"Then thank you very much, Your Majesty."
Zhou Heng summoned a young eunuch and instructed him to take Yang Cheng to the Sutra Repository.
He hurriedly sent someone to find Zhang Jinglin of the Imperial Medical Academy, asking him to quickly test whether the 'Pure Yang Pill' was effective.
The young eunuch led Yang Cheng through a maze of turns, into a side hall deep within the palace, and respectfully called out to those inside:
"Ancestor, this Lord Yang fought bravely against three masters of the Vajra Bright Wheel Temple today, demonstrating the prestige of our Great Zhou Dynasty. His Majesty has granted him permission to freely enter and leave the Sutra Repository to select cultivation methods."
"Come in."
A moment later, an old voice came from inside.
The young eunuch whispered, "Lord Yang, the library contains hundreds of thousands of books, all managed by our ancestor."
Please don't be disrespectful to our ancestors. If you need anything, just tell them directly.
Yang Cheng nodded, but was immediately taken aback as soon as he stepped into the Sutra Repository.
An elderly man was sitting in a wheelchair outside the library.
That's right, not sitting, but leaving.
Because the old man had lost both legs and was missing an arm, he was placed in a specially made wheelchair.
The old man had white hair and beard, his eyelids drooped so much they almost covered his eyes, and his face was so wrinkled that you couldn't see his skin and flesh. Just by looking at him, he was already over a hundred years old.
Even so, Yang Cheng couldn't detect the slightest trace of weariness or aging in the other party; on the contrary, the other party exuded a strong aura of blood and energy.
To put it simply, this incredibly old man might be much stronger than Zhou Heng.
"Greetings, senior."
Yang Cheng bowed respectfully.
The old man stared at Yang Cheng for a moment, then suddenly said, "Strange, truly strange!"
"You are not a martial artist, and you don't have even a trace of internal energy in your body. How did you cultivate to this level?"
Yang Cheng was slightly startled.
After arriving in this world, this person is the first to see through his true nature.
If this old man weren't disabled, his strength would truly be astonishing.
Before Yang Cheng could answer, the old man sighed and said, "Forget it, I'm already this old, I should rein in my curiosity."
My name is Zhou Yan, and I am the manager of this library.
The little eunuch just now said that he defeated the three masters of the Vajra Bright Wheel Temple?
The Vajra Bright Wheel Temple only has six masters, and three of them have come to the capital. Are they determined to have a final, life-or-death battle with the Great Zhou?
Yang Cheng shook his head and said, "It was a slip of the tongue by that young eunuch just now. Only one of them is the master; the other two are his disciples."
This old man's surname is Zhou, and he is in charge of guarding such an important place as the Sutra Repository. Could he be a member of the Great Zhou royal family?
Zhou Yan clicked his tongue in admiration: "The six great masters of Tantric Buddhism are all exceptionally talented individuals. For someone your age to defeat one of them would make you a grandmaster in the martial arts world, capable of leading a major sect."
When did our Great Zhou Dynasty produce such a brilliant and talented young man as you? It's a pity that the martial arts lineage of our Great Zhou Dynasty is severed, otherwise your achievements would surely be even greater.
Upon hearing this, Yang Cheng's heart stirred.
One of the side quests is to rebuild the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou Dynasty and suppress the major sects of the martial arts world.
But this task is the most elusive; what martial lineage is it?
"Senior, what exactly is a martial vein? How could the martial veins of my Great Zhou have been severed?"
Zhou Yan gave a self-deprecating smile: "Martial veins are intangible yet visible. Isn't the current state of my Great Zhou a sign of severed martial veins?"
The literary and military traditions are inherently intertwined, but my ancestors valued literature over military prowess, leading to what state the Great Zhou has become today? Civilians are complacent, military leaders are incompetent, and the border generals are a bunch of useless fools! We are constantly being suppressed and beaten by those barbarians.
Locally, those powerful martial arts sects have already formed their own systems and don't take the government seriously at all, and the government has no power to control them.
This is the consequence of the severance of the martial lineage of my Great Zhou. The overall martial fortune has declined, and as a member of my Great Zhou, you will naturally be affected by it.
Over the years, you are not the only young talents qualified to enter the library; Shangguan Ling and Chu Wenze are also quite good.
But years passed, and their cultivation regressed instead of progressing. They lived a life of luxury and comfort, and their health deteriorated.
Yang Cheng stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Therefore, to rebuild the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou, it is necessary to reverse the overall trend of valuing literature over martial arts in the Great Zhou, and then suppress the martial arts world. Only then can it be considered to rebuild the martial arts lineage of the Great Zhou.
If that's the case, then this side quest is just as difficult.
Yang Cheng shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "There are differences between people. Just because they can be crippled doesn't mean I can be crippled too."
I've heard that you are in charge of the Scripture Pavilion; I wonder if there are any cultivation methods suitable for me?
Zhou Yan gave Yang Cheng a deep look, and after a long while said, "What you need is not a cultivation technique, but simply the power to kill."
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