Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 204 - 194 Selecting a Cultivation Technique
The Scripture Pavilion was very simple and rustic, exuding an ancient charm.
In the past, many disciples from the Great Qian Martial Institute would select or study martial techniques and cultivation methods here.
However, due to the end of the year, the majority of disciples had already left, few remained at the Great Qian Martial Institute, and with today being the night for staying up late to see the new year in, the Scripture Pavilion was exceptionally serene.
Upon entering the Scripture Pavilion, at the entrance stood a black square table.
On the table burned an oil lamp.
In the quiet of the Scripture Pavilion, the oil lamp occasionally cracked and popped.
Seated beside the table was an elder dressed in the long robe of a Great Qian Martial Institute elder, its pale green hue now somewhat faded and white from washing.
Seeing Qin Qing enter, the elder set down the book he was holding and looked at Qin Qing with some surprise.
He had not expected that a disciple from the Great Qian Martial Institute would come to the Scripture Pavilion today.
"Elder, I am Qin Qing, and I would like to select a few martial techniques in the Scripture Pavilion!" Qin Qing greeted the elder who guarded the Scripture Pavilion with great politeness.
"Qin Qing?" Upon hearing Qin Qing announce his name, the elder set down his book and nodded with a slight smile, "I was wondering why you looked somewhat familiar, you are the very Qin Qing who won first place in the Martial Institute’s end-of-year assessment this year. I have seen you from a distance..."
At the elder’s words, Qin Qing smiled and nodded, "That is indeed me."
"Hmm, not bad! A twin Ninth Stars talent, Ninth Rank Martial Soul, and as a newly admitted disciple, you have taken first place among all the Institute’s disciples and even defeated Xie Jin’an, who had just entered the Golden Core Realm. I have been wondering why you had not come to the Scripture Pavilion for such a long time..." The elder was smiling, full of warmth, clearly a kind-hearted old man.
"Well, here I am now," Qin Qing joked, "May I know how to address the elder?"
"My surname is Teng; there’s no need to mention my given name," the elder said with a wave of his hand.
"Elder Teng!" Qin Qing bowed respectfully.
"Hmm!" The elder seemed quite pleased with Qin Qing’s manners, "So young and yet so talented, modest and well-versed in etiquette, and even on a night for staying up late, you haven’t forgotten to visit the Scripture Pavilion. With such talent and character, the path of Martial Arts won’t fail a fine seedling like you!"
Admiration filled Elder Teng’s eyes.
"Elder Teng praises me too highly!" Qin Qing said with a smile.
"Ha ha!" Elder Teng laughed heartily and then asked, "Qin Qing, what kind of martial techniques or cultivation methods would you like to pick this time?"
Qin Qing said, "I would like to select a movement technique, spear technique, swordsmanship, and, in addition, a hand-to-hand combat technique that can be used without a weapon!"
Qin Qing had already silently made up his mind about this beforehand.
After his recent experience in the Tianjue Forest, Qin Qing was well aware of what he was lacking.
First and foremost was the movement technique.
Owing to having awakened the Dragon Blood Physique, Qin Qing had a significant advantage in speed compared to other martial artists of the same realm.
But in reality, Qin Qing had mastered no movement technique.
If he could master a movement technique, Qin Qing’s agility both in attack and evasion would greatly increase.
Beyond that was the spear technique.
The Fierce Dragon Spear Technique given by his master, Bai Qiuhe, was indeed very good, but it was very difficult to grasp; and difficulty meant that subsequent moves were exceedingly hard to refine, resulting in rather limited attack variations.
As for swordsmanship, the Primordial Sword Art left by Cang Qingzi was also among the finest in sword techniques, but it suffered from the same issue as the Fierce Dragon Spear Technique.
Having one too many skills is not a burden; what Qin Qing currently lacked were means of attack.
Thus, he could choose a few comparatively lower-grade techniques to greatly enrich his offensive capabilities.
Besides spear and sword techniques, Qin Qing also needed to pick a hand-to-hand combat martial technique that he could use without a weapon.
Weaponless combat techniques could often take an opponent by surprise, and sometimes, when a weapon could not be wielded, one had to rely solely on hand-to-hand combat techniques.
Qin Qing also considered this a precautionary measure.
"Hmm... good!" After listening to Qin Qing’s requirements, Elder Teng pondered for a moment before saying, "For spear techniques, I recommend you cultivate the Stone Splitting Spear Technique, Great Desolation Spear Technique, and the Falling Snow Spear Technique."
"These three spear techniques are among the highest grade in our Great Qian Martial Institute. They are Earth Grade Mid Level and Earth Grade Superior Level techniques!"
"There are also Earth Grade Superior Level techniques?" Qin Qing was somewhat surprised.
He knew the value of Earth Grade techniques.
In the entire Great Qian Dynasty, there probably weren’t many Earth Grade techniques.
In the Heavenly Mind Continent, the cultivation methods and martial techniques of Martial Arts could be categorized into four levels: Human Level, Earth Level, Heaven Level, and Spirit Level.
Human Level techniques were the most common; generally, small clans in less prominent regions could only possess Human Level techniques.
For example, the highest-grade techniques in clans like the Qin Residence or Ouyang Clan in Tianjue City were only Human Level Superior techniques.
This is why these clans would do everything possible to send their talented young disciples to the imperial city’s Martial Institutes.
Martial Institutes like the Great Qian Martial Institute, Luochuan Institution, and similar ones might have Earth Level techniques.
However, even among Earth Level techniques, most are Earth Grade Mid Level or Low Grade techniques.
Techniques like Earth Grade Superior Level are essentially very precious and are kept as treasured collections, accessible only to the higher-ups of the institute or to some disciples who have made significant contributions to the institute.
Elder Teng chuckled, "That’s right, there are indeed Earth Grade Superior Level techniques."
"But, to cultivate an Earth Grade Superior Level technique, a considerable amount of Contribution Points are required, right?" Qin Qing knew that in the Great Qian Martial Institute, all disciples had Contribution Points.
To obtain Contribution Points, one had to complete tasks for the institute.
Alternatively, one could compete in various contests held by the institute and vie for ranking; the higher the ranking, the greater the Contribution Points awarded.
For instance, Qin Qing had been awarded Contribution Points for taking first place among the newly admitted disciples and also in the end-of-year assessment for all institute disciples.
Of course, if one doesn’t have enough Contribution Points, they can also directly purchase Contribution Points using Gold or Spirit Stones.
"Haha, no need for that! Headmaster Xu has already made special arrangements, other disciples may need Contribution Points to practice Cultivation Techniques, but you, Qin Qing, do not! You have unrestricted access to any Cultivation Technique within the Martial Institute; the entire Scripture Pavilion is open to you at all times, unconditionally and without limits," Elder Teng said.
Upon hearing this, Qin Qing couldn’t help but feel warmth in his heart.
"Then, I must thank Elder Teng in advance. Please also convey my gratitude to the Headmaster," Qin Qing said.
"Hehe, the decision was made by the Headmaster himself, it has nothing to do with an old thing like me, you don’t need to thank me!" Elder Teng waved his hand and said.
Qin Qing naturally didn’t take Elder Teng’s words seriously.
He knew very well that if Elder Teng truly bore ill will against him, even if the Headmaster had given the same instruction, Elder Teng wouldn’t have relayed it to him.
Furthermore, if he truly managed to upset Elder Teng, the latter surely had means to make things difficult for him.
Isn’t the saying ’laws above are matched by methods below’ exactly to this effect?
Of course, one could tell at a glance that this Elder Teng was a person of broad mind and it was unlikely for him to do such a thing.
Nonetheless, Qin Qing also knew how to manage the situation meticulously.
"If there’s no problem then, Old Man will first take you to see these three Spear Techniques!"
Elder Teng directly led Qin Qing to the highest level of the Scripture Pavilion.
The most advanced Cultivation Techniques of the Great Qian Martial Institute were all located on this highest level.
"Stone Splitting Spear Technique. This Spear Technique was left by a senior known as Old Man Stone Splitter over two thousand years ago. Legend has it that in order to comprehend and create this Spear Technique, he had someone roll boulders down the mountain daily, and he used his Spear Technique to combat them at the base of the mountain. After many years of dedication, he finally crafted this Spear Technique," Elder Teng explained.
Elder Teng took out the Technique Jade Slip of the Stone Splitting Spear Technique and handed it to Qin Qing.
Qin Qing briefly scanned through it; the Spear Technique was indeed quite good. Though not as formidable as the Fierce Dragon Spear Technique, being part of the Earth Grade Mid Level, it already had many commendable aspects.
"Then there is this one, the Falling Snow Spear Technique. This Spear Technique was brought back by a former elder of our Great Qian Martial Institute from an Ancient Country," Elder Teng said.
Qin Qing received the Technique Jade Slip of the Falling Snow Spear Technique, and as his consciousness immersed into it, he suddenly felt a flurry of snowflakes rushing towards his face.
Amidst the vast snowfall, a figure moved incessantly, holding a long spear that seemed to flutter through the heavens and earth along with the snowflakes, the gleam of the spear lively and graceful.
Nevertheless, Qin Qing still shook his head slightly.
He felt that this Spear Technique was not suitable for him.
"You, youngster!" Elder Teng couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head, "There is this last Spear Technique. Take a look, and if it still doesn’t suit you, then you’ll have to look at other Spear Techniques. However, to be frank, if you do not fancy any of these three Spear Techniques, then I fear none of the other Spear Techniques in the Great Qian Martial Institute’s Scripture Pavilion will catch your interest!"
Qin Qing gave a slight smile and received the third Technique Jade Slip.
"Great Desolation Spear Technique!"
Once more, Qin Qing’s consciousness entered the Jade Slip. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
Instantly, a desolate and mighty aura assaulted his face.
"The first move, Primordial Unity. The second move, Mountain Splitting Sky Cleaving. The third move, Sweeping the Eight Desolates. The fourth move, Great Desolation Extreme Light."
Qin Qing carefully examined the details of each move and form.
Although Qin Qing could not fully understand the True Intention of this Spear Technique just yet, he could vaguely sense its dominance and subtlety.
"I’ll choose this Spear Technique!" Qin Qing declared.
"You’ve made your choice?" Elder Teng asked with a smile as he looked at Qin Qing.
"Yes! I’ve decided!" Qin Qing nodded.
"Haha, kid, you have quite an eye. This Great Desolation Spear Technique is the only Spear Technique of Earth Grade Superior Level," Elder Teng said with a laugh, "I will now imprint this Technique for you, and you can directly take the imprinted Jade Slip back with you for your cultivation. However, there is one thing."
At this point, Elder Teng’s expression turned serious, "The rules of the Great Qian Martial Institute must be strictly followed. The techniques must not be leaked, understood?"
"Yes, Disciple will bear this in mind!" Qin Qing nodded.
"Haha, good!" Elder Teng chuckled and handed the imprinted Jade Slip to Qin Qing.
Next was the selection of Sword Techniques.
The collection of Sword Techniques of the Great Qian Martial Institute was much more abundant than that of Spear Techniques.
Although the number of Martial Cultivators who eventually specialize in Swordsmanship may not be greater than those who practice Spear Techniques, at the start, most Martial Artists wish to try their hand at Swordsmanship.
After all, Swordsmanship focuses on offensive power, and once mastered, the lethality is almost unmatched within the same rank.
However, Swordsmanship is extremely difficult to master, and many Martial Cultivators can only fall back to the next best option, which is also why there are fewer Sword Cultivators as one ascends to higher realms.
But that does not stop the large number of Martial Artists who admire and aspire to Swordsmanship, hence the number of lower rank Sword Cultivators is actually not small.
This is why, in any Sect or Martial Institute, the collection of Swordsmanship Techniques is extremely rich.
In the end, Qin Qing selected a Sword Technique called "Judgment Nine Swords" and a bare-handed Martial Technique called "Tablet Splitting Palm."
These two Limitless Techniques were also of Earth Grade Superior Level, and Qin Qing was very satisfied; this level of Technique was exactly what he needed right now.
"As for movement techniques, Qin Qing, it just so happens that our Great Qian Martial Institute has a Heaven Level movement technique!"
Elder Teng’s statement immediately piqued Qin Qing’s great interest.
Heaven Level Technique?
Throughout the entire Great Qian Dynasty, Heaven Level Techniques were secrets not readily disclosed; even within the inner courtyards of the imperial palace, there likely were at most one or two Heaven Level Techniques.
Qin Qing instantly felt a strong sense of anticipation for this Heaven Level movement technique.
