26. Top-Tier Body Cultivation

Chapter 26: Top-Tier Body Cultivation

A letter from the Sword Pavilion? Li Hao was slightly surprised, and the image of that little girl who liked to cry came to mind.

She had been at the Sword Pavilion for several months. He wondered how she was doing and if she had adapted to her new environment.

Opening the letter, Li Hao began to read carefully.

The delicate, unfamiliar handwriting seemed to be written by the little girl herself. She mentioned she was safe and expressed her longing for him.

Perhaps because she rarely had the opportunity to write and send letters, the paper was filled with her words. She detailed her daily life at the Sword Pavilion over the past few months, including becoming a disciple, meeting fellow students, practicing, and learning sword techniques. Every detail was painstakingly documented.

Though she described just her daily life, what she conveyed was her deep sense of longing.

At the end of the letter, the little girl seemed to realize that she was running out of paper, so she mentioned that she would focus on her training and strive to return as soon as possible. She asked Li Hao to wait for her.

Li Hao silently finished reading, then gently folded the paper and placed it back into the envelope, tucking it into his robe.

Beside him, Li Muxiu asked Li Fu about the situation with the Sword Pavilion.

Clearly, this old man, who either fished everywhere or stayed in the Listening Rain Tower, was unaware of matters among the third generation, like Li Hao's case. If not for the news of Li Hao being a martial waste spreading widely, he wouldn't have even heard about it.

After learning the whole story, Li Hao noticed that the old man visibly relaxed.

His expression seemed to say, "Oh, so it wasn't Li Hao who had a talent for swordsmanship, almost thought the Sword Saint was going to take him away for training."

Although he wasn't concerned about Li Hao's cultivation, he wouldn't have stopped him if he had shown exceptional talent.

Then, Li Muxiu snorted, looking displeased:

"That old fellow, Swordless Dao, is just relying on his seniority, bullying Jianlan because she doesn't dare to confront him. Hmph! A ninth-grade battle physique and a genius in swordsmanship—any prestigious sect would fight over her if she were outside. He got such a talent and only gave back a lousy body refinement manual? I must visit the Sword Pavilion and reason with him someday!"

Li Fu broke out in a cold sweat, inwardly smiling wryly, not daring to chime in.

Others would be ecstatic about being accepted by the Sword Saint, unable to sleep from excitement. Who would dare to haggle over the conditions?

"Second Uncle, how was your fishing today? Did you catch a lot?"

Li Fu changed the subject, knowing the old man loved being praised for his fishing skills. The usually stern, upright old soldier in the military now wore a flattering, ingratiating smile, though it looked awkward and stiff.

An amateurish attempt at flattery can be fatal.

Li Muxiu glanced at him lightly and said to Li Hao, "See, Li Hao? This is why it's important for us fishermen to show off our catch as much as possible. Otherwise, those who don't know would think you came back empty-handed."

If you just went home, who would know you went fishing? Even if they knew, who would care... Li Hao thought to himself.

"Let's go."

Li Muxiu didn't bother with Li Fu and led Li Hao into the Listening Rain Tower.

Li Fu hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back, standing in place uncertainly. As Li Muxiu entered the building, he paused, not turning back, and said:

"Xiao Fu, don't worry about Li Hao's training. He indeed has talent in body refinement, and I'll teach him while we fish."

With that, he walked into the shadows of the doorway.

Li Fu was stunned, feeling his tangled, conflicting thoughts finally unravel, like a heavy stone falling away.

He quickly bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude, and felt genuinely happy and excited for Li Hao.

If Second Uncle personally instructed and taught him, it would undoubtedly be better than his teaching. After all, this Second Uncle was in no way inferior to that Sword Saint...

...

...

Although Li Muxiu seemed unreliable, he kept his word, likely influenced by the family's martial heritage.

Inside the building, Li Muxiu gathered some firewood and set up a stove on the terrace, casually dissecting the fish demon he caught today while saying to Li Hao:

"If there's anything you don't understand while practicing, feel free to ask. I'll help you figure it out."

Li Hao shook his head slightly. "Not at the moment."

"Nothing?"

Li Muxiu snorted. "You mean you haven't hit a bottleneck yet? Hmph, this body cultivation manual is extremely powerful. It's good enough that you can understand it. Forget it, perform it once for me so I can have a look."

Li Hao thought it might be unnecessary, but seeing the old man genuinely wanted to teach him, he didn't want to waste this goodwill and obediently demonstrated his practice.

Li Muxiu initially intended to give some pointers but found no flaws, causing him to reevaluate this little guy.

Being able to practice to this level through self-study showed incredible comprehension!

"Not bad. You should be at the tenth level of the Tongli Realm now, right?" Li Muxiu asked. He hadn't carefully sensed Li Hao's level, but being at the second level of the Flood Dragon Body meant he must have reached the first realm's peak.

Moreover, compared to an ordinary peak Tongli Realm, body cultivation provided greater physical strength, making one slightly stronger than others in the same realm. Of course, in the early stages, body cultivation had advantages.

As for the later stages...

There was no later stage in body cultivation.

As people said, it was a harsh path. Regular cultivation was already extremely tough, so being called a harsh path meant body cultivation was exceptionally grueling.

Therefore, few people could endure it to the end, and even those with great perseverance often found their progress too slow, leading to a depletion of lifespan and eventual death from lack of breakthroughs.

"Mm."

Li Hao nodded.

"Not yet eight years old, and already at the peak of the Tongli Realm. Such progress keeps up with the heels of top-tier geniuses."

Li Muxiu said, "Next is the Zhoutian Realm, where power turns into qi, and qi circulates through the body. You have two ways to break through to the Zhoutian Realm. The first is to enter the Hundred Flood Dragon Body, using physical strength to force a breakthrough. The Hundred Flood Dragon Body also includes methods for qi circulation, and reaching completion will allow you to achieve a pinnacle of one hundred cycles per meridian."

"Because of this feature, this body cultivation method is stored on the sixth floor."

Seeing Li Hao sitting cross-legged and listening intently, Li Muxiu explained more thoroughly:

"The Zhoutian Realm has ten levels, but the gaps between them are significant. In the Tongli Realm, you widen the gap by increasing strength and awakening divine blood through powerful methods. In the Zhoutian Realm, you rely on top-tier qi circulation methods to widen the gap between prodigies and ordinary people."

"Most martial artists without background cultivate low-grade methods, achieving about ten cycles per meridian."

"Middle-to-high-grade methods reach thirty-six cycles per meridian!"

"High-grade methods reach seventy-two cycles."

He looked at Li Hao, saying, "As for top-tier methods, they achieve a hundred cycles per meridian! This is the essence of the Thousand Flood Dragon Sacred Body. Even if you disregard body cultivation, it's still a top-tier qi circulation method."

"I see." Li Hao nodded slightly.

He had read about the Zhoutian Realm in some books and had a basic understanding. If one cycle per meridian equates to one-time power, then ten cycles equate to ten times the power!

A hundred cycles mean a hundred times the power, creating the gap.

Especially as the Zhoutian Realm advances, each level's gap accumulates, making the difference between ordinary qi methods and top-tier ones as vast as heaven and earth by the tenth level of the Zhoutian Realm.

Major forces, prestigious sects, and prodigies—these combined factors mean top-tier Zhoutian Realm martial artists, even if not at a hundred cycles, are at least at seventy-two, easily overpowering ordinary Zhoutian Realm martial artists without backgrounds.

"A top-tier qi method, in any prestigious sect, is close to being a sect-guarding treasure, mostly taught to direct or close disciples."

"And in the Listening Rain Tower, there are three such top-tier methods. The Hundred Flood Dragons chapter of the Thousand Flood Dragon Sacred Body is one of them."

Li Muxiu said, "But even so, in our Divine General's Manor, it is passed down to direct heirs, not collateral relatives, to avoid disorder and chaos."

"The gap in martial cultivation is ultimately about combat between people. Some don't pursue being the strongest but just want to surpass others. When they can't, they try to diminish others, a method of surpassing that can be easier than improving themselves through hard work."

"This is why top forces and prestigious sects don't pass on peerless methods. If leaked, those who acquire them may face a deadly calamity."

Li Hao asked, "Isn't cultivation meant for slaying demons?"

Li Muxiu paused, glanced at him, and said mockingly, "Slaying demons is the job of a minority, like our Li family and other Divine General's Manors. But most people live in peace and prosperity, with demons forbidden, so there are few opportunities to slay demons. Even if there are, how many dare to try?"

"Have you seen ordinary hunters hunt tigers or bears without benefits?"

"We are in a prosperous era. In such times, people seek fame—slaying demons is for fame, dueling is for fame, and establishing sects is for fame!"

"For fame and fortune, countless people rush forward, unafraid of death!"

"Who doesn't want to be remembered for millennia, enshrined in martial temples, immortalized, and honored with incense for a thousand years?"

His voice was passionate, but not with longing—there was a repressed anger.

"I don't."

Li Hao shook his head slightly, saying, "If I had a choice, I'd prefer to live forever."