Cultivation and Secret Manuals!

After the meal, golden books lay on the table.

Every book there was made entirely of gold leaf. Qie Qiong also knew that in the Snow Eagle World, only exceptionally precious books were generally made of gold leaf—that is, Transcendent texts.

"These four are Transcendent secret manuals left behind by our clan's ancestors," Qie Yunzhou said proudly. An ordinary clan could already have hope of rising with just one. Let alone four-generally, only ancient, great noble clans could possess that many.

This meant that their descendants had more choices, a better chance of finding something that suited them, and an easier path to becoming powerhouses.

"There's also this. It's the most important one." As Qie Yunzhou spoke, he took another secret manual from the ring on his hand. The words "Thunder's Five Transformation Technique" were written on it.

"This is our clan's only transcendent-grade Dou Qi technique. If I, your father, could cultivate it, I reckon I would have become a great Transcendent long ago."

Qie Qiong said nothing. There was nothing much to agonize over when it came to the Dou Qi technique. For him, if he was going to cultivate one, it had to be the strongest. But he didn't know which of the four Transcendent secret manuals to choose.

Perhaps sensing Qie Qiong's dilemma, Qie Yunzhou told him to look through the four texts first.

"Gale Spear Technique," "Mad Sun Saber," "Thunder Light," and "Flowing Light Sword." Each technique represented a different path. If he chose a weapon for which he had little talent, he wouldn't even be able to perfect the fundamentals of that weapon. Then he wouldn't be able to learn even the simplest move, let alone reach Unity of Heaven and Man.

"Gale Spear"-one look at the name was enough to tell it was a spear technique that specialized in speed. Cultivated to its highest realm, it was like the wind, slipping through every crack, impossible for anyone to stop. When unleashed, it could destroy everything like a raging gale, or be quiet as a gentle breeze, yet carry a hidden danger.

"This one might work." Qie Qiong nodded as he looked at it, then picked up the next book, "Mad Sun Saber."

"Mad Sun Saber" and "Gale Spear" had both been left by Flying Sky Rank experts who had only just become Transcendents. Because fewer people practiced the spear than the saber, "Mad Sun Saber" had been mastered by the most people in the clan's history. The other two had both been left by Saint Rank Transcendents.

But when it came to simplicity and savagery, "Mad Sun Saber" was the undisputed first among the four texts. Every slash was an offensive move, and using the saber technique also made the practitioner's state of mind extremely agitated.

"This one's shortcomings are too obvious. Every slash is an attack, and it also affects the practitioner's state of mind," Qie Yunzhou reminded him from the side.

"The Transcendent who created 'Mad Sun Saber' really was wicked. It has offense but no defense, and it even changes one's disposition. It doesn't suit my temperament." Qie Qiong rejected it outright.

"Actually, the one I recommend most is 'Thunder Light.'" Qie Yunzhou picked up "Thunder Light" from beside "Mad Sun Saber." "It's a sword technique paired with 'Thunder's Five Transformation Technique.' According to the ancestor who created that Dou Qi technique, if you cultivate them together to the highest level, you can defeat an ordinary Transcendent as soon as you become one."

Keeping "Thunder Light" as a possibility, Qie Qiong leafed through "Flowing Light Sword."

"'Flowing Light Sword' is also the sword technique I cultivate." Seeing Qie Qiong pick up the last book, Qie Yunzhou smiled. "If you choose this one, I can give you some pointers."

"Flowing Light Sword" could be considered the simplest of the four secret manuals. Although it had three sword moves, strictly speaking, they amounted to just one secret technique, merely divided into three realms by later generations.

According to that division, the first realm was the "One Sword Realm." As the book described it, the so-called "One Sword Realm" meant that after one swung and withdrew the sword, it was as though a streak of sword light remained in the air.

The second realm was called the "Ten Thousand Swords Realm," but the "ten thousand" was merely a figure of speech. Even two streaks of sword light counted as the second realm; it was just a little stronger than the first move. Thus, the difference in combat power within this realm was enormous.

The third realm was unknown, because only part of its cultivation method existed. The manual had been incomplete since the clan's ancestor obtained it, and no one had ever mastered it. The person who had achieved the most with the manual was his father, Qie Yunzhou, who had reached the highest level of the second realm.

First, rule out "Mad Sun Saber." The side effects are too great. I don't want to get so wild that someone beats me to death. Qie Qiong thought carefully. "Gale Spear" could work, but it was only left by a Flying Sky Transcendent. It's far inferior to the other two.

"Flowing Light Sword" is definitely a must! Qie Qiong thought.

Not only was "Flowing Light Sword" his father's main secret manual, meaning he could give him pointers, but Qie Qiong had also always firmly believed in one saying: "No martial art under heaven can fail to break what is hard; only speed cannot be broken."

Now I have speed, so strength will be easy to deal with. I'll practice "Thunder Light" too. Qie Qiong quickly made his choice.

If "Thunder Light" was cultivated together with "Thunder's Five Transformation Technique," the two could complement each other, making the Five Transformation Technique circulate faster. It was more effective for cultivating Dou Qi than simple exhaustion training, and it could also let Thunder Light unleash astonishing power.

"Father, I've decided to cultivate 'Thunder Light' and 'Flowing Light Sword' together." Qie Qiong picked up the two texts.

"'Thunder Light' and 'Flowing Light Sword' together?" Qie Yunzhou nodded slightly. As the person ranked fortieth on the Heavenly Rankings among the more than two hundred Title Rank experts currently in the entire Azure Cloud World, how keen was his judgment? (Heavenly Rankings: a ranking of Title Rank experts; only those with titles could appear on it.)

"Mm, that will work," Qie Yunzhou agreed.

"Please teach me, Father." Qie Qiong was somewhat eager.

"No hurry. I have some insights into 'Flowing Light Sword,' but you haven't even built a solid foundation. Even if I explained them to you, you wouldn't understand. Flowing Light Sword and Thunder Light were both created by Transcendents. You must perfect your foundations and reach Unity of Man and Sword before you can master this move."

"Tomorrow, I'll give you a basic sword technique, 'Seventy-Two Earth Fiend Swords,' and the complete 'Thunder's Five Transformation Technique.' You must practice them well first and build a solid foundation." Qie Yunzhou nodded and smiled. "Cultivation is hard work. You'll have to endure hardship starting tomorrow."

Early the next morning, Qie Qiong and his parents came to the mountain behind the clan grounds.

As the most powerful clan in Qinghai Commandery City, the Qie Clan naturally had a martial arts practice ground. Moreover, only their family generally used it. That was because, though it was called a clan, the Qie Clan had in fact been passed down through a single line from its founding ancestor onward. That it had survived to this day was nothing short of a miracle.

Qie Qiong saw Qie Yunzhou wave his hand, and an alchemical dummy appeared on the previously empty ground over there.

"From now on, you must first practice 'Seventy-Two Earth Fiend Swords' every day. In the afternoon, attack the alchemical dummy with your sword. Do you see the red dots? Practice until, no matter when, any casual thrust can strike wherever you want it to. Only then will you have the foundations of swordsmanship. Then perfect all seventy-two swords, and only then will you be at the realm of Unity of Man and Sword."

After listening to Qie Yunzhou, Qie Qiong couldn't help asking, "Then, Father, how long will it take me to reach Unity of Man and Sword?"

"That depends on your talent." Qie Yunzhou said solemnly, "Don't set your sights too high when cultivating. Understand?"

"Mm!" Qie Qiong nodded emphatically.

In the days that followed, Qie Qiong began cultivating under Qie Yunzhou's guidance.