The Name of Eternals

Chapter 203: The Initial Extreme

"We stain ourselves with blood to prevent the common people from bleeding. Don't talk nonsense about a solitary fate," Li Tianzong said, somewhat irritably.

Then he turned to Li Hao, saying, "Call him Fifth Uncle. Remember, when you achieve great things in the future, and if I am no longer around, you must take care of your Fifth Uncle as you would me."

Li Hao nodded, "I understand."

His clear voice fell into Li Qingzheng's ears, causing him to turn slightly. When he saw Li Hao's handsome face, and noticed Li Hao was looking at him too, Li Qingzheng's expression became a bit unnatural.

With a light snort, he turned away, "Hurry up and go in. Stop wasting time with your son."

Li Tianzong chuckled and led Li Hao into the ancestral shrine.

Inside, Li Hao looked at the numerous ancestral tablets, which were almost identical to those in his memory.

To inherit the True Dragon title, one must first make a heartfelt vow.

Li Hao had previously asked Li Xiaoran about this. The vow was limited to the River of the Dead and would not carry over to the outside world. The only thing he could take out was the experience and memories of the time spent here.

Thus, the martial arts insights or self-created techniques gained here could be taken out.

At this moment, Li Tianzong guided Li Hao to make the vow in front of the ancestral tablets.

To swear loyalty to the Li family, to defend the Li family, and to lead the Li family forward.

Li Hao recited every word of the vow taught by Li Tianzong. To clear the main quest and assist Li Tianzong in defending Dragon City, the vow that included not harming any Li family members posed no issue for Li Hao.

When the vow was completed, divine light emerged from the ancestral tablets. Then, Li Tianzong stepped out of the shrine, leaving Li Hao inside to receive the ancestors' blessings.

Li Hao had previously used the Heaven and Earth Soul Fusion to refine his soul 360 times, reaching the limit and forming an ultimate Heaven and Earth soul aspect.

Now, the divine light from the ancestors enveloped Li Hao, further enhancing his bones, strengthening his blood, and refining his soul.

This would rebuild each realm, surpassing the limits brought by cultivating top-tier techniques.

Through the ancestors' refinement, the Li family True Dragon could rival or even surpass the talents of the royal family.

Only the chosen prince, receiving special heritage, could surpass the True Dragon of the Five Great Divine General's Mansions.

"Hmm? Such a strong physique!"

"This child's body is like iron. Has he entered the path through physical training?"

The ancestors surrounding Li Hao were shocked as they refined his bones.

Li Hao's bones shone with divine light, unlike ordinary bones. Even their refinement couldn't reach such a physique. Yet, Li Hao had achieved this on his own, an extraordinary feat.

As the ancestors' power flowed into him, Li Hao felt his body soften. His blood seemed to flow with a golden divine essence, bringing immense comfort, as if thousands of tiny hands were massaging his muscles and meridians.

"This soul aspect..."

Soon, the ancestors saw Li Hao's soul aspect, internalized within him, like a giant spirit, and they were shocked.

"This is the Heaven and Earth soul aspect, the legendary ancient saint's soul!"

The first ancestor, Li Tianyuan, exclaimed.

The other ancestors were equally stunned, finding it hard to believe.

The entire shrine trembled with their reactions.

They quickly whispered among themselves, ultimately deciding to try enhancing Li Hao's soul again.

But Li Hao's Heaven and Earth soul aspect was so vast and solid that even with their immense effort, they couldn't refine it further.

"Could it be that his soul aspect has already reached the limit?"

One ancestor questioned.

Li Tianyuan shook his head gravely, "It doesn't seem so. I can feel our power being absorbed. It's just that our strength is insufficient. He seems to be at a bottleneck that needs breaking through."

"Then let's try again."

After a brief discussion, the ancestors decided to make another attempt.

With divine light bursting forth, the entire shrine glowed with golden light. All the ancestors unleashed their immense soul power.

Li Hao felt the power enveloping him, much stronger than before.

He was momentarily stunned. He had thought his soul aspect refined 360 times was the limit. Yet the ancestors said it could break through further?

He suddenly thought of the state of divine power, where a million pounds of force was the key to unlocking it. His physical strength could still improve.

He had suspected back then that the extreme state might not be the limit.

It turned out he was right.

But what was beyond the Heaven and Earth soul aspect? Could it be that after the Earthly Immortal Realm, there was an even higher level? Could it be the true transformation into an immortal? As Li Hao pondered, the divine light bathed him, the ancestors around him pouring their soul power into him with determined and steady gazes.

Suddenly, Li Hao felt his soul aspect tremble slightly. His soul refinement increased to 361 times.

Although it was just one additional refinement, Li Hao felt a certain bottleneck break, a surge of power flowing in, connecting him more deeply with the world.

Li Hao immersed himself in this sensation, realizing that the Heaven and Earth soul aspect's strength wasn't just about power but also the ability to harness more forces. If combined with the Heaven and Earth meridian, it would unleash even greater combat power.

When Li Hao opened his eyes, he saw the golden light on the ancestors' spirits had dimmed, with only a few still glowing, albeit weaker than before.

"Child, this is all we can do," Ancestor Li Tianyuan said gently. "If we continue, we might burn ourselves out and still not fill you."

"But it's okay. You have already surpassed your peers. As you venture into broader horizons, if you cultivate other top-tier soul refinement techniques, you can refine to an even higher level on your own."

Seeing the ancestor's weakened state, Li Hao sighed inwardly and nodded, "I understand."

"We used ten parts of our power to achieve one part's effect for you. If you refine yourself, it will be much easier. This is just the beginning," another ancestor said.

"The future of the Li family rests on your shoulders."

The other ancestors spoke, their voices steady despite their weakened state.

"I will do my best to defend Dragon City." Li Hao said softly.

The ancestors said no more, continuing to strengthen his Spirit Wanderer and Fifteen Miles Realms, though the enhancements were limited.

Even his bones were strengthened, adding only a hundred thousand pounds of force.

The benefits of being the True Dragon were immense for ordinary people but limited for Li Hao, who could gain more strength from more techniques.

The biggest gain was realizing that 360 refinements of the Heaven and Earth soul aspect weren't the limit. His initial extreme state was just that, the beginning.

However, this initial state had been touched by only a handful in the Great Yu Dynasty's history, and not every realm could reach the initial extreme.

...

After inheriting the True Dragon, Li Hao gained more freedom, his needs becoming the family's priority.

Li Tianzong sought various techniques for Li Hao, accelerating his cultivation.

Li Hao stayed in his courtyard, cooking and painting, his artistic skills rapidly improving.

With the absorption of various techniques, Li Hao's major meridians were all opened. The 108 meridians, along with the yin and yang meridians, formed the Heaven and Earth meridian.

His spirit refinement and object control also strengthened. If he could leave the River of the Dead safely, his Spirit Wanderer and Fifteen Miles Realms would also advance further, as the cultivation memories here could be taken out.

At eleven, Li Hao smoothly entered the grandmaster's extreme state, becoming an Earthly Immortal.

With the Heaven and Earth meridian aiding his transformation, Li Hao tried pushing the rules, revealing more of his previous cultivation memories, aiding his current cultivation.

This also greatly helped his understanding of the mind state.

Currently, Li Hao was focusing on reaching the spiritual level in cooking.

He had to achieve this before eighteen to step into the Three Undying Realms.

As Li Hao grew rapidly, the demons outside Dragon City became increasingly restless.

The once harmonious atmosphere in the Divine General's Mansion diminished. Li Tianzong often stared at maps and military books during dinner, oblivious to the cold food.

Li Xingbei, Li Fengping, and others donned armor, serving in Dragon City, guarding the city.

When they occasionally returned, they carried a murderous aura, clearly having seen much bloodshed.

As the others grew older, they left Qinglian Courtyard, some venturing out, others guarding Dragon City, leaving the courtyard increasingly empty.

Li Hongzhuang, now nine, was assessed as having a top-tier war body.

But seeing his only daughter, Li Tianzong didn't let her practice martial arts, hoping she would live a normal life, marry well, and enjoy peace.

While martial arts could provide protection, once trained, peace would be elusive.

For instance, if a border town was in trouble, an untrained person wouldn't feel compelled to assist.

Once stepping into martial arts, entanglements of merit and fault would be inescapable.

Li Hao understood this reasoning. Looking at the older Li Hongzhuang, who nearly died at Tianmen Pass, he knew if she hadn't trained, she would have lived more comfortably.

With the Li family's wealth and status, her in-laws wouldn't dare mistreat her, allowing her to enjoy a peaceful life.

However, the Li Hongzhuang here was embroidering, but the one outside had taken up the sword and joined the battlefield. This was likely the fate within the Li family's bloodline.

Li Hao didn't know how Li Hongzhuang's childhood was outside, but he guessed it was similar to now, once a lady with a needle, turned warrior due to demon invasions and the deaths of the nine Li sons.

Li Hao took a deep breath, knowing that as he continued to grow, this history would soon overlap here.

At thirteen, Li Hao achieved the spiritual level in cooking.

His powerful cultivation weakened the River of the Dead's influence, aiding his spiritual breakthrough.

With skill points, Li Hao stepped into the Three Undying Realms, delighting the increasingly gray-haired Li Tianzong, reducing his wrinkles.

Li Hao took the opportunity to propose going outside Dragon City to hunt demons.

He had discussed with Li Xiaoran that growing quickly and preemptively reducing demon numbers would ease the burden of guarding Dragon City.

Li Tianzong hesitated, but with Li Xiaoran's assurance of protection, he agreed, temporarily entrusting the Listening Rain Pavilion to Li Xuan.

Li Xiaoran, now in the Heart of Dao Realm, watched the thirteen-year-old Li Hao in the Three Undying Realms, smiling bitterly. This progress seemed even faster than outside.

But here, Li Hao still needed sleep, having skipped much time.

They had been here for less than a month.

"With your help, we can first deal with the demons hidden in the city," Li Xiaoran said.

Li Hao, now almost as strong as his real self outside, agreed.

This familiar power made him feel secure.

Besides preemptively hunting demon kings to ease the burden of guarding Dragon City, Li Hao planned to use the demons' corpses and blood to test the evil technique he had refined here.

He had derived two new techniques using the seven-stage body cultivation: one to enhance the physique and another to refine it, requiring large amounts of demon blood and flesh.

As Li Hao stepped out of the Divine General's Mansion, golden characters from the River of the Dead appeared before him.

Activate the second side quest, exploration.

Completion: 0%.

Surprised, Li Hao realized this was his first time leaving the mansion while conscious.

He had no idea if he had left during skipped time.