Chapter 20

"Wow, Li Mang, you're so amazing!" As Li Mang returned to the courtyard, the little brat looked up at him with admiration. But before Li Mang could feel pleased, the brat continued, "Let's spar and see who's better!"

"..." Li Mang's lips twitched, and he said in a low voice, "You're better!"

No matter what the little brat said, Li Mang didn't spar with him. Although the little brat seemed normal now, once they started fighting, the situation could quickly get out of control. After mumbling for a while, the little brat probably found it boring and left the courtyard. Li Mang, on the other hand, walked to the back.

The Great Courtyard of Yanhuang had a library filled with a vast collection of books, including famous works and historical records, as well as various novels. When he was bored, Li Mang would always come here to pass the time.

Li Mang intentionally or unintentionally came to the section of ancient mythology books and found treasures like "Journey to the West" and "In Search of the Supernatural." Among them, he found his target for this trip—the "Classic of Mountains and Seas."

The original "Classic of Mountains and Seas" has not been preserved. The current version of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" has been revised several times, with edits made during the Western Han, Warring States, Ming and Qing dynasties, and even in modern times. This shows that the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" we have today differs greatly from the original.

However, as long as there was some content, Li Mang felt he should read it carefully. This would help him understand the world of the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and avoid any details he might miss.

After taking the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," Li Mang thought for a moment and also took out "In Search of the Supernatural" and "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" to avoid drawing attention.

"Classic of Mountains and Seas, In Search of the Supernatural, The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon?" The librarian was a silver-haired old man, already in his eighties, but he was still very spirited. Seeing the books Li Mang had taken, he couldn't help but smile and then said indifferently, "These are just the popular versions in the secular world. Many important contents have actually been sealed away, and reading them has no practical effect."

"..." Li Mang was taken aback. "Sealed away? Do you mean even Yanhuang doesn't have the original?"

"Ha ha, the original content was sealed by the predecessors of Yanhuang. Do you think we don't have it?" The old man asked with a half-smile.

"Then... can I borrow it?" Li Mang's heart raced. If he could get the original, it would be immensely beneficial for him.

"No!" The old man closed his eyes and answered bluntly, putting Li Mang's registered information back in the drawer and lying on a rocking chair, creaking it back and forth.

"..." Li Mang's lips twitched, but he was helpless. Before leaving, he couldn't help but ask, "When can I read these materials?"

"Fifty years of cultivation!" The old man said without opening his eyes.

"Fifty years!" Li Mang muttered to himself, shaking his head and leaving. According to Yang Fan, he currently had only about ten years of cultivation, far from the fifty years required. As far as he knew, there weren't many people in the Great Courtyard of Yanhuang with over fifty years of cultivation, and the higher the cultivation, the harder it was to break through.

During the day, Li Mang, besides his regular work, spent the rest of his time in the courtyard reading the "Classic of Mountains and Seas." Every night, he quietly entered the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" space, exploring the first mountain of the Southern Mountains, Yaoyao Mountain, while also starting to make a bamboo raft and preparing for the exploration of the second mountain.

However, because he was worried that someone might suddenly look for him, the time he spent in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" world each day was very limited, only three hours. It was little, but it was enough. Eating mountain delicacies and wild game, cutting down bamboo, everything was going smoothly.

What made Li Mang anxious was that the wild game was still delicious, but its effects were gradually weakening. Even when he caught a small spinning turtle and made soup, it only increased his strength slightly. He knew that to make a bigger breakthrough, he had to explore the second mountain, Tangting Mountain, and consume higher-level ingredients.

Three days passed in a flash.

"Li Mang, from today on, you are an official member of Yanhuang. You can go on missions, have monthly holidays, and your salary will double. You can read the materials in the library's basement level, and you can even take leave to go home!" In the courtyard of Group Eight, Yang Fan solemnly read out the notification he had just received to Li Mang.

"..." Li Mang didn't say anything, just smiled foolishly. From today on, he would be very different, especially in terms of freedom, which was crucial for him. After all, he needed to buy many things for exploring the "Classic of Mountains and Seas," and he couldn't do that without leaving.

"Snap out of it, follow me!" Yang Fan patted Li Mang's shoulder and walked to the side room.

Li Mang also realized something and looked a bit excited. He hadn't forgotten what Yang Fan had said three days ago: if he passed the review, Yang Fan would arrange some cultivation methods to speed up his cultivation, which was what he currently lacked. After all, Li Mang's strength came entirely from using rare treasures to cleanse his body, which allowed him to defeat Xiao Tu but not to beat opponents of the same level.

The Great Courtyard of Yanhuang was located in the forest on the outskirts of the capital, a military restricted area. From the outside, it looked like a large-scale compound, but in fact, it had a vast underground training base. Li Mang had never had the right to enter it before, and this was his first time.

There was an elevator entrance in this side room, completely sealed and made of thick alloy steel plates. It would take some time to break through it forcibly.

"The training base is underground. Each group has an entrance, and everyone must use their identity card and facial recognition to enter. This is your identity card." Yang Fan handed over a magnetic card and placed his own at the sensor, which beeped, but the elevator door didn't open.

Then Yang Fan stood in front of the sensor, facing the equipment.

"Beep!"

"Hum..." The elevator door finally opened slowly.

"You also need to swipe, otherwise, the elevator will stop and automatically trigger an alarm!" Yang Fan kindly reminded him.

"Oh!" Li Mang followed suit and swiped, then entered the elevator.

The elevator slowly descended, stopping after more than ten meters. In front of them was a honeycomb-structured steel base with hundreds of rooms of various sizes, a spectacular sight.

The training equipment in the base was extremely abundant and specially made, with some that Li Mang had never seen before, making his eyes dazzle.

The base was large, but there were very few people, only a few dozen scattered around, occasionally shouting. After all, this training base wasn't suitable for all Yanhuang members, as more than half were cultivating outside, making the base seem desolate.

"Only ancient martial artists, body cultivators, and some special ability users train here, so there aren't many people. In the future, you can train here whenever you have time, but remember to practice more and talk less. If you encounter trouble, endure it if you can, otherwise, meeting a lunatic here will be very troublesome!" Yang Fan reminded him.

"I remember!" Li Mang nodded firmly.

"Special abilities are either innate or awakened by stimulation, but after awakening, they can also be enhanced through training. You have a strength-type special ability, which isn't outstanding, but it's very useful in modern times because Yanhuang strictly prohibits all special individuals from displaying superpowers in the secular world. Your own strength can be used quietly, which other special ability users can't do."

Pausing, Yang Fan added with a teasing tone, "You know, even the Dragon Group and Phoenix Group are entirely composed of ancient martial artists!"

Li Mang knew about the Dragon Group and Phoenix Group, two independent teams in the Great Courtyard of Yanhuang. There were only twenty people in total, ten in each group, responsible for protecting the country's top leaders, especially the president's safety. They didn't participate in other missions.

Li Mang had a sudden idea and asked, "Manager Yang, are you suggesting I cultivate ancient martial arts?"

"Exactly. In fact, strength-type special ability users are only suitable for cultivating ancient martial arts. If you can combine techniques with your own strength, you will become even stronger!" Yang Fan praised.

As they spoke, they arrived at Training Room 44. Yang Fan suddenly stopped and turned to look at Li Mang, saying, "Before we go in, I'll ask you one more time. Are you afraid of hardship? Cultivating martial arts is extremely difficult. It's not just about sitting in meditation. What's written in Jin Yong's novels is all a lie!"

"Let me try!" Li Mang didn't boast. He had no idea what hardships he would face, and saying he wasn't afraid of hardship now would be premature.

"Good, I hope you can persist!" Yang Fan nodded in satisfaction. He liked Li Mang's honesty and adherence to principles, which was why he had recruited him into Yanhuang in the first place!

...

PS: Due to revising the subsequent plot, the update was delayed. Apologies. Please recommend and like.

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