"The *Records of Xuan Jian*?"
Zhang Xiuer held a booklet given to her by Li Feiyu, which contained swordplay insights extracted from the *Records of Xuanwu*.
"Right. I'm about to become a Martial Arts Grandmaster, and you haven't even mastered advanced swordplay yet," Li Feiyu said.
"My martial arts progress is among the fastest in my generation," Zhang Xiuer retorted. "Among all the young disciples, my cultivation is in the top fifty!"
*Clank!*
A bottle of pills was placed on the table by Li Feiyu.
"This is the Meridian-Clearing Pill I asked Elder Han to compound. It's immensely beneficial for martial arts cultivation. Take one before practicing your internal arts, and when you run out, send someone to ask Elder Han for more."
Zhang Xiuer eagerly took the medicine bottle, her excitement impossible to conceal.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Li!"
"Remember, this medicine is extremely costly and rare. The same goes for these swordplay insights—memorize them and burn them. Neither of these things is to be mentioned to a single soul! Not even your aunt or uncle."
Li Feiyu's expression was stern and unquestionable.
Joy bloomed in Zhang Xiuer's heart. So Senior Brother Li had always been mindful of her martial arts progress. Furthermore, for him to reside in Godly Hand Valley just to have Elder Han refine medicine for her—the sacrifice was simply too great...
Seeing the look of utter bliss on Zhang Xiuer's face, Li Feiyu knew she was deep into her own self-delusion. A girl of fifteen or sixteen always loved indulging in such pointless flights of fancy.
Still, since he, Li Feiyu, had arrived—with Divine Doctor Han's assistance—cultivating a grandmaster of the realm would be a breeze no matter what the future held.
He enunciated every single word clearly. "From now on, remember this. Zhang Xiuer, you are going to be a female grandmaster!"
Zhang Xiuer nodded eagerly like a chicken pecking at grain. "Yes, yes! Otherwise... how could I ever be worthy of Senior Brother Li!"
A confession was just like taking drugs: the first time was all bashfulness and hesitation, but the second time was far bolder and more unrestrained.
Since Li Feiyu produced nothing but top-tier goods, how could Zhang Xiuer fail to recognize their value? Evading the Sect Master's spies and finishing this business, he finally dismissed the little girl and ducked back into the library.
...
For nearly forty days straight, Li Feiyu left early and returned late, spending the vast majority of his waking hours in the library. As a Deputy Hall Master with no mundane duties, save for the elders and the Sect Master, who dared boss him around?
He meticulously read through nearly every single book on Daoism and miscellaneous studies. He gave a cursory flip to the texts on vertical-and-horizontal diplomacy and poetry collections, finding no hidden tricks within their pages.
The ultimate harvest was immense!
What surprised him the most was a book titled *The Fourteen Chapters of the Supreme White True Scripture*.
Over a hundred years ago, the Qixuan Sect was a dominant hegemony in Jingzhou. Back then, the Prefect of Jingzhou staged a rebellion, gathering a massive crowd of martial artists under his banner. The Qixuan Sect stood alongside the imperial court of Yue, vigorously supporting the loyal army in suppressing the revolt. Several elders at the time fought their way into the enemy chieftain's stronghold and secured dozens of ancient texts.
The martial arts manuals among them were gradually digested, becoming a part of the Qixuan Sect's unique martial arts. Meanwhile, several miscellaneous books and Daoist classics remained largely useless, sitting neglected on the second floor of the library.
*The Fourteen Chapters of the Supreme White True Scripture* was among them. According to notes left behind, the prefect had met an immortal before his rebellion. The immortal told him he had rendered great service by protecting the region and rewarded him with a chance at immortality—which was precisely this true scripture.
These were mere notes scribbled on the flyleaves by past readers, likely nothing more than legends. But Li Feiyu could see through it: the first thirteen chapters of *The Fourteen Chapters of the Supreme White True Scripture* were chanting formulas, while the final chapter contained foundational spells, identical in nature to Han Li's *Ever Spring Art*.
It was presumably a manual from an immortal cultivation sect. As for why that cultivator chose to pass it down, there was no way of knowing.
The *Ever Spring Art* had appeared before Han Li under the guise of the *Classic of Longevity*. *The Fourteen Chapters of the Supreme White True Scripture* was similarly wrapped in an alias; since the Supreme White star corresponded to Venus, this was actually a foundational metal-attribute cultivation method!
It was the rarest of metal-attribute cultivation methods!
Its true name, *Golden Emperor Slash*, appeared more than once between the lines for Li Feiyu to see.
The final chapter included spells such as the Fireball Spell, Mind-Settling Talisman, Wind-Riding Technique, Object-Control Technique, and Heavenly Eye Technique. Most uniquely, the manual contained several metal-attribute spells, such as the Golden Arrow Spell, Golden Armor Technique, Iron Skin Technique, and Golden Bell Shield—all of which Li Feiyu remembered being mentioned in the original novel.
According to the *Golden Emperor Slash*, the metal element in the Five Elements governed killing and warfare, meaning the cultivation method itself was inherently an offensive spell. As the user advanced through the levels of the technique, its power would grow increasingly formidable. At the very beginning, one could imbue weapons with metal-attribute Dharma Power, and once cultivated past the ninth layer, one could slash out golden blade-auras with bare hands!
According to the logic of the original work, for Li Feiyu to sense *Qi* and master these spells would take at least four months.
Before beginning his closed-door cultivation to master the basics, Li Feiyu first completed this stage of stat-allocation.
He intended to practice auxiliary martial arts on his own; once completed, they would still yield bonus stat points. As for the ultimate technique *Blinking Saber and Sword Technique*, he planned to push it straight to perfection.
After all, rising through the martial realms and attaining higher sect positions would reward him with a substantial amount of points. These points would surely exceed the 800 needed to master the ultimate technique! In fact, doing so would yield a net gain in points.
Fortune points could defy the heavens and alter one's destiny—he needed to squeeze out every drop of potential!
Two and a half months, or seventy-five days, had passed since the Sect Grand Tournament, and his Fortune points had increased by 225. His promotion to Enforcer and Hall Master had increased them by another 150. By now, he had accumulated 545 points.
[Blinking Saber and Sword Technique +410 points (total 135), this martial art has reached Minor Accomplishment.]
[Mandated Destiny! Becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster brings you one step closer to your current Destiny, Fortune +80 (total 215 points)!]
A Martial Arts Grandmaster! Li Feiyu was now on the same level as the sect masters and elders!
Reaching this step meant he had stepped into a realm that ordinary mortals could only look up to for the rest of their lives.
For the next period, Li Feiyu would begin mastering the *Golden Emperor Slash*.
When mastering foundational cultivation methods, the meridians had limited endurance, allowing for only a few hours of practice per day. To pass the time, he dug out a few secret techniques from the *Blinking Sword Technique* to practice; mastering them without relying on the system would still reward him with points. Moreover, these secret techniques and combat skills would prove quite practical in the future.
Realm: Martial Arts Grandmaster (5%)
Age: 15/40
Cultivation Method: Golden Emperor Slash (Uninitiated)
Martial Arts: Blinking Saber and Sword Technique (Major Accomplishment, 10+/800)
Soft Bone Technique (Major Accomplishment, 60+/80)
Stealing-in-the-Dark Technique (Major Accomplishment, 70+/80)
Prowling Technique (Minor Accomplishment, 0+/10)
Trapping Technique (Minor Accomplishment, 0+/10)
Throwing Technique (Minor Accomplishment, 0+/10)
Consecutive Slash Technique (Minor Accomplishment, 0+/10)
Wall-Clinging Technique (Minor Accomplishment, 0+/10)
Spells: Fireball Spell (Uninitiated)...
Destiny: Qixuan Sect Master
Fortune: Good Fortune · Sworn Youthful Brothers (Total +3 per day)
Fortune Points: 215
Aside from the *Golden Emperor Slash*, the library held two other books that might prove useful.
One was the *Compendium of Talismans*; Li Feiyu had sifted through forty different talisman volumes here. After spending several days authenticating them, only one had a high probability of being genuine. However, his own skills were still lacking, and he dared not confirm it rashly. Furthermore, crafting talismans required specialized paper and brushes, neither of which he had acquired yet.
The other was a travelogue containing miscellaneous accounts of immortal cultivation titled *Floating Life Miscellany*, which was half-true and half-false. It could be read like a novel, and should be enough to humor Xiuer.
Golden October was the season of harvest, and marked the fourth month since Li Feiyu transmigrated here.
Li Feiyu was currently filled with mixed emotions!
What delighted him was that, having made full preparations, he had finally set foot on the path of immortal cultivation!
What worried him was how someone with Five Spiritual Roots could hope to achieve Foundation Establishment or Core Formation?
The system could shorten cultivation time, but the bottlenecks that were supposed to exist remained right where they were! Take Foundation Establishment, for instance—it was the process of solidifying true essence. The system could help him max out the thirteen layers of basic cultivation, but he still needed a Foundation Establishment Pill!
The Foundation Establishment Pills of Yue were monopolized by the seven major immortal cultivation sects. And this state of Yue spanned a hundred thousand miles in depth—several times the surface area of Earth! Wanting to cross over to other countries—how easy was that?
In this typical underworld-style immortal cultivation system, who would dare venture out rashly without reaching the ninth or tenth layer of Qi Condensation!
The Ascension Token! Upper Immortal Jinguang!
That philanthropist should be around the third or fourth layer of Qi Condensation. Once he himself cultivated to the sixth layer or higher, he would have to find a way to track the man down!