No Wonder Hu Liena Has No Interest in You

Lu Jing entered the Scripture Depository holding the Angel Token Qian Daoliu had given him. The bronze doors slowly closed behind him, cutting off the light from outside.

The hall's dome soared high overhead, Soul Guidance lamps casting soft halos of light. The air was filled with the aged scent of ink unique to ancient books.

He walked straight to the long sandalwood table by the entrance. An old man in gray robes sat behind it, his eyelids drooping as though he were dozing, yet his aura was as deep and immovable as an abyssal mountain—it was clearly the pressure of a Soul Douluo.

"Senior." Lu Jing placed the token on the table.

The old man opened his eyes. His clouded gaze swept over the Angel Sacred Sword emblem on the token before settling on Lu Jing's youthful face. "What is it?"

"This junior wishes to find records concerning rare and exotic herbs. May I ask where they are kept?"

Lu Jing's tone was respectful, but his mind was racing. The immortal herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be crucial to breaking the deadlock in the future, yet they required special methods to harvest and refine.

Although he did not know the exact location, Chrysanthemum Douluo would soon be able to identify the origins of Tang San and the others' immortal herbs at a glance. That proved Spirit Hall had secret records on the subject! After all, Spirit Hall's Scripture Depository contained the accumulated knowledge of more than ten thousand years. Even all the other powers combined could not compare to it.

The old man asked no further questions and pressed his withered palm lightly against the table.

The next instant, a yellowed ancient book martial soul appeared out of thin air. Its pages turned without wind as two yellow, two purple, and four black soul rings—eight in total—rose from beneath his feet.

As the pages fluttered, countless glowing characters streamed through the air like a galaxy, seemingly searching through a vast sea of books. A moment later, the book martial soul fell silent, and the soul rings withdrew.

"Fourth floor, seventh bookshelf on the eastern side."

The old man answered in a hoarse voice, "As for the exact volume, find it yourself."

"Thank you, Senior." Lu Jing put away the token and turned to ascend the winding stone stairs.

The fourth floor was dimmer, its bookshelves standing like silent giants.

Lu Jing's fingertips brushed over titles such as Compendium of Materia Medica and Illustrated Catalog of Strange Plants before finally stopping at a dust-covered copy of Treasure Mirror of Heaven and Earth.

When he opened its brittle pages, simple illustrations of one mysterious, heaven-defying herb after another leapt into view!

Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum... Beneath them, tiny script detailed their properties and harvesting taboos, even noting the secret method: "Sever the roots with gold or iron; collect the dew with jade."

This was it! Lu Jing closed the book, his palm growing faintly warm.

After obtaining what he wanted, he returned to the first floor. Only after registering the book with the old man did he head toward the Worship Hall.

Now, everything was ready. All that remained was to borrow some people from Qian Renxue. After all, no one knew whether the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well had already been occupied by Dugu Bo.

If it had not, then everyone would be happy, and there would be no need to expend much effort. But if it had, then he and Wang Dong'er would be dead beyond doubt. To be safe, he had to be cautious—cautious beyond cautious. No matter what, Dugu Bo was a powerful Titled Douluo, someone they currently had no hope of opposing.

The daylight outside the Scripture Depository was blinding.

The moment Lu Jing stepped out of the hall, a fiery-red figure blocked the foot of the stone stairs—Yan stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his crimson hair blazing like flames. His academy uniform outlined his muscular frame, while his gaze held undisguised hostility.

"Lu Jing!"

Yan strode forward, his eyes fixed on the ancient book in Lu Jing's arms. "What good thing are you hiding?"

Lu Jing frowned slightly.

Though he knew Yan, they had never interacted much. He could tell at a glance that Yan had come with ill intent and clearly had another purpose, so he answered calmly, "Just an ordinary book."

"Ordinary?"

Yan sneered and suddenly reached for the book. "Let me inspect it!"

Bang!

Lu Jing shifted aside to evade him, then whipped out his right leg like a lash. Soul Power carried a fierce gust of wind as he kicked straight at Yan's waist and abdomen!

Yan hastily raised his arms to block, but was still forced back three steps. The bluestone tiles beneath his feet cracked with a sharp crunch.

"You're courting death?!" Yan steadied himself, fury surging in his eyes.

Lu Jing protected the book with one hand, his dark eyes as calm as a cold pool. "Yan, we are not close enough for you to casually look through my belongings."

He deliberately slowed his speech, enunciating every word. "If Hu Liena were here and wished to take a look, I might lend it to her. As for you—"

Before he could finish, Soul Power erupted explosively around Yan! Two yellow and one purple soul rings burst forth with scorching waves of heat as he roared, "Don't use Nana to pressure me! Today, I'll let you, an outsider, know who deserves to stand by her side!"

Hu Liena... So that was it! Lu Jing understood at once—Yan's provocation came entirely from jealous rage sparked by the golden-haired girl's occasional display of concern!

Of course. This was so Yan.

Lu Jing was utterly speechless. He had no great interest in Hu Liena, but Yan's behavior did not surprise him much. This was simply the sort of person Yan was.

Under Lu Jing's gaze, Yan attacked first. Scorching magma erupted from his fist, and the temperature of the training ground soared—the First Soul Skill struck toward Lu Jing's face without the slightest restraint!

Lu Jing did not move.

When the magma was three inches from his brow, his left foot suddenly withdrew half a step, while his right hand caught Yan's wrist with the precision of a hand brushing through flowers and willow branches.

Crack!

The crisp sound of a dislocated wrist bone burst out alongside Yan's scream!

Lu Jing spun in close, driving his elbow viciously beneath Yan's ribs before smashing his knee into his abdomen. His movements were so fast they left afterimages.

Yan's protective Soul Power shattered like an eggshell, and the magma dispersed into sparks in midair before it could even hit the ground.

"Pfft—!"

Yan flew backward while spraying blood, crashing through a stone pillar at the edge of the grounds.

Lu Jing appeared at his landing spot like a ghost, grabbing him by the throat with one hand and slamming him into the rubble.

"Listen."

Lu Jing looked down at that swollen, pig-headed face, his voice laced with icy chill. "Hu Liena is your business. It has nothing to do with me, and I have no great interest in her either. Even if I were to marry, I would marry Wang Dong'er, who is far more familiar to me—not the goddess in this bootlicker's mouth."

He released his grip and let Yan slide down like a lump of mud. As he turned, his black robe swept outward like the wings of night. "Bother me again, and next time it will not just be your bones that break. Even if the Pope comes in person, I will have every reason."

"Instead of coming here to vent your anger on me, go back and cultivate properly. Stick to Hu Liena like a shameless little lapdog, and perhaps you might still have a sliver of a chance."

Lu Jing looked at the youth before him and sneered mockingly. "No wonder Hu Liena has no interest in you. There's a reason for it. Not only are your strength and talent mediocre, but your brain barely works either. You actually came to take your anger out on me."

After saying that, he ignored Yan's murderous expression and left without a second thought, heading back toward the Worship Hall.

Yan watched Lu Jing's departing back. Rage overwhelmed his heart, and he spat out a mouthful of blood that splattered across the floor.

Then his eyes slowly closed, and he collapsed weakly to the ground, looking like nothing more than a clown who had disgraced himself completely.