Ling Xiao browsed through the introductions of several books, searching for some clue to differentiate between their grades.
<Stele Breaking Palm>: A swift and fierce palm technique and gain power like a mountain. Achieve victory through pure power and reach a strength of 300 pounds upon cultivating.
<Raging Fire Fist>: Condense true qi that bursts out accompanying a powerful fist strike like a raging fire with terrifying instant eruption. In the gang qi stage, it can display raging-fire gang qi. Only male martial artists can practice this. It is harmful to female martial artists.
<Gale Pursue Leaf Step>: After successfully training this technique, it can substantially enhance the movement speed. The saying “in the world of martial arts, speed defines the winner” reveals its terrifying utility. Generally, it is suitable for people with thin figures. The effect of cultivating this would be the best for slender women.
<Iron Skin Technique>: Defensive technique for men. After successful cultivation, one can block sword attacks and substantially reduce damage to one’s body. Only a determined and firm-willed person can cultivate it successfully; otherwise, others will give up this arduous technique halfway.
……
“These all sound so powerful. I want to take them all for cultivation. Unfortunately, I can only select two! Such a headache…”
Although the grades of these martial arts couldn’t be determined from these introductory summaries, Ling Xiao was still endlessly excited to see them.
As a person who struggled to obtain even elementary martial arts, practically all the martial arts here made him drool.
Damned Ling Jiu! Everyone else can take four books while I can only take two.
Although it was not good to be greedy, not every martial art had to be perfected, so a martial artist could afford to learn several.
For instance, learning only the basics of <Iron Skin Technique> to enhance bodily defense was sufficient for most average people.
Most people chose only one to two techniques to serve as the core, while the other techniques they knew would supplement their skills. Like that, they could substantially increase their strength.
Unfortunately, he could only select two techniques. Furthermore, he would’ve been able to take better advantage of multiple techniques since he had a Landscape Martial Soul, making the progress of his cultivation very fast. Even if he simultaneously cultivated several martial arts, there shouldn’t be any issues.
Eh?
Suddenly, Ling Xiao thought of something.
Since Landscape Martial Soul could analyze and deduce martial arts, could it also estimate the value of a martial arts technique?
When he had initially entered the Library Pavilion, he had been afraid that Ling Jiu would notice his abnormality, so he hadn’t opened his Landscape Martial Soul.
The method to open and close it was very simple. He only needed to circulate his true qi, much like using a martial skill.
Thinking this, he hastily opened his Landscape Martial Soul.
Instantly, the clouds in the Landscape Painting unexpectedly receded a little. Another building appeared in the village.
Very similar to the Ling Clan’s Library Pavilion, this building only differed in that it was much shorter with only one floor.
The most marvelous thing was that upon sending his consciousness inside, he unexpectedly discovered that all the valuable martial art books he had seen before had appeared here.
Upon examining a book’s contents, he saw a figure resembling himself immediately appear in the Landscape Painting and display the corresponding technique.
“This… this is too amazing!”
Ling Xiao was utterly shocked but it quickly gave way to intense joy.
He had never thought that the Landscape Martial Soul would actually have this kind of effect. Didn’t this mean that he could take all the valuable martial art books on the second floor as long as he skimmed through them?
Even if he couldn’t practice all of them, he could give the knowledge to others or even sell them for money in the future.
He didn’t feel that such actions betrayed the Ling Clan. In any case, Ling Clan had never truly regarded him as one of their own.
Even that Ling Jiu had publicly threatened to kill him without punishment. Why should he guard their secrets?
Besides, the best on this second floor were only those intermediate martial arts, which were common enough to be found outside. Only the valuable books on the fourth floor were the true foundations of the Ling Clan.
Thinking this, he no longer hesitated. He quickly browsed through all the techniques, reading only the summaries of each martial art book, before throwing them back onto the bookshelves.
Even only reading their summaries, it would not be easy to do so for almost ten thousand books in two hours. He had to speed up.
Didn’t you, Ling Jiu, want to restrict me to just two books? I will steal all the books here and anger you to death!
Speed up!
Faster!
An unprecedented madness appeared on Ling Xiao’s face.
Initially, every time he read a book, he would confirm whether a copy had materialized in the library of the Landscape Painting, but after the first few, he decided it was a waste to verify this and didn’t bother to do so.
Because there was no need to verify it. If a book were added to the library, he could feel a subtle change.
“Hahaha… amazing! Too amazing! Landscape Martial Soul! What exactly is this martial soul? It’s actually so powerful!”
Ling Xiao couldn’t help but feel an unprecedented glee in his heart while furiously browsing through the martial art books. Letting out a chuckle, he hastily flipped through more pages.
This movement inevitably attracted the other disciples’ attention.
“Is this kid crazy?”
“Yea, I’ve never seen such a stupid selecting method!”
“Just a bumpkin! Ignore him; don’t waste your time. Focus on your own matters.”
Two hours. While it couldn’t be said to be long, it also couldn’t be called short.
By the time Ling Xiao had “copied” almost all the valuable books on the second floor, well over 9,000 books, there was only a quarter of an hour left.
The reason he still hadn’t left was mainly because some of the Ling Clan’s disciples had never set down the books they held, preventing him from copying them.
It was worth mentioning that the random positions of the martial art books in the Ling Clan’s Library Pavilion were different in the Landscape Painting.
Neatly arranged in different categories, the books were tended to by a librarian who had appeared out of thin air and seemed to be responsible for tidying the place.
Palm Techniques, Blade Techniques, Sword Techniques, Inner Power Techniques, Body Strengthening Techniques, and so on were separately placed on different bookshelves.
Not only that, but intermediate, elementary, and basic martial arts were also arranged in order and labeled. From a glance, anyone could know the grade of a martial arts technique.
This situation stupefied Ling Xiao but also excited him.
The library in his Landscape Painting was better than the Ling Clan’s Library Pavilion!
Although there was not much time left, Ling Xiao was helpless since he couldn’t snatch the books in the hands of those disciples. After all, his current strength was inferior to those people.
Therefore, he could only wander around the second floor, hoping to find a valuable book he had missed.
Since he had rushed too much in excitement before there truly was a chance that he had missed something.
Eh? What is that?
Suddenly, Ling Xiao noticed two paintings hanging at the entrance of the second floor.
One painting depicted a bull-headed person holding a huge axe while the other painting was a drawing of a monkey-headed fellow holding a stick.
The most intriguing thing was above the bull-headed person were the three words “Bull Demon Technique” while above the other fellow were the three words “Cloud Soaring Steps.”
Could it be that these two paintings were actually martial skill books?
Ling Xiao reached his hand towards the painting upon thinking this.
“Stop!”
Before he could touch the painting, a hand firmly gripped his wrist. It belonged to a clan disciple of the Ling Clan.
His cultivation was Rank Three Martial Vein, making him stronger than Ling Xiao.
“You! Go and inform Uncle Jiu that someone arbitrarily touched the painting!”
That male disciple ordered another.
That disciple quickly ran down and returned with Ling Jiu.
“Uncle Jiu, this kid arbitrarily touched this painting!”
“Don’t mind; don’t mind. These paintings are also martial art books belonging to the second floor. Let him touch them. These two paintings may look ordinary, but they have some restrictions.”
Ling Jiu smiled before adding, “Ling Xiao, if you truly have the ability, then you can take the martial art skills behind them.”
