"Immortal Rest? Fancy name for a fancy nothing."
Hua Yuntian let out a disdainful snort.
The pavilion looked marginally better than a mortal palace, but that was all it was. Not to mention the cave mansion he'd cultivated in as a Tribulation Transcending cultivator in his past life—even the quarters for inner disciples of major sects were more imposing than this.
Gazing at the Immortal Rest before him, Jiang Ling nodded in satisfaction and announced in a clear voice: "This is the disciples' quarters, Immortal Rest. Plain on the outside, but boundless within. Each of you may enter with your identity token and claim a room for cultivation. Remember—no fighting inside. If you trigger the restrictions and get erased, no one can save you."
"There are restrictions too?!"
The disciples' eyes lit up, curiosity piqued.
A few bold outer disciples stepped forward first, taking out the simple wooden tokens they'd just received—carved with the characters Primordial Beginning and their own names—and pressing them to the seemingly ordinary jade gate.
Hum!
A flash of light flickered on the token, and the gate slid open silently.
The disciples stepped inside, their figures vanishing in an instant.
Moments later, short, shocked gasps echoed from within.
"Good heavens! This—this is where we'll live from now on?!"
"The spiritual energy is so dense! Ten times thicker than outside, at least!"
"My room is huge! And there's a Spirit-Concentrating Formation?!"
Those outside itched with impatience and followed suit one after another.
Hua Yuntian's brows furrowed tightly. Unable to resist, he too took out his token, and with three parts doubt and seven parts curiosity, pressed it to the gate.
A flash of light—and Hua Yuntian's vision blurred in an instant, space stretching and reshaping around him!
When his feet touched solid ground again, he found himself standing in an endless jade corridor.
Lining both sides were ancient-style doorways, each exuding a unique aura—countless, seemingly infinite.
The spiritual energy filling the air was pure and dense, almost liquefied, far surpassing the top-tier cultivation chamber he'd forged in his past life with countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures!
This was no mere disciples' quarters.
This was a spatial treasure that held a world within a mustard seed!
No—this might even be the spatial folding technique unique to Heaven-Tier cave mansion artifacts!
A storm raged in Hua Yuntian's heart, his earlier scorn shattered in an instant.
He moved instinctively toward the nearest doorway, where a faint projection of his figure and his name materialized on the wood automatically.
He pushed the door open.
The room's inner space dwarfed its outer appearance—an astonishing hundred zhang in all directions!
The floor was paved with warm, smooth jade; runes that stabilized space glimmered on the walls; and at the center, a Spirit-Concentrating Formation woven from pure spiritual energy hummed gently to life.
What shocked him most was the moment he stepped inside: a soft yet unyielding light barrier flared up at once, cutting off the room from the outside world.
He tried to blast it with his spiritual sense—yet it didn't so much as tremble!
"This restriction... it can block even my spiritual sense probing? Not a single ripple gets through?!"
Hua Yuntian was left utterly speechless.
This meant cultivation here was absolutely safe, absolutely private!
In his past life, as a revered Tribulation Transcending powerhouse, he'd only ever achieved such an effect with layers upon layers of his own enchantments.
Just what was the origin of this Primordial Beginning Sect?!
For the first time, Hua Yuntian's judgment wavered violently.
Could it be that the Basic Qi Circulation Art...
An absurd thought surged unbidden in his mind, only to be forcefully suppressed a heartbeat later.
In contrast to Immortal Rest's understated elegance, the Scripture Repository blazed with far more imposing aura.
It was built entirely from a strange deep purple wood, also three stories high, with upturned eaves and a grand, ancient bearing.
Countless fine silver runes swirled across its surface like living things, exuding a profound aura—vast as the ocean, calm as an abyss.
Above the gate, a plaque neither gold nor jade bore three ancient seal characters, etched in a bold, ironclad hand:
SCRIPTURE REPOSITORY
Merely looking at it calmed the heart and stilled all wandering thoughts.
"This is the sect's Scripture Repository," Jiang Ling's voice held a hint of unspoken pride. "The foundation of our sect's Dao and technique inheritance. Three rules: First, enter only with your identity token. Second, all new disciples may claim one jade slip of the Basic Qi Circulation Art for free on their first visit. Third, all subsequent techniques and divine abilities must be exchanged with sect contribution points!"
"As I said earlier, the top three contributors will be rewarded with high-grade techniques. Your contribution points have already been credited to your identity tokens—enter and exchange them for yourselves."
Jiang Ling paused, raising his voice a little, a mischievous glint in his tone: "Oh, and one more thing. The repository is guarded by a Spirit Artifact Elder. His temperament... well, let's just say it's quite unique. Tread carefully inside, and don't displease his venerable self."
A murmur of surprise rippled through the disciples.
A Spirit Artifact Elder?
These were legendary beings!
Even Hua Yuntian pricked up his ears.
Once again, the curious outer disciples led the way.
Stepping through the Scripture Repository's gate, the scenery shifted once more.
Though it looked like three stories from the outside, the interior was an impossibly vast, boundless hall!
Its vault soared high, as if holding the stars and rivers within.
Rows upon rows of enormous bookshelves stretched to the horizon like mountain ranges—yet most areas were shrouded in a hazy mist. Only a small patch near the entrance was clear, with a handful of jade slips and a few thread-bound books resting on the shelves.
"The Ninefold Book Vault awaits its inheritors. You mere fledglings currently have clearance for only the outermost basic area of the First Fold," an ancient, indifferent voice echoed directly in every disciple's sea of consciousness—the mysterious Spirit Artifact Elder!
The disciples stiffened, bowing respectfully at once.
The elder seemed to have no patience for pleasantries: "To seek a technique, sink your mind into the sensing array on the shelf before you, murmur your desired path, and the repository will select the technique most suited to your aptitude.
You may claim one book per day, with the corresponding contribution points deducted automatically."
The disciples tried as instructed.
Sure enough, the moment they sank their minds into the designated rune array on the shelves, faint projections of jade slips glowing with different auras materialized in their minds, accompanied by brief descriptions and the contribution points required for exchange.
"It really works!"
"I sense the Detailed Explanation of Qi Drawing Art!"
"Mine is the Introduction to the Five Elements Basic Spells!"
The disciples exulted, each choosing the jade slip they'd sensed. A flash of light later, a physical jade slip appeared in their hands.
Finally, it was Hua Yuntian's turn.
He took a deep breath, forcing down his tangled emotions, and stepped up to a shelf.
He had no use for the paltry techniques here—but still, with a hint of testing, he sank his mind into the sensing array.
"Hmph! Why bother entering with such an unfaithful heart?!"
The elder's ancient voice rang in his ears, filled with undisguised contempt.
Hua Yuntian's spirit jolted violently.
"Your foundation is as shaky as a sandcastle, your spiritual sense as muddled as a tangled skein. Your temperament is frivolous and unsteady—one wonders how you ever reached Tribulation Transcendence in your past life. Your former cultivation is but a moon in the water, a flower in the mirror, nothing but a shackle now. You cling to the knowledge of your past life, yet have not an iota of accumulation in this one! Worthless!"
The elder's words were like cold steel needles, piercing the proud warrior's ego Hua Yuntian had clung to, unsparing and heart-stabbing.
"Come back when you've come to your senses. Begone!"