Shen Hao was led up Gui Mountain, accompanied by the child named Li Shuhua. However, after entering the mountain gate and walking halfway up, Li Shuyang stopped, pointed to the pavilion by the roadside, and said, "Let’s do it here."

Shen Hao looked up—oh, so this was the "Hammer Sound Pavilion."

Guidance between cultivators is actually the transmission of techniques, only without ceremony or status, but the principle of "the way is not passed to six ears" still applies, which is why they’ve come halfway up the mountain.

Moreover, Shen Hao was quite excited to have hitched a ride on the Cloud-Stepping Skill; the experience was novel, and he was extremely envious.

Li Shuyang entered the pavilion and sat down. Looking at the slightly nervous Shen Hao, he smiled and said, "Time is limited. You ask, I answer."

"Are all questions about cultivation permissible?" In truth, Shen Hao most wanted to ask about the Black Beast Tattoo on his body, but he didn’t dare.

"Yes, as long as it’s related to cultivation, you may ask."

Shen Hao pondered for a moment. He realized he didn’t have many questions about cultivation techniques. After all, he practiced the Great Five Elements True Qi Talisman, a Yellow Level Technique—while inefficient, it was simple and easy to grasp. Otherwise, how could so many self-taught cultivators in the Xuanqing Guard manage?

In the end, Shen Hao asked, "Junior has recently begun practicing magic, focusing on the path of escape skills, but so far, my progress has been hindered by slow casting speed. I wonder if Senior could instruct me?"

"Of course. Show me your technique first."

"Then please forgive my humble display."

With these words, Shen Hao displayed the Earth Escape Skill at his fastest speed. He didn’t dare to escape far—just over a yard from the pavilion, then used the escape skill to return. Two uses, all within a single breath; he’d improved compared to before.

These methods seemed crude in Li Shuyang’s eyes, though there were bright spots: just now, he sensed that this Flag Officer was quite adept when casting, his soul steady, not what someone at Gathering Spirit Realm First Layer should possess. Only one explanation—this Flag Officer’s soul was naturally exceptional, and likely he had surpassed the usual spell restrictions of Gathering Spirit, perhaps learning more than one escape skill.

However, Li Shuyang didn’t call it out, instead commenting on Shen Hao’s escape skill, "Your magic is shallow, and your technique is rough. The only commendable aspect is your stability when casting, which will help you resist disruptions and keep casting rhythm in actual combat. How long have you been practicing this Earth Escape?"

"Replying to Senior, Junior has trained it for nearly two months now."

"Two months?" Li Shuyang’s brow twitched, clearly surprised, but he didn’t linger and continued, "What is your confusion regarding Earth Escape?"

"My casting speed is too slow. As a Xuanqing Guard on duty, I ride the wind and weather, facing considerable danger with some experience. I feel that the most vital thing about escape skills is speed—even a slight delay can mean the difference between life and death. With my current speed, I fear I’ll be of little use in battle.

So, I wish to ask if there is any method to reach the level of Mind Seal Technique as quickly as possible."

Mind Seal Technique—that is, omitting the time for chanting and forming hand seals, where a single thought completes the spell, much faster than Shen Hao’s current speed.

Li Shuyang laughed gently and said, "Your Earth Escape Skill is rough in technique, but your proficiency is not low. If you continue to practice diligently, I believe it won’t be long before you drastically shorten your casting time. Are you sure you want to ask me?"

Shen Hao was a bit embarrassed. The things he learned were all shallow; he had no deeply troubling questions. What he’d just asked was already the most practical issue he faced—who knew Li Shuyang would complain it was too simple.

Seeing Shen Hao’s awkward expression, Li Shuyang guessed it. Shaking his head, he thought: Learning little, learning shallow, naturally means fewer confusions. As the saying goes, the more you know, the more confused you become.

"Haha, since you’re focused on the practical side of magic, how about I teach you a technique? Not only will it help you quickly grasp the Mind Seal Technique, but save you much time in your later spell practice. Will you learn?"

Shen Hao immediately bowed, eager for such a great boon—how could he refuse?

"Very well. I’ll explain it once; memorize it and ask if anything is unclear.

The reason spells utilize hand seals and seal techniques is to guide how the True Qi within a cultivator is released. Even tiny errors can lead to spell failure, so having hand seals and seal techniques work together greatly increases the success rate.

Conversely, if you can stabilize the release of True Qi when casting, there’s no need for the hand seal and seal technique pairing. This is the effect reached once you master the Mind Seal Technique.

In fact, there is a method that lets beginners skip the ’practice makes perfect’ stage and directly reach a state similar to the Mind Seal Technique."

As Li Shuyang spoke, he waved his hand; with a lift, a cluster of cloud and mist appeared out of nowhere between him and Shen Hao, twisting like a living thing, rapidly forming a line of characters.

Shen Hao recognized these characters—they were the chanting seal technique for the Earth Escape Skill.

Li Shuyang said, "You know these. But if you break them down into strokes... would you still recognize them?" As he spoke, the cloud-written characters quickly split into individual strokes, scattered and disordered.

"Actually, there’s a pattern within this. Listen closely."

Shen Hao leaned in, hearing Li Shuyang whisper a rhymed mnemonic at his ear, about a hundred words, catchy and easy to remember. After hearing it once, silently repeating it in his mind, he memorized it.

"Remember this mnemonic; in the future, for all Yellow, Profound, and Earth level spell seal techniques, you can use it to break them down. After dissecting, reconstruct a temporary True Qi rhythm in your Sea of Consciousness according to the structure given by the mnemonic, then coordinate it with spellcasting to achieve the Mind Seal Technique level. Similarly, hand seals can be broken down with this mnemonic. Try it?"

Shen Hao was dumbfounded—like a fool who only knew addition suddenly discovering multiplication; the feeling was hard to describe.

Impatient, Shen Hao sat cross-legged and, following the mnemonic taught by Li Shuyang, quickly broke down the chanting seal for Earth Escape in his mind. Then, in his Sea of Consciousness, he reconstructed a rhythm of True Qi, and likewise broke down the hand seal.

Soon, his Sea of Consciousness acquired a temporary True Qi rhythm.

Next moment, Shen Hao vanished without warning. Turning his head, he saw himself appear several yards outside the pavilion, paused briefly, and disappeared again—when he reappeared, he’d come back inside the pavilion.

It was the Earth Escape Skill, but Shen Hao had neither formed a hand seal nor chanted a seal—he’d simply run through it in his mind, and with a single thought, cast it directly, with results matching what’s described in the books as the Mind Seal Technique.

Moreover, now with his spell single, he could keep using it after one breakdown. Once he was proficient, he’d formally reach the Mind Seal Technique level and wouldn’t need to use it anymore; in essence, it didn’t replace the Mind Seal Technique but directly simplified the ’getting familiar’ process.

"Shen Hao thanks Senior for your guidance, and shall remember it always!"

"No need, what I promised was fated. Now, you may descend the mountain."