The Treasure Pavilion.
The usually bustling first-floor hall was deserted.
That was only natural. With the rebel army attacking the city, who had the inclination to wander around outside?
Lin Yuan scanned the room and spotted Xiao He at a counter in the corner.
The girl had her head lowered, scrubbing the countertop diligently with a rag.
Lin Yuan was about to walk over when a figure suddenly darted out beside him.
It was the green-robed maid who had served him on his first visit a few days ago.
The woman wore a practiced smile, leaning forward slightly, her voice cloyingly sweet.
"Young master, long time no see. What would you like?"
She bowed deeply, bending low enough to reveal a patch of snowy white at her chest.
Lin Yuan curled his lips. What little she had did not amount to a tenth of Shen Qing's.
He shifted his footing and strode straight past the green-robed maid.
Hearing footsteps, Xiao He raised her head.
When she saw Lin Yuan, delight appeared on her face, and she trotted out to greet him.
"Young master, you're here!"
Lin Yuan nodded. A genuine smile like this really was much more pleasant to look at.
Not far away.
The green-robed maid stood frozen, staring fixedly at the two of them, her face flushed red.
Lin Yuan had no time to bother with her.
He looked at Xiao He and went straight to the point.
"I need Mortal Grade martial arts. Every type, whatever you have!"
Realizing this was another big sale, Xiao He hurriedly stepped aside to lead the way.
"Please follow me, young master."
She led Lin Yuan into a quiet room nearby, deftly brewed a pot of hot tea, then hurried out.
Lin Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip.
Half a cup of tea later.
Heavy footsteps sounded outside the door.
Xiao He led in several servants carrying large wooden chests.
She stepped forward and opened the brass locks on the three chests in turn.
"Young master, all the Mortal Grade manuals we have left are here."
She patted the leftmost chest and explained to Lin Yuan.
"This chest holds internal cultivation methods, the middle one holds lightness and movement techniques, and the one on the right holds external martial arts of every school."
Lin Yuan stepped forward, lifted the lid of the rightmost chest, and grabbed a few books to leaf through.
"Five Tigers Gate-Severing Saber," "Plum Blossom Spear Manual," "Mad Demon Staff Technique," "Mountain-Splitting Axe"...
Sabers, spears, swords, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, and forks-techniques for all eighteen classes of weapons were truly there.
Lin Yuan closed the book and casually tossed it back into the chest.
"How much for all of these?"
Xiao He had already counted them and immediately answered in a clear voice.
"Young master, there are three hundred and twelve books in the three chests altogether. As before, three thousand taels will do."
Lin Yuan nodded, took out three banknotes, and handed them over.
Xiao He accepted the banknotes with both hands, but Lin Yuan showed no intention of leaving just yet.
He sat back down and tapped his fingers lightly against the tabletop.
"Does the pavilion have any Human Grade internal cultivation methods? Preferably flawed ones."
Ordinary Human Grade arts started at a hundred thousand taels. He could not afford them.
Besides, flawed arts usually followed vicious, unorthodox paths, and were often much more powerful than ordinary arts.
Xiao He was a little puzzled, but wisely refrained from asking questions and readily agreed.
"Please wait a moment, young master. I'll check the storeroom."
A short while later.
Clutching two yellowed manuals tightly, Xiao He trotted into the quiet room.
She gently set both manuals on the table and caught her breath before speaking.
"Young master, these are the only two in the entire pavilion that meet your requirements."
She pointed to the book on the left.
"This one is called the Withered Essence Art. Progress is extremely fast, but its drawback is that it consumes your lifespan."
Then she pointed to the dark red manual on the right.
"This one is the Blood Demon Scripture. It cultivates blood-baleful Demonic Qi and is extremely domineering, but it easily leads to Qi deviation."
Lin Yuan's eyes suddenly lit up.
What others saw as deadly poison was nothing but the finest nourishment to him!
Suppressing the heat in his heart, Lin Yuan looked up and asked.
"How much?"
Xiao He bit her lip.
"If you take both, the total will be fifteen thousand taels."
She added quietly.
"Young master, this is already the largest discount I can secure for you."
Without a second thought, Lin Yuan took out fifteen banknotes and handed them over.
"I'll take both."
"Have everything delivered to my residence."
Lin Yuan gave her an address and strode away.
Xiao He stared at the thick stack of banknotes in her hands, utterly dumbstruck.
Including the three thousand taels from earlier, this was eighteen thousand taels of silver!
Under the pavilion's rules, this sale alone would earn her a full nine hundred taels in commission!
Nine hundred taels!
Not only could she hire the best physician to cure her mother's illness, but even after buying a small courtyard home, the remaining money would leave them without worries about food or clothing for the rest of their lives!
Xiao He's chest heaved, her breathing growing rapid.
She stuffed the banknotes tightly into her robes, held a hand over her chest, and ran like mad toward the steward's room in the rear hall.
Behind a pillar at a bend in the corridor.
The green-robed maid slowly emerged.
She stared fixedly at Xiao He's retreating figure, her entire face hideously twisted with jealousy.
That heaven-sent fortune should all have been hers!
That wretch had stolen her opportunity!
A glint of madness surfaced in her eyes!
The residence in the north of the city.
After instructing Ninth Uncle to stand guard outside, Lin Yuan reached back and bolted the door.
He walked over to the wooden chests, sat cross-legged, and began comprehending the arts.
Pages rustled.
Thanks to the heaven-defying boost of hundredfold comprehension, his progress was extremely fast.
[Martial art: Iron Cloth Shirt (Initiated 1/2) (Mortal Grade)] [Martial art: Water Skimming (Initiated 1/3) (Mortal Grade)] [Martial art: Sinew-Dividing and Bone-Dislocating Hand (Initiated 1/2) (Mortal Grade)]
The sun gradually sank westward, and the room grew dim.
A full six hours passed.
Lin Yuan rubbed his neck and let out a long breath of stale air.
He had reached initiation in every martial art!
The most pressing task now was to derive a primary internal cultivation art that could support his breakthrough to the Second Rank, or even higher realms.
He delayed no longer and gently closed his eyes.
As sudden enlightenment began, his consciousness gradually sank into his mental space.
With a thought, over a hundred cross-legged phantom figures appeared around him.
Each phantom circulated the Qi within its body along a different route. Some were forceful, some soft and yin, and some long and sustained.
At the very center of these hundred-odd phantoms were two that were the largest and shone the most brilliantly.
The phantom on the left was withered yellow throughout, radiating fluctuations that were lifeless yet extremely concentrated.
The phantom on the right was wreathed in black and red Qi, exuding a savage, bloodthirsty ferocity.
They were none other than the Human Grade Withered Essence Art and Blood Demon Scripture!
He settled his mind and began guiding the smaller phantoms toward the two large ones in the center.
As the smaller phantoms plunged into them one after another, humming filled the space.
Countless fragments of insight into circulating Qi and blood and nourishing the meridians streamed endlessly into Lin Yuan's mind.
The two large phantoms gradually grew more solid, their light growing ever brighter.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The hundred-odd smaller phantoms vanished completely.
Only the two enormous phantoms, one yellow and one black, remained, their presence condensed to the utmost.
Lin Yuan's heart tightened. He knew the most crucial moment had arrived.
He focused all his attention and forcibly pushed the two phantoms together to fuse them.
Hum!
The instant the two phantoms touched, the entire enlightenment space shook violently.
The utterly different withered-yellow and black-red forces furiously repelled each other, an immense resistance straining between them.
Cold sweat seeped from Lin Yuan's forehead.
The Withered Essence Art centered on deathly stillness and inward restraint, while the Blood Demon Scripture centered on violent outward release. The two arts followed entirely opposite extremes.
They lacked a catalyst that could reconcile yin and yang!
Lin Yuan's mind raced, countless scenes from his past and present lives flashing through it like a revolving lantern.
One deathly, one frenzied.
One still, one moving.
One yin, one yang!
Suddenly, the images in his mind froze.
It was a park one morning in his previous life. An old man in white training clothes was slowly raising his hands, tracing circles, and performing Grasp the Sparrow's Tail.
His movements were as slow as a tortoise, yet every move held an indescribable harmony and naturalness.
At the utmost extreme of yin, yang arose; at the utmost extreme of yang, yin arose. Yin and yang complemented each other, primordial chaos united as one!
In a flash of inspiration, Lin Yuan instantly grasped that elusive mystery!
Yin alone could not give birth; yang alone could not grow. Only through the mutual support of yin and yang could all things be brought into being!
As this understanding welled up in his heart, the previously opposing withered-yellow and black-red Qi stopped colliding head-on.
Instead, they joined head to tail and began slowly revolving along an inexplicable trajectory.
They spun faster and faster, growing ever more harmonious.
At last, the two phantoms gradually merged into an enormous, hazy gray mass of Qi!
Crack!
The space collapsed inch by inch.
Lin Yuan's eyes snapped open, a brilliant gleam flashing within them.
A line of blood-red text appeared before his eyes.
[Martial art: Primordial Chaos Limitless Art (Initiated 1/500) (Earth Rank) (First volume)]