Chapter 21: If It Cannot Be Avoided, Then Do Not Avoid It
Two days passed.
Chen Lingxi stood at the entrance to the Martial Arts Hall in the West Courtyard. Morning light slid down the eastern roof ridge and fell across the bluestone steps, casting a thin, warm wash of yellow.
He did not hurry inside. Instead, he waited at the foot of the steps for the gatekeeper to announce him.
Two days was neither long nor short.
His Concealed Edge Method was already practiced to proficiency; the strand of cyan qi in his dantian was wrapped in an exceptionally thin barrier, leaking not the slightest trace of its presence.
His Cyan Edge Method had also progressed. Unleashing it now consumed about ten percent less spiritual qi than when he first learned it, and the cyan gleam at his fingertips had grown visibly denser.
The only trouble was how slowly his spiritual qi recovered. A full night of breathing exercises restored barely half of it.
Before long, a white-haired old man came out of the Martial Arts Hall.
The old man had a hunched back and a stern face.