West District.

Making his way toward the Book Pavilion, Bubai stole a glance at the new task he had just accepted.

“Copying books and scriptures, only one point of contribution per completed copy. No wonder this task is so unpopular.”

Copying a book can take hours and even days, but there is only one contribution as a reward. The thing is, even reading the cheapest book requires ten contribution points. Techniques and methods may even cost points in the hundreds or thousands.

Investing days to earn one point, how long will it take to earn that much!

However, Bubai wasted no time in taking on the task because he saw the value in the task. The reward may seem like trash, but the true reward of this task wasn’t the modest contribution point.

The true beauty of this task was the chance to read books for free!

Copying a book obviously meant he had the opportunity to read it, and with a good enough memory, memorizing the content during the transcription process wasn't a challenge!

Not only that, there was even the possibility of copying and reading books beyond his current level! Although the odds were slim, it was definitely worth it even if he gets the chance to read even one of these books.

After all, he was a poor man and his primary goal in earning contribution points in the first place was to access reading material.

The only downside to this task was that he couldn't choose which book to read. Clearly, this would be assigned by Granny Shu.

Stuffing the task sheet into one of his small pouches, Bubai gazed up at the afternoon sun, hastening his steps towards the North District.

After taking on his first task, it was time to choose his Foundation Establishment cultivation method after such a long delay!

As Bubai hurried down the street, on the verge of turning around the bend of a tower, he heard a man call out to him. “Brother Mo, please slow your steps!”

Huh? Did he know any men in this sect except the Golden Core old geezer?

Bubai's steps involuntarily came to a halt and he turned back, greeted by the sight of a young man with flowing black hair reminiscent of a lion's majestic mane.

Bare from the waist up, he displayed his toned muscles and abs, and Bubai couldn't help but notice his muscular legs, partially exposed by the tight white shorts he wore. This young man… was definitely a strong bodybuilder.

Now, standing at the open door of the nearby white tower, this man waved towards him with a friendly smile.

Huh? This guy… he didn’t seem to know him- Wait a sec, isn’t he the guy who toasted him when he first arrived at the sect?!

As the guy approached with a friendly smile, Bubai felt a sudden chill down his spine and instinctively took a couple of steps back.

The man's steps paused as he observed this, glancing down at his own body before looking back up, tilting his head slightly. “Is there something wrong? Why does it seem like you are avoiding me?”

Should he just make a bolt for it?

But if his speculations were correct, unlike himself, this guy was likely a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator!

It would be considered rude to simply run away without offering a response, and there was even a risk of offending the guy.  But… How to answer?

As his thoughts churned, Bubai saw the man approach once more.

Hesitating no longer, he immediately raised his hand to stop him and decided to give it to him straight. “Sorry this senior brother, please do not be offended, but I am only interested in women.”

The man halted in his place, his face stiffened with a confused expression.

After a moment, he threw his head upwards, laughing out loud as he clutched his stomach. "Hahahaha! Man, that is one of funniest joke I've heard in a long time! What made you think that I am interested in men?"

Bubai was momentarily dazed before responding, “Uh… I remembered you toasted me last time… naked?”

“Hahahaha! No- Haha-” The man wiped away some tears, his laughter subsiding somewhat as he patted his hairy, muscular chest, “Brother, I wasn’t toasting you. I was toasting the beauty at your side. But she just ignored me… ah, and it probably led to this misunderstand. Brother Mo, don’t worry, I am interested in women, not men! Haha!”

Well, this is awkward... but at least he was safe. Bubai breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, though his body tensed up immediately afterward.

No. This guy was interested in his Xiao Lan?!

Merlin’s beard! He didn’t expect trouble from his women to hit so fast!

Detecting the resistance on Bubai's face, the man grinned, waving his hand nonchalantly. “Don’t worry, I know what you are thinking. But I, Jia Shizi, don’t like forcefully taking the women of others. That’s why, I intended to ask Brother Mo to help me out with something…”

“What?” Bubai asked with some suspicions.

Jia Shizi put on a solemn expression, “Mind sharing her?”

“Not interested.” Bubai answered firmly, turning to walk away.

If he offends, then he offends. If this guy asked for the twins, he might be willing, but Xiao Lan? No.

Why? Because Xiao Lan is important to him. How important? Then Bubai has to ask: Can anyone in this sect trump the value of a developing protagonist?

The Golden Core old geezer thought they could shrug the protagonist off with a scapegoat, thinking it’s just another heaven-defying genius, but Bubai knew better. Oh, bless them for not understanding the true horror of a growing protagonist.

But it was thanks to their ignorance that Bubai believed he wasn’t set for a dead end, and Xiao Lan is the most important key.

Even if Xiao Lan had long been a plaything for other men, Bubai wasn't willing to share her because now, his goal was to make her truly loyal to him.

If he gave her away at this juncture, all his efforts up to this point would have gone to waste. At that point, he would truly hammer the nail into his own coffin.

However, before Bubai could take a couple of steps, Jia Shizi vanished from his spot, appearing in an instant right beside Bubai. His toned arms wrapped around Bubai's shoulders, keeping him in place.

“Oh. Don’t refuse so fast. I understand men can be rather possessive. But women are like clothes, and it’s more fun if more men wear the same clothes. After all, the more the merrier.”

Bubai struggled slightly, but even his enhanced strength couldn't resist the bodybuilder's might. Gritting his teeth, Bubai's eyes flashed as he uttered in a lowered tone, “I said. I am not interested. Are you going to force me?”

“Hahaha! Brother Mo, no need to have such a dark face. I told you didn’t I? I, Jia Shizi, do not like to force anyone. Instead, I like to change their mind in another way…”

Jia Shizi gripped Bubai's shoulder firmly, deftly pivoting him around, and with a wave of his other hand, he gestured toward his tower. “Why don’t you come in, and I’ll treat you to a nutritious Foundation Establishment meal while I tell you how.”

Staring at the still-open entrance, revealing the brightly lit corridors within, Bubai couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Why did this sound like a trap? But can he refuse?

As if discerning Bubai's thoughts, Jia Shizi chuckled slightly before declaring, “Don’t worry, if you really disagree with me in the end, I’ll let you leave. To quell your worries, I, Jia Shizi, can swear upon my dao heart that I will not harm you or stop you if you want to leave.”

This... Bubai's eyes flashed. He went as far as swearing upon his dao heart!

In this world, swearing to the heavens and one's dao heart didn't come without consequences. It was mentioned in the books that the heavens truly existed, which explained the tribulations for higher-level cultivators.

At the same time, swearing to one's dao heart was a perilous endeavor because breaking such an oath incurred severe consequences from the heavens. The higher the level of cultivation, the stronger the restrictions and consequences.

For Qi-refinement cultivators, they might, at most, lose their gathered Qi or be permanently stuck at their current level.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was noted that they could suffer from a drastic regression in cultivation. In worse cases, they might even permanently damage their foundation!

Not only that, breaking such an oath would also intensify the backlash from the heavens when attempting to break through to the Golden Core stage, significantly increasing the risk of failure!

If this was indeed a trap, the price he paid would be too heavy. There was no conceivable reason for this Jia Shizi to go to such lengths just for Xiao Lan.

So, was the goal himself? But what did he have to offer? Nothing, except his golden finger.

But WeiWei couldn't uncover his golden finger, and neither could the Golden Core Elder Ma, let alone other low-level cultivators.

As for higher-level cultivators, they had no need for tricks because they could simply grab him if they discovered his abnormality.

So, there were doubts about whether this was a trap.

Even if Jia Shizi held ill intentions toward him, after the oath, he could no longer prevent him from leaving.

Moreover, even without the oath, poisoning him or attempting murder seemed implausible.

Thanks to WeiWei, Golden Core Elder Ma had his back. Even without the elder's protection, the Law Enforcement Hall’s investigation was a not a joke.

If Jia Shizi really dared to blatantly handle his corpse within his own tower, it would be a dead giveaway...

Of course, if Jia Shizi found a way to lure him out of the sect, that would be a different story.

However, for mind control, his golden finger had him covered. He might even happily play along if Jia Shizi willingly led him out of this cage.

Thus, he honestly couldn't fathom how else this guy would deal with him.

“C’mon in,” Jia Shizi led the hesitant Bubai forward, “I’m sure you will enjoy the meal I’ve prepared. I can ensure you that your cultivation will rise greatly after trying the treasures I’ve personally cultivated for so long. These are treasures that even normal inner disciples don’t get to enjoy!”

Jia Shizi flashed Bubai a grin, “I don’t usually invite others, but I have a good sense of Brother Mo and I want to share this good thing with you.”

Nani?! A pie from the sky?!

Thus far, he had only experienced the benefits of consuming spirit rice for his cultivation, and it was undeniably amazing.

However, from Xiao Lan, he had learned about a plethora of other Qi-refinement realm treasures and herbs that boasted to be exponentially more effective than spirit rice!

Though the details of each treasure were not completely clear, even if he lucks out and eats one, it would expedite his journey to the Foundation Establishment stage, perhaps even having the power to push him to the peak in a single step!

How could such a good thing fall into his lap? Yep. Definitely a trap.

Nevertheless, he found himself genuinely tempted. It won’t harm him to take a look, right?