Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 428

Volume 3 - Chapter 122: The Sword Deity Battle of the Holy Land

“You’ve only just begun to recover. It’s better for you to rest quietly and avoid moving around too much,” the white-bearded elder advised kindly.

“Understood,” Li Hao replied with a nod.

He was well aware of his current physical condition. It was worse than ever. After spending too long in the void, his battle-hardened body was shattered and had been deeply corroded by the forces of the void. These forces seemed to linger within him like cruel spikes, continuously ravaging his flesh while counteracting his natural regeneration.

For now, he could only rely on the Concealing Attribute to heal slowly.

Much of the Dao Power within his body had dissipated as well, and his cultivation had fallen back to the early True Person Stage, necessitating another round of Dao Power refinement.

This injury was severe, but at least he had survived. Escaping from the hands of a Saint was nothing short of a miracle.

When he thought of the Void Saint and the Sunlit Saint, a flash of killing intent surfaced in Li Hao’s heart. However, he quickly suppressed it, brushing aside his thoughts. For now, recovering from his injuries took precedence.

“Judging by your accent, you’re not from our Canglan Realm, are you?” the white-bearded elder asked warmly.

Canglan Realm? Li Hao’s heart stirred, and he silently breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t the Yunxia Realm, that was good. Otherwise, staying under the noses of his enemies would be far too dangerous given his current strength.

“I was being hunted by my enemies and fled here. Thank you, elder, for taking me in,” Li Hao said humbly, his tone candid but withholding the fact that his pursuers were Saints.

The elder’s eyes flickered subtly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Once you’re entangled in the world of martial arts, how can you avoid strife? I won’t pry into who your enemies are. This is the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, so you can rest and recover here with peace of mind.”

“Thank you,” Li Hao said again with gratitude.

The white-bearded elder said no more. Instead, he picked up some herbs nearby and began grinding them into powder.

...

A gentle breeze swept through the courtyard. A young woman practicing swordsmanship drew energy from the air, her sword’s tip gathering strands of white energy that resembled ribbons. Her movements were elegant yet carried a concealed sharpness, merging grace and ferocity. This profound harmony embodied the essence of the Supreme Soft Sword Dao.

Seated on a straw mat, Li Hao watched her from afar. He could see that her swordsmanship was highly advanced, not inferior to his own.

Currently, his mastery of the Sword Dao remained at the sixth segment, and he had yet to comprehend any techniques at the Enlightened Spirit level to break through to the seventh. Though his cultivation had risen through consecutive battles, his swordsmanship and fist techniques had lagged behind, leaving him feeling increasingly constrained in combat. Now, during this recovery period, he planned to find a way to elevate his swordsmanship.

Li Hao’s thoughts shifted, and he summoned his status panel, glancing at his current attributes:

• Body Dao: Ninth segment

• Royalty Dao: Seventh segment

• Movement Dao: Sixth segment

• Sword Dao: Sixth segment

• Fist Dao: Sixth segment

...

In the category of artistic techniques:

• Chess Dao: Sixth segment

• Music Dao: Fourth segment

• Poetry and Calligraphy Dao: Fourth segment

• Sculpting Dao: Fourth segment

• Culinary Dao: Ninth segment

• Painting Dao: Seventh segment

• Fishing Dao: Fifth segment

Remaining Artistic Skill Points: 5

Mind States: Poetry and Calligraphy Heart, Sculpting Heart (available for use)

Previously, he had spent just 200 merit points in the Merit Treasury to exchange for two mind states, allowing his Poetry and Calligraphy and Sculpting arts to reach the fourth segment. This drastically shortened the time it would have taken him to achieve the same result through personal study, saving him at least two to three months of single-minded effort.

Now, it seemed the best choice for his third artistic breakthrough was Chess Dao, which had already reached the sixth segment. During his earlier match against the Yu Emperor, Li Hao had brushed against the threshold of Enlightened Spirit in Chess Dao. He was only one step away from mastering it.

At that moment, a distant bell rang out, its deep tones reverberating like a twilight drum. The sound brought a sense of clarity and comfort, as though sweeping away all distractions from the mind.

“Grandfather, I’m heading to the holy land to practice my morning techniques,” the young woman in the courtyard said. She sheathed her sword, turned toward the alchemy room, and glanced briefly at Li Hao before speaking to the white-bearded elder.

“Alright,” the elder replied absentmindedly, still focused on grinding herbal powder, not even looking up.

Li Hao watched as the young woman, his savior, soared away on her sword, disappearing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

The courtyard grew quiet again, the only sound being the steady grinding of the stone pestle as the elder worked on the herbal powder.

Li Hao was curious about his surroundings but knew better than to explore rashly. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on resting to recover.

...

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

Through careful treatment and the Concealing Attribute’s healing, the void corrosion within Li Hao’s body had been purified by a third, and his complexion had noticeably improved.

Seated in the veranda, Li Hao swung his legs idly over the edge like a child on a swing. In his hand was a small knife, which he used to carve a block of wood roughly the length of a chopstick. The knife moved deftly across his fingertips, and the wood gradually took the shape of an old man’s kind and gentle face.

Before long, with one final stroke, Li Hao finished his work. Smiling faintly, he glanced at his status panel, which displayed an updated experience count.

Over the past month, he had initially intended to work on Chess Dao and Fishing Dao, aiming to push both to Enlightened Spirit. However, there were no chess enthusiasts here, and playing against himself failed to accumulate experience. Fishing was even less practical, as it required leaving the holy land to find a suitable spot.

Still recovering from his injuries, Li Hao couldn’t afford to venture far. Instead, he had chosen to focus on improving Sculpting Dao while staying in the courtyard.

Given that Sculpting Dao was destined to be upgraded eventually, he found the serene environment an ideal opportunity to practice. As he worked on his carvings, he occasionally contemplated the elusive spark needed to elevate his Chess Dao, though the breakthrough remained just out of reach.

“You’ve got quite the talent for carving—clearly, you’ve studied it before,” came the white-bearded elder’s voice from behind. He glanced at the old man’s figure Li Hao had carved and, recognizing his own likeness, his expression softened as he said warmly, “I’ve just received word that we’ll be making 300 Concentration Pills today. Come lend a hand.”

“Got it,” Li Hao responded, putting away the small knife. He placed the wooden carving of the elder onto a nearby shelf, where several other carvings stood. The shelf displayed figures of people Li Hao had known in the mortal world, a small white fox, and even some great demons he remembered.

Satisfied with the arrangement, Li Hao headed into the alchemy room. Over the past month, he had learned the elder’s identity: Lin Shanhai, a high-ranking alchemist of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, whose position was second only to the Semi-Saint elders.

Li Hao knew that while the Great Yu Divine Dynasty had its own alchemists working under royal oversight, sect-based alchemists like Lin Shanhai often had limited access to advanced pill formulas and resources compared to their imperial counterparts. However, Lin Shanhai’s expertise and standing in the holy land were clearly exceptional.

“As always, you handle the initial preparation, and I’ll take over for the refining,” Lin Shanhai instructed as he brought over a batch of medicinal ingredients. “Your family must have passed down some incredible stir-frying techniques. Since you’ve been helping me, not only has my pill yield increased, but the quality has also improved significantly. Still, these tasks do seem to pile up…” he added with a wry smile.

Though his words carried a hint of complaint, the elder’s expression remained cheerful. After all, each successful batch of pills brought him additional rewards, and the extra work came with its own benefits.

“Just a minor trick, nothing worth mentioning,” Li Hao said modestly, though inwardly he marveled at how his Culinary Dao unexpectedly complemented alchemy.

Previously, when watching Lin Shanhai refine pills, the unique fragrance of the process had inspired Li Hao to wonder if his cooking techniques could be applied to medicinal ingredients. Experimenting with leftover low-grade herbs from the elder’s stock, he had used his ninth-segment Culinary Dao skills to extract their essence and create simple medicinal dishes. The results were astonishing—these dishes rivaled actual pills in effectiveness but lacked the residual fire toxins commonly found in pills, making them more easily absorbed by Li Hao’s unique constitution.

“This isn’t just a minor trick,” Lin Shanhai remarked with admiration. “Many alchemists dream of mastering such extraction techniques. Refining is the core of alchemy, followed by blending and crafting. Your method of essence extraction is the best I’ve seen, and it’s so unconventional that even I, an old hand at this, feel inferior. Your ancestors must have been extraordinary alchemists, disguising their techniques as culinary arts to prevent prying eyes and passing them down discreetly.”

“Perhaps,” Li Hao said with a sheepish smile. The explanation he had casually concocted to justify his unique skills had apparently fueled Lin Shanhai’s imagination, leading the elder to weave an elaborate backstory involving ancestral secrets and tragic betrayals. Li Hao saw no reason to correct him—if anything, the misunderstanding worked in his favor.

He stepped forward to help with the preparations, readying the medicinal ingredients.

...

When Lin Shanhai ignited the alchemy furnace, Li Hao immediately used his palm to stir-fry the herbs, employing precise control to heat and liquefy them. His energy flowed like an invisible spatula, transforming the herbs into an emerald-green liquid.

Lin Shanhai, well-versed in their cooperative routine, opened the furnace at just the right moment. Li Hao poured the refined liquid into the furnace, and Lin Shanhai’s hands ignited a controlled flame to complete the pill condensation process.

The two worked seamlessly, and before long, the furnace produced batch after batch of fragrant pills.

“It’s done,” Lin Shanhai declared with satisfaction.

Two hours later, 300 Concentration Pills had been successfully crafted. Stretching his back, Lin Shanhai looked at Li Hao with approval. “With your help, everything’s much easier. You’re new to the Canglan Realm, with no family or friends here. If you’re willing, why not stay on as my alchemy assistant? Once you’ve mastered a few intermediate pill formulas, you could even qualify as a mid-tier alchemist, gaining a remarkable status. I’d also be happy to pass down several high-tier formulas to you in the future.”

“You flatter me, Elder Lin,” Li Hao replied with a shake of his head. “Helping with small tasks like this is no big deal. Discussing pill formulas would be too formal.”

Lin Shanhai chuckled, not pressing the issue. He had made similar offers before, and Li Hao’s polite refusals had long since become routine.

“Here, have some tea,” Lin Shanhai said, pouring a cup for Li Hao as they sat down at a table to rest.

Li Hao accepted the tea and glanced toward the courtyard, where the young woman practiced her swordsmanship with unwavering focus. Her name was Lin Qingying, Lin Shanhai’s granddaughter, and one of the Ten Divine Maidens of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land. Her exceptional talent in the Sword Dao, coupled with her innate Sacred Bone, led some to suspect she was the reincarnation of a Saint.

Of course, a reincarnated Saint would be unable to recover their past-life memories until they ascended to sainthood. For now, Lin Qingying was simply Lin Shanhai’s granddaughter.

“Miss Lin is truly dedicated…” Li Hao muttered, watching her relentless training day after day. Seeing such diligence often left him feeling a pang of guilt about his own pace of progress. However, reminding himself that carving was a form of cultivation as well helped ease his conscience slightly.

“The Sword Deity Battle is fast approaching,” Lin Shanhai said with a faint smile as he sipped his tea. “This event determines the strongest talent within the holy land, who will then represent us in the Heavenly Battle of Saints. The opportunity to walk the Path to Sainthood is at stake, so of course she dares not slack off.”

Though his words were light, Lin Shanhai’s gaze betrayed a trace of worry. Battles brought injuries and, in some cases, fatalities. Yet the path of cultivation was one of blood and tears; to retreat was to fall behind.

During his time here, Li Hao had learned much about the Holy Land of Saints and its traditions, making him feel far less out of place than when he first arrived. He had even come to understand the significance of events like the Heavenly Battle of Saints—an epic competition held every hundred years across the Thirty-Three Realms, involving countless kingdoms and countless Saints or their reincarnations.

The ultimate victor was said to gain the incense offerings of myriad nations and ascend directly to sainthood. The fierce competition made the event legendary in its intensity.

As the morning bell tolled again, its echoes reaching every corner of the holy land, Lin Qingying sheathed her sword with practiced elegance. Turning toward the courtyard, she saw her grandfather and Li Hao enjoying tea together, her gaze calm and indifferent.

“Grandfather, I’m heading to the holy land to practice my morning techniques,” Lin Qingying said to Lin Shanhai.

With that, she flew off on her sword, vanishing swiftly into the sky.

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