Chapter 4

The books on the second floor and above are about martial arts. The library is divided into five floors. The first floor contains leisure books, the second floor has basic cultivation techniques, the third floor has intermediate techniques, the fourth floor has advanced techniques, and the fifth floor houses a few of the One Yuan Sect's innate-level techniques.

Over the years, Ye Xiwen did not know the man's name, but everyone called him Old Mo. Although his identity was unknown, he was likely a senior of the One Yuan Sect, so every time Ye Xiwen met him, he was very respectful.

"Has Little Ye come? What book do you want to read this time? Classics or geography?" Old Mo put down his book and said with a kind smile. He had a good impression of Ye Xiwen, not only because he was humble and polite, but also because, in this era, few young people were willing to sit down and read a few books; most were very restless.

"Old Mo, I came today to borrow a martial technique book!" Ye Xiwen said.

"Martial technique?" A glint of light flashed in Old Mo's eyes. "You've passed the fourth level?"

"Very good, very good, hahaha!" Old Mo laughed heartily, treating Ye Xiwen like a nephew.

"Since you're here to choose a technique, remember, don't be greedy. It's important to choose one that suits you!" Old Mo said. Although he said this to every disciple who came to select a technique, he was particularly serious with Ye Xiwen.

Many young people at the beginning always want to learn this and that, unable to make up their minds. Some even think they are so talented that they can learn everything, but the result is often that they end up learning only the surface, which is worse than those who focus on one technique.

"Thank you for your advice, Old Mo. I will remember it!" Ye Xiwen deeply agreed with Old Mo's words and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Martial practice is like reading; there's no shortcut to success. In the past, when reading, Ye Xiwen always finished and thoroughly understood one book before starting another. This way, even if they all read many books in the same amount of time, Ye Xiwen would understand them much more deeply than those who tried to learn several at once.

"Alright, I won't say more. Go in and take a look!" Old Mo waved his hand, leaned back in his rocking chair, and continued reading.

Ye Xiwen entered the library. He had long felt that Old Mo was unfathomable, at least in terms of his identity. The One Yuan Sect's library was a very important place; it was impossible for just any old man to guard it without any guards. In the past, Ye Xiwen was too busy trying to understand the world to pay much attention to whether Old Mo had any skills. But now, he still looked like an ordinary old man, yet an ordinary old man couldn't possibly be assigned to guard the library without other guards. This meant that the higher-ups trusted Old Mo, so the only possibility was that Old Mo's strength was unfathomable, so high that Ye Xiwen couldn't even gauge it.

Moreover, his status was likely very high, but it was unclear why someone of such high status would be willing to guard the library, which, although important, had little real power.

However, Ye Xiwen didn't think too much about it. After all, Old Mo wasn't an enemy and seemed to have a good impression of him.

The One Yuan Sect's library had a large collection, but the books were well-organized. The fewest were the basic and innate-level techniques. The innate-level techniques were hard to collect, and the basic techniques didn't need to be too numerous. A few types of fist, palm, and leg techniques were enough, as they were just for building a foundation. In actual combat, the probability of using basic techniques was low, and physical training didn't require many techniques.

For basic techniques, mastering a few was enough, such as basic sword techniques and basic fist techniques.

So, Ye Xiwen focused on the basic martial techniques. The one that left the deepest impression was undoubtedly the Thunderclap Hand. He had seen his older brother, Ye Feng, practice the Thunderclap Hand, which left a deep impression. The Thunderclap Hand's greatest feature was its speed, which was very fast and powerful. Although it was a basic technique, when practiced to perfection, it was quite formidable. At its peak, each strike could trigger nine thunderclaps, known as the Nine Thunderclaps.

Ye Xiwen didn't stop on the first floor but went directly to the second floor. He saw a visible film between the first and second floors. As he passed through, he felt a resistance, but he still went up smoothly.

Ye Xiwen knew that this film was to prevent disciples with insufficient strength from forcing their way up. Although he didn't find it difficult, he knew that the film was cleverly set up. Those with at least the fourth level of innate strength could pass without hindrance, while those below that level could not.

Ye Xiwen was very interested in the Thunderclap Hand, so he quickly found it and started reading. The Thunderclap Hand's greatest feature was its speed.

Ye Xiwen had made his choice and memorized the entire content of the Thunderclap Hand technique. The techniques here could not be taken out, but they could be copied. Ye Xiwen didn't bring paper and pen, but memorizing was allowed. After all, even if he copied the technique and took it home, he would still need to memorize it, so many people chose to memorize it here and then go home.

After about half an hour, Ye Xiwen finished memorizing the technique, put down the Thunderclap Hand book, and went downstairs to leave the library.

Old Mo was still leisurely reading the ancient book. Seeing Ye Xiwen come out, he smiled and said, "Have you made your choice?"

Ye Xiwen nodded and said, "Yes, I chose the Thunderclap Hand!"

"The Thunderclap Hand? That's a good choice!" Old Mo said. "This technique is quite powerful, but it's a palm technique. You should also find a weapon technique at some point, or you'll be at a disadvantage in combat!"

"Understood!" Ye Xiwen nodded.

"If you want to specialize in other palm or fist techniques, you should at least practice the Thunderclap Hand to the sixth thunderclap. It's better to specialize in one technique than to dabble in many. I'm sure you understand the principle of 'greed is the enemy of success.'"

"Thank you for your guidance, Old Mo!" Ye Xiwen said. "I'll take my leave now!"

"Go ahead!" Old Mo glanced at Ye Xiwen and continued reading the yellowed ancient book, lying back in his rocking chair, as leisurely as ever.

Ye Xiwen knew this was his usual manner and didn't mind. He turned and returned to his courtyard.

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