With that, Lin Yan first took a careful look around the entire library.
To be honest, the library at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy was rather shabby. It had only two floors, with most of its books concentrated on the first. Someone stood guard at the entrance to the second floor, so it seemed only designated people could go up.
There were very few people on the first floor at the moment. Perhaps it was because the school year had just begun, or perhaps everyone placed little importance on these books.
In short, there was not much work right now. Once he finished, Lin Yan would have time to read at his leisure.
After briefly surveying the entire library, Lin Yan got to work. He moved deftly, quickly putting the somewhat disordered shelves into meticulous order.
Lin Yan had not come to the library specifically to do manual labor just to make work for himself. His understanding of the Douluo Continent came solely from the novel Douluo Continent. Now that he had actually arrived here, there were many matters of common knowledge he knew nothing about.
In particular, exactly what soul beasts existed on the Douluo Continent, and what characteristics different soul beasts possessed, directly concerned his future choices of soul rings.
There were also the Douluo Continent's plants, geography, history, local customs, political powers... he knew nothing about any of them.
He needed to slowly explore and develop his own understanding of the entire Douluo Continent, and the fastest way to become familiar with a world was through reading.
To be honest, it would have been excellent if he could become Yu Xiaogang's disciple.
Although some of Yu Xiaogang's theories were riddled with holes, there was no denying that he had taken many of Spirit Hall's research findings during his time there. On top of that, he had devoted all his efforts over the years to theory, constantly compiling theoretical knowledge. His store of knowledge was enormous. Tang San needed these basic theories, and so did Lin Yan.
However, judging by their earlier interaction, Yu Xiaogang had shown no inclination to spend more time with Lin Yan. Naturally, Lin Yan would not press his warm face against a cold backside.
After finishing his basic duties, Lin Yan first took a general look at how the books were categorized.
Broadly speaking, they fell into several major categories: history, geography, soul master knowledge, reference books, leisure and entertainment, and so on.
History books were the most numerous, with titles such as A Brief General History of Douluo, Chronicles of the Heaven Dou Empire, Records of the Star Luo Empire's Turbulent Times, The Rise of Spirit Hall, and Tracing Noble Lineages. However, their pages were all neat and slightly yellowed, making it clear that few people consulted them. Geography books mainly included Records of the Continent's Mountains and Rivers, An Overview of Soul Beast Forest Distribution, An Illustrated Guide to Plants on the Outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, and Travels in the Far North Ice Plains. These had clearly been browsed more frequently. The books that showed the most obvious signs of readership were those on soul master knowledge, including Classification and Brief Analysis of Common Martial Souls, Basic Meditation for Soul Power Cultivation, An Illustrated Guide to Ten-Year Soul Beasts (Including Commonly Produced Soul Skills), Brief Account of Hundred-Year Soul Beast Characteristics, and Precautions for Soul Ring Absorption (Grandmaster Edition). Their spines were noticeably worn. The reference section consisted of dictionaries, almanacs, and other supplementary books. The most battered books, however, belonged to the leisure and entertainment section. These were mainly chivalric novels and adventure stories circulating across the continent, such as The Legend of the Seven Swords and The Legend of the Demon Whale King. It seemed the demand for entertainment was greatest in any world.
Much of this material was common knowledge to people on the Douluo Continent. History, for example, was mostly covered by teachers in class, so fewer people read those books. They were also genuinely dull. Back on Blue Star, Lin Yan had hardly ever picked up a history book other than his textbooks.
Yet these books were precisely what Lin Yan needed now.
Lin Yan first picked out two books: An Illustrated Guide to Ten-Year Soul Beasts (Including Commonly Produced Soul Skills) and Brief Account of Hundred-Year Soul Beast Characteristics. He found a bright seat by a window, sat down, and eagerly opened them.
The contents were even more detailed than he had imagined. Not only did they depict various soul beasts through crude drawings with clearly defined characteristics, they also recorded their habits, where they appeared, assessments of their combat strength, and the types of soul skills they might produce. There were even brief records of absorption cases involving some famous soul masters.
"Mandala Snake: highly venomous, extremely fast... commonly produced soul skills: Snake Blade (condenses soul power into a venom-attribute blade attack), Entanglement (enhances control capabilities)..." "Lone bamboo: tough, tenacious vitality... commonly produced soul skills: Bamboo Sword (condenses soul power into the form of a bamboo sword to attack), Bamboo Defense (generates a small bamboo shield for defense)..." "Ghost vine..."
Although Lin Yan struggled to read and needed reference books to help him understand the words most of the time, he remained utterly engrossed, because this knowledge was precisely what he lacked.
He cross-checked it against his understanding of the original novel and found that, although the records were basic, they were largely accurate. They were particularly valuable as guidance for low-level soul masters. He read with intense concentration, digesting almost every word and sentence.
Time flew as he read. Only when his eyes began to feel sore did Lin Yan look up and discover that the sky outside the window had already grown somewhat dim. A few more people had entered the library, mostly older students quietly consulting materials.
He stood up, carefully returned the two soul beast guides to their original places, then picked up Precautions for Soul Ring Absorption (Grandmaster Edition) and Basic Meditation Method instead. Precautions for Soul Ring Absorption (Grandmaster Edition) was very thin, more like a booklet. Its title page even bore the words "Compiled by Yu Xiaogang."
Lin Yan raised his eyebrows slightly and began reading carefully. It explained in detail the key points of circulating soul power while absorbing a soul ring, how to guide the soul ring's energy, and the possible risks and ways of dealing with them. Its wording was rigorous and its logic clear. Although these were only basic precautions, they were enough to reveal the compiler's deep theoretical grounding.
He really does know a thing or two, Lin Yan thought. Setting aside those controversial core theories, compiling and summarizing this basic knowledge is crucial for novice soul masters. It seems neither Spirit Hall's accumulated foundations nor Yu Xiaogang's own research can be underestimated.
But he also noticed that the booklet seemed to be several years old. Some of its views might already have undergone minor adjustments or corrections, while the academy library simply had not updated it. This further strengthened his resolve to read widely and judge for himself.
After giving the book a quick read, Lin Yan took out Soul Master Basic Meditation Method. With his foundation in practicing the Supreme Purity Breathing Technique, this basic meditation method was far too simple. After reading it once, he had more or less memorized its key points by that evening. Lin Yan decided to try cultivating with the basic meditation method after returning to his dorm that night.
Afterward, he browsed Classification and Brief Analysis of Common Martial Souls. This book gave him a more systematic understanding of the myriad martial souls on the Douluo Continent, rather than merely knowing the top-tier martial souls mentioned in the original novel. Farming-tool martial souls, tool martial souls, beast martial souls, elemental martial souls... the sheer variety and diversity of their characteristics were breathtaking.
Before he knew it, the sky grew late.
Night began to settle over the whole of Nuoding Academy.
When Lin Yan put down his book, he discovered that everyone except the librarian had long since left the library.
He first made a circuit of the entire library, returning books that had not been put away to their shelves, then immediately picked up a broom and swept the whole library.
Once all of this was finished, Lin Yan said goodbye to the librarian and returned to his dorm.