The Academy Library
Two days later, in the early morning, Zhang Man, Lin Ming's Instructor Zhang Man, arrived at his residence and knocked on the door.
Hearing the knock, Lin Ming opened the door.
The moment the door opened, Lin Ming saw Instructor Zhang Man and was about to invite her inside when Instructor Zhang Man first, urgently saying, "Lin Ming, come with me quickly."
After finishing her speech, Instructor Zhang Man looked at Lin Ming, who remained motionless with a puzzled expression, and directly pulled Lin Ming by the arm, leading him outside. On the way, Instructor Zhang Man to Lin Ming the reason for her urgency.
It turned out that Instructor Zhang Man had just received a notification that Lin Ming and the others would be entering the academy's Library Pavilion today. So, after learning this news, Instructor Zhang Man immediately came to call Lin Ming and then took Lin Ming to Vice Dean Hu Gan's place.
Upon learning that he would be able to enter the academy's Library Pavilion today, Lin Ming was extremely excited. Therefore, he quickened his pace considerably.
After traveling for nearly an hour, Lin Ming and his Instructor Zhang Man finally arrived at Vice Dean Hu Gan's place. Then, Lin Ming was led into a room.
In the spacious and bright room, rows of bookshelves were crisscrossed, and the shelves were filled with all kinds of books.
In the center of the room, four people stood quietly, and behind the table in front of them sat an old man with white hair and beard.
The old man was holding a book and reading it carefully.
After Lin Ming entered the room, the four people standing in the room all turned to look at Lin Ming and then made room for Lin Ming.
Lin Ming went to the empty space in the middle of the four people's seats, bowed to the old man who was reading a book, but did not make a sound to disturb him.
After Lin Ming finished bowing, the old man put down his book, raised his head, and looked calmly at the five people standing there.
"The purpose of summoning you five here has already been explained to your Instructor, so I presume you all know it. I won't repeat myself."
"As the top five in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament, you have one opportunity to enter the Library Pavilion. Now, come with me!"
After Hu Gan Vice Dean finished speaking, he stood up and went to the wall behind him, patted it a few times, and then a low rumbling sound rang out.
Lin Ming and his group of five watched as Vice Dean Hu Gan casually tapped the wall a few times, revealing a dark passageway, and they were all filled with curiosity.
"Follow me," Vice Dean Hu Gan said to Lin Ming and the other four, then stepped into the dark passage and disappeared without a trace.
Seeing this, Lin Ming and the others hurriedly followed in Vice Dean Hu Gan's footsteps and entered the dark passage.
As for the suspicion that Vice Dean Hu Gan might harbor ill intentions towards us, there is absolutely no need to have such suspicions.
First of all, this is an academy. Lin Ming and his four friends were the top five in this Inner Academy Selection Tournament. If anything were to happen to them, even Hu Gan, the Vice Dean, wouldn't be able to explain it easily. Moreover, Lin Ming is among them.
It's safe to say that if anything were to happen to Lin Ming now, Elder Huo would absolutely fight to the death with anyone who harmed Lin Ming.
Secondly, given Vice Dean Hu Gan's cultivation level as Dou Emperor, if he wanted to harbor malicious intentions towards Lin Ming and his group, Lin Ming and his companions would be powerless to retaliate.
Therefore, it is completely unnecessary to suspect that there might be a trap set by Vice Dean Hu Gan if one enters the dark passage.
After Lin Ming and his group of five entered the passage, they found that it was no longer dark. At intervals along the walls of the passage, there was a large luminous pearl embedded in the wall.
A large luminous pearl was embedded along a section of the path. Although it couldn't illuminate the passage very brightly, even this dim light was enough for Lin Ming and his companions to discern the path and walk safely.
Aside from the faint sound of their footsteps, there was no other noise in the passage. Fortunately, the group consisted of several individuals, including Xie Lei, the lowest in cultivation, who was at the Dou Master Nine Star, and Lin Ming and the others, who were at the Da Dou Shi realm. Furthermore, with Vice Dean Hu Gan, who was at the Dou Emperor cultivation, leading the way, they felt no fear.
Walking through the dimly lit passage, Lin Ming and his group of five remained silent. After nearly half an hour, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the passage ahead.
This light, like a beacon in the darkness, brought a sense of relief to the faces of the group who were disoriented in the passageway.
Lin Ming quickened their pace and soon reached the end of the light, then took a step out.
The blinding sunlight shone down, and the group of people who emerged from the hazy passage closed their eyes for a moment. The scene that greeted them when they opened their eyes surprised Lin Ming and the other three.
What came into view of Lin Ming group of five was no longer a room, but a valley that resembled the wilderness.
The valley has steep cliffs, and looking up along the cliffs, at the end of the line of sight, between three cliffs, there is a very wide open space.
On the open ground stood an enormous stilted pavilion. The pavilion's exterior alone gave people a profound sense of history, like an old man who had been passed down from ancient times, with his own long history.
Above the pavilion is an ancient plaque, on which three characters, eroded by time, can still be faintly seen: Library Pavilion!
Just from this building and the plaque, Lin Ming and the others knew that this was their destination: the academy's Library Pavilion.
Vice Dean Hu Gan, leading Lin Ming and the other four, suddenly stopped when they were about six or seven zhang away from the Library Pavilion.
Lin Ming and his group of five saw that Vice Dean Hu Gan had stopped, so they also stopped walking. Then they saw Vice Dean Hu Gan facing the Library Pavilion, clasping his hands in a slightly respectful gesture and speaking.
"Elders, the top five in this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been determined. According to the academy's rules, I have brought them here. I would appreciate it if you could open the door and allow these youngsters to enter the Library Pavilion."
Hu Gan Vice Dean's words echoed continuously in the small valley, only dissipating after a long time.
Shortly after Vice Dean Hu Gan finished speaking, two figures in gray robes appeared at the main entrance of the pavilion.
The gray-robed figure sat quietly cross-legged at the entrance of the pavilion, like an old monk in meditation. If Lin Ming hadn't known that ghosts didn't exist in this world, and that one could use Space Power once their cultivation reached the Dou Zong, he would have definitely thought he was seeing a ghost. There had clearly been no one there just moments before, and now this figure had suddenly appeared.
Although two figures appeared at Vice Dean Hu Gan's respectful invitation, they remained seated cross-legged as if in deep meditation, offering no response whatsoever to Vice Dean Hu Gan's words.
Upon seeing the two figures, Vice Dean Hu Gan made no further moves despite their lack of response, maintaining the respectful posture of clasped hands.
Since Vice Dean Hu Gan didn't make a sound, Lin Ming and the others dared not utter a sound either, each trying to suppress their breathing as much as possible, afraid of making a loud noise.
The empty valley was exceptionally quiet at this moment, and this silence lasted for almost the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before it was broken by the slight trembling of the robes of the gray-robed figure who was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
Beneath the grey robe, the figure who had been in meditation opened his eyes and then scanned the person who had arrived.
When the gray-robed man's gaze swept over Lin Ming, a slight ripple finally appeared in his usually calm eyes, because he not only sensed that Lin Ming's Spiritual Strength was exceptionally strong, but also that there was something else about him.
However, since the gray-robed man was not Alchemist, reaching the level of Tier 8 Alchemist required his soul to reach the Spirit Realm Soul.
Lin Ming's soul is now something that many Alchemist stuck at the 6th Grade envy, because Lin Ming's soul has taken the most crucial step towards reaching the Spirit Realm Soul and possesses a trace of Spirituality.
Once Lin Ming becomes 6th Grade Alchemist, and then Seventh Grade Alchemist, the barriers to his soul will no longer exist. As long as his alchemy skills reach a certain level, he will be able to naturally refine Tier 7 Medicinal Pill.
"Little one, what's your name?" A gray-robed man, his eyes gleaming with a hint of light, looked at Lin Ming and asked in a hoarse voice.
The others looked at Lin Ming with slight surprise when one of the men in gray robes asked Lin Ming a question. However, they didn't show much difference; given Lin Ming's achievements at the academy, he deserved such treatment.
A 4th Grade Alchemist has just come of age would be a top-tier figure in any family.
Lin Ming was somewhat surprised by the gray-robed man's question, but Lin Ming still respectfully clasped his hands and replied, "Junior Lin Ming greets the two elders."
"Not bad, the academy has produced a promising talent this time." Another gray-robed man spoke hoarsely, looking at Vice Dean Hu Gan.
Upon hearing the praise, Vice Dean Hu Gan's expression relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Lin Ming Little Fellow is indeed quite good. He's only just come of age this year, and he's already 4th Grade Alchemist."
After Hu Gan Vice Dean finished speaking, the two elders in front of him nodded. Then, Hu Gan Vice Dean spoke again, "Then, elders, please unlock the Space Lock now! Let these little ones in."
Upon hearing about the Space Lock, Lin Ming roughly understood what it meant, but the other members of the top five looked bewildered.
Fortunately, Hu Gan Vice Dean Hu then began to explain to Lin Ming and the others what Space Lock was.
"Space Lock is Space Barrier that only Dou Zun expert, who is Tier One higher than Dou Zong, can set up. Without a corresponding method to open a barrier with Space Lock, even Dou Zong cannot break into the barrier."
"The Space Lock within the academy was left behind by a predecessor hundreds of years ago to protect the Library Pavilion. Without the two elders' opening technique, even I would not be able to enter the Library Pavilion."
After Vice Dean Hu Gan's explanation, Lin Ming and the others all showed expressions of sudden realization.