The fourth floor of the Qian Family Scripture Pavilion remained exceptionally quiet.
Rows upon rows of bookshelves stretched into the distance, each shelf packed with ancient books, jade slips, bamboo scrolls, and various records accumulated throughout generations.
The atmosphere carried a faint scent of aged paper mixed with spiritual ink.
Lin Sheng sat beside a wooden table near one of the windows.
An open book rested before him.
Introduction to the Eastern Region.
At first glance, it appeared to be nothing more than a common geographical record.
Yet the further he read, the more he realized how insignificant Dragon Yuan Province truly was.
While his eyes followed the text, the Chip worked continuously.
His Perception Field expanded outward.
Every bookshelf.
Every jade slip.
Every scroll.
Everything within the entire fourth floor entered the Chip's scanning range.
Countless streams of information continuously flowed into its database.
Martial techniques.
Historical records.
Beast encyclopedias.
Alchemy notes.
Formation theories.
Even incomplete inheritance fragments.
Anything the Chip encountered was copied and stored.
The process remained extremely subtle.
Not a single fluctuation escaped.
Not a single spiritual disturbance appeared.
Even so—
Lin Sheng occasionally sensed a strand of Divine Sense sweeping across him.
Very faint.
Very cautious.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The elder guarding the Scripture Pavilion.
The old man wasn't hiding his surveillance.
Nor did he need to.
After all, Lin Sheng only possessed permission to access the martial arts section of the fourth floor.
Nothing more.
The fact that he remained seated reading books rather than wandering around undoubtedly pleased the elder.
Lin Sheng wasn't particularly concerned.
He had already made an agreement with the Qian Family Patriarch.
At the very least, he needed to look like he respected it.
His gaze returned to the book.
The cultivation continent.
Or more accurately—
The region of the cultivation continent known to ordinary cultivators.
It was divided into four great regions.
The Northern Icelands.
The Eastern Region.
The Western Wastelands.
The Southern Archipelagos.
Each region stretched across distances so vast that even Purple Palace cultivators would spend years crossing them.
Most cultivators spent their entire lives within a single province.
Some never even left the area surrounding their birthplace.
Dragon Yuan Province itself appeared enormous to ordinary people.
Yet when compared to the Eastern Region, it resembled little more than a grain of sand.
Lin Sheng silently continued reading.
The Eastern Region was ruled by three great Upper Sects.
The Purple Extremity Dan Sect.
The Seven Star Palace.
The Dao Reaching Sect.
All three possessed Nascent Soul cultivators.
The book did not elaborate much regarding those realms.
It merely stated that Nascent Soul cultivators stood at the peak of the Eastern Region.
Their influence stretched across countless provinces.
Their authority reached every corner of the region.
Lin Sheng tapped the table lightly.
One thing bothered him.
According to the records, the Eastern Region contained other Nascent Soul powers.
The Dark Moon Pavilion.
The Hundred Path Alliance.
Several ancient families.
Various demonic forces.
Yet despite that, the three Upper Sects remained acknowledged rulers of the Eastern Region.
The explanation was conveniently absent.
The book simply stated it as fact.
Which naturally made Lin Sheng even more curious.
The Chip quickly marked the section.
Perhaps another record would eventually provide the answer.
His gaze shifted lower.
The Yao Beast race.
A force existing throughout every region.
Every province.
Every mountain range.
Unlike human cultivators, they rarely organized themselves into large unified powers.
Instead they occupied territories based on strength.
The deeper one entered the wilderness, the stronger the beasts became.
Some ancient Yao Beast clans were said to possess bloodlines rivaling humans at the highest levels.
The records grew increasingly vague after that.
Lin Sheng wasn't surprised.
The Qian Family simply lacked access to higher-level information.
Even so, the amount of knowledge gathered today already exceeded anything he had previously obtained.
The Chip continuously updated its database.
Information accumulated rapidly.
Perhaps not useful immediately.
Yet the value of knowledge often revealed itself much later.
Several hours passed.
The sky outside gradually darkened.
Still, Lin Sheng remained immersed within the records.
...
Meanwhile.
The banquet had long since ended.
Most guests had already departed.
The remaining visitors retired to guest residences prepared by the Qian Family.
The lively atmosphere from earlier had gradually faded.
Only the occasional servant could still be seen moving through the estate.
Deep within the mountain behind the Qian Family.
Two figures walked along a stone pathway.
Qian Family Patriarch.
Qian Feng.
The latter remained somewhat confused.
Ever since the banquet ended, his father had personally brought him here without offering any explanation.
Neither of them spoke.
The mountain grew increasingly quiet the deeper they traveled.
Eventually—
Rows of tombstones appeared.
Countless tombstones.
Stretching across the mountainside.
Some appeared ancient.
Others relatively recent.
The moonlight illuminated the silent cemetery.
A faint solemn atmosphere filled the surroundings.
Qian Feng's expression gradually became serious.
This place...
He had heard of it.
The ancestral resting grounds.
Every notable member of the Qian Family eventually returned here after death.
The further inward one went, the greater the status of the deceased.
Generations of ancestors slept beneath this mountain.
Even Qian Feng subconsciously lowered his voice.
"Father."
"Why are we here?"
The Qian Family Patriarch continued walking.
"You'll understand soon."
Qian Feng could only follow.
As they advanced further inward, the tombstones became increasingly elaborate.
The names carved upon them gradually became familiar.
Former patriarchs.
Purple Palace ancestors.
Exceptional elders.
Each represented an important figure from the family's history.
The deeper they traveled, the more shocked Qian Feng became.
Many names he had only read about in family records appeared before him.
Eventually they reached the very core of the cemetery.
A massive stone wall blocked their path.
Formation runes covered its entire surface.
Thousands of glowing symbols interconnected with one another.
The pressure emanating from the formation caused even the surrounding Spiritual Qi to become distorted.
Qian Feng immediately understood.
This wasn't merely a wall.
It was a seal.
A powerful one.
Without hesitation, the Qian Family Patriarch removed his Patriarch Jade Token.
The token floated upward.
Spiritual light erupted.
The runes across the wall immediately began moving.
Rumble—
The mountain trembled slightly.
The stone wall slowly separated.
A hidden passage appeared.
Cold air emerged from within.
Qian Feng's eyes widened slightly.
This place existed beneath the ancestral tomb?
Without explanation, his father stepped inside.
Qian Feng quickly followed.
The stone wall sealed itself behind them.
Darkness briefly consumed everything.
Then countless formation lamps illuminated the tunnel.
The underground passage extended surprisingly deep.
As they walked forward, Qian Feng noticed something strange.
The density of Spiritual Qi was increasing.
Rapidly.
Far beyond what should exist beneath an ordinary cemetery.
The further they traveled, the stronger it became.
Eventually the passage opened into an enormous underground chamber.
Qian Feng froze.
Before him stood dozens of stone platforms.
Each platform contained a jade coffin.
Ancient.
Silent.
Powerful.
Even after countless years, faint pressure still lingered around them.
Qian Feng instinctively held his breath.
His father finally stopped walking.
Looking toward the jade coffins, he spoke quietly.
"These are the true foundations of the Qian Family."
Qian Feng stared silently.
His father continued.
"The tombs above are for the public."
"The ones below are not."
The atmosphere became increasingly solemn.
Qian Feng suddenly noticed something engraved beneath the nearest jade coffin.
Purple Palace Realm.
His pupils contracted.
Then another.
Purple Palace Realm.
Another.
Purple Palace Realm.
One after another.
Every jade coffin belonged to a former Purple Palace cultivator.
The realization sent chills through his body.
The Qian Family's history suddenly became far more profound than he had imagined.
His father slowly turned toward him.
"Every generation leaves something behind."
"Techniques."
"Resources."
"Knowledge."
"Experience."
"Without them, the family would have disappeared long ago."
Qian Feng finally understood why he had been brought here.
This wasn't merely a secret.
It was inheritance.
Responsibility.
The burden of continuing the family.
His father's breakthrough into the Purple Palace Realm had changed many things.
Including succession.
For the first time, Qian Feng felt the weight behind the family name he carried.
Silence filled the underground chamber.
Neither father nor son noticed anything unusual.
At least—
Not yet.
Because hidden within the shadows far behind them.
Something moved.
No fluctuation appeared.
No killing intent emerged.
No Spiritual Qi leaked.
The figure remained perfectly concealed.
Even the Divine Sense of a newly advanced Purple Palace cultivator failed to detect its presence.
The hidden figure observed everything quietly.