Volume 2 - Chapter 55: Reflection on the Heavenly Monument - Part 1
After Lu Chunsheng left, Li Hao began wandering around the Tianji Tower.
The vast array of techniques, neatly categorized, gave Li Hao the same feeling as visiting the Tingyu Pavilion.
However, this place lacked the scent of agarwood present in the Tingyu Pavilion and was cleaned to perfection, suggesting frequent visitors.
In the sunlight streaming through the windows, specks of dust danced visibly, settling gently on the shelves of manuals and scrolls.
Li Hao started by browsing techniques categorized under the Dao of Command.
He was specifically looking for meridian-opening techniques and energy circulation methods.
The arrangement of techniques in the Tianji Tower was similar to the Tingyu Pavilion. Supreme-grade techniques were placed on the topmost floor. Li Hao discovered seven supreme-grade energy circulation methods and five supreme-grade meridian-opening techniques.
The Tingyu Pavilion only had three supreme-grade meridian-opening techniques in its collection.
Given the Tianji Tower's focus on intelligence gathering, it was understandable for it to have such a profound foundation.
Li Hao recorded all the techniques into his interface. With his sixth-level mastery of the Dao of Command, these techniques immediately appeared as perfected on the interface after recording them.
Details about the five meridian-opening techniques flooded his mind.
Closing his eyes, Li Hao quietly assimilated this knowledge. It was as if he had practiced all five supreme-grade meridian-opening techniques for decades. Countless insights gradually became part of his memory.
Li Hao began to understand the specific meridians and positions these techniques could open.
Many overlapped with the meridians he had already cultivated through other techniques.
The more meridians opened, the greater the overlap among techniques.
Nevertheless, each of the five supreme-grade meridian-opening techniques had unique routes, adding seven new meridians for Li Hao.
Previously, he had opened 98 major meridians. Now, the number stood at 105.
Just three more major meridians, and he would achieve perfection!
“Unfortunately, there’s too much overlap,” Li Hao lamented inwardly. Each of these five supreme-grade meridian-opening techniques could theoretically open over 50 major meridians, but when practiced together, the overlap meant they only added seven new meridians.
No wonder opening all the major meridians was so challenging. In the thousands of years of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, there was hardly any record of such an achievement.
The difficulty was simply too great.
It required immense time and effort. Even mastering one supreme-grade meridian-opening technique to perfection would take at least decades of arduous cultivation.
For geniuses, it still required a decade or two.
Ordinary people couldn’t hope to achieve this without profound Dao comprehension and using the Dao to guide their techniques like he could.
Unless they relied on longevity to brute-force their way through, which also demanded substantial resources and connections.
“If I could master the Royal Meridian-Opening Technique, it might just complete the remaining three meridians!” Li Hao thought to himself.
But it was merely a thought.
Cultivating the Royal Meridian-Opening Technique was punishable by death.
This technique was one of the royal family’s foundational secrets and absolutely untouchable.
Li Hao shook off the idea and descended the tower.
On the lower floors, high-grade meridian-opening techniques were displayed in abundance.
Li Hao examined and recorded them one by one. As the number of techniques recorded increased, so did the influx of information into his mind.
Every meridian-opening technique he recorded into his interface appeared as perfected. However, regrettably, the meridians opened by these techniques overlapped significantly with those he had already cultivated.
Although the routes varied, the meridians targeted were largely the same.
Li Hao descended floor by floor.
After recording over twenty high-grade meridian-opening techniques, one of them finally opened a new major meridian.
Li Hao was delighted and continued his search.
Before long, he recorded three more techniques, and one of them also opened another new meridian.
Now, he had 107 major meridians, leaving just one more.
Li Hao continued downward. After exhausting all the high-grade techniques, he turned to mid-grade ones, but after examining dozens of them, they were all redundant.
With dwindling hope, he decided to check the low-grade techniques. If none worked, he would have to visit prominent sects in the future to seek their treasures.
While not expecting much, he recorded 32 low-grade meridian-opening techniques. Suddenly, one of them caught his attention.
This low-grade technique was incredibly peculiar, taking an unconventional approach. Remarkably, it happened to open the final major meridian.
All 108 major meridians now had corresponding techniques for opening them!
Li Hao was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed, wishing he could begin practicing immediately.
But this was the Tianji Tower. He restrained himself and refrained from demonstrating it here.
Fully opening all major meridians, combined with the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians, could potentially cause unprecedented phenomena.
His previous use of Heaven and Earth Manifestation and divine power had already drawn significant attention. Moreover, the meridians involved his martial arts secrets, which he preferred to keep hidden.
A sword’s sheath is meant to conceal its edge...
Now that his meridians were perfected, Li Hao returned to the top floor to search for body-refining techniques.
...
Like before, he recorded and analyzed as he searched. Li Hao found over a hundred techniques, and a massive influx of information filled his mind.
Although he hadn’t practiced them yet, he knew many of these techniques could temper his body in ways previously inaccessible to him.
Once he practiced them, his physical strength would undoubtedly rise again.
Next came techniques for swordsmanship, fist arts, and more...
Li Hao meticulously recorded each one.
As he moved between floors, faint zither music suddenly drifted down from the top.
“Young General, there are countless manuals here, but don’t get lost in your choices. Allow me to play a tune to help calm your mind,” came Lu Chunsheng’s voice through a sound transmission.
Although phrased as a question, the zither music had already started.
Li Hao sighed internally. You just want an excuse to play, don’t you?
Still, he replied via sound transmission, “Thank you, Tower Master Lu.”
Etiquette and courtesy were necessary tools in life.
As the zither melody floated from the top floor, Li Hao continued selecting manuals. To him, Tower Master Lu’s zither skills left much to be desired, but as a background ambiance, it was tolerable.
Additionally, Li Hao only needed a glance to commit the contents of the manuals to memory. If true comprehension and study were required, the zither music would quickly become an unwelcome distraction.
Time passed quickly.
After an hour, Li Hao had recorded a significant portion of the tower’s manuals into his interface.
All supreme-grade techniques had been thoroughly documented unless they were incompatible for recording, such as manuals on saber techniques or spear techniques.
Li Hao had yet to reach Dao-level insight in those disciplines, so his interface could not process them.
Still, Li Hao had no intention of investing skill points in saber or spear techniques.
For him, mastery in swordsmanship and fist arts was more than sufficient.
To kill an opponent, one sword stroke was enough. There was no need for an additional slash or thrust.
Rather than spreading his focus thin, he chose to refine what he had to the highest degree. Skill points, after all, didn’t come out of nowhere.
Aside from completing his meridians, the greatest gain from this venture was the collection of energy circulation methods and movement techniques.
Li Hao’s knowledge of movement techniques had been scarce. Feng Lao had given him the Heaven and Earth Unbounded Technique, a supreme-grade technique of the highest order.
Now, with the addition of many more movement techniques, the insights they offered significantly enhanced Li Hao’s abilities in this area.
“Four supreme-grade movement techniques, plus Feng Lao’s, and eighteen high-grade movement techniques...”
Li Hao was eager to test his current maximum speed.
Although he could only execute one movement technique at a time, he had cultivated each to the realm of true form, allowing him to integrate their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses.
With his mastery of martial arts at the grandmaster level, the essence of these techniques had already been absorbed and made his own.
Feeling content, Li Hao returned to the top floor, and the sound of Lu Chunsheng’s zither suddenly seemed more pleasing.
“Young General, did you find any techniques to your liking?” Lu Chunsheng asked with a smile.
Seeing Li Hao emerge so quickly, he couldn’t help but quietly admire his self-control.
When Lu Chunsheng had initially granted Li Hao free access to the manuals, he had prepared himself for Li Hao to secretly memorize as much as he could.
This subtle implication had been intentional—Lu Chunsheng wanted to extend a gesture of goodwill to Li Hao.
Now it seemed that while Li Hao might have memorized some techniques, the short amount of time he spent ensured it wasn’t excessive.
“To drink in moderation is to be a gentleman,” Lu Chunsheng thought approvingly.
“That Embroidered Spring Breeze sword manual is excellent,” Li Hao said, carrying out a supreme-grade sword manual. “I’ll take this one.”
“Young General has sharp taste. This sword technique was created eight centuries ago by a cultivator of the Three Immortal Realms. Its swordsmanship is sharp yet tempered by a gentle sword intent—perfect for someone with your refined temperament.” Lu Chunsheng smiled.
Although he had only briefly interacted with Li Hao, he could tell the young general was unlike other martial artists, lacking their heavy aura of bloodshed. Instead, his disposition was soft and scholarly.
This was one of the reasons Lu Chunsheng had taken a liking to him.
“Tower Master Lu flatters me,” Li Hao said with a smile.
Lu Chunsheng poured a cup of tea and handed it to Li Hao. “Young General, what did you think of the zither piece I just played?”
Li Hao’s inner thoughts were blunt: If it’s bad, practice more...
But outwardly, he coughed lightly and said, “Tower Master Lu’s zither skills are like this tea—sweet and refreshing!”
“Haha...”
Lu Chunsheng burst into laughter, thinking to himself that the young man knew how to appreciate good music.
In high spirits, he said, “I actually composed another piece myself. Would you care to listen, Young General?”
Though phrased as a question, Lu Chunsheng had already started to rise from his seat.
Before Li Hao could respond, a commotion from outside the tower interrupted them.
With his formidable physical constitution, Li Hao clearly heard the distant noise. He immediately asked, “Tower Master Lu, what’s happening over there?”
Lu Chunsheng, who had just stood up, glanced outside the tower and chuckled.
“It seems someone has successfully passed the test of the Heavenly Shadow Monument. Young General, would you like to take a look? Perhaps our disciples here at the Tianji Tower could learn something from you.”
“Sure,” Li Hao replied.
The two of them swiftly exited the tower and headed toward the arena.
...
At the arena, a group of disciples had gathered. In the distance, a path led toward a mountain range where rows of towering black stone monuments stood.
Each of these monuments was two to three zhang tall, firmly planted in the ground. From afar, they resembled a series of giant tombstones.
“Sister Tang succeeded in her challenge against Brother Jiang after observing the monument three times!”
“Amazing! Only three observations!”
“Sister Tang is renowned for her talent. She mastered that high-grade sword technique in just three readings and became proficient in seven days!”
“Unfortunately, Sister Tang was born into a humble background. Despite her unparalleled talent, she lacked the resources for proper training in her early years. Now that she’s older, she can’t qualify for the Qian Kun Ranking, or she’d have made a name for herself long ago!”
“Shh! Are you crazy? Don’t talk about such forbidden topics!”
“But don’t you feel it’s a pity?”
“Pity your head! You’re the one who doesn’t want to live if you dare say Sister Tang is old!”
“...”
The disciples murmured amongst themselves, occasionally letting out sighs of admiration.
Suddenly, someone noticed Li Hao and Lu Chunsheng approaching.
While Li Hao was unfamiliar to them, Lu Chunsheng was instantly recognizable.
After all, the Tianji Tower’s mountain gate prominently displayed his statue.
Seeing the young man accompanying the Tower Master, many wondered which noble family this prodigy belonged to. Nevertheless, they quickly bowed respectfully.
“Greetings, Tower Master!”
Lu Chunsheng nodded slightly, gesturing for the disciples to dispense with formalities.
He then turned to Li Hao and smiled. “Allow me to introduce the Young General of Haotian, Li Hao.”
Lu Chunsheng had deliberately used Li Hao’s title instead of his name, mindful of the young general’s sensitivity about his origins.
“Young General of Haotian?”
The disciples froze for a moment, failing to react.
But soon, their eyes widened in astonishment.
Among the crowd, a tall, slender woman stood out. She held a long sword, her eyes sharp and icy, exuding a cool elegance.
When she heard the introduction, her calm expression faltered slightly as she turned to look at the gentle young man.
As disciples of the Tianji Tower, they were privy to extensive information. Naturally, they had heard of the legendary exploits of the Young General of Haotian.
At just fourteen, he had been granted the title of general, fulfilling the dreams of countless young cultivators.
Even the women among them couldn’t help but harbor a trace of curiosity about this extraordinary youth.
...
Seeing their stunned expressions, Lu Chunsheng chuckled. Noticing the aloof and striking woman in the crowd, he turned to Li Hao and said:
“It’s your first time here, isn’t it? How about trying out our Tianji Tower’s Heavenly Shadow Monument?”
“So, that’s the Heavenly Shadow Monument?” Li Hao asked, looking at the towering black stone monuments with curiosity.
Second Master had mentioned it before. The Tianji Tower had once discovered divine stones from beyond the heavens, imbued with the Dao Rhythms of Heaven and Earth. These stones could record a person’s techniques and create an eternal imprint.
The Tianji Tower had cut the divine stones into the Heavenly Shadow Monuments, which became a famous feature of the tower. For centuries, it had drawn countless geniuses.
However, due to certain events, the Tianji Tower had restricted the monuments to internal disciples only, no longer opening them to outsiders.
At this moment, Lu Chunsheng invited Li Hao to test the monument, hoping that if the legendary young general left his mark, the monument could be sealed and preserved to inspire future disciples.