15: Fragments of "Golden Bell Cover"

The thrilling conflict with Zhao Tian in front of the dining hall finally concluded in an absurd and dramatic fashion.

"Lin Ye got incredibly lucky, his random palm strike just happened to hit Zhao Tian's old injury, causing his finger bone to shatter" — this news, as if it had grown wings, spread throughout the entire Outer Sect within half a day.

Suddenly, Lin Ye became a "celebrity" in the Outer Sect, known to everyone.

However, this fame was not a good reputation. In the eyes of most Disciples, he was still that weak, incompetent, and easily bullied waste, but now, the prefix "incredibly lucky" was added before "waste."

Lin Ye seemed oblivious to all of this.

He maintained his silent, submissive demeanor, showing up for work on time every day, eating on time, and minimizing his presence.

Yet, only he knew the turbulent heart hidden beneath that seemingly calm exterior.

In the dead of night, he would quietly examine his slightly reddened right hand. Even with the Minor Achievement of Iron Sand Palm protecting him, the recoil from directly clashing with Zhao Tian's punch still left his entire arm sore for a long time.

"More offense, less defense," Lin Ye calmly summarized in his mind.

The Minor Achievement of Iron Sand Palm gave him powerful offensive capabilities far exceeding those of his peers, enough to win in a single blow. But his body was essentially still an unrefined youth at Qi Refining Stage One.

This time, he managed to startle Zhao Tian back with his superb acting and unexpected counterattack. But what if next time, the opponent was prepared, didn't engage him head-on, and instead attacked his other vital points?

His seemingly dangerous "counterattack" was actually dancing on the edge of a knife; the slightest mistake would lead to eternal damnation.

"I need a defensive Cultivation Technique!" This thought became clearer and more urgent than ever before.

A Cultivation Technique that would allow him to stand firm and withstand damage! Only then could he have true confidence and maximize his advantages!

To get a Cultivation Technique, he had to go to one place — the Scripture Pavilion.

And entering the Scripture Pavilion to exchange for Cultivation Techniques required a hard currency — Sect contribution points.

In the following days, Lin Ye displayed astonishing "diligence."

After comprehending the Coiling Force Clue, whether it was chopping wood, carrying water, or other chores, his efficiency was several times higher than that of ordinary Disciples. Every day, he not only completed his quota tasks ahead of time but even had spare energy to complete some extra Sect tasks that could earn contribution points.

In the eyes of other Disciples, this kid seemed addicted to "luck"; every day he worked tirelessly as if injected with stimulants, practically an out-and-out madman.

Lin Ye, however, covered all of this with the perfect excuse: "fearing Senior Brother Zhao's retaliation, he could only work desperately, hoping to gain the protection of the stewards."

Thus, after five days of frantic "grinding," he finally accumulated ten Sect contribution points by exceeding his tasks.

This "large sum" might take ordinary Outer Sect Disciples several months to save up.

Clutching these hard-earned contribution points, one afternoon, Lin Ye stepped into that Holy Land yearned for by all Outer Sect Disciples for the first time — the Scripture Pavilion.

The Scripture Pavilion was an ancient three-story stone tower, located in the center of the Outer Sect area. The tower body was bluish-gray, having endured countless winds and rains, full of the vicissitudes of time.

Lin Ye walked in and found the first floor much larger than expected. Rows of huge bookshelves, several zhang high, stood like silent giants, neatly arranged, densely packed with various Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals.

The air was filled with a faint, unique scent, a mixture of paper and ink.

Dozens of Outer Sect Disciples moved between the bookshelves, some with furrowed brows, some with excited faces, and others sighing.

Lin Ye didn't join the crowd; he knew that most of the popular Cultivation Techniques that people gathered around were either flashy but impractical or ridiculously expensive to exchange.

His goal was very clear — defensive Body Refining Cultivation Techniques!

He walked straight past the areas marked "Sword Arts," "Palm Arts," and "Movement Techniques" and came to a secluded corner.

On the bookshelves here, two large characters were marked — "Body Refining."

Compared to the bustling activity in other areas, this place was almost deserted, with only a few people browsing, most of whom looked disappointed.

Lin Ye understood. Body Refining Cultivation Techniques were the most painful, resource-intensive, and slowest to show results among all types of Cultivation Techniques. For Outer Sect Disciples who lacked resources and wished they had more than 24 hours in a day, choosing Body Refining was tantamount to seeking death.

But this was exactly what Lin Ye wanted.

He squatted down, his gaze slowly sweeping over the lowest layer of the bookshelf. Most of the Secret Manuals here were covered with a thin layer of dust, clearly having been untouched for a long time.

"Iron Ox Art," "Thirteen Grand Protectors Horizontal Training," "Hard Qi Art"... The names of these Cultivation Techniques sounded progressively "harder," but Lin Ye just briefly flipped through them and shook his head. Most of these Cultivation Techniques were not high-grade; even if successfully Cultivated, they would at most make the body a bit tougher than ordinary people, far from meeting his requirements.

His gaze continued to move towards the depths of the corner.

Finally, on the bottom shelf, in a corner almost completely covered by shadow, he saw a thin, yellowed booklet.

The booklet was casually tucked into a gap among a pile of miscellaneous books; if one didn't look carefully, its existence would not be noticed at all.

Lin Ye's heart stirred, and he reached out to pull it out.

He blew off the dust on the cover, and three ancient yet powerful characters came into his sight —

"Golden Bell Shield."

Upon seeing this name, Lin Ye's breathing hitched slightly!

He eagerly opened the booklet.

The paper of the booklet was brittle, and a striking line of small characters was written in cinnabar:

"This is an incomplete volume, recording only the first two layers of the Mind-Cultivation Technique. Cultivating this technique requires guiding Qi and blood to impact the major acupoints throughout the body, causing extreme pain. It cannot be Cultivated by those without great perseverance or great Opportunity. Exchange with caution."

Indeed, it was an incomplete volume!

Lin Ye continued to read, finding detailed descriptions of the methods for the first layer, "Skin Tempering," and the second layer, "Muscle Refinement." Its Cultivation method was practically self-mutilation. It required using internal breath to guide one's Qi and blood, like a tide, to repeatedly impact and wash specific parts of the body until the skin was as tough as oxhide and the muscles as resilient as old vines.

This Cultivation method, just by reading about it, made one's scalp tingle. Moreover, this was only an incomplete volume; even if one endured the severe pain and mastered the first two layers, the path ahead was cut off, making it utterly without prospects.

No wonder it was thrown in such an unvisited corner.

However, Lin Ye's eyes burst forth with an unprecedented brilliant light!

Pain? For him, who possessed the System, it simply didn't exist!

Incomplete volume? As long as he could get started, he was confident that with the System, he could deduce this Cultivation Technique to Perfection!

He turned to the last page of the booklet and saw its exchange price.

"Exchange Price: Three Sect contribution points."

Three points!

This price was so low it was practically free!

"This is it!"

Lin Ye no longer hesitated, taking this incomplete volume of Golden Bell Shield directly to the exchange counter at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.

The person responsible for registration was an old steward with white hair and beard, dozing off. He lifted his eyelids, glanced at the booklet Lin Ye handed him, and a hint of surprise flashed in his murky eyes.

"Oh? Golden Bell Shield? Kid, are you sure you want to exchange for this?" The old steward's voice was a bit hoarse. "This is a Wasted effort (waste Cultivation Technique); practicing it not only wastes time but also easily causes internal injuries. In all these years, you are the first to exchange for it."

"Disciple... Disciple's Aptitude is dull; I can't Cultivate those profound Cultivation Techniques, so I just want... I just want to Cultivate something tough, not easily injured," Lin Ye immediately put on that honest yet slightly foolish expression, scratching his head and saying embarrassedly.

The old steward heard this, gave him a deep look, then shook his head, seemingly too lazy to persuade him further.

"Very well, to each his own. Give me your identity token."

Lin Ye quickly handed over his identity token. The old steward took it, lightly swiped it on a black stone slab, and the token glowed faintly. The number representing contribution points changed from ten to seven.

"Alright, take it."

"Thank you, Steward."

Lin Ye respectfully bowed, carefully tucked the thin incomplete volume of Golden Bell Shield into his embrace as if it were a treasure, and turned to leave the Scripture Pavilion.

Stepping out of the stone tower, the warm afternoon sun shone on him, but he felt a burning sensation in his chest.

He knew that from today onwards, an indestructible barrier would be added to his Cultivation path!

Iron Sand Palm for offense, Golden Bell Shield for defense.

An unknown Outer Sect handyman was quietly building his own powerful Foundation, combining offense and defense, in his own way!