Yang Ziwei looked at Wu Tian and spoke earnestly, "Mr. Wu Tian, and you, Little Guild Leader, have you heard of the friendly competitions between Formation Guilds?"
"Friendly competitions?" Wu Tian raised an eyebrow. "What sort of arrangement is that? Tell me about it."
Ten thousand years ago, five of Wu Tian’s friends founded the very first Formation Guild on the continent. Back then, there was no such thing as a friendly competition.
"A friendly competition," Yang Ziwei explained with a nod, "is a match between guilds intended to strengthen the camaraderie among Array Masters."
Wu Tian nodded, and the little fellow giggled. "That sounds like a good thing."
"It should be," Yang Ziwei continued, "but it’s not so good when it’s exploited by others. My rival is pushing for our guild to have a friendly competition with the Formation Guild in the Domain of Myriad Demons. Naturally, it would be an exchange between the Guild Leaders, discussing everything from First-Rank Formations to more advanced ones."
Wu Tian understood immediately. "The little one is still young. While she might know the Nine Bends Yellow River Array, she doesn’t know the fundamentals. If she reveals her ignorance of the basics when debating the Guild Leader from the Domain of Myriad Demons, your rival will have grounds to make a case against you, correct?"
"Exactly." Yang Ziwei nodded, then turned to Wu Tian and cupped his fists. "I cannot bear to see my life’s work, this Formation Guild, fall into another’s hands. Therefore, I implore you, Mr. Wu Tian, to please teach the Little Guild Leader some of the fundamentals."
Wu Tian looked at the little fellow, who pleaded in her sweet, childlike voice, "Daddy, please teach me." Her big eyes were fixed on him, threatening to fill with tears if he refused. It was an impossible look to deny.
Seeing his chance, Yang Ziwei decided to add fuel to the fire. "If we win the friendly competition, the winner will receive a weapon. I’ve heard that this time, the prize is a growth-type weapon."
A growth-type weapon? Wu Tian’s eyes lit up at the words.
Such weapons were incredibly rare. For a minor friendly competition to offer a growth-type weapon as a prize made Wu Tian skeptical. It was like a math olympiad in a city on Earth offering one of the world’s top one hundred companies as the grand prize. No matter how you looked at it, it was unbelievable.
"Are you certain?" Wu Tian asked, intrigued.
"It should be," Yang Ziwei said quickly. "I was stunned as well. How could the prize be so magnificent? A growth-type weapon is a true rarity. But since they have already announced it, it must be true. Otherwise, wouldn’t they lose all face as Array Masters?"
Hearing this, Wu Tian nodded. He still hadn’t found a suitable Supreme Treasure in the Heavenly Emperor’s Treasure House for the little fellow. This growth-type weapon would make a fine toy for her. "Very well," he said. "I accept."
Yang Ziwei was overjoyed. "Excellent! I will come to pick you up early the day after tomorrow."
"Mhm," Wu Tian nodded with a faint smile.
The little fellow was already lost in thoughts of the growth-type weapon, her eyes shining with the same excitement a child feels upon seeing the ultimate toy.
Afterward, Yang Ziwei asked Wu Tian for advice on a few more matters concerning Formations. Just as he was about to leave, he paused, turned back, and returned, looking as if he had just remembered something important. "Mr. Wu Tian, there is one more thing I almost forgot to mention."
"What is it?" Wu Tian prompted. Very few things in the world were a big deal to him.
"The matter concerns the competition’s judges. There will be five, and the one with the highest authority is Master Luo Tian. He is the founding Guild Leader of the Artifact Domain’s Formation Guild. Although he’s retired now, his prestige is second to none. Tomorrow is his five-hundredth birthday, and I believe that as the Guild Leader of the Xiuyuan Realm’s Formation Guild, the little fellow should make an appearance," Yang Ziwei explained.
"Master Luo Tian?" Hearing the name, Wu Tian simply shook his head. To him, this so-called master, at a mere five hundred years old, was nothing but a junior from a much later generation.
"Alright, I understand." The little fellow waved her hand like a grown-up. "Rest assured, this Guild Leader has it under control."
Hearing her declare this in her soft, childlike voice somehow struck Yang Ziwei as comical. He nodded and said, "The banquet will be held in the Artifact Domain, at the site of the rebuilt old capital of Qian Zhong Country. Little Guild Leader, please be sure to arrive on time. By the way, Master Luo Tian is very fond of books."
"Okay," the little fellow nodded. Only then did Yang Ziwei finally take his leave.
The little fellow immediately turned to Wu Tian, asking for his help in choosing a gift. This would be her first time attending a banquet in an official capacity, and she did not want to embarrass herself.
Wu Tian asked Si’er where they could buy fine books. After a moment of thought, Si’er deliberately pronounced a name: "Mystic Library."
Emperor Xuan had established these libraries, scattering them all across the land. What set the Mystic Libraries apart from ordinary bookstores and archives was their collection—they did not stock books from the past. Instead, they invited authors to write new works on-site. As a result, the books within a Mystic Library were guaranteed to be the newest in the entire Immortal Emperor Realm. It was for this very deed of establishing the Mystic Libraries that Emperor Xuan gained the acknowledgment of the Heavenly Dao, which enabled him to slay the Dao Emperor, seize the Mandate of Heaven, and ascend as an Immortal Emperor.
Si’er added that at a location situated between the Artifact Domain, the Xiuyuan Realm, and the Domain of Myriad Demons, there was a Mystic Library named ’Chasing Waves’.
The moment she learned of the ’Chasing Waves’ Mystic Library, the little fellow grabbed Wu Tian’s hand and began to chant, "I want to go! I want to go!"
Wu Tian could only agree. Parents often find themselves powerless against their children’s demands; as long as it is within their power, they will usually comply.
How does a Mystic Library manage to attract so many authors? The thought intrigued Wu Tian. He decided he wanted to pose as an author himself—partly to see what kinds of books they had, and partly to gain a deeper understanding of how the establishment operated.
When they arrived at the ’Chasing Waves’ Mystic Library, they learned its master was a man known as Mr. Six Paths. His reputation was formidable, though his own cultivation in the Martial Path was said to be limited. Nevertheless, since all Mystic Libraries in the world were founded by Emperor Xuan himself, no one dared to underestimate Mr. Six Paths, regardless of his martial prowess.
"Wu Tian?" Seeing him arrive, Mr. Six Paths’ brow furrowed slightly. He had, of course, heard of Wu Tian—a man renowned for his cruelty and bloodlust, for his indiscriminate slaughter and violent nature. As a lover of peace who believed every issue could be resolved gently, Mr. Six Paths found Wu Tian to be an eyesore.
How could a man like that have any affinity for books? Can he even read? Does he understand them? Impossible.
"I’d like to browse some of your books," Wu Tian said with a smile. "If I find any that are to my liking, I will naturally pay a handsome price for them."
"You read?" Mr. Six Paths scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Do you even know what kind of people read books? They are people who yearn for peace. They read to cultivate their minds and spirits, to gain knowledge, broaden their horizons, and shape a proper view of life and its values. They learn how to interact with others and how to face adversity. Books... are not for someone like you. You had best look elsewhere."