Chapter 1033: Learning the Lion's Roar (Asking for Monthly Tickets at the Beginning of the Month, There Is a Monthly Ticket Lucky Draw)

Xinding searched for books on the second floor of the Scripture Repository; according to the regulations, he could only take one.

The shelves bore a dazzling array of volumes, leaving his vision blurred and his mind at a loss for a choice.

"Fairy, is there any hidden fortune on this second floor?" the Tofu Honored One asked the Bean Honored One.

The Bean Honored One unfurled her divine sense to sweep the area, then shook her head: "The kind of fortune found on the first floor is gone, but there are others."

"What kind of fortune?"

"See that monk sweeping the floor? He is actually in the late stage of the Tribulation Transmutation Realm."

"To think such a master lies concealed here," Lu Yang thought, deeply alarmed. It was fortunate he had not rashly probed with his divine sense, or he surely would have been detected.

"Honored One, which book should I choose?"

"Fairy, which book should he choose?"

"You there, Qingyan, come over here. Are there any good cultivation methods on this second floor?"

The Honored One Qingyan approached meekly. Having survived for over a millennium in the Tribulation Realm under various guises, he had visited the West Heaven Temple's repository several times, making him the most knowledgeable person within the Green Peak Sword's miniature world regarding the temple.

"What about the Six-Syllable Mantra Scripture? Committing it to memory grants the power to invoke blessings and dispel evil."

"No, it is far too difficult to learn."

"How about the Great Compassion Mantra? It can purify the soul."

"No need, this little monk's soul is already pure enough."

"Would the Great Brilliant Dharma Mantra do? It has miraculous efficacy against spiritual attacks."

"Sounds rather mediocre."

"What about the Lion's Roar? A sonic attack that mimics the roar of a lion to awe enemies. Though this floor only holds the first half, it is enough for the young monk."

"That will do. Little Yang, have him choose the Lion's Roar."

"Little monk, choose the Lion's Roar."

"Understood." Trusting the Tofu Honored One implicitly, Xinding took the first volume of the Lion's Roar.

...

The treatment of a martial monk was a world apart from that of a chore boy, as each was granted an individual meditation courtyard. Upon returning to his quarters, Xinding eagerly flipped open the Lion's Roar.

After glancing over a few passages, a wave of dizziness washed over him, leaving him unable to comprehend the technique.

"Honored One, do you know the Lion's Roar? Could you teach me?"

From the Green Peak Sword came the Tofu Honored One's timeless, raspy voice: "Heh, I have traversed the myriad heavens and mastered ten thousand laws, what is there I cannot do? Yet, to teach you directly would only harm you. Read it a few more times to gain a surface understanding, and then I shall guide you."

"Yes!"

The Tofu Honored One immediately turned to his secret benefactor for aid: "Fairy, do you know the Lion's Roar?"

"What is there to know? The so-called Lion's Roar is merely mimicking the cry of leonine demon beasts to manifest its true intent and steady the mind. It is nothing more than an ordinary spell."

"Can you teach me?" cramming at the eleventh hour, Lu Yang looked up at the Immortal Fairy with eager anticipation.

"No truly formidable figures have ever arisen among the leonine beasts. The Suanni clan possesses a bit of talent, but even so, they have never produced a single Half-Immortal."

Since Lu Yang had asked, the Immortal Fairy would naturally oblige, but as a loyal minister of the Great Bean Dynasty, how could he settle for learning a common technique like the Lion's Roar?

If one was to learn, one must learn the absolute best!

"Look at Little Ling, Lianyi, and the Little White Tiger. Their cries are infinitely more powerful than any lion's roar."

"The dragon's chant, the phoenix's cry, and the tiger's roar?" Lu Yang nodded in agreement. This was true, especially of the Qiongqi clan; though notoriously impoverished, they had produced two Half-Immortals—more than the dragons or phoenixes—making them genuinely formidable.

As for the Suanni among the leonine beasts, they were merely a branch of the dragon clan and truly not worth studying.

"Should I learn their cries, then?" Lu Yang asked, finding the notion of dragons, phoenixes, and tigers quite majestic.

The Immortal Fairy shook her head: "Of course not. Did I not just say that the principle of the Lion's Roar is to manifest its true intent? The stronger the beast you mimic, the greater the power of the roar."

"Therefore?" Lu Yang felt a faint, ominous premonition.

The Immortal Fairy smiled without showing her teeth, offering a pure, pristine grin: "Little Ling and the others are indeed strong, but none can match me! Little Yang, you need only mimic my voice!"

"Let me think. Since they call theirs the Lion's Roar, I shall name this technique the Fairy's Shout."

Having never instructed anyone before, she had to invent the name of the move on the spot.

Lu Yang: "..."

Fairy, that name makes one rather disinclined to learn it.

Yet Lu Yang had to admit her logic was sound; the closer one approached the source of imitation, the more potent the roar would become.

Gritting his teeth, he resolved to learn it for the sake of greater power.

Seeing that Lu Yang was willing to learn, the Immortal Fairy beamed with joy and shooed away the bystanders: "Shoo, shoo, you three, keep your distance."

The Honored One Qingyan and his two companions were driven to the very edge of the miniature world.

"Fairy, how do I learn it?" Now committed, Lu Yang summoned every ounce of his focus.

"Follow my lead. Ha—" The Immortal Fairy widened her mouth with effort, pressing her voice into a low "ha" like a small kitten.

"Ha—" Lu Yang mimicked her form meticulously.

"No, no, you must match my tone. Ha—"

"Like this? Ha—"

"Still wrong," the Immortal Fairy corrected, pointing to her own lips as a demonstration. "Pay attention to the shape of my mouth."

Lu Yang stared intently at her mouth, studying her every movement. Her lips were beautiful, framing pearly teeth, and her small tongue was a delicate pink.

"Don't keep staring at me," the Immortal Fairy said, pushing his face aside, her cheeks flushing crimson as a wave of awkwardness overtook her.

Lu Yang looked completely bewildered; had she not been the one who told him to look?

It took a mere half-day for Lu Yang to master the Fairy's Shout; after all, spending every waking moment with the Immortal Fairy made mimicking her voice far from difficult.

"Ha—" Lu Yang released the fairy's voice, its power so staggering that the manifest sound waves instantly shattered a mountaintop.

Cupping his hands into a makeshift horn, he unleashed the Fairy's Shout once more, its force surging to another level and sending tremors through space itself.

Lu Yang rejoiced; it truly was vastly superior to the Buddhist Lion's Roar.

The only issue was that the voice lacked any inherent intimidation.

"Did I lie to you? This move is incredibly powerful. It not only paralyzes enemies but also suppresses demon beasts. If they hear my voice, I guarantee they will all collapse in terror!" the Immortal Fairy said triumphantly, remembering how every ancient beast would flee for its life at the sound of her voice.

"Honored One, I have read through it several times and generally grasp the meaning of the Lion's Roar. Can you teach me now?" Xinding closed the book, gently rubbing his temples as he let out a long breath, having finally made sense of the text after half a day's effort.

Lu Yang secretly cursed his luck; he had been so utterly engrossed in learning the Fairy's Shout that he had forgotten Xinding was still waiting outside.

Soon, the Tofu Honored One's composed voice drifted from the Green Peak Sword: "Your comprehension is decent. First, I shall teach you the Art of Transformation."