Karn’s fingers flickered across the multiple options as the other hand stroked his beard. Heavenly Thief Technique had tremendous potential, but Rei had already cultivated the martial technique. He hypothesized that he could learn the technique just by observing Rei.
The Myriad Mirror Technique was quite useful in the aspect of concealment especially if the opponent did not know about it. Stone Skin Martial Art was one of the best defensive martial arts in the library but it had a massive weakness. If the enemy knew about it, it could be the difference between life and death. The Fire Fist Martial Art was a useful trump card he could use when the enemy least expected it.
Karn stared at the five names. His finger eventually stopped at one.
Fire Fist Technique.
"Sorry, old friend." The technique disappeared from the list. The face of Bin and Ban, his first real opponents, appeared in Karn’s head.
Fire Fist Technique — Forgotten.
Rewind Martial Technique — Learned.
"Koko... From now on, I should probably start walking my own path as well." Karn smiled.
He continued browsing through the remaining techniques, searching for anything that caught his interest. But after a while, he found nothing worth taking. With nothing left to gain on the second floor, Karn made his way toward the stairs.
The staircase leading to the third floor was spotless, every step cleaned to perfection. His footsteps echoed softly through the empty stairwell as he ascended. When Karn reached the top, a spacious hall came into view.
Above the entrance hung another massive calligraphy board. The single word written upon it seemed to have been painted with some extraordinary ink. The longer Karn stared at it, the clearer the faint roar of a dragon became.
BLACK!!
Karn tilted his head. It was likely referring to the Black Rank techniques stored on this floor. His attention soon shifted toward the enormous gate beneath the calligraphy. Golden dragons were sculpted across its surface, their bodies twisting around one another as though they could come alive at any moment.
Beside the gate sat a desk and behind it was a giant. The man’s enormous frame nearly made the desk look like a child’s toy. Thick, hairy arms rested upon its surface, while his massive head slowly turned toward Karn.
"Give it." The giant’s eyes settled on him. His deep voice reverberated throughout the hall as he extended one enormous hand.
"Koko..." Karn raised his head slightly.
’What a massive individual.’ He thought.
"Is this the result of cultivating some kind of martial art, or were you simply born this way?" There was genuine curiosity in Karn’s voice as he handed over the library plaque given to him by Li Xiang’s servant.
The giant ignored the question. He brought the plaque close to one of his enormous eyes and carefully inspected it.
A few moments passed.
"Insufficient." Then his expression turned cold as the giant flicked the plaque back toward Karn.
"The plaque requires the Qi of one of the Five Dragon Lords or the Sect Head himself."
Karn caught it effortlessly.
"Come back when you have it or don’t bother." The giant’s eyes narrowed. The coldness in his voice made the entire third-floor hall fall silent.
"Koko..." Karn stroked his beard. A strange smile crept onto his face as he looked above the giant’s head.
’Tier One Peak’.
The intense hunger inside Karn for a fight against someone strong arose for a moment but Karn stopped himself before the feeling became overbearing.
’The thirst will be quenched soon.’ Karn smiled.
’So even reaching the third floor requires the recognition of someone at the very top of the sect.’ Karn thought to himself as he looked back down the stairs and descended.
As Karn came out of the Sect Library a figure also left the sect library staring at Karn’s back with calm eyes. An oni mask could be seen hanging on the individual’s waist.
As Karn arrived back to his courtyard, he saw Rei practicing her swordsmanship while employing the Heavenly Thief Technique.
"Have you completely memorized the cultivation technique already?" Karn asked as he entered the training grounds.
Rei stopped her incessant attacks on the poor straw dummy and bowed towards Karn in respect.
"Yes, Master. I have also completed a closed-door cultivation cycle." Rei spoke.
"Come here. Let me check." One of Karn’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
Rei taciturnly nodded and came closer, extending her arm to her Master in response. Karn held her wrist and moved his Qi into her body to check her cultivation.
"Don’t resist the invading Qi." Karn smiled. He had read about this method of checking cultivation from the books in the library. It was the conventional method masters would keep track of their disciples.
Rei nodded and let the invasive flowing river of Qi into her Dantian. A moment passed while the both of them remained quiet.
"Good, as expected. You comprehended the technique and completed your first cultivation cycle already." Karn’s expression became slightly more serious. This wasn’t merely talent. Rei’s ability to understand the cultivation technique so quickly was a sign of one of the five factors.
According to the book ’What Is A Genius?, written by a scholar who had spent his entire life studying the most talented cultivators in history, there were five qualities that determined whether someone could truly be called a genius.
Cultivation Speed. The ability to absorb Qi and advance through realms faster than ordinary cultivators.
Comprehension. The ability to understand cultivation techniques and concepts with little guidance. This was considered far more important than cultivation speed.
Foundation. The ability to refine one’s Qi and body without leaving behind weaknesses for future realms.
Combat Talent. The ability to apply one’s strength effectively in battle, adapting to an opponent rather than simply relying on superior cultivation.
And lastly, Dao Attainment. The ability to comprehend the fundamental laws of the world before reaching Tier One. Among all five qualities, this was the one most closely associated with truly monstrous geniuses.
The author had reached a simple conclusion after studying thousands of cultivators. A cultivator who possessed one of these qualities could be called talented. A cultivator who possessed two could be called a genius. But someone who possessed at least three was a monster destined to stand at the peak of the cultivation world.
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