Chapter 17: A Tough Nut

At Little Bamboo Peak, within the bamboo tower.

"After this, those arrogant fools who want to provoke Ling Feng will have to think twice."

Duanmu Qingshan stood with hands behind his back, proudly on the loft. On his right index finger, there lingered a trace of residual sword qi, swirling around the fingertip.

Earlier, Duanmu Qingshan had utilized the spell array[1] within the sect leader's token to transfer his own sword qi to Ling Feng, scaring off the depository-guarding elder

The reason it's called the sect leader's token was not just because it's a simple plaque.

It was a magical treasure. Especially within the confines of the Wenxian Sect, it was considered a priceless treasure!

Within it, there was also a mysterious array that could transmit the power of the one refining the sect leader's token to any corner within the Wenxian Sect.

This secret was known only to the successive sect leaders, and Duanmu Qingshan also had discovered its mysteries only after refining the sect leader's token.

As long as Ling Feng carried the sect leader's token, it's equivalent to having Duanmu Qingshan as a guardian. Once he sensed a signal of danger, he could transmit his own sword qi through the array within the token.

However, that range was limited to within the Wenxian Sect. Once outside the sect, it would become useless. After all, that sect leader's token had to be combined with the mountain-guarding array within the Wenxian Sect to exert its energy-transfer effect.

Of course, to hone Ling Feng's skills, he would only intervene when Ling Feng encountered an opponent Ling Feng couldn't fight.

...

At the entrance of the scripture depository.

Ling Feng put away the sect leader's token and looked at the disciples guarding the depository. He asked coldly, "How about now? Can I go in to select manuals?"

"Please... come in." Those disciples guarding the depository were all trembling with fear, even the guarding elder chose to give in. They didn't dare to offend this ominous figure.

Ling Feng raised his sharp eyebrows and walked confidently into the scripture depository. Now that he had the tacit approval of the guarding elder, he could freely choose manuals within the depository without any restrictions.

Seeing Ling Feng enter the scripture depository, the surrounding disciples all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my goodness, Senior Uncle Duanmu turns out to be so powerful!"

"With Senior Uncle Duanmu covering for him, can't Ling Feng swagger within the sect now?"

"Hush, don't speak recklessly. I've heard that Senior Uncle Duanmu once committed some major offenses, which is why he's imprisoned on Little Bamboo Peak. Ling Feng is Senior Uncle Duanmu's disciple, and sooner or later, he's going down as well!"

"Major offenses? What kind of major offenses are we talking about?" the curious disciple asked.

"I'll tell you, but you can't go around spreading it." Another disciple lowered his voice and said, "I heard that Senior Uncle Duanmu killed the previous sect leader!"

"The previous sect leader? That's the current sect leader's master. In that case, the sect leader surely won't let Senior Uncle Duanmu's disciple off the hook!"

"So that Ling Feng is doomed sooner or later. We need to have some insight. We can't provoke him, and we shouldn't have any association with him. Otherwise, if we get involved, tsk tsk tsk..."

"Exactly, we absolutely can't have any connection with him!"

While the disciples were discussing fervently, Ling Feng had already ascended to the second floor of the depository.

Typically, the first floor held common and basic materials, which Ling Feng didn't bother to check. As for the third floor, it contained techniques and martial skills for the Pulse Formation Realm, which were beyond his current capabilities. Thus, the manuals on the second floor were the most suitable for him.

Each floor of the scripture depository was divided into two sections: on the left were cultivation techniques, and on the right were martial skills.

Ling Feng first walked to the right side. He saw rows of brown shelves lining the walls, divided into numerous compartments, each containing various books and scrolls.

While there were many compartments, most of them were empty. With a constant stream of people borrowing manuals every month, it was only natural for such a situation to arise.

Therefore, to obtain a good manual, disciples typically made early reservations or waited in the scripture depository at the beginning of the month. As soon as the manuals were returned, they would promptly borrow them.

Ling Feng perused among the rows of shelves for a while and then moved to the area on the left, where martial skill manuals were stored. After taking a brief stroll and gaining a general understanding of the manuals, he began to make his selections.

In no time, Ling Feng selected a footwork technique, a fist technique, and a body-refinement cultivation method. Satisfied, he left the scripture depository.

Generally, only core disciples were eligible to borrow more than three manuals at once. However, with even the guarding elder speaking up, who would have dared to harbor any dissatisfaction towards Ling Feng? They could only watch as he left with the manuals, and even the borrowing information was filled out on Ling Feng's behalf.

Not long after Ling Feng left, a young man who seemed to be seventeen or eighteen years old, with a three-foot Qingfeng Sword strapped to his back, walked into the scripture depository. He had a straight posture and took large strides as he entered.

This person had sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, with a cold, stern, and proud expression between his brows. As soon as he entered, he asked the disciples at the registration desk, "Where is The Ninefold Ocean-Guarding Fist that I reserved last month?"

"Xiao... Senior Brother Xiao!" The disciples' eyelids twitched, realizing that the person who had just entered was none other than Xiao Qingfeng, the rising star among the inner sect disciples.

Xiao Qingfeng was only eighteen years old but already possessed the cultivation of the eighth level in the Qi Formation Realm. Even among the inner sect disciples of the Wenxian Sect, he was a rare prodigy. Additionally, he was the favored disciple of the sect leader's branch. Once he advanced to the Pulse Formation Realm, he could become a core disciple.

Such a figure was not someone these unimportant guarding disciples could afford to provoke.

"What's going on? I've already waited for a month. Don't tell me I made this trip for nothing?" Xiao Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, fixing his gaze on the guarding disciples.

"Senior Brother Xiao, it's not that we didn't keep it for you. There was a bit of an accident. The Ninefold Ocean-Sealing Fist was just borrowed by someone!"

"What audacity! Someone dared to snatch the manual I have reserved?" A trace of anger flashed in Xiao Qingfeng's eyes. "Didn't you mention my name?"

The disciples said with a bitter face, "That person was very arrogant. He didn't even respect the guarding elder. We... we didn't dare to go against his wishes!"

"Do you dare to defy my wishes then?" Xiao Qingfeng slammed his hand heavily on the counter and angrily demanded, "Speak up! Who's the ignorant fool who dared to snatch the manual from under my nose?"

"It's... it's a disciple from Little Bamboo Peak, named Ling Feng." Terrified, the disciples answered honestly.

"Little Bamboo Peak?" Xiao Qingfeng snorted coldly. "Isn't that the peak where they specialize in producing useless disciples, and where the disciples escape to the outer sect within three days? How come this one hasn't managed to escape yet this year?"

"This year's disciple is a tough nut to crack." The disciples spoke with a trembling voice. "Not... not easy to deal with."

"Not easy to deal with?" Xiao Qingfeng's eyes turned cold. "Hmph, I want to see just how tough this nut really is!"

With that, Xiao Qingfeng waved his hand and turned to leave the scripture depository.

1. In the future, you'll encounter the term "array" frequently. Consider it akin to magic, or sometimes resembling a magic circle. ☜