Choosing Martial Arts Techniques

Early the next morning, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Demon Suppression Department office.

He followed the bluestone road westward and soon reached the entrance to the Scripture Repository.

He strode inside.

Looking around, he saw that the space was not large but very tidy. A staircase in the corner led straight to the second floor.

A white-haired old man sat behind a desk at the back, dozing off.

Sensing someone's arrival, the old man finally opened his bleary eyes and casually glanced at Lu Changsheng.

"Apprentice Demon Suppressors go upstairs to choose techniques. Newcomers may only copy two secret manuals, though you may take out at most five to choose from..."

After saying that, the old man leaned back in his chair and ignored Lu Changsheng.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands politely.

Though the other man looked harmless as a farmer, Lu Changsheng would never believe that such an important place would truly be guarded by an ordinary person.

He then passed the old man and headed upstairs.

"Tap, tap..."

Crisp footsteps rang out.

Before long, Lu Changsheng reached the second floor.

The second floor was very spacious, spanning several dozen meters in every direction. Row after row of bookshelves were filled with all manner of martial arts secret manuals.

A musty odor lingered in the air.

These martial arts techniques had clearly been stored here for many years.

At that moment, a middle-aged man came forward to greet him.

"Sir has only half an hour to make your selection. Once you have chosen, take them to Old Yuan to copy..."

"Mm... I understand."

Lu Changsheng nodded lightly, then turned to look at the densely packed manuals, his eyes nearly dazzled.

For a moment, he had no idea how to choose. There were simply too many techniques before him.

"May I ask how I should address you, brother? Could you offer this younger brother some guidance?"

As he spoke, he immediately took a silver ingot from his robes and discreetly handed it over.

"Just call me Old Xing."

The middle-aged man weighed the silver in his hand, forcing out a faint smile.

He was quite pleased by Lu Changsheng's knowing conduct.

"Though there are many manuals here, they broadly fall into three categories. The shelves on the west hold low-level martial arts techniques. Most of the manuals on the middle shelves are martial skills—spear techniques, blade techniques, sword techniques, and so on. As for the eastern shelves, they contain movement techniques and a small number of incomplete secret arts..."

The man began introducing them to Lu Changsheng in detail, his tone quite friendly.

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly at the sight.

Sure enough, money could make ghosts turn millstones. Fortunately, he understood the ways of the world. If he had chosen by himself, forget half an hour—even after several days, he might not have found techniques suited to him.

But newcomers could copy only two secret manuals at most. That was nowhere near enough.

When he thought of his Attribute Modifier, a different idea arose in his heart.

"This is my first time here, and I do not understand which martial arts techniques I need. Could I browse all five manuals before choosing two of them...?"

Lu Changsheng asked softly.

"This... I'm afraid that may be somewhat difficult."

A trace of hesitation appeared on the middle-aged man's face.

Such a situation had never occurred before.

Though it did not explicitly violate the rules, it was testing the edge of them.

Naturally, he did not believe Lu Changsheng could memorize five secret manuals in such a short time.

"Brother Xing, please make an exception. Another day, I will certainly treat you at the Mandarin Duck Pavilion..."

After speaking, Lu Changsheng took out another silver ingot and handed it over.

"This... it is not impossible. Little brother, try to be quick, and do not mention this matter to anyone."

The middle-aged man calmly slipped the silver into his sleeve.

He was only browsing for a short while, and no one would pursue the matter. For the silver's sake, the man agreed.

"I understand, little brother."

Lu Changsheng cupped his hands, giving the man ample face.

He then began carefully considering the manuals he needed.

Given his current state, the Iron Cloth Shirt would certainly be his foundational martial art.

After all, one's realm was the foundation of everything. Training martial skills alone while neglecting the root for the branches would be putting the cart before the horse.

The skin on his head and arms had not yet transformed, so he had to obtain these two techniques.

He was greatly looking forward to the changes that would come once he added points to the Iron Cloth Shirt again.

That would be the moment when he completely widened the gap between himself and ordinary martial artists.

What kind of might would an Iron Cloth Shirt beyond perfection possess? Even he did not know.

According to his previous speculation, perhaps only after his head and both arms had completely transformed could he undergo the final sublimation.

The option to fuse techniques would come after that.

He quickly made plans for the remaining three techniques as well.

He also had to cultivate a blade manual. After all, the Basic Blade Technique could never match the power of an advanced blade technique.

Only with a realm to support him, coupled with powerful martial skills, could he perfectly bring out his full strength.

A technique for darting and evading was equally crucial.

If he could not win, running away was always the best strategy.

As for the final technique, he chose one for fighting desperately.

If there came a day when he could not even run away, then he could only face it head-on.

Ideally, it would be a secret art that burned blood essence and lifespan, raising his strength to the limit. With the recovery ability of his Attribute Modifier, so long as he was not dead and had enough Source Energy Points, he could still turn defeat into victory from the brink of death.

A short while later, Lu Changsheng told the middle-aged man what he needed.

After considering it briefly, Xing Zhaolin walked directly toward the shelves ahead.

He swiftly moved through the bookshelves, and before long, five secret manuals appeared in his hands.

He approached Lu Changsheng with considerable pride.

"Take a look at these techniques, little brother. Though they are all low-level techniques, there are differences between the strong and weak. Your old brother has taken good care of you—I picked the powerful ones..."

"Thank you, Brother Xing."

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly. Naturally, he understood the unspoken meaning behind the man's words.

I have taken good care of you—that was the key point.

Pay up!

Without hesitation, he reached into his robes again, took out another silver ingot, and handed it over.

He cursed inwardly: Money-grubber.

He immediately labeled the man as greedy for wealth.

But petty people were difficult to deal with, and he did not wish to offend this man. It was merely Zhao Erhu's silver, after all—spending it did not hurt.

Besides, medicinal herbs filled the depths of the mountains. Silver was far less important than strength.

Since the man had remained in the Scripture Repository for so long, his eye for such things was surely sound.

"Haha... Little brother is indeed forthright."

Xing Zhaolin quickly put away the silver, his face beaming.

His features were nearly squeezed into the shape of a chrysanthemum.

He immediately handed the manuals to Lu Changsheng.

"Choose carefully, little brother. No need to rush—you still have nearly half an hour."

He even thoughtfully told Lu Changsheng how much time remained.

Lu Changsheng smiled faintly and spread all the manuals open in his hands.

"Iron Arm Technique."

"Iron Head Technique."

"Fleeting Light and Shadow."

"Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade."

"Blood Burning Secret Art."

The true forms of the five secret manuals were revealed.

Lu Changsheng eagerly began reading through them.

"Rustle, rustle..."

The entire Scripture Repository was silent, with only the faint sounds of pages turning remaining.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

Detected five martial arts secret manuals: Iron Head Technique, Iron Arm Technique, Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade... Store them?

After Lu Changsheng had read through all of them once, a clear notification sounded deep within his mind.

Joy surged in his heart, though his expression remained unchanged.

Just as expected.

Seeing his guess confirmed, with all five techniques capable of being recorded and the Source Energy Points in his possession enough to raise his strength by another great margin, Lu Changsheng was quite excited.

Store them.

He nodded inwardly.

As a flash of light passed, five martial arts manuals appeared on the panel.

All of them were merely at the not yet initiated stage.

"Brother Xing, I have made my choice. I will take this blade technique and this movement technique."

Lu Changsheng did not drag things out and spoke at once.

"Little brother has made the right choice. Skin Refining techniques are difficult to integrate with one another. I was afraid you might not know the immensity of heaven and earth and choose both the Iron Arm Technique and Iron Head Technique. Many people once thought the same, cultivating several Skin Refining techniques at once, only to find it difficult to break through to Muscle Refining and end up ruining themselves through training."

Xing Zhaolin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He did not want this generous spender to go down the wrong path either.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother."

Lu Changsheng did not explain and simply offered his thanks.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, he took his leave.

Once he reached the first floor, he went through the motions of copying the two manuals, then returned the originals to the old man.

"Martial arts techniques and skills must not be passed on. Otherwise, you will face the full pursuit of the Demon Suppression Department."

The old man warned him in a grim tone.

Lu Changsheng's expression tightened, and he nodded.

He also knew that these techniques were one of the court's forbidden scales. The Demon Suppression Department used them to attract martial artists to join; if they were spread everywhere and known by all, the department's appeal would greatly diminish.

After all, Demon Suppression Department missions carried an extremely high casualty rate. Those demons, evils, and Wicked Spirits were not easy to deal with.