Central Continent

"Do I have to pay for it?" Lu Yang asked nervously. The most valuable thing he owned was probably his brain.

"Pay for it?" His senior brother glanced at the book in his hand, then looked at Lu Yang. The corner of his eye twitched violently.

According to the rules, he really did have to pay spirit stones for it. The problem was, if this book got out, the Dragon and Phoenix Clans would join forces and storm all the way from the Demon Realm to the Central Continent, then straight into Ask Dao Sect.

Ask Dao Sect might not fear the Dragon and Phoenix Clans. Dragon liver and phoenix marrow were delicious, and eating them nourished the yin and strengthened the yang... But they were, at the very least, a respectable orthodox sect. A forbidden book like Dragon-Phoenix Change in the Scripture Depository would tarnish their reputation.

Thinking this over, his senior brother silently slipped the book into his sleeve, his face perfectly calm.

"Pay for what? What book did you get dirty? I didn't see anything."

Destroying books inside the Scripture Depository would attract too much attention and trigger the formations. Better to take it outside and destroy it there.

Lu Yang instantly understood what was going on—his senior brother wanted to keep the book for himself.

So nothing had happened just now.

The two exchanged a glance, their lips curling upward, as if they truly understood each other.

The forbidden book was a minor incident. Lu Yang hadn't forgotten why he had come to the Scripture Depository.

After searching for a long while, he finally found a book introducing the Central Continent: Continental Survey.

Lu Yang rubbed his hands together excitedly and began to read carefully.

"The world is home to humans, the Demon Race, ghosts and spirits, and more. The Central Continent is where humans gather. Its greatest power is the Great Xia Dynasty, the only nation in the Central Continent. It suppresses the fate of humanity and represents humanity's orthodox lineage."

"So even though my home is close to Ask Dao Sect, it's still within the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty."

"To the east of the continent lies a vast ocean, dotted with scattered islands. Ancient demon beasts such as Kunpeng and Hundun occasionally appear there."

"To the west of the continent lies the Golden Buddha Kingdom, an immeasurable pure land where temples are as numerous as grains of sand."

"To the south of the continent lies the Demon Realm of the Demon Race. The Dragon and Phoenix Clans are its overlords. The Demon Race is cruel and bloodthirsty, and the Great Xia Dynasty is constantly at odds with the Demon Realm. Some members of the Demon Race also hide within the Great Xia Dynasty, posing a great threat to humanity."

"To the north of the continent lies the Extreme North, where the ice never melts and not a blade of grass grows. Few people ever venture there, and other living creatures rarely show themselves. Only extraordinarily powerful races live there."

"The Central Continent has the largest human population and the most cultivators. Some cultivators choose to become officials, while more choose to establish sects or join existing ones. Sects are scattered across the Central Continent like stars, and the most powerful among them are the Five Great Immortal Sects, including Ask Dao Sect, the leaders of the orthodox path."

"The book also says that each of the Five Great Immortal Sects must have a mighty expert at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, or some means of wielding power on par with one... Could the Sect Master be a mighty expert at the Tribulation Transcendence stage? Or does Ask Dao Sect have a hidden Supreme Elder who never shows himself?"

Thinking that he had been fortunate enough to become a disciple of a Sect Master who might be a mighty expert at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, Lu Yang felt a surge of delight. He stood up and poured himself a cup of water. Using the drink to rein in his excitement, he sat back down and continued reading.

"Devil Dao cultivators are bloodthirsty, using the lives of living beings to enhance their own cultivation. They pose an even greater threat than the Demon Race. Devil Dao cultivators are ultimately not fit to show their faces in public. They hide in dark corners, and under pressure from the Great Xia Dynasty and the Five Great Immortal Sects, the Devil Dao Sects dare only to act in secret."

Besides Devil Dao cultivators, the book also mentioned something called demons. Its description was rather vague, saying that demons were born without emotion, were the shadow hanging over humanity, and could not be judged by ordinary reason. One should keep far away upon seeing them. It all sounded mysterious, and Lu Yang couldn't figure out what demons were.

"Mortals use gold, silver, and copper as currency. Cultivators use spirit stones of three grades: high, middle, and low."

After that, Lu Yang began studying more common knowledge about the cultivation world, such as the standards for the different realms, the various arts of cultivation, the kinds of demon beasts, the ranks of cultivation techniques, and the history of the Central Continent...

What Lu Yang had learned from the storyteller at the teahouse was nowhere near enough to help him make his way in the cultivation world.

As Lu Yang studied line after line of profound knowledge, he couldn't help but lose himself in it. He sailed through the ocean of knowledge until evening, when hunger pangs reminded him that he hadn't eaten all day.

By then, the senior brother at the entrance to the Scripture Depository had been replaced by a senior sister.

Lu Yang asked respectfully, "Senior sister, sorry to bother you. I'm a new disciple who only arrived yesterday, so I'm still unfamiliar with Ask Dao Sect. Is there somewhere to eat?"

Startled by Lu Yang, the senior sister shuddered and glanced away. She was afraid of talking to people.

Most people followed the rules of the Scripture Depository without needing a reminder, so her personality suited the job quite well.

She didn't dare look Lu Yang in the eye. Lowering her head, she spoke softly. "So you're a new junior brother. Ask Dao Sect does have a dining hall, but speaking as someone who's been here a while, I don't recommend eating there."

Lu Yang was puzzled. "Why not? Is there something wrong with the dining hall?"

"It's on Fifth Elder's mountain, Hundred Refinements Peak."

Lu Yang froze. The name of that mountain didn't sound much like a place to cook. "What exactly is Hundred Refinements Peak...?"

"Fifth Elder is skilled at weapon forging, so Hundred Refinements Peak is naturally a mountain for forging weapons. The dining hall is on Hundred Refinements Peak, and all its chefs are first-rate weapon forgers. A steamed bun can punch through a mountain, a grain of rice can be used as a hidden weapon, and a fried dough stick can even break steel sinews and iron bones."

Lu Yang didn't know where to begin. "...Why are the chefs weapon forgers?"

The senior sister explained timidly, "Think about it, junior brother. The most important thing for a chef is controlling the heat, and weapon forgers are best at doing exactly that. The two professions are more closely related than you'd think."

Lu Yang nodded earnestly. "They really are more closely related than I thought."

The senior sister looked at Lu Yang's plain clothes and hesitated. "Also, you need spirit stones to buy weapons—oh, I mean, to eat at the dining hall. Junior brother, you don't look... particularly wealthy."

Most cultivators' clothes weren't especially fancy, but they were at least woven from common spiritual materials such as silkworm silk, and were impervious to water and fire.

Lu Yang's clothes were simple, with who knew how many patches sewn onto them. At a glance, it was clear that he came from a mortal background.

Lu Yang gave an embarrassed smile. It was true that he didn't have a single spirit stone.

"Don't feel bad. Lots of people at Ask Dao Sect come from mortal families," the senior sister comforted him softly.

"There's another way to get food. Hmm... You can try going to Elixir Cauldron Peak. They should have some discarded fasting pills there, and you can ask them for a few."

"Elixir Cauldron Peak has very high standards for pills. When they say discarded, they just mean the quality isn't high enough, so don't worry about them being poisonous."

"But at Elixir Cauldron Peak, be careful around the peak master, Seventh Elder, Senior Brother Wu Ming, Senior Brother Wen Da, Senior Sister Qingkong, Junior Brother Long Yan... Basically, be careful around all of them."

Suppressing his confusion, Lu Yang cupped his hands. "I'm Lu Yang. Thank you, senior sister. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Zhou Lulu."