The Heaven-Observing Pavilion has five floors. The top floor is the office of the chief officer, and the fourth floor is the office of Wu Yi and other adjutants.
The second and third floors respectively store case files, martial arts manuals, famous soldiers, and treasures.
At this moment, on the third floor of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion, Zhang Zhiqing, dressed in a scholar's robe, walked in the spacious hall with one hand behind his back, scanning the dazzling array of items on the treasure shelf with the same gaze he had taken as he came.
Zhang Zhiqing comes from the Dongyang Zhang Clan. The Lineage's thousand-year heritage was indeed a great help in his meteoric rise.
But if he can truly become the second best in the world, his ability to dominate an entire generation cannot be ignored.
When Zhang Zhiqing was young, Emperor Huai was still the Crown Prince. He, Li Yuntu, Wu Chenglie, Yan the Old Man, and the current Grand Secretary Cui Fo all came from the " Seven Eminent Confucian Families " and had all studied at the Imperial Academy.
It was a time of peace and prosperity, and there weren't many bandits to kill and plunder. Everyone who wanted to climb the social ladder had to take exams, compete in tournaments, and so on.
Zhang Zhiqing's performance during his studies can only be described in eight words: exceptionally talented but not focused on his studies!
None of the great Confucian scholars at the Imperial Academy thought highly of him. In fact, the one chosen for the next generation by the Heaven-Observing Decree was Wu Chenglie was excellent in both character and scholarship.
But a great Confucian scholar can judge a person by their appearance, while a divine soldier cannot.
The method for selecting the next holder of the " No-Strategy Bow " was through the authorization of the Heaven-Observing Decree, which allowed the talented individuals from the seven major clans to take turns leading the bow on training missions. Zhang Zhiqing was ultimately chosen because he was not well-liked.
Then he took a bow and went south alone, single-handedly destroying the Southern Frontier Demon Sect, thus becoming famous in one battle.
At this moment, Zhang Zhiqing pointed to a mask on the shelf and introduced it with a hint of reminiscence:
"This is the mask of the Old Devil Huangfu from the Southern Frontier. Back then, he had more than twenty heroes under his command. My grandfather went to the meeting alone, single-handedly, and fought his way from Meilindong all the way to Immortal-Gazing Island the South Sea. His style was similar to Ye Xingge's today..."
Beside her, Shen Yueyao looked up at the multi-treasure shelf, five zhang long and two zhang high, and the dazzling array of famous weapons displayed on it, her eyes sparkling. However, upon hearing her grandfather's words, Shen Yueyao still put her hands on her hips:
"I don't believe it! Old Master Yan said that Grandpa was quite a coward when he was young. He would always carry a bow and launch sneak attacks from hundreds of paces away. Even when Old Devil Huangfu fought to the very end, he never even saw what Grandpa looked like. Brother Ye, on the other hand, charged in single-handedly..."
Zhang Zhiqing did not deny this, stroking his beard as he said:
"The best strategy is to outwit the enemy and win from afar; why risk your life in close quarters? Grandpa's Wisdom Weapon, if they were greedy, might just be able to..." "Alright, alright!"
Shen Yueyao had heard it so many times since she was a child that she was practically sick of it. At this moment, she straightened her bunny:
"Grandpa, I'm already sixteen. Year after year, Mantanghong has become the sect leader. When will I be able to don these famous weapons and go out to sweep across the martial world?"
Zhang Zhiqing was worried that his granddaughter might cause trouble with his magic weapon or attract unwanted attention, so he usually didn't allow her to play with it. At this moment, he seemed a little helpless.
"When you no longer need these things, you can go out and make your own way in the world. Weapons are external possessions; they can only be icing on the cake. The more you rely on them, the more weaknesses you'll have..."
"Snort!"
Shen Yueyao turned her head away. "Grandpa just doesn't want to give it to me."
"Well..."
Just as the grandfather and grandson were chatting idly, footsteps could be heard outside.
Shen Yueyao had become a little fangirl over Ye Xingge's achievements these past few days. Her slightly spoiled demeanor instantly vanished, and she transformed into a sweet little girl, peeking out from the doorway with her hair in double buns:
"Lord Ye?"
In the hallway outside the door.
Ye Xingge carried a large bundle on his Azure Dragon Spear as he walked along the clean corridor. Through the windows, he could see the lights of countless homes shimmering in the rain. Hearing a sound, Ye Xingge turned around and quickly stepped forward.
" Eldest Miss Shen, you're here too?"
Eldest Miss Shen lived up to her nickname " Rabbit Grand Protector." She hopped out from the doorway, leaped to the front, put one hand behind her back, and pointed to the rabbit on her lapel. "In the yamen, you must address people by their official titles!"
Ye Xingge briefly and could see that Eldest Miss Shen had dressed up. She was wearing a light orange-pink round-neck blouse with a jade rabbit pattern embroidered on the chest. The smooth fabric exuded a refined quality and elegance.
She wore light blue wide-leg lantern pants and embroidered shoes, and her hair was styled in Spiritual Qi double bun. The gold bracelet and tassels on her wrists added to the overall look, making her appear energetic and like a runaway princess.
Hearing Shen Yueyao's words, Ye Xingge remembered this and changed his mind:
Good evening, Lord Shen!
Hehe~
Shen Yueyao smiled and helped take the spear and the large package.
Because there was Elephant King Axe weighing dozens of kilograms hanging behind, Ye Xingge was worried that Baby Bunny wouldn't be able to carry it and wanted to politely decline.
To everyone's surprise, this seemingly petite and adorable Baby Bunny carried the heavy load of over a hundred pounds without much difficulty, examining it as it walked. "Wow~ Is this the Immortal Rope? I heard it can replace the Filth-Severing Whip..."
The two effects of the Filth-Severing Whip are both incredibly powerful passive abilities. In direct combat, it is indeed not much different from the Immortal Rope.
Ye Xingge originally wanted to show the Baby Bunny the spoils of the trip, but when she got to the door, her pupils contracted slightly.
Behind the door, in the spacious hall, three walls were lined with display shelves, filled with all sorts of exquisite items, their gleaming reflections shimmering on the polished floor.
He initially thought it contained ordinary antiques, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a heavy suit of armor on a shelf in the corner.
The heavy armor comes with a helmet, faceplate, bracers, and shoulder guards. Judging from the colors and styles, it is all from the Immovable Wisdom King series, with no inferior "Covering the Heaven-Shrouding and World-Surpassing" series.
The " Immovable Wisdom King " set is a side effect of the weapon being nurtured to perfection. It consists of different pieces of armor for different parts of Immovable Wisdom King, with their effects multiplying. That is, the first piece increases the toughness of all the items on the body by 70%, and the second piece increases it by another 70% on top of that.
Helmets, faceplates, breastplates, bracers, leg guards, shoulder guards, etc., stacked together, easily multiply the cost by dozens of times. Leaving aside the defensive capabilities, the sheer cost alone is enough to scare away ordinary Second Rank...
In a small compartment in the corner, there was a dagger, entirely silver-white, but with a red line running along the blade.
Unsurprisingly, it's the same famous soldier as " A Thread of Sky," A Thread of Pink...
The divine weapon No-Strategy Bow, was placed on the central platform; its entire body was a deep blue-green, resembling the cold jade of a thousand mountains.
Heaven-Observing Decree, dressed in a scholar's robe, stood before No-Strategy Bow with one hand behind his back, looking like... well...
The reigning champion, a top-tier player, is watching a rookie scavenging for scraps?
Oh my god...
Ye Xingge had never seen any famous soldiers in the county before. Now that he had entered the martial arts world, the experts he encountered at most carried one or two items. He thought that with his own resources, he was already considered a big shot.
Seeing the wealth of the second-best family in the world, he suddenly understood why Heroine Yun had shouted "Heaven makes up for the imbalance".
Who wouldn't want to rob a rich person after seeing this?
Greed and drugs have taken hold...
Ye Xingge glanced at them briefly, then stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:
" Duke Zhang."
Zhang Zhiqing stroked his beard and chuckled:
"At such a young age, he is indeed extraordinary. His performance today is something I, an old man who has been in the martial world for sixty years, have rarely heard of."
The words were undoubtedly praise, but for some reason, Ye Xingge saw a shadow of her second uncle.
"Hahahaha!" With your paltry skills, you can't possibly beat this old man...
ü?"
Ye Xingge, considering the other party was the second best in the world, certainly wouldn't flatter Wen, and humbly replied:
"You flatter me, Duke Zhang. I was just lucky. I heard from the Inspection Bureau today that the assassin might have gone to Shangjin Ferry, so I went to check it out..."
"Alright, the Inspection Bureau has already reported the matter. The Emperor was overjoyed upon hearing the news and bestowed upon you some gifts."
As Zhang Zhiqing spoke, he flicked his wrist and took out a jade pendant, handing it to Ye Xingge.
Upon seeing this, Ye Xingge stepped forward and took it. Because of the dazzling jewels in the surrounding display room, the jade pendant, which was of decent quality, seemed like a white stone in comparison.
"This is?"
" Great Nine Yang!"
Shen Yueyao had already put down the large package and was examining the treasures one by one with a magnifying glass, still looking slightly annoyed.
"However, General Cao is a bit stingy. He stole the martial arts technique from Wu Chenglie, but divided it into three parts and only gave you one..."
Zhang Zhiqing slightly raised his hand to stop his granddaughter from speaking, and explained:
" Wu Chenglie, wielding Propriety Weapon, already possesses martial arts skills that are among the best in the world. Cao Xiong is giving it all to you; there's nothing left to reward him with. How can we motivate him?"
"However, cultivation techniques are like chess manuals. Although no two games are ever the same, they all use black and white pieces, and there is no distinction between immortals and mortals. If a master sets a good example, that's usually enough. Take a look first."
Although Ye Xingge had never seen a celestial-grade cultivation technique, he knew that the " Great Nine Yang " was in the same tier as the " Nine Transformations of the Cloud Dragon " and the " Twelve Elephants of the Lotus Pan ". This type of technique was not learned by the inner sect, but was only known by the First Rank Old Demon and his successor.
After all, this item is equivalent to the Imperial Seal of the State, and its secrets are not to be easily passed on. If it is taught to both disciples, then even if the family does not separate in the future, trouble is bound to arise.
Cao Xiong could "force his way into becoming an apprentice" by relying on divine weapons. He didn't care about other people's things and had more people who knew how to use them, but only the prodigies or those with connections who were heavily cultivated by the Great Yan Dynasty knew them.
After examining it briefly, Ye Xingge grasped the jade talisman and tried to gather his energy.
As a result, a cool sensation appeared in the palm, as if wisps of Yang energy were flowing into the body, outlining three lines in the meridians of the whole body. The three lines are located in the Ren, Du and Chong meridians, extending to the limbs and bones. The lines are extremely extensive, but not cumbersome. Overall, they look natural, simple and clear.
As the physical sensation appeared, the jade talisman in his hand emitted a soft "clinking" sound.
The surface is cracked, suggesting it's meant to be destroyed after use to prevent it from being leaked.
Ye Xingge closed his eyes to carefully sense his surroundings, and opened them after a moment:
"Is this a body-refining technique?"
Zhang Zhiqing stopped the Baby Bunny, who was holding the Azure Dragon Spear and eagerly poised to strike the wall, and nodded slightly.
"It's good that you can see it. In martial arts, one trains the muscles, bones and skin externally, and cultivates the breath internally. After breaking through the limitations of the physical body, one nourishes the body with the innate essence of the swallow, stopping the damage to blood and flesh."
"Back then, the top-tier cultivation techniques all consisted of these three levels. This is the basic method of body refinement. If you then learn the method of Qi refinement, you can obtain a body full of pure Yang energy, cultivating both internal and external strength. And if you learn the third level, that's truly formidable..."
Zhang Zhiqing gestured to his mature and composed appearance, which showed no signs of aging:
"At seventy, you can still remain youthful, but your lifespan is hard to predict. For ordinary people, the limit is two cycles of sixty years, but as long as you step into the third level, you can find ways to extend your life. In history, there have been people who lived past five cycles of sixty years without relying on divine weapons."
"Yeah?"