After a long silence, Lian Xing and Shu Yu were fast asleep.
Only then did Xia Wuyang slip quietly into his study. By the flickering candlelight on his desk, he began leafing through an old tome.
The Dragon Storage Skill!
As the old saying goes, a dragon can be both great and small. Great, it summons clouds and breathes mist; small, it conceals its form and hides from sight.
The Dragon Storage Skill was based on this very principle. It could conceal one’s Qi Blood, alter muscles and bones, change one’s appearance, and even hide one’s spirit and suppress one’s breath, making the user seem like an ordinary person.
It was considered a Top Level Secret Technique in all of the Great Xia Dynasty. Even the Major Sects with their thousand-year legacies might not possess such a treasured technique.
If Xia Wuyang hadn’t been the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, he would never have had access to such a manual in his study.
There were many similar manuals: Top Level Secret Techniques, Top Level Techniques, Top Level Combat Techniques... He had just about everything, all of which he had gathered back when he wielded great power.
Though he was later crippled, he was still the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. No one had bothered to take these things away, assuming he would never be able to cultivate again. And so, they remained.
Now that he had been given a new lease on life, these manuals would be of immense help.
Since he intended to hide his recovery, the first thing he had to master was the Dragon Storage Skill. He had to avoid anyone discovering that something was amiss.
Who knew how many spies and secret agents now lurked within the Eastern Palace. The slightest misstep could expose him and lead to his death.
The women who shared his bed, the Palace Attendants waiting in the halls, even the eunuchs and Palace Maids who served his meals—any one of them could be an informant for some other power.
As the candlelight flickered, Xia Wuyang turned the pages.
With a memory, intellect, and Comprehension three times that of a normal person, understanding the technique was as natural to him as swimming is to a fish. He had also read it before, so he quickly grasped its intricacies and was ready to begin cultivating.
He glanced over at the still-sleeping Lian Xing and Shu Yu. Once he confirmed the door was shut tight, Xia Wuyang began to practice the Dragon Storage Skill.
"Turtle Breathing, Muscle Concealment, Shadow Transformation..."
Following the manual’s instructions, he slowly began to adjust the frequency of his breathing. His heartbeat gradually slowed to only once every half-quarter hour. More astonishingly, the surface temperature of his skin began to match his surroundings, and even the flow of his blood became nearly imperceptible.
His body gradually resumed its aged appearance, looking no different than before. Earlier, when he was in bed with Lian Xing and Shu Yu, he had deliberately covered their eyes so they wouldn’t notice anything unusual.
Besides, the improvement from his small amount of Spiritual Power was so limited it wouldn’t have aroused suspicion anyway.
He quickly mastered the rudiments of the Dragon Storage Skill, and his physical senses sharpened. He could faintly hear hushed whispers coming from outside.
"Tsk, tsk. It’s unbelievable. To think the dignified Crown Prince would be treated with such contempt by the insignificant Xinghe Sect."
"I’ve been in the palace for thirty years, and I’ve never seen such a shameless Prince, let alone the Crown Prince himself."
"If it were me, I’d have hanged myself with a silk sash long ago. Better than living on in shame."
"Shh, quiet. Just keep a close eye on the Crown Prince. Don’t let him cause any trouble before he kicks the bucket."
...
Xia Wuyang sneered. ’More and more spies and informants,’ he thought. ’The Eastern Palace is as porous as a sieve. I’ll have to be even more careful from now on.’
’For now, I must continue to feast, drink, and carouse every night, just as before. I’ll throw a tantrum now and then. I can’t let anyone see that anything’s changed, or the consequences will be dire.’
"Your Highness, are you awake? Do you require my service?"
It was Lian Xing’s voice from outside. Xia Wuyang straightened his robes and walked out. "Service? I’m hungry. Go prepare a meal."
By the time he pushed open the door, the vacant, dissipated look had returned to his face.
Seeing nothing unusual about Xia Wuyang, Lian Xing and Shu Yu went to prepare his meal. Soon, all sorts of delicacies were carried into Wenhua Hall, including many nourishing dishes.
Although he had fallen from grace, he was still a Crown Prince, and received the treatment befitting his station. The Great Xia Dynasty was vast—a full thirty million square kilometers, spanning dozens of commanderies—and could easily afford such minor expenses.
North Sea Blood Ginseng, Nanli Fire Dates, West Mountain Dragon Sparrow Tendon... all were treasures that greatly nourished one’s Qi Blood. He had access to everything imaginable, and they all tasted quite good. This would lay the foundation for Xia Wuyang’s future cultivation.
Martial Artists undergoing Body Refining needed these nutrient-rich foods to replenish their bodies, so naturally, Xia Wuyang ate his fill.
After he had eaten and drunk his fill, Xia Wuyang did not rest. Instead, he summoned two new Palace Maids, Qiao Hui and Zhi Hua, to attend to him in his Sleeping Palace, continuing his usual routine of feasting, drinking, and reveling through the night.
It was because of this debauchery, combined with the well-known fact that his body had long been ruined, that no one paid any mind to the large quantities of nourishing food he consumed each day.
The days passed in this dull and tedious manner. Just as he was about to have bedded every last Palace Maid in Wenhua Hall, his Spiritual Power reached ten points.
HUMMM...
A humming sound resonated from within his body. His once-shattered physique was finally whole again, and he could resume his cultivation.
It required an astonishing physique to contain ten points of Spiritual Power. The process had not only restored his body, but also made his physical constitution far stronger than an ordinary person’s.
A new talent faintly awakened within his mind, and his thoughts became exceptionally clear.
Unforgettable Memory!
By raising his Spiritual Power to ten points, he had awakened his first Companion Talent. From now on, anything he saw would be instantly committed to memory, never to be forgotten.
His powerful Spiritual Power caused his memory, intellect, and Comprehension to skyrocket. When he studied, it was as if he had divine assistance; he could easily fathom concepts that had once been opaque and could even make subtle improvements upon them.
He had already cultivated the Dragon Storage Skill to the Minor Achievement Realm long ago. Now, spurred by his spiritual breakthrough, flashes of insight came to him one after another. His mastery of the Dragon Storage Skill progressed by leaps and bounds, and he soon broke through to a new level.
The Great Success Realm!
In just a few short days, he had cultivated this Top Level Secret Technique to the Great Success Realm. It was a testament to his current level of Comprehension. He could now completely conceal his physical condition; even a High Grade Martial Artist would struggle to probe his true state.
Xia Wuyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. ’Now, I can begin my formal cultivation,’ he thought. It had been forty-two years since he was crippled, forty-two years since he’d last felt the surge of Qi Blood. Now, at last, he could experience that sensation once more.
"Summon Han Su and Xuang Yi to attend me in my chambers!"
To keep up appearances, Xia Wuyang once again summoned Palace Maids to Wenhua Hall to attend to him, ensuring those outside still believed he was carousing night after night.
To prevent the Palace Maids from noticing anything unusual, Xia Wuyang discreetly lit some sleep-inducing incense. It would help them sleep more soundly and was harmless to their bodies.
Once all his preparations were complete, and after he had tired out Han Su and Xuang Yi until they fell asleep, Xia Wuyang finally entered the Practice Room in Wenhua Hall. He was about to begin his first true cultivation session in forty-two years.
Dragon Tiger Fist!
A top Level body refining technique that could lead one directly to the Super Grade Realm—one of the most renowned Martial Arts Treasure Manuals in the Great Xia Dynasty.