Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 4 - 4 Levels Three, Six, and Nine

Chapter 4: Levels Three, Six, and Nine

Translator: 549690339

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Under a clear sky,

A military expert was dispatched by the Divine General Mansion to the Mountain and River Courtyard to assist Li Hao with his Foundation Establishment.

Lin Haixia was a stout, short middle-aged man with dark skin, though he was dressed in a flowing blue robe. Despite his feminine-sounding name, Li Hao simply referred to him as Uncle Lin.

Lin Haixia did not arrive alone; a young girl accompanied him.

She was nearly the same age as Li Hao, trailing him by only two months.

Word was that she was the daughter of a fallen comrade of the Marquis of Xingwu, who had perished on the distant battlefields of Northern Yan.

Before meeting his end, the girl's father had committed his daughter to the Marquis's care. The two men had even agreed upon a betrothal while the children were still infants.

Li Hao found himself speechless regarding this sudden engagement.

Fine, go ahead and fight your wars, and it is no matter if you never come home.

But for such a significant life event, did anyone bother to consult me?

Even though he felt irritated, Li Hao didn't direct his lingering resentment toward the small girl.

Consequently,

Another tiny figure now occupied the vast spaces of the Mountain and River Courtyard alongside Li Hao.

The girl was named Bian Ruxue. She possessed delicate, exquisite features and skin as fair and soft as a porcelain doll.

Initially, the little girl was timid and withdrawn in these unfamiliar surroundings. She would grab hold of anyone she met, asking, "Where is my daddy? Where did he go?"

The child was searching for her father.

No one in the courtyard had the heart or the courage to answer her. Some of the more sensitive servant girls could only retreat to corners to wipe away their tears upon hearing her cries.

The girl lost her appetite and began to waste away. Noticing that the servants were useless at comforting a child, Li Hao grew annoyed. It seemed he had been so self-sufficient that he hadn't properly trained the staff in such matters.

He felt forced to intervene, using a blend of sternness and gentle persuasion to speak to the girl.

“Your father is hiding nearby," he told her. "He will only show himself if you are well-behaved and eat your meals.”

With innocent, tear-filled eyes, the girl asked, “Is Xue’er not being good? Why is daddy hiding from me, and where is he?”

Where was he hiding?

Looking at her pitiable face, Li Hao’s heart softened. He used a tired cliché, pointing toward the heavens.

“Your daddy is up there, living on one of those stars.”

From that night forward, a small figure could always be seen in the courtyard gazing at the sky.

The silver glow of countless stars shone down, lighting up the lonely little girl.

Inside the house, another small figure—usually sprawled over a chessboard—would daily command the servants to fan the girl, ensuring mosquitoes didn't bite her while she watched the sky.

Half a month passed quickly. Lin Haixia, the military expert, had readied the Foundation Establishment elixir for both Li Hao and Bian Ruxue.

Both children were to begin their Foundation Establishment in the same year.

Foundation Establishment is the very bedrock of Martial Arts!

This elixir, brewed from a multitude of rare medicinal components, is used to soak the body daily. This medicinal bath is designed to forge a physique capable of enduring martial training.

As a premier elite clan of Dayu, the Divine General Mansion possessed immense wealth. Once Li Hao began his Foundation Establishment, a relentless stream of precious herbs and rare treasures flowed into the Mountain and River Courtyard like falling snow.

Foundation Establishment elixirs are categorized into three tiers.

Common, rare, and supreme!

Naturally, Li Hao was provided with the highest quality. It used a thousand-year-old treasure as a base, enhanced by various other precious ingredients, capable of developing an Eighth Layer battle physique.

Once a person begins Cultivation, they can typically surge through the First Realm in a mere two or three years.

Martial Arts is a furnace that burns money. Maintaining this top-grade Foundation Establishment elixir daily for six months to a year is incredibly expensive. Only elite families like the Divine General Mansion could sustain such an expense.

Two large medicinal tubs sat in the yard.

Li Hao and Bian Ruxue soaked in them separately.

The girl’s tub was shielded by curtains and tended to by female attendants.

These attendants were not mere servants; they possessed their own cultivation and served as trusted confidants within the mansion.

On Li Hao’s side, Lin Haixia supervised him personally.

The dark purple, dignified elixir pressed against Li Hao’s skin. He was submerged up to his chin, leaving only his nose above the surface to breathe.

A sharp, bitter aroma from the medicine filled his lungs, tasting like bitter lotus and keeping his mind incredibly sharp.

“Is it drinkable?” Li Hao inquired.

“It is better if you don't,” Lin Haixia answered.

The elixir was too powerful for a child’s internal organs to process; drinking it could cause physical damage.

Furthermore,

It was strictly for external use.

As Li Hao centered his thoughts, a series of text suddenly flickered before his eyes:

[Detecting unknown substance, analyzing…]

[Analysis failed, automatically isolated.]

Li Hao: ???

What was happening?

Damn it!

Could this be what I think it is?

Li Hao was filled with uncertainty.

Beside the tub, Lin Haixia’s composed expression was turning into a scowl. As more time elapsed, his brow knit together into a deep furrow.

Observing this, Li Hao felt his heart sink. He asked:

“Uncle Lin, is there… a problem?”

Lin Haixia wasn't shocked by the boy's awareness. He had already noted that this Young Master was remarkably precocious, possessing the intellect of a child twice his age.

However, he wasn't in the mood for conversation. He abruptly checked behind the curtain to see the girl’s progress before returning to Li Hao, his face looking grim.

“Uncle Lin?”

Lin Haixia touched the rim of the medicinal tub, testing the liquid as his expression became conflicted. He looked at the boy in the tub, appearing as if he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

“`

“Uncle Lin, please just tell me,” Li Hao urged.

Lin Haixia looked at him with surprise. Though Li Hao was advanced for his age, he was still only three. Could he truly sense his hesitation?

Feeling troubled, he decided to speak plainly, regardless of whether the boy could grasp it. “Regarding martial talent, while the bone-measurement at age five is the definitive test, signs appear during Foundation Establishment.”

“The quicker the Foundation Establishment medicine is absorbed, the greater the martial potential. However, Young Master, your rate of absorption is far too slow!”

He stared at Li Hao in the water, his eyes filled with a mix of bewilderment and pity.

He then muttered to himself, “Perhaps today was a fluke, a mistake in my refining. I will check again tomorrow.”

A cold shiver ran through Li Hao.

Was that system notification referring to the Foundation Establishment medicine?

What did he mean by 'slow absorption'? It was being completely blocked; there was nothing to absorb at all!

Li Hao was frustrated. Was this system panel going to strictly follow the game's original mechanics?

He had spent the last year exploring the panel and had made a discovery.

Because the game lacked a combat system, it seemed he was fundamentally disconnected from martial arts.

Or rather, disconnected from the traditional practice of martial arts.

Attempting to train in combat skills yielded no experience; only the "Arts" defined within the game had progress bars.

While he could technically improve through sheer hard work, it was far more efficient to focus on his Arts.

With Arts, his experience would skyrocket, he could assign points, and he could even create his own cultivation techniques.

That path would allow him to surpass decades of traditional training in a single night.

Still, it felt like a waste of the massive resources being spent on him. If used correctly, they could produce a top-tier martial artist.

But wait—if this potent medicine couldn't be absorbed, why had the poison worked on him before?

Or had it failed to work? Had he simply slept through the system prompt?

Perhaps whether or not he eventually awakened the Divine Blood would be the final answer.

That woman had mentioned that awakening Divine Blood was a matter of chance, not a certainty.

Regardless, whether he had avoided harm through his own power or the system's, he wasn't going to let that assassination attempt go unpunished.

“Don’t be discouraged. We will try again tomorrow. If there is still no progress, I will notify Lord Hou. He will surely find a way for you,” Lin Haixia said, trying to comfort him, unsure if the child understood.

“There is no need.”

Li Hao waved a hand and prepared to climb out of the tub.

Since the panel was blocking the medicine, staying in the water was a waste of time.

“Wait, don't get out yet. Let's try a bit longer,” Lin Haixia insisted.

Li Hao shook his head. “It is useless.”

“You must listen!” Lin Haixia said sternly, treating the matter with gravity.

Li Hao was at a loss for words. “I’ll just go check on the girl then.”

He pulled the curtain aside and walked to the girl’s tub. He saw that her medicine—which had been identical to his—was now nearly clear. The deep purple had vanished, leaving only faint wisps of mist in the water.

“Brother Hao?”

Bian Ruxue looked up at him, her face full of confusion. She was too young to understand the situation.

“Uncle Lin, based on her absorption speed, how would you rate her talent?”

Li Hao asked this without looking back at Lin Haixia.

Lin Haixia was feeling gloomy, but he couldn't help but smile at the question. Despite their age, this boy always acted so seriously around Xue’er.

“Her absorption is excellent.”

Lin Haixia had already assessed her, and his eyes now shone with pride. “If her Blood Melting at age four goes well, then by the time of her bone-measurement at five, supported by the mansion's resources, her warrior physique could reach the Eighth or even Ninth Layer. She would be among the elite prodigies!”

“Ninth Layer?” Li Hao asked.

Lin Haixia was patient. As a temporary instructor, he felt obligated to answer the Young Master's questions.

After a thorough explanation, Li Hao finally grasped the concept.

It turned out that Foundation Establishment, Blood Melting, and bone-measurement were collectively known as the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Layers!

Foundation Establishment medicine has three tiers.

Blood Melting has six tiers!

And bone-measurement aptitude has nine tiers!

A physique of the first to third layer is considered ordinary or lower-grade.

The fourth to sixth layers are elite, or middle-grade.

The seventh layer is the mark of a genius.

The eighth layer makes one famous across an entire province.

The Ninth Layer is the pinnacle of martial constitutions, found only in peerless geniuses.

With such a body, breaking through cultivation realms is effortless, and such people usually reach the Fourth or Fifth Realm.

To go beyond that, one needs more than just talent—it requires comprehension, will, luck, and opportunity.

Li Hao looked at the girl in the tub with genuine surprise.

Would this little girl become a world-shaking power in the future?

He imagined the snotty-nosed girl standing grandly above a crowd and couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Haixia watched Li Hao, her heart filled with concern.

He was still just a child. He seemed bright, but he was only three.

He clearly didn't understand the gravity of what had happened today.

The chance that the medicine was defective was almost zero.

This meant… he might be a martial arts cripple, unable to cultivate at all.

In a family of legendary warriors, especially for a son of the Li Family, being unable to practice martial arts—it was a fate too cruel to imagine.