From Su Muyun's point of view,
she had never expected to get back the Spirit Ring she'd lent Ye Xiao.
Besides,
she'd been given her Spirit Ring back in front of everyone.
There was nothing wrong with that, in itself.
But in the eyes of the students around them,
it had become something else entirely.
Su Muyun didn't care what the others thought.
But
when it came to Ye Xiao returning the Spirit Ring,
she felt deeply uncomfortable!
It was a strange feeling she couldn't quite put into words.
Su Muyun spoke with irritation in her voice.
"Fine. Give me back my Spirit Ring."
"Here."
Ye Xiao held out the Black Spirit Ring.
Su Muyun immediately snapped at him.
"That's the wrong one! Mine is the White Spirit Ring!"
"Huh?"
"What's with the 'huh'?" Su Muyun's tone grew increasingly petulant. "The Black Spirit Ring is so big. How could it possibly fit on my finger?"
"Obviously, the White Spirit Ring is the one I lent you!"
Ye Xiao was utterly bewildered by Su Muyun's behavior.
"But the Black Spirit Ring is the one you—"
"Hurry up and give me back the White Spirit Ring!"
Then
Su Muyun snatched the White Spirit Ring right out of Ye Xiao's hand.
After taking it, she walked away without looking back.
Ye Xiao was left standing there alone.
In his palm was still the Black Spirit Ring Su Muyun had given him.
As for the White Spirit Ring,
it had belonged to Ye Xiao, but now it was in Su Muyun's hands.
What they were doing was apparently called...
exchanging rings?
Just as Ye Xiao was wondering about it,
the people around them started gossiping again.
"That E-Grade Martialist loser really is shameless!"
"Su Muyun must've lent him a Spirit Ring because she felt sorry for him!"
"That guy's so calculating! Su Muyun lent him her White Spirit Ring, and he wanted to keep it, just because she'd worn it. Then he gave her a Black Spirit Ring in return!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! He really thinks a toad can eat swan meat. Doesn't he know Su Muyun would never be interested in him?"
"Did he think he could make everyone think they had something going on by pulling these little tricks in public?"
"Not a chance! I'd sooner believe the world will end tomorrow than believe he could ever win Su Muyun over."
"Hahaha, exactly!"
"..."
To everyone around them, they'd just witnessed a farce about a toad trying to eat swan meat.
After watching it, the crowd dispersed and went back to their own business.
Ye Xiao stared at the Black Spirit Ring in his palm.
Does this mean Su Muyun and I have finally settled things between us?
She shouldn't get upset or worry about me anymore, right?
As Ye Xiao thought this, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Originally, there was not a thing. Where could dust alight?"
"I need to focus on cultivating and improving my strength, not waste my energy on women!"
Women only slowed down your punches!
That saying had already been an indisputable truth in the world Ye Xiao came from before he transmigrated.
Casting aside his distracting thoughts, Ye Xiao walked into the library before him.
The first thing he noticed upon entering was the smell of paper.
It wasn't the inky smell of new paper, but that of old paper, sun-dried and dampened by rain, carrying the scent of age.
It was like stepping into an ancient forest, every book a tree, every page a tree ring.
The first floor was an open reading area.
Beneath the enormous dome stood dozens of towering rows of bookshelves, stretching from floor to ceiling.
The shelves were made of dark walnut, their edges worn smooth and polished.
Bronze plaques at the top of each row listed the categories: General History of Martial Arts, General Theory of Professions, Spirit Energy Theory, Continental Geography...
Narrow aisles ran between the shelves, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
The floor was covered with a deep blue carpet, so soft that footsteps made no sound.
The seats by the windows were the most popular.
Rows of long tables stood beneath the huge arched windows, their thick oak surfaces polished by countless sleeves.
The morning sunlight slanted through the windows, casting patches of light and shadow across the tabletops.
Some people were reading, some taking notes, and some dozing off.
There was only the sound of turning pages and breathing. It was as quiet as another world.
Ye Xiao made a quick circuit of the floor, but couldn't find the books he was looking for.
So he headed up to the second floor.
The second floor of the library was divided into zones for different professions.
There was the Mage Zone, Weaponry Zone, Summoning Zone, Qi Refining Zone, Martialist Zone, and so on.
The first four zones had full bookshelves, bright lights, and new tables and chairs.
People came and went from time to time. There weren't many, but at least there were some.
The Martialist Zone was different.
It was tucked away in the farthest corner, blocked off by a wall, like a forgotten storage room.
There were very few books on the shelves, and most of them stood empty.
A thick layer of dust covered everything, as if no one had been there for ages.
The lighting was dim, and several of the lamps were broken. No one had bothered to fix them.
The first time Ye Xiao entered, he stood before the shelves and looked at the handful of books: Martialist Introduction, Illustrated Basic Fist Techniques, Twelve Methods of Physical Cultivation...
They were all basic, simplistic books, of little use.
He ran his finger along the spines, leaving a trail through the dust.
"Does nobody read these?" he murmured to himself.
Just then,
a voice suddenly spoke from behind him without warning.
"The school doesn't have any Martialists. Body tempering is hard and exhausting. What student would come here to borrow books?"
Ye Xiao turned around quickly and saw an elderly man with white hair and reading glasses, holding an old book as he read.
"May I ask who you are, sir?"
The other man didn't even look up. "A new student?"
Ye Xiao nodded. "Yes."
"I'm the librarian. The students like to call me Elder Qian."
"Elder Qian," Ye Xiao said politely.
The librarian asked, "What book are you looking for?"
Ye Xiao answered honestly, "I want to find some books about World Scars."
"World Scars?" The librarian raised his head, pushed up his reading glasses, and studied the young man before him again.
"You're too young to be looking into World Scars. Still, it's rare to find students like you who are interested in them."
"What do you want to learn about World Scars for?"
Ye Xiao replied, "I plan to enter [Rift No. 17: Crimson Abyss]."
The top floor of the library was the Ancient Texts Reading Room.
It wasn't open to ordinary students.
Only the Dean, professors, instructors, and students from the Genius Class had permission to enter.
Even then, they had to book three days in advance and get the Dean's approval.
The room held the school's most precious texts.
There were historical secrets, ancient manuscripts, and even lost cultivation techniques, as well as fragments of ancient scrolls unearthed from Rift ruins.
These books were locked inside glass cases. They could be read, but not touched.
A plaque beside each book listed its origins, age, and historical significance.
But now, the librarian had brought Ye Xiao inside.
"The books you wanted about World Scars are here."
Ye Xiao looked at the book the librarian handed him.
The title was clearly printed on its cover:
Introduction and Distribution of World Scars.
Before you continue