The Guardian Elder explained the conditions for borrowing books from the Scripture Pavilion, then lowered his eyes again, sinking back into a dozy state.
"Thank you, Guardian Elder," they said.
Mu Jinyu and Wen Rou took back their identity plaques and, after respectfully addressing the Guardian Elder, carefully walked into the depths of the Scripture Pavilion.
Trying not to disturb him.
Once Mu Jinyu and Wen Rou had entered the Scripture Pavilion,
The Guardian Elder opened his eyes once more, a faint hint of satisfaction fleeting across his turbid gaze.
"If the Heavenly Sword Faction could have disciples like these join every year, our faction might well be eligible to participate in the Hidden Dragon Conference!"
"Then the sect wouldn't be confined to the small Yan Kingdom. Even if I died, I would rest with a smile in the netherworld..."
After a brief sigh, the Guardian Elder realized this was unrealistic and closed his eyes again, seemingly napping.
...
Mu Jinyu and Wen Rou entered the Scripture Pavilion to find that not many people were browsing for suitable secret manuals.
Mu Jinyu quickly calculated the time and realized that it was mid-month, and most people had already used their monthly opportunity to learn at the start of the month.
He picked up a secret manual from a nearby shelf and flipped through it.
"'Five Tigers Severing Doors Saber,' a Mid Yellow Grade saber technique, filled with murderous aura, extremely yang and rigid, domineering without equal..."
"A Mid Yellow Grade saber technique," Mu Jinyu said with a hint of disappointment after reading the brief introduction on the first page of the book.
Just as martial artists have ranks in cultivation, elixir pills are categorized into grades, and cultivation techniques, martial techniques, and supernatural powers are also ranked!
The grading of cultivation techniques goes from 'Heaven Earth Mysterious Yellow', and from highest to lowest, they're divided into 'Supreme Upper Middle Lower'.
The 'Five Tigers Severing Doors Saber' technique at hand is considered quite inferior, a Mid Yellow Grade technique, especially suitable for Dark Energy Warriors.
Mu Jinyu naturally looked down on it.
He would not waste his once-a-month learning opportunity on such a technique.
Wen Rou, standing beside Mu Jinyu, couldn't help but ask after seeing the introduction to the 'Five Tigers Severing Doors Saber,' "Why does the Heavenly Sword Faction have saber martial techniques anyway?"
As Mu Jinyu placed the 'Five Tigers Severing Doors Saber' back on the shelf and took another one, he answered, "It's probably because Yellow Grade martial techniques are quite cheap, so it doesn't matter which type, they just buy them all to fill the library, I guess?"
"Oh," Wen Rou said, finding the explanation reasonable, and nodded before searching nearby for martial techniques.
Mu Jinyu looked through the newly picked up book, flipping it open, "'Eight Extremes Fist,' an Upper Yellow Grade fist technique, unrivaled in ferocity, powerful enough to shake mountains, extremely potent. It is commonly said in the secular world that 'With Tai Chi, one can pacify the world; with the Eight Extremes Fist, one can stabilize heaven and earth'..."
"What? They even have 'Eight Extremes Fist'? And it's Upper Yellow Grade?" Mu Jinyu was surprised to read the introduction.
Then he thought that the Eight Extremes Fist widely circulated in the outside world must be genuine too, but they're probably incomplete, having lost their core. Otherwise, the renowned Eight Extremes Fist wouldn't have so little power.
In the Kunlun Ruins, however, the Eight Extremes Fist is regarded as an Upper Yellow Grade fist technique, which clearly indicates its true power is extraordinarily formidable, capable of killing an elephant with a single punch at its Completion Stage!
"What a pity..."
After a brief moment of surprise, Mu Jinyu put the 'Eight Extremes Fist' back in its place without choosing it.
Although the Eight Extremes Fist is mighty, it is still just an Upper Yellow Grade technique. Martial artists might still use it up to the Energy Transformation level, but for someone at the Sixth Layer of the Divine Transformation Realm like him, it was unnecessary.
The Scripture Pavilion only allows one to choose a single secret manual for study each month; he couldn't possibly waste the opportunity on learning the Eight Extremes Fist!
After that, Mu Jinyu rummaged through several dozen secret manuals nearby, all of which were Mid-Upper Yellow Grade, and some were even worse, Lower Yellow Grade sword techniques.
"This is trash!"
Mu Jinyu instantly felt a wave of disappointment with the first-floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
He looked up at the staircase leading to the second level, thinking to himself that the upper floors should contain Profound Rank martial technique manuals, right?
The Heavenly Sword Faction's Scripture Pavilion was divided into four floors.
The first floor was open for Outer Sect Disciples to borrow from, and judging from what he had just searched through, most were Mid-Lower Yellow Grade, and there were only a few Upper Yellow Grade sword techniques. As for Top Yellow Grade ones, he hadn't seen any so far.
The second floor of the Scripture Pavilion was accessible to Inner Sect Disciples. It likely contained Profound Rank martial techniques, while the third floor, which was reserved for Core Disciples, had an unknown assortment of manuals of techniques and supernatural powers.
The very last, fourth floor, was where the high-ranking members of the Heavenly Sword Faction could go to borrow materials.
If he had agreed to the Sect Leader's offer and become the Sect Leader's disciple, then he would have been allowed to freely access the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion, which was one of the perks.
However...
"Alas!" Mu Jinyu sighed lightly, knowing that in order to keep his secrets, he truly couldn't become the Sect Leader's disciple. For now, he would just have to take a look around on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
"Eh, that's right, where is Little Yanzi? Shouldn't she have come to the Scripture Pavilion early?"
Mu Jinyu suddenly remembered that he had been in the Scripture Pavilion for about ten minutes and still hadn't seen Jian Ruyan.
The time allocated for choosing secret manuals in the Scripture Pavilion was one shichen, which is two hours. He wondered if Jian Ruyan had already finished her selection and left early, maybe they just missed each other on the way, or was she still picking somewhere else?
Mu Jinyu looked around; the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion was quite spacious, but he couldn't find Jian Ruyan.
When he tried to extend his Divine Sense to search for Jian Ruyan, he found that inside the Scripture Pavilion, Divine Sense was suppressed severely, only able to stretch out a meter before he could no longer extend it any further.
After thinking for a moment, Mu Jinyu figured out what was happening.
This was to prevent others from standing outside the Scripture Pavilion and easily using their Divine Sense to peek into the Pavilion's secrets – hence, a formation had been placed to suppress Divine Sense, rendering his own Divine Sense unable to expand smoothly.
"If it can't spread out, then I'll have to search step by step."
Mu Jinyu frowned slightly, beginning to guess where on the first floor Jian Ruyan might be. Considering these Mid-Lower Yellow Grade manuals, Jian Ruyan would certainly not be interested in them.
Therefore, knowing that Outer Sect Disciples also had opportunities to select techniques and supernatural powers for study—although such manuals were rare, and generally Outer Sect Disciples who hadn't stepped into the Divine Realm and therefore lacked Divine Sense, couldn't use them—these would often remain untouched. Maybe Jian Ruyan was looking for something suitable for her over there?!
With that thought, Mu Jinyu glanced around and saw someone nearby flipping through secret manuals, so he walked over and politely asked, "Hello, Senior Brother, do you know where the manuals on techniques and supernatural powers are located?"
The man, upon hearing Mu Jinyu's question, looked up at him. Initially a bit irritated at having been interrupted, but seeing that Mu Jinyu had an extraordinary bearing and was probably at the Divinity Transformation Realm, suppressed his impatience and humbly pointed out, "They are over there."
"Oh, alright, thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother," Mu Jinyu expressed his gratitude.
Afterwards, he headed toward the area with the manuals on techniques and supernatural powers, dragging Wen Rou along.
Just as they approached the bookshelf, Mu Jinyu heard Jian Ruyan's uncompromising voice, "This was mine first, why should I give it to you?!"
"Hmm?!"
Mu Jinyu's eyes narrowed when he heard this.