The purple-clothed youth finally knew fear. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. Zhao Chun could see he was feigning unconsciousness but didn't expose him.
She picked up her cloth bag and walked straight out the door. She had many things to do today and had no time to waste here. The Lingzhen Sect's Outer Sect covered a vast area.
Although the Daylily and Green Bamboo Gardens were considered close to the Disciple Residences and the Study Hall, it still took her one or two hours to walk between them. The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, where one collected Magical Arts, was located in the center of the valley.
Zhao Chun could see it in the distance, but to actually get there would take at least a day or two's journey. Fortunately, the Lingzhen Sect was aware of this situation and had established Smoke Boat Stations within the sect for disciples to travel back and forth.
Regardless of the distance between two places, boarding a boat cost two Essence Stones. Probationary Disciples with three-element spiritual roots like Zhao Chun were only issued twenty Essence Stones each month, enough for five round trips. Therefore, unless they had important matters to attend to, Probationary Disciples rarely traveled to distant places.
It wasn't that the sect was being exorbitant; it was because creating Shapeshifting Talismans was time-consuming and laborious. Unlike Fireball Talismans or Water Bomb Talismans which were destroyed after one use, these talismans could be reused more than twenty times. A single one cost three hundred Essence Stones.
When Zhao Chun arrived at the Smoke Boat Station, she registered her destination, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Only after twenty people had gathered did a grey-clothed menial laborer toss out a talisman and let everyone board. Among the group, she was the one traveling the farthest.
By the time they reached the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, she was the only one left on the boat. After Zhao Chun also disembarked, the smoke boat's task was complete. It dispersed into a plume of smoke and flew back the way it came.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion spanned the Heaven-Piercing River. The East Building housed the Outer Sect's collection, while the West Building was for the Inner Sect. The thousands of magical arts and secret incantations within were the foundation upon which the Lingzhen Sect was established, so it was heavily guarded.
Zhao Chun first presented her identity tablet, then underwent two checks from the guards before she was allowed to enter the building.
"Probationary Disciples may take one volume of a Mortal Rank, middle-grade magical art and two volumes of low-grade ones. For anything beyond that, a middle-grade volume costs four hundred Essence Stones, and a low-grade one costs one hundred Essence Stones," the menial laborer at the counter by the entrance reminded her.
Zhao Chun had a total of eighteen Essence Stones in her hand, and she still needed to spend two on the return trip. Even if she wanted to learn more, it was impossible. Pondering this, she walked upstairs.
The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion had nine floors, shaped like a circular enclosed house from the mortal world, with an open center and straight outer walls, allowing the heavenly light to pour down vertically. Zhao Chun could only choose from the first three floors. She was not qualified to go any higher.
However, the collection on just these three floors was enough to dazzle her. The first floor contained lifestyle magical arts like the Dust Removal Charm and Voice Amplification Technique, which were not within her scope of selection. The second floor had saber techniques, swordsmanship, and various weapon forms.
Zhao Chun raised an eyebrow, not expecting that cultivators would also practice these. The magical arts on the third floor were geared towards enhancing the cultivator's own body. For example, after mastering the Tiger Strength Technique, one could increase their strength threefold.
The Snake Walk Step increased speed by twenty percent. These two spells complemented each other and could greatly elevate the strength of an Early Qi Refining Stage cultivator, making them almost unrivaled among their peers. However, they were of little use against those in the Mid-to-late Qi Refining Stage.
Only partial contents of the magical arts placed on the shelves were displayed to prevent disciples from secretly learning them. It wasn't that middle-grade was necessarily stronger than low-grade; the specific situation depended on the cultivator themselves.
For example, the middle-grade Armor Attachment Technique, once mastered, formed a layer of Qi Armor at all the body's joints, capable of defending against external injuries. However, it only protected the joints, completely ignoring vital spots like the head, neck, chest, and abdomen. A single strike to a vital spot could secure an instant victory.
The reason it was rated as middle-grade was that the Qi Armor itself was difficult to cultivate. But once mastered, it was hard for swords and sabers to penetrate. When paired with the Thick Armor Technique, which specifically protected vital areas, its power could be greatly increased.
In Zhao Chun's opinion, the low-grade Leaf Plucking Sword Art was no less beneficial to a cultivator than a middle-grade one. Its moves were simple and fluid, useful for both offense and defense, making it very suitable for beginners. Its power was decent, and the results were quick to see.
However, in the Hengyun World, a cultivator's spiritual qi was always the foundation, with external objects and magical arts serving as supplements. In their eyes, only mortals and people from small worlds would rely on external objects to establish themselves. Zhao Chun nodded.
She indeed needed to focus on her foundation at the moment, but it would be beneficial to have a few magical arts that could quickly increase her combat strength. She had already offended the purple-clothed youth. He acted perversely, so he must have some backing.
However, seeing that he did not follow up with harsh threats towards Zhao Chun, it meant either the person he relied on was not of high enough status, or he himself was not highly regarded. It was uncertain if that person would stand up for him.
It was an indisputable fact that he had attacked first, so Zhao Chun wasn't afraid of him causing trouble openly. The most hateful thing about such people was their use of insidious tricks behind one's back, which were impossible to guard against. How to increase her combat strength in a short period was her primary consideration now.
For the middle-grade magical art slot, Zhao Chun was inclined towards the Qi Burst Technique. It wasn't like the Tiger Strength Technique or Snake Walk Step which directly strengthened a cultivator's physical abilities. Instead, it mobilized spiritual qi to circulate throughout the body, allowing a cultivator to erupt with double their strength for a short time.
Many middle-grade magical arts were not impressive on their own; they only showed their power when several complementary volumes were practiced together. Zhao Chun only had one slot. Giving it to a magical art like the Qi Burst Technique, which, although slightly less powerful, could be cultivated from a single volume, was clearly the wiser choice.
As for the low-grade ones, Zhao Chun chose the Swift Travel Sword Art. While the Leaf Plucking Sword Art from earlier was well-balanced for offense and defense, it was only suitable for beginners. In Zhao Chun's eyes, its moves were too simple, following the path of winning through brute force.
The reason she could send the purple-clothed youth flying with a kick was because he was too weak, not because she was too strong. She could not use the weak as a standard to measure herself. Strength was, after all, still her weakness.
Zhao Chun was light and small, suited for agile moves. The Swift Travel Sword Art, true to its name, was not only about fast swordplay; its forms also included movement techniques and footwork, allowing one to become as light as a swallow and as swift as the wind.
For such a sword art to be placed in the low-grade section, it could be considered a lucky find for Zhao Chun. With close combat covered, Zhao Chun decided to choose the Single-line Flying Dagger to compensate for her lack of long-range attacks.
If so, she would also need to have some miniature flying daggers custom-made at the sect's Forging Hall. Ordinary ones would be too cumbersome for someone of her size. Among the low-grade sword techniques, there were many that she coveted, but she couldn't afford them, so she could only browse through them briefly and let it go.
After making her selections, she registered them at the counter, and her vacant slots were crossed off. The grey-clothed menial laborer retrieved the complete volumes according to the registered name and handed them to Zhao Chun. During the exchange, besides saying "Here you go," he said nothing else.
By the time she took the smoke boat back to the Daylily Garden, the horizon had already swallowed half of the setting sun. The courtyard was bathed in an orange-red glow, devoid of any human presence. After having dinner at the dining hall, Zhao Chun shut herself in her room and continued her cyclical cultivation.
The next day, she got up early and took a smoke boat to the Forging Hall. The round trip cost another four Essence Stones. With the remaining twelve, Zhao Chun planned to buy a small sword, and whatever was left would be used to custom-order flying daggers.
Upon entering the Forging Hall, the first thing she saw were three walls filled with all sorts of artifacts. Zhao Chun looked them over and found that although there were many items of various types, none were the right size for her. It seemed the sword would have to be custom-made as well.
The menial laborer who came to greet her was tall and sturdy, with stubble covering half his face. He asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything you've taken a liking to?" Zhao Chun shook her head and said, "I'm small, so none of these are suitable."
The man didn't expect her to be so direct and laughed heartily, "That's true, you're still just a child!" After laughing, he guided Zhao Chun into an inner room and said, "Tell me your requirements. It'll be ready in three days, and someone will deliver it to you."
"About the length of my arm will do. I wonder what the price is?"
"A regular sword costs between eight to ten Essence Stones. Since you need a shorter one, six will be enough!"
Zhao Chun thanked him and asked again, "I also need some flying daggers, about a finger's width and a palm's length. How many can be made for six Essence Stones?" The menial laborer thought for a moment and said, "These aren't expensive, but small items are particularly time-consuming and laborious to make.
How about three flying daggers for one Essence Stone, is that acceptable?" Zhao Chun nodded. The order was thus settled.
By the time she returned to the Daylily Garden, her pockets were cleaner than her face—she was completely broke. Speaking of efficiency, the Forging Hall was indeed fast. Early on the third day, someone delivered the goods to her door.
Zhao Chun accepted the items, went to the dining hall to eat, and upon her return, she saw a group of black-clothed disciples blocking her door. One of them asked, "Where is Zhao Chun, the Probationary Disciple of the thirty-ninth courtyard?" She frowned and replied, "That's me."
The leader of the black-clothed disciples saw that she was just a yellow-haired girl, and his expression relaxed slightly. He said, "Yesterday, at the hour of Wei, you fought with Xu Kuangrui, also a Probationary Disciple of the thirty-ninth courtyard, injuring his left rib and causing a fracture. Did this happen?"
"It did indeed happen."
They sure are fast, Zhao Chun sneered inwardly. Seeing that she did not try to hide it, the black-clothed disciple nodded and said, "The sect has a rule that disciples are forbidden from private fighting. Violators will be placed in confinement for half a year.
However, considering this is your first offense and you did not strike first, the punishment is reduced by half. You are sentenced to three months of confinement. Zhao Chun, do you accept this punishment?"
"May I ask this Senior Brother, has that Xu Kuangrui been punished?"
Seeing Zhao Chun evade the question, the black-clothed disciple's expression turned slightly cold. He said, "Of course he's been punished. He provoked and attacked first, so he is sentenced to half a year of confinement."
That's a good deal then, Zhao Chun chuckled lightly and said, "This disciple accepts the punishment." She knew after she attacked that it would be difficult to get away unscathed, but she had also guessed that the punishment wouldn't be too severe. Zhao Chun did not feel that today's outcome was unfair.
Confinement was nothing to someone like her who was used to quiet cultivation, but for someone like Xu Kuangrui who loved a life of pleasure and indulgence, it was no different from a death sentence. It was just the matter of missing the major and minor classes that made her very unhappy.
"In that case, go pack your things and let's go!"
The Lingzhen Sect had established a Repentance Hall for disciples who made mistakes. It was located in a remote area, with no one else for miles around. On one hand, it was a punishment; on the other, the sect hoped that disciples could polish their temperament and cultivate peacefully there.
Zhao Chun sat down in the quiet room and found it even more peaceful than before. Her mood, soured from missing classes, recovered slightly.
(End of Chapter)