Chapter 48: I Wish for Immortal Ascension (Seventeen)
Inside Chongdao Shrine.
Candlelight flickered faintly, and incense smoke permeated the air.
Liu Sheng slowly withdrew her consciousness from meditation, feeling that her Cultivation had reached a Bottleneck recently, and continuing to practice blindly would be meaningless.
However, she still felt a bit disheartened.
These past few days, both Liu Sheng and She Chan had Cultivated daily until the statue awakened before returning to their rooms to rest, diligently so.
Yet, despite such diligent effort, while Liu Sheng could feel her body becoming lighter and her Meridians more unobstructed, she still couldn't truly achieve Qi into Body.
Perhaps Yao Sujin's root bone was indeed too poor.
She Chan, on the other hand, had a superior root bone, and was now just one step away from a Breakthrough.
Just then, a surge of Spiritual Qi suddenly erupted from She Chan's side, like a Spiritual Qi vortex had opened, and the surrounding Spiritual Qi surged towards her, being absorbed into her body.
Liu Sheng saw her eyes tightly closed, her brows slightly furrowed, her whole body trembling slightly, and her clothes soaked with sweat, as if she was enduring some kind of pain.
But very quickly, She Chan's expression gradually shifted from tension to calm, and the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead slowly disappeared.
The air around She Chan's body trembled slightly, as if subtle electrical currents were passing through, and an invisible force erupted from within her body.
Although there was no wind, the surrounding dust gently rose, and the smoke was also stirred, slowly drifting around her.
At that moment, Liu Sheng saw a tiny point of light seemingly brighten at She Chan's glabella, then rapidly recede into it.
She Chan's entire demeanor instantly transformed, as if a subtle barrier had formed between her and the surrounding world, making her appear graceful and ethereal.
She Chan slowly opened her eyes, and the light within them was clearer and deeper than before, with Spiritual light flickering.
Finally, the dust settled, and everything returned to calm.
Liu Sheng knew that She Chan had successfully broken through to the Qi Refinement Stage, finally gaining the qualification to embark on the path of Cultivation.
The Disciple sitting on the surrounding prayer mats had already stopped their Cultivation when She Chan caused such a large commotion, all knowing that a Breakthrough was imminent, and they all looked at She Chan with envy.
Breaking through the Qi Refinement Stage was truly difficult; at least, in all the days Liu Sheng had been at Chongdao Shrine, everyone had been diligently Cultivating, yet it was only today that they finally witnessed a Breakthrough.
However, she hadn't expected that person to be She Chan.
She Chan looked at Liu Sheng, her face beaming with joy.
Liu Sheng smiled, happy for her in her heart, nodded, and pointed outside the door, signaling to leave first.
One had encountered a Bottleneck, the other had achieved a Breakthrough; there was no need to wait until the very last moment to leave today.
…
Upon reaching the backyard, She Chan eagerly began to test her abilities.
She picked up a stone from the ground and effortlessly crushed it into powder, then with a light leap, she could reach the height of two stories, allowing her to see the bamboo forest outside the wall.
She Chan was filled with the joy of her Breakthrough and wanted to share it thoroughly with Liu Sheng.
But then she reconsidered; since she had broken through and Liu Sheng had not, Liu Sheng would inevitably feel disappointed, so she suppressed her excitement and instead comforted Liu Sheng.
“It’s fine, you don’t need to worry,” Liu Sheng said calmly, waving her hand. “It’s good that you’ve broken through now.”
“Now that you’ve broken through, we’ll go to the Hidden Scripture Library tomorrow.”
Liu Sheng brought up their long-shelved plan.
They had already discussed it before; they absolutely had to visit the Hidden Scripture Library before the final assessment.
For She Chan, what if there was information about the final test?
Wasn’t there that legendary Senior’s handwritten notes?
Liu Sheng had originally planned to wait until both of them entered the Qi Refinement Stage, with their abilities improved for more security, but now it seemed they could only go earlier.
Even Zhang Tinglin and You Yingcai could go; with She Chan, a Qi Refinement Cultivator, perhaps they could manage if they were careful.
“Why don’t we wait until you also reach the Qi Refinement Stage…” She Chan also understood Liu Sheng’s meaning, her expression dimming as she said, “I can continue to practice with you.”
Liu Sheng shook her head: “This place is so dangerous; you mustn’t delay.”
“With my root bone, it’s probably hard to break through. If you wait, how long will you have to wait?”
For Liu Sheng, she had actually completed her main goal of coming to this world the moment she obtained the Cultivation Technique.
Now, accompanying She Chan in Cultivation allowed her to preview this strange method of Cultivation, so she could get started quickly when she returned.
She could also take the opportunity to absorb knowledge from the Hidden Scripture Library and feed it to the “world” for learning when she returned.
Once She Chan left, she could consider her mission accomplished.
She Chan looked at Liu Sheng, a complex light flickering in her eyes. She knew Liu Sheng’s personality; once she made a decision, it was very difficult to change.
She could only say softly: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
…
The gates of Chongdao Shrine, Hidden Scripture Library, Qingxu Hall, and Seven Profound Academy were in a straight line, distributed along the central axis of the Seven Profound Academy.
Therefore, descending the mountain from Chongdao Shrine led directly to the Hidden Scripture Library.
Although called a ‘Library,’ it was only two stories high, completely enveloped by the long shadows of ancient pine and cypress trees, thoroughly obscured.
After all, the Seven Profound Academy was not a true immortal sect; it didn't have that many books, nor did it need to.
A young man walked briskly through the pine and cypress forest and arrived in front of the Hidden Scripture Library.
The ground in front of the door was covered with fallen leaves, desolate and empty. Only an old man, stooped over, was sweeping the ground at the entrance.
This man was named Qi Youlin, an Upper Dormitory Student.
If he truly had no other choice, he wouldn't have wanted to leave the Spiritual Vein of Chongdao Shrine and come to the Hidden Scripture Library, a rumored dangerous place.
However, ever since he obtained the Cultivation Technique, despite practicing diligently every day without cease, he had unfortunately been unable to break through.
In his anxiety, thinking that self-cultivation in isolation was not good, he decided it would be better to go to the Hidden Scripture Library to see if there were any books on how to break through a Bottleneck.
Qi Youlin approached the main door slowly, his heart filled with apprehension.
The old man at the entrance did not look up, merely mechanically sweeping the fallen pine and cypress leaves.
The heavy door was ajar, and inside, candlelight flickered, along with the sounds of people moving and turning pages.
Qi Youlin, having survived the strange disaster and ascended to an Upper Dormitory Student, knew some taboos, so he didn't walk directly inside. Instead, he proactively took out his seven profound token and politely said to the old man: “Senior, may I ask if you are the caretaker of the Hidden Scripture Library? I am an Upper Dormitory Student and wish to come here to read.”
The old man still didn’t raise his head: “Reading is good… follow me…”
The old man put down the broom in his hand. Only then did Qi Youlin notice that the broom handle was made of segments of white bone-like Materials, and the very bottom was a round, shaggy object…
Qi Youlin’s face turned pale with fright; he dared not look again.
The old man still kept his head lowered, slowly shuffling his old legs, leading Qi Youlin towards a small room to the left of the Hidden Scripture Library’s main entrance.
The room was cramped and narrow, and upon entering, one could smell blood and the sour, rancid odor of grease.
Qi Youlin was surprised to see a large table in the room, on which sat over a dozen candles of varying lengths and thicknesses. The candles were a dirty yellow color, seemingly mixed with some streaks of blood.
The old man, with his back to Qi Youlin, took out a yellowed book and some ink and brush from a drawer beneath the table. He moistened the brush in his mouth, then dipped it in ink.
He asked Qi Youlin to take out his seven profound token, rubbed its blank surface with his rough fingers, then bent over the table to register Qi Youlin’s name, age, identity, and entry time one by one in the book. His handwriting was shaky, and the ink was black with a reddish tint, seemingly mixed with some kind of red pigment.
“It’s registered… Remember, in the Hidden Scripture Library, do not speak… no borrowing… do not snatch books…”
The old man put away the book, pointed at the candles on the table, his voice hissing and rattling like an old bellows that hadn’t been used in a long time.
“You can choose one candle…”
“If you want to read… you must choose your books before the candle burns out and sit at a desk in the Hidden Scripture Library. You can only choose a maximum of three books. After reading, place the books on the desk, and someone will… take them away.”
“Just close your eyes and walk ten steps backward to leave the Hidden Scripture Library.”
“You can only receive one candle per day. Be careful to protect it so it doesn’t go out, unless you are already seated at a desk… So… please choose carefully…”
“Do you understand? If you are not good… I will come find you…”
Then, his neck creaked and cracked, and he finally lifted his head and turned to face Qi Youlin.
Qi Youlin was shocked to see that it was a sunken face where all features had disappeared, leaving only a deep, bloody hole. Although there were no eyes, he could feel a palpable gaze fixed on him.