Hidden moth

Chapter 299 Heaven and Earth Release the Shape of the Wind

He Kao didn't take the chessboard with him. He left the Myriad Trees Rejuvenation Formation in place, using the Heavenly Palace Curtain as its pivot. The Heavenly Palace Curtain was already spiritual, and could instinctively use the formation to protect itself.

He Kao came to the center of the cave, to the stone niche at the end of the basin. He first lit three incense sticks to wake up the mind, and worshiped the immortal Tan in the painting. He had no distracting thoughts in his mind and did not ask any questions. It was just a simple worship.

Then he closed his eyes, and his mind resonated with the stone wall behind the portrait, and then he "saw" this cave.

It was as if he had returned to the strange state when he broke through. Although there were some differences, they were very close. His soul had not left his body, but it was no different from leaving his body, because the entire cave seemed to be his form and soul.

He was now in charge of the Piaocai Cave Heaven and could sense any movement in the cave heaven, just like the mysterious body observation technique that could see inside the internal organs and meridians. Wherever his consciousness went, a 360-degree panoramic view without blind spots unfolded, and he could even cast spells from a distance.

If there was any unusual movement anywhere in the cave, it would immediately attract his attention, just like if there was any movement in his own body. However, under normal circumstances, he would not be able to detect every place at any time unless he paid special attention.

At this moment, He Kao projected his consciousness to the cave where he had just been in seclusion, and sure enough, he discovered something abnormal about the Heavenly Palace Curtain.

In the state of perception of the one who controls the cave heaven, the vitality and spirit of the Tiangong Curtain are not those of ordinary plants, but are in a very special and never-before-seen state.

Of course, he also discovered the Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Array that he had personally set up. Although it was very far away and there were several mountains in between, he could still operate the array remotely.

By observing and sensing from this perspective, he could even understand the formation more thoroughly and see more details about the operation of the Earth Qi Spiritual Pivot.

He Kao was now able to cast spells remotely, so he conveyed a thought to the ancient vine. The content was simple: to let the ancient vine operate the Ten Thousand Trees Rejuvenation Formation in its natural state to nourish its own vitality and spirituality.

I don’t know if the ancient vine can understand, but it still gently shakes its leaves in the wind.

He Kao suddenly realized that while controlling the core of the formation, he seemed to have mastered a method similar to divine consciousness, but he could only convey simple thoughts, and the range was limited to Piaocai Cave Heaven.

This is already extremely rare, equivalent to obtaining a Divine Mind Experience Card for a Great Accomplishment cultivator in advance! The benefits of this blessed cave for cultivation are simply beyond imagination, and it is difficult to describe unless you experience it firsthand.

He Kao truly felt that the portal to Piaocai Cave Heaven was the painting, and he could open and close the portal at will.

This portal is not of much use to He Kao himself. As a Hidden Moth, he can enter and exit the Piaocai Cave freely without a scroll, but it is very important to other Hidden Moth disciples.

Now that He Kao had brought the scroll into Piao Cai Dong Tian, the portal to the cave no longer existed. If He Kao wanted to bring someone into Piao Cai Dong Tian, he would have to take the scroll out and unfold it.

If the scroll appeared outside the cave, anyone in the world who had reached a high level of the Hidden Moth Technique would be able to sense its location. A few months ago, He Kao had sensed someone reaching a high level of the Hidden Moth Technique... Could it be Old Man Jiang?
Unfortunately, he had never met Jiang Daozhen since then. Elder Jiang claimed to be in seclusion in Jinghua Cave Heaven, but in fact he had secretly gone to Xianhu Cave Heaven and teamed up with three other masters to plot against Master Danqiu and his apprentice.

He Kao broke through at sunrise, and it was almost noon when he became familiar with the state of controlling the cave heaven.

For the next day and a half, except for occasionally going out for a meal, replying to messages, and chatting with President E remotely, he spent most of his time in Piaocai Cave practicing various magic techniques.

The improvement of cultivation can help one learn by analogy and is also very inspiring for practicing other techniques.

His Heart Plate Technique has been cultivated to perfection at the third level, and he has the hope of breaking through to the fourth level. This is the area he has put the most effort into among his concurrent cultivations. After all, many people speculate that he is the secret disciple of the Master of Earth.

In fact, He Kao has come to his senses. He is indeed Gu Chun's secret disciple, and also Jiang Daozhen and Li Xiuyuan's secret disciple... The so-called secrets are sometimes not revealed by the master himself!

He Kao's body observation technique also broke through the third level. He practiced the ancient method without the help of any so-called promotion ceremony.

When Lin Qingshuang was instructing Huang Xiaopang and Meng Ya, He Kao was often there to learn from them. Meng Ya has not yet broken through to the third level, but he has become a third-level healer first.

As for the third technique he was cultivating, the Dan Ding Technique, he had just broken through to the second level, making him a Mountain Hermit. Furthermore, his Xingshen Technique had recently broken through to the first level, making him a First-Level Pretender.

The reason why he practiced the Xingshen technique was because he was also Li Xiuyuan's secret disciple, and it would be a bit unreasonable not to practice it.

It’s a pity that he didn’t practice the art of telepathy, the art of observing qi, and the art of observing micro details, and felt that his “qualities” were not comprehensive enough.

It's not that he doesn't want to practice the Lingxi technique, but it's too difficult and too time-consuming. Although Elder Jiang can be considered his master, he really feels a little sorry for him.

As for the Qi-gazing Technique and the Micro-instrument Technique, he himself had not yet had time to put in the effort to practice them, after all, his energy was limited...

It seemed he had learned quite a wide variety of techniques, which inevitably scattered his focus. Unfortunately, this was the fundamental skill of being a Hidden Moth. According to the elders' instructions, he must have a thorough understanding of each technique and its corresponding methods.

According to students who often go to the gym to lift weights, there is a kind of pleasure after exercising for a long time. It not only brings satisfaction in terms of improving self-confidence, but also involves endocrine, such as dopamine and endorphins.

But how can fitness compare to cultivating immortals? The sense of satisfaction is indescribable, especially when it comes with breaking through levels one after another and mastering more and more magical methods.

For such a long time, He Kao has hardly missed a day of cultivation. Since opening the Piaocai Cave Heaven, except for very rare cases, he would come here every day to sit and meditate or practice magic.

He Kao's accumulation is deep enough, but he has just broken through the fifth level. It is not realistic for him to get a glimpse of the sixth level at the moment. The best way to improve his strength is to practice various applied techniques to perfection.

Among all the means, the one that helps the most in increasing strength is the sword-wielding technique taught by Mei Guyu.

Although the sword-wielding technique is a secret of the Danding Sect, it does not belong to any system of techniques, but is a unique lineage. Each level of cultivation brings a new level of mystery.

Mei Guyu has lost his magical powers, but he gave him the Falling Rain Sword. If there is any emergency in the future, he will need to wield the sword and display his power.

Men are always young. Which boy can resist such temptation? He can't help but want to whip a straight branch, let alone with a magic sword in his hand.

On Sunday afternoon, He Kao practiced swordsmanship in the cave, combining it with the ability to cast spells remotely while in charge of the cave.

He sat upright in the stone niche, while the Rain Sword circled over the distant valley. The sword light was like silk and the sword threads were like rain, covering the entire valley continuously. It was not until his spiritual energy and magic power were almost exhausted that he turned into a steel ruler and was retracted.

The normal form of the Falling Rain Sword must be a sword, which was temporarily refined into the shape of a steel ruler by Mei Guyu. He Kao has not yet broken through the sixth level of cultivation, so he cannot refine it into any other shape. In its normal state, it can only be that steel ruler.

On Sunday night, He Kao left Piaocai Dongtian and went to work overtime.

Although I have informed Manager Huang that he doesn't need to come for the next two days, I still have my own work to do and I can't let it pile up until next week and delay the progress of others.

What’s more, the company also has a buffet restaurant, which provides a minimum of eight dishes and two soups, as well as a variety of staple foods and fruit snacks. If you want to eat noodles, you can eat noodles; if you want to eat pancakes, you can eat pancakes.

After Zongfatang’s announcement was released, two people in the company were shocked.

Qian had already vaguely guessed what was going on, and even guessed that Mei Guyu was using himself as bait, and the Zongfatang was using this to catch some big fish.

But he didn't expect two things. The first was that Elder Mei had not lost his magical powers, and the power of the magic sword was terrifying; the second was that he never expected that the Zongfa Hall would play such a big game and make such a big fuss.

The situation and its subsequent impact were far more serious than catching one or two big fish. Old Qian felt a little scared, but also a bit relieved. Apart from He Kao, he didn't dare discuss the matter with anyone else.

But He Kao seemed to have disappeared these days, and there was no opportunity to communicate with him.

In the eyes of a senior leader of a large company, if an ordinary employee stays at his workstation honestly during work and leaves immediately after get off work, it is almost the same as disappearing.

Huang Xiaopang was a latecomer. He only realized what had happened after seeing the announcement from the clan hall. He was completely unaware of such a earth-shaking event.

Looking back at the reactions of He Kao, Lao Qian and even the master during this period, they should all be more or less aware of the situation.

When Huang Xiaopang came to his senses, he didn't feel scared, but rather a little excited. There was even a hint of surprise and pride in his excitement, even though he himself didn't participate in anything.

During the weekend, Huang Xiaopang asked his master Lin Qingshuang in person: "Is the Elder Mei mentioned in the Zongfa Hall announcement the new colleague Mei Guyu from their company?"

Xiaopang is not stupid. Although Mei Guyu's age and appearance are very different from the intuitive impression given by the elders of the clan hall, he can also feel that something is wrong with Lao Qian and Xiao Kao recently, and there is obviously something wrong with their attitude towards Xiaomei.

What's more, He Kao had privately told him to treat Mei Guyu as an ordinary colleague, not to behave in an unusual manner, not to try to get close to him or inquire about anything, and just to keep a normal distance.

If Mei Guyu was just an ordinary new colleague, would he need to be reminded of such things?
Therefore, there must be something wrong with Mei Guyu's origins... Combined with the announcement from the Zongfa Hall, Xiaopang also had an exaggerated and outrageous guess.

He didn't quite believe it was true, so he went to his master to confirm it.

Lin Qingshuang frowned slightly and said, "The notice said not to spread the news or to inquire about it. You came to me to inquire, but you will be punished!"

Huang Xiaopang: "So Master already knew this, but you're keeping your mouth shut."

Although Lin Qingshuang was scolding the disciples, her tone was quite gentle, and she didn't seem angry. She continued, "Someone did leak the news to me some time ago, but I didn't ask about it or spread it, not even to you. After the announcement from the clan law hall was released, I also reported the matter as required."

Huang Xiaopang gave a thumbs-up and said, "Master, that's you. You're so steady!"

Lin Qingshuang smiled slightly and warned, "Just keep it in mind. Don't tell anyone and don't ask any more questions."

Huang Xiaopang asked again, "You won't even tell He Kao?"

Lin Qingshuang glanced at the disciple and asked, "Do you think he needs you to tell him?"

Huang Xiaopang uttered an "oh" and muttered, "I guess he knew it a long time ago and even reminded me..." As he spoke, he repeated what He Kaozeng had reminded him privately.

Lin Qingshuang nodded with satisfaction: "Xiao Kao is a child who is steady and careful in his work. No wonder the elders of the clan law hall are optimistic about him. You should learn more from him in your daily life.

Fortunately, he specifically warned you and didn't reveal Elder Mei's identity. Otherwise, you would be among the disciples that the clan law hall would punish, and even I, the master, would be implicated!"

Meng Ya curled her lips quietly but said nothing. She just thought that her master was a little biased.

Lin Qingshuang, as her name suggests, always looks cold and aloof. She is always rude when dealing with people, even in front of her disciple Meng Ya. She just appears to be more patient.

But in front of another disciple, Huang Si, the master's attitude was much gentler. The question just now was actually just an attempt to pry for relevant information. If it had been Meng Ya who asked, the master would have definitely scolded him with a stern face.

In front of He Kao, the master always smiled, and even the jokes He Kao told were funnier than others. The feeling of liking him was simply impossible to conceal.

Of course, since Master liked He Kao, Meng Ya would have no objection. Without the help of He Kao and Huang Si, she wouldn't have such a great fortune today.

Through this communication with his master, Huang Xiaopang finally confirmed that his guess was correct. Mei Guyu was actually the Elder Mei mentioned in the announcement of the Zongfa Hall, the current head of the Danding Sect!

Does this conversation between master and disciple count as a violation of the orders of the clan law hall? Strictly speaking, Lin Qingshuang did not disobey the order, because it was not Lin Qingshuang who said it on her own initiative, but the disciple Huang Xiaopang guessed it himself.

Besides, Elder Mei and Huang Xiaopang work in the same company, and Lin Qingshuang doesn't want his disciples to be kept in the dark and cause any misunderstandings or conflicts.

As for Xiaopang, if you were to be more precise, he had also violated orders, because he had indeed sought information, and thus received a verbal reprimand from his master, reminding him of the nature of his actions.

This also shows that the patriarchal hall is indeed difficult to deal with such matters. Many people have no malicious intentions and are simply curious. As long as there is no other abnormal behavior, the most they can do is to warn and teach them a lesson.

Huang Xiaopang had just returned from his master's visit yesterday, and ran into He Kao again in the restaurant during dinner today. He walked over with his plate in hand and sat down next to him. "Didn't you say you wouldn't be working overtime these two days?"

He Kao: "There's still work to be done. I can't delay other people's progress."

Seeing that there were few people around, Xiaopang lowered his voice and said, "You reminded me some time ago to keep a normal distance from Xiaomei next door and treat her as an ordinary colleague. You saw the announcements these past two days, right? Could she be..."

Xiaopang didn't say what it was. He Kao said calmly, "Just keep it in mind. It's clearly written in the announcement. Don't spread it or ask about it.

Also, even though we're talking in a restaurant, people can hear us if they want to, so it's no use lowering your voice."

Huang Xiaopang asked half of the question: "Then how can we...?"

He Kao performed a live demonstration, and immediately used his spiritual sense to gather the sound and said, "As long as you have the third level of cultivation and master the spiritual sense, you can gather the sound so that it cannot be transmitted.

But I have no idea if I can avoid the detection of such a master. So, no matter what, you should practice hard and break through as soon as possible. You can't always be a first-level diagnostician."

Huang Xiaopang said with a gloomy face, "I know this very well, but you also know the promotion ceremony for the second-level moxibustion practitioner. Where can I find such a person? If I'm not careful, let alone saving someone, I might even hurt them."

The most effective ritual summarized over thousands of years for a first-level diagnostician of the Guanshen School to be promoted to a second-level moxibustion practitioner is to find a frail and sick person, guide him or her in the basic practice of the Guanshen School, and restore his or her health in the process.

He Kao had originally arranged for Huang Xiaopang to practice the Body Viewing Technique in order to save his life. Huang Xiaopang's illness was due to excessive energy loss. Although Xiaopang's master was Lin Qingshuang, it was Meng Ya who completed the ritual.

Meng Ya was originally a first-level diagnostician, and after completing this ritual, he was promoted to a second-level moxibustion practitioner. However, Huang Xiaopang was having trouble finding someone like him to complete the same ritual.

Huang Xiaopang took a sip of his soup and sighed, "It's not that easy to get started with cultivation. It's fine if you can't succeed, but even if you can really glimpse the secret, it would be difficult for modern people to pass the test."

He Kao: "It's just the beginning, how can it be so exaggerated as you say?"

Huang Xiaopang glared at him and said in an exaggerated tone, "This is what my master said! Do you think everyone in this world is like you? You don't understand the desires and pain of ordinary people at all!"

How could this be considered as an exception to the ordinary people? He Kao said unhappily, "Why am I not ordinary? Why don't I understand?"

Huang Xiaopang: "Erbaihu from our junior high class, can you understand his pain? Not only you, many people, including me, can't understand it!"

Erbaihu was a nickname for a classmate from junior high school. His most notable impression was that he wasn't a good student. To say he wasn't good was a compliment; it was truly terrible, with grades consistently between 30 and 50 in each subject.

He Kao was puzzled at the time. Even if he didn't study those junior high school courses seriously, he wouldn't get such a low score, right? And it wasn't just one course. This kid was not biased at all!
Erbaihu seems to be quite smart in speaking and doing things, and doesn't seem like a congenitally mentally retarded person. He is not completely lazy in his daily life. He listens to the classes and does his homework when he is supposed to, but he just can't learn.

Or they seem to understand it, but when they answer the questions in the exam, they get most of them wrong.

Huang Xiaopang gave this example to tell He Kao that most people in this world are useless when it comes to the requirements for getting started with magic.

Erbaihu was relatively good; if one couldn't learn it, then one couldn't. The only worry was that someone might learn it and see the way. To enter the spiritual realm, one needed to pass a test, known since ancient times as the Lust Tribulation, like a natural screening mechanism.

Lust does not refer specifically to sexual desire, but refers to all describable desires in this world.

The first test of spiritual practice is that one becomes extremely sensitive, with even the slightest stimulus becoming unusually intense. This is a precursor to heightened sensory abilities, but the process is definitely not pleasant.

The reaction to stimulation is strong, all kinds of desires will be magnified, and people will be very impulsive. The consequence may be that emotions and behaviors get out of control, and people do all kinds of things they would like to do but would not do normally.

For example, they race electric bikes on the sidewalk, run red lights on the main road, or just throw something in the face of a boss or client they dislike...

Huang Xiaopang gave an example, which was not something he did himself, but something Meng Ya did back then.

At that time, Mengya was in the state of tribulation before entering the industry. One day, she went to a milk tea shop and sat there. She had forgotten what she was doing there, but she only remembered that there was a man and a woman next to her who were clinging to each other.

The man was very greasy, and Meng Ya was very disgusted by his actions and words. In short, the more she looked at him, the more she disliked him. Somehow, she suddenly walked up to him and gave him a big smack in the ass!

As a result, even the police were called. Fortunately, after the slap, the man regained his composure. Meng Ya apologized to the other party and explained that she had mistaken him for someone else. She thought it was her boyfriend because he looked too much like her...

Meng Ya was also very scared about this. This incident made her pay more attention to calmness and restraint. For a period of time, she even found a place away from the crowd to practice meditation, and finally she got through this level.

All human actions have internal motivations, including spiritual practice itself. The desires and emotions of monks are even stronger than ordinary people can imagine, but that is another state.

That's why Huang Xiaopang lamented that this entry level was difficult. In his usual social circle, he could hardly find anyone suitable to help him complete the ceremony.

He Kao asked curiously, "Has Meng Ya ever done something like this?"

Huang Xiaopang: "That's right! It's not easy for anyone to get started in cultivation, and Peng Xian, who taught her the technique at the time, didn't put much effort into it."

He Kao: "But I feel like you didn't lose control of your emotions when you first started practicing."

Huang Xiaopang finally smiled again and said, "I'm not an ordinary person!" Then he added quietly, "There have been times when I've been incredibly irritated. It's hard to describe the feeling, like there are always ants crawling around in my heart... You should know."

He Kao: "No wonder you went to wash your feet every day during that period."

Huang Xiaopang quickly reached out to cover his mouth: "Stop talking nonsense!"

He Kao opened his hand and said, "Let me tell you something serious. In fact, you can break through to the second level of cultivation without following the promotion ceremony. As long as you practice hard enough, you will be able to do it."

Huang Xiaopang turned his head and asked seriously, "Why, do you have experience?"

He Kao certainly had experience, as he was already a third-rank healer who practiced the art of observing the body. The ancient inheritance he received did not include any promotion ceremony. Looking back now, he could fully understand the true purpose of that promotion ceremony.

**
(End of this chapter)