Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

The Hidden Skills Hall wasn’t large. It contained only two rows of bookshelves, holding a total of one or two hundred Secret Manuals.

It might not sound like much, but this was just for the Outer Disciples, and it wasn’t a small number by any means.

After all, in a place like Qingyuan County, most prominent families only possessed a single Secret Martial Art.

Quite a few people were already here, most of them disciples from Qingyuan County. But everyone was focused on finding the Cultivation Technique they wanted, so no one was greeting anyone else.

Xu Yang scanned the room and quickly spotted the Thunder Shock Fist.

He strode forward, took it, and flipped it open. His expression immediately darkened. The Secret Manual only contained the first half; the pages that followed were blank. His plan to learn it on the sly was instantly foiled.

After a moment of thought, he decided to choose the Thunder Shock Fist anyway.

The Shattering Jade Palm was powerful, but like the Vajra Skill, it was a Water Grinding Technique, meaning he couldn’t expect to use it anytime soon.

Although the Thunder Shock Fist was a bit weaker, with his Root Bone and Comprehension, his progress would be incredibly swift.

After looking through a few other Secret Manuals and memorizing some useful information, Xu Yang returned to the registration desk.

"Kid, the Thunder Shock Fist is impressive, but for someone without exceptional Comprehension, the most they can achieve is the Third Layer. At that point, it’s weaker than a common Fist Technique. I can give you a chance to pick another."

Seeing that the sensible young man from before had actually chosen the Thunder Shock Fist, Steward Liu offered him a kind reminder.

Xu Yang cupped his fists. "I’ll stick with the Thunder Shock Fist. Steward Liu, could I have the complete Cultivation Technique, please?"

"Alright, as long as you don’t regret it later," Steward Liu chuckled.

He had been in the Hidden Skills Hall for many years and had seen far too many people whose ambitions outstripped their abilities. They always picked the most powerful Secret Manuals, never stopping to consider if they could actually master them.

He had only bothered with the reminder because of the two taels of silver.

"Return it in three days. Don’t let anyone else see it."

Steward Liu registered the manual for Xu Yang. With the manual in hand, Xu Yang found a Peach Grove, sat down, and began to read the Thunder Shock Fist Secret Manual.

The core of the Thunder Shock Fist was its ability to stack Force, but its Techniques were also quite refined. Once initiated, the Fist Technique was like a series of crashing waves—relentless and unending. As long as the enemy wasn’t defeated, the momentum of the fists would only grow more ferocious.

[Thunder Shock Fist · Uninitiated (0/20)]

Before long, Xu Yang finished his first read-through, and a panel appeared before his eyes.

He didn’t rush to start cultivating, but instead focused his mind and read it through a second time.

Reading it the second time felt completely different from the first. He felt as if ideas were bubbling up in his mind like a spring, allowing him to effortlessly connect and comprehend the various tenets of the Fist Technique.

’So this is the power of A-class Lower Comprehension. It really is extraordinary.’

’Comprehending a Cultivation Technique has actually become an enjoyable experience.’

Xu Yang restrained himself, still not rushing to practice, and carefully studied the manual a third time.

This time, he could no longer suppress the impulse. The moment he finished, he tossed the Secret Manual aside, leaped into an open space, and began to practice.

As his fists began to move, his qi, blood, and True Qi stirred in response, like waves rising on the surface of a vast, calm lake.

SNAP!

After only a moment, a crisp crack echoed from within his body. He had easily mastered the First Layer and achieved a single stack of Force.

As if he hadn’t noticed, Xu Yang continued to practice.

A fierce wind whipped through the grove, kicking up dry leaves.

SNAP! SNAP!

Soon, another crisp sound rang out—this time, two cracks in quick succession. He had already cultivated the Thunder Shock Fist to the Second Layer and could now stack Force twice.

’I’ve already mastered Mixed Element Strength, so the first three layers of Thunder Shock Fist are no challenge at all.’

Xu Yang wasn’t excited.

It was a matter of applying knowledge from one area to another. With his mastery of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist, the first three layers of the Thunder Shock Fist were a breeze.

The only reason it took any time at all was because he was just learning the technique of stacking Force and needed a period to get used to it. Otherwise, he could have stacked a Triple Force right from the start.

An hour later, Xu Yang stopped, drenched in sweat. He could now stack four layers of Force with his Thunder Shock Fist.