From Zhuge Yu Jin's Perspective
The door of the Zhuge clan's Ancestral Library was oak reinforced with fine silver lines, each stroke tracing ancient protective characters. There were no guards, no great formations—only a modest seal, enough to keep the curious away.
Yu Jin pushed the door open.
The scent of aged paper and old ink wrapped around him at once, mixed with the faint aroma of herbs likely placed there to ward off moths and mold. Medium-height shelves stood like soldiers in orderly ranks, each carrying bamboo scrolls, bound books, and jade boxes sealed with greater care.
Behind a low desk near the entrance, an elder watched him with eyes that seemed to have read every page there more than once. His hair was entirely white, tied into a simple bun, and his bony hands rested on a half-open bamboo scroll.
The old man's gaze lifted slowly until it met Yu Jin's. There was no hostility, but neither was there haste.
"Young Yu Jin…" the elder said, his voice low yet clear. "It is not common to see you here."
Yu Jin inclined his head slightly in respect."I received the Patriarch's permission to browse the martial techniques of the library," he said, tone firm but not arrogant. "He instructed me to take whatever I deem necessary, without restriction."
The elder remained silent for a moment, as if savoring the words before answering."Hm… the patriarch rarely grants such permission." His eyes narrowed—not in doubt, but in measure. "Very well. While you are here, follow the house rules: treat every scroll and book as if it were the last in the world."
Yu Jin nodded."Understood."
"Then go," the elder said, returning his gaze to the scroll before him. "And may you find something worthy of the weight of that permission."
With no further interruptions, Yu Jin advanced down the aisle between shelves, sensing the air shift slightly—as though even the silence itself was watching his steps.
He walked slowly along the rows, fingers brushing the edges of bamboo scrolls and book spines. He pulled one out, read the title, opened a few pages… and returned it. Did the same with another.
The words were clear, the instructions detailed… yet something in him remained unsettled. It wasn't that he didn't understand—it was that, suddenly, the ocean of options seemed larger than the time he had before the tournament.
Closing the second book, he drew a long breath."Senior…" he murmured, addressing the Subtle Pearl. "Any suggestions?"
The elder's voice echoed within his mind."Since your brother gave you permission to take whatever you need, I believe you should cover all your bases."
Yu Jin kept his eyes on the shelves, listening intently.
"Martial arts, body refinement, movement technique, and mental cultivation," the elder enumerated. "This way, you will be balanced. With your talent, you should be able to reach a median grasp of all four before the martial tournament."
There was a brief pause, then the voice sharpened with focus:"For martial arts, a saber technique will serve you, since you've taken to that blade. For body refinement and movement, look for something at least solid—it need not be the rarest, only dependable."
The voice dropped a tone, as if the elder himself glanced around before speaking:"As for mental cultivation… I wonder if you will find anything suitable. Such techniques are rarer—especially in a small city like this."
"Then let's find out," Yu Jin whispered, turning his gaze back to the shelves.
He began his search with the determination of one choosing weapons to cross a battlefield not yet formed.
The martial arts section occupied an entire wing of the library. Banners above the shelves read Sword, Saber, Spear, and Miscellaneous. He ignored all but Saber.
The first scroll he pulled bore three firm characters on its cover: Edge that Breaks the Horizon. Its description promised strikes that unleashed visible waves of Qi—but required near-suicidal bursts of energy with every execution. Yu Jin closed it and returned it.
The second, Dance of the Crescent Moon, was elegant—fluid, almost artistic—but more suited for a technical duelist. It lacked aggression, and wasn't for him.
He spent hours skimming, mentally testing each movement, until he found a humbler scroll with a leather cover darkened by time: Steel Dragon Blade.The technique prioritized precision and concentrated impact, using the saber's weight to crush enemy defenses before the fight dragged on. No flourishes, no theatrics—just strike and end.Yu Jin set it aside on a low table as a final candidate.
He moved on to the movement section.
First, Steps of the Celestial Crane: elegant, but demanded balance of Qi with wind affinity—something he lacked. Then, Trail of Shadows, which allowed the user to vanish briefly from an opponent's sight. Intriguing… but required spiritual refinement beyond his current stage.
Then he found Silent Thunder Steps.A method combining short bursts of speed with sudden directional shifts, able to confuse even faster opponents. It required little Qi and could be trained immediately. Direct, but not simplistic. Another candidate for the table.
Lastly, he went to the body refinement section.
Celestial Stone Carapace promised formidable defense but at the cost of speed. Crimson Tiger Muscles boosted explosive power, but drained energy constantly, exhausting its user in drawn-out battles.
In the bottom corner of the shelf, almost forgotten, was Dragon Bone Forge.It promised no swift, visible transformation—on the contrary, it described a slow, grueling process of tempering bones and tendons like metal repeatedly heated and quenched. But in the end, the body could endure impacts that would shatter others at the same level. Demanding… but possible. Yu Jin had endured worse.
He returned to the table, where three techniques now awaited.
Saber: Steel Dragon BladeMovement: Silent Thunder StepsBody Refinement: Dragon Bone Forge
Three techniques.Three paths that together formed a foundation solid enough for any battle—even those he could not yet foresee.
Yu Jin ran his hand over each scroll, feeling the faint warmth emanating from the ancient material.These would be his choices.
He was not merely selecting techniques.He was shaping the very foundation on which he would stand in the tournament—and perhaps far beyond it.
The mental cultivation wing was the smallest—only a narrow corridor with two shelves. The covers and scrolls looked older than the rest, and even the lantern light seemed dimmer there.
Yu Jin scanned quickly and found… only three techniques.
The first, Heart of the Serene Lake, was a method of deep meditation meant to eliminate emotional fluctuations. It promised absolute clarity, but at the cost of dulling quick reactions. Perfect for patient cultivators… terrible for one who thrived on instinct and controlled aggression.
The second, Echo of a Hundred Breaths, attuned each breath to internal Qi pulses, sharpening battlefield awareness. Impressive… but it required refined sensitivity, not his strength—not yet.
The third, Iron Calm Throne, sought to create an unshakable mind in battle, but its training demanded weeks of total isolation and exercises that dulled physical reflexes. A strong defense, yes… but again, ill-suited for his style of swift advance and relentless pressure.
He sighed and closed the last scroll.
No doubt, his brother had trained in all three—that was how he maintained that composed, immutable presence.
"None of these fit me, Senior."
The Subtle Pearl's voice resonated, serene:"Indeed, they do not. Forcing your mind into a mold misaligned with your body and cultivation would be like forging a blade in the wrong cast. Better to go without than carry useless weight."
"Then we leave this aisle empty-handed," Yu Jin said, turning back toward the central corridor.
But before he left—
A glint caught his eye.A metallic shimmer, faint, from the bottom corner of a side shelf. So discreet that two more steps would have hidden it in shadow.
Curious, Yu Jin crouched and shifted aside a stack of scrolls. The glint came from something wedged behind the shelf. He reached in carefully and pulled it free.
The object emerged covered in a thin film of dust—a dark leather-bound book with golden fittings at its corners and a wrought metal clasp. Engraved on the cover, in ancient letters, were the words: Mind of the Fire Dragon.
At his touch, a subtle yet firm pulse traveled up his arm—as if the book itself had throbbed. Flipping through the first pages, Yu Jin read:
"For those whose inner fire threatens to consume their own bodies, this technique shapes the mind like an iron ring around a volcano. It does not extinguish the flame—but contains it, even amid eruptions of pressure and instinct."
He stood in silence for a few seconds.It was different from the others. It did not seek to erase emotion or slow him down—it sought to harness aggression, keep it at the ready, without letting it devour him.
"Senior…" he murmured, almost as if confirming it to himself, "I think I've found it."