NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: The Worldly Techniques Pavilion
As the doors to the pavilion swung open, an ancient, scholarly aura washed over Zhang Yun.
Peering inside, he saw a vast library filled with towering bookshelves, each laden with scrolls made of bamboo slips, parchment, and other materials.
A single glance revealed countless cultivation techniques neatly arranged on the shelves.
Zhang Yun's eyes widened.
I've struck gold!
Even if these were all low or mid-tier techniques, they could be exchanged for a fortune in spirit stones. And this was just the first floor! Stairs leading upward hinted at at least two more levels. If each floor held this many techniques…
Gulp!
Zhang Yun swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming as if he were already gazing at mountains of gold and silver.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the back of his hand grew warm.
Looking down, he saw a message appear from the Celestial Master's Token:
**'Entered the Worldly Techniques Pavilion. Acquired Level 2 permissions and two opportunities to match techniques for disciples.'**
"Permissions?" Zhang Yun was puzzled but didn't dwell on it.
He immediately approached the first row of bookshelves. This section was smaller, holding only about a dozen scrolls.
Zhang Yun picked one up at random and examined it.
'Entangling Seal'—High-tier Technique
"High-tier?" Zhang Yun raised an eyebrow.
This was a treasure!
In the Immortal Dao Continent, cultivation techniques were categorized into six levels: Low-tier, Mid-tier, High-tier, Spirit-tier, Heaven-tier, and Saint-tier.
High-tier techniques were already rare in Southern Cloud Province. Even the Spirit Immortal Sect possessed fewer than ten of this caliber.
Yet here he was, casually holding one. Could all the techniques in this pavilion be of this level?
Zhang Yun's breathing quickened as he scanned the countless shelves.
He quickly flipped through the other scrolls on the shelf:
'Green Origin Step'—High-tier Technique
'Shadow Sword Art'—High-tier Technique
'Mystic Tyrant Blade Art'—High-tier Technique
"I've struck gold! This is unbelievable!" Zhang Yun exclaimed, seeing the uniform 'High-tier' label on each scroll.
Even the weakest High-tier technique could fetch thousands, if not tens of thousands, of spirit stones on the market. If the entire pavilion was filled with these, his cultivation resources would be set for life!
He eagerly moved to the second row of shelves but was immediately blocked by an invisible barrier.
**'This shelf requires Level 3 permissions. Insufficient permissions. Access denied.'**
"What?" Zhang Yun was stunned.
Permissions? What did that mean?
Wait, wasn't this mentioned in the token's message earlier?
"So, I need higher permissions to access these?" Zhang Yun muttered, feeling a pang of frustration.
A sense of foreboding crept over him as he approached the subsequent shelves.
**'This shelf requires Level 3 permissions. Access denied.'**
**'This shelf requires Level 4 permissions. Access denied.'**
His worst fears were confirmed as barrier after barrier blocked his path.
Zhang Yun wanted to cry.
This is just cruel!
A pavilion filled with countless techniques, and he could only access a dozen?
"Can I go upstairs?"
He reached the last row of shelves, where a staircase led to the second floor. He stepped forward, only to be met with another barrier.
**'Access to the second floor requires Level 5 permissions.'**
"…"
Zhang Yun stared at the glowing message in silence.
"Fine. I'll focus on reaching Level 3 first," he sighed.
The permissions were clearly tied to the Celestial Master's Realm's level. Once he upgraded the realm to Level 3, he'd likely gain access to these shelves.
For now…
Zhang Yun walked back to the first row of shelves and stored all the scrolls in his storage ring.
Though there were no restrictions on entering or exiting the pavilion, it was better to secure what he could.
"What does 'matching techniques for disciples' mean?"
Curious about the token's other permission, Zhang Yun spoke aloud, "Match!"
Buzz!
A message immediately appeared:
**'Initiating technique matching for your disciple, Xu Ming…'**
After about half a minute, the message changed:
**'Matching complete.'**
Whoosh!
The air before him twisted, and an ancient parchment scroll materialized.
Zhang Yun picked it up and read:
'Nine Transformations of the Golden Dragon'—Unranked Technique
"Unranked?" Zhang Yun frowned. A technique without a level?
But as he read further, his expression softened.
**'This technique requires a metal-attributed dragon spiritual root. It consists of nine transformations, each significantly enhancing the cultivator's power. First Transformation: Golden Dragon's Roar; Second Transformation: Golden Dragon's Eyes; Third Transformation: Golden Dragon's Claw…'**
Though unranked, the technique's content was impressive and perfectly suited for Xu Ming, who possessed the Mutant Crimson-Gold Dragon Root.
"So, it's custom-tailored," Zhang Yun mused, stroking his chin.
He still had one more matching opportunity. "Match again!"
**'Each disciple can only be matched once. Please recruit a second disciple before attempting again.'**
"Looks like I need to find a second disciple soon," Zhang Yun muttered.
Then he remembered—the recruitment ceremony wasn't over yet!
Raising his right hand, he spoke to the token, "Exit!"
In a flash of light, he found himself back in the recruitment hall.
"Final candidate: Tian Chen!"
As he reappeared, the announcer's voice rang out.
Zhang Yun glanced at the boy on stage.
**[Tian Chen]**
**Talent:** Medium-Low (Mid-grade Spiritual Root)
Though not terrible, Zhang Yun decided against recruiting him. With his Celestial Insight, he could afford to be picky.
He'd find a second disciple later.
As he pondered, his gaze swept over the other elders.
The discovery of poison in his body earlier had raised suspicions. The most likely culprits were these elders.
His predecessor had been a reclusive cultivator, rarely leaving the sect. Within the sect, his primary interactions had been with these elders.
Zhang Yun glanced at Meng Zhong, who seemed the most suspicious, but he couldn't rule out the others.
"This recruitment ceremony is now concluded!"
As the final disciple was assigned, the ceremony officially ended.
"Zhang Yun, you got lucky with that disciple of yours. But don't get too comfortable. The disciple competition in three months won't be so easy for you!"
Zhang Yun was still deep in thought when Meng Zhong's voice hissed in his ear.
"I'll manage," Zhang Yun replied coolly.
"Hmph!" Meng Zhong snorted before leaving with his disciples.
Zhang Yun ignored him and turned to Xu Ming, who was waiting for him.
"Disciple, follow me back to the Ninth Peak," Zhang Yun said with a smile.
"Yes, Master!" Xu Ming responded.
As Zhang Yun prepared to leave, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Train Xu Ming well. If you lack resources, come to me."
Zhang Yun looked up to see the sect master's retreating figure, riding his crane into the distance.
The sect master is offering me special treatment? Zhang Yun mused, stroking his chin.
Not bad. I'll take him up on that offer when the time comes!