Chapter 2083 — Choosing a Martial Technique

"Grandfather, the clan head has told me to choose a martial technique!" Han Xiaopo said. "Please, Grandfather, take us to the library in the treasure vault!"

"Good—we'll go right now. It works out well, too: Mr. Lin can help you weigh which martial technique suits you best!" Han Tianba nodded.

As for the fine things in the treasure vault, Han Tianba did not mind letting Wei Zhao see them. It was plain that Wei Zhao was not a greedy man—apart from the colorful steel he had named specifically, he seemed never to ask for anything of his own initiative; the only Qi-Gathering Pill materials had been offered up by the Hidden Han Family of their own accord.

Wei Zhao, for his part, was naturally somewhat interested in the Hidden Han Family's treasure vault—not in the treasures themselves, but in the secret manuals it held. What the Hidden Han Family had discovered was an ancient ruin, and who knew whether some extraordinary manuals might be found within?

Feng Nitian, Zhang Naipao—it seemed that every ancient ruin discovered by an ancient sect contained one formidable cultivation method or martial technique. Wei Zhao wanted to see whether the Hidden Han Family had something of the kind.

The three of them came together to the treasure vault. There were two doors here: one led to the place where the treasures were kept, and the other, naturally, to the scripture pavilion, where the originals of the cultivation methods and martial techniques the Hidden Han Family had found in the ancient ruins were stored.

"Mr. Lin, the treasure vault is this way, the scripture pavilion that way. Where shall we go first?" Han Tianba asked.

"Straight to the scripture pavilion. We won't bother with the vault." Wei Zhao had no need of other treasures just now; it was the scripture pavilion he was eager to see.

"Good!" Han Tianba nodded in approval. It seemed his guess had been right—Wei Zhao was no greedy sort, one to take without end or limit.

Taking out a key, Han Tianba passed the code and fingerprint checks and opened the door to the scripture pavilion. But once inside, Wei Zhao was deeply disappointed!

In Wei Zhao's imagination, a scripture pavilion should at the very least be like a bookstore—many shelves, dazzlingly lined with every kind of cultivation method and martial technique and material on training. Yet what met his eyes now was a stone platform, and on the platform several boxes stood side by side—fewer than ten in all.

"This is the scripture pavilion?" Wei Zhao stared at the room before him, somewhat astonished and rather at a loss for words.

"Mr. Lin, this is our Hidden Han Family's scripture pavilion—crude, with few secret manuals. Our Hidden Han Family is far too short of resources…" Han Tianba smiled bitterly. "This is the secret manual of an entire sect, and it is all here…"

"A whole sect, and only these few manuals?" Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"The truly great sects were very strict in taking disciples. Without the proper constitution and aptitude, it was impossible to enter such an ancient sect to train. And it is only natural that an ancient sect like this would have comparatively few cultivation methods and martial techniques," Han Tianba explained.

"Oh?" Wei Zhao nodded. He thought of the Ice Palace, where all cultivation was of ice-attribute methods, and the martial techniques were probably much the same, with inner disciples likewise not accepted at random—likely much like the sect that had once stood in this ancient ruin.

Only, Wei Zhao was puzzled. "Do the other hidden clans have such scanty training materials as well?"

"That is not so!" Han Tianba shook his head. "The cultivation formulas and martial techniques of our Hidden Han Family all come from the ancient ruins. Most of the other hidden clans obtained theirs through trade and purchase, and some had them copied from the ancient sects and ancient clans with which they are on good terms and which stand behind them. Those hidden clans have far longer and richer histories and foundations than our Hidden Han Family!"

"I see." Wei Zhao nodded. "With only these few cultivation formulas and martial techniques, it must have been hard on you—and yet you have managed to train quite respectably. The pills played their part, but it owes no small debt to your diligence as well!"

"Perhaps Heaven has favored our Hidden Han Family, letting our bloodline and constitution happen to suit the methods in this ancient ruin. Otherwise we would only be guarding these treasures in vain, with no way to use them!" Han Tianba said. "Besides, we… what few cultivation formulas do we have? Only one! Of these manuals, only one is a cultivation formula; the rest are all martial techniques…"

Han Tianba's answer only deepened Wei Zhao's admiration: with just one cultivation formula, these people had still managed to train—proof of how fortunate the Hidden Han Family truly was!

"If my sense just now was not mistaken, the method Xiaopo cultivates should be a wood-attribute one, no?" Wei Zhao said.

"Indeed, wood-attribute precisely!" Han Tianba nodded.

"Might I ask what martial technique Elder Han cultivates?" Wei Zhao inquired.

"To my shame, what this old man cultivates is a most ordinary wood-attribute martial technique called the Woodchopping Art!" Han Tianba said. "It is the simplest of all martial techniques. Yet even so, this old man can only wield the first two forms with fluency; the forms beyond that I cannot bring forth."

"Oh?" Wei Zhao was slightly startled. Han Tianba was a mid-stage Earth-rank expert, with strength equal to the black-robed Earth-rank man who had once attacked Xu Shilan. In theory, Han Tianba should be able to bring forth at least three forms of a martial technique—even the black-robed Earth-rank man had been able to unleash a fourth!

"With no one to guide me, this old man has had to fathom it all on his own—and with my dull aptitude, it is only…" Han Tianba said, somewhat ashamed.

Wei Zhao nodded. He understood that feeling well. Had he not trained in support martial techniques, and had Qing Bo not been at his side to guide him, his Mad Fire Fist would likely have come to little even now—to say nothing of trading blows with the black-robed Earth-rank man.

"Let me have a look at these martial techniques!" Wei Zhao walked over and studied the names of the techniques on the wooden boxes.

"Here is the cultivation method we practice, called the Wood Soul Art!" Han Tianba pointed to the box at the very edge and explained, "Starting from this second box, these are the martial techniques, arranged from left to right according to their power. This second box holds the weakest, which is the Woodchopping Art I cultivate!"

At this, Han Tianba sighed, somewhat abashed.

"To master a martial technique at all without a renowned teacher's guidance—Elder Han, there is no need to belittle yourself!" Wei Zhao waved a hand.

"Heh, Mr. Lin flatters me!" Han Tianba said. "In Mr. Lin's view, which martial technique ought Han Xiaopo to learn?"

"This last one here!" Wei Zhao did not even glance at the techniques before it; he pointed casually at the final box. At that moment, in fact, a rather wild notion had taken hold of him—to practice this martial technique through himself first!

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