The Scripture Pavilion was a vital site of Star Academy, housing an extremely rich collection of ancient texts accumulated since ancient times. It contained various rare典籍 (classics) and ancient methods, even some uncommon divine abilities.
This was a hall filled with starlight. Every inch of its walls exuded an ancient charm. Rumor had it that the pavilion itself was a supreme treasure, capable of channeling star energy to prevent powerful beings from stealing the scriptures.
As Dao Ling stepped inside, his压抑的 (Oppressive atmosphere) mind relaxed somewhat. What good was hatred?
Rows of jade shelves lined the interior, filled with ancient books, jade slips, and beast skins, all recording precious cultivation methods.
Gazing at the scene, Dao Ling was amazed. This was only the first floor, housing thousands of scrolls. The Scripture Pavilion had five floors in total—the higher the floor, the rarer the contents. This was the profound heritage of Star Academy, envied by inheritors of great clans.
"Eh?" An elderly man sat cross-legged at the entrance, appearing very old with sparse hair. When he saw Dao Ling, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes—he sensed the youngster's extraordinary physical strength.
Under the old man's gaze, Dao Ling felt a shiver, as if his body had been seen through.
"What a powerful figure—likely the Scripture Pavilion's guardian!" Dao Ling was startled. Only a top expert could see through his physical body at a glance.
"Youngster, what brings you here?" Noticing Dao Ling's警惕的 (watchful) demeanor, Sun Yuanhua smiled. This youngster was interesting—he had met many prodigies of Star Academy, but this one was unique.
"I came to choose a divine ability," Dao Ling replied, handing over his token.
Sun Yuanhua glanced at the token and nodded. "Go ahead. You can stay for one day. If you reach the second floor, you can stay two days; the third floor, three days."
Only the lower three floors of the Scripture Pavilion were open. The fourth and fifth floors were nearly inaccessible, requiring approval from Star Academy's senior management.
"Understood." Dao Ling nodded, scanning the surroundings. On the first floor, several people were studying beast skins and ancient books, which contained much cultivation experience worth researching.
Dao Ling wasted no time. Starting from the first row, he selected only what was useful. With so many ancient texts, a month wouldn't suffice to read them all.
After a while, Dao Ling's mind stirred. He sat cross-legged, releasing soul force to scan the area rapidly.
"He's awakened his soul force? Not bad, not bad. Haven't seen such an outstanding disciple in a long time," Sun Yuanhua marveled inwardly. Awakening soul force was difficult, usually achieved only by masters, which Dao Ling was not yet.
The first-floor texts were numerous and varied:零散的 (scattered) cultivation experiences left by alchemists, artifact-forging techniques, rare treasure illustrations, and tales of oddities.
Dao Ling's horizons broadened. He spent extra time studying artifact-forging scriptures—he had many ores and should forge a本命器物 (life-bound artifact).
The more he read, the more astonished he became. Many ores given by Lame were divine ores! Their value was incalculable, enough to make old monsters envious.
He was shocked but found the forging methods on the first floor mediocre. The truly terrifying techniques likely resided on higher floors.
He then immersed himself in ancient methods. Though the records were basic, cultivation was about progressing from simplicity to complexity and back to simplicity for unity.
Warnings in some texts made him smile: some in the Spirit Nourishing Realm had their bodies explode from overusing treasures, unable to withstand the energy. Hence, descendants were warned to temper their bodies in the Body Refinement Realm as a foundation.
The Spirit Nourishing Realm was like opening a small world, with the body as its membrane. The larger the world opened, the more unstable it became—even a peerless being could burst it.
"This kid has good mental fortitude," Sun Yuanhua observed, nodding. Though first-floor experiences were basic, mastering them would save many detours.
Dao Ling was new to martial arts; studying profound ancient methods would do more harm than good. When the first day passed and Dao Ling entered a state of faint Dao charm, Sun Yuanhua didn't wake him—it was a rare opportunity.
Divine light shimmered within Dao Ling, clouds of energy roiling. Surging muscle energy erupted with immense destructive power. Unleashing his physical potential would be terrifying!
His entire aura coalesced like an unshakable mountain, powerful and imposing.
In the following days, Dao Ling pondered the Spirit Nourishing Realm, forming a general understanding. He only awoke three days later.
"I should find a physical attack art to leverage my strengths," Dao Ling thought, opening his eyes. This would help him reach peak form and temper his grasp of the Spirit Nourishing Realm, where energy must be wielded effortlessly for minor perfection.
Noticing Sun Yuanhua, Dao Ling approached to seek guidance—it was too slow to search alone.
Interested in Dao Ling, Sun Yuanhua listened and smiled in approval. "Good. You've gained much. Cultivators defy the heavens, and cultivation is no easy task. You're just starting yet have forsaken flashy moves for difficult physical arts—a rare choice."
Sun Yuanhua rarely praised others. In the Scripture Pavilion, he'd seen many choose showy, impractical abilities—such people rarely achieved greatness.
"Please guide me, Elder," Dao Ling said earnestly, hoping to find a suitable divine ability.
After a moment, Sun Yuanhua replied, "Such abilities are rare. I recall some on the east side of the third floor. Go take a look—you might find something."
Dao Ling thanked him and headed for the third floor, hoping to find a body-focused method.
Upon entering the second floor, he felt pressure, but it was trivial. Striding past, he made for the third floor.
On the second floor, those proficient in the Spirit Nourishing Realm eyed the young newcomer with interest. When he headed for the third floor, some jeered: "Newcomers these days have guts. The third floor isn't for everyone."
"Right. The pressure there is immense—even ancient Spirit Nourishing Realm beasts sometimes can't climb it."
"One needs strength to gain good abilities. Wait, this kid is in for it."
Many coveted the third floor, which held divine abilities, unlike the second floor's mostly advanced martial skills. But the third floor's pressure could easily injure the body, similar to the Spirit Pagoda.
Dao Ling felt heavy pressure on his body. Channeling internal energy, he awakened his physique, merging body and energy, with a faint yet可怕的 (terrible) aura lingering.
Onlookers were astonished. It was like facing a god-devil, their bodies trembling under the pressure. They watched in awe as the youth ascended, their earlier mockery turning to embarrassment.
The third floor differed vastly from the second, filled with a solemn aura. Ancient beast skins lay on shelves, jade slips exuded divine light, and ancient books rippled with Dao charm—their combined气息 (aura) made the space formidable.
"What's on the fourth floor?" Dao Ling wondered, browsing nearby texts. The深奥的 (profound) content was beyond his current comprehension, leaving him to imagine the fourth floor's secrets.
"You!" A young man nearby, rare on the third floor, frowned at Dao Ling, surprised the newcomer had reached here.
Dao Ling glanced at him. The man approached, saying, "You surprise me. The Spiritual Mountain Competition is in half a month. If you can withstand three moves from me, I'll concede."
Lin Mu spoke forcefully, confident in his abilities. Though Dao Ling reached the third floor, Lin Mu dismissed him, sure he could suppress Dao Ling in one move.
"Fine, I'll wait," Dao Ling nodded, heading for the east side.
"Hmph, I'll teach you a lesson!" Lin Mu was displeased by Dao Ling's calmness—he was a senior, after all, and deserved respect.
The east side had fewer books, many decaying—likely overlooked due to their focus on physical arts.
Dao Ling searched for half a day before his slender hand picked up a golden beast skin.
"Three Revolutions Golden Body!" His eyes narrowed at the words.