154: Chapter 154 Contact, Addition

Inside the cell.

Darkness was the eternal theme here.

Shen Jixuan sat cross-legged on the cold ground, his expression peaceful.

The Evil Qi here was all-pervading, like blunt knives cutting away at his Physical Body and Divine Soul day and night.

Anyone else would have died ten thousand times over.

But he was still alive.

Before long,

he heard footsteps.

They were very light, and very steady.

Shen Jixuan turned his head and looked through the iron bars of the cell door at the young Jailer standing outside.

Chen Ran.

He recognized this Jailer.

Or rather, he had seen him many times.

In the past, whenever Chen Ran came to deliver food, he would keep his head lowered and walk in a hurry, leaving immediately after delivering it without staying for even a moment.

But today, something seemed different.

A barely perceptible glint flashed across Shen Jixuan's pitch-black eyes.

He noticed that the young man before him seemed to have changed slightly.

Although he wore the same Prison Officer uniform and his face remained unchanged, his entire temperament was completely different.

His posture was relaxed, and his breathing was long and deep.

Most importantly, those eyes.

They were calm and deep, devoid of the previous awe and fear.

Instead, they exuded an air of calm confidence.

"Interesting..."

Shen Jixuan muttered to himself.

How could a mere low-level Jailer develop such an aura in a ghostly place like the Imperial Prison?

Did he have some fortuitous encounter, or was he hiding his strength?

However, Shen Jixuan did not dwell on it.

He had seen as many Geniuses and Prodigies as there were hairs on a cow.

In this Imperial Prison, secrets were the last thing in short supply.

His expression shifted slightly as he spoke indifferently,

"What is it? Today you suddenly have the mind to speak with this old man?"

Chen Ran stood outside the door, his expression normal.

He placed the food box in his hand on the ground, opened the lid, and took out a bowl of brown rice and a dish of pickles whose color was indistinguishable.

He slid them in through the gap at the bottom of the cell door.

"It's nothing."

Chen Ran's tone was flat, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"I am just a bit curious about you, Senior."

He did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.

In this Imperial Prison, dealing with these old monsters, the more one tried to conceal things, the easier it was to show a weakness.

It was better to just admit it openly.

"Curious?"

Hearing this, Shen Jixuan was slightly taken aback.

Then, as if he had heard a funny joke, he chuckled softly.

"Hehehe..."

The laughter echoed in the empty cell,

"This old man is but a pitiful soul who took the wrong path."

Shen Jixuan said indistinctly as he chewed his food.

"What is there to be curious about?"

"In this world, there are plenty of people who are undone by their own cleverness."

"Back then, I prided myself on my extraordinary talent, attempting to blaze a new trail to Cultivate the supreme Dao of the Divine Soul."

"And the result?"

He rattled the profound iron chains on his wrists, making a clanking sound.

"I ended up in a state where I can neither live nor die."

Shen Jixuan's tone was filled with deep self-deprecation.

Chen Ran listened quietly without interrupting.

He knew that Shen Jixuan's words were only half-true.

How could an old monster who had Cultivated to the Innate Realm truly believe he was just a pitiful soul?

This was merely his way of testing him, or rather, a disguise.

Their gazes met through the iron bars.

Something invisible seemed to clash in the air.

After a moment, Chen Ran withdrew his gaze.

"Please enjoy your meal, Senior."

He did not probe any further.

The conversation ended there.

Today was just an initial contact to confirm Shen Jixuan's state.

Since his goal was achieved, there was no need to waste any more words.

Chen Ran picked up the empty food box and turned to leave.

Shen Jixuan watched Chen Ran's departing back, only slowly withdrawing his gaze once the youth disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

"This kid..."

He muttered softly under his breath.

"Should I choose to swap with him? Forget it, let's wait a bit longer."

Shen Jixuan shook his head and entered a meditative state once more.

...

Walking out of the gates of the Imperial Prison,

the sky outside had already darkened.

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the clouds on the horizon a dark red.

A cold wind blew, carrying a hint of late autumn's chill.

Chen Ran took a deep breath of the outside air, exhaling the residual Evil Qi in his lungs.

Although he did not fear the Evil Qi, that cold, damp smell was unpleasant after all.

He walked along the bluestone path toward his residence.

Once the hour of Zi arrived, the ancient heavenly book of prison suppression in his mind slowly flipped open.

[heavenly book of prison suppression settlement in progress...]

[Guarding the Imperial Prison for one day: Obtained one year of cultivation]

[Participated in guarding Jia Ward prisoner Shen Jixuan today: Obtained one year of cultivation.]

[Participated in guarding today...]

A series of notification tones rang out in his mind.

Chen Ran's footsteps paused slightly.

Two years of cultivation?

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Just delivering a meal and having a brief conversation actually settled two years of cultivation.

This Shen Jixuan was indeed worthy of being a former Innate Realm Cultivator.

Even if his strength had deteriorated to the freezing point, his own Karma value still far exceeded those of ordinary martial arts experts.

Chen Ran felt a secret delight in his heart.

It seemed he would have to frequent the Jia Ward cells more often in the future.

Without hesitation, he directly added the newly obtained cultivation to "Treading Snow Without a Trace".

He had already Cultivated this Lightwork for some time, and was only one step away from Minor Achievement.

With the injection of the cultivation,

Buzz!

A sudden roar erupted in Chen Ran's mind.

Countless memories of Cultivating Lightwork surged in like a tide.

Within the illusion.

Chen Ran found himself in the middle of a vast snowfield.

Continuous snow-capped mountains surrounded him, with howling cold winds and heavy falling snow.

The temperature was dreadfully low, as if even his blood would freeze.

Wearing thin clothes, he stood in knee-deep snow.

"Begin."

An ethereal voice echoed in his mind.

Chen Ran took a deep breath, and the True Qi in his body began to circulate according to the path of "Treading Snow Without a Trace".

He suddenly exerted force and leaped forward.

"Plop!"

However, instead of gliding out as light as a swallow as he had imagined, he fell heavily into the snow.

The snow came up to his thighs, making it difficult to move even a single step.

The circulation of his True Qi became sluggish.

His technique of exerting force was also incorrect.

Undeterred, Chen Ran crawled up from the snow and tried again.

Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...

He ran, leaped, and maneuvered tirelessly across the snowfield.

Every time he fell, he would sum up his experience, adjusting the circulation path of his True Qi and his method of exerting force.

The wind and snow grew heavier, almost obscuring his vision.

Chen Ran's physical strength was rapidly depleting, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.

But he did not stop.

The core of "Treading Snow Without a Trace" lay in "borrowing force."

Borrowing the force of the wind and snow, and borrowing the Qi of heaven and earth.

Turning his own weight into nothingness, and merging his True Qi into the surrounding environment.

He did not know how much time had passed.

Perhaps a day, perhaps a year.

Chen Ran's movements began to become fluid.

He was no longer trudging with difficulty through the snow, but had begun to glide across its surface.

True Qi surged through his Meridians like a bursting river, yet transformed into traces of gentle supporting force beneath the soles of his feet.

Every time his toes tapped the ground, they left only an extremely shallow mark on the snow.

Gradually, even those shallow marks vanished.

His entire being seemed to have turned into a gust of wind, a single snowflake.

Freely shuttling through the vast snowfield, completely unrestrained.

Treading Snow Without a Trace, light as a swallow.

Every exertion of force, every flow of True Qi, was deeply engraved into his muscle memory, becoming a part of his physical instinct.

In reality.

Chen Ran abruptly opened his eyes.

The surrounding scenery had not changed at all, and the sky was still dark.

But Chen Ran felt a wonderful change occur in his body.

["Treading Snow Without a Trace": Minor Achievement]

On the heavenly book of prison suppression, the entry regarding Lightwork flashed, and the characters became more solid.

Feeling the light True Qi flowing between his legs, the corners of Chen Ran's mouth curled up slightly.

With a thought,

True Qi instantly flooded into the Meridians of his legs.

Swish!

Chen Ran's figure instantly vanished from the spot.

In the next moment, he appeared under a large tree over a dozen Zhang away.

The entire process was silent and noiseless, like a ghost.

On the ground, not even a speck of dust was stirred up.

"What incredible speed."

A sharp glint flashed in Chen Ran's eyes.

This was only the Minor Achievement Realm of "Treading Snow Without a Trace".

If he Cultivated it to Major Achievement, or even Perfection, how terrifying would his speed be?

If he encountered an unbeatable enemy in the future, his running speed would definitely be top-tier; saving his life would always be the top priority.

Chen Ran patted the dust off his body with satisfaction.

Standing in place, he slowly raised his right hand.

His five fingers spread slightly.

At his fingertips, several transparent silk threads, barely discernible to the naked eye, quietly emerged.

This was the product of highly condensed True Qi.

During this period, he had not only stabilized his cultivation in the Return to Truth Realm but had also deduced the "Heavenly Silk Puppet Technique" obtained from Liu Kuchan to the Realm of Perfection.

With a thought from Chen Ran,

the transparent silk threads at his fingertips danced and intertwined in mid-air like living things.

At times they transformed into a large net, at times they condensed into a sharp, fine needle, and they could even silently slice through falling dust.

His manipulation of True Qi had reached an extremely proficient level, almost allowing him to do as he pleased.

This miraculous art could not only be used to control Puppets, but could also unexpectedly strangle enemies in actual combat.

[Host: Chen Ran]

[Accumulated Cultivation: 220 years]

[Blood Transformation Great Art (Perfection)

Red Lotus Karmic Fire Scripture (Perfection)

Heavenly Silk Puppet Technique (Minor Achievement -> Perfection)

Treading Snow Without a Trace (Minor Achievement)]

"With my current panel, I do have some ability to protect myself."

Chen Ran murmured in his heart.

He was very confident in his current strength.

Coupled with his max-level [Copper Skin] talent and [Heavenly Net] perception.

With such a foundation, looking across the entire Capital, as long as he did not encounter those old monsters, he was fully capable of walking sideways.