Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 3: The Abandoned Divine Blood

Chapter 3: The Abandoned Divine Blood

Translator: 549690339

As his consciousness drifted back to the surface, a massive torrent of data abruptly surged into his mind.

Li Hao gripped his head, enduring a swelling sensation so intense it felt as though his skull might split. A pained expression flickered across his youthful features.

“Hao’er, what is wrong?”

Liu Yue Rong, noticing Li Hao’s sudden distress, was immediately alarmed. Her face was etched with motherly concern.

Li Hao ground his teeth together.

The chaotic storm in his mind eventually subsided, leaving him with the realization that his memory had been filled with profound insights regarding the sword. It felt as if he had spent two or three years relentlessly practicing swordsmanship through every day and night.

Damn, this agony... it is exactly like the sensation when my Chess Tao reached the next level...

Gasping for air, Li Hao rubbed his temples. His toddler body was still too underdeveloped; his brain was not yet mature enough to easily withstand the violent mental shock brought by the vast information of Chess Tao and swordsmanship.

Remaining silent, Li Hao focused on regaining his composure.

“Is Lin Xue ill?” Liu Yue Rong asked, placing a hand on Li Hao’s forehead. Finding no sign of a fever, she looked at him with confusion.

By now, Li Hao had fully steadied himself. Meeting his second mother’s worried gaze, he pointed toward his mouth and stammered in his high-pitched baby voice, “B-bit... bit my tongue.”

Liu Yue Rong was momentarily stunned before she let out a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Having successfully deflected her suspicion, Li Hao ignored her further and began to examine his internal status panel.

[Name: Li Hao] [Age: 1 year old] [Cultivation Level: Mortal] [Swordsmanship: Level 1] [Skills: Endless Sea · Tide (Perfect) [Forbidden]] [Mastered Arts: Chess Tao] [Chess Tao: Level 1 (82/500)] [Chess Manual Collection: 0] [Skill Points: 0]

Li Hao was stunned. His skill points had vanished, but his swordsmanship had truly jumped from ‘uninitiated’ straight to ‘Level 1’!

Furthermore, the sub-skill, Endless Sea · Tide, had transformed from uninitiated to the perfect realm!

Li Hao recalled the words of the military instructor who coached Li Qianfeng.

Every skill is categorized into three distinct stages: initiation, dexterity, and perfection!

Initiation signifies the ability to perform the entire technique with proficiency!

Dexterity implies that beyond simple proficiency, one has gained a deep understanding, allowing them to apply the technique with flexibility and ease!

In various combat scenarios, such a practitioner can react spontaneously rather than just following rigid, memorized patterns!

As for the perfection realm.

It represents total mastery, where the skill is as natural as an extension of one’s own limb. Even if the technique is executed backward, it remains flawless and effortless!

This is true unless the skill itself possesses fundamental defects!

It was rumored that a realm even higher than perfection existed. Such a state could supposedly rectify a skill's inherent flaws, pushing its lethality to even greater heights!

Now, because his swordsmanship had reached Level 1, Li Hao had instantly achieved perfection in the first layer of the Endless Sea sword technique!

Normally, reaching such a stage would require at least a decade of grueling practice!

Li Qianfeng, currently hailed as a swordsmanship prodigy, had supposedly trained in the Endless Sea for six months just to initiate the first layer of Tide.

If that was the case, what did that make Li Hao? A monster?

Noticing his second mother was no longer focused on him, Li Hao turned his attention back toward the training grounds.

At that moment, the children in the courtyard were still practicing their forms. However, in Li Hao’s eyes, their movements no longer seemed impressive. With a single glance, he could see their techniques were clumsy and their stances were far too rigid!

To anyone truly skilled with a blade, a simple flick would be enough to disarm them of their wooden swords!

“Well done,” the muscular middle-aged man remarked, appearing quite pleased with Li Qianfeng’s progress.

With such a solid Foundation and sharp intuition, the boy would likely reach dexterity in the first layer within two years. Considering Li Qianfeng was still a young child with an underdeveloped mind, this was a remarkable feat.

As time ticked by, Li Hao watched the training while munching on snacks provided by his second mother. Eventually, a wave of boredom and fatigue washed over him.

He let out a long yawn, curled up in his second mother’s embrace, and drifted off to sleep.

Something seemed to flicker before his eyes, but he was already deep in slumber.

Listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing, Liu Yue Rong looked down at the child, a flash of complicated emotion appearing in her eyes.

However, when she looked up at her own son practicing in the snowy yard, that complexity vanished, replaced by a cold calm.

She rose and carried Li Hao out of the pavilion, returning to her bedroom in the rear courtyard. She laid him gently on her bed and tucked him in with great care.

Her touch was so tender it was as if she were his biological mother.

In his half-asleep state, Li Hao felt himself being put down and became slightly more conscious. He felt a faint warmth radiating from his chest—it was the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant gifted by Emperor Yu. This artifact was the reason he could remain in the snowy courtyard without being affected by the cold.

Just as Li Hao was about to fall back into a deep sleep, he caught the sound of hushed voices coming from outside the room.

“Did you truly administer that substance to the boy?” an unfamiliar male voice asked.

“Things have reached this point; I had no other choice,”

That was his second mother’s voice, but the warmth was gone. It sounded as cold as if she were addressing a lowly servant.

“You have seen it yourself. My son works tirelessly and possesses talent seen only once in a century! The envoys from Mount Wuliang have already visited; once Qianfeng turns six, he will be taken there to begin his Cultivation. When his Divine Blood eventually awakens and he inherits his father's legacy, his name will shake the world!”

“I must clear every obstacle from his path!”

Li Hao opened his eyes just a crack, his mind clouded with confusion.

Who was his second mother speaking to?

“The boy's true potential is still unknown; this move is far too reckless,” the man sighed deeply.

A heavy silence followed outside the door.

Then, Liu Yue Rong’s voice returned, even more frigid and laced with a hint of scorn. “A parent’s love for their child means planning for their entire future!”

“I took no pleasure in this, but the stubborn fools of the Li Family are beyond saving!”

“If there is blame, let it fall on the boy’s father. The Marquis of Xingwu was a freak of nature. While others remain ignorant, I know he reached that realm by the age of twenty-three...”

“That means there is a very high probability his son would also awaken the Divine Blood!”

“What?!”

The man’s voice was filled with shock. “He entered the ‘Three Immortal’ realms at only twenty-three?!”

“Indeed. The Li Family progenitor was a founding Divine General of Dayu, possessing a legendary bloodline. The father inherited that will, and he was no different,” she stated firmly.

“In that generation, besides Qianfeng’s father, the Marquis of Xingwu was a monster, as were the third, sixth, and ninth brothers! The ninth was the most terrifying of all. Luckily, he died young without leaving any heirs...”

“The third brother’s wife is always present, and since her child is a girl who will eventually marry out, she is no threat. The sixth brother also reached the Three Immortal realms early, but only after he had already wed...”

Liu Yue Rong continued coldly, “The only child who can truly rival Qianfeng is this boy. Why else would Emperor Yu bestow such a blessing upon him? Even if his talent for martial arts is average, the awakening of Divine Blood would allow him to compete with the world's greatest geniuses!”

Silence returned to the hallway.

The man let out a soft sigh. “Since the Lady has made her choice, I will speak no more of it.”

“There is no need for concern. This medicine is a product of Mount Wuliang. Once ingested, it leaves no trace and causes no pain. I even masked it with sugar so it would not taste strange. He is young; children eat so many sweets that he won't even remember it.”

“Furthermore, if he fails to awaken his Divine Blood in the future, no one can prove we interfered. Anyone in the Divine General Mansion could be blamed!”

“Besides, awakening a bloodline of that caliber isn't a certainty. Perhaps the boy simply lacked the potential to begin with?”

At those words, Liu Yue Rong gave a mocking laugh. “We have the Northern Yan wars to thank. Ji Qingqing is so devoted to the Marquis of Xingwu that she followed him to the front lines, giving us this window. Had we waited until the boy was older and they returned, the martial guards would have been watching him too closely for us to act.”

The man offered no reply, only a quiet sigh.

Soon, the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance.

Inside the bedchamber, Li Hao was now wide awake, his mind spinning in disbelief.

His second mother was trying to destroy him?

The protective, loving mask she wore every day—was it all a lie?

Li Hao struggled to accept it, but the truth was undeniable. To pave a smooth road for her own son, she viewed him as a threat that had to be neutralized!

Li Hao’s expression darkened as he clenched his tiny fists.

Those sweet smiles had blinded him. If his second mother was capable of this, what about the others in the mansion?

Was anyone actually sincere?

In his year and a half here, being pampered by these women had caused Li Hao to develop genuine feelings for them. Now, it all felt like a hollow illusion.

Was this the reality of the internal power struggles within an ancient noble clan?

He touched his chest. Other than the warmth from the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant, he felt nothing unusual. His mother had claimed he carried his father’s strength, but now... it had been stolen.

In the darkness, Li Hao squeezed his small hands tight, swearing that he would have his revenge in the future!

...

...

The seasons bled into one another as spring turned to autumn.

In what felt like a heartbeat, Li Hao reached the age of three.

He now spent the majority of his time within the Mountain and River Courtyard. He became extremely cautious regarding the food sent by the various ladies, often acting like a spoiled, picky child to avoid eating anything suspicious.

Over time, the servants in the courtyard grew accustomed to the idea that the young master was incredibly difficult to please when it came to his meals.

Three years old.

Within the Divine General Mansion, this was a pivotal milestone.

While common families might start martial training at seven, eight, or even in their teens, the elite did things differently.

Many people with potential often failed to reach greatness because their bodies had already matured too much by the time they started, causing them to miss the golden window of development due to their lowly status.

As a lineage of warriors, the Divine General Mansion utilized the most grueling training regimens, ensuring their children built their foundation from the earliest possible age.

Foundation Establishment at three.

Blood Melting at four.

Bone Testing at five!

By the age of six, formal training began, ensuring not a single moment was wasted. On the arduous path of Cultivation, an early start often meant staying ahead for a lifetime!

A child's true aptitude for Cultivation would be tested at age five. If their bones were sturdy and their marrow was dense, they could begin training immediately after the Bone Testing.

However, the Divine General Mansion followed a philosophy of patience. They mandated that formal training only begin at six, giving the body an extra year to mature and stabilize for a smoother journey ahead.

Even a genius like Li Qianfeng followed this rule, only ascending Mount Wuliang once he reached six years of age.

While they practiced swordsmanship daily, it was merely to build a basic martial intuition; it wasn't considered true Cultivation.

For those with lesser talent or slower development, training might not start until seven, eight, or even nine.

Yet, given the abundance of rare medicines available in the Divine General Mansion to boost one's martial potential, even the least talented child would typically begin their Cultivation by age eight.

It was said that the only time someone started later was due to a premature birth and prenatal injuries that took years to overcome.