Chapter 142. Ranked Martial Arts?
The next day, after giving a few instructions to Chen Sanli and the others, Xu Yuan left Changlin Ward alone.
The fighting in the Level Three zone had already been settled, and Xiao Han and the others would naturally handle the remaining cleanup work.
As the Battle Overseer, he did not need to personally involve himself in every little matter.
The carriage rumbled along, and by the time it entered Shangyang Residence, it was already the next morning.
After getting down from the carriage, Xu Yuan did not head straight to the Affairs Hall as usual to register his promotion to eight-striped household guard. Instead, he turned his steps and walked deeper into the estate.
After passing through several corridors and skirting a bamboo grove, a three-story pavilion appeared before his eyes.
Its flying eaves and bracketed beams, blue bricks and dark tiles, looked ancient and solemn in the morning light.
Instruction Hall.
Those three gilded characters hung high upon a wooden plaque.
This was the place where Shangyang Residence stored its martial arts and cultivation methods. Xu Yuan’s Wandering Dragon Step and Iron Garment Art had both been redeemed here.
But this time, he wanted to go a little higher.
A middle-aged man was standing before the entrance with his hands clasped behind his back.
He looked to be a little over forty, with a square face and a steady aura. He was unmistakably a seven-meridian martial artist.
When he saw Xu Yuan approach, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. He immediately cupped his fists with a smile and said, “Are you Battle Overseer Xu?”
Xu Yuan gave a slight nod. “I am.”
“I have long heard of you!”
The middle-aged man beamed and stepped aside to make way. “My name is Luo Sen. I serve here as a custodian of the Instruction Hall. Battle Overseer Xu’s great name has been thundering through the Residence these past few days!”
Xu Yuan exchanged a few modest words with him, but inwardly he already understood.
‘As expected, another man with connections.’
For someone who had only just entered seven-meridian to be transferred here as a custodian of the Instruction Hall, he was obviously backed by a strong family background.
This cushy post was something countless people outside envied, yet he could sit in it so securely. That alone showed how deep his connections ran.
The two exchanged pleasantries as they stepped into the hall.
The first floor displayed mostly basic stance arts and introductory martial arts, things Xu Yuan had seen back when he was still in the outer courtyard.
The second floor held techniques on the level of the Wandering Dragon Step and the Thunderclap Fist. To ordinary martial artists, these were already rare treasures.
But for Xu Yuan now, martial arts of this level no longer helped his aptitude all that much.
What he needed was something of a higher tier.
“Brother Luo.” Xu Yuan stopped and looked toward the staircase leading to the third floor. “I would like to have a look upstairs.”
Hearing this, Luo Sen’s eyes flashed with envy, but he quickly smiled and said, “If anyone else said that, naturally it would not be allowed. The martial arts on the third floor of the Instruction Hall are the very lifeblood of Shangyang Residence.”
“But with the merits Battle Overseer Xu has established lately, it is only natural for you to go and take a look.”
He spoke flawlessly, flattering Xu Yuan while also making clear how important the third floor was.
“My thanks, Brother Luo.”
Xu Yuan smiled faintly and did not continue the topic.
One before the other, they climbed the wooden stairs step by step.
The third floor was far less spacious than the second, but it made up for it with refinement and elegance.
There were sandalwood bookshelves, green jade tables, a few landscape paintings hanging on the walls, and a bronze incense burner in the corner with a faint trail of aloeswood smoke rising from it.
Everything about the furnishings was antique and tasteful, carrying a quiet and dignified air.
But the most eye-catching things were the two glass cases in the center.
Inside them lay two thin manuals. The four corners of their covers were somewhat darkened, making it obvious at a glance that they were very old.
Luo Sen stopped at the stairway entrance and pointed at the two secret manuals. “Battle Overseer Xu, the two martial arts here are both treasured inheritances of Shangyang Residence that have entered the ranks.”
“According to the rules, you may choose only one. Once you have decided, just let me know.”
Only one?
Xu Yuan nodded and slowly stepped forward, his gaze settling on the two manuals.
The first was a palm technique.
The three ancient seal-script characters of 《Layered Wave Palm》 entered his sight.
Below them, in smaller script, it was noted: it could stack force layer upon layer during an attack, making each palm strike stronger than the last, with the greatest possible power reaching twice one’s normal state. Value: two thousand battle merits.
Twice the power?
Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. An increase like that was already quite impressive.
If it suddenly erupted in the middle of a fight against someone of the same level, the assault would come like crashing waves, enough to decide victory or defeat.
He memorized that martial art, then turned his gaze to the other manual.
Then he froze slightly.
The instant the three characters 《Golden Bell Shield》 entered his sight, an odd feeling suddenly rose in Xu Yuan’s heart.
One of Shaolin’s four great divine arts, famous in his previous life, was actually here?
Judging from the description, it was also rather similar to the Golden Bell Shield from his memories.
He reached out, flipped open the title page, and skimmed through it at a glance.
This technique was divided into five realms: Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Major Mastery, Mastery, and Perfection.
Each time one advanced a realm, both defensive power and rebounding force would greatly increase. At Perfection, one could become impervious to water and fire, unharmed by poison, and when circulating the technique, one could even recover a small amount of qi and blood, granting extremely strong endurance. Value: two thousand five hundred battle merits.
As Xu Yuan read, he sucked in a cold breath.
This thing was damned expensive!
This single martial art cost more than three or four times what the Wandering Dragon Step had when he redeemed it.
In the Level Three zone, it was enough to make an ordinary martial artist fight and struggle for nearly ten years.
But now that he was here, he naturally could not leave empty-handed.
He almost did not hesitate at all before closing the manual and turning to Luo Sen. “I’ll take the Golden Bell Shield.”
One reason was the prestige attached to its name. Another was that his Iron Garment Art truly was no longer enough. Against martial artists who were a bit stronger, defending with it had become rather strenuous.
And more importantly, Xu Yuan believed in a simple principle:
If you cannot decide which one to choose, pick the more expensive one. You can rarely go wrong.
When Luo Sen heard that, the envy in his eyes deepened. As he stepped forward to register it, he could not help but glance at Xu Yuan several more times.
Two thousand five hundred battle merits...
He guarded this Instruction Hall and earned only a few dozen battle merits a month. How many years would he have to save before he could afford a martial art like this?
And yet the man before him, still so young, spent that much as casually as this.
Sure enough, if one wanted battle merits, one still had to go earn them on the battlefield.
Once the registration was completed, Luo Sen respectfully handed over a copied manual of the Golden Bell Shield with both hands and reminded him,
“Battle Overseer Xu, this technique is rather dangerous to cultivate. It requires one to temper the entire body again and again with force. If there is anything you do not understand, you may come ask at any time.”
Xu Yuan accepted it, thanked him, and turned to leave.
Behind him, Luo Sen watched that receding figure and let out a soft sigh.
It was good to have money.
...
After leaving the Instruction Hall, Xu Yuan turned his steps again and headed toward the Affairs Hall.
Since he had returned to the Residence, he naturally had to show his face to Zhao Qiusheng.
The Affairs Hall was still as bustling as ever.
The moment Xu Yuan stepped inside, he saw a figure hurriedly coming up to greet him, smiling from ear to ear. It was Zhao Qiusheng.
“Oh my, Xu... Master Xu!”
Zhao Qiusheng grabbed his hand at once. The enthusiasm in him was even greater than before. “You’ve finally come. Come, come inside, please, inside!”
Xu Yuan let himself be led along. They passed through the main office hall and entered the inner chamber.
Zhao Qiusheng personally moved over a chair and set it beside Xu Yuan before finally taking his own seat.
Rubbing his hands together, he said with a trace of emotion on his face, “Master Xu, let me address you that way from now on. Calling you directly by name always feels far too improper.”
Xu Yuan smiled faintly. “Uncle Zhao, there is no need to be so distant. But if you prefer to call me that, I do not mind.”
Zhao Qiusheng waved his hands repeatedly. “That will not do. You are now a Battle Overseer of an entire zone, second only to the Chief Overseer. The proper rules should still be observed.”
As he spoke, his eyes swept over Xu Yuan. Then he lowered his voice and asked, “I heard the Second Young Master is planning to transfer you to the Level Four zone?”
Xu Yuan nodded. “That is right. I will be setting out in two days.”
Zhao Qiusheng frowned slightly. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, “I looked into some information on the Level Four zone.”
“On the surface, it is being overseen by Chief Overseer Qin Chuan. He is an eight-meridian martial artist with solid cultivation, but he has a smooth and slippery temperament and is best at playing both sides, so he is not difficult to deal with.”
“In the shadows, there is also a resident retainer in the Extraordinary Meridians realm guarding the place, though that one generally does not show himself.”
Xu Yuan listened quietly, nodding from time to time.
Zhao Qiusheng continued, “The greatest danger on this trip is the alliance between the authorities and the Bai Family. Right now, the other side has quite a few more seven-meridian martial artists than we do in the Level Four zone. In your daily actions, you must be extremely careful.”
“I understand.” Xu Yuan nodded.
Zhao Qiusheng paused. A trace of hesitation suddenly appeared on his face, as though he wanted to say something but could not bring himself to.
Xu Yuan glanced at him. “If you have something to say, Uncle Zhao, just say it.”
“Well...”
Zhao Qiusheng rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, somewhat embarrassed,
“I heard that in the battle at Kushui River, Master Xu obtained five Meridian-Opening Pills?”
...