Nobilis of War

The next day.

"Not only can I absorb talent from people, I can also take it from wild beasts. Like the two dogs that day."

Darren remembered he had read in a book that every creature in this world was born with the talent for martial arts, but the talent was ranked from different levels.

"The Barren Wasteland! That's a great choice!"

There were hills called the Barren Wasteland one hundred and eighty miles away from Acqua City. Those hills, covered by miasmas throughout the year, were the habitat of various strong beasts.

"If I can catch a few strong beasts, I will gain a rapid upgrade in my talent. But I must go to the Martial Arts Skill Library before I leave for the Barren Wasteland."

Darren decided to head the Barren Wasteland alone and hunt wild beasts for more talent.

The Barren Wasteland was an extremely dangerous place. It was hard for Darren, considering his current cultivation base, to kill wild beasts on his own. So he needed to go to the Martial Arts Skill Library, where he could first enhance his power by learning and practicing some superior martial skills.

Darren entered quickly upon arrival at the Martial Arts Skill Library.

He started his research on the first floor of the building.

Darren casually picked some books and leafed through them. However, what he found were only basic martial skills for beginners. It was as easy as blinking an eye for Darren to learn those skills, but he didn't need such weak and basic skills. So he headed directly for the second floor.

The books on the second floor were all on important martial skills of the Chu Clan. These skills were difficult to learn. Generally speaking, the second floor was where the outstanding members of the Chu Clan came to choose the martial skills they wished to learn.

"The Fierce Punch? This seems to be a great one. If I mastered this skill, the power of my punch at my current cultivation base would be equal to the force of two thousand pounds. It's almost as strong as a cultivator of the fourth stage of the Primary Realm."

Darren picked up another book. "Premium Blade Skill... This one is aggressive. There are thirteen moves of it. Each one is a murderous attack. It's an excellent martial skill, but it will take me half a year to have a good grasp of it."

Darren hadn't made a decision yet after he walked around for a while. According to the family rule of Chu Clan, every member of the immediate family was allowed to choose only one book from the Martial Arts Skill Library every half a year.

"Oh my god! Haven't you decided yet? Any book here is going to take you almost a year to learn. Come on, just pick one and go away."

Darren turned to the voice and saw an elderly man next to the bookshelf. He could tell from the old man's squinting eyes that he had just woken up from a nap. The elder was the guard of the Martial Arts Skill Library.

"I'm sorry, sir! Could you give me a few more minutes to think about it, please?"

Darren answered politely. He knew well that the elder in Martial Arts Skill Library was as powerful as the ones in the Elders Cabinet, both in status and cultivation base.

"Come on, kid! It's not about time. If you really want something good, why don't you go to the third floor? The books upstairs are all masterpieces. Go and pick one! I bet you will find the one you want. Or are you afraid?" Apparently, the elder had lost his patience.

Darren was not the first one who took his time to make a choice. The elder, as the guard of the Martial Arts Skill Library, had met lots of disciples like Darren over the years, but Darren was the disciple who spent the most time here. He had leafed through almost every book on the second floor, which annoyed the elder. None of the disciples had the talent to master any of the books here, but they always took thei sweet time while choosing.

Darren's eyes widened with delight when he heard what the elder said. He didn't go to the third floor before, because he had never gained permission to enter.

"Thank you so much, sir!" Then Darren rushed upstairs as soon as his words left his mouth.

"What an idiot!" The elder opened his eyes with anger, blowing heated breath from his beard. "How can he be so stupid? Those are top martial skills! You really think highly of yourself, kid!"

He didn't expect Darren to take what he sneered at him seriously.

Only a superior genius was qualified to practice the top martial skills. Even the three super martial geniuses didn't have the nerve to touch the books on the third floor. They were afraid of a deviation of the energy flow in their body.

The room on the third floor was not a big one. There were two wooden boxes covered with dust on the front desk.

"Those must be the top martial skills."

Darren went forward and opened one of the boxes. There was a roll of ancient parchment in it.

"The Profound Nine Sword Skills! It sounds distinctly powerful."

When Darren opened the parchment and cast a glance at it, the complicated movements on the pictures swept Darren into the vortex of its magic power. He felt light-headed at once.

But he didn't give up because of this. He tried to understand the first move of the Profound Nine Sword Skills.

However, he immediately felt his head was about to explode when he tried to gain their meaning.

"Oho!" Darren closed his eyes and his dizziness left him as quickly as it came. "That's really a difficult one. If I keep trying to learn it, it'll only turn me into an idiot. My current talent is not strong enough to understand such a top martial skill."

Although he was still in shock, he put down the parchment and opened another box.

He had learned from what just happened, so he only watched the pictures on it instead of trying to understanding the scroll's meaning. Everything went smoothly this time.

"The Grand Thirteen Blade Skills! What an invincible one! If I had the ability to master it, I could even cut a mountain into two pieces," Darren marveled.

The Grand Thirteen Blade Skills was as obscure and difficult as the Profound Nine Sword Skills, so Darren didn't try to understand it. He didn't want to have another dizzy spell.

'A top blade skill and an excellent sword skill! Only one of them will enable the one who has mastered it to launch invincible attacks. What would happen if someone learned both of them at the same time? I cannot even imagine it!' A thought appeared in Darren's mind.

Darren knew well that sword skills and blade skills were incompatible as fire and water. If he forced himself to practice the two at the same time, not only would he gain nothing beneficial, but he would break into pieces.

"Get out of here!" The elder roared at Darren with fury. "How dare you?"

Darren's pale face proved that he had tried to understand the top martial skills. It was very lucky for him that his mind hadn't turned to mush.