Chapter 571: Chapter 353: Old Monster

"Xu Yang is using his Lingyun List genius reward to choose the Spirit Bone Technique, the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture?"

Hearing Xu Yang’s voice, Huo Xiaochen, Gu Qingfeng, and the others looked over, revealing meaningful expressions. Xu Yang paid no mind to their stares and simply handed over his Waist Token.

The teacher managing the Hidden Skills Hall took it, pulled out a ledger, and flipped through it until he quickly found Xu Yang’s name. "The Waist Token is correct. You have two chances to freely choose a Cultivation Technique. One chance will now be deducted. Are you certain?"

The teacher held his brush, looking at Xu Yang. The moment he confirmed it, the teacher would immediately tick off one of his chances.

Xu Yang nodded. "I am certain."

The teacher made a stroke next to Xu Yang’s name, then pulled a wooden tag from a nearby drawer. Handing it over along with the Waist Token, he said, "Take this tag to the second floor and retrieve your Cultivation Technique."

"Thank you, teacher!"

Xu Yang took them and, ignoring the gazes still fixed on him, stepped toward the stairs to the second floor.

He knew what Gu Qingfeng, Huo Xiaochen, and the others were surprised about, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. If he didn’t use Jin Yu’s words as an excuse to get a Spirit Bone Technique now, exchanging for one later would attract even more unwanted attention. These people probably thought he was biting off more than he could chew. However, they had no way of knowing he wasn’t just relying on wishful thinking—he was actually going to possess a Spirit Bone in the future.

Besides, with his current talent, even if he didn’t obtain a Spirit Bone down the line, he could likely still successfully cultivate a Spirit Bone Technique. He had Wisdom and Root Bone Dual Perfection. If even this level of talent couldn’t master a Spirit Bone Technique, could anyone else in the world possibly succeed?

Although Jin Yu’s words were somewhat misleading, Jiang Fan had never explicitly stated that only a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride could cultivate a Spirit Bone Technique.

As Xu Yang’s back disappeared up the stairwell, Huo Xiaochen couldn’t help but sneer. "He actually thinks he can master a Spirit Bone Technique and compete with a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride."

"He’s overestimating his own capabilities," Li Yunfei added.

After all, even the few of them were hesitating over whether to choose a Spirit Bone Technique. None of them were confident they could succeed, and they worried about wasting both their time and one of their precious selection chances. Jin Yu made it sound appealing, but they all deeply understood the sheer difficulty of mastering a Spirit Bone Technique.

"He is the one who beat Lin Jingyu to death, after all. Perhaps it’s possible for him," Gu Qingfeng said, his tone enigmatic and sarcastic. It was hard to tell if he was mocking Xu Yang’s overconfidence or taking a jab at Huo Xiaochen. Regardless, Huo Xiaochen’s face instantly darkened.

Upon arriving on the second floor of the Hidden Skills Hall, the first thing Xu Yang saw was a haggard-looking elder. Dressed in coarse hemp garments with his hair combed meticulously, the elder was seated on a futon, deep in meditation, surrounded by a dense, misty glow.

An aura as vast and deep as the abyss washed over him. Xu Yang found himself entirely unable to move a single step. It felt as if his entire body had sunk into a terrifying quagmire, and he nearly couldn’t resist mobilizing his Sword Intent to fight back.

Fortunately, he held back. The elder on the futon seemed to sense someone’s arrival. The glowing mist around his body dissipated, and the boundless aura retreated into him like an ebbing tide. A pair of eyes, brimming with the vicissitudes of time, slowly opened.

Xu Yang quickly walked over and cupped his hands. "Greetings, teacher."

The elder gave a slight nod. "What Cultivation Technique do you wish to take?"

"I am here to take the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture!" Xu Yang handed over the tag he had received downstairs.

At these words, a sharp glint flashed through the elder’s previously indifferent eyes. In an instant, Xu Yang felt as though he had been seen completely through. Deep within his Heart Spirit, the Blood Saber—which had almost materialized into a physical form—couldn’t help but tremble, as if in fear.

"This Old Deng!" he cursed inwardly.

These old monsters all loved probing into people’s secrets. Whatever he was trying to hide was likely completely exposed to the elder before him.

"Perfection in the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture and the Unmoving Bright King Body, along with concurrent cultivation of the Golden Gang Skill. Not bad, kid. Although you aren’t a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, with your talent, you are indeed qualified to comprehend the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture." The elder revealed a faint smile.

Xu Yang instantly felt his scalp go numb. His guess had been spot on. With just a single glance, this old monster had seen through him completely, even identifying the exact Cultivation Techniques he practiced.

"Don’t be nervous. I have withdrawn from worldly affairs for many years; I won’t go around spreading your secrets. If you want to hide things, your Breath Concealment Skill is far too low-level. In the eyes of a true expert, it is utterly useless," the elder said reassuringly, pointing out Xu Yang’s shortcomings.

Xu Yang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Seizing the opening, he asked, "May I boldly ask what kind of Breath Concealment Skill could prevent probing from old... senior experts like yourself?"

He had almost blurted out "Old Deng," but thankfully caught himself in time. His Breath Concealment Skill really wasn’t very advanced. He had bought it cheaply at a black market long ago. Over the years, he had only managed to fool most people because his Perfection-level Comprehension allowed him to continuously improve it.

The elder shot him a glance and said, "With your current Realm, it wouldn’t matter what kind of Breath Concealment Skill you practiced. As long as I want to see through you, standing before me is no different from being stripped bare."

Xu Yang cupped his hands again. "Your Realm is unfathomably profound, senior, but surely not everyone out there is an expert like you. I earnestly request your guidance."

This flattery hit the right spot, making the elder quite comfortable. A smile immediately graced his lips. "Within the Hidden Skills Hall, there is a skill called the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill. When it comes to Concealing Breath, it is second only to the legendary Formless Demon Technique. Beyond that, it also possesses the mystical ability to alter one’s appearance, allowing for Thousand Transformations.

"Once mastered, even an expert several layers higher in Cultivation than you won’t be able to see through your secrets. If you can push it to Perfection, even powerhouses at the Celestial Essence Ninth Layer wouldn’t be able to discern your true depths.

"However, let me warn you, kid: young people should forge ahead with determination and show their edge. Playing it too safe is not always a good thing."

In a place like the Celestial Strategy Academy, the better one’s talent, the more resources one would receive. Even after spending so many years at the Academy, this was the elder’s first time encountering a disciple like Xu Yang, who deliberately hid his immense talent.

"Thank you for the reminder, senior. I will keep it in mind," Xu Yang replied, cupping his hands.

When dealing with these old monsters, his policy was to always agree with whatever they said. He kept the Formless Thousand Illusion Skill in mind, planning to look for it before leaving. If it didn’t cost too many credits, he would exchange for it directly. He was already tempted by this Formless Thousand Illusions. The fact that it could alter appearances in addition to Concealing Breath made it the exact type of Cultivation Technique he had been searching for.

"Follow me."

Nodding in satisfaction, the elder led Xu Yang all the way up to the fifth floor of the Hidden Skills Hall and into a secret stone chamber. The walls of the room were completely covered in carved text and illustrations.

"You have three days to comprehend and memorize it here. After three days, whether you’ve memorized it all or not, you must leave. During this time, do not wander into any other areas, or I will expel you."

"Understood!" Xu Yang cupped his hands.

He hadn’t expected that he wouldn’t be given a Secret Manual to take back and study at his own pace. Instead, he had to comprehend it right here. Still, three days was more than enough time for anyone to memorize the entire text, even those with terrible memories.

The elder turned and left. Xu Yang entered the secret chamber, closed the door behind him, and sat down on the futon.

Every single character of the dense text radiated a majestic aura. Each stroke and line felt as if it weighed over a thousand pounds. He could almost envision the scene of a peerless expert writing them on the walls. Xu Yang quickly gathered his Heart Spirit. He focused purely on reading the characters, deliberately stopping his Heart Spirit from feeling the imposing momentum the creator of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture had left within the strokes.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally finished reading through the entirety of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. A faint light flashed before his eyes:

[Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture - Pre-Entry Level (0/1000)]

"It is indeed broad and profound, but in terms of subtlety and mystery, it actually falls short of the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture," he thought.

Having gone through it once, he had gained some understanding of the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. Although certain parts were obscure and difficult to grasp, it wasn’t nearly as strenuous as when he first comprehended the Blood Prison Heart Blade Scripture.

Of course, the difficulty of cultivating a Spirit Bone Technique didn’t lie merely in understanding it. Comprehending it was one thing; successfully cultivating it was another entirely. If mere comprehension guaranteed success, then likely every genius on the Lingyun List would possess the ability to master it. After all, if they couldn’t figure it out in a day, a year would suffice. If a year wasn’t enough, they could spend several years, or seek guidance from others. As long as there was a guarantee of success, there were plenty of people willing to spend the time comprehending a Spirit Bone Technique.

For the geniuses on the Lingyun List, it wasn’t that they couldn’t understand Spirit Bone Techniques; rather, their innate talent simply wasn’t enough to physically cultivate them. It was just like Forged Soldier and Alchemy. Every step was written clearly, and anyone could understand the process at a glance. However, when it came to actual execution, merely following the steps was no guarantee of success.

Since the panel had already recorded the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, Xu Yang wasn’t in a hurry to leave. After collecting his thoughts, he resumed comprehending the technique.

A night passed. The news that Xu Yang had chosen the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture had already spread throughout the Celestial Strategy Academy. Many people now knew that the Xu Yang who beat Lin Jingyu to death had been sweet-talked by Jin Yu into selecting a Spirit Bone Technique.

This caused quite a stir. Some were disdainful, believing he was overestimating his own capabilities. Others, however, were greatly encouraged. After all, successfully cultivating a Spirit Bone Technique meant gaining the capital to compete against a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride.

Martial Artists were meant to forge ahead with determination. Without trying, how could one ever discover their true potential? Although Jin Yu was a smooth talker, he hadn’t been wrong about one thing: Spirit Bone Celestial Prides were not invincible. If Mortal Bones had absolutely no chance of rivaling a Spirit Bone Celestial Pride, the Celestial Strategy Academy would only need to recruit geniuses like Qi Ning. Why bother taking in so many other students?

[Acquired Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture. Points +500]

[Martial Arts Longevity Points: 1732]

"It actually gave this much of a reward," Xu Yang remarked, looking at the panel with joy on his face.

The larger the point reward, the stronger the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture proved to be. In the panel’s judgment, this technique would provide massive assistance to his Martial Arts Longevity. This also confirmed another detail: according to the panel’s calculations, even without having mutated into a Spirit Bone yet, he could successfully cultivate the technique. If the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture was useless to his current self, the panel wouldn’t have handed out such a massive reward.

This matched his earlier hypothesis. If someone with Dual Perfection of Root Bone and Comprehension couldn’t master a Spirit Bone Technique, there probably wasn’t anyone in the world who could.

"That’s enough!"

Another day passed before Xu Yang finally left the secret chamber. He had thoroughly comprehended the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture; all that remained was to begin cultivating it. However, he felt no rush. His Celestial Essence First Layer Cultivation was on the verge of reaching Perfection. There was no need to switch his focus to the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture just yet. He would wait until he broke through to the Celestial Essence Second Layer before starting on it.

"Senior, this junior will take his leave."

When he reached the second floor, the elder was still meditating on the futon, though he was no longer emitting that boundless aura from before. The elder said nothing, keeping his eyes firmly shut. Xu Yang didn’t mind. He simply cupped his hands in respect and headed down to the first floor.

"Xu Yang is out."

The moment he appeared on the ground floor, a crowd of people swarmed him. Most of them were students from Basic Class A, and all of them stared at him with fervent eyes.

"Xu Yang, did you fully comprehend the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture?"

"Brother Xu, do you feel this Spirit Bone Technique is difficult to cultivate?"

"Are you confident you can master it?"

These were basically all people who wanted to attempt a Spirit Bone Technique but lacked confidence. Knowing that Xu Yang had chosen the Dragon Symbols Heart Scripture, they had camped out here, waiting to pump him for information.

Xu Yang swept his gaze across the crowd and noticed Huo Xiaochen—whom he did not get along with—was also present. It was just that Huo Xiaochen was too embarrassed to approach. Instead, he stood in the distance, casting glances their way. Evidently, he too was entertaining thoughts about choosing a Spirit Bone Technique.

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