Meanwhile, inside the martial shrine, Ye Lingyue remained completely unaware of the arrangements being made by the family head and the others.
It had been four to five hundred years since the martial shrine was first established. Upon entering, Ye Lingyue was immediately dazzled by the ornate furnishings throughout. Beside the entrance stood a gold-plated cauldron holding an incense stick crafted from Vitality Condensing Grass. The fresh, calming aroma filled the room.
Within Da Xia, ordinary medical and scholarly books were typically printed on paper. But martial techniques were different—they were always preserved by engraving onto stone tablets.
Because of this, the shelves within the martial shrine were lined with stone tablets of various sizes and materials. Unlike the adults of the Ye family, the children were not allowed to take any tablets out directly—they could only make hand-copied versions.
Ye Lingyue gave the first floor a quick survey but quickly dismissed the kungfu techniques there as low-grade and unworthy of her time.
Without hesitation, she moved to the second floor. Fewer tablets were present here—perhaps around twenty—but each was a ninth-grade technique, collected over generations through the efforts of countless Ye family members.
Scanning the room, Ye Lingyue quickly spotted the Lightning Burst Fist technique. As she wandered further, she also found others like Blazing Fire Whip, Bone Crushing Claw, and Sky Clearing Footstep.
Despite the variety, none piqued her interest.
"Squeak."
Just then, Little Squeak, who had snuck along unnoticed, darted toward one of the shelves. Using his tiny paws, he pushed down a thumb-sized martial tablet toward her.
Ye Lingyue caught it just in time to keep it from hitting the floor and immediately scooped up the little troublemaker before her second uncle discovered them.
Jade Flower Hand
Reading the name on the stone tablet, Ye Lingyue's lips curled into a smile.
How peculiar—this technique was far too delicate-sounding for a martial technique passed down in a family of warriors.
That oddity was exactly what drew her in. Upon closer inspection, she realized the tablet recorded an eighth-grade technique!
The inscription claimed that, if mastered, Jade Flower Hand would outperform even the average eighth-grade martial technique.
Though the difference between eighth and ninth-grade techniques might appear minimal on paper, in actual combat it was vast. When two martialists of equal cultivation clashed, the one using an eighth-grade technique held a clear advantage.
Her mother had mentioned this before: the Heaven Sundering Strike used by Ye Gu during the family competition was also an eighth-grade martial technique.
So why was this technique here? The second floor was supposed to house only ninth-grade techniques—eighth-grade ones were reserved for the third floor.
"That is the Jade Flower Hand," a voice spoke behind her.
Ye Huang Shu had come to check on Ye Lingyue, worried since she had spent so long inside the shrine.
"It may be an eighth-grade martial technique, but aside from our family founder, no one has successfully learned it. In the hands of others, it's not even as effective as an ordinary ninth-grade technique—that's why it's been left here."
Back when the technique was first placed on the second floor, many Ye descendants had tried to learn it. But after weeks and months of fruitless attempts, it was eventually deemed incomplete—not the same as what the founder had used.
The Ye family's founder was a legendary figure who had come to Autumn Maple Town alone, carrying nothing but his skill and determination. Through his own effort, he built the foundation of the Ye clan and was rumored to have had dealings with the royal court of Da Xia.
Sadly, after the founder's death, the family's glory gradually faded, and now they were merely a local power. Yet Jade Flower Hand remained known as his signature move—an invincible technique.
Ye Huang Shu himself had once tried to learn it as a youth. After half a year without results, he was forced to give up.
"Lingyue, your punches are strong, but your footwork still needs improvement. Why not choose a footstep technique instead?" he offered gently.
"Thank you, Second Uncle. But I've made up my mind—I want to learn this Jade Flower Hand," she replied firmly.
She copied the technique's content into her manual and left the shrine.
"That child's talent is solid, but she's far too headstrong. If she doesn't listen to her elders, she's bound to suffer sooner or later," Ye Huang Shu sighed, shaking his head as he returned the tablet to the shelf.
After leaving the martial shrine, Ye Lingyue didn't head straight home. Instead, she took out her handwritten copy and began reviewing it.
"So strange… the founder understood spirit force?" she murmured.
Thanks to her sharp intellect, she quickly spotted a peculiar line at the end of the tablet. It bore uncanny resemblance to the spirit force cultivation methods recorded in Immortal Red Mist's codex.
Not everyone in this world could wield spirit force, and that was likely why no one else had succeeded with this technique. To fully unleash Jade Flower Hand, a practitioner needed to combine both the Yuan energy of a martialist and spirit force.
"Flower" represented subduing the enemy using spirit force, while "Jade" referred to striking key vital points with Yuan energy. One restrained while the other attacked—an effective dual mechanism that left no opening for retaliation.
As she read through her manual, Ye Lingyue unknowingly began mimicking the motions with her hands, synchronizing her gestures with the technique.
Like a butterfly weaving through the air, her fingers danced in fluid arcs around a nearby tree. Yuan energy flowed from her fingertips, while a veil of spirit force wrapped the tree's trunk.
With a single sweeping motion, her hand traced across the bark.
Without applying any physical strength, the tree's roots began to lift from the soil, as if responding to her energy. The entire trunk leaned into her hand unnaturally.
Then, with a light squeeze, the thick trunk snapped cleanly in two—like it had been cleaved by an axe.
Ye Lingyue was stunned. So powerful!
As expected from an eighth-grade martial technique, Jade Flower Hand was truly extraordinary. And best of all, when executed, it caused no visible commotion or Yuan fluctuations—perfect for taking enemies by surprise.
From behind, she suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Not wanting to be caught, she immediately ducked behind cover.
"Damn it! Who's the little brat that chopped down the family head's newly planted Boxwood tree?!"
The servant's furious voice rang out across the courtyard.
Looking back, Ye Lingyue saw the now-splintered remains of the Boxwood lying on the ground.
Sticking out her tongue in guilt, she turned and fled before she could get caught.