The third floor, the fourth—Xia Chen spared none, recording them all.
Then he reached the fifth.
The fifth floor was vast, yet held only a hundred techniques.
Xia Chen proceeded as before, noting that recording times varied by floor.
On the first, most took mere seconds; on the fifth, each required at least a minute or two.
He waited patiently. Here, he found techniques for thousand-man military formations.
They could harness an army's might to empower the self.
Ten such tomes sat apart in a special section.
Another area held Buddhist and Daoist sorcery, while a corner displayed Confucian calligraphy and paintings—each scroll imbued with a unique charm, brimming with righteous qi.
A boon for Confucian scholars.
"Record!"
Xia Chen approached these works, beginning the process.
Watching the progress bar, he smiled.
After recording all fifth-floor techniques, Xia Chen picked up a body-tempering art titled The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique and began perusing it idly.
But inwardly, he commanded, "Begin deduction and infusion!"
[System deduction in progress!]
Five minutes later, new text appeared on the panel.
[The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique True Intent infusion in progress!]
[Progress: 5%]
[Progress: 35%]
[Progress: 78%]
…
The transfer lasted three minutes. Xia Chen felt his skin blaze red-hot, his flesh and bones as if tempered in magma. Each muscle seemed hammered by a divine smith, impurities driven out.
A great sun rose in his eyes, the true intent of Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade merging with The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique's mysteries.
Every drop of blood thickened, pulsing with primal yang qi!
The fifth floor grew sweltering, as if summer had peaked.
Xia Chen stood like freshly forged steel from a blazing furnace.
Xia Hong and Xia Huang appeared instantly, their gazes heavy on Xia Chen's transformation.
"He's comprehended The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique?"
"So quickly grasped its true intent?"
They exclaimed in unison, disbelief flashing in their eyes.
They knew The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique—a boon for martial warriors, effective even at Fourth-Rank.
Hence its place on the fifth floor.
The entire Merit Building lay within their senses. They'd dismissed Xia Chen's earlier skimming, but how had he suddenly mastered this?
Question marks crowded their minds!
Xia Chen slowly opened his eyes, the crimson sun fading from them, the surging qi and blood from his pores retracting, his skin cooling.
"Fourth Great-Uncle, Sixth Great-Uncle, what brings you here?"
He asked, feigning curiosity. He knew such a vital cornerstone as the Merit Building must be guarded.
"How did you grasp The Red Sun Body-Forging Technique so fast?"
Xia Hong, ever impatient, blurted out.
"I don't know. I was reading, and suddenly felt something!"
Xia Chen scratched his head, his innocent grin an upgraded echo of Xia Wen's.
Xia Hong's barrage of doubts choked silent.
He didn't know?
Felt something?
That simple?
Xia Huang said nothing, stepping forward to seize Xia Chen's hand. A thread of true qi probed his body.
He suspected something amiss.
But tracing Xia Chen's meridians, he found nothing odd—only a robust physique, an unusually deep foundation.
"A crippled physique, unfit for martial arts, yet with such profound roots!"
Xia Huang's face creased with confusion, sensing something uncanny.
"With so many techniques, why this one? And what were you doing earlier?"
Xia Hong pressed his lingering questions, Xia Chen's prior actions baffling.
"I've heard ancient sages studied a wealth of scriptures, merging countless true intents to forge world-shaking arts, so I dared to imitate them, despite my limits!"
Xia Chen rubbed his hands, sheepish.
"As for this one, it felt akin to my Shouyang Demon-Slaying Blade, stirring something, so I chose it."
Xia Huang chuckled, then roared with laughter.
"You, emulate the sages?"
He hadn't heard such a gem in years, but realizing his mirth might sting, he softened with advice.
"You're young, with little experience, and your realm's low. Studying everything is too soon. Focus on one path—even with great talent, pick just one side path. Too many arts harm your realm and mind!"
Xia Chen nodded eagerly.
"Though you're a crippled physique, your insight's exceptional. Who knows—great achievements might yet come."
Xia Hong encouraged.
"Yes!"
Xia Chen chatted more with Xia Hong and Xia Huang. The elders patiently shared cultivation tips before he took his leave.
Watching Xia Chen's departing figure, Xia Hong sighed.
"Such a pity—demonic insight, yet a crippled physique. Heaven's unfair!"
"Why didn't he take the Confucian path? Didn't he follow Third Brother Xia Han as a child? Why not persist? With that insight, nurturing righteous qi, our Xia clan might've birthed a grand scholar!"
Xia Huang lamented, genuinely pained at the squandered potential.
In 600 years, the Xia were mostly crude warriors, oft scorned by court literati. A grand scholar like Xia Chen could have forged a scholarly vein, balancing their martial might.
Xia Hong fell silent, then spoke slowly at last.
"I heard… years ago, Xia Yuan, the second son, sent a letter from the Donghuang battlefield to Xia Han, the third, insisting that his son should train in martial arts—even with a crippled physique, he should die on the battlefield gripping a blade, not a pen…"
A long silence gripped the Merit Building.
At length, a voice broke it.
"Alas, Xia Yuan, the second son, is a fine man and a great general—brilliant, gifted, never bringing shame to our house. But as a father… he falls short."
Xia Huang shook his head, recalling Xia Yuan's stance toward Xia Chen, sighing deeply.