Chapter 29

"Of course, we must visit the Sutra Pavilion." Upon hearing this, Xue Shan and Wan Xiaoqian naturally agreed with great joy.

Liu Ming was even less likely to refuse.

Thus, Shichuan, without another word, made a hand seal and once again condensed a gray cloud, carrying the four of them to another place on the mountain.

After a short while, they landed in a secluded area. Passing through a forest of green stone pillars, they found a pavilion built into the mountain, half exposed and half embedded in the rock.

Above the pavilion’s main door, a plaque was inscribed with the three large purple-red characters “Sutra Pavilion.” On either side of the door stood two fierce demon statues, each two zhang tall, lifelike and entirely black, as if cast from fine iron.

"You must remember, the Sutra Pavilion is a crucial place in our sect. There is no other way to approach it except for the small path we came on. Even if you occasionally fly overhead, you must not come within five hundred zhang of the Sutra Pavilion, or you may be considered an enemy and trigger the pavilion’s defenses, leading to an immediate attack by the guardian puppets. Such incidents have happened before," Shichuan said with unusual gravity.

"Such a thing! Are the guardian demons these two large figures?" Wan Xiaoqian was startled and couldn’t help but stare at the fierce statues.

"Indeed, they are. Don’t be fooled by their current inanimate state. Once activated, they possess nearly the terrifying power of a Spirit Master, far beyond what we Spirit Disciples can resist. However, activating them consumes a great deal of spirit stones," Shichuan explained, then led the three into the pavilion.

Liu Ming’s gaze swept inside, and he couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise.

Upon entering, they found a small room, no more than a few zhang in length and width, containing only an empty chair.

Shichuan, however, showed no surprise. He simply flipped his palm, revealing his badge, and waved it at the opposite wall.

With a "pfft," a beam of white light shot from the badge, disappearing into the wall.

Then, Shichuan waited quietly with Liu Ming and the others, showing no impatience.

After a moment, a beam of white light appeared on the opposite stone wall, and a fat old man wearing a tall hat emerged, yawning continuously, as if he had just woken up.

"Disciple Shichuan, paying respects to Uncle Ruan!" Shichuan immediately approached the fat old man with a respectful bow.

"Oh, it’s the Nine-Headed Serpent’s little one. How did you bring a new disciple to select a cultivation technique so quickly?" The fat old man casually glanced at the group and asked lazily.

"These few disciples want to see what cultivation techniques are available in the pavilion. Whether they choose now or later is up to them," Shichuan replied without hesitation.

"Fine. According to the rules, new disciples indeed have one free visit to the pavilion, and I will personally explain the advantages and disadvantages of the various basic techniques. However, only one person can enter at a time. Who will go first?" The fat old man said without any difficulty.

"Senior, I will go first," Xue Shan stepped forward, his face full of eager anticipation.

"Hehe, then you come with me." The fat old man chuckled, and with a flick of his sleeve, a blinding white light enveloped them.

Liu Ming and the others involuntarily closed their eyes. When they opened them again, Xue Shan and the fat old man were gone.

"What is this...?" Wan Xiaoqian’s face turned pale.

"Don’t worry. Uncle Ruan just used the pavilion’s array to directly teleport Xue Shan inside," Shichuan explained, showing no surprise.

Wan Xiaoqian relaxed.

Liu Ming frowned and asked, "Senior Shichuan, does Uncle Ruan always guard the Sutra Pavilion? I wonder which lineage he belongs to?"

"Ha ha, I know what you’re concerned about. Don’t worry. Uncle Ruan has always guarded the Sutra Pavilion, but his background is special, and he doesn’t belong to any particular lineage," Shichuan replied with a smile.

"I see." Liu Ming let out a sigh of relief.

Then, he and Wan Xiaoqian took the opportunity to ask Shichuan more about the Sutra Pavilion.

Senior Shichuan answered their questions with great care.

After a while, a beam of white light appeared on the wall, and Xue Shan emerged with the fat old man, his face beaming with joy.

"Congratulations, Brother Xue. It seems you’ve chosen a suitable technique!" Shichuan’s eyes sparkled, and he smiled.

"Hehe, thanks to Uncle Ruan’s guidance," Xue Shan nodded repeatedly.

"Who’s next?" The fat old man didn’t respond but instead looked at Liu Ming and Wan Xiaoqian.

"Sister Wan, you go first," Liu Ming said courteously to the girl beside him.

"Since Brother Bai is willing to let me go first, I won’t be polite," Wan Xiaoqian said and stepped forward without hesitation.

"Good."

The fat old man nodded and, with another flick of his sleeve, teleported her away with a beam of white light.

"Brother Xue, which basic technique did you choose?" Shichuan turned to Xue Shan and asked.

"It’s the ‘Earth Spirit Technique’ that Senior mentioned earlier. Uncle Ruan checked my aptitude and analyzed the pros and cons of other techniques. I felt this one was the most suitable for me," Xue Shan replied honestly.

"Hehe, congratulations, Brother. I also cultivate the ‘Earth Spirit Technique.’ While it may not be the fastest in the early stages, once you’re on the right path, it’s smooth sailing with few bottlenecks. It’s also one of the most widely cultivated basic techniques in our sect. Once you reach a certain level, you can switch to the ‘Yellow Spring Yin Devil Technique’ of our lineage," Shichuan said with a smile.

"Really, Senior Shichuan also cultivates the ‘Earth Spirit Technique’? That’s wonderful. If I have any questions in the future, I hope Senior can guide me," Xue Shan said with great joy.

"Of course, if you have any questions about the Earth Spirit Technique, feel free to ask," Shichuan replied without hesitation.

Xue Shan was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

Liu Ming watched with a smile but didn’t say anything.

Wan Xiaoqian didn’t take long, only about half the time Xue Shan had spent, and she reappeared in the room with the fat old man, a hint of joy on her face, clearly not empty-handed.

This time, before Liu Ming could ask anything, the fat old man directly flicked his sleeve at him.

Liu Ming felt a blinding white light, and the world spun. Stumbling, he almost fell to the ground.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, shifting his shoulders and twisting his waist, and managed to stand steady.

"Hmm, not bad. It seems you’re agile. The other two couldn’t stand after being teleported," the fat old man’s voice came, filled with surprise.

Liu Ming quickly regained his composure and looked around.

He found himself in the center of an unfamiliar hall, with the fat old man standing a few feet away.

The hall was several acres in size, divided into several areas by colorful light walls. Each area contained independent stone platforms, each holding various scrolls or stacks of bamboo slips, all covered by light domes of different colors.

"Disciple has practiced some secret techniques of mortals before, so my reactions are faster than average," Liu Ming explained, bowing to the fat old man.

"You don’t need to explain to me. I was just asking casually. Follow me; all the basic techniques are here," the fat old man waved his hand and walked toward a light wall.

Liu Ming sighed and followed obediently.

With a "bang," the fat old man swiped his badge through the air, and the light wall dissolved into points of spiritual light.

They walked directly into the area.

Liu Ming’s eyes quickly scanned the area, and his face showed a hint of surprise.

"These are the basic techniques you can learn for free at this stage. Do you have any questions?" The fat old man glanced at Liu Ming and asked calmly.

"Uncle Ruan, I heard from Senior Shichuan that our sect has only thirteen basic techniques, but there seem to be far more here," Liu Ming said, looking at the hundreds of stone platforms.

"Our sect indeed has only thirteen basic techniques, but we have existed for thousands of years and have collected many other basic cultivation techniques from outside. There’s nothing strange about that. However, I advise you new disciples not to rashly cultivate these external techniques. Our sect has determined the thirteen basic techniques after many years for a reason. These external techniques either lack subsequent cultivation methods or are particularly difficult to cultivate, requiring specific conditions, and are generally unsuitable for our disciples," the fat old man replied lazily.

"Thank you for your guidance, Uncle. I wonder which technique you think is suitable for me?" Liu Ming asked, somewhat enlightened, but still looked at the nearly hundred stone platforms, pondering.

"How many spirit veins do you have?" The fat old man asked without hesitation.

"Disciple has three spirit veins!" Liu Ming replied respectfully.

"Three spirit veins! Good!" The fat old man nodded, then suddenly moved his arm and summoned Liu Ming with a single hand.

Liu Ming felt his body tighten, restrained by an invisible force, and was then pulled to the fat old man with a "whoosh."

He was startled but then relaxed, not struggling.

The old man muttered incantations, and his palms glowed, turning into shadows that patted Liu Ming rapidly.

Liu Ming felt no weight in these pats, but each one sent a warm sensation through his skin and even into his bones, leaving him astonished.