After leaving the Library Pavilion, Lin Yan headed toward the Martial Arts Vault.
The walk took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
He didn’t complain this time. Since he’d come all this way, he figured he might as well get everything done at once.
The Martial Arts Vault was located on the eastern side of the Lin Mansion. It was shorter than the Library Pavilion, with only two stories, but it covered a much larger area.
The entire structure was square, with thick, heavy walls and no windows, only a few narrow air vents.
Four guards stood at the entrance.
As Lin Yan drew near, his gaze swept over the four men impassively. Their auras were steady and their breathing was deep and even. He suspected they were all Fourth-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists.
Moreover, he suspected even stronger guards were hidden from sight.
When he reached the entrance, Lin Yan identified himself. The identity verification at the Martial Arts Vault was far stricter than at the Library Pavilion. They not only inspected his Identity Token in detail but also spent a long moment scrutinizing the portrait on its back before finally letting him pass.
"Go on in. Someone inside will guide you."
Inside the entrance was a long, narrow passageway.
Luminous Pearls were embedded in the walls on either side of the passageway every few steps, casting a cold, eerie glow.
Lin Yan counted them. In the short distance of a dozen or so steps from the entrance to the inner hall, there were no less than three iron-barred gates, each requiring a guard to open it from the inside.
The security here was on a completely different level from the Library Pavilion.
After the passageway, the path split into several forks. Following a sign, Lin Yan chose the way to the Medicine Storage Pavilion.
"I’d like to purchase a bottle of Bone Tempering Pills. I’ll be paying with silver."
Many people were coming and going inside the Medicine Storage Pavilion. Lin Yan walked up to an unattended counter and stated his purpose.
The Lin Family had many kinds of elixirs, all of which were listed in the booklet he had received. But for Lin Yan, nothing held his attention except for the Bone Tempering Pills.
After purchasing the pills, Lin Yan didn’t linger and left immediately.
The Martial Arts Vault was full of treasures, but his pockets were empty. Looking too much would only lead to frustration.
Back in his courtyard, Lin Yan immediately opened the manual for the Thunder Sound Technique.
"Sink the Qi to the Dantian, let your intent pierce the marrow. Use breath to guide Qi, use blood to strike the skin, the flesh, the sinews, the bones."
"Let the skin be as a war drum, its sound shaking the air."
"Let the flesh be as rolling thunder, its power permeating through."
"Let the sinews be as iron bowstrings, ringing without end."
"When the three gates move as one, Qi and Blood shall follow."
"Each strike, a resonance; like the crash of thunder."
"The bones, rocked by this force, will gradually shed their impurities."
"With Nine Strikes and nine peals, the very bones will resound with thunder."
In the courtyard, Lin Yan softly recited the Mantra of the Thunder Sound Technique.
It was incredibly profound.
However, when he saw the Inner Breath Circulation Diagram that followed, Lin Yan had only three words for it: ’Even more profound.’
He was beginning to understand why that person had said this Cultivation Technique was so difficult to master.
His Main Technique, the Mountain-Splitting Fist, used fist forms to drive his Qi Blood. As soon as he moved his body, his Qi Blood would naturally circulate.
Most other Cultivation Techniques were the same; they all had to borrow some kind of ’form’ to guide their ’Qi Blood.’
But the Thunder Sound Technique was a pure Inner Breath Technique. It didn’t rely on external forms, depending entirely on mobilizing one’s breath to guide the Qi Blood. It was like trying to steer a boat mid-river without oars, using only shifts in your center of gravity—making something already difficult even harder.
’But no matter how difficult, I chose it, so I have to practice it.’
’It can’t be any harder than the Swallowing Technique, can it?’
He closed the manual, shut his eyes, and centered his mind.
Lin Yan reviewed the Heart Method in his mind several times. Then, following the Mantra, he sank his Qi to his Dantian and used the Breathing technique to draw his Qi Blood, slowly pushing it toward the bones throughout his body.
On his first attempt, the Qi Blood dispersed the moment it reached his fascia, and a wave of fatigue washed over him.
He hadn’t felt this kind of fatigue in a long time—not since he had reached the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing.
’This Thunder Sound Technique is really something else,’ he thought. ’It seems I can’t even brute-force my way to a basic result. Still, at least I’m starting to get the hang of it.’
He tried again. The Inner Breath guided his Qi Blood through thirty percent of his body before failing once more.
He tried again. The Qi Blood made it halfway through before dissipating.
The Inner Breath circulation reached seventy percent completion. Failure.
On his twelfth attempt, Lin Yan stood in the center of the courtyard. A long moment passed, and then his entire body shuddered. He felt as if every single bone had been struck at once, and a low hum suddenly emanated from within him. The sound was muffled, like thunder from a distant mountain—faint, yet undeniably real.
"Did I... just master the basics?"
Disbelief was written all over Lin Yan’s face. He immediately checked the Martial Arts Tree in his mind, and sure enough, a new, green leaf bud had appeared on it.
’I mastered the basics of the Thunder Sound Technique, which everyone says is so difficult, in just twelve attempts?’
Ever since he began his journey in Martial Arts, this was the most excited he had ever been about mastering the basics of a Cultivation Technique, second only to when he first mastered the Pile Skill.
He had been excited about mastering the Pile Skill because he was new to Martial Arts then; mastering its basics meant the gates to the world of Martial Arts had finally opened for him.
He was excited this time because he hadn’t relied on the power of his Martial Arts Tree; he had truly accomplished it on his own.
’When it comes to talent in Martial Arts, I’m no genius.’
Lin Yan wouldn’t let his excitement make him think he was a prodigy. His talent for Martial Arts was merely average; under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for him to master the basics of the Thunder Sound Technique so quickly through Cultivation.
’The Thunder Sound Technique uses breath to guide Qi Blood.’
A possibility occurred to him. He picked up the Longsword from the table and, with a flick of his wrist, executed a beautiful flourish.
Then, he stood ramrod straight and began to circulate the Swallowing Technique, his body rhythmically expanding and contracting.
’I get it now. My Sword Intent allows me to precisely control my Qi Blood, while the Swallowing Technique ensures none of it stagnates in my body.’
After a moment of contemplation, Lin Yan had his answer.
’In that case, I guess this counts as a different kind of talent boost.’
Without delay, Lin Yan stripped off his clothes, applied the ointment, and swallowed a pill. He wanted to see just how effective Cultivation with the Thunder Sound Technique really was, and if it was just as that person had described.
「Half an hour later.」
Lin Yan stopped his practice. He could feel that the Medicinal Power within his body had been completely absorbed.

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