"Have you chosen the Martial Skill you need?" the Third Elder asked with squinted eyes after Ye Tian came out.
"I just picked one at random. There are too many Martial Arts Manuals inside, so I don't know which one suits me best. Besides, I could only memorize so much," Ye Tian replied, still respectful.
"It is indeed difficult to find a good Martial Arts Manual. The manuals on this first floor are all of the lowest quality.
"If you can qualify to become an Inner Sect Disciple in next month's family tournament, I will allow you to enter the second floor to choose a Martial Skill," the Third Elder said to Ye Tian, his tone mild.
Ye Tian couldn't tell if the Third Elder was encouraging him for his own good, or if his words were laced with sarcasm, implying he didn't have what it takes to become an Inner Sect Disciple.
However, Ye Tian believed it was the former. 'There are still many good people in this world,' he thought. 'Perhaps the Third Elder is one of them.'
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Third Elder! I will definitely work hard! If I am fortunate enough to become an Inner Sect Disciple, I will be sure to trouble you again!" Ye Tian said with a smile.
He then bowed to the Third Elder before slowly leaving the Martial Arts Pavilion and heading toward his residence, ready to see what kind of Martial Arts Manual Ye Feifei had given him.
Watching Ye Tian's receding figure, the Third Elder smiled to himself. 'This boy is not simple. With his calm and steady character and his hidden brilliance, he might just be a diamond in the rough!'
As soon as Ye Tian returned, he immediately shut his door. Then, with a sense of excitement, he took out the yellowed Martial Arts Manual.
He had heard from Ye Feifei that this was a Yellow-tier Middle Grade Martial Arts Manual, only one grade lower than Ye Feng's Wind-Splitting Claw. It was quite an impressive Martial Skill.
He looked closely at the title: Flowing Cloud Sword Technique! His heart skipped a beat. He remembered choosing a Body Technique in the Martial Arts Pavilion called Flowing Cloud Step, and now this Sword Technique Martial Skill was called Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. 'Could the two be related?' he wondered.
Ye Tian eagerly opened the Martial Arts Manual and began to read through it, scrutinizing every single word.
He discovered red lines underlining parts of the text, with small words written between the lines. They were likely notes and insights left by Ye Feifei or previous readers of the book.
The more Ye Tian read, the more astonished he became. The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique had seven forms in total, and it perfectly complemented the Flowing Cloud Step he had read earlier. The two were a perfect match.
Before long, Ye Tian had finished reading. However, a huge question arose in his mind. The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique had seven forms, but the manual only recorded the first four. The last few pages were so blurry that he couldn't make out what was written at all.
One page, in particular, had a note written on it: 'It is a great pity that the pages of this Martial Skill are unclear. If one could fully cultivate this Martial Skill, its power would be no weaker than a high-tier Martial Skill of the Profound-tier Middle Grade.'
In other words, the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique was actually Profound-tier Middle Grade. Its rank had only been lowered because the last three forms were impossible to cultivate.
Needless to say, the last three forms must be even more powerful. At its current grade, it was, as Ye Feifei had said, Yellow-tier Middle Grade, which was still quite good.
Ye Tian possessed a photographic memory, so he quickly committed the contents of the Sword Technique to heart, paying special attention to the underlined sections and annotations.
With these notes and insights, mastering the Sword Technique would be much easier. From the bottom of his heart, Ye Tian thanked Ye Feifei for her help.
'I've finished reading the Sword Technique,' Ye Tian muttered to himself. 'Now all I need is a suitable sword. A proper sword is too expensive, so it looks like I'll have to go to the market and buy a wooden sword as a temporary substitute.'
Within the family, every disciple received a monthly stipend, but the stipend for Outer Disciples was very small. In all his time here, Ye Tian had only managed to save a little over ten Lower Grade Spirit Stones.
On the Celestial Dragon Continent, the common currency was Spirit Stones. Spirit Stones were a type of Crystal Stone that contained immense Energy, which could be directly absorbed to increase one's Cultivation.
Spirit Stones were divided into Lower Grade, Middle Grade, Top-Grade, and Top Grade. The exchange rate between each tier was one hundred to one. In other words, one hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones could be exchanged for one Middle Grade Spirit Stone.
Ye Tian took all his worldly possessions with him, left his room, and headed for the market. Along the way, he met many family disciples who gave him astonished looks. They couldn't understand how his injuries could have healed so quickly; he was practically bursting with energy. Their hushed discussions followed in his wake.
The market in Lisha City was extremely lively, so crowded it was practically overflowing with people. The streets bustled with traffic and endless streams of pedestrians, and the continuous shouts of vendors on both sides of the road made it exceptionally bustling.
Ye Tian knew that Lisha City was a place of hidden masters. There were three great families in Lisha City: the Ye Family was one, and the other two were the Zhao Family and the Qin Family.
For years, the three families had appeared to be at peace on the surface, but in reality, their clandestine struggles had never ceased for a single day. If that balance were ever broken, the whole of Lisha City would be thrown into turmoil.
In all the time Ye Tian had been in Lisha City, this was arguably the first time he had ever entered the market to buy something. He was usually busy with his cultivation, and with so few Spirit Stones, he never dared to entertain such an extravagant idea.
To buy a wooden sword, his only option was the street-side stalls. The goods sold by stall vendors were much cheaper than those in shops. People without many Spirit Stones generally preferred to browse the stalls, because you could sometimes find good items there.
Ye Tian walked slowly through the crowded throng. Many of the vendors' stalls were surrounded by people, but he didn't want to join the hustle and bustle. He wanted to find a less crowded spot to look around. After all, with his few Spirit Stones, he was in no position to compete with anyone.
After a short while, he saw a vendor with not a single person at his stall. What's more, many people who approached his stall gave it a wide berth, which Ye Tian found very strange.
He walked over, but before he even got close, a foul odor stopped him in his tracks. Now he understood why no one was crowding around to buy things from this vendor.
The stench alone was enough to drive everyone away. Who would stick around to buy his wares?
Ye Tian had also been about to leave as quickly as possible, but then he saw a pitch-black longsword displayed at the vendor's stall. He decided to try his luck and see if there was a chance.
Since no one was buying the man's things, perhaps the price would be relatively cheap. If he could manage to buy a real sword, it would be far better than a wooden sword.
Ye Tian slowly approached, forcing himself to endure the foul smell. 'If this guy's price is too high,' he thought, 'I'll turn around and leave immediately.'
When he got closer, he glanced at the vendor and saw that it was an old man with graying hair. His clothes were covered in grease stains and his hair was a tangled mess. He looked as if he couldn't take care of himself; no wonder he gave off such an unbearable stench.
Ye Tian looked at the old man, and the old man looked back at him. Their eyes met for a moment.
Ye Tian noticed that the old man's eyes were exceptionally clear, not at all like those of someone his age. 'That's strange,' he thought.
"Sir! How much is this sword? I'm looking to buy one!" Ye Tian didn't want to waste time, so he got straight to the point; he really couldn't stand the smell any longer.
The old man, however, completely ignored him, as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Ye Tian thought that perhaps the old man was hard of hearing due to his age, so he raised his voice and repeated himself.
This time, the old man reacted. He glared at Ye Tian and said, "Kid, what are you yelling for? I'm not deaf. You can't afford this sword, so get lost!"
Ye Tian was now a bit frustrated. He hadn't expected a filthy old man to be so condescending. He had endured the man's foul stench to buy something, only to be treated like this. He really wanted to let his anger fly.
However, he quickly suppressed his anger. "Sir, may I ask how many Spirit Stones you're asking for this sword?"