Chapter 7: The Path of the Physical Body
Within the Changchun Academy...
He Jianlan sat with an air of dignified composure in a polished golden-threaded sandalwood armchair, listening as the young servant before her nervously delivered his report. Her mind stirred slightly.
She had long heard that this child was unusually perceptive, very clever—but unfortunately, he had no aptitude for martial arts, which rendered all that intelligence wasted.
Thinking about the family letter from the border, He Jianlan sighed inwardly and said in a light tone, “Xuejian, keep an eye on him. Just make sure he doesn’t tear up any of the books.”
“Yes.”
Standing beside her, a woman with almond-shaped eyes, red lips, and fair skin responded softly.
...
The message from Changchun Academy soon reached outside Tingyu Pavilion. Li Hao noticed the young girl who had come to supervise him, showing a slight surprise, though he didn’t pay it much mind. After all, he was so young, and it was natural for the madam to feel uneasy letting him enter the pavilion alone.
Although both were household servants, Zhao Bo’s status was clearly lower than that of this young girl, Xuejian, as he was stopped outside by her.
Inside the ancient pavilion, the light was dim, and a layer of dust had accumulated on the floor.
Bookshelves lined the interior, tall and imposing. As Li Hao walked, he glanced around. Wooden plaques were affixed to the sides of each bookshelf, classifying them into sections.
There were sword techniques, blade techniques, spear techniques, and categories for weapons and poisons.
The various books covered a vast array of subjects, practically everything one could imagine.
Li Hao couldn’t help but feel a bit awed.
This small pavilion practically housed half the martial world.
Before long, Li Hao found the section containing body-refining manuals, where books on hardening the body filled the shelves.
The Diamond Sutra, Nine Changes of the Divine Turtle, Seven Star Seal, and many others.
Li Hao randomly selected a manual called Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin and leaned against the shelf to start reading.
The pavilion was extremely quiet, with only the sound of two steady breaths, one large and one small.
Xuejian followed him silently, like a shadow. Her bearing was even more refined than the young ladies of some noble families. Observing this little young master who had been the center of attention since birth, a touch of curiosity appeared in her gaze.
He truly was perceptive for his age—it even looked like he could read.
And he seemed to be reading very intently. Could he actually understand it?
Time passed.
Li Hao read the introductory passages of the manual repeatedly, comprehending each word individually. Eventually, a message appeared before his eyes, delighting him:
“Basic mastery acquired. Would you like to record it?”
Li Hao selected “yes” without hesitation.
Soon, a panel appeared before him.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 4]
[Cultivation: Mortal]
[Sword Dao: Second Level]
[Skill: Boundless Ocean·Tide (Perfected) [Restricted]]
[Physical Path: Not Yet Entered]
[Skill: Hundred Refinements of Stone Skin (Not Yet Entered) {Restricted}]
[Chess Dao: Second Level (18/1000)]
[Chess Collection Index: 0]
[Art Skill Points: 0]
Seeing that the skill had successfully been recorded, Li Hao felt a wave of excitement—his guess had been correct. This way, he could officially begin his path of cultivation.
But before that, he still needed to accumulate more Art Skill Points.
Thinking of this, Li Hao’s face fell in frustration.
Practicing alone allowed him to gain experience quickly, but playing chess with others took far longer.
In three days, he had only accumulated 18 experience points, and his sparring partner had already been scared off.
He’d have to find a stable “practice partner” somehow... Li Hao muttered inwardly, shoving the manual back onto the shelf. He then turned and asked the young girl behind him, “Where’s the best body-refining manual kept?”
Xuejian looked slightly surprised. Did this child really understand body refinement?
Who had taught him?
Could it be that military officer who had laid his foundation?
Seeing that his meridians were blocked, was he planning to pursue a purely physical path…? A hint of realization flashed in Xuejian’s eyes. “To answer Young Master, the strongest body-refining manual in Tingyu Pavilion is kept on the sixth floor. I can take you there.”
“Not the seventh floor?”
Li Hao sounded a bit disappointed. “Shouldn’t the strongest one be unique?”
“It is because one is a complete manual, suitable for cultivation, while the other is only a partial version. It can be practiced but doesn’t lead to the highest level,” Xuejian explained.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow, surprised. Even an incomplete manual could make it to the sixth floor?
Before long, with the young girl guiding him, Li Hao was carried up to the sixth floor.
Had he tried climbing himself, he would’ve already been exhausted by the third floor.
The higher they ascended, the fewer manuals remained on each floor. By the time they reached the sixth floor, only a few short shelves remained. A quick scan revealed around twenty or thirty manuals in total.
Yet Li Hao didn’t underestimate their worth; these were the products of the Li Family’s centuries of accumulation. Such treasures, if sold outside, would undoubtedly fetch an astronomical price.
Soon, Xuejian returned with the two body-refining manuals she had mentioned.
One was titled Sacred Body of a Thousand Serpents.
The other was called Primeval.
The covers were worn and battered, so much so that in an ordinary household, they might have been mistaken for table props.
Li Hao picked one up and began flipping through its pages.
Right from the opening passages, he sensed an enormous difference from the manuals he had perused on the first floor.
He… couldn’t understand it at all.
The writing was dense and obscure, akin to reading classical Chinese, or rather, like deciphering oracle bone script. He could barely recognize a few characters, but piecing them together left him entirely baffled.
Li Hao’s face scrunched up.
After forcing himself to read a bit more, he finally gave up.
Even reaching a rudimentary understanding was out of his grasp.
“Back when I watched that kid practice his swordsmanship, it still took me days of observation to record Boundless Ocean,” Li Hao reflected. “And that was watching someone perform it directly—this is self-study…”
Li Hao shook his head. It seemed he’d have to wait until he could accumulate more Art Skill Points to enhance his Physical Path and try again.
He gestured for Xuejian to carry him back downstairs.
While Li Hao was interested in learning other types of manuals, he knew he didn’t have the energy to cover them all just yet.
Without enough Art Skill Points, all efforts were futile, and the core issue remained… the lack of practice partners.
Exiting Tingyu Pavilion, Li Hao bid farewell to the courteous young girl, then left with Zhao Bo, heading back to the Shanhe Courtyard.
“Brother Hao!”
Upon seeing Li Hao return, Bian Ruxue dashed toward him, almost tripping over her own feet.
“Don’t rush!” Li Hao called out.
“Where did you go, Brother Hao? Take me along next time, please?” Bian Ruxue pouted, looking up at him with expectant eyes.
Over the past year, the little girl had become rather attached to Li Hao. She would even bring her pillow at night to sleep in his room, only settling down if he let her stay.
Initially, Li Hao tried to send her back a few times, but when she woke up crying and ran to him in tears, he couldn’t bring himself to keep pushing her away.
Fortunately, the bed was large, and his small size meant that having one extra person didn’t make a difference. The little girl was quiet in her sleep, and he eventually allowed it.
“You need to behave,” Li Hao said, patting her head. “As long as you stay here, I’ll always come back, no matter where I go.”
The servants around them were used to the scene and didn’t seem surprised.
“Pinky promise?”
Bian Ruxue held out her little finger.
Li Hao sighed and obliged her, linking his pinky with hers.
“No take-backs! You promised, so if you break it, you’ll be a little dog,” Bian Ruxue said, her lips in a small pout.
“Fine, fine,” Li Hao replied with a helpless smile.
...
In the following days, Li Hao resolved to display his talent for Chess Dao and began imperiously demanding that the household servants play chess with him.
Anyone who refused would be given “three strikes” from Zhao Bo.
Three strokes wouldn’t tear skin, but they were enough to make sitting a challenge for quite some time.
Under the young master’s command, the servants took turns sitting across the chessboard from him.
Days passed...
The courtyard developed two distinct scenes. On one side, Lin Haixia guided Bian Ruxue in practicing basic sword and fist techniques.
This wasn’t formal cultivation but simple posturing, helping her build a sense of martial intuition.
While the training could be painful at times, the little girl’s stubborn nature never led her to cry over it.
On the other side, things were far livelier.
A group of servants crowded around the pavilion where Li Hao played chess with one of them, with the others ordered to watch and learn.
Among these servants, some were entirely clueless about chess, while others had picked up a few moves somewhere along the line. Li Hao discovered that when playing against those with a bit of skill, he gained 2 or even 3 experience points per win.
In contrast, against those who were clueless, even a victory only earned him 1 point. Worse yet, if the opponent accidentally broke the rules, the whole match would be invalidated.
Gradually, there was no need for everyone to take turns. Li Hao identified the two most skilled players among the servants and had them play with him regularly to gather experience.
In no time, Li Hao turned five.