At that time, Li Dao’s memories had not yet awakened, and he was not the Marquis of Anyuan—his father was.
He wasn’t as old as he was now, just seven years old.
And he also remembered that he wasn’t alone back then.
Beside him were two little girls—one was his younger sister, and the other…
As he recalled this, Li Dao paused for a moment in surprise—the other girl was actually his fiancée.
But none of that mattered now.
In his memory, his father had invited an elderly Taoist priest from outside, dressed in Daoist robes and exuding an aura of immortality.
Thanks to his current spiritual strength being nearly five times that of an average person, he could even remember the exact conversation his father had with that Taoist priest:
“Master, I’ll trouble you today.”
“It’s no trouble. Testing one’s talent is part of my duty.”
“Please, go ahead.”
After exchanging words, the priest placed his hand on the wrist of Li Dao’s little sister.
After a few breaths, he let go.
The father quickly asked, “Master, how is my daughter’s aptitude?”
The priest smiled and nodded. “Your daughter has decent aptitude—she can cultivate.”
Hearing that, his father’s face lit up with joy. “As long as she has the talent, that’s good, that’s good.”
Then, the priest placed his hand on the wrist of Li Dao’s fiancée.
This time, it took more than ten breaths, and the priest’s expression kept changing. In the end, he revealed a look of astonishment.
“Never did I expect to see a legendary supreme-grade aptitude today.”
The priest looked at the girl and shook his head with a sigh. “What a pity, such a pity—it’s a girl.”
His father, surprised by the girl’s aptitude, asked after coming to his senses, “Master, what’s unfortunate about Yue’er’s aptitude? Is there something wrong with her body?”
The priest shook his head and gave a wry smile. “Lord, you’ve misunderstood. When I said it’s a pity, I meant it for my sect. Such supreme-grade talent is rarely seen in a hundred years, but my sect doesn’t accept female disciples. Isn’t it a shame to miss out on someone like her?”
The father asked, “Then what should we do about Yue’er?”
The priest reassured him, “Don’t worry, Lord. While my sect, Baiyun Temple, doesn’t accept female disciples, I know of a sect that only accepts women. It’s called ‘Yaochi’ (Jade Pool), and it would be the most suitable place for her.”
After understanding, his father nodded and finally turned his gaze to young Li Dao. “Then please test my son’s aptitude as well, Master.”
“Of course.”
The priest placed his hand on Li Dao’s wrist.
After a few breaths, the priest’s expression changed again.
But this time it wasn’t astonishment—it was something more complex.
Letting go of the hand, the priest sighed deeply and shook his head.
“Master, my son’s aptitude…?”
Seeing the priest’s troubled expression, the father sensed something was wrong.
The priest said, “Lord, forgive my frankness, but your son was born with severed meridians—he cannot cultivate.”
“Severed meridians?”
“To cultivate, the body must have channels through which true qi flows. Cultivators refer to them as meridians. According to my assessment, your son’s body lacks these channels—therefore, he cannot cultivate.”
“I see…”
The father let out a long sigh, but quickly accepted it.
“If he can’t cultivate, then so be it. He’ll inherit my title in the future and live as an ordinary man—that’s fine too.”
At that point, Li Dao’s memories gradually came to an end.
He remembered that not long afterward, his fiancée had been taken away by a veiled woman with an ethereal, fairy-like presence.
His little sister was also taken as a disciple by a woman in tight-fitting martial attire and brought away to cultivate.
Only he was left behind. From that moment on, his father and mother no longer imposed strict discipline on him. Instead, they seemed to deliberately let him live freely and without restraint.
That period of memory continued until his parents passed away unexpectedly in this lifetime.
And from then on, with no one to guide or restrain him, he grew increasingly unruly, becoming the archetypal rich and arrogant wastrel.
Eventually, it led to the events where he got drunk at a palace banquet, his memories were awakened, he ruined someone’s reputation, and was thrown into the death convict battalion.
In other words, Li Dao had already been exposed to cultivation at the age of seven—but due to his lack of talent, he never officially stepped into the path of cultivation.
That meant the so-called “Postnatal Martial Artist” was real.
So there really were cultivators in this world.
Li Dao felt a wave of complicated emotions. He’d thought that with the system on his side, he’d easily dominate this cold-weapon era, becoming an unmatched force. But now, these cultivators had thrown a wrench into his expectations.
Although he didn’t fully understand how powerful cultivators were, judging by the skills of the Northern Barbarian squad leader, they were definitely not weak.
At the very least, even with a body nearly five times stronger than an ordinary person’s, he found it difficult to match a so-called Postnatal Martial Artist.
But soon, Li Dao adjusted his mindset.
So what if there were cultivators? He had the system. Even if all it could enhance was physical strength, his future wouldn’t be any worse than a cultivator’s.
All he needed to do now was steadily grow stronger, step by step.
As for the future—he’d deal with it when it came.
…
It felt like ages had passed in Li Dao’s mind, but in reality, it had only been a moment.
Right in front of him, Liu Fuchang was clashing head-on with the Northern Barbarian squad leader, the two of them locked in a duel of kings.
“Gale Blade Technique!”
The Northern Barbarian leader shouted, his long blade swinging out with afterimages, slicing toward Liu Fuchang’s face with fierce wind embedded in the attack.
But Liu Fuchang’s sword wasn’t slow either. The two exchanged blow after blow, sparks flying through the air with every clash.
Their duel was like a storm sweeping the battlefield, so fierce that even the surrounding soldiers didn’t dare come close.
Even with Li Dao’s physique being nearly five times stronger than average, he could still feel a faint stinging sensation on his skin from the shockwaves.
True Qi?
Li Dao looked at the violent bursts of energy between the two and thought silently.
He quickly snapped out of it. Now wasn’t the time to be watching—he needed to grow stronger, fast.
Status Panel!
- Host: Li Dao
- Physique: 4.71
- Available Attribute Points: 2.13
Seeing the available attribute points, Li Dao decisively poured them all into physique.
- Host: Li Dao
- Physique: 6.84
- Available Attribute Points: 0
The next second, a familiar surge of heat coursed through his body.
Because he had added so many points at once, a faint red hue surfaced on his skin from the turbulent blood and energy inside him.
At the same time, a terrifying sense of power exploded from within.
The sudden surge made him feel a wild urge to release it all in battle.
Just then, a Northern Barbarian cavalryman noticed the change in Li Dao and thought he saw an opportunity. He charged at him and swung his blade.
But a flash of light came faster than he did.
Slice—!
A blade flashed past, and the cavalryman’s armor shattered instantly. A splash of blood scattered into the air.
- Enemy killed. Attribute gained: 0.24
And that was just the beginning. Li Dao leapt onto his horse, gripped his blade tightly, and dove back into the fray.
With the Northern Barbarian leader occupied, no one could stop him now. Wherever he went, the enemy cavalry fell like wheat before the scythe. With his newly enhanced body, aside from Liu Fuchang and the Northern Barbarian leader, no one on the battlefield could withstand even one exchange with him.
Because of that, he was racking up attribute points faster than ever.
- Enemy killed. Attribute gained: 0.21
- Enemy killed. Attribute gained: 0.18
- Enemy killed. Attribute gained: 0.23
- Enemy killed…
Li Dao’s display of power quickly caught the attention of many Da Qian soldiers.
They began to rally around him, charging into the fray alongside him.
Within moments, the previously advantageous Northern Barbarian cavalry formation was torn apart and surrounded by the Da Qian troops in a brutal counterattack.
The commotion soon drew the attention of both the Northern Barbarian leader and Liu Fuchang.
Catching a glimpse of the scene, Liu Fuchang was visibly thrilled.
In contrast, the Northern Barbarian leader’s face had turned pitch black. He couldn’t believe that despite all his meticulous planning, the battle had devolved into this disaster.
Liu Fuchang parried another strike and laughed heartily. “You savage! The battle is already decided—why don’t you surrender while you still can?”
“Surrender?”
The Northern Barbarian squad leader roared through gritted teeth,
“We Northern Barbarian cavalry would rather die than surrender!”
“Kill!”
With a thunderous shout, his aura suddenly surged.
The display startled Liu Fuchang on the other side. He cursed,
“You bastard! That’s cheating—breaking through in the middle of a fight?!”
Hearing this, the Northern Barbarian leader blinked in surprise, realizing what had just happened. As he sensed the change in his body, he burst into laughter,
“Hahaha! Blessed by the Bear God—I’ve broken through to Postnatal Fifth Rank!”
He turned his icy gaze toward Liu Fuchang.
“Let’s see how you block me now.”
Once again, the Northern Barbarian leader charged at Liu Fuchang.
Compared to before, his strikes were now heavier and faster thanks to the breakthrough.
Crack!
Liu Fuchang’s blade suddenly snapped in two, and his expression changed drastically.
“Die!”
With a mad laugh, the Northern Barbarian leader raised his blade and slashed downward, aiming to slice Liu Fuchang in half.
Seeing this, Liu Fuchang’s pupils contracted—he looked like a man who had accepted death.
But just then, a blade suddenly stabbed between them, intercepting the fatal strike, and someone pulled Liu Fuchang out of danger.
“Who?!”
The Northern Barbarian leader roared in fury at having his kill interrupted again.
When he saw clearly, he got even angrier—it was the same person who’d interfered before.
Li Dao glanced at Liu Fuchang, whom he had just saved, and said with a faint smile,
“Liu Fuchang, you saved me once, now I’ve saved you. We’re even.”
Liu Fuchang blinked, then laughed,
“Not quite. You still had room to dodge before. I was just waiting to die. So I owe you one.”
He glanced at the furious Northern Barbarian leader.
“But if you want me to repay you, let’s take this guy down first.”
“Leave him to me.”
Li Dao spoke up calmly.
“You?”
Liu Fuchang was stunned. He had expected they’d fight together. He didn’t think this guy—9527—would want to go solo.
Li Dao nodded,
“I’ll handle it. I’m not letting you steal the credit.”
Honestly, it wasn’t about the military credit. He just didn’t want anyone else taking the kill.
Liu Fuchang: “……”
He had seen people fight for credit, but never like this. This guy wanted the merit more than his life.
Seeing Li Dao’s firm stance, Liu Fuchang couldn’t say much and just muttered,
“Be careful.”
Meanwhile—
The Northern Barbarian leader realized he had a new opponent. But he wasn’t worried at all. In his eyes, this pretty-faced kid looked even weaker than the last one.
He could handle him before his breakthrough—now it’d be even easier.
“Kill!”
Without another word, he charged at Li Dao with his blade.
Li Dao gripped his sword and met him head-on.
Clang!
The blades collided instantly.
Both fighters paused for a moment—each could feel the other’s strength was greater than expected.
That dazed moment on the battlefield passed quickly. The two were soon locked in close combat.
Not far away, Liu Fuchang blinked in surprise at Li Dao’s ferocity.
“How does 9527 keep getting stronger by the minute?”
After several exchanges, Li Dao and the squad leader separated briefly after a hard clash.
The Northern Barbarian leader held his blade in one hand and his horse’s reins in the other. He sneered,
“If that’s all you’ve got, you’re not far from death.”
Li Dao replied calmly,
“Why don’t you try me?”
“Fine, let’s see!”
The squad leader charged again.
As he neared Li Dao, his movements suddenly changed.
Gale Blade Technique!
His blade left countless afterimages in the air—faster, heavier, and more relentless.
The Northern Barbarian leader grinned proudly. He had been saving this move to catch his enemy off guard.
On the other side—
Li Dao noticed the sudden change in the enemy’s technique. But this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Add Points!
With a single thought, all the attribute points he had collected earlier were added to his physique.
In an instant, a wave of explosive power surged through his body.
Under that power, his strike became incredibly fast—so fast it flashed past in the blink of an eye.
Clang!
Their weapons collided violently as they passed each other.
Rip!
A gash suddenly tore open on Li Dao’s right arm, blood dripping from the wound.
Crack!
One of the blades shattered.
But it wasn’t Li Dao’s—it was the squad leader’s.
At that moment, the Northern Barbarian leader’s eyes glazed over. He muttered in disbelief,
“I… actually lost…”
The next second, the armor on his body split from neck to waist. Blood gushed out from every crack.
And at the same time—
A system notification echoed in Li Dao’s mind.
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