The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Chapter 132 The Fool's Gift: The Value of Knowledge!

Upon seeing this familiar interface, Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

The Origin Tower, which is directly connected to the Primordial Divine Tree, actually hides a strange god?

A sense of absurdity instantly overwhelmed me. The tower that carried humanity's extraordinary hopes was actually harboring a monstrous god. How could I possibly continue on this path to the secret realm?

But this absurdity didn't last long; he soon realized something was wrong.

It's the control panel!

In the past, whenever he encountered a strange god, the panel would always recall and seal the opponent before he could react.

This time, however, the panel not only failed to retrieve the artifact, but it also failed to identify the specific identity of the strange god.

Could it be that even the control panel is no match for this strange god?

Just as doubts began to creep into his mind, the familiar gold lettering flashed before his eyes once more:

[A gaze has been detected at the end of the path, and is being blocked at all costs —]

[Blocking successful! Cleaning up residual thoughts ————]

[Cleansing successful, received the Fool's Gift]

"A fool's gift?"

Lu Yan's eyes narrowed, and he was even more shocked.

Even if it is completely blocked by the panel, that being can still leave behind gifts. Such methods are far beyond what ordinary evil gods can achieve.

The Fool — at the end of the path — could it be a top-tier being on par with the Witch? The gift left behind by such a being is probably of immeasurable value.

The copy of "Klein's Diary, Volume Three" in his hand had disappeared at some point, presumably being wiped out along with the panel.

Just as he was about to examine the "fool's gift," a cry of surprise suddenly came from beside him.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Yin Shuo suddenly threw the book in his hand to the ground, and saw countless jet-black pythons crawl out from the pages, flicking their tongues and lunging at him.

Coincidentally, different strange beasts emerged from the books in Ning Ran's and Yao Qing's hands—a ferocious beast with sharp claws and fangs, and a beetle covered in armor—and swept towards the four of them in a mighty wave, instantly surrounding them.

Ning Ran reacted the fastest, immediately drawing her sword from her waist and dashing into the horde of beasts.

In a flash of cold light, more than a dozen strange beasts were killed on the spot before they could react, but their corpses quickly turned into wisps of green smoke and disappeared from the spot.

phantom?

Ning Ran frowned slightly, but the hard touch of the swords and blades, the warm aura of the beast's blood, were undeniably real, and even the demonic sequence within her body was agitated and excited by the killing.

"These strange beasts are real, not illusions!"

With her keen control over her emotions, Yao Qing quickly discerned the truth.

The violent emotions emanating from the beasts could not be simulated by illusions.

"Strange beasts can emerge from the book; is this some kind of summoning magic circle?"

Yin Shuo skillfully hid behind Ning Ran, tightly gripping several scrolls in his hand. He would occasionally throw one out, and the burst of light would force back the approaching beasts, preventing Ning Ran from being surrounded.

Yao Qing took out the Joy Card without hesitation, her fingertips swirling with a pink halo, ready to use the power of her emotions to control these strange beasts.

But at that moment, Lu Yan made the first move.

The secret manual above his head flipped rapidly, the pages rustling, and a gray-black energy swept out—the secret technique, Life Suction—instantly engulfing all the strange beasts.

In just a few breaths, the life energy of those strange beasts was completely devoured, leaving only withered corpses that collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Lu Yan, what new skill of yours is this? I've never seen it before!"

Yin Shuo peeked out and looked at the withered corpses of strange beasts scattered on the ground. He clicked his tongue in amazement, his eyes filled with envy.

If he could master so many novel and powerful skills, he would have no weaknesses whatsoever.

"Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Lu Yan smiled faintly.

"Um... but I still need to awaken the Harvest Path. Won't learning too many things cause conflicts?"

Yin Shuo was somewhat conflicted. The path to a bountiful harvest was more in line with his usual practices, but Lu Yan's secret techniques looked exceptionally cool.

If all else fails, ask Lu Yan to help burn some rolls so you can carry them with you.

"These secret techniques of mine do not require the awakening of corresponding sequences."

Lu Yan explained, "Secret arts are different from sequence skills. They do not need to be bound to a specific sequence. As long as you master the spell incantation and the corresponding potion, anyone can cast them."

"Can we learn that too?"

Upon hearing this, Yao Qing immediately became interested. Her offensive methods were too simplistic, almost exclusively relying on the Pleasure Line. If she encountered an opponent with extremely high mental resistance, she would be basically helpless.

"Theoretically, either is possible."

Lu Yan nodded slightly, about to explain the cultivation method of the secret technique in detail, when he caught a glimpse of strange beasts emerging from the books out of the corner of his eye, even more in number than before.

"It seems we must destroy these books!"

Lu Yan didn't delay any longer. The secret manual above his head flipped through the pages rapidly again, and the Domain of Truth was quietly activated. A pale white halo instantly covered the three books that Yin Shuo and the other two had discarded.

Suddenly, all the strange beasts within the Realm of Truth were instantly dismembered, turning into tiny fragments of energy, which quickly decomposed into even smaller particles and vanished without a trace.

Although the three books were not immediately disintegrated, they lost their strange power and could no longer release new monsters.

Yin Shuo and his two companions were already numb to the new methods Lu Yan had been displaying one after another, and they didn't even know how to express their admiration.

It is said that sequences are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, but how can Lu Yan, who is so versatile, be restrained?

The three hid to the side, secretly grumbling to themselves.

Lu Yan's eyes flashed with light as he unleashed his full mental power, rapidly analyzing the essence of these books.

As his analysis deepened, he was shocked to discover that the book itself was nothing special. What was truly bizarre was that a mysterious force was secretly materializing the words in the book, transforming them into those strange beasts.

Lu Yan understood immediately and pushed the power of the Realm of Truth to its limit, forcefully erasing the remaining mysterious energy in the book.

Without the energy source, the books returned to their normal appearance and floated lightly to the ground.

"It really was these three books that were behind it all."

Yin Shuo breathed a sigh of relief, but when he saw the unchanged corridor, he frowned again and looked around, trying to find a way to leave.

Ning Ran did not disturb Yin Shuo's thoughts. She simply held her sword and quietly followed beside him, vigilantly watching the surrounding movements to guard against any possible accidents.

"These two are quite in sync."

Lu Yan nodded slightly. Yin Shuo was quick-witted and thoughtful, while Ning Ran was calm and capable in combat. One was a scholar and the other a warrior, making them a perfect match.

He then turned his attention to his surroundings, pondering a way to break the deadlock.

Books can no longer be flipped through casually; no one knows what strange things they might find in the next one.

Moreover, judging from the situation just now, simply destroying the books doesn't seem to be the fundamental way to leave this place.

Wait a minute, perhaps the books themselves really are the only way to leave this place!

Lu Yan suddenly looked up at the bookshelves on both sides of the corridor. The bookshelves were filled with all kinds of books, including travelogues, diaries, and documents, with their dates in a chaotic mess, like a jumbled hodgepodge.

A sudden realization dawned on him—knowledge has value.

Just then, Yin Shuo's cheers rang out from the side: "Hahaha! I've figured it out!"

Yin Shuo strode to a bookshelf, carefully pulled out a blank book, pressed it against his forehead, closed his eyes, and poured his knowledge into it.

The next instant, the blank book flew out of his hand, its pages flipping rapidly in the air, as if an invisible pen were writing swiftly on the pages.

Before long, the books were filled with content and flew back to their original positions on their own. At the same time, an ancient-looking door appeared in the previously completely closed corridor of knowledge, though it remained tightly shut and not fully opened.

But that's enough.

Yin Shuo exclaimed excitedly, "Knowledge has value! As long as we hand over knowledge of sufficient value, we can leave this place!"

Upon hearing this, Ning Ran and Yao Qing immediately took action, each pulling out blank books from the bookshelf and entering the knowledge they considered valuable into them.

Seeing this, Lu Yan smiled slightly, took out a blank book and began to input the data, but couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

If the books here were all recorded by people who once entered the secret realm, then did the "Fool" also come here?

As the pinnacle being at the end of the path, did He leave this gift out of playfulness, or was it because He, too, had to leave this place in this way back then?

If it's the former, then it's fine; but if it's the latter—the danger and mystery of this Tower of Origin are far more terrifying than he imagined.

Soon, Yin Shuo, Ning Ran, and Yao Qing finished the data entry. The doors to the corridor slowly loosened, but never fully opened.

"Tsk~ It seems the knowledge we're providing isn't valuable enough."

Yin Shuo scratched his head, looking completely puzzled. "I've already written down all my heroic deeds from my years in the martial arts world!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yan shook his head helplessly, then looked at the books that Ning Ran and Yao Qing had entered, and suddenly everything went black.

Ning Ran entered "The Complete Book of Food", while Yao Qing entered "My Years in Gangs".

Ning Ran's book can barely be considered practical, but Yao Qing's book, although based on personal experiences, can it be considered "valuable knowledge"?

Lu Yan sighed softly and said no more. He then pulled out several blank books and quickly entered the knowledge in his mind into them.

Just as the book took shape and flew back to the bookshelf on its own, the half-open door suddenly swung open with such force that it almost broke the door frame.

"Lu Yan, what did you input? It's so explosive!"

Yin Shuo quickly stepped forward, his gaze falling on one of the books whose cover read "Journey to the West," his face full of curiosity.

"Journey to the West? Who is 'Xi' in this? Is this a travelogue about him?"

I guess so.

Lu Yan shrugged slightly, offering no further explanation, and turned to lead the way towards the door. But just before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back at the copy of "Journey to the West," pondering to himself.

Hopefully, the next person to enter this place won't be so unlucky as to choose this book.

Meanwhile, beneath the divine tree.

Chu Ci activated a stone door all by himself, his face still showing a hint of resentment and helplessness.

He waited at the entrance of Lu Yan's manor for a whole day, but Lu Yan never showed up, and he didn't even have a chance to get up and make his acquaintance.

He originally wanted to continue waiting, but suddenly received a notice from the academy, asking him to enter the tower ahead of schedule to explore.

Although it was a pity that he missed the opportunity to get to know Lu Yan and build a closer relationship, he had no choice but to give up for the time being since it involved the Tower Secret Realm.

"We've made it through so many years, what's a day or two more?"

Chu Ci quickly adjusted his mindset, suppressed his resentment, rallied his spirits, and strode into the stone gate.

The next moment, he appeared in a long corridor, with bookshelves on both sides and the air filled with the smell of old books.

"A corridor of knowledge? This is indeed a completely new scene I've never seen before."

Chu Ci wasn't too surprised. He cautiously surveyed the surrounding bookshelves, his gaze sweeping over the books, trying to find useful information.

Soon, his gaze was drawn to a book with a distinctive title. He strode forward and reached out to pull out the book.

The cover prominently displays the three characters "Journey to the West".