Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1719 Chapter 434: Thirty Years of Sun and Moon_3

It has been quite some time since I felt the touch of rain, especially since I began my journey of cultivation. I haven't been caught in a downpour for a very long while.

"The melody of the rain..."

A flicker of sudden realization appeared in Li Hao's eyes. As the pitter-patter echoed in his ears, he wondered if this, too, was a form of musical rhythm?

"Thunder, clouds, and falling rain... True music isn't limited to instruments; its very soul is found within rhythm."

Li Hao spoke these words softly to himself.

His Musical Rhythm Dao, which had been stuck at a plateau for ages, finally surged forward through this moment of insight, reaching the Ninth Stage.

Skill Points increased: 1.

Total: 4 points.

As the Chaos Rain ceased, the heavens above Extreme Dao Mountain cleared, returning to their brilliant and transparent state. The rain that had soaked the earth transformed into thick clusters of immortal power, which the disciples on the mountain began to consume with greed.

Following this massive influx of energy, disciples across the various training grounds sat cross-legged to begin the process of refining the immortal power.

Li Hao also pulled back his gaze, a faint smile touching his lips as a flood of Musical Rhythm Dao insights filled his mind.

Reaching out, he gathered a sphere of water, coating the strings of his zither before he started to play.

The notes vibrating from the water-drenched strings sounded entirely different than they had before.

Hearing Li Hao’s performance, Shi Miao was visibly startled. She felt the music pierce straight to the soul, sounding incredibly beautiful and bringing a profound sense of peace and relaxation.

"Even the snapping of burning timber can be a beautiful song."

"The shifting of falling sand is its own kind of music as well."

Li Hao realized his perspective on music had expanded; it was no longer restricted to physical instruments.

Reaching the Tenth Stage of Musical Rhythm from the Ninth would mean becoming transcendent and stepping into the Saint Realm!

"You have broken through to the Fourth Level of the Immortal Monarch Realm."

Shi Miao offered Li Hao a smile.

Li Hao simply nodded; he remained composed regarding his advancement in realms, viewing it with a calm indifference.

The river of time flowed on.

Three years later, Li Hao's Poetry and Books Dao also shattered its Sixth Stage bottleneck. It reached the Seventh Stage Heart Realm, officially advancing to the Seventh Stage.

While the trials in the Chaos Dojo persisted, the number of observers began to dwindle. Most disciples didn't want to squander their time watching endless duels, and Li Hao's streak of victories over the years had earned him widespread respect. Even members of the Chaos Ancient Clan, though some spoke with bitter tongues, had to acknowledge his growing reputation.

Because of the concealed rankings and the fact that Li Hao stopped his progress after merging nine Chaos Daos, the outside world eventually grew accustomed to his previous feats.

By Li Hao's tenth year in this place.

His Poetry and Books Dao had also reached the Ninth Stage. Just like his Musical Rhythm, it was now stalled at the threshold of the Tenth Stage Heart Realm.

A massive chasm exists between the Ninth and Tenth Stages. When Li Hao’s Artistic Path previously hit the Tenth Stage, it became transcendent and entered the Saint Realm, manifesting grand phenomena that signaled his ascension to a Saint.

Anything below the Tenth Stage belongs to the mortal world; the Tenth Stage is where the saintly begins.

As Li Hao immersed himself in the Musical Rhythm, over at Sea Cliff within the Chaos Sea, several figures began to depart, making their way back to the island's central hall.

The Chaos Immortal Emperor scanned his disciples, noting that their Dao Hearts had been tempered. They had moved from the middle-tier of the eternal level to the top-tier, no longer swayed by the distractions of the world.

"You may go."

He gave them his blessing to seek further wisdom within the Chaotic Star.

"Throughout these ten years, his avatar has done nothing but fight in that Chaos Dojo, ignoring his actual cultivation. He shouldn't have paid any mind to those petty provocations; those battles are meaningless."

The sisters from the Ghost Tribe remained at Sea Cliff, whispering among themselves. Ming Yue was there too; her Dao Heart had not yet reached the top-tier eternal level, unlike the Su Family sisters who had already left.

"Hmph!"

Ming Yue let out a cold snort at their words. "That is simply how he is. He even had the gall to turn down my master's invitation back then, showing no respect to the Immortal Emperor. Why would he care about those in the same realm as him?"

The Ghost Tribe sisters looked her way, and Ghost Ling Yue remarked, "You still have the energy to worry about such things? If you stay here much longer, your senior brother Sword Heart is going to leave you in the dust."

Ming Yue’s expression shifted uncomfortably at that. Her senior brother, Sword Heart, was not a disciple of the Chaos Immortal Emperor, but had instead joined a Chaos Immortal City governed by the Green Emperor.

That city was under the Green Emperor's protection—a figure rumored to be a peerless master of the sword dao among Immortal Emperors—which was why Sword Heart chose that path.

She and her senior brother had intentionally sought out different Immortal Emperors to broaden their influence.

"You are still here as well," Ming Yue snapped back.

"We aren't the personal disciples of the Immortal Emperor, so there is no shame in falling behind," Ghost Ling Yue replied with total composure.

Fuming, Ming Yue fell silent and shut her eyes to meditate, though her internal restlessness only intensified.

Time marched on, and after another decade, the last few figures on Sea Cliff departed, leaving the area lonely once more.

On Extreme Dao Mountain, a beautiful melody drifted from a small courtyard.

"Your music can actually condense the surrounding immortal power; it seems capable of drawing it in from the environment."

Shi Miao was captivated as she listened, marveled by the effects of Li Hao's playing.

While she could summon immortal power with a mere gesture, doing so through the medium of music alone was a feat she could not replicate.

Li Hao smiled, but suddenly, his face twitched slightly.

"Oh?"

He received a notification from the Chaos Heavenly Dao list inside him. To his surprise, he realized his Dark Side Avatar had been defeated.

As the challenges progressed, many opponents with fewer Chaos Daos had been cleared out. Now, the Dark Side Avatar had faced an adversary who had merged ten Chaos Daos.

"A loss?"

This marked the avatar's first failure in twenty years of combat. Checking the list of upcoming opponents, he saw they were all at the level of fused Chaos Daos, including a prodigy ranked six thousandth on the Chaos Heavenly Dao list.

Li Hao shook his head, unbothered. A loss was just a loss, and the experience gained was what mattered.

By reviewing the Dark Side’s memories, he could integrate all the sparring knowledge. These defeats were actually more useful than easy victories for identifying his own flaws.

"The movement technique was lacking..."

With a quick analysis, Li Hao identified the cause of the defeat. Had the movement technique been superior, the avatar could have forced a draw by igniting the Primordial Spirit, but it was ultimately outmaneuvered and exhausted by the foe.