At noon, not long after Lin Cangxue departed, Lin Huang also left Celestial Waterfall Cliff. Now, he was considered a member of the Inner Sect. Although it didn’t do much to improve his current situation, he couldn’t let his rightful privileges go to waste. Half an hour later, Lin Huang arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.
Any Sect, having endured the accumulation of Time and the profound wisdom of countless Martial Artists, would pass down many precious treasures. These could be Martial Techniques, mainland Xin Secrets, or the Sect’s history. Accumulated generation after generation, these things formed the foundation of a Scripture Pavilion.
There was a Scripture Pavilion in the Divine General’s Mansion as well. However, compared to a behemoth like Piaoxue Palace, its contents were quite lackluster. In the entire East Spirit Realm, tracing the roots of its development relied solely on the knowledge of incredibly ancient Martial Artists and the Scripture Pavilions of the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties.
These places contained not only the Xin Secrets of the East Spirit Realm but, more importantly, the Martial Techniques passed down by a Sect. A faction could easily have thousands of disciples, each practicing different Martial Techniques. Without an immense repository of top-tier Martial Techniques to anchor it, such a faction wouldn’t last long. Across the entire East Spirit Realm, truly elite Martial Techniques could be counted on one hand. Aside from Piaoxue Palace, the absolute best Martial Techniques of the remaining Three Sects and Ten Dynasties were merely Quasi-Earth Tier. To a certain extent, this severely limited the development of many Martial Artists.
In this regard, Piaoxue Palace was far more imposing.
Over a century ago, the foundation upon which Piaoxue Palace was established was a Quasi-Earth Tier Martial Skill called the "Art of Kingship and Domination," signifying Kingship and Dominance, and the subjugation of the four seas. Since Yann Cangfeng’s era, Piaoxue Palace had acquired another Earth-Tier Martial Technique: Snow Falling on Earth!
Compared to the "Art of Kingship and Domination," the difficulty of Cultivation for "Snow Falling on Earth" was utterly outrageous. Throughout the entire history of Piaoxue Palace, only Yann Cangfeng had ever cultivated it to Great Success. As for Yann Nangui, he had mastered at most thirty percent of it, making it extremely difficult for him to unleash the true power of "Snow Falling on Earth." The power he could muster was perhaps even inferior to what the "Art of Kingship and Domination" could deliver.
This was exactly why Piaoxue Palace possessed an Earth-Tier Martial Technique yet still couldn’t reign supreme among the Four Sects and Ten Dynasties. Possessing it was one thing; learning it was another. And Cultivation to Great Success was entirely different.
It was impossible for Lin Huang not to be tempted by the "Art of Kingship and Domination" and "Snow Falling on Earth." After all, his Godslaying One Slash had already reached Great Success, meaning it was time to practice another Martial Technique. Under the sunlight, Lin Huang gazed at the Scripture Pavilion ahead, which was constructed of golden bricks and glazed tiles, heavily guarded by dozens of layered Arrays. He took a deep breath, his face glowing with excitement.
"Kid, we meet again!"
As soon as Lin Huang stepped through the doors of the Scripture Pavilion, two braids dangled back and forth in front of his eyes. Only then did he notice Nan Yunlie’s old yet oddly childish face.
"Elder Nan, why are you here?" Lin Huang hadn’t expected to run into Nan Yunlie here. He couldn’t help but look up to carefully examine the old man from Qilin Peak.
The elder’s face was deeply wrinkled with age, yet his round cheeks gave him a somewhat youthful, playful demeanor. It was easy to guess he must have been quite plump in his youth. He wore a crossed-collar robe of alternating red and green, a style that seemed a bit too young for his age. His goatee was impeccably neat, and the hair at his temples was long enough to be braided into two small pigtails that could be tied in a knot under his chin, adding a genuinely comical touch to his appearance.
Nan Yunlie let out a melodious laugh. "Guarding the Scripture Pavilion is my duty, so where else would I be? What’s this? You couldn’t wait to rush over as soon as you got the Token?"
Lin Huang smiled and handed his Token to Nan Yunlie.
"Go on in," Nan Yunlie nodded, then added, "You are not a disciple of my Qilin Peak, so you must strictly abide by the rules of the Scripture Pavilion. None of the books inside can be copied or taken out, and you are only permitted to stay inside for a maximum of three days!"
Nan Yunlie was setting a trap for him again! Lin Huang nodded and proceeded into the Scripture Pavilion.
Only after stepping inside did Lin Huang realize its sheer immensity, which far surpassed that of the Divine General’s Mansion. The Scripture Pavilion consisted of seven floors in total. The texts on the First Floor encompassed nearly every Yellow Tier Martial Technique in the East Spirit Realm. The Second and Third Floors housed books regarding the East Spirit Realm’s history, dynastic changes, Sect successions, weapon forging, Array Path principles, and past experts. All together, there were tens of thousands of volumes. As for the Fourth and Fifth Floors, they contained High-Level Martial Techniques.
Most of the disciples in Piaoxue Palace came here primarily for those two floors. Likewise, Lin Huang headed straight up to the Fourth Floor. He swept his gaze casually across the room, sensing the resonant sounds emitted by the surrounding Martial Techniques.
"Wind Scroll Technique," Profound Tier Lower Grade. Upon reaching Great Success in Cultivation, the user could sweep across the ground like a black hurricane, shaking everything in all directions.
"Celestial Sword Chant," Profound Tier Middle Grade. It allowed the user to condense the spirit of a Longsword and refine Celestial Sword Qi.
"Six-Fingered Zither Score," Profound Tier Upper Grade. Suitable for Martial Artists with a Zither Martial Soul to practice Cultivation. Upon reaching Great Success, the zither’s sound could confound the ears and bewitch the minds of Martial Artists.
Lin Huang deciphered the sounds of the Martial Techniques, shaking his head in slight disappointment. These techniques appeared powerful, but most were merely flashy without substance. Aside from the "Six-Fingered Zither Score," none were worth mentioning. However, since the "Six-Fingered Zither Score" was only suitable for Martial Artists possessing a Zither Sound Martial Soul, it was completely useless to Lin Huang.
Lin Huang roamed around the Fourth and Fifth Floors for a long time but found nothing. Even after listening until his ears were nearly numb, he still couldn’t find a sound that caught his fancy. During his wanderings, Lin Huang had consciously and subconsciously searched for any traces of the "Art of Kingship and Domination," but he still came up empty-handed.
Soon after, Lin Huang’s gaze landed on the entrance to the Sixth Floor. A faint, domineering roar of an Overlord echoed in his ears. Lin Huang could sense that it was coming from the Sixth Floor. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Huang lifted his foot and stepped onto the Sixth Floor.
BANG!
With a deafening crash, before Lin Huang’s foot even landed, he was violently repelled backward. He looked up to see a profound Array shimmering brilliantly at the entrance to the Sixth Floor.
GIGGLE...
Suddenly, a crisp giggle rang out behind Lin Huang. When he turned around, he saw Yann Qing’er standing there with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly. Her apricot-yellow dress outlined her slightly petite figure, and her voice sounded as melodious as silver bells.
At this moment, Lin Huang was lying splayed out on the ground, resembling a turtle flipped on its back. He got up and asked with an unkind expression, "Why are you here too?"
Even now, Lin Huang’s stomach was still rumbling from whatever he had eaten that morning... And those culinary masterpieces were entirely the handiwork of the little tigress standing right in front of him.
"I’m Yann Qing’er! I can come and go in this Scripture Pavilion as I please!" Yann Qing’er chuckled smugly, staring at Lin Huang with a charmingly imperious expression. "Do you want to enter the Sixth Floor of the Scripture Pavilion? This is a privilege reserved exclusively for the top ten disciples of the Inner Sect."
Lin Huang curled his lips and sized her up with a twinkle in his eye. "You should be able to enter and leave freely too, right?"
"Of course!" Yann Qing’er puffed out her slightly budding chest and declared proudly.
"Is the ’Art of Kingship and Domination’ on the Sixth Floor?" Lin Huang asked tentatively.
"Guess!" Yann Qing’er rolled her large, bright eyes and smiled craftily. "Even if I told you, you still wouldn’t be able to go up!"
Lin Huang let out a mischievous laugh, his gaze sweeping over her. His unblinking stare caused a faint blush to creep up Yann Qing’er’s face. Covering her small cheeks, she glared at Lin Huang with a huff before saying, "Even though I have the right to enter the Sixth Floor, I can’t just do as I please. Anyone who wants to enter must have Grandpa Nan personally open the entrance!"
Lin Huang sighed softly, a trace of disappointment crossing his face.
"But when I came up just now, Uncle Nan told me that as long as you are a disciple of Qilin Peak, he can close his eyes and practice Cultivation for two quarter hours," Yann Qing’er added.
"So you’re here to act as a lobbyist!" Lin Huang smiled playfully.
Yann Qing’er pouted and huffed, "So, you don’t want to enter the Sixth Floor? Besides, it’s Qilin Peak! Do you think it’s like your family’s pigpen?"
"My family’s home doesn’t have a pigpen!" Lin Huang retorted coolly.
"You are the pig!!" Yann Qing’er’s anger flared. Her hand trembled as she pointed at him before she shouted, "Have fun playing by yourself then! I can’t be bothered to care about you!"
"...Uh, I’ll join Qilin Peak then!" Lin Huang hastily agreed, anxious not to anger the little tigress.
"Hmph! That’s more like it..." Yann Qing’er turned her head back with a sour expression, then raised her voice to shout down the stairs, "Grandpa Nan..."
Nan Yunlie appeared in the blink of an eye.
Lin Huang was somewhat stunned. To appear in less than a single breath—Nan Yunlie had likely been hiding in a corner all along, waiting for Yann Qing’er to spring the trap on him. Then, Lin Huang smiled inwardly. Ever since Lin Cangxue had mentioned Qilin Peak, he had genuinely wanted to join it, but he had felt too awkward to bring it up himself. It turned out Nan Yunlie was even more shameless than he was.
At this moment, Nan Yunlie was looking at Lin Huang with utter smugness. However, he forcibly suppressed the joy bubbling inside him and maintained the calm demeanor of a transcendent master as he said flatly, "You only have two quarter hours... Once you come out, head straight to Qilin Peak!"
Lin Huang looked completely helpless and had no choice but to nod with a heavy sigh. Outwardly, their expressions appeared perfectly calm—even showing slight reluctance and disdain—yet on the inside, both were blooming with joy, silently calling each other a punk.
Subsequently, Nan Yunlie waved his arm, and a profound aura instantly surged toward the Sixth Floor. Following that, the Array on the Sixth Floor began to rotate, flashing with deep blue light. In just a few breaths, an entrance opened up...
Lin Huang raised his eyebrows slightly and stepped onto the Sixth Floor in a single stride.
"Hey... Wait for me!" Yann Qing’er shouted loudly.
Then, with a loud BANG, her petite body was instantly repelled by the closing Array, and she fell heavily to the ground.
"Grandpa Nan!" Yann Qing’er scrambled to her feet, yelling angrily and aggrievedly.
Nan Yunlie chuckled awkwardly and, left with no other choice, sent Yann Qing’er into the Sixth Floor as well.
Within the Scripture Tower, the moment Lin Huang entered the Sixth Floor, the ferocious roar of an Overlord violently erupted in his ears. It sounded like an army of thousands charging forward in battle formation, yet even they could not rival the sheer arrogance of the blade in the Overlord’s hand.
It was the sound of the Martial Technique, "Art of Kingship and Domination"!