Chapter 279: Chapter 167: Meeting the Golden Core, Wei Qixian’s Calculations

’What if Thunder Sound True Man is thinking along those lines? If I ask for something too valuable, he might grow to resent me.’

’That’s not even the worst part. What if he can’t produce it and, in a fit of rage, goes back on his word?’

’I might get dragged into it and earn a reputation for being tactless.’

’I have to answer this question carefully.’

So, he first tried a polite refusal to buy himself some time to think. "Thank you for your generosity, Daoist. But I have already received the Hidden Dragon Ginseng this time. I dare not ask for anything more."

As expected, Thunder Sound True Man shook his head. "I called you here today to reward you for your merits. There’s no need to be so reserved."

"Just as Ming Yan said, treat this place as your own Sect."

"If there’s anything you want, just say the word." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’My own Sect?’

’Then I’m screwed. The Li Huo Sect is actually quite poor; we don’t have anything good.’

Xiao Chen’s mind raced. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he thought of a condition that would cost them little but be incredibly useful to him.

"In that case, I will be bold and make a request. If it’s convenient, I would like to visit the Scripture Pavilion to consult the ancient texts, travelogues, and biographies left by senior cultivators."

At first glance, this request didn’t seem particularly useful.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, knowledge is often power.

The importance of perspective and awareness goes without saying.

Not to mention a recent example: the clue about the Heaven-Burning Fiend was found in a biography.

’If I can find some useful clues this time, I’ll be one step closer to the Golden Core realm.’

.

Hearing Xiao Chen’s request, everyone was a little confused.

’What does he mean by this?’

In their minds, the most important things in a Scripture Pavilion were naturally the Cultivation Techniques, which formed the foundation of a Sect.

If Xiao Chen had asked to enter the Scripture Pavilion to study their Cultivation Techniques, it would have been outrageously presumptuous.

But he had been very clear: he only wanted ancient texts, travelogues, and biographies.

This was rather puzzling.

Generally, the people who enjoyed reading such books were the elderly, whose bodies were failing and whose time was running out.

Or they were cultivators whose foundations had been damaged, who had lost all hope of advancing and instead sought solace in books about the world.

Then again, they had all learned through their own channels that Xiao Chen only had a low-grade Wood Spirit Root. Furthermore, he had been consuming all sorts of Spiritual Objects for years to aid his cultivation, meaning his hopes of reaching the Golden Core realm had long been dashed.

’Could it be that he knows his cultivation is hopeless and has simply given up?’

’Or is he unwilling to accept his fate and hopes to find an unconventional path to a breakthrough in the ancient texts?’

Upon hearing this, Thunder Sound True Man didn’t answer immediately, pausing to think for a moment.

Then he said, "I didn’t expect someone so young to be interested in such things."

"This is the Array Token for my Lingyuan Sect. Whoever carries this token may freely enter and exit the first seven floors of the Scripture Pavilion."

"Later, I will have someone move some of the ancient texts from the upper floors down to the sixth floor for you."

As he spoke, he made a slight lifting gesture with his hand. A token floated out from the bottom of his sleeve and slowly drifted toward Xiao Chen.

The front was engraved with the single word "Lingyuan," with Elemental Magnetic Peak in the background.

The back was engraved with the two words "Scripture Pavilion." Below them was a line of small text: *After entering, hold tight. Before leaving, do not let go.*

This was easy enough to understand.

If anyone without a token entered the upper floors, they would immediately trigger the Scripture Pavilion’s defensive array.

Xiao Chen accepted the token with both hands and thanked him again.

"I have a Sword Intent Map here. You should take it as well."

Master Fu Jian suddenly spoke up, taking out a scroll and tossing it over. "Although you are not a true Sword Cultivator, you still wield a sword."

"This is a Sword Intent Map I acquired in my early years. If you can comprehend even a fraction of it, it will be of great benefit to your study of the Sword Dao."

He paused for a moment after speaking.

Then he added, "I saw the Demon Cultivators you killed. It was clear you have plenty of power, which shows you have great talent. It’s just that your sword techniques themselves are a bit lacking."

"On the back of the map, I’ve written down the *Flowing Fire Sword Technique*."

"Among all Earth Level swordsmanship, it is considered one of the very best."

"If you switch to cultivating the Sword Dao and master just thirty percent of its Sword Intent, you could become the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Southern Domain."

Xiao Chen blinked. ’That certainly sounds like something a Sword Cultivator would say.’

’However, my powerful strikes aren’t due to talent. They’re a bonus from my Featherweight Augment.’

’If I really were to cultivate the *Flowing Fire Sword Technique*, not only would it take a lot of time, but the results might not even be better than my *Seven-Star Sword Technique*.’

’And to be fair, Sword Cultivators and Magic Cultivators each have their own pros and cons.’

’It’s not like Sword Cultivators are definitively stronger than Magic Cultivators.’

’In terms of cultivation speed, for example, a straightforward technique like the *Spirit-Nurturing Technique* is faster than any Sword Cultivator inheritance.’

Therefore, Xiao Chen chose to cultivate both.

Only children make choices; adults, of course, take everything.

He had already made up his mind. In the future, he would use a Fake Pill to refine his flying sword, but he would still follow the path of a Magic Cultivator to cultivate quickly and acquire new Augments.

"Lately, I’ve been spending most of my time on Seeking Plum Mountain."

Master Fu Jian continued, "If you encounter any problems while cultivating the *Flowing Fire Sword Technique*, you can come and ask me directly."

’Uh, I haven’t even said I’m going to switch to the Sword Dao.’

Still, it was a gesture of goodwill, so Xiao Chen cupped his hands and expressed his thanks.

Afterward, Thunder Sound True Man offered a few more words of encouragement, then had the child lead Xiao Chen to the Demon-Slaying Hall to hand over his mission and formally be promoted to Demon-Slaying Guard.

He was also to familiarize himself with the path to the Scripture Pavilion to make it convenient for him to consult books later.

The handover process was quite simple.

Xiao Chen only needed to confirm his name and the number of points he had earned; the child took care of everything else.