However, before he officially began his cultivation, he still needed to go to the summit of Jiuying Mountain to collect some fasting pills and books for the cultivation of simple spells.
According to Xue Yuanhai, these items were free of charge, yet they were essential for the early stage of a spiritual disciple's cultivation.
Having made up his mind, Liu Ming immediately changed into the Dust-Proof Robe and left his residence, taking a winding path straight for the mountain summit.
Along the way, he did indeed encounter some outer sect disciples, either carrying large sacks on their backs or holding various sized parcels, also ascending and descending the mountain.
When these people clearly saw the pale green Dust-Proof Robe on Liu Ming's body, they all showed a respectful expression, stepping aside to let Liu Ming pass before they dared to continue on their way.
It seemed that within the Barbarian Ghost Sect, the status between spiritual disciples and outer sect disciples indeed differed as much as heaven and earth, and simply could not be compared.
The path leading directly to the summit was quite steep, and even with his body having undergone some secret technique training and starting from halfway up the mountain, it still took him about half an hour to truly reach the top.
The moment Liu Ming's feet touched the summit square again, he resolved in his heart that once he had converted some mana, the first thing he would learn was the Flight Technique.
Otherwise, if he had to go to slightly farther peaks, a round trip would take the better part of a day, which was simply too inconvenient.
As Liu Ming was walking across the square and contemplating, a pair of young women approached from the opposite direction.
One of the women, who had a voluptuous figure, glanced at him and suddenly said with a smile,
"Eh, isn't this Junior Brother Bai? Oh, Junior Brother Bai, you're going to the External Affairs Hall to collect some items, aren't you?"
Startled, Liu Ming then realized that the two women opposite him were that pair of the most outstanding female disciples he had seen among the old Jiuying disciples yesterday. He immediately stopped in his tracks and hurried to greet them:
"It turns out to be the two Senior Sisters. Indeed, I am on my way to the External Affairs Hall to collect some fasting pills."
"Hehe, it seems that Junior Brother Bai doesn't yet know our names. Remember, I am Gu Meishan, and this is your Senior Sister Zhu, Zhu Lianxing," Gu Meishan said with a laugh.
The tall woman beside her blushed slightly and pursed her lips at her companion when she heard her directly tell the young man in front of her their names before she greeted Liu Ming as well.
"Junior Brother will certainly remember the two Senior Sisters' names and dare not forget," Liu Ming replied earnestly.
"Alright, Junior Brother Bai, you better hurry to the External Affairs Hall. That hall is in that direction. If you go too late, you might have to wait until tomorrow to collect your fasting pills," Gu Meishan said, first startled, but then her expression returned to normal as she continued.
With that said, the woman took Zhu Lianxing by one hand and formed a casting gesture with the other hand, executing the Flight Technique.
Moments later, the two of them flew away, stepping on clouds.
After watching the two women disappear into the distance, Liu Ming turned his gaze away and walked in the direction Gu Meishan had indicated.
After passing several buildings, he came to a hall bearing the plaque "External Affairs Hall."
Calling it a hall was a bit of a stretch; it was more like a larger-than-average room.
Just as Liu Ming walked in, he saw a man dressed in outer sect disciple attire sitting behind a table, head lowered, manipulating a golden abacus and rapidly calculating something, with a thick account book laid open beside him.
"Ah, is this a new Senior Brother? Are you here to collect fasting pills?" The man reacted very quickly, and as soon as he saw Liu Ming enter, he immediately stopped his movements and stood up with a smile on his face to greet him.
"Exactly. I heard that all the disciples in the mountains can collect enough fasting pills for three months' use here," Liu Ming asked without hesitation.
"Yes, please show me your nameplate, so I can record it, and then you can collect your fasting pills," the middle-aged man replied without delay.
"Alright," Liu Ming promptly took out his nameplate from his sleeve without any hesitation and handed it over.
The middle-aged man flipped the account book to a certain page, took the nameplate, and pressed it gently on the page.
Instantly, three light silver characters "Bai Congtian" appeared on the page.
"So you're Senior Brother Bai. Here are three months' worth of fasting pills. Take one pill at a time, and you won't need to eat for three days, just a little water will suffice," the middle-aged man said as he quickly took a palm-sized grey cloth bag from a shelf full of various items behind him and handed it back respectfully along with the nameplate.
Liu Ming took the cloth bag and nameplate, loosened the string at the mouth of the bag, and tipped a pale yellow pill into his hand, exuding a faint fragrance.
It was indeed consistent with Xue Yuanhai's description of the fasting pills.
Liu Ming nodded his head, stored the two items safely, and then thought for a moment before asking the man,
"By the way, where should I go to collect and read ordinary magical technique manuals?"
"Oh, if Senior Brother is going to the Spirit Spell Archives, just follow the path outside the entrance and take a turn ahead," the middle-aged man explained in great detail.
Liu Ming heard the words and thanked the speaker with a smile, then left the room and headed straight for the Spirit Spell Pavilion.
…
"You can only borrow up to three elementary spell books at a time, and one book requires one spirit stone," said a gaunt woman standing in front of Liu Ming, her tone almost sharp.
"Senior Sister, wasn't it said that borrowing books is free?" Liu Ming was slightly taken aback after hearing what the fellow Spirit Apprentice woman had said.
"Hmph, one spirit stone for one book, what's the difference from being free? If you're really that strapped for cash, then just borrow fewer books this time, and wait until next month when you have spirit stones to borrow them. It won't be too late," the gaunt woman retorted with a huff, clearly not showing Liu Ming, the new junior brother, any respect.
"Alright, then I'll just borrow these three books," Liu Ming had a hint of anger in his heart, but it didn't show on his face at all as he handed over the three books he had picked out, along with three spirit stones and his identity token.
The so-called spirit stones were none other than three rectangular crystals, as thick as a pinky, cut to a uniform size, and emitting a soft white light.
The gaunt woman took the three books nonchalantly, glanced at the covers, and said without expression:
"Flight Technique, Fire Flame Technique, Water Condensation Technique, must be returned within one month."
As soon as she finished speaking, she used Liu Ming's identity token to record his identity and then tossed the three books back to him. Naturally, she also quickly pocketed the three spirit stones.
Liu Ming had no desire to stay any longer and, as soon as he caught the identity token and the spellbooks, he immediately turned and left the pavilion.
However, he had hardly left the main door when he ran into two people, one following the other, also heading toward the Spirit Spell Pavilion.
The person in front was square-jawed and was none other than Shi Chuan, while the one behind him was the red-haired youth Yu Cheng, selected to be a personal disciple.
"Eh, Junior Brother Bai has already picked out your books? I've come to help Yu Cheng pick a few spellbooks too," said Shi Chuan with a smile upon seeing Liu Ming.
The red-haired youth also greeted Liu Ming.
"Senior Brother, is borrowing books from the Spirit Spell Pavilion supposed to cost spirit stones?" Liu Ming asked casually with a smile on his face after returning the greeting.
"What, did Senior Sister Zhao ask for spirit stones for the books again? This is too much! Don't take it personally, junior brother. Senior Sister Zhao has some ties to the Gui Elder, so she sometimes goes overboard with things, but for the sake of Elder Gui, it's best not to take it to heart. By the way, how many spirit stones did Senior Sister Zhao take from you? I'll reimburse you," Shi Chuan showed a flash of anger, but then revealed a helpless wry smile and began to take some spirit stones out to give to Liu Ming.
"What kind of person does Senior Brother take me for? I don't even regard such a small amount of spirit stones. Since Senior Sister Zhao has some connection with Elder Gui, I certainly won't take it to heart. You and Junior Brother Yu go ahead with your business, I will take my leave," Liu Ming said, waving his hand, and left without any further delay.
Shi Chuan looked at Liu Ming's retreating figure and sighed before continuing toward the Spirit Spell Pavilion with Yu Cheng.
When Liu Ming returned to his residence, it was already the afternoon.
He didn't intend to rest at all, but took a fresh bucket of water and entered a room with nothing but a meditation cushion and sat down cross-legged.
He reached into a small cloth pouch and took out a "Fasting Pill," tossing it directly into his mouth.
The seemingly hard Fasting Pill instantly turned into a juicy essence once in his mouth and flowed into his stomach.
A warm feeling spread throughout his body, and his stomach even felt slightly full.
After sensing the effects for a moment, Liu Ming was delighted.
The Fasting Pill was surprisingly effective, far beyond his expectations; he wouldn't need to worry about eating and could focus solely on cultivation.
With this thought, Liu Ming moved his arm and took out the brocade book that recorded the Dark Bone Formula, beginning to read through it from the beginning with great care.
Although Liu Ming had spent most of his time on the Savage Island, many of the criminals on the island had been well-read, and with his talent for "Multitasking," he might know as much or nearly as much as some of the famous scholars on the outside.
Still, after reading through the Dark Bone Formula once, he found every sentence to be profound and each word filled with mystery, something that clearly couldn't be understood in a short time.
Liu Ming felt a shock in his heart and grew solemn. He pressed on the temples on either side of his head with his fingers, took a deep breath, and used his talent for "Multitasking," dividing his consciousness into two halves—one continued to ponder the technique, while the other half began to fall into deep rest.
Before long, Liu Ming was fully immersed in the comprehension of the technique, unaware of anything else around him.
After an unknown amount of time, when a strong feeling of hunger surged in his brain, Liu Ming finally woke up and stood up only to feel his head sink and his vision darkening, nearly collapsing onto the ground.
His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly took out a Fasting Pill from his bosom and swallowed it, then grabbed the bucket next to him and gulped down a few drinks, which made his complexion somewhat better.
However, Liu Ming still felt a splitting headache—an obvious sign of having overexerted his mental energy.
His earlier deep contemplation had unknowingly taken up five days and nights, and if he hadn't felt extremely hungry, he might still have been lost in it, unable to extricate himself.
This Dark Bone Formula was truly very enigmatic!