Chapter 29: Every Member of the Li Family is Extraordinary
The martial arts collection within the tower was vast and varied. Although categorized into different sections, the Primeval Yin Meridian was too obscure. Li Hao spent several hours searching but failed to find any records related to it in the available techniques.
Instead, he discovered two additional middle-to-low-grade body-refining techniques, which provided a slight enhancement to his physical strength.
That evening, Li Muxiu returned, stepping through the air, his expression somewhat weary.
Seeing Li Hao holding the Dragon River Divine Veins manual, Li Muxiu shook his head with a small smile and said, “What now? Already thinking about meridian-clearing? Have you even reached the Zhoutian Realm yet? Don’t aim too high.”
“Just broke through,” Li Hao replied.
“?”
Li Muxiu froze, then asked in disbelief, “Have you mastered the Hundred Flood Dragon Body?”
“Mm.”
Li Hao nodded. Would reaching perfection count as mastery?
“Come, show me,” Li Muxiu said without further ado, asking Li Hao to demonstrate. A single glance would reveal the truth.
Li Hao didn’t hold back, demonstrating openly.
Although their time together had been brief, the old man gave off an air of forthrightness. If he had ill intentions, Li Hao wouldn’t be able to resist anyway.
Moreover, achieving perfection in the Hundred Flood Dragon Body was no major feat—at least not for the Li Family.
As Li Hao’s fists moved, the power within surged. In an instant, an aura reminiscent of a flood dragon surging from the sea emanated from him.
Li Muxiu’s eyes sharpened as he observed, but soon his expression turned utterly dumbfounded.
“¿¿¿”
Li Muxiu stared at Li Hao in shock. If it were only the Hundred Flood Dragon Body at the entry level, it wouldn’t have been remarkable—merely the mark of a talented individual. The Li Family had no shortage of talents. Randomly throwing a stone might hit a servant or a genius.
But to go from entry level to mastery and then perfection within a day?
...
Such talent in body refinement! Even compared to Xiao Jiu’s cultivation talent, this was no less extraordinary.
Li Muxiu couldn’t help but take a closer look at Li Hao. Was this child truly so gifted in body refinement? What a pity that this brilliance was limited to body refinement alone!
At this thought, Li Muxiu sighed deeply.
Although he wasn’t one to chase fame and fortune, being able to cultivate was undeniably a great blessing for anyone.
Li Hao finished his demonstration, noticing the old man lost in thought, his innocent gaze piercing through. He seized the opportunity to ask, “Grandpa, I saw the term Phantom Vein in another Primeval Technique manual. What is this vein?”
“You looked through that manual? You didn’t practice it, did you?”
Snapping out of his reverie, Li Muxiu’s expression turned serious. His brows furrowed as he fixed his gaze on Li Hao’s innocent face. Realizing he might be overthinking it, he relaxed slightly. At such a young age, if Li Hao had been distracted by other techniques, he wouldn’t have had the time to perfect the Hundred Flood Dragon Body today.
Without waiting for Li Hao to answer, Li Muxiu spoke gravely:
“You have exceptional talent in body refinement. That’s a blessing, but don’t squander it! Many geniuses have met their demise because of youthful arrogance. They believed themselves clever, learning this and that. In the end, they knew a bit of everything and were hailed as ‘all-rounders.’ And what happened? A former defeated rival easily killed them with one strike.”
“Others only need to master a single technique—one that’s strong enough to kill—and they become unstoppable!”
Li Muxiu continued, “You’ve heard of titles like Sword Saint, Blade Saint, Spear God, or Arrow King. These legendary figures didn’t lack the capability to develop broadly, but they chose to specialize and refine their skills within a single domain. A human lifespan is limited. Even dedicating your entire life to one path might not lead you to its pinnacle. What hope is there for pursuing two paths simultaneously? That would only spell disaster.”
He added earnestly, “In families like ours, we are fortunate to have abundant resources and a relatively easy path to growth. Those without such backgrounds—wandering warriors, for example—face complex challenges and must learn whatever helps them survive. But we? We can choose!”
“Those people dabble in poisons, medicine, unarmed combat, and weapons. So what? Against someone of the same realm, they might hold an advantage. But think—how much time does it take to learn all that? If it takes ten years, their opponent, spending the same ten years on a single discipline, will surpass them by one or two realms. At that point, even the most diverse skillset won’t save them.”
“Therefore, unless you hit a bottleneck and have no hope of further progress, you should never think about diversifying. Until then, it’s unnecessary.”
His words were heartfelt, and Li Hao understood the logic behind them.
Developing in all directions was certainly powerful, but time was a limiting factor.
That applied to ordinary warriors, of course.
But for himself? He had a cheat—the panel.
Still, without enough Artistry Points, Li Hao could only focus on refining his swordsmanship and physique. At present, his emphasis was on the latter, with cultivation taking precedence.
After sternly cautioning Li Hao, Li Muxiu sighed and reverted to his usual casual demeanor. “The Phantom Vein you mentioned is part of the Primeval Body Refinement Technique, and this is why that incomplete technique is stored on the sixth floor of the library. However, to learn how to unlock the Phantom Vein, you must progress step by step to the third stage. The time required is immense. For those with higher comprehension, it might take five to eight years; for others, twenty to thirty years may not even suffice!”
“Thus, although the Phantom Vein is valuable, it often has to be abandoned.”
“Oh?”
Li Hao showed an eager look, sitting cross-legged with his arms wrapped around his knees.
“The Phantom Vein is also known as the Primeval Yin Meridian. Beyond the ordinary meridians, it is said that the human body contains a total of 108 meridians.”
“Our Li Family’s strongest cultivation manual, the Dragon River Divine Veins, allows for the clearing of 54 meridians. Meanwhile, the royal family's Eastern Huang Scripture can open up 62 meridians, making it the most advanced meridian-clearing technique known.”
“However, to reach the full 108 meridians is still far from reality. Whether such a number even exists remains a matter of speculation.”
“In addition to these 108 meridians, there are two special major meridians: the Primeval Yin Meridian and the Primeval Yang Meridian!”
“These two special meridians, when unlocked, imbue techniques with unique powers that make attacks fiercer and more domineering. At the same time, these meridians allow for greater circulation of energy through the Zhoutian system!”
Li Muxiu glanced at Li Hao. “If you can achieve a full circulation of energy in one meridian, then within the Primeval Yin Meridian, you could achieve tenfold circulation—a thousand cycles in a single meridian. The difference is tenfold!”
“You could accumulate and amplify the power of those thousand cycles within the Primeval Yin Meridian.”
“And this amplification isn’t just a matter of quantity—it leads to a qualitative change in explosive force. The effects would become evident during combat. Thus, those capable of unlocking these two special meridians are not only talented but are geniuses among geniuses, the elite of the elite—rare even in a century!”
Li Hao was astonished. He hadn’t expected that besides the Primeval Yin Meridian, there was also the Primeval Yang Meridian.
Together, these two special meridians added the equivalent of 20 additional meridians to the total.
To think—the royal family's strongest technique only reached 62 meridians. Unlocking both special meridians would enhance power by a third!
“At the same time, even practicing the Dragon River Divine Veins of our family, you could unleash power surpassing that of the royal family.”
“However, unlocking these two special meridians is extremely difficult. It requires fate, talent, and comprehension—external assistance offers little help.”
Looking at Li Hao, Li Muxiu added, “Among the second generation of the Li Family, only three individuals managed to unlock one special meridian. Only your ninth uncle possesses both meridians. His talent is extraordinary.”
...
Li Hao was left speechless.
For something described as exceedingly rare, three of the Li Family’s second generation had managed to unlock a special meridian? And his ninth uncle possessed both?
“Xiao Jiu was born with the Primeval Yang Meridian and later comprehended and unlocked the Primeval Yin Meridian. Even I, back in the day, only managed to unlock one special meridian, similar to your father.”
Li Muxiu shook his head as he spoke.
Li Hao was at a loss for words. His ninth uncle truly seemed like the epitome of extraordinary.
“All right, focus on your cultivation,” Li Muxiu instructed Li Hao. “You have exceptional talent, but your meridians were naturally blocked at birth, making cultivation harder for you than for others. If you’re unlucky, the Zhoutian Realm could become your limit. So don’t get distracted. Concentrate on mastering the Thousand Flood Dragon Sacred Body. If you reach the fourth stage, you may have a chance to break through to the Soul Fusion Realm.”
“At that point, you’ll at least become a capable warrior, one who won’t be easily defeated or killed.”
Li Hao nodded obediently.
Seeing his compliance, Li Muxiu felt gratified. “Take some time to study the Dragon River Divine Veins. If there’s anything you don’t understand, come and ask me. Back when your father and his peers were cultivating, they learned on their own despite having instructors. Even when we brought in military drillmasters to teach, your father and his brothers would often grasp the techniques before the instructor could finish explaining. Xiao Jiu even took it further, creating new techniques based on what he learned.”
Recalling those days, a smile appeared on the old man’s face.
Li Hao felt helpless.
The Li Family produced so many prodigies that even someone like him, with a cheat-like system, seemed unremarkable in comparison.
Of course, he hadn’t fully explored the potential of his Artistry Points. If he did, he could go even further.
Still, life wasn’t just about cultivation. Living a new life, he wanted to savor it fully. Otherwise, what was the point of being reborn?
...
...
In the days that followed, Li Hao spent his mornings fishing with the old man and his afternoons immersed in the library, poring over meridian-clearing manuals and energy-cultivation techniques.
After half a month, he successfully recorded three top-tier techniques into his system panel.
Li Hao believed his comprehension wasn’t too bad. After all, he needed to grasp the basics of a technique to record it. Completing one manual in five days wasn’t too embarrassing for the Li Family.
Typically, direct descendants of the Li Family took around half a month to learn the basics of such supreme manuals.
With the mindset of someone who had lived two lives, Li Hao didn’t let it go to his head. This was just normal performance.
However, these three manuals weren’t body-refining techniques, so they didn’t directly enhance his Third Stage Body Refining Dao. Instead, a new attribute appeared on his system panel.
[Dao of Royalty: Not Yet Begun]
Li Hao speculated that these manuals were for ordinary martial cultivation, and the new attribute likely corresponded to that path.
The name, though, was a bit peculiar.
Still, Li Hao didn’t dwell on it too much. As long as he could accumulate points, it didn’t matter.
He now felt the scarcity of Artistry Points more than ever.
“Besides fishing and playing chess, it’s time to try painting or cooking...”
These, after all, were arts documented in the game. If everything went as expected, they could help him gain more Artistry Points.