Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 3: The Abandoned Divine Blood
Previously on Follow the path of Dao from infancy...
Chapter 3: The Abandoned Divine Blood
Translator: 549690339
As his consciousness began to drift, a sudden torrent of information surged into his mind.
Li Hao gripped his head, enduring a swelling sensation so intense it felt as though his skull might crack open.
A pained expression flickered across his youthful features.
“Hao’er, what is the matter?”
Noticing the sudden change in Li Hao, Liu Yue Rong was startled. Her face immediately filled with worry.
Li Hao ground his teeth together.
As the chaotic thoughts in his mind settled, Li Hao realized he had been gifted vast amounts of knowledge regarding the sword.
It felt as though he had spent two or three years practicing swordsmanship day and night without rest.
Damn, this headache is exactly like the one when Chess Tao leveled up...
Panting heavily, Li Hao rubbed his temples. He was still far too young; his brain was not yet fully developed, and the massive influx of data from both Chess Tao and swordsmanship was a violent shock to his delicate mind.
He remained silent, focusing entirely on regaining his composure.
“Is Lin Xue sick?” Liu Yue Rong touched Li Hao’s forehead, but finding no sign of fever, she looked puzzled.
By now, Li Hao had recovered. Noticing his second mother’s bewildered gaze, he pointed to his mouth and stammered in his high-pitched baby voice, “B-bit, bit my tongue.”
Liu Yue Rong froze for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief, rolling her eyes at him in exasperation.
Having successfully diverted her attention, Li Hao ignored her and began to review his internal status panel.
[Name: Li Hao]
[Age: 1 year old]
[Cultivation Level: Mortal]
[Swordsmanship: Level 1]
[Skills: Endless Sea · Tide (Perfect) [Forbidden]]
[Mastered Arts: Chess Tao]
[Chess Tao: Level 1 (82/500)]
[Chess Manual Collection: 0]
[Skill Points: 0]
Li Hao was stunned; his skill points had vanished, but his swordsmanship had indeed jumped from ‘uninitiated’ straight to ‘Level 1’!
Furthermore, the skill listed below, Endless Sea · Tide, had transformed from uninitiated to perfect!
Li Hao recalled what the military instructor teaching Li Qianfeng had once said.
Every skill is categorized into three stages: initiation, dexterity, and perfection!
Initiation implies the ability to perform a complete set of moves with proficiency!
Dexterity means that beyond mere proficiency, one can use the skill flexibly. It has been fully internalized and is available at a moment’s notice!
When encountering different scenarios, a practitioner can react instinctively rather than just repeating memorized patterns!
As for perfection.
It signifies total mastery. The skill is as natural as moving one's own limb; even if executed in reverse, it remains effortless and without a single opening!
Unless the technique itself possesses fundamental flaws, it is flawless!
It was rumored that a realm even higher than perfection existed.
Such a level could theoretically fix inherent flaws in a skill, pushing its power to even greater heights!
Now, with his swordsmanship reaching Level 1, Li Hao had instantly achieved perfection in the first layer of the Endless Sea sword technique!
Under normal circumstances, such a feat would require at least a decade of grueling practice!
Currently, Li Qianfeng was said to have practiced Endless Sea for six months and had only just initiated the first layer of Tide, earning him the title of swordsmanship genius.
So, what was Li Hao? A monster?
Seeing that his second mother was no longer focused on him, Li Hao turned his attention back to the courtyard.
At that moment.
The children were still training, but to Li Hao’s eyes, their movements were no longer impressive. Instead, he could see at a glance that their techniques were clumsy and their stances far too rigid!
If someone skilled with a blade were there, a simple tap would be enough to send their wooden swords flying!
“Not bad,” the muscular middle-aged man remarked, appearing quite pleased with Li Qianfeng’s progress.
With such a solid foundation and sharp intuition, he would likely reach the dexterity stage of the first layer within two years.
One had to remember that Li Qianfeng was still just a child with an undeveloped mind, making this achievement quite extraordinary.
As time ticked by.
Li Hao watched the training while eating the snacks his second mother fed him. Eventually, he began to feel a wave of boredom and exhaustion.
Yawning, he snuggled into her arms and slowly drifted off.
Something seemed to flicker past his vision, but Li Hao was already deep in sleep.
Sensing the soft breathing in her arms, Liu Yue Rong looked down, a flash of complicated emotion crossing her face.
However, when she looked back at her own son practicing in the snow, that complexity vanished, replaced by a cold calm.
She rose and carried Li Hao out of the pavilion, returning to her own bedroom in the rear courtyard. She laid him gently on her bed and tucked him in with care.
Her actions were tender, mirroring those of a biological mother.
Half-asleep, Li Hao felt himself being put down and became slightly more conscious.
He felt a faint warmth against his chest. It was the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant gifted by Emperor Yu, which he wore constantly. It was the reason he could remain in the snowy courtyard without feeling the cold.
Just as he was about to roll over and fall back into a deep slumber, he caught the sound of hushed voices outside the door.
“Did you truly give that substance to the boy?” an unfamiliar male voice asked.
“Things have reached this point; I had no other choice.”
That was his second mother’s voice, but it lacked its usual warmth, sounding as cold as if she were addressing a servant.
“You’ve seen it yourself—how hard my son works and that he is a rare talent! The envoys from Mount Wuliang have already visited. When Qianfeng turns six, he will go there to cultivate. Once his Divine Blood awakens and he inherits his father’s power, he will surely be known across the world!”
“I must clear the path for him!”
Li Hao opened his eyes just a crack, his groggy mind clouded with confusion.
Who was Second Mother talking to?
“We are still unaware of the child's true potential; this move is far too reckless,” the man with the deep voice sighed.
A short silence followed outside the room.
Then, Liu Yue Rong’s voice grew even colder, tinged with a hint of disdain. “As parents love their children, they must plan far ahead for them!”
“I wouldn't have resorted to this, but the stubborn fools of the Li Family are beyond help!”
“If you must blame someone, blame the boy’s father. The Marquis of Xingwu was truly exceptional. Others might be ignorant, but I know well that he reached that realm by the age of twenty-three...”
“Which means there is a very high probability that his son might also awaken the Divine Blood!”
“What?!”
The man’s voice was filled with shock. “Twenty-three years old and he entered the ‘Three Immortal’ realms?!”
“Correct. The Li Family ancestor was a founding Divine General of Dayu, possessing a potent bloodline. Father inherited that will, and he was the same,” she confirmed.
“In that generation, besides Qianfeng’s father, the Marquis of Xingwu was a freak of nature, as were the third, sixth, and ninth brothers! The ninth was particularly terrifying. Luckily, he died young without leaving any heirs...”
“The third brother’s wife is always nearby, and since her child is a girl who will eventually marry out, she isn't a threat. The sixth brother also reached the Three Immortal realms early, but that was only after his marriage...”
Liu Yue Rong continued coldly, “The only one who can challenge Qianfeng is this child. Why else do you think Emperor Yu bestowed such a blessing on him? Even if his martial talent is average, if his Divine Blood awakens, he could stand against the greatest geniuses!”
Silence returned to the hallway.
The man sighed softly, “Since the Lady has made her choice, I will say no more.”
“There is no need for concern; this medicine is from Mount Wuliang. Once ingested, it leaves no trace and causes no pain. I even gave it a sugar coating; it won't taste strange. He is still small, and since children eat sweets often, it won't leave any lasting memory.”
“Furthermore, if he fails to awaken the Divine Blood later, no one can prove we interfered. Any person in the Divine General Mansion could be blamed!”
“Besides, awakening a bloodline of that caliber isn't a certainty. Perhaps the boy simply didn't have the luck?”
At this, Liu Yue Rong laughed mockingly. “We should thank the wars in Northern Yan for this. Ji Qingqing is so devoted to the Marquis of Xingwu that she followed him to the front lines, giving us this window. Had we waited until the boy was older and they returned, the martial guards would have been watching him too closely to act.”
The man offered no reply, only a soft sigh.
Soon, the sound of their retreating footsteps faded away.
In the bedroom, Li Hao was now fully awake, his mind spinning in disbelief.
Second Mother wanted to harm him?
The protective, loving behavior she showed every day—was it all a lie?
Li Hao didn't want to believe it, but the truth was right in front of him.
Though he didn't fully grasp what Divine Blood was, his second mother saw him as an obstacle to her son’s future and decided to eliminate him!
Li Hao’s face was dark, his tiny fists clenched tightly.
Those sweet smiles had fooled him into feeling safe. If this was how Second Mother acted, what about the others?
Was anyone actually sincere?
He had lived here for a year and a half, and being cared for by these women had caused him to develop an emotional bond.
Now, it all felt like a sham.
Was this the internal warfare of a great noble clan?
He touched his chest with a small hand. Other than the warmth from the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant, he felt nothing unusual.
His mother had claimed he possessed his father’s strength, but now... it was gone.
Li Hao squeezed his hand shut in the darkness, swearing to himself that he would have his revenge one day!
...
...
Spring faded into autumn.
In a flash, Li Hao reached the age of three.
He now spent most of his time within the Mountain and River Courtyard. He became extremely cautious with the food sent by the various ladies, often pretending to be a picky, spoiled child to avoid eating certain things.
Over time, the servants in the courtyard began to believe that the young master was simply very difficult to please when it came to his meals.
Three years old.
In the Divine General Mansion, this was a pivotal age.
Common families might start martial training at seven or eight, or even in their teens.
Some people with latent talent often failed to reach their potential because they missed the prime training window due to their circumstances.
As a lineage of warriors, the Divine General Mansion utilized the most demanding methods, ensuring their children built a foundation from the start.
Foundation Establishment at three.
Blood Melting at four.
Bone Testing at five!
By six, formal training began, with not a second wasted.
On the path of cultivation, where thousands compete, an early start often meant staying ahead forever!
At age five, cultivation aptitude was officially measured.
If the bones were well-formed and the marrow was dense, training could begin immediately after the Bone Testing.
However, the Divine General Mansion preferred a cautious approach; they mandated that formal cultivation only begin at six, giving the body an extra year to stabilize for future growth.
Even a genius like Li Qianfeng followed this rule, only heading to Mount Wuliang at age six despite being ready earlier.
While the children practiced swordsmanship daily, it was merely to build a martial foundation, not true cultivation.
Those with lesser talent or slower development might not even start at six, requiring more time—perhaps starting at seven, eight, or nine.
Yet, given the abundance of rare medicines in the mansion to boost one's potential, even the worst cases usually started by age eight.
It was said that such a delay only happened once due to a premature birth and prenatal complications.