Upon returning to the White Jade Market, Qin Lu did not immediately barricade himself inside his new residence for secluded cultivation. Instead, after a long, restorative sleep in the comfort of his secured manor, he ventured out the very next day.

His destination was specific. He needed books.

His primary objective was a new cultivation manual.

Having ascended to the Foundation Establishment realm, the capacity of his dantian had undergone a qualitative leap. The reserve of spiritual energy he now commanded was oceans apart from his days in Qi Refining.

The Mystic Sun Mantra, despite being a Grandmaster-grade technique for the lower realms, could no longer keep pace with his expanded needs.

Qin Lu had tested it the night before. Circulating the Mystic Sun Mantra to fully replenish his Qi pool now took three entire double-hours. It was painfully inefficient.

Logically and practically, he needed a technique designed for the Foundation Establishment stage.

His second objective was to acquire spell tomes.

With his massive surge in spiritual energy, the number of times he could cast spells before exhaustion had skyrocketed. This naturally accelerated his training efficiency.

A single full tank of Qi was enough to cast a low-level spell over one hundred and fifty times.

Over the past six months, this brute-force method had allowed him to grind most of the spells on his interface to ‘Max Level,’ unlocking numerous hidden Talents in the process.

The results had confirmed his hypothesis. Mastering the Finger Flick Technique awakened the [Wind Affinity] talent. The Ignition Technique granted [Fire Affinity]. The Illumination Technique unlocked [Light Affinity].

After extensive testing with his Wind Affinity, Qin Lu had deduced the fundamental nature of these Talents.

They granted a massive boost to his comprehension in specific domains.

Crucially, this boost was quantifiable on his system interface. Learning spells matching his affinities accelerated his proficiency gain significantly.

If he had possessed [Wind Affinity] from the start, he would have grasped the Finger Flick Technique instantly. Furthermore, every practice repetition would have yielded multiple points of proficiency instead of just one.

Efficiency was king.

Thus, Qin Lu intended to find Foundation Establishment-level spells to upgrade and merge with his existing repertoire.

To achieve this, he headed for the largest establishment in White Jade Market: the Scripture Pavilion.

Before entering the bustling streets, Qin Lu ducked into a secluded corner to apply his Disguise Technique.

He shifted his bone structure and facial features, transforming into a hulking, bearded brute. He looked like a bandit warlord straight out of a melodrama, radiating a dangerous, unrefined aura.

“Senior, what can I get for you?”

The moment he stepped across the threshold, a young attendant hurried over, bowing respectfully.

“Hmph!”

Qin Lu’s brows furrowed, his expression fierce. He pitched his voice to a rough, booming bass. “How can a little cultivator like you handle my business? Fetch your shopkeeper!”

“Uh…”

The attendant froze, intimidated. However, sensing the deliberate leak of Late-Stage Qi Refining pressure from Qin Lu, he quickly bobbed his head.

“Yes, yes! I will invite the shopkeeper immediately. Please, Senior, wait in the private room!”

Qin Lu waved a hand with rude dismissal. “Lead the way!”

Inside an elegant private chamber.

Moments later, a middle-aged man with a shrewd, calculating face entered. He greeted Qin Lu with practiced enthusiasm.

Qin Lu didn’t waste time on pleasantries. He cut straight to the chase.

“Bring me every Foundation Establishment cultivation manual you have!”

The demand made the shrewd merchant pause. He blinked, then forced an awkward, polite smile.

“Fellow Daoist is preparing for a Foundation Establishment technique this early? Truly… preparing for a rainy day.”

The merchant’s hesitation was understandable. The brute sitting before him appeared to be only at the Late-Stage of Qi Refining. To buy a Foundation Establishment manual now seemed premature at best.

At worst, it was delusional.

The gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment was a massive watershed. Countless cultivators spent their lives trapped on the lower bank, never crossing the divide.

Few would waste fortune on a manual they might never have the qualification to open. Usually, one only bought the book after surviving the breakthrough.

To the merchant’s eyes, this burly customer was a lèng tóu qīng—a rash, inexperienced youth with more money than sense.

“Daoist, I don’t have many such manuals in stock,” the merchant said, maintaining a veneer of courtesy. “Shall I introduce them to you first?”

“Mm,” Qin Lu grunted.

“Currently, the shop offers a few main varieties. The first is the Chaos Art. Chaos is the origin of all things, the primordial energy. It is divided into five chapters: Profound, Derivation, Origin, Union, and Purity. This technique…”

The merchant launched into a rehearsed, flowing sales pitch.

Qin Lu listened intently.

As the descriptions continued, he learned about several options: Three Suns Art, Return to Origin Art, Azure Cloud Art, and the Life Nourishing Art.

The pitch ended, but Qin Lu didn’t look impressed. His dissatisfaction wasn’t a bargaining tactic; the goods simply failed to meet his expectations. They were too generic.

“Hmph! Is your collection this shabby?” Qin Lu slammed a hand on the table. “Just these few? Don’t you have anything else? Bring them out for me to see!”

The insult made the merchant’s expression sour slightly, but his professional mask held.

“There are a few others,” the merchant admitted. “Perhaps Fellow Daoist would like to accompany me to the vault to view them personally?”

“Go,” Qin Lu said, standing up abruptly.

They walked to the deepest part of the shop, entering a secure room protected by an anti-theft array.

Glancing around, Qin Lu saw nearly ten jade slips and scrolls on display. The merchant resumed his introductions, but Qin Lu’s gaze drifted until it locked onto a specific item.

It was a scroll cylinder, colored a deep, verdant green. It radiated a faint spiritual fluctuation.

Four large characters were engraved on its surface: Heaven’s Heart Sword Mantra.

This was it. A cultivation manual centered on the path of the sword.

“What’s the price on this one?” Qin Lu pointed at the scroll, feigning casual interest.

The merchant faltered again. He calculated for a moment before answering. “That technique is priced at two thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.”

“Hm? Why is it so much cheaper than the others?”

The manuals Qin Lu had asked about earlier ranged from three to five thousand Spirit Stones. This was a significant markdown.

“Hehe, the techniques I introduced earlier were of higher pedigree. This one… the grade is somewhat low, hence the price reflects that.”

“Why is it low grade?”

“To be honest,” the merchant lowered his voice, “the author of the Heaven’s Heart Sword Mantra was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator himself. He created it based on his own limited insights, so…”

He didn’t need to finish.

Qin Lu nodded slightly. A manual created by a Golden Core or Nascent Soul ancestor would contain profound truths and stable pathways. A home-brewed technique by a Foundation Establishment cultivator was viewed as risky and shallow.

But Qin Lu didn’t care.

He had the System. Even a flawed, low-grade technique could be optimized. As long as the base mechanics involved swordsmanship, he could grind it to perfection.

“I’m done looking,” Qin Lu bellowed, playing his part. “I’ll take this one!”

Back in the safety of his manor.

Qin Lu sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. With a wave of his hand, the pile of books he had spent thousands of Spirit Stones to acquire appeared before him.

“First, I need to analyze the cultivation technique. My recovery speed is the bottleneck.”

He frowned, a new thought crossing his mind.

“Wait. Should I maximize the proficiency of the Mystic Sun Mantra first? If I abandon it now, I might miss out on a Talent.”

His new theory suggested that mastering a cultivation method to the absolute limit—breaking past the boundaries—might trigger a reward. A cultivation-type Talent would undoubtedly aid him in comprehending the new Heaven’s Heart Sword Mantra.

With a thought, he summoned his interface.

[Name: Qin Lu] [Lifespan: 37 / 222 years] [Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Novice / Early Stage: 1 / 100]

[Cultivation Techniques:]

Mystic Sun Mantra (Grandmaster): 9013 / ???

[Skills:]

Ignition Technique (Max Level): MAX

Finger Flick Technique (Max Level): MAX

Illumination Technique (Max Level): MAX

Cutting Technique (Max Level): MAX

Soft Wind Technique (Grandmaster): 8860 / ???

Spirit Shield Technique (Max Level): MAX

Heavenly Eye Technique (Max Level): MAX

Disguise Technique (Max Level): MAX

Object Control Technique (Max Level): MAX

Ice Qi Technique (Grandmaster): 1459 / 3000

Lightning Strike Technique (Grandmaster): 1443 / 3000

Breath Concealment Technique (Grandmaster): 1447 / 3000

[Talisman Making:]

Water Qi Shield (Grandmaster): 2 / 3000

Cleansing Talisman (Proficient): 18 / 200

Body Protection Shield (Proficient): 514 / 600

Swift Step Talisman (Novice): 16 / 100

Golden Light Talisman (Grandmaster): 1954 / ???

[Sword Arts:]

Gray Shadow Sword Art (Grandmaster): 8420 / ???

[Talents:]

Wind Affinity, Fire Affinity, Light Affinity, Defense, Appraisal, Shapeshifting, Micro-control, Sharpness

“The Mystic Sun Mantra needs less than a thousand points to Breakthrough. At my current casting speed, I can hit the cap in half a month.”

Qin Lu made his decision. “I’ll grind the old mantra to Max Level first. I need to see if it grants a talent.”

“But before that, let’s take a look at the new purchase…”

Qin Lu looked down at the green scroll cylinder. He picked it up gently and infused a strand of spiritual energy into the seal.

Instantly, a stream of profound information flowed from the jade slip, rushing directly into his mind.