Yu Chen stepped into the Manual Pavilion and paused, looking around him at the stacks of bookshelves. The Pavilion wasn’t a small space, but the shelves were tightly packed, giving it a more intimate feeling. He was surprised to see that it was a fair bit busier today than the last time he came, as he saw more than a few disciples moving around inside

Tearing his eyes from the books he made his way towards the desk where he had encountered Elder Shu last time. In her place was a pretty young girl who appeared to be a couple of years older than him, and he could tell by the trimmings on her robes that she was an Inner Sect disciple.

“Senior.” He said, quickly bowing his head in greeting.

She waved at him to rise as she began speaking.

“Yes? How may I assist you?” She asked, clicking her nails rhythmically against the countertop.

Yu Chen went to speak, but found the words twisting in his throat now that he was face to face with the strange girl. She stared at him with a bemused smile as he stammered out his words, face flushed.

“Ah, yes, um, I’m here for a technique,” The words stumbled over each other as they came out, and Yu Chen felt a wave of embarrassment cross over him. A life of herding sheep hadn’t given him much experience with the other sex, and while he’d met a lot of people through working in the sect, communicating with female disciples was still rare for him.

She quirked her eyebrow as Yu Chen fumbled his attempts at communication. “The people who come here are usually looking for techniques.” She couldn’t help but dryly state, and her amusement grew as this comment caused more color to appear on Yu Chen’s face.

“Ah, that’s true.” Yu Chen said, coughing into his hand. “Is Elder Shu here? She told me to return here after condensing my qi.”

“I see, you must be new.” The young girl said, her voice a touch softer. “Let me see your Identification.”

Yu Chen reached into his pocket and pulled out the smooth piece of jade that kept track of his contributions within the sect. The young girl held it up to her forehead and closed her eyes.

A few heartbeats passed before she opened them, passing the stone back to Yu Chen.

“Yes, you do have a credit available. Not that I doubted you,” She said with a smile, and Yu Chen felt his heart beat a little faster. “But it’s my job to check. You may pick any technique on the first floor, all of them are suitable for Qi Condensators. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.”

Yu Chen thanked her before turning away and moving deeper into the Pavilion.

He began walking through the aisles, greeting his fellow sect members as he passed by. His brows frowned thoughtfully as he looked around, attempting to make sense of the system the sect had in place for organizing the books.

He couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at the sheer variety of books around him. He had hardly imagined there could be so many in the entire world, let alone on the first floor of a single library within one sect. A part of him doubted if even the library of the Emperor himself could match it in volume .

It didn’t take him long to pick up on how the Manual Pavilion arranged things. At least in the section he was in, the bookshelves were dedicated to a single weapon. Some of the more popular ones, such as the spear or the sword, had spilled across multiple shelves, while the last bookshelf seemed to be stuffed with a collection of techniques that covered all sorts of esoteric weapons, from needles to chains, hammers, and scythes.

It seemed as though the sect possessed techniques for even the most obscure paths disciples might choose to pursue.

Setting aside the variety of techniques, the variety amongst the books themselves were breathtaking. There was no uniformity among them. Some were thin, covered in hide and other soft supple materials, and others were thick, leatherbound, with spines of wood or stranger materials. There were scrolls, plain and innocuous, and others covered in gaudy brass knobs. Once he would come across a pile of unbound sheafs of parchment on a shelf. After picking it up, he realized that the Pavilion had used an ingenious method to sew the pages together, keeping them in place.

Yu Chen poked around in the weapon section for a while, finding it fascinating to examine the wealth of information the sect possessed. In the end however he left to explore other sections, deciding to focus on mastering the martial forms he already possessed before picking up a weapon.

The scale of the world began to sink in as he moved through the pavilion, exploring the different aspects of cultivation. There were entire sections of the shelves filled with alchemical treatises and recipes. In other places there were endless books dedicated to talismans, formation techniques and array diagrams. There was even a small area in the back dedicated to the cultivation of spiritual beasts.

And there was still more for Yu Chen to explore.

One section of the Pavilion contained books dedicated to nothing other than the insights of cultivators, filled with writings from prior masters who’d shared the moments of enlightenment they’d experienced in the pursuit of their Dao.

Curious, he picked a short treatise off of the shelf, flipping through Áo Hào Nán’s Expounding the Heavens.

The Heavens spread out like a tapestry, a vast weave of interconnected forms. To cultivate is to contemplate your place within it, determining what your thread within this great weave represents. For every thread is a life, and every intersection a choice, determining how lives weave together into a collection of moments that form the greater pattern, the very fabric of existence.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Yu Chen closed the book, a contemplative frown on his face as he regarded the text. The words had lit up his spirit, although he found the author’s perspective a bit lacking compared to Xiao Huang.

He understood why the Pavilion had found it necessary to gather them, and these books no doubt held a great deal of value to the other disciples. However, Yu Chen had someone to turn to for insights, and he had no reason to spend his credits or contributions on books like these.

He continued meandering around the library, mindless of the time that had passed. He took his time, picking up and putting down various texts and techniques, as he slowly broadened his understanding of what constituted cultivation.

Eventually he found another interesting section, where the bookshelves were filled with breathing techniques and meditation methods. He flipped through a few of the books in fascination. It wasn’t something he’d considered, but it made sense. The technique he’d been given couldn’t be the only one for condensing qi.

However he couldn’t help but frown after picking up and flipping through a few of the books. They all contained a simple diagram of breathing patterns, but they were filled with the most grandiose promises.

The first one he’d opened, The Heavenly Breathing Technique, swore to make one unparalleled under the heavens, and even claimed that those who reached the peak could seal the heavens themselves.

Meanwhile The Nine Cycles Breathing Technique promised even more, claiming that through practicing it one would become a legend, the kind about whom men whispered tales of, in the same breath as demons and gods.

Even this was topped by the meanest, ratty looking book he found tucked into a corner near the bottom of the shelves, the Spirit Returning Breathing Technique, which claimed that practicing it would result in one cultivating an eternal will, immortal and unbreakable.

“Really? You’re interested in breathing techniques?” An amused voice spoke out from behind Yu Chen.

Yu Chen turned around, surprised to find the girl from the front desk hovering behind him.

“Um, well.” He said, blushing a bit at the unexpected attention. “I wasn’t aware there were so many.”

“Oh yes,” She replied, nodding her head seriously. “Breathing techniques are as common as sand. For the most part they are only repetitive patterns of breathing after all. Creating a new technique isn’t much harder than changing the beat of a drum.”

“Oh.” Yu Chen said, unsure what to make of this information. “Is that all a breathing technique is? I thought there was more to it.” He said doubtfully, his shyness forgotten.

“Well certainly there is more to it. Some breathing techniques are complex, very complex. Conversely, most are rather simple.” She explained, and Yu Chen found himself nodding. “You won’t find much out of the ordinary on the first floor of the library though.”

Yu Then thought it made a certain amount of sense. After all, as far as he could tell, the technique was just a tool. It was a mental framework to visualize the absorption of qi, and the pattern of breath merely aided in concentration.

“There are some with truly unique effects. The right technique can not only assist you in drawing qi faster, it can also purify your qi, or grant it an affinity.” She said before casting a critical eye over the manuals Yu Chen was holding. “And I have to say, the technique the sect gave you will serve you better than any of those.”

“I’m just looking.” Yu Chen said awkwardly, but she was already waving his words away.

“How about I help you?” She offered, before gesturing to herself. “I’m Ling Xia, what is junior brother called?”

“Yu Chen.” he swallowed, before hesitantly speaking. “I’d appreciate senior sister’s assistance.”

“Have you considered a movement technique?” She asked as she pointed towards a section of the Pavilion Yu Chen hadn’t explored yet. “It is the general recommendation of the Manual Pavilion for a first technique. A movement technique will complement your martial arts well, and now that you can channel qi they will prove very useful.”

“No, I haven’t.” He said hesitantly, looking in the direction she pointed.

“Come on then.” Ling Xia said, as she turned and strode off into the pavilion.

Yu Chen bowed his head, before following her as she cut through the bookstacks, leading him towards a yet unseen part of the Pavilion. She knew exactly where she was going, and Yu Chen had to hurry a bit to keep up with her lengthy strides.

They arrived at the section for movement techniques and Yu Chen was surprised to find it was another large one, perhaps half the size of the entire section for weapons. He once again found himself impressed at the sheer variety the Pavilion had to offer.

“You’ll want to consider these,” Ling Xia said, pulling books off the shelves as she strode through the aisles, her stride filled with the confidence of someone who knew what they were about. “They’re classics. Many of the movements inside are considered foundational.”

Yu Chen took the books as she handed them to him, finding himself slightly bemused at the size of the pile he was accumulating.

“This technique here comes from the Yellow Viper clan,” She said as she added another book to his pile, “and I must say it is one of the best techniques we have to offer for qi condensators. We even have its continuation on the next floor.”

“Hmm.” Ling Xia said, stopping in her tracks as a thought struck her, and Yu Chen had to stop himself before he accidentally ran into her. “Actually, I wouldn’t bother with these for now,” she said, pulling a few of the books out of his pile.

“It’s better for you to focus on a technique that will improve with you.” There were only three books left in Yu Chen’s pile once she was done, and he eyed them with interest as she continued speaking. “I know for a fact that all three of these books have forms on the higher floors for cultivators who have reached Foundation Establishment.”

Yu Chen read the title of the first book in his pile. It was called Three Moons Illusory Step, and he found the title enticing.

Yu Chen didn’t like the sound of the second one, Bounding Steps of Rabbit and Hare, but the girl in front of him was giving him an expectant stare, so he gave her a weak smile in return.

He was about to look over the third book, the one from the Yellow Viper clan, when a book sitting on a nearby shelf, its spine bound in gold, caught his eye.

“What’s that?” Yu Chen asked, setting down the techniques he’d been given. Reaching over, he pulled the book off of the shelf, finding its cover ornate, and its make of a higher quality than those around it.

“An Earth Realm movement technique.” Ling Xia said, her voice solemn as she regarded the book Yu Chen was holding. “An elder contributed it many years ago, having found it on the body of an evil cultivator he slew.”

Yu Chen felt his heart race as he cracked the cover, but his face fell as he turned the pages. Nearly a third of the book was simply missing, and an entire section near the back was burnt and unreadable.

“Unfortunately, it is unusable despite being quite profound. After all, if it were complete, it wouldn’t be found on these shelves.” Ling Xia said, her eyes still locked on the book in his hands. “Elder Shu keeps it here anyways. She believes enough remains to serve as a source of inspiration, and there’s always the chance that someday someone will unlock its secrets.”

Yu Chen looked at the book in his hands, and then towards the small pile Ling Xia had handed him earlier. He chewed at his lip as he thought.

Ling Xia meant well, and doubtless the books she’d given him before were among the best choices he could have for his first technique. He knew he should pick one of those and focus on mastering a completed technique. He could always accumulate some contribution and return later, picking up the earth grade technique for inspiration.

He couldn’t help but think about the tiny dragon that was floating around somewhere in his subconscious.

Yu Chen smiled. “I think I’ll take this one.”