Chapter 100 - 45: Geniuses Always Have Privileges!

Chapter 100: Chapter 45: Geniuses Always Have Privileges!

Jiang Xuan had even built his Scripture Pavilion right in Huangni Village. He had willingly forsaken the ready-made houses in the center of the village, insisting instead on building his residence by the shores of the Winter Lake for exactly this reason. The bitterness and peril of cultivating the *Guicang Jie Mie Sword* were unmatched throughout the Four Seasons Valley, and very few were willing to tread this path. Because this area was remote and rarely visited, he could drastically renovate his courtyard and expand his territory without ever disturbing anyone.

Of course, Jiang Xuan going through such great lengths to relocate both the Profoundxin Temple and the Scripture Pavilion was no sudden whim. He had three reasons for doing so.

The first was the Spiritual Land! The very first requirement for a Daoist Acolyte’s initiation was to find a Spiritual Land and settle within it. Since the Scripture Profound Daoist was the class advancement for a Daoist Acolyte, he knew what he had to do. Furthermore, Jiang Xuan had learned from his Gourmet class initiation event that fulfilling hidden conditions exceptionally well could elevate a profession’s Grade. Under these circumstances, he would naturally choose a superior Spiritual Land if given the chance.

The second reason was safety. In Cui Bamboo Town, even if he managed to build the Scripture Pavilion, Jiang Xuan would constantly have to worry about the Dao Scriptures being stolen. Huangni Village was entirely different. Guarded by the Sect’s Elder Suos, and with his residence located not far from Granny Lan, he simply had no need for such concerns here.

The third reason was to transcribe ancient texts. The Sect’s Scripture Pavilion was the very foundation of its lineage. Cultivating the core Secret Techniques ranked among the Twenty-four Solar Terms required establishing a blood pact and having Restrictions planted on oneself. While the rules for slightly inferior Techniques were not as strict, they were still explicitly forbidden from being taken out of the pavilion. According to the rules, even the most ordinary texts, Cultivation notes of predecessors, and travelogues could not be privately removed.

If Jiang Xuan had built his Scripture Pavilion in Cui Bamboo Town, even with Xia He’s help, he never would have been able to take away or even copy the ordinary texts and Cultivation notes from the Sect’s collection—these were the foundation of the Four Seasons Valley. But Jiang Xuan had built his own Scripture Pavilion right in Huangni Village, directly under the watchful eyes of the Elder Suos! Under these circumstances, if he took some ordinary texts and transcribed a few Cultivation notes for his own Scripture Pavilion, even those with mild objections would merely shake their heads and sigh, saying that the child had an eccentric temperament.

Prodigies with extraordinary Talent and stunning brilliance often possessed temperaments that defied convention, bearing intense personal quirks and eccentricities. Some slept as if their lives depended on it, others were madly obsessed with swords, and some were entirely mute. From Xia He, Jiang Xuan even learned that in Zi’s Daoist School, there was a person so obsessed with a self-drawn portrait that they had already held three wedding ceremonies with it. Compared to such people, Jiang Xuan’s obsession with books and his desire to build a personal Scripture Pavilion seemed perfectly normal.

Furthermore, his reasoning was flawless. These days, Jiang Xuan spent the better half of every day inside the Sect’s Scripture Pavilion. Because of the Purifying Heart Spell and his Heart·Sincerity (Sword), his reading sessions were incredibly intense. It was no exaggeration to say he was completely undistracted. When someone like him claimed to love books, enjoy peace and quiet, and want to build a personal Scripture Pavilion, no one would suspect a thing.

Even the Elder Suo overseeing the Four Seasons Valley’s Scripture Pavilion didn’t find Jiang Xuan’s actions abnormal in the slightest. In fact, he proactively picked out over a dozen books suitable for Jiang Xuan’s current stage of Cultivation and sent them over.

Just like that, Jiang Xuan’s Scripture Pavilion was established, boasting an impressive collection of eight hundred scrolls.

Yes, exactly eight hundred.

Amassing such a quantity was possible for two reasons. First, out of respect for Xia He, the Scripture Pavilion Elder turned a blind eye to his transcription of ordinary texts. Second, he relied on Spirit Stones. During the previous grading assessment, Jiang Xuan had made a bet with Guo Shaoshang and Zeng Jun in the Daoist School and won a sweeping victory. Later, when he was evaluated as outstanding, the Daoist School awarded him over a hundred Spirit Stones. He handed all these Spirit Stones to Dong Hao, entrusting him to scour the area for texts. Only through this did his Scripture Pavilion’s collection grow increasingly rich. However...

He thought, "It’s still not enough. To advance to a Scripture Profound Daoist, the more books I have here, the better. Even if I have to make do, I must gather a total of three thousand."

In Daoism, many numbers held special significance, and three thousand was one of them. "Three" represented the origin of all things, while "thousand" symbolized multitude and the ultimate peak. Multiplying the two resulted in Perfection, infinity, and the all-encompassing.

"Three thousand Dao Scriptures... this is very likely the minimum threshold for the Scripture Profound Daoist to evolve into a Purple Treasure Level Profession," he reasoned.

The gap between eight hundred and three thousand was undoubtedly massive, especially since Jiang Xuan refused to compromise on quality.

"If I rely solely on my own efforts to accumulate them, it will take up to a year, or three months at the very least," he pondered, immediately shaking his head.

That was far too long. He couldn’t afford to wait, nor did he want to delay his class advancement to Scripture Profound Daoist any longer.

"So, do I still need to target the Four Seasons Valley’s Scripture Pavilion?" he wondered, turning his gaze toward the pavilion. He harbored no intentions of stealing or sneaking around.

He didn’t even bother racking his brain alone. Instead, he sought out Xia He and asked her straight-out how he could transcribe more texts—preferably Cultivation Techniques and Dao Scriptures of a much higher Grade.

Jiang Xuan’s bold idea left Xia He utterly speechless. She covered her face and rubbed her temples for quite a while before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Junior Brother Jiang, if there are any Cultivation Techniques you wish to learn or Dao Scriptures you want to read, you can easily study them inside the Four Seasons Valley’s Scripture Pavilion.

"If you want to access the second, third, or even the fourth floor of the pavilion, I can help you figure out a way.

"But bringing Cultivation Techniques outside goes completely against the valley’s rules. More importantly, it’s just really unnecessary."

Xia He’s point made perfect sense. No matter how one looked at it, studying inside the Four Seasons Valley’s Scripture Pavilion was the most logical choice. However, Jiang Xuan needed to advance to a Scripture Profound Daoist and elevate his Profession to the Purple Treasure Level, which meant he absolutely had to construct a Scripture Pavilion of his own. Furthermore, since the Profession System was his deepest, most closely guarded secret, he couldn’t possibly tell her the truth.

In the end, he cupped his fists, his face filled with apology. "I’m sorry, Senior Sister. I know I’m putting you in a difficult position, but I truly love books. I dream of owning a Scripture Pavilion of my very own.

"Moreover, I feel that I’ll be able to comprehend Taoist Skills much faster inside my own pavilion."

Jiang Xuan’s stubborn insistence left Xia He feeling increasingly helpless. However, she considered that if his strength improved and he secured a higher ranking during the grand Hundred-Day Exam, it would ultimately benefit the Four Seasons Valley as well. With that in mind, she began racking her brain to come up with a viable solution for him.

After a long while, she finally managed to formulate a rather unorthodox plan.

"I cannot continuously break the rules of the Four Seasons Valley," Xia He explained. "This place isn’t my father’s absolute dictatorship. There are many Elder Suos and Elders whom even my father cannot command.

"As for you, Junior Brother Jiang, ever since you arrived at the Four Seasons Valley..." She trailed off, a bit too embarrassed to finish her sentence.

Jiang Xuan, though feeling a bit awkward himself, took it in stride. "You can just speak frankly, Senior Sister. Ever since I arrived at the valley, I’ve only ever been on the receiving end of everyone’s care. I haven’t contributed a single thing. So, do you want me to perform some tasks for the valley?"

"Not tasks," Xia He replied, shaking her head solemnly. "You need to showcase your Talent. The Four Seasons Valley has its rules, yes, but true geniuses always enjoy certain privileges! As long as you demonstrate enough potential, the valley will gladly make an exception for you."

She had even thought of the perfect opportunity for him to do so. "The second round of the Daoist School assessment! If you can astound everyone during this exam, the valley will most likely grant your request. However... if you truly want to make the Elders see you in a new light, merely placing in the top ten will be far from enough."

Her final condition didn’t put Jiang Xuan in a tough spot at all. Instead, he burst into laughter.

"Haha! I’ve consumed so many Spirit Fruits and seasonal vegetables since arriving at the Four Seasons Valley, and I’ve received the finest instruction. Under these circumstances, if I only manage to break into the top ten, I wouldn’t even have the face to bring this matter up again, regardless of what you said.

"Astounding everyone and claiming first place, right? I will definitely make it happen!"