Ning stood before the shelf, surrounded by martial art manuals whose titles were striking, to say the least.

  [Heaven Piercing Palm: A single palm capable of shaking heaven and earth. Generates a gust of strong wind with each attack.Price: 500 spirit stones]

  [Nine Heavens Burning Blade: Summon blazing qi to ignite your blade, bringing ruin to your foes.Price: 450 spirit stones.]

  [69 Heavenly Thunder: Harness the power of heavenly thunder to strike as fast as lightning in your boudoir and please every maiden.Price: 2690 spirit stones.]

  After the fifth or sixth manual, each name grander and each description more ridiculous than the last, Ning rubbed his temples.

  It was finally dawning on him.

  He had stumbled upon the trope.

  The age-old, time-honored curse of xianxia worlds: the cooler the name, the worse the technique.

  After all, most of these were just mortal-rank techniques. They couldn't possibly live up to such grand descriptions. From what he'd heard from senior brothers, this was all a trap, a trap to lure clueless newcomers into the path of no return.

  Alas! Truly, information asymmetry was dangerous.

  Finally, in a quiet corner, tucked away in an inconspicuous spot, he found another manual.

  [Turtle Breathing Art: Mortal Rank.

  Hides the user's presence and breath. At the highest level, it can even feign death.

  Price: 600 spirit stones.]

  It was love at first sight.

  In the martial world, there's a saying: Only speed is unbroken. As long as one is fast enough, they will remain undefeated in a hundred battles.

  That didn't always hold in the cultivation world, but for a low-level cultivator like him, it might as well be law.

  Fortunately, Ning already had a movement technique, so he didn't need another one. But this Turtle Breathing technique was different. It was a rare stealth-based martial arts.

  Once he became an outer sect disciple, he would be sent on missions. Going outside the sect would be inevitable.

  With Turtle Breathing and Shadow Steps together, he could at least guarantee his safety.

  After all, stealth was king. You can't hit what you can't even see.

  Moreover, the synergy between the two techniques was incredible, one for concealment, one for movement. With both, the initiative to attack or retreat would always be his.

  Alas, he could only pick one technique. And while Turtle Breathing was good, body-refining techniques took precedence.

  Moreover, the value of the Jade Skin and Icy Meridian Technique made it even more desirable.

  Five thousand spirit stones, if not for the sect's reward, that amount would have been impossible for him to afford anytime soon.

  'Still, it isn't impossible to acquire both.' Ning narrowed his eyes in thought.

  Then, Ning continued browsing through other techniques.

  He noticed something interesting: fragments of spirit-rank and even earth-rank martial arts scattered among the shelves.

  The techniques he currently had were both mortal-rank.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  The hierarchy went: Mortal → Spirit → Earth → Heaven.

  From what he had gathered, mortal-rank arts usually had only a single qi-infused move that could be used upon reaching great accomplishment. At lower mastery, they were barely better than mundane martial arts.

  Spirit-rank techniques likely had more special moves, though Ning wasn't sure about earth-rank or heaven-rank ones.

  He hadn't seen a single heaven-rank manual, but he was certain the sect possessed them. A heaven rank technique for qi condensation was rare, yes. But a Golden Core sect would have techniques of that level as its foundation.

  Unfortunately, Ning was still only a peripheral disciple with no way to access such a technique.

  After finishing his search, he headed to the first floor to look for something about inner demons. But alas, the books were disorganized, and even after twenty minutes, he found nothing.

  In the end, he chose the Jade Skin and Icy Meridian Technique and brought it to the elder.

  "Excuse me, Elder. I would like to choose this technique," Ning said respectfully, presenting the manual to the elder seated behind the counter.

  "A body tempering technique? Not bad. You know how to choose something cost-effective."

  While Jade Skin and Icy Meridian wasn't the most expensive technique, it was pretty high up among body-refining methods. Most importantly, it didn't have any special prerequisites, unlike many others.

  "It's the teaching of the sect," Ning said with a polite smile.

  "I haven't seen that teaching take root in many disciples," the elder huffed.

  He knew that most disciples chose techniques with flashy names and mediocre results. Some even went for dual cultivation manuals.

  They didn't understand the value of the prize granted by the sect.

  Alas, his job was only to remind them, their choices were their own. The elder finally said, "You may borrow this manual for one week. Should you exceed that time, a fine will be imposed."

  "I understand." Ning nodded but didn't leave immediately.

  "Hm? Do you have something to say?" the elder asked.

  "Yes, Elder. I wanted to ask, can we contribute martial arts techniques in exchange for others from the pavilion?" Ning asked after a moment's thought.

  He still had two manuals from home: Shadow Steps and Bone Forging Fist. He hadn't found either of them in the pavilion during his search, so perhaps they weren't recorded here.

  "This…" The elder stroked his beard. "It depends on whether those techniques already exist in the pavilion. Tell me their names."

  "Shadow Steps and Bone Forging Technique," Ning replied.

  The elder paused, thinking for a moment."I recall a Bone Forging Technique, but Shadow Steps doesn't sound familiar. Bring the manuals, and I'll verify them."

  "Thank you, Elder." Ning cupped his hands respectfully.

  He hadn't been very confident in his idea, given how many techniques existed here. But from the elder's reaction, it seemed Shadow Steps really wasn't recorded.

  That meant he could exchange it for Turtle Breathing.

  Ning's eyes lit up.

  ...

  Jade Skin and Icy Meridian Technique.

  The name alone sounded like something designed for “jade beauties”, yet another archetype in the cultivation world.

  It was true that this technique was mostly practiced by women for its cosmetic benefits, but its overall effectiveness was undeniable.

  Among the body refinement manuals, Jade Skin and Icy Meridian, the Hundred Treasure Body, and the Blood Refining Technique were the most popular choices.

  Ning’s decision to choose Jade Skin and Icy Meridian was simple; the other two either demanded too much or consumed too many resources. For example, the Hundred Treasure Body required a hundred types of spiritual materials to reach completion, while the Blood Refining Technique demanded a burly physique rich in qi and blood and unimaginable pain tolerance.

  Of course, there were other manuals as well, like the infamous Sunflower Technique, but its requirements were absurd. To cultivate it, one first had to “cut the root” to obtain a body that was neither yin nor yang.

  But the strongest of the body refining methods was the Heaven Strengthening Body. Unfortunately, it required Heavenly Lotus, a rare and nearly extinct spiritual material. Just by the name, Ning had the suspicion that this was the method for the protagonist.

  In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, Ning settled on the Jade Skin and Icy Meridian Technique. It was simply the most cost-effective and efficient option available.

  Besides, having fairer skin and a brighter complexion wasn’t going to hurt him, right?

  With that thought, Ning carefully studied the manual, committing each step to memory before beginning his practice.

  The method had thirty-six movements, each paired with a breathing technique.

  His breathing alternated between short and long, syncing with the motion of his limbs until subtle cracking sounds echoed from his body. His bones and muscles resonated in harmony.

  After finishing, a faint chill lingered in his meridians.

  "Damn… so tiring." After an hour of training, Ning felt a tingling cold spread through his veins; he'd hit his limit.

  [Jade Skin and Icy Meridian: 1st Floor (1/100)]

  Seeing the panel, Ning nodded in satisfaction. The progress was acceptable; it seemed his physique wasn't bad after all.

  Then, his stomach growled.

  Unlike qi cultivation, body refining demanded a lot of food, especially materials rich in spiritual energy. His method, in particular, required the consumption of ice-attributed materials.

  "Alas… I need to reach the fourth stage of Qi Condensation soon," Ning sighed.

  Only then, once he became an outer sect disciple, could he access seeds of ice-type spiritual plants.

  ...

  Thanks for reading~