Chapter 601 - Reading Tons of Books

Although the True Martial Academy was open to the entire eastern continent, gaining admission as a disciple was extremely rare—one in ten thousand applicants would be accepted.

Feng Baiyu and the others had reached the Divine Nascent realm, proving their exceptional talent. Yet, they weren’t qualified to take the Ancient Road Trial. This underscored the difficulty of the trial.

Ordinary geniuses had little chance of surviving the Ancient Road Trial; attempting it could easily lead to their death.

The Ancient Road Trial was much more intense than the competition on Hidden Dragon Island. It wasn’t just a contest among geniuses from the same domain but a competition across the entire eastern continent.

The Hong Domain, being a low-ranked domain, was significantly weaker compared to the 108 domains of the eastern continent. In terms of number, strength, and talent, its geniuses were overshadowed by those from more powerful domains.

Chen Fan knew that this path would be a bloody one, but he was undeterred.

“There are some journals in the library about the True Martial Academy’s Ancient Road Trial. You can go take a look,” Feng Baiyu said.

“Alright.” Chen Fan nodded. Gathering more information would help him avoid unnecessary setbacks, so he welcomed the advice.

“Sect Leader, High Elder, there’s one more thing I need to mention. There’s a strong likelihood that the Golden Ring Sect has colluded with the Blood Demon Cave. On my way to the Hidden Dragon Island, the Golden Ring Sect and the Blood Demon Cave’s experts joined forces to ambush and try to kill me...”

Chen Fan recounted the events to Feng Baiyu and the others. Immediately, incomparably terrifying killing intent surged in the eyes of all three of them.

“I understand, but don’t act in haste. We must investigate this thoroughly before taking any further action. I will consult with the people of the orthodox alliance. Once we confirm the collusion between the Golden Ring Sect and the Blood Demon Cave, that will be the time the Golden Ring Sect meets its end!” Feng Baiyu said with a murderous tone.

The Blood Demon Cave had nearly destroyed the Spring Autumn Sect, so their hatred toward them was deep.

If the Golden Ring Sect was found to have colluded with the Blood Demon Cave, they would face severe consequences.

Chen Fan nodded. He understood the importance of a careful investigation. Rushing into action without clear evidence could expose their vulnerabilities and give the enemy leverage.

Also, he was in no hurry, either. He would use this time to raise his cultivation further and strive to advance to the Divine Nascent realm before the Ancient Road Trial began. This would boost his chances of success.

Chen Fan spent a while at the Spring Autumn Sect’s library to look up information regarding the True Martial Academy and the Ancient Road Trial. His days were very fulfilling.

Although Chen Fan had gained a general understanding of the distribution of the forces across the Tianwu Continent from Wei Buyu’s lecture, it was not in detail. He could use this opportunity to understand it in depth.

He knew little about the Tianwu Continent. Since his cultivation used to be weak, he wasn’t even qualified to know more about it. But when his cultivation rose, it rose at an exponential rate, leaving him no time to learn about it either.

With Chen Fan’s current identity, he could enter the library freely. He could look up the relevant information, and all kinds of books and knowledge were open to him.

The books collected by the Spring Autumn Sect over thousands of years had simply filled up the library. They were divided into many categories, and they were numerous.

Chen Fan was currently holding a parchment. It was written by a Spring Autumn Sect disciple who participated in the True Martial Academy’s Ancient Road Trial and walked out of the Hong Domain in the end but gave up halfway.

“There are a total of eight roads in the Ancient Trial Road: Qian (Heaven, South), Kun (Earth, North), Zhen (Thunder, Northeast), Kan (Water, West), Gen (Mountain, Northwest), Xun (Wind, Southeast), Li (Fire, East), Dui (Lake, Southeast). The eight trial roads follow every region in the eastern continent. The Hong Domain is situated in the southeast area of the eastern continent, and is closest to the Gen Road...” [1]

The journal helped Chen Fan gain a general understanding of the Ancient Trial Roads.

The trial required participants to choose one of eight roads, travel through various regions and nations, learn through experience, and ultimately reach True Martial City to pass the trial.

However, the senior's account covered only part of the Ancient Trial Road, as they had abandoned it halfway due to its extreme danger. Thus, little was known about the latter portion of the trial.

“The Ancient Trial Road is quite similar to the one-month trial given to the participants from the Hong Domain’s Grand Sect Conference to make their way to the Hidden Dragon Island, but the former is far more treacherous. It’s a true storm of bloodshed where geniuses are likely to fall like rain,” Chen Fan mused.

“However, according to what is written in the journal, although the Ancient Trial Road is brutal, there are also many opportunities along the way. The ruins and legacies of some sects might appear...”

Chen Fan’s eyes gleamed with interest. After setting the journal aside, he continued to read.

Although he could memorize the information from a single glance, memorization alone did not equate to understanding.

Chen Fan’s spirit strength instantly spread out, sweeping up all the information in the books.

As the saying went, to attain wisdom, it wasn’t enough to simply read books; one had to be well-traveled. Reading, too, was a form of cultivation.

As he read, he transferred all kinds of knowledge into his mind.

Suddenly, the Martial Dao Will fragment reacted, vibrating with a buzz, seemingly helping Chen Fan digest all this knowledge.

As Chen Fan swept up more and more knowledge, his state of mind began to faintly undergo a metamorphosis and improve. All this knowledge was constantly expanding Chen Fan’s foundation.

To his surprise, Chen Fan noticed that his cultivation realm was gradually stabilizing. His understanding of this world was also increasing.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

These improvements had actually begun to affect his cultivation, giving him a vague feeling that it would increase.

The further Chen Fan ventured into the library and the more knowledge he absorbed, the more his disposition evolved.

He was like a general that conquered the lands in one instant, and a monarch that ruled the world in the next. His aura constantly changed, faintly discernible.

“So that’s how it is. The way of war actually hides such a secret,” Chen Fan mumbled.

After digesting a military strategy book written by a master tactician, Chen Fan suddenly gained profound insights into the art of deploying troops.

Even if Chen Fan was conferred a title and had to command a million-strong army now, he would not flinch in the slightest. He would command them as effortlessly as a grandmaster of the art of war.

After reading so many military books and understanding the essence within, Chen Fan’s disposition seemed to ascend to a higher level. He was like an immortal commander, whose strength only grew with the number of troops under his command.

Chen Fan’s disposition was still changing constantly and was greatly beneficial to him.

Having broader insights and outlook, some of his understanding of the path of martial arts was also achieved, just like comprehending new things by analogy.

Chen Fan was simply mesmerized and continued to venture deeper.

There were some travel notes, journals, scattered jottings, feelings, and other kinds of books. They were covered in a thick layer of dust. No one had touched them for a very long time. Chen Fan couldn’t help but feel that the people simply did not know how to use the resources available to them.

1. The roads are based on the Bagua or the Eight Trigrams. Check Fuxi’s ‘Earlier Heaven’ section on Wiki if you’re interested. ☜