"Let's go, brother. I'll take you to the Ghost Bishop."
At the entrance of the library, Bibi Dong waved at Gu Han, who was walking behind her, lost in thought.
"Sister, let's call it a day. It's getting late, and I'm a bit tired. Let's head back and rest."
"But... about your parents?" Bibi Dong hesitated.
"Senior sister, this isn't something we can solve overnight. I've already troubled you enough today. Please rest early."
Gu Han smiled warmly, far more cheerfully than the withdrawn boy Bibi Dong had once known.
"Oh... well then, alright. I'll go first, brother."
She gave him a final, uncertain glance. Seeing no trace of frustration on his face, she waved and left.
Gu Han returned the wave with a smile and watched her disappear.
Once alone, he turned to the library entrance and stepped inside.
The space was vast. Rows of towering bookshelves stretched across the hall, packed with volumes of every kind.
There were only a handful of people inside. Gu Han estimated around a dozen or so.
He ran his eyes along the spines of the books. Most were encyclopedic entries on soul beasts: their habits, classifications by age, special skills, and more.
Each species had its own dedicated volume, detailing behavior, life cycles, hunting grounds, mutations, and the nature of soul skills at various levels. Every detail was meticulously recorded.
Gu Han picked up a book about the Titan Giant Ape. It was over 100,000 words long and astonishingly thorough.
In essence, the book warned soul masters that while the Titan Ape's soul rings were powerful, the creature itself was terrifyingly strong—capable of rivaling even ten-thousand-year beasts despite being only a hundred years old. Caution was advised for anyone below a certain level.
"No wonder so few focus on theory. It's so long-winded. Most young people are impatient and prefer actual combat. Who has time to read all this?"
Shaking his head, Gu Han shelved the book.
Soon, another book caught his eye: The Hunting Direction of the Plant Soul Master's Soul Ring.
It reminded him of a conversation between Yu Xiaogang and Tang San—how it was said that plant-type soul masters couldn't absorb beast-type soul rings.
Back then, Yu Xiaogang had treated Tang San more like a test subject than a student.
Opening the book, he read the first theory posed:
*Theory:* Can plant-type soul masters absorb soul rings from beast-type soul beasts?
The book listed numerous case studies. It wasn't unheard of, but the results were often poor due to incompatible attributes. The evolved martial souls became weaker when facing power-type opponents, and there was also a risk of soul deviation or mutation.
*Conclusion:* While it is technically possible, the effect is far inferior compared to absorbing rings from plant-type beasts. Thus, it is not recommended.
The rest of the book elaborated on examples where plant soul masters had suffered due to incompatibility.
Gu Han wasn't sure whether Yu Xiaogang had ever read this book, but judging from his behavior in the original timeline, probably not.
Even if he had, there were so many books in the library that reading all of them would be impossible.
That said, these books on soul beast characteristics were undeniably valuable.
Gu Han picked a few more books of interest and skimmed through them. Before long, night had fallen.
He closed the last book, stood up, and stretched.
---
The night was picturesque. Stars glitter across the sky, and the moonlight spilled across the earth like falling snow.
The Martial Soul Hall remained brightly lit. Gu Han didn't linger to admire the scenery and returned to his quarters.
Naturally, it couldn't compare to the Saintly Hidden Hall, but Gu Han didn't mind. As long as it wasn't a leaky shack, he was satisfied.
After bathing, he ate a quick meal in the canteen and returned to his room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he entered meditation.
With the aid of the unknown cultivation method, his progress had been rapid.
If he hadn't insisted on compressing his soul power to the limit before every breakthrough, he might already have reached level 30.
Now, Gu Han lay in a five-heart-skyward posture and focused inwardly on his dantian.
Inside, a white mist hovered. Below it, soul power liquid shimmered with a faint cold aura.
Though only level 23, Gu Han's actual combat strength was no weaker than an average Soul Sect. He had once defeated a level 38 power-type soul master in the Great Arena.
He didn't just cultivate soul power—he also refined his spiritual power.
The mental cultivation method from the unknown manual was quite different from Tang San's Purple Demon Eye.
According to this method, the human spirit resides in a glimmer of divine light within the spirit platform. That light leaks out through the eyes and disperses.
This leakage was a form of spiritual loss. To prevent it, one had to learn the art of "Returning Light."
Gu Han hadn't fully mastered it, but he could at least slow the leakage.
Once one achieved complete Returning Light, their spirit became self-contained. Internal energies would transform into spiritual force—an inward method of cultivation.
Of course, mastering Returning Light meant one could also unleash that light. But Gu Han rarely used it unless faced with a dire threat.
The method reminded him of a Taoist chant from a cartoon he'd seen in his previous life:
*Shen Ying is restrained!*
It wasn't exactly the same, but the principle of preserving internal spiritual light was similar.
Closing his eyes, Gu Han entered deep spiritual training. Previously, he still needed sleep, but now this meditative state could replace rest.
---
The next morning, sunlight filtered through the window and warmed his skin. Slowly, Gu Han opened his eyes.
A faint light sparkled in his pupils—quickly hidden again.
"Sigh... mastering spiritual restraint isn't easy."
He had accidentally let a trace of light slip.
But he wasn't discouraged. Impatience and overreaching were the greatest dangers to cultivation. He would proceed one step at a time.
Only by consolidating each level could he build a solid foundation—one capable of withstanding any future storm.
---
*(End of Chapter)*
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