"Li Dingguo, look!"
"Take a look at what these two secret manuals in my hands are!"
"Hahaha... The skills the King specifically emphasized as indispensable for veteran scouts in the army: the Stealth Technique and the Breath Concealment Technique!"
About a quarter of an hour later, Li Dingguo, immersed in reading and memorizing, was startled awake by a voice beside his ear.
Turning his head, he saw that it was none other than Ai Nengqi, with whom he had grown increasingly close.
Ai Nengqi held two ancient-looking books aloft in one hand, shouting excitedly at Li Dingguo.
"Come! Li Dingguo, one for you and one for me. Let's memorize these two books first!"
During his days of wandering and begging, Ai Nengqi had been frightened by Demons and Monsters several times. Fortunately, his luck had been good, and he had escaped in time.
Because of that, those savage and exceedingly bizarre Demons and Monsters had cast a deep shadow over his heart.
After hearing the Eight Great Kings emphasize these two special cultivation manuals, he had entered the Library Pavilion and immediately begun searching for them with a clear purpose.
As expected, after spending roughly a quarter of an hour, he finally obtained these two special cultivation manuals with extraordinary life-preserving effects.
"Good!"
"I'll take a look at these unconventional cultivation skills too. Their timing couldn't be better."
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Li Dingguo was not annoyed at having his reading interrupted. Smiling, he accepted from Ai Nengqi a thin manual whose pages were slightly yellowed.
The moment he looked at the cover, he saw the three words: Breath Concealment Technique.
He set the medical book he had been holding aside, picked up the Breath Concealment Technique, and began slowly reading and memorizing it in earnest.
"Not bad!"
"This is exactly what I need!"
For some time now, Li Dingguo's greatest worry had been that if his cultivation realm advanced too quickly, it would very likely arouse Zhang Xianzhong's suspicions.
After all, as fellow Genius Martial Artists, being one step ahead could be put down to exceptional talent.
But if, within the same amount of time, you left other geniuses far behind, anyone would think there was something wrong with you.
If that happened, not only would these genius youths who cultivated alongside him be consumed by envy, jealousy, and resentment, even Zhang Xianzhong—who appeared so generous, kind, and approachable—would likely have some thoughts of his own.
In this world, where personal martial strength was magnified without limit, who did not want their cultivation realm to advance by leaps and bounds?
If Li Dingguo's performance became too abnormal, anyone familiar with him who was not a fool would grow suspicious.
To Li Dingguo, that created countless additional risks. One careless misstep could bring unimaginable future calamities.
But after reading this special cultivation skill, essential for frontier army scouts, he secretly let out a long breath.
The special cultivation manual clearly stated that as long as one cultivated the Breath Concealment Technique to great mastery, one could completely restrain the aura of one's qi and blood. Unless others personally examined them, they would be unable to discern one's true cultivation realm, qi and blood, or soul aura.
If one could cultivate this Breath Concealment Technique to the perfected realm, while also cultivating its matching Stealth Technique to the perfected realm, one could completely conceal every trace of their aura. They could even adjust, at will, all the qi and blood and soul aura they displayed outwardly.
In that case, even if someone personally examined their body, they would not be able to tell that they were putting on a disguise.
Everything outsiders could detect and perceive would only be what they wished to reveal.
Naturally, like the Tiger Roar Fist, these two special skills were easy to learn but difficult to master.
Among all frontier army scout squads, many soldiers could cultivate both the Stealth Technique and Breath Concealment Technique to minor mastery, but very few could reach great mastery, let alone the perfected realm.
As for the states beyond perfection—divine mastery and returning to simplicity—they existed only in legend.
Yet as long as one cultivated these two unconventional skills to minor mastery, one could basically deceive Demons and Monsters of the same major realm and survive relatively smoothly in the wilderness.
Thus, any Martial Artist who obtained these two unconventional techniques would generally devote great amounts of time and effort to cultivating the Stealth Technique and Breath Concealment Technique.
The goal was to survive better in the wilds when alone, without being easily discovered by Demons and Monsters, who would then lock onto their trail and aura and bring disaster down upon them.
Since Ai Nengqi had already found these two special cultivation manuals first, Li Dingguo naturally would not refuse to learn them.
Everything had its order of urgency and importance. He knew perfectly well that the sooner he gained entry into these techniques, which could greatly improve his ability to survive, the better.
The reason he had not directly searched for these two special cultivation manuals upon entering the Library Pavilion was merely that he did not want others to see through his intentions and invite unnecessary trouble.
Now that the special manuals were in hand, what he read did not disappoint Li Dingguo.
His Mental Energy was now more than twice as strong as Ai Nengqi's, and he had already reached the point where he could remember everything at a glance.
Therefore, by the time Ai Nengqi finished one book and exchanged it with him for the other manual, Li Dingguo had already firmly copied its contents into his mind.
Half an hour later, Li Dingguo had completely memorized both special manuals and could even recite them backward with ease.
However, unwilling to reveal that his Mental Energy and memory were too exceptional in public, he patiently waited until Ai Nengqi put down his manual before setting his own down as well.
"Li Dingguo, it's getting late."
"Let's go back to our rooms and meditate to cultivate!"
Ai Nengqi rose to his feet and said, "The King said that cultivating one's main martial arts method is the foundation of a Martial Artist. We cannot neglect the important for the trivial."
During this time, he and Li Dingguo had spent day and night together, and their relationship had become quite good.
Having studied together and carried guns together, the friendship between boys who were classmates was naturally pure and true, almost completely free of impurities.
Moreover, Ai Nengqi greatly admired Li Dingguo's maturity beyond his years and his calm, unruffled disposition. He had already come to see him as his closest friend.
"All right!"
Li Dingguo rose as well and said, "You're right. Let's return to our rooms and cultivate our respective True Scripture Cultivation Methods."
"When all is said and done, a Martial Artist's cultivation realm is the foundation of everything, and also the direction in which we must work the hardest."
"We've already spent nearly an hour in this Library Pavilion tonight. It's time to leave."
Though he said so aloud, he also knew that straightforward and competitive Ai Nengqi had already begun to feel some pressure. He did not want Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Huier to surpass him in martial cultivation.
His thoughts were simple: he wanted to remain far ahead, leaving those genius youths behind in a cloud of dust.
Even against Li Dingguo, whose cultivation speed was almost neck and neck with his own, Ai Nengqi did not want to lose.
Seeing Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi leave, Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Huier exchanged a glance. They too rose and left the Library Pavilion, heading back toward the side rooms where their bedrooms lay.
They intended to sleep early and rise early, striving through their own diligence to catch up with Ai Nengqi and Li Dingguo's cultivation progress.
After the four genius youths departed, the two soldiers guarding the Library Pavilion's entrance rose to their feet, extinguished some of the lamps, locked the doors, then entered a side room next door. The two took turns resting and keeping watch through the night.
The Eight Great Kings had said that this newly renovated Library Pavilion was the Rebel Army's most important place. Under no circumstances could incidents such as theft or fire be allowed to occur.
Otherwise, the King would not show them the slightest mercy. He would raise his blade and chop off their heads without a moment's hesitation.
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