After exchanging a few casual words with Lin Yun, Chen Yu, and the others, Lin Xuan turned and walked away under the awed and admiring gazes of the crowd, continuing toward the Martial Arts Pavilion.
This battle with Zhang Tao had netted him quite a few energy points. Once word spread, he was confident even more points would roll in. Lin Xuan felt fairly satisfied.
On the way, he strolled casually as usual, copying pills, spiritual herbs, and other cultivation resources wherever he went. Before long, he arrived at the Martial Arts Pavilion.
The pavilion stood at the boundary between the inner and outer sects, accessible to disciples from both. Looking from afar, it was a quaint, four-story building. Yet it exuded a heavy, historical weight that commanded respect.
On the first floor were miscellaneous records, historical documents, medical texts, and the like, along with third-tier martial arts manuals. The second and third floors housed manuals above the third tier. Outer sect disciples were generally only allowed into the first floor, while inner and true disciples could access the second and third. As for the fourth floor, it involved the sect's heritage—only true disciples with major contributions, elders, the sect master, supreme elders, and other high-ranking members were permitted near it.
These were basic sect knowledge that Lin Xuan already knew. After a quick glance, he stepped inside.
Entering the first floor, he saw a vast hall filled with numerous ancient bookshelves. Many disciples were browsing through manuals. To the right of the entrance stood a counter, where a steward managed the relevant affairs.
Lin Xuan's gaze swept over, and he sighed inwardly. This steward was far stronger than Zhao Quxin and the others, having reached the late Condensing Rotation stage. But unfortunately, he was no match for the Third Elder. After copying the treasures from the Third Elder, Lin Xuan's talents and martial skills had been elevated to the top tier of the outer sect. He no longer coveted what this steward had.
As for the disciples picking manuals along the way, they were all newly inducted outer sect members, and he dismissed them entirely. He could only walk in and select a few manuals himself.
Of course, Lin Xuan knew that as a key location of the Flowing Cloud Sect, the Martial Arts Pavilion was definitely guarded by a true sect powerhouse. But that person clearly wasn't on the first floor—he couldn't see them, and they were beyond the ten-meter range, so he couldn't copy anything either. He had to give up on that.
Then, Lin Xuan walked into the first floor. After spending over ten minutes, he picked out several manuals, covering everything from techniques and movement arts to blade, sword, fist, and leg methods. These were all meant to disguise his actual martial skills. He wouldn't practice them, but they were still high-grade, reaching the upper third tier.
After selecting them, Lin Xuan planned to take them to the counter for registration. Suddenly, he paused by a shelf of miscellaneous records.
"Since I'm here, I might as well take a good look," he murmured to himself.
He had only been in this world for a little over a month. Apart from the memories in his mind and his experiences during that time, he knew little about this martial world—its common knowledge or its myriad wonders. Now, he had a chance.
The Flowing Cloud Sect was one of the four great sects of the Cangyuan Kingdom, a top-tier power in the land. The quality of its collected books far surpassed what the Lin family could offer. This was a perfect opportunity to broaden his horizons.
After a moment's thought, Lin Xuan made his decision. He went to the area with miscellaneous books, set the manuals he held aside, and casually picked one up to read.
His talent had already reached the top tier of the outer sect, surpassing even many inner disciples. His comprehension had grown along with his talent, far beyond ordinary people. As he flipped through the book, he read ten lines at a glance, moving at lightning speed. Other martial artists might barely make out the characters, but Lin Xuan had already memorized everything, nearly achieving photographic memory.
"Is this the benefit of being a genius?" he mused, nodding slightly as he continued reading.
Time flew by, and before he knew it, several hours had passed. Lin Xuan put down the last worn-out book in his hands, a satisfied look on his face.
"After spending a whole morning, I've finally finished reading," he murmured, glancing at the sky outside. He felt immensely rewarded.
The Flowing Cloud Sect truly lived up to its reputation as one of the four great sects. Even these first-floor miscellaneous records covered martial arts basics, alchemy, formations, talismans, spiritual herbs, beast taming, geography, astronomy, and more—almost everything imaginable. Though it was only an initial exposure, it was enough to lay a solid foundation for any martial artist.
Having read these books, Lin Xuan now had a preliminary understanding of this martial world. No matter the topic, he wouldn't be a clueless novice anymore.
He then picked up the manuals he had chosen earlier and walked to the counter to register them. But before he could say anything, a few other outer sect disciples who had also finished selecting manuals couldn't help sneering.
"Is this guy an idiot? Grabbing so many manuals?"
"Probably a newbie who doesn't know the outer sect rules, thinking he can pick whatever he wants."
"Even old disciples can only take one manual at a time, let alone a newcomer."
"This guy's asking for a scolding from the steward, haha."
Lin Xuan ignored them. He placed the manuals on the counter and looked at the steward. "Steward, these are my selections. Please register them."
The steward's face hardened, and he snorted, "Are you a new disciple? Don't you know to check the Flowing Cloud Sect's rules? Every time, new disciples do this—it's endlessly annoying. The rule is one manual per person per visit. Go back and come another time. Consider this a lesson!"
The steward huffed, his beard bristling. The nearby outer sect disciples smirked, enjoying the show.
"No, I want to take all of these. Please register them," Lin Xuan said calmly, unhurried.
"What, can't I discipline an outer sect disciple?" The steward's eyes flashed with anger, and he was about to teach this newcomer a lesson. The sneers from the other disciples grew sharper.
But then, they all froze. Their eyes fell on a black token Lin Xuan had produced. On it were four large characters: "Top Potential."
"How about this, Steward? Is it acceptable?" Lin Xuan asked evenly.
The disciples and steward snapped out of their daze, staring at Lin Xuan with disbelief. Murmurs broke out.
"Is that the identity token for the top-potential new disciple?"
"Is he Lin Xuan, the one the Third Elder praised as having true disciple potential, the top genius among new disciples?"
"If it's him, then he can take multiple manuals."