Chapter 224: Wordless Celestial Book
Elder He nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Our He Family disciples have very solid foundations, so we have no need for Essence Pills to improve the quality of our True Essence. These pills are completely useless to us. If you need them, you can take them all."
"Thank you, Elder He!"
After getting the Essence Pills, Cheng Yuan was content. He had already taken nine treasures, and with only one left, he had to choose carefully.
"Elder He, I’d like to see the cultivation techniques and weapons, if I may?"
"Of course. This way, please."
Under Elder He’s guidance, Cheng Yuan arrived at the Cultivation Method Area.
The He Family’s Cultivation Method Area was much larger than the Wang Family’s!
The grades of the cultivation techniques were also much higher than the Wang Family’s.
Elder He personally made a recommendation. "Divine Doctor Cheng, normally, our He Family’s three Celestial Grade Cultivation Techniques are not shared with outsiders. However, you are our family’s benefactor, so you may choose one of them. The only condition is that you can only take a handwritten copy; the original must remain with the He Family. As for the other techniques, you may take the originals."
Cheng Yuan nodded in understanding and reached for the Celestial Grade Cultivation Technique that had the most potent aura—*Thunderbolt Fist*.
Elder He’s eyelid twitched. *Thunderbolt Fist* was a mid-tier Celestial Grade Cultivation Technique, and it was the He Family’s strongest!
When *Thunderbolt Fist* is cultivated to a certain level, the punches create the sound of wind and thunder. It can even, to some extent, draw upon the Thunder Element to paralyze enemies.
In his youth, Elder He had relied on *Thunderbolt Fist* to defeat enemies of a higher level on many occasions.
Cheng Yuan opened *Thunderbolt Fist* and began to read it seriously.
Soon, Cheng Yuan finished reading *Thunderbolt Fist*, and a strange expression appeared on his face.
Compared to his *Celestial Witch Heart Method*, *Thunderbolt Fist* was far too rudimentary. In less than five minutes, he had completely grasped it and even found a few flaws in its logic.
’That’s it?’
’And this is a Celestial Grade Cultivation Technique?’
At that moment, Cheng Yuan was absolutely certain that his *Celestial Witch Heart Method* was far beyond the Celestial Grade.
Losing interest in *Thunderbolt Fist*, Cheng Yuan casually placed the secret manual back on the shelf.
The members of the He Family breathed a small sigh of relief. ’Good, Cheng Yuan doesn’t recognize its true value.’
’Or perhaps he gave up because *Thunderbolt Fist* is too difficult.’
’Either way, we’ve managed to keep *Thunderbolt Fist*.’
’After all, *Thunderbolt Fist* is our family’s ultimate technique. It’s best if it isn’t passed on to an outsider.’
Hu Shishi had been silent since they entered the Treasury, but now she couldn’t hold back. "Cheng Yuan," she reminded him, "*Thunderbolt Fist* is a mid-tier Celestial Grade Cultivation Technique, ranked in the top ten in the entire Ancient Martial Realm! Both the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Head are dying to get their hands on it, but Elder He has never relented."
Elder He instantly tensed up. ’Why is this young woman making trouble?’
’Surely Cheng Yuan won’t choose *Thunderbolt Fist* now, will he?’
Cheng Yuan froze. ’How am I supposed to explain this?’
’Am I supposed to say *Thunderbolt Fist* isn’t good enough for me?’
’That would be a huge slap in the face, wouldn’t it?’
Cheng Yuan opened his mouth and began to spin a tale. "Sister Shishi, when choosing a cultivation technique, you can’t just look at the grade. You have to consider if it’s a good fit. If you pick an incompatible technique, it’s nothing more than a scrap of paper, no matter how high-grade it is."
Hearing this, Hu Shishi nodded with a flicker of understanding. "You have a point. The difficulty of *Thunderbolt Fist* is indeed extremely high. In the entire He Family, only Elder He has managed to cultivate it to the stage of Great Success, and just barely at that."
Cheng Yuan gave a dry laugh. "Ahem, yes, the difficulty is... a bit high."
With that, Cheng Yuan activated his Double Pupil and unenthusiastically scanned the two rows of shelves behind him.
Cheng Yuan didn’t hold out much hope. ’If even the He Family’s strongest technique, *Thunderbolt Fist*, is this weak, how good can the others possibly be?’
But to his surprise, in the top-left corner of the very last bookshelf, he saw a ball of light so intense it left him momentarily dazed!
Cheng Yuan hurried toward the light and discovered it was coming from the very top of the bookshelf.
Standing on his tiptoes, Cheng Yuan reached up and took down the secret manual that was lying on top of the shelf.
The secret manual had clearly been sitting atop the shelf for many years, as it was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Cheng Yuan gently wiped the dust from the secret manual, revealing three words written in large seal script on the cover: *Wordless Celestial Book*.
The He Family members stared blankly for a moment, exchanging glances. ’There’s a secret manual like this in the Treasury?’
’How come none of us have ever heard of it?’
Even He Hongting was baffled. He turned to Elder He with a questioning gaze. "Father, what’s the story behind this secret manual?"
Elder He gave a wry smile. "I’d completely forgotten the Treasury even had such a secret manual! I remember it was during the Republican Era. I was just a boy when I witnessed a great battle where the righteous factions of the Jianghu joined forces against the Sect Leader of the White Lotus Sect, all to seize this *Wordless Celestial Book*. In the end, both sides were grievously wounded. My father and I were collecting the bodies when we found the White Lotus Sect Leader, who wasn’t quite dead yet. He grabbed my hand, shoved the *Wordless Celestial Book* into my arms, and told me that anyone who mastered it would become invincible. Afterward, I tried countless methods—I even soaked it in water and scorched it with fire—but the *Wordless Celestial Book* never revealed a single character. I eventually gave up and left it here. It’s been a full sixty years. I never imagined Divine Doctor Cheng would be the one to discover it today."
Cheng Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly. ’This *Wordless Celestial Book* has quite an origin story!’
Cheng Yuan opened the *Wordless Celestial Book*. The pages inside were yellowed, a clear sign of their great age, yet the paper itself was perfectly preserved.
However, just as Elder He had said, there wasn’t a single word on the pages.
FLIP! FLIP!
Cheng Yuan quickly flipped through the secret manual. The entire book truly didn’t contain a single word!
Still, Cheng Yuan trusted his Double Pupil. ’This *Wordless Celestial Book* must hold a secret,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, it wouldn’t be emitting such a dazzling light under the gaze of my Double Pupil!’
’That’s right! The Double Pupil!’
Cheng Yuan’s pupils flickered. He activated his Double Pupil and once again opened the book to the first page.
The once-blank page was now filled with tiny, densely packed words!
There were even some diagrams and images!
However, the tiny words were all in an ancient script that Cheng Yuan couldn’t read.
Suppressing his excitement, Cheng Yuan closed the *Wordless Celestial Book* and said in the calmest tone he could manage, "Elder He, I feel a certain affinity for this *Wordless Celestial Book*. May I take it?"