Chapter 8: Forbidden Book - "The Dragon-Phoenix Transformation"

After Yun Zhi departed, Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, like the other newly minted disciples, set out to inspect their respective grotto-mansions.

Yet before tending to his own domain, Lu Yang accompanied Meng Jingzhou to the periphery of the Dao Sect to retrieve the old horse.

Outside the gates, Lu Yang observed quite a few of his peers sending letters of triumph home to their clans; whether it was a minor household or an ancient lineage of cultivation, securing a place in the Dao Sect was a monumental feat worthy of being inscribed in the family archives.

"How is it that no one from your house came?" Lu Yang inquired, having pieced together from Meng Jingzhou’s scattered remarks that the Meng family was an ancient and illustrious cultivation clan.

Meng Jingzhou puffed out his chest with a touch of pride: "I ran away from home!"

Lu Yang stared blankly.

What on earth was there to be proud of?

Once Meng Jingzhou had led the old horse back to his quarters, Lu Yang returned to his own grotto-mansion.

Lu Yang produced a jade pendant, given to him moments ago by an unfamiliar senior disciple who explained it was the identity token for disciples of the Dao Sect, serving as proof of status to the outside world and a key to unlock one's residence within.

Carved from the very marrow of spirit stones, it bore the two characters of his name, "Lu Yang," though many of its mystical functions remained locked until he formally embarked upon the path of a cultivator.

Lu Yang placed the token against the stone wall at the threshold; the jade emitted a faint, ethereal blue glow that resonated with a groove in the rock, which flickered twice before the stone wall slid aside of its own accord, revealing a lavish domain far beyond his wildest imagination.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a soothing warmth washed over him, as if a wondrous current of energy were nourishing his flesh and bones.

"Is this the spiritual qi they always talk about?"

Upon realizing what it was, Lu Yang was thoroughly astonished; the concentration of spiritual energy within the cavern was so dense that even a mortal like himself could feel it, an indication of just how extraordinary this place truly was.

The furnishings were Spartan, consisting solely of a single table, a prayer mat, and a straw pallet, leaving the vast cavern feeling remarkably hollow—though whether this was a silent exhortation from the sect to clear one's mind of desires, or an invitation for disciples to decorate to their own tastes, he could not tell.

Resting upon the table was a single sheet of paper, inscribed on both sides.

The front advised any disciple entirely ignorant of cultivation to first visit the Peak of Oral Instruction to learn the fundamentals, or alternatively, to study independently within the Library Pavilion.

The reverse side held a map of the Dao Sect, exceedingly rudimentary, marking only the primary peaks and leaving vast expanses of blank space; from what he could discern, the sect spanned a hundred thousand miles, a scale so immense it staggered the mind.

The guidance on the front gave Lu Yang a clear direction for the coming month, a period during which he had otherwise been quite lost as to what to do.

Lu Yang stifled a yawn, desperately needing a proper night's rest.

From encountering the rain upon stepping out of his home, to passing three successive trials through sheer integrity and exceptional wit—earning the notice of First Senior Sister Yun Zhi and Second Senior Brother Dai Bufan—and finally becoming a disciple of the Dao Sect, the day’s tribulations had drained his mind so thoroughly he could scarcely keep his eyes open.

"How can the Dao Sect not even provide a pillow..."

Lu Yang muttered under his breath, the accumulated exhaustion of the entire day rushing over him all at once; indifferent to comfort, he smacked his lips and quickly drifted into the realm of dreams.

...

The following morning, Lu Yang rose with the dawn, intending to visit the Library Pavilion first to gain a general understanding of the Central Continent.

"A newcomer?" At the entrance of the pavilion, a senior disciple raised his gaze to look at Lu Yang.

"Yes."

"Since you are new, I shall apprise you of the rules of the Library Pavilion; they are simple, consisting of only three."

"First, your current clearance permits you only to read on the first floor, where the volumes may be browsed at your leisure; second, you may only borrow a single book at any one time; third, cherish the texts and do not soil them, for any defacement requires compensation at full price."

"I shall remember," Lu Yang nodded, and without another word, the senior disciple gestured for him to enter.

Within the Library Pavilion, disciples of the Dao Sect were entirely absorbed in their texts, utterly oblivious to the world around them, none even noticing Lu Yang as he passed by.

The vast pavilion was silent save for the sparse echo of footsteps and the rustle of turning pages.

The collection was a dazzling array, ranging from the introductory comedy routines of mortal performers to the orthodox techniques and secret manuals of cultivators, down to the insights on Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment; everything one could desire was present.

Lu Yang’s eyes darted about in a daze, quite at a loss as to which volume to choose.

"What book is this?"

By pure chance, Lu Yang discovered a volume wedged in the crevice between two shelves, coated in a thick layer of dust as though it had fallen there and remained unread for an eternity.

He wiped away the dust, finally discerning the title on the cover: *The Transformation of Dragon and Phoenix*.

"What a domineering title!"

Lu Yang let out a low gasp of admiration; even without glimpsing the contents, the title alone exuded an aura of supreme majesty.

A brief trance washed over him, and he seemed to hear the harmonious cry of a dragon and a phoenix; before his eyes, the illusory silhouettes of the primordial beasts materialized, vivid and lifelike, before shifting as if enacting the very genesis of their species.

Lu Yang snapped out of it and looked around; the sounds and visions vanished instantly.

"Could it have been an illusion just now?"

Lu Yang grew suspicious, and with a trace of excitement, he flipped open the first page.

Perhaps this was his destined stroke of fortune!

Unexpectedly, the edge of the parchment was so sharp that it accidentally sliced his finger, and a few drops of fresh crimson spilled onto the paper.

Sudden mutation!

The ancient tome actually began to radiate a golden light, as though something trapped within its pages was about to burst through its seals!

Lu Yang’s heart hammered against his ribs; this turn of events was entirely unforeseen and beyond his control, leaving him uncertain whether it portended a blessing or a curse.

He even felt as though he had fallen under the gaze of some immensely powerful entity, leaving him instinctively frozen in place!

This sensation grew increasingly vivid, indicating that the formidable presence was drawing nearer and nearer to him.

At last, the mighty entity stood directly behind Lu Yang, staring down at him in eerie silence, causing a cold sweat to drench the youth's back.

"You..." Finally, the powerful existence spoke.

"Present!" Lu Yang jolted in fright.

"You have soiled the book."

The powerful entity frowned, and when Lu Yang turned his head, he realized it was merely the senior disciple from the pavilion entrance.

The senior disciple looked at the bloodstains on the parchment with palpable displeasure; he had just given warning not to deface the books, yet this lad had gone and dripped blood right onto one.

The Library Pavilion was enchanted with formations; whenever a book was soiled, it would emit a golden light to alert the keeper.

"What manner of book is this? Why haven't I seen it before?"

Perplexed, the senior disciple picked up the volume and flipped through it, his expression altering drastically: "This... this is actually that legendary forbidden text!"

Lu Yang rejoiced inwardly; he had never imagined his luck would be so extraordinary as to stumble upon an ancient forbidden tome on his very first visit to the pavilion, though he wondered what profound secrets were hidden within.

"Senior Brother, is there something wrong with this book?" Lu Yang asked, burning with curiosity.

The senior disciple’s face shifted as he debated whether such an esoteric secret should be disclosed to a novice; after a moment's consideration, he spoke the truth.

"This book records in meticulous detail the mating process of dragons and phoenixes; because it was written with far too much precision, the Dragon and Phoenix clans lodged a joint complaint, and it was classified as a forbidden text. I believed every copy had been destroyed, yet to think one remained hidden here—I wonder who concealed it!"

In other words, it was an erotic novel.

Lu Yang stood frozen.

To hell with the harmony of the dragon and phoenix!

Suddenly, he remembered what the senior disciple had said: any soiled book had to be paid for.