Chapter 184: Qi Lin Lou

The seventh day of the fifth lunar month.

Chen Shu went out early in the morning, ate breakfast at the Yuding Mountain canteen, and then started wandering around Yuding Mountain...

The Yuding Qunshan consists of thirty-three peaks in total, and only the one under his feet is called Yuding Mountain.

The outermost few mountains are open to tourists, forming a commercial area similar to an ancient town with various storefronts and supporting tourist facilities. Further in are the places for Outer Sect Disciples to engage in activities, cultivate, work, and reside. The innermost few mountains are the residences for Inner Sect Disciples. In ancient times, when the hierarchy was at its strictest, Outer Sect Disciples were not allowed to enter the Inner Sect Disciples' living quarters, but there are not so many formalities now.

The central Yuding Mountain is usually the location of the residences of the sect's bigwigs and core buildings; it is truly not easy for Chen Shu's housing to be assigned here.

Chen Shu walked all the way from the innermost Yuding Mountain to the outermost ancient town, even freeloaded some shredded beef to eat, and had a fish spa.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Deacon He sent a message, and after asking for his location, he soon came to find him.

"You should tell me if you want to wander around. I can take you around and introduce things to you."

"I was afraid you were busy and would be disturbed."

"What is there to be disturbed about... This is my job to begin with. I was originally going to take you to familiarize yourself with the sect environment and various facilities today, otherwise, you wouldn't know where anything is in the future," Deacon He said. "Let's go, I'll take you to the Finance Department first, then to the Logistics Department."

"Finance Department? Logistics Department?"

"I'm used to calling them that... Don't mind these details, call them whatever makes you happy. The Spirit Sect is still very open-minded."

"That's true."

As the first sect to embrace modern theories and a cradle that nurtures many modern scholars, the Spirit Sect is naturally very open-minded.

Deacon He continued: "First, register an electronic bank account. For Inner Sect Disciples who have not yet completed their studies or finished their training, the sect will issue a living allowance of one million every New Year, distributed through the electronic bank. High-end, right?"

"This is good."

"At the same time, your tuition will be fully waived in the future. Yes, because you are attending Yujing Academy, it's not that we help you pay the tuition, but that it is directly waived."

"This is also good."

"Then we go to the Logistics Department. The Vice Sect Master specially approved it last night to issue you two types of Pills."

"What kind of Pills?"

"One is the standard Qingling Pill for Inner Sect Disciples, which assists in cultivation. The other is called something like Ascension Pill; I don't know what it's used for either."

"Oh..."

Chen Shu had heard of the Qingling Pill.

In ancient times, Cultivation Spiritual Methods were much more backward than modern ones, and cultivation efficiency was not high; it also had requirements for one's own state and the surrounding Spirit Power environment, so the Qingling Pill was an item that could greatly increase cultivation efficiency in ancient times. After reaching the modern era, the repeated improvements of Cultivation Spiritual Methods have made it so that almost everyone can reach the limit of their own talent's cultivation efficiency while cultivating, and the requirements for the Spirit Power environment have also become lower, so the effect of the Qingling Pill is no longer significant.

Later, the Spirit Sect improved it. Now, the greatest function of the Qingling Pill is to reduce fatigue during cultivation. At the same time, if your Cultivation Spiritual Method is backward, or the surrounding Spirit Power environment is truly terrible, it still possesses its ancient efficacy.

This thing is also sold in pharmacies.

Chen Shu had thought about buying it before, but later gave up.

Firstly, he thought it was expensive; secondly, he was afraid that after cultivation became easy, he would be unable to gain a sense of achievement every time. For a lazy person like him, he might instead be unable to persist.

As for the so-called Ascension Pill, he had never heard of it at all.

"At the same time, if you want to advance in the future and need a Breakthrough Auxiliary Potion, you can also come to apply to the sect. After review and inspection, it will be issued."

"What kind of potion is usually issued?" Chen Shu asked immediately. "Does it cost money?"

"Generally, Inner Sect Disciples can only get ordinary Auxiliary Potions, the kind that can be bought on the market, and the sect will provide at most two. It can only provide potions up to the Fourth Stage to Fifth Stage at most. If you want better or more, you usually have to take some senior as your master, and have the master fight for them for you. However, the Vice Sect Master said to pay special attention to you, so you will get the best potions, the kind you can't buy outside, and there is no limit on the quantity, just don't take them out to resell. I estimate that when you reach the Fifth Stage, the Auxiliary Potion for advancing to the Sixth Stage will definitely be provided for you, but there is no way once you advance to the High-Tier."

"So it doesn't cost money..."

"It doesn't cost money. It doesn't cost money for Inner Sect Disciples; it's us Outer Sect Disciples who have to pay."

"..."

"Why do you have that expression?"

"Nothing..."

Chen Shu's expression was incomparably complex for a moment. Thinking of how much effort he had wasted going to the edge of the Forbidden Land to find Full Moon See, and going to Qingshan Ridge to catch wild boars to earn money, only to finally solve the problem of the Auxiliary Potion, his heart truly felt as painful as being stabbed by a knife.

After holding it in for a long time, Chen Shu asked again: "What exactly is the Auxiliary Potion provided by the sect? Is the effect good?"

"It's a formula from the former Secret Sect. Many materials are extinct. The sect either uses stock or finds them from the depths of the Forbidden Land. You don't need to worry about the effect."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel a bit unwell."

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"No need..." Chen Shu twitched the corner of his mouth. "Can this potion... be converted into cash?"

"Of course not."

"..."

"What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing."

Chen Shu's brain quickly became active.

He couldn't let those two potions go to waste, and he couldn't miss the chance to freeload from the sect.

"!"

Chen Shu soon thought of it—

Isn't there a genius junior sister who is about the same stage as him, yet has no sect to rely on?

Thinking about it carefully, this junior sister is truly pitiful. Even though her talent is so good, when it comes time to break through, she has no channels to get the best potions and can only make do with ordinary potions on the market. As a senior brother in the same grade as her, it is only natural that he should extend a helping hand to her.

He would just sell them to her at a fair price.

Chen Shu felt that he was truly kind.

Walking to the "Finance Department".

This place is called Qi Lin Lou, equivalent to the administrative Hall of the Spirit Sect's Inner Sect. Any procedures or applications that disciples need to handle must be completed here. The Finance Department in Deacon He's words is in an office on the second floor.

Electronic bank account successfully reported.

Chen Shu had barely stepped out the door when he received this year's one million in living subsidies.

Money falling from the sky.

Such high efficiency.

He then arrived at the "Logistics Department".

The Logistics Department was on another mountain peak.

This was the warehouse of the Spirit Sect, with layers of Formation and strict security; there was also a classical palace at the foot of the mountain, which served as the interface between the warehouse and the disciples—Deacon He presented the note signed by Vice Sect Master Du Heng, and soon received two portions of Pill.

Among them, there was a large box of Qingling Pill, packaged like some IQ-tax health supplement, totaling ten small bottles, each containing eighteen pills, for a total of half a year's supply.

As for the Ascension Pill, there was only one bottle, and one bottle contained only three pills.

The staff member said: "The Qingling Pill can be taken at most once a day, one pill at a time; it is best taken about five minutes before cultivation. Once you feel the medicinal effect take hold, you must quickly enter focused cultivation; its effect only lasts for four hours."

"What about the Ascension Pill? What is it for?"

"The Ascension Pill is a top-tier Pill provided to important disciples. Cultivator below High-Tier can use it to briefly and significantly increase their Spirit Power; encountering an accident, it can increase your chances of survival. The side effect is that while the medicinal effect is active and for a few days after it wears off, your spirit will also experience an unusual excitement, though it usually does not lead to overly terrible results."

"Understood."

"Are you a new disciple?"

"Yes."

"I thought I hadn't seen you before..."

After the staff member finished speaking, they lowered their head, adopting an attitude of 'no matter how impressive you are, it's none of my business, don't affect my slacking off at work.'

Chen Shu twitched the corner of his mouth, put these two portions of Pill into his Storage Ring, and left with Deacon He.

Deacon He glanced at him: "You have a Storage Artifact; if you didn't, perhaps you could be assigned one after your status in the sect improves later. Anyway, the sect left behind quite a few Storage Artifacts in ancient times, they're just sitting there unused."

"I can also do without one."

"It's good that you understand."

"I would like to go see the Phoenix Tower."

"Fine, I'll take you to the Phoenix Tower, then you can go in and find books to read; it just so happens I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll leave once I've brought you there."

"Alright, thank you."

"No need for such formalities..."

Chen Shu soon arrived at the Phoenix Tower.

The Phoenix Tower was a nine-story classical pavilion; the architecture was massive and beautiful, with a majestic aura. If it weren't for this world having extraordinary abilities, it would likely have been difficult for the ancients to build such a large and tall pavilion with their architectural level.

It stood on the back mountain of Yuding Mountain, not far from Chen Shu's small courtyard, housing literature and materials collected by the Spirit Sect over thousands of years.

The content housed on each floor was different.

The lower six floors had no restrictions on access, while the upper three floors required certain permissions; Chen Shu's permission allowed him to go up to the eighth floor.

This place was similar to a university library, even having a borrowing and search system, but given the terrifying foundation of the Spirit Sect, the collection of books was likely far beyond what academies like Yujing Academy and Ling'an Academy could compare to, especially those hidden, restricted contents that the libraries of Yujing Academy and Ling'an Academy did not have.

"Hello, senior."

Chen Shu politely asked the librarian: "I would like to consult materials regarding the Forbidden Land, where should I go?"

"Nameplate."

"Here."

"You are that genius?"

"This..."

"With such high permission, it must be you." The librarian began operating the computer, "Eighth floor, 3-5-2, that entire row is it."

"What about those regarding the Secret Sect?"

"Eighth floor 2-5-4, find it yourself."

"Then, I want to look up information on the Zheng Guang Buddha, the two Daoist masters, and the Spirit Saint... I mean, more detailed ones, the kind you can't see outside."

"Speak plainly, you want to understand the gods, right?" The librarian glanced at him lightly again, despising him, "Young and yet so timid..."

"..."

It's not like I'm not familiar with the business since I'm new here.

Since you put it that way, I won't be polite.

Chen Shu said expressionlessly: "I want to know their detailed information, every god's."

"Eighth floor 1-1-2."

"Many thanks."

"You may borrow at most one book from the sixth floor and above; taking them outside is prohibited."

"Understood."

Chen Shu walked straight upstairs.

The stairs were wooden, but stepping on them felt exceptionally hard and solid, with no vibration feedback; at the same time, there was a Forbidden Seal on every floor, and Chen Shu felt the Forbidden Seal scanning his Nameplate as he passed through each one.

He arrived all the way at the eighth floor.

Each floor was divided into zones, and each zone had different bookshelves; the bookshelves were also divided by floor numbers, so the three numbers corresponded to the zone, bookshelf, and floor level respectively.

Chen Shu searched one by one.

Currently, for the entire Spirit Sect, what he looked forward to most was the Phoenix Tower; this would be a great enrichment of his knowledge.