Choosing a Martial Skill

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After resting for the night, Ye Chen came to the Martial Arts Pavilion again early the next morning.

Aside from knowing most Inner Sect Disciples and all Core Disciples, the Guardian Elder knew only a handful of Outer Sect Disciples, such as Zhang Haoran and Wu Zongming. Yet strangely enough, the moment Ye Chen entered the Martial Arts Pavilion, he recognized him and greeted him with a smile.

Ye Chen found it strange, but he still politely said, "Greetings, Elder."

The Guardian Elder nodded and spoke as an elder would. "Too many martial skills are not necessarily a good thing. As the saying goes, greedily swallowing too much only leaves you unable to chew it. You should understand what I mean."

How could Ye Chen not know what the other man meant? A wry smile appeared on his face. "Elder, I'm going to the second floor. Here is my token." With that, he handed over the token.

"A token? What? You took third place in the Wooden Man Alley Competition?" The Guardian Elder's face filled with astonishment, and he could not help blurting it out.

"Yes."

The Guardian Elder hesitated. "Did you really master the Thirteen Peaks Sword Style?"

Seeing Ye Chen nod in confirmation, the Guardian Elder still found it hard to believe, yet had no choice but to believe it. To take third place with nothing but an incomplete Thirteen Peaks Sword Style—wasn't that too easy? After all, Ye Chen's cultivation was only at the middle stage of the sixth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

Though he was the Guardian Elder, it was not convenient for him to ask too much. He reminded him, "Those allowed on the second floor are all Inner Sect Disciples and Core Disciples. They will show more or less arrogance toward an Outer Sect Disciple like you. Remember not to provoke them. Also, you are not an official Inner Sect Disciple. You must come down within a quarter of an hour, so choose your secret manual quickly."

"I understand."

Ye Chen understood the reasoning. Although Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples were both disciples, their statuses were worlds apart. If he clashed with an Inner Sect Disciple, he would be the only one to suffer. As for choosing a secret manual within a quarter of an hour, that was to prevent Outer Sect Disciples from secretly memorizing other manuals.

The staircase was deep to the left. Ye Chen walked toward it with an unruffled expression.

The moment he went upstairs, Ye Chen felt invisible pressure washing over him. Looking around, he saw roughly a dozen people on the entire second floor. Some were carefully leafing through secret manuals, some were chatting quietly, and some held several manuals as they made their choices. The oldest among them was no more than twenty, while the youngest was about Ye Chen's age. All of them exuded an unfathomable aura—they were Inner Sect Disciples!

The Inner Sect Disciple closest to Ye Chen habitually turned his head, a faint trace of puzzlement surfacing on his face. Then, as if recalling something, he muttered, "I nearly forgot. Yesterday was the Wooden Man Alley Competition. This person should be in the top ten, right?"

After muttering that, he turned his attention back to the secret manuals and stopped paying Ye Chen any mind.

After walking several steps forward, Ye Chen looked around and found that the layout was similar to the first floor, though more classical and grand. The rows of bookshelves were not made from ordinary wood, but priceless sandalwood. The fragrance emitted by the sandalwood was rich and long-lasting, with an effect that calmed the mind and steadied the soul.

The bookshelves had five levels. The bottom three held Human-grade High-tier secret manuals, while the top two held Human-tier top-grade secret manuals. Each level had three to five books, never more than seven. Labels were affixed to the side of every row of shelves, such as "Cultivation Method Category," "Auxiliary Method Category," "Movement Martial Skill Category," "Offensive Martial Skill Category," and "Defensive Martial Skill Category."

There was no time to lose. Ye Chen had only a quarter of an hour to make his choice.

He first went to the martial skill manuals section. He casually picked up one book and read its title page before putting it down. Then he picked up another and put it down...

After handling dozens of books, only nine truly caught his eye. They were—

"Blazing Fire Fist, offensive martial skill!"

"Inch Travel Step, movement martial skill!"

"Eight Steps Chasing Cicada, movement martial skill!"

"Origin Energy Force, defensive martial skill!"

"Counter-Opposite Strike, defensive-offensive martial skill!"

"Golden Goose Steps, movement martial skill!"

"Shattering Fist, offensive martial skill!"

"Sword Drawing Technique, offensive martial skill!"

"Withered Wood Seal, offensive martial skill!"

These nine martial skills might not have been the finest Human-grade High-tier Martial Skills, but they were absolutely the most suitable for Ye Chen, and each of them tempted him.

Blazing Fire Fist was the martial skill Wu Zongming primarily cultivated. Its power went without saying; once mastered, it could generate fiery force and deliver a fatal blow to an enemy. Inch Travel Step was the footwork Zhang Haoran cultivated. Advancing or retreating with it was like shrinking the earth to an inch, terrifyingly effective and practical. Eight Steps Chasing Cicada emphasized explosive power within eight steps, enough to increase one's speed by fifty percent or even more. No matter how fast the enemy was, they would not escape one's palm. It was the unrivaled choice for pursuing and killing enemies. Origin Energy Force, meanwhile, was somewhat profound. It required Internal Energy as an aid to cultivate a unique Origin Energy. Like Internal Energy, this Origin Energy was normally stored within the body and manifested automatically in battle to protect its user. However, every bit used was one bit less, and it needed to be replenished constantly.

The first four were already exceptional. Had there been no other choices, Ye Chen would certainly have chosen one of them. But with the remaining five before him, he had no choice but to give them up.

Counter-Opposite Strike was said to be a defensive martial skill, but it was in fact also an offensive martial skill. It stressed striking after the enemy yet arriving before them, foreseeing the enemy's moves, defeating them through passivity, and counterattacking through defense. When the enemy was strong, it was strong; when the enemy was weak, it was weak. When the enemy did not move, it did not move. It was exceedingly difficult to deal with. Those who mastered it could gain a foothold with this skill alone.

The Golden Goose Steps that followed was a Lightness Skill. Those who learned it could walk upon water with ease. Once mastered, they could cross more than a hundred meters through the air, light as a swallow flying over grass.

When he saw the description of the Shattering Fist, Ye Chen could not help letting out a startled sound. This martial skill was actually so fierce and domineering. There was no such thing as softness within hardness. Once a punch was thrown, the target would inevitably be shattered into pieces. It could be said to have reached the utmost extreme of hardness—quite extreme indeed.

"Hardness cannot last. Even Taiji speaks of one yin and one yang, one hard and one soft. How much more so for a martial skill? I fear that if one cannot knock down the enemy from the outset, the enemy will knock them down instead. It is too extreme." Ye Chen shook his head and gave up on the Shattering Fist.

As for the Sword Drawing Technique, it focused on the explosive force produced in the instant the sword was drawn. Its power and speed surpassed that of swinging the sword directly, allowing one to strike the enemy first with the opening move and seek to kill with a single blow.

Ye Chen cultivated the Thirteen Peaks Sword Style. If he could pair it with the Sword Drawing Technique, then from drawing his sword to sheathing it, there would be no openings at all—unless his opponent's strength or martial skills surpassed his by far.

But many things could not be viewed that way. Though the Sword Drawing Technique was certainly good, it was not a brilliant choice for one who cultivated swordsmanship. Like the Shattering Fist, it was too extreme. It sought to wound from the very beginning, and if it failed to wound the enemy, one's sharp aura would inevitably be depleted.

Therefore, the Sword Drawing Technique was not suited to swordsmen. It was suited to assassins.

The final martial skill was the Withered Wood Seal. This martial skill excelled at concealing one's aura. Its attacks were soundless and traceless; often, before the enemy even noticed, they would be struck dead outright. Furthermore, though the name Withered Wood Seal sounded bleak and lifeless, it actually contained boundless vitality. Before the attack reached its target, one's essence was tightly locked away. Only at the instant of impact did it burst forth like an old tree meeting spring, unleashing terrifying vitality and explosive force.