Inside the Technique Hall stood six rows of wooden racks. Jiang Liu took a closer look, and his face darkened. Most of the racks were empty. So this was just for show? Then why make the Technique Hall so huge?
Jiang Liu silently complained about Master Lin's twisted tastes.
Jiang Liu made a rough count. Adding together all the cultivation manuals on the first floor, there were only a little over thirty books, covering leg techniques, fist techniques, palm techniques, movement techniques, claw techniques, finger techniques, saber techniques, sword techniques, throwing-knife manuals, and spear techniques. Strangely enough, there was even a halberd technique. That was ridiculous. And this included the attribute cultivation manuals—the nine books Jiang Liu had just returned.
The variety of manuals on the first floor was quite comprehensive. The problem was that there was no choice at all: they were all either Yellow Grade, Low Rank, or Yellow Grade, Mid Rank. There were only three High Rank manuals—one each for leg techniques, fist techniques, and movement techniques. He had no idea whether some manuals had not been returned. He would check with the clerk at the entrance later.
Jiang Liu shook his head and went up to the second floor, his expectations for the Eagle Hunting Hall's Technique Hall plummeting.
The second floor was even more dizzying. There was only a single rack, with only eight manuals on it. Looking at the manuals sitting there all alone, Jiang Liu did not even know what to say. Perhaps it felt too shabby, so they had only made one wooden rack.
Jiang Liu could not even be bothered to look anymore and went straight up to the third floor. Three large wooden posts stood there, with a brocade box placed on top of each one. This showed how seriously the manuals inside the boxes were being treated.
Jiang Liu stepped forward and opened the first brocade box. Inside was a single manual.
Jiang Liu picked it up and flipped through it roughly. As expected, the system reacted! "Ding! Mystic High-Grade cultivation technique, Wind Walk, discovered. Record it?" He tapped confirm.
The system changed again. "Ding! A higher-grade movement technique of the same type has been detected. Merge them?" Jiang Liu tapped confirm.
Wandering Steps disappeared from the screen, replaced by: Wind Walk (Mystic High-Grade Minor Accomplishment 860/3200) (Trait: Maneuvering).
Jiang Liu then picked up the manual in the second brocade box and flipped through it. "Ding! Mystic High-Grade cultivation technique, Mountain Splitter Palm, discovered! Record it?" "Yes."
Jiang Liu picked up the manual in the last brocade box and flipped through it. "Ding! Mystic High-Grade cultivation technique, Tiger Subduing Fist, discovered! Record it?" Yes.
This time, the system changed again. "Ding! A higher-grade fist technique of the same type has been detected. Merge them?" Jiang Liu tapped confirm.
Five Elements Fist disappeared directly from the screen, replaced by: Tiger Subduing Fist (Mystic High-Grade Minor Accomplishment 130/1600) (Trait: Tiger's Awe).
At this point, all the manuals on the third floor of the Technique Hall had been recorded. They were movement, fist, and palm techniques, all Mystic High-Grade. Forget Earth Grade—even a single Mystic Peak-Grade manual was nowhere to be found. Jiang Liu felt terribly disappointed. If they knew I could get them for free, they should have put out more!
Jiang Liu's thoughts shifted, and a deep-blue light screen appeared.
Auxiliary System:
Name: Jiang Liu
Realm: Martial Artist (Second Rank 352/1000)
Alchemy (Beginner 45/100)
Medical Arts (Uninitiated 0/50)
Mind Method: Five Elements Mind Method (Ungraded, Uninitiated 374/500)
Thunder-Drawing Art (Yellow Grade, Low Rank, Uninitiated 95/100)
Lightning Roar Art (Yellow Grade, Low Rank, Uninitiated 95/100)
Windwalking Art (Yellow Grade, Low Rank, Uninitiated 94/100)
Frost Art (Yellow Grade, Low Rank, Uninitiated 94/100)
Technique: Windwalking Step (Black Grade, High Rank, Minor Accomplishment 860/3200) (Trait: Maneuvering)
Mountain-Splitting Palm (Black Grade, High Rank, Uninitiated 0/80)
Tiger-Subduing Fist (Black Grade, High Rank, Minor Accomplishment 130/1600) (Trait: Tiger's Intimidation)
Jiang Liu looked at the screen with great satisfaction. After all, the cultivation techniques he had spent so much time practicing had not gone to waste. Unlike other people, who had to painfully start from scratch whenever they switched cultivation techniques, even the traits had now been merged together. The trait of Tiger Subduing Fist had even evolved. That made sense, too—it had fused Tiger Roaring Fist with Five Elements Fist.
Jiang Liu wondered whether other martial artists who had just reached Entry Grade would beat him to death if they knew what he was thinking. It was simply too infuriating.
Jiang Liu returned to the second floor and picked through the manuals, taking two of them: a Mystic Grade, Low Rank wind-attribute heart method, Storm Art, and a matching wind-attribute leg technique, the Mystic Grade, Mid Rank Whirlwind Kick. Of the six manuals left, four were Five Elements Heart Sutra, while one each was a fist technique and a palm technique. Jiang Liu already had better ones, so he did not take them.
When he returned to the first floor, Jiang Liu could not even be bothered to look anymore. Perhaps he could come back to look through the weapon manuals when he had time. For now, he only wanted to return and practice the newly acquired manuals.
At the entrance to the main hall, Jiang Liu found the Technique Hall clerk and registered the manuals. The clerk gave Jiang Liu another round of instructions, and only then did Jiang Liu leave the Technique Hall.
Jiang Liu did not return to his own residence. Instead, he headed straight for the Eagle Hunting Hall's meeting hall.
He had reached Entry Grade directly. He definitely had to share this good news with Master Lin. Otherwise, how would he keep up with the cultivation resources?
As for protagonists in other books who feared people discovering that they cultivated too quickly and being sliced apart? That was purely scaring themselves. There were always people in this world who were more talented than you.
Besides, Jiang Liu had been cultivating for more than a year. Reaching Entry Grade only now was not considered especially monstrous in Great Qian.
Jiang Liu had just approached the meeting hall when he heard a loud bang! as someone slammed a hand on the table.
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