Two days later.
Inside a spacious and brightly lit room, bookshelves crisscrossed in neat rows, filled with all kinds of ancient, timeworn books. An elderly man with white hair and beard was slowly flipping through the documents in his hands. The entire room was immersed in an atmosphere of silence.
A crisp sound of a door opening quietly rang out, and a voice entered the room.
"Vice Dean, Lin Yuan has arrived."
"Let him in."
Not long after Hu Gan's voice fell, a gentle-looking young man walked in. Upon seeing Hu Gan, he took two steps forward and bent down to salute.
"Since you're here, I won't waste words. Lin boy, this opportunity is rare—make good use of this fortuitous chance."
As he spoke, Hu Gan stood up and walked to the wall behind him. He casually slapped it a few times, and a deep rumbling sound echoed out. Immediately afterward, a pitch-black passageway appeared before Lin Yuan.
"Follow me." Hu Gan waved his hand at Lin Yuan and took the lead into the dark passage. Lin Yuan did not hesitate and followed closely behind.
After entering the passage, Lin Yuan discovered that large luminous pearls were embedded into the walls. Their faint glow illuminated the corridor in a hazy light. Following Hu Gan forward, after about half an hour of walking, a point of brightness finally appeared at the end of the passage.
Lin Yuan stepped out together with Hu Gan. In the blink of an eye, an extremely vast open area came into view. At its center stood a massive, heavy, and ancient-looking pavilion.
Scripture Pavilion!
The archaic plaque clearly proclaimed its identity.
"This is the true Scripture Pavilion—the real foundation of our Jia Nan Academy," Hu Gan said with a hint of pride as he looked at the astonished Lin Yuan.
"Come with me."
Hu Gan led Lin Yuan forward at a steady pace. When they were about twenty meters from the pavilion, he suddenly stopped, cupped his fists toward the pavilion, and said.
"An exceptionally outstanding seed has emerged from this year's Forging Elites Plan. His strength already far exceeds the scope of the Inner Academy Selection Tournament, and he has therefore earned the qualification to enter the Inner Academy early and receive the corresponding reward. I request the two seniors to open the gate!"
"Oh? That's quite a rare occurrence."
The voice echoed through the air. Immediately afterward, two gray-robed figures sitting cross-legged on the ground appeared strangely in front of Hu Gan and Lin Yuan.
They were none other than the guardians of Jia Nan Academy—Nine-Star Dou Ancestors, Qian Mu and Bai Lie.
"So this is spatial fluctuation—the power of high-level Dou Ancestors manipulating space. Truly marvelous."
Though he had long known of it, witnessing their method of appearance firsthand still left Lin Yuan somewhat amazed. These two were the strongest individuals he had encountered since coming to this world.
"Lin Yuan."
After the two appeared, Hu Gan called out softly and gave Lin Yuan a meaningful look.
Lin Yuan understood immediately. He stepped forward, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply.
"Student Lin Yuan greets the two seniors!"
"A Dou King?"
One of the gray-robed figures stared at Lin Yuan's somewhat youthful face. His hoarse voice carried a trace of surprise as he turned his gaze toward Hu Gan.
Hu Gan respectfully replied, "Reporting to Elder Bai, the details are as follows…"
After listening to Hu Gan's explanation, the way the two looked at Lin Yuan gained an indescribable depth.
"A seventh-grade peak Life-Devouring Pill… to think such an opportunity exists. A fifteen-year-old Dou King, a fifteen-year-old Fifth-Grade alchemist—truly formidable youths. It seems the Forging Elites Plan has finally yielded results."
Bai Lie looked at Lin Yuan and said solemnly,
"Boy, do not waste your talent and fortune. The side effects of the Life-Devouring Pill are not as terrifying as they seem. Where there is a method, there is a way to break it. The Dou Qi Continent is home to countless strange experts and extraordinary techniques—there will surely be a way to resolve its side effects. If necessary, you may go to the Pill Tower in Central Plains. If you gain the favor of an Eighth-Grade Grandmaster, this problem can definitely be solved. With your talent in alchemy, this is not impossible."
"Thank you for the senior's guidance!" Lin Yuan cupped his fists and replied solemnly.
Bai Lie nodded. Then he and Qian Mu jointly unlocked the spatial seal.
"Go. Remember—no matter what you want to obtain, do not force it. No matter how much you can lift, you may only take one item out of the Scripture Pavilion. Do not be greedy, or all your efforts will amount to nothing in the end."
Hearing this, Lin Yuan nodded and walked toward the Scripture Pavilion.
After Lin Yuan entered, the great doors closed behind him. He followed the internal passage and arrived at an enormous hall. Along the surrounding walls were nearly ten energy shields. At this moment, they were rhythmically expanding and contracting, emitting light that illuminated the hall as brightly as day.
Moments later, sharp whistling sounds filled the air once again. Immediately after, clusters of energy—varying in color and shape—were violently expelled from the energy shields, flooding the hall and darting about unpredictably, accompanied by piercing wind sounds.
"Dragon-Grasping Hand."
Along with a soft shout, a spiraling current of Dou Qi surged forward, sweeping one of the energy clusters toward Lin Yuan. With ease, Lin Yuan shattered the energy layer and revealed the item within.
"High-Tier Black-Class cultivation method… Azure Wood Art?"
Shaking his head, Lin Yuan released his grip and allowed it to transform into a streak of light that flew away.
Immediately afterward, Lin Yuan released his soul perception, blanketing the entire hall as he examined the intensity of the energy fluctuations among the countless flying energy clusters. Whenever he sensed a particularly strong fluctuation, he would use Dragon-Grasping Hand to seize it.
As time passed, many valuable items passed through Lin Yuan's hands—Low-Tier Earth Class cultivation methods, Low-tier Earth-Class Techniques, high-grade medicinal ingredients. The collections within Jia Nan Academy's Scripture Pavilion were indeed exceedingly rich.
At one point, after breaking apart an energy cluster, a thumb-sized gray stone appeared in Lin Yuan's hand. The small stone was smooth and jade-like, flawless in every respect. Within its core, a faint blue glow slowly wriggled, resembling a tiny living creature.
Seeing this stone, joy surged through Lin Yuan's heart.
Acceptance Soul.
A rare treasure that could only be found, with extremely low probability, at the very center of the highest-grade Storage Stones. It was exceedingly scarce and an indispensable item for alchemists seeking to subdue Heavenly Flames.
"Acceptance Soul… it actually exists here! Truly effortless fortune. Looks like there's no need to rely on luck to purchase one, or scheme for the one in Gu He's possession."
Immediately afterward, Lin Yuan released the item he had been holding—a mid-tier Earth-Class fire-attribute cultivation method, Ninefold Heavenly Flame Art and stored the acceptance soul into his storage ring. Turning around, he walked into the pitch-black passage.
As Lin Yuan departed, the streaks of light within the hall returned to the energy shields. The shields then began to slowly contract, shrinking little by little until, with a faint ka-cha sound, they completely vanished.
Lin Yuan followed the passage and stepped out through the great door at its end.
As he exited, one of the gray-robed figures subtly moved his sleeve. Instantly, Lin Yuan felt a vast, boundless, formless energy sweep over his body. After more than ten seconds, the energy receded like a tide.
"Time is up. You may leave. Remember—everything that happened here today, including all information within the Scripture Pavilion, must not be disclosed to anyone."
The hoarse, ancient voice slowly echoed around the entrance.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan lowered his head slightly.
Seeing Lin Yuan emerge, Hu Gan who had been standing before the pavilion—smiled and asked, "Did you obtain the reward you desired?"
Lin Yuan smiled and nodded.
"That's good." Hu Gan chuckled softly, then slightly bent toward the two gray-robed figures standing beside the gate like old monks. "The matter is concluded. We shall not disturb the two seniors' cultivation any further. Farewell."
With that, he led Lin Yuan away from the Scripture Pavilion.
As the two departed, the figures of the two elderly guardians gradually dissolved amid distortions of space, and tranquility once again returned before the Scripture Pavilion.