Detecting more than a dozen strong auras rushing in his direction, Huang Xiaolong remained calm. Within a few breaths' gap, several student librarians had Huang Xiaolong surrounded.
In that dozen of student librarians, most had an expression of astonishment seeing him. Obviously, some of them recognized Huang Xiaolong.
At this point, the first student librarian sent flying by Huang Xiaolong's palm climbed up from the floor and wobbled to his fellow students' side, specifically 'reporting' to one of them, "Senior Brother Chen, this rascal wanted to trespass into the library, disguising himself as our Duanren Institute's student. I tried to stop him but he attacked and injured me!"
The student librarians that recognized Huang Xiaolong turned a ghastly shade of white hearing that. Especially Senior Brother Chen. His hand shot out in anger, slapping the student librarian with enough force to send him tumbling away before turning around and facing Huang Xiaolong on his knees, "Young Noble Huang, he's blind for being unable to recognize Your Elderly, please forgive us!"
The others who recognized Huang Xiaolong quickly followed suit on their knees out of apprehension, whereas the first student librarian was flabbergasted and stood dazedly as he watched a group of student experts including Senior Brother Chen on their knees.
Unable to recognize Your Elderly? Huang Xiaolong looked at this 'Senior Brother Chen' who was kneeling in front him. Did he look so old?
"It's nothing, all of you get up." Huang Xiaolong said.
That Senior Brother Chen hesitated for quite a while before slowly getting to his feet. Although he stood up, his waist leaned at a respectful angle with his head lowered, not daring to look at Huang Xiaolong directly. The other student librarians stood in a similar posture.
"Can I go in now?" Huang Xiaolong asked.
Senior Brother Chen blanked at Huang Xiaolong's question, unable to make heads or tails out of it, he remained blank.
"Can I go in now?" Huang Xiaolong asked again when no response came.
Senior Brother Chen reacted this time around, nodding energetically, "Of course, of course, Young Noble Huang. Please, please, this way Young Noble Huang!" swiftly stepping to the side, giving a wide berth for Huang Xiaolong to pass. The other students parted to the sides, making a big path in the middle.
Huang Xiaolong nodded, lifted his foot and walked into the library.
Only after Huang Xiaolong was out of sight did Senior Brother Chen straighten his back, cold sweat seemed to soak the back of his robe through and through. His hand dripped with drops of sweat from his forehead.
Some students that were still confused as to who Huang Xiaolong was, came beside Senior Brother Chen, cautiously inquiring, "Senior Brother Chen, who was that kid just now, ah?"
Senior Brother Chen scanned the faces crowding around him, slowly spitting three words from his mouth: "Huang-Xiao-Long!"
Huang Xiaolong!
Like an abrupt thunderbolt on a clear day, the students trembled and their eyes rounded with fear. Whereas the first student librarian, who had just gotten up from the floor a second time, felt his legs weaken, shaking uncontrollably, falling butt first to the ground.
That person was actually Huang Xiaolong! Huang Xiaolong, the person even Emperor Duanren needed to greet as Young Noble Huang courteously!
"Oh, my mother, so that was His Elderly!" After a long time, one of the student librarians exclaimed aloud when the truth sunk in.
Senior Brother Chen looked at the first student librarian, "I hope Young Noble Huang doesn't blame us; if not, not only us but even our families might be implicated!"
While shocked discussions were going on at the front, Huang Xiaolong arrived at the ancient languages section of the library, flipping through books one by one from the shelves and comparing them to the ancient runic-like patterns etched on the edge of the sacrificial altar.
There was more than one ancient language in existence. The ancient demonic beast clan and the ancient human race used different forms of writing, and the ancient human race alone had many different forms based on their own tribes' uniqueness.
"The Linglong Tribe." Out of the many books he had pulled from the shelves, Huang Xiaolong found similar ancient texts belonging to the Linglong Tribe in the yellowed pages of an old book. Comparing them to the text he saw on the sacrificial altar, Huang Xiaolong's eyes shone joyfully.
According to the old book, the Linglong Tribe was among the ten biggest human race tribes.
"Golden Linglong Body?!" Suddenly, Huang Xiaolong was shocked as he read further down, for the book brought up the Golden Linglong Body. His eyes narrowed in concentration. His shock increased as the book stated that the Golden Linglong Body originated from the ancient Linglong Tribe's sacred canon!
"Could the Linglong Treasure Pagoda have been refined by the ancient Linglong Tribe?!" A great wave rose in Huang Xiaolong's heart, for the Linglong Treasure Pagoda's heritage skill was none other than the Golden Linglong Body!
On top of that, the text patterns on the sacrificial altar on the third layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda matched with the ancient Linglong Tribe's text. Undoubtedly, the Linglong Treasure Pagoda was connected to this ancient tribe.
Several hours later, Huang Xiaoling finally finished translating the text on the sacrificial altar in the third layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda.
Puppetry Art!
These words jumped out at Huang Xiaolong. The sacrificial altar actually recorded an ancient puppetry art.
The records stated that cultivating the Ancient Puppetry Art could continuously temper and strengthen one's spiritual force and will. The stronger and more powerful one's spiritual force and will, the higher the chances of refining a high-grade puppet that was more powerful.
Huang Xiaolong was ecstatic beyond words. This Ancient Puppetry Art could temper and strengthen one's spiritual force and will!
Huang Xiaolong did not lack battle qi cultivation techniques or battle skills. The only thing he lacked was a way to temper his spiritual force!
It was already dark outside when Huang Xiaolong came out from the library. The dozen or so student librarians were still there when he reached the entrance.
Seeing Huang Xiaolong emerging from within the library, they all shivered for no reason, scrambling forward as they called out: "Young Noble Huang, you're out!"
Huang Xiaolong's eyes swept over them; he knew very well why these students were still waiting here for him. He openly said, "Very well, I don't blame any of you for this matter; go home."
Huang Xiaolong truly did not hold the matter in his heart. At the time, he was in a very good mood due to the ancient puppetry art.
Huang Xiaolong walked away after leaving such a sentence to the student librarians. Only then were Senior Brother Chen and the rest able to breathe out in relief as if they had just escaped the biggest calamity of their lives.
When Huang Xiaolong returned to the Southern Hill Estate, he immediately entered the third layer of the Linglong Treasure Pagoda. He landed on the sacrificial altar at the center in a single leap. Going through the ancient text once again, committing it to his memory, he sat cross-legged and started practicing, following the method stated.
The essence of practicing this Ancient Puppetry Art was meditation, meditation, and meditation. Meditate to sense everything in the world, letting his spirit blend into the surrounding space, feeling every gust of wind, every drop of water, every spark of fire in the space around him, allowing them to temper his spiritual force.
The night passed quickly.
Although it was merely one night, Huang Xiaolong could feel a significant improvement in his spiritual force.
It seems I must practice at least three months before I can start controlling these puppets. Huang Xiaolong stared at the nineteen giant puppets.
He estimated that with his practice speed, he needed three months to achieve minor completion in the Ancient Puppetry Art, entering the first level to brand a soul mark. Only after branding the puppets with a soul mark was it considered fully controlling them.