When Xu Yang reached the pavilion, a Restriction stopped him from entering. A transparent screen enveloped the building. He raised a hand and struck it with his palm, only for a force to rebound and send him stumbling backward.
Looking at the Restriction, Xu Yang's thoughts stirred. He took out the Qiankun Bag he had just received and probed inside with his divine sense, immediately imprinting it with his mark and refining it as his own. The space inside was tiny, barely large enough to hold a bundle. It contained two sets of disciple robes, a Jade Slip, a black token, and three Spirit Stones.
Xu Yang took out the token and used his divine sense to imprint it. The token immediately recognized him as its master. He put it away and walked toward the Restriction in front of him. As expected, it did not react, allowing him to pass through and enter the pavilion.
Inside, Xu Yang looked around. The furnishings were extremely simple: just a square table and two chairs, a stark contrast to the pavilion's exquisite exterior. He paid no mind to such things and immediately headed up the stairs to the second floor.
The second floor pleased Xu Yang greatly. Though the space was small, it contained a Lesser Spirit Gathering Array. He hurried inside and immediately found that the spiritual energy within was abundant, far better than elsewhere.
Excited, Xu Yang sat cross-legged and began cultivating. Before long, he entered a state of complete obliviousness to the outside world. The air within the array rippled, stirring up a faint breeze.
After cultivating for a while, Xu Yang opened his eyes and let out a sigh that was equal parts joy and resignation. Though the spiritual energy in the array was decent, it had accumulated beforehand. After he absorbed so much of it, it had grown considerably thinner. The energy gathered by the array alone was nowhere near enough for him, though at least it could still speed up his cultivation somewhat.
Suppressing his frustration, Xu Yang flicked his hand and took out the items he had received earlier. He put away the clothes and Spirit Stones, then picked up the Jade Slip and probed it with his divine sense.
A moment later, Xu Yang set down the Jade Slip, his expression one of dawning understanding. He finally knew a little about the sect he was in. Combined with the Jade Slip Old Man Tianjue had left behind, he now had a general understanding of Yue Province's cultivation world.
The sect Xu Yang had joined was called Bailian Pavilion, the largest sect in the Wu Kingdom and renowned for its artifact-refining skills. The other cultivation Lineages and the Wu royal family were all affiliated with Bailian Pavilion, making it one of the largest powers in Yue Province.
Bailian Pavilion, Baicao Hall, and Hundred Beasts Sect were known as Yue Province's three great orthodox powers. There were also the two Demonic Path sects, Demon Fire Sect and Blood Prison Sect, as well as the neutral Loose Cultivator Alliance. Each of these great powers controlled a state, with resources and talent flowing in without end. Together, they held sway over the entire cultivation world of Yue Province.
At present, the orthodox and demonic factions in Yue Province stood in opposition, and tensions were growing. Fortunately, the orthodox side had three great powers and kept the Demonic Path at a disadvantage, preserving the peace in Yue Province. Otherwise, Xu Yang would have had to consider leaving Yue Province's cultivation world to escape calamity.
As a major power, Bailian Pavilion naturally treated its disciples fairly well. New disciples could visit the Scripture Depository and choose a Qi Refining Realm technique suited to them. They also received one Spirit Stone every month. If they advanced to at least the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm and became inner disciples, the pavilion would offer them other rewards as well.
Bailian Pavilion was divided into the External Affairs Hall, Internal Affairs Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, Alchemy Hall, Scripture Depository, and Punishment Hall. The External Affairs Hall was where the sect issued missions. Disciples could go there to accept missions and receive rewards upon completing them. These included pills, Talismans, Dharma Artifacts, spirit herbs, refining materials, and all manner of other things.
The Internal Affairs Hall handled receiving guests, holding competitions, distributing Spirit Stones, registering newcomers, and other matters. As their names suggested, the Artifact Refining Hall and Alchemy Hall were where the pavilion refined artifacts and concocted pills. Most of the pills and Dharma Artifacts used by its disciples came from there.
The Scripture Depository was an important place within the pavilion. It housed the sect's cultivation techniques, spell catalogs, and other books, and an elder was stationed there year-round to oversee it. The remaining hall, the Punishment Hall, dealt with disciples who violated the sect rules. The disciples were quite afraid of it.
Having gotten the basic details straight, Xu Yang put away the Jade Slip and decided to visit the Scripture Depository the next day. He resumed cultivating, and the spiritual energy within the Lesser Spirit Gathering Array swiftly converged on him.
The next day, after a night of cultivation, Xu Yang found his cultivation had stabilized considerably and was already advancing toward the fourth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. However, he had absorbed all the spiritual energy in the Lesser Spirit Gathering Array, so he could only wait for it to slowly gather again.
Xu Yang shook his head and thought, The array gathers spiritual energy far too slowly. I'll have to find another way, or my cultivation will progress too slowly. As he thought this, he walked out of the pavilion.
Outside, he followed the map in the Jade Slip and headed straight for the Scripture Depository. An hour later, Xu Yang arrived in front of a three-story building, with the words "Scripture Depository" carved above the entrance. At a glance, the building looked utterly unremarkable, its facade a dull gray. If not for the inscription, Xu Yang would have thought he had gone to the wrong place.
Two disciples stood guard at the entrance. Xu Yang stepped forward, clasped his fists, and said, "Senior brothers, I'm a new disciple. I'd like to enter the Scripture Depository and choose a cultivation technique. Please open the door for me."
The two exchanged a glance. One of them, a tall man, said, "Let me see your identity token. I need to confirm who you are." Xu Yang took it out and handed it over. The man probed it with his divine sense, giving it a quick scan.
"Good. You really did just join the sect, so you're allowed to enter the Scripture Depository once. Go on in. But remember, you may only choose one technique, and you mustn't damage anything inside. Otherwise, you'll be punished according to the sect rules." As he spoke, the man returned the token to Xu Yang.
Xu Yang nodded to show he understood, then stepped inside. The place was small, with only seven or eight bookshelves. A Restriction blocked the entrance to the second floor. Xu Yang quickly looked around and noticed that the shelves held more than just cultivation techniques and spell manuals.
There were also books on artifact refining, alchemy, Talismans, and other subjects. Xu Yang spotted illustrated catalogs describing spirit herbs and refining materials, along with books surveying the customs and traditions of the various states in Yue Province.
After taking a quick look around, he went to the shelf holding cultivation techniques and picked up a book at random. It was the Burning Heaven Art, a technique for cultivating with a fire-attributed spiritual root. Xu Yang put it down and pulled out another book. The words "Song of the Canglang" met his eyes. This was a water-attributed technique.
Xu Yang could only sigh inwardly and put it back. He went on to inspect the manuals on the shelves one by one. There were plenty of techniques for the five elements, such as the Golden Sword Art and the Wood Vine Technique. There were even techniques for mutated spiritual roots, such as Thunder Blast and the Mysterious Ice Technique. The only kind missing was a technique without an elemental attribute.
Well, not entirely missing. Xu Yang had found the Qi Refining Secret Record, but he was already cultivating it and had no need for another copy. Only then did he truly understand the helplessness of having a Void Spirit Root.
Even Bailian Pavilion, one of Yue Province's great powers, had no technique for cultivating with a Void Spirit Root. That showed just how rare such techniques were. It seemed he would have to keep cultivating the Qi Refining Secret Record.
Fortunately, the Black Little Sword had already fixed the flaws in the Qi Refining Secret Record. Otherwise, he would have been in real trouble. But surely he couldn't come to the Scripture Depository and leave empty-handed? With that thought, Xu Yang turned and went to a bookshelf. He picked up a thick book, glanced through it, and walked out of the Scripture Depository with it.
When Xu Yang came out, the guards said, "Junior brother, tell us which technique you chose so we can record it." Xu Yang raised the book in his hand. "Here. I didn't choose a technique. I picked this Illustrated Guide to Heavenly Treasures. You can record that instead."
The two guards gaped at him. They couldn't believe Xu Yang had chosen an illustrated guide to treasures. What a fool—he had passed up cultivation techniques and secret arts for a book with little value. The guards took the guide from him in a daze, recorded it, and handed it back.
Xu Yang put the guide in his Qiankun Bag, bowed to the two men, and turned to leave. The guards looked at each other. One of them, a short, plump man, rolled his eyes and formed a hand seal. A streak of green light shot from his hand and struck a boulder outside the Scripture Depository.
A flash of white light appeared on the boulder, then vanished. Staring at it in a daze, the two said, "The stone flashed white. This junior brother really didn't take any other cultivation manuals—he only took an illustrated guide to treasures. What was he thinking?"
Xu Yang left the Scripture Depository and headed back to his pavilion. From a distance, he spotted Huo Lian standing in front of it. He hurried over and said, "I didn't know you were coming, senior brother. Please forgive my discourtesy."
Huo Lian waved a hand. "There's no need to be so polite. You went to the Scripture Depository, didn't you? What technique or secret art did you choose?" Xu Yang gave a bitter smile. "Senior brother knows I have a Void Spirit Root. There wasn't a single technique in the Scripture Depository that I could cultivate!"
"So I chose an illustrated guide to treasures to broaden my knowledge. I've only just joined the sect, and everything is unfamiliar to me. I don't know much about anything yet." Xu Yang took out the guide.
Huo Lian glanced at the book, a trace of contempt flickering in his eyes. He smiled at Xu Yang and said, "Don't be too discouraged, junior brother. Master will think of a way to help you. In fact, I'm here on Master's orders to bring you something."
As he spoke, Huo Lian took out a Qiankun Bag and placed it in Xu Yang's hands. Xu Yang looked deeply grateful. "Sorry for the trouble, senior brother, and thank you for bringing it in person. Please, come inside. I must give you a proper welcome."
Huo Lian waved him off and said meaningfully, "I appreciate the offer, junior brother, but I need to enter seclusion and cultivate, so I won't disturb you. Still, if anything comes up in the future, I hope you'll give me your support!"
Xu Yang's expression turned solemn. "You can count on me, senior brother. I'll follow your lead."
"Haha, you flatter me, junior brother!" Huo Lian replied, clearly satisfied. He patted Xu Yang on the shoulder, laughed heartily, and turned to leave.
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