After flying over several mountain peaks, a majestic nine-story tower appeared ahead.
Zhang Yuhe quickly descended and saw an elderly man with a long beard, waving ink wildly in front of the tower gate, completely unaware of his arrival.
"This senior is truly elegant," Zhang Yuhe thought.
Not wanting to disturb the senior guarding the Sutra Building, who appeared focused on calligraphy, Zhang Yuhe stood aside and waited silently.
After a long time, the old man continued waving his hand, making Zhang Yuhe peek over curiously.
The sight left him speechless.
The old man's calligraphy couldn't be called ugly—no, it was worse than that. It was completely unsightly.
Initially, Zhang Yuhe thought the old man might be a master of calligraphy in the immortal world. However, reality proved quite the opposite. The old man's writing wasn't even close to calligraphy—it was simply scribbling, like something a child from a Blue Star kindergarten might produce.
Zhang Yuhe found it difficult to hide his surprise. How could someone be so absorbed in such a crude form of writing?
What kind of taste was this?
After some time, the long-bearded old man finally stopped waving his hand, placing his wolf-hair brush down gently. He picked up his "masterpiece" and looked at it carefully, nodding frequently and feeling quite proud of himself.
Only then did the old man seem to notice Zhang Yuhe. He picked up the banner in his hand, flew over in an instant, and asked proudly, "Young man, would you like to open your eyes and see how this handwriting looks?"
Zhang Yuhe, ever the upright person, didn't want to say anything unkind. So, he remained silent, unwilling to voice his true thoughts.
"Humph, what an ignorant boy," the old man muttered, sensing Zhang Yuhe's hesitation.
The old man's tone shifted to a more questioning one. "Which mountain peak are you a disciple of? What brings you here?"
Zhang Yuhe internally sighed, regretting his earlier silence. He had hoped to avoid this situation, but now it seemed too late.
After all, the reason he came was to redeem a skill, and the Sutra Building was an important part of the Dao Sheng Sect. Who would wander around here without a purpose? Surely, that would be asking for trouble.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Zhang Yuhe answered in a low voice, "My disciple name is Zhang Yuhe from Galaxy Peak. I'm here to redeem my skills."
He handed over his identity jade token.
The old man took the token, examined it briefly, and sneered. "Ah, you're the one who got lucky, picked up a token, and joined the sect just like that?"
The old man's words made Zhang Yuhe feel even more uneasy. If only I hadn't complimented him just now... If I'd only remained quiet, this wouldn't have been so awkward.
Just as Zhang Yuhe began to worry, the old man waved his hand dismissively, tossing a thin booklet toward him.
"See for yourself," the old man said with a bored expression. "Let me know if you choose something."
Zhang Yuhe sighed with relief and took the booklet, opening it quickly.
The booklet wasn't a skill manual but an introduction to the skills available in the Sutra Building.
On the first page, Zhang Yuhe saw a detailed description.
"Fire Flame Manual"—a fire-attribute skill, top-grade at the heavenly level.
This was an extraordinary technique that could guide a cultivator all the way to Mahayana ascension. The magical power it came with, burning flames capable of scorching mountains and seas, was immensely powerful. A skilled practitioner could even burn through the void with this technique.
"This skill is so powerful. Should I learn it?" Zhang Yuhe thought, feeling tempted.
He had the eight spiritual roots and could learn fire-attribute skills. With his talents, there should be no obstacles in mastering any attribute.
"Let me look at the other techniques first."
Although Zhang Yuhe was excited, he decided to see what other options were available. He flipped to the next page.
"Fu Hai Zhen Jing"—a water-attribute exercise, also top-grade at the heavenly level.
As Zhang Yuhe continued flipping, he marveled at the Dao Sheng Sect's vast heritage.
"It's so strong," he thought, impressed.
Each page revealed a different top-grade heavenly technique, each corresponding to one of the eight attributes. The exercises seemed powerful enough to bring a cultivator to the pinnacle of the Yufantian world, and even ascent to the immortal realm seemed possible.
"Which exercise should I choose?" Zhang Yuhe wondered aloud.
The introduction booklet detailed powerful techniques, but Zhang Yuhe was at a loss. How could he choose with so many incredible options?
Without thinking, he flipped through the booklet again, hoping to find more insight.
"Wait, there's another page at the back."
When Zhang Yuhe turned to the ninth page, his eyes widened in shock.
"Hunyuan Tianjing"—immortal (suspected), supernatural power (unknown), requires full comprehension to understand.
A note at the bottom of the page read: This method requires eight kinds of spiritual roots to practice and is extremely difficult (possibly with other special requirements).
The note continued: In the past million years, no one in Dao Sheng Sect has successfully established a foundation using this method. Please consider carefully before choosing it.
Zhang Yuhe held the booklet for a long time, torn by indecision.
There was no doubt that the eight exercises listed before this were paths to greatness, each one leading to the top of the immortal world. But the "Hunyuan Tianjing" was different—it was immortal in nature, or at least suspected to be.
If it truly was an immortal method, it would have unimaginable effects. Why else would it be suspected to be immortal when other methods clearly stated their grade?
Despite its mysterious and ancient history, the technique had never been successfully cultivated, but the Dao Sheng Sect still kept it in the Sutra Building, hinting at its immense potential.
Zhang Yuhe's mind raced.
Why had no one ever succeeded in cultivating the "Hunyuan Heavenly Scripture"? Was it due to insufficient talent? Or was there something else?
He thought back to the note in the booklet: extremely difficult and special requirements. What could these special requirements be?
After much contemplation, Zhang Yuhe finally had a flash of insight.
"Hunyuan Tianjing, Hunyuan Daoti."
Could it be that this technique required a special physique, such as the Hunyuan Daoti?
Zhang Yuhe's thoughts suddenly felt clearer, and he was sure that this was the key to understanding the technique's requirements.