4. Different Grades

Chapter 4: Different Grades

On a bright and sunny day, a strong martial artist from the military arranged by the General's Residence came to the Mountain and River Courtyard to build Li Hao's foundation.

He was a short, sturdy middle-aged man with dark skin, wearing an elegant green robe, named Lin Haixia, a name that sounded like a girl's. Li Hao later called him Uncle Lin.

Accompanying Lin Haixia was a little girl.

The little girl was about the same age as Li Hao, only two months younger.

It was said she was the orphaned child of the Xingwu Marquis's comrade, far away on the northern battlefield.

Before the little girl's father died, he entrusted his young daughter to the Xingwu Marquis, and on his deathbed, they arranged a childhood betrothal.

Regarding this unexpected marriage, Li Hao was speechless.

Goodness, you're off fighting wars, and it's fine if you don't come back. But such a big matter, didn't you ask for my opinion?

Despite his frustration, Li Hao didn't vent his accumulated grievances on the little girl.

So.

In the vast Mountain and River Courtyard, besides Li Hao, there was now another little figure.

The little girl was named Bian Ruxue. She was exquisitely sculpted, pink and tender, like a porcelain doll.

Having arrived in a strange place, the little girl was timid, asking everyone every day, "Where is my daddy? Where did my daddy go?"

The little girl wanted to find her daddy.

But no one in the courtyard dared to answer, and some soft-hearted maids secretly wiped tears in the corners.

The little girl lost her appetite, growing thinner by the day. Seeing that none of the servants could console a child, Li Hao was upset, thinking that his own good behavior had failed to train these people.

He had to step in personally, half-scaring, half-coaxing the little girl:

"Your daddy is hiding somewhere. You need to be obedient and eat well, and only then will your daddy come out."

The little girl asked with innocent, tearful eyes, "Is Xue'er not being good? Why is daddy hiding from Xue'er, and where did he hide?"

Where did he hide?

Looking at the little girl's pitiful appearance, Li Hao softened and said a cliché line, pointing to the sky:

"Your daddy is there, on one of those stars."

Since then, every night in the courtyard, there was a little figure gazing at the sky.

The starlit sky cast a silver glow, illuminating the lonely little silhouette.

Meanwhile, another little fellow leaning on the chessboard in the room instructed the servants every day to fan the little girl, driving away mosquitoes so she wouldn't be bitten all over.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the military expert Lin Haixia had also prepared the foundation-building potion for Li Hao and Bian Ruxue.

The two of them began their foundation-building journey in the same year.

Foundation building is the basis of martial arts!

Using countless precious herbs, the foundation-building potion bathes the body every day, casting a martial physique!

The General's Residence is one of the top noble houses of the Great Yu Dynasty, with abundant resources. Since Li Hao started his foundation building, countless precious herbs and rare treasures have been sent to the Mountain and River Courtyard like falling snow.

The foundation-building potion is divided into three grades.

Common, Rare, and Supreme!

Naturally, Li Hao used the top-grade foundation-building potion, with thousand-year-old herbs as the guide, supplemented by numerous other precious herbs, capable of nurturing a Seventh-grade Battle Physique.

Once on the path of cultivation, he could break through the first realm in just two or three years!

Martial arts is a costly pursuit. This top-grade foundation potion, consumed daily for half a year to a year, can only be used freely by a top noble family like the General's Residence.

In the courtyard, in two large barrels.

Li Hao and Bian Ruxue were each soaking inside.

However, around the little girl's barrel, there was a curtain to shield her, with female attendants taking care of her.

Unlike the maids, the female attendants had some martial training, equivalent to female guards in the residence.

As for Li Hao, he was under the care of Lin Haixia.

At this moment, the dark purple potion, symbolizing nobility, washed over Li Hao's body, submerging even his chin, leaving only his nose exposed for breathing.

The indescribable strange smell of the potion filled his nostrils like swallowing bitter lotus, keeping Li Hao's mind constantly awake.

Li Hao asked, "Can I drink it?"

Lin Haixia said, "It's best not to."

The potion's potency was strong, and a child's stomach couldn't absorb it, and it would damage it.

Moreover.

It was for external application.

Just as Li Hao held his breath, a line of text suddenly appeared before him:

[Unknown substance detected, analyzing...]

[Analysis failed, automatically isolated.]

Li Hao: ???

What's going on?

Damn!

Could it be what I think it is?

Li Hao was uncertain and suspicious.

By the barrel, Lin Haixia's usually calm face was gradually turning grave. As time passed, his brow slowly knitted into a frown.

Li Hao noticed his expression and felt a pang of anxiety, asking:

"Uncle Lin, is there... something wrong?"

Lin Haixia wasn't surprised by Li Hao's attentiveness. Over these days, he had already seen that this young master was more perceptive than his peers, very intelligent, akin to a five or six-year-old child.

However, he had no mood for chatting now. Suddenly, he quickly lifted the curtain and checked the situation on the other side. Soon, he returned to Li Hao's side, looking particularly grim.

"Uncle Lin?"

Lin Haixia reached into the edge of the barrel, feeling carefully, his eyes becoming complex. He looked at the child in the barrel, wanting to speak, but the words stopped at his lips.

"Uncle Lin, just say what you want to say." Li Hao couldn't help but speak.

Lin Haixia was slightly surprised, glancing at him. Although Li Hao seemed perceptive, he was only a three-year-old child who could see his hesitation?

However, his mood was too troubled to think much of it. Regardless of whether Li Hao could understand, he said directly, "Martial talent can be directly seen at five years during bone measurement, but it already reveals itself during foundation building."

"The faster the foundation potion is absorbed, the higher the martial aptitude. But, young master, your... potion absorption rate is too slow!"

He glanced at Li Hao in the barrel, his eyes filled with incomprehension and pity.

Then, thinking for a moment, he muttered to himself, "Maybe today was just an accident, a mistake in my refining. I'll look into it more carefully tomorrow."

Li Hao felt a chill in his heart.

The prompt from just now was indeed referring to the foundation potion, wasn't it?

What absorption rate, it's all isolated, how could it absorb at all!

Li Hao was speechless; is this panel going to stick strictly to the game's settings?

Over the past year, he had discovered while exploring the panel.

There was no combat system setting in the game, so it seemed he was isolated from martial arts.

Or rather, isolated from practicing martial arts.

When cultivating combat skills, it didn't grant experience, only the game-designated arts had experience bars.

Although he could improve through hard practice, it was better to pursue the arts for quicker rewards.

At least the experience soared, points could enter the Dao, and the techniques would form themselves.

In an instant, surpassing decades of hard practice.

But now, it's a pity for the resources piled around him. If fully utilized, they could at least cultivate a first-class martial artist.

Speaking of which, if this extraordinary potion beyond modern components couldn't be absorbed, then why did the poison before work?

Or maybe it didn't work? Maybe he just fell asleep and didn't notice the prompt?

Perhaps, whether he awakens the divine blood in the future will determine it.

But that woman said there was a probability of awakening divine blood, not a certainty.

Forget it, no matter what, whether it worked or not is your skill, this debt cannot go unpaid.

"Don't be discouraged, I'll try again tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'll inform the Marquis. He'll surely find a solution for you."

As Li Hao pondered, Lin Haixia comforted him, though he didn't know if Li Hao could understand.

"No need."

Li Hao waved slightly, preparing to climb out of the barrel.

Since the foundation potion was isolated by the panel, there was no point in soaking further.

"Don't get up yet, try again, soak more," Lin Haixia said immediately when he saw Li Hao coming down.

Li Hao shook his head, "It's useless."

"Be obedient!" Lin Haixia's face turned stern, becoming serious.

Li Hao was speechless, having no choice but to say, "I'll check on the little girl first."

With that, he lifted the curtain and came to the little girl's barrel. At once, he saw that the previously identical foundation potion had turned from purple to nearly transparent water, with only wisps of pale purple mist lingering.

"Hao Brother?"

In the barrel, Bian Ruxue looked at Li Hao in confusion. The little girl was too young to hide her emotions, her face full of puzzlement.

"Uncle Lin, what is the little girl's absorption rate considered as talent?" Li Hao asked Lin Haixia behind him without turning around.

Lin Haixia, feeling troubled and puzzled, found it amusing, even though they were the same age, this little fellow always acted like an elder in front of Xue'er.

"Her absorption rate is quite excellent."

Lin Haixia had checked earlier, now his eyes carried some emotion, "If the blood refining goes smoothly at four, and during bone measurement at five, with the top resources of the General's Residence, her battle physique might leap to the eighth grade or even ninth grade, placing her among the top prodigies!"

"Ninth grade?"

Li Hao was puzzled.

Lin Haixia, being patient with the young master of his commander's house, explained regardless of whether the child understood.

After listening to Lin Haixia's detailed explanation, Li Hao understood.

It turns out that foundation building, blood refining, and bone measurement have a general term, called Three-Six-Nine Grades!

Foundation-building potions are divided into three grades.

Blood-refining variations into six grades!

And bone measurement aptitude into nine grades!

First to third-grade physiques are common, belonging to the lower tier.

Fourth to sixth-grade physiques are elite, the cream of the crop, the middle tier.

Seventh grade can be called genius.

Eighth grade is enough to be renowned in a state.

Ninth-grade physiques are the top martial constitutions, considered world-class geniuses.

Such top physiques can break through realms as easily as eating and drinking, commonly reaching the fourth or fifth realm!

As for higher realms, besides talent, they require other things such as comprehension, perseverance, luck, opportunities, and so on.

Li Hao turned to look at the little girl in the barrel, somewhat impressed.

This little girl, will she be a genius renowned across the world?

A picture appeared in his mind of the snotty little girl standing proudly in a crowd... he couldn't help but laugh.

Lin Haixia glanced at Li Hao, but his eyes were filled with worry.

He's still a child, appearing smart, but he's only three.

He doesn't understand the gravity of what happened today.

The likelihood of an error in the foundation potion was negligible.

And this means... he could be an untrainable martial waste!

In this family of generals, especially as a son of the Li family, being unable to cultivate would be unimaginably cruel.