507: Chapter 507 Half a scroll?! Dean Mingjing?!

Jiang Yun watched that lean and calm back about to disappear at the end of the side corridor, and finally spoke up.

"Steward Li, long time no see."

That figure stopped abruptly.

Steward Li paused his steps, slowly turned around, and a trace of confusion flashed in his deep, gentle eyes.

He had noticed this Heavenly Saint Student when he bowed to the three of them earlier, but out of etiquette, he hadn't deliberately looked too much...

A Heavenly Saint Student held a transcendent status in the academy.

It was not something a Wending Pavilion steward could casually strike up a conversation with.

Yet at this moment, the other party had actually taken the initiative to speak, and the form of address was Steward Li...

This form of address—he had been at Sky Dome Academy for so many years, and only a very small number of Junior students would call him that.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on Jiang Yun's face seriously for the first time.

Refined eyebrows and eyes, a calm and composed expression, a slender and upright figure.

This face slowly overlapped with the youthful face of the boy in the Misty Forest in C City from his memory...

At that time, this boy was just a child who had not yet shed his childishness.

Facing the siege of the Yuhai Cult, he had not retreated in the slightest, relying on sheer bravery to kill his way through the Yuhai Cult.

At that time, this boy was only at Silver Rank.

And now, standing in front of him was a Heavenly Saint Student of Sky Dome Academy, a Prodigy who had crushed an Amethyst Rank Expert ranked sixth on the Heavenly Rankings, an unparalleled Prodigy known to everyone in the entire academy.

Steward Li's pupils dilated abruptly, and for the first time, an extremely obvious look of shock appeared on that steady, calm old face.

"Little Fellow, is... is it you?! Is it really you?!"

His voice trembled slightly.

The tone was full of unbelievable shock and pleasant surprise.

He subconsciously took two steps forward, carefully looking Jiang Yun up and down, his gaze full of undisguised admiration.

Jiang Yun cupped his hands and bowed deeply to Steward Li, his posture respectful and sincere.

"Student Jiang Yun, greetings, Steward Li. Back then in the C City Misty Forest, if it hadn't been for Steward Li's timely intervention, this student would likely have died at the hands of the Yuhai Cult Elder long ago. This life-saving grace, this student has never dared to forget."

Beside them, Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi and Wen Yuan were stunned at the same time.

The two looked at each other, both seeing a trace of disbelief in the other's eyes.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi's hand, which was stroking his beard, stopped in mid-air.

Wen Yuan's dark brown eyes were wide open.

"Saint Student, you know Steward Li?" Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi spoke first, his tone full of surprise.

Jiang Yun straightened up and nodded.

"I do. Steward Li has the grace of saving my life. When I was still in C City participating in the assessment, the assessment venue was attacked by the Yuhai Cult. It was Steward Li who joined forces with several principals and the mayor of C City to repel the Yuhai Cult Elder and save all the candidates, including myself. If not for Steward Li, I would not be able to stand here today."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi and Wen Yuan exchanged glances again, a flash of realization and emotion flickering in their eyes simultaneously.

Yuhai Cult...

They were certainly no strangers to this name.

That was a group of evil cult fanatics who specialized in hunting Beast Tamers and seizing their beasts, using extremely cruel methods, and had been wanted by various major forces of the Federation for a long time.

To think that Steward Li had actually saved the Saint Student's life under those circumstances...

This favor was indeed not light.

Steward Li waved his hand, the look of shock on his face slowly receding, replaced by a gentle and gratified smile.

"A small matter, it was just a simple effort back then. This old man was ordered by the academy to go to C City in the capacity of an envoy from Sky Dome Academy to supervise that entrance assessment. When the assessment was halfway through, a group of Yuhai Cult villains suddenly infiltrated the exam venue, wanting to harm these young students. This old man naturally could not sit idly by... It's just that this old man did not expect that there would be an Elder at the Peak of Amethyst Rank sitting in charge among those villains. This old man, along with several principals and the mayor, fought with him for a long time, and although we finally repelled him, it consumed quite a bit of time. Fortunately, by the time I arrived, the Saint Student had already led the other candidates to hold out through those most difficult waves of siege... To be able to do this while at Silver Rank shows his extraordinary talent. At that time, this old man knew that the Saint Student was definitely not someone who would remain in a small pond."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi and Wen Yuan listened to these words.

Their hearts were suddenly enlightened.

They both knew that the Saint Student came from C City.

But they had never heard Jiang Yun mention this past event.

Now that they heard Steward Li say this, everything matched up...

The Saint Student had already displayed talent and courage far beyond his peers while at Silver Rank.

No wonder he could Advance by leaps and bounds after enrolling.

In a short period, he had rushed from Gold Rank to Amethyst Rank.

Steward Li continued, his gaze falling on Jiang Yun.

His tone was full of undisguised gratification and admiration.

"Saint Student, although this old man has stayed in the Wending Pavilion for many years and rarely goes out, I have not missed a single one of the rumors about you. Your crushing of the sixth-ranked person on the Heavenly Rankings at the quota competition, suppressing a sect single-handedly... these things have long since spread throughout the entire academy. To tell you the truth, when this old man heard this news, although I was amazed in my heart, I never associated this Saint Student with the boy from C City back then. After all, going from Silver Rank to Amethyst Rank in two months, this growth speed is simply too terrifying. This old man would not even think that way, nor would I dare to think that way. Occasionally, this old man would also think of the boy who gritted his teeth and persisted in the Misty Forest, wondering how he was doing in the academy now. But every time I heard news about the Saint Student, this old man just assumed that the provincial capital had produced another Prodigy, and never once thought it was you."

He paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his deep, old eyes.

"Seeing it with my own eyes today, that Saint Student is you... The shock in this old man's heart is truly beyond words. In less than two months, crossing from Silver Rank, passing through Gold Rank, and reaching Amethyst Rank... The Saint Student is truly an eternal, Rare Prodigy!"

As the voice fell.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi and Wen Yuan were both shocked.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi turned his head abruptly to look at Jiang Yun.

A trace of undisguisable astonishment flashed in his usually steady old eyes.

Silver Rank...

Was the Saint Student only at Silver Rank two months ago?

From Silver Rank to Amethyst Eighth Tier.

Crossing two entire major Realms in between?!

More than a dozen minor Realms...

And all of this took less than two months.

What does this mean?

It means the growth speed of the Saint Student's beast cultivation is almost ten or even dozens of times that of an ordinary Prodigy, it means his beasts completed in a short two months what others take years to complete, and it means he possesses a beast cultivation system that far exceeds everyone's imagination.

Wen Yuan's situation was no better than Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi's.

He kept his mouth open and was stunned for a long while before squeezing out a sentence.

His voice was hoarse and trembling.

"Two months... from Silver to Amethyst, this is not something that can be done just by having talent. Every breakthrough in a beast's Realm requires a massive amount of resources to support, and the spiritual power consumption alone is enough to drain the foundation of a small Family. Especially after reaching Gold Rank, every Advance of a beast requires swallowing a large amount of Attribute Spirit Crystals and Heaven And Earth Treasure to complete the qualitative accumulation of spiritual power. The Saint Student has more than one beast, each is of top-tier Bloodline, and each is rapidly increasing in Realm... Where did he get so many resources? Even if the academy cultivated him with all its might, it would be impossible to concentrate so many resources on one student in two months without affecting other aspects. How on earth did this guy do it? How does he Cultivate beasts? Even if beasts can swallow resources without limit, where did he get so many resources? Did he rob the treasury of a first-class Family or something?"

Jiang Yun listened to the two Deans' shocked discussion.

His expression remained as calm as water.

Robbing the treasury of a first-class Family...

Although Dean Wen Yuan said this unintentionally, it hit the nail on the head.

He had indeed robbed more than one treasury.

The treasuries of the four major forces in Black Rock City, the savings of various Loose Cultivators in the Bone Burial Area, the resources given by the conservative faction of the Liu Family as an apology, and the large amount of treasures left by the Medicine God Legacy in the Nether Ancient Ruins...

Adding these resources together.

It was indeed enough to allow three beasts to complete a Realm leap far beyond common sense in a short time.

It's just that he found it inconvenient to elaborate on these things, and there was no need to elaborate.

He turned to Steward Li, cupped his hands again, his tone full of sincere gratitude.

"Steward Li is too modest. No matter how humble Steward Li is, a life-saving grace is a life-saving grace. This favor, this Junior will keep it in my heart. If Steward Li has any needs in the future, this Junior will definitely do my best and will never refuse."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi and Wen Yuan heard this.

They looked at each other and nodded with satisfaction.

Given the Saint Student's current status and weight in the academy.

His willingness to say these words in public to a steward Elder.

In itself is an extremely Rare character.

Transcendent status but not arrogant, strength crushing the sixth on the Heavenly Rankings but still respectful to a former benefactor...

This Heart-Nature is even rarer than his talent.

Knowing gratitude and repaying it—these four words are simple to say, but people who can truly do it are not common in the Beast Taming world where the strong are respected.

Many Prodigies throw old favors to the back of their minds once they become successful.

But the Saint Student was able to bow deeply and make a solemn promise to a Wending Pavilion steward under the eyes of the public...

This character truly makes people look at him with new eyes.

A gleam of emotion flashed in Steward Li's deep, old eyes.

He reached out his wrinkled hand.

And gently patted Jiang Yun on the shoulder.

"For the Saint Student to have this intention, this old man is already flattered. Repayment is not necessary... As a member of Sky Dome Academy, it was my duty to save you back then. If you really want to repay this old man, then Cultivate well, and in the future, become a pillar of our Sky Dome Academy and win glory for the academy... That is the best repayment to this old man."

Jiang Yun cupped his hands and bowed solemnly.

"This Junior will certainly do so."

Steward Li nodded with gratification, then stepped aside to make way, bowing slightly to the three.

"This old man will not disturb the three of you. The two Deans and the Saint Student must have important matters to attend to at the Wending Pavilion; the top-floor book collection area is just above, please go ahead. If you need anything, just let me know."

After saying this, he bowed to the three, turned, and slowly retreated back into the side corridor, leaving behind a lean and calm back.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi withdrew his gaze and turned to Jiang Yun and Wen Yuan.

"Let's go, let's go up."

The three walked up the spiral stone stairs in the center of the Wending Pavilion.

Each step of the stone stairs was polished extremely smooth, with the edges slightly sunken...

Those were the traces left by countless students treading over the centuries.

The higher they went, the stronger the scent of books in the air became, and the fewer people there were around.

After the tenth floor, no more students could be seen on either side of the stone stairs, only a few eternal spirit lamps embedded in the walls emitting a dim and soft light.

Finally.

The three arrived at the twelfth floor of the Wending Pavilion...

Which was also the highest floor of this ancient building.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door leading to the top floor, the scene before their eyes suddenly opened up.

The space on this floor was more open than any floor below, with no separating walls, only an extremely spacious circular hall.

The dome of the hall was three zhang high, and an extremely precise Spirit Gathering Formation was engraved on the dome. As the Formation patterns flowed, it emitted a soft and non-dazzling pale golden light, illuminating the entire floor as if it were bathed in the sunset.

The air was filled with an extremely rich scent of ink and ancient wood.

Making anyone who stepped into it involuntarily soften their breathing.

Inside the hall, dozens of giant bookshelves, reaching up to the vaulted ceiling, were arranged in neat rows.

Each row was crafted from an unknown dark brown ancient wood; the material was hard yet smooth to the touch, its surface shimmering with a dim luster accumulated over the years.

The bookshelves were categorized and filled with tens of thousands of ancient texts, scrolls, ancient beast-skin scrolls, and Jade Slips...

These collection items came in various forms: some were bound into volumes with linen thread, others were bundled into scrolls with beast tendons, and some were recorded directly into Jade Slips using Divine Sense, requiring one to probe them with Mental Energy to read.

Hanging in front of each row of bookshelves was a small wooden tag, engraved with the classification name of that section in ancient script.

Ancient Secrets, History of the Eastern Region, Ancient Myths, Lost Array Dao, Rune epics, Heaven And Earth Treasure Atlas...

"We have arrived."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi stood at the entrance, sweeping his gaze across the room.

His tone carried a hint of emotion.

"The last time this old man came to the top floor to examine the Incomplete Manuals of Ancient Array Dao, it was several years ago. Although the collection here is not as terrifying as the Scripture Pavilion of those ten-thousand-year-old Holy Lands in the Central Plains, it is indeed second to none within the entire Eastern Region."

Wen Yuan was already walking toward the section of bookshelves related to runes.

He said without turning his head.

"Stop dawdling. The volume of books here is too vast; there are several rows of bookshelves just for rune-related texts. Let's divide the work... I will check the rune category, you, Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi, check the Array Dao category, and the Saint Student's Mental Energy seems extremely strong as well, so scanning the Jade Slip area should be a breeze. If you discover any records related to those runes and array patterns on the Jade Bone, call out immediately."

Jiang Yun nodded, saying nothing more.

The three of them dispersed.

Each heading toward a different bookshelf area.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi stood in front of a row of bookshelves marked 'Ancient Array Dao'. With his eyes slightly closed, an extremely surging wave of Mental Energy poured out from between his brows like an invisible tide, sweeping simultaneously across the hundreds of Array Dao texts densely packed on the shelves.

His Mental Energy swept past each text.

In an instant, he could distinguish whether any of them contained records related to the array pattern structure on the Jade Bone.

Wen Yuan, meanwhile, used the same method to sweep his Mental Energy across the bookshelves in the rune section. Although his Five Elements Rune Pupils could not directly see through the Seal on the Jade Bone, they were more than enough for quickly searching for rune patterns in these ordinary texts.

Jiang Yun arrived at the Jade Slip area. His Falling Star Rank Mental Energy spread out like a giant net, covering hundreds of Jade Slips on the entire row of bookshelves at once, reading their contents simultaneously.

Time passed bit by bit.

The number of unexamined texts on the bookshelves grew smaller and smaller, and the brows of the three men furrowed tighter and tighter.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi had flipped through all the ancient Incomplete Manuals in the Array Dao section. Although he found several structures similar to the array patterns on the Jade Bone, a closer look revealed they were only superficially similar, with completely different core principles.

The situation on Wen Yuan's side was much the same...

He had repeatedly examined the few pages of ancient sealing technique Incomplete Manuals in the rune section. One passage did indeed mention a method of "using traces as a foundation and laws as a carrier," but it was only a few sparse words, with no specific description of any breaking method.

Jiang Yun had scanned all hundreds of Jade Slips in the Jade Slip area.

Apart from a few myth-related Jade Slips recording legends of the ancient Dragon Clan.

He had found nothing.

Just as the hearts of the three were gradually sinking.

An irrepressible low cry suddenly came from Wen Yuan's side.

"I found it!! I found it!! You all come here!!"

Jiang Yun and Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi simultaneously stopped what they were doing.

With a flash of their figures, they appeared beside Wen Yuan.

They saw Wen Yuan holding an extremely old scroll in his hands...

The material of the scroll was extraordinary; it was neither paper nor beast hide.

It was an extremely ancient Vicious Beast belly skin that had been treated with a special tanning process.

The edges of the scroll were severely worn, with fine cracks appearing in several places, and the color of the surface presented a deep brown that could only be formed after experiencing long, arduous years.

The scroll was densely engraved with hundreds of ancient runes. The structure of those runes was extremely complex, and their style was identical to the three sealing runes on the Jade Bone.

Wen Yuan held the scroll with extreme care, his breathing unconsciously softening.

His eyes shone with excitement and agitation, and his voice trembled slightly from the overwhelming excitement.

"This is it. What is recorded on this scroll is the information regarding the array and rune information inside that Jade Bone!! Look at the rune structure here... Heavenly Trace Thirteen Overlapping Array, the attribute conversion angle of each layer, and here, this sealing method of using traces as a foundation... it is completely identical to that rune on the Jade Bone!! This old man can be certain that this scroll records the exact same sealing technique!!"

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi leaned forward.

His gaze swept rapidly across the scroll.

The more he looked, the more excited he became, and a hint of uncontrollable joy gradually blossomed in those old eyes.

"That's right, that's right!! It is the very thing recorded here!! Look here... this is the nested arrangement diagram of the array patterns. Although a part of it is damaged, the remaining arrangement of these layers is exactly the same as the Array Dao Restriction on the Jade Bone!! Look at the way these array patterns connect, and the position of this array eye... it is not a fraction different from the structure on the Jade Bone!! This is it!! This is the origin of that Seal on the Jade Bone!!"

Jiang Yun stood to the side.

His gaze also fell upon the ancient scroll.

But his brows did not relax like the two Deans...

Because he could not understand it.

He was neither an Array Master nor a Rune Master.

To him, those complex array patterns and runes on the scroll were no different from a heavenly book.

However, he did not need to understand it.

With a slight movement of his mind, a glimmer of light, which only he could perceive, lit up deep within his pupils...

Entry Manifestation talent was quietly activated.

Within his field of vision.

A semi-transparent information panel slowly emerged beside the ancient scroll.

[Item Name]: Ancient Sealing Technique Incomplete Manual · Heavenly Trace Thirteen Overlapping Array [Rank]: Unknown [Recorded Content]: This Incomplete Manual records an ancient sealing technique called the Heavenly Trace Thirteen Overlapping Array. This sealing technique was created by an ancient Beast Tamer race with Array Dao attributes called the Void Scale. Using Array Dao runes as the core, it layers array patterns and sealing runes to form an extremely solid sealing Restriction. This technique is specifically used to Seal treasures or remains of Vicious Beasts containing powerful strength. Once the Seal is formed, if not broken by the correct method, forced destruction will only trigger a backlash from the Seal, causing both the sealed object and the Seal itself to be destroyed together. The method of breaking it requires an Innate Beast Tamer with Array Dao attributes, using its own array patterns as a medium to remove the nested structure of the sealing array patterns and runes layer by layer in a specific order. [Current Status]: Incomplete Manual · Only the upper scroll exists. The upper scroll records the origin, principles, and breaking conditions of the sealing technique, but the specific breaking steps and operational methods are recorded in the lower scroll.

...

After reading the Entry Manifestation information.

Jiang Yun's brows could not help but furrow slightly.

An Incomplete Manual.

It was exactly the same as the information displayed when he used Entry Manifestation to view the true dragon bone back then...

It required a Beast Tamer with Array Dao attributes to break it.

But it, too, only mentioned the breaking conditions, without any specific breaking steps.

The lower scroll was nowhere to be found, and the upper scroll only contained the origin and principles.

Could it be that the secret within this true dragon bone really could not be unlocked in a short time?

While Jiang Yun was viewing the Entry Manifestation information.

Wen Yuan had already carefully read through the contents on the scroll.

The excitement in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by an unconcealable regret.

He sighed, carefully placed the scroll on the stone platform beside him, and pointed to the last few lines of text on the scroll, saying:

"The breaking method recorded here does indeed require an Innate Beast Tamer with Array Dao attributes... This old man guessed that part correctly. But the specific breaking steps and operational methods are not recorded on this scroll. No, it's not that they aren't recorded, but the part that recorded this content has been torn off. Look here... although the tear on the scroll is not a fresh mark, the fibers at the edge are jagged, clearly torn apart by external force, not natural wear. This scroll only has the upper volume; the lower volume is nowhere to be found."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi took the scroll and carefully examined the torn edge for a while, his brows also furrowing.

"It was indeed torn by someone, and it must have been torn a long time ago; the fibers at the break are already as dark as the color of the scroll itself. This indicates that the scroll being torn is not a recent event; it might have already been an Incomplete Manual before it was collected into the Wending Pavilion."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.

"However... perhaps we can go and check the collection records of the Wending Pavilion. Every book collected in the Wending Pavilion has a detailed registration, including the time of collection, the source, and who brought it into the academy. As long as we find out who brought this scroll into the Wending Pavilion and from where, perhaps we can follow the vine to find the melon and locate the whereabouts of the other half of the scroll."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yuan slapped his thigh hard.

"Right, right, right!! This is a good idea!! As long as we find the person who brought this item into the Wending Pavilion, we can know the origin of this scroll and thereby learn the whereabouts of the other half, the lower volume. Since the upper volume was collected into the Wending Pavilion, the lower volume is highly likely still in the hands of the person who originally brought this item, or at least that person knows where the lower volume went."

Jiang Yun also nodded.

This was indeed a method and a clue.

He cupped his hands toward the two Deans.

"Then I will have to trouble the two Deans."

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi did not waste words.

He carefully handed the scroll back to Wen Yuan and strode toward the stairs.

"You two wait here; this old man will be right back."

After the figure of Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi disappeared at the stairs, only Jiang Yun and Wen Yuan remained on the top floor.

Wen Yuan was still repeatedly examining the scroll, muttering terms like Heavenly Trace Sealing Technique and Thirteen Overlapping Array to himself.

He kept exclaiming how profound it was!! Truly profound!! He was completely immersed in the world of runes, unable to extricate himself.

Jiang Yun stood quietly to the side, his gaze falling on the scroll, thinking to himself.

According to the information provided by Entry Manifestation, the creator of this sealing technique was an Array Dao attribute Beast Tamer race called the Void Scale.

This name was completely unfamiliar to him.

Whether it was the Legacy memory of Medicine Dust Son or the various ancient texts he had examined, there was no record of this race at all.

It seemed the history of this Void Scale race was likely much more ancient than Medicine Dust Son.

However, these things were not important for now... What was important was to find the lower volume and find the specific breaking steps.

About a quarter of an hour passed.

Footsteps sounded again on the stone stairs.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi returned.

His pace was a bit slower than when he left.

His face carried a hint of an extremely subtle and complex expression... there was surprise, realization, and a hint of a meaningful smile.

He walked up to the two of them.

His gaze swept from Wen Yuan's face to Jiang Yun's face.

The smile at the corners of his mouth grew thicker.

"Do you know who brought this scroll into the Wending Pavilion?"

Wen Yuan put down the scroll in his hand and urged impatiently, frowning.

"When is this? Stop playing coy!! Hurry up and say it!! Who is it?"

Jiang Yun also looked at Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi, waiting for his answer.

Dean of Array Department Xuan Jizi stroked his beard, smiled meaningfully, and spoke slowly.

"You would absolutely never guess, the person who brought this item into the Wending Pavilion... was actually Vice Dean Ming Jing!!"