"Wh-what?"
Shen Botian thought he had misheard for a moment, his face full of disbelief. "Ye... Ye Feng, you're saying... you can help me through the tribulation fire?"
"Mhm!"
Ye Feng nodded. "Actually, helping to get through the tribulation fire is just a way of putting it. My true goal is to enter the tribulation fire to cultivate."
"Cul-cultivate? In the tribulation fire?"
"Ye Feng, are you... sure?"
Even though Shen Botian had great faith in Ye Feng and believed he would achieve world-renowned accomplishments in the future, at this moment, he was still somewhat...
"This..."
Ye Feng frowned slightly. "Let's talk elsewhere!"
Saying that, Ye Feng quickly stored the remaining supplies on the stall into his spatial warehouse...
...
Half an hour later,
Ye Feng and Shen Botian arrived at the outskirts of the City of Arcane Arts, in a废弃 city infested with zombies.
"Senior Shen, look!"
Ye Feng surveyed his surroundings, arcane energy appearing on his hand, then slowly thinning and dissipating, a thread of golden light gradually appearing in their eyes.
"This..."
Seeing the thread of golden light encased within Ye Feng's arcane energy, and feeling the pressure it exuded, Shen Botian was immensely shocked.
"This... this aura... could it be tribulation fire?"
Shen Botian looked at Ye Feng as if he had seen a ghost.
"Mhm!"
Ye Feng nodded. "When I went through tribulation fire before, for some reason, tribulation fire appeared within my body... When Wu Ye Lan was undergoing her tribulation at the Adventurer's Guild, I was inexplicably pulled in... I was severely burned by the tribulation fire... Afterwards, I discovered that the tribulation fire within me had grown a tiny bit... That's when I got the idea to cultivate within the tribulation fire... However, my offer to help with tribulation fire was not empty words. I did indeed share some of the tribulation fire that Wu Ye Lan was facing!"
Saying this, Ye Feng retracted the tribulation fire into his body.
"Ye Feng... According to Yao Yao, Tu Sui from the Five Arcane Geniuses tried to kill you in the ancient ruins... and Tu Sui possesses the legendary divine artifact, the Spear of War?"
Shen Botian pondered for a moment and then asked, "Are you worried about Tu Sui?"
"It's not just Tu Sui!"
Ye Feng let out a light sigh. "There might be even stronger opponents... I killed a divine envoy named Elias at the Adventurer's Guild, but honestly, it was a close call... If the opponent had been determined to escape, I could only watch helplessly..."
"..."
Hearing Ye Feng's words, Shen Botian's brows furrowed deeply. "Ye Feng, I am indeed on the verge of tribulation... It's just that my current state of mind is not suitable... especially after hearing such explosive news from you..."
"It's alright!"
Ye Feng shook his head slightly. "Senior Shen, I will be staying in the City of Arcane Arts for quite some time. Come to Ting Fang Yuan to find me when you feel the time is right..."
"Alright!"
...
That evening, Ye Feng received notice that he had passed the second round of selection.
...
The next day,
Ye Feng woke up early because he was going to the library of the Academy of Arcane Arts to read. After all, there were still a few days until the third round of assessment, and he wanted to take this opportunity to systematically study the basic knowledge of arcane energy cultivation...
...
Just after seven in the morning, Ye Feng arrived at the Academy of Arcane Arts and stood beneath a uniquely shaped, exceptionally large tree. This was the library of the Academy of Arcane Arts.
"This library building is really quite special~"
Ye Feng muttered as he looked at the words "Academy of Arcane Arts Library" on the trunk of the giant tree, then strode towards the entrance.
After presenting the Academy of Arcane Arts student ID he obtained from Jiang Si Shan, Ye Feng smoothly entered the first floor of the library. Under the guidance of the librarian, Ye Feng quickly found the section for books on basic arcane energy cultivation. Ye Feng, dressed in miner's clothes, received many disdainful glances and mockery from the students of the Academy of Arcane Arts. However, the librarian was very patient with Ye Feng, showing no impatience, and explained the books and library regulations in detail to Ye Feng...
For the next few days, Ye Feng spent his time alone in the section for basic arcane energy cultivation books, occasionally his eyes would light up, or he would smile, and sometimes frown...
...
One noon,
Ye Feng stretched his back, and a series of pops sounded from his body. He was very happy. This was because many of the places he hadn't understood before in his cultivation had suddenly become clear, and his understanding of arcane runes had also deepened...
"You've finished reading?"
At this moment, the white-haired librarian walked over, smiling at Ye Feng.
"Mhm! Thank you."
Ye Feng nodded and sincerely thanked the librarian. These past few days, whenever he encountered something he didn't understand while reading, he would ask the librarian, and the librarian would patiently answer. To allow Ye Feng to read in the library during lunchtime, the librarian even had food delivered, as per regulations, all personnel had to leave the library when the librarian was absent...
"You're welcome~"
The white-haired librarian smiled faintly. "Young man, in this impetuous society, everyone is pursuing powerful arcane energy techniques. There are very few people who can calmly study basic knowledge."
"Since you've finished reading the basic books on arcane energy cultivation, you can try moving upwards!"
"The library has a total of nine floors. The higher the floor, the more profound the books on arcane energy are. Some powerful arcane energy techniques are kept on the higher floors!"
"Under normal circumstances, students can only enter the corresponding floors with their student ID's authorization, but you can also choose to challenge the levels!"
The white-haired librarian said to Ye Feng quickly.
"Challenge the levels?"
Ye Feng looked at him with some curiosity.
"Yes!"
The white-haired librarian nodded. "There are magic arrays at the entrance of the stairs on each floor of the library. Generally, you enter with your student ID, but if you can break the magic array, you can also enter!"
"Once the magic array is broken, it will automatically reset. The next time you want to enter, you'll have to break it again!"
Saying this, the white-haired librarian pointed towards the staircase.
"Is that so~"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng immediately became very interested. He was idle anyway, so he might as well study the rune magic arrays in the library of the City of Arcane Arts, and perhaps verify the insights he had gained from studying day and night these past few days...
Soon, Ye Feng arrived at the staircase between the first and second floors of the library. After a short while, he broke through the magic array and was walking up the stairs to the second floor...
"This..."
The white-haired librarian was drinking tea when he was suddenly surprised, as Ye Feng had broken through the magic array with little effort...
...
The next day, just as the sun began to rise,
Ye Feng went to the library. This was because he had broken through the arcane magic array to the third floor yesterday, and coupled with checking some books, it had gotten dark and he couldn't continue...
After greeting the white-haired librarian, Ye Feng headed straight for the third floor...