Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 237

Volume 3 - Chapter 7: The Fourth Stage of Body Refinement, Measuring Bones! - Part 2

Although this Fourth Master wasn’t exactly an outsider, there were some secrets best kept to oneself.

Li Hao had come early to begin refining his body and nurturing his bones and muscles ahead of time.

His original body had reached the seventh stage of the Body Refining Dao, using his physical body to break through the Three Immortals Realm. He mastered numerous Body Refining Techniques, cultivating them to their true forms, even surpassing them to reach a transcendent level!

His understanding of the physical body could be said to be unparalleled, ranking among the very best in the thousand-year history of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty's martial artists.

Those who could surpass him were exceedingly rare—if they even existed at all.

After all, pure body refiners had long been recognized throughout history to reach their limit at the Zhoutian Realm.

Those who could achieve the Soul Fusion Realm were anomalies, rare phenomena that defied explanation.

In other words, the Soul Fusion Realm was the ultimate limit for pure body refiners. But Li Hao had reached the Three Immortals Realm!

Li Xiaoran’s earlier statements about the dangers of body cultivation were largely correct, but Li Hao was an exception.

The prohibition against cultivating before the age of six stemmed from issues with body refining techniques.

Most techniques imposed physical strain, especially Body Refining Techniques, which could cause direct harm to the body. Poor cultivation could lead to disabilities at best and paralysis or death at worst.

For example, a technique like Iron Sand Palm required the practitioner to repeatedly grind their palms in iron sand, applying medicinal salves to build thick calluses. Over time, iron particles would embed themselves in the pores and calluses, eventually creating hardness and strength comparable to iron itself.

But this was a low-grade technique of no significant value—it yielded limited results while causing serious harm to the body.

On the other hand, high-grade and absolute-grade Body Refining Techniques activated the potential hidden within flesh and blood through technique alone. Supplemented by Treasure Herbs, these techniques could maximize the body’s latent potential, tempering muscles, bones, and flesh to enhance the practitioner's strength.

At higher levels of cultivation, the techniques themselves could draw on the essence of heaven and earth to refine the body.

However, such methods inevitably placed enormous pressure on the practitioner’s body.

Although Li Hao had forgotten many of the intricate insights of the Body Refining Dao's seventh stage, he still remembered that among the numerous Body Refining Techniques he had mastered in his previous life, there was one that placed no burden on the body and even nurtured the bones.

It was like recalling an essay prompt from a test paper: he couldn’t remember the specific title or details of his response, but he clearly remembered the three words “essay prompt.”

After all, even university students are human.

Now, if he could raise his Body Refining Dao to a high stage and gather enough techniques, he might be able to use his insights to reconstruct that nurturing technique.

In doing so, he could nourish his body ahead of time, absorb more exotic blood, and make his future cultivation journey smoother!

“Fine.”

Seeing Li Hao so determined, Li Xiaoran no longer tried to stop him.

Although Li Hao appeared to be a mere four-year-old, the Li Hao outside this unique space was already fifteen and mature enough to make his own decisions. Li Xiaoran didn’t interfere much.

“I’m going to accelerate time. When you see me again, I might appear to be in a dreamlike state. Don’t mind it,” Li Xiaoran said.

Li Hao nodded in response, curiosity flickering in his heart. When he shifted through time, what did others perceive of him?

This was a perfect opportunity to observe, thanks to Li Xiaoran’s time acceleration.

...

Soon, Li Hao saw Li Xiaoran close his eyes.

Moments later, Li Xiaoran opened them again, a warm, elder-like smile appearing on his face. “You can stay here and read. I’m heading upstairs,” he said.

With that, he turned and ascended the stairs.

Li Hao watched him leave, noting a subtle difference between the current Li Xiaoran and the one from moments ago.

Though the change was slight, a direct comparison within such a short time made it easier to notice.

In simple terms, the present Li Xiaoran seemed more natural, like a younger version of himself.

By contrast, the earlier Li Xiaoran’s demeanor while speaking with Li Hao had subtle imperfections—a poorly disguised facade.

This realization struck a chord with Li Hao. It seemed his usual disguises might also have minor flaws compared to his state during time acceleration.

Yet, these flaws added a touch of authenticity.

Drawing his focus back, Li Hao began flipping through the bookshelves.

Having spent much time in the Tingyu Pavilion, he was familiar with its layout, remembering where many techniques were stored—even down to the floor and shelf number.

But this version of the pavilion, from Li Tianzong’s era, contained techniques Li Hao hadn’t seen before.

Fortunately, the changes weren’t significant enough to hinder him. He picked up a book and began reading.

Starting with low-grade Body Refining Techniques made sense; they were easier to understand.

Once he reached the entry level, the Body Refining Dao would appear on his status panel, enabling him to directly allocate points. At that point, studying high-grade techniques would be simpler, as entry would come naturally.

It didn’t take long for Li Hao to finish reading his first low-grade technique.

Coincidentally, the book he chose was the same one he had first cultivated in his past life: Stone Skin Hundred Refinements.

As he gained entry to the technique, his status panel displayed new information:

Body Refining Dao: Uninitiated (Points Available)

Technique: Stone Skin Hundred Refinements (Uninitiated)

Artistry Points: 4

Without hesitation, Li Hao allocated his points to the Body Refining Dao, one by one.

With each point, a flood of information surged into his mind. Li Hao absorbed the knowledge patiently, allocating points only after fully assimilating the previous influx.

Through this process of point allocation and gradual absorption, he spent half an hour advancing the Body Refining Dao to the fourth stage!

The painted heart, consumed by the Body Refining Dao, shattered the bottleneck blocking his progress.

At just four years old, Li Hao had reached the fourth stage of the Body Refining Dao!

The thought astounded him—if he started cultivating now, his potential would be terrifying!

But he restrained himself, knowing that early cultivation would burden his body and slow his mid-term progress.

As Li Xiaoran had mentioned, five years old was the ideal starting age.

In his past life, Li Hao had begun cultivating shortly after turning five. By the time other children were still waiting to begin at six, he had already reached the peak of the Tongli Realm.

This early start had imposed some imperceptible strain on his body. But when he later advanced to the seventh stage of the Body Refining Dao and the Three Immortals Realm, these subtle injuries had naturally healed.

Now, in the River of Death, Li Hao was confident he could once again reach the Three Immortals Realm. However, there was no need to rush. By nurturing his bones first and waiting until age six to begin cultivation, he could achieve even greater progress in a single leap.

Glancing at his status panel, Li Hao saw that Stone Skin Hundred Refinements had been advanced to Golden Skin Thousand Refinements, now classified as an absolute-grade Body Refining Technique.

Not only that, but its level had reached True Form!

A faint smile appeared on Li Hao’s lips as he eagerly searched for more Body Refining Techniques.

This time, his speed increased significantly. He skimmed through numerous techniques at a rapid pace, absorbing their knowledge.

For most low-grade techniques, he only needed a brief glance to gain entry, allowing the status panel to record them.

Once recorded, the techniques were automatically elevated to high-grade versions, reaching the level of True Form.

Like a whirlwind, Li Hao devoured the knowledge of the Body Refining Techniques stored in the Tingyu Pavilion, absorbing them voraciously.

As more techniques were added to his repertoire, his memories filled with even more insights.

Despite being only four years old, his body and consciousness began to feel the strain of exhaustion.

However, Li Hao gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay awake. Falling asleep now would likely mean awakening as a five-year-old.

He was determined to reconstruct the nurturing technique on his own before his bones were measured.

With each new technique absorbed, the Body Refining Dao worked autonomously, combining and refining the techniques into new ones.

Every few techniques added would result in a new derivative, which would then quickly reach the levels of Perfection or True Form.

Finally, as he teetered on the brink of exhaustion, his status panel revealed a newly derived technique: Starlight Nourishment Technique.

The moment he saw it, Li Hao’s eyes lit up with excitement.

This was it!

His heart filled with joy—he hadn’t expected the fourth stage of the Body Refining Dao to be capable of reconstructing this technique.

He had been concerned that absorbing all the techniques in this pavilion might still leave his insights insufficient to recreate it.

Given his current state, he lacked the energy to remain conscious and gain one more Artistry Point for further development.

After all, his body and consciousness were still those of an untrained four-year-old child.

Even so, relying on sheer willpower, Li Hao resisted the pull of sleep and sat down in the pavilion, slowly activating the newly derived technique.

This technique was most effective when practiced at night, as it drew upon the starlight of the heavens to nourish and refine the body.

Unlike other Body Refining Techniques, it didn’t induce immediate transformation but instead worked gradually. The starlight would purify the body, removing impurities day by day. Over time, it would leave the body clear and strong, with bones infused with hidden starforce.

After completing one cycle of the technique, Li Hao could resist no longer. Without even pausing to examine the changes in his body, he fell into a deep sleep.

...

When Li Hao awoke, he was startled by a commotion nearby.

Opening his eyes, he found himself standing blankly in a courtyard, with an elderly man with white hair and a youthful complexion nearby.

The man’s face seemed familiar—it was the Mount Qingqiu Daoist who had measured the bones of several generations of the Li family.

Mount Qingqiu was located beyond the borders of Qingzhou, while this was Dragon City. As Li Xiaoran had explained, the fusion of Li Tianzong’s memories had brought many unexpected elements into this world. Such phenomena could not be casually explored, as doing so risked destabilizing the integration—or worse, exposing himself.

“This... this...”

The elderly Daoist, normally calm and composed, was now staring at Li Hao in shock, stumbling over his words.

In the courtyard, other members of the Li family were present, including Li Tianzong, Chen Hefang, and several of Li Hao’s older brothers.

Standing farthest back was Li Hongzhuang, now three years old, her hair tied into small buns as she gazed curiously at the scene with wide eyes.

“What is it?”

Li Tianzong’s brows furrowed as he noticed the Daoist’s reaction. His expression darkened. “Speak plainly. There’s no need to hold back.”

The stern look on his face carried an air of authority, accumulated over years of leadership. The Daoist quickly composed himself and exclaimed:

“This is a great joy, Your Grace—a truly auspicious event!”

“What?”

Li Tianzong looked at him with suspicion. If he didn’t know the Daoist hailed from Mount Qingqiu, he might have mistaken him for a midwife announcing a birth.

“Stop beating around the bush. You’ve seen ninth-class battle bodies before. The members of the Li family are all exceptional—what’s there to be so astonished about?”

Li Tianzong scolded, his tone sharp. “Just tell me directly—how is Xiao Shi’s bone measurement?”

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