Morning. Tower Lounge.

Seated at the table, the expressionless Xiao Lan delicately held a bowl of spirit rice in her hands. She scooped up a spoonful and brought it to her lips with a grace that resembled a beautiful doll.

Beside her, Bubai lounged with his head propped up on his hand, savoring the sight before him.

Simultaneously, he chewed on his ration of dried meat, his mind attempting to piece together the hazy memories of the previous night's stimulating experiences…

Alas, his recollections seemed vague, as if he had been in a state of drunk intoxication during the events.

It was a perplexing situation. Clearly, his memories had somehow been absorbed by the strand of Qi.

Bubai wasn’t sure how a fragment of his memory could be stored in a simple strand of Qi; it just didn't logically make any sense.

However, he simply attributed this to the mysteries of a fantasy cultivation world...

Silently, Xiao Lan continued to eat, bite after bite. Bubai, lost in thought, gazed at her in silence.

Unable to resist his gaze, Xiao Lan glanced over momentarily. Then, she scooped another spoonful of rice before extending it toward Bubai's mouth, pulling him out of his reverie.

Bubai only smiled and with a gentle nudge, he redirected her arm back toward hers.

Tilting her head slightly, Xiao Lan inquired, "Don't want?"

Bubai, still grinning, swallowed his dried ration and replied, "No, I just like watching you eat."

Xiao Lan's expression remained unchanged, but she lowered her head, focusing on her bowl of spirit rice.

Bubai continued to smile, observing the clear contrast between the fragrant spirit rice and his simple dried ration. Yet, he felt no reluctance.

His decision not to engage in dual cultivation and waste away Xiao Lan's cultivation unless absolutely necessary remained steadfast.

Naturally, the issue he had unexpectedly caused needed to be rectified. Feeding Xiao Lan spirit rice was a choice made after draining her a part of her Qi from her sweet, saturated body during their experiments.

Certainly, this arrangement wasn't meant to be indefinite. According to their estimation, the slight stumble in her cultivation could be remedied with a couple of meals of spirit rice.

Of course, Bubai ensured she was well-fed, giving her a bit more than she asked for. For cultivators, benefits was the best temptation and incentive...

Anyhow, this was a minor hiccup, not a significant problem. The true problem lay in the mysterious seed absorbing Bubai's memory Qi.

Despite testing the situation multiple times with the twins last night, each strand of memory Qi he accumulated was devoured by the seed, regardless of its quality.

Not only that, after each consumption, there were no discernible changes or returns in his mysterious space. The sole change was probably the loss of a strand of his green Qi.

Of course, recovering this loss wasn't hard, especially with the activation of his mysterious Qi-gathering formation.

While continuous use on a large scale risked exposure, Bubai could afford quick bursts of activation in spaced out intervals, provided he avoided the line of sight of powerful cultivators.

Though these quick bursts wasn’t enough to significantly boost his cultivation, it was enough to balance the cost of his expended green Qi.

This was a necessity to prepare for and recover from WeiWei’s monthly visit. The Qi consumed by the seed was minuscule compared to the demoness.

So, with this lowkey method of using his mysterious Qi-gathering formation, regardless of how many strands the seed consumed, there was no significant loss.

Alas, this did little to address the core issue.

Even at this moment, Bubai was still persistently circulating his Qi using the dream catching method, and he felt the pleasure he was experiencing drained away each time the strand of Qi passed through the “Pleasure Meridian” in his head.

But even with pleasure out of the equation and the lacking signs of improvement, Bubai was undeterred, continuing his memory collection.

He didn’t believe there would be no change forever. The lack of change now was probably due to insufficient quantity. Persistence was the key to success.

As for whether these memory Qi will affect his seed negatively... Bubai didn’t worry.

If his golden finger was truly vulnerable and scrapped by minor external influences like these, then he might as well not rely on it.

In fact, he even hoped for changes, whether good or bad, as it would allow him to adjust his tactics accordingly.

But, it seems the seed has returned to its good old days, purely devouring his memory Qi, just like it once did with his gathered Qi.

Fortunately, Bubai didn’t feel depressed or frustrated by the situation. Only a calm, patient mind can achieve big things.

His current situation simply mirrored the days at the Cloud Sword Sect, where he firmed his will and steadfastly fed his golden finger's insatiable appetite, oblivious of its limits and when success would be achieved.

After eight years of relentless effort, Bubai was rewarded with his golden finger’s awakening.

Now, he was undergoing the process for the second time. The only difference this time was his hope that it wouldn't take another eight long years...

Nevertheless, preparations for the worst-case scenario were necessary.

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Just in case it really proved to be extremely time-consuming, he must find other ways out, and passing Granny Shu’s test became the first pivotal step he would take.

He was not doing it merely for contribution points but for the chance to supplement his shallow knowledge.

If he had access to more information, he might unveil similar historical cases and maybe even the reasons behind his predicament. High-end knowledge – that was one of the keys to opening his own path forward.

And it was almost time to set off in pursuit of this future.

As Bubai crammed the last of his dried ration into his mouth, his gaze shifted downward to Wei Yi, who was diligently finishing her breakfast under the table.

Savoring the fleeting moments of pleasure before they faded away, Bubai then adeptly circulated the new strand of memory Qi toward his dantian.

As the memory Qi disappeared and materialized in his mysterious space, Bubai examined the green strand contaminated with faint wisps of pink - clearly of inferior quality compared to the strands he gathered through his experience with Xiao Lan.

It seems these mortal-quality strands could only be used to supplement the quantity. Quality-wise, he will need a good partner, and Xiao Lan may be his only source. If so, his stash of spirit rice will have to suffer.

But Bubai was unwilling to do this unless it was a last resort because the gains from harvesting Xiao Lan is definitely less than directly consuming the spirit rice himself. It was just a natural loss of energy in the transfer process.

After watching his seed gobble up the strand of memory Qi, Bubai exited his mysterious space, shaking his head slightly, disappointed with both the quality and the pleasure he felt.

This cultivation method truly drained away the enjoyment of dual cultivation.

While he might not feel the impact in the short term, the prospect of a long-term lack of pleasure was unsettling.

No wonder there was a warning about losing the sense of pleasure and a risk of degeneracy.

Preparation for Foundation Establishment was a test of willpower in itself. Only those who persevere could stand a chance in the journey of seeking immortality.

Of course, completely forgoing even an ounce of pleasure throughout his cultivation journey was a foolish method to approach his goal.

He wasn't a sage nor was he at the stage of severing his emotions. Therefore, he certainly wouldn’t torture himself and risk his sanity for the sake of progress. This may even be counterproductive, doing more harm to his progress in the long term.

More haste, less speed.

He just needs to ensure a good progress in his memory Qi collection without overshadowing and ruining his fun time. So, he’ll have to find a balance between pure experience and cultivation.

“Good girl.” After rewarding the efficient Wei Yi with a pat for her cleaning efforts, Bubai stood up, pulling on his pants.[modern_footnote]Wait, why??? Obviously, nothing is happening, right?![/modern_footnote]

Bubai glanced over at Xiao Lan, who was finishing her spirit rice, "Um, Xiao Lan, I'm off. If you finish the spirit rice before I return from the test, just make do with rations. I’ll make sure to bring back more."

Xiao Lan silently nodded, her gaze briefly trailing over to the Wei Yi crawling out from under the table before returning her attention to her rice.

"Master, good luck. Wei Yi will wait for master to return with success," Wei Yi bowed slightly, offering a smile as she watched Bubai's departing figure.

North District. Book Pavilion.

The gentle swaying of Granny Shu's rocking chair gradually subsided, and her closed eyes slowly opened. “Hum. Young Bubai is finally here.”

Bubai, standing respectfully in front of Granny Shu's desk, offered a respectful salute. “Disciple Mo Bubai is ready to undergo Granny Shu’s exam.”

“Good. Good. A young man who keeps his promises.” Granny Shu acknowledged with a nod and reached into her satchel, hanging on her rocking chair.

In a display defying her age, Granny Shu swiftly retrieved a thick stack of blank paper from her seemingly small satchel.

Surprisingly, the size of the stack exceeded the dimensions of the satchel. Clearly, the satchel was a spatial storage bag!

Silently, the paper stack appeared on her desk, accompanied by an inkstone, inkstick, and a brush.

“Fufu, young Bubai, here are the tools you need for the examination. This old lady has taken the time to prepare it for you.” Granny Shu gave him a warm smile.

“…” Staring at the tall pile of paper sitting on the desk, Bubai could already feel his hand hurting from the impending test.

Granny Shu gestured toward Section D, “Now, go, young Bubai. Your test this time is to copy the ‘Legends of the Sunfire Desert’ in its entirety. It is in aisle 3 of the general information room you visited many times. You know where it is. When you are done, bring it to me, and this old lady will check its quality.”

“Yes, Disciple Bubai heeds Shu Po Po’s orders.” Saluting once more, Bubai efficiently stowed the calligraphy tools into his small pouches and hoisted the weighty stack of paper.

“Remember, this is a test. So, there will be no rewards, and you can’t leave until you are done… Fufu, this old lady hopes young Bubai doesn’t disappoint me.”

Bubai nodded in acknowledgment before he proceeded towards the hallway to the right.

Section D. Room 5.

Upon entering the general information room, Bubai's attention was immediately drawn to the shelves teeming with old books, scrolls, and scriptures.

“So many… at least hundreds, right?” Moving his eyes away from the shelves, Bubai scanned the room.

Stone stools and tables were strategically placed in the large room for reading, and the ambient glow from the luminescent stones embedded in the walls resonated with the essence of preserving knowledge.

Now, this was what a library should look like. As he arranged his paper and tools on the table, the musty smell of paper certainly aroused nostalgia in Bubai.

But this scene wasn’t too surprising. In this world, mortal means for storing information was still prevalent. Sects often employed this method as a cost-effective, cheaper alternative to jade slips.

Jade slips were the primary data storage medium for cultivators, renowned to be a long-term storage method with the durability to last millenniums. This was why it served as the principal means for sects to preserve and pass down their foundations.

However, the quality of the jade determined the storage capacity, with low-quality jade slips unable to even record extensive historical texts.

Furthermore, jade mines are a rare resource, especially those producing high-quality jades that can store more data, making jade slips a limited commodity primarily used for storing the true foundations of big sects, such as cultivation methods and techniques.

In contrast, mortal means, such as books and scrolls, were favored for relatively less critical content like recent histories, small maps, logistic records, stories, legends, and other non-cultivation-related content.

However, though these mortal methods were cost-effective and despite the longevity of these mortal methods, they often succumbed to deterioration and destruction over time.

Additionally, many records stored through mortal means can also become outdated.

These were all concerns that high-level cultivators tended to outlive.

So, to maintain their sect’s knowledge foundation, new copies must be made.

Unfortunately, the people of this world still hadn't delved into researching mortal means like the printing press.

Cultivators had invested a lot of time into researching cultivation-related methods, but they clearly had no intention of promoting changes in mortal productivity.

Or maybe some cultivators had done so, but had failed to pervasively spread such tools through the vast world.

As a result, the task of copying books remained prominent.

Finding the task book in the aisle, Bubai carefully extracted the thick, tattered volume, sending a cloud of dust scattering when he gently blew the cover. Noting the couple of loose sheets in the tattered book, Bubai understood why this was his test.

Free labor at its finest.

"It seems this will take a while."

But Bubai felt no sense of urgency or displeasure. This was one of the books he had yet to read, and Bubai was happy to take his time.

After all, Bubai was aware that while such content might not hold the same value as a sect's foundational knowledge, it was still very valuable, especially when sold to the loose cultivators and interested people in the mortal world.

However, sects generally frowned upon disciples independently selling foundational knowledge of the sect.

Adding onto this, the time-consuming nature of copying, the existence of already circulating versions, and the risk of severe punishment from the sect discouraged most members from engaging in this practice… Well, at least on the surface.

A similar thought ran through every profiteer’s mind: As long as you don’t get caught...

Of course, for Bubai, the path of selling knowledge was a last resort. Right now, his primary goal wasn't monetary gain but the enrichment of his knowledge.

Now, what interesting information would he glean from the pages of the “Legends of the Sunfire Desert”?