Chapter 28: Selecting a Martial Arts Manual
Ye Xing had long been eager to get his hands on a Martial Arts Manual. It wasn’t just about fulfilling a childhood martial arts dream; to gain a foothold in this world, learning martial arts was just as urgent as building his home. Ye Xing had no desire to be a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered. As his wealth grew, his martial prowess had to grow with it.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Tower was divided into three floors. The first floor housed all sorts of weapons: sabers, spears, staffs, clubs, axes, halberds, swords, shields, and more—they had everything. The blades of the weapons emanated a cold glint; it was clear that most of them were Fine Steel Level Weapons. Weapons were divided into three Great Levels: Mortal Iron Level, Fine Steel Level, and Treasure Artifact Level, and each Great Level was further subdivided into upper, middle, and lower grades. Mortal Iron Artifacts were basically farm tools like hoes and kitchen knives—ironware of very average quality. Few Martial Artists would ever use them. Most Martial Artists used Fine Steel Level Weapons. True to their name, each Fine Steel Level Weapon was forged from tempered steel, making it a top choice for both hardness and sharpness. Only master blacksmiths could craft them. As for Treasure Artifacts, those were exceedingly rare. Each one was worth a fortune and incredibly precious. A Treasure Artifact’s power was also terrifying; it could be infused with True Qi, allowing it to slice through iron like mud with ease. Ordinary Mortal Iron would snap on contact with a Treasure Artifact. Even a Fine Steel Level Weapon would be heavily nicked if it clashed with one in a fight.
The second floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower displayed Elixirs and Spirit Herbs. All sorts of rare elixirs were on offer, such as Nourishing Yuan Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, Qi Condensing Pills, and more.
The third floor was where the Martial Arts Manuals were kept. Rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged, each one lined with martial arts books. Many people were browsing, flipping through and selecting manuals suitable for their cultivation.
"Hello, sir! Do you need any help? What type of Martial Arts Manual are you looking for?"
The moment Ye Xing stepped onto the third floor, an enthusiastic clerk came up to greet him.
"I’m looking for an Inner Power Heart Method Manual," Ye Xing replied. "It’s fine, you can help someone else. I’ll just browse on my own." With that, he headed directly for one of the bookshelves.
Martial Arts Manuals are divided into Inner Strength and External Skills. Inner Strength refers to methods of breathing and circulation; through cultivation, one can generate True Qi within the body. External Skills, on the other hand, refer to techniques like Saber Skills, Sword Skills, Fist Skills, Lightweight Skills, and Palm Skills, which consume True Qi for combat. On its own, Inner Power True Qi doesn’t have much Attack Power. Only when combined with External Skills like Sword Skills or Saber Skills can its might be multiplied, unleashing terrifying destructive force.
For Ye Xing, however, buying an Inner Power Manual was the priority. Only after cultivating the first wisp of True Qi could a person truly be called a Martial Artist. Without a foundation of Inner Power True Qi, External Skills were nothing more than empty posturing—all form and no substance.
The third floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower held an incredible number of manuals, a vast collection of Saber Skills, Sword Skills, Fist Skills, Lightweight Step Techniques, Internal Cultivation Methods, and more. Since Ye Xing was looking for an Internal Cultivation Method, he naturally headed to that section. He casually picked a manual off a shelf and began to flip through it.
All the Martial Arts Manuals on the shelves were incomplete, with pages missing. To obtain a complete copy, you had to pay a clerk first. These incomplete manuals on display served as summaries, describing the characteristics of each Cultivation Skill to help customers make their selection.
’Chang Chun Skill: A Yellow tier Top-Grade Technique. Provides long-lasting True Qi and great stamina! Price: seven hundred eighty-nine Gold Coins. This technique is good, perfect for a battle of attrition. But I can’t afford it for now, haha!’ Ye Xing grinned, placed the Chang Chun Skill manual back on the shelf, and continued browsing other manuals.
He’d have to wait a few more days to save up enough Gold Coins for the Chang Chun Skill. But Ye Xing couldn’t wait that long; he wanted to buy an ordinary manual now and start his cultivation. ’Worst comes to worst,’ he thought, ’I’ll just buy a better Internal Cultivation Method later when I have the money.’
Even though he couldn’t afford a Yellow tier Top-Grade Technique for now, that didn’t stop Ye Xing from enjoying the window shopping—
Spirit Wind Sword Skill
Quality: Yellow tier Top Grade
Description: Graceful and unpredictable like the wind... This Sword Skill is ethereal and flowing, suitable for female cultivators.
Price: Nine hundred thirty-six Gold Coins.
Yang Family Spear Technique
Quality: Yellow Rank Middle Grade
Description: A technique created by the generals of the esteemed Yang military family. The long spear strikes like a dragon. Suited for battlefield combat, it can unleash power equivalent to a Yellow tier Top-Grade technique.
Price: Five hundred eighteen Gold Coins.
Flying Spin Step
Quality: Yellow Rank Lower Grade
Description: Move as if flying. A decent Lightweight Step Technique suitable for Martial Artists of the First and Second Realm.
Price: Two hundred twenty-one Gold Coins
...
Tiger Roar Fist
Quality: Yellow tier Top Grade
Description: Fists that whistle through the air like a tiger’s roar in the deep mountains. Fierce and domineering.
Price: Nine hundred sixty-nine Gold Coins.
Flipping through one manual after another, Ye Xing grew unbearably tempted, cursing his empty pockets. ’A complete set of techniques has four parts: an Internal Cultivation Method, an offensive skill like a Sword Skill or Palm Skill, a Body Skill for evasion, and a Lightweight Step Technique. Each one costs several hundred Gold Coins, so a full set would be over a thousand!’
’If I want all Yellow tier Top-Grade techniques, the four manuals will cost at least three to four thousand Gold Coins. Just relying on my street stall, it would probably take me half a month to earn that much,’ Ye Xing thought, feeling dejected. He was lamenting how slowly he made money. Of course, if anyone else heard his thoughts, they’d probably be jealous enough to want to strangle him. After all, earning three to four thousand Gold Coins in half a month was faster than most Martial Artists. It was just that Ye Xing had only been on the Martial Arts Continent for a few days and had so many expenses that he felt an urgent need to earn gold faster.
After browsing on the third floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower for over an hour, Ye Xing finally chose a Yellow Rank Lower Grade Inner Power Heart Method: the Basic Breathing and Exhaling Technique, priced at one hundred Gold Coins. ’I have no choice,’ he thought. ’There’s just too much I need to spend money on. The house isn’t built, and I haven’t bought a shop yet. I have to save wherever I can. Once my foundation is stable, things should get easier. For now, I’m still in the start-up phase. I have to pinch every penny.’
Besides, there was another reason he’d bought the cheaper Basic Breathing and Exhaling Technique. ’I’ll practice this for a while, and once I have enough Gold Coins, I’ll go straight for a Yellow Rank High-grade Inner Power Heart Method. If I bought a middle-grade one for four or five hundred Gold Coins now, it’d just be an awkward middle step. It won’t be long before I’ll want to replace it with a better Internal Cultivation Method anyway.’
"This Ten Thousand Treasures Tower in this town is lame. All they have are Yellow-tier Level techniques!"
"Yeah, cultivating Yellow-tier skills is too slow. If only we could get our hands on a Mystic Level Skill."
"Actually, a Yellow tier Top-Grade one isn’t bad! It’s not like Profound Tier Skills are easy to come by!"
"Not necessarily. Isn’t there an auction in Sunset City in about a month? Who knows, they might put a Mystic Level Skill up for sale."
"An auction? Third Bro, you’re dreaming. Even if they auction a Mystic Level Skill, it’s not like we could afford it."
"If we can’t afford it, we’ll just take it!"
Chatting as they walked, a few burly men with Great Sabers resting on their shoulders and radiating a fierce aura descended from the third floor of the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower.