Teacher by day, Farmer by passion-Chapter 164: Divine Library [6]
"Weak?" Ace echoed, his voice low.
He slowly lowered himself onto the rooftop floor, his eyes never leaving hers. There was no frustration or anger in his tone—only calm curiosity.
"And what, exactly, would qualify me as not weak?"
The woman smiled faintly, as if amused by the question.
"Have you ever heard of the Immortal Realm?" she asked.
But before Ace could even part his lips to answer, she continued, her voice light and casual, like she was recounting an old tale.
""Oh, wait. You've been to the Divine Market already, haven't you? Holders of the Divine Garden always unlock the Library last…" she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's where the real knowledge begins."
Her expression shifted, slightly more serious now.
"There's Warrior rank, then Silver. Above that is Gold, and then Dark Gold. Beyond those is the Legendary rank."
She paused for effect, letting the weight of her words settle.
"But that's still basic stuff. The Divine Library teaches all of it."
Ace remained silent, absorbing every word.
"Above the Legendary realm," she continued, "are the Immortals. But even among Immortals, there are levels."
Her eyes glinted in the dim rooftop light.
"The first Immortal stage, we call it the Divine Step Realm—the first true path into immortality. That's when you unlock the Red Immortal Bead."
Ace's brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of recognition in his gaze.
She nodded knowingly.
"But the real immortality? That begins with the second stage—the Divine Halo Realm. That's when one truly steps beyond mortality."
She gave him a pointed look, her tone softening. "To pass what's coming, you'll need to reach the Divine Step Realm at the very least."
Somewhere between her explanation and his thoughts, Ace hadn't noticed she was no longer standing in front of him.
New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.
When he looked up, she was already levitating, a faint glow circling her as the wind tugged gently at her coat. She hovered effortlessly, almost out of sight.
Then, as if remembering something, she turned in midair.
"Oh—by any chance…" Her voice drifted back to him. "Does your Divine Garden have Spirit Apple Trees?"
Ace blinked. "No," he replied plainly.
The girl gave a subtle nod, as if that confirmed something only she understood.
And without another word, she vanished into the sky.
The moment she vanished from sight, the world around him began to distort, like shattering glass, reality itself fragmented and dissolved.
Ace opened his eyes.
He was back in the room.
Warmth pressed against his chest. Liu Mei was curled up atop him, fast asleep, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso like a child afraid to let go.
Her soft breaths came in little huffs, her nose nuzzled into his robes, and every so often she murmured something incoherent, clinging to him like he might disappear at any moment.
Ace didn't move.
He remained still, gazing up at the ceiling as the memory of that strange encounter replayed in his mind.
Deity Step… Divine Halo? he thought, correcting himself. Right. Divine Step Realm.
His current cultivation was only at Major Gold Rank, not even peak.
Above him stood Dark Gold, then Legend Rank, and only after that… the path to becoming an Immortal.
The task ahead felt impossibly far.
But then he sighed softly.
"Well, I can't just give up because the road looks long… can I?"
With a quiet chuckle, he turned his gaze downward. Liu Mei was still clinging to him tightly, her little face resting right above his heart.
He lifted his right hand and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear with tender care.
She twitched slightly at his touch but didn't wake, only let out a soft, almost kitten-like sigh and burrowed even closer.
Ace smiled faintly.
Softly, he muttered to himself,
"Maybe... I should just explore the possibilities of this new life."
His voice faded into the stillness, carried away by the warmth of the moment.
And with Liu Mei's gentle breathing rising and falling against him, Ace closed his eyes, his thoughts and his body relaxing as sleep slowly pulled him into its embrace once more.
***
"What do you mean income tax? What bet tax? What in the nine heavens are you talking about?! How does that leave me with only one thousand taels of gold?!"
Shan Yifeng's voice cracked with fury as he stood up, eyes blazing.
He slapped the paper slip in his hand like it had personally insulted his ancestors.
Across from him stood the boy who had delivered the news, all gangly limbs and nervous gulps.
He looked everywhere except at Shan Yifeng: the floor, the ceiling, a particularly fascinating crack on the wall, anywhere that wasn't those murderously glaring eyes.
"I-I-I d-don't make the rules…" the boy stammered, clutching the tax scroll like a lifeline. "Th-the Income Redistribution and Bet Adjustment Department established by M-Master Pot Black does…"
"A department?! What department?!"
The boy said nothing.
He simply inched sideways, trying to phase through the air itself.
Standing off to the side, arms crossed and a smug grin stretching across his face, was Pot Black himself, already in full recovery, his confidence puffed up like a rooster on parade.
"Well," Pot Black said, clearing his throat with theatrical flair, "it's important that the academy instills real-world knowledge in its students. Taxes, after all, are a part of life."
"And of course," Pot Black added smugly, "there's the Academy Infrastructure Rejuvenation Fund. And the Legacy Preservation Levy. Oh—and the Alchemy Fume Inhalation Risk Surcharge."
"Real-world—?! You're robbing me! I'm not even a student here!"
The boy winced, nearly dropping the scroll. "S-sir, it also says here there's a 'youth bonus' for students under sixteen. Which means... um, Master Pot Black gets a 30% mentor fee, too..."
Pot Black gave the boy an approving pat on the shoulder like he'd recited an essay flawlessly.
Shan Yifeng's eye twitched. The boy shrank further, now trying to hide behind the scroll.
This… this wasn't a lesson. This was daylight robbery dressed up in bureaucratic nonsense!
