Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 439

Volume 3 - Chapter 128: Yao Zu, Sword Intent Advances - Part 1

Bian Ruxue immediately used her divine sense to probe the surroundings. When she noticed Li Hao behind the easel, she froze momentarily. Quickly, she remembered that this man was the alchemist who had previously delivered medicine to her.

Him?

Bian Ruxue’s eyes flickered. She studied him for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

If he was truly a mortal like herself, even if he had encountered a great opportunity and managed to reach this place, there was no way he could have become an alchemist.

Though she didn’t understand alchemy herself, she knew it was vastly different from cultivation. It required extensive time and effort to master. Recently, the name of the Qingfeng Dan Master had reached her ears. Such abilities were not something Li Hao could have achieved in merely a century.

Meanwhile, Li Hao remained fully focused on his drawing.

With his artistic heart attuned, he noticed that the three Semi-Saints had taken note of him. Yet, seeing that they didn’t seem intent on interfering, he felt a subtle wave of relief wash over him.

With steady strokes of ink and brush, the forms of the three Semi-Saints quickly came to life on the paper.

Their auras, their unique essence, and their divine rhythm—all these were vividly captured in Li Hao’s strokes.

...

Time passed slowly. The battles on the stage ahead had already begun, but Li Hao remained immersed in his work. Capturing the presence of three Semi-Saints simultaneously was no simple task. To say this piece was created with blood, sweat, and tears would not be an exaggeration.

After some time, the cheers of the audience below and the laughter and sighs of Lin Shanhai and others as they won or lost their bets broke through Li Hao’s serene focus. His thoughts gradually returned to his body, and the surrounding clamor surged back into his awareness. At the same moment, his painting was completed.

As the final stroke fell, Li Hao felt a sense of clarity and fulfillment. A notification leaped before his eyes:

Painting Dao experience +150,394.

Fifteen thousand?

Li Hao carefully recounted the numbers to ensure he wasn’t mistaken. He was momentarily stunned but quickly made sense of it.

After all, these were Semi-Saints—three of them together in the same scene!

Simultaneously, his interface notified him that his Painting Dao had advanced a stage, reaching the eighth rank.

Artistic Skill Point +1.

However, progressing from the eighth to the ninth rank required double the experience—one million!

Still, with the chance to observe so many prodigies battling in this Sword Ancestor Holy Land, Li Hao felt confident he could quickly fill the gap.

Even if each Fourth Realm inner disciple only granted him a few thousand experience points, the sheer volume of participants would make up for it.

When his Painting Dao advanced to the eighth rank, a surge of insights flooded his mind. It took Li Hao over ten minutes to digest and absorb them, leaving him with a renewed understanding of his craft.

Looking back at the painting he had just completed with all his effort, he now noticed flaws.

Not exactly flaws, but rather limitations in its level.

The painting had achieved a sense of rhythm and charm but lacked his personal style. It failed to form a deeper connection between the painter and the artwork.

Every top-tier artist should have their own distinct style—a style that seamlessly merged with their creations, neither jarring nor overbearing but instantly recognizable.

With newfound clarity, Li Hao prepared to store the painting away and create another.

But suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:

"I want that painting. What do you need in return?"

It was a woman’s voice—calm and aloof, carrying an undeniable authority.

Li Hao was momentarily taken aback. Looking up, he saw the female Semi-Saint among the trio gazing directly at him.

Their eyes met, and Li Hao immediately understood that the voice had come from her.

Without hesitation, he responded telepathically, “If Senior likes it, I can gift it to you. My paintings are not for sale.”

“You have some integrity.”

The corners of the woman’s lips curved into a faint smile. She replied telepathically, “In that case, I will take it. Should you ever need anything, invoke my name—I am Yao Zu.”

Yao Zu...

Li Hao etched the name into his memory, nodded, and transmitted back, “If Senior doesn’t mind, I can create another piece just for you. I wasn’t at my best earlier, and the result could have been better.”

“Oh?”

Yao Zu’s eyes flickered slightly. Her desire for the painting stemmed from her divine sense monitoring Li Hao’s work as he painted. When he completed the piece, she was struck by its brilliance.

The depiction of herself in the painting surpassed what she saw in the mirror. It was her and yet not her—a paradoxical reflection that deeply captivated her.

The idea of having a personalized piece thrilled her even more.

Her plan had been to store the painting in her private sanctum, free from the distraction of the other two “unsightly” figures...

At this thought, Yao Zu glanced at the towering middle-aged man and the elderly figure beside her. She transmitted to Li Hao, “Then create another piece. Let’s see how it turns out.”

“Understood!”

Li Hao agreed, dried the ink on the previous painting, rolled it up, and set it aside. Then he began a new piece.

This time, the painting would feature Yao Zu alone. Li Hao’s sharp gaze locked onto her figure.

With her consent, his observation no longer needed to be restrained. Instead, it became bold and open.

Feeling Li Hao’s gaze roam across her entire form, Yao Zu raised an eyebrow. No man had ever dared to be so audaciously presumptuous with her.

If it had been anyone else, they would have long been obliterated by her wrath.

Yet, recalling how she had initiated the interaction, Yao Zu found herself enduring the discomfort. At the same time, she used her divine sense to monitor Li Hao’s progress, ensuring he wasn’t merely ogling under the pretext of painting.

Among the Semi-Saints in the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, Yao Zu’s reputation was unmatched. It stemmed not only from her peerless beauty but also from her illustrious past. In her youth, she had been the most distinguished Saintess in the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, defeating all her peers in her realm centuries ago before stepping into the Semi-Saint rank.

Now, with her temperance refined and the sharp edge of her youth dulled, Yao Zu carried an air of serenity and nobility.

Through her divine sense, Yao Zu soon noticed that Li Hao’s gaze, though bold, was devoid of any lust or impropriety. His eyes reflected pure concentration, as if he were sincerely appreciating an art form.

Every time his gaze lingered on a particular part of her body, his hand followed, carefully sketching with strokes of his brush.

Yao Zu’s eyes flickered, her initial anger and unease gradually subsiding. She realized Li Hao’s gaze was wholly focused and untainted, evoking a faint sense of satisfaction within her.

Unlike the furtive, lecherous glances of some inner disciples or even a few Holy Sons, Li Hao’s gaze was honest—pure in its intent to capture beauty.

This newfound impression softened Yao Zu’s stance. Though she had previously dismissed the name Qingfeng Dan Master as irrelevant, seeing his artistic focus stirred a trace of admiration.

...

Time flowed as the battles on the arena became increasingly intense. The audience cheered raucously, yet amidst the noise and chaos, Li Hao seemed immersed in a tranquil world of his own, exuding a deep, unyielding calm.

He painted silently, entirely absorbed in his work.

Yao Zu, who had initially intended to observe the duels, instead found her divine sense trailing Li Hao’s brushstrokes. As he painted stroke by stroke, it felt as though each motion unveiled an ever-clearer image of her.

Eventually, after Lin Shanhai and others concluded their second round of bets, Li Hao completed his second painting.

As the figure of Yao Zu emerged vividly on the canvas, a notification once again appeared before his eyes:

Painting Dao experience +42,320.

This time, because it was a single portrait and his second attempt, the experience gain was noticeably smaller. However, it remained substantial.

Adding this to the earlier excess of seventy thousand experience points, Li Hao had already achieved one-tenth of the million experience required to reach the ninth rank in Painting Dao.

Li Hao surmised that by fully “milking” the three Semi-Saints for experience, he could likely fill half the requirement.

The completed painting depicted Yao Zu standing alone, even more stunning than in the prior piece. While her earlier depiction had included her two companions, this work eliminated all distractions, focusing solely on her. She appeared like a solitary azure lotus blooming on a snow-capped peak, radiating an unapproachable purity and elegance.

Her painted eyes, outlined in ink, held a quiet sorrow that was almost imperceptible. They were like a misty haze, unfathomable and poignant, evoking an indescribable ache in the viewer.

Yao Zu gazed at the painting and found herself momentarily lost.

Outwardly, she remained as calm as still water. Yet, the image on the canvas seemed to expose emotions deeply buried within her.

It was as though this young painter had glimpsed the melancholy of her soul.

Could he understand the thoughts weighing on her heart?

Yao Zu blinked, her divine sense shifting back to focus on Li Hao. Her gaze settled on his eyes, scrutinizing them intently.

“Senior Yao Zu, your painting is ready,” Li Hao said, setting his brush down and examining the painting. To him, it appeared flawless—his current pinnacle of achievement. Though he knew his skills could improve further, for now, this was his best work.

Yao Zu’s divine sense retracted as she replied in an even tone, “I have seen it. I shall accept this painting as a favor owed to you.”

Before Li Hao could respond, the painting on his easel vanished into thin air.

Yao Zu stood there, motionless, as if nothing had happened.

Li Hao, unable to discern the method she had used, felt a chill in his heart. If a Semi-Saint’s power was already this unfathomable, he wondered how he could one day face a Void Saint to exact his revenge.

“Senior Yao Zu, you are too kind. My paintings are for those who can truly appreciate them. I am glad you are pleased,” Li Hao transmitted telepathically.

Yao Zu did not reply. Her expression remained serene as she turned her attention toward the arena.

However, her divine sense lingered quietly above Li Hao, observing him from afar.

Li Hao waited briefly, and when he received no further response from Yao Zu, he picked up his brush again. This time, he resumed his earlier piece of the three Semi-Saints together.

Seeing him return to painting, Yao Zu finally withdrew her divine sense and refocused on the ongoing duels. Yet, the image of Li Hao etched itself in her mind.

As the arena battles intensified, Li Hao completed his third painting.

This time, the experience gained was significantly lower—around 120,000 points. It was still an astonishing reward.

Li Hao wasn’t surprised. As he considered picking up his brush for another attempt, a commanding male voice resonated in his mind:

“It’s fine to paint occasionally, but don’t overstep your bounds.”

Startled, Li Hao turned to look at the towering, burly Semi-Saint.

The man returned his gaze with an implicit warning in his eyes.

Understanding the message, Li Hao telepathically responded, “I apologize for any offense, Senior.”

Acknowledging his earlier boldness in painting without permission, Li Hao smiled wryly. His opportunity to exploit them further seemed to have come to an end.

However, he was confident that Yao Zu might still be open to further commissions in the future. He chose not to press the issue, instead shifting his attention to the arena below. When the time came to seek her out again, he could make the request then.

The duels unfolding now were also rare artistic moments worth capturing—and more importantly, they offered an opportunity to gather insights into various techniques.

Though he had missed recording some earlier rounds, those victors would continue to compete in later matches. There would be plenty of chances to observe them.

“This next match features Jingfeng. I heard that while still in the Supreme Dao Realm, he condensed seven layers of Dao Domain. His swordsmanship is rumored to be extraordinary. Now that he’s reached the Dao Seeker Realm, he is among the most renowned talents in the inner sect. Do you think he can win ten matches in a row?”

Zhao Yingzhen identified the defending youth and asked Lin Shanhai and the others with a smile.

“Seven layers of Dao Domain? That’s outdated news. Before he even stepped into the Dao Seeker Realm, he had already achieved nine layers of Dao Domain.”

“I heard he’s only around seventy years old. He’s incredibly young. But given that he was taken in as a disciple by the Semi-Saint Shanzu from a prominent aristocratic family, such achievements are understandable.”

“Indeed. Back in the day, Yao Zu reached the Dao Seeker Realm within a sixty-year cycle and defeated all other Saintesses. Now that was true brilliance.”

The alchemists continued their light-hearted conversation, sharing mutual admiration.

Hearing them mention Yao Zu, Li Hao was a little surprised. He glanced in her direction and found that she, too, seemed to look his way briefly.

But when their eyes met, she merely cast a cursory glance and did not linger.

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