The heavy ebony doors of the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes closed once more. Like an invisible, heavenly shield, they thoroughly isolated the world within from the ferocious, surging undercurrents outside. The ancient, three-story pavilion sank back into its inherent tranquility, akin to a silent island amidst a raging sea.
Outside, the entirety of Thanh Chau City was quaking. The events of the Treasure Duel Assembly had become the most fiercely debated topic across every tavern and teahouse. For the first time, the name Tran Kien and the four words "Legacy of Lac Viet" were spreading like wildfire, carrying a halo of profound mystery and inciting cutthroat greed. Ever since that day, the Divine Weapon Pavilion had sealed its doors tight, refusing all visitors. Yet, anyone could sense the boundless fury and killing intent suppressed behind those gates, like a dormant volcano waiting for the day it would erupt. Major powers like the orthodox Azure Cloud Sect and the unorthodox Black Dragon Stronghold had also begun making their moves in the dark. Spies and formless eyes began to prowl the southern district of the city.
But none of these worldly matters seemed capable of touching Tran Kien.
The moment he returned, he didn't rest for a single breath. He knew perfectly well that his time was running out. The greater the tempest brewing outside, the more precious the peace within the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Tomes became. He had to seize every breath, every fleeting instant, to make himself stronger.
He sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of the second level. Placed before him were two items. The first was the parchment containing the Heavenly Cycle Qi Guiding Scroll. The second was the bronze metal fragment he had just reclaimed—the Core Fragment: Sun Essence Guardian.
Half-closing his eyes, he circulated the Primordial Chaos Qi within his body. The milky-white qi had grown vastly more robust, surging through his meridians like a miniature celestial river. He didn't rush to cultivate immediately; instead, he used his Primordial Chaos Qi to gently envelop the ancient metal relic.
BUZZ...
The instant his qi made contact with the fragment, it emitted a melodious thrum, akin to the joy of reuniting with an old friend. A warm, familiar sensation of a shared bloodline rippled into Tran Kien's soul. He no longer saw just intricate, complex runic patterns. Instead, within his Sea of Consciousness, a magnificent image manifested.
It was a colossal, radiant sun, suspended amidst the cosmos. This sun unceasingly emanated boundless light and energy—not a light of destruction, but a light of shelter and life. Countless invisible strings of energy radiated from the sun, weaving together into a gargantuan net of light that enveloped and protected all living things within. Steadfast, imperishable, and blazing with righteous luminosity.
This was the true essence of "Guardianship."
Tran Kien immersed himself in this state of enlightenment. He finally understood: the Sun Essence Guardian did not merely conjure a simple spiritual energy shield. It "borrowed the momentum" of Heaven and Earth, it "borrowed the power" of the sun, to manifest a "domain" of life. Any malevolent or demonic attack that entered this domain would be scoured by that righteous, radiant light, causing it to weaken and disintegrate.
This enlightenment immediately transformed his cultivation. He began to circulate the Heavenly Cycle Qi Guiding Scroll, but this time, as he guided the Solar Qi into his body, he didn't merely absorb it. He actively sought to mimic the sheltering "momentum" of that grand sun. His Primordial Chaos Qi, aside from the innate harmony of Yin and Yang, seemed to awaken a brand new attribute: a radiant, upright righteousness that possessed the power to suppress demons and evil entities.
Time flowed by in silence.
Every day, Tran Kien threw himself into a grueling cultivation regimen. In the early morning, he guided qi and meditated on the Sun Essence. In the afternoon, he practiced the Myriad Li Soaring Crane Array; the number of spiritual energy cranes he could condense grew daily, and their forms became increasingly corporeal. When night fell, he buried himself within the sea of books on the second floor.
He was no longer just searching for metaphorical incantations. He began to delve into books on military strategy and tactics, such as the Essentials of Military Strategy. He realized that the arrays of the Lac Viet people were not just about the arrangement of energy, but also the application of profound schemes. Where to set the formation, when to activate it, how to lure the enemy into the trap, how to synergize the array with the terrain... all of these required fathomless knowledge.
He also read historical records of the Great Viet's monumental wars. He read about how the army and people of the Tran Dynasty shattered the Mongol-Yuan invaders three times, and how King Le Loi employed the tactic of besieging a city to annihilate its reinforcements. He realized that the "soul" of the nation didn't just reside in fairy tales, but pulsed within the unyielding spirit and strategic wisdom inscribed in those heroic annals of history.
Knowledge of arrays, mastery of strategy, and enlightenment into his ancestral legacy—these three pillars began to fuse within Tran Kien's mind, forging a supreme foundation that no cultivator of his generation could possibly match.
A month passed since the Treasure Duel Assembly.
One afternoon, while Tran Kien was deeply focused on nurturing the metal relic, Elder Wei walked up from the first floor. The old man said nothing, simply placing a wooden box on the table.
Tran Kien opened it. Inside lay a fresh set of fitted, jet-black robes and a thin wooden mask. The mask was designed to cover only the upper half of the face, painted in a matte black finish without a single decorative rune or pattern.
"Elder Wei, this is..."
"Change your clothes," Elder Wei said, his voice placid. "Your time of peace has come to an end. There is a place you must go."
Tran Kien didn't ask unnecessary questions. He knew Elder Wei never acted without reason. He swiftly changed into the black robes and fastened the mask over his face. In an instant, his entire aura transformed. He no longer looked like a handsome youth, but instead emanated a profound, enigmatic silence.
"Where are we going?" Tran Kien asked once he was ready.
Elder Wei looked at him, a peculiar gleam flashing through the depths of his ancient eyes.
"In this Thanh Chau City, apart from the orthodox Azure Cloud Sect and the demonic Black Dragon Stronghold, there is a third domain. It is the most chaotic and convoluted place of all—a place that even those two major powers are hesitant to easily provoke."
"That is the Black Market."
The old man paused for a moment before continuing, his voice carrying a deeply profound tone.
"I have heard that tonight at the Black Market, someone is auctioning off an ancient beast-skin map. Rumor has it... that it is linked to a hidden treasure trove from the Lac Viet era."