Chapter 32 – Plethora of knowledge
The instant Jin's soul sense dove deeper into the ring, his perception warped.
A vast space unfolded before him—not an endless void, but a tangible library, built from stone, wood, and spirit essence. Towering shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, each etched with glowing runes that pulsed with ancient knowledge. The walls radiated quiet power, and the air smelled of ink, aged parchment, and something else—something elemental.
Jin walked through the rows, wide-eyed.
Each section was dedicated to a specific element. Fire tomes blazed with heat even while closed. Water scrolls flowed like liquid when unrolled. Wind manuals shimmered and shifted, and Earth techniques were written on slabs of stone that hummed with stability.
But it didn't stop there.
There were books on lightning, ice, darkness, light, metal, wood… even elements he had never encountered, described in languages half-lost to time. Some manuals whispered when passed, others snarled or crackled with energy. It was overwhelming. For a moment, Jin simply stood in the center of it all, heart pounding.
The body refinement section alone was staggering. Dozens of approaches to strengthening one's physical form—through gravity tempering, beast mimicry, elemental forging, and spiritual compression. Jin could feel the quality from a glance. These weren't the manuals passed around sect outer halls. These were legacy texts—priceless, dangerous, and powerful.
Jin took a deep breath.
He'd been given an opportunity no sect would ever offer him.
He closed his eyes and made a silent vow.
"I don't know who you really are, old man. But if you gave me this… I'll make sure the entire world knows your name when I win the Grand Ascension Tournament."
The words weren't said out of debt.
They were born from purpose.
From a fire inside him that had long been stoked by betrayal, injustice, and endless struggle. Now it burned with clarity. This was no longer about just survival.
This was about ascension.
He wandered deeper into the library, and at the far edge, almost tucked behind a wall of wind and earth scrolls, Jin found a lone pedestal. A single book floated atop it, untouched by time.
Its title was simple, almost unassuming: "Harmonic Core: Foundations of Elemental Interplay".
He opened it and immediately felt the resonance.
It was theoretical—written by a cultivator obsessed with the balance between fire, water, wind, and earth. The author described not just how they opposed each other, but how, when tempered carefully, they could form a cyclical power. Where one element flowed into the next in seamless transition, creating an engine of endless elemental motion.
Glee bloomed in Jin's eyes.
"This... this is exactly what I need."
His cultivation had surged thanks to the dark orb and his battle trial, but it was raw—unfocused. Without technique, even a late-stage Initiate Realm cultivator could crush him in a proper duel. But with this manual, he had the chance to forge a system. A core of synergy between his elements.
And what's more—it didn't require four.
The text was written in such a way that cultivators with even two affinities could begin practicing it. The more elements one had, the more complex—and powerful—it became.
He clutched the book to his chest, then quickly went to the body refinement section and selected a top-grade manual called "Titan Vein Tempering"—a brutal method involving compression of essence into bones and muscles to create body durability equal to low-tier artifacts.
Then, from the soul refinement section, he selected "Silent Flame Meditation", a technique for burning away mental instability and drawing deeper into one's soul sea. Perfect for him, considering the mysterious power sleeping within his body.
After that, Jin allowed himself to wander again—this time with awe and purpose.
He visited each of his known elements: wind, fire, water, and earth.
From each section, he selected one top-grade elemental technique. Nothing too showy—he wasn't aiming to become a glass cannon. He chose methods that supported control, versatility, and synergy.
He passed the other elemental sections with curiosity—lingering briefly at light, darkness, and metal—but didn't dare take more. Not yet.
"How many elements are really out there…?" he wondered aloud.
The library didn't answer.
He shook his head, chuckling softly.
"I'll find out one day."
As he made his way back toward the center of the space, arms full of ancient knowledge, Jin glanced once more at the book clutched in his left hand—Harmonic Core. This was going to be his trump card. His path. His weapon.
Even with only two elements, it could be practiced. But he had four.
He smiled.
"Let's see how far I can take it."
Then, the mental space faded, and Jin's consciousness returned to the real world.
He was still inside the hut, seated cross-legged on the wooden floor, surrounded by essence so dense and pure it felt like mist brushing his skin.
Outside, the forest was quiet.
Inside, his mind was ablaze.
Jin opened his eyes—no longer wide with shock, but focused, calm, determined.
He placed the ring gently to his side.
Then, slowly, deliberately, he moved into a meditation posture.
His first true training session—the one that would define his path—was about to begin.
And so, in the silence of that forgotten forest, within a weathered hut brimming with power, Jin began the first real cultivation of his life.