Chapter 4 - Thousand Hand Seal

The second floor was just as big as the first one, but it had half as many books as the first. Therefore, the space seemed rather empty.

Since Chen Fan had the Heaven Seizing Art, he naturally didn’t need any other cultivation techniques. So, he made a beeline to the martial skills section.

“Golden Stone Fist. This punching technique is fierce and overbearing. When practiced until major mastery, you can break stone slabs with your bare hands. But training your fists to be as hard as metal and stone won't be easy. It will take a lot of effort and endurance.”

Chen Fan quickly glanced at the manual and then returned it, his expression remaining neutral.

Although Golden Stone Fist was powerful, with more than enough explosive power, it lacked sustainability. It wasn’t the martial skill he wanted.

“Raging Flames Blade Art. When practiced to the peak, one can deliver nine slashes almost simultaneously, each slash as fierce as a blazing fire. It has high attacking power but requires a large amount of primeval qi to execute. Suitable for martial artists with robust primeval qi.”

Chen Fan took the Raging Flames Blade Art and flipped through its pages, feeling quite impressed; ultimately, he returned this manual to the shelf, too, as he didn’t have a blade. Given his current circumstances, he couldn’t afford to support his cultivation and buy something precious like a blade.

“Venom Dragon Drill Whip Technique. Turns a long whip into a venomous dragon, entangling one’s enemy and strangling them. Can also deal a fatal strike, penetrating the enemy like a drill and killing them instantly.”

Chen Fan didn’t pick this one either because the Venom Dragon Drill Whip Technique’s requirements for a weapon were too high.

Very few martial artists chose whips as their weapons. Although their long-range attacks were very powerful, their power fell sharply in close combat. Also, whips were rarer than other weapons; consequently, they had become costly items.

“Flying Sword Technique. This sword technique is faintly discernible and unpredictable. Its form is like a breeze—light and elegant...”

Chen Fan pursed his lips and said, “Excessively elegant, but lacking in power. Will look good, but won't be potent.”

“Clear Wind Palm...”

“Plum Blossom Breaker...”

Chen Fan perused martial arts manuals one after another, returning them after briefly scanning their contents. In doing so, he inadvertently discovered their shortcomings.

“Hmm? When did my comprehension become so keen and my thoughts so agile, allowing me to assess the merits and flaws of these martial arts?”

Chen Fan suddenly realized, having gone through tens of martial arts manuals.

In the past, not only were Chen Fan's meridians blocked and his dantian rigid, but his understanding of martial arts was also merely average.

However, Chen Fan had realized that his mind had become remarkably agile, as if his Governor Vessel and Conception Vessel acupoints had opened, giving him a sense of rebirth.

“Did the lightning strike perhaps alter my martial arts comprehension?”

Chen Fan felt elated. Getting struck by lightning had pretty much improved his talents in all areas.

“As if the Heaven Seizing Art alone wasn’t tyrannical enough, the lightning bolt also elevated my other talents. I should use it in the future,” said Chen Fan, thinking about the Heaven Seizing Art.

Not only could it plunder the primeval qi of heaven and earth, but it could also pillage other martial artists' martial talents and comprehension, allowing its user to become even more demonic. However, there is a limitation—it could only target martial artists who had recently passed away.

Chen Fan looked around the second floor’s martial skill area; in the end, he failed to find anything satisfactory.

Suddenly, a creaking sound came from under his feet.

Looking down, he noticed that one of the floor tiles was slightly elevated, suggesting something lay hidden beneath it.

Chen Fan’s curiosity was piqued. He crouched down, moving this loose, raised floor tile to the side. He immediately discovered a manual lying there, hidden from everyone. The pages of the book had turned yellow with age.

“This is...”

Chen Fan picked up this secret manual and flipped it open. On the first page, three big golden words were written: Thousand Hand Seal. The golden light emanating from the letters was almost blinding.

“It’s actually a martial skill. I wonder who hid it here.”

Chen Fan muttered as he flipped through its pages; suddenly, something caught his eye.

The Thousand Hand Seal turned out to be a lower-profound tier martial skill, consisting of four different seal styles: the Vajra Seal, Chakravarti Seal, Yama Seal, and Avalokitesvara Seal.

Regrettably, this Thousand Hand Seal manual contained only the first two styles, greatly reducing its powers. So, it was now comparable to a middle-dirt tier martial skill.

Chen Fan thought it was a pity and continued turning the pages.

The first style, Vajra Seal, was characterized by its extreme forcefulness and firmness, with seemingly boundless power. After practicing it, one’s primeval qi would condense into golden hand seals, like the hands of the Vajra Buddha, possessing incredible durability and an astonishingly potent offensive capability.

The second style, Chakravarti Seal, was characterized by its wave-like motions, combining both force and gentleness to provide seemingly endless power.

Chen Fan’s heart blossomed with joy when he read the introductions of these two styles.

After browsing through so many martial skills, the Thousand Hand Seal was the one that impressed him the most.

Although executing these skills required large amounts of primeval qi, Chen Fan wasn’t worried since his primeval qi was very robust.

“Although this Thousand Hand Seal manual only contains the first two styles, it's certainly a great middle-dirt tier martial skill. If I can obtain the two remaining styles in the future, practicing them will be much easier, too.”

“This is the one. Since it was hidden, no one ever discovered it, but I found it today. It seems fate has brought the Thousand Hand Seal and me together. Maybe it's been waiting for my arrival."

Chen Fan held the Thousand Hand Seal manual close to his chest and put the floor tile back in its place. He hurried to the first floor, greeted the Pavilion Guard Elder, and left.

He planned to find a remote place to practice this new martial skill, but before he could go far, the yellow-clothed teenager from before stopped him.

“Trash, I didn’t expect you to actually break through to the first level of the Qigong realm. What surprising news.”

Chen Fan had scared off the teen in yellow by using the Pavilion Guard Elder’s name, but the teen hadn’t gone far. How could he not deduce Chen Fan’s cultivation level after seeing him enter the Martial Arts Pavilion?

“You waited here for so long just to tell me this?” Chen Fan looked at the yellow-clothed teenager indifferently.

“Woah, nice one, trash. You think you’re qualified to talk back to me now that you are a first-level Qigong master?”

The yellow-clothed teenager sneered coldly and took a step forward. The power of his second-level Qigong cultivation surged, creating a whirlwind that swept toward Chen Fan. With a fierce smile, he said, “You have two choices before you. First, kneel and kowtow to me three times, calling me your grandfather, and I will spare you this time. Second, I will beat you until you accept option one. Which option will you choose?”

“I choose the third option,” Chen Fan responded, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.

“The third?” The yellow-clothed youngster was confused.

Chen Fan suddenly raised his fists and viciously said, “Screw you!”

Chen Fan’s fist went flying with those words toward the yellow-clothed teenager.

“You wanna die!” shouted the yellow-clothed teenager angrily. Unexpectedly, Chen Fan had decided to fight the second-level Qigong martial artist. What a daring move! Since that was the case, the yellow-clothed teen decided to teach Chen Fan a lesson and make him understand his place. Even if Chen Fan had advanced to the first level of the Qigong realm, he was still nothing more than trash.

“Break!”

The yellow-clothed teenager roared. He also sent out a punch, and his primeval qi surged. Two thousand jin of strength rushed out like a flood, his face carrying a ferocious smile. He had already imagined the scene of his punch breaking Chen Fan’s arm.

Bam!

However, the teen’s complexion instantly changed when his and Chen Fan’s fists struck.

He felt a force far exceeding his 2,000 jin pushing against him. Chen Fan's terrifying strength surged into his arm like a torrent, causing a tearing sensation within his limb.

“Did you think shouting will make you stronger?”

Chen Fan’s voice rang out coldly. An even more ferocious force rushed into the yellow-clothed teenager’s arm. Immediately, the sound of bone cracking rang out.

“Ah!”

The yellow-clothed teenager released a miserable scream and flew backward, crashing into the ground. His right arm was bent into a weird shape, his bone broken.

Chen Fan strode over and looked down at the yellow-clothed teenager, making the teen tremble with a face full of horror.

He simply couldn't comprehend how someone like Chen Fan, whom everyone considered trash, had undergone such a sudden and significant growth in strength.

“Now... What should you be doing?”

The chilling voice rang in the yellow-clothed teenager’s ears, making him shiver. He immediately bottled up his pain, kneeled, and kowtowed to Chen Fan three times. “Grandfather...”

Bang!

However, as soon as the first “grandfather” left his mouth, Chen Fan sent him flying with a kick. “Get lost. I don’t have a stupid grandson like you.”

With confident strides, Chen Fan departed from the scene.