Chapter 173: Heavenly Stele's Captured Image

After Lu Chunsheng left, Li Hao began to wander around the Tianji Tower.

The array of cultivation techniques on display, categorized and organized, gave Li Hao the feeling of being in the Listening Rain Pavilion.

However, the Tianji Tower lacked the scent of agarwood that permeated the Listening Rain Pavilion, and it was kept even cleaner, suggesting that it received frequent visitors.

Sunlight streamed in from outside the tower, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air and settling on the tomes of cultivation techniques.

Li Hao began his exploration with the Yu Dao techniques.

He was specifically searching for meridian-opening methods and breathing techniques.

The arrangement of cultivation techniques in the Tianji Tower was similar to that of the Listening Rain Pavilion, with the top-tier techniques placed on the top floor. Li Hao found seven top-tier breathing techniques and five top-tier meridian-opening manuals.

The Listening Rain Pavilion only had three top-tier meridian-opening manuals in its collection.

Considering that the Tianji Tower specialized in intelligence gathering, it was understandable that they had such a substantial collection.

Li Hao collected all the techniques into his panel, and with his insights from reaching the sixth level of Yu Dao, he immediately achieved perfection in these techniques, as indicated on the panel.

Detailed information about the five meridian-opening manuals flooded his mind.

Li Hao closed his eyes quietly, as if he had been practicing these five top-tier meridian-opening techniques for several decades, gradually assimilating the insights into his memory.

He began to understand the locations and specific meridians that could be opened up by these techniques.

There was a significant overlap in the meridians cultivated by these techniques compared to the ones he had previously practiced.

As he opened more meridians, the number of overlapping meridians among these techniques also increased.

Nevertheless, each of the five top-tier meridian-opening manuals had its unique path, and they collectively added seven new meridians to Li Hao's network! He now had 105 meridians, just three shy of perfection!

"It's a pity that there's too much overlap," Li Hao thought with a hint of regret. Each of these top-tier meridian-opening manuals could open over 50 major meridians, but when learned together, they only resulted in the additional seven.

No wonder it was so challenging to open all the meridians in the body. Even in the Great Yu God Dynasty, there were scarce records of anyone achieving this feat.

The difficulty was extraordinarily high.

It was a time-consuming endeavor. Mastering a single top-tier meridian-opening technique to perfection would take decades of hard work, even for a genius.

Li Hao's ability to comprehend and master these techniques with ease was thanks to his profound understanding of the Dao realm.

Unless one had a long lifespan and could slowly push through, it would also require connections and resources.

"If I could get my hands on the royal meridian-opening technique, I might be able to complete the remaining three meridians!" Li Hao thought to himself.

But that was just wishful thinking.

Practicing the royal meridian-opening technique was considered a capital offense.

It was one of the foundations of the royal family and was not to be tampered with.

Li Hao shook off these thoughts and made his way downstairs.

On the first floor were numerous high-quality meridian-opening manuals.

Li Hao flipped through them one by one, adding them to his collection. As he did so, his mind became inundated with information.

Each manual he added to his panel was of the highest caliber, but unfortunately, the meridians they opened overlapped with the ones he had already cultivated through other techniques.

While the paths taken by each technique differed, the meridians they opened were largely the same.

Li Hao continued downward, floor by floor.

After collecting over twenty high-quality meridian-opening manuals, he finally found one that opened up a new meridian.

Li Hao was delighted and continued his search.

Not long after, he collected three more manuals, and one of them surprisingly opened yet another new meridian.

Now, he had 107 meridians, just one shy of perfection.

Li Hao pressed on, finishing with the high-quality manuals and moving on to the medium-quality ones. However, after perusing dozens of them, he found that they all overlapped with meridians he had already cultivated.

With dwindling hope, Li Hao turned to the low-quality manuals, thinking that if he couldn't find what he was looking for, he would have to visit various eminent schools in the future to seek them out.

As he collected the low-quality manuals without much expectation, he suddenly came across one that caused him to pause.

This particular manual was odd and unconventional, and it just so happened to open the very last meridian he needed.

108 major meridians, and he now had techniques to cultivate them all!

Li Hao stood there, stunned for a moment, before overwhelming joy washed over him. He couldn't wait to start practicing.

But he restrained himself, as he was still in the Tianji Tower.

With all his meridians connected, along with the Yin-Yang dual meridians, Li Hao couldn't predict what kind of phenomenon might occur.

His previous experiences with the Heaven-Earth Law Physique and the divine power state had already drawn enough attention, and this involved his martial arts secrets, so it was best kept hidden.

A sword is sheathed to conceal its edge.

Now that he had perfected his meridians, Li Hao returned to the top floor to search for body-refining techniques.

Once again, he scoured the collection and added numerous manuals to his repertoire, with information flooding his mind.

Although he hadn't practiced them yet, Li Hao knew that many of these techniques would allow him to refine his physical body in ways he hadn't been able to before.

Once he returned to practice them, his physical strength would undoubtedly increase further.

Next, he moved on to swordsmanship, boxing, and other combat techniques, mastering and collecting them one by one.

As Li Hao went back and forth between the floors, collecting techniques, the sound of a zither suddenly drifted down from the top floor.

"Young General, there are many secret manuals here, but don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Let me play a tune for you to calm your mind," came Lu Chunsheng's voice.

It was phrased as a question, but the zither music had already started.

"…?" Li Hao was left speechless.

"You just want to play the zither yourself, don't you?" Li Hao thought to himself, but he politely replied through a transmitted voice, "Thank you, Lord Lu."

He understood the intricacies of social interactions and knew how to navigate them skillfully.

With the zither music floating down from the top floor, Li Hao continued to immerse himself in his selection of secret manuals.

Although Li Hao felt that Lu Chunsheng's zither skills could use some improvement, the second-level zither art made for pleasant background music.

Moreover, Li Hao only needed a quick glance at each manual to understand it, so the zither music didn't interfere with his concentration.

Time slipped by.

After an hour, Li Hao had collected numerous techniques from the tower into his panel, including all the top-tier ones, except for certain techniques that couldn't be recorded, such as swordplay and spear techniques.

Since he hadn't yet reached the level of insight in swordplay and spear techniques, his panel couldn't record them, aside from his own personal insights.

However, Li Hao didn't plan to waste his art points on swordplay or spear techniques.

He felt that boxing and swordsmanship were sufficient.

When it came to killing his enemies, one sword was enough; there was no need for an additional stab or a spear thrust.

It was better to master a few techniques thoroughly than to spread oneself too thin. After all, art points weren't easy to come by.

Aside from completing his meridians, the most significant gains from this trip were the breathing techniques and movement skills.

"Four top-tier body refinement techniques, plus Elder Feng's, plus eighteen high-quality ones..."

Li Hao was eager to test his new speed, curious to see how fast he could go when pushing himself to the limit.

Although he could only use one technique at a time, Li Hao had cultivated them all to the True State, allowing him to combine their strengths and fuse them seamlessly.

With his Martial King Realm control, he effortlessly absorbed the essence of these techniques, making them his own.

Feeling content, Li Hao returned to the rooftop, where he found that the zither music played by Lord Lu now sounded more pleasant to his ears.

"Young General, did you find any techniques to your liking?" Lu Chunsheng asked with a smile.

Seeing Li Hao emerge so soon, he couldn't help but admire the young man's self-restraint.

Previously, when he had invited Li Hao to browse through the techniques, he had expected the young man to secretly memorize as many as he could.

This was his subtle hint and a way to extend a favor to Li Hao.

However, it seemed that Li Hao, even if he had tried to memorize other techniques, wouldn't have been able to remember too much in such a short time.

Knowing when to stop was a sign of a true gentleman.

"That top-tier sword technique, 'Xiu Chunfeng,' is quite impressive." Li Hao picked up a manual and said, "I'll take this one."

"Young General, you have excellent taste. This sword technique was created by a Triple Immortal eight hundred years ago. It's sharp yet gentle, perfectly suited for someone with your gentle disposition," Lu Chunsheng praised.

Although they hadn't interacted much, he could tell that Li Hao was different from other warriors. He lacked the heavy killing intent that was common among them, and his temperament was soft and refined.

This was one of the reasons Lu Chunsheng had taken a liking to him.

"Lord Lu, you flatter me," Li Hao replied humbly.

Lu Chunsheng handed Li Hao a cup of freshly brewed tea and asked with a smile, "Young General, what did you think of the zither piece I played earlier?"

Li Hao: (/ "= _ =" )

"Well... your zither skills are like this cup of tea—sweet and refreshing!" Li Hao coughed lightly, offering a polite compliment.

"Hahaha..."

Lu Chunsheng burst into laughter, pleased that the young man appreciated his music.

Feeling cheerful, he said, "Actually, I have another piece that I composed myself. Would you care to listen to it, Young General?"

Although he asked, he was already standing up, ready to play.

Li Hao was about to answer when a commotion suddenly broke out from outside the tower.

With his powerful physical body, Li Hao could hear clearly even from a distance. Intrigued, he asked, "Lord Lu, what's happening over there?"

Lu Chunsheng, who had just stood up, glanced out of the tower and smiled, "It seems someone has passed the Heavenly Stele. Young General, would you like to take a look? It would also be a great opportunity for our disciples to learn from you."

"Sure," Li Hao agreed.

The two of them immediately flew out of the tower and headed toward the commotion.

They saw a group of disciples gathered in one area of the training ground.

In front of them, beyond the training ground, stood a row of tall black steles on a nearby mountain.

These steles were two or three zhang tall, towering over the landscape. If not for their large size, they would have looked more like gravestones.

"Senior Sister Tang passed the stele test three times and successfully challenged Senior Brother Jiang!"

"Amazing! Only three attempts!"

"Senior Sister Tang is a famous genius. When she practiced that high-quality sword technique, she achieved entry in three attempts and reached the Spirit Dexterity realm in just seven days!"

"It's a shame that Senior Sister Tang comes from a humble background. Despite her extraordinary talent, she lacked access to good resources in her early years. Now that she's older, she can't enter the Qiankun List, otherwise, she would have become famous long ago!"

"Shh, do you want to die? Why bring up such a taboo topic?"

"Aren't you sad about it?"

"Sad? You want to die, don't you? If you dare to say that Senior Sister Tang is old, you're asking for death!"

"..."

In front of the steles, the disciples whispered among themselves, occasionally exclaiming in awe.

Suddenly, someone noticed the approaching figures of Li Hao and Lu Chunsheng.

While they were unfamiliar with Li Hao, they immediately recognized Lu Chunsheng.

After all, there was a statue of Lu Chunsheng right at the entrance of the Tianji Tower.

Curious about the young man accompanying their Lord, they wondered which privileged young master he might be. Many of them couldn't help but stare, but they quickly remembered their manners and bowed respectfully.

"Disciples pay respect to the Chief Lord."

Lu Chunsheng nodded slightly, indicating that they didn't need to be so formal.

Then, he turned to Li Hao and said with a light smile, "Let me introduce you to everyone. This is General Haotian."

He was aware of Li Hao's connection to the Li family, and he also knew about the statement Li Hao had made during the Martial King Assembly, so he carefully avoided mentioning Li Hao's real name, respecting his wishes.

"Haotian... General Haotian?"

The crowd was taken aback, some of them processing the information a bit slower than others.

However, it didn't take long for everyone's eyes to widen in surprise.

In the crowd, there was a tall and slender woman who had been the center of attention earlier. She held a long sword in her hand, and her eyes were as cold as autumn water, carrying a hint of aloofness.

Upon hearing Lu Chunsheng's introduction, her indifferent gaze flickered slightly as she turned to look at the gentle-faced young man.

As disciples of the Tianji Tower, they had access to more extensive and detailed information. Naturally, they were aware of the many achievements of General Haotian, the legendary young man.

At the age of fourteen, he had become a general and received a noble title, fulfilling the dreams of countless youths.

Even as a woman, she couldn't help but feel curious about this extraordinary young man.

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Lu Chunsheng smiled and then turned to Li Hao. "This is your first time here, isn't it? Are you interested in trying our Tianji Tower's Heavenly Stele?"

"This is the Heavenly Stele?"

Li Hao examined the row of black steles, feeling a bit surprised.

He recalled Second Grandpa mentioning that the Tianji Tower had once obtained a divine stone from beyond the heavens, imbued with the essence of heaven and earth, capable of capturing the images of one's techniques.

The Tianji Tower had cut the stone into steles, creating a beautiful landscape that attracted countless geniuses a millennium ago.

However, some incidents occurred, and the tower eventually restricted access to the steles, only allowing their own disciples to use them.

Lu Chunsheng's invitation was partly because he wanted to see if this legendary young man could leave his mark on the stele, which would then be preserved to inspire future disciples of the tower.