NOVPUB"I wanted to see if you would blush when saying that," the lady in the white dress said, smiling with pursed lips.
"Are you going to give it to me or not?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I heard that Ji Ruobing challenged you?" the lady in the white dress inquired.
"You seem well-informed," Xu Zimei said with a slight smile.
"It’s because recently, many people have wanted to challenge you. It’s not only Ji Ruobing, I’ve stopped some," the lady in the white dress said, laughing cheerfully.
"You owe me quite a few favors now."
She said this as she tossed the token to Xu Zimei.
Xu Zimei caught the token, which was somewhat warm.
Furthermore, the token seemed to have a fragrance of pollen on it.
Xu Zimei gently turned the token in his hand.
On the two sides of the token, one side was engraved with white characters, and the other side bore the emblem of Heavenly Dao Academy.
"This token will only allow you to enter the library; remember to return it to me later," the lady in the white dress reminded him.
"I am more curious about your identity now," Xu Zimei said.
"If you thought helping me would earn you the support of True Martial Holy Sect, you’ve miscalculated."
"I did have that thought before, but I’ve given it up now," the lady in the white dress waved her hand and walked away, "Believe it or not."
Xu Zimei stared intently; he didn’t believe a word the other party said.
He only believed that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Aside from parents, everyone who is good to you has their own motives, definitely expecting something in return.
However, currently, he couldn’t guess her intentions and didn’t bother trying.
As long as he was strong enough, he feared no plots or schemes.
When he returned to the library and handed over the token,
the earlier elder held the token and studied it for a long time.
He then looked at Xu Zimei somewhat surprised.
"What’s the matter?" Xu Zimei asked.
"You do have some tricks up your sleeve," the elder waved his hand and returned the token to Xu Zimei.
He said, "The information you seek is on shelf number three on the seventh floor of the eighteenth hall; you can go find it yourself."
Xu Zimei put away the token and walked straight into the library.
The elder watched Xu Zimei’s retreating figure, muttering to himself, "This guy doesn’t seem to have anything extraordinary.
How did he catch that person’s attention?"
...
The eighteenth hall, named Haoyuan Hall,
was shaped like a pagoda, about a hundred meters tall.
Each floor was carved with a lifelike creature, including Monster Beasts, humans, and other races.
Xu Zimei didn’t stop, heading directly to the seventh floor.
The area here was fairly spacious, with a dozen neatly arranged and methodically placed bookshelves in the middle.
A very special fragrance wafted through the air.
This scent came from the wood used to make the bookshelves, which was purple sandalwood.
It wouldn’t decay even after ten thousand years and was specifically used for storing books.
After searching for a while, Xu Zimei finally found the book he needed.
"Annals of the Fallen Emperor: The Demise of the Divine Emperor."
The book was thick. Xu Zimei skipped the irrelevant parts and directly searched for the information he wanted to know.
...
Sunlight streamed through the lattice window outside,
casting an illusory scene on the floor.
Dust lazily lay by the window, occasionally stirred by a gentle breeze.
Xu Zimei slowly closed the book in his hands and pondered for a long time.
"So, this cost is indeed too great.
No wonder such events are seldom heard of."
Xu Zimei’s lips curved into a smile.
He then put the book back in its original place and strode out of the hall and the library.
```
"You heard? The Saintess from the Slaying Immortal Sect has challenged a newcomer on the Ten Thousand Martial Stage," one student said.
"Yeah, and this newcomer is said to be no ordinary person, once he crossed the tenth floor of the Tower of Heavenly Dao. I think his name is Mo Tianming," another added.
"Being challenged by a Saintess means he’s definitely something special. I heard that another newcomer who crossed the tenth floor of the Tower of Heavenly Dao actually killed the Saint Heir of the Ancient Dragon Dynasty."
"Let’s hurry to watch it; they’re both hot contenders for Destiny this year!"
As Xu Zimei stepped out from the academy, he caught wind of the students’ discussions.
"It seems Mo Tianming has accepted," Xu Zimei smiled slightly.
It seemed he was heading there to watch as well.
He had a question mark in his mind concerning Mo Tianming. This person was mysteriously captivating, especially that inexplicable Emperor Qi about him.
...
Upon arriving at the Ten Thousand Martial Stage, Xu Zimei found it had gathered a large crowd. This match’s appeal far exceeded the buzz from his previous battle against Ao Nan.
As a Sect beyond compare, with five Emperors, Slaying Immortal Sect indeed had an abundance of talented disciples—it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they were prolific, like carps crossing the river.
By the time Xu Zimei arrived, the two on the Combat Stage had already begun fighting.
Mo Tianming was clad in a black robe, his long hair moving as if by the wind itself.
His unruly hair had been trimmed, revealing his true visage.
Green spiritual energy surged within his gaze.
Around him, breezes rhythmically arose, making his robes flutter as if they were alive.
Opposite him stood Ji Ruobing, holding a broadsword.
Her purple shirt fluttered behind her, her aura growing stronger with time.
"Come on," Mo Tianming beckoned.
Suddenly, Ji Ruobing, with broadsword in hand, turned into myriad afterimages—so fast that even these were hard to discern.
Her broadsword, carrying Sword Qi, tore through the empty space directly moving towards Mo Tianming.
Mo Tianming’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he executed the Kun Roc Nine Transformations.
A green hurricane swirled around him.
Accompanied by a bird’s cry, his figure also became elusive.
He easily dodged each of Ji Ruobing’s broadsword moves.
Meanwhile, the green spiritual energy around him dispersed with each move he made.
A Kun Roc formed from spiritual energy appeared in front of him. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
"Ancient Sword Technique, first form," Ji Ruobing raised her longsword.
A brilliant sword glow burst forth.
"Cloud Piercing Stance."
Along with the descending broadsword, clouds emerged from the Sword Qi.
The sword seemed to pierce through a sea of clouds, bringing with it rolling waves, and directly struck the Kun Roc phantom.
This slightly delayed Mo Tianming’s movements.
"Ancient Sword Technique, second form, Withering Wilderness Stance."
Her broadsword stirred clouds, moving from rebirth to demise.
The entire sword turned pitch black—an emblem of death, withering, and decay.
...
"This is a technique of the Ancient Emperor," the voice of Da Zhi, the monk, sounded from behind.
Xu Zimei turned to see Da Zhi, the monk, coming over with a smile.
"You seem to know quite a lot," he noted with a grin.
"Of course, an entity like the Slaying Immortal Sect, just like your True Martial Holy Sect, is hard not to pay attention to."
The monk said.
"They have five Emperors, which means the younger generation has plenty of opportunities to choose from."
```
