Li Gang's life was very disciplined.
He never did anything meaningless. Life is short, and doing any meaningless action is just deceiving yourself. Li Gang understood the principle, and applied it as well.
He always tried to maximize every single moment of his life to enhance his skills. Initially, it began as a means to control his psychological depression, but with time, it became a habit.
He never tried to give up on this habit, since he knew he might not be able to regain the momentum once he stopped.
28th January, Year 42007 of the Elemental Era
It was morning.
Li Gang, already five years old, had woken up not long ago. He washed up and cleaned himself before leaving his room.
He visited his mother, Song Yunlan.
Knock Knock Knock!
Song Yunlan heard the knock and immediately sensed Li Gang outside.
She said softly, "Come in, dear."
Li Gang entered the room, looked at her, and then glanced to the side.
He bowed. "I have met Father and Mother."
Li Minghui nodded at him.
Li Gang also glanced at the bedside.
Li Yuxong was still sleeping.
"I am already five," he said calmly. "I want to learn cultivation techniques."
Li Minghui nodded. "I will ask someone to send you a suitable cultivation method."
Li Gang nodded. He stepped forward, gently caressed Yuxong's forehead, and asked lightly, "Must you train him so hard? He is still young."
Li Minghui replied calmly, "It's just some basic exercises. He has talent, so we should strengthen his foundation as early as possible."
Song Yunlan added, "Don't worry, we would never overdo it."
After staying for a while, Li Gang left the room.
He glanced at the side where two copies of books were kept carefully. One was Toxin Refinement Art, and the other was a dusty copy he had found in the library a while back.
He had learned many things from these two books, but unfortunately, they were only overviews. There was no in-depth knowledge he could gain from them.
However, he had realized that Emperors were once the strongest existences in this world, who had disappeared somewhere in long history.
One section mentioned the history of Azure Mountain.
Long ago, when the Elemental Emperor was about to perish, he used his last bit of power to create Azure Mountain and hide countless resources within it.
The Elemental Emperor had been born in this region, and in order to improve the lives of his fellow countrymen, he changed the entire terrain.
Despite being a massive mountainous region, the soil became extremely fertile—a heaven for farmers.
They hailed the Elemental Emperor as the Elemental God. This was how this "new God" was born in the world.
Generation after generation, their belief in the Elemental God enhanced, treating him as an omnipotent entity.
There were countless villages in this mountain, and no one ever came to rob them or search for hidden treasures.
Why?
Li Gang's eyes were deep as he murmured, 'Could it be no one knows of the hidden treasure here?'
Unfortunately, no one could answer him.
As he was thinking, he heard a knock and then the gate opened.
Li Minghui came in, glancing around.
The room was neat and tidy. He always appreciated Li Gang's mindset and pitied his lack of talent.
Li Gang was very suitable for inheriting his position as the next village head.
He thought inwardly, 'Maybe in the future, Yuxong can be the pillar and the village head, and Gang can be his advisor.'
Li Gang bowed. "Father."
Li Minghui nodded.
He took out a scroll and handed it to him. "Take this. It is the best cultivation technique in the clan."
Li Gang accepted it and nodded.
Suddenly, Li Minghui noticed the two copies Li Gang had kept.
He pointed at them and asked, "Where did you get these?"
Li Gang immediately frowned. 'Not good!'
The old book contained the history of the Elemental Emperor. For his family, who were true believers in the Elemental God, the contents went against their beliefs. If his father checked the contents, he would immediately realize it is the same book had been casted aside long ago, waiting to be thrown away.
Then Li Gang realized something. 'No… if Father knew about the book, he would have burned it immediately. Is he talking about Toxin Refinement Art?'
Fortunately, Li Minghui did not manage the library and didn't recognize it. He was actually talking about the Toxin Refinement Art.
The grade of the art was written inside, and the cover only mentioned the name. So Li Minghui didn't think too much from the surface, but for someone like Li Gang, studying poison refinement was still unacceptable.
Li Gang said calmly, "I found it in the library."
Li Minghui narrowed his eyes. "Are you lying?"
Li Gang was surprised. Why would he think that?
"I didn't lie," Li Gang said. "I really found it in the library."
Li Minghui released a portion of his aura, asking deeply, "Tell me, where did you get it?"
Li Gang felt pressured but insisted, "I r-really got it in the library!"
Li Minghui stared at him deeply, then withdrew his aura. He was still suspicious and reached out to take the book, but Li Gang, being closer, quickly hid it behind him.
"I won't give it!"
He knew that the moment Li Minghui realized its grade, he would confiscate it.
This time, he decided he must stand his ground. He was confident Li Minghui wouldn't be too harsh, considering his age.
Li Minghui asked coldly, "Can you understand what's written on it?"
Li Gang said stubbornly, "I don't know, but I won't give it."
Li Minghui could see the text was in a different language. He didn't know whether Li Gang could read it, but he sensed no lies. He knew Li Gang had shown strong interest in languages, trying many language books. He always thought it was just childish curiosity.
But now, it seemed Li Gang had been trying to learn languages to decipher this book. Perhaps this was his way of enjoyment, and why he rarely spoke with others.
Seeing Li Gang's resolve, he sighed and didn't force it.
He nodded and left.
He knew it was pointless to confront him directly and chose another approach.
A few moments later.
Song Yunlan looked at her husband entering. "Did you give it to him?"
Li Minghui nodded.
He said, "Gang-er has gotten his hands on a poison refinement method. He has been trying to study it."
Song Yunlan was shocked and afraid. "Did you take it away?"
Li Minghui shook his head. "No. He's very obsessed with it. I want you to take it back. It's not a child's plaything. If he ever tries poison refinement and gets hurt…"
He immediately stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
Song Yunlan nodded.
Next day
Li Gang was studying the new cultivation technique he obtained, training in the woods not far away.
Song Yunlan quietly entered his room and searched for the Toxin Refinement Art. But no matter how she tried, she couldn't find it.
'Did he take it with him?' she wondered.
As she thought this, Li Gang appeared outside. "Mother?"
Song Yunlan looked at him and smiled softly. "Did you already start training?"
Li Gang nodded, thinking inwardly, 'As expected, Father didn't forget about the matter. He sent Mother to get it.'
Song Yunlan picked him up and sat him on her lap.
"So, my little boy is quite hardworking?" she asked lightly.
Li Gang twitched inwardly, but he pretended to be calm and changed the topic.
"Father shouted at me!"
Song Yunlan smiled. "Oh? For what?"
"He said I lied!"
Li Gang slipped off her lap and asked, "Why did Father say that when I clearly got the book from the library?"
Song Yunlan smiled softly. "He didn't mean it. When you were younger and wanted to read books, he personally curated the library, making sure only certain books were present—books you could safely read, while he kept other important books at different place."
Li Gang was surprised. 'No wonder when I used to search for books, no one disturbed or stopped me! Otherwise, who would allow a one-year-old boy to take books like that?'
He felt complex emotions toward his father but pushed those thoughts away.
Song Yunlan asked, "Where did you put the book?"
Li Gang said slowly, "I kept it with me. Please don't take it away."
He watched her eyes carefully, as if afraid she might snatch it.
Song Yunlan looked at his eyes and felt troubled. She sighed. "No one will take it from you. Don't worry."
After chatting for a while, she left.
Li Gang led his disciplined life for the next two years—training cultivation methods, doing mental exercises, and enhancing his observation skills.
By now, he had gained enough freedom to roam in the woods. Initially, someone would always watch him to ensure he didn't get lost… but once they realized he always returned on time, they relaxed.
Taking advantage of this, Li Gang began running around the woods. He knew these forest areas had already been scouted, and due to nearby civilization, the danger level wasn't high. Most spiritual beasts tended to avoid the warriors' foothold. Only a few harmless ones lingered, as they had nothing valuable on them.
He searched for herbs described in the Toxin Refinement Art. Some could be found in the woods, while others he purchased from shops.
He began his poison refinement training.
It wasn't easy—he messed up many times at first, but eventually, he got the hang of it.
Some poisons were not very harmful and only caused slight headaches. Others had stronger effects, bringing dizziness or short bouts of nausea. A third category was more troubling, capable of inducing temporary paralysis or fever. And finally, the rarest types were potent enough to cause severe, long-lasting weakness or even death, making them the most feared of all. These were the four sub-grades of every poison.