Concealed Edge Method, Azure Edge Method

Twin Luminous Mirrors hung high in the sky.

Beneath the bridge, Chen Lingxi's eyes lit up when he heard the Cauldron Venerable's question, as though he had long since made his plans.

He sat cross-legged on the damp stone slabs beneath the bridge and said respectfully, "Cauldron Venerable above, this junior dares to ask!

Does Your Excellency... possess any techniques that a cultivator of the Second Level of Qi Circulation may practice?"

The moment the words fell, a brief dead silence settled beneath the bridge.

The vertical pupil narrowed slightly. On that stitched-together face, the infant's lips curled upward, the old man's brows drew tightly together, while a hint of amusement passed through the youth's eyes.

The emotions of several faces overlapped and shifted before finally freezing into a bizarre expression.

"Techniques?"

The Cauldron Venerable spoke, its voice as low as the rumbling of earth veins. Every syllable crashed against Chen Lingxi's chest, making his blood and qi tremble faintly.

"I command three thousand wondrous methods and eight hundred side paths. Naturally, I possess techniques that one at the Second Level of Qi Circulation may cultivate. Only..."

It paused, ghostly light flowing through its vertical pupil as though it were scrutinizing him, tempting him.

"The path of the Cauldron Vessel takes from abundance to make up for deficiency. I may grant you a thousand wondrous methods—but how much lifespan are you willing to pay?"

Chen Lingxi raised his head and met that gaze.

Outside the bridge, river waves rippled. Sunlight, shattered like gold, reflected off the water and streamed in, flickering across his pale face.

He drew a deep breath, his voice steady in a way that did not resemble a youth who had only recently come of age.

"This junior is willing to trade fifty years of lifespan for techniques."

The instant he spoke, the vertical pupil upon the Candle of Time flew wide open!

"You have fifty-one years of life, yet you are willing to trade fifty for techniques?"

For once, the Cauldron Venerable's voice carried genuine surprise.

The ghostly light in that vertical pupil flickered unstably.

"Do you know what price fifty years of lifespan represents?"

It paused, then its voice suddenly rose, carrying a trace of sinister laughter. "At the Second Level of Qi Circulation, you would have only one year left to live. Are you not afraid—"

"This junior has already considered it clearly."

Chen Lingxi spoke calmly, interrupting the Cauldron Venerable.

His gaze was limpid and clear, and there was not the slightest trace of fear on his pale face.

Naturally, this was the result of careful deliberation.

If he were in the true world, he would never dare leave himself with only one year of life—that would be no different from cutting off his own future, leaving even the hope of scraping by in miserable survival beyond reach.

Yet he was currently inside the Divine Chamber. Twin Luminous Mirrors hung high above, and in ten days, everything would return to nothingness.

The lifespan within this Divine Chamber was like pieces on a chessboard, stakes on a sand table. If it was not spent, it would be wasted.

Besides, he wanted to see what fifty years of lifespan could buy.

The Cauldron Venerable fell silent for a moment, its vertical pupil reflecting Chen Lingxi's composed face.

Then, a faint trace of approval passed over that stitched-together face.

"You do have courage."

The Cauldron Venerable said no more.

Its vertical pupil abruptly expanded. Crimson light burst forth like a breached tide of blood, instantly drowning the entire space beneath the bridge.

The river was dyed red. Countless distorted shadows danced madly across the stone walls, as though ten thousand ghosts were racing and wailing through the red light.

Chen Lingxi felt a sharp pain between his brows, as though an invisible sword had pierced his skull. Immediately afterward—two immense, complicated torrents of information surged into his Consciousness Sea like a mountain flood bursting loose!

Concealed Edge Method!

Azure Edge Method!

"One who conceals the edge gathers breath and condenses qi, containing divine splendor within. Outwardly like blunt iron and withered wood, inwardly hiding the sharpness of ten thousand jun.

When this method is used, the spiritual qi around the body falls silent and the blood and qi settle. Ordinary cultivators cannot discern your true state."

"The Azure Edge sends qi forth like a sword, its sharpness without equal.

Use spiritual qi to wield the Azure Edge, and your body itself becomes peerlessly sharp. Cultivate it to great depths, and nothing will remain unbreakable."

The cultivation methods of the two techniques revolved endlessly through Chen Lingxi's mind like a lantern carousel.

The qi pathways of the Concealed Edge Method, its secrets of hiding one's breath, its barriers of qi apertures;

The spiritual qi guidance of the Azure Edge Method, the condensation of Sword Qi, the movement of spiritual qi.

Countless pieces of information flooded into his mind and branded themselves within it.

Chen Lingxi's entire body shook violently, his head feeling as though it were about to split apart.

These two techniques were far too intricate and profound. As the vast ocean of information poured into his mind, his skull nearly burst from the strain.

He clenched his teeth and endured the swelling agony with all his strength, allowing cold sweat to soak through his clothes.

At the same time.

The red light in the Candle of Time's vertical pupil grew even brighter, and an indescribable suction force surged from deep within the candle.

Chen Lingxi clearly felt as though an invisible hand had reached into his limbs and bones, slowly drawing out something deeper and more fundamental.

Then...

His skin visibly lost its luster, changing from the warm, smooth skin of a youth into the dry, withered skin of an old man.

Fine lines at the corners of his eyes deepened as though carved by blades. The black hair at his temples faded to frost-white, his back bent, the skin of his hands loosened and wrinkled, and veins and age spots surfaced together.

In only a moment, the twenty-year-old youth had become an old man in his seventies!

Chen Lingxi lowered his head toward a remaining pool of river water at his feet.

The water was like a mirror, reflecting a face at the end of its candle flame.

Clouded old eyes, sunken cheeks, and several sparse strands of dry white beard hanging from his chin.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth. The reflection in the water tugged at its mouth as well, pulling the ravine-like wrinkles across his face.

This was what he would look like in his seventies.

He was silent for a moment, feeling his entire body grow heavy. His joints ached faintly, and even breathing took more effort than before.

"The transaction is complete."

The Cauldron Venerable's voice gradually became ethereal, the crimson light in its vertical pupil receding like the tide. "Fifty years of lifespan have been collected, and two techniques have been bestowed. Fair to old and young alike; neither owes the other."

The red light upon the Candle of Time completely dispersed. That stitched-together face slowly sank into the depths of the vertical pupil, which then closed and went entirely dark.

The Candle of Time fell, landing in Chen Lingxi's palm.

It was still that ordinary piece of black, rotten wood, utterly unremarkable.

Chen Lingxi let out a long breath.

"It worked."

Joy stirred in his heart, and his gaze turned once more toward the Candle of Time.

Just then, the moment he saw that section of black, decayed wood, an incomparably intense desire for greed suddenly surged up within him!

"What is this?"

His five fingers tightened involuntarily, while a voice screamed madly within his heart...

"Take it away. Keep it close to your body. Never leave it day or night. As long as you keep it, you can trade it for endless wondrous methods, for supreme fortune!"

The desire was too fierce, almost swallowing his reason whole.

He suddenly rose to his feet and stuffed the Candle of Time inside his robes, closest to his chest. Only then did the desire and greed in his heart lessen somewhat.

"Cannot lose it."

"Absolutely cannot sink it into the river like Lin Suri did."

"Keep it close. Nourish it with spiritual qi every night. Find another chance to trade for more..."

At that thought, Chen Lingxi suddenly froze.

What was he thinking?

With a shudder, he lowered his head and looked at the Candle of Time pressed tightly against his chest.

"Why am I like this?"

Doubt abruptly rose within him, yet he also felt that greed in his heart was nearly impossible to restrain.

Just then!

A ray of light descended from the sky.

It came from a blazing golden Luminous Mirror, suspended high above the nine heavens and shaped like a great sun.

At that moment, the treasure mirror turned, and a magnificent golden beam tore through the air, falling straight upon Chen Lingxi.

The golden light blazed, yet it was not hot. Instead, it carried a clear, penetrating sensation, like enlightenment poured into his mind, instantly cleansing his entire body.

Chen Lingxi felt a boom within his head. The greedy desire wrapped around his heart was like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun, swept away completely in an instant!

He came to his senses, cold sweat pouring down his body.

"That was close..."

Chen Lingxi panted heavily. He pulled the Candle of Time from inside his robes and lowered his head to look at the black candle stump, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

At last, he understood why Lin Suri had sunk the Candle of Time into the Yuan River.

It was not that he did not want to carry it at his side every day.

He had not dared to.

"This so-called Cauldron Vessel is indeed strange."

"Is this the Cauldron Calamity Lin Suri spoke of?"

He shook his head, rose to his feet, and casually tossed the Candle of Time away—

Plop.

The black candle stump traced an arc through the air and fell into the deep river beneath the bridge, splashing up a small spray before sinking into the mud and sand, never to be seen again.

Chen Lingxi did not even look back. He turned and climbed the stone steps, stepping onto the bridge.

There were few pedestrians on the stone arch bridge.

Sunlight fell across Chen Lingxi's bent back, stretching his withered shadow long behind him.

He raised his head and looked at the sky. The sun was still high.

"Within this Divine Chamber, I can gain a brief moment of freedom."

That was what he thought to himself.

On his way here, he had walked along the riverbank.

Back then, his steps had been light, his eyes sharp and ears keen, the spring breeze brushing his face as though he were a young man on an outing.

Now, his back was bent, his steps unsteady, his beard and hair completely white. He was like a decrepit old man with one foot in the grave.

He did not know how long this ruined body could endure.

But within this Divine Chamber, before the ten days were up and while Twin Luminous Mirrors remained in the heavens, he wanted to take a walk.

To walk through Yuan River Prefecture.

To see what kind of world lay beyond the cages of the Duguan Office and the walls of the marquis's manor.

He slowly made his way west along the riverbank.

Several old willows by the river drooped with countless tender yellow ribbons, swaying in the wind like maidens brushing their hair. The peach blossoms had all fallen, and small unripe fruits had formed on the branches, hidden amid green leaves like emerald beads dropped there.

Several ducks were turning somersaults in the shallows as they searched for food, their rumps pointing skyward and kicking merrily.

Across the river stretched rows of gray tiles and white walls. Cooking smoke curled upward, and the faint calls of women summoning their children could be heard.

A black-canopied boat poled past. A small child with hanging locks squatted at its bow, barefoot and playing with the river water, grinning as he waved at Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi raised his hand as well—that withered hand, thin as a chicken claw.

The child froze, likely taking him for some old beggar, then drew his head back and ignored him.

Chen Lingxi did not mind and continued onward.

After turning past a street-side tea house, he stepped onto the bluestone road leading toward the prefectural yamen.

Just then—

"Faster!"

A shrill voice came from around the street corner.

Chen Lingxi paused and shifted slightly aside.

Wang Kong came striding over, wearing a small black velvet cap and a dark blue silk robe. Two broad-shouldered, thick-waisted burly men followed close behind him, both dressed in short, fitted martial clothes with hostile expressions.

Wang Kong's face was dark as he strode forward, turning back to shout, "If that Chen-surnamed official slave did not go to Willow Street Alley, where else could he have gone?"

Without slowing, he sprayed spittle as he spoke, cold sparks leaping incessantly in his narrow eyes.

"Find him quickly! Steward Zhao has given the order: if you cannot seize him today, you alone will answer for it!"

Before his words had even faded, he had already brushed past Chen Lingxi.

The two burly men hurried past as well. One man's shoulder nearly struck Chen Lingxi's bent body, but he merely took him for an ordinary old beggar on the street and did not so much as lift an eyelid.

Leaning on a withered branch he had picked up casually, Chen Lingxi stood in the street. His clouded eyes watched Wang Kong and the other two vanish around the corner.

Not a ripple touched his aged face.

"Steward Zhao has given the order?"

He stood silently for a moment, then slowly turned around and continued forward with the withered branch for support.