After his conversation with Elder Jia, Feng Fan received his sect token and followed the menial disciple's directions to the library.
'According to the disciple, I only have access to the first two levels. The library has five levels in total,' he thought. 'If Xue Qiang hadn't spoken up for me, I probably wouldn't have access to anything at all.'
He exited the main peak building, where most of the elders and disciples resided, and began descending the mountain along a winding stone path.
The road was made of smooth, weathered stones, each one carefully placed. The path meandered through lush greenery, offering occasional glimpses of the surrounding peaks and valleys.
The library was situated five kilometers away from the main peak, a short distance for a cultivator but enough to leave Feng Fan panting from exhaustion due to his weak constitution.
'Damn it. First time leaving the mountain, and I already have to walk this far. I heard a disciple mention that the White Crow Sect spans hundreds of kilometers. How am I ever going to get out of here?' Feng Fan thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
'I'll need to steal Zhang Qi's map soon and head to this place called the Void Forest. Hopefully, I can make it there in this lifetime,' he thought. 'But I'll leave that problem for future me to deal with. Worst case, I'll stash the map in my underwear. Who's gonna look for it there?'
Feng Fan stood before the imposing library, a five-story structure that seemed to defy the passage of time. Despite its age, the building exuded an aura of untouched grandeur, as if it had been preserved in a timeless state.
'Is this the result of using arrays to prevent weathering? Interesting. Elder Jia didn't mention anything about arrays, but I'm sure there's information on them inside the library. I'll take my time to study it later. For now, I need to focus on Body Cultivation. I can't even move properly around the sect yet…' He thought to himself, 'Maybe I should try doing a hundred push-ups a day?'
Feng Fan approached the entrance of the library and noticed an elderly man sitting in a chair. 'This must be the library's guardian elder,' Feng Fan thought.
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Disciple greets the elder. I've come to get a cultivation manual in the library."
The elder gave him a brief, uninterested glance before speaking. "Sect token."
Feng Fan quickly retrieved the token from within his robes, displaying the white crow insignia to the elder.
The old man flicked his hand toward the token, then nodded. "You're allowed access to the first two levels of the library."
"Thank you, elder," Feng Fan said with a polite bow before stepping into the library. The elder didn't offer any reply, his gaze already drifting away.
As soon as Feng Fan entered the library, the old man muttered under his breath, a bitter edge to his words. "Has my White Crow Sect fallen so low that we are even accepting disciples with such trash talent?"
Feng Fan didn't hear the mutterings, but even if he had, he would have simply ignored them. His talent was lacking, and there was nothing to deny about it.
Feng Fan stepped into the library and was immediately struck by its vastness. Why does it look so much larger on the inside? Could this be a spatial array?
Although the library appeared large from the outside, it stretched three times its exterior size once he entered.
Rows upon rows of wooden shelves lined the expansive corridors, each one towering six meters high and filled with hundreds of books. 'How am I supposed to browse through all of these?' Feng Fan wondered, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of books surrounding him.
A disciple standing nearby noticed the expression on Feng Fan's face and chuckled. "First time here, junior brother?" he asked with a friendly smile.
Feng Fan turned to see a tall, handsome short-haired man looking at him, his demeanor warm and approachable. 'Ugh, all pretty boys can go and die,' Feng Fan thought, 'but at least this one seemed kinder than that fool Gong Long.'
Feng Fan gave a polite smile, disguising his true thoughts, and replied, "How could you tell, senior brother?"
The disciple laughed softly. "You had the same look on your face everyone gets when they visit for the first time. Don't worry, it's normal. You're probably wondering how on earth you'll manage to go through all these books, right?"
Feng Fan nodded, though he wasn't fond of being so easily read, at least the man in front of him didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions.
"My name is Yin Jing, nice to meet you, junior brother," the disciple said with a friendly smile. "If you head to your left and walk a few meters, you'll find some arrays displaying light screens. Just place your sect token close to a screen, and can use it to search for books. Once you select one, just touch the screen, and the library array will send it directly to you. Quite convenient, isn't it? There are multiple of those on every floor."
Feng Fan blinked, stunned. 'These immortals are surprisingly advanced, aren't they?' he thought.
"Thank you, senior brother," Feng Fan replied, offering a polite bow. "This humble junior's name is Feng Fan. I'll see you later."
Yin Jing nodded with a smile and walked off, leaving Feng Fan to explore further.
Feng Fan didn't waste any more time and made his way to the left. There, he spotted some of his classmates and other disciples engrossed in the arrays Yin Jing had mentioned.
He approached an unused screen and lightly touched it, causing the light to flicker as categories began to appear. "Qi Cultivation manuals, Body Cultivation manuals, sword art manuals, fire spells manuals…" His eyes widened as he scanned the extensive list.
'Wow, there are so many different kinds of manuals. No wonder this sect has survived for hundreds of years. It's a true treasure trove of knowledge,' Feng Fan thought.
Before Feng Fan took a look at the Body Cultivation manuals, he glanced at a category that piqued his interest—immortal array manuals.