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Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Li Muxiu froze.
He stared at Li Hao for a long while, then suddenly began to laugh, though a hint of sadness lingered in his eyes.
"Throughout history, so many stories have been reduced to mere jokes. It's laughable that so many people in the world could understand less than a child."
Saying this, he turned away.
Li Hao suddenly noticed that the old man had secretly wiped away a tear.
For someone who could rival the Sword Saint, shedding tears, what could he be thinking of?
Li Hao wisely chose to remain silent. After a moment, Li Muxiu seemed to have composed himself, turned back, and smiled at Li Hao,
"As I mentioned earlier, there are two ways to break into the Zhou Tian Realm. The Hundred Jiaos Chapter is one method, and the other is the Zhou Tian Breathing Skill."
"In the Listening Rain Tower, there are two techniques, both top-notch. One, when perfected, can achieve one hundred and eight Zhou Tians per meridian, while the other can reach one hundred and twenty-eight Zhou Tians. Across all of Dayu, they are considered top-tier, but the only technique that can surpass the 'Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill' is probably the 'All Heavens Zhou Tian Skill' practiced by the Imperial Family."
"One hundred and sixty-eight Zhou Tians, acclaimed worldwide."
"That powerful?"
Li Hao was astonished. Achieving seventy-two Zhou Tians was already first-rate. The Imperial Family's technique more than doubled that, meaning they were invincible in the Zhou Tian Realm?
"Of course, otherwise how could the Imperial Family maintain control over the world?"
Li Muxiu said, "This is called exclusive cultivation technique. Besides the Imperial Family, others cannot learn or practice it. This is the reason powerful families remain prosperous for generations, relying on dominating their domain."
Li Hao nodded, realizing that the Listening Rain Tower was no different.
Just this tower was enough to safeguard the prosperity and decline of the Divine General Mansion for generations.
"However, the more powerful the cultivation technique, the harder it is to practice, and it requires high levels of perception. It's not something that can be easily mastered. In our Li Family, though many train in the 'Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill,' more people choose to practice the 'Heavenly Gang Zhou Tian Skill' instead."
"The reason is straightforward. If you take five years to master the Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill, but only three years to learn the Heavenly Gang Zhou Tian Skill, then in a clash three years later, the one who learned the Heavenly Gang Zhou Tian Skill would definitely win!"
"You might think that in two more years, you could surpass them, but don't underestimate those two years. When you perfect the Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill in two years, your competitor might have already reached the Soul Successor Realm. An early head start means continued advantage!" Li Muxiu explained.
Li Hao nodded.
*Choosing the cultivation technique that matches one's talents was crucial.*
*Otherwise, it would be like a primary school student attending high school, unable to learn anything and ultimately surpassed by those who advanced step by step, wasting time in vain.*
"Given your exceptional talent in Body Refinement, I suggest you use the Hundred Jiaos Chapter to break into the Zhou Tian Realm. With your perception, you should be able to master it within three years."
Li Muxiu said, "By that time, reaching the Zhou Tian Realm at ten years old with a hundred cycles per meridian, you would only be slightly inferior to your father."
"Was he that amazing?"
Li Hao was amazed.
For ordinary people, reaching Power Passage Realm Perfection by ten was already impressive.
In the Divine General Mansion, where geniuses were abundant, expectations were naturally higher. But achieving Zhou Tian at ten years old would still be considered prodigious, right?
"If I remember correctly, Xiao Qi's talent is slightly less than Xiao Jiu's. Xiao Qi reached Power Passage Realm Perfection at seven, which is your current age, perfected Zhou Tian at nine, reached Soul Successor Completion at twelve, and Divine Travel Completion at sixteen... After that, he joined the military, and I'm not sure what happened to him." Li Muxiu said, shaking his head.
*Li Hao was secretly amazed, this guy was a monster.*
*To know, that even Lin was considered moderately talented, and yet, he was still in the Divine Traveling Realm past forty.*
*But these prodigies... they completed it by sixteen.*
*And they were still slightly lesser compared to that Uncle Jiu.*
*Li Hao was speechless, but knowing Uncle Jiu's talent, among the martial artists in all of Dayu's Nineteen States, he was among the pinnacle; it made sense.*
"Once you step into the Zhou Tian Realm, besides training in breathing techniques, you'll need to learn the Zhou Tian Realm's Meridian Opening Skill. Your father, in two years, trained both the 'Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill' and the 'Dragon River Divine Meridian,' achieving Perfect Zhou Tian, outshining all but the Imperial Family's prodigies."
Li Muxiu said, "Besides differences in breathing skills, the same applies to meridian opening skills. Ordinary skills are one meridian per level, so by the tenth layer of the Zhou Tian Realm, that's ten meridians!"
"Medium-grade meridian opening skills, when perfected, can have eighteen meridians, while top-grade skills have thirty-six meridians!"
"Ultimate-grade skills have fifty-four meridians!"
"The 'Dragon River Divine Meridian' is our Li Family's best meridian opening skill. For the first nine layers, it opens five meridians per level, with the tenth level Perfect at nine meridians!"
Li Muxiu looked at Li Hao and smiled, "Now you understand the immense gap between the top-tier meridian opening and breathing skills versus ordinary skills, don't you?"
Li Hao counted on his fingers, taking a deep breath in shock.
*Even at Perfect Zhou Tian, the gap between the highest and the ordinary can be fifty times. Truly a world of difference!*
*If both the breathing and meridian opening skills were ordinary-level, with ten meridians and ten Zhou Tians, their explosive power would barely surpass the top-tier breathing skill at the first layer of the Zhou Tian Realm.*
*The difference was indeed unfathomably vast!*
*This also clarified for Li Hao how precious and important resources were on the path of martial arts.*
*Without the background, common martial artists were left with ordinary skills, becoming cannon fodder in the same realm.*
*This disparity motivated countless martial artists to climb higher by any means, whether through connections or personal struggle, paving a bloody road to potential financial ruin.*
*Thus, top martial artists enjoyed everything and were renowned worldwide.*
*This path was not easy to tread.*
"If your natural meridians are blocked, meridian opening will be more difficult and slow you down. However, with our top-tier skills, you might drop from the elite prodigy ranks, but in the eyes of ordinary martial artists, you will still be an unreachable genius." Li Muxiu said.
In the Li Family, many geniuses were born.
Having held high positions for long, they witnessed numerous rising prodigies from smaller forces like shooting stars.
Thus, only top prodigies like Li Tian Gang and Li Junye drew their attention, while others were just qualified members in the family, similar to the many illegitimate children in the training field.
Li Hao nodded slightly without speaking.
"The fish is ready."
Li Muxiu opened the clay pot, letting the aroma of the fish waft out.
He put out the fire and said to Li Hao, "Let's eat first. Afterward, practice here by yourself. I need to go out this afternoon, and if you have any questions, ask me tonight."
"Alright." Li Hao agreed.
The peeled "chopsticks" from the previous day were still there, and the old man handed them to Li Hao again.
Li Hao mimicked his actions, wiping them on his clothes before using them to pick up the fish in the pot.
This time, Li Hao did not find it fishy, only savoring the sweetness and tenderness of the delicacy.
After finishing the meal, Li Muxiu collected the pot and chopsticks, gave some instructions to Li Hao, then with a sweep of his sleeve, he stepped out and disappeared into the sky.
Li Hao stretched lazily, walked to the nearby cultivation techniques, and soon found the ones the old man mentioned, all placed in a glass cabinet on this seventh floor to significantly delay the books' decay.
Of course, Li Hao believed the Li Family must have copies of these techniques stored secretly.
It was even possible that those on display were the copies.
Li Hao flipped through the 'Hundred Battles Cycle Heaven Skill' and 'Dragon River Divine Meridian.' Still, he could not immediately integrate them into his panel, as expected of top techniques.
He pulled up his panel, looked at the accumulated two skill points, and without hesitation, chose to allocate them to the Physical Body Dao.
Instantly, a torrent of information flooded his mind. After the first wave subsided, the second one surged.
It took him a full quarter of an hour to gradually absorb it all, the enlightenment evident in his eyes.
He brought up the panel and saw that the skills he had mastered had undergone a dramatic transformation.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 7]
[Cultivation: Tenth Layer of Circulation Realm]
[Sword Dao: Third Stage (Flying Phase) (Hidden Bow)]
[Skills: Endless Sea·Tide (Ultimate Perfection) Falling Snow Sword Skill (Ultimate Perfection)]
[Physical Body Dao: Third Stage (All Phenomena) (Tiger Press)]
[Skills: Stone Skin Hundred Refinements (True State) Thousand Jiaos Holy Body Third Layer (Hundred Jiaos Body Great Accomplishment) Primal Beginning Third Layer (Profound Body Great Accomplishment) Dragon Cicada Void Body Third Layer (Shell Leap Body Great Accomplishment) …]
[Chess Tao: Fourth Stage (5/10000)]
[Fishing Tao: First Stage (112/500)]
[Collected Chess Notation: All Phenomena, Tiger Press, Flying Phase, Hidden Bow]
[Collected Fishing Notation: None]
[State of Mind: Chess Heart]
[Skill Points: 0]
...
The Physical Body Dao had advanced to the Third Stage, and the Thousand Jiaos Holy Body had directly reached the third layer, Great Accomplishment. Simultaneously, both 'Primal Beginning' and the 'Dragon Cicada Void Body' had entered the third layer, all at Great Accomplishment!
However, what surprised Li Hao the most was the low-grade Body Refinement Skill, 'Stone Skin Hundred Refinements.'
Its following state had reached (True State)!
In Li Hao's mind automatically gathered countless pieces of information about the 'Stone Skin Hundred Refinements' cultivation technique. At this moment, if he were to perform it, he would surpass the Perfect level.
The levels of Body Refinement were similar to artistic skills, namely Initiate, Small Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, and Perfection.
Corresponding to skills as Novice, Agile, Perfect, and Ultimate Perfection.
Yet, what was this True State?
Was it a higher level above Perfect and Ultimate Perfection?!
Apart from Stone Skin Hundred Refinements, many other low-grade Body Refinement Skills were the same, all showing (True State) behind them!
The Mann Bull Strength (True State), Li Hao could feel its previous defects. He instinctively followed the insights in his mind and began to apply them.
The force flowed through his entire body, qi force exploded, and all the meridians in his body bulged like cow tendons, gathering at his fist with his will.
With a huff, he threw a punch, and the curtains on the pavilion ten meters away fluttered in response to his fist wind!
The improvement in strength from this Mann Bull Strength reaching True State far surpassed the previous increase, enhancing by four or five times!
Moreover, it brought a sense of simplicity and unpretentiousness, an exquisite wholeness in his movements that transcended the skills of the Mann Bull Strength itself, containing an indescribable aura of completeness.
It seemed this was the true form of the Mann Bull Strength!
Then, Li Hao began practicing the Thousand Jiaos Holy Body.
In an instant, the vast qi force within his dantian was mobilized, spinning like a windmill.
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