Martial Saint with Passives

Jiang Che held the Token, his heart at ease.

After thanking Elder Jin, he left with Xiao Mingqian.

Along the way, Xiao Mingqian watched Jiang Che’s retreating figure, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

Just as they were about to part ways, he clapped Jiang Che on the shoulder and said with genuine sincerity:

"Junior Brother Jiang, from now on, Yunhai Courtyard will be depending on you."

"Senior Brother, you exaggerate," Jiang Che said solemnly. "You are the true pillar of Yunhai Courtyard! Although I am the new Chief Disciple, I still have much to learn. In the end, the many affairs of Yunhai Courtyard will still require your support!"

Xiao Mingqian just smiled and said no more.

After the two parted, Jiang Che didn’t return to his dormitory. Instead, he turned and headed for the Scripture Pavilion.

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, the light was as dim as ever, the air thick with the inky fragrance of aged scrolls and the distinct, dry scent of old paper.

The administrator, Master Zhang, was in his usual half-awake state, leaning back in a recliner behind the counter. He held a book of miscellaneous records that had been flipped through countless times, his eyelids drooping as if he could fall asleep at any moment.

When Jiang Che entered, Master Zhang merely cracked open an eyelid and mumbled indistinctly, "It’s you again, kid. Go register yourself." Then he fell silent again.

But after registering, Jiang Che didn’t leave.

Master Zhang looked at him, a little puzzled. He was just about to ask what was wrong.

But after taking a closer look at Jiang Che, his eyes suddenly snapped wide open!

He shot upright from his recliner with a *swoosh* and meticulously sized Jiang Che up and down several times.

The lazy expression on his face vanished completely, replaced by unconcealable shock.

"You kid... you’ve reached the Refining Organ Realm?!" he blurted out, his voice an octave higher than usual.

A calm smile on his face, Jiang Che nodded. "Yes, Master Zhang. I just had a lucky breakthrough."

"Not bad, kid!" Master Zhang slapped his thigh, came around from behind the counter, and circled Jiang Che twice, clicking his tongue in amazement.

He was overcome with emotion.

He had practically watched this Jiang Che grow up.

The kid ran to the Scripture Pavilion every other day, borrowing huge stacks of Qi Blood Realm Martial Arts Secret Manuals to take back and study.

Although his Root Bone had seemed mediocre and his foundation was poor from having once dissipated his energy, his diligence and drive for research were the real deal!

Who would have thought he’d actually manage to succeed!

"By the way, Master Zhang," Jiang Che said, taking the smooth, white Jade Token from his robes and handing it over. "I am now the Chief Disciple of Yunhai Courtyard. May I go up to the Sixth Layer?"

Master Zhang took the Jade Token. The unique cloud pattern and aura belonging to a Chief Disciple on it couldn’t be faked, and his eyes grew even wider.

"Whoa, it’s the real deal!" He returned the Jade Token to Jiang Che, his astonishment turning into pure amazement. "You can! Of course, you can! Go on up! You kid, you’ve really given me a huge surprise!"

"Alright." Jiang Che put away the Jade Token, said no more, and turned to ascend the stairs.

He passed the fourth layer without stopping and continued upward.

At that moment, a few disciples from other halls were on the fourth layer of the Scripture Pavilion selecting Secret Manuals. They were surprised to see Jiang Che heading upstairs.

"Who’s that? He’s actually going up! You can’t just go up there, can you?"

"To get to the fifth or sixth layers, you either need special permission from the Sect Leader, or you have to be..." The disciple’s voice trailed off as he suddenly realized something. "Could he be a Chief Disciple?"

"A Chief Disciple? Never seen him before! I know all the Chief Disciples of the Seven Great Halls, and he’s not one of them!"

"You think... he could be from Yunhai Courtyard?" another disciple guessed. "Didn’t their Chief Disciple, Lin Bihe, disappear? Maybe he’s the new one! That’s actually possible!"

Jiang Che ignored the chatter behind him and walked straight to the Sixth Layer of the Scripture Pavilion.

The space on this layer wasn’t large, with only a few bookshelves. However, each shelf was crafted from some unknown dark wood that emitted a strange, mind-calming fragrance.

The books on the shelves were even rarer, each one meticulously preserved in a Jade Box or a specially made sleeve.

Jiang Che quickly found his target.

The Ancient True Skill said to be able to improve one’s Root Bone, the first volume of the *Heaven Mending Technique*!

He carefully picked up the Jade Box. Upon opening it, he found that most of the pages were blank. Only the first page had a brief introduction to the Cultivation Technique and its origins, explaining its divine ability to defy fate and reshape one’s Root Bone.

’So the ones on the Sixth Layer are just samples, too...’ Jiang Che sighed.

All the Cultivation Techniques in the Scripture Pavilion were like this. The ones on display were merely samples; to exchange for the complete technique, one had to go to the administrator.

This was to prevent disciples from secretly memorizing them without paying.

After taking the *Heaven Mending Technique*, Jiang Che went to the fourth layer and found the third layer of the *Nine Heavens Azure Cloud Technique*.

Then, he went to the second layer and selected ten Qi Blood Realm Martial Arts Secret Manuals that he hadn’t practiced before.

Finally, he went to the area on the first layer dedicated to miscellaneous records and ancient texts, where he carefully searched for a few books on deciphering ancient scripts.

He had a feeling that the Beast Hide Secret Manual he had taken from Liu Cang was something important.

After all, a Martial Artist at the Peak of the Refining Organ Realm wouldn’t carry a useless item around with him.

But to figure out what was written on it, he first had to decipher those ancient characters that looked like indecipherable scribbles.

Carrying the large pile of selected books, Jiang Che returned to the counter.

Master Zhang deftly handled the exchange procedures for him, his attitude warm and enthusiastic.

"Who is that? Why is Master Zhang being so polite to him?"