Mo Xuanye lifted his head and looked at his father, his eyes showing both excitement and slight hesitation, "Father, this technique seems very suitable for me," he said, glancing briefly at the scroll in his hand before continuing, "But it requires a huge amount of Elemental Spirit Stones… and my uncle is extremely stingy toward everyone except his useless son," his tone carrying clear dissatisfaction.
Mo Tianlong smiled proudly, his gaze filled with unwavering confidence, "Don't worry, my son, you possess a Peak seven-star Spiritual Root," he said firmly, "your uncle cannot refuse your resource demands."
He paused briefly before continuing, "There is already significant dissatisfaction among the elders because of his son, if he tries to suppress you as well, it will become very difficult for him to maintain his position as clan leader," his words carrying a clear warning.
Then he smiled faintly, "Especially considering the performance you showed today, it is only a matter of time before even the Ancestors become aware of it,"
After receiving his father's approval, Mo Xuanye accepted the technique with ease, the last traces of hesitation within him completely vanished, leaving only determination in his eyes.
His father then took him down to the first floor of the library, walking with his hands behind his back, before speaking in a calm tone, "Now, I want you to choose a few Basic Martial Arts techniques," his gaze serious yet instructive, "You are still very new, so too many powerful techniques will only overwhelm you."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Therefore, I advise you to choose three, at most four martial techniques, less but more refined, the stronger your foundation, the higher you will rise in the future," his words simple yet carrying deep meaning.
Mo Xuanye nodded with a serious expression, then walked toward the shelves on the first floor, although Basic Martial Arts could not compare to higher-level techniques, when chosen correctly, they were important enough to determine the foundation of future growth, so he did not rush and carefully examined each scroll.
The first technique he chose was a sword art called "Basic Three Light Sword", it looked simple on the surface, but it was extremely balanced, its core was based on slashing the sword from three different angles in nearly the same flow, one strike for direct offense, one to break the opponent's defense, and one to seal their retreat path, its greatest advantage was how effectively it developed sword grip, wrist strength, and attack rhythm, and it was useful enough to serve as a structural base for more advanced sword arts in the future.
The second technique he chose was also a sword technique, called "Flowing Wind Sword Steps", this technique did not only teach how to swing the sword, but also how to move while wielding it, combining attacks with footwork, allowing the user to circle around an opponent in a smoother and less predictable way, Mo Xuanye liked this one especially because it contained elegance and speed rather than brute force, and for someone who wanted to walk the sword path, knowing how to position oneself was just as vital as striking.
For his third choice, he picked a fist technique called "Nine Wave Heavy Fist", this technique was built on raw power, and although it looked plain at first glance, each punch carried layered force, when a blow landed, the power did not explode in one instant, but entered the target in waves, making it extremely effective for both breaking defenses and supporting body-hardening training, Mo Xuanye chose it specifically because he did not want to rely only on the sword, if one day he was left without a weapon, at least his fists should still be dangerous.
Finally, for a movement technique, he selected "Floating Cloud Step", this technique focused less on explosive speed and more on lightness and directional shifts, granting the user the ability to move as if gliding over short distances, mislead an opponent's vision, and evade attacks at the last moment, while it did not directly make him very fast at the beginner stage, it greatly improved body coordination, balance, and reflexes, and Mo Xuanye believed it would be extremely valuable later for both his sword arts and his overall combat style.
As he looked at the four scrolls in his hands, he felt quite satisfied with his choices, the two sword techniques would give him offense and fluidity, the fist technique would ensure he had close-combat security, and the movement technique would provide survival and mobility, they were not flashy, but for a foundation, they were extremely solid selections.
After looking over the techniques his son had chosen, Mo Tianlong showed a faint trace of approval in his eyes, "Not bad," he said in a calm but pleased tone, "You chose exactly as you should have, neither greedy nor weak, especially choosing the two sword techniques for different purposes was a good decision, one builds your offensive skeleton, the other gives you movement and rhythm, for your age, that kind of thinking is not bad at all."
"Father, I didn't really do anything special, I just followed my instincts," I said honestly, glancing briefly at the techniques in my hands before continuing, "To be honest, I don't have enough experience to properly choose techniques."
Hearing this, Mo Tianlong showed clear satisfaction in his eyes, a slight smile forming on his lips, he truly liked this way of thinking, not being arrogant while still trusting one's instincts… this was a rare balance that a good cultivator should possess.
"Father, what's next?" I asked with curiosity, unable to hide the excitement in my eyes.
Mo Tianlong replied calmly, "Your training will officially begin tomorrow, but before that, there is something very important," his tone now more serious and instructive.
Hearing this, Mo Xuanye became restless with anticipation, his heart beating faster as he couldn't help but wonder what could be so important.
Mo Tianlong smiled slightly, then the spatial ring on his right hand flashed, and in the next moment, a thick and heavy book appeared in his hand, its surface old yet carrying a powerful aura.
Without wasting any time, he handed the book to Mo Xuanye, it was so heavy that his small body almost lost balance for a moment, nearly dropping it, but he steadied himself at the last second, gripping it tightly with both hands.
Mo Tianlong began to speak, his tone now completely serious, "This book contains fundamental technical knowledge about cultivation, as well as the history of the empire," his gaze fixed directly on his son, "By tomorrow morning, I want you to at least learn the cultivation-related sections, the earlier you establish your foundation, the more stable your future progress will be."
Mo Xuanye first looked at the heavy book in his hands, then slowly raised his head and glanced at his father, a mix of slight shock and helplessness appearing on his face, as he tightly closed his lips and thought to himself, I guess I need to learn to keep my mouth shut, because the fact that every question he asked led to such a "surprise" no longer felt like a coincidence