Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 430

Volume 3 - Chapter 123: Chess Dao Awakens the Spirit - Part 2

The elderly man Sun Zhengshang nodded and said, “As for me, I don’t have anything I need at the moment.”

Li Hao shook his head. “I don’t need anything either.”

The group exchanged glances, feeling a bit of a headache. With Lin Shanhai present, they couldn’t bring themselves to shamelessly take advantage of a junior. However, owing someone a favor was often more troublesome than accepting a gift outright.

Lin Shanhai noticed their hesitation and chuckled. “Since Qingfeng is willing to demonstrate, you should just watch for now. If he ever encounters difficulties in the future, lending a hand will be enough to repay him.”

Hearing Lin Shanhai’s words, the four no longer hesitated and promptly invited Li Hao to take action.

Li Hao walked into the alchemy room, selected some medicinal ingredients, and began stir-frying them in mid-air.

The sight left the four spectators wide-eyed.

Stir-frying?

The movements looked so much like cooking that, had it not been medicinal ingredients in his hands, they might have thought the young man was preparing a meal!

Their instincts weren’t wrong. Li Hao was indeed cooking—cooking to extract medicinal power.

Before long, the process was complete, and a rich medicinal fragrance filled the room.

The four were stunned and quickly extended their divine senses to examine the ingredients. Instantly, they were astonished.

The medicinal power within the ingredients had truly been extracted so easily just by stir-frying!

Using this method to refine pills would naturally result in higher purity and better quality. With such a brilliant assistant, anyone could succeed!

“So that’s it, a unique extraction technique...”

After their initial shock, the group came to understand. This wasn’t some secret art but a specialized extraction method, which appeared exceedingly difficult to master. A single demonstration wouldn’t be enough to learn it.

No wonder the young man didn’t mind showing it off. The technique was so profound that he had no fear of others mastering it.

“To think there’s such a method for refining pills—it’s truly an eye-opener for Zhao,” Zhao Yingzhen muttered in a daze. When he snapped out of it, his eyes glimmered faintly, as if a new path in alchemy had opened before him.

“You’re called Qingfeng, right? Qingfeng, would you be willing to assist me in refining a high-grade pill? I won’t hide anything during the process. If you manage to learn from it, it’s your skill. I need your ability to extract medicinal liquid,” Shi Huajin said, her gaze fixed on Li Hao as she issued the invitation.

Li Hao was momentarily stunned and couldn’t help but look at Lin Shanhai.

Lin Shanhai noticed his glance and was also taken aback. He quickly realized what Li Hao meant—he was seeking Lin’s opinion on whether to accept. It seemed that if Lin Shanhai agreed, Li Hao would oblige for his sake. Otherwise, the young man would most likely refuse.

This was an invitation from a high-level alchemist, offering the chance to refine a high-grade pill and learn an advanced pill recipe without reservation. What an invaluable opportunity! Yet this young man seemed genuinely disinterested?

Lin Shanhai was speechless. He had never encountered someone quite like this.

“Since Alchemist Shi is requesting your help, you may accept if you’re willing. It’s up to you. But this is a rare opportunity. If you’re not interested in the pill recipe, you can ask for something else. Alchemist Shi has extensive connections and ample resources,” Lin Shanhai said with a smile.

Shi Huajin was momentarily stunned. From his tone, it seemed as though she might need to bargain with this youth?

“Since the senior is inviting me, it would be rude to refuse,” Li Hao said after some thought, ultimately agreeing.

Although this would delay his carving work, it wouldn’t take too much time.

After all, Lin Shanhai was a friend of hers, and refusing would dampen the mood. Moreover, he owed Lin Shanhai a great favor. Making some connections wouldn’t hurt, especially in a place where he was unfamiliar with the people and surroundings.

“What do you require?” Shi Huajin asked curiously.

Li Hao shook his head. “I don’t need anything. If possible, I’m interested in rare calligraphy, paintings, or chess manuals.”

“Calligraphy and chess manuals?”

Shi Huajin and the others were surprised. These items were considered worthless to cultivators, useful only to pretentious merchants.

Lin Shanhai, who had observed Li Hao carving during his leisure time, was already familiar with his eccentric interests. Yet hearing this now, he was still a little taken aback.

Shi Huajin, skeptical, asked Li Hao twice more to confirm his request. Once certain he wanted nothing else, she dropped the matter. His reasoning, she thought, would become apparent with time.

“Old Lin, why are you steeping medicinal herbs in tea? This tastes awful,” Liu Dongting complained, spitting out the herb-infused tea with a grimace.

“You don’t understand tea anyway. A little medicinal herb can strengthen your constitution,” Lin Shanhai replied with a laugh.

The conversation shifted back to alchemy and the task of pairing sacred land pills, occasionally touching upon Lin Shanhai’s granddaughter, Lin Qingying, and the upcoming Sword Deity Battle.

The Sword Ancestor Holy Land revered the sword above all, where disciples, including the holy daughters, competed to push their cultivation and swordsmanship to the peak. Defeat in the arena meant utter failure, with no excuses for weapon disparities.

Li Hao sat quietly to the side, listening without comment.

When praised, he responded with a gentle smile.

By the end of their casual discussion, Li Hao had become familiar with the four alchemists’ names and personalities, while they grew to appreciate this quiet, unique young man.

...

The days passed uneventfully.

Li Hao continued assisting Lin Shanhai with refining pills and extracting medicinal power while frequently helping the other four alchemists in their work. His frequent presence earned him a small reputation. Even the pill apprentices and sect disciples of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land began to hear of an alchemy assistant favored by several high-ranking alchemists...

...

In Lin Shanhai’s courtyard.

Under a starry night sky, the glow of a sword danced through the air.

Lin Qingying completed her sword routine, wiping sweat from her brow, only to catch a whiff of a delightful aroma.

Turning her gaze, she saw the alchemist her grandfather had taken in, emerging from the firewood room with a plate of pastries.

“Hungry? Would you like a snack?”

Li Hao smiled at her and raised the plate in his hand.

Lin Qingying’s expression remained calm as she resumed practicing another sword technique, immersing herself in understanding the flow of her sword momentum.

Gurgle...

The aroma wafted through the air, and her stomach gave a faint growl mid-routine.

Frowning slightly, she stopped her sword movements and glanced toward the alchemy room, where an elderly and a young man were eating and drinking with contentment.

These two... Since when had they become so chummy?

Lin Qingying was momentarily stunned. Her grandfather, despite his amiable demeanor, had always maintained a certain level of wariness toward others due to his past experiences. Yet now, he seemed unusually close to this alchemist whom he had brought home.

“Qingying, if you’re tired, come over and take a break. Try Qingfeng’s pastries—they’re excellent!” Lin Shanhai waved the plate of pastries in his hand, inviting his granddaughter.

Lin Qingying glanced at the pastries, hesitated for a moment, and eventually sheathed her sword. She slowly approached the alchemy room.

“Here you go.”

Li Hao held out the plate, letting her take her pick. His fastidious nature didn’t allow him to touch food that others had handled.

Lin Qingying noticed this subtle gesture. Her gaze flickered briefly, but she said nothing. With her pale, slender fingers, she delicately picked up a piece of pastry and placed it in her mouth.

The pastry melted almost instantly, filling her palate with an indescribable and exquisite flavor. Lin Qingying’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, though she quickly regained her composure, quietly chewing the pastry.

She fell silent for a moment, seemingly savoring the experience.

Li Hao, noticing her swallowing, offered the plate once again without hesitation.

Lin Qingying paused briefly, then took another piece. This time, she chewed slowly, as if prolonging the enjoyment.

After finishing the second pastry, she glanced at Li Hao and nodded. “It tastes good. Thank you for the treat.”

With that, she turned and returned to the courtyard to resume her sword practice.

Li Hao didn’t mind her curt demeanor. Setting the plate in front of Lin Shanhai, the two resumed eating casually, chatting about mundane topics.

...

Following Lin Shanhai’s introduction, Li Hao became well-acquainted with Zhao Yingzhen and the others. When not in Lin Shanhai’s courtyard, he frequently visited their alchemy sites to assist or simply for leisure.

Lin Shanhai, while passionate about alchemy, had no interest in chess, calligraphy, or painting. However, to Li Hao’s surprise, Shi Huajin proved to have considerable expertise in chess.

In his free time, Li Hao often visited Shi Huajin’s mountain peak to discuss chess strategies.

The alchemists resided in the core area of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, a vast and secluded region surrounded by medicinal mountains. Disciples of the Holy Land were forbidden from intruding.

...

The Sword Ancestor Holy Land was extraordinarily expansive. According to Lin Shanhai, it spanned twice the size of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, equivalent to thirty-eight provinces.

Lin Shanhai’s alchemy site alone covered an area the size of a city, with only a few servants and pill apprentices, making it exceptionally tranquil.

In contrast, Zhao Yingzhen’s medicinal mountain was lively and bustling, filled with apprentices and disciples. The mountain itself was adorned with lavish decorations, resembling the splendor of a royal capital.

...

On a pavilion at the medicinal mountain, Shi Huajin placed a black stone on the chessboard, trapping Li Hao’s white stones.

“You’ve put a lot of thought into your chess skills. This level of mastery isn’t something achieved through idle pastimes,” Shi Huajin remarked, her tone laced with curiosity.

“It’s just a hobby I’ve explored a little,” Li Hao replied with a smile, his focus on the game. Although Shi Huajin’s skills weren’t weak—about a five-dan level—he was a six-dan player. Even so, underestimating her would lead to defeat.

Arrogance brings failure, he reminded himself. Only when there’s a significant gap in skill can one afford to let their guard down.

“If you’re willing, I can recommend you to the Holy Land. With a joint endorsement from us, you could immediately take up the position of a mid-tier alchemist, equivalent in status to an inner disciple of the Holy Land,” Shi Huajin offered sincerely.

Li Hao shook his head lightly. He had no interest in such titles. His purpose here was to recover from his injuries and improve his skills.

Alchemist credentials meant little to him.

Noticing his focused expression, Shi Huajin refrained from pressing further. She returned her attention to the chessboard and made her next move.

As the black and white stones intertwined, Li Hao immersed himself fully in the game. The chessboard before him seemed to expand, the gridlines extending endlessly until they surrounded him entirely.

He felt as if he had transformed into a piece on the chessboard.

That glimmer of enlightenment reappeared fleetingly, and this time, Li Hao managed to grasp it.

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