Speechless with Choked Sobs

The entire library was simply laid out, divided into three sections: the Soul Master section, the Soul Beast section, and the miscellaneous section. Each major section was further divided into smaller subsections.

For instance, the Soul Master section included areas for Soul Rings, Soul Bones, martial souls, and more. Though small, it had everything one could need.

Thinking about it, it was perfectly reasonable for Shrek Academy's library not to be very large. After all, before the industrial age, every book came at a considerable cost.

Under such circumstances, those capable of writing books were rare even among the rare. This library held at least ten thousand volumes; calling the collection on this single modest floor priceless would not have been an exaggeration.

Perhaps the sheer number of books was not solely Shrek's achievement, either. It might also have resulted from inheriting part of Spirit Hall's legacy.

Moreover, the Original Work only mentioned a secret library on Sea God Island in the Inner Courtyard. The Outer Courtyard having a library like this was already quite remarkable.

There were not many people in the library at the moment, only a scattering of Sixth Grade seniors in Black Uniforms quietly reading. That was understandable; they had only one month left before their graduation assessment.

Whether they could obtain a Shrek Academy diploma basically came down to this final stretch. If they ended up with merely a completion certificate because their theoretical knowledge was lacking, that would truly be unjust.

For that very reason, even without Bei Bei and Xiao Ya's help, Chen Ping quickly fixed his attention on someone.

The man was seated at a table in the Plant-type Soul Beast section of the Soul Beast area, engrossed in an Ancient Book. Every now and then, he took out paper and a pen to jot down a few notes.

At a glance, he appeared to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, perhaps even just over thirty.

Not only was he not wearing a school uniform, but he also wore a pair of pale purple square-framed glasses. His entire demeanor exuded tranquility and gentleness.

Just looking at him, Chen Ping could vaguely sense the man's relaxed enjoyment of reading, as though he were the only person left in the entire library.

At that moment, Bei Bei and Tang Ya, who had split up from Chen Ping to search for someone, came over as well. Following Chen Ping's gaze, they immediately brightened.

Wasn't that Teacher Wang Yan, whom they had failed to find after making a round of the library?

Bei Bei even laughed to himself.

He knew it. How could Teacher Wang Yan's relationship with Chen Ping possibly be so distant that they were no longer related within five generations?

If they really were that distant, how had Chen Ping recognized Teacher Wang Yan at a glance?

Bei Bei stepped forward, raised a hand with a grin, and greeted Wang Yan.

Wang Yan had just read records stating that Wenlan Tree heartwood could be used in medicine and that its trunk was as hard as iron. He was about to write something down when the light before him suddenly dimmed.

It was as though something had blocked his view. Wang Yan looked up and saw the grinning Bei Bei.

"What is it, Bei Bei?"

Wang Yan's tone was gentle, without the slightest displeasure at being interrupted while reading. He lowered his voice as he asked, then pulled out a chair for Bei Bei.

"Teacher Wang Yan, guess who I brought to see you?"

As Bei Bei spoke, he stepped half a pace aside, revealing Tang Ya and Chen Ping behind him.

Teacher Wang Yan was stunned for a moment, still unable to understand what Bei Bei meant.

Even so, he used Soul Power to pull out two more chairs.

"Mm, Xiao Ya is here too. And this little friend as well. What did you come to see me about?"

This time, Bei Bei truly froze. Did Teacher Wang Yan genuinely not know Chen Ping?

Fortunately, Chen Ping stepped forward first and said softly, "Teacher Wang, let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Ping. I suppose I can be considered a member of the Coiling Dragon Sect."

Chen Ping's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky. Wang Yan abruptly rose to his feet, his face filled with shock. "Y-you... You are..."

For a moment, quite a few students who had been diligently studying cast puzzled looks in their direction.

As though realizing that his reaction had been too rash and the commotion he had caused was far too great—

Wang Yan hurriedly lowered his voice. "Let's talk somewhere else. Follow me."

The group left the library and headed straight for the shore of Sea God Lake, where they finally sat down.

Wang Yan turned his gaze toward Chen Ping, his eyes full of questioning.

Chen Ping spoke somewhat awkwardly. "Teacher Wang, I came here and asked Big Brother Bei Bei and Sister Tang Ya to help me find you because I truly had nowhere else to turn."

"Ever since the Sect was destroyed by Evil Soul Masters, I have been wandering the continent. I have traveled through Tian Hun, Dou Ling, Star Luo, and several other countries, but I have never managed to settle down anywhere."

"Without strength, even earning a meal wherever I went was not easy."

"Fortunately, I never forgot the instructions of the elders in my family over these past years, and I did not neglect my cultivation. I have now broken through to the fourteenth rank of Soul Power."

"Then, by chance, I heard that Teacher Wang, your martial soul is the same as the Coiling Dragon Sect's inherited martial soul—the Coiling Dragon Staff. That was why I shamelessly came here to seek your protection."

As soon as those words were spoken, not only was Wang Yan shocked, but even Bei Bei and Tang Ya were stunned.

Was this truly a plan that an eleven-year-old child could devise?

He had struggled to make a living while never neglecting his cultivation, all while continuously seeking information about the Sect.

The moment he heard that Wang Yan's martial soul was the same as the Coiling Dragon Sect's inherited martial soul, he had immediately made up his mind and rushed to Shrek Academy. That level of initiative was simply astonishing.

Bei Bei and Tang Ya were only awed by Chen Ping's boldness and decisiveness. He had truly dared to ask around all the way here based solely on a name he had heard of.

Having never ventured out into the world themselves, they admired him from the bottom of their hearts.

But for Wang Yan, it was more than mere shock. There was also sorrow.

"You child, you child..."

"After I heard about the tragedy of the Coiling Dragon Sect, I actually... Sigh, by the time I learned of it, it was already very late."

Wang Yan could barely get his words out.

Looking at Chen Ping's travel-worn face, at the vicious scar newly added to it.

Then at the thick calluses on his hands and the chilblains cracked open by the winter cold, Wang Yan was struck speechless.

Chen Ping's guess had actually been right. Wang Yan's family and the Coiling Dragon Sect were indeed far removed from each other.

Perhaps if one traced their lineage back a dozen or so generations, there might have been some connection. But in reality, the two families had not interacted for many years.

The only thing the two families had in common was that their inherited Martial Souls were both the Coiling Dragon Staff. Other than that, they could hardly be called related.

But that did not mean Wang Yan would refuse to acknowledge Chen Ping because of it.

"Come on. Forget everything else for now—I'll take you to eat. And Bei Bei, Xiao Ya, if it weren't for you two, I wouldn't have found Young Chen. You're coming too."

Wang Yan subconsciously touched the Storage Ring on his hand, then used his Spiritual Power to check how many Gold Soul Coins he had left after buying books. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Not bad. He still had enough money to eat at a restaurant. The academy should pay out tomorrow, so the timing was perfect.