Translated by Kollumceti of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Although the Skill Training Pavilion and Soul Training Pavilion were within the same energy shield, both pavilions were located in different areas.
The pavilion that You XiaoMo wanted to visit was the Skill Training Pavilion. After entering the energy shield, he walked towards an extremely ancient passageway - antiquated in look, sound and smell - on the left. The three words 'Skill Training Pavilion' were imposingly inscribed at the entrance of the passageway.
Ling Xiao did not have any interest in the Soul Training Pavilion and he did not need any soul training manuals from there. From the beginning at his birth, his mind automatically received inherited soul training skills that belonged to him; and these skills were much better than the ones in the Soul Training Pavilion.
The Skill Training Pavilion was constructed using a extraordinary type of wood and the whole pavilion had a simple, unadorned aura.
After You XiaoMo walked in, a faint woody smell reached him. Instead of being pungent to the nose, it made one feel carefree and relaxed.
Seeing the expanse of the pavilion, You XiaoMo could not keep his amazement off his face. Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful pavilion. The pavilion was made from a sea-blue colored wood, and walking into the pavilion was akin to walking into the deep Sea Blue.
"This wood is from a tree called the Sea Blue Cotton tree. These types of trees are extremely precious. For trees older than ten thousand years, their surface will let off a light blue radiance. This radiance can absorb any type of energy. Similar to a sea sponge, its absorption limit increases with its age." Ling Xiao explained it to You XiaoMo as he followed behind.
You XiaoMo could not resist reaching out to touch the layer of light on the Sea Blue Cotton tree. The feeling of it was like that of a sea sponge - soft but flexible. You XiaoMo could not help but excitedly exclaim, "How old do you think these Sea Blue Cotton trees are?"
Ling Xiao lazily replied, "If there are no unexpected incidents, they should be about fifteen thousand years old."
You XiaoMo inhaled sharply after hearing that statement, before picking up his pace as he walked inside.
Excluding the walls, floor and ceiling, the rest of the Skills Training Pavilion was made from the wood of the Sea Blue Cotton tree. The shelves at the side which held the skill training manuals were also made using with the wood. An assortment of skill training manuals were placed inside in a grid-like fashion, and they were shrouded in the light energy of the Sea Blue Cotton trees.
If one wanted to take these skill training manuals out, they would have to use the points in their card to pay for the skill training manual. The points for each manual were displayed beside the cabinet. Only after going through this procedure could they get their hands on the skill training manual.
The first thing Ling Xiao and You XiaoMo saw after entering was the low level skill training manuals.
But the further they walked in, the higher the level of the skill training manuals were. Naturally, the price for exchanging the manuals was also higher.
You XiaoMo caught sight of a high-grade low level skill training manual. Although the level of the manual was considered to be low, it's price was quite high and cost one hundred and fifty points.
But all these skill training manuals were only for practitioners, and he had yet to come across a single skill training manual for mages.
After browsing through several shelves, You XiaoMo still did not find any suitable for mages. He could not refrain from letting out a compliant.
Could the skill training manuals for mages be in a different pavilion from skill training manuals for the practitioners?
Hearing his complaint, Ling Xiao suddenly patted his shoulder. After seeing You XiaoMo turn his head, he pointed at a flight of low rise stairs that were close by.
The Skill Training Pavilion had two levels. The second level was much smaller than the first level - it was a third of the size of the first. Raising one's head and looking straight, at a height of four meters, a second level could be seen. However, it was blocked by a thin blue film of energy. Therefore, many first-time visitors would assume that it was a wall and would not notice that there was another level above.
You XiaoMo immediately pulled Ling Xiao over to the second level.
Stepping on the wooden stairs, the sharp and clear tapping sound of footsteps resounded throughout the entire pavilion. The gazes of some people who were looking for skill training manuals were inevitably drawn to You XiaoMo's direction, but after a glimpse, they indifferently returned to their business.
The words 'Spirit Skill Training Manuals' could be seen at the entrance of the second level.
Spirit Skill Training Manuals were relatively rare. No matter how rich a heritage DaoXin Academy had, its collection would not number more than two hundred books. Within the two hundred books, low and middle-grade manuals would be the most common. High level manuals would be very sparse and not a trace eould be found for a peak level manual.
You XiaoMo headed inside. The placement of the manuals on the second level was the same as the first level. The outer shelves held the lower level manuals, and the further in shelves were, the higher the level of the manuals.
As expected, he found ten volumes of distinctive and unusual scrolls on the last shelf on the level.
These scrolls were surrounded by an energy shield that was clearly different from the other shields in the pavilion. The biggest difference was in the color of the energy shield. It was much deeper than the others.
You XiaoMo was delighted, and just when he started to walk over, a 'boom' resounded as he walked straight into a transparent energy film. Fortunately the energy film had some elasticity, if not his nose would have been knocked crooked.
"What happened?" You XiaoMo moaned as he covered his nose.
"DaoXin Academy is even able to get a hold of Sea Blue Cotton trees that are twenty thousand years old. They definitely deserve their reputation." Ling Xiao exclaimed as he walked over and proceeded to elaborate, "Compared to the Sea Blue Cotton trees that are ten thousand years old, those that are twenty thousand years old have an additional ability - that is the ability to create a transparent barrier."
You XiaoMo poked the seamless barrier, and dejectedly asked, "Then how are we supposed to go in?"
Ling Xiao motioned for him to look towards a wooden wall beside the shelves. There was an indentation similar to the one they saw when they came in. However, the shape of the indentation did not fit the blue jade plaques, but was in the shape of the cards in their hands. To pass through the barrier of the Sea Blue Cotton tree, they probably had to place their card into the indentation.
You XiaoMo immediately took out his Black card and put in the indentation.
He had assumed that the barrier would immediately disappear, but after waiting for a while, there was not a single change. Could his guess have been wrong?
Ling Xiao said, "Try it with my card?"
You XiaoMo fell silent. Then he put Ling Xiao's card into the indentation. The barrier became momentarily visible to the eye and it slowly became thinner before finally disappearing.
"… …"
If he did not come here with Ling Xiao, wouldn't this trip have been for nothing?
All right, he would admit that he did not thoroughly inquire about this matter in advance. The next time, he would be sure not commit such a stupid mistake!
After keeping both cards, You XiaoMo walked towards the first scroll volume. He spared a glimpse at the price placed beside the lattice shelf before falling silent for a moment. He calmly walked towards the second scroll and took a glance. This time his silence was slightly longer than before. Next, he once again quietly walked towards the lattice shelf for third scroll. When he saw the points written on the third lattice shelf, he finally exploded.
"Arghhhh! This is just too expensive!"
Ling Xiao took a gander, and could not help his smile. He could sympathize with You XiaoMo's frame of mind. It really was quite expensive.
The first scroll was a low-grade high level skill training manual that needed two thousand points to exchange. The second scroll necessitated three thousand points to trade and was a mid-grade high level manual. The third scroll was a high-grade high level manual that required four thousand points.
The price for the manuals was higher than he had expected. Tang YuLin only needed two thousand points to exchange for a mid-grade high level skill training manual, but the manuals in here were a thousand points higher. No wonder You XiaoMo would flip out.
If the price was so high, even getting one manual would be a problem, not to mention exchanging two manuals.
But this also indirectly explained why only a person with a Purple card could open the barrier. This was because those with Purple cards were likely to have a high net worth, so their exchange capacity would be relatively strong.
You XiaoMo eyed the third scroll on the shelf. His heart was aching so much and it felt as if it was bleeding. It actually needed four thousand points. He had desperately earned points for more than a month, and finally got the points on his card to three thousand and four hundred. In the end, the reality he was faced with was that he did not have enough points to get the high-grade high level skill training manual. Wasn't this just like a bolt from the blue?!
Note: something important or unusual that happens suddenly or unexpectedly.
In his heart, the higher the level of the skill training manual, the better it must be. Therefore, he came with the expectation of getting his hands on a high-grade high level manual. He had assumed that three thousand four hundred points would be more than enough, but who would have thought that the price was so outrageously high?
"Exchange it." Ling Xiao's voice resounded beside his ear.
You XiaoMo raised his head and looked at him, but hung his head again. The blow from this matter was just too big.
Ling Xiao said, "If the points on your card are not enough, just use my points. It should be enough, ba."
You XiaoMo's head drooped, and he dejectedly replied, "It's true that it is enough, but it will only just cover the cost. After spending that much, we would not even be left with ten points. The rent for the pavilion is due today. If we don't renew it by today, we would have to move out tomorrow."
You XiaoMo could hurry back to refine some magic pills to sell, but yesterday, he had finished selling all his stock.
The magic herbs that Tang YuLin sold to him had already been used up. The herbs that Ling Xiao had harvested could not scrape together a single pill. He also had no points to buy the missing magic herbs, so he could not refine any low-grade magic pills today.
As for high-grade magic herbs, he had already sold more than enough this month. If he sold even more, it would arouse suspicion.
Ling Xiao patted his head, "I will find a way to earn points. You just need to care about using them."
Hearing this, You XiaoMo immediately agreed without any regrets.
Ever since Ling Xiao got a Purple card, this fella did not make any effort to earn points. He just lazed around in the pavilion every day. Occasionally, he would also follow You XiaoMo out to open his stall. To earn points, others would enter the mountains once or twice a month, or duel in the arena, but Ling Xiao did not even do any of these. Therefore, the points on his card did not rise but fell instead.
Although You XiaoMo was not a student from Block One, he still remembered that there was a condition to maintain one's position in the top ten ranking. If the condition was not met, the person would be removed from the top ten ranks.