Quietly Observing

Cheng Buzheng watched the lines of text scroll across the Jade Wall, sinking into thought.

"What I need right now is a safe task that will last a long time. Once I've had time to grow and built up enough cultivation, with the Small Plate, I'll be able to make smooth progress in alchemy, artifact refinement, formations, or Talismanship—any one of them.

The only thing holding me back is my insufficient cultivation! Everything is for the sake of growing safely."

He quietly glanced toward the inner hall, then silently turned and left.

He had come quietly, just as quietly as he left. He waved his sleeves, yet took not a single cloud with him.

Cheng Buzheng stepped out of the hall and walked along the roadside, carefully making way for his senior brothers and sisters. He treated them with the same respect and courtesy he would show his teachers.

After going a long way from the Command Token Pavilion, he let out a quiet breath.

"Phew!"

"So this is what it's like to have low cultivation and no standing. Otherwise, if you accidentally offend someone petty, they might not dare kill you openly, but they can easily find some way to cause trouble for you, and you'll be in for a world of pain.

I have no backing, no master, and no ability to escape if someone comes after me. I can't even be sure I won't run into someone petty.

A gentleman can be deceived through his principles, but a petty man's revenge starts at dawn and ends at dusk."

According to the Cultivation Encyclopedia issued by the sect, the Sutra Repository Tower stood on Immortal Spring Peak. Following the map, Cheng Buzheng once again ran up the Ring Mountain Stairs.

Luckily, he wasn't a mortal. Otherwise, who knew how long he would have to run before he arrived!

He ran for a full quarter of an hour before he spotted a blurry shape in the distance.

With a destination in sight, Cheng Buzheng ran with even more vigor.

Before long, he saw a six-story iron tower.

The tower stood about six zhang tall, and a faint spiritual glow shimmered across its surface. He had no idea what sort of Spirit Mine it had been made from. He had only just embarked on the Immortal Path and didn't recognize many spiritual materials or Spirit Medicines. What he knew came from the basic knowledge in the Cultivation Encyclopedia.

But the book's explanations were limited. How much could a single volume possibly record?

Time slowly passed. As Cheng Buzheng drew closer, the whole iron tower came into clear view. Three glittering golden characters were carved above its entrance: "Sutra Repository Tower."

And there were two Guard Senior Brothers standing before the tower entrance.

The two cultivators guarding the tower were chatting idly.

The slender, gaunt-faced young man on the left leaned lazily against the iron tower, looking listless as he said,

"Senior Brother Niu, when are the new junior brothers and sisters going to arrive? If they don't come soon, I won't have any Spirit Stones left to buy pills for cultivation!"

The burly, square-faced Senior Brother Niu on the right thought for a moment. "They should be here soon. A batch of new disciples joined two months ago. Don't worry, Junior Brother Dai."

"I hope so! There are so many fellow disciples waiting around for a chance to take this Sutra Repository Tower guard duty. We spent a whole half-month at the Command Token Pavilion before we finally managed to get this task, and we still haven't earned a single Spirit Stone!

Those older disciples aren't much stronger than us, and we don't have what it takes to make them cough up their Spirit Stones!"

Junior Brother Dai's eyes darted around. He glanced at Senior Brother Niu across from him, then continued,

"Senior Brother Niu, how about lending me ten Spirit Stones? I'll buy two Qi Gathering Pills and pay you back when the task is over!"

Senior Brother Niu gave him a look and said helplessly, "I'm barely scraping by myself. I've run out of pills, too. You're better off than I am, at least you still have pills to take!"

Afraid that he might ask to borrow pills or Spirit Stones, Junior Brother Dai quickly laughed it off and changed the subject.

"The new junior brothers and sisters all have ten Spirit Stones apiece. Once they get here, we won't have to worry about pills for cultivation anymore!"

He didn't want Senior Brother Niu eyeing the few Spirit Stones he had left. Without looking toward him, he turned his gaze into the distance.

Senior Brother Niu nodded in agreement. "Still... we can't go too hard on them. There are so many new disciples. What if one of them becomes a Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle someday? We'd be in trouble then. Better stick to the usual rules!"

"Senior Brother Niu... you're right."

Suddenly,

Junior Brother Dai's face lit up. He straightened at once and said,

"Senior Brother Niu, look! Is that a newcomer?"

"Looks like it. Only newcomers come running up the Ring Mountain Stairs. The disciples who joined the sect alongside us ten years ago are at least at the Qi Refining Middle-stage now. They can all use Artifact Flight. Nobody would be foolish enough to run up the Ring Mountain Stairs anymore!

So this person must have only just joined the sect."

A smile crept onto Senior Brother Niu's face.

The grin on Junior Brother Dai's face grew impossible to suppress. He muttered to himself,

"Now that the first one's here, the second and third can't be far behind!"

Before long,

Cheng Buzheng arrived in front of the iron tower. He saw two men wearing the sect's standard gray robes. The one on the right was burly and square-faced, with a fierce look about him, and stared intently at Cheng Buzheng.

The one on the left was slender and gaunt-faced, wearing a smile that made him seem quite easygoing.

But those darting eyes told Cheng Buzheng that he wasn't as simple as he looked.

When the burly Senior Brother Niu on the right saw Cheng Buzheng approach, he stepped forward twice and barked,

"Stop right there!"

"Greetings, Senior Brothers!" Cheng Buzheng hurriedly bowed respectfully. At the same time, he reached for the storage pouch at his waist, took out his sect Identity Token, and handed it over.

"Senior Brother, here's my token!"

The burly Senior Brother Niu took it and examined it carefully.

At that moment,

Senior Brother Dai, the slender man with the gaunt face on the left, spoke up:

"Junior Brother, to enter the Sutra Repository Tower, you need more than your sect Identity Token. There's also an entry fee of one Spirit Stone."

Cheng Buzheng knew there was no such rule at the Scripture Library, but he didn't speak up right away. He glanced at Senior Brother Niu, who was still checking his token. Seeing how well the two men worked together, he knew he had to hand over this Spirit Stone today.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to enter the Scripture Library and would offend both senior brothers at the same time. But he couldn't just do nothing, either. Otherwise... they would gradually empty every Spirit Stone from his storage pouch.

The gentle get bullied and the docile get ridden; that had always been the way of the world. Cheng Buzheng understood that just as well.

After a brief silence,

Cheng Buzheng cupped his fists toward Senior Brother Dai.

"Please accept this Spirit Stone as a token of my respect, Senior Brother. I've already spent several on cultivation and don't have many left. I hope you'll let me pass without charge in the future."

He finished with a resolute expression.

Hearing this,

Senior Brother Niu looked up at Cheng Buzheng, then exchanged a glance with Junior Brother Dai.

"Since Junior Brother is showing us such respect, we'll naturally look out for you. The two of us always keep our word. You can come and go as you please from now on.

But we can only guarantee that while we're on duty!"

"Of course. Thank you for making an exception, Senior Brother!"

Now that he'd achieved his aim, Cheng Buzheng naturally thanked them. It never hurt to be polite. Besides, he'd already made his offering. Putting on any more airs might offend the two men, and that wouldn't be worth it.

"Junior Brother, your Identity Token has been checked!"

Senior Brother Niu's voice had softened considerably as he spoke, and he handed the token back.

Cheng Buzheng took the token and put it in his storage pouch. Then he flipped his hand over and gave Senior Brother Niu a Spirit Stone. How the two of them split it was none of his concern.

After receiving the Spirit Stone, the two men became much friendlier. Cheng Buzheng chatted with the senior brothers for a while and learned the rules for the Sutra Repository Tower, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the sect's First-order Low-grade Spells.

At the same time, it cleared up many of the doubts he'd been carrying.