Thunder Palm
On a pebble-strewn path before the Baiwu Pavilion in Ye Family Village, a young boy walked slowly.
"Now that my martial soul has manifested, I can go to the Baiwu Pavilion to seek martial techniques for training, allowing me to fully harness the potential of my yellow martial soul," the youth, Ye Tian, exclaimed, excitement illuminating his face as he gazed at the Pavilion before him.
He had long yearned for this place; previously, he had lacked the qualifications to enter. Now, having ascended to the rank of warrior, he could enter with confidence.
In the Shenzhou Continent, while a powerful martial soul is undeniably crucial, martial techniques hold equal importance. A formidable technique can unleash tremendous power and even transcend the limits of one's martial soul.
As Ye Tian often remarked in his past life, the martial soul is a gun, and martial techniques are the bullets—both are indispensable. Only by integrating the two can one unleash greater power.
The Baiwu Pavilion serves as the repository for martial techniques in Ye Family Village and is of great significance. Several esteemed elders from the village, all warriors of level seven and above, ensure its security.
Whenever a villager ascends to the warrior rank, they may come here to acquire suitable martial techniques for training. Ye Tian had long admired this place, but he had previously been unable to enter without a martial soul.
Now, he finally possessed a martial soul and was fully qualified to obtain the long-desired martial techniques.
"Ah, Ye Tian, what brings you here?" As Ye Tian stepped into the Baiwu Pavilion, a white-haired elder opened his eyes. Upon seeing the approaching Ye Tian, his brow furrowed in surprise.
As the village's foremost prodigy, everyone knew Ye Tian, and there was no one unaware of his prior lack of a martial soul. Hence, the elder was taken aback by Ye Tian's presence.
"Um? Previously, the village chief confirmed I had no martial soul. Now that I've suddenly acquired one, could they become suspicious?" Upon sensing the elder's doubt, Ye Tian realized he might have overlooked a significant concern.
It was unprecedented in the Shenzhou Continent for someone without a martial soul to suddenly possess one. If word of this spread, it could easily raise the suspicions of the more discerning, even endangering him.
Noticing Ye Tian's silence, the elder furrowed his brow deeper. However, he refrained from rebuking Ye Tian and sighed, "Ye Tian, I understand your frustration, but without a martial soul, even if I grant you martial techniques, you will be unable to train."
"The path of the warrior requires the unblocking of the body's meridians, and to do so, one must possess a profound inner energy. Without a martial soul, you cannot cultivate inner energy, and thus cannot practice martial techniques. Go back now."
Shaking his head, the elder closed his eyes once more.
"Martial soul..." At this, Ye Tian's eyes gleamed. Not only did he have a martial soul now, but it was also a yellow martial soul—he would be the first genius in Ye Family Village to possess one.
"Hmph, as long as I keep silent, no one will know of my devouring martial soul. I can simply claim the village chief made an error in his assessment, or that my martial soul is unique and has been reawakened. After all, the village chief is merely a level ten warrior; I refuse to believe he can discern the secret of the devouring martial soul."
With this thought, Ye Tian quickly reached a decisive conclusion. He fixed his gaze on the elder and declared, "Elder, I have ascended to the warrior rank. According to village rules, I should be allowed to obtain martial techniques for training."
"Ye Tian, why are you still here? What! What did you just say?" Upon hearing Ye Tian's words, the elder, who had been preparing to dismiss him, abruptly stood in shock.
"Elder, I have indeed ascended to the warrior rank," Ye Tian repeated with confidence shining in his eyes.
"A warrior? Do you understand what being a warrior entails? One must have a martial soul to become a warrior. Do you possess one?" The elder, calming down, gazed skeptically at Ye Tian.
"Why not give it a try, Elder?" Ye Tian replied with a faint smile before suddenly launching himself at the elder, akin to a tiger pouncing on its prey, delivering a powerful punch.
The elder, unfazed, observed Ye Tian's approach with amusement. "Very well, let's see what tricks you have up your sleeve. If you dare to deceive me, I might just have to give you a good spanking!"
As he spoke, the elder raised his hand to meet Ye Tian's fist.
As a formidable warrior of level eight, the elder displayed remarkable vigor, his movements far from those of a frail septuagenarian, exuding an intensity reminiscent of a tiger or leopard. Ye Tian was awestruck; this was the true might of a warrior.
"Boom!" When Ye Tian's fist collided with the elder's palm, it felt like striking a steel plate—he could advance no further.
"The elder is formidable; Ye Tian is no match for him!" After the impact, Ye Tian quickly retreated, chuckling to himself.
He felt no disappointment; given his current strength, it was impossible for him to contend against a level eight warrior. He merely wanted to demonstrate his prowess to the elder.
At that moment, the elder had withdrawn his hand, gazing at Ye Tian in astonishment, disbelief evident in his eyes.
"You... you really have a martial soul?"
The elder struggled to accept this revelation, yet Ye Tian's strength undeniably surpassed that of a martial apprentice, even exceeding that of a typical level one warrior, indicating that he had indeed become a warrior.
"Didn't the village chief say you lacked a martial soul? What is happening? Speak up!" The elder, perplexed, grasped Ye Tian firmly and began to interrogate him closely.
Ye Tian recounted the fabricated story he had prepared earlier; whether the elder believed it was no longer his concern.
Surprisingly, the elder, after listening, appeared to accept it wholeheartedly. Stroking his beard, he nodded with delight, "Indeed, I have heard tales of individuals failing to awaken their martial souls only to later unexpectedly develop them. Such occurrences are rare even across the Shenzhou Continent, but they do exist. You, my boy, are truly fortunate."
With this, the elder's excitement became palpable as he scrutinized Ye Tian from head to toe.
Now that Ye Tian possessed a martial soul, he would reclaim his title as the foremost genius in Ye Family Village. Given his past talents, it was entirely possible that a powerful warrior would emerge from Ye Family Village in the near future.
"Excellent! Young man, now that you have a martial soul, make sure to train diligently. Don't disappoint us old folks. The future of our village rests upon your shoulders," the elder advised earnestly, personally escorting Ye Tian into the Baiwu Pavilion.
"Rest assured, Elder, Ye Tian will not let you down!" Ye Tian said respectfully, before stepping into the long-desired Bai Wu Pavilion.
The Bai Wu Pavilion had stood in Ye Family Village for centuries. As soon as he opened the door, an ancient aura enveloped him, invigorating his spirit as he eagerly began to explore inside.
The interior of the Bai Wu Pavilion was quite simple, featuring five rows of bookshelves filled to the brim with volumes, presumably on martial techniques.
"A mere village possesses such an abundance of martial arts?" Ye Tian exclaimed, somewhat astonished. He hastily picked up several tomes to peruse, only to realize his initial misunderstanding.
Indeed, there were many martial techniques, but most were subpar, created by local strongmen, unworthy of even the lowest tier on the Divine Continent. It was no wonder there were so many.
Disappointment washed over Ye Tian; he had anticipated finding formidable techniques, but instead was met with a heap of worthless material.
On the Divine Continent, martial arts are categorized into several ranks, ranging from low to high: Divine, Holy, Celestial, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, each level representing a chasm of difference.
Possessing potent martial arts allows one to defeat stronger foes, illustrating the near-maniacal pursuit warriors have for powerful techniques.
However, the techniques before him were merely rudimentary fist and foot methods, falling short of even the lowest Yellow rank, leaving Ye Tian utterly disheartened.
"With so many available, I refuse to believe I can't find at least one technique above the Yellow rank!" Fueled by determination, he continued his search amidst the sea of books, seeking a glimmer of hope.
To his surprise, he did indeed find a fragmented Yellow-tier technique.
"Thunderclap Palm—Intermediate Yellow-tier martial technique. Due to its incomplete state, it can only exert the power of a low Yellow-tier technique. Difficulty level—difficult. Note: Higher martial soul rank allows for quicker cultivation. Recommendation: Do not cultivate unless possessing an Orange martial soul."
Cradling the ancient tome, Ye Tian felt a surge of excitement; there was indeed a Yellow-tier technique, albeit an intermediate one, but alas, its fragmentation limited its power to that of a low Yellow-tier technique.
Even so, he was thrilled. From what he knew, the village chief only mastered a low Yellow-tier technique, as did his father, Ye Meng, and the other strongmen in the village. Having access to a low Yellow-tier technique was already quite remarkable.
Clutching the Thunderclap Palm, Ye Tian excitedly rushed to the elder to register it.
Upon seeing that Ye Tian had obtained the Thunderclap Palm, the elder was taken aback and cautioned, "Ye Tian, while the Thunderclap Palm is indeed formidable, it is exceedingly difficult to cultivate without sufficient martial soul talent. Many villagers have attempted it, but none have succeeded. With your talent, once you reach the third-tier warrior realm, the village chief will surely grant you a low Yellow-tier technique. Why waste your time with this Thunderclap Palm?"
Yellow-tier martial techniques were incredibly precious, and the village had a rule: only upon reaching the third-tier warrior realm could one receive such a gift from the village chief.
This was a deliberate policy established by past village chiefs, as cultivating martial techniques required considerable time. Attempting to cultivate powerful techniques too early would hinder one's progress.
Thus, the rule allowed villagers to have ample time to enhance their cultivation before reaching the third-tier warrior realm. After all, cultivation was fundamental; no matter how powerful a technique, it couldn't be fully unleashed without adequate cultivation to support it.
Simultaneously, this rule served to motivate the villagers of Ye Family Village, encouraging them to strive for Yellow-tier techniques.
"Elder, I've made up my mind; I will cultivate the Thunderclap Palm," Ye Tian declared resolutely, his eyes shining with confidence. The inability of others to succeed stemmed from their insufficient martial soul ranks; he possessed a Yellow martial soul, far surpassing the others in Ye Family Village.
"Alas, very well. You're still young, with plenty of time. Once you realize the difficulty of cultivating the Thunderclap Palm, you'll likely come back to exchange it for something else," the elder sighed, shaking his head as he registered Ye Tian's choice and reminded him to take good care of the Thunderclap Palm.
Though no one had succeeded in mastering the Thunderclap Palm thus far, rendering it nearly useless, it was nonetheless a valuable Yellow-tier martial technique.
Ye Tian nodded repeatedly, smiling as he said, "Elder, please keep my promotion to warrior a secret; you may inform only the village chief. I want to make a stunning impression during the annual festival."
"You rascal… Haha, very well, I promise you. Not even the village chief will know; let them all be astonished then," the elder chuckled kindly, understanding that Ye Tian had endured much frustration recently, having fallen from genius to seemingly worthless.
He could empathize with the young man's desire to make a remarkable statement during the festival.
Hearing this, Ye Tian left in satisfaction.