Song Yuanshan Ran Away?
As soon as it was light, Ye An went to the Scripture Repository.
This time, he didn't go straight to the second floor, but stopped on the first floor.
Aside from Spirit Grade Martial Arts, the first floor mainly contains miscellaneous notes, anecdotes, and Sect histories; it's not usually frequented by many people.
Ye An picked up a few booklets about the founding records of the Four Symbols Sect and flipped through a few pages.
The record is not detailed; it is just a simple summary.
If you piece the information together, you can see some outlines.
Just as Lin Wanyue said before, the Four Symbols Sect is not a local sect of Cangwu Prefecture, but rather migrated from elsewhere.
The patriarch of the Lizong lineage possessed extremely high cultivation, at least above the Gathering Essence, though his specific level was not clearly stated.
As for why they moved here or where they came from, there is no record of these details.
Ye An guessed that only elders or Sect Master leaders would have the right to know.
Ye An put the book back in its place without pursuing the matter further.
These things are too far removed from him; he only needs a general understanding this time.
Ye An's goal was not this, but rather Mystic Grade Swordsmanship.
The second floor of the Inner Sect's Scripture Repository is where Mystic Grade Cultivation Method and Martial Arts are stored. Ye An came here when he was among the top three in the last Sect competition.
Ye An is already a Qi Condensation disciple, and the second level is fully open to him.
Ye An scanned each of the many Mystic Grade Swordsmanship displayed on the platform.
"Flowing Cloud Sword Technique" - when used in conjunction with "Flowing Cloud Sword Art", the sword movements are continuous like clouds, and are particularly agile.
The "Frost Sword Technique" has no accompanying Cultivation Method. Its Sword Qi is cold and can cause the enemy's True Qi to flow slowly.
Ye An read a few more books, including "The Forest-Piercing Sword Technique" and "The Longwind Sword Technique," but put them all down.
Although these Swordsmanship are also at the Mystic Grade, they are far inferior to the core Martial Arts of the Four Halls.
Ye An walked to the innermost part of the second floor.
I have finally found the Martial Arts I wanted most: the White Tiger Thunderclap Sword - Part 1 and the White Tiger Edge-Refining Art - Qi Condensation Chapter from the White Tiger Hall.
After witnessing the Martial Arts of the Black Tortoise Hall, Ye An finally understood why the Four Symbols Sect was the number one sect in Cangwu; the strength of Martial Arts was the foundation of a great building.
Instead of learning other Swordsmanship, it's better to take the leap directly and choose one first.
The elder guarding the pavilion this time is Fu Chongshan.
Ye An had met this person several times; this was arguably the first Gathered Origin Realm Ye An had ever encountered.
Fu Chongshan sat at the counter and saw Ye An place two White Tiger Hall Martial Arts on the table. His gaze paused slightly.
"These two Martial Arts aren't cheap; they cost a total of 2,200 Contribution Point," Fu Chongshan quoted the original price.
Ye An calculated that since Sect within the Great Yu territory were under the jurisdiction of Great Yu, the Four Symbols Sect Ye An kept a record of him when he went on missions at the Demon Suppressing Guard.
My current Contribution Point —accumulated from the Medicine Garden Steward, rewards from Zhao Xuanji, and from the Falling Stone Village mission with the Heaven Overturning Cult Sect—are still 300 points short.
Remembering the Four Symbols Sect's humane management style, Ye An asked with a hint of pleading, "Elder Fu, I'm a little short on Contribution Point. Could I register first and make up the difference later?"
Fu Chongshan glanced at Ye An but did not immediately refuse.
He recognized Ye An from the Third Body Tempering incidents at the Beast Arena, his third place in the Inner Sect Grand Competition, and now his Qi Condensation and battle against the Hanging Sword Sect.
He could say he had watched Ye An climb up the ranks from the bottom, a disciple with no background who gradually built his position through missions and achievements.
"You, a disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall, are here to learn the Swordsmanship of the White Tiger Hall?" Fu Chongshan asked, more like a reminder to Ye An.
"This disciple wishes to learn another offensive technique."
Fu Chongshan was silent for a moment, then finally crossed out a mark in the booklet. "If it were anyone else, I would have told them to go through the proper procedures, but for you, I'll reluctantly agree. I'll approve the extra three hundred points. Just make sure you pay it back by the end of the month."
Ye An clasped his hands in thanks and quickly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Elder Fu."
Fu Chongshan closed the booklet and reminded him again, "I won't advise you, but I will say this: a martial artist's lifespan will not increase until they reach a realm above the Gathering Essence. Cultivating two internal energy techniques of the same level is risky if your comprehension isn't high enough, as it can easily Qi Deviation, and the time cost will be much higher than for others. Go back and think it over carefully. Come find me when you've figured it out; you can withdraw at any time."
"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Fu. I have my own plans."
Seeing this, Fu Chongshan didn't try to persuade him any further. Everyone has their own path, but he just felt that Ye An was quite similar to him in some ways, especially his confidence.
Ye An returned to his residence and read through the two Martial Arts manuals from beginning to end.
By comparing this with the Martial Arts of the Black Tortoise Hall, Ye An came to some conclusions.
If the internal energy of the Black Tortoise Hall is as flowing as water and as solid as a mountain, corresponding to Water-Earth, then the internal energy of the White Tiger Hall is as sharp as gold and as explosive as thunder, corresponding to Metal-Thunder.
The two internal energy cultivation methods operate on completely different paths, and it can be said that there is almost nothing in common between them.
If it were someone else, forcibly cultivating two internal energy techniques with different attributes, they would at best suffer from disordered True Qi, and at worst suffer from qi Qi Deviation.
But Ye An has Golden Finger, and he wants to give it a try.
Ye An sat down cross-legged and circulated his True Essence according to the path of the "White Tiger Edge-Refining Art: Qi Condensation Chapter".
The first time I tried to use it, it felt a bit clumsy, much like when I first practiced the "Black Tortoise Mountain-Suppressing Art".
Before long, he had mastered both internal Swordsmanship and swordsmanship.
[White Tiger Edge-Refining Art - Qi Condensation Chapter (First Layer): 1/800]
[White Tiger Thunderclap Sword - Part 1 (Initial Glance): 1/800]
Ye An opened his eyes and carefully sensed the changes within his body.
The two internal energy cultivation methods were activated simultaneously without the expected conflict. Instead, there was a subtle sense of harmony, as if two kinds of True Essence were slowly approaching and resonating with each other within the body, showing a tendency to complement each other!
Ye An drew his Night Thunder, and tried to circulate the inner power of the White Tiger Thunderclap Sword, then combined it with the White Tiger Edge-Refining Art to complete a sword path.
The Sword Qi was accompanied by a very subtle whistling sound as it was first generated, leaving faint white afterimages wherever it passed.
Night Thunder was even more at ease in his hands than in the previous days. With a Xuan -Mystic Grade weapon and Mystic Grade martial Martial Arts, Ye An's combat power had increased dramatically.
For defense, there's the Black Tortoise Hall Palm Technique; for offense, there's the White Tiger Hall Swordsmanship.
He was now more confident in dealing with any opponent he faced.
Ye An wondered: If he could acquire the Martial Arts of the Vermilion Bird Hall and the Azure Dragon Hall in the future, and have all four elements gathered, would there be even greater changes?
Unfortunately, my Contribution Point are too few, not nearly enough.
In addition, after practicing the White Tiger Hall's internal energy cultivation, his Eight-Armed Asura True Essence Arms became even more solid.
Although not much, it felt noticeably more stable than before.
If he learns the other two Martial Arts in the future and unlocks their Profound Meaning state, then Four Halls Martial Arts will be unleashed at once, and no one can withstand that.
It was already dark, and the November wind, carrying a chill, squeezed in through the cracks in the window.
Ye An calculated the days; there was less than a month left before the year was over.
The Demon Suppressing Guard Division of Cangwu Prefecture was stationed on the second floor, and the candlelight in one of the rooms flickered.
A Commandant strode in, his steps hurried, clutching a newly unsealed secret letter in his hand.
"Reporting to Commander Zhou..."
"The Song Family Chief, whom we've been monitoring, he... he's disappeared!"
Behind the desk sat a man in dark official robes, with a short beard and a calm gaze that revealed no emotion.
When did this happen?
"It was discovered last night. But after checking the records for the past few days, I can confirm that Song Yuanshan left the Song Family two days ago after finding a substitute."
"The Stand wore Human-Skin Mask, and because the Stand rarely showed itself, no one noticed. But precisely because of this, we discovered the Stand very quickly."
"Song Yuanshan has already escaped! But in two days, he must have been avoiding the eyes and ears of my Demon Suppressing Guard, so he must not have left Cangwu Prefecture yet."
After reading the secret letter, Zhou Jingyuan immediately ordered, "Mobilize manpower and prepare to intercept them."
After hearing this, the Commandant immediately took his leave.
Song Yuanshan's escape is a minor matter; the real big fish is the leader of the Heaven Overturning Cult Branch Altar. If they can catch him, it will be a great achievement.
It seems that the connection with Song Yuanshan has been severed.
Zhou Jingyuan rubbed his forehead. Gathered Origin Peak... If he doesn't make any contributions and obtain resources soon, when will he be able to break through?
Breaking through to a higher realm has become his obsession.
I wonder who will be the first to break through in Cangwu Prefecture?