Scripture Pavilion

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

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

"That is fine. Old Master Yuan was a powerhouse capable of challenging the Fifth Realm back in his day, and his martial arts foundation is profound. The competition there is also a bit smaller."

"With the Martial Arts Hall Grand Competition approaching, if we want to avoid being eliminated, resources must be tilted toward genius disciples. Li He... even if his comprehension is excellent, his innate bone structure is insufficient. Under our training system, he will never stand out."

Chen Changqing waved his hand, "You may go. My own realm still needs further consolidation."

"Yes, Hall Master."

Zhao Xiong bowed and retreated from the quiet room.

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

"Hello?"

"It's me, Xiao He. Sigh, Master has let you down!" Wang Zhengyang's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Master Wang, you are too kind. Failing the assessment was my own issue. My bone structure rating was too low; I cannot blame anyone else," Li He replied. Master Wang had shown him great kindness by taking him in, and he would never blame Master Wang for his failure in the assessment.

"Sigh!" Wang Zhengyang sighed on the other end, "It is just a pity for your comprehension and temperament. In previous years, you would have definitely gotten in, but this year, many things happened, and it is not convenient for me to tell you."

"I understand, Master Wang." Li He was not discouraged, "The path of martial arts is long; the height of one's starting point does not determine everything."

"Good, good lad! It is good to have that spirit! I heard you went to the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall? That is a good place. Old Master Yuan Shan was a powerhouse capable of challenging the Fifth Realm back in his day, and his martial arts foundation is profound. He is proficient in both Ancient Martial Arts and Federation martial arts, far beyond those martial arts halls that only pursue quick results. And..."

Wang Zhengyang lowered his voice, "Let me tell you, the guardian of the Scripture Pavilion at the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall is named Yuan Hong. He is the direct junior martial brother of Hall Master Yuan Shan. When I was young and training on the front lines of the Abyss, I had a life-and-death friendship with Yuan Hong."

"Xiao He, I know you like to study. As a hegemon of the East District, although the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall is low-key now, their Scripture Pavilion has a quite rich collection."

Wang Zhengyang emphasized, "When you have time, you can go to the Scripture Pavilion and mention my name. For my sake, Yuan Hong will let you in, and perhaps he might even give you some pointers. Remember, Yuan Hong has a somewhat eccentric personality, but he truly has the skills. You must be humble; he is a Third Realm martial artist!"

A glimmer of light flashed in Li He's eyes.

The Scripture Pavilion!

This was exactly what he needed most right now. The accumulation of vitality lay within those dust-covered classics. This news from Wang Zhengyang could be described as providing fuel in snowy weather.

And pointers from a Third Realm martial artist were an unexpected bonus!

The martial path has nine stages, also known as the nine realms.

The first five realms, from low to high, are Martial Artist, Martial Master, Great Martial Master, Grandmaster, and Innate.

A Martial Artist can split stones and break monuments, a Martial Master can break walls and dismantle houses, a Great Martial Master can destroy buildings and snap pillars, a Grandmaster can split streets and divide roads, and an Innate martial artist can shake cities and move mountains!

The four realms above Innate are classified information, which Li He did not know.

"Thank you, Master Wang. This disciple will definitely seek guidance humbly and will not let down your kindness in recommending me!" Li He replied solemnly. This favor was truly too heavy.

"What is there to thank? I feel guilty for not being able to get you into Changqing. If I can help you gain a firm foothold at Yellow Mountain and learn some real skills, I will be at ease." Wang Zhengyang exhorted, "Learn well from Old Master Yuan Shan, and do not waste your talent. If you have any difficulties, call me anytime. That is all, practice hard!"

After saying this, he hung up the communication.

The schedule within the martial arts hall was not strict.

The morning was for unified training, which everyone attended.

The afternoon was for free training. At this current stage, it mostly involved teaching stance training to prepare for learning fist techniques. In the last two days, they had begun arranging free sparring, where disciples were paired up to compete and accumulate practical combat experience.

It was estimated that in three or four days, they could begin learning new martial arts techniques.

At the edge of the training ground, Senior Brother Lin Feng was tidying up the meal trays.

"Senior Brother Lin."

"Junior Brother Li, is something the matter? The lunch I cooked tasted pretty good, right? Hahahaha." As he spoke, he placed several stacked meal trays into the basket beside him, his tone relaxed and tinged with self-satisfaction.

Watching Lin Feng's house-husband-like appearance and recalling his usual meticulous care, Li He couldn't help but chuckle silently.

"It tasted very good. Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother." Li He replied politely and quickly cut to the point, "Senior Brother, I would like to ask, where exactly is our martial arts hall's Scripture Pavilion located?"

He knew the Scripture Pavilion was in a residential building nearby, but he didn't know which one.

"Junior Brother Li, why have you thought of going to the Scripture Pavilion?" Lin Feng asked, "That place is guarded by Uncle-Master Yuan Hong. His temper... ahem, is quite special, and the rules are very strict. Even the Hall Master has to check the Uncle-Master's mood to read the classics. You have just started, so if you go rashly, I'm afraid you won't get a good reception."

Yuan Lingling had been secretly watching Li He.

She came over as soon as she heard him: "That's right, Junior Brother Li. The Scripture Pavilion is a restricted area. If you go rashly, you might displease the Uncle-Master. It would be better to focus on your training and consider it later."

Li He felt helpless inside, but he patiently waited for them to finish speaking before opening his mouth again: "Thank you for your concern and reminders, Senior Brother and Senior Sister. I understand the rules and have my own sense of propriety. I will not act recklessly. Please, Senior Brother, tell me the specific location."

Seeing that Li He was unmoved, Lin Feng knew that further persuasion would be useless, so he pointed out: "Go out the door and walk west. You will see a small supermarket. Turn left in front of it, and the first building is our Scripture Pavilion. The location is easy to find, but Junior Brother, I still have to say..."

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother!"

Li He didn't wait for Lin Feng to finish, immediately cupped his hands in a salute, and walked away quickly.

Stepping out of the main gate of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall, he was met with a quiet street.

On both sides of the street were rows of residential buildings, mostly only five stories high with mottled outer walls. Between the buildings, the street trees were lush and leafy, their canopies intertwining above the street to form patches of natural shade, making it very comfortable to walk through.

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

The old man at the store pulled down the rolling shutter, packed up his stall, and walked unhurriedly toward a high-end black sports car parked nearby.

The sports car started, merged into the main road, and quickly vanished at the end of the street.

Li He felt a sense of contemplation; although this residential area looked old, it was actually situated within a scenic spot, and the old men living here were likely not as simple as they seemed.

He stopped lingering, turned left, and halted in front of the first building.

It was an inconspicuous, grey-blue building with its windows tightly shut and curtains drawn firmly; no one would ever imagine that this was actually the Scripture Pavilion of the Yellow Mountain Martial Arts Hall.

Ding!

Li He pressed the doorbell.

In an instant, a gale erupted, the doors of the Scripture Pavilion swung wide open, and an irresistible suction force surged from within.

Not good! A warning bell rang wildly in Li He's mind, and he immediately utilized the Turtle-Crane Health Stance, attempting to anchor himself in place.

He held his ground for less than half a second.

The suction force transformed into an invisible giant hand, seized him, and yanked him forward violently.

Whoosh—

The wind whistled past his ears, the light before his eyes vanished abruptly, and he was plunged into darkness.

The darkness was so thick it could not be dispersed, not a single ray of light could penetrate it, and the air was filled with the scent of aged paper.

Li He was terrified; the resistance he had just attempted made him realize even more profoundly that the horror of this power was something his current realm could not possibly contend with.

It seemed this was the "welcome gift" Uncle-Master Yuan Hong had prepared for him.

As the suction force vanished, Li He focused his mind, activated the Ape Standing Technique, lowered his center of gravity, and landed steadily on the ground.

Swish!

Two eyes suddenly opened at a great height above his head, as large as full moons, and clearly not belonging to any human.

"Who?"

A single word, yet it contained boundless pressure, attempting to intimidate the steady Li He into collapsing once more.

But Li He did not yield; he straightened his back, raised his head to meet those eyes, and spoke in a clear voice: "I am Li He, a disciple of Wang Zhengyang. Acting under my master's orders, I have come specifically to pay my respects to Uncle-Master Yuan Hong!"

In the darkness, there was dead silence.

A few seconds later, that voice, sounding like metal grinding against metal, rang out again: "Wang Zhengyang... sent you?"

"That is correct!"

"Hmph!" An ambiguous, cold snort.

Immediately following, the two giant eyes hovering in the darkness suddenly extinguished.

Click.

The lights flickered on.

By the dim light, Li He finally saw the scene before him.

He was standing at the entrance of an extremely spacious hall, and deep within the hall were layers upon layers of massive bookshelves that soared to the ceiling.

In the center of the hall, about ten paces away from him, sat a heavy wooden table, and a figure slowly straightened their body.