After walking through the passage for roughly half an hour, they finally saw a glimmer of light at its end. Everyone quickened their pace at the sight, and moments later, they reached the end and stepped outside.
Dazzling sunlight poured down from the sky, making Jiang Yun and the others instinctively narrow their eyes. After a while, they slowly opened them and stared at the scene before them in astonishment.
Before Jiang Yun and the others lay a hollow in a mountain valley. Steep cliffs stretched upward as far as the eye could see. Enclosed by cliffs on three sides was an extremely broad clearing, upon which stood an enormous, imposing pavilion of ancient design.
Their gazes slowly swept over the massive, ancient pavilion before finally settling on an aged plaque outside it. Three characters, worn almost illegible by the passage of time, were faintly visible upon it.
Library Pavilion!
This was Jia Nan Academy's true core. The Library Pavilion in the Outer Academy merely held basic knowledge and low-tier Dou Techniques, whereas the pavilion before them was one of the foundations that allowed Jia Nan Academy to stand firm in the Black-Corner Region.
A careful look at the space half a meter before Hu Gan revealed faint wrinkles.
These wrinkles were hidden within space and extremely difficult to detect. Following their barely visible traces revealed that they formed something like a wall, shielding the entire Library Pavilion behind it!
It certainly lived up to its reputation as the mysterious Library Pavilion of Jia Nan Academy's Outer Academy.
Hu Gan led the five of them slowly toward the Library Pavilion, but abruptly stopped just before coming within twenty meters of it. Cupping his hands toward the pavilion, he said, "The top five of this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament have been decided. In accordance with the rules, I have brought them here. Elder Qian, Elder Bai, please open the entrance!"
Carried by his Dou Qi, Hu Gan's words echoed throughout the little valley, lingering for a long time.
Suddenly, Jiang Yun's and Zi Yan's gazes shifted, fixing intently on the Library Pavilion's entrance.
A second later, two gray-robed figures abruptly appeared there, seated cross-legged on the ground.
The two figures looked as though they had been there all along. The eerie sight made everyone's scalps prickle.
These two were pillars of Jia Nan Academy's strength: Elders Qian and Bai, both Peak Dou Zong.
"Xiao Yun, these two old men are so powerful!" Zi Yan's playful expression vanished as she leaned close to Jiang Yun's ear and whispered solemnly.
Jiang Yun did not answer Zi Yan. Instead, he looked toward the entrance, where the two elders were already studying him and Zi Yan with curiosity and scrutiny in their eyes.
Puzzled by Jiang Yun's silence, Zi Yan followed his gaze and immediately noticed Elders Qian and Bai watching them. She sheepishly stuck out her tongue and quietly slipped a little farther behind Jiang Yun.
Elders Qian and Bai withdrew their gazes and looked expressionlessly at Hu Gan. "You're here!"
Hearing Elders Qian and Bai address him, Hu Gan relaxed slightly and smiled. "These are the top five of this year's Inner Academy Selection Tournament. Please undo the Space Lock, elders."
"This year's students are quite good!"
Elders Qian and Bai offered that praise with an almost imperceptible hint of pleasure in their voices.
Before Hu Gan could recover from his astonishment, Elders Qian and Bai slowly extended their withered hands from their sleeves and began forming hand seals, one movement at a time. As their seals changed, Jiang Yun and the others could clearly sense two immensely powerful, invisible fluctuations spreading from their palms like waves, wave after wave.
Jiang Yun knew that was Spatial Force!
The invisible fluctuations gradually spread until they finally touched the wrinkles in space. Upon contact, the space before Jiang Yun and the others became like a mirror made of water, rippling in concentric circles. Moments later, the ripples stopped, and invisible hands slowly tore open a doorway.
"Let's go." Seeing the Spatial Gate take shape, Hu Gan waved and stepped through first, with Jiang Yun and the others following closely behind.
Stepping through the invisible doorway, Jiang Yun discovered that everything before him had become much brighter, and the pavilion ahead was clearer as well. They had evidently truly entered the Space Lock.
Once everyone had stepped inside the Space Lock, Hu Gan first bowed respectfully to Elders Qian and Bai, then said, "Sorry for the trouble, elders!"
"Mm!" Neither of the academy's two guardians moved in the slightest. Only a hoarse acknowledgment came from them.
Apart from their initial surprise upon seeing Jiang Yun and Zi Yan, nothing seemed capable of attracting their attention. Like two unchanging statues, they silently guarded the academy's final line of defense.
Seeing that Elders Qian and Bai had no intention of engaging with them, Hu Gan did not invite a rebuff. He turned to Jiang Yun and the other four and said, "You may now enter the Scripture Pavilion on your own. However, everything inside is covered by an energy layer. If your hand can pass through that layer without obstruction, you may take the item inside."
"Of course, no matter how many items you can pick up, you may only bring one out of the Library Pavilion. Do not be greedy, or you'll end up drawing water with a bamboo basket and gaining nothing."
"If you cannot penetrate an energy layer, give up. You lack the strength to break them. People enter the Library Pavilion every year, but plenty still leave empty-handed. Everything depends on fate, so do not force what you cannot obtain."
At Hu Gan's words, Jiang Yun's eyes flickered slightly.
Couldn't break them? Not necessarily!
Hu Gan quickly finished explaining the Library Pavilion's rules, then raised a hand and pointed toward it, signaling for Jiang Yun and the others to proceed on their own.
Jiang Yun and the others nodded, then slowly started toward the Library Pavilion.
Only the soft rustle of footsteps disturbed the quiet valley. Jiang Yun walked at the front as they crossed the grass before the pavilion, finally stepping onto the bluestone stairs pitted by the passage of time.
They climbed the bluestone stairs and reached the Scripture Pavilion's entrance, where they looked at the plaque bearing its name above the doors.
Jiang Yun looked up at the somewhat dilapidated plaque. Yet it carried a soul-stirring power that filled their hearts with a touch of desolation.
Jiang Yun's heart trembled. Surely only Jia Nan Academy's dean, Mang Tianchi, possessed the strength to write characters that retained such power after so many years!
"Go inside! The doors will only remain open for one hour. After that, you must come out, whether you have obtained what you need or not!" said one of the gray-robed elders; they could not tell whether it was Elder Qian or Elder Bai.
At the same time, a sweep of his sleeve stirred an invisible fluctuation, and the Scripture Pavilion's doors slowly opened.
Glancing at the other four, who looked somewhat astonished, Jiang Yun took Zi Yan by the hand and led the way inside.
A Space Seal? Just a little trick! He'd been "bathing" in space-time storms since childhood. Something of this level was child's play!
Seeing Jiang Yun enter, Ling Feng and the other two snapped back to their senses. The academy had only given them an hour. If they went in late, they might not get anything at all.
They immediately used their movement Dou Techniques and shot into the Library Pavilion, overtaking Jiang Yun and Zi Yan as the pair strolled along.
"Xiao Yun, shouldn't we hurry? Otherwise, all the good things will be taken!"
Zi Yan watched the three retreating figures, then looked in confusion at Jiang Yun, who held her hand as though he had come for a vacation rather than a treasure hunt.
"There's no rush. Vice Dean Hu Gan just said that the treasures inside are sealed. Think about it: this is the academy's treasury! Most of its good things are here, so it isn't hard to guess how strong those seals must be."
"And for you, Zi Yan, is there any difference between a seal being there or not?"
Jiang Yun explained to Zi Yan, though that was only one reason. The other was that neither of them truly lacked Dou Techniques or cultivation methods.
Jiang Yun went without saying. The Evil Spirit Clan had a Saint Grade Heavenly Sovereign, and quite a few other Heavenly Sovereigns among its ranks. Even though he had been very young when he arrived on the Dou Qi Continent, he had no shortage of such things.
As someone with the royal bloodline of the Ancient Void Dragon, Zi Yan could live off the inheritance in her blood for a lifetime. Some people looked like unaffiliated cultivators, but the waters beneath that appearance ran deep!
Hearing Jiang Yun's explanation, Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up. Proudly patting her petite chest, she said, "Leave it to me! Xiao Yun, just tell me if anything catches your eye. I'll get it for you."
Jiang Yun agreed with a smile. Seeing Zi Yan look as though she were about to stock up on supplies, he shook his head in amusement.
In less than three minutes, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan finally reached a place bathed in pale yellow light.
It was an extremely spacious room, with nearly a dozen energy barriers lining its walls. Their light slowly swelled and receded, illuminating the room as brightly as day.
Ling Feng and the other two, who had arrived first, were looking around in bewilderment. When Jiang Yun approached, Su Quan, the only woman among the three, said, "We've searched everywhere, but we haven't seen the treasures the dean mentioned!"
"The vice dean said the treasures were wrapped in energy barriers. Could he mean we're supposed to go inside these?" Liu Zh Cun pointed thoughtfully at the enormous energy barriers around them, sharing his guess with the other four.
Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow, a faint smile curling his lips as he said meaningfully, "Here they come."
"Hm?"
The three looked at Jiang Yun in confusion. Only Zi Yan gazed eagerly overhead.
The next moment, a faint whistle sounded through the air. The three immediately perked up and stared intently above them.
"Something's coming!"
Although the sound was faint, everyone present was at least a Da Dou Shi. Once alerted, the three only needed to concentrate slightly to hear it.
Before long, a pale green orb of light shot out of one of the energy barriers. Delight appeared on the faces of Ling Feng and the other two, but before they could react, a purple figure leaped up first and seized the orb in a single bound.
Her little hand passed smoothly through the orb as though its seal did not exist. A moment later, Zi Yan pulled out a scroll.
"Xuan Tier Mid Grade Dou Technique, Greenwood Thorn!"
"Tch-useless!" Zi Yan curled her lips in dissatisfaction, seemingly blaming her luck. With a flick of her little hand, she tossed back the Xuan Tier Dou Technique that would have fetched a handsome price outside.
The airborne scroll turned back into an orb of light and flew into one of the energy barriers.
Su Quan and the other two opened their mouths several times, but ultimately said nothing. A Xuan Tier Mid Grade Dou Technique was already quite good in their eyes. If they obtained one, they would consider this visit to the Library Pavilion a complete success.
Unfortunately, they were not close enough to Zi Yan or Jiang Yun to ask.
The appearance of the first orb seemed to trigger some sort of switch. Orbs of light began flying continuously from the dozen or so energy barriers around them.
Seeing that the first orb Zi Yan had seized contained a Xuan Tier Dou Technique had already fired the other three up. Now, at this sight, they eagerly rushed off to intercept the orbs.
Jiang Yun did not blindly grab at them. Instead, he extended his soul perception to its limit and watched every emerging orb, hoping to find the one with the most powerful aura.
As the seconds ticked by, Jiang Yun sensed an orb brimming with scorching heat fly out of the energy barrier behind him. He immediately turned, leaped up, and reached for it.
Although he felt a slight resistance from the orb, he tightened his fingers and seized another scroll.
"Ninefold Blazing Sun Art, an Earth Tier Low Grade Technique!" Looking at the Earth Tier Cultivation Method in his hand, Jiang Yun did not toss it away. Instead, he kept it as a fallback reward.
Silently noting the strength of the Earth Tier Cultivation Method, he excluded every weaker orb from his soul perception. The next moment, Jiang Yun moved, shooting forward like a cannonball with his hand outstretched. When he landed, three orbs radiating powerful auras rested in his palm.
"Ten-thousand-year vine, the main ingredient for the Sixth-Grade Pill, Azure Nether Longevity Pill; an Earth-Rank Dou Technique; and a sixth-tier magic core."
Jiang Yun looked through the orbs and saw their contents. All were rare treasures. After a little thought, he kept the ten-thousand-year vine. It would be useful whether he used it to refine pills or gave it to Zi Yan to eat.
"Xiao Yun, look what I found!" Zi Yan's excited voice rang out. She was holding a jade-like fruit and happily raised it before Jiang Yun's eyes.
"Sky jade fruit. That's good stuff!" Jiang Yun recognized the fruit at a glance. It was a fine medicinal ingredient.
Eating it directly could increase a person's Dou Qi cultivation by roughly one star. If used in pill refinement, it could be made into a Sixth-Grade Pill, a Treasure Pill capable of directly increasing a Dou Wang expert's strength.
Something like this commanded an astronomical price outside and was extremely difficult to find. He had not expected Zi Yan to stumble upon one.
"Hehe, Xiao Yun, you have to help me. I'm almost at the peak of the Fifth Rank. Refine it into a pill for me!" Upon learning the ingredient's effects, Zi Yan's eyes shone, and she took Jiang Yun's hand ingratiatingly.
At that moment, only one thought filled her mind: she was going to grow up. She would finally be rid of this appearance!
Surely she wouldn't still look like this after breaking through to the Sixth Rank? Surely she wouldn't still have undigested transformation grass medicinal power? Surely she would have reached maturity by then?
No way, right? No way?
What magical beast still wasn't mature at the Sixth Rank!
Before you continue