Once the gnawing hunger had faded and he felt full, Xia Kong did not slacken in the slightest.
Raising his cultivation was important, but he could not neglect his Dou Techniques either.
He had never expected to slaughter enemies above his level at every turn like Xiao Yan, but at the very least, he could not let opponents at his own level gain the upper hand. After all, he was a transmigrator who cultivated Dou Qi, physique, and soul power together. If he ultimately stumbled over his shallow grasp of Dou Techniques and lost to an opponent in the same realm, he would become an utter laughingstock.
Xia Kong was now a One-Star Dou Zhe, but a considerable gulf still separated him from the Dou Shi realm. The higher the grade of cultivation methods and combat skills, the harsher their cultivation requirements became, and they often required a teacher's guidance. Although Wood Hardening was only a defensive Dou Technique, it was still Mystic-tier and relatively difficult to cultivate. For now, the only technique he could begin practicing was that high Yellow-tier Dou Technique-Scorching Wood Palm.
According to the scroll, Scorching Wood Palm had three stages: Initial Insight, Proficiency, and Great Completion.
Cultivating it required circulating Dou Qi through specific meridian circuits day after day, nourishing the meridians in the hands with both wood and fire Dou Qi. The practitioner had to gradually learn to separate and compress the faint strand of fire attribute Dou Qi within their body, repeatedly honing their perception and control of both powers.
Initial Insight required only stable Dou Qi pathways, gathering the force firmly at the Laogong Acupoint in the palm and keeping it condensed without dispersing. Its release had to cause no backlash to the practitioner, and it offered only the basic power of a palm strike.
At Proficiency, the practitioner could separate fire attribute energy from wood attribute Dou Qi, compress the Dou Qi, and precisely control the instant of ignition upon contact with an enemy, pushing the palm technique's explosive killing power to its peak.
Upon reaching Great Completion, wood and fire Dou Qi could be separated and combined at will with exquisitely fine control. The practitioner could also produce delayed bursts and form tangible Dou Qi palm imprints, with the force remaining intact even three zhang from the body. Its power and tactical flexibility far surpassed the first two stages, making it a match for Mystic-tier Dou Techniques. If the practitioner possessed a heavenly flame with both wood and fire attributes, such as the Green Lotus Core Flame, this palm technique could even touch the Earth-tier level.
What Xia Kong needed to do now was take that first step properly, directing his Dou Qi along the newly opened meridian pathways to nourish his hands. However, his goal was not limited to his hands alone. His knees, elbows, and every other part of his body that could be used to attack were all included in his training plan.
Half a month flew by in the blink of an eye.
Xia Kong's Scorching Wood Palm steadily crossed the threshold of Initial Insight and was progressing toward Proficiency.
During that half month, the farm's crops ripened five times. Aside from the batch harvested just yesterday, Xia Kong had refined and absorbed all the produce from five harvests, including the one gathered before he entered seclusion. With these precious Dou Zhe-level spiritual plants, his cultivation rose like a boat lifted by the tide. He advanced steadily from One-Star Dou Zhe to Two-Star Dou Zhe and was now only a step away from Three-Star Dou Zhe.
Walking out of the loft, Xia Kong stretched his stiff, slightly numb body, his bones crackling in rapid succession.
With Two-Star Dou Zhe cultivation and a high Yellow-tier Dou Technique at Initial Insight, he finally had some confidence in his ability to protect himself in Wutan City.
Having spent half a month in seclusion, cut off from the world, it was time to go out and gather some news. He wondered whether Nalan Yanran had arrived in Wutan City yet and whether the engagement-breaking spectacle that would shake the entire city had already played out. As for Ya Fei, he wondered whether she had found any more Dou Techniques suited to his needs.
At the thought of Ya Fei's radiant, breathtaking face, alluring without a trace of vulgarity, Xia Kong could not help smacking his lips.
With a thought, he harvested the twenty level-one crops he had recently planted on the farm. His inventory held four portions of each of the five level-two crops, twenty level-one Spicy Jade plants, and a balance of thirteen hundred gold coins.
He spent another four hundred gold coins to begin his seventh round of level-two planting, leaving nine hundred. His reserves were still ample, nowhere near the point where he needed to pinch pennies. Once everything was done, Xia Kong willed himself out of the farm space and reappeared in the small courtyard in Wutan City.
The instant he appeared, Xia Kong's expression darkened.
The bedding lay in disarray, and the objects on the table showed clear signs of having been rummaged through and moved.
Someone had broken in and searched the place while he was cultivating in seclusion inside the farm space!
A sense of danger surged through him.
Who could it be?
Xia Kong knitted his brows, and Ya Fei was the first person who came to mind.
She was also the most likely candidate.
Although he believed no one from the Mittel Auction House had tailed him on his way home, the original owner of his body had lived in Wutan City for fifteen years. He was no rootless duckweed. With the Mittel Family's intelligence network, finding this residence and digging up his past would hardly be difficult.
The original owner had reached ninth stage Dou Qi at fifteen. Though that was not as dazzling as Xiao Yan becoming a Dou Zhe at twelve, nor comparable to Xiao Xun'er's hidden talent, he had still been a somewhat renowned genius within Wutan City.
Deep down, Xia Kong hoped Ya Fei was not behind this. Whether because of his favorable impression from his previous life or their brief interaction during the earlier transaction, he was quite fond of this woman and greatly admired her intelligence and ability.
"Ah, even if Mittel really did send someone to investigate, it would be understandable from a merchant's perspective."
Xia Kong sighed softly. "There's no point overthinking it. I'll visit the Mittel Auction House again and sound them out. With the farm space as my last escape route, no one in a mere Wutan City can take my life."
After tidying the room and restoring it to its original state, Xia Kong put on his black robe, concealed his face beneath the hood, and pushed open the door to leave the courtyard.
The moment he stepped outside the courtyard gate, his powerful soul perception, far beyond his cultivation realm, instantly detected two concealed gazes fixed firmly on him.
I'm being watched.
Xia Kong understood, but he let nothing show on his face. He locked the courtyard gate as usual, chose a familiar street, and walked along at an unhurried pace. From beginning to end, he did not so much as glance toward the watchers out of the corner of his eye.
The owners of those two gazes remained oblivious, following him like festering sores clinging to bone. Xia Kong silently grumbled, wondering whether these people were too confident or simply arrogant and stupid.
Without betraying anything, he led the pair through a short circuit of secluded streets and alleys, soon finding an opportunity to slip away.
A short distance ahead was the entrance to a narrow alley. Inside, the lanes crisscrossed and twisted, making it an ideal place to escape and hide.
His pace abruptly exploded. Before the two behind him could react, Xia Kong darted into the alley and vanished around the corner.
"Damn it! That brat noticed us! After him!"
"How is that possible? He never even turned around!"
"Who knows what happened! We watched for an entire month before finally catching sight of him. We absolutely can't let him get away!"
The two figures rushed into the alley and raced through the tangled lanes. After taking two or three turns in succession, they still found nothing but empty space ahead. There was not a trace of him.
They exchanged looks, undisguised panic in both their eyes.
Returning to the alley entrance, the two wore taut expressions, weighed down by unspeakable worry.
"What do we do? I've already sent word back to the family. If the young master finds out we lost him, he'll skin us alive."
"A person can't vanish into thin air. He can't have gone far. Hurry and search the area for clues!"
At a candied hawthorn stall on the roadside not far from the pair, Xia Kong stood in his usual clothes, having already removed his black robe and hood.
Outwardly, he was casually haggling with the vendor. In truth, he kept the two watchers firmly in the corner of his eye. Both wore dark red fitted outfits, with a Black Falcon Emblem embroidered on the left side of their chests.
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