Chapter 29: All Li Family Members Are Cheats

The building housed a vast array of martial arts, organized by category, but perhaps because the Yin Meridian was too obscure, Li Hao spent hours searching and found no mention of it in any technique.

Instead, two additional mid- and low-grade body cultivation techniques were added, giving his body another slight boost.

That evening, Li Muxiu returned from his sky-walking, looking weary.

Seeing Li Hao holding the *Dragon River Divine Meridian* technique, Li Muxiu shook his head and smiled. “So you’re already thinking about opening meridians? Have you even reached the Zhou Tian Realm? Don’t reach too far.”

“I just entered it.” Li Hao said.

“?”

Li Muxiu froze, then asked, “You’ve mastered the Hundred Serpents Body?”

“Mm.”

Li Hao nodded. Wasn’t reaching Great Completion the same as entering the stage? “Come on, show me.”

Li Muxiu didn’t waste words—he simply told Li Hao to demonstrate. The truth would be clear at a glance.

Li Hao didn’t hold back; he performed the technique openly and confidently.

Though he’d only known the old man for a short time, Li Hao felt his sincerity. If the old man truly meant to harm him, there was nothing Li Hao could do to stop him.

Besides, wasn’t Great Completion of the Hundred Serpents Body just a minor achievement?

As his fists moved, qi surged—within moments, an aura like a dragon bursting from the sea radiated from Li Hao.

Li Muxiu’s gaze sharpened, then his expression froze.

「」

Li Muxiu stared at Li Hao in disbelief. Merely entering the Hundred Serpents Body wasn’t remarkable—just a talented youth. The Li family had no shortage of talents; toss a stone and you’d hit either a servant or a genius.

But this was Great Completion of the Hundred Serpents Body! Entered today, reached Great Completion today?!

Damn, this body cultivation talent rivals even Xiao Jiu’s! Li Muxiu studied Li Hao closely—could this child truly have such exceptional body cultivation talent? Too bad it was only body cultivation! The thought made him sigh inwardly.

Though he didn’t chase fame or fortune, cultivation was always a good thing for anyone.

After finishing his performance, Li Hao saw the old man lost in thought and, with innocent eyes, asked, “Grandpa, I saw the words ‘Yin Meridian’ in another Primordial technique—what kind of meridian is that?”

“You looked at that secret manual? You didn’t cultivate it, did you?”

Li Muxiu snapped back to himself, frowning seriously.

He stared at Li Hao’s young face, saw the child’s innocent expression, and realized he’d overthought it. This boy, so young, if he’d tried to split his focus on cultivation, how could he have reached Great Completion of the Hundred Serpents Body today? Before Li Hao could answer, he continued gravely: “You have exceptional body cultivation talent—that’s good—but don’t waste it! How many geniuses have been destroyed by youthful arrogance, thinking themselves clever, dabbling in everything, becoming jack-of-all-trades, only to be slapped dead by a peer who mastered just one technique?”

“They only need to master one move—one move strong enough to kill. That’s enough to dominate!”

Li Muxiu said, “Look at the Sword Saint, the Knife Saint, the Spear God, the Arrow King—all renowned figures. Do they not understand comprehensive cultivation? But they all specialize in their own field, refining it endlessly! Human life is limited; most never reach the end of one path, let alone two—that’s self-sabotage!”

He turned to Li Hao:

Our clans have one advantage: deep roots and relatively peaceful growth. But those martial artists from thejianghu, with no family background, face hardship from childhood—forced to learn whatever helps them survive.

“But we can choose!”

“They dabble in poison, medicine, fists, swords—so what? Against peers, they gain an edge. But how much time does that take? If you spend ten years learning ten things, someone else spends ten years mastering one. When their realm is one or two levels higher, they’ll crush you effortlessly!”

“So only when you hit a dead end, when your path offers no hope, should you consider branching out. Until then, it’s pointless.”

He spoke with deep sincerity; Li Hao understood his meaning.

Comprehensive cultivation was powerful—but time didn’t allow it.

But that was for ordinary cultivators.

He had a panel cheat.

Yet, without sufficient Art Skill Points, Li Hao could only focus on swordcraft and his body—right now, he prioritized his body and realm above all else.

After sternly warning Li Hao, Li Muxiu sighed and returned to his casual demeanor. “The Yin Meridian you mentioned—it’s from the Primordial Body Cultivation technique. That’s why this incomplete manual is stored on the sixth floor. To open the Yin Meridian, you must progress step by step to the third level. It takes too long. Even those with high insight may take five to eight years; those with low insight might never manage it in twenty or thirty!”

“So though the Yin Meridian is precious, you must abandon it.”

“Oh?”

Li Hao adopted an expression of eager attention, sitting cross-legged with his knees hugged.

“The Yin Meridian is also called the Taiyin Meridian. Besides the normal meridians, legends say the human body contains one hundred and eight meridians!”

Li Muxiu said, “Our Li family’s strongest technique, the Dragon River Divine Meridian, opens fifty-four meridians. The imperial family’s Donghuang Scripture opens sixty-two—the strongest known. But to reach one hundred and eight? Still far off. Whether such a number truly exists remains legend.”

“Yet beyond these one hundred and eight, there are two great meridians: the Taiyin Meridian and the Taiyang Meridian!”

“Opening either grants special power to your cultivation technique—making attacks fiercer, more ruthless—and allows far more qi to circulate through the Heavenly Cycle!”

He glanced at Li Hao. “If you can achieve a hundred cycles in a single meridian, the Taiyin Meridian lets you reach a thousand—tenfold difference! You can stack and accumulate qi within it!”

“A thousand cycles isn’t just quantity—it’s a qualitative leap in explosive power, evident in battle. Those who open these two special meridians are geniuses among geniuses, the rarest of the rare—once in a hundred years!”

Li Hao understood. He hadn’t known there was also a Taiyang Meridian.

These two special meridians equaled an extra twenty meridians.

Remember, the imperial family’s strongest technique opened only sixty-four. If he could open both special meridians, it would be a one-third increase!

Even with the family’s Dragon River Divine Meridian, he could unleash power surpassing the imperial family’s!

“Opening these two special meridians is extremely difficult—it requires opportunity, talent, insight. External forces cannot help.” Li Muxiu glanced at Li Hao. “Among our Li family’s second generation, only three opened one special meridian. Only your Uncle Nine holds both. His talent is peerless.”

He sighed.

Li Hao was stunned.

He’d thought it was incredibly rare—but among the nine sons of the second generation, three had one? And Uncle Nine had both? “Xiao Jiu was born with the Taiyang Meridian. He later cultivated and awakened the Taiyin Meridian himself. Even I, back then, had only one special meridian—just like your father.”

Li Muxiu shook his head.

Li Hao had no reply. Uncle Nine was the real cheat.

“Enough. Focus on your cultivation.”

Li Muxiu told Li Hao, “Your talent is outstanding, but your meridians are naturally blocked—harder than other body cultivators. If you’re unlucky, Zhou Tian might be your limit. Don’t scatter your focus. Master the Thousand Serpents Sacred Body. Reach the fourth level, and you may break through to the Ji Hun Realm.”

“Then you’ll be a true cultivator—no longer easy prey.”

Li Hao nodded.

Seeing Li Hao so obedient, Li Muxiu felt satisfied. “Go study the Dragon River Divine Meridian on your own. If you don’t understand, ask me. Your father and his brothers all learned alone. Sure, they had instructors—but your grandfather had a terrible temper, never taught them himself. He hired military trainers. Often, before the trainers even finished explaining, your father and his brothers had already mastered it. Xiao Jiu could even infer the rest from a hint… hah…”

As if recalling those days, the old man’s face softened with a smile.

Li Hao felt helpless.

The Li family had too many prodigies—even his own cheat status felt ordinary.

Of course, he hadn’t fully hunted for Art Skill Points yet. He could go further.

But life isn’t just cultivation. If you only cultivate, what’s the point of being reborn?…

…

In the days that followed, Li Hao spent each morning fishing with the old man, then spent afternoons in the tower, poring over qi cultivation techniques and meridian-opening manuals.

Half a month passed; all three top-tier manuals were successfully recorded on his panel.

Li Hao thought his insight must be decent—he’d mastered the basics of one manual every five days, not bringing shame to the Li family.

He’d heard ordinary Li family scions took half a month just to grasp the basics of supreme manuals.

But with two lives’ experience, Li Hao felt no pride—just normal performance.

Yet these three manuals weren’t body cultivation techniques, so his three-stage body cultivation insight remained unchanged after recording them.

Instead, a new Great Dao attribute appeared on his panel.

【Dao of Control: Not Yet Entered】

Li Hao guessed these manuals belonged to standard cultivators’ techniques—the “Dao of Control” likely corresponded to the standard cultivation path.

The name was slightly odd.

But Li Hao didn’t overthink it—adding points was what mattered.

He once again felt the scarcity of Art Skill Points.

“Besides fishing and chess, I should try painting… and cooking…”

These were art forms recorded in the game—surely they’d all increase Art Skill Points.

(End of Chapter)