Chapter 4: Hierarchies and Ranks
On a bright, sunny day...
The Divine General Mansion had arranged for a powerful figure from the military to visit Shanhe Courtyard to establish Li Hao’s foundation.
The person who arrived was a stout, rugged-looking middle-aged man with dark skin, though he wore a flowing green robe. His name was Lin Haixia, which sounded rather feminine—Li Hao would later call him "Uncle Lin."
Along with Lin Haixia, a young girl came to the courtyard.
The young girl was around Li Hao’s age, just two months younger. It was said that she was the orphaned daughter of his father's comrade, a war hero who had perished on the Yanbei Battlefield.
Before the young girl's father passed away, he had entrusted his daughter to Marquis Xingwu, sealing an arranged marriage for her with Li Hao on his deathbed.
To this sudden, imposed engagement, Li Hao had no words.
"Really, come on—fine, fight if you want to, but do you really need to dump something like this on me without even asking?"
Despite his frustration, Li Hao didn't vent his anger on the young girl.
From that day on, in addition to Li Hao, another small figure now appeared within the vast Shanhe Courtyard.
The little girl's name was Bian Ruxue, and she was as delicate and refined as a porcelain doll.
New to this unfamiliar place, Ruxue was timid, constantly asking everyone she encountered, "Where's my father? Where did he go?"
The young girl searched for her father.
Yet, no one in the courtyard dared to answer her question. Some of the more tender-hearted maids would simply wipe their tears in secret upon hearing her ask.
Losing her appetite, Ruxue grew thinner by the day. Seeing that none of the servants knew how to console her, Li Hao grew annoyed at the thought that perhaps he had made them overly capable, failing to develop skills for dealing with children.
Thus, he took it upon himself to handle the matter, half-coaxing, half-scaring her as he explained, “Your father is hiding somewhere. If you behave, eat well, and listen, he’ll come out to see you.”
With teary, innocent eyes, Ruxue asked, “Is it because I wasn’t being good? Why would he hide from me? Where is he hiding?”
Where?
Faced with the child’s pitiful expression, Li Hao softened, replying with a cliched answer as he pointed to the sky: “Your father is up there, on one of those stars.”
From that night on, a small figure would appear in the courtyard, gazing up at the starry sky.
Under the silvery glow of the stars, her lone silhouette stood out in the still night.
Meanwhile, inside the house, another young boy sat propped up over a chessboard, instructing the servants daily to fan away mosquitoes around the little girl so that she wouldn’t get bitten.
Half a month went by quickly, and Lin Haixia, the military expert, finally prepared a foundation-building elixir for both Li Hao and Bian Ruxue.
They would undergo their foundational cultivation in the same year.
Foundation-building, as it was called, was the first step on the path of martial arts!
Using a concoction of precious medicinal herbs, they would immerse their bodies in medicinal baths daily, forging physiques suitable for cultivation.
The Divine General Mansion, one of the most prestigious houses in the Great Yu Dynasty, possessed vast resources. From the moment Li Hao began his foundation-building, countless precious herbs and treasures were delivered to Shanhe Courtyard in a seemingly endless stream.
The foundation-building elixirs were divided into three grades: common, rare, and supreme.
Naturally, Li Hao was given the top-grade foundation-building elixir, infused with thousand-year-old medicinal plants and supplemented by other rare ingredients, capable of nurturing a seventh-class battle body.
Once he began cultivation, he would likely break through the first realm within two to three years.
Martial arts require vast resources, and this premium foundation-building elixir, consumed daily for a duration of six months to a year, could only be afforded by an elite family like the Divine General Mansion.
In the courtyard, two large medicinal barrels had been set up.
Li Hao and Bian Ruxue each soaked in their respective barrels.
However, Ruxue’s barrel was surrounded by a curtain for privacy, with a female attendant to care for her.
Unlike ordinary maids, female attendants had some cultivation, akin to female guards in the household.
On Li Hao’s side, Lin Haixia oversaw the process personally.
At that moment, the prestigious dark purple elixir swirled around Li Hao’s body, covering him almost entirely. Only his nose was visible above the surface to allow breathing.
The pungent odor of the elixir, bitter as though he’d swallowed a lotus root, kept him mentally alert.
Li Hao asked, “Can I drink it?”
Lin Haixia replied, “Better not.”
The elixir was incredibly potent; a child’s digestive system wouldn’t absorb it, but instead be damaged.
Furthermore...
This elixir was intended for external absorption.
Just as Li Hao calmed himself and focused, a line of text suddenly appeared in his vision:
“[Unknown substance detected. Analyzing…]”
“[Analysis failed. Automatically isolated.]”
Li Hao: ???
What was going on?
Could it be what he thought?
Li Hao’s heart filled with doubt and unease.
Beside the barrel, Lin Haixia’s initially calm expression grew increasingly serious, his brows knitting together.
Noticing his change in demeanor, Li Hao felt a pang of concern and asked, “Uncle Lin… is there something wrong?”
Lin Haixia wasn’t surprised by Li Hao’s perceptiveness. He had long observed that this young master was more insightful than most children his age, displaying a wisdom beyond his years.
At this moment, however, he had no mood for conversation. He quickly lifted the curtain to check the other side, and upon returning, his face grew even graver.
“Uncle Lin?”
Lin Haixia extended his hand to feel the edge of the medicinal barrel, his gaze growing complex. He looked at the boy in the barrel, as though he wanted to say something, then hesitated.
Li Hao couldn't contain himself and said, “Uncle Lin, if there’s something you want to say, just say it.”
Lin Haixia was slightly taken aback, giving Li Hao a brief look. Though Li Hao seemed mature for his age, he was, after all, just a three-year-old. Could he actually sense hesitation?
But his own mood was foul enough without dwelling on it. Ignoring whether or not Li Hao would understand, he explained bluntly, “Martial talent can be seen directly at age five when measuring bones, yet it actually begins to reveal itself during foundation-building.”
“The faster the elixir is absorbed, the higher the martial aptitude. But, Young Master… your absorption rate is far too slow.”
He glanced at Li Hao in the barrel with a look of incomprehension and a trace of pity.
Thinking for a moment, he muttered, “Perhaps today’s result was just a fluke, a mistake in the refining process. I’ll check more carefully tomorrow.”
A cold realization struck Li Hao.
So, the alert he’d just seen was indeed about the foundation-building elixir?
Absorption too slow? The elixir had been blocked entirely—there was nothing to absorb!
Li Hao’s heart sank in frustration. This panel system was relentless, strictly enforcing game rules to the extreme!
Over the past year, while experimenting with the system, he’d already realized something.
In the game world, there was no combat system, and he seemed to have no connection to the martial arts.
Not only did practicing combat skills yield no experience, but whenever he practiced the moves from the manuals secretly, some inexplicable force interfered, throwing his balance off completely. It was as if he were drunk—his body and mind felt disconnected.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t replicate the moves from the manuals.
Even with the simplest, most basic techniques...
Except for sword techniques.
Due to his affinity with the sword realm, he could easily wield various sword styles.
But for any other skills, he was entirely hopeless.
To actually succeed, he would first have to elevate other types of Dao to a similar level as his swordsmanship—only by relying on the mastery of one Dao could he wield another technique effectively.
And now, on top of struggling with self-training, he couldn’t even rely on medicinal aid without interference.
Was anything combat-related truly off-limits to him?
Wouldn’t they let him demonstrate even a hint of martial talent?!
“Don’t lose hope. I’ll try again tomorrow. If that doesn’t work, I’ll inform the marquis, and he’ll certainly think of a way for you.”
Seeing the sadness on Li Hao’s face, Lin Haixia assumed he’d spoken too plainly, not realizing Li Hao had actually understood the implications.
“No, there’s no need.”
Feeling drained, Li Hao waved his hand weakly and climbed out of the medicinal barrel.
Since the foundation-building elixir had been blocked by the system, soaking any longer wouldn’t help.
“Stay in the barrel a bit longer. Keep soaking, and let’s see if more time makes a difference,” Lin Haixia insisted as Li Hao tried to step away.
Li Hao shook his head. “It’s pointless.”
“Obey,” Lin Haixia said sternly, his tone firm.
Li Hao fell silent, then relented, saying, “I’ll check on the little girl first.”
Lifting the curtain, he approached the young girl’s barrel and immediately noticed a stark difference: the elixir in her barrel, identical to his when first poured, had nearly turned to clear water, leaving only wisps of purple mist swirling within.
“Hao-gege?”
Inside the barrel, Bian Ruxue looked up at Li Hao, her young face unguarded in her innocent confusion.
“Uncle Lin, what would you say about this little girl’s absorption speed?”
Without turning, Li Hao posed the question to Lin Haixia, who was observing from behind.
Amused by Li Hao’s mannerisms, Lin Haixia thought it funny that even though the two were the same age, Li Hao acted like an elder around Ruxue.
“Her absorption speed is quite remarkable.”
Having observed her progress earlier, Lin Haixia replied with some admiration, “If she successfully completes blood-melting by age four, then at age five, with the Divine General Mansion’s elite resources, her physique could easily reach the eighth level, perhaps even the ninth—a rank among the top prodigies!”
“Ninth rank?”
Li Hao was puzzled.
Lin Haixia, with patience for his young master, explained further, regardless of whether the boy could understand.
After Lin Haixia’s detailed explanation, Li Hao finally understood.
Foundation-building, blood-melting, and bone-measuring were collectively known as the "Three Six Nine Grades" of martial ranking!
Foundation-building elixirs came in three grades.
Blood-melting involved various rare bloodline fusions, categorized into six levels.
And bone-measuring tested aptitude, divided into nine ranks.
Battle bodies ranked from one to three were common, belonging to the lower category.
Ranks four to six represented a quality physique, marking someone as a talent within the "average elite" class, considered mid-level.
A seventh-class physique was the mark of a true genius.
An eighth-class physique would be renowned across a province.
The ninth-class battle body represented the pinnacle of martial constitution—an extraordinary genius who could break realms effortlessly, typically reaching the fourth or even fifth stage of cultivation!
...
Beyond these levels, however, further breakthroughs would require more than just talent; it would take comprehension, willpower, luck, and serendipity.
Turning to look at the little girl in the medicinal barrel, Li Hao couldn’t help but marvel.
Could this little girl truly become a legendary genius, renowned across the world?
In his mind, he imagined Ruxue standing proudly among a crowd, a tiny figure with a runny nose. Unable to hold back, he let out a chuckle.
Observing Li Hao, Lin Haixia’s expression softened with sorrow.
This child seemed sharp and perceptive but was still just three years old.
He didn’t yet realize the gravity of the situation they were facing today.
The chances of the foundation-building elixir being faulty were slim.
Which likely meant… he was fated to be a martial cripple!
For a son of the Li family in this house of warriors, to be incapable of cultivation—it was a cruelty hard to comprehend.