20: Help

The Library, a two-story building located in a corner of the Academy, was quite large, resembling a grand restaurant or hotel from afar.

Canaan Academy admitted many new students each year, and even with the Academy's staggered entry arrangements, a long queue still formed in front of the Library.

“Lin Xiu.” A voice sounded from Lin Xiu’s side as he stood in the queue.

In a nearby queue, Xiao Mei stood waving and greeting him.

“What a coincidence,” Lin Xiu nodded slightly and smiled.

Without much further interaction, Lin Xiu immediately began chatting with his dorm mates.

“Cousin, why didn’t Xun'er come?” Xiao Ning scanned his surroundings and couldn't help but ask, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Back in the Xiao Family, the area wasn't large, so he always had a chance to run into her. But now, at Canaan Academy, it was becoming increasingly difficult to see Xun'er.

“She found it uninteresting, so she didn’t come.” Noticing that Lin Xiu wasn't paying attention to her, Xiao Mei’s tone was a little low when she answered Xiao Ning.

After queuing for a while, they gradually reached the front of the line.

A senior student standing at the entrance announced loudly, “After entering the Library, you may choose a Cultivation Technique suitable for yourselves. But be warned, you only have one chance. After fifteen minutes, whether you have obtained a Cultivation Technique or not, you must all come out.”

At another exit a few meters away, people were continuously emerging, their expressions varied.

“What a pity, I was just a little bit away from breaking the barrier and getting a Cultivation Technique.”

“The Mystic Low-Rank Skill barrier is too thick. Fortunately, I chose a Yellow Rank Advanced at the last moment.”

“Sigh, the Mystic Low-Rank Skill was right in front of my eyes, but I just couldn’t get it.”

Those people were divided into two groups: those who obtained a Cultivation Technique registered, while those who didn’t could claim a corresponding Cultivation Technique.

However, this type was considered common, only Yellow Rank Intermediate, and served as a form of compensation.

“There are many Cultivation Techniques in the Library. Don’t run around like headless flies. Sometimes, following your own instincts might lead you to a more suitable Cultivation Technique.”

An Elder sat in a chair by the entrance, eyes closed, and suddenly spoke as Lin Xiu and the others entered.

Upon entering, the first thing they saw were countless bookshelves, each enveloped by various colored light film barriers.

Different colors represented different Dou Qi attributes, and the deeper the color, the higher the Cultivation Technique Rank.

Many people immediately rushed to the second floor, and Lin Xiu, Xiao Ning, and others were no exception.

Even before they entered, news had spread that all Profound Rank Cultivation Techniques were on the second floor.

This was no longer a secret, and Lin Xiu naturally knew about it.

Going up the stairs to the second floor, the number of bookshelves was noticeably fewer, with each Dou Qi attribute corresponding to only one bookshelf.

Lin Xiu found the light blue barrier representing the wind attribute and walked straight towards it.

Both wind and wood attributes were blue, but subtly different; the wind attribute leaned more towards etherealness, while the wood attribute exuded vitality.

Next to the wind attribute bookshelf were earth attribute Dou Qi Cultivation Techniques.

“Mystic Low-Rank Skill! I must obtain you!” A young man’s eyes were firm as he clenched his fist and smashed it against the barrier.

A powerful punch landed on the barrier, causing only a ripple and a slight crack, but it did not shatter.

“How could this be? This was my strongest attack, why didn’t it break?!”

The young man froze, watching the crack about to heal, and quickly struck again.

However, the result did not change.

The young man was unwilling to give up and tried several more times, then his dorm mate called out to him.

“Hey, save some strength, otherwise you won’t even have the power to break a Yellow Rank Advanced barrier later.”

“Yellow Rank Advanced? Not even a dog would want that!”

The young man was determined to get the Mystic Low-Rank Skill, punching the barrier repeatedly.

The same scene continuously unfolded around them.

“So tough?” Lin Xiu’s gaze swept over the others, and he couldn’t help but fall into self-doubt.

His finger gently traced the barrier; the Dou Qi contained within flowed beneath his fingertip, like water.

“No, this doesn’t seem to be a simple barrier.” Lin Xiu noticed that when his finger pressed down, the force flowed with the Dou Qi inside, quickly dispersing to other areas.

To break this barrier, brute force alone wouldn’t work. He needed a bit of skill to ensure the attack was concentrated at one point, thereby breaking the surface from a single point.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Lin Xiu retreated a few steps. He looked up, his gaze fixed on the barrier before him.

“Mountain Shatterer!”

With a low shout, Lin Xiu rotated his body, power erupting from his toes, traveling along his thighs, waist, and, with his rotating body, injecting into his other leg.

Whoosh!

His leg straightened like a spear, striking the barrier with a whooshing sound.

The gently flowing wind inside suddenly paused for a second, a cracking sound emerged, and numerous fissures appeared, ultimately shattering the barrier.

Whoosh!

A ray of light shot out from the bookshelf inside, and Lin Xiu reached out to catch it; a black scale lay in his palm.

“Mystic Low-Rank, Wind Scroll Technique.”

By the time Lin Xiu looked at the barrier again, it had already returned to normal.

“He broke it? This person is so fierce.”

“Nonsense, he’s Lin Xiu! It would be strange if he couldn’t break it.”

“Lin Xiu? The first place in the Dou Qi competition?”

Listening to those people’s words, Lin Xiu felt his face flush. This barrier wasn’t particularly difficult to break; it just required some skill.

Moreover, other people around him had also broken barriers; it was just that most of them were Fighters, and there were fewer like him who hadn’t yet become a Fighter.

“Brother Xiu, Brother Xiu, help me out.”

“Brother Xiu, my brother.”

His dorm mates, seeing Lin Xiu obtain a Cultivation Technique, immediately came looking for him.

Lin Xiu did not refuse and walked with them.

“You can even ask for help? Damn it, that’s so unfair!”

Someone seeing this scene had envious red eyes. Who wouldn’t want a Mystic Low-Rank Skill?

With his first experience, Lin Xiu successively broke several barriers, helping his dorm mates obtain Cultivation Techniques.

They were about to leave.

“Hey, it looks like our leader is in trouble.”

Not far away, Xiao Ning stood in front of a barrier, his face flushed, feeling helpless.

He hadn't expected a barrier to be so difficult to break.

Before coming in, his sister had reminded him that if he didn't want to fall behind others, a Mystic Low-Rank Skill was very important.

“What should I do? I can’t break it at all. Ask Lin Xiu? If I can’t do it, how can he?” Xiao Ning muttered in a low voice.

At this moment, his other dorm mates walked over, with Lin Xiu in the middle of the group.

“Did you all get Cultivation Techniques?” Seeing the smiles on their faces, Xiao Ning subconsciously asked.

Receiving an affirmative answer, his gaze settled on Lin Xiu, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, “Brother Xiu…”

“Just practice with me more in the future.” Lin Xiu patted Xiao Ning’s shoulder and easily broke the barrier.

Staring at the Cultivation Technique in his hand, Xiao Ning felt a pang of guilt. He had only wanted to teach Lin Xiu a lesson before, but Lin Xiu had let bygones be bygones.

“Let’s go.”

Having all obtained Cultivation Techniques, Lin Xiu didn’t plan to stay in the Library any longer.

“Wait a moment, Brother Xiu.” Meeting Lin Xiu’s gaze, Xiao Ning looked towards another barrier, “Can you help my cousin?”

Xiao Mei stood in front of a barrier, looking utterly helpless, her pitiful eyes directed at Lin Xiu and his group.

She had also seen Lin Xiu break the barrier for Xiao Ning just now.

Help her?

Lin Xiu was taken aback, thinking, *I’m trying to avoid her, let alone help her.*

Xiao Ning cupped his hands, adopting a pleading posture.