Location: Outer Sect – Alchemy Division – The Sludge Pits

  ?Time: Three Days Later

  ?Life in the Waste Processing Unit was simple: Shovel the toxic sludge from the Inner Sect's cauldrons, dump it into the neutralization vats, and try not to die from the fumes.

  ?For most disciples, it was a punishment. For Aris, it was an all-you-can-eat buffet.

  ?Aris stood waist-deep in a vat of glowing green slime. This was the runoff from failed "Dragon-Marrow Pills"—highly toxic, corrosive, and rich in chaotic energy.

  ?"Delicious," Aris murmured.

  ?[Abyssal Sovereign Body: Active]

  ?[Absorption Rate: 100%]

  ?[Toxins converted to: Void Qi]

  ?The green slime turned clear as Aris sucked the lethality out of it. He wasn't just cultivating; he was refuelling.

  ?"Master," Mo's voice came from the catwalk above. He was wearing a heavy apron over his armor, holding a broom. "The shift is over. The overseer is coming."

  ?Aris climbed out of the vat, his skin glowing faintly before settling back to a mortal pallor. He shook himself dry like a dog.

  ?"Perfect timing. My mana reserves are back to 100%. We can finally visit the library."

  ?"The library requires Contribution Points," Mo reminded him. "We have ten."

  ?"We have something better than points," Aris smirked, pulling a small, leather-bound book from his robe. It was visibly rotting, leaking black smoke. "We have the cure for their cancer."

  ?Location: The Scripture Pavilion – Outer Ring

  ?Time: Noon

  ?The Scripture Pavilion was a massive pagoda that spiraled upward into the clouds. It was the brain of the Myriad Beasts Sect, holding millions of manuals, histories, and maps.

  ?The Outer Ring—accessible to trash like Aris—was the bottom floor. It smelled of old paper and despair.

  ?Aris walked in, head bowed. The place was packed with Outer Disciples desperately reading "Farming Techniques" or "Basic Sword Styles," hoping for a miracle breakthrough.

  ?Aris ignored them. His Abyssal Eye scanned the shelves.

  ?Basic Fireball (Common) - Trash.

  Iron Skin (Common) - Trash.

  History of the Sect (Censored) - Interesting, but useless.

  ?He walked straight to the Service Desk.

  ?The Librarian was an ancient man, asleep, with a spiderweb actually connecting his ear to the desk lamp.

  ?[Scan: Elder Shu (The Sleeper)]

  ?[Level: ??? (System Estimate: 90+ - Half-Step Divinity)]

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  ?[Status: Cursed. Soul Damaged.]

  ?"Wake up," Aris whispered, tapping the desk.

  ?Elder Shu snorted and opened one crusty eye. "We don't rent to Waste Unit disciples. You smell like sulfur. Go away."

  ?"I'm not here to rent," Aris said, pitching his voice to be nervous but determined. "I'm here for the bounty."

  ?He pointed to a dusty sign hanging behind the desk:

  ?[URGENT: Specialists Needed for Book Restoration. Reward: Inner Sect Access.]

  ?Elder Shu laughed. It sounded like dry leaves crunching. "That sign has been there for fifty years, boy. The books in the Quarantine Zone are corrupted by 'Nether-Rot'. Even the Sect Leader can't clean them. You think a sludge-shoveler can fix them?"

  ?"I deal with toxins all day," Aris lied smoothly. "I have... a resistance. Let me try. If I die, you don't have to pay me."

  ?Elder Shu stared at him. He saw a weak, pale boy with no future.

  ?"Fine," the Elder grunted. He tossed a heavy iron key on the desk. "Room 404. If you start screaming, I won't come in until the noise stops."

  ?Location: Room 404 – The Quarantine Zone

  ?Time: 10 Minutes Later

  ?Aris unlocked the heavy iron door.

  ?The air inside was freezing. The room was lined with lead shelves. On the central table sat a single book, chained down.

  ?The book was pulsating with black energy.

  ?[Analysis: Void-Corruption]

  ?[Source: Exposure to a Rift]

  ?"Nether-Rot," Aris scoffed, walking up to the book. "They call it rot. I call it... fingerprint."

  ?He placed his hand on the cover. The black energy lashed out, trying to consume his flesh.

  ?But Aris was the Void Sovereign.

  ?"Sit," Aris commanded.

  ?The black energy froze. It recognized its master.

  ?Aris didn't remove the energy. If he cleaned it perfectly, they would be suspicious. Instead, he compressed it. He wove the chaotic void energy into the ink of the pages, locking it down.

  ?The book stopped smoking. The cover turned from rotting grey to a pristine, deep black.

  ?Aris opened the book.

  ?[Manual: The Ghost-Step Art (Incomplete)]

  ?"Trash," Aris muttered. "But wait..."

  ?He flipped to the back cover. There, hidden in the binding, was a faint geometric diagram. It was invisible to the naked eye, but to Aris, it glowed neon blue.

  ?[Void Key Fragment Detected]

  ?[Location Hint: "Beneath the Roots of the World Tree."]

  ?"Fragment 3," Aris whispered. "It's not in the library. It's in the sect's Herb Garden. The 'World Tree' is the central spirit root of this planet."

  ?He closed the book.

  ?"Job done. Now to get paid."

  ?Location: The Service Desk

  ?Time: 1 Hour Later

  ?Aris slammed the book onto the desk.

  ?Thud.

  ?Elder Shu jumped, waking up again. "Not dead?"

  ?"Fixed," Aris said, panting (fake exertion). "It... it was hard. I used my special solvent."

  ?Elder Shu grabbed the book. He inspected the cover. He flipped the pages. He sniffed it.

  ?The rot was gone. The chaotic energy was sealed tight.

  ?The Elder's eyes widened. For the first time, he looked at Aris with something other than contempt.

  ?"How?" Elder Shu whispered. "Alchemy Elders have burned their hands off touching this."

  ?"Sludge," Aris shrugged. "The waste from the Dragon-Marrow pills... it neutralizes everything. I just dipped it."

  ?It was a lie so bold it sounded plausible. Fight poison with poison.

  ?Elder Shu looked at Aris. A glint of cunning appeared in the old man's eyes.

  ?"You have talent, boy. Wasted in the sludge pits."

  ?He reached under the desk and pulled out a silver token.

  ?[Item: Guest Librarian Pass]

  ?[Access: Inner Sect Archive (Level 1)]

  ?"You are now a 'Specialist'," Elder Shu said. "Come back every night. I have a thousand books that need cleaning. Fix them, and I will let you read them."

  ?Aris took the token. He bowed low to hide his grin.

  ?"Thank you, Elder! I will work hard!"

  ?As Aris walked away, Elder Shu watched him.

  ?"Han Xiao..." the Elder muttered. "Your eyes... they don't match your smile."

  ?Location: Outside the Pavilion

  ?Time: Sunset

  ?Aris met Mo in the shadows of a statue.

  ?"Success?" Mo asked.

  ?Aris flipped the silver token in the air.

  ?"Better. We have legal access to the Inner Sect. And I found the location of the next Key Fragment."

  ?"The Herb Garden?"

  ?"The Herb Garden," Aris confirmed. "But there's a catch. The World Tree is guarded by the Sect Leader's personal pet."

  ?"What kind of pet?"

  ?Aris pulled up the system data he had scraped from the library's network.

  ?[Guardian Beast: The Nine-Tailed Sky Fox]

  ?[Level: 85 (Dao Severing)]

  ?[Personality: Extremely Intelligent. Loves riddles. Hates ugly people.]

  ?Aris looked at Mo's mask.

  ?"We might have a problem with that last part, Mo."

  ?SYSTEM UPDATE: Nether-Rot

  ?Actually just leaking Void Energy. The Sect believes it is a curse from demons. Aris uses it to gain favor with Elder Shu.