Chapter 4

3. Manryong Pavilion's Secret Manual (2)

Before he could even respond, the two people had already walked away.

"Tch, what's his problem? He didn't even do anything to me."

Everyone seemed to have received proper guidance from their respective sects, so it was understandable that they looked down on him.

'But Jajun didn't mock me, while Choyoung-ho seems to be really unhappy about being in the same group as me.'

Sojong-cheon shrugged and looked around.

Interpersonal relationships are never something that can be controlled, and he didn't really care what that guy thought.

Right now, with a time limit, he needed to focus on choosing a martial art.

As he was thinking this, characters suddenly appeared in the air.

"Huh?"

A new window with a name appeared in the corner of his vision.

When he pressed it, a message appeared with a detailed description, instructing him to complete a task.

"So, it's a quest in the game."

Seven appraisal letters are worth 700 silver.

He needed appraisal letters anyway, so it was fortunate that a task had appeared.

'If I only get resources from daily rewards, it will take a very long time to grow, so it makes sense that there are tasks like this.'

However, just because a task had appeared didn't mean he could easily get the reward.

To receive attention from everyone in a gathering of over a hundred people without missing a single one seemed impossible.

'When will I be able to complete this? It's called "Outstanding Among Peers," but why is there a question mark?'

With a troubled expression, Sojong-cheon read the explanation and then closed the task window.

An opportunity would come eventually, and for now, he needed to choose a martial arts manual.

Sword techniques, spear techniques, saber techniques, staff techniques, and cudgel techniques.

Various martial arts for different weapons were categorized and placed on the shelves.

'Maybe it's better to look at the fist techniques I'm familiar with? But even if I master a martial art, fighting an armed opponent with bare hands is tough... Should I learn a weapon technique?'

While he was pondering, a shelf with mind techniques caught his eye.

"Hold on, mind techniques."

He had the memory of diligently practicing Qingming Tona Gong and Choyoung Quan, but he didn't really know much about martial arts.

Except for a brief period of guidance from his father when he was young, he had learned martial arts without a proper master.

However, he knew that mind techniques played a crucial role in martial arts.

'In martial arts novels, learning a mind technique is the starting point of all martial arts training. It's like creating a heart.'

He knew that without internal energy, no matter how much you practice sword or saber techniques, you can't become a master.

From what he remembered, Qingming Tona Gong was not a particularly great mind technique, so he thought about changing to a better one.

'I don't really know which one is good, but the same goes for other martial arts.'

Without a specific goal in mind, he started browsing through the books on internal energy mind techniques.

Taiji Tona Gong, Baigyeol Shimbeop, Samyang Gong, Daehye Shimbeop.

He took out books at random, skimmed through them, and then put them back, shaking his head.

'There are so many... I still don't know which one is good. I know you shouldn't just randomly learn a mind technique.'

While scratching his head and examining the books, he noticed a name that caught his attention.

'Beollik Gong, Geon-gon Shimbeop, Banya Shinbeop, Hyeonwon Gibeop... Huh?'

"Banya Shinbeop?"

It was a name he often saw in martial arts novels.

A martial art from Shaolin, known as the Tai Mountain and the North Star of the martial world.

It was one of the highest internal energy mind techniques among Shaolin's many martial arts.

The name alone was impressive, being called a "divine technique."

"What is this!? Is this the real thing? Can't... shouldn't something like this be hidden away in Shaolin?"

Swallowing hard, he took out the book and opened it.

The mind technique's incantations were densely written in a neat but powerful style.

This was the martial arts library of the Zhanlong Academy, a direct educational institution of the official martial arts alliance.

It wasn't like a street vendor's goods, so he thought it must be genuine, even if it was a copy.

'This is it.'

An opportunity to switch from a mediocre family mind technique to a world-renowned divine technique.

There didn't seem to be any reason to choose anything else.

'Why don't the others learn something like this... Ah, am I the only one from a common family? They must have practiced for a long time in famous sects, so they can't just switch their fundamental mind techniques.'

Sojong-cheon clutched the Banya Shinbeop secret manual and left the shelf.

As he moved around, he noticed a group of librarians gathered in one area.

"Excuse me. Is this where we register for borrowing?"

"Yes, you're the last one."

It hadn't even been half an hour, but it seemed everyone else had already registered.

'There were quite a few people browsing the library like me... Did they all finish registering and were just looking around?'

"Let's see, Banya Shinbeop? Hmm?"

The librarian who took the secret manual from Sojong-cheon raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Is this not allowed for borrowing?'

Feeling anxious, Sojong-cheon waited as the librarian examined the book.

"Hmm. Impressive. You know that once a book is registered, it can't be changed until the permit is issued, right?"

"Yes, I've heard that."

Not knowing what was so impressive, he nodded nervously, afraid of hearing a refusal.

"Then I'll register it. Be careful not to damage the secret manual, and since there are many seats, you can read wherever you like. Of course, you can't take it out of the Manryong Pavilion, so you'll need to return it here when you leave."

"Yes, sir!"

He snatched the registered secret manual and left, feeling elated.

'Great! This seems like a good start. A Shaolin divine technique, I must have made the right choice.'

Finding a quiet spot, Sojong-cheon started reading the secret manual slowly.

An hour later.

After finishing the secret manual, Sojong-cheon chuckled and spoke.

"Heh... What the hell is this? Damn. It's so difficult."

Just reading it made his head hurt.

He couldn't even begin to interpret the incantations.

'Since I can't come here every time, I'll at least memorize the basic method of cultivating internal energy. I'll study the incantations whenever I have time, and I'll figure it out somehow.'

Focusing on the method of cultivating internal energy written in the beginning, he was memorizing it when a librarian approached him.

"It's almost time to leave. Please return the book."

"Ah, it's already time... I understand."

Although the time passed quickly, he felt he had at least memorized the method of cultivating internal energy.

After returning the secret manual and leaving the Manryong Pavilion, Sojong-cheon followed the other students back to the second training ground.

At the same time.

Instructor Choo Oh-myeong was checking the records of the martial arts the students had registered.

"What? This guy?"

Choo Oh-myeong's expression twisted nastily as he read two words on the record.

"It can't be. The registrar must have made a mistake."

After staring at the record for a moment, Choo Oh-myeong's expression relaxed.

People make mistakes.

It was more reasonable to accept that than to believe a student had chosen a Shaolin mind technique.

As time passed, the students who had gone to the Manryong Pavilion returned.

"Everyone is here."

An ordinary person would have wasted time counting the number of people gathered.

But Choo Oh-myeong, a top-notch master, could instantly recognize that all 208 students were present with just a glance.

Standing in front of the students, Choo Oh-myeong spoke.

"It's lunchtime, so I won't speak for long. Everyone must attend the student mental training session at You hour (3-5 PM), and you are free to do as you please during other times. Until further notice, you will gather here at Son hour (9-11 AM) every day, and if the Yellow Dragon Team has a mission, all classes will be temporarily suspended."

Choo Oh-myeong was about to dismiss them when he remembered something.

'I need to correct the error in the record. There's no need to go to the Manryong Pavilion and point out the mistake, causing unnecessary trouble.'

"Choo Sojong-cheon."

"Yes!"

"There seems to be an error in the Manryong Pavilion's record. Which martial art did you register?"

"Banya Shinbeop!"

Upon hearing the answer, Choo Oh-myeong momentarily doubted his ears.

"Did you say Banya Shinbeop, the internal energy mind technique of Shaolin?"

"Yes, that's right."

The surrounding area became noisy upon hearing Sojong-cheon's answer.

"What? He chose an internal energy mind technique? What is he doing?"

"Shaolin's martial art? What was he thinking to choose something like that?"

Feeling the atmosphere change, Sojong-cheon sensed something was wrong.

'What's going on? Why are they reacting like this?'

Choo Oh-myeong quickly closed the distance and approached Sojong-cheon.

"While the Manryong Pavilion contains all available martial arts manuals, it's rare for a student to choose a mind technique, let alone a divine technique from Shaolin."

For a martial artist, an internal energy mind technique is a fundamental skill, like a baby's first steps.

Unless there was a special reason, it was very rare for someone to abandon their existing mind technique and learn a new one.

Sojong-cheon, who was one of these rare cases, looked confused at Choo Oh-myeong's words.

'If it's a divine technique, it must be good, right? Why does he sound like I made a mistake?'

"Is Banya Shinbeop... some kind of forbidden technique or something you shouldn't learn?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. But why would you abandon your existing mind technique to learn something so difficult, especially in the Zhanlong Academy? You should know that it's impossible to find a master to teach you such a technique from the Buddhist order."

Banya Shinbeop, being a divine technique, was indeed a powerful martial art.

However, as a Buddhist martial art, it required the teachings and enlightenment of Buddhism to make progress.

Its difficulty was such that even seasoned Buddhist disciples would shake their heads.

"Do you mean... there are no Shaolin monks among the instructors?"

Sojong-cheon was puzzled by Choo Oh-myeong's words.

Surely there must be at least one Shaolin monk among the martial arts alliance instructors.

'Isn't there a saying, "All martial arts come from Shaolin"? Even if there are no monks, there should be lay disciples, right?'

'Is the world of my martial arts novels different from this one?'

Choo Oh-myeong frowned at Sojong-cheon's question.

"Since when did Shaolin suffer a near-extinction and close its doors, saying it would no longer interfere in martial world affairs? Don't you know that there are no more martial monks in the world?"

'Huh?'

Sojong-cheon's mouth dropped open.

'Really? I knew this world suffered greatly from the evil sect, but did Shaolin really close its doors? Crazy... So that's why the highest technique of Shaolin was floating around in the academy?'

In most martial arts worlds, Shaolin stood at the pinnacle of the righteous sects.

But it seemed that in this world, Shaolin had indeed fallen.

Chapter 5 of the "Martial World's Strongest"