Chapter 10: Feather Race
……
Exiting the main entrance of the Skill Upgrade Hall, the scene within Paradise was vastly different from before. Previously, the plaza outside was crowded with people, but now only the occasional Worker could be seen.
After returning to his Exclusive Room, Su Xiao walked into the Alchemy Laboratory to check on the Devourer, Crystal Ji. Things were progressing smoothly; it seemed that in the next world progression, the five-devourer melee would have a place to unfold.
In Su Xiao’s view, as long as the next world had civilization and a large population, it was well worth staging the five-devourer melee. The reason was that his next world was for hunting traitors, and those traitors were likely powerful and influential in their own world.
Under such circumstances, once they sensed that Su Xiao had come for revenge, they would definitely keep a close watch on him. At that point, the five-devourer melee he deliberately set up would inevitably draw much of the enemy’s attention, making them subconsciously think it was a tactic aimed at them.
The result would surely leave the enemy baffled. One could imagine them guarding against every move, only to realize that when Black A, Boiling Red, Dark Sun, Sun Apostle, and Crystal Ji gathered, they thought it was a united front against them—only for the five Devourers to start fighting among themselves.
The reason Su Xiao had the five Devourers battle was simple: he had enough combat data on Black A and Boiling Red, but the remaining three lacked complete records. Under these circumstances, he absolutely could not let the Devourer team protect the foolish mining duo.
After consulting with his own authority, Su Xiao learned that this world progression would end in about three days. That meant he would have to wait about a week in Reincarnation Paradise or return to the Real World before entering a new world.
Su Xiao went to an empty room, took out 3,354 Soul Fragments and 332 large Soul Fragments from his storage space, and finally produced the [Will Crystal Stone: Wild Hunt (Exclusive Trait Material)]. Using all the Soul Fragments, he began to enhance the [Will Crystal Stone: Wild Hunt].
With a hum, the [Will Crystal Stone: Wild Hunt] floated up, absorbing the soul energy gathered from the fragments below. It seemed that raising it to its limit would take some time.
Once that was done, Su Xiao would obtain another Origin-level piece of armor, providing the unique "Origin Source" characteristic of Origin-level equipment. Combined with the effect of the [Will Crystal Stone: Wild Hunt], his [Wild Hunt Night] long leather coat could be upgraded to Origin-level. He wondered if Lide, upon hearing this good news, would be so delighted that he’d greet Su Xiao with a hammer to the head—physically emphasizing his identity as a blacksmith.
Putting aside how gratified Lide would be, Su Xiao took out the [Soul Library Entry Certificate]. He had long wanted to visit the Soul Library, said to be one of the oldest factions.
Seeing this, Bubu Wang and Beini stepped forward. Baha, who had no interest in the Soul Library, continued updating his vocabulary on his terminal, while Amu, lying on the carpet and snoring loudly, had even less interest in the library.
With a few days of free time, Su Xiao decided to check out the Soul Library. As soon as he activated the [Soul Library Entry Certificate], he felt a gentle, comfortable sensation of teleportation.
The light before him brightened slightly, and a warm yellow glow shone down from above. Su Xiao looked around and found himself in a corridor about ten meters wide, its walls covered in intricate, ancient patterns.
"You’re here again. Welcome."
A hoarse yet gentle voice came. Su Xiao turned to see, at the end of the corridor about ten meters away, an old man with an octopus head sitting behind a wooden table. On the table were books, pen holders, and other items.
The old man’s head was a translucent, deep blue. He wore a large robe, and behind him were two massive, ancient metal double doors.
"Show your certificate."
The octopus-headed old man, the administrator of the Soul Library, spoke. Though his tone was gentle, it didn’t mean he was someone to be trifled with.
"…"
Su Xiao handed over the [Soul Library Entry Certificate] with one hand. The administrator’s eyes showed a hint of surprise, and he said with a smile:
"It’s been a long time since we’ve had a guest. Take this badge. As long as you’re not in a very special place, it can bring you to the Soul Library. Of course, if you put yourself in danger, it won’t help you escape—keep that in mind. If I’m not mistaken, those two are your followers. How many followers do you have?"
"Four."
"Mm, good. Here are their attendant badges. As long as you’re in the Soul Library, they can read the books here too."
The administrator placed five badges on the table. One was a deep, dark silver, and the other four were bright copper. Su Xiao picked up the dark silver badge.
[You have obtained a Library Badge.]
[Library Badge]
Origin: Soul Library.
Category: Rare Badge.
Durability: 500/500 points.
Equipment Effect: With this badge, you can reach the Soul Library. While holding it, you gain the right to trade knowledge with the Ancient One, and you can negotiate normally with the Spider Lady without being attacked by her.
Description: If the holder dies, this badge will be reclaimed by the Spider Lady, and due to your status as a guest of the Soul Library, she will hold a simple but dignified funeral for you.
…
"Guest, the Soul Library opens for you. Remember, only knowledge can be exchanged for knowledge."
As the administrator spoke, the two metal doors behind his seat swung open.
Su Xiao stepped inside. The area ahead was shrouded in mist. When he heard the two metal doors behind him slam shut, the white mist dissipated into the air.
What came into view were bookshelves a hundred meters high. Beside the shelves were many steep wooden ladders that could be pushed back and forth. Small elves flitted among these massive shelves, organizing books or cleaning. Some lazy ones even slept on top of the books.
Standing among rows of hundred-meter-tall bookshelves, Su Xiao felt as if he had entered a land of giants. How many civilizations had risen and fallen to accumulate such a vast collection of knowledge stored here?
The entire Soul Library was divided into two floors: the first floor and the top floor. The spiral staircase at the center was the only path to the top. The difference between the two was that all books on the first floor—whether ancient texts or secret manuscripts—could be borrowed and studied. After learning the knowledge, one didn’t have to buy them.
The ancient texts on the top floor, however, were not available for borrowing. To read them, one had to purchase them. The knowledge stored there was either extremely dangerous and needed to be sealed, or it no longer existed in the outside world. Only in the Soul Library could one buy these rare, lost ancient texts and glimpse long-lost knowledge or abilities.
The [Book of Souls: Soul Imprint] that Su Xiao had obtained was once stored in the top floor of the Soul Library. After he condensed the "Soul Imprint" recorded in it, his meditation efficiency increased more than a hundredfold, giving his Heart Meditation ability a qualitative leap.
That was why Su Xiao had been developing his Blood Qi abilities. He wasn’t blindly arrogant; he had always been aware of the effects of Blood Qi on the mind and had suppressed them with his Heart Meditation ability. This was why he had previously been cautious about developing Blood Qi.
Now, with the Soul Imprint, the leveling speed of Heart Meditation had increased over a hundred times, so he no longer had to worry about the side effects of developing Blood Qi. Even if he quickly raised [Basic Passive: Blood Awakening] to Lv.80 and [Blood Spear Grandmaster] to Lv.70, Su Xiao could still control it steadily.
Just one precious scroll from the top floor of the Soul Library had given Su Xiao such a boost, showing the profound depth of this ancient faction.
Among the massive bookshelves, the small elves noticed Su Xiao, the guest. At first, they were shy, fluttering timidly nearby. After a while, when they saw that Su Xiao wasn’t paying them any attention, they moved closer.
"Hmph!"
An angry huff came. Su Xiao looked over and saw a small elf with its arms crossed, pouting and turning its head away, as if telling the others not to approach Su Xiao.
Seeing this elf, Su Xiao remembered who it was. The first time he had seen the entrance to the Soul Library, he had thrown a few stones inside to test it. When he entered, he saw this elf with a bump on its forehead and tears in its eyes.
A Soul Coin appeared in Su Xiao’s hand, and he flicked it toward the elf in midair.
"Eep!"
The elf yelped as the Soul Coin hit it, glaring angrily at Su Xiao. But when it realized what had hit it was a Soul Coin, it dove down, grabbed the coin, and rubbed its little blue face against it contentedly.
Su Xiao tossed out a few more Soul Coins, and the elf began to gesture and chirp, but Su Xiao couldn’t understand its language.
"Woof, woof, woof…"
Bubu Wang barked a few times, and Su Xiao understood. Bubu Wang could comprehend the elf’s language. It meant that Su Xiao should first visit the Ancient One, then the Spider Lady. If the Soul Elder wasn’t asleep, it would be best to see him too. Also, don’t trust a profiteer carrying a large bundle—that guy sometimes came to the Soul Library.
Hearing this, Su Xiao tossed out a few more Soul Coins, making the elf look at him with growing friendliness. It chirped again, and through Bubu Wang’s translation, Su Xiao learned that the elf was offering to lead the way to the Ancient One, the Spider Lady, and the Soul Elder.
After Su Xiao threw out a few more Soul Coins, the elf landed directly on Bubu’s head and politely suggested that, as a guest of the Soul Library, Su Xiao should get on good terms with the Spider Lady.
If his relationship with the Spider Lady was only average, he could at most go to her to pay silver coins and get borrowing time corresponding to the fee. But if he had a decent personal connection with her, he could ask her which area the knowledge he needed was in.
Don’t underestimate this. The entire Soul Library seemed to be divided into just the first floor and the top floor, but the so-called first floor had 98,570 sections. Each section had at least 30,000 hundred-meter-tall bookshelves. The number of books stored there was unimaginable, and this was after screening—not all books could be kept in the Soul Library.
Forget about finding the ancient texts one needed; just browsing through all 98,570 sections would take a long time. Finding the specific knowledge one wanted was even more complicated.
The Spider Lady had two hobbies: reading books and delicious drinks. Tea, wine that wasn’t strong liquor, coffee, and the like all fell within her preferences.
Originally, the Spider Lady was a fierce and ruthless powerhouse from the Wind Sea Continent—no, she was the strongest in the Transcendent Primordial World of the Wind Sea Continent during that era. Even against the Eternal Life God at his peak, the Spider Lady had a fifty-fifty chance of winning.
Due to special circumstances, she was trapped in the Soul Library by the Soul Elder. Or rather, she was tricked into coming here and couldn’t leave. Within the Soul Library, its owner, the Ancient One, was invincible, which was why the Spider Lady had been trapped here in the first place.
Given the Spider Lady’s strength and cruelty, after mastering vast amounts of knowledge, she became unimaginably dangerous. If not for the Soul Library’s owner, the Ancient One, she would have long broken free and caused havoc in the outside world.
But as the years passed, after tens of thousands of years, the Spider Lady lost interest in leaving. She had seen through it all—what were worldly grudges, love, and hate compared to reading? The ultimate pleasure lay in knowledge. She simply couldn’t be bothered to leave.
If Su Xiao had a decent personal relationship with the Spider Lady, he could ask her which section the knowledge he needed was in when he came to study. That would save a tremendous amount of time.
The elf chirped and pointed the way ahead. Su Xiao walked up a semi-arc-shaped staircase and entered a separate compartment. Inside, he saw that the inner part of the compartment was occupied by tangled tree roots. Amid the chaotic roots, a figure could be vaguely seen. This figure had five arms, and its skin was dry but finely textured. On the palms of each of its five arms were eyes. This was the owner of the Soul Library, the Ancient One.
The Ancient One’s head was wrapped in gray cloth, with only one right eye exposed. It seemed that Su Xiao’s arrival caused this right eye to open slightly, but it soon closed again.
The Ancient One rarely spoke to others. His existence was so ancient that only three Void aberrant beings—Mao Sheng’s Madness, Candle Woman, and the Lord of the Old Days—had lifespans close to his.
Some said Mao Sheng’s Madness was the oldest, followed by the Lord of the Old Days, then the Ancient One, and finally the Candle Woman.
There were also rumors that the Ancient One was originally a Void aberrant being but later transformed into a living being for unknown reasons. He was cursed and bound by endless knowledge.
"Law… Annihilation."
A voice so deep it didn’t sound like it came from a living being emerged from the dry tree roots ahead. The elf leading the way froze. It had been here a long time and had never seen the Ancient One speak to a visitor.
"…"
Su Xiao didn’t respond. He didn’t think it was because of him that this ancient being, who had been silent for who knows how many years, had spoken. It was because of the Law Destruction Faction, because of the Ancestral Law Destroyers, that he had spoken.
"The invasion of the Abyss… has been hard on you, Law Annihilator."
The Ancient One spoke again. This time, Su Xiao knew it was directed at him.
[Tip: You are negotiating with the Absolute Neutral Existence: Ancient One.]
[Warning: This is one of the Absolute Neutral Existences certified by the Void Tree. Hunters must not attempt to engage in combat with it. Such self-destructive behavior will be deemed by the Void Tree as voluntarily relinquishing certification rights.]
[Warning: "Absolute Neutral Existence" and "Absolute Neutral Unit" are only similar in wording. Do not confuse the two.]
[You are currently in the Soul Library.]
[You have met the Ancient One.]
[Your knowledge trade with the Soul Library owner, the Ancient One, will be certified.]
[You can exchange any books, ancient texts, or other knowledge-bearing items you possess with the Ancient One for "Library Silver Coins." With these coins, you can purchase borrowing time on the first floor of the library (5 Library Silver Coins per day). Alternatively, you can use your "Library Silver Coins" to exchange for ancient texts, scrolls, covenant items, Abyssal Original Sin Objects, etc., from the top floor of the Soul Library.]
[Warning: Without absolute certainty, do not casually exchange for the three Abyssal Original Sin Objects sealed on the top floor of the Soul Library. These are sealed here by the Ancient One using ??? as collateral, after obtaining certification from the Void Tree/Reincarnation Paradise/Death Paradise/Sanctuary Paradise. The reason for sealing is not personal grudges but merely for collection purposes.]
[Tip: Due to special circumstances, Abyssal Original Sin Objects cannot be purchased but must be transferred to the person who pays the corresponding "Library Coins."]
[Tip: The transfer price of Abyssal Original Sin Objects is high, requiring at least 500 Library Silver Coins.]
[Tip: Abyssal Original Sin Objects cannot be destroyed by any means. Even the Ancient One can only seal them, not destroy them. Therefore, before exchanging "Library Silver Coins" for an Abyssal Original Sin Object, careful consideration is needed.]
[Library Silver Coin: This coin, with ??? as collateral from the Ancient One, is certified by the Void Tree/Reincarnation Paradise/Death Paradise. It can only be used in the Soul Library and cannot circulate outside.]
[Tip: Any ancient texts, scrolls, or covenant items you purchase, if not consumed, can be sold back to the Soul Library at the original price, obtaining the same number of Library Silver Coins as when purchased.]
…
Su Xiao checked the items in his storage space and found that many could be sold. For example, the [Book of Souls: Soul Imprint] he had obtained earlier was worth 20 Library Silver Coins. The various forging books he had acquired in White Town were worth 33 Library Silver Coins, mainly due to their quantity.
When Su Xiao sold all the ancient texts he had already read or didn’t need, he totaled 315 Library Silver Coins.
Reading here cost 5 Library Silver Coins per day. With his Seven-Star Title: Ancient Scholar equipped, borrowing books here would definitely be profitable.
Additionally, he could use Library Silver Coins to buy ancient texts, scrolls, covenant items, Abyssal Original Sin Objects, etc., from the top floor.
[Original Sin Object (Fake)]—Su Xiao knew what that was. They were created by the Night Temptation Witches. It was said that these [Original Sin Objects (Fake)] were far inferior to the real Original Sin Objects. In essence, they couldn’t even be considered the same thing, even if they were made in a Transcendent World.
Still, [Original Sin Objects (Fake)] were not to be underestimated. They were known for their immense power and severe side effects. As for the real Original Sin Objects, Su Xiao didn’t know much. He tried to consult his authority about Abyssal Original Sin Objects and received this information:
Abyssal Original Sin Objects are extremely dangerous. Do not come into contact with them. But there’s no need to worry too much; most powerhouses will rarely encounter them in their lifetimes. Abyssal Original Sin Objects have one characteristic: first, they can do incredible things, but each use comes at a great cost. Second, once you hold one, it’s very hard to sever the connection…
The more Su Xiao read, the more familiar it felt. It suddenly struck him—wasn’t this just a "Daddy-level" artifact?
Su Xiao realized. He had felt a sense of familiarity when he first heard of Original Sin Objects, but after hearing about [Original Sin Objects (Fake)], he hadn’t pursued the thought. Now, seeing the full name "Abyssal Original Sin Object," he found the feeling growing stronger.
Su Xiao thought of another question. The Soul Library’s top floor held three such Abyssal Original Sin Objects, like the Necronomicon, all sealed away.
PS: Recommending a friend’s book, titled "Unorthodox Beast Taming."