True Disciple's Notes

"No wonder Hong Bao knows a Human-tier Low Grade martial skill."

After seeing off Steward Liu from Guan Peak, Ye Zhen finally understood why Hong Bao, a mere Outer Disciple, possessed a Human-tier Low Grade martial skill, and how he was able to go toe-to-toe with true energy refined by the Mirage Dragon Pearl.

This was all due to a special reward the Qi Yun Sect offered to Outer Disciples who fought their way into the top three of the Earth Ranking.

As long as an Outer Disciple of the Qi Yun Sect could break into the top three of the Earth Ranking, they earned the qualification to enter the second floor of the Scripture Depository; this was the special reward the sect granted to those top three.

Under normal circumstances, only those who became Inner Disciples had the qualification to step onto the second floor of the Scripture Depository, so this was essentially granting the top three of the Earth Ranking the treatment of Inner Disciples.

This explained why Hong Bao was able to match Ye Zhen blow for blow during their fierce confrontation.

One must know that the Essence Blood Origin Body Art Ye Zhen cultivated was a Human-tier Low Grade manual, and the true energy it condensed was inherently purer than that refined by Mortal-tier High Grade manuals.

Furthermore, Ye Zhen had the Mirage Dragon Pearl to help refine his true energy, making it exceptionally pure. If Hong Bao had been cultivating a Mortal-tier High Grade manual, even with a cultivation base one minor realm higher than Ye Zhen's, he would not have been able to hold his own in a head-on collision.

But if Hong Bao's cultivation manual was of the same grade as Ye Zhen's, and his cultivation base was one minor realm higher, he would indeed be able to match Ye Zhen evenly.

Compared to the massive haul of wealth he had just acquired, this reward was even more surprising to Ye Zhen.

Without any hesitation, Ye Zhen headed straight for the Scripture Depository.

Just moments ago, while fighting Hong Bao, he had been lamenting that he knew too few martial skills to deal with strong enemies; now, he had obtained the qualification to enter the second floor of the Scripture Depository.

Moreover, this also gave the large amount of Sect Contribution Points Ye Zhen had just acquired a place to be put to good use.

Cultivation resources were only truly resources if they were used; if they were just hoarded and left unused, they were worthless.

The Scripture Depository was as crowded as ever. After waiting in line for quite a while, it was finally Ye Zhen's turn. He hurriedly handed over his Identity Jade Token, "Deacon, sorry to trouble you..."

"You haven't entered the Scripture Depository to choose a manual yet, have you? Go on, go on, you're not a newcomer." The old sect deacon guarding the Scripture Depository was already familiar with Ye Zhen, and seeing him come directly to him, he offered a reminder.

"No, Deacon, I want to enter the second floor of the Scripture Depository, and I specifically need you to grant me access." The second floor of the Qi Yun Sect's Scripture Depository had been reinforced by a formation master of the Qi Yun Sect, and the entrance was guarded by a spiritual light screen; the green jade token of an Inner Disciple served as the pass.

However, Ye Zhen was an Outer Disciple, and his Identity Jade Token was only a white jade token. To enter the second floor, he needed the authorization of a sect deacon. Ye Zhen knew this thanks to the guidance of Steward Liu from Guan Peak.

"You're still an Outer Disciple, aren't you? The second floor is not somewhere you can just..."

Halfway through his sentence, the old sect deacon suddenly took Ye Zhen's Identity Jade Token. After a close look, he was taken aback, "You're the one who defeated Hong Bao today and charged into the top three of the Earth Ranking?"

Ye Zhen smiled and nodded.

"Unexpected, truly unexpected. I vaguely remember that four months ago, when you first became an Outer Disciple, you chose the rather difficult Snake-Wandering Steps and wouldn't listen to advice. I thought you were just another self-righteous brat. I never expected you to shock everyone like this. I, old man, have misjudged you."

Spiritual light surged from his hand, and Ye Zhen's Identity Jade Token was imbued with a mysterious glow by the old deacon, "Alright, go up to the second floor."

"Thank you, Deacon!"

After Ye Zhen left, the dozens of Outer Disciples waiting behind him, especially those who had heard the old deacon's exclamation, were filled with inexplicable emotions.

Look at Ye Zhen—only four months after becoming an Outer Disciple, he had charged into the Earth Ranking, and even reached second place. Then look at themselves; they had been Outer Disciples for a year or two and still hadn't made it onto the Earth Ranking.

Comparing people like this really made life feel unbearable.

The second floor of the Qi Yun Sect's Scripture Depository was much smaller than the first. A glance revealed only one or two thousand books, several times fewer than the tens of thousands on the first floor. Aside from the fact that higher-grade manuals were rarer, the second floor only housed Human-tier Low Grade cultivation manuals.

The Qi Yun Sect's Scripture Depository had six floors. The third floor housed Human-tier Mid Grade manuals, the fourth floor housed Human-tier High Grade manuals, and the fifth floor contained the extremely precious Low-grade Earth-tier manuals. As for the sixth and highest floor, it held the sect's foundational manuals.

With his experience from previous visits, Ye Zhen searched carefully through the Scripture Depository.

The Essence Blood Origin Body Art that Ye Zhen currently cultivated was itself a Human-tier Low Grade manual, so he did not need to choose a new cultivation method. However, he still flipped through a few to get a general understanding of the characteristics of other manuals.

The Essence Blood Origin Body Art that Ye Zhen practiced was also stored on the second floor.

Ye Zhen's focus was on martial skills and movement techniques.

Because of the Phantom Snake King in the first space of the Mirage Dragon Pearl, Ye Zhen learned snake-style martial arts and movement techniques extremely quickly; his Snake-Wandering Steps and Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand had easily reached the pinnacle of mastery.

Therefore, Ye Zhen's initial thought was to find a snake-related martial skill on the second floor to cultivate, as he could master it in a short time.

After searching for a while, however, Ye Zhen felt somewhat disappointed.

The Human-tier Low Grade martial skills stored on the second floor did indeed include some related to snakes, such as the Spirit Snake Swordplay, Myriad Snake Poison Palm, and so on. But after a closer look, Ye Zhen discovered that while these Human-tier Low Grade skills carried the word "snake," they often only captured a bit of the artistic conception.

Human-tier Low Grade martial skills were already somewhat profound and no longer relied on animal forms and imagery like Mortal-tier skills.

For example, the Spirit Snake Swordplay: the swordplay was only considered "snake-like" because it was as eerie and unpredictable as a snake's strike; at its core, it was still just swordplay.

The Phantom Snake King in the first space of the Mirage Dragon Pearl provided almost negligible help in cultivating this Spirit Snake Swordplay. In that case, choosing this swordplay would be meaningless.

If he couldn't use the power of the Phantom Snake King to master it quickly, and it couldn't complement his Snake-Wandering Steps and Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand, it wasn't worth it.

After some consideration, Ye Zhen decided to continue practicing fist or palm techniques, so that his Snake-Wandering Steps and Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand could continue to be effective.

After all, with his Snake-Wandering Steps and Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand at the pinnacle of mastery, he would not be at a disadvantage even when facing opponents using Human-tier Low Grade martial skills.

After reviewing everything, Ye Zhen first selected five fist techniques that were suitable for him and could complement his Snake-Wandering Steps. Finally, he chose one: the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist!

The Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist emphasized speed and possessed immense explosive power. If mastered, the punches would carry the sound of thunder, which could confuse opponents. At the minor success stage, the punches would be as fast as lightning; at the great success stage, the punches would flash like lightning, striking like a thunderbolt, excelling in speed.

The only requirement was a high degree of true energy refinement; the more refined the true energy, the greater the power of the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist.

Another reason Ye Zhen chose the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist was its high compatibility; it could work well with his Snake-Wandering Steps and Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand.

When unleashing a lightning-fast punch, if Ye Zhen followed up with a Spirit Snake Vein-Cutting Hand, the power would be enough to give any enemy a headache.

As for movement techniques, Ye Zhen honestly chose one that excelled in speed this time—the Wind God Steps.

The Wind God Steps purely emphasized speed. If cultivated to great success, the speed of the Wind God Steps would be comparable to that of Mortal-tier Mid Grade movement techniques.

"Ye Zhen, the Wind God Steps you chose are quite good. They complement your previously practiced Snake-Wandering Steps by covering each other's weaknesses; it is truly a solid choice." At the entrance of the Scripture Depository, the old sect deacon once again offered guidance to Ye Zhen.

"However, this Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist is not very suitable for you. Your cultivation has surged over the past four months, so it is hard to say that your true energy is pure. If your true energy is not pure enough, this Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist will have no power at all, let alone the ability to manifest the sound of thunder and flashes of lightning."

"If your true energy were pure, its power would skyrocket, but then again, if your true energy is sufficiently refined, the power of any martial skill you unleash will not be small."

Having said this, the old sect deacon wore a thoughtful expression. "As far as I know, for so many years, very few people have practiced this Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist. Even when someone occasionally chose it, I persuaded them to give it up. You had better exchange it for another one!"

"I won't exchange it. I'll stick with this Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist," Ye Zhen said.

"You..."

Just as the old sect deacon wanted to say more, he suddenly recalled the few times he had offered guidance to Ye Zhen in the past. He let out a bitter laugh and said no more, heading straight into the inner room to retrieve the two secret manuals for Ye Zhen.

Perhaps it is a common habit for everyone to want to fiddle with a new treasure as soon as they get their hands on it. Now that he had received the new secret manuals, Ye Zhen wanted to take a look at them first.

Perhaps Ye Zhen flipped through it too hastily, or perhaps this manual had been stored for too long, but as Ye Zhen turned the pages, a yellowed sheet of paper unexpectedly fell out from the Thunder Leopard Lightning Fist.

Ye Zhen hurriedly went to pick it up; damaging sect secret manuals would result in punishment.

However, upon picking up the yellowed single page, the very first line of text on it left Ye Zhen stunned—"Tu Fangye leaves this for those fated to find it!"

Who was Tu Fangye?

After a moment of bewilderment, Ye Zhen recalled exactly who this Tu Fangye was.