Chapter 542 - 538: Ghost Shadow Entry Level
Yan Wuji tapped his fingers twice on the stone armrest, producing a dull THUMP-THUMP.
"The Iron Fist Sect."
He spoke the name with a flatness in his tone, as if referring to a minor power he could crush at will.
But the Iron Fist Sect was no minor power. Before the Grandmaster’s banquet, it had been a major force capable of standing on equal footing with the Tiejiang Gang.
Qi Zhen was momentarily taken aback before nodding.
"The Iron Fist Sect is adjacent to my Tiejiang Gang. They are indeed the most suitable target."
Yan Wuji gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
Qi Zhen bowed deeply, then turned and left the secret chamber.
The heavy stone door slowly closed behind him, sealing the candlelight and the aged figure within the secret chamber.
---
A little over a day later, the imposing mountain gate of the Qingxuan Sect appeared on the horizon, shrouded in twilight.
The White Tiger slowed its pace and proceeded up the greenstone steps.
Seeing the behemoth from a distance, the disciples guarding the mountain gate hastily stepped aside to clear the path and bowed respectfully.
The White Tiger passed through the mountain gate, continuing along the path toward the mountainside.
The White Tiger stopped upon reaching the fork in the road leading to the True Inheritance Courtyard.
Fang Han and the other two leaped from the tiger’s back, cupping their fists in a salute to Chen Tianyuan.
"Sect Leader, we will take our leave."
Chen Tianyuan gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.
The White Tiger continued toward the summit, quickly disappearing into the twilight.
The three of them walked along the greenstone path toward the True Inheritance Courtyard.
As twilight deepened, the ancient trees flanking the mountain path rustled in the evening breeze. A few scattered leaves occasionally spiraled down, tracing faint arcs through the air.
Yun Muyao stopped at a fork in the road, gave the other two a slight nod, and turned toward her own residence.
Luo Yuntian walked alongside Fang Han for a while longer before also stopping at a fork.
"Senior Brother Fang, goodbye."
he said, cupping his fists.
"Goodbye."
Fang Han returned the gesture.
They parted ways, each heading to their own residence.
The gate to Courtyard 35 was ajar.
Fang Han pushed the gate open and entered. Inside, the bamboo grove rustled in the night wind.
Hearing the gate, Qiu Lan came out from under the covered walkway to greet him.
"Senior Brother, you’ve returned. Have you eaten dinner?"
"I’ve already eaten."
Fang Han gave a slight nod, crossed the courtyard, and walked directly to the Quiet Chamber.
He pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber. Wisps of blue smoke curled up from the Sandalwood Incense Burner, filling the room with a faint fragrance.
He didn’t light a lamp, but simply walked to the meditation cushion and sat cross-legged.
"The Tiejiang Gang..."
Fang Han muttered the three words, his brow furrowed slightly.
’Yan Wuji.’
’The Supreme Elder of the Tiejiang Gang, a Grandmaster Powerhouse.’
’His appearance was too sudden. The reason seemed plausible, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.’
’He sensed a looming crisis.’
’But it was just a gut feeling, an indescribable, instinctual sense of danger, with no proof whatsoever.’
’Even if there really is something wrong with him, there’s nothing I can do about it now.’
Fang Han shook his head.
’A Grandmaster.’
’That’s a level completely different from First Grade—a qualitative transformation that occurs only after one has fully opened the Three Gates of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.’
’Even if his current combat strength placed him in the upper echelons of First Grade Martial Artists, and even with the Wind Shocking Sword in hand, he was still no more than an ant before a Grandmaster.’
’Worrying about it is pointless.’
Fang Han suppressed his frustration, took a Jade Bottle from his robes, and tipped an elixir into his mouth.
It wasn’t a Celestial Essence Pill. He had already used up all the ones he had obtained from the Ancient Ruins shortly after breaking through to Second Grade.
This was his special resource reward for the month: an Earth Spirit Pill.
Though its Medicinal Power wasn’t as potent as a Celestial Essence Pill’s, it was still far superior to ordinary elixirs.
The elixir dissolved in his stomach, transforming into a gentle wave of Medicinal Power that spread through his body.
Fang Han closed his eyes. The Cyan Profound Technique began to circulate slowly as cyan-gold Inner Qi coursed through his meridians, absorbing and refining the Medicinal Power.
More than two hours later, he slowly ceased his cultivation and opened his eyes.
His mind was now calm.
He took a booklet with a dark brown beast-hide cover from his robes—*Ghost Shadow*.
He had practiced this Grandmaster Level Breath Concealment Secret Technique every day without fail since he had obtained it.
He opened the booklet, his gaze falling upon the few lines of neat, small script on the title page.
"A Grandmaster Level Breath Concealment Secret Technique. When cultivated to the Realm of Perfection, one’s aura becomes completely undetectable, making it difficult for even a Great Grandmaster to notice..."
Fang Han closed the booklet and put it away.
He closed his eyes, and the Technique for *Ghost Shadow* slowly flowed through his mind.
The ancient, profound incantations, the crucial junctures for Inner Qi circulation, and the method of merging the Shadow Realm with the Breath Concealment Technique all manifested in his mind’s eye.
The Inner Qi in his body began to circulate along the pathways prescribed by *Ghost Shadow*.
Unlike the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill, which was a Magic Gate centered on "retraction," the Magic Gate of *Ghost Shadow* was far more subtle. It required the cultivator to comprehend the Shadow Realm and use its breath-concealing effects to completely retract one’s Inner Qi, blood and qi, and life force.
As he operated the Technique, the aura around him began to transform.
The vigorous life force and fluctuations of Inner Qi, characteristic of an Early Stage of Second Grade Martial Artist, began to retract and fall silent, as if slowly being shrouded by an invisible, dark veil.
Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, casting his shadow upon the green brick floor.
The shadow was faint, so faint its outline was nearly invisible.
Fang Han opened his eyes and looked down at his own hands.
His aura had now been suppressed to an extremely faint level.
If the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill at the Realm of Perfection could make his aura as faint as dead wood or a weathered stone, then *Ghost Shadow*, even now, made his presence as faint as a shadow.
’If the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill is about retracting, then *Ghost Shadow* is about merging into the silent, formless shadows.’
Fang Han muttered to himself.
The Breath Concealment Effect of *Ghost Shadow* now already surpassed that of the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill at the Realm of Perfection.
And this was just from beginning to practice *Ghost Shadow*; he hadn’t even reached the Entry Level yet.
Once he reached the Entry Level and comprehended the Shadow Realm, the Breath Concealment Effect would undoubtedly skyrocket.
’A few more days at most.’
Fang Han took a deep breath, suppressing his anticipation.
With his Secret Technique Talent improved by the Secret Technique Fruit, combined with a 128-fold Secret Technique Talent Amplification, he had a premonition—reaching the Entry Level for *Ghost Shadow* was not far off.
...
「A few days later, at dusk.」
The setting sun bathed the bamboo grove of Courtyard 35 in a warm, golden light.
Fang Han sat cross-legged in the Quiet Chamber, his eyes closed in concentration.
For the past several days, he had devoted most of his time to cultivating *Ghost Shadow*.
Every morning, he cultivated his Inner Qi; in the late morning, he practiced his Swordsmanship; in the afternoon, he worked on his Horizontal Training; and every evening, without fail, he focused on comprehending this Grandmaster Level Breath Concealment Secret Technique.
The Technique for *Ghost Shadow* flowed through his mind. The ancient, profound incantations, the crucial junctures for Inner Qi circulation, and the method of merging the Shadow Realm with the Breath Concealment Technique—he now knew them all by heart.
He closed his eyes, and his Inner Qi slowly began to circulate, advancing along the pathways of *Ghost Shadow*.
As his Inner Qi circulated, he felt an indescribable sense of stagnation.
He had a feeling that if he could resolve this stagnation, he would be able to break through to the Entry Level of *Ghost Shadow*.
An unknown amount of time passed—
HUMMM...
A soft hum, perceptible only to him, resonated from deep within his body.
The sound was so soft it was almost imperceptible, yet it felt as though it had opened an invisible door.
In the next instant, an unprecedented wave of enlightenment washed over him as he grasped a completely new realm.
It wasn’t the light and agile feeling of the Wind Realm, but something darker, more restrained, and more profound.
The Shadow Realm.
Utterly different from the Wind Sword Intent, this new comprehension possessed no sharpness, no domineering power that could tear all things asunder. There was only a silence so deep it was absolute.
It was like the fall of night in late autumn, when all of creation is cloaked in deep shadow.
Light was devoured, sound was smothered, and all sense of presence was erased.
At that moment, the aura around Fang Han’s body vanished completely.
It wasn’t retracted or suppressed, but truly and utterly gone.
He was clearly sitting in the Quiet Chamber, yet it was as if he had become one with the shadow behind him.
Without seeing him with their own eyes, no one relying on perception alone would ever detect the presence of a living Martial Artist with a Second Grade Cultivation.
’*Ghost Shadow*, Entry Level.’
Fang Han slowly opened his eyes. A flicker of dark light glinted in their depths for an instant before vanishing.
The feeling of stagnation was gone. He looked down at his hands.
The blood and qi beneath his skin still surged, and his Inner Qi still flowed through his meridians, but his "sense of presence" had vanished completely.
It was as if he had truly become a shadow, devoid of any aura.
He stood up and pushed open the door to the Quiet Chamber.
In the courtyard, Qiu Lan and two other maids were tidying up something under the covered walkway.
Hearing the door open, she looked over, only to be slightly taken aback.
She could see Fang Han, but in her perception, there was nothing.
The sensation was extremely strange, like seeing someone in a dream—you could see them clearly, but you couldn’t feel their presence.
"Senior Brother?"
she couldn’t help but call out, her voice laced with uncertainty.
Fang Han gave a slight nod and walked into the courtyard.
Moonlight spilled down, casting his shadow on the greenstone ground. It was extremely faint, its outline barely visible.
’My Breath Concealment Ability far surpasses that of the Returning Ruins Hidden Essence Skill at Perfection.’
Fang Han stood in the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, carefully savoring the Transformations that came with reaching the Entry Level of *Ghost Shadow*.
With his current Breath Concealment Ability, even a First Grade Martial Artist specializing in Tracking Techniques would likely have great difficulty detecting his presence.
’As for a Grandmaster—’
’That’s another level entirely.’
’A Grandmaster’s Spiritual Perception is far beyond that of a First Grade Martial Artist. *Ghost Shadow* at just the Entry Level is probably not enough to fool one.’
’Unless I cultivate *Ghost Shadow* to the level of Mastery.’
Fang Han muttered to himself.
Once he cultivated *Ghost Shadow* to Mastery, then he might truly become undetectable even to a Grandmaster.
He turned and walked back toward the Quiet Chamber.
The moonlight cast his incredibly faint shadow on the green brick ground, making it seem almost illusory.
The bamboo grove rustled in the evening breeze. A few bamboo leaves spiraled down, tracing light arcs behind him before being swallowed by the night.
...
A dim oil lamp cast wavering shadows on the stone walls, bathing the entire underground prison cell in a murky, yellow light.
The air was damp and cold, thick with the smell of rust, mildew, and an indescribable stench of decay.
The four walls were made of coarse greenstone. Tiny beads of water seeped from the cracks, sliding slowly down the stone and creating faint ripples as they dripped into the puddles on the floor.
Four Elders from the Iron Fist Sect were bound by heavy metal chains, spread-eagled and fixed to specially made iron racks.
The other end of the chains was embedded deep within the stone walls. Each link was as thick as a thumb and bore a cold, dark sheen.
Their robes were torn in numerous places, revealing shocking wounds beneath. Some had already scabbed over, while others still oozed blood, staining their prison garments a dark crimson.
Fear and rage were intertwined on their faces. Their lips were chapped and peeling from dehydration, and their eyes were sunken deep in their sockets.