Array Basics for Dummies

Feng Fan soon spotted a book that caught his eye: Array Basics for Dummies – A Simple Walkthrough to Master the Fundamentals of Immortal Arrays.

'Heh, this one looks interesting. This will be my first step on the road to becoming an immortal array grandmaster!' he grinned.

He scanned the book's description and saw a time limit beneath it. The book could only be borrowed for a month, after which it had to be returned to the library. If he wanted it again, he'd have to wait a week. 

It was clear the sect wanted to ensure no one monopolized any particular manual for too long.

'Looks like I can borrow up to three books at a time,' Feng Fan mused. 'I'll take this one on arrays, a Body Cultivation manual, and a Qi Cultivation manual. Even if I'm not cut out for Qi cultivation, I should at least give it a try. Who knows, maybe some unexpected opportunity will pop up when I start cultivating!'

Feng Fan continued to browse the books, and his eyes were drawn to their grandiose titles: Heavenly Immortal Body, Heaven Devouring Body, Divine Suppression Art, Heaven Suppression Art, Fiery Phoenix Art...

Each title seemed more imposing than the last, but as he glanced at the grades, he saw that the highest among them was only a Top Common-tier manual.

'What the hell?' Feng Fan thought bitterly. 'These titles are all flash but have no real substance.'

He felt cheated. 'I got worked up for nothing.'

"It seems that in the Qi Gathering stage, the more meridians one can open, the better. These manuals only allow for a maximum of 24 meridians to be opened by the end of the Qi Gathering realm. But how many meridians are there in total? Elder Jiang never mentioned it… This is why having a master is so important," he thought.

While he knew the White Crow Sect had far more powerful manuals, he wasn't able to access them. The books he was seeing were all within his current access rights—those on the third, fourth, and fifth levels were completely out of his reach.

As Feng Fan continued scanning the list, his eyes landed on a title that stood out—not because of its grandeur, but because of its simplicity: Basic Qi Cultivation Arts.

What truly caught his attention, however, was its grade: Immortal tier!

Feng Fan's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He had to stop himself from shouting in excitement. But as he read the description, the elation quickly turned to skepticism.

"This manual has mysteriously appeared throughout the Red Pole World. Despite its Immortal classification, no one has successfully cultivated it. The prevailing theory is that an Immortal left it behind as a jest."

Feng Fan's lips twitched. "A prank? Seriously?"

Still, he couldn't shake the curiosity bubbling inside him. "But what if it isn't just a joke? What if this is one of those classic Xianxia settings—the overlooked treasure that only the protagonist can unlock? It's practically a genre cliché!"

He stared at the title for a moment longer, a grin plastered on his face. "Well, guess I'll play the role of protagonist and see if I can make this prank work."

'Even if it doesn't work, I'll just return the book and take another one,' he thought.

As for the Body Cultivation arts, there weren't as many as Qi Cultivation manuals, he just selected a random one with an imposing name. A Top Common-tier manual named God Suppression Body 

After finalizing his selection, Feng Fan confirmed his choices, and within moments, the books began to levitate off their shelves, gliding gracefully through the air toward him. 

His eyes widened as he watched the surreal sight. 'This shit is really out of this world,' he thought, barely suppressing his amazement.

Once the books settled into his hands, Feng Fan turned and made his way out of the library, exiting through the same door he had entered. 

As he stepped outside, he passed the old guardian elder once again. Offering a polite nod, Feng Fan attempted to show some respect, but the elder barely acknowledged his presence.

Feng Fan didn't mind the elder's indifference and began the walk back to his room. This time, however, the added weight of the books in his arms turned the already arduous journey into an even greater challenge. 

Each step felt heavier, his breath growing uneven as he trudged along the stone path.

'Damn it,' he thought, beads of sweat forming on his brow. 'I really need to build some muscle and stamina. At this rate, even carrying groceries would feel like training for immortality.'

'If I knew I would be transported to a Xianxia world, instead of praising goddesses throughout the night with my pole, I would have trained my body,' he thought. 'At least my right hand is strong enough.'

By the time Feng Fan finally reached his room, lunchtime was long over. 

Inside his room, a large cauldron was placed right next to his futon, its size big enough for him to fully immerse his body within. Beside the cauldron were two sacks, and lying atop his futon was a neatly folded note, seemingly waiting for his attention.

Before inspecting the contents of the sacks, Feng Fan picked up the note resting on his futon. After unfolding it, he quickly scanned it. It was from the menial disciple assigned to assist him with his needs.

The note was simple and to the point. One sack contained elixirs for his body training, while the other held qi stones for qi cultivation practice. If he chose not to use the qi stones, he could save them as currency, as they held monetary value.

The note also included concise instructions for using the elixirs: they were to be diluted at a ratio of 1 part elixir to 1,200 parts water, and then he could bath on them as long as he could endure the pain.

'Hehe, of course I, Feng Fan, can endure the pain until the elixir medical proprieties end!' Thought Feng Fan with a confident smile.

Before beginning his body cultivation practice, Feng Fan opened the sack containing the qi stones. Inside, he found five stones that, to his untrained eye, seemed to be of the lowest grade possible.

'No one even explained how qi stones are categorized. How am I supposed to figure this out?' he thought.

With a sigh, he placed the qi stones back into the sack, deciding to deal with the mystery later.

After that, he carefully prepared the bath following the instructions on the note. As he poured the elixir into the cauldron and mixed it with water, the liquid turned a deep, vibrant green, exuding an earthy, medicinal aroma. 

The mixture was so dense and opaque that he couldn't even glimpse the bottom of the cauldron.

'I know I'll endure it, but it's best to test the waters before diving in,' Feng Fan thought cautiously as he lowered his hand into the cauldron.

The moment his fingers touched the thick, green liquid, a searing pain shot through his hand, as if countless needles were stabbing into his very bones.

"ARGHHHHH! HOW THE HELL DOES ANYONE ENDURE THIS PAIN?!" Feng Fan screamed, pulling his hand out of the cauldron. His voice reverberated through the room as he clutched his throbbing hand, glaring at the cauldron like it had personally insulted him.

"Damn it! How dare those Xianxia authors lie and make their protagonists endure pain like it's nothing? This is pure hell!" Feng Fan complained frustration etched across his face. He conveniently ignored that he himself was one of those shameless authors.