44. Entry? True State!
Chapter 44: Entry? True State!
"Then just try to persuade them more," Shen Yunqing said with a smile, skipping over the joke, and addressed the two, "You should also take a look at the stone tablets. Each class has limited spots, and today is the second day of our academy's admissions, which means you only have today and tomorrow left to comprehend. Make sure you hurry."
Li Yuanzhao quickly asked, "What if the spots for Class A are full?"
"Then you can only go to Class B, but don't worry. There will be an assessment in a month, and if you're confident, you can challenge someone in Class A to switch classes," Shen Yunqing replied with a smile. "No matter which class you're in, it's never a one-time deal. Cultivation is about competition—with the heavens, with demons, and most importantly, with people!"
"To obtain the most resources and the best treatment, you must be above others to qualify."
In the God General's Mansion, as direct descendants, their parents would prepare cultivation resources for them, but in the Tan Palace Academy, everything needed to be earned through competition.
Hearing this, Li Yuanzhao hurriedly dragged Li Hao towards the stone tablet that Li Yun and his sister were examining.
Clearly, that was the stone tablet for high-grade martial arts.
In front of this stone tablet, there were only a dozen people comprehending it. The other stone tablets each had twenty or thirty people, with the stone tablet for medium-grade martial arts having the most, as most people, despite their confidence, chose to play it safe.
Li Hao glanced at the stone tablet, which recorded a boxing technique.
Boxing techniques are almost essential for martial artists. Once fists and kicks are mastered, training with other weapons becomes much more efficient.
After carefully reviewing it, Li Hao saw a line of text appear before his eyes:
{Mastered superficially. Record?}
Li Hao chose to record it.
Soon, his panel updated with the boxing technique recorded, but its level was not entry-level, nor was it perfect or supreme.
[High-Grade Martial Art: Wind-Cutting Fist (True State)]
In one step, it reached the limit!
Li Hao wasn't surprised by this.
In the past five years of fishing with his second grandfather, even though the old man was angry that Li Hao hadn't inherited a soul at the ancestral hall, he still taught Li Hao some boxing techniques for self-defense.
As a result, on the panel, aside from the Sword Path, another path was recorded:
Boxing Path.
It was upgraded to… six segments!
In addition to the Boxing Path, other paths like the Physical Body Path and Sword Path, along with the Dao Path, were also upgraded to six segments!
Over these five years, with his constant busyness, many of his skills had improved significantly.
Fishing 5 segments, chess 5 segments, cooking 6 segments, painting 5 segments.
Poetry 3 segments, playing the zither 3 segments.
The total skill points gained were 27.
With 24 points spent, he had 3 points left in reserve for future needs.
Li Hao originally planned to focus on maximizing a single path, but he discovered that every path had a threshold at three segments.
From three to four segments required a heartfelt focus.
When the cooking path reached 6 segments with full experience, a prompt suggested that understanding the spirit of cooking was needed to continue progressing.
If entering the heart was about focus and heartfelt love, then entering the spirit required comprehension of Dao rhythm.
Cooking and preparing dishes needed to break traditional boundaries and infuse the soul into the food.
The same applied to playing chess.
Placing a piece was not just about winning or losing but also required one's wisdom and rhythm—what is known as a divine move, an astonishing chess move that transcends worldly insights!
Li Hao understood that this wasn't just a panel requirement. If he practiced regularly without the panel, he would still need to enter the heart and spirit at certain levels. According to his second grandfather, this was a state of mind necessary for cultivating any martial art.
Otherwise, at most, one could only become a second-rate expert, never reaching the pinnacle.
To be strong, one must first become mad!
It's said that above entering the spirit, there's an even higher realm—entering sainthood.
But even his second grandfather, known as the Boxing Sage, had only reached a state of spirit in boxing and hadn't entered sainthood.
The word "sage" is the highest honor in Dayu, an untouchable existence.
Whether it's the Boxing Sage or the Sword Sage, these are not saintly realms. This title is more of an honorary compliment, indicating that they have reached an extraordinary peak in their field, close to that of a sage!
Li Hao speculated that in the future, when reaching nine segments, he might need a saintly state of mind.
It's hard to imagine what kind of state that would be.
However, for now, he had not achieved entering the spirit.
Spirit, as the word suggests, is about spirituality, inspiration, and the soul!
He must accomplish something unconventional and extremely exquisite to possess his inspiration, like a grandmaster with their own path!
With the panel successfully recording the Wind-Cutting Fist, a wealth of information about the technique surged into Li Hao's mind. He only closed his eyes for a moment before fully digesting it.
He felt as though he had practiced the boxing technique for fifty years and was thoroughly familiar with all the moves, having surpassed the perfect state, not only filling in the technique's gaps but also deeply understanding its core meaning.
Just as its name implies, the fist can cut and break the wind, like a sword or blade, possessing destructive power beyond ordinary fists and kicks!
In his hands, this high-grade martial art could unleash power comparable to a supreme-grade martial art.
Li Hao withdrew his gaze from the stone tablet and turned to observe the dozen people around him. They were all focused, carefully contemplating the tablet, their lips moving as they read the descriptions and pondered the meaning.
Some descriptions in martial arts are obscure and difficult to understand, but most people here came from martial arts families and were immersed in martial arts from a young age, able to comprehend even obscure terms.
Li Hao noticed that Yuanzhao was also engrossed in reading, his small eyes scanning the lines back and forth on the tablet.
He didn't disturb him and glanced around, seeing Li Yun and his sister in front of the stone tablet, their expressions solemn, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes frowning, their wrists subtly moving as if they were practicing in their minds, so focused that they hadn't noticed him and Yuanzhao arriving.
A diligent group of kids, indeed… Li Hao sighed inwardly and turned away.
The other two stone tablets had even more people, some feeling inspired, swinging and practicing in the open space, but with awkward postures. After a short practice, they realized it differed from their mental constructs and returned to the stone tablet to continue contemplating.
Li Hao didn't bother squeezing over to record the techniques on those stone tablets. The Li family didn't lack martial arts of lower grades.
As he scanned around, he suddenly noticed Shen Yunqing, who had accompanied him earlier, in a corner at the edge of the square.
In front of him was a chessboard.
Li Hao paused, his eyes lighting up as he approached.
...
"Let's see how you escape this one!"
"Ha, you didn't expect this move, did you?"
Opposite Shen Yunqing, the gray-robed elder couldn't help but laugh, having gained the upper hand on the chessboard. It was impossible to turn the tables now; this game was a sure win.
Shen Yunqing sat cross-legged, ignoring his friend's glee. He scratched his head, contemplating deeply, but ultimately sighed in defeat, "Alright, you win."
"What do you mean 'alright'? I won fair and square!" the gray-robed elder retorted, exasperated.
He reached out, saying with satisfaction, "Hand it over, that Drunken Wind brew, as promised!"
Reluctantly, Shen Yunqing took the wine gourd from his waist and handed it over, grumbling, "Just one sip, take it easy."
"I'm not like you; I keep my word," the gray-robed elder replied, taking the gourd and gulping down the wine.
Alarmed, Shen Yunqing snatched it back, "You said one sip!"
"This is one sip! I haven't even swallowed yet."
"You're like a straight pipe!" Shen Yunqing checked the gourd, dismayed to see it half-empty.
"By the way, I've logged that last game in the books," the gray-robed elder chuckled, turning his head as he sensed something, seeing a refined young boy standing nearby, his entire being exuding noble elegance.
"Hmm? A young master from the God General's Mansion?"
Recognizing the sleeve pattern and jade pendant, the gray-robed elder repressed his stern expression and what was meant to be a scolding turned into something else.
"You're playing chess?" Li Hao asked with a bright smile.
Having lived two lives and with a mature mindset, the first sentence is often an obvious, rhetorical question, just a way to open the conversation.
"Why aren't you over there studying martial arts?" Shen Yunqing asked curiously, glancing at Li Hao.
Everyone else was making the most of their time studying the stone tablets, yet here this kid was, leisurely wandering over.
Could it be that this kid wanted some secret pointers from them?