Follow the path of Dao from infancy

"In addition to your cultivation, you have dedicated time to mastering the Artistic Path. How much time have you spent on it?"

Zhan Tan asked, staring intently at Li Hao.

Li Hao was momentarily stunned then replied, "I paint whenever I find spare time; I haven't really kept track."

Zhan Tan fell silent, not uttering a word. Although Li Hao's cultivation level had shocked her, what struck her even more was that Li Hao's skill in painting also surpassed hers.

Under 30 years old, and to be able to dedicate ten years to the Artistic Path was remarkable, yet despite this, his painting skills had already exceeded hers.

She had immersed herself in the Artistic Path for hundreds of years, believing she had considerable expertise and insights. Now, it seemed her talent in painting was rather dull.

"Life is like a drunken dream; we are the ones who woke up early, while Qingfeng hasn't slept at all."

The Green Emperor shook his head, somewhat at a loss for words.

"Zhan Tan just mentioned that Qingfeng is likely to represent the Canglan Realm in battle? That can't be achieved merely by the Tao Comprehension Realm cultivation, can it?"

Bai Zu asked, his eyes fixed.

Zhan Tan regained her composure and looked at Li Hao with a complex expression, "Yes, Qingfeng's Swordsmanship has also Entered Dao. He is one of the hot candidates to represent the Canglan Realm in the battle, but the specifics depend on the later competition."

"Swordsmanship Entered Dao?"

Hearing her words, everyone fell silent once again.

They, too, had their skills Entered Dao, and in terms of strength, they had cultivated to profound depths, but... age was the key factor.

Under 30 years old, too young, at that age, they did not possess such abilities.

"Qingfeng is in the Canglan Realm, right? Then I should go and see," Ye Ancestor said.

"I'll go too, to support Qingfeng. Who is Qingfeng's master?" the Green Emperor asked curiously.

The master must be a Saint to have taught such a person.

Li Hao remained silent, an image of his first mentor, Lin Haixia, appeared in his mind.

Yet, she only had Divine Travel Realm cultivation.

Seeing Li Hao's silence, everyone realized this was a sensitive topic the other party did not wish to disclose.

However, no matter what, even if it was the direct disciples of the Supreme Saint Gate, the intelligence they had was less than that of Qingfeng, showing the monstrous nature of the latter.

"Qingyi is also participating in the Supreme Genius Battle, right? But he is from the Tianlan Realm. If you all can represent your respective realms in battle too, maybe you could meet in the final battle."

Bai Zu suddenly said.

"Qingyi, hey, Qingyi, come out," the Green Emperor called out directly.

Li Hao watched as he transmitted his Divine Thought to a certain image projection. Most holographic projections here were still, likely busy with other matters in reality and not exploring the Flower Order.

It wasn't long before the hologram that the Green Emperor was probing started to fluctuate, then responded with confusion, "Green Emperor, what do you want?"

"Are you in closed-door cultivation?"

The Green Emperor asked.

Although their realms were different, their exchanges had no hierarchy, rather they sounded like old friends.

"Of course, I've been preparing for battle recently. Next, I need to compete with the other Three Great Sacred Lands of the Tianlan Realm. I don't know if I can win," the hologram Qingyi said.

The Green Emperor said irritably, "Stop acting weak here. The ones who should be scared are the Saint Heirs of other sacred lands. Haven't you also Entered Dao with your Spear Skill, and even possess the Old Blood Taoist Body? This time you definitely have a shot at being the supreme first."

"Don't jinx me; I'd be thrilled just to make it to the top ten. First place? Who are those monsters? You know, without the strength of a Semi-Saint, it's hard to hold your ground in the top ten," Qingyi's hologram said with a bitter smile.

"Exactly, Green Emperor, stop teasing him. You didn't even make it to the top ten yourself, despite being of the Green Emperor bloodline. Now with the saints reincarnating, the top ten are filled with such monsters. If Qingyi can make it to the top ten, he's already likely to become a Saint," Ye Ancestor said, taking the chance to tease the Green Emperor a bit.

The Green Emperor rolled his eyes and said to Qingyi, "I called you here because we have a newcomer. This is Qingfeng, who is also participating in the Supreme Genius Battle like you. You might encounter each other, so don't be too harsh."

"Newcomer?"

Qingyi finally noticed Li Hao, looking a bit surprised. "Also participating in the Supreme Genius Battle?"

Aside from himself being the youngest here, a youngster under a hundred years had appeared.

"That's right. Qingfeng is even younger than you, not yet thirty, and his Swordsmanship has already Entered Dao!" the Green Emperor said with a laugh.

Qingyi was taken aback, his gaze becoming heavy as he sized up Li Hao, though the hologram revealed nothing more.

"Swordsmanship Entered Dao at thirty? If there's a chance, it would indeed be worthwhile to have a match," Qingyi said. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Li Hao nodded, "Let's exchange insights when there's time."

"I initially took sixty years to master Spear Skill, your Perception is a bit frightening."

Qingjiu spoke, though it took him sixty years to master Spear Skill, he cultivated a very powerful form of Spear Dao and didn't feel much inferior to Li Hao.

At the same age, although not as good, cultivation is a long journey, and martial artists fight life and death battles, who would really care about age?

The strong are strong, the weak are weak.

"I was also just lucky," Li Hao said, quite modestly.

"Qingfeng, you need to put in the effort to strive to represent Canglan Realm in combat; with your skill in Swordsmanship, it shouldn't be hard for you to win a spot." Ye Ancestor said with a smile.

Li Hao nodded.

"When you finish in Canglan Realm battle, I will come to discuss Carving with you," Zhan Tan said to Li Hao.

"There's no need to wait until the battle is over, any time I am free we can."

Li Hao knew this Vice President Semi-Saint, who was also from the Canglan Realm, didn't worry about his battle being affected. On the contrary, discussing Carving could also enhance his understanding of Carving, and if he could reach the Tenth Stage, he might have the opportunity to achieve Ritual Path to Saint Ascension.

"This kind of critical battle should not distract you," Zhan Tan said, shaking his head.

"It won't affect me," Li Hao said. "It's just a battle after all, lose or win, if I only narrowly win here, there's no need to continue participating."

"Ts, with such realization, no wonder you have accomplishments in Carving at less than 30 years old," Ye Ancestor exclaimed upon hearing this.

"Well said, if it's not for the number one spot on the Supreme Genius Battle, participating has little meaning," Green Ancestor nodded, those present were all once Pride of Heaven and understood this pride, but having such an open-minded attitude at this age was rare.

Zhan Tan was somewhat surprised; though the exchange was brief, she sensed an inherent indifference toward fame and fortune emanating from Li Hao, a sentiment that couldn't be feigned, but innate.

She pondered for a moment and then said, "Alright, since your goal is number one, I won't say anything more. In a few days, when your scattered top ten finishes, I will send someone to fetch you."

"Alright."

Li Hao nodded.

"Once I'm done with my idle tasks, I'll also come to see you, to see if your cooking is as divine as you claim, hoping it will indeed be a feast for me." Bai Zu also said to Li Hao.

Li Hao responded with a smile.

Ye Ancestor and Green Ancestor then expressed that they would come to cheer for Li Hao.

Qingjiu, hearing this, pretended to be aggrieved and said, "Why not cheer for me? You are favoring the new over the old!"

"Scram, you insufferable one, with your strength, you're bound to advance; I've started to feel sorry for your opponents already," Ye Ancestor said irritably.

Helpless, Qingjiu remarked, "I won't reveal my full strength easily until the later finals."

"Done, you've fooled this lad again," Green Ancestor declared.

"Once he's done with his match, let's go beat him up to show him our old skills," Ye Ancestor proposed.

Qingjiu: "..."

Seeing their lively conversation, Li Hao smiled too, chatted casually for a bit more, and then bade farewell.

Once his thoughts returned to his body, Li Hao, having nothing else to do in the small courtyard, continued to accumulate Carving expertise.

Two days later, the top ten confrontation began.

This battle attracted much attention; though it was just a fight among scattered individuals from several dynasties, making it to the top ten was no small feat, later, they had to compete with the Saint Heir and Saintess of the Three Saints Lands.

This battle was a matter of arrangement within the top ten, making Li Hao one of the favorites to win the championship, aside from Chi Guang, who appeared even more formidable as many powerhouses recognized his immense threat.

Li Qingyi and others also arrived as promised to watch this fierce dragon-tiger fight, as this battle's performance was also a preliminary insight into the opponents they would soon encounter.

Unlike other Holy Lands that they couldn't probe, this scattered individuals' fight was public, allowing them to preemptively gather information about their opponents.

Apart from Li Qingyi and others, there were some additional figures in the crowd.

Lin Qingyue, Bian Ruxue, Qiu Wuhen, and others were also present; they were all among the top ten of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, and later they would represent the Holy Land in fighting for a spot in the Canglan Realm.

They also came to scout other competitors' information, and since Li Hao, who had previously defeated Haoyue Saint Son with a single sword, was participating, they hadn't paid much attention to previous fights knowing Li Hao hadn't used his full strength, but was it the same for the top ten battles?

"That Chi Guang is also quite terrifying."

Many pieces of information flowed into their ears; apart from Li Hao, they recognized there was an extremely terrifying person here, that was Chi Guang, much like the Haoyue of the Sword Ancestor Holy Land, appearing to have a gap compared to other contestants.

"Divine Skills initiation..."

In the crowd, Haoyue Saint Son, dressed in luxurious white and gold clothes, stood out even in disguise, still unique in temperament; he too came here to watch the battle.