Chapter 264: Collector’s Edition
Liu Feng stared at the book in his hands, wide-eyed in shock. How was it possible for someone to possess such profound insights into cultivation?
The "Cultivation 101" book was quite a large one, its pages packed front to back with detailed cultivation knowledge. But this wasn’t the typical manual about cultivation techniques or methods to become stronger. Instead, it was filled with practical wisdom about navigating the treacherous cultivation world and surviving its countless dangers.
As Liu Feng flipped through page after page, his amazement grew exponentially. These weren’t superficial observations or generic advice that any experienced cultivator might offer. No, these were deep, nuanced insights that could only come from someone who had lived through centuries of experiences, someone who had witnessed countless rises and falls in the cultivation world.
It seemed his initial judgment of the Grand Elder had been completely wrong. The depth of understanding displayed in every Chapter was unlike anything he’d seen before. It was from a mind that had observed the cultivation world from every conceivable angle, accounting for everything that could possibly go wrong and how to overcome it.
But what truly shocked Liu Feng to his core was discovering detailed catalogs of people not to mess with, complete with extensive explanations about why each individual was dangerous. The thoroughness was staggering. Each entry included background information, known abilities, personal vendettas, and even specific warning signs to watch for.
Then he saw it. His own name. Liu Feng’s hands trembled slightly as he read the entry dedicated to him. The amount of information was overwhelming. Not only did it include details about his current status and abilities, but it also contained an eerily accurate account of his entire life history. Events from his childhood, his cultivation journey, his family connections, everything was documented precisely with a few alterations here and there.
There was even a future section. Liu Feng read through this account of his potential path forward. While he couldn’t verify these prophecies yet, the accuracy of the historical information made him take every word seriously. He found himself genuinely curious about whether these predictions would come to pass.
A sudden realization struck him and the pieces finally clicked into place. No wonder the Grand Elder could accomplish such feats. No wonder he gave him such a strange feeling. It all made sense now, the Grand Elder was actually an immortal.
He must be. How else would he know all this?
"Can I have this book?" Liu Feng asked, finally tearing his gaze away from the book and turning his attention to the nervous disciple who had been watching him read.
The disciple shifted uncomfortably, wringing his hands as he replied, "Senior, I’m afraid I can’t do that."
"I see," Liu Feng sighed deeply, understanding the disciple’s reluctance. Without hesitation, he reached into his sleeve and retrieved a spatial ring. He placed it in the disciple’s palm, watching as the young man’s eyes widened dramatically when he sensed the contents.
Inside the ring were a thousand high-grade spirit stones, more wealth than the disciple had ever seen in his entire life.
But despite this incredible offer, the disciple still looked reluctant. If he had to say, the book was priceless. He had gone to the library hoping to find more copies, but they were completely sold out. The demand was so high that you were pretty much cooked if you didn’t already own a copy. Other disciples were hoarding copies and selling them to outsiders, getting rich off of it.
"What? Not enough?" Liu Feng asked, noting the disciple’s hesitant expression.
"Senior, it’s not that I don’t want to sell this to you," the disciple explained. "It’s just that this book really means a lot to me. This is the ultra-rare limited edition copy signed by the Grand Elder personally. There are only three in circulation."
The disciple pointed proudly at the signature on the cover, and Liu Feng’s eyes widened in amazement.
"What? It’s a collector’s edition?" Liu Feng’s voice rose with excitement. After reading just those brief pages, he had become a genuine fan of the Grand Elder’s work. He even believed that Xiang Yu was a true immortal, intensifying his fascination. A book made and signed by an immortal, he wanted it...
"You said there are only three in circulation?" Liu Feng pressed.
"That’s right," the disciple confirmed.
"Where are the other two?" Liu Feng asked immediately.
"Umm, well..." The disciple gestured awkwardly toward his two companions, who had been quietly observing the entire exchange.
The other two disciples smiled sheepishly as they retrieved their own copies from their spatial rings. Both books bore the same distinctive signature from the Grand Elder.
Liu Feng’s eyes widened further as he watched this. All three signed copies, all right here in front of him.
Without warning, Liu Feng swiftly snatched all three books from their startled owners. His movements were so quick that the disciples barely had time to react.
"Wait-" one of them started to protest.
Liu Feng quickly placed another spatial ring in the first disciple’s hand. "That’s all I have," he announced before activating his movement technique and disappearing from sight.
...
The disciples examined the spatial ring Liu Feng had left behind, their eyes growing wider with each passing second as they sensed its contents. What was inside the ring left them speechless, the ring actually contained one hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones.
The three disciples exchanged glances and broke into huge, satisfied grins.
The first disciple thought to himself that initially, when he had witnessed other disciples selling copies of the Grand Elder’s book and becoming wealthy overnight, he had considered doing the same thing.
But then he had an idea and came up with what he believed was an even better scheme. After attending one of the Grand Elder’s lectures, the three of them had followed Xiang Yu after class ended. They had approached the Grand Elder and asked if he would sign their personal copies of "Cultivation 101."
To their amazement, the Grand Elder had agreed without hesitation, creating what were now incredibly rare collector’s editions.
They hadn’t expected to actually find a customer so quickly, let alone one willing to pay such an extraordinary price for their signed copies.
"Umm," the second disciple spoke in a worried voice, "the book says that people named Liu Feng are not to be messed with, but we’ve scammed him. Will we get in trouble?"
The first disciple scoffed at this. "What scam? Those copies are genuinely signed by the Grand Elder. In fact, we’re the ones who’ve been scammed here."
"Oh, makes sense"
"Besides," the first disciple continued in excitement, "with this much money, we can go to the Grand Elder and exchange it for something truly great."
The other two disciples nodded enthusiastically.
...
A/N: Apparently, the book blew up and is quite rare now, even being spread in the black market.