chsdbacks Chapter 107 Wenyuan Pavilion
Chapter 107 Wenyuan Pavilion
The next day, Lin Yan left early and headed to Wenyuan Pavilion.
Wenyuan Pavilion is located in the southeast corner of the capital, next to the Hanlin Academy. Lin Yan stood in front of the gate and looked up at the three large characters "Wenyuan Pavilion" on the lintel.
The characters are vigorous and powerful, with a sense of true energy flowing between the strokes. It is said that this was written by Li Jianxuan, the founding emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty, and it has been hanging here for more than 500 years.
There were no guards at the gate, not even a doorman.
As Lin Yan pushed open the door, a musty smell of old books wafted out, a mixture of the scent of paper, ink, and rotten wood. The first floor was a spacious hall, with sandalwood bookshelves inlaid on the walls, neatly stacked with all sorts of classic books.
In the center of the hall stands a stone tablet about ten feet tall, inscribed with the four characters "文以载道" (literature carries the way).
Behind the stone tablet is a spiral wooden staircase leading to higher floors.
Lin Yan sensed the hall and found that the first floor mainly contained literary classics, not cultivation manuals, so he decided to go upstairs to take a look.
Just as I was about to take a step, I suddenly froze.
Something pressed down on my head.
The air became thick, and Lin Yan felt it becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.
He subconsciously tried to relieve the pressure by circulating his internal energy, but found that both the internal energy and spiritual energy in his dantian were frozen and remained motionless.
Throughout his cultivation journey, he has encountered many powerful figures, but only one has given him this feeling: Elder Liu Xuan of the Taiqing Palace's Enforcement Hall.
Under such terrifying pressure, Lin Yan felt like an ant under the sky, his bones creaking under the weight. He gritted his teeth and looked up at the rooftop.
"This junior, Lin Yan, has come to Wenyuan Pavilion on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince to request a cultivation technique. I humbly request permission from the Pavilion Master."
His voice echoed in the empty hall, but no one answered him.
Lin Yan suddenly felt as if someone was watching him. The entire Wenyuan Pavilion seemed to come alive, with every blue brick and every book turning into eyes, all staring at him.
Lin Yan remained in a bowing posture, not daring to move an inch.
The next instant, an invisible force poured into his head, entered through the Baihui acupoint, and continued down his spine, finally splitting into two streams, one flowing into his dantian and the other into his sea of consciousness.
He felt as if he were a piece of meat on a chopping board, being cut open piece by piece by the butcher according to his body parts. The width of his meridians, the size of his dantian, the flow of his true qi, the circulation of his spiritual qi... everything was laid bare before him.
Lin Yan was stiff all over and dared not move.
He had a gut feeling that if he resisted this force, or even just had the thought of resisting, this force could instantly turn his mind upside down and twist his meridians into a pretzel.
This is the fifth realm of martial arts, the Innate Realm.
The path of martial arts cultivation involves four stages: body tempering, true qi, continuous breathing, and qi transformation. No matter how strong one becomes in the first four stages, one is still ultimately just a mortal.
Upon reaching the fifth rank of martial arts, one will undergo a complete transformation, shedding their mortal form and attaining the so-called innate realm.
Although there is only one minor realm separating the fourth and fifth ranks, it is an insurmountable chasm.
As the saying goes, there is a difference between immortals and mortals. For ordinary people to cross this insurmountable barrier is even more difficult than climbing to heaven.
That power circulated within his body for a full ten breaths before disappearing.
An aged voice echoed from all directions, "You just said, who sent you?"
"Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Lin Yan took out the Wen Yuan token from his pocket and respectfully held it above his head with both hands.
I felt a cool breeze pass by, and the token in my hand vanished without a trace.
A moment of silence.
"Zhengxin is quite generous, actually giving the Wenyuan Token to a mere second-rank nobody. What's your name?"
"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, Lin Yan."
"Hmm... to be at the peak of true qi at this age, and to be a dual cultivator of spirit and body, that's not easy." The voice paused, then continued, "Your sea of consciousness also far surpasses that of other cultivators at the same level, that's quite interesting."
Lin Yan was startled. The sea of consciousness is the foundation of spiritual cultivation. The size of the sea of consciousness determines the speed of casting spiritual spells and the upper limit of spiritual power. Lin Yan himself did not know that his sea of consciousness was larger than that of cultivators of the same level. After the Wen Yuan Pavilion Master said this, Lin Yan suddenly wondered if this was caused by the skill panel in his sea of consciousness. If so, had the skill panel also been discovered?
But the voice didn't continue speaking, and Lin Yan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Since you have the Wenyuan Token, you can choose your cultivation method here. However, with your current cultivation level, the second floor is sufficient. But... you cultivate both spirit and body, and you have already broken through the limits. Go to the third floor."
Lin Yan clasped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Pavilion Master."
"After you've made your selection, come to the fifth floor and have me make a copy. Remember, you can only choose one."
The sound disappeared, and the feeling of being watched and oppressed gradually faded away. Lin Yan took a deep breath and found that his legs were a little weak. He held onto the bookshelf for a while before walking up the wooden stairs.
Many yellowed portraits hang on the walls on both sides of the wooden stairs. The people in the paintings are standing or sitting in different postures, but without exception they are all wearing golden dragon robes. These are the emperors of the Great Yan Dynasty.
Lin Yan noticed one of the portraits, with the words "Li Chengji, the King of Yan Wulie" written below it in small characters. Isn't this the current emperor?
The person in the portrait is very young, looking to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He has a handsome face, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and the corners of his mouth are slightly upturned. He exudes a youthful arrogance.
But strangely, his eyes in the portrait lacked any sparkle, appearing empty and unsettling.
Lin Yan withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards the third floor.
The third floor is much smaller than the first floor, with only two rows of tall bookshelves.
Lin Yan started reading slowly from one end of the bookshelf.
Each cultivation technique is preceded by a jade tablet, which indicates the technique's name, rank, and related cultivation conditions.
Next to the jade tablet were the original manuals of the cultivation techniques, some in thin booklets, some in bamboo slips, and some even just a roll of yellowed parchment.
The Seven Killing Blades of Breaking Army requires a cultivation level of Rank 2 or above. It is extremely powerful in killing intent, and cultivators need to have an extremely strong will, otherwise they are easily devoured by the killing intent.
Lin Yan glanced at it a few more times. His Zhenyue Saber was indeed lacking a decent saber technique to complement it, and this was something he could consider.
"Treading Snow Without Leaving a Trace" requires a cultivation level of Rank 3 or higher and is activated by spiritual energy. One step can cover a hundred feet, leaving no trace in the snow.
Lin Yan shook his head. His spiritual cultivation was still far from the third rank, so he couldn't cultivate any further. Next one.
The Great Evolution Body Refining Technique requires dual cultivation of spirit and body; upon mastery, the physical body is comparable to a profound treasure.
Lin Yan carefully flipped through the booklet. The cultivation method was too radical. Every tempering was a gamble with one's life. The slightest carelessness would result in the rupture of meridians.
Put it back and continue watching.