章 38: Chapter 174: Astonishing the World of Divination
"Alright."
Li Hao was also curious about this mysterious stone that he had only heard about in rumors.
Everyone present had overheard the conversation between the two. As Lu Chunsheng led Li Hao forward, the disciples instinctively made way, their eyes filled with curiosity.
The rules of the Heavenly Shadow Stele had nothing to do with one's cultivation but relied mainly on one's comprehension abilities.
The young man before them had astonished the world with his speed of cultivation, and they wondered how his comprehension abilities compared to theirs.
Sometimes, a fast cultivation speed did not necessarily indicate superior comprehension.
After all, in the Heavenly Man Realm, as long as one had sufficient resources, they could improve rapidly.
If one disregarded the issue of foundation, they could even consume large quantities of pills and make astonishing progress in a single day.
However, advancing into the Heavenly Man Realm depended not only on comprehension but also a bit of luck.
Some people might quietly attain enlightenment by observing a falling leaf or scooping a handful of water.
Others might traverse the world on horseback, challenging various sects, their bodies covered in scars, only to falter at the Heavenly Gate.
"These hundred Heavenly Shadow Steles record the cultivation levels of all disciples of the Heaven's Secret Tower over the past millennia."
Lu Chunsheng explained with a smile, "When your displayed cultivation surpasses the level captured in the stele's shadow, the stele's innate principles will automatically record your cultivation level, replacing the previous shadow. This is the essence of stele inscription."
Li Hao nodded, already aware of these facts.
However, hearing about it was not the same as experiencing it firsthand. As he approached the pitch-black stele, he faintly sensed the dense heavenly energy covering its surface, along with a subtle and profound aura that was elusive and mysterious.
"Each disciple in my tower is only allowed to observe the stele's shadow ten times. If they fail to leave their imprint after ten attempts, they will not be permitted to attempt it again."
Lu Chunsheng said with a smile, "The number of attempts and whether one can leave an imprint are the criteria for assessing one's talent and comprehension."
"Interesting."
Li Hao commented.
Seeing Li Hao's interest, Lu Chunsheng's lips curled upwards as he knew that geniuses couldn't resist such challenges.
"Young General, given your talent and swordsmanship, I suggest you try that Heavenly Shadow Stele over there."
Lu Chunsheng pointed to a stele not far away.
Everyone looked in that direction and started whispering among themselves.
"That's the stele imprinted by Senior Brother Kong ten years ago."
"That Heavenly Shadow Stele is ranked 82nd in difficulty. Is he going to attempt such a challenging one right off the bat?"
"What's difficult for us may not be for him. I believe he'll definitely succeed in leaving an imprint within three attempts!"
"Three times? That's hard to say. I think five times should be about right. After all, he's capable of suppressing the world's grandmasters. His talent and comprehension are definitely not something we can compare to."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their eyes filled with anticipation as they looked at Li Hao.
Among them, Tang Zhixi also stared intently. The 82nd sequence Heavenly Shadow Stele imprinted by Senior Brother Kong was more difficult than the 93rd sequence stele she had just broken.
Could the young man in front of her accomplish this in three attempts?
Her lips curled slightly as she fixed her gaze on the young man.
"Alright."
Li Hao glanced at the stele and walked towards it.
He examined it carefully, and with Lu Chunsheng's guidance, he placed his palm on the stele and released his aura.
Soon, the Heavenly Shadow Stele seemed to be activated, glowing with a radiant light.
At the same time, a figure appeared within the stele—a young man holding a long sword, who suddenly slashed with his blade.
However, this young man was merely a recorded image and did not possess any offensive capabilities. At this moment, his slashing and brandishing of the sword demonstrated a fierce sword technique.
To leave an imprint on the stele, one had to replicate the same sword technique and perform it with even greater finesse.
If one used a different sword technique, it wouldn't work, which was why countless people had come to test their talent and comprehension here.
Soon, the young man in the stele finished his demonstration.
Li Hao, who had been observing intently, received a panel prompt halfway through the young man's performance, indicating that he had successfully learned the sword technique.
"This place can actually record sword techniques, and it seems like it's not one of the Heaven's Secret Tower's sword techniques..."
Li Hao's eyes lit up.
Didn't this mean that these hundred Heavenly Shadow Steles were like a hundred cultivation manuals?!
At this moment, the young man's figure in the stele faded and disappeared.
Li Hao also snapped out of his trance, absorbing the multitude of messages conveyed by the panel. He noticed the newly added "Lunar All-Flower Sword Technique" in the panel, which had been practiced to perfection, along with the subsequent "True Form" level, as he reminisced about the sword technique the young man in the stele had just demonstrated.
It seemed to be at the Perfect level.
This was an upper-grade sword technique.
To comprehend it within ten observations and cultivate it to the Perfect level was indeed an extreme test of one's comprehension abilities, with a difficulty comparable to passing the imperial examination as a scholar after only a year of study.
Most people would try to memorize the sword technique imprinted on the stele during their first observation, noting down every move. Then, they would practice it repeatedly for a year or two before attempting to challenge the stele again.
A luminous moon seemed to materialize, captured by the radiant light of his sword, and countless sword auras blossomed like ethereal sword flowers, each carrying a piercing chill.
Soon, the dance of the sword came to an end.
The Heavenly Shadow Stele shimmered with light, and surprisingly, Li Hao's figure performing the sword dance appeared within the pitch-black stele, replacing the previous young man's silhouette.
Land Chunsheng stared, his pupils contracting slightly.
He knew Li Hao better than most, and had expected that it would take Li Hao two attempts to leave his imprint, thus preserving the young man's genius reputation while also obtaining his imprint. But he never anticipated that Li Hao would succeed on his first try.
Moreover, the sword technique Li Hao had just displayed was extraordinary, indicating a mastery of the True Form layer of the art.
Advancing from Perfect to Ultimate and then directly to True Form with just one observation—how was that possible?
Land Chunsheng suddenly felt that he knew far too little about this young man, not even scratching the surface of his true capabilities.
He even suspected that Li Hao might have secretly practiced this sword technique beforehand.
Otherwise, even the three Sword Saints in their youth would have found it astonishing to achieve the Perfect layer after observing an upper-grade sword technique just once. But compared to Li Hao, their achievement would pale in comparison, like fireflies before the brilliant moon!
This young man's talent in the sword far surpassed even the Sword Saints!
Land Chunsheng's thoughts raced, his eyes gleaming with a complex mix of emotions.
The other numerous disciples of the Heavenly Machine Tower were equally stunned.
They had expected three attempts, maybe five, but never once did they imagine that Li Hao would succeed on his first try.
And the level of the sword technique he displayed far exceeded their understanding, with only a select few recognizing the supreme level of the True Form.
"True Form with just one glance..."
A few disciples murmured, their eyes glazed with shock.
At this moment, Li Hao, still holding the withered branch, turned and approached the 100th Heavenly Shadow Stele at the edge of the arena, following the sequence of the stele's arrangement.
Most likely, the Chief Tower Master had ordered the steles based on the difficulty of the martial arts inscribed within.
With his prior experience, Li Hao effortlessly activated the stele, leaving his imprint.
However, this time, the stele displayed a knife technique.
Li Hao ignored it and turned to the 99th stele instead.
Although he could have simulated the knife technique with his sword, there was no need.
The 99th Heavenly Shadow Stele contained a fist technique.
Li Hao smiled, and soon, the panel recorded it.
As the previous imprint faded, Li Hao threw a punch, and once again, the True Form layer manifested.
His figure was then imprinted on the stele.
Li Hao proceeded to the other steles.
He consecutively activated over ten Heavenly Shadow Steles, including the 93rd stele where Tang Zhixi had just left her imprint.
The silhouette of the young woman was replaced, as the upper-grade sword technique she had practiced to perfection was overwritten by Li Hao's True Form demonstration.
When Li Hao moved on to activate the 70th sequence stele, Land Chunsheng finally reacted, startled. "Young General, what are you doing?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
"I'm just trying to see if I can understand them," Li Hao replied with a smile.
Land Chunsheng was taken aback, his eyes darting to the steles that had been consecutively overwritten, with only a few skipped by Li Hao.
A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.
In the crowd, Tang Zhixi stared blankly at the young man. She had spent half a year studying and mastering the sword technique to achieve the Perfect layer, only for her efforts to be surpassed by a single glance from him.
The gap between Perfect and True Form was enormous.
Could this truly be accomplished by a human?
She also noticed a detail—while she was performing her sword technique, the young man had glanced around, seemingly impatient...
At this moment, her mind was in a daze, filled with a buzzing confusion.
On the arena, the other disciples of the Heavenly Machine Tower shared similar emotions with Tang Zhixi. They were shocked at first, but as the realization of Li Hao's achievements sank in, they stood there with their mouths agape, unable to utter a word.
They couldn't even dare to dream of such extravagance.
It was too outrageous.
Was he even human?!
As Li Hao continued forward, he quickly entered the top thirty sequence of the Heavenly Shadow Steles.
Lu Chunsheng was also stunned. He had never witnessed nor imagined such an astonishing event in his hundreds and thousands of years.
However, he soon abruptly realized a serious problem and snapped back to his senses.
Li Hao had consecutively imprinted so many Heavenly Shadow Steles and pushed the techniques inscribed on them to the True Form layer.
Then, who else could possibly continue to leave their imprints?
Observing the stele ten times? Reaching True Form?
That would be a joke!
Forget ten times, even a hundred attempts wouldn't be enough.
True Form... Many people had never even heard of such a cultivation layer.
Those from prestigious families only knew of the Perfect layer, which was already considered the pinnacle of skill.
Even with exceptional talent, one would need to focus on cultivating the same technique for several decades to achieve True Form.
For those with average talent, it might take centuries to attain!
"Young General, Young General!"
Lu Chunsheng watched as Li Hao continued to activate the Heavenly Shadow Steles, feeling startled and nervous. If Li Hao were to overwrite all of these steles, what would become of this important thousand-year-old legacy of the Heaven's Secret Tower?
"Hmm?"
Li Hao turned to Lu Chunsheng, who had called out to him.
Lu Chunsheng quickly said, "Young General, I know your comprehension is unparalleled, but regarding these Heavenly Shadow Steles, do you think you could leave some for others?"
As he spoke, a hint of embarrassment flashed in his eyes, and he felt extremely regretful in his heart.
If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have continued playing the zither with Li Hao.
Earlier, he had wanted Li Hao to leave his imprint, but now he regretted it as Li Hao had imprinted too many.
"Leave some?"
Li Hao frowned, quickly understanding what the other party meant.
Seeing Li Hao's confused expression, Lu Chunsheng quickly explained, "You can try the first Heavenly Shadow Stele in the sequence, the one at the very top. Leave your imprint there, and that will be more than enough to prove your extraordinary comprehension."
Li Hao felt a bit helpless. He wasn't trying to prove his comprehension; he was just collecting techniques.
"Alright then."
Li Hao agreed and said, "But I want to activate and observe these, is that okay?"
"If it's just activation, then there's no problem." Lu Chunsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Li Hao's agreement.
Li Hao noticed his reaction and immediately proceeded to activate the Heavenly Shadow Steles once again.
Soon, more than thirty Heavenly Shadow Steles were activated by Li Hao, and he was able to incorporate a third of the techniques.
Finally, Li Hao arrived before the tallest Heavenly Shadow Stele, which stood at the very peak.
While the other steles were only two or three zhang tall, this one was over ten zhang tall, making it extremely prominent even with the majestic and grand waterfall beside it.
Li Hao raised his hand to activate it, and an image of a swordsman appeared.
Li Hao took a glance and furrowed his brows slightly. He actually felt that the person in the stele looked a little familiar. It was the Sword Saint, Jian Wudao, from the Sword Lodge.
However, the imprint was from when Jian Wudao was in his middle age.
His hair was black and short, unlike his current appearance with flowing white hair.
But his facial features hadn't changed much, as Jian Wudao's complexion was still rosy, and he didn't have many wrinkles even now.
"Back then, Jian Wudao came to challenge me. I promised to grant him a request if he won, and he wanted to try this Heavenly Shadow Stele. I lost, so I had to agree."
Lu Chunsheng came to stand beside Li Hao and sighed as he explained, "We were both young back then. Although he exceeded the age limit, I still allowed him to attempt it."
"He observed the stele seven times over three years and cultivated that sword technique to the Perfect layer. For hundreds of years, no one has been able to surpass that."
Li Hao's eyes flickered.
To cultivate a sword technique to the Perfect layer in three years indicated an exceptionally high level of comprehension.
No wonder he became a Sword Saint.
Moreover, the Jian Wudao from back then wasn't yet a Sword Saint; he was only in his middle age, and his sword mastery was far inferior to his current level.
"Do you want to erase it? I can help."
Li Hao sensed the subtle emotions in Lu Chunsheng's words, hinting at some unresolved feelings regarding this matter. Although he didn't know what had happened, it seemed that it wasn't a pleasant memory.
Lu Chunsheng was slightly taken aback when he heard Li Hao's offer. "Do you have the confidence? This is an ancient and incomplete sword technique. Even with just a move or two, it's already at the peak sword technique level!"
"Oh?"
Li Hao's eyes lit up, and he became interested.
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