Chapter 12

As Su Ru left, the faint fragrance she brought with her dissipated, and the entire eastern garden lost some of its brightness. Chu Li felt an inexplicable melancholy.

He nurtured the two seeds with his spiritual energy until they were brimming with vitality, planted them, and they sprouted quickly, growing rapidly. In just two days, they broke through the soil, revealing their tender green shoots.

He found that they grew exceptionally fast, their growth rate doubling. In a month, it only took ten days, and those ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the early morning, the white mist was like a thin veil, swirling over the vast lake, creating a dreamlike scene.

Su Ru appeared, bringing a faint fragrance with her. She stood gracefully before the moonlight orchid garden and smiled at Chu Li, "Are you really done?"

Chu Li pointed to the six jade boxes on the stone table.

Su Ru asked with a smile, "So fast?"

"Practice makes perfect," Chu Li smiled. "The allure of the sixth rank is too great; I went all out this time."

Su Ru said, "The sixth rank is worth the effort. Once you reach the middle ranks, you can enter the library to read some secret texts. You must be very interested."

"Yes," Chu Li nodded with a smile.

The fourth floor of the library is called the异经阁 (Yijing Pavilion), where only those of the sixth rank and above can enter. It contains incomplete scriptures, secret texts, and unusual events that are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Chief, can I enter the Martial Arts Hall?"

"The Martial Arts Hall?" Su Ru was taken aback, then realized, "You still haven't given up on martial arts?"

Chu Li smiled.

"Of course you can enter. You are of the sixth rank, so you can see the most advanced secret texts." Su Ru said regretfully, "But the higher the martial arts, the more solid the foundation required."

Martial arts are no different from other disciplines. Without a solid foundation, studying advanced mathematics is like reading a book in a foreign language.

"Are there any shortcuts?"

"Hmm... there are some, but it's best not to practice them."

"I'm just curious."

"The ranks within the estate are universal. Once you reach the sixth rank, you can see the secret texts of the Celestial Deity Realm. However, without sufficient resources, you can't practice them!"

Chu Li nodded.

Practicing martial arts is similar to studying medicine in the modern world. With a good teacher, frequent practice, and the opportunity to observe high-level surgeries, one can become a great doctor. Just reading a medical book won't make you a great doctor.

"Chu Li, you are a smart person. Normally, I wouldn't need to say this, but I still have to remind you: don't practice martial arts without a foundation!"

"Thank you, Chief!"

"Ah... you..." Su Ru smiled and shook her head, thinking Chu Li wouldn't listen to advice.

---

The Martial Arts Hall was a towering bronze building, almost identical to the library, standing at the back of the spacious and wide training ground, its bronze luster shining.

The training ground was covered with red clay, and hundreds of people were sparring, making it very lively.

Chu Li came to the Martial Arts Hall alone. Li Yue, worried about the moonlight orchids, stayed on the island to guard them, fearing any problems.

Entering the main door of the Martial Arts Hall, a sandalwood long cabinet blocked the way. Behind it sat two beautiful young girls, both in light green silk robes, who smiled and bowed.

Chu Li handed over his waist tag. The two girls glanced at him in surprise; such a young sixth-rank individual was quite rare. They quickly and respectfully handed him a bronze waist tag.

Chu Li glanced at it; the bronze tag had four white clouds carved on it.

The two girls bent and gestured for him to go upstairs.

Chu Li nodded slightly and stepped up, directly reaching the top floor, the fourth floor. Two middle-aged guards stood at the stairs, glanced at Chu Li's waist tag, and did not stop him.

These two middle-aged guards were only ninth-rank guards.

But that was enough. No one would dare to force their way in, even if they were ninth-rank guards or ninth-rank attendants. If they did, they would be expelled and lose the chance to enter again.

Stepping onto the fourth floor, it suddenly became quiet.

There were few people, and fewer bookshelves. Unlike the second and third floors, which were densely packed with bookshelves, the fourth floor had only five bookshelves, each with about a hundred books.

The books here could not be taken out of the building, nor could they be copied. One had to memorize them, and if they couldn't remember, they could come back to look again. The second and third floors were lively, but the fourth floor was as quiet as the library, with only five people.

Chu Li flipped through the secret texts on the shelves, all of which were Celestial Deity Realm techniques and martial arts. Each book, if taken out, would cause a bloodbath.

He flipped through them one by one, and by the end of the day, he had memorized half a bookshelf. He planned to spend five days imprinting all the secret texts in his mind.

---

He put the last secret text back, stretched lazily, and strolled out of the Martial Arts Hall. All the secret texts on the top floor were now in his mind. He needed to go back and carefully choose which one to practice.

Leaving the Martial Arts Hall and crossing the training ground, he was intercepted halfway.

Zhuo Feiyang, dressed in a dark blue robe, stood with his arms crossed, a cold smile on his face. Zhao Ying looked at him with concern.

Chu Li frowned at him.

Zhuo Feiyang snorted, "Chu, what are you, a waste, doing here!"

Chu Li glanced at him, not bothering to respond, and continued walking.

Zhuo Feiyang, having passed the seventh rank, was full of confidence and determined to avenge his past humiliation. He stepped in front of Chu Li again, "Chu, are you afraid!"

"I am afraid!" Chu Li nodded seriously, "I'm truly afraid of someone as shameless as you. If I can't avoid you, I can at least stay away from you."

"Let's have another match!" Zhuo Feiyang snorted, "Don't think you're really strong. You're just a waste who can't practice martial arts!"

Chu Li smiled, "Do you want to fight just because you want to?"

He shook his head and sighed, "Zhuo Feiyang, if you have the time, go back and practice. Don't embarrass yourself and tarnish the reputation of a genius!"

Zhuo Feiyang's face turned dark, his teeth clenched. He was far inferior in verbal sparring and needed to make this guy cry. He pulled out a note from his pocket and shot it at Chu Li, "Catch it!"

The note was like a hidden weapon, fast and fierce.

Chu Li casually caught it, glanced at it, and shook his head with a smile, "I won't accept it!"

"Chu, you coward!" Zhuo Feiyang's handsome face turned grim, "You don't deserve to be a man!"

Chu Li laughed, "Zhuo Feiyang, whether I deserve it or not isn't for you to say. By the way, remember our bet. You are now my guard!"

Zhuo Feiyang laughed out loud.

Chu Li looked at him calmly.

After laughing for a while, Zhuo Feiy stopped and pointed at him, grinning, "Chu, are you confused? Me, your guard?"

Chu Li nodded, "You lost the bet, don't you want to admit it?"

"Hey, even if I wanted to, the estate rules don't allow it!" Zhuo Feiyang laughed triumphantly, "Me, your guard? Ha, you don't deserve it. I'm seventh rank!"

"So, you don't want to admit it?" Chu Li asked with a smile.

Zhuo Feiy's smile vanished, his face turning dark, "Wait until you become sixth rank. I admit it, but I didn't say when!"

Chu Li smiled, "So, if I become sixth rank, you'll obediently be my guard?"

"If you can become sixth rank, I'll admit it!" Zhuo Feiyang laughed again, "But for you to become sixth rank, wait another twenty years. By then, I might already be fourth or even third rank. You won't even be fit to be my attendant!"

Chu Li shook his head.

Zhuo Feiyang laughed triumphantly, "So, Chu, you're a waste, and you'll never turn things around. You can only kneel at my feet, ha! Ha ha!"

Chu Li looked him up and down.

Zhuo Feiy, feeling his gaze, his heart skipped a beat, then became angry, "Not convinced? Then accept the challenge!"

"Never mind, move aside," Chu Li shook his head, "If you don't move, I'll punch myself!"

Zhuo Feiy glared at him, "Chu, do you have any shame?"

Chu Li smiled, "Do you think you have any shame?"

He walked forward, straight into Zhuo Feiyang, who stepped back, "Cowardly rat, I'll let you off this time!"

Chu Li smiled, shook his head, and walked out.

Zhao Ying tugged at Zhuo Feiyang's sleeve, "Senior Brother Zhuo, let it go."

"Junior Sister Zhao, you can't sympathize with such a person. He's a wolf, and if you don't kill him when you have the chance, he'll bite you back!"

"Junior Brother Chu can't practice internal energy, and you will only get stronger. Don't worry about him," Zhao Ying advised.

Zhuo Feiy stared at Chu Li's back, shaking his head.

"He's already gone," Zhao Ying smiled, "Senior Brother Zhuo, let's practice!"

Zhuo Feiy frowned, saying nothing.

"Senior Brother Zhuo?" Zhao Ying called softly.

Zhuo Feiy was deep in thought.

"Senior Brother Zhuo—!" Zhao Ying pouted.

She wasn't particularly fond of anyone; her kind nature made her sympathetic to the weak. Chu Li was not his match now and would only suffer.

Zhuo Feiy looked up, smiled, then frowned again, "I always feel he has some scheme waiting for me. It's not right!"

"Senior Brother Zhuo, you're scaring yourself. Don't overthink it. Junior Brother Chu is no threat to you now!" Zhao Ying smiled.

Zhuo Feiy shook his head, "My intuition is very accurate and has never been wrong. It has saved my life several times!"

"Senior Brother Zhuo, stop scaring yourself!" Zhao Ying didn't want him to keep focusing on Chu Li.

Chu Li stood on the ship's bow, the lake breeze brushing his face. Zhuo Feiy wanted to avenge his past humiliation, and he would certainly help him, but he couldn't lose face in front of the third miss. He needed to be low-key and not draw attention to himself, especially concerning the spirit soil.

He quickly returned to the eastern garden, wrote two notes, and asked Li Yue to deliver them.

Li Yue looked at the notes, then at him.

Chu Li smiled, "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Yue said, "Brother, what are you up to? ... Challenging Zhuo Feiy again?"

Chu Li nodded with a smile.

"Alright, I guess he'll accept it without hesitation!" Li Yue shook his head, "But are you really confident?"

"We'll see."

"Isn't it too risky?" Li Yue was immediately worried, "He's seventh rank now!"

"Win or lose, it's all part of the game. It's not a big deal."

"Ah... you have a big heart!"

Li Yue shook his head and took the two notes and left.