Power Through Realm

That year, the war on the Northern Yan border grew ever more urgent. Battle reports came without end, and problems appeared with both weapons and provisions. Prince Pingcheng's collusion with the great demons had unexpectedly dragged another force out from behind the scenes, making the battle situation even more complex and difficult.

Within the Divine General Residence, discussion raged everywhere, all of it worry for the front lines.

It was said the imperial court argued endlessly over the matter every day as well, putting forward all kinds of proposals.

But though this storm of wind and snow that filled the court drifted into the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard, it did not fall upon those two small, young figures.

At five years old, Li Hao underwent Bone Measurement as usual.

"His bones are frail, with no unusual color, no unusual light, no condensed marrow..."

The one measuring Li Hao's bones was an old Daoist invited from Green Hill Mountain. His hair was crane-white and his face childlike. He looked the little boy before him up and down in astonishment and doubt. If the Li Family's First Madam had not been standing beside them, he might even have suspected this was a civet cat swapped for the crown prince, some noble-house grudge in which the young master had been secretly replaced.

"Bone aptitude, the lowest of the low. His Battle Body has not entered any grade. These are only the normal bones of an ordinary child."

In the end, the old Daoist gave the result of the Bone Measurement.

Hearing this, He Jianlan and the other madams all looked rather ugly. Fifth Madam could not help saying, "You didn't see wrong, did you? Hao'er... how could he possibly have this kind of aptitude?"

The other madams said nothing. This old Daoist was also an old acquaintance of the Divine General Residence and had measured the bones of the children in every courtyard. He had never made a mistake.

Besides, Li Hao had previously failed at Foundation Establishment and then failed again at Blood Fusion, which had long since given them their warning shot. Seeing this result now instead seemed exactly as expected.

Li Hao quietly swept his gaze over everyone's expressions. Second Madam was also among them, her expression equally sorrowful, even a few degrees more so.

It was just that he could not tell how many of them were truly feeling sad for him.

"Hao Ge."

Bian Ruxue clutched at the corner of Li Hao's clothes, her small face full of nervousness.

Though she could not understand what had happened, she could sense that Li Hao seemed to have lost something.

Li Hao looked at the little girl's pitiful, delicate appearance and could not help smiling.

He pinched her soft, tender little face. The one who should be sad was himself. In another two months, when this little girl had her bones measured, she would probably stun everyone.

The old Daoist left, and everyone else dispersed as well.

Like the ebbing tide, the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard returned to calm. Only two small figures remained, along with Lin Haixia, who stood planted to the side.

That night, this military officer, who had been forbidden from drinking for many years, drank alone in the Mountains and Rivers Courtyard.

Smelling the wine, Li Hao's craving stirred too. He found a small jade cup and had just hugged the wine bottle, about to pour himself a little, when the half-drunk Lin Haixia glared at him, snatched the wine bottle from his hands, and, in a rare burst of anger, scolded, "You're simply bold enough to cover the heavens! You even dare drink wine!"

"I'm keeping you company, aren't I?" Li Hao said with a grin.

"What do you know? Drinking is an adult's business," Lin Haixia said irritably.

"How lonely is it to drink alone? It's only good when someone keeps you company." Li Hao still wanted to snatch the wine bottle, but the military officer merely lifted his hand and he could no longer reach it.

Lin Haixia glared at Li Hao and wanted to reprimand him a few more times, but after hearing Li Hao's words, he suddenly fell silent.

Only then did he suddenly remember that the little fellow before him had been all alone ever since his parents left after the hundred-day banquet.

Yes, he surely wanted someone to keep him company too. When Xue'er's father had not been by her side, that little girl had cried the whole way to the Divine General Residence...

He glanced at the vast Mountains and Rivers Courtyard outside the pavilion. Its inner scenery was beautiful, but no matter how beautiful the view, how could it make up for the companionship of parents not being by one's side?

Lin Haixia said nothing. He poured another two mouthfuls of wine into himself, then looked at Li Hao's face, relaxed and smiling. All at once, he remembered that he had been here for two years, yet it seemed he had never seen this little fellow cry.

"Hey."

Perhaps the wine had gone to his head, but Lin Haixia was too lazy to call Li Hao young master anymore. In his eyes, this was ultimately just a little brat.

"Do you miss your parents?"

Li Hao was startled by the question.

Immediately, the image of that young girl holding him by the window, murmuring to herself in sorrow, surfaced in his mind.

Five years had passed, and he had long since forgotten the warmth of that embrace, yet the sorrow in those eyes had instead branded itself into the bottom of his heart.

"I do, I suppose." Li Hao looked at the starry night sky and said softly, "The war over in Northern Yan must be very hard to fight. I hope nothing happens to them."

Lin Haixia froze.

He had thought that once this child's parents were mentioned, the child would be sad, or else he would have already forgotten them. After all, his parents had not been at his side when he was so young, so he probably had no real concept of them.

Who would have known that this child not only remembered them, but had no resentment, and was even worrying about the commander and the others?

For a moment, Lin Haixia felt as if his heart had been stabbed hard by a thorn, and it ached.

He rubbed his eyes and tilted his head back, fiercely downing several mouthfuls of wine.

"Uncle Lin, are you crying?"

"Nonsense. The wine spilled. What the hell do you know!"

The night wind turned cold.

Haixia was drunk too.

The drunken Haixia began chanting poems of slaughter in the courtyard and swinging his fists and feet. In the end, he collapsed like a heap of rotten mud.

Li Hao ordered the household servants to carry him back to his room to sleep, lest he feed the mosquitoes.

Two months later.

It was also time for Bian Ruxue's Bone Measurement.

It was still that same old Daoist invited from Green Hill Mountain, in this courtyard, in the same place, measuring Bian Ruxue's bones.

In less than a moment, the old Daoist's eyes widened. He looked at the little girl with slight excitement and laughed loudly. "Bones like divine jade of gold and iron, divine bones! Seven-colored hidden light, marrow full and flowing with mottled radiance—unsurpassed grade, Ninth Grade Battle Body! Haha, as expected of a child from the Divine General Residence. She truly doesn't disappoint. The Universe Rankings will have another new name added in the future!"

At this point, when he lowered his head, he happened to catch sight of Li Hao beside him, and his smile immediately stiffened.

Then he coughed twice, feeling somewhat awkward.

How close. He had nearly forgotten that the Divine General Residence still had this little record-breaking fellow.

This time, only He Jianlan was present. The madams of the other courtyards were not interested in this little girl betrothed to Li Hao and did not come over.

Hearing the old Daoist's words, smiles appeared simultaneously on the faces of He Jianlan and Lin Haixia.

Afterward, the two of them unexpectedly glanced at Li Hao at the same time.

Although Li Hao had no aptitude for the martial path, with a wife of such peerless aptitude, he could be considered to have someone to rely on in the future.

"Impressive, little girl."

Li Hao smiled and pinched Bian Ruxue's dazed little face. The latter still looked utterly bewildered, clearly not understanding what had happened.

Yet hearing Li Hao's words, Bian Ruxue did not become happy. Instead, she pursed her lips slightly.

At this moment, the little girl was only thinking that if the old grandfather before her had treated Hao Ge like this earlier, that would have been good.

He Jianlan saw the old Daoist off. In the courtyard, Lin Haixia explained martial-path knowledge to Bian Ruxue.

The little girl was already five years old and had begun to understand things. Some things should be taught now.

A peerless Ninth Grade Battle Body broke through realms as easily as eating and drinking. Once she stepped onto cultivation, she would probably break through the first realm within a year.

Within three years, she would break through two realms.

In less than ten years, she would step into the peak of the third realm.

This was the terror of a Ninth Grade Battle Body! The first three realms of the martial path were, respectively, Power Through, Circulating Heaven, and Soul Succession.

Each realm had ten levels.

The fourth realm was Divine Wandering.

Lin Haixia was a fourth-realm powerhouse.

And this year, he was already over forty.

One had to know, in ten years' time, Bian Ruxue would still only be sixteen.

A sixteen-year-old powerhouse at the tenth level of the Soul Succession Realm would absolutely be a moon-bright, dazzling existence. She could serve as the city guard presiding over an entire city and would be called a true powerhouse.

As for ordinary martial artists, if they could step into Circulating Heaven at sixteen, they were already quite remarkable and could be accepted into a famous mountain.

With the piece placed, the outcome of this game was already decided.

Li Hao won.

Experience points +2.

Li Hao yawned and glanced outside the window. The little girl was practicing swordsmanship with Lin Haixia, her posture crooked and twisted, extremely adorable.

He withdrew his gaze, let the household servant playing chess with him leave, and immediately called up the panel.

A year had passed, and his chess path experience was finally full.

He had obtained another Art Skill Point.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Hao chose to add the point to the Path of the Physical Body.

Very soon, a vast and jumbled flood of information surged over. He frowned slightly and endured it. A moment later, he had slowly finished digesting it.

Many insights regarding body-refining arts welled up. Li Hao's heart stirred. He closed the window, then the door, and afterward set his stance in the room and began training.

He began cultivating that body-refining art, "Stone Skin Hundred Refinements."

As his posture settled, his body moved like a dragon striding and a tiger leaping, and cracking explosions rang out from within him.

All the blood, meridians, and bones in his body seemed to twist. The cells inside him seemed to have been activated, and his whole body burned hot.

When one set of "Stone Skin Hundred Refinements" ended,

Li Hao's skin had already turned crimson all over, steaming heat rising from him, while his hair was soaked with sweat. His small face was covered in dense beads of perspiration.

Li Hao sensed something in his heart and called up the panel to take a look. At once, he discovered that in the attribute cultivation section on the panel, he was no longer mundane, but Power Through Realm, third level!

Li Hao could sense that his body was filled with unprecedented strength, as if he could easily split steles and crack stone.

He was incomparably delighted, then refined it again from the beginning.

This time, his strength was abundant, his posture more standard, and the skin all over his body flushed even redder, heat rising like smoke.

When he finished practicing the second time, Li Hao saw that his cultivation had actually risen to the fourth level!

He then continued practicing.

The third time, the fourth time.

Only after the eighth time ended did his cultivation stop rising, fixed at the seventh level of the Power Through Realm!