Time passed slowly, and before long, three years and ten months had flown by.
Li Hao sat cross-legged in a lotus position, cultivating, his spiritual power boiling. At this moment, he was breaking through, with his spiritual power reaching the limits of what his core could handle. Then, under its own density, the power collapsed to a singular point.
But lacking the right quantity, it shed its outer layers and burst out. Li Hao contained the explosive force within his body, using the spiritual power to refine himself.
He looked at himself. His spiritual power, once as intangible as gas, had now become as dense as water. If this trend continued, his spiritual power could eventually become so dense that he could create his own gravitational waves.
Li Hao assessed his comprehension of the laws over the past years. He was now 64-72% complete in his understanding across all aspects of his laws.
In the case of ordinary cultivators, reaching 9.99% of a law would require a breakthrough to the 10% mark to advance to the next level.
The restrictions on realm breakthroughs were strict, but for someone like Li Hao, with enough spiritual power, he could break through to the sixth level of the fourth turn immediately.
His comprehension was at that level, but without the spiritual power to match, he could not yet make the breakthrough.
Still, if he so desired, Li Hao could find spirit stones and accelerate the process, but he would have to wait until his spiritual power reached the required level.
Even now, if his spiritual power were released, it would push him to a level that matched his law comprehension.
At that moment, Li Hao stood up, remembering what his master had once told him: "When you reach the third turn, go to the Scripture Pavilion and find a high-level technique for yourself."
With that in mind, Li Hao left his master's house and walked calmly toward the Scripture Pavilion.
As he passed his fellow cultivators, they greeted him respectfully, and he continued his slow, patient walk.
Upon reaching the grand Scripture Pavilion, Li Hao stepped inside and immediately noticed the figure of a young girl sleeping at one of the tables. He gently woke her up.
"Hey, hey, are you awake?" Li Hao asked.
"Huh, who are you?" The girl blinked as she woke up. When her vision cleared, she saw Li Hao—his white hair and the unique blend of gray, purple, and golden eyes. Her thoughts raced. Handsome. Super handsome. Who is he?
She stared at him for a moment, then quickly snapped out of it and said, "Hello, sir! How may I help you today?"
Li Hao glanced at her before responding, "I'm a disciple of core disciple Xing'er. I came to find techniques that suit me on the third floor."
"Ah, you're the disciple of the Starlight Sword Queen!" she exclaimed. "Here, this is a token for the third floor. It will allow you to stay for four hours." She handed Li Hao the token with both hands.
Li Hao accepted the token and walked toward the stairs. He passed through the second floor, filled with disciples selecting techniques, and made his way to the third floor.
Once there, he immediately walked over to one of the shelves and picked up a sword technique to examine.
For an entire hour, he perused various books before settling on a martial arts manual he deemed suitable for practice.
As he looked up, Li Hao activated his Dao Eyes. There, on the upper floors, he saw the library of Earth-level techniques, including some elite-level ones.
His sharp perception caught sight of an elder on the top floor, his aura concealed but his technique still discernible through Li Hao's Dao Eyes.
The elder, a fourth-turn, level eight cultivator with Wood Elemental Law, had enough strength to guard the books but not enough to prevent a fight if one were to break out.
Li Hao smiled. With his perception, the elder would have no idea if he snuck in—unless he were an ordinary third-turn cultivator with poor law abilities.
Li Hao decided to use his Space Law to slip past the barrier, entering the fourth floor via a Void Shift.
Once on the fourth floor, Li Hao used his concealment skill to hide his aura, keeping his presence undetected. He moved through the aisles, picking up books on various techniques and arts.
As he perused the shelves, one book caught his eye. It was sealed with an illusion, tricking the mind into seeing a different name. When Li Hao picked it up, he saw the real title: Enlightened Sword Art.
Li Hao recalled it—this was the technique from the legendary swordmaster back in his hometown.
The version he had seen before was merely a mimic, not nearly as powerful as the one in his hands now. This version was profound, rich with hidden techniques and a strong concept of Swordsmanship.
After noting everything down, Li Hao returned the book to its rightful place and left the fourth floor, returning to the third floor.
The elder, still unaware of what had transpired, felt a sudden chill at the back of his neck as if something important had just happened. But when he scanned the fourth floor with his divine sense, he found nothing unusual and continued his practice.
Li Hao came down the stairs with the Piercing Sky Art in hand. The young girl at the desk recognized the technique immediately, recording it with a smile. "You don't need to wait. I've already recorded the name for you, junior brother."
Li Hao gave her a polite nod, then walked out of the Pavilion and made his way back to his courtyard.
Back in his training area, Li Hao took a wooden sword and began slashing back and forth, testing his understanding of the Enlightened Sword Art.
This technique wasn't about law comprehension; it focused on pure swordplay—stance, speed, strength, and mastery over the sword. To call oneself a master of the sword, one must master a sword technique to its peak.
Even now, with his formidable understanding of sword intent, Li Hao couldn't fully master this technique.
This sword art transcended law comprehension and required mastery of the sword itself. Only once he reached Sword Heart would he be able to perfect it.
Li Hao sat down in the center of the training ground, his sword resting across his legs as he meditated in lotus position, preparing to delve even deeper into his practice