What Kind of Person

Xie An found the voice familiar. He turned to see that it was the Head Steward, Lin Yun.

The Head Steward, as the name suggested, was the leader of all the stewards under the Incense Master. His position was equivalent to that of a Deputy Incense Master, just without the title.

The gatekeeper clearly recognized Lin Yun and immediately put on a fawning smile. "Ah, Steward Lin has arrived."

Lin Yun nodded slightly, took out ten taels of silver, and handed them to the gatekeeper. "I'm taking them to the third floor, is that alright?"

The gatekeeper accepted the silver and chuckled, "With Steward Lin vouching for them, of course, it's fine. However, the borrowing fees can't be skipped."

"That goes without saying."

Lin Yun dismissed the gatekeeper with a wave and then said to Xie An and Zhang Lin, "Follow me."

Compared to the noisy crowds on the first and second floors, the third floor was much quieter. Only a few people were visible in total.

To be qualified to come here, one had to be at least a Head Steward under one of the Incense Masters.

Although White Feather Hall had three hundred disciples, there were only four Incense Masters, and each Incense Master was assigned one Head Steward, making a total of eight. Adding the Hall Master, two Deputy Hall Masters, and some other special positions, it was clear that no more than a dozen people were qualified to be on the third floor.

Zhang Lin, walking behind Lin Yun, patted Xie An's arm and whispered, "Old brother, we're in luck today. I've never even been to this place before. I heard that the collections here are all top-tier martial arts from our Hall, and some are even from the Tiger Wolf Gate headquarters."

Hearing this, Xie An's heart filled with anticipation.

Although Xie An hadn't practiced martial arts, his Health Cultivation Technique alone made him no less than a martial artist at the minor accomplishment stage of the Bronze Skin Realm. He wasn't particularly interested in ordinary martial arts.

Soon, Lin Yun led the two to a row of bookshelves. "Take a look for yourselves. Find whatever you want to learn. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Thank you, Steward Lin."

Xie An cupped his fists in thanks and then began browsing the martial arts on the shelves.

Xie An had wanted to practice martial arts for half a year, but due to his financial constraints, he hadn't found an opportunity. Now that he could finally access martial arts, he was naturally excited.

The collection on the third floor was far less extensive than the two floors below. There were only three bookshelves in total, with no more than a hundred books displayed on them. Xie An quickly flipped through a few, all of which were notes, or rather, martial arts insights left by predecessors.

These kinds of things were generally only effective for martial artists who had already begun practicing a martial art's core techniques.

For Xie An, an outsider who hadn't even stepped through the door of martial arts, they were completely useless.

However, driven by his desire for martial arts, Xie An, like a three-year-old child just entering kindergarten, was filled with novelty and curiosity about everything recorded in the notes.

He roughly skimmed through several of the notes. Most of them recorded cultivation experiences and journeys. Since Xie An hadn't practiced the corresponding martial arts, they were difficult to relate to, appearing like heavenly scriptures, and he was repeatedly discouraged.

Finally, one set of notes caught Xie An's interest.

It was written by a swordsman named "Meng Hu" and detailed his experiences practicing his saber technique throughout his life.

Setting aside the quality of his saber technique, Meng Hu's life experiences resonated with Xie An: he lost his father at nine, his mother at ten, had no money at home, and was also responsible for his six-year-old younger sister. Life was difficult, and eventually, Meng Hu sold himself to bandits so his sister could survive.

He navigated treacherous situations in the bandit stronghold for years, and after years of hardship, he finally got an opportunity to become a disciple.

This part was very long.

Rather than being notes on practicing the saber, it was more like an inspirational life story.

Between the lines, Meng Hu's defiance of his circumstances was evident, exuding a powerful, "awesome" aura.

Of course, Xie An knew that it had likely been embellished. It was like a successful person writing their autobiography, focusing heavily on the inspirational aspects of their tragic past, showcasing their struggle against fate, and ultimately defeating it.

But Xie An felt that those so-called successful people, in those circumstances, must have also been filled with uncertainty and anxiety about the future. Undeniably, they were superior and ultimately stood out from the crowd.

After reading one-third of the notes, Meng Hu began to record his experiences after becoming a disciple: learning the saber technique.

It was named the "Heavy Mountain Saber"!

To practice the Heavy Mountain Saber, Meng Hu specifically cultivated external hardening techniques for ten years to strengthen his physique and blood qi. Then, he spent twenty years practicing the Health Cultivation Technique to prolong his blood qi and sustain his endurance.

After thirty years of painstaking preparation, Meng Hu finally began practicing the Heavy Mountain Saber.

It took three years for minor accomplishment and five years for major accomplishment.

He eventually broke through to the Martial Master realm and carved out a fearsome reputation as "Demon Tiger" in the martial world.

Reading to the end, Xie An couldn't help but be moved and secretly admired him. "This Meng Hu truly had extraordinary willpower, preparing for thirty years to practice the saber. He achieved major accomplishment in eight years and dominated the martial world. He could be considered a late bloomer. His style is quite similar to mine. Heavy saber... a very heavy saber, which also complements my Health Cultivation Technique."

Perhaps Xie An had always felt he should practice the saber, or perhaps he was inspired by Meng Hu's resolve, but Xie An developed a strong interest in the "Heavy Mountain Saber Technique."

After all, Meng Hu was a late bloomer, and he even reached the Martial Master realm using the Heavy Mountain Saber.

To break through the five gates and cultivate Internal Strength was to become a Martial Master.

This was an extremely remarkable achievement.

Although Xie An wasn't very familiar with the martial arts situation in Qingwu County, he imagined that... there probably weren't many Martial Masters in the entire Qingwu County. Every Martial Master was a formidable figure who dominated a large region.

Even the county magistrate would have to greet them with cupped fists.

"Old brother, have you picked one?"

Zhang Lin came over at this moment.

Xie An looked up and saw Zhang Lin holding a secret manual, a satisfied smile on his face. Xie An knew he had already made his selection.

Xie An picked up Meng Hu's notes and said, "Yes, I've chosen one."

"Then let's go report to Steward Lin. Steward Lin will handle the unified registration for borrowing."

"Alright."

The two each handed their notes to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun took the manual from Zhang Lin and flipped through it. "This breathing method is indeed suitable for you; it strengthens the body and blood. If you persist in practicing, it can slow down the aging of your muscles and bones. Are you sure you want to borrow this manual?"

Although Lin Yun said this, Xie An noticed a flicker of almost imperceptible disappointment in his eyes. He guessed that Lin Yun still hoped Zhang Lin would practice martial arts and have more ambition to strive, rather than just thinking about slowing down aging...

After all, Wei Dian was nearing his end. If his subordinates didn't work hard and strive, what hope would there be?

Zhang Lin was too excited to notice Lin Yun's expression and said happily, "Yes. Please help me, Deacon Lin."

Lin Yun ultimately said nothing, nodded, and replied, "Okay, I'll help you borrow it."

Then, Lin Yun opened Xie An's notes, and his eyes immediately showed a bit of surprise. "You want to borrow these notes?"

Xie An felt a little uneasy under Lin Yun's gaze. "Yes."

Lin Yun hesitated for a moment, then returned the notes to Xie An and sternly warned him, "The practice difficulty of this saber technique is too great. It's not suitable for you. Go and choose another one. If you don't understand saber techniques, you can ask me."

Xie An became even more uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "Deacon Lin, is there something wrong with this saber technique?"

Lin Yun sized up Xie An and finally explained the reason. "In the past thirty years in the entire Tiger Wolf Gate, only a handful of people have managed to master the Heavy Mountain Saber Technique. Do you know what kind of person Meng Hu, who wrote these notes, was?"

"Please tell me, Deacon Lin." Xie An truly didn't know who Meng Hu was.