Alex made his way up to the second floor, stopping in front of a set of massive, arched double doors. These doors, forged from dark metal and etched with ancient symbols, pulsed with a faint, mysterious energy. On either side of the doors stood two guards, like statues brought to life, each holding a long, deadly spear. Their armor was seriously cool—full-body, with shoulder guards shaped like the open jaws of dragons frozen mid-roar. Their helmets covered their faces completely, leaving only a narrow slit for their eyes, giving them an air of silent menace. From the back of each helmet trailed a long, blood-red ponytail, adding a touch of flair to their cool appearance.

*Damn, these guys look badass. I need armor like that,* Alex thought, his eyes gleaming with envy.

As he approached, the guards moved in unison, crossing their spears to block his path. The air around them seemed to thrum with tension. Without missing a beat, Alex pulled out the token the Third Elder had given him. "The Third Elder gave me this token and said I could enter to pick techniques."

The guards inspected the token briefly before straightening their spears and stepping aside. The heavy metal doors creaked open, revealing the Divine Scripture Hall beyond.

*I get it, you guys are badass, but do you really have to be such edgelords?* Alex thought, rolling his eyes internally. *You could at least say something like 'Oh, you have a token,' or 'You may enter,' instead of just silently flexing your coolness.*

Pushing the thought aside, Alex stepped into the hall, his excitement growing as he crossed the threshold. The air inside was cool, carrying the scent of old paper and ink. The Divine Scripture Hall was vast, with ceilings so high they seemed to fade into the shadows. The walls, carved from jade, seemed to curve inwards, and despite the lack of windows, the air was crisp and fresh. Warm, soft light filtered down from ornate chandeliers, casting a gentle glow over the entire space.

The hall was divided into three distinct rooms, each marked by a large wooden board hanging at the entrance. Bold characters were inscribed on the boards, possibly in Chinese: *Cultivation Techniques,* *Martial Techniques,* and *Utility Techniques.*

*How am I even reading this?* Alex wondered, before realizing it was thanks to the memories and experiences he'd inherited from Lin Hao. Even though the original host was just a farmer, his parents had taught him how to read and write.

Driven by curiosity, Alex headed toward the Cultivation Technique section first. The room was smaller than he expected. Twelve rows of bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, but to his surprise, most of the shelves were nearly empty, with large gaps where books should have been. The sparse selection was a stark contrast to the grandeur of the hall itself, hinting either at the loss of many techniques over time or their extreme rarity.

Each bookshelf had a small plaque on the side, engraved with the attributes of the cultivation techniques it held. *Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, Metal, Pure, Ice,* and other elements were listed. One shelf stood apart, labeled *Body Cultivation Techniques* instead of an attribute. *Those must be the few of body cultivation manuals the Third Elder mentioned,* Alex thought.

He walked over to the *Pure* attribute section and picked up a book. The title read *Tenfold Burst Manual.* Intrigued, Alex opened it and read the introduction. The technique allowed the user to compress spiritual Qi in the meridians, increasing its potency. When mastered, it could unleash a tenfold burst in power.

*Holy crap, this technique is OP! It's like having a permanent ten-times damage multiplier,* Alex thought, excitement bubbling up inside him. But he didn't rush to make a decision and continued browsing through the other techniques.

After reading through all ten of the pure attribute techniques, two caught his attention. The first was the *Meridian Forging Manual,* which involved blasting the meridians with Qi until they started to rupture, then allowing them to heal and be nourished by pure Qi. The result? Stronger, wider meridian pathways capable of storing eight times more spiritual Qi. *Sounds painful as hell, but the payoff is worth it.*

The second technique was in a book so old it looked like it could crumble to dust at any moment. The ink was fading, and only the first twenty pages were intact—the rest were torn away. The title read *Pure Chaos Sutra.* According to the manual, the technique involved engraving runes into the meridians, allowing the user to convert pure Qi into any attributed Qi. While pure Qi could power any attributed martial technique, it wasn't as potent as using the corresponding attribute's Qi. *This must be one of those crazy powerful techniques that end up being the protagonist's trump card in all those novels,* Alex thought with a grin.

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After a lot of consideration, Alex decided to pick the *Pure Chaos Sutra.* He then made his way to the Martial Technique room. After searching for about half an hour, he settled on a water-attributed martial technique called *Gentle Palm.* It was designed to absorb the force of an enemy's attack and redirect it back with the same force—basically a redistribution of force. *Damn, some real Kung Fu stuff right here.*

As Alex browsed through the countless manuals in the Divine Scripture Hall, he quickly grasped how the martial techniques were categorized. They were divided into three main types: Mortal, Mystic, and True techniques, each further split into four grades—Low, Mid, High, and Peak. Mortal techniques were useful up to the peak of the 9th layer of the Qi Refinement Realm, but beyond that, their effectiveness dropped off sharply. At that point, even a basic Qi-infused punch would outperform a Mortal technique. Mystic techniques were designed for the Foundation Establishment Realm, while True techniques were meant for the Core Formation Realm. The higher the grade of the technique, the more potent and Qi-efficient it became within its type.

The cultivation techniques followed a similar structure, divided into Mortal, Yellow, Mystic, and True types, with each type also split into four grades. A Mortal cultivation technique could only take a cultivator to the peak of the Qi Refinement Realm, while True techniques could be cultivated up to the peak of the Core Formation Realm. The grades—Low, Mid, High, and Peak—determined how far one could go within a cultivation realm, from the 1st to 2nd layer for Low grade, all the way up from the 7th to 9th layer for Peak grade techniques.

Alex's experience with cultivation novels clued him in that there were likely even higher types of techniques for the later realms—types that weren't available in the Divine Scripture Hall. *Not surprising,* Alex mused. *This is just a small clan in a backwater region, after all.*

Despite the limitations, Alex reminded himself that he should be grateful the clan even had such a rich inheritance. But the thought also raised a nagging question: *How is this clan still standing?* With so many high-level technique manuals, any other clan would've been wiped out and looted ages ago. *Maybe the clan has some big secret...*

Shaking off the speculation for now, Alex headed back down to the first floor and made his way toward the Third Elder.

The Third Elder set down his quill as Alex approached, his sharp eyes immediately focusing on the books in Alex's hands. "Show me the techniques you've chosen, child."

Alex placed the technique books on the table in front of the Elder.

"Hmm, *Gentle Palm,*" the Elder nodded in approval, stroking his long beard. "A good choice. Absorbing the force of an attacker and striking back with the same power."

But when the Elder noticed the torn, ancient manual, his expression darkened into a frown. "The *Pure Chaos Sutra,*" he said, his tone serious. "Not only is the technique incomplete, but it's also incredibly difficult to comprehend even a single rune. Most of the runes are lost, leaving only the basic five elemental runes. Child, do not be greedy. Choose a different technique."

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder," Alex replied respectfully, "but this junior believes he can cultivate this technique."

The Elder's eyes narrowed. "Confidence is admirable, but one must also know their limits. Very well, you may attempt to cultivate this technique. But if you fail to comprehend even a single rune within a week, you must return and choose another."

"Thank you for your understanding, Elder," Alex said, bowing deeply before making his way back through the long corridor. As he approached the reception hall, he noticed the same girl from before, her head resting on her hand as she read a scroll, completely absorbed.

*Last time, I was in such a rush that I didn't even get this cutie's name,* Alex thought. He lightly tapped on the table to get her attention.

She looked up, a bit startled, and for a moment, her expression was annoyed. But when she recognized him, her face softened into a warm smile. "Oh, Young Master, you're back. Did you meet with the Third Elder?"

"Yes, I did," Alex replied with a grin. "By the way, I realized I didn't catch your name earlier. Mind sharing it with me, Miss?"

Her cheeks flushed a soft pink. "Oh… my name is Xiao Mei, Young Master."

"Xiao Mei—what a lovely name," Alex said, his smile widening. "So, what are you reading, Miss Mei?"

"Young Master, you're making me embarrassed," she said, her cheeks still pink. "I'm just reading about the history of the Red Dawn Kingdom."

*She's cute,* Alex thought, appreciating her shy demeanor. She wasn't as voluptuous as some, almost flat as a board, but Alex wasn't one to judge. He had a soft spot for all kinds of beauty—big watermelons or sweet cherries, they all had their charms.

"That's interesting! So, Miss Mei enjoys reading?" Alex teased lightly.

Xiao Mei shook her head slightly, clearly flustered. "It's not like that… I'm just curious about our kingdom's history."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that," Alex said, noticing her embarrassment. "Sorry if I jumped to conclusions."

"It's okay, Young Master," she replied, her smile returning. Then, noticing the books in his hand, she asked, "Are you here to register the technique manuals?"

"Oh, right," Alex said, almost having forgotten. He handed the books over. "Yes, please."

Xiao Mei nodded, taking the books and carefully registering them. After a few more moments of light conversation, Alex finally left the library, feeling satisfied with his choices—and even more pleased that he'd taken the time to chat with Xiao Mei.