My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 197 The Scripture Transmission Institute

North of Tongtianfang, the residence of the lower courtyard of Jilongdao.

With 116 white jade coins in his pocket, Chen Mu walked proudly to the Scripture Transmission Academy.

The courtyard is spacious, with a long corridor with blue tiles on all sides, and black tiles and white walls on three sides, with small openwork windows.

There is no wall on the west side, and below it is a cliff more than ten meters high, standing right next to the Tongtian River.

A huge three-story octagonal wooden building stands in the middle of the courtyard.

Chen Mu stood under the wooden building, turned his head to look at the Tongtian River that stretched as far as the eye could see, and felt a sense of relief in his heart.

In the past, in Daliang, you couldn't buy secret techniques even if you had money. But in Jilongdao, you can learn secret techniques as long as you pay.

Looking up at the three-story wooden building and feeling the heavy white jade coins in his arms, Chen Mu couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

At this moment, Chen Mu looked at the wooden building of the Scripture Transmission Academy and felt as if he were looking at a huge golden egg that was shining with golden light!

"If I could learn all the secret techniques of this Scripture Transmission Academy..." Chen Mu's eyes lit up as he strode into the wooden building.

……

"A white jade coin."

Behind the counter at the entrance, an elderly man in his fifties, with gray hair but rosy, smooth skin like a baby, spoke softly.

Chen Mu was stunned as soon as he entered the door.

What do you mean?
The old man glanced at Chen Mu: "New here?"

“Reading scriptures at the Scripture Transmission Hall costs one hour and one white jade coin.”

"Oh, oh, oh..." Chen Mu hurriedly took out his money.

This scripture transmission center even charges by the hour? No wonder it's a prestigious place for scripture transmission; they really know their stuff!

Chen Mu's anticipation for the secret techniques within grew stronger.

"The spirit and soul are united on the first floor."

"The spiritual light is on the second floor."

"Go and choose the secret manual first, then come to me to receive the Jade Tablet of True Meaning."

The old man put away the white jade coins and spoke with practiced calmness.

Chen Mu bowed his thanks and walked excitedly into the lobby on the first floor.

……

The hall is octagonal, with a surrounding corridor connecting the two sides.

The middle is open and airy, and you can see the top of the wooden building when you look up.

There is a transparent crystal bead embedded there, constantly casting natural light downwards like the sunlight.

Chen Mu arrived at a bookshelf, next to which hung a brown wooden board.

"The Secret Technique of Unity?"

Chen Mu became interested and went over to watch.

At a glance, one can spot the scriptures belonging to Baiyang Zhenjie.

A thin wooden tag was also hanging on the scroll, with two lines of text arranged vertically on it: "True Explanation of Baiyang, Sixty White Jade".

Turning his head to look at the rows of sutras with labels on the bookshelf, Chen Mu's expression was strange.

"Why does this remind me of shopping at a supermarket in my past life?"

He quickly became excited; this was a secret technique, and so many were laid out before him for him to choose from. He wanted nothing more than to empty the place!

He put down the White Yang True Explanation, picked up a scripture scroll beside him, and glanced at the wooden tag—Three Primal Secret Seals, one hundred and twenty white jade.

Chen Mu: “…”

That's fucking expensive!

He read several more scriptures and discovered that, apart from the White Yang True Explanation, no other secret method for unifying the spirit and soul cost less than eighty white jade coins!
"If the cultivation speed of Baiyang Zhenjie wasn't so slow, it probably wouldn't only cost sixty white jade coins." Chen Mu scratched his head: "Luckily, I can grind experience."

"The Unity Secret Technique is fundamental; if it's not expensive, that would be abnormal," Chen Mu said knowingly.

……

He strolled around the hall's corridors.

In addition to the secret methods, they discovered a large number of scriptures and books related to planting.

This is, after all, the lower courtyard of Keelung Road, a base for growing yellow rice and various medicinal herbs. It's only natural that such books would exist here.

After wandering around for a short while, Chen Mu went to look at the secret method of jade seed cultivation.

Pulling out the outermost book of Jade Seed Secret Techniques, Chen Mu first looked at the label on the wooden tablet—Sand-Containing Technique, Sixty White Jade.

Chen Mu: “…”

"There are bound to be good and bad jade-seeding techniques, and the good ones will naturally be more expensive."

Chen Mu put down the Sand-Containing Technique and took out another scroll—the Azure Jade Thousand Threads Technique, containing one hundred pieces of white jade.

Unconvinced, he took out another scroll—the Art of Pulling Machines, one hundred and sixty white jade scrolls.

Chen Mu: “…”

How could it be so expensive?! He checked and selected repeatedly, only to find at the end that the cheapest one was actually the Sand-containing Technique.

Chen Mu looked helplessly at the bookshelves filled with scriptures.

The secret technique was right in front of him, but he couldn't afford anything even remotely good!

……

After hesitating for a long time, Chen Mu could only take a book on the art of wiping sand to the door.

"The Sand-Containing Technique?" The white-haired old man glanced at Chen Mu and said indifferently, "Sixty white jade coins."

Chen Mu touched the white jade coin in his pocket and asked cautiously, "Could you make it cheaper?"

The elderly man with gray hair couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Bargaining at the Buddhist temple?
He looked at Chen Mu with a sigh: "You're the first person to bargain here. You've got guts."

"Could you make it a little cheaper?" Chen Mu asked with a delighted expression.

"No!" The white-haired old man glared at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu looked around and, finding no one nearby, cautiously approached the counter.

“In this way, you will record forty white jade coins in your account, but I will give you fifty,” Chen Mu whispered. “I can save money, and you can earn money.”

The white-haired old man looked at Chen Mu with disbelief.

"roll!"

……

After a long while, Chen Mu left the Scripture Transmission Academy empty-handed and with a helpless expression.

Even the worst book on the art of concealing sand could reduce his assets by half.

Learning all the secret techniques is harder than climbing to heaven. He's not afraid of hard work, but he's afraid of not having money!
Looking back at the three-story wooden building, it was no longer a glowing golden egg; it was a black hole that devoured white jade coins, and could never be filled!

"This is just the purchase of secret manuals."

"We'd like to hire someone to give lessons later."

"I finally managed to save up some money, but in the end, it all has to be handed over to the lower branch of the Chicken Coop Road!"

……

Low hill courtyard.

After finishing his daily tasks of tending the yellow sprout rice field, Chen Mu sat by the well and began his cultivation.

He would silently chant the incantation for half an hour at a time.

During a break while drinking tea, Chen Mu looked at the calming pills drying under the wooden shed and calculated how much money he could make.

But as he calculated, Chen Mu's expression turned grim.

This is the third day since we returned from the Scripture Institute.

Thinking about those expensive secret manuals, Chen Mu couldn't help but feel annoyed.

You have to pay the lower house to buy the secret manual.

You have to pay money to the lower house to attend lectures and ask questions.

All the shops in Tongtianfang belong to the Lower Temple, and the Lower Temple profits from both buying and selling.

Even if I could sell the Tranquilizing Pills, no matter how much I earned, I would have to hand them over to the lower branch of the Chicken Cage Sect!
"This is exploitation at every level! They're trying to drain us lower-level disciples dry!" Chen Mu exclaimed indignantly.

He had previously thought the lower branch of the Jilongdao sect was quite good when they preached at the Chuanjing Academy. They were even giving free lectures and teachings to their disciples.

Now he understands. It was just a trial class. A trial class coated with tempting sugar.

If I explain the cultivation process to you clearly, how can you not buy secret methods or seek advice from those with cultivation experience?
The Scripture Transmission Academy possesses secret techniques and controls the teaching staff. If disciples in the lower academies want to advance further, they have no choice but to pay money.

"I've been working for you for free for twenty years, and you still want to keep squeezing me dry?" Chen Mu felt incredibly aggrieved.

For three days in a row, he seemed listless no matter what he did.

"I cultivate honestly. I spend money to buy secret techniques and ask for guidance on cultivation."

"But you're creating obstacles at every step. Instead of teaching and imparting knowledge, you're only thinking about raising prices and ripping me off!"

"Fine! Very well! You forced me to this!"

Chen Mu's face was filled with grief and indignation, and black smoke billowed from his hands.

puff!
Seven or eight esoteric scriptures appeared.

These are all supplementary volumes of the secret methods of the Jade Seed Sect.

He asked Shang Huan to collect them, and it only cost him three white jade coins in total.

He has a skill proficiency cheat; as long as he has the secondary manual, he can cultivate!

Chen Mu glared fiercely in the direction of Tongtianfang.

"The Scripture Transmission Institute?"

"Humph!"

"Don't even think about swindling a single penny from me!"

(End of this chapter)