Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Langhuan Book Tower

Chu Cangming was taken aback, and the eager, sharp glint in his eyes quietly faded.

To him, a dedicated student of the Sword Dao, fighting a Martial Artist who used a heavy weapon was simply less interesting. Heavy weapons were all about wide, sweeping movements, emphasizing brute force over finesse. Though their techniques were incomparably fierce, they lacked subtlety. It was like a brute swinging an axe to chop wood—how could it possibly compare to the ever-changing, nimble grace of a sword?

While some advanced methods for wielding heavy weapons had their own subtleties, they could never match the elegance of a sword.

When the two arrived at the Langhuan Book Tower, Chu Cangming simply gave a brief salute and said a few words.

"Junior Brother Xu, feel free to look around."

With that, he transformed into a cyan shadow and strode away, the fluttering hem of his robes trailing ethereal wisps of Powerful Qi.

Xu Yunfan watched the figure disappear at the end of the cloud bridge, his gaze darkening.

’He knew it was no coincidence that this senior brother had suddenly appeared. It was obvious he had come to size up the ’Newly Ascended True Inheritor’.’

After all, the Taoist Sect’s resources were limited. One more person to share the pie meant one less opportunity for everyone else.

Chu Cangming’s departure seemed carefree, but in reality, he had etched vigilance into every footstep. This was just the appetizer.

Xu Yunfan retracted his gaze, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the Red Fire Dragon-Swallowing Mace on his back.

Opening the Profound Steel Mechanism Box, he plucked a Ginseng Root from the Ginseng Child and began to chew on it as he sized up the Langhuan Book Tower before him.

As Xu Yunfan pushed open the great doors of the Langhuan Book Tower, which were engraved with the Taoist Sect’s unusual Cloud Patterns, the bittersweet taste of the Ginseng Root still lingered on his tongue. A searing heat flowed from his stomach to his limbs and bones, then rapidly assimilated into his Strength, making his Powerful Qi even denser and more profound.

He pushed the door open, and the vast sea of books that greeted him made him catch his breath.

A nine-story, circular tower rose from the ground to touch the sky. Cyan Jade Bells hung from the flying eaves of each floor, scattering fine, clear light as they chimed without any wind.

Tens of thousands of Profound Iron Bookshelves were arranged in an Eight Trigrams Array Formation. On them, bamboo slips, silk cloths, and ancient tomes glowed with the faint light of golden nanmu wood. Jade Scrolls flowed with a water-like Spiritual Qi, and even more ancient Beast Hide Scrolls were placed in the corners, a testament to just how old the library’s collection truly was.

Above the third floor, Cloud Ladders spiraled upward. The figures of several disciples using the Cyan Willow Step flickered in and out of view amidst the mist, their robes kicking up waves of inky fragrance as they passed.

The dome in the very center was wide open, allowing a river of silvery light to pour down, illuminating every fine detail of the *Ten Thousand Paths Returning Flow Map* paved into the Cold Jade floor.

Inside the Langhuan Book Tower, the clear light from the dome flowed like water over the *Ten Thousand Paths Returning Flow Map* on the Cold Jade floor.

Three or five disciples of the Taoist Sect sat around a central stone platform, their fingertips tracing over yellowed pages with movements so light it was as if they feared waking the slumbering souls within the words.

The entire space was so quiet you could hear the scent of ink slowly settling in the air. Only the occasional turning of a page, like the flutter of a butterfly’s wing, sent out an imperceptible ripple.

’The Spiritual Qi inside this Langhuan Book Tower is surprisingly dense. The entire building’s foundation seems to have been built with something like a Gathering Spirit Array, capable of pulling in the free-roaming Spiritual Qi from the heavens and earth.’

"New here?"

A raspy voice came from his right. Xu Yunfan turned to see an old man with white hair and a white beard hunched behind a sandalwood counter, his withered fingers stroking a Bronze Abacus bead.

The old man never looked up. Beneath his gray-white eyebrows, his cloudy eyes were half-closed, as if he had long since merged with the ageless dust of the book tower.

"Yes, I am. And you are, Senior...?"

Xu Yunfan cupped his fist in salute, and his Dragon Scale Armor let out a faint metallic ring with the movement.

The old man finally lifted his eyelids, revealing two pinpoints of sharp light in his pupils. "You know the rules? Hand over your Token."

When Xu Yunfan placed the Profound Celestial Order on the counter, a faint Spiritual Light suddenly emerged from the ebony surface.

The old man’s previously relaxed fingers suddenly tensed, and the Bronze Abacus bead snapped in two with a CRACK.

He stared at the word "Tongxuan" on the Token for a full three breaths. As his Adam’s apple bobbed, it was hard to tell if he was swallowing shock or envy, and it all finally dissolved into a nearly inaudible sigh.

"The Profound Celestial Order... How many years has it been since I’ve seen one."

His withered fingertips hovered half an inch above the Token, but ultimately, he didn’t dare to touch it.

When the old man looked up, his expression was once again as calm as an ancient well, but he lowered his voice to a whisper.

"With this Token, you can ascend to the ninth floor, but..."

He suddenly bent a finger and tapped the counter three times. The Cyan Jade Bells hanging in the four corners of the book tower chimed without any wind, sealing his next words within a small area. "This is not to be spoken of outside. Violators will have their eyes gouged out."

DONG!

In the northwest corner, a disciple fumbled and knocked over an inkstone.

The moment ink splashed onto a copy of the *Thundercloud Hand True Understanding*, the flow of qi on the entire floor stagnated.

The hairs on the back of Xu Yunfan’s neck stood on end. At that moment, at least twenty gazes were stuck to his back like a festering cancer. From behind a bookshelf to his left came the crisp sound of a bamboo slip falling to the floor. From the Cloud Ladder on the third floor, he even heard deliberately heavy footsteps.

Even though the sound had been confined to a small area, these disciples of the Taoist Sect were truly hidden dragons and crouching tigers; they had actually managed to overhear the old man’s words.

The old man acted as if he hadn’t noticed. With a flick of his wrist, a cyan thread flew from his sleeve and wrapped around Xu Yunfan’s wrist, forming a silk cord. "With this Token, you can stay as long as you want. Come out when you get hungry."

After speaking, he buried his head in his ledgers once more, his stooped back resembling that of a timeless tomb keeper.

When Xu Yunfan turned around, the silence in the book tower had soured.

The disciples who had been focused on their texts still kept their heads bowed, but their tense shoulders, slightly shifted feet, and even the fingers that had suddenly frozen on the pages all betrayed their furtive glances.

By the third-floor railing, a disciple in purple robes even crushed the Spirit Fruit in his hand. As the juice dripped through his fingers, it cast a crimson reflection on the Cold Jade floor.

As he stepped onto the Cloud Ladder leading to the second floor, a suppressed discussion erupted behind him.

"The Profound Celestial Order?! Isn’t that only for..."

"SHH! Do you want to end up in the Punishment Hall’s dungeons?"

"I heard the last person to hold one was three hundred years ago..."

By the time Xu Yunfan reached the third floor, the whispers had become a tangible resistance.

Four disciples in indigo Daoist robes stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking the top of the stairs. The "Profound Sky" Jade Token hanging from the leader’s waist announced his status as a True Inheritor.

That person’s fingers rested on the hilt of the sword at his waist. His expression was somewhat profound, and the firelight reflected an undisguised curiosity in his eyes. "This junior brother looks very unfamiliar."

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over the "Profound Sky" Jade Tokens hanging from the four men’s waists.

’They must be True Disciples from the Taoist Sect’s Profound Sky Peak. To have reached Blood Exchange at such a young age, they certainly have the capital to be arrogant.’

With his sharp qi sense, he could feel that although the blood and qi in these four individuals surged like a great river, they were ultimately still bound by the shackles of the Blood Exchange Realm. In an ordinary Sect, they might qualify as Guardian Elders. In some remote province, they could even establish their own Sect. But in a place like the Taoist Sect, filled with hidden masters, they were somewhat lacking.

’Some people may make rapid progress in the Martial Dao, but they eventually hit a wall and can never advance another inch for the rest of their lives.’

’Those who can continuously break through the shackles of the Martial Dao, shatter their physical limits, and become supreme experts are, in the end, a rare few.’

The Dragon Scale Armor on his shoulders trembled slightly, and a wisp of pressure, like the weight of a collapsing mountain, seeped out from his pores.