Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 27 - 23 Secret Manual

Chapter 27: Chapter 23 Secret Manual

Using telekinesis, he cut down a rosewood tree and, following the structure of the rosewood bookshelves in the study, he made a simple wooden shelf and placed it against the other wall of the study. The library books could be moved later; for now, he wanted to see what books were in the study.

The books in the study were also sorted and organized, and just by looking at them, one could tell what kind of books they were. Rare ancient texts were naturally indispensable, with the rest being travelogues and secret formulas; the secret formulas were all for women, like ointments and soups for skincare; there were also rouges, inks, lip balms, and face powders. There were also recipes for foods, like pastries, with various types. One entire wall was filled with medical books—Gu Qing’s parents had evidently put a lot of thought into this.

The remaining half of the wall contained secret manuals that Gu Jing had placed in the space. No wonder half the martial arts world wanted to launch a campaign; how many families’ secret manuals had been stolen? Even those unique family secrets passed down through generations were pillaged. This was really asking for trouble, as the saying goes, "He who courts trouble will ultimately find it."

Huh? Wasn’t it said that many Divine weapons were also stolen? Where were they hidden, perhaps not thrown into the space? Gu Chengyu shook his head and didn’t concern himself with this any further.

With these conveniences at hand, Gu Chengyu wasn’t going to be polite. Inner Strength is essential; Qinggong is a means of escape and travel, so it is also necessary. Besides, he needed to choose a weapon. During the apocalypse, he easily picked up an Ancient Sword from Antiques Street, which he found quite to his taste, and it stayed with him until just before he traversed; in this life, he decided to continue practicing swordsmanship. He also needed to learn some martial techniques. In his previous life, to fend off zombies and compete with humans for resources, he had learned a few moves from a mercenary. Unfortunately, guns were stronger; though they couldn’t kill zombies, they could intimidate humans. Eventually, he managed to get hold of a pistol, but by the time he died, he had run out of bullets and didn’t have the chance to bring it into the space. It’s somewhat regrettable when he thinks about it.

In front of the bookshelf, he selected a copy of Formless Inner Power, Outer Heaven Flying Immortal, Great Sun Buddha Palm, and the Immortal Spirit Sword Manual. Formless Inner Power was for cultivating Inner Strength; with profound Inner Strength, one could kill invisibly using flowers and leaves as weapons. However, this required deep Inner Strength, which might take an ordinary person decades to achieve, but with the assistance of a Spiritual Spring, it was only a matter of time for Gu Chengyu.

Outer Heaven Flying Immortal is a Qinggong technique, which, like others, is also linked to the depth of one’s Inner Strength. This wasn’t anything special; after all, Qinggong techniques tend to be quite similar, relying on Inner Strength for assistance. Stepping on Snow Without Traces wouldn’t be a problem, though whether it’s as exaggerated as described in the booklet is another story. From what Gu Chengyu understood, ancient Qinggong techniques all required borrowing strength. How did Gu Chengyu know? Wasn’t that always how it was shown on TV?

Great Sun Buddha Palm is a palm technique. Upon mastery, one can release a force, Inner Strength externalized, which allows attacks to land on an opponent without contact, resulting in a lethal or severely injurious blow. Of course, there must be a distance limitation to this—it’s not like you can injure someone with force from hundreds of meters away. It’s probably effective within only a few meters.

The sword moves in the Immortal Spirit Sword Manual are versatile and dynamic, displaying agility and grace when executed, with the moves changing at a rapid pace.

Having chosen the secret manuals, Gu Chengyu eagerly went to the practice room. He sat cross-legged, intending to first practice Inner Power cultivation. After sitting down, he reconsidered; his body was still small, having only been born a few days prior. Could he actually practice Inner Strength safely? Could he risk deviation into madness or spontaneous combustion? Better to wait until he was a bit older. Having narrowly escaped death once, Gu Chengyu was very cautious with his life. In all things, there was no room for impatience; he had to take it slow.

He only took a hurried glance at the practice room yesterday, feeling it was somewhat empty. Upon a closer inspection today, he discovered a small compartment within. Entering it, he suddenly understood that this was where Gu Jing collected treasures! Besides the weapon racks in the practice room, which held various swords, the selection here seemed more comprehensive. These swords, daggers, and spears were displayed on wooden shelves, some adorned with gemstones and jade, their handles decorated with tassels, exhibiting extreme elegance. There were several long spears as well, and ornate bows and arrows, along with small sleeve arrows, hung on the walls. After a brief glance, Gu Chengyu left. Since he couldn’t practice martial arts now, he would return later to select a sword he favored. Those bows and arrows, once usable, could also be handy for hunting to supplement the household.

Since he couldn’t practice now, Gu Chengyu thought of the lake in the space and wondered if there were any fish in it.

The lake in the space was large, and as he gazed at the clear turquoise waters of the lake, which separated two mountains, serene as a mirror, it presented a picturesque scene of clear mountains and waters. Having admired the scenery for a while, Gu Chengyu began to search the lake using his mind; as expected, there were no fish. He would need to find a way to acquire some fish fry in the future. However, there were river mussels, and he retrieved a relatively large one. This river mussel was even larger than deep-sea scallops. When he opened it, he found several large pearls inside. After examining the pearls carefully, he returned the still-living river mussel to the lake. These pearls were round and smooth, about the size of lychees, with two pink, a white, and surprisingly, three black pearls.

River mussels were low-grade species, not spirit beasts. Even with the presence of Spiritual Energy in this space, they couldn’t become refined beings. The river mussel just now was likely aged; Gu Chengyu chose it for its size. Freshwater pearls of such magnitude were surprising enough.

These might have been bred by Gu Qing, who probably found raising fish troublesome and unnecessary, given no food shortage, hence the river mussels for pearls. Likely, not all the pearl jewelry in the storerooms was collected; these river mussels contributed considerably. The mussels had likely been left unchecked for years, now somewhat rampant. He’d need to find ways to manage them, lest they continued breeding unchecked, potentially filling the lake. He hoped to introduce fish eventually!

Wondering if all mussels would produce pearls, Gu Chengyu fished out two smaller ones. Upon opening, he indeed found pearls inside, though smaller than the first, averaging dragon-eye size or smaller, about the size of an adult woman’s thumb nail, which wasn’t small at all. It seemed they could mostly produce pearls. It was unclear how valuable pearls were in this era!

Bringing the pearls to the bedroom, he placed them in the dressing box. Looking at the beautifully carved canopy bed, he moved the silk bedding to a corner of the storeroom, making the bed with a modern bed set from a mall supermarket. The stark contrast of the antique canopy bed with the modern bedding was a bit jarring, but Gu Chengyu decided to ignore it for now. He considered replacing it with matching bedding when given a chance.

It was a gesture of respect to the original owner; after all, this space now belonged to him.