Ye Xian sat down cross-legged in the quiet of the training hall, his breath steady. The memory from Adler had become clearer—he remembered the technique's name:
"The Shrouded Aura and Triad Illusion Manual."
It was an ancient scroll once used by elite cultivators. This manual had two powerful techniques:
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Stage One: The Shrouded Aura
A method that allowed a person to hide their energy completely. Anyone using this could make their presence vanish, becoming invisible to spiritual senses. The best part? It used only a small amount of ki, meaning even those in the early stages of cultivation could try it.
Stage Two: The Triad Illusion
This one was much harder. It allowed the user to create three illusion copies of themselves. These copies moved just like the real body and had a light aura. The higher the cultivation, the better and more real these illusions became. But it required perfect control of ki—and a deep understanding of how to guide it.
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Ye Xian took a deep breath and focused. Normally, this technique was way too hard. You had to move ki through 108 inner ki entrances in special patterns. One mistake and the flow would break.
But his mind was calm—unusually clear. What should've been confusing now felt simple. Every ki entrance, every path, every flow was laid out in his thoughts like a glowing map.
He began.
His ki moved smoothly inside him, like a stream following a carved channel. Slowly, carefully, he guided the flow through the right entrances, matching the rhythm stored in his memory. His breathing slowed even more.
Then it happened.
A strange stillness filled the air. His aura—which always had a faint presence—began to fade. At first, it was barely noticeable. Then it was gone.
Completely.
It felt like Ye Xian had disappeared from the world. Even if someone walked in and used their spiritual sense, they wouldn't be able to find him. His presence had vanished like mist in the wind.
Ye Xian opened his eyes.
His expression was calm—but inside, he was stunned.
He did it.
The Shrouded Aura technique, something others took years to learn… he had mastered in one try.
It hadn't felt difficult. In fact, it had felt natural, like he'd always known how to do it.
Aureliana spoke softly in his mind.
"This… This shouldn't be possible. Even the best talents need weeks to learn this technique. Your understanding is no longer normal."
Ye Xian nodded slowly.
"The Reverse Taiji treasure didn't just make my ki stronger—it made my mind sharper too."
He sat quietly, letting the new power settle inside him. He had full control over his presence now. He could hide when needed—and surprise when it counted.
His memory had also gotten better. He wanted to test his spiritual perception to see how much it had improved. Araliana had said that Adler's soul fragment had greatly boosted his spiritual perception. When he focused, his spiritual perception spread out, covering a 100-meter area.
Ye Xian knew that for most Ki Refining cultivators, spiritual perception only reached about 5 meters, and for Ki Warriors, around 10 meters. But his was almost ten times more than a normal Ki Warrior.
This made him quite happy. As his perception spread outside the testing room, he scanned the area where other cultivators and disciples were training. He was careful not to let it go near the places where elders or stronger cultivators were teaching.
Spiritual perception was like a radar, but it could "see" everything around in a full circle within its range.
"I learned the technique in just one try," Ye Xian whispered to himself, amazed. "It feels so natural—like I've been doing it my whole life. I can use it without even thinking. Does this mean all techniques, no matter how hard, are just a matter of time for me now? Is it because I've gotten more talented?"
Still, he didn't let it go to his head. Getting cocky could land him in serious trouble.
Ye Xian was excited. The Shrouded Aura and Triad Illusion techniques worked great when he was alone—but real success meant using them in the real world. If he could pull them off without anyone noticing, the possibilities were endless.
Ready to give it a try, he left the strength testing room and walked out of the training hall.
"Wait, he's already leaving?"
"He didn't even stay longer than two sticks of incense!"
"Stop your whining! Get back to training, you lazy brats!"
Ye Xian didn't pay them any attention. Outside, he passed by the training grounds, where disciples of all levels were busy practicing. Their punches cut through the air in perfect rhythm, their movements flowing smoothly with their ki.
He barely glanced at them. The sun warmed the stone courtyards, casting long shadows. A gentle breeze carried the nice smell of spirit herbs from the nearby gardens.
Before long, he reached the front gate of the Ye estate, where two guards were standing around.
Ye Xian slowed down, quietly activating the first stage of the Shrouded Aura and Triad Illusion Manual. Instantly, he seemed to vanish. No breath, no footsteps, not even a ripple in the air.
He stopped to look around, making sure no one else was nearby. He wasn't ready to show this technique off just yet. The fewer people who knew, the better.
Only the two guards were there. Time for the test.
These weren't normal guys—they were cultivators. Even while slacking off, they were trained to notice anything strange.
But right now, they noticed absolutely nothing.
One guard sighed and lazily shifted his spear. "This morning was way too noisy. Why were so many people gathered earlier?"
The other guard yawned and stretched. "No idea. Probably another public scolding or punishment. Those always draw a crowd. Pretty entertaining, though."
Ye Xian grinned. They didn't even realize he was standing right behind them.
Silently, he reached out and tapped both of them on the shoulders.
"Ahh—what the heck?! Who's there?!"
The guards jumped, spun around, ready to fight—only to freeze when they saw who it was.
"Y-Young Master Ye Xian?!" one of them stuttered, looking stunned.
Ye Xian smiled casually. "Just testing something," he said, and strolled away like nothing happened.
The guards stared at each other, totally confused.
"What just happened?"
"Beats me. Maybe the Young Master's bored and decided to prank us."
They shrugged and went back to chatting, still scratching their heads.
Meanwhile, Ye Xian walked back to his room, a smug little smile on his face and a sparkle of triumph in his eyes.