The Transmigrator's Cultivation

Chapter 116 - Arc 8: Wuling Immortal Sect | Chapter 116: Swordsmanship Techniques

Translator: Lynn

After regaining his composure, Xu Ziqing decided to focus on finding what he needed in the library. However, when he tried to use his consciousness to search the bookshelf, he was promptly rejected, leaving him slightly puzzled.

Realizing that he couldn’t inspect the books with his divine sense, Xu Ziqing sighed and began exploring the first bookshelf manually. The bookshelf was thick and had three layers, each containing single-volume books with clear titles of the exercises written on them.

One after another, he read titles like “Extreme Thunder Technique,” “Seven Sacred Thunder Technique,” “Yuxu Shocking Thunder Technique,” and “Zi Yan Thunder Technique.” All of these were Thunder-genus skills, powerful but not suitable for Xu Ziqing’s current needs.

Moving to the second and third floors, he found that they also contained lightning-based skills, causing him to shake his head in disappointment. He then proceeded to the second bookshelf, hoping for a different outcome. However, this shelf also presented him with Leifa skills.

After examining five consecutive bookshelves, he noticed a change in the pattern. The titles on the shelves were now focused on fire-related exercises, such as “Fire Liaoyuan Technique,” “Thunder Fire Heart Sutra,” and “Shadow Wind Fire Technique.”

Xu Ziqing realized that the library contained an extensive collection of exercises, making it challenging to count them all. To expedite the selection process for the disciples, exercises of the same category were placed together, facilitating their search.

The exercises he came across so far have primarily focused on the movement of true essence, supplemented by some techniques. Although they were impressive, Xu Ziqing was seeking something more specific.

Xu Ziqing possessed the legendary “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique,” an exercise surpassing heavenly techniques, making ordinary human-level exercises unnecessary for him. Therefore, he had already decided to choose a sword technique first.

In the world of cultivators, melee fighters were scarce, and most relied on the power of magic weapons in battles. These magic weapons included knives, spears, swords, halberds, whips, and more, all imbued with true energy, making them far superior to ordinary weapons in terms of power and mystery.

Having observed many cultivators, Xu Ziqing noticed that while some excelled in using whips or knives, the majority preferred swords. Considering his wood attribute, other weapons might be too violent for him, making sword techniques the most suitable choice due to their versatility and compatibility with his temperament. He had also practiced swordsmanship with his senior brother, so mastering a few sword techniques to complement his skills would undoubtedly be achievable.

After searching through several bookshelves of true essence tempering methods, Xu Ziqing finally found the one dedicated to sword techniques. The collection contained numerous low-grade swordsmanship, each with unique moves that could be influenced by the practitioner’s real essence attribute.

Choosing the right sword technique was crucial for success. If a disciple selected a style that didn’t match their real essence attribute, the attack power could be weakened. However, there was room for flexibility. If practiced to the extreme, a soft style could develop toughness, and vice versa, offering different opportunities for growth and fortune. Nonetheless, selecting the appropriate technique was vital for swift progress on the path to immortality, as choosing wrongly could result in a significant waste of time.

Keeping this in mind, Xu Ziqing diligently scanned through the various sword techniques, searching for the one that best suited him. He understood the importance of making the right choice, as it would impact his progress and achievements on his journey to becoming an immortal.

In Xu Ziqing’s mind, he carefully considered his options and was determined to make a wise choice. The bookshelf he stood before was filled with sword techniques related to natural elements such as wind, rain, thunder, and more. These techniques were known to complement the practitioner’s attributes, enhancing the power of their sword moves.

Being a wood attribute cultivator, Xu Ziqing leaned towards choosing a “rain”-related technique. As he was about to reach for the “Piaoyu Sword Manual,” another person simultaneously reached out for it. For a brief moment, Xu Ziqing hesitated and stopped, but the man grabbed the manual before him and arrogantly announced his choice.

Xu Ziqing glanced at the man, who emanated a strong water attribute. Although he might not be in the middle stage of the foundation establishment, he possessed a deeper cultivation than Xu Ziqing, who had just entered the early stage. The man’s attitude, however, seemed rather hostile.

Curious about his origin, the man asked, “Which peak are you from?”

Xu Ziqing replied calmly, “I am a disciple of Xiaozhu Peak.”

The slender man sneered mockingly, “Ah, one of small peak’s followers. So unruly!”

Perplexed by the man’s accusation, Xu Ziqing maintained his composure but was annoyed by the confrontation. Still, he tried to be polite, “Since you’re interested in this sword technique, I’ll give it to you and look for another one myself.”

However, before he could leave, the man blocked his way with a hand. Annoyed, Xu Ziqing inquired, “What do you mean?”

The slender man sneered further, “Since we’re fellow disciples, why not do me a favor? I think you won’t refuse.”

Curious about the favor, Xu Ziqing asked, “What is it?”

The man then gathered all the swordsmanship books into a pile and said, “I’ve been wandering here for a long time, but I haven’t found the one I like. I’ll take these back and read them carefully. It took a lot of effort to bring them together just now. Why don’t you help me record them?”

Xu Ziqing’s smile faded as he realized the man’s intention. The man had not actually read those exercises but was deliberately provoking him to burn them all, clearly looking for trouble. Although Xu Ziqing didn’t want to cause any conflict, he couldn’t back down so easily when he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Remembering a similar situation involving Tian Liang, the eldest son of the Tian family years ago, Xu Ziqing felt an immediate aversion towards the man. Maintaining his composure, he replied calmly, “I have important matters to attend to, and I’m afraid I don’t have time to help you, senior brother. Please understand.”

This response angered the man, and his expression turned extremely unpleasant. He retorted, “Do you dare to refuse me?”

Xu Ziqing offered a gentle smile and said, “Please forgive me, brother.”

The slender man’s face flushed with anger, and he pointed at Xu Ziqing, taking a deep breath, “You got some nerve!”

However, Xu Ziqing remained composed, showing no signs of fear or backing down.

The slender man gestured with his finger but didn’t make any aggressive move. He simply glared at Xu Ziqing, allowing his anger to simmer.

Sensing that continuing the confrontation was futile, Xu Ziqing took a step to the side and calmly passed by the slender man.

Surprisingly, the slender man didn’t pursue any further trouble, which made Xu Ziqing decide not to bother with him either. He resumed his search for a suitable sword technique on the nearby bookshelf.

While he was engrossed in his search, someone whispered, “Hey, you’ve got some guts!”

Intrigued, Xu Ziqing paused and turned his head. He saw a clever-looking young man with a round face and big eyes, who had a reassuring smile. Seeing him, Xu Ziqing’s impression of the young man improved.

Curious about the young man’s comment, Xu Ziqing asked with a smile, “Why do you say that?”

The clever young man seemed surprised and replied, “You don’t recognize that person from earlier?”

Shaking his head, Xu Ziqing admitted, “I’m new here, so I don’t know him.”

Xu Ziqing furrowed his brows but eventually decided to let it go. He had never bowed his head to someone like Li Cai before, and he wasn’t about to start now, regardless of the man’s status. However, he didn’t feel the need to share this with someone he had just met.

The observant young man seemed warm-hearted and immediately whispered, “That man’s name is Li Cai, and he is from the middle peak. The Nascent Soul Stage Patriarch of the Middle Peak is his ancestor.” He explained that Li Cai, though not very talented, was the sole descendant of his family lineage, and his ancestor brought him into the sect due to his spiritual roots, passing down teachings to him.

However, Li Cai’s aptitude was only moderate, and he lacked true understanding. He relied heavily on the pills and knowledge provided by his ancestors, barely managing to build his foundation over the years, reaching the level of an ordinary disciple in the inner sect.

His ancestor was highly dissatisfied with his behavior, which led to stricter treatment and frequent reprimands. Despite being frequently reprimanded, Li Cai was defensive and held a high status in the middle peak, mainly due to his ancestor’s influence.

The most common outlet for Li Cai’s frustration was burning batches of jade slips containing human-level exercises whenever he was reprimanded by his ancestor. This act became a venting mechanism during his worst moods, often leading to unfortunate encounters with other disciples.

Since Li Cai was searching for human-level exercises, it meant his cultivation level wasn’t very high. He tended to pick on those he believed to be weaker, often questioning their origins and causing trouble.

Xu Ziqing was indeed the unlucky one this time.

The sympathetic look from the observant young man was evident as he continued, “Now that you rejected Li Cai, he can’t do anything to you in the library. However, once he’s outside, he might find ways to make things difficult for you. And if he does, the ancestor won’t just target you. The disciples under his seat, except for Li Cai who is not very capable, are all incredibly talented…” Hearing this, Xu Ziqing’s relaxed expression turned into a frown.

After carefully considering the key points of Li Cai’s lineage, cultivation, and behavior, Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but wonder why this person seemed so familiar to him.

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