Yuan Tianzhu blinked under the dim light of the vast hall, his eyes adjusting to the strange glow that bathed the immense rows of shelves.
"Primordial Origin Library."
Yuan Tianzhu murmured to himself.
Upon hearing that title, he felt cold shivers run up his scalp, as a mixture of reverence and curiosity flooded his entire being. He had no idea when or how he had arrived there—just thinking about it made him feel suffocated.
Yuan Tianzhu remained there in silence.
He didn't know where to begin or where to go, for the library was massive.
'Where do I start? There are so many shelves… I can't even see the end of them. Who created this library? Could this be the reward for passing the Dao Trial? What is its purpose?'
Yuan Tianzhu had so many questions rising in his mind that they were overflowing, giving him a slight headache.
'Did I pass the Dao Trial? But I remember clearly that I had failed. Even that robotic voice had said so. Then… how did I pass the trial?'
Yuan Tianzhu didn't know.
His memories about it were shrouded in a fog that obscured the truth—as if someone had tampered with his mind.
The scent of ancient scrolls was strong, hanging in the air as Yuan Tianzhu's nostrils absorbed it.
The silence was nearly absolute—unbearable.
Yuan Tianzhu hesitantly approached the spine of a nearby book. Raising his hand, he placed it on the book; the leather cover was cold and smooth like jade under his five fingers. He felt a strange energy pulse through it, as if it were about to burst from within him.
'What kind of energy is this? Are all the books here like this?'
His eyes scanned the titles, written in a foreign language that, strangely, he could read with ease.
Then a book caught his attention: "Celestial Dragon Fist."
"Celestial Dragon Fist? Probably martial arts, judging by the name," murmured Yuan Tianzhu, intrigued.
The title was in gold, and the cover showed a dragon coiled around a martial artist mid-strike. Yuan Tianzhu carefully pulled the book from the shelf and opened it, the pages crackling softly.
The first pages contained complex diagrams of stances and movements. The following pages detailed the Celestial Dragon Fist, a technique that channeled the practitioner's inner energy—Vital Essence—into the fists, allowing one to strike with the force of a dragon's tail.
"I was right, it's a martial art! This is incredible! Could I really learn this?"
Yuan Tianzhu's eyes gleamed with a radiant light.
With eyes closed, he imagined himself in mid-air, levitating above the ground, facing a formidable opponent. Visualizing each movement, each strike as described in the book, preparing to execute the Celestial Dragon Fist.
Yuan Tianzhu felt a strange energy course through his body just by imagining the technique.
"Just imagining it already makes me feel this way. Imagine if I actually start training!"
He thought about the techniques the other books might contain and, without further ado, grabbed the nearest book.
"Wow," exclaimed Yuan Tianzhu, flipping through the pages rapidly. The book described a martial art called "Dragon's Roar," a Vital Essence-infused shout capable of stunning opponents. Another book he found detailed "Dragon's Flight," a series of agile jumps and spins that made the user as fast as a shadow.
"This is a little suspicious. No one sane would leave this kind of information out for free. Unless they're a fool. I'm almost sure I'll end up paying for accessing all this knowledge. Like being forced to help rebuild the body of some fallen powerhouse or something… Ugh, I can already see the clichés coming."
Yuan Tianzhu massaged his temples.
After reading so many cultivation webnovels, there was no way he wouldn't be used to the most famous clichés. He just hoped they didn't apply to his life—for the sake of his sanity.
Dealing with cultivation brainrot wouldn't be easy.
Leaving the martial arts books aside, Yuan Tianzhu was drawn to another one, with a dark green cover: "Eternal Flame Pill: An Alchemy Guide."
The pages were filled with incredible recipes for elixirs, each more fantastic than the last.
For example, the "Phoenix Essence Pill," a pill that promised to heal even the most severe wounds and grant temporary immortality. However, to be refined, it required rare ingredients like Phoenix feathers, Dragon blood, and a special herb called Moonlight Petal.
The illustrations were extremely detailed, with precise steps on how to prepare the pill—from carefully grinding the ingredients to reaching the exact temperature required to melt and combine them into a pill.
"If I master this, I'll have few rivals in alchemy. Still, I must not let it make me arrogant. I can be confident, but not arrogant like those cliché young masters."
Next, he picked up a thin book titled "Celestial Talismans: Symbols of Power."
The book was full of complex symbols and enchantments, each designed to channel different types of energy.
There was the "Protection Talisman," a simple yet powerful amulet that could create an invisible shield around the bearer, deflecting physical and other attacks.
"That would be very useful in combat."
Another incredible talisman was the "Agility Talisman," which, when activated, increased the user's speed and agility to absurd levels compared to their original state. The instructions were very clear, showing how to draw the symbols and infuse them with one's own Vital Essence.
It was almost impossible to make consecutive mistakes.
The last book that caught his attention was a hefty tome with a dark blue cover: "Mystical Formations: The Art of Spatial Manipulation."
The pages were filled with detailed diagrams of various formations, each one a complex arrangement of symbols and energies designed to manipulate space and reality.
"Manipulating space? Is that even real?"
One formation, the "Celestial Portal Array," could create a portal to another place, allowing instant travel across vast distances.
"Instant travel…."
The formation required precise placement of talismans and an immense amount of Vital Essence to activate.
Another formation, the "Stormcaller Array," could summon a fierce storm, with thunder, lightning, and torrential rain.
"The descriptions are so vivid… I can almost hear the thunder."
Yuan Tianzhu couldn't stop smiling, knowing he was in a library that harbored cultivation secrets, just like the novels he used to read in his previous world.
He knew that with this library—absorbing its knowledge—he could become a master of cultivation, alchemy, talismans, formations, or even smithing.
Though he hadn't found anything about the latter just yet.
Still, that didn't stop him from feeling happy.
With the information from the Primordial Origin Library, he could practically dominate an entire cultivation world—if he didn't die prematurely—that's it.
Still, Yuan Tianzhu couldn't contain his curiosity and excitement.
So he continued exploring the books of the Primordial Origin Library.
He quickly skimmed through a book titled "Chronicles of Vital Essence Masters," absorbing the legacy of ancient cultivators who had mastered advanced cultivation techniques.
With each page turned, his understanding of the art of cultivation expanded.
Time seemed to lose all meaning in the Primordial Origin Library.
Yuan Tianzhu had no idea how many days had passed since he entered; he was completely absorbed in satisfying his curiosity.
The light bathing the shelves remained constant, with no sign of day or night outside.
Exploring a volume titled "Spiritual Manifestations: Communication with Divine Beings," he found himself immersed in knowledge that transcended any understanding.
Each book revealed new secrets—cultivation methods, martial arts techniques, formations, alchemy, and even forging.
He spent days, nights, hours, seconds, minutes, months, weeks reading many books in the library…
Then, years passed without Yuan Tianzhu even realizing it.
Without any warning, a "few little years" had already gone by since he had appeared in the Primordial Origin Library…