Chapter 19 Xuan Skill Pavilion
In order to celebrate Ling Xiao’s promotion, Meng Xi Yun and Bai Yu Xi set about preparing a sumptuous banquet of good food and wine.
Meanwhile, Ling Xiao accompanied Luo Qing Shuang to sit on a stone bench in the courtyard.
His heart moved as he looked at the fair and graceful Luo Qing Shuang in her lovely red dress, and couldn’t help but grin, “Chubby Girl, have you taken a fancy to me? Do you blame me for not marrying you yet?”
Although Ling Xiao had never done “it” in his previous life, he still lived his life as a prodigal son, receiving the love and affection of countless beauties, and he plans to continue his wanton ways in this life.
Luo Qing Shuang spits in contempt, “You’re truly incorrigible. I heard that you were injured and came to see you out of the goodness of my heart.” Luo Qing Shuang’s face turned red and didn’t seem to mean what she said.
After she had been bested by Ling Xiao, she had been unharmed except for a few cuts and bruises. It was clear that Ling Xiao had meant her no harm. After that defeat, an inexplicable feeling grew in her heart.
Her father had spoken to her last night and had unexpectedly hinted for her to get close to Ling Xiao. The joy Luo Qing Shuang felt was beyond description; she had been worried that there was no opportunity to go see Ling Xiao. Therefore, she visited bright and early with the pretext of apologizing to Ling Xiao, but honestly wanted to see whether Ling Xiao had recovered from his injuries. When she saw Bai Yu Xi run out from Ling Xiao’s room, she felt a sharp ache in her heart, as if something precious was stolen from her. However, when she discovered Ling Xiao had not only made a full recovery but has become a xuan pract.i.tioner once again, she felt an even more profound sense of loss in her heart. He was still an eighth-rank martial apprentice a few days ago; this cultivation speed is too fast!
Once she recalled how Ling Xiao had broken through to xuan warrior rank before, she realized it was not too surprising that he returned to the xuan pract.i.tioner rank.
Ling Xiao curled his lips and flippantly said, “I was still injured because of you. You need to take responsibility for this!”
“How does this concern me?” Luo Qing Shuang said, sounding aggrieved. She had planned on apologizing to this b.a.s.t.a.r.d, but who would have known that he didn’t have a shred of gentlemanly decency and fussed over trivial matters. She couldn’t help but get angry despite the trace of fondness in her heart.
“To begin with, if you did not attack me in the restaurant, I would not have sustained substantial injuries from the backlash and that son of a b.i.t.c.h that waylaid me would be dead right now. He wouldn’t even have a chance to hurt me.” Ling Xiao said snappily. When he remembered how this woman had flipped out unreasonably that day, he really had an urge to push her down and properly slap her b.u.t.tocks.
Luo Qing Shuang angrily retorted, “Humph! Who told you to be so despicable?!”
“I’m despicable? How am I despicable? First of all, I never peeped at you taking a bath. Second of all, I haven’t even felt your chest. Third of all,…” Ling Xiao replied non-stop.
Before he could finish, Luo Qing Shuang’s complexion instantly turned dark as she drew out the flexible sword around her waist.
“Hey…if you have something to say, just say it. Why do you always insist on using violence? That’s not something a lady should do.” Ling Xiao timidly said as he took a step back and made pacifying gestures.
Luo Qing Shuang glared at Ling Xiao before letting out a giggle soon after. Her face was so delicate and charming at this moment that he could not help but think that she was indeed a budding beauty.
“You should smile more often. You look beautiful when you do.” Ling Xiao was not stingy with his praise.
“I don’t need you to tell me.” Luo Qing Shuang said snappily, and then lowered her head and muttered, “Sorry.”
“What? What did you say?” Ling Xiao’s senses had all sharpened after he broke through to xuan pract.i.tioner rank and apparently heard Luo Qing Shuang’s apology, but he pretended not to hear to mess around with this girl.
Luo Qing Shuang’s face turned bright red as she screamed at Ling Xiao, “Sorry,” and then turned around like a swallow and made her escape.
Ling Xiao rubbed his ears and watched as Luo Qing Shuang ran away, “This girl is not bad. If she can accept being my personal servant, she should get along with Yu Xi.”
If Falling Stone City’s young lords and young masters heard these words, it’s likely they will hack Ling Xiao to death with a vegetable cleaver. What man would not covet such a beauty for a wife? And this guy only plan to make her his servant? How ludicrous.
During dinner, Ling Zhan found out that his son has become a xuan pract.i.tioner again and was very happy for him, and yet he silently scolded himself for cultivating too slowly. He has only broken through one meridian in three weeks, and it will be quite a while still before he can break through the second meridian. The difference between his son and himself is like cloud and mud.
Ling Xiao seems to have noticed his father’s chagrin, and so he visited his father in his study after dinner. He took out a thousand years old Crow King Ginseng and placed it in front of Ling Zhan. “Dad, this Crow King Ginseng should be able to speed up the rate of breaking through your meridians.”
Ling Zhan received the Crow King Ginseng as if he had gained the most precious treasure and said, “This…Where did you get this? A thousand years old Crow King Ginseng is rarely sold at the Spirit Gra.s.s Hall!”
A five hundred years old Crow King Ginseng is still relatively common, but one that exceeds five hundred years is extremely rare. A thousand years old Crow King Ginseng is even harder to come by, its value even more precious.
Ling Xiao answered, “I got it from Grandfather.”
Ling Zhan blanked out for a moment and then forced a smile, “You little brat, you’ve even dare to mess with your grandfather!”
After that, he looked at the Crow King Ginseng in his hand and said, “This is given for you to use. Before I break through to xuan pract.i.tioner rank, this is useless to me.” He knew that the Crow King Ginseng is precious, can rejuvenate his meridians, increase his xuan strength, and extend his life, but it cannot break through terminated meridians! Therefore, he declined the offer.
Ling Xiao made no motion to take back the Crow King Ginseng, “Dad, keep it. If you take a small piece before every attempt to break through and coordinated with Three Parts Return Vital Energy, you will experience unexpected effects. It was precisely because of the Crow King Ginseng that I was able to become a xuan pract.i.tioner last night.”
Ling Zhan no longer doubts his son’s words, hesitated for a moment, before delicately putting away half of a Crow King Ginseng. The sooner he break through his twelve princ.i.p.al meridians, the sooner he can recover a xuan pract.i.tioner’s body.
Ling Xiao came out from his father’s study and walked directly toward the family’s inner court. Yesterday, he had regained his inner court access privileges. Therefore, he met no resistance as he entered the main gate.
When Ling Xiao arrived at the training field, the youths of Ling Family’s 18th generation watched him with a look of admiration. Only Ling Zhi, who was beaten by Ling Xiao yesterday, had a flash of jealousy flit across his eyes.
Ling Xiao did not stop until he arrived outside a three story tall edifice in the southern part of the inner court.
On the signboard above the entrance are three large characters engraved with flamboyant and powerful strokes, “Xuan Skill Pavilion.” These three words emanated an abstruse and enigmatic aura as if the words contained some kind of profound truth.
Ling Xiao had acquired a wealth of experience as a peak expert in his previous life and had eventually developed extremely keen eyes. After his gaze swept over the three words, his body slightly trembled. He can see at a glance these three words were definitely the handiwork of a mighty warrior. Each brush stroke contained a biting cold power; it was as if he could see a formidable warrior flourishing a pike above. Indescribable images suddenly poured into his mind and then disappeared just as quickly.
An old voice came from within the pavilion, “You can understand the meaning behind these three words?”
Ling Xiao bowed slightly toward the building before speaking indifferent, “A spear was used to carve these three words.”
After a moment’s pause, a voice disseminated from the pavilion one more time, “Excellent job, come in!”
Ling Xiao no longer stayed and stepped forward into the pavilion.
This is Ling Family’s “Xuan Skill Pavillion,” a depository containing the personal collection left behind by eighteen generations of predecessors.
The first floor contains gray-order xuan skills, the second floor contains yellow-order xuan skills, and only the elders know what’s stored on the third floor.
In Ling Xiao’s return to the inner court, he was allowed to peruse the xuan skill cultivation methods on the first and second floor of the “Xuan Skill Pavilion.”
Ling Xiao already knew many martial skills; the purpose of this visit was to gauge how his martial skills stack up against the xuan skills here. In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to learn new kinds of skills.
Gray-order xuan skills are the most rudimentary cultivation method with the largest collection; the bookshelves on the first floor were all tightly packed. Ling Xiao casually strolled through the first level of the Xuan Skill Pavilion and did not find any xuan skill that stood out, so he went to the second level.
When he arrived on the second floor, he saw an old man sitting in a wooden fauteuil enjoying a cup of tea. The old man appeared to be at least a hundred years old, and, in fact, was already a hundred and forty-three years old. There were many interweaving wrinkles on his old face, emanating an aura of a man who has experienced the vicissitudes of life and is now in his sunset years. His slightly hunched figure seemed as if he would be blown over by a gentle breeze, but an almost imperceptible light occasionally flash across his eyes.
Ling Xiao trembled slightly, before deferentially bowing, “Greetings, Elder Taishang.”
This old man is precisely Ling Family’s Elder Taishang.
Elder Taishang looked at Ling Xiao. His eyes narrowed for a moment, then began to shine as he said in a slightly excited tone, “You little punk, you actually became a xuan pract.i.tioner again? This is strange…really strange…Could it be that I erred in judgment at that time?”
He was the one who declared it to be impossible for Ling Xiao to cultivate xuan strength again unless he receives a fifth-grade heaven-defying medicinal pill. Could it be that this brat took a fifth-grade medicinal pill? This is impossible. Even a third-grade medicinal pill’s hard to procure in Falling Stone City, let alone fourth-grade or fifth-grade. He had only told them back then to give them a thread of hope.
“Kid, speak quickly. How are you able to cultivate xuan strength again?” Elder Taishang stood up excitedly and asked.
Ling Xiao naturally will not reveal the Three Parts Return Vital Energy. As the saying goes, an innocent man will be lead to disaster by possessing a treasured object.
“I don’t quite understand myself, but I was suddenly able to cultivate after trying over and over again.” Ling Xiao said as he spread out both hands and shrugged in an expression of doubt.
Elder Taishang instantly arrived in front of Ling Xiao and grabbed Ling Xiao’s arm with one hand.
Ling Xiao didn’t even have time to react before he was caught, and couldn’t help but silently affirm that this old fellow is a super-expert.
Elder Taishang pondered for a moment as he walked around Ling Xiao, muttering, “This is too strange…All princ.i.p.al meridians have been restored. Not only is the power very pure, but it also does not appear to be a sinister skill. This is just inconceivable. Alright…Since this is your opportunity as well as our Ling Family’s good fortune, I’ll not question you any further.”
After Elder Taishang had finished speaking, he reclined back on his wooden fauteuil and closed his eyes to rest.
Only then did Ling Xiao walk over the bookshelves where the xuan skills are kept.
The yellow-order cultivation methods stored on the second floor are one order higher than the gray-order cultivation methods, naturally more powerful by several folds, and the collection was much smaller than what’s available on the first floor. There are only about a hundred yellow-order cultivation methods on the entire floor.
Ling Xiao walked over to the closest bookshelf and picked up a xuan skill.
“Yellow-order fire-element cultivation method: Fierce Blaze Scripture.” This cultivation method requires at least reaching the xuan warrior rank and is suited for martial artists who cultivate fire attribute technique. It’s divided into three forms; each form can display formidable power.
Ling Xiao casually flipped through the book and then returned it to its original position before picking up another book to the side.
“Yellow-order water-element cultivation method: Five-fold Wave Tide.” It had the same requirement of xuan warrior rank and designed for martial artists who are suited for cultivating water attribute technique.
Ling Xiao browsed through a number of books, all of which are five elements cultivation methods. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth. These techniques don’t have much value to him at this time, but just when he was about to leave, he discovered a tattered scroll in a hidden nook.
His curiosity piqued, Ling Xiao went over and picked it up.
“It’s only a remnant copy?” Ling Xiao turned over two pages and discovered several pages were missing and lacked a lot of the information compared to the other cultivation methods.
He flipped back to the first page and read the comment, “Order not clear, attribute not clear: Vajra Five Transformation Secret Art…”
Ling Xiao read the “Vajra Five Transformation Secret Art” once through and muttered, “This defensive cultivation method can be cultivated at xuan pract.i.tioner rank, but unfortunately only has the first two transformations. Even after cultivating both transformations, it can only defend attacks at the peak of the xuan warrior rank. This still could be useful to me at the moment, but I’m interested to know what level of defense could be achieved by the following three transformations?”
Ling Xiao read the scroll again until he committed to memory all the content of the “Vajra Five Transformation Secret Art,” and then turned to leave.
Before leaving, he did not forget to bow toward Elder Taishang who still had his eyes closed.
After he’s gone, Elder Taishang’s eyes opened ever so slightly and said to himself, “I hope this kid can give me a few more surprises!”