The sect library looked exactly the same as it had looked a week earlier; the same massive shelves of books, the same old dusty smell, the same feeling of the weight of all those years of knowledge crushing down on me from every direction.

  Sitting at her desk near the entrance, Elder Chang appeared to be reading a jade slip. Her eyes never left it as I approached, but I could tell she felt my presence. People at her level could likely sense everything within a thousand-feet radius without even trying.

  I walked up to her desk and waited.

  She eventually put down the jade slip she was reading with the kind of deliberation someone used when they were making sure they didn't damage something fragile, then finally looked up at me.

  For a long time, she studied my face.

  "Ke Yin," she said, "you're still a human."

  I blinked at that.

  What kind of greeting was that?

  "Yes, Elder," I answered, trying to keep my tone respectful. "I’m still a human."

  "Remarkable," she leaned back in her chair. "Zhang Wei was already displaying symptoms of transformation by day seven. You've been practicing the World Tree Sutra for eight days now. What progress have you made?"

  "I’ve completed four of the five steps for the Genesis Seed Formation,” I replied, not seeing any benefit to hiding it.

  Her eyebrows shot upward. I'd never seen her show any emotion like that before.

  "Four steps in eight days. And there’s no bark growing on your skin?”

  "No bark, Elder.”

  “No leaves sprouting from your scalp?”

  "No leaves."

  “No roots growing from the bottom of your feet into the floor?"

  "No roots,” I replied, pointing to my feet.

  She nodded slowly, and that unsettling smile crept onto her face.

  The one that made me feel less like a student and more like an interesting science experiment.

  "Very good," she said. "Continue as you are."

  I didn’t feel encouraged by her words. Being praised for not turning into a tree wasn't exactly a compliment. It was more like being congratulated for being able to breathe air.

  "Elder Chang," I said, changing the subject before she could ask me more questions about my progress. "I was wondering if the library has any soul cultivation techniques."

  "Soul techniques?" she repeated, a curious look appearing in her eyes. "Which kind specifically?"

  "Something that would let me convert the power of my soul into physical or spiritual power.”

  At that, the elder’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  She was clearly trying to figure out why I needed something like that.

  After all, Soul Essence was meant to be a permanent base for everything else.

  Most cultivators probably never thought of converting it into physical or spiritual power for a temporary boost.

  "Why do you want something like that?" she asked bluntly.

  I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

  "It’s something to do to pass the time while I cultivate the World Tree Sutra."

  The elder clearly could tell there was more to it than that, but I kept my expression blank and waited. There was no way I was going to tell her the full truth.

  Eventually, she stood up from her desk. "You’re not being fully honest," she said. "But I don’t really care why you want these techniques. You’re an outer disciple. You have the right to study any methods that are available to your rank."

  She walked past me towards a part of the library I hadn't gone into yet.

  I followed her down a few rows of shelves until we arrived at a shelf with jade slips that were older than most of the others.

  "It’s difficult to find soul techniques," Elder Chang said as she ran her fingers over the spines of the jade slips. "Most sects choose to focus solely on spiritual and physical cultivation. Techniques that mess around with the soul are considered too dangerous, too unpredictable, and too difficult to master. The Azure Peak Sect keeps a relatively small collection of them mainly for research purposes."

  She took out five jade slips and placed them on a nearby reading table.

  "These five techniques are available to outer disciples," she said. "Although I must point out that very few outer disciples will actually go through the trouble of learning them. To practice safely, soul cultivation requires an unusually high amount of Soul Essence. Most disciples at your level will cause irreparable damage to their soul trying to use these techniques."

  I went closer to examine the jade slips. Each one had labels written in elegant calligraphy.

  The first slip was labeled Soul Sensing Scripture.

  "This technique allows you to sense the strength and quality of other cultivators' souls," Elder Chang explained. "It’s pretty useful for spotting disguised cultivators, figuring out whether someone has been possessed, or judging the actual power of an opponent."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  While the technique seemed interesting, it wasn’t what I was looking for.

  The second slip was Soul Fortress Meditation.

  "A defensive technique," Elder Chang said. "It strengthens the soul against external threats and invasions. Prevents soul searching, prevents possession, and prevents certain types of spiritual attacks.”

  Once again, it didn’t enhance physical or spiritual ability.

  The third slip was Soul Shattering Palm.

  "An offensive technique. It channels Soul Essence into your attacks, allowing you to damage an opponent's soul directly. It’s extremely effective against cultivators that rely on spiritual defenses, as soul damage circumvents most protective techniques. But each use permanently depletes a small portion of your Soul Essence, so I’d advise against it."

  I scrunched my brow at that last part.

  Permanently losing a portion of Soul Essence for an attack sounded like a terrible trade off.

  The fourth slip was Soul Refinement Arts.

  "This technique allows you to continually improve your Soul Essence through meditation," Elder Chang said. "It’s a slow process; it can take months or years to show any noticeable improvements. Most cultivators find it faster to focus on advancing their cultivation realm than to try to grow their Soul Essence directly."

  The fifth and final slip was Soul Resonance Breathing.

  "A supportive technique," Elder Chang explained. "It creates a resonance between your soul and spiritual energy, increasing cultivation efficiency. When done correctly, it can increase the rate of absorption of spiritual energy by ten to fifteen percent. Moderate effects, but consistent."

  I studied the five jade slips carefully.

  Unfortunately, none of the techniques allowed me to directly convert Soul Essence into physical strength or spiritual power.

  I had to admit that was disappointing.

  "Master," Azure whispered in my mind. "The Soul Shattering Palm, the Soul Refining Arts, and the Soul Resonance Breathing. If I can study the fundamental concepts behind all three techniques, I should be able to create a new technique that combines elements of all three and converts Soul Essence into either physical or spiritual enhancement, temporarily."

  I kept my expression neutral, not wanting to reveal that I was having a conversation in my mind.

  "How would you do that?" I asked Azure internally.

  "The Soul Shattering Palm shows how to direct Soul Essence outward into physical force," Azure explained. "The Soul Refining Arts demonstrate how to manipulate and alter Soul Essence itself. The Soul Resonance Breathing establishes a connection between your soul and your spiritual energy. If I can understand the fundamental concepts behind all three and merge them together, I should be able to create a technique that converts Soul Essence into either physical or spiritual enhancements temporarily."

  That made sense. Azure was far smarter than a typical inner world spirit. If anyone could develop a method to combine different techniques into a new one, it would be him.

  "How long would it take?" I asked.

  "I'm not sure," Azure admitted. "But I think I can do it."

  I turned my attention back to Elder Chang. "How much are these techniques?"

  "Each technique costs five spirit stones," she replied.

  My stomach dropped. Five spirit stones per technique. That equaled twenty-five spirit stones total. My total monthly stipend as an outer disciple was only ten. And while I earned spirit stones from the herb mission, I had used most of them for my cultivation.

  I needed three techniques. That would cost fifteen spirit stones. I was five spirit stones short. It seemed like I'd have to go and get the stones I've hid away under the bed if I wanted to buy the techniques.

  Elder Chang must have seen the disappointment on my face because that creepy smile formed on her face once again.

  "But," she said slowly, "I’m willing to make you a special offer. Since you are cultivating the World Tree Sutra, and I’m curious to see how far you will go before either successfully completing it or transforming into a tree, I’ll give you a discount."

  I didn't like where this was going. That smile promised nothing good.

  "What type of discount?" I asked carefully.

  "All five techniques for ten spirit stones," she said.

  I blinked. "All five?"

  "All five," she said. "Think of it as an investment in my curiosity. I want to see what will happen to your cultivation, and having access to soul techniques will hopefully keep you alive long enough for me to be entertained by the outcome."

  Her logic was both generous and terrifying. Essentially, she was saying that she wanted me to live because my potential failure or success would be entertaining for her to watch.

  But I wasn't in a place to refuse. Ten spirit stones for five techniques was a phenomenal bargain, even if the reason behind the offer made me uncomfortable.

  "Thank you, Elder," I said, taking out my spirit stones from my storage pouch.

  Spirit stones themselves were fascinating objects. Each stone was approximately the size of a large marble, and each was carved from a translucent crystal that radiated a soft white light. The light emitted from the stone came from the spiritual energy contained within it. Even holding the stones, I could feel the energy they contained - a gentle warmth that reminded me of sunlight filtering through water.

  These weren't merely currency. These were concentrated resources to aid in cultivation. A single spirit stone contained enough spiritual energy to sustain a Qi Condensation cultivator for several days. They could also be crushed and consumed directly for a rapid, albeit wasteful, boost of power.

  I took all ten of my stones and placed them on Elder Chang's desk.

  She quickly collected them, placing them into her own storage pouch.

  "The techniques are yours," she said, pointing to the jade slips. "Learn them carefully. Soul cultivation does not forgive mistakes."

  "I will, Elder. Thank you."

  I gathered the five jade slips and secured them in my own storage pouch.

  As I turned to leave, Elder Chang spoke again.

  "Ke Yin."

  I turned around and looked back at her.

  "Don't die...or turn into a tree," she said. "I want to see how this story ends."

  "I’ll do my best, Elder."

  I left the library before she could say something more unsettling.

  There were more people in the courtyard than I expected. It was mid-day, and most of the outer disciples were taking breaks from their cultivation practices. Some were sitting in small groups, eating simple meals or talking about their progress. Others were practicing sword forms or hand-to-hand combat techniques in designated training areas.

  I began walking back towards Dormitory Three, already thinking about how Azure and I would begin studying the soul techniques. If he could successfully combine the techniques into what we needed, then I would have a major advantage the next time my soul chose to take an unauthorized trip to another world.

  That was when I noticed Wei Lin.

  He was standing near the edge of the courtyard with three other disciples I didn’t recognize. They wore the same gray robes as the other outer disciples, but they carried the confidence and arrogance of clan recruits.

  Wei Lin was showing them something. A jade slip, I realized as I approached.

  There was something odd about the way that the four of them interacted with one another.

  Wei Lin kept looking around as if checking to see that no one was watching him.

  The three disciples examined the jade slip with great interest, handing it back and forth while studying it.

  I changed direction and began to walk toward them, intrigued by the situation.

  "...Twenty spirit stones is too much," one of the disciples said as I walked into hearing range.

  "That is double the amount of spirit stones that these techniques normally sell for in the sect store."

  "The sect store doesn’t have the Dragon Claw Technique," Wei Lin replied smoothly. "This is a secret technique from my father's collection. You won’t find this technique anywhere else in the Azure Peak Sect."

  "How can we trust that it is authentic?" another disciple asked. "You could be selling us a fake technique."

  "We’ll take it to Elder Chang and she’ll confirm it's genuine," Wei Lin said. "But if you waste my time having it authenticated and then don't buy it, I won't let you buy any techniques in the future. Business is doing too good for that."

  I stopped a few feet away and suddenly understood what I was seeing.

  My friend was selling combat techniques for spirit stones.

  Why was I not surprised?