According to the information handed over by the little customer service girl, Wang Jiu left the Mutual Aid Association's tower shortly and arrived in front of a sophisticated academy.
This academy, situated in the city's center, doesn't cover much area, yet its four gracefully restrained outer walls and the half-suspended library above demonstrate the owner's abundant financial power. Even without deep understanding of this new world, Wang Jiu could tell from outside the walls that this newcomer's welcome package was undoubtedly very generous.
Twenty top-grade spirit stones and a Pine Patterned White Jade Seal, according to the price manual of the Mutual Aid Association's ground floor lobby, are valued at least over fifty thousand taels of silver. This is not only a considerable fortune for mortal folks but also a noteworthy treasure for immortal cultivators—of course, for newcomers. If this task hadn't been repeatedly returned more than three times, prompting the association to add a 200% bonus as per regulation, even missions from the famously generous Hundred Families wouldn't offer such a lavish reward.
"Hehe, Mount Li, I am really looking forward to seeing your face filled with frustration and unwillingness when I bring back the hefty bonus."
——
After knocking on the door for a long time, a scruffy, middle-aged man with graying hair, thinning bangs, and dark circles under his eyes came out, looking at the colorful little man in front of him with suspicious eyes.
"Hmm? Who are you? If you're selling fashion, then get lost."
Wang Jiu handed over a note: "I'm here to copy books."
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up: "Oh, literary exchange? I appreciate you... except for your handwriting, wait, you're here to copy books!? With the same hand you just used to write that?!"
Wang Jiu handed over another note: "Yes, additionally, if you keep reiterating the same question, it only results in unnecessary resource waste. By the way, I'm out of paper."
The middle-aged man pursed his lips tightly and looked up: "This world is so cruel to those brimming with talent, alright, come in then, this task has been sent back here three times already, I don't have more choices left... Oh my god, this damned deadline!"
Wang Jiu, utterly puzzled, followed him in. Inside the courtyard, it was a whole different world. Despite the clear skies outside, the moment you crossed the threshold, everything immediately turned dark, and a thick humidity slapped in the face.
Inside the courtyard, there was a torrential downpour, with only a pebble path from the gate to the house, all other places were completely drowned in rainwater.
"Haha, how's that? My self-designed courtyard is perfect for creators! A sufficiently dark sky, ceaseless night-long rain, and inside the house, ever-burning candlelight, I have nothing to fear except a deadline!"
While boasting in a fatigued voice, the middle-aged man turned back to Wang Jiu: "Well, even if you're just a newbie who has just broken through the Wind Barrier and is broke enough to take orders from the Mutual Aid Association, seeing this scene should leave you with some thoughts, go on, express them."
Wang Jiu naturally remained silent.
The middle-aged man's expression instantly changed: "Ha, nothing to say? Not a single word!? The Mutual Aid Association indeed is a group of brainless idiots! Forget it, just leave, I don't need fools to copy my books!"
After saying this, the middle-aged man was about to walk off, but seeing the colorful little guy motionless only fueled his anger further.
"What, don't want to leave? Feel baffled, unfair? If you can't even describe the marvels of my courtyard, how could you understand the greatness of the works born here? Without a bit of resonance with the works, your copying would just be Ghost Talisman, a huge insult to my works! I issue Hundred Families missions for public charity, not to insult myself! Understand now? Get out! Let me tell you, throwing tantrums won't work here. Don't think that just because I am a famous writer, I can't hurt a fly, I have the cultivation of the Rain Cover Realm, Rain Cover, capable of stirring stormy winds! I am three large realms higher than you, snapping you like a twig is effortless!"
The middle-aged man roared repeatedly, but Wang Jiu remained unmoved. And when he was really about to momentarily put aside a creator's dignity and forcibly expel this oblivious newcomer, he noticed a line of words at the feet of the colorful little guy, written with his toes dipped in rainwater, identical in handwriting to the previous note.
"I already told you I'm out of paper."
For a while, an awkward atmosphere hung in the air, and the middle-aged man remained silent for a long, suddenly feeling especially exhausted.
"Forget it, follow me. I'll at least let you copy two books and then reasonably point out their flaws before letting you go."
Following the middle-aged man inside, a burst of coolness came over.
"Though many writers prefer writing near a fireplace, a proper low temperature is beneficial to stay clear-headed and stimulate inspiration." The middle-aged man casually explained while they arrived at his study.
Similarly expanded using mustard seed techniques, the study was quite spacious, with countless bookshelves in all varieties, stacked with books like mountains, and numerous desks filled with writing materials scattered throughout, evidently convenient for the author to create anytime, anywhere.
"Alright, everything you need for writing is here... Copy this book first and let me see, I'll check after two hours."
Saying that, the middle-aged man casually tossed a blue book, before burying himself in his work, ignoring Wang Jiu.
Wang Jiu caught the book, it was titled "Discussion of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Cyan Cloud Technique," authored by Li Jinglun.
Ha, turns out he's from the Li Family!
Hopefully, this self-proclaimed writer hasn't inherited Qingming's mild dim-witted bloodline...
Wang Jiu found a nearby desk to sit at, opened the book, and started copying it. With the Wind Gathering Array providing energy in the Sword World and several new Shape Manipulation Arrays, his hand speed was incredibly fast, and he finished copying over half the book in no time. However, the more he copied, the more he felt something was wrong, so he had to stop and plan to ask Li Jinglun to confirm it.
But after putting down the pen, Wang Jiu realized there was a technical issue here. During the reconstruction of the Sword World, he hadn't built a voice device, so he couldn't call out like a normal person.
He had to write his question on paper, fold it into the shape of a flying sword, and toss it over.
Straight to the back of the head.
Li Jinglun was furious: "What's wrong with you!? Can't you see I'm writing a book?!"
Wang Jiu continued writing notes.
"Enough, can't you speak? You..." Halfway through the sentence, Li Jinglun saw Wang Jiu's note. After a moment of shock, he became even angrier, "What do you mean, there's an error in my book?! I, in my great benevolence, let you copy books in this perfect study environment, and you come up with this nonsense?! What's wrong with you? Where are you from, Cultivator, I'm going to write an article against your whole family!"
A second paper flying sword drifted over.
Li Jinglun planned to intercept the paper sword mid-air with his earthshattering Rain Cover Realm cultivation—with his strong Divine Sense, it would have been easy for him. But a glance at the data on the paper stopped him in his tracks.
That number clearly seemed to have an issue.
He silently unfolded the paper flying sword and carefully read every word on it—what the hell, the more he looked, the worse it got. Who had the courage to take on a book copying task with such poor handwriting?!
On the other hand, each word on it was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, striking his core values.
"In Chapter 7, Section 16, Table 3, the formula calculating the relationship between the speed and damage of the Wind and Rain Sword Technique has an error, specifically as follows..."
In the blink of an eye, Li Jinglun verified the statement on the note, finding it correct.
It was indeed a trivial yet unquestionably... calculation error. Even though it was just one out of hundreds or thousands of formulas in the book, being singled out made it especially conspicuous.
After a long time, Li Jinglun let out a deep breath, tore the note into pieces, and completely destroyed it in a flame that ignited in his palm.
Then, with a solemn expression, he stared at Wang Jiu with eyes as dead and tired as a fish.
"Do you... know what you're doing?"
Wang Jiu started folding a third paper flying sword.
"Enough, I don't want you to actually answer!" Li Jinglun roared, calming his voice again, "First of all, congratulations, you've indeed found my oversight. When I was writing that formula, the love poems of the Three Lives Stone involuntarily floated into my mind, and that low-tier romance writer truly ruined the refined artistic nature of my work. However, 'Discussion of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Cyan Cloud Technique' was published five years ago, a bestseller, hugely successful; it sold over 200,000 copies in QingCyan Cloud yun City alone, not to mention elsewhere. I, Li Jinglun, am a bestselling author known for my refined and unique insights. If I can't make my work flawless, readers will be extremely, extremely disappointed! So, your discovery points to a major publishing disaster affecting possibly hundreds of thousands, even millions! Your discovery robbed millions of readers of their idol; it's a crisis of faith! Do you understand?"
Wang Jiu started folding a fourth paper flying sword.
"Enough, I was just asking rhetorically! I don't need you to answer. The real question I need to ask is only one: how can you keep this secret forever?"
Wang Jiu shrugged inexplicably.
Li Jinglun explained, "As long as you don't tell, no one will care about the relationship between speed and damage in the Wind and Rain Sword Technique. That Swordsmanship, invented 200 years ago, should have been lost already! Moreover, my calculation error is minuscule; if you hadn't marked the mistake in red pen, even I wouldn't have noticed! So, how can I get you to keep quiet?"
Wang Jiu thought for a moment, realizing he hadn't really studied this issue, and the other party wanted him to keep a secret, but he wasn't planning to tell anyone anyway...
After much deliberation, Wang Jiu thought he should leave the problem-solving to the one who started it, so he wrote a note in response.
"What do you think?"