My Martial Arts Level Never Drops

Chapter 423: Chapter 197: Observation and Concealment

He took a deep breath, no longer hesitating, and stepped into the Scripture Pavilion.

A stream of light flowed from his Token, allowing him to easily pass through the Array and enter the Scripture Pavilion. At a glance, he saw Master Zhou sitting behind a desk, looking utterly bored.

Hearing the sound, Master Zhou looked up. A smile touched his lips when he saw it was Qin Fang. He was about to speak but suddenly froze. He sat up a little straighter, and after a careful look, his face filled with astonishment.

”Primordial Stream Realm?”

’It feels like anyone and everyone can see my current Realm...’

Qin Fang felt a sense of resignation but smiled and said, ”You have sharp eyes, Master...”

”You’ve reached the True Essence Flow Realm?”

Zhou Xuanmo was utterly astonished. He looked Qin Fang up and down, his eyes wide with surprise. ”How long has it been since you joined? A year and a half? Not even two years, right? The last I heard from Senior Brother Fan was that you’d left the Sect... Did you have some kind of breakthrough while you were away?”

”You could say I had a fortunate encounter...”

Qin Fang rubbed his nose.

”This doesn’t look like just ’a fortunate encounter’...” Zhou Xuanmo said, studying Qin Fang intently. Unable to resist, a spiritual light flashed deep in his eyes. He then exclaimed, ”Such a pure Profound Nether Nature! What kind of Heavenly and Earthly Treasure did you consume?”

Qin Fang was speechless.

’So there are no secrets in this Sect, huh?!’

’My master, I could understand...’

’Then there was Master Fan, Senior Brother Yue, and now Master Zhou... They all saw my Cultivation at a glance.’

’Master Zhou even saw my True Essence Nature directly!’

’...So why couldn’t he see through others?’

’For other Inner Sect Disciples, the most he could tell was whether or not they possessed True Essence. He couldn’t see their specific Realm at all.’

He quickly recalled the spiritual light that had flashed in the man’s eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, ”Master, I saw a spiritual light flash in your eyes just now, and then you saw my True Essence Nature... Is that... some kind of Leaf Skill?”

Only then did Zhou Xuanmo snap out of it. The spiritual light in his eyes faded, and after clicking his tongue in amazement a few times, he didn’t press Qin Fang any further about which Heavenly and Earthly Treasure he had consumed.

Instead, he said, ”Yes, it’s a Pupil Skill called ’Void Spiritual Eyes.’”

Zhou Xuanmo nodded, the spiritual light in his eyes now completely gone.

”Void Spiritual Eyes?”

Qin Fang’s eyes lit up.

”You could say it’s a Leaf Skill commonly used by Martial Artists for Observing Qi and Examining the Origin.”

Zhou Xuanmo nodded. ”Don’t be surprised. Now that you’ve entered the Primordial Stream Realm, you can access the third floor. The Void Spiritual Eyes technique is there. With your cultivation Talent... you should be able to grasp the basics quickly.”

”Once you grasp the basics of this Skill, it will slightly enhance your Eye Power and Perception. You’ll be able to faintly perceive the strength of the Qi Mechanism flowing around others and the general disposition of their True Essence Nature. Of course, that’s only if their Cultivation isn’t high or they aren’t intentionally concealing it.”

”If their Cultivation is much higher than yours, or if they are deliberately suppressing their aura with a Concealing Breath Leaf Skill... it becomes difficult to see through them.”

Hearing this, Qin Fang’s eyes immediately lit up. ”Concealing Breath Leaf Skill?”

’...Sounds like a Leaf Skill for hiding one’s Cultivation?’

Sure enough, Zhou Xuanmo began to explain, ”A Concealing Breath Leaf Skill allows you to suppress the Qi Mechanism of your True Essence, hiding it deep within your flesh and blood. As long as you aren’t circulating your True Essence—or at least not at full power—it’s very difficult for others to notice... If you cultivate it to a profound level, it becomes difficult to detect even with Divine Sense. This type of Leaf Skill can only be practiced by those at the Primordial Stream Realm or above... which is perfect, as you can now practice it.”

Qin Fang’s eyes gleamed with excitement...

’Void Spiritual Eyes and a Concealing Breath Leaf Skill?’

’Looks like I have two more skills to exchange for today!’

”As a First Hall True Inheritance, you do indeed need to practice these two Leaf Skills. One to see, one to hide. While they don’t increase your actual combat power, they are essential skills for when you’re out in the world.”

”Hmm, for the Pupil Leaf Skill, you should practice ’Void Spiritual Eyes.’ That skill is something special. As for the Concealing Breath Leaf Skill... I recommend the ’Deep Stream Returning Technique.’”

Zhou Xuanmo stroked his beard thoughtfully before continuing, ”This technique isn’t about simply concealing your aura. Its essence is derived from the concept, ’deep waters flow silently, and all things return to concealment.’ It is perfectly suited for a Cultivator of Water Phase True Essence.”

He explained in detail, ”When practicing this technique, at the Early Stage you can suppress the fluctuations of your True Essence and Qi Blood to become like the still water of a deep pool, without leaking the slightest trace. An ordinary Cultivator of the same realm would find it difficult to detect you.”

”Once you reach Minor Achievement, you can simulate the aura of an ordinary Martial Artist or someone of an even lower level to disguise yourself.”

”If you reach the realm of Great Success, you can perfectly merge your Qi Mechanism with a surrounding environment rich in water essence. You can even leverage advantageous conditions like rain, fog, or rivers to achieve a concealment effect akin to the ’Unity of Heaven and Man.’ Even someone one or two Small Realms of Cultivation above you would have difficulty noticing anything amiss, unless they deliberately performed a meticulous scan with their Divine Sense.”

Zhou Xuanmo looked at Qin Fang’s gleaming eyes.

He said with a smile, ”Although this technique isn’t an Attack Skill, it has wonderful applications for traveling the world, exploring dangerous places, and even catching an enemy by surprise at a critical moment. Moreover, while it’s active, your True Essence is contained internally, which offers the slight benefit of nourishing your meridians and calming your mind.”

”It’s stored in the ’Profound Water Leaf Skill’ section on the east side of the third floor. Go exchange for it yourself.”

He paused, then added a reminder, ”But you must remember that the art of Concealing Breath is not invincible.”

”When you’re up against someone whose Cultivation far surpasses your own, or who has mastered special detection Divine Techniques, there is still a risk of being discovered.”

”In the Cultivation Realm, the arts of perception and concealment are forever locked in an endless cycle of opposition and advancement. You have only just entered the Primordial Stream Realm. First, build a solid foundation by mastering these two basic, practical Leaf Skills. In the future, you will have opportunities to learn more profound methods.”

Qin Fang let out a long breath and said, genuinely impressed, ”Thank you for your guidance, Master!”

The ’Deep Stream Returning Technique’ truly sounded perfect for him. It wasn’t just practical; it also matched the attribute of his True Essence, which meant practicing it would likely be much smoother.

’His Root Skill even has the word ”Guicang” in it!’

”Go on, then.”

Zhou Xuanmo waved his hand at him.

After bowing respectfully, Qin Fang headed straight for the stairs.

He was partway up the stairs when he suddenly froze...

’I wonder if I have enough contribution points?’

’I forgot to check just now. I haven’t been in the Sect for half a year... but... they should still issue the monthly stipend on time, right?’

He checked his Token with some apprehension.