The Programmer Cultivator

Everyone followed his gaze and looked up, stunned.

Floating in the air above the spacious hall were orbs of light, and inside each one was a Jade Scroll two fingers wide.

The orbs of light were stacked in layers, forming a pyramid structure overhead that bobbed gently.

At a glance, there were at least several hundred.

Sha Xingping’s eyes flashed as he leaped up, and Xue Su followed suit.

Zhang Deming and Qu Hua, however, made no move and simply watched in silence.

THUD...

The two of them slammed headfirst into thin air, their impact revealing a light curtain about two meters above everyone’s heads.

The light curtain flickered faintly before vanishing once more.

Xue Su and Sha Xingping tumbled to the ground. Given the force of their jump, they were probably seeing stars.

"The Arrays outside weren’t damaged, so how could the ones in here be?

This is a clan’s most important Scripture Pavilion. Do you really think it wouldn’t be protected by an Array?" Li Shifan remarked coolly, looking at the two of them.

Sha Xingping caught his breath and looked at Xue Su. "Can you open it?"

Xue Su gave a sarcastic laugh. "You really give me too much credit. I was fumbling around blindly for ages with those assessment Arrays in the Outer Sect.

Whether this is a Sect’s Scripture Pavilion or a clan’s, whoever built it was clearly a master of Arrays.

This is the heart of a clan’s domain. What do you expect a mere Apprentice like me to be able to do?

Don’t be fooled by the fact that there’s just one invisible, ordinary-looking light curtain above us.

But even with my Heart Eye Numerology, it looks exactly the same. I can’t detect the slightest flow of Runes.

In other words, this seemingly simple Defense Array is at least Three-Star level.’"

"So we’re just supposed to stand here and watch?" Sha Xingping asked.

But Zhang Deming replied with a smile, "Not necessarily."

Before anyone could ask, Zhang Deming had already taken out his Command Token and gently infused it with a bit of Spiritual Power.

The Command Token immediately flew into the air, and Zhang Deming’s expression shifted.

Under Zhang Deming’s control, the Command Token flew overhead and into the cluster of light orbs.

It was as if the invisible Array Light Curtain didn’t exist.

Seeing this, the others quickly took out their Command Tokens and began to operate them as well.

Zhang Deming guided the Command Token toward an orb of his choosing.

The moment the Command Token touched the light orb, it stuck to its surface.

Immediately, the entire light orb fell under Zhang Deming’s control.

Zhang Deming tested his control, and just as he expected, the Command Token brought the light orb back to him.

Zhang Deming reached out and touched the light orb, but it didn’t react. He turned to see that the others were all holding their own orbs, looking just as clueless.

After a moment of thought, Zhang Deming tentatively tried to pull the Command Token off the orb. The instant he did, the token detached itself.

But the orb didn’t shatter and release the Jade Scroll as he’d expected.

The instant the Command Token came loose, the orb shot back to its original position with a WHOOSH and resumed floating.

Zhang Deming: "..."

"These orbs seem to be slightly different," Xue Su said, looking at the one in his hands.

Hearing this, Zhang Deming paused and looked at the orbs held by the other four. He saw that Xue Su’s was tinged white, Qu Hua’s was nearly transparent, and Li Shifan’s and Sha Xingping’s were somewhere in the middle.

Xue Su continued, "If I’m not mistaken, the higher up an orb is, the better it is."

At these words, Zhang Deming looked to the apex of the pyramid. There were only two orbs at the very top, but no one had made a move for them yet.

Xue Su spoke again. "And this Identity Token doesn’t restrict which orb we can choose.

But after we bring one down, nothing happens.

If I’m not mistaken, these damn orbs are a kind of test. If you want the Technique or Cultivation Technique inside, you have to be able to open the orb yourself.

If you don’t have the strength, you can’t open it. That’s why the Command Token isn’t restricted and lets us choose any orb we want.’"

Li Shifan nodded. "That sounds about right. It’s very much in the style of the old clans."

With that, Li Shifan formed a sword-finger, and a faint glint of sword light pulsed from his fingertips as he tapped the orb.

The moment the Spiritual Power made contact, information appeared on the orb’s surface.

Name: Fire Dance Technique

Category: Skill

Level: Secret Level High Grade (Tier Three)

Strength: Two-Star Yin and Yang (Can be broken with a specific One-Star Tai Chi method.)

Preview: The Fire Dance Technique is an advanced fire-control Skill. Requires a fire-series Rune Core for easier mastery of the Entry Level...

Everyone was stunned. They didn’t expect a general description to be available.

Everyone turned to their own orbs and infused them with a bit of Spiritual Power.

One by one, descriptions materialized before their eyes.

The most eye-catching of all was the nearly transparent orb in Qu Hua’s hands.

Sha Xingping, in particular, looked on with greedy eyes. If not for the fact that no one had yet managed to open an orb, and his own strained self-control, he likely would have already made a move.

Because the orb’s display read:

Name: Dragon Turtle Transformation

Category: Skill

Level: Law-Level Low Grade (Tier Four)

Strength: Three Stars Three Talents (Can be broken with a specific Two-Star Yin and Yang method.)

Preview: The Dragon Turtle Transformation is a mutated, advanced version of the Dragon and Snake Transformation Skill. It requires a Python Transformation-series Rune Core for easier mastery of the Entry Level...

Qu Hua glanced at Sha Xingping, then tossed the light orb back.

’This thing is completely useless to me. Of course, it could be sold for money.’

’But first, I need to find something I actually want.’

Seeing this, Sha Xingping released the orb in his own hands and snatched the one Qu Hua had just let go.

Meanwhile, Zhang Deming guided his Command Token to the very top and, under everyone’s gaze, retrieved one of the two orbs at the apex.

Qu Hua immediately followed suit, taking the other one.

The other three simply watched. No one made a move, nor did anyone say a word.

After all, looking at the "Strength" column, everyone had their suspicions. It was highly likely that their actions were futile.