Chapter 220: The Art of Concealment and Stealth

Chapter 220: The Art of Concealment and Stealth

Seeing that his master seemed a little displeased, Chi Mao immediately shook his body, exuding a powerful demonic aura and letting out a low growl, looking majestic and formidable.

He was indicating that he hadn't been slacking off and had been diligently cultivating.

"Master!"

Xu Yan and Meng Chong approached and greeted him respectfully.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "You want to go to the Spirit Realm, don't you?"

He had seen it—Xu Yan's desire to enter the Spirit Realm, to enhance his foundation and strive for an early breakthrough to the Divine Intent Realm.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan replied respectfully.

Li Xuan sipped his tea, deep in thought, before speaking.

"The Spirit Realm… the upper limits of martial arts there far surpass those of the Inner Realm. Those who have refined their gods may not necessarily be the strongest."

Xu Yan had achieved a perfect comprehension of the profound, and his sword techniques and sword intents had improved greatly, especially the Xun Wind Sword Intent, which could slaughter divine souls.

For a Martial Heaven, this was an unbeatable killing move.

Because of this, although Xu Yan had only achieved a perfect comprehension of the profound, he could easily kill Minor Celestials.

Even when facing Major Celestials, he would not be completely powerless.

Major Celestials were at the stage of unifying with their gods, and their spiritual consciousness was much stronger, giving them some ability to resist the Xun Wind Sword Intent. However, they would still be affected, unable to fully utilize their strength.

At Xu Yan's current level, it would be difficult for his Xun Wind Sword Intent to improve further and gain more powerful killing abilities.

Therefore, with Xu Yan's current strength, he could kill Minor Celestials and even some weaker Major Celestials. But if he were to encounter a powerful Major Celestial, he might not have the upper hand.

Even so, Xu Yan would have no problem escaping if necessary.

But what if he were surrounded?

Li Xuan had been thinking that it would be better for Xu Yan to enter the Spirit Realm after breaking through to the Divine Intent Realm, so he would be better equipped to face greater dangers.

"Never mind. The path of a martial artist is never smooth. Xu Yan has good talent, fortune, and strength, and venturing into the Spirit Realm will benefit his rapid growth.

"Just like when we first entered the Inner Realm, his strength improved rapidly."

Li Xuan realized that Xu Yan would take a long time to accumulate a foundation in the Inner Realm. It would be better for him to venture into the Spirit Realm and quickly gain enough experience to break through to the Divine Intent Realm.

"There are many powerful beings in the Spirit Realm, and when you encounter a strong enemy, your only option will be to flee. Relying solely on speed is not enough—you must also learn to hide and conceal yourself.

"I almost forgot to teach you a concealment technique to evade the detection of powerful beings. That way, even when faced with danger, you can escape."

Li Xuan suddenly remembered that he had overlooked the importance of concealment techniques.

These were essential for navigating the martial world.

Often, they could turn perilous situations into safe escapes, providing a crucial means of survival when confronted by formidable enemies or pursued by powerful forces.

"The Spirit Realm does pose some dangers for your current level of strength. It is common to attract the attention of powerful forces, but every strong cultivator rises by stepping over countless other strong cultivators and forces.

"They are but stepping stones, but a single misstep when facing a powerful force can lead to utter ruin."

Li Xuan set down his teacup, his expression solemn as he spoke.

"Disciple, you should now have some experience navigating the martial world. A true genius knows when to yield and retreat. Seize the initiative and grasp your advantages.

"I have taught you martial arts and killing techniques, but I have not yet instructed you on how to hide and conceal yourself to evade powerful enemies. Today, I shall impart to you the art of concealment and stealth."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan, Meng Chong, and Su Lingxiu were overjoyed.

Li Xuan had not prepared a concealment technique beforehand, so he had to improvise on the spot. At that moment, several lines of a mantra had already formed in his mind.

"Listen carefully. Whether it is concealment or hiding yourself, the essence lies in this art. Pay close attention and ponder its meaning."

Li Xuan spoke solemnly.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan and his junior martial siblings replied respectfully.

"Blend with its light, merge with its dust, mix with all things, and merge with the void. Exist within the heavens and earth, yet remain unknown to them!"

Li Xuan spoke in a deep voice, each word carrying weight and mystery.

"Blend with its light, merge with its dust..."

Xu Yan's heart trembled as he muttered the phrase to himself. The short mantra seemed to contain profound and abstruse truths.

Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu also fell into deep thought, contemplating the mantra's meaning.

"Go and ponder its meaning. When you grasp the basics of this art of concealment, you can venture into the Spirit Realm."

Li Xuan waved his hand, dismissing them.

"Yes, Master!"

Xu Yan and his junior martial siblings bowed and left.

Seated atop the mountain peak, Xu Yan murmured, "Blend with its light, merge with its dust, mix with all things, and merge with the void. Exist within the heavens and earth, yet remain unknown to them?"

The more he pondered these words, the more profound their meaning seemed to be.

To exist within the heavens and earth, yet remain unknown to them—what a profound art of concealment!

Li Xuan exhaled, having imparted the art of concealment and stealth to Xu Yan and his junior martial siblings. He then opened the Golden Book of the Great Dao and inscribed the mantra within its pages.

He sought feedback from the Golden Book, curious about its assessment.

The mantra seemed a bit abstruse, but with Xu Yan's talent, he should be able to grasp its essence.

Once Xu Yan comprehended it, Meng Chong and Su Lingxiu could also cultivate it.

Li Xuan did not expect Xu Yan to immediately master the art of concealment to the point where he could exist unseen within the heavens and the earth.

It would be sufficient for Xu Yan to learn how to conceal his presence and evade the detection of powerful beings.

If he could reach a level where even the laws of the heavens and earth could not detect him, that would be too terrifying. With Xu Yan's current strength, he would not be able to comprehend this realm.

Art of Concealment and Stealth:

Completeness of the Art: High.

Difficulty of Cultivation: High.

Difficulty of Comprehension: Extremely High!

Li Xuan was surprised by the feedback from the Golden Book.

The completeness of the art was rated as high?

"Blend with its light, merge with its dust?"

Li Xuan pondered the mantra.

The difficulty of cultivation was also rated as high.

And the difficulty of comprehension was given the highest rating—extremely high!

Li Xuan was not surprised by this assessment, as the art was indeed very abstruse. However, he had confidence in Xu Yan.

"I should create another concealment art for Shi Er and the others. They won't be able to cultivate the art I just taught Xu Yan and his juniors, even if they comprehend it.

"Their talents might not be sufficient for them to cultivate this art."

With these thoughts in mind, Li Xuan began brainstorming a new concealment art.

Creating a concealment art was not a difficult task for him at this point.

Of course, the resulting art would not be too advanced, but it would be enough for Shi Er and the others.

With his full control over his Qi Blood Realm and innate true qi, he already had a solid foundation for creating a basic concealment art.

"Although it's not perfect, it's still capable of concealing one's presence. Even if they can't cultivate the art Xu Yan comprehends, this one will be sufficient."

Li Xuan looked at the feedback from the Golden Book.

Concealment Art:

Completeness of the Art: High.

Difficulty of Cultivation: Low.

Difficulty of Comprehension: Medium.

Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He decided to keep the art for now and not transmit it immediately.

If Xu Yan took too long to comprehend the previous art, he could always teach him this simpler version, which Xu Yan would be able to grasp with his talent.

Qimen Martial Arts:

Art Perfection: Upper-Middle.

Cultivation Difficulty: High.

Comprehension Difficulty: High.

The feedback from the Great Dao Golden Book surprised Li Xuan. The art's perfection was rated only as upper-middle, and both cultivation and comprehension difficulties were deemed challenging.

This was within Li Xuan's expectations. After all, Qimen Martial Arts involved a wide range of disciplines, including artifact refining, formations and arrays, and restrictions, which naturally required high standards of talent from its cultivators.

Moreover, the emphasis on talent was crucial. This predetermined that Qimen Martial Arts couldn't be as widely spread and popularized as pure martial arts or physical martial arts.

Those with the talent to cultivate Qimen Martial Arts were inherently rare. Of course, if the entirety of Qimen Martial Arts was broken down into individual components, the talent requirements would be lower, but this would also result in a significant decrease in strength.

Furthermore, the prerequisite for cultivating one of its components was for someone to first comprehend Qimen Martial Arts, allowing its artifact refining and formation techniques to be studied in isolation.

Otherwise, everything was just empty talk.

"Finding a disciple is difficult. Those with the right talent may not necessarily cross my path, so I'll also need to devise a way to perform an initial screening."

Li Xuan pondered.

Now that he had fabricated the Qimen Martial Arts, the next step was to find a disciple to cultivate it.

"One of the cores of Qimen Martial Arts is formations and arrays. If someone has the talent to comprehend formations, they naturally possess the qualifications to study Qimen Martial Arts. There are no formations in the Inner Realm.

"The Cangbei Land has natural grand formations formed by the leakage of the Heavenly Dao's power.

"So, if someone can comprehend formations, it indicates that they have the talent to cultivate Qiemen Martial Arts."

Li Xuan suddenly had an idea.

He selected one of the simpler formations from the few he had crafted, one that would be less challenging to comprehend.

"Spread this formation diagram far and wide. Whoever can comprehend it will gain a great opportunity!"

Finding a disciple didn't necessarily require him to search personally.

Moreover, it was improbable that he would encounter every talented genius.

It was more feasible to spread the formation diagram and assess their talent by their ability to comprehend it. If someone could understand it, it would naturally indicate their aptitude, and after testing them, he could accept them as a disciple and impart the Qimen Martial Arts.

"Comprehending the complete formation diagram is indeed challenging. I'll draw a third of it. If they can't comprehend even this portion and grasp some insights from it, there's no way they can understand the full diagram."

Li Xuan had made up his mind.

He found a piece of paper and drew a third of the simplest formation diagram.

The formation diagram resembled a wondrous terrain, seemingly imbued with profound principles. It was intricate and mysterious, akin to a trap yet not quite, complex and profound.

"Shi Er."

After finishing the drawing, Li Xuan called out.

"Master, what are your orders?"

Shi Er rushed over excitedly.

Finally, he had been given a task of his own, and with the master's task in hand, Chi Mao wouldn't dare to bother him for a while.

"Have someone replicate this pattern and send it to the Great Wilderness and the Great Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. Whoever can comprehend it will gain a great opportunity."

Li Xuan handed the formation diagram to Shi Er.

"Yes, Master!"

Shi Er's heart skipped a beat. Whoever comprehended it would gain a great opportunity?

He examined the formation diagram, scrutinizing each line intently.

After a long while, he lifted his head, his expression bewildered.

At first glance, it seemed profoundly mysterious. But as he studied it further, the pattern appeared somewhat chaotic and disjointed.

He continued examining it but couldn't commit the formation diagram to memory.

Shi Er's face turned shameful as he said, "I'm too lacking in talent. I can't understand it at all!"

Holding the formation diagram, Shi Er went to find someone to replicate it before sending it to the Great Wilderness and the Great Wilderness Martial Arts Academy.

Chi Mao ran over.

"Chi Mao, do you understand it? If you do, Master will grant you a great opportunity. You mustn't miss this chance. I have your best interests at heart, and I hope you understand that," Shi Er said, hoping to divert Chi Mao's attention.

Chi Mao gave him a suspicious look. Was Shi Er genuinely being so kind?

His thoughts drifted to the time when Shi Er had whipped him, claiming it was for his own good...

Chi Mao's eyes fell on the formation diagram in Shi Er's hand, and his gaze turned perplexed.

"It's quite profound, isn't it? This is a great opportunity. If you can understand it thoroughly, it will be incredible!" Shi Er urged Chi Mao to memorize the formation diagram and spend time pondering it.

As long as Chi Mao was occupied with trying to comprehend the formation diagram, he wouldn't have the time to bother him.

After the formation diagram was replicated, Shi Er instructed someone to send it to the Great Wilderness and the Great Wilderness Martial Arts Academy. This was, after all, a great opportunity.

Of course, he didn't reveal that the formation diagram came from a senior of Canglan Island.

He only relayed a message: "Whoever understands it will attain a great opportunity and rise to new heights."

If someone comprehended the formation diagram, they could send a message back.

After Li Xuan drew the formation diagram and sent it out for others to comprehend, all he could do was wait for news.

Comprehending this one-third of the formation diagram was just the first step. There would be subsequent trials, and only after passing them could they become his disciple, the fourth one to do so.

"I wonder if there's anyone in the Inner Realm with the talent to cultivate Qimen Martial Arts."

Li Xuan sighed.

If he couldn't find anyone in the Inner Realm, he could only turn to the Spirit Realm.

He turned his gaze to Xu Yan, who was cultivating the art of concealment and stealth, and anticipated that Xu Yan would soon manifest this art.

Time passed day by day.

Li Xuan watched as the number of Martial God Shadows continued to increase, indicating that the number of Martial Artists in the Inner Realm was steadily growing.

The speed at which the thousand Martial God Shadows were increasing was accelerating.

"We're not far from reaching ten thousand Martial God Shadows."

...

Water Star Palace.

Tang Jinyan's face turned red with anger as she said, "Jiao Ming left and hasn't returned for a long time. Ping'er has been gone for a while too.

"What are they doing in that lower realm?"

She couldn't help but feel annoyed, as it seemed like they were blatantly disregarding the tasks she had assigned.

The maid hesitated and said, "Miss, Jiao Ming has always been quite efficient in handling matters in the past. This time, his prolonged absence might be because something in the Inner Realm has caught his attention.

"Or perhaps he encountered some danger?"

Tang Jinyan coldly huffed, "Danger? Is there a Martial Artist in the lower realm capable of threatening him, a Minor Celestial? What about Ping'er? Why hasn't she returned?"

The maid helplessly replied, "I didn't finish my sentence earlier. Ping'er left to go to the Inner Realm, but I don't know who she's looking for. Perhaps she hasn't found Jiao Ming yet?

"However, Ping'er is quite carefree, and she might have been captivated by some handsome man in the Inner Realm, which is why she hasn't returned."

Seeing her mistress's anger, the maid softly suggested, "Miss, should we send Jing Po Po to the Inner Realm?"

Jing Po Po was a powerful Martial Artist at the Combined Spirit Realm.

Tang Jinyan took a deep breath to calm her anger before shaking her head. "Sending Jing Po Po would draw too much attention. Let's wait a little longer. When Jiao Ming and Ping'er return, they must be severely punished, or they'll think I'm someone they can ignore!"

"Yes, Miss."

The maid nodded.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end