Starfall Nine Heavens

Lu Xiuyuan took out a black jade pendant about half the size of his palm from his pocket. The pendant had an antique design with irregular wear on the edges. The front and back were engraved with a complex emblem—a pattern of a book intertwined with stars.

Lu Xiuyuan did not directly stick the jade plaque to the door panel. Instead, he held the plaque in his right hand and made a simple yet elegant hand seal with his left hand, which he then lightly touched the back of the jade plaque.

As a glint of light flashed at his fingertips, the jade pendant trembled gently, emitting a low hum, and the patterns on its surface slowly lit up with a pale golden light.

Lu Xiuyuan pressed the glowing jade plaque onto the round white jade in the center of the door panel.

The moment the jade plaque was affixed—the cloud-like structures within the white jade seemed to come alive, spinning rapidly. A soft white light spread from the center, quickly enveloping the entire jade surface, then flowing like water to the surrounding door panels. As the white light passed through, countless fine golden runes faintly appeared on the dark red wooden door. These runes flashed by in an instant, but the aura emanating from the door suddenly became much heavier.

"Click".

A crisp sound came from inside the door. The heavy wooden door slowly opened a crack, and soft, bright light streamed out from the gap.

Lu Xiuyuan put away the jade token, and the white jade on the door gradually dimmed, returning to its warm, smooth appearance. He pushed open the wooden door and said to Lin Fan, "Come in."

Lin Fan followed him inside and was immediately stunned.

Before me stood rows of dark brown wooden bookshelves, neatly arranged from the entrance all the way to the back. The bookshelves were very tall, almost touching the ceiling, and a sliding wooden ladder placed against the wall was needed to reach the books on the higher shelves.

The air was filled with the scent of old paper, light ink, and a mixture of sandalwood-like fragrances, yet more refreshing—the scent of time and knowledge that instantly calmed the mind.

The bookshelves were neatly organized with various items: thread-bound ancient books, bamboo slips, silk books, leather scrolls, and many jade slips of different sizes. Many of the books showed obvious signs of age, with yellowed pages and worn edges, but they were remarkably well-preserved.

The entire library was so quiet you could hear your own heartbeat. The solemn, vast, and timeless atmosphere, steeped in centuries of history, enveloped you like a thick blanket.

"This collection contains the cultivation techniques and martial arts skills that the Watchers have gathered, organized, and passed down over thousands of years. Of course, due to the passage of time, some things have been lost." Lu Xiuyuan's voice was particularly clear in the quiet. He led Lin Fan to the bookshelf on the right.

Lu Xiuyuan's gaze swept over the quiet books in the library, finally settling on Lin Fan. His tone was solemn, yet carried an unprecedented level of seriousness.

He paused for a moment: "Lin Fan, the first step in cultivation is sensing the spirit. Only when you successfully sense the spirit, draw spiritual energy into your body, and enter the Meridian Opening Realm can you talk about choosing a cultivation method. The cultivation method determines the quality of your spiritual power, the path of its circulation, and how far you can go."

Lin Fan nodded; he understood the logic—learn to walk first, then choose running shoes.

"The cultivation methods and martial arts techniques circulating in the world have been roughly classified since ancient times according to the degree of mystery of the circulation of spiritual energy, into five grades: mortal, spiritual, profound, primordial, and heavenly. Each grade is further subdivided into three levels: lower, middle, and upper."

He picked up the most ordinary grayish-white jade slip from the shelf: "Ordinary items, like foundation stones. Most countries select promising individuals from among the common people and teach them this type of thing. The purpose is to give them a basic understanding of spiritual power so they can deal with the most common threats."

His finger moved to a jade slip that gleamed with a pale green light: "A Spirit-grade technique is already a precious inheritance. Usually, only families with deep roots or elite departments in various countries that truly handle abnormal events keep them hidden. They are not given to anyone who is not a core member. Cultivating a Spirit-grade technique means that you have been regarded as a backbone force in the fight against darkness. The nature of your spiritual power is beginning to emerge, and you can cultivate some exclusive spells with considerable power."

Then, his gaze fell further into the bookshelf, where a faint light barrier shimmered: "Profound-grade cultivation techniques, each one can be considered a strategic foundation. Enough to support an organization like our Watchers, with its long history, to stand firm, or to allow an ancient family to continue. In the world today, the number of complete Profound-grade cultivation techniques that have survived can be counted on one's fingers."

At this point, Lu Xiuyuan's tone became more serious: "Our pavilion has a treasured copy of the Xuan-grade superior 'Qingming Zhenyuan Scripture,' which is one of the reasons why we have been able to uphold our duties for so many years."

Finally, his gaze seemed to penetrate the bookshelf, looking into the distance: "As for the Yuan-grade and Tian-grade... they mostly exist only in fragmented records of ancient ruins and myths. In this world, whether complete Yuan-grade and Tian-grade cultivation techniques still exist is a mystery."

His gaze returned to the dark gold scroll in Lin Fan's hand, his expression becoming complex: "Just now I carefully sensed and compared it with my own spiritual power... The purity of the restrained spiritual energy in this thing you have is actually... faintly surpassing the 'Azure Netherworld Suppressing Primordial Scripture'. Therefore, if its contents are complete... then its grade is probably beyond the realm of Xuan grade. It is highly likely that it has touched the threshold of Yuan grade recorded in ancient texts."

"Yuan...Yuan grade?" Lin Fan repeated subconsciously, his voice a little dry. Although Lu Xiuyuan had just explained the grade divisions, "Fan, Ling, Xuan, Yuan, Tian" were still too abstract for him. Only now, hearing the treasured book of the pavilion, the "Azure Netherworld Suppressing Yuan Scripture," being used as a comparison, and realizing that his own tattered scroll might actually be of a higher grade—the shock washed over him like a real tidal wave.

It wasn't a surprise. Rather, it was an indescribable sense of bewilderment, and a sudden, heavy pressure. Lin Fan's throat tightened, and his fingers gripping the reel involuntarily tightened.

Lu Xiuyuan observed Lin Fan's reaction. Seeing the shock in his eyes quickly replaced by seriousness and contemplation, he nodded inwardly. This child indeed had a good temperament; he wasn't overwhelmed by this startling speculation, but instead felt a sense of responsibility first.

"This is just speculation, it can't be taken seriously. Besides, we don't know what's inside or how damaged it is." Lu Xiuyuan spoke up at the right moment, easing the overly tense atmosphere and bringing the topic back to reality. "But no matter what, this thing is extraordinary. Precisely because its grade may be very high, and it is obviously damaged judging from its appearance, you must be even more cautious and must not be careless or reckless."

Lin Fan took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and nodded heavily. The scroll in his hand was still slightly cool, but its weight had already been etched into his heart.

After Lu Xiuyuan finished speaking, he led Lin Fan into the Sutra Repository.

"The five ranks and fifteen levels I just mentioned—Mortal, Spiritual, Profound, Primordial, and Heavenly—are the yardsticks for measuring the potential and depth of a cultivation technique," Lu Xiuyuan's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet space. He stopped in front of a row of bookshelves emitting a faint spiritual light, turned around to look at Lin Fan, "But for an individual cultivator, what's more important than rank is compatibility."