Chapter Four: Unraveling the Secret

Night had fallen, yet faint footsteps echoed through the grove in the Jiang family’s rear courtyard.

The cold, luminous moonlight filtered through the thick canopy, revealing only a vague shadow moving among the trees.

Though it was already deep into the night and others were long asleep, Jiang Feng, who had only recently rested the previous night, could easily endure three days and nights without sleep. For others, this would be inconceivable; even masters of the Nether Arts would find such little rest impossible.

Upon reflection, it seemed the nightmares had not been entirely without merit.

Countless times, Jiang Feng had hauled himself up from the ground, his body now caked with dirt. Looking back on these past dozen years, he realized he had only ever tried to escape, to fear, and to loathe those bizarre nightmares—never once pausing to reflect upon them.

Now, considering that he only needed to rest once every three or four days, the strangeness of it struck him. Though his face was perpetually weary, his eyes dull and ringed with persistent dark circles, his body was actually sturdier than most children who had never practiced cultivation.

“Whew, I can barely string the third form together. Judging by the direction I fell, this time the next step forward should be three paces to the left and back,” Jiang Feng thought, his heart shaken. This uncanny footwork—no high-level family technique could produce such results!

Yet this technique could be practiced by an ordinary person. What was its origin?

Unbeknownst to him, as he moved, his focus was entirely concentrated on his legs, all his spiritual energy converging at that point. When he leapt, a faint crimson glimmer would flicker beneath his feet.

“No matter. If I can fully master this footwork, I’ll be able to break free of the Blood Prison Killing Field.”

Jiang Feng grew more excited the more he dwelled upon it. Gritting his teeth, he resumed his practice.

Three days passed in a flash. On the fourth night, a few streaks of starlight pulled the dusk over the sky, shrouding the heavens.

Jiang Feng now lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Even without any training, he could only last three days; with such intense cultivation, after three days, his endurance was at its limit.

“Damn it, I really can’t go on. Three days—three days and I’ve learned only three forms. And the subsequent steps become ever more bizarre. Who knows when I’ll master them all!”

Jiang Feng opened his tired eyes, but after a moment, unable to endure further, he closed them once again.

No surprise followed.

With an eerie howl, a blood-red mist instantly flooded the world!

Though he had warned himself countless times to be prepared, each time he found himself in this blood-soaked realm, all confidence and readiness vanished, leaving him frozen, as if standing at the very center of this crimson world, awaiting cataclysmic destruction.

Moments later, the blood-colored figure reappeared, shrouded in a killing intent that chilled the soul.

In its presence, Jiang Feng felt as insignificant as an ant.

The figure drew closer. As the murderous aura seemed to solidify around him, a slash of blood-red light burst forth.

It seemed to come from a sword in the figure’s hand, though Jiang Feng could neither discern its shape nor summon the will to look. The blood-light expanded in his vision, and his consciousness stalled.

But just as the blood-light was about to strike him, two images flashed through Jiang Feng’s mind, uncontrollable and instinctive—the first and second forms of the Shadow Dance Soul-Shattering Steps.

The two forms appeared inexplicably, and in the next instant, the blood-light reached him.

Crack—

A searing pain shot through his right arm.

“It hurts! What’s happening? I’m not dead!”

Within the Blood Prison Killing Field, Jiang Feng stared incredulously at himself—he had survived!

“That’s right—just as the blood-light struck, my body shifted strangely to the left. Though I was slower than the blood-light, I managed to dodge the fatal blow, losing only an arm.”

“As I thought!” Jiang Feng endured the pain, his heart swelling with joy.

“I actually did it! Without mastering every step, I managed to evade the blood-light. But even after dodging, I remain trapped within this Blood Prison Killing Field. It seems I must master them all to break free.”

“But since the crimson figure has vanished, perhaps I can attempt to cultivate,” Jiang Feng immediately sat cross-legged. “This is my dreamscape—if I close my eyes, will I not fall into another dream?”

With that thought, he formed a strange seal with his fingers and sat upright in the void.

“Calm spirit achieved—finally, I can cultivate!” Jiang Feng’s spirits soared; fifteen years of frustration vanished in an instant, leaving only boundless passion and joy.

“But do I truly have consciousness now, or is this still a dream? If it isn’t, why do I feel no drowsiness or fatigue? And where exactly am I?” A cascade of questions flooded Jiang Feng’s mind. If this was a nightmare, then perhaps it was real as well.

“Damn it, what a tangled web! Never mind—if I can cultivate in this state, then I shall. If there is wine today, drink today; so long as I can cultivate, I must seize the chance!”

Resolute, Jiang Feng closed his eyes and formed the cultivation seal he had practiced countless times.

At that moment, in the waking world, energy from the heavens and earth began to gather visibly around Jiang Feng’s body.

Eventually, the formless energy took on substance, draping over him like a cloak of moonlight.

Day turned to night, night to day—who knew how much time had passed…

“Ah, how refreshed I feel!” Jiang Feng slowly opened his eyes and stretched lazily.

His stomach rumbled. “So hungry… It must be morning,” he murmured, rubbing his eyes, surprised to find not a hint of sleepiness within him.

Yet after so many years, his eyes seemed fixed in their drowsy state, reluctant to fully open even when he wasn’t tired.

He yawned. “How strange—I clearly cultivated nonstop in my dream, yet my body feels not the slightest fatigue. It really was just a dream.”

“No, wait!” Disappointed, Jiang Feng leapt from the pit. “My body—my cultivation! I’ve reached the first stage of Nether Martial Arts. How is this possible? Just one night’s sleep, and I’ve advanced a whole stage—this is too…”

“Could it be that the Blood Prison Killing Field assists with cultivation? That’s all I can guess for now. But no matter—since I can cultivate, then…”

Feeling the unfamiliar power surging within, Jiang Feng brimmed with confidence.

He had finally uncovered the secret of the Shadow Dance Soul-Shattering Steps, and he could finally cultivate!

In two months, at the final examination, I will astonish you all!