After settling Lin Yao down, Su Ming sat cross-legged inside his quiet chamber, the storage ring resting in his palm. He was eager to finally look inside.
"The Sect Master gave it… I should expect some good items."
With a thread of his divine sense, he looked within—then froze.
Pills, herbs, fruits, artifacts—piles upon piles of goods stared back at him. A low-grade mystic sword carved with a coiling cloud dragon, a sleek flying sword, fifty Qi Condensation Pills, twenty Foundation Building Pills, a hundred Spirit-Replenishing Pills, twenty Healing Pills, and two low-grade marrow cleansing pills, three defensive talismans, and a small mountain of low-grade spirit stones.
Su Ming's jaw dropped. Then he let out a low chuckle.
"I knew the sect was rich…" His voice cracked, caught somewhere between laughter and disbelief. "But this rich?"
He silently thanked Elder Xuan twice.
His grin widened.
He shook his head, muttering more to himself than anyone else. "No, no, calm down. This isn't charity. This is a payment. Sect Master Jun said it himself. Elder Xuan once saved his life. This is the Sect Master settling an old debt, nothing more. Which means…"
His eyes gleamed, sharp as blades. "The sect is willing to provide resources for White Lotus Peak. I have to prove myself. And if I want more, I'll have to earn it."
He exhaled slowly, lips curving into a wry smile. "Good. That means I can trust the system. At least it's fair in its own cruel way. As long as I play by its rules, there is a way forward."
Still, he couldn't help it. He spread his arms wide over the glowing treasures and laughed softly.
"But damn… at least I don't have to feed my first disciple moldy rice anymore."
****
The morning air was crisp, carrying warm sunlight. Su Ming walked at the front, hands clasped behind his back, while Lin Yao followed half a step behind. Their first destination was the Registration Hall, where disciples came to formally inscribe their names into the sect's records.
The hall was as busy as ever, bustling with new disciples guided by seniors, the air full of chatter and the rustling of robes.
When the master-disciple pair entered, a few glanced their way, strange looks lingering for a moment before drifting back to their own tasks. By now, both Su Ming and Lin Yao were somewhat used to such stares.
When Lin Yao received her sect robes and the polished jade identity token engraved with White Lotus Peak, her eyes lingered on it. To others, it might have been just a piece of jade, but for her, it was proof - she had truly become a disciple of the Heavenly Cloud Sect.
The day before, handyman disciples from the Provision Hall had delivered several carts of goods to White Lotus Peak. Bags of rice, fresh grains, dried meats, jars of spirit herbs, fruits, and even spices.
For the first time in years, the empty kitchens were full, enough to last half a year. His hunger is fading gradually these days, thanks to his rising cultivation, but even so, it was a relief.
From the Registration Hall, they moved on to the Grand Library. The towering structure stood before them like a temple of knowledge, its spiraling towers stretching into the sky, mystical patterns glowing faintly across its walls. Inside, rows of shelves and jade slips stretched into the horizon.
Su Ming stepped forward confidently, presenting his jade token of White Lotus Peak.
"Greetings, Elder Yan," Su Ming said with a polite bow. "I have come to browse the archives. This is my first disciple, Lin Yao."
The elder overseeing the library, a white-robed man with long eyebrows, studied them for a moment. He seemed to recognize them and replied with a subtle nod. Yesterday's events had clearly made an impact, Su Ming thought.
Still, he kept his posture low, bowing once more with sincerity.
"Follow me," Elder Yan said simply.
They were led to the ground floor of the library. This section held shelves upon shelves of general knowledge - sect history, cultivation basics, maps of the surrounding lands, illustrated guides to spirit and demonic beasts, and medicinal herb catalogues.
Su Ming carefully scanned the contents, requesting copies of several useful scrolls to be sent to White Lotus Peak. General maps, introductory cultivation texts, manuals, and basic medicinal guides. Nothing special, but enough to give Lin Yao—and himself—a proper foundation.
He remembered his first time setting foot here as a lowly handyman disciple. He had exchanged his hard-earned contribution points for three hours of study. As a handyman disciple, one can not leave the library with the books, so he had scribbled notes.
Even now, that knowledge is helping him survive.
And now look at me, he thought, lips curling faintly. Walking in as an Acting Peak Master. Life is nothing if not dramatic.
Soon, they ascended to the first floor, where the true heart of Mortal Realm cultivation was kept. Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation manuals lined the shelves.
"Walk around," Su Ming said. "See if anything feels right. Don't force it. Cultivation techniques aren't just about power—they carry fate."
He had already made up his mind. He could never fully play the role of a lofty, all-knowing master, nor could he keep pretending to be one. Still, if he could not explain something, he would simply call it fate. That much, he could manage.
Lin Yao nodded timidly and drifted among the shelves.
"Given that I don't have a golden finger system that points out who the protagonist is, I can't confirm her role for certain," Su Ming mused inwardly, "But her aura… it was eerily similar to that frost phoenix girl yesterday. Logically speaking, she should be destined to follow some sort of Heaven's Chosen template in the future as well."
"But that's a problem for later. For now, better to let fate do its thing. A Heaven's Chosen always finds their own opportunities. I don't have to force it."
Su Ming turned to the shelves himself, eyes sweeping the Mortal Realm section. Soon, he found two sword techniques.
Azure Cloud Sword Technique and Serpent Fang Sword Technique.
At a glance, both looked impressive, but with the Halo of Insight, their inner workings became clear. Azure Cloud flowed like mist; Serpent Fang struck like a coiled viper.
He took them both. "Average or not, White Lotus Peak needs a collection. Maybe someone will find them useful one day."
He moved on to spiritual techniques—fireballs, water strikes, wind blades, and some utility techniques. The Halo revealed their inner mechanics as if they were no more complicated than formulas. He took several of them.
"Honestly," he muttered, "they're no harder than algebra once you know the method. Sadly, so many people waste their lives memorizing instead of understanding."
Then, tucked between scrolls, he found something different.
Phantom Sword Manifestation—a high Mortal-level technique that condensed qi into sword constructs.
Su Ming's lips curved. "Now this… this is useful. Portable, versatile, and flashy as well. I'll take it."
In the flame section, most manuals were ordinary. Only two seemed somewhat special under the Halo.
Ember Breathing Art, a steady cultivation method, and Blazing Heart Mantra, a technique of explosive fire. He added them both.
And then, among the mental arts, one more caught his eye. Tranquil Lotus Mantra, a technique to sharpen focus and perception.
"Perfect."
He did not forget to check the dusty corners of the shelves either. After all, he had read enough webnovels to know that special techniques were usually tucked away there. Sadly, he found nothing.
By the second floor, restrictions grew heavier.
Lin Yao's status was technically similar to that of an Inner Disciple. Even though White Lotus was considered an outer peak, as Su Ming's personal disciple, she enjoyed certain privileges. She could take one text from each section on the first floor.
As for Su Ming himself, his token allowed him to take anything from the first floor. A formal Peak Elder would have held the same freedom on the second floor as well, but in his case, access there was restricted. His title carried some weight, but not the full authority.
His Acting Peak Master token gave access only to the general knowledge section. Combat and cultivation techniques were locked, but theoretical texts on all three mystic realms were available.
And that was exactly what he wanted.
He activated the Halo again, flipping through scroll after scroll, his mind absorbing everything. From afar, it looked absurd—a handyman-turned-acting-peak-master skimming the scrolls and books like a monkey pretending to read.
"Does he think cultivation is a race?" one disciple whispered.
"Pointless. He won't remember anything," another sneered.
The overseeing elder frowned but said nothing. Only Su Ming knew the truth. The Halo compressed and integrated everything into his comprehension.
Four, maybe five hours later, he finally descended with a stack of jade slips and scrolls tucked into his storage ring. Elders cast strange looks at his choices, but none stopped him.
Authority was authority, even for an Acting Peak Master.
At the base of the library, Lin Yao was waiting.
Her hands were empty, looking a bit lost. When she saw Su Ming, she lowered her head. "Master… I—I couldn't find anything. Nothing called out to me. I know I have failed, and I thought… maybe you would be disappointed."
She bit her lip, fingers tightening around her sword, then forced herself to look up. But in her eyes, there was no excuse - only resolve.