Chapter 359: Chapter 0356: Secret Technique for Diligent and Frugal Household Management (Fifth update, Alliance Hierarch additional release 17/18)
 

Seriously, Liszt had considered the possible locations of the Dou Qi secret technique within the book—on the cover and the pages.

Although the thick paper was substantial, hiding another sheet that recorded the Dou Qi secret technique would still be difficult. Moreover, a page hiding another sheet would be obviously different from the other pages, making it easily detectable, which rendered the hiding pointless. Therefore, he searched only within the covers.

He flipped through each book, and by the halfway point, he still hadn’t found the Dou Qi secret technique.

But he was not discouraged, as the castle’s magic books collection was only two-thirds complete. The remaining third was partly in the Sea View Villa, and the rest in Chris’s home.

As they say, opportunity is reserved for those who are prepared.

When he flipped open the cover of a magic book tucked away in the corner of the shelf, a silver page was revealed from the slit of the cover. He quickly pulled out the entire sheet. The silver paper was covered in densely written Serpent Script, with a diagram of human Dou Qi circulation on the back.

“Is it a favorite method among families with Dou Qi secret techniques to store them in this way?” Liszt caressed the silver paper, deducing it was made of silver, “But obviously, compared to Steve Vulture’s golden paper, this was a grade lower.”

The Dou Qi secret technique was acquired, but he did not immediately look into it; instead, he flipped through the magic book.

The title “Searching for the Magical Beast Beetle King among the Pincered Beetles” was something he vaguely remembered having read a bit of; the content was not engaging or rather was quite specialized, recording several forms of pincered beetles, but in the end, the book did not document any magical beast beetles.

“So, there’s no connection between this magic book and ‘The Vulture Knight Stephan’s Expedition’?”

Two different kinds of books, one a knight’s novel, the other a magic book, both concealed Dou Qi secret techniques in the same manner, and both eventually ended up in Fresh Flower Town.

Liszt was unable to guess what the underlying driving force was.

For example, what caused the leakage of the Dou Qi secret techniques, or why they were placed inside books, and then how they traveled thousands of miles away to Coral Island.

Unknown.

It could only be chalked up to luck.

He shifted his gaze to the silver paper, where at the top there was a line of slightly larger Serpent Script: “Breath Depletion Dou Qi Secret Technique – Steve Vulture.”

“Hmm?”

Liszt stared at the title, making sure he had not misread it. The author of this paper documenting the Dou Qi secret technique was none other than Steve Vulture, a Sky Knight from the Blast Furnace Fortress Kingdom, who rode a Dragon Breed Magic Beast Vulture. The Dou Qi Secret Technique “The Eye of Magic” also came from Steve.

He took out the golden paper that recorded “The Eye of Magic” from the Gemstone Space.

Comparing the two.

The name was identical, the crafting of the paper, the engraved Serpent Script—all eerily consistent: “So that means, both of these Dou Qi secret techniques originate from Steve, not necessarily his creation, but he must have obtained them… There’s no way he was a common Sky Knight!”

An earl is a Sky Knight, and even a Sky Knight of the Sword Saint Level, yet the Earl’s family had no Dou Qi secret technique.

The Long Taro Family must have a Dou Qi Secret Technique, but as a grandson-in-law, Liszt was not clear about what the Dou Qi Secret Technique was, as each noble family kept their family’s Dou Qi Secret Techniques a strict secret. It was a treasure that could be passed down from generation to generation like an elf, and was extremely valuable.

It could be basically confirmed that the technique was passed on to male heirs and not to females.

“What exactly is the reason that allowed Steve Vulture to disseminate the Dou Qi Secret Technique in a covert manner?” Liszt shook his head and decisively stopped delving into it.

He began to study “Breath Decay”.

The content was complex, and the way the Dou Qi was manipulated was also quite tricky and peculiar, but it was slightly easier than “The Eye of Magic”.

Its effect was as its name suggests, to deplete one’s own aura, that is, to greatly reduce the Dou Qi that was constantly steaming out of oneself—its purpose was twofold. One was to disguise one’s strength, making it difficult for others to accurately gauge one’s level of Dou Qi; the other was to reduce the consumption of Dou Qi.

The relationship between a knight’s body and Dou Qi was like a bucket and water.

However, it was not a perfect bucket, but rather one that continuously leaked, so knights had to persist in training and sustaining nutrition. Otherwise, the Dou Qi refined by the body would not keep up with the loss, and the total amount of Dou Qi would continually deplete.

The same was even more true when taking magic potions. The constant clash of magic power would not only break constraints but also turn the body sieve-like.

Only by continually replenishing with new magic potions and absorbing more nutrition could they continue to refine Dou Qi, maintain the total amount of Dou Qi, and continue their Dou Qi cultivation.

The value of “Breath Decay” lay in its ability to coordinate the operation of Dou Qi to reduce its loss, indirectly saving on resource consumption and enhancing the foundation of cultivation.

In other words,

whereas before Liszt would have to eat a large chunk of Magical Beast Meat every day to sustain the loss of Dou Qi from his body, now perhaps only a small piece would be necessary. Before, when consuming magic potions, a great deal of magic power would dissipate; with “Breath Decay”, he could greatly save on magic potions and improve their utilization rate.

In the final introduction, there was a record by Steve Vulture on the effects of the Dou Qi Secret Technique.

“”Breath Decay” can slow down the dissipation of Dou Qi in the body, but as Dou Qi grows, the effect diminishes.”

“An Elite Earth Knight can slow Dou Qi loss by about three-quarters; a Common Level Sky Knight can slow the loss by about two-thirds; a Sword Saint Level Sky Knight can slow the loss by about half; a Completion Level Sky Knight can slow the loss by about two-fifths; the stage for Dragon Knights is unknown.”

“At the same time, because the dissipation of Dou Qi is slowed, it will confuse other knights about one’s own strength, allowing a Sky Knight to appear as an Earth Knight.”

It could be confirmed that when Steve Vulture wrote this Dou Qi Secret Technique, he was a Completion Level Sky Knight.

“The stronger the strength, the less the reduction… At the Elite Earth Knight stage, to be able to slow the loss by three-quarters, the effect is indeed astonishing!” Liszt was very satisfied with the effect of “Breath Decay”. Saving resources was an important aspect, and the ability to disguise his power level was not bad either.

Sometimes his strength improved in an unusually fast manner, which was indeed a bit inconceivable.

Without “Breath Decay”, he could pretend to be a Common Earth Knight in front of an earl, but in front of Marquis Merlin, his cover would be blown straight away.

With this Dou Qi Secret Technique in hand, he no longer had to worry about his power advancing leaps and bounds, making himself too high-profile: “Genius can sometimes also be a pressure, but now I can finally continue to be a normal landlord and enjoy a peaceful noble life. I don’t have to bear the dazzling halo that I shouldn’t have at my age.”