Having left the Internal Affairs Hall, Zhong Ning had forgotten the earlier unpleasant incident, and a smile once again graced his face.
"The Hidden Heart Pavilion doesn’t have many hierarchical divisions—only three positions in total. First, there’s the Pavilion Master; the Hidden Heart Pavilion has four Pavilion Masters in total, representing the four sub-pavilions.
"Beneath the Pavilion Master are the Elders. Tan Tianji and I, for instance, are considered Elders of a sub-pavilion.
"The Martial Hall has a total of six Elders, and I am one of them. Below the Elders are the formal members of the Hidden Heart Pavilion, which you now are.
"Due to the transcendent status of the Hidden Heart Pavilion, even a formal member holds a status equivalent to a Heaven Rank Demon Hunter. Meanwhile, an Elder of a sub-pavilion holds a status basically equivalent to that of a regular Defender Envoy.
"As for the Pavilion Master, that is an existence at the very pinnacle of the Demon-Subduing Division."
He spoke as they walked, and Zhong Ning continued, "Furthermore, joining the Hidden Heart Pavilion comes with benefits others don’t enjoy. The greatest of these is that members are not required to undertake missions annually.
"Additionally, the Demon-Subduing Division allocates a fixed amount of resources to the Hidden Heart Pavilion every year.
"For example, take the Enlightenment Tea you are currently consuming. Members of the Hidden Heart Pavilion’s Martial Hall receive one hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea per year, along with other resources."
One hundred grams of Enlightenment Tea a year. Shen Changqing’s expression shifted.
This is equivalent to a hundred Merit Points. Coupled with other resources, the members of the Hidden Heart Pavilion indeed receive rather generous treatment.
He made a quick mental calculation. He suspected that the resources provided annually by the Demon-Subduing Division to each person amounted to at least two hundred Merit Points or more.
"Does Elder Zhong mean that the resources received by other sub-pavilions differ?"
"That’s a certainty," Zhong Ning nodded. "Every resource has its specific purpose, and the resources provided by different sub-pavilions also vary. The Martial Hall’s resources are specifically geared towards the Martial Dao, allowing its members to dedicate themselves to their studies without distraction."
As they conversed, a place resembling the Scripture Pavilion came into Shen Changqing’s view.
"This is the Martial Hall," Zhong Ning said.
At that moment, the grand doors of the Martial Hall stood open. An elder in gray robes was lounging just inside, seemingly dozing off.
Zhong Ning glanced at the elder but paid him no mind, leading Shen Changqing straight in.
"The person at the entrance is also an Elder of the Martial Hall, named Zhao Bai. If you happen to see him, a simple greeting will suffice. If not, don’t worry about it. The Hidden Heart Pavilion isn’t overly concerned with etiquette; just remember the basics."
Upon entering the Martial Hall, Shen Changqing found his field of vision greatly expanded. The first floor was quite spacious, lined with numerous closed doors, their purpose unknown.
At the same time, upon setting foot in the Martial Hall, he felt the True Qi within his Dantian stir, becoming slightly more active.
"You’ve noticed it, haven’t you!" A mysterious smile touched Zhong Ning’s lips.
"Beneath the Martial Hall lies a Heaven and Earth Spirit Vein. Cultivating here, one can absorb Spiritual Energy from the vein, which helps a Martial Artist’s True Qi recover and also greatly nourishes the spirit.
"Those chambers are directly connected to the Spirit Vein.
"However, to ensure that the Spiritual Energy of the vein isn’t depleted, the chambers cannot be used at will. Formal members of the Hidden Heart Pavilion can access the chambers once a month, each session lasting three days. This time cannot be accumulated.
"If one wishes for additional access, they must exchange Merit Points.
"One hundred Merit Points for a single use, also lasting three days."
"A hundred Merit Points each time!" Shen Changqing’s expression changed.
That’s quite a steep price! A hundred Merit Points... How long would it take to save that much just by completing tasks?
Zhong Ning said, "There’s a reason for the high price. After all, the Demon-Subduing Division isn’t a charity; it can’t provide everything for free. The resources the Demon-Subduing Division already provides to the Hidden Heart Pavilion are incredibly substantial. But the Spirit Vein is of great importance, so a hundred Merit Points is actually quite affordable. If it were an outsider, they wouldn’t even dream of entering without two hundred Merit Points."
Two hundred Merit Points! The price had doubled again.
Shen Changqing was inwardly taken aback. This was his first time learning about the Spirit Vein. But judging from the increased activity in his True Qi just from stepping into the Martial Hall, this was indeed a wonderful place.
"Come on up!" Zhong Ning gestured, heading towards the second floor.
Seeing this, Shen Changqing followed closely behind.
Upon reaching the second floor, he found the layout similar to the Scripture Pavilion, with rows of bookshelves laden with books. Some people were engrossed in reading, paying no attention to Zhong Ning’s arrival.
"The second floor houses superior Martial Arts knowledge, as well as some of the top Sect-Defining Martial Arts of the Jianghu. It can be said that backups of even the most advanced Martial Arts in the Jianghu can be found here on the second floor of the Martial Hall.
"It’s said, ’To read ten thousand books is to travel ten thousand miles.’ Without sufficient experience and insight, a Martial Artist would find it difficult to create more advanced Martial Arts.
"Moreover, using Martial Arts to break through human limits is also one of the Martial Hall’s objectives."
Zhong Ning looked somewhat proud. "The Martial Hall’s collection is unparalleled anywhere in the world."
Shen Changqing, standing to the side, listened and looked towards the rows of bookshelves, his gaze filled with a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
According to him, the high-level Martial Arts that exist in the Jianghu were all recorded here. Normally, such high-level Martial Arts are considered treasured legacies by Jianghu practitioners, not to be easily shared. Yet the Martial Hall possessed so many. No one would believe there wasn’t something more to it.
Seeming to discern Shen Changqing’s inner thoughts, Zhong Ning smiled. "Do you think all the Martial Arts here in the Martial Hall were stolen?"
"Uh—" This question left Shen Changqing momentarily unsure how to answer. If he said yes, what if he offended someone? If he said no, it might sound like he was trying too hard to deny it.
With his hands behind his back, Zhong Ning displayed a proud expression. "The Martial Hall has never stooped to such petty thievery. These Martial Arts were all openly and legitimately transcribed by members of our Demon-Subduing Division, directly from the Jianghu Sects."
"The Jianghu Sects regard Martial Arts as their foundation; how could they allow the Demon-Subduing Division to simply transcribe them—" Before he could finish, Shen Changqing seemed to realize something, and his expression became even more peculiar.
Seeing this, Zhong Ning stroked his beard, his smile growing more obvious. "Others might not be permitted, but the Demon-Subduing Division is different. There are few things the Demon-Subduing Division sets out to do that it cannot accomplish."
To put it bluntly, it was coercion through superior martial power.
Observing the expression on Zhong Ning’s face, Shen Changqing felt his suspicions were largely confirmed.
Although the Jianghu Sects were powerful, the gap between them and the Demon-Subduing Division was as vast as heaven and earth. Take Grandmasters, for example. They are already top-tier figures in the Jianghu, yet within the Demon-Subduing Division, Grandmasters are a dime a dozen. And then there are the enigmatic Defender Envoys, who stand above ordinary Grandmasters. In his mind, those sects, of course, would not dare to offend the Demon-Subduing Division.
Of course, it didn’t rule out the possibility of some exceptionally stubborn sects refusing. As for the consequences of such refusal, Shen Changqing didn’t dwell on it.
Zhong Ning said, "Once there is a chance to break the Martial Artist Limit, it is a blessing for all Qin People. If those Jianghu Sects are incapable of collecting all the world’s Martial Arts to decipher their profound mysteries, then the Demon-Subduing Division will do it.
"Similarly, if you have obtained any powerful Martial Arts, you can also contribute them to the Martial Hall.
"Martial Arts that lead directly to the Innate Realm, depending on their profundity, will earn you ten to one hundred Merit Points. For Martial Arts that lead to the Grandmaster Realm, the reward starts at a minimum of two hundred Merit Points, with no upper limit.
"The precondition is that the Martial Arts you possess must be ones that the Martial Hall does not already have."
Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing glanced at his interface.
All his Martial Arts had been obtained from the Demon-Subduing Division and would presumably be recorded in the Martial Hall. His own Martial Arts had broken their limits through Slaughter Value. If he were to seriously reverse-engineer them, the resulting techniques would undoubtedly be even more profound.
However, this thought had only just surfaced before he temporarily dismissed it. Having just arrived at the Martial Hall, it was not appropriate to reveal too much. Once he understood more, he would consider whether to contribute his own Martial Arts. By then, he could change the name and slightly alter the initial stages, and it would become a brand-new Martial Art, free from concerns about duplicating anything in the Martial Hall’s collection.
Subsequently, Zhong Ning led Shen Changqing up to the third floor.
The space above was equally spacious, with open cupboards containing tome after tome. Below them, twenty to thirty desks were arranged; some were cluttered with objects, while others remained bare.
"The cupboards contain records of problems encountered by the Martial Hall’s past experts during their cultivation; you can look at them when you have time. Additionally, the desks are used daily by Martial Hall members. From now on, that desk over there will be your spot.
"Any insights or discoveries you make regarding your own cultivation can be recorded and placed there for others to study."
At this, Zhong Ning turned to look at Shen Changqing.
"Martial Hall members rarely keep secrets about their own Martial Arts; everyone is striving to break the Martial Artist Limit. Sometimes, the experiences of another Grandmaster can provide a flash of inspiration, leading to an instant epiphany.
"Therefore, your own experiences are also a treasure to other Grandmasters.
"At the same time, any problems you encounter in your cultivation, as well as any physical changes, can be recorded and placed there. Of course, you can also discuss them directly with other Grandmasters.
"Every month, the Martial Hall holds a Martial Artist exchange meeting, where anyone who believes they have a new finding or gain can share it with others."
Upon hearing this, Shen Changqing gained a profound understanding of one of the Martial Hall’s core philosophies.
Everyone here aimed to break the Martial Artist Limit. Thus, while in other places martial artists would guard their secrets closely, not even revealing them to close friends or family, here there were no such restrictions. Everyone shared their findings with others, drawing upon collective experiences to advance their own cultivation.
Thinking about it, the Martial Hall now seemed to Shen Changqing to be akin to a sacred ground for the Martial Dao.