Chapter 17: Chapter 017: Tough Nut to Crack!
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Little Bamboo Peak, inside the bamboo house.
"Surely after this time, those sons of bitches will think twice before provoking Ling Feng,"
Standing with his hands behind his back, Duanmu Qingshan stood proudly on the balcony. On the index finger of his right hand, there was still a trace of lingering Sword Qi, swirling around the tip of his finger.
It turned out that Duanmu Qingshan had used the Array within the Sect Leader Jade Token to transfer his own Sword Qi to Ling Feng's side, scaring away the Guardian Elder.
The reason why this token is called the Sect Leader Token is not simply because it's just a piece of wood.
It itself is a Magic Treasure, especially within the Immortal Sect, it is a treasure beyond comparison!
Contained within it is a mysterious Array that can transfer the power of the person who has Refined the Sect Leader Jade Token to any corner within the Wenxian Sect.
This secret is only known to the successive Sect Leaders, and Duanmu Qingshan also discovered the intricacies within the token only after Refining it.
As long as Ling Feng carries the Sect Leader Jade Token with him, it's as if he's bringing Duanmu Qingshan along to safeguard his journey. Once he senses a signal of crisis, he can transfer his Sword Qi through the Array within the token.
However, this range is limited to within the Wenxian Sect only; outside the Wenxian Sect, it wouldn't be of any use. After all, this Sect Leader Jade Token must work in conjunction with the Mountain Protection Array within the sect to exert its energy transfer effect.
Of course, in order to temper Ling Feng, he would only intervene when Ling Feng was faced with an opponent he could not resist.
...
At the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.
Ling Feng safely stored the Sect Leader Jade Token and looked at the Guardian Disciples, coldly asking, "How about it, can I go in and choose secret manuals now?"
"Please... please come in," the Guardian Disciples trembled with fear, and since even the Guardian Elder had yielded, they didn't dare to offend this harbinger of doom.
With a lift of his sword-like eyebrows, Ling Feng strode into the Scripture Pavilion. He now had the silent permission of the Guardian Elder to freely choose any secret manual within, with no restrictions whatsoever.
Seeing Ling Feng enter the Scripture Pavilion, the surrounding disciples all let out a sigh of relief.
"Goodness, I didn't realize Grandmaster Duanmu was so formidable!"
"With Grandmaster Duanmu's protection, can't Ling Feng just do as he pleases within the sect?"
"Shush, don't talk nonsense. I've heard that Grandmaster Duanmu committed some unforgivable actions and was imprisoned on Little Bamboo Peak. That Ling Feng is Grandmaster Duanmu's disciple; he's doomed sooner or later!"
"Unforgivable actions? What kind of unforgivable actions?"
"I'll tell you, but you can't blabber about it," another disciple whispered with his voice lowered, "I also just heard that Grandmaster Duanmu killed the previous Sect Leader!"
"The previous Sect Leader? Wasn't that the current Sect Leader's Master? In that case, the Sect Leader definitely won't let Duanmu's disciple go!"
"That's why I say Ling Feng is bound to be doomed. Everyone better keep their eyes peeled, we can't afford to provoke him, nor can we get involved with him. Otherwise, if we get dragged into it... well, well, well..."
"Right, right, we absolutely can't get involved with him!"
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Outside the Scripture Pavilion, a crowd of disciples buzzed with discussion, but by this time, Ling Feng had already ascended to the second floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
Generally speaking, the first floor was full of commonplace items, and Ling Feng couldn't be bothered to look at them. As for the third floor, it housed cultivation techniques and martial skills for those in the Magnetic Condensation Realm, but he was not yet strong enough to practice them. Only the second floor's secret manuals were the most suitable for him.
Each level of the Scripture Pavilion was divided into two areas, left and right: the left for cultivation techniques, the right for martial skills.
Ling Feng first made his way to the right side. He saw that the walls all around were lined with rows of brown wooden shelves, each shelf divided into various compartments, inside which were all sorts of books.
There were many compartments, but most of them were empty. With so many disciples borrowing secret manuals every month, it was natural that this would happen.
Therefore, to obtain a good secret manual, disciples typically made early reservations, or they would stay in the Scripture Pavilion at the start of the month, ready to borrow the manuals as soon as they were returned.
Ling Feng browsed among the rows of shelves for a while, then wandered over to the left side where the martial skill secret manuals were placed. After getting a general understanding of the manuals, he started to make his selections.
Before long, Ling Feng picked out a movement technique, a fist technique, and a body refining cultivation technique. Satisfied, he left the Scripture Pavilion.
Generally, only true disciples were qualified to borrow more than three secret manuals at once, but since the Guardian Elder had spoken, who would dare be dissatisfied with Ling Feng? They could only watch as he left with the manuals, even filling in the borrowing information on Ling Feng's behalf.
Not long after Ling Feng left, a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth with the Three-foot Green Blade Sword on his back and an erect posture strode into the Scripture Pavilion.
This person had starry, sword-like eyebrows with a cold, proud aura in his eyes. As soon as he entered, he asked the disciple at the registry, "Where is the 'Nine-layered Sea Suppressing Fist' secret manual I reserved last month?"
"Xiao... Brother Xiao!" The Guardian Disciple's eyelids suddenly twitched. The newcomer was none other than Xiao Qingfeng, a rising talent in the Inner Sect!
Xiao Qingfeng, only eighteen years old, already possessed the Eighth Layer cultivation of the Qi Condensation Realm. Even within the Wenxian Sect's Inner Sect, he was a rare top-level genius and the pet disciple of the Sect Leader's lineage. As soon as he advanced to the Magnetic Condensation Realm, he could leap to becoming a true disciple.
Such a figure was not someone these minor Guardian Disciples could afford to provoke.
"What's the matter? I've already waited a month last time. Do you mean to tell me I've come here for nothing?" Xiao Qingfeng's eyebrows shot up as he fixed his gaze on the Guardian Disciple.
"Xiao... Brother Xiao, it's not that we didn't keep it for you. There was a bit of an unforeseen issue. The 'Nine-layered Sea Suppressing Fist' manual has just been borrowed by someone else!"
"Someone dares to snatch away the secret manual reserved by me, Xiao Qingfeng?" A flicker of anger passed through Xiao Qingfeng's eyes. "Didn't you mention my name?"
The Guardian Disciple said with a troubled face, "That person was arrogant, even the Guardian Elder didn't matter in his eyes. We... how could we go against his wishes?"
"And you dare to go against my wishes?" Xiao Qingfeng slammed his palm down harshly on the counter and bellowed, "Speak! Who is the blind fool who dared to snatch the fist manual right under my hands?"
"It's... a disciple from Little Bamboo Peak. His name is Ling Feng," replied the Guardian Disciple, not daring to conceal the truth.
"Little Bamboo Peak?" Xiao Qingfeng snorted coldly. "Isn't it that peak known for producing nothing but trash, and whose disciples flee to the Outer Sect within three days? What, this one hasn't run away yet?"
"This year's disciple is a tough nut," said the Guardian Disciple with a quivering voice. "Difficult… difficult to mess with."
"Difficult to mess with?" Xiao Qingfeng's gaze turned icy. "Hmph, I want to see just how tough this nut really is!"
With those words, Xiao Qingfeng waved his hand majestically and turned to walk out of the Scripture Pavilion.