A few hours later, Lu Yuan climbed down to the first floor and walked to the Library's entrance with a book in his hands. He didn't leave, but instead approached the desk placed beside the door.
An old man, with long white hair and a well-trimmed beard, was seated behind the desk with his eyes closed, seemingly in sleep.
The man didn't show any aura, as if he were an ordinary person, yet Lu Yuan didn't dare to underestimate him.
This old man was the teacher in charge of the Library, which meant that he was at least at the 4th Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm. Moreover, Lu Yuan suspected that his cultivation was higher than this.
After all, a cultivator at the 4th Level of the Spirit Gathering Realm was indeed powerful, but not powerful enough to guard the Library, one of the most important places in the Academy.
All kinds of thoughts went through Lu Yuan's mind, but his expression remained unchanged.
Stepping closer, he placed the book on the desk, but found that the old man didn't seem to have noticed him.
"Cough, cough...Teacher, I wish to take a book out.", he tried to attract his attention, his tone respectful yet not flattering.
"Who is it this time?", the old man grumbled in a low voice as he opened his eyes. A look of annoyance flashed across his face when he noticed the book lying on the desk.
"Another student? Come on, let's get it over with...", he said, only for his expression to change when he noticed the four words on its cover.
"Hmm..? Sevenfold War Saber Art? I didn't expect that there would still be students brave enough to practice this peerless martial skill.", he muttered to himself and turned to look at Lu Yuan with a serious look.
"Kid, are you sure you wish to choose this martial skill?"
Faced with this question, Lu Yuan, who had previously been confident about his choice, couldn't help but hesitate. In the end, he gritted his teeth and nodded his head.
He had gone through the entire third floor, and this martial skill was the only one that piqued his interest. The other martial skills were either too weak, difficult to practice, or simply didn't suit him.
Even if he guessed that there was something wrong with the Sevenfold War Saber Art based on the old man's reaction, he still didn't change his opinion.
Perhaps the old man saw through Lu Yuan's thoughts, or perhaps he noticed that his previous reaction was quite intense, as he chose to explain.
"Don't worry, kid. There's nothing wrong with this martial skill. If anything, it's arguably the strongest martial skill in the whole Library. It's just that it requires a special person to bring out this martial skill's true power.", he said kindly, but then, his tone quickly changed.
"High Level martial skill. Thirty Merits!", he announced.
Lu Yuan was originally a little thankful for the old man's explanation, but the little goodwill he had towards him immediately vanished when he heard the "price".
Merits were equivalent to a currency within the Academy and could be used to buy almost everything. To obtain them, a student had to either complete the tasks and missions published by the Academy or exchange them for things like martial skills, cultivation techniques, or other precious items.
The previous owner of this body had been in the Academy for several years and had only managed to obtain around 100 Merits throughout this time, making the Merits' value evident. Moreover, most of these Merits had already been used, exchanged for pills, weapons, etc.
At the moment, Lu Yuan had an unimpressive amount of 10 Merits to his "account".
'Fortunately, I had already expected this to happen and came prepared.', Lu Yuan thought, and under the old man's gloating gaze, he reached into his clothes and took a red orb out.
By the time he put it on the desk, the old man had already recognized it.
"A Monster Core of a monster with strength at the 3rd Level of Spirit Gathering Realm. Can be exchanged for exactly 30 Merits.", he said, and after confirming with Lu Yuan that he wished to exchange it for Merits, he waved his hand, causing it to vanish.
Then, the old man rubbed lightly the ring on his index finger, and as if in response, a book appeared out of nowhere and landed right before Lu Yuan.
The words on its cover read 'Sevenfold War Saber Art'.
"This is yours. Keep in mind, though, that you are the only person who can practice this martial skill. If the Academy discovers that you've taught it to other people, you'll be paid a visit by the Academy's Law Enforcement Department."
Keeping the old man's words in mind, Lu Yuan took the book and was about to thank the old man, only to find that he had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
He shook his head lightly, and after taking one last look, he left.
A few minutes later, another student arrived at the desk and woke the old man up.
Opening his eyes, the old man looked at the student with a harsh look before his expression changed.
"Another student? Come on, let's get it over with..."
"Hmm..? Iron Palm Technique? I didn't expect that there would still be students lucky enough to find this hidden martial skill..."
"There's nothing wrong with this martial skill. If anything, it's arguably the most mysterious one in the whole Academy. It's just that it requires a peerless genius to bring out this martial skill's true power..."