Bhadru closed the book just after reading the first page, taking a deep breath to suppress his happiness. With just one page, he could feel his bottleneck loosening. He was now sure that the owner was some big shot, and it was his blessing that the owner had built his bookstore in his kingdom.
Jev was confused seeing Bhadru close the book; he could break through now, so why did he stop reading?
Seeing Jev's confused expression, Bhadru said, "You're forgetting that breaking through in the Ruler Profound Stage and above leads to surrounding profound energy disturbance. So, I had to make some preparations to ensure I didn't alert others. Coralhelm definitely has a trump card, so hiding my cultivation is best for us right now."
Jev nodded, knowing this to be true. He said, "Then you can visit the expert, as we haven't paid the price for this book, and it will show our goodwill toward him."
Bhadru instantly agreed and said, "Good idea. Let's go, and I'll bring the Flaming Amru Pearl as payment for this book."
Jev smiled upon hearing that; the Flaming Amru Pearl was the heirloom of the Royal Kela Family, acquired by their ancestor after a tragic war. Whoever holds that pearl can deal a whopping 50% more damage using fire-related techniques.
As if remembering something, Jev said, "Due to the expert, I completely forgot to tell you, Your Majesty. A tomb of a Heaven Profound Stage Artist was found on the border of our kingdom, and the surrounding kingdoms are already on the move. They'll probably reach the tomb in three days. There's also a rune formation in the tomb that only allows entry to those who are in the Origin Profound Stage and are under 25 years old. Judging by the formation, only 50 people can enter at a time."
Bhadru's face turned solemn upon hearing that. He said, "If it were just a Heaven Profound Stage Artist's tomb, it might have been fine. But given that there's a rune formation, that person was most likely a rune formation master, which creates trouble for us, as everyone would want a share of it."
Thinking of this, Bhadru clicked his fingers, and a figure in a black coat appeared, kneeling in front of them.
"Here at your command, Your Majesty," the figure said. Its voice was vague, making it impossible to guess its gender from either its voice or its figure.
"Gather all the elite of the young generation. Jev and you will be leading them, and you'll depart for the tomb tomorrow morning," Bhadru instructed the figure, who nodded and then disappeared.
He was a member of the Dark Crow squad, established solely to obey the king. Only elites could enter this squad.
Bhadru then turned toward Jev and said, "Let's go. We'll first meet with the expert." As he spoke, he put the book into his storage ring.
Jev and Bhadru then flew away toward Maple Town.
On the other side, Aadi entered the bookstore with Aurora following him.
Now, Aurora's entire aura had changed; her expression was calm, as if nothing could fluster her. Her steps were steady and rhythmic.
After five months of fighting with Aadi, she had learned a lot and mastered many techniques, including her bloodline abilities.
As Aadi looked around the bookstore, he tilted his head in confusion. "Weird, why do I feel like I forgot something?"
After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, if I forgot, then it must be something insignificant. Yup, definitely that."
He turned toward Asty, appearing directly behind her and jumping on her. "Asty, I missed you so much."
Before Asty could react, she was already in Aadi's embrace. She tried to escape as she exclaimed, "Let me go, you stupid, brainless idiot!"
Aadi ignored Asty's actions, tightening his grip even more around her body. "Your dictionary is as bad as ever, Asty."
A vein popped out on Asty's forehead as she bit Aadi's hand, making him release her. She immediately jumped out and landed on the top of a bookshelf.
Asty glared at Aadi and said, "You'll pay for this humiliation, little fucker."
Since he could do nothing to Asty now, Aadi turned his focus on Aurora and said, "Hey, Aurora, I detected a tomb a little distance away from here, and it's most likely of a Heaven Profound Stage Artist. You can go and search it; it'll serve as your training ground, and you'll be able to check the results of your training."
Aurora's eyes lit up at the mention of the tomb. She didn't care about any treasure; she wanted to see the fruits of her training. For the last five months, she had endured constant beatings and had never been able to land even a single attack on Aadi. That's why, although she knew she had progressed, she didn't know by how much.
"Thank you, Master," Aurora said, feeling that she should express her gratitude.
Aadi just smiled and was about to say something when his gaze landed on an empty corner of a bookshelf. He remembered the two people who had come to his bookstore and asked Asty, "Did those two buy a book? Where's the payment?"
"Yes, they did, and I told them to pay later as they'll definitely come again." Asty had already come down from the bookshelf and was resting on the pillow, answering while still closing her eyes.
Aurora looked at them with a strange expression. Even after spending months with them, she still didn't understand any of them. They were so powerful but cared about some money.
Aadi thought for a moment, and an idea came to his mind. He smiled a little and said, "Well, it looks like Aurora has got some company on her adventure in the tomb."
Aurora showed a confused expression at Aadi's words, but a loud ring sounded in the bookstore, breaking her thoughts.