While Jiang Yan was pondering over the power of time…
Zhongli had already brought Venti and the others to the Scripture Pavilion.
This was Zhongli's second time coming here.
Compared to the first visit, when everything felt fresh and a little unfamiliar, now—even though barely a day had passed—coming to the Scripture Pavilion already carried the warmth of coming home.
It seemed that after beginning the path of cultivation, his entire mindset had changed.
One of the clearest feelings was…
a sense of honor.
Especially upon seeing Venti and the others traveling from so far away to join Mount Shu, Zhongli couldn't help but feel proud.
Perhaps Xiao and the others felt the same way.
In the past, Zhongli and the other immortals had only ever thought of Liyue.
Now, aside from Liyue, there was also Mount Shu.
This sense of honor and belonging really did stir the heart.
As he introduced the sect to Alice and the others, Zhongli's thoughts were also awash with emotion.
Before long, everyone arrived at the Scripture Pavilion.
The sight of the grand golden-red building before them filled them with genuine awe.
Venti looked it over and chuckled:
"Old man, the style here feels so similar to Liyue's architecture. Don't tell me you had your people come in and design it for the sect leader?"
Zhongli gave him a sidelong glance and replied lightly:
"Mount Shu's architecture has always been like this. Why would we need to meddle?"
"Besides, the Scripture Pavilion is Mount Shu's most important core inheritance. How could it be built casually?"
"You may all go in. I've already entered once this week, I cannot do so again."
"Remember—follow your instincts. Fate works in mysterious ways."
Venti's mouth twitched.
Zhongli had always liked speaking in riddles, but ever since joining Mount Shu and becoming First Seat of Longshou Peak…
he'd evolved from being a riddle-teller into a grandmaster of riddles.
Fate this, karma that—they'd heard the phrases countless times along the way.
Not to mention how much he liked to talk about the glorious past of Longshou Peak, and his master he had never met—the Wine Sword Immortal, Mo Yixi.
Speaking of which, Venti thought that Wine-Sword Immortal Mo Yixi sounded much more suitable to be his master.
Just listen to the title—
Wine Sword Immortal!
How much better was that compared to his own nickname in Mondstadt, "Drunkard Bard"?
"To ride the sword with the wind, and slay demons across heaven and earth.
With wine, carefree joy; without wine, I too go mad."
Such a state of being was exactly what Venti longed for.
At present, he could only manage the first line. As for "without wine, I too go mad"…
he really couldn't endure that.
The thought made Venti yearn all the more to meet Wine-Sword Immortal Mo Yixi in person.
To drink with someone so open-hearted—what joy that would be!
As for whether such a person would spare a glance at him, a mere Qi-Refining cultivator…
Anyone capable of speaking like that must be a truly transparent soul. Strength, to such a one, hardly mattered.
"Go in now. Remember—one jade talisman per week. Choose carefully."
Zhongli waved his hand, collected their weapons for safekeeping, and watched as they entered the pavilion.
Just like Ningguang and the others before them, Alice and her companions were instantly stunned upon stepping inside.
Alice had read countless descriptions of Scripture Pavilions in cultivation novels—
shelves stacked endlessly with tomes, scrolls beyond number.
But she had never truly understood what that meant.
Now, seeing it with her own eyes…
She could only conclude that those novels were far too modest.
The heritage of Mount Shu wasn't just "innumerable."
The first floor alone was the size of a small world, filled entirely with jade talismans.
If a person could master one talisman per day, at that rate…
it would take two or three great calamities to finish them all.
The jade slips of just the first floor likely outnumbered the population of Teyvat many times over.
"Just as First Seat Zhongli said."
Lisa's eyes lit up. As a librarian, she could hardly restrain herself. She wanted nothing more than to study each one carefully.
"If we truly went through them one by one, a lifetime wouldn't be enough."
"What a pity… if only I could read every single cultivation method here…"
In the past, Lisa had once felt sorrow for knowing too much, for probing too deeply into secrets.
But now…
Facing this vast sea of jade slips, her joy was mingled with helplessness.
She could never hope to see them all.
At last, Lisa understood what Jiang Yan had once said:
Being hailed as a genius by others was merely the admission ticket to glimpse those on higher peaks.
People called her a genius witch. Family, friends—even strangers who'd only heard her name—praised her as such.
But now, stepping truly into cultivation, Lisa realized—
if she clung to her old pride, in the end, she would be nothing more than one of the countless heavenly soldiers sent to stop Sun Wukong.
And that was putting it kindly.
Since returning from Sumeru's Akademiya, Lisa had lost her passion for study.
But now, that passion blazed brighter than ever.
There was no end to learning.
She would devote her entire life to the Dao of Immortality!
Thinking this, Lisa looked at Alice and Venti.
"Elder Alice, First Seat Venti, I'll go search for my cultivation method first. Should I take Klee with me?"
Alice glanced at little Klee.
The moment Klee had entered the pavilion, jade slips had swarmed to her, fluttering all around like moths to a flame.
And at a glance—they were all at least top-grade Yellow-tier fire arts.
Alice couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.
Klee's talent was simply outrageous.
Perhaps it was also due to the Crimson Emperor's Heaven-Burning Art she carried.
Alice ruffled Klee's hair gently.
"Forget it. There's no danger here, and I imagine the sect master will be watching over her anyway."
"Go on, Lisa. Let Klee follow her own heart."
Lisa cast one envious look at Klee, then nodded and walked off.
Venti was curious about the arts on the first floor, but considering this would be his very first cultivation method, and that he could only enter once a week, he refrained from choosing hastily.
Exchanging a look with Alice, the two of them ascended to the second floor, where the Qi-Refining-to-Divine-Transformation arts lay.
Thus, the first floor was left with only Klee, surrounded by dancing jade slips.
The little one seemed delighted by the floating talismans, skipping about and trying to catch them.
But just when she was about to grab one, others would flit over to block her.
Klee, however, wasn't upset. She simply treated them like magical butterflies.
And catching butterflies—wasn't she an expert at that?
"Heave-ho! Don't run away, jade butterfly! Klee won't hurt you!"
Her eyes fixed on a crimson-glowing jade slip. Hands behind her back, she chased after it.
But unlike the others, this one refused to approach her, even dodging to escape.
That only made Klee more determined.
"No running! Or I'll tell Master on you!"
But jade slips had no true intelligence; they simply sought their destined owner based on the art within.
With a few agile turns, the crimson slip vanished from Klee's sight.
Klee puffed up her cheeks, staring at the empty air.
After a long moment, she plopped down on the floor in defeat.
Then—
the crimson jade slip suddenly darted back, circling over her head a few times, almost as if to comfort her.
"Jade butterfly, don't you want to follow Klee?"
Klee blinked her wide eyes, gazing up innocently at it.
The jade slip flickered up and down, then all of a sudden, a wave of pure malice spread out from it.
The aura was so vile that Lisa—still searching nearby—was instantly alerted.
She hurried back in alarm.
Seeing that Klee was unharmed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking up, she spotted the crimson slip.
Unlike the others, which were made of translucent jade, this one looked more like a lump of congealed blood.
It hung quietly above Klee, keeping its distance, yet refusing to leave.
Lisa had examined countless slips just now, but this was the first time she'd seen one so sinister.
For a moment, she hesitated to probe it.
Instead, she picked Klee up and asked gently:
"Klee, were you chasing this strange jade slip just now?"
Klee beamed and nodded.
"Yep! Big Sis Lisa, this jade butterfly is the prettiest! If I bring it back to Master and Mommy, they'll definitely praise me!"
"And also, Big Sis Lisa, come closer—I'll tell you a secret."
Klee crept onto Lisa's shoulder, whispering like it was top-secret.
It made Lisa laugh. The whole first floor only had the two of them, yet Klee was still being sneaky.
But… it was cute.
"Big Sis Lisa, Klee feels like this jade butterfly is super powerful!"
Hearing that, Lisa immediately grew alert.
Klee's instincts were tied to her uncanny luck.
And her luck… was nothing short of miraculous.
If she felt this way, then this ominous slip must indeed contain a powerful art.
The only issue was…
this wasn't any proper cultivation method.
Did Klee really want to learn this?
Lisa worried what Alice and the gentleman would think.
"Big Sis Lisa, can you help Klee catch it?"
Those pleading eyes made it hard for Lisa to say no.
But when she looked up again, she still hesitated.
After a moment's thought, she sighed with a smile.
"I can help you catch it, but I have to check what it is first. If it's not dangerous, then you can learn it."
"Otherwise, Master and your mommy will be very angry."
Klee nodded seriously.
"Big Sis Lisa is a good person! Klee will be obedient. If it's dangerous, Klee won't learn it, promise!"
Lisa finally relaxed.
Thankfully Klee was such a sensible child, or this would have been troublesome.
She turned to the crimson slip. It hovered far from Klee, but right in front of her—
within easy reach.
For a moment, Lisa wondered—
Could this be her destined art instead?
With that thought, she reached out.
But before her fingers touched it, the jade slip suddenly transformed into a streak of light, flying straight into her hand of its own accord.
In the next instant, a vast torrent of information flooded into Lisa's mind—
several times greater than any she had ever received before.
When she finally sorted through it, Lisa's face changed drastically.
This…
this was a demonic art!
Even its name reeked of blood and poison.
Which meant…
The Scripture Pavilion of Mount Shu actually contained demonic arts—
and Klee had almost chosen one!
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