Hiding One's Light and Biding One's Time

Zhou Ning sat down cross-legged on the cushion again.

He found himself wondering, How strong am I in battle now? Could I stand on equal footing with a Late Qi Refining cultivator of this realm?

Only after cultivating the Xinsi Golden Scripture did Zhou Ning understand what it meant to have good meat to eat. His Law Power was completely different from before, possessing fiery and cutting qualities of its own.

Even without using a Law Technique, he could unleash it as spiritual power with considerable killing force.

If he used it to strike with the Fallen Red Sword, a Foundation Establishment Law Artifact, Zhou Ning scarcely dared imagine how powerful the blow would be.

If the Law Power of the Clear Flame Heart Method was a wooden sword, then that of the Xinsi Golden Scripture was a fine steel sword that could kindle fire as well.

Its total spiritual power in his Dantian was, however, less than what he had possessed at the third layer with the Clear Flame Heart Method.

But until quantity reached a certain level, quality decided everything.

Besides, he could now fly through the air. Zhou Ning reckoned that, faced with a Late Qi Refining cultivator of this realm, he might be able to escape?

Most importantly, he had a lifespan of two hundred years!

Even if his aptitude were poor, that would give him enough time to plan his Foundation Establishment at leisure, much less when he had a Middle-Grade Spirit Root.

"As expected of a Dao Path devoted to a single discipline!"

Of course, it also came down to the grade of his Cultivation Method. Having cultivated a fifth-grade method, he would be considered a strong fighter even in the Land of Wei.

At that thought, Zhou Ning felt much more at ease.

He thought of the two retainers whose cultivation the Su Household had crippled more than a year ago for shirking their duties.

In truth, their offenses had not warranted such a punishment. They could have been disciplined, but the Su Household had dealt them such a vicious blow.

Fortunately, Zhou Ning had always performed his duties conscientiously and never resorted to deception.

Otherwise, Su Wen might have made an example of him, and however unwilling he was, he could only have sat waiting for death.

Who in this world could guarantee they would never make a mistake?

To have one's foundation crushed over the slightest error was far too cruel.

Zhou Ning had felt a chill in his heart at the time, and the other retainers on the lake had likewise been on edge, as though walking on thin ice.

Now that he had succeeded in Qi Ingestion, things were different.

Even if another Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator came knocking to cripple his cultivation, he could always fight for his life and flee by boat.

Unless they sent out a Late Qi Refining expert, no one on Cuiwei Lake should be able to make him stay.

Zhou Ning let out a soft breath. "Strength really is what matters!"

He had already made his plans. He still had over a month left of his leave.

He would first consolidate his cultivation, then master the Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique to keep others from discerning the nature of his Law Techniques.

He took out a jade bottle and picked up a lustrous white, rounded pill that gave off the fragrance of ginseng.

This was the He Household's Ginseng-Nurturing Pill. A bottle of five cost three and a half Spirit Stones, an exorbitant price.

Zhou Ning felt a slight pang at the expense.

Once he had mastered the Law Technique, he planned to study alchemy and refine his own pills in the future to save on costs.

He could also escape his situation of fishing all day and secure a position as a guest alchemist, so he would no longer be at others' mercy!

He tilted his head back and swallowed it. The pill melted in his mouth, and a warm, mellow medicinal potency slid down his throat.

Zhou Ning immediately closed his eyes and concentrated, setting his Qi in motion. The medicinal potency dissolved in his Dantian, turning into spiritual power that circulated along his meridians.

With the aid of the first-tier Spirit Vein beneath him, he found that Spiritual Qi entered his body noticeably faster.

Every breath he drew and expelled flowed smoothly, yielding twice the result for half the effort.

"Now this is cultivation!"

Before, he had been crawling like a turtle!

Zhou Ning thought no more and immersed himself in cultivation at a speed he had never known before.

A month later, the morning sun rose in the east.

Zhou Ning stood in the courtyard, a Jade Slip in hand, and formed a Method Formula.

A strand of golden radiance draped over him like moonlight, while glimmers of light circled endlessly around his body.

He pulled a bronze mirror from his Storage Bag and took a look.

The man in the mirror was handsome and refined, with a distinguished bearing that far surpassed that of ordinary people.

He was an exiled immortal descended to the mortal world!

Zhou Ning's mouth twisted into a grin, and he could not help saying, "Mirror, mirror, who is the most handsome man on Cuiwei Lake?"

Unfortunately, it was only an ordinary mirror.

He withdrew the Method Formula, and the radiance vanished at once. His presence was completely concealed, and the traces of his Cultivation Method were erased.

Though his features were still exceptional, he could no longer compare to that exiled immortal.

Zhou Ning nodded. "A man ought to protect himself when he goes out. He can't let women take advantage of him."

From what He Zhuoran had said, the Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Technique seemed to be an ordinary Law Technique.

But Zhou Ning found it truly extraordinary. Only after using it did he discover that it could do more than cover his body in radiance and make him seem as otherworldly as an immortal.

If used throughout years of cultivation, it could also nourish the muscles and bones, refine one's bearing, and preserve one's looks.

It worked even better than a beauty-preserving pill.

It could also conceal one's presence and body, hide one's Cultivation Method, and disguise one's cultivation realm. The stronger the Divine Sense, the more thorough the disguise.

His Divine Sense had now reached half the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator's. An ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator probably would not notice anything amiss.

"Not bad. Now, even if I conceal myself when I go out, there shouldn't be much trouble."

Still, until he found a better place to stay, Zhou Ning intended to remain with the Su Household. After all, it was good to enjoy the shade beneath a great tree.

Besides, Bamboo Creek Island was remote, and he had never seen a great Foundation Establishment cultivator pass through. He would lie low and slowly improve his cultivation.

"I'll go out and show my face, ask around for news, and make preparations for alchemy."

After more than a month in seclusion, Zhou Ning finally removed the formation plate and pushed open the tightly shut gate.

The lake was like a mirror, reflecting the light of the sky and the shadows of clouds, while willow branches swayed in the wind along the shore.

Old Jia and Xu Qinghou were playing a board game beneath the dappled shade of a tree.

Old Jia assessed Zhou Ning's Law Power fluctuations and offered his advice. "I told you long ago to solidify your foundation before attempting a breakthrough."

Zhou Ning calmly accepted his failure. "I regret not heeding my elder's words."

Now that he had cultivated a method from the Land of Wei, his realm had fallen back to the Qi Refining First Layer.

Though his Law Power was condensed, its total quantity was insufficient, making him look little different from an ordinary cultivator at the Third Layer of Qi Refinement.

Breaking through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage was difficult, so failure was only natural.

After all, his true strength had increased rather than diminished, and it was better not to draw attention.

Zhou Ning's definite answer made Old Jia even more pleased with himself. He had cultivated for decades to reach the middle layers of Qi Refining. How could a green youngster compare to him?

So what if he had a Middle-Grade Spirit Root? Without resources, he still had to stay put!

Xu Qinghou, however, sighed beside them. "Don't lose heart, big brother. Keep trying."

Xu Qinghou had always regarded Zhou Ning, with his Middle-Grade Spirit Root, as a goal to catch up to. But over the past two years, Zhou Ning had sunk into a worldly Cultivation Method, and Xu Qinghou had gradually closed the gap. After all, he took Spirit Essence Pills every day and progressed rapidly.

Now that Zhou Ning had failed to break through, Xu Qinghou felt a good deal of regret. "I am alone on my path!"

Zhou Ning wanted to ask the two of them for news, so he put on a sorrowful expression and said:

"I'll make a couple of dishes later, and we can have some wine. Join us, old man."

Old Jia knew he wanted to drown his sorrows in wine. He shook his head and declined. "I have important business today. I'll have a couple of drinks with you another day."

With that, he rose from his wooden chair. "Since you've come out of seclusion, play a game with Scholar Xu."

As he spoke, he pulled out a green-leaf Law Artifact, hurriedly stepped onto it, and said:

"The Jade Countenance Sect and the Lei Household have been fighting a great battle lately, driving up pill prices. I must seize this chance to stockpile a large batch!"

He formed a Method Formula. "I'm off!"

With that, he rode the wind into the distance.

Xu Qinghou watched with longing and made up his mind. "Once I break through to the middle stage, I must buy a flying Law Artifact!"

After all, soaring through the skies was everyone's dream before stepping onto the path of immortality. The temptation was simply too great to resist.

He said without thinking, "When the time comes, we can buy them together. We might get them cheaper."

Only after speaking did Xu Qinghou realize his mistake. Where would Zhou Ning get the money?

Unlike him, Zhou Ning did not fish with a net every day.

But then Zhou Ning said with a chuckle, "All right."

Xu Qinghou paid it no mind, assuming Zhou Ning was in good spirits and still entertaining such fantasies.

He changed the subject. "Come on, let's play."

Zhou Ning looked at the board and saw that Old Jia had almost been reduced to a lone general, while Xu Qinghou still had both his chariots.

He could not help saying, "Did you beat Old Jia so badly that he ran away?"

Scholar Xu smiled smugly.

He knew nothing about respecting the old and cherishing the young!