The elder put down the cultivation manual on the table and replied, "He introduced himself as Xiao Ming."
Ye Tian Yun was shocked for a moment. Takking a deep breath he digested what he had just heard. Now he had a gut feeling that his plan was most probably going to be a failure and the manual that he had been aiming for all this along was again going to be in Xiao Ming's hands.
The manual which could practically change the upcoming future was out of his grasp, however, he still had a tiny bit of hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, there was a slight chance that Xiao Ming missed the manual and it is still there, on the Third Floor.
But he was indeed a bit nervous because if Xiao Ming did find the manual last night, it could affect his future plans and will most probably make it harder to get his revenge.
While Ye Tian Yun was lost in his thoughts the Elder in front of him didn't notice the changes in his expression he continued to say, "After Xiao Ming, it is you who has decided to exchange his Rank 4 Cultivation Manual with a manual from the Third Floor."
"To me, this act of exchanging your reward is just stupid. You guys should understand the value of the Rank 4 Cultivation Manual. I have already told you that you may never get a chance like this again and you should understand this fact. I even told Xiao Ming about this and tried to put some sense into him but he ignored my words and still insisted to go to the third floor."
"Your reward is a Rank 4 Cultivation Manual which you can actually take back to your cultivation abode and practice for the next few months. But if you choose to go to the Third Floor, you will get only a few hours, of which half of the time will be wasted in choosing a manual. In the end, you won't even have half of a day to study the manual you chose. You will be wasting future opportunity you should understand this."
"In my honest opinion, if you do choose a manual from the Third Floor, " the Elder then shook his head before he continued, "Either you will become a normal disciple due to this decision or you will become trash. And in the future, your path to breaking through the Qi Stabilization Realm will definitely be a long and harsh one."
Ye Tian Yun had to bite his tongue for stopping himself from laughing after hearing the elder's words. He had already reached Qi Stabilization Realm ages ago and if not for the Token of Fate which was going to be in possession of Xiao Ming, he wouldn't have hidden his cultivation and come to the sect.
As for all the advice that he had just received, it was useless for him. Other than the fact that all the manuals on this Floor were trash for him, the manual on the Third Floor was very important and precious.
...
The Elder seeing no response from Ye Tian Yun, sighed and got up from his seat, put back the cultivation manual on the shelf. He then said to Ye Tian Yun, "Kid, follow me. I will take you to the Third Floor. However, let me remind you again that you can't take anything outside from the third floor and you will be only allowed to enter there once. You can stay and study the manual you chose till dusk."
As the elder saw Ye Tian Yun nod his head in acknowledgment, he turned and headed for the spiral stairway.
Ye Tian Yun followed him, a bit nervous and expectant to find the manual on the Third Floor.
...
The Third Floor of the Martial Book Pavilion contained manuals related to Alchemy, Poison Arts, Blacksmithing, and there were even a few manuals related to the Arcane Path.
Ye Tian Yun was eyeing for a certain manual on the Arcane Path, which in his previous life was the main cultivation system that made Xiao Ming a genius above his peers.
This manual was a bit special. It was not in the records of the Martial Book Pavilion, which meant that this book didn't officially belong to the Gracious Sword Sect and could be taken out. This is what helped Xiao Ming get his hands on this manual and keep it for himself. However, it was a coincidence that Xiao Ming found out about this manual, but now, Ye Tian Yun already knew about it and was about to take it away.
Once he got his hands on this manual, Ye Tian Yun would be able to slow down Xiao Ming's cultivation path and if Ye Tian Yun was lucky enough, maybe the manual could help him in his cultivation too.
With these thoughts flowing through his mind, Ye Tian Yun entered the Third Floor full of expectations.
However before he could even step onto the floor, he was hit by a depressed mood. It wasn't a good feeling. Made him recall some bad days full of frustration from his previous life when God's Legion created huge troubles for him in the Middle Heavens.
...
The Third Floor gave off a weird feeling which would discourage anyone from stepping in. If the outside world could be considered as colorful and calm, this floor was colorless and depressed. Everything felt dull here. Even the disciples who were studying had their shoulders down, face paled, and eyes blanked.
Even the Elder who came with Ye Tian Yun now had a very unpleasant expression, as if this floor made him remember something very terrible from his past, something which was no less than torture to him.
The Elder then took a deep breath and said, "You go in. If anyone asks, just tell them Elder Xie allowed you."
Before Ye Tian Yun could even respond, the Elder had turned around and 'ran' back to the Second Floor.