"Why is Little Jun acting so strangely? Haven't we always been good brothers?" Nantian Yijian asked, frowning as he watched Jun Laoye's behavior. "Did something happen? I've been watching the whole time, and nothing seems out of the ordinary."
Nantian Wan'er let out a soft laugh as she watched Jun Laoye chase after Lu Chen. "Hehehe, Brother Jun is probably stalling you all with this trick, so that he can snatch the higher-tier manuals first while you're still thinking. They've already left. Brother Yijian, aren't you going after them? Otherwise, the high-tier manuals might be gone before you get there."
"What? They went to snatch the high-tier manuals?" Nantian Yijian turned around and saw Jun Laoye and Lu Chen hovering around the central stone pillar, searching through the various resources. He charged forward and shouted, "Boss! Little Jun, you're so sneaky! Save some for me! I want the high-tier manuals too!"
"Go on quickly, Nantian boy," Wind Dragon said, observing Jun Laoye's movements. Seeing that Jun Laoye had finally let go of his suspicions after Wind Dragon's hint, he chuckled and flicked his dragon tail against Nantian Yijian's back, sending him hurtling toward the central stone pillar.
"Hehehe... what a bunch of rowdy kids. It really feels good to be young," Wind Dragon murmured, hovering in place as he watched Lu Chen and the others disappear into the distance.
He smiled. "Back then, when I first encountered Lord Green Emperor, he and his companions were all just young men, freshly out of Greenheaven Village, exploring the continent.
"It's hard to believe that in just a few decades, Lord Green Emperor would stand out as the leading figure in the Dao Discussion, eventually leading hundreds of thousands of talented youths and demonic beasts to open a passage to the Outside.
"Now that I think about it... it's been nearly three hundred thousand years since Lord Green Emperor led those youths to the Outside. The Dao Discussion back then... ah, those were truly memorable times."
Drifting forward slowly, Wind Dragon felt a mix of emotions. "The hundred thousand demonic beasts are still here, yet the hundred thousand youths of that era have all vanished. Mortal life is ever-changing, yet isn't the life of a cultivator just as fleeting?"
Nantian Wan'er looked at Wind Dragon's forlorn figure and quickly offered comfort. "Lord Wind Dragon, Lu-gege's talent is extraordinary. One day, he'll travel to the Outside too. By then, you'll surely meet those people again."
"Sigh... yes, we will meet them again. After all, cultivators live for a long time. No matter how much time passes, our paths are bound to cross again. Thankfully, Flame Demon and Bai Ze didn't come out. If they had seen this scene, they'd feel even more nostalgic than I do," Wind Dragon said, turning to grin at Nantian Wan'er. The smile looked more strained than sorrowful. "We should go as well. Let's get some manuals for you too."
"By the way, Lord Wind Dragon, why didn't you leave with them back then?" Nantian Wan'er asked. "If Lord Green Emperor could take a hundred thousand youths away, he surely could have taken you too."
"We didn't leave back then for a reason," Wind Dragon said, sounding slightly vexed as he slowly lowered himself to hover above her. Nantian Wan'er's Phoenix Ancestor bloodline had a calming effect on him. "First, our cultivation was too low. We couldn't withstand the chaotic forces within the passage.
"Second, Lord Green Emperor had just unlocked the passage to the Outside and knew little of what lay beyond. He feared danger and needed to stay focused on protecting us. And if danger arose, we could provide backup when they returned.
"So Lord Green Emperor left his nine avatars behind, along with us, to safeguard the passage. Sigh... I have talked too much. Let's focus on the present."
Wind Dragon and Nantian Wan'er approached the central stone pillar. Wind Dragon drew a deep breath. "Back then, I wasn't strong enough to follow Lord Green Emperor to the Outside. But this time, I will break through."
Sensing Wind Dragon unwilling to say more, Nantian Wan'er hurried forward. "Alright, Lord Wind Dragon. Let's find Lu-gege and the others first."
They circled the massive stone pillar several times before finding Lu Chen and the others. Lu Chen sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes glowing with spirit qi as he scanned the surroundings.
"Lu-gege, what's wrong?" Nantian Wan'er asked, puzzled by his unusual behavior. "Is something unusual happening here?"
Nantian Yijian stepped out from behind the stone pillar, cradling a bundle of spell manuals. "Shh! Boss just got a fragment of an Eye Technique and is practicing it now."
Nantian Yijian tossed the manuals onto the ground in front of her. "Wan'er, take a look. Are any of these manuals useful to you? The second floor consists mostly of low-tier manuals. We spent quite a while digging through them, and all we found were these low-grade Earth Tier ones."
"Alright, I'll look through them here." Noticing Jun Laoye climbing the stone pillar, Nantian Wan'er asked, "By the way, what's Brother Jun doing over there? Is there another manual up there?"
"Ugh..." Nantian Yijian rifled through the manuals, glanced at Jun Laoye, and whispered, "Little Jun? He's searching for the path to the next floor."
Nantian Yijian sprawled on the ground, placing the few sword manuals he had just found on the far right side, and complained, "I don't know who designed this Scripture Hall. It's one thing if we need permission to enter the next floor, but having to find the passage itself? That's just ridiculous.
"You said it yourself. This is our first time here. How could we possibly locate the passage to the next level?
"These are Little Jun's spear and lightning arts," Nantian Yijian said, standing and adding a few manuals beside the others. "By the way, Wan'er, what kind of manuals do you want? I can find some for you as well."
Nantian Wan'er shook her head gently. "Thank you, Brother Yijian. I don't need any. Lu-gege gave me some manuals a few days ago, and I haven't even fully mastered them yet."
"Alright then. Boss has only picked a fragment of an Eye Technique and left the rest. Little Jun said he wasn't interested either," Nantian Yijian said, scratching his head and chuckling. "Since none of you want them, they're all mine.
"In my previous sect, I only studied Mortal Tier techniques, and all of them were low-grade," he kept pulling manuals suitable for himself from the pile, stacking them at his side. "I've never seen so many Earth Tier manuals before. Hahaha, this is amazing!"
Looking at the stack, he swallowed hard. "With so many manuals, which one should I study first?"
"Nantian boy, don't bite off more than you can chew. Pick one or two and focus on them for now. You've just reached the Qi Regulation Realm; you won't fully understand the principles in these manuals. Studying too many at once will just leave you mastering none."
"Ugh... isn't it that the more you study, the stronger you become?" Nantian Yijian lifted over forty manuals, glancing at Wind Dragon. "In my old sect, the leader studied every single manual. When fighting, his techniques would fill the sky. It was spectacular."
"Fill the sky? Really? Hahaha, that's hilarious." Wind Dragon burst out laughing. "But I'm guessing that against someone of the same level, each attack's damage must have been very low, or maybe sometimes it couldn't even hurt at all?"
Nantian Yijian grinned. "How did you know? But there's a reason for the low damage. The sect leader deliberately suppressed his power to avoid hurting them."
"My goodness, you call that an explanation?" Wind Dragon laughed so hard he rolled over on Nantian Wan'er's shoulder. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'Overwhelming force can conquer all, and a single perfected move can carry you anywhere?'"
Nantian Yijian replied, "Of course. But back then, our sect leader said it was just a way for those without techniques to feel better about themselves. What's the big deal?"
Even Nantian Wan'er couldn't help but giggle this time.
Wind Dragon twisted upward over her. "What was your sect leader's cultivation realm? This is too funny."
"My old sect leader was at the same level as our boss," Nantian Yijian said, scratching his head. "Maybe a bit weaker. I feel like if boss casually swung a palm, it would be stronger than my old sect leader, but boss only uses the same moves over and over."
"Ah... forget it. I'll teach you how to choose techniques in a few days," Wind Dragon said, trying to suppress his laughter at Nantian Yijian's serious expression. "For now, just pick up that sword art and leave the rest of this trash." Check latest chapters at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Brother Yijian, leave it. You'll find better manuals upstairs," Nantian Wan'er said. "Even if you took all of these, you wouldn't be able to practice all of them in such a short time anyway."
"Ugh... fine, then. I'll just take the Clear Breeze Sword Art for now. The rest can wait," Nantian Yijian said reluctantly, setting the others down. He looked at Wind Dragon again. "But leaving these manuals here feels like a waste. Shouldn't I take one more?"
As he squatted and reached toward the pile, Wind Dragon's fur bristled. He roared, summoning a small tornado that sent all the manuals flying back onto the shelves.