Startled by her question, Bubai averted his gaze, a flash of confusion muddling his mind as he instinctively mumbled, "Apologies."

The young lady, unruffled by his response, continued to gaze at him, curling a strand of her silver hair around her finger with a casual elegance.

"Fufufu, I don't mind," she said with a mischievous smile, her tone playful yet filled with a mysterious allure. "If you want, we can even proceed to more fun activities this time."

Bubai looked back at her in shock, his eyes instinctively scanning her once more.

Yes, definitely a budding beauty, but the fatal attraction exuding solely from her appearance dwarfed even Jia Fei and Xiao Hong.

However, as quickly as surprise had registered, a firm resolve settled in his gaze. Bubai’s eyes became dull and he shook his head, refusing the tempting proposition. "No, thank you.”

Bowing his head, he returned to his task, determined to resist the enchanting distraction before him.

It wasn’t because he was really an honest man. He had his fair share of indulgence with women, and the otherworldly beauty before him was undoubtedly a candidate he didn’t mind adding to his record sooner or later.

However, he knew better.

Silver hair and that distinctive laugh. Even if she had changed to a young face, voice, and figure, in this library, who else could it be?

Once he mentally replaced this beauty with her true image in his imagination… let’s just say all urges were instantly lost in the vast sea of books.

With an unclouded mind, he was able to maintain focus on more pressing matters - like the words she spoke.

It was just a casual remark, but she said... This time? This was the first time they met, right?

Oh wait, it’s true that she had long met him under another identity, and this was likely a slip of tongue on her part.

However, he should still feign obliviousness to avoid tipping her off that he had already guessed her true identity. Acting games like these were his favorite.

Bubai, his task seemingly momentarily forgotten, looked up with a solemn expression etched on his face as he posed the question that lingered in the air, "Beautiful Miss, have we met?"

“Hum?” The young woman, caught off guard for a moment, let out a playful exclamation, “Right, right! Almost forgot."

“Fufufu…” Then, with a graceful gesture, she straightened in her seat and introduced herself in an elegant manner, "Where there are books, there is this fairy. I am the Shu Ling of the Book Pavilion."

“…” A moment of stunned silence followed as Bubai processed this blatant revelation. Oi. Can you be anymore obvious?!

Though shocked inside, he still managed to keep his composure, responding with a polite nod, "Bubai. Mo Bubai. It’s a pleasure."

Shu Fairy pouted slightly at his composed reaction, "Humph, always like this."

???

Always? This should be the first time he suavely introduced himself like this, right?

Though a hint of confusion lingered in his eyes, Bubai remained calm. Now, why would she seek him disguised under another identity? Could she really be seeking companionship at night? No way...

Maintaining his composure, Bubai inquired, "Then, may I ask why Shu Ling is looking for me?"

“Fufufu…” Shu Fairy leaned forward, her silver hair cascading gracefully, as she gazed at the young man with her starry eyes.

Tilting her head, she placed it delicately in her hand, revealing a hint of mischievousness as she began to speak. “Naturally, this fairy was attracted by your scholarly demeanor. This fairy believes we have a lot in common. So, this fairy had come to see if you have anything interesting to share.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Bubai listened intently, but couldn’t discern the truth from the falsehood.

Puzzled yet intrigued, he adjusted the brush in his hand and couldn't help but ask, "Oh, and what is Shu Ling interested in speaking about?"

“Fufufu…” Shu Fairy's eyes sparkled as she replied, "This fairy happened to be interested in the so-called pyramid scheme!"

Huh? Bubai's face stiffened in shock. Naniiiii?! Pyramid schemes?! Do cultivators in this ancient world still know about pyramid schemes?!

Bubai hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. The concept seemed so out of place in the historical setting of this era.

Noticing his surprise, Fairy Shu leaned forward, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders as she enticed him with another offer. "If you tell this fairy this time, maybe this fairy can point you the way to your troubles..."

“…” Bubai's mind raced, processing the unusual proposition.

Indeed, he had sought her for advice on his cultivation troubles. Even if he hadn’t, it wasn’t difficult for a powerful cultivator like her to deduce the fact he was preparing for establishing a foundation, especially after noting his completion of the Body Nourishment Stage.

While he could hide the Qi in his dantian to conceal his real cultivation, his saturated body will still reveal his progress unless he employed a proper Qi-restraining technique.

Well, restraining and hiding his cultivation was not conductive for seeking help anyways.

So, he was willing to disclose some mixed truths to her in exchange for guidance.

In the end, he got no good advice except many book recommendations, each one becoming a pit that swallowed his precious contribution points.

Indeed, they were informative about foundation establishment, but the books didn’t enlighten him as he hoped.

He wasn’t seeking for an immediate breakthrough, but he was at least hoping for details on the hidden points of his cultivation method or anything that could increase his chances.

Well, she made him realized he was hoping for too much.

In the end, he reluctantly spent the last of his contribution points to access the mortal techniques room to pick up some martial arts, a fallback plan to bolster his combat prowess.

Even if he couldn’t achieve a breakthrough, he could still fight back and play dodgeball…

He assumed that would mark the conclusion of this matter, intending to redirect his efforts back towards saving for his dream technique...

However, it seemed the patient fisherman was waiting for him here.

He understood the implied exchange - knowledge for guidance.

After a moment of contemplation, Bubai didn’t hesitate further. As long as he doesn’t reveal the true secrets, trading some rather tasteless knowledge for guidance was totally worth it.

“Alright, if this is what Shu Ling asks for, then Bubai will deliver...”

So, Bubai took a deep breath and began to explain the wonders of a pyramid scheme. “The pyramid scheme, a topic that perfectly fits with the desert theme of our sect...”

As Bubai’s words flowed, the air around the duo seemed to fluctuate with dream-like energy. Even the tomes on the shelves seemed to listen intently, as if drawn into the unfolding conversation between the scholarly scribe and the fairy of the library…

“Huh?” On the ground, Bubai sat up.

The abrupt awakening left him disoriented, his dazed expression betraying confusion as he looked around the Classified Section – still packed with old tomes and scrolls, yet there seemed to be something… or someone missing?

"Wait a sec...What was I even doing?" he muttered to himself, his mind struggling to catch up with reality.

His eyes then fell upon the completed scroll lying not far from him, the ink now dried and the meticulous script already filling the parchment.

A spark of realization flickered in his eyes. "Oh, that's right. I was waiting for the scroll to dry. Did I doze off? Strange."

Man, he must be overworking himself lately ever since he failed-

Amidst this moment of self-reflection, Bubai suddenly sensed a peculiar fluctuation within the very core of his existence.

A subtle awareness nagged at the edges of his consciousness. His expression shifted, and he instinctively delved into the mysterious space within him.

Inside, the mysterious runic language forming the shell of the mysterious space were pulsating once more, as if resonating with another entity.

The dense green mist that usually calmly roamed around in his mysterious space had also become turbulent, churning and undulating like waves!

The cause? His senses immediately focused on the seed nestled in the heart of this space.

Since completing his saturation, except the few outlets of feeding his pets, gathering memory Qi, and maintaining a full-time buffed state, he was stuck with nowhere else to expend his excess Qi that he habitually gathered.

Ever since, his seed had been voraciously devouring all the excess Qi he had gathered.

Not only that, it had also continued to devour all the memory Qi he gathered, seemingly never reaching satiety.

So, he guessed some of obstacles hindering his breakthrough might be his insufficient Qi to activate the next stage. He was patient and willing to grind, and while days slipped away without a hint of change, he also explored alternative solutions just in case.

Thus, the days crawled forward, and he expected it would be a long grind, but now… there was suddenly a change!

The previously dormant seed was now vibrating with an abnormal frequency, sending tremors rippling through the entire space!

Growing out from the seed, the sprout also exhibited subtle twitches, as if its bud was on the verge of blooming!

A mixture of excitement and bewilderment surged within Bubai. "Is this... a sign of natural promotion?!"

Wow! What kind of arbitrary plot device is this?! It came like a bolt from the blue, but…

Will Bubai finally breakthrough to Foundation Establishment?!