Jiang Yi spent the following day in a fever of anxiety. Every shadow seemed to be an Elder, and every breeze carried the hint of judgment. He had to hide the fact that he was rapidly accumulating power far beyond his rank.
The problem wasn't his current Second Stage cultivation base; it was the purity of the azure Qi. It was a beacon, shining unnaturally bright in the spiritual world of the Azure Cloud Sect.
He realized he needed a secondary technique—an anchoring or concealment skill—to shield his dantian.
That evening, he returned to Old Lin at the Black Market. Old Lin was counting a small pile of rusted bronze rings.
"You look less like a ghost and more like a scarecrow, Jiang Yi," Old Lin observed, his eyes sharp. "You're recovering too quickly for a starving boy."
"I was lucky," Jiang Yi replied, placing the useless, shattered Shadow Rat core on the table. "I found this in the woods. Is it worth anything?"
Old Lin scoffed, pushing it back. "A rat core? Worth three copper coins and a headache. Now go, I'm busy."
"Not for trade," Jiang Yi said, lowering his voice. "I want information. Do you know of any low-grade concealment methods? A way to shield a cultivator's aura? Something simple that wouldn't require a high cultivation base to learn."
Old Lin paused, his fingers tracing the edge of a bronze ring. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Concealment? Those skills are for assassins and spies. Why does a cleaner need to hide his strength?"
"Because," Jiang Yi whispered, leaning closer, "I stole this." He carefully, briefly, revealed the jade scroll from his belt pouch.
Old Lin gasped, leaning back. The jade scroll, radiating its faint green light, was unmistakable. "The… the Qi Blueprint! You stole it from Elder Fang's wing! You foolish, brave lunatic!"
"I learned it," Jiang Yi said simply, rolling the scroll back up. "I don't need the jade anymore, but I need a way to stop high-level cultivators from seeing the taste of the Qi I generate. I need a shadow to cover my light. Trade me the knowledge for the scroll. If you get caught with it, you'll be executed, but the rewards..."
Old Lin stared at the scroll, his breathing shallow. He was an old man, trapped in servitude. This was his chance at true, independent wealth.
"A simple skill, then," Old Lin finally rasped, fear warring with greed. "There is one. It is a servant's trick. They call it the Dust Cloak Method."
He leaned in close, his breath smelling of bitter herbs. "It's a forgotten art that doesn't hide the Qi itself, but anchors the Qi to the impurities of the mortal body. It draws the essence of dirt, fatigue, and weakness to coat the spiritual core. It only works on those below the Foundation Establishment realm. Above that, the Qi is too pure for it to stick."
"The concept," Jiang Yi urged. "I only need the concept."
Old Lin quickly relayed the foundational principles: how to use a sliver of Qi to wrap the dantian, mimicking the natural spiritual static of exhaustion and illness. He spoke quickly, terrified of holding the jade scroll for too long.
Jiang Yi's azure sphere worked its magic instantly. The complex concept of blending spirit energy with the 'dirty' static of the world immediately simplified in his mind.
"Thank you, Lin-ge," Jiang Yi said, his voice grave. He pushed the jade scroll toward the trembling servant. "May this buy you freedom."
He didn't wait for a reply, using the Spider Step to vanish into the deeper shadows of the gully.
He found a secluded cave nearby, sat down, and immediately began practicing the Dust Cloak Method.
It was counter-intuitive. He had spent days purging the filth from his body; now, he had to embrace the spiritual residue of filth.
He circulated a thread of azure Qi—so pure, so vibrant—and intentionally looped it around the remnants of his old self: the lingering fatigue in his muscles, the dull ache of past hunger, and the psychic imprint of five years of sweeping.
The azure Qi, instead of rejecting the static, accepted it.
The sphere's influence was crucial. It seemed to have the power to perfectly control and categorize energy. It allowed the azure core to remain pure and functional, while simultaneously weaving a perfect, undetectable veil of spiritual exhaustion around it.
In his mind's eye, the brilliant blue core of his dantian was now shrouded in a layer of grey, trembling haze.
He tested it. He gently pushed a wave of his true, refined Second Stage strength outward, and then instantly pulled the Dust Cloak over it.
The sensation was astonishing. A moment ago, he had felt strong, vital, and powerful. Now, he felt hollow, weak, and tired—the exact feeling of a failing servant.
He opened his eyes and walked back onto the path. He deliberately scuffed his feet, allowing a clumsy, mortal gait to replace the graceful Spider Step.
Just as he reached the main road, a figure dropped from the trees above, landing lightly in front of him.
It was Luo Feng, blocking his path, his eyes glittering with cold suspicion. He hadn't been patrolling; he had been waiting. Chen Tao must have told him about the suspicion surrounding the North Tower breach.
"Jiang Yi," Luo Feng said slowly, radiating the arrogant power of a Third Stage Body Tempering cultivator. "You are out late. And you are trespassing on a cultivation trail."
Jiang Yi forced his shoulders to slump and let his breathing become erratic. He bowed low, his whole posture screaming 'servant.'
"Senior Brother Luo," he apologized weakly. "I was looking for medicinal herbs near the gully. I have a bad fever."
Luo Feng stared at him, extending his hand. He wasn't going to hit him; he was going to perform a subtle Qi scan—a low-level Elder-inspired technique to check the purity of a disciple's core.
Luo Feng's Qi brushed against Jiang Yi. It met the gray, trembling haze of the Dust Cloak. The cloak did its job perfectly, returning the precise signal of extreme exhaustion, weak meridians, and a body barely holding itself together.
Luo Feng pulled his hand back, disgust replacing suspicion. "You are useless, just as always. Your body is a wreck, Jiang Yi. Stay out of the woods, or a Spirit Beast will eat your meager bones."
He walked away, leaving Jiang Yi shaking by the side of the road, the terror of discovery replaced by the thrilling satisfaction of pure deceit.
He had the power of a prodigy, and the spiritual signature of a waste. He was now perfectly hidden.