The Astral Library stood at the heart of the Academy, an imposing structure that spanned five luminous floors. The first three floors granted free access to all students, while the fourth and fifth required a fee for borrowing rare and advanced texts.
Seris Velan wandered through the vast first floor, nearly losing himself amidst the towering shelves. The collection consisted of works on astral philosophy, cosmic governance, astral engineering, astral navigation, and ancient astral poetry. Not a single manual related to combat or energy cultivation was in sight, suggesting that this floor was dedicated solely to intellectual pursuits. Determined, Seris ascended the spiral staircase to the second floor.
Here, his eyes widened. The shelves were lined with astral combat manuals, each one offering the secrets of astral martial techniques. Titles such as "Starburst Palm", "The Thirteen Strikes of Celestial Edge", "Three Methods for Stellar Lightfoot Mastery", "The Forgotten Chronicles of Kelyos, Wielder of the Astral Blade", and "Nebula Serpent's Eight-Twist Strike" filled his view.
For a moment, Seris stood mesmerized by the vast trove of combat knowledge, eager to dive into the depths of these techniques. After surveying the shelves, he carefully selected a few techniques suitable for his current level of training, examining each one with interest.
The Veil of Stardust Swordplay offered elusive, shifting sword techniques, with 120 fundamental moves and 9,600 variations designed to confound opponents with fluidity and unpredictability.
The Draconic Fist of the Celestial Beasts taught forceful, earth-shaking strikes, claiming that those who perfected the technique could harness the combined strength of a dragon and a titan.
The Astral Torrent Blade Method focused on swift, precise cuts, perfecting the practitioner's ability to strike with the sharpness and speed of a celestial storm.
The Thunderclap Spear of the Comet's Trail promised a spear technique as fast as lightning and as elusive as a comet streaking through the sky, making it nearly impossible for adversaries to defend against its strikes.
Despite the wealth of combat techniques, Seris noticed the absence of any manuals on inner astral cultivation. It seemed that to find those vital techniques, he would have to venture to the higher levels of the library, where the true secrets of astral energy mastery were stored.
Climbing to the third floor of the Astral Library, Seris Velan found more literary works, focused on advanced astral philosophy and celestial history. Undeterred, he continued up to the fourth floor, where the true treasures awaited—books on inner astral cultivation techniques.
Unlike the crowded shelves of the lower floors, the fourth floor had only a few sparsely filled bookshelves, containing just over a hundred tomes. These were rare and valuable.
Titles such as "Astral Illumination Scripture", "Purple Nebula Technique", "Yin-Yang Midnight Sun Method", "Six Extremes Path", "Dharma's Pure Mind Scroll", and "Stellar Body Renewal Method" caught his eye.
Seris randomly picked up one of the books, and the first thing he noticed were large red characters on the opening page: "Eight astral credits for external borrowing!"
"Why not just rob someone outright? Even space pirates aren't this ruthless," he muttered to himself.
Flipping through more volumes, Seris found the borrowing fees ranged from one to ten astral credits. Karn Vo had spent three credits to access an entry-level inner cultivation technique—the cheapest option available.
"Still, it's free to read them here," Seris reasoned, deciding to make the most of the moment.
After carefully reviewing several techniques, he eventually settled on "Stellar Body Renewal Method", which seemed to complement the foundational "Eight Celestial Exercises" he had practiced before. The method promised to rejuvenate the body's meridians and clear the flow of astral energy.
However, borrowing the Stellar Body Renewal Method required nine astral credits, and Seris had already spent a considerable amount over the past six months.
"Training in astral martial arts really drains resources. I'm spending three credits a month just to keep up, and it's only going to increase. I'll need to make a trip to Astralhaven soon to replenish my funds."
Leaving the library, Seris borrowed only two books: "Thunderclap Spear of the Comet's Trail" and "Foundations of Astral Spearmanship".
Later, in the bustling streets of Astralhaven, Seris—dressed in the plain but distinctive uniform of the Academy, with the words "Astral Academy" embroidered in shimmering gold thread on his chest—attracted curious and envious glances. However, the large sack slung over his shoulder detracted from his image as an aspiring adept, drawing a few bemused looks from passersby.
Seris Velan stepped into a shop called "Stellar Apothecary". He had visited this establishment six months ago and found their prices to be fair.
"Do you buy astral herbs?" Seris asked as he approached the counter.
"Of course, young sir! Please have a seat," the elderly shopkeeper, with a warm and welcoming expression, responded. He signaled for an assistant to bring Seris a cup of tea while two younger workers hurried over with a bamboo mat. Seris untied his large sack, emptying its contents onto the mat.
A cascade of miscellaneous astral herbs poured out, followed by two small wooden boxes that rolled to a stop. The assistants opened the boxes to reveal one filled with astral ginseng and the other brimming with luminous purple astral mushrooms.
"This... so much?" the assistants exclaimed, their jaws dropping in awe. It was rare to see anyone selling such a large quantity of valuable herbs, especially astral ginseng and purple mushrooms, all at once.
Typically, it would take an astral herbalist weeks to find even one astral ginseng root in the wild. But here were over a hundred, not to mention fifty or more purple mushrooms. The assistants could hardly believe their eyes.
The elderly shopkeeper crouched down, meticulously examining each herb. He took his time, carefully inspecting their quality, and after half an hour, he stood up with a satisfied smile.
"Young sir, you've brought us quite the collection. There are 137 astral ginseng roots here, with two aged over twelve years, and the rest between three and six years."
"Fifty-three purple astral mushrooms, including three with a medicinal age of ten years, five at nine years, and ten at eight years."
"Forty-two astragalus plants, with three aged ten years, and the rest slightly younger."
"In total, I can offer you 180 astral credits. What do you say?"
Seris casually waved his hand in agreement, though inwardly he was thrilled. He had never seen such a large sum before, and this was just a partial harvest. Inside his astral space, he had even older ginseng and mushrooms, some over twenty years in age, still growing.
"It seems I'll need to clear out the lower-quality herbs and focus on cultivating more astral ginseng. Selling a sack like this got me a good amount, but harvesting older ginseng would be far more profitable," Seris thought to himself.
"Young sir, thank you for choosing our humble shop. Please, accept this gift—a bottle of Stellar Essence Powder. We hope that when you harvest again, you'll think of us," the shopkeeper said, handing Seris a small porcelain bottle.
Seris gratefully accepted the gift. Stellar Essence Powder was a vital medicine for those training in martial arts, helping to strengthen muscles and bones—a valuable supplement for any aspiring adept.
"Thank you, shopkeeper. These herbs were gathered by me and a few friends after several expeditions into the astral wilds. Of course, in the future, when I collect more, I'll be sure to bring them to your shop."
Leaving Stellar Apothecary, Seris Velan felt the reassuring weight of over a hundred astral credits in his pouch. Finding a secluded spot in the city, he discreetly transferred a hundred credits into his astral space, where they could be safely stored.
He then made his way to Karn's Forge, a blacksmith shop located in the western part of Astralhaven. Inside, a middle-aged man, shirtless and drenched in sweat, was hammering a glowing piece of metal with rhythmic precision.
"Master! I'd like to forge a weapon. Do you take custom orders?" Seris inquired.
The blacksmith tossed his hammer aside, wiped his brow, and said, "Follow me." Leading Seris to the back of the shop, he gestured toward rows of weapon racks, where an array of astral-forged weapons were on display.
Seris immediately noticed over a dozen different spear designs alone.
"Take your time. Pick a style you like, and we'll customize it to your needs."
Seris tested each spear. The heavy iron spear weighed over a hundred units, and he could barely lift it. On the other hand, the lightweight spear with a white-wood shaft felt too flimsy for his liking.
In the end, he chose a spear with a sleek iron shaft engraved with celestial cloud patterns, which provided both grip and aesthetic appeal. The spearhead was a leaf-shaped blade, eight inches long, with a red astral blossom design etched down the length of the spearhead, extending a foot into the shaft. It weighed around thirty to forty units—just right for his strength and technique.
Once Seris made his selection, the blacksmith took his measurements, gauging his height, arm span, and overall proportions to craft the weapon perfectly suited to him.
Seris also picked out a finely crafted steel knife from the weapon rack, paying twenty-five credits for it. Since the custom spear would take two months to complete, he purchased a practice spear for forty credits and left a ten-credit deposit. The bulk of the credits he had just earned were already nearly spent.
Returning to the academy, Seris promptly borrowed back the Stellar Body Renewal Method.
Back in his room, armed with several manuals, Seris entered his astral space. Seeing the vibrant fields of astral herbs growing in abundance, he made a decisive choice to harvest everything.
He only left behind the most valuable: astral ginseng, luminescent lingzhi mushrooms, celestial astragalus, and five Star-Root Fo-Ti plants. Legend said that if a Star-Root Kamote aged a thousand years, it could transform into a sentient being, so Seris decided to leave a few to see what might happen in the future.
He also kept a selection of basic detoxifying and healing herbs, as no better alternatives had yet emerged. These could be useful for emergency healing.
There was also a raspberry-like astral berry bush, which Seris decided to keep purely for personal indulgence. Both he and Jin Da Bao had a habit of snacking, and this would provide a nice treat whenever he visited the space.
Meanwhile, the rice and wheat in the astral fields were maturing strangely. Initially, they had ripened every five days, but now it took eight, with the grains growing as thick as his finger—an unusual yet promising development.
The total harvest amounted to a few hundred units, all safely stored within Seris Velan's astral space. He hesitated to bring them out for sale, as they were vastly different from ordinary crops. The unusual size and golden sheen of the grains would likely attract unwanted attention.
In the academy's communal living quarters, it wasn't easy to prepare food, and Seris wasn't even sure how these astral grains would taste once cooked.
Nonetheless, their appearance was remarkable. Each grain was as large as a fingertip, glowing faintly with a golden hue. When he held a handful, they felt dense and full of energy. Carefully peeling away the outer husk revealed shimmering, crystal-clear grains of rice, radiating a subtle fragrance.
Curious, Seris placed one of the raw grains in his mouth, chewing slowly. The flavor was rich, with an almost ethereal aroma that lingered pleasantly on his palate.
Excited by the taste, Seris couldn't wait to find a hidden spot to cook a small batch and see how they tasted when fully prepared.