Yefutidaolu

Chapter 240 Imperial Academy Library

Half an hour later.

Ye Qingmu has already left.

"See, I knew you weren't full. Eat as much as you want, take your time." Gao Jian sat by the roadside, patting Dan Sha's back to help her catch her breath.

Dansha raised his head, took a sip of water, and finally felt he had eaten almost enough.

Now that we've eaten enough, we can start talking business.

So Dansha said, "That person seems to think you've opened a divine gate, not knowing that you mainly train your physical body. But... how did you generate divine intent?"

Just half an hour ago, a swindler named Ye Qingmu made contact with Gao Jian over a trivial matter, and Gao Jian and Ye Qingmu exchanged some spiritual essence.

During that exchange, Takami displayed his own...divine will.

The swindler didn't think anything of it. After all, Gao Jian's martial arts divine intent looked terrifying, and she couldn't understand it at all. But as a fifth-level cultivator, it wasn't anything special for Gao Jian to have martial arts divine intent.

But Cinnabar knew the ins and outs of the matter.

Gao Jian mainly strengthens the physical body, and if he were to open the essence gate, he would open the spirit gate, so how could he have a spirit gate, or even cultivate the spirit?

So, Dansha asked the question.

Gao Jian glanced at the cinnabar.

To be honest, this was obviously a question that shouldn't have been asked, but... he knew that Dansha hadn't thought that much about it; she was just curious, so she asked.

So Gao Jian replied, "I'm not sure if this counts as divine will, but it's the effect of a cultivation technique, the one I gave to Ye Qingmu before."

"This kind of technique... can simulate divine will?" Dansha asked with some surprise.

A technique that simulates divine will? Such a bizarre thing exists? Is this even possible?

As for things like 'opening the divine gate', she had never even considered it.

That was utterly absurd and impossible; it was completely outside her consideration.

Trying to break through barriers without even understanding the concepts?

Haha, are you dreaming?

"Perhaps," Gao Jian replied.

In fact, even Gao Jian himself doesn't understand it, so he doesn't dare to be certain and can only say it in this way.

Dansha seemed somewhat displeased: "You just gave her this strange cultivation technique like that? I think the complexity of those techniques is on a completely different level."

“It’s a fragment, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t reproduce the complete one, but it’s not a loss. Her essence… could be of great use to me,” Gao Jian said.

"Hmm...you're smarter than me, so I'll listen to you." Dansha nodded and stopped paying attention to these things.

Gao Jian's considerations are certainly more comprehensive than his, so let Gao Jian make the decision himself.

Let's eat first. You must be exhausted from chasing the cats all day. You need to eat more to make up for it.

Gao Jian, however, closed his eyes.

This was a bit of a risk, as I demonstrated the divine intent of martial arts, but the gains were also significant.

As for the other party's loyalty...

To be honest, Gao Jian didn't have much affection for people who made a living by cheating and swindling, but Ye Qingmu's last words really impressed him.

In this world, you can't survive without doing it this way.

how to say……

Correct nonsense.

But no matter what, people who cheat, swindle, and steal are ultimately unacceptable. Despite the sighs, Gao Jian had no sympathy for her.

However, there's nothing he can do to change it.

Originally, before Ye Qingmu said those words, Gao Jian actually wanted to say, "Don't lie to people anymore. I'll find you a proper job. Your illusion magic is quite powerful, why use it for these kinds of things?"

A spiritual practitioner, if capable, why bother with these things?
However, after Ye Qingmu finished speaking, Gao Jian abandoned the idea and chose to let her leave.

The reason why people like Ye Qingmu exist is because of... this 'world'.

That's just how the world is.

People naturally become like this when they follow the crowd.

They persuaded Ye Qingmu and then arranged a job for her, so what?

If the world doesn't change, a second Ye Qingmu will soon emerge.

Ye Qingmu is not special, she is not irreplaceable, so this is meaningless, because this is not 'saving people from dire straits', but 'trying to change people's fate'.

If Ye Qingmu were about to starve to death, Gao Jian would immediately lend a helping hand, regardless of whether there would be other people starving to death in the future.

But she's not.

This is probably similar to... providing emergency relief but not long-term support.

Ye Qingmu wasn't in a difficult situation, nor was she in a hurry; she simply...

This world... sigh, never mind.

Gao Jian shook his head.

Changing the world was simply not something he could even dream of.

The world order of the Divine Dynasty is determined by the entire upper echelons of the royal family, aristocratic families, major immortal sects, as well as various historical and cultural factors. It cannot be formed or changed by any single cultivator.

The weight of history seems especially abhorrent at this moment.

It is precisely because history is so profound that the 'world' built upon it and lasting for so long appears exceptionally solid.

The world has become like this, and it seems... everything has a part in it.

The foundation is too thick; it can't be changed.

Therefore, Gao Jian did not make a move.

Let's read books first.

To do something well, you must first have the right tools. If the knife isn't sharpened properly, you can't chop people effectively.

After you get back, go to the Imperial Academy and study hard.

Moreover... these divine essences also need to be carefully comprehended. Although Gao Jian already has a cultivation method, he himself is a martial artist and is not compatible with these methods. Ye Qingmu must also know these things, which is part of the reason why she is willing to hand over the cultivation method.

But none of that matters.

Gao Jian wanted this because it was a technique from the Desire Realm, and the 'thoughts' within it were the greatest inspiration for him.

In short, after finishing his meal, Gao Jian took the cinnabar and returned to the inn.

He didn't see Shu Jian, so he figured it was still in the Imperial Academy's library. Shu Jian had always shown a strong desire for the library, and he guessed it was probably enjoying itself like the rat soaking in the sesame oil barrel.

The ocean of knowledge, that place is...

Gao Jian also wanted to go to the library.

Then, let's go tomorrow!

Tonight, I'll sleep with Dansha first.

This young lady has died once before, and now she has a kind of stress response to danger. These days, she gets very uneasy when Gao Jian isn't around.

Sigh, it's all Canghai's fault. He keeps bringing up the Ministry of Rites for no reason. He's crazy... He's making everyone uneasy. Could he have some hidden agenda?
------------

Soon, the next day arrived.

Gao Jian and Dan Sha arrived at the Imperial Academy without delay.

The Imperial Academy remained quiet, with few people in most areas. Only the Sutra Repository was somewhat lively, with a large group of several hundred people gathered there.

Fortunately, the library is large enough. The library is a huge tower, really big... and very tall.

This tower seems ordinary, except for its exceptional size, but the entire tower itself seems to possess a divine charm.

Gao Jian then closed his eyes and used his mind to sense and read the information within the divine essence.

He froze on the spot for a moment.

This tower is enveloped in a certain divine aura—!
Purple mist swirls, and golden clouds drift by.

A radiant light stretches across the sky, a long, horizontal ribbon of light.

Tigers and leopards soared around, while phoenixes and cranes danced in the air, their colors vibrant and varied.

Shen Yun is constantly changing, transforming in the blink of an eye, ever-changing and ever-shifting.

The shadows of a thousand mountains sway, ten thousand lakes flow into the sea, shimmering and sparkling, a clear mirror floats in the air, reflecting the hazy light, crimson flames blaze across the sky, and flowing light shakes the earth.

This tower.

but……

Those Shen Yun performances contained no information.

Yes, there is no information. Even if you try to read it, the spirit of this tower remains empty.

Is this...reasonable?

Such magnificent charm, even full of strange phenomena, yet these things are empty inside, just like a large, elaborately decorated book that, when opened, is full of blank pages.

He stood there, completely baffled.

It wasn't until Dansha grew impatient and nudged him from behind, saying, "Why aren't you going in?"

"Oh...it's time to go in." Takami recovered from his surprise.

Whether a library has anything of value or not is not determined by its outward appearance, but by the books inside. Focusing on the outward appearance is pointless.

Gao Jian then walked in.

What comes into view is a high ceiling and a spacious hall. The whole hall is made of wood. As soon as you enter, you can see a wall with real objects on it. Inside, there are many 'models' of various utensils, figures, birds, beasts, trees and stones. They all seem to be specimens, lifelike, and each has its own expression and charm.

This should be a place to broaden one's horizons.

But... Gao Jian discovered that there were specimens of all five 'primates' here.

Wow, isn't that a bit too arrogant...?

As you continue walking in, you can see many rooms.

Some of the room doors were open, so you could see the Four Treasures of the Study inside: brush, paper, ink, and inkstone.

Next to these rooms is the main building of the library—

Inside, there are many bookshelves neatly arranged, filled with countless books.

It was unusually quiet here; even the slightest sound would be quite noticeable, so everyone who came and went kept quiet.

The architectural style, like the exterior, is neat and simple, with smooth, flat wood tightly joined together by mortise and tenon joints.

The place has a rather elegant atmosphere; although calming incense is constantly burning around, it doesn't completely mask the faint smell of ink and the aroma of the tower's own wood.

Each bookshelf contains hundreds of books, and the scrolls, when unfolded, are longer than a human body. Upon closer inspection, these books are mostly handwritten copies, recording a large amount of obscure magic, ancient history, and mysterious knowledge.

The bookshelves are arranged by floor, with each section neatly divided into sections. Each section contains many similar books, creating a world of bookshelves and books all around.

Every part of the library is well-organized, containing books of all kinds of knowledge.

This place is not limited to books; there are also many other items such as jade slips, bamboo slips, and woodblock prints.

Then, in a prominent place in this library, there is a sentence hanging.

"Without climbing high mountains, one cannot know the height of the sky."

"Without standing by a deep ravine, one cannot know the depth of the earth."

"Without coming here, one cannot know the vastness of knowledge in the world."

That tone was truly astounding.

But it's the truth.

Known knowledge, unknown knowledge, knowledge that is being explored, knowledge that has not yet been discovered, knowledge that has been thoroughly researched, or knowledge of anything else, are all here.

History, the heavens, nature, life, legends, laws, customs, traditions, soil, topography, climate, humanities, animals, minerals—

The myriad phenomena of the universe, and the myriad laws of nature.

The virtue of communicating with the divine is like that of heaven and earth.

Maxims and proverbs remain, and techniques and tools endure.

By understanding the past, we can learn about the future; by exploring the world, we can accomplish tasks.

This is the largest library in the Divine Dynasty. Any book drawn from it could cause a bloodbath among the rogue cultivators outside.

Someone like Ye Qingmu, if he were to take a book here, would attract a lot of fighting in the martial arts world, just like the cliché scene of fighting for a peerless secret manual.

"Well then, let's start reading." Gao Jian stretched, then his eyes lit up, ready to get down to business: "This place is really..."

But, at this very moment—

But then, from the fourth or fifth floor of the tower, came angry squeaks.

Gao Jian and Dan Sha both immediately looked up.

Because they were very familiar with the voice.

It's the sound of a mouse.

Anger? Why? And isn't the library supposed to be quiet? How did it turn into this mess?
"Why are you kicking me out? I have proof; I registered yesterday!" Mouse's voice came from upstairs.

But a force that barely caused any disturbance, yet was almost impossible to resist, threw a golden-haired hamster off from above.

Because of the commotion, many people around looked over, but no one said anything.

Many people glanced at it and left, but some chose to stop and watch.

But no one came forward.

With a brilliant idea, he took three steps in two and caught the mouse.

Shu Jian turned around and was surprised to find that Gao Jian and Dan Sha had also arrived.

Then, his imposing manner immediately flared up: "Brilliant! Someone upstairs said we weren't qualified to come to the Sutra Repository and even forcibly threw me out! Go and talk to him!"

Gao Jian is a genuine student of the Imperial Academy; if he speaks up, it will definitely be effective!
"Not qualified to come?" Gao Jian frowned slightly and looked up.

Then, a middle-aged man dressed in a red official robe, with blue eyes and blond hair, stood on the railing above, looking down.

With just one glance, Gao Jian sensed a... killing intent.

But this murderous intent vanished in an instant, turning into indifference the moment he saw Gao Jian.

"Insightful, isn't it?" the middle-aged man in purple said.

"Blue eyes and yellow hair... Are you a Hu person? Wearing a red robe?" Gao Jian frowned.

The official robes of the Divine Dynasty were clearly distinguishable: officials of the third rank and above wore purple, officials of the fourth and fifth ranks wore scarlet, officials of the sixth and seventh ranks wore green, officials of the eighth rank wore blue, and women wore robes in the same color as their husbands.

This is... an official of considerable rank, and a non-Han Chinese?
Gao Jian immediately thought of the Sabao he had met before, who was said to be the young master of the Taotie tribe.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time. I'm here to tell you something: you're not qualified to come to the Scripture Pavilion now. Take that scoundrel and leave." That's what the other party said.

"Why?" Gao Jian asked, not angry.

(End of this chapter)