Chapter 141: Curios (Two-in-One)

Night. Xuantian University.

Three o'clock in the morning. The university campus, shrouded in darkness, was deathly silent. Occasionally, the chirping of insects drifted from a corner, only to fade away after a brief moment.

Under the moonlight, a ghostly figure streaked across the sky, emerged from the clouds, and descended onto the rooftop of a building in the northeastern corner of the campus. The top of this tall building had a peculiar structure, shaped like an inverted bowl, which made accessing the windows from the rooftop a complicated maneuver. For anyone else, entering the window from the roof would require significant effort.

Su Jingxing did not need such effort. Disguised as Yang Jian, he walked a few steps along the edge of the roof, calculated the exact position of the target window, and then flicked his body, gliding down the wall like a gecko. He effortlessly bypassed the electrified crossbars and arrived outside the window.

With his feet pressed against the wall, supported by his internal energy, he reached out and tapped the four corners of the window glass.

*Click.*

The heavy glass began to crack from the four corners until the entire pane peeled off.

*Whoosh!*

Storing the removed glass in his palm space, Su Jingxing ghosted through the window and entered the room. The entire process was silent; his "Ghost Python Breath-Holding Technique" had been activated since he was on the rooftop. At the peak of perfection, the technique reduced his aura, heartbeat, and breathing to a point where they were almost imperceptible. Unless one was within a meter of him, it was impossible to detect or hear him.

Coupled with the fact that there was no wind tonight, the plan went surprisingly smoothly. Su Jingxing had easily entered the top floor of the Xuantian University library, where important documents and ancient texts were stored.

Rows of bookshelves held the precious books passed down through the generations at Xuantian University, arranged with precision. Su Jingxing walked slowly along the aisles, searching for the appropriate classification based on the labels on the shelves. A ring, a glowing tree—how would one categorize those? Miscellaneous? Metal? Plants?

He continued his search as he walked. Occasionally, he would stop at a bookshelf, pick up a book, and flip through it quickly. As a repository for valuable documents, the corners of the ceiling were, naturally, equipped with 24-hour surveillance cameras. Su Jingxing could walk freely and browse because, before arriving, he had hacked into the library’s surveillance system. He had pre-recorded a segment of the empty room and, timing it carefully, overlaid the live feed ten seconds before he entered the storage room.

Late at night, at three in the morning, the room was empty, making the recording indistinguishable from the real-time feed. Thus, Su Jingxing was not worried about being discovered; even if he were, it wouldn't matter. He wore a cloak and a mask, and since he wasn't there to steal books—only to research information—he doubted the library guards would dare attack him at the risk of damaging the rare collection.

With this in mind, Su Jingxing was in no hurry to leave. He walked through row after row of shelves, looking for relevant texts. *Fundamentals of Formation Arrays*, *Introduction to Internal Energy*, *Basic Alchemy*, *Analysis of Exotic Beasts*... The internet only had fragments of these ancient texts, but here, they were abundant. Su Jingxing skimmed through them quickly before putting them back. Even with his photographic memory, there were too many books to read all at once. Besides, the books would remain here; he could always return when he needed them.

What Su Jingxing wanted most was information about rare records, like the glowing tree. After circling the room, he finally came to a shelf and picked up a book titled *Chronicles of Rare Objects*. After flipping through a few pages, his eyes lit up.

Found it!

*Chronicles of Rare Objects* was a collection of records concerning various rare phenomena. Although the book wasn't very old, the paper was specially treated to last for hundreds of years, making it waterproof, oil-resistant, and wind-proof. Consequently, even as a reproduction, the text and illustrations were crystal clear and carried a unique aura that made one strangely engrossed.

Su Jingxing’s soul force was formidable, so he wasn't affected by this. He flipped through the pages quickly, locating the information he needed.

The Five Elements Ring!

That strange ring he had obtained from the secret treasure vault of the Shi family base was actually formed by the natural forces of heaven and earth. Although it looked like a ring, that was its original form. People had simply discovered them and made minor adjustments because they resembled rings. The power of these rings, as the name implied, involved the five elements—either manipulating, releasing, or absorbing them.

The prerequisite for controlling them was a strong soul force. Without it, they could not be activated. This was true for all Five Elements Rings, and the book even recorded the method of using soul force to manipulate them. Su Jingxing was overjoyed and quickly memorized the technique.

He continued flipping pages until he found the glowing tree.

The Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree!

The glowing willow tree in the underground cavern was actually a Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree. One could tell its unique function from the name alone.

Spirit-Condensing!

The fruit produced by this tree possessed the ability to condense the spirit, which meant it increased soul force. When he read this, Su Jingxing thought of the giant crocodile. He had eaten its meat and gained soul force, previously assuming it was due to the creature itself. Now he understood: the effect of the meat was likely related to the Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree.

The page recorded that the tree blossomed in thirty years, bore fruit in thirty years, and matured in thirty years. That meant it took nearly a century to eat the fruit. Although the giant crocodile guarded the entrance to the cavern, the tunnel leading to the cavern was wide enough that the creature could climb through it. Having stayed in the underground space for two hundred years, it had likely eaten the fruit at least once.

The reason it was only once was that the tree also needed time to grow. The text noted it took eighty-one years for a sapling to become a full-grown tree. Once the fruit matured, it would drop automatically. The cycle would then reset for another hundred years. In other words, if Su Jingxing wanted to eat the fruit, he would have to wait seventy or eighty years.

He had circled the tree earlier and hadn't seen a single flower. Without another method, he would have to wait that long. However, the end of the entry on the Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree contained a note:

"Arranging a high-level Energy Convergence Array around the Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree can cause it to flower and fruit prematurely."

"If a high-level array is unavailable, multiple basic Energy Convergence Arrays can be used."

"At the very least, using Energy Convergence Stones buried beneath the tree in the pattern of a basic array will still produce a premature growth effect."

The more Energy Convergence Stones used, the shorter the time it would take to flower and fruit! Of course, the corresponding effect would be more than halved compared to fruit grown over the natural duration. For example, a normally matured fruit might increase soul force by 1, whereas a prematurely ripened one might only provide 0.4, 0.3, or even 0.2.

Upon reading this, Su Jingxing was not discouraged; he was ecstatic. If he could reduce decades of waiting to a few months, what did a slight decrease in efficacy matter? That discrepancy could easily be made up for by multiple harvests. Although he didn't know how many times this could be done—the book didn't say—even if it were only three times, he would still come out ahead.

With his soul force increased to the point where his "pick-up" range exceeded one hundred meters, Su Jingxing had tried meditating on the "Demonic Elephant Treading the Sky" diagram once more. This time, he had succeeded in holding his focus and visualized a vague, treading demonic elephant. If he had enough Spirit-Condensing Fruit to eat and continuously increase his soul force, fully solidifying the image of the demonic elephant would be no problem at all.

Once the elephant was solidified, he could strengthen it further, making it run, roar, stomp, and charge within his sea of consciousness. If he could reach that level of visualization, Su Jingxing would dare to clash with an Upper Three Realm martial artist.

What was the most terrifying thing about an Upper Three Realm martial artist? It wasn't their True Origin; it was their Martial Intent! True Origin was, simply put, internal energy that had undergone a qualitative change through quantitative accumulation. Su Jingxing could pick up energy cards and accumulate thousands, even tens of thousands of years of internal energy. In this regard, he did not fear the True Origin of Upper Three Realm experts at all. As long as he had enough internal energy, he could suppress their True Origin.

What Su Jingxing feared was their Martial Intent. Shi Zhinie, a pseudo-Third Realm expert, had nearly forced him to his knees, unable to control himself. Why? It was the power of Martial Intent! Martial Intent could interfere with reality through the spirit. Once this intangible power was unleashed, the most direct impact was on the consciousness and soul, causing one to lose self-control on the spot. The range was also significant—anywhere from dozens to hundreds or even thousands of meters. For instance, the Jinghong Sword Immortal’s Martial Intent could cover a radius of over eighty meters. Faced with such power, no matter how much internal energy one had, it couldn't be released; if one's consciousness was suppressed, how could one fight?

Therefore, the best way to deal with an Upper Three Realm expert was to run. Run as fast and as far as possible. Otherwise, one had to endure the terrifying pressure on the soul. Of course, if one possessed a spirit weapon, or acted first with a sneak attack or assassination, that was another matter entirely. In the tens of thousands of years of human history on Earth, many Upper Three Realm experts had been assassinated.

If unnecessary, Su Jingxing did not want to cross paths with an Upper Three Realm expert. However, if he had the ability to go toe-to-toe with one, he would be very happy to do so. Meditating on the "Demonic Elephant Treading the Sky" was that path. Eat the fruit, increase soul force, and manifest the solidified elephant. A clear road ahead!

Thinking of this, Su Jingxing put down the *Chronicles of Rare Objects* and turned to a shelf he had passed earlier to find *Fundamentals of Formation Arrays*. The book recorded dozens of basic arrays. Su Jingxing chose three, committed them to memory, and, fearing he might forget, pulled out his phone to take a few silent photos. The basic arrays had illustrated patterns with detailed explanations, and he needed the photos as a precaution.

After finishing, Su Jingxing returned the book and didn't linger in the library. He slipped out through the same window he had entered. Pressing against the wall, he retrieved the glass pane from his palm space and used glass paste to reassemble it perfectly. Finally, he employed his light-foot technique, shot into the sky, and vanished into the horizon.

He did not return to his small courtyard at the foot of the mountain. Su Jingxing headed straight for the Taiming Mountain Reservoir, passed through the underground cave, and entered the subterranean cavern. In the spacious, silent void, the white light of the Spirit-Condensing Fruit Tree was as dazzling as ever.

Su Jingxing walked around the tree, moved some stones to clear a space for the formation, and then took out all his Energy Convergence Stones. He opened his phone to follow the patterns for the basic formation...

"Hmm? What's going on?"

Suddenly, Su Jingxing’s eyes widened in confusion. The photos of the formation patterns on his phone were completely blurry. Not just one, but all of them were indistinct; he couldn't see the specific lines at all.

"What is this?" Su Jingxing narrowed his eyes, pondering the cause. The phone was fine, yet the photos were blurry.

"Could it be that the pages of *Fundamentals of Formation Arrays* have some kind of protection?"

A glint flashed in Su Jingxing’s eyes. The book was a reproduction; the original was likely kept at the Xuantian University headquarters. The branch in Qinghe City mostly held copies. If it were the original, he could understand such a feature; after all, some ancient texts were specially treated to prevent unauthorized copying. He hadn't expected even a reproduction to have this effect.

"Is this forcing people to steal the books?"

Having realized this, Su Jingxing was somewhat baffled. If even the copies couldn't be photographed, wasn't that forcing others to simply take the books?

"Or perhaps Xuantian University is so confident that they aren't afraid of theft?"

Su Jingxing shook his head. Regardless of others, he couldn't help himself. He originally hadn't intended to take the book, but now it seemed he had no choice. Although he had memorized the layout of the three basic arrays, to ensure there were no mistakes, he decided to return to the library immediately and take the entire volume of *Fundamentals of Formation Arrays*. He would simply return it once the formation was set up.

He acted on his decision. Su Jingxing turned and left the underground cavern, retraced his path, exited the reservoir, and flew straight back toward Xuantian University. His speed increased to its maximum, moving like a lightning bolt. In less than ten minutes, he was back at the top of the library.

Just as he was about to use the same method to enter the room, a sound of wind-breaking reached his ears. Su Jingxing heard it and immediately flashed into a corner, his aura, heartbeat, and breathing vanishing entirely.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Almost the moment Su Jingxing hid, five figures stepped through the night sky and descended rapidly onto the rooftop.

"Hurry up, everyone! Be quick!" one of the men whispered, issuing an order.

"Understood."

The other four quickly took out their tools—some ropes, some short blades, and some lassos. In less than five minutes, they had fashioned a zip line and secured it to the edge of the roof, right near one of the windows. Then, the man who had spoken first tied the rope to his waist, jumped, and descended.

And just two seconds after he had descended...