Chapter 540

Bai Mei True Person and the Jin Dan cultivators stared intently at the octagonal tower before them.

Some involuntarily stepped forward several paces.

Then, as if waking from a dream, they quickly stepped back, standing stiffly with hands clasped to show they meant no harm—only an instinctive reaction.

Their response was not slow at all.

None of the Jin Dan cultivators around laughed; all stood respectfully, gazing with longing at the one at the very front.

Jiang Ding said nothing, walking slowly into the octagonal tower.

"My lord,"

a Jin Dan cultivator said respectfully: "Would you require us to scout ahead? Though the formation is shattered, the interior may contain traps or curses—conditions are unknown. Your noble body must not risk itself."

Many Jin Dan cultivators glanced at him in surprise.

"... Gong Fa... so many Gong Fa..."

Then, as if suddenly enlightened, they realized.

Jiang Ding shook his head slightly.

Bai Mei True Person and the Jin Dan cultivators held their breath.

Moreover, the Scripture Pavilion records various Gong Fa and information, possibly involving Xian techniques; to recklessly damage it would be a crime deserving ten thousand deaths.

He did not need the weak to take his place in the blade's path.

Within the space, rows of Hong Ling Mu bookshelves rose like mountains, neatly aligned; upon them stood countless jade slips, books, animal hides, stone slabs, and rib bones—often inscribed with ancient small seal script.

Previously, one could understand it; now that Gong Fa lay within reach, why still bow so humbly, risking great peril?

He pushed open the massive door, dozens of zhang wide and a hundred zhang tall.

The dust cleared, revealing a vast space stretching beyond sight.

If not now, when will they dare to invest their blood and sweat?

Thinking of this, many Jin Dan cultivators showed signs of longing.

Everyone tensely raised their shields, extending their spiritual senses to scan intensely.

The Jin Dan cultivator was deeply disappointed, bowed, and stepped back.

"Yes, I take my leave."

"Ten thousand years—perhaps ten thousand years—this place has never been opened."

Every book and scroll was covered in thick layers of dust.

A great cloud of dust fell with a rustling sound, swirling and filling the air, obscuring vision.

Ten thousand years had passed; any dust-repelling formation had long since worn away.

This one, though a Jin Dan cultivator, bore traits of a Nascent Soul elder—was he not a peerless prodigy?

If he obtained Gong Fa, he might very well become a Nascent Soul elder in the future.

Jiang Ding thought silently.

"No."

Too magnificent!

Merely the first floor of the octagonal tower—here, the books had formed an ocean; how many millions of Gong Fa texts lay within?

Luo Xu Sect, Luo Xu Sect—the former number one sect of the Northern Plains in the Nascent Soul era.

At last, the true nature of the situation was revealed.

Even though they were all demonic cultivators who had fought their way through bloodshed, coarse warriors, before this sea of books, before so many classics of ancient wisdom, they could not help but hold their breath and focus, feeling a solemn, transcendent aura beyond region, status, and time.

"Wait a moment, all of you."

Jiang Ding arrived before the first towering Hong Ling Mu bookshelf, carefully scanning it with his spiritual sense.

After a long while, a white bone from the shelf rose and floated into his hand.

"Blood Spirit Burning Blood Technique, a first-rank spell, used by Qi Condensation cultivators—it burns blood and essence to boost power, but carries heavy drawbacks..."

Jiang Ding lightly scanned it with his spiritual sense and made his judgment.

"Still valuable—the seventeenth spell structure here is rare in today's Cultivation World; useful as a reference."

"Material... leg bone of a human child with spiritual roots."

Jiang Ding frowned and continued: "Internal formation patterns are on the verge of collapse—must be handled with extreme care during examination, or the spiritual lines will instantly shatter."

"Spell reinforcement can barely preserve it for a year or two."

He waved his hand, casting a spell upon the bone; a clear light emerged from his fingertips and merged into the bone, temporarily strengthening its durability.

Then he returned it to its place.

"This one can be chosen."

Jiang Ding turned to Bai Mei True Person and the Jin Dan cultivators: "If you notice any scroll showing signs of collapse, you must stop immediately and wait for me to handle it—whether intentional or accidental, no book may be damaged."

"You may first read one-fifth of the collection—this does not count toward your allotted quota."

This restriction was built into the scroll or jade slip; once unsealed, a bright clear light would appear—in ten thousand years ago, enforcement cultivators would have arrived instantly to arrest the offender.

"Yes, my lord, we understand."

Bai Mei True Person and the cultivators were overjoyed.

Not because of this single first-rank spell—but because he truly intended to keep his promise.

Now, they looked at each other, finally fixing their gaze on Bai Mei True Person.

This man, through his peak Jin Dan cultivation and command of the Zhen Flag, had earned the highest merit ranking.

"Allow me to examine it first."

Bai Mei True Person did not refuse, carefully drawing the white bone toward him, probing it with his spiritual sense, then, slightly disappointed, passed it to the Jin Dan cultivator ranked second in merit.

Indeed, it was a first-rank spell—though somewhat novel, it held no use for him.

Jiang Ding ignored them, personally inspecting each beast-hide scroll, jade slip, and talisman book, casting spells to reinforce the volumes, and whenever he found damage, he would take out artifact-refining materials to repair them.

One volume after another, not missing a single one.

It looked tedious, yet he worked with great relish, immersed in the joyful ocean of knowledge.

Before he knew it, a day had passed. He had just finished organizing one bookshelf, letting the Jin Dan cultivators behind him flip through the earlier portions, lost in thought.

"Too slow."

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, spread his divine sense to scan the surroundings, and asked: "For first-tier and second-tier books, I'll just seal them directly. When we get to third-tier and above Gong Fa, you can choose then. How about it?"

"That is exactly right!"

"My lord is truly righteous!"

Bai Mei True Person and the others were overjoyed.

What use were a few mere first- and second-tier Gong Fa?

A long night invites many dreams; they were itching to go find their Nascent Soul Gong Fa right now, they just didn't dare say it out loud.

"Very well."

Jiang Ding confirmed they were sincere, not forced by him into agreeing, and immediately nodded.

He waved his hand and released a large swath of hazy clear light, covering an entire bookshelf, then placed it into a storage jade pendant.

This was an archaeology-department spell, specifically used to seal ancient texts and prevent further damage.

One after another,

After a dozen or so breaths, a small chunk of the vast sea of books had emptied.

"Full."

Jiang Ding glanced at his storage jade pendant, didn't mind, casually took out a storage bag, and kept loading books—when one was full, he'd switch to another, again and again.

By the end, the storage bags and storage rings in his hands had piled into a stack as tall as a person, the worst of them being magic-treasure-grade storage items, threaded through with a thin cord and tied together, dangling at his side.

Bai Mei True Person and the other Jin Dan cultivators watched, a chill rising in their hearts.

This lord,

just how many Jin Dan cultivators had he killed?

Originally, looking at his face and his relatively gentle and trustworthy way of doing things, they had thought he was a rare gentleman of the Northern Plains, and had privately felt admiration.

Now…

They had originally been a bit restless, feeling these first-tier scraps were completely useless, not worth the delay, and had wanted to urge him along.

As for now, they had plenty of time.

After a full half a shi chen, the entire first floor of the scripture library—which one couldn't see the end of at a glance—was suddenly emptied, cleaner than a move-out, even the floorboards had been flipped over to confirm not a single Gong Fa was missed.

"Let's go."

Jiang Ding, thoroughly satisfied, returned carrying a huge pile of storage bags.

This time, his Immortal Gate Library points were sure to surge!

When that time comes, the central array-spirit computer's computing power would surely tilt heavily toward him, and the speed of his sword-Dao derivation would greatly increase.