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Join the ServerAfter a tranquil morning, Gern arrived alone at the library. Within its walls, all of the academy’s textbooks, ancient tomes, and cultivation techniques were meticulously stored.
He intended to search for new martial arts and movement techniques that might suit him.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, his eyes fell upon a graceful figure diligently cleaning. It was a young girl, seemingly even younger than Gern, appearing to be around fourteen years old.
“Excuse me, little sister,” he began, “could you tell me where I might find the martial arts and cultivation techniques?”
“Hmm? Were you talking to me?”
The young girl looked up at Gern with a puzzled expression, realizing he was a new face she had never encountered before.
“Oh, a newcomer,” she said. “Call me Senior Sister.”
“Huh?”
“What do you mean, ‘huh’? I’ve been at the academy for almost ten years.”
Gern’s mouth twitched at her words. If her statement was to be taken literally, the person before him, who appeared to be a mere child, must actually be approaching thirty.
Yet, Gern was hardly in a position to judge; considering his past life, he was even older than this individual.
“Ahem, Senior Sister,” he cleared his throat, “I’m looking for some martial arts and movement techniques suitable for me. Could you tell me where they are located?”
“Oh, that? Just follow this path straight ahead, then turn left. Martial arts are on the second row of bookshelves.”
“Movement techniques are on the third row. Feel free to browse; you can read anything within the library, but borrowing requires registration with me.”
“Understood, thank you, Senior Sister.”
Gern nodded and, without delay, hurried in the direction she had indicated.
The girl watched the eager young man rush off, shaking her head with a soft smile and sighing.
“Ah, to be young.”
****
‘Grand Pure Yang Art…’
‘Primeval Crystal Canon…’
‘Thriving Blossom Tome…’
‘Taiji Eight Desolations?’
‘Hiss, why are these names stranger than the last?’
Gern frowned, pausing before the bookshelf, sensing something was slightly off.
He concluded that he must be approaching this incorrectly, so he moved to another row of shelves dedicated to movement techniques.
‘Dog Paddle Style…’
A few dark lines appeared on his forehead. If he hadn’t known better, he would have thought he’d stumbled into the archives of some third-rate faction.
Gern, refusing to be deterred, continued his search, finally noticing a movement technique with a somewhat plausible name.
‘Swallow’s Reversal?’
‘This name seems a bit more reliable. Let’s see what it’s about.’
Gern’s gaze settled on an unassuming ancient tome, and he began to flip through its contents.
“Swallow’s Reversal: Mimics the form of a swallow to achieve the effect of being as light as a swallow. When cultivated to the extreme, one can leap over obstacles eight meters high.”
Gern found this utterly preposterous. His own Netherworld Steps could only allow him to jump to a maximum height of about three meters, yet this ‘Swallow’s Reversal’ claimed eight meters. ‘Who are they trying to fool?’
Nevertheless, he patiently continued reading.
“Swallow’s Reversal: Only knights above the third rank may learn this technique. When performing Swallow’s Reversal, one must utilize the power of battle qi to bring their physical body to its peak state, allowing for both offense and escape.”
‘Hmm…’
‘It doesn’t seem too bad after all.’
Gern pondered for a moment, deciding that the information in this book held some reliability. He just wondered how many stages he could master.
Martial arts and cultivation techniques typically lacked specific cultivation realms. Most people on the continent simply categorized them into four levels: beginner, minor mastery, major mastery, and peak.
This system made it easier to distinguish the proficiency and power of different techniques.
If one possessed talent for a particular cultivation art or martial technique, they might achieve peak proficiency in just a few months.
Of course, some techniques still required the augmentation of cultivation realms; without such support, the technique could not unleash its full power.
This was similar to Gern’s situation earlier on, where he possessed theoretical knowledge and experience but lacked the corresponding strength.
After taking ‘Swallow’s Reversal,’ Gern returned to the martial arts section. He bypassed the initial few utterly unreliable books, his gaze once again sweeping across the shelves.
Titles like ‘Sun-Piercing Sword’ and ‘Mud-Striking Obscurity’ were so bizarre they made Gern feel uneasy.
In comparison, the names for movement techniques seemed far superior.
Suddenly, amidst the plethora of odd names, Gern caught sight of one that seemed relatively normal.
“Mountain-Shaking Spear.”
In his previous life, Gern had never encountered spear techniques. He hadn’t initially intended to choose this martial art, as a blade technique would have been more suited to his personal habits.
However, given the unusually strange names of the martial arts here, he decided to first examine the contents of this particular technique.
“Shake mountains and move earth. Upon achieving major mastery, a single spear thrust can split boulders. Note: This technique is highly prone to damaging weapons; it is recommended to use a high-quality spear.”
This martial art didn’t seem particularly reliable either. After a quick glance, Gern felt his interest wane.
He placed the technique back, but then noticed another one resting beside it.
“Snow Moon Flower?”
He picked it up and took a look.
“Snow Moon Flower: Uses battle qi as wind and snow, which can be attached to any weapon. Requires ice magic talent.”
Gern pondered for a moment. This cultivation technique seemed quite suitable for him.
While he couldn’t wield magic currently, he possessed more than just his current form.
Ice magic, coincidentally, was something Miss Luoya excelled at.
Having made his decision and selecting two books, Gern returned to the library’s public reading area, which was now filled with many people, including senior students.
There were also junior freshmen, all engrossed in their respective books.
Not a single sound was made.
Gern, following suit, found a small table and began to flip through his two chosen books.
With his talent, memorizing the contents of the books in a short amount of time would be effortless.
In a secluded corner of the reading area, a golden-haired girl was eagerly flipping through a book, her cerulean eyes sparkling with excitement.
The book in her hands was titled ‘Forced Soul Contract’.
“Forced Soul Contract: Allows one to forcibly enter a contract with another party without their consent.”
“Contract Effects: Share senses, memories, cultivation techniques, and strength with the other party. The souls of both individuals will be eternally bound and inseparable.”
Lilia was practically drooling. ‘If she learned this and signed a contract with Miss Luoya, wouldn’t it mean…’
However, the very next sentence in the secret manual shattered Lilia’s fantasy.
“This secret manual can only be cast after learning the Soul Contract technique.
“Furthermore, just like the Soul Contract, one person can only sign it once in their lifetime, and it cannot be dissolved.”
“Note: This cultivation technique may lead to mental corruption from a Heretic God’s invasion. Please use with extreme caution.”
She propped her chin in her hand, a troubled expression on her face. She had never even heard of a ‘Soul Contract’ manual, and with so many diverse books in the library, finding it would surely take considerable effort.
‘Never mind. I’ll just record the contents of this book first.’
With that thought, Lilia took out a pen and began meticulously transcribing the secret manual’s contents into her notebook.
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