The library was serene and quiet; the only sound was the soft rustling of pages being turned and the faint creak of old wooden chairs. The air was thick with the scent of aged paper and fresh ink. Alex moved with light, careful steps across the polished marble floor, his footfalls barely making a sound in the vast hall.

He had come here directly after breakfast, he want to know about this unfamiliar world and it’ power structure. He also hoped to find the third elder and ask a few burning questions. But beyond this, he also hoped to see the girl he from before, the one with the freckled, rosy cheeks and that captivating smile. She had been at the reception desk during his last visit, but today, to his dismay, she was gone. A different girl now sat behind the desk, her eyes absorbed in the pages of a thick ledger.

Shaking off his disappointment, Alex headed toward the far end of the library, where the third elder’s study was tucked away in a secluded corner, surrounded by shelves of thick, leather-bound books. As he approached, he found the room empty. The elder's chair was pushed back, and a small stack of open books lay scattered on the desk, as if he had left in a hurry. A flicker of disappointment crossed Alex's face, but he brushed it aside.

Not willing to waste his time, he climbed the spiral staircase to the second story of the hall, where the geography section was situated, right beside the history section. Rows of meticulously organized books greeted him, their spines labeled with bold text. He reached out and selected a few volumes about the geography and history of the Divine Spirit Continent and the Five Great Sects.

As he entered the open reading area, Alex noticed rows of sturdy oak desks and long benches, each occupied by people deeply engaged in their studies. In a far corner, he spotted a girl with twin pigtails, her head resting gently on her left hand while her right hand turned the pages of a large, old tome. She seemed entirely absorbed in her reading, her brow furrowed in concentration.

He approached quietly, tapping the edge of the table to get her attention. The girl looked up abruptly, her expression shifting from intense focus to mild surprise at the interruption. Her dark eyes widened slightly before she quickly composed herself, offering a warm smile.

“Oh...Young master, How are you?” she said with a gentle smile, her tone respectful and soft.

Alex returned her smile. “I’m well, Miss Mei. I hope I’m not intruding. I saw you here and wanted to say hello.”

“Not at all, young master. Your presence is always welcome,” she replied with a slight nod.

“So, you’re not at the reception hall today?” Alex asked, noticing the tome in her hands.

“No, young master. I was fortunate to have the day off,” she explained, setting the tome aside carefully. “I thought I would spend the day reading. May I ask if you are here to study as well?”

“Yes, just brushing up on some geography and history,” Alex said, taking a seat beside her. “May I ask what you’re reading?”

“Oh, it’s the same tome I’ve been reading, *The History of the Red Dawn Kingdom,*” she replied, glancing at the books he was carrying. “And what might you be studying, young master?”

“A few geography and history books,” he answered, opening one of them. “I’m trying to learn more about the surrounding regions.”

“That’s wonderful, young master,” she said, nodding approvingly. “It’s always good to broaden one’s knowledge of the world.”

“Indeed,” Alex agreed with a polite chuckle as he settled into his chair and began reading.

The Divine Spirit Continent was divided into five regions: Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, and Central Spirit. The central region had a landmass a hundred times larger than the other four regions combined. The Red Dawn Kingdom, situated in the Eastern Spirit region of the continent, was ruled by five great sects, led by the Heavenly Sword Sect. They had hundreds of Golden Core cultivators and a handful of Nascent Soul cultivators, making them the overlords of the kingdom, while the other sects barely had a single Nascent Soul cultivator. The Heavenly Sword Sect was based on the Hundred Sword Peaks of Broken Sword City, where the sect’s disciple recruitment test took place. The city was just a day's journey from River City.

At its peak, the Lin family had ten Golden Core cultivators and a half-step Nascent Soul ancestor. However, all of them perished on the ancient battlefield, about which no information was available. To survive, the Lin family offered their 5th-tier peak spirit vein and a copy of all their techniques to the Heavenly Sword Sect, securing the sect’s protection and preventing the clan's annihilation. But after losing their 5th-tier spirit vein, the clan declined so drastically that they didn’t even have a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. Over generations, their power waned, and after a hundred years, only Lin Yue managed to pass the Heavenly Sword Sect's disciple recruitment test.

As Alex was engrossed in his reading, the day slipped away, and before he knew it, evening had arrived. Xiao Mei gently tapped on his shoulder, pulling him from his thoughts. "Young Master, are you done reading? It’s evening now, and the library will be closing soon. Also, it’s getting late, so I should leave," she said, closing her old tome.

"Yes, I’m almost done. Let’s head out," Alex replied, closing his books and standing up alongside Xiao Mei. He gathered the books to put them back in their places.

She was petite, only reaching up to his chest. As Xiao Mei walked ahead of him, Alex’s eyes were irresistibly drawn to her figure. Even though her loose skirt tried to hide it, the way her hips swayed with each step and the full, rounded shape of her thighs made it clear just how curvy she was And HER... *HOLYSHIT...that’s THicccccK...* he thought, swallowing hard as he watched her. He’d seen his fair share of "cakes" in his previous life, but her’s were on a whole other level—like an entire bakery, with cakes that made his pulse quicken.*No wonder she’s so flat up top—everything went to her ass.*he mused, trying to keep his thoughts in check.

After returning the books to their places, Alex and Xiao Mei left the library together.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"So, Miss Mei, where do you live?" Alex asked casually as they walked.

"Young Master, I currently stay in the Lin family accommodations, in the staff quarters," she replied.

"Oh, the staff quarters? That’s on the way to my courtyard. If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you there," Alex offered.

"Oh… really, Young Master? I… it… would be my pleasure," she stammered, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of red.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mei. So, do you often get days off?" Alex asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

"No, no, Young Master. I only get two days off a week. Usually, I spend my time reading books or visiting my parents," Xiao Mei answered.

"Oh, are you from River City? You’ll have to show me around . I haven’t got the chance to explore the city since I came," Alex said.

"No, no, Young Master, I’m not from River City, but I’d be happy to show you around," she replied, her voice tinged with excitement.

"Thank you in advance, Miss Mei. So, where are you originally from?" Alex asked, genuinely curious.

"It’s a village far east of River City, near the Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Most people there are hunters," she explained.

"Thousand Beast Mountain Range? That’s a dangerous place," Alex remarked, surprised.

"Yes, but the hunters mostly stay on the outskirts of the forest, far from the valley. It’s rich in game, and when the beast waves form, River City sends cultivators to quell them, so the people don’t suffer too much," Xiao Mei replied.

"That’s good to hear. I’m from a village in the west, where most people are farmers. I was a farmer too, but this year during the Lin family’s spirit root test, they found I had a spirit root, so here I am," Alex said, sharing a bit of his own background.

"Oh, that’s why Young Master looks so…" Xiao Mei started but then hesitated, panicking mid-sentence.

"Different?" Alex finished for her, smiling. "No need to panic, Miss Mei. I know I don’t look like those rich, pampered brats from the clan."

"No, no, Young Master, I didn’t mean it like that!" she said quickly, still flustered.

"It’s okay, Miss Mei! You look really cute right now," Alex teased, trying to calm her down.

"Cu-cute… me?" Xiao Mei’s face turned as red as a tomato, and Alex swore he could almost see steam coming out of her ears, just like in an anime.

He walked her to the staff quarters and then headed back to his own courtyard.Once inside his chamber, Alex sat cross-legged on his large bed, eager to test out his new ability. He pulled out the *Pure Chaos Sutra* and said, "Enlightenment."

Nothing happened.

Frowning, he tried again, this time a bit louder. "Enlightenment!"

Still nothing.

Frustration began to bubble up as Alex opened his status window and clicked on "Enlightenment." Again, no reaction.

"Why the hell isn’t this working?" Alex cursed inwardly. *Do I need to pose like a Power Ranger?* He glanced back at the ability description, but there were no instructions on how to activate it.

After an hour of fruitless attempts, Alex gave up and returned to the half-torn book. As he studied the first rune, the water rune, he quickly realized how complex it was. The rune’s structure was so intricate that it felt like he was a caveman trying to read a quantum physics textbook. The rune was multilayered, with ten distinct layers, each more complicated than the last.

Meanwhile, outside his chamber, a silver-haired girl, was cleaning the hallway. She suddenly heard a loud voice coming from within. "ENLIGHTENMENT!" Curious, she peeked inside, as the double doors were slightly ajar.

Inside, she saw Alex seated on the large bed, shouting and waving his hands at the air. Then, he began to poke at the air with his index finger, muttering curses under his breath. After a while, he stood up on the bed, striking a bizarre pose—right leg bent, left leg pulled back, one arm bent vertically, the other horizontally—and shouted "ENLIGHTENMENT!" again. Ling’er couldn’t help but wonder if her young master was losing his mind or if Immortal cultivation really involved such strange rituals. She watched in bemusement as he cursed a few more times, then took out a half-torn book and started reading. Satisfied that he wasn’t completely unhinged, Ling’er quietly left before she got caught peeking.

Back in his chamber, Alex muttered, "No wonder the Third Elder suggested switching to another technique. At this rate, even if I stared at this rune for a month, I wouldn’t be able to comprehend the first layer. If not for my cheat ability, I’d make a fool of myself. But how do I activate it?"

Just as Alex focused intensely on the rune, something strange began to happen. His heart started pounding faster, so loudly that it echoed in his ears. The world around him slowed down, and his surroundings began to fade away until only he and the rune remained, floating in a vast, dark space. The rune hovered before him, glowing softly in a blue light, each of its ten layers separating and illuminating the void.

*So this is what it means to catch a glimpse of the Grand Dao,* Alex thought, awe-struck. *Just this brief glimpse is enough to guide me in comprehending the rune—it’s like being taught by the Heavenly Dao itself.* The rune, which had once seemed incomprehensible, now began to make sense. He fell into a trance as he absorbed its secrets, only to wake up half an hour later.

*Thirty minutes already? But I only managed to grasp up to the third layer of the rune.* Alex realized. *So this is what a 10x comprehension boost mean. Even with it, I barely understood three layers. My innate comprehension ability must be really low. If I could somehow increase it, the boost would be even more effective. If just glimpsing the Grand Dao is this powerful, imagine if I could study it longer—I could understand anything.*

As he pondered this, a knock came at the door.

"Young Master, may this servant come in?" Ling’er asked in a respectful tone.

"Oh, come in, Ling’er."

The silver-haired girl entered the room with a soft smile. "Young Master, did you have lunch? Are you hungry? Shall I bring you some food?"

Alex’s stomach growled at the mention of food. "Now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry. Some food would be great. But first, I’d like a warm bath. Ling’er, can you prepare a herbal bath for me?"

"This servant will prepare it right away, Young Master. Please wait a few moments," Ling’er said as she headed into his bathroom.

"Young Master, it’s ready," she called out after a short while.

Alex walked into the bathroom and immediately sank into the herbal bath, feeling his muscles relax as soon as he hit the water.

"Young Master, may I wash your back?" Ling’er asked, her voice taking on a subtly seductive tone as her fingers traced along his back.

"Sure, go ahead, Ling’er," Alex replied, curious about where this was going.

As Ling'er began to wash his back, her hands started to wander, drifting from his shoulders to his chest. Her soft breasts brushed against him, teasingly close. Alex didn't stop her; he was curious to see how far she would dare to go. When she failed to provoke a reaction, she moved to his side, her touch shifting to his arm.

*If you're going to play with fire, don't blame me if you get burned,*Alex thought, a mischievous grin curving his lips. As she ran the cloth over his arm, he suddenly seized her wrist and pulled her close. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck, her jasmine like scent filling his senses. Her face was mere inch away, her eyes wide with surprise, her lips slightly parted.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Alex kissed her deeply, his tongue slipping into her mouth, teasing, exploring. His other hand traveled to the back of her neck, his fingers threading through her long, silky silver hair. Ling'er's face flushed a deep crimson, her breath quickening as she surrendered to his kiss. But then, she abruptly pulled back, her voice laced with panic.

"Young Master, I… I should go…You must be hungry, right? I need to prepare food for you," she stammered, bolting from the room before Alex could respond.

*Woman, you were acting all provocative, and now you run away like a scared kitten when I give in?* Alex mused, amused by the sudden turn of events.