Although his appraisal had revealed nothing, he was fortunate that it had gone unnoticed.
In the future, he would not have to worry too much about using this divine ability.
Jiang Hao breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Still, he did not yet know why the appraisal had yielded nothing.
Whether her cultivation was too powerful or there was some other reason, he could only try again later.
"You seem very keen to conceal your cultivation," Hong Yuye said evenly as she looked at Jiang Hao.
"I simply don't wish to draw too much attention, Senior. The flower in the courtyard is extraordinary and could easily invite disaster." Jiang Hao was not exactly lying.
His cultivation was advancing too quickly. Especially now that he had the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower, his progress would not stop.
If he did not conceal his cultivation, countless people would soon set their sights on him.
Never mind someone at Golden Core-even against someone at the late or peak stage of Foundation Establishment, he might not be able to escape.
"Then take this." Hong Yuye casually took out a book and placed it on the table, reminding him:
"If you fail to look after the flower properly, you know the consequences, don't you?"
"I understand, Senior." Jiang Hao immediately nodded.
He glanced at the book on the table.
There was no title on it, so it probably was not a cultivation manual.
At that moment, Hong Yuye slowly rose and walked outside.
When she reached the doorway, she looked back at Jiang Hao.
There was a slight chill in that glance, enough to make his heart pound with fear.
"Do you have any other instructions, Senior?" Jiang Hao steadied himself and asked with his head lowered.
Her gaze was too terrifying for him to meet directly.
It was as though it held a powerful force that filled him with dread and unease.
This was a powerful cultivator. A single look could strip someone of all their will to fight.
"As for matters concerning me..."
The instant Hong Yuye spoke, Jiang Hao said:
"I will never tell a soul about you, Senior, even if it costs me my life."
"You had best remember what you said." Hong Yuye gave Jiang Hao a look, then stepped out.
"I will come by often to check on the flower's growth. If anything happens to it, you will have to bear my wrath." Her icy voice echoed in Jiang Hao's ears.
He waited a long while, until he was certain she had left completely.
Only then did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Her gaze just now had drenched him in cold sweat.
Yet whenever he saw her, his heart grew restless. Now that she had left, it was calm and unruffled again.
It was an uncomfortable feeling.
"What did she leave?"
Jiang Hao walked over to the table, picked up the untitled book, and began leafing through it.
The book had no introduction. It opened straight into explanations of spiritual energy, the mind, the body, and breathing techniques.
They were extremely detailed.
Judging by the handwriting, these were probably casually jotted notes. The writing was quite beautiful.
Without dwelling on that, Jiang Hao began reading carefully.
He soon discovered that it recorded how to control his aura and breathing, extend his spiritual awareness, and master his strength.
Once he learned these things, he would be able to conceal his cultivation perfectly.
He could even infer other people's cultivation realms from their basic breathing, the flow of their aura, the strength they displayed, and the reach of their spiritual awareness.
That was not all. If he could master these things, his cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort.
"This book qualifies as a top-tier cultivation technique. It's a treasure. It seems this woman is dead set on getting the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower."
Elder Bai Zhi had entrusted the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower to him. At first, he had wanted her to transplant it back to her own place.
Now, he did not even dare entertain the thought.
As for that woman wanting the flower, he had no choice but to agree. He could only hope the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower would mature later.
He also hoped Elder Bai Zhi would not ask for it back.
The traitors had not made any moves yet, so he could not assess that situation.
After getting a basic grasp of the book's contents, he picked up the formation diagram to examine it.
This was much easier.
It would simply cost around a hundred spirit stones to get started.
Fortunately, he had quite a few spirit stones now, and he no longer needed to worry about the thousand he owed in compensation.
He still had a month, enough time to earn another hundred or so.
By the time he finished setting up the formation, it was nearly noon.
Jiang Hao hurried to the Spirit Medicine Garden.
The Spirit Medicine Garden was the same as ever. Few people usually came, and most who did were there to purchase medicinal herbs.
Heartbreak grass made up the bulk of their purchases.
During this time, the inner sect disciples of Heartbreak Cliff had also learned that he had offended the Heavenly Joy Pavilion and frequently avoided him.
It was as though they feared he would ask to borrow money.
Of course, that certainly was not what they feared, since no one would lend him any in the first place.
They were worried that getting too close to him would make people from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion mistake them for friends.
This situation made Jiang Hao realize that Heartbreak Cliff did not command as much authority as the Heavenly Joy Pavilion.
Only the traitors would approach him, though each of them had a perfectly ordinary reason.
They were also afraid of being treated as fish on the hook.
"The big fish has already taken the bait. I hope Elder Bai Zhi doesn't rush to question me, or else..."
Telling the truth was out of the question. That woman seemed far more powerful than Elder Bai Zhi.
Or perhaps Elder Bai Zhi had simply never displayed her might.
With his current strength, he could not afford to offend either of them.
Putting those thoughts aside, Jiang Hao began helping tend the Spirit Medicine Garden.
All of today's bubbles had already merged into his body.
[Spirit +1] [Strength +1] [Endurance +1] [Dagger +1]
There was no cultivation and no vitality.
He did not mind, however, because after reading that book, he seemed to have become more sensitive to his strength and spirit.
Whenever he collected these bubbles, he could sense the tiny improvements. It felt quite good.
Over the next few days, he did not rush to sell talismans. Instead, he studied the book.
He had to thoroughly digest its contents and weave everything into a complete understanding before he could venture out.
Otherwise, if he encountered a powerful cultivator who knew how to assess someone from every angle, his cultivation would be exposed.
While studying, he activated Clear Mind, Pure Heart, and his progress kept accelerating.
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