Hidden Moth-Chapter 263 - 143: A Night Standing Gracefully Amid Spring Rain

He Kao turned the car onto a dirt road and stopped amidst the hills. He took a tour up the mountain, found the location unsuitable, then drove down to continue.

Nowadays, many mountain forests and water sources have seen good vegetation recovery, but the shrubs in this area are too dense, the night Earth Qi is cold and damp, and there are many old graves, making it unsuitable for staying overnight.

He Kao finally stopped deep within a scenic region, a spot less than a kilometer from a highway, yet the mountains were dense with forest and devoid of humans.

Many places have such characteristics, appearing close to habitation, yet rarely visited by anyone.

He Kao took a mat and sat leaning against a large tree, seemingly dazed, yet with his eyes slightly closed.

The tree had a soft layer of pine needles under it, providing dryness, and the surrounding foliage offered wind protection; he chose to cultivate here at night.

Some might think encountering such a person in the wilderness could be some hermitic master. In some Xianxia films, esteemed masters either cultivate under towering ancient trees or on lofty cliffs.

The most awe-inspiring shots feature the master seated on a protruding cliff rock, with swirling clouds enhancing the immortal’s grand aura.

In reality, if someone really cultivates like this, they are often not immortals but fools. Open-air sitting meditation in the wild, especially without guardianship, is one of cultivation taboos.

Sitting meditation in the wild easily subjects you to disturbances from environmental factors, wind disrupting your focus is bad enough, not to mention venomous creatures or beasts, although it also attracts various eerie wind evils.

Even hermits in deep mountains must craft relatively safe cave mansions for themselves.

He Kao originally would meditate nightly atop the parasol tree crown, but it wasn’t truly wilderness, protected by arrays, Earth Qi, and Spirit Core, akin to a cultivation cave mansion.

As for now? The situation can’t be generalized. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He didn’t sever external connections; he didn’t enter deep meditation but sought to unfold Divine Sense naturally, to perceive external things.

It is about perception, not sensing; a state of perceiving without responding.

If the goal is this, then training in such settings is necessary, provided you can react to unpredictable situations and have the ability to handle potential dangers.

Nevertheless, He Kao didn’t opt for the spot chosen at sunset but walked much farther, finding this place after complete darkness.

Here’s a question: How far can someone see? The answer is intriguing; it actually depends not on people but on the information source’s transmission range.

For instance, by looking up you can see the moon and a sky full of stars, because distant light reaches your eyes, passively receiving this info.

If it’s active perception, like reaching out with a hand, it depends on every person’s arm length. Mastering Divine Sense feels like extending an arm, standing still but perceiving much farther.

Divine Sense isn’t equivalent to touch but is an elevation of various senses merged together, which He Kao, who has trained in Sensory Communication Technique, deeply understands.

At this moment, he cultivates the Basic Heart Method, the Hidden Moth Skill, which has evolved after breaking through the Third Realm, not simply "Nihility" or "See the Self," but "See No Differentiation."

Divine Sense expands naturally, not distinguishing between self and outside, feeling the person vanish while senses seem omnipresent.

The current environment of He Kao isn’t safe nor stable, so it is a clear, open awareness cultivation, supplementing other contents.

That day Elder Li Xiuyuan took out a gourd of wine, He Kao toasted him and Old Man Jiang three times each, then felt blood and energy surge, with power circulating throughout, practicing the Dragon Tendon Training set.

He Kao knew it was good wine, even guessing it was special Spirit Wine, but before drinking it, he hadn’t figured out its effects, only sensing instinctively that a few cups wouldn’t harm him, but overindulgence could be unbearable.

He Kao believes this shouldn’t be the case.

If it were another Magic Sect disciple, Elder Li Xiuyuan’s Spirit Wine, failing to perceive its usage is normal, but He Kao is different.

As a Hidden Moth, he is often destined to solitude; encountering similar things accidentally again, merely knowing its harmlessness isn’t enough, as unknown consequences could result from consuming it.

Hidden Moth Sect’s applied techniques include a Poison Detection Skill. Poison means harm, with its application scenarios to identify what possesses harmful properties.

For instance, he located various plants in Bai Ma Mountain, extracting their sap, then tried mixing them in different proportions to eventually create a colorless, tasteless powder that dissolves in water, causing cardiac arrest when consumed.

As for the plant names, He Kao isn’t a professional scholar and doesn’t know. The powder’s ingredients aren’t known as he isn’t a biochemist nor conducted tests.

Thus, Poison Detection Skill can protect oneself and harm others; Hidden Moth Sect’s techniques tend to be insidious... Gu Yunteng was eliminated by him like this.

However, He Kao dislikes causing harm and doesn’t wish to be only capable of harm.

Old Man Jiang gave him entire seven techniques’ inheritance, which includes various applied techniques, like Alchemy Sect’s Medicine Identification Skill, Micro Realm Sect’s Spiritual Identification Skill, related to Poison Detection Skill but different in focus.