Chapter 13: The Elder of the Pavilion

Cheng Guang was unaware of what was happening outside at that moment, but he had long anticipated that Qingluan would follow closely in his footsteps. He never expected to hide his visit to the Library Pavilion from her. Whether Qingluan knew or not, it no longer mattered much to him; now, his only hope for survival lay in himself. If he continued to trust Qingluan’s advice, she’d likely end up merely collecting his corpse.

Moreover, Cheng Guang was not courting death. The Library Pavilion, as one of the most important buildings within the Duke of the Nation’s estate, undoubtedly housed guardians of unimaginable strength. But so what? Not to mention he carried the Concealment Pearl, an extraordinary treasure, even without it, he had already resolved to take the risk.

Stepping into the Library Pavilion, he was greeted by the sight of ancient, elegant rows of bookshelves. Cheng Guang glanced around; there was not a single soul besides himself—it was utterly empty. He realized it made sense. The Library Pavilion was not a place just anyone could enter; only as the heir could he walk in unobstructed. The ordinary guards and servants would never be qualified to set foot here. At this moment, the only one who could and would come to the Library Pavilion was likely himself alone.

Approaching a shelf, Cheng Guang casually took down a volume of scripture and began leafing through it absentmindedly. The characters appeared before his eyes, but he had no time to read them closely.

A faint creak of a door reached Cheng Guang’s ears. Had it been yesterday, he would never have heard such a subtle sound. In just one night, he felt as though he had been reborn; all his senses were far more acute. He imagined that even if he did not pursue the spiritual path, his aptitude for martial arts would be equally astonishing.

Turning his head toward the source, Cheng Guang saw, before he could react, a secret door within the Library Pavilion open. Out stepped an old man in plain clothes, his face deeply wrinkled, his eye sockets sunken. He rubbed his eyes with gnarled hands, appearing sleepy.

Halfway out, the elder seemed to sense something amiss, paused, then looked up, his gaze settling on Cheng Guang. At that moment, the sun was rising in the east, its golden rays streaming into the Library Pavilion and bathing Cheng Guang in light. Already handsome, Cheng Guang now seemed almost ethereal, like a celestial immortal.

The old man, on the other hand, looked as though he’d seen a ghost. He stood frozen, unable to comprehend why Cheng Guang would appear here. After a while, he rubbed his eyes again.

He approached Cheng Guang, marveling and clicking his tongue, “Young Lord, why have you come to the Library Pavilion today? Did the master send you to look for something?”

Cheng Guang shook his head and replied softly, “Elder, my father has not returned yet. I came here on my own to have a look around.”

The old man nodded in understanding, hands clasped behind his back. “Very well, Young Lord, take your time. I won’t disturb you. I wondered who might visit the Library Pavilion—so it was you.”

With that, the elder shook his head and turned to leave. “I’ll go back to sleep for a while. Let me know when you’re finished.”

Cheng Guang agreed, watching the elder depart.

This old man’s identity was far from ordinary. Qingluan had once told him that the Elder, secluded here in the Library Pavilion, was not just any old man, but a cultivator of exceptionally high rank. His practice was not of the martial path, but a discipline called Star Observation, drawing power from the celestial bodies.

Though the Star Observation path did not rival the martial or spiritual paths in breaking through the limits of heaven and earth to reach the transcendent realm, its techniques were no less formidable. In fact, at equal levels, practitioners of Star Observation often surpassed martial cultivators.

This Elder was said to be one of the few who had reached the pinnacle of the Star Observation path in the world today. Such a figure presiding over the Library Pavilion was truly incredible.

If it were before, without the Concealment Pearl, Cheng Guang would never have dared set foot in the Library Pavilion—not even near it. Facing such a master was akin to facing the Emperor of Great Zhou.

The Elder could see through his identity at a glance. That was why Qingluan had been so agitated when she saw Cheng Guang enter the Library Pavilion. To her, his presence here was courting death.

Cheng Guang gave a wry smile, then focused on the books before him.

The Library Pavilion housed an enormous collection; Cheng Guang could not hope to read them all at once. He first sought out broad categories and then, within those, searched for subjects of interest.

His first stop was the section containing knowledge related to the spiritual path. He picked up a book and began reading carefully.

Perhaps it was the effect of merging with the bloodline of the Xia imperial family—his memory had been greatly enhanced. Not quite photographic, but nearly so. This allowed him to quickly peruse books, finishing one in less than fifteen minutes.

After reading several volumes on the spiritual path, Cheng Guang felt a little disappointed. Most books merely skimmed the surface, filled with common knowledge known to all. Aside from descriptions of the combat techniques used by spiritual cultivators, there was little deeper information, and certainly nothing about how to cultivate the spiritual path.

Cheng Guang sighed; it seemed that to learn the methods of spiritual cultivation, he would have to look to the royal family. But the members of the royal family were not easily fooled. How could he obtain the methods of spiritual cultivation from them without arousing suspicion?

This troubled Cheng Guang deeply. As he pondered, he suddenly thought of Wu Ling.

Of course, how could he have forgotten about Wu Ling, that much-abused soul? Wu Ling had recently been named Crown Prince by the Emperor of Great Zhou and would soon begin her journey of cultivation. She would surely acquire the spiritual cultivation methods in the near future—perhaps she already had.

Though Wu Ling’s status had improved somewhat, her situation had not changed much. In some ways, she was even more ostracized by those around her. In this environment, Cheng Guang, with his identity, could easily obtain the spiritual cultivation method from Wu Ling.

Even if the Emperor or others learned of this, it would not matter. He lacked imperial blood, and that blood was known to be impossible to steal—so no one would suspect that Cheng Guang was seeking the spiritual path for his own cultivation.

Having figured out how to acquire the spiritual cultivation method, Cheng Guang did not immediately leave the Library Pavilion. Instead, he lingered for a while, reviewing materials—mostly information related to the Duke of the Nation’s estate.

Since he had resolved to fully assume the role of heir, he had to memorize every detail. The estate’s current situation, potential enemies, the heir’s usual temperament and habits, and all surrounding relationships.

Though Qingluan had spoken to him of these things, her explanations lacked detail. The Library Pavilion contained thorough records kept by dedicated staff. Cheng Guang reviewed them again.

Firstly, to double-check for any omissions Qingluan might have made and avoid future mistakes. Secondly, to better immerse himself in the role of heir.

He needed to truly see himself as the future successor of the Duke of the Nation’s estate. The highest level of acting is when it no longer seems like acting.

Cheng Guang was no actor; his skills in this regard were not great. The only thing he could do was to thoroughly immerse himself—then, his actions would naturally reflect those of a true heir.

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