The Liu Family that Ren Xingzhou had married into was already in decline, and as a live-in son-in-law, his status was low. Therefore, he didn’t quite understand Yang Jing’s current standing within the master-disciple lineage.

Although the master-disciple lineage had contributed to Yang Jing’s current success, the help he received had been quite limited.

Now that he had mastered the Great Five Elements Divine Light and earned the chance to vie for the Nine Marvelous Creation Qi in the Central Continent, the master-disciple lineage was, in fact, the one trying every means to win him over. They wanted to prevent him from leaving their faction.

After all, he had never formally taken a master within the lineage, so he lacked the tight, personal bond of a formal apprenticeship.

Several of the top-tier Noble Families in the Five Elements True Spirit Sect had already sent invitations to his door, but Yang Jing had ignored them all.

For now, he was quite content within the master-disciple lineage, enjoying all its benefits. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator like Fiery Fire True Monarch had traveled a great distance to protect him during his Core Formation and help him overcome the Demon Tribulation.

Within the lineage, Foundation Establishment Cultivators like Guo Chuanzhi and Xu Hongde had also left an excellent impression on him. As such, Yang Jing had no intention of leaving the faction whatsoever.

After Yang Jing explained the intricacies of the situation to Ren Xingzhou, realization finally dawned on him.

"Brother Yang."

He was filled with shame.

After Yang Jing’s Core Formation, people swarmed to curry favor with him. In contrast, Ren Xingzhou’s genuine character stood out like a crane among chickens.

"Brother Ren, what brings you to the Library Pavilion?"

Yang Jing asked.

"My wife works in the Library Pavilion. She was born with a latent heart condition and has to take one Heart-Opening Pill every seven days for relief. I came to bring her the medicine."

A look of bliss crossed Ren Xingzhou’s face as he spoke of his wife.

Yang Jing nodded. It seemed Ren Xingzhou hadn’t married into the Liu Family just for the Foundation Establishment Pill; the couple shared genuine affection.

As for the heart condition, many Female Cultivators, in their rush for progress, accumulated hidden injuries during their cultivation. These issues often lay dormant, only to erupt suddenly during pregnancy, causing their children to be born with congenital ailments.

This kind of congenital illness was extremely difficult to cure. It could only be managed with Spirit Pills, and it made passing the Physical Body Stage of the Foundation Establishment Three Gates exceedingly difficult. Most cultivators with such a condition would be stuck at the Qi Cultivation level for their entire lives.

Though the Liu Family was in decline, they likely would not have agreed to let Ren Xingzhou marry in if their daughter didn’t suffer from such an ailment.

"I happen to be here to exchange for a Secret Technique. Let’s go meet your wife together."

Yang Jing dispelled his Cloud Escape and walked with Ren Xingzhou into the Scripture Hall. Because disciples maintained order within the Scripture Repository, the slight commotion caused by Yang Jing’s appearance quickly subsided.

Due to the Spatial Restrictions set up inside, the Scripture Repository already looked magnificent from the outside, with its roof soaring into the clouds and its ornate, upturned eaves. The view from within was even more spectacular.

The repository had seven floors, all connected by a vast, open atrium. Each floor was lined with endless bookshelves, displaying countless scrolls.

"Brother Yang, in the Scripture Repository, Outer Disciples are only permitted to borrow texts from the first two floors. Inner Sect Disciples can go as high as the fourth floor, while a True Disciple like you can go directly to the sixth."

Ren Xingzhou said nervously, feeling countless gazes prickling his skin like needles.

"The Breathing Fire Technique can also be practiced by Inner Sect Disciples, so it should be on the third or fourth floor," Yang Jing said.

To allow disciples to begin practicing the Divine Prohibitions sooner, the Sect makes certain required Secret Techniques available to Inner Sect Disciples, and the Breathing Fire Technique was among them.

Ren Xingzhou slowly breathed a sigh of relief. His wife worked on the fourth floor of the Scripture Repository; she should be able to help Yang Jing.

At that moment, on the fourth floor of the Scripture Repository, six beautiful young women were sorting returned Jade Scrolls. The work was easy, yet it offered a handsome amount of Merit Points each month. For this reason, the Noble Families of the Five Elements True Spirit Sect liked to arrange for their less talented, unpromising daughters to work in the Scripture Repository and collect a stipend.

If one of them managed to befriend an exceptionally talented Inner Sect Disciple and recruit him into her family, it would be a delightful, unexpected bonus.

"That Master Yang... he’s as brilliant as the sun and moon, as radiant as the stars. If I were lucky enough to become his concubine, I could die happy."

A petite girl with her hair styled in two buns remarked.

"Hah! You wish, you little minx. Even the high-born ladies from the main family branches were turned away when they offered to be Master Yang’s concubine. Their invitations were tossed out like trash. For girls like us, with our common status and ordinary talent, Master Yang wouldn’t even spare a glance, even if we were standing right in front of him."

Another girl, tall and stunningly beautiful, mocked her companion.

"Speaking of which, Sister Yu Huan is the daughter of a Golden Core Master. It’s a shame she married some nobody from the Western Domain so early on, even giving him her own Foundation Establishment Pill."

As she spoke, she gestured with a glance toward a girl sitting in a corner, sorting Jade Scrolls.

The girl’s complexion was rather pale and wan. Among the other girls, her looks could only be considered average, with the demure appearance of a girl from a modest family. However, her eyes were as gentle as water, adding a touch of rare beauty to her face.

Most of the other five girls were daughters of Foundation Establishment Cultivators; the tall girl’s own father was merely a Qi Cultivator.

As the daughter of Liu Ruheng, a Golden Core Cultivator of the Liu Family, Liu Yuhuan had been met with fawning flattery from the other five girls when she first arrived. But after a year, they had figured out her background. Once they discovered she was born to an unfavored concubine and held no importance in Liu Ruheng’s eyes, their attitudes changed completely. They began pushing all sorts of miscellaneous chores onto her and relentlessly mocked her for their own amusement.