Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
A library was the most important place in a sect.
This was because book collections represented a sect’s inheritance, so any sect that wanted to prosper for a long time must pay attention to their inheritance. Only by bringing up talents in every generation could a sect maintain the most powerful status.
Therefore, when Yuqi the Venerable One gave Ou Yangming his permission to enter the library, even the young fellow suspected if he heard it wrongly.
Nonetheless, the Venerable One’s word was fulfilled very quickly.
After Yuqi the Venerable One and the old macaque left, a close acquaintance approached Ou Yangming. It was Bai Zhiyi, who admired his smithing art very much.
In terms of outer appearance only, Bai Zhiyi seemed to be much older than Yuqi the Venerable One, but a cultivator’s age must not be judged from one’s appearance only.
Bai Zhiyi was also stunned when he received Yuqi the Venerable One’s order. He looked enviously at Ou Yangming and said, “Lil’ Ou, you’re really too lucky to be recognized by Sir Venerable One.” He paused for a while before he exclaimed, “As far as I know, Sir Venerable One has never spoken for anyone before this.”
Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. He found it rather strange too because Yuqi the Venerable One treated him with special respect indeed.
Bai Zhiyi then said with a smile, “Lil’ Ou, I’ve arranged your accommodation for you, so would you like to rest or…”
“I’d like to go to the library to take a look,” Ou Yangming answered without any hesitation.
The young fellow had come across many figures after he entered the Spiritual Realm from the lower realm, and he managed to learn a lot from them. Even so, he never really underwent systematic learning. Since he was given a chance now, he did not want to miss it.
Bai Zhiyi seemed to have guessed his answer already. He smiled and brought the young fellow to a mountain.
Many powerhouses guarded the mountain path, and they either kept watch openly or covertly.
Although Ou Yangming felt embarrassed to search the area with his consciousness, he could roughly estimate that the number of powerhouses gathered here was similar to that in a nest of lizards.
It was evident that this was the actual important place in the Beast King Sect, or there would not be so many powerhouses here.
Bai Zhiyi was a familiar face, hence nobody questioned him when he walked the path. On the other hand, Ou Yangming was a stranger. Especially when he walked past the guards on the mountainside, he was scanned by fierce looks from the guards, who seemed like they wanted to see through him.
One of the middle-aged men walked over. He did not take big strides, but his footsteps were firm and powerful as though he walked with extreme confidence.
The tough man beamed when he saw Bai Zhiyi. “Big Brother Bai, long time no see.”
Bai Zhiyi laughed and responded, “Brother Shui, you’re on duty this month.”
The middle-aged man smiled bitterly. “Ah, this is the most boring place for us to be on duty; I don’t believe that anyone will have the guts to invade the Beast King Sect.” He sounded confident as he was proud of being a disciple in the sect.
“That’s true.” Bai Zhiyi nodded and added after a pause, “I’d like to enter the library, so let me through.”
The man was struck dumb. “Big Brother Bai, it’s fine if you’d like to enter on your own, but this little brother…” He was puzzled when he looked at Ou Yangming, who was standing behind Bai Zhiyi. “You should know the rules—strangers aren’t allowed to enter the library.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t make things difficult for you.” Bai Zhiyi could not help but laugh. He explained, “This is Ou Yangming. Sir Venerable One permitted him to enter the library to learn every secret technique in our sect.”
“What?” The middle-aged man’s face changed. He could not help but look at Ou Yangming in confusion.
Ou Yangming then retrieved an item—the jade badge given by Yuqi the Venerable One.
Bai Zhiyi chuckled and introduced the young fellow to the middle-aged man. “Lil’ Ou, this is Shui Wenliang, an Advanced Spiritualist. He’s quite reputable in the sect. If you’ll come to the library often in the future, you should get acquainted with him.” The elder smiled with his eyes squinted.
“Greetings, Brother Shui,” Ou Yangming uttered.
Shui Wenliang was surprised when he glanced at the jade badge.
Being an Advanced Spiritualist in the Beast King Sect, he naturally knew the jade badge’s background. Moreover, he knew that Ou Yangming would be qualified to enter even the key places in the sect, let alone the library.
Having said that, he could not help but wonder, ‘This young fella’s clearly not a disciple from our sect, so why would Sir Venerable One make things convenient for him?’
Since Ou Yangming had the jade badge as proof, Shui Wenliang dared not obstruct him. He personally escorted the elder and the young fellow up to the mountain and into the library.
Bai Zhiyi stroked his beard and asked, “Lil’ Ou, what would you like to see?”
Ou Yangming answered after some thought, “I’d like to take a look at books related to smithing art.”
“Okay.” Bai Zhiyi skipped the formalities and simply brought him to an attic, then he pointed at the books on the shelf and said, “These are the book collections that we have on smithing art.” He paused for a while then looked meaningfully at Ou Yangming. “I can only bring you this far, so go ahead and look for anything that you need. As for how much you’re able to learn, it’ll be up to you.”
He was optimistic about Ou Yangming, but the young fellow was not a disciple from the sect, after all. It was true that Ou Yangming was granted permission by Sir Venerable One to enter the library, but it would be inappropriate for the elder to guide him.
Ou Yangming nodded and expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, senior.”
It was already unexpected for him to receive such deferential treatment, so he dared not ask for more.
Bai Zhiyi turned and left after he said a few more words.
Once he left the library, Shui Wenliang approached him and asked, “Big Brother Bai, who exactly is that person? Why is Sir Venerable One treating him differently?”
“Brother Shui, I’m sure you’re aware of the jade badge’s meaning, right?” Bai Zhiyi asked him in return.
Shui Wenliang answered with a bitter smile, “Who in the sect doesn’t know what it means? The jade badge’s equivalent to Sir Venerable Ones’ presence.”
“Exactly.” Bai Zhiyi chuckled and continued, “Let me disclose something to you—this young man isn’t ordinary at all, and he hasn’t joined any sect.”
“Are you saying that Sir Venerable One gave him the jade badge for him to move around easily so that he’ll join us?” Shui Wenliang was moved.
“Yes,” Bai Zhiyi spoke sternly, “If he doesn’t understand how mighty the Beast King Sect is, how could he be moved?”
Shui Wenliang did not look bothered at all. The Beast King Sect was one of the Humans’ Nine Great Sects in Danzhou, and they also had an even more formidable reliance in the Spiritual Realm. As such, many rogue cultivators were attracted to the sect.
In his opinion, as long as their sect leaked their intention a little, rogue cultivators would definitely queue until the foot of the mountain to join them.
As naturally gifted as the young fellow was, Shui Wenliang felt that he could not be worthy of such treatment from Sir Venerable One.
“Brother Shui, I know you don’t really buy this, but Sir Venerable One’s jade badge can’t be fake, can it?” Bai Zhiyi shook his head. He looked at the middle-aged man sternly and said, “Even if it’s for the sake of Sire Venerable One, you must treat this matter carefully. Heh, if you ruin sir’s plan, you should know what the consequences are.”
Shui Wenliang’s face changed all of a sudden, and he quickly replied to the elder, “Big Brother Bai, don’t worry, I won’t spoil sir’s plan no matter what.”
Bai Zhiyi was right. Regardless of Ou Yangming’s background, since Yuqi the Venerable One valued him so much, Shui Wenliang could not object to anything at all. Besides, the jade badge represented the Venerable One’s presence. If he dared to be disrespectful, he would not be able to bear the consequences.
Nevertheless, the Advanced Spiritualist was still bewildered when he turned to look at the library.
‘Is this young fella Sir Venerable One’s illegitimate child?’
※※※※
Ou Yangming looked at the book collections in the grids. His eyes gleamed with happiness.
He browsed the books according to the list, and he picked 3 books in no time. After he retrieved the books, he read them quietly on the desk in the attic.
There were rules in the library. The disciples from the sect could enter if they paid a certain price, but books could only be read in the library and could not be taken out.
Other than Ou Yangming, there were several blacksmiths from the sect in this side hall at the moment.
When they saw Bai Zhiyi earlier, they stood up to greet him. Only when the elder left, they looked at Ou Yangming in confusion.
This was because they could not figure out who the young fellow was to be accompanied by the elder here.
It was worth noting that Bai Zhiyi was one of the top 5 blacksmiths in the Beast King Sect. Even the sect leader treated him politely and would not be hostile toward him.
The disciples did not keep looking at Ou Yangming, but they paid attention to the books that he picked.
However, they were in disbelief when they saw what books he picked. This was because he chose the most fundamental books for smithing art.
The contents of those books were not complicated. They contained the most basic knowledge, where most of them could even be found in ordinary stores.
Bai Zhiyi had accompanied the young fellow here, but he only read the most ordinary books here. This was extremely from what the disciples had expected.
When they left the library, they instantly spread the word.
Needless to say, Bai Zhiyi heard the news too. He smiled when he found out about Ou Yangming’s choices as he was pleased.
The young fellow was exceptionally gifted, by which he smithed Good Grade magic tools without having undergone systematic learning. Despite that, he was not arrogant and all, and he learned from the bottom when he was given a chance.
His character was even harder to come by as compared to his natural gift.
Such a person would surely achieve great things in the future.
