Establishing a soul through heaven and earth

One year later.

Beside Blackwater Demon Lake, the savory fragrance of fish soup drifted through the air.

The two elders sat beside the large pot with their bowls and chopsticks. Following his habit of having soup before a meal, Feng Boping ladled some fish soup into his bowl and slowly savored it, unable to resist praising it:

"Little Mouse's cooking is almost on par with the Imperial Kitchen's."

"Tsk, I've been eating this for a whole year, and I'm still not tired of it. How strange."

Li Muxiu was amazed as well. He had never expected Li Hao to possess such exceptional talent for cooking, and his skills were only getting better.

"Have you eaten at the Imperial Kitchen, Old Feng?" Li Hao asked with a smile.

"I sneaked in and stole a taste."

A sly smile appeared on Feng Boping's youthful face beneath his white hair. He smacked his lips as though savoring the memory. "That half bowl of soup I left behind still had my spit in it. I wonder which consort they served it to."

"You old thief. If they'd served it to the Yu Emperor, you would have lost your head," Li Muxiu said irritably. Clearly, he knew a little about his old friend's past exploits. The man truly had gall enough to swallow the heavens.

Li Hao could not help laughing. He had long known that there was nothing the old Thief Saint would not steal. Last time, he had even tried to give Li Hao a silk scarf as thin as a cicada's wing, supposedly used by a certain sect's Saintess. The Second Master had chased him halfway down the river with a shoe in hand and driven him off, putting an end to the gift.

That had become one of Li Hao's lingering regrets. For the first time, he felt the Second Master could be a little too meddlesome...

"When life goes your way, savor its pleasures to the fullest. You ought to try everything, after all," Feng Boping said with a chuckle.

Li Hao picked up his bowl and began eating as well, listening to the two elders banter. Suddenly, something stirred in his heart, and words appeared before his eyes:

[You have comprehended the cooking Dao heart]

Li Hao's eyes brightened slightly before quickly returning to normal. He had expected this.

Ever since his cooking had reached the third stage at breakneck speed, he had been looking for ways to put his heart into it. He often went to the kitchen to talk with the chefs.

The chefs dared not slight this young master of the Li Family, this favored son of heaven. Though his behavior was exceedingly strange, they told Li Hao everything they knew, holding nothing back.

Through these in-depth exchanges with the cooks, Li Hao's eyes were opened. He learned how vast the way of cooking was, every bit the equal of the Chess Dao.

A dizzying variety of ingredients, all kinds of seasonings, heat control, cooking methods, techniques for removing fishiness and unwanted flavors, and more.

Li Hao gradually became absorbed in it, as though exploring a rich and colorful new world.

Without realizing it, he moved beyond cooking for experience and came to love it from the bottom of his heart.

Even without gaining experience points, he would seize any opportunity to show off his skills and cook something.

Lately, he carefully tasted every pastry delivered to the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard. If one was too poorly made, he would even knock it over and summon the cook responsible to criticize them himself.

Once his heart was in it, he inevitably became exacting and strict.

It was like players who coasted through a game: they did not care if they lost. The ones who lost their composure and cursed were usually those who took it seriously and wanted to win.

Now that the notification said he had comprehended the heart of cooking, Li Hao was not especially delighted. Once he took something seriously, he actually stopped caring so much about the outcome. It had been the same with his chess heart.

Still, now that he had this state of mind, he could try reaching the fourth stage of the Imperial Dao.

After the three finished chatting, eating, and drinking, Li Hao picked out some good bones and fed them to Little White Fox beside him.

Little White Fox was a year and a half old but remained small and delicate, with bright, snow-white fur. Li Hao regularly fed the fox spirit fruits containing medicinal power. Along with the daily fish soup, these had set the little creature on the path of cultivation, bringing the fox to the fifth level of the Power Through Realm.

Once a wild fox from the mountains, the little creature had now attained the Dao and become a monster, possessing a trace of demonic aura.

Upon reaching the Circulation Realm, the fox would develop spiritual intelligence.

Monsters in the Soul Succession Realm could already "appear like spirits and vanish like ghosts."

After lunch, they spent another afternoon fishing.

Li Hao caught only one Fish Demon at the second level of the Circulation Realm. His fishing luck was poor that day.

After wrapping up and returning to the Listening Rain Pavilion, Li Hao carried Little White Fox back to the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard. Only after shutting himself in his room did he bring up the panel. After some thought, he decided to use this state of mind to break through in the Imperial Dao.

Soon, the Imperial Dao rose from the third stage to the fourth.

The third stage of the Imperial Dao had let him advance a thousand miles a day in Meridian Opening. Now that he had reached the fourth stage, would he gain new insights into the Great Meridian and the Fortune Circulation Art?

As he finished allocating the point, a wealth of information flooded his mind. Only after a long while did Li Hao slowly open his eyes.

His gaze was clear and bright, with a hint of astonishment.

The world before his eyes seemed to have undergone some wondrous changes. The abundant insights in his mind told him that this world was far more magnificent than he had previously seen.

Heaven and earth possessed spirit!

Monsters and demons comprehend the stars, sun, and moon... Soul Inheritance grants the blessing of soul thoughts. While inheriting those soul thoughts, one must also honor certain "agreements."

Humans can pass their inheritance to other humans, to monsters, and to all the myriad races.

Likewise, humans can receive the inheritances of the myriad races, of mountain spirits and ghosts, of True Dragons and Divine Phoenixes, or even... of these stars, this sun and moon, this expanse of heaven and earth!

The many martial arts manuals he had read in the Listening Rain Pavilion, together with the many cultivation methods he had mastered, suddenly brought Li Hao a sense of enlightenment.

To inherit a human's soul, one had to carry on their will.

To inherit a monster's soul, one had to carry on their nature.

But to inherit the soul of heaven and earth, one had to bear their immense weight!

"I will establish my soul through heaven and earth!"

An intense light burst from Li Hao's eyes.

He activated the Myriad Manifestations attribute, covering his body. Unless his punches and kicks caused a tremendous disturbance, no outsider would be able to sense anything.

Then, the strength throughout his body began flowing through the Great Meridian. His Yin Yang Dual Meridians manifested simultaneously, converging at the crown of his head.

In an instant, his strength surged wildly, filling his body with terrifying power.

That power seemed ready to burst out of his body and break through that elusive, intangible barrier.

He would commune with heaven and earth, ask of heaven, ask of earth, and borrow a measure of their power!

As though sensing Li Hao's intense intent, a vast and terrifying pressure descended upon him. It was like a tangible mountain falling onto his body. Every bone in him creaked, barely able to withstand it.

The weight of heaven and earth surpassed Mount Tai!

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

The terrifying power of the Yin Yang Dual Meridians erupted. In an instant, his strength doubled, reaching nearly ten million jin!

That boundless will seemed to be forcibly lifted!

But then it pressed down heavily once more!

Li Hao's body bent, and his feet sank deep into the floor.

He gritted his teeth, knowing brute strength alone would not work. He had not glimpsed the form of heaven and earth!

What was the form of heaven and earth?

The sky, the white clouds, the mountains and rivers, all things and the land... these were all parts of heaven and earth, but not their entirety!

And if he wished to establish his soul through heaven and earth, what form did heaven and earth take in his heart?

A Buddhist Sect martial arts manual from the Seventh Floor of the Listening Rain Pavilion surfaced in Li Hao's mind. It contained a Buddhist saying.

The Buddha was inherently without form.

If even the Buddha had no form, how could heaven and earth have one?

I stand within this heaven and earth. I am the form reflected by this heaven and earth!

Light suddenly blazed in Li Hao's eyes. All his spirit and strength seemed to surge forth, breaking through an invisible barrier and reaching heaven and earth!

All his strength gathered, condensing his essence, energy, and spirit. Above his body, a faint phantom appeared, bearing his own likeness.

He used himself to give heaven and earth form, and heaven and earth to establish his own soul!

At that moment, Li Hao entered the Soul Succession Realm.

Seemingly limitless power poured into his body through heaven and earth, through the emptiness in every direction.

Every curtain in the room shook violently. Yet the doors and windows were all closed-where had this wind come from?

In the pavilion in the courtyard.

Since Li Hao had embarked on cultivation, Li Fu no longer followed him everywhere, though he still stayed in the same courtyard.

At that moment, he was playing chess in the courtyard. It was not because he loved the game, but because Li Hao had insistently invited him to play and taught him. Now, in his spare time, it seemed to be the only amusement he could find.

He and Uncle Zhao were locked in battle across the chessboard.

Had Li Hao seen their game, he would have offered only one comment: chickens pecking at each other.

Suddenly, both men seemed to pause at the same time with chess pieces between their fingers, involuntarily looking in a certain direction.

An inexplicable shudder, as though something mighty had awakened, startled them both. It almost seemed an illusion of their spiritual senses.

What was it?

The next moment, both abandoned the game and hurried toward Li Hao's room. When something defied the norm, something sinister had to be behind it.

They swiftly pushed open the door and entered, only to find the room somewhat disordered. Some vases placed near the edges of the shelves had fallen to the floor and shattered.

Li Hao's feet were sunk deep into the floorboards, and he was panting lightly, as though he had just finished practicing.

"What happened?"

Seeing that it was not a sneak attack, both men sighed in relief, then quickly approached Li Hao.

Li Hao had already calmed the surge of power gained from Soul Inheritance, and Myriad Manifestations concealed his emanating aura. Wiping the hot sweat from his forehead, he exhaled and said, "I was just practicing."

"You little rascal, why didn't you go out into the courtyard to practice?" Li Fu said irritably, but he did not suspect anything.

Li Hao's body refinement and Heavenly Circuit cultivation were no longer secrets. Li Fu knew about them too, though he did not know exactly how far Li Hao had progressed.

"I suddenly gained a little insight," Li Hao explained.

"Well, that's a good thing."

Uncle Zhao smiled. Although the vases on the floor were several hundred years old and quite valuable, as long as Li Hao made progress in his cultivation, it was all worthwhile.

After putting the two men at ease, Li Hao stayed in his room and continued carefully savoring the might of the Soul Succession Realm. It far surpassed the Circulation Realm.

No wonder only those who reached the Soul Succession Realm were considered qualified to serve as a city's guardian.

And now, at only nine years old, he could already hold the fort for an entire city!

After Soul Inheritance, Li Hao's life remained unchanged.

Every day, he ate and drank, either going out fishing, painting and playing chess in the courtyard, or heading to the kitchen to cook.

As time went on, the young master found new pursuits, studying poetry and the zither. He seemed determined to travel ever farther down the road of "neglecting his proper duties."

Time hurried by; spring departed and autumn came.

In the blink of an eye, five years passed.

The fourteenth year of the Qingyuan Calendar.

That year, Li Hao turned fourteen.

(End of chapter)