Discoveries and Revelations

  Huang Di sank into deep contemplation, observing intently what was happening within the Grimoire. Upon entering, he realized that each page of the Grimoire functioned like a storage pouch, but with one crucial difference: it had the ability to contain living beings. While storage pouches or rings could only hold inanimate objects, the Grimoire possessed the rare ability to house life. Moreover, Huang Di noticed that the environment within each page was tailored to the needs of the creature residing there, perfectly adapted for Umbra and the others he had acquired.

  Reflecting on the knowledge he had received from Madame Scarlet, he recalled that Grimoires were created by the God of Contracts, an entity that served as the guardian of Scarlet’s World. This being was so powerful that it had no rivals in its realm, and many believed that only a shadow of its true form could be seen, never the real body. Huang Di was intrigued by the sheer level of power such an entity might possess.

  Continuing his exploration, he directed his consciousness toward his Spiritual Palace, where he once again glimpsed a small world, and was stunned to realize that such a place existed within his own body. As he approached, Huang Di saw a nine-story pagoda, remarkably like the one he had entered earlier. There, he also found a box, one he had long kept as one of his greatest mysteries.

  This box, which was originally small, rectangular in shape, measuring one meter by half a meter, and one meter deep, now, inside his Spiritual Palace, had grown to colossal size: ten times larger than before, totaling 500 cubic meters in volume. Huang Di was astonished by the sheer scale of what lay within him and could not begin to fathom the contents of the box.

  As he approached, he noticed that unlike before, the box was sealed tight, concealing its contents and frustrating his attempt to open it. He tried but realized he still lacked the strength required to access what was inside.

  At that moment, he heard a voice, one that had accompanied him ever since his arrival in this world. Turning around, Huang Di was nearly blinded by a burst of radiant light. When his vision adjusted, he saw the silhouette of a woman of breathtaking beauty, yet her features remained indistinct. Whenever he tried to focus on her, the image blurred, leaving him on edge. After all, who was this woman residing in his Spiritual Palace without his knowledge?

  The woman’s voice, however, calmed him:

  “There’s no need to be afraid. I have no ill intentions. In fact, you could say I’ve been watching over your adventures for quite some time. But I respect your privacy, I don’t observe everything, don’t worry.”

  Upon hearing this, Huang Di felt embarrassed, but realized that there was little he could do about being observed by a beautiful woman without his awareness. He, who had always been cautious, planning the best approaches to defeat his enemies efficiently, now received a critical blow: he was being watched by someone whose power he couldn’t begin to measure.

  Regaining his composure, he asked:

  “Who is the beautiful lady who visits and dwells in such a place?”

  She laughed at his tone, clearly familiar with his quirks and mannerisms.

  “You may call me Sai Hu. I am your guardian spirit of the Astral World.”

  Huang Di was left with more questions than answers. Sai Hu continued:

  “I know you have many questions, but for now, what I can tell you is this: I was chosen by your mother to protect you under a thousand-year contract. Due to certain clauses in that contract, I’m forbidden from speaking about your mother or your family, this is for your own protection. And no, I won’t make your life easy by shielding you from everything like some rich boy’s bodyguard scaring off petty enemies. Don’t expect me to solve your problems; at most, I’m here to guide and advise. And if something threatens you that’s beyond your ability to handle, I’ll rescue you, not by fighting, but by fleeing with you to a safe place.”

  Flooded with a surge of unexpected revelations, a guardian spirit, his mother, his family, unknown secrets, Huang Di felt like he’d been hit by a truck and sent spiraling into another world. More mysteries had surfaced, and he realized that if he truly wanted answers about his origins and his family, he would need to grow far stronger.

  Refinement and Skill Selection

  After calming himself and assimilating the recent revelations, Huang Di reflected on the time he had left and realized he had less than seven weeks remaining before the trial. He had already met the basic requirement to participate, but he still did not feel confident. He decided, then, to refine his current skills and seek out new techniques in the library that could complement his growing arsenal.

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  It had already been a month since he had last accessed the skill repository, which meant he was now eligible to select three new abilities. Eager to return to that channel of knowledge, he calculated that he would have this opportunity and one more before the final deadline for the trial.

  Setting off toward the library, he avoided interaction with others and arrived swiftly at the massive doors. This time, he noticed that opening the gate was noticeably easier, a clear sign of his cultivation progress and the measurable results he had achieved so far.

  Wasting no time, he made his way to the familiar chamber where he had once acquired abilities through the mystical method. Performing the familiar gestures, he entered the realm he had visited before. He thought to himself:

  “I need to reinforce my physical abilities. The techniques here are capped at the Sky Rank, while many of mine are of higher levels. But if I can find simpler versions, they may help me better understand and refine my physical prowess. I also need a new stealth technique, the one I currently have is only Earth rank. Upgrading to a Sky Rank would be ideal.”

  Huang Di recalled that Scarlet had once mentioned his high affinity with the Metal element. Finding a skill that aligns with that would be perfect. With that in mind, he began his search.

  Looking through the stealth techniques of Sky Rank, he came across one called Becoming One with the Environment. This advanced technique focused on concealing energy emissions, making it an excellent complement to his current Appearance Shifting Technique, which focused only on altering his physical form. With Becoming One with the Environment, he could even fool skilled trackers, as every individual possessed a unique energy signature, much like a fingerprint. This could finally prevent Ye Jue from ever tracking him again.

  Next, he searched for a skill tied to the Metal element and discovered Become the Metal, a rare technique that enhanced both bodily defense and metal manipulation in combat. This skill allowed him to transform metal into liquid, solid, and, at mastery, even gaseous states. Huang Di was thrilled, as this technique filled an important gap in both his elemental and physical capabilities.

  Finally, he needed to select one more skill. That was when a particular technique caught his attention: Sound as a Weapon, a Sky rank ability. Its description suggested it might resolve a critical issue in his martial repertoire. His current sound-based technique, One with Sound, while powerful, had an extremely high Qi cost. This new ability could be the solution he needed to enhance and stabilize his combat techniques.

  Now, Huang Di stood before three tomes, unsure of which one to begin with, so great was his excitement. At that moment, he noticed a clock carved into one of the columns of the library shelves, it read seven o’clock in the evening.

  Skill Enhancement and Integration

  Huang Di took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and focused his spirit, determined to make the most of this opportunity. He picked up the tome Becoming One with the Environment, which taught concealment through energy adaptation, masking one's own aura by syncing with the energy of the surroundings. As he opened the tome, he began to meditate and study its contents diligently.

  Combining this knowledge with his mastery of the Appearance Shifting Technique, he worked to integrate both abilities. After three days of intense meditation, Huang Di achieved perfect mastery of Becoming One with the Environment. By merging it with his transformation technique, he developed an enhanced skill, Improved Appearance Shifting, which now included the ability to mask his energy emission. This allowed him to remain hidden even from Sky rank experts.

  Now, within the safety of his Spiritual Palace, he could train effectively, testing the efficiency of his new abilities and optimizing his training time.

  Next, he picked up the tome Sound as a Weapon, considering it the most approachable choice at the moment due to its apparent simplicity. Huang Di opened the tome and absorbed its teachings with intense focus. This skill centered around using air vibrations to create sonic constructs that could take the form of weapons, swords, spears, bows, and more.

  Huang Di immersed himself in the core principles of the technique, which offered a profound understanding of sound itself. After a week of meditation, he managed to reach the level of mastery over the skill, though it took him longer than expected to replicate and train it within his Spiritual Palace.

  Now, he needed to integrate it with One with Sound. It took another four days to align this new ability with his fighting style. With this integration, the Qi consumption of his sonic techniques dropped significantly, allowing for longer battles and greater versatility.

  By combining the two abilities, he created a new technique called One Sound as a Weapon, a fusion of two distinct disciplines into a unique combat style. Unbeknownst to Huang Di, merging abilities was something extraordinarily rare and difficult. If higher-ranked cultivators knew he, did it with such ease, they would be so shocked they'd "vomit blood."

  With only one tome left to study, and two weeks already gone, he now had less than five weeks remaining. Determined not to waste another moment, he picked up the final tome and began to read. This one had a peculiar requirement: in order to master it, Huang Di would need to undergo a metamorphosis, fusing his body with high-grade metals. The higher the rank of the metal, the greater the benefits.

  He recalled the steel bar forged from black iron and realized that he needed to collect a black iron core. With that in mind, he now had his next objective: to obtain this material and begin cultivating the technique. Perhaps he wouldn’t even need armor anymore, he would become the armor.

  Huang Di spent a few hours memorizing the content of the tome before returning it to the library, as his temporary authorization did not allow him to take it outside. However, there was no time limit for staying in the library, which proved advantageous, offering him a quiet, focused place to meditate on his newly acquired knowledge. With a limit of three books per month, he left the library to prepare for his next adventure.