The elder slowly nodded her head. “I was informed about that already, so do you have something in mind, or would you like to browse the treasury?”
Shen Yuan didn’t think for long as he answered, “I would like to see the Cultivation Manual section.”
The elder nodded her head and turned around, beginning to walk. “Follow me.”
Shen Yuan followed after her as they crossed one section after another.
After walking for a bit, they both arrived in front of a shelf filled with different cultivation techniques.
Shen Yuan looked at the vast collection of manuals. ‘I might find something worthwhile after all.’
“Here, you can browse the contents of these manuals to your heart’s content and decide if you want to take one of them or not,” the elder said before walking back some distance and sitting down.
Shen Yuan lightly nodded his head and stepped forward, reaching out for one of the manuals on the shelf.
He opened it, flipping through the pages and scanning its contents.
‘If I remember correctly, the peak technique in the Outer Sect was at the Earth Rank, while most of them were on the Mortal and Spirit tiers. On the other hand here… most of them are on the Earth Tier,’ he thought to himself as he glanced up at the other shelves.
‘And this is a Peak-Grade Earth Technique… Blazing Steps of the Meteor? Not bad; it’s on the same level as my Radiant Lotus Slash. Too bad it’s already not enough for me.’ He shook his head and placed the manual back, moving to look at the next one.
Time passed as he methodically browsed through the manuals on the shelves. Each one seemed to hold some value but nothing truly fit him.
“High Grade Earth Technique… ‘Iron Mountain Defense’… why is this technique even in this sect? But it’s good for body refinement—not what I need right now with these physiques.” Shen Yuan sighed as his excitement began to slowly drop.
He continued, moving from one row to the next, occasionally pausing to inspect a technique that looked to hold potential. Yet, each time he put the technique back in disappointment.
“This one… Low Grade Heaven Technique, ‘Celestial Lotus Palm’. While it is strong, it is not suited for my battle style. My lower-level techniques will work better than this one.” Another manual was placed back in its place.
The elder, who had been quietly observing Shen Yuan from her seat, noticed his growing frustration from the lack of suitable techniques, but she didn’t interfere.
Shen Yuan finally exhaled a long sigh and stopped going through the manuals. He had had enough after going through dozens of them.
He muttered under his breath, “The hell, why is this Treasure Pavilion so underwhelming? Nothing here meets my expectations. Either the techniques are too weak or don’t suit my style.”
He turned to glance at the elder, hesitating for a moment. His eyes shifted to the other side of the treasury where hundreds of other shelves were located, emanating enticing auras capable of making any Inner Sect disciple drool.
‘There’s no point in wasting time on other treasures if I can’t even find a cultivation technique that’s worthwhile. I’ll just stack my reward for now and wait until I have better options or resources when I become a Core Disciple.’
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuan walked back to the elder, who looked at him calmly.
“Found something worthwhile?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shen Yuan cupped his hands and shook his head. “Nothing in here interests me. I’ve decided to stack the rewards for now. I will just earn contribution points and wait to gain entry into the Core Sect.”
The elder’s lips curved into a faint smile. “A wise choice. I’ve seen disciples being tempted to take a great treasure from here when they get an opportunity, irrespective of whether it is useful for them or not. Very rarely do disciples like you come who have a clear goal in mind and are not distracted by smaller things.”
“Thank you for your praise, Elder,” Shen Yuan respectfully said.
The elder stood, her flowing robes shifting with her movement as she gestured towards the exit. “You may leave the treasury now. The gate will recognize your identity medallion and grant you leave.”
Shen Yuan nodded his head and walked back towards the grand gates of the treasury.
As he took out his medallion and raised it a bit higher, the gates began to open slowly as the barrier appeared in front of him.
Glancing back, he saw the elder gently smiling at him. He turned around and exited the treasury through the barrier.
… freeweɓnovel.cѳm
[Weren’t you awfully respectful of that elder, Yuan’er? Do you like her already?]
Yue Lan’s teasing voice sounded in his mind as he exited the treasury.
Shen Yuan’s eyes twitched as he felt like slapping her. ‘You know the reason as well as I do; the pressure around her body was at least comparable to Elder Xiang Mei, who is already much stronger than the Inner Sect elders.’
[Hehe, but it’s not a bad option to try to woo her.]
Shen Yuan shook his head as if he couldn’t be bothered with her. “Now… what should I do? I don’t have much to do as my cultivation will reach the peak slowly; no point in hastening it.”
[Oh, I know what you can do.]
[Ding!]
[New Quest: The Forge’s Reputation]
[Objective: Establish yourself as a reputable blacksmith in the Inner Sect within 7 days. Forge at least five Tier 3 artifacts or weapons for Inner Sect disciples and gain positive recognition from at least two Inner Sect elders.]
[Rewards: Second Section of the Primordial Vessel Cultivation Art and 200,000 Chaos Coins.]
[Penalty: Loss of 500,000 Coins.]
Shen Yuan paused in his steps as he focused his gaze on the system panel which manifested in front of him out of nowhere.
“A new quest? It’s been quite a long time since I last got one,” he said as he rubbed his chin and glanced down to see the mission details.
“Blacksmithing, huh. I need to forge 5 Tier 3 artifacts or weapons for disciples within 7 days and need the approval of 2 Inner Sect elders?”
[Bing Rong and Huo Rong won’t count.]
Shen Yuan didn’t bother with that as he asked, “Why this mission, though? Isn’t this just a waste of time?”
[It’s not a waste of time when you have nothing better to do. And you needed to learn different professions as you had planned before. I can’t give you the cultivation techniques without a quest as well. So all in all, it was better to give you a quest,] Yue Lan patiently explained.
“That is all good, but do you understand the absurdity of this quest? People can’t reach this level even after centuries of training,” he said as he continued walking without further looking at the screen.
[Does that matter?]
She mischievously asked.
Shen Yuan confidently smiled, “It doesn’t matter. I need at least this level of challenge to be thrilled.”
[That’s my boy.]
Shen Yuan’s eyes twitched. “Where are you learning this manner of talking from?”