Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 303

Volume 3 - Chapter 44: The Sage's Mark - Part 2

He sighed inwardly. Fortunately, the River of Death was created by Third Brother's obsession, so there shouldn’t be similar Rivers of Death in the future. Leaving this boy with a connection wouldn’t have any significant impact.

Besides, once Qingqing returns, perhaps this child will change his mind.

Ji Tianchao said, "It will have little effect."

"Exactly. You should give it a try first," Ji Daoxin immediately encouraged.

Seeing that both of them were in agreement, Li Hao thought for a moment and nodded.

As their discussion spread, everyone learned that this young man intended to test his martial arts limits using the Extreme Dao Monuments. Many were surprised.

Without delay, Ji Daoxin led Li Hao to the Extreme Dao Monuments. These were not far from Tiandao Mountain, situated on a steep slope resembling a half-broken bridge. Eight ancient, pitch-black stone monuments stood erect at the site.

“This is the Extreme Dao Monuments. All you need to do is exhibit your peak states for each stage of cultivation and attack the monuments. The Dao Rhythms embedded within them will detect and measure your limits,” Ji Daoxin explained warmly.

Li Hao glanced at the monuments and nodded slightly.

“From lowest to highest, the eight stages are Tongli Realm to Fourth Pillar Realm!” Ji Daoxin continued.

Li Hao’s heart stirred. The Fourth Pillar Realm also had a peak state?

He wondered what that might be, but unfortunately, he had not yet entered the Fourth Pillar Realm.

Although the Merit Treasury offered Dao Hearts for exchange, Li Hao had discovered during his exploration that Dao Hearts were not only extremely expensive but came with distinct rankings: the Huang-level Dao Heart cost 20,000 merit, while the Xuan-level Dao Heart cost 50,000 merit.

Indeed, from the Dao Heart descriptions in the Merit Treasury, Li Hao learned that Dao Hearts varied in quality. However, since those who reached the Fourth Pillar Realm within the Great Yu Divine Dynasty were already extremely rare, they were generally judged by strength rather than rank.

Like soul aspects, the majority of Dao Hearts were at the Huang level, with a few at the Xuan level. Lofty ambitions such as the pursuit of immortality or eternal renown were considered exceptional Dao Hearts. Once refined, they would greatly enhance one’s strength within the Dao Heart Realm.

More commonplace Dao Hearts might involve desires like family legacy or upholding virtues such as benevolence and propriety.

The Merit Treasury offered only a limited variety of Dao Hearts, and Li Hao had not found one that suited him, so he chose not to exchange for one.

After all, once exchanged, his mindset might be altered by external forces, and Li Hao was unsure if a changed self would still be truly himself.

Thus, he decided it was better to refine a Dao Heart on his own.

Although the Merit Treasury contained numerous treasures, Li Hao realized after browsing it that the truly top-tier items seemed scarce.

For example, extreme states of cultivation were available for exchange at the Divine Power Realm and Heaven and Earth Meridian levels, but they required an even greater amount of merit.

However, there were no options for the Earth Immortal Realm, let alone the Three Immortals Extreme Realm.

In other words, the Merit Treasury could help one ascend to the level of a prodigy, but achieving the pinnacle of excellence seemed to require personal comprehension. The most profound insights were rare.

The Merit Treasury, in essence, resembled a collection of condensed super-resources.

...

Li Hao refocused his thoughts and stood before the Extreme Dao Monuments.

The crowd outside Tiandao Mountain, hearing that Li Hao was about to test himself against the Extreme Dao Monuments, quickly gathered. Among them were many prodigies, including Ji Xuanshen.

Earlier, it had been evident that Li Hao had mastered three extreme states. Now, he was merely using the Extreme Dao Monuments to verify them again.

Wasting no time, Li Hao activated his extreme states one by one and began the test.

Divine Power, Heaven and Earth Meridian, Heaven and Earth Avatar!

The three extreme states appeared in quick succession. Li Hao struck three of the monuments consecutively, causing the pitch-black stones to ignite with black divine flames.

Despite already knowing that Li Hao had mastered three extreme states, the crowd's expressions subtly shifted upon witnessing the monuments ignite.

Li Hao bypassed the fourth and fifth monuments. At the moment, his mastery of the Dao of Royalty remained at the sixth stage. Without new techniques to integrate into his essence, he hadn’t advanced to the seventh stage. The Dao of Royalty significantly influenced the Wandering Spirit Realm and the Fifteen Li Realm, which he had yet to explore.

Even after advancing to the seventh stage of the Dao of Royalty, he would still require numerous top-tier soul-refining and object-manipulating techniques working in concert to ascend to the pinnacle.

Li Hao approached the sixth monument.

“He has a fourth extreme state?” Ji Xuanshen’s pupils contracted slightly at this realization.

Observing how Li Hao bypassed the fourth and fifth monuments without hesitation, it became clear to Ji Xuanshen that Li Hao was acutely aware of which extreme states he had mastered.

The other prodigies also noticed this, their expressions changing dramatically.

Li Hao wasted no time. Exhaling a stream of celestial energy, he struck the monument with a single punch.

The Dao Rhythms within the sixth monument seemed to capture this celestial energy instantly, causing it to erupt in blazing black divine flames!

The sight of Li Hao igniting the fourth monument left Ji Tianchao's eyes glowing as he clenched his fists silently in excitement.

Meanwhile, the gathered members of the Ji family stared in shock and disbelief at the scene before them.

As Ji family members, they naturally understood the significance of the Extreme Dao Monuments. Igniting even one monument signified a prodigy, and igniting two was a feat accomplished only by Ji Xuanshen among the current generation.

Yet this young man had ignited four in succession!

The burning black flames seemed to flicker in their eyes, reflecting expressions of utter astonishment.

...

At that moment, the black flames on the four monuments suddenly surged. The flames intertwined in the air, while the pitch-black monuments trembled slightly, revealing silver ancient characters on their surfaces.

The ancient characters seemed to be manifestations of Dao Rhythms, rotating and expanding until they shot into the sky, transforming into four silver pillars.

The silver pillars pierced the clouds, linking together with beams of silver light to form an ancient symbol. The symbol glimmered briefly before vanishing, as if retreating into the void.

Ji Daoxin, Ji Tianchao, and a few senior Ji family members widened their eyes, watching the void with anticipation and excitement.

The crowd further away was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

...

Before long, a radiant silver holy light pierced through the void, traversing what seemed like thousands of miles before descending upon Li Hao.

The ancient aura of a sage spread forth, reminiscent of the ethereal yet majestic presence Ji Xuanshen exuded when activating his Sacred Bones.

It felt as though a mere wisp of this aura could sever mountains and rivers!

“That’s… the aura of a Sage!”

“Is a Sage descending?”

The Ji family members widened their eyes in disbelief.

Even Ji Xuanshen was stunned, having never seen such a phenomenon before.

Enveloped in the holy light, Li Hao felt as if he were soaking in a warm spring, an incredibly comfortable sensation. Then, he heard a faint, indistinct voice:

“I am waiting for you.”

The voice transformed into a thought Li Hao could comprehend, embedding itself in his mind.

When he looked again, the light had dissipated, and the world returned to normal.

Yet a silver mark glowed faintly on Li Hao’s forehead before disappearing into his body.

As the mark settled within him, a stream of information surfaced in Li Hao’s mind. It depicted a towering figure seated in a celestial realm bathed in radiant light and divine energy.

The figure exuded boundless Dao might, embraced by the laws of the universe itself.

Just a single glance inspired awe.

That was… a Sage!

In the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, Sages were widely regarded as the ultimate goal for countless martial artists.

Within the dynasty, Sages had long since vanished, relegated to legend, save for the living Sage of Qiandao Palace, who protected the Great Yu realm.

Yet now, Li Hao had seen a living Sage who had bestowed upon him the Mark of a Disciple.

The mark contained not only the Sage’s location but also the pathway to reach him.

By activating the mark, Li Hao could meet the Sage, learn under him, and listen to his teachings on the Dao!

Moreover, the Sage had left behind a trace of his power within the mark. When activated, this power would be a life-saving talisman, even capable of withstanding attacks from those in the Dao Seeker Realm.

Li Hao’s eyes flickered as he sensed the mark settle into his Sea of Consciousness. With a mere thought, he could meet the Sage—a truly unparalleled opportunity.

Yet, Li Hao did not plan to activate it now. Too many matters remained unresolved.

It seemed the Sage understood this, too, as his parting words had been: “I am waiting for you.”

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