The first page was the title page, empty and white as snow, with only these eight words written in dark ink. They were abnormally vivid, such that anyone who opened this book would not be able to miss them.

If a normal person were to open this book, they would assuredly begin to carefully consider what sort of meaning was hidden in these words. Then, with an understanding of these eight words, they would continue to read. But Chen Changsheng was different from the rest. He did not turn to the next page, instead standing up and walking to the bookshelves, seeking out several other books on Purification. After quickly flipping through them, he realized that the title pages of all these books also contained these eight words. After this, he sat back down and placed all of his mind on the pages of the book, forgetting everything else.

The words of On Purification were very simple. As he attentively read it, it didn't take long before he had finished reading the first chapter. This chapter was concerned with how one should nurture their spiritual sense. He did not stop here to think or to try, but continued reading. The following chapters were also gradually noted down in his mind. The primary topics of these chapters were how to nurture the spiritual sense, search for one's Fated Star, and how to draw starlight into the body.

He needed only one hour to finish reading it. He then closed the books, closed his eyes, and began to think.

After a dozen or so breaths, he opened his eyes, opened the book once more, and began to read.

He needed even less time to finish than the first. In the time needed for several incense sticks to burn, he had finished reading.

He then once more closed his eyes to contemplate the contents of the books.

After a few breaths of time, he opened his eyes and began to read once more.

As he repeated this procedure, the sunlight spilling in from the window was as fierce as ever.

He closed On Purification for the last time and opened it no more.

He took out a brush and ink and, without opening the book, began to record from the memories in his mind his thoughts from his readings.

It didn't take long before the paper was densely covered in words.

The instant he placed the brush on the inkstone, all the contents of On Purification were remembered in his mind like they had been carved in stone.

Crucially, this was not rote memorization, but true understanding.

This was Chen Changsheng's reading method.

This method was very special, the precious treasure he and Senior Yu Ren had obtained after ten-odd bitter years of reading books. Although the old temple of Xining Village did not seem very remarkable, the books contained within were as boundless as the sea. If one wanted to memorize so many books in the shortest time possible, one naturally required a very special ability.

With this reading method, one did not need to read a book until it was on the verge of falling apart—in reality, the vast majority of the books in Xining Village's old temple were like new, but the contents of these books had all been completely memorized by the two.

The most important phase of this method was the final step of notetaking. Whether these notes were taken down on paper or remembered in the mind, these notes were the final sorting and confirmation for the entire session of reading, and it was only after completing this step that the reader could say that they had taken all the contents of a book and made it into their own knowledge.

To finish reading On Purification and close the book was naturally not an end. Learning and constant review could be done in the mind and in notebooks, but what was the goal of reading and study? It was practice, and his goal in reading On Purification was so that he could succeed in Purification and begin to cultivate.

The first step of Purification was to condense one's spiritual sense. The spiritual sense was a human's mental strength. To explain it in more everyday terms, it was 'thought'. As long as the idea one thought was intense enough, if one concentrated enough, thoughts could transform into a sort of strength.

It did not sound difficult, as if one only needed to do the utmost to crease their brows into mountain valleys and then be able to freely travel across the magnificent mountains and rivers of their imagination, but the fact was that it wasn't this easy at all. This was because whether or not one could form a spiritual sense was completely dependent on the strength of one's soul. The strength of one's soul was purely a matter of innate talent, nothing to do with effort. No matter how much an ordinary person worked, could his soul be stronger than the reincarnation of the Heavenly Phoenix?

Chen Changsheng had prepared for cultivation for many years. To be more precise, from the moment that peculiarity with his body appeared at the age of ten, he had been silently waiting for that day to come. He knew that there was a problem with his meridians, the illness his master said he had: his nine meridians were severed and could not connect, so his soul could not circulate through his body and could only be forced out with his sweat. Although after the age of ten, his master had used medicines to suppress his illness, preventing the continued loss of his soul's essence, it was still a problem. Otherwise, why would that black Sensory Stone in the Heavenly Dao Academy's assessment have failed to sense the slightest spiritual sense in his body?

If the soul was not strong enough, how could one condense the spiritual sense?

Without spiritual sense, how could there be dispersion?

This first step of Purification—how should he take it?

He did not feel disappointment like those other people who found out that they had no hope of cultivating, let alone despair.

He firmly believed that countless years ago, there must have been countless incredibly intelligent people that had resolved this problem, because there were many people like him. In the books of the Daoist Canon, he had read accounts of how these disappointed people would find some genius method and thus become peerless experts, like Wang Zhice for example. However, he was not prepared to work in this way because he had never found a case in the Daoist Canon similar to the problem with his meridians. Even his master had said that it could not be treated, that it was just fate. He did not have the surplus time to struggle with fate, nor did he believe that he could think of a new and genius method in such a short amount of time. He enjoyed moving with the current, and he believed that if he followed existing methods, he would also be able to condense his spiritual sense. No one believed more than him in the knowledge of his forebears.

"Read one hundred times, naturally grasp the meaning."

All books related to Purification had these eight striking words. It was very obvious that these eight words were the most important part of Purification, and also the part that his predecessors wished to communicate to those that followed. But which book should he read?

Chen Changsheng looked at the dense directory on the back cover of On Purification, gazing at those sometimes fair and honest, sometimes unconventional book titles. He shook his head, somewhat surprised that after coming to the capital, he would still have to continue the life he had lived in Xining Village.

If this was a place like the Heavenly Dao Academy or Star Seizer Academy, if students needed to break through the bottleneck of Purification, a teacher would naturally tell them that the most crucial part of Purification was reading a large amount of related books, thus strengthening the soul and reaching the goal of condensing the spiritual sense in one stroke.

On Purification merely provided the general principles. What one truly needed to study was the forty-nine books listed on the back cover.

Of course, this did not at all mean that all students needed to read every one of these forty-nine books one hundred times before their soul reached a level at which they could condense the spiritual sense. In the vast majority of cases, in the process of reading, the reader's spiritual sense would be condensed and they could stop this process.

This process was not one in which the earlier one finished, the better it was. If one needed to only read one book ten times and be able to successfully condense spiritual sense, that person would presumably be the cultivator with the weakest spiritual sense in history. On the contrary, the more books one read and the more times one read them, the stronger the soul would become, yet it would still be unable to break through that thin layer of paper. When the spiritual sense was finally condensed, only this sort of spiritual sense could truly be called powerful.

If someone could read all forty-nine books on the back cover of On Purification one hundred times before finally condensing their spiritual sense, then when they drew starlight into their bodies to undergo Purification, they had a chance of reaching the level of perfection. But this sort of situation was incredibly rare. Other than those lucky enough to be born with incredible innate talent, it was basically impossible.

This was a very stimulating process. As time passed, as the number of books and the number of times one read them gradually increased, one could anticipate becoming a genius with a powerful spiritual sense, but there was also a high chance that one could ultimately fail at condensing the spiritual sense and be resigned to the life of an ordinary person.

Hope and disappointment would continuously increase over this process, ultimately becoming a gamble of epic proportions. No one knew the result of this gamble. Only after reading those books, one hundred times each, would the result appear on its own.

Read one hundred times, naturally grasp the meaning.

This was its meaning.

...

...

After reading On Purification once, Chen Changsheng did not feel any change in his body, did not sense his soul, so he naturally could not sense his spiritual sense either. He did not begin to immediately read the books listed on the back cover, but instead began to calculate.

He believed that his reading efficiency was higher than an ordinary person's, so perhaps he might not really need to read each book one hundred times, perhaps twenty to thirty times might be enough. There were forty-nine books in total on the back cover, so calculating with his average reading efficiency, for the very first round, he could only finish reading seven books, seven days to finish reading all of them once. Even if he gradually got faster with time, to completely read all these books would at least take half a year. Did he have half a year? No, so what should he do? This was the first time he felt rather vexed ever since coming to the capital.

If other people were to learn that he was feeling vexed, they would definitely be feeling something different. This was because in his calculations, it was very obvious that he only intended to condense his spiritual sense after reading all forty-nine books—if he could condense his spiritual sense, that is. In other words, from beginning to end, even if subconsciously, he was truthfully placing himself on the same level as geniuses, or even higher.

It was no wonder Tang Thirty-Six thought him very arrogant on their first meeting. He looked reticent, cautious and courteous, but in reality, in many aspects, he was inexplicably confident, making people feel that he was extremely arrogant.

...

...

As he was thinking, he was suddenly caressed by a breeze and a shadow fell, covering the words on the back cover.

Chen Changsheng raised his head and saw a pretty girl sneering at him.

At the moment, he was sitting on the floor, so this girl was naturally somewhat looking down on him from up high.

This girl was precisely Shuang'er of the Divine General of the East's estate. She looked at the books concerning Purification next to Chen Changsheng and knew what he planned to do. She jeered, "To begin Purification at the age of fourteen, you don't think you're somewhat late?"

Chen Changsheng seriously replied, "Seeking the Dao can come early or late. The early might arrive late, the late might arrive early."

Shuang'er did not expect to hear such an answer. After staring blankly at him for a few moments, she disdainfully retorted, "Forty-nine books, one hundred times, ten days, —these are the numbers left by my young lady when she condensed her spiritual sense at the age of four. The late might arrive early? Where do you plan to arrive early?"

Chen Changsheng pondered this question, but he realized that he didn't know how to answer.


To pick is to choose. This is a story about choices. Three thousand worlds full of gods and demons, with a daoist scroll in your hand, you are able to control the entire universe…

At the beginning of time, a mystical meteor came crashing down from outer space and scattered all over the world. A piece of it landed in the Eastern Continent, with mysterious totems carved upon it. Through the observation of these totems, humankind comprehended the Dao and established the Orthodoxy.

Several thousand years later, the fourteen years old orphan Chen Changsheng left his master to cure his illness and change his fate. He brought a piece of marriage vow with him to the capital, thus began the journey of a rising hero.

The relationships between loved ones might not always be pure and simple. 
The elders might have given the best resources to nurture their younger generation, but it could have been an investment, one that they were expecting returns from. 
It was not to say that all family relations would be so cold-hearted, but undeniably, such situations did exist.
Shi Qing smiled reluctantly. "Qiao Nan, don't you think that you've made it sound too horrifying?" She was just told that despite being in their uniforms, some of the soldiers in the army might not strive for excellence and there were grey areas that she did not know of in the past. Now, Qiao Nan was telling her that there was such an ugly side to the relationships between relatives. Like the soldiers in the army who just learned English, Shi Qing found it difficult to adapt.
"Horrifying?" Qiao Nan was amused. "I know you like to read. Let me introduce you to this author. You only have to read all of his books to know if I have been exaggerating."
"Do you mean the books written by Lu Xun[1]?"
"Yes, that's right. You can look for them yourself." The reading articles in their syllabus were too positive. Those articles that were thought-provoking were not in their reading lists, and they had to look for it by themselves. 
Shi Qing was not someone who would procrastinate. 
Qiao Nan had mentioned it to her that evening, and the next morning, Shi Qing went to look for Shi Peng. "Dad, do you have time? Can you find someone to buy me some books?"
"Books?" Shi Peng looked at Shi Qing with interest. "What books do you want? Humanities or science? One is marked by the company one keeps. In the past, you will not even do your homework during summer break, let alone reading books. It seems to be good for you to have made such a good friend."
Actually, Shi Peng did not care if his daughter did her homework or not. He felt that what mattered was her attitude. 
His daughter was smart. Since a young age, she was quick to learn new things and she had good results. As her father, Shi Peng was worried that having a smooth-sailing life might not be a good thing for her. 
"I am interested in Lu Xun's novels and psychology books related to social relations. Get more of those for me."
"You want to read those books?"
"Yes!"
Shi Peng's palm went cold. He placed it against the warm teacup. "Did Qiao Nan recommend you to read these books?"
"She gave me suggestions." It was up to her to read or not.
Shi Peng had a serious look. "Are you sure you want to read these books?"
"Yes. Dad, I just realized that having good results does not mean everything in this world. Life is much more complicated than that." Life was unlike doing problem sums, especially science topic that only had one correct answer. It was either correct or wrong. "Dad, I want to grow up. It's time that I grow up."
"There's a price to pay for growing up."
"But you can't protect me forever."
It was for the longest time before Shi Peng answered. "Well, in the afternoon, I will get people to send the books over. There's no harm in reading more books." In the end, Shi Peng relented.
Shi Qing's eyes lit up. "Dad, thank you." Thank you for caring and protecting her all this while, but she had to grow up.
"You have indeed grown up." Shi Peng sighed. He knew that Qing Qing thanked him not only for the books but also for being protective of her.
To Shi Peng, it was simply because he wanted his daughter to have those that he did not have. He did not expect that his daughter was able to stand up for herself and did not need his protection. Perhaps this was his greatest blessing.
While Qiao Nan was working hard on her homework in the afternoon, Shi Qing dumped a stack of books onto the table that Qiao Nan was at. The pen that Qiao Nan left on the table bounced from the weight of the books. 
"Hey, did your dad get you all the books from the library?" Qiao Nan curled the corners of her lips at the large pile of books on the table. "Even if you want to read up, you should take things slowly. With this stack of books, isn't your dad worried that you may be frightened off by them?"
"That's our style. People from the Shi family give their best efforts in whatever they do. Anyway, there's still three-third of the summer break left. I have all the time to finish these books. I can definitely finish them." After she finished reading these books, the first thing she wanted to figure out was none other than her family. 
She wanted to understand why her grandpa sided with Qiu Chenxi. 
"I will cheer you on." Qiao Nan let go of the pen that had been bounced off.
Shi Qing placed a few of the books in front of Qiao Nan. "These are yours."
Qiao Nan took a quick glance. They were sociology and psychology books. "I do not plan to read these books."
"That will not do. We are good friends. We should share weals and woes." These books were theory-based and were dull and dry. She had to get someone to read it with her. It was boring to read books by herself. But it would be different if she had company.
Qiao Nan shot Shi Qing a sideways glance. "When did we become friends? I have no idea at all."
"Now you know."
"Since we must share weals and woes and seeing that I have so much homework to be done, shouldn't you help me with it?"
"Hey, you have done much more than me. When it comes to homework, I am so much behind you. If we are to share weals and woes, it's you who have to help me with it." Actually, she never did her summer break homework. She felt that it was a waste of time.
Qiao Nan felt like slapping Shi Qing. No matter what she said, Shi Qing would find ways to take advantage of her. 
Qiao Nan picked a book and flipped through a few pages. The paper quality was particularly good. Some of the books were even imported. They were as good as the books that Zhu Chengqi gave her. It would be difficult to get these books on the market. "Are you able to understand these books?"
Shi Qing scored fairly well for her English, but having good results in high school did not mean that she would be able to understand these English books. Even for her, though she only flipped through a few pages, she would need a dictionary to be able to understand the contents.
"Oh yeah, this is for you." Shi Qing pulled out a book from the stack. It was as thick as the wooden headrest in ancient times. She passed it to Qiao Nan. "Take your time to read it. It's okay if I don't understand. It is fine as long as you can understand them. By then, I can simply get you to tell me the contents of the books!"
"Oxford Dictionary?" Qiao Nan's expression darkened. Did Shi Qing intend to treat her as a translation tool? 
"That's right. It is not that easy to get this dictionary now. It is the 1995 edition. You have to make good use of it." Her father had taken this from his private collection. 
"The 1995 edition of OALD?" Qiao Nan had heard of it.
"What's OALD? I am not too sure. You can take a look at it yourself." Shi Qing did not understand anything that was beyond their English syllabus in school. As for the edition of the Oxford dictionary, she was clueless. Shi Qing was in a slight panic when Qiao Nan mentioned OALD all of a sudden.
[1] He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature.


Qiao Nan: Crap! I am your biological daughter, yet I am treated as if I was picked up from the streets. In fact, you treat me worse than that!

Mother Qiao: Qiao Nan, you are not as pretty or smart as your elder sister. You are not as blessed as her. You have no right to study, marry, or to have your happiness!

Qiao Nan: Why am I not allowed to study, marry, or to seek my happiness? I will find a man right now and marry him!

Qiao Nan is dumbstruck upon discovering that the man right beside her is a powerful figure in the quad—the person who has the most promising prospects to be the future Chief.

Qiao Nan stares at the well-built man in front of her. He has firm abs and cold, chilling eyes. She swallows the lump in her throat as she says her greetings, "Good Morning, Chief!"

Leah thought to herself as she stared at the man heavily concentrated in his book. She was certain that the reason the man was reading the book was because he wanted to increase his stats. And there was quite a high likelihood that he may believe that only the books in this place increased his stats.

'I should tell him.'

She agonized for a brief moment and walked towards the man.

"Excuse me."

She arrived in front of the man and called to him.

".....?"

Coincidentally he had just finished reading the entire book. He closed it and looked at her. His face was filled with confusion. She opened her mouth.

"This place is not the only place you can raise your stats."

"Excuse me?"

He answered her with a rhetorical question. His voice was filled with embarrassment. She smiled as she heard his disconcerted voice and replied.

"Your stats can be increased not only here but elsewhere as well. You only need to read a book."

"Okay."

He responded.

"...…..?"

This time, she was confused.

'Why is his reaction like this?'

Different than before, the man's voice was very calm.

* * *

'What does this woman do?'

Soo Hyuk was considerably taken aback.

'Why is she bringing up conversation about stats all of a sudden?'

She comes up to me abruptly and says that this place isn't the only place you could raise your stats? That you only need to read a book for it to increase? What does she want me to do about it? What type of reaction does she want from me? He thought to himself.

'Did she want me to be surprised?'

"I told you, you only need to read a book? Not here?"

She spoke in the meantime.

"I know that."

His thoughts stopped as soon as she spoke. He shook his head.

"Excuse me?"

She asked with a rhetorical question. She looked flustered.

"But why are you here then?"

It was such an obvious question.

"To read the books."

".....the books?"

"Yes, this is a library."

He responded to her question as he glanced around their surroundings once and looked at her. She continued to ask questions.

"Weren't you reading because of your stats?"

"No."

"......"

She did not say a word anymore. She just stared quietly at him for a brief moment and turned around. As soon as she turned around, he opened up a book next to him and began to read.

Swish

[Wisdom has increased by 1.]

Shortly, he read the entire book and closed it.

'Did she leave?'

After he checked his message, he looked around the inside of the library. The girl was nowhere to be found. It seemed like she left.

'Oh well, it would've been different if this place was the only place you could raise your stats.'

If this place were the only place you could increase your stats, then the girl would've stayed.

Rustle

He stood up from his seat. He thought to himself as he began to head towards the bookcase to get a new book.

'I wonder how long it's going to take.'

He was very curious as to how long it would take to read all of the books that were inside of the library.

* * *

"Ah, it's finally graduation."

Yeon Joong's voice was filled with regret as he mumbled to himself.

"You waited for this moment so much, why are you being like that? Do you regret it?"

Soo Hyuk asked.

"More than regret, I guess you could say something feels empty?"

He wanted graduation to come so badly. However, when graduation was actually over, there was some type of hollowness.

"Yeah?"

"You don't feel anything?"

 

He asked Soo Hyuk.

"Umm….."

Soo Hyuk murmured to himself as he pondered. He soon finished his thoughts and opened his mouth.

"I feel slightly regretful that I won't be able to access the library. But besides that, not really?"

He was also regretful. Though, that regret was only because of the library. With his graduation, it was now impossible to access it.

Technically, it wasn't actually impossible. However, in order to utilize the library, he would have to go to school? Time was too precious.

'During that time, it would be better to access Pangaea.'

He now had Pangaea. Inside Pangaea, there were still new books that were unread. It would be more efficient to connect to Pangaea and read the books in there than to waste time going to the library.

"Welcome!"

"Hello."

"Let's sit here."

Shortly, Soo Hyuk and Yeon Joong arrived at a Chinese restaurant and greeted the owner as they grabbed a seat.

"What are you going to eat?"

After they sat down, they went directly into menu selection.

"Jjambbong, you?"

"I'm going to get Jjajangmyun! Graduation = Jjajangmyun."

Soo Hyuk chose Jjambbong and Yeon Joong chose Jjajangmyun. Once they finished deciding, Yeon Joong shouted.

"Boss! We'll order! Can we get one jjambbong and one jjajangmyun! Please give us steamed dumplings as well!"

"Okay!"

Their order was completed with the owner's response.

Yeon Joong stared directly at Soo Hyuk and asked.

"Where are you at?"

".....?"

Soo Hyuk frowned only one side of his eyebrow as he was taken aback at such a random question. What do you mean where am I at? Am I not at the Chinese restaurant?

"Pangaea."

"Oh~"

He exclaimed. He wondered as to what Yeon Joong was talking about, but it was about Pangaea.

"Me, well I'm at the library, like always."

He replied to Yeon Joong.

"What?"

Yeon Joong was confused as he responded with a counter-question.

"You're still at the library?"

He cross-questioned because Soo Hyuk was still at the library.

"Hey, aren't you staying there too long? A month and a half has already passed. By any chance, you're not planning on continuing to stay there right?"

Pangaea opened on 12/31. Today's graduation date was 2/15. A month and a half had already passed. But he was still at the library?

"There are still books that I haven't read."

He had read many, many books. However, he did not read all of the books inside the library. There were still books that sparkled in there.

"You're going to leave after you've read all of the books?"

"Yup."

Soo Hyuk shook his head. The day he leaves the beginning town of 'Oren' is when he would've read the entire books inside the library.

As they were conversing, the foods that were ordered came out.

"Where are you planning on going after? Have you even decided on that?"

Yeon Joong asked as he grabbed a steamed dumpling.

"I'm thinking of going to Matab."

Soo Hyuk replied as he began taking out mussel shells that were in his Jjambbong.

"Are you trying to become a Magician?"

"Yup."

"Then instead of Matab, shouldn't you go somewhere else?"

Many users whom chose the path of a Magician headed towards Matab. And a very small minority of users headed towards a different empire and kingdom.

However, it was informed that as time passed, it was much better to start from a different nation than to start at Matab.

"They say that not only with promoting, but that the NPCs' personalities are insane?"

It was not only one or two things that came out. The rate of promotion was bad, treatment was bad; it was better to go to a different nation than Matab in almost every aspect.

"They don't even let you speak to them because your level's low."

They would do that because Matab had plenty of Magicians. On top of that, the majority of the NPCs in Matab were exceptional Wizards.

There would be no reason for them to treat noob users that just entered into magic kindly. Plus, wasn't it overcrowded with users?

"There's a reason I have to go to Matab."

Soo Hyuk replied. Promotion? Treatment? He didn't care for those. There was only one reason he had to go to Matab.

"Reason?"

Yeon Joong asked.

"Don't tell me, it's not because of the library, is it?"

"You're correct."

Soo Hyuk responded as he ran his chopsticks through his Jjambbong.

'Did I take all of them out?'

He couldn't see any more of the mussel shells. He inhaled a handful of Jjambbong.

'Wow.'

He was filled with admiration.

'It tastes good.'

The level of spicy-ness was exactly how he liked it.

'Would they be able to deliver to my house?'

He thought of the distance between his house and the Chinese restaurant.

'I should ask when I leave.'

It was a somewhat vague distance. He ended his thoughts as he decided to ask when he left. He then looked at Yeon Joong.

".....?"

He had no choice but to wonder as he saw Yeon Joong. Yeon Joong would've done the same thing, as he was currently holding a steamed dumpling and just staring at Soo Hyuk.

"What are you doing?"

Soo Hyuk asked.

"...….."

Yeon Joong placed the steamed dumpling in his mouth. And as he began chewing on his dumpling, he replied.

"Did you, by any chance, start the game to read books?"

"Yup."

Soo Hyuk responded as he stretched out his chopsticks towards the dumplings. It was not only because of the books. However, the biggest reason he began Pangaea was because of the books.

The cost was way cheaper to read books inside Pangaea than it was to read books in reality. He would be able to read new books infinitely inside of Pangaea.

"Are you going to continue to only read books?"

Yeon Joong asked.

"No."

Soo Hyuk shook his head.

"I'm going to catch monsters and complete quests."

He was not thinking of only reading books. He planned on catching monsters and completing quests. Of course there was a reason he wanted to catch monsters and complete quests.

'In order to fulfill the qualifications.'

Eventually, he was going to finish reading all of the books in Matab's library. In order to read new books, he would need to go to a new library. Just like the conditions to become a Magician in order to utilize Matab's library, there would also be conditions in order to access different libraries.

To satisfy these qualifications, he needed to grow his character by catching monsters and completing quests. That was the only reason why he wanted to catch monsters and break quests.

"Oh yeah?"

Yeon Joong shook his head as he spoke.

"Then let me know when you need help. I, a Mid-Ranker will help you out!"

Although he started Pangaea a little later than Soo Hyuk, he devoted all of his efforts into growing his character.

All of his efforts made his ranking quite high. Even though his name wasn't within the 1000th rankings they called Ranker, his name was up in the 3000th ranking they called Mid-Ranker.

You could say that help from a Mid-Ranker would be colossal. Also, if you thought of the level Soo Hyuk was, nothing would be impossible.

"Okay, I'll certainly remember that you said you'd help."

Soo Hyuk smiled as he replied.

While reading a book, a sparkle of light disappeared. And, as it did, a message appeared.

[Wisdom increased by 1]

This is translated by Asada Translations, if you would like to, you could read it there, the credits go to asada translations...Thank you, reviewer (I 4got ur name) for pointing that out

We will beat Asada translations tho, some friendly competition ?

I walk through my dreams like I've lived a whole life there, most times they are about a recent book I read. That is one of the things I do a lot and I'm not just saying that I really do read almost all day long. If I'm not reading I am probably watching some movie or anime series, yes you can probably guess I haven't done much with my life. let's start where it all began.

Back in middle school I loved to read books so much so that when I was grounded they took away my books instead of saying I couldn't go out with friends or no tv/games. yes I was a pretty strange kid compared to some being a 12 year old in America at the time(2012 No less). when I was grounded my next best thing was video games because they told stories as well at the time my video game collection was pretty sparce using an old dell business computer that ran windows xp (let's just say I got really good at minesweeper). even before I found books video games were still present. I still remember my mom gifting me an original Xbox she won in a contest it came with one game and it was a racing game not a lot of story just races.

After a while of getting in trouble I got grounded while i was grounded so I lost games as well suffice to say my box of legos was not very entertaining for a 12 year old mainly because I didn't like to make things up myself it felt so tedious that I had to work so hard to make up shapes and other things people already. i also didn't have many friends so instead I slept, and I slept hard. I don't remember much of my dreams then but I do remember one that was about magic and there was a really dark forest that went on forever in a sea of trees, other than that though I don't remember.
A couple of months later I was officially free and it felt like freedom I got to read again, it was so much fun, I would imagine it being like a drowning mans next breath of air. I didn't goto sleep that night instead I stayed up reading, when morning came I was tired but the book just got to THAT PART that is just so interesting and catching you can't stop, i read through that day as well. after dinner I got so tired I slept couldn't keep reading.
the next morning felt so sluggish like the morning after you get drunk but not enough for a hangover. well after a week of being late for school because I was busy reading parents up an sold all my books. ALL of them like really I was almost done reading them! I never read another book until after basic training 4 or 5 years later.
things changed after I lost my collection I switched to video games and because they didn't want me up all night reading whenever Christmas came around it was games instead of books. birthday? video game. my dad was an avid gamer always tried to keep his pc updated and sent old games I could run on my pc to me. me and my dad were always great at games but I could never compete with him, and it totally didn't have to do with me playing the games for the stories instead of for the high scores(of you can't tell this sentence is sarcasm read this again).

flash forward to the start of high school I was big on video games by then my computer had upgraded to a brand new one from my birthday me and my dad built it together good memories there. I remember when i tried to play morrowwind on it. that was when I realised I didn't like challenging games i liked to play and get the story, maybe different endings (those were my favorite).

at the start of high school I didn't really have a lot of friends because I didn't have many in middle school. my dad recommended me to join the ROTC there, he said he did and he had fun when he was in high school. So I did and the first year was fun and it started with ROTC especially when I started competing. I had so much fun I spent 14 hours of day at school I woke up at 5 to get to practice went to school than got home around 7 after the other practice you can imagine I didn't have a lot of time for video games especially because all that practice was physally demanding. 

1 year later 2 year in high school this I would consider the real start of high school for you actually have to do something to pass your classes I met a girl in my math class (insert joke about about girls causing problems in highschool here [ps: this is the joke I'm not sexist]). We started talking about a lot of things our school football team things like that, than we got to books she loved to read book I got to see her library once well less of a library and more of a whole wall of books and all books I wanted to read. her name was Alex I had the biggest crush on her at one point than found out she was lesbian so we kinda grew apart shallow I know but it's high school things like this happen. anyways after seeing those books some of them I used to read myself I started to want to read again, but I had no books i was still forbidden to read so I put my frustration put on video games during this time I was playing a lot of modern warfare 2 I loved the story and the way it flowed but it was really the first game I really played on steam I have logged over 500 hours  on that game alone I got every achievement for single player even the ones for veteran difficulties and also got most for the multiplayer which at this point I had everything unlocked and was max level I loved the multi player.

at this point I was starting to show up late sometimes to practice because I wasn't sleeping early enough. I went one more year like that and over summer I played so many video  games I swear I dreamt about sheaperd in mw2 around this time skyrim came out and I played the heck out of it  (I didn't get as many hours of playtime because 3rd year of high school is the hardest around 200hours). 3rd year rolls around I've dropped out of all practices because it was all boring again nothing new same old stuff. I was still busy keeping my grades up especially that foreign language credit that is needed to graduate.

4th year felt like being a freshman again except youre the one who makes fun of the freshmen.

nothing important happened then so I graduated and I wanted adventure something new so I went and joined the US Airforce. If I knew what I knew about it than I would have waited unroll now to join. long story short my addiction to video games got the better of me some nights during training and I ended up sleeping in, combined with my selective forgetfulness  (I kid you not I forgot my boots one time). luckily I wasn't in that long so I got an entry level discharge (look it up if you don't know) after I got back I found books to read online and read I did but because I didn't have school and at the time no work to deal with

this is about the time where I realised something special about my dreams.

at one point in high school I played a game where you create your own games and other people play them but this wasn't like legos using only blocks this was a program and once they started to abandon the Lego building style I started to learn it you could import meshes from other programs like blender so I started learning how to use it during this time I started dreaming up wire frames i wanted to tell a story using this game a story without words. I spent a long time on this and I can say to this day that I am self taught at how to use blender and that I ended up really famous on that game for my builds

that was the first clue because I was spending so long learning how to use blender I started dreaming up wire frames or if I was having a really hard time with a specific thing I would dream how it looked and be able to re create it the next day.

now after my attempt at trying to get a stable job i went back to reading. It started out with books i had already read then spread and spread till I found whole websites filled with books to read some exciting some not and they all had one HUGE thing in common they were all fiction and that's what I like. the wilder the better.

one day I met a girl and we planned on getting married and we had a kid a beautiful daughter we named Angela love her so much. I don't know what happened after we came out of the hospital after she gave birth she said she was through with me and left. that hurt a lot so I went back to reading and read I did the stories around this time were mainly reincarnation stories in another world I swear I had a dream at one point i was reincarnated into alegasea  (if you don't know you haven't lived).

this is where I realised my dreams make for the best stories and I tried to write a story about a specific dream once or twice. It never turned out well. Now I'm in college for networking taking a Cisco class (super boring) so my dreams are extra vivid further making me want to write those stories out but they never seem to tell the story how I want then to but right now this one is working does this count as 4th wall break? (lol couldn't resist the humor there [and don't say it was bad because you thought it was funny at some point deep deeeep down you just don't know it])

a story about a man and his dreams that might mean he is insane or might just love books too much. don't listen to the voices in your head about this one because the pink platypusbear that sleeps like a bat doesn't like your drugs.

"I'M done. Can you see everything?" Argent asked her sister who was on the other end of the line.
 She was currently at a corner of a narrow alley. She picked that place so no one could see her using her light brain. She just finished putting up the hidden cameras at the northern area of the city. With this, Argent finally had the whole city under surveillance. Well, not really the whole city since she couldn't really set a camera inside the much more important establishments. Like the Apostolic Palace for example. She could but it would be too risky. She didn't want to do something that might ruin her plan. At least not until the day of the festival.
 "Yes, I can see everything clearly," answered her sister's voice.
 Aurum was inside her room at Casa Royale, holding her sPhone in one hand and a rectangular device similar to an sPhone but much bigger, that her brother called a tablet, on the other. According to her brother, this tablet was connected to all the cameras she set up all over the city. Using this, they could monitor the things that's happening in the city while they're here. Maybe if they're lucky they could even find the whereabouts of that elf much faster thru this. 
 While talking, her gaze accidentally flashed to a small, unassuming violet stone attached on the wall atop the bed. Because of her brother's suspicion that Casa Royale had a way to monitor its guests, they swept their rooms as early as the first night and did find a magical tool. It's the stone. It's some kind of tool that could record every sound in the room. That's why they never had a meeting in any of their rooms.
 Really, these people from the Temple were nothing but a bunch of snakes who couldn't even respect the privacy of anyone.
 "You're really okay just staying in your room this day?" Argent asked. 
 Her sister volunteered to stay in her room to watch the tablet connected to the cameras Argent set up. While Clay, to her knowledge, went out to search additional information about the elf if ever in the off chance that they couldn't find him in the auction.
 "Yes, Brother. I'll be fine here," Aurum reassured her brother.
 "Okay, then."
 Argent ended the call. She was glad that Aurum seemed to be back to normal. Looked like her worry was unfounded after all. She walked out of the alley. Although she finished putting up the cameras in this area, she hadn't set up the much more important device involved in her plan. She needed to be much more careful in setting that up. She's not in a hurry though. She just have to make sure that she would be able to set it around the Holy Temple before the Festival of Creation.
 For now, she's relatively free. So, she's going to do one of the things she had planned to do the moment they got here - read the books in the Temple Library. She heard it had the oldest collection of history books in the world. She might be able to find some of the important information she needed there. 
 Argent continued to walk and then stopped in front of a building that looked like a Greek pantheon. A very big pantheon. She walked inside the building and she immediately noticed how much bigger it was inside. It had five floors. There weren't that many people around. Most of them were just young priests, maybe some were even priests-in-training. Everywhere she looked, all she could see were books, books, and more books. She inhaled deeply, smelling the scent of old paper. 
 A small smile crossed her lips. Ever since she came to this world, this had been one of the smell she came to love. Probably because her original world didn't have much physical books to begin with. Long before she was born, almost all the books had been turn into a digital copy. Paper became a rare commodity and having a physical book became some kind of luxury.
 She walked towards the front desk where an old man wearing a priest's robe was sitting. He's probably the chief librarian here. 
 "Good day," she greeted. "Where could I find books about history?"
 The old man looked up at her. "It's rare for a young person like yourself to visit an old place like this," he said with a kind and gentle smile on his face.
 Argent was quite surprised. This was probably the first priest of the Temple she encountered that didn't seem like a scum of the earth. The old man genuinely looked like he's truly kind and gentle. Maybe that's why he's here looking after all these books instead of being a Bishop or an Archbishop.
 "I love reading books," she just said.
 "Then you can read all the books you like here. At least before five in the afternoon that is. Because that's the time the library closes," the priest said with a little bit of teasing tone. "The history books are in the second floor. But I suggest you check the card catalog over there first," he said pointing to a row of cabinets with small shelves. "It would be much easier for you to look for the books that you wanted if you check there first."
 Argent nodded. "Thank you."
 She walked towards the card catalog and searched for the locations of books related to Mythos continent and the war that happened 500 years ago. Because the cards were arranged alphabetically, it wasn't that hard for her to look for the books she wanted. After remembering the locations of the books written on the cards, she climbed the stairs towards the second floor. There were shelves after shelves of books. It took a while before she found the books she wanted. Then she took them to one of the tables so she could immediately read them. 
 She first read the book titled, 'Mythos: A History'. According to the book, Mythos was a continent personally crafted by Gaia. That's why the three races born there were the ones who received most of Gaia's blessings. The dragons with their unimaginable power and bravery, the elves with their beauty and wisdom, and the beastkins with their strength and their desire for victory.
 Before the continent closed off, Mythos was the center of trade in the world. Mainly because they have a lot of resources not available anywhere else and the three races could turn resources into wonderful magical tools. They lived peacefully with humans. Although their population was infinitely smaller, no one could doubt their power. The three races ruled over the world.
 The same things were said in two other books she read. 
 Then she went off and read about the war that happened 500 years ago. In Argent's opinion, most of the things happening to her and her family right now was closely related to the event that happened then. All the three books she found told of one thing. That the war was caused by someone called the Silver Witch.
 She instigated the three races into fighting with humans. She used the weird contraptions she made into seducing the three races to be on her side. Then at the end, with the lead of the Temple, the humans won. They burnt the witch alive and the three races closed off themselves inside the Mythos continent.
 But were all of these true?
 She remembered what the remnant of the dragon king said to her that the reason the war started was because of the obsession of a certain demon. That was so far off from the details she read from these books about the war. Unless the demon was that Silver Witch. Which she doubted.
 There was something about this Silver Witch. Something that the Temple was hiding. She's like a sword hanging over the head of the Temple. Like a time bomb just waiting to explode. If not, then they wouldn't hate Silver Corporation just for the reason that Argent had the same silver hair as that so-called witch. 
 Argent closed off the last book. They said that history was written by the winners. So she couldn't really trust the things written in this book. Especially about that Silver Witch.
 So what exactly was the truth?
 That's the only thing running inside her mind even after she left the library.


She's a known genius of the 31st century. But due to humans' endless greed, she was forced to end her life. The moment she decided to die, she already accepted that it would be the end. But miraculously, she survived and woke up in a completely different world.

A world filled with magic and creatures that she thought only existed from myths and legends. The people there have abilities called 'Gifts'.

There's only one problem tho. She's now inhabiting a different body. And that body belongs to a... young duke?


Please don't review this story and then give it a low rating when you haven't even read a single chapter. If you're only doing that for the exp, then please, don't do it on my novel's expense. Thank you. :)



Cover art belongs to the respective owner.



Twitter: @tyramisu_wn
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"Little Feng! Tonight, Your father, I will teach you about cultivation."

Tian Lang began to explain the little Tian Feng in his hand. "Cultivation is an arduous task. To cultivate, one must have innate talent and potential. To progress further, one must have a strong determination. But that's not enough, you also need to have a path."

Tian Lang's voice was melodious and soothing. It actually felt nice to hear. Somehow it makes one remember it in their heart. This is different from his usual voice.

"A path?" Tian Feng asked in a low voice.

Tian Lang continued, "That's right! A path is a way that a cultivator has chosen to progress. It cannot be changed and It must be true to oneself otherwise it will hinder your future progress." He paused for a moment before continues. 

"Little Feng, you don't have to worry about that for the time being. First, let's see if you can sense atmospheric energy. We call this energy 'Qi' which means vital energy. There's no technique for this. You have to depend on yourself."

"Close your eyes! Feel it!"

Tian Feng is lamenting in his heart. [A path! It's the same as all those novels that I read. It's not that hard to understand. However, just like those novels, my father didn't tell me the specific procedure at all. How am I even starting to sense Qi?]

Noticing that his son expression, Tian Lang seemed a bit helpless. "Little Feng! It's not that I want to make thing hard for you. Alright! I'll tell you about my experiences when I first start to cultivate. It's the most I can do for you. I hope it can help. When I first start to cultivate..."

He went on and on about his experiences while cultivating. Tian Feng was listening attentively but he couldn't make out any useful information at all.

After a long while...

"Alright, that's all. Now, It's your turn to try it out". Although he wanted to teach his son to cultivate quick, there's nothing he can do in this situation. He also noticed that his son doesn't seem to understand anything at all. But he can only hope for the best.

Tian Feng reluctantly sits down in the lotus position with his father's help. 

In fact, this position is not necessary but he was influenced by many martial dramas that he watched in his previous life.

After which, he closed his eyes and tries to feel his body and the surrounding.

After some time has passed...

[Nothing, nothing...I don't sense anything different at all. Where is that energy???] 

Tian Feng was crying inside his heart right now. But he still maintained his calm look on the outside. 

[Could it be that I can't cultivate? Could it be that I have no talent for it? Isn't this where a system supposed to appear?]

It's almost midnight. His father doesn't look too well either. "Little Feng, let's go to bed. We'll try again tomorrow. It's normal to fail at first try."

---

He immediately fell asleep as soon as he got to bed. Even if he has a mind of an adult, his body is still of a baby.

In the morning, his mother comes in to feed him as usual. 

"Mother, are you also a cultivator?"

"Of course! Although I'm not as strong as your father, at least I can extend my life to 100 years."

After answering a few more questions, she left.

He stayed in his room trying to sense the energy but there's nothing. He's become agitated. If he can't cultivate, he'll be bullied by others. No need to think about protecting his friends, he might not be able to protect even himself.

Last night, his father told him that most people would be able to sense Qi on the first try and that some genius can have a breakthrough to the next level in one go.

"Is there something I missed? or perhaps I do it wrong somewhere?"

He kept thinking about this for the whole morning. In the afternoon, when his mother came to find him. She was scared out of her wit because her son now looked so pale and weak. 

She immediately asked him about what happened worriedly. Tian Feng told her everything.

After she learned about the matter, she hugged him and said softly
"Little Feng! Even if you can't cultivate, your mother will still love you. Maybe your body is still too young. When you grow older, you can try it again. Mother believes that you will be able to cultivate and become a great person in the future."

What he doesn't know is, he can't cultivate because he's actually a young man inside a baby body. He already lost his baby talent for leaning thing. His mind already got influenced by the outside world.

In that evening, he has decided to ask his parent if they have any book. He had spent that afternoon thinking about what to do and recalled that knowledge is also one kind of power. 

He used to love studying. He loves books. There's only one problem, he doesn't have a good memory. 

When he was 15 years old, he underwent a heartbreak experience. He was so stressed that it actually affected his brain. He started to become forgetful day after day. But now he was still a baby and his brain hasn't damaged yet. 

[Maybe I still can change fix my memory problem.]

His parent didn't say anything negative. After dinner, his mother brought him some books for kids.

He opened one of the books and started reading. YEAH, he started reading in front of his mother.

Sitting by his bedside, his mother is now staring at him with a shocked face. "You... you know how to read?" 

Earlier, she was about to read them for him. But who could have known that a baby can read by himself?

Hearing his mother question, he was stunned. He was so agitated that he totally forgot that he was a baby and a baby is not supposed to be able to read a book. 

Previously when he talked with his mother, he didn't tell her that he comes from another world yet. It was not that he didn't want to but he didn't know how to start talking about it.

Knowing that his secret can't be kept anymore. He decided to tell her about his other life. Whether she believes him or not doesn't matter anymore. Since he can't even cultivate, he started to expect less and less with this new life. 

The effects of instant gratification haven't worn off yet. One failure is enough to make him depressed.

He's actually a good liar. However, he doesn't like to lie to people closed to him. Lying to them make him feel really bad.

"Actually, I have this memory..." He began to tell her about everything from when he first came into this world and his life on Earth.

"No wonder why you can speak so maturely..." said his mother believed in her child completely.

Not daring to meet his mother's gaze, he lowered his head. 

"Mother, would you believe me?"

His mother patted his head and smile. "Of course! I believe in you. I'm your mother after all. In fact, It's actually easier to believe in this than to believe that a baby can read without learning."

A moment later, she stood up and walked away. "I'll bring some other books." then she left.

Tian Feng was in a daze. He didn't expect his mother to believe him completely. His heart felt warm and guilty. 

[In this life, I'll make my parent happy.] He firmly thought to himself and made a silent decision.

After waiting for a while, his mother came back with a basket of books. It's all necessary knowledge about the world. 

There's history, geography, math, literature... just like school. The smell of the books filled the room. Tian Feng felt invigorated at the sight and smell of the books.

If he didn't love books this much, earlier he wouldn't let down his guard and read in front of his mother.

His mother was taking out those books one by one, allowing him to see the title. One by one, there were 120 books. There are all kinds of book laying on the floor of his room but there's one book that caught his attention.

Ignoring that book, he picked one history book and started reading. After he read for several pages, his mother told him to sleep and not to stay up late. He agreed and went to sleep.

He didn't pick the book that caught his attention first because it's a cultivation book "Steel Body". He can't even walk yet so he decided to take a look later when he can actually cultivate.

10 months later...

Tian Feng has almost finished all the 120 books. The total amount of books had increased to 130. There are two books about the academy and the rest is cultivation books.

As he read a lot of books, he came to know that while the geniuses can simply success at their first try in cultivation. The same can't be said about most of the ordinary people.

He had an idea that if he could somehow get to know more about what is actually cultivation, he might just be able to sense that atmospheric energy. It was hard to sense something you can't even imagine in the first place.

As such, last week, he asked his mother to buy cultivation books.

Today is his 2 years old birthday. Those books have become his birthday present. Last night, his mother already gave him the books but unfortunately, she also told him to sleep and read them later.

Normally, he would be able to read them by the morning inside his room but ever since he can walk some time ago, his mother started bringing him to the restaurant every day so that she can help out with the works there. 

If it was before, she wouldn't bring him there even if he can walk but now that she knows that he's actually a young man inside, she didn't have to worry too much.

His mother already told his father about everything that night and they both believe him without question. They only said, "No matter what, you are our son, be it your previous life or this life."

His father didn't even have the slightest hint of disappointment. It was something that he didn't expect. 

Riding on the motorbike, it didn't take long before they reached the restaurant. It felt great to ride this motorbike with his parents again. He remembers those times from when he was young. 

He would always sit in the front seat until he couldn't sit there anymore. It was his favourite spot because he can see everything.

In the restaurant, he's able to observe many things. This is a world of cultivation but no one is walking around with a sword or any weapon. It wasn't a surprise as he had read about it before.

This is a rather peaceful era. The civilization is under control. Compared to what he read from those novels on Earth, this world is rather modern.

The foods in the restaurant looked good. There are many kinds of wines. It seems good just by smelling, he can't wait to taste them. 

His father didn't cook by himself as much anymore as he hired a chef for the restaurant when he was born. His mother was only responsible for taking bills and orders. Most of the time, she would stay by the cashier table because that's where Tian Feng is.

Except for sitting in the restaurant next to his father's subordinates, he didn't go anywhere else. He's an introvert by nature. He only cared about his books and only looked around once in a while.

Tian Feng was a bit restless today as he finally decided to read that book by tonight. "Steel Body"

Day and night exchanged place. It's already time to close the restaurant. At night, it wasn't so dark on the road. There are lanterns that lid the way. 

Tian Feng enjoyed the cold breeze that brushes his face as he's going back home.

After dinner, he walked toward that book and picked it up. At that moment, a series of notifications ring up in his mind.

"Ding...World Data initialization completed"

"Ding...data is analyzed"

"Ding...scanning host body"

.
.
.

"Ding...scanning completed and integrating"

"Ding...host obtained 'Steel Body' Skill Book"

"Ding...loading interface, please wait..."

Waking up in a new world, Tian Feng finds himself become a 1-year-old child once again. Along with this weird phenomenon, a seemingly omnipotent system awaken within him. 

To become the most potent being, to live without regret; Possessing this OP system, he thought it would be smooth sailing. Little did he know that it couldn’t be further from the truth.

This is a melancholy story of a man and his companions, adventuring from one world to another; Discovering the meaning of life and regret.


Pi was fond of reading Chinese books. At first, it was not very used to them. But the Chinese language had a magical power, in which each word was formed by special rules, and each word's form had a special meaning. This was fascinating to Pi. Take the word "mountain" (山) for example, by looking at this character, the peaks of the mountain seemed visible. 
It followed Zhang Zian's suggestions to sit straight in front of the computer and type for a while, then sit on the window sill to look into the distance and observe the busy pedestrians. After a few minutes, as the eyes were adjusted and relaxed, it sat in the basket hammock chair and read books on the tablet, then repeated the cycle. Pi enjoyed the routine.　　
Maybe Pi was already used to searching for information in the complex records of the nameless book. It was able to read extremely fast and not only was it able to understand everything, it was able to remember them. Each time Zhang Zian came upstairs to check on it, he found it reading a different book.　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi typed its explanation: "I've read the English versions of these books. That's why I read fast."　　
Zhang Zian nodded in acknowledgment.　
The books that he transferred into the tablet for it were the electronic versions of the old and contemporary classics, most of which had been translated into English and introduced to western readers. It was normal that Pi had read them before.　　
Pi enjoyed any type of books. Novels, traveling journals, essays, poetry, science, biography...it enjoyed all of them. To satisfy his growing appetite for books, Zhang Zian retrieved the books he read in his childhood from the storage room, and borrowed some more from Wang Qian and Li Kun. He stacked the books next to the basket hammock chair so that it could access them any time.　　
Pi was gentle with the paper books. It handled them with care, and was careful when flipping the pages, yet these didn't slow down the reading.　
Soon, Pi finished reading all the paper books in Zhang Zian's house and those he borrowed elsewhere.　　
Apart from the daily business of the pet shop, Zhang Zian had an additional task of browsing the online shopping website for discounted books. He would buy some every time there was a promotion.　　

"Master, this is heavy! You are receiving a lot of couriers lately."　
Wang Qian and Li Kun walked into the shop with two heavy boxes, and placed them next to Zhang Zian's reclining chair.　
"Yes. I bought some books."　　
Zhang Zian removed the packaging with a knife. It was book series and journals. The journals were from last year, so the price was good. Pi was not picky about the publication dates anyway.　　
Wang Qian and Li Kun looked at the Abyssinian cat breeding book next to Zhang Zian, and asked in confusion, "Master, you've been buying so many books, but we've never seen you reading them..."　　
Zhang Zian rolled his eyes at them. "Do I have to let you see me reading? Can't I buy books for other use? Cut the crap. Go back and prepare for your exams!"　　
He didn't tell anyone else about Pi's arrival for now, especially Wang Qian and Li Kun. These two idiots had big mouths and liked bragging everywhere.　　
"Yes, Master!" They spit the tongues and ran back to school.　
After they left, Zhang Zian carried the books and journals to the second floor.　
"Pi, new books again."　　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi jumped out of the basket hammock chair, and came up expectantly to look at the books. Before Zhang Zian had finished stacking the books, it took one of them and started reading greedily, nourishing itself with knowledge.　 
After seeing how happy it was, Zhang Zian felt both glad and troubled.　
A mound of books had risen next to the basket hammock chair. His old books, borrowed books, recently purchased books and journals were stacked into four peaks of a mountain. The tallest one was the same height as a person, and the smallest one was as high as the waist.　
Zhang Zian could not find the books as fast as Pi was reading them. The books would reach the ceiling in a few days.　　
Paper books were more expensive and less frequent in discount. Storage was also less convenient. Books and journals were consumables to Pi, and had little long-term 

storage value. After all, it owned a nameless book containing everything. Reading Chinese books was only to appreciate the beauty and depth of the language.　　
When not reading, Pi appeared lonely, bored and melancholic. It knew that it could not go downstairs and show up in front of other people, which might bring trouble to Zhang Zian. Even if it did go downstairs, there was nothing to do and it could not communicate with the other elfins. It might as well stay upstairs to type. But typing all day became boring too. So it often sat idly on the window sill.　　
Zhang Zian was worried about Pi, and so did Old Time Tea, the traditional Chinese medicine expert. Old Time Tea said that long-term melancholy was not healthy, and Pi would fall sick if it continued this way. In modern medical terms, Old Time Tea meant depression. When someone was alone and low-spirited for a long time without interaction with the outside world, it could end up having depression.　　
Humans were social animals, and so were monkeys. Pi might be the same, who behaved like a monkey. But Zhang Zian couldn't possibly get a troop of monkeys to play with it.　　
Many studies suggested that negative mood had a negative impact on health, and may cause a variety of acute and chronic diseases, such as gastric ulcer, endocrine disorders, hair loss, etc. He did notice a lot of short yellow hairs while sweeping the floor lately.　　
Since paper books were not enough for Pi's reading appetite, after much thinking, he decided to seek help from the omnipotent internet.　
"Pi, would you like to try online novels?" He suggested to Pi.　
"Eeek?"　　
Pi was reading in the basket chair, and was distracted by his question.　
Zhang Zian explained, "Online novels are a new form of reading as the internet grew popular. They are pretty much like the e-books, except that they were created to be shared on the internet."　　
"Eeek?"　　
Pi put down its book and typed on the laptop: "Are they fun to read?"　
"Some of them are, and some are not. Online novels have a lot of genres, and are many in number. You can always find the ones you like." Zhang Zian answered honestly. In fact, he had not read many online novels. He didn't sound very confident. 　 

Leaving literary and artistic quality aside, the biggest advantage of online novels was its volume and number. Before he could find a better solution, they could at least gratify Pi's reading appetite, and chase away the melancholy and boredom.　　
"Eeek!"　　
Pi nodded and typed: "I want to try some."　　
"Good. I'm downloading online reading apps for you."　
Zhang Zian took away the tablet, downloaded multiple popular online reading apps in the App Store, registered accounts for Pi, then taught it how to search for books.　 
Pi took back the tablet happily, and dived into the ocean of online novels.　　



1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

[For walking 4 km, the reward isn't low. It is not the System's fault that you encountered so many difficulties]
'I guess so.' Darren replied dejectedly. Although it probably was the System's fault for everything happening, just walking 4 km shouldn't be hard. The question is, how much were copper coins even worth? For all he knew, they could be worthless. In response to that question, the System replied:
[1 Copper coin and 50 Stone coins are enough to stay a night in a decent inn. Food is generally around half a Copper coin for a meal.]
'Stone coin?'
[There are different types of coin. Each higher type is worth 100 of the previous type. The order is:
Wood coin -> Stone coin -> Copper coin -> Bronze coin -> Silver coin -> Gold coin -> Platinum coin -> Diamond coin -> Dragon coin]
'That seems a bit much. Can't they settle on 3-4 different types like everyone else?'
['Everyone else' has even more confusing systems. And they have so many different types because it is easier than referring to large sums of money in billions of coins, and small sums of money in 0.01s of a coin]
'Fine.' Darren decided to give up; as usual, it was no use arguing with the System.
'Any quests for me?' He asked sarcastically, not expecting for the System to have a quest for him (completely ignoring all he had learnt).
[Yes, I'll display it now]
.....
Quest: Obtaining knowledge
Description:
Knowledge is not power, but it is extremely useful nonetheless. Go to a library and read this list of books (attached)

Success condition: Having read all 10 books
Reward: System information storage space
Failure condition: Being banned from the library
Punishment: Death

Progress: 0/10 books read
.....
Darren wanted to cry. Why was being banned from a library enough to have the System kill him? There was probably a good reason, knowing the System, but it is still upsetting. With no apparent choice, if he wanted to get anywhere, he decided to look at the list of books.
.....
Booklist:
Basic magical symbols
Spells for idiots
The basics of magic
History for toddlers
A complete magical history
Elemental conjectures
Magical theorems
How to learn basic mana control
The rules of magic
.....
Darren couldn't tell if the System was picking those books just to be annoying or not. It was definitely patronising, but given that he had no idea how magic works, that may be justified. Of course, to read any of these books he had to go to a library.
'Any directions, System?'
[No, I am still not a SatNav]
He was pretty sure that the System had a SatNav, but he decided not to continue with that argument after being given a quest to read some books for children a minute ago.
Darren walked down the busy street until he eventually found a library.
'Very convenient, just being here when I wanted it.' Thought Darren, before going to walk in. Unfortunately, he saw a sign saying that there was a 100 copper coin entrance fee, which made him immediately suspicious of the System again. After all, why would it give him such a large sum of money if it wasn't going to take it away from him the next second? He reluctantly paid all his money and entered the extremely expensive and extravagant library... Or not extravagant, as Darren soon discovered. It was very simple, just having rows of books. There was almost no decoration and the little decoration that it did have was in a state of disrepair.
'What are they doing with so much money?' Asked Darren in his head, although he suspected he knew the answer: the owners were just paying almost all of the money into their pockets. And it seemed that he was not the only one who had that thought or at least nobody else was stupid enough to pay 1 bronze coin to enter a library, as it was almost deserted, with only him and a couple of other people in the whole library. Given that one of those people worked there, that meant that there were very few people actually reading books.
Darren went to an index book and looked for one of the books on his list. He decided that knowing the rules of magic would probably be beneficial considering that otherwise, he won't know how things actually work and might try something impossible, at least at his current power. He found out there the book was quickly and walked over to it before picking it up and starting to read.

21-year-old Darren Coates is going to work, at least until he is magically picked up and dropped in the middle of a field in another universe for no obvious reason.
Now, instead of worrying about mundane things, like money and work, Darren has to worry about being killed by any of the thousands of kingdoms warring constantly, or being eaten by any of the millions of beasts and even carnivorous plants, or being hunted by a mysterious organisation that seems to be the only one who knows anything.
All while finding out why he was brought there, by whom, and who else came with him, of course with the 'help' of an even more mysterious system in his head.

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