Chapter 55

"Here, the cultivation manuals are only of the high to top human rank, and each has its own unique characteristics. When cultivated to a profound level, they will allow you to look down on your peers and remain undefeated. Alright, choose for yourselves, but you can only pick one. Li Chen, come with me!"

Chen Chongsu casually pointed at the eight tall bookshelves in the hall and walked towards a staircase inside.

Amidst the envy of the other two, Li Chen followed Chen Chongsu to the second floor.

Compared to the eight shelves on the first floor, the entire second floor had only two rows of relatively shorter shelves, on which were placed a hundred or so jade slips and over a hundred books.

"Here is our Nanyun Peak's scripture hall, all left by the successive masters of Nanyun Peak. Take a good look, you only have one chance!"

Chen Chongsu lightly patted Li Chen's shoulder, speaking with deep concern, and pointed at a few places, his meaning unspoken.

"Thank you, Uncle Chen!"

Li Chen bowed and watched him leave before walking towards the bookshelves.

He didn't even glance at the jade slips. With his current cultivation, he hadn't developed divine consciousness and couldn't read the jade slips.

Moreover, with that old man around, he couldn't take anything out, so it was better to honestly find a martial technique suitable for him.

Gale Slash!

Star-Cutting Sword Technique!

Mountain-Breaking Saber Technique!

Wind God Leg

The exaggerated names made Li Chen's eyes dazzle, but upon opening them, he found that although these martial techniques were stronger than ordinary ones of the same rank, they mostly had only some unique characteristics.

As for the few martial techniques and cultivation methods Chen Chongsu hinted at, he had noticed them, but none met his needs, and the excitement he initially felt gradually faded.

Time passed as he slowly searched, and the entire floor began to darken. However, a few jade stones on the ceiling emitted a soft white light, restoring the brightness to the floor.

During this time, Chen Chongsu came to check on him three times. Each time, seeing him intently selecting, he didn't disturb him.

The cultivation methods recorded in those jade slips were all for the True Refinement Realm. Chen Chongsu brought Li Chen here partly to show his importance and to win his favor.

Secondly, although the many cultivation methods recorded here were all good, most were somewhat showy and impractical. This way, he could both curry favor and save face, truly achieving both goals.

In the end, Li Chen stared intently at the three cultivation methods he had selected, his face showing hesitation: "The Nine Revolutions of Pure Yang, a top-rank Mystic cultivation method, extremely yang and powerful, divided into nine levels. When cultivated to the extreme, it can produce nine true yang fire energies to suppress evil beings and克制 all cultivators of the Wood Element below the Solid Foundation Realm, with power capable of injuring early-stage Solid Foundation Realm martial artists.

The Void-Shattering Fist, a mid-rank Mystic martial technique, extremely powerful and fierce, divided into five levels. Each level doubles the power, and when cultivated to the extreme, it can create sonic booms in the air to injure the mind.

The Flashing Shadow Wind-Chasing Step, a mid-rank Mystic movement technique, ethereal and elusive, divided into three levels. It contains the power of wind, and when cultivated to the extreme, it can grant the ability to fly to some extent, a skill normally only possessed by Solid Foundation Realm martial artists!"

Carefully reading the explanations of the three cultivation methods and martial techniques in his mind, Li Chen pondered which one to choose.

If he chose the Nine Revolutions of Pure Yang, although it was extremely yang and powerful, and the true yang fire energy it produced could suppress evil beings, its nature was fire, and practitioners often had volatile temperaments, making it easy to go astray. It had both advantages and disadvantages.

More importantly, when cultivating this method, one needed a similar internal energy. Li Chen's Fusion Yang Technique was quite similar, but he would need to disperse the pure yang energy he cultivated at the first revolution and integrate it into his meridians.

Only after successfully completing this nine times could he truly achieve the first revolution.

This method was not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, requiring a large amount of spirit stones and treasures, but also extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could result in the loss of all his cultivation, making him a cripple, or even lead to madness and the severing of his meridians, causing death.

However, its later-stage power was undoubtedly the pinnacle among cultivation methods of the same rank. Any top-rank cultivation method had its unique characteristics.

The Nine Revolutions of Pure Yang, being so difficult to cultivate, would have unimaginable power if truly mastered.

As for the Void-Shattering Fist, it was quite to Li Chen's liking, but its cultivation method was contrary to the Storm Fist he had self-discovered. If he wanted to practice it, he would have to abandon the Storm Fist, which made him indecisive.

Finally, the Flashing Shadow Wind-Chasing Step was quite compatible with his current practice, but he already had the top-rank human movement technique, the Wind-Drifting Step, and with his mastery of wind power, even if he chose to cultivate the Flashing Shadow Wind-Chasing Step, he wouldn't surpass the Wind-Drifting Step in the short term.

"Alright, the most pressing matter is to quickly break through to the True Refinement Realm. My internal energy's purity should be sufficient to support the operation of a Mystic cultivation method. Even without the help of spirit pills, I have confidence in breaking through to the True Refinement Realm, and I have a large amount of spirit stones. If I can't find a place to gather fire energy, it should be enough for me to break through."

Thinking back to the answers he received from the two major figures, Li Chen finally understood why he couldn't break through to the True Refinement Realm.

For Inner Energy Realm martial artists, human-rank cultivation methods, regardless of their level, could only support cultivation up to the ninth level.

Unless one had exceptional talent, surpassing all others, and could self-discover the circulation of meridians and breathing techniques, or consumed some world-class treasures, they couldn't break through.

Clearly, Li Chen had excellent character and intelligence, but he hadn't reached the level of surpassing all others. His opportunities were good, but not extraordinary.

In the end, Li Chen picked up the Nine Revolutions of Pure Yang. Although cultivating this method could easily gather fire energy and breed heart demons, Li Chen had already experienced a heart demon cleansing, and his will had been tempered through years of hardship, making him confident he could handle it.

"Hmm?"

Casually putting the other two back, Li Chen looked around, his gaze suddenly pausing.

Above this floor, there were three jade stones emitting white light, illuminating the entire floor in a triangular formation.

Li Chen stood between the two rows of bookshelves, facing a small ventilation window.

It was now a clear, moonlit night, and a beam of moonlight was shining on a corner of the bookshelf behind him.

What surprised him was that the shadow from the ventilation window was covering a cultivation method called "I Am the Only Supreme Being in the Eight Directions and Six Realms."

He had glanced at this book but paid no further attention, not because it was unsuitable, but because the name was so ridiculous.

If a place with only Mystic cultivation methods could make someone supreme, it would be a fairy tale.

Everyone who could enter here was a genius, extremely intelligent, and naturally understood this. Perhaps that was why the book was covered in dust.

But the important thing wasn't that. It was that after the window frame's shadow fell on it, Li Chen noticed that the original name of the book, under the light of the jade stones, had undergone a subtle change.