He opened his eyes again.
He was in the Heaven and Earth Literary Palace.
A magnificent voice resounded throughout the Literary Palace.
[A human life lasts but a hundred years; a blade of grass lives but an instant. Life is bitterly short-what can one accomplish?]
[Money and power should not sway your resolve; beauty should not capture your delight; gluttonous feasting should not seize your heart.]
These were Sacred Words.
As Xu Qingxiao regained awareness, he felt surprised, but also certain that this Heaven and Earth Literary Palace was closely connected to the Confucian Dao.
Without dwelling on it, Xu Qingxiao walked into the Literary Palace.
Almost immediately, Xu Qingxiao noticed something different.
Large quantities of white vapor filled the pool.
It looked like swirling mist.
And it continued to grow. After quite some time, the entire pool was filled with Misty Qi.
The next moment, all the white mist surged toward the first statue in the great hall.
White mist coiled around the statue, making it look hazy and mysterious.
Xu Qingxiao watched it intently.
He had to reach the Ninth Rank within three months. He had absolutely no desire to keep practicing Unorthodox Arts, so whether he could suppress the Demonic Seed now depended entirely on this Heaven and Earth Literary Palace.
Thus, virtually every change in the Literary Palace bore upon his future fate.
And as time passed, little by little-
Eventually, cracks began spreading over the lifelike statue. It split apart inch by inch, with audible cracking sounds.
Xu Qingxiao dared not make a sound, merely watching in silence.
He made no rash movements, afraid he might disrupt something.
Finally, the statue cracked open from head to toe. White fragments fell away, then dissolved into faint white mist that flowed like water back into the original pool.
The statue disappeared, replaced by a living person.
Yes.
A living person.
Xu Qingxiao was somewhat dumbfounded.
He had never imagined there was actually someone hidden inside the statue.
But on reflection, this Heaven and Earth Literary Palace was not a physical entity either, so it was understandable.
Was he a peerless mighty being?
Curiosity stirred in Xu Qingxiao again.
As someone who had transmigrated, Xu Qingxiao understood this sort of trope.
He was even more familiar with the old-grandpa sort of cheat.
Unfortunately, this was not an old grandpa, but a young man-and an exceptionally handsome one at that.
He had refined features, a delicate face, and skin as white as snow. His long hair was bound with a pale green jade crown, with a Green Hairpin set into it.
His entire being exuded the air of an immortal.
Like an immortal banished to the mortal world.
One glance told Xu Qingxiao that he was extraordinary.
But before Xu Qingxiao could speak first-
The handsome man's gaze had already turned toward him.
He looked at Xu Qingxiao, somewhat bewildered.
"Who am I?"
His voice was pleasing to the ear, gentle and smooth as jade.
But the question left Xu Qingxiao momentarily stunned.
Why wasn't he following the script?
He started by asking me who he was?
How would I know who you are?
Shouldn't he ask what era this is? Then murmur, "To think I've slept for so many years. Young friend, thank you for freeing me. To repay you, I shall impart this supreme cultivation manual to you."
Xu Qingxiao felt a little deflated.
When he saw someone appear, he had thought this would be his old-grandpa cheat. He had never expected an opening like this.
But however dismayed he felt inside, Xu Qingxiao immediately stepped forward and said-
"This junior, Xu Qingxiao, pays his respects to you, Senior."
Xu Qingxiao spoke with impeccable courtesy. Although he did not know the man's background, it surely surpassed that of a lowly runner like himself by a hundred and eight thousand miles.
How could someone whose statue stood in such a place have an insignificant background?
"Xu Qingxiao?"
"Is my name Xu Qingxiao?"
The handsome man asked with some curiosity.
It's over.
He's an idiot.
Half the warmth drained from Xu Qingxiao's heart. He had hoped the man would help him soar, yet not only did the man not know who he was, he apparently could not understand ordinary speech either.
"Senior, this junior's name is Xu Qingxiao. I do not know who you are."
"But perhaps you could think it over carefully. You may have only just awakened, and your memories may still be sealed beneath the dust."
Xu Qingxiao could only steel himself and continue speaking.
He hoped the man's amnesia was merely temporary, and that he would soon remember something.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the man nodded and murmured-
"Your name is Xu Qingxiao."
"Memories sealed beneath the dust?"
He stood where he was, brows tightly furrowed, constantly trying to recall and reflect.
Xu Qingxiao dared not disturb him and could only wait quietly at his side.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Finally, the handsome man spoke.
"I remember something."
"There was a great battle. Red Wasteland stretched without end. Blood stained the earth red, and bloody rain fell from the heavens. There was so much crying, and wailing too. It was terrible, so terrible—a hell on earth."
"I cannot remember anything else."
His voice rang out.
Xu Qingxiao considered it carefully and formed a few guesses based on those key details.
Seeing Xu Qingxiao deep in thought, the handsome man could not help asking curiously-
"My good fellow, you awakened me. Surely you know something?"
There was currently no information about himself in his mind. His sole memory was terribly fragmented and offered no help, so he could only place his hopes in Xu Qingxiao.
"Senior, this junior does not know either. Moreover, this palace is inside my mind."
Somewhat embarrassed, Xu Qingxiao explained the situation.
"Mind?"
The man pondered this, seemingly unable to understand what a mind was.
"Uh, perhaps calling it my Primordial Spirit would make it easier for you to understand, Senior."
Xu Qingxiao changed his wording.
"Primordial Spirit?"
The man still looked somewhat confused.
All right, then.
Xu Qingxiao stopped dwelling on that matter.
"Senior, although this junior does not know your identity, I have a few guesses based on your memories."
So Xu Qingxiao said.
"Guesses? Please enlighten me, my good fellow."
The man did not put on lofty airs. Instead, he was exceedingly gentle and cultured.
"Senior, you flatter me. This junior hardly dares accept such an address. Please just call me Qingxiao."
Xu Qingxiao dared not presume. The man was currently suffering from amnesia. If he took advantage of him now, then once his memories returned, a moment of displeasure might bring Xu Qingxiao disaster.
It was better to be cautious.
"Senior, you said that all you remember is a great battle—Red Wasteland stretching without end, blood raining from the heavens, and people weeping in grief. Clearly, it was a tremendous battle."
"A battle unparalleled through the ages. Otherwise, it could not have been so terrifying."
"And this palace is called the Heaven and Earth Literary Palace. It is connected to Confucianism. Perhaps you were a Confucian cultivator who fought a battle to the death hundreds or thousands of years ago, or even earlier. To save all living beings beneath heaven, you sacrificed yourself."
"Such a heroic deed deserves songs and tears. With your great benevolence and righteousness, you were admired by the masses and revered by the world. Later, other seniors fashioned a statue of your true form and placed it in the Literary Palace to nourish your spirit and nurture new life. Do you think that might be possible?"
Xu Qingxiao offered his conjecture, mixing flattery with praise.
Still, this conjecture was not without reason.
Anyone worthy of a statue was certainly no minor figure. A few casual good deeds were not enough to earn one.
Thus, this conjecture had some chance of being true.
After Xu Qingxiao finished explaining his conjecture, the handsome man fell into thought again, constantly murmuring a few phrases.
"All living beings beneath heaven, sacrificing myself, deserving songs and tears, admired by the masses, revered by the world."
"Deserving songs and tears, admired by the masses."
He repeated them several times. Then his eyes lit up, and delight appeared on his face.
"Senior, did you remember something?"
Seeing this, Xu Qingxiao could not help feeling happy too, and asked him.
"I did not remember anything, but I think your conjecture is quite right."
The handsome man shook his head. He had recalled no useful information; he simply felt that Xu Qingxiao's words made a great deal of sense.
Xu Qingxiao: "..."
He fell somewhat silent, unsure what to say, but still kept smiling. No matter what, he must not leave a bad impression.
Neither man spoke.
It was rather awkward.
But after a little awkwardness, Xu Qingxiao thought of something and asked the handsome man-
"Senior, this junior would like to ask something. Just what is that pool?"
Xu Qingxiao pointed at the nearby pool and questioned the handsome man.
He had never been able to work out what it was. Perhaps the man before him knew.
But to Xu Qingxiao's disappointment, the handsome man merely glanced at it before shaking his head.
"Please forgive me, my good fellow. I do not know."
He was still suffering from amnesia.
Seeing that the man did not understand either, Xu Qingxiao said nothing more and merely looked at the pool.
White mist filled the pool.
It felt like clouds rising and falling. Apart from that, there were no other changes whatsoever.
Fine. It looks like I'll have to keep slowly digging into this.
Xu Qingxiao felt rather helpless.
There was little time left. Three months might pass in the blink of an eye.
If he could not find a solution, he would have no choice but to keep taking risks and practicing Unorthodox Arts.
Still, although he had gained no information, Xu Qingxiao had roughly worked out a few things.
The Misty Qi in this pool should be connected to his reading.
As for what it actually was, he still did not know.
But at least he knew one thing for certain.
The more Misty Qi there was, the more likely the other six statues in the hall would awaken.
For now, Xu Qingxiao hoped for just two things.
First, that this handsome man would regain his memories soon.
Second, that the other statues would not suffer from amnesia upon awakening.
Otherwise, in the days ahead, he might as well eat whatever he pleased while he still could.
After waiting a little longer without anything happening, Xu Qingxiao decided to leave.
He did not know how much time had passed outside. If he remained unconscious and happened to miss something important, that would be bad.
Xu Qingxiao immediately approached the handsome man and said-
"Senior, please take your time thinking. This junior still has some matters to attend to and must take his leave. I will come see you again after a while."
"Very well. Take care, my good fellow."
The handsome man was clearly still utterly bewildered. Hearing that Xu Qingxiao was leaving, he made no attempt to stop him.
Xu Qingxiao said nothing further, and his figure gradually disappeared.
A short while later.
When Xu Qingxiao woke, the sky was somewhat bright. Estimating the time, he reckoned a little over four hours had passed.
Yet he had clearly spent more than four hours inside the palace.
Time passes differently inside the palace and in the outside world?
Xu Qingxiao keenly noticed this detail.
This was useful information. If there was a time lag between the two, he could make good use of it. Perhaps it would have an effect.
But Xu Qingxiao did not dwell on it any longer.
Instead, he picked up the second book on the table and continued reading.
For now, his only hope lay within the Literary Palace, so he could not stop reading.
Xu Qingxiao carefully read through the books one by one.
Zhou Ling had given him sixteen books in all.
For some reason, Xu Qingxiao felt that his mind was perfectly clear, his thoughts far more active than before.
Even passages that were obscure and difficult to read yielded their meaning to Xu Qingxiao at a glance.
Sixteen books.
Xu Qingxiao finished them all in less than ten hours.
And at that very moment.
A faint glow enveloped Xu Qingxiao.
In an instant, it was as though a thunderclap had exploded in his mind.
Streams of white qi surged from the books into his body.
This was...
Righteous Haoran Qi.
Astonishment flashed in Xu Qingxiao's eyes.
Condensing Righteous Haoran Qi meant that he had entered the ranks.
The tenth rank of the Confucian Dao.
The qi-nourishing realm.
Before you continue