Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
A somewhat vexed and weary voice came from inside the room.
Xiao Xuan pushed open the door and entered.
In the spacious, brightly lit office, Su Yuntao was slumped alone in an armchair.
He held a parchment document, his brows furrowed into the shape of the character 川, and muttered something under his breath.
Hearing the noise, Su Yuntao looked up. When he saw that it was Xiao Xuan, his handsome face, which had been covered in dark clouds, went blank for a moment.
Then he forced out a friendly smile.
"Xiao Xuan? What brings you here? Come, come, have a seat!"
"Thank you, Deacon."
Xiao Xuan took the teacup and had a sip before getting straight to the point.
"Deacon, I actually came today because there's something I'd like to ask you. Does Spirit Hall... sell copies of spear technique manuals to outsiders?"
"Spear technique manuals?"
Su Yuntao paused in surprise and gave Xiao Xuan a questioning look.
"Your Martial Soul may have mutated to become as hard as black iron and look like a bamboo spear, but it's still a plant type at heart. Are you planning to train it as a pure spear-type Tool Martial Soul?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Xuan nodded, his eyes clear and resolute.
"I think relying solely on Soul Skills will leave me at a disadvantage sooner or later. If I can master a solid set of close-combat spear techniques, my fighting strength will surely reach a new level!"
"Hiss... that idea of yours is right in line with the Tool Soul Masters from the major sects."
Su Yuntao pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk several times before shaking his head with a somewhat serious expression.
"According to Spirit Hall's rules... I can't sell you technique manuals."
"Huh? You can't..."
A flicker of disappointment passed through Xiao Xuan's eyes. Had he come all this way for nothing?
But before Xiao Xuan could finish, Su Yuntao, seated across the desk, suddenly chuckled and took an abrupt turn.
"But rules are dead, and people are alive!"
Su Yuntao grinned broadly and made a knowing face.
"I'm not allowed to sell them, but nobody said I can't lend them out internally!"
"Our Nuoding Spirit Hall Branch isn't the Pope's Palace library. All we have are copies of some fairly widespread low- and mid-level combat techniques."
"They're common goods you can get from major trading houses for a few extra Gold Soul Coins. Lending them to you for a look won't break the rules!"
As he spoke, Su Yuntao patted Xiao Xuan on the shoulder.
"Xiao Xuan, wait here a moment! Uncle will go pick out a couple of spear technique copies for you!"
"Thank you, Deacon!"
Overjoyed, Xiao Xuan hurriedly bowed again to thank him.
"No need to be so polite. Wait here!"
Su Yuntao laughed heartily, grabbed the ring of keys from the desk, and went out the door.
Xiao Xuan was left alone in the office.
With nothing else to do, Xiao Xuan looked around.
His gaze chanced to sweep over the desk and fell on the parchment document Su Yuntao had just left there.
It was no ordinary administrative document. It bore the seals of both the Nuoding City lord's mansion and the Spirit Hall Branch, and four large characters were printed at the top-[Bloodred Wanted Notice].
In the center of the notice was a drawing of a scar-faced man with a gaunt face and fierce eyes.
Xiao Xuan skimmed the notice.
It turned out that an Evil Soul Master had recently been roaming around Nuoding City. His strength was approximately at the peak of the Soul Grandmaster level, and the bounty on him was a thousand Gold Soul Coins.
"A thousand Gold Soul Coins?!"
Xiao Xuan had only meant to take a casual glance, but the moment he saw the bounty, his eyes lit up, and he quietly committed the criminal's appearance to memory.
Before long,
Su Yuntao returned to the office with two thin blue booklets in his hands.
"Whew... Xiao Xuan, sorry for the wait!"
Su Yuntao handed the booklets to Xiao Xuan and said rather proudly,
"This set of spear techniques was left behind by a veteran Power Attack System Battle Soul Master after he retired from the army. It contains four core principles for applying force: 'locking,' 'seizing,' 'rebounding,' and 'thrusting.'"
"It's perfect for a beginner like you! Take it and study it carefully!"
Xiao Xuan took the manuals.
"Thank you, Deacon, but I won't take them back with me."
"Huh?!"
Su Yuntao froze on the spot, his eyes widening into round saucers.
He wasn't taking them back?!
This kid had just come running over with a thirst for knowledge, asking for spear techniques. Now that he had them, he didn't want them anymore?
"Wait... Xiao Xuan, if you don't take the manuals back to your dormitory, what are you going to study from?"
Xiao Xuan scratched his head shyly.
"Please don't misunderstand, Deacon. I was thinking that Spirit Hall's books are internal property, after all. If I took them back to the academy and accidentally lost them or let other students look through them, I'd be bound to cause you trouble."
"So... might I be so bold as to borrow your office for a while? I have a very good memory. I can remember pretty much everything after reading it once."
Su Yuntao looked Xiao Xuan up and down as though he were a monster, so exasperated by his words that he nearly laughed.
A very good memory?!
He could remember it after reading it once?!
Did he think this was academic knowledge?!
Which of the principles for applying force and the techniques in these manuals didn't need repeated practice to remember?!
Wasn't he just fooling around?!
Forget it, forget it. Since the kid was so confident, he'd let him do as he pleased.
He'd definitely come back and ask me for help anyway!
"All right, then sit here and read in peace."
Su Yuntao picked up the wanted notice from the desk and casually reminded him,
"I happen to have something to take care of outside. Just leave the booklets on the desk when you're done."
"Don't worry, Deacon."
Xiao Xuan promptly agreed.
After Su Yuntao left, Xiao Xuan eagerly opened the spear technique manuals.
Of course, a good memory wasn't the reason he hadn't taken them back to read.
Rather, Xiao Xuan had discovered that as long as he read something through in full, the system would automatically store the memory for him, and he could browse it through the system whenever he wanted.
Xiao Xuan took a deep breath and concentrated, his fingertips rapidly turning the pages.
In the quiet office, only the crisp, rapid rustling of pages remained.
An hour passed.
As soon as he finished the last page, two notifications popped up before his eyes.
[Congratulations, host, you have learned basic spear techniques, volume one (not yet initiated).] [Congratulations, host, you have learned basic spear techniques, volume two (not yet initiated).]
But a few basic spear techniques clearly weren't enough to satisfy Xiao Xuan's appetite.
What came next was the main event of the day.
These two volumes of basic spear techniques, plus the volume of basic techniques he had read in the academy library, made three volumes in all, just enough to meet the fusion requirements.
System! Start synthesizing the techniques!
Buzz-!!
[Ding! Three-in-One Fusion of All Things activated...] [Main materials: basic spear techniques ×3. Quality assessment: one star.] [Auxiliary materials: none] [Fusing...] [Synthesis complete! Congratulations, host, you have obtained intermediate spear techniques (Perfection Realm)!]
Staring at the final line of small text on the system panel, Xiao Xuan froze in his chair. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Wait... Perfection Realm?!
Before Xiao Xuan's brain had time to digest the weight of those words, an abrupt change occurred in the next instant!
Boom-!!
An indescribable flood of memories of techniques poured madly into Xiao Xuan's mind!
Countless spear paths, muscle memories and combat experience forged through countless life-and-death battles were branded deep into his memory, as though they had always belonged to him!
In the span of a few breaths, Xiao Xuan became like a veteran spearman who had never let his spear leave his hands, training arduously for ten whole years amid wind and snow that filled the sky!