Nightfall

The thin Primary exploration on the Ocean of Qi and Mountain of Snow was now like a mountain pressing in his hand. He took a deep breath and turned to watch the green trees outside the window for a while. The green stained his tired and dry eyes, and he once again bowed his head to continue the silent reading. Soon, he then looked up again to the white roof to have a rest.

When he started to read these cultivation books, he could only do so for a short while, several sentences at a time; while now his reading time got longer and longer. He still didn’t know what he had read when back at Lin 47th Street, but he could vaguely but clearly felt that he was able to read more day by day.

It was not his resistance to the Martial Arts of Talisman or the ink words in the books becoming stronger and stronger that helped him read longer, but that, his willpower was sharpened tougher and tougher in this war. Moreover, he kept looking for an appropriate time to stop reading and rest, and for probable means that might allow him to maintain longer reading time.

“If you keep reading like this, you will die.”

Said the female professor who had been tracing the regular scripts in small characters at the clean table by the side of the window. She slowly raised her head and put her elegant pen on the inkstone to look at Ning Que’s shakey body.

Ning Que slowly closed the book and struggled to turn to the female professor by the window, he then gave a deep bow. Xie Chengyun at the end of the bookshelf also gently closed the book to give a polite nod to the professor with a perfect courtesy.

As the only two students left on this floor, they knew there was always a female professor sitting by the window who seemed to be depicting her own regular scripts in small characters. Whether someone passed out or anything else, she would not raise her head. This gradually became the landscape in the corner and eventually became a non-existent existence.

Yet, today the female professor finally put aside her pen and began to speak.

“The Cultivating books on this floor are all written with ink by the Grand Cultivators accumulating Psyche Power. That is to say, each letter in these books is the best of the Divine Talisman Masters.”

The female professor looked at Xie Chengyun sitting cross-legged on the ground, and said, “Both of you are of great perseverance, and you are even the most perseverant students in the past decade, but you must know that it’s useless to see through the Divine Talisman Masters’ fine works only by perseverance. What you need to do is to immerse yourselves in the books, to see through the books, and to understand the books. You must have the ability to learn the Seethrough upper state.”

And then she turned to Ning Que, and slightly pityingly said, “Xie Chengyun has passed the Perception State and will step into the No Doubts State so that he can maintain for a longer time. Besides, what he comprehends in the library is more or less beneficial for his cultivation, while your physique is not suitable for the cultivation. It isn’t good for you to struggle to hold on, only relying on perseverance. Why not… leave earlier?”

Ning Que stood motionlessly, keeping silent for a long time. He suddenly deeply bowed down to the female professor, and sincerely asked, “I want to ask you, professor, are you at the Seethrough upper state?”

The female professor shook her head.

Ning Que understood and continued to ask, smiling gently, ” Could you ever reach the Seethrough upper state when you entered the Academy at the very beginning?

The female professor smiled, understanding what he meant.

Ning Que again deeply bowed down and sincerely said, “I would like to continue reading for a couple more days.”

The Professor glanced at him in admiration, and said, “You still have to study within your ability after all. If you blindly persist, don’t mind my stopping you in due course.”

“Yes, professor.”

Shortly after this dialogue, Ning Que and Xie Chengyun again fainted one after the other. The four diaconates wearing Academy robes had long before become accustomed to them. They even clearly knew their weight. They picked them up respectively with stony faces to go downstairs, too lazy to call out anything.

Visible from the second-floor window of the old library, the forest was dense and green in deep spring. The female professor viewed the scenery through the window and shook her head with a smile, and continued to trace her regular scripts. At that time, the old library’s instructor came up, gave a respectful salute, and said, “Professor, I have something unclear.”

“Recently I’ve also found something wonderful that I could not understand,” said the professor, looking at him mildly.

The instructor sighed and said, “I have observed both of the two students for some days. Xie Chengyun has a basis for the cultivation, and with his heightened willpower he is able to stay for many days upstairs. Though it’s not simple, it’s, after all, not rare. While Ning Que, he was indeed vulgar, why is he allowed to stay for such a long time? This is unreasonable ah.”

The female professor stared at the ink on the pen on the inkstone, and after a moment of silence, she said in a soft voice, “I remember that the professor once said many years ago if a person’s willpower was strong enough, then even God would be frightened… The child named Ning Que is probably one of those people with strong willpower.”

…

…

Things seemed to be as usual after a few days, classes in the morning, lunch at noon and boarding in the afternoon. Under the gaze of all the students and instructors of the Academy, Ning Que and Xie Chengyun entered the library and were carried out one after the other. Things finally settled when this situation seemed to become a daily scene.

Ning Que had inquired the Lecturer if he was allowed to bring shell-less, oil-free and chipless food into the old library, thus today he took several pieces of white breadcakes with him to the library. However, he was stopped by someone when he was ready to walk into the old library.

“When on earth will you stop being in a rage?” Situ Yilan looked at him bulgingly, holding Jin Wucai’s little hand. Her heart softened when she saw his pale cheeks, she then said in a low voice, “Now the whole Academy has known you’re the most perseverant students. Why do you continue?”

Ning Que rubbed his dry eyes, and inexplicably looked at her as if he did not understand what she had said. In fact, he did not understand, but his expression seemed more like provocation in the crowd’s eyes.

Situ Yilan said hotly, “Look at you now. You are going to be blown down by the wind, with your dark circles and pale face, like Chu Youxian, the Lovelace. We all know you’re the same as us who wouldn’t succeed in cultivation. In this case, what’s the meaning of going upstairs? Why must you grudge Xie Chengyun and continue to go upstairs?”

Chu Youxian pushed his way out from the crowd, leaning on Ning Que’s left hand and looking at Situ Yilan. He lifted his eyebrows and said, “Miss Situ, although you’re the daughter of General Yunhui, please don’t make the irresponsible remarks. I’m a lustful but not a ghost. ”

He then turned to look at Ning Que’s pale cheeks, and sincerely and regretfully said, “But, to tell the truth, I also advise you to not go upstairs anymore. Why are you so obstinate? Even if you give up now, you’ll still be appreciated since as an ordinary person you can stay here for such a long time with the cultivation genius, Xie Chengyun.”

Ning Que, watching the crowd in front of him, smiled and said, “I think you’re really mistaken. I just want to read books in the upstairs, and it has nothing to do with grudges and cruelness. I think it’s the same with Mr. Xie.”

“You don’t know what he thinks.”

“The only purpose for Mr. Xie to enter the Academy is to get on the Second floor. If he isn’t even better than you, how can he have enough confidence to get on to the real Second floor?” Situ Yilan spoke solemnly while looking at him.

“The Second floor?” Ning Que slightly frowned, as if he hadn’t heard these remarks. He said scratching his head, “Do Mr. Xie and I read on the second floor every day?”

“You don’t even know the Second floor, why are you so desperate to go upstairs every day?”

Situ Yilan watched him with round eyes just as if looking at a fairy, and explained in surprise, “The Second floor of the Academy is not the second floor of the old library, but what’s fantastic is that the so-called true sages have ever learned on the Second floor. I’ve heard that there’re still a lot of Supermundane Experts there.”

“What does it matter with the upstairs?” Ning Que pointed to the roof blankly.

“Because the gate to the Second floor is on the second floor of the old library,” Situ Yilan said sourly. “I know it’s a bit hard to explain, but what you only need to know is that the Second floor of the Academy is very difficult to enter. It’s said only seven or eight people have been admitted in the last ten years. If you don’t have the intention, why do you mingle with Mr. Xie?”

Ning Que looked at her smilingly and said, “Do you mean that, in order for me to not affect Mr. Xie’s cultivation and to not discourage him from getting on to the Second floor, I should… give up voluntarily?”

After these words, all the surrounding onlookers became silent, because this request was, in any case, unreasonable and particularly rude. Jin Wucai, who had been quietly standing behind Situ Yilan, bit her lower lip and broke away from her companion’s hand to walk in front of Ning Que and give a serious salute. She then said in a trembling voice, “Please help Mr. Xie… Mr. Xie vomited blood last night after he was back to the mansion. He can’t really hold on anymore.”

For the first time, Ning Que knew the heavy price paid by the young man who went upstairs with him every day. He thought of his vomiting every night lately and Sangsang’s concerns on her little face. He fell into silence.

At this moment, Zhong Dajun looked at him coldly, and said, “Do you need to implore such a person so humbly? I don’t believe a normal guy can stay upstairs for so many days. While Chengyun was reading books weeping blood upstairs every day, no one knows what he was doing. Perhaps he was just closing his eyes for rest.”

Xie Chengyun was the talent of the South Jin Kingdom. This time when he went north passing by Yangguan to attend school, he stayed in Zhongda Jun’s mansion. Both of the two were well-known, and they appreciated and got along well with each other.

Seeing that his friend was forced to go upstairs and vomited blood last night, Zhong Dajun had long been extremely angry. Of course, what indeed made him speak out in such vicious speculation was his unwillingness to allow the border town soldier to draw the attention of the whole Academy.

But, the vicious speculation seemed very consistent with the real situation. The way the students looked at Ning Que became a little complicated. At this moment, outside the stone trail came two horse carriages. Xie Chengyun who looked as pale as snow-white was helped down to the horse carriage, he stared at this site without saying a word the whole while.