Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 387

Volume 3 - Chapter 98: Ultimate Path to Sainthood

"Just now, I saw a Saint Clan member. It seemed like they were looking to trouble you. Wouldn't you say that's rather amusing?" Ying Xiaoxiao remarked with a soft laugh.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly. The disturbance in the small teahouse earlier had faded, and now, outside the city, two presences had revealed themselves in pursuit before disappearing. Naturally, he had noticed.

The Ancient Saint Clans? Li Hao's eyes flickered as he thought of the Ji family and other Saint Clans in the Great Wilderness Heaven. His mind churned before he asked,
"Did you scare them off?"

"More or less."

Ying Xiaoxiao smiled. "Aren't you going to invite us to sit? We haven't had a meal yet, after all."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the roasted fish over the fire.

"Please, have a seat."

Noting their lack of hostility, Li Hao gestured for them to join him and asked, "Was that Saint Clan member here to trouble you two, or me?"

"Naturally, you." Ying Xiaoxiao pursed her lips into a smile. "They wouldn't dare trouble us."

"Are you two also from the Ancient Saint Clans?"

"You guessed right."

Ying Xiaoxiao looked a bit surprised, then sighed with a hint of resignation.

Li Hao glanced at her, feeling her performance was somewhat overdone.

However, aside from the Ancient Saint Clans, he couldn't think of any other possibilities at the moment.

These two had concealed their auras skillfully, and he couldn't discern their specifics. Yet, this very lack of clarity revealed their strength. Clearly, their abilities were formidable, and it was highly likely they were both at the Dao Seeker Realm.

"How about I draw a portrait for you two?" Li Hao suggested suddenly.

Ying Xiaoxiao looked at the drawing board nearby, intrigued. "You really know how to draw? If it's too ugly, I might just tear it up."

"It'll be beautiful," Li Hao assured her.

The old man from the tea stall interjected, "Draw me first."

Such caution from an old hand... Li Hao thought to himself but readily agreed.

The old man was visibly guarded. Tales of demons using drawing techniques to summon spirits or other sorcery were not unheard of. Though such tricks wouldn't work on someone at the Dao Seeker Realm, he remained wary of other potential schemes.

Once the old man was seated, Li Hao prepared the ink and quickly began drawing.

Before long, a vivid and lifelike portrait took shape.

[Painting Dao experience +18,790.]

The notification on the painting board made Li Hao freeze for a moment before he quietly took a breath.

Good heavens! What a haul!

Drawing one portrait had netted him nearly 20,000 experience points!

Currently, his Painting Dao stats read:

Painting Dao Level Seven: (38,279/500,000)

He needed 500,000 experience points to advance to Level Eight.

Though experience could accumulate steadily over time with continued practice, making it faster than pure cultivation, reaching 500,000 experience points would still take at least half a year.

After all, drawing mundane landscapes, no matter how artistically brilliant, would only yield a symbolic few points of experience. Only when drawing subjects imbued with Dao Rhythms or powerful beings could he gain significant amounts.

"Finished?"

The tea stall elder inquired.

Li Hao returned to his senses, handed over the portrait, and then turned his gaze to the other two, seeing them as walking "experience bags."

"Wow, not bad at all."

Ying Xiaoxiao peeked at the painting and was genuinely surprised. She could tell it wasn’t a simple reproduction—it carried a unique essence.

The tea stall elder examined it for a while and was also quite satisfied. He discreetly checked himself, confirming that no curses, soul-summoning spells, or concealed rules had been employed during the process, and finally relaxed.

"Shall I draw one for you too?" Li Hao asked, looking at the young woman.

Seeing that the elder didn’t stop her, Ying Xiaoxiao eagerly nodded.

Before long, Li Hao once again immersed himself in the drawing.

[Painting Dao experience +15,832.]

Impressive!

Li Hao marveled internally. This young woman was clearly extraordinary. Over 15,000 experience points—if he drew ten portraits of her, even accounting for diminishing returns, he could still gather around 100,000 experience points in total.

If he pushed it further, drawing over a hundred portraits, he could drain her for over 200,000 experience points.

Combined with the elder's contribution, the pair alone could supply him with nearly 500,000 points—enough to bridge the gap to Level Eight in his Painting Dao.

Earlier, when His Majesty had visited, Li Hao had been too focused on discussing serious matters to draw portraits. He decided to seek out His Majesty and that Daoist from Qiandao Palace next time. That could easily yield another 400,000 to 500,000 experience points, propelling him halfway from Level Eight to Level Nine.

The thought filled Li Hao with delight. Suddenly, he remembered the Saint Clan member they had driven off earlier. Hadn’t he just lost another potential “experience bag”?

“Are you finished?” Ying Xiaoxiao asked as she saw Li Hao pause.

Li Hao nodded and handed her the portrait.

In the painting, the young woman’s blue-green robes seemed to flutter in the wind. A golden bell adorned her wrist, swaying lightly, while her jet-black hair flowed like a waterfall. Her bright eyes and flawless features made her beauty almost ethereal.

Ying Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up with delight as she carefully examined the painting. She turned to Li Hao and asked, “Can I keep this?”

“Of course.”

Ying Xiaoxiao beamed. “I’ll treasure it.”

Li Hao chuckled. “If you like, I can draw more for you—different poses, like picking flowers or strolling.”

“Sure!” Ying Xiaoxiao agreed enthusiastically.

Li Hao smirked inwardly and immediately began on another portrait.

Through the experience points gained, Li Hao could roughly gauge their cultivation. These two were likely at the Dao Seeker Realm, as when he had drawn the Candlefire God, the experience points had been far less substantial.

But why would two Dao Seeker Realm cultivators suddenly appear here, claiming to be from the Ancient Saint Clans? He wasn’t so easily fooled.

During his visit to the Ji family, he had learned that even among the Ancient Saint Clans, Dao Seeker Realm cultivators were revered as gods of war. Each clan might have only two or three such individuals. Even if the larger clans had double that number, they wouldn’t waste their time stalking someone like him.

Still, if they weren’t from the Ancient Saint Clans, what other factions might they belong to?

Curiosity gnawed at Li Hao. Perhaps he would need to ask His Majesty for more information. His current knowledge was limited to the intelligence available through the Divine General Mansion, which excluded secrets known only to the top-tier members of great families.

“Master, the fish is almost done. Why not eat first before drawing more?”

Ren Qianqian approached and suggested.

Li Hao nodded, finishing the portrait in front of him before inviting the elder and the young woman to join him for the meal.

Ying Xiaoxiao readily agreed, while the tea stall elder tried to dissuade her, only to be too late. Helpless, he transmitted a message: “Miss, we barely know them.”

“Don’t worry. My stomach’s strong—I can digest poison,” Ying Xiaoxiao replied, nearly making the elder cough up blood. With a wry smile, he had no choice but to go along with her.

At the table, however, it was the elder who moved faster than Ying Xiaoxiao, snatching a piece of fish from Li Hao and swallowing it before carefully sensing for any toxins. By the time he was sure the food was safe, Ying Xiaoxiao was already eating voraciously, her cheeks bulging as oil dripped from her lips.

She had a hint of elegance, but only a hint.

The tea stall elder sighed inwardly. Watching Li Hao eat without hesitation, he realized he might have been overly cautious.

Without the young woman present, he wouldn’t have cared about such things. But with her here, his tension was palpable.

As they ate, they chatted about various topics, moving from casual conversation to the subject of cultivation.

It was Jiang Lichen who steered the discussion toward cultivation, and soon they were discussing Dao Domains, the Dao Seeker Realm, and the Saint Realm.

Li Hao mostly listened as Jiang Lichen and Ying Xiaoxiao began debating the path to sainthood.

Jiang Lichen had been inspired after witnessing the Buddha Lord’s attempt to leap directly from the Dao Seeker Realm to sainthood through the Ultimate Path.

“There are three paths to sainthood,” Ying Xiaoxiao explained, assuming Jiang Lichen was one of Li Hao’s followers. “One is the path of Incense Sainthood, another is the path of Sacrificial Sainthood, and the last is the path of Ultimate Sainthood.”

She continued, “You want to pursue the path of Sacrificial Sainthood? That’s the hardest path, requiring unparalleled insight.”

Jiang Lichen scoffed lightly between bites. “I like challenges. Once I’ve mastered the Way of the Sword, I’ll become a saint through the sacrifice of my blade and slay all who oppose me!”

Ying Xiaoxiao hesitated, then decided the old man might not be entirely sane. She turned her attention back to Li Hao.

“What about you? Which path do you plan to take?”

Li Hao, having listened to their discussion, had already understood the distinctions between the three paths.

Incense Sainthood was the most mainstream, with nearly 99% of saints achieving sainthood this way.

The second path, Sacrificial Sainthood, was the hardest, relying on pushing one’s Dao to its ultimate peak, transcending through sacrifice, and bypassing the need for incense. It was a path that relied entirely on personal enlightenment—a monumental feat that had defeated countless geniuses throughout history.

The last path, Ultimate Sainthood, was considered heretical. Like Incense Sainthood, it required gathering external energy, but instead of incense, it relied on negative forces such as resentment and slaughter.

This method, while easier in theory, was fraught with danger and was limited to specific bloodlines, such as those from Ying Xiaoxiao’s clan.

“I’ll decide when the time comes,” Li Hao replied thoughtfully.

Judging by the abilities granted by his attribute panel, he speculated that his path might align more with Sacrificial Sainthood, possibly through mastery of his physical body.

As their conversation continued, the group grew more familiar with each other. Though Jiang Lichen appeared erratic, he secretly transmitted a warning to Li Hao:

“These two might be from the Demon Race. Be careful.”

“The Demon Race?”

“Indeed. Ultimate Sainthood is an ancient, forbidden method. If a saint discovers them, they’ll bring disaster upon themselves.”

Li Hao was surprised but acknowledged the insight. Jiang Lichen might act like a madman, but his knowledge was formidable—no doubt a result of his royal upbringing.

“Demon Race or God Race, it makes no difference. As long as they mean us no harm,” Li Hao transmitted back.

Jiang Lichen considered this, then nodded. “Fair enough.”

He then returned to teaching Ren Qianqian sword techniques, leaving Li Hao to focus on his drawings. His Painting Dao experience continued to grow steadily.

Time flew by, and soon the small courtyard had two new occupants: an elder and a young woman.

Two days later, news arrived from the imperial capital: the Wang family had information about Feng Lao!

After reading the message, Li Hao grew excited. Feng Lao’s missing soul fragment had indeed been traced to the River of Death.

“Qianqian, stay here and keep practicing your sword techniques. Ninth Prince, are you coming with me to the Wang family?”

“The Wang family? No way,” Jiang Lichen replied impatiently, waving him off. “Go quickly and come back. I’ll take good care of your little disciple.”

“She’s not my disciple.”

“What’s the difference? Just go.”

Li Hao turned to Ying Xiaoxiao and the tea stall elder. By now, he had learned the elder’s name—Ying Lizhong—though he wasn’t sure if it was genuine.

“Will you two accompany me?”

Ying Lizhong glanced at the eager Ying Xiaoxiao and shook his head. “Miss, the Wang family’s surroundings are filled with the River of Death. Let’s not get involved in such chaos.”

Ying Xiaoxiao thought for a moment before agreeing. “Fine. We’ll wait here for your return.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave Feng Lao in your care, along with the Ninth Prince.”

Li Hao nodded. Though they hadn’t known each other long, he smiled faintly. After all, a shared drink of wine was enough for friendship; time wasn’t always necessary for trust.

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