Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 462

Volume 3 - Chapter 138: Postnatal Dao Embryo, Challenge from a Loose Cultivator - Part 2

“Respected Sword Lord, Qingying’s Dao Embryo has been destroyed. I wonder if you could help rebuild it?” Li Hao asked, his eyes filled with hope.

The Sword Lord shook his head slightly and said, “The Dao Embryo is an innate creation. Even for people like us, it cannot be rebuilt. Unless you can find a Dao Heaven Vine to nourish and transform the Dao, but that item is extremely rare. It is only found under the tutelage of a Supreme Saint, and they generally do not share it with outsiders—not even the face of a Saint would suffice.”

Li Hao was momentarily stunned, while Lin Qingying’s face turned pale.

“Senior, may I ask who this Supreme Saint is?” Li Hao couldn’t help but ask again.

The Sword Lord, hearing Li Hao’s persistence, sighed helplessly and replied:
“He is the Literary Sage, one of the earliest Saints of the Land of Saints. His teachings have enlightened countless disciples, among whom three have also become Saints. Now, however, he is engrossed in other matters and is difficult to meet.”

Three disciples who became Saints?

Li Hao’s eyes widened in amazement. Was this the power of a Supreme Saint?

Lin Qingying tugged on his sleeve and shook her head gently. “Don’t bother. Without a Dao Embryo, I can still cultivate.”

Li Hao glanced at her, understanding that seeking the Literary Sage, someone he had never met, for a Dao Heaven Vine was an almost impossible task. After all, even the face of a Saint wouldn’t work, let alone his own.

“The matter of the Dao Embryo may be unsalvageable, but I do have a Condensing Dao Technique. Once mastered, it can allow you to condense additional Dao Force within your body. While it can’t compare to a Dao Embryo, it is still far superior to the average person,” the Sword Saint said to Lin Qingying.

Lin Qingying’s eyes dimmed. She had heard of this technique before, but it was indeed incomparable to a Dao Embryo.

However, without a Dao Embryo now, she had no choice but to settle for the next best option.

Li Hao’s gaze flickered as he glanced at Lin Qingying’s abdomen, which was currently empty. With his current understanding of Sword Dao, rebuilding the Dao Embryo would naturally be ideal. However, in its absence, leaving it empty might even be advantageous.

Nevertheless, he decided to discuss this further with Lin Qingying later.

The Sword Lord addressed Li Hao: “The reason I summoned you is that they want to hear your thoughts.”

The Sword Saint’s gaze shifted to Li Hao, studying him intently. “Given your age and talent, you intend to participate in this round of the Supreme Heavenly Genius Battle, don’t you?”

Li Hao had heard Lin Shanhai mention this event earlier. It was a competition involving countless heavenly geniuses from across the Thirty-Three Realms. The Sword Ancestor Holy Land’s selection was merely to determine its representatives, while the ultimate goal was to secure first place among the heavenly geniuses of the Thirty-Three Realms and obtain enough incense to ascend as a Saint!

Such a monumental reward naturally attracted innumerable participants vying for supremacy.

Li Hao, having the Great Yu incense offering, could ascend as a Saint through incense, but it would take 300 years in the Land of Saints or around 3,000 years in the mortal world to accumulate enough incense.

Although Li Hao could explore alternative paths, such as sacrificial sainthood, the presence of Great Yu’s incense offerings made him consider attempting all three paths.

Currently, he had reached the pinnacle of the Tongli Realm. The divine power within him had transformed into pure Divine Blood. Not only could he ascend as a Saint through sacrifice, but he could also pursue the path of Ultimate Dao Sainthood mentioned by Ying Xiaoxiao!

Combining all three paths might represent true perfection.

Among these, the incense sainthood path, which was the easiest for others, posed the greatest challenge for Li Hao due to the sheer amount of incense required.

On the other hand, Ultimate Dao Sainthood was relatively straightforward: all it required was sufficient calamities to convert grievances and slaughter into power.

“I will participate,” Li Hao replied to the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint nodded slightly. “If you were not under the tutelage of a Supreme Saint, I would have considered taking you as my disciple and letting you represent the Sword Ancestor Holy Land. However, since you already have a sect, you cannot compete under our holy land’s name. If you do not wish to return to your original sect, you have only one other option.”

“A loose cultivator?” Li Hao asked.

The Sword Saint nodded. “That’s correct. For the Supreme Heavenly Genius Battle, each of the Thirty-Three Realms is allotted only ten slots. In the Canglan Realm, we only have ten participants in total!”

“Besides the three major holy lands, the remaining spots are fought over by the myriad dynasties and the elite factions within them. While some participants may not have joined a holy land, their monstrous talents earn them the opportunity to compete. However, the process to advance is no less difficult than the holy land selection.”

Li Hao nodded slightly, recalling what Lin Shanhai had mentioned earlier.

The three major holy lands each selected ten representatives, with the dynasties and elite factions providing another ten. These forty competitors would then engage in a chaotic battle to determine the final ten representatives for the Canglan Realm.

“The selection battles for the Thirty-Three Realms are imminent and will occur in three months. Our Sword Ancestor Holy Land has already chosen its ten representatives. Next, they will compete against the Literary Ancestor Holy Land and the Buddhist Holy Land. If you wish to participate, you must head to a nearby dynasty and secure a top-ten position to earn a qualification slot,” the Sword Saint explained.

The three major holy lands of the Canglan Realm were the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, the Literary Ancestor Holy Land, and the Buddhist Holy Land, with the Buddhist Holy Land being the most powerful.

Li Hao nodded; he had already planned to follow this route.

Previously, when several factions sought to befriend him due to his identity as the Qingfeng Dan Master, some had extended olive branches. Using their influence, he could participate and secure a top-ten position.

However, the ultimate battle of the Supreme Heavenly Genius Battle would take place under the watchful eyes of Supreme Saints and attract numerous Saints. At that point, even the Void Saint would likely notice him.

When that time came, Li Hao would have to ascend as a Saint through sacrifice in advance.

This way, even if his identity were exposed during the final battle, he would have nothing to fear. Moreover, securing first place in the battle and obtaining incense would be the most ideal outcome.

Thus, the days ahead promised to be extremely tight for him.

If he reached the final battle without ascending as a Saint, he would have no choice but to withdraw. Otherwise, if the Void Saint noticed him again, the next attack would be even more ruthless.

Previously, it was merely an avatar; next time, it might be the Void Saint’s true self personally striking to kill him.

Thinking of all this, a surge of killing intent rose in Li Hao’s heart, but he suppressed it, keeping it hidden deep within.

“Although your talent is extraordinary, and your Sword Dao has reached a profound level, do not underestimate this Heavenly Genius Battle. It is far fiercer than you imagine. Our Sword Ancestor Holy Land views this as a training opportunity. In previous battles, the top ten have almost always been reincarnated Saints, some having reincarnated five or six times, wielding unimaginable methods,” the Sword Saint warned solemnly.

Li Hao’s eyes flickered as he caught the implied meaning. Was Haoyue merely participating to gain experience in this battle?

Considering Haoyue’s strength, Li Hao nodded slightly. If Haoyue had the potential to advance to the top ten, achieving first place himself should be relatively easy.

The Sword Saint concluded his remarks and fell silent. Following the established rules, the battle for second and third places was to begin. However, Lin Qingying, with her Dao Embryo destroyed, chose to forfeit directly, bringing this Sword Deity Battle to an end.

The Sword Saint stepped forward to bestow a kingdom’s worth of incense to his disciple as the reward for taking first place in the Sword Deity Battle.

However, even a kingdom’s worth of incense was insufficient to ascend as a Saint. It could only condense a single thread of incense within the body.

Even so, it was a significant reward, saving the winner more than a hundred years of accumulation.

Besides this, additional treasures, divine pills, and other rewards were also given.

Lin Qingying also received prizes for her third-place finish, though they were considerably less valuable.

After the ceremony, the Sword Saint departed. The Sword Lord, however, stayed behind to chat with Li Hao.

“You’re quite bold, boy. This is my Sword Ancestor Holy Land, yet you defeated Haoyue so decisively in front of everyone. That’s practically slapping us in the face,” the Sword Lord teased Li Hao through sound transmission, laughing and scolding him.

Surprised by his relaxed demeanor, Li Hao asked, “Senior, are you not angry?”

“Defeat is defeat. If he lacked the skill, what’s there to be angry about? Haoyue destroyed that girl’s Dao Embryo, using her to sever his own distractions. Being beaten by you is just karma,” the Sword Lord replied.

Li Hao smiled wryly. It seemed the Sword Lord had a remarkably open-minded perspective.

“Come visit me when you have some time, though I doubt you’ll have any free moments soon. The dynasties and factions in the Canglan Realm are already selecting representatives for the Heavenly Genius Battle. You’ll need to secure a slot quickly, or you’ll miss this opportunity,” the Sword Lord said with a shake of his head, sounding regretful.

It seemed the boy wouldn’t have time to accompany him fishing anytime soon.

As they spoke, Lin Qingying quietly watched Li Hao from a distance. Seeing him talking and laughing with the Sword Lord, a trace of envy appeared in her eyes—not for his connections, but for the carefree and open-hearted nature he seemed to embody.

Except for the rare moments when he showed anger on her behalf, she had never seen him weighed down by gloom.

“Did he guide your Sword Dao?” Bian Ruxue, standing beside Lin Qingying, glanced at Li Hao before withdrawing her gaze. She asked calmly, “Finding someone to practice swords with is truly a blessing.”

Lin Qingying’s gaze flickered slightly, and her heartbeat quickened. She recalled moments in the courtyard when she practiced her swordsmanship while he sipped tea and chatted leisurely. Before, she paid it no mind, viewing everything but Sword Dao as mere trivialities.

But now, those trivialities seemed to have rooted themselves in her heart.

A faint smile curved her lips, and she looked at the saintess beside her. “Don’t you have anyone to practice swords with? Your master is the Sword Saint.”

Bian Ruxue’s eyes filled with fleeting memories, but she quickly suppressed them. As a child, she once had someone to spar with, but over time, that person could no longer keep up.

She had tried looking back but found only emptiness.

...

With the grand battle concluded, the Sword Lord bid farewell to Li Hao and left. Li Hao accompanied Lin Qingying back to the Alchemy Courtyard.

The courtyard was serene. Li Hao said to Lin Qingying, “The destruction of your Dao Embryo might not necessarily be a bad thing.”

“?”

Lin Qingying looked at him, puzzled.

Li Hao explained, “Your original Dao Embryo was an Innate Supreme Yin Dao Embryo, perfectly complementing your former level of Sword Intent. However, if your Sword Intent were to progress further, you could condense a Postnatal Dao Embryo—specifically, a Sword Intent Dao Embryo!”

“A Sword Intent Dao Embryo?” Lin Qingying asked in surprise, as she had never heard of such a thing.

Li Hao’s suggestion was entirely his own creation, born from his understanding of Sword Dao.

“To be so soft as to become nothingness!”

“From nothingness comes existence. Nothingness is invincible!”

Li Hao continued, “When you comprehend ‘nothing,’ you’ll be able to condense a Postnatal Dao Embryo.”

“Nothing?” Lin Qingying murmured, but the word seemed to spark something in her mind.

Nothingness?

To be supremely gentle is to become nothing.

If it is nothing, then her former Innate Supreme Yin Dao Embryo might have been an obstacle.

No Dao Embryo, yet still possessing one. What was missing would become nothingness!

Lin Qingying suddenly had a revelation and began to grasp Li Hao’s idea. Her eyes widened, filled with astonishment.

How could someone come up with such an idea?

If she could truly achieve this, her combat power would be tenfold or even dozens of times greater than before!

Seeing her expression, Li Hao knew she had understood and felt reassured. If she could fully comprehend this concept, she would undoubtedly transform and become immensely stronger.

...

Lin Shanhai returned shortly after. Following brief congratulations with the other alchemists, he found Li Hao and Lin Qingying together. However, unlike before, he didn’t intervene. Instead, he beamed with a broad smile.

He didn’t know Lin Qingying’s Dao Embryo had been destroyed. He only knew that she had lost miserably in the competition and that Li Hao had stood up for her.

Both Li Hao and Lin Qingying tacitly decided not to tell him about the Dao Embryo’s destruction. It would only add to his worries without serving any purpose.

Li Hao spent two more days at the Alchemy Courtyard, organizing his belongings. Then, he arrived at Sword Cliff to bid farewell to the Sword Lord.

Hearing that Li Hao was heading to the dynasties to secure a spot in the Heavenly Genius Battle, the Sword Lord did not try to stop him. Instead, he simply urged Li Hao to return quickly and visit again when the opportunity arose.

Li Hao agreed without hesitation.

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