The choice

Xiao Yu sank into thought. Should I cultivate this sword art like Han the Old Devil did?

His dilemma lay in the treasure paired with the Azure Essence Sword Art. Even if he could obtain the complete cultivation method from Yan Kuan, the instructions for refining its matching treasure, the Green Bamboo Cloud-Bee Sword, were still in the hands of Li Huayuan, a Core Formation cultivator of Yellow Maple Valley. A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him had absolutely no chance of getting them from Li Huayuan!

Yet he could not bear to abandon it. After all, how many cultivation methods in this world could take someone all the way to the Deity Transformation Stage? Besides, the abilities that came with it were far from weak.

Then Xiao Yu remembered that the Silver Page also contained an exceptionally powerful secret art paired with the sword art: the Three-Turn Heavy Origin Art. This secret art had been created specifically for the Azure Essence Sword Art. Completing all three turns would give him three times more magical power than other cultivators of the same rank!

After a long deliberation, Xiao Yu decided to copy the Azure Essence Sword Art. He would cultivate it, walk Han the Old Devil's path, and seize his opportunities to achieve his own success. Heaven and earth would destroy anyone who failed to look out for himself!

As for Han the Old Devil, with the fortune of a chosen son of heaven, would he really lack opportunities? Perhaps the moment Xiao Yu snatched one here, a new opportunity would land right in front of him elsewhere. Wasn't that exactly how it went in the original story? Dao companions and cultivation methods were delivered straight to his doorstep, without even charging postage.

But once he returned, he would have to get that Silver Page from Yan Kuan. As for the golden page in Li Huayuan's possession, he could only see whether he could make contact with Han the Old Devil later and find a way to have him retrieve it. If that failed, he could simply use a different treasure.

With his cultivation method settled, the great stone weighing on Xiao Yu's heart finally dropped. He then took a jade slip containing intermediate spells from the shelf.

He had no intention of stopping his study of spells. Once he optimized them, they were bound to bring him plenty of pleasant surprises.

Next, Xiao Yu went over to the shelf labeled "Pill refinement."

Pill Refinement Notes, Insights into Pill Refinement, Introduction to Pill Refinement... Most of the works on this shelf covered basic knowledge written down by predecessors. Very few were genuinely useful to him.

As for the pill formulas he wanted most, there was an ancient one, but the spirit medicines it required had vanished many years ago. There was no possibility of refining it at all.

Unwilling to give up, he kept searching. Only after going through almost everything related to pill refinement did he find another formula: the Origin-Raising Pill.

He carefully read its contents. This was an ancient formula suitable for the middle and late stages of Foundation Establishment. The required spirit medicines apparently had not disappeared, but they needed to be rather old-most had to be several hundred years old.

Xiao Yu grinned and happily took the jade slip. He continued searching, but after going through the entire shelf, he found nothing else of much use. Some materials could serve as references at best, so he did not take them.

Having reaped a substantial harvest, Xiao Yu thought that since he was already at the Scripture Pavilion, he might as well look at the materials on array formations and artifact refining too. He promptly went over to those two shelves and began browsing.

Although the materials kept here certainly would not include any profound legacies of artifact refining or array formations, there was still some basic knowledge available.

The major sects certainly had no shortage of basic knowledge concerning the hundred arts of cultivation. They generally encouraged their disciples to study them as well, casting a wide net to select talented individuals from the many learners for specialized training.

As for profound legacies, most had been created by geniuses or developed through the tireless efforts of several generations. Such legacies were almost always held by a tiny handful of people and were never readily passed on to outsiders.

Xiao Yu still knew nothing at all about artifact refining or array formations, so taking some basic material back was perfect for him. Now that he had reached Foundation Establishment, he had a little more time to spare. Besides, he would have to learn these things sooner or later. He planned to use the free time between cultivation sessions to master the simpler knowledge first.

Thus, after picking through the two rows of shelves, he selected two jade slips, Introduction to Artifact Refining and Detailed Explanation of Basic Array Formation, then turned and headed downstairs.

When Xiao Yu reached the first floor, the gray-haired old man had already woken up and was watching him with a smile. Xiao Yu stepped forward and said, "Senior brother, sorry for the trouble, but could you copy these jade slips for me?"

The jade slips upstairs had all been treated so that only a general outline of their contents could be viewed. To see the details, the restrictions inside had to be removed, and the person who could remove them was the gray-haired old man guarding this place. Hence the need to have them copied.

The old man smilingly accepted the five jade slips Xiao Yu handed him. After a quick look, a sly smile appeared on his face. "Junior brother, are you sure you want to copy these jade slips? They'll cost quite a few Spirit Stones!"

"Then may I ask exactly how many, senior brother?" Xiao Yu asked with a smile.

"Three hundred for the Azure Essence Sword Art, five hundred for the Origin-Raising Pill formula, one hundred for the intermediate spell jade slip, and eighty total for artifact refining and array formations. Heh heh, did you bring enough Spirit Stones, junior brother?" The old man listed the copying fees with a crafty chuckle.

"What! This is robbery! Copying a few lousy jade slips costs that many Spirit Stones? I seriously suspect you're pocketing the money yourself!" Xiao Yu's expression changed dramatically, and he roared at the old man in shocked fury.

He had originally thought copying these materials would cost very few Spirit Stones. When he had copied jade slips from the second floor before, they had cost only ten Spirit Stones each. Now the prices had risen dozens of times over. Nearly a thousand Spirit Stones could buy two reasonably good top-grade magic tools. How could he not be furious? He could not even be bothered to call the old man "senior brother" anymore.

Seeing Xiao Yu lose his temper, the old man did not get angry. Perhaps he had seen this sort of thing too often. Still smiling, he said, "Calm down, junior brother. Let your senior brother explain."

"This Azure Essence Sword Art is a top-tier cultivation method. It was once the cornerstone cultivation method of a certain sect, so naturally it commands this price!"

"But there are only six layers here! Cultivating it won't even let me reach Core Formation!" Xiao Yu protested anxiously.

"Hmph! If it were complete, it would be a priceless treasure. How could it possibly appear here? But even incomplete, it's still a top-tier cultivation method. Once you cultivate it to the sixth layer, you'll have one-third more magical power than others of the same rank. Its accompanying abilities are quite good too, giving you a considerable advantage when fighting cultivators of your own rank.

"And to put it bluntly, Core Formation is a very distant prospect for people like us. Junior brother, with your aptitude, if you want to reach Core Formation... heh heh, your hopes are slim!" After a brief explanation, the old man took another jab at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu rolled his eyes. Damn it, who does this wretched old man think he's looking down on? Still, he did not argue over that point and instead continued:

"Then what about this pill formula? In today's cultivation world, it's a useless formula! Where am I supposed to find those spirit medicines aged several hundred years? I'm only copying it to study and use as a reference. How can it be so expensive?"

"Heh heh, junior brother, while it may be a useless formula, the spirit medicines it requires aren't rare. You could still find them. This sort of formula sells for exactly that price in the Market."

"You said it yourself-that's in the Market. We're in the sect now. Doesn't the sect give its disciples a discount? Who would believe that if word got out? I certainly don't." Having said that, Xiao Yu stared hard at the old man. When the old man gave no response, Xiao Yu could only put on a helpless air. "Forget it. I don't want them. I don't have that many Spirit Stones."

The old man immediately grew anxious. He's giving up just like that? I can't let these Spirit Stones slip away right before my eyes! He hurriedly caught hold of Xiao Yu. "All right. I can see that you're exceptionally gifted, junior brother. You'll surely be able to develop a new pill formula by studying this one. How about this? I'll give you a discount. Just eight hundred Spirit Stones for all five jade slips."

"No. Five hundred at most!"

"Hey, I offer you a discount, and now you're getting cheeky! Seven hundred and eighty."

"I already told you it's a useless formula. I don't want it anymore. Either give me the whole lot for five hundred and twenty, or forget it."

After a fierce round of haggling,

Xiao Yu took out six hundred and fifty Spirit Stones with a pained expression and handed them to the old man, saying impatiently:

"Here. Hurry up and copy them. I don't want to spend another moment in this place!"

"Sure, right away!" The old man deftly took out five blank jade slips. After working on them for a while, he shoved the copied slips into Xiao Yu's hands and said:

"Heh heh, do come again, junior brother! There are plenty of good things here. I'll give you another discount next time!"

The old man felt that wealthy bumpkins like Xiao Yu were worth making an extra effort to win over.