Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 233

Volume 3 - Chapter 5: Foundation Building, An Unparalleled Talent - Part 2

In the courtyard, Li Hao was soaking in a large medicinal barrel.

Now, he was three years old.

In the Divine General Mansion, the cultivation process refined over thousands of years determined the optimal sequence: building the foundation at three, blood fusion at four, bone-measuring at five, and formal cultivation at six.

Starting cultivation too early could damage the bones, hindering physical growth and producing counterproductive results.

Li Hao had accelerated his timeline to reach the age of three specifically for foundation building.

If foundation building failed, he would have more time to focus on other matters.

At this moment, many figures were gathered in the courtyard.

His "mother," Chen Hefang, and his "father," Li Tianzong, were present.

So were his brothers, along with his one-year-old sister, Li Hongzhuang, who had just learned to walk.

Foundation building was a major event. Li Tianzong had personally come to oversee Li Hao's progress. Other brothers arrived as well, and for the first time, Li Hao saw his eldest uncle, second uncle, and third uncle—youthful and childlike figures.

Some exuded heroic energy despite their tender age, while others displayed nascent courage between their brows.

Li Hao paid little attention to most of them but felt some nervousness when facing his "father," Li Tianzong.

Li Xiaoran had warned him that Li Tianzong was self-aware, capable of unpredictable behavior. Under no circumstances could Li Hao reveal any flaws in front of him.

"Light the incense," Li Tianzong instructed.

A middle-aged steward responded respectfully, inserting a stick of incense into a nearby burner.

Li Hao recognized him as Uncle Zhao—only younger, with a straighter back.

A pang of inexplicable familiarity and sadness washed over him. Suddenly, he felt as though he had left something behind when he departed the mansion long ago.

Memories and bonds—precious fragments of his past.

Was Uncle Zhao still well these days? Did the maidservant Qingzhi still chatter incessantly? Without anyone telling him bedtime stories, had Yuanzhao been eating well and cultivating properly?

...

"How fast!"

Li Tianzong's exclamation snapped Li Hao out of his thoughts.

Startled, Li Hao looked down into the medicinal barrel.

Within the dark medicinal liquid, darker strands of fluid were converging toward his body.

Li Hao froze.

He blinked several times and summoned his system interface but found no indication that he couldn't absorb the medicinal liquid.

What was going on?

Confusion spread through him.

To his knowledge, he should have been immune to absorbing the medicinal liquid, relying solely on the system's point allocation instead.

But now, he could distinctly feel waves of scorching, peculiar energy flowing into his body, making him uncomfortably warm.

Was this what foundation building felt like?

Was he actually building his foundation?

Li Hao was dumbfounded, then alarmed. Was his system malfunctioning?

Repeated checks revealed no issues; the interface still appeared whenever summoned.

Could it be due to the River of Death?

The River of Death was extraordinarily mysterious, with its origins unknown and impossible to investigate.

Puzzled, Li Hao suddenly thought he understood the reason.

The system blocked the absorption of medicinal liquid by his original body.

But his current infant body was not truly his—it was a form created within the River of Death.

Li Xiaoran had previously mentioned that after leaving the River of Death, he could carry the martial comprehension gained here back to the outside world, but his actual cultivation level would not synchronize with his physical body.

In other words, if his cultivation here was weak, his original body's realm would remain unchanged. If his cultivation here was strong, it still wouldn't carry over.

The cultivation realm achieved within this place was nontransferable, with only martial comprehension integrated into his memories and thoughts capable of being taken outside.

As such, the medicinal liquid wasn't technically absorbed by his original body but rather by the one in the River of Death. Thus, the system's blockade wasn't triggered.

Well, though he now understood the reason, Li Hao didn't feel particularly happy.

He had merely solved a minor mystery.

"Still, I can use this opportunity to see how far I can push my limits by combining the medicinal liquid's effects with the system's point allocation," Li Hao thought to himself.

As the medicinal liquid poured into his body, he felt his flesh and blood grow feverish, his small frame surging with an overwhelming sense of power.

So, this was what foundation building felt like... Li Hao found the sensation immensely satisfying, as if his entire body were being massaged.

While Li Hao indulged in this comfort, those outside—Li Tianzong, Chen Hefang, and the others—were stunned.

Even Li Hao's "brothers," who had completed their own foundation building ahead of schedule, were astonished as they watched the changes in the medicinal barrel.

The speed surpassed theirs by a wide margin.

"How fast! Will it be fully absorbed within the time it takes for one incense stick to burn?" Li Xingbei, the eldest, remarked.

"He's much faster than me—much faster than Ninth Brother. It's incredible!" Li Fengping, the second eldest, exclaimed.

Li Tianzong watched the dark liquid in the barrel grow paler as it flowed into Li Hao's body like a dragon drawing water. After his initial shock, his face broke into a delighted smile.

"Good, good, good! As expected of my son!"

He laughed heartily, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at Li Hao.

Li Hao, meanwhile, continued enjoying the sensation.

In just half the time it took for one incense stick to burn, the medicinal liquid in the barrel was fully absorbed, leaving it clear.

Li Tianzong had already instructed Uncle Zhao to bring a second barrel, which was promptly poured in for Li Hao.

After absorbing three barrels in succession, Li Hao’s body finally reached its limit.

Even Li Tianzong was left astonished, muttering, “That’s twice as much as Ninth Brother needed!”

Li Hao felt his body, which now felt as light as a swallow. This first day of foundation building had already brought profound changes, dramatically enhancing his physical constitution.

Without pausing, Li Hao closed his eyes briefly, fast-forwarding through the next five days.

While it was quite a leap, he sensed that during these skipped days, his body had been fully focused on absorbing the foundation-building medicinal liquid.

Satisfied, Li Hao closed his eyes once more, speeding up time even further, with each blink spanning several days. He periodically checked his body to ensure everything progressed as expected before resuming the accelerated jumps.

Time flew by, and soon, an entire year had passed.

At four years old, it was time for blood fusion.

Owing to Li Hao’s extraordinary talent, Li Tianzong went to great lengths, slaying a demon king and obtaining its precious blood for Li Hao’s refinement.

The demon king’s blood was heavily diluted for an initial trial.

For most families of great wealth, even using the blood of heaven-and-man realm demons for blood fusion was considered extravagant.

Only the elite disciples of top-tier sects used blood from the three immortals’ realm.

As for demon king blood, it was scarcely used—first, because it was too precious and difficult to acquire; and second, because its potency was too overwhelming. Children as young as four often couldn’t endure it and risked being corrupted, turning into half-demons.

Li Tianzong proceeded cautiously, providing only a small amount at first.

But once again, Li Hao’s absorption speed astounded everyone. The diluted demon king blood was swiftly integrated into his body.

"Good, good, good!"

Li Tianzong could hardly contain his joy, his laughter booming as he praised his youngest son’s unparalleled talent. In his view, Li Hao was unquestionably the most gifted prodigy in the Li family in the past thousand years!

At four years old, having undergone blood fusion, Li Hao was still just a child, but his body now exuded raw strength.

Li Hao stopped accelerating time, choosing instead to fast-forward only during idle moments when he wasn’t soaking in the blood. During his free time, he sought out Uncle Zhao and asked him to procure a chessboard.

Though surprised by Li Hao’s unusual request, Uncle Zhao, doting on the exceptionally talented young master, didn’t hesitate and arranged for one to be purchased.

Li Hao then retreated to his small courtyard. When not composing poetry, he brought out brush and paper, secluding himself in a side room to practice painting.

The courtyard was quieter than usual, as most of his "brothers" had gone to the martial arts arena. Only Li Hao and his two-year-old sister, Li Hongzhuang, remained in the yard.

For reasons unknown, the little girl clung to Li Hao incessantly. Even when he slipped into the side room to paint in secret, the little one managed to find him.

Seeing the small child, who in reality was his aunt, running toward him while calling him "Brother" in her soft, sweet voice, Li Hao felt an odd mix of helplessness and amusement.

He couldn’t figure out how, during his rapid time-skipping, he and this little girl had become so close. Yet, her fondness for him was unmistakable.

Resigned, he fetched some snacks to keep her quietly occupied while he continued his painting.

This familiar scenario reminded Li Hao of a time long ago, back in another courtyard, when he played chess and painted with a little "tail" following him around.

But that "tail" had been severed long ago.

Li Hao shook his head slightly, setting aside the wistfulness as he focused on his brushwork.

...

Just as he became deeply engrossed in his painting, his artistic experience rapidly increasing, the door to the side room suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

Li Tianzong’s towering figure entered the room. His sharp gaze swept over the scene, landing on Li Hao and Li Hongzhuang.

His eyes flickered, settling on Li Hao. "What are you doing?"

Li Hao’s heart skipped a beat instinctively. Since he had been caught in the act, there was no use hiding it. Resigned, he replied, “Painting.”

Li Tianzong glanced at the painting on the easel. The sternness in his expression softened slightly as he said:

“If you want to paint, then paint. But why hide here and make your mother search all over for you?”

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