White-Robed Chief

Chu Li's expression shifted at once. "The last three levels are gone?"

"Yes." Zhao Tianxing nodded.

"Why?" Chu Li frowned. "What happened?"

"I think it's a secret. Nobody knows," Zhao Tianxing said as he shook his head. "But it's alright. No one could master the sixth level anyway. If the Spirit Crane Technique was not a Foundation Building Heart Technique, no one would cultivate it, as it's slow and a waste of time. Also, it's not very powerful."

"Who's the person who has mastered the highest level and which level is that?" Chu Li asked.

Zhao Tianxing replied, "It could be Master's Junior Ning. He has mastered the fifth level."

"The fifth level…" Chu Li frowned. "Why so slow? Is it because of the spiritual energy from Heaven and Earth?"

"Firstly, it's due to the spiritual energy. Next, spirit cranes are nowhere to be seen. Therefore, their quintessential techniques can't be learned and further progress can't be made." Zhao Tianxing shook his head and sighed. "The Green Deer Cliff used to be a gathering spot for spirit cranes. See those tall buildings? They are supposed to attract cranes as they dislike descending to the ground due to the polluted air. They prefer to be in the sky where the air is cleaner since inhaling fresh air is part of their nature."

Chu Li nodded.

It was a reasonable explanation. Spirit Cranes Peak towered over the land and one could not see what laid beneath due to the thick layer of clouds surrounding the peak. In spite of this, spirit cranes preferred to perch on treetops. Indeed, they disliked murky air.

"If there's an abundance of spiritual energy and the spirit cranes return, can I cultivate the Spirit Crane Technique quickly?" Chu Li asked.

Zhao Tianxing laughed. "You can only do so in ancient times. Still, back in the day, the Spirit Crane Technique was not something that could be mastered in a short while. It takes a lifetime to cultivate it. It's deep and encapsulates the order of Heaven and Earth."

Chu Li nodded slowly and felt disappointed.

Obtaining the Spirit Crane Technique without learning the last three levels was pointless to him and a waste of time.

He maintained a neutral expression and followed his companion into the Sutra Library.

The Sutra Library was spacious and quiet. Bookshelves, aged by time, were lined up neatly in the library and filled with thick books. There were a number of disciples who were either reading books and shaking their heads in puzzlement or searching for something frantically.

Chu Li and Zhao Tianxing arrived at a bookshelf on the first floor. The latter pointed at it.

Chu Li followed the direction of Zhao Tianxing's finger and noticed that "Spirit Crane Technique" was written on this bookshelf. There were almost a thousand books.

Some of them were related to the technique's intricacies and in-depth analyses, whereas some were about the experience gained from learning the technique. There was all manner of subjects and most of them were cultivation guides and books about the knowledge gained from the Spirit Crane Technique.

Zhao Tianxing said, "In my opinion, don't bother reading about those experiences as they are quite useless."

Chu Li's eyebrows twitched.

Zhao Tianxing shook his head. "Everyone who learns the Spirit Crane Technique will have varying experiences. Nobody is the same and if you want to imitate others, you might go down the wrong path. In the end, you'll realize that the path isn't suitable for you and you'll end up wasting your time."

"If they're useless, why place them here?" Chu Li was curious.

Zhao Tianxing replied, "When you're truly dazed and confused, you can have a look at them. You can gain some ideas on the process, but don't cultivate according to these experiences. You must follow your own path."

"In that case…" Chu Li nodded slowly and thought that Zhao Tianxing had a point.

"I want to read them first." Chu Li pointed at the books.

"You should cultivate before reading them," Zhao Tianxing advised.

Chu Li shook his head. "I want to cultivate after reading them."

"Alright, as you wish." Zhao Tianxing shook his head and laughed. "You're following your own path anyway!"

Chu Li chuckled. "Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao. You can go back now. Don't worry about me. If there's anything, I'll seek your help."

"No problem, we're neighbors anyway." Zhao Tianxing grinned.

He waved his arm, turned around and left without looking at the books here.

Chu Li began to read the books eagerly.

He found the original secret manual of the Spirit Crane Technique. There were only a total of six levels. He realized that the heart techniques were not channeled by inner strength, but by individual movements which generated inner strength.

The spirit cranes in the pictures were lifelike. They were real spirit cranes and this was incredibly rare for a secret manual.

Chu Li had seen many secret manuals such as the Sun Cultivating White Tiger Portrait and the White Tiger Power where the spirit beasts in the pictures looked different and seemed like regular beasts. They had completely lost the vigor of spirit beasts.

On the contrary, the spirit cranes in the Spirit Crane Technique were the same as actual cranes. Unfortunately, Chu Li did not see any real cranes, thus he could not master the quintessence of the technique. This was why the Spirit Crane Technique was said to be a tough technique to master. Furthermore, it was obvious that inner strength was channeled and transformed via spiritual energy, or the spiritual energy was controlled directly, hence he could not cultivate without sufficient spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy on Green Deer Cliff was ten times as abundant as that in other places, but the supply of spiritual energy was not as great as that of Spirit Cranes Peak. Even if spirit cranes were present, it was impossible for him to cultivate the Spirit Crane Technique with the current supply of spiritual energy.

After flipping through content about the six levels, Chu Li closed the secret manual and carefully placed it back on the shelf. Then, he shut his eyes and began to practice and rehearse in his mind. Each movement took place slowly and a stream of clear, fresh air circulated him.

He already had prior knowledge of the Six Forms of Spirit Crane and was familiar with the behavior and physical form of spirit cranes. Aside from that, he knew how spirit cranes felt and perceived the world, thus he could master the Spirit Crane Technique in a shorter period of time. 

Chu Li opened his eyes and continued to read the remaining thoughts and experiences of other cultivators. He flipped through each book and imprinted the contents into his mind. When he needed to refer to the contents, he could just search for them in his mind, hence he scanned through each book quickly.

By the time it was dark, he had already finished flipping through one thousand books about experiences and other minor techniques. He would refer to them when the need arose.

The interior of the Sutra Library began to shimmer. Chu Li soon realized that the source of the glitter originated from the luminous pearls hanging around the interior.

Chu Li shook his head and sighed. Such extravagance! If he took one of the pearls and sold it, he would not have to worry about his future expenses anymore.

He walked out of the library instead of reading other books and returned to the small courtyard.

The courtyard was brightly lit and Chu Li was stunned by this sight. He opened the door and saw a young girl standing inside and sweeping the ground. She noticed his return and immediately curtsied.

Chu Li was taken aback and asked, "You are…?"

"I'm Xu Mei. Greetings, Senior Brother Lu," The girl replied meekly.

Chu Li regarded her doubtfully.

She was slim and wore a green gown. Although she was not exactly a stunner, she had a sweet and delicate face.

Xu Mei spoke, "I've been sent to serve you, Senior Brother Lu."

Chu Li was even more skeptical.

"I'm not an official disciple," Xu Mei explained, "Due to my mediocre aptitude, I can only become a maid."

"How did you end up in Green Deer Cliff?"

"My parents are disciples of Green Deer Cliff," Xu Mei answered.

She spoke slowly and graciously, giving off a graceful and easy-going aura.

Chu Li grimaced. "Who dares to let you serve me, then?"

"It doesn't matter," Xu Mei replied, "I can't sit at home all day and do nothing. I need to do something for the Cliff."

"Alright." Chu Li nodded.

There was no guarantee that the children of Green Deer Cliff's disciples had excellent aptitudes. Furthermore, Green Deer Cliff had very strict requirements in recruiting disciples. It was a heartless act to banish the disciples' children out of the Cliff. As a result, they were allowed to remain in Green Deer Cliff and work as maids and scribes.

Naturally, these maids and scribes would not be treated poorly due to their parents' presence. 

Xu Mei walked out of the courtyard with light, quick steps and soon returned with a tray of food. It was filled with rice, four types of dishes and two types of soup. After eating, Chu Li left the courtyard for a stroll to familiarize himself with Green Deer Cliff.

Green Deer Cliff was shrouded by the Heaven and God Pill, rendering Chu Li's divine powers ineffective. His Omniscient Mirror could not leave his body. Therefore, in order to get to know the Cliff better, he had to go out for a walk.