Inner Sect Scripture Repository

Morning mist curled through the inner sect's mountain forests, thin fog drifting among the peaks. The spiritual energy in the air was several times richer than in the outer sect.

After many days of secluded recovery, the sword wounds on Shen Yuan's body had fully scabbed over and fallen away. However, the depletion of his foundation from burning his vital blood still needed gradual recuperation. He could not yet unleash all his strength without restraint.

Today, he changed into a brand-new set of azure inner sect martial attire, hung his inner sect disciple jade token at his waist, and headed alone toward the Inner Sect Scripture Repository.

The Scripture Pavilion stood halfway up the inner sect's main peak, an ancient and imposing wooden tower with upturned eaves rising layer upon layer. Two inner sect disciples stood guard before its entrance, swords in hand. Within the pavilion were the various cultivation arts, martial skills, and cultivation notes accumulated by the Azure Cloud Sect over hundreds and thousands of years. It was one of the sect's core restricted grounds.

According to the privileges of inner sect disciples, newly promoted disciples could freely browse the books on the first and second floors of the Scripture Pavilion. Entry to the third floor and above required either meritorious service to the sect or a personal writ from an elder.

As Shen Yuan reached the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, a guarding disciple stretched out a hand to stop him.

"Present your inner sect jade token."

Shen Yuan raised a hand, removed the jade token from his waist, and passed it over.

The guarding disciple verified the mark on the jade token. Once he confirmed Shen Yuan was an official inner sect disciple, he stepped aside and let him pass.

"The first and second floors are open for browsing. Scriptures may only be read inside the pavilion and must not be taken out without permission. Altering texts or tearing pages is forbidden. Violators will be severely punished."

"This junior understands."

Shen Yuan nodded slightly and stepped through the doors of the Scripture Pavilion.

The moment he entered, the faint scent of old paper and ink washed over him. Rows of tall wooden bookshelves stood in neat order, crammed with scrolls and silk-bound volumes. Many ancient books had yellowed, weathered pages. A dozen or so inner sect disciples sat scattered throughout the pavilion, each with their heads bent over their texts. The place was so quiet that only the soft rustle of turning pages remained.

The first floor mostly contained foundational inner sect cultivation methods, ordinary fist and kicking arts, and movement techniques. They were entry-level lessons for inner sect disciples.

Shen Yuan gave the rows of bookshelves a cursory glance. The optimized Azure Cloud Inner Breath Art was already sufficient for his current cultivation, while the True Subduing Tiger Fist was enough for ordinary close combat. The books on the first floor could scarcely offer him any further improvement.

He climbed the stairs to the second floor.

The second floor held the Azure Cloud Sect's mainstream superior martial arts. Sword arts, palm arts, and weapon techniques of every kind dazzled the eye.

Shen Yuan's goal was clear—he was searching for the rumored incomplete sword art, the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords.

When Wang Dong had previously sent him a message through a servant disciple, he had mentioned this sword art. It was an ancient sword technique passed down within the Azure Cloud Sect. Time and erosion had left the surviving copied version incomplete, with most of its moves lost. Only the first several forms remained, and it had been cast aside in a remote corner of the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.

The complete version was said to be an Earth-tier Martial Art, its power far surpassing the ordinary sword arts passed down by the sect. If he could use the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele to deduce and complete it, he would possess a high-level killing move worthy of display. It would give him another important trump card against Xiao Wuji and in the coming Inner Sect Tournament.

Shen Yuan slowly moved between the rows of bookshelves on the second floor.

Quite a few inner sect disciples with their heads lowered over books sensed someone passing by and looked up to glance at him. Recently, Shen Yuan's name had already spread throughout the inner sect. Born a servant disciple, he had entered the out-of-control Azure Cloud Sword Formation and forcibly carved his way out of a dead end. Many gazes held curiosity and scrutiny, while others carried a hint of disdain, believing he had merely been lucky.

Shen Yuan ignored the surrounding looks and focused on searching the labels on the shelves.

He walked deeper among the bookshelves. The farther he went toward the corners, the more obscure the texts became. Many were incomplete copies or damaged notes, rarely touched by anyone.

At last, he found it on the bottom shelf of the innermost wooden bookcase.

It was an old sword manual wrapped in dark-blue silk cloth. Its cover had faded, bearing four ancient seal-script characters: Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords.

The corners of the silk cloth were worn, and parts of the pages had been eaten away by insects.

Shen Yuan bent down, carefully removed the sword manual, and carried it to an empty desk by the window before sitting down.

Slowly, he untied the silk wrapping and spread open the sword manual.

The writing in the opening preface was mottled with age. It recorded the origin of this sword art: created by an ancient sword dao master of the Azure Cloud Sect, it contained thirteen forms in all, its sword momentum rising layer by layer, balancing offense and defense. Unfortunately, after several periods of sect turmoil, the latter six forms had been completely lost. The surviving copy retained only the first seven forms.

Shen Yuan carefully turned through the pages one by one.

The seven surviving sword forms were exquisite and ethereal, sword qi crisscrossing in every direction. They emphasized using the sword to control qi and intent to command the edge. Yet there were breaks throughout the text, abrupt transitions between forms, and missing paths for the circulation of true qi during sword wielding. Many passages were vague and incomplete.

No wonder it was tossed into a corner, Shen Yuan thought.

It was incomplete, with gaps between its forms. Practicing according to this damaged copy would not only greatly diminish its power; the slightest mishap in circulating true qi could even cause one's meridians to flow in reverse and suffer injury. Ordinary disciples would find it difficult to cultivate even if they obtained it. They might as well learn one of the complete ordinary sword arts passed down by the sect.

But to Shen Yuan, who possessed the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele, incompleteness was precisely not a dead end.

He focused his mind and calmed his breath, imprinting every diagram of the forms and every true qi mnemonic from the incomplete manual into his mind, word by word and sentence by sentence.

Within his sea of consciousness, the phantom image of the Martial Arts Heavenly Stele trembled slightly as it received all the fragmented information from the sword manual.

[Incomplete martial skill detected: Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords. Current completeness: 54%. The first seven forms remain; the latter six forms are entirely lost. Martial Dao Points may be consumed to deduce and complete it. Current Martial Dao Points: 0.]

Seeing the prompt, Shen Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.

When he had entered the Azure Cloud Sword Formation, he had exhausted all his Martial Dao Points to analyze the mutated formation core. Now, if he wanted to deduce and complete this sword art, he could do nothing without Martial Dao Points.

There were only two sources of Martial Dao Points: life-and-death combat, or deep comprehension of the martial dao.

Comprehending sword arts can also produce a small number of Martial Dao Points, Shen Yuan mused.

He closed the sword manual but did not leave at once. Seated before the desk, he repeatedly studied the seven surviving sword forms, carefully experiencing the sword principles in each move and the mysteries of true qi circulation.

Time slipped away bit by bit, and the light within the pavilion slowly shifted.

Who knew how long had passed.

[Comprehended the incomplete Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords, gaining partial insight into ancient sword principles. Martial Dao Points +2.]

A prompt appeared in his sea of consciousness.

He had finally obtained two Martial Dao Points. But to complete the entire sword art, this was nothing more than a drop in the bucket. Deducing the full latter six forms would certainly require an enormous amount.

I can only accumulate them slowly.

Shen Yuan carefully wrapped the sword manual in its silk cloth again and returned it to its original place on the shelf. He could not take the manual out of the Scripture Pavilion. He could only commit all its contents to memory, then return to his small courtyard and continue deducing it from those fragments in his mind.

Just as he prepared to rise and leave the Scripture Pavilion,

Footsteps sounded behind him, and two figures emerged from the other side of the bookshelves.

The man in front wore moon-white martial attire and had handsome features. He was none other than Xiao Wuji, who was still supposed to be confined for reflection. A trusted disciple followed at his side. The two had also come to the Scripture Pavilion to consult its texts.

Their eyes met abruptly.

The Scripture Pavilion had already been quiet, but as the two looked at one another, the air seemed to freeze in an instant.

Xiao Wuji's gaze fell upon Shen Yuan. A trace of coldness flashed through his eyes before being concealed beneath a faint layer of indifference.

"Junior Brother Shen Yuan, you have come to the Scripture Pavilion in search of a cultivation art as well?" Xiao Wuji's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Indeed." Shen Yuan answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Junior Brother, your luck was quite good. You survived the dead end of the sword formation." Xiao Wuji slowly stepped forward, his eyes sweeping toward the corner of the shelf where the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords had just been returned. A mocking curve touched his lips. "What, have you taken a fancy to that broken, incomplete sword manual? A worthless sword art with only half its pages left will never amount to much, no matter how deeply you study it. The inner sect has sword arts beyond counting. Why waste your time on a damaged copy?"

Xiao Wuji had seen at a glance that Shen Yuan had been reading that abandoned ancient sword manual, and his words were steeped in mockery.

Shen Yuan replied calmly, "An incomplete manual is not necessarily useless. Whether it can become something depends on the one who cultivates it."

"Is that so?" Xiao Wuji gave a soft laugh. "Then I shall wait and see. The Inner Sect Tournament is drawing near. I only hope that when the time comes, Junior Brother will not disappoint everyone."

After leaving those words behind, Xiao Wuji did not continue entangling himself with Shen Yuan. He led his trusted disciple away and walked toward the bookshelves on the other side.

Shen Yuan watched Xiao Wuji's departing back and remembered one phrase—the Inner Sect Tournament was drawing near.

The Inner Sect Tournament!

This would be the next and most important stage. At the tournament, he could make his name ring through the inner sect, obtain a True Disciple Nomination, and receive vast cultivation resources. At the same time, it would be an opportunity to face Xiao Wuji openly and honorably. Moreover, real combat was the best way to obtain a large number of Martial Dao Points.

If he wanted to deduce and complete the Azure Cloud Thirteen Swords, the tournament was imperative.