Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 243

Volume 3 - Chapter 11: The Beginning of the Extreme Realm

“We shed blood to keep the common people from bleeding. Don’t spout nonsense about sacrificing ourselves meaninglessly.”

Li Tianzong spoke irritably.

Then, turning to Li Hao, he said, “Call him Fifth Uncle. Remember, when you achieve great things in the future, if I’m no longer here, you must take care of your Fifth Uncle and treat him the same way you would treat me.”

Li Hao nodded. “I understand.”

The crisp reply caught Li Qingzheng’s attention. He turned slightly to glance at the child. When his gaze fell on Li Hao’s delicate and refined features, and he noticed the boy watching him in return, his expression grew somewhat unnatural.

With a light snort, he turned away. “Hurry inside and stop babbling nonsense with your son.”

Li Tianzong chuckled and led Li Hao into the ancestral hall.

Inside the ancestral hall, Li Hao looked up at the numerous ancestral tablets. They appeared almost exactly as he had imagined.

To inherit the true dragon’s legacy, one must first make a heart vow.

Li Hao had previously asked Li Xiaoran about this. The heart vow was confined to the River of Death; it could not be taken outside. The only things that could leave were the time and memories spent here.

This meant that martial insights gained or techniques created and refined here could indeed be carried out of the River of Death.

Now, in front of the ancestral tablets, Li Tianzong guided Li Hao through the heart vow.

Swearing allegiance to the Li family, defending it, and carrying it forward.

Li Hao repeated every word of the vow taught by Li Tianzong. To pass through the River of Death, the main task required was to assist Li Tianzong in defending Dragon City.

Thus, the vow forbidding harm to the Li family was of no issue to Li Hao.

When the oath was complete, a divine light radiated from the ancestral tablets. Shortly after, Li Tianzong exited the ancestral hall, leaving Li Hao inside to receive the ancestral blessing.

Previously, Li Hao had forged his soul with the heavens and earth, condensing his soul aspect 360 times to its utmost limit, thereby forming an extreme realm manifestation of the heavens and earth.

Now, as the ancestral divine light enveloped him, it began refining his bones, strengthening his blood, and fortifying his soul.

Each of his realms was reforged beyond the limits even supreme-grade techniques could provide.

With this ancestral refinement, the true dragon of the Li family could rival, or even surpass, the prodigies of the imperial clan in the same realm.

Only a crown prince of the imperial clan, bestowed with special inheritances, could surpass the true dragon of the Five Divine General Mansions.

“Hm? What formidable physique!”

“This child’s body is as strong as iron—has he entered the path through body refinement?”

The ancestors surrounding Li Hao were startled when they refined his bones.

Li Hao’s skeleton radiated divine light and did not resemble mortal bones. Even with their refinement, his physical form surpassed their expectations.

That he had achieved this level through his own cultivation was astonishing.

As the ancestral power poured into him, Li Hao felt his entire body relax. His blood seemed infused with a golden-red divine aura, soothing him to his core, like countless tiny hands massaging his muscles and meridians.

“This soul aspect…”

Soon, the ancestors observed Li Hao’s soul aspect concealed within his sea of consciousness. It resembled a towering giant deity, shocking them all.

“This is the heavens and earth manifestation, the fabled ancient sacred soul!”

The first-generation ancestor, Li Tianyuan, spoke in awe.

The other ancestors exchanged stunned glances, finding it hard to believe as they gazed at Li Hao.

The entire ancestral hall trembled.

After a brief discussion, they resolved to attempt further refinement for Li Hao.

However, his heavens and earth manifestation was so vast and compact that even with the golden radiance of their collective power, it proved difficult to refine.

“Could it be that his manifestation has already reached its limit?”

One ancestor voiced doubt.

Li Tianyuan shook his head gravely. “It seems not yet. I can sense that our power is penetrating him and being absorbed. It’s just that our strength is insufficient. He seems to have reached a bottleneck that needs to be broken through.”

“In that case, let’s try again.”

The ancestors quickly conferred and made a decision.

Divine light burst forth, filling the ancestral hall with golden-red radiance as they unleashed their combined spiritual energy.

Li Hao felt the power surrounding him grow exponentially stronger.

He was momentarily stunned. In his understanding, his heavens and earth manifestation had already been refined 360 times, which he believed to be the limit. Yet the ancestors claimed it could be pushed further?

He recalled the state of divine power, where one million jin of strength was the threshold, yet his physical strength still had room for improvement.

He had suspected then that the extreme realm might not truly be the limit.

Now, it seemed he was correct.

But what lay beyond the heavens and earth manifestation? What was the true limit?

And after the Earth Immortal Realm, could an even more transcendent level be achieved?

Could it be true transformation into an immortal?

As Li Hao pondered, divine light bathed him completely. The ancestors, their spiritual energy weakening, wore determined expressions as they infused power into his manifestation.

Suddenly, Li Hao felt a faint tremor in his manifestation. Then, astonishingly, the number of soul condensations reached 361.

Although it was only one additional refinement, Li Hao felt as if a bottleneck had shattered, and a surge of power rushed in from all directions, merging him with the heavens and earth.

Immersed in this sensation, Li Hao realized for the first time the true strength of the heavens and earth manifestation. It was not merely an amplification of power but a conduit to draw upon greater forces. If paired with the Earth and Heaven Meridian, his combat strength would multiply.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that the golden light around many of the ancestors’ souls had dimmed, with only a few retaining a faint glow, much weaker than before.

“Child, this is all we can do for you.”

Ancestor Li Tianyuan spoke gently. “If we continue any further, we may completely burn ourselves out and still fail to fill your potential.”

“But that’s all right. You’ve already surpassed those in the same realm. You’ve stepped into a broader world. In the future, as you cultivate other top-tier soul-condensing techniques, you’ll be able to refine yourself to even higher levels.”

Li Hao nodded, seeing the ancestor’s frailty and sighing internally. “I understand.”

“Our refinement used tenfold effort for only one-tenth the effect. If you were to cultivate on your own, it would be much easier. This is merely the beginning,” another ancestor added.

“The future of the Li family rests on your shoulders.”

The other ancestors spoke as well. Although their spiritual energy was greatly weakened, their voices were steady and firm.

“I will do my best to defend Dragon City,” Li Hao replied softly.

The ancestors said no more, continuing to strengthen his Spiritual Wandering Realm and Fifteen Li Realm. However, the enhancements were limited.

Even in the Bone Refining Realm, their assistance only increased Li Hao’s physical strength by an additional 100,000 jin.

For ordinary cultivators, the blessings of the true dragon were immense. For Li Hao, however, seeking more techniques would yield even greater power.

The greatest revelation this time was understanding that 360 refinements of the heavens and earth manifestation were not the limit, and the so-called extreme realm was only the beginning of the extreme.

However, this so-called beginning was something that only a very few individuals within the Great Yu Divine Dynasty had ever touched upon in thousands of years.

Moreover, not every realm could reach the starting point of the extreme.

...

With the inheritance of the true dragon, Li Hao gained more freedom. His needs became the foremost priority of the Li family.

Li Tianzong sought out numerous techniques for Li Hao, accelerating his cultivation progress.

Li Hao, on the other hand, no longer went to the training grounds. Instead, he stayed within his courtyard, focusing on cultivation.

His days were spent cooking and painting, and his artistic skills improved rapidly.

As he absorbed various techniques, Li Hao opened all his major meridians—108 of them, along with the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians—eventually opening the Earth and Heaven Meridian.

His divine soul refining and object manipulation techniques were also strengthened. If he could leave the River of Death safely, his Spiritual Wandering Realm and Fifteen Li Realm would see even further enhancement, as the memories of cultivation here could be carried outside.

At eleven years old, Li Hao successfully stepped into the Grandmaster Extreme Realm and became an Earth Immortal.

Combining the Earth and Heaven Meridian with the transformation into an immortal, he attempted to push the boundaries of natural laws. This attempt revealed fragments of past cultivation insights, allowing him to perceive his prior training in a deeper, almost nostalgic way.

This realization greatly assisted him in comprehending his state of mind.

Now, Li Hao was focusing on mastering the Culinary Dao to reach the "Spirit Entry" level.

He needed to reach this level by the age of eighteen to step into the Three Immortals Realm.

...

While Li Hao grew rapidly, the demonic disturbances outside Dragon City began to stir unease.

The harmony and lively atmosphere within the Divine General Mansion diminished. Many evenings, Li Tianzong could be seen staring blankly at maps and military strategy books, letting his meals grow cold.

The eldest son, Li Xingbei, and the second son, Li Fengping, donned armor and went to serve on the front lines, guarding the city walls.

When they returned occasionally, they carried a heavy aura of bloodshed, clearly having faced numerous battles.

As time passed, more members of the family left Qinglian Courtyard. Some ventured out into the wider world, while others took up posts defending Dragon City. The courtyard grew emptier.

Li Hongzhuang, now nine years old, was measured to have a Ninth-Class Battle Body, showcasing exceptional talent.

Yet Li Tianzong, looking at his only daughter, decided against letting her train in martial arts. He wished for her to live the life of an ordinary girl, to marry and enjoy a peaceful existence.

While martial arts could offer protection, they also invited turmoil.

For instance, in a disaster at a frontier city, someone without martial training would not feel compelled to rush to its defense.

Once one stepped onto the martial path, it became difficult to escape the cycle of strife and responsibility.

Li Hao understood Li Tianzong’s perspective. Looking at the future Li Hongzhuang, who defended Tianmen Pass and nearly lost her life, it was clear that without martial training, her life could have been much more comfortable.

With the Li family’s wealth and status, her marital family would not dare mistreat her. At the very least, she could have lived a life of peace and luxury.

However, the present Li Hongzhuang was still embroidering in her room. But the future Li Hongzhuang had already taken up her sword and stepped onto the battlefield. This seemed to be the fate ingrained in the Li family’s bloodline.

Li Hao did not know how Li Hongzhuang’s childhood had been in the outside world, but he speculated it was much the same as it was now—embroidering and behaving like a proper young lady. Yet all of this was shattered when the demons invaded, and the nine sons of the Li family fell one after another in defense of the city.

Li Hao took a deep breath. He knew that as he continued to grow, the events here would soon converge with that history.

At thirteen, Li Hao successfully reached the "Spirit Entry" level in the Culinary Dao.

The sheer strength of his cultivation reduced the River of Death’s influence on him, and the vague familiarity he felt from past insights aided him in this accomplishment.

With his progress, Li Hao stepped into the Three Immortals Realm. This rapid development brought delight to Li Tianzong, whose temples had begun graying in the past two years. His worry lines eased significantly.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Hao expressed his desire to leave Dragon City and slay demons.

He had discussed this idea with Li Xiaoran, believing that if he grew strong enough, he could reduce the number of demons in advance, lessening the burden on the city when the day of defense arrived.

Li Tianzong hesitated at first, but Li Xiaoran offered to protect Li Hao in secret. Seeing this, Li Tianzong agreed and temporarily entrusted the management of Tingyu Pavilion to the third son, Li Xuanli.

By now, Li Xiaoran had found his Dao heart, reaching the Dao Heart Realm. Looking at the thirteen-year-old Li Hao, who had already stepped into the Three Immortals Realm, Li Xiaoran couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. The boy’s progress here was faster than outside the River of Death.

Yet in this realm, Li Hao still had to sleep and eat, meaning time often skipped forward abruptly.

Altogether, they had been in the River of Death for less than a month.

“Now that you’re here to help, we can start by eliminating the demons lurking within the city,” Li Xiaoran suggested.

At this moment, Li Hao’s strength was nearly identical to his original self outside the River of Death.

Li Hao had no objections. The sense of familiarity in his power gave him confidence.

This time, in addition to hunting demon kings to ease the future burden of defending Dragon City, Li Hao also intended to use the blood and corpses of these demons to test a sinister technique he had been developing through his insights here.

...

As Li Hao stepped out of the Divine General Mansion, golden light coalesced before his eyes, forming the characters of the River of Death’s system:

Activate Secondary Side Quest: Exploration.

Quest Completion Progress: 0%.

Li Hao was slightly surprised but quickly realized that this might be his first time consciously leaving the Divine General Mansion.

As for whether he had left during the skipped time, he had no way of knowing.

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