Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 432

Volume 3 - Chapter 125: The Holy Daughter Bian Ruxue - Part 1

Hearing the murmurs behind her, Lin Qingying frowned slightly. She disliked being disturbed while practicing swordsmanship, especially by an outsider.

However, she didn’t turn around immediately. Instead, she held her sword and lowered her gaze, reflecting on and savoring the sword technique she had just executed.

She cultivated the Supreme Soft Sword Intent. The essence of "soft" lay in "supreme," meaning the ultimate state. Yet, achieving such a pinnacle was challenging; if it surpassed the limit, the sword intent would scatter, while falling short meant the intent lacked perfection and left vulnerabilities.

As she reviewed it in her mind, Lin Qingying realized that her earlier sword intent had indeed been slightly dispersed, exceeding the extreme limit of softness. Such a mistake during combat would create a significant opening for her opponent.

However, only someone whose swordsmanship matched hers could notice such a flaw.

"Do you also understand swordsmanship?"

Lin Qingying turned around, her gaze cold and as luminous as the moonlight, falling on Li Hao with a trace of suspicion in her eyes.

To rival her in the way of the sword, one would at least need to be at the level of a Holy Son within a sacred land.

How could such a person end up gravely injured, only to be fortuitously saved by her? Was he intentionally approaching her, or was it merely a coincidence?

"Uh, I was just saying it casually."

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Li Hao quickly backtracked.

He had spoken impulsively with good intentions since she was his savior. However, given his injuries were still unhealed, revealing too much would only invite unnecessary suspicion and trouble.

"Casually?"

Lin Qingying raised an eyebrow. That he could pinpoint her mistake so precisely with a casual remark was something even a child wouldn’t believe.

She scrutinized Li Hao, her gaze sharp. "How exactly did you notice it?"

Faced with her serious expression, Li Hao knew that unless he provided a reasonable explanation, she would likely suspect him of having ulterior motives.

"It was just a feeling," Li Hao replied.

"A feeling?"

"Yes. I enjoy painting and have a sensitivity to posture and lines. When you executed that sword movement, the posture was overly soft. As a swordsman, using a sword that soft renders it ineffective, making it an obvious weakness." Li Hao explained, mixing truth with fiction.

"Such a flimsy explanation—do you think I’d believe that?"

Lin Qingying’s eyebrows arched slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

The impending Sword Deity battle in the Sword Ancestor Holy Land was of great importance. She couldn’t rule out the possibility that someone might be deliberately approaching her.

"Did Qingfeng really guess correctly?"

Lin Shanhai, who had been occupied preparing medicinal herbs, paused and looked at them in surprise. Li Hao’s offhand remark had seemed casual to him, but judging by his granddaughter’s reaction, it appeared to have hit the mark.

Li Hao forced a smile and said, "Wait a moment. I’ll draw it for you."

He stood up, gathered some paper and a brush, and used a wooden board as an impromptu easel. After grinding the ink, he began to paint.

Before long, a figure resembling a celestial beauty appeared on the white paper, brandishing a long sword with graceful movements.

Painting Dao experience +32,837.

Whoa! This must be the reward of someone at the Dao Seeker Realm. The experience gain is unreal!

As Li Hao set the brush aside, Lin Shanhai, who had been watching the entire process, was stunned. The image depicted his granddaughter with extraordinary detail. As Li Hao completed the final strokes, it was as if life had been infused into the figure, making it seem like a living person dancing on the paper.

"This..."

Although Lin Shanhai had no knowledge of painting, he had seen enough in his long life to recognize that this wasn’t just realistic—it carried a soul-stirring aura that transported the viewer into the scene.

"..."

Lin Qingying approached as well. When she saw the image on the paper, she froze.

She was naturally familiar with her own appearance, but to see it captured so vividly, especially the delicate replication of her Supreme Soft Sword Intent, left her momentarily entranced.

For him to capture even the essence of her sword intent in a painting...

Lin Qingying stared in silence, lost in thought. After a moment, she snapped out of it, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes.

The painting was far too detailed, as if it had been recreated from countless mental drafts.

While she wasn’t well-versed in painting, she knew that the first step was detailed observation.

Realizing this, a faint blush crept up her neck, and she cast a glare at Li Hao.

Li Hao, puzzled by her reaction, assumed she didn’t understand the critique. He quickly pointed to the painting and explained:

"Look here—your arm lines and waist curve, though beautifully soft and boneless, rely on the sword as the skeletal structure for support. But right here, the curve of the sword becomes slightly dispersed..."

"Enough!"

Lin Qingying’s face turned crimson with embarrassment and anger. Although they had been under the same roof for over a month, they’d barely spoken. For him to comment on her body lines while pointing at the painting was mortifying.

If not for the earnestness in his gaze, she would have thought he was being deliberately inappropriate.

"..."

Li Hao suddenly realized his explanation might have been over the line.

Lin Qingying ignored him, instead focusing on the painting. After a closer inspection, she began to understand how he had spotted her mistake.

Rather than swordsmanship, he had analyzed her sword intent through its form in the painting.

Usually, cultivation shaped form through intent, but Li Hao had inferred intent through form.

Lin Qingying’s eyes sparkled as she glanced briefly at him, noting his expression of helplessness. She quickly averted her gaze, remaining silent.

For someone to capture sword intent through painting—was he a genius of the Painting Dao or the Sword Dao?

Her grandfather often praised Li Hao’s exceptional talent in alchemy, and even Zhao Yingzhen and Shi Huajin had visited to commend him. She had seen it with her own eyes. Though she lacked knowledge of alchemy, she understood that his talent was remarkable.

Perhaps he hadn’t been lying?

The most outstanding prodigies rarely divided their efforts across multiple disciplines. Even if they did, it was usually to train in other martial arts—such as movement techniques or combat skills—that could directly enhance their cultivation.

After all, the sheer number of aspects one could refine within the martial path alone made it impossible to devote energy to other fields, except for those ancient monsters who had reached bottlenecks in their primary cultivation.

With this in mind, Lin Qingying stepped away from the painting and said, “Wait here. I’ll be back shortly.”

In the blink of an eye, her figure vanished from the courtyard as though she had teleported.

“You brat...”

As soon as Lin Qingying left, Lin Shanhai’s expression shifted, and he shot a glare at Li Hao. “Don’t you dare have any designs on my granddaughter!”

Li Hao froze, utterly bewildered. “Elder Lin, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I mean!” Lin Shanhai retorted, his protective instincts for his granddaughter flaring up. “Qingying is destined to become a saint. For her sake—and yours—it’s better if you don’t harbor any thoughts about her.”

“...”

Li Hao was at a loss. Why had the conversation suddenly shifted to this topic?

His eyes drifted to the painting, and realization dawned on him. With a bitter smile, he said, “Elder Lin, you’ve misunderstood. I have no such intentions toward Qingying.”

“You scoundrel! And since when have you been on such familiar terms to call her ‘Qingying’?” Lin Shanhai snapped, his protectiveness only intensifying. Though he appreciated Li Hao’s talent, he couldn’t shake the feeling that a wolf was eyeing his precious granddaughter.

“...”

Li Hao could only smile wryly in response.

Lin Shanhai continued to lecture him relentlessly, leaving Li Hao no choice but to nod repeatedly and vow that he wouldn’t develop any improper feelings toward Lin Qingying.

“What are you two talking about?”

Before long, Lin Qingying reappeared as if out of nowhere, her figure materializing in the courtyard. Catching part of their exchange, she raised an eyebrow and cast a questioning glance at Li Hao.

Lin Shanhai shook his head. “It’s nothing. What’s that you’re holding?”

“Bone Reflection Mirror.”

In Lin Qingying’s hand was a pure black, oval-shaped mirror. Li Hao had seen a similar item before during his time at the Celestial Gate, but the one he saw then was much larger.

“I need to check your age. I hope you don’t mind,” Lin Qingying said flatly as her gaze locked onto Li Hao.

Li Hao nodded. He saw no reason to hide such a thing.

Lin Qingying immediately aimed the Bone Reflection Mirror at him. Soon, the black surface of the mirror revealed Li Hao’s reflection, along with his age:

Twenty-seven.

Lin Qingying froze in surprise, her eyes flickering with astonishment as she looked at him again. That age was far too young.

When she had found him unconscious and brought him back, she had briefly examined his body. While his injuries were severe, his cultivation level was at the Fourth Pillar Realm.

To reach the Fourth Pillar Realm at the age of twenty-seven was a testament to his exceptional talent—a prodigy among prodigies. In the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, this was the standard of a top-tier inner disciple.

What’s more, someone of his age and cultivation had reportedly mastered a unique refinement technique in alchemy. Now she had witnessed his extraordinary aptitude in the Painting Dao.

Swordsmanship?

Surely there was no way he’d had the energy to pursue that as well. After all, human focus was limited.

Her doubts eased at this realization. His age confirmed the plausibility of his explanation: that he had discerned her sword intent’s flaw through observation rather than swordsmanship.

Although she didn’t understand the nuances of painting, this explanation seemed the only logical one.

“You’re this young?”

Even Lin Shanhai was taken aback upon seeing Li Hao’s age. “Twenty-seven and already at the Fourth Pillar Realm? Your martial talent is astonishing! Did your family provide you with some kind of miraculous pill or divine treasure? With talent like yours, you could easily join the inner sect of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land. Training there for a century might even earn you the personal tutelage of a Semi-Saint.”

Hearing this, Li Hao’s lips curled into a bitter smile. Deep down, he couldn’t help lamenting the ten years he had lost during his ill-fated battle with the Void Saint.

Escaping from the void had shattered his combat body, depleted his internal power, and caused his cultivation to plummet. To those around him, he appeared to be at the Fourth Pillar Realm, even though he had since recovered to the Dao Seeker Realm.

Thanks to the All-Manifestations Attribute concealing his true state, Li Hao saw no reason to reveal his actual strength. After all, his injuries were still far from healed.

“Medicinal pills?”

Lin Qingying’s astonishment gave way to understanding as her grandfather’s words sank in.

Li Hao’s mastery of purification techniques likely stemmed from a once-glorious alchemist lineage. It wasn’t surprising if his family had passed down divine pills and treasures from their prime.

If pills had propelled him to this cultivation level, it wasn’t particularly shocking.

However, pills capable of greatly aiding cultivators at the Three Immortal or Four Pillar Realms were exceedingly rare. Even advanced alchemists could only produce them in limited quantities.

“If you wish to join the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, I can provide an introduction.”

Lin Qingying retracted the Bone Reflection Mirror and spoke with an even tone.

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