Liu Xing walked to the stern-looking librarian, a man who appeared to be in his fifties with a few strands of white hair and a bushy mustache. When Liu Xing stepped in front of the desk, the librarian glanced at his dirty appearance and sneered.


    "What is a beggar doing in my library?"


    Liu Xing looked at himself. While he was dirty and somewhat smelly, he was far from a beggar. He decided not to argue.


    "Greetings, senior. I am not a beggar. I am Liu Xing," he said, clasping his fist in his palm. "I am here to exchange my sect points for these two techniques." Liu Xing placed the Lightning Cloak and Exploding Fist techniques on the table.


    The clerk, seeing his chosen techniques, sneered again. "Garbage techniques for a garbage disciple. How fitting."


    Liu Xing’s expression remained neutral. He was a Lock Opening fifth stage cultivator, while the clerk, Liu Xing suspected, was an early Core Splitting cultivator. In terms of potential, Liu Xing was not behind this older disciple. Liu Xing could still grow, while the clerk seemed content to be a librarian and berate juniors.


    The clerk''s comment about garbage techniques stemmed from the fact that these two techniques were only Base Grade.


    Techniques in this world were separated into three grades: Base, Earth, and Heaven. Liu Xing suspected there were grades beyond Heaven, but for now, he was content knowing only these grades.


    "You need 215 points to acquire these techniques," the clerk stated with a raised chin, as if he was sure Liu Xing couldn’t afford it.


    Liu Xing took out his token—a slab of wood shaped like a crescent moon—and silently handed it to the clerk. The old disciple checked the points, deducted the required amount, and sneered, seeming to resent Liu Xing because he could afford the techniques.


    Liu Xing took the two techniques from the table, thanked the older disciple, and hurriedly left the library. In his experience, people like that old disciple were petty. Unable to climb higher themselves, they made things difficult for everyone else.


    While walking toward his cave, Liu Xing wondered if that clerk would forever remain a librarian and then quietly pass away.


    Trying to commit the clerk to memory so he could avoid him in the future, Liu Xing checked his remaining points on the token. Sending a small amount of qi toward it, the number 3 appeared.


    “Years of saving are gone in an evening,” he sighed.


    Liu Xing had lost track of how many missions he had completed. But since he worked hard every month, he estimated he had finished at least fifty or sixty missions. Despite that many missions, he could only afford two techniques.


    “Whatever, I’ll just rack up more points from here on.”


    Liu Xing tried to cheer himself up and began to read the Lightning Cloak technique as he walked. The technique’s cycling method was not difficult to remember. Half of it was exactly the same as when he activated the Lightning Palm. Liu Xing predicted that if he learned it the normal way, he could probably use it in just a week. It was that similar to the Lightning Palm Technique.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The Exploding Fist was another matter. He decided to master the Lightning Cloak first before tackling the other technique.


    Liu Xing walked deeper into the sect. In front of him, a mountain jutted into the sky, its cliffs dotted with natural and man-made caves. This area of the sect was not popular because it was far from the rest of the sect and the qi in the air was thinner. But Liu Xing cherished the fresh air, the sound of chirping birds, and the serenity of this place.


    Walking on the dirt path, Liu Xing soon arrived at a small clearing with a little cave. This cave had doors, albeit old and covered in moss. Liu Xing touched the door and sent a pulse of qi. Usually, the door would light up with a greenish glow and then open. But today, instead of a greenish light, a reddish light appeared.


    “What?”


    Liu Xing tried again and again, but the door remained locked. Then, a small yet firm voice came from behind the door.


    “Go away.”


    Liu Xing blinked several times, wondering if his ears were playing tricks on him. But soon he realized what had happened. While he had been training, someone had taken his cave!


    Liu Xing knocked on the door until it rattled. This was unacceptable!


    “You’re the one who needs to go away! This is my house!”


    “Go away,” the voice said again, small yet stern. Liu Xing realized the speaker was a girl.


    “Look, I think you’ve made a mistake. This cave is occupied. Didn’t you see the clothes and the simple futon inside? That’s mine!”


    Liu Xing knocked desperately. This cave was his and his alone. The floor, walls, bed, and little desk inside had witnessed his life here. Whether groveling after being beaten or feeling depressed and wondering if he would ever see his friends again, this cave was his sanctuary. The place where Nui had given him the gun, the connection to his past.


    Liu Xing tried to calm himself, trying to understand what had happened. The girl inside must be a new disciple; otherwise, she would already have a house.


    “Sister, can we talk? This is my cave, and I think you can find a better place. For example, the dorms. Not only are the dorms closer to the library and training ground, but they also have denser qi. If you are talented, you could even win a private house for yourself. This place is not good. Only losers live here.”


    Liu Xing felt a pang of bitterness saying “only losers live here.” After all, he lived here. But that thought soon vanished. While he had lived here in the past to avoid being bullied, now he chose to live here because it was an important place to him.


    For several moments, silence reigned. Then, her voice sounded.


    “Go find another place.”


    Liu Xing could not accept that. “This place is mine.”


    “Not anymore. This place is now mine.”


    Then the door opened.


    Inside, Liu Xing saw a girl sitting in a lotus position. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to glow, silky black hair, and clear skin.


    For an instant, Liu Xing noticed a glowing blue light beneath his futon, desk, and chest of clothes, as if lifted by a thin sheet of ice. Then, they hurled toward him. Liu Xing jumped to the side and watched as his belongings landed on the ground, the chest spilling clothes and one of the legs of his short desk broken.


    Turning his head back to the girl, Liu Xing realized she was the new disciple he had seen before he went to train. She was breathtakingly beautiful, but she was rude as hell, a downright jerk, perhaps a bully. Her charming appearance suddenly became meaningless.


    Liu Xing’s lips formed a thin line, emotion bubbling in his stomach.


    “Even with my belongings outside, the cave is still mine. You need to go.”


    The girl stood up, her electric blue eyes locking onto his. For a moment, Liu Xing felt intimidated, but he held his ground.


    “You waste my time,” the girl said.


    After she spoke, dozens of ice crystals materialized in the air. The crystals were as big as a palm and had sharp edges.


    Seeing this, Liu Xing understood that this conflict needed to be resolved with violence. He estimated she was at the Lock Opening fifth stage. If she wasn’t some kind of genius, then Liu Xing had a high chance of defeating her and getting his cave back.