Secret Observation

Cheng Buzheng watched the lines of text scrolling across the Jade Wall, falling into deep thought.

"What I need right now is a safe, long-term mission. Once I've finished developing and have sufficient cultivation, with the help of the Small Plate, Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Formation, and Talisman Making, I'll be able to sail smoothly regardless of which path I choose.

Right now, the only thing holding me back is my insufficient cultivation! Everything is for the sake of safe development."

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

He came quietly, just as he left quietly; he waved his sleeves, yet did not take a single cloud with him.

Cheng Buzheng stepped out of the hall and walked along the roadside, carefully avoiding the various senior brothers and sisters, maintaining a respectful and polite demeanor as if he were facing his own mentors.

Once he was a good distance away from the Command Token Pavilion, he let out a soft breath.

"Whew!"

"This is what it's like to have low cultivation and no status. Otherwise, if you accidentally offend someone petty, even if they can't kill you openly, they can easily find trouble for you, and you'll be the one left to suffer the consequences."

He had no backing, no master, and no ability to escape if he were hunted down. He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't run into someone petty.

"A gentleman can be deceived by righteous means, but a petty person seeks revenge from dawn till dusk."

According to the Cultivation Encyclopedia issued by the sect, the Sutra Repository was located on Immortal Spring Peak. Following the map, Cheng Buzheng began to run once again along the winding mountain stairs.

Fortunately, he was no longer a mortal; otherwise, who knows how many days it would have taken him to arrive!

After running for a full half-hour, he finally saw a blurry shadow in the distance.

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

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

The iron tower was about six zhang tall, and a faint spiritual light emanated from its body. He didn't know what kind of spiritual ore it was forged from; he was still new to the path of immortality, and there were many spiritual items and herbs he didn't recognize. Everything he knew came from the common knowledge in the Cultivation Encyclopedia.

However, that book had limited explanations; there was only so much information a single book could contain.

As time slowly passed, Cheng Buzheng moved from the distance closer, and he could clearly see the entire iron tower. Engraved on the tower gate were three shimmering golden characters: "Sutra Repository Tower."

There were also two senior brothers guarding the gate.

At this moment, the two cultivators guarding the tower were chatting idly.

The one on the left, a slender youth with a thin face, leaned lazily against the iron tower, looking listless.

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

The burly Senior Brother Niu on the right, with wide eyes and a square face, pondered for a moment and said, "It should be soon. A batch of new disciples arrived two months ago; don't be anxious, Junior Brother Dai."

"I hope so! There are so many fellow disciples vying for this guard duty at the Sutra Repository Tower. We spent a full half-month waiting at the Command Token Pavilion just to snatch this mission, and so far, we haven't earned a single Spirit Stone!"

"Those senior disciples have cultivation levels not much different from ours, and we don't have the ability to make them cough up their Spirit Stones!"

Junior Brother Dai's eyes darted around as he glanced at Senior Brother Niu across from him, then spoke up.

"Senior Brother Niu, why don't you lend me ten Spirit Stones so I can buy two Qi Gathering Pills? Once the mission is over, I'll pay you back!"

Senior Brother Niu looked at him and said helplessly, "I'm barely scraping by myself. My supply of medicinal pills has already been cut off. You're actually better off than me; at least you still have pills to take!"

Fearing that he might be asked to lend out his own pills or Spirit Stones, Junior Brother Dai quickly laughed it off and changed the subject.

"The newly admitted junior brothers and sisters each have ten Spirit Stones in their hands. Once they arrive, we won't be short on pills for cultivation anymore!"

He didn't want Senior Brother Niu eyeing his own meager stash of Spirit Stones, so he stopped looking toward him and shifted his gaze into the distance.

Senior Brother Niu nodded in agreement. "However... we can't be too ruthless. There are so many new disciples; if one of them becomes a Foundation Establishment uncle in the future, we'll be in trouble. Let's just stick to the old rules."

"Senior Brother Niu... makes a valid point."

Suddenly.

Junior Brother Dai's face lit up with surprise. He quickly stood up straight and said:

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

"Indeed. Only newcomers would run along the mountain-circling stairs. The disciples from our batch ten years ago are at least at the Qi Refining Mid-stage now and can use Artifact Flight; no one would be foolish enough to run along the stairs anymore. Therefore, this person must be a newly joined disciple."

At this moment, a smile couldn't help but appear on Senior Brother Niu's face.

The smile on Junior Brother Dai's face was uncontrollable as he muttered to himself:

"Now that we have the first one, can the second and third 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 with wide eyes and a square face, looking quite fierce as he stared intently at him.

The one on the left was slender, with a smile on his thin face, appearing quite easygoing.

But seeing his darting eyes, Cheng Buzheng knew he wasn't as simple as he looked.

The burly Senior Brother Niu on the right saw Cheng Buzheng approaching, stepped forward two paces, and shouted in a booming voice:

"Halt!"

"Greetings, two senior brothers!" Cheng Buzheng quickly bowed respectfully. At the same time, he reached out to touch the Storage Bag at his waist and handed over his sect Identity Token.

"Senior Brother, this is my token!"

The burly Senior Brother Niu took the Identity Token and examined it carefully.

At this moment.

Senior Brother Dai, who stood to the left with a slender build and a gaunt face, spoke up:

"Junior Brother, to enter the Sutra Repository Tower, you not only need your sect Identity Token, but you also need to pay an entry fee of one Spirit Stone."

Cheng Buzheng knew that the Scripture Library had no such rule, but he did not speak immediately. He glanced at Senior Brother Niu, who was still checking the token, and noticed a tacit understanding between the two. He realized that this Spirit Stone had to be paid today.

Otherwise, not only would he be unable to enter the Scripture Library, but he would also offend these two seniors. However, he couldn't just do nothing either, or else... the Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag would be slowly drained by them bit by bit.

People are bullied when they are kind, and horses are ridden when they are docile; this principle has held true since ancient times, and Cheng Buzheng understood it well.

After a moment of silence.

Cheng Buzheng cupped his hands toward Senior Brother Dai and said:

"Please accept this Spirit Stone as a token of my sincerity. However, I have already spent several stones on my cultivation and don't have much left. I hope you two seniors can be accommodating regarding my future entries and exits."

After saying this, he maintained a firm expression.

Upon hearing this.

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

"Since you have shown us such respect, Junior Brother, we will naturally look after you. We two brothers have always been true to our word; you may come and go as you please from now on.

But we can only guarantee this during the time we are on duty!"

"That is only natural. Thank you for your accommodation, Seniors!"

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Cheng Buzheng naturally offered his thanks. Being polite never hurts, and since the gift had already been given, putting on a show of reluctance now would likely offend them and do more harm than good.

"Junior Brother, your token has been checked!"

Senior Brother Niu's tone was much gentler as he spoke, and he handed the token back.

Cheng Buzheng took the token and placed it into his Storage Bag. With a flip of his hand, he passed a Spirit Stone to Senior Brother Niu. How the two of them split it was no longer his concern.

Having collected the Spirit Stone, the two men's attitudes became much warmer. Cheng Buzheng chatted with them for a while longer and learned about the precautions within the Sutra Repository Tower, as well as the pros and cons of the sect's first-order low-grade spells.

At the same time, this cleared up quite a few of his inner doubts.