Liu Xing is now sitting cross-legged on top of his cultivation mat. He breathes evenly and tries to absorb the qi from the air around him. The qi feels like cold water. Every time this qi comes inside his body, it jolts him and makes him aware of it, as if the qi wants to be noticed.
As he breathes in and out, his mind clears and becomes peaceful. The matter of the duel still lingers in his mind, but Liu Xing has already decided that he would win it, so there's nothing else to do.
When he arrived at his cave, at first he thought to sleep, but then decided against it. As a cultivator, he didn't need much food or sleep, and since his body was still full of energy, thanks to his advancement to the sixth stage, he only needed to freshen his mind, and breathing exercises as well as cultivation accomplished it.
"It's kind of different from before," he muttered.
Before he got the gun, his cultivation was not really peaceful. He would try to gather more and more qi to his body, and would be disappointed with how little qi he gathered. But now, since his advancement is almost guaranteed, he feels like his cultivation is calmer, and with this calm, he can absorb more qi.
Like this, several hours passed and Liu Xing decided it was time to move.
When he opened the door of his cave, he was greeted by fresh air and a clear night sky, with the moon shining so brightly that he could see the clearing before him so clearly. Before, his clearing looked like a buffalo had run through it, ruining the grass and splashing mud everywhere, but now the ground is firm, the grass is tall and dancing with the night wind.
Liu Xing moves slowly through the path, enjoying the night and the breeze and the moon. It's peaceful, with insects singing in unison.
As he walks, Liu Xing centers his mind and glances at the library tower that is his destination. The library is full of techniques and cultivation scriptures, but it is also filled with normal books. His main goal now is to find information about the Water Nation: where it is placed, general info about them, what native spirit beasts live there, and also where the lake that contains the lightning ring Yan Yu mentioned is located. Also, while his points are in the negative, he also wants to find a nice technique that complements his fighting style. The first is a maneuvering technique and the second is a cultivation method that can be used while moving. While he can't afford them now, it would be nice if he already knew the options.
Not long after, Liu Xing arrives at the library. It's still open but empty. Seeing this, Liu Xing smiles. An empty library is more welcoming than a bustling library, because he feels it belongs to him.
He comes inside and walks between the shelves. Since his state of mind is clear now, he decides to browse slowly. When there's a book that piques his interest, he grabs it, reads it for several minutes, and then closes it.
"This library is really full of bizarre techniques," he comments.
He can only read the introduction chapter, but reading it makes him realize that cultivating lightning makes him miss so many weird and interesting techniques.
For example, Liu Xing is now reading the introductory chapter of the Silver Song Technique. This technique is not activated by a qi cycling method, but by the use of a flute. The effect of the technique is to create illusions in the opponent's sight and hearing. The one who uses this technique is an illusionist, and the combination of flute and illusion reminds him of a redheaded tomboy from a group that kidnapped an emo character.
He reads another book about a cool technique named Heaven Twisting Technique. The name is grandiose, and he thinks it's just a marketing ploy. After all, there are many grandiose-sounding techniques, like Heaven Shattering Fist, but the effect is just lame.
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This Heaven Twisting Technique is not like that. In fact, it's a really cool technique. It controls the air around an opponent, latching onto anything the air touches and then twisting it. It's cool, like a technique usually used by a character named Scarecrow. The requirement to learn this technique is quite high. Not only do you need to have a high affinity for air, but you also need to have an affinity for spatial techniques.
Liu Xing also finds some interesting books about non-cultivation matters, like books about herbs, beasts, history, geography, and many more.
Liu Xing decides to check a book about geography since he can see a map in the first two chapters. According to this book, there are five continents in this world, and the Dark Forest continent is in the center of the world, with a size dozens of times bigger than any other continent. The shape of the Dark Forest Continent reminds him of Java Island, since it's really stretched long to the west and to the east. There are many islands surrounding it, with four big islands around it that are supposedly continents.
Seeing this, Liu Xing wonders if this book is true or if the creator of this map is biased towards other continents. He wants to cross-check the map to verify it, but Liu Xing decides not to do that today. Today, he wants to gather information about the Water Nation, and if he has time, maybe browse through cultivation methods and techniques that would fit his fighting style.
"Hmm, I think I need to rethink my approach. Since I have a duel with Shen Ye tomorrow, I want to check out the technique section first, then the cultivation methods that allow me to cultivate while moving, and then find out about Water Nation."
Nodding, Liu Xing decides to follow his new plan. His steps become lighter, and a smile starts blossoming on his lips. He realizes perhaps his decision is not entirely based on the fact that he needs to duel Shen Ye, but because he wants to find another cool technique. The thought that he can only browse and cannot buy the techniques makes him kind of sad, but he soon brushes that feeling aside.
Soon he finds himself among shelves full of lightning techniques. He wants to find a technique that will allow him to maneuver easily in the air, like Air Steps, but Liu Xing wants to start with the lightning based techniques. Who knows, maybe there's a technique that's better than techniques like Air Steps that use lightning instead of air.
He browses here and there. Sometimes he stops to read a cool technique, like that Dragon Breath Lightning Attack. That technique is so cool no matter how many times he reads it.
He also finds another cool technique that can blind enemies, using lightning to bind enemies, and even a mundane technique to convert lightning qi to floating fire the size of a torch. He finds several more movement techniques, but they're no better than his Lightning Cloak.
Finally, after several hours, Liu Xing finds a promising technique. This technique is called Floating Lightning Shield. This technique is derived from the normal Lightning Shield.
The Lightning Shield is a technique that allows the user to create a lightning shield from their palms. While this Floating Lightning Shield can materialize a floating shield anywhere around the user within a radius of half a meter. The primary use of this technique is to create a small shield to intercept an attack. The introductory chapter mentions that the small size and ease of use make the materialization of this shield very fast, but the creator of this technique also laments about the weakness of this shield, which is kind of brittle. This technique can only work to intercept an attack that has the maximum power at the seventh level of the Lock Opening realm, which makes this technique actually bad even for a Base Grade Technique.
At first, Liu Xing thought that while this technique was suitable, it was not good for him. His Lightning Cloak made his body move faster, but if he wanted to maneuver in the air with this shield, using it as a stepping stone, then he needed to kick the shield as hard as possible. Can a brittle shield withstand his kicks? Now it can, but after he crosses the seventh stage, even if he improves the technique with his gun, will it still be able to withstand Liu Xing's kick?
There's a possibility in this technique, but for now he needs to hold his opinion. He would keep searching, and who knows, maybe he'll find a better technique that derives from this Floating Lightning Shield technique. But, since he knows shield techniques can be used as stepping stones, Liu Xing is paying more attention to this type of techniques.
There are actually not many shield techniques in the section of lightning techniques. It actually makes sense, since lightning is not a stable element and doesn't suit becoming a shield.