Chapter 33: The Inheritance of the Soul
"That mischievous monkey..."
Li Hao broke apart a fragrant, crispy biscuit as he leisurely recounted the rest of the story to the three eager children hanging on his every word.
In the pavilion, Zhao Bo and Li Fu observed from afar, both shaking their heads with helpless smiles.
The young master certainly had a knack for finding these storybooks. If only he would channel the same energy into body refinement, his future would hold boundless possibilities.
Still, after watching Li Hao's carefree demeanor for so long, they had learned to let things take their course. As the second master had once said, "The Li family doesn't lack body refinement experts, but that child might lack a happy childhood. Without his parents by his side, this could be his only source of joy."
As the sun set, painting the horizon in hues of orange and red, the story came to an end. Li Hao sent the three little ones on their way, giving a final admonition to the most unruly of them, Li Yun.
"Behave yourself when you get home, or you'll end up getting another beating from your mother."
Earlier, this rascal had gotten overly excited while hearing about the havoc in the Heavenly Palace. Inspired by the tale, the child—despite his tender age—had begun to show a rebellious streak. After quarreling with his mother and insisting on switching from sword practice to staff techniques, he found himself on the receiving end of his mother's "gentle touch," which promptly quelled his defiance.
"Got it." Li Yun's cheeks turned crimson as he quickly scurried away.
"Brother Hao, I'll visit you again tomorrow," his sister, Li Zhining, said softly with a gentle smile.
"Brother Hao..." Li Yuanzhao, the pudgy little boy, hesitated as if he had more to say.
"Off you go!" Li Hao waved them all away.
Once the children had left the courtyard, Li Hao settled into a calm state and resumed his painting...
After gaining several dozen points in painting dao experience, the moonlight began to filter through the sky.
Li Hao shared dinner with Li Fu and Zhao Bo, then returned to his room. He opened a martial arts book he had taken from Tingyu Pavilion and began reading.
This book wasn’t a cultivation manual but an educational treatise on various stages of martial cultivation.
"The Soul Fusion Realm: As the name suggests, it is the inheritance of an ancestral soul!"
"For those without significant background or resources, common folk may enter the Soul Fusion Realm by joining a martial temple. If they can earn the favor of a heroic soul, they may receive a soul inheritance."
"Another method is to enlist in the army, where one can venerate the war souls of Great Yu’s fallen heroes and receive a strand of soul imprint as inheritance."
"Alternatively, one can apprentice under a renowned master or sect located in a famous mountain. Such places often house ancestral heroic souls..."
Li Hao quietly read through the pages, his eyes shimmering with thought.
He summoned his status panel and took a look.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 8]
[Cultivation: Zhoutian Realm Tenth Layer]
[Sword Dao: Third Stage (Flying Slash) (Hidden Bow)]
[Sword Techniques: Boundless Sea · Tides (Supreme Perfection), Falling Snow Sword Technique (True Form)]
[Body Dao: Fifth Stage (All-Manifestations) (Tiger Pressure)]
[Body Refinement Techniques: Stone Skin Thousand Refinements (True Form), Thousand Flood Dragon Sacred Body Fourth Layer (Entry Level), Primeval Third Layer (Perfect Concealment), Dragon Cicada True Vacuum Body Fourth Layer (Dragon Soul Body Entry Level)...]
[Royal Dao: Third Stage]
[Royal Techniques: Tiangang Zhoutian Technique (Perfect), Hundred Battles Zhoutian Technique (Perfect), Dragon River Divine Veins (Perfect), Ninefold Star Zhoutian Technique (Perfect)...]
[Chess Dao: Fourth Stage (28/10,000)]
[Fishing Dao: Second Stage (97/1,000)]
[Painting Dao: Second Stage (231/1,000)]
[Culinary Dao: Second Stage (736/1,000)]
[Chess Technique Collection: All-Manifestations, Tiger Pressure, Flying Slash, Hidden Bow]
[Fishing Collection: None]
[Painting Collection: Thousand Mountains Birds Flying, Snow Mountain Spirit Fox, Qilin Steed]
[Culinary Recipes: None]
[Heart State: Chess Heart (Embedded)]
[Artistry Points: 0]
...
The panel had become noticeably longer compared to before. Even after Li Hao omitted dozens of body refinement techniques, it was still densely packed.
The six artistry points gained from painting dao, culinary dao, and fishing dao had all been used to push his body dao from the third stage to the fifth. Crossing from the third to the fourth stage had required a significant breakthrough—a trial involving embedding heart comprehension, similar to the Chess Dao’s requirements.
Interestingly, the chess heart he had cultivated earlier could now be embedded like a chess manual, thanks to a prompt from the panel.
However, embedding the chess heart into his body dao to break through didn’t diminish his love for chess in the slightest.
While the breakthrough strengthened his body dao, it did not foster any newfound passion for it. His feelings toward body dao remained neutral, unchanged by the process.
The panel’s ability to transfer heart comprehension didn’t seem to affect emotional inclinations.
When his body dao reached the fourth stage, his numerous inferior body refinement techniques underwent peculiar transformations, evolving into higher-tier methods.
For instance, Stone Skin Hundred Refinements evolved into Stone Skin Thousand Refinements, and Savage Bull Strength transformed into Bull Demon Savage Strength. Each upgrade brought significant boosts in power, which, in turn, greatly enhanced his physical strength.
Even the most basic functions of his body experienced new transformations. As of now, his sheer physical strength had reached a staggering eighty thousand jin!
The elite body refinement techniques had also all advanced to the fourth layer.
However, progressing further in these techniques presented unique challenges.
Relying solely on the energy of heaven and earth was no longer sufficient to fulfill their demanding cultivation requirements. Even with his body dao advancing to the fifth stage, external conditions still imposed insurmountable limits.
For example, cultivating the Thousand Flood Dragon Sacred Body to its fourth layer required him to personally slay a flood dragon, seize its soul, and subdue it to refine his own. Only then could he ascend to the Soul Fusion Realm.
The Dragon Cicada True Vacuum Body required a drop of true dragon essence blood to progress.
Without meeting these external conditions, further comprehension and practice were like cooking without ingredients—an exercise in futility.
Fortunately, these requirements were not insurmountable for Li Hao.
If he simply asked, Li Muxiu could easily procure what he needed.
However, both of these body refinement techniques followed unconventional paths of soul inheritance. Even if he succeeded, they would only place him in the mid-tier of the Soul Fusion Realm—far from exceptional.
The strength of the Soul Fusion Realm depended on the quality of the heroic soul’s inheritance.
Thus, powerful clans and sects maintained a significant advantage in this area, creating a substantial gap between themselves and ordinary martial artists.
For instance, in renowned mountains and sects, direct disciples were often granted the opportunity to venerate their ancestral heroic souls within dedicated halls. If they were fortunate enough to gain the recognition of these souls, they could receive a direct inheritance, skyrocketing their potential. This was considered the best-case scenario.
After all, the heroic souls capable of passing down such inheritances were ancient beings of immense power, often those who had once stood at the Fourth Pillar Realm or higher—individuals who could defy the natural order.
The trace of soul essence they left behind served as a key to a treasure trove, offering immeasurable benefits.
For martial artists lacking such familial or sectarian resources, their options were limited. Unless they possessed unparalleled talent and could apprentice under a master of a renowned mountain, they would have to settle for the martial temples to attempt a soul fusion.
The martial temples housed heroic souls of varying strength, ranging from extraordinary to mediocre. Success depended largely on the aspirant's innate qualities and temperament—whether they could earn the favor of a worthy heroic soul.
In the worst-case scenario, one could resort to fusing with the souls of monsters such as flood dragons, spirits, or mountain ghosts.
These entities were often generous in granting their soul essences, but their inheritances were typically weaker and offered limited benefits.
As a member of the Li family, Li Hao had access to countless choices.
The best option was to enter the family’s ancestral hall.
There, the Li family’s heroic souls from generations past were enshrined—from the first-generation founder, a divine general who had fought alongside the first emperor of Great Yu, to countless other exceptional figures.
Moreover, the blood ties between him and these heroic souls made the process of soul fusion much smoother. This was one of the key advantages enjoyed by martial families, ensuring their longevity and influence.
The essence of heritage lay in its ability to pass down strength and knowledge across generations.
By successfully completing the soul fusion in the ancestral hall, Li Hao could then proceed to cultivate the two pinnacle body refinement techniques. Capturing the soul of a flood dragon or acquiring a true dragon’s essence blood would only serve to augment his abilities, not define his foundation. The difference was monumental.
Nevertheless, Li Hao decided to focus on building a stronger foundation before taking the next step.
The Royal Dao, as he anticipated, corresponded to conventional cultivation methods.
Techniques related to controlling energy, opening meridians, and other foundational practices of the Soul Fusion Realm and beyond—up to the Divine Soul Realm—depended on the Royal Dao.
With his Royal Dao at the third stage, Li Hao had mastered two pinnacle meridian-clearing techniques of the Li family, bringing both to perfection.
This was an impressive feat, as even the most talented cultivators usually chose to practice just one, given that each technique essentially required starting from scratch to cultivate the Zhoutian Realm’s ten layers anew.
However, with his Royal Dao’s insights at the third stage, Li Hao found the process seamless and natural, achieving mastery with just a few practice runs.
The two pinnacle techniques of energy control differed from the innate techniques embedded in body refinement. While the latter overlapped significantly, the former had distinct and complementary elements. This synergy created an extraordinary result.
Li Hao’s Zhoutian energy pathways increased from an initial 143 cycles to a staggering...
248 cycles!
Yes, it was an astonishing leap. His cycle count surpassed the Royal Clan’s Heavenly All-Zhoutian Technique, which maxed out at 168 cycles, by a full 80 cycles!