32: Chapter 32 The Cultivation Technique is Obtained

Thin clouds rolled across the sky, and deep within the backyard of the Zhenwu Division, a simple and ancient pavilion stood quietly.

Built with blue bricks, the walls were etched with mottled traces of time. The eaves were carved with aged patterns, and the plaque bearing the words "Library Pavilion" was vigorous and heavy, steeped in the martial arts aura of many years.

This was the vital area where the Zhenwu Division kept its Cultivation Techniques and martial arts.

Lin Qing walked slowly, his emotions stirring quietly. He had gone to great lengths to enter the Zhenwu Division precisely because of its vast collection of Cultivation Techniques and martial arts. Now that his destination was before him, a sense of anticipation welled up within him.

On the stone steps in front of the Library Pavilion's entrance, a white-haired old man lay in a chair dozing. Dressed in an old grey cloth shirt, his beard and hair were loose, and his eyes were lightly closed. His aura was unremarkable, looking like an ordinary elderly man in his twilight years, without any pressure of a powerhouse.

But Lin Qing did not dare to be the least bit disrespectful. This man was Elder Zhang, who guarded the Library Pavilion and controlled the borrowing permissions. Having sat in the Zhenwu Division for many years, he was definitely a hidden martial arts Senior.

He restrained his aura, took half a step forward, bowed slightly, and showed extreme respect. Holding up his black Zhenwu Division identity plaque with both hands, he spoke softly in a steady and humble tone:

"Elder Zhang, I am Xie Chen, a Little Flag of the Zhenwu Division. I joined the Zhenwu Division yesterday and have come today specifically to select Cultivation Techniques and martial arts. I ask Senior to verify my identity."

The drowsy Elder Zhang lifted his eyelids, and a withered, calloused hand slowly reached out to take the identity token.

After the verification, he raised his eyes and slowly scanned Lin Qing from top to bottom. Once the identity was confirmed to be correct, he spoke slowly in a raspy, aged voice:

"I won't repeat the rules. First-Order Cultivation Techniques and basic martial arts are on the first floor. Second-Order Cultivation Techniques and low-grade Yellow Rank martial arts are on the second floor. Your current authority does not allow you to go to the Third Floor. Go ahead, you have a time limit of three hours. Choose carefully; next time you come, it will cost merit points. Once the time is up, you must leave promptly."

"I will keep that in mind," Lin Qing replied with a bow.

Elder Zhang nodded faintly, tossed the identity plaque back into his hand, and then closed his eyes again, sinking back into a doze, no longer concerned with external affairs.

Lin Qing put away the token and stepped lightly onto the wooden stairs. The old wooden stairs creaked slightly under his feet. Inside the building, the scent of aged ink and the woody smell of ancient books filled the air, quiet and solemn, isolated from all the noise of the outside world.

Stepping onto the second floor, his vision suddenly broadened.

Rows of tall solid wood bookshelves were neatly arranged, with layers of thread-bound books categorized and placed in an orderly fashion with clear labels.

The bookshelves on the left had a restrained aura, all of which were Stance Training-type Body Refining methods, focusing on consolidating the Foundation and nourishing Qi and blood. The bookshelves on the right hid a sharp edge, containing all kinds of combat martial arts such as saber techniques, fist techniques, leg techniques, and movement techniques.

Looking at the dazzling array of massive Secret Manuals, Lin Qing could hardly hide his excitement. The Zhenwu Division had actually given him a full three hours to choose, a favor that far exceeded his expectations.

On second thought, Lin Qing immediately understood the reason.

In the Xia Kingdom, before a Martial Artist has opened their Divine Thought, their reading speed and memory are no different from those of an ordinary person. A Second-Order Cultivation Technique can easily be dozens of pages long. Even if an ordinary Martial Artist studies it with a calm heart, it would take several days to reach the level of being able to perform it completely.

Three hours might seem generous, but in reality, a normal person could at most flip through the general content and then choose one to borrow based on their own situation.

But Lin Qing possessed a unique trump card. With the System, he only needed to flip through the entire book once, and all the key movements and breathing rhythms of the Cultivation Technique or martial art would be recorded into the System and automatically integrated into his mind.

Three hours might be tight for others, but for him, it was enough to record several Cultivation Techniques and martial arts.

Suppressing the wild joy in his heart, Lin Qing went straight to the Cultivation Technique area on the left.

He was in no hurry to choose martial arts; he would settle the Cultivation Techniques first. His fingertips brushed across the bookshelves as he took down one Cultivation Technique after another, flipping through them quickly and memorizing them word for word. By now, he already had a good understanding of his System, so after recording five Cultivation Techniques, he went to the martial arts area to continue browsing.

Time passed slowly, the daylight shifted quietly, and the building remained silent.

In an instant, the three-hour time limit was up.

Lin Qing stopped his actions at the right time and casually pulled out a very common low-grade Yellow Rank martial art, the "Wind-Slaying Saber Technique." This saber technique had simple Moves, was easy to learn, and had decent lethality.

Since the Cultivation Techniques had already been recorded, he would not borrow any more Cultivation Technique manuals to avoid drawing attention.

Holding the "Wind-Slaying Saber Technique," Lin Qing walked slowly downstairs and arrived back at the entrance of the Library Pavilion.

Elder Zhang was still lying in his chair. He only gave a faint glance at the single martial art in his hand and waved his hand to signal him to leave.

Lin Qing bowed and took his leave, stepping out of the Library Pavilion and leaving the Zhenwu Division.

By this time, the sun had sunk behind the western mountains, and night had covered the entire prefecture city. The lights in the streets and alleys were lit one by one. The night breeze was slightly cool, dispersing the remaining heat of the day. Walking on the street back, looking at the lights of thousands of homes, Lin Qing felt a sense of emotion.

Back in the county town, resources were scarce and every step was difficult. To seek the path of martial arts, he had risked entering the black market many times. Later, to seek high-level Cultivation Techniques, he had come to the prefecture city alone and joined the Zhenwu Division.

He had originally thought that gathering enough Second-Order Cultivation Techniques would require a long wait and step-by-step planning, but he hadn't expected to easily achieve his goal in just a few days thanks to the mechanism of the Zhenwu Division.

Returning to his small courtyard, he closed the gate to isolate himself from outside disturbances. Lin Qing sat before a lamp and, by the dim yellow light, carefully read through and recorded the last book, the "Wind-Slaying Saber Technique," from beginning to end.

Having done all this, with a thought, he opened the panel.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Skin and Flesh Realm (Time to Breakthrough: 350 days)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Mountain-Suppressing Pile Art, Coiling Dragon Pile Style (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques: Black Mountain Peak-Stabilizing Stake (0/500), Thunder-Running Body-Forging Stake (0/500), Tendon-Strengthening Bone-Solidifying Stake (0/500), Bone-Nourishing Tendon-Adjusting Stake (0/500), Origin-Returning Body-Refining Stake (0/500)

Body Control Rating: Mortal Rank Limit

Recorded Martial Arts: Falling Stone Fist Technique (0/100), Cloud-Piercing Sword Technique (0/100), Mist-Treading Steps (0/100), Sinking Rock Palm Technique (0/100), Wind-Slaying Saber Technique (0/100)

Scanning the panel, Lin Qing began to calculate the resources needed for cultivation.

According to the patterns he had discovered through long-term practice, for every Cultivation Technique of the same rank reached Perfection, the proficiency required for subsequent Cultivation Techniques would decrease layer by layer, and the cultivation efficiency would steadily improve.

Taking everything into account, cultivating five Second-Order Cultivation Techniques from zero to Perfection would require a total of 1,500 proficiency points.

Fortunately, he still had eighty drops of earth core milk in his hand, which was the core capital for his rapid Breakthrough.

Second-Order Cultivation Techniques still maintained the rhythm of one full performance every incense stick's time. While the bonus multiplier of the earth core milk had dropped to four times, the duration was still two hours.

That is to say, for every drop of earth core milk consumed, by continuously practicing the Cultivation Technique within the two hours of the medicinal effect, he could steadily obtain 32 proficiency points.

Eighty drops of earth core milk could provide a total of 2,560 points, which far exceeded the 1,500 points needed to Cultivate all the Second-Order Cultivation Techniques.

Now that the Cultivation Techniques were in hand, he only needed to follow the steps and Cultivate, and his strength would steadily grow.

Having sorted out all his plans, Lin Qing closed the panel and stopped thinking about complicated trivial matters. The night was deep. After a simple wash, he lay on his bed, closed his eyes, and rested to recuperate.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the morning light was faint.

Lin Qing woke up on time, full of energy and without any laziness. He took out a drop of crystal-clear and warm earth core milk and swallowed it. His mind instantly became clear, and the four-fold cultivation boost was immediately activated.

He came to the open space in the courtyard and practiced the new Second-Order Stance Training.

Ordinary First-Order Martial Artists have weak physical bodies and insufficient Qi and blood. Forcing themselves to practice Second-Order Cultivation Techniques would subject them to intense pressure on their bones and muscles and a heavy load on their Qi and blood. Only some Geniuses in the Late Stage of the First-Order could barely withstand the tempering intensity of Second-Order Cultivation Techniques.

But such constraints were non-existent for Lin Qing; his physical strength had already far surpassed that of Martial Artists of the same rank.

After a whole morning of uninterrupted hard cultivation, by the time the effect of the earth core milk dissipated, his proficiency was steadily fixed at 32 points, exactly as calculated, with everything under control.

In the afternoon, Lin Qing paused his cultivation.

His stock of dried Second-Order Vicious Beast meat was completely exhausted. Vicious Beast meat was a necessary resource for nourishing the Physical Body, replenishing Qi and blood, and maintaining high-intensity cultivation. It absolutely could not be cut off and had to be replenished as soon as possible.

Unlike in the county town, regular commercial firms in the prefecture city sold Second-Order Vicious Beast meat. There was no need to risk entering the black market; the transactions were open, honest, safe, and secure.

But when he went to a firm and asked about the price, his brow furrowed tightly, and the pressure in his heart suddenly increased.

Because Qingyang County was near Qingyang Mountain, the price was naturally cheap. But in this prefecture city, one jin of Second-Order Vicious Beast meat cost as much as fifteen taels of silver.

After several expenses, he now had less than two hundred taels of silver left, which was only enough to support his cultivation consumption for a dozen days.

The problem of Cultivation Techniques had just been solved, and the predicament of a lack of money struck again. Wealth, companions, techniques, and land—the ancients truly did not deceive me. Being short of money would ultimately limit the pace of martial advancement.

For a time, Lin Qing once again fell into the frustration of worrying about money.

However, things soon took a turn for the better.

A few days passed quickly. According to the rotation schedule of the Zhenwu Division, on this afternoon, Lin Qing with Shen Lie and others went out to patrol the streets.

The few of them walked slowly along the streets and alleys, chatting to pass the boredom of the patrol. Just then, a panicked and wretched figure came running wildly from the entrance of an alley.

The person was dressed as a servant, his face was pale, he was sweating profusely, his steps were stumbling, and his face was full of terror. He rushed straight in front of everyone, plopped down on his knees, and his voice trembled:

"Lords of the Zhenwu Division! Something terrible has happened! The Eldest Young Master of the Wang Family is dead!"

The sudden murder case abruptly broke the peace of the streets and alleys; a murder case in a wealthy family had suddenly occurred.

No one knew that this unexpected disaster would become an excellent opportunity for Lin Qing to escape his predicament and turn his situation around.