Chapter 2 "Knowing the Tone"

  Qin's family, Book Pavilion.

  Footsteps trampled on the thick snow, making a series of "creaking" sounds. This was the time when the Qin family disciples were practicing. There weren't many people going in and out of the library at this hour. Qin Long's body was wrapped in a thick animal hide coat, his purple hair standing out exceptionally among the other Qin family disciples! After all, the other Qin family disciples all had black hair, were tall and sturdy, wore thin clothes, and several young men even walked around with their arms bare in the cold wind.

  "The physique of this young master is really poor and can't be any poorer. His thin body seems like it could be blown down by a gentle breeze."

  "The prestige of our ancestors' generation, how can our clan be so impoverished?"

  "What a pity, I heard that the elder is planning to replace the younger generation with young and talented people from within the tribe. It seems that it should be this way now. With such physical strength, how can one awaken their innate bone power and become a true master?"

  Listening to the whispers of his fellow disciples, Qin Long's expression remained calm, but his hands involuntarily clenched into fists. He thought to himself: "Elder? Great Elder? Can't hold it in anymore?" Qin Long grew up amidst gossip and was more mature than his peers, with some understanding of the situation within the Qin family.

  The great elder of the Qin family was named Qin Hao, who was the paternal uncle of the clan leader Qin Changkong. In his youth, he had competed with Qin Changkong for the position of young master, but was unable to surpass him due to Qin Changkong's overwhelming strength and prestige. However, when Qin Long's weak physique became apparent, Great Elder Qin Hao saw a glimmer of hope! Having endured in silence for so many years, today he would finally make his move.

  "Hey, isn't that Shaoyu?" Just as Qin Long was about to enter the library, two young men were walking out of it.

  Qin Long glanced at the person speaking, his eyes narrowing slightly, but he didn't say a word.

  "You, Shaoyou, should come to the Scripture Pavilion more often when you have time. Who knows, you might obtain some spiritual cultivation technique from it and stimulate your innate power! This way, perhaps you can still sit firmly in the position of the Young Master of the Shaoyou clan." Another young man laughed out loud, his mocking intention not hidden at all.

  One is Qin Shan, the son of the Third Elder, and the other is Qin Ling, the son of the Sixth Elder, who is also Qin Long's cousin. Since the Third Elder, the Sixth Elder, and the Great Elder are biological brothers, the two have been at odds with Qin Long since they were young.

  "Is that so? It seems that the wall-facing half a year ago did not teach you a lesson?" Qin Long said with a smile, looking at the two of them. The two heard this and their faces changed color, their expressions gradually becoming gloomy. Just as Qin Ling was about to say something, he was pulled back by Qin Shan.

  Half a year ago, the two had a verbal dispute with Qin Long, which enraged Qin Hu and led to a direct fight between them. As a result, the two were beaten by Qin Hu until they were covered in blood, and were also punished to face the wall for half a year. Qin Long coldly glanced at the two who were staring at him, ignored them, and walked into the library.

  Qin Shan and Qin Ling turned their heads to look at the back of Qin Long, Qin Ling coldly snorted: "If not for having a good father, he wouldn't even have the qualifications to become a member of the Qin family!"

  "Qinling, no matter what, he is still a member of the minority! His father was the chief of the Qin... tribe!" Qin Shan glanced around, his eyes flashing, and said in a low voice.

  "Pfft! I wonder if Qin Changkong can protect him for his whole life." Qin Ling let out a cold snort, gazing icily at the back of Qin Long's figure, and spat on the ground.

  The Qin family's book pavilion is divided into three layers. The first layer has no restrictions, and any Qin family disciple can enter it! As for the second layer, one needs to become a Bone after that! The third layer, only the great Qin family members have permission to enter, with no more than thirty people! Over the years, Qin Long has come to the book pavilion many times, hoping to find ancient books that can help him make up for his insufficient Qi and blood. He also found many methods and tried them out, but they were all useless.

  Qin Long didn't stay on the first floor, directly going up to the third floor, the highest authority! The ancient books on the first floor were almost all he had read, the second floor was all about martial skills which were useless to him. He could only place his hopes on the third floor, hoping that during this time new things would be sent into the third floor.

  The guardian of the third floor of the book pavilion was an old man from the same clan, whose seniority in the clan was extremely high! Even the clan leader Qin Changkong had to address him as Uncle. As he walked up to the old man, Qin Long slightly bowed his waist and said: "Qin Long greets you, Uncle!"

  The old man with his eyes closed slowly opened them, and his turbid gaze fell on Qin Long's tender but firm face, revealing a warm smile. "It's Little Dragon, isn't it? There are several new things that have been sent over these days, go take a look."

  "Yes, Uncle!" Qin Long replied.

  The old man hesitated for a moment, and then stood up, took out a token and inserted it into the recess of the third layer gate, and then pushed it open with force, and walked in.

  Slowly closing the gate, the old man's turbid eyes had a hint of regret. If Qin Long was just an ordinary person's child, his ordinariness would have allowed him to live a plain and uneventful life. Alas, he was the only son of the head of the Qin family.

  The third floor of the library has only two counters, on which are placed dozens of ancient books and animal skins.

  Qin Long carefully picked up the first ancient book, his eyes fell on the book, and his eyes flashed.

  "Low-grade Spirit-level combat technique, Bone Shattering Hand! Suitable for those who can stimulate the innate power of their bones with both hands!"

  Martial arts on this continent are divided into three levels: Mortal, Spiritual, and Immortal. Each level is further divided into three grades: Lower, Middle, and Upper!

  "This is Father's famous battle technique!" Qin Long muttered as he studied the battle technique.

  Ordinary people cultivate and transform their qi and blood to nourish their bones, thereby stimulating their innate bone power. However, the innate bone power is not fixed in any of the 204 bones in the body, but varies from person to person. Therefore, it is crucial for a Bone Master to choose a combat technique that stimulates the right bone location! For example, Qin Long's father, Qin Changkong, stimulated his innate bone power in his right index finger. Hence, he chose the "Shattered Bone Hand" technique, and after years of practice, his right hand could unleash terrifyingly powerful attacks, earning him the nickname "Shattered Bone Changkong".

  After flipping through a pile of ancient books, Qin Long felt somewhat disappointed. Most of the third layer were incomplete low-grade spiritual martial skills, which he had all read before. The old man's new acquisitions still didn't have any ancient books about spiritual cultivation!

  After picking up the last ancient book on the third floor, Qin Long flipped through a few pages and was thoroughly disappointed. It was still a low-grade spiritual level battle technique!!

  "Perhaps I should have given up from the start! The things Father has done over the years have already made everything clear! If there's a secret to spiritual cultivation here, it can't escape Father's eyes!" Qin Long painfully closed his eyes.

  He was just a fifteen-year-old boy! His mind had already matured, from the age of ten, almost every month, Qin Changkong would bring a master to test Qin Long, he wanted to hear from a master that Qin Long's Qi and blood were too weak but there was a way to make up for it! However, over the years, most people said the same thing, try spiritual cultivation!

  Spiritual cultivation requires spiritual cultivation techniques, but now, almost all the secrets of spiritual cultivation have been swept away by the major powers in the world. Ordinary forces don't even have the qualifications to possess them. Although the Qin family is the number one family in Mingyue City, outside of Mingyue City, the Qin family doesn't count for anything.

  "Ah!" Qin Long spat out a mouthful of turbid air, he opened his eyes, and in the midst of blurry tears, there was still a hint of determination. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice: "I won't give up! Because Father never gave up!"

  Qin Long put down the ancient book without moving, just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell on a beast skin scroll beside him. In this third layer, almost all were ancient books, but this beast skin scroll was eye-catching. Qin Long had ignored it from the beginning, after all, the spiritual cultivation method could not appear on a scroll. But Qin Long, who had already lost hope, pinned his last glimmer of hope on this scroll.

  He picked up the beast skin scroll, and a cool breeze passed through Qin Long's palm! His trembling hands slowly unfolded the scroll, his eyes fixed on it, hoping to see something that would surprise him.

  When he saw the beast skin scroll, Qin Long's expression stiffened. After a long time, he sneered at himself. The scroll was blank with only a few bloodstains left on it. Besides that, there was nothing else. As Qin Long slowly rolled up the scroll, he inadvertently glanced at the bloodstain on the scroll. Through the bloodstain, he saw a blurry mark, which made Qin Long's whole body shake. He picked up the scroll and examined it carefully, only to find that except for this one bloodstain with a blurry mark, the other bloodstains had nothing. This made Qin Long's eyes slightly narrow.

  Could it be that there's something on this scroll that requires the stain of fresh blood to reveal itself? Qin Long's curiosity was piqued, and he directly tucked the scroll into his bosom, calmly walking out.

  After bidding farewell to the third uncle who guarded the third floor, Qin Long thought he could quickly return to the mansion, but unexpectedly, as soon as he left the library, he ran into a group of Qin family disciples. They were surrounding a tall and robust young man with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, exuding an aura like a sharp sword. Originally, there was a smile on his face, but when he saw Qin Long, the young man's gaze condensed, and the smile on his face gradually solidified into coldness. The Qin family disciples beside him also stopped laughing and stared at Qin Long, then looked at the young man again.

  "Qin War Big Brother, long time no see!" Qin Long smiled calmly, his bright eyes staring at this young man who was much stronger than him.

  This Qin War is the son of the great elder Qin Hao, and also the paternal uncle of Qin Long, two years older than Qin Long. The two have been playing together since childhood, and in their childhood, they were as close as brothers. However, with the increase in age, Qin War's superhuman talent emerged, while Qin Long's weak physique made it impossible for him to cultivate, everything changed quietly over the years. In recent years, Qin War has been traveling outside for training, and it is said that he has become a disciple of a certain large sect, his identity is not ordinary.

  Up to now, the two have no more intersections, and if nothing unexpected happens, the title of Shaozu will be replaced by Qin Zhan, because Qin Zhan has already entered the Seven Yangs of Refining Bones, only one step away from entering the Earth Boundary!

  Qin Zhan slightly nodded, his eyes calm and unruffled, without responding. He took a few long strides, then stopped again, casting a sideways glance. All he said was: "Regardless of whether you're from a minor clan or not, you are still my cousin Qin Zhan's younger brother. As long as you know your place, I'll ensure that you live a life of wealth and glory." After speaking, Qin Zhan turned around and entered the library without looking back.

  "Know when to stop? A lifetime of wealth and glory?" Qin Long smiled, his smile as bright as a flower. The fraternal bond they once shared was now gone, from this day on, Qin Long should also "know when to stop"!

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