5: Chapter 5: Cleaning the Library Reveals the Wonderful Use of the Cheat Code

The midday sun shone through the wooden window, casting bright patches of light onto the bluestone floor.

Ye Qing sat at the wooden table by the window, the scroll "Detailed Explanation of Qi Refining Basics" spread out before him.

The characters on the bamboo slip were carved with a knife and filled with ink; they looked ancient and vigorous, exuding the flavor of time.

He read very slowly and carefully.

In the original owner's pitiful memories, knowledge about Cultivation was scarce, mostly coming from the thin booklet distributed upon entry and word-of-mouth in the Servant Quarters.

This bamboo slip, however, was clearly much more systematic and in-depth.

"Qi is the spirit of heaven and earth, the Foundation of all things. The human body has apertures to communicate with heaven and earth, drawing Qi into the body to temper oneself; this is called Qi Refining..."

"The Spiritual Root is the bridge to sensing Spiritual Qi. Those who possess all Five Elements have messy senses, sluggish conversion, and slow progress; this is called a Pseudo-Spiritual Root..."

Reading this, Ye Qing's mouth twitched slightly.

Although he was mentally prepared, seeing it written so bluntly in a textbook was still a bit heartbreaking.

He continued reading.

"However, the Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine, and man escapes with one. If those with Pseudo-Spiritual Roots can supplement their Foundation with great perseverance and great Opportunity, it is not impossible to..."

The words that followed were somewhat vague, as if the author also felt the hope was slim and glossed over it.

Ye Qing didn't mind.

He had an "Opportunity," and it was an evolving one.

"Methods for drawing Qi differ among sects, but all paths lead to the same destination: guiding Spiritual Qi, clearing the Meridians, and nourishing the apertures..."

The bamboo slip recorded a most basic Qi-drawing method, which was much more refined than the shallow techniques circulating in the Servant Quarters, describing the guidance, refining, and storage of Spiritual Qi in greater detail.

Comparing it with the techniques in the original owner's memory, Ye Qing discovered at least five or six subtle errors and simplifications.

"No wonder the Cultivation was as slow as a turtle crawling... The original owner practiced a defective, simplified version, and combined with Five Spiritual Roots, it was a miracle from heaven that he even reached Qi Refining Stage 1."

He shook his head and silently memorized the correct method.

The internal space seemed to sense that he was comprehending the Cultivation method, transmitting a gentle and peaceful aura that made his mind exceptionally clear, accelerating his memory and understanding.

"This space can also assist with Comprehension Ability?"

Ye Qing felt a surge of joy; this function was far more practical than simply absorbing energy.

He calmed his heart and continued reading.

The latter part of the bamboo slip also recorded several practical small Spells for the Qi Refining Stage: Dust Removal Technique, Water Drawing Technique, Light Body Technique, and Illumination Technique.

These were all basic auxiliary Spells with almost no offensive power, but their advantage lay in low consumption and practicality.

"Dust Removal Technique... It's quite relevant to my main job."

Ye Qing laughed at himself, but still seriously memorized the incantation and the path of Spiritual Qi circulation.

Without realizing it, an afternoon passed.

By the time Ye Qing put down the bamboo slip, the setting sun was slanting outside the window.

Not only did he firmly memorize the contents of "Detailed Explanation of Qi Refining Basics," but he also initially mastered the incantations for those few small Spells.

More importantly, with the peculiar assistance of the space, his understanding of his own Spiritual Qi circulation and Meridians and apertures had deepened significantly.

"Time to work."

Ye Qing stood up. He didn't immediately try the Spells but picked up the broom and began the afternoon cleaning.

During this cleaning, he tried to mobilize the meager Spiritual Qi in his body, operating it according to the incantation of the Dust Removal Technique.

A subtle tingling sensation came from his fingertips, and an invisible breeze spread out from him, brushing over the floor and bookshelves.

Dust particles were swept up by the breeze, gathered into a ball, and then guided by Ye Qing's will to fall into the dustpan in the corner.

The whole process was silent, cleaner, and less laborious than using a broom.

"It worked!"

A flash of joy crossed Ye Qing's eyes.

Although the effect of this Dust Removal Technique was weak, covering only a radius of three feet, it was a definite success.

Moreover, the consumption of Spiritual Qi during casting was extremely low; with his cultivation at Qi Refining Stage 2, casting it dozens of times in a row was no problem.

"Using Spiritual Qi purified by the space to cast Spells seems exceptionally smooth, and the consumption is even lower."

He carefully savored the feeling of casting the Spell just now.

"And, the space seems to be able to... record and optimize this process?"

When he cast the Spell just now, the internal space fluctuated slightly, "imprinting" the entire process, including the details of Spiritual Qi circulation and the model of the Spell construction.

At this moment, when he recalled the Dust Removal Technique, what emerged in his mind was not just the textual description on the bamboo slip, but a more intuitive and profound "feeling."

It was as if he had practiced this Spell thousands of times.

"This bonus to Comprehension Ability is even stronger than expected."

Ye Qing suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued to cast the Dust Removal Technique.

This time the range expanded to five feet, and the control was more precise, able to gently "pick" dust out from the gaps between book pages without damaging the books.

As he cleaned, he familiarized himself with the Spell; the efficiency was even higher than when he used tools in the morning.

Soon, the floor and the surface of the bookshelves on the entire first floor became spotless.

"Back to place."

Ye Qing walked to the bookshelf, looking at the somewhat messy books.

Some were placed randomly by Disciples who had come here to read earlier and had not returned them to their original positions.

Remembering the book classifications and general locations he had noted during the morning cleaning, he began to organize them.

"Identification of Low-level Ores" was returned to the seventh slot from the left on the third row.

"Miscellaneous Notes on the Southern Wilderness" was returned to the third slot from the right on the fifth row.

"Introduction to Basic Talismans" was returned to the center of the second row...

During the organizing process, he would also casually open a few pages and browse through them quickly.

He didn't seek deep understanding, only to leave an impression so that if he needed them in the future, he would know where to find them.

The existence of the space also enhanced his memory significantly; although it wasn't to the point of photographic memory, he could remember the content he had read with high accuracy for a short time.

When he organized the bookshelf in the very corner, his gaze was drawn to a thin booklet pressed under several heavy tomes.

The cover of the booklet was dark brown animal skin, the edges severely worn, with no title.

Ye Qing carefully pulled it out and blew off the dust on the surface.

Opening the first page, it was blank.

The second page was also blank.

Flipping to the middle, he saw a few lines of messy handwriting, like notes recorded casually.

"Spiritual Qi is messy and difficult to tame when entering the body. Temper it with the Divine Soul to remove the dross and keep the essence... However, the consumption of the Divine Soul is immense, with half the result for twice the effort; it is ultimately not the right path. Abandon it."

Below it were some messy lines and symbols, looking like a failed diagram of Spiritual Qi circulation routes.

"This seems to be... a hypothesis for some kind of method to temper Spiritual Qi?"

Ye Qing carefully identified the messy handwriting.

"But it seems to have failed; the author believed that directly tempering Spiritual Qi with the Divine Soul consumed too much and was not worth the gain, so they gave up."

His heart stirred.

"Tempering with the Divine Soul consumes a lot and has low efficiency... But I have the space!"

The space absorbed external energy, whether it was Spiritual Qi, herbal essence, or other things, and could purify, transform, and then feed it back to him.

This process seemed to coincide with the concept of "removing the dross and keeping the essence" in this notebook, and the efficiency was higher, with no side effects.

"It seems that predecessors had also thought about solving the problems of messy Spiritual Qi and low absorption efficiency, but they were limited by conditions and difficult to achieve."

Ye Qing carefully returned the nameless notebook to its original place, his basic understanding of this world of Cultivation deepening by another layer.

"The wisdom of predecessors cannot be underestimated. Although I have the help of the space, I cannot work behind closed doors. These basic classics are the bricks and stones for me to build my Foundation."

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, stretching his shadow very long.

Ye Qing returned the last book to its place and looked around the refreshed first floor of the Library Pavilion, a strange sense of satisfaction rising in his heart.

"Time to go back."

He checked the doors and windows, confirmed everything was correct, and then picked up the cleaning tools and walked out of the Library Pavilion.

At the door, Elder Liu was still dozing on the bamboo chair, holding that purple clay teapot that seemed to never get cold.

"Elder Liu, this Disciple will take his leave," Ye Qing said respectfully.

"Hmm." Elder Liu snorted through his nose, which counted as a response.

Ye Qing returned the tools to their place, locked the side courtyard, pocketed the brass key, and walked towards the Servant Quarters, stepping on the afterglow of the setting sun.

On the way, he tried to cast the "Light Body Technique."

Spiritual Qi flowed to his feet, and his body instantly became much lighter. With every step he took, the distance was a few inches further, and his speed was a bit faster.

Although it was far from being "light as a swallow," it was much less laborious than walking normally, and his speed was two or three times faster.

"The consumption is not high; it's practical."

Ye Qing was very satisfied.

When he returned to the Servant Quarters, it was almost dusk.

The servants in the same room had not returned yet, and the courtyard was quiet.

Ye Qing didn't go into the room immediately, but turned to the back of the house and found a quiet corner.

He extended his right hand, palm upward, concentrated his will, and mobilized Spiritual Qi according to the incantation of the "Illumination Technique."

A faint but stable white light slowly lit up from his palm, illuminating a range of about a foot.

The light was soft and not dazzling, as if he were holding a small moon in his hands.

"It worked."

Ye Qing dissipated the Spiritual Qi, and the white light went out.

Three basic small Spells, all mastered in half a day.

If he told anyone about this speed, they probably wouldn't believe it.

Especially for him, a "Five Elements Pseudo-Spiritual Root," it was simply a fantasy.

"It's all thanks to the space."

Ye Qing was very clear about this point.

Without the space purifying Spiritual Qi, enhancing Comprehension Ability, and deepening understanding, he would never have mastered them so quickly.

"Low profile, must keep a low profile."

He repeatedly warned himself.

"Before I have enough power to protect myself, I must never let anyone see anything unusual."

He straightened his robes, confirmed that there were no traces of Spiritual Qi fluctuations from casting Spells on him, and then pushed the door open and walked in.

Not long after, the servants in the same room returned one after another, all looking exhausted, falling asleep as soon as they hit their beds.

Ye Qing also lay on his own bunk, but did not fall asleep immediately.

He sank his consciousness into the internal space.

After a day of "absorbing" the drifting, sparse Spiritual Qi in the air of the Library Pavilion, which was almost negligible, the space had expanded a little more.

It was about one zhang square.

The black soil in the center was the size of a tabletop, deep in color, exuding a comforting sense of moisture.

"Starting tomorrow, besides cleaning, I can systematically read the classics on the first floor."

"Start with the most basic "Analysis of Five Elements Spiritual Roots," "Illustrated Guide to Common Herbs," and "Identification of Low-level Ores," then delve into "Introduction to Basic Talismans," "Elementary Formation Diagrams,"..."

"Cultivation cannot be neglected. With the pure energy fed back by the space, plus the correct Qi-drawing method, Qi Refining Stage 3 should not be far off."

"I still need to find a way to get some 'energy-rich' things to feed the space. Spirit Stones are best, but they are too conspicuous. Perhaps... I can keep an eye out for those damaged, discarded Magical Artifacts that still have Spiritual Qi left? Or defective products from failed Alchemy or Artifact Refining?"

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and were carefully combed through and planned.

The night grew deeper.

Ye Qing slowly drifted into a dream in the sound of shallow breathing.

Moonlight like water spilled on the old, dilapidated roof tiles of the Servant Quarters.

No one knew that in this most inconspicuous dormitory, inside the body of a "Pseudo-Spiritual Root" servant, a quietly growing world was being nurtured, along with a future destined to be no longer ordinary.