The next day, just after Fang Chen woke up, people from the outer sect arrived to repair his courtyard and clean up the aftermath.
This was ordered by Hua Qirong.
However, these people were all mortals!
A cultivation sect wasn’t entirely composed of cultivators; naturally, there were also mortals who worked for them.
Seeing this, Fang Chen had Yixiong supervise on the side while he went out.
Of course, Yixiong didn’t maintain that massive form to avoid frightening these people.
He transformed into a one-and-a-half-meter-long tiger, crouching on the side, quietly watching everyone.
Thanks to Yixiong, no one slacked off.
After leaving the mansion, Fang Chen used the breath concealment technique to adjust his aura to the Qi Condensation third layer, nodded in relief, and headed straight for the summit of Yingguang Lake Mountain.
Besides the main road leading to the Sea Turtle Platform at the summit, many important locations of the outer sect were also located there.
For example, the Hundred Arts Garden which taught various skills, the Battle Academy where Fang Chen and Xiao Qing had agreed to a life-and-death duel and signed the contract, and the Scripture Pavilion.
Besides imparting cultivation techniques, the Scripture Pavilion also housed countless books.
Fang Chen planned to spend the day browsing through the Scripture Pavilion to see if there was any way to resolve his inability to cultivate.
On the way, however, Fang Chen overheard others discussing last night’s events.
“Did you hear the commotion at Old Dog Fang’s place yesterday?”
“You mean that explosion?”
“Yes! What on earth happened to him?”
“Do you think he’s dead?”
“Definitely not dead. I heard-my brother-in-law’s close friend’s wife’s uncle’s neighbor is in the inner sect and heard about Old Dog Fang’s situation.”
“What happened?”
“I heard a Demon Beast escaped from the beast prison, intending to kill Old Dog Fang to replenish its qi and blood. But because Old Dog Fang’s family background is too prestigious and he had a family heirloom Dharma Treasure protecting him, he wasn’t killed, and he held out until Elder Hua came to rescue him.”
“What a pity!”
Ahead of Fang Chen, several Qi Condensation first-layer children were carrying baskets of medicinal herbs while discussing the matter.
Upon learning that Fang Chen was fine, all the boys and girls wore expressions of deep disappointment.
“What are you pitying? Heh, do you lot wish I were dead?”
At that moment, a sinister laugh rang out from behind them.
The children’s bodies all stiffened instantly, and they turned around in disbelief…
When Fang Chen’s face swam into view:
“Ah!”
They shrieked in terror, turning on their heels and fleeing wildly…
Watching the Qi Condensation first-layer children scatter in panic, Fang Chen nodded with satisfaction.
Afterwards, he hid in the shadows to listen to more discussions regarding the explosion at Yingguang Lake Mountain the previous night.
Having successfully terrified nearly thirty children and youths, Fang Chen felt immensely gratified.
Elder Hua certainly had a way with public opinion!
By now, rumors about last night’s events were flying in every direction.
Some claimed Fang Chen had slain a Foundation Establishment fifth-grade Demon Beast with a single punch.
Still others insisted that Fang Chen kept nine powerful fox spirits at home who alternately solved his problems and created new ones.
Meanwhile, the Danran Sect official statement claimed that Fang Chen had been digging a private hot spring and accidentally ruptured the Yingguang Lake Mountain formation, triggering the explosion, and had already paid a heavy fine in Spirit Stones.
Naturally, very few people believed that version.
The most widely accepted rumor remained that a Demon Beast had escaped from the beast prison, and Fang Chen had relied on his family’s Dharma Treasure to save his life.
Yet, amidst this bombardment of conflicting stories, not a single person actually believed he had defeated Yixiong.
Of course, until the truth came to light, Yixiong could not be allowed to leave the courtyard.
Otherwise, if anyone discovered that Yixiong had acknowledged him as master, those in the know would immediately put two and two together.
Yingguang Lake Mountain, Summit.
Fang Chen walked up to a four-story wooden tower standing near the edge of the cliff.
A plaque hung above the entrance bearing three neat, bold characters: [Scripture Pavilion].
From the outside, the Scripture Pavilion appeared deceptively small.
It looked as though it could accommodate no more than a dozen people.
Judging by the stream of sect disciples entering and exiting the doorway, it seemed ready to burst at the seams!
Yet the moment Fang Chen stepped inside, his vision blurred, and a completely different world opened before him.
An endless corridor stretched out ahead of Fang Chen.
On both sides of the corridor stood rows of quiet, red-lacquered wooden doors, separated by absolute pitch blackness.
In that instant, Fang Chen felt as though he were standing adrift in the void.
All the other disciples who had been bustling in and out of the Scripture Pavilion a moment ago had completely vanished.
This was the true face of the Scripture Pavilion!
“Spatial arts!”
Fang Chen could not help exclaiming internally.
Even though his memories contained previous visits to the Scripture Pavilion, experiencing it firsthand still left him awestruck.
After all, in his past life, even without going to the cinema, one would at least need a paid streaming subscription to witness such visual effects.
Fang Chen then proceeded further inside.
Ordinary disciples visiting the Scripture Pavilion for the first time would be greeted by a projection left behind by the pavilion elder to help them familiarize themselves with the layout.
Since this was not Fang Chen’s first time here, however, no one came to guide him.
The rules of the Scripture Pavilion were simple: aside from restricted chambers requiring higher permissions or cultivation realms, the jade slips within all other rooms permitted free reading of their introductory contents.
If a disciple found something of interest, they could purchase and take it away.
The currency of exchange was contribution points!
Contribution points were earned by completing tasks elsewhere in the Danran Sect or by directly purchasing them with a designated quantity of Spirit Stones.
Thanks to his wealthy family background, Fang Chen had absolutely no shortage of contribution points for basic needs.
He walked toward a room bearing a plaque labeled [Misc] and pushed the door open.
His vision blurred once more, and he stepped into a study containing roughly a hundred wooden shelves lined with jade slips.
Near the entrance sat an inquiry jade slip.
Fang Chen had no need to search today, however; he had entered this room to sift through the rough for a direction that might suit him.
After browsing for a while, Fang Chen learned of numerous cultivation paths.
The mainstream path was spirit cultivation, chosen by the majority of people, and the very path Fang Chen had previously attempted.
One relied on breathing exercises and meditation to absorb Spiritual Qi and increase one’s power!
Next was sword cultivation, centered on cultivating a single flying sword.
A flying sword granted immense prowess and terrifying lethal force!
However, the talent requirements were exceptionally demanding.
Jiang Ningyi was a stellar exemplar of this path.
Then there was talisman cultivation, entering the Dao through talismans.
Some individuals progressed at a glacial pace when practicing standard techniques or flying swords.
Yet, while drafting talismans, they could forge a closer affinity with heaven and earth Spiritual Qi and advance their cultivation.
Thus, the category of talisman cultivators was born!
All the talismans circulating on the market were produced by such practitioners.
Artifact cultivation included sword cultivation as a specialized branch, while other artifact cultivators focused on sabers, spears, staves, and the like…
There were also those who cultivated via natal pills, formations, or literary refinement, harnessing a mouthful of righteous qi.
The reasons behind the emergence of these alternative paths were similar to talisman cultivation-they all suffered from slow baseline progression.
Yet by anchoring themselves to external mediums, they could advance with unstoppable momentum.
After reading through the free introductory excerpts of these methods, Fang Chen returned the jade slips to their shelves and let out a long sigh.
These various approaches seemed distinct on the surface, but fundamentally, they were merely superficial variations.
Talisman cultivators, artifact cultivators, sword cultivators-these were nothing more than differences in combat methodology.
They all shared a crucial, non-negotiable prerequisite: one had to be capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi and performing breathing exercises!
Yet Fang Chen’s fundamental predicament was that he could not draw in even a shred of Spiritual Qi.
Changing his specialization was completely fucking useless!
Right at that moment, a brand-new cultivation method within a jade slip caught his eye.
“Body Cultivator!”
“This path differs fundamentally from all other methods.
It requires no spiritual roots and no breathing exercises!
It relies solely upon oneself!”
When Fang Chen read those words, his eyes lit up brilliantly. Holy shit?!
Wasn’t this the exact method he had been dreaming of?!
As he continued reading further down, however, his expression abruptly turned peculiar…
“This method can be practiced simultaneously by any cultivator. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, there will undoubtedly be a return!
Whether spirit cultivators, talisman cultivators, or pill cultivators, in their spare time, all may employ the body cultivator method to temper their physique!”