Transcending Dreams - D2 - Chapter 61

This had mostly been a disappointment.

Not the library itself, William was sure that was still amazing as long as he gave it more time. However, the picks the section catalog provided were utter trash.

No, that wasn’t fair. A couple of the books weren’t completely useless, but they didn’t fit his current wants.

The introduction of ‘The Comprehensive Handbook of Spirit Beast Egg Hatching’ should have clued him into what he could expect.

Picking the right spirit beast egg for your cultivation level is crucial. Avoid eggs that are too high or too low in tier. They may harm or hinder your progress. You should also consider the compatibility of the spirit beast’s element and temperament with your own. An excellent way to test this is to hold the egg and feel its aura in your hand. If you sense warmth, harmony, and attraction, it means the egg is suitable for you. If you sense coldness, discord, or repulsion, the egg is incompatible with you.

That was all well and good, but William didn’t have an option to pick and choose the best spirit egg. Nor could he say that he felt much of anything when he held the egg. None of that warmth, harmony, or coldness.

The rest of the book was much of the same, speaking more about the ideal temperatures of egg hatching and environment control than anything that applied to him.

While the book never mentioned it, he suspected it was for more low-tier eggs than anything else. Unfortunately, ‘Spirit Beast Egg Hatching Made Simple’ had the same issue.

‘Secrets of the High-Tier Spirit Beast Eggs’ was even worse. The other two books still had helpful information he could file away for use sometime in the future. However, the book that specifically mentioned high-tier eggs was entirely useless.

It was ‘informational’ only in the technical sense. Every so-called fact in that book was preceded by the word ‘rumored,’ or ‘supposedly,’ and the most annoying one, ‘suspected.’

What was he supposed to do with an entire book of guesswork?

William shook his head in frustration and closed the book. It wasn’t the end of the world, but more of an annoyance. He wasted half an hour skimming through the massive books due to the comprehension gained from being a cultivator. It left him with less time until Lan Yang said he would arrive.

He wanted to search for more books through the section catalog, but with the first recommendations it had shown being busts so far, he imagined that might take more than the time he had left.

At the very least, he could come back here whenever he wished.

William sighed and picked up the autobiography. He didn’t have much hope for it, but it would be better than reading about the best ways to cook spirit beast eggs.

Turns out ‘How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Tier Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator’ was fascinating.

He was taken back to the time he gobbled up cultivation novels, except this time, it was a true, first-hand account of a ridiculously powerful cultivator. Lin Lin, the founder of the Sunrise Kingdom.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The book read more like a comedy rather than a story of a serious cultivator who fought against the heavens to become a king. The number of lucky chances Lin Lin stumbled into was stupidly large.

The man found his spirit beast egg as a child by it literally dropping from the sky and onto his head. He discovered the only way to hatch it when he tripped into a lightning pool, only living due to his egg devouring the lightning Qi. Even the way he became a king seemed farfetched.

Lin Lin had accidentally touched the bare skin of the previous dynasty’s only princess, which somehow meant they must marry to protect her virtue. Lin Lin was king after a few wars that wiped out all the eligible heirs.

If this tale was accurate, which William suspected it was, Lin Lin had the luck of a main character. Everything went his way, and this book detailed his every experience.

Nothing that could ever be replicated, but the information Lin Lin had learned from it could still be used to great effect. The man was a fantastic journaler, and all that was needed now was to confirm it wasn’t all a bunch of bullshit.

“You found a good one, I assume?”

William’s attention was ripped away from the book, looking up to see Lan Yang staring at him with interest.

“It’s interesting.”

Lan Yang looked at the books he had set aside before checking the one he was reading. “I don’t think I’ve seen any of these before.”

“Most are for low-tier spirit beast eggs,” William admitted before pointing at the book opened in front of him. “This is more of a story, but it had some really useful things you can learn. I do question if it’s accurate, though.”

“A story?” Lan Yang frowned before reaching for the book. “Let me have a look.”

He flipped through the first half for a minute, eyebrows raising with every second that passed.

“Is there a problem?” William asked unsurely.

“I didn’t know the library had something like this,” Lan Yang smirked. “The Venerable Lin and the symbol of the Sunrise Kingdom having a background such as this is unexpected.”

“… So it’s real?”

“There have been rumors that this was the case, but it’s not something for people like us to know,” Lan Yang shrugged, losing interest in the book and placing it back down. “Take what you read in books from the general sections with a little doubt. The only ones you can fully trust are librarian-approved reference books.”

William stared at him blankly. That would have been nice to know before he was left to explore on his own. Still, he remembered what Su Rou mentioned.

Lan Yang never wanted to be a mentor, so warning him likely never came up as a thought in the man’s mind. That was fine. From now on, William had to be direct with his questions and try to think of the possible issues that might pop up before he did anything.

Easier said than done.

“Could I ask a librarian if they could confirm this journal is factual?” William asked.

“No,” Lan Yang replied bluntly. “They only care for the library. Think of them as Elders, just with a different title. You cannot simply speak to one casually.”

He nodded thoughtfully. It would be necessary to try and speak to Elder Yu before she left the sect. If that wasn’t possible, he would have to painstakingly confirm everything the journal provided by looking through the reference books.

“Is there a separate section for these reference books?”

Lan Yang shook his head. “You have to specify that’s what you want to the section catalog. They are rarely used by disciples. Reference books are great, but they are slow to be revised with more up-to-date information by the librarians.”

“I see,” William nodded slowly.

“Well, let’s go. Su Rou is waiting for us. And after that, I want to get started on the basics of the Heavenly Thunder Scripture.”

His eyes lit up as he rushed to stand. “Can I take books with me?”

“For a week,” Lan Yang replied. “You will be charged for the cost of the book if it’s late, so be sure to return it in time. Anything you don’t want, leave on the table. The librarian assistants will take care of it.”

William happily stored the journal and glorified cookbook in his ring before following Lan Yang out of Section J.

His eyes instinctively sought out the girl who accompanied him in this deserted part of the library, and he was disappointed to see that she was gone. He frowned slightly before looking away from her spot.