19: Chapter 19 Entering the Sutra Repository

The Spirit Food Hall was filled with smoke and fire.

Mixed with the aroma of steamed spirit rice, the rich fragrance of stewed Yao Beast meat, and the smell of stir-fried cheap spiritual vegetables.

Ye Xiaoyao and Chen Shi found a corner by the window and sat down.

Before them sat two bowls of glistening spirit rice, a plate of braised Wind-Speed Rabbit meat, a pot of stir-fried Jade-Core Vegetables, and a large bowl of free spirit bean soup.

For Disciples in the Qi Refinement Stage, this was considered a decent meal.

Chen Shi shoveled a large mouthful of rice and said indistinctly:

"Brother Ye, the Scripture Pavilion has many rules. Most importantly, one must have enough contribution points."

Ye Xiaoyao nodded; he understood this.

Contribution points were the hard currency circulating within the Yin Yang Sect and the standard for measuring a Disciple's contribution to the Sect.

There were many ways to earn contribution points.

Go to the Sect's affiliated Spirit Stone mines as a miner and dig for Spirit Stones while sweating profusely.

Work as a shop assistant in the market shops opened by the Sect, selling Talismans, Magical Artifacts, Formations, etc.

If one was bold enough and had decent cultivation, one could form a team to go into the perilous Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range to hunt Yao Beasts and trade the Materials on the Yao Beasts for contribution points. The profits were high, but the risks were terrifying.

Ye Xiaoyao himself had previously worked as a spiritual planter in the Sect's spiritual fields for several months to save up some cultivation resources, tending to those delicate Spiritual Plants, earning some hard-earned contribution points.

"How much does it cost to go in once?"

Ye Xiaoyao picked up a piece of rabbit meat; the texture was firm and carried a faint trace of Spiritual Qi.

"It's calculated by the hour."

Chen Shi held up two fingers.

"Half an hour is one hundred points; one hour is two hundred points."

"Pfft—"

"Cough, cough!"

Ye Xiaoyao almost choked on a grain of rice.

"That's so expensive!"

He had worked so hard as a spiritual planter for several months and had only saved ninety-one points!

Chen Shi saw his expression and grinned.

"Don't rush. If you don't have enough contribution points, you can use Spirit Stones to make up for it. I've heard you can directly exchange Spirit Stones for the qualification to enter, it's just that the price..."

"Heh, it's definitely not cheap."

A turn of events!

Ye Xiaoyao's eyes lit up, and his dejection vanished.

Spirit Stones?

He didn't have much else right now, but he had several hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones tucked away in the Storage Pouch at his waist!

"It's fine as long as I can use Spirit Stones!"

He suddenly felt the rice in his bowl tasted even better.

Seeing him revitalized, Chen Shi ate while spilling everything he knew about the Scripture Pavilion like beans.

"The Scripture Pavilion is an important place in our Yin Yang Sect. Inside, there are countless Cultivation Techniques, Spell Jade Slips, and cultivation insights from Seniors! Moreover, unlike the Alchemy Hall or the Artifact Refining Pavilion, which distinguish between Inner and Outer Sect, it is shared by all Disciples of the Sect."

"So, there are usually a lot of people. Not only do we Qi Refinement Stage Disciples go, but Foundation Establishment Stage Junior Martial Uncles and Senior Martial Uncles often go, and I've heard that occasionally even Core Formation Stage Elders and Seniors go to browse."

Ye Xiaoyao listened with fascination. He couldn't even bother to chew his food properly; he finished eating in a few bites and urged Chen Shi to lead the way.

The two left the noisy Spirit Food Hall, cast the Light Body Technique, and wove through the mountains and pavilions.

About an hour later.

They arrived in front of a majestic, massive building.

This was a towering pavilion situated on the top of an independent peak, constructed entirely of some kind of dark spiritual wood and pure white giant stone, with flying eaves, bucket arches, and carved beams and painted rafters.

The roof was covered with iridescent glazed tiles, refracting brilliant yet non-dazzling light under the sun.

The pavilion was tall, divided into five levels. The higher it went, the slightly more constricted its volume became, appearing both dignified and steady, without losing the style of an immortal family.

In front of the building was an extremely vast white marble plaza, smooth as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and the majestic posture of the pavilion.

Several stone sculptures of strange beasts with ancient designs stood at the edge of the plaza, silently guarding this treasure trove of knowledge.

"This is the Scripture Pavilion."

Chen Shi stopped, pointing at the behemoth, his tone carrying a hint of wonder, even though it wasn't his first time here.

"Brother Ye, I'll see you off here. The entrance is over there, guarded by a Junior Martial Uncle. You can just go over and pay the Spirit Stones."

Ye Xiaoyao looked up at the pavilion that seemed to pierce into the clouds, took a deep breath to calm his mood, and turned to cup his hands at Chen Shi: "Thank you, Brother Chen, for leading the way."

Chen Shi waved his hand with a smile: "We're brothers, why be so polite? You go ahead, I'm going back to Cultivate."

Ye Xiaoyao didn't say more, tidied up his washed-out cyan Daoist robe, and walked toward the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.

At the entrance was a tall archway, with the three ancient characters "Scripture Pavilion" carved on the lintel in a free-flowing style, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

The archway had no actual doors; instead, it was covered by a layer of light blue light curtain that rippled like water, separating the inside from the outside.

In front of the light curtain, two Cultivators wearing silver-gray standard armor and holding long spears of twelve feet stood on either side like statues.

Their Aura was as steady as a mountain, and they were surprisingly both Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators!

Ye Xiaoyao didn't dare to be negligent and walked quickly to the solemn-faced Foundation Establishment Cultivator on the right.

He bowed and said respectfully: "Disciple Ye Xiaoyao pays respects to the two Junior Martial Uncles."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator on the right swept his gaze over him.

Seeing that he only had Qi Refinement Fourth Layer cultivation and was dressed simply, but his attitude was still quite respectful.

He nodded slightly and said in a flat, waveless voice: "Junior Nephew, no need for formalities. Are you here to enter the Scripture Pavilion?"

"Exactly."

Ye Xiaoyao straightened up and said with slight trepidation: "Junior Martial Uncle, this Disciple's contribution points are slightly insufficient. I wonder if it is possible to exchange Spirit Stones for the qualification to enter?"

"It is possible."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator was concise.

"One Low-Grade Spirit Stone exchanges for ten contribution points, deducted according to the length of stay."

One Low-Grade Spirit Stone only exchanges for ten points?

Ye Xiaoyao calculated quickly in his heart. Entering for one hour requires two hundred points, which is twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

This price... it really hurts.

But thinking of the purpose of his trip and his fairly abundant family assets in the Storage Pouch.

He gritted his teeth, immediately took out twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the Storage Pouch, and offered them with both hands: "Junior Martial Uncle, this Disciple wishes to enter for one hour."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator took the Spirit Stones, his fingers moved slightly, as if he had made some record, and then said to Ye Xiaoyao: "Two hundred contribution points have been exchanged. The timing starts now. Remember, you only have one hour. Once the time is up, whether you leave voluntarily or not, the Formation inside will teleport you to the exit. At that time, if you have any items from inside the pavilion that have not been registered for borrowing, or if you have left any personal items inside, you will not be able to retrieve them."

"Do you understand?"

These rules were indeed strict.

Ye Xiaoyao nodded quickly: "This Junior understands. Thank you, Junior Martial Uncle, for the reminder."

The two Foundation Establishment Cultivators didn't say more. They looked at each other and simultaneously performed a Spell gesture, pointing at the light blue light curtain.

The light curtain parted like water, revealing a passage wide enough for one person to pass through.

Ye Xiaoyao saluted again, then steadied his mind and stepped into the light curtain.

The moment he passed through the light curtain, it was like passing through a layer of cool water film. The sounds of the outside world were suddenly cut off, replaced by a peculiar silence.

Even the air seemed to be more dense, filled with a faint scent of a mixture of old books and sandalwood.

The view suddenly opened up.

The interior of the Scripture Pavilion was even more magnificent and spacious than it looked from the outside.

The first thing that caught his eye was a huge circular hall.

The dome was extremely high, painted with patterns of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers, emitting a soft light that illuminated the entire hall as bright as day.

The center of the hall was empty, while around it were circles of wide, spiraling staircases leading to the upper floors.

On the circular corridors corresponding to each floor, there were countless tall bookshelves arranged.

They were densely packed with books, scrolls, and Jade Slips, simply as vast as the sea.

There were many figures in the hall, especially many Cultivators.

Ye Xiaoyao did not stay in the hall.

According to what Chen Shi said earlier and the simple diagram seen at the entrance, the first three floors of the Scripture Pavilion mainly collected Cultivation Techniques and Spells.

The fourth and fifth floors were mostly cultivation insights and travel notes of Senior Cultivators, as well as classics recording various secrets of the immortal world and strange things.

He went straight to the spiral staircase and walked up with light steps.

Soon he arrived at the fourth floor.

The layout of this floor was similar to the hall.

But the circular corridor was wider, the bookshelves were taller and thicker, and the binding of the books appeared more ancient and diverse.

The smell of books in the air was stronger, mixed with a faint scent of Spirit Medicine.

It must be used to protect the books from corrosion or moth-eaten damage.

Ye Xiaoyao's goal was very clear.

To find clues that might explain his body's abnormalities.

As for Cultivation Techniques and Spells, that was the next step.

He walked slowly among the vast bookshelves, his eyes scanning the classification labels one by one.

"Geography of the Southern Border"

"Collection of Ancient Legends"

"Illustrated Guide to Rare Treasures"

"Miscellaneous Discussions on Alchemy Side Paths"

...

Suddenly, he stopped in front of a bookshelf labeled "Exploration of Cultivator Physique and Divine Soul".

This classification looked a bit promising.

However, when he carefully browsed the book titles on the shelf, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Detailed Explanation of Male Cultivator Meridians and Acupoints (with Spring Palace Illustrations)"

"Regulation of Female Cultivator Menstruation and Dual Cultivation Taboos"

"Seventy-Two Changes of Blood and Qi Circulation after Yin and Yang Harmony"

"On the Identification and Maintenance of Cauldron Physique"

"How to Make Your Dao Companion More Sexually Satisfied — Advanced Chapter on Dual Cultivation Techniques"

...

All sorts of things, a wide variety.

But the core theme was extremely clear, full of Yin Yang Sect characteristics.

Ye Xiaoyao held his forehead, speechless, looking up at the sky.

As expected of the Yin Yang Sect, the professional direction is so prominent and unified...

These books were probably popular science reading Materials or technical manuals prepared for Disciples who had just become Dao Companions or had confusion about the practical operation of the Yin and Yang Dao.

Obviously not what he was looking for.

He quickly left this embarrassing bookshelf area and turned to the adjacent area.

The classification here was more mixed.

"Secrets of Mutant Spiritual Roots Revealed", "Exploration of Bloodline Legacy", "Record of Exotic Physiques and Innate Divine Abilities"

...

Ye Xiaoyao's spirit was lifted; this was reliable!

He started searching carefully row by row.

His eyes swept over "On the Pros and Cons of Heavenly Spiritual Root and Earthly Spiritual Root", "Preliminary Exploration of Hidden Spiritual Root Detection Methods", "Characteristics of Yao Race Mixed-Blood Descendants"...

Suddenly, at the edge of the fifth shelf.

An ancient book with a dull color and astonishing thickness caught his attention.

On the spine, four ancient characters were written in some kind of dark gold pigment —

"secret records of the sacred body》".

Sacred body?

Ye Xiaoyao's heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

The warm current in his body, that exuberant vitality, that masculine breath...

Could it have something to do with some sacred body?

The title of this book sounded very high-end; perhaps it could provide clues.

A surge of excitement welled up in his heart. He almost impatiently reached out and grasped the spine of the "secret records of the sacred body》".

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the cold spine of the book.

Another slender, fair, and distinct-jointed hand, as if carved from fine mutton-fat jade, almost at the same time, reached out from the opposite side of the bookshelf and grasped the other end of the book.

Two hands, separated by the thick ancient book and the bookshelf, bumped into each other unexpectedly.

Although it was just a very slight brush of fingertips.

A very elegant, cold, and faint fragrance, like cold plum blossoms blooming after snow, drifted quietly through the gaps in the bookshelf.

At the same time, from the opposite side of the bookshelf, came a very light, slightly surprised, "Hmm?"