The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The spring hunt is scheduled for three days from now.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the palace, and all the palaces and courtyards were bustling with activity.

The ladies-in-waiting rummaged through chests and cabinets to select riding outfits, the princes practiced riding and archery with great enthusiasm, and the servants of the Imperial Household Department were extremely busy.

Those preparing hunting gear, repairing horse tack, and taking stock of the ceremonial procession all wore an irrepressible excitement on their faces.

The spring hunt was an annual grand event in the Great Zhou court. The emperor attended in person, accompanied by the three dukes and four marquises, and the heads of all departments were present. Its scale was second only to the winter solstice sacrifice.

For princes and princesses who were confined within the palace walls year-round, the spring hunt was one of the few opportunities to leave the palace and get some fresh air, and it was also a stage to showcase themselves in front of the emperor and the entire court.

In previous years, Ninth Prince Zhou Xing never participated in the spring hunt.

A six or seven-year-old child, weak and sickly, unable to ride a horse or draw a bow, would be useless if he went there.

Every time, the Empress would routinely ask, "Is Xiao Jiu going or not?" and then make the decision for him without waiting for an answer.

"He's too young; let him stay in the palace and be properly cared for."

No one expected him to go this year either; even Chunlan had prepared things for him to do in the side hall.

Several new storybooks, a box of osmanthus cakes, and a newly sewn thick blanket, in case he gets cold while sitting by the window reading the storybooks.

But Zhou Xing's mind was not on the spring hunt at all.

He had something more important to do.

In front of the bronze mirror in the side hall, he sat cross-legged on a futon, closing his eyes and looking inward.

The vortex in his dantian was several times stronger than it had been half a year ago; it had originally been just a blurry mass of warmth.

It has now condensed into a clear, slowly rotating pale golden cloud.

Each breath caused the air mass to expand and contract slightly, as if it had its own heartbeat.

Second rank.

He broke through quietly in the early hours of this morning.

No one was alerted; not even Qiuju, who was keeping watch outside, heard any commotion.

He achieved foundation building at the age of seven, entered the first rank in one month, and entered the second rank in half a year. In half a year, he completed the path that most princes would take two or three years to complete.

That's too fast.

It happened so fast that he didn't dare let anyone know.

Given the talent he displayed during his Foundation Establishment stage, it wasn't impossible for him to reach the second rank within six months.

But he couldn't take that risk.

A prince without a maternal clan, a teacher, or a powerful backer, would only bring trouble upon himself if he displayed too much talent in martial arts.

Therefore, he needs a cultivation technique that can conceal his true cultivation level, just like Xu Chu and the others concealed their cultivation levels within the palace.

He didn't need to hide too deeply; he only needed to suppress his second-grade aura back to first-grade and continue to be the inconspicuous, invisible child in the corner.

That afternoon, Zhou Xing went to practice his light-footed skills in the open space of the Imperial Garden as usual.

Zhan Zhao was already waiting at the usual spot, holding the long sword that had never been drawn from its sheath, his arms crossed, leaning lazily against a pillar of the pavilion.

His posture appeared casual and relaxed, but after Zhou Xing established his foundation, his eyesight had greatly improved, and he could see that beneath Zhan Zhao's seemingly relaxed demeanor, his muscles and blood were maintained in a delicate balance, ready to unleash astonishing speed and power at any moment.

"Your Highness's aura is calm and composed today, and your gait is even more steady than last week." Zhan Zhao's gaze swept over him, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. His tone was like a casual compliment, but there was a hint of seriousness in his eyes that only Zhou Xing could understand. "You've made rapid progress."

Zhou Xing smiled slightly but did not reply.

He walked to the open space next to the pavilion and began to practice the steps taught by Zhan Zhao. He stepped forward, moved to the side, spun around, and stopped abruptly. He did each movement seriously, and his feet left a series of shallow footprints on the bluestone slabs.

Zhan Zhao gave him some casual pointers from the side, occasionally tapping his calf with his sword sheath to lower his center of gravity by half an inch, and sometimes instructing him to immediately do a spin after a sudden stop.

What they practiced was the most difficult aspect of light-body skills: changing direction instantly without losing speed while moving at high speed.

After practicing for most of the hour, a fine layer of sweat appeared on Zhou Xing's forehead.

Zhan Zhao told him to rest, then walked to the pavilion and took out a water pouch from his pocket and handed it to him.

When Zhou Xing took the water pouch, he gently tapped Zhan Zhao's hand twice with his fingers.

Zhan Zhao's gaze sharpened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply said in a very soft voice, "Your Highness, Deputy Commander Xu is on duty in the Qian Yuan Hall today."

Xu Chu's deputy commander's office was located on the east side of the Qian Yuan Hall. It was a small, independent wing room, next to the office of the commander of the Imperial Guards.

When Zhou Xing arrived, Xu Chu was sitting at his desk looking through the patrol roster.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up. His large, bell-like eyes showed no surprise. He simply stood up and performed a proper bow: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Zhou Xing didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "General Xu, I'm having some questions about lightness skills and agility. I'd like to ask you for some guidance."

His voice wasn't loud, but he emphasized the word "confused" slightly.

Xu Chu's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately understood his purpose.

He stepped aside to let Zhou Xing into the duty room, and casually closed the door ajar, leaving a crack.

It neither appears suspicious nor does it obstruct the view of patrolling guards passing by.

The guardhouse was simply furnished with an elmwood desk, two rough wooden chairs, a map of the capital's defenses hanging on the wall, and a half-dead asparagus fern on the windowsill.

"Your Highness, if you have any questions, please speak freely." Xu Chu moved a chair for Zhou Xing to sit down, then stood in front of him with his arms crossed.

He was a burly man who, standing in the small duty room, almost completely blocked the sunlight streaming in through the window.

Zhou Xing looked up at him and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I need a cultivation technique that can conceal one's cultivation level, the kind you use, the kind that hides one's true cultivation level within the palace."

Xu Chu remained silent for a moment.

He didn't ask why, but simply nodded slightly, then turned and walked to his desk, took out a blank sheet of Xuan paper from the drawer, and laid it on the table.

He picked up his pen and began to write.

He writes his characters very large and very slowly, each stroke like the force of a sword he strikes on the battlefield, powerful and clear.

He wrote for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the Xuan paper was densely covered with words, including the formulas for the exercise, the routes for the circulation of qi and blood, the key points for controlling one's breath, and several key acupoints.

"This technique is called the 'Hidden Edge Technique,' and it is a method for us to conceal our breath."

Xu Chu put down his brush, blew the ink off the Xuan paper, and handed it to Zhou Xing with both hands. "The core of this technique is to hide one's true cultivation deep within the meridians, leaving only a portion of the Qi and blood circulating on the surface, making it indistinguishable from the real thing."

"When ordinary martial artists probe your aura, they can only sense the part that you deliberately reveal. Unless the other party's cultivation is three major realms higher than yours, or the other party specializes in a special detection technique, it is extremely difficult to see through it."

"However, this method requires the continuous consumption of qi and blood to maintain the disguise, which means that a small part of the cultivation is always occupied, which has a slight impact on the cultivation speed."

"Another drawback is that if faced with extreme pressure and a life-or-death crisis, the disguise may be lost for a short time, and the true cultivation level will be exposed."

Zhou Xing took the Xuan paper and scanned it from beginning to end.