The Scripture Pavilion

Chen Changqing asked again, "Where has Li He gone?"

"Reporting to the hall master, I heard he went to the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall."

"That's good, too. Old Master Yuan was a powerhouse who could once have reached the Fifth Realm. His martial arts foundations are deep, and there'll be less competition over there."

"With the martial arts hall competition approaching, resources have to be directed toward the talented disciples if we want to avoid being eliminated. Li He... no matter how perceptive he is, his bone structure is lacking. Under our training system, he won't be able to stand out."

Chen Changqing waved a hand. "You may leave. I still need to consolidate my realm."

"Yes, Hall Master."

Zhao Xiong bowed and left the quiet room.

After he had left completely, Chen Changqing picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Xiao He. Sigh, I'm sorry, Master failed you!" Wang Zhengyang's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Master Wang, you're being too hard on yourself. My failure in the assessment was my own fault. My bone structure was rated too low; you can't blame anyone else," Li He replied. Master Wang had recognized his potential and given him a chance. He would never blame him for his failure in the assessment.

"Sigh!" Wang Zhengyang sighed on the other end of the phone. "It's a pity you have such perceptiveness and character. In previous years, you definitely would've made it, but a lot has happened this year, and I can't really tell you about it."

"I understand, Master Wang." Li He wasn't discouraged. "The path of martial arts is long. A high or low starting point doesn't determine everything."

"Good, good! That's the spirit! I heard you went to the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall? That's a good place. Old Master Yuan Shan was also a powerhouse who could once have reached the Fifth Realm. His martial arts foundations are deep. He's proficient in both Ancient Martial Arts and Federation martial arts, unlike those halls that only chase quick results. And..."

Wang Zhengyang lowered his voice. "Let me tell you, the Scripture Pavilion at the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall is guarded by Yuan Hong, the hall master Yuan Shan's martial brother. When I was young, I trained at the Abyss Frontline and formed a bond with Yuan Hong that was forged through life and death."

"Xiao He, I know you like to study things in depth. The Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall is a dominant force in the East District. It may be keeping a low profile now, but its Scripture Pavilion holds a remarkably rich collection."

Wang Zhengyang made a point of emphasizing this. "When you have time, go take a look at the Scripture Pavilion. Just give them my name. Yuan Hong will let you in for my sake, and he might even give you some pointers. Remember, Yuan Hong's a little solitary, but he's the real deal. Be sure to approach him humbly. He's a Third-Realm martial artist!"

A glimmer lit up in Li He's eyes.

The Scripture Pavilion!

It was exactly what he needed most right now. His vitality could be built up through those long-sealed books. Wang Zhengyang's tip had come just when he needed it most.

And the guidance of a Third-Realm martial artist was an unexpected bonus!

There were nine ranks in martial arts, also known as the Nine Realms.

The first five realms, from lowest to highest, were Martial Artist, Martial Master, Grand Martial Master, Grandmaster, and Innate.

Martial Artists could split stone tablets and shatter rocks. Martial Masters could smash through walls and demolish houses. Grand Martial Masters could topple towers and snap pillars. Grandmasters could split streets and carve paths. Innate martial artists could shake cities and move mountains!

The four realms above Innate were classified information, and Li He knew nothing about them.

"Thank you, Master Wang. I'll be sure to seek his guidance humbly and live up to your recommendation!" Li He replied solemnly. He owed Master Wang a great deal.

"What's there to thank me for? I feel guilty that I couldn't get you into Changqing. If I can help you get settled at the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall and learn something real, I'll be at ease." Wang Zhengyang reminded him, "Study hard under Old Master Yuan Shan. Don't waste your talent. If you run into any difficulties, call me anytime. That's all for now. Keep training!"

With that, he ended the call.

The schedule at the martial arts hall wasn't very strict.

Everyone attended group training in the morning.

Afternoons were for free training. At this stage, the instructors mostly taught stance work to prepare the disciples for learning fist techniques. Over the past two days, they had begun arranging free sparring sessions, pairing the disciples off to fight and gain combat experience.

They would probably be able to start learning new martial techniques in another three or four days.

At the edge of the training ground, Senior Brother Lin Feng was clearing away the trays.

"Senior Brother Lin."

"Junior Brother Li, what is it? The food I made for lunch tasted pretty good, right? Hahahaha." As he spoke, he stacked several trays and put them in a basket nearby, sounding relaxed and a little pleased with himself.

Watching Lin Feng play the part of a househusband, and thinking of how he always took care of every little thing, Li He couldn't help laughing to himself.

"It tasted great. Thanks for all your hard work, Senior Brother." Li He replied politely before getting straight to the point. "Senior Brother, I wanted to ask where the Scripture Pavilion is."

He knew it was in one of the nearby residential buildings, but he didn't know which one.

"Junior Brother Li, what made you want to go to the Scripture Pavilion?" Lin Feng asked. "It's guarded by Martial Uncle Yuan Hong. His temper... ahem, it's a little unusual, and he's very strict about the rules. Even the hall master has to wait until Martial Uncle feels like letting him consult the books. You've only just joined us, so if you go there rashly, you might not get a warm welcome."

Yuan Lingling had been secretly keeping an eye on Li He.

She hurried over as soon as she heard them. "That's right, Junior Brother Li. The Scripture Pavilion is an important place. If you go there rashly, you might upset Martial Uncle. Why not focus on training for now and decide what to do later?"

Li He felt helpless. He patiently waited for them to finish before speaking again. "Thank you both for your concern and advice. I understand the rules and know what I'm doing. I won't act rashly. Please tell me where it is."

Seeing that Li He wouldn't be dissuaded, Lin Feng knew there was no point trying again. He pointed the way. "Go west from the gate, and you'll see a small shop. Turn left in front of it. The first building is our Scripture Pavilion. It's easy enough to find, but Junior Brother, I still have to say—"

"Thanks for the directions, Senior Brother!"

Li He cupped his fists before Lin Feng could finish and hurried away.

Outside the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, he found himself on a quiet street.

Rows of residential buildings lined both sides of the street, most of them only five stories tall, with weathered outer walls. Between the buildings, the roadside trees were lush and leafy, their canopies interlacing overhead and casting patches of natural shade that made the walk very pleasant.

Following Lin Feng's directions, Li He headed west and soon found a small shop.

The old man at the shop pulled down the roller shutter and packed up his stall, then strolled unhurriedly over to a black luxury sports car parked nearby.

The car started up, merged onto the main road, and soon disappeared at the end of the street.

Li He pondered the sight. The residential area looked old, but it was actually inside a scenic area. The old man living here probably wasn't an ordinary person.

He didn't linger. Turning left, he stopped in front of the first building.

It was an unremarkable little building of blue-gray brick, its windows shut tight and its curtains drawn. No one would ever guess that the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall's Scripture Pavilion was inside.

Ding!

Li He pressed the doorbell.

In an instant, a fierce gale rose, and the Scripture Pavilion's door flew open. An overwhelming suction force surged out from within.

"Not good!" Alarm bells blared in Li He's mind. He used the Turtle-Crane Health Stance, trying to hold his ground.

He resisted for less than half a second.

The suction turned into an invisible giant hand that seized him and yanked him inside.

Whoosh—

The wind roared in his ears. The light before his eyes vanished abruptly, swallowed by darkness.

The darkness was so dense it seemed impossible to dispel; not a sliver of light could penetrate it. The air was thick with the smell of old paper.

Li He was utterly stunned. Resisting just now had made him understand even more clearly how terrifying this force was. It was completely beyond what he could withstand at his current realm.

It seemed this was Martial Uncle Yuan Hong's welcoming gift.

The suction vanished. Li He's thoughts shifted, and he activated the Ape Standing Technique, lowering his center of gravity and landing steadily on the ground.

Whoosh!

Two eyes opened abruptly high above his head. They were as large as full moons, and clearly not human.

"Who?"

Though it was only a single word, it carried boundless pressure, trying to make Li He fall again after he had just steadied himself.

But Li He refused to yield. He straightened his back, raised his head, and met the eyes with a loud reply. "I am Li He, disciple of Wang Zhengyang. On my master's orders, I've come to pay my respects to Martial Uncle Yuan Hong!"

Silence filled the darkness.

A second later, the metallic scraping voice sounded again. "Wang Zhengyang... sent you?"

"That's right!"

"Hmph!" A snort, its meaning unclear.

The two enormous eyes suspended in the darkness abruptly went out.

Click.

The lights came on.

In the faint light, Li He finally saw what was before him.

He was standing at the entrance to an extraordinarily spacious hall. Deeper inside stood enormous bookshelves, rising in layers all the way to the ceiling.

In the center of the hall, about ten steps away, stood a heavy wooden table. A figure slowly sat upright behind it.