Chapter 103: Exchange
Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Exchange
The purple dot of light bounced vividly, then "flew" in a certain direction.
Fang Chen’s focused Spiritual Consciousness immediately followed close behind.
In this space composed entirely of Spiritual Power, movement was merely a matter of thought. After gliding for a moment, the purple dot came to a halt.
"Chen, look. Is there a... hmm, something like a clasp here?" Xia Chu’s voice guided him.
Fang Chen focused his gaze. Sure enough, within the gray mist, there was an extremely minuscule dot formed purely from Spiritual Power.
"Here, do it like this," she said as a hair-thin thread of purple light extended from the purple dot. "Then, carefully pass it through this clasp, just like threading a needle."
Fang Chen tried to mimic Xia Chu’s method, struggling to control his wisp of Spiritual Consciousness. He adjusted its shape, then probed toward the "clasp" structure.
The first attempt failed; the spiritual "thread" dissipated.
The second time, the angle was wrong.
The third time... his talent for control began to manifest, and he found the trick to it.
"Right! Just like that! It went through!" Xia Chu encouraged him. "Okay, let’s find the second node! Then we need to hook onto it here as well."
The purple dot led the way again. Soon, the second clasp was found. Under Xia Chu’s guidance, Fang Chen once again successfully passed the spiritual "thread" through.
"Hmm, there are only these two nodes set up in this Jade Scroll. Now, Chen, feel it for a moment. Does your Spiritual Consciousness feel like a thread connecting these two nodes?" Xia Chu asked.
Fang Chen carefully applied his Perception, and indeed felt a subtle sense of connection.
"Now, try using your ’thread’ to ’lift’ both nodes at the same time. Apply your Telekinesis to ’pull’ them upward and outward, like... unfastening two interlocking rings simultaneously," Xia Chu continued instructing.
Fang Chen focused all his attention on the operation. He felt the two "clasps" shift slightly, as if pulled and aligned by an invisible force, and then—
HUMMM...
A faint hum echoed, seemingly originating from the depths of his soul.
The gray space suddenly lit up with a gentle white glow, as if an invisible door had been pushed open! Immediately after, a massive yet orderly flow of information—interwoven with an indescribable cultivation state, spiritual rhythms, and intuitive insights—surged into his mind like a clear spring along his Spiritual Consciousness, rapidly merging with his memories and cognition.
Fang Chen’s heart spirit trembled violently, his consciousness instantly flooded by the ocean of information. He thought, "This is..."
He "saw" a clear diagram of Spiritual Power circulation paths, "felt" the rhythm of Spiritual Power ebbing and flowing like the tide, and "understood" the various crux points and taboos for tempering, compressing, and purifying Spiritual Power.
This was the Heart Method for systematically training Spiritual Power!
Fang Chen’s consciousness slowly withdrew from the profound Spiritual Mark space and returned to his physical body.
"How is it? Did you feel it?" Xia Chu looked at him expectantly.
Fang Chen nodded, a hint of lingering awe in his expression. "It truly is miraculous. That method of directly transmitting sensations is far more intuitive and profound than any written description. It’s just... now that I’ve received the contents of this Jade Scroll, is it empty inside?"
"Of course there’s nothing left," Xia Chu said matter-of-factly. "Almost all Inheritance Jade Scrolls are single-use. The information inside is locked by a specific Spiritual Mark. Once it’s correctly unlocked and received, the contents are automatically transferred and ’imprinted’ into the recipient’s memory.
"The Jade Scroll itself either becomes a blank vessel or its internal structure breaks down. You don’t need to worry about me. Back then, that Mage personally guided me through it on the spot. He gave me this Jade Scroll just in case I couldn’t remember certain details during my future cultivation. It was merely meant to be a backup."
Fang Chen understood and handed the now-empty Jade Scroll back to Xia Chu. "Then I’ll return this to you. Just in case the Superpower Bureau or that Mage asks about it in the future, you’ll have an explanation."
He was thinking quite thoroughly.
"Mhm, okay." Xia Chu took it, stored it carefully, and added, "This Jade Scroll of ours is considered the lowest difficulty level, with only two ’unlocking nodes.’
"I heard that some Jade Scrolls containing profound Cultivation Techniques or Secret Arts might have five, eight, or even over a dozen nodes set up inside!
"Furthermore, the unlocking sequence must be strictly fixed. You can’t get a single one wrong.
"If you make continuous incorrect attempts a few times, the contents inside might self-destruct, and it’ll never be opened again."
Fang Chen looked thoughtful. "Oh? An anti-theft system." He subconsciously rubbed his fingers together.
This small gesture was sharply caught by Xia Chu.
"Eh, Chen," she leaned in curiously, her gaze falling on his hand. "What do you have in your hand?"
She had spotted the inconspicuous glint of Gold between Fang Chen’s fingers.
"This?" Fang Chen opened his hand. Lying in his palm was a small piece of Gold, about the size of a fingernail, with an irregular shape and a somewhat pitted surface. "Someone gave it to me. I just play around with it when I have nothing else to do. It’s become a habit."
"Someone... gave it to you?" Xia Chu’s tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of inquiry. Her eyes curved into crescents. "Hehe, which female classmate of yours from The Seventh Congress is it?"
Fang Chen shot her a speechless glance. "What are you thinking? It was a gift from a fighter I met at the Geta Club." He didn’t specify who it was.
"Hehe, I’m just teasing you!" Xia Chu giggled. "What kind of girl would gift something so... ugly?"
"Then if I give it to you now, do you want it?" Fang Chen deliberately teased her.
"Yes! I want it!"
Unexpectedly, Xia Chu answered so fast that she gave Fang Chen no chance to take back his words. She snatched the little piece of Gold right out of his palm and clutched it in her hand, a bright, triumphant smile on her face. "Hehe, thanks, boss! It’s mine now!"
Mimicking Fang Chen, she pinched the little Gold piece between her fingertips and curiously played with it. Then, as if remembering something, her eyes darted around. "Courtesy demands reciprocity!"
As she spoke, she reached behind her neck, unfastened the clasp, and took off the delicate Gold chain she was wearing. The chain was of exquisite craftsmanship, dangling a Gold pendant carved into a golden phoenix about to take flight.
"Here, this is for you!" Without waiting for a refusal, Xia Chu offered the necklace—still warm from her body heat—to Fang Chen. "My grandmother passed this down to my mom, and my mom gave it to me. It’s... a keepsake of my family. You’re not allowed to take it off!"
"This is too precious, and besides..." Fang Chen looked at the delicate necklace, which was obviously designed for women, and tried to decline.
"No objections!" Xia Chu looped her arms around his neck and put it on for him. She studied him closely for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction. "Hehe, it looks pretty good on you!"
Fang Chen touched the pendant with a bit of helplessness. "Do you really think it’s appropriate for a guy like me to wear such a delicate women’s necklace?"
"Hmph, if I think it’s appropriate, then it’s appropriate!" Xia Chu tilted her chin up slightly. "If I run into you in the future and find that you aren’t wearing it, I’ll... I’ll..."
She stammered "I’ll..." for quite a while but couldn’t come up with any intimidating punishment. Deflating in defeat, she could only shoot Fang Chen a coquettish glare.
Seeing her acting like this, the bit of helplessness in Fang Chen’s heart melted into amusement. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. Xia Chu took the opportunity to lean back against his shoulder. For a while, neither of them spoke. They simply watched quietly as the last sliver of light in the sky was replaced by the curtain of night, revealing clearer, brighter stars.
"Eh, Chen, I have a tiny request..."
"What is it?"
"If... four years from now, you..." Her voice grew even softer. "If you still don’t have a girlfriend, then let’s... both come back here and meet again?"
"Four years from now should be around the time we graduate from the academy, right? After graduation, Martial Artists like us will mostly go to the borders or various Secret Realm battlefields for training. Our whereabouts will be uncertain."
"Oh... that’s true too."
"Eh, Chen, speaking of which, this little piece of Gold of yours is a bit strange. I just tried to use my Spiritual Power for Perception, and I found that my Spiritual Power couldn’t achieve Penetration at all. It was as if it got blocked by an invisible barrier."
"I don’t know what material it’s made of either, but it feels quite heavy. If you don’t like it, you can just give it back to me."
"Hmph! There’s no taking back a gift that’s already been given! No way! It’s mine now!"
"Alright, Chen, I... I need to get going. Can you carry me down?"
"Don’t you know how to fly? Wouldn’t it be faster for you to go down yourself?"
"Ugh, just don’t ask..."
"Heh, did you use up most of your Spiritual Power just to show off bringing me up here earlier? Are you out of gas now?"
"Mhm."
"So... I want you to do it like last time!"
"Like what last time?"
"That time! When you saved Zou Shuyao from the fire, the time you jumped down from the tree while holding her! Hold me and carry me down!"
Fang Chen was speechless.