The late afternoon air held a crisp clarity that reminded me of my first days at the sect. I paused outside the imposing structure of the Archives, watching sunlight glint off the formation arrays that covered its walls like artful scars.

There was something both welcoming and forbidding about the building, a contradiction that seemed to fit perfectly with cultivation life in general. It radiated that special "don't touch anything unless you want to die horribly" energy that all repositories of dangerous knowledge seemed to cultivate.

"You know," I said quietly to Azure, "I'm starting to think archives and libraries are the most dangerous places in cultivation novels."

"How so?" Azure asked.

"Well, think about it. The protagonist walks in looking for a simple technique and walks out with some ancient forbidden method that nearly gets them killed. Or they discover some terrible secret that changes everything." I chuckled softly. "At least I've already got my potentially lethal ancient technique. Just looking for something practical today."

"Very reassuring," Azure replied dryly. "Though I feel compelled to point out that your 'potentially lethal ancient technique' is progressing rather well."

That was true enough.

Despite the dire warnings I'd received when selecting the World Tree Sutra, my inner world had flourished under its guidance. The fact that I'd survived this long cultivating it probably put me in rare company.

"Master, are you planning to practice those formation-inspired plant bindings as well?" Azure asked.

"Eventually," I replied. "But movement comes first. The tournament starts in seven days, and if I can't move properly, I'll be an easy target."

I straightened my outer disciple robes, took a deep breath, and pushed open the doors to the Archives. The familiar scent of old parchment, ink, and subtle preservation formations washed over me. The Archives always had a peculiar quality of silence, not merely the absence of sound, but a presence, as if knowledge itself had weight and substance in the air.

Elder Chang sat at her desk near the entrance, as always. Today she appeared to be wrestling with what looked like a scroll that was attempting to eat its neighboring documents. Without looking up, she pinned the rebellious text with one finger while retrieving another with her free hand.

"Elder Chang," I greeted, offering a respectful bow.

She looked up, and I caught the briefest flash of surprise in her eyes before her expression settled into its usual calm assessment.

"Young Disciple Ke Yin," she replied, regarding me with renewed interest. "Still alive, I see. And if I'm not mistaken..." Her gaze sharpened, seeming to peer through my physical form to assess my cultivation. "Stage 8 of Qi Condensation. Quite remarkable."

I couldn't help but smile at her blunt observation. "I'm as surprised as you are, Elder."

"Are you?" She raised an eyebrow, finally subduing the unruly scroll by placing it under a paperweight inscribed with suppression formations. "Perhaps you shouldn't be. The World Tree Sutra is powerful, if dangerous. Those who survive its initial stages often advance rapidly."

A chill ran down my spine at her words. There was always something ominous in how she talked about the World Tree Sutra. It brought back memories of my battle with Ke Jun back at the shrine.

"About that," I began, stepping closer to her desk. "I've been wondering about the sutra's history."

"Oh?" She leaned back slightly, a single eyebrow arched.

"During a… confrontation I had recently," I said carefully, "someone seemed to recognize the World Tree Sutra. He was about to say something about it, some warning or revelation, but never finished." I kept my tone casual, though this question had been burning in my mind for weeks. "I was wondering if, apart from those who failed to cultivate it at all, there were stories about cultivators who did succeed. And perhaps... what became of them?"

Elder Chang's expression grew guarded. "Who mentioned this to you?"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

I hesitated, not wanting to bring up Ke Jun directly. "It was during the beast wave mission. One of the enemy cultivators recognized the cultivation method I was using."

Elder Chang's expression grew contemplative, almost distant. For a long moment, she said nothing, and I began to wonder if she would answer at all.

"It has been..." she finally said, her voice soft but clear in the hushed archives, "a very long time since anyone has cultivated the World Tree Sutra to a high level."

"How long?" I pressed.

"Before my time," she replied. "And I am not young, even by cultivator standards."

"But there must be records," I insisted. "The sect wouldn't keep a technique if it was exclusively fatal."

Elder Chang sighed, her fingers absently tracing the edge of the scroll she had been working with. "There are fragments of records. Incomplete stories. The World Tree Sutra is as old as our sect itself, most likely older. Much knowledge has been lost over the centuries."

Her evasiveness only piqued my interest further. "But the fragments that remain... what do they say?"

She studied me for a moment longer, then shook her head slightly. "This conversation strays from your purpose here today, I think. Why have you come to the Archives, Disciple Ke Yin?"

It was a clear deflection, cultivators and their secrets, but I recognized I wouldn't get further by pushing. "I'm looking for a movement technique," I conceded. "Something to complement my cultivation method."

Her expression lightened, clearly more comfortable with this practical request. "Ah, a sensible pursuit. Follow me."

She led me deeper into the Archives, past rows of sealed shelves and what appeared to be a cage containing a very angry book. The deeper sections of the Archives always gave me an uncomfortable feeling, as if the knowledge itself was watching, waiting for someone foolish enough to reach for what they shouldn't.

"The outer disciple sect tournament is approaching," Elder Chang murmured as we walked. "I assume you're preparing."

"I am," I confirmed. "But my current movement options are... limited."

"I'm surprised," she said, glancing back at me. "Movement techniques are usually the first technique that disciples choose.”

"I focused on combat techniques first,” I gave a common excuse one would expect from an eager villager turned cultivator. “I thought raw power would be more important than mobility."

While I maintained my embarrassed expression outwardly, inwardly I was thinking about how the Blink Rune had made any other movement technique seem redundant.

Why bother learning a qi-based movement method when I could instantly teleport thirty meters with minimal effort? But now that I needed to conceal my rune abilities during the tournament, that decision was coming back to haunt me.

"A common mistake among younger disciples," Elder Chang replied with a knowing look that made me wonder if she suspected there was more to my story. "Power without mobility is like a mountain without paths, impressive but ultimately inaccessible."

I agreed wholeheartedly.

We arrived at a section filled with jade slips that emanated a subtle sense of movement even while stationary, an appropriate representation of their contents.

Elder Chang turned to face me. "Before we proceed, I should verify your contribution point balance." She produced a small jade token and passed her hand over it, causing characters to illuminate on its surface. "It appears you have recently completed a beast wave mission. Your current balance stands at 2,000 contribution points."

I nodded, already aware of my balance. If I were to submit the Moonlit Dew Flower to the sect, I would gain another 1,000 contribution points, which from what little I knew about the flower was a poor amount, it would be better to keep the flower for my own advancement.

"There are a few Earth-rank movement techniques that cost 2,000 points," she continued. "Which means you can afford one, but nothing beyond that."

"That should be sufficient," I replied.

"Can you use what we learned from those techniques in the Three-Leaf Clover Sect to improve whatever we get here?" I asked Azure silently.

"To some extent," Azure replied. "Those techniques were generally lower rank than what's available here, but their principles could be adapted and integrated. Don't expect to transform an Earth-rank technique into a Beyond Heaven-rank method, but improvements are certainly possible."

"A Heaven-rank would be nice," I thought back with amusement, "but I'll settle for an Earth-rank that meshes well with my battle style."

Elder Chang moved along the shelves, occasionally pausing to consider specific jade slips before moving on. Finally, she selected three and brought them to a nearby reading table.

"I've chosen these based on compatibility with the World Tree Sutra," she explained, laying them out before me. "Movement techniques aren't merely about speed or displacement – they must harmonize with your core cultivation, or they'll create spiritual dissonance during battle."

I nodded, impressed by her thoughtfulness. Many cultivators simply pursued the highest-ranked techniques available, overlooking the importance of methodological coherence.

"This first one," she said, indicating the leftmost jade slip, "is the Flowing Shadow Step. It allows the cultivator to temporarily merge with shadows, traveling through them at greatly enhanced speeds. The transition between physical and shadow form becomes nearly instantaneous with practice."

She pointed to the middle slip. "The Windborne Seed technique creates a temporary vacuum that pulls the cultivator forward like a seed carried on strong winds. It excels at rapid directional changes and can even allow brief moments of aerial movement."

Finally, she indicated the third slip. "The Root Traversal method is perhaps the most aligned with your World Tree Sutra. It allows a cultivator to establish connections with the earth beneath them, creating underground 'pathways' through which they can travel almost instantaneously for short distances."

All three options seemed appropriate, but I had to decide which would suit my battle style the most.