The words of the elder from Cultivation Transmission Peak were straightforward, yet they were the truth.
The Taiyi True Sect was no small sect; as a top-tier power, its foundation was unfathomably deep.
Just the Scripture Library alone contained a vast array of formation rules.
Within it were gathered countless cultivation techniques and divine abilities from across the world, each capable of making countless low to mid-level cultivators envious if spread outside.
Of course, obtaining them was extremely difficult.
As the founder, Taiyi Daoist Venerable, once said—"Do not overburden yourself with what you cannot bear; true wisdom lies in recognizing one's own limits."
If your talent is lacking, do not blindly cultivate top-tier techniques.
Otherwise, not only will you fail to master them, but you may also harm yourself.
Therefore, when he constructed the Scripture Library, he used supreme power to set up this area where one could detect their own talent.
Anyone entering would have their talent revealed.
Whether possessing a Divine Body or a peerless Dao Fetus, nothing would be hidden.
And if one wished to ascend the floors to obtain cultivation manuals, they could only rely on the cultivation talent detected.
"The rules set by the founder are extremely precise. If it allows you to reach the fifth floor, it means that the techniques on the sixth floor would be a burden to cultivate," Elder Li of Tiangong Peak said, stroking his beard with approval.
In his youth, he was also a favored genius, a leading figure among the disciples.
Yet in the Scripture Library, he only reached the sixth floor.
At the time, he was unconvinced, until years later, when he secretly borrowed a technique from the seventh floor from a genius disciple, and finally accepted it.
The detection formation left by the founder was indeed truthful.
If he had been given the seventh-floor technique to cultivate, with his talent, it would have been extremely difficult, a burden rather than a help, and he might not have reached his current level.
Thus, the Scripture Library is truly the most brutal mirror.
It reflects all the favored geniuses, leaving them without a shred of illusion.
Whether one is a peerless genius or just a name, a single round inside will make it clear.
As for those like the Holy Son and Holy Maiden who reach the eighth floor, they are undoubtedly the top-tier geniuses of this world!
As for the highest ninth floor...
Even the sect masters of past generations dared not think lightly of it.
After all, the last disciple to reach the ninth floor was a million years ago.
While the elders were lost in thought, Ning Fan had already descended to the entrance of the Scripture Library.
Fortunately, the Cultivation Transmission Peak was located in the core of the sect, without additional formations set up.
Otherwise, Ning Fan might have had difficulty even approaching.
Of course, on normal days, there would be powerful elders stationed in the library.
***
But now, with the sect empty, no one was there to stop him.
Before the Scripture Library, Ning Fan touched his disciple token to the stele at the entrance.
Instantly, ten thousand contribution points were deducted.
This was the sect's Scripture Library!
Without prior reservation or granted qualification, the only way to enter temporarily was to spend ten thousand contribution points.
As for how many floors he could reach, it was entirely up to him.
However, Ning Fan, being new, was unaware of the rules inside the Scripture Library.
He thought that once inside, he could choose any floor he wished.
As he watched the barrier before him disappear, the magnificent building appeared, with the words "Scripture Library" hanging above, and the golden characters "Source of Daoist Arts" and "Foundation of Inheritance" engraved on the stone pillars on either side, exuding an ancient and grand atmosphere. He could no longer contain his excitement.
With light steps, he entered.
Instantly, a vast space unfolded before his eyes.
At least a thousand square meters, with rows of bookshelves lined up, filled with cultivation techniques, martial techniques, and various travel notes and miscellaneous books on the customs of this world.
[Ding! Host has arrived at the Scripture Library, guiding quest completed, reward issued!]
[Now issuing new entry-level guidance: cultivate any technique to enter the Body Tempering Realm. Upon completion, receive a Martial Technique Basic Mastery Voucher x1.]
[Martial Technique Basic Mastery Voucher: Upon use, it allows a martial technique being cultivated to reach basic mastery level within a day.]
The system's prompt suddenly sounded!
Ning Fan shuddered all over...
Though he didn't really need to.
Because he didn't feel anything.
"Is this what a ten-thousand-fold increase in talent feels like? System, are you kidding me?"
Ning Fan's face was full of doubt.
In his imagination, with a sudden increase in talent, there should be golden lotuses blooming from the ground, divine light descending from the heavens, and phenomena erupting one after another, making him seem like a peerless genius.
At the very least, there should be a scene of black impurities being expelled from his body, a classic moment of cleansing the meridians and marrow, right?
But why didn't he feel any change?
The system didn't respond to his doubts.
Seeing this, Ning Fan decided to test it himself.
He knew his talent was poor, and this talent didn't just refer to cultivation aptitude.
It also included understanding of techniques and mastery of energy manipulation.
If his talent had truly increased, then his aptitude and comprehension would have leaped forward.
So, truth or falsehood, a test would reveal it.
Ning Fan casually picked up a cultivation technique and glanced at it.
Then, his expression changed.
This time, it was a real change!
Because this technique, though he was reading it for the first time, he completely understood it after just one read!
Cultivating a technique involves two main standards: form and intent.
Form is the easiest to practice.
Even the most advanced techniques in the world have movements within the realm of human capability.
So even a mundane person could imitate them.
But intent is different.
It is the core of a technique.
Or rather, during cultivation, the movements are just supplementary; the real practice is in this intent.
It includes how to circulate blood qi within the body, how to draw spiritual qi into the body, how to navigate the meridians, how to comprehend the force cultivated...
Ning Fan was stuck at this step.
The technique he practiced was the universal technique for Outer Gate Preparatory Disciples.
It didn't even have a grade; it was just to help cultivators enter the Body Tempering Realm.
But even so, its guidance on circulating blood qi within the body had a fixed route.
Ning Fan found it difficult to comprehend this step.
He really didn't know how to control the blood qi within his body; it was too abstract.
So for half a year, he couldn't grasp its true meaning and couldn't advance to the Body Tempering Realm.
As for now...
Forget the universal technique he practiced before, even this graded technique from the Scripture Library, he understood it at a glance.
He secretly circulated the energy route within his body, without a single mistake!
"My talent has really improved!"
After confirming the situation, Ning Fan's eyes shone with excitement.
He exuded a confidence he had never felt since his transmigration.
After the excitement, he glanced around the vast first floor of the Scripture Library and shook his head slightly.
"According to that steward who stole my cola sausage, the choice of technique in the Body Tempering Realm is crucial because it's the foundational stage.
Now that my talent has increased ten thousand times, I must practice the best."
Ning Fan looked at the surrounding techniques, finding them beneath his notice.
He had only one thought in mind:
Go upstairs!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan