Re-birth: The Beginning after the End - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: THE TECHNIQUES PART 2
By late afternoon, the siblings were drenched in sweat, their breathing heavy from hours of maintaining both techniques—the Breath of the World to blend with their surroundings, and now this Permission Barrier to prevent detection even under direct investigation.

“Your final lesson for today,” Lady Xu stepped forward, her movements flowing like water through ever-changing channels. Where Lady Wei taught harmony and Lady He taught denial of self, Lady Xu’s presence suggested something else entirely—as if she existed slightly out of sync with reality itself.

“Both concealment and barriers have their limitations,” she began, her voice carrying subtle echoes as if speaking from multiple locations at once. “True masters learn to hide in the folds between spaces.” She gestured, and the air around her seemed to bend slightly. “Watch carefully.”

The siblings observed as Lady Xu demonstrated, her form becoming increasingly difficult to focus on—not invisible like Lady Wei had been, but somehow occupying a space that their eyes couldn’t quite understand. It was like trying to watch a fish swimming through flowing water, its shape distorted by the currents.

“This is the Dimensional Shift,” she explained, her voice now coming from behind them though she hadn’t appeared to move. “Your core doesn’t need to hide if it exists in a space between spaces.”

Li Wei’s eyes widened with scholarly interest. “Like the way the Sixth Realm exists between other realms?”

“Precisely.” Lady Xu’s approval was evident. “Just as this realm occupies the spaces between worlds, you must learn to occupy the spaces between moments.” She moved to stand before them again, though none of them had seen her cross the distance. “Begin with something simple. Feel the layer of reality directly beside this one.”

The siblings closed their eyes, attempting to sense what she described. At first, there was nothing—just the familiar world around them.

“Don’t search with your senses,” Lady Xu corrected. “They’re bound to this layer of reality. Instead, feel for the places your senses can’t reach.”

Li Hua frowned in concentration. It seemed impossible—how could you feel something your senses couldn’t detect?

Slowly, she became aware of something—not a presence exactly, but more like the memory of a presence. As if reality had edges, and she could feel the space just beyond them.

“Yes,” Lady Xu’s voice seemed to come from that very space Li Hua was sensing. “Now, instead of trying to hide your core, simply let it drift slightly out of alignment with this reality. This is the Illusory Presence—existing without existing.”

Li Hua tried. It was different from Lady Wei’s technique of blending with the world, or Lady He’s method of denying access. This was more like… stepping slightly to the side of herself.

For a brief moment, she felt it—a strange sensation of disconnection, as if she was watching herself from an impossible angle. Then reality snapped back into place, the effort of maintaining such a state too great to hold.

“Good,” Lady Xu said, and this time her voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. “The technique cannot be mastered in a day. But you begin to understand—true concealment isn’t about hiding or denying. It’s about choosing where and how you exist.”

She gestured, and suddenly all three keepers stood before them again, their presence solid and undeniable. “These three methods together—harmony with the world, denial of access, and spatial displacement—form the foundation of true concealment. Master them, and you will be truly untraceable.”

As night approached, the siblings stood exhausted in the training courtyard, their clothes soaked through and clinging to their bodies. Hours of maintaining the various techniques had left them breathing heavily, muscles trembling with fatigue. Each method had demanded something different: Lady Wei’s required perfect harmony, Lady He’s absolute denial, and Lady Xu’s an understanding of reality’s malleable nature. Together, they formed a comprehensive approach to concealment that left the siblings both awed and overwhelmed.

Li Hao collapsed onto the courtyard floor, groaning. “I’d rather fight a hundred demons than do that again.”

“Then you’ll face a thousand demons tomorrow,” Lady He responded, her voice carrying no sympathy. “Until you can maintain these techniques as naturally as breathing.”

Li Wei remained standing, though his usual scholarly composure showed cracks of exhaustion. “These aren’t just techniques for hiding, are they?” he asked, his analytical mind already piecing together the deeper implications. “They’re fundamentally changing how we exist in the world.”

Lady Xu’s lips curved in approval. “Perception shapes reality, young scholar. Change how you’re perceived—”

“—and you change your reality,” Li Hua finished quietly.

Lady Wei stepped forward, her presence commanding attention despite its subtle nature. “You have each shown promise today. Rest well—tomorrow we begin combining these methods.” Her gaze swept over them, lingering slightly longer on Li Hua. “Your parents mastered these techniques in different ways. We look forward to seeing which paths you choose.”

The three keepers turned to leave, their forms seeming to blur slightly at the edges—a reminder that even their visible presence was a choice rather than a necessity.

Li Hua remained still, letting the day’s lessons settle in her bones. Her muscles ached, her mind felt stretched, but beneath the exhaustion lay a seed of understanding. This was more than survival training. This was learning to exist in a way that defied the normal rules of being.

“Come on,” Li Wei said, helping Li Hao to his feet. “We should review while the lessons are fresh.”

Li Hao groaned again but stood. “After food. Please tell me someone remembers that we still need to eat.”

Li Hua laughed softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “Don’t worry, food’s on my mind too, second brother.” She glanced at Li Wei, who nodded in agreement.

Their footsteps echoed across the courtyard as they made their way back, leaving behind the empty training courtyard that had witnessed their first steps toward true concealment. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, they had begun to understand what it meant to be truly unseen.