Chapter 36 - Another Side of the Same Face – Elder Guang So
Humming to herself, Sophia browsed the bookshelves in search of the most basic and easy-to-understand techniques—whether for movement or for fist training. She believed that, if Noah was a complete beginner in everything beyond meditation, starting with the fundamentals was the best decision.
The building was large and, despite the shortage of techniques to fill it, it still had three floors in total. The first floor housed the basic martial arts techniques that any member of the Radiance family could attempt to learn—and that's where most of the books were kept.
On the second floor, however, were the intermediate arts, which required at least a minimal mastery of Qi; in other words, the user needed to be at least at the Qi Refinement stage before trying to train them. Sophia hadn't yet reached the level necessary to set foot on that floor. There, a single full shelf of techniques was laid out—two shelves fewer than on the first floor, even though there was room for dozens.
Climbing up another flight of stairs brought one to the third floor—where only two books were stored. No one had managed to master them for ages—many leaders had tried, but over the years, all had failed, even Arthur. The most obvious explanation was a lack of power, since to use such techniques it was believed one had to be at the Foundation Establishment stage—a level no one in the family had reached for centuries.
"What are you doing here, Soph?" questioned Guang So. His steps were so silent that Sophia hadn't even noticed his approach. "I thought you were training the Gentle Fist Technique... You know—"
"Shouldn't train more than one martial art at a time—you must master one before beginning another. I know, Grandpa," she finished his sentence with a smile. Sophia had heard those words so many times that she'd practically memorized them.
"So, if you're not here looking for a technique for yourself... is it about that boy?"
"Yeah. Noah asked Dad to buy a technique for him to learn, but instead he said I could get one from the archive that was simple enough for him to try out."
"Oh, he did ask...?"