The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]
Chapter 288: Getting Certified

“Here we are, the library,” Ci En said as she opened the door.

“Thank you, Elder,” Li Lang replied, though his attention had already moved to the various bookshelves.

It was obvious to the elder that he was excited to explore new woodsmithing techniques, so she didn’t mind. Li Lang wasn’t the first one who had been this eager to explore their new perks right after passing their assessment.

“Feel free to take your time. I will be back once I process you into our system and have your new ring ready.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Chuckling at how Li Lang didn’t even bother to face her before speaking, Ci En swiftly retreated from the room. She had an important duty to attend to. A new member being inducted wasn’t all that rare, but she still had to file the paperwork properly and report to the guild master.

Having gone over this process hundreds of times, Ci En easily multitasked, filling out various forms and holding a conversation over a transmission jade at the same time.

“Yes? What is it?” a feminine but raspy voice called out.

“Guild Master, I would like to report that a new member has joined our ranks.”

“I see. I’ll go over the paperwork later. You can leave them in my office. Anything else?”

Normally, Ci En would say no. The question was more of a formality when the guild master wanted to end the conversation. It seemed she was in a hurry, but Ci En felt it was necessary to report on the new boy.

“Actually, you may want to take a closer look at this new member.”

“Oh? And why do you say that? Are they perhaps some sort of rare genius you took a liking to?”

“Hmm, no, I wouldn’t say that. Their techniques were solid, but appeared to be of quite an old style. Along with their comprehensive foundation, they likely already have an experienced master behind them. The reason I am telling you to take a closer look is that this new member isn’t just a simple junior who has taken to woodsmithing. When they came in, they were already wearing the rings of fire, water, and metal. I am about to bring them their fourth, the ring of wood.”

The reveal caused the guild master to change her tune.

“Are you saying this fellow is trying to become a True Craftsman? We get those every so often, but they’ll likely hit a wall and give up soon enough. Even if they succeed, it’s not a matter our guild will be too involved with.”

“Understood. I just wanted to bring it to your attention for now.”

“No problem. Anything else?”

***

Li Lang was headfirst into a pile of scrolls and books. He knew the library he had access to likely only had a limited selection, but it was still valuable knowledge nevertheless.

The ones he focused on in particular were about how to upgrade Skyrunners and how to alter their various properties. It was a unique property of woodsmithing, where their products were grown instead of manufactured. It allowed woodsmiths to upgrade and make numerous changes whenever they wanted. The only downside to it was the time it took. The more significant the change, the longer it would take.

While all the new techniques were completely foreign to Li Lang, their principles were similar to genetic modifications. The only difference was that woodsmiths used Qi techniques to implement the changes, and they used their feeling to evaluate their results. In his opinion, it was completely inferior to being able to properly analyze the subject’s DNA. It was as if the woodsmiths of this world were doing surgery blind.

As much as Li Lang wanted to dive straight into his spoils, he had to transcribe them into Ruby first. It was the most efficient way to go about it, though that didn’t diminish his urge to start studying the contents right away.

Just as he got about halfway, he heard a knock and the door slid open.

“Li Lang, congratulations,” Elder Ci En said. “You’re now officially a member of the Woodsmithing Guild. Here is your ring, which I’m sure you are familiar with.”

Reluctantly placing down the texts, Li Lang clasped his fist toward the elder.

“Thank you. I appreciate your help so far.”

The older woman nodded and handed the ring along with a brochure. It was a guide about what becoming an official member came along with.

“Is there anything else, elder?” Li Lang asked as he stowed his new items into his space ring.

“No. You may spend your time here in the library if you please, or go attend to other matters.”

With that, Li Lang bowed to the woman one last time before turning back straight toward the texts.

***

“You’re finally back. I almost thought you left me behind to go do something stupid,” Jun Ziyan complained the moment Li Lang stepped into their inn.

“Of course not. I didn’t lie when I said I went to the guilds. It’s just that it took some time to pass two tests and scour their libraries. It was a fruitful day, indeed, but if there wasn’t anything else, I would like to retire to my room now.”

“You do you. I could use the time to catch up on some training.”

Waving his minder off, Li Lang raced to his room so he could enter Ruby’s artifact space one second sooner. Of course, he didn’t do so without taking one final glance at his hand, which now had all five rings pertaining to the five main elements.

I’m practicing a five-element technique, along with all five crafts. This sure is a handful…

He had only studied the rings briefly after passing his formation test. So far, there had been no special reaction, and the people at the guild didn’t comment too much about it. Still, they were watching. He noticed them. Felt their gaze.

However, he wasn’t inducted into some secret society of True Craftsmen or anything like that. Everything was still—normal. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one, but he would get to it later.

For now, there were two libraries’ worth of techniques to go over. It would greatly enhance his understanding of his two latest crafts, bringing them up to the standard of the other three.

Upgrading his Skyrunner from Mortal-grade to Earth-grade was quite the endeavor, so he started from there first. It was something he would rather get to sooner rather than later.

Thankfully, with his auto-analyzer readily available, he was able to go through them in record time. All he needed to do was test each technique on the exact same specimen and check out its DNA to view the results. There was no need to wait long hours or accelerate any growth.

He then took some time refining an upgrade plan customized for his own vehicle. There were many options he could choose. It wasn’t as simple as applying the upgrade and being done with it. Right now, his Skyrunner was quite balanced, and he could choose to focus on a certain aspect of it during the upgrade. Speed could be sacrificed for more space, or vice versa. Its appearance could also be customized. Unfortunately, Li Lang wasn’t one to care for cosmetic changes and he was a big proponent of shoring up all weaknesses. He rather liked the all-rounder set up his Skyrunner currently had.

Once he was finished, he didn’t waste any time and exited the artifact space to go implement those changes right away. He was planning to dive back in after, to begin perusing content about formations. However, when he returned to reality, he realized it was morning already!

“Why is time always so short during the best moments?” he said with a weary sigh.

Shaking his head, he proceeded to go through his morning routine, cleaning himself up before he went down for breakfast. Just as he was about to exit his room, something light brown was slid under his door. To be precise, it was a piece of paper.

All it read was a time and location.

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