After finishing their meal, Elder Willow stood up and led Lin Changkong into the Library Pavilion.
The pavilion's entrance was marked by two heavy wooden doors, their bronze rings tinged with a greenish patina from years of disuse.
With a gentle push from Elder Willow, the doors creaked open, releasing a wave of musty book scent.
Stepping over the threshold, Lin Changkong looked up and was momentarily stunned.
It was vast, far larger than he had imagined.
The Library Pavilion had five floors, and from the ground level, one could see that each floor had a surrounding corridor lined with towering bookshelves reaching up to the ceiling.
The shelves were crammed with books—bamboo slips, scrolls, thread-bound ancient texts, and thick tomes with leather covers.
Sunlight slanted through the second-floor windows, casting a soft glow over the floating dust, giving the silent pavilion a gentle aura.
Elder Willow walked ahead with his hands behind his back, his voice echoing in the spacious pavilion.
"The books in this Library Pavilion are quite eclectic."
As he walked, he casually pointed things out.
"The first floor mainly houses classic literary works—poetry, prose, essays, and some historical texts.
Many people think these are useless, but I tell you, reading history can illuminate the rise and fall of powers, and reading literature can cultivate one's temperament. Without a stable temperament, how can one cultivate immortality?"
He ascended the stairs, with Lin Changkong following closely behind.
"The second floor is for basic knowledge. The mysteries of heaven and earth, the vastness of the universe, the sun, moon, and stars, the geography of mountains and rivers, the phenomena of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, and the four seasons... These are the fundamental understandings a cultivator must have of the world.
Without understanding the laws of the universe, how can one comprehend the Dao?"
Upon reaching the second floor, Elder Willow continued upward without pause.
"The third floor contains history and biographies, regional and cultural records.
How vast is this continent? What powers exist? What formidable figures have emerged?
What are the forbidden lands? What rare and exotic beasts exist? These are things you'll need to know when you walk the Cultivation World."
"The fourth floor is even more varied. Miscellaneous studies and crafts, basic theories of Formation Arts and Talisman Arts, introductory knowledge of Alchemy and medical principles, the schools and studies of artifacts...
Though these are basic, a towering building starts from the ground. Without a solid foundation, it's hard to delve deeper later."
He ascended to the fifth floor, with Lin Changkong following suit.
"The fifth floor holds philosophy and martial arts thought, tales of the strange and travelogues, and some general reading materials for novice disciples.
The books here don't discuss specific techniques or profound secret arts, only principles.
The principles of cultivation, the principles of heaven and earth, the principles of the human heart."
Elder Willow turned to face Lin Changkong, his gaze profound.
"Many people think the Scripture Repository is more important than the Library Pavilion.
They believe that cultivation techniques, secret arts, and divine abilities are what cultivators should pursue.
As for these foundational texts, they see them as useless, a waste of time to read."
He let out a cold laugh.
"But those people are short-sighted and vulgar."
"I have guarded this Library Pavilion for over two hundred years and have seen too many people.
Countless with extraordinary talent, countless with profound techniques, but how many make it to the end?
Why?
Because their foundations are unstable.
They only think about learning advanced techniques, only think about cultivating powerful arts, yet they don't even understand the most basic principles of heaven and earth, nor have the most basic cultivation knowledge.
Such people, in the end, either go mad or find themselves unable to progress."
He looked at Lin Changkong, his tone softening.
"The Library Pavilion and the Scripture Repository are equally important.
They are both the foundation of a sect.
The books here may not help you break through overnight, but they can help you avoid detours.
They may not give you earth-shattering divine abilities, but they can give you more insight, more experience, and a greater chance of survival when you walk the Cultivation World."
Lin Changkong listened quietly, committing every word to memory.
After Elder Willow finished speaking, he led Lin Changkong on a tour of the fifth floor before slowly descending.
Back at the entrance on the first floor, Elder Willow stopped, turned, and looked at Lin Changkong.
"The books here are open to you. You can browse whatever you want, for as long as you want."
He paused, his tone becoming more serious. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
"But remember, do not damage them.
If a book is damaged, repairing it is extremely troublesome.
Handle them gently when reading, and return them to their original place afterward.
This is the only rule of the Library Pavilion."
Lin Changkong nodded earnestly.
Elder Willow continued, "You don't need to do much here.
Just clean once every five days; the formations will prevent dust from accumulating elsewhere.
The rest of the time is yours.
Read if you like, daydream if you wish, sleep if you must, it's up to you."
Having said that, he fell silent, simply watching Lin Changkong, waiting for his response.
Lin Changkong stood in place, silent for a moment.
Then, he adjusted his robe, bowed deeply to Elder Willow, and saluted solemnly.
"I will remember what you said today, Elder."
He straightened up, his gaze sincere and determined.
"I come from humble beginnings, with limited knowledge. Having the fortune to come to the Library Pavilion is a great opportunity.
Elder, for not considering me dull and allowing me to read these texts, I am immensely grateful."
He paused, speaking earnestly, "I will strictly adhere to the rules of the Library Pavilion.
I will clean every five days without delay.
I will cherish the books I read and return them to their place once finished."
"The days ahead are long. If Elder has any instructions, feel free to ask. I may not know much else, but I can certainly prepare some food or run errands."
After speaking, he saluted again, "Disciple Lin Changkong thanks Elder."
Elder Willow nodded in satisfaction, "It's good that you understand."
And so, Lin Changkong began his journey of cultivation at the Azure Cloud Sect.
During the day, he cleaned the Library Pavilion, organized the texts, and occasionally prepared meals for Elder Willow.
In his spare time, he immersed himself in the pavilion, randomly picking up books to read.
From geography to biographies, from the basics of formations to the principles of Alchemy, he read them one by one, remembering bit by bit.
At night, it was his time to train.
Behind the Library Pavilion was a bamboo forest, serene and deserted, where moonlight filtered through the leaves, scattering like silver across the ground.
Every midnight, Lin Changkong would come here to practice the Basic Sword Art, the Heaven-Sundering Draw Sword Art, rewarded by the System.
Though called a basic sword art, Lin Changkong discovered upon starting his practice that it was far from simple.
The System's information indicated that the Heaven-Sundering Draw Sword Art was divided into four levels.
The first level was called "Accumulated Momentum: Skill Nearing the Dao."
The core of this level was "nurture" and "speed."
Nurture the Sword Intent, and draw swiftly. It required the practitioner to achieve unity of mind and spirit, nurturing their essence within the scabbard, and drawing the sword at the peak of momentum.
It did not emphasize complex techniques or flashy changes, only pure speed and sharpness.
To achieve this, one must first reach the state of "Sword Heart Clarity."
No distractions in the heart, only the sword in sight, man and sword as one, intent and energy as one.
Lin Changkong sat cross-legged in the bamboo forest, eyes closed in concentration.
The sword lay across his knees, an ordinary iron sword found in the Library Pavilion's storeroom, its blade rusted but still usable.
He silently contemplated the three words "Sword Heart Clarity."
No distractions.
Only the sword.
After a long while, he opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
His right hand gripped the sword hilt, taking a deep breath, then drew the sword.
"Swish!"
The sword light flashed, slicing through the night sky.
Too slow.
No, not slow, just... not right.
He sheathed the sword, closed his eyes again, and drew once more.
"Swish!"
Still not right.
He repeated the same action over and over.
Drawing, sheathing, drawing, sheathing.
Under the moonlight, in the bamboo forest, only the sword light flashed repeatedly, extinguishing each time.
The second level was called "Unity of Man and Sword, Intent Moves."
This level transcended the sword itself, using intent to control the sword.
Sword Intent became formless, triumphing over form, no move surpassing a move.
At this stage, one could harm without drawing the sword.
The third level, "Peak of Perfection, Sword Heart Transcendent."
At this level, one could perceive rules, and everything could become a sword.
Not limited to the sword, a blade of grass, a stone, a leaf, all could become sharp swords.
The sword contained a faint power of rules, touching the threshold of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
The fourth level, "Transcendence, Legendary Realm."
This was the pinnacle of the Heaven-Sundering Draw Sword Art, touching the realm of rules and the Dao.
Heaven-Slaying: Unity of Heaven and Man, where the sword light could sever abstract concepts like causality and destiny.
Reaching the state of no sword in hand, no sword in heart, a return to simplicity and the Dao.
After reading the descriptions of these four levels, Lin Changkong could only think of three words: "distant and unreachable."
Those ideas of severing causality and destiny were too far off for him.
What he needed to do now was to take one step at a time and first master the "Initial Insight" of the first level.
He took a deep breath and continued drawing the sword.
"Swish! Swish!"
Again and again, tirelessly.
Deep in the bamboo forest, on a green stone, Elder Willow appeared there at some point.
He sat cross-legged on the stone, watching the young man repeatedly drawing the sword under the moonlight, his brow slightly furrowed.
Heaven-Sundering Draw Sword Art?
He recognized this sword art. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a complete sword art, more like a culmination of basic draw sword techniques.
In the Cultivation World, almost every sword-wielding cultivator had practiced similar draw sword techniques—fast sword, accumulated momentum, a strike to kill.
But because it was so basic, few were willing to spend much time on it.
With that effort, one might as well learn a real sword art, with greater power and quicker results.
However...
Elder Willow's gaze fell on Lin Changkong, watching him repeat the simplest action over and over, a hint of contemplation in his eyes.
This sword art, though basic, contained infinite possibilities.
Accumulated momentum, drawing the sword, a single strike—if truly mastered to the extreme, returning to simplicity, it might not be impossible to touch that legendary realm.
But...
He shook his head.
Even he couldn't reach that realm.
In over two hundred years, he had seen countless prodigies and countless diligent cultivators.
Those who could touch the level of rules were few and far between.
And those who could sever causality and destiny, he had only read about in sect legends.
How far could this boy go?
Elder Willow watched quietly for a while, not interrupting or offering any guidance.
Moments later, his figure flickered and vanished into the bamboo forest.
The moonlight remained cold, the bamboo forest still serene.
Only the repeated flashes of sword light and the faint sword hum echoed in the night.