The Pagoda of Sun and Moon (6)

"The Pagoda actually opened so soon! The rumor wasn't a lie after all!"

A surprised person remarked after opening his eyes, baffled and excited at the same time. His arms waving in delight as his body was bathed in the multi-colored light, the male shouted with unrestrained glee, others soon joining as they themselves opened their eyes to take in the spectacular sight.

"Haha! The opportunity bestowed by the Pagoda of Sun and Moon finally came in my lifetime!" A youth clenched his fist, blazing ardor swirling within his eyes. "The legendary path of cultivation and immortality is open to me!"

"Supreme martial arts techniques, cultivation techniques that enables the practitioner to advance to the realm of the Nascent Soul!" Another person couldn't contain his astonishment, his jaw dropping to the ground in awe.

"If only I could manage to bring home such a technique…"

"Fourth Sister! Fourth Sister, open your eyes, ah!"

A voice rang besides the girl's right ear, someone gently tugging away at the arms that covered her vision. Heeding the persuasive, warm voice, An Fei withdrew her arms and slowly opened her eyes, the beautiful countenance displaying an expression of astonishment soon after.

"What…"

The plaza hadn't changed much since the appearance of the mysterious light of multiple colors. The snow-covered rooftops of the various stores and streets converging at the plaza, the cobbled stone ground that her feet currently stood on, everything was exactly the same.

Only, the entire plaza was emitting a massive pillar of light. The towering pillar was mottled in color, the light fluctuating between different colors and shades every breath of time.

Around the perimeter of the plaza, An Fei could see the rims of a complex, circular inscription, appearing rather similar to the fraternity or sonority emblems she had once seen before. On the outer rim of the plaza, an odd string of letters in an unknown language raced across the cobbled stone surface, closed in by another line of golden light.

Turning her gaze around, the girl saw various hieroglyphs, unknown, ancient-appearing characters, and sometimes even the regular script she was well accustomed to. Nonetheless, the large gathering of people were boxed in the smallest circular region at the center of this unknown diagram.

An Fei felt her heart weakly palpitate, her palms moistened by sweat. However, everyone else appeared to be incomparably excited, for even the Second Young Master of Wei, the Sword Marquis' Youngest Master, and her own maidservants all displayed joyful and contented expressions on their respective countenances.

"…Second Brother," the girl timidly called out, her hand tugging at Wei Chang Luo's left sleeve. As the handsome youth looked in her direction in surprise, An Fei opened her mouth, mulling over her words for a moment before deciding to speak.

"…What's… going on?" she asked, her voice plainly revealing her trepidation and apprehension. "This light, and this… Why are everyone so excited?"

"Huh?" Wei Chang Luo gaped in surprise, before nodding his head in understanding. Reaching out to grasp the girl's arm, the youth began to patiently explain.

"This is the formation that signifies the opening of the Pagoda of Sun and Moon, of which the empire's greatest repository of cultivation and martial arts techniques is located," he gestured towards the mysterious and slightly frightening diagram on the ground and the pillar of light.

"As for why the people are cheering, it's because the time for opportunity within the road of cultivation is narrow and rigid. The earlier one begins to cultivate after attaining the age of fifteen years old for males and fourteen years for females, the better end result."

"Since the Pagoda only opens once a decade, this abnormal circumstance is truly the lifesaver for several of the people here, if not most of them. After all, mortals only get one chance at life!"

"One chance at life…" An Fei murmured under her breath, her gaze glossed over as she lowered her gaze towards the ground. Before she could ask the question that had just rose to the surface of her mind, the crowd suddenly burst into another furor.

"The Pagoda's elder! The Pagoda of Sun and Moon's elder is here!"

"Finally! Since there hasn't been any statement, we can assume the rules will be the same as last decade, right?" A middle-aged man tentatively murmured to himself, his fingers fidgeting underneath his scholar's robes.

"Pei! Isn't it common knowledge that the requirements of entering the Pagoda of Sun and Moon is different each time it opens?"

A nearby man who had heard that muffled comment snorted in disdain towards the speaker.

"From how you speak, this must be your second time entering, eh? Let's see what the elder will do to you if you dare sneak in!"

"What, you want to call me out!?" the man dressed in the scholarly robes scoffed in response.

"This isn't your first time either! You dare expose me, I'll drag you with me!"

"...Silence!"

An aged voice resounded throughout the entire plaza, the seemingly quiet sound booming in a deafening roar in each person's ears.

As the crowd's discussions gradually quelled, an old man dressed in a flowing, seamless purple robe walked towards the center of the plaza. Noticing the three-patterned lotus embroidered on his chest and the gold-silver staff held in his right hand, the crowd quickly parted to allow the man through.

Cough!

"The Pagoda of Sun and Moon shall open at this moment until the closing of dawn," the old man stroked his beard as he spoke, standing in a stead manner in the center of the plaza. Not a single person dared gather close as they silently observed his every movement, several displaying expressions of dumbstruck awe and fanaticism.

"The rules of this time's opening are as follows," the senior continued, his left hand sweeping across the plaza.

"First, only one cultivation technique is permitted per person. The same applies for martial arts techniques. Upon selecting your technique, each person must register with a member of the Pagoda to receive an authentic copy. The extraction of original tomes and manuals are not permitted. You have been warned."

A tender-faced youth slowly raised his hand whilst trembling in order to ask a question, only to have his arm clamped to his sides as the people nearby quickly moved to suppress his actions. As the youth stared in confusion, one of the people nearby shook their heads, evident fear swamped within their gaze.

"Second, you may not attempt to plunder, or snatch a manual or technique from another's possession. Any attempt to do so is punishable by death regardless of your identity!" The aged man's sonorous voice rang in the people's ears.

"Third! Those who had already entered the Pagoda the last time it had opened, scram or dare face this old man's wrath!"

As the words reverberated in the plaza, An Fei spotted a couple people sneaking out of the diagram of light's boundary out of the corner of her eye, causing the girl to furrow her brows in confusion.

…Weren't these rules pertaining to a library of books? Why were they… so strict and restrictive?

Before the girl could obtain her answer, the elder abruptly lifted the staff into the air, a golden light blazing towards the sky from its tip. Similarly, a silver light rapidly descended from the bottom of the staff to merge with the mysterious diagram of light fluctuating on the surface of the plaza.

"Open! Abode of the Immortal of the East!"

With a sonorous cry, the old man rapidly spun the staff over his head thrice, the silver-gold staff swept over his shoulders, releasing a brilliant radiance that covered the entire plaza. Slamming the staff's tip onto the cobbled surface of the plaza, the diagram fluctuating on the ground shattered into pieces, the fragments scattering across the air.

"The sky! The sky!"

"...look, the ground, the plaza! Everything is changing!"

"Wha…" An Fei mumbled, her eyes widened in surprise. Wasn't this scene rather familiar to her…?

The instant the staff's tip struck the ground, the entire plaza's appearance warped, the atmosphere dissolving into a mottled blur of colors that swept past her and the crowd. As the girl watched with increasing familiarity, the world slowly gave way to reveal the interior of a grand library.

As the transformation commenced, the library swallowed the plaza whole, covering the sky and even the sun.