CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 59: FINALLY OBTAINING THE PALM TECHNIQUE, ITS UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS

"Uhh... umm..."

The white-haired pavilion slave glanced at the two of them, opened his mouth and called out twice, signaling them to follow.

He carried a lantern, but instead of a candle, it contained a Night Light Pearl. Its glow was not as bright as a candle’s, but it surely wouldn’t cause a fire.

Most of the Leisure Martial Pavilion is filled with paper books, and should a fire start, the lady would be helpless.

Martial artists are accustomed to capturing moments of inspiration and turning them into martial arts books, preserving them for posterity.

The quality of these martial arts varies, but in the future, perhaps one could refresh old memories and gain new insights.

Thus, the martial arts in the Leisure Martial Pavilion have been well-preserved to this day. It was built in the center of a lake, also as a precaution against fire.

"Although this man’s tendons are severed, he still has strength in his hands."

Li Xian observed secretly.

The pavilion slave’s wrists had a conspicuous scar, a mark of severed tendons. But the lady had obviously held back; the tendons were not completely cut, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to hold the lantern.

Severed yet not severed, unable to practice martial arts, yet still capable of handling objects.

It was certainly not out of benevolence, letting him take care of himself. It was likely because they needed him to manage the affairs in the pavilion. Without any strength in his hands, much of the work would be impossible to accomplish.

Though dust had accumulated here, it was overall very clean.

The interior was not spacious; it was a corridor wide enough for four people, winding around, with books placed on both sides.

"Uhh... uhh..."

The pavilion slave pointed to the bookshelves on both sides, allowing Li Xian and Hua Hanying to choose for themselves.

Under the glow of the Luminous Pearl, Li Xian leaned towards one side of the shelf, his eyes quickly scanning.

"The higher the level of martial arts, the harder it is to practice, but the benefits, the increase in strength, are correspondingly greater."

"Martial arts are divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper levels, but in reality, there are more levels, just that we are not qualified to know beyond that."

His gaze swept over little by little, recalling bits and pieces of martial arts in his mind.

Entry Martial Arts... more unimaginable effects.

Li Xian glanced over and found several martial arts quite intriguing. Among them, a sword technique called "Heavenly Wind Saber," was a lower-tier inferior martial art.

This technique emphasized sword movements like the wind, with the airflow swirling around during the dance, engulfed by yellow sand. Although somewhat flashy but insubstantial, indeed...

It suited Li Xian perfectly—a narrow blade, best paired with a pot of strong wine, a donkey, carefree and unrestrained; he could ascend to the Imperial Palace Golden Pavilion or descend into the brothels.

A fantasy of the Jianghu world.

Of course, it was just a fantasy.

Li Xian slowed his pace; although he’d long had his objective, he still chose earnestly.

Not long after, he spotted Hua Hanying’s "Fire Eagle Claw." Hua Hanying’s current strength relied significantly on the prowess of the "Fire Eagle Claw."

This claw condenses Qi into fire, attaching to the fingertips, excelling in catching and killing, with forceful finger strength. It’s an extremely formidable martial art.

Moving on...

Another martial art caught his eye: "Qi Combination Skill."

It was a rare Hard Qi Cross Flow Skill. Such martial arts had fatal flaws, often with a "weak point."

Touch it and you’ll be crippled; brush it and you’re as good as dead.

But if the weak spot is protected, it’s far superior to martial arts of the same tier.

"Jade Palm!"

Soon, Li Xian finally encountered the Jade Palm.

He pondered that despite the many martial arts here, he could only take a sip from the vast ocean; viewing more would only add to his idle thoughts with no real benefit.

He made his decision.

"Uhh... head..."

The pavilion slave tapped Li Xian, pointing to the book in his hand and then at his head.

"You’re saying, I have to memorize it here and can’t take the book out?" Li Xian asked cautiously.

"Uhh... yes..."

The pavilion slave nodded.

He led Li Xian to a secluded room, quiet and peaceful, with some cool water and dry food on the side.

"Oh boy, they’re strict here." Li Xian clicked his tongue.

He turned the pages.

The words "Jade Palm" came into view.

"During a moment of leisure, my mind wandered, thoughts ebbed and flowed, and thus I created this skill."

"The name Jade comes from ’Biluo River.’"

In a few words, the origin of the martial art was made clear.

Turning the page again revealed the essence of the martial art, with the methods of practice scattered between the lines.

The text was primarily descriptive, occasionally interspersed with illustrations.

It explained how Inner Qi moved and how it was executed...

Li Xian didn’t rush to memorize but read through smoothly from start to finish, keeping it natural and not delving too deeply.

Then he began memorizing segment by segment. Time flew by until evening. Through the window gap, he saw the sky had darkened.

The fish in the lake frolicked; when tired of memorizing, watching the little fish was a nice distraction.

This space was narrow, unable to fully stretch out. Otherwise, Li Xian would try practicing it.

After a brief rest and a simple drink and some dry food, Li Xian continued to memorize rigorously. Fully understanding and comprehending it right away was impossible.

He could only use the dull method—rote memorization, biting it bit by bit.

He planned to ponder its meaning after leaving.

Li Xian found the book, though not thick, contained esoteric concepts. Even if memorized perfectly here, without regular review, natural memory distortion would occur.

Typically, a regular member of the Nursing Home would need to enter and leave the Leisure Martial Pavilion multiple times to practice a martial art to Great Success or Perfection.

"Heaven rewards diligence; I have an advantage over ordinary Nursing Home members."

Li Xian wasn’t bad at memory, though not as good as his younger brother Li Xiaofan, who had a photographic memory.

But his speed at reading and memorizing was faster than most.

That night, he had memorized almost all of it but still repeatedly read it to reinforce his memory. Even with the aid of his Life Chart, effort was still necessary.

The next day.

Li Xian left the pavilion first, waiting until noon for Qiuyue to pick him up, leading him across the White Jade Bridge to the other side.

"What martial art did you learn?" Qiuyue asked.

"Jade Palm," Li Xian answered truthfully.

This couldn’t be hidden; it was pointless to conceal it.

To his surprise, Qiuyue’s expression was stunned, "Jade Palm?" with a rather peculiar look.

"Is there something unusual about this palm technique?" Li Xian was full of doubt, feeling puzzled by Qiuyue’s reaction.

"Whether it’s unusual or not has nothing to do with you." Qiuyue was unwilling to elaborate, her mind seemed to drift, as if recalling something.

...

Leaving the Leisure Martial Pavilion, Li Xian pondered Qiuyue’s expression.

"This Qiuyue had a close relationship with Jiang Yun; could she have guided Jiang Yun to learn the Jade Palm?"

"This martial art isn’t particularly eye-catching among many lower martial arts. Were it not for Zhao Han and the others’ reasons, I wouldn’t have chosen this palm technique."

"Oh well, what’s the use of thinking about it; it’s better to train earnestly with that time."

As he was pondering, he suddenly saw Pang Long patrolling nearby.

Li Xian went to greet him, and Pang Long inquired about the martial arts situation. Upon learning Li Xian selected the Jade Palm, he shook his head and sighed:

"Given your situation, choosing a fist technique would be best."

"If it were Basic Martial Arts, I would support you developing comprehensively, to discover your strengths."

"But this is an Entry Martial Art, a rare opportunity; your fist techniques already form a base. Choosing a fist technique would lead to faster improvement."

"It would also be more beneficial for future Qi Circulation."

Pang Long offered earnest advice.

"Commander Pang, is this Jade Palm very special?" Li Xian asked casually.

"Special?" Pang Long was surprised: "Isn’t it just an ordinary Entry Martial Art? What’s special about it?"

His reaction was entirely different from Qiuyue’s, evidently not knowing its secrets.

Li Xian chose not to delve further.

After bidding farewell to Pang Long, he went to the usual martial practice place.

Now Li Xian had perfected [Four Directions Fist] and achieved a minor achievement with [Clear Wind Leg], he was adding a new martial art, [Jade Palm].

Fist, leg, palm—

It was a balanced development.