Chapter 102: Chapter 102: Unlocking the Jade Scroll

The iron tower of Jinchuan City.

While it wouldn’t have much prestige in a major metropolis, it was the well-deserved landmark and the tallest building in Jinchuan City.

Standing on the open-air observation deck at the top of the tower, one could take in the entire skyline of Jinchuan City.

"Miss Xia, you sure picked a great spot. There isn’t even a place to sit," Fang Chen teased as he looked at the cold metal grid platform beneath his feet.

Xia Chu burst into a giggle, carrying a hint of smugness. "Haha, who says there’s no place to sit?"

She walked lightly to a protruding steel beam at the edge of the platform, designed to secure the structure, and sat on it. Her two slender calves dangled gently in the air as she patted the empty spot beside her. "Right here!"

Fang Chen walked over and sat down next to her.

Beneath him was cold steel, before him was the vast twilight, and beside him was a girl with a soft, warm aura.

"When are you leaving?" Fang Chen was the first to speak.

"Tomorrow morning. The military had to wait until a bus was fully booked before departing. It only filled up today, but it was too late, so we have to wait until tomorrow."

"Oh."

"Your flight... is it done by manipulating the water vapor in the air to form support, and then using Spiritual Power to delicately control your movement, achieving an effect similar to flying?" Fang Chen looked downward as he voiced his speculation.

This kind of ability required an extremely strong Elemental Affinity and precise micromanagement of Spiritual Power.

Xia Chu turned her head and looked at him with sparkling eyes, nodding vigorously. "Mm! As expected of Chen, seeing right through to the essence at a glance!"

The two shared a smile. The evening breeze brushed by gently, bringing a touch of coolness.

Xia Chu naturally tilted her head and rested it softly on Fang Chen’s shoulder, quietly gazing at the last trace of rosy sunset on the horizon.

After a long while, it was Xia Chu who laughed softly first, breaking the tranquility.

"What are you laughing at?" Fang Chen asked.

"I’m laughing at a certain someone," Xia Chu said with a mischievous tone, looking up at him. "Only asking for a hundred thousand, hehe."

She blinked. "Did you know that when my mom left the house that day, she had a full five hundred thousand in her wallet!"

Fang Chen was speechless.

"I was careless." He revealed a hint of chagrin and sighed, playing along.

"Haha!"

Xia Chu was amused by him and laughed even more cheerfully, her silvery laughter scattering across the empty tower top.

After laughing, she leaned back against him, her voice softening. "How was the Martial Dao Exam?"

"What else could it be? I passed, of course," Fang Chen replied casually.

"I knew it."

Xia Chu’s tone was filled with a matter-of-fact pride, but then it dipped, carrying a barely detectable trace of melancholy. "Sigh... Actually, I sometimes wonder if it would’ve been fine if I didn’t go to the Magic Academy and went to the Martial Arts Academy with you instead."

Fang Chen frowned slightly. Just as he was about to say something, Xia Chu immediately continued.

"But then I thought about it. If I stayed by your side all the time but acted like dead weight, unable to help with anything, I’d have no presence at all.

"At the very least... I need to be able to step forward and offer you help when needed, rather than just hiding in the back and cheering you on."

Her voice lowered, bearing the heaviness of memories.

"Just like that incident in The Three Greats’ dreamscape... If I had awakened my Superpower earlier, or if I had been stronger, maybe... the situation wouldn’t have been so tragic."

Seeing the topic sliding into a heavy place, Xia Chu immediately shook her head as if to toss away the gloom. A smile returned to her face as she changed the subject, carrying a touch of mystery.

"Hey, Chen, I think I discovered a secret of yours."

Fang Chen’s emotions also pulled away from the previous memories as he went along with her. "A secret? What secret do I have?"

"Hehe, about your Superpower."

Xia Chu sat up straight, looking at him seriously as she lowered her voice. "Tell me honestly, does your Superpower... have something to do with Spiritual Power?"

Fang Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive. "Spiritual Power? No."

"You’re still denying it!"

Xia Chu pouted in feigned anger, extending her slender white finger to tap the air in front of his forehead. "My, my, I wonder who it was that just released their Spiritual Power to scan my face back and forth! What? Afraid I’d come to seek revenge?"

She suddenly pretended to wipe away tears. "BOO-HOO, you heartbreaker..."

Fang Chen was amused by her. "Your acting is as clumsy as always."

Inwardly, however, he was slightly shocked.

He had indeed habitually used his Spiritual Power to perceive Xia Chu’s emotions just now, but he never expected her to notice!

But on second thought, he felt relieved. Xia Chu had awakened a Tier-4 Elemental Element Superpower; her Spiritual Power was bound to far exceed that of ordinary people. It made sense that she could perceive a Spiritual Power probe.

At this time, Xia Chu carefully took out a piece of jade from her small bag. It was about half the size of a palm, warm and pure white, with a faint luster flowing over it.

"Chen, look at this."

Fang Chen looked closely, somewhat surprised. "A Jade Scroll?"

Xia Chu nodded. "Yes, exactly. After I went to Jing’an City to complete my final Superpower awakening and evaluation, a high-level Mage from the Superpower Bureau came and gave me this."

She handed the Jade Scroll to Fang Chen, her eyes clear. "Inside this, there’s a Basic Heart Method recorded for systematically training Spiritual Power. Since you also have abilities in this area, Chen, here, it’s for you."

Fang Chen didn’t take it immediately. Instead, he frowned slightly. "Can this... be shared with outsiders?"

He was surprised inwardly.

"It’s fine," Xia Chu waved her hand and explained. "This kind of thing might be rare to the outside world, but within Mage circles, it’s a relatively common Technique used for tempering the Spiritual Power of newcomers to build their foundation. It’s not some closely guarded secret, just something ordinary people can’t access."

She shoved the Jade Scroll into Fang Chen’s hands and began to explain. "I’ll teach you how to open it."

Fang Chen’s Heart Spirit trembled. He immediately recalled his previous predicament at the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy’s Library Pavilion, where he had faced a pile of Jade Scrolls without knowing how to access them, ultimately destroying several by force without gleaning any information.

Xia Chu’s voice continued,

"Many high-level Cultivation Techniques, Magic, or special comprehensions cannot be completely and accurately described with text.

"Most of the time, those high-level Mages or Martial Artists directly imprint a certain state, unique rhythm, and intuitive feeling from their cultivation into them.

"The effect is much better and more intuitive than writing it on paper. Therefore, many truly high-end or core inheritances are recorded using Jade Scrolls."

"First, try carefully sending a sliver of Spiritual Power inside," Xia Chu instructed.

Fang Chen followed her instructions, separating an extremely minute strand of Spiritual Power and, like a tentacle, slowly probing it into the warm Jade Scroll in his hand.

"How is it, Chen? What do you see in this Spiritual Mark space?" Xia Chu’s voice seemed to ring directly in his consciousness, carrying a guiding tone.

"It’s a hazy gray void. There’s nothing here; it feels completely empty," Fang Chen truthfully reported his Perception.

"Mm, that’s because the ’lock’ hasn’t been opened yet. Watch me!"

As soon as Xia Chu finished speaking, in Fang Chen’s Spiritual Perception, a gentle purple point of light carrying a moist aura suddenly lit up within the hazy space.

"Hi, Chen, it’s me! Come on, I’ll take you to find the first unlocking node!"

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