“What?!
How is this even possible?!” Qin Fan gasped in complete shock.
Mindlessly reaching out, he pinched the arm next to him with all his strength.
“Wait…
I didn’t feel any pain!
It’s a dream!
It’s just a dream!” “Ahhh!
You fucking bastard, pinch yourself if you want to test if it’s a dream!” Long Chen roared in agony, slapping Qin Fan’s hand away while rubbing his bruised arm.
“So it’s not a dream…” Qin Fan stared blankly at the glowing testing stone.
“That means…
Lu Ruie’s talent root actually advanced from Mortal High-Rank to Earth Low-Rank!
How in the world is this possible?!” [Ding!
Target’s mind is completely overwhelmed with shock!
Emotion Points +5!] [Ding!
Target’s heart is trembling in disbelief!
Emotion Points +5!] [Ding!
Target’s mind is completely overwhelmed with shock!
Emotion Points +5!] [Ding!
Target’s heart is trembling in disbelief!
Emotion Points +5!] [Total Emotion Points: 40] Tears spilled down Lu Ruie’s cheeks as she stared at her glowing hands, her entire body shaking with emotion.
“Teacher Jiang…
thank you!
Thank you for giving me a new life!
I…
I don’t even know how to repay you…” Jiang WuShang offered a warm, gentle smile.
“Alright, alright, don’t cry.
I am your instructor—it is my duty to guide and help all of you.” Without hesitation, Lu Ruie dropped to her knees, bowing her head to the wooden floor.
“Teacher Jiang, please accept me as your formal personal disciple!” “Get up first,” Jiang WuShang stepped forward, helping her to her feet.
“I accept you as my disciple.” Su Lurong watched the scene, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.
The temptation of having one’s talent root upgraded was mind-boggling—it was the kind of heavenly fortune cultivators would gladly slaughter millions for.
She swallowed hard and stepped forward.
“Teacher Jiang…
what about us?” Jiang WuShang looked at the eager, expectant faces of Su Lurong, Qin Fan, and Long Chen.
“Upgrading Lu Ruie’s talent root consumed a tremendous amount of my inner energy,” Jiang WuShang explained calmly, lying smoothly to hide the System’s mechanics.
“How about this: I will upgrade your talent roots one by one, space out the process to once a week, and elevate all of you to Earth Low-Rank talent.
We can discuss pushing into Earth Medium-Rank later.
But on one condition—you must cultivate seriously and diligently.” “Thank you, Teacher!
Thank you!” Qin Fan and Long Chen blurted out simultaneously.
Without needing to be told twice, all three fell to their knees alongside Lu Ruie, bowing in unison.
“Teacher Jiang, please accept us as your personal disciples as well!” “Good, good,” Jiang WuShang nodded in satisfaction.
“I accept all four of you.
But remember my conditions carefully: this secret must never leave this room.
You all understand the stakes.
If the world finds out I possess the power to upgrade natural spirit roots, every top power in the realm will hunt us down until there’s nowhere left to hide.” “Yes, Master!” the four answered firmly, their eyes burning with unwavering loyalty.
“That will be all for today,” Jiang WuShang announced, adjusting his robes.
“I am heading out to select high-grade martial manuals for your cultivation path.
We will continue tomorrow.” With that, he turned and exited Class C9.
“Brother Jiang!
How did your first session go?” A calling voice made Jiang WuShang turn around.
Lu Jun was walking down the hallway toward him with a relaxed expression.
Jiang WuShang smiled.
“Brother Jun!
It went quite well.
By the way…
why didn’t you mention that your younger sister was in my class?” Lu Jun paused, a helpless and slightly guilty look appearing on his face.
“Brother Jiang, it’s not that I wanted to hide her from you…
It’s just that Young Master Ling from the Capital has been incessantly harassing her.
To avoid his unwanted attention, she hid herself away in Class C9.
Please look after her for me…
I don’t possess enough power or backing to pick a fight with that bastard Ling yet.” “Don’t worry, Brother Jun,” Jiang WuShang replied calmly.
“I have officially accepted her as my personal disciple.
Her safety is now my responsibility, and I will take care of her.” Lu Jun froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.
“You…
you accepted her as your personal disciple?!
Does that mean…
she’s finally ready to step out of her shell and move past what happened?” Tears of relief welled up in Lu Jun’s eyes.
“She suffered so much back in our hometown…” “I already know about her past,” Jiang WuShang said softly.
“Don’t worry.
She isn’t weak—she will personally take her revenge when the time comes.” Lu Jun wiped his eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Thank you, Brother Jiang!
Ah, are you heading toward the intern quarters now?” “No,” Jiang WuShang shook his head.
“I’m heading to the Martial Arts Library to pick out suitable techniques for my disciples.
Right now, the only core technique I hold is the Nine Swords of the Azure Dragon, which isn’t suitable for everyone’s cultivation path.” “I’ll go with you then,” Lu Jun said, joining his side.
“I need to find some suitable manuals for my B6 disciples as well.
With a bit of proper guidance, they can reach new heights.” The two walked together through the inner paths of the academy until a majestic, nine-story tower appeared before them.
Above the arched entrance, grand golden characters shone brilliantly: AZURE LIBRARY.
“So this is the Azure Library,” Jiang WuShang murmured, admiring the towering structure.
“It certainly lives up to its reputation.” “Indeed,” Lu Jun nodded.
“The Azure Library is under the direct jurisdiction of the Dean, housing the accumulated knowledge of generations.
However, since we are only intern instructors, we are restricted to picking manuals from the ground floor.” “Is there a limit on how many manuals we can borrow?” Jiang WuShang asked.
“We can take out up to five physical manuals at a time,” Lu Jun explained.
“However, while inside the building, we are free to read as many as we want.
Just remember—damaging any of the texts is considered a grave offense.
The punishment can be as severe as execution.” “That’s simple enough.
It’s not like we came here to destroy books,” Jiang WuShang smirked, taking his first step across the threshold.
Inside, the vast ground floor housed eighteen towering bookshelves, packed tightly with thousands of martial technique scrolls, mental cultivation methods, and pill-refining records.
A few dozen individuals were quietly browsing through the aisles.
“Brother Jun,” Jiang WuShang noticed something, whispering, “are all these people interns?
They aren’t wearing intern tokens.
Are they student disciples?” “Not all of them are interns,” Lu Jun whispered back.
“Some are top-tier disciples from Classes A1 through A3.
Disciples with high-rank talent roots receive special permissions to access the lower library floors whenever they please.” “I see.
Let’s get started then.” Jiang WuShang walked toward the nearest row of shelves.
Martial techniques, inner cultivation methods, pill refining formulas…
this floor has everything.
He focused his mind internally.
System, if I activate the One-Time Use Enlightenment Card, how many books can I absorb?
[Ding!
The One-Time Use Enlightenment Card lasts for 6 hours.
The total amount of information absorbed depends entirely on the Host’s reading speed and cognitive processing.] Six hours…
I can clear this entire ground floor in six hours!
Jiang WuShang’s eyes glimmered with intense excitement.
System, activate the Enlightenment Card!
I’m going to scan this place empty!
[Ding!
Enlightenment Card Activated!
Duration Remaining: 05:59:59] The moment the card activated, a subtle, divine golden aura flared around Jiang WuShang’s body.
His cognitive speed multiplied by thousands of times.
He grabbed a technique scroll and flipped through the pages like a lightning-fast flurry.
Every single word, diagram, and meridian path flashed across his eyes and instantly burned itself into his memory with absolute clarity!
Nearby, Lu Jun felt a sudden surge of atmospheric Qi and turned around.
His jaw dropped.
“What on earth…
what is that golden light?!
Is Brother Jiang in trouble?!” Fearing his friend was suffering a spiritual backlash, Lu Jun charged forward to pull him back.
Inside Jiang WuShang’s mind, a torrent of martial comprehension was exploding.
Incredible!
Every manual I glance at…
I instantly master its core concepts!
Not only that…
I can see the connections between different martial arts!
I can merge these individual techniques together to create entirely new, superior skills for myself!
He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the shelves.
Every second in this state was worth thousands of spirit stones!
“Stop!
Don’t touch him!” A strict, booming voice echoed through the aisle, freezing Lu Jun in his tracks.
Lu Jun spun around and saw Master Lu walking toward them with a stern expression.
“Master Lu!
What’s happening to Brother Jiang?!
Is he suffering from Qi deviation?!” Master Lu glared at him, his voice laced with annoyance.
“Brat, you’re still calling me ‘Master Lu’?
How many years are you going to hold that petty grudge against me for not intervening in your sister’s situation?!” “Isn’t that your fault to begin with?!” Lu Jun snapped back bitterly.
“You foolish boy, can’t you understand the situation in Azure Academy?!” Master Lu scolded in a low, harsh tone.
“Your friend possesses an Earth-Rank talent root, yet he was forced into Class C9, and no elder dared speak up for him!
If I had meddled in your sister’s affairs back then without the proper backing, both of you would have vanished from this city without knowing how you died!
In this Academy, connections and strength are everything!” Lu Jun gritted his teeth, turning his head away.
“Fine, fine!
I’ll listen to your explanations later!
Just tell me what’s wrong with Brother Jiang right now!” Master Lu looked at Jiang WuShang, a rare look of awe washing over his face.
“He has entered a state of Sudden Enlightenment.
In this state, he is comprehending and mastering martial manuals at a terrifying rate.
In the past five hundred years of our Academy’s history, he is the first person to trigger a spontaneous Enlightenment in this library!
Do not touch him—that golden Qi surrounding his body will violently repel anyone who interrupts him.” Lu Jun let out a breath of relief, though his eyes remained wide.
“If you say so…
then he really is a monster after all.” Master Lu raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you say that?” “Because…” Lu Jun said, a proud smile breaking across his face, “…he completely mastered the Nine Swords of the Azure Dragon with a single glance.
He barely even read through the manual.” “What?!” Master Lu’s calm demeanor shattered, his face twisting in utter shock.
“A single glance?!” Meanwhile, Jiang WuShang moved smoothly along the rows, flipping through hundreds of scrolls in minutes.
As his comprehension expanded, his perception began to alter.
My senses…
what’s happening?
His consciousness flared outward, perceiving the natural flow of spiritual Qi throughout the library building.
He didn’t even need to use his physical eyes anymore—the entire structure, the bookshelves, and the people within were clearly mapped out in his mind through their Qi signatures.
I can sense everything…
Jiang WuShang noted internally.
There’s Lu Jun…
and standing next to him is Master Lu.
Wait…
why are their Qi circulation pathways so remarkably similar?
They aren’t just practicing similar techniques…
their bloodlines share an identical resonance!
They’re father and son!
Outside his perception, Lu Jun smirked at the shocked elder.
“Oh, and that’s not all.
In that single glance, he also identified nineteen distinct flaws within the Nine Swords of the Azure Dragon technique.” Master Lu’s face turned pale, his eyes bulging.
“Brat!
You’re lying to me!
Even the Mortal Emperor only managed to spot twelve flaws in that ancient scroll!
How could a young junior’s comprehension surpass the Mortal Emperor?!”