Chapter 70: Book Tower
Chapter 70: Book Tower
Once the two cultivators had left, Wang Hong tidied up and set out again, heading towards the Task Hall to complete his assigned tasks.
At the Task Hall, he queued up and submitted Elixir and Spirit Herb. One hundred Elixirs earned him one hundred contribution points, while seven Spirit Herbs brought in one hundred and forty contribution points, totaling two hundred and forty contribution points.
Returning to the Book Tower, he exchanged greetings with the two guards at the entrance before entering.
Inside the building was a spacious hall with two doors on one of the walls. The door above one was labeled "Entrance," and the other was labeled "Exit."
Both the entrance and exit were guarded by Foundation Building cultivators in purple robes.
Approaching the entrance door, Wang Hong was stopped by the guard.
"Show your token."
Wang Hong quickly retrieved the sect token and handed it over to the Purple-robed daoist.
The daoist took the token, placed it on a magical weapon, and after a faint glow, returned the token to Wang Hong.
With the token in hand, Wang Hong entered through the entrance, finding himself surrounded by rows of bookshelves with neatly arranged books, each labeled with categories such as spirit ore, spirit wood, Spirit Herb, spirit fruit, Demonic Beast, demonic insects, miscellaneous records, Geography, Customs, and more.
Although the classifications were detailed and comprehensive, they mainly covered basic knowledge of the Cultivation World. Wang Hong speculated that advanced topics like techniques, alchemy, and artifact refining might be on the upper floors.
The nearest section to him was the spirit wood category. Wang Hong walked over, picking up a Jade Scroll at random. As he probed with his spiritual sense, he discovered it was a book specifically discussing the various impacts of different soils on the growth of spirit wood.
He was amazed by the numerous types of soils mentioned, something he had never heard of before. Fortunately, his unique spatial ability allowed him to cultivate almost any spiritual object.
Suddenly, he wondered about the type of soil in his Space. He carefully examined the Jade Scroll but found no similarities.
Deciding not to delve deeper into it, Wang Hong moved on, selecting another Jade Scroll that focused on the appraisal and identification of different spirit woods, explaining their properties, characteristics, and suitable applications.
Picking up several more scrolls, he realized they all contained knowledge about spirit wood that he had never encountered before.
Moving to the familiar Spirit Herb area, he found even more books. Dozens of shelves surrounded him, filled with Spirit Herb-related scrolls.
Grabbing one scroll, he read about the specific requirements of different Spirit Herbs for their growth environment. Despite the complexity, he was relieved knowing that his Space could accommodate the growth of any Spirit Herb.
Another scroll explained the pharmacology and properties of various Spirit Herbs.
Engrossed in the wealth of knowledge, Wang Hong lost track of time. It was only when hunger became unbearable that he reluctantly set aside the Jade Scroll in his hand.
Realizing he had forgotten to choose scrolls to bring back, Wang Hong selected ten scrolls focusing on the pharmacology and properties of Spirit Herbs. There were over a hundred scrolls in this category, each representing the accumulated experience and wisdom of past practitioners.
He planned to diligently study all these scrolls. As an Alchemist, he felt embarrassed not knowing the pharmacology and properties of medicines, relying solely on following established formulas.
Little did he know that among Alchemists, less than one percent were proficient in pharmacology and properties. Most started by following established alchemical formulas before gradually becoming accomplished Alchemists.
The primary reason was the vast variety of Spiritual Medicines. What Wang Hong currently saw was only a fraction, as there were also spirit fruits, spirit wood, Spirit Insects, spirit ores, and more, all usable in alchemy.
To thoroughly grasp this knowledge would require a significant amount of time. The lifespan and energy of cultivators are limited, and it is impractical to completely set aside cultivation to specialize in researching Spiritual Medicine.
Another point to consider is that only large sects possess such comprehensive legacies, perfected through the accumulation of countless generations.
Carrying the Jade Scrolls, Wang Hong walked toward the exit. Another Purple-robed daoist stood there, accepting the Jade Scrolls and the sect identity token Wang Hong handed over.
"Do you want to copy or borrow? Borrowing each Jade Scroll costs ten contribution points, to be returned within a month. Copying costs fifteen contribution points, with no need for return and no time limit."
After a brief consideration, Wang Hong chose to copy.
"Copy, please."
The Purple-robed daoist produced ten blank Jade Scrolls, allowing Wang Hong to imprint his spiritual mark on each one. Then, the daoist placed two Jade Scrolls on a magical weapon, initiating the copying process.
Normally, cultivators could use their spiritual sense for copying, but excessive use could lead to mental fatigue. Given the bustling activity in the Book Tower, daily copying tasks were undoubtedly abundant.
Thinking about the small magical weapons in Task Hall, Wang Hong realized they were convenient inventions. After fifteen minutes, all ten Jade Scrolls were successfully duplicated.
Spending ten hours reading inside cost him twenty contribution points, and copying ten Jade Scrolls cost him one hundred and fifty contribution points. With his initial two hundred and forty contribution points, he now had only seventy left. It seemed he would need to undertake more tasks.
The Purple-robed daoist returned the Jade Scrolls and the token, reminding Wang Hong not to disclose sect information and that they were for personal use only.
Wang Hong wondered, "What if I lend the Jade Scrolls to someone secretly? Can the sect really monitor me?"
Leaving the Book Tower, Wang Hong returned to Task Hall to pick up twenty new tasksten Alchemy tasks and ten Spiritual Medicine tasks. While he found Spiritual Medicine tasks easier, he dared not accept all of them.
Submitting various Spiritual Medicine regularly might arouse suspicion since the required Spiritual Medicine wasn't the mass-produced type cultivated by the sect. Explaining the source of his Spiritual Medicine could be problematic.
Back in his courtyard, Wang Hong examined the duplicated Jade Scrolls. He realized his initial concerns were unnecessary. The spiritual imprint he left on the blank Jade Scrolls acted like a lock, and only his spiritual sense, like a matching key, could access them. Any other intrusion would trigger the hidden restrictions and destroy the Jade Scrolls.
Considering the vast heritage of a sect spanning thousands of years, Wang Hong realized he couldn't easily exploit loopholes.
For the next month, Wang Hong followed a routinecrafting two Elixirs daily, cultivating for three hours, and spending the remaining time in his Space, studying the contents of the ten Jade Scrolls.
Although a month passed in the outside world, Wang Hong experienced two years within his Space, finally completing the study of the ten Jade Scrolls.
He then exchanged his findings for contribution points, used them to copy more Jade Scrolls, and continued this cycle for six months. The days were monotonous yet fulfilling, and Wang Hong found joy and satisfaction in his immersive learning.
Today, Wang Hong achieved a breakthrough, reaching the eighth level of Qi Cultivation.
His Alchemy skills also progressed, achieving a success rate of ninety percent, with at least one high-quality pill per furnace.
After completing his tasks, Wang Hong decided not to pick up new ones. He planned to visit Azure Void City.
With over half a year passed, items in the shops there should have sold. During this time, he accumulated some Elixirs, and Zhang Chunfeng helped refine more. Returning to Azure Void City would allow him to exchange them for Spirit Stones and expand his Space once again.
Wang Hong packed lightly, informed the sect of his temporary absence, and took off in the Windsoar Boat towards Azure Void City.
Wearing the standard Qingxu Sect dark robe, cultivators with some discernment would avoid targeting him to prevent potential consequences from the sect.
As for deliberately posing as a loose cultivator to attract bandits and then counter-attacking for treasures, he had no time for such activities.
He didn't care much about the few hundred Spirit Stones in the pockets of bandits. Bandits mostly targeted struggling loose cultivators, even if they squeezed them dry, the loot wouldn't amount to much.
Originally a journey of seven days, he reached Azure Void City in just five days with the Windsoar Boat.
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