Chapter 265 - 263: Jade Observation Method

This was what he had just been reading.

Although it seemed completely unrelated to the Dragonification Experiment, he had a nagging feeling:

That "Researcher" was so deranged, so obsessed with "Dragons," that he would surely try to draw far-fetched connections from traditional culture.

In other words, it was crucial to understand the difference between Dragons in the culture of the Si Realm and those in Yanhua.

It had been over a week since he’d returned, but he still hadn’t found the courage to tell his aunt, his two younger sisters... or even Lei Lv and Lei Yi about the "Three-headed Dragon."

Many nights, while cultivating, Yang Shen would recall the events on the Vast Sea, remembering those enormous, emotionless draconic eyes.

Being able to speak again with what was likely his uncle’s remnant soul was his own good fortune, but a misfortune for the Yang Family. It was nothing to celebrate.

His uncle’s death, the vengeance he was owed, his current incomprehensible state...

If he told them, his aunt, Yang Mo, Yang Man, Lei Lv, and Lei Yi would all likely suffer sleepless nights, overwhelmed by their emotions.

Yang Shen knew that feeling all too well, because he had gone through the exact same thing.

Yang Shen couldn’t even be sure if it was a remnant soul or merely an Insect Soul that only possessed his uncle’s memories...

The moment he confessed, the whole family would be thrown into chaos.

Yang Shen’s gaze gradually sharpened. As he looked at the book in his hands, the earlier warmth and emotion were gone.

All that remained was icy resolve.

’The Yang Family’s strength is sufficient, especially since the Rebel Species lacks top-tier fighters.’

’But the Yang Family’s influence is still lacking. The problem isn’t how to kill the vermin hiding in the gutters, but how to find them... especially how to find their nest.’

As a global organization, even the Yanhua Official authorities couldn’t eradicate them completely.

He refused to believe that after Jiang Xingjian’s death, the Rebel Species would simply give up on rebuilding their Jianghuai Sub-temple in one of the world’s most prosperous metropolises.

But this time, his objectives were different, and so his methods had to be as well.

During the summer vacation, he had only been trying to confirm Long Jiu’s safety and eliminate a hidden threat.

Now, however, he needed a lead he could follow all the way to the Si Realm Great Cloud Marsh.

He had discreetly asked around while in the Noon Realm, as many people there had experience being stationed in the Si Realm.

It was a vast region, with a total area comparable to a province and a lake said to contain a "thousand islands." It wasn’t a place you could just charge into blindly and hope to find a clue...

This would be a long-term operation requiring a lot of manpower. He couldn’t just go on a killing spree and solve everything like before.

The most troublesome part of this whole affair... was that Yang Shen couldn’t easily borrow the power of the authorities.

For instance, he couldn’t just report that a Dragonification Experiment was taking place in the Si Realm Great Cloud Marsh.

Setting aside whether the authorities could even find it after a report—after all, the Si Realm was theoretically within Yanhua’s sphere of influence, yet the perpetrators had been conducting their research in secret for years, hadn’t they?

The crucial point was that if the dragon *was* found, Yang Shen couldn’t predict how the authorities would react to the "Three-headed Dragon." Something of that immense size could certainly not be controlled or raised in captivity.

Furthermore, it was the product of a heretical cult’s technology... He couldn’t rule out the possibility that they would simply dispatch powerful experts to exterminate it.

What could he use to influence the authorities’ decision? His title as "Yanhua’s number one genius"?

If he put himself in their shoes, making the decision for the Yanhua officials, he would only find this "genius" to be acting inexplicably. Rather than go along with his wishes, they would probably try to "counsel" him...

’I can’t be impulsive... but I can’t give up, either.’

’Besides hoping to find a solution through the secrets of the Dragonification Experiment, relying on the random wonders of the Cultivation Side is too passive. The chances of drawing an ability that could solve Uncle’s problem are as slim as finding a needle in a haystack. Creating and merging my own Cultivation Techniques is a long-term necessity.’

Yang Shen put away *Dragon: Cross-Realm Legends and Cultural Decryption* and briefly sensed the positions of the others within the Array.

He then rose and walked to the backyard, stopping beside the "Pre-Qin Ancient Well" that the Yang Family themselves paid little mind to.

With a leap, he jumped in.

Before he reached the bottom of the ten-meter-deep dry well, Yang Shen formed a Finger Technique with one hand and, with silent and exquisite timing, sank into the earth.

Ever since obtaining the Five Elements Escape Technique, he had grown increasingly fond of the Earth Element Escape he once disdained, becoming more and more proficient with it.

But this time, entering the underground tunnel felt different...

The inherently murky and oppressive feeling of the Earth Element Escape had vanished without a trace, making Yang Shen feel as free as a fish in water.

No... he felt even freer than in water, and his speed was incredible.

At first, Yang Shen thought it was due to his advancement to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, but he quickly realized the true reason...

It was because the Yang Family was the "Master of Earth Veins" here!

The effect of the Earth Soil Pottery Jar was quietly at work. It had already covered the entire Yang Residence and was now spreading toward Cangwu Garden.

This was an unexpected benefit. He had originally thought it would only grant a cultivation efficiency bonus for those with an Earth Attribute Spiritual Root.

It seemed the four words "Master of Earth Veins" brought far more changes than just that.

However, that wasn’t why Yang Shen had come this time. He was heading for the Qi Storage Pavilion.

He followed the same long, downward-sloping tunnel as before.

Yang Shen held his breath as the Rising Sun Flame behind him formed a searing ribbon of light, illuminating the path ahead.

With his current physique, holding his breath for an hour or so wasn’t a problem as long as he didn’t engage in strenuous activity.

At the bottom of the massive subterranean cliff, the dilapidated Qi Storage Pavilion stood as always, the viscous Spiritual Liquid below it remaining still and quiet.

Yang Shen leaped lightly to the top floor, the sixth, then carefully made his way down a decaying staircase to the fifth floor.

This floor was slightly larger than the sixth. Over a thousand bone fragments were neatly arranged around the eight sides of the octagonal room. Some had been disturbed, but most remained just as they were 2300 years ago.

By now, Yang Shen could be considered a minor expert on Pre-Qin Texts. He had long since absorbed and integrated all publicly available knowledge on the subject, and he possessed many samples that outside professionals did not.

The primary method for deciphering this kind of script, carved on oracle bones, was through comparison.

Yang Shen put on gloves and began to search carefully through the thousands of bone fragments. Every piece here was a unique Qi Dao text, each one priceless.

A few minutes later, by the light of the Rising Sun Flame, Yang Shen found what he was looking for.

His fingertip traced the surface of the bone fragment...

"Meditate and reflect, to nourish the Jade within the spirit... Observe and contemplate, to transform the flood dragon within the body..."

Yang Shen could now read it without any difficulty.

This was a Qi Daoist Technique he had seen before, titled:

*Jade Observation Method*...

Previously, Yang Shen hadn’t paid it much mind, because the technique was rather abstract.

Its creator believed that a person’s spirit held a precious Jade, so there was no need to seek divine light from the outside world. Practicing the *Jade Observation Method* could strengthen one’s Divine Soul.

But... that was all it did.

The method involved no physical enhancement, nor did it have the function of absorbing Spiritual Qi. Even the so-called "strengthening of the Divine Soul" was described in a very metaphysical way.

However, among all the lost gems of the Qi Dao he had examined, it was the only one that contained the character for "Dragon"... even if it was just a small mention.

This was what he had come for today.

Back then, Yang Shen had neither the ability nor the ambition to merge various Cultivation Techniques, so he hadn’t thought this one was useful. He had glanced at it once and put it back, not even bothering to read to the end.

This time, he read it more carefully, hoping to find some information related to dragons that could serve as a clue.

Moreover, the *Jade Observation Method* didn’t involve the physical body, only the mind and will.

’Maybe... Uncle could cultivate this technique?’

However... he was soon disappointed.

Not only was the "flood dragon" mentioned very briefly in the *Jade Observation Method*, but it also seemed to be a completely different concept from the flood dragon of modern Yanhua culture.

The concept attributed to dragons in Yanhua culture has also undergone several changes. 2300 years ago, in that era, the flood dragon did not symbolize "power," "majesty," or "divinity" as it does today.

Instead, it was a personification of the reverent fear of "floods" and "water disasters."

It even carried a hint of aversion, falling into the category of an "evil deity."

The book he had been reading on the lounge chair earlier said the same thing.

Therefore, in the *Jade Observation Method*, "flood dragon" was merely used as a metaphor for the distracting thoughts and negative emotions within a person’s mind.

’Observe and contemplate, to transform the flood dragon within the body... So that’s what it meant... *Sigh*.’

’It’s just a metaphor, at best.’

Yang Shen shook his head and put the bone fragment back.

Since he was already here, he decided to look through the others. Perhaps he would find something else.

And so, Yang Shen searched the Qi Storage Pavilion for a long time. He found other bone fragments containing the character for "Dragon," but unfortunately, they all used it merely as a metaphor.

A metaphor for great power, for mystery, for dual cultivation, and so on...

However, he did take note of some Qi Daoist Techniques he found useful.

Only when the time he could hold his breath approached the limit for his current realm did he quietly prepare to leave.

However, just as he was about to leap out, he had a sudden flash of inspiration. He returned to the fifth floor and retrieved the *Jade Observation Method* again.

He took out a small notebook and quickly copied it down.

’The *Jade Observation Method*... It seems it’s not completely useless after all.’

He was reminded of the trouble he had in the Noon Realm...

...the fact that he couldn’t become his own sun.