Lu Jing entered the Scripture Depository with the Angel Token Qian Daoliu had given him. The bronze doors slowly closed behind him, shutting out the light from outside.
The hall's vaulted ceiling soared high overhead. Soul Guide Lamps cast soft halos of light, and the air carried the aged, inky scent unique to ancient books.
He walked straight to the long sandalwood desk at the entrance. Behind it sat an old man in gray robes, his eyelids drooping as though he were dozing off. Yet his aura was as deep and steady as an abyss and a mountain—clearly the pressure of a Soul Douluo.
"Senior." Lu Jing placed the token on the desk.
The old man opened his eyes. His cloudy gaze swept over the Angel Sacred Sword insignia on the token before settling on Lu Jing's youthful face. "What is it?"
"This junior wishes to find books recording rare and exotic plants. Where might they be?"
Lu Jing spoke respectfully, but his mind raced. The Immortal Herbs at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye would be crucial to breaking the deadlock in the future, but they required special methods to harvest and refine.
Though he did not know the exact location, the fact that Chrysanthemum Douluo would soon be able to recognize the origins of Tang San and the others' Immortal Herbs at a glance proved that Spirit Hall had to possess secret records on the subject! After all, Spirit Hall's Scripture Depository contained the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years. Even all the other factions combined could not compare.
The old man asked no further questions. His withered hand pressed lightly against the tabletop.
The next instant, a yellowed ancient book spirit appeared out of thin air. Its pages turned without wind, and eight Soul Rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—rose from beneath his feet.
As the pages fluttered, countless glowing characters streamed through the air like the Milky Way, seemingly searching through a vast sea of books. A moment later, the book spirit fell silent, and the Soul Rings withdrew.
"Fourth floor, east side, seventh row of shelves."
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 toward the spiraling stone stairs.
The fourth floor was even darker, its bookshelves standing like silent giants.
Lu Jing's fingertips brushed over titles such as Compendium of Materia Medica and Illustrated Records of Strange Plants before finally stopping at a dust-covered copy of Universe Treasure Mirror.
When he opened the brittle pages, simple illustrations of one mysterious, heaven-defying herb after another leaped into view!
Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum... Beneath them, tiny handwritten notes detailed their properties and harvesting taboos, even marking the secret method: "Use gold or iron to sever the roots, and jade vessels to catch the dew."
This was it! Lu Jing closed the book, his palm 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 Eye had already been occupied by Dugu Bo.
If it had not, then everyone would be happy, and there would be no need to spend much effort. But if it had, then he and Wang Dong'er would be dead beyond dead. To be safe, he had to be careful—careful, and then even more careful. No matter what, Dugu Bo was a powerful Title Douluo, an existence they could not possibly contend with yet.
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, his crimson hair blazing like flames. His academy uniform outlined his sturdy physique, but his eyes held undisguised hostility.
"Lu Jing!"
Yan strode toward him, his gaze fixed on the ancient book in Lu Jing's arms. "What good stuff are you hiding?"
Lu Jing frowned slightly.
Though he and Yan knew each other, they had never interacted much. He could tell at a glance that Yan had not come with good intentions and clearly had another purpose. Thus, he answered evenly, "Just an ordinary book."
"Ordinary?"
Yan sneered and suddenly reached for the book. "Let me inspect it!"
Bang!
Lu Jing sidestepped the grab. His right leg lashed out like a whip, Soul Power carrying a fierce gust of wind as it kicked straight at Yan's waist and abdomen!
Yan hastily raised his guard, but he was still forced back three steps. The bluestone tiles beneath his feet cracked with a crisp sound.
"You're courting death?!" Yan steadied himself, fury rising in his eyes.
Lu Jing protected the book with one hand, his black eyes as still as a cold pool. "Yan, we are not close enough for you to casually go through each other's things."
He deliberately slowed his tone, each word clear as he reminded him, "If Hu Liena were here and wanted to take a look, I might lend it to her. But you—"
Before he could finish, Yan's Soul Power erupted! Two yellow and one purple Soul Rings exploded with scorching air as he roared, "Stop using Nana to pressure me! Today, I'll show you, outsider, who deserves to stand by her side!"
Hu Liena... so that was it! Lu Jing instantly understood—Yan's provocation had all stemmed from jealous resentment over the occasional attention that blonde maiden had shown him!
Fine. This was very Yan.
Lu Jing was thoroughly speechless. He had no particular 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 made the first move. Scorching magma erupted from his fist, and the temperature of the Martial Arts Arena shot up—his First Soul Skill slammed toward Lu Jing's face without reservation!
Lu Jing did not move.
When the magma was three inches from his brow, his left foot suddenly shifted half a step back, and his right hand caught Yan's wrist with the precision of a butterfly flitting through flowers.
Crack!
The crisp sound of a dislocated wrist burst out at the same time as Yan's scream!
Lu Jing spun in close. His elbow slammed viciously into Yan's ribs, followed by a knee driven hard into his abdomen. His movements were so fast they left afterimages.
Yan's protective Soul Power shattered like an eggshell. Before the magma could even hit the ground, it broke apart in midair into sparks.
"Puh—!"
Yan flew backward, spraying bloody foam, and crashed through a stone pillar at the edge of the arena.
Like a ghost, Lu Jing flashed to where he landed and grabbed his throat with one hand, pinning him into the rubble.
"Listen."
Lu Jing looked down at that face, swollen like a pig's head, his voice cold enough to freeze. "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, whom I know better—not the goddess in the mouth of a lapdog like you."
He released his grip and let Yan slide down like mud. As he turned, his black robe swept outward like the wings of the night. "Bother me again, and next time it will not just be your bones that break. Even if the Pope comes personally, I will have justification."
"Instead of coming here to vent your anger on me, you should go back and train properly. Stick to Hu Liena like some shameless little tagalong, and perhaps you might still have the slightest chance."
Lu Jing looked at the youth before him and gave a cold laugh. "No wonder Hu Liena looks down on you—there's a reason for it. Your strength and talent are mediocre, and your brain does not work very well either. You actually came to take your anger out on me."
With that, he ignored Yan's murderous expression and walked away, heading back toward the Worship Hall.
Yan stared at Lu Jing's departing back. Overwhelmed by fury, he spat out a mouthful of blood that splattered across the floor.
Then his eyes slowly closed, and he collapsed helplessly onto the ground. Like a clown, he had thoroughly humiliated himself.
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