Library

"So."

Hei Lin's voice was firm and decisive, carrying an unquestionable resolve.

"The secrets hidden within us are probably far greater than we imagined!"

"It's absolutely not as simple as 'Blue Silver Grass'!"

"And it's certainly not the 'ordinary' thing Mom and Dad always told us about!"

Bai Lin's heart pounded wildly.

Secrets...

Golden patterns...

That strange grassland...

Mom and Dad's concealment...

A massive mystery, like a vortex, instantly swept him in.

He instinctively thought of the most direct solution:

"Then..."

"Should we ask Mom and Dad?"

"They must know..."

"Foolish!" Hei Lin immediately rejected the idea sharply, his voice piercingly cold like an ice pick.

"If adults wanted to tell us something like this, they would have done so long ago!"

"Since they chose to hide it, they must have their reasons, or else..."

"It's a truth that even they can't control, one they may not even wish to face!"

"If you ask now, what will you gain besides causing needless panic, or even triggering some taboo we know nothing about?"

Hei Lin's icy voice was like an alarm bell, waking Bai Lin from his naive thoughts.

He remembered the occasional weariness in his father's gentle eyes, and the faint worry hidden beneath his mother's warm smile.

If this secret truly brought danger...

He did not dare think about it.

"Rather than alerting them and bringing unknown risks home, to that little girl who just arrived..."

Hei Lin's voice carried a calmness and ruthlessness far beyond his age.

"We should first find a way to figure out what exactly is going on ourselves!"

"The library is the most basic place to acquire knowledge."

"Maybe..."

"We can find some clues there."

Bai Lin fell silent.

Under Hei Lin's calm analysis, his chaotic thoughts gradually settled.

Fear still remained, but a powerful curiosity and desire for the "truth" broke through stubbornly like a seedling pushing out of the earth.

Protecting Na'er, protecting this home...

That required more than strength. It required seeing the dangers lurking in the darkness!

"...All right."

Bai Lin's resolve finally hardened. He nodded firmly, no longer hesitated, then turned and headed in the direction opposite the school gates—toward the quietly standing library building of the academy.

Red Mountain Academy's library was not particularly large, but for an elementary soul master academy, its collection was already quite extensive.

Huge floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the lingering glow of the sunset to pour in unhindered, coating rows of tall wooden bookshelves with warm golden edges.

The air was filled with the comforting scent unique to old paper and ink.

With school nearly over, there were very few students in the library, making it feel especially spacious and quiet.

Bai Lin's small figure looked rather tiny as he walked between the tall bookshelves.

Following the signs, he headed straight toward the sections labeled "Basic Soul Master Theory," "Martial Soul Illustrated Guide," and "Soul Beast Encyclopedia."

Rows of heavy books stood neatly arranged, their titles exuding an ancient simplicity and the weight of knowledge.

Hei Lin's voice sounded in the sea of consciousness, carrying a faint urgency that was difficult to detect.

"Keywords: bloodline anomalies, martial soul mutations, energy patterns, ancient inheritances..."

"Anything that might be connected to what happened last night!"

Bai Lin immediately got to work.

He stood on tiptoe, struggling to reach the books on the upper shelves. His little fingers swept quickly across the rows of spines as his clear brown eyes carefully scanned the titles one by one:

Analysis of Common Martial Soul Traits, Illustrated Records of Ten-Year Soul Beasts, Basic Soul Power Guidance Techniques...

Most of them contained only the most fundamental and superficial material.

Time passed second by second.

The sunset light slowly shifted between the shelves, casting long shadows.

Bai Lin had already flipped through several thick illustrated guides and theoretical books. A little dust had gotten onto his small face, but his brows only furrowed tighter.

Nothing. There was nothing at all.

The descriptions were either far too general or merely common knowledge about martial souls. There was not even a fragment of information regarding bodily mutations, golden patterns, or even mental illusions.

"Tsk, as expected..."

Hei Lin's cold voice carried a trace of anticipated irritation and disappointment.

"How could these trash books meant to educate ordinary soul masters possibly record anything of that level?"

"Looks like we were thinking too simply."

Bai Lin was somewhat discouraged as well. He closed <Answers to Common Questions About Martial Soul Awakening>, and his small shoulders drooped slightly.

Did they really have no choice but to ask Mom and Dad?

Or...

Would this secret never be unraveled?

Just then, Hei Lin's consciousness suddenly tightened!

An extraordinarily faint yet exceptionally clear sensation rippled outward in an instant, like a small stone falling into a still lake!

"Wait!"

Hei Lin's voice held an unprecedented gravity and a hint of...

Excitement?

"Bai Lin! Don't move!"

"Sense it carefully..."

"To your front left, on the lowest shelf..."

"The corner!"

"The one covered in the thickest dust!"

Bai Lin's heartbeat instantly accelerated!

Following Hei Lin's guidance, he quickly crouched down and looked toward the dim corner on the bottom shelf.

The light there was the worst, and the area was almost completely shrouded in shadow. The books piled there were clearly less orderly than those on the upper shelves. Some had even been stuffed together messily, their spines crooked and covered in thick dust.

Among that heap of forgotten old books lay an especially inconspicuous thick volume.

Its cover was a deep dark brown, like some aged leather. There was no gilded lettering or eye-catching title, only some vague dark patterns almost entirely covered by dust.

It was wedged beneath several equally worn-out books, with only an unremarkable corner exposed.

That was it!

That strange sensation was emanating from this dust-covered thick volume!

It was exceedingly faint, carrying an indescribably ancient and...

Secretive aura!

As though it were the very passage of time, sealed away beneath dust.

Bai Lin's heart rose to his throat.

He carefully reached out, brushed away the dust covering it, and tried to pull the thick volume out from beneath the pile of books.

His movements were light and slow, afraid of damaging this book that looked ancient at first glance.

However, just as his fingertips touched the cold, rough leather cover...

A sudden change occurred!

The thick and heavy Continental Geography Records (Hardcover Edition) beside it, having lost the dust's adhesion and the support from the stacked books, suddenly lost its balance!

Like a heavy brick, it crashed straight down toward Bai Lin's head!

It was astonishingly fast!

"Watch out!"

Hei Lin shouted sharply from within the sea of consciousness!

But Bai Lin's body simply could not react quickly enough to this sudden turn of events!

At that critical moment!