Chapter 53: Profound Yang Mental Technique

"To, to become your disciple?!"

The woman in red was slightly startled, as if she hadn't expected Lin Jiangnian to make such a request.

"That's right!"

Lin Jiangnian looked at her very seriously. "I want to become your disciple!"

Silence!

The woman in red was completely baffled by Lin Jiangnian's sudden notion!

After a long while, as if realizing something, she stared at him. "Why do you want to become my disciple?"

"I want to learn some real martial arts from you!"

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else!"

The woman in red stared at Lin Jiangnian's face for a long time before parting her red lips to spit out two words: "Liar."

Just to become a disciple and learn martial arts?

She certainly didn't believe it!

Lin Jiangnian sighed. It really wasn't a good thing for a woman to be too smart!

Wanting to become her disciple was, on the one hand, indeed to learn some real martial arts from her, but on the other hand, it was to shorten the distance between them.

She surely wouldn't deal a fatal blow to her own disciple, right?

Realizing that the Gu poison in his body might not be easily removed, Lin Jiangnian decided to take a roundabout approach...

"I am genuinely and sincerely hoping to become your disciple!"

Lin Jiangnian's gaze was exceptionally sincere. "Look at me, do I look like a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy? Take me in, and you might just end up with an unprecedented, world-shaking genius for a disciple..."

"Not taking you!"

However, before Lin Jiangnian could finish boasting, the woman in red decisively refused.

"Why?"

"Not taking you means not taking you!"

"So heartless?"

"What else?"

The woman in red looked him up and down, a glimmer seemingly dancing in her eyes. "Why should I take you as my disciple?"

"Could it be that you think our relationship is very good?"

"Isn't it?"

Lin Jiangnian thought for a moment and said, "You are currently the only person I trust in this world..."

The woman in red was taken aback. "The only person you trust?"

"Yes!"

Lin Jiangnian nodded and sighed. "Now that I am within this Prince Lin's Mansion, who else can I trust besides you?"

It seemed, indeed, to be the case?

The woman in red fell into deep thought. This fellow was walking on thin ice within Prince Lin's Mansion now, and aside from her, there really seemed to be no one else he could trust?

A strange feeling arose in her heart. Her beautiful eyes gazed and appraised Lin Jiangnian for a moment, then glanced at the martial arts manuals on the table. She suddenly shook her head. "The martial arts you've picked out are not suitable for you!"

Pausing for a moment, as if thinking of something, she narrowed her eyes, a sharp gleam flashing through her bright, beautiful eyes: "You should practice the Profound Yang Mental Technique!"

"The Profound Yang Mental Technique?"

This name sounded somewhat unfamiliar.

The woman in red glanced at him. "The Profound Yang Mental Technique is the Lin family's exclusive mental cultivation method... and the peerless masterpiece that earned that Prince Lin his renown!"

"It is also the absolute top-tier martial arts manual in the world today!"

...

Night shrouded the royal mansion.

In another courtyard within the mansion, Ziyuan stood quietly under the eaves. Not far away, a maid lowered her head and spoke respectfully: "His Highness went to the Ruyi Tower this afternoon and did not come out until nightfall..."

Ziyuan's cold eyes held a trace of profound depth as she asked indifferently, "Did His Highness bring anything out?"

"None."

"I understand."

Ziyuan said indifferently, "You may withdraw."

After the maid retreated, Ziyuan's cool, beautiful eyes remained as calm as an ancient well.

As a heavily guarded restricted area of Prince Lin's Mansion, outsiders could not easily approach the Ruyi Tower without the Prince's order. Why did His Highness go there today?

In the past, His Highness had no interest in the Ruyi Tower. The coveted martial arts manuals, weapons, and elixirs treasured within the Ruyi Tower held no attraction in his eyes whatsoever.

For some reason, Ziyuan inexplicably recalled His Highness's words yesterday, as well as his reaction during the memorial ceremony for the Princess consort earlier that day...

His Highness seemed to be changing!

Ziyuan lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

Then she slowly raised her eyes and looked toward the distant night view... Right there was where the Ruyi Tower stood.

...

Early morning.

Lin Jiangnian awoke from his dream. The maidservants waiting outside the door had been waiting for quite a while.

However, yesterday's little maid was not among them.

"Where is Xiaozhu?"

Lin Jiangnian asked. Yesterday, he had told that disobedient little traitor to wait in the room to warm his bed at night, but he hadn't expected her to dare not come!

Had the little traitor grown wings?

The maidservant helping Lin Jiangnian change his clothes lowered her head and explained, "Sister Xiaozhu was called away early in the morning by Sister Ziyuan..."

Lin Jiangnian narrowed his eyes, realizing what had happened.

Sure enough, Ziyuan was meddling again!

Yesterday, Lin Jiangnian had kissed Xiaozhu right in front of her. She was probably worried that Lin Jiangnian would harbor malicious intentions toward Xiaozhu, so she deliberately sent the little maid away early today!

She really liked to poke her nose into other people's business!

Although slightly annoyed in his heart, Lin Jiangnian didn't have the time to deal with this for the moment. He still had to make a trip to the Ruyi Tower today to accomplish a major task!

"The Profound Yang Mental Technique!"

This was the martial arts manual the woman in red had told Lin Jiangnian to search for inside the Ruyi Tower before she left last night.

This was the Lin family's ancestral martial art, and also one of the rare supreme martial arts techniques in the world. Judging by the name, it was probably the kind of masculine, domineering mental cultivation method.

Which happened to match Lin Jiangnian's sunny, cheerful, and bright boyish temperament!

He had heard that Lin Hengzhong relied on the Profound Yang Mental Technique to forge peerless martial arts prowess and become a grandmaster of a generation!

Lin Jiangnian naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by!

Besides, last night Lin Jiangnian had also mentioned the stooped old man he saw inside the Ruyi Tower to the woman in red. Unexpectedly, the woman in red, who knew Prince Lin's Mansion like the back of her hand, actually didn't know there was a mysterious "sweeping monk" inside the Ruyi Tower either?

That made things rather strange.

Was the mysterious old man's background too obscure, or was he just an ordinary, inconspicuous old sweeper?

No matter what, Lin Jiangnian planned to visit the Ruyi Tower once more to test the waters!

And probe the reality of the situation.

After breakfast, Lin Jiangnian arrived outside the Ruyi Tower once again. Near the Sun and Moon Pool, it was as calm and peaceful as yesterday.

Lin Jiangnian encountered no obstructions and skillfully entered the Ruyi Tower!

Just shortly after Lin Jiangnian went inside, a cold figure silently appeared by the lake, raising her eyes to quietly gaze at the pavilion nestled in the center of the pool in the distance.

...

Inside the dim pavilion permeated with the fragrance of ancient books, Lin Jiangnian went straight to the fourth floor.

Yesterday, Lin Jiangnian had already classified and memorized the books placed throughout the pavilion, so he went directly to the section storing martial arts manuals and began searching through them.

However, it wasn't until Lin Jiangnian had searched through almost all the martial arts manuals and mental techniques that he still failed to find any record related to the Profound Yang Mental Technique.

"Not here?"

Lin Jiangnian frowned. The woman in red had mentioned last night that the Profound Yang Mental Technique was most likely stored inside this Ruyi Tower.

So why couldn't it be found?

Or could it be...

Lin Jiangnian seemed to remember something and raised his head to look in a certain direction.

The seventh floor!

That locked seventh floor which no one except Prince Lin could enter?

Could it be...

Where was the Profound Yang Mental Technique hidden?

Recalling the words of the mysterious old man from yesterday, Lin Jiangnian arrived at the sixth floor, near the staircase leading to the seventh floor. The entrance to the seventh floor was heavily blocked by an iron door, and it was locked!

Outsiders couldn't enter the Ruyi Tower casually in the first place, and the Ruyi Tower itself was secure enough. If so, why go to the redundant trouble of locking it?

Unless... something extremely important was hidden on this seventh floor?!

Or perhaps some heaven-shaking secret?!

Lin Jiangnian's eyes narrowed slightly. If that were really the case, then that so-called Profound Yang Mental Technique was probably hidden right here, wasn't it?

Just as Lin Jiangnian was pondering how to find a way to enter this seventh floor:

"Cough, cough!"

From the empty space behind him came the sound of a slight, raspy cough.

Lin Jiangnian turned his head sharply.

The stooped old man he had seen yesterday had appeared behind him at some unknown time. Still bent over, holding yesterday's broom, he was slowly sweeping the floor.

Dutiful and diligent!

A quiet and peaceful scene!

Yet Lin Jiangnian's gaze was calm.

This old man was definitely no ordinary person!