227: The library is deep inside, and fragments of secrets lead to its secrets.

In the Jia Nan Inner Academy, the atmosphere of surviving a disaster was mixed with an indescribable sense of shock and curiosity.

Great Elder Su Qian suppressed the tumultuous waves in his heart and personally guided Li Ao and Medusa toward the depths of the Inner Academy, to the ancient building that symbolized centuries of the academy's accumulation—the Library Pavilion.

Along the way, every Inner Academy student and instructor they encountered stopped in their tracks, looking with awe toward the two figures.

The scene just now, where the Hall of Souls expert was wiped out like a miracle in front of the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, had already spread like a storm throughout the entire Inner Academy.

The name Li Ao had already been imbued with a layer of legendary and mysterious color in the hearts of the younger generation of students.

The Library Pavilion still maintained its ancient and weathered appearance, its main doors tightly shut, exuding the aura of accumulated time.

"Mr. Li, Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Library Pavilion."

Great Elder Su Qian stopped, his tone carrying unprecedented respect. "According to academy rules, this place requires the Elder guarding the Pavilion to open it. However..." He showed a troubled expression, "The Two Elders Qian Bai have not emerged since their last seclusion."

Li Ao nodded slightly, indicating he understood. His gaze fell upon the seemingly ordinary doors of the Library Pavilion, and the meaning of Guixu subtly flowed within his deep eyes.

In his current perception, this Library Pavilion was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Its internal space was layered and covered by powerful spatial Restrictions. Deeper within, several extremely obscure yet vast and ancient auras seemed to be hidden. These must be the academy's true foundation, perhaps The Two Elders Qian Bai, or other hidden guardians.

"It doesn't matter."

Li Ao spoke indifferently, not forcibly breaking the door. He stretched out a finger and lightly tapped the tightly shut door through the air.

There was no violent energy impact, only a wisp of extremely pure fluctuation, containing the true meaning of "Guixu," rippling out like water waves and gently touching the door.

"Buzz..."

On the surface of the door, countless intricate runes instantly lit up; these were the powerful Restrictions laid down by generations of academy experts.

However, these Restrictions, which were strong enough to block a Peak Dou Zong expert, instantly dimmed and subsided the moment they encountered the wisp of Guixu fluctuation, as if they had met their nemesis, without issuing any alarm or counterattack.

They were not destroyed by violence, but rather "soothed" and "assimilated" by a higher-level power, temporarily losing their effectiveness.

"Creak—"

With a soft sound, the long-sealed door slowly opened a crack on its own, wide enough for one person to pass through.

Great Elder Su Qian's pupils constricted, his heart filled with even greater shock.

He knew the potency of the Library Pavilion's Restrictions; even if the Headmaster Mang Tianchi returned, he would need to use a specific method to open it. Yet Li Ao had so effortlessly... made it open itself? This completely overturned his understanding!

Li Ao offered no explanation, gesturing to Medusa. The two then stepped one after the other into the slightly dim interior of the Library Pavilion.

The space inside the pavilion was far vaster than what was visible from the outside.

Rows of tall bookshelves were neatly arranged, piled high with various scrolls, Jade Slips, and ancient texts. The air was permeated with the scent of paper and history.

Li Ao's Soul Power spread out like mercury flowing across the ground, instantly enveloping the entire first floor of the Library Pavilion.

A massive amount of information flooded into his Sea of Consciousness. Most of it consisted of basic or advanced knowledge concerning the customs of the Fighting Qi Continent, historical biographies, Cultivation Techniques and Dou Techniques (the highest being Earth Rank), and Medicinal Pill identification.

While these were treasures to ordinary people, they were of little use to the current Li Ao.

He did not stop, walking directly toward the stairs leading to the second floor. The higher they went, the more precious the stored texts were, and the more secrets they likely contained.

Medusa followed beside him, her multicolored eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

She could sense that, deep within the pavilion, several obscure consciousnesses were dormant. They had not awakened due to their intrusion, perhaps due to tacit permission, or perhaps... due to apprehension.

The second floor, the third floor...

Li Ao's speed was extremely fast. The texts on every floor were almost instantly scanned under his powerful Soul perception.

He found several decent low-level Heaven Rank Dou Techniques, some rough records concerning ancient races, and even a vague clue regarding the "Purification Lotus Demon Flame."

However, he still found no specific information about the Medicine Clan's "medicine spirit token," nor any deep secrets related to his Dao of "Guixu."

Until he reached the Library Pavilion's highest level—the fourth floor.

The space here was small, containing only a few bookshelves.

What was placed on them were not scrolls or Jade Slips, but rather fragmented bone pieces, ancient maps made from unknown animal hides, and several broken artifacts with obscure auras.

The aura here was even more ancient, carrying a trace of wildness and sorrow.

Li Ao's gaze was instantly drawn to an inconspicuous, dark-gold metal fragment, roughly the size of a palm, lying in the corner.

The fragment had irregular edges and its surface was covered in rust, looking like part of a piece of armor or a weapon.

But the moment Li Ao saw it, the "silent ruin" in his Qi Sea suddenly emitted a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor, and the Dao patterns of the Nirvana True Understanding deep within his Soul also produced a faint resonance with it!

On this fragment, there remained an extremely faint but fundamentally high-level aura of nirvana... an aura that originated from the same source as the Nirvana True Understanding, yet seemed older and more primordial!

Li Ao stepped forward and picked up the dark-gold fragment. It felt cold and heavy in his hand, a divine object concealing its brilliance.

A wisp of Guixu power slowly flowed from his fingertip into the fragment.

"Buzz!"

The fragment violently shook, and the rust on its surface peeled off like living matter, revealing a smooth texture underneath and clearer ancient patterns.

These patterns were somewhat similar to the markings of the Nirvana True Understanding, yet they were simpler and closer to the Origin of the Great Dao!

Simultaneously, a fragmented stream of information surged into Li Ao's mind, following the Guixu power.

The information was very vague and intermittent, primarily consisting of a fragmented star map pointing toward an unknown coordinate in the Void Realm.

In addition to this, several key phrases repeatedly flashed:

"bridge of the other shore... Guiding Ancient Palace... nirvana source core..."

As well as a name that made Li Ao's gaze instantly sharpen—

"...Yao... Clan... Ancestral Shrine..."

This fragment did not directly record the location of the medicine spirit token, but the direction it pointed to—the so-called "Guiding Ancient Palace" or "nirvana source core"—seemed to have some unknown connection with the Medicine Clan's Ancestral Shrine!

And the "bridge of the other shore" made Li Ao think of the "Ruins Bridge" he had constructed!

This was absolutely not a coincidence!

This fragment was likely an ancient token, or perhaps the key to a much larger secret!

The destination it pointed to might contain an Opportunity that surpassed the complete Nirvana True Understanding, and the Medicine Clan Ancestral Shrine was a possible entrance to that place!

Obtain the medicine spirit token, enter the Medicine Clan, and investigate the secrets of the Ancestral Shrine!

A clear path rapidly formed in Li Ao's mind.

He put away the dark-gold fragment, the light in his eyes sharp as a knife. It seemed this trip to the Medicine Clan would be more than just seeking a Pill Formula.

"Did you find it?" Medusa asked, seeing his expression.

"Yes." Li Ao nodded. "Though not a direct answer, the path ahead is clear. We must enter the Medicine Clan Ancestral Shrine to investigate."

Just as his voice fell, an ancient voice, tinged with surprise and doubt, slowly sounded from the depths of the Library Pavilion:

"Young friend... where did the object in your hand come from? And where do you intend to go?"

The voice was ethereal, seeming to come from another space.

The sleeping guardian was ultimately disturbed by the aura of the dark-gold fragment and Li Ao's Guixu power.