Chapter 9: New in the Shop! The Scripture Pavilion!

It was already late at night, but Lin Yang had just reached Foundation Establishment. He was full of energy and not the least bit sleepy.

“Sleep? If I still slept eight hours every day after becoming a cultivator, what would be the point?”

He sat cross-legged again and circulated the Primal Qi Refining Scripture. But after one cycle, he’d absorbed a pitiful amount of spiritual energy.

【Current technique is suitable only for the Qi Refining realm!】

【Due to the player’s realm, actual cultivation efficiency has fallen to 0.03%!】

【Player is advised to switch to a tier-two Foundation Establishment technique!】

Lin Yang stopped. “Seriously? I just broke through, and my Qi Refining technique has already stopped doing any work?”

The scripture hadn’t become worse. It was simply designed to help cultivators refine qi. At Foundation Establishment, the spiritual power in his body had become true essence, so the old circulation route no longer worked well. To continue cultivating, he needed a tier-two Foundation Establishment technique.

The problem was, he didn’t have one! The Qingyuan Sword Sect certainly did, but as an outer disciple, he would first have to accumulate sect contribution points. Lin Yang didn’t have time for that. He was the man who planned to reach Golden Core in seven days!

He opened the shop to look for a Foundation Establishment technique. At the top of the page appeared an ancient-looking golden tower.

【Congratulations! Player has broken through to Foundation Establishment!】

【New feature unlocked: Scripture Pavilion!】

【Player may spend Insight Jade Slips to draw random cultivation techniques, spells, sword arts, movement techniques, and other cultivation inheritances of the current tier!】

【Current Scripture Pavilion tier: Two!】

【Highest available quality: Epic!】

【An epic inheritance is guaranteed within 120 draws!】

Lin Yang’s eyes lit up. “Drawing for techniques?”

He knew all about this! Drawing cards had been his favorite part of mobile games. Back then, however, he hadn’t had much money. Before making ten pulls, he had to consult guides and decide whether the pool was worth it. Afterward, he had to figure out what he’d eat the following month.

Things were different now. He had a whole big spirit stone!

【Insight Jade Slip: 1,000,000 low-grade spirit stones!】

【Ten Insight Jade Slips: 10,000,000 low-grade spirit stones!】

【Discounted price: 0.01 low-grade spirit stones!】

Lin Yang grinned at the discount. Ten million for ten draws sounded frightening, but for him a ten-pull cost only 0.01 spirit stones!

“A penny for ten pulls? Who needs a guide? Draw!”

He tapped the button. The Scripture Pavilion’s doors boomed open, and ten white jade slips flew out, spinning in midair. Eight blue lights and two purple ones!

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Chain Fireballs!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Golden Light Shield!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Wind Riding!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Little Rain Cloud!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Dust-Cleansing Art!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Earth Wall!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade sword art: Greenwood Sword Art!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two high-grade spell: Breath Concealment!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two rare spell: Wave Making!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two rare sword art: Hundred-Pace Flying Sword Art!】

Ten technique slips landed before him. Lin Yang picked up Little Rain Cloud. It could form a small rain cloud and provide continuous rainfall over an area.

“Isn’t this the sort of spell an imperial preceptor uses to pray for rain in novels? If Qingyao ever needs water for her spirit plants, I can make it rain for her. Though she’ll probably learn it at the beast-taming sect herself.”

There had been no epic result, but ten tier-two inheritances had cost only 0.01 spirit stones. What more could he want?

“Keep going!”

The second ten-pull!

【Tier-two high-grade spell: Spirit Eye!】

【Tier-two high-grade movement technique: Flying Feather Steps!】

【Tier-two high-grade spell: Vine Prison!】

【Tier-two rare spell: Five Thunder Palm!】

…

The third ten-pull! The fourth! The fifth!

Blue and purple light flickered through the chamber, and jade slips soon formed a small mountain before Lin Yang: Mysterious Water Shield, Blazing Sun Palm, Golden Edge Sword Art, Old Wood Rejuvenation, Wave-Treading Steps, Frost Finger, Thousand-Vine Binding, and more. There were techniques for attack, defense, healing, travel, and concealment.

An outer disciple of the Qingyuan Sword Sect would need months of contribution points for a single tier-two high-grade spell. Only inner disciples were eligible to exchange points for rare spells. Lin Yang got several in a single ten-pull!

Yet he kept watching for gold. Blue meant high-grade, purple meant rare, and only gold meant epic.

“Where’s the gold? Am I still so unlucky in this world that I need the guarantee?”

【Current draws: 110!】

【Draws until guaranteed epic: 10!】

The notification fired him up. “One last ten-pull! Come on!”

The twelfth ten-pull began. Nine slips flew out: blue, blue, purple, then more blue. When the tenth appeared, the entire Scripture Pavilion shook. Boom! A column of gold burst from it, filling the chamber with light. A golden jade slip carved with sword patterns descended before Lin Yang.

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic sword-control art: Splitting Sword Shadows Art!】

【Once mastered, it can split one flying sword into numerous sword shadows!】

【The number and power of shadows depend on technique mastery, soul, and true essence!】

【At perfect mastery, up to 108 sword shadows can be created at once!】

【This is not the complete technique. It has three volumes: the first for Foundation Establishment, the middle for the Violet Palace Realm, and the last for Core Formation.】

“A hundred and eight sword shadows!”

Lin Yang sprang to his feet. It didn’t matter that the technique was incomplete. As long as the other volumes were in the Scripture Pavilion, he could draw them and reunite the whole family. He wasn’t afraid of a technique being hard to obtain; he was afraid it wouldn’t be powerful enough. If the Foundation Establishment portion was this impressive, the Violet Palace and Core Formation volumes were exciting to imagine.

“Of course you have to learn sword control after joining a sword-cultivation sect! Chain Fireballs can wait!”

A hundred and twenty techniques covered the floor, far too many to leave out. Fortunately, items from the shop could go straight into his system inventory. He admired the golden slip for a long time before reluctantly putting it away.

The first round had yielded an epic sword-control art. What would the second bring?

“Keep drawing!”

Another 120 pulls sent jade slips raining down. As the second guarantee approached, the Scripture Pavilion again burst with dazzling golden light.

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic body cultivation technique: Mountain-and-Sea Prison-Subduing Body!】

【Once mastered, it can absorb spiritual energy to temper the body!】

【The technique has nine levels. Each mastered level greatly increases strength, physique, and bodily defense!】

【At perfect mastery, the Prison-Subduing Battle Body can be condensed!】

【This copy contains the first three levels.】

“A body cultivation technique! Looks like, apart from basic techniques, this is how the top techniques work. It makes sense: a technique that can be completely mastered at Foundation Establishment can’t be all that powerful. It’s like math and physics. What you learn in middle school, high school, and university is different, but it’s all still called math and physics.”

He seized the slip. He’d been thinking his strength and physique were rising too slowly. His basic technique mainly improved his realm and true essence; a stronger body needed dedicated body cultivation. Now a tier-two epic body technique had practically delivered itself!

“Excellent! Scripture Pavilion, you’ve got some good stuff! One more round!”

The third round of ten-pulls began. Lin Yang was completely hooked. A full 120 pulls cost only 0.12 spirit stones. If that much money fell on the ground, he might not even notice it!

Halfway through the third round, he obtained two rare spells: Lightning Escape and Great Five Elements Sword Array. One was for getting away; the other could combine with the Splitting Sword Shadows Art. By any reasonable measure, both were excellent. But after getting epic techniques, Lin Yang found rare ones a little less appealing.

“I never knew I was so narrow-minded.”

At the 120th draw of the third round, another golden column shot upward. This time, familiar wisps of purple threaded through the light, and the primal true essence inside him began circulating rapidly.

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic Foundation Establishment technique: Primal Dao Canon: Foundation Establishment Volume!】

【Player has already cultivated the Primal Qi Refining Scripture!】

【Both techniques belong to the same inheritance!】

【Player may switch seamlessly without dispersing current true essence!】

When Lin Yang read the name, he nearly jumped for joy. “Holy crap! Talk about perfect fucking timing! I was just short a Foundation Establishment technique, and here it is!”

They came from the same source. Switching was seamless. He wouldn’t need to convert his true essence again or worry about conflicting techniques. He could cultivate it immediately!

Three guarantees: an epic sword-control art, an epic body technique, and an epic Foundation Establishment technique. Cultivation, body, and attack—all covered!

He looked at the mountain of jade slips, bliss coursing through him. Drawing techniques was addictive! He had meant to stop and learn the Primal Dao Canon: Foundation Establishment Volume first, but his hand wouldn’t obey.

“One more. Just one last draw!”

Fourth round!

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic movement technique: Nine Heavens Lightning Escape!】

Fifth round! A burst of luck—two golds!

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic soul cultivation technique: Supreme Yin Spirit-Refining Scripture!】

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic spell: Azure Emperor Rejuvenation!】

Sixth round!

【Congratulations! Player has obtained a tier-two epic sword array: Ten Thousand Swords Returning Array!】

Gold lit the chamber again and again. Lin Yang grew more excited with every draw. “I’ve got healing! And soul cultivation! No weak points left! Wait—what if there’s a weak point I haven’t thought of? Keep drawing!”

Then he remembered the two hundred low-grade spirit stones Fang Qingyao had given him. She had told him to buy good robes and a few protective talismans. Now there was no need for all that trouble. What could protect his life better than a mountain of epic techniques?

He took out the gray pouch and deposited all two hundred stones into the shop.

【Deposit successful!】

【Deposited: 200 low-grade spirit stones!】

【Billionfold Price Reduction applied!】

【Actual shop purchasing power gained: 200 billion low-grade spirit stones!】

Two hundred billion! His breathing quickened. A ten-pull normally cost ten million. Two hundred billion would buy twenty thousand ten-pulls: two hundred thousand draws!

At one guaranteed epic every 120 draws, even if he were so unlucky that none appeared early, he would get over sixteen hundred epic inheritances!

“More than sixteen hundred epic techniques!” Happiness nearly knocked him senseless. Huang Bin had thought the twenty thousand spirit stones from his master would carry him straight to the top. Lin Yang’s current purchasing power was ten million times that!

“Qingyao, I haven’t wasted a single one of your two hundred spirit stones.”

He looked back at the Scripture Pavilion, his eyes almost glowing gold. “No sleep tonight! Another hundred ten-pulls!”