As soon as he entered the main hall, Li Hao heard the sound of poetry recitation coming from within.
"White feathers float on green water, red palms stir clear waves... Haha, interesting, interesting!"
"Did Xiao Shi see the big geese in the courtyard and was inspired to write this? It's quite vivid and detailed, haha, my son is only four years old and he's already composing poetry!"
"Mister Kong said that my son is a rare poetic talent, and if he is nurtured properly, he could even become a top scholar in the imperial examinations!"
Li Tianzong, his "father", was seen pacing in the hall with a piece of paper in his hand, a broad smile on his face.
Chen Hefang sat by his side, her face warm and gentle as she said, "Look at how happy you are, it's just a few poems. When did you start taking an interest in such scholarly pursuits?"
"Anything my son does brings me joy."
Li Tianzong laughed and said, "There are many generals who can lead troops in battle, but how many of them can compose poetry? I'll show this poem to those fellows later. Hey, those barbarians only deserve to listen to poems written by a child, and they might not even understand the deeper meanings of my son's poetry!"
As he spoke, he noticed Li Hao walking in and immediately beckoned to him. "Xiao Shi, come here."
Li Hao was slightly taken aback. Although he had expected that the other party would indulge him in his painting and probably wouldn't dislike poetry and such, he hadn't anticipated this level of enthusiasm.
The few poems he had written at the age of four brought a smile to his father's face.
Yet, when that young man became famous at the age of fourteen, he only received a resounding slap.
"Hmm."
Li Hao walked over.
Li Tianzong picked up Li Hao, found a chair to sit down, and placed Li Hao on his lap, saying, "Come, tell your father about this poem. 'Seemingly a mirror from the celestial palace, flying at the edge of the azure clouds.' How did you come up with this, my little genius?"
'I copied it...' Li Hao thought to himself, but he just giggled foolishly on the outside.
Chen Hefang looked on helplessly and said to Li Tianzong, "Don't spoil him too much. Xiao Shi has exceptional talent, so it's better to guide him to focus more on the martial path. In a couple of years, he will truly embark on the path of cultivation."
"It's still early. When he truly starts cultivating, Xiao Shi will have plenty of time to practice," Li Tianzong waved his hand and said, "I believe that with Xiao Shi's intelligence, he can excel in both literary and martial arts. If he becomes a marshal in the future, he will also need to be well-versed in military strategies. Otherwise, even with his martial arts cultivation, he would just be a brute. He might be able to follow orders as a soldier, but as a general, he would be a disaster!"
Chen Hefang shook her head helplessly, knowing his temperament, and didn't persuade him further.
Li Hao's thoughts turned, and he took the opportunity to say to his "father", "Father, I want to go to the Listening Rain Pavilion tomorrow. May I?"
"You know what the Listening Rain Pavilion is?" Li Tianzong couldn't help but laugh.
"It's a place where martial arts techniques are kept," Li Hao said.
Li Tianzong turned to Chen Hefang and said, "Did you hear that? Xiao Shi hasn't even started cultivating yet, and he's already curious about the martial path."
Chen Hefang gave him a gentle, reproachful look, but she was also smiling gently, feeling pleased by Li Hao's words.
She was indeed a little worried. While Li Hao's intelligence was a good thing, she feared that if he delved too deeply into these talents, it might distract him from focusing on the martial path.
"If you want to go, I'll ask Zhao Bo to take you there later," Li Tianzong said to Li Hao. "But you mustn't be naughty inside. If you damage any of the martial arts manuals, I will still give you a good spanking."
"I'll just look," Li Hao said with a smile.
At this moment, the "older brothers" who had been cultivating in the training ground returned. Li Tianzong waited for them to come back to the courtyard before signaling for Zhao Bo to serve the food and begin the dinner.
Seeing this, Li Hao closed his eyes and skipped over this part of the evening.
When he opened his eyes again, his hand was being held by another, and he was being led towards a building.
Li Hao immediately recognized the building as the Listening Rain Pavilion.
And the one holding his hand was Zhao Bo.
"Young Master Xiao, the Listening Rain Pavilion is just ahead. Remember to greet your Fourth Uncle when you go in, and don't mess up the martial arts manuals. I won't be following you in," Zhao Bo instructed earnestly.
Li Hao nodded, then asked in surprise, "Fourth Uncle?"
"Yes."
Zhao Bo just nodded without offering any further explanation. He led Li Hao to the Listening Rain Pavilion.
This scene was reminiscent of the first time Li Hao had come here, accompanied by Li Fu.
Zhao Bo spoke to the guards at the entrance, explaining the situation and presenting the token given to him by Li Tianzong.
At this moment, Li Tianzong was already a true dragon in the Divine General Mansion, in charge of all affairs within.
The guards were aware of the situation and allowed Li Hao to pass.
Li Hao looked at the familiar steps and corridors, feeling a sense of familiarity after a long absence.
He entered the building and examined the surroundings carefully, finding that everything was just as he remembered.
"How did you get here?"
A voice sounded, and Li Xiaoran's figure descended gracefully.
Li Xiaoran waved his hand, closing the doors of the Listening Rain Pavilion. He then created a soundproof barrier, enveloping the two of them within.
"Why is it you?"
Li Hao asked in confusion, "Where's Second Uncle?"
"You should call him Second Uncle," Li Xiaoran reminded him. "Always remember your identity here, and don't bring up matters of seniority or give offense. Get used to it, and don't reveal any flaws."
Li Hao nodded, taking his words to heart.
"Your Second Uncle was carefree and uninhibited when he was young, and he liked to wander around. He's not currently in the Divine General Mansion. He's either making friends with all sorts of people in the taverns, indulging in pleasures somewhere, or off traveling to scenic spots," Li Xiaoran explained. "I'm the one in charge of the mansion now, in his stead."
Li Hao could tell that even though there was a soundproof barrier in place, this Fourth Uncle was still quite cautious in his conversation, refraining from speaking from the perspective of his original identity.
Recalling the rumors and stories he had heard about Second Uncle back in the Divine General Mansion, it seemed that he had indeed been rather carefree and unconventional when he was younger, quite unlike the other elders.
Perhaps he had only settled down in his old age.
Or perhaps it wasn't because he had aged, but because the others had met with misfortune one after another...
"Didn't Second Uncle go fishing?"
Li Hao was stunned. Didn't his Second Uncle like to fish?
But the Second Uncle he remembered would go fishing by the lake whenever he had free time.
He would sit there for a whole day.
Sometimes even for several days.
Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself that time not only smoothens edges but also calms youthful recklessness and restlessness.
"Did you come here to see me?" Li Xiaoran asked.
Li Hao's train of thought came to a halt, and he replied, "I came to take a look at the cultivation techniques here and get familiar with them in advance."
Li Xiaoran shook his head and said, "You're still too young to start cultivating. I know you're eager, but you must never rush cultivation. The more you rush, the more likely you are to encounter problems. If you start cultivating too early, it may cause your bones to develop abnormally, or the power within your bone marrow may be released prematurely, and you won't be able to control it, ultimately hindering your cultivation progress."
"In our Li Family, for thousands of years, we have always measured the bones at the age of five and started cultivating at the age of six. This is the most reasonable approach, refined through generations of research."
"Even if you're impatient, the fastest you should start is after the bone measurement at the age of five. At that age, your bones will have formed initially, and although there are some risks in cultivation, it is the earliest age to start safely."
"I'll just look, I won't practice," Li Hao said.
Although this Fourth Uncle wasn't an outsider, Li Hao thought it would be better to keep some secrets to himself.
He had come here early in hopes of starting his body refinement ahead of time and nourishing his body.
His original physical body had reached the Seventh Level of the Physical Body Dao, breaking through the Three Immortalities with his physical body alone, mastering numerous body refinement techniques, and cultivating them to the True State, even to the Superlative level! His understanding of the physical body was arguably one of the top few in the entire Great Yu Divine Dynasty, with very few people able to surpass him.
In fact, among pure body refiners, it was commonly believed that the limit of their cultivation was the Return to Void Realm, and it was extremely rare to find one who could reach the Succession of Soul Realm. Those who did were considered freaks of nature, anomalies that couldn't be explained.
In other words, the Succession of Soul Realm was the limit for pure body refiners, and he had reached the Three Immortalities!
With his understanding of the Physical Body Dao, what Li Xiaoran said was mostly true, but he himself was an exception.
The reason for not cultivating before the age of six was due to the cultivation techniques.
Most cultivation techniques would put strain on the body, especially body refinement techniques, which could directly damage the body. If one didn't cultivate properly, it could lead to mild consequences like disabilities or severe ones like paralysis and death.
For example, the Iron Sand Palm technique required one to repeatedly rub their palms in iron sand, apply medicinal ointment, and form layers of calluses on their palms, with fine iron sand embedded in the pores and calluses, resulting in a hardness and strength comparable to iron sand.
But this was a low-grade technique that was ineffective and could even cause self-harm.
On the other hand, high-grade and top-grade body refinement techniques stimulated the potential within one's flesh and blood with the help of the technique and supplementary medicines, maximizing their effects to temper the body.
If one cultivated these techniques to a profound level, they could attract the energy of heaven and earth to temper their bodies using just the technique alone.
However, these techniques would also exert pressure on the body.
Although Li Hao had forgotten the specific insights of the Seventh Level of the Physical Body Dao, he remembered that among the numerous body refinement techniques he had fused with, there were some that could nourish the body without putting any burden on it.
It was like remembering an essay topic on the back of an exam paper.
He might have forgotten the essay topic and the content he wrote, but he wouldn't forget the three words of the essay title.
After all, college students are still human.
Now, if he could raise the Physical Body Dao to a higher level, and if he could collect enough techniques, he might be able to recombine them with his insights from the Physical Body Dao and deduce that body-nourishing refinement technique once again.
By doing so, he could nourish his body in advance, absorb more exotic blood, and make his future cultivation path much smoother!
"Alright then," Li Xiaoran said when he saw that Li Hao had made up his mind. He didn't stop him further.
Although the Li Hao before him was only four years old, the Li Hao outside was already fifteen, an age where he could make his own decisions. Li Xiaoran wouldn't interfere too much.
"I'm going to accelerate time, and when I do, you might see me in a trance-like state. Don't mind me," Li Xiaoran said.
Li Hao nodded, curious to see what he looked like to others when he jumped through time. Now was a good opportunity to observe through Li Xiaoran's acceleration.
Soon, Li Hao saw Li Xiaoran close his eyes.
Then, he quickly opened them again, but this time, when he did, he revealed a gentle smile, like that of an elder, and said, "Feel free to look around here. I'll go upstairs."
After saying that, he turned and went upstairs.
Li Hao watched him go upstairs, and although it was just a brief observation, he felt that there was a subtle difference between the current Li Xiaoran and the one from a moment ago.
It wasn't obvious, but if he compared the two within a short time, he would get a more intuitive sense of the change.
In simple terms, the current Li Xiaoran seemed to be more natural in portraying his younger self.
On the other hand, the previous Li Xiaoran, when conversing with Li Hao, had some minor flaws in his demeanor that didn't quite match his disguise.
Li Hao understood. It seemed that his own disguise during his daily interactions might also have some minor discrepancies, some telltale signs that didn't align with his identity.
Those discrepancies, ironically, made his disguise more believable.
Li Hao snapped back to attention and began browsing the techniques on the shelves next to him.
With his familiarity with the Listening Rain Pavilion, he could be considered a regular visitor, and he even remembered where certain techniques were located, on which floor, and on which bookshelf.
However, in this Listening Rain Pavilion, there were some techniques that Li Hao hadn't seen before. This was the Listening Rain Pavilion from Li Tianzong's time.
He started with the lower-grade body-refinement techniques, as they were easier to grasp. Once he understood them, the 'Physical Body Dao' would appear on his panel, allowing him to allocate points directly. By doing so, he could easily understand the higher-grade techniques and include them in his collection.
It didn't take long for Li Hao to finish reading the first lower-grade body-refinement technique.
As if by coincidence, the next book he picked up was the very first technique he had cultivated, the 'Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin'.
As he comprehended the technique, a prompt appeared on his panel.
Physical Body Dao: Uninitiated (Points can be allocated)
Technique: Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin (Uninitiated)
Artistic Skill Points: 4.
Without hesitation, Li Hao allocated all his artistic skill points to the Physical Body Dao.
With each point added, a large amount of information surged into his mind. Li Hao didn't rush and waited until he had absorbed all the information before allocating another point.
By allocating points and digesting the information, it took him half an hour to reach the fourth level of the Physical Body Dao! The painting of a heart had also been consumed by the Physical Body Dao, breaking through the bottleneck that hindered his progress.
At only four years old, he had already reached the fourth level of the Physical Body Dao!
Li Hao dared not imagine how formidable he would be if he started cultivating at this age. However, he restrained himself, as cultivating now would be too taxing on his body and could negatively impact his future progress.
Just as Li Xiaoran had said, the earliest one should start cultivating was at the age of five.
Back then, he had started cultivating this very technique at the age of five and had already reached the tenth level of the Penetrating Force Realm by the time he was six, surpassing his peers.
This had also put some strain on his body, but these subtle damages were eradicated when his Physical Body Dao reached the seventh level, and he stepped into the Three Immortalities Realm.
Now, in the Land of Death, Li Hao was confident that he could cultivate to the Three Immortalities Realm as well. However, there was no need to rush. It would be better to nurture his skeleton first and start cultivating at the age of six, taking a more significant step forward.
Li Hao glanced at his panel, where the 'Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin' had been improved to the 'Thousand Refinements of Golden Skin', becoming a higher-grade body-refinement technique.
Moreover, its level had reached the True State!
Li Hao smiled faintly and began searching for other body-refinement techniques.
This time, he flipped through the books faster, quickly scanning and comprehending the techniques.
Most of the lower-grade techniques only required a quick glance to understand them and be included in his collection.
Once they were included in his panel, they were automatically improved to higher-grade techniques, reaching the True State.
Like a whirlwind, Li Hao went through the Listening Rain Pavilion, absorbing and collecting body-refinement techniques left and right.
As he collected more and more techniques, his memory was also being filled with new information.
The four-year-old body and consciousness began to feel drowsy and heavy.
However, Li Hao persevered and fought against the sleepiness. If he fell asleep now, he might not wake up until he was five years old.
He wanted to try and deduce the technique by himself before the bone measurement at the age of five.
He continued to absorb and integrate numerous body-refinement techniques, and his panel gradually displayed some techniques that he had deduced using his own insights from the fourth level of the Physical Body Dao.
With every few techniques collected, he would deduce one new technique.
And the deduced techniques would quickly reach perfection or the True State.
Finally, in a state of extreme exhaustion and drowsiness, Li Hao's panel deduced a technique called the 'Starlight Body Infusion Technique'.
A flood of information entered his mind, and Li Hao's eyes lit up.
This was the technique he was looking for!
He was delighted to find that his insights from the fourth level of the Physical Body Dao were sufficient to deduce the technique.
He had been worried that he might not be able to deduce it even after collecting all the techniques in the pavilion.
In his current state, he didn't have the energy to stay awake and acquire another artistic skill point.
After all, he was still a four-year-old child, both physically and mentally.
At this moment, Li Hao relied on his strong willpower to stay awake. Instead of falling asleep, he sat down in the pavilion and slowly operated this newly deduced technique.
This technique was most effective when cultivated at night, as it involved absorbing the starlight to nourish and purify the body. Unlike other body-refinement techniques that brought about qualitative changes, this technique gradually purified the body by removing impurities, making it more translucent, and infusing the skeleton with stellar power, resulting in a stronger body.
After one cycle of cultivation, Li Hao could no longer hold on and fell into a deep sleep, not even bothering to sense the changes in his body.
When Li Hao woke up again, he was startled by the exclamations of surprise next to his ear.
As he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the courtyard, with a white-bearded elder by his side.
The face of the elder seemed vaguely familiar, and Li Hao soon recognized him as the Qingqiu Mountain Taoist priest who had measured the bones of the Li family for several generations.
Qingqiu Mountain was located outside Qingzhou, and this place was Dragon City. As Li Xiaoran had mentioned, due to the merging of Li Tianzong's memories, many things had undergone strange changes that were difficult to explain, lest they risk exposing themselves.
"Th-this..."
At this moment, the white-haired and child-faced Taoist priest from Qingqiu Mountain stared at Li Hao in shock, stammering and unable to form a complete sentence.
In the courtyard, in addition to the Taoist priest, Li Tianzong, Chen Hefang, and the "older brothers" were also present. At the very end stood Li Hongzhuang, now three years old, with her hair tied in a bun, her small face filled with curiosity and astonishment.
"What is it?"
Seeing the Taoist priest's reaction, Li Tianzong frowned and asked with a stern expression, "Speak directly if there's something to say."
When he dropped his smile, a heavy sense of dignity emerged, causing the Taoist priest to snap back to his senses and quickly explain:
"It's wonderful news, Duke! It's wonderful news!!!"
"What?"
Li Tianzong looked at him in surprise. If he didn't know that this Taoist priest was from Qingqiu Mountain, he would have thought he was some kind of midwife.
"Stop beating around the bush. You've seen a nine-grade battle body before. There are many outstanding individuals in my Li family. There's no need to be so shocked."
Li Tianzong rebuked, "How did Xiao Shi's bone measurement go?"