Chapter 26: Top-Tier Body Cultivation

A letter from Sword Cottage? Li Hao’s heart stirred slightly, and he couldn’t help but picture that little girl who always cried.

It’s been months since I left Sword Cottage—how is she doing? Has she gotten used to sleeping there?

He unfolded the letter and read it carefully.

The delicate, awkward script was clearly written by the girl herself—she wrote of her safety and her longing.

Perhaps because writing a letter was such a rare opportunity, the paper was filled to the brim with details of her daily life at Sword Cottage: her master, her fellow disciples, her cultivation, learning the sword scrolls—every small thing, written word by word.

Though she described only daily routines, what she conveyed was nothing but longing.

At the end of the letter, the girl seemed to realize she was running out of space, and wrote that she would cultivate diligently and strive to descend the mountain soon, begging Li Hao to wait for her return.

Li Hao read it silently, then gently refolded the paper, slipped it back into the envelope, and tucked it into the brocade lining of his chest.

Beside him, Li Muxiu asked Li Fu about Sword Cottage—clearly, this old man, who either fished aimlessly or stayed in the Listening Rain Tower, knew nothing of affairs among third-generation youths; had Li Hao’s reputation as a martial waste not caused such a stir throughout the household, he wouldn’t have heard a thing.

Upon learning the full story, Li Hao saw the old man’s first reaction was clearly one of relief.

His expression seemed to say: Oh, so it’s not that Hao’er has a talent for sword Dao—almost thought the Sword Saint was going to take him as a disciple.

Though he didn’t care about Li Hao’s cultivation, if Li Hao truly had extraordinary talent, he wouldn’t have stopped him.

Then Li Muxiu let out a cold snort, his expression displeased:

“That old man Jian Wu, relying on his seniority, bullies Jian Lan into silence, hmph! A ninth-rank battle body and a sword prodigy—any prestigious sect would fight over him! He takes the advantage and still acts smug, trading a worthless body-cultivation manual as payment? One day, I’m going to Sword Cottage to settle this!”

Li Fu broke into cold sweat, inwardly sighing, too afraid to respond.

Who, after being accepted into the Sword Saint’s sect, would dare haggle? “Second Uncle, how was your catch today? Great haul, right?”

Li Fu changed the subject, knowing the old man loved praise for his fishing skills; this stern, upright warrior of the military, now wore a sycophantic grin—awkward and stiff.

Trying to flatter without skill is the most fatal mistake.

Li Muxiu glanced at him coolly and said to Li Hao: “Hao’er, see this? This is why our fishing tradition matters—you must make sure everyone sees your catch, or else they’ll think you came back empty-handed.”

You just walk home—who’d know you went fishing? Even if they did, who’d care… Li Hao thought to himself.

“Let’s go.”

Li Muxiu ignored Li Fu and led Li Hao into the Listening Rain Tower.

Li Fu opened his mouth but held back, standing frozen in place; then, just before entering the tower, Li Muxiu suddenly stopped—but didn’t turn around—and said: “Xiao Fu, don’t worry about Hao’er’s cultivation anymore—he truly has a body-cultivation talent. I’ll teach him when I fish.”

With that, he walked straight into the light within the doorway.

Li Fu froze, then felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his chest.

He bowed deeply and thanked him, unable to suppress his joy and excitement for Li Hao.

If Second Uncle personally guided him, it would far surpass any teaching he’d received—after all, this Second Uncle was no less formidable than the Sword Saint…

…

…

Though Li Muxiu appeared frivolous, his words were always binding—a trait shaped by his general family’s ancestral code.

Inside the tower, Li Muxiu gathered some firewood, built a small stove on the terrace, and while dissecting the demon-fish he’d caught that day, casually said to Li Hao: “Any questions about your cultivation? Ask freely—I’ll answer them.”

Li Hao shook his head slightly: “Not yet.”

“Not yet?”

Li Muxiu grumbled: “You mean you haven’t hit a bottleneck yet? Hmph, this body-cultivation manual is extremely powerful—you’re lucky just to understand it. Fine, show me your practice.”

Li Hao thought it unnecessary, but seeing the old man’s genuine intent, he didn’t waste his goodwill and obediently assumed his stance and performed the routine.

Li Muxiu had intended to correct him, but found no flaws at all—he stared again at the boy.

To reach this level through self-study? Remarkable talent! “Good. Your cultivation should already be at the tenth level of Tongli Realm, right?” Li Muxiu said. Though he hadn’t carefully sensed Li Hao, reaching the second layer of the Serpent Body meant his cultivation had surely reached the peak of the first stage.

And compared to ordinary Tongli Realm cultivators, body-cultivation grants greater physical strength—slightly stronger than peers at the same level, though this advantage only holds in the early stages.

As for later stages…

Body-cultivation has no later stages.

As everyone says, it’s a hard path. Normal cultivation is already extremely grueling—yet they call body-cultivation a “hard path,” so how brutal must it be?

Few can endure to the end. Even those with immense willpower often die before breakthroughs, their lifespans exhausted by the agonizingly slow progress, ending in despair.

“Mm.”

Li Hao nodded in confirmation.

“Under eight years old, and already at the peak of Tongli Realm? Your progress rivals even the top prodigies.”

Li Muxiu said: “Next is the Zhou Tian Realm—when your strength is fully condensed into Qi, and the Qi circulates through the Zhou Tian. You have two ways to break through: the first is to enter the Hundred Serpents Body, forcing your body to rupture the barrier. The Hundred Serpents Body also contains Qi-circulation techniques; when perfected, it can carry you to the supreme level of a hundred Zhou Tian per meridian.”

“Precisely because of this, this body-cultivation art was placed on the sixth floor.”

Seeing Li Hao sit cross-legged, listening intently, Li Muxiu explained more carefully: “Zhou Tian Realm has ten levels, but the gaps between them are enormous. In Tongli Realm, powerful techniques and awakened divine blood create differences; in Zhou Tian Realm, it’s the supreme Qi-circulation methods that separate prodigies from the ordinary.”

“Ordinary warriors without background mostly train inferior methods—about ten Zhou Tian per meridian.”

“Middle to upper-tier methods can reach thirty-six Zhou Tian per meridian!”

“And superior methods reach seventy-two Zhou Tian per meridian.”

He looked at Li Hao: “As for supreme methods? A hundred Zhou Tian per meridian. That’s the essence within the Thousand Serpents Sacred Body—aside from body-cultivation, it’s also a top-tier Qi-circulation technique.”

“I see,” Li Hao nodded slightly.

He’d read some books on Zhou Tian Realm and understood: if one Zhou Tian equals one-fold strength, ten Zhou Tian equals ten-fold, a hundred equals a hundred-fold—that’s the gap.

Especially as Zhou Tian Realm advances, each new meridian opened multiplies the difference—by the tenth level, the gap between ordinary Qi-circulation methods and supreme ones is like heaven and earth.

Powerful sects, prestigious families, prodigies—all these factors combined mean top Zhou Tian cultivators, even if not at a hundred Zhou Tian, are at least at seventy-two, easily crushing ordinary Zhou Tian cultivators—those lone martial wanderers without backing.

“A supreme Qi-circulation method, in any prestigious sect, ranks near the sect’s core treasure—usually taught only to direct disciples or final pupils.”

“And in the Listening Rain Tower, there are three such supreme methods—the Hundred Serpents section of the Thousand Serpents Sacred Body is one of them.”

Li Muxiu said: “Yet even so, in our Divine General’s Mansion, we pass them only to the legitimate heir, to prevent chaos and rebellion.”

“The gap in cultivation is ultimately for mortal combat. Some don’t seek the strongest—they seek to surpass others. So when they can’t surpass, they eliminate others—that’s another way to surpass, even easier than grinding alone.”

“That’s why top sects and prestigious families seal their ultimate arts—once leaked, the one who gains them will be murdered.”

Li Hao asked: “Isn’t cultivation for slaying demons?”

Li Muxiu paused, glanced at him, and sneered: “Slaying demons is for a few warriors—like our Li family and other Divine General’s Mansions. Most people live in peace, where demons dare not tread—how many chances do they have to slay demons? And even if they do, how many dare?”

“Have you ever seen a common hunter risk his life to hunt tigers or bears without reward?”

“Our Great Yu is an age of prosperity. In prosperity, the world seeks fame—slaying demons is for fame, duels are for fame, founding sects is for fame!”

“For glory, power, and profit, countless people rush forward, dying without regret!”

“Who doesn’t want to be remembered for ten thousand years—enshrined in the Martial Temple, cast in golden form, worshipped with incense for a thousand years?”

His voice grew agitated—but not with longing. It carried a suppressed fury.

“I don’t.”

Li Hao shook his head slightly: “If I could choose, I want to live forever.”

(End of Chapter)