Sirius Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Shijin

Read chapter 17 of Sirius by Dealer on NovelPedia.

After entering the library, Li wandered the aisles for a while, searching for the section Hakim had pointed him toward the first time he was there. Once he found it, he began going through the books one by one, looking for anything that might be useful. Half the works on the shelves covered martial arts that Jihan was already somewhat familiar with, though all of them had evolved in ways he didn't recognize. Using the mana that circulated through the environment, the techniques had been adapted and augmented. The other half were entirely new styles he had never heard of; martial arts that seemed to have been created specifically around mana, meaning that in a world where it didn't exist, most of them would be largely useless. "Mr. Li." A feminine voice cut through the silence. A girl with glasses and wavy brown hair stood holding a square object against her chest. "What do you want?" Li asked, turning to face Liming. He was still carrying some resentment, and the two hadn't exchanged a word since the last time they'd met. "I think I overstepped. Honestly, I didn't expect you to take it so personally..." "And what do you know about me?" He cut her off. "We've known each other for barely two days." "You're right; I don't know anything about you, which is exactly why I'd like to apologize and offer a peace offering." Liming, who had been hiding what she was holding, revealed a book with a black cover adorned with gold details. The title read: "Shijin Stances." "What is this?" "I heard that the dictat... I mean, the director had taken you under her wing, so I asked her how I could help." Looking down at the volume in her hands, she continued. "The answer she gave me was this book. I hope it's of some use." Liming extended both hands and offered it to him. Receiving the book, Jihan asked: "What's it about?" "The Shijin are the guardians of the four cardinal directions," said the woman, adjusting her glasses. "The turtle represents the Black Warrior. The red bird represents the Phoenix. The white tiger represents the Kirin. And last, the Dragon represents itself. This manual is probably one of the most, if not the most, complete in this library; it serves as both a fighting style guide and a cultivation guide." Li was speechless for a few seconds. He was still a little hurt by the girl's attitude, but seeing her make the effort to patch things up touched something in him. "Thank you. I'll put it to good use," he said. "Don't mention it. If you need anything, I'll be here." Liming bowed and, adjusting her glasses, took her leave, leaving the boy alone. "The four stances... sounds interesting." Jihan began to read. "The four celestial beings are incomplete apart, but balanced together. The Turtle, guardian of the North, is the god of water and death; its impenetrable shell shields those afflicted by pain. The Phoenix, guardian of the South, is the god of fire and life; its flames restore vitality to those it considers allies and burn those it considers enemies. The White Tiger, guardian of the West, is the god of metal and earth; its claws pierce any shield and its roar shakes mountains. And finally, the Dragon, guardian of the East, is the god of storms and the heavens; all that the air touches falls within its domain." "If I understood correctly, I have to learn the stances of all four guardians. Since each has its own weaknesses and strengths, there's no other way around it." Li kept reading the manual. "Either way, most of this will only be useful once I can actually use mana, but if I get the physical foundation down first, I'll have a real advantage once I'm unlocked." The Phoenix and Dragon arts prioritized the lower body, the legs. The Turtle and Tiger arts, on the other hand, focused on the upper body. Only by combining the techniques of all four would the martial art be complete; without any one of them, a critical weakness would be destined to surface. The texts contained images and precise descriptions, yet to Jihan, who h