Drawing on the old, embracing the new

"Oh..."

Understanding dawned on Dan Ruo at his words, and she smiled.

"I was overthinking it, then. I thought you were also going to Pill Spring Island to tend elixirs and refine medicines, junior brother. I was wondering why you looked so unfamiliar..."

She had stared at Jiang Yang for quite some time, wondering how she could never have seen such a handsome junior brother before. Unable to quell her curiosity, she had asked.

"You flatter me, senior sister. I have no talent for tending elixirs or refining medicines. With my clumsy hands and feet, I would probably seem hopelessly inept even tending the furnace and fanning its flames..."

Jiang Yang joked with a touch of self-deprecation.

Their acquaintance was too shallow for deep conversation. Dan Ruo merely covered her face with her sleeve and gave a soft laugh, leaving only her crescent brows and smiling eyes visible, without replying.

Balancing lead and mercury, tending furnaces and grinding medicines, making sovereign and minister ingredients support one another—Jiang Yang yearned to learn the healing arts and medicine refinement. Unfortunately, they were far too difficult, shrouded in mystery and heavily reliant on inherited teachings, so he had never found an opportunity to learn about them.

Quite frankly, a sophisticated craft was something one could proudly rely on wherever one went. Once mastered, whether it supplemented his expenses or allowed him to refine a few pills for his own use, it would be a boon at little cost.

Unfortunately, among the countless crafts of cultivation, alchemy was, if not the most difficult and expensive, certainly among the foremost. It was simply not something ordinary cultivators should dabble in.

Jiang Yang did not know whether he possessed any talent for it. For now, he could only keep the wish buried in his heart and hope for an opportunity to gain some exposure.

Thus, Jiang Yang was courteous in his dealings with Dan Ruo. Though they were merely passing acquaintances, their paths might cross someday, and he might need her help. A familiar face would always make asking easier.

While they chatted, the treasure boat slowly sailed into the heart of the lake. The tiny gray speck they had seen in the distance had become an enormous island that blotted out the sky and sun.

Looking up, he found Pill Spring Island's immense dark silhouette looming before him. Rounded along its outer edge and spacious within, it held a fire vein at its center, with smoke rising from its summit. Cultivators constantly leaped up and down among the surrounding pavilions and towers.

Jiang Yang sensed a faint, dry heat in the air. As he looked on, he wondered whether this might be an enormous active volcano that cultivators of the past had seized with their divine powers and magical might, using its fire vein to forge artifacts and refine pills.

"We've reached Pill Spring. I'll be getting off here. Until we meet again, Junior Brother Jiang."

Once the boat had stopped securely at the harbor, Dan Ruo rose and offered Jiang Yang a playful farewell.

"Until we meet again. Please go ahead, Senior Sister Dan Ruo."

Jiang Yang hurriedly stood and solemnly cupped his hands.

Seeing this, Dan Ruo said no more and turned away with brisk, easy grace.

Only when she stood did he realize how petite she was. Her deep blue-green robe hung loosely around her, and as she walked swiftly away, her broad sleeves billowed until she vanished from Jiang Yang's sight.

Jiang Yang remained where he was, rather puzzled by her laughter. After pondering it for a while without understanding, he simply put it aside.

Quite a few people disembarked along with Dan Ruo. In the blink of an eye, the treasure boat was two-thirds empty. It seemed most had been bound for Pill Spring Island.

Before long, most of the cultivators had left the boat. Jiang Yang sat back down, and the treasure boat leisurely turned around and set off again.

Jiang Yang leaned against the side, gazing across the lake's spring waters as though letting his mind wander. In truth, all his attention was focused on exploring his sea of consciousness.

Earlier, he seemed to have gained a little insight into heaven and earth, and his Spirit Sense had abruptly grown somewhat stronger. Now that he had a moment, he examined the change closely.

My Spirit Sense has grown by roughly a tenth overall. I don't know whether that counts as much or little, and it's become more solid, too.

Jiang Yang mused to himself.

He carefully released his Spirit Sense to survey his surroundings. Not only had its range expanded, but it had become easier to wield.

This was his first encounter with such a thing. Without any reference to verify his findings, he had no way to measure or compare them.

Still, it was a windfall, so what did it matter whether the gain was large or small? Jiang Yang took an easygoing view and soon stopped dwelling on it.

After roughly another hour, the shoreline finally came into sight. The treasure boat was at last approaching land.

Jiang Yang straightened in his seat. No wonder so many disciples chose to travel by boat. The lake was so vast that, whatever Foundation Establishment cultivators might be capable of, a Qi Refining cultivator's Magic Power certainly would not suffice to fly across it in one go.

He had originally planned to fly over himself once he reached Late Qi Refining. Now it seemed that had been a flight of fancy.

The treasure boat docked, and Jiang Yang disembarked with the last trickle of passengers.

These boats ran day and night without rest. Whenever Jiang Yang wished to return, he would only need to wait a little while for another boat to arrive, with no need to worry about being stranded.

With both feet on solid ground, Jiang Yang took a moment to get his bearings. The Ancestral Court stood in the center and was easy to identify. Before him, a towering peak soared into the clouds, visible with a mere lift of his head.

Pill Spring is in the east, so that peak to the west should be White Elm Peak. The Library Pavilion is probably between the two.

Several other peaks remained visible around him, but nearby things looked large and distant things small. Though still within sight, they were actually very far away.

Jiang Yang set off without worrying about losing his way. If necessary, he could simply ask as he went. There were plenty of cultivators around the Ancestral Court, and most of those passing by had formidable auras. Presumably, they were highly accomplished cultivators.

His reasoning proved sound. He was only halfway there when he spotted a tall pavilion looming faintly through the clouds and mist. Barring any surprises, this was the Library Pavilion.

Jiang Yang's spirits lifted, and he quietly quickened his pace.

Before long, he reached the Library Pavilion. Before his eyes stood a lofty structure densely covered in mysterious patterns, its entire form ancient and profound. Two tall white-jade gateposts rose on either side, bearing the words:

[Built to a grand design, beneath its pillars lie ten thousand volumes]

And:

[The Way spans heaven and the abyss; Xiang Mountain's halls endure a thousand autumns]

Even with his limited experience, Jiang Yang could dimly sense the pavilion's ancient, weighty majesty. He reined in his excitement, his expression turning solemn. Looking up, he saw a plaque inscribed with four large golden characters:

[Draw on the old, embrace the new]

Strictly speaking, the sect's repository of books should have been called the Ancient Wisdom Renewal Tower. Most disciples found the name cumbersome, however, and simply called it the Library Pavilion.

Jiang Yang stood before the entrance, taking in its imposing atmosphere, then slowly stepped inside.

The moment he entered, all the daylight seemed to be swallowed whole. His vision blurred, and the scene before him changed.

The interior was spacious and lofty, divided into two strictly symmetrical halves along a central axis. Rows of gleaming bookcases stood on either side, their arrangement precise, dignified, and orderly.

Golden-lacquered dragons and glazed phoenixes adorned the ceiling, their forms curling and winding, exquisite and elegant without sacrificing grandeur.

The bookcases stretched beyond the reach of his gaze. Ancient scrolls, bound texts, jade rings, and even animal hides and bamboo slips rested upon them, rising and falling within halos of light.

For a moment, Jiang Yang's eyes were dazzled. Every bookcase was protected by restrictions, however, so their contents were presumably not available for casual browsing.

Concerned that wandering carelessly might violate the rules, he decided to find someone and ask.

The surroundings were rather quiet, with few fellow disciples in sight. Still, this place could not possibly lack a steward to watch over it. Looking around, he spotted an old man behind a counter at the corner.

The old man wore plain cloth robes and had a tall, lean frame. He reclined in a bamboo chair, rocking back and forth with a book in his hands. The book obscured his face, leaving only his dangling, grizzled beard to reveal his advanced age.

Jiang Yang walked over slowly and finally got a clear look at him.

The old man's cheeks were thin, his hair and beard entirely white, but his eyes shone brightly. He appeared hale and vigorous.

Jiang Yang moved two steps closer, stood to one side, and bowed.

"May I ask, senior..."