On the third and fourth floors, Xia Chen didn't miss a single book; he collected them all.
Then he arrived at the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was spacious, but only a hundred manuals were placed there.
Xia Chen continued his methodical approach, sensing that the time required to record the manuals varied by floor.
For instance, on the first floor, it took only two or three seconds to record most books, but by the fifth floor, it took at least one or two minutes.
Patiently waiting, Xia Chen discovered a collection of military formation techniques on this floor.
These could harness the power of the entire army to enhance oneself.
There were ten books in total, placed in a special area.
Another area housed Buddhist and Daoist arts, while in another corner were Confucian calligraphy and paintings, each containing a unique Daoist charm and righteous aura.
These were greatly beneficial to scholars on the Confucian path.
"Engrave!"
Xia Chen walked up to these calligraphies and paintings and began engraving them directly!
Watching the progress bar on the panel, Xia Chen smiled.
***
Finally, after recording and engraving all the manuals on the fifth floor, Xia Chen picked up a body-tempering manual called the "Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art" and pretended to read it.
But at the same time, he said in his heart.
"Begin the deduction and infusion!"
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[System deducing!]
Five minutes later, new text appeared on the panel.
["Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art" True Intent Infusion in progress!]
[Progress: 5%]
[Progress: 35%]
[Progress: 78%]
***
The entire transmission process lasted three minutes, during which Xia Chen felt his skin become scorching hot, as if his flesh, blood, and bones were being tempered by magma, each piece of flesh hammered by a divine craftsman to remove impurities.
In Xia Chen's eyes, a great sun rose, and the true intent of the Shouyang Demon-Breaking Saber he had previously comprehended fused with the essence of the Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art.
Every drop of blood became viscous, containing the energy of the blazing sun!
The entire fifth-floor space turned scorching hot, as if it were midsummer.
Xia Chen himself was like a piece of steel freshly forged from a high-temperature furnace.
Xia Hong and Xia Huang, two elders of the family, instantly appeared in the fifth-floor space, watching Xia Chen's transformation with solemn expressions.
"Has he comprehended the Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art?"
"Did he grasp the true intent of the Crimson Sun so quickly?"
Both exclaimed in shock!
Their eyes were filled with disbelief.
They knew the Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art well; it was highly beneficial for martial warriors and even had some effects on the fourth realm.
That's why it was placed on the fifth floor of the Skill Repository Pavilion.
The entire pavilion was within their perception, and initially, they saw Xia Chen casually browsing through the manuals and didn't pay much attention.
But how did he suddenly comprehend the Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art?
Both were left with a big question mark on their foreheads!
Xia Chen slowly opened his eyes, the sun in his gaze gradually receding, and the surging energy from his pores slowly subsided, his skin no longer red.
"Fourth Grandpa, Sixth Grandpa, what are you doing here?"
Xia Chen feigned curiosity, knowing full well that such an important place, the foundation of the entire Marquis Manor, would certainly be guarded.
"How did you comprehend the Crimson Sun Body-Tempering Art so quickly?"
Xia Hong, being impatient, asked first.
"I don't know either. I was just looking, and suddenly I felt something!"
Xia Chen scratched his head, appearing endearingly naive, like an advanced version of Xia Wen.
Xia Hong's face was full of questions, but he was suddenly at a loss for words.
He didn't know?
Suddenly felt something?
Was it that simple?
Xia Huang said nothing, stepping forward to grab Xia Chen's hand, infusing a stream of true energy into Xia Chen's body to investigate.
He had some doubts about this grandson.
But after tracing Xia Chen's meridians, he found no issues and even felt Xia Chen's physique was incredibly robust, with an exceptionally deep foundation.
"Indeed, it's a waste body, not suitable for martial arts, but the foundation is very deep!"
Xia Huang was full of questions, finding it somewhat uncanny.
"With so many manuals, why did you choose this one? And what were you doing earlier?"
Xia Hong asked the questions in his heart, as Xia Chen's previous actions were too puzzling.
"I heard that ancient sages read extensively, integrating the true intent of myriad schools to create astonishing methods, so I overestimated myself and wanted to emulate them!"
Xia Chen rubbed his hands, looking a bit embarrassed.
"As for why I chose this one, I felt it was somewhat similar to the Shouyang Demon-Breaking Saber I had previously comprehended, so I felt something and chose it."
Xia Huang burst into laughter, then laughed heartily.
"You want to emulate the sages?"
He laughed, having not heard such an amusing thing in years, but quickly realized that such unrestrained laughter might discourage the child, so he added a word of advice.
"You're still young, with limited experience, and your realm is too low. Reading extensively is too early for you. You need to focus on one path. Even if you're exceptionally talented, at most you can choose a supplementary path. You can't study too many scriptures, or it will harm your realm and mindset!"
Xia Chen nodded quickly.
"Though you have a waste body, your comprehension is outstanding, and perhaps in the future, you might achieve something."
Xia Hong encouraged him.
"Yes!"
After chatting with Xia Hong and Xia Huang for a while, the two elders patiently explained some cultivation precautions, and only then did Xia Chen take his leave.
Watching Xia Chen's departing figure from the Skill Repository Pavilion, Xia Hong sighed.
"What a pity for this child. His comprehension is extraordinary, yet he has a waste body. How unfair the heavens are!"
"Why didn't we let this child take the Confucian path back then? Didn't he follow the third brother, Xia Han, when he was young? Why didn't we let him continue? With such amazing comprehension, if he took the Confucian path and cultivated righteous aura, our Xia family might have produced a Great Scholar!"
Xia Huang also lamented, truly feeling the loss. Such a promising future was wasted.
For 600 years, their Xia family had mostly been rough martial warriors, often looked down upon and suppressed by scholars in the court. If Xia Chen became a Great Scholar, perhaps their Xia family would develop a scholarly lineage.
Balancing yin and yang.
Xia Hong was silent, but eventually, he spoke slowly.
"I heard... back then, the second brother sent a letter from the Eastern Wasteland Battlefield to the third brother, saying his child should practice martial arts. Even if he had a waste body, even if he died on the battlefield, he should wield a saber, not a pen..."
The Skill Repository Pavilion fell into a long silence.
After a long while, a voice finally broke the silence.
"Sigh, the second brother, Xia Yuan, was a good man and a good general, intelligent and talented, never disgracing our Marquis Manor, but... he was somewhat lacking as a father!"
Xia Huang shook his head, recalling the stories he had heard about Xia Yuan's attitude towards Xia Chen, and sighed deeply.
***
["In his youth, the Heavenly Emperor was rarely close to his parents, receiving little care, growing up alone within the clan.
The clan elders did not think highly of the Heavenly Emperor's martial talent, yet the Heavenly Emperor was determined and resilient from a young age, studying diligently, reading extensively, and possessing transcendent comprehension.
One day, while in the Scripture Repository, the Heavenly Emperor suddenly comprehended a technique, astonishing the clan elders!"
— "The Xia Chronicles," Volume One, Taizu Emperor's Annals]
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