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Li Guanqi couldn't help but feel a bit odd as he entered the Scripture Pavilion.
Why would a reclusive expert brazenly sit at the entrance of the Pavilion?
Instead, he had thought the sweeper would be the expert, but it turned out to be a nobody.
The interior of the Pavilion was incredibly spacious, and the air was very dry.
It seemed some measures were taken to protect the secret techniques from moisture.
The first floor was vast and empty, save for densely packed bookshelves, each labeled with the type of technique it held.
However, only a dozen or so disciples were scattered about, selecting techniques.
Upon reaching the second floor, Guanqi immediately noticed a drastic reduction in the number of books.
There were only a few bookshelves, and two or three people around them, including the senior brother who had spoken to him earlier.
The man enthusiastically waved and smiled upon seeing Li Guanqi: "Junior brother, there are a few excellent thunder techniques over here."
"They are even of the upper Yellow tier, very suitable for you."
Li Guanqi pointed awkwardly towards the upper floor and chuckled: "Thank you, senior brother, but I'm heading to the third floor."
The man's hand froze mid-air. It had taken him over a year to save up 1,500 sect points to access the second floor.
And the minimum requirement for the third floor was 3,000 points!
Perhaps sensing his confusion, Guanqi quickly added: "You misunderstand, senior brother, I don't have that many points."
Hearing this, the young man's face broke into a smile, whispering: "I thought as much."
"You've just joined the sect, how could you possibly have enough points to go directly to the third floor?"
"The decent techniques on the first floor are only three to five hundred points, and they're not bad either. The second floor starts at a thousand points, you might want to check the southeast corner downstairs."
Li Guanqi really didn't want to hurt this enthusiastic senior brother's feelings.
With no other choice, Guanqi shrugged and said: "The Sect Master made an exception for me to go up and choose."
Their conversation had already drawn the attention of a few others.
When they heard what the young man said, they all turned to look at the disciple from Heavenly Wood Peak.
The man, tears welling up in his eyes, bit his lower lip and gazed resentfully at Guanqi's ascending figure.
As soon as Li Guanqi stepped onto the third floor, he was stopped by a light screen.
A gentle light from the ceiling's calcite shone on the jade slip at Guanqi's waist.
After verifying his identity, the light screen opened a gap, and Guanqi stepped onto the third floor.
He was utterly shocked by the sight of the third floor.
There wasn't a single bookshelf; the entire floor was empty except for countless Spirit Lights flying chaotically in the air.
And there was another person present on the entire third floor.
A tall and handsome young man with striking golden hair.
This person was also a disciple who had joined the sect with him!
The young man had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, a prominent nose with a mole that made him look somewhat exotic.
Surprise flickered in the young man's eyes; he hadn't expected someone else to be on the third floor at this time.
He approached Li Guanqi and said softly with a smile: "Hello, Ye Feng from Heavenly Gold Peak."
Li Guanqi touched his nose as he looked at the handsome young man, thinking to himself.
"This guy looks so flamboyant… he must be popular among the female disciples at Heavenly Water Peak."
Thinking this, Guanqi still smiled and replied: "Heavenly Thunder Peak, Li Guanqi."
Ye Feng chuckled and said: "I've heard of you, a Saint-Grade Spirit Root, quite enviable."
"Here I am with a Royal-Grade Spirit Root, and I haven't caused even a ripple in your wake."
Li Guanqi smiled outwardly but inwardly pursed his lips.
This guy was clearly the type who loved the limelight. When they tested for Spirit Roots, he was behind Guanqi, and probably nobody thought much of his power.
Then Ye Feng pointed to the Spirit Lights darting around in the sky and suggested.
"How about a bet to see who gets the highest grade technique?"
Although Guanqi didn't understand where this sudden competitive drive came from, he replied nonchalantly.
"It's like spanking kids on a rainy day, I've got nothing better to do, sure."
Ye Feng's eyes lit up, and he took out hundreds of low-grade Spirit Stones.
Then he looked at Li Guanqi with a smile: "My talent is far inferior to yours, but I've already sensed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. I should be able to start Qi Refining tonight."
Guanqi's eyes flickered, thinking to himself.
"Why does this guy seem to want to compete with me at every turn?"
"Besides, doesn't he know that I already broke through to the first level of Qi Refining at Heavenly Water Peak?"
So Guanqi didn't indulge him and took out a hundred or so Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, laying them on the ground with a look of regret: "Alas, I'm just not good enough, I still haven't sensed the spiritual energy."
"Let's just use these hundred low-grade Spirit Stones as the wager."
A sly look crossed Ye Feng's eyes as he feigned distress: "Oh no, wouldn't I be taking advantage of you then?"
"How about this, if I win, I'll only take half of the Spirit Stones."
"If I lose, all my hundred Spirit Stones are yours."
Li Guanqi pretended to be embarrassed and said: "How could that be fair? We agreed on a bet…"
"Enough! We'll do it my way!" Ye Feng declared with a wave of his hand, full of authority.
Little did he know that in Li Guanqi's eyes, he had become the image of a 'big fool.'
Capturing the Spirit Lights in the sky was quite simple.
Once someone entered the Barrier, they would have the duration of a stick of incense to catch these Spirit Lights.
The grades of the techniques ranged from lower Xuan tier to the highest Xuan tier.
And if it weren't for this chance to choose here, they would have to do more than a year of sect tasks just based on points alone.
Ye Feng gracefully extended his hand and said: "You first?"
Li Guanqi feigned hesitation: "You go ahead, I'm afraid I won't catch any."
To Ye Feng, this seemed like a lack of confidence in Li Guanqi's abilities.
Ye Feng pretended to be troubled and said: "Alright, then I'll go first. It's quite simple, it's all about speed."
With that, Ye Feng leaped down from the high platform, landing steadily.
Li Guanqi clicked his tongue; the other's physical cultivation was solid.
No wonder he was so confident; it seemed to stem from his own strength.
But Guanqi was curious, didn't Ye Feng know about the incident at Heavenly Water Peak?
"Wait a minute… that day, all the disciples were in the hall, except for a few who were late…"
"Uh… this brother couldn't have been late on his first day, missed it entirely, could he?"
In the hall, dozens of Spirit Lights of various colors flew swiftly through the air.
Ye Feng, with his golden hair, pushed off the surrounding walls, his figure darting like the wind towards the Spirit Lights.
But as they neared him, the Spirit Lights would suddenly dart away, extremely fast.
And the reason Ye Feng didn't know what Li Guanqi had done was just as he had guessed.
However, Ye Feng hadn't been late that day; he had simply overslept.
Even the Qi Refining technique was brought back to him by a fellow disciple.