Chapter 325 - 291: Wenqu Pavilion

Chapter 325: Chapter 291: Wenqu Pavilion

Boiling water poured into the teapot, the tea leaves slowly unfurling in the heat.

The fragrance of tea instantly filled the entire cabin. Its fresh, unique aroma spread wantonly, as if it could wash away the troubles of one’s heart and leave one intoxicated.

Master Fatty gently picked up a teacup and brought it close to his nose.

Through the wisps of steam curling upwards, the rich fragrance of the Enlightenment Tea wafted to his nose. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly, lost in its mellow, complex flavor.

’As expected, for the absolute finest of teas, nothing hits the spot like the Enlightenment Tea from Wenqu Island!’

It was just a pity he hadn’t brought much Spirit Tea with him from the island last time; he was already about to run out.

He had to suffer through the latter half of his trip drinking inferior Spirit Tea.

Only now, with their return to Wenqu Island imminent, did he allow himself to brew a cup.

Master Fatty lifted the steaming cup of Enlightenment Tea and gently blew away the white vapor swirling at its rim.

The rich aroma assailed his senses, seeming to instantly cleanse him of worldly exhaustion.

He took a careful sip. The smooth, delicate liquid slid over his tongue, its warmth carrying a hint of bitterness that quickly gave way to a mouthful of sweetness.

It was as if, in that single moment, he had tasted the sediment of time and the philosophy of cultivation.

The tea swirled in his mouth before a warm current flowed down his throat and into his stomach.

An invisible stream of Spiritual Qi coursed through his body, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

Master Fatty closed his eyes, savoring the unique taste.

As the endless aftertaste lingered, Master Fatty couldn’t help but sigh. He reminisced about his days on Wenqu Island—days spent in the company of tea, poring over ancient texts, and debating with fellow cultivators. It all felt like yesterday.

He glanced at the still-pensive Jiang Xu and shook his head.

’Young people are just so full of energy.’

’Back on Greed Wolf Island, this kid snuck outside the Array to do who knows what. Seems he had some kind of fortuitous encounter; even his aura grew much stronger.’

’But that has nothing to do with me. I just want to live out my remaining years in comfort and peace.’

’The only reason I answered so many of his questions was because I took a liking to him. It was just a casual thing.’

’But the texts in the Wenqu Pavilion are no easy prize.’

Master Fatty knew this from deep experience.

’It’s one thing for the Qi Cultivation Level, but once you get to Foundation Establishment, the difficulty skyrockets.’

’And if it involves the Golden Core Stage...’

’No matter what it is, aside from needing a massive amount of Wenqu Points, you also need the corresponding clearance.’

’That is, the rank of "Literary Master."’

’For texts at the Foundation Establishment Stage, depending on their importance, you need to be a Junior Level Scholar or a Mid-Level Scholar.’

’At the Golden Core Stage, you need the clearance of a Mid-Level Scholar or an Advanced Scholar, again depending on importance.’

’For certain exceptionally secret texts, you might even need to be a Wen Sheng.’

’And you have to understand, the rank of Wen Sheng isn’t easy to obtain.’

’In most eras, there is only one Wen Sheng in the entire Wenqu Pavilion.’

’This kid looks like a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator Early Stage, but the feeling he gives off is more dangerous than a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He’s probably comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.’

’A text that someone with his strength is desperate to get must be at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection level, at least, right?’

’It might even be something from the Golden Core Realm.’

’Tough! So tough!’

But Master Fatty couldn’t care less.

’After all, he won’t be the one worrying when the time comes.’

’It was so difficult for me to get what I wanted from the Wenqu Pavilion back then.’

’Now, here’s another person about to walk the same painful path.’ He even felt a bit of schadenfreude, a veteran’s glee and secret delight.

’It’s immoral.’

’But it feels great!’

Jiang Xu snapped out of his thoughts.

He cupped his fists toward Master Fatty once more.

"Thank you, fellow cultivator, for clearing my doubts!"

Master Fatty waved his hand dismissively. From his smiling eyes, Jiang Xu seemed to detect a hint of... ill intent?

"It’s nothing, it’s nothing. As the saying goes, it takes a hundred years of fate to be on the same boat. Our meeting is destiny. Helping a fellow cultivator is a blessing for me as well."

Seeing how sincerely the other man spoke, Jiang Xu began to wonder if he was unfairly judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.

’How could someone who so generously answered his questions harbor ill will?’

’Besides, this was all probably common knowledge that he could have found out with a few inquiries.’

’Even if he had lied, it couldn’t have harmed me in any way.’

’On the contrary, it would only earn my enmity.’

’So why bother?’

...

After bidding farewell to Master Fatty, Jiang Xu stepped out onto the deck.

Although the crew’s faces were filled with the relief of surviving a disaster, their joy was short-lived, quickly overshadowed by their grim reality.

The Dharma Ship had successfully withstood the relentless impact of the tsunamis.

But this victory came at a heavy cost.

The hull of the Dharma Ship was covered in scars; cracks in the timber and shattered deck planks were testaments to the terrifying moments they had endured.

The once-sturdy Protective Array had now dimmed. Some of its Array Patterns were broken, and Magical Power was leaking, causing it to lose its original luster and strength.

The Jue Pearls used to construct the Hundred Jue Water-Suppression Array, in particular, were now completely depleted.

They lay silently in their respective positions in the array, their brilliant blue light gone. Like fallen stars, they desperately needed time and Magical Power to recover.

Faced with this situation, the crew could not relax.

If they were to encounter another natural disaster during this repair period,

then the heavily damaged Dharma Ship would likely not be as lucky as it was today.

They had to repair the hull and restore the Array as quickly as possible, especially by revitalizing those Jue Pearls.

Otherwise, the next time a disaster struck would likely be the day they all died.

Watching the General Manager direct the busy sailors in repairing the Dharma Ship, Jiang Xu sniffed the salty sea breeze, enjoying the moment of peace after the crisis. His mind was still on what Master Fatty had said about the Wenqu Pavilion.

What he needed most right now was a Cultivation Technique that led directly to the Golden Core Realm, and it had to be of the Wood Element. Otherwise, he couldn’t fully convert his Cultivation from the Cangmu Skill.

Based on Master Fatty’s description, the number of Wenqu Points required for a Golden Core Technique would be no small sum.

Furthermore, it would require the clearance of at least a "Mid-Level Scholar."

There were only three ways to earn Wenqu Points.

Jiang Xu felt he had something to offer for all three methods.

But not much.

The first method was to exchange new texts for Wenqu Points.

Jiang Xu had quite a few texts in his possession.

The Insect Control Scripture, the Seeking Technique, the Spiritual Sense Needle, the Sea of Consciousness Shield, the Ancient Strengthening Method, and so on.

These were all extremely valuable. If he were to offer them, he probably wouldn’t be able to get the technique directly, but he could likely gather enough Wenqu Points.

But Jiang Xu was unwilling to do this.

’These techniques are my trump cards.’

’Who would be willing to reveal their trump cards to others?’

This plan could only be a last resort.

The second method was to correct errors in existing texts.

Jiang Xu actually had an advantage here as well.

His panel could identify which techniques had flaws, and he could use Limit-Breaking Points to repair them.

The Insect Control Scripture had been just like that.

Jiang Xu could take flawed Techniques and Cultivation Methods and use his Limit-Breaking Points to restore them to their original state.

He could earn Wenqu Points this way.

The only problem was that he would likely run out of Limit-Breaking Points.

He had saved up a considerable number of Limit-Breaking Points, but they were all reserved for breaking his techniques through to the next stage.

If he were to spend his precious Limit-Breaking Points on this, Jiang Xu would feel the sting of it deeply.

The third method was to complete missions.

Once Jiang Xu finished studying his techniques, his combat power would reach a terrifying level.

Combined with his Spirit-Devouring Insects, Jiang Xu would surely complete missions at an astonishing speed.

But the Dharma Ship only stayed at each island for a limited time.

In one or two months, there was no way he could gather enough Wenqu Points by completing missions alone.

And even if he did manage to get the Wenqu Points, what about the clearance?

"What a headache!"

Jiang Xu rubbed his temples.

He had had far too many things to worry about lately.

No.

Ever since he’d transmigrated, things had never really settled down.

Except when he was in seclusion.

’Should I find a chance to give myself a vacation? Maybe go into seclusion for eight or ten years?’

Treating secluded Cultivation as a vacation... Jiang Xu thought he might be losing his mind.

What was even more absurd was that deep down, he actually agreed with the idea.