Anomaly Diagram

"The Anomaly Diagram was not so easy to comprehend. It was perfectly normal that the founder of Shangqing Palace had obtained it yet failed to gain insight from it. The only puzzling thing was that none of Shangqing Palace's later disciples seemed to know about it. That was very strange," said the elder brother among the men in black.

"Could it be that the founder of Shangqing Palace failed to comprehend it himself and therefore never passed it down, which was why later generations knew nothing?" asked the second brother.

"That was possible. It was also why we came to Shangqing Palace's Scripture Repository Pavilion. There are countless books here and no one guards the place, making it ideal for us brothers to search. Once we find the Anomaly Diagram, we can leave the Old Land and return to our homeland. Then, whether we keep it to study ourselves or sell it, either would work," the eldest brother said excitedly.

After their excitement faded, the two brothers remained cautious. They inspected the area around the Scripture Repository Pavilion and only carefully approached after confirming that no one was there.

Li Jiusheng had already come down from upstairs and was pretending to be asleep in the tea room.

Seeing Li Jiusheng's sleeping back, the brothers in black relaxed.

The elder brother said softly, "Such a vast Scripture Repository Pavilion, yet only one old man guards it. Security is so lax that all our caution was wasted."

The second brother said happily, "That old man's aura is feeble. His cultivation is surely within the Postnatal Triple Layer, so there is no need to care about him. We only need to search."

The brothers in black stopped paying attention to the sleeping Li Jiusheng. Entering the Scripture Repository Pavilion, they looked at the dazzling collection of books and immediately got to work.

They split up and examined the shelves one by one, flipping through every book. They paid particular attention to scrolls, opening each one. If it was not what they sought, they promptly rolled it back up and returned it to its original place.

Night hung high overhead. Only the sound of turning pages filled the Scripture Repository Pavilion. Most of the brothers' attention was fixed on finding the Anomaly Diagram, and they paid no heed at all to the old man on watch.

In the tea room, Li Jiusheng rose. There was no trace of sleepiness about him. His domain had remained open from beginning to end, and within it, the two men in black could not detect his true cultivation.

There was no other reason: domain suppression.

Their suppressed domains could not probe Li Jiusheng's depth, causing the men in black to mistake him for someone of low cultivation. They simply lowered their guard and searched the Scripture Repository Pavilion openly for that so-called Anomaly Diagram.

What exactly is this Anomaly Diagram? Li Jiusheng wondered as he sensed how earnestly the brothers searched.

He knew about anomalies. He had comprehended one himself.

Golden Lotus Seed in the Sea of Suffering!

This anomaly had arisen innately. It had been comprehended by a supreme Buddhist Sect monk after he perceived the sufferings of all living beings and saw the world as a vast sea of misery. As he pondered whether to cross it with his physical body or seek transcendence through his primordial spirit, he attained this insight. Its power was beyond words.

Even now, Li Jiusheng cultivated and contemplated it diligently every day, strengthening Golden Lotus Seed in the Sea of Suffering. Though his daily progress was slow, he believed that over time, this anomaly would surely be capable of slaying immortals and exterminating Buddhas, worthy of its innate nature.

Yet even though Li Jiusheng had comprehended an anomaly, his understanding of anomalies remained shallow. At the very least, he knew nothing of this Anomaly Diagram.

He did not disturb the brothers. He intended to use their hands to find the Anomaly Diagram and learn about it in the process.

A whole night passed like that.

At dawn, the brothers in black remained exceedingly cautious. Although the Scripture Repository Pavilion contained only one old man of low cultivation who could never discover them, they still stopped to rest in corners and atop the beams, unwilling to expose themselves.

Seeing how cautious they were, Li Jiusheng pretended to know nothing. He rose early, washed up, swept the floor, and arranged the books, completely playing the part of an elderly caretaker.

Sure enough, seeing Li Jiusheng acting like this, the brothers in black were even more at ease. How could such a decrepit old fellow possibly discover them?

The reason they did not search during the day was that they feared disciples might come to borrow books or look up cultivation techniques. Should they reveal even the slightest clue and expose their identities, their fate would likely be miserable. Especially since word had spread far and wide that Shangqing Palace now had a newly ascended founder. The two brothers were merely grandmasters and had no desire to take such a risk.

During the day, the brothers in black were truly patient. They did not show themselves or move an inch, reducing their auras to the faintest trace. If Li Jiusheng had not known they were inside, he truly might have overlooked them.

These two came from the Outer Domain and have infiltrated all the major sects of the Old Land. They must have long developed this habit. I wonder how many cultivation techniques and treasures they have gathered, Li Jiusheng mused. He was in no hurry. The brothers were not anxious, so why should he be?

Several disciples came to borrow books during the day. Li Jiusheng let them search for themselves while he quietly meditated, feeding Little Fox now and then.

Of course, he could not absorb spiritual energy. When Li Jiusheng absorbed spiritual energy, the commotion was somewhat too great. The brothers in black would certainly notice that he was no ordinary man.

Unable to absorb spiritual energy from the outside world, Li Jiusheng instead sought within himself, contemplating the power and Essence of his various cultivation techniques.

Some techniques he had cultivated to the power stage, and this time he comprehended them into the Essence stage.

Others had already reached the Essence stage, so this time he stabilized them and reinforced his foundation.

When his meditation ended, evening had arrived. Li Jiusheng took a few books outside and read beneath the crimson clouds filling the sky. The evening breeze drifted gently by; old age was simple, yet interesting.

When night fell, Li Jiusheng pretended to be tired and went to rest in the tea room.

Only then did the brothers in black emerge.

"Big Brother, that old thing meditated and cultivated for quite a while today. At his age, his body's functions have long declined, yet he still foolishly expects something from cultivation. He really refuses to give up," the second brother mocked Li Jiusheng.

"If he wants to chase his dreams, let him. Someone without talent can work hard for a lifetime and still accomplish nothing. There is no need to bother with him. Keep looking for the Anomaly Diagram," said the eldest brother, equally dismissive of Li Jiusheng's behavior.

The brothers continued their search. Unlike yesterday, they talked as they searched today.

"Big Brother, what anomaly does this Anomaly Diagram record?" the second brother asked while flipping through books.

"It is said to be Fish Leaping in the Sea of Time. This is an extraordinarily famous anomaly, supposedly the ultimate art of an ancient sage. It is terrifyingly powerful, which was why heaven and earth imprinted the iconic scene from that art and formed it into an anomaly, passed down through the ages," said the eldest brother.

"It is that powerful? Then how was it imprinted onto paper?" the second brother exclaimed.

"An Anomaly Diagram is made when peerless experts encounter a world anomaly but cannot comprehend it immediately. They use exceedingly precious Dao Rhyme to form paper and imprint it, preserving it for later contemplation. In that battle back then, many people from foreign realms went, but in the end, the founder of Shangqing Palace was superior and obtained the Anomaly Diagram. Unfortunately, he could not comprehend it himself and did not tell the sect's disciples about it either. Utterly foolish," the eldest brother revealed, deeply contemptuous of the Shangqing Palace founder's actions.

From the tea room, Li Jiusheng heard everything and suddenly understood.

His gaze seemed to pierce through several walls, falling upon the brothers searching tirelessly for the Anomaly Diagram. He sneered. "Work hard and find the Anomaly Diagram for me."