Li Mingfu returned to his villa and immediately began working on the bear he had hunted.
The corpse was far too valuable to waste.
He carefully skinned the beast, separating the thick hide from the meat with slow and precise cuts.
Even though his daggers were cheap, he handled them with precision.
The meat he cut into manageable portions and stored inside his storage ring.
Looking at all the meat, Li Mingfu sighed.
"This bear meat could last me for a week or two. I was hoping it could last me one month."
As for the bones, hide, bear paws, and other remains, Li Mingfu placed them in a separate bundle.
He planned to sell them to Zhao Yufeng the next time he went to the open market.
Even if the materials were low-grade, a Qi Refinement bear still had some value.
Any extra contribution points would help.
By the time he finished, the moon had already risen.
Li Mingfu stretched his stiff arms and went to take a bath.
Halfway through washing himself, he suddenly froze.
"I'm out of clean clothes…"
He looked at the small pile of laundry beside the tub and sighed.
So he washed everything.
His regular clothes, his disciple robes, and shoes.
Afterwards, he used a small wind spell to shake off the water and followed it with a gentle fire spell to dry them.
While drying his laundry, he muttered.
"I have gotten used to wearing the clothes here, but I think modern clothes would be better. Especially a nice pair of boots."
While thinking about how to make modern clothes.
Within ten minutes, all his laundry was warm and dry.
After putting on the clean clothes, Li Mingfu collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
He woke up early the next morning.
The sky outside was still pale blue as the sun slowly rose over the mountain peaks.
Li Mingfu stretched his body, loosened his shoulders, and began doing slow dagger draws.
Dagger out.
Dagger in.
Again.
And again.
Each movement was silent and controlled.
Once he finished warming up, Li Mingfu sprinted toward the sect library.
When he arrived, he bowed respectfully to the Elder at the front desk and immediately ran upstairs.
This time, nothing stopped him.
In the past, he had tried sneaking to the second floor several times.
But some invisible array formation would block him every time.
The Elder had even yelled at him a few times.
"Stop trying to sneak in!"
After that, Li Mingfu gave up on sneaking in.
But now he had permission.
Finally reaching the second floor, his eyes lit up.
The second floor had fewer books but contained far better techniques.
Li Mingfu immediately headed toward the martial arts body refinement section.
He didn't need a cultivation technique.
He didn't need an attack technique.
He didn't need a movement technique.
At least not until he reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
Right now, strengthening his body was the best investment.
He began browsing the shelves.
The difference in quality was obvious.
Many techniques here were Yellow High Grade and Black Grade.
Far superior to what the first floor offered.
Li Mingfu grinned.
Then he did what he always did.
He grabbed a random book.
Flipped a coin.
Heads.
Keep.
Tails.
Put it back.
Other disciples watched him with curiosity at first.
A six-year-old child standing in the library, flipping a coin to choose techniques, was definitely strange.
But after watching him do it for a while, they lost interest and returned to their own searches.
Li Mingfu, however, never got bored.
He enjoyed the process of testing out his talent, Heaven-Defying Luck.
When the coin landed tails, he read the book's title and grade before putting it back.
Knowledge was valuable.
If he encountered these techniques in battle someday, either from fellow sect members or enemies, he would at least recognize the technique.
Time passed quickly.
Only four books remained on the table in front of him.
All four were Black Top-grade techniques.
Li Mingfu began reviewing them.
First Technique
Black Vein Tempering Scripture
A body refinement method that strengthened internal meridians through shadow Qi infusion.
It enhanced Qi pathway durability, increased Qi pressure tolerance, and reduced the risk of meridian rupture.
Li Mingfu scratched his head.
"Sounds amazing… but I'd need to learn how to absorb shadow Qi first."
That meant asking around.
Maybe even paying contribution points.
He barely had any points left.
So he placed it on the left side of the table.
Second Technique
Bone Forging Art
A technique that refines bone density without making the body bulky.
It reinforced the skeleton, reduced impact damage, and maintained a lightweight frame.
Li Mingfu nodded in approval.
Then he read the cultivation requirements.
Herbal baths.
Bones cracking.
Repeated reconstruction of the skeleton.
He immediately pushed it to the left.
"Too painful."
Third Technique
Phantom Flesh Sutra
A muscle refinement technique focused on elasticity.
It enhanced flexibility, explosive movement, and reduced muscle tearing.
Li Mingfu's eyes lit up.
"This one actually fits me…"
Quick draws.
Fast movement.
Silent strikes.
It matched his fighting style perfectly.
He put it on the right side of the table.
Fourth Technique
Thousand Scar Iron Body
An external defense technique that strengthened pain tolerance.
The cultivation method required boiling medicinal baths and repeatedly scarring the body to toughen the flesh.
Li Mingfu instantly threw it to the left.
"Nope."
So only Phantom Flesh Sutra remained as a serious option.
But just as he was about to return the books to the shelves, Li Mingfu suddenly paused.
A thought appeared in his mind.
When he flipped the coin earlier, he asked for the best body refinement technique.
But was it the best for right now?
Or the best for his future?
Eventually, he would switch techniques anyway.
What he really needed was something that built a strong foundation.
The library bell rang.
Li Mingfu sighed.
He returned all four books to the shelves and went downstairs.
"I'll come back tomorrow to choose," he told the Elder.
Then he ran off.
The Elder didn't even respond.
He simply sighed and began closing the library.
That night, while eating his dinner, Li Mingfu thought carefully.
"What question should I ask when flipping the coin?"
Choosing the right technique was important.
Finally, he decided.
Tomorrow, he would ask multiple questions and narrow down the answer.
He cultivated, and once his meridians started to hurt, he went to sleep.
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Li Mingfu ran back to the library.
He bowed to the Elder and rushed upstairs.
Returning to the body refinement section, he began his strange ritual once more.
But this time, he whispered a few questions.
"Help me find the best body refinement technique to build a solid foundation when I use guns in the future."
"Which one will one is the best one that truly fits me?"
"Nothing that will damage my body in the long run."
He repeated the questions while grabbing each book and flipping his coin.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The entire day passed.
At the end of it, only one book remained.
Li Mingfu stared at the title.
He frowned.
Of all the techniques, this was the one he originally rejected.
But his Heaven-Defying Luck talent has never failed him yet.
Li Mingfu grabbed the book and ran downstairs.
He handed the book and his identity card to the Elder.
"I choose this one."
The Elder scanned the card.
Then he looked at the book.
His eyebrows shot up.
"Black Vein Tempering Scripture?"
He was genuinely surprised.
If Li Mingfu could cultivate this technique, it would provide an extremely solid foundation.
Even more importantly, every Elder in the sect knew Li Mingfu cultivated the Thousand Thread Qi Weaving Art.
That technique was famous for its slow cultivation speed.
But the Black Vein Tempering Scripture strengthened meridians and Qi flow.
Combined, it could actually increase Li Mingfu's cultivation speed.
"Are you sure?" the Elder asked.
Li Mingfu nodded.
"I'm pretty sure."
"If you can cultivate it, it will help offset the slow cultivation speed of your main cultivation technique."
Li Mingfu blinked in shock.
He hadn't even thought about that.
He was only considering body strengthening.
"Please scan it for me," he said quickly.
The Elder scanned the book and his identity token.
"Return it in six months."
He handed everything back.
Li Mingfu accepted it and bowed deeply.
"Thank you!"
Then he ran away.
The Elder laughed.
"That kid always says thank you… then runs off."
Back at his villa, Li Mingfu sat down and began reading the book again.
This time, slowly and carefully.
After finishing the first read through, he grabbed some fruit to snack on while thinking.
"Starting this technique is difficult."
"But once it begins, it gets easier."
He continued analyzing the benefits.
When he used guns in the future, recoil wouldn't just be an external force.
It would travel internally through the body.
This technique strengthened internal pressure tolerance.
That meant his whole body and meridians could withstand stronger recoil.
It also strengthened Qi pathways.
Which meant:
Faster cultivation
Greater Qi pressure
More durable meridians
And because his cultivation technique ran automatically, strengthening his meridians would make the automatic cultivation even faster.
If he manually cultivated, he could push even harder.
The more he thought about it.
The more excited he became.
"This Black Vein Tempering Scripture is incredible!"
It focused heavily on internal pressure refinement.
The book even mentioned a rare possibility.
If the cultivation progressed far enough, the body might evolve into a higher-tier physique.
Li Mingfu grinned.
"Heaven-Defying Luck really is amazing."
Without it, he would never have chosen this technique.
Only one problem remained.
"How do I start cultivating shadow Qi?"
Before worrying about that issue, Li Mingfu went back to the sect's introduction manuals.
This time, he read them slowly.
He had learned his lesson.
From now on, he wasn't going to miss anything important again.