That was why the reward was one token plus three Spirit Stones.
Most servants couldn't afford the reading fee of three Spirit Stones, though few of them would choose a Jade Scroll anyway. But whether one chose to or not was their own business; whether the option was available in the first place, however, was a matter of the Sect's honor.
The two didn't hesitate, heading straight for the entrance on the left.
Past the left entrance, just ahead, was an unmanned counter covered with numerous Array Light Screens that resembled tablet computers.
Zhang Deming glanced at them and, thanks to his past life experience, instantly understood what they were.
It was a smart directory.
Over the past ten years, Zhang Deming hadn't encountered such scenes often, but he had grown accustomed to this peculiar blend of sci-fi and ancient aesthetics.
This seemed to be the aesthetic of the Hongmeng Realm. The world of ordinary people, including the numerous Miscellaneous Affairs Courtyards, was steeped in a purely ancient atmosphere with an incredibly slow pace of life.
But from the Outer Sect onward, thanks to the unprecedented prosperity of the Array Dao and Artifact Dao within the Miscellaneous Arts, the various array and artifact technologies—or rather, Spiritual Technology—were by no means less advanced than those of his past world.
It was simply that these technologies were not available to the general populace.
Unique cultural and historical factors, coupled with the nature of Spiritual Power, had likely led to the current social structure and state of affairs.
With a little help from Zhang Deming, Zong En figured out the directory and went straight off to find his Spell.
Zhang Deming first noted the locations of the few techniques he had in mind but didn't go to retrieve them immediately.
The book section was different from the Jade Scroll section.
With the Jade Scrolls, you could only see an overview and had to pay a fee to read the full contents.
A single use would imprint the entire text into your mind, consuming one of the Jade Scroll's limited charges in the process.
In the book section, however, you could freely browse all the books right here.
If you were capable enough to memorize an entire Spell within a day, you could simply take a different book with you on your way out.
That way, you'd get two Spells for a single token.
But... if someone had the talent to memorize a Spell in a single day—a near-photographic memory—would they really be hurting for these low-level Spells?
In the Hongmeng Realm, all techniques and Cultivation Techniques were divided into four levels: Sutra, Canon, Law, and Secret. Each level was further divided into low, mid, and high grades.
These four levels and three grades made up the twelve tiers of techniques in the Hongmeng Realm.
For instance, a Tier One Technique was Secret Level Low Grade, a Tier Two Technique was Secret Level Mid Grade, and so on.
And every single technique, regardless of its level, was incredibly difficult to learn.
People with a talent like a photographic memory generally had excellent Spirit Roots and were by no means short on such low-level techniques.
They wouldn't even consider wasting massive amounts of time and energy to learn something so incredibly basic.
Zhang Deming already had a rough goal in mind. Since he had the entire day, he was in no hurry. He approached a bookshelf, planning to browse through the quaint, ancient-looking tomes.
'Even if I can't memorize them, I can at least browse and expand my knowledge.'
But when he took down the first book and opened it, he froze.
As he took down a quaint-looking book and opened it, a tiny, golden speck of light flew directly from the book and into his eye.
Zhang Deming froze for a second, then checked himself over for a long moment, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
In his Dantian, only the small droplet remained, suspended in the void.
He summoned the editor panel; on the dark home page, a lone cursor blinked as always.
But when he sent his consciousness to the repository, he found a new addition: a golden speck of light.
'What is this?'
'Energy?'
Unlike the light ball from before, this was just a tiny speck. When his consciousness touched the golden dot, he couldn't sense any Runes within it.
'What's going on?'
'Is there too little of it to form a Rune?'
A glint in his eye, Zhang Deming swiftly reached out, snatched another book of techniques from the shelf, and flipped it open.
Just as he'd expected, another speck of light flew into his eye and merged with the first one.
'So, these books contain the energy my editor needs?'
'What kind of energy am I even absorbing?'
After puzzling over it for a moment without a single clue, Zhang Deming decided to stop thinking about it.
Filled with surprise and excitement, he began to rapidly "clear the shelves."
The hall was quite large, holding over three hundred books on the low-level techniques of the Celestial Spirit Sect's Outer Sect.
It took Zhang Deming a full hour to absorb the golden specks of light from every single book.
His strange behavior—constantly taking a book, flipping it open for a second, and putting it right back—even attracted quite a few stares.
After absorbing the final speck, Zhang Deming entered the repository again. He discovered that he now had one and a half golden light balls.
On the surface of the complete light ball, a 'branch' Rune was blinking once more.
What surprised Zhang Deming even more was that next to the one and a half golden light balls, a white light ball was slowly condensing out of thin air.
Since he was in the Scripture Pavilion, Zhang Deming didn't dare take it out to study it.
Puzzled, Zhang Deming exited the repository and returned to the main page. He was slightly stunned to see that the help button was now faintly blinking.
Zhang Deming clicked on it. The first four entries on the help page were unchanged, but the fifth entry had become the eighth, with three new entries added in between.
1-4. (Omitted)
5. White Light Ball, Basic Energy—Qi Fortune. Can be used to edit: Plug-ins, Scripts. Effect depends on amount of energy invested. Acquisition method: Please explore on your own.
6. Golden Light Ball, Advanced Energy—Merit. Can be used to edit: Plug-ins, Scripts, Software. Effect depends on amount of energy invested. Acquisition method: Please explore on your own.
7. Editing tiers are: Plug-in, Script, Software, and Multi-functional Composite Software. For the differences between them, please explore on your own.
8. For more help, please explore on your own.
'So, those golden specks I just absorbed were the Merit contained within the books?'
'The Merit of imparting knowledge. That must be it.'
'Then what about this white Qi Fortune Light Ball that's slowly forming?'
'Does gaining Merit automatically increase one's Qi Fortune? Or is it because I'm acquiring another technique, and the resulting improvement to my foundation is increasing my Qi Fortune?'
He shook his head. Blind guessing was pointless.
So, Zhang Deming reined in his thoughts and stopped his mind from wandering.
Instead, he returned to the bookshelf and pulled out two books.
He walked over to a nearby reading table, where Zong En was already seated.
Seeing Zhang Deming sit down, he activated the reading table's Sound Insulation Array. A Light Curtain enveloped them both before he asked, "So, Brother Ming, did you pick one?"
Zhang Deming held up the books in his hands. "Still deciding. What about you?"
Zong En pointed to a book on the table. "That one right there. I spent the last six months calling in favors, gathering information, and thinking it over. This is my final decision."
Zhang Deming looked at the large title on the book's cover: *Spring Wind Technique*.
"Are you planning to commit to the Miscellaneous Arts Dao, the path of a Spirit Farmer?" Zhang Deming asked.
Zong En shook his head. "I'm not sure about forever, but I've decided to focus on being a Spirit Farmer until I advance to become a true Tai Chi Cultivator. That much is certain."