Chapter 517 - 494: Ten Thousand Books House

Warblers sing in Yingti Garden amidst jade banquets, and swallows kick at altar flowers to the sound of ornate zithers.

Honghu Immortal City was not as grand or magnificent as Zengguang Immortal City, but its palaces were even more luxurious and exquisite.

Countless Cultivators flew in and out like shuttles, forming a long dragon that stretched for miles when viewed from high in the sky.

'An Immortal City's influence radiates throughout the entire region. Who knows how much wealth flows into the Five Phoenix Sword Sect through it... Plus, the Sect follows an elite path, with only a third of the disciples of a Sect of the same level. That means the resources allocated to each disciple are much greater.'

Bai Zichen gazed at Honghu Immortal City, sighing inwardly. When would the Qingfeng Sect Market ever reach this scale?

Even if they developed unique products and stood out in the Cultivation Realm, it would be impossible to achieve such a size.

'Unless I reach Divinity Transformation, fearless of Spiritual Power backlash and the drain on my lifespan, and can reveal my sacred power before others at will... only then might the Sect's Market have a chance to bypass the accumulation of time. Only then could it surpass the thousands or even tens of thousands of years of foundation of a Super Major Sect's Immortal City in just a few hundred years.'

The outer city of Honghu Immortal City had no Forbidden restrictions whatsoever, nor any guard Cultivators. All were free to come and go, displaying the magnanimity of a Super Sect.

They were confident enough that the name of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect alone was sufficient to deter any would-be troublemakers.

Of course, Bai Zichen believed that, if necessary, Honghu Immortal City could activate its Grand Array at any moment to suppress invading Cultivators.

In particular, a True Monarch was always stationed within Honghu Immortal City's inner city to handle any emergencies.

Bai Zichen landed his Sword Light and found a local guide to lead the way. After a long and troublesome journey by Flying Shuttle and tamed birds, he finally arrived before the inner city.

If he had ignored the rules of Honghu Immortal City and flown directly through the city using Sword Control, he could have saved a lot of effort.

However, doing so would be a blatant slap in the face to the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, and a conflict would be inevitable.

He had just had a pleasant conversation with Meng Dongye, and there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future. There was no need to sour the relationship.

"Senior, you must be at least in the Core Formation Realm to even apply to enter the inner city, and you must pass a series of assessments from the Sword Sect... This is as far as I can go. One step further and I'll violate the Immortal City's prohibition. I'd be expelled from the Immortal City and banned from entry for life."

The young guide didn't look old, but his expression was timid, his posture was hunched, and his hair was graying.

"You may go."

Bai Zichen tossed him two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, not only as a tip for his guidance but also to cover his fare for a bird-type Spirit Beast on the way back. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

"Senior, it seems this is your first time in our Immortal City. Do you have a letter of recommendation or a token? If not, please proceed to the Grace Pavilion to register your information and obtain a VIP certificate for the Immortal City."

At the inner city entrance stood eight Five Phoenix Sword Sect Disciples, dressed in brocade robes and holding longswords.

The leader was only at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment and couldn't discern the visitor's Cultivation level, but his demeanor was respectful without being fearful or sycophantic.

As a True Disciple of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect, Gengg Shaobai was usually taught by Core Formation True Men within the Sect and had even been summoned by Nascent Soul True Monarchs several times.

With his aptitude, he had a fair chance of being accepted as a disciple by a Nascent Soul True Monarch after reaching Core Formation. Naturally, he wouldn't panic at the sight of High-Tier Cultivators like an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator would.

"Will this do?"

Bai Zichen said, flicking the Jade Sword Key he held between two fingers.

"Please wait a moment, Senior."

Gengg Shaobai's expression turned serious. He took out a bronze mirror from his waist and shone it on the Jade Sword Key. The image of an incredibly magnificent, colorful phoenix flew out and landed on the plaque above the inner city entrance.

"A Celestial Phoenix Level guest! This way, please, Senior! I was unaware of your esteemed arrival and have been discourteous... Are you visiting the Immortal City to see friends or to make purchases? I can make the proper arrangements for you."

The Celestial Phoenix Level was the highest guest status. Honghu Immortal City had only ever issued a few dozen of them, a privilege that only the Sect's six Nascent Soul Ancestors were qualified to grant.

Every such honored guest was either a Nascent Soul True Monarch or a prodigy who could be called a master in their field.

"I wish to purchase a top-level Cultivation Technique and an Array. Where in the city is the best place for that?"

"For Cultivation Techniques, the Ten Thousand Books House is the natural choice. For Arrays, there's our Sect's Celestial Phoenix Pavilion and the Circulation Sect's shop... As the Immortal City's highest-ranking guest, Senior, you will automatically receive the most premium treatment at any establishment."

Gengg Shaobai answered without hesitation.

He had been stationed in the Immortal City for ten years, accumulating merit points to exchange for a Core Formation Spiritual Object. In his spare time, he often browsed the various shops, comparing the price fluctuations of Core Formation Spiritual Objects.

It could be said he knew every shop in the Immortal City like the back of his hand.

The Ten Thousand Books House was a unique shop. Its owner was the Seven Mysterious Master, a famous Loose Cultivator from Great Li with a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, who was an old acquaintance of Great True Monarch Ma Youx.

His own inheritance came from a place called the Langhuan Grotto Heaven, from which he obtained a total of 388 scrolls of knowledge, including Cultivation Methods, the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, and Astrological Divination. His expertise was extensive.

After reaching the Nascent Soul realm, the Seven Mysterious Master took on several hundred disciples, teaching each of them a different inheritance.

Only those who achieved something of note were designated by him as Direct Disciples.

He never sought to glorify his lineage or expand his sect's influence; his greatest interest in life was collecting all sorts of texts from across the world, especially rare and secret manuscripts.

Later, because he had collected too many Cultivation Techniques, he simply opened the Ten Thousand Books House in Honghu Immortal City.

It claimed to have ten thousand volumes and welcomed Cultivators from all over to trade for them with texts of their own.

He also didn't forbid other Cultivators from copying his Cultivation Methods and various inheritances, as long as they paid with Spirit Stones.

However, ordinary Cultivators who came to the shop could at most choose Cultivation Techniques that allowed one to cultivate to Core Formation Perfection and inheritances of Tier Three Skills.

However, a Celestial Phoenix Level guest should be able to make the Master of the Ten Thousand Books House bring out their most treasured Cultivation Techniques. He just didn't know if they would be enough to satisfy the honored guest before him.

"A few years ago, our Sect accepted a disciple with a Water Element Celestial Spiritual Root, but she possessed a Pure Yang Body. She was originally meant to be nurtured to the Saint Child Level, but her Spiritual Root and Spirit Body conflicted with each other. The moment she would refine a wisp of Water Element Spiritual Qi, the vigorous Pure Yang Qi in her body would surge. The two would clash, and her cultivation speed became slower than even a disciple with Three Spiritual Roots."

Gengg Shaobai used a real example from the Five Phoenix Sword Sect to add weight to his words.

"The Elders in the Sect tried countless methods but couldn't find a solution. In the end, Ancestor Yang, unwilling to let such a talent go to waste, brought her to the Ten Thousand Books House. He asked the Seven Mysterious Master to assemble a complete set of Cultivation Methods for her. By cultivating two techniques simultaneously, she surprisingly achieved a state of wonderful harmony, and her cultivation speed returned to what it should be for someone with a Celestial Spiritual Root. I believe that junior sister reached Foundation Establishment last year and even made a special trip back to the Ten thousand Books House to select new Cultivation Techniques for the Foundation Establishment Stage."

"The Circulation Sect is famous for its Arrays. If you want to talk about which Sect in the Cultivation Realm has the most Tier Four Array Masters, they are the undisputed choice. Perhaps the Moral Sect could compare, but after all, they have the most True Monarchs in the world and place great importance on the way of Arrays, so their number of Tier Four Array Masters shouldn't be small either."

"As for the Celestial Phoenix Pavilion, in addition to the various Arrays collected by our Sect, it also has two Array Maps drawn with the Great Virtue Phoenix Seal, which possess incredible Divine Techniques. Even a Supreme Elder from the Circulation Sect has visited many times, just for a chance to view the Great Virtue Phoenix Seal Array Maps in hopes of gaining some insight."

Bai Zichen understood that the real recommendations were the Ten Thousand Books House and the Circulation Sect's shop.

The Celestial Phoenix Pavilion was mentioned purely because this Five Phoenix Sword Sect Disciple wanted to save face for his own Sect.

When all was said and done, their most boast-worthy assets were the two Array Maps drawn with the Great Virtue Phoenix Seal.

As a divine script of the Demon Race, on par with the Great Mighty Dragon Seal, the Great Virtue Phoenix Seal did indeed possess incredible Divine Techniques. It was possible one could comprehend an extremely powerful Array from it.

But what Bai Zichen wanted was a "plug-and-play" Tier Four Array that could immediately elevate the Qingfeng Sect's defensive capabilities by a whole level.

Something that even a Supreme Elder of the Circulation Sect couldn't fully comprehend, like this Great Virtue Phoenix Seal, was of little use to him.

Besides, the Celestial Phoenix Pavilion would never agree to sell those two Array Maps; at most, they would only allow people to view and study them.

After exchanging a few words with his fellow disciples, Gengg Shaobai acted as a guide, leading Bai Zichen through the inner city until they arrived before a semicircular building.

A giant Ancient Book sat atop the building. Inside were rows upon rows of bookshelves, piled high with ancient texts and scrolls.

Gengg Shaobai handled the introductions, explaining Bai Zichen's distinguished status. Soon, a beautiful, maturely charming woman appeared. Like a ripe peach, she walked toward them with an elegant grace.

"I was not aware of a True Monarch's presence and failed to come out to greet you. I beg your forgiveness. My name is Pei Lan'er, and I am here watching over the Ten Thousand Books House on my master's orders."

Pei Lan'er's slender and graceful figure bowed in greeting, outlining her exaggerated curves.

She was a Core Formation Cultivator, and the moment she saw him, she sensed the fluctuations of a Nascent Soul, realizing the visitor was a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Among the Seven Mysterious Master's many Direct Disciples, Pei Lan'er was a marginal figure who was not highly regarded.

First, she studied Divine Inference, but failed; then she practiced the art of Alchemy, but gained nothing; finally, she could only choose the most obscure Face Reading Technique, with which she finally achieved some small success.

By reading people's faces, she could determine the trajectory of their fortune and their future prospects.

Although it was a far cry from Divine Inference, providing only blurry and rare glimpses, it finally had some value.

She was granted a Core Formation Spiritual Object and, after luckily succeeding in her Core Formation, was sent off to Honghu Immortal City to serve as the Master of the Ten Thousand Books House.

"Rise and speak... You sell high-tier Cultivation Methods here. Bring out the highest-tier ones you have for sale, prioritizing Fire Element Techniques."

Bai Zichen cleared his throat and got straight to the point.

"Yes, I will fetch them at once."

Pei Lan'er mustered her courage and sized up the Nascent Soul True Monarch before her, already beginning to apply her Face Reading Technique.

'The bearing of a dragon and the presence of a phoenix, with Immortal Skin and Jade Bone... to think such an unspeakably noble physiognomy exists in this world... Even my Master's face is far inferior to this man's!'

Her heart pounded wildly. The Face Reading Technique rarely gave clear answers; more often, it relied on her own speculation and inference.

This placed extremely high demands on the fundamental skill of every physiognomy cultivator.

But a face like the one she saw today was something Pei Lan'er had never encountered before; she had only seen similar descriptions in Ancient Books.

Her slender, jade-like fingers moved, making rapid calculations. Suddenly, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she nearly fainted.

'How is this possible? When I try to infer his future achievements from his face, all I see is Chaos... After I became proficient in the Physiognomy Art, even with Cultivators I couldn't see through, their futures were merely shrouded in a thick white mist. It wouldn't just disappear entirely like this!'

In front of the Seven Mysterious Master, Pei Lan'er had actually hidden some of her face-reading abilities, claiming that Nascent Soul True Monarchs were protected by the Great Dao and thus impossible to see clearly.

In truth, with her skill, she could already successfully read the faces of a large number of Nascent Soul Cultivators.

The last one she had failed on was Han Chaoran, the new Nascent Soul of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect. His future had been obscured by a white mist, from which she could only hear the endless sound of swords.

But no matter how miraculous someone was, it shouldn't result in their future being completely gone, with nothing to see at all.