"Could you please flip through it quickly?" While everyone was curious about what Xenia and Elder Gary had seen, Elder Gary couldn't contain his impatience, urging Xenia to show the content.
Everyone was surprised by Elder Gary's actions, and even Xenia was startled. She had been captivated by the booklet Jake gave her and hadn't realized that Elder Gary was also looking at its contents.
Seeing Xenia's hesitation, Elder Gary impatiently reached out to take the booklet from her. He wanted to see what was inside.
"Wait a moment!" Suddenly, Jake spoke up, addressing Elder Gary, "This, sir, is something I gave to Miss Xenia. Is it polite to act this way without her permission?"
Elder Gary paused in his actions, taken aback by Jake's words. He hadn't expected someone here to speak to him like this. However, upon seeing Jake's serious expression, Elder Gary realized what was happening. He looked somewhat embarrassed as he returned the booklet to Xenia, explaining, "I was just a bit impatient and wanted to see what was inside. I didn't intend to take it away."
Xenia, still stunned, accepted the booklet from Elder Gary. She couldn't believe that the proud Elder Gary had actually backed down, and moreover, he had explained himself to Jake, displaying a much better attitude than towards others. Jake was indeed remarkable.
"This booklet has already been given to Miss Xenia. It belongs to her. I believe it's not appropriate to look at it without her consent," Jake continued.
The onlookers were astonished by Jake's boldness in speaking to Elder Gary like this. Had he gone too far?
However, even more surprising was the fact that Elder Gary wasn't angered by Jake's words. Instead, he appeared somewhat embarrassed. "You are right; it was improper. I was too hasty," he admitted, and he couldn't hide the reluctance in his eyes.
Previously, he hadn't believed that Jake's gift to Xenia could be a cultivation technique. That's why he had unabashedly tried to peek inside. However, he became aware of his own actions thanks to Jake's reminder, and he realized it was indeed inappropriate. Cultivation techniques were closely guarded secrets of various sects, and they couldn't be casually observed without the owner's or the sect's permission.
Suppressing her inner shock, Xenia said to Elder Gary, "Could you please help me take a look? I'm not very familiar with this."
While Xenia had some understanding of cultivation-related matters, compared to Elder Gary, she was undoubtedly far less knowledgeable. She also didn't want to embarrass Elder Gary further; they had worked hard to establish a connection with the Celestial Moon Sect, and she couldn't afford to offend them.
Elder Gary looked grateful as he glanced at Xenia and then eagerly took the booklet from her hands. Xenia felt a bit sorry for him.
Jake, on the other hand, didn't mind at all. As he had said earlier, he had already given the booklet to Xenia. Therefore, it was her decision on how to use it and whom to show it to.
Elder Gary was thoroughly engrossed as he examined the booklet, while the others remained curious and astounded. Jude and Bill muttered to themselves, wondering if Jake's birthday gift to Xenia was indeed a cultivation manual. However, they found it difficult to accept that idea.
Jake was just an ordinary person, and they believed he had no prior knowledge of cultivation practices. How could he possibly have something like this to give to Xenia? It was hard for them to fathom.
"You've hidden this quite well," Dirk whispered to Jake when he approached him.
"What?" Jake asked, puzzled.
"I mean that booklet," Dirk clarified. "I doubt it's a storybook, considering Elder Gary's reaction. It's probably a valuable cultivation manual. You casually giving something like this away and saying you've hidden it well?"
"These kinds of things, don't you wealthy families have many of them?" Jake inquired.
"How could that be?!" Dirk exclaimed. "Did you not see how excited the Xenia family members were when they received Elder Gary's booklet? These things are exceedingly rare, even within our families. In the entire J City, only four of the five major families possess such cultivation manuals. Now that the Xenia family has one, all five families have them. But for other families, these things are simply unattainable."
Jake finally realized why people had been so shocked when he mentioned he would also give Xenia a similar booklet. He had completely misunderstood.
Initially, upon seeing that Carlton, Wendy, Wade, and others practiced cultivation, and witnessing Dirk and Xenia's knowledge of the subject, he thought that cultivation was a common affair among the wealthy. He believed ordinary people just didn't have access to it. However, he now understood that, while everyone here was aware of cultivation to some extent, they hadn't had the opportunity to practice it because they didn't have access to these cultivation techniques.
Understanding this, Jake began to regret giving the booklet to Xenia. Not because he was reluctant to part with it, but because he felt he had been overly conspicuous. He thought that these people considered cultivation to be commonplace, which was why he had given it as a gift. Now he realized he had misunderstood them. However, the deed was done, and it was too late to backtrack.
Meanwhile, Elder Gary had finished examining Jake's booklet. He handed it back to Xenia and said, "You should keep this booklet, too. It's even more advanced than the cultivation technique I gave you."
Elder Gary's words left everyone in the room even more astonished. More advanced than what he had given? Did that mean it was a profound-level cultivation technique?
Who exactly was Jake? How could he casually offer profound-level cultivation techniques as birthday gifts?
It was important to note that every profound-level cultivation technique was extremely valuable, and even in a prestigious sect like the Celestial Moon Sect, profound-level techniques were reserved for core disciples. It was the same in other sects. Yet now, Jake had effortlessly taken one out and given it away.