Chapter 244: Grasping the Sword Again (Second Update)

"A talent comparable to a Saint's reincarnation!"

The old Daoist from Mount Qingqiu did not keep them in suspense any longer. Beyond surprise, his face showed a hint of excitement as he said, "The Young Master's bone structure far surpasses a Ninth-Grade Battle Body. I haven't seen such a case in thousands of years!"

After Mount Qingqiu submitted to the Great Yu, they lived in seclusion, away from worldly disputes. He was a very old fox on Mount Qingqiu with vast knowledge and experience.

"Oh?"

Li Tianzong's eyes lit up. A talent comparable to a Saint's reincarnation?! Chen Hefang and the others were also shocked, staring at the old Daoist from Mount Qingqiu in astonishment.

"A typical Ninth-Grade Battle Body has at least one main bone in the body, resembling divine jade of gold and iron, containing seven-colored dark light, with patterns flowing on the surface of the bone. That is the Supreme Grade!"

The old Daoist from Mount Qingqiu said excitedly, "And in the Young Master's body, every single bone is like that!"

"All 72 main bones are radiating divine light, with patterns flowing, as if they are innate Dao patterns!"

"Once the Young Master embarks on the path of cultivation, he will surely soar into the sky, comparable to a Saint's reincarnation. His path of cultivation will likely be unstoppable, breaking through realms as easily as eating and drinking—no one will be able to match him!!"

Hearing the old Daoist's words, Chen Hefang and the others regained their senses, looking at Li Hao with a mix of shock and joy.

This was a legendary talent evaluation! Usually, a Ninth-Grade Battle Body was already the limit, yet Li Hao possessed divine bones throughout his entire body, his divine appearance like jade, comparable to a Saint's reincarnation! True Saints had always been legends; it was said that Saints lived in seclusion away from the world, transcending the mundane. Currently, the person closest to a Saint in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty was that True Person from the Qian Dao Palace.

"Good, good, good! As expected of my son!"

Li Tianzong laughed heartily, his face beaming with radiance.

"Congratulations to the Duke, congratulations to the Lady!"

The old Daoist from Mount Qingqiu bowed to offer his congratulations, his eyes sweeping toward the child beside him, secretly amazed in his heart. Such talent was even more terrifying than that of the Great Yu's former Emperor.

This branch of the Li Clan was filled with talent; it was likely that they would lead the Li Clan to glory once again!

"As expected of Number Ten!"

"Well done, Number Ten, you actually left us far behind!"

"Number Nine, you've been outdone by little Ten!"

The other "older brothers" gathered around excitedly, surrounding Li Hao. Some hooked their arms around Li Hao's shoulders, some around his neck, and others vigorously rubbed Li Hao's hair, all of them looking surprised and excited.

Number Nine, Li Junye, who was two years older than Li Hao, was now seven years old and had already displayed astonishing comprehension and talent in the martial arts arena.

But being a child after all, he was full of joy for Li Hao at this moment, saying, "Tenth Brother, in another year, you will be able to cultivate too!"

"We won't be caught up by Number Ten, will we?"

"It seems we have to work even harder."

The other "older brothers" all laughed.

Li Hao looked at these "uncles" surrounding him with a strange expression. Although he knew his current identity and had joined them, he was technically a generation above them.

But this kind of interaction still made him feel a bit awkward.

As his gaze swept over them, seeing those faces full of genuine smiles, Li Hao could feel the true brotherly affection between them, completely free of any gaps.

However, this was also thanks to the teachings of their elders, plus the fact that they were born of the same mother.

Facing the enthusiasm and excitement of their physical contact, Li Hao felt a bit unaccustomed and wanted to skip past it.

But since he was the center of attention, he worried that if he skipped it, there would be a difference compared to his "managed" state, and a direct comparison would reveal flaws, so he had to endure it for now.

"You little brat, you really have it in you!"

"How come you get smarter the younger you are? Could it be that Mother saved the best foundation for the ones who came later?"

"Your skin is itching, isn't it? Are you saying that Eldest Brother is the least smart?"

"Hey, hey, don't pinch me, it hurts, it hurts!"

The many "older brothers" surrounded Li Hao, playing and bickering, sometimes using Li Hao's body as a shield.

Li Hao was pulled this way and that, his head messed up into a bird's nest.

Seeing these happy and joyful fellows, he felt a slight sense of helplessness. His mature soul made it impossible for him to truly blend in, dancing and jumping about, but for some reason, this atmosphere made him feel comfortable and at ease.

That day, Li Tianzong announced the news and held a grand banquet.

The mansion was exceptionally lively.

Li Hao looked at the brightly lit Divine General Mansion, looked at the nine sons of the Li Clan laughing and chasing each other at the banquet, but his eyes were somewhat dazed.

Was this what the Li Clan used to look like? Compared to those cold, empty courtyards left only with women, it was far livelier now.

By the time they all took wives, it would surely be the liveliest time of all.

But for some reason, even though he was in the midst of this liveliness, Li Hao had a feeling of being alone outside of it.

Even though there was clamor all around, his heart was calmer and more composed than ever, even having the illusion that the night was growing cold.

Because he knew that such a harmonious scene no longer existed for the Li Clan outside the Mo River.

And he was no longer a member of the Li Clan, either.

"Number Ten, what are you thinking about?"

Eldest Brother Li Xingbei walked over with a wine cup. Having just toasted the nobles who came to congratulate them, he now circled around to Li Hao and smiled:

"Is the food not to your liking? Tell Eldest Brother, and I'll have someone change the table for you."

"Number Ten wouldn't be nervous because of the crowd, would he? Haha, no need to be nervous. Three thousand nobles and lords, when they see our Li Clan, they must all lower their heads!"

Second Brother Li Fengpin also walked over, laughing, though his voice was lowered.

After saying this, he threw his head back and laughed heroically.

"Just now, several Dukes wanted to propose a marriage for Number Ten!" Third Brother Li Jianming laughed. He was only about fifteen years old, looking like a high-spirited youth.

Li Hao remembered that the Third Uncle eventually died suppressing demons at the border, and his only daughter, seeking revenge for her father, went to the border to join the army early on and had not returned to the Li Mansion for many years.

"Indeed, many people came to propose for Number Nine back then, but Father rejected them all."

Li Xingbei smiled: "Now that Number Ten's talent is even higher, even if the Imperial Clan came to propose, Father would have to weigh it carefully."

They chatted around Li Hao. Li Hao sat at the banquet, listening silently. When he saw several figures walking over from afar, among them that figure that made him feel an eyesore, he turned his gaze away, then closed his eyes and accelerated to skip.

The sound of wine and laughter in his ears quickly disappeared, the scenery changed, and a wave of weakness struck him.

Li Hao was surprised, then saw himself lying on a bed.

He reached out to touch, but felt his arms soft and powerless.

Seeming to notice he had woken up, a figure dozing off beside him woke up in a start, immediately jumped up, and rushed to the bedside: "Number Ten, how do you feel? Are you better?"

Li Hao looked at the person's face. Based on the memories from the bone measurement earlier, he remembered that the person was the Li Clan's Sixth Brother, Li Ziye.

That is, Li Yuanzhao's father.

It was just that, at this moment, Li Ziye only looked to be in his early tens, appearing very young.

But the concern and tension in his eyes were genuine.

Perhaps because of Li Yuanzhao, Li Hao felt a sense of affection arise when he saw him, and asked suspiciously: "Sixth Brother?"

"You finally woke up. Earlier at the banquet, a demon disguised as a noble almost assassinated you."

Li Ziye seemed to heave a sigh of relief, then immediately raised his voice and shouted toward the outside of the room.

Demon attack... Li Hao felt a chill in his heart. He was only five years old, yet that demon couldn't wait to assassinate him, and could even sneak into the Divine General Mansion.

He didn't know if it was a flaw of this Mo River or if that demon really had special infiltration techniques.

"Fortunately, Fourth Uncle acted in time and beheaded that demon," Li Ziye said to Li Hao.

Hearing this, Li Hao felt a sense of relief in his heart. It seemed Fourth Uncle had been keeping an eye on him, which allowed him to act in time.

"Eldest Brother and the others were also injured and are all recovering," Li Ziye said.

Li Hao asked: "Except for me, is everyone else okay?"

"Everyone is fine, just minor injuries. That demon's main targets were you and Ninth Brother."

Li Ziye said: "Ninth Brother was standing further away, so his injury isn't deep."

"That's good." Li Hao felt relieved.

At this time, as the news of his awakening spread, many people rushed over.

"Little Ten, are you okay?" Chen Hefang rushed over, her face full of tension and concern.

Li Hao also saw other "older brothers," but there was no sign of Li Tianzong, so he asked: "Where is Father?"

"Father went outside the city to slay demons, to seek justice for you," Second Brother Li Fengpin said. His forehead was bandaged, and he seemed to be injured.

Li Hao was slightly silent.

He knew he had to hurry up and cultivate.

Li Hao's gaze swept over their faces one by one, then he closed his eyes and accelerated through this recovery period.

When he opened his eyes again, Li Hao appeared in a side room. Before him was a drawing board, and his body had already recovered; that feeling of weakness had disappeared.

The people who had gathered around him were gone. The empty contrast made him pause for a moment, but he quickly adjusted and picked up a brush to start painting.

While painting, Li Hao was also pondering that he should expand into other skills to increase his Art Skill Points as soon as possible.

When he was halfway through painting, the door was pushed open, and Li Hao saw Lin Qingying push the door and squeeze in.

Now Lin Qingying was already three years old and had also started Foundation Establishment.

Li Hao asked: "Did you finish your Foundation Establishment today?"

"Yes."

Lin Qingying nodded. Although she was only three, she was extremely well-behaved and sensible, also showing a clever and bright side, saying: "Tenth Brother, why do you paint every day?"

"Because I like it."

"Then Tenth Brother, do you like Qingying?"

"I like you too."

"Then you have to spend more time with Qingying," Lin Qingying walked over, tugging at the corner of Li Hao's clothes, saying with longing eyes.

Li Hao was speechless. This little one had even learned how to trap people with words.

"Fine, fine, Brother will accompany you," Li Hao said, becoming more and more adapted and proficient with his current identity.

"Hmph, Tenth Brother only does his own things and doesn't play with Qingying at all."

Lin Qingying pouted.

Li Hao immediately came up with a plan and told her to play hide-and-seek.

Hearing this, Lin Qingying's eyes lit up, she immediately agreed, and then ran out.

Li Hao sent her away and continued painting.

When he was tired of painting, he suddenly thought that going to the kitchen could accumulate experience in the Culinary Dao first; early-stage Art Skill Points were still quite easy to obtain.

By the way, finding some dry firewood in the kitchen would also allow him to master the Carving Dao.

Li Hao thought of this and went out, but saw Lin Qingying standing at the door with a pouting face. Li Hao asked in surprise: "Why are you here?"

"Tenth Brother, you didn't come to find me!"

Lin Qingying said angrily.

Li Hao was speechless, coughed lightly and said: "I already looked. I looked everywhere just now and couldn't find you, so I thought you were hiding here, and I came back."

"Tenth Brother is lying."

Lin Qingying said angrily: "I was hiding in the flower bed in the courtyard at the door just now."

"..."

Li Hao was speechless. This little clever ghost was really hard to fool.

"Let's go, Tenth Brother will take you to make something to eat," Li Hao immediately changed the subject and led her toward the kitchen.

Lin Qingying was only a three-year-old child after all, and her curiosity was quickly piqued by Li Hao, asking suspiciously: "Make what?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Li Hao smiled and brought Lin Qingying to the kitchen. The servants here hurriedly bowed when they saw Li Hao.

Li Hao, however, appeared very mature, letting them clear the stove, then took ingredients and let Lin Qingying participate as well, cooking together.

Children, especially little girls, seemed to have a natural love for playing house. Soon, she threw the matter Li Hao had fooled her with earlier to the back of her mind, her little hands kneading and washing the ingredients, her little face extremely serious, placing each washed item neatly in the tray.

"Young Master..."

Many servants in the kitchen rushed over, standing by the side as if facing a great enemy, fearing that Li Hao might have any mishap.

At the same time, they were also curiously observing this Young Master who was famous throughout the Divine General Mansion at close range. Usually, these kitchen servants were not qualified to see those shining direct-line young masters.

As the stove was lit, Li Hao began to cook with proper technique.

"Brother, can I pour it in now?"

"Later, pour it when I tell you to."

"Okay!"

"Brother, is this green onion added last?"

"Yes."

Lin Qingying stood by the side, becoming Li Hao's number one assistant.

Li Hao saw the increase in experience points and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. In this case, before he started cultivating at six, he should be able to accumulate four or five more Art Skill Points.

Not long after, the servants outside suddenly knelt down in panic:

"Master, please calm your anger."

Two figures walked over, dressed in luxurious clothing; they were Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang.

Seeing Li Hao standing on a stool, stir-frying at the stove, the couple was stunned for a moment. They had only rushed over after hearing the news from the servants.

At this moment, Li Tianzong had already finished slaying demons outside the city, taken off his armor, and changed into brocade clothes. It had already been half a month since Li Hao was injured at the banquet.

"Little Ten, what are you doing?"

Li Tianzong couldn't help but ask: "Who taught you this? Why did you come to this kind of place?"

Li Hao saw his furrowed brows and felt a slight tightness in his heart, thinking of an excuse: "I wanted to cook for you."

Lin Qingying nodded at the side and smiled, showing her teeth: "Father, Mother, we will be done soon. Do you want to eat?"

Li Tianzong and Chen Hefang were both speechless. Cooking was a servant's job; how could they demean themselves?

However, seeing the tension in the depths of Li Hao's eyes and Lin Qingying's bright little face, they looked at each other, and their expressions softened.

Before they could speak, Li Hao lifted the lid and said: "The dish is ready, sprinkle the salt."

Lin Qingying immediately stopped smiling, her little face tense, holding the salt jar and carefully scooping a few grains.

"Not enough."

Then she scooped half a spoonful.

"Not enough, a bit more."

A large spoonful of salt was immediately sprinkled in.

Li Hao was speechless, immediately using a spatula to pick some out, saying: "Enough, enough."

He thought to himself that next time, this kind of seasoning control should be done by himself.

Then, he laboriously scooped out all the food from the pot. Looking at the couple who seemed to have something to say, Li Hao smiled sheepishly: "Would you two like to try some?"

Li Tianzong glanced at him, then used his fingers to pinch up a cluster of the meat and vegetables to eat. Scalded, he let out two soft hisses, but nodded calmly: "Hmm, the taste is not bad."

"Use chopsticks."

Chen Hefang felt helpless; men were all too crude. She took the chopsticks handed over by a maid, lightly picked up some to eat, and her brows furrowed slightly.

But seeing the smile on Li Tianzong's face beside her, she had no choice but to say helplessly: "You two have worked hard too. It's rare to have such intentions. Go wash your hands and come back with us."

"Hmm, bring this plate of food too. The food my son made suits my palate well. Bring me a small pot of wine as well; I want to savor it slowly."

Li Tianzong instructed.

Li Hao was somewhat surprised. He didn't even have Level 1 in Culinary Arts right now; this bit of skill relied entirely on his experience from being single in his previous life.

He also picked up a piece of meat to eat and almost spat it out immediately. Sure enough, it was too salty! Seeing Li Hao's scrunched-up little face, Li Tianzong laughed heartily and said: "Use less salt next time. Don't waste this meat; it is very hard work for us common folk to grow crops, and we have to risk being attacked by demons. We work from sunrise and only rest at sunset, so one must treat food well."

Li Hao was slightly startled and nodded slightly: "I understand."

Before leaving, he found two wooden blocks to take with him.

"What are you taking those for?" Chen Hefang asked in surprise.

Li Hao said earnestly: "I want to carve a little figurine for you two."

"Hmm? Do you know how to carve?" Li Tianzong, walking in front, asked in surprise.

"I don't know how yet, but I can learn."

"You, don't put all your heart into this. You have already measured your bones; you should look more at martial arts techniques, as you are about to embark on cultivation," Chen Hefang advised helplessly.

Li Tianzong nodded slightly: "Your proper business is practicing martial arts. If you like these things, playing with them is fine, but don't take them too seriously, you know?"

"I know."

Seeing that their attitude was not very forceful and they weren't that repelled, Li Hao secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

After returning to the courtyard, Li Hao sought out Uncle Zhao for a small knife and began to carve.

As the Carving Dao was also recorded, Li Hao began his journey of accumulating experience once again.

And the figures he carved became increasingly lifelike and spirited.

Time flew by.

Every two days, Li Hao had to jump through time. After all, his five-year-old body had not cultivated; although the divine bones within him were like jade and his physique was much stronger than ordinary children, his spirit was still insufficient to support long periods without sleep.

And after two or three jumps, Li Hao reached the age of six.

In the process of his time jumps, the Carving Dao and Painting Dao he had previously mastered were also accumulating experience according to their original trajectories.

Now, Li Hao was at Painting Dao Level 5, Culinary Dao Level 2, and Carving Dao Level 3.

He had 5 points of Artistry in his hands again!

"Little Ten, this is your first time cultivating. Look at these weapons; which kind do you like?"

Li Tianzong brought Li Hao to the martial arts arena. Besides the many "older brothers" practicing martial arts, there were also other direct and collateral descendants of the Li Clan from other courtyards.

Li Hao saw a young face among them that looked somewhat similar to Li He.

In addition, there was another face that looked like Li Fu.

Li Fu did not live in the main courtyard of the Divine General's Mansion but was raised as Li Tianzong's collateral son, living in the collateral courtyard.

Li Hao did not waste time. His gaze landed on these weapons, and at a glance, he saw the weapon placed in the second position: a long sword.

Li Hao stepped forward, picked up the sword, and swung it a few times, feeling quite practiced.

After all, he was at Sword Dao Level 1.

"You like the sword? Then give it a try."

Li Tianzong smiled lightly and signaled the instructor teaching in the martial arts arena to teach Li Hao basic sword techniques.

The other party stepped forward, his attitude polite, picked up a sword, and demonstrated it once, then said: "Young Master, have you remembered everything I just demonstrated? Let's see how much you can imitate, let me see your aptitude for Sword Dao."

Li Hao immediately raised his hand, and the sword light danced out.

(End of chapter)