After their Night Soil Collecting rounds, Yu Han and Huang Niuniu headed back to their huts.

Fang Zhao had already given back the Jade of Moments with all seven of his martial arts recorded, from start to finish and from multiple angles, with him supplementing verbal instructions.

After a hearty meal of Deep Sea's Vitality Sprite, it was time for a review.

Yu Han (Johan) | Lvl.2 | Accords: 1

Qi:

[True: 184 (+103) /300]

[Pure: 221/300]

[Primordial: 0]

[Lifeforce: 855/912]

He had earned more Pure Qi, and with one more Pure Qi Assimilating Elixir and his daily dreamscape cultivation, he'd assimilated a huge chunk. Yu Han guessed he got around 15-16 True Qi naturally, and the rest were from assimilation.

In about ten days, he would reach the bottleneck for the next Trial.

The Lifeforce would regenerate halfway to full or more by morning. The loss came from mostly the Filth-Eating Ghouls' sound attacks. He did not have a good solution for that yet.

ORIGINS:

[Mind 17.95] Int:15, Mem:25, Per:14, Cla:10, Foc:12

[Body 7.60] End:8, Vit:11, Str:8, Agi:5, Dex:6

[Spirit 8.60] Ada:17, Mag:5, Den:6, For:10, Pur:5

No change in the Origins. Yu Han had hoped the Sprites would show more results. Or maybe practising Synaptic Bloom would do something to his Agility or Dexterity.

ARTS:

[Deep Sleep] Bloodline | Mortal 1 | Initial Step 2 | 75(+13)/300

[Echoing Dreamscape] Auxiliary | Mortal 10 | Initial Step 6 | 657(+142)/700

[Calm Before Storm Breathing Technique] Cultivation | Mortal 5 | Initial Step 4 (+1) | 18(+155)/500

[Ox Tail 72 Sweeping Forms] Martial | Elite 2 | Initial Step 3 (+1) | 88(+103)/400

[Thousand Petals Awareness] Psychic | Elite 9 | Initial Step 7 (+1) | 502(+991)/800

Three Arts had levelled up. Synaptic Bloom was a steroid to Thousand Petals Awareness. He was earning around 140 a day, give or take. He had his practise during daytime, then in his Dreamscape, he cultivated with it actively. At this rate, it would be the first Art to break through Initial Step to the next tier of Mastery.

Ox Tail 72 Sweeping Forms also benefited from the more intricate control, but the True Qi gains were not as drastic.

Is it the experimentation? The trying of new things? Or trailblazing a new path that is far beyond the original art?

Whatever the case, Yu Han was not complaining. With Thousand Petals Awareness rising so rapidly, his minute control while fighting would also increase. It seemed to give a slight passive enhancement to all his senses too, and an all-around better control of his nervous system. Being able to keep a steady breathing rhythm in the heat of combat was more useful than he had first assumed.

He had not had his temper tantrums or outbursts recently either, even though he wanted to punch Gong Muhua's bald head in.

Where does he shit now? He's blacklisted. Should I tell Niu'er to blacklist his friends too?

Yu Han felt disgusted at himself that he, from the bottom of his soul, wanted to be that petty. It would be cathartic. Johan would approve. Dad would forgive him.

Echoing Dreamscape and Deep Sleep did not see any sudden True Qi gains. Just the normal. Averaging 15 a week for Deep Sleep and around 130 for Echoing Dreamscape.

Should I try going into the Mirror to that… Mirror Earth? Or one of Fei Rui's tunnels?

The crab would try his Tribulation soon. He would go into the Tunnel of Doom to a section of the Dream Sea that housed 'nightmares'. Or was it another place altogether? The crab wasn't so sure.

Yu Han had created a sizable database with memorycast pearls. But trying the same thing over and over again was having diminished results in Echoing Dreamscape. It would probably stabilise around 100 or 110 of True Qi a week.

He could experiment more, but cultivating and levelling up was more urgent. He decided so. It felt good to feel and be stronger.

Hopefully I'll get the Steady Bull Steps soon.

He moved on to the Traits panel.

TRAITS:

[Existential Anchor] Mortal 2 | Requirements Not Met

[Deep Writhing Clam Bloodline] Mortal 10 | 159/1100

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[Qi Affinity] Mortal 7 | 15 (+4)/800

Qi Affinity gained 4 True Qi. No change for the others.

This was day 176 since Yu Han came to this world. The 21st Day of the 10th Month of Year 99,903 of the Heavenly Regression Calendar.

He was 135 kilograms, and he was making progress.

His True Qi progress was almost as good as Li Yao's, a refined talent. Almost. That was the key word.

He would feel happier if not for learning that the others had also found ways to boost their progress. Huang Niuniu took light from wisps and talked with them. Fang Zhao had his Cyclic Lifeblood Conversion. Li Yao had somehow augmented Eye of the Storm Martial Movements with both of his sword arts, and with it, Calm Before the Storm Breathing Technique. To him now, practising his sword was practising his cultivation.

He did feel happy for them. Truly so. But he also felt envious. Huang Niuniu aside, it was as though he was playing catch up with the rest.

Other Refined and Common Talents of the Outer Sect had also found their paths. There were rumours of a Common Talent youth that had not lost in duels yet, a martial prodigy of some sort.

Or of the girl that had high enough Adaptability to accord with three Spirit Beasts at barely level 3.

Some had already exchanged for an enhanced version of Calm Before the Storm Breathing Technique, boosting their True Qi gains even further.

Yu Han might have been binding a death note if not for the assurance from Mistress Miao that his and Huang Niuniu's progress was still a leg ahead of most Common Talents of the sect. At least, for a sect of Stormy Reef's level.

He was as good as a typical Refined Talent without significant resources. Such as Hu Feng, Li Weidong, and Xiao Zhuzi.

Later that day, Tan Ruoxuan met him at the Night Alchemists' Yard.

"Do you think she's using you as an excuse to spend more time with Senior Wen?" Huang Niuniu whispered.

"Can't they meet elsewhere?" Yu Han said. "A dung heap is no place for a date."

"You don't understand," Huang Niuniu said. "True love can handle any smell—"

"You two look like a pair of thieves," Tan Ruoxuan stepped out of the study. "My instincts tell me you were speaking of clandestine gossip."

Huang Niuniu covered her mouth and ran away.

"The Liang Steward kept his word well enough," Tan Ruoxuan brought Yu Han into the room.

Unlike what they had assumed, Wen Liujie wasn't there.

There were four cloth bags. Simple rectangular and cylindrical ones, and made of hemp and coarser material. Tan Ruoxuan opened their top covers, untying the string with one pull at the knot.

Three were stacked with books, the other had cylindrical partitions divided by cloth and housed ten scrolls.

Yu Han picked one of the books up.

"Stone [unknown] Fist?" Yu Han didn't know the middle word.

"Stone Breaking Fist," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Low Elite Grade."

Yu Han went through more of the books. Each looked newly printed, the pages smelling of freshly dried ink.

"Willow Leaf Cut."

"Plum Blossom Nine Dances."

"Sparrow's Peck Swift Boxing."

"Wind Whipping Martial Form."

"Whispering Wind Palm."

"Path of the Unbent Steel."

"Clear Mirror Swaying Moon Method."

"These are all Martial Arts?" Yu Han said, feeling cheated.

"Exactly 50, all Low Elite Grade," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Steward he may have been, the Liang Clan would not allow a mere peripheral member to take out so many texts on Shapes. Creating them takes time after all. They are not like jade slips, and jade slips are expensive in other ways. He must have gathered these from the various Marketplaces, Courtyards, and Pavilions. It is a fair exchange, somwhat, substituting for knowledge on Shape-based Array Formations."

Fairness would depend on how much value I place on these, compared to texts of Formations.

Yu Han knew his limits though. He didn't find it worth to complain.

Tan Ruoxuan flipped through a book titled 'Blade Scars of the Torrent's Edge.' She flipped the pages back and forth, then threw it back into the bag. "This is more than adequate stock for a newly minted Courtyard. You can offer prospective members a modest library of techniques."

That wasn't wrong, Yu Han's brows furrowed. "How much do you think each cost?"

Yu Han hadn't seen any Marketplace vendors openly selling any Arts manuals. He'd asked why. The new Sect Master's policies were welcome to many, but the inertia of old rules held. None felt comfortable enough to immediately turn their backs on the old ways of doing things.

Unauthorised sharing of knowledge had always been a crime with severe punishments.

"An exact figure would be hard to give," Tan Ruoxuan massaged the bridge of her nose with one hand. Her fingers were slightly chafed, a nail was broken. "If this was before the current Sect Master's time, it would've cost more than 500 Mortal Grade Spirit Stones at least for each. Though the Liang Steward must have paid a Scribe Official's apprentice far less to make the copies. See this mark?"

Right, these are copies. Each book had something that looked like a seal on the final page. A watermark.

"The effort to hand write each book should cost more, no?" Yu Han closed the two bags with Martial Arts manuals and moved on to the other two. They held tomes related to Shapes.

"Magic," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Arts, Spells. Perhaps Formations. Scribe Officials are known for such methods. The Great Xia Dynasty invests much to train them."

One bag was bulging. It had 40 books. Yu Han flipped through them.

"These are notes," he said. "Of past Shape-based Array and Formation Masters."

"The Sect has never seen a 'master' of Shapes, despite the title of the profession," Tan Ruoxuan said. "Many have tried though. A life of effort, some futile, others content, but never fulfilled. They scribe their knowledge for future generations. It is the only school of Array Formations that they were implicitly allowed to pursue. And sooner or later, these notes would end up in the Liang's archives. They might look down on Shapes, but they do not discount a probable value. Besides, monopoly is a strong motivator."

Yu Han checked the years. Most were penned after year 90,000. That was within the last millennium. The most recent one was from the year 99,881. The oldest one was from 91,055. Almost ten thousand years ago.

The sect is old. Nearly as long as modern human history after the last ice age. And it's nowhere near as strong as the Top Ten Immortal Sects or the Celestial Horizon Five Strongest.

The other bag had seven scrolls and three books.

Each of the scrolls detailed the make of one Elemental Formation, made out of Smaller Arrays and Shapes.

The three books were titled,

"The Primer of Elemental Flows: Understanding Basic Shapes, Array Principles Volume 1."

"Circles of Serenity."

And the "Constellation of One."

The first book was a textbook. A thorough introduction to Shapes. It was the thickest book Yu Han had seen in this life. It didn't list any complete Formations, but had the know-how to create basic Arrays.

It was also a new book, with the same watermark. It was written in Common too, as with the other two books.

"You would be hard pressed to find a text on Shapes written in Imperial," Tan Ruoxuan said after he asked.

Circle of Serenity did not list any complete Formations either. It was poetic, and taught a system or a process of designing Shape-based Auxiliary Array Formations.

Constellation of One was also a science of design. It seemed to be more iterative, but Yu Han would have to read more. It had some scribbles that looked like math formulas.

"He actually gave real manuals," Yu Han said.

"You are welcome," Tan Ruoxuan tapped her sword. "I am glad you appreciate 3 books and 7 scrolls, rather than 10 scrolls on Formations you have no basics in."

"He was that petty?"

"Nobles dislike being taken advantage of. He may be prideful, but not unaware."

"Are the manuals safe?" Yu Han said with a hint of worry. "Would he spike them with traps?" He'd heard about the consequences of practising subpart Arts. Qi Deviation would be the least of the issues.

"He might," Tan Ruoxuan didn't deny. "But a Scribe Official's pride would not allow them to take creative liberties. Even apprentices would frown. They would not deign to copy if the original material had no integrity. In their line of work, reputation matters most."

Yu Han remembered Dong Chou. Was he the Ninth Scribe Official of the Outer Sect? He was prideful, yet strangely fair. Despite his disdain of commoners, he did not directly try to screw Yu Han over. I wonder how Dong Tianlan is doing.

Yu Han would take what he got. As Tan Ruoxuan said, the 50 Martial Arts manuals would be a great asset.

And Fang Zhao would appreciate them for sure. Although Yu Han didn't doubt the guy would leave them behind in Levels soon enough, he would rather Fang Zhao and his kitty stick around a bit more.

Come to think of it, he's back in the Hidden Realm again, isn't he?

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