The awe of Brother Kai and the guards was a fleeting thing, a ripple on the surface of Li Yu's new reality. He left them to marvel at the revived Lunar-Tide Clams, his mind already leagues away from the grotto. The monumental breakthrough had left him with a body thrumming with an almost uncomfortable level of power. He was a divine weapon without a wielder, a dormant volcano on the verge of a catastrophic eruption. The chasm between his raw physical and spiritual power and his actual combat ability was no longer just a weakness; it was a critical, life-threatening vulnerability.
His silver medallion, once a simple symbol of status, now felt like a key. He bypassed his quiet courtyard on Azure Cloud Peak and headed directly for the grandest, most imposing structure in the inner sect: the Myriad Tomes Pavilion, the main library of the Green Mountain Sect.
It was a magnificent, nine-story octagonal tower, built from a lustrous, dark wood that seemed to absorb the very light of the sun. Intricate carvings of celestial beasts and profound runes adorned its walls, and a palpable aura of ancient knowledge and scholarly silence emanated from it, a stark contrast to the vibrant, living energy of the rest of the sect. Disciples came and went from its grand entrance, their expressions a mixture of reverence and scholarly focus.
Li Yu walked up the white stone steps, his simple robes marking him as a new face. The two inner disciples guarding the entrance, both at the Qi Condensation Realm, moved to block his path, their eyes cold and questioning. Before they could speak, Li Yu presented his silver token.
The disciples' eyes widened in surprise as they saw the crane emblem of a personal disciple. Their cold demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by a respectful deference. "Greetings, Junior Brother," one of them said, bowing slightly. "The first three floors are open to you. Please, enter."
Li Yu nodded and stepped inside. The interior was even more impressive than the outside. The first floor was a vast, circular chamber, the walls lined from floor to ceiling with endless rows of scrolls and books. The air smelled of old paper, dried ink, and the faint, calming scent of scholarly incense. Disciples were scattered throughout, some reading at large wooden tables, others browsing the shelves with intense concentration. A profound silence, enforced by a powerful formation, made every soft footstep and rustle of paper echo in the cavernous space.
He ignored the crowded tables and the main sections. He knew what he was looking for, and it wouldn't be found in the popular, well-trodden aisles. He was not here to find the flashiest or most famous techniques. He was here to find an arsenal that suited his unique foundation, one that could be practiced in the shadows and unleashed with lethal efficiency.
His first priority was a movement technique. Evasion and positioning were the cornerstones of survival. He bypassed the sections on swift, wind-based arts and explosive, fire-based steps. They were too conspicuous, too reliant on dramatic bursts of Qi. He found what he was looking for in a dusty, neglected corner dedicated to water-attribute arts. The scroll was old, its title simple: «Rippling Shadow Step».
He unrolled it and began to read. It was not a technique focused on raw speed. Instead, it was an art of profound subtlety. It taught the user to move in a fluid, unpredictable manner, to shift their center of gravity like a current in a river, making their movements difficult to track and their trajectory impossible to predict. It emphasized conservation of energy and seamless transitions between offense and defense. More importantly, its practice was quiet and internal, a matter of understanding flow and momentum rather than explosive power. It was perfect. A master of this art wouldn't be the fastest on the battlefield, but they would be the most elusive, a ghost in the water.
Next, he sought a defensive art. His «Abyssal Leviathan Physique» was his ultimate shield, but he needed a method to actively channel its resilience. He found a section dedicated to body reinforcement techniques. Most were domineering arts that involved creating shields of light or covering the body in a shell of Qi—all highly visible. He searched for something more subtle. Tucked away behind a scroll on a common "Iron Bones" technique, he found a set of thin, bamboo slips titled «Tidal Aegis Art».
The art was unconventional. It didn't create an external barrier. Instead, it was an internal defense method that treated the user's body like the ocean. It taught how to circulate Qi in deep, spiraling currents beneath the skin, allowing one's muscles, bones, and even organs to yield and disperse the force of an impact, rather than meeting it head-on. A punch that would shatter a stone wall would be received by a practitioner of the Tidal Aegis Art like a rock thrown into the sea—the surface would ripple, the energy would be absorbed into the depths, and the ocean itself would remain unharmed. It was an invisible defense, a perfect complement to his Leviathan Bone and Kraken's Heart.
Finally, he needed an offensive technique. This was the most critical choice. He had the strength of a monster, but he wielded it with the clumsiness of a child. He avoided the elegant sword arts, the domineering spear techniques, and the complex saber forms. They required years of open, dedicated practice and specific weapons he did not possess. He needed something that channeled his raw, physical power directly.
He found it on the second floor, in a section dedicated to unarmed combat. The scroll was unassuming, bound in simple blue silk. The name was simple, yet carried an immense weight: «Deep-River Seal».
It was not a fist art or a palm art in the traditional sense. It was a technique that focused on the application of heavy, crushing force. It taught only three "seals," or hand positions, but each one was a profound application of power. The first seal, the 'Crushing Current,' was a direct palm strike designed to transfer a massive, concussive wave of Qi and physical force deep into a target, shattering them from the inside out. The second, the 'Vortex Grip,' was a grappling technique that used spiraling Qi to lock onto an opponent, capable of crushing bone and tearing ligaments. The third and final seal, the 'Abyssal Tide,' was a two-handed strike that gathered all of the user's power into a single, overwhelming blow, described in the text as being able to "stop a charging bull-drake in its tracks."
The technique was not flashy. It had no dazzling lights or explosive sounds. It was pure, condensed, and utterly brutal power. It was the perfect expression of his Tenth Stage Body Tempering Qi and his monstrous physique. It was a technique for a leviathan.
With his three chosen techniques in hand—«Rippling Shadow Step», «Tidal Aegis Art», and «Deep-River Seal»—Li Yu went to the front counter to register them. The librarian was a wizened old elder who seemed to be half-asleep, his head nodding over a thick book. He took Li Yu's token, scanned the three scrolls with a lazy glance, and made a note in his ledger.
"Water-attribute movement, internal defense, and a heavy force art," the elder mumbled, his eyes barely open. "A solid, if unremarkable, choice for a new disciple. Practical. Good."
Li Yu's heart soared. Unremarkable. It was the most beautiful word he had ever heard. His choices were so practical, so devoid of flash, that they hadn't even raised an eyebrow. He had acquired his arsenal completely under the radar.
He bowed respectfully to the elder and left the Myriad Tomes Pavilion, his steps light. He returned to his pagoda at the Azure Serpent Lake as the sun began to set, the three scrolls held tightly in his hands. He stood on his balcony, looking out at the dark, placid water of the lake, a mirror of the deep, silent power that now resided within him.
His foundation was laid. His body was forged. His arsenal was chosen.
The time for quiet accumulation was over. The time for honing his power, for sharpening his claws and fangs in the darkness, had begun. He would practice these arts in the dead of night, his only witnesses the ancient beasts in the abyss below. He would turn the clumsy strength of a monster into the lethal, efficient grace of a true predator. The hidden cultivator was finally ready to learn how to hunt.