Before anyone realized it, more and more disciples had gathered on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion.
No one knew who had spread the news that the "Dust-laden Divine Skill" had appeared, and that the Saintess had personally come to the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion to search for it...
In less than half a day, the entire first floor of the Scripture Pavilion was practically bursting at the seams!
"Hey, who stepped on my foot?!"
"Quit pushing! What are you pushing for?!"
"Who the hell farted?!"
"Make way, the Eldest Senior Sister is here..."
The jostling crowd made the scene even livelier and noisier than a vegetable market.
Yet within a radius of about ten feet around Lin Fan, no disciple dared to approach casually. Wherever he went, the surrounding disciples would retreat one after another.
Watching all these disciples scurry about, practically turning every book inside out, with quite a few even beginning to inspect the gaps between the bookshelves, Lin Fan nearly rolled his eyes.
"..."
Just then, a woman in a snow-white dress approached. She looked to be in her twenties and was beautiful enough to make flowers hide and the moon retreat.
Unlike the other disciples, who did not dare approach the "Saintess" casually, she came straight to Lin Fan's side, almost standing shoulder to shoulder with him, and began browsing the manuals on the same bookshelf.
"So that's the Eldest Senior Sister?"
Lin Fan cast her a slight sidelong glance.
Anyone who could become the Eldest Senior Sister of a Holy Land was naturally extraordinary.
Whether it was her looks, figure, or bearing, she was quite impressive.
But...
Lin Fan thought it over. Compared with "his current self," she was still lacking by quite a bit, so he paid her no further attention.
Yet at that very moment, a sudden cry of surprise rang out from the crowd.
"Divine skill!!!"
A female disciple cried out, "Cloud Mist Swordplay!"
Lin Fan looked over.
A female disciple in red was holding a manual, her face alight with excitement.
At the same time, plenty of discussion reached his ears.
"There really is a Dust-laden Divine Skill?!"
"Cloud Mist Swordplay is one of the top hundred sword arts in the Eastern Wasteland. By rights, it should be kept around the fifth floor. How did it end up on the first floor?!"
"That junior sister is only an Outer Sect Disciple, yet she actually obtained such a sword art..."
"We're Inner Sect Disciples, and we need enough contribution points even to reach the fourth floor. Yet even the arts on the fourth floor can't compare to Cloud Mist Swordplay!"
Accompanied by wave after wave of exclamations,
the disciples became even more frenzied, flipping through all kinds of books like mad...
Outside the Scripture Pavilion, even more disciples had arrived too late to squeeze inside. They could only pace anxiously outside the doors.
At that moment, Lin Fan felt like cursing.
Damn it all!!!
"There really is a divine skill?!"
"But the problem is... where is my Martial Art? Don't tell me there really isn't one?"
He had already been searching for nearly half a day!
He had found quite a few historical books and gained a rough understanding of the world's layout.
The world was vast. No one knew how many tens of thousands of miles it spanned. This enormous world was roughly divided into five regions.
The eastern, southern, western, and northern "Four Desolations," with the Purple Mansion Holy Land located in the Eastern Wasteland.
Besides those, there was also the "Central Province."
The Central Province was the most expansive and developed region. Not only that, it was also the strongest.
Of the eight great cultivation Holy Lands, the Central Province alone held four!
As for the other Four Desolations, each had only one Holy Land situated within it.
The Purple Mansion Holy Land had been founded by the Purple Mansion True Person. By now, it had existed for several hundred thousand years...
There were also some detailed records concerning the Purple Mansion Holy Land.
For instance, the successive Holy Masters of the Purple Mansion Holy Land...
These pieces of information could not be said to be useless to Lin Fan, but the Martial Art he wanted had still failed to show itself.
There were instead countless low-level spells, Foundation Establishment techniques, and the like.
The problem was, he couldn't use any of those techniques even if they were given to him!
"My time is running short..."
Lin Fan's mood gradually grew heavy.
"I'll search for one more hour at most. If I still can't find anything, I'll have to leave as soon as possible..."
It wasn't because he was about to transmigrate again.
Rather, more and more people were gathering here. It was hard to say whether he might attract the attention of some powerful figure in the sect. If he were still here when that happened, there was a chance he would be exposed, so he could not stay too long.
He steadied his mind and continued searching through the Scripture Pavilion.
After other disciples found more "Dust-laden Divine Skills," they naturally grew even more excited and searched with greater dedication than before...
At the same time, an Old Taoist walked out of his Secluded Cultivation Place...
"In the blink of an eye, I've been in secluded cultivation for more than a hundred years. Sure enough, the scenery outside is far more captivating."
"But... why is the Holy Land so deserted now?"
According to his memories, every part of the Holy Land should have been bustling with people. For instance, the skies should have been filled with disciples either riding swords or piloting Flying Boats back and forth, all bustling about.
Yet now, there were only two or three stragglers, and every one of them was racing toward the same direction...
His brows rose. "Could it be... that in the hundred years I was in secluded cultivation, something happened to the Holy Land, and it has fallen into decline?!"
In an instant, he imagined an entire grand drama.
For example, the Purple Mansion Holy Land had been besieged by multiple Holy Lands or demonic sects working together. The disciples had fought in rivers of blood but still suffered grievous losses, leaving fewer than one in a hundred alive and explaining the present desolation...
In his anxiety,
the Old Taoist casually reached out. His hand transformed into a heaven-covering giant palm, directly seizing a little cultivator who was hurrying along anxiously.
The little cultivator was utterly bewildered. He had never imagined that, as a Holy Land Disciple, he would actually be attacked by such a powerful expert within the Holy Land itself?!
"Boy, answer this old man. Which peak are you a disciple of? Has the Holy Land suffered a calamity? Why is it so deserted now, and where are all of you rushing off to in such a hurry?!"
Though bewildered, the little cultivator was not foolish. He knew that this was definitely someone he could not afford to offend, and quickly said, "Senior, I'm a disciple of Bitter Bamboo Peak."
"May I ask why Senior says the Holy Land has suffered a calamity?"
"As for why it's so deserted... it's probably because all the senior brothers, senior sisters, and junior disciples have gone to the Scripture Pavilion to search for the Dust-laden Divine Skill, right?"
"I'm hurrying there because I'm anxious to get there too."
The Old Taoist froze, then broke into a delighted smile.
"So that's how it is! Excellent, excellent. Off you go!"
He casually tossed the little cultivator aside. The little cultivator instantly felt an uncontrollable force strike him, and in the next moment, he appeared outside the Scripture Pavilion with a blank look on his face.
The little cultivator: "..."
The Old Taoist, meanwhile, laughed heartily and rubbed his hands together repeatedly. "I knew someone would discover it. Heh heh heh... I just wonder whose luck will be good enough."
Just then, a voice transmission arrived.
"Fifth, stop fooling around and come to Purple Mansion Palace at once."
"Coming."
The Old Taoist, addressed as Fifth, laughed heartily. Without making any apparent movement, auspicious clouds formed beneath his feet and carried him toward the floating Purple Mansion Palace...
On the other side, at the Holy Son's Secluded Cultivation Place, a Protector Disciple hurried over.
"Something terrible has happened!"
"What is it?"
The two Protector Disciples currently responsible for guarding the place looked over in confusion.
"Qi Zixiao somehow received word that a divine skill lies Dust-laden on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, and she's searching for it inside right now!"
"An Outer Sect Disciple even found Cloud Mist Swordplay. We must inform the Holy Son immediately!"
"Such a thing actually happened?!"
The two were astonished.
Creak...
Just then, the door opened.
Before you continue