Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
For an entire hour, Li Yanrong was caught in a dilemma. She didn't want Li Xiaonan to return, yet she also wished for his safety.
Beside her, Li Rongluo constantly tried to please her, going to buy Spiritual Fruit one moment and brewing tea the next. Li Yanrong was well aware of her elder brother's intentions; if Li Xiaonan were to disappear, then her body would inevitably belong to Li Rongluo.
She sighed lightly, thinking: One cannot be too demanding. As an ordinary woodcutter's daughter, being able to seek the Immortal Path is already a blessing from my past life. I shouldn't think too much about other things, but as a woman, who wouldn't hope for a good place to settle down?
Although Li Yanrong had cultivated her skills, she was still only eighteen years old, and her earthly desires remained.
Li Rongluo looked at her greedily and said, "A Rong, it's about time. Let's go!"
Li Rongluo was not a young boy; at fifty years old, he appeared only twenty-eight due to his cultivation and the beauty-enhancing elixir given by his mother. Though not particularly clever, he had an exceptional ability to read people's expressions.
He noticed every smile and frown from Li Yanrong. He genuinely liked this sister of his—she was beautiful and talented—but as long as Li Xiaonan was around, he had no chance.
With a sigh, Li Yanrong replied, "Let's go."
Just as they reached the entrance of the Outer Academy, a disheveled figure came running toward them. It was none other than the missing Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan was covered in mud; his once pure white robe had turned gray. At that moment, he stood there with a silly grin on his dirt-covered face.
Li Rongluo snorted softly.
Li Yanrong shook her head and flicked a dust-clearing charm at Li Xiaonan.
The three of them shared an unspoken understanding and entered the Outer Academy without saying a word.
Li Xiaonan followed Li Yanrong with a silly grin, recalling the scene from earlier in the narrow alley and thinking about Li Rongluo's expression when they last met. He already had some thoughts in mind.
He quietly pondered: A gentleman does not hold grudges without reason. If you do not treat me as a brother, then why should I regard you as an elder?
The hardships of his past life had taught Li Xiaonan the value of patience. Endurance did not mean indifference; rather, it was about choosing the right moment to unleash his feelings.
Setting aside his resentment, Li Xiaonan began to observe the most renowned cultivation academy on the Starry Illusion Continent—the Outer Academy.
The deeper he ventured into the Outer Academy, the more astonished he became. Initially, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, but soon he realized that the layout of the Outer Academy resembled universities on Earth, with the only difference being that its environment and architecture were steeped in ancient charm.
As he walked through, wooden buildings and tiled houses stood tall amidst the shadows of trees. What surprised him was that countless cultivators moved about in the Outer Academy, yet not a single one was flying.
Li Xiaonan and his companions arrived at the reception hall of the Outer Academy to complete their enrollment procedures and received their tokens to head to their own independent courtyard.
Each independent courtyard had four rooms for four cultivators to reside in. The furnishings inside were quite simple—just a cauldron and a cushion.
Every three years, the Outer Academy held an arena competition where the four elders—Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu—selected their favored disciples to enter the Twenty-Four Constellation Courtyards for training. Li Xiaonan thought: As long as I am given techniques and time, there will surely be a place for me in the Twenty-Four Constellation Courtyards one day!
Just as Li Xiaonan and his companions entered their courtyard, a man approached them.
The man had long hair tied back neatly and appeared clean and refreshing. His simple gray-blue robe was starting to fade.
He clasped his fists in greeting and said, "Greetings, fellow friends. I am Zhang Hao. I hope we can look out for each other in the days to come."
Li Rongluo and Li Yanrong returned the greeting with brief introductions, while Li Xiaonan, being somewhat foolish, simply stood by with a silly smile.
Li Xiaonan envied Zhang Hao's hairstyle. He wished he could tie up his long hair, but sadly, who would help a fool style their hair? So, Li Xiaonan's hairstyle could be described as flowing long hair in a flattering way, or simply as disheveled in a less flattering light.
If he were a girl, it might be different, but he was a man—a normal man with modern sensibilities—so all he could feel was helplessness.
"This friend?" Zhang Hao looked at Li Xiaonan with confusion.
Li Rongluo chuckled and said, "He is my third brother, a fool. There's no need for you to pay him much mind, Brother Zhang."
Zhang Hao nodded blankly and remarked, "His brother is quite handsome." He then led the three of them into the small courtyard.
During their casual conversation, they learned that Zhang Hao was originally a Nameless Loose Cultivator. By chance, he met an elder from the Outer Academy's library and was recommended to study there.
Zhang Hao had excellent aptitude and had already reached the Late Stage of Heart Movement in his cultivation. As long as he passed this dangerous period, he would truly enter the ranks of Cultivators.
The timing of Li Xiaonan and his companions' arrival was unfortunate; they reached the Outer Academy in the middle of the month and missed the monthly cultivation lecture held at the beginning of each month. Therefore, Li Rongluo and Li Yanrong stayed in their room to cultivate while waiting for next month's lecture.
Li Xiaonan began to familiarize himself with the environment of the Outer Academy.
The Outer Academy had four towers located in the four cardinal directions: green, red, white, and black, representing the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise constellations.
In the northeastern corner of the Outer Academy stood a seven-story tower known as the Star Picking Tower, which served as the academy's library.
Li Xiaonan's goal was the Star Picking Tower. Just because the Li Family Fortress lacked cultivation techniques did not mean that the Outer Academy did! Although techniques varied in quality, as long as there were any available, Li Xiaonan was confident he could achieve minor success in his cultivation.
His confidence was not unfounded; he knew his own body well. His mother had nourished him with medicinal pills for years, leaving his body free of impurities and laying a solid foundation for cultivation. Moreover, Li Xiaonan had exceptional comprehension skills.
He had already made his calculations, and upon arriving at the Outer Academy, the first thing he sought was a cultivation technique.
"What are you doing?" Li Xiaonan was taken aback; he never expected to be stopped as soon as he entered the first level of the tower.
Li Xiaonan sighed inwardly: This person looks like a librarian. If I weren't such a fool, simple communication wouldn't be an issue, but here I am, a fool! It's not time to reveal my true self yet.
He forced a silly grin while contemplating his next move.
The librarian was growing impatient and said, "Who let this fool in? What are you messing around for? This is not a place for you!"
Three black lines appeared on Li Xiaonan's forehead; it seemed he had been playing the fool for too long and had gotten too deep into character... Just as he was anxiously thinking about what to do, Zhang Hao walked out from inside the tower.
Zhang Hao was quite surprised to see Li Xiaonan and asked, "Wang brother, what happened?"
Wang Qin replied, "Zhang, this person wants to enter the library but isn't showing his identity badge. He just keeps grinning like an idiot; I don't know where this fool came from."
"This... Wang brother, I actually know him. He's from my courtyard and is indeed a fool," Zhang Hao explained helplessly.
Wang Qin laughed and said, "Well then, that's good. You can take this fool back with you!"
Zhang Hao nodded and said to Li Xiaonan, "Xiao Nan, come back with me!"
Li Xiaonan was nearly frantic inside; if he couldn't get into the Star Picking Tower today, he might never have another chance. He immediately put on a sorrowful expression and occasionally glanced back at the tower.
It must be said that with Li Xiaonan's handsome face contorting into a look of grievance, the effect was quite noticeable because Zhang Hao's heart had already softened.
"Brother Wang, how about this? I'll take him inside for a stroll. I'll keep an eye on him, and nothing will go wrong," Zhang Hao said to Wang Qin.
Wang Qin glanced at Zhang Hao with some hesitation. Zhang Hao understood his concern, but Li Xiaonan was looking at him with such a pitiful expression that he couldn't resist. He took out two Foundation Pills and handed them to Wang Qin.
Wang Qin smiled and said, "Alright, Zhang brother, you can take him in!"
Zhang Hao nodded and pulled Li Xiaonan along as they walked inside.
Li Xiaonan already had some fondness for Zhang Hao, and now he felt even more touched by his gesture.
He pressed the Longevity Lock and took out a bottle of Fasting Pills, shoving it into Zhang Hao's hands. What he needed most right now was a cultivation method; everything else was secondary.
Zhang Hao was taken aback. When he opened the bottle and saw the Fasting Pills inside, he realized how precious these pills were for someone like him, a low-level Loose Cultivator. He hadn't expected that after giving away two first-level pills, he would receive a whole bottle of fourth-level pills in return.
He looked at Li Xiaonan, who was still grinning at him.
Zhang Hao sighed inwardly: It seems I was overthinking; perhaps even a fool knows who treats him well. He then said, "Xiao Nan, you can look around here by yourself. I have something to attend to; I'll come back to get you later." With that, Zhang Hao headed toward the tower.
Li Xiaonan began to execute his plan. Just the first floor of books contained several times the collection of the Li Family Fortress. This time, Li Xiaonan was clever; he directly found a shelf holding the Jade Eye Tablet and started reading it, his eyes filled with growing delight…
Zhang Hao climbed all the way up to the seventh floor. The room was somewhat dim, and he called out to the person among the pile of Jade Eye Tablets, "Master!"
The person was none other than Yu Jizi, an elder of the Star Picking Tower.
"Haozi! Why are you back again?" Although Zhang Hao had grown accustomed to his master calling him that, he still felt a bit awkward inside.
“Master, I just got a bottle of Fasting Pill,” Zhang Hao said with a smile.
Yu Jizi replied with displeasure, “Haozi, you have many good qualities, but this tendency to be overly frugal is not one of them! You are already in the Late Stage of Heart Movement. While the Fasting Pill may be useful to you, its benefits are limited. You should focus on cultivating your true self; if you continue down this path, it could lead to your downfall.”
Zhang Hao felt a slight flush on his face and said, “I understand, Master.” He was aware of his own shortcomings; in fact, most Loose Cultivators shared this flaw, having been impoverished for too long. This is why Loose Cultivators often struggle to achieve greatness—beyond the scarcity of resources, it is the presence of this petty Inner Demon that holds them back.
“Hey, Haozi, where did you get your Fasting Pill?” Yu Jizi finally emerged from the pile of Jade Eye Tablets and floated over to Zhang Hao.
Zhang Hao was taken aback as the jade vial was already in his master's hands. He replied, “A fool gave it to me.” He then recounted the events to Yu Jizi.
“Oh? There are still such interesting fools in the world! Take me to see him!” A sly smile appeared on Yu Jizi's lips as he tossed the jade vial back into Zhang Hao's hands.
At that moment, Li Xiaonan was grinning while studying cultivation techniques.
Upon seeing him, Yu Jizi's eyes sparkled with excitement. “Hahaha! Great! My closed-door disciple has arrived! I must claim this fool for myself!”
Unbeknownst to them, someone had appeared behind Li Xiaonan, slowly turning around.
The fool faced off against the madman.
Comment 0 Comment Count