Book Pavilion. Mortal Techniques Room.

Ten contribution points for three hours of unrestricted reading.

The cost of other rooms filled with knowledge completely dwarfed the cost of this one, but the techniques in here were definitely not worthless.

However, Bubai could only ignore the rest for now as he only had time to focus on one specific section.

“Basics of Insect Rearing. Remedies of Fatal Poisons. Journal of Deadly Desert Species...”

These were all books on insect rearing!

Why the jump into the field of insect rearing all of a sudden?

Well, that’s because Bubai had never forgotten about the bug implanted inside of him by the Golden Core Ma Pei on the ship!

After some discreet research, he determined it to be the popular yet infamous Heart Gu – a scorpion-like insect refined by cultivators using a Gu technique to control disobedient disciples and servants.

Of course, Bubai still lacked access to such a powerful technique at the moment.

In fact, his wasn’t even seeking the cultivator’s Gu technique. Refinement could only be done by cultivators of the Foundation Establishment realm or higher. Thus, his current goal wasn't to control others or free himself.

Instead, he was in the mortal techniques room, and his immediate interest was the mortal version equivalent of the cultivator’s Gu technique! This was sufficient for his current objectives!

Unlike what he gleaned from the descriptions of the cultivator's Gu techniques, the mortal version was decidedly down-to-earth, primarily teaching the method to raise insects that had yet to be refined.

In essence, it involved basic breeding and mundane insect raising that even a mortal child could do.

Certainly, this job was definitely not suitable for children due to the nature of the bugs being raised.

Heck, even adults would find this job difficult and even fatal!

Only specific types of bugs were popular in the Sun Furnace sect, and most of them were venomous.

The poison of some of these bugs were no joke, and there were some rare ones that were even fatal to Foundation Establishment cultivators!

When he flipped through the pages, even Bubai hesitated at the thought of handling some of the bugs he briefly glimpsed in the books. The images and short descriptions were simply appalling.

This was definitely a deadly profession he'd rather avoid.

Alas, he his options were limited and he felt compelled to take on this profession not only because of the implanted bomb inside him.

While exploring the market for alternative ways to make money beyond the main secondary professions of cultivators, Bubai had considered various side jobs.

Unfortunately, all of them were time-consuming, dangerous, and even required very specific skill sets.

Insect rearing was no exception, but when he encountered a cheap insect vendor, on a whim, he still bought some insect eggs to test his conjecture.

He had long been aware of his mysterious green Qi's nourishing effect, even on others, especially after he “nourished” them.

This led him to wonder if his Qi could have similar effects on other creatures.

To his excitement, test results confirmed his suspicion: his green Qi significantly reduced the hatching time of the eggs. He even suspected that his mysterious green Qi could accelerate their growth and may even have other beneficial effects!

Despite these miraculous findings, he had refrained from further testing due to the inherent risks involved. Using his hidden storage space, he discreetly disposed of the insects - crushed shortly after they hatched, avoiding the probability of his unusual behavior being reported.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Now, he was gearing up to revive this abandoned venture by acquiring the relevant knowledge.

This not only served to supplement his understanding of these little critters but also provided a convenient excuse for his future insect-rearing activities.

Armed with the proper knowledge, he could strategically decide what to conceal and what to deliberately reveal, ensuring he didn't attract too much undue attention and suspicion.

Still, engaging in this venture posed significant risks, as it could leak the mysteries of his green Qi, particularly to high-level cultivators capable of discerning peculiarities with their spiritual senses.

Aiming to reduce this risk, his strategically decided to conduct sales when most powerful cultivators were absent, but he knew it couldn’t completely eliminate the risk.

Nevertheless, this remained a necessity to achieve his current goal - earning money!

Don’t underestimate this side profession because many of the mortal tribes of the desert rely on this chain of supply to earn a living from the sect! Even some of the sect disciples rely on this profession to earn a side income!

Though insect rearing had less earning prospects than cultivation-related secondary occupations, it would still be a steady trickle of income for his nearly dry reservoir.

Of course, the necessary precautions must be taken due to the risks involved. Countless lives of mortals and even cultivators had paved the way for the wisdom recorded in these books. He certainly didn’t want to be one of them…

He didn’t dare to raise these poisonous little friends without acquiring the relevant knowledge.

Hence, here he was.

Unfortunately, in contrast to many combat techniques that were typically recorded in a single manual, profession knowledge can’t fit in one book.

Indeed, mortal professions, such as painting, calligraphy, insect rearing, and others, may lack the extensive depth of their cultivator counterparts, but each profession still encompasses a considerable amount of knowledge distributed across various books.

Mastering these mortal techniques requires an interconnected comprehension gleaned from this sea of books.

In the mortal techniques room, the collection of insect rearing books may be completely available, but the sheer volume of books made it impractical to cram all the information at once.

For effective learning and mastery, Bubai could only prioritize and focus his efforts on one specific area - the topic that interested him the most: scorpion rearing.

“Hopefully three hours is enough…” Or he’ll have to go overtime again.

Entrance Hall.

Just as Bubai emerged from Section D, his steps slowed upon noticing a man, clad in a clean white robe, waiting before Granny Shu's desk. The man had his arms crossed behind his back, with an inner disciple token hanging on his waist.

Encountering another disciple here was a rare sight, and even rarer was the familiarity Bubai felt with this particular individual.

Scanning the side profile of the man, taking in his arched nose, slightly darker skin tone, and the smug expression on his youthful face, Bubai's memory stirred.

Wasn't this the middle-aged guy he had bumped into during his tour in the Public Commons? But, he had become younger?

As if sensing Bubai's gaze, the man threw a glance in his direction. Catching sight of Bubai's face, a sneer appeared before he turned his attention back to Granny Shu.

Holding a jade slip in her hand, Granny Shu opened an eye to peek at the man. She then released the jade slip, lightly pushing it and sending it floating through the air towards him, “Young man, this is the technique you want.”

Seeing the old lady’s display of power, the man restrained his smug grin.

Clasping the jade slip with one hand, he placed his hand across his chest and bowed slightly, “Long Batian thanks the elder.”

Granny Shu waved her hand dismissively and closed her eyes, rocking in her chair.

Long Batian's lips twitched subtly, but he didn’t dare to say anything to the old lady.

Instead, he threw a fierce glare in Bubai's direction.

Then, with a swish of his sleeve, he turned and stormed out of the pavilion.

Bubai silently watched the man leave before stepping towards the counter, saluting towards Granny Shu, "Junior thanks Shu Po Po for her leniency."

“FuFuFu… It doesn’t matter. Rarely anyone visits the mortal technique room and it’s a waste for the books in there to eat dust.”

Granny Shu peeked at him with one eye, a slight frown on her face, “But young Bubai, you rested for a couple of days, and this old lady can still sense your deficiency from a mile away...”

Bubai bowed slightly, a wry smile playing on his lips. “The other members of the sect are preparing for the upcoming event, and junior also had to pitch in…”

“Hum.” Granny Shu pursed her lips as her squinted eyes scanned him up and down, “Very well. Just one more day. But this old lady is sure young Bubai knows what this old lady wants to see when you return...”

Bubai did his best to put on a genuine smile, “Disciple Bubai will ensure ten times the effort.”

As the heavy double door creaked shut behind him, Bubai descended the stairs, ready to head back to take care of the bugs he had recently acquired.

To his dismay, just a couple of steps down the street, a familiar man abruptly emerged from the shadows, blocking his path!

Crossing his arms, the man’s blue eyes fiercely locked onto Bubai. It was Long Batian!

Secretly vigilant inside, Bubai’s eyes swept towards the nearby Book Pavilion.

A sneer hung on Long Batian’s face when he noticed Bubai’s gaze, “Don’t look. I won’t touch you here.”

Refocusing on his opponent, Bubai raised a brow. “What do you want?”

“I just want to let you know. Keke…” A low laugh leaked from Long Batian's mouth as he raised one hand to point towards Bubai.

His provocative gaze locked onto his victim as his hand slowly turned over, giving his opponent a thumbs down.

“Your woman. I will make her mine.”