Dragon Blood Saint Emperor

The Identity Token was a palm-sized jade token, a symbol of one’s status as an Inner Sect Disciple.

The middle-aged man was the Guardian Elder of the Library Pavilion. He took the Identity Token, glanced at it, and then looked up at Ye Wushuang. "You’re a new disciple, aren’t you?"

Ye Wushuang replied, "I just entered the Inner Sect a short while ago."

"New disciples can check out two Combat Skills from the first floor. Of course, if you have enough Sect Contribution Points, you may also enter the second floor to borrow more advanced ones," the Guardian Elder explained as he handed the Identity Token back to Ye Wushuang.

"Sect Contribution Points?"

Ye Wushuang paused, slightly taken aback. "Excuse me, Elder," he asked, "what are Sect Contribution Points?"

"My apologies, I forgot. You’ve just entered the Inner Sect, so you’re probably not familiar with Contribution Points yet. Let me explain."

The Guardian Elder didn’t put on any airs. He explained, "Sect Contribution Points are a measure of an Inner Sect Disciple’s contributions to the Sect. For example, you can turn in things you’ve acquired, like Demon Pills, Desolate Bones, Spiritual Materials, Treasure Medicines, or even Combat Skills you don’t need. The Sect will award you a corresponding number of points, which are then recorded on your Identity Token. These are your Contribution Points."

As he spoke, the Guardian Elder glanced at Ye Wushuang’s Identity Token and added, "Once you have Contribution Points, you can exchange them in the Sect for resources like Combat Skills, Spirit Pills, and Spiritual Artifacts to help you increase your strength."

’So that’s how it works!’ Ye Wushuang had listened intently. The Guardian Elder’s explanation was so detailed that he understood at once. He immediately cupped his fist in a respectful bow toward the Guardian Elder.

Seeing Ye Wushuang’s courteous and respectful demeanor, the Guardian Elder was quite pleased. "Go and pick something out," he said. "Then come back here to register it. We can imprint a copy for you to take. Of course, if you find that to be a hassle, you can also study it in the Cultivation Chamber in the east corner of this floor."

"I understand!"

Ye Wushuang acknowledged him and walked inside.

The first floor of the Library Pavilion was the first level of the Treasure Tower. Inside, tens of thousands of scrolls and texts on Combat Skills, a veritable sea of knowledge, were displayed on rows of shelves, arranged in perfect order.

As soon as Ye Wushuang entered, he could take it all in at a glance. Not only was everything orderly, but each shelf was also meticulously categorized by type and attribute: Body Techniques, Combat Techniques, Cultivation Methods, Defensive Combat Techniques, and more.

Each category was further subdivided into attributes like Fire, Gold, and Thunder.

The hierarchy was distinct and extremely clear. Furthermore, every Combat Skill had an accompanying annotation, making it even more convenient for disciples to browse.

"Geng Metal Kill: A Third-Grade Combat Skill, Gold Attribute!"

"Gale Palm: A Fourth-Grade Combat Skill, Wind Attribute!" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Profound Yellow Shield: A Third-Grade Defense Combat Skill!"

...

He scanned the powerful Combat Skills that appeared before him one after another, but Ye Wushuang didn’t linger. He had come to the Library Pavilion this time specifically for a Body Technique, so he headed straight for the shelves where they were stored.

"Wind and Cloud Step: A Third-Grade Body Technique. Cultivation to Great Success increases speed by three times."

"Spirit Void Step: A Fourth-Grade Body Technique. Cultivation to Great Success increases speed by four times, creating a ghostly phantom that causes enemies to misjudge."

Ye Wushuang carefully examined these Body Techniques. Although their grades were appropriate, they didn’t quite meet his standards. He continued his search and, a short while later, picked up a scroll.

"Floating Light and Shadow!"

He gently unrolled the scroll, and the description of a Body Technique met his eyes.

"Floating Light and Shadow: A Fourth-Grade Body Technique. Cultivation to Great Success increases speed fivefold. As fast as a flash of lightning, it creates layers of afterimages and complements speed-based offensive Combat Skills."

’This is the one!’

Seeing the description, Ye Wushuang was overjoyed. ’Floating Light and Shadow can complement speed-based offensive Combat Skills. Isn’t that a perfect match for my Life-Taking Sword? It will drastically increase its piercing power.’

Having found the Body Technique he wanted, Ye Wushuang left the shelves. However, he didn’t go to register it immediately. Since he could choose two Combat Skills, he still had one more to pick.

He continued his search but couldn’t find any high-grade Combat Skills. Most were Fourth-Grade or Fifth-Grade, and their power and offensive effects didn’t measure up to his Eight Kills of Battle.

Ye Wushuang was slightly disappointed and was about to just grab a random one and leave. But then, a casual glance sideways caught his attention. A young man at the Qi Vortex Second Layer was walking toward him, cradling a Combat Skill scroll. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he studied it, so focused that he didn’t even notice Ye Wushuang right in front of him.

Only when he was about to walk right into Ye Wushuang did the young man seem to sense something and snap out of his reverie.

"Ye Wushuang!" When the young man saw who it was, his eyes clearly lit up. He immediately called out Ye Wushuang’s name, much to Ye Wushuang’s surprise.

"You know me?" Ye Wushuang was puzzled.

"I saw you on Cyan Profound Peak," the young man explained, his voice still tinged with a tremor of awe. The memory of this guy viciously killing Chen Kun was still fresh in his mind.

Realizing his manners, he quickly cupped his fist. "Forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yuanqing. I’m also from Broken Sword Peak."

Ye Wushuang returned the gesture, his gaze sweeping across the shelves with a hint of disappointment.

Seeing Ye Wushuang’s disappointed expression, Yuanqing asked, "Brother Ye, couldn’t you find a suitable Combat Skill?"

Without hiding his feelings, Ye Wushuang nodded.

"I see!" Yuanqing understood. Then, as if a thought struck him, he immediately offered the scroll in his hands. "Brother Ye, I happen to have a Combat Skill here. It’s even Spirit-Level, but... well, if you’re interested, you can take a look."

"Oh?" Hearing the words "Spirit-Level," Ye Wushuang froze for a second before immediately taking the scroll.

"Dragon Emperor Mountain Sealing Stamp!"

Five large words met his eyes. Ye Wushuang opened it and confirmed that this Combat Skill was indeed Spirit-Level.

Ye Wushuang knew exactly what a Spirit-Level Combat Skill signified; it definitely shouldn’t be on the first floor. He asked in confusion, "Brother Yuan, I thought there were no Spirit-Level Combat Skills on the first floor. Why is this one here?"

"Let’s talk as we walk," Yuanqing said. Ye Wushuang followed him toward the front of the library. Since there were no other suitable techniques for him anyway, he might as well choose this Spirit-Level Combat Skill. At the very least, its grade sounded impressive.

"Actually, this technique is said to be the ultimate skill comprehended by a Flood Dragon Emperor a thousand years ago. Later, that Flood Dragon Emperor was slain by a senior from our Ancient Spirit Sect, who then obtained the skill. That senior modified it into a Spirit-Level Combat Skill, brought it back to the Sect, and left it to be passed down as a legacy technique."

"However, this Combat Skill is extremely difficult to cultivate. Even Lee Tongtian, the second-ranked disciple on our Broken Sword Peak’s genius list, went into seclusion for a month and couldn’t make any headway with it."

Yuanqing’s brief explanation made Ye Wushuang realize just how difficult this Spirit-Level Combat Skill was to cultivate. ’Even Lee Tongtian, ranked second on the genius list, couldn’t figure out the first thing about it. This is no ordinary technique.’

Understanding the difficulty, Ye Wushuang secretly wondered if he should go back and pick another one. Before he knew it, however, they had already arrived back at the front counter.