37. Establishing the Soul with Heaven and Earth

Chapter 37: Establishing the Soul with Heaven and Earth

One year later.

By the shores of Blackwater Demon Lake, the aroma of fish soup filled the air.

The two elders sat down with their bowls and chopsticks beside the large pot. Feng Boping followed his custom of taking a sip of soup before the meal, scooped a ladle of fish soup into his bowl, and slowly savored it. He couldn't help but exclaim:

"Little Mouse's cooking skills are almost on par with the royal kitchen now."

"Strange, I've been eating it for a year and still haven't gotten tired of it."

Li Muxiu was also surprised, never expecting Li Hao to have such exceptional culinary talent, his skills improving day by day.

"Has Feng Lao eaten from the royal kitchen?" Li Hao asked with a smile.

"I've sneaked a taste."

A mischievous grin appeared on Feng Boping's face, with his youthful spirit, as if reminiscing, he smacked his lips: "There was half a bowl of soup left with my saliva in it. I don't know which concubine it was served to."

"You old thief, if it were served to the Emperor of Yu, you'd lose your head." Li Muxiu said with exasperation, clearly familiar with some of his friend's past antics, which were indeed audacious beyond belief.

Li Hao couldn't help but laugh. He knew that the old thief saint would steal anything. Last time, he even wanted to give him a veil thin as a cicada's wing, allegedly used by a saintess from a sect, but the second uncle chased him half a river with a shoe, stopping him from delivering the veil.

This became a regret for Li Hao, the first time he felt that his second uncle sometimes meddled a bit too much...

"When life is going well, enjoy it to the fullest. You've got to try everything in life." Feng Boping chuckled.

Li Hao also picked up his bowl and started eating, listening to the two elders banter. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and a message appeared before his eyes:

[You have comprehended the Heart of Culinary Arts.]

Li Hao's eyes brightened momentarily before returning to normal. This was within his expectations.

Since culinary arts reached the third level at the fastest speed, he had been thinking about embedding it into his heart. Thus, he often ran to the kitchen to communicate with the chefs.

For this young master of the Li family, the pride of the heavens, these chefs dared not neglect him. Although such requests were extremely strange, they answered Li Hao's questions thoroughly and honestly.

Through in-depth discussions with these chefs, Li Hao was amazed, realizing the vastness of the culinary arts, no less than the art of chess.

The various ingredients, different seasonings, control of heat, cooking techniques, and methods to remove fishiness and enhance flavor were all fascinating.

Li Hao gradually became immersed in it, as if exploring a vibrant new world.

Unconsciously, he moved beyond cooking for experience and developed a genuine love for culinary arts.

Even without the increase in experience points, he would seize any opportunity to showcase his skills and cook something.

Recently, he meticulously tasted the pastries sent to the Shanhe Courtyard. If they were poorly made, he would overturn them and personally critique the chef who made them.

With a heart immersed in the art, one can't help but become serious and strict.

Like casual players in a game, losing is no big deal, but those who break the defense and curse are often those who take it seriously and want to win.

Now that he had comprehended the Heart of Culinary Arts, Li Hao didn't feel particularly thrilled. Once he took something seriously, he stopped caring about the result, just like the heart of chess before.

However, now that he had this mindset, he could try advancing to the fourth level of the Heavenly Path.

The three chatted and ate until they finished, with Li Hao picking some good bones to feed to the nearby little white fox.

This little white fox, now a year and a half old, was still small and exquisite, with bright snow-white fur. Li Hao had been feeding it spirit fruits with medicinal properties and fish soup daily, leading it down the path of cultivation. It now had the strength of the fifth level of the Tongli Stage.

From a wild mountain fox, it had become an enlightened demon with a hint of demonic energy.

If it reached the Celestial Stage, it would develop intelligence.

At the Soul Fusion Stage, a demon could be "unpredictable."

After lunch, they fished for another afternoon.

Li Hao only caught a second-level Celestial Stage fish demon, with poor fishing luck today.

After packing up and returning to Tingyu Tower, Li Hao carried the little white fox back to the Shanhe Courtyard. He locked himself in his room and brought up the interface, deciding to use this new mindset to break through the Heavenly Path.

Soon, the Heavenly Path advanced from the third to the fourth level.

The previous three levels had allowed him to open his meridians swiftly. Now, at the fourth level, he wondered if there would be new insights regarding the major meridians and energy techniques?

As the allocation concluded, abundant information surged into his mind. It took a while before Li Hao slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were clear and bright, filled with wonder.

In his view, the world seemed to have undergone some magical changes, with rich insights in his mind telling him that this world was far more exciting than he previously perceived.

The heavens and the earth possess spirits!

"Demons comprehend the stars, the sun, and the moon... In soul fusion, the soul is fortified. Inheriting the soul's thoughts also requires adhering to certain 'agreements.'"

"A person can inherit from people, from demons, and from myriad races."

"Likewise, a person can obtain the inheritance of myriad races, inherit from mountain spirits and monsters, from true dragons and divine phoenixes, or even... from the stars, the sun, the moon, and the entire world!"

With the martial arts tomes he had seen in Tingyu Tower and the numerous cultivation methods he had mastered, Li Hao suddenly felt enlightened.

To inherit from humans, one must bear their thoughts.

To inherit from demons, one must bear their nature.

But to inherit from the world, one must bear its weight!

"I want to establish my soul with heaven and earth!"

Li Hao's eyes blazed with intense light.

He activated the Vastness attribute, covering his body. Unless he made significant noise with his fists and feet, outsiders wouldn't be able to perceive it.

Then, his entire body's energy coursed through his major meridians, with the yin and yang dual meridians simultaneously appearing, converging at the top of his head.

Instantly, all his strength surged wildly, with terrifying power contained within.

This force seemed to burst from his body, breaking through an ethereal barrier.

He aimed to communicate with the heavens, to ask the sky and the earth for a bit of their power!

As if sensing Li Hao's strong intent, a vast and terrifying pressure enveloped him, like a tangible mountain descending upon him. His entire body's bones creaked as if unable to bear the weight.

The weight of the world, heavier than Mount Tai!

Li Hao's eyes reddened, and he roared inwardly.

The terrifying power of the yin and yang dual meridians erupted, instantly doubling his energy, reaching nearly ten million catties!

That vast will seemed to be lifted forcefully!

But it then pressed down heavily!

Li Hao's body bent, his feet sinking deeply into the floorboards.

He gritted his teeth, knowing that relying solely on strength wouldn't work; he hadn't glimpsed the true form of heaven and earth!

What is the form of heaven and earth?

It's the sky, the clouds, the mountains and rivers, the myriad things of the earth... All these are parts of the world, but not its entirety!

And if he were to establish his soul with the world, what form does the world take in his heart?

A line from a seventh-level Buddhist martial arts text in Tingyu Tower emerged in Li Hao's mind:

Buddha has no form.

If Buddha has no form, how can the world have one?

"I am within this world, and I am the reflection of the world!"

Li Hao's eyes suddenly shone brightly, his spirit and energy seemingly bursting forth, breaking through an invisible barrier to reach the world!

All his energy gathered, condensing his essence, spirit, and energy. Above his body, a shadow faintly appeared—it was his own likeness.

Using himself to form the world's reflection, and the world to establish his soul!

At this moment, Li Hao entered the Soul Fusion Stage.

It was as if boundless power flowed into his body from the world, from the void all around.

The drapes in the room trembled violently, yet the doors and windows were shut. Where did this wind come from?

In the courtyard pavilion.

Since Li Hao began cultivating, Li Fu no longer followed him closely, but they were still in the same courtyard.

At this moment, he was playing chess in the courtyard. It wasn't out of love but because Li Hao had insisted on teaching him, leaving him with this one pastime in his spare time.

He and Uncle Zhao were battling over the chessboard.

If Li Hao saw the game, he would only say: two noobs pecking at each other.

Suddenly, the two seemed to pause simultaneously, looking toward a certain direction.

An inexplicable feeling of dread, as if something magnificent had awakened, startled them both, as if it were a sensory illusion.

What was it?

The next moment, they both stopped what they were doing and hurried to Li Hao's room. Such an anomaly must have a cause.

As they quickly pushed the door open, they saw the room in some disarray, with vases that had been on the shelf's edge shattered on the floor.

And Li Hao, his feet deeply embedded in the floorboards, was slightly panting as if he had just completed a round of exercises.

"What happened?"

Seeing that there was no attack, the two sighed in relief, then rushed to Li Hao's side.

Li Hao had already calmed the surge of power gained from the soul fusion, the vastness hiding his external aura. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Li Hao exhaled and said, "I was just practicing."

"Why didn't you practice in the courtyard?" Li Fu said with slight exasperation, but he wasn't suspicious.

Li Hao's body-refining week was no secret; he was aware, just not of the specifics.

"I suddenly had some insights." Li Hao explained.

"Well, that's good."

Uncle Zhao smiled, though the vases were centuries old and quite valuable. As long as Li Hao made progress in his practice, everything was worth it.

After putting their minds at ease, Li Hao continued to savor the power of the Soul Fusion Stage in his room, finding it vastly superior to the Celestial Stage.

No wonder they say reaching the Soul Fusion Stage qualifies one to guard a city.

And now, at just fourteen, he could oversee a city! ...

After the soul fusion, Li Hao's life continued as usual.

He ate and drank daily, either fishing or painting and playing chess in the courtyard, or running to the kitchen to cook.

Over time, this young master found new interests, learning poetry and music, seemingly walking further down the path of "idle pursuits."

Time flew by, and the seasons changed.

In the blink of an eye, five years passed.

The fourteenth year of the Yuan Calendar.

This year, Li Hao turned fourteen.