An Unexpected Delight

Looking at the martial techniques lined up on the shelves, each half an inch thick, Liang Bo hurriedly began examining them.

"Cloudbreaking Spear, Furious Dragon Fist, Heavenly Wind Sword Technique..."

As he went through the martial techniques one by one, Liang Bo's gaze suddenly landed on a familiar one.

"Eh, isn't this the Purple Lightning Blade I cultivated before?"

He opened the first page. Sure enough, it was the low-grade human-rank martial technique Purple Lightning Blade that he had cultivated before. The front section of the book contained illustrated move diagrams, the middle section provided detailed explanations of the moves, and the final section recorded insights left behind by predecessors while cultivating this technique.

Liang Bo's Purple Lightning Blade had already reached the perfected realm, yet reviewing these predecessors' insights still benefited him greatly.

"It seems that simply raising a martial technique's proficiency to the maximum level isn't enough. There's still plenty of potential to dig out in its practical application!" Liang Bo mused.

Setting down the technique, Liang Bo continued looking through the others.

His main purpose in coming to the Library Pavilion this time was to find a human-rank fist or palm technique to replace the ordinary martial technique Cloud Piercing Palm he had used before.

Besides that, he also wanted to see whether there were any human-rank movement techniques that could make up for his shortcomings in that area.

Of course, if there were martial techniques in other areas that could also help him greatly, he would learn those as well. As long as he had enough skill points, he could make a few adjustments and raise their proficiency.

"Eh, Cloud Dragon Evasion Method? It's actually an evasion-type martial technique. That's quite rare!" Liang Bo's eyes suddenly lit up as he discovered a decent martial technique.

Although evasion-type martial techniques and movement techniques were both related to speed, they differed greatly. The former focused more on long-distance running and traveling, allowing one to pursue enemies or quickly flee for one's life when the battle turned unfavorable. The latter emphasized dodging, shifting, and maneuvering within a small area, and was mainly used in close-range combat.

Liang Bo already possessed a movement technique, but he had no evasion-type martial technique. This Cloud Dragon Evasion Method happened to fill that gap.

Liang Bo opened the booklet and skimmed through it. After confirming that it was a low-grade human-rank martial technique, he put it away and continued examining the other techniques.

Next, he selected an archery technique, Meteor Arrow, and a fist technique, Vast Sky Fist. The former was a low-grade human-rank martial technique, while the latter was the only mid-grade human-rank martial technique among all the books.

As for the other martial techniques, they largely overlapped with these two or techniques Liang Bo had already mastered, so there was no need to learn them.

Unfortunately, he did not find the human-rank movement technique he wanted. It seemed he could only wait until he reached the True Martial Sect to exchange for one.

Satisfied, Liang Bo held the three martial techniques in his hands and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a thin booklet on the very top shelf. It was covered in a thick layer of dust, as though no one had touched it in a long time.

Liang Bo took down the booklet and looked at it. On the title page were four words: "Eye of Truthpiercing."

"Eye of Truthpiercing? What kind of martial technique is this?" Liang Bo's heart stirred, and he hurriedly read the introduction.

Eye of Truthpiercing: Low-grade human-rank secret art. After cultivation, it could greatly enhance one's eyesight. At the same time, it possessed the effect of seeing through falsehoods and illusions, and was unaffected by concealment and hiding techniques.

"It's actually a secret art?" Liang Bo was both startled and delighted.

So-called secret arts were techniques with special effects. They shared many similarities with martial techniques, but there were also many differences.

For instance, after being cultivated, this Eye of Truthpiercing could not be directly used in battle, but it could greatly enhance one's eyesight and even see through falsehoods. This was far beyond what ordinary martial techniques could compare with.

Thus, secret arts were usually even more valuable than martial techniques.

Liang Bo had not expected to discover a secret art in the family Library Pavilion. This truly was an unexpected delight.

However, what puzzled him was why this secret art had been placed high atop the shelf and left unattended beneath a thick layer of dust. It was clearly impossible that no one else had noticed it and only Liang Bo had.

Could it be that this secret art had some flaw? Or perhaps it simply could not be cultivated at all?

He hurriedly continued reading. As he read on, he came to understand. Secret arts generally required certain heavenly treasures to assist their cultivation. Without the corresponding heavenly treasures as a catalyst, a secret art either could not be cultivated at all, or its effects would be greatly diminished even if it were cultivated successfully.

As for this Eye of Truthpiercing secret art, the rest was largely complete, but the page concerning the heavenly treasures it required was missing.

As a result, since no one knew what heavenly treasures were needed as a catalyst, this secret art could not be cultivated at all. That was why it had been abandoned on the shelf all this time.

Liang Bo thought to himself, Although the crucial information is missing, I have my cheat. I wonder whether I can still cultivate this secret art?

Liang Bo immediately decided to take this secret art with him as well.

After carefully searching through the Library Pavilion once more and confirming that there were no other "surprises," Liang Bo left with the four booklets. Arriving before the white-robed elder, he bowed and said, "Clan Elder, this disciple has made his selections."

"Mm, let this old man see." The white-robed elder nodded slightly. "Cloud Dragon Evasion Method, Meteor Arrow, Vast Sky Fist, and Eye of Truthpiercing, correct?"

"Precisely." Liang Bo nodded respectfully.

The white-robed elder frowned. "Liang Bo, this Eye of Truthpiercing cannot be cultivated at all because no one knows what heavenly treasures it must be paired with. Taking it out will be useless. You'll merely be wasting your time."

"This disciple understands, but I still wish to give it a try and see whether I can cultivate it successfully." Liang Bo hurriedly bowed in reply.

"Do as you wish." The white-robed elder shook his head noncommittally. He had seen many people choose this secret art with the intention of trying their luck, but one after another, they had all ended in failure.

The white-robed elder then reminded him, "Also, Liang Bo, your comprehension should be quite good, but you must understand that a person's energy is limited. Spreading yourself too thin will often leave you empty-handed in the end. Therefore, this old man advises you to focus on mastering one martial technique first. Only after you have cultivated it successfully should you venture into other areas."

"Thank you for Clan Elder's advice!" Liang Bo replied calmly.

Seeing that Liang Bo remained unmoved, the white-robed elder was immediately somewhat disappointed. He said no more, merely instructing him to return the booklets within one month and strictly forbidding him from privately teaching them to others.

After Liang Bo agreed to each condition, he took his leave.

Watching Liang Bo depart, the white-robed elder shook his head. "Sigh, young people these days all aim too high. What a pity!"