CH 24.1

hi guys, i’m thankful for your concern for me, my situation has gotten better.

happy new month.

here’s a new chapter. enjoy

senior sister’s twenty-fourth lesson

◎reading ten thousand books ◎

[entered level 1,222: reading ten thousand books]

[huangfu yuan, meng zi, lin shuang, entering levels above 1,000, the right to watch disciples progress through the trials is open!]

lin shuang had just steadied herself and hadn’t observed the surroundings of this level yet when ripples appeared in front of her.

she was stunned. “can we still check? won’t that reveal the contents of the trial? my analysis earlier—”

as she spoke, she watched meng zi sneer, reaching out to tap the ripple in front of him.

“refuse to view, revoke permission.”

lin shuang was taken aback.

but when she looked at the next line, she understood.

[lin shuang is currently on the 1,222nd level, with permission to view disciples’ projections from levels 1 to 222.]

they could only view levels below their own.

it was of no use for the assessment.

at most, they could watch for entertainment or pay attention to important figures.

[lin shuang, do you want to spend 50 spirit stones to view a certain trial cave mansion on levels 1 to 222?]

[each joss stick, each projection, costs 50 spirit stones.]

lin shuang frowned, feeling that something was amiss.

compared to the cost of exotic fruits and advanced pre-booking fees, which were six yuan per episode, this was expensive!

[if you want to speak in the projection, and engage in real-time communication with other disciples, it costs 1 spirit stone per 20 characters.]

lin shuang’s eye twitched.

are they charged for sending barrage comments?

“close, close, close! don’t even think about tricking money out of me!”

meng zi rolled his eyes.

“is clearwater sect about to go bankrupt? when zhenchuan first opened ten years ago, 30 characters cost only 1 spirit stone…”

huangfu yuan chuckled lightly, indifferent to the permission to view and speak in front of them. his hands were tucked into a newly changed fluffy white fox fur cloak, seemingly unmoved.

[group 11111, two people activate the permissions to view disciples’ projections; two people activate speaking permissions.]

[charges will begin after entering the room, each bearing their own costs.]

meng zi couldn’t believe it, turning to look at lin shuang and huangfu yuan, the two poor souls.

both of them looked down.

“senior brother, just take a look when you’re bored.”

“junior brother, it’s just for entertainment.”

“…”

meng zi closed his eyes. his ancestral master, an evil wealthy person!

after setting up the permissions for zhenchuan, a white mist quickly appeared in front of them.

[i read thousands of books in the fog, but when i rise, i’m still an ordinary person.]

[the trial has officially begun!]

[in this trial: disciples must memorize the techniques, recite them word for word, and reach the second level of cultivation to pass.]

thousands of books formed a sea of characters, like thin mist gathering around lin shuang and the others in an instant. soon, like a receding tide, it gradually dissipated.

it was only then that lin shuang could see clearly. they were in a two-room style house. a screen of clouds and mist separated the two rooms.

between the two rooms, there was a screen of clouds and mist that represented mountains and rivers.

inside each room, there were beds covered with brocade, official hats on tables and chairs for brewing spirit tea, and antique bookshelves.

it seemed as if someone had been living here.

“where did these ten thousand books come from?” meng zi frowned, looking at the bookshelf that could barely hold a hundred volumes.

but as lin shuang walked to the desk in one of the rooms to investigate, she heard him exclaim, “look at the wall!”

as soon as the words fell, wherever they were in the inner room, on all four white walls, wherever the naked eye could reach, there was a faint ink mark, clear and visible like water stains on the wall.

tiny characters, densely packed, varied from light to dark.

huangfu yuan stood by the bookshelf, his phoenix eyes slightly squinted, flipping open a book at hand.

inside, the pages were filled with clear ink characters, gradually appearing one by one.

“there are also on the desk.”

lin shuang lowered her head to look at the desk, where a stack of rice paper had a vigorous cursive script, and the ink marks were intense and clear.

meng zi furrowed his brow. “there’s also on the wall behind the bed.”

just as he was about to step back, he saw ink marks appearing like water stains on the bed curtain.

“this… is everywhere.” meng zi’s temples throbbed.

even in the basin for washing hands, characters appeared like ripples.

on the basin stand, wood grain revealed characters.

even when opening the purple clay teapot on the table, ink characters could be seen flickering inside.

“why so many!” meng zi took a step back, holding the big knife in his hand.

in the previous life, this was called the fear of being dominated by learning.

lin shuang’s temples throbbed intensely

it felt like a last-minute cramming session for the college entrance examination. words, formulas, and classical chinese notes covered every inch of the room — the desk, the bowl, the cup, the edge of the bed, the walls… infiltrating everywhere.

eating made them study, drinking water made them study, even at the last minute before lying on the bed to daydream, they still had to study!

this kind of reading over ten thousand volumes was terrifying.

“there are over a hundred books on the bookshelf. this one in my hand records ten articles on speed-up techniques.”

“the bed curtain is the diamond sutra, and a hundred articles of sword techniques are on the wall.”

huangfu yuan, as the manager of rongbao pavilion, swept his phoenix eyes, recalling each martial art technique with precision.

meng zi’s breath quickened; this was overwhelming!

and there were more horrifying things.

“…blood-slaughtering formation…”

as lin shuang looked around, she heard huangfu yuan suddenly murmur.

his gaze fell on the rice paper in her hand, and his pupils contracted.

[reading knows no age.]

[one year in the room is equivalent to one day outside.]

[disciples can freely choose the techniques in the room, but any technique cannot be selected repeatedly.]

sure enough, there was also a time manipulation formation!

useful.

they could really choose a trial cave according to their needs!

cultivate while passing through each level!

meng zi looked at lin shuang complicatedly, “techniques cannot be selected repeatedly, you go first.”

“sister lin is insightful.”

huangfu yuan looked at the rice paper in her hand, his phoenix eyes shimmering.

“luck is also good. the blood slaughtering formation you wrote on the paper is the first chapter of an ancient killing formation.”

“it is said to have endless power. it was once used by a powerful expert to cut off three tails of an adult nine-tailed fox.”

“the nine-tailed fox, the legendary predecessor demon king?”

meng zi was astonished.

huangfu yuan’s expression remained calm as he replied, “this formation, priced at rong baozhai, is worth one hundred thousand spirit stones.”

meng zi nearly choked on his saliva.

“in this room, there should be nothing rarer than the blood-slaughtering formation.”

huangfu yuan pressed his index finger against the silver hand stove, his phoenix eyes seeming to fall on the table corner.

“if junior sister chooses this one—”

“little ai, what’s my next schedule? and what are the shortcomings in my current cultivation?”

interrupted, huangfu yuan’s dark lashes flickered.

“drip, little ai at your service.”

“the next schedule is… swordsmanship class.”

huangfu yuan was slightly surprised.

“now, for your inquiry about the deficiencies in your current cultivation of sword techniques…”

“right-hand water spirit sword: attack r, speed sr, durability sr, defense r, mana consumption sr, healing (empty).”

meng zi felt dizzy listening.

huangfu yuan’s phoenix eyes were startled, looking towards lin shuang.

upon hearing the soft response after listening to this information record talisman, she sighed.

“in that case, i’ll choose a set of left-handed sword techniques.”

lin shuang rested her chin on her hand.

“to complement my water spirit sword.”

“the sword techniques here are all below the earth grade, not as precious as the blood-slaughtering formation—” huangfu yuan looked at her with complexity.

“can the blood-slaughtering formation heal or defend?”

huangfu yuan lowered his eyelids, “…it can even cut down an adult nine-tailed fox.”

“why would i need that?”

lin shuang shook her head and drew a hexagon in the air.

“i currently lack attack, defense, and healing in sword techniques. to learn a new technique, i must make up for two of these.”

“the blood-slaughtering formation is too single-minded, only for attack, which doesn’t align with my hexagonal development. i’m neither going to kill a nine-tailed fox nor am i a formation master.”

huangfu yuan’s fingers loosened on the scroll.

meng zi, after hearing this, had a complex expression and withdrew the hand that was eager to try and explore the blood-slaughtering formation

his sword technique, the heaven-slashing blade, was an aggressive move but had significant drawbacks.

he wasn’t a formation master, and learning the slaughter blood formation would require reaching the fifth order in formation arts!

that wasn’t achievable in the short time spent in zhenchuan.

“then i’ll take a look at the blade technique.” meng zi hefted his blade and turned back to the wall.

huangfu yuan lightly pursed his thin lips, a faint gleam in his phoenix eyes.

“well, then i’ll take a look at the alchemy cultivation method.”

the three of them immediately focused on their chosen techniques, and the room fell silent.

the hourglass continued to trickle down.

lin shuang spent two tomato timers, took a break in between, and reluctantly narrowed her study to two techniques.

first was the earth-grade technique “returning sword technique.”

[created by me during my travels, because i encountered a group of demonic cultivators. unable to defeat me, they disturbed my cultivation daily, causing endless annoyance. therefore, i created this sword technique.

when under attack, the sword technique will automatically activate and reflect the attack. it can reflect up to fifty percent, but not exceed the attacker’s cultivation.]

this was an attack reflection technique!

although it could only reflect half, lin shuang was extremely interested.

it could both defend and attack, preventing her from losing health!

paired with the water spirit sword, she would be a pentagon warrior.

there was another technique that lin shuang named “can i take some of yours?”. it was a human-grade technique called “drips form a river technique.”

[stupid junior brother in a sparring session suddenly comprehended.]

[in battle, absorb the spiritual energy of the enemy’s attack techniques, strengthen oneself, and the enemy won’t notice.]

lin shuang showed a conflicted expression.

both the palm and the back of the hand were flesh.

one was the attack reflection where you end up killing yourself; didn’t expect that, huh?

the other was the “can i take some of yours, big brother, you don’t mind, right?” tea king.

she liked both.

“no, if i waste more time, i won’t be able to learn either of them.”

it was already approaching evening, and lin shuang forcibly asked herself to calm down. she had spent too much time pondering her technique choices.