Arthur's earlier concern never came to pass.
The elders of Mount Shu knew perfectly well which medicines their sect master should take. Although Ranni's assault had been fierce, her control over power was impeccable.
Dao Xuan hadn't suffered any serious injuries. With healing pills and a period of rest, he would be fully recovered.
And that beating hadn't been for nothing.
By personally experiencing Ranni's Dark Moon, Dao Xuan gained valuable insight. Once his injuries were fully healed, he could begin preparations for a breakthrough.
Arthur and the others stayed in Mount Shu for several days afterward. After all, it would be rather impolite to beat up the sect master and immediately leave.
During those days, following Arthur's suggestion, Hermione also gave Daoist Qingxuan a beating.
Transforming into her magical cat Animagus form, she used Dragon-Blood lineage spells to leave Qingxuan bruised and swollen, his face a complete mess.
The elders watched with great satisfaction. It became clear that Qingxuan's popularity within the sect was… lacking.
After being defeated by Hermione, Qingxuan felt utterly humiliated and dragged his disciple, Li Xuanjian, into closed-door cultivation.
As a result, Huoxuan handled Arthur and the others' hospitality during their stay.
Arthur quite liked Big Sis Huoxuan.
More precisely, he enjoyed dealing with straightforward people like her—Li Xuanjian was the same type.
People like that spoke plainly, without twists or schemes. Conversations with them were comfortable.
Huoxuan also seemed not to have given up on her idea of taking Arthur as a disciple. While chatting, she would casually steer the conversation toward alchemy and artifact refining.
Arthur, however, possessed both Snape's potion-making inheritance and Sellen's alchemical knowledge—essentially foreign equivalents of Eastern alchemy and forging.
At first, Huoxuan was merely trying to pique Arthur's interest. Before long, it turned into genuine academic discussions between the two.
Their thoughts collided constantly, and both made noticeable progress in their respective fields.
At one point, Huoxuan asked Ranni how to comprehend Dao Rhyme—how to find one's own law.
Ranni's answer, however, left Huoxuan deeply disappointed.
Ranni's law had formed naturally during her growth in the Lands Between.
For beings like her—born Divine—there was a seed embedded within them from the moment of birth.
That seed grew by feeding on experience, power, and understanding of the world. When it matured, it blossomed into a unique personal law.
Cultivators like Huoxuan lacked not effort, but a way to touch Dao Rhyme itself—simply put, an entry method.
Once again, Huoxuan had asked the wrong person.
A few days later, Dao Xuan came to visit Arthur and the others—not to cause trouble, but to express his gratitude.
Judging by his radiant appearance, it was obvious he had successfully broken through.
"Congratulations, Sect Master Dao Xuan," Arthur said. "Your strength has advanced again."
"I have this Daoist to thank for that," Dao Xuan replied, bowing respectfully toward Ranni.
"Just don't blame me for injuring you," Ranni said calmly.
During their stay, the Mount Shu disciples had treated them with nothing but courtesy, despite Ranni having injured their sect master. That goodwill prompted her rare display of politeness.
"It was nothing serious," Dao Xuan said. "I've already recovered."
Then he continued, "As thanks, I can grant you one request—so long as it doesn't violate my principles."
Ranni looked at Arthur, leaving the decision to him.
"To be honest," Arthur said, "we're quite interested in your sect's sword-flight techniques. Might we borrow them for a look?"
Arthur had long been curious about Mount Shu's sword arts. He'd previously asked Huoxuan if she could teach him, but she had refused.
Sword-flight wasn't particularly precious within Mount Shu—one could even call it a basic discipline. Still, it was a sect technique, and Huoxuan couldn't transmit it freely. This was a decision only the sect master could make.
Dao Xuan pondered briefly before replying,
"Sword-flight is indeed a sect art, and I cannot pass it on casually. However… I could appoint the three of you as guest elders. What do you say?"
His intentions were obvious.
Even Hermione—the weakest among the three—could overpower Qingxuan. Ranni was far stronger than Dao Xuan himself, and Arthur's depth was unfathomable.
Failing to recruit such powerhouses would mean Dao Xuan had lost his mind.
Arthur saw right through him and raised an eyebrow.
"You're sure? We're only here to travel. We'll be returning to Britain soon and won't be able to fulfill elder duties."
Dao Xuan smiled.
"Guest elders have very few obligations. You'd only need to assist if the sect faced a crisis. In return, guest elders may enter the Scripture Pavilion and consult our techniques. The sword-flight art you want is there."
With things laid out so clearly, Arthur found it hard to refuse.
More importantly—that final sentence was irresistible.
Access to Mount Shu's library was something a collector like Arthur simply couldn't turn down.
Seeing his agreement, Dao Xuan produced three tokens and handed them over.
"These are guest elder tokens. They serve as proof of identity—please keep them safe."
Dao Xuan didn't linger long. After a brief conversation, he departed.
Arthur noticed faint traces of unstable aura around him—his new realm clearly hadn't fully settled yet.
As sect master, Dao Xuan was diligent indeed. He came out before stabilizing his breakthrough, all to avoid slighting Arthur and to recruit guest elders for the sect.
After Dao Xuan left, Arthur asked Huoxuan to guide them to the Scripture Pavilion.
"The Pavilion has five levels," Huoxuan explained.
"The first four correspond to the realms of Essence Refinement, Qi Transformation, Spirit Reversion, and Void Integration. They contain techniques created or collected by our predecessors, along with anecdotes and historical records."
"As for the fifth level," she continued,
"the techniques there are sealed—either too destructive, too harmful to the heavens, or too demanding. Only the sect master or those with exceptional merit may enter."
Huoxuan led them inside after showing their tokens to the guardian elder.
Arthur looked around, uncertain.
"These are… transmission jade slips?"
"Oh? Sharp eyes," Huoxuan said approvingly.
"The Pavilion used to be filled with books. Maintaining them was a nightmare. One refining elder got fed up and invented these transmission jade slips."
Arthur couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
As expected—laziness truly is the greatest driver of progress.
Hermione picked up a jade slip from a nearby shelf.
"Just press it against your forehead," Huoxuan instructed.
Hermione did so, and information immediately surfaced in her mind.
The jade slip recorded a simple fire spell—similar to Incendio, but much weaker.
Which made sense. First-floor techniques were meant for Essence Refinement disciples. Anything stronger would drain them dry in a single use.
"This is incredibly convenient," Hermione exclaimed. "Harry would love this."
She remembered Harry complaining about Hogwarts textbooks being too heavy. Ron had once even asked why people couldn't read books with their eyes closed.
Arthur, however, was more concerned about something else.
"Do these jade slips wear out?" he asked.
"Of course. But they all have backups. If one breaks, we replace it."
Huoxuan's tone carried a hint of irritation.
The jade slips had been invented by a refining elder—maintaining them naturally fell to her.
Arthur said nothing more. Instead, he examined the shelves thoughtfully, a sudden idea forming in his mind.
He extended his mental power and gently touched a jade slip.
Its contents flooded directly into his mind.
Arthur's eyes lit up.
Just as he'd suspected—these jade slips could be read directly through mental power.
The Pavilion had strict rules: no elder or disciple could borrow too many slips at once.
Arthur had assumed this meant his dream of "packing up the entire library" was impossible.
But now?
Transmission jade slips—and direct mental access.
For Arthur, this was perfect.
With his immense mental strength, he could imprint the contents of every jade slip into his mind, then study and master them at leisure—
Just like he once did with Slytherin's legacy.
To read 90+ future chapters, head over to Patreon:
patreon.com/WhiteDevil7554