
Within the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, that would be the top tier among Inner Sect Disciples.
For such an age to have cultivated martial arts to the Four Stands Realm, coupled with what her grandfather mentioned about mastering a unique alchemy purification skill, and now seeing Li Hao’s profound understanding of the Artistic Path, all these activities required significant energy expenditure.
Sword Dao?
It would be impossible to find the additional energy to dabble in that.
After all, a person’s energy is limited.
She felt reassured in her heart, this age was enough to prove that what Li Hao had said earlier was true; he had simply captured the flaws in her Sword Dao through artistic form.
She didn’t understand painting, nor could she comprehend it, but now this was the only explanation.
“You’re this young?”
Upon seeing Li Hao’s age, Lin Shanhai was also somewhat surprised: “Reaching the Four Stands Realm at 27, your martial arts talent is quite exaggerated. Has your family ever given you any Divine Pills? It feels like with such a talent, you could directly join the Inner Sect of a Holy Land to cultivate for a hundred years, and it wouldn’t be impossible to have the potential to become a disciple of a Semi-Saint.”
Hearing the other’s words, Li Hao gave a wry smile. In his heart, though, he felt remorse. The battle with the Void Saint had been an accidental disaster, having squandered ten years of his time in vain.
When he had escaped from the void, his War Body was shattered, his Dao Power dissipated, and his Realm fell. They had assumed he was at the Four Stands Realm, but with concealment and recovery of his Dao Power, he had already returned to the Tao Comprehension Realm.
However, due to his All Phenomena attribute concealment, Li Hao had not deliberately exposed it, and his bodily injuries were yet to heal.
“Pills?”
Hearing Lin Shanhai’s words, Lin Qingyue turned her surprise into understanding.
Li Hao’s purification technique had been regarded by Lin Shanhai as that of a declining alchemical family, but with a glorious ancestral past and Divine Medicines passed down, it was not too strange.
To have cultivated to such a Realm by relying on pills was not all that unusual.
Yet, pills that could greatly assist in the cultivation of the Three Immortalities and Four Stands Realm were rather rare, and even high-level alchemists could only produce a small amount.
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“If you wish to join the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, I can recommend you.”
Lin Qingyue put away the Bone-Reflecting Mirror and spoke indifferently.
This was to make up for her previous suspicion towards Li Hao.
Li Hao discerned her intentions and shook his head slightly: “I’m not interested in cultivation.”
Hearing Li Hao say this, Lin Qingyue didn’t push the issue further, becoming even more convinced that Li Hao reached this Realm by consuming pills. After all, during this period, although she hadn’t intentionally observed Li Hao, she had noticed that he had never practiced cultivation.
Having such a Realm was mostly for the sake of alchemy, relying on pills to promote himself, much like her grandfather.
Generally, an alchemist must master some Fire System Skills or even Dao techniques to refine certain pills, as alchemy is somewhat physically demanding. If one’s own Realm is too low, it’s impossible to refine high-grade elixirs.
Some Divine Medicines, just for the raw ingredients, are extremely difficult to tame. When refining with the blood of Demons, it’s necessary to suppress the soul thought within the blood, which requires a certain Realm.
“No matter what, I must thank you for pointing out the flaws in my Sword Dao,” Bian Ruxue said, her expression cold as usual, for it was her nature not to like owing anyone anything, and she preferred to settle matters clearly.
“Your life-saving grace before has not yet been repaid, this little matter counts for nothing, and it was just a casual remark,” Li Hao glanced at her, thought of the tremendous amount of experience just earned, and hesitated before saying, “If you really want to express your thanks, you could let me paint a few more portraits for you in the future?”
“You, young man!”
Before Bian Ruxue could speak, Lin Shanhai was the one who grew anxious, glaring at Li Hao with anger. Did all he said just go in vain?
Bian Ruxue was also slightly stunned, recalling the painting from earlier, her earlobes turning faintly red. She gazed at Li Hao, as if searching for and confirming something in his eyes.
But Li Hao looked at her calmly, without any hint of evasion.
Bian Ruxue took a long look at him, then turned her head away and said calmly, “No problem. If you can find more flaws in my Sword Dao, I will only be grateful.”
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“So, you agree?” Li Hao’s face showed a smile.
Bian Ruxue didn’t respond but flew into the courtyard to continue practicing her swordplay.
This action was akin to tacit agreement.
Otherwise, if she were unwilling, she had a thousand ways to make Li Hao unable even to see her again.
After all, she was the Saintess of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, second only to the authority of the Half-Saint Elders.
“Qingfeng, oh Qingfeng, why wouldn’t you heed advice?” Lin Shanhai murmured with a troubled expression, suddenly feeling as if he had let the wolf in.
“Old Lin, oh Old Lin, there’s no need for you to worry. I have no other intentions towards Qingyue; please trust my devotion to the Artistic Path. It’s just simple painting. How about I do a couple of portraits for you too?” Li Hao promised earnestly.
Lin Shanhai looked into Li Hao’s sincere eyes with some skepticism, “Really?”
“Truly, it couldn’t be more real!” Li Hao insisted.
Seeing Li Hao’s assurance, Lin Shanhai’s heart quietly relaxed and he said, “Alright then, I’ll trust you this once.”
Li Hao felt somewhat helpless and didn’t continue the topic.
Their conversation, however, reached Bian Ruxue’s ears, causing her to frown slightly and swing her sword faster, as if to whisk away the words.
Soon, she was once again engrossed in the practice of Sword Intent.
…
Since Li Hao had agreed to paint for Bian Ruxue, Lin Shanhai had his attendant build an additional courtyard behind his own for Li Hao.
Though Lin professed trust in Li Hao with his words, his actions were still quietly guarded.
Li Hao could only give a wry smile at this but wasn’t offended; having his own courtyard meant he could enjoy much more peace and quiet.
Aside from painting and carving, he was also quietly recuperating from his injuries.
The void energy that had penetrated his body had nearly half disappeared unnoticed, for this Land of All Saints provided one benefit: the Heaven and Earth Energy was extremely dense, over ten times that of the Mortal World.
No wonder all Martial Artists long to enter the Immortal Gate.
The tenfold increase in cultivation speed and the slowing of lifespan decay were considerable benefits.
A year of cultivation here was equivalent to ten years in the Mortal World, with only one year’s worth of life expended!
However, for Li Hao, whether here or in the Mortal World, it didn’t make much difference; he just wanted to live each day in a satisfying and interesting way.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed.
Li Hao’s injuries had almost completely healed, and the rift-like void energy within him, along with the continuous mending of his flesh, was being cleared away more quickly.
As his body recovered, Li Hao began to cultivate in addition to painting and carving.
Previously, when he fought the Void Saint, he had shattered the Heaven and Earth Vein, which meant that all the major meridians in his body were damaged and destroyed.
Although the flesh had healed, these opened meridians needed to be reconstructed.
Fortunately, with the previous cultivation techniques, reopening these meridians was not difficult for Li Hao.
He set up a Barrier in the courtyard, used the Hidden Bow and the All Phenomena attribute to completely conceal his presence.
Then he began to operate the Meridian Opening Skill, reopening each of the previously opened meridians one by one.
All 108 meridians were reestablished as Li Hao’s cultivation technique progressed.
The remaining two meridians, the Mystic Vein and the Yang Meridian, needed to be reopened—the Mystic Vein could be reopened with the cultivation of the Thousand Jiaos Holy Body Skill.
The position of the Yang Meridian was found within the top of the skull, a location fraught with extreme danger; a light mishap could lead to idiocy, and a serious one to instant death by brain explosion.
But for Li Hao, now in possession of the Seventh Extreme Realm, reopening the Yang Meridian was the least of his concerns.
Even if his head burst, he could be reborn from a single drop of blood.
Quickly, after two attempts, the first ended in failure—his head exploded, but upon regeneration, the second attempt was successful.
Without the Seventh Extreme Realm or some special Secret Technique, other prodigies, no matter how monstrously talented, would meet their end if the opening of the Yang Meridian failed.
With the opening of the Yin and Yang Meridians, the Heaven and Earth Vein also reappeared.
The Seven Extreme Realm, plus one Half Ultimate Realm, was where Li Hao’s current apex stood.
In the following days, he began to condense Dao Power. Previously, when he entered the Immortal Gate, he had just stepped into the Tao Comprehension Realm and his Dao Power had not fully transformed; later, the battle dissipated his Dao Power, and now he was in the early stages of the Enlightened Truth Realm with shallow Dao Power within.
The strength of the Enlightened Truth Realm depends on the concentration of the Dao Power inside.
With the indelible attribute of Dao Power, in theory, as long as the Dao Power is sufficiently deep and strong, it could even have a taste of absolute defense.
Seated in the courtyard, apart from the occasional carving and painting for entertainment, what remained was the monotonous conversion of Dao Power.
Every morning, Li Hao would also visit Lin Shanhai’s Alchemy Room to help him refine medicinal materials.
Every now and then, Li Hao would be invited to visit Zhao Yingzhen, Shi Huajin, and others, as they attempted to refine High-Grade Divine Pills, soliciting Li Hao’s help to purify the medicinal power and increase the pill success rate.
With Li Hao’s assistance in purification, their success rate for refining high-grade pills greatly increased, from an original probability of thirty percent directly up to seventy percent.
This also made Li Hao incredibly sought after within the Pill Refining circle of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, causing his reputation to skyrocket.
…
Day after day passed.
Another month went by.
Li Hao had fully consolidated his power in the Enlightened Truth Realm, his strength restored to its previous level.
To be precise, compared to before, his strength had now gone up a notch.
The conversion of Dao Power in the Land of All Saints was much faster than when Li Hao was in the mortal world. It took merely five days to completely convert, filling his body with Dao Power. In the remaining twenty or so days, Li Hao continued to condense and solidify without rest.
Now his physical body was even more durable than the hardness of the Saint Heart treasures.
With Dao Power pervading his entire body, he himself was a top-notch treasure. Every move he made was laced with enormous destructive force.
Furthermore, his Sword Dao was now at Stage Eight, mastering both Sword Momentum and Sword Intent. If he were to take action again, his attacks would be even more fierce and terrifying.
However, after the previous battle with the Avatar of the Void Saint, Li Hao fully recognized the existence of the Saint Realm and knew that there was still a huge gap compared to a Saint, despite his current strength.
During this time, Li Hao conversed with Lin Shanhai to deepen his understanding of Saints, which was clearer than before.
The Saint Realm is a general term, but even within the Saint Realm, there are different levels. A Saint must undergo Three Calamities, with each calamity traversed resulting in a huge leap in strength.
When one survives the most difficult Heavenly Tribulation, they become a Supreme Saint.
Among the Saints, these beings are the true rulers of the Land of All Saints.
According to Lin Shanhai, there are only about ten Supreme Saints in total, truly unmatched in the world with the power to overshadow all under heaven.
As for the Void Saint who attempted to assassinate Li Hao, Li Hao had made inquiries. Although the Canglan Realm was far away from the Cloud Realm, the names of Saints were significant, renowned across the Thirty-Three Realms, universally known.
Lin Shanhai also knew of the Void Saint, who was not a Supreme Saint.
The prestige of a Saint undergoing the Heavenly Tribulation was immense; a Supreme Saint was basically an entity that drew the attention of the whole world.
…
“Qingfeng Pill Master, here is the Fire Dragon Liver, Hundred Fragrance Ganoderma, Purple Sandalwood…”
Atop Medicine Mountain, Li Hao sat outside the Alchemy Room in a pavilion, toying with a chess piece.
Jiang Xiao Hui, the direct disciple of Shi Huajin, delivered many alchemy ingredients with respect, handing them to Li Hao.
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Jiang Xiao Hui was extremely humble and courteous toward the young man before her, as the name of Qingfeng Pill Master was well known within the Pill Refining circle of the Holy Land. Although Li Hao did not hold the official title of an alchemist, many regarded him as one, even on par with a high-level alchemist.
After all, Li Hao had many connections with alchemists. Aside from people like Shi Huajin, other alchemists also sought Li Hao’s help, with some delivering gifts multiple times just to have him assist in purifying medicinal power and to refine a batch of Advanced Divine Pills.
“Mhm, just put it here.”
Li Hao responded nonchalantly.
Jiang Xiao Hui secretly glanced at Li Hao. His method of purifying medicinal power was spoken of as if it were something magical. She envied it deeply, and from rumors, she heard it was his ancestral secret technique.
Even though Li Hao had demonstrated it, many who watched understood that it was not something that could be learned in a day or two unless Li Hao meticulously taught it hand by hand.
But who would impart such an extraordinary skill to others without significant benefit?
Soon after, a metallic twang resounded from within the Alchemy Room.
Li Hao looked in that direction and detected a hint of an unusual medicinal fragrance. He knew that the pill was formed.
Quickly, the door of the Alchemy Room was opened, and its Barrier was lifted. This Barrier was not to prevent Li Hao from peeking but to guard against other attendants and even a few of Shi Huajin’s disciples.
The pill refined today was a High-Grade Divine Pill, one of Shi Huajin’s unique techniques, which even direct disciples were not readily taught. It required evaluations of character and other considerations, retained as her most guarded legacy.
“Qingfeng, come take a look.”
Shi Huajin opened the door, saw Li Hao listlessly in the pavilion, and chuckled. She had previously invited Li Hao inside to observe, but he was unwilling, saying it was stuffy inside, almost making her burst with annoyance.
Her disciples, hearing of Li Hao’s refusal, all widened their eyes, not understanding what kind of tactic Li Hao was pulling off—playing hard to get?
“Hm.”
Li Hao tossed the chess piece back into the Chess Box, stood up, and entered the Alchemy Room. He then saw on a jade tray, seven spherical pills, each exuding a misty aura of treasure, lying there.
“This is the Condensation Dao Pill. It can be consumed by those in the Four Stands Realm and can help condense a trace of Dao Power within the body, enough to suppress peers in the same realm!”
Shi Huajin wore a smile as she introduced her exceptional Pill Formula craftsmanship to Li Hao, “This batch was specially requested by a saintess from the Tao Comprehension Realm. For someone in the Tao Comprehension Realm, consuming one pill is better than several years of hard cultivation!”
Li Hao listened and couldn’t help but click his tongue in awe; indeed, the status of an alchemist was high for a reason.
A single Pill could allow someone in the Four Stands Realm to condense Dao Power and dominate their peers.
This made both talent and effort seem somewhat laughable.
However, this was the foundation and accumulation of a powerful force.
Inside the Dayu Divine Dynasty, that old alchemist from the Pill Refining Institute seemed to be of only Middle Rank.
The Pills he refined were already considered Divine Pills in the mortal world. Aside from supplying the Imperial Family, factions of all sides were stuffing him with benefits just for one-time assistance.
Even the five Divine General Mansions relied on tough relations to get one chance to queue jump.
