Black Accounts Unearthed in the Library Pavilion! Di Yao Set His Sights on Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang!

Early the next morning, Di Yao arrived at the Library Pavilion of the Pope Palace.

The moment the doors opened, the scent of old paper mixed with Soul Power seals rushed toward him.

Tall bookshelves stood row after row, with no end in sight.

This was no ordinary library.

Every dossier, every handwritten note, every rubbing of a soul beast bone fragment represented resources accumulated by Spirit Hall over many years.

Di Yao stood at the entrance, and the Dark Gold Firelight in his eyes flickered faintly.

This place was worth far more than Gold Soul Coins.

Yue Guan leaned lazily against the doorway and smiled. "Kid, the permissions His Holiness gave you aren't low."

"You can read the outer theory section, the middle soul beast section, and some dossiers on exceeding soul ring limits."

"But don't even think about the forbidden volumes in the innermost section for now."

Di Yao nodded.

"Enough."

Yue Guan raised a brow.

"You're not greedy?"

Di Yao had already stepped inside.

"Just remember what I can't get now."

"I'll get it later."

Yue Guan froze for a moment, then laughed.

"You really don't hide a thing."

Di Yao ignored him.

He headed straight for the soul beast bloodline section.

Hu Liena followed behind him with her arms crossed, displeasure written all over her face.

She had not wanted to come today.

But Bibi Dong had told her to accompany Di Yao and familiarize him with the Library Pavilion.

It was called accompaniment, but it felt more like observation.

Seeing Di Yao head straight for his goal the moment he entered, Hu Liena could not help asking, "Aren't you going to look through the general outline of Martial Soul theory first?"

Di Yao replied while flipping through dossiers.

"General outlines are too empty."

"Most things that can be written into one have already been read to death."

Hu Liena frowned.

"Then what are you reading?"

"Cases."

Di Yao pulled out a record on exceeding soul ring limits.

"Theories are summarized by others."

"Only cases contain failure, loopholes, costs, and things that are genuinely useful."

Hu Liena said nothing for a while.

She found Di Yao extremely irritating.

Yet what he said often made perfect sense.

Di Yao read at a rapid pace.

Cases of failed absorption beyond one's limits.

Records of conflicts between Twin Martial Souls.

Materials on bloodline suppression among top-tier Beast Spirits.

Fragments concerning ancient fire-attribute Martial Souls.

Whenever he reached a key point, he stopped and wrote it down on blank paper beside him.

He was not copying it verbatim.

He was categorizing it.

Risks.

Benefits.

Compatibility.

Reproducibility.

The more Hu Liena watched, the more shocked she became.

She had originally thought Di Yao had come to the Library Pavilion in search of legends about powerful soul skills or records of ancient god-level Martial Souls.

But what he truly read was all material that could be applied to himself.

This guy never wasted time.

The morning passed.

Di Yao finished thirty-seven dossiers.

He did not rest at noon.

He had someone bring simple food and kept reading as he ate.

Hu Liena finally could not hold back.

"Aren't you tired?"

Di Yao did not look up.

"I am."

"Then why don't you stop?"

"Will stopping make me less tired?"

Hu Liena choked on her words.

Di Yao continued, "Since I'll be tired whether I stop or not, I might as well read more."

Hu Liena drew a deep breath.

She felt that if she kept talking to him, he would eventually anger her to death.

By evening, Di Yao finally emerged from the soul beast section.

Hu Liena thought he was going back to cultivate.

Instead, he turned and headed for the resource account ledger section.

Hu Liena froze.

"What are you reading account ledgers for?"

Di Yao said, "The most valuable thing in Spirit Hall isn't books."

"It's the system capable of mobilizing books, soul masters, soul beasts, potions, and Gold Soul Coins."

"Account ledgers are the veins of that system."

Hu Liena frowned.

"You've only just become a direct disciple, and you're already looking at accounts?"

"The sooner I look, the sooner I'll know where the resources are."

Di Yao pulled out the resource transfer records of Fasinuo Province from the past five years.

"My first stage of growth requires investment from Spirit Hall."

"But I also need to know where Spirit Hall is bleeding."

Hu Liena's heart stirred at his words.

Bleeding.

It was a blunt way to put it.

And very Di Yao.

He was not simply trying to audit Spirit Hall.

He saw Spirit Hall as his own pool of resources.

If that pool was leaking, then his resources were leaking too.

As Di Yao flipped through the pages, his finger suddenly stopped.

"Fasinuo Province."

Hu Liena moved closer.

"What is it?"

Di Yao pointed to a line in the record.

"Awakening crystal fragments, low-grade Soul Power potions, copied Soul Beast Catalogs, Mimicry Cultivation Materials."

"Loaned out in the name of theoretical research."

"The transfer location is Nuoding City."

Hu Liena glanced at it.

"It's a small border city. Isn't it normal to loan out some low-grade resources?"

Di Yao did not answer.

He flipped to the next pages.

The second year.

The third year.

The fourth year.

Similar records kept appearing.

The stated reasons kept changing.

Theoretical exchanges.

Support for commoner soul masters.

Academy sample research.

Organization of low-grade Martial Soul materials.

Yet the final destination always led back to Nuoding City.

Even stranger, almost no results were ever returned.

Di Yao's gaze turned cold.

"It wasn't a one-time thing."

"It was a stable hidden channel."

Hu Liena's expression turned serious as well.

"Someone has been taking Spirit Hall's resources for years?"

Di Yao nodded.

"Individually, none of the transactions are large."

"But add them together, and things become interesting."

He kept flipping through the records.

At last, one name appeared again and again.

Yu Xiaogang.

Di Yao stared at the signature.

The handwriting was steady.

It was clear that its owner was arrogant and accustomed to this sort of special approval process.

Hu Liena saw it too.

"Yu Xiaogang?"

She frowned.

"I feel like I've heard that name before."

Di Yao said, "Investigate."

Hu Liena summoned the Library Pavilion Deacon.

Before long, a brief record was delivered to Di Yao.

Yu Xiaogang.

Born into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

His Martial Soul mutation had failed, leaving him trapped at a low level for life.

He had prior ties with Spirit Hall.

He possessed special approval authority for certain theoretical materials.

He had proposed the Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.

Di Yao finished reading and gave a short laugh.

Hu Liena looked at him.

"What are you laughing at?"

Di Yao set down the record.

"A man who has taken Spirit Hall's resources for years without consistently returning results."

"And who still bears the title of theoretical Grandmaster."

"That isn't research."

"It's parasitism."

Hu Liena hesitated.

"He once had something with Teacher..."

She did not finish her sentence.

Di Yao looked up at her.

"What does this have to do with Teacher?"

Hu Liena paused.

Di Yao's tone was level.

"Resource account ledgers don't care about personal feelings."

"Who took what, how much they took, where it went, and what it produced."

"If they can't explain it, then there's a problem."

Hu Liena suddenly did not know how to refute him.

Because Di Yao was not looking at Yu Xiaogang from the angle of gossip or old ties.

He only looked at where the resources went.

And at their value.

Di Yao pulled out several account ledgers and set them aside.

"Individually, these things aren't worth much."

"But they should have entered Spirit Hall's system and trained more useful soul masters."

"When resources are lost, it means someone is stealing my future power."

Hu Liena's gaze shifted slightly.

Stealing my future power.

Those words were arrogant.

Yet she had already started getting used to it.

Di Yao had never pretended to be selfless.

He made it very clear.

The stronger Spirit Hall was, the more resources he could obtain.

If Spirit Hall was being drained dry, it meant he would receive fewer resources.

That was why he wanted to investigate.

Not for justice.

But because he would not let vermin gnaw his path of advancement hollow.

That night.

Bibi Dong summoned Di Yao.

Inside Pope Palace, the candlelight was still.

Bibi Dong looked at the account ledgers before her, her expression barely changing.

Until she saw the three words Yu Xiaogang.

Her fingertips paused slightly.

It was very subtle.

Almost impossible to notice.

But Di Yao saw it.

He did not ask.

Bibi Dong raised her eyes.

"You want to investigate him?"

Di Yao said, "I want to investigate the resource losses."

Bibi Dong said indifferently, "What if it implicates Yu Xiaogang?"

Di Yao replied calmly, "Then I investigate Yu Xiaogang."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Bibi Dong looked at him.

"Do you know who he is?"

Di Yao said, "I know some of it."

"He came from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

"His martial soul mutation failed."

"He is the so-called theoretical Grandmaster."

"He once had old ties with Spirit Hall."

He paused.

"He may also have old ties with Teacher."

Bibi Dong's eyes turned slightly cold.

Hu Liena stood to the side, her heart tightening.

But Di Yao did not back down.

"But that was in the past."

"Now, his name has appeared in the accounts of irregular resources."

"I only look at the present."

Bibi Dong was silent for a long time.

Then she suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, and cold.

"You do know how to separate things."

Di Yao said, "Those who cannot won't get far."

Bibi Dong closed the account ledger.

"What do you want?"

Di Yao said directly, "My first mission."

"The Fasnuo Province Branch Resource Loss Case."

"I want investigative authority."

"I want authorization to inspect the accounts."

"I want to mobilize low-ranking Law Enforcement Teams."

"If necessary, Hu Liena will accompany me."

Hu Liena froze.

"Me?"

Di Yao glanced at her.

"You have spiritual abilities."

"You'll be useful for interrogations."

Hu Liena gritted her teeth in anger.

This guy really treated her like a tool.

Bibi Dong looked at the two of them, an unreadable glimmer flashing through her eyes.

"Fine."

Hu Liena immediately said, "Teacher?"

Bibi Dong said indifferently, "It's time you went out and saw the world too."

"Beating people your own age in the training grounds means nothing."

"Understanding people's hearts and resources is when you truly begin."

Hu Liena lowered her head.

"Yes."

Bibi Dong looked at Di Yao.

"Yu Xiaogang is not an ordinary person."

"He himself is not strong, but he is connected to quite a few people."

Di Yao said, "Perfect."

"The more threads there are, the more valuable what they pull out will be."

Bibi Dong lightly tapped her scepter with her fingertips.

"What if, in the end, the investigation reveals that it involves my past indulgence?"

Di Yao looked at her.

"Then it proves Teacher once misjudged someone."

Hu Liena's expression changed.

He dared to say that?

Bibi Dong's eyes instantly turned cold as well.

Yet Di Yao continued, "There is no shame in misjudging someone."

"Continuing to be wrong is what is shameful."

The hall became deathly silent.

After a moment, Bibi Dong suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

The laugh was soft.

Yet it sent a chill down Hu Liena's back.

"Di Yao."

"You truly aren't afraid that I'll kill you?"

Di Yao said, "If Teacher wanted to kill me, she would have acted just now."

"The fact that I can still speak means those words were useful."

Bibi Dong looked at him for a long time.

In the end, she tossed a Pope Palace token to Di Yao.

"Take it."

"Investigate."

"But remember, the evidence must be solid."

"I dislike trash, and I also dislike mad dogs that only know how to bite wildly."

Di Yao caught the token.

"I dislike them too."

Before turning to leave, he looked back and asked one more question.

"Can the stolen goods uncovered by the investigation count as spoils of war?"

Hu Liena nearly stumbled.

Even Bibi Dong visibly paused.

Then she said indifferently, "That depends on how much you uncover."

Di Yao nodded.

"Understood."

When they left Pope Palace, the night wind was cold.

Hu Liena followed behind him and could not help asking, "Weren't you really afraid of making Teacher angry just now?"

Di Yao said, "Being angry does not mean she will kill someone."

"Then what does mean she'll kill someone?"

Di Yao glanced at her.

"Having no value."

Hu Liena fell silent.

Di Yao raised his head and looked into the distance.

Fasnuo.

Nuoding City.

Yu Xiaogang.

The Resource Case.

He knew this trail would not be small.

But the bigger it was, the better.

What he lacked now was not trouble.

It was an opportunity that could push him to a higher position.

And someone had conveniently delivered that opportunity right before him.