“Huh? Young Master, what brought you here?” A man in a robed outfit, recognized as a scholar, stood outside the Wei family’s main peak library. He looked towards another man dressed in black, sporting a mask that concealed his face. The newcomer’s eyes shimmered with an orange hue, reminiscent of the stripes on his robe, as he stood on the bridge with his hands folded behind him, gazing at the library structure.
‘There are few people here,’ Ryuk stood on a small bridge formed above an artificial small river filled with crystal clear water, while fish seemed to add beauty to the surrounding, which was traditionally made using bamboo and other wooden materials.
In front of him stood a grand wooden architecture with a sweeping, upward-curved roof, adorned with intricate phoenix carvings. Tall, red columns supported the structure, while latticed windows let in soft, filtered light.
[Host, I could have provided a higher version of the cultivation techniques; there was no need for you to come here to read some books.]
‘I am not here to read books,’ Ryuk informed the system as he moved forward.
[Are you here to stalk some jade beauties, Host? ( ◜_◝ )♡]
‘….Have you been suffering from some kind of virus?’ With careful strides, Ryuk approached, signaling the guard to come closer. He pondered how the system often uttered meaningless words that were unexpected from it, especially considering its primary function revolved around processing.
[Host, I am myself a virus—Error!]
‘Don’t waste my time,’ Ryuk silenced the system, feeling its gibberish was only wasting his time. Considering that he had only five days left to explore today, he looked towards the guard, inquiring, “Are there some breathing techniques in the library?”
“Huh? Young Master, you mean the ones for body tempering?” The man scratched his head, feeling confused hearing a master asking for breathing techniques considering that the most breathing techniques were referred to in the books that held the most fundamental knowledge provided to children of three or four years in the Wei family.
“Yes, those ones,” Ryuk nodded, gesturing towards the library, adding, “Follow me and show those techniques.”
[Host, why don’t you just form a dantian and fill it with internal energy? Why go as far as to start with the first toddler steps? Given that your body has already surpassed the limit of human potential, you can easily just pour down the enormous amount of internal energy directly inside your body and easily reach a level higher than the body integration realm?]
‘Do you know what the weakness of a cultivator is?’ Ryuk moved, falling behind the robed man who was glancing back at him, taking a fervent gaze from him.
[What is it, Host?]
The system inquired, feeling confused that in the end, cultivators were similar to other individuals, and given their similarities, every human being could possess weaknesses; but his host mentioned specifically about cultivators.
The robed man walking forward increased his internal energy to sense that the young man moving behind him didn’t have any trace of Qi energy in him, making him doubt that maybe it was true that he wanted to learn some breathing techniques to start cultivation.
But again, he didn’t say anything, knowing well how the Patriarch had strictly ordered everyone in the main palace to treat this young man kindly.
Ryuk, moving behind, had already noticed what was going on in the man’s mind, but ignoring it, he replied to the system with his feet, arriving near the gate as he lifted his left foot and entered the library, informing, ‘They measure the value of someone’s strength based on their Qi.’
[Oh, I get that, but what’s got you interested in learning a breathing technique?]
‘…Tell me system, if you want to kill someone without breaking the rules, what would you do?’, Ryuk inquired while saying that even after giving so many clues to the system, it didn’t guess why he was wanting to learn a breathing technique. Feeling that maybe talking gibberish had really lowered the processing speed of the system as he tried to provide it with another clue.
[I will just mold the rules in my favor <(￣︶￣)>]
‘….’ At least hearing the system’s words, Ryuk was assured that its processing was working fine. It just wasn’t paying mind to his words, prompting him to reveal,’ I can’t just go around killing people without any reason, so I need to appear like prey to them.’
[Can’t you just suppress your energy? They would naturally think you are weak.]
‘No. Given the experience on the border of Middletown, it was clear that the majority of cultivators see someone without any trace of Qi but dominance as some hidden master’, Ryuk following behind the robed man as he guided him towards the corner inside the building while the librarian and other individuals seated within kept looking in his direction while the library was filled with bookshelves and books made of traditionally written designs and paper.
Ryuk had already noticed how if he suppressed his energy and given his own demeanor, most of the cultivators would feel threatened, considering him as some hidden strong individual. And it could mostly be true for veterans too, given that he will meet individuals from upper town.
They will most likely not even approach him due to fear of him having some hidden master who is far strong enough to suppress his energy.
So instead of completely nullifying it, he just needed to show them how tiny a amount of Qi he possessed to lure them into mocking him or provoking him, given the chance that it would be a honey trap for idiots who needed to be slaughtered and set an example for others.
In the end, Ryuk was not here to act low-key and be cautious of others’ strengths given he needed to put Jenny in her place, so he wanted to go all out while also having some defense in his position to not appear like a tyrant or demon who kills everyone without any justification.
“Here, Young Master,” the robed man finally stopped near the corner of the library where very few books were placed while children of three or four years were going through them as they looked at a grown man arriving in this section of the library.
‘Scan this section and create a breathing technique, make one with no side effects,’ Ryuk ordered, gazing at a number of books, fully aware that acquiring a breathing technique could potentially come with some drawbacks.
Naturally, it wouldn’t impact his body, thanks to his ability to make him immune to everything. However, if he ever needed to discard these inferior breathing techniques when the system offers one made for dual cultivation, he wouldn’t want to have any side effects at that time.
[Analyzing…..]
Ding!
[Host, there is a book on the top floor of this building; its breathing technique is different from the others.]
‘Now that I remember, Liu Wei was also here,’ Ryuk suddenly recalled that the newly born protagonist was also inside this family and given the protagonist’s halo, it would have been impossible for him to not get a breathing technique which could make him equal to the heavens.
“I want to go to the top floor; lead the way,” Ryuk ordered as he turned before leaving the cornered place, moving towards the visible staircase inside the library, causing the robed man to sprint before blocking his path.
“Stop, young master; you can’t go to the top of the place; it’s exclusively secured for only heirs of the Wei family,” the robed man declared as he clenched his hand, charging his body with internal energy to show his determination to not let this young man go to the top floor.
[Sigh, Host, why are there people who can’t read the room? (ー_ー゛)]
The system sighed, seeing that the robed man was soon going to meet with the ancestors of his family.
Ryuk disregarded the man and kept moving, avoiding the use of his ether in this library, as he worried that his energy could cause the structure to collapse. He preferred not to expend his power to keep everyone in check.
“Stop right there!” the robed man, seeing how the young master whom he accompanied here still continued to move, used his hand, charging his body with internal energy as he placed it on his chest to push him back, adding, “Young Master Rui ke, the top floor is prohibited for you—?!”
As the man strained with all his might to prevent the young master from moving, his efforts felt insignificantly small, like an ant trying to hold back a giant.
The man’s feet glided effortlessly across the floor, shattering the wooden boards beneath him as he continued to slide backward, indifferent to the struggle.
It was as if colossal mountains were in motion while a mere ant attempted to halt their advance, leaving the man with a singular thought echoing in his mind and even uttering through his mouth, “Wh-who are you?!”
[Go ask your mother (￣ヘ￣;)]
