33: Chapter 33 Chen An is different!

Inside the County Academy!

A familiar voice called out, causing Chen An to stop in his tracks. He turned his head toward the sound.

Not far away, Shen Qinglan was standing by the roadside, waving vigorously at him with a hint of excitement in her eyes.

At the same time, Chen An's gaze shifted, and he noticed a strange young girl standing beside Shen Qinglan.

The girl was breathtakingly beautiful, possessing looks that rivaled Shen Qinglan's. She was taller, standing about half a head above Shen Qinglan, almost reaching Chen An's height.

Dressed in a plain white robe, her posture was upright, and her temperament was cold and aloof. There was an inherent sense of distance about her, as if she were unapproachable. Standing there quietly, she looked like pristine snow on an empty mountain—elegant, ethereal, and remarkably eye-catching.

"Chen An, why are you here?!"

Shen Qinglan walked over, looked Chen An up and down, and a flash of surprise crossed her pretty face.

"Instructor Liu Zhixing from our class asked me to come over to discuss something. Why did you come to the County Academy?!" Chen An explained casually, then asked.

"I brought a friend!"

Hearing Chen An say this, Shen Qinglan didn't ask further, assuming Instructor Liu Zhixing had just sent for him regarding the Five Prefectures Joint Examination. She then introduced him, "Oh right, let me introduce you. This is Pei Yunshu from the County Academy affiliated with the Chengtian Academy. Yunshu, this is…"

"No need for introductions. This is the childhood sweetheart you talk about every day, Chen An, right?!" Before Shen Qinglan could finish, the cold-tempered Pei Yunshu spoke up first.

"What childhood sweetheart? We're just like brothers, a pure bond of brotherhood! Besides, when have I ever talked about him every day?!" Hearing Pei Yunshu's words, Shen Qinglan's face flushed, and her earlobes turned a faint shade of crimson. She glared at her friend with feigned annoyance.

Pei Yunshu didn't dwell on the topic, ignoring Shen Qinglan's annoyance, and coolly looked Chen An up and down.

The young man stood tall, with handsome features and a calm, composed demeanor. Even in his simple white robe, he gave off an aura of stability and indifference to fame or humiliation, like a deep pool or a towering mountain.

A trace of appreciation flashed in Pei Yunshu's eyes, but it instantly turned into a faint sense of pity.

In the end, he was just a student from an ordinary County Academy. Even if his temperament was impressive, so what?!

Good looks don't improve one's cultivation!

She remembered Shen Qinglan mentioning that this Chen An before her only possessed a Mid-grade Martial Bone, and his cultivation was only at Condensing Qi Stage 2.

"Pei Yunshu!" Pei Yunshu nodded slightly at Chen An with a cold expression.

"Hello, I am Chen An. Welcome to Wurong County!"

Chen An nodded slightly. He could see that although Pei Yunshu appeared cold on the outside, there was a haughtiness in her eyes. The way she looked at him carried a faint hint of contempt and disapproval.

Therefore, Chen An didn't intend to make things awkward for himself. He looked at Shen Qinglan, waved his hand, and said, "I won't disturb you two any longer. I'll be going now!"

After saying this, Chen An turned and continued walking toward the County Academy Library.

Watching Chen An's retreating figure, Shen Qinglan couldn't help but frown slightly. She turned to Pei Yunshu beside her, shook her head, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Yunshu, your personality really hasn't changed at all!"

"He is your childhood sweetheart, not mine!"

Pei Yunshu's expression remained cold. She glanced at Shen Qinglan, then turned her gaze to a blooming osmanthus branch nearby, saying, "I'm not like you. There are so many handsome men in this world, but only the Dao of martial arts is the Foundation of one's standing. If you want me to look at someone differently, their Martial Bone and cultivation must at least surpass mine!"

"What do you mean 'not like me'? Hey, do you think I'm the type to be swayed by looks?!"

Shen Qinglan's pretty face flushed red. She glared at Pei Yunshu, angry and anxious, her small mouth pouting slightly: "Chen An is different!"

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. Isn't it just that you grew up together and he saved you when you were little?!" Seeing Shen Qinglan's shy and angry appearance, a faint, teasing smile appeared in Pei Yunshu's cold eyes, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

Having her long-buried past exposed, Shen Qinglan's ears turned completely red, and her cheeks burned. She could no longer maintain her composure.

Her pretty eyes widened, and she stomped her feet in feigned anger. She immediately pounced on Pei Yunshu, shouting indignantly: "Pei Yunshu, you've gone too far! You're dead meat! I'm going to shut your mouth today!"

Pei Yunshu was prepared and nimbly dodged to the side. With a faint smile on her lips, she deliberately teased her slowly: "Yo, already getting angry out of embarrassment? I was just stating the truth!"

"You're still saying it! Stand still!"

"Hee hee…"

Pei Yunshu chuckled, her figure nimbly dodging. Her cold, ethereal appearance was now tinged with a touch of girlish playfulness.

For a moment, the two beautiful women with outstanding appearances and distinct temperaments began chasing and playing at the entrance of the County Academy, their laughter crisp and melodic. Passing students stopped and stared, dumbfounded.

…

Chen An, who was walking further and further away, was completely unaware of the banter and playful chasing of the two women behind him.

The County Academy Library had five floors. The first floor contained various miscellaneous notes, ancient books, regional gazetteers, and classic literature for students to broaden their horizons and read widely;

The second floor housed basic Cultivation Techniques and common Martial Skills ranging from Yellow Rank Low Grade to High Grade, specifically for beginners to study and establish a solid martial Foundation;

The third floor contained classics on various side professions such as physicians, Medicinal Pills, Artifact Refining, Formations, and Talismans, covering a myriad of miscellaneous techniques and secret arts. Students interested in studying side professions could come here to read and research;

As for the fourth and fifth floors, it was said that they housed Profound Rank Low Grade to peak Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills, training notes from powerful martial artists, and even fragments of Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills.

Chen An was not interested in Profound Rank Cultivation Techniques or the training notes of martial experts.

However, he was very interested in the legendary fragments of Earth Rank Cultivation Techniques and Martial Skills.

Unfortunately, in the County Academy, students could only gain access to the fourth and fifth floors if they had achieved significant merits and received approval from the Academy Instructors, the presiding Elder, or the Dean.

Naturally, with his current status, he could not go up.

Although with his current strength, if he really wanted to force his way in, the guards at the Library certainly wouldn't be able to stop him.

His eyes flickered. Chen An shook his head, suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart, and then walked into the Library, slowly heading toward a quiet corner in the depths of the first floor where miscellaneous ancient books were stored.

He had come to the Library this time not for ordinary Cultivation Techniques or Martial Skills, but because he vaguely recalled from his past memories that he had once browsed through a rare ancient book in this pile of old books on this floor that vaguely recorded information about the martial Concept.

Now that he had touched the threshold of the Concept and was lacking relevant theories, he happened to be at the County Academy, so he decided to take this opportunity to find this ancient book and learn about the Realms following the martial Concept…