First Hints of Hidden Secrets

After class, Zhou You grabbed his books and notes and headed straight for the Library.

But he didn't know that many people in the classroom watched him leave, Hu Liena among them.

"He doesn't care at all," Hu Liena whispered to Xie Yue, who had regained his composure by then, at least on the surface.

But when he spoke, there was still a trace of resentment in his voice. "Yeah, he doesn't care. But why doesn't he care? How can he not care?"

Hu Liena didn't know how to comfort him. No one knew better than she did how much effort Xie Yue had put in behind the scenes to be a good "class president."

Nor how much he had struggled to prepare himself to give up the position.

And everything he had done was for Spirit Hall's honor. Zhou You's refusal had undoubtedly made all his struggle and effort look ridiculous.

At that moment, the anxiety and despondency filling Xie Yue's heart gave way to a surge of barely containable anger.

He didn't want to give way anymore. He would prove himself! Prove that he was stronger than that person who had no ambition and treated Spirit Hall's honor as nothing, and was more qualified to represent Spirit Hall on that world stage!

Hu Liena keenly sensed the fighting spirit rising in her brother, and her heart was filled with both joy and worry.

No matter what, getting his spirits back up ought to be a good thing... right?

First, Zhou You had shaken Xie Yue's confidence, then indirectly rekindled his fighting spirit. Both things had been caused directly or indirectly by him.

The realization left Hu Liena with a jumble of feelings. She no longer knew what attitude she should take toward him.

An enemy? A friend? Or should she treat him as a stranger?

And the fact that Charm hadn't worked on him had also left her deeply afraid, a feeling she still found hard to dispel.

Would the result be different if she used Martial Soul Possession?

Hu Liena didn't know. For once, she found herself at a loss.

Meanwhile, Zhou You entered the Library and ran into Yang Tianxiong, his conveniently acquired senior brother, just as he stepped through the door.

"Xiao You? At the Library this early?"

"Hello, senior brother."

Hearing that, Yang Tianxiong said teasingly, "Why aren't you calling me by my title now?"

"Oh, come on, senior brother. You're the person closest to me in this academy. Talking like that makes us sound like strangers." Zhou You spouted nonsense without a change of expression.

"The way you're acting shameless has quite a bit of my current style." Yang Tianxiong grinned. His rough features and burly build made him look like a bear about to eat someone when he smiled.

"Senior brother, don't smile. I'm a little scared."

Yang Tianxiong: "..."

Annoyed, he reached out to flick his junior brother on the forehead, only to find that Zhou You was unexpectedly slippery. He turned his head and dodged.

"Huh?"

Yang Tianxiong refused to believe it and moved his hand a little faster. This time, Zhou You saw it coming but couldn't dodge, so he resigned himself to his fate.

Yet when Yang Tianxiong's finger landed on his forehead, it only gave him a light tap.

"You little brat, there's something uncanny about you." Although Yang Tianxiong hadn't seen much of Zhou You lately, he had kept an eye on what the boy was doing.

After all, he didn't dare disobey Elder She's instructions.

He had known that anyone Elder She was willing to take as a student had to be exceptional, but he was still surprised by Zhou You's battle record.

Right after starting at the academy, he had taken down the two strongest Power Attack System students in his class. One of them even had a top-tier Tool Martial Soul and was a whole major realm above him. It showed just how much Zhou You's "innate full Soul Power" was worth.

Originally, Yang Tianxiong had some reservations about what Elder She had asked him to do, but Zhou You's performance made him realize that some geniuses were worth expecting more from.

It was just that...

Yang Tianxiong looked down and saw that Zhou You still wore that unruffled expression, like an ancient well without a ripple. He couldn't resist reaching out with his wicked great hand and tousling the boy's hair into a mess.

"Senior brother, you're not exactly a child anymore..." Zhou You sounded a little helpless.

"What are you talking about? I'm not even sixty yet. That's young for a Soul Master!" Yang Tianxiong rubbed his hair even more vigorously.

This feels great!

Fortunately, he knew when to stop and withdrew his hand after a moment.

"By the way, since you're here, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Zhou You asked as he smoothed down his messy hair.

"Spirit Hall has given the word. You're allowed into the Library."

"The Library?" Zhou You asked curiously. "How is that different from this library?"

Yang Tianxiong shook his head. "Of course it's different. I hear you've read quite a few books lately, so you should know that most books here are practical manuals. They only teach you how to solve problems, not how to analyze them."

Zhou You looked at Yang Tianxiong strangely, as though he were looking at an enlightened chimpanzee.

"You little brat, what's with that look?" Yang Tianxiong laughed and scolded him. Just because he was big and burly didn't mean he was really a crude fellow.

Did Zhou You think strength alone was enough to get him the position of director?

"I heard Elder... I mean, our teacher say you like studying theoretical things?"

"Yes." Zhou You suddenly felt a little anticipation.

"Then the library's second floor will probably disappoint you. The books there aren't fundamentally different from those on the first floor. Most are still practical manuals, just aimed at a higher level and covering a broader range."

Zhou You didn't rush to interrupt. He listened patiently.

"So what you're looking for isn't in this library. Even if there is some, there's very little of it, and the principles in it are shallow. But the Library is different. The contents of many of its books have been passed down from ancient times."

At this point, Yang Tianxiong's tone grew somewhat reverent. "Soul Masters weren't born knowing how to cultivate, and the division of ranks from Soul Scholar to Douluo didn't appear out of nowhere. Naturally, our predecessors had to feel their way along this path."

"The sages discovered how to use Martial Souls, then how to cultivate Soul Power. After that, they explored how to obtain Soul Rings and break through realms, how to rely on Soul Skills to contend with Soul Beasts..."

"This ancient knowledge, this distant history, was first carved by the ancients into the rock walls of many ancient ruins. Later, a god was born."

Huh?

Zhou You had been listening intently, but that sudden turn jolted him out of it.

Still, he listened on and found that Yang Tianxiong wasn't telling some outrageous religious tale.

"The founder of our Spirit Hall was once a Soul Master. In that age, when everything was still steeped in ignorance, He traveled the continent, excavating ancient ruins across the world. He compiled and organized the knowledge found within them, even filling in what was missing, and ultimately distilled it into a universal cultivation framework that has been passed down to this day."

"Thanks to that great achievement of spreading knowledge, that Soul Master was worshipped by the people of the world and gained a vast amount of faith. Ultimately, He condensed a Godhead and became the first mortal in recorded history to ascend to godhood, the Angel God!"

Zhou You was a little lost in thought. It was his first time hearing the history of the Angel God, and it sounded quite plausible.

If the Angel God really had spread the Soul Master cultivation system throughout the world, then it was only natural that He would receive faith.

After all, dangerous species such as Soul Beasts existed on the Douluo Continent. One could imagine how harsh humanity's chances of survival would be without cultivation.

Although there had been no reports of it for a very long time, in ancient times, humans themselves had also been on the Soul Beasts' menu.

"I'm telling you this because I want you to know that the knowledge you're after is all kept under tight security in the Library, which has always been under the Elder Hall's control."

"The Elder Hall? Is that the department where Teacher serves now?" Zhou You suddenly asked.

"That's right. Only experts who have cultivated to Titled Douluo are qualified to join the Elder Hall. If you can cultivate to the level of a Super Douluo, you'll be qualified to enter the Elder Hall's true inner circle, the Worship Hall!"

"It's said that the Worship Hall may possess secret knowledge of how Soul Masters become gods!"