The Programmer Cultivator

Zhang Deming was slightly taken aback. ’What’s going on? Have these salted fish suddenly changed their tune?’

It was his first time feeling such warmth from these Salted Fish Guardians, and he honestly found it a little unsettling.

Zhang Deming smiled back. "Heh, that’s right. I’ve come to select a Technique."

Dang Mengfu had never formally introduced himself, and he concealed his cultivation in a unique way, so Zhang Deming had no idea what the man’s level was. However, as a Peak Master himself, Zhang Deming was certain the other man knew who he was.

And as the one in charge of the Main Pavilion’s guardians, Dang Mengfu’s position was equivalent to that of a Peak Master, so addressing each other as martial brothers was perfectly appropriate.

"You have permission to choose any Cultivation Technique you want this time. Which one would you like to see?" Dang Mengfu said, looking at Zhang Deming. He paused for a moment before adding, "And if you’re not satisfied, you can bring it back and exchange it anytime."

Zhang Deming asked, "So, I can only choose one Cultivation Technique?"

Dang Mengfu paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course not. You’ve added a great many tomes to our Scripture Pavilion’s Daoist Collection this time, including several core Tier Five techniques. As a result, your privileges are quite extensive.

If you’d like, you can select any of the current four... hmm... three Tier Five Cultivation Techniques.

However, copies of Tier Five Cultivation Techniques aren’t easy to create, so you should make your final choice here and just take that one with you. Selecting too many would be a waste.

You’re not planning on picking a few extra to give to other Disciples to cultivate, are you!"

’So that’s it,’ Zhang Deming thought. ’This change in attitude is because of what I brought back? I didn’t know these salted fish could be so pragmatic. How rare!’

Zhang Deming chuckled. "You’re joking, of course. How could I possibly take advantage of the Guardians?"

"Good, as long as you understand. Your contribution this time was significant, but this is a hard line for our Pavilion. It’s best not to touch it," Dang Mengfu added, offering a rare piece of advice.

His warmth toward Zhang Deming today was unusual; he was acting completely unlike a "salted fish" who couldn’t be bothered with anything.

"Understood. I’ll keep that in mind. By the way, don’t I normally get to choose ten books per visit? Can I select some Techniques as well?" Zhang Deming asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him.

Dang Mengfu paused. "Your application this time was specifically for the Core Cultivation Technique Dao Canon, so it doesn’t include privileges for Techniques.

However, considering you brought so many valuable additions to the Scripture Pavilion’s Daoist Collection, I’ll let you select a full quota of ten Techniques.

Hmm... but they can’t be above Law-Level Techniques. That’s the absolute limit of what I can personally authorize."

Zhang Deming’s face lit up at his words. He didn’t care what level the Techniques were; what he cared about was having an excuse to sweep through the entire pavilion’s inventory.

’With this excuse,’ he thought, ’combined with the goodwill I’ve earned, plus my current power and status... if I take a small risk, I should be able to fleece this entire floor. The haul should be incredible.’

"Then I must thank you in advance, Senior Brother."

Zhang Deming gave a slight bow before using the point of light on his fingertip to enter the main hall of the Scripture Pavilion.

The familiar directory materialized before him. Zhang Deming immediately flipped to the very end and once again tried to access the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends catalog. As expected, it still wouldn’t open.

’Hmph, so stingy!’

’They got an entire Turtle Water Scripture Pavilion for free, and they’re *still* this cheap. Serves you salted fish right! I hope you die as salted fish! A bunch of cheap, cheap, stingy, dead salted fish!’

His previously good mood was somewhat spoiled by this.

Shaking it off, Zhang Deming flipped directly to the Core Daoist Canon section. The Law-Level Cultivation Technique area was divided into thirteen major categories.

Four were Tier Five and nine were Tier Four. Of course, this didn’t mean there were only thirteen individual books.

After years of cultivation by countless Disciples, a single original text had evolved into an entire category, with many Disciples developing their own subtle variations of the Cultivation Technique.

The Sect was highly supportive of this. Disciples who submitted their variations would receive a handsome reward after their work passed a review process. This was why a single Core Daoist Canon represented an entire major classification.

Zhang Deming went straight to the Tier Five Cultivation Technique options. The moment he saw the *Fire Separation Body Cultivation Method* and the *Wu Earth Storage Qi Method*, he couldn’t hide the delight on his face.

He tapped on both Cultivation Techniques without a moment’s hesitation, making sure to select the earliest, original versions of each. The directory flickered, and the two initial texts, untouched by later modifications, flew into his hands.

He flipped through them briefly. Feeling the familiar sensation emanating from the two Cultivation Techniques, the corners of his mouth curled up in a faint, unconscious smile.

After leafing through them for a long time, Zhang Deming finally put the two Cultivation Techniques away. Then, he activated "looting mode."

He returned to the beginning of the directory. Starting with the Tier One Spells, he began selecting the books one by one.

To avoid looking too conspicuous, he varied his approach. For some books, he would only glance at the description, absorb the Energy, and toss them back. Others, he would flip through a few pages. On occasion, he would even pretend to ponder over one for a long time.

But he was trying to get through all the Techniques in the Scripture Pavilion—the Celestial Spirit Main Pavilion, no less—which housed an enormous number of them. Zhang Deming had no choice but to be fast.

So even though Zhang Deming was doing his best to be discreet, the sight of countless books flying through the air was still highly unusual.

Anyone with a discerning eye and a bit of sense could tell something was wrong.

By the door, at the counter where Dang Mengfu was stationed, Zhang Deming had been at his "looting" for a good while. By the time he was almost halfway through the Tier One Techniques, Dang Mengfu had already been staring at him for a long time with a deep frown.

Spiritual Light had been flickering in Dang Mengfu’s eyes for a while, but he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. This only made his frown deepen. He looked hesitant, as if debating whether to intervene.