The Name of Eternals

Chapter 3: Wasted Divine Blood

As consciousness flickered, a sudden influx of information surged into his mind.

Li Hao clutched his head, feeling it swell as if it was about to burst.

This made him look pained.

"Hao'er, what's wrong?"

Liu Yue noticed Li Hao's discomfort and jumped in fright, quickly asking with concern.

Li Hao gritted his teeth.

The chaotic thoughts in his mind gradually settled, and Li Hao realized that a lot of knowledge about swords had appeared in his brain.

It was as if he had practiced swordsmanship day and night for two or three years.

Damn, this headache feels just like when I leveled up in chess...

Li Hao rubbed his head, panting heavily. He was still too young, his brain not fully developed, and the vast information brought by chess and swordsmanship was a terrifying impact on his fragile mind.

He didn't speak and worked to calm himself.

"Did he catch a cold from the snow?" Liu Yue touched Li Hao's forehead but found no fever, puzzled.

By this time, Li Hao had fully recovered. Seeing Second Mother's puzzled look, he pointed to his mouth and mumbled in a childish voice, "Bit... bit my tongue."

Liu Yue was taken aback, then sighed in relief, rolling her eyes helplessly.

Li Hao brushed it off and secretly checked his panel.

[Name: Li Hao]

[Age: 1 year old]

[Cultivation: Mortal]

[Swordsmanship: First Dan]

[Skill: Tides of the Boundless Sea (Perfect) [Sealed]]

[Mastered Arts: Chess]

[Chess: First Dan (82/500)]

[Chess Manual Collection: 0]

[Art Skill Points: 0]

Li Hao was a bit shocked; the art skill points at the end were gone, but his swordsmanship had really advanced from 'Not Started' to 'First Dan'! Moreover, the skill, Tides of the Boundless Sea, had gone from 'Not Started' to 'Perfect'!

He recalled the military instructor teaching Li Qianfeng mentioning:

Any skill has three levels: Beginner, Adept, and Perfect!

Beginner means being able to skillfully perform the entire set!

Adept means, beyond proficiency, being able to apply skills flexibly, fully understanding and handling them with ease!

In different situations, you can respond effectively without being rigid or formulaic!

As for Perfect.

It means you have completely mastered the skill, moving as effortlessly as with your own limbs. Even executing moves backward can be done easily, without any exposed flaws!

Unless there are flaws in the skill itself!

It is said that above Perfect, there is an even higher realm.

In that realm, you can even compensate for the skill's flaws, enhancing its power further!

And at this moment, after Li Hao advanced to First Dan in swordsmanship, his mastery of the first sword technique of Tides of the Boundless Sea had reached Perfect!

This usually requires at least ten years of hard work to achieve!

Li Qianfeng, who was said to be a genius in swordsmanship, had practiced Tides of the Boundless Sea for only half a year and had reached the beginner level of the first form, Tides.

So what am I now? A monster?

Seeing Second Mother not paying attention to him, Li Hao turned his gaze back to the courtyard.

At this time.

The child in the courtyard was still practicing swordsmanship, but in Li Hao's eyes, it was no longer as impressive as before. Instead, he could see at a glance that the other's technique was immature and stiff!

If faced by someone skilled with a sword, a light blow could knock the wooden sword out of his hand!

"Not bad." The burly middle-aged man was very satisfied with Li Qianfeng's performance.

With excellent bone structure and comprehension, in two more years, this first form could reach Adept.

You should know, Li Qianfeng is still just a child, his brain not fully developed, which is already extremely rare.

Time passed.

Li Hao watched and ate the snacks Second Mother fed him, gradually feeling a bit drowsy and bored.

He yawned, lay down in Second Mother's arms, and slowly closed his eyes.

Something seemed to pass before his eyes, but Li Hao had already fallen asleep.

Hearing the slight breathing from her arms, Liu Yue looked down, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes.

But when she looked up at her son practicing swordsmanship in the snow, the complex expression disappeared, and her gaze returned to calm.

She got up, carried Li Hao out of the small pavilion, returned to her room in the backyard, and gently placed Li Hao on her bed, covering him with a quilt.

Her movements were gentle, like those of a biological mother.

Li Hao, in his daze, felt his body being laid down, waking up slightly.

He felt a warm glow on his chest, a slight heat. It was the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant given by the Yu Emperor, which he had worn closely, the reason he felt no cold standing in the snow.

Just as Li Hao was about to roll over and continue sleeping, he suddenly heard a low voice from outside the room.

"Did you really give the child that thing?" said an unfamiliar male voice.

"I have no choice now."

This was Second Mother's voice, but it wasn't soft or affectionate; instead, it was cold, like addressing a servant.

"You saw it too, how hard my son works, a talent of a century! The people from Wuliang Mountain have already come to see him. When Qianfeng turns six, they will take him to Wuliang Mountain to cultivate. Once his divine blood awakens and he inherits the power passed down from his father, he will surely be renowned across the land!"

"I must pave the way for him!"

Li Hao slightly opened his eyes, his mind, still a bit dazed and sleepy, was filled with confusion.

Who is Second Mother talking to?

"We still don't know what talent this child has; this move might be too risky," the low voice sighed.

Outside the door, there was a brief silence.

Then Liu Yue's voice sounded, even colder, with a hint of mockery in her tone:

"Parents love their children, so they plan for them long-term!"

"Originally, I didn't want this, but the people of the Li family are such fools!"

"This child can only blame his father. Who told that Xingwu Marquis to be such a genius? Others don't know, but I do. He reached that realm at the age of twenty-three..."

"That means his child has a significant chance of awakening divine blood too!"

"What?!"

The low voice was shocked. "He reached 'Three Immortals' at twenty-three?!"

"Yes, the Li family ancestor was the founding divine general of Great Yu, with a powerful bloodline, and the father inherited the ancestor's will."

"In the previous generation, besides Qianfeng's father, that Xingwu Marquis was also a genius, along with the third, sixth, and ninth brothers! Especially Ninth Lang, even more terrifying. It's fortunate he died early and left no offspring..."

"The third brother's wife is here, and she will marry off eventually, so she doesn't have much influence. Although the sixth brother entered Three Immortals early, it was after marriage..."

Liu Yue said coldly, "The only one who can compete with Qianfeng is this child. Otherwise, why do you think the Yu Emperor blessed him? Even if his martial arts talent is mediocre, with the awakening of divine blood, he could rival the top geniuses!"

There was a silence outside.

The low voice sighed softly, "Since madam has made such a decision, I will say no more."

"Don't worry; I got this drug from Wuliang Mountain. It leaves no trace after being consumed, can't be tracked, and causes no pain. I even coated it in sugar so it won't taste strange. Although he's young, it won't leave any deep memory. After all, children eat so many sweets."

"Besides, if it turns out he can't awaken divine blood, they can't definitively say it was our doing. In this General's Residence, anyone could have done it!"

"Moreover, the bloodline at that realm doesn't guarantee awakening. Maybe the child wasn't capable, to begin with."

At this point, Liu Yue sneered, "Thanks to this rebellion in the north of Yan, Ji Qingqing and Xingwu Marquis are so deeply in love that she followed him to the battlefield, giving us this opportunity. Otherwise, if the child were a few years older when they returned, with guards secretly watching him, it would be difficult to make a move."

The man did not respond further, only sighing softly.

After a while, the footsteps of the two gradually faded away.

Inside the room, Li Hao was now fully awake, his mind spinning, incredulous.

Second Mother wants to harm me?

The daily care and concern were fake?

Li Hao didn't want to believe it, but the facts were in front of him.

Although he didn't understand what divine blood was, Second Mother wanted to pave the way for her child and saw him as an obstacle, choosing to destroy him!

Li Hao's face darkened, and he clenched his fist slightly.

The usual gentle smiles had lulled him into a false sense of security. If Second Mother was like this, what about the others? Who was genuine?

Though he had been here only a year and a half, being cared for by these ladies daily, Li Hao had developed some feelings.

But now, it all felt like an illusion.

Is this the internal strife of an ancient noble family?

His small hand brushed over his body; apart from the slight warmth in his chest, he felt nothing else. This warmth came from the Dragon Blood Jade Pendant.

His mother had said that his father's power was in him, but now... it was gone.

Li Hao secretly clenched his small hand. He would repay this grudge in the future!

...

...

Spring passed, and autumn came.

In the blink of an eye, Li Hao turned three.

Nowadays, he mostly stayed in the Mountain and River Courtyard, being much more careful about the food brought by the ladies from various courtyards. Sometimes, he would pretend not to like it and throw a childish tantrum.

Gradually, the servants understood that the young master was extremely picky about food.

Three years old.

In the General's Residence, this was an extremely critical age.

In ordinary families, children usually start martial arts training at seven or eight, even in their teens.

Some even have their bones set, and despite their talent, can't achieve much because their families delay their best training years.

But the General's Residence is a martial family with the most rigorous training methods, ensuring the children start building a foundation early.

Three years for foundation building.

Four years for blood refining.

Five years for bone measurement!

By the time they are six, they begin formal training without wasting any time.

On the path of cultivation, countless people compete, and getting ahead means staying ahead!

The presence of cultivation aptitude can be tested at five years when bones are measured.

If the bones develop well and the marrow is abundant and solid, they can start cultivation after the bone measurement at five.

However, the General's Residence, with its deep foundation, follows the principle of not rushing, stipulating that formal training begins at six, allowing another year for physical growth and consolidation, making future training smoother.

Even the exceptionally gifted Li Qianfeng follows this pattern. Though he can start cultivating after bone measurement, he will still go to Wuliang Mountain at six.

Practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard is merely basic training to cultivate a sense of martial arts, not true cultivation.

Those with average bone measurement aptitude and slow development might not start at six but need several more years, possibly seven, eight, or nine.

However, with countless renowned medicines and rare treasures in the General's Residence to enhance martial aptitude, the latest start in recent years has been eight.

It is said that person was a premature birth and suffered injuries in the womb, leading to this.