A group of immortal mountains where the energy of heaven and earth abounds. A place where immortals and beings that could be considered almost divine settle to cultivate immortality.
On one of the peripheral mountains, where the servant disciples resided, the person in charge of assigning tasks finished distributing the jobs for the month and left without looking back.
"Ah… this month it's my turn to manage the mine again. It's too exhausting…" a young man expressed, looking a bit dejected.
"Junior Brother Wu Huang, what task were you assigned this time?"
The youth beside him, slightly shorter in height and of a slender build, flashed a faint smile upon hearing the question.
"Managing the Vault of Knowledge."
"That's great!" the other exclaimed, though his tone did not sound entirely convinced. "Managing the Vault of Knowledge helps a lot with one's state of mind… and with some luck, you might even find some useful technique or martial art."
Junior Brother Wu Huang looked at him from the corner of his eye.
"Brother Wang Xiong… I don't know how many times you have repeated that. You don't need to keep saying it. I understand better than anyone how that place works."
The youth named Wang Xiong scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. Then, as if remembering something important, he added:
"By the way, I heard that Zhang Qingchuan has made a breakthrough in his cultivation. He has already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining. It seems he will soon stop being a servant and become an outer disciple."
"I'm happy for him," Junior Brother Wu Huang replied calmly. "He has talent and is also quite diligent."
Wang Xiong spoke again, this time with curiosity:
"Brother Wu Huang… don't you plan to become an outer disciple? With your knowledge and talent, it shouldn't be that difficult."
Junior Brother Wu Huang shook his head slightly.
"I am fine as I am. I don't have much interest in ascending the path to immortality."
Wang Xiong frowned.
"Then… why did you join the sect? Wouldn't it be enough to live as a mortal?"
Wu Huang remained silent for a moment before responding with a soft exhale:
"It's not as if I had a choice."
Two and a half years had already passed since he arrived at the sect. He did not originally belong to this world. He was a reincarnator, coming from a world without cultivation or martial arts. A world of common mortals, completely different from this one, where cultivators could move mountains, dominate the seas, summon the wind and rain… and even aspire to immortality.
In this life, his identity was not simple either: he came from a powerful family. However, due to various circumstances, he was forced to abandon it. To avoid being found, he spent all his resources to enter this Heavenly Sword Sect as a mere servant disciple.
The two parted ways shortly after, and Junior Brother Wu Huang finally arrived at the Vault of Knowledge.
"Greetings to Elder Mo," he said, bowing his head respectfully to the elderly man guarding the entrance.
The elder, with a white beard that fell to his chest, observed him while stroking his beard thoughtfully.
"Young Wu Huang, were you selected once again to organize the Vault?"
Wu Huang nodded.
"Yes, Elder Mo. I was selected once again and I hope to fulfill the task correctly."
"Of course," the elder replied with a slight smile. "Go right in. You know the rules: you can only access the books given to you and arrange them in their corresponding places. Do not touch anything else, under any circumstances."
"This disciple understands."
The elder nodded and waved his hand, signaling the entrance.
"You may pass."
He entered immediately and was greeted by someone at once.
"Hello, Elder Su."
"Scholar Wu Huang, it seems you were selected once again," Elder Su replied.
"There is no need to call me that, I am just a simple servant disciple."
"Don't talk nonsense. You are the person who knows all the books in this vault the best; in the future, my position might even be filled by you."
"Elder Su, you are too generous with this disciple."
"Well, here is your portion. If you find something that shouldn't be there, you can hand it directly to me and I will inspect it," she said as she pointed to a pile of over a hundred different books.
Upon seeing them, he could not help but frown.
"I am sure it would normally be fifty… why is this pile double the usual size?" he asked Elder Su.
With a mischievous smile, she replied:
"The number of disciples bringing in books to earn contribution points has increased recently, so consequently, the amount of books you must inspect has also increased. Don't worry, you will be properly rewarded for your services."
Wu Huang nodded slightly and walked toward the pile. He stretched a bit and reached out toward the first volume.
"Heavenly Book," he silently invoked in his mind.
Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, his Martial Spirit vibrated with a faint, mystical light. As soon as his fingertips touched the physical text, his spirit's innate ability activated, and the knowledge from the pages passed directly into his mind immediately. A slight dizziness washed over him due to the data overload, but being well accustomed to it, he did not move at all; he simply picked up another book and repeated the mental scanning process.
Once he had finished with twenty books, he sighed in exhaustion and sat to the side, crossing his legs and meditating to recover his mental stamina.
"Exhausted?" a familiar voice called out to him.
Wu Huang looked up and could not help but frown.
"Mu Qinlian? What are you doing here?" he asked.
A beautiful woman with black hair and dark eyes greeted him with a light smile.
"Senior Brother Wu, how are you doing?" she said softly.
Wu Huang denied it immediately.
"Don't call me Senior Brother. You have already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage; I am still in the Qi Refining stage," he replied firmly.
Mu Qinlian completely ignored his comment.
"Senior Brother Wu, have you considered my proposal?"
Wu Huang paused for a moment before closing his eyes.
"No, I haven't considered it… and I don't plan to accept it either," he answered at once.
"Do you find me unpleasant?" she asked, with a hint of sadness on her face.
"Not at all. Although you didn't make it into the sect's top five beauties, to say you are an ugly woman is far from the truth."
"Then why won't you accept?"
"You have a bright future ahead of you. Do not try to cast it aside for passing emotions."
Mu Qinlian took Wu Huang's face and lifted it to force him to look at her.
"Is cultivation that important? What is the point of living a thousand years if I cannot be with the person I love?"
Wu Huang calmly brushed her hand away.
"You should go back. You recently entered the Foundation Establishment Stage; you should consolidate your realm before coming to see me."
With a sad face, Mu Qinlian finally turned around.
"I'll see you later, big brother…"
Wu Huang did not say goodbye.