"What do you think of reading? Do you think that if you put in the effort, you will be rewarded? What a joke!"

"A smart brain, abundant energy, active thinking, and a flash of inspiration after reading a lot of books... Without these prerequisites, what you see is just a dead text record."

"You just watched it briefly. Besides, what else do you expect to gain?"

After hearing what the old man said, Kou Chong was speechless.

"Then...what should I do now?"

"You should go back and have a good rest now, and then come back after you have regained your energy." The old man said.

Kou Chong was silent, but there was some hesitation in his expression.

Seeing this, the old man suddenly said: "If you listen to me, I can give you some more useful suggestions."

When Kou Chong heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked at the old man eagerly, like a greedy puppy waiting for his master to feed him.

"You are searching aimlessly now. There are so many books, do you really plan to search them one by one?" the old man asked.

Kou Chong said: "Uncle Zheng, you must know something, right?"

As he spoke, he had a look of affirmation on his face and nodded:

"You have been responsible for taking care of this place for hundreds of years. There is no one in our palace who is more familiar with the situation here than you!

So, you must know something, right?!"

The old man shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Kou Chong was not disappointed. Instead, he stared at the old man with his eyes, as if to say, you make it up, keep making it up!

"However, I can point you in which area to search, and you will have the greatest chance of success." The old man said slowly.

Kou Chong's face showed his first smile in half a year, as if to say, look, you showed it yourself, right?

After all this, you still say you don’t know anything. Is this appropriate?

"Uncle Zheng" seemed to know what he was thinking, shook his head and said:

"Do you think you are the only one who wants to find that answer? Don't think of yourself too special!

I have seen too many people like you. They were looking aimlessly like you at first, but in the end, those who persisted and never gave up will stay in a certain area for a long time."

After hearing this, Kou Chong's eyes lit up and he said, "So, the answer is probably hidden in the collection of books in that area?"

"Uncle Zheng" nodded, "I think so too, but this is also my guess. I don't know whether it is the case or not."

Kou Chong, on the other hand, looked unbelieving, "How can you hold back your greed even when the food is in your mouth? I don't believe you haven't verified it yourself!"

"Uncle Zheng" shook his head and sighed:

"What am I seeking to prove? For me, if it is really proven, what's the use?

I am no better than you. I am able to get to where I am today only by living a long time and improving my cultivation bit by bit.

At my age, I am thankful to God that I can keep my cultivation level intact. There is no hope of going any further.

You said, why should I seek verification?

It’s okay if you don’t seek proof and it comes out. If you do seek proof and something comes out, it will cause countless troubles. Wouldn’t you be making yourself miserable?!”

Kou Chong was choked by "Uncle Zheng's" frank words.

He also realized that his own feelings could not be equated with the feelings of all Xingxiu Gongdan.

Although the disciples of Xingxiu Palace are all geniuses, how many of them are able to cultivate all the way to the ninth level of alchemy and still have the spirit and ability to continue to move forward?

Most of these people had already tried it during the last mountain closure period that lasted nearly two hundred years.

Some have succeeded, and many have failed.

"So, I am the 'few exceptions'."

Thinking of this, Kou Chong felt inexplicably a little disappointed.

Originally, after learning from others about the consequences that "Xingxiu Tianchi" would have on the Xingxiu Palace Formation Pills, Kou Chong subconsciously felt that he was standing with all the Xingxiu Palace Formation Pill Formations.

The four newly promoted Nascent Soul Ancestors stand on the opposite side of this whole body.

This kind of imagination gave Kou Chong inexplicable confidence.

But now, "Uncle Zheng's" words suddenly made him realize that he did not stand with all the Xingxiu Palace Formation Pills.

He was probably standing alone opposite the four new Nascent Soul Ancestors.

This kind of imagination made Kou Chong unable to breathe for a while.

Soon, Kou Chong suppressed these thoughts in his heart, changed the topic and asked:

"Then can you tell me the specific location of the book collection area?"

"Uncle Zheng" smiled and shook his head and said, "Have you forgotten my request?"

Kou Chong said "Yeah", with a look of surprise on his face, and said hurriedly: "I'll go back and rest right now, I'll go back and rest right now."

With that said, Kou Chong, who was about to turn around and leave the palace, suddenly thanked "Uncle Zheng" solemnly and said, "Thank you for your concern."

"Uncle Zheng" waved his hand and said, "I just don't want you to die suddenly here. Then I, an old man, will have to come and deal with it for you."

As he spoke, he shook his head and walked away.

Kou Chong was stunned.

After the old man left, he shook his head and chuckled: "This is Uncle Zheng."

With that said, Kou Chong also left the hall with a massive collection of books and walked outside.

At this moment, he was in a pretty good mood.

It can even be said that since returning from the Juye wilderness half a year ago, his body and mind have never been so relaxed.

Ever since he returned from the Juye Wilderness and learned from other people what impact the opening of the "Xingxiu Tianchi" would have on the Xingxiu Palace Pill Formation, he was in a state of almost suffocating depression.

He was unwilling to do so.

He was unwilling to let his path stop there.

Although, reason told him that even if the road to Nascent Soul was open to him, the chance of him being able to rush through was very small.

But whether I can rush over or not is my business.

Even if I can't make it through, or even die before the checkpoint, it's all a matter of my own ability.

But this cannot be the reason for you to "close the road"!

He is not angry.

Why?

Why do you four have to block the way for us latecomers after you four become Nascent Souls?

How do you qualify to be called "ancestor"?

He wanted to know more about the "Xingxiu Tianchi".

He even wants to find a way to solve it!

In fact, after half a year of aimless searching, he himself had lost much confidence in it.

He would even occasionally jump out of his body, stare at himself who was busying around from a bystander's perspective, and laugh at him mercilessly: "Hey, let's see how long you can last."

As the initial emotions that filled my heart, boiling as if they were about to erupt like a volcano, slowly dissipated in the futile search.

Kou Chong found that there was no longer so much unwillingness and resentment in his heart.

If there was no more hope, he even doubted how long he could torture himself in vain.

The appearance of "Uncle Zheng" and some of the information revealed in his words were like rain falling on the dry earth.

His heart suddenly showed signs of revival.

This made him relax, which had been tense for half a year.

However, it was precisely because of this sudden relaxation that many negative states that had been suppressed by his strong cultivation and will came flooding back.

Now, as soon as Kou Chong walked out of the hall, he felt a strong sense of sleepiness hitting him like a mountain and a tsunami. He couldn't wait to return to the cave and have a deep sleep.

As for his original purpose of returning this time, to break through to the late stage of pill formation, he had long forgotten about it.

His state over the past six months is indeed not suitable for this.

At this moment, Kou Chong suddenly remembered this "business" again.

"Breakthrough?...Eh, breakthrough?!"

…

Three months later.

Kou Chong, whose cultivation level has changed from the peak of the sixth level to the seventh level, stepped onto the steps of the book collection hall again.

At this moment, his condition is much better than when he left here three months ago. He is completely different.

After entering the empty and quiet hall with the token, Kou Chong did not immediately notice the figure of "Uncle Zheng".
To be continued...