บท 2: Ch 2: Cultivators
Li Wei followed the stairs and went down slowly. He was very careful in his actions, not making any noise at all. He did not want to startle the person inside or make his presence known to them.
The stairs led Li Wei to a large stone door partially concealed by a curtain of vines. He pushed the vines aside and examined the door. It was adorned with intricate carvings of mythical creatures and weird symbols that were incomprehensible to him. His fingers traced the patterns, feeling the cold, rough texture of the stone.
"For some reason, the strange feeling in my heart is getting stronger and stronger. What is happening?"
Li Wei could not understand his current situation. He was unable to name the bizarre feeling in his heart, but it made him restless for some reason.
Exhaling deeply, Li Wei managed to pry the door open with a forceful push, revealing yet another narrow staircase descending into darkness even further. This time, there were no glowing stones to light up the path for him.
He hesitated for a moment, then pulled a small oil lamp from his satchel and lit it. The flickering flame cast long shadows on the walls as he descended the stairs, one cautious step at a time.
At the bottom of the staircase, Li Wei found himself in a vast underground chamber. Rows of shelves lined the walls, filled with dusty scrolls and ancient books. Other than shelves and books, there were also tables and chairs placed in several places which appeared to be there for people to comfortably sit and read.
"It is here, it truly is here. There are so many books and scriptures, I might not be able to read them all in my entire life!"
His heart raced with excitement as he realized he had found the hidden library of the Dragon Descending Sect. In excitement, he hurriedly moved and wandered through the aisles, marveling at the wealth of knowledge that these ancient texts stored here.
"What? Why is it like this?"
Li Wei felt struck by lightning when he tried to open a book, only to fail. He did not mind it at first and moved to open another book, however, the result was still the same. He felt something was very wrong and started trying to open as many books as he could. Unfortunately, he again failed. It was as if some kind of restriction was stopping him from opening any book and reading the contents recorded inside.
The wealth of knowledge was right in front of him, but he could not even open the book's cover, let alone read it. The feeling he had at this time could not be defined. He felt like a kid whose only toy is now broken. The toy was right in front of him, but he could not play with it due to its broken state.
It was then Li Wei remembered that the Dragon Descending Sect used to be a force that cultivated powerful experts. It was a force full of formidable cultivators. As he recalled this, a few long-forgotten memories resurfaced. He remembered reading in one of the scriptures that cultivators often place restrictions on important ancient texts and books to prevent them from being exploited by those who are not qualified to read them.
To read such texts, one must either have a powerful cultivation base or a method to remove those restrictions.
"Unfortunately, I'm neither a cultivator nor have a way to remove the restrictions!"
Li Wei sighed in pity. He felt very bitter in his heart. He did manage to find the hidden library, but unfortunately, he was unable to read the books stored there.
"Will becoming a cultivator enable me to read and acquire knowledge from a broader range of books than I can currently access?"
The instant such a thought appeared in Li Wei's heart, he shook his head and muttered, "But I don't like cultivation. I'm fine as I am now. If not these books, I can just roam around the Ancient Dragon Domain, and find books to read."
Shaking his head, Li Wei started observing thousands of books present in this underground space sourly. For a moment, he even forgot that he came here following the footprint of someone. It means there are other people present here as well.
As he was observing, one book, in particular, caught his eye. It was larger than the others and bound in black leather. Its cover was embossed with a strange, swirling symbol that seemed to shimmer in the lamplight. Unlike other books and scriptures, it was placed alone in a corner.
This was no longer a simple book but a tome that greatly attracted Li Wei's attention.
He carefully lifted the heavy tome from the shelf and placed it on a nearby table. This tome was truly heavy and it took him his entire strength to just lift it up.
Placing the book on the table, he tried to open it. Although he already expected the final result, it was still disappointing when he was unable to open the tome just like other books.
It was at this moment that Li Wei noticed the faint sound of footsteps echoing through the chamber. He quickly extinguished his lamp and hid under the table with the tome, holding his breath. The footsteps grew louder, and soon, a group of three men appeared before his sight. Because they were still a distance away from him, he could see their shadowy figures and tell how many of them were there.
All of a sudden, a ball of fire lit up on a person's hand, startling Li Wei greatly. Due to the fireball, he could now see their obscure figures. These three people were dressed in dark robes and their faces were obscured by hoods.
'They are cultivators!'
Li Wei held his breath more thoroughly, not daring to make any sound. He did not expect to encounter a group of cultivators in the hidden library of the Dragon Descending Sect. It turned out that the footprints he saw earlier did not belong to just one person, but three. He was unable to notice this point perhaps because he was in a hurry.
Fortunately, the table was located in a corner and it was small, perfect for anyone to hide under it. If one doesn't look carefully, one will be unable to find who is hidden under the table.
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