Chapter 147 Super Comprehension

On the other side, Xiao Ming walked out of the courtyard gate, his thoughts stirred, and he summoned the System panel.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, you have successfully completed the System mission!]

[System mission rewards are being calculated...]

[Reward: +6000 villain points!]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Super Comprehension (Low Grade)]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Mysterious System Fragment 1/9]

The glowing panel unfolded before his eyes. Xiao Ming, who had originally worn a look of anticipation, paused slightly upon seeing the specific rewards, then raised an eyebrow.

"Is that it?" He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself. His tone couldn't be called disappointed, but it was clearly a bit of a gap from his expectations of a "Heaven-shaking reward."

The villain points counted as a routine harvest, and this "Super Comprehension (Low Grade)" sounded good; it seemed to be something that could improve one's comprehension. It would be perfect to go to the Scripture Pavilion to test its effects.

As for that "Mysterious System Fragment"... With a thought, he took it out from the System space. A strange, shimmering fragment the size of a piece of glass, neither solid nor ethereal, instantly appeared in his palm. It had no description, and he couldn't sense any special fluctuations from it.

"Damn, what is this trickery? It's so mysterious. Could it be for upgrading the System?" Xiao Ming studied it for a moment, but couldn't grasp its purpose, so he could only put it back into the System space.

He then composed his mind and stopped dwelling on it. The sunlight was just right today, and with nothing better to do, it was the perfect time to visit the Sect's Scripture Pavilion and test the ability of this "Super Comprehension."

Thinking of this, he stopped lingering and strolled leisurely towards the Scripture Pavilion, an important area of the Sect.

Inside the main room of the courtyard, some time after Xiao Ming had left.

Mu Wanning finally managed to break free from the extreme shame and chaotic emotions of the morning. She forced herself to calm down, breathing deeply repeatedly, only then managing to suppress the annoying blush on her face and the strange, churning feelings in her heart.

She walked to the bronze mirror and carefully tidied her slightly disheveled dress and hair. The reflection in the mirror was still breathtakingly beautiful, but a lingering trace of complex emotion and a faint sentiment remained in her eyes.

Confirming that she had returned to the cold and self-restrained appearance of the Mu Family's Young Miss she had always been, she took a slow, deep breath and pushed the door open to leave.

However, before her foot could even cross the threshold, she keenly sensed that an uninvited guest had arrived outside the courtyard—the aura was unfamiliar, and it was not Xiao Ming.

Her beautiful, delicate brows immediately furrowed slightly, and the ripples of wariness rose again in her heart, which had just calmed down a little.

Who would be looking for her? Who even knew her? She had no acquaintances in the Wandao Sword Sect.

Just at that moment, two rhythmic knocks on the door sounded, followed by a clear and slightly polite voice of a young man: "May I ask, does Fairy Mu Wanning reside here? I have come under the orders of the Saint, with an invitation for you."

Mu Wanning's heart stirred. The Saint? The Wandao Sword Sect Saint, Jian Wushuang? She had no dealings with this person, and had never even met him, so why would he suddenly send someone to look for her? Moreover, he had stated her name directly, so he was clearly here specifically for her.

Doubts arose, but since the other party had already come to her door and his words were quite polite, avoiding him was not the best strategy.

She pondered for a moment, reined in all her outward emotions, returned to the slightly distant and cold expression she usually wore, and raised her hand to open the courtyard gate.

Standing outside the door was a young man dressed in the attire of a Heavenly Sword Peak Core Disciple. His features were upright, his aura was steady and deep, and his cultivation had reached the Peak of the Mid Spirit Severing stage, a notch higher than her own. It was none other than Liu Ming, who had come under the orders of Jian Wushuang.

When Liu Ming saw the real Mu Wanning, a flash of undisguised amazement crossed his eyes.

The image in the recording stone last night had already been stunning, but seeing her in person, he finally understood what it meant to have an immortal appearance and jade-like features, with skin as white as ice and bones as clear as jade.

That unique temperament, which blended nobility, coldness, and a subtle heroic spirit into her very bones, was far more vivid than the image and had a greater impact.

He secretly praised the Saint for his sharp eye, but did not reveal a thing on his face, merely displaying just the right amount of appreciation and politeness for a beauty.

At the same time, he noticed that Mu Wanning had walked out of the main room of the courtyard, and he understood, becoming even more convinced of the Saint's guess—the relationship between this pair of siblings was indeed disharmonious, and Mu Changge must be firmly controlled by his sister.

"Fairy Mu." Liu Ming cupped his hands, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant. "I am Liu Ming, a Core Disciple under the Heavenly Sword Elder. I visit presumptuously today under the orders of the Saint, Jian Wushuang, to specially invite you to Heavenly Sword Peak for a talk. Our Saint has an important matter to discuss, concerning... your younger brother, Mu Changge."

Liu Ming deliberately paused slightly on the words "your younger brother, Mu Changge," to observe Mu Wanning's reaction.

Hearing this, Mu Wanning's doubts deepened even more. Jian Wushuang was looking for her, and it was indeed related to that bastard younger brother of hers!

Her mind raced, recalling that Mu Changge's personality had changed drastically recently, and he was extremely calculating. Could it be that he had been ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth outside and offended this esteemed Saint? Or had he provoked someone under the Saint, and now they had come looking for her?

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Given that guy's recent way of doing things, getting into trouble was perfectly normal. She just hadn't expected him to provoke the Saint of the Wandao Sword Sect directly.

'It would be good to go and see.' Mu Wanning quickly made a decision, a flash of sharpness appearing in her cold eyes. 'At least I need to know what their purpose is—are they looking for a fight, coming to hold him accountable, or do they have some other scheme? It will also be good to extract...'

Her thoughts stopped there subconsciously, and then she cursed herself in her heart with some annoyance: 'Pah! Why am I thinking about this? That bastard causes trouble; wouldn't it be better if he died? It would save me the trouble!'

However, this thought was only a fleeting one, and from the depths of her heart, an uncontrollable, extremely faint worry—one she didn't even want to admit—surfaced.

Her younger brother Mu Changge's somewhat handsome and even bewitching face appeared in her mind involuntarily. That guy might be detestable, but... he was her brother after all.

This contradictory psychology made her furrow her brows slightly, but she remained calm on the surface. She raised her eyes to look at Liu Ming, her voice clear and calm, with no discernable emotion: "Since it is an invitation from the Saint, I shall go. Thank you for leading the way."

Seeing that she agreed and that her attitude was composed, Liu Ming felt slightly relieved. He turned to the side and made a gesture of invitation: "Fairy Mu, please follow me."

Mu Wanning said no more, stepped out of the courtyard, and closed the gate behind her. The morning light spilled onto her breathtakingly beautiful profile, reflecting a sense of tranquility; only in the depths of her pale golden eyes was there a faint, imperceptible trace of gravity and contemplation.

She left with Liu Ming, but pondered to herself: 'Heavenly Sword Sect... Saint... Jian Wushuang... what exactly is his intention? I hope it is just me overthinking.'

On the other side, Xiao Ming left Earth Sword Peak, passed through layers of palaces and pavilions and swirling clouds of Spiritual Qi, and finally arrived in front of an ancient, simple building standing in a secluded part of the mountain.

This was the Scripture Pavilion of the Wandao Sword Sect. Its exterior was not prominent, even appearing somewhat old. It was built entirely from a dark brown, unknown wood and gray-white stone. The flying eaves and brackets were engraved with the traces of time and weathering, and vines climbed along the walls, bringing a sense of depth and tranquility.

However, standing in front of this building, one could faintly feel an aura of gravity, weightiness, and a sense of carrying endless time and knowledge rushing towards them, making one involuntarily feel a sense of awe.

On the path in front of the pavilion, fallen leaves were sparse. An old man dressed in a simple gray robe, with white hair and a youthful face, was holding a seemingly ordinary bamboo broom, slowly and unhurriedly sweeping the dust and fallen leaves off the stone steps.

His movements were relaxed and natural, as if he had merged with the surrounding environment. No Spiritual Qi fluctuations leaked from his body, and he was as ordinary as any old servant responsible for cleaning.

But the moment Xiao Ming's gaze touched this old man, a flash of barely perceptible brilliance swept through his eyes. He stopped, did not rush forward, but instead respectfully took out his Core Disciple identity token, injected a trace of Spiritual Qi, and the token glowed with a faint golden light.

"Senior, I am the Core Disciple of Earth Sword Peak, Xiao (Damn, I almost misspoke)... Mu Changge, and I wish to enter the Scripture Pavilion to read." Xiao Ming spoke respectfully, his voice steady.

The gray-robed old man heard the sound and slowly raised his head. His face was thin and refined, and his eyes, while appearing cloudy, were like an ancient well or deep pool, sweeping over Xiao Ming and the token in his hand, calm and without ripples.

The gaze seemed ordinary, but Xiao Ming felt that for an instant, he had been lightly scanned by some invisible force, leaving him with nowhere to hide.

"Core Disciple, you may enter the first and second floors. No time limit." The old man's voice was old and flat, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion. After saying this, he lowered his head again and continued his meticulous cleaning work, as if the person in front of him was no different from a fallen leaf.

Xiao Ming felt a slight tremor in his heart, but did not reveal it on his face, respectfully responding: "Thank you, Senior." He then put away the token and walked towards the gate of the Scripture Pavilion.

The moment he turned, thoughts raced through his mind: 'Returning to simplicity, aura restrained like an abyss... This old man is definitely not ordinary. He is likely one of the Sect's reclusive guardians, with unfathomable cultivation.'

He then remembered the Heavenly Demon Sect's Modian Pavilion, and the classic "Sweeping Monk" image from some literary works of his previous life, secretly reminding himself that in front of such figures, he must strictly follow the rules and keep a low profile.

Just as Xiao Ming's figure disappeared into the slightly heavy, ancient gate of the Scripture Pavilion, the gray-robed old man who had been sweeping the floor with his head down paused imperceptibly.

He slowly straightened his hunched body and looked in the direction where Xiao Ming had disappeared. In the depths of his cloudy eyes, there seemed to be a very faint glimmer of light, and he muttered to himself, his voice almost inaudible:

"So young in bone age, yet Nascent Soul Middle Stage... The Foundation is surprisingly solid. The Divine Soul is condensed, and the Qi and blood are as vigorous as a furnace... What's even stranger is, why is it that, despite only being in the Nascent Soul realm, there is a hint of... an unspeakable depth and obscurity in his Spiritual Rhyme? This child is not simple."

He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and continued to bend over. The broom swept across the bluestone floor, making a "swish" sound, and everything returned to tranquility.

Stepping into the interior of the Scripture Pavilion, the scene suddenly opened up.

Looking from outside, it was just the size of an ordinary pavilion, but the interior space was far broader than imagined. Clearly, an extremely advanced spatial expansion Formation had been set up here.

The first floor was extremely spacious, over a dozen zhang high, with rows of huge bookshelves made of some kind of warm, moist spiritual wood arranged neatly, dense and packed, almost stretching endlessly.

On the bookshelves, there were no paper books, but countless Jade Slips of different colors, with flowing light, floating like stars, quietly drifting and emitting Spiritual Qi fluctuations and an aura of knowledge, some strong and some weak.

The dome above was inlaid with countless night-luminescent pearls and glowing crystals, illuminating the interior as if it were daylight, yet the light was soft and did not hurt the eyes.

The air was filled with a faint scent of ink, the fresh fragrance of spiritual wood, and a scent unique to the passage of time that made one's heart and mind tranquil.

A few Disciples were scattered in front of various bookshelves, either concentrating on sensing the Jade Slips or communicating in low voices; the overall atmosphere was solemn and quiet.

Xiao Ming did not linger too long on the first floor. His gaze just swept over it casually; although there were many Jade Slips on this floor, they were all Yellow Rank and Profound Rank Cultivation Techniques.

This was normal, as Earth-Grade Cultivation Methods were already precious, enough to serve as the treasure of small and medium-sized forces, so they would naturally not be placed casually on the first floor, which was open to the public.

He walked straight towards the spiral wooden staircase in the center and stepped onto the second floor.

The space on the second floor was slightly smaller than the first, but still spacious. The number of bookshelves was reduced, but the materials were more exquisite, the light of the floating Jade Slips was obviously brighter, and the Spiritual Qi fluctuations were more than a notch stronger.

There were fewer Disciples here, only a dozen or so, each occupying a corner, immersed in their study.

Xiao Ming's spirit lifted slightly, knowing that this floor was where Core Disciples could have access. He strolled between the bookshelves, his Divine Sense acting like invisible tentacles, gently sweeping over each Jade Slip, sensing the general information contained within.

He first selected a few weaker Earth-Grade Jade Slips to examine. Among them were sword techniques and palm techniques with decent power, forging techniques to condense Spiritual Qi and temper the Physical Body, and some defensive Divine Abilities that focused on protection. These Cultivation Techniques, if placed in the outside world, would be enough to cause contention among Nascent Soul Cultivators and even Soul Transformation powerhouses.

However, after quickly browsing through several mainstream attack and defense Cultivation Techniques, Xiao Ming shook his head slightly and put the Jade Slips back.

'"Red Sun Sword Technique", Earth-Grade Low Grade, strong and fierce but lacking in variation, high requirements for fire attribute, great limitations.'

'"Black Turtle Sea-Suppressing Technique", Earth-Grade Medium Grade, defense is passable, but too cumbersome, sacrificing too much agility.'

'"Startling Thunder Escape", Earth-Grade Low Grade, short-distance burst is passable, but long-distance travel and sustained concealment are not good.'

These Cultivation Techniques were not bad; for ordinary Cultivators, they were already rare treasures. But for him, they were a bit like "tasteless to eat, but a pity to discard." He possessed the System, and his vision was already different. Ordinary Earth-Grade Cultivation Methods, even if cultivated, would have limited improvement on his overall strength. What he needed were truly top-tier Cultivation Techniques or secret arts with special, wondrous uses.

In contrast, his gaze was attracted by some Jade Slips placed in relatively secluded corners, classified under "Miscellaneous Arts," "Strange Skills," and "Heterodox Paths."

"Breath-Restraining Shadow-Shifting Technique" (Earth-Grade Medium Grade · Incomplete Manual): Not complete invisibility, but can greatly restrain one's aura and simulate the light and shadow of the surrounding environment, achieving a highly sophisticated concealment effect, and also has a certain interference effect on Divine Sense exploration. An Incomplete Manual, but the core method is complete.

"Bone-Changing Shape-Shifting Technique" (Profound Rank Peak Grade): Can make small adjustments to bones, muscles, and even facial details, and combined with specific Spiritual Qi circulation, can achieve the effect of changing body shape and appearance. It is difficult to see through without extremely high-level eyesight or special pupil techniques. Comes with a simple aura simulation method.

"Hundred Herbs Spirit-Discernment Technique" (Earth-Grade Low Grade): A non-combat Cultivation Technique, it is a profound auxiliary technique. It can greatly improve the ability to identify, sense the characteristics of, pick, preserve, and initially process spiritual flowers and exotic herbs, and Heaven And Earth Treasure, making it of extremely high value to Alchemists and treasure hunters.

"Introduction to Basic Formation Pattern Analysis and Copying" (Special Class, No Grade): Explains the principles of the most basic and common Formation patterns, their identification, simple copying, and interference methods. It seems superficial, but it covers a wide range and is excellent for building a Foundation.

...

"These... are actually quite interesting." Xiao Ming's mouth curled up slightly. Top-tier attack or defense Cultivation Techniques might be on higher floors, or require special permissions or contributions to exchange for. But these "Heterodox Paths," in many cases, might be more effective than a straightforward attack method and more suitable for a villain like him who likes to scheme. Whether it was concealing his tracks, changing his identity, identifying treasures, or understanding the basics of Formations, these were all very practical skills that could greatly enrich his repertoire and help him deal with various complex situations.

"Besides, he came this time just to test whether this 'Super Comprehension' is actually useful." Xiao Ming made up his mind.

He did not hesitate, picked up the few selected Jade Slips, walked to a relatively quiet corner on the second floor, and then sat down cross-legged.

Adjusting his state to the best, in an instant, Xiao Ming felt his spiritual platform become clear. His speed of thought, comprehension ability, and deductive ability seemed to have been injected with a clear spring, becoming exceptionally sharp and active. Some of the cultivation bottlenecks that were obscure and difficult to understand in the past now seemed to have become much clearer.

"Not bad, really not bad." He secretly praised, and without further delay, he picked up a Jade Slip and slowly sank into it...

Inside the Scripture Pavilion, time flowed quietly. No one noticed the newly promoted Core Disciple in this corner, who was digesting and absorbing these "inconspicuous" skills that were ignored by many Disciples who were single-mindedly pursuing powerful lethality, at an astonishing speed. And these skills might, at some point in the future, play an unexpected and critical role.