Chapter 298
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The two large characters that appeared in his mind were actually: Fire Escape!
“Fire Escape—just as the name implies, it’s an escape technique used within fire. This kind of escape art is meant for fleeing—no, wait—for travel. Earth Escape, now that makes sense. The world is filled with dirt and soil; no matter where you go, your feet are never far from the ground. Once you’ve mastered Earth Escape, you can travel anywhere. Even Water Escape is understandable. Never mind the vast and boundless oceans—if I had the method of Water Escape, I might’ve had a chance to escape back then. Even on land, water is everywhere and often within reach. But this Fire Escape—what use is it? Don’t tell me I’m supposed to escape through someone’s kitchen stove?”
Sigh, this fellow’s head was filled entirely with thoughts of escape.
And of course—according to the [Shuowen Jiezi], the most basic meaning of “escape” (遁) is indeed to flee. Since he used that book for his early studies, the impression that stuck most deeply was naturally running away. Besides, wasn’t the whole reason he cultivated Earth Escape, precisely so he could run?
Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Zhang Xiaohua continued reading. It was only after a long time that he suddenly came to a realization. In the martial world, one emphasized Qinggong, but in the Immortal Path, one emphasized escape techniques. Whether it was Floating Art, Earth Escape, Flying Arts or Fire Escape—they all fell under the domain of escape techniques.
All things in this world fell within the Five Elements, and accordingly, there existed five types of escape techniques: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The most common among them were Earth Escape, Wood Escape, and Water Escape, simply because these three elements were abundantly present in the world around people. With just these three techniques, one could already meet most of the needs of an Immortal cultivator. Moreover, as the Immortal Dao continued to evolve, there were those of great intelligence and skill who went a step further and created the Five Elements Escape Art. No matter the circumstances, one could draw upon the surrounding elements of the Five Elements to escape.
Moreover, whether one walked the Immortal Dao or pursued martial cultivation, all were still human—and what human did not care about pride and appearance? Martial practitioners valued Qinggong not just for the inner strength it required, but also for the elegance of their movements. Many went so far as to abandon the essence in favor of the superficial, placing all their emphasis on grace and flair. The same was true in the Immortal Path. When one saw others flying on swords, floating through the sky—who would still think of the basic Five Elements Escape Techniques? Only at the very beginning of cultivation would a person bother to cultivate even a few of the different elemental escape arts. In fact, most cultivators merely dabbled in the Five Elements Escape Method and considered it a done deal.
True Person Fire Dragon was the same. He, too, had only cultivated the Five Elements Escape Method. This Fire Escape Technique was something he had chanced upon in his early years, in a desolate and barren place. He hadn’t paid it much mind—hadn’t even regarded it as a proper spell. That was the only reason it remained on his person instead of being stored in his cave-dwelling for the benefit of future disciples.
However, True Person Fire Dragon bore the title “Fire Dragon” for a reason—his attainments in fire-based techniques were anything but ordinary. The desolate island he had ended up on was no ordinary island—it was an extinct volcano. And within the cave on this deserted island, there was a tunnel that led straight down to the magma deep beneath the earth. With such advantageous conditions, True Person Fire Dragon absorbed Yuan Qi to extend his life while also passing the time by researching various arts. The “Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart Method” was one such technique born from his idle experiments.
As for the Fire Escape Technique, True Person Fire Dragon had cultivated it purely by chance. At first, he hadn’t noticed anything special about it. But as his cultivation deepened, and as his comprehension of fire-based Yuan Qi became more refined, he was astonished to discover that the Fire Escape Technique contained mysteries far beyond those encompassed by the Five Elements Escape Method.
It was true that the Five Elements Escape Method could utilize the powers of the five elements for evasion, but evasion was only one aspect of escape arts. While the Five Elements Escape Method could substitute for individual techniques, it lacked the true essence that came from cultivating a single-element escape method to its fullest.
And yet—what exactly was that essence? Even True Person Fire Dragon did not know. When he finally decided to seek it out, he regretfully discovered that he had only ever mastered the Five Elements Escape Method—and as for the individual escape arts, he didn’t even know the chants or incantations to begin them.
Under normal circumstances, such a low-level technique would be everywhere—True Person Fire Dragon wouldn’t even spare it a glance if it were tossed right in front of him. But now… he couldn’t help but feel some regret. If memory served, there was likely a certain compartment back in his cave-dwelling that held an Earth Escape Technique he had never even looked at. Within the Five Elements, fire and earth had a relationship of both mutual generation and mutual restraint. If the two could be cultivated in tandem, perhaps unexpected results would arise—perhaps even a solution to the cultivation bottleneck that once placed his life on the line.
Unfortunately, as the saying went: “There is no medicine for regret in this world.” And that applied to immortal cultivators just the same. In the end, True Person Fire Dragon never found any insights in this direction—not even conjectures. Still, he had cultivated the exceedingly rare Fire Escape Technique to an exceptional degree.
After all, look at Zhang Xiaohua—just from idly using his flying sword to catch seabirds, he had already become so proficient with it in no time. How much more so for True Person Fire Dragon, who had endless years to waste? Sometimes, it wasn’t just interest that laid the foundation for success. Loneliness and boredom could paint the path to mastery as well.
True Person Fire Dragon treasured his own cultivation insights. This time, he had recorded not only the Fire Escape Technique he had obtained but also his own understanding and experience into the jade slip, hoping that if a fated one were to obtain it in the future, they could carry it forward and bring it to even greater heights.
“Fire Escape Technique—exceedingly rare? Heh, that’s a tale from ten thousand years ago. Nowadays, even Water Escape, Wood Escape, and Metal Escape Techniques are practically unheard of. I only managed to glimpse that Earth Escape by sheer good fortune—it really was close. If a little more time had passed, even the Earth Escape chant might have vanished completely.”
Zhang Xiaohua was feeling rather smug, secretly giving his own luck and character a mental thumbs-up.
“But still, I’ve been training in Earth Escape for so long, how come I haven’t discovered anything profound? Practicing Earth Escape requires burrowing into the earth—so would practicing Fire Escape require diving into fire? Aiya, that sounds decidedly not fun. One misstep and I’ll be turned into Roasted Zhang Xiaohua. I’ve grilled so many seabirds by now, could this be karmic retribution from them? Bah, forget it—nobody else knows escape techniques these days. Just this Earth Escape alone is enough. I can run for my life… err, I mean, I can evade pursuit from experts, and that’s good enough.”
At this thought, Zhang Xiaohua put the jade slip away and then tried to unlock the restrictions on the other few jade slips. But no matter how he fiddled with them, he couldn’t crack a single one. With a sigh, he tossed the rest into his money pouch. Since True Person Fire Dragon had laid such profound restrictions on them, it probably meant that he didn’t intend for Zhang Xiaohua to open them before his cultivation reached a certain level. Or maybe…? Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up—could they contain something to do with Foundation Establishment?
In the days that followed, Zhang Xiaohua continued cultivating the Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart. Ever since the Pill Heart had formed in his Mud Pill Palace, he no longer experienced headaches during True Fire tempering. This brought him great relief—after all, while the headache wasn’t an illness, the pain could certainly kill!
The strengthening of his divine sense, along with the emergence of the Pill Heart, made controlling his flying sword and executing sword techniques all the more fluid. The sword’s speed was nearly twice what it had been before, and it moved with an ease that felt completely natural.
Another dozen or so days passed. One day, after finishing his cultivation in the cave, Zhang Xiaohua stood atop the mountain, gazing out at the vast sea. Watching the seabirds glide across the sky, a thought stirred in his heart. The Five Element Escape Techniques all involved blending into one of the five elements, allowing one to move while remaining hidden from the naked eye. The Art of Floating, however, involved suspending oneself in mid-air. If cultivated to great heights, it could surely lead to riding the wind and flying through the skies. The lightness skills of the martial world were likely inspired and adapted from this art of wind-riding. If only True Person Fire Dragon’s jade slip contained a flying technique, Zhang Xiaohua mused wistfully.
Thinking of escape techniques, his thoughts naturally drifted to the Fire Escape Technique he now possessed, and his curiosity began to stir.
“Fire Escape, there’s a risk of getting roasted, sure, but based on what True Person Fire Dragon said, if I manage to master Fire Escape, it would greatly benefit my Earth Escape as well. I’ve got nothing better to do—might as well give it a try. As long as I’m careful, maybe nothing bad will happen.”
Once curiosity sparked, it was like an itch under the skin—impossible to ignore. Unable to resist, Zhang Xiaohua reached into his money pouch, retrieved the jade slip, and without even returning to the cave, began reading it with his divine sense right there on the mountaintop.
The Fire Escape Technique was clearly far more complex than the Earth Escape. Not only did it involve eighteen hand seals to cultivate, but the chant alone ran over a thousand words—awkward and twisting on the tongue. Fortunately, Zhang Xiaohua already had some experience studying the Earth Escape Technique. What’s more, the jade slip was filled mostly with True Person Fire Dragon’s cultivation insights, which laid out a clear path for comprehension. Compared to fumbling around in the dark like he had with Earth Escape, this was far, far easier.
First, Zhang Xiaohua firmly memorized the thousand-plus word chant, then began following True Person Fire Dragon’s insights, slowly delving into the technique. No one knew how much time passed before his right hand suddenly moved. Complex and unusual hand seals began to manifest between his fingers one by one—but unlike the Earth Escape, no qi orb appeared.
Zhang Xiaohua wasn’t discouraged. When his fingers came to a halt, he paused for a moment in reflection, then formed another seal with his right hand—and his figure vanished without a trace. In the next instant, he was standing once more outside the cave.
The restriction at the cave entrance had already been broken by him earlier, so Zhang Xiaohua went straight inside and headed to a corner of the cave. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he began to ponder.
“Cultivating Fire Escape is nothing like Earth Escape—it needs a special environment. That might be why Fire Escape is so rare in the world. I mean, who just hangs around in blazing-hot, fire-rich places for fun? The Earth Lung Fire beneath this cave is the perfect environment for practicing Fire Escape. Without it, even Fire Dragon might not have been able to cultivate it to perfection. Still, he did mention clearly in the jade slip that while the Earth Lung Fire aids cultivation, it’s also extremely fierce and domineering—dangerous to the body. If I haven’t reached a certain level in Fire Escape, I’d better not recklessly charge in.”
“I’d better stay in this cave and first complete the foundational training of Fire Escape. Once I’ve gained some means of protecting myself, it won’t be too late to head down.”
Having made up his mind, Zhang Xiaohua returned to the stone bed, sat cross-legged, and shut his doors to the outside world, settling his mind into focused cultivation.
This cultivation wasn’t just a casual affair—before he knew it, nearly an entire year had passed. Naturally, Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t been cultivating only the Fire Escape Technique. He had not neglected the Carefree Heart Sutra, the Big Dipper Divine Fist, or the Jade Blood Refines the Pill Heart. Even the Earth Escape Technique, in the intervals between his Fire Escape practice, was something he regularly reviewed and practiced.
What surprised him most was that True Person Fire Dragon’s speculation had proven quite accurate—his Earth Escape Technique had shown subtle improvement under the influence of cultivating Fire Escape.
