Chapter 17  

He hadn’t been able to appraise her! And he was glad he wasn’t discovered. He heaved a sigh of relief.

But he was curious. How was it that his Daily Appraisal had failed? It had never failed before. ‘Is it because her cultivation is too high? Or… something else?’ he wondered. ‘Maybe I can try again in the future.’

“It seems to me that you really want to hide your cultivation,” said Hong Yuye.

“I just don’t want to attract too much attention. The flower in the courtyard is not ordinary, and they can easily bring trouble.” Jiang Hao didn’t lie.

His cultivation had advanced too quickly, especially because of the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower. His advancement progressed at a drastic speed. If he didn’t conceal his cultivation, he would be a target for countless others.

If those were of the Golden Core Realm, he wouldn’t be able to fight them. He would be dead.

“Then this is for you.” Hong Yuye placed a book on the table. “If the flower is not well-nourished, you know the consequences?”

“Yes, Senior,” nodded Jiang Hao.

He glanced at the book on the table. There was no title on the cover. So, it might not be an ordinary cultivation manual.

Hong Yuye got up and walked out. When she reached the door of the house, she turned back to him. Her gaze was unwavering and severe. It made him tremble in fear. “Senior, are there any more orders for me?” he asked because he couldn’t take her gaze anymore. She looked so terrifying that he couldn’t even look at her directly.

This was how a powerful cultivator looked like. A single glance could invoke fear.

“About me…”

“I would never say anything about Senior, even if it means death,” said Jiang Hao immediately.

“You would do better to remember it,” said Hong Yuye and left. “I will come here often to check on the growth of the flower. If anything happens to it, you have to bear my wrath.”

Jiang Hao stood there, rooted to the spot. The woman had left. He did not move until he was sure she was truly gone. He then heaved a great sigh of relief. Her gaze had almost paralyzed him.

But his heart had pounded. It had become so restless. Now that she was gone, it was calm and still once again. The experience was not very pleasant, to say the least.

Jiang Hao looked at the book on the table and picked it up. He flipped through it. It was an introduction to spiritual energy, spirit, body and breathing. It was very detailed.

It was hand-written. The handwriting was very beautiful, too. Jiang Hao began to read every word carefully. The books laid out guidelines to regulate breathing, spiritual extension, and power control. If he practiced this every day, he could hide his cultivation perfectly!

He could even infer the realm of others from their breathing, their flow of lifeblood, their display of power, and their spiritual extension. Not only that, as long as he mastered these things, he could achieve twice the result with half the effort for cultivation.

‘This book can be considered a top-tier cultivation technique. It’s a treasure. It seems that this woman is determined to get the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower.’ The Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower was given to him by Elder Baizhi. He had wanted to meet her again and request her to take it back. But now he wasn’t so sure.

The woman who wanted the flower was too powerful and he didn’t dare refuse her. He only hoped that the Heavenly Fragrance Dao Flower matured a little later so she could figure out another way. He hoped that Elder Baizhi didn’t want it back. The traitors hadn’t made a move yet so he couldn’t be sure what Elder Baizhi wanted.

He picked up the Formation Map and looked at it. This was much easier. It would cost him 100 spirit stones or so. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about spirit stones any longer. He had enough. There was another month left. He could earn a little more.

It was already close to noon. Jiang Hao hurried to the Spirit Herb Garden. It was the same. He saw some people there, but they all avoided him after word had gotten out that he had offended the Heavenly Joy Pavilion.

They were afraid that if they befriended him, then the people of the Heavenly Joy Pavilion would hold them guilt by association. It made Jiang Hao realize that the Cliff of Broken Hearts didn’t have as much prestige and privilege as the Heavenly Joy Pavilion.

If anyone approached him at this time, they would either be a spy or a traitor who had nothing to fear. ‘The big fish has taken the bait. I hope Elder Baizhi doesn’t take too much time to respond…’

It was impossible to understand who was stronger. He thought that the woman in red was definitely stronger than everyone, even Elder Baizhi. But he didn’t yet know how strong Elder Baizhi was. All he knew with any certainty was that both were stronger than him and he absolutely could not afford to provoke either of them.

Jiang Hao brushed off these thoughts for now and focused on tending to the Spirit Herb Garden. All the bubbles merged into his body.

[ spirit + 1]

[ strength + 1]

[ endurance + 1]

[ dagger + 1]

He didn’t receive cultivation and lifeblood. But he didn’t care. After reading that book, he realized that he was more sensitive to strength and spirit. And he could already feel the improvement in his body. The next few days, he did not rush to sell his talismans. Instead, he read the book diligently.

He had to first understand this book thoroughly before he could travel. Otherwise, if he met an expert who understood comprehensive examination, his cultivation level would be exposed. He activated the Clear and Pure Heart ability which drastically helped him understand and absorb the knowledge in the book.