Shortly after leaving the Lecture Hall, Lu Yuan and Chen Yao parted their ways. According to Chen Yao, she had to go back and practice in order to have a higher chance of achieving a better ranking at the Trial the next month.
With her departure, Lu Yuan didn't rush to return home, but wandered around the Academy. The words of the Sixth Elder kept echoing inside his mind, followed by Yang Chen's strange attitude.
'Based on my current conditions, it's almost impossible to break through the 3rd Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm before the Trial.'
'At most, I can open up a few more acupoints. Doing so might increase my strength, but such an increase will not be significant enough to be the deciding factor.', he analyzed.
He recalled the Sixth Elder using the so-called Blazing Sun Fist during the lecture, and after a brief hesitation, he made a decision.
'If I can't improve my cultivation, I should focus on improving my combat power instead. The easiest way to achieve this is by practicing a martial skill like the Blazing Sun Fist.'
Having said that, Lu Yuan's footsteps paused, and he changed his route, turning around and walking towards the complete opposite direction of his residence.
His target? The Azure Cloud Academy's Library.
**
Upon being accepted into the Academy, a student would be given the Azure Cloud Cultivation Technique, the Academy's signature technique, and nothing more.
If a student wished to change their cultivation technique or practice martial skills for whatever reason, they only had one option: to visit the Library and select the manual that suited them.
As one of the four major forces and the only power that would regularly accept students, the Library of the Azure Cloud Academy was the most complete in the entire Meteor City, containing thousands of unique manuals.
When Lu Yuan arrived at the building, he was surprised to find that the entrance was crowded, with tens of people waiting in line. When he got a little closer, though, and saw some familiar faces among those waiting, he quickly understood.
He was not the only one attending the Sixth Elder's lecture, and the upcoming Trial was not a secret. His classmates, pressured by the next month's Trial, had the same idea as him.
As a result, the teacher tasked with verifying the students' identity and allowing them entry into the Library had become overwhelmed.
Seeing this, Lu Yuan nodded to his classmates in acknowledgement and sat at the end of the line, waiting for his turn. Some students familiar with him wanted to come up and strike up a conversation, but they decided against it when they saw his serious expression.
Time slowly passed, and one by one, the students at the front entered the Library under the teacher's instructions. Before long, Lu Yuan's turn had arrived.
"Identification.", the young-looking teacher's voice reached his ears, and Lu Yuan presented a cyan card in response. The immature teacher glanced at the card, and as if he had a way to verify his identity, he let Lu Yuan in.
At the same time, he didn't forget to remind him:
"You can stay in the Library for as long as you want. However, the books inside are merely placeholders. You'll have to talk to the teacher inside to obtain the real manual."
Hearing the teacher's well-natured advice, Lu Yuan thanked him before walking into the building.
Upon his entry, Lu Yuan was faced with many large bookshelves filled with books, beneath which students stood, seemingly searching for something.
He only gave this floor a brief look before turning to the left and walking up the wooden staircase. He knew that the library had five floors, with each floor housing a different type of book.
The books on the first floor were not related to cultivation, but were history books, travel notes, and even storybooks. It was only when one reached the second floor that they would find cultivation techniques, and on the third, martial skills.
The fourth and fifth floors were not open to students, and only teachers and Elders could freely enter them.
Having never been here before but having heard of the Library's structure, Lu Yuan didn't stay for long on the first two floors and quickly climbed to the third. This floor had the most students, but it didn't seem very crowded due to its large size.
Lu Yuan found a bookshelf where no student was around and picked up a book at random.
"Four Winds Sword Style(Middle Level): A sword art born of the wind's swiftness. It's a style that relies on rapid movements and razor-sharp strikes to overwhelm the opponent."
With no plans to change his weapon for now, he only briefly glanced at the manual's introduction and placed it back on the shelf. Then, he picked up another one.
"Iron Palm Technique(Low Level): A foundational body-strengthening art that tempers the hands through hard training. Each strike bears the weight of forged iron."
"Cloud Steps Art(Low Level): A graceful movement technique that allows one to move as if stepping on clouds. Though limited in speed, it grants exceptional balance and evasion capabilities."
...
Lu Yuan kept grabbing the manuals on the shelf and putting them back, with little interest on his face.
Most of the martial skills were only Low Level, supposedly of the Mortal Grade, and only a few, like the Four Winds Sword Style, reached the Middle Level.
Just when Lu Yuan was starting to worry, his expression suddenly changed.
"Sevenfold War Saber Art(High Level): A saber art born from and for war. Known for its raw power and straightforward form, it places special emphasis on the practitioner's physical strength."
This was the first High Level martial skill that Lu Yuan had seen so far, and he was surprised to find that it fitted him well.
Not only was it a Saber Art, the weapon that the previous owner of this body trained with, but it was also mentioned that the stronger one's physical strength was, the easier it would be to practice.
Wasn't Lu Yuan, someone whose strength was equivalent to the 3rd Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm, yet was only at the 2nd Level, suitable?
'Moreover, despite being a High Level martial skill, its description praises its straightforwardness and simplicity. Doesn't that mean that it'll be easier to practice?'
Thinking of this, he kept the martial skill's name in mind, but still placed it back on the shelf with the rest of them.
'I can stay in the Library for as long as I want. There's no reason to rush to make a decision.', he thought, planning to continue his search in case he found something more suitable.