Shen Xiuhan closed the door behind him, took two steps forward, and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting. “Junior Shen Xiuhan greets Steward Ji.”
Ji Zhong smiled genially and pointed straight toward the rows of bookshelves on the right. “Very well, there is no need for such formalities. Since you are here, let us get straight to it.
“The four shelves on your right contain the Mingjin and Anjin Rank martial arts and stance works accumulated by my Ji family over many years. You may browse through them at your leisure and choose the one that suits you best.”
Having said that, Ji Zhong picked up the teacup beside him and blew gently on the floating foam. “Your time limit... is half an hour.”
Shen Xiuhan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately bowed with cupped hands and strode toward the bookshelves on the right.
He began pulling down books and bamboo slips from the shelves, skimming through them.
【Tiger-Subduing Stance】, 【Crane-Seizing Hand】, 【Iron Sand Palm】, 【Twelve Paths Buddhist Heart Palm】, 【Zhao's Stone-Shattering Finger】, 【Silk-Reeling Force】, 【Grass-Gliding Step】...
After looking through two whole bookshelves, Shen Xiuhan found that most of the manuals were just basic stance works and shallow martial arts.
In terms of complexity, they could not even compare to the Mei Courtyard's 【Mystic Eagle Stance】.
Even when he occasionally stumbled upon an Anjin Rank manual, a closer look at its core principles revealed it to be mediocre and full of flaws.
Shen Xiuhan understood.
These manuals had long been filtered by the Ji family before being put out as bargaining chips to win people's loyalty.
The truly top-tier techniques were undoubtedly hidden in a more secure place.
However, he did not care much about this.
With 【Deduction】 in hand, any technique could shine brilliantly under his cultivation.
Suppressing his stray thoughts, Shen Xiuhan shifted his steps and moved to the third bookshelf to continue his search.
The collection on this shelf consisted mostly of weapons and armed combat techniques:
【Rock-Shattering Spear】, 【Bandit-Sweeping Staffplay】, 【Shattered Jade Swordplay】, 【Wind-Breaking Saber】...
Skimming through them rapidly, he found only 【Weeping Willow Swordplay】 and 【Gate-Breaking Saber】 to be somewhat decent.
And these two weapon techniques happened to be the ones his master, Mei Shuangfeng, had mentioned to him.
As for the other three techniques she had mentioned—【River-Treading Torrent Step】, 【Wind-Cleaving Kick】, and 【Shattered Jade Returning Wind Palm】—Shen Xiuhan saw them all here as well.
‘Biting off more than I can chew will only backfire.’
‘I should put weapon techniques aside for now. What I lack most right now is hand-to-hand combat and footwork.’
Shen Xiuhan thought to himself.
If he could not find a more satisfactory martial art, he would choose 【Wind-Cleaving Kick】 to cover his weakness.
The reason was...
Gao Nian's wide-sweeping, fierce leg techniques had left a deep impression on him.
Lost in thought, he arrived at the fourth bookshelf.
Compared to the first three, this shelf was covered in a thin layer of dust, and the books and bamboo slips on it exuded an ancient, weathered aura.
Shen Xiuhan pulled out a small booklet with yellowed edges and casually flipped it open.
In the next instant, his gaze locked, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“Oh?”
Reclining on the daybed, Ji Zhong heard the sound and glanced over, taking a sip of his tea.
“Brother Shen, the items on that shelf are all fragmented scrolls and unique remnants collected from various places. Although many of them are renowned, profound techniques, they are severely incomplete and lack coherence. Attempting to force yourself to cultivate them will easily lead to qi deviation.”
“Thank you for the warning, Steward.”
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, his heart thumping rapidly against his will.
The description of blood qi and meridian pathways in the book he had just casually opened was far more profound and complex than any of the previous techniques.
Now that Ji Zhong had confirmed it, this shelf indeed held fragments of profound cultivation methods!
That raised a question.
Could incomplete manuals undergo 【Deduction】?
‘Whether it works or not, I will know once I try!’
Shen Xiuhan pursed his lips, picked up a worn ancient bamboo slip, and focused his mind.
【Deductible martial art detected: Incomplete Flying Star Moon-Chasing Sword. Begin deduction?】
‘Yes.’
【Insufficient intelligence points. Fifteen days are required to begin deduction.】
It really worked!
Excitement surged in Shen Xiuhan's heart.
It was a pity his 【intelligence points】 were insufficient. Otherwise, he could have deduced seven or eight of them...
Fortunately, he could still choose one now, so he wouldn't be leaving this treasure trove empty-handed.
Having made up his mind, Shen Xiuhan quickened his pace of browsing, determined to select the most suitable fragmented technique.
But the more he read, the more shocked he became.
【Incomplete Beidou Stance】: A basic stance work from the Beidou Sect, a major sect in Cangzhou a century ago. If one can cultivate this technique to the Huajin Rank, they can naturally transition to the sect's guardian technique, 【Heavenly Gang Beidou Force】, and break through the Gangjin Rank barrier!
【Incomplete Cloud Dragon Image-Retaining Step】: A supreme movement technique from Mount Cloud Dragon, a great sect in Yuzhou...
【Incomplete Mercy Deliverance Scripture】: Only a few pages remain of this technique from the Mercy Dao, one of the two great Buddhist sacred lands of the previous dynasty...
Shen Xiuhan was completely dazzled, momentarily at a loss as to which one to choose.
Just then, his hand brushed against a fragmented scroll with a peculiar texture, crafted from some unknown cured beast hide.
On the cover, several ancient and vigorous characters were written—
【Incomplete Divine Ability of the Old Man of the Creek】.
Annotation: A legacy divine ability from the Diaohai Pavilion. This scroll contains only half of the general outline. Before reaching the Huajin Rank, one can cultivate the technique 【Thousand Lakes Fishing】; after reaching the Gangjin Rank, one can cultivate the secret method 【Dragon Gate Attraction】; and after reaching the Divine Descent Rank, one can cultivate the divine ability 【Old Man of the Creek】...
Diaohai Pavilion!!
Shen Xiuhan's hand paused slightly, his pupils contracting instantly.
To think... he would find news of the Diaohai Pavilion in the Ji family's Library Pavilion!
Could it be...
...that this sect was related to the Ji family?
Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered. Suppressing the shock in his heart, he stood up and asked, “Steward... may I ask where this 【Incomplete Divine Ability of the Old Man of the Creek】 came from?”
“Oh, nothing special.”
Ji Zhong set down his teacup and answered casually, “A group of water bandits once ambushed one of our merchant caravans. After my men wiped them out, they looted this from the body of a dead bandit...”
Shen Xiuhan's heart sank.
He had finally managed to get some news about the Diaohai Pavilion, only for it to be a dead end?
Unwilling to give up, he pressed further, “Then does the Steward know... what kind of sect this 'Diaohai Pavilion' mentioned in the annotation is?”
“Diaohai Pavilion...”
Ji Zhong frowned in thought for a moment, then shook his head decisively. “Never heard of it.”
Before Shen Xiuhan could ask more, he gave a friendly reminder, “Time is running out, Brother Shen. You had better hurry!”
Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, “I have made my choice. I will take this 【Incomplete Divine Ability of the Old Man of the Creek】.”
“Are you sure?”
Ji Zhong was clearly surprised, his brows arching slightly.
“Brother Shen, let me warn you. Some of our Ji family descendants have tried to cultivate these fragmented scrolls in the past, but none of them ever made any headway. Incomplete techniques lead to a dead end. Have you truly thought this through?”
“I am sure.”
Shen Xiuhan deliberately put on a nonchalant look and shook his head with a smile.
“You see, Steward, I have yet to fully master the techniques of the Mei Courtyard. Biting off more than I can chew would only backfire, so I have no immediate plans to practice other martial arts.”
He paused, then added, “Besides, as you know, I come from a fishing family. This 【Incomplete Old Man of the Creek】 seems to have quite a few methods related to catching fish. Perhaps it will be of some use to me...”
“Hahaha!”
Ji Zhong burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this, the slight trace of doubt in his mind vanishing instantly.
“So that is why! I almost forgot that you rascal were born a fisherman...”
He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment.
“How about this? When you report for duty at Yunyi Island early next month, you will be assigned a black-awning boat. Normally, it is not to be used outside of patrol duties... but I will make an exception for you. You may use the boat to catch fish in your spare time. Whether you eat them yourself or sell them to support your family is up to you!”
Shen Xiuhan's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he bowed deeply with cupped hands. “Thank you, Steward!”
“Hahaha, very well. Since you have chosen, you may go.”
Ji Zhong waved his hand and picked up his teacup.
“When it is time to depart next month, someone will notify you a day in advance.”
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