A group of fairy mountains where the energy of heaven and earth was abundant.A place where immortals and beings that could be considered almost divine settled to cultivate immortality.
On one of the peripheral mountains, where the servant disciples resided, the person in charge of assigning tasks finished distributing the month's work and left without looking back.
"Ugh… this month I have to manage the mine again. It's too exhausting…" a young man said, a bit dejected.
"Junior Brother Wu Huang, what task were you assigned this time?"
The young man beside him, slightly shorter and with a slender figure, smiled faintly upon hearing the question.
"Managing the Vault of Knowledge."
"That's great!" he exclaimed, although his tone did not sound entirely convinced. "Managing the Vault of Knowledge helps a lot with mental cultivation… and with some luck, you might even find a useful technique or martial art."
Junior Brother Wu Huang glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"Brother Wang Xiong… I don't know how many times you've said that. You don't need to keep repeating it. I understand better than anyone how that place works."
The young man, named Wang Xiong, scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. Then, as if remembering something important, he added:
"By the way, I heard that Zhang Qingchuan has advanced in his cultivation. He's reached the fifth level of Qi Refinement. It seems he will soon stop being a servant and become an outer disciple."
"I'm glad for him," Junior Brother Wu Huang replied calmly. "He has talent, and besides, he's quite diligent."
Wang Xiong spoke again, this time with curiosity:
"Brother Wu Huang… don't you plan to become an outer disciple? With your knowledge and talent, it shouldn't be that difficult."
Junior Brother Wu Huang shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine as I am. I don't have much interest in advancing along the path to immortality."
Wang Xiong frowned.
"Then… why did you join the sect? Wouldn't living as a mortal be enough?"
Wu Huang remained silent for a moment before responding, exhaling lightly:
"It's not like I had a choice."
It had already been two and a half years since he arrived at the sect.
He had not originally belonged to this world.He was a reincarnator, from a world without cultivation or martial arts. A world of ordinary mortals, completely different from this one, where cultivators could move mountains, command the seas, summon wind and rain… and even aspire to immortality.
In this life, his identity was not simple either: he came from a powerful family. However, due to various circumstances, he was forced to leave it. To avoid being found, he spent all his resources to enter this Celestial Sword Sect as a simple servant disciple.
They parted ways shortly afterward, and Junior Brother Wu Huang finally arrived at the Vault of Knowledge.
"I greet Elder Mo," he said, bowing respectfully to the elderly man guarding the entrance.
The old man, with a white beard reaching his chest, observed him as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Young Wu Huang, have you been selected once again to organize the Vault?"
Wu Huang nodded.
"Yes, Elder Mo. I was selected once more, and I hope to carry out the task correctly."
"Of course," the elder replied with a faint smile. "Enter directly. You know the rules: you may only access the books that are given to you, and organize them in their corresponding places. Do not touch anything else, under any circumstances."
"The disciple understands."
The elder nodded and motioned toward the entrance.
"You may enter."
He entered immediately, and a person greeted him at once.
"Hello, Elder Su."
"Scholar Wu Huang, it seems you were selected once more," Elder Su replied.
"There's no need to call me that; I'm just a simple servant disciple."
"Don't speak nonsense. You are the person who knows all the books in this vault the most; perhaps in the future my position could even be taken by you."
"Elder Su, you are very generous to this disciple."
"Well, here is your batch. If you find anything that shouldn't be there, you can hand it to me directly, and I will inspect it," she said, pointing to a pile of more than a hundred different books.
Seeing them, he couldn't help but frown.
"I'm sure it's usually fifty… why is this pile twice the usual size?" he asked Elder Su.
She smiled mischievously and replied:
"The number of disciples bringing books to gain contribution points has recently increased, so, consequently, the number of books you must inspect has also increased. Don't worry, you will be properly rewarded for your service."
Wu Huang nodded slightly and walked toward the pile.
He stretched a little and extended his hand.
"Celestial Book," he murmured.
A book appeared beside him. It was spectral and seemed extremely ancient.
As soon as he touched it, the book glowed, and its knowledge passed directly into his mind.
A slight dizziness swept over him, but, accustomed to it, he didn't move at all and simply took another, repeating the process.
Once he had finished with twenty books, he sighed in exhaustion and sat to the side, crossing his legs and meditating to restore his mental stamina.
"Exhausted?" a voice called.
Wu Huang looked up and couldn't help but frown.
"Mu Qinlian? What are you doing here?" he asked.
A beautiful woman with black hair and dark eyes greeted him with a slight smile.
"Brother Wu, how are you?" she said gently.
Wu Huang immediately shook his head.
"Don't call me Brother. You've already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage; I'm still at the Qi Refinement Stage," he replied firmly.
Mu Qinlian completely ignored his comment.
"Brother Wu, have you considered my proposal?"
Wu Huang paused for a moment before closing his eyes.
"No, I haven't considered it… and I don't intend to accept it," he replied immediately.
"Do you find me unpleasant?" she asked, a hint of sadness on her face.
"Not at all. Although you weren't among the sect's five beauties, saying you are ugly is far from the truth."
"Then why won't you accept?"
"You have a bright future ahead. Don't try to set it aside for passing emotions."
Mu Qinlian lifted Wu Huang's face, forcing him to look at her.
"Is cultivation so important? What's the point of living a thousand years if I can't be with the person I love?"
Wu Huang calmly moved her hand away.
"You should return. You've just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage; you should consolidate your cultivation before coming to see me."
With a sad expression, Mu Qinlian finally turned around.
"I'll see you later, elder brother…"
Wu Huang did not bid her farewell.