The introduction to the Concealment Technique that followed made Henry Clark feel that this was exactly what he needed most right now. The Concealment Technique was described as a method that allowed cultivators to hide their cultivation level. This made Henry Clark ecstatic—he had secrets within his body, and regardless of what those secrets were, the fact remained that he cultivated quickly. If he could not only cultivate quickly but also conceal his cultivation, what would he have to worry about?

Henry Clark didn’t stay happy for long before he was once again disappointed. This Concealment Technique was merely a spell from a mortal-level cultivation method; even if he mastered it to perfection, it could only conceal up to three minor levels as described. Even if he managed that, it would probably only fool those at the Qi Gathering stage; deceiving a True Condensation cultivator would be impossible.

Although there were few True Condensation cultivators in the Cangqin Kingdom, they did exist. In his memory, both the dean and vice dean of the Cangqin Two-Star Academy were True Condensation cultivators.

Even knowing that the Concealment Technique in this thin booklet wasn’t anything special, Henry Clark still decided to learn it first. Henry Clark was already at the first level of Qi Gathering, and not only did he have a photographic memory, but he also possessed extraordinary comprehension. Even though it was his first time encountering a spell, he fully understood the cultivation method within an hour.

When Henry Clark began practicing the Concealment Technique, a gentle stream of energy once again rose from his dantian, and in his mind, new energy circulation routes for the Concealment Technique appeared.

This time, Henry Clark didn’t stop again. He only hesitated briefly before cultivating the Concealment Technique according to the incantation that had appeared in his mind out of nowhere. He felt that the incantation in his mind was even better than the Concealment Technique he had read before. Or rather, the cultivation method that appeared in his mind was a modified version of the original Concealment Technique.

Henry Clark didn’t understand what was going on, but he vaguely sensed it was related to that yellow beam of light that had struck him earlier. He decided to cultivate according to this modified Concealment Technique for now, and if anything seemed off, he would stop immediately.

However, after Henry Clark started cultivating, he didn’t notice anything wrong. The true qi in his meridians flowed smoothly along the new routes, without the slightest sluggishness.

Very soon, Henry Clark was once again immersed in the cultivation of the spell.

When Henry Clark came to, he found that he had already achieved minor mastery of his first spell. Henry Clark tried using the Concealment Technique to hide his cultivation, and to his surprise, he was able to conceal the fluctuations of his true qi with ease, without the slightest delay.

“Good stuff.” Henry Clark blurted out instinctively, not even sure whether he was referring to the Concealment Technique itself or to the ability to automatically correct his cultivation method.

Just as Henry Clark said this, he heard Julia Foster’s voice from outside, “Since you’re done cultivating, come out and eat.”

Hearing Julia Foster’s voice, Henry Clark finally realized that he had spent an entire night in his room, and it was already the next morning. Time really was worthless when cultivating—he hadn’t felt a thing, and the whole night had already passed.

“Did you run into some problem while cultivating?” When Julia Foster saw Henry Clark come out, she immediately stood up in surprise again. She couldn’t sense any true qi fluctuations from Henry Clark at all. In other words, she couldn’t tell what Henry Clark’s cultivation level was—strictly speaking, it was as if Henry Clark had no cultivation at all.

Only then did Henry Clark realize it must be because he had used the Concealment Technique, and he quickly said, “I feel like my level isn’t very stable yet—sometimes I can sense my true qi, sometimes I can’t.”

Even though Julia Foster was his fiancée, Henry Clark still didn’t reveal his secret. He knew that if he hadn’t changed the cultivation method for the Concealment Technique, there was no way he could have mastered it in just one night. The secret of being able to correct cultivation methods was simply too terrifying. If he were a master, it would be one thing, but the key was that he had only just started cultivating.

Julia Foster’s cultivation was very low, so she didn’t understand this situation. She frowned, and after a while said, “Even though you’ve reached Qi Gathering, your cultivation probably hasn’t stabilized yet. Use that Qi Gathering Stone over the next few days, and you should be fine. Let’s eat first.”

Only then did Henry Clark notice that the food on the small wooden table had long been prepared, and he quickly said, “Thank you.”

Both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts, so breakfast was eaten in silence. After eating, Henry Clark returned to his room to continue cultivating, and Julia Foster didn’t ask any more questions.

A few days passed in a flash. During these days, Henry Clark focused entirely on the Concealment Technique, only familiarizing himself with the Fireball and Wind Blade techniques without actually practicing them. He also knew that practicing such spells in his room wasn’t appropriate.

That day, Julia Foster saw that Henry Clark’s cultivation seemed to have stabilized at the first level of Qi Gathering, so she said to Henry Clark, “Your first level of Qi Gathering should be stable now. Let’s go to the academy today.”

“Alright.” Henry Clark didn’t hesitate at all. Even if Julia Foster hadn’t said anything, he had planned to remind her. Over the past few days, Henry Clark had felt that some people were sneaking around the small stone house. If Julia Foster hadn’t been there, someone might have already come in and taken him away.

……

The Cangqin Two-Star Academy held a position of great prestige in the Cangqin Kingdom, even higher than the kingdom itself. Because the academy’s vice dean, Franklin Wood, was a member of the Cangqin royal family, the Cangqin Two-Star Academy could be considered half the kingdom’s backing.