Entering the Library Pavilion

Entering the Library Pavilion

The spacious, brightly lit room was lined with crisscrossing bookshelves, each filled with all manner of ancient books, lending the place an especially scholarly air.

Five figures stood before a broad desk—the top five in this Inner Academy Selection Tournament: Xiao Ling, Lin Xiuyai, Liu Qing, Han Yue, and Lin Yan.

"Not bad. You are all the most gifted students in our Outer Academy, but remember that the Inner Academy is unlike the Outer Academy. Those who can enter the Inner Academy are all geniuses like yourselves. Moreover, strength reigns supreme in the Inner Academy. Whoever has the harder fist gets the best cultivation conditions. Therefore, students entering the Inner Academy generally form groups. If they do not, their fates are rarely pleasant!" Hu Gan said solemnly as he looked at the five before him.

"Don't worry, Vice Dean Hu Gan. The few of us have already decided to establish a faction in the Inner Academy. We definitely won't let ourselves be bullied," Lin Xiuyai said at the right moment.

Hearing this, Hu Gan nodded and said kindly, "You are all rare talents of Jia Nan Academy. Once you reach the Inner Academy, you will certainly be able to take care of yourselves. Before long, your faction will surely become the number one force in the Inner Academy."

No longer continuing the topic, Hu Gan rose to his feet and said, "Come with me. I'll take you into the Library Pavilion to choose your treasures."

Hu Gan then walked over to a black wall. With a wave of his hand, he released an invisible ripple, and the wall opened to reveal a pitch-black passageway.

Hu Gan stepped inside first, with Xiao Ling and the others following behind.

After entering the passageway, they found large luminous pearls embedded in the walls. Though the faint glow was somewhat hazy, it was more than enough for them.

After walking through the passageway for about half an hour, a point of light finally appeared at its end. At the sight of it, the people in the passage quickened their pace. Moments later, they reached the end and stepped out.

Blinding sunlight poured down from the sky, making them narrow their eyes involuntarily. After a while, they slowly opened them, and their faces filled with astonishment at the sight before them.

Before them was clearly a hollowed valley. Steep mountain walls stretched upward until they vanished beyond sight. Between the three cliffs lay a vast open space, upon which stood a massive, heavy, ancient pavilion so immense that it was almost staggering.

Their gazes slowly swept across the enormous ancient pavilion before finally settling on an extremely old plaque outside it. Upon it, three characters, blurred by the erosion of time, faintly emerged.

"Library Pavilion!"

Though the ancient inscription had weathered the ravages of time, Xiao Ling and the others were still shaken by the archaic aura contained within the characters. As expected of the mysterious Library Pavilion of Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy—this plaque alone proclaimed its status.

Hu Gan led them slowly toward the Library Pavilion. When they were about twenty meters away, he suddenly stopped, cupped his fists toward the pavilion, and said, "The top five of this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been decided. According to the rules, I have brought them here. I ask the two Elders to open the door!"

Carried by Dou Qi, Hu Gan's voice echoed continuously through the small valley and lingered for a long time.

Not long after Hu Gan finished speaking, Xiao Ling narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two Gray-robed Men who had suddenly appeared seated cross-legged before the entrance.

The two Gray-robed Men seemed as though they had been sitting there from the very beginning. This eerie sight made Xiao Ling suck in a breath of cold air. Dou Zong experts—terrifying indeed.

These should be Elder Qian Bai, the two peak Dou Zong experts from the original story. They would only appear when Jia Nan Academy faced a life-or-death crisis. If either of them had stepped in even slightly to intimidate those ambitious schemers of the Black Corner Region, the original story would not have left behind so many messes.

After the two appeared, they did not say a word. They did not even acknowledge Hu Gan, their imposing bearing and the demeanor of lofty masters fully displayed.

There was no displeasure on Hu Gan's face, and the people behind him could only wait obediently.

After the silent atmosphere persisted in the valley for nearly ten minutes, the robes of the two Gray-robed figures seated at the pavilion entrance finally trembled slightly. Then, beneath their gray robes, two pairs of eyes as calm and unfathomable as those of ancient monks lifted and swept lightly over Xiao Ling and the others in turn. Their voices carried a hint of approval. "Are these the top five of this year's Selection Tournament? Their quality is considerably higher than in previous years. Not bad."

Hearing them speak, Hu Gan relaxed slightly and smiled. "It is all thanks to these children's own efforts. I ask the two Elders to undo the spatial lock."

The two gray-robed elders nodded slightly and waved their hands, sending ripples through space.

Xiao Ling and the others then looked toward the space half a meter in front of Hu Gan. On close inspection, they could make out faint, shallow wrinkles. These wrinkles were hidden within space and extremely difficult to detect. Following the barely visible creases with their eyes, they were astonished to discover that the wrinkles in space formed almost a wall, shielding the entire Library Pavilion behind it!

"This is a spatial lock, an exceptionally powerful barrier that only a Dou Zun expert can create. This spatial lock was left behind by one of the academy's predecessors several hundred years ago. Without the two Elders inside using a special method to open it, even a Dou Zong expert could not force their way in. Your four families all have Dou Zong experts, so your knowledge is relatively broad. You should have heard of such things to some extent. Xiao Ling, this should be your first time seeing one. Once you reach that realm in the future, you will understand it deeply," Hu Gan explained.

At the pavilion, the two Gray-robed Men slowly extended two withered hands from their sleeves. Then, finger by finger, seal by seal, they slowly formed hand signs. As their hand signs changed, Xiao Ling and the others could clearly sense two immensely powerful invisible ripples spreading from their palms like waves.

The invisible ripples gradually spread until they finally came into contact with the wrinkles in space. The moment the two met, the space before Xiao Ling and the others became like a mirror made of water, rippling outward in circles. A moment later, the ripples ceased, and a door-shaped opening was slowly torn apart by an invisible giant hand.

"Let's go." Seeing the spatial doorway, Hu Gan waved his hand and took the lead in entering. Xiao Ling and the others followed closely behind, stepping through the doorway.

Once inside, their view suddenly opened up, and the pavilion before them became increasingly clear. Clearly, they had truly entered the space sealed by the spatial lock.