Outside the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Fan stopped and looked over calmly.
Behind him, some rumors had already begun spreading.
Some said the Saintess had broken through. Some said she had encountered a bottleneck and wanted to find a way to break through in the scriptures. Others said, "Wasn't the Saintess already frozen in ice? Why has she appeared here...?"
Lin Fan heard all these remarks clearly, but paid them no mind.
However, when Chen Cheng and Zhou Yining each glared at them, the disciples did not dare say anything more.
Collecting his thoughts, Lin Fan fixed his gaze on the Scripture Pavilion before him.
The Scripture Pavilion was not large—at least, that was how it appeared from outside. It was a simple, two-story building, ordinary to the point of being unable to look any more ordinary.
Yet this simple little building possessed an indescribably mysterious feeling.
It was as though it had existed for countless years, having crossed through the immemorial ages...
Lin Fan could neither explain nor describe this feeling. But he did not need to understand it. He only needed to confirm that the Scripture Pavilion was incredibly powerful.
Its appearance?
This thing could not explain anything.
He pushed open the door, preparing to enter, but then stopped and looked to either side.
Beside the main entrance stood two statues, each depicting a Daoist sitting cross-legged. Both statues were so lifelike that if not for their clearly different color and smoothness, people might have thought they were actually two Daoists...
"It can't be that simple."
Lin Fan muttered inwardly, unable to stop himself from taking another couple of looks.
He would not use the cultivation within his body, nor would he employ Spiritual Consciousness or anything else. But after reading so many novels, he knew even with his backside that a place like the Scripture Pavilion would definitely be guarded by some incredibly powerful figure.
There were no great figures here. Instead, there were only two statues seemingly "guarding the door." Thus, these statues were certainly extraordinary.
After secretly taking note of this, Lin Fan lifted his foot and entered the Scripture Pavilion.
What he did not know was that the instant he entered the Scripture Pavilion, Divine Sense began drifting from one of the two statues as they exchanged words.
"She discovered us?"
"With her current cultivation and Divine Sense, she should not be able to detect our existence."
"But before entering, she truly looked at us several times. In the past, she came here quite a few times, yet she had never done this."
"Indeed. If that is so, could it be that although she failed to break through during this seclusion, she still gained extraordinary benefits? For example, spiritual perception?"
"It should be so. As expected of a fine seedling... Heh heh, let her be."
"Sure enough, there is a world within."
After entering the Scripture Pavilion, Lin Fan was somewhat surprised, though he also felt it was only natural.
From the outside, the Scripture Pavilion was merely a two-story building weathered by the passage of time. From the inside, however, it looked more like the interior structure of the Seven-Story Exquisite Pagoda!
There were seven stories in all, each one smaller than the last, with every level connected by stairs.
Looking around, he saw bookshelves lining every side of the Scripture Pavilion's interior. On the first level where he stood, there were the most bookshelves, each densely packed with all kinds of books.
There were too many books to count. Of course, that was not the main point. The main point was that many of the books were already covered in dust.
Lin Fan: "..."
"So basically, nobody reads the books on this level?"
"That makes sense. Servant Disciples can enter the first level, so the books stored here probably aren't worth much."
Lin Fan understood.
Although there were several disciples on the first level reading with concentration, there were only a few of them...
Following the stairs upward, the second level clearly had fewer books, but there were considerably more people reading than on the first.
"Your Highness Saintess..."
A disciple recognized "Qi Zixiao." The moment she spoke, many disciples came forward to pay their respects.
"Carry on."
Lin Fan spoke calmly and swept upward with a flick of his sleeve.
The third level, the fourth level...
The number of people on the third level reached its peak, but after reaching the fourth level, it began to drop sharply again...
Although he did not understand the exact rules, Lin Fan could figure out the reason. Clearly, entering each level required the corresponding "status" or strength.
After all, the higher one went, the more precious the "cultivation techniques" and such things became. They could not possibly be left open for everyone to read casually.
"Then, with my status as the Saintess, how high can I go?"
He continued upward and eventually reached the seventh level.
There was no one here at all.
"Smooth sailing?"
"But... what the hell is this?!"
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
"The sixth level at least had some books. But the seventh level is filled entirely with strange jade stones. It's obviously refusing to let me read anything!"
Lin Fan had originally planned to find some "Immortal techniques" or something in the Scripture Pavilion, memorize them, and slowly cultivate after he crossed back.
But...
Jade stones?
They were probably the "jade slips" from novels, requiring Spiritual Consciousness to communicate with them or True Essence to be infused into them before their contents could be viewed.
The key problem was that he did not know how to do any of that...
"I'll come again next time..."
Without hesitation, Lin Fan took a few more looks at the dozens of jade stones floating in the air, each with a different shape and color, before retreating to the sixth level.
He paid no more attention to the jade stones. Instead, he casually picked up an ancient book and began flipping through it.
"Refining: Mortal to Immortal Transformation Chapter"
Lin Fan: "..."
"So this teaches people how to refine Immortal Artifacts?"
"In the Cultivation World, a book teaching people to refine Immortal Artifacts can only be placed on the sixth level?"
As expected of a sacred land!
Lin Fan bared his teeth and switched to another book.
"On the Composition and Restraint of Immortal and Demon Power"
"...I'll switch again!"
"Reincarnation Fist—Fragment"
"This is good. Didn't all the novels say that fragmentary chapters are often incredibly powerful? Even a fragment from the first level would become a priceless treasure once completed. This is from the sixth level—wouldn't it be outrageously powerful?"
With anticipation, Lin Fan opened the first page...
"Only those at the Great Ascension Stage or above may cultivate this."
"I freaking..."
Great Ascension Stage? Seriously?!
Forget him—even if Qi Zixiao came, she would not be able to handle it!
There was no one on the sixth level either, and it was extremely quiet.
But... Lin Fan ultimately did not dare act recklessly. He could only complain inwardly.
After all, what if some mighty expert was constantly monitoring the Scripture Pavilion? It was not impossible.
Setting down the secret manual in his hand, Lin Fan selected book after book. At last, he found a cultivation technique manual.
A cultivation technique was, in essence, a method of cultivation.
Something like Reincarnation Fist was a "technique," also called a "combat technique" or "fighting method."
"Purple Haze Skill"
Full of anticipation, Lin Fan opened the first page.
"Whenever the sun first rises, in a place abundant with spiritual energy, absorb and refine the first wisp of purple haze, using the purple haze as the True Essence within one's body..."
After reading only the first sentence, Lin Fan put the book back.
It was not that the technique was not powerful. On the contrary, the Purple Haze Skill was extremely formidable. With sufficient talent, one could cultivate it all the way to the Great Ascension Stage; even becoming an immortal would not be a problem.
But the problem was that the very first requirement of this thing was to find a place abundant with spiritual energy.
Where was he supposed to find such a place on Earth...?
My status has already been changed to a signed contract. Woohoo!
Before you continue