The Name of Eternals

Chapter 29: Every Member of the Li Family Is a Prodigy

Inside the building, the martial arts collections were vast. Although they were categorized, perhaps due to the obscurity of the Taiyin Meridian, Li Hao spent several hours searching and still found no relevant records. Instead, he managed to record two more lower-grade body cultivation techniques, further enhancing his body slightly.

In the evening, Li Muxiu returned, looking somewhat weary. Seeing Li Hao holding the "Dragon River God Meridian" manual, Li Muxiu shook his head and smiled, "What's this? Planning to open meridians now? Have you even stepped into the Zhoutian Realm? Don't aim too high."

"I just did," Li Hao replied.

"?"

Li Muxiu was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Did you master the Hundred Flood Dragon Body?"

"Yes."

Li Hao nodded. Achieving mastery could be considered entry, right?

"Come, show me," Li Muxiu said without further ado, directly asking Li Hao to demonstrate. A glance would reveal everything.

Li Hao didn't hold back and performed openly. Although they hadn't known each other long, the old man gave him an exceptionally open feeling. If the old man intended harm, he couldn't prevent it anyway.

Moreover, just mastering the Hundred Flood Dragon Body wasn't a big deal, right?

As he moved his fists, his energy surged, and in an instant, an aura like a flood dragon emerging from the sea emanated from Li Hao.

Li Muxiu's eyes focused, and his expression instantly froze.

""

Li Muxiu stared at Li Hao in disbelief. If it was just entry-level mastery, it wouldn't be anything noteworthy, merely an outstanding talent. But the Li family never lacked talent. You could throw a stone, and if it didn't hit a servant, it would strike a genius.

But entry-level, minor achievement, major achievement—this was major achievement level for the Hundred Flood Dragon Body!

To achieve entry and mastery in one day?

Impressive. Such a body cultivation talent is as remarkable as Xiao Jiu's cultivation talent, isn't it?

Li Muxiu couldn't help but scrutinize Li Hao. Was this kid's talent for body cultivation that good? It's a shame that his talent is only in body cultivation.

Thinking along these lines, Li Muxiu sighed deeply.

Though he didn't pursue fame and fortune, being able to cultivate was a blessing for anyone.

After finishing his demonstration, Li Hao saw the old man staring blankly, with innocent eyes, and seized the opportunity to ask, "Old man, I saw the words 'ghost meridian' in the other 'Primeval' manual. What is this ghost meridian?"

"You flipped through that manual too? You didn't practice it, did you?"

Li Muxiu snapped back to reality, his brows furrowed, looking serious.

He scrutinized Li Hao's innocent-looking face, realizing he might have overthought it. This young kid, if he really had been distracted by other practices, how would he have had time to master the Hundred Flood Dragon Body today?

Before Li Hao could answer, he continued seriously, "Having excellent body cultivation talent is a good thing, but don't squander it! Many geniuses, in their youthful arrogance, think they're clever, dabbling in everything, becoming seemingly omnipotent. But guess what happens? They get slapped to death by those they once defeated."

"People need to master a single skill strong enough to kill enemies. Then they can run rampant!"

Li Muxiu advised, "You hear about sword saints, blade saints, spear gods, arrow kings—they're all famous people. Do you think they don't understand the importance of well-rounded development? But they specialize in their own fields, continually improving! A person's lifespan is limited, and they might not reach the end of one path in a lifetime. So, trying to walk two paths is self-destruction!"

He said earnestly to Li Hao:

"In a family like ours, the benefit is having enough resources, making the growth process relatively smooth. Unlike those without backgrounds, who face complex situations from a young age, forced to learn whatever helps them survive."

"But we're different. We can choose!"

"They may dabble in poison, medicine, hand-to-hand combat, and swordplay, but so what? Against someone of the same realm, there might be an advantage, but how much time did you spend learning these? If it took ten years, others could spend the same ten years mastering one thing, and the disparity in realms alone could be enough to crush you."

"Therefore, only when you reach a bottleneck, and there's no hope for progress in this life, should you consider branching out. Until then, there's no need."

His words were heartfelt, and Li Hao understood the old man's perspective.

Being versatile is powerful, but time is a constraint.

However, that's for regular martial artists.

But for him, he had the panel as a cheat.

Nevertheless, without enough skill points, Li Hao focused on specializing in swordsmanship and physical development, with the latter taking precedence in terms of cultivation level.

After earnestly advising Li Hao, Li Muxiu sighed and resumed his casual demeanor, saying, "The ghost meridian you mentioned is part of the 'Primeval' body cultivation technique. That's why this incomplete technique is on the sixth floor. But to learn to open the ghost meridian, you need to gradually practice to the third level, which takes a lot of time. This technique is even more challenging. Those with high comprehension might take five to eight years, while those with poor comprehension might take twenty to thirty years!"

"Therefore, while the ghost meridian is valuable, it often has to be abandoned."

"Oh?"

Li Hao looked intrigued, sitting cross-legged and hugging his knees.

"The ghost meridian, also called the Taiyin meridian, is said to be one of a total of one hundred and eight meridians in the human body, according to legend!"

Li Muxiu explained, "Our Li family's strongest 'Dragon River God Meridian' can open fifty-four meridians, while the royal family's Donghuang Manual can open sixty-two meridians, making it the most powerful meridian-opening technique."

"But even these fall short of the legendary one hundred and eight meridians, so whether they truly exist remains a rumor."

"However, beyond these one hundred and eight meridians, there are two major meridians: the Taiyin Meridian and the Sun Meridian!"

"If you open these major meridians, your cultivation techniques will include some special powers, making your attacks more fierce and domineering. Additionally, these meridians can circulate more energy!"

He glanced at Li Hao, saying, "If you can achieve one hundred cycles per meridian, in the Taiyin Meridian, you could achieve a thousand cycles, a tenfold difference! You can compound and accumulate the energy of a hundred cycles in the Taiyin Meridian!"

"And having a thousand cycles per meridian doesn't just mean accumulating quantity but a qualitative change in explosive power. This becomes apparent in combat. Thus, those who can open these two special meridians are geniuses among geniuses, even the elite among the elite, appearing only once in a century!"

Li Hao was enlightened, realizing there was also a Sun Meridian besides the Taiyin Meridian.

These two special meridians equaled an additional twenty meridians.

Remember, even the strongest royal family techniques open only sixty-four meridians. Opening these two special meridians is like a one-third enhancement!

Even practicing the family's 'Dragon River God Meridian,' you could surpass the royal family's power!

"Opening these two special meridians is extremely difficult. It requires opportunity, talent, and comprehension, with little external assistance possible," Li Muxiu remarked, looking at Li Hao. "In our Li family's second generation, only three people opened one special meridian, and only your ninth uncle possessed both meridians, a peerless talent."

At this, he sighed.

Li Hao was somewhat dumbfounded.

Listening to him describe how rare these were, yet among the nine Li family uncles, three possessed them?

And the ninth uncle had both?

"Little Jiu was born with the Sun Meridian, and he later opened and comprehended the Taiyin Meridian. Even I had only one special meridian back in the day, similar to your father," Li Muxiu said, shaking his head.

Li Hao was speechless. That ninth uncle was the real prodigy.

"Alright, you should focus on your cultivation."

Li Muxiu advised Li Hao, "You have exceptional talent, but with naturally blocked meridians, your path is more difficult than other body cultivators. If you're unlucky, the Zhoutian Realm might be your limit. So don't be distracted. Master the Hundred Flood Dragon Body. If you reach the fourth level, you may break through to the Jihun Realm."

"By then, you'll at least be a capable warrior, not easily defeated."

Li Hao nodded.

Seeing how obedient Li Hao was, Li Muxiu felt quite satisfied, "When you have time, study the 'Dragon River God Meridian.' If you have questions, come to me. Your father learned it independently too. Although there were instructors, well, your grandfather had a bad temper and didn't teach personally. Military instructors were invited, and often before they reacted, your father had already learned. Xiao Jiu could even infer other things from what he learned, hehe..."

Recalling those times, the old man's face showed a hint of a smile.

Li Hao felt a bit helpless.

The Li family's prodigies were too numerous, making even him, a "cheater," seem average.

Of course, he hadn't yet fully explored every source of skill points.

But life isn't just about cultivation. There should be more to it, or what's the point of living a second life?

...

...

In the following days, Li Hao spent every morning fishing with the old man, then spent afternoons in the tower, browsing through breathing techniques and meridian-opening manuals.

Half a month later, he successfully recorded all three top-tier manuals in the panel.

Li Hao felt his comprehension was decent, taking five days per manual. He hadn't embarrassed the Li family.

It's said that an average Li family heir takes about half a month to grasp the basics of a top-tier manual.

But, with two lifetimes of mentality, Li Hao wasn't arrogant. He considered it normal performance.

However, these three manuals weren't body cultivation techniques, so his three-segment understanding of the physical path didn't affect them after recording.

Instead, the panel added a new path attribute.

[Control Path: Not Yet Entered]

Li Hao guessed these three manuals were regular martial arts cultivation manuals. This control path likely corresponded to the standard cultivation path.

Though the name was a bit peculiar.

But Li Hao didn't dwell on it, as long as he could add points.

So, he once again felt the scarcity of skill points.

"Besides fishing and chess, it's time to consider regular activities like painting and cooking..."

These are all art forms documented in the game, which should increase skill points.