Chapter Twenty-Five: Choosing a Martial Technique

Whether Lin Dong and the others would seek out Liu Kuang, and whether Liu Kuang would agree to let Lin Dong follow him, were matters Liu Pan did not particularly care about. After descending from the Eighth Peak, Liu Pan headed straight for Skyreach Peak.

Skyreach Peak was the mountain upon which the Method Hall of the Baiyang Sect stood. The reason Liu Pan went there was to claim the reward for placing in the top three of the entry examination—a chance to select a cultivation method for free.

Because it was already late after the examination the previous day, the distribution of rewards was scheduled for the following day.

As for why Liu Pan did not go with Liu Kuang and Ye Ming to select their methods, it was, of course, because he wished to keep a deliberate distance from Liu Kuang.

Despite the Method Hall housing the sect’s precious cultivation techniques, the security on Skyreach Peak did not appear especially tight. As Liu Pan ascended the mountain, he encountered only two groups of patrolling disciples.

Clearly, this sparse patrol was of little real use; the true defense of the Method Hall came from those residing within it.

With the token he had received after the entry competition, Liu Pan easily reached the summit of Skyreach Peak, and, as expected, saw the Method Hall there.

Though the Method Hall was an important place for the Baiyang Sect, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary three-story building. The only distinction was that there were no windows—just a single entrance on the first floor.

Since it was not easy for disciples to be granted new techniques, there were few people inside. When Liu Pan entered the hall, he saw only an elderly man, white-haired and bearded, reading behind the front counter; there was no one else.

“Leave your token. You may select one cultivation method for free from the first or second floor. Remember, you have only two hours to make your choice.”

Without so much as glancing at Liu Pan, or even raising his head, the old man spoke abruptly. Clearly, he was already aware of Liu Pan’s presence.

Liu Pan bowed respectfully, placed his token on the counter, and without another word, began to browse the hall on the first floor.

As for the white-bearded elder in the Method Hall, Liu Pan had written of him in his book, though only in relation to Liu Kuang, the protagonist.

But Liu Pan was not Liu Kuang; he would not encounter the plotlines destined for the protagonist. All he needed to remember was that this old man possessed strength comparable to the Baiyang Sect Master himself—his cultivation was at the peak of the Martial Master Realm.

For a martial cultivator, the levels of Warrior and Apprentice were mere thresholds; only upon reaching the Martial Master Realm and forging a Core would one truly step into the world of cultivation. Once the Core was formed, spiritual consciousness would awaken, and with the opening of divine sense, one would realize just how insignificant the lower realms truly were.

Since the Method Hall was of his own creation, Liu Pan knew all too well what types and tiers of methods were kept on each floor. It was for this very reason that he had to feign ignorance.

The white-bearded elder’s spiritual sense, at the Martial Master Realm, could easily encompass the entire building, so Liu Pan dared not act carelessly. Any suspicious behavior would be difficult to explain away.

The first floor contained thirty-two bookshelves, each filled with volumes, and each shelf clearly labeled with the attribute of the techniques it contained. It was all quite straightforward and convenient.

Without delay, Liu Pan headed to the shelves marked for water techniques and began examining them one by one.

Though the covers bore the names of various methods, these were only summaries; the true techniques would be given out by the white-bearded elder upon selection.

Most of the methods on the first floor were basic. After browsing through them, Liu Pan quickly lost interest. It was exactly as he had described in his own book—there was nothing noteworthy here.

After a slight hesitation, Liu Pan decided he had seen enough and made his way up to the second floor.

The second floor was much simpler, with only eleven shelves. Liu Pan’s eyes quickly found one marked “Special Class.” He did not show undue interest, however, and first browsed the two shelves of water techniques.

It was clear that the techniques on the second floor were of a higher grade than those below, but knowing of the many legendary methods on the Heaven’s Peak Continent, Liu Pan was not impressed. Eventually, he “seriously” chose a volume with a grand-sounding name—The Great Water Sutra—and prepared to leave.

Just as he was about to descend, he conveniently “noticed” the Special Class shelf. After a moment’s thought, he walked over.

The Special Class shelf, as expected, contained some unique techniques. There were methods of wind, thunder, and ice—types that could not be cultivated by ordinary spiritual roots—as well as nearly thirty incomplete techniques from various elements.

Liu Pan wasted no time. After all, his true goal in coming to the Method Hall was this very shelf.

In the original novel, Liu Kuang had found an incomplete fire technique here. Liu Pan, upon entering the Baiyang Sect, had already planned to see if he could find any powerful incomplete water or ice techniques.

The number of books was limited. Liu Pan quickly found the incomplete water and ice methods. However, to his dismay, there was only one incomplete water technique and one incomplete ice technique.

With a soft sigh, Liu Pan resigned himself—after all, most of the events in the book were designed around the protagonist’s attributes. For someone with a cold constitution like himself, finding even one or two suitable methods was already fortunate.

There were two techniques: the incomplete water method called Water Moon Sutra, and the incomplete ice method called Mysterious Ice Art.

Just by the name, Liu Pan felt he could not bring himself to cultivate the Water Moon Sutra. “Water Moon Sutra?” The name seemed... absurd!

Upon reading its summary, he was sure it was not for him; it was more suitable for women with a yin constitution.

As for the Mysterious Ice Art, the name was promising, but reading the description left Liu Pan speechless. The technique was so incomplete that only the instructions for the first level remained, and there was no basic information at all—he had no idea what might happen after cultivation.

What now? He looked at The Great Water Sutra in his hand, then at the Mysterious Ice Art. For the first time, he realized how miserable it was to be a supporting character in this world. The protagonist could pick up a beggar’s broken rice bowl by the roadside and find some legendary treasure, but for everyone else, even finding a halfway decent technique was a struggle.

After a moment’s hesitation, Liu Pan’s eyes flashed with determination. He returned The Great Water Sutra to the shelf and took the Mysterious Ice Art downstairs.

“You’re sure you want this Mysterious Ice Art?” The white-bearded elder raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised by Liu Pan’s choice.

Hearing the elder’s tone, Liu Pan was briefly intrigued—perhaps the old man knew something about this art? But it seemed he was reading too much into it.

“No need to reconsider. My decision is made,” Liu Pan replied respectfully, bowing.

The elder frowned slightly, then sighed. “Very well. It is your choice, after all.”

He produced a white jade slip from beneath the counter and, with a wave of his hand, sent it floating in the air. After making a series of gestures, a faint glow flickered across the slip, and it returned to his hand.

“Take it. This slip contains the cultivation method for Mysterious Ice Art. Place it against your brow to access its contents. Remember, the jade slip can only be used once; afterward, its memory will be lost and it will become an ordinary piece of jade. In other words, you have only one chance to read the method,” the elder said, handing over the slip.

“Thank you, Elder,” Liu Pan replied, bowing once more.

“Remember, any method obtained from the Method Hall must never be passed to others. Violators will be hunted by the sect unto death.”

Having made his selection, Liu Pan did not linger. He left Skyreach Peak and returned directly to the Eighth Peak.

Owing to the small number of people on the Eighth Peak, almost no one saw his return.

After some thought, Liu Pan decided not to return to the place where he had stayed the night before. He guessed Liu Kuang, Ye Ming, and Wolf might be waiting for him there, and since he wanted to keep his distance, he saw no reason to go back.

He casually picked an inconspicuous, dilapidated hut, pushed open the door, and entered. Perhaps it had been uninhabited for a long time, for the hut was in disrepair, but Liu Pan did not mind. He found a relatively clean spot, sat down, and took out the jade slip containing the Mysterious Ice Art.

Calming his mind, he pressed the slip to his brow.

As for the water techniques he had seen in the Method Hall today, Liu Pan had never even mentioned them in his book. Other than reading the summaries, he could only guess at their true nature.

In the end, he had chosen the Mysterious Ice Art precisely because its introduction was so minimal. To Liu Pan, that meant there were many possibilities—so he decided to take a risk.

The instant the jade slip touched his forehead, a surge of obscure information flooded Liu Pan’s mind.