The library remained quiet, its air thick with the scent of aging paper and untouched knowledge. Dust motes drifted lazily through beams of golden light, disturbed only by the soft flutter of pages turning. Aelric sat alone at a wooden table, posture straight, gaze steady, while the crystal cube hovered around him in lazy circles.
Hex hummed a tune only he understood. "Alright, alright, next batch coming up!" His childish voice carried an odd cleverness beneath it, as if he enjoyed choosing the order of books more than their contents.
Several manuals slid from distant shelves and arranged themselves neatly before Aelric.
Without a word, he opened the first one.
⸻
Martial Arts
The book began with heavy prose about tempering flesh and bone, forging one's body into a weapon. It described how martial artists opened their Dantian, an internal reservoir that stored refined energy drawn from the world around them.
Hex drifted closer and tapped the page with a corner of his glowing body.
[Basically, they suck in heaven and earth energy and stuff it inside their belly. Humans are weird.]
Aelric ignored his commentary and continued reading.
Martial artists progressed through nine realms:
Third-Rate → Second-Rate → First-Rate → Peak Stage Martial Artist → Martial Master → Grand Immortal → Heaven Immortal → Transcendent Martial Lord → Deity
Each realm was divided into lower, middle, upper, and peak stages.
By the sixth realm—Grand Immortal—the human body underwent a drastic metamorphosis, gaining the ability to produce energy instead of merely borrowing it from nature.
Aelric paused for a moment.
So immortals are capable of internal generation… yet still incomplete. Dependent. Imperfect.
Compared to his own innate core, which generated its own energy ceaselessly without any connection to the world, the martial path felt… fragile.
But he said nothing aloud. Silence surrounded him like a cloak.
⸻
Cultivation
The next book described cultivation—a stark contrast to martial arts. It lacked any mention of a Dantian; instead, cultivators awakened Spiritual Essence and shaped heaven and earth energy through hand seals, divine arts, and complex formations.
Aelric read through the system methodically.
Qi Gathering → Foundation Establishment → Body Integration → Core Formation → Nascent Soul → Pure Soul → Spirit Ascension → Divine Manifestation → Deity
Again, nine realms, each with the familiar four stages.
Hex bobbed cheerfully above the page.
[Not everyone can be a cultivator! You need talent. If you don't have spiritual essence, even if you cry for a thousand years, nothing happens.]
Aelric turned the page without reacting.
Cultivators who reached the sixth realm—Pure Soul—became immortals. The book said immortals could create their own domains, but the section cut off there. No diagrams. No explanation. Nothing detailed.
Hex clicked lightly against Aelric's shoulder. [This is a low-level sect. They barely get scraps. Anything useful is hidden by the big guys.]
Aelric did not bother searching further.
The absence of knowledge was itself informative.
⸻
After comparing both systems, Aelric closed the cultivation text quietly.
Both paths relied on the world.
Both paths borrowed energy.
Even immortals only partially severed that dependence.
His own innate core did not borrow.
It created.
A subtle gleam passed through his calm eyes.
Two systems, vast in structure… yet both limited by origin.
Hex, however, floated smugly.
[You're basically cheating, you know? Other people have to climb mountains for power. You… you just exist.]
Aelric remained indifferent.
⸻
Races of the Southern Region
The next books detailed races—beastkin, elves, giants, and tiny fairies who could use unknown powers which couldn't be identified.
But no matter how many pages he turned, his own kind was nowhere recorded. Only a single chilling passage appeared in one of the older scrolls:
"The Blood-Sucking Demonic Humans were eradicated by a united southern alliance."
No details. No origin. No name of survivors.
Aelric ran a finger along the torn edge of the page.
Someone erased them deliberately.
Hex fell silent for once, hovering close but offering no comment.
⸻
Sect Hierarchy
Another manual described the ranks of sects in the Southern Region:
Low Level → Middle Level → Upper Level → High Level → Top Level → Supreme Sect
Their rankings depended on combat power and territorial influence—specifically, how many villages they governed.
Azure Heaven Sect, unsurprisingly, sat firmly at the Low Level.
Aelric skimmed through the final few pages.
There were only two names labeled as rulers of this region:
• Heavenly Martial Sect — top-level martial sect
• Divine Court — top-level cultivation sect
Both were mentioned without any elaboration, as though even writing their details was forbidden.
Hex whistled.
[The big fish. You won't see them anywhere near a place like this.]
Aelric had expected as much.
⸻
Sprit Realms and Inheritances
Finally, he read about realms—not cultivation realms, but spatial cracks overflowing with heaven and earth energy.
These realms contained rare resources, treasures, and sometimes inheritances left behind by masters whose level exceeded common understanding.
He now understood why Azure Heaven Sect and Flowing Cloud Sect fought so desperately over one.
Whoever obtained the inheritance would rise in rank, gain resources, and take control of Yunlai Village.
Hex leaned lazily in the air.
[Of course the sects are drooling over it. For small fish, one chance is enough to change everything.]
Aelric checked other books for information on inheritances but found nothing. Naturally—such secrets were never recorded openly.
He closed the final book as the last grain of sand fell in the hourglass.
Three hours were over.
He had learned everything this sect could offer.
And he understood clearly how shallow their knowledge truly was.
Still, knowledge was knowledge.
Even crumbs could reveal the shape of a loaf.
⸻
Aelric rose smoothly from his seat, expression composed. Hex floated after him in lazy spirals, humming tunelessly.
[So? Useful?"] the cube asked, voice bright and mischievous.
"It suffices," Aelric replied.
His footsteps echoed softly as he walked through the quiet halls and pushed open the library doors.
Waiting outside were Sect Leader Jian Wuhen, several elders, and the medical staff. Their expressions were tight with anticipation and worry.
"The First Young Master's condition is stable," one elder said quickly. "But his situation is delicate…"
Jian Wuhen stepped forward, voice low.
"Esteemed Divine Doctor , please. Come with us."
Aelric gave a slight nod.
He followed them down the corridor, Hex integrated himself in aelric's body. Servants bowed, guards stiffened, and whispers filled the air as the group approached the First Young Master's residence.
They stopped before a tall wooden door.
Jian Wuhen drew in a breath.
"This way."
Aelric stepped forward without hesitation.
The door opened—
and he entered the room, the Sect Leader and elders following anxiously behind him.
Aelric saw First young master , his body turned blackish-blue laying on bed In front of him.