Accumulation

The Outer Sect's lecture grounds did not have senior brothers or stewards coming to expound the Dao every day.

Lin Chan asked the disciples here and confirmed that no senior brother would be giving a lecture today, so he went to Scripture Gorge himself.

The place where Shu Mountain's Tianquan Peak kept its Daoist texts was a gorge—this Scripture Gorge. Countless hidden niches had been carved into the stone walls on both sides, holding most of Tianquan Peak's books.

At the very top of the gorge stood two broken swords.

They were the crucial formation eyes of the Scripture Gorge's array. This formation shielded the gorge from wind and rain and drove away snakes, insects, rats, and ants.

Outer Sect disciples could borrow one book at a time, for a maximum of one month. Once the month was up, they had to return it, or they would be fined.

Inner Sect Disciples could borrow books freely, but they could not take too many at once—at the very least, not so many that they could not carry them all away. There was no clear limit on the borrowing period.

Yet Scripture Gorge did not receive many visitors each day. Cultivation placed importance on wealth, methods, companions, and location.

That meant sufficient cultivation resources, correct cultivation methods, fellow cultivators to accompany one's path, and a suitable cultivation environment.

Relying on one's own research alone was clearly not a superior method of cultivation.

Without guidance from a good teacher, one could easily stray onto a crooked path.

Thus, Outer Sect disciples preferred listening to Inner Sect senior brothers expound the Dao at the lecture grounds.

Inner Sect Disciples, meanwhile, took advantage of their elders' free time to seek their guidance.

Lin Chan felt that True Person Xuan Chen had only recently guided his cultivation for several days, while he was not yet familiar with the various senior brothers. It would be inconvenient to waste their time over a minor spell like the Cleaning Spell.

The person in charge of Scripture Gorge was an elderly steward in the late stage of Qi Cultivation, surnamed Zhang and named He. Though he was already over eighty, he was vigorous and full of vitality.

"Daoist Lin, what books have you come to borrow this time?"

Zhang He asked with a smile.

After all, Tianquan Peak had fewer than fifty Inner Sect Disciples in total. Every one of them was known by name. Lin Chan had come several times already, so Zhang He recognized him.

Since Zhang He had come from the Outer Sect and later become a steward through seniority, rather than becoming a disciple under a Core Formation True Person, he could neither call Lin Chan junior brother nor, given his age, conveniently call him senior brother. Thus, he addressed him as Daoist Lin.

"Steward Zhang, I'm not reading miscellaneous writings this time. I'd like to learn the Cleaning Spell."

Lin Chan said with a smile.

The books he had previously borrowed from Scripture Gorge had all been records of strange encounters and tales of monsters written by past cultivators. They were all written in the Daoist language.

On one hand, he read them to review the Daoist language and improve his proficiency in it. On the other, they allowed him to learn about all kinds of demonic creatures, broaden his horizons, and become broadly learned with an Eidetic Memory. Of course, reading such strange tales could also cultivate one's temperament and ease one's mind.

"Daoist Lin, what a coincidence. I have labored in Scripture Gorge for many years and must constantly brush the dust from the Daoist texts. I have done quite a bit of research into the Cleaning Spell. Why don't we discuss it together?"

The little old man Zhang He said with a smile. He thought highly of Lin Chan.

Of course, Lin Chan's future did not need Zhang He to think highly of it. More than half of the Inner Sect Disciples had already reached Foundation Establishment. How could their futures fail to be bright?

"Then I shall trouble Steward Zhang to enlighten me without reservation."

Lin Chan said with a smile.

Having an elder point out the path was far better than groping through darkness alone.

Zhang He brought Lin Chan deep into Scripture Gorge and found an uncleaned area. Before Lin Chan's eyes, he demonstrated his mastery of the Cleaning Spell.

A light breeze swept past, and a droplet of water containing gathered dust appeared in his hand.

"Steward Zhang, your divine abilities are vast."

Lin Chan tossed out flattering words as if they cost nothing.

"Daoist Lin, you flatter me."

Lin Chan's praise delighted Zhang He so much that he burst into hearty laughter.

Over the following days, whenever Lin Chan had free time, he came here to study under Zhang He. Once he had exhausted the spiritual power needed for cultivation, he would return home.

At first, Lin Chan had thought this was a very simple spell.

But the spell actually carried a certain degree of difficulty. Not only did one first have to learn how to raise wind, one also had to control its strength and make those currents move according to one's thoughts.

When necessary, one also had to supplement it with droplets of water to clean stubborn stains. It was a relatively complicated spell, not one of the lowest rank.

Fortunately, Lin Chan possessed the innate divine ability of [Eidetic Memory]. He would not forget the details of a spell, so he learned quickly.

In less than half a month, Lin Chan had learned the spell and cultivated it to the point where he could use it.

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"Daoist Lin truly deserves to be an Inner Sect Disciple. With such comprehension, you have left me utterly astonished."

Zhang He could not help but sigh.

Lin Chan had spent only a dozen or so days learning a spell that Zhang He had spent most of his life mastering, and had already grasped thirty percent of it.

"It is also thanks to Steward Zhang's attentive instruction."

Lin Chan said humbly.

And he was not lying.

Steward Zhang had worked in Scripture Gorge for decades and had to cast the Cleaning Spell nearly every day.

In this spell alone, he had unquestionably reached perfection. With his patient teaching and Lin Chan's [Eidetic Memory], rapid progress came naturally.

To thank Steward Zhang for his guidance, Lin Chan specially went to the Outer Sect's kitchen, ordered some spiritual meals, bought some spiritual wine, and invited Steward Zhang to drink with him.

Since Registered Disciples all needed to eat, Shu Mountain would not specially distribute Bigu Pills, which required alchemists to labor over refining them. Thus, every peak had a kitchen responsible for preparing their meals.

The stewards and menial servants in these Kitchens also wanted to earn a little extra, and so the business of spiritual meals came into being.

A small table of spiritual meals, including spiritual wine and preparation fees, cost Lin Chan one Mortal Talisman Coin in total.

It seemed affordable, but in truth, it was not.

One had to know that a Mortal Talisman Coin was worth the equivalent of one or two hundred taels of silver—enough to buy a decent residence in Yulin City. Converted into meals, who knew how many that would be.

This showed just how high its value was.

It could roughly be exchanged for the ingredients to make dozens of Bigu Pills.

Therefore, within the Outer Sect—and even among Rogue Cultivators—Mortal Talisman Coins were not considered the most basic currency.

Bigu Pills were.

They could be stored for a long time and were necessities for low-level cultivators. Their value was relatively stable, and they were commonly used in barter among low-level cultivators.

One Mortal Talisman Coin was roughly equivalent to one hundred Bigu Pills of decent quality.

Lin Chan's monthly stipend was still only one Mortal Talisman Coin.

So he had bled a little this time.

But it was all worth it. Lin Chan had always kept a clear distinction between gratitude and grudges. Zhang He had shown him kindness, and though it was only a small kindness, Lin Chan would not let it go unrepaid.

Zhang He ate this meal to his heart's content. After chatting freely with Lin Chan and pouring out all his pent-up grievances, he nearly dragged Lin Chan into becoming sworn brothers.

It was somewhat presumptuous.

Seeing that he was drunk and merely a little old man, Lin Chan did not hold it against him.

He could be friends across generations with him, but there was no need to become brothers of different surnames.

After sending Zhang He back to Scripture Gorge, Lin Chan hurried back to his Cave Dwelling and used the spiritual power from the spiritual meals to diligently cultivate his technique.

He continued until even his meridians felt somewhat sore, yet some of that spiritual power still remained.

At that point, Lin Chan could only stop and rest properly.

After a peaceful night's sleep, Lin Chan rose early, feeling incomparably refreshed. The soreness in his meridians had already faded by more than half.

The reason was simple: Lin Chan possessed the innate talent of [Deep Sleep], which allowed him to slowly recover from injuries while sleeping.

Damage to the meridians caused by excessive cultivation was included as well.

For ordinary people, these were hidden ailments that were difficult to heal. For Lin Chan, they were matters that could be solved with one night of sleep.

Thus, Lin Chan cultivated excessively every day.

Naturally, he still had to keep that excess within proper bounds.

If the damage was too severe, the effects of [Deep Sleep] would be too weak to accomplish much.

And if the meridians suffered excessively severe damage that went untreated for too long, it would become irreversible and lower the ceiling of one's potential.

So Lin Chan gradually increased the time, eventually determining that once his muscles began to feel strained each day, he could continue cultivating for another quarter of an hour—an eighth of a shichen, a quarter of an hour—before stopping. By that night, he would recover completely, with no effect whatsoever on his meridians. It could even slightly strengthen the meridians throughout his body.

A quarter of an hour was not long, but an extra quarter of an hour every day, accumulated over time, would amount to something considerable.

Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand li;

Without gathering small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas.

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