Chapter 40

"Of course, it's no wonder that Hong Bao, an outer sect disciple, would know a human-grade lower-tier martial technique."

After seeing off the steward Guan Feng and Liu, Ye Zhen finally understood why Hong Bao, an outer sect disciple, not only knew a human-grade lower-tier martial technique but could also match his true essence, which had been refined by the Mirage Dragon Pearl, on equal terms.

All of this was due to a special reward given by the Qiyun Sect to outer sect disciples who ranked in the top three of the Earth List.

For outer sect disciples of the Qiyun Sect, as long as they could rank in the top three of the Earth List, they would gain the qualification to enter the second floor of the Scripture Hall. This was the special reward given by the sect to those who ranked in the top three of the Earth List.

Under normal circumstances, only inner sect disciples had the qualification to enter the second floor of the Scripture Hall, which was considered a treatment similar to that of inner sect disciples for those who ranked in the top three of the Earth List.

This also explained why Hong Bao could match Ye Zhen on equal terms in their fierce battle.

It should be noted that Ye Zhen practiced the human-grade lower-tier Essence Blood Body Technique, which refined true essence that was purer than that refined by ordinary-grade upper-tier techniques.

Moreover, Ye Zhen had the help of the Mirage Dragon Pearl in refining his true essence, making his true essence extremely pure. If Hong Bao practiced an ordinary-grade upper-tier technique, even if his cultivation was one minor realm higher than Ye Zhen's, he would not have been able to match Ye Zhen on equal terms in a direct confrontation.

However, if Hong Bao practiced a technique of the same grade as Ye Zhen's and his cultivation was one minor realm higher, he could match Ye Zhen on equal terms.

Compared to the massive wealth he had gained earlier, this reward was even more surprising to Ye Zhen.

Without any hesitation, Ye Zhen headed straight for the Scripture Hall.

During the battle with Hong Bao, he had lamented the lack of martial techniques to deal with strong enemies. Now, he had gained the qualification to enter the second floor of the Scripture Hall.

Moreover, this also gave him a use for the large number of sect contribution points he had just obtained.

Cultivation resources are only considered as such when they are used; if they are stored and not used, they are worthless.

The Scripture Hall was as crowded as usual. After waiting in line for a while, it was finally Ye Zhen's turn. He hurriedly handed over his identity jade token, "Steward, please..."

"Haven't you entered the Scripture Hall to choose a secret manual yet? Go quickly, you're not a new disciple." The old steward who guarded the Scripture Hall was already familiar with Ye Zhen. Seeing him come directly to him, he gave a reminder.

"No, Steward, I want to enter the second floor of the Scripture Hall and need your assistance." The second floor of the Qiyun Sect's Scripture Hall had been enhanced by the sect's array master, with a spiritual energy barrier guarding the entrance. The inner sect disciples' green jade tokens served as passes.

However, Ye Zhen was an outer sect disciple, and his identity jade token was a white jade token. To enter the second floor, he needed the assistance of a sect steward. Ye Zhen knew this from the guidance of Steward Liu from Guan Feng.

"Are you still an outer sect disciple? The second floor, can you just enter it as you wish..."

The old steward suddenly took Ye Zhen's identity jade token and carefully examined it, then was surprised, "The person who defeated Hong Bao and ranked in the top three of the Earth List today, is you?"

Ye Zhen smiled and nodded.

"Unbelievable, unbelievable. I vaguely remember that four months ago, when you first became an outer sect disciple, you chose the rather difficult Snake Glide Step and didn't listen to advice. I thought you were just another arrogant person. I didn't expect you to make such a stunning debut. I misjudged you."

A burst of spiritual light sprang from his hand, and Ye Zhen's identity jade token was enhanced with a mysterious light. "Alright, go to the second floor."

"Thank you, Steward!"

After Ye Zhen left, the dozens of outer sect disciples waiting in line behind him, especially those who heard the old steward's sigh, felt a mix of emotions.

Look at Ye Zhen, who became an outer sect disciple for only four months and rose to the second place on the Earth List. Compare that to themselves, who have been outer sect disciples for one or two years and haven't even made it to the Earth List.

This comparison really makes one feel like they can't live.

The second floor of the Qiyun Sect's Scripture Hall was much smaller than the first floor. At a glance, there were only about one to two thousand books, far fewer than the tens of thousands of books on the first floor. Besides the reason that higher-grade techniques are rarer, the second floor of the Scripture Hall only stored human-grade lower-tier techniques.

The Qiyun Sect's Scripture Hall had six floors in total. The third floor stored human-grade middle-tier techniques, the fourth floor stored human-grade upper-tier techniques, the fifth floor stored extremely valuable earth-grade lower-tier techniques, and the highest sixth floor stored the sect's foundational techniques.

With previous experience, Ye Zhen began to search carefully within the Scripture Hall.

The Essence Blood Body Technique that Ye Zhen was currently practicing was itself a human-grade lower-tier technique, so he didn't need to choose a new technique. However, he still flipped through a few to get a general understanding of the characteristics of other techniques.

The Essence Blood Body Technique that Ye Zhen practiced was also stored on the second floor of the Scripture Hall.

Ye Zhen's focus was on martial techniques and movement techniques.

Due to the existence of the Phantom Snake King in the first layer of the Mirage Dragon Pearl's space, Ye Zhen could learn snake-related martial techniques and movement techniques very quickly. The Snake Glide Step and the Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand had reached a peak level with ease.

Therefore, Ye Zhen's initial idea was to find a snake-related martial technique on the second floor of the Scripture Hall to practice, so that he could master it in a short time.

After searching for a while, Ye Zhen was somewhat disappointed.

The human-grade lower-tier martial techniques stored on the second floor did indeed include snake-related ones, such as the Spirit Snake Sword Technique and the Ten Thousand Snake Poison Palm. However, after careful examination, Ye Zhen found that although these techniques had the word "snake" in their names, they often only captured a bit of the essence.

Human-grade lower-tier techniques were already quite profound and no longer focused on the shapes and meanings of animals like ordinary-grade techniques.

For example, the Spirit Snake Sword Technique was only strange and unpredictable like a snake when the sword technique was used, but fundamentally, it was still a sword technique.

The Phantom Snake King in the first layer of the Mirage Dragon Pearl's space provided almost no help in practicing the Spirit Snake Sword Technique. This made the choice of the Spirit Snake Sword Technique less meaningful.

Without the help of the Phantom Snake King to quickly master the technique, it also could not be combined with Ye Zhen's Snake Glide Step and Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand.

After some consideration, Ye Zhen decided to continue practicing fist techniques or palm techniques. This way, the Snake Glide Step and Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand he had mastered could continue to be effective.

After all, even when used against human-grade lower-tier techniques, the Snake Glide Step and Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand that Ye Zhen had mastered to a peak level were not at a disadvantage.

After a thorough search, Ye Zhen first selected five fist techniques suitable for his practice and that could be combined with the Snake Glide Step. Finally, he chose one fist technique—Leopard Lightning Fist!

The Leopard Lightning Fist emphasized speed and had extremely strong explosive power. If successfully practiced, the punches would carry the sound of thunder, confusing the opponent. If practiced to a minor success, the punches would be as fast as lightning. If practiced to a major success, the punches would flash like lightning, as swift as a bolt of thunder, excelling in speed.

The only requirement was that the true essence must be highly refined. The more refined the true essence, the greater the power of the Leopard Lightning Fist.

Another reason Ye Zhen chose the Leopard Lightning Fist was its good compatibility. It could be combined with his Snake Glide Step and Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand.

When the punches flashed like lightning, Ye Zhen could combine them with a Spirit Snake Pulse Sealing Hand, making the power so formidable that it would give the enemy a headache.

As for the movement technique, Ye Zhen honestly chose a speed-focused technique—Wind God Step.

The Wind God Step purely emphasized speed. If practiced to a major success, the speed of the Wind God Step could rival that of an ordinary-grade middle-tier movement technique.

"Ye Zhen, the Wind God Step you chose is good. It complements your Snake Glide Step, which is indeed a good choice," the old steward at the entrance of the Scripture Hall advised Ye Zhen again.

"However, the Leopard Lightning Fist is not very suitable for you. Your cultivation has advanced rapidly in four months, and your true essence is not very pure. The Leopard Lightning Fist, if the true essence is not pure enough, has no power, let alone producing the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning. If the true essence is pure, the power will increase significantly. But if the true essence is refined enough, any martial technique will have great power."

After saying this, the old steward showed a thoughtful expression, "According to my knowledge, over the years, few people have practiced the Leopard Lightning Fist. Occasionally, those who chose it were persuaded to give up by me. You'd better change to another one!"

"No, I won't change. I'll stick with the Leopard Lightning Fist," Ye Zhen said.

"You..."

The old steward wanted to say more but suddenly thought of the previous times he had guided Ye Zhen. He suddenly smiled bitterly and said no more, directly entering the inner room to fetch the two manuals for Ye Zhen.

Perhaps it was a common human trait, but when one gets a new treasure, one always wants to play with it first. Now that he had the new manuals, Ye Zhen wanted to take a look.

Perhaps because Ye Zhen flipped through them too quickly, or perhaps because the manual had been stored for too long, a yellowed page fell out of the Leopard Lightning Fist manual when he flipped it.

Ye Zhen quickly picked it up, as damaging the sect's manual would result in punishment.

However, the first line of text on the yellowed page made Ye Zhen pause—Left by Tu Fangye for the destined one!

Who was Tu Fangye?

After a moment of confusion, Ye Zhen remembered who Tu Fangye was.