Central Continent

"Have to pay compensation?" Lu Yang asked nervously. The most valuable thing on his entire body was probably his brain.

"Compensation?" The senior brother glanced at the book in his hand, then looked at Lu Yang, the corner of his eye twitching hard.

According to the rules, spirit stones did need to be paid as compensation, but the problem was that if this book got out, it would be a matter of waiting for the Dragon and Phoenix clans to join forces and slaughter their way from the Demon Domain to the Central Continent, all the way up to Ask Dao Sect.

Although Ask Dao Sect wasn't afraid of the Dragon and Phoenix clans—dragon liver and phoenix marrow were delicious, and consuming them nourished yin and fortified yang...—they were still a righteous, orthodox sect. Having a forbidden book like Dragon-Phoenix Metamorphosis in the Sutra Library would ultimately stain their reputation.

Thinking of this, the senior brother silently tucked the book into his sleeve, his face utterly calm.

"Compensation? What book did you dirty? I didn't see anything."

Destroying books inside the Sutra Library was too conspicuous and would trigger the formation. Better to take it outside and destroy it.

Lu Yang instantly understood the crux of the matter—the senior brother wanted to keep it for himself.

So nothing had happened just now.

The two exchanged a glance, the corners of their mouths lifting, as if they truly understood each other's meaning.

The forbidden book was a minor episode. Lu Yang hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming to the Sutra Library.

He searched for a good long while before finally finding the book he wanted, the one that introduced the Central Continent—Continental Survey.

Lu Yang rubbed his hands together excitedly and read carefully.

"The world contains the Human Race, Demon Race, ghosts and phantoms, and so on. The Central Continent is a gathering place for the Human Race. The largest power on the continent is the Great Xia Dynasty, the sole nation of the Central Continent, which suppresses the fate of the Human Race and represents its orthodox lineage."

"So that means, although my home is close to Ask Dao Sect, it still falls within the territory of the Great Xia Dynasty."

"To the east of the continent lies a vast expanse of ocean, dotted with scattered islands, where ancient demonic beasts like the Kunpeng and Hundun occasionally appear."

"To the west of the continent is the Golden Buddha Kingdom, a pure land without limit, with temples as numerous as grains of sand."

"To the south of the continent is the Demon Domain of the Demon Race. The Dragon Clan and Phoenix Clan are the overlords of the Demon Domain. The Demon Race is cruel and bloodthirsty. Friction between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Demon Domain is constant, and there are even demons hiding within the Great Xia Dynasty, a scourge upon the Human Race."

"To the north of the continent is the Extreme North, where ice never melts, nothing grows, and people are scarce. Other living creatures also rarely show themselves, with only the most formidable races living there."

"The Central Continent has the most humans and the most cultivators. Some cultivators choose to enter the court as officials, but more choose to establish their own sects or join an existing one. Sects and schools are scattered across the Central Continent like stars on a chessboard. The most powerful among them are the Five Great Immortal Sects, with Ask Dao Sect as one, the leaders of the righteous path."

"The book also says that among the Five Great Immortal Sects, there must be a Tribulation Transcendence realm grandmaster and means to match Tribulation Transcendence combat power... Could it be that the Sect Master is a Tribulation Transcendence grandmaster? Or does Ask Dao Sect have a hidden, reclusive Supreme Elder?"

Thinking that he was fortunate enough to have taken refuge under a Sect Master who might be a Tribulation Transcendence grandmaster, Lu Yang felt a surge of joy and excitement. He stood up to pour himself a cup of water, using the drink to suppress his elation, then sat back down and continued reading.

"Devil Dao cultivators are addicted to blood and slaughter, using the lives of living beings to boost their own cultivation. Their harm is even greater than that of the Demon Race. Devil Dao cultivators are ultimately cultivators who cannot be brought into the light. They hide in dark corners. Under the joint suppression of the Great Xia Dynasty and the Five Great Immortal Sects, Devil Dao Sects only dare to act in secret and never show their faces."

Aside from Devil Dao cultivators, the book also mentioned something called Evil Demons, described quite vaguely. It said that Evil Demons are born without emotion, are the shadow of the Human Race, cannot be judged by common sense, and one should flee upon seeing them. It was all very mysterious, and Lu Yang couldn't quite figure out what Evil Demons were.

"Mortals use gold, silver, and copper as currency, while cultivators use upper, middle, and lower grade spirit stones as currency."

Next, Lu Yang began to study common knowledge of the cultivation world, such as the standards for dividing the various realms, what the Hundred Arts of Cultivation included, the types of demonic beasts, the hierarchy of techniques, the history of the Central Continent, and so on...

The knowledge Lu Yang had picked up from the storyteller at the teahouse was far from enough for him to establish a foothold in the cultivation world.

Lu Yang looked at those lines of profound knowledge and couldn't help but immerse himself in it. He swam freely in the ocean of knowledge until evening, when he felt the pangs of hunger in his stomach and remembered that he hadn't eaten all day.

By now, the senior brother at the Sutra Library entrance had been replaced by a senior sister.

Lu Yang asked respectfully, "Senior Sister, sorry to bother you. I'm a disciple who just arrived yesterday and I'm not familiar with Ask Dao Sect yet. Does Ask Dao Sect have a place to eat?"

This senior sister was startled by Lu Yang, shuddering slightly, her eyes darting away. She was very afraid of talking to people.

Generally, everyone could follow the rules of the Sutra Library without needing reminders, so her personality was well-suited for this place.

She didn't dare to look Lu Yang in the eye, lowering her head and speaking softly, "So you're a new junior brother. Ask Dao Sect does have a cafeteria, but as someone who's been through it, this senior sister doesn't recommend you eat there."

Lu Yang was puzzled. "Why is that? Is there something wrong with the cafeteria?"

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

Lu Yang was taken aback. The name of the peak didn't sound like a place for cooking: "May I ask what Hundred Refinements Peak is..."

"Fifth Elder specializes in artifact refining, so Hundred Refinements Peak is naturally the peak for artifact refining. The cafeteria is located on Hundred Refinements Peak. The chefs there are all top-tier artifact refiners. Their steamed buns can pierce through mountain ranges, grains of rice can be used as hidden weapons, and fried dough sticks can even shatter steel and iron bones."

Lu Yang had a mouthful of complaints and didn't know where to start. "...Why can chefs be artifact refiners?"

The senior sister explained weakly, "Think about it, Junior Brother. The most important thing for a chef is controlling the heat, and what artifact refiners are best at is precisely controlling the heat. The relationship between these two professions is closer than you imagine."

Lu Yang nodded sincerely. "It really is closer than I imagined."

Seeing Lu Yang's simple attire, the senior sister hesitated for a moment. "Also, buying weapons—oh, I mean, eating at the cafeteria requires spirit stones. This junior brother, you don't seem to be... very wealthy."

The clothes of ordinary cultivators, even if not particularly exquisite, were at least woven from common spiritual materials like celestial silk, making them impervious to water and fire.

Lu Yang's clothes were simple and plain, stitched together with who knew how many patches of cloth. It was obvious at a glance that he was of mortal origin.

Lu Yang smiled awkwardly. He truly didn't have a single spirit stone.

"Don't be embarrassed. Many people in Ask Dao Sect come from mortal backgrounds," the senior sister comforted him softly.

"There's also a way to get food. Hmm... you could go to Elixir Cauldron Peak and take a look. They should have some discarded Fasting Pills there. You can ask them for some."

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

"But on Elixir Cauldron Peak, you need to be careful of Peak Master Seventh Elder, Senior Brother Wu Ming, Senior Brother Wen Da, Senior Sister Qingkong, Junior Brother Long Yan... in short, be careful of everyone."

Lu Yang suppressed his confusion, cupped his hands, and said, "This Humble One is Lu Yang. Thank you, Senior Sister. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Zhou Lulu."