In the month of July, in Xiushui City, the weather was unpredictable.
It was sunny in the early morning, but by 7:45 AM, a light rain started to drizzle from the sky.
After Chu Yunyun left the dining hall, she held an umbrella and walked casually along the green stone-paved alley towards the Daoist Temple to the north of the Martial Arts Academy.
The Daoist Temple was a bit far, situated on a small hill surrounded by vast wilderness.
Only in such sparsely populated places was it most suitable for Qi Cultivation and the practice of magic.
She needed to stay there for a few days to condense her own 'Spirit Seed.'
The Spirit Seed was the core of all magic and the key to a sorcerer's admittance into the grades. It was equivalent to a Martial Cultivator's Dragon-Tiger Golden Core, which could gradually grow and eventually transform into a Nascent Soul.
Chu Yunyun's progress was long overdue, and the instructors at the Mage Institute had been urging her for a long time.
In the present world, magic was in decline while martial arts were revered. Although Magic Cultivators had their place, they were generally not valued.
Once Martial Cultivators reached the Third Grade, they could command the wind and rain, collapse mountains, and crack the earth.
Whatever Magic Cultivators could do, Martial Cultivators could do too. So, what was the need for Magic Cultivators?
Moreover, the cultivation of magic was difficult, and few people achieved success in this path.
It was rare for a young person like Chu Yunyun, who had good talent in magic, to be willing to dedicate herself to the magical path, so the instructors at the Mage Institute paid special attention to her.
However, Chu Yunyun had to postpone the time to condense her 'Spirit Seed.'
This was because the Inner Sect martial trials were imminent, and she had to help Chu Xisheng gather eighty taels of rules money, constantly escorting goods until today, unable to delay any longer.
Her Spiritual Power was already overflowing to the extreme, unable to increase any further.
As the saying goes, when the moon is full, it begins to wane, which in magic cultivation was not a good thing.
Just then, Chu Yunyun suddenly stopped and focused her gaze ahead.
At the corner of the alley ten zhang away, a large group of men and women dressed in blue disciple uniforms walked by, hurriedly heading toward the Scripture Storage Tower, holding umbrellas against the rain.
They should be newly promoted Inner Sect members from the academy's north courtyard, preparing to head to the Scripture Storage Tower to study the classics and choose their inheritance.
Chu Yunyun noticed a youth among them.
This youth looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, appearing older among the group of Inner Sect disciples.
He was thin, with a sallow complexion, looking like an utterly ordinary young man.
But Chu Yunyun had previously cultivated the 'True Seeing Heavenly Eye,' which allowed her to see through ninety percent of the world's illusion techniques.
Under her scrutiny, this person clearly had a jade-like complexion, a handsome and elegant appearance, lips like blood, with a red high crown on his head, and loose strands of hair draped over his forehead.
Between his eyebrows was a blue mark, three inches long, extending from the hairline to the bridge of his nose.
Chu Yunyun did not know this person, but he looked familiar.
The key was this person's cultivation, which was close to Fourth Grade.
What was such an expert doing at Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall? And why disguise as a newly promoted Inner Sect disciple?
A hint of coldness flashed in Chu Yunyun's eyes.
According to her plan, Chu Xisheng's entry into the Scripture Storage Tower to study the 'Vengeance' Totem should have been a smooth process.
Now unexpected variables had arisen—
While immersed in thought, Chu Yunyun continued walking forward. Shortly after, a sudden thought struck her, and she turned towards the main training ground of the Martial Arts Academy.
On the southern side of the training ground, a tall stone wall was covered with various announcements.
Among them were internal notifications and decrees from the Martial Arts Academy, as well as official documents from the Xiushui County Official Office.
Chu Yunyun's attention was drawn to a wanted notice.
"River and sea bandit Li Daogui, nicknamed 'Blood Wind Sword,' with a bounty of thirty thousand Demon Silver—"
So it was him.
※※※※
In front of the Library, dozens of baskets filled with steamed buns and meat-filled bread were quickly grabbed away.
The chefs all patted their bulging purses, grinning from ear to ear.
Several Eastern Courtyard Martial Masters were also beaming with delight.
Ye Zhiqiu stood on the steps, continuing to instruct the disciples, "Once you enter, your primary task is to memorize the visualization picture and prescription of the Nourishing Essence Skill.
Next, you must remember two of the Ten External Skills and completely memorize the first two layers of the 'True Intent' picture. This will be the foundation for your future promotion to True Inheritor.
If you have more time, you can also look at other martial arts classics. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the notes and True Intent pictures left by Qin Muge."
A buzz of excitement arose among the hundreds of Inner Sect disciples gathered before the steps.
"Qin Muge?"
"Are you talking about the Dominating Martial King, former General of Northern Peace, Qin Muge?"
"The one who swept across the Northern Territory for thirty thousand li, achieving the rank of First Grade Divine General in just twelve years, undefeated and invincible in the Northern Territory, Qin Muge?"
Chu Xisheng couldn't help but perk up his ears, feeling a mix of emotions as he heard them discussing Chu Yunyun.
"That's impossible, the True Intent pictures hand-drawn by Qin Muge are priceless treasures. How could they possibly be here?"
"The instructor is just bragging. Qin Muge hails from the Tieshan Qin Family. What connection do they have with our Formless Divine Sect?"
Ye Zhiqiu was not angered by this. She chuckled, "General of Northern Peace Qin Muge joined the border army at sixteen, inheriting his father's position. At twenty-two, he commanded the 'Northern Peace Army' in the Northern Territory, sweeping through the region in six years, undefeated, achieving unparalleled martial feats."
There were few who knew that in her youth, Qin Muge had infiltrated the Formless Divine Sect under an alias at the age of ten.
She had started as an Outer Disciple in our Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, and within six years, she became a True Inheritor of our sect. If it weren't for her father dying in battle at the Northern Border, Qin Muge might now be an elder of our sect.
It was said that during her time at our Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall, Qin Muge had spent seventy-two days reading all seventeen thousand volumes of Martial Arts Secret Books in this Library. She left numerous annotations and notes, as well as several True Intent diagrams that she copied herself. Just recently, a disciple had the fortune to see one of these diagrams and managed to master a highly formidable swordsmanship—
Before Ye Zhiqiu could finish, she suddenly noticed the instructor of the West Courtyard, Shao Lingshan, leading a large group of people towards them.
She pursed her lips and immediately cut off her narration, instead signaling the martial master guarding the Scripture Storage Tower to open the main door: "Let them in!"
As the heavy door of the Library slowly opened, the crowd of disciples rushed towards the first room on the right with a loud clamor.
Chu Xisheng was no exception; he used the same vigor he had employed to secure a seat in the self-study room, ensuring he was among the first to enter the room.
The room was structured like a tiered classroom, with a vast space inside that was quickly filled with people within a few breaths.
Chu Xisheng entered early enough to secure a spot in the front two rows, with an excellent viewing angle.
However, he was soon surprised to find a circle of empty space around him.
Despite the crowded surroundings, the inner sect brothers nearby avoided him as if fearing contagion.
Some, oblivious to the situation, attempted to move closer but were forcibly driven back.
Chu Xisheng felt a slight chill in his heart and noticed that among the crowd were eight or nine youths with cold expressions, looking at him with unfriendly eyes.
He immediately understood that he had been targeted.
And there was a ninety percent chance it was related to yesterday's incident with Long Sheng.
Chu Xisheng briefly frowned but then cast aside all distracting thoughts, focusing intently on the visualization picture of the Nourishing Essence Skill.
It wasn't due to a lack of concern, but because several martial masters were watching intently in the room.
Even if these individuals wanted to deal with him, they wouldn't dare act in a place under such scrutiny.
Besides, fear was useless; better to memorize the diagram as quickly as possible.
The visualization picture of the Nourishing Essence Skill was hung on the front wall, approximately three zhang in length and width, occupying most of the wall.
The painting depicted a large sun drawn in ink.
At first glance, it appeared simple, but upon closer inspection, one would find the inked contours, flames, and light traces had a peculiar charm.
After a few moments of observation, Chu Xisheng felt as if the 'large sun' directly imprinted onto his consciousness, scorching hot.
His forehead felt warm, and strands of Primordial Yang Power began to grow, spreading throughout his body.
The Nourishing Essence Skill was stirred into a frenzy, undergoing strange transformations.
At that moment, his Qi Cultivation was more effective than when he practiced under the morning sun. Combining the two practices would surely enhance each other.
Chu Xisheng estimated that it wouldn't take long for him to bring the first layer of the Nourishing Essence Skill to perfection.
However, to advance, he needed corresponding secret medicine.
The second layer of the Nourishing Essence Skill corresponded to the Ninth Grade Lower tier.
Only by advancing the Martial Arts Primordial Skill could one be considered a truly Ninth Grade martial cultivator.
The Martial Arts Nine Ranks Eighteen Tiers required a corresponding secret medicine for each tier to advance.
However, the visualization picture of Martial Arts Primordial Skill was equally crucial, enabling martial cultivators to achieve twice the results with half the effort.
For instance, the visualization picture before Chu Xisheng's eyes was a simplified version of the sun.
Ordinary people couldn't visualize the real large sun; it would burn their divine souls or even self-immolate.
So, a master from the Formless Divine Sect had copied a small part of the 'Great Sun Yuan Yang' aura onto paper, allowing even non-ranked martial cultivators to visualize it and progress slowly over time.
Visualizing this picture while practicing Primordial Skill not only accelerated their training but also nurtured pure Primordial Yang Power.
To Chu Xisheng's delight, it seemed that after his transmigration, his memory had also been significantly enhanced.
His 'Eagle Eye' ability allowed him to notice every detail of the picture.
In just fifteen minutes, Chu Xisheng memorized every detail of the visualization picture.
When he closed his eyes, the Sun God Charm was vividly present in his mind.
To be cautious, Chu Xisheng continued to scrutinize the picture multiple times until he was certain he wouldn't forget it, then he got up and left.
His spot was quickly filled by others.
However, some stern-looking youths nearby also stood up, trailing behind him as he exited the room.
Chu Xisheng's eyes narrowed slightly, his steps halted briefly, then he resumed his calm stride forward.
He went to look up the secret medicine formula for the second layer of the Nourishing Essence Skill.
In fact, the Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall had a complete set of the second layer secret medicine available for sale.
However, the price was exorbitant, costing four hundred taels of Demon Silver for a bottle of secret medicine.
Chu Xisheng had no money, and even if he did, he wouldn't squander it like that.
Most people, after learning the formula, sought the materials themselves to concoct the medicine, the cost usually being less than one-third of what the academy charged.
Chu Xisheng memorized all the formulas, then looked back thoughtfully at the people behind him.
The youths still followed him nearby, becoming increasingly blatant.
They were held back only by the dense crowd, otherwise, they would have already acted.
But if he wanted to move to the second or third floor, those individuals would surely block him.
Therefore, before studying the 'Vengeance Map,' he had to resolve this trouble.