He took out the dossier and opened it, finding several records inside.
"Year 17 of the Taifeng era: Bai Qifeng, a resident of Jade City, muttered in his sleep at midnight... He was dazed during the day, and seven days later, he underwent aberration and died."
"An investigation revealed that he had accidentally witnessed a scene of a Demon Extermination Hall lieutenant killing an Anomaly."
"Assessment: He remembered the Anomaly's appearance, which caused his mind to collapse. In the end, he underwent aberration and became the Anomaly he remembered."
As he read the contents of the dossier, his expression shifted repeatedly.
"Can ordinary people not see Anomalies?"
Elder Huang nodded slightly. "That's right. Ordinary people have no vital essence to protect them, so they're defenseless against Anomalies."
"The roots of these Anomalies can all be traced to various emotions and thoughts."
"They are fundamentally intangible beings."
"Of course, that's only one explanation."
"Mortals have fragile minds. After coming into contact with these emotions and thoughts..."
"their minds are assimilated by them, and in the end, mutations occur within the boundless vital essence in the city."
"So mortals' memories have to be cleansed. What gets cleansed is the spiritual information in their memories."
Li Qing couldn't help looking shaken. "The world really is dangerous, especially for ordinary people."
"Not just ordinary people. Even cultivators are in danger."
"The stronger the cultivator, the more dangerous they actually are. Sometimes, they might not even realize they've already undergone aberration."
"And the disaster that ultimately results is unimaginable."
The two chatted on and off while Li Qing carefully studied the dossier in his hands.
It contained many detailed accounts.
For example, it described some of the strange actions the man had exhibited after being infected.
Just as Li Qing was engrossed in his reading, Wen Taiquan came to find him again.
"I knew it. You've hidden yourself away here again."
Looking at Wen Taiquan, Li Qing raised his head and asked, "What is it?"
"Your merit has been issued. Come on, let's go to the Mission Hall."
Li Qing's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed him. "Let's go!"
In less than fifteen minutes, Li Qing successfully received fifteen merit points.
He looked at Wen Taiquan. "Where can I exchange them for spells?"
Wen Taiquan glanced at him. "Come on, I'll take you there."
They wandered around the Demon Extermination Hall and soon reached a corner.
A black hall stood there, with a plaque hanging over its entrance: Treasury Hall.
They went inside. The place was rather strange: three of the hall's interior walls were black.
The room was only about one square zhang wide, and a table stood inside.
An old man of about seventy sat behind it.
He looked like a cultivator as well. As for his realm, Li Qing couldn't see through it.
Wen Taiquan said, "This place contains all the cultivation techniques, spells, and cultivation resources, but only the catalogs are kept here."
"Once you decide what you want, the items will be brought here from a special location."
"This is to prevent these things from leaking out if the Demon Extermination Hall ever faces a crisis."
Hearing this, Li Qing sighed inwardly. Looks like my dream of getting a bargain has gone up in smoke.
He had originally thought this place would be like the Scripture Repository in the novels, where he could go in and freely choose whatever he wanted.
Then he could secretly copy all the scriptures without paying a thing.
Now it seemed there was no chance. Their precautions were extremely thorough.
This place was practically empty. All the resources had to be brought in from a dedicated location.
That ensured the greatest possible security, but also meant he couldn't get his hands on anything.
Wen Taiquan led Li Qing over to the old man.
He smiled and said, "Elder Fang, this is my friend. He wants to exchange some merit for cultivation resources."
Elder Fang nodded, took out a huge catalog, and set it down in front of Li Qing.
Li Qing took the catalog and leafed through it carefully, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
It contained several different sections.
The cultivation section, the spells section, the spirit herb section, the materials section, the artifacts section, the esoteric arts section, and more.
It was like a comprehensive encyclopedia catalog, recording at least a large portion of everything in the entire cultivation world.
By now, all the information in the catalog had appeared on the Jade Tablet.
There was nothing hidden in the catalog, so nothing had changed on the Jade Tablet either.
A faint look of delight appeared on his face. "Now I can go back and study this properly."
"I need those cultivation techniques."
He quickly leafed through the cultivation techniques section. Each one came with a brief description.
For instance, which organ it mainly cultivated and what kind of vital essence it condensed.
Or perhaps what kind of circuit of energy it cultivated, and which organs were involved.
In the blink of an eye, fifteen minutes passed. He had seen at least three hundred different Foundation Establishment techniques.
More than two hundred cultivated the organs, while about a hundred cultivated methods for circulating vital essence.
He stirred. What I need right now are techniques that specialize in cultivating the organs, so I can complete Humanity's Overview Technique.
He took a slight breath and selected the three techniques that suited him best.
Six Viscera Spirit-Swallowing Technique, Painted Skin Transformation Technique, and Jade Bone Technique.
"I want these three techniques?"
Seeing Li Qing's choices, Wen Taiquan immediately frowned.
"Brother Qin, are you planning to cultivate several techniques?"
"That's extremely dangerous. Every sect has its own unique lineage."
"Cultivating the vital essence of several different organs is only safe if the techniques come from the same lineage. Otherwise, techniques from different sects will clash violently."
"If things go badly, you'll end up undergoing aberration."
"I know. I'm not taking these techniques in order to cultivate them."
"I have other reasons."
Hearing this, Wen Taiquan nodded slightly. "As long as you know."
"Don't do anything foolish. Once you cultivate more than three conflicting techniques, there's practically a hundred percent chance you'll undergo aberration."
"Only someone with great wisdom could fuse all the techniques into one and achieve some kind of wondrous balance, thereby avoiding aberration."
"But a person like that appears only once in a thousand years. At least, I've never met a True Person."
Wen Taiquan spoke earnestly.
Li Qing nodded and looked toward Elder Fang.
"May I ask when I can get these three techniques?"
Elder Fang glanced at him. "Come back tomorrow morning to pick them up."
"Okay!"
Early the next day, Li Qing arrived at the Treasury Hall.
Looking at how impatient Li Qing was, Elder Fang seemed a little surprised.
"Are you really in such a hurry?"
"Hahaha, I suppose I can't wait."
As he spoke, he took out a jug of Pear Blossom Brew.
"I passed by Yellow Flower Pavilion and picked up a jug. I wonder if you like it, Elder Fang."
Elder Fang's eyes lit up. "Hahaha, young man, you're thoughtful. You know how to play the game."
As he spoke, he took out the three cultivation techniques and set them on the table.
He accepted Li Qing's Pear Blossom Brew and was already savoring its aroma.
Li Qing picked up the three techniques, and the Jade Tablet changed.