If someone took a liking to a technique, they could choose to obtain it.One by one, the cultivation methods and martial techniques naturally appeared on the shelves.
Some cultivation manuals, however, split into two or even three parts amidst a flash of white light. One part remained on the first floor, while the others disappeared, as if transported elsewhere.
This happened because certain techniques were of a high grade, containing methods not just for the Divine Sea Realm, but also for future realms—such as the method to open Life Apertures, or even more precious Life Aperture Diagrams. These were beyond the storage scope of the first floor. Under the power of the Scripture Pavilion, the manuals were automatically separated into multiple jade books, each representing the content appropriate for different realms.
For instance, the "Blood and Loyalty Record" was instantly split, and only the Divine Sea Chapter remained on the first floor. The advanced sections could only be found on higher floors.
This was one of the powers of the Scripture Pavilion.
"Designate Iron-Blooded Fiend Qi as the foundational cultivation technique for military soldiers. All soldiers may obtain it for free."
"Designate Pure Origin Technique as a basic cultivation method available freely to all civilians, regardless of gender or social standing."
"Whether soldier or civilian, one may freely choose one basic martial technique."
Once Yi Tianxing saw that all the techniques had settled into the white jade bookshelves, he spoke decisively. As the words fell, like golden law, the Scripture Pavilion responded, and new rules came into being.
"For all cultivation methods and martial techniques, anyone who wishes to obtain one must swear a Heart Demon Oath, sealed by the Heavenly Mandate Forbidden Law. No one is allowed to teach the techniques obtained from the Scripture Pavilion to others privately. They may only use them for personal cultivation. No transcription of the techniques is allowed. If violated, the heart demon will retaliate, leading to eternal damnation."
As soon as his voice fell, a strange Daoist aura enveloped every technique in the pavilion.
Without swearing the oath, one could not take away any cultivation manual.
Once the oath was made, even if you tried to speak about the techniques or write them down, you couldn't. This ensured that the secrets within the Scripture Pavilion would not be leaked. One couldn't speak them. One couldn't write them.
Yi Tianxing understood this deeply.
This wasn't a matter of trust—it was a matter of rules. Only with rules could there be structure.
In this chaotic world, these cultivation methods and techniques were the foundation—the very bedrock upon which power and influence would be built. Such foundations couldn't simply be handed out freely. Only by ensuring their secrecy could the integrity of that foundation be preserved. If one wanted to learn a technique, they had to come to the Scripture Pavilion themselves. Otherwise, they'd have to find some other, much rarer source.
The existence of the Scripture Pavilion effectively eliminated the possibility of leakage for many techniques. At the very least, the ones stored within it were protected.
This was an act of benevolence—and a way to showcase power.It was also a major bargaining chip to attract talent.
Take the "Blood and Loyalty Record"—this was a Confucian cultivation method. If a scholar cultivated it, they could produce unique True Qi known as Righteous Energy. As long as a scholar had literary talent and the correct method, they could guide their scholarly aura to open up their Divine Sea and transform it into Righteous Energy.
To advance in the Confucian path, however, they had to constantly improve their knowledge—read, study, research various subjects, and even create their own philosophies and theories. Writing books, advocating for the people, benefiting local populations—these deeds would accumulate public virtue and advance one's cultivation.
If a person lacked moral integrity, had little literary talent, or possessed questionable character, even if they produced Righteous Energy, it would grow very slowly—or even stagnate.
Only true scholars could walk far on this path, opening Confucian Life Apertures and obtaining Confucian Divine Abilities.
After finishing all of this, Yi Tianxing didn't linger. He turned and left the Scripture Pavilion.
The doors to the pavilion were left open. Unless under special circumstances, they would not be closed—day or night. Anyone could enter and browse the techniques inside. But only basic techniques and martial arts could be obtained for free. Others required contributions.
How contributions would be calculated—that was something Yi Tianxing would address next.
For any power or faction, a system of rules was essential.
But the village was still young, short on people. Things couldn't be established overnight. Plus, with dangers all around, the first priority remained survival.
Time passed.
The sun set, and the moon rose high. In Xuanhuang Village, large makeshift shelters had begun to take shape. Daylight wasn't enough, and repeated battles had left many civilians both physically and mentally exhausted. Building proper homes wasn't feasible yet. For now, they built tents to provide shelter from the night's dew and rain.
Though they were grieving, many people began opening up around the fire. Roasting rat meat, they chatted about the new world, about the village, about the future.
In this cruel era, the chance to gather in a place like this—a place of hope—gave many a sense of longing and possibility.
And at this moment, many people began heading toward the Scripture Pavilion.
Wang Dahu, Huang Chengyan, and Jia Yucun were among them.
Upon entering, nearly everyone was stunned.
"So spacious! Incredible… It looked so modest from the outside, but inside, it's massive. So many shelves… How many manuals could this place even store? Compared to bamboo slips, this is so much more convenient. I've heard most worlds use white paper now. Paper replaces bamboo slips. But these here… they're neither gold nor jade, neither silk nor parchment."
Huang Chengyan's eyes gleamed as he gazed at the jade manuals. In his era, bamboo slips were the norm. A single manual might take hundreds of slips. The saying "a scholar's knowledge fills five cartloads" referred to such burdensome slips. In contrast, just one paper manuscript could contain what once filled a whole cart.
And these jade books surpassed even paper. A true blessing for scholars.
Shaking off his stray thoughts, Huang Chengyan looked up at the shelves.
"Pure Origin Technique, Divine Sea Realm foundation method. Contains the Origin Qi Vortex Visualization Diagram, which guides one to open the Divine Sea and generate Pure Origin True Qi. This Qi has no attribute and is compatible with all paths. Requires no special aptitude. Anyone can cultivate. Free for all."
Standing before the Pure Origin Technique, Huang Chengyan saw a light screen displaying ancient script. Strangely, even if someone couldn't read, they'd naturally understand its meaning. A miraculous feature.
"Unbelievable."
He marveled. In his original world, a technique like this would've sparked bloodshed. It could reshape the balance of an entire world. Yet here it was, freely available.
Still, he didn't pick it right away. He wanted to browse further.
"Hehe! Many thanks, my lord! Iron-Blooded Fiend Qi is perfect for me. With this, I won't be so helpless next time!"
Wang Dahu stood grinning in front of the Iron-Blooded Fiend Qi manual, mouth nearly splitting from joy.
Without hesitation, he reached out for the jade book. But a light screen blocked his hand, followed by a white glow that enveloped him. Suddenly, he found himself in a mysterious space, receiving strange information.
He shouted aloud:
"I, Wang Dahu, swear never to pass on Iron-Blooded Fiend Qi to others or record it in writing. Should I violate this oath, let my heart demon consume me, and may I suffer eternal torment!"
As the vow was made, a jade book materialized in this strange realm and flew into his mind, turning into a phantom manual that he could access at will.
Within it was the Iron-Blooded War Diagram, depicting two armies clashing in brutal battle. When visualized, it felt like standing amidst the carnage—drawing out the Fiend Qi within and unlocking the Divine Sea.
For soldiers who had faced real combat, this visualization was easier and more effective than for those without experience.
Only after completing the visualization and opening the Divine Sea could one access the rest of the manual.
Though it sounds long, the entire process took only a heartbeat.
Before he even pulled his hand back, Wang Dahu had already gained the method. The original jade book remained untouched on the shelf, yet the knowledge had been transmitted to his mind.
This was yet another ability of the Scripture Pavilion: to generate a perfect replica of a technique and directly transmit it into one's mind—no need to remove the original.