"I don't believe you."

Su Xuan shot back with just those three words.

The man looked incredibly weak, even more so than Wang Shanhu. How could he possibly escape from the dungeon?

I need to figure out how to get out of here.

Muttering to himself, Su Xuan sat cross-legged on the stone slab bed and quietly gathered his strength. Then, he suddenly threw his arms out to his sides!

CLANG!

The chains binding his wrists snapped taut with a loud noise, but they didn't break.

Su Xuan shook his head. These chains were clearly forged specifically for cultivators. Brute force wouldn't be enough to break them; he'd have to find another way. Breaking the chains was something he had to do before he could even leave his cell, let alone descend to the third level of the dungeon to find Qi Li.

"You seem clever, but you're an idiot," the man sitting in the corner scoffed.

Su Xuan ignored him and started thinking of other solutions. Images from movies he'd seen flashed through his mind. How did the heroes in those films escape from prison? Could they give me some ideas?

Time trickled by. Suddenly, a strange sound caught Su Xuan's attention.

CRACK! CRACK!

A series of odd sounds came from the man in the corner. He was trembling all over, and large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

"What are you doing?" Su Xuan couldn't help but ask.

"None of your business!" the man snapped, continuing to make the cracking sounds without explaining.

Su Xuan watched covertly. After a short while, he witnessed something incredible. His mouth slowly fell open, and his eyes widened in astonishment.

Amidst the cracking sounds, the man's body was undergoing a shocking transformation—he had shrunk by an entire size!

Bone-shrinking! Su Xuan suddenly recalled a nearly lost divine skill. This technique had been demonstrated in acrobatic shows in the world below the mountain. An elderly man had been able to contract his bones, shrinking his body enough to fit into children's clothes. What was even more astonishing was that he could then stuff several wine bottles inside the clothes with him! Could this guy from the Spirit-Taming Sect actually know a bone-shrinking technique?

"Hey, buddy..." Su Xuan got down from the stone bed, squatted in front of the man, and asked, "Do you know a bone-shrinking technique?"

"Hmph!" The man looked up at Su Xuan, his eyes filled with exhaustion and pain. "Bone-shrinking technique? Do you think this is some street performance?"

"Then what is it?" Su Xuan pressed.

"Didn't you say you didn't believe I could escape?" The man seemed to still be angry about that. "Once I'm done with this technique, I'll waltz right out of this dungeon and go marry my bride-to-be! Heh heh, heh heh heh!"

However, the injuries on his body seemed to be hindering his progress. Whenever he reached a certain point, his body would tense up in pain and then go slack, preventing him from shrinking any further.

After a moment, the man couldn't help but feel discouraged. He let out a long breath and slumped to the ground, giving up the effort.

"Are you laughing at me?" the man growled, frowning as he saw Su Xuan still squatting in front of him.

"Not at all!" Su Xuan shook his head earnestly. "Actually, I'm starting to believe you can escape from here."

"See? I told you!" The man's expression brightened a little. "It's just a shame those bastards from the Floating Cloud Sect beat me so badly. I have multiple fractures, and it's affecting my performance."

"How about a trade?" Su Xuan said with a grin. "I'll help heal your injuries, you teach me your divine skill, and we can escape together tonight. How about it?"

"You've got to be kidding me!" The man didn't believe for a second that Su Xuan could heal him. The dungeon guards searched everyone on their way in; it was impossible to bring elixirs inside. Besides, even if he were willing to teach Su Xuan, could Su Xuan learn it instantly? His kind of bone-shrinking art had to be practiced from childhood!

"Then what do you call this?" Su Xuan suddenly flipped his wrist, producing an elixir and dangling it before the man's eyes.

The man's eyes lit up. "How did you bring an elixir in here?!" he exclaimed in shock.

Su Xuan said nothing. He simply took out several more pouches of elixirs and laid them out in front of the man.

The man gasped repeatedly, his face a mask of utter disbelief. He had no idea that Su Xuan had been specifically "arranged" to be in the dungeon. A search? What search?

"Don't overthink it, and don't ask questions," Su Xuan said in a low voice. "I'll give you the elixirs to heal your injuries quickly. In return, you teach me your divine skill. Deal?"

"Deal! Deal!" Seeing a lifeline in his despair, the man nodded eagerly. He reached out with his bloodstained hands to grab the elixir pouches while quickly starting to explain. "My divine skill is called Shrinking Body to Inches. It uses qi to guide and alter the arrangement of the bones, which changes your physical size. It works even better with elixirs because the technique can cause bone deterioration. Your elixirs are incredible, tsk tsk..."

As he spoke, the man became captivated by Su Xuan's elixirs. Their quality was exceptional, nothing like the crude, low-grade pills fed to menial disciples. Not being greedy, the man selected a few suitable elixirs, swallowed them, and continued explaining the cultivation method for the divine skill to Su Xuan.

"You don't have to be so detailed," Su Xuan said, seeing the man explain every trivial point as if he were afraid Su Xuan wouldn't understand. "Just give me the incantation. I'll figure it out myself."

"Brother, don't be so hasty!" The man, unaware of Su Xuan's extraordinary learning ability, said, "I took your elixirs, so I have to teach you properly. I don't expect you to learn it by tonight and escape with me. It's not like you're on death row, anyway. You can learn at your own pace. Haste makes waste!"

"It's fine. Just tell me the incantation. I won't blame you if I can't learn it." Su Xuan smiled. The man from the Spirit-Taming Sect was surprisingly responsible.

"Alright then!" Seeing Su Xuan's insistence, the man began to recite the incantation.

Su Xuan committed it to memory. The moment his powerful memory locked in the incantation, a series of system notifications echoed in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on comprehending Shrinking Body to Inches!"

"Ding! Shrinking Body to Inches has automatically reached max level!"

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for mastering three techniques. You have been awarded the high-level martial art: Undying Earth Fire!"

"Ding! Undying Earth Fire has automatically reached max level!"

Su Xuan blinked in pleasant surprise. I was prepared for Shrinking Body to Inches to automatically max out, but getting a whole new high-level martial art is a bonus!

To test the effects of Undying Earth Fire, Su Xuan extended his hand, silently channeled the technique, and something miraculous happened.

With a surge of qi, a blazing flame erupted from his palm.

The moment the flame appeared, it burned away the damp, musty air, replacing it with a scorching heat.

Seeing the flame, the man from the Spirit-Taming Sect was terrified. His heart pounded in his chest as he stammered, "Brother, how do you know such a frightening martial art?"

"Y-You're not going to kill me, are you?"

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