Purple Song Sage looked at Yun Qingxue, his brows tightly furrowed, pointing at her with a mix of frustration and disappointment as he said, “You have absolutely no ambition!”
Yun Qingxue also frowned, unable to grasp the meaning behind her so-called master’s words.
“Ah!” Purple Song Sage didn’t bother with riddles and sighed before continuing, “Look at you, huh? Can’t you have a little more drive? A little more ambition? Hmm? Do you know how many books I have here?
Ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes!!!
And with so many books, you only plan to borrow two to read?
Two?!
With all these books here, you’re only going to read two? Is that all the ambition you have?”
Yun Qingxue was baffled by the scolding. She had even worried about borrowing two, but judging by her master’s tone…
“Then what?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at Purple Song Sage.
Purple Song Sage flicked his sleeve, clasped his hands behind his back, and looked up at the sea of books at a 45-degree angle, declaring grandly, “As my disciple, the first thing you must have is ambition! And ideals! With a whole room of books, how can you shamelessly ask for just two? I’d be embarrassed to lend you so few!”
“So…”
“So, as your master, I have decided—to lend you all ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine volumes!”
Yun Qingxue felt like there was something strange flickering in Purple Song Sage’s eyes as he suddenly turned to look at her.
He gazed at her seriously and said, “From now on, this place will be under your care. You must reorganize and categorize all the books here. And—memorize every single one of them!”
Yun Qingxue’s eyes widened. She was certain she must have misheard. “There are ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine books here! You want me to memorize all of them?”
Purple Song Sage nodded solemnly.
Yun Qingxue…
What kind of international joke was this?! Ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine books—even if she memorized one book a day, it would take her nearly three hundred years to finish!
Besides, she didn’t have a photographic memory, so memorizing one book a day was impossible!
“Disciple!”
Seeing Yun Qingxue’s stunned expression, Purple Song Sage quickly encouraged her, “You must have faith in yourself! Remember, heaven rewards the diligent!”
“But…” Yun Qingxue glanced at the endless ocean of books and said, “If I have to read all of these, wouldn’t it take me a thousand years?!”
“It’s not that hard!” Purple Song Sage scoffed, as if Yun Qingxue was exaggerating.
Yun Qingxue rolled her eyes, silently thinking, “Yes, it is!”
“Disciple~” Purple Song Sage called out again, seemingly reading her mind.
Yun Qingxue, who had been forced into this apprenticeship, couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Purple Song Sage didn’t mind her attitude. Breaking through this little girl’s defenses wasn’t something that could be rushed. “Disciple, remember—constant dripping wears away the stone. If you wish to rise above others, the first requirement is to endure hardship!”
“I never wanted to rise above others!” Yun Qingxue blurted out, her voice calm but carrying a hint of sorrow and weariness she hadn’t even noticed herself.
In both this life and the last, all she had ever wanted was to be an ordinary person, living a simple, uneventful life.
“Hah! You don’t want to…” Purple Song Sage’s expression darkened.
For the first time, Yun Qingxue saw an uncharacteristically solemn look on the face of this seemingly unreliable yet deeply profound master.
“Your origins, your position—they dictate that you can never live an ordinary life like a common person! You have only two paths: either grow stronger, or—die!” Purple Song Sage’s voice was so low it felt oppressive, and his gaze carried a weight of profound thought.
“Think of the hardships you’ve endured, think of your friends, the people you care about. If you don’t grow stronger, you’ll only watch helplessly as they die one by one, all to protect you!”
“My lady, you must grow stronger—for me, for the loyal subjects of the Flower and Wood Clan who were killed by Crimson Cloud!”
That stormy night, lightning flashing and thunder roaring, she turned back to see the oleander desperately blocking the breach in the Flower and Wood Clan’s barrier, its petals and leaves withering in the wind—all to protect her. That was the first person in this world who had shown her kindness—Qiandai!
In another pitch-black night, bolts of tribulation lightning were summoned to strike her mercilessly. The man named Hua Yin shielded her, suffering grave injuries. The heartache she had felt when she thought A’dai had perished resurfaced.
After her battle with Chen Qing left her severely wounded, when Cang Yan took her back to the Beast Clan and she became nothing more than a pawn to be manipulated—that overwhelming sense of powerlessness…
“I know…” Yun Qingxue murmured softly, as if speaking to herself or responding to Purple Song Sage. “A peaceful life is nothing but a luxury for me. But…”
She raised her eyes, her bright gaze scrutinizing her so-called master. “Can I trust you?”
“Time will reveal the truth!”
Purple Song Sage answered only these five words before strolling back the way he came.
Yun Qingxue stood there in silence for a while before hearing her master’s voice again from afar:
“No skill is mastered overnight! The day you finish reading and memorizing all these books will be the day you spread your wings like a phoenix, reborn in fire as a true powerhouse!”
Yun Qingxue took a deep breath. A voice in her heart repeated four words over and over: Become stronger! Become stronger!
“Start working hard now!” Purple Song Sage’s voice echoed from the distance.
Yun Qingxue reached out, pulling down the nearest book and opening it.
Lines of black, script-like symbols filled her vision—characters resembling ancient oracle bone script that instantly made her head spin.
She put down the first book and picked up another, only to find the same indecipherable script.
In short—not a single word in these books was recognizable to her!
Was it because the writing system in the Profound Spirit Continent was different from that of the 21st century? Did that mean she’d have to learn this world’s script before she could even read?
But that didn’t make sense…
Yun Qingxue remembered that Feng Zihuang had once given her a book titled *The General History of the Profound Spirit* when she was in the Beast Clan.
The text in that book was in traditional Chinese characters, which she could read.
And the pearl Jin Lin had given her, containing cultivation techniques—those words were also in traditional Chinese, which she understood!
So why were these books written in what looked like scribbled nonsense?
Frowning, Yun Qingxue climbed the stairs, flipping through book after book in quick succession.
Ten…
Twenty…
Thirty…
Fifty…
After a long while, every single book she checked was filled with those oracle bone-like symbols.
If she couldn’t even read the words, how was she supposed to study them?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage