Chapter 22: Library Card Registration, Foundational Texts for Evil Spirit Masters
"Good. Since that's the case, it's perfect for you to help me see what books my Disciple should read. The development of my Martial Soul leans more toward Spirit control, while the flesh and blood side is somewhat secondary."
Zhang Peng's eyes lit up, and without the slightest hesitation, he directly made his request to the librarian, Zhao Sanjin.
Zhao Sanjin had no objection at all. Instead, he nodded as though it were only natural, then hesitated for a moment before continuing,
"Please come with me first, 6th Consecrated Elder. I need to verify the waist plates and complete the registration and filing process before you can continue searching. These are the rules within the Holy Spirit Cult. I hope you can understand, Lord Elder."
"Since they are the rules, they should naturally be followed."
Zhang Peng nodded and led Chen Ming along as they followed Zhao Sanjin into the room where Zhao Sanjin had been earlier.
It was a huge room packed densely with bookshelves.
Some shelves held only 2 or 3 books, while others were nearly full. There was not the slightest trace of dampness or gloom in the air. Instead, the atmosphere was fresh and dry, with bright and soft lighting. The overall style of the room was completely mismatched with the grim atmosphere of the Holy Spirit Cult outside.
A huge sheet of paper was spread across a massive tabletop, and various books were open in one corner. Judging by the patterns and text on that paper, Zhao Sanjin had been trying to organize clues from the books in this room before they arrived.
On a large metal rack sat boxes of different sizes, each with a special label and wax seal. Some labels had faded with time, while others looked as if they had only just been written.
Zhao Sanjin pulled a new iron box from one of the containers, took out several small metal plates, and placed them on the table. Then, with a swipe at his waist, he drew out a dark gold carving knife that radiated a thick and sharp aura.
Judging from its material, that carving knife did not look as though it had been made from metal. Instead, it seemed to have been crafted from some kind of special bone through various methods.
"This knife is called Jin Mang. It was forged from the finger bone of a 10,000 year Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear, supplemented with Earth Dragon Bone and Deep Sea Sunken Silver. It is ranked 92nd among the Ranked Carving Knives."
Zhao Sanjin noticed Chen Ming's curiosity and explained casually.
"Lord 6th Consecrated Elder, your waist plates. The Identity Plate and the Consecrated Elder Plate will be enough."
Zhang Peng tapped his Spirit Tool and produced 2 waist plates.
One looked the same as Chen Ming's, an ordinary Identity Plate. The other was nearly oval, like a traditional command medallion. One side carried carved inscriptions, while the other side bore the pattern of the Scorpion Tiger Martial Soul, representing Zhang Peng's Martial Soul and his identity as the 6th Consecrated Elder.
Zhao Sanjin first made 2 rubbings of both sides of Zhang Peng's 2 plates.
One copy was placed into the iron box, while the other was kept aside for submission.
After that, Zhao Sanjin asked Chen Ming for his waist plate and made 2 rubbings of both the front and back as well.
Finally, Zhao Sanjin took out 2 blank metal plates from the box and began carving, following the inscriptions on Chen Ming's waist plate and part of the inscriptions taken from Zhang Peng's 2 plates.
Once he confirmed that the information engraved on the 2 metal plates was correct and nearly identical, the main part of the work was finished.
He made another set of rubbings from those 2 newly carved waist plates, then ran outside to operate a Spirit Tool, entering the information from the new plates into the system.
After that, he placed 1 of them into a box, sealed it with a strip and wax, and the registration was officially complete.
In a sense, it was not much different from the process Chen Ming had gone through to apply for a library card in his previous life.
This smooth and fluid series of actions gave Chen Ming an entirely new understanding of the rules of the Holy Spirit Cult.
For the Holy Spirit Cult to have maintained itself until now, in addition to sheer strength, it likely also relied on all kinds of strict rules and methods.
"Alright. This waist plate is your Library Card. One card per person. It cannot be lent out. If you are caught lending it out, your borrowing privileges will be revoked. If it is lost, it will not be replaced. The original record will be destroyed, and you will have to apply for a new one."
"The guarantor for your Library Card is the 6th Consecrated Elder. You have the highest reading clearance, reading is free, and there is no time limit. You are free to read from the 1st to the 5th floor."
"There is also free food and lodging in the library. Of course, there is no Blood Food here, only normal food. If needed, you can take your medallion to me or to the administrators on the other floors to request food and lodging."
"Books on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors require registration with the floor administrator before they can be borrowed. Books on the 4th and 5th floors require registration with me, or with at least 2 administrators together."
"Books may be copied and recorded, but they may not be taken away, nor may they be privately altered or damaged. Otherwise, you will face the most severe punishment. Quiet Rooms, paper, and pens may all be used free of charge."
Zhao Sanjin handed the Library Card to Chen Ming and spoke with solemn seriousness.
"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Zhao. I understand."
Chen Ming accepted both his original waist plate and the new Library Card, then carefully placed the 2 plates inside his robe.
"Old Zhao, what books do you think he should read first?" Zhang Peng took back his own 2 waist plates and asked Zhao Sanjin directly.
"For a newly initiated Spirit Master, I would suggest borrowing [Introductory Guide to Basic Spirit Master Common Knowledge], [Spirit Power and Meridians], [What Is a Martial Soul], and [Spirit Masters, Martial Souls, Spirit Beasts, and Spirit Rings]. These are more practical entry-level books."
"Among them, [Introductory Guide to Basic Spirit Master Common Knowledge] and [Spirit Power and Meridians] are still textbooks currently in use in Shrek's Outer Court."
"These are extremely solid foundational textbooks. Even if one completely studied the teaching materials used in most high-level Spirit Master academies, the results would still not necessarily be as good as these."
"As for the Martial Soul and cultivation side, I suggest reading [Bloodthirst Secret Manual], [Flesh Devouring Secret Manual], [Corpse Devouring Secret Manual], [The Spirit Nature of Evil Spirit Masters], [Common Materials and Usage Methods for Evil Spirit Master Cultivation], [Common Rituals and Formations], and [13 Common Pitfalls in Beginner Evil Spirit Master Cultivation]."
"These contain detailed explanations on how to utilize blood, flesh, and corpses, how to understand, develop, and master the nature of one's own Martial Soul, how to find and use common materials to assist one's cultivation, basic formations, and the pitfalls and problems that novice Evil Spirit Masters often encounter but that ordinary Spirit Masters would never face."
"These books are considered popular classics within the Cult. They were compiled over 200 years ago by one generation's Cult Leader, who gathered the Evil Spirit Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult to jointly produce these introductory texts."
"Many low-level Evil Spirit Masters possess handwritten copies. These copies are also traded in secret among low-level Evil Spirit Masters. However, the circulating copies are either incomplete or contain intentional or accidental mistakes and traps. If one wants completeness and safety, then the originals in the library are naturally better."
"As for Spirit-related books, I had originally wanted to recommend things like [Spirit Secret Manual], [Discovering and Controlling Spirits], [Rearing and Cultivating Vengeful Spirits], and [Mysteries of the Spirit]. There is certainly nothing wrong with these books on the mental and Spirit side, but for the 6th Consecrated Elder, they are still too low-level. It would be much more effective if you taught that part personally."
Zhao Sanjin spoke fluently and eloquently, effortlessly listing a long series of classic texts, many of which even Zhang Peng had never heard of.
At this moment, Chen Ming very clearly felt that the cultivation of a Spirit Master really was an accumulation of knowledge.
So many textbooks...
Should he say it truly was worthy of the Holy Spirit Cult, effectively the Shrek Academy of the Evil Spirit Master world?
In a certain sense, the Evil Spirit Masters within the Holy Spirit Cult and the rumored or wild Evil Spirit Masters outside were completely different kinds of creatures.
Even if a person were smart, with so many foundational textbooks, it would probably still take several months, or even years, to finish learning them all.
.....
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