In the center of the study stood a table, and to one side, a middle-aged man was writing in a notebook. Upon seeing them enter, he simply looked up, greeted the director, and fixed his gaze on Li Yi.
"You must be the cultivator who helped us in the battle, right?" the man asked.
Leng Lubai took the lead to introduce them:
"This is Zu Chen, a third-level alchemist of our First Martial Arts School and a Warrior Realm cultivator."
Li Yi observed him and introduced himself as well. He thought to himself that he would need to learn alchemy and matrices, as they were two of the most useful skills in this world, in addition to being extremely respected professions.
"Fellow Li Yi has just joined our school as the First Honorary Elder. I hope you two will have a good relationship and help each other," Leng Lubai added.
Hearing this, Zu Chen was stunned. He hadn't expected this extraordinary cultivator to join them. He had noticed that Li Yi was in the Base Forging Realm, but he didn't dare underestimate him; he had seen his strength on the battlefield firsthand and knew the position was well-deserved.
"Welcome, Honorary Elder Yi. For anything you need, you can come here or contact me; I will help you with whatever is within my reach," Zu Chen said with a smile.
Li Yi nodded and closely observed the study until the director called him to show him another location. As they left, Zu Chen watched their backs as they walked away. He thought to himself that if that cultivator weren't so strong, he would have liked to capture him for study; then he looked down and continued writing.
This time, Leng Lubai took Li Yi to a massive and magnificent courtyard. There, a large number of students practiced various combat techniques and stances. To one side stood three cultivators who, according to Li Yi's eyes, were between the low and middle stages of the Warrior Realm. They were the ones guiding the training.
He approached the director and asked with curiosity:
"How many Warrior Realm cultivators does the First Martial Arts School possess? They seem to be the elite of your force."
Leng Lubai looked at him and replied:
"Our school currently has seven in the Warrior Realm. Three are in the superior stage and are the Grand Directors; the other four are mid and low level. We lost one in the last battle, and it was thanks to your intervention that we didn't lose more. Zu Chen is one of the three directors, and now I will take you to meet the other two."
An expression of surprise appeared on Li Yi's face. He didn't expect there to be so few, considering how long the school had existed. Leng Lubai noticed his reaction and explained:
"As we said before, upon reaching a high level, the school no longer offers real benefits. We only provide cultivation guidance; they must find almost all resources themselves and give a portion to the school. That is why, when they become strong enough, they leave some kind of heritage out of respect and move to the cities, where there are better opportunities."
Li Yi understood. The path of cultivation was difficult, but being in an organization that backed and guided you was enough for now. He realized that the stronger you are, the less attachment you have to relationships unless they provide a benefit.
As they walked, Li Yi noticed a pagoda-shaped building in the distance that absorbed and contained a large amount of spiritual energy. He assumed it was an important place but waited to be taken there.
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at a plaza with a central pagoda, similar to the previous one but larger. Around it were three smaller palaces. They entered one of them and exited through a back door into a small courtyard. There, two people were drinking wine; upon seeing them, they quickly stood up and greeted the director with a bow. When they looked at Li Yi, astonishment reflected on their faces as they recognized him.
Leng Lubai introduced them:
"This is Li Yi, the new First Honorary Elder of our school."
Both were amazed. They couldn't believe such an extraordinary cultivator had joined them, but they felt pleased: with someone that strong, the school could explore more dangerous places and obtain better resources. Finally, both introduced themselves.
"A pleasure to meet the First Honorary Elder of our school," they said in unison. "I am Du Luo, Vice-Director."
"And I am Sao Shueli, in charge of defense and protection."
Li Yi returned the greeting with a smile. His eyes allowed him to see that both were in the superior stage of the Warrior Realm, just one step away from reaching the Master Realm. After exchanging a few words, Leng Lubai and Li Yi left the courtyard.
Du Luo and Sao Shueli looked at each other with wide smiles.
"Most likely, when the new elder reaches the Martial Realm, or even the Warrior Realm, Director Lubai will invite him to enter 'that place' with us," Du Luo commented.
"Yes, it's possible that we will then obtain the resources necessary to advance to the Master Realm and be able to join the cities," Sao Shueli responded, visibly happy.
Upon exiting to the outer courtyard, they arrived in front of the pagoda Li Yi had seen before.
"This is the most important site of our First Martial Arts School: the library. It contains all the techniques and heritages we have collected over the years. Additionally, it is where the treasures and resources are kept," Leng Lubai explained.
At the door stood two men in the middle stage of the Warrior Realm, demonstrating the building's relevance. Being surrounded by the palaces of the three strongest members of the school guaranteed its security. Upon seeing them arrive, the guards bowed and opened the doors.
Entering, Li Yi observed the shelves on the first floor; he assumed he would spend much of his time there. He knew the most powerful techniques available to everyone were on the seventh floor, though he doubted those were truly the strongest in the entire institution.
He first toured the ground floor to learn how the books were categorized. After a while, he returned to the director, who was waiting patiently. At that moment, Leng Lubai took out his token, and a light shot toward the floor. In the center, a passageway opened to a subterranean level, similar to the one guarding the protective matrix in the main palace.
They descended for a few minutes until they reached a huge secret room.
At the back, Li Yi spotted mountains that seemed to total several million low-level spiritual stones. To one side, his special eyes noticed a much smaller pile with barely a few thousand stones, but due to their intense energy, he knew they were mid-level. From his previous readings, he remembered that a single mid-level stone was equivalent to ten thousand low-level ones. That small mountain contained almost as much wealth as the massive piles filling the back of the room.
"Here is where the most valuable resources, weapons, techniques, and materials are kept," Leng Lubai said with the smile of a millionaire contemplating his fortune.
Li Yi approached a shelf with several manuals and picked up one titled "The Five-Petal Sword." Upon opening it and reading the descriptions and illustrations, they seemed to come to life; the sword movements shifted before his eyes.
Leng Lubai watched him with incredulity. He quickly approached and asked:
"Can you read this text?"
"Yes," Li Yi replied without looking away. "These sword movements look quite beautiful, like the petals of a flower."
Leng Lubai's face turned pale. He couldn't believe this youth read with such ease a text that was nearly impossible for him to decipher. Attempting to read those words caused him unbearable mental pain, as if he were trying to hold up a mountain with his mind. However, he soon displayed an enormous smile; this only confirmed that he had made the best decision in inviting him to join the school.