Cultivation Arts and Miscellaneous Records

No one took offense at an excess of courtesy. Jiang Yang knew little about this place, so he bowed and asked:

"Senior, may I ask... how should this disciple choose a Cultivation Art and Spells?"

Hearing this, the old man rocking in his chair lowered his book and fixed his bright eyes on Jiang Yang. Only after a while did he speak:

“Cultivation Art on the left, Spell Arts on the right, Miscellaneous Records and Local Customs ahead, curious tales and anecdotes behind.

Use your waist token to obtain them. This pavilion accepts neither Spirit Stone nor spiritual items; everything is paid for with Dao Merit. Borrowed works may not be taken outside or casually passed on.

You may only move about the first floor. Do not climb to the second."

The old man wasted no words. He explained the rules in a few brief sentences, then returned his attention to his book.

Seeing that he had no desire to say more, Jiang Yang did not disturb him further. He bowed in thanks:

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior. This disciple will keep it firmly in mind."

Then he backed away a few steps, turned, and walked toward the first set of shelves.

The rules here were not complicated. Everything was freely available to borrow, with no restrictions so long as one had enough Dao Merit.

The only two requirements were that the original cultivation manuals could not be taken outside, and that the Cultivation Art and Spells redeemed here could not be casually taught to others.

But that second rule was not set in stone. Jiang Yang reckoned that as long as one did not brazenly hawk them everywhere, the Sect probably would not bother investigating two or three friends privately comparing notes.

Besides, most cultivators were rather self-focused and generally lacked any spirit of sharing. These were formulas they had painstakingly earned with their own Dao Merit; ordinarily, they would not risk teaching them lightly to others.

The first row of bookcases before him stood on the left and had three tiers. Jiang Yang approached without reaching out, instead winding his Spirit Sense around each work to read it.

Wherever his Spirit Sense swept past, basic information about the Cultivation Art and its price appeared. This served as a preview, sparing disciples from picking blind boxes with their eyes veiled in darkness.

Of course, reading the full text required spending Dao Merit to redeem it.

This was Jiang Yang's first encounter with so many cultivation methods, and he could hardly wait to examine them one by one.

"Cave Dew Bright Splendor Method, second grade. Establishes the Immortal Foundation 'Dewlight Radiance.' Required Dao Merit: twenty-five."

"Still Lake Mistwave Art, first grade. Establishes the Immortal Foundation 'Soft Mist Gauze.' Required Dao Merit: twelve."

"Vast Crossing Formula, Third Grade. Establishes the Immortal Foundation 'Boundless Sea.' Required Dao Merit: thirty-six."

"..."

With a brief sweep of a single tier, Jiang Yang had already seen several cultivation methods.

Unlike the Dew Essence Consumption Method he practiced, most of these Cultivation Arts included sections leading to Foundation Establishment. Their general outlines were complete, and they also contained one or two Spells and a Qi-Gathering Formula.

Whether because it was an Ancient Method or because it had been incomplete from the outset, Jiang Yang's consumption method stopped abruptly at Qi Refining. There was not a single word about Foundation Establishment.

What a pity... they're all methods of the lower three grades. No wonder she warned me again and again not to take this lightly. Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

As Jiang Yang read, his heart tightened, and a sense of relief arose.

In all fairness, these methods were not bad, and their prices were reasonable. Even ordinary disciples only needed to work hard for a year or two to save enough to redeem one. In this respect, the Sect could hardly be accused of treating them poorly.

Had Jiang Yang not known the details, he might well have been eagerly running back and forth himself, finding a method he liked and happily switching to it.

That was because once a method of the lower three grades brought someone to Foundation Establishment, nine times out of ten it produced a low-grade Immortal Foundation. Foundation Establishment cultivators certainly enjoyed prestige wherever they went, but from then on, any possibility of advancing further was cut off.

Moreover, an Immortal Foundation was said to allow no regrets once established. There was not even a chance to start over: if the Immortal Foundation collapsed, the cultivator perished and returned to heaven and earth.

Jiang Yang gazed at the Jade Slips and books, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. These Dao Canon texts certainly embellished the Sect's reserves, but unlike its directly inherited orthodox lineage, they had mostly been offered or collected through various channels.

Their origins were tangled and difficult to trace. Some had been found in ancient Cave Abodes, some plundered by destroying clans and Sects, and some obtained through chance encounters while traveling. One could forget about finding any subsequent cultivation methods.

For an ordinary disciple, practicing them was no great matter. There had never been much hope of advancing further anyway; one merely enjoyed one's allotted lifespan and lived freely to the end.

But even if someone stumbled into extraordinary luck and established a middle-grade or even high-grade Immortal Foundation, that did not mean a path forward existed. Instead, even greater despair awaited.

Merely imagining himself in that position sent a chill through Jiang Yang. Establishing an Immortal Foundation at a young age ought to be a time of soaring ambition, yet one turn of the head revealed a lightless road ahead. No matter how heaven-defying one's talent, without a continuation of the cultivation method, one could only sit on one's remaining years and lifespan as they slipped away. That was undoubtedly more despairing than an ordinary person's lot.

If no one exposed these hidden intricacies, who would know?

This was also why Shang Qingzheng had repeatedly warned Jiang Yang not to choose a cultivation method casually. The various peaks possessed orderly inheritances, each with its own orthodox lineage.

After joining one, he would no longer have to worry about gaps in the inheritance. There would also be preferential resources and a master's guidance. From then on, the difference would be as great as heaven and earth.

Thus, however many cultivation methods lay before him, Jiang Yang only glanced through them casually, never reaching out. He treated it as a chance to broaden his knowledge.

After circling a few times, he continued farther inside. He did not know what formation had been inscribed into this pavilion, but it was astonishingly large. So far, Jiang Yang had only browsed a few bookcases.

"Spiritual Marsh Origins, Secret Record of Immortal Cultivation, Three Hundred Years of Zheng Kingdom Customs, Miscellaneous Records of the Netherfrost Marsh..."

As Jiang Yang walked along, he stopped paying attention to cultivation methods and devoted most of his attention to geographical records instead.

These were the volumes he had selected, mostly introductions to the surrounding terrain and powers, or even little-known accounts of spiritual items and Spirit Materials.

The reason was simple: Jiang Yang knew very little about this world. He urgently needed to fill in some common knowledge so he would not wander everywhere in bewilderment, his eyes veiled in darkness.

Fortunately, these anecdotes and miscellaneous records were not cultivation methods. Most had been written by predecessors and circulated widely, so they cost little Dao Merit.

Jiang Yang copied three or four books in succession and spent only five Dao Merit. Including the Jade Slips, that was already cheap.

Every bookcase had Jade Slips for copying. Each time Jiang Yang redeemed a work, it automatically ejected a blank Jade Slip for him to copy onto.

Otherwise, making Jiang Yang read and memorize everything on the spot would have been rather demanding.

After putting the recorded Jade Slips into his Storage Bag one by one, Jiang Yang straightened. Before him appeared a mottled Jade Slip, riddled with cracks and reduced to half its original size, bobbing within a restriction.

This was the first damaged Jade Slip Jiang Yang had seen since he began browsing. Curiosity stirred in him, and he wound his Spirit Sense around it to read.

"Ninefold Clear Avenue Scripture, fifth grade. Establishes the Immortal Foundation 'Nine-Avenue Dust.' Required Dao Merit: ninety-five."

"Hiss... fifth grade!"

Jiang Yang drew in a quiet breath. It was actually a fifth-grade cultivation method. All along the way, he had not seen so much as a fourth-grade method, let alone a fifth-grade one. He had never expected to find one here.

But once he calmed down and examined it more closely, Jiang Yang could not help sighing in regret:

I knew it...

Sure enough, the cultivation method was incomplete. Otherwise, he guessed, it would not have appeared on the first floor of the Library Pavilion. At the very least, ordinary disciples would not have access to it.

If it were complete, who knows how many times greater its value would be? Surely it would cost far more than ninety-five Dao Merit.

Although Jiang Yang could not currently afford ninety-five Dao Merit either, that did not stop him from examining it carefully. It was a fifth-grade cultivation method, after all. Barring any mishaps, mastering it ought to produce at least a middle- or high-grade Immortal Foundation.

Once established, whether in the nature of one's Magic Power or one's ability in magical combat, it would naturally surpass others by more than a single notch.