Cultivation is just so scientific!

Concealing Breath Skill, although called a spell, isn't really a proper spell; it's more a method of controlling Spiritual Power.

Using special runes, one arranges a net within the body to conceal one's own Spiritual Power fluctuations.

The Concealing Breath Skill doesn't require the coordiantion of intent; once the rune drawing is complete, one can execute it.

Li Shiming wasn't worried about the complexity of the runes; he had scanned the "Concealing Breath Skill" into the large server IBM z15, and then read it repeatedly with his mind.

In just a few minutes, he had memorized all the runes of the Concealing Breath Skill.

He summoned the Spiritual Power within his body and began drawing the runes of the Concealing Breath Skill beneath his skin.

He encountered no difficulties, and the complex pattern was drawn without a single error.

He felt a slight tremor in the Spiritual Energy Vortex within him, as if something had covered it.

Having successfully activated the Concealing Breath Skill, Li Shiming frowned slightly; the sensation of being bound by the skill was not pleasant.

Moreover, any execution of a spell or summoning of Spiritual Power to a certain degree would disrupt the effect of the Concealing Breath Skill.

In the presence of a Cultivator far stronger than oneself, the effect of the Concealing Breath Skill is also quite limited.

However, the Concealing Breath Skill was acquired for free, and its effectiveness was satisfactory; he didn't expect too much.

"Oh, fellow, have you mastered the Concealing Breath Skill?" Mr. Fan, rubbing his belly while walking out the cabin door, caught sight of Li Shiming and couldn't help but ask in astonishment.

How could he not be surprised? In just a short time, Li Shiming had mastered and applied the Concealing Breath Skill.

Though Cultivators, nourished by Spiritual Power, are superior in many aspects, especially in memory, the Magic Runes are notoriously complex.

No matter how elementary the Concealing Breath Skill is, it is still a spell.

"How many days did I study the Concealing Breath Skill?" Mr. Fan wondered to himself.

He didn't recall a minor detail from long ago, but the learning period was no less than a month.

Looking at Li Shiming standing by the railing, he felt mixed emotions, and even the Spirit Rice he had just eaten no longer tasted good.

"I must also thank you, fellow!" Li Shiming bowed in gratitude.

Mr. Fan became even more enthusiastic. It was crucial to foster good relations with a fellow sect member of such promising potential before his rise.

He had some standing in his sect, but his own limited talent restricted the extent of support his background could offer.

To better his life in the sect, he needed to make more friends; this was his guiding principle.

He harbored no great ambitions; with his talents, this was his lot in life. He needed to earn more resources to build his own family in the secular world, all of which required the support of powerful friends.

Li Shiming spent twelve days on the official ship; during these days, he and Mr. Fan had become friends.

"Mr. Li, we've reached Central Capital, let's part here, hoping to meet again in the sect!" Before even docking, Mr. Fan bowed to Li Shiming and spoke.

"Mr. Fan, hope to see you again!" Li Shiming responded with a bow.

Mr. Fan's figure leapt towards the riverbank, a flash of talisman light passed, and his figure faded into nothingness.

Although Li Shiming was also at the Qi Refinement Second Level, he did not possess this skill; moreover, he was accompanied by servants and carried much luggage, so he couldn't manage such an effortless departure.

Whether Mr. Fan had intended to impress, it certainly left Li Shiming quite envious.

The official ship docked at the pier, and Li Shiming, along with his attendants, disembarked.

"Young Master, the carriage from the mansion has come to pick you up!" the servant Mo Yan exclaimed excitedly.

Following the direction he pointed, Li Shiming saw an old carriage. If it weren't for the four-rank Li Mansion's emblem on the carriage, he couldn't have imagined that the carriage from Central Capital would look like this.

Considering this place is Central Capital, four-rank really doesn't count for much.

He simply reflected on this in his heart and had no particular demands regarding the carriage.

"Honoring the Young Master, I am Steward Zhang from the old residence in Central Capital!" the coachman greeted him.

It was only when he entered the carriage that he realized he had been mistaken.

The interior decorations of the carriage were no less impressive than those he had in Nanling Prefecture; the old exterior was just a facade.

The luggage he brought was substantial, filling up the back of the carriage.

Aside from Li Shiming bringing Si Qin along, Mo Yan and four guards followed the carriage on foot.

Si Qin opened the carriage window, looking at the capital of Great Xia with curiosity.

"Steward Zhang, how much longer until we reach the old residence?" Li Shiming was not interested in the prosperity of Central Capital; what he wanted most now was to return to the old residence immediately.

In the past twelve days, he had used the computational power of the large server IBMz15 to repeatedly calculate the activation method of the Gathering Spirit Plate.

Combining some information obtained from chatting with Fan Yiyang, he was quite confident he could activate the Gathering Spirit Plate.

He had waited for a full twelve days, not using the "Five Elements Qi Absorption Technique" to advance his cultivation—merely recovering his internal Spiritual Power Pattern after performing the Spring Breeze and Rain Skill, using the spiritual energy in the machine room space.

"Young Master, it's just beyond that street ahead!" Steward Zhang, hearing Li Shiming's urgency, responded while giving the horse an extra whip to speed up the carriage.

As the carriage accelerated, the four guards and Mo Yan also began to jog.

"Is this the old residence?" Li Shiming stood in front of a vermilion gate and asked.

The vermilion gate seemed not small, but by the standards of Great Xia, it was considered the format for smaller households, hardly befitting a fourth-rank official's mansion.

Of course, since his father Li WenYuan usually lived in the government office in Nanling Prefecture, no matter how one looked at it, such a gate seemed somewhat humble.

The gate opened, and Steward Zhang bowed to invite him inside.

There were three servants lined up inside the gate, two men and one woman, all of middle age, making a total of four people managing the old mansion along with Zhang.

The old mansion had a compound with three sections. Passing through the draped flower gate from the main entrance brought one to the inner courtyard; east and west wings flanked it, with the main house directly ahead, centered around a courtyard adorned with flowers and plants.

"The old master has instructed in his letter that you stay in the main house!" Steward Zhang gently reminded him.

"Mo Yan, take the luggage to the main house!" Li Shiming had no objections; as the master and with his father Li WenYuan not residing here, it was only logical for him to stay in the main house.

More importantly, next to the main house were the flanking wing rooms and behind it a back cover room, surrounded on all sides, suitable for the protection provided by the four guards.

Of course, Li Shiming liked the main house because the space inside was spacious enough to facilitate his cultivation.

"Steward Zhang, no one is allowed into the main house without my order; if there's anything, just inform Si Qin!" Li Shiming sternly instructed Steward Zhang before walking into the main house.

Everything inside the room was clean; there were no expensive pieces of furniture, but all necessities were available.

Mo Yan, accompanied by the servants, brought the luggage into the main house while Si Qin dismissed them and started arranging the items.

These tasks couldn't be helped by others; only Si Qin was competent at it, as the sole maid there used to be the cook.