Chapter 17: A Tough Nut to Crack!

Inside the bamboo pavilion of Xiaozhu Peak.

"I expect that after this, those bastards will have to think twice before trying to provoke Ling Feng."

Duanmu Qingshan stood with his hands behind his back, looking proud atop the pavilion. A trace of sword qi lingered on his right index finger, swirling around the tip.

It turned out that just now, Duanmu Qingshan had utilized the formation within the Sect Leader's Jade Command to transfer his sword qi to Ling Feng's side, helping him scare off the Pavilion Guarding Elder.

The reason this token was called the Sect Leader's Jade Command was that it was far more than just a simple plaque.

It was a magical treasure in its own right, and within the Wenxian Sect, it was a supreme treasure!

It contained a profound formation capable of transmitting the power of the person who had refined the Jade Command to any corner of the Wenxian Sect.

This secret was known only to successive Sect Leaders; Duanmu Qingshan had only discovered its mystery after refining the command himself.

As long as Ling Feng carried the Jade Command, it was equivalent to having Duanmu Qingshan providing protection. Once a signal of crisis was sensed, Duanmu could transmit his sword qi through the formation within the jade.

However, this range was limited to the Wenxian Sect; once outside the sect, it would be utterly useless. After all, the Jade Command had to work in conjunction with the sect's mountain-protecting formation to function its energy-transferring effect.

Of course, to temper Ling Feng, he would only intervene when Ling Feng encountered an opponent he could not resist.

...

At the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion.

Ling Feng stowed away the Jade Command, looked at the guarding disciples, and asked coldly, "Well? Can I go in and select my secret manuals now?"

"P-please... please enter." The guarding disciples were trembling with fear. Even the guarding elder had chosen to yield; how would they dare offend this harbinger of calamity?

With a lift of his sword-like brows, Ling Feng strode into the Scripture Pavilion. He now had the tacit permission of the guarding elder to select any manual within the pavilion without restriction.

Seeing Ling Feng enter, the surrounding disciples all breathed a sigh of relief.

"My god, so Great-Uncle Duanmu is that powerful!"

"With Great-Uncle Duanmu backing him, won't this Ling Feng be able to walk sideways through the sect?"

"Shh, shh! Don't talk nonsense. I heard Great-Uncle Duanmu once did something treasonous and was imprisoned on Xiaozhu Peak. That Ling Feng is his disciple; he's doomed sooner or later!"

"Treasonous? What kind of treasonous thing?" a disciple asked curiously.

"I'm telling you, don't go spreading this around," another disciple whispered, lowering his voice. "I heard it too. They say Great-Uncle Duanmu killed the previous Sect Leader!"

"The previous Sect Leader? That was the current Sect Leader's master! In that case, the Sect Leader definitely won't let Great-Uncle Duanmu's disciple off easy!"

"That's why Ling Feng is doomed. Everyone, use your eyes—we can't afford to provoke him, and we shouldn't get involved with him. Otherwise, if we get implicated, tsk tsk tsk..."

"Right, right, right. We absolutely cannot get involved with him!"

Outside the Scripture Pavilion, the disciples gossiped incessantly, while Ling Feng had already ascended to the second floor.

Generally speaking, the first floor contained common, mediocre works, which Ling Feng didn't bother with. As for the third floor, it held Qi-Condensation Stage cultivation methods and martial techniques that were beyond his current capacity. Only the manuals on the second floor were most suitable for him.

Each floor of the Scripture Pavilion was divided into two sections: cultivation methods on the left and martial techniques on the right.

Ling Feng first walked to the right side. He saw rows of brown wooden shelves lining the walls, divided into many cubbies containing various books and scrolls.

There were many cubbies, but most were empty; this was natural given the constant stream of disciples borrowing manuals every month.

Therefore, to obtain a good manual, disciples usually made reservations in advance or waited in the pavilion at the beginning of the month to borrow them immediately upon their return.

Ling Feng browsed through the rows of shelves for a while, then took a stroll through the martial techniques section on the left. After gaining a general understanding of the contents, he began his selection.

Before long, Ling Feng selected a movement technique, a fist technique, and a body-tempering cultivation method, leaving the Scripture Pavilion feeling satisfied.

Generally, only true disciples were qualified to borrow more than three manuals at once, but since even the guarding elder had spoken, no one dared to express dissatisfaction. They could only watch him leave with his manuals, even filling out the borrowing information on his behalf.

Shortly after Ling Feng left, a youth who appeared to be about seventeen or eighteen walked into the Scripture Pavilion. He carried a three-foot green blade on his back and possessed a tall, upright stature.

The youth had sharp, star-like eyes that radiated a cold, arrogant aura. As soon as he entered, he questioned the disciples at the registration desk: "Where is the *Ninefold Sea-Suppressing Fist* manual I reserved last month?"

"S-Senior Brother Xiao!" The guarding disciple's eyelid twitched violently. The newcomer was none other than the rising star of the inner sect, Xiao Qingfeng!

Xiao Qingfeng was only eighteen, yet he already possessed a cultivation at the eighth level of the Qi Condensation Stage. Even within the Wenxian Sect's inner sect, he was a rare top-tier genius and a favored disciple of the Sect Leader's lineage. Once he promoted to the Pulse Condensation Stage, he would instantly become a true disciple.

Such a figure was someone these lowly guarding disciples could not afford to offend.

"What is it? I've been waiting for a month since my reservation. Are you telling me I made this trip for nothing?" Xiao Qingfeng's brows furrowed as he glared at the disciple.

"S-Senior Brother Xiao, it's not that we didn't save it for you, but an accident occurred. The manual for the *Ninefold Sea-Suppressing Fist* was just borrowed by someone!"

"How dare they! Someone actually dares to snatch a manual I reserved?" A flash of anger crossed Xiao Qingfeng's eyes. "Did you not mention my name?"

The guarding disciple said with a bitter face, "That person was incredibly arrogant, not even giving the guarding elder any respect. We... we didn't dare defy his wishes!"

"So you dare defy mine?" Xiao Qingfeng slammed his palm onto the counter and roared, "Speak! Which blind fool dared to snatch the manual from under my hands?"

"It... it was a disciple from Xiaozhu Peak, named Ling Feng," the disciple answered truthfully, not daring to hide anything.

"Xiaozhu Peak?" Xiao Qingfeng snorted coldly. "Isn't that the peak that specializes in producing trash, where disciples flee to the outer sect in less than three days? What, this year's one hasn't fled yet?"

"This year's one is a tough nut to crack," the guarding disciple said tremulously. "He... he's not easy to deal with."

"Not easy to deal with?" Xiao Qingfeng's gaze turned icy. "Hmph, I'll see for myself just how tough this nut is!"

With that, Xiao Qingfeng waved his hand and turned to stride out of the Scripture Pavilion.