"The Four Symbols are the Cyan Dragon, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger. They represent the Spiritual Qi of the Four Directions, which are Wood, Water, Fire, and Gold..."

Chen Yi silently recited the Cultivation Technique Mantra for the Four Symbols Skill, guiding the True Essence in his body to circulate through the twelve Main Meridians and the Ren and Du Meridians in a grand cycle.

His cultivation had now reached the Perfection stage of the Seventh Grade Realm. The True Essence within him had liquified from its gaseous state, and both its quality and quantity far surpassed what they were before.

As a result, when the True Essence surged through his meridians, one could faintly hear a rumbling sound, like a great river rushing forth.

At this moment, as these sounds intertwined, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to reverse its flow like a river, pouring from his limbs and bones into his meridians and Sea of Qi.

After the Four Symbols Skill had completed four grand cycles, Chen Yi felt his consciousness drift upward from his Dantian and the Sea of Qi in his Chest, along the Ren and Du Meridians, until it finally came to rest at his Forehead Acupoint.

Instantly, he felt his consciousness settle upon a sea of clouds that had no substance.

In a daze, he saw phantom images emerge one after another from within the gray sea of clouds, taking up positions in the four cardinal directions.

He could vaguely make out the phantoms of the Four Divine Beasts—the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

’Guide the Four Directions Spiritual Qi to merge into the Sea of Qi, opening the Four Divine Positions...’

The mantra for the Four Symbols Skill suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Chen Yi had an epiphany—merging into the Sea of Qi meant not just the Dantian and the Sea of Qi in his Chest, but also the Sea of Qi in his forehead.

Only by opening the Sea of Qi in his forehead could he establish the Four Divine Positions.

As he came to this understanding, the four faint, rumbling cries he’d heard before grew clearer.

Listening closely, a tiger’s roar, a dragon’s cry, a tortoise’s bellow, and a phoenix’s call echoed one after another in his ears.

In the next moment, the circulation path of the Four Symbols Skill changed.

The True Essence that had originally returned to his Dantian and the Sea of Qi in his Chest now merged with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi like a whale swallowing the sea, pouring straight into the Sea of Qi in his forehead.

With a single breath, the True Essence within the Sea of Qi in his forehead became full and abundant.

With the second breath, the True Essence within all three Seas of Qi—the Dantian, the chest, and the forehead—surged in unison.

And with the third breath, the True Essence transformed from liquid into something like mercury. He could vaguely feel four-colored streams of light entwining around it, as brilliant as a rainbow.

As Chen Yi noticed these changes, a line of large, golden characters floated before his eyes:

[Cultivation successful. Cultivation: Lower Sixth Grade.]

[Four Symbols Skill (Earth Tier) has been promoted to Mastery Level Perfection. Divine Positions opened. Blessed by the spiritual qi of Wood, Water, Fire, and Gold.]

[Black Tortoise Concealment Technique has been blessed by the Wood and Water Spirits, allowing it to Nourish the Body and cultivate essence.]

[Mountain Shattering Fist has been blessed by the Fire Spirit, gaining Violent Power.]

[Dragon-slaying Spear has been blessed by the Gold Spirit, gaining increased Sharp Power.]

[Hundred Flowers Palm has been blessed by the Water Spirit, gaining Flowing Power.]

[Meteor Butterfly Step has been blessed by the Wood Spirit, gaining Surging Power.]

[Wandering Dragon and Phoenix has been blessed by the Wood and Fire Spirits, gaining increased Vortex Power...]

Seeing all this, Chen Yi paused for a moment. "It’s done."

’An Earth Tier Four Symbols Skill already grants such powerful blessings. How strong would it be if it reached the Celestial Tier?’

However, he had just reached the Middle Three Grades. The effects of his True Essence and the blessings of the four spirits weren’t obvious yet, and were far less tangible than his Dao Intent.

Only when his cultivation rose further would he be able to display the true power of this technique.

’The Upper Three Grades?’

He clicked his tongue. ’No wonder Liu Lang said he was defeated by Xiao Jinghong in a single move.’

’The gap in strength between an Upper Three Grades martial artist and one from the Middle Three Grades is absolutely massive.’

With these thoughts in mind, Chen Yi once again immersed his consciousness in the circulation of the Four Symbols Skill.

The surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi returned to calm, with only faint wisps of spiritual qi being drawn into and devoured by his body.

「In Jiaxing Garden.」

"Hmm?"

Xie Tingyun, who had been sitting in meditation with her eyes closed, seemed to sense the unusual disturbance in the surrounding world. She snapped her eyes open and walked out of the wooden building.

"This feeling is..."

She furrowed her brow, looking in all directions as she carefully sensed her surroundings.

A moment later, Xie Tingyun frowned slightly, a hint of suspicion on her face. "Is it gone?"

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had indeed just fluctuated, however weakly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

She wouldn’t have sensed it incorrectly.

"That felt like someone breaking through in their cultivation."

Xie Tingyun tilted her head, her beautiful eyes glancing left and right. None of the possibilities seemed likely.

’There’s only a frail scholar and a girl from the Mountain Race in Spring Lotus Garden. They couldn’t possibly have caused such a change in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.’

’In Four Directions Hall, there’s a frail old scholar, also with no cultivation to speak of.’

’The only possibility is the Armored Warriors in the central or front courtyards.’

Xie Tingyun thought for a moment, muttered a few words to herself, then shook her head and returned to the wooden building to sit cross-legged.

She had two tasks on this trip down the mountain: one was the old demon from the Illusory Sound Sect, and the other was protecting the Xiao Family’s eldest young miss.

And the second task was more important.

Therefore, she would have to wait until her business with the Xiao Family was concluded before she could free her hands to hunt down the Illusory Sound Sect.

’In any case, I can’t let that old demon from the Illusory Sound Sect have an easy time of it.’

...

Night had fallen, and most of the lights in the Qingjing Residence had already been extinguished.

In the courtyard, only two lanterns hung outside the pavilion and two outside the main hall.

As the wind of the rainy night blew, the lanterns swayed gently, their candlelight flickering and casting a hazy glow.

Faintly, a dark figure vaulted over the rear wall into the courtyard.

After a brief pause, he walked straight into the main hall through the open doors and, with light steps, lit the candles on the altar.

As the light flared up, the old patriarch sitting quietly in the Grandmaster’s Chair opened his eyes, glanced at him, and waved his hand in a gesture.

"Sit and speak."

The newcomer was tall and dressed in black. After bowing in greeting, he first closed the hall doors before sitting down on a chair at the far end of the room.

He seemed to habitually keep his upper body in the shadows.

The man in black spoke in a low voice, "Marquis, there’s been trouble."

Hearing this, the old patriarch’s expression remained unchanged as he asked, "What is it?"

For some time now, the great Xiao Family had been like a lump of coal, riddled with holes. He had long since grown accustomed to trouble and unexpected changes.

’Nothing surprises me anymore, I suppose.’

"My Hidden Guards stationed in the Black Market were completely wiped out last night."

"Overnight?"

"Yes."

The man in black wore a dark cloth over his face, and his large, dark eyes were filled with gravity as he said:

"Although I haven’t yet identified who was behind it, the number of people in the entire Black Market with that kind of power can be counted on one hand."

"The most likely suspect is Black Tooth of Bright Moon Building. He controls the entire Black Market, so finding our Hidden Guards wouldn’t be difficult for him."

"The next possibility would be the practitioners of the Evil Demonic Dao kept by those other families."

The man in black paused, then looked at the old patriarch and said with a hint of suspicion, "But I can’t figure out their motive for acting."

The old patriarch lowered his head in thought for a moment before saying in a grave voice, "When things are this unusual, there must be something sinister afoot."

"Go and investigate if Black Tooth is planning any major moves."

"Understood. I’ll have someone contact Black Tooth shortly."

"And don’t overlook those other families. They are opportunists who always follow the wind. If someone takes the lead, they won’t mind making the situation in Shu State even more chaotic."

The man in black nodded, already understanding the meaning behind the old patriarch’s words.

An act that so clearly targeted the Xiao Family would likely be followed by an even bigger move.

If they didn’t investigate thoroughly and prepare in advance, they would inevitably face a situation where "everyone kicks a man when he’s down."

After a moment of silence, the old patriarch, certain he had no other instructions, asked, "Anything else?"

The man in black thought for a moment and said, "Miss Cui has shown no unusual activity recently."

"When Chen Yunfan is around, the two of them stroll about and amuse themselves together."

"When Chen Yunfan is not here, Cui Qingwu stays inside Tingyu Pavilion and never goes out. It’s as if she came to Shu State specifically for him."

Hearing this, the old patriarch chuckled. "This Great Young Master of the Chen Family is truly fortunate."

The man in black was puzzled. "Fortunate?"

"The fortune of his birth."

"He is the direct heir of the Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family, he’s betrothed to someone from the Qinghe Cui Family, and now he even has the Holy Emperor’s trust, holding the title of ’Imperial Top Scholar’."

"It’s no exaggeration to say he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

As he said this, the old patriarch couldn’t help but sigh with some emotion. "Others can have smooth sailing for twenty years. I hope our Wuge can, too."

The man in black smiled and agreed, "The Young Master is blessed by heaven. He will naturally turn misfortune into fortune and grow up smoothly."

The old patriarch nodded, a serious expression returning to his aged face.

"We can’t let our guard down. Continue."

The man in black said, "Aside from Miss Cui, the person who helped my subordinate that night has not yet been found, but they should be near the West Market."

"I have already ordered my men to pay close attention to the people near the West Market. We should be able to confirm their identity the next time they make a move."

After listening to the man in black, the old patriarch grunted in acknowledgment. "Anyone who has helped our Xiao Family, every single one of them, will be richly rewarded in the future."

The man in black nodded. "There is one last matter. The people from the Jing State Liu Family will soon arrive in the Prefecture City."

The old patriarch’s hand, which was gripping his cane, paused. A stern look appeared on his face. "Who is coming?"

"Liu Yu from the second branch, as well as Second Young Master Liu Wen and Third Miss Liu Zhaoxue from the Liu Family’s main branch."

"Liu Yu isn’t particularly famous. Although he can’t compare to his elder brother, Liu Zhen, the Governor of the Jing State Imprisonment Department, his status in the Liu Family is not low."

"He is in charge of businesses like Xinglin Hall and Liu’s Cloth Shop."

The man in black paused for a moment. Seeing that the old patriarch was just listening quietly, he continued:

"Second Young Master Liu is a scholar. He passed the provincial examinations last year, but for some unknown reason, he did not participate in this year’s metropolitan examinations."

"As for Third Miss Liu Zhaoxue... our Hidden Guards don’t have much information on her, only that she is very beautiful and is known as the ’Number One Beauty of Jing State.’"

After listening, the old patriarch merely gave a slight nod, then lowered his head to look at the light and shadows at his feet.

The hall fell silent.

Only the pitter-patter of rain outside the door and the soft rustling of willow branches in the slight breeze could be heard.

A moment later, the old patriarch looked up at him and ordered in a grave voice:

"Have the Hidden Guards watch them closely."

"I want to know where they go, who they see, and what they say every day after they arrive in Shu State. I want to be clear on every single detail, no matter how small."

"Understood."

"Also, the same goes for Liu Hong."

"After that case was closed, he and the Governor’s Office have made no moves. They must be waiting for the people from Jing State to arrive as well."

As the old patriarch spoke, a hint of killing intent appeared on his face. "If Liu Yu and the others don’t accept this outcome, there will be more trouble with the grain tax for the Three Towns."

"We might just have to show the Liu Family the sharp end of a blade this time."

Hearing this, the man in black’s gaze also grew solemn. He stood up and bowed. "I obey your command."

"Alright, handle these matters together."

The man in black paused, then hesitated slightly before asking, "Marquis, should we inform the Second Miss about these matters?"

The old patriarch thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Don’t distract her for now. The Mid-Autumn Festival is not far off. It won’t be too late to tell her when she returns."

"I understand."

After the man left, the old patriarch sat quietly for a moment, then rose, blew out the candles on the table, and slowly paced to his side room.

Leaving behind only a low, inaudible sigh:

"Ten more years... these old bones of mine have to hold on..."