Chapter 1821 - 1822: Tiancang Tower
Hoshino Meigetsu is now at the peak of the Zhiyi Boundary, and Hoshino Junka is also at the early stage of the Zhiyi Boundary, so they both will attend together.
Hoshino Junka always stood behind Ling Zhenfei, occasionally hooking Ling Zhenfei's finger or whispering a couple of words in his ear, introducing the newcomers to Ling Zhenfei.
By the time all the members of the Hoshino Family in the Zhiyi Boundary had gathered, it was almost noon, and indeed, there were quite a few people, over a dozen.
A dozen people in the Zhiyi Boundary, by any measure, constitute a rather formidable force.
Hoshino Yuji said, "Besides those who are leading classes at the Ittō-ryū headquarters and those who are traveling afar, the remaining ones in the Zhiyi Boundary have arrived. We won't wait anymore, follow me, let's go to the Tiancang Tower."
Tiancang Tower is a rather special building within the Hoshino Family. The tower has three floors with a peculiar design. Ling Zhenfei and Hoshino Junka followed everyone at the back.
Not far away was Hoshino Meigetsu wearing a veil.
Ling Zhenfei asked Hoshino Junka, "What is Tiancang Tower for?"
Hoshino Junka said, "Of course, it's for storing treasures, many of our family's treasures are kept inside."
Ling Zhenfei said, "What kind of treasures are there?"
Hoshino Junka said, "All kinds, cultivation techniques, weapons, all are rare and exotic treasures, you'll know once we get there."
At this time, Hoshino Meigetsu spoke, "Xiao Xia is also entering for the first time, is it meaningful to ask her?"
Ling Zhenfei thought, that's true, only those who have reached the Zhiyi Boundary can enter. Hoshino Junka was able to reach the Zhiyi Boundary largely due to Ling Zhenfei's influence, and it has only been a few months altogether.
They all walked together and finally arrived at Tiancang Tower, and there was indeed something different about this place. Ling Zhenfei felt a surge of energy coming from inside as he approached the entrance.
Ling Zhenfei was quite amazed, Xiao Xia hadn't been inside, but she was right; there were indeed treasures in here.
Ling Zhenfei was very curious; what could it be that emitted spiritual energy from such a distance?
There were naturally guards at Tiancang Tower, and after a series of procedures, the gate finally opened, and they all entered one after another.
Once inside, the energy was indeed denser than outside.
However, there was nothing particularly special on the first floor. Besides some books on the shelves, there was a small incense burner with a peculiar incense burning inside.
Hoshino Meigetsu, who had joined Ling Zhenfei and Hoshino Junka due to a previous conversation, began explaining, "The books here are ancient texts documenting various events from our cultivation world, including records of the Demon King's invasion thousands of years ago.
The incense burning in this incense burner is also quite special; its scent ensures there are no bugs here, and there are even legends that say it protects the wood from decay and invasion."
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhenfei understood, and said, "This is Great Earth Everlasting Incense, it does have anti-rot properties, no wonder the energy in here is more abundant than outside; it likely has something to do with this Great Earth Everlasting Incense.
But this Great Earth Everlasting Incense was lost long ago, who would've thought there would still be some here, it's remarkable."
The truly remarkable thing was that Ling Zhenfei even knew about Great Earth Everlasting Incense, making both Hoshino Meigetsu and Hoshino Junka look at him with admiration.
They didn't linger long on the first floor and proceeded to the second floor.
What was on the second floor was quite different, indeed much like what Xiao Xia had guessed; there were weapons, ancient cultivation technique manuscripts, and other oddities.
Many first-time visitors were excitedly looking around on the second floor, and Ling Zhenfei was also curiously pacing around.
There were indeed many good things on the second floor, particularly those ancient technique manuals were huge assets, as were the weapons.
Among the weapons, katanas were most prevalent; there were also some very unusual ones.
Amongst the array were blowguns used by ninjas, among other things, which left Ling Zhenfei quite dazzled.
The most exciting for Ling Zhenfei was what he saw next.
The Heaven-Devouring Divine Cloth was here too, it was a treasure recorded with countless powerful cultivation techniques, yet it was simply placed in a corner, not looking particularly unusual.
Ling Zhenfei was thrilled, most of his skills came from the powerful techniques on the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cloth.
The secrets contained within were known only to him. It began with two pieces of the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cloth, then three, then four, always increasing.
Collecting so many Heaven-Devouring Divine Cloths is truly no easy feat.
By this time, everyone had started heading toward the third floor, and Ling Zhenfei, having no other option, followed. As for the Heaven-Devouring Divine Cloth, Ling Zhenfei couldn't get his hands on it, not yet.
The third floor was rather spacious.
Some who had been there before, upon reaching the top, began to sit cross-legged.
The ground was all wooden, so sitting on it caused no discomfort.
Under Hoshino Meigetsu's guidance, Ling Zhenfei also sat down.
To his left was Hoshino Junka, to his right was Hoshino Meigetsu, and sitting between two pretty ladies, Ling Zhenfei wasn't sure if he could focus on the classics.
Everyone sat down, and sure enough, on a platform at the front, there was a beautifully designed box, likely containing the classics.
Ling Zhenfei and the others were eagerly waiting. To those watching the Ittō-ryū Canon for the first time, naturally there was excitement, from being a mere figure in the Zhiyi Boundary to potentially transforming as a dragon in flight with a sudden insight from the Ittō-ryū Canon.
But for those who had viewed the classics several times, it was a source of concern. If the classics weren't understood in the first few viewings, gaining enlightenment afterward would be hard.
Hoshino Yuji said, "Now, all those seated here represent the full strength of our Hoshino Family, and the Ittō-ryū Canon is the foundation of our family. Each year, a prominent family of Ittō-ryū can send one person to view it.
However, in our Hoshino Family, anyone who reaches the Zhiyi Boundary can come to view it yearly. This is the foundation of our family's standing; no matter who you are, regardless of self-discipline, you can gain enlightenment from viewing the Ittō-ryū Canon.
You must aim to understand; if you can suddenly realize a technique, your strength will skyrocket."
Hoshino Yuji glanced across the assembled faces, pausing for a few seconds on Ling Zhenfei.
Ling Zhenfei was at the Dawen Peak Realm and was viewing the classics for the first time, making him a strong candidate for gaining insight from the classics.
Although Ling Zhenfei didn't have the surname Hoshino, he was Hoshino Junka's husband, and technically wasn't eligible to view the classics.
But having just saved the Hoshino Family, no one could argue against his participation now.
Hoshino Yuji said, "Shortly, everyone will recite the family precepts with me, and then you can study the classics."