Chapter 533: Chapter 321: The Asura Garment Emerges, Defying Yin Yang, Flower Cage’s Rising Star, Renews Notoriety

In the cocoon, there is no sun or moon, only quiet isolation. Li Xian waited idly for a long time, hearing no movement, slightly furrowing his brow, and stood up to wander around. The interior of the pavilion was neatly decorated and pleasant to live in, even though it was enveloped by a giant cocoon, it was not disordered.

Li Xian, feeling utterly bored, searched for books and read them meticulously. Wen Caishang had collected a wide variety of miscellaneous books, covering many assorted fields: the five elements, puppetry, strange devices, architecture, geomancy, alchemy, astrology, medicine, toxicology, southern voodoo... Most were stored in the villa. Although such matters were hard to come by here, she had always been extensively and broadly learned, making efforts to acquire books wherever she went and study them.

She had lived in the Fragrant Water Pavilion for a short time, yet had already collected a number of books. The shelf was about ten feet tall and neatly stacked.

Among them were mostly books like "The Book of Poetry" and "Calligraphy and Painting"... Li Xian, inherently fond of learning, sought out "The Book of Poetry" to read thoroughly, looked for paintings to enjoy, and unfolded calligraphy to mimic.

In this way, much time passed again. Li Xian still heard no movement, feeling quite strange: "A single day, how could it feel this long? Yet it seems as if two or three days have passed for me, could it be that inside this cocoon, martial arts evolve endlessly, making one’s perception slower?"

As Li Xian held the trump card of the "Setting Sun Bloodsword", he no longer worried, for man proposes, God disposes. He continued to read, write, paint... practiced martial arts, and trained the Golden Light Technique. The Golden Light Technique consumed immense energy, so Li Xian never practiced until exhaustion; feeling slightly fatigued, he then switched to practicing "Xunfeng Breath".

The breathing was deep and long.

[Skill Level +1]

[Xunfeng Breath]

[Skill Level: 12/3000 Great Success]

[Description: With the breath of Xunfeng, life is ever renewed. Advance with raging wind, retreat to gather Qi power. Externally repel sickness and evil, internally strengthen the body. ]

Xunfeng Breath is merely basic martial arts, but it has a significant connection to the "Avoid Jade True Skill" of the Nangong Family, hence it is quite mysterious. No specific moves, purely adjusting body and breath. As long as a breath remains, it can be exercised, its uses are myriad.

[Magic Dao·Golden Light]

[Skill Level: 3/100]

[Bone Shaping and Embryo]

[Skill Level: 7/100]

During martial practice, perceiving heaven and earth, the essence is digested. The realm slowly grows. The essence of heaven and earth digests into the bones, transforming bone quality. The martial artist’s body resembles heaven and earth, similar to the first separation of chaos in the Martial Arts First Realm. In the Martial Arts Second Realm, turbid qi sinks, transforming bone quality, akin to mountains rising majestically in the world, grand and steep.

Inside the body, there are over nine hundred strands of the essence of heaven and earth, condensed but not dissipated, not leaking or overflowing, waiting quietly to be digested. In a few days, thanks to the Yin Yang Immortal Companions Sword, external swords complementing internal sword convergence, the essence digests quickly, the progress is gratifying.

Li Xian contemplated the path of martial arts: "Martial combat strength is not determined by realm. I have Magic Dao·Golden Light; even encountering a Third Realm Martial Artist, I might maneuver around them. Now the Setting Sun Bloodsword steps into the Great Self Realm, my power has greatly advanced. Since practicing martial arts and consuming essence treasures, I have never initiated anything on my own. Mostly relying on others, or consuming Human Yellow Essence Treasure."

"Recently, as my understanding of martial arts grows, every progress of a hundredth in realm demands digesting over two hundred strands of essence. Relying solely on one piece of Human Yellow Essence Treasure, the martial arts progression is ultimately limited. In the end, I must self-initiate, simmer and brew essence meat. Benefiting from consumption, the resource requirements have lessened considerably from others."

...

...

In this tranquil solitude, much more time passed. Still, Wen Caishang did not visit, and Li Xian continuously speculated, his thoughts shifting. He suspected whether Wen Caishang would only release him after gouging his eyes? Yet it seemed unlikely, Wen Caishang was no gentleman, but having promised a single day, she would surely only allow one day. Knowing Li Xian’s cunning, how could she let him dawdle, if he schemed further, more trouble would surely ensue.

Light flickered in Li Xian’s eyes: "Could it be that something else in the outside world delayed Madam Wen, temporarily keeping me here with no time to attend?" The pavilion had water and pastries... living here posed no problem. The cocoon was a cage, impervious to water and fire, providing safety and security.

Li Xian’s mind was agile. Exploring again the surroundings, the cocooned pavilion was like a prison, still firm. He suddenly had an odd thought: "This cocoon pavilion appears to be chaotic silk, yet everything follows a pattern. Madam’s seal technique seems subtly aligned with the eight trigrams, the eight trigrams are infinitely mysterious, encompassing all things in heaven and earth, Qian stands for heaven, Kun for earth, Xun for wind, Zhen for thunder..."

He experienced many things, gaining an understanding of worldly principles. Practicing "Five Elements Miscellaneous Studies" in the Flower Cage Sect, receiving guidance from excellent teachers and friends, he had grasped the essentials of the five elements and the eight trigrams. In this scenario, calming down naturally brought usefulness. Based on his conjecture, he moved around the pavilion, using Heavy Pupil Eye Power, observing the silk’s direction, and trigram traces.

With bright eyes, he murmured: "Madam’s martial arts are profound, her realm unfathomable. Wishing to break her moves is utterly fantastical. But this encircling formation follows the principles of the eight trigrams. If I employ Yin Yang to disrupt the eight trigrams, coupled with the Golden Light Technique, there might be a chance to escape!"

Li Xian immediately attempted, executing the "Setting Sun Bloodsword," trying to disrupt the Yin Yang within the cocoon. This "Eight Extremes Seal" severed heaven, severed earth, severed wind, severed water... was an immensely strong trap. Yet among all things under heaven, there exists an overcoming principle. Martial arts derived from heaven and earth naturally have overcoming counterparts.

The Setting Sun Bloodsword embodied the "principle of Yin Yang," exercising it within the cocoon birthed Yin Yang, indeed causing disruption to the trap. But Li Xian’s realm was shallow; martial arts evolved inadequately. Merely reverse the eight extreme strangle within the cocoon with the principle of Yin Yang from the sword was certainly impossible.

However, it was enough to stir a momentary chaos, causing the martial evolutions within the cocoon to temporarily lag. Assisted by the Golden Light Technique to escape, there appeared a faint glimmer of opportunity. After attempting several times, indeed they saw results, with the golden light penetrating the cocoon, inch by inch deeper.

Yet Wen Caishang’s methods were highly proficient, the trigrams within the cocoon as steady as iron, although disrupted for a momentary chaos, they quickly restored to their original state, the silk tightly interwoven, intimately connected. Li Xian’s clever ideas, though useful, were thwarted by the disparity in strength, ultimately short by several measures.