It was already dusk when Xiao Chen returned to Sunset Peak with the books in his hands. As usual, Lil Ruo had already cooked a table of dishes for him. After dinner, Xiao Chen started to study the cultivation methods in his room.
Having studied all night, Xiao Chen had to admit that the cultivation methods in this world were good in their own ways. For example, there were five elements in the Immortal's magic. The wood and water magic were mainly healing magic; the fire and metal magic were mainly attacking magic; the wood magic was mainly defensive magic. Except for the five elements, there were also wind magic, thunder magic, ice magic, etc. There was even dark magic which was mostly practiced by Devils' sects.
However, to cultivators, the ultimate goal of practicing all these various cultivation methods was the same—to achieve immortality and become an Immortal King or Devil Lord. This goal was no different than that of thousands of years ago.
Closing the book, Xiao Chen took a deep breath. The higher the cultivation level, the more difficult the cultivation method was. He could not comprehend the method in a short time, so it was now hard to improve his cultivation level. He had to ask for Bai Ying's advice sometime.
He looked at the blue sky through the window and took a short break. When the day turned completely bright, he rode on the sword and flew to the Black Dragon Peak where Luo Shangyan lived.
Luo Shangyan was expert at healing magic, plus the elders had been healing him with their energies, Xiao Chen almost recovered. Luo Shangyan told him that he did not need to worry about his injuries. Xiao Chen then went to the Star-picking Peak.
The library of the Three Pure Sect was located on the Star-picking Peak, where the Second Elder usually cultivated. He had more disciples than Bai Ying. Xiao Chen was not in a hurry to cultivate but eager to know what happened thousands of years ago. Since he was now an Inner Disciple, he naturally needed to have a look in the library.
He had gone through countless historical records in the Xiao Family, but the history the records covered was short and few of them were about cultivators. The most important thing was that the Xiao Family had only a history of 1,000 years. Someone called Xiao Ning established the Xiao Family. There were few records concerning Xiao Ning, and none had recorded where Xiao Ning ended up in.
The library of the Three Pure Sect was only open to Inner Disciples. The doorkeeper was an old man in purple. Some deep and shallow wrinkles crawled on his face like withered vines, and his eyes were deeply sunken in their sockets like that of zombies. He looked somewhat frightening.
Many female disciples did not dare to read books here. They normally borrowed books and left without asking anything. Xiao Chen walked to the old man, saluted respectfully and said with a smile, "Greetings, elder. I'm a disciple from the Moon-watch Peak."
It was just a matter of manner to address him as "elder". In fact, the disciples all knew that in a small place like the Three Pure Sect, the highest cultivation of those elders was just the Foundation Building Realm; some elders had not even reached the Foundation Building Realm.
The old man in purple looked up at him, waved and said, "Go on."
Xiao Chen nodded, smiled and walked inside. Before he went further, the elder said, "Wait!"
Xiao Chen turned around and said respectfully, "Elder, is there anything else?"
The old man looked at him for a long time before shaking his hand and said, "Nothing. If you are looking for historical records, they are on the third right shelf at the end of the path. Don't mess up the other books."
Xiao Chen was a bit stunned. "How does he know what I'm looking for?" He smiled and replied. "Many thanks, elder." He then walked inside.
The library was huge. The bookshelves were arranged neatly and this place looked like a maze. There is a lighting formation in each area, so it was not dark inside. Also, there were sandalwood desks and chairs for disciples to read books here.
According to the instruction of the old man in purple, Xiao Chen found the area where historical records were kept. He saw a dozen smiling youths around the desk in the corner.
"Junior Sister Li, I know a lot about history. Just ask me if you have any question. Why are you reading alone?"
"Junior Sister Li, he's lying. I'm expert at ancient language. There are no ancient characters that I cannot understand."
A girl in a white dress was sitting at the desk. It was Li Muxue. In order to read clearly, she kept her hair on the back of her ear, which made her look more charming. To those "kind helps" from the others, she just smiled back and then continued to read the book in her hand.
Xiao Chen did not know that she also liked to study history. He went over and said, "Miss Li."
Li Muxue looked up and smiled, revealing two pear-like dimples and saying, "Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Chen glanced at the book in her hand and read. "2,300 years B.C. It doesn't come to me that Miss Li is also interested in history."
Li Muxue smiled with a slight blush on her face, saying, "Yes. However, the characters in the book are too difficult for me to understand. Can you help me?"
"Sure." Xiao Chen smiled gently and sat beside her. The characters were derived from the common characters in his last life, so he could understand them more or less.
"Alas, Junior Brother Xiao is here. We're done here. Let's go." A dozen youths left dejectedly.
In Xiao Chen's last life, people used Immortal Century to number the years. Nowadays, people used Open Century to number the years. It was now more than 2,000 years in the Open Century, but the historical records here regarding the earliest times were about 4,000 years before Open Century. Therefore, this world had about 7,000 years of history.
Xiao Chen could not help feeling emotional. Waking up from a dream, he saw 7,000 years pass. It should be the last years of the Immortal Century in about 5,000 years before Open Century. Unfortunately, there was no record here regarding that period of time.
"Miss Li, have you seen some historical records regarding 5,000 years before Open Century?"
Li Muxue shook her head and said, "No. I can hardly understand the characters used in 4,000 years before Open Century. How are you also interested in such ancient histories?"
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. How should he explain? Should he say that he came from that era?
By noon, the two people left the library for launch in the mess hall. Many male disciples looked at the back of them and felt chagrined, saying, "Damn. My Junior Sister Li is brought away by someone just like this. He just can read some ancient characters..."
The two youths chattered and smiled on their way. They were not that restrained as before. Li Muxue smiled and said, "Brother Xiao, thank you for helping me translating those characters. You can call me Muxue now. Miss Li is too awkward."
Xiao Chen smiled, saying, "Sure thing."
Near the mess hall, many male disciples outside looked shocked upon seeing them walking here together. "What the hell? Why isn't Junior Sister Li alone today?"
On the Star-picking Peak, Li Muxue was a goddess to countless male disciples. People had so many dreams about her. She was almost like a campus belle thousands of years later?
A male disciple holding a bouquet of flowers looked blankly at the two youths as they walked into the mess hall. A gentle breeze came to him. Listen, something broke.
The mess hall on the Star-picking Peak was more generous than that on the Sunset Peak. The shredded potato did not sell by pieces, and boiled sweet potato was worth only one tael of silver. The most important thing was that strange dishes such as Fried Loquats did not exist here.
They randomly took their seats as all kinds of eyes fell on them.
"Holy...! How can Junior Sister Li have lunch with that ugly guy?!"
"Come on! He's way more handsome than you. The thing is that he's an expert." A junior sister placed her head on her hands and said like a fangirl.
"Hmph, don't you act like a fangirl. Just think how much weight you've gained recently."
"Zhang Cuihua! Our friendship is done!"
"Junior Sister Li, don't be fooled by those playboys who look nice on the outside but are filthy, dirty, mean, despicable, and obscene on the inside..."
Facing the strange eyes and comments from around, Xiao Chen felt uncomfortable all over. Was this the price of dinning with Li Muxue?
At this point, a voice as clear as a silver bell rose from the outside. "Strange. I don't know what my cousin is up to these days. I haven't seen him in the Spiritual Qi Valley lately..."
"I think he's dating with someone..."
Xiao Chen lowered his head and said, "Damn. The Ghoulish Woman is here. Just pretend you saw nothing. Eat your dishes."
"Are you talking about me, Xiao Chen?"
With a gust of evil wind, Shangguan Yan instantly appeared behind him.
"Hi, Miss Shangguan. What a coincidence!"
"No, it's not a coincidence." After saying so, Shangguan Yan noticed Li Muxue and her mouth suddenly opened wide. "How can you two be together? Are you..." Her index fingers poked at each other as she smiled wickedly.
Li Muxue's face flushed as she turned her head away, saying, "Sister Shangguan, stop talking nonsense..."
"Humph! I knew it! Cousin, you must give me an explanation. Why are you two together? No wonder I can't see you these days!" Xiao Wan'er also came here, stood akimbo and said angrily.
Xiao Chen smiled bitterly and said, "Uhh. Don't get this wrong. This morning, Muxue and I were..."
"Humph! What did you just call her? And you said it's just a misunderstanding? You're such a playboy. How can you forget Huangfu Xin'er so soon!"
Xiao Han shook his head and sighed. He said to the waiter, "Give me a boiled radish, and no hollow radish."
"It's not like that, sister. Let me explain."
Xiao Wan'er crossed her arms and raised her head, saying, "Don't explain to me. Explain to Senior Sister Luo!"
"What! That kid dares to cheat on Junior Sister Li..." Countless cold eyes immediately fell on him.
Xiao Chen was feeling confused and desperate. He smiled bitterly and looked at Li Muxue, asking, "Have you finished your meal?"
"Yes!" Li Muxue nodded. Her flushed cheeks looked like two pieces of red clouds.
"Let's go then."
"Damn you, kid! Stop! Don't go!"
After 30 minutes, the two youths finally left that gossipy place. Xiao Chen leaned against a big tree as he let out a long sigh. Li Muxue's face was still red. She looked at him and said, "Uhh... I'm sorry, brother Xiao. Are you going to the library later?"
"Yes!" Xiao Chen thought that there were still so many things he needed to figure out, even though there were no records regarding his last life. Many things had happened in recent years. Especially a thousand years ago, the Barrier between the Violet Manor and the Human World once collapsed, leading to extreme chaos on both sides, which took cultivators a hundred years to completely repair the Barrier.
Although this seemed irrelevant to what happened in his last life, still, there might be some faint connection between them.
They went to the library again. Xiao Chen found some records about the six ancient families in the Violet Manor and the five ancient sects, which made his eyebrows furrowing tighter because he saw "Xiao" in the six ancient families.
"Ah! Brother Xiao, look!" Li Muxue pointed at a page and exclaimed.