The Chu Family’s Book Repository was located deep within the estate. As one of Flowing Cloud City’s Five Great Families, the Chu’s library pavilion was quite respectable.
It was a square, stone-built tower, surrounded by dozens of Chu Family guards standing motionless. Two of them were stationed at the entrance, both looking quite formidable—this was Evan Chu’s first impression.
"Second Young Master!"
When Evan Chu reached the entrance, the two guards at the door greeted him coolly. Evan nodded and prepared to head straight inside.
"Second Young Master, please present your authorization or token!" one of the guards said, blocking Evan’s way.
Evan took out the token Dominic Chu had given him and smiled, "Take a good look—this is the token my father gave me. I can go in now, right?"
The guard took the token and inspected it closely, then returned it and said, "The token is genuine. Please proceed, Second Young Master."
With their faces full of confusion, Evan strode into the Book Repository.
"Huh? What’s Second Young Master doing at the Book Repository? Is he here to pick out a martial technique?"
"Yeah, you can’t even train in martial techniques unless you’ve reached at least the third level of the Xuanwu Realm. Did he break through? Wasn’t he stuck at the first level for two years straight?"
"Who knows, maybe he finally had a breakthrough. Since he has the patriarch's token, we just have to let him in!"
"Just mind our own business and stand guard. If anyone finds out we're chatting, we'll get chewed out again!"
After a few words, the two guards resumed their motionless post.
The first thing Evan saw upon entering the Book Repository was a bookshelf lined with many books. He knew some were martial techniques, others were reference materials.
The Book Repository had two floors. The first floor mostly held the lowest grade martial arts—like the Cloud-Parting Palm Ryan Chu practiced—which were chosen from here. The second floor had much better techniques, but getting upstairs wasn’t easy.
Without the strength of sixth-level Xuanwu Realm, you can't enter the second floor. At the entrance between the first and second floors, there's a power switch you must activate to go upstairs.
The instructions are written clearly next to the power switch: you must strike it with enough stellar force, and the second-floor door will open automatically. One warning in particular keeps many disciples from trying.
"Anyone without sixth-level Xuanwu strength must not strike the power switch. The backlash is enormous; any injuries are your own responsibility."
Evan really wanted to check out the second floor, but he was nowhere near sixth-level Xuanwu. Besides, after fighting Ryan Chu earlier, the star power in his dantian was already completely drained.
"Kid, don’t be impatient. First see if there’s anything suitable on this floor. Once you’ve mastered it, then you can head upstairs. These techniques may be trash, but at your current level, they’re still very useful." The Sword Spirit’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
Evan was still wondering how to get upstairs when the Sword Spirit’s voice startled him. "Damn it, can’t you give a warning before popping up next time?"
"Not interested. I’ll show up when I need to." The Sword Spirit wasn’t offended; it already understood Evan’s temperament well.
"How long are you planning to talk to me today?" Evan asked. He’d always wondered why the Sword Spirit appeared in his mind.
"Kid, I know exactly what you’re thinking. There’s a reason I chose you. My appearing in your mind is a huge blessing."
"It’s not the right time for you to know all this yet—it’d just stress you out. Just remember: I’m only here for your benefit! I want nothing in return."
The Sword Spirit directly spoke Evan’s thoughts aloud, leaving him frozen by the bookshelf for a long moment.
There were plenty of books on the shelves, but not many actual martial arts manuals. After searching for a while, Evan only found about ten, all Yellow-tier, lower-grade techniques—including the Cloud-Parting Palm Ryan practiced.
Evan thought Cloud-Parting Palm was mediocre and not worth learning. After a long search, he finally picked a finger technique called Phantom Shadow Finger.
What drew him to this technique was a single line in the introduction: Phantom Shadow Finger strikes without sound or trace, and once mastered, can unleash earth-shattering power.
If it could shatter stone, it had to be powerful—especially since the silent nature suited him best. Catching someone off guard with Phantom Shadow Finger was the perfect ambush move.
You couldn’t take martial arts manuals out of the Book Repository—you had to memorize them. Evan was smart; after reading twice, he had the contents down cold. He wasn’t a photographic genius, but that was impressive enough.
After memorizing the Phantom Shadow Finger technique, Evan left the Book Repository satisfied. With no star power, he couldn’t reach the second floor anyway; best to go back and practice Phantom Shadow Finger.
The two guards who saw him leave were confused. "How did that loser come out so fast? Did he already pick a technique?"
"Use your head. There aren’t many techniques on the first floor, and he doesn’t have the strength for the second. Even a genius can’t memorize a whole manual in less than an hour."
"Most likely he gave up when he realized how hard it was."
Evan ignored the guards and went straight back to his room, shutting the door behind him. He was eager to practice Phantom Shadow Finger—his first real martial technique—and felt a surge of excitement.
Learning Phantom Shadow Finger was surprisingly easy for Evan. Once he memorized the method, it felt as if he could use it already—like he’d mastered it instinctively.
Phantom Shadow Finger is a technique where you channel spiritual power or star force into your finger and release it in an instant, like a hidden arrow that injures without being seen.
It sounds simple, but it’s actually very difficult. Even though it’s only a Yellow-tier, lower-grade technique, many clan disciples can’t manage it at all.
It’s easy enough to channel power into your finger, but actually firing it out is much harder.
Even those who do manage to use Phantom Shadow Finger find the power pitifully weak—nothing like the ‘earth-shattering’ effect promised. Most people think it’s a useless technique.
Following the method in his mind, Evan quickly channeled his spiritual power into his finger and tapped repeatedly.
Invisible blasts of finger force shot toward the table, but they weren’t very strong, leaving only shallow marks on the surface.
'Why is it like this? Is my spiritual power too weak, or am I missing something?' Evan wondered, staring at the faint marks on the table.
'Kid, you should be proud—most people can’t do this even after days or months of practice.' The Sword Spirit said in Evan’s mind.
'Don’t comfort me! What’s the point of such weak attacks? I know you have a way—just tell me! I need to get stronger and master this technique!'
To Evan, the Sword Spirit seemed like a know-it-all—there was nothing it didn’t know.
'I knew you’d say that. What’s in it for me?'
'What’s in it for you? Are you kidding? You want to bargain with me? Don’t you want me to get stronger?' Evan roared.
'You win!' The Sword Spirit was speechless. Faced with Evan’s stinginess, it could only give in.
'Martial techniques come in two kinds: those powered by spiritual force and those powered by star force. If your spiritual power is strong enough, even a Yellow-tier technique can hit as hard as a Profound-tier or Earth-tier art.'
'But using spiritual power burns through energy fast. Most people avoid it.'