Tucking the Zixia Secret Manual away, Ye Wen habitually kept it close to his body. Over breakfast, he didn't tell Ning Ruxue or Xu Xian that he had acquired a new martial art. He merely stated, "I feel an internal breakthrough today, a sudden enlightenment. I plan to enter secluded cultivation for a period to study martial arts."

Ning Ruxue didn't doubt him; she had grown accustomed to Ye Wen's 'sudden enlightenment.' She never knew where her Senior Brother conjured up so much inspiration. Especially after practicing the Heavenly Net Takedown Stance, her power had soared daily, yet this was merely an idea for a martial art that her Senior Brother hadn't truly dedicated effort to studying.

On this point, she couldn't help but admire her Senior Brother, even musing inwardly, Perhaps reading miscellaneous books helps in creating martial arts?

Of course, she wouldn't say it aloud. She wouldn't press him further about creating new techniques. She knew her Senior Brother well enough; if something was suitable for her or Xu Xian to practice, he wouldn't keep it secret.

These were Ning Ruxue's thoughts. Compared to her, Xu Xian, who lacked even more martial knowledge, was even less concerned. He simply laughed and teased, "Senior Brother is practically the Martial Arts Grandmaster of our Mount Shu Sect. Every single technique comes from your hand. I think you're far more formidable than our sect's founder."

These past few days, Xu Xian had learned that the Mount Shu Sect's foundation wasn't impressive. Its current complete martial arts system was all thanks to this Junior Martial Uncle, who was younger than him. Thus, his admiration for Ye Wen grew—didn't the storytellers say that those who could create martial arts were true masters? Undeniably, Ye Wen was such a master in his eyes.

Regarding his words, although Ning Ruxue wanted to refute them, the words caught in her throat, realizing she had no grounds to argue. She understood Mount Shu's situation far better than Xu Xian did. Without Ye Wen's stream of martial arts, where would Mount Shu have the capital to accept disciples? Where would they find the resources to establish an Outer Sect? Now, those Outer Sect disciples were cheerful, entirely unconcerned that they weren't official members, showing no inclination to leave Mount Shu.

Frankly, it was because staying at Mount Shu meant access to better martial arts. But if the sect didn't possess sufficiently excellent techniques, how could they share some with the Outer Sect disciples?

Never mind the Five Tiger Gate-Slicing Saber that had been taught for a while; she herself had learned some of the Pine Wind Sword Style, and Xu Xian had learned some too. In terms of subtlety, it might not match the Jade Maiden Sword Style, but in terms of power, it couldn't be much weaker. Such a formidable sword style, Ye Wen casually offered to teach the Outer Sect disciples—such magnanimity was rare.

Precisely because of Ye Wen's generous actions, the Outer Sect disciples became increasingly reluctant to leave the sect. Their reasoning was simple: a sect willing to share such excellent martial arts must be incredibly powerful. If I were accepted into the inner circle as an official disciple, wouldn't I learn even better skills?

This simple thought maintained the Outer Sect disciples' loyalty to Mount Shu at a very safe level.

Ning Ruxue didn't grasp these nuances; it stemmed from her upbringing and limited exposure. But for Ye Wen, these principles were mere common knowledge from his original world, nothing surprising.

After finishing breakfast, Ye Wen sipped his tea and spoke to his junior brother and sister: "The other day, I was practicing my Qinggong on the cliff face behind the mountain. I accidentally climbed up and discovered a secluded valley—a hidden sanctuary."

Xu Xian's interest flared immediately. As a scholar who dreamed of the Jianghu world, he always yearned for such things: "Senior Brother, did you have some kind of fortuitous encounter?"

Ye Wen nearly choked on his tea. Ning Ruxue teased, "What so many fortuitous encounters? Junior Brother, do you think encounters are like cabbages sold on the street?"

Xu Xian retorted, "But isn't that what the storytellers always say..."

In this era, few things offered entertainment. Listening to storytellers in tea houses and taverns was extremely popular. Many storytellers wove tales set in the martial world, and many common folk conjured up the Jianghu in their minds based on these stories—Xu Xian was one of them.

"Those are all fabricated tales to cheat people out of money, Junior Brother. Don't take them seriously..."

Unexpectedly, before he could finish, Senior Brother Ye Wen coughed and said, "If you talk about fortuitous encounters, I did run into a few."

The words made Ning Ruxue sputter, and Xu Xian's eyes shone: "Senior Brother, what did you encounter? Was it a rare heavenly treasure or the legacy of an ancient master?"

Ye Wen first shook his head, then paused before nodding: "I suppose they count as heavenly treasures?" He pulled out the six small Hancao Fruits from his robes, explaining, "I found these six Hancao Fruits in that secluded valley. They contain extremely dense cold energy."

Ning Ruxue looked at the unremarkable little fruits, puzzled: "What use is this thing?"

Xu Xian blurted out, "Can eating this fruit enhance internal power?"

Ye Wen gave an 'En,' then concluded, "No."

He recalled that he had eaten quite a few of these Hancao Fruits over the past two days, yet his internal power growth hadn't come from them. The fruit's original purpose was to counteract fire poison. His internal power increase came from battling the fire poison and the stimulation from the Cold Pool later on.

The subsequent increase came from the gallbladder of a Red Thread Snake—he speculated that perhaps he had accidentally caught some descendants of the Red Thread Snake recently, otherwise, how could he have eaten snake gallbladders that boosted internal energy during that period? He hadn't paid attention to the snake's appearance at the time, so he couldn't be certain.

Seeing their confused expressions, Ye Wen explained, "Although these two fruits cannot directly increase internal power, they have a similar effect."

Ye Wen was willing to show the fruit because he had figured out its properties. Besides treating fire poison, a fruit nurtured by the essence of the Cold Pool should possess some of the pool's efficacy, though vastly inferior to the pool water itself.

However, considering his junior brother and sister's current internal energy cultivation, they likely lacked the ability to even enter the Cold Pool. Consuming this fruit now seemed appropriate for them. From this perspective, even before his own internal energy underwent a major leap, Ye Wen’s cultivation was already significantly higher. At least when he entered the Cold Pool, provided he was prepared, the cold energy wouldn't harm him.

Now that he possessed the Zixia Secret Manual and was about to utilize the Cold Pool to practice, if he didn't find a way, in no time, the two of them would be left far behind. While that was excellent from a personal viewpoint, it wasn't ideal for the sect's overall development.

The best scenario was for him to always maintain a slight lead over them, but their strength should remain close to his own. This would ensure Mount Shu's overall combat strength and allow them to contribute adequately to the sect's growth. Otherwise, if only he were supremely skilled, he would have to handle everything personally in the future—exhausting, and detrimental to his own cultivation and the sect's development.

If this serendipitous discovery had occurred a while ago, Ye Wen might have hesitated, fearing the two might suddenly surpass him. But now, he had no need to hesitate. His development path was essentially set, and even external conditions were ready. All that remained was continuous cultivation to improve his strength.

It was like playing an online game: Ye Wen knew exactly where to level up, what skills to prioritize, and how to allocate attribute points. His leveling speed was definitely in the highest tier, so he wasn't worried about them overtaking him suddenly.

"The cold energy nurtured by this fruit can resolve heat toxins. Furthermore, if consumed directly, it will impact one's internal organs and meridians..."

"Doesn't that mean this fruit is highly toxic?" Ning Ruxue, being more familiar with martial arts, understood immediately. However, she didn't grasp why Ye Wen was presenting such a deadly fruit.

Ye Wen nodded and continued his explanation: "Therefore, when consuming it, you must use internal power to guard your organs and meridians. Then you will realize that due to the stimulation of the cold energy, your internal power will circulate continuously to resist the cold, thereby enhancing your internal cultivation. Moreover, because of the cold's influence, the user need not worry about suffering Zouhu Rumou (going berserk/losing control)."

At this point, both Ning Ruxue and Xu Xian understood that the fruit was indeed highly toxic. However, if used correctly, although it couldn't directly boost internal power, it could stimulate its growth—a treasure capable of indirectly enhancing personal power.

Hearing this, neither of them could sit still. Xu Xian started wiggling his backside: "Senior Brother, are we dividing these equally then?"

Ye Wen shook his head and replied, "You two each take three. Remember to be careful when consuming them."

Ning Ruxue frowned and asked, "Senior Brother, what about you?" She naturally coveted such a fine item, but for Ye Wen, the Sect Leader, to take none seemed improper.

She didn't suspect him of anything negative, nor did she consider the possibility that Ye Wen had secretly kept many for himself. Perhaps it was due to a bond of trust formed since childhood?

Hearing Ning Ruxue’s question, Ye Wen felt a slight twinge of guilt and immediately said, "Junior Sister, just take them. There are more of these fruits in that secluded valley. I plan to enter the valley to meditate on martial arts, and I will gather more for you both then."

Hearing this, Ning Ruxue nodded in understanding. Xu Xian, however, excitedly asked, "Can I go with Senior Brother?" He truly wished to see that secluded valley, but Ye Wen shut him down with a single sentence: "You can, provided you can climb that cliff using only Qinggong."

It wasn't that Ye Wen was selfishly preventing them from going up; otherwise, he could have just hauled them up with a rope. But he vaguely sensed that the minimum standard for the Cold Pool could be gauged precisely by that cliff face.

P.S.: You all are too enthusiastic. Every day when I check the book reviews, I have to spend quite a while reading them. Thank you all for your support.