"So it really is a kind of Unusual Force. Could this 'Earthly Fiend Stance' be a stance-training method? Seventy-two forms—it really is the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Transformations."
Lian Youming frowned as he examined it. For some reason, after that brief surge of delight, the restlessness he had just suppressed seemed ready to flare up again.
Only then did Lian Youming suddenly come to his senses. The drawings were all surface appearances, meant to stir the mind. If his thoughts were unsettled, he would only keep staring at that monkey, always believing he could uncover its secrets. The prouder he was, the less willing he would be to admit defeat, yet he could neither discern what was real nor distinguish truth from falsehood, until he sank ever deeper.
"I wonder if Li Da found this too, or if he saw something different from what I did."
He had only looked at the illustrations, but the text in the book seemed to conceal something strange as well. Should he take another look?
Suddenly.
The instant that thought arose, a cold sweat broke out across Lian Youming's back for no apparent reason.
No.
He seemed to understand something. His pupils abruptly contracted, as though he had seen something terrifying.
Perhaps the book's secret was not the various methods for cultivating Unusual Force and martial techniques hidden within it, but a test of his state of mind and understanding.
Lian Youming sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze shifting constantly, his expression uncertain.
All this time, trying to figure out the book's contents had not only drained him mentally day and night, but also worn away his spirit. He had wasted precious time for nothing, truly letting himself down and betraying his own heart.
Moreover, Lian Youming knew perfectly well that uncovering