Ah, the choice of a secret manual—whether the carp can leap the Dragon Gate hinges entirely on this moment. －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ The day after their initiation, several strapping youths in embroidered silks, leading all forty-odd children, escorted them to a standalone, three-story pavilion within the Herb Gathering Hall’s compound: the "Scripture Repository."

The first floor of the Repository housed numerous books on herbs, medicinal materials, and pharmaceuticals, available for borrowing by hall disciples. The second floor served as the guard post, manned by eleven of the hall’s top young masters. The third floor was the Manual Chamber, storing up to a thousand different manuals for saber techniques, swordplay, external martial arts, and internal cultivation methods—all strictly guarded.

The Medicine King Sect was a highly respected faction within the martial world of Pingzhou, boasting centuries of heritage. They had always maintained a stance of neutrality, striving to avoid entanglement in Jianghu disputes. Crucially, from its inception, the sect possessed no inherited martial arts manuals; it was purely an organization focused on medicinal herbs.

Because the Medicine King Sect’s primary business was gathering and refining herbs, they built their foundation on rare ingredients. They frequently traded precious medicines with smaller martial arts factions across the Jianghu in exchange for cultivation techniques and manuals.

Faced with a choice between life-saving medicine and martial arts secrets, these smaller factions were compelled to hand over their manuals. Although the majority of these acquired texts were low-grade training routines, not particularly precious, over the centuries, the sheer volume of martial arts techniques and incantations accumulated by the Medicine King Sect was enough to form a small mountain; they lacked for nothing in terms of combat lore.

Just in the Scripture Repository of the Herb Gathering Hall in Zhuqi County, there were hundreds of introductory manuals available for the novice gathering apprentices to choose from, along with several hundred more mid- and high-level martial arts manuals—a quantity that was somewhat staggering.

One must realize that other minor factions might be content with just a handful, or perhaps a dozen, manuals. Even the major sects and organizations in Pingzhou rarely possessed more than a few hundred manuals in total; they could never compare to the almost absurd abundance held by the Medicine King Sect.

The abundance of manuals did not equate to inherent strength for the Medicine King Sect.

Out of the hundreds upon hundreds of factions large and small in Pingzhou, the Medicine King Sect had consistently ranked as the fifth largest for a long time, never once breaking into the top three. The reason was simple: the sect’s manuals were too disorganized, so much so that masters often didn't know what techniques their disciples were practicing, and disciples were often unaware of their master's chosen path. Masters could offer little guidance, and disciples were largely left to teach themselves.

Take Master Wang the Herb Gatherer, for example. He cultivated an external martial art called Eagle Claw Technique, giving him formidable hand skills. Yet, Ye Qin and the other four apprentices had to enter the Manual Chamber alone to select a technique, independent of whatever Master Wang practiced. If the five of them chose external arts, Master Wang could offer some pointers on technique; but if they opted for internal cultivation, he was utterly incapable of offering in-depth instruction.

Fortunately, the Medicine King Sect’s main focus remained herb gathering and preparation. They maintained extensive, broad connections with the vast majority of martial arts factions across Pingzhou. Their relative weakness in martial arts proficiency did not impede their status as a major regional power. In the Pingzhou Jianghu, the Medicine King Sect was known for the sheer complexity and variety of its skills; other factions could never predict what techniques a Medicine King disciple might employ, making them hesitant to provoke conflict lightly.

On the second floor of the Herb Gathering Hall’s Scripture Repository.

The young men in embroidered silks led the throng of children up to the second floor.

They found the vast main hall of the second floor completely empty save for eleven cushions spread across the expansive space. On each cushion sat a stern-faced youth, cross-legged, cultivating internal energy with closed eyes. Before each of them rested a sharpened weapon—sometimes a sword, sometimes a saber.

The arrival of the escorting youths and the large group of children disturbed the eleven practitioners.

The young men escorting the new arrivals gazed with a mixture of envy and awe at the eleven young men. These guards appeared to be between twenty and thirty years old, each bearing an icy demeanor. They were early disciples of the Herb Gathering Hall, core apprentices—direct disciples of the Hall Master, Deputy Hall Master, or Elders—now secluded in practice within the Repository, their status far beyond that of ordinary disciples. The leader, in particular, was the direct disciple of Hall Master Li, possessing exceptional martial talent.

Ye Qin peered around curiously, taking in the empty expanse of the second floor. Unaware of the identities of the eleven young men guarding the area, he felt no fear. However, the heavy, almost oppressive atmosphere kept him silent.

One of the youths in embroidered silks stepped forward respectfully and bowed to the lead young man: “Senior Brother Xie Yun, the forty-odd newly enrolled gathering apprentices and refining apprentices are all here. Deputy Hall Master Ji instructed us to bring them. We request Senior Brother Xie Yun to select the secret manuals for them to begin their martial training.” Having spoken, he retreated.

In the center of the hall, the lead figure, a tall and slender young man, finally opened his eyes. He nodded to the escorting youth, then rose, sweeping his gaze over the children. He spoke with detached indifference: “My name is Xie Yun. You will address me as Senior Brother from now on. The rules of our Herb Gathering Hall state that each gathering apprentice is permitted to select only one low-grade martial arts manual to take from the Manual Chamber; no extras. Refining apprentices may choose two low-grade cultivation manuals. All apprentices must only practice the manuals they select. Discovery of unauthorized practice of another’s manual will result in severe punishment.”

Ye Qin blinked slightly. Why did the refining apprentices from the inner hall get to choose one more technique than the gathering apprentices from the outer hall? Didn't that mean they were getting the worse deal?

The assembly of green-clad apprentices glared at the five white-clad apprentices. The five in white remained utterly unafraid, holding their heads high, clearly proclaiming: We get one extra technique than you; what are you going to do about it? Want to fight? Bring it on; we fear no one!

If not for the presence of the escorting youths and the senior guards, a brawl would likely have erupted on the spot.

Yang Yicheng, Feng Xiao, and the others also secretly curled their lips and muttered curses under their breath, deeply aggrieved. They began quietly plotting with the other fearless gathering apprentices about when they would rough up those arrogant fellows to vent their frustration.

After announcing the rules, the lead young guard led them to the third floor and opened the door to the Manual Chamber.

Ye Qin had already quietly squeezed to the very front, securing a prime spot. The moment the door opened, he, along with the other children, rushed in to claim their selections.

The other apprentices disregarded their disputes and hurried in as well. After all, securing the manuals in hand was the real priority; they couldn't let the others snatch all the good ones.

The third-floor Manual Chamber was vast, containing three massive rows of bookshelves filling the inner room. The shelves were crammed full of books, many coated in a thick layer of dust. The first row held low-grade cultivation manuals. The second row housed mid-grade manuals. The third row contained high-grade manuals. Supreme or ultimate secret techniques were not kept in this area.

Ye Qin frantically searched the first row of shelves, hoping to find a decent manual. However, when he picked up a low-grade text, he was utterly stumped. He couldn't decipher a single character on the page. Flipping through the book, his mind was a complete blank—how was he supposed to judge if the manual was good or bad, or what he would actually be cultivating?

Anxiety tightened in Ye Qin’s chest. He glanced back at the situation of the other apprentices.

Most of the green-clad apprentices were in the same boat as him, clutching one or two low-grade manuals, staring blankly. Most came from farming backgrounds and had never been schooled; they couldn't read a word.

The five white-clad apprentices were smugly reading the characters in their manuals. They either came from established families or had connections that allowed them entry into the inner hall, meaning they had some literacy, even if limited—enough to understand what the manuals detailed.

The young guards had anticipated this exact scenario. One of their roles, aside from guarding the Chamber, was to help these clueless novice apprentices select their training material.

The young guard stepped inside, his face stern, and pointed to the bookshelves, calmly explaining the categories of manuals housed there.

“All manuals here are categorized: Saber Techniques, Swordplay, Spear Arts, Archery… Weaponry, Movement Skills, External Arts, Internal Arts, and Mixed Cultivation. This repository holds nearly every type of martial art manual found in the Jianghu. Tell me what category of cultivation you wish to pursue, and I can recommend specific techniques for the group.”

His explanation was thorough, suggesting he possessed intimate knowledge of almost every manual stored within.