Li Hao sat on his bed as he felt the spiritual power in the air converge toward his body.

His face remained neutral. Feeling his increased power and strength, he sensed that in a few more years, he could break through.

"It seems that I have improved a lot," Li Hao thought.

Over the year, I was able to reach the third level in my cultivation—and with minimal time at that.

With my talent, I bet it won't take long to reach the peak of the First Turn.

Li Hao stood up and walked outside. His body had improved a lot over the year, nearly fully developed now.

Even though he was still young, as he got down from the bed, a ding sound came into Li Hao's ears.

[DING]

[You have taken another step in your cultivation, reaching 2 years old.]

[Reward: Celestial Phenomenon Concealment Art]

[Name: Celestial Phenomenon Concealment Art]

[Grade: Divine]

[Realm: High Heaven]

[Class: Concealment]

[Description: Art of concealing Heaven and heavenly phenomena. Technique created by an unknown being.]

Just then, Li Hao felt himself pulled into his subconscious again—but this was normal.

With every technique he received, he needed to see how it was made. How a technique is made might not seem important, but it's very important.

Techniques of Divine quality are those where there's a chance you won’t reach the Perfection Realm—because you don’t know the perfect form of the technique or the type of enlightenment you need to realize it.

This isn’t a problem if you only reach Great Completion, but once you go for Great Perfection, knowledge is key.

EVERGREEN FOREST

Under a lush forest, where high mountains loomed and golden-yellow leaves danced in the wind, rivers reflected the glow of the golden huo.

A man with brown hair sat beneath a canopy of shimmering golden leaves. He wore martial robes embroidered with golden lotus patterns. His aura pressed against the air, exuding an intensity that inspired awe—and envy.

Li Hao gazed at him. The seated man's presence radiated like a sky full of stars as he slowly opened his eyes, revealing irises of molten gold that seemed to pierce the heavens.

He looked skyward and raised his hand, grasping at the air. In an instant, his overwhelming aura vanished. The pressure lifted. He now felt no different from an ordinary man—his terrifying strength hidden without a trace.

He rose without effort, feet hovering a few inches above the ground, as he calmly walked away from the golden tree.

Li Hao opened his eyes as he thought, "That man... he seems strong, yet unlike the first figure who saw me, he didn’t..."

"Is there such a big gap between the power of such beings?" Li Hao thought, rubbing his chin.

"It seems I took the first figure too lightly. He must be far stronger than I had thought."

Li Hao smiled faintly. "I guess my goal is higher than I thought."

He looked at the art in his mind. This art was divided into nine levels, with improved abilities at each level.

The techniques of this art are heavenly concealment—it can conceal any phenomena caused by him, and they cannot be traced back to him.

Secondly, it can conceal his presence from anyone less than three realms above him, which means unless he reveals himself, it is impossible for anyone to find him.

Third, it can conceal his cultivation. Don’t confuse cultivation with presence—cultivation is his realm. With this technique, he can hide his realm to appear as any realm below his current level.

The fourth and fifth techniques are too high-level and can’t be accessed for now. Only when he reaches the appropriate realm can he use them.

Li Hao walked outside. His mother stood under the willow tree. She saw him and called out,

“Hao’er, come here, little Hao’er!”

Li Hao looked at her. His expression remained calm as he stood there silently.

His mother smiled as she looked at him, but veins popped up on her forehead as she thought,

"What is with this child? He’s not responding to my call. Doesn’t he recognize his mother’s voice?"

Li Hao remained silent as he walked over to her. Seeing the vein on her forehead, he thought, "It seems she is mildly displeased."

As he stood before her, she looked into his eyes—his calm, sweet blue eyes. Her heart started to melt as her motherly love took over.

You're lucky you're cute, little Hao'er, she thought. One more stunt like that and maybe I’ll actually get mad.

“Let’s go. Mommy is going to the marketplace and will take you with her to explore the world,” she said as she took Li Hao with her to the market.

BITTER SPRING TOWN – MARKETPLACE

Li Hao and his mother walked down the crowded road as person after person passed by.

Some stopped to say hi, as they knew her. Some just passed. Some bought what they needed from the surrounding market stalls.

Li Hao looked around the marketplace. It seemed to be a place filled with stalls and shops inside buildings. Everything was so scattered you couldn’t find what you wanted in a single day.

His mother stopped at a stall that sold tomatoes, onions, garlic, and other produce.

“Mrs. Li, it’s been quite a while since I last saw you! How’ve you been?” an older woman, who looked to be in her early 30s, said to his mother.

“It’s been fine. How have you been doing, Ms. Fen?” she replied with a light smile.

“I’ve been doing fine lately, but what are you doing here?” she asked. 

She leaned in and whispered,

“I heard some awful gangs have been coming here lately. I fear for your safety. I suggest you go home.”

“Mm.” Lu Ru-yue’s ears perked up as she replied,

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I’m just here for a few things, and I’ll be out in a third of an incense stick.”

[One incense stick = 30 minutes. One breath = 1 second]

“Okay, but be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt,” she said with a slightly serious expression.

“Okay, don’t worry. I’ll be gone before you know it,” his mother reaffirmed.

She quickly left and continued on her way.

Several breaths after she passed, two men in black martial garments walked by.

Ms. Fen looked at them, thinking,

"Oh God… this is going to be a catastrophe. I hope you can survive this."

[DING]

Li Hao and his mother entered a store full of fresh goat and cow meat. At the end stood an old woman in her early 70s.

“Ms. Fei, how are you today?” Lu Ru-yue greeted with a smile.

“It’s been fine. Life’s just moving forward. I see your son has grown a lot since the last time you came here,” said the older woman, Ms. Fei.

“Do you want the usual—two bottles of milk, 1.5 jin of cow meat, and 1 jin of chicken meat?” she asked calmly.

“Yes,” Lu Ru-yue affirmed.

“Okay, I’ll be at the back for a while,” she said, then left, leaving Li Hao and his mother waiting.