Traveling through time to cultivate immortality: a life and death test

Liu Xing emerged from the Golden Jubilee Restaurant, well-fed and satisfied. He strolled leisurely through the streets, entering any shops that caught his eye, asking questions about prices and information. However, these shops primarily catered to Qi Refining cultivators, and nothing caught his eye, not even top-grade magical instruments. His goal was to reach the West City Sutra Library, off the main street in a quiet area to the west. Liu Xing encountered many bookstalls along the way, and he stopped to browse through them. Most of the books he had read before, but occasionally, he would come across one or two more advanced books, which he would purchase without hesitation. It seemed he had to go to the Sutra Library, a place his guide, the black boy, had highlighted to him when he first arrived in the city. He was planning to go there now, to read more and avoid unnecessary detours.

Soon, the Sutra Library appeared before his eyes. It was a three-story, independent building, quite large, and its collection of books was estimated to be tens of millions. It was a magnificent sight. The building was brightly lit, yet unusually quiet. There were a few monks scattered inside, but they were all hurried in and out, merely selecting a few books to peruse.

Liu Xing walked into the Sutra Library. There was a steward at the tenth level of Qi Refining at the entrance to the first floor. Seeing the astonishing spiritual pressure Liu Xing brought, he immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully:

"Welcome, senior!"

"This is my first time here. Please tell me about the charges and situation of the Sutra Library." Liu Xing said lightly.

"Okay, senior. The first floor of the Sutra Library contains some humanities, geography, and common sense of cultivation, most of which are suitable for Qi training cultivators. The second floor contains some professional books on talisman making, alchemy, and weapon refining, as well as precious scriptures on cultivation such as the Five Elements Kung Fu and secret techniques, which are suitable for foundation building cultivators and professionals in certain fields. The third floor has very few books, and each one is a rare and hard-to-find copy in the world. The fee is one spirit stone per day for the first floor, two spirit stones per day for the second floor, and five spirit stones per time for the third floor." The manager introduced carefully.

"Why does the third floor charge by the time instead of by the day?" Liu Xing asked curiously.

"The books on the third floor are all restricted. You need to pay for a copy to read when you return. You don't need to stay there for long."

"I understand. I'll pay thirty spirit stones in advance. I'll refund the excess and pay the shortfall later." Liu Xing nodded and handed the thirty spirit stones to the steward, who hurriedly took them. He then hurriedly took out a token and chanted something into it, casting a special spell. The number thirty appeared on the token.

"Senior, this is the entrance token, please keep it. Some books with restrictions can also be opened with this token, and your recharge balance will be automatically deducted from the token." The manager said as he handed the token to Liu Xing.

Liu Xing took the token and played with it curiously for a while. He thought of his bank card from his previous life. As long as he deposited money into it, he could withdraw money and make purchases at any time.

"Senior, do you have any other instructions?" Seeing that Liu Xing did not move forward, playing with the token in silence, the steward thought that his service was not up to standard and made the senior unhappy, so he quickly took the initiative to ask.

"Oh, it's okay, I'll go in right away." Liu Xing smiled awkwardly and walked into the attic.

It’s good that you’re okay. The manager heaved a long sigh of relief, and his heart finally settled down.

The first floor held numerous rooms, each filled with a different type of book. There were books on history, geography, civilization, sects, travelogues, magical flowers and herbs, mineral encyclopedias, magical beasts and insects, sea and land monsters, and so on—a vast and diverse array of genres. Liu Xing plunged into this vast ocean of books, reading tirelessly, like a sponge soaking up water, never missing a single word. He thoroughly enjoyed this learning process. With each book he read, he gained a deeper understanding of the world, a clearer picture of the future, and greater confidence in his critical decisions.

Liu Xing devoured every book, his brain like a gigantic storage hard drive, constantly absorbing and storing knowledge from all directions. He deeply understood the truth that one only regrets not having enough knowledge when it's needed. He arrived in this alien world alone, without the support of family and friends, the support of fellow disciples, or the guidance of a master or fellow disciples. He had to rely on himself for everything. Reading more, learning from others' experiences, absorbing and understanding them, and making them his own, could help him avoid many detours, save more time for cultivation, and allow him to travel further and longer on the path to immortality.

The first floor's collection comprised eighty percent of the Sutra Library. Nearly half of these books were ones he had already read during his visit to the city, so he naturally didn't need to reread them. The other half took Liu Xing nearly ten days to finish. Liu Xing possessed a powerful spiritual awareness and an astonishing memory, allowing him to read many times faster than anyone else. If someone noticed, they'd think he was a scanner, not reading, but rapidly scanning through pages.

Having almost finished reading the books on the first floor, Liu Xing ran to the second. The books on the second floor were much more specialized than those on the first. There were secret manuals on martial arts techniques, some tips on alchemy, some tricks on refining weapons, and some methods for making talismans. These books took longer to read, and some required pause for reflection and comprehension. Ten days passed quickly. The token given by the steward trembled slightly, and the number on it showed zero. Liu Xing immediately ran to the steward to recharge another hundred spirit stones, then returned to his reading. For some obscure content that he couldn't comprehend immediately, he would take out a blank jade slip and copy it to slowly comprehend it later.

Liu Xing studied with fervor, entering a state of ecstasy. Other cultivators who came to study would choose their specialized areas for targeted study. Unlike this madman, he devoted so much time to comprehensive research, a true book-drinking glutton, completely unpredictable. However, the secret techniques and alchemy and weapon-making techniques here were all relatively common, accessible knowledge. The truly inherited secrets, clan manuals, and family heirlooms were simply impossible to find here. For example, the weapon-refining books were all basic knowledge, nothing compared to the "Basic Weapon Refining Techniques" he had received from Qi Changchun. "Basic Weapon Refining Techniques" was a collection of accumulated experience passed down through generations of the Qi family, and was of immense value. While the weapon-refining knowledge in the Sutra Repository was basic, it covered a wider range of topics, opening Liu Xing's eyes and providing valuable insights for his future weapon-refining endeavors.

It's easy to forget the passage of time when practicing, and the same goes for reading. When you get tired, you can sit down and rest for a while before continuing. Liu Xing read like a bookworm, completely absorbed in his studies, unaware that he'd been watched for days.