After reading it for a moment, Li Yi closed the manual and returned it to its place alongside the other five volumes.
"All of these are Gold-level cultivation and combat techniques. They are the most advanced and strongest we currently possess in the school," Leng Lubai explained.
Li Yi knew that cultivation techniques were classified as White, Green, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Purple and Divine, sword and body techniques, so they are classified as Iron, Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Jade. I stop watching them. And he focused his attention on three nearby swords. To his eyes, all three were extraordinary; each seemed to possess a special energy, similar to that of the spear in his hand or the sphere he had absorbed earlier. Holding his strange spear, he observed it and asked Leng Lubai:
"Can you tell me what is so special about these kinds of weapons?" he asked as he lifted it to show him.
Leng Lubai looked at it with a clear expression of terror, as if he didn't even want to get close. He remembered vividly when that beast tried to attack him with it; he knew well that the weapon overflowed with a terrifying energy.
"These types of weapons are made with extraordinary materials," he replied. "They possess special energies that enhance attacks. They are created by powerful alchemists, of at least the sixth or seventh level. Cultivators who obtain and refine them not only increase their combat power; they can also use the weapon's energy to help them break through bottlenecks in their own cultivation."
Li Yi nodded. He suddenly remembered something and looked at Leng Lubai.
"Hey, I'd like to have a storage bag so I don't have to carry everything in my hands," he said.
"Of course, we have many here," Leng Lubai answered quickly.
He walked a few steps to a shelf filled with boxes. Opening one, he extracted a small pouch, smaller than a fist.
"Take it. These bags are expensive and can only be manufactured by fourth-level alchemists."
Li Yi took it and released a large amount of his energy to envelop it. After a few seconds, he successfully refined it. When he opened it, it looked like a normal bag, but upon inserting the spear, the interior expanded into a space capable of containing it. It seemed like magic to him, so he took the pouch he wore tied to his waist and stored it there as well.
Next, he closely observed the three swords one by one. He decided to take a saber; although it didn't seem as powerful as the other two, Li Yi felt a special energy inside it that he found interesting.
"I can take this one, right?" he asked.
"Yes, all Honorary Elders are allowed to take a weapon. In fact, that saber is a good choice. That is a sword made of a material called 'Radiant Moon' that can withstand being infused with an enormous amount of energy; one of the previous directors bought it at an auction and decided to leave it here as a heritage when he obtained better weapons."
Li Yi simply nodded and stored the saber in his storage bag. There seemed to be other types of weapons on the shelves, but he wasn't interested in seeing them for now. He left the room accompanied by Leng Lubai.
Outside, they walked to the pagoda he had seen in the distance. Now he could clearly see how the structure absorbed and contained spiritual energy. They did not enter, but stopped in front of it.
"This is the Spiritual Energy Pagoda. Inside, there are several gathering matrices; each higher floor has a greater concentration of energy. It is used when students are about to level up, as it helps them absorb more energy. They can also pay to enter using spiritual stones or mission contribution points."
Li Yi understood why the place emanated such power. It had a function similar to his Black Hole Vortex cultivation technique, though, clearly, the pagoda could not compare to his technique.
"There are many other areas," Leng Lubai said. "But they are areas for growing spiritual herbs and recreational spaces for the apprentices. Better I take you to your palace so you can settle your things."
They walked a bit further toward the deepest part of the school. There they found four palaces, much larger than those of the directors. Li Yi could sense that inside there were gathering matrices flooding each structure with an enormous amount of spiritual energy. Upon reaching one of them, Leng Lubai indicated that this would be his home from now on and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment, Director Leng. I will bring my siblings to join and cultivate in this school."
"Of course. The Grand Honorary Elder may bring whomever he wishes; that is your privilege."
Li Yi already knew this but preferred to inform him out of courtesy. Leng Lubai nodded again and walked away.
The youth entered his palace; it was beautifully adorned and well-laid out. After walking around to get to know it, he went outside, mobilized his energy, and flew toward the cabins where the others lived.
Upon arriving, he found Shen Shinyu and Zang Li along with the younger siblings. He called them quickly to gather in his cabin. Everyone was expectant; they now saw Li Yi as a god who illuminated their souls, showing him the utmost respect and admiration.
When everyone had gathered, Li Yi observed them and noticed one was missing. He asked them to wait a moment and flew over the village. From the heights, he scanned the guard posts and searched the surroundings. In a few moments, he found him.
Xuhan Mo was busy guiding those who were preparing the beast carcasses when someone descended from the sky and stopped beside him. Turning, he noticed with amazement that it was his brother Li Yi.
The workers also saw him arrive and gave him several bows. The aura Li Yi emanated by flowing his energy was so potent that it made it difficult for them to breathe.
After landing, Li Yi contained his power and watched as the cultivators extracted energy cores from the corpses. He remembered what the stories said about beast cores: they were very valuable and were used for cultivation as well as the refining of pills and weapons.
For an instant, his face turned pale and then showed regret.
He remembered that, during his battle, he had completely pulverized at least a third of all the beasts. A brief depression gripped his chest as he thought of the enormous amount of money and resources he had wasted.
However, the feeling lasted only a short time; it was something he couldn't change and had to accept. Now he knew he couldn't go around disintegrating everything he killed.
Then, he took his brother and took off toward the cabins. Xuhan Mo was dazed by the sudden maneuver.
"Brother, I can't leave like this. I'm in charge of supervising the preparation of the corpses; it's a great responsibility given to me by the superiors."
"Don't worry, none of them will dare complain to me. I need you with us right now."
Xuhan Mo didn't know what to say, but remembering his brother's strength, he realized he was right. From now on, his family was equivalent to the great clans; no one would even dare to offend them.
A smile of pride lit up his face. For them, everything had changed, and their future was now so bright it was hard to describe with words.