Huo Hengxuan only needed a glance to confirm that Chen Kuang had already achieved the First Aspect.
This First Aspect is derived from the World Honored One Tathagata's origin.
It's said that before he descended to the mortal realm from the fourth layer of the Six Desire Realms, he was a Celestial Being in Douluo Heaven.
Besides the golden light phenomenon on the surface of the skin, there's another aspect: within a radius of one foot, there is no dust nor added weight.
At the exact moment when Chen Kuang entered his meditative state, the blood crust on his face and the dirt on his clothes began to peel off and fall away.
At the same time, the disorderly dust around him was gently pushed away by an invisible force, forming thin, cicada-wing-like silk, which tore apart and blossomed outward.
The petal-like dust enfolded Chen Kuang in the center, like a dreamlike lotus flower.
Like smoke and mist, it was dispersed by tiny air currents.
This transformation happened in the darkness, dissipating in an instant, like an illusion in the blink of an eye.
But to Huo Hengxuan, it was inescapable.
The old man was expressionless.
This First Aspect took him a month to achieve and had already earned him the title of extraordinary prodigy among his fellow disciples in the Zen Temple; a name destined for the grand competitions of the future.
For Chen Kuang, it was his first encounter and it took less than a quarter-hour to attain it.
Even with Huo Hengxuan imparting his experience, it was bewildering.
Such talent—could he truly be the reincarnation of the Buddha?
Was his clumsy, dull demeanor just now a game he was playing?
Huo Hengxuan fell silent, then slowly turned to look at the Little Princess, saying with a deep tone:
"Princess, let me teach you arithmetic."
The Little Princess bit her finger, her eyes clear and untainted by knowledge:
"What is arithmetic?"
"Please listen carefully, Your Highness—"
...
Chen Kuang opened his eyes and withdrew from the state of the First Aspect.
He felt renewed, his body full of vital energy, his skin smooth and taut.
Every breeze passing through the prison cell was acutely perceptible to him, and with the slightest movement, he felt his body hair stand on end, as if each strand had its own life.
The good news was, at this point he'd entered the realm known as "Unharmed Hair and Skin" among mortal martial artists.
This didn't mean that the body was so tough that hair and skin couldn't be harmed, but rather that when danger approached, even the hair could instantly sense it, allowing one to evade it without injury.
The bad news was, his legs were healing faster due to the activation of his vital energy.
He now understood just how abnormal the "Meat Ganoderma" passive ability was…
As the saying goes, 'It takes a hundred days to heal bone and tendon injuries,' yet his shin bone, initially almost completely fractured, was now reformed.
Only large patches of dark red bruises on his legs bore witness to the previous calamity.
Chen Kuang sighed.
To remain undiscovered, it seemed he had no choice but to... break it again himself.
He extended his hand, wrapped in rough cloth, pressing on his calf.
Listening to the conversation between the old and young on either side.
"Your Highness, please answer: if you are stranded on a deserted island and someone brings five apples that need to be divided among six people, including yourself, how should they be divided?"
"Goose, goose, goose…" Little Garbage Bucket pondered deeply, suddenly her eyes lit up, and she answered:
"First, divide three apples entirely in half, then divide the remaining two apples into thirds, that way everyone can have half plus a third of an apple."
The old man shook his head, disappointed: "Wrong!"
"If someone poses this question to you, they must have malicious intent, seeking to perform the feat of two peaches killing three warriors."
"Therefore, you need only kill the person bringing the apples, then each of the remaining people can have one apple."
The Little Princess' mouth slowly opened wide.
Chen Kuang: "..."
He vaguely remembered that what the old man intended to teach the Little Princess was... arithmetic?
What kind of arithmetic is this?
The Little Princess obviously sensed something amiss, and strongly protested, demanding Huo Hengxuan pose more problems.
Unsurprisingly, they were all bizarre problems like that.
The Little Princess pursed her lips, almost on the verge of tears.
But soon, she yawned and started to feel sleepy, curling up into Chu Wen Ruo's embrace and falling asleep.
Huo Hengxuan's smile lingered on his face, his previous gloom gone, looking instead like an ordinary old man teasing his granddaughter.
Seeing Chen Kuang's gaze, he coughed twice, restraining his smile.
Chen Kuang grinned.
He felt a little speechless, yet found it amusing… This old man, after all, was quite adorable.
Feeling vexed, he went to bully a youngster for comfort.
Extremely childish.
The musician's slender fingers stroked the body of the Dragon's Gums Zither.
The previously incomprehensible Cutting Grass Song now made perfect sense, and the sword in his mind, once vague, became clear, seemingly poised to descend at any moment.
He realized that since obtaining the "Fasting" passive, he was no longer easily fatigued, and was now as invigorated as ever.
However, humans need food to maintain normal bodily functions, and since there's no longer a need for food, the enhanced energy seems normal enough.
Chen Kuang gazed at the prison cell before him, his eyes heavy.
Surveying this Celestial Prison, every detail was revealed distinctly in his eyes.
The dim candlelight swayed in the deathly still Celestial Prison.
Chu Wen Ruo said.
Beneath the Celestial Prison, there is a Demon Suppression Prison.
Yet, no... Within his sight, there were no signs of any special mechanisms, nor any objects that might serve as mechanisms, everything had been cleaned spotless.
Li Hongling must also be unaware of the Demon Suppression Prison's existence, or else she would have already dug three feet down, uncovering the entire Celestial Prison, instead of dawdling for so long, wouldn't she?
Yet fifty thousand Zhou Army troops were stationed here, and didn't seem to be merely here to interrogate just a few people from the Imperial Palace...
For so many men, over so many days, could they just be waiting idly?
Chen Kuang believed the answer was no.
Just as he entered the First Aspect, his five senses were greatly enhanced, accidentally overhearing some elusive sounds that ordinary people couldn't hear.
Amidst the noisy wind passing through the Celestial Prison corridors, there seemed to be a hint of static noise.
His hearing was already incredibly sharp due to his blindness, and under the First Aspect's enhancement, he clearly heard a fleeting sound.
The sound of footsteps.
Hollow, damp, and quite near.
The footsteps… increasingly more and increasingly chaotic footsteps, from ordinary people.
The clashing of armor—those were soldiers.
The hollow echo, possibly indicating a tunnel, or a secret room.
Moist soil adhered to the shoes, making a sloshing sound, suggesting it wasn't outdoors, and that the area was relatively low.
Because it had already stopped raining outside, with plentiful sunshine, the soil should have dried by midday.
Bang… Heavy objects were being set down, stacked together.
Chen Kuang heard a rustling sound and then faintly discerned a strangely familiar scent reaching his nose.
What is that?
He turned to look at the wall behind him, hesitantly touching the previous crack.
That scent seemed to seep through the wall.
Two fingers rubbed and brought close to his nose.
A bit damp, but not solely water...
It's oil.
Chen Kuang was instantly alarmed.
That rustling sound wasn't gravel.
It's sulfur and saltpeter.
It's… gunpowder!