Chapter 57: Engagement

Jianchen took a deep breath and quickly calmed down. Then he slowly walked to the bookshelf, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so books. He directly pulled out the first one and walked to the desk in the center of the room, sitting down to read. The book was about cultivation insights and techniques for breaking through bottlenecks, even detailing the precautions needed to advance to the rank of Earth Saint.

Although there were not many books on the first floor, each one was a masterpiece. If they were taken outside, they would undoubtedly cause a bloody storm.

Jianchen carefully turned the pages of the book, and it didn't take long for him to finish it. After reading, Jianchen fell into deep thought. It had to be said that even a book he picked up casually could broaden his horizons. The cultivation system in this world had completely overturned his previous life's understanding. After reading this book, Jianchen clearly felt that his understanding of the world's cultivation system had deepened.

It didn't take long for Jianchen to finish reading the dozen or so books on the bookshelf. Among these books, half were about cultivation insights and the various obstacles encountered during cultivation, while the other half were cultivation techniques. However, the highest level of these cultivation techniques was only High Earth Rank. The most helpful to Jianchen were the few books on cultivation insights and the personal notes of the first president of Kagas Academy, Buneun.

Jianchen's gaze fell on the purple-golden treasure box placed on the top of the bookshelf. According to the president, this purple-golden treasure box contained a cultivation technique of the Initial Heaven Rank. Although Jianchen didn't know how valuable an Initial Heaven Rank technique was, he knew it was an invaluable treasure.

After all, Heaven Rank techniques ranked second among all cultivation techniques on the Tianyuan Continent, only one level below the top-tier techniques of the Saint Rank.

Jianchen slowly opened the purple-golden box and saw a palm-sized booklet lying quietly inside. The cover of the booklet was adorned with the four characters "Dalu Xinjing" (Great Law Heart Sutra). When he held the booklet, a soft and comfortable feeling immediately transmitted to his hand, mixed with a slight warmth, as if it had just been touched and the warmth had not yet dissipated.

The booklet was made from the fur of a magical beast, extremely flexible and durable.

Jianchen carefully took out the palm-sized booklet and began to read it. His expression was solemn, clearly understanding that seeing such a high-level cultivation technique at this stage was a rare opportunity. Although he had no intention of cultivating this technique, it would still be beneficial to gain some insight, and he might even find valuable information to draw upon.

After two hours, Jianchen finally looked away from the booklet. He lowered his head and pondered for a while. After confirming that he could recite the contents of the booklet by heart, he put it back into the purple-golden box and returned it to its original position.

He glanced at the dozen or so books on the bookshelf again, took a deep breath, and then walked towards the stairs leading down. However, his visit to the seventh floor of the library today had been very fruitful.

Jianchen then read all the books on the sixth floor. Although the books on the sixth floor were not as valuable as those on the seventh floor, they were still a significant gain for him, especially the cultivation insights left by his predecessors, which were very helpful.

In addition, Jianchen learned about many rare spiritual materials and treasures on the Tianyuan Continent from these books, which could not be found in the lower floors of the library.

When Jianchen left the library, it was already dark. Unconsciously, he had spent the entire day in the library, even forgetting to eat.

"Rumble..." At this moment, Jianchen's stomach finally growled in protest.

Jianchen touched his hungry stomach, a helpless smile appearing on his face. He then walked directly towards the cafeteria.

After a hurried dinner, Jianchen headed straight for the dormitory. Along the way, he attracted many complex gazes from the students, including admiration, reverence, and jealousy.

Jianchen paid no attention to the gazes around him and walked straight to the dormitory. When he entered the dormitory building, he saw a familiar figure standing in front of his dormitory door—it was his older brother, Changyang Hu.

"Brother, you're still waiting for me so late. Is there something urgent you need to talk to me about?" Jianchen asked as he approached Changyang Hu.

Seeing Jianchen return, Changyang Hu's face immediately turned into a bitter expression. He sighed and said, "Sigh... Fourth Brother, you're finally back. Where did you go today? I almost searched the entire academy but couldn't find you. I've been waiting for you all day."

Jianchen's face showed a hint of regret. "Brother, did you need to find me for something important?"

Hearing this, Changyang Hu's face immediately lit up with a happy smile. He said excitedly, "Of course, and it's a big deal. Come, Fourth Brother, let's go inside and talk."

Jianchen nodded slightly and took out the key from his spatial belt to open the dormitory door. This was a new door, as the previous one had been shattered by the vice president.

As soon as they entered the dormitory, Changyang Hu immediately closed the door and said, "Fourth Brother, we just received a message from home. You have such good fortune, I really envy you."

Hearing this, Jianchen's face showed a puzzled expression. He asked, "Brother, what is it?"

Changyang Hu sat down on Jianchen's bed, a happy smile on his face. "Fourth Brother, you probably don't know, but Father has already arranged an engagement for you."

Hearing this, Jianchen's face clearly showed surprise. He then reacted, his expression showing disbelief as he exclaimed, "What! An engagement!"

Changyang Hu nodded vigorously, saying happily, "Yes, Fourth Brother, and the fiancée is the Third Princess of the King, Princess Gran. I heard that this engagement was proposed by the King himself."

Hearing this, Jianchen's face immediately turned serious. He felt very surprised by this situation and was more dissatisfied that his family had arranged his marriage without his consent. This completely arranged fate made Jianchen extremely resentful.

Seeing Jianchen's expression, Changyang Hu thought he was worried about Princess Gran's appearance. He chuckled and said, "Fourth Brother, don't worry. Although I haven't seen Princess Gran, I've heard a lot about her. She is the third daughter of the King, naturally beautiful, and her appearance is stunning. From a young age, she has shown exceptional talent, excelling in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Her cultivation talent is also outstanding. It's said that by the age of fifteen, her Holy Power had already reached the seventh level. She is deeply loved by the King and is his favorite daughter. The King dotes on her immensely."

Changyang Hu sighed and continued, "Putting aside her noble status, her cultivation talent alone is something I can't compare to. Fourth Brother, for the King to betroth Princess Gran to you, it's a great honor for you. You don't need to look so worried."

Jianchen sighed inwardly. How could Changyang Hu understand his thoughts? No matter how beautiful Princess Gran was, Jianchen wouldn't be moved. He only wanted to focus on improving his strength and didn't want to be entangled in romantic affairs, which would waste his time. Moreover, he was very clear that the King must have learned about his achievements at Kagas Academy; otherwise, he wouldn't have so decisively betrothed his most beloved daughter to him.

Since this engagement was proposed by the King, Jianchen knew he had no power to refuse it. Not only would his parents not give up such a good opportunity to connect with the royal family, but it also involved the dignity of the royal family. Unless the King withdrew the order, Jianchen, with his current status, could only accept it.

However, what reassured Jianchen was that the engagement was only temporarily set, and the specific date of the wedding had not been determined. This meant that the engagement could be indefinitely extended, giving him some breathing room. After all, he didn't want to talk about love at this stage, and in his previous life, Jianchen had grown accustomed to a wandering life, enjoying the freedom of living without a fixed abode, with the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed. Having someone by his side in the future would make him very uncomfortable.

After Changyang Hu left, Jianchen sat alone on the bed, deep in thought. The news from home was truly sudden, leaving him feeling unprepared.

"Sigh. I should focus on cultivation. After all, strength is the key to everything. Once I become powerful, even if I propose to break the engagement, the King won't say anything." Jianchen sighed, slowly calming himself down, and then sat cross-legged on the bed to continue his cultivation.

Jianchen took out a first-rank magic core from his storage ring and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to absorb the energy within the magic core. Since breaking through to the Saint Rank two days ago, this was the first time he had cultivated. The previous two nights, he had been familiarizing himself with the use and control of his holy weapon.

Just as Jianchen began to absorb the energy from the magic core, the energy flow suddenly accelerated. Soon, the energy within the magic core surged into his body like a wild horse, increasing his absorption speed to hundreds of times its normal rate.

The sudden change made Jianchen's face change dramatically. Although everyone wished to absorb energy faster, the speed at which Jianchen was absorbing the magic core's energy was terrifying. Such rapid absorption left him no time to refine the energy, which would not only be of no benefit but could also cause immense harm. The unrefined energy was beyond his control, and if such a large amount of energy wreaked havoc in his body, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Jianchen immediately stopped absorbing the energy from the magic core. Fortunately, when he stopped, everything went smoothly, and no uncontrollable situation occurred. Otherwise, he would have faced a major crisis.