In the Scripture Library, Sun Yi was reading an alchemist’s notebook. It had lain there for years; no one had opened it in nearly a century. Its contents immediately caught his interest.
The author’s methods of alchemy, studies of spirit herbs, and analysis of their properties were remarkably thorough. He had clearly been an alchemist who loved research.
Lately, Sun Yi had spent most of his time studying refining and alchemy texts, combining their lessons with what he had learned on Earth. Ideas were beginning to take shape. The books had also deepened his understanding of cultivation.
Before his transmigration, he had been known as one of his country’s most outstanding young scientists. He understood the importance of technology. Although many scientific theories did not apply in this world, others still could.
His Microwave Detector, made with knowledge from Earth and this world’s materials and refining methods, was one example. It was a simple tool, not a spiritual artifact, but its usefulness could surpass one.
His ambitions went further. His current refining skills were not enough, so he needed to learn from those who had come before him.
Elder Ye Luo hurried into the library. “Sect Master, please come to the Refining Hall. There are too many people there now. We need you.”
“What happened?” Sun Yi asked.
“It is the reward announcement. So many disciples who also practice refining want to join that the hall now has more than a thousand applicants.”
Sun Yi’s eyes brightened. “That many disciples practice refining?”
“Most disciples learn some refining or alchemy on the side,” Ye Luo explained, “but cultivation takes most of their time, so few want to join either hall.”
Sun Yi nodded. With so few refiners before, an upgraded detector would have taken a long time to make. More hands would help.
“Let us go to the Refining Hall.” He rose, and Ye Luo led him there by air. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“Elder Ye Luo, is there a way to help me read more quickly? It will take far too long to finish everything in the library,” Sun Yi asked as they traveled.
“You want to read every book in the Scripture Library?” Ye Luo asked in surprise.
“Not only those. I intend to have more books collected from outside the sect. These texts are the sect’s real foundation.”
Ye Luo did not understand. Most cultivators read only what mattered most to them. After some thought, he said, “There is a way, but it is difficult. The library holds a Split Spirit Technique. It divides the divine sense, allowing the mind to attend to several things at once. The sect forbids most people from practicing it.”
Sun Yi’s eyes lit up. That was exactly what he needed.
“It is dangerous as well as difficult,” Ye Luo continued. “Only three predecessors in the sect’s records succeeded. Others died trying, so it was declared a forbidden art. Only those born with a powerful soul are permitted to practice it.”
Sun Yi had already decided to obtain the technique. Whether he could learn it was a question for later.
As they approached the Refining Hall, he saw how much it had changed. The quiet hall he remembered was now crowded. More than a thousand disciples filled the square in front of it.
When Sun Yi and Ye Luo descended, the disciples came forward and bowed. “Greetings, Sect Master! Greetings, Elder Ye Luo!”
Sun Yi waved with a smile. “Fellow disciples, I am glad to see your renewed enthusiasm. It shows that our reforms are working, and the sect will continue to improve. I know why you have gathered. I intend to make the Refining Hall one of the sect’s best-rewarded departments, and I welcome all refiners to join.”
“Wonderful!” someone cried.
“So it is true! The Sect Master is putting the Refining Hall first!”
“It is not too late. With his support, the hall may become the best place to work in the sect.”
The disciples were excited. Over the past six months, Sun Yi’s reforms had benefited them all. Even the managers he had disciplined earlier had gained from the changes and no longer resented him.
He had earned the respect of the whole sect. Many low-level cultivators saw him as someone who had changed their prospects.
Sun Yi raised a hand, and the square fell quiet. “Everyone has a fair chance to join. But the benefits you receive will depend on your efforts. You must pass an assessment.”
While the crowd puzzled over this, he beckoned to Elder Yan and Elder Tong. They hurried over and asked for his instructions.
Sun Yi handed Elder Yan a jade slip. “Post its contents beside the square so everyone can read them.”
Elder Yan scanned the slip with his divine sense and trembled with excitement at what he saw. “I will do it at once,” he said, hurrying away. Elder Tong watched, confused.
“Elder Tong, arrange for a scripture library to be built in the Refining Hall,” Sun Yi said. “Keep a copy of every refining text there. Disciples who want to learn or study refining may read them free of charge.”
“I will arrange it immediately,” Elder Tong replied, bowing before he left.
“Elder Yan is preparing an announcement with the details of the hall’s new arrangements,” Sun Yi told the disciples. “You can all read it there.”
Elder Yan returned within the time it took an incense stick to burn. A large noticeboard appeared in the square. The thousand or so cultivators crowded around it, then broke into astonished cries.