After finishing his morning training, Chu Xisheng couldn't wait to head to the Library.
Inside, as expected, the place was nearly empty, with only Ye Zhiqiu and a few martial masters on guard.
There was also the Library Master, Ye Jingyuan, who believed that because of the calamity caused by the Blood Wind Thieves the day before, his negligence and lack of supervision were unforgivable. Therefore, he confined himself to the top floor of the Library, waiting for the punishment from the Formless Divine Sect's Main Mountain.
Ye Zhiqiu opened the door and let Chu Xisheng in, his expression solemn as he explained, "Actually, last night, our master already discussed your reward with us, one of which allows you six days of free research in the Library. So, it's not against the rules for me to let you in.
However, you must remember, you're only allowed to research below the sixth layer. Above the sixth layer, some of the Martial Arts Secret Books involve abnormal powers of gods and demons, and being exposed to these too soon won't do you any good."
Chu Xisheng solemnly agreed and once inside, he pretended to search around as if looking for the Martial Arts classics he was interested in.
It wasn't until he reached the eastern corner of the sixth floor that he saw the Vengeance Map that Chu Yunyun had mentioned.
After the Blood Wind Thieves and the Police Pool of Blood stormed into the library, they had turned everything upside down, but they barely touched these paintings that were hanging openly on the walls.
This particular map thus remained perfectly intact, hanging on the wall undamaged.
Chu Xisheng pretended to be 'captivated' by the painting and sat cross-legged in front of it to study.
At first, Chu Xisheng couldn't make heads or tails of it and just tried to memorize all the structures and lines of the map.
But when he had memorized about ninety percent of the entire map, Chu Xisheng's expression subtly changed.
He unknowingly fell into an illusion realm, where suddenly he was no longer in the Library but standing before a vast, immense glacier.
In front of him, a middle-aged man in a blue robe stood in the air, his gaze cold and indifferent as he glanced in Chu Xisheng's direction before shifting his eyes towards the northern horizon.
Only then did Chu Xisheng notice that in the northern sky stood an immensely giant figure.
The giant had his feet on the ground and his head touching the sky, his body clad in blue skin and covered with ghastly white bone spurs.
The giant had only one eye, located right in the center of his cheek, and was pressing down with one hand towards the middle-aged man.
That hand, enormous as a small hill and seemingly unstoppable, was about fifty acres in size.
At that moment, Chu Xisheng heard a 'clang' sound.
It was the bright and dazzling sword light that suddenly soared from behind the middle-aged man, transforming mid-air into a spectacular divine beast about thirty meters in length, with a jackal's body and a dragon's head holding a sword in its mouth, which then thunderously crashed onto the mighty palm.
The giant roared furiously in response, he forcefully gripped, trying to crush the divine beast.
However, as the giant exerted force, not only did he fail to tighten his grip, but his fingers were also bent backward simultaneously making a crisp crack sound, and were broken off.
The giant then summoned countless blasts of red thunder with his single eye, striking the divine beast.
The result was that the thunder, upon touching the divine beast, reversed its course and blasted a huge gash in the giant's single eye.
At that moment, the divine beast transformed into a ribbon-like sword light and cleaved the giant directly at the waist, splitting him in two.
In an instant, an immense amount of blood sprayed, staining vast stretches of the glacier red.
Chu Xisheng watched this scene, utterly captivated; his Divine Sense and Thoughts were completely engulfed by the middle-aged man's Sword Force and Sword Intent, unable to free himself for a long time.
Before him, even more giants appeared on the glacier.
They were crowded thickly, countless as mountains and seas, resembling a moving range of massive mountains.
The blue-robed middle-aged man seemed utterly indifferent, still standing with his hands behind his back, floating in the air.
As the surging army of giants approached, he maintained a composed and unyielding demeanor.
Behind the middle-aged man, the divine beast with a jackal's body, dragon's head, and a sword in its mouth reappeared and let out a thunderous roar toward the distant giants.
The roar vibrated through the clouds and heavens; countless Sword Energies spread in all directions, actually causing the entire glacier to crack inch by inch.
※※※※
Chu Xisheng's thoughts were deeply entrapped in the Illusion Realm, unable to extricate himself.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he suddenly woke up.
To his surprise, he discovered that outside the nearby window, the moon shone faintly and the stars were sparse, the darkness pervasive. A luminous pearl embedded in the wall of the room was emitting a dim yellow light.
Ye Zhiqiu was sitting beside him, looking at him with a slightly anxious expression.
"Awake now?" Ye Zhiqiu's face relaxed, but suspicion soon filled her eyes, "Strange, this is just an ordinary Vengeance Map used for researching the advanced branch of the Chasing Wind Saber Technique, the Divine Wind Bright Mirror Blade, how could you watch it for so long? You've been sitting here for a whole two and a half days."
Chu Xisheng was startled, blinked, and then shook his head vigorously, allowing his hazy consciousness to refocus: "I've been sitting here for two and a half days? How is that possible?"
"Would I lie to you? You've been sitting here since the morning of the day before yesterday until tonight."
Ye Zhiqiu crossed her arms and turned to look at the Vengeance Map.
However, she saw nothing remarkable, just a regular True Intent Map that could let one comprehend the essence of the Divine Wind Bright Mirror Blade.
She then shook her head, "Since you're awake, let's go together. The Library is changing guards tomorrow, and Shao Lingshan will take over. You have greatly offended that guy, and you're sure to find no favors in his hands. If you want to come back and study Martial Arts, wait for a few days until Old Qiu takes over."
Chu Xisheng also stood up with Ye Zhiqiu but staggered and nearly fell to the ground.
Probably because he had been sitting for too long, his Qi-Blood had stagnated, rendering his legs completely numb and unresponsive.
Chu Xisheng steadied himself with the help of a nearby bookshelf and winced at the same time.
Besides the numbness, he also felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling on his legs, an indescribable sensation.
At that moment, Chu Xisheng slightly paused, his gaze turning to the illusionary screen in front of him.
The text on this floating screen had changed.
Character: Chu Xisheng
Reputation: Ninth Grade Lower (Superior)
Martial Arts: Chasing Wind Saber Technique (First Level)
Martial Intent: Vengeful Residual Intent (First Level)
Primordial Skill: Nourishing Essence Skill (First Level/Unrated)
Martial Arts Points: 25
Talent: Eagle Eye, Chasing Wind and Lightning Hand (First Tier)
Status: Six Yin Soul Revival Spell
Lifespan: 24 days
In this illusionary screen, there was an added line: 'Martial Intent: Vengeful Residual Intent (First Level)'.
As Chu Xisheng contemplated, a line of text appeared in his mind.
——Vengeful Blade Intent, can be enhanced with ten Martial Arts Points.
Additionally, the Lifespan category, Chu Xisheng had 19 days when he entered the Library.
He had stayed here for two and a half days, without practicing the Nourishing Essence Skill or taking Yanghe Powder, yet instead of decreasing, his lifespan had increased by five days.
Chu Xisheng was full of doubts, he struggled to move his legs and waited until the circulation in his legs returned to normal, then hurriedly left the Library towards the direction of the utility yard.
When he pushed open the gate of the courtyard, as expected, he saw the light on in Chu Yunyun's room.
His step-sister had already returned from the Daoist Temple in the north.