The Scripture Pavillion was located close to the Bottomless Lake, on the southeast side of the city. Perhaps the proximity to the formation centre afforded it more protection during an attack—it certainly stuck out like a sore thumb. A square tower, pitch-black and dotted with white stars, stood several stories tall before it suddenly stopped. It was as if a giant had come and sheared it in half, tossing the other half who-knows-where.

The inside was dark, barely lit up by the occasional floating wisp. The lights sputtered randomly, devouring each other on contact, and when one ran into Jun, it sent a cold spark through his body. The walls of the tower were adorned with inlets holding jade slips, and next to them, the name of the technique was inscribed on the wall. Further inside, he could make out a grand staircase, climbing up into the darkness.

From the shadows emerged an old man, hunched over and carrying a lantern. Inside was trapped a grey fairy, though Jun could only guess its true colour. It desperately knocked on the confines of its cage, silently calling out.

His sudden appearance scared the crap out of the disciples in the front, and even Huang Jie appeared to be disturbed by the old man. Jun instinctively growled at the strange figure, his ears pulling back and his body low to the ground.

“New disciples. I see. Come here, hand me your badges,” he said, his voice like a dying whisper.

‘There is no reason for a librarian to be so creepy,’ Jun thought.

“Cultivation techniques are to the left, magical techniques to the right. You may only choose one of each. Only death awaits those who venture to the second floor.” With that said, the darkness swallowed him whole, and he was gone. Even his scent disappeared.

“You heard him. Choose something that corresponds to your spirit root. You’ve got an hour here before your time runs out.” Huang Jie added, standing to the side.

The kids scattered across all directions, Chen Hao included. Jun curiously followed him, committing to memory all the strange names.

“Wings of Acheron, Shapeless Wind Mantra, Art of Hurricanes, Profound Melody Art,” Chen Hao pondered, taking the jade slips.

As he did, he paused for a few seconds before putting them back.

“Weird... The information about the technique is already in my brain. I didn’t even read the thing,” he said, slightly dazed. A moment later, he shook his head, regaining the spark in his eyes.

There were truly a large number of cultivation techniques. After the boy was done with the wind section, he moved on to the water cultivation techniques, but even after he was done with those, he couldn’t make up his mind. How could someone who had never seen the cultivation world be able to make a wise decision? Even if Jun wanted to help him, he had nothing to base the information on due to those damn jade slips.

‘Tch. He’s got such a great source of information a few steps away, yet he chooses to ignore it.’

With those thoughts in mind, Jun followed Li Xia’s scent to the fire section of magical techniques. She was carelessly strolling through, and he watched her pick a technique by closing her eyes and spinning in a circle.

“Juuunnn,” she squealed with delight. “What are you doing here? Did your owner abandon you?”

“Come and guide the helpless bastard, please,” he said before quickly running off. Li Xia shouted in surprise, trying to catch him. And so, an epic chase ensued.

“Wha-” Chen Hao whirled around as Jun slammed into his leg, nearly knocking him to the ground. Behind him was Li Xia, who grabbed Jun with all of her might. She lifted him like a prize, spinning him in the air as she laughed.

“You need to pay more attention to Jun. Why are you taking so long to pick out a simple technique?” she asked, putting the dog down.

“There are so many different techniques, and they all seem so good,” Chen Hao smiled, holding four different jade slips in his arms.

Li Xia quickly scanned the names of the water cultivation techniques. Then, she pointed at a technique called the “Ninth Abyss Lake Art.”

“If you can’t choose, pick that one.”

Chen Hao took the jade slip, scrunching his eyebrows as he thought. After a very long time, he came up with an incredibly profound question.

“Why?”

“Because I know a senior in the inner sect who cultivates the same technique. Besides, it’s an art that comes from ‘that place’, which will help you blend in on your first expedition once you join the inner sect,” Li Xia said with full conviction, unaware that her answers had raised even more questions.

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“That place?”

“Mhm.”

Jun let out a laugh. The brat was getting played like a fiddle. No matter how much more he asked, Li Xia simply pretended to be dumb. After all, what could he do if she didn’t want to answer. Eventually, Chen Hao settled for the cultivation art. He was also learning, because it didn’t take much encouragement for him to ask Li Xia what magical technique to pick.

“The techniques here aren’t particularly good. Besides, you can’t know what arts or artifacts you will encounter while cultivating. I would just choose something versatile.”

Jun thought the advice wouldn’t lead Chen Hao astray, but, as it turned out, he was completely wrong. The brat had the audacity to pick something called the Water Mirror Technique. According to his words, it was a highly versatile technique that, at low levels, would allow him to scry on both locations and people, and at high levels, it would even allow him to read fate and ask questions of the heavens.

“What happened to the classics? A defence technique, or, even better, a movement art. Treading Water Steps, Ice Barrier, or even Ocean Splitting Sword. Hell, there was the entire wind section as well.” Jun howled in discontent, and even Li Xia looked at the brat strangely, but ultimately, she remained silent. While a fate technique in theory was powerful, it would take a long, long time to master it. He wasn’t sure they even had a year.

Happy with his choices, Chen Hao idly chatted with Li Xia as they waited for everyone to finish choosing. During this rare moment of boredom, Jun realised an extremely important issue.

‘Wait, what the heck am I going to cultivate? Not a single technique named “Golden Dog Art,” or “Miraculous Canine Transformation.” Besides, I don’t even know what my spirit roots are, so how could I choose a proper technique?’

This thought sent him into a deep and painful spiral. What if dogs couldn’t cultivate? What if he was the first dog to ever attempt it?

“It’s over, brat. You’ll go into secluded cultivation, and once you emerge, your dear friend will be a pile of bones.” Jun hung his head low, sulking and whining.

Despite that, the damn kid didn’t pay any attention to him. He was too busy with girls to even notice Jun’s existential crisis.

“From today on, I’m a free dog. No chain can bind me, and no master can call me his own. No, Chen Hao, don’t even try to stop me,” he sighed, side-eyeing Chen Hao. Even this was not enough to draw his attention.

“I’m really going. Any moment now. Three, two, one...”

Not even a single look back from brat. Jun was really tempted to snatch the jade slip and play fetch with it.

“Whatever. You’ll be begging me for help when I become the first dog immortal in the world. One bark from me and you’ll be singing.”

The hour quickly passed as Jun listened to Chen Hao’s lame stories. He had no clue how the boy was coming up with them—he hadn’t set foot outside the village. Still, Li Xia enjoyed them. Eventually, the old, creepy man appeared once again, creating copies of the jade slips on bamboo strips for the disciples to bring along.

Then, the great tour was almost done. Huang Jie once again led them through the busy streets, heading to the outer edges of the sect. This journey was the hardest one so far. Each step was a gruelling fight with oneself, and, despite the sun shining bright, the group was clad in a heavy aura of depression. It all stemmed from one factor—they had gotten too used to the spiritual force in the air. Now that they were heading away from the Bottomless Lake, the spiritual force dimmed, and it was like someone was draining their very life away from them.

Finally, they reached a long, rectangular building, carved from simple stone. Basic in design, it lacked the grandeur they had seen throughout the city. A large sign, worn with time, said “Outer Disciple Quarters.”

“This is where you’ll be living for the next year unless you choose to find a source of spirit stones and move out early. In your rooms, you will find a beginner’s manual explaining the various cultivation terms, how to start sensing spiritual force, and how to transform it into inner qi.”

The faces of the common disciples were a sight to see. They had been given a tour of the most majestic places in the city, breathed in the best spiritual force, and then had it all forcefully taken away from them.

“As outer disciples, you shall receive ten low-quality spirit stones and three Meridian Cleansing Pills every month. From now on, my job here is done. I will be returning to the inner sect. I hope that one day, some of you may also join it.”

When he finished addressing the group, he walked up to Sun Ping and grabbed her arm.

“One of the elders will want to take you as a disciple. Come, let’s head to the inner sect.”

Without giving her time to even say goodbye, Huang Jie shot through the air, leaving a burning streak through the air. Jun had the feeling that Sun Ping was waving goodbye to him, even from that far away.

“There goes that. I was hoping to show her how her parents were doing once I learned the Water Mirror Technique,” Chen Hao sighed, looking into the distance. What a surprise. Jun had truly thought he didn’t care for her.

The rest of the disciples were still standing in shock, though Jun noticed the snake man had disappeared at some point. Ominous.

“I’ll be heading out as well. Find me once you settle in,” Li Xia waved goodbye, starting to walk away.

Jun saw Chen Hao’s expression flicker between confusion, hope, and then disappointment.

“You won’t be staying here?” he asked.

“Although I said to my mother that I want to climb from the outer sect myself, I’ve still got a few contacts. One of my friends has a place closer to the lake,” she said, turning back.

“And how can I find you?”

She shrugged, and he likely didn’t notice how her eyes lingered on Jun for a few seconds. Chen Hao let out a huge sigh, struggling with his defeat as he watched her leave.

‘She’s too smart for him.’

“Well, I guess it’s just us from now on.” Chen Hao said, looking up at the giant sign. Hope reignited itself in his eyes, making them sparkle under the sunlight. He never was the person to stay sad for long.

“Shall we give this cultivation thing a try?”