novelapdf Chapter 18 Concealing the Edge Technique, Green Edge Technique
Chapter 18 Concealing the Edge Technique, Green Edge Technique
Two bright mirrors hang high in the sky.
When Chen Lingxi heard Dingzun's question under the bridge, his eyes lit up, as if he had already made a plan.
He sat cross-legged on the damp stone slab under the bridge and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, I dare to ask a question!"
"Your Excellency... do you possess any techniques that a cultivator at the second level of the Qi Circulation stage can practice?"
After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the underpass.
His vertical pupils narrowed slightly. On that pieced-together face, the baby's lips curled up, the old man's brows were furrowed, but a hint of amusement flashed across the boy's brows.
The emotions on several faces overlapped and shifted, finally settling into a strange expression.
"Spells?"
Ding Zun spoke, his voice deep and resonant like the earth's tremors, each syllable striking Chen Lingxi's heart and causing his blood and qi to swell slightly.
"I possess three thousand wondrous techniques and eight hundred unorthodox methods, and naturally, I also have the arts that can be learned at the second level of Qi cultivation. However..."
It paused, its vertical pupils gleaming with an eerie light, as if scrutinizing him and tempting him.
"The way of the cauldron is to diminish the excess and replenish the deficiency. A thousand wondrous methods can be given to you. How much of your lifespan are you willing to give up?"
Chen Lingxi looked up and met that gaze.
Outside the bridge arch, the river rippled, and the sunlight, like scattered gold, was reflected into the water, flickering on his pale face.
He took a deep breath, his voice so steady it didn't sound like that of a young man who had just come of age.
"This junior is willing to exchange fifty years of his lifespan for the magic."
Upon hearing this, the vertical pupils on the Time Candle suddenly widened!
"I live to be fifty-one. Would you be willing to exchange fifty years for this magical technique?"
Ding Zun's voice carried a rare hint of genuine surprise.
A ghostly light flickered within his vertical pupils.
"Do you know what the price is for fifty years of lifespan?"
It paused, then its voice suddenly rose, carrying a sinister chuckle: "You only have a year left to live on the second floor of Qi cultivation, aren't you afraid—"
"I have thought it through."
Chen Lingxi spoke calmly, interrupting Ding Zun's words.
His eyes were clear and bright, and there was no fear on his pale face.
This is naturally the result of careful consideration.
If he were truly in the real world, he would never dare to have only one year left to live—that would be tantamount to cutting off his own path forward, and even the hope of surviving would become a luxury.
But right now he is in the divine chamber, with two bright mirrors hanging high in the sky. In ten days, everything will return to nothingness.
Lifespan in this divine chamber is like a chess piece in a game of chess or a chip on a sand table; it's better to spend it than not.
Besides, he wanted to see what fifty years of life could buy.
Ding Zun remained silent for a moment, his vertical pupils reflecting Chen Lingxi's composed face.
Immediately, a very faint hint of approval flashed across that pieced-together face.
"He does have guts, though."
Ding Zun said no more.
The vertical pupils suddenly dilated, and a scarlet light gushed out like a burst dam of blood, instantly engulfing the entire bridge arch.
The river water was reflected in a crimson light, and countless distorted shadows danced wildly on the stone wall, as if thousands of ghosts were running and wailing in the red light.
Chen Lingxi felt a sharp pain between his eyebrows, as if an invisible sword had pierced his skull. Then, two complex and intricate messages flooded into his mind like a torrent!
Concealing one's strength!
Green Edge Technique!
"Those who conceal their sharpness gather their breath and condense their Qi, their divine brilliance hidden within. Outwardly, they are like dull iron and withered wood, but inwardly they possess immense sharpness."
"By practicing this method, one's spiritual energy becomes still and one's blood and qi become stagnant, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators to discern one's true strength."
"Qingfeng is a sword whose energy flows out like a blade, with unparalleled sharpness."
By wielding spiritual energy to control the azure blade, one becomes incomparably sharp; at the highest level of cultivation, it becomes indestructible.
The cultivation methods of the two techniques swirled endlessly in Chen Lingxi's mind like a revolving lantern.
The energy channels, breath-gathering techniques, and vital energy points of the Concealed Edge Method;
The Azure Edge Technique involves guiding spiritual energy, condensing sword energy, and transporting spiritual energy.
Numerous messages flooded his mind and were imprinted therein.
Chen Lingxi trembled violently, feeling a splitting headache.
These two techniques were so complex and intricate that a massive amount of information flooded his mind, almost causing his head to crack.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the throbbing pain, letting cold sweat soak through his clothes.
at the same time.
The red light in the vertical pupil of the Time Candle intensified, and an indescribable suction force surged from the depths of the candle.
Chen Lingxi clearly felt as if an invisible hand was reaching into his limbs and bones, slowly drawing away something deeper and more fundamental.
then……
His skin lost its luster at a visible rate, transforming from the smooth skin of a young man into the withered skin of an old man.
The fine lines around his eyes deepened as if etched by a knife, his dark hair at his temples turned frosty white, his back hunched over, and the skin on his hands became loose and wrinkled, with blue veins and age spots appearing together.
In just a short while, the twenty-year-old boy had transformed into a seventy-year-old man!
Chen Lingxi looked down at the remaining puddle of river water at her feet.
The water's surface was like a mirror, reflecting a face that was frail and aged.
His old eyes were cloudy, his cheeks were sunken, and a few sparse strands of dry, white beard hung from his chin.
He twitched the corners of his mouth, and his reflection in the water also twitched the corners of his mouth, drawing out the deep wrinkles on his face.
This was his seventies.
He remained silent for a moment, feeling heavy all over, with a dull ache in his joints, and even breathing was more difficult than usual.
"The deal is done."
Ding Zun's voice gradually became ethereal, and the red light in his vertical pupils receded like a tide: "Fifty years of lifespan have been taken, and two techniques have been taught. I have been honest with both young and old, and we owe each other nothing."
The red light on the candle of time completely dissipated, and the pieced-together face slowly sank into the depths of the vertical pupils, which then closed and went out completely.
The candle of time fell down and landed in Chen Lingxi's palm.
It still had that ordinary, black, rotten wood appearance, completely unremarkable.
Chen Lingxi breathed a long sigh of relief.
"It's done."
He was overjoyed, and his eyes turned to the Candle of Time.
Just then, when he saw this piece of black, rotten wood, an extremely strong and greedy desire suddenly surged in his heart!
"What happened?"
His fingers clenched involuntarily, and a voice screamed wildly in his heart...
"Take it with you, keep it close to your body, and never let it out of your sight. As long as you keep it, you can exchange it for infinite wondrous methods and supreme blessings!"
The desire was so intense that it almost consumed his reason.
He suddenly stood up, tucked the Time Candle inside his clothes and pressed it against his chest, only then did he feel that the desire and greed in his heart had lessened a little.
"We can't lose it."
"We must not sink it into the river like Lin Suri did."
"Keep it close to your body, nourish it with spiritual energy every night, and find an opportunity to exchange it again..."
Chen Lingxi suddenly froze as she thought of this.
What is he thinking?
He looked down in horror at the Time Candle he was pressing tightly against his chest.
Why am I like this?
He was immediately filled with doubt, and felt that the greed in his heart was almost uncontrollable.
Just then!
A beam of light descended from the sky.
It was a bright, golden mirror, hanging in the sky, shaped like the sun.
At this moment, the mirror turned, and a dazzling golden light pierced through the air, landing directly on Chen Lingxi.
The golden light was dazzling, but not scorching; instead, it had a clear and refreshing quality, like a sudden enlightenment that cleansed his entire being.
Chen Lingxi felt a "boom" in her mind, and the greedy desire that had been entangled in her heart was swept away in an instant, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun!
He regained consciousness, his body drenched in cold sweat.
"That was close..."
Chen Lingxi, panting heavily, took the Time Candle from inside her clothes, looked down at the black, broken candle, her eyes filled with lingering fear.
He finally understood why Lin Suri had sunk the candle of time into the Yuan River.
It's not that I don't want to carry it with me every day, it's that I don't dare.
"This so-called cauldron is indeed strange."
"Is this what Lin Suri called the 'calamity'?"
He shook his head, stood up, and casually tossed the candle of time aside.
thump.
The black candle, its last flame tracing an arc, fell into the deep river beneath the bridge arch, creating a small splash before sinking into the mud and sand, disappearing without a trace.
Chen Lingxi didn't even look at it, turned around, climbed the stone steps, and stepped back onto the bridge.
Few pedestrians were on the stone arch bridge.
Sunlight fell on Chen Lingxi's hunched back, casting a long, withered shadow.
He looked up at the sky; the sun was still high in the sky.
"In this sacred chamber, I can find a moment of freedom."
That's what he was thinking.
The way we came was along the riverbank.
At that time, he walked briskly, with sharp eyes and ears, and his face was as light as a spring breeze, like a young man on a carefree journey.
Now he is hunched over, walks with difficulty, and his beard and hair are all white, just like an old man who is about to die.
He didn't know how long his mutilated body could hold on.
But in this divine chamber, less than ten days had passed, and the two bright mirrors in the sky were still there, so he decided to take a walk.
Take a stroll through Yuanjiang Prefecture.
Let's see what kind of world lies beyond the prison walls of the capital and the mansion of the marquis.
He walked slowly westward along the riverbank.
Several old willows along the riverbank droop thousands of tender yellow tendrils, which flutter like a young girl's hair when the wind blows; the peach blossoms have all fallen, and small, unripe fruits have already formed on the branches, hidden among the green leaves like emerald beads.
Several ducks were tumbling and foraging for food in the shallows, kicking their tails up in the air with great enthusiasm.
Across the river, there are rows of gray-tiled roofs and white walls, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys, and the faint sound of women calling their children can be heard.
A small boat with a black awning punted past, and a young boy with his hair in his hair was squatting at the bow, splashing in the river barefoot and waving at him with a grin.
Chen Lingxi also raised her hand, that withered hand that looked like a chicken claw.
The child paused for a moment, probably thinking it was some old beggar, then shrank back and ignored it.
Chen Lingxi didn't care and continued forward.
After turning past a teahouse on the street, he stepped onto the bluestone path leading to the government office.
Just then—
"Hurry up!"
A shrill voice came from around the street corner.
Chen Lingxi paused in her steps and slightly stepped aside to make way.
Wang Kong, wearing a black velvet cap and a dark blue silk robe, strode in, followed closely by two burly men in short, tight-fitting outfits, their expressions unfriendly.
Wang Kong's face was grim. As he strode away, he turned back and shouted, "If that government slave surnamed Chen didn't go to Willow Street, where else could he have gone?"
He kept walking, spitting as he spoke, his narrow eyes sparkling with cold light.
"Find him quickly! Chief Steward Zhao has ordered that if you don't catch him today, you will be held responsible!"
Before he could finish speaking, he had already brushed past Chen Lingxi.
The two burly men hurried past, one of them almost bumping into Chen Lingxi's hunched body with his shoulder, but he just regarded him as an ordinary old beggar on the street and didn't even raise his eyelids.
Chen Lingxi leaned on a withered branch she had picked up at random, standing on the street, her cloudy eyes watching the backs of Wang Kong and the other two disappear around the street corner.
His aged face remained completely expressionless.
"Has Commander Zhao given any orders?"
He stood silently for a moment, then slowly turned around and continued walking forward, leaning on a withered branch.