Lían continued down the corridor.
His footsteps remained quiet.
But—
his thoughts soon returned to Mei.
*She's still at the Second Stage.*
He glanced back toward the corridor where she had disappeared.
*I thought she might have reached the Third Stage by now.*
After all—
Mei had been cultivating for quite some time.
And with the resources available to the Village Head's family—
reaching the Third Stage shouldn't have been impossible.
Yet—
she was still at the Second Stage.
Lían's gaze became thoughtful.
*Maybe she's simply taking things slower.*
He didn't think too much about it.
His attention soon shifted to something else.
*And she couldn't sense my cultivation either.*
A faint smile appeared on his face.
*That artifact Master gave me really does work.*
His mind immediately returned to the jade token.
---
### Earlier—
Deep within the forest—
Lizarius hovered before Lían.
A small black jade token floated in front of him.
Its surface was covered with faint spiritual patterns that seemed to shift slightly beneath the light.
Lizarius extended one claw.
"Take this."
Lían accepted the token.
He examined it curiously, turning it over in his hand.
"What is it?"
Lizarius calmly explained.
"It can conceal your cultivation."
Lían's eyes widened slightly.
"Conceal?"
"Yes."
"It won't completely hide the fact that you're a cultivator."
"But..."
"It can prevent others from accurately determining your cultivation stage."
Lían looked down at the token.
"So they can still tell that I have cultivation?"
Lizarius nodded.
"They simply won't be able to determine how strong you are."
Lían thought about it.
*That's actually pretty useful.*
If he returned to the village while openly revealing that he had reached the Third Stage—
it would undoubtedly attract even more attention.
But if others could only sense that he possessed cultivation without knowing his exact stage—
things would be much simpler.
Lían carefully put the token away.
Then—
Lizarius spoke again.
"There are other cultivators practicing the same art."
Lían's expression changed.
"Other cultivators?"
Lizarius nodded.
"They possess tokens connected to this one."
Lían looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Lizarius explained calmly.
"The Blood Nourishing Art you're cultivating wasn't created for you alone."
"There are several other cultivators who practice the original version."
"And each of them possesses a similar token."
Lían's eyes narrowed.
"So these tokens are connected?"
"Yes."
Lizarius lifted one claw slightly.
"This token can locate the others."
Lían stared at it.
His expression slowly became complicated.
"And what happens when we find them?"
Lizarius answered casually.
"You consume them."
Lían's expression immediately stiffened.
"...Consume them?"
"They will eventually be refined into Blood Nourishing Pills."
"Those pills will increase your cultivation once consumed."
Lían stared at Lizarius.
For several moments—
he didn't speak.
Then—
his face twisted.
"Master..."
Lizarius looked at him.
"I don't want to eat a pill made from another person."
Lizarius remained silent.
Lían continued.
"That's..."
He struggled to find the right words.
"That's just disgusting."
Lizarius simply stared at him.
"..."
Lían scratched his cheek.
"But..."
His gaze returned to the jade token.
"If it can help hide my cultivation..."
He hesitated.
"...I'll take it."
Lizarius continued staring at him.
Lían took the token and carefully placed it away.
At the time—
he hadn't cared much about the other cultivators.
Nor had he seriously considered hunting them down.
He simply wanted the ability to conceal his cultivation.
And now—
he finally understood just how useful that decision had been.
---
Back in the corridor—
Lían lightly touched the jade token beneath his clothes.
*Master really thought of everything.*
Even Wa Shi—
a Third Stage Spirit Refining cultivator—
had been unable to see through his cultivation.
And Mei had only sensed that something about him had changed.
She couldn't determine his actual stage.
Lían smiled faintly.
*It seems this thing really does work.*
He continued walking.
But—
another thought quietly surfaced.
*Still...*
*Those other cultivators practicing the Blood Nourishing Art...*
His expression became slightly serious.
*If the token can really find them...*
He wasn't sure what to think about that.
He had no intention of hunting down innocent people simply because Lizarius had said they could eventually be turned into pills.
But—
if those cultivators were dangerous...
or if they ever tried to harm him—
then the situation would be different.
Lían shook his head.
*I'll think about that if the time comes.*
For now—
he had more immediate concerns.
His mother.
The movement technique.
And—
the extremely troublesome engagement proposal.
Lían's face twitched.
"...Why did the Village Head have to bring that up?"
He continued down the corridor.
---
After a while—
Lían sat quietly upon a wooden bed inside the small room that had been given to him.
The room was simple.
A wooden table.
A chair.
A small window.
And—
the bed beneath him.
Nothing extravagant.
But—
it was enough.
Lían's appearance had also changed.
His long hair had finally been trimmed.
It no longer hung over his face.
His features were clearly visible once again.
His crimson-red eyes quietly reflected the faint light entering through the window.
Earlier—
after leaving Wa Shi's room—
Lían had returned to his mother and told her about the Village Head's decision to allow them to stay.
She had readily agreed.
After all—
having a safe place to stay was far better than returning to their old house immediately.
And before Lían could even settle down—
his mother had noticed his hair.
It had grown far too long.
So—
she had cut it herself.
Now—
Lían no longer looked like someone who had disappeared into the wilderness for years.
He looked like himself again.
Mostly.
Lían sat cross-legged upon the bed.
A book rested open in his hands.
**[Flowing River Steps]**
His eyes moved slowly across the pages.
He carefully read every line.
The technique's principles seemed simple at first glance.
But—
the deeper he read—
the more complicated they became.
*Control the body's center of gravity.*
*Maintain continuous movement.*
*Never allow spiritual energy to stagnate within the legs.*
Lían's brows furrowed slightly.
He turned another page.
*Movement should follow the path of water.*
*When obstructed—*
*flow around.*
*When pressured—*
*yield.*
*When an opening appears—*
*surge forward.*
Lían's eyes brightened.
"...Interesting."
He continued reading.
The technique didn't simply teach a series of steps.
It taught a way of moving.
The cultivator needed to coordinate their feet, waist, shoulders, and spiritual energy simultaneously.
A single movement could transition naturally into another.
A retreat could become a dodge.
A dodge could become an advance.
An advance could become an attack.
Lían slowly nodded.
*That's exactly what I need.*
He remembered his battle with the Black Horn Earth Bear.
There had been several moments when he had been forced to retreat.
If he had possessed this technique then—
he might have been able to move much more efficiently.
His eyes continued scanning the page.
Then—
he suddenly paused.
One particular section caught his attention.
It described how the technique became considerably more effective when practiced near a water source.
Lían's eyes narrowed.
*As expected.*
His Water Elemental Physique immediately came to mind.
*This technique really does suit me.*
He turned the page.
Another section explained the first movement.
**Flowing Step.**
Lían read the instructions carefully.
The cultivator needed to shift their weight forward without fully committing their body.
Then—
spiritual energy had to circulate through the waist before reaching the legs.
The movement itself looked simple.
But—
the timing was extremely precise.
Lían's fingers slowly turned another page.
His eyes moved across the words.
Then—
he stopped.
His expression became thoughtful.
*The way this technique describes movement...*
He closed his eyes.
The memories of the dream immediately surfaced.
That strange world.
That endless battle.
The copy of himself.
The countless exchanges between them.
And—
the movements the copy had taught him.
Lían slowly opened his eyes.
*It's similar.*
Not identical.
But—
the principles were surprisingly close.
Flowing River Steps emphasized continuous movement.
Never wasting momentum.
Changing direction naturally.
Allowing one movement to become the foundation for the next.
The movements from the dream followed a similar principle.
But—
they went further.
Much further.
*If I combine what I learned from the dream with Flowing River Steps...*
Lían's eyes gradually brightened.
*I should be able to create something better.*
He lowered his gaze toward the manual.
*The technique gives me the foundation.*
*The dream gave me the actual combat experience.*
A faint smile appeared.
*If I put both together...*
He could already imagine the possibilities.
His movements would become smoother.
His changes in direction would become more natural.
And—
he wouldn't need to rely solely on raw speed.
He could make every step contribute to the next.
Lían continued reading.
Page after page.
He carefully memorized every circulation route.
Every stance.
Every movement.
Every method of transferring spiritual energy through his legs and waist.
He didn't simply read.
He practiced the movements mentally.
Again.
And again.
Until—
a considerable amount of time had passed.
Lían slowly closed the book.
He exhaled.
"...I've got the hang of it."
He looked at the manual.
*I still need actual practice.*
*But the basic principles are already clear.*
His gaze shifted toward the other three books resting on the table.
**[Cloud Step]**
**[Wind Chasing Steps]**
**[Shadow Drift]**
Lían reached toward Shadow Drift.
He picked it up.
His crimson eyes examined the cover.
"Hmm."
He flipped it open.
*I might as well read all of them.*
Even if he had already chosen Flowing River Steps—
there was no reason to ignore the other techniques.
Every technique had something worth learning.
Maybe—
there was a movement principle hidden inside one of them that could complement his own.
So—
Lían began reading.
---
Time slowly passed.
The room remained quiet.
Only the soft sound of pages turning could be heard.
Lían read **Cloud Step** once more.
Then—
**Wind Chasing Steps.**
Then—
**Shadow Drift.**
He didn't rush.
Every technique was carefully memorized.
Their strengths.
Their weaknesses.
Their circulation methods.
Their footwork.
Their methods of acceleration.
Their methods of changing direction.
Their methods of concealing movement.
Everything.
Eventually—
nearly an hour passed.
Lían finally closed the last book.
**Thud.**
He placed it beside the others.
For several moments—
he remained silent.
Then—
a faint smile appeared.
*That's everything.*
He looked at the four manuals.
*I remember all of them.*
There was no need to keep rereading the books.
The knowledge had already been firmly stored within his mind.
*The books are no longer useful to me.*
Lían leaned back slightly.
His gaze drifted toward the ceiling.
*I'll learn everything I can.*
His expression gradually became serious.
After everything Master had put him through—
he had no idea what would come next.
The dream.
The brutal training.
The battles.
The constant pressure.
There was no telling what Lizarius would make him face next.
Lían slowly clenched his fist.
*Whatever comes next...*
*I'll be ready.*
He lowered his gaze.
*If Master puts me into that dream again...*
A faint smile appeared.
*Then I'll have another chance to train.*
The thought alone made his blood stir.
The copy had pushed him harder than any ordinary battle could.
Every mistake had been punished.
Every weakness had been exposed.
And every time he had failed—
he had learned something.
Lían looked toward his hands.
*If I can keep improving like that...*
*Then eventually...*
His crimson eyes sharpened.
*I won't be the one being pushed around.*
He stood from the bed.
The movement was smooth.
His body shifted naturally with almost no wasted motion.
Lían noticed it immediately.
He paused.
Then—
he smiled.
*Already beginning to affect my movements.*
He glanced toward the window.
The sunlight was slowly beginning to fade.
Lían looked back at the manuals.
*I'll practice later.*
For now—
he had something else to do.
His stomach suddenly growled.
Lían froze.
"...I'm hungry."
Silence.
He rubbed his stomach.
"...I'll find Mother."
With that—
he walked toward the door.
Yet—
just before opening it—
he stopped.
His expression became thoughtful.
*And I still need to figure out what I'm going to do about that engagement.*
His face immediately turned red.
"...Forget it."
He opened the door.
And quickly left the room.