Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 89: Ch-89: Little Mei—A pastry thief

Chapter 89: Ch-89: Little Mei—A pastry thief

Tian Shen took a step back. "Respectfully, Elder Su, I—uh—I don’t think I need more training right now. I... i already have much on my plate."

Elder Su’s smile widened just slightly. Like a sword being unsheathed in reverse.

"You’ve shown an aptitude for attracting anomalies, Thunder tribulations, Ancient swords. And much more."

"I didn’t attract them!"

Tian Shen protested.

"You did," she replied coolly.

"Which shows potential. And potential must be... polished."

"I am not a gemstone!"

"No," she said. "You’re a fool and you need guidance."

Tian Shen winced.

The Elder looked mildly amused, she raised her voice just enough to reassert the room’s authority.

"You’ll begin tomorrow at dawn. Report to the Grand Library’s inner chamber. Bring the chick, if you want."

Tian Shen stared at the ceiling, considering if jumping out the window was a viable plan.

Well, It wasn’t.

He bowed, reluctantly.

"As you wish... M-master."

Satisfied, she gave a nod.

"Good. Dismissed."

They left, the hallway unnaturally quiet after her presence.

...

Back in the courtyard, Tian Shen dropped onto the bench with a melodramatic thud. Drowsy hopped off his shoulder and waddled onto his lap, looking up with innocent sparkles.

"I hope you’re happy," he muttered to her.

She chirped once. Proudly.

Tian Shen groaned, hanging his head.

Feng Yin whispered beside him, "You could have just said Drowsy was a bird you found in the market."

"I panicked, okay?! She was staring!"

Feng Yin patted his shoulder.

"You’ll survive. Probably."

"Can I read the scrolls upside down?"

He asked.

Little Mei popped into view, holding a pastry.

"You think the scrolls will give a damn about that?"

"I need new friends," Tian Shen sighed.

Feng Yin smiled faintly.

"No, you just need to survive Elder Su’s training."

Drowsy let out a divine chirp that sounded vaguely like "Bring it on."

And just like that, the new Chapter unfolded itself.

With feathers, this time.

...

The next morning came far too quickly.

The sun rose with smug enthusiasm, golden light spilling over the sect’s tiled roofs like it had something to prove.

Birds chirped. Wind danced through peach blossoms. Everything was calm, perfect, and suspiciously peaceful.

Which, for Tian Shen, was the worst omen of all.

He trudged toward the Grand Library’s inner chamber with the gait of a man walking to his own funeral.

Drowsy, of course, sat proudly atop his shoulder like a little empress riding into battle.

"I don’t trust how quiet it is."

He muttered.

"You don’t trust anything before noon."

Feng Yin said from beside him, effortlessly elegant even in early daylight.

"That’s because nothing good happens before noon."

"You retrieved a sword before noon yesterday."

"That sword clucked at me."

Little Mei popped into step behind them, skipping.

"Still can’t believe you named it Drowsy 2.0."

Tian Shen groaned.

"It was temporary!"

The path to the Grand Library’s inner sanctum was paved with smooth black stone and flanked by rows of spirit willows, their leaves shimmering with faint Qi.

At the far end stood the massive double doors of the library, tall enough to accommodate a spirit beast and engraved with layers of protective formations.

The doors opened with a low hum, revealing a large, circular chamber bathed in soft white light.

Shelves upon shelves of scrolls spiraled upward, disappearing into the high ceiling.

In the center, a massive jade platform floated lazily, rotating slowly and lined with meditation cushions.

Waiting on one of them was an old man in pale green robes—sect robes, but with the personal embroidery of a Grand Librarian.

He had a long beard, half-moon spectacles, and the distinct air of someone who’d long ago stopped caring about mortal concerns like fashion or modern slang.

He looked up as they entered, and gave a very slow, very deliberate nod.

"You must be the disciple Elder Su warned me about."

"Warned?" Tian Shen asked.

"Warned," the old man confirmed gravely. "In great detail."

Tian Shen sighed.

"Great," he mumbled. "Just what I wanted to be: notorious in the library."

Feng Yin gave him a light shove between the shoulder blades, urging him forward.

Little Mei whispered silently behind him, ’Don’t drool on the scrolls.’

The old man pointed at the center cushion.

"Sit There."

"...So, what now." Tian Shen said cautiously.

"He’s the fool, huh," the old man confirmed.

Drowsy flapped her wings once in protest.

"She’s welcome to help," the old man replied.

Tian Shen squinted at the old man.

"...Did you just insult me through my chicken?"

The old man smiled.

"Yes."

...

Despite his dramatic dread, the first hour wasn’t that bad.

He was assigned a simple copying task—replicating spiritual incantation characters from an old scroll onto blank parchment using a special Qi-imbued brush.

The purpose? Cultivating control over one’s spiritual force while honoring ancient tradition.

"Control the brush like a sword," the old man had said.

"Okay, okay," he mumbled, tongue sticking out slightly. He was a 4-star Talisman Master for god’s sake.

But he forgot, arrogance had it’s price tag. A tag that he can’t afford now.

Splotch.

"DAMMIT!"

The ink exploded across the page in a black blot resembling a startled duck.

From the side, Little Mei laughed so hard she fell off her cushion. Feng Yin tried not to smile.

"You’re doing... good," Feng Yin didn’t know how to comfort.

"I’m discovering entirely new forms of disaster," Tian Shen muttered.

Drowsy waddled up onto the scroll table, examined the inky mess, and let out a low chirp of pity.

"I don’t need your judgment, featherball."

Drowsy pecked the corner of the scroll.

Suddenly, the Qi-infused ink flared—and the chicken’s peck perfectly completed the incantation rune Tian Shen had ruined.

A golden ripple spread across the scroll.

Tian Shen buried his face in his sleeve.

...

By midday, Tian Shen had somehow replicated four scrolls, ruined seven, and accidentally ignited one.

Drowsy, now nicknamed Sage Peck, had "helped" finish three of the four properly done ones.

Meanwhile, Feng Yin explored the upper library tiers, reviewing combat cultivation scrolls in silence, while Little Mei had somehow found the restricted section and was peeking into scrolls titled ’Ten Uses for Illusory Butterflies’ and ’Practical Pranks With Illusions’.

Tian Shen pointed at her.

"That’s going to come back to bite me later."

Little Mei grinned.

"Or explode in sparkles!"

The afternoon dragged on. Calligraphy turned into spiritual concentration tests.

The librarian brought out a Qi resonance orb—essentially a mystical rock that screamed if you were chaotic.

"Hold it," he said.

Tian Shen did.

The orb wailed like a banshee in labor.

Feng Yin winced. Little Mei clapped. Drowsy yawned.

"Impressive," the old man said, removing the orb before it cracked. "You’re a natural disaster."

"Thank you," Tian Shen said flatly. "That’s the nicest thing anyone’s said to me today."

...

By the time the sun began to set outside the library windows, Tian Shen was slumped against the scroll shelf, his hand stained with ink and his pride in tatters.

Drowsy rested in his lap like a victorious champion.

Feng Yin rejoined them, scrolls tucked under her arm.

"Not good," Tian Shen said weakly. "It was torture disguised as education."

The old man came up behind them.

"You did better than expected," he said. "You only destroyed one resonance orb."

"One?!"

"Statistically excellent."

Tian Shen blinked.

"...Can I go now?"

The old man nodded.

"You’re free until dawn. Then Elder Su will check your results."

Tian Shen nearly passed out.

...

Outside the Grand Library, the air was cool, stars slowly flickering into place above.

They walked back to the courtyard slowly, the evening quiet broken only by Little Mei humming an off-key tune and Drowsy periodically trying to peck Tian Shen’s ear.

"So," Feng Yin asked, "what did you learn today?"

"That this divine chicken are better cultivators than me."

"Anything new?"

"That I’m doomed."

"I meant, ANYTHING NEW?"

He paused.

"...Maybe I’m not cut out for copying scrolls."

Feng Yin chuckled.

"No one is, Tian Shen. But you didn’t quit. That’s what matters."

Drowsy chirped in agreement.

Little Mei somersaulted into the grass and threw her arms wide.

"Let’s go eat! I stole pastries from the librarian’s snack stash!"

Tian Shen blinked. "You what—?"

"Pastry treat time, commence!" she declared.

And with that, feathers, scroll ink, and crumbs in tow—they headed into the night.

...

After the Pastry Treat.

As they neared the dormitory, Tian Shen glanced up at the stars.

For all the chaos and humiliation, something about today had settled a strange warmth in his chest.

Maybe it was Drowsy’s smug chirps.

Maybe it was Feng Yin’s patient smirk.

Or maybe, just maybe—it was the fact that, for once, he hadn’t died or caused an explosion too large.

"Tomorrow," he muttered, "I’ll try not to ruin a second orb."

Feng Yin smirked.

"That’s the spirit."

Little Mei bounced ahead, waving her pastry triumph like a victory flag.

And Drowsy?

She flapped once. Only once this time around.

Challenge accepted. Albeit, he was not prepared for whatever about to come Tommorow.