Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 677 - 664: Prajna Hall

Upon asking Master Zhiming, he only said that I would know upon arrival, so I had no choice but to follow him deeper into the temple.

A moment later, we were handed over to Master Zhixian, the head of Prajna Hall, who led me to the rear hall.

"The abbot specially instructed: Patron Jiang, who traveled a thousand miles to return the Jade Throne Golden Buddha and valiantly slew many evil cultivators to prevent chaos in the city, has the gratitude of all at Cold Spring Temple. We specially invite you to enter the rear hall of Prajna Hall.

Here is gathered all external cultivation technique research collected by traveling Buddhist cultivators since the temple’s founding. After entering, you may read and comprehend without time restrictions. If you need anything, please let us know. A novice monk is waiting outside for instructions."

Jiang Yuan thanked them and pushed the door open with excitement.

Cold Spring Temple really had deep roots. Such a large hall entirely dedicated to cultivation techniques and research—how many types of techniques could it possibly contain? I’ve struck gold! Hahaha!

[Original stele inscriptions of ancient cultivation techniques obtained by Cold Spring Temple’s traveling Buddhist cultivators]

[Analysis and research on cultivation techniques by the head of Prajna Hall]

...

However, he quickly stopped laughing.

The scene he imagined, of reading and acquiring countless new skills, didn’t happen. He couldn’t even see what was engraved on the tall, exquisite stone tablet at the entrance, only a brief system summary in large characters.

"System, what are you up to? Wake up! The temple’s abbot said we could read and learn freely, and you’re doing this..." Jiang Yuan was bewildered.

He walked through quickly, with the hall divided into several passages. On both sides were stone platforms taller than a person, holding various scrolls, steles, and fragments, with entire rolls of masters’ research and analysis of the techniques beside them.

Yet, in his eyes, whether scrolls or fragments, all appeared blank with only a single line of the system’s summary, and he couldn’t even view details.

Isn’t this just going in for loneliness?!

The large rear hall had only him, excessively silent, with a faint scent of paper, stone, wood, and dust in the air.

Whether out of frustration or anxiety, Jiang Yuan could hear his own heart pounding.

[Goldworm: Small bugs hiding where there are many ancient books, often secretly devouring books and swallowing words, causing headaches for those who love to collect books. Can be captured with a capture net, randomly gaining skill experience]

Jiang Yuan: ...

Alright! So others come in to study martial arts techniques, and I come in to catch bookworms?

A bit toothache-inducing, but I’m not upset.

After all, without the system’s reading, even if I saw the text, I probably wouldn’t comprehend it.

Forget it, since I’m here, might as well catch worms. It’s better than going back empty-handed, right?

A chubby little golden worm flew by in his view, sparkling and tempting.

He found the small capture net he made earlier from the storage box connected to the storage bag, clicked to select the goldworm, then clicked to use the capture net.

"Whoosh!"

The net flew out, securely enclosing the little worm, and then they both disappeared.

[Basic Skill Point +1]

[Basic Skill Point: Can be used to add experience to any basic skill]

Jiang Yuan opened the basic skill interface for farming, collecting, and others, checked the collect skill with the shortest experience bar, clicked to use a skill point, and indeed, the experience bar jumped forward slightly.

"Interesting, if there are many bookworms here, the collect skill could level up quickly."

Clicking twice yields plenty of experience, much faster than slowly gathering experience from chopping wood or mining.

With nothing else to do, let’s catch bookworms, consider it helping the big monks get rid of pests!

[Basic Skill Point +1]

[...+1]

...

Truth be told, there were indeed quite a few Goldworms in the large rear hall.

The drop rate was roughly 4:1, and apart from the time spent searching, with the capture net, the entire process of capturing was stress-free.

It’s uncertain how much sutras and cultivation manuals these many bookworms had secretly eaten.

[Immersed in the sea of knowledge for half an hour, book scroll spiritual energy absorbed to 10%]

Book scroll spiritual energy? What is this?

Without detailed analysis, Jiang Yuan could only put away his curiosity for now, figuring as long as he stays in the rear hall, it will keep increasing, and when the experience bar hits 100%, the answer will be revealed, right?

Back to catching worms!

He drank a cup of spirit tea to replenish his physical strength bar, then diligently searched for and caught worms...

Continuing until midday, the system prompted that all Goldworms in the rear hall had been captured, gaining a total of 25 skill points.

No need to overthink the distribution, first mindlessly pile up the shortest experience bar of the collect skill to level ten; then add the remaining skill points to fishing skill, temporarily leading.

Other skills like farming, chopping, mining, breeding, and cooking can gain experience daily, gradually catching up.

[Immersed in the sea of knowledge for eight hours, book scroll spiritual energy absorbed to 100%. Would you like to consume 10 million Spirit Stones and a thousand years of lifespan to exchange for book scroll spiritual energy infusion, greatly enhancing personal power?]

After another half-hour wait, finally, a prompt appeared.

Jiang Yuan: ...

So the system knew I made a profit last night, and now it’s eager to reclaim it?

It needs both money and lifespan, but since binding, the system has yet to fail, meaning what it offers should yield greater returns.

"Exchange!" Without a second thought, he chose to use a large amount of Spirit Stones and lifespan to exchange.

[Exchange successful, undergoing book scroll spiritual energy infusion, please wait...]

A gray progress bar appeared in view, moving rather slowly, only reaching 5% after a while.

Jiang Yuan felt nothing as if the infusion had nothing to do with him, and since he was just waiting, he casually sat on the ground, looking out into the courtyard through the door’s crack.

At Cold Spring Temple, even during the day, it was in a dormant state. The Buddhist cultivators were meditating or practicing in Zen rooms after a busy night.

Being the second-largest gathering place for cultivation techniques after the Sutra Library, without a permit, even Buddhist cultivators from the temple weren’t allowed entry, thus the courtyard was so quiet you couldn’t hear a single cicada.

Outside the main door, a novice monk sat holding Buddhist beads, reciting sutras, ready to take any instructions.

"What does cultivation really feel like?" Jiang Yuan wondered, seeing the novice monk meditating through the slightly open door.

Having the system is indeed wonderful; learning cultivation techniques turns reading into direct skill acquisition; fighting becomes direct skill execution, a foolproof formula with no difficulty.

Outsiders see him as powerful, expertly wielding various cultivation techniques, but truthfully, he hadn’t learned anything, not even understanding the principles of sitting meditation.

"Whoosh!"

At 10% on the progress bar, suddenly a wind stirred in the hall.

A whirlwind spun around Jiang Yuan, leaving him baffled yet cautious not to move.

At that moment, Master Zhixian, head of Prajna Hall, was the first to sense powerful energies swirling in the rear hall. He promptly left his meditative state and walked to the window to investigate, "Such strong spiritual power fluctuations! What cultivation technique has Patron Jiang found and studied in such a short time?"

"Hiss! Is it... coming from Prajna Hall?" Master Zhiming simultaneously sensed this, quickly leaving the Zen room to track the source of the fluctuation;

Other Buddhist cultivators were also alerted, coming out collectively to examine.

At 15%, the wind grew stronger, Jiang Yuan’s clothing flapping noisily.

Sitting steadily amidst it all, he found it quite refreshing and comfortable, even feeling a bit sleepy.

"Perhaps I’ll just take a little nap..." He realized now wasn’t the time to sleep.

But it was too comfortable and tiring, his mind soon became sluggish, consciousness fuzzy, eyelids shutting tight like magnets never to separate again.

Thus, seated cross-legged, head slightly bowed, Jiang Yuan fell asleep in the Wilderness World for the second time, feeling extremely comfortable and relaxed, just as he did in the rain in the straw hut, sleeping soundly!

The wind around him grew stronger, even alerting the abbot Faxuan in seclusion.

"Prajna Hall contains such exquisite and powerful techniques? It shouldn’t be possible."

Upon learning the commotion originated with Patron Jiang entering Prajna Hall, Faxuan frowned slightly, sensing for a moment, then shaking his head lightly, "No, that’s not right. This fluctuation isn’t from any known technique. It’s unfamiliar and quite powerful, could it be... Patron Jiang is creating and has succeeded in his own cultivation technique?"