Chapter 42: Mystic Art Manuals Are On Discount!
Elder Kong Ye’s lecture ended with a reminder for Han Xuhan’s group.
"In the next class, I want each of you to bring a Mystic Art manual of your choice. The Sect’s Archives Pavilion has a special spot for the Mystic Arts manual. Pick what you like.
"Without practically guiding you through your qi cycles, there is little point in me rambling from here about what to do and what not to do during cultivation. The basics will be taught to all by Elder Ning, whereas I am going to guide a select few disciples through the practical matters."
So, on their way back to the Salted Fish Pavilion, Han Xuhan, Xiao Wu, and Mu Ran ended up taking a detour to the Archives with the rest of the group.
The Archives pavilion resembled a pagoda, with a massive ground floor for visitors and the sect’s paperwork, and the increasingly smaller upper floors reserved for books, cultivation techniques, and reading space.
Some senior disciples were managing the internal affairs, and a larger number was busy with studies and discussions. Han Xuhan was strongly reminded of his final year in university at the sight of their weary faces.
Although Elder Ning had warned him earlier, Han Xuhan’s disappointment was still immense when he learned that an outer court disciple with zero cultivation could only access the first and second floors of the building.
As for a servant-disciple like him, many shelves were actually restricted even on the second floor.
However, while they were getting their temporary access tokens, Mu Ran asked the senior disciple in charge of the process a very specific question.
"Senior brother, can you tell me where I can find the rejected manuals of experimental techniques in the Archives? I heard from an Elder that these things are accessible to us for educational purposes."
The senior disciple didn’t think much of it, but Han Xuhan did.