Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 446

Volume 3 - Chapter 131: The Holy Son’s Fishing, The Battle of the Top 100 Holy Sons – Part 1

When all the techniques collected in the Sword Tower were cultivated to the level of a Dao Domain, Li Hao's total number of Dao Domains reached 172 layers!

Among these, over a hundred layers were various Sword Domains.

Once deployed, the Sword Domains filled the area with sword energy crisscrossing in all directions. Now layered together, the different Sword Domains, each imbued with distinct sword intent, began to show signs of merging.

Li Hao didn’t know what kind of power and state might emerge if the Dao Domains fully merged into one cohesive whole.

Unfortunately, he had already collected all the techniques available in the Sword Ancestor Holy Land. To advance further, he would need to look into other forces, as his Dao Domain had now reached a bottleneck.

After completing his cultivation, the following day's second elimination round began.

Before the Battle of the Hundred Strong, there were three rounds of selection to determine the final hundred participants who would compete against the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters.

Li Hao accompanied Lin Shanhai and other alchemists to the event, but this time, he didn’t stay to watch. Having already collected all the techniques in the Sword Tower, remaining there would only allow him to draw paintings to gain experience. However, compared to painting, Li Hao had someone more suitable in mind for the task. At the same time, he could also use the opportunity to accumulate some fishing experience.

Li Hao noticed that apart from Yao Zu and the other two Semi-Saints, the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters who had previously been spectators were also absent.

Before their departure, Lin Qingying was still seated in her courtyard, meditating on swordsmanship, clearly preparing for the intense battles ahead.

Although the battles were in full swing before the ten platforms, Li Hao felt a sense of calm before the storm.

It was unclear who would rise to dominate and stand out in this storm.

Li Hao hoped it would be Lin Qingying.

...

Arriving at the Sword Tower, the surroundings were quiet and serene. As Li Hao approached, a figure appeared before him as if teleporting—it was the Sword Attendant he had met the day before.

The man was surprised to see Li Hao returning and asked, "Are you here to exchange techniques?"

The Great Dao Sword Technique was notoriously difficult. If Li Hao wanted to replace it, the attendant would understand, as delving into it was a waste of time unless one had exceptional talent in swordsmanship.

"No, I’m here to visit the Sword Master. Is the Sword Master fishing today?"

Li Hao cupped his hands in greeting.

The Sword Attendant understood and smiled. "Master is fishing at Sword Cliff. It’s rare that someone else understands his interests. You might keep him company; he gets lonely."

At this, a hint of melancholy flickered in his eyes.

Despite their intentions to accompany the Sword Master, the disciples’ fishing skills were woefully inadequate. The tedious wait for a catch often distracted them, their minds wandering to swordsmanship. By the time they noticed the bait was gone, it had already frustrated the Sword Master so much that he forbade them from joining him.

At Sword Cliff, when Li Hao arrived with the Sword Attendant, the scene was much like the day before—the Sword Master was fishing by the cliff's edge.

Sensing their arrival, the Sword Master’s voice called out, "You’re here. Did you bring your own fishing rod?"

"No rod. I use the casting-line method."

Li Hao replied.

"Energy forming the line? The little ones in the Dragon Pool below are quite cunning. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to catch them," the Sword Master said.

"One way to find out," Li Hao replied with a smile, unconvinced.

"Then come and give it a try," the Sword Master invited.

Li Hao stepped forward, sitting on a brownish-black rock near the Sword Master.

From this vantage point at the edge of Sword Cliff, his gaze naturally fell to the abyss below—a sheer drop of ten thousand zhang.

At the bottom, rushing waterfalls fed a deep pool, where large, shadowy figures moved faintly beneath the surface.

Li Hao’s eyes lit up. With a gesture, he extended an energy line, employing a concealed line technique to quietly cast it into the depths.

The Sword Master glanced at Li Hao’s technique, raising an eyebrow before a faint smile curved his lips. Evidently, yesterday’s success was no fluke. This young man had indeed put thought into his craft. Such a subtle concealed line technique, if applied to himself, could be honed into an advanced stealth skill.

Yet here he was, pouring his effort into fishing. Clearly, it was true passion.

"You haven’t baited the hook," the Sword Master commented evenly.

Li Hao chuckled and said, "No bait needed. Those willing will bite."

"Hm?"

The Sword Master’s eyes flickered at the remark, his thoughts briefly shifting from his own fishing rod to the nearly imperceptible line Li Hao had cast.

Li Hao, too, focused his mind, waiting patiently.

Fishing appeared leisurely but was, in truth, a battle of wits, requiring stillness, observation of fish behavior, and strategic placement of the line—all a mental game.

At this moment, Li Hao’s fishing line was concealed along the edge of the Dragon Pool, positioned in the most inconspicuous spot. The tip of the line was a faintly visible hook.

"Fifth Brother, look! Is that a hook?"

"It does look like one. A fishing hook!"

Within the Dragon Pool, several large dragon demons swam about, noticing the barely visible hook. But what puzzled them was the lack of a line—only a hook dangled there.

"Could it be the Sword Master again? Is he fishing?"

"The Sword Master wouldn’t be this careless. Last time, he disguised the hook as a small fish to fool us."

"Must’ve fallen down there. When did it appear? I didn’t see it before."

"Elder Six, go check it out."

The dragon demons murmured among themselves. One moved closer, prodding the hook with its claw. "It really is a hook… ah!"

Before it could finish, the hook abruptly yanked, piercing through its forelimb. It burrowed deeper into the wound, latching firmly and dragging the demon out of the pool.

"Ow!"

The dragon demon roared in pain as its body was hauled into the air.

Terrified, it dared not struggle. Once it was pulled from the depths, it looked up to see the Sword Master sitting calmly on the Sword Cliff along with a young stranger. To its surprise, it wasn’t the Sword Master holding the line but the young man!

In that instant, beyond the pain, the dragon demon felt a surge of indignation.

To be caught by the Sword Master was acceptable—after all, he was a Saint, and such a fate didn’t dishonor a dragon.

But to be caught by a mere youth? Outrageous!

With a roar, it lunged at Li Hao.

"Still resisting?" Li Hao chuckled, effortlessly pulling the line across his hand. The dragon demon was swung sideways into the air before being dragged closer.

Its entire body ached as if it were being torn apart. The dragon demon screamed in agony. By the time it was brought before the Sword Cliff again, panic had set in.

With the Sword Master present, harming this youth was impossible. Moreover, the youth's cultivation seemed formidable—beyond what the demon could hope to defeat.

"Mercy, Holy Son! Mercy!"

The dragon demon hastily begged for its life, mistaking Li Hao for one of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land’s Holy Sons.

Who else would be privileged enough to fish alongside the Sword Master?

Hearing its plea, Li Hao couldn’t help but laugh. Watching as his fishing experience tallied up on his mental interface, he smiled faintly. With a flick of his finger, the energy-formed hook embedded in the demon's body receded swiftly.

Since it was condensed from energy, it could dissipate with just a thought.

"Since you’ve sincerely begged for mercy, I suppose I’ll let you go."

Li Hao said, "Off you go."

Hearing this, the dragon demon's eyes glistened with gratitude. "Thank you, Holy Son! Thank you!"

Without another word, it darted away, diving back into the depths of the pool in a blur.

"Sixth Brother!"

Several dragon demons gathered around it, scrutinizing it from head to claw. "Are you hurt? Did you say it was a Holy Son?"

"Yes, another new Holy Son! How despicable!"

"So cunning, deliberately leaving the hook exposed to bait you into grabbing it."

"Thankfully, the Sword Master is merciful. Whenever we’re caught, we’re always released. And those baits… they are truly delicious. I feel like I could cultivate sword intent just from them."

The dragon demons whispered among themselves. Though their situation in the Dragon Pool was one of captivity under the Sword Master, they didn’t mind—it was a great opportunity to gain power under the watchful eye of a Saint.

Yet, being fooled time and again was an endless source of frustration. Their daily battles of wits with the Sword Master left them perpetually suspicious.

"We have to be more cautious. No more picking up strange things! We must stay alert."

"The Sword Master is fishing up there too, but I don’t see his bait. What trickery is he using this time? We need to be careful."

The dragon demons remained wary, their minds racing with possibilities.

Often, if the bait had been disguised as anything else, they might have ignored it. But by presenting the hook so plainly, the Sword Master had piqued their curiosity, resulting in yet another misstep.

On the Sword Cliff, the Sword Master watched Li Hao's seemingly simple tactic succeed in catching a dragon demon. He couldn’t help but smile faintly, amused by the young man’s cleverness.

Li Hao wasted no time, reeling in his line and casting it again.

This time, he used the same hidden line technique, but midway through the line, he branched off a second energy thread, extending it to another inconspicuous spot in the Dragon Pool.

"Look! The hook’s dropped down again."

"Hmph! Out of tricks? Does he think we’ll fall for the same ploy twice?"

"Wait, look—a foolish fish is sniffing around it."

Several dragon demons hovered nearby, watching intently as another creature—a small fish demon—approached the hook cautiously. The little fish prodded it gently, but the hook remained motionless.

The dragon demons were surprised, but they quickly realized the touch must have been too light to trigger the hook, or perhaps the one above deemed it too small to bother catching.

"Hey, pull it harder!"

The previously hooked Sixth Brother growled at the small fish demon, frustrated.

The fish demon hesitated, unwilling to approach any closer.

Enraged by the defiance, the Sixth Brother lunged forward, swallowing the small fish demon whole in one swift motion.

"Idiot..."

Before it could finish venting its anger, a sharp pain erupted as something within its mouth hardened and pierced outward in all directions.

"A hook?!"

The Sixth Brother’s eyes widened in shock.

...

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