Chapter 190: The Formless True Wheel Sutra

"Haha, in that case, I'll take Elder Li to Yulong Peak first." Qi Liang laughed after hearing Han Li's words.

"I've troubled Elder Qi too much today. With your token, I can handle the rest on my own. Since you two haven't seen each other for a long time, it's a good chance to catch up." Han Li quickly waved his hand and declined.

"Elder Li is quite considerate. By the way, the storage bracelet I gave you contains a map of the Candle Dragon Sect's mountain gate, so you won't get lost." Yu Xiansheng said with a loud, cheerful voice.

"Then... I won't accompany Elder Li. If you have time in the future, feel free to visit me at the Starry Sky Hall." Qi Liang hesitated briefly before speaking.

"Certainly." Han Li cupped his hands to the two and took his leave.

After he left, Yu Xiansheng revealed a playful smile and said to Qi Liang:

"Heh, some people just don't know their limits. They all think routine steward tasks are easy? Only after suffering setbacks do they realize that guarding a hall like us and cultivating in peace is the long-term plan."

Qi Liang just smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

As for Han Li, he left the hall and arrived at the square outside. He flipped his hand and took out the map of the Candle Dragon Sect's mountain gate from the storage bracelet given by Elder Yu. After carefully examining it for a moment, he put it away.

Then, he flipped his wrist again and took out a jade slip recording a brief overview of the various halls of the Candle Dragon Sect, pressing it against his forehead.

After a moment, he put away the jade slip, looked up, and his body suddenly lit up with遁光, rising into the air like a soaring swan into the sky.

In the following time, Han Li flew rapidly while looking down at the mountains and rivers below.

The undulating mountain ranges stretched endlessly like solidified waves. Except for some clusters of buildings where sect halls were located, most were covered in white snow, presenting a scene of ice and snow for thousands of miles.

However, the rivers and streams running through the mountains remained emerald green, flowing slowly without freezing due to the temperature.

They looked like docile giant pythons lurking in the mountain range.

Several of these great rivers, Han Li had actually seen on his way to the Candle Dragon Sect, but their names were different here; these were merely the lower reaches.

Staring at the silver-white land for too long made Han Li uncomfortable, so he turned his gaze back to the clear sky and flew at full speed toward Yulong Peak.

...

A quarter of an hour later.

Yulong Peak was one of the most majestic peaks in the Zhongming Mountain Range and one of the most important peaks of the entire Candle Dragon Sect. It was perpetually protected by禁制法阵, which would activate immediately in case of an emergency, and there were always more than one True Immortal realm cultivator stationed inside.

At the foot, halfway up, and at the top of Yulong Peak, dense clusters of buildings were constructed, all used by the sect to store various功法 classics and secret technique books.

The hall at the foot was collectively called the "Scripture Depository," containing classics for outer sect elders and disciples, while the "Inner Scripture Hall" at the mountainside was for inner sect elders and disciples.

These two places housed an enormous number of books covering a wide range. Elders and disciples could search for needed classics through catalog summaries and then exchange for the original volumes with merit points at the steward elder's office.

The only hall at the peak, however, was established for inner sect elders and true disciples, named the "Transmission Hall," which was the place to exchange for core sect classics.

At that moment, a beam of light descended from the sky onto the white jade square in front of the Transmission Hall.

It was Han Li, who had rushed all the way from the Household Creation Hall.

After landing, he slightly adjusted his clothes, which had been ruffled by the wind, and looked up at the hall ahead.

The Transmission Hall before him seemed ordinary at first glance, appearing as a common single-eave hip-and-gable roof structure, but upon closer observation, it revealed great intricacies.

First, the entire hall was not built with bricks, stones, wood, or earth, but was cast entirely from some special metal. Second, its outer walls and eaves were engraved with various complex runes, giving it an overall sense of natural perfection.

Han Li speculated that this hall itself might be a powerful spiritual treasure, or even a后天仙器.

If so, it was truly breathtaking.

After watching for a moment, he collected his thoughts and strode confidently into the hall.

Entering the hall, Han Li raised an eyebrow slightly.

Inside, there were no open flames, candles, or other lighting, yet the light was even brighter than outside.

He looked around the hall and saw that except for the wall with the entrance, the other three walls were densely covered with hundreds of metal grids, each shimmering with spiritual light and tightly sealed by individual禁制.

Directly opposite him, a middle-aged man with graying hair was bent over a desk, intently reading an ancient book with a yellowed green cover, seemingly unaware of Han Li.

Han Li stepped forward to speak, but his peripheral vision caught the text on the pages, all in golden seal script, and he paused.

"Judging by your attire, you're neither an inner sect elder nor a true disciple. What are you doing here?" The middle-aged man looked up, revealing a gentle, scholarly face, and spoke.

"I am Li Feiyu, a newly inducted inner sect elder. I came in a hurry and haven't changed my clothes yet." Han Li explained as he took out his elder token and handed it over.

The middle-aged man took the token, inspected it, and did not immediately return it. He showed a faint smile and cupped his hands to Han Li, saying:

"No matter. Many new elders come like this, making Yulong Peak their first stop. It's not unusual. I am Fang Zhuan, the steward elder of this Transmission Hall."

Han Li returned the courtesy, his expression unchanged, but inwardly puzzled.

This Elder Fang Zhuan was clearly only a Mahayana stage cultivator. How could he hold such an important post as the Transmission Hall elder?

"Have you come to exchange for some功法 classics? Not to discourage you, but as a newcomer, you probably only have a hundred merit points, right? At the Inner Scripture Hall halfway up the mountain, you might get a decent功法, but here..." Fang Zhuan looked at Han Li and gently reminded him.

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Fang. I only came to inquire first, not daring to hope for a suitable classic." Han Li put aside his previous thoughts and said.

"I see. Which功法 would you like to inquire about?" Fang Zhuan nodded and asked.

"Before joining the sect, I heard that the Candle Dragon Sect has a classic that allows cultivation of the law of time. How many merit points would it cost to exchange for it?" Han Li asked directly.

"Oh, you mean the Formless True Wheel Sutra?" Fang Zhuan looked slightly surprised.

"What, is there something wrong with this功法?" Han Li raised an eyebrow.

"Have you had any prior understanding of the Formless True Wheel Sutra?" Fang Zhuan did not answer but asked instead.

"Well... I know little about it. I hope Elder Fang can enlighten me." Han Li said.

"This功法, because it involves the law of time, became one of the Candle Dragon Sect's three镇派 classics. But in fact, since it mysteriously appeared in the sect, no one has ever truly comprehended the law of time from it. Almost all who practiced it gave up at the first stage and switched to other功法的." Fang Zhuan explained.

"I see. How many merit points would it cost to exchange for the Formless True Wheel Sutra?" Han Li nodded and asked casually.

"Even though the chance of successful cultivation is almost zero, you still want to exchange for it?" Fang Zhuan asked curiously.

"I've longed for it for a long time and can't bear to give it up. I'll have to try first; if it doesn't work, I can always switch to another功法." Han Li said with a smile.

Fang Zhuan thought for a moment and continued:

"In that case, I won't dissuade you further. The Formless True Wheel Sutra is divided into three stages, and Candle Dragon Sect disciples can exchange for them one by one. The first stage requires only ninety merit points..."

"Only ninety merit points?" Han Li was greatly surprised and couldn't help interrupting Fang Zhuan.

"Yes, the first stage indeed costs only ninety points. Due to the nature of this功法, it is the least chosen among the three镇派 classics, so the exchange cost is much lower than the other two." Fang Zhuan explained.

"What about the latter two stages?" Han Li immediately asked.

"Exchanging for the second stage requires nine thousand merit points, and only true disciples and inner sect elders are eligible. As for the third stage, only the principal and deputy sect masters are qualified to exchange for it, and it costs nine hundred thousand merit points." Fang Zhuan said.

"The difference is so huge..." Han Li exclaimed.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. The reason the first stage has no restrictions and such a low cost is that the sect has selfish motives—they hope that among the many disciples, someone might actually cultivate the law of time. But it has never succeeded, so this功法 has become increasingly neglected." Fang Zhuan shook his head and added.

"Thank you for telling me this, Elder Fang. I would like to exchange for the first stage of the Formless True Wheel Sutra." Han Li cupped his hands.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, wait a moment." Fang Zhuan nodded, then turned and walked toward the metal grids.