Chapter 164: Martial Arts Holy Land

Emerging from the Internal Affairs Pavilion, Zhong Ning had seemingly forgotten the unpleasantness that had just transpired, his face once more adorned with a smile.

"The Seclusion Pavilion doesn’t have as many rank divisions. There are only three positions in total: Pavilion Master – of which there are four, representing the four branch pavilions.

Below the Pavilion Masters are the Elders. Tan Tianji and I, for example, are both Elders of one of the pavilions.

The Martial Pavilion has six Elders, and I am one of them. Below the Elders are the Official Members of the Seclusion Pavilion. You are now an Official Member.

Due to the Seclusion Pavilion’s extraordinary position, even as an Official Member, your status is equivalent to a Heaven-Rank Demon Slayer. The status of a Pavilion Elder is basically equal to that of a regular Town Guardian.

As for the Pavilion Masters…

They are at the very pinnacle of the Demon Suppression Division."

He spoke as they walked.

Zhong Ning continued, "Joining the Seclusion Pavilion also grants you benefits that others cannot enjoy. The biggest one is that members of the Seclusion Pavilion are not required to perform mandatory missions every year.

Another benefit is that the Demon Suppression Division provides a fixed amount of resources to the Seclusion Pavilion each year.

For example, the Enlightenment Tea you are currently using. Martial Pavilion members of the Seclusion Pavilion receive one hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea each year, in addition to other resources."

One hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea every year.

Shen Changqing’s eyes flickered.

That alone was worth one hundred merit points! Adding in the other resources, the treatment of Seclusion Pavilion members was exceptionally generous.

After a quick calculation, he suspected that the resources the Demon Suppression Division provided to each person annually were worth at least two hundred merit points.

"Is Elder Zhong saying that the resources received by other branch pavilions are different?"

"That’s for sure."

Zhong Ning nodded.

"All resources have their focus. Different branch pavilions provide different resources. The Martial Pavilion’s resources are geared towards martial arts, allowing Martial Pavilion members to focus on their research without distractions."

As the two were talking, a place that resembled a Scripture Repository came into Shen Changqing’s sight.

"This is the Martial Pavilion."

Zhong Ning said.

At that moment, the gate to the Martial Pavilion opened, and a gray-clothed old man was leisurely lying there, seemingly drifting off to sleep.

Zhong Ning glanced at the old man but paid him no mind, leading Shen Changqing directly inside.

"The person at the entrance is also an Elder of the Martial Pavilion, named Zhao Bai. If you see him on weekdays, just say hello. If you don’t see him, then it’s fine too. The Seclusion Pavilion doesn’t emphasize etiquette too much; just remember the basics."

Upon entering the Martial Pavilion, Shen Changqing found that his field of vision had widened considerably.

The first level covered a large area, and there were several closed doorways within, their purpose unknown.

At the same time, when he stepped into the Martial Pavilion, he felt as if the true Qi in his Dantian had become somewhat more active.

"You sensed it, didn’t you!"

A mysterious smile appeared on Zhong Ning’s face.

"There is a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Vein beneath the Martial Pavilion. When within the Spiritual Vein, you can absorb spiritual energy for cultivation, which allows martial artists to recover their true Qi, while also greatly nourishing their spirit.

Those secret rooms are directly connected to the Spiritual Vein.

However, to ensure that the Spiritual Vein’s spiritual energy doesn’t deplete, the secret rooms cannot be used arbitrarily. Official Members of the Seclusion Pavilion can enter the secret rooms once a month, for a duration of three days. Accumulating multiple uses is not allowed.

If you want to use it extra times, you’ll have to use merit points to exchange for it.

One hundred merit points for one use, for the same duration of three days."

"One hundred merit points for one use!"

Shen Changqing’s expression changed.

That price was a bit too exorbitant!

One hundred merit points – how long would it take to accumulate that much by completing normal missions?

Zhong Ning said, "There’s a reason why the price is high. After all, the Demon Suppression Division isn’t a charity organization; it can’t provide everything for free. The resources the Demon Suppression Division currently provides to the Seclusion Pavilion are already very generous.

But the Spiritual Vein is a major issue, and one hundred merit points is already a very low price.

If others were to enter, they wouldn’t even dream of it without two hundred merit points."

Two hundred merit points!

The price had doubled again.

Shen Changqing was secretly shocked. This was the first time he had learned about Spiritual Veins.

But just from the somewhat active and vibrant true Qi he felt upon entering the Martial Pavilion, it was indeed a good place.

"Come up!"

Zhong Ning walked towards the second level.

Seeing this, Shen Changqing followed behind him.

Upon reaching the second level, the layout was similar to that of a Scripture Repository, with rows of bookshelves placed within, filled with books. Some people were engrossed in reading, paying no attention to Zhong Ning’s arrival.

"The second level is where superior martial arts and some of the top sect martial arts from the Jianghu are placed. It can be said that any Jianghu sect that possesses high-end martial arts has a backup copy here on the second level of the Martial Pavilion.

Reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand miles. If martial artists don’t have enough experience and insight, it will be difficult for them to create even more superior martial arts.

Using martial arts to break through the Human Limit is also one of the directions of the Martial Pavilion."

Zhong Ning’s face was somewhat proud.

The Martial Pavilion’s current collection of books was unmatched anywhere else in the world.

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing looked at the rows of bookshelves, his eyes filled with shock and strangeness.

According to what the other party had said, the high-end martial arts that existed in the Jianghu were all recorded here. Normally, a high-end martial art was a treasure passed down through generations for people in the Jianghu, and it would never be easily leaked.

The Martial Pavilion now possessed so many martial arts – no one would believe that there wasn’t something fishy about it.

As if seeing through Shen Changqing’s inner thoughts, Zhong Ning smiled.

"Did you think that these martial arts in the Martial Pavilion were all stolen?"

"Uh—"

Shen Changqing didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

If he said yes, what if it hurt the other person’s feelings?

If he said no, it would seem like he was trying to cover something up.

Zhong Ning placed his hands behind his back, an arrogant expression on his face. "The Martial Pavilion has never stooped to doing such underhanded things. These martial arts were all openly copied down by members of our Demon Suppression Division when they visited Jianghu sects."

"Jianghu sects regard martial arts as their foundation; how could they allow the Demon Suppression Division to copy them—"

Just as he finished speaking, Shen Changqing seemed to realize something, and his expression became even stranger.

Seeing this, Zhong Ning stroked his beard, a clear smile on his face.

"Others naturally can’t, but the Demon Suppression Division is different. There are very few things that the Demon Suppression Division wants to do that it can’t accomplish."

To put it bluntly, it was nothing more than coercion.

Shen Changqing looked at the expression on Zhong Ning’s face, and he was eighty or ninety percent sure of his guess.

Although the strength of Jianghu sects was strong, compared to the Demon Suppression Division, there was a world of difference.

Not to mention anything else.

Take Grandmasters, for example – they were already at the top in the Jianghu, but in the Demon Suppression Division, Grandmaster experts were everywhere.

There were also the mysterious Town Guardians, who were above ordinary Grandmasters.

In his mind, those sects naturally wouldn’t dare to offend the Demon Suppression Division.

However, he didn’t rule out the possibility of some stubborn sects refusing. As for the consequences of refusing, Shen Changqing didn’t think too much about it.

Zhong Ning said, "Once the martial artist limit has the opportunity to be broken, it will be good news for all Qin people. Those Jianghu sects can’t collect all the martial arts in the world to decipher the mysteries, so the Demon Suppression Division will do it.

Similarly, if you have any powerful martial arts that you have obtained, you can also contribute them to the Martial Pavilion.

For martial arts that directly point to the Innate Realm, we will give you ten to one hundred merit points depending on the profoundness of the martial art. If it directly points to the Grandmaster Realm, the minimum will be two hundred merit points, with no upper limit.

The premise is that the Martial Pavilion must not already have the martial art you possess."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing looked at his status panel.

His martial arts were all obtained from the Demon Suppression Division, so the Martial Pavilion should already have them. However, if he used slaughter points to break through the limits of his martial arts, then if he seriously reverse-engineered them, the martial arts he obtained would definitely be more profound.

However, this idea had only just arisen when it was temporarily dismissed.

He shouldn’t reveal too much just after arriving at the Martial Pavilion.

After he understood more, he would consider whether or not to contribute his own martial arts.

When the time came, he could change the name and slightly modify the beginning, and it would be a brand new martial art. He wouldn’t have to worry about any duplication with the martial arts in the Martial Pavilion.

Afterward, Zhong Ning led Shen Changqing to the third level.

The space above was equally open, with open wall cabinets, where books were placed one after another.

At the same time, there were twenty or thirty desks placed below. Some desks were filled with items, while others were empty.

"The wall cabinets contain some of the problems encountered by the Martial Pavilion’s experts of previous generations during their cultivation. You can take a look at them when you have time. At the same time, the desks are used by Martial Pavilion members on a daily basis. From now on, that desk will be your spot.

If you have any insights or discoveries regarding yourself, you can record them and place them on the desk for others to study."

At this point, Zhong Ning turned to look at Shen Changqing.

"Martial Pavilion members rarely expose the secrets of their own martial arts. Everyone is here to break through the martial artist limit. Sometimes, the situations of other Grandmasters may be like a stroke of divine inspiration, suddenly enlightening you.

So your true situation is also a treasure to other Grandmasters.

At the same time, you can record any problems you encounter during cultivation, as well as any changes in your body, and place them there. Of course, you can also directly say them out loud and discuss them with other Grandmasters.

The Martial Pavilion holds a martial artist exchange meeting every month. Anyone who thinks they have new discoveries or gains can share them with others."

Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing now had a deep understanding of the Martial Pavilion’s philosophy and approach.

The purpose of the people here was to break through the martial artist limit.

So in other places, martial artists would not easily reveal the secrets of their various aspects, even to their relatives and descendants.

But here, martial artists did not have this restriction.

Everyone would inform others of their situation and then draw upon the situations of others to nourish themselves.

Now, the Martial Pavilion in Shen Changqing’s eyes was more like a Martial Arts Holy Land.

End of Chapter