Chapter Sixty-Two: The Art of Earth Concealment

Beside each jade slip in the tray rested a small booklet, each one recording the contents of its corresponding slip. In the past, when He Song and Bin'er were not yet acquainted, Bin'er would only bring over the booklets. Only after He Song made his decision to purchase would Bin'er fetch the jade slip itself. Now, however, both slips and booklets were brought out at once—a clear sign of the trust Bin'er had come to place in He Song. If He Song were a demonic cultivator and decided to snatch the jade slip and flee, Bin'er would undoubtedly face the wrath of a Foundation Establishment master and could not escape punishment. He Song understood this perfectly and approved of Bin'er's faith in him.

He picked up a booklet at random and began to peruse its contents.

"The first art: Lightening Step—one of the basic spells, increases walking speed; essential for long journeys and escaping danger. Price: ten spirit stones.

"The second: Lianshan Lightening Step, a mid-grade spell, swifter than Lightening Step, also essential for travel and flight. Price: fifty spirit stones.

"The third: Earth Burrow, a high-grade spell. Once cast, allows the user to plunge underground and move rapidly through the earth. Caveat: highly susceptible to being countered by the Earthquake Art. Price: one hundred spirit stones.

"The fourth: Celestial Cicada Step, high-grade spell. Grants the ability to hover briefly in the sky and move at great speed through the air. Whether for travel or escape, it is among the finest arts for those in the Qi Refining stage. Price: one hundred spirit stones.

"The fifth..."

He Song picked up and set down each booklet in turn, repeating the process several times before finally finishing them all. He now had a clear understanding of these various escape techniques. Lightening Step he had already mastered: swift enough, though limited by its basic nature. As for Lianshan Lightening Step, the booklet explained it originated from the Sect of Deep Earth and was commonly used by their outer disciples in the mid-stage of Qi Refining. It was fast—though only a mid-grade spell, when pushed to its limits, its speed could rival that of late-stage Qi Refining practitioners using the basic Lightening Step. However, if a late-stage practitioner also learned Lianshan Lightening Step, the comparison was less clear. Due to its rank, it was still somewhat slower than the high-grade Celestial Cicada Step, but correspondingly much cheaper.

Then there was Earth Burrow, which allowed one to move at great speed underground. While its pace beneath the surface was admittedly a touch slower than Lianshan Lightening Step, it was not by much. Furthermore, cloaked within the earth and with the Breath Concealment Technique activated, one could slip away unnoticed, making it a silent and efficient escape method.

Finally, Celestial Cicada Step. Its origins were unknown—no mention in the booklet—but its ability to let the user briefly hover midair made it wildly popular in the Pavilion of Spiritual Techniques. Cultivators were, after all, only human, and those in the Qi Refining stage, unable to practice the flight arts of the Foundation Establishment realm, could not soar through the skies in a streak of light as their seniors did. Their yearning for the sky was only natural. If one could not become a beam of light, then the Celestial Cicada Step would do—soaring for even a moment was a wondrous experience. Moreover, being a high-grade spell, its speed was formidable and well-suited to late-stage Qi Refining cultivators for rapid travel or escape. This explained its enduring popularity.

After reading all the booklets, He Song gave the matter some thought and finally fixed his gaze on Earth Burrow. Safety, above all, was his primary concern. Whether it was Lightening Step, Lianshan Lightening Step, or Celestial Cicada Step, none of them, in his estimation, could match the security provided by Earth Burrow. To move underground at reasonable speed, shielded by layers of earth, was far safer. If he combined Earth Burrow with the Breath Concealment Technique, unless someone was paying close attention, who would know a cultivator was passing beneath their feet?

In the future, He Song would need to leave the Immortal Market repeatedly to open new spiritual fields elsewhere. There was no guarantee he would always go unnoticed on the road. Using Lightening Step above ground made him an easy target for pursuit. With Earth Burrow, he could slip underground from his own home, and none would be the wiser; none could say whither he had gone. Its subtlety made it his first choice.

Moreover, if his spiritual field was ever discovered, as long as there was time bought by the Five Elements Formation, he could use Earth Burrow to make a silent escape. Coupled with the Breath Concealment Technique, unless his enemies were specifically prepared for it, he would slip away with ease. Though he might lose a spiritual field, at least his life would be spared.

After pondering all this, He Song swept his sleeve across the table, and in an instant, a hundred spirit stones appeared before him.

"Fellow Daoist Bin'er, I shall take this Earth Burrow spell," he said, placing the spirit stones on the table and picking up the jade slip for Earth Burrow from the tray. Bin'er nodded slightly, collected the stones, and He Song pressed the slip to his forehead. At once, a torrent of information flooded into his mind. Fortunately, his soul was far stronger than most cultivators', allowing him to swiftly organize and imprint the knowledge into memory. Once home, he would begin to study Earth Burrow in earnest.

He set the jade slip back in the tray and turned to Bin'er once more.

"Fellow Daoist Bin'er, I also require the Art of Object Manipulation and a selection of other mid-grade spells. Would you be so kind as to fetch them for me?"

The Art of Object Manipulation, a mid-grade spell valued at fifty spirit stones, had been introduced to He Song by Bin'er on his last visit to the Pavilion. Back then, he could not afford it and had to content himself with two basic spells, leaving somewhat dejected. Three years had passed since, and now that he had some wealth, he wished to purchase it at last. He also wanted to browse other mid-grade spells, so he asked Bin'er to bring them all at once for him to choose from.

At this, Bin'er's gaze toward He Song changed once again—he had not been satisfied with just Earth Burrow and now wanted even more spells.

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist. I shall return shortly," Bin'er said, lifting the tray and turning to leave, though as she departed, a trace of suspicion lingered in her heart.