The Junior Commander’s name was Wang Heng. He was born with naturally strong Spiritual Power.
In his youth, encounters with Ghost Spirits and Anomalies had further honed this power, making it as sharp as a razor’s edge.
He was one of the Third Prince’s men. Having pledged his allegiance years ago, he secretly monitored Xia Wuyang on the Third Prince’s behalf. He was to report any abnormalities to the Third Prince at the first opportunity.
Just moments ago, as Xia Wuyang was handing out red envelopes to the Palace Maids, Wang Heng had peered through a crack in the hall doors and caught the faint glint of what seemed to be blood-red light flashing in Xia Wuyang’s eyes.
Normally, only those who had condensed Qi and Blood Power would exhibit such a crimson glow. But the elder Crown Prince had been deposed many years ago. Now, old and decrepit, how could he possibly have any Qi and Blood Power left?
’Then what is going on?’
Wang Heng watched closely but found Xia Wuyang’s body to be perfectly normal, with no signs of Qi and Blood fluctuations. He began to think he’d just seen things, or perhaps his senses had tricked him into imagining the crimson light.
But Wang Heng didn’t give up. He continued to watch. ’What if it was real?’ If he reported this to the Third Prince, it would certainly be taken seriously, and he would earn a handsome reward.
If the elder Crown Prince had truly repaired his damaged body in secret and re-condensed his Qi and Blood, his discovery would be a monumental achievement.
However, he watched until the elder Crown Prince had finished handing out all the red envelopes and still detected no other abnormalities. This made Wang Heng doubt his initial observation even more.
’Did I really just imagine it?’
What Wang Heng didn’t know was that he hadn’t imagined it. While handing out the red envelopes, Xia Wuyang had been activating his Soul Capturing Technique. By observing the surface-level thoughts of the Palace Maids, he was gaining new insights.
The Soul Capturing Technique had been further refined, its power increasing considerably. This had caused him to unintentionally leak a sliver of his aura, but it was merely a minuscule, almost imperceptible flaw that showed in his eyes.
Unexpectedly, Wang Heng had happened to notice this very flaw. Thankfully, Xia Wuyang had concealed it instantly. No matter how intently Wang Heng watched afterward, he found nothing else unusual, which was why he was now beginning to have doubts.
However, Wang Heng was a stubborn man. Now that his suspicions were aroused, he had no intention of giving up so easily. He decided he would observe more frequently in the future and see if he could find any other traces of Qi and Blood.
After all, the stakes were too high. Confirming his suspicion would undoubtedly lead to astonishing rewards.
Xia Wuyang, having just finished handing out the red envelopes, was unaware of Wang Heng’s scrutiny. The distance between them was too great, exceeding the range of his Mental Force Field, and his Soul Capturing Technique could not reach that far either.
However, he was extremely cautious in his actions. Barring any special circumstances, he wouldn’t reveal the slightest opening. It would not be easy for Wang Heng to confirm anything.
He kept a few of the tearfully grateful Palace Maids to continue waiting on him in his life of revelry. The doors to Wenhua Hall closed once more, robbing Wang Heng of any further chance to observe.
With a woman on each arm, his Qi and Blood Power continued to circulate rapidly through his body, constantly refining and solidifying his Cultivation Foundation in preparation for his next dose of the Five Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine.
Having refined and enhanced his Soul Capturing Technique, he focused on stabilizing the improvements, bringing him ever closer to a breakthrough to the next level.
He had now cultivated the Soul Capturing Technique, a Top Level Secret Technique, to the Perfection Level. A breakthrough would take it to a realm beyond the Top Level, and he could only imagine what that would entail.
Full of anticipation, Xia Wuyang lost himself in the sweet, gentle whispers around him. Time flowed by, day after day, until his Spiritual Power ticked up by another point. At that moment, his Spiritual Power officially reached a new threshold.
points!
A three-digit Spiritual Power value—one hundred times that of an ordinary person. Compared to the previous thresholds, this one had been clearly more difficult to cross.
As his Spiritual Power hit one hundred points, Xia Wuyang clearly felt it shatter an incredibly sturdy barrier, ascending to a new level as a myriad of stars exploded in his mind.
His memory, understanding, Comprehension, focus, thought speed, creativity, Metacognition... all began to improve at an incredible rate. The magnitude of this leap far surpassed any of his previous breakthroughs.
A flood of insights washed over him, sweeping through his Cultivation Techniques, Combat Techniques, and Secret Techniques. His Dragon Tiger Fist, Soul Capturing Technique, Dragon and Wind Body Technique, Dragon Storage Skill, Nether Acupuncture Needle, and Blood Shadow Palm Technique all progressed by leaps and bounds. Even those already at the Perfection Level were pushed a step further, their power increasing explosively.
As for his Blood Shadow Palm Technique, which had not yet reached Perfection, it swiftly did so and then began to break through to an even higher level.
In just a few dozen breaths, it broke past the realm of High Level Combat Techniques to reach the tier of a Top Level Combat Technique. It was now vastly improved, and its power had increased immensely.
He was now essentially the creator of this brand-new Blood Shadow Palm Technique. He could unleash one hundred and twenty percent of its power, surpassing the scope of a typical Top Level Combat Technique.
Furthermore, this newly evolved Blood Shadow Palm Technique was immediately at the Perfection Level. After all, since Xia Wuyang himself had created and transformed it, it was only natural for it to start in a state of perfection.
From this point on, every Cultivation Technique, Combat Technique, and Secret Technique that Xia Wuyang had mastered was at the Top Level and had reached the Perfection Level. He had improved, or even completely transformed them, making them perfectly tailor-made for his body.
With these top-tier techniques, Xia Wuyang was confident he could fight opponents above his realm and hold his own against Martial Artists of the Upper Three Grades.
If he could later acquire a set of Top Level equipment, he might even be able to emerge victorious. This was an immense improvement.
At the same time, a peculiar power welled up within him, causing his entire body to thrum faintly.
A smile spread across Xia Wuyang’s face at the familiar sensation. As he’d expected, he was about to awaken a new Companion Talent—his fifth, after Unforgettable Memory, Mental Force Field, Language of the Heart, and Danger Warning.
Personal Space!
This was his fifth Companion Talent. His formidable Spiritual Power had unintentionally pried open a special dimension belonging solely to him, which now became one of his Companion Talents.
It started at one hundred cubic meters, with each point of Spiritual Power corresponding to one cubic meter. This was enough to store a vast amount of items. He would no longer have to hide his precious belongings outside; he could simply place them inside his Personal Space.
"Perfect!"
This was the exact Companion Talent Xia Wuyang had been dreaming of. In his current situation, an ability to store and hide things was what he needed most.
After all, he had acquired quite a few valuable items from his younger siblings recently, and they were all still hidden outside. Xia Wuyang constantly worried they would be discovered, which would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Now, with the Personal Space Companion Talent, that worry was gone. ’The one-hundred-point threshold is no joke,’ he thought. ’The Companion Talent it awakens is incredible and perfectly suited to my current situation.’
The range of his Spiritual Power also expanded, and a moment later, he made a new discovery.