Li Hao was surprised to receive a letter from the Sword Cottage. He couldn’t help but think of that little girl who often cried. It had been months since he sent her there; he wondered how she was doing and if she had gotten used to sleeping there.
As he opened the letter, he began to read carefully. The neat but unfamiliar handwriting seemed to be written by the little girl herself. She mentioned that she was safe and that she missed him.
It seemed rare for her to have the chance to write a letter, as the paper was filled with her accounts of daily life at the Sword Cottage over the past months—apprenticeship, making friends, practicing, and learning about sword techniques. She described everything in detail, word for word.
Though she was just sharing her everyday experiences, it was clear she missed him. At the end of the letter, she seemed to realize she had little space left to write. She promised to practice hard and hoped to return to him soon, asking him to wait for her.
Li Hao finished reading quietly and gently folded the paper back up, placing it back in his chest pocket.
Nearby, Li Mu Xiu asked Li Fu about the situation at the Sword Cottage. Clearly, this old man, who either fished or stayed in the Rain Listening Pavilion, didn’t know much about the matters between Li Hao and the little girl. If it weren’t for the buzz around Li Hao’s unusual martial arts talent, he wouldn’t have heard about it at all.
Upon learning the details, Li Hao noticed the old man’s first reaction was relief. His expression seemed to say, “Oh, so it’s not that Hao’er has sword talent. I almost thought that Sword Saint would take him to train.”
While he didn’t care much about Li Hao’s training, he wouldn’t stop him if he truly had great talent.
Then, Li Mu Xiu snorted in displeasure, “That old guy Jian Wu Dao is taking advantage of his seniority, bullying Jian Lan because she doesn’t dare to stand up to him. Hmph! A ninth-level battle body and a sword genius—who wouldn’t want him in their prestigious family? He’s getting a good deal and still acting all high and mighty, trading a broken body refinement manual as if it’s worth something? I’ll definitely go to the Sword Cottage to have a word with him!”
Li Fu broke into a cold sweat, feeling helpless and not daring to chime in. Most people would be thrilled to be accepted under the Sword Saint; who would dare to haggle?
“Second Uncle, how was the catch today? I bet it was great!” Li Fu changed the subject, knowing the old man loved to be praised for his fishing skills. This stern and upright old soldier, known for his strict demeanor, was now wearing a rather awkward and forced smile.
Trying to flatter him without being too obvious was tricky.
Li Mu Xiu glanced at him and said to Li Hao, “Hao’er, did you see? This is the importance of our fishing tradition. We must let people see your catch as much as possible; otherwise, those who don’t know will think you just came back empty-handed.”
If you went straight home, who would know you went fishing? Even if they did, who would care? Li Hao thought to himself.
“Let’s go.”
Li Mu Xiu ignored Li Fu and led Li Hao into the Rain Listening Pavilion.
Li Fu hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Just as Li Mu Xiu reached the entrance, he suddenly paused but didn’t turn around. He said, “Xiao Fu, you don’t need to worry about Hao’er’s training. He really does have a talent for body refinement. I’ll teach him a bit while fishing.”
After saying this, he walked straight into the shadows inside.
Li Fu was taken aback, feeling a mix of emotions wash over him, as if a heavy weight had been lifted. He quickly bowed deeply and thanked him, feeling happy and excited for Li Hao.
If Second Uncle could personally guide him, it would be far better than his own teaching. After all, this Second Uncle was no less than the Sword Saint himself…
Li Mu Xiu may seem a bit careless, but he was a man of his word, influenced by the teachings of his military family. Once inside the pavilion, he gathered some firewood to set up a stove. While he prepared the fish he caught, he casually said to Li Hao, “If you have any questions about your training, feel free to ask. I’ll help you out.”
Li Hao shook his head slightly, “Not for now.”
“No questions?”
Li Mu Xiu said, annoyed, “Are you saying you haven’t hit a bottleneck yet? Hmph, this body refinement technique is quite powerful. Just being able to understand it is impressive enough. Forget it; show me how you practice it.”
Li Hao thought it wasn’t necessary, but seeing the old man genuinely wanting to teach him, he didn’t want to let his kindness go to waste. He obediently got into position and demonstrated.
Li Mu Xiu intended to give some pointers but found there were actually no flaws. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at the young boy.
To reach this level through self-study was quite impressive! “Not bad. You should already be at the tenth level of the Body Refinement stage, right?” Li Mu Xiu said. Although he hadn’t sensed Li Hao in detail, reaching the second layer of the Dragon Body meant he had definitely completed the first stage.
Moreover, compared to ordinary completion of the Body Refinement stage, this method provided greater physical strength, making it slightly stronger than others at the same level, especially in the early stages.
As for later stages…
There were no later stages in body refinement.
As everyone said, it was a tough path. Normal training was already extremely hard, and being called a tough path showed just how difficult body refinement was.
That’s why so few people could stick with it. Even those with great determination often found their progress too slow, leading to a decline in lifespan and difficulty in breaking through, eventually ending in disappointment.
“Yeah.”
Li Hao nodded in acknowledgment.
“Not even eight years old, and already at full completion of the Body Refinement stage. This training speed is enough to keep up with the top talents,” Li Mu Xiu said. “Next is the Zhou Tian stage, where you fill your energy and circulate it. You have two ways to break through to the Zhou Tian stage. The first is to enter the Hundred Dragon Body and forcibly break through. The Hundred Dragon Body also involves luck techniques. Completing it can take you to the peak of one lineage with a hundred cycles.”
“Because of this, this body refinement method is placed on the sixth floor.”
Seeing Li Hao sitting cross-legged and listening attentively, Li Mu Xiu elaborated further: “The Zhou Tian stage has ten levels, but the differences between them are huge. In the Body Refinement stage, you can increase your strength through powerful techniques and awaken divine blood, which creates a gap. In the Zhou Tian stage, the gap is created through top-tier luck techniques, separating the extraordinary from the ordinary.”
“Ordinary martial artists without a background mostly practice low-grade techniques, reaching about ten cycles in one lineage.”
“Medium to high-grade techniques can reach thirty-six cycles in one lineage!”
“And top-tier techniques can reach seventy-two cycles in one lineage.”
He looked at Li Hao and said, “As for peak techniques, they can reach a hundred cycles in one lineage! This is the essence carried within the Thousand Dragon Sacred Body. Even without considering body refinement, it’s a top-tier luck technique.”
“I see.” Li Hao nodded slightly.
He had flipped through some books about the Zhou Tian stage and had a basic understanding. If one lineage had one cycle, that meant double the strength. Ten cycles meant ten times the strength!
A hundred cycles meant a hundred times—that’s the difference.
Especially as you progress in the Zhou Tian stage, each level opens up channels, and the accumulated differences become stark. By the time you reach the tenth level of the Zhou Tian stage, the gap between ordinary luck techniques and top-tier techniques is like heaven and earth.
Great powers, prestigious families, and top talents—all these factors combined mean that top Zhou Tian stage martial artists, even if not at a hundred cycles, are at least at seventy-two cycles, easily sweeping away ordinary Zhou Tian stage martial artists without any background.
“A peak luck technique belongs to a level close to the core of any prestigious family, usually only taught to direct disciples or those closely associated with the family.”
“In the Rain Listening Pavilion, there are three such peak techniques, and the Hundred Dragon chapter of the Thousand Dragon Sacred Body is one of them.”
Li Mu Xiu continued, “But even so, in my Divine General Mansion, it’s only passed down to direct descendants, not to collateral branches, to avoid chaos and discord.”
“The gap in martial arts training ultimately leads to conflicts between people. Some train not to become the strongest but to surpass others. So when they can’t surpass, they try to diminish others, which can sometimes be easier than improving oneself.”
“That’s why top powers and prestigious families keep their supreme techniques secret. Once leaked, those who obtain them may face deadly consequences.”
Li Hao asked, “Isn’t training meant to slay demons?”
Li Mu Xiu paused, looked at him, and mockingly replied, “Slaying demons is a matter for a few martial artists, like our Li family and other Divine General Mansions. But most people live in peace and safety, where demons are forbidden. How many opportunities are there to slay demons? Even if there are, how many dare to?”
“Have you seen ordinary hunters hunt tigers or bears without any benefit?”
“Our Great Yu is a prosperous era. In such times, people seek fame. Slaying demons is for fame, competitions are for fame, and establishing sects is also for fame!”
“For the sake of fame and fortune, how many people rush forward, risking their lives?”
“Who doesn’t want to be remembered for thousands of years after death, to enter the Martial Hall, to have their golden body forged, and to be worshipped for millennia?”
His voice was somewhat passionate, but it wasn’t excitement; it felt more like suppressed anger.
“I don’t want that.”
Li Hao shook his head slightly and said, “If I had a choice, I’d want to live forever.”
(End of Chapter)