CHAPTER 184: LEARNING THE DAO IN SEVEN DAYS

Seeing Jun Laoye enter his cultivation state, Lu Chen turned to Nantian Yijian. "Little Jian, what about you? Weren't you eager for the secret manuals just now? Go pick one quickly. We're about to head up."

"I don't need them. Lord Wind Dragon said my talent is lacking, and that I can only cultivate the techniques within the Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin."

"Ugh..." Nantian Yijian looked at Lu Chen, his face heavy with grievance. "But I still want to learn lots of techniques. Not for any reason, just because they look especially cool."

"Heh, still unwilling to give up?" Wind Dragon leapt down from Lu Chen's head, yanking at Nantian Yijian's hair. "Seems like you still want to hone yourself in my wind blade. Since that's the case, I'll give you what you want..."

He soared into the sky, wind swirling around him as he prepared to unleash his blade.

Nantian Yijian ducked behind Lu Chen, covering his head and retreating in three quick steps. "No, no, no! I was just complaining. I'm actually better suited to being the kind of man who masters a single technique to command all others."

"Hmph..." Wind Dragon snorted, dispersing the wind blade before landing back atop Lu Chen's head. "You may not be able to learn other techniques, but from today onward, I'll guide you properly. Consider it a favor."

Nantian Yijian peeked out cautiously, only stepping out from behind Lu Chen once he confirmed the wind blade had dissipated. He bowed. "Y-Yes... thank you, Lord Wind Dragon."

"Boss, I don't need it either. Ask Miss Wan'er," Nantian Yijian said with a wink. "If she doesn't need it, we can look for the passage to the upper floor while Little Jun is cultivating. We didn't find the teleportation formation earlier, and I still don't know how to get there."

"No need," Lu Chen said. "I already know where the passage is."

He formed a series of hand seals, activating the Divine Eye at the center of his forehead. The world dimmed, and every item on the second floor of the Scripture Hall shone with distinct spirit qi. Some were faint and small, while others were bright and large. The information of each object imprinted itself directly into his mind.

Scanning the room, he spotted a glowing blue notch at the base of the central stone pillar. Lu Chen casually tossed his chief disciple's identity token. With a crisp click, it locked into the notch.

The carved patterns on the token flashed in sync with the glowing runes of the pillar, linking directly into the formation.

"That's the mechanism to go up. But where's the teleportation formation?" Nantian Yijian asked, watching the flickering runes. "Boss? Are you even listening?"

"Mm... I know why the formation hasn't appeared."

Lu Chen walked to the pillar, pressing his palm against the token and silently reciting the incantation with his divine sense. "It's normal there are no higher-level manuals here. The second floor of the Scripture Hall is the highest inner sect disciples can access. To go further, you need higher permissions."

He glanced at Nantian Yijian. "Earlier, we were too rushed, and Song Ping and the others didn't explain clearly how to advance. I've accessed the memories left in the token by past chiefs, so I now understand roughly how the Scripture Hall works."

"Then, Boss, what should we do?"

"The formation's already activated. Let's wait quietly for a moment."

Lu Chen retrieved his token and moved next to Nantian Yijian. "Once Little Jun wakes, we'll head up immediately. Even if we don't need the manuals, the continent's legendary secrets are still worth seeing."

Just then Jun Laoye opened his eyes and stood. "Little Lu, I'm ready. Let's go. The lightning energy this time was strong. I managed to break through again, but I had to suppress it for now."

He clenched his fists, stretched, and twisted his neck. Crackling sounds rippled through his body. "I have only just broken through to the fifth level not long ago. If I tried to ascend any further, my foundation would be unstable."

"Little Jun, it is good to know that you are mindful of that," Wind Dragon said, hovering above. "As expected of a sect family. Their cultivation system and education are indeed thorough. As the saying goes, 'a tall tower can only rise from deep foundations.'

"That's why disciples of sect families outstrip their peers. Advancing quickly brings huge advantages early on, but once you leave the mortal plane, it can take thousands of years for the smallest progress. At that stage, everything depends on the foundation you laid at the start."

He looked at Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian. "Remember this, you haven't had the accumulated training of a sect family. It's all the more important for you to build a solid foundation. Especially you, Little Lu. Your progress is too fast. You must pay close attention to it."

"Understood. A solid foundation for great cultivation," Lu Chen replied.

When Jun Laoye stood up just now, Lu Chen had already infused spirit qi into the token to activate the permission seal. The small stone door at the base of the central pillar slowly rotated, letting out a soft creaking sound.

Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian saluted Wind Dragon, then turned to face the pillar, watching as a secret chamber was revealed within.

With the stone door fully open, Lu Chen gently set Wind Dragon atop his head and glanced at the group beside him. He laughed heartily. "It's time to move. The chief disciple's identity token can grant us access to three more floors. Those floors must hold even deeper secrets. For the sake of our cultivation and ambitions, we must give it our all.

"Eight days remain before the mist erupts. We should use this time to gather everything we need. On the eighth day, we'll go directly to the Jun Clan's elder and have him lead us down. Surely, even more treasures await us then."

Excitement brimming, Lu Chen rushed into the teleportation formation within the secret chamber, with Nantian Wan'er at his side. Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian exchanged a smile before stepping in alongside them.

***

The next seven days were spent entirely in the Scripture Hall.

As soon as Lu Chen reached the third floor, he summoned three of his avatars. Each took on a task: searching for books, reading, organizing, and accumulating knowledge. The four of them worked in perfect harmony, absorbing spells, arcane history, and secret lore from across the continent.

For seven full days, Lu Chen neither rested nor attended to anything else. In that time, he gained not only a full understanding of the continent's current state but also insight into the little-known events hidden from public view. Those days transformed him from a village boy into a seasoned practitioner.

This mastery was still theoretical, but with three avatars to practice through and a team of experienced cultivators guiding him, all that remained was the chance to apply the newly gained knowledge in the real world.

"Phew...

" Lu Chen breathed out, expelling a mouthful of impurities, and sank beside a bookshelf on the sixth floor. "My head's starting to throb... I think that's enough. Any more reading now might be counterproductive."

"Wan'er, where are Little Jun and Little Jian?" he asked, standing and calling out to Nantian Wan'er, while casually placing the Secrets of the Heavenly Dao back on the shelf. "The mist erupts tomorrow. We should be on our way."

"Ah... Lu-gege."

Hearing his call, Nantian Wan'er hurriedly shelved the Scandals of the Emperors and ran to his side. "Brother Jun just went to the fifth floor. He said he's already seen these books back in his clan, and there's nothing in the spell manuals he needs."

"And Little Jian?"

Nantian Wan'er stood obediently by Lu Chen's side. "Brother Yijian? From the moment we entered the third floor, Lord Wind Dragon took him away for some kind of illusion realm training."

She could sense that after these days of poring over the manuals, he had grown steadier, subtly emanating a refined, scholarly elegance.

"Got it. Let's head down to the fifth floor first," Lu Chen said, smiling gently at Nantian Wan'er. "I've already told Wind Dragon to meet up there."

"All right..." she replied.

"Lu-gege... have you noticed?" Nantian Wan'er gazed softly into Lu Chen's eyes. "Over these past few days, your manner has begun to mirror my brother's. If I didn't know your true identity, I would have taken you for a young master from a distinguished clan."

"Really?" Lu Chen stared at her for a moment, then laughed. "Hahaha, so the saying is true—'a learned air makes one noble.' After a few days of reading, I've actually picked up the demeanor of a young master."

He reached out and gently patted Nantian Wan'er's head. Smiling softly, he said, "Since my demeanor now matches that of a young master, our attire should reflect it too. Let's get dressed before we go down."

He formed a hand seal, and a blue water screen appeared one zhang ahead. Taking Nantian Wan'er's hand, Lu Chen stepped through lightly. The moment they passed through, both emerged perfectly clean.

Lu Chen now wore a fine blue-patterned robe, his black hair casually tied up. Nantian Wan'er glanced at him, smiled, and whispered an incantation. Her Moonlight Shadow Armor transformed into a pale yellow, rippling Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Skirt.

Lu Chen looked at her and said, "Wan'er, you look beautiful... But something still seems missing."

"Thank you, Lu-gege..." Nantian Wan'er's face instantly flushed scarlet. She covered her face with her hands, bowing deeply, unable to meet his gaze. "Lu-gege, what did you mean? What's missing?"

"Wan'er, why is your face so red? Could the cold poison have returned? That shouldn't be possible... I've been giving you the pills Grandpa Xiu left for you every day. It should have been completely expelled by now."