Chapter 3: The Abandoned Divine Blood

When consciousness stirred, a massive surge of information flooded into his mind.

Li Hao clutched his head, feeling his skull swell as if about to burst.

His face twisted in pain.

“Hao’er, what’s wrong?”

Liu Yuerong noticed Li Hao’s distress, startled, and rushed to ask with concern.

Li Hao clenched his teeth.

The chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually settled, and only then did he realize his mind now held vast knowledge of swords.

As if he had trained swordplay day and night for two or three years.

Damn it, this headache feels just like when I advanced in chess…

Li Hao rubbed his head, breathing heavily; he was still too young, his brain undeveloped—this flood of chess and sword knowledge was a terrifying shock to his fragile mind.

He said nothing, focusing on calming himself.

“Did he catch a chill from the snow?” Liu Yuerong touched Li Hao’s forehead, found no fever, and frowned in confusion.

At that moment, Li Hao had fully recovered. He looked at his second mother’s puzzled gaze, pointed to his mouth, and mumbled in a babyish voice: “Bit my tongue.”

Liu Yuerong froze, then sighed in relief, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

Li Hao had fooled her. He ignored her and secretly checked his panel.

【Name: Li Hao】

【Age: 1】

【Cultivation Base: Commoner】

【Sword Dao: First Stage】

【Skill: Sea Without Bounds: Tides (Perfect) [Forbidden]】

【Mastered Art: Chess Dao】

【Chess Dao: First Stage (82/500)】

【Chess Manual Collection: 0】

【Art Points: 0】

Li Hao was stunned—the Art Points were gone, but his Sword Dao had truly advanced from “Uninitiated” to “First Stage”! And below, the skill Sea Without Bounds: Tides had also jumped from “Uninitiated” to “Perfect”! Li Hao had heard the military instructor who taught Li Qianfeng say:

Any technique has three levels: Uninitiated, Nimble, Perfect! Uninitiated means you can perform the entire set fluently.

Nimble means, beyond fluency, you can apply it flexibly, fully understand it, and wield it effortlessly.

You can respond to any situation with adaptive counters, never rigidly repeating forms! As for Perfect:

The technique is fully internalized, as natural as moving your arm. Even reversing it is effortless, with no flaws exposed—unless the technique itself is flawed!

It was said that above Perfect lay an even higher realm.

That realm could even repair a technique’s flaws, elevating its power further!

Now, after his Sword Dao advanced to First Stage, Li Hao had instantly reached Perfect in the first layer of Sea Without Bounds—something that normally took over a decade of grueling practice! Li Qianfeng, reportedly, had only trained Sea Without Bounds for half a year and had just reached Uninitiated in its first layer—already hailed as a sword prodigy.

So what was he? A monster?

Seeing his second mother wasn’t watching, Li Hao’s gaze returned to the courtyard.

At this moment:

The children in the yard still practiced swordplay, but to Li Hao’s eyes, their movements no longer impressed him—he instantly saw their clumsy hands and stiff postures!

Any skilled swordsman could simply strike once and knock the wooden sword from their hands! “Excellent,” the burly middle-aged man said, deeply satisfied with Li Qianfeng’s performance.

Exceptional physique, extraordinary comprehension. In two more years, he’ll reach Nimble in the first layer.

Remember, Li Qianfeng is still a child, his mind undeveloped—this is already extraordinary.

Time passed.

Li Hao watched while eating snacks fed to him by his second mother, gradually growing drowsy and bored.

He yawned, curled against her lap, and slowly closed his eyes.

Something seemed to flash before his vision, but Li Hao was already asleep.

Hearing the soft breathing from his lap, Liu Yuerong looked down, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes.

But when she raised her head to watch her son practicing swordplay in the snow, the complexity vanished, replaced by calmness.

She rose, carried Li Hao out of the pavilion, returned to her private quarters, gently laid him on her bed, and tucked him in.

Her movements were tender, as if she were his biological mother.

Li Hao, half-asleep, felt himself laid down and stirred slightly awake.

He felt warmth radiating from his chest, a faint heat—there, he wore the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant granted by Emperor Yu, always kept close to his skin; this was why he could stand in the snow without feeling cold.

Just as Li Hao was about to roll over and fall back asleep, he suddenly heard a low voice outside the room.

“You really gave this child that substance?” A stranger’s voice.

“It’s done. I had no other choice.”

It was Liu Yuerong’s voice—but no longer soft or affectionate, only cold, like speaking to a servant.

“You saw how hard my son works—he’s a once-in-a-century talent! The Wuliang Mountain people have already come to inspect him. When Qianfeng turns six, they’ll take him to Wuliang Mountain to cultivate. When his Divine Blood awakens and inherits his father’s legacy, he will shake the world!”

“I must pave his path!”

Li Hao cracked open one eyelid, his drowsy mind puzzled.

Who is my second mother talking to? “We still don’t know this child’s talent. This move is too reckless,” the low voice sighed. Outside, silence.

Then Liu Yuerong’s voice returned—colder still, laced with mockery: “A parent who loves their child plans for their future!”

“I never wanted this—but Li family’s heads are made of wood, utterly foolish!”

“This child? Blame his father. Who else but that Xing Wu Hou could be so monstrous? Others don’t know, but I know—he entered that realm at twenty-three!”

“Meaning his child has a high chance of awakening Divine Blood!”

“What?!”

The low voice gasped: “Twenty-three? Entered the ‘Three Imperishables’?!”

“Correct. The Li ancestors were divine generals under Great Yu—powerful bloodline. His father carried that legacy too.”

“In the previous generation, besides Qianfeng’s father, that Xing Wu Hou was monstrous, and so were the third, sixth, and ninth sons! Especially Jiulang—he was even more terrifying. Thank heaven he died young, leaving no heirs…”

“The third son’s wife watches over him, and being a woman, she’ll eventually marry out—no real threat. The sixth son also entered the Three Imperishables early, but after marriage…”

Liu Yuerong coldly said: “The only one who can compete with Qianfeng is this child. Otherwise, why would Emperor Yu bless him? Even if his martial talent is mediocre, awakened Divine Blood lets him rival top prodigies!”

Silence outside the room.

The low voice sighed: “Madam has made her decision. I won’t speak further.”

“Don’t worry. This medicine I obtained from Wuliang Mountain—leaves no trace, no investigation possible, no pain. I even coated it in sugar—tastes fine. He’s young, won’t remember anything. Children eat too many candies anyway.”

“Besides, if he never awakens Divine Blood, we can’t be blamed—anyone in this Divine General’s mansion could be responsible!”

“Moreover, blood of that realm isn’t guaranteed to awaken—maybe his child simply can’t?”

Liu Yuerong sneered: “Thank heaven for the Yanbei war—Ji Qingqing and Xing Wu Hou were deeply devoted, followed him to the battlefield—giving us this chance. Otherwise, if this child grew older and they returned, they’d have elite guards watching him—hard to act.”

The man said nothing, only sighed softly.

Soon, their footsteps faded into distance.

Inside the room, Li Hao was now fully awake, mind reeling, disbelief choking him.

My second mother wants to kill me?

All those tender cares, constant attention—were they fake?

Li Hao refused to believe it—but the truth lay before him.

Though he didn’t understand what Divine Blood was, his second mother saw him as an obstacle to her son’s path—and chose to destroy him!

Li Hao’s face darkened, his small fists clenching.

His daily warmth and smiles had lulled him into comfort. Was she like this? What about the others? Who was truly kind? He’d only been here a year and a half, but these ladies had taken turns caring for him—he’d grown attached.

Now, all of it felt like smoke.

Is this how noble families fight among themselves? His small hand brushed his body—except for the faint warmth in his chest, he felt nothing else; that heat came from the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant.

His mother said he carried his father’s power—but now… it was gone.

Li Hao clenched his tiny fist inwardly—this debt, he would repay, someday.

…

…

Spring passed, autumn came.

In a flash, Li Hao was three.

Now, he mostly stayed in Shanhe Courtyard, eating food sent by the ladies of other courtyards—but he was far more cautious, sometimes pretending he disliked it, throwing childish tantrums.

Gradually, the retainers understood: the young master was extremely picky about food.

Three.

In the Divine General’s mansion, this was a critical age.

In ordinary families, children began martial cultivation at seven or eight, even ten or more.

Some had already solidified their bones—no matter how gifted, their potential was ruined by delayed training.

But the Divine General’s mansion was a martial clan with the strictest cultivation methods; all children were trained from infancy.

At three: Foundation Establishment.

At four: Blood Melting.

At five: Bone Measurement!

By the age of six, one would officially begin cultivation, with not a single moment wasted.

On the path of cultivation, countless individuals compete to cross; a single step ahead means leading every step thereafter! Whether one possesses cultivation potential can be determined by bone measurement at age five.

If the bones are well-developed and the marrow abundant and dense, one may begin cultivation after the bone measurement at age five.

Yet the Divine General’s Mansion, with its profound heritage, adheres to the principle that haste leads to failure, and thus mandates that formal cultivation begin only at age six, allowing the body another year to grow and solidify, ensuring smoother cultivation thereafter.

Even those with extraordinary talent like Li Ganfeng, though eligible to begin cultivation immediately after bone measurement, still did not ascend to Wu Liang Mountain until age six.

Daily sword practice in the courtyard merely involved training basic sword techniques and cultivating martial sense—it did not yet count as true cultivation.

Those with average or delayed bone development, even at age six, could not begin cultivation and needed several more years of growth—possibly seven, eight, or nine.

However, within the Divine General’s Mansion, countless rare medicines and precious treasures nourish and enhance martial potential; over the years, the worst case among them was beginning cultivation at age eight.

It was said that this individual was a premature infant who had suffered injury while in the womb, causing such a condition.

(End of Chapter)