Scripture Pavilion.
When Su Mo arrived at the entrance, the attendant had already opened the door for him: “Please enter, Elder Polaris!”
Su Mo immediately felt a bit uncomfortable. Last time he was here, he was just a nobody. Now, he had directly leaped to the status of an Elder, and even one for whom a special new position had been created.
The speed of his promotion was unprecedented.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Could it be that I’m the protagonist of this world?
Led personally by the attendant, Su Mo toured the second and third floors he had long dreamed of visiting.
The second floor mainly contained high-tier techniques and spells, around three to four stars—the kind that made anyone who practiced them stronger.
The third floor was even more impressive. Though there were only a few manuals, they were all five-star rated.
In reality, the star rating was just a man-made comprehensive assessment; their actual value varied from person to person. For example, the Quenching Flame Art was a divine skill to him, but had been scorned by others in Chu Yuan.
“Can I just pick any of these freely?” Su Mo asked.
The attendant confirmed, “That’s correct.”
Su Mo was overjoyed, thinking to himself that he could finally complete his training of the Mountain and Sea Fist.
He went straight for the five-star Mountain and Sea Fist, only to find the technique consisted of a single page. The few words on it were also particularly poorly written:
Mountain Fist: Immense in momentum and heavy in power, it aims to unleash the body’s limits but requires the support of Snowy Mountains. The more Snowy Mountains one has, the greater its power.
Sea Fist: Continuous and surging, it can borrow the power of the Energy Sea, utilizing tidal forces for support. It complements the Mountain Fist.
Only by merging the two into one can the full power of the Mountain and Sea Fist be unleashed. However, techniques vary from person to person. One must personally comprehend it to achieve the power to move mountains and drain seas.
That’s it?
Su Mo suddenly felt that this so-called five-star technique seemed a bit shallow. Those few sentences didn’t really explain much. He still had to rely on his own comprehension, and he had to wait until he reached the Snowy Mountain Realm.
Therefore, he decided to pick another close-quarters combat technique to substitute for the Mountain and Sea Fist.
He couldn’t afford to exhaust himself to the point of collapse every time. It just wasn’t necessary.
After browsing for a while, he was drawn to a five-star technique named Skull-Crushing Hand.
This one looked good. It clearly seemed like a powerful move capable of crushing someone’s head.
“I’ll take this one,” Su Mo decided. The attendant handled the borrowing procedure for him.
At his level, he could directly borrow and take the manuals, needing only to return them by the specified date.
“Huh? Is there a fourth floor above the third? Why is there a ladder?” Su Mo suddenly noticed this oddity and asked, puzzled.
The attendant glanced at the ladder and said helplessly, “There’s a retired senior who didn’t want to leave the place he worked at his whole life, so he settled down up there.”
“Settled down?” Su Mo found this unbelievable.
Anyone who could live here was certainly no ordinary person.
Su Mo called out in that direction, “Good afternoon, Senior! Would this junior have the honor of meeting you?”
After a long moment, there was no response.
“He’s probably asleep. Elderly people sleep deeply,” the attendant said with a smile.
“Alright, seems like it’s not meant to be. I’ll see if there’s a chance to meet him next time.” Su Mo was quite interested in that senior living at the top of the Scripture Pavilion.
…
After seeing Su Mo off, the attendant returned to the third floor. He faced the ladder and spoke respectfully, “Elder Yin, do you think she can research the complete version of the Mountain and Sea Fist?”
An aged but vigorous voice, stronger than that of most young people, came from above: “This girl is exceptionally talented. To have achieved so much at such a young age suggests there is hope.”
“You think that highly of her?”
“It’s not just me. Isn’t A-Xuan the same? Otherwise, why would he specifically establish the Polaris position for her?”
“Elder Qin even took her as his disciple.”
After a long pause, there was no further sound from within. The attendant bowed respectfully and returned to his post.
…
That evening, Yang Jie gathered everyone to explain various matters concerning the upcoming training camp. Nie Yun was with him.
He was as serious as ever, and everyone listened attentively when he spoke.
“There are only fifty spots for the Prodigy Training Camp, but there are two hundred of you. Therefore, we will use periodic eliminations to screen candidates.”
“The criteria for selection are not singular. It’s not just about combat strength and talent; it also includes abilities in intelligence, reconnaissance, languages, and other aspects. The Prodigy Training Camp needs all-round elite talents, not specialists with glaring weaknesses.”
When he said this, Ye Qingyi nudged Su Mo’s arm. Su Mo looked embarrassed.
Xia Qingqing and Huo Jingshuo also simultaneously glanced at him.
Su Mo felt frustrated. So what if I’m not good at English? Is it that big a deal? Huh?
After explaining all the notices, Yang Jie introduced Nie Yun to everyone: “Elder Nie Yun, the second-in-command for this training camp. She will be responsible for applying pressure on all of you.”
Applying pressure?
The crowd was puzzled. How could someone so beautiful apply pressure?
It was relaxing for both body and mind.
However, they soon understood what Yang Jie meant by ‘applying pressure’.
It was meant literally!
Training under gravity several times stronger than normal was downright brutal.
By the time training ended at 11 PM, everyone was exhausted, thinking only of returning to take a shower, meditate, and rest.
Su Mo had just finished showering and was about to study the Skull-Crushing Hand manual when his door was knocked.
“Who is it?”
“Me.” Ye Qingyi’s voice came from outside.
Su Mo opened the door to let her in. “What’s up?”
Ye Qingyi pouted and flicked his forehead lightly. “Can’t I just come see you for no reason?”
Just as Su Mo was about to speak, he heard a gurgling sound and couldn’t help but laugh. “Hungry?”
Ye Qingyi nodded: “Starving.”
“Should we go out to eat or… okay, never mind, I get it. Let’s go!” Su Mo gestured with his chin towards the outside.
Ye Qingyi excitedly punched his arm. “You get me.”
“Ouch, stop hitting me all the time. A girl’s body is precious, you know.”
“Oh really~” Ye Qingyi wore a knowing, teasing smile and began patting and poking Su Mo randomly. “Let me see just how precious it is. I never noticed before.”
Su Mo started feeling warm under her touch and quickly swatted her hands away. “Do you want supper or not? If not, I’m going to cultivate.”
“Yes, yes, yes—” Ye Qingyi linked her arm with his. “Hehe, let’s go!”
But right after they stepped out, Wu Heng happened to be passing by, along with a chubby young man. The two were arguing about who would treat.
Su Mo didn’t know him, but remembered he was also one of the twelve selected by Yang Jie, indicating he either had an A-grade talent or C-grade cultivation.
Or possibly both, like Wu Heng.
The blush on Su Mo’s face from Ye Qingyi’s earlier teasing hadn’t fully faded, and both Wu Heng and his friend saw it.
They stopped arguing and stared at Su Mo’s face for a few seconds. Wu Heng suddenly spoke awkwardly, “Hahaha, it’s you. Long time no see.”
Su Mo touched his own face, finding it still warm. “Hahaha, didn’t we just see each other half an hour ago?”
“Hahaha, seems like it…” Wu Heng was mortified with embarrassment. He made up a random excuse and dragged the chubby boy away from the scene.
“You know him?” Ye Qingyi asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, back at the Longshan Relic. I was in the middle of that ‘Wolf Marathon’.”
“Then I know. I remember you mentioned him. His name is Wu Heng, right?”
“Correct.”
“Ah, I’m so clever! Come on, reward me.”
“Reward you, my foot…” Before Su Mo could finish his sentence, Ye Qingyi suddenly leaned in and gave his soft, pink cheek a light peck, making a soft “mwah” sound.
The corridor lighting was dim, making Su Mo’s blushing face not only adorable but also incredibly enticing.
“Hmph, you little woman. Serves you right for not listening. You deserve punishment.” As she said this, Ye Qingyi gave his pert bottom a light pat—it was surprisingly springy.