As Xiao Ye carefully cradled the brocade box, Feng accepted it with due solemnity. However, he couldn't help but wonder how a mere servant girl had access to such an important family heirloom. Were the training manuals not considered valuable?
Noticing Feng's puzzled expression, Xiao Ye choked back tears as she explained, "The General entrusted me with the key to the family's secret chamber on his deathbed. He instructed me to give it to you whenever you wished to see its contents. If you didn't look within ten years, I was to discard everything." Her eyes reddened as she finished speaking. Having grown up in the Lin household, it was impossible for her not to have formed attachments. Deep down, she hoped Feng would rise to the occasion and uphold the family's legacy.
Feng stood up and patted Xiao Ye's back reassuringly. "I won't disappoint my father. I'll shoulder the responsibilities of the Lin family." Inwardly, he added a cynical thought: without power and backing, how could one hope to woo desirable women? In his past life, all the beauties had been snatched up by the rich and influential. The sweetest peaches always went to the fattest pigs.
Regardless of the circumstances, Feng's considerations tended towards the practical.
"The General would rest easy knowing young master intends to train in martial arts and serve the country," Xiao Ye said tearfully.
"Alright, you've been up half the night. Go get some rest," Feng told her.
As Xiao Ye bowed and retreated, Feng muttered to himself, "Is it really such a big deal? I'm not exactly planning to serve the country. I just want to learn some fighting skills to impress the ladies. At least I won't get beaten up when playing the hero."
If Lin Tianhe and Lin Zhennan could hear Feng's current thoughts, they'd likely rise from their graves in anger and strangle him on the spot.
To think that the Tiger Roar Battle Qi, the legacy of the Empire's foremost military family, would be used by an unworthy descendant for wooing women and playing the hero.
After Xiao Ye left, Feng, ever the cautious type, tightened his belt before opening the brocade box she had brought. "Well, my future here depends on you guys. Don't let me down," he mumbled as he lifted the lid.
Inside were only three books. The covers were made of sheepskin, clearly of ancient origin. As Feng picked up the first volume and opened it, a loose sheet of paper fell out.
He bent down to retrieve it. The writing style differed slightly from modern script, but posed no challenge to Feng, who had attended medical school in his previous life.
"Feng, my son. If you're reading this, I have already passed on. Whether you choose to pursue the scholarly or martial path, I believe you will succeed as long as you're willing to put in the effort. Because you are a man of the Lin family. Because you are the son of Lin Zhennan."
Looking at the note, Feng said softly, "Even though I'm not really your son, now that I've seen this letter, I'll do my best. I won't let the Lin family fade away." It was a rare moment of sincerity for Feng.
However, as he began leafing through the sheepskin book, Feng's true nature resurfaced. "Heh heh, with these excellent techniques, picking up chicks will be a breeze. In my past life, I had no money, no power, and no women. Now that I've got a second chance, I'm not going to pass up this golden opportunity."
The book's first page introduced the cultivation ranks. Apparently, in this world, there were two paths of cultivation: Battle Qi and Magic.
Battle Qi focused on self-cultivation, nurturing one's energy, opening meridians, tempering the body, refining bones, strengthening marrow, and transforming the spirit. It involved absorbing the world's spiritual energy to form formidable combat power. Different levels of Battle Qi corresponded to different ranks: Battle Soldier, Battle General, Battle King, Battle Emperor, Battle Sovereign, and the legendary Battle God. Cultivating Battle Qi allowed one to master battle techniques, which were divided into four grades: Yellow, Dark, Earth, and Heaven. Both Battle Qi and battle techniques were further subdivided into upper, middle, and lower tiers within each rank. The Lin family's Tiger Roar technique belonged to the middle tier of the Earth grade.
Magic cultivation, on the other hand, focused on developing spiritual power to communicate with elemental forces, resulting in devastating attacks. The stronger one's spiritual power, the more elements they could connect with, the faster they could do so, and the more powerful their attacks became. Magic cultivation ranks included Magic Apprentice, Magic Scholar, Magic Master, Magic Lord, Magic Saint, and the transcendent Magic God. Spells were classified into twelve levels, with a practitioner's rank determined by the level of spells they could cast. Magic Apprentices could use first and second-level spells, Magic Scholars third and fourth, Magic Masters fifth and sixth, and so on. By the time one reached Magic Saint and could cast ninth and tenth-level spells, they could destroy cities and drain lakes. The power of the legendary Magic Gods, capable of eleventh and twelfth-level spells, was beyond imagination.
However, while Battle Qi cultivation was accessible to anyone with perseverance, magic required innate talent. Perhaps only one in a hundred people would have the aptitude for it.
Setting aside the Battle Qi manual, Feng picked up the second book. This one appeared nearly pristine, as if barely touched. Upon opening it, Feng understood why – it detailed magic cultivation. Since the Lin family had traditionally focused on Battle Qi, naturally few had bothered with the magic tome. The family had always trained its members in Battle Qi.
After some consideration, Feng reached for the third book. This one contained battlefield insights from generations of Lin family military geniuses and generals. Feng skimmed through it briefly before setting it aside. Having been fond of reading "The Thirty-Six Stratagems" in his previous life, Feng found the examples of tactics in this book rather basic. He could easily come up with better strategies off the top of his head.
Putting down the books, Feng pondered his options. Should he cultivate Battle Qi or magic? Becoming a warrior had its appeal – it exuded masculinity and strength. Wielding a long spear with authority, wouldn't beautiful women flock to him?
Unable to decide, Feng eventually declared, "If it's too hard to choose, I'll just do both. No need to rack my brains over it."
If others knew of his decision, they'd surely call Feng a fool. After all, human energy and time were limited. It was challenging enough to excel in one path, let alone attempt to master both martial and magical arts simultaneously. Many had tried before, only to end up mediocre in both fields, unable to truly shine in either.
Having made up his mind, Feng seated himself at the desk and began studying the Battle Qi manual, focusing on the Lin family's Tiger Roar technique. By the time he finished, dawn was breaking.
Feng stretched languidly and stepped out of his room for a stroll in the courtyard.
Yesterday, he had learned from Xiao Ye that although he had entered the palace, he resided in the eunuchs' quarters. The silver lining was that he had private accommodation, enjoying the treatment of a head eunuch. After all, Lin Tianjiao was a royal consort and had her own concerns. Bringing a male relative into the inner palace would be inappropriate, especially since Feng was already in his teens. If anything untoward were to happen, it could cause significant trouble. More importantly, she feared false accusations, knowing how underhanded her opponents could be.
Little did Lin Tianjiao know that her current nephew was even more devious than her enemies.