Entering the Hidden Scripture Pavilion

"From this day forward, you are an Outer Disciple of the Blood Demon Sect, responsible for the daily transcription of books in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion on Blackwood Cliff. Any negligence will not be tolerated."

"Yes."

Lin Fan's eyes flickered slightly, but he obediently accepted the token.

"Blackwood Cliff doesn't sound like a good place."

"That Demoness kidnapped me here, all to replenish the Blood Demon Sect's fresh blood."

Lin Fan thought to himself.

He was a transmigrator. The original host was an orphan who died of fright when a Demoness abducted him, giving Lin Fan his opportunity.

Lin Fan wasn't particularly resistant to transmigration itself. After all, in his previous life, he was just a college student who couldn't find a decent job no matter how hard he tried.

However, his current situation seemed rather grim.

The Blood Demon Sect belonged to the demonic path, and their methods were notoriously ruthless.

Calling them Outer Disciples was a lie; they were no different from slaves, existing at the very bottom of the Blood Demon Sect.

Of the over a hundred young boys and girls who were abducted, including Lin Fan, only ten passed the so-called "assessment" to become Outer Disciples. The rest, the "unqualified," had all vanished mysteriously.

"Since I'm here, I'll make the best of it."

"As long as I'm alive, there's still hope."

Lin Fan comforted himself.

Led by a designated person, Lin Fan soon arrived at Blackwood Cliff.

On the edge of the cliff, a blood-red pavilion stood like a colossal behemoth against the howling wind.

"This is the Hidden Scripture Pavilion?"

Lin Fan was filled with doubt, finding the place eerily strange.

He hesitated for a moment before steeling himself and entering the pavilion.

The moment he stepped inside, numerous gazes fell upon him.

Lin Fan looked around and saw over twenty Outer Disciples not far away, all staring at him in unison.

There were men and women among them, but most were sallow and gaunt, appearing malnourished.

"Quite a few people."

Lin Fan's heart stirred.

As he was lost in thought, a graceful woman approached him, her eagerness suggesting she was afraid of missing a good opportunity.

The others also stirred, their gazes towards Lin Fan filled with undisguised heat and desire.

"Go back."

Suddenly, before the woman could take two steps, a tall, thin man intercepted her.

The woman stuck out her tongue, gave Lin Fan a sympathetic look, and obediently returned to her seat.

"You're new here, aren't you?"

The tall, thin man walked straight up to Lin Fan and casually showed his identification plate.

The plate read: Hidden Scripture Pavilion Outer Disciple, Wang Biao.

Sizing up the youthful Lin Fan, the tall, thin man seemed quite pleased. "You're new and unfamiliar with things. If you don't mind, you can stick with me for now."

After speaking, he stared intently at Lin Fan, awaiting his response.

Though unsure why the man was so proactive, Lin Fan had no choice. He nodded. "My name is Lin Fan. Thank you, Brother Wang."

"Don't mention it. You're good-looking, a real catch around here."

Wang Biao grinned, then started walking, explaining the situation as they went.

"The Blood Demon Sect has three main peaks: Blood Bone Peak, Blood Fiend Peak, and Blood Soul Peak."

"Each peak has many Outer Disciples, and our Hidden Scripture Pavilion belongs to Blood Soul Peak."

"The job of an Outer Disciple in the Hidden Scripture Pavilion is simple: transcribe the corresponding ancient texts according to the task assignments from the formal disciples of Blood Soul Peak. Failure to complete the task will result in immediate execution."

Wang Biao's voice was low, but it struck Lin Fan like a thunderclap.

"As expected of a demonic sect; a single mistake leads to death."

Lin Fan thought to himself.

"But don't worry, the transcription process isn't complicated. It mainly involves three steps: one, screening; two, transcription; and three, archiving."

"And we only transcribe miscellaneous records, not cultivation techniques or secret manuals, so the work is relatively straightforward."

Noticing Lin Fan's change in expression, Wang Biao smiled and reassured him.

"Oh, right, you can read, can't you?"

Wang Biao suddenly asked.

"Of course."

Lin Fan nodded subconsciously.

"That's good. I'll take you in later and teach you how to copy books first."

"You need to learn quickly, otherwise, it will be hard to get through the first few days."

Wang Biao said slowly.

"Brother Wang, what do you mean by that?"

Lin Fan was a little confused.

"Only by successfully copying books can you get corresponding contribution points. Without contribution points, you can't exchange for an Everlasting Lamp."

"If you don't light an Everlasting Lamp to spend the night, we disciples who do odd jobs might die at any moment."

Brother Wang said solemnly.

"Everlasting Lamp?"

Lin Fan was startled and wanted to ask more.

"Don't ask so many questions. If you want to survive here, remember to do more and talk less."

Brother Wang shook his head, signaling Lin Fan to stop.

"Follow me."

Brother Wang asked Lin Fan to follow him and led the way into the house.

This place felt strange.

Lin Fan's expression became serious, but he still followed obediently.

The first floor of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

Rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged, and in the center, there were more than a dozen long tables.

The disciples who did odd jobs sat at the tables, in pairs, copying books.

"Don't just stand there, watch carefully and learn well."

"I'll only teach you once."

After finding a seat for Lin Fan, Brother Wang said.

He then took out a yellowed book and said, "Screening is the first step. These books are collected by the sect from various places. Most of them are incomplete. We need to screen out valid and usable books for copying."

"Look, this book is mostly incomplete and not worth copying. Only books with a relatively complete table of contents and not much missing content can be copied."

As he spoke, he selected another ancient book and began to copy it.

"When copying, your handwriting must be neat, and you can't be careless. Even one wrong character is not allowed. You must restore it as much as possible, one to one."

Lin Fan listened carefully.

He knew very well that if he wanted to survive here, he had to handle the current task well.

Soon, it was Lin Fan's turn to try.

He screened out a relatively complete book from a pile of tattered ancient books, then dipped his brush in ink, and began to copy with extreme concentration.

His handwriting was neat, his writing speed was neither fast nor slow, and he was very methodical.

In less than an hour, Lin Fan had copied a book.

He let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like a simple task, but it was very mentally taxing. Not a single wrong character was allowed.

Just then, Lin Fan's vision suddenly blurred, and a glowing panel suddenly appeared.

[Name: Lin Fan]

[Lifespan: 50]

[Talent: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit]

[Realm: None]

[Cultivation Method: None]

Note: Pre-emptive Dao Fruit: Can use lifespan to pre-emptively gain corresponding cultivation method proficiency.

At this moment, another message quickly popped up.

[You copied the "Record of Flying Birds" and were rewarded with 10 years of lifespan]

Immediately after, Lin Fan felt a sense of lightness all over his body, as if some vitality had been injected into him. The data in the lifespan column changed to [60].

Lin Fan was stunned. Simply copying a book of strange tales increased his lifespan by 10 years?

Then if he copied ten books, or even a hundred books, wouldn't it be even more?

Lin Fan looked at the mountains of tattered books piled on the table and suddenly began to feel a little excited.

"Not bad, you're getting the hang of it quickly."

Wang Biao, who was beside him, nodded with satisfaction.

He had trained many new recruits, but very few were able to quickly adapt to the work of transcribing.

Transcribing books seemed simple, but there were many subtleties involved, the most important being that there could be no mistakes.

A damaged book could have anywhere from tens of thousands of characters to hundreds of thousands. Copying it completely without error was by no means a simple task.

"Brother Wang, I'd like to transcribe a few more books," Lin Fan said proactively.

"No need."

Unexpectedly, Wang Biao shook his head. He glanced at the darkening sky outside and urged, "Pack up. I'll take you to where you'll be staying."

"Otherwise, it'll get troublesome once it's dark."

"Brother Wang, aren't we going to eat first?" Lin Fan asked.

His stomach was rumbling. Ever since he was captured and brought here, he had been living on a diet of starving for nine meals out of ten. He hadn't eaten a single thing from passing the assessment to being assigned to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

"Eat?" Wang Biao found it amusing and asked, "Didn't they give you a storage bag when you came over?"

"Yes."

Lin Fan remembered and took a cloth bag from his waist.

He fumbled around and soon retrieved a pill and a jade slip from his waist.

"This pill is a Grain Abstinence Pill. One pill will keep you full for three days," Wang Biao immediately reminded him.

"As for this jade slip, it contains the cultivation methods for the miscellaneous disciples of the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. You just need to place it against your brow to sense the related content."

"Don't delay," Wang Biao urged.

"It's getting dark soon. We need to get inside quickly, or anything could happen."

Seeing the sky grow darker, Wang Biao signaled Lin Fan to follow him and they hurried outside.

At this moment, the other miscellaneous disciples around also started to get up. As if by unspoken agreement, they all headed towards the area next to the Hidden Scripture Pavilion.

There stood a row of dwellings, built along the cliff face. This was where the miscellaneous disciples lived.

Lin Fan noticed that most of the miscellaneous disciples entered the dwellings in pairs, either one man and one woman, or two men and two women. It was rare for someone to occupy a dwelling alone.

"Follow me," Wang Biao said, leading Lin Fan into a dwelling.

The sky had completely darkened. Wang Biao unhurriedly took out an oil lamp and lit it.

The flickering light illuminated the entire dwelling.

The dwelling wasn't spacious, but it was enough for two people. The only downside was that there was only one bed.

In the lamplight, Wang Biao approached Lin Fan and suddenly said, "With this Everlasting Lamp, we can ward off the evil spirits at night."

"It's time for us to rest together."

"Brother Wang, what do you mean by that?" Lin Fan felt a sense of foreboding.

"I was also captured and brought up the mountain. Living precariously here, it's better to enjoy myself heartily than to live in constant fear. You're very handsome, and I like you. As long as you're willing to stay with me, I guarantee you won't die anytime soon."

As he spoke, Wang Biao grinned, his gaze towards Lin Fan filled with undisguised predatory intent.

Lin Fan was stunned, thinking, This is bad!

"Don't be shy, come up and rest."

Lin Fan's expression turned ashen, and his rear end tensed. He suddenly understood why the man had been so enthusiastic towards him today.

Indeed, no one in this world is nice to you for no reason; they're just after your body!