"Thanks for the effort, Master!" Bai Xiaowen beamed.
"I'm glad I didn't let you down."
Ge Xuan remained composed. Seeing Bai Xiaowen's delight, he sighed inwardly. This second son of the Yuan family still valued spells above all else.
By placing spells above the Dao, he was neglecting the fundamentals for their lesser branches. He might well follow in Zhang Jiao's footsteps.
But Ge Xuan had already offered his advice and done his duty as a friend. He said no more.
Bai Xiaowen took the silk manuscript Ge Xuan handed him. "Would you like to study it with me, Master?"
Ge Xuan waved a hand. "I do not contend with others, so spells hold no meaning for me. Besides, I studied the annotations while completing them. I have no need to read them again. These upper and middle volumes of the Heavenly Books should return to their owner as well."
Bai Xiaowen was surprised. "You don't want to keep reading them?"
"I've read through them once," Ge Xuan said. "Now I need to enter seclusion and digest what I've learned. Once I emerge and have made progress, I can borrow the Heavenly Books from you again."
Bai Xiaowen nodded. "You're a man of your word, Master."
Ge Xuan smiled, bowed with clasped hands, and took his leave.
After Ge Xuan left, Bai Xiaowen went to the study with Cecilia and Han Xu to examine the progress of his Awakening Skill.
The Spirit Realm Rules had already sent a notification:
"You have obtained Complete Talisman Annotations." "Awakening Skill quest step III complete. Current completion rating: Excellent. Submit?"
Bai Xiaowen submitted it without hesitation.
Ge Xuan had completed the annotations after reading all three volumes of the Heavenly Books. Bai Xiaowen would be hard-pressed to find a more