Li Hao's Childishness

When the divine ability character for "Fire" emerged, Li Hao felt as though he could see the road ahead. He was thrilled! It wasn't merely the improvement in his strength. Through this experiment, he seemed to have probed out parts of the path forward, learning how to advance. This path seemed exceptionally long! One character, one force; one character, one meridian; one character, one divine ability! In that case, he had a very long journey ahead. "The commotion was too great!" Li Hao actually wanted to experiment with the other four divine abilities. After the character for "Fire" returned to its place, everything withdrew inward. He no longer felt that unbearable strain from before. As such, he could fully perfect the other four character divine abilities one by one. Even if he couldn't unleash them all at once, this solved a massive problem for him. Force! If all five character divine abilities could manifest, he could accommodate the supernatural locks within them. His force would no longer suffer interference, nor would he need to seal them like a martial master, and he wouldn't have to worry about the crisis of severed supernatural locks like other mysterious energy users. Increasing his strength wasn't what mattered most; what mattered was that he could perfect himself this way, integrating all the chaotic techniques he had learned into a cohesive whole. "Whether secret techniques or breathing arts..." Breathing arts! Li Hao's heart jolted. A breathing art... one character, one meridian—could he add a breathing art to each character? He hadn't learned many secret techniques, but they were quite diverse. Five Animals Breathing Art, Willow Catkin Sword, Shadowless Sword, Nine-Forged Jin, along with the many secret techniques he had previously seized from Plain King... If these forces merged into characters, could the characters breathe? "For example, water force—a force achieved with Nine-Forged Jin as its foundation. Force possesses spirituality. Previously, I had to switch breathing arts to use it... In that case, can I have a separate art for each character?" Breathing arts were also a defining feature of this era. In the ancient martial era, there were no dedicated matching breathing arts; the martial path was universally applicable. A breathing art was a limitation. Yet breathing arts could also produce unique effects with greater specificity. Perhaps they lacked the inclusive versatility of ancient martial arts, but they brought distinct characteristics of their own. However, there were too many breathing arts, and they were too chaotic. Even as strong as Yuan Shuo was, he had only integrated the Five Animals Breathing Art. But what if... one character, one art, with each art strengthening one force? Force possessed spirituality, and now that it was sealed separately within a character, could that character breathe? At this moment, Li Hao had a sudden stroke of inspiration. It was as if some shackle had broken, as if he had gained sudden enlightenment. Or rather, all the exposure, observation, and learning from these past days were erupting at once—a burst born from long accumulation. He had seen too much and experienced too much. The collision between ancient martial arts and modern martial arts gave him countless ideas. "Fire tiger... circulate a fire force breathing art..." With that thought in mind, the character surfaced once more. He pondered: since the Five Animals Breathing Art could be combined, it must have originally been composed of separate parts. What was the standalone fire force breathing art? His teacher definitely knew. Yet his teacher hadn't taught it to him separately, instead imparting the Five Animals Breathing Art directly. Li Hao quickly rummaged through the secret techniques in his storage ring. Plain King knew many techniques, and Li Hao wanted to see if there was a standalone technique capable of forming fire force. If so, what would happen if he let the fierce tiger breathe and circulate it? At that point, wouldn't every character be cultivating on its own? Li Hao's eyes flickered, suddenly surging with excitement. He swiftly flipped through all the secret techniques, searching for any that might form fire force. After looking for a while, he frowned slightly. As if recalling something, he abruptly activated his gold armor's communication system. "Martial Uncle Southern Fist!" "What are you messing around with now? Did you really succeed with that third discipline of divine power? If you keep this up, you'll probably lose all hope of stepping into the martial master realm... Li Hao, don't act recklessly!" Southern Fist seemed to have wanted to contact Li Hao all along, but he lacked the authorization. Only when Li Hao contacted him did he finally have the chance to say what was on his mind. His voice carried a hint of regret and reproach: "Two disciplines of divine power are plenty. Why pursue a third? Nobody is doing that at this stage, yet you insist on being eccentric..." "Martial Uncle Southern Fist!" Li Hao interrupted him. "I remember your secret technique seems exceptionally overbearing and bloody, carrying an explosive fiery momentum..." "What about it? Got a problem with that?" "No, I just wanted to ask—what exactly is Martial Uncle Southern Fist's fist technique called?" Puzzled, Southern Fist nonetheless replied, "Sky Shaking Fist, an ancient martial heritage. It was modified generation after generation, so it's different from the original. I've always wanted to trade for the Battle Heaven Army's Bloody Lion King Fist; that should help me somewhat..." "Martial Uncle Southern Fist, I'll find a way to trade for it on your behalf. First, pass your Sky Shaking Fist secret technique to me, including the breathing art. If I remember correctly, your fist technique is peerlessly domineering and carries an explosive fiery momentum..." *Fuck!* Southern Fist cursed inwardly. In the Silver Moon martial forest, demanding someone's secret technique was like murdering their parents and stealing their legacy—an irreconcilable feud! That grandson Li Hao actually dared to ask for his secret technique! *Bah! How could I possibly hand over my secret heritage to you? What are you dreaming of?* "Martial Uncle Southern Fist, ten drops of the Spring of Life!" "Li Hao, don't push people too far... Don't think that just because I'm helping you now, I'll pass down my secret technique to you! This is my bottom-dollar capital..." "Twenty drops. If you don't want to trade, forget it. If I remember correctly, fire-force secret techniques aren't scarce. I'll just find someone else..." "Wait!" Southern Fist hastily replied, "Deal! Twenty drops, not one drop less. I'll transmit it to you right away!" Li Hao was unfazed. He knew it. With Southern Fist, there was nothing that couldn't be traded. It was just a secret technique. Southern Fist's technique wasn't particularly powerful; the strength lay in Southern Fist himself, not in his technique. A moment later, Southern Fist sent over a passage of text. The breathing art was included. "Li Hao, keep your word! I went against my ancestors to pass my He family's secret heritage to you... You'd better not..." "Come collect it from me later!" "Fine!" ... Inside the imperial palace, Southern Fist felt a surge of exhilaration. Twenty drops! He had earned quite a lot recently. Last time, Li Hao gave him several drops, and now another twenty. As for his Southern Fist secret technique—what did that matter? His technique wasn't particularly strong to begin with. Compared to the Five Animals Secret Art, it wasn't even worth mentioning. His strength came from his own personal prowess! If Li Hao wanted to trade for it... he'd just give it to him. Amidst his excitement, Southern Fist was also somewhat puzzled. Why did Li Hao want his secret technique? Frankly speaking, Li Hao's Five Animals Secret Art was far stronger than his, and extremely comprehensive, encompassing all five forces. Integrating five secret techniques made Yuan Shuo practically a celestial figure. Why abandon the Five Animals Secret Art to practice his fist technique? If it were other attributes like light, darkness, or life, it would make sense for Li Hao to covet them, since the Five Animals Secret Art didn't include those. But fire force... what was there to covet separately? Puzzled as he was, he couldn't be bothered to care. Either way, he came out ahead! Could it be that Li Hao's fire divine ability had manifested and gone out of control, so he hoped to harness a secret technique to control it? After pondering briefly, he cast the thought aside. ... At the same time, Li Hao obtained the breathing art of the Sky Shaking Fist. As for whether the force comprehended from Sky Shaking Fist was truly fire force, as long as the general direction aligned, it was fine. Force was often born from the mind. Take Nine-Forged Jin, for instance: Liu Long's father had comprehended fire force, whereas Liu Long comprehended water force. It was truly unique. Above the character, the fierce tiger materialized. Li Hao quickly circulated the still-unfamiliar breathing art of the Sky Shaking Fist. His divine intent fluctuated and projected onto the fierce tiger. The tiger crouched in the void, appearing to learn; in truth, it was the spiritual incarnation of Li Hao himself. In an instant, the tiger seemed to begin circulating the secret technique. In the blink of an eye, towering flames surged forth. The next moment, the tiger moved as if clenching a fist, throwing a punch... Flames vaulted into the sky! Li Hao's expression shifted slightly. It really worked! At this moment, he was genuinely shaken. Did this mean his conjecture and ideas were all feasible? It felt like one character, one avatar! "Simply unbelievable!" Li Hao was astounded. This was truly inconceivable. Could force really be utilized like this? His sudden inspiration had once again been proven workable. Then, if he merged water force to form the character for "Water," could he simultaneously circulate the Nine-Forged Jin breathing art? If so... every character would be an avatar, an independent, walking martial master. And if unified by the general outline of sword intent, could it unleash even greater power? Before this, it had been impossible—one could only circulate a single breathing art at a time. "The five forces circulating five breathing arts separately, while the general outline of sword intent circulates the Five Animals Breathing Art... No, if I circulate the Five Animals Breathing Art myself to control the general outline of sword intent, does that mean... a single strike can unleash the effects of six breathing arts?" Li Hao's eyes gleamed with wild excitement. Was it possible? Perhaps... it was! He wanted to try... but right now, the commotion was too great and had already drawn considerable attention. He had just revealed fire force; revealing another force would easily invite wariness. The outside world would assume he had snapped multiple supernatural locks. Even he hadn't anticipated such a massive disturbance. He had originally intended to cultivate quietly, believing Black Panther would suffice to devour everything. Now it seemed Black Panther was too weak—an absolute waste that couldn't fully mask the commotion he caused. Useless Black Panther! "I need to find an uninhabited place to continue testing, turning all my other four supernatural locks into characters. Even if I can't output full power right away and my only weakness is my physical body, once my viscera are strengthened, I'll be able to wield seven disciplines of divine power!" Li Hao's heart thrummed with excitement. By then, unless powerhouses from the ancient civilization appeared, who could match him? Could even Ying Hongyue defeat him? With this thought, he grew restless, unwilling to just sit here daydreaming. He wanted to put it into action immediately. Although it didn't seem entirely stable yet... so what? It wouldn't kill him! At worst, how bad could it get? Didn't supernatural users open their locks recklessly too? None of them had dropped dead from it! "Where can I go to conceal such a massive disturbance?" Battle Heaven City was a good choice, but... it was too far away. Around here, causing such a stir would be difficult to hide. Everyone would know it was Li Hao unlocking his supernatural locks. If he opened too many, others would become alarmed. "The four seas should be quieter..." Li Hao pondered. Especially for unlocking water force... entering the sea might yield even better results. He could hardly wait. At that moment, he resumed studying the character for "Fire." The fierce tiger seemed to be breathing, cycles of power circulating through his heart, carrying the flavor of internal strength cycles. The character truly seemed to be breathing. The wind and thunder attributes within his body no longer ran wild either. However, Li Hao probably couldn't sketch characters for those two attributes in the short term, as he had yet to comprehend their forces. "Martial Uncle Hong, I need to head out for a bit... I'll be back shortly!" Li Hao sent a voice transmission outside. Hong Yitang furrowed his brow slightly. *Head out?* *Where are you going at a time like this?* *And did you actually complete your third divine ability or not?* To be honest, he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Yet since Li Hao said so, there wasn't much he could say. "Be careful. Everyone's watching you right now. Hou Xiaochen stepped in earlier to deter them, so the Nine Departments won't dare recklessly probe you... If you're going out, come back soon!" "Understood!" Li Hao swiftly restrained his fire force, suppressed the wind and thunder, manifested his gold armor, and shrouded himself with the mirror fragment. Concealing everything, he vanished on the spot in the blink of an eye. ... Reaching the Heavenly Star Sea, Li Hao didn't linger. He plunged straight into the water and shot toward the far end, aiming to enter the expanse of the four seas. The Heavenly Star Sea wasn't vast, but it stretched immensely long, cutting east to west and connecting directly to the East Sea and West Sea. After a moment's thought, Li Hao headed east, into the East Sea! Over in the East Sea, he had already eliminated the bearded pirate, leaving few experts around. As for the West Sea, it might draw the attention of the western dukes. Now, no one from the Xu family dared wander off to investigate the East Sea. Moving at extreme speed, Li Hao cut through the ocean and raced toward the East Sea. At the very least, he needed to complete the fusion of his water force and water meridian in the East Sea. ... Speeding along, Li Hao lost track of how long had passed. By the time he crossed into the domain of the East Sea, the sky had already darkened. Li Hao pressed onward toward the center of the East Sea. He would sketch the character for "Water" here. It should be feasible—at least before his Spring of Life ran out, there shouldn't be any major issue. ... At the exact same time. Heavenly Star City. Quiet had once again returned to the city. The disturbance in the northern district had vanished. No one knew whether Li Hao had completed the development of his third divine ability. Inside Nine Dragons Pavilion. Several department directors sat in a private room, drinking cup after cup in silence. The retired directors hadn't come; all present were the current department heads. The director of the Penal Law Department drank his liquor, his gaze cold and sharp. After a long silence, he spoke: "Are we just going to let him keep advancing? If he stepped into a third divine ability today, can the fourth and fifth be far behind? Must we nurture a tiger that will turn around to devour us?" The others remained silent. What else could they do? Fight Li Hao to the bitter end? He wasn't alone. Behind him were the Silver Moon martial masters, as well as experts like Hou Xiaochen and Hong Yitang. On top of that, the imperial family was waiting to reap the spoils of their clash. If they fought to the death, who would benefit? Right now, although some divine power experts had died, none of the departments had suffered a crippling blow—except the Penal Law Department, which was genuinely wounded. With Hu Xiao slain, this director of the Penal Law Department had vengeance on his mind. The director of the Department of Internal Affairs, somewhat plump with narrow eyes, softly consoled him, "Old Hu, don't be rash! What good does bloodying ourselves against Li Hao do right now? Just wait a bit longer. Once the second resurgence begins, the things under our control will exert tremendous power! What will Li Hao have to fight us with then?" The director of the Penal Law Department said coldly, "Don't forget, Battle Heaven City stands behind him!" "I know, I know!" The director of Internal Affairs nodded. "But when that time truly comes, will Battle Heaven City even have the chance to revive and emerge into the world? How many factions from all directions will march on Silver Moon? Silver Moon will be the first to be wiped out—not just by us, but by the imperial family, the Three Great Organizations, the sacred mountains, and those recluses who have stayed hidden all this time..." "The ancient civilization has fallen. The Neo-Martial legions of old are already a thorn in everyone's side, as well as the nourishment for our growth..." In short, his message between the lines was... Li Hao couldn't be touched. At least, not right now. To the side, the director of the Department of Personnel Evaluation also murmured, "The urgent matter isn't this, but... we must strengthen ourselves as well! We hesitated and worried before, but we can't keep waiting! I'm sure you all feel the pressure. Let's stop scrimping and hesitating... Spend divine energy stones to trade for more Spring of Life to strengthen our viscera. Yuan Shuo isn't going to share the Five Animals Breathing Art with outsiders..." Previously, they hadn't traded for much. The reason was simple: fear! They feared the demon plants would grow too strong and awaken too much to control, leading to the humans being dominated by the plants instead. Li Hao was simply audacious, and backed by his connection to Battle Heaven City, the small tree was wary of him. Moreover, that small tree was still tender and young. But for the Nine Departments, trading for too much Spring of Life meant allowing those ancient demon plants to recover more of their strength. Risk and opportunity went hand in hand. Yet now that Li Hao had broken through to a third divine ability, they couldn't just sit by and watch. They exchanged glances, looking hesitant. "Then... if the demon plants recover too much..." "At least for now, they don't dare come out!" The director of Personnel Evaluation said solemnly, "We can't stop eating for fear of choking! Otherwise, if we don't die at the hands of the demon plants, we'll die at Li Hao's! Furthermore, the imperial family has become reckless. They've probably... supplied an enormous amount of divine energy stones to their demon plant! If they've cast caution to the wind, what scruples do we still have?" If that was the case, everyone might as well do the same! The director of Internal Affairs whispered, "Let's be candid with one another. What price did each of your demon plants offer you? The imperial family sells it to outsiders for a hundred thousand a drop... but the one the imperial family nurtures probably charges them at least fifty thousand a drop... What about yours?" Naturally, to serve as one of the Nine Departments, they generally possessed their own independent ruins, and each inevitably contained demon plants. As to whether they had one or multiple, no one knew for sure. The others fell quiet, lost in thought. What was the price? Such information was sensitive and considered confidential. The imperial family sold it for a hundred thousand a drop, a price the directors almost never paid because they knew it was exorbitant. But for experts with no connections to demon plants, it was still worth buying. After a long while, someone murmured, "They should all be about the same. Mine... charges sixty thousand a drop... slightly more expensive than the imperial family's..." "Is that so?" The others chuckled, estimating that most were indeed around fifty thousand. "To stabilize a third divine ability, one needs to reinforce the five viscera and physical body. Without roughly a hundred drops, stabilization is nearly impossible... Around five million divine energy stones in exchange for stabilizing a third discipline—do you think it's worth it?" That was no small sum! It was an astronomical figure. As for whether it was worth it, that depended on the individual. Stabilizing two disciplines required fewer than fifty drops, but stabilizing three took far more. Five million divine energy stones was a hefty amount for any faction. They traded glances in silence. As for whether they would actually do it once they returned... that was hard to say. In all likelihood, most would. Someone whispered, "It doesn't take that much for a demon plant to condense the Spring of Life. I suspect these plants have exaggerated their costs by at least fivefold. Perhaps ten thousand stones is enough for one drop..." No one spoke. What choice did they have? The Spring of Life was in their bellies. If you didn't pay, they wouldn't trade. What could you do? "They're embezzling too much to heal themselves, preparing for their emergence... The more they recover today, the more likely they can break free once space stabilizes after the second supernatural resurgence... In the end, we might just be working for them!" Restraints were necessary. Yet none of them elaborated on this, each harboring their own schemes. "By the way, do you think Li Hao stabilized his third divine ability using the Spring of Life, or the Li family's divine sword? Regardless, he must have exhausted all his previous spoils... What I wonder is whether he traded for it in Battle Heaven City. But from what I know, the demon plant in Battle Heaven City is exceptionally formidable and reportedly hard to awaken... What did Li Hao use to revive it?" This was another question that baffled them. What had he used? "Could it be a different demon plant?" "Li Hao is so young and hasn't explored many ruins. Where would he find a second demon plant..." True enough! The more they thought, the bigger their headache grew. Yet for now, they could only watch helplessly as Li Hao grew stronger. Still, upon further reflection, even if Li Hao had grown stronger, he had likely consumed all his previous gains. Right then, someone else whispered, "What about that martial arts university yielded by the Finance Department? Neither demon plants nor ancient demons can leave their ruins, but within a ruin, heavenly secrets are obscured and space is stable... If Li Hao has exhausted his resources this time, he might want to enter the ruin to scavenge for treasures. Outside, he's hard to kill! But once inside... what do you think?" At these words, everyone started, falling silent. After a moment, someone said softly, "Would he go? That martial arts university doesn't pose much danger, nor does it hold many treasures. Would he recklessly explore it?" "What if there are treasures? The Silver Moon martial masters don't have many divine energy stones. Silver Moon only had one giant mine, which was drained completely by various ruins during the first resurgence. Now, the entire Heavenly Star Dynasty has only one massive mine, located in the Central Region... If the treasures are substantial enough, would the Silver Moon martial masters refuse to take the risk?" "That's... worth a try!" They didn't elaborate further, each sinking into contemplation. Naturally, if a single department undertook this, the cost would be far too high. But if they joined forces... trapping Li Hao inside the ruin would be ideal. Even if they failed... wearing down the demon plant wouldn't be bad either. "The demon plant is powerful. At a cost, it might be willing to sever part of its origin, or even... an avatar! If it can keep Li Hao there, fantastic. If not, and Li Hao slays the plant instead... that's even more interesting!" Leaving those words behind, the director of the Penal Law Department drifted away. Those remaining said nothing more, quietly sipping their tea as they turned thoughts over in their minds. ... At this moment, Li Hao cared nothing for anyone's schemes. He was solely focused on sketching the second divine ability character. Within his kidneys, ocean waves churned violently. A supernatural lock snapped. In the East Sea, colossal waves roared, setting off raging tsunamis that forced distant pirate ships to flee in retreat. The East Sea had seen plenty of massive waves lately. Yuan Shuo's destruction of the East Sea Bridge back then still had lingering effects to this day, so no one paid much heed to sudden waves. "Gather!" Vital blood surged forth, and divine intent erupted. Gradually, a cluster of text took shape. Li Hao felt as though his life force was being drained dry, leaving him briefly unable to sustain it. Drops of the Spring of Life shattered one after another, merging into his five viscera. Drop by drop, the spring water instantly nourished his physical body and viscera. Sword energy also poured continuously into his body, helping Li Hao repair his flesh. Snapping another supernatural lock placed an even greater burden on his body, and Li Hao vaguely sensed that his divine intent was no longer strong enough! If this continued, he might still be able to snap more supernatural locks and forge characters, but he might lose control afterward. "A second character... is roughly my limit for now... Moving forward, my physical body, divine intent, and vital blood all need to grow stronger. Only when they are all powerful will I have the confidence to shatter the remaining locks..." *Boom!* Violent wind and rain resurfaced across the sky, accompanied by crackling thunder and even flickers of flame. It looked like an underwater volcanic eruption! At this moment, several classified realms deep beneath the sea floor trembled slightly, the disturbance even spreading toward other oceans. In the North Sea, a great demon opened its eyes once more, filled with confusion. Last time, when origin power manifested, it had opened its eyes to look. Revealing origin power ahead of time was unnatural. It signified recklessness and suicidal folly. Yet this time... the heavens and earth seemed to shift slightly again. What had happened now? Within the East Sea, several classified locations also quivered faintly. There were even withered, emaciated demon beasts clinging to their last breaths who opened their eyes and peered outward. Was the second resurgence about to arrive? ... Among the Seven Sacred Mountains, atop Heavenly Roc Mountain. A colossal Heavenly Roc opened its eyes. The next instant, it vanished, entering a secret realm strewn with countless skeletal remains. In the distance, a gigantic, skeletal bird-like creature transmitted a faint psychic fluctuation: "Is the second resurgence... about to begin? I have felt the fluctuations of heaven and earth... Space seems to be gradually stabilizing!" "Reporting to the Exalted One... There are no signs of the second resurgence just yet. The second resurgence might originate from the Heavenly Star Ancient Town; only when the Heavenly Star Great Mine shatters might the resurgence be completed. Currently, the imperial family and the Nine Departments control the great mine, likely suppressing the arrival of the second resurgence..." "Is that so?" The skeletal giant bird ceased its mental fluctuations. Then why had a faint change appeared in heaven and earth? Seeing this, the master of Heavenly Roc Mountain spoke again: "Exalted One, in the world today, experts with three disciplines of divine power have likely emerged, and soon there may be four or even five... I..." "You feel your strength is insufficient?" "Yes." The Heavenly Roc's mental intent vibrated. "Right now, all factions are growing rapidly stronger. Over at Phoenix Mountain, there are reportedly strange movements as well; the Phoenix Exalted One might be beginning to revive..." The skeleton was silent for a moment. "I am no demon plant. Naturally, demon beasts do not necessarily require the Spring of Life to grow stronger. Our vitality is robust, our physical bodies formidable... The key lies in the strength of bloodline power... If you provide me with ten million divine energy stones, I shall bestow upon you a drop of blood essence!" The Heavenly Roc flapped its wings, falling silent. Ancient demon blood essence! It truly yearned for it in its dreams. However, this Exalted One's asking price was far too high—a full ten million divine energy stones! That appetite was even greater than the demon plants'. While the Spring of Life offered limited enhancement to the demon race, blood essence of a shared bloodline yielded remarkable effects. After a brief silence, the Heavenly Roc spoke: "Exalted One, that is too much. I doubt I can gather it. The weaker I am, the lower my competitiveness, and the harder it will be to acquire more divine energy stones or the Spring of Life..." *Our interests are aligned. If I don't grow stronger, how can I seize more benefits for you?* Toward this entity that was likely its own ancestor, the Heavenly Roc harbored considerable dissatisfaction. It was too greedy, which was no good thing. Cooperation had to be mutually beneficial. *If you don't grant me sufficient benefits to grow stronger, how am I supposed to help you obtain more?* The skeleton seemed to ponder as well. After a long while, its thoughts vibrated: "It is not that I am stingy. Unlike demon plants, I was severely wounded, so my revival demands far more energy. You know that demon plants possess naturally long lifespans, whereas the demon race falls a step behind... If you find this unacceptable... how about this: if you can procure a hundred drops of the Spring of Life, I shall also provide you with a drop of blood essence..." The Heavenly Roc gently flapped its wings. A hundred drops of the Spring of Life was currently sold only by the imperial family, also at the cost of ten million divine energy stones. However... the imperial family did so to make a profit. If it could find a demon plant to cooperate with directly, it might not cost that much. That way, it could indeed save a bit. It seemed recovering was truly harder for demon beasts than demon plants; otherwise, this elder wouldn't have told it to trade for the Spring of Life first before exchanging for blood essence, effectively halving the cost. "I shall do my best... Exalted One, once the second supernatural resurgence occurs and space stabilizes, won't those demon plants revive ahead of schedule and regain their strength? Wouldn't that give them... a massive advantage over our demon beast lineage?" This was a point of concern for it. The skeleton replied slowly, "No, no, no. When the moment of resurgence and emergence truly arrives, the demon plants will face a far greater disadvantage than us. Shapeshifting is harder for them, and mobility is difficult. Even if they can move, they are not as nimble as demon beasts. They may awaken with greater strength, but demon beasts have suppressed demon plants since ancient times... There is no need to worry!" The Heavenly Roc felt somewhat reassured. In that case, procuring a batch of the Spring of Life was indeed viable. It was just that the imperial family's asking price was too steep—a hundred thousand a drop... At that rate, it might as well trade directly for the blood essence. Where could it find a demon plant to cooperate with? Were there any ruins opening recently that might harbor a demon plant? "The martial arts university in Heavenly Star City? That's only a second-tier ruin; could a demon plant exist there?" It pondered for a while. The only one opening soon seemed to be that one. As for Battle Heaven City, it remained open year-round—but who dared go there? Going there was simply courting death. The land of Silver Moon was no hospitable place. ... *Boom!* The sky seemed to burst apart. A character swept across heaven and earth like an ocean wave, flattening everything in its path. The next instant, the character descended, shimmering with brilliance as it instantly merged into Li Hao's body. Within his kidneys, the character for "Water" linked together with the five viscera. With this, Li Hao had completed the sketching and condensation of his second character. Yet at this moment, Li Hao also felt a degree of pressure—not generated by the two characters themselves, but caused by the slight imbalance among his five viscera. "The third, fourth, and fifth characters... I'll wait a while. First, I need to strengthen my viscera and physical body." Looking at the two characters within him, Li Hao showed a faint smile. If he went all out now, could he suppress those in the Divine Power Realm? Suppress them with ease? He wasn't sure; he hadn't tested it yet. "That's about enough. What comes next is slow, meticulous work—gradually strengthening my five viscera, my physical body, and my vital blood..." The character for "Water" began to respire as well, absorbing the Nine-Forged Jin breathing art Li Hao incorporated into it. Right now, the water force began nourishing his kidneys, while the fire force nourished his heart. Li Hao felt that succeeding twice had proven one thing: this path was viable! "The consumption is no joke, though!" Condensing two characters had consumed a massive amount of sword energy, burning through nearly two hundred thousand divine energy stones. He had only about a million left from before. As for the Spring of Life, he had consumed nearly forty drops. Add to that the twenty drops he promised Southern Fist... all at once, what remained in his hands was down to around four hundred drops. "And that's just my personal consumption... If I share this with others, like Old Hong, letting him do the same... wouldn't the consumption be terrifying?" Li Hao scratched his head. After all, Hong Yitang had transformed into a supernatural user now as well. Last time, Hong Yitang had advanced to supernatural status for Li Hao's sake; Li Hao couldn't just ignore him and secretly enjoy his own success, could he? But if he did help... wouldn't that cost another massive fortune? Why did he feel poorer the stronger he became? Back in Battle Heaven City, General Huai's revival was measured in the hundreds of millions... Li Hao had thought himself immensely wealthy, but now it seemed he wasn't so rich after all. "I wonder if the Nine Departments and the imperial family have plenty of divine energy stones... If not, where else can I find so many?" Heavenly Star City had a giant mine, which Li Hao knew about. With thoughts flickering through his mind, Li Hao swiftly dove into the water. This time, with the "Water" divine character empowering him, Li Hao seemed to pierce through the ocean in an instant. His speed was unimaginably fast—far swifter than even aquatic demon beasts. He was overjoyed. The "Water" divine ability was exceptionally formidable when unleashed on its own; at the very least, this water escape technique was truly extraordinary. Like a water arrow, he traveled much faster than when he had arrived. ... The next day, before dawn, Li Hao returned to Heavenly Star City. When he appeared before Hong Yitang and the others, both Hong Yitang and Deputy Director Zhou looked bewildered. *The third divine ability failed?* There was no trace of fire energy on Li Hao. How could that be? The wind and thunder energies were clearly perceptible, but... where was the fire energy? The fire that had erupted earlier was distinctly powerful. How could it have failed? Hong Yitang frowned. "Did the fire supernatural lock break or not? Or was it severed and then repaired by your sword energy?" Li Hao was capable of repairing locks as long as they weren't completely severed; everyone was aware of this. Had he thought it unwise and repaired it again? Li Hao beamed. "Guess!" *Guess your ancestors!* Hong Yitang cursed silently. Deputy Director Zhou also studied him for a while, unable to discern anything, and grew puzzled. *Did he really repair it?* *So you were just messing with everyone yesterday?* He didn't know whether to laugh or cry! *Are you that bored?* Yesterday, Hou Xiaochen had nearly blown his top in rage, yet you unlocked it only to seal it back up. Were you just playing with yourself, or did you think you had too much sword energy to burn, wasting resources just to toy with everyone and spook the Nine Departments? *How... how could you be so idle!?!* Li Hao was bubbling with excitement. Neither of them could tell, which proved that the energies of water and fire were completely concealed. This was marvelous! Evidently, outsiders could only see that he possessed wind and thunder divine abilities. He was still the same two-discipline powerhouse from yesterday. *Should I... take a stroll outside and let the Nine Departments see?* He smiled at the thought. While he was at it, why not drop by the Night Patrollers and chat with Yao Si? Unleashing water and fire divine abilities together with wind and thunder, Li Hao wasn't sure how strong he would be, but he was certain he was far more powerful than before. He just might not be able to endure all four disciplines erupting at once. Regardless, this was a trump card! A trump card that didn't rely on anyone else. Combined with the small tree's avatar, Li Hao thought to himself that perhaps... he could go and finish off Ying Hongyue! "I have to take out a few enemies from the shadows before revealing this, or it'll be a complete waste!" With that thought, Li Hao smiled. "I'll head over to the Night Patrollers to see Director Hou, so he doesn't worry!" With that, he turned and left. Behind him, Hong Yitang glanced at Deputy Director Zhou, only speaking after a long pause: "Do you think he'd do useless work just to fool around by himself?" *How would I know!* Zhou thought. Yet Li Hao hadn't developed another divine ability—that much was discernible. Otherwise, the overflow of three disciplines wouldn't look like this, unless he had perfectly concealed the fire divine ability. How could that be possible? At this moment, Li Hao strutted forward, heading straight toward Nine Departments Street without concealing his aura, having even retracted his gold armor. When he stepped onto Nine Departments Street, those observing from the shadows watched him for a while, utterly dumbfounded. Before long, the news spread. The experts of the Nine Departments erupted in furious curses! Yesterday, terrified that Li Hao had stepped into three disciplines, they had agreed to pay a steep price to trade for the Spring of Life so they could reach three disciplines themselves... Yet in the blink of an eye, that grandson Li Hao was still at two disciplines. *So you were just playing us?* *Were you deliberately trying to waste our resources or what?* After all, several million divine energy stones was an astronomical figure even for them. Now, Li Hao hadn't advanced, but they had—were they supposed to go kill Li Hao after advancing? *What a fucking shitshow!* Expert after expert cursed inwardly. Was that grandson Li Hao even human? ... Night Patroller Headquarters. Yao Si quickly received the news as well. He chuckled, somewhat speechless, before smiling wryly. "Is he just so bored that he has to stir up drama in Heavenly Star City? If the Nine Departments truly pay a heavy price to step into three disciplines, isn't he just making trouble for himself?" *Who does that?* *I've really seen it all today!* Although the Nine Departments' experts would spend a fortune, they would genuinely advance. What was Li Hao aiming for? Perhaps with time, everyone could advance naturally or at a smaller cost; doing so in a rush would certainly demand a steeper price. But Li Hao hadn't gained a single thing! To the side, Xiao Ye said with utter conviction, "Commander Li must be hiding his strength!" Yao Si almost rolled his eyes! *What are you thinking?* *Which of us isn't vastly stronger than you?* *Are we all blind?* *Can't we tell two disciplines from three?* Besides, Li Hao hadn't bothered to hide anything, almost as if flaunting it—as if telling everyone: *I played you all!* *Truly childish as hell!* At this moment, Yao Si shook his head as well. That kid was still too young, too green. Sooner or later, he would play himself to death.