After hearing Anji’s answer loud and clear, Yan Ping showed her successor the hidden cultivation chamber in the forbidden library. Anji already knew about the archives. However, the hidden cultivation chamber was a secret even the archive master was unaware of.
"Shifu, why do we have a secret cultivation chamber in the forbidden library?"
Without explaining much, Yan Ping shuffled her curious successor inside and closed the illusion seal behind her. Inside, the cultivation chamber in the forbidden library was full of colourful crystals stored on shelves that illuminated the room.
After becoming acquainted with the Elders of the sect, Anji imdiately recognised so of these as the works of Elder Lu. However, there were so differences in the spells of these crystals compared to the ones Elder Lu creates.
"Did Elder Lu create these?" Anji pointed at a shining cyan crystal that pulsed gently, almost like a heartbeat.
Even without her sight, Yan Ping knew what the child was referring to.
"No," she replied. "They were created by my shifu before I even entered the sect. Elder Lu borrowed the idea from my shifu to imbue gems instead of talismans."
Eyes widening, Anji stared at the mysterious crystals. If it were sothing created by the longest reigning sect leader of the Mystical Qilin Sect, it had every right to be hidden in the forbidden library. Not even Elder Kun knew about it because it was very ancient.
"This is the special training that you will receive. I did it too because I was highly impatient. My shifu chose them for because she wanted to fail. However, I’ll let you choose them yourself, as this is for your deeper understanding of the Heart Sutra. Every crystal here is imbued with a portion of the soul and energy signature of the sages recorded in the journal. In other words, they are mory crystals. Of course, it’s a taboo to do such a thing. That’s why they were kept here as a secret from the rest of the sect. Only the sect leader and the chosen successor have access to it because it is our duty to awaken clairvoyance."
Laughing nervously at how brutal Yan Ping’s shifu was, Anji thanked the heavens for giving her a kind teacher. However, the pressure of having to choose the right mory crystal was probably worse than having to et the expectations of failing. There were at least a hundred of these sages recorded in crystals. If Anji had more ti, she would try every single crystal to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Heart Sutra. Having to choose the necessary ones was a risk of its own, and Anji wondered if she could make the right choices.
Selecting the right mory crystals was also a form of test. Yan Ping made no attempt to help her student after handing Anji the complete catalogue of the sages’ mories. She adjusted the security setting to allow Anji to enter the secret cultivation chamber at any ti. There were enough resources here to support decades of isolated training.
As Anji browsed the catalogue, Yan Ping recalled her ti here. She spent nearly two years trapped in here because her teacher conveniently ’forgot’ to add her access to the entrance. In those two years, Yan Ping recalled going through at least fourteen different mory crystals. Her hair turned completely white after she erged from isolation, even when she was still in the pri of her youth. Her personality also changed from a hooligan into an icicle, solidifying the reputation she has today.
"Shifu... could I take a few days to study this catalogue?" Anji asked in a small voice after a while. It was too overwhelming.
Smiling, Yan Ping told her silly student that she was not the one in a rush.
"I’ve added your access to this place and barred anyone from entering the forbidden library during the successor training. Not even Elder Kun can co in. I would recomnd preparing so fasting pills and informing of your decision before you begin. It’s a little tricky to set up the mory viewing array because my teacher uses an extrely ancient language for the spell. It’s not sothing I can easily recreate, even if I know how to interpret it. The only other person who could recreate that spell would be the founder of the sect."
Relieved and amazed by how mysterious the Mystical Qilin Sect was, Anji wondered if any successor had ever attempted to understand the lives of every sage ever recorded in this chamber.
"It is highly unlikely," Yan Ping chuckled. "Viewing the mory crystal is not like reading a storybook. It’s living as the person from the crystal without being able to influence their choices while being forced to be them actively."
Confused, Anji tilted her head to one side. She knew that ti acceleration was a spell used to quickly view the mory crystal. However, her teacher described it as sothing similar to a soul transfer, rather than reading a mind. Could she have misunderstood?
"Never mind," Yan Ping brushed it off. "You’ll experience it for yourself after you’ve decided which crystal you’d like to review. I suggest taking at least a week’s break in between reviewing mory crystals. You can view as many as you require. However, I will personally test your understanding of the Heart Sutra after each mory viewing session to determine if you are ready to progress to the next stage of the training. Rember, mastering the Heart Sutra fully is the anchor of clairvoyance. It is not the end result or the thod."
Rembering her shifu’s words, Anji promised not to let it sway her. However, Yan Ping’s silence expressed her doubts. Would she truly remain unaffected? Even the wisest half-sage alive had all her hair turn white after viewing mory crystals for two years. Anji wondered if she would look as cool as her teacher with a head full of snowy hair. More importantly, she wondered if she would be able to withstand the insanity that every other senior had fallen to using a similar thod of training.
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