Chapter 386: The Winds of Change

Cultivation Nerd

Jiang Yeming sighed as she stared at the rows of shelves that seemed to stretch all the way to the roof of the pagoda.

At first, the sight had reminded her of the floating shelves in the library of Wisdom Hall. But even nostalgia couldn’t defeat the soul-scratching boredom she felt now after taking on the part-time role of Library Elder for the inner sect.

As for why she was still doing the job, even though Liu Feng was no longer spending all his time at home worrying about his wife…

Well, he had become absorbed in the research he was conducting beneath the library and didn’t want to be interrupted.

So she had taken over his duties.

It wasn’t like she had much else to do anyway, and she could cultivate as much as she wanted here, since hardly anyone ever visited. Still, while her talent was considered Top Grade, it was only barely so.

She was nowhere near monsters like Tingfeng, and not even remotely comparable to Song Song. So she wasn’t going to skip past the Foundation Establishment stage in just a couple of years.

Especially since she wanted to build a solid foundation in her element, something she had failed to do in her previous life.

Though the records in the future had never been entirely clear, Jiang Yeming was fairly certain that Song Song possessed more than ninety spirit roots.

If Jiang Yeming had to guess, she would say somewhere between ninety-five and ninety-eight.

She leaned her elbow on the reception desk and rested her head against the palm of her hand.

It was a shame Wu Yan was cultivating so diligently. That girl’s bright, cheerful personality had a way of lifting away all negative emotions.

She was just… nice.

But Jiang Yeming understood the situation they were in and hadn’t dared to interrupt Wu Yan. After all, this was around the time the so-called Beast Sect first appeared.

She hadn’t read much about this particular era in the historical records, and she wasn’t even certain whether the four great sects eventually stopped fighting each other because of the greater threat.

This Beast Sect would later become known as the Heaven Howling Sect. Or perhaps the name had already begun to spread.

But the organization was far more structured and human-like than one might expect. It wasn’t simply another beast wave with a fancier title.

The Heaven Howling Sect was divided into three sub-sects, each led by a Nascent Soul beast. They were called the Nine Howl Sect, the Stormwing Sect, and the Black Marsh Sect.

She sighed again.

When reading history books, everything always seemed so simple. But living through it was completely different. In these chaotic times the wars felt endless, and battles erupted constantly, one after another.

If she hadn’t been Liu Feng’s disciple, and if her teacher hadn’t had connections to someone like Song Song, Jiang Yeming knew she would probably be on the front lines right now.

She stood up.

After sensing that no one else was nearby, boredom finally got the better of her. Jiang Yeming walked toward the hidden entrance that led down to the underground laboratory.

When she reached the subterranean chamber, which was filled with only the most minimal comforts, she glanced around the room.

The giant lion’s paw belonging to a Nascent Soul beast had been pushed aside again.

There was one thing she had found surprising about this younger Liu Feng. He was actually very passionate about learning new things. Whenever he discovered something interesting, his entire focus shifted toward it.

Liu Feng was hunched over a table, scribbling notes onto a sheet of paper with a deep frown.

Even though he had clearly sensed her arrival, he hadn’t turned around.

Jiang Yeming didn’t mind.

She wandered around the laboratory, running a finger along the tables and walls. Not even a speck of dust could be found. The entire place was spotless.

She waited patiently.

Only when Liu Feng finished writing, stood up, and finally glanced in her direction did she speak.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked, though his attention wasn’t fully on her. His gaze kept drifting toward another table.

Okay, now it was hard not to take offense.

No wonder this guy and Tingfeng got along so well. Their focus on their hobbies was intense, and they cared little about anything else around them, including the person they were talking to.

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“I just came to check on you. What’re you researching now?” Jiang Yeming asked.

He had been more frantic than usual lately, and that was why she’d come.

“I’m looking into ways to increase my talent,” he said. “It feels like danger is getting closer every day.”

Jiang Yeming narrowed her eyes.

Liu Feng had never been insecure about his talent, nor particularly interested in surpassing others in strength. Even in Wisdom Hall there had always been people stronger than him, but he never cared and neither did they.

So what had changed?

Oh.

The answer was laughably simple.

Liu Feng was about to become a father. What kind of parent wouldn’t want the power to protect their child?

Jiang Yeming wished she could show this moment to his future child. People gave Liu Feng little credit for his emotions, just as they did Wu Yan. Neither of them was the emotionless monster others imagined.

As for what would eventually turn them into those cold figures… Jiang Yeming intended to stop it.

“It was a mistake,” Liu Feng muttered, clenching his fist. The look in his eyes held a faint glint of resignation, he knew she’d figured him out. “I got too careless, too comfortable. What was I thinking, bringing a child into this world when I’m this weak?”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Jiang Yeming said gently.

His future child might not be very expressive either, but no one could ever question their strength. Even among Nascent Soul cultivators, the gap between stages could be enormous.

To preserve this version of Liu Feng and keep him from turning into that hollow man with the emotional range of a puppet, she decided to intervene.

“I can help you with the research,” she offered.

“You?” He raised an eyebrow. “As my disciple, I know how much you enjoy diving into research.”

He was right. Her role in Wisdom Hall had never been particularly scholarly. However, because of the organization's nature, she was more knowledgeable than most non-Wisdom Hall cultivators from the future.

“Oh, perhaps I’ll surprise you,” she said with a smirk.

Jiang Yeming knew several methods that could increase talent. But they were incompatible with Liu Feng, so incompatible that she had never used them herself.

Still, if anyone could derive something new from those foundations, it was him. She had already seen him develop things centuries before their time, based only on fragments she’d shown him. Despite everything, Liu Feng had always been the backbone of Wisdom Hall’s research and development, he and her future lover.

She had absolute confidence in them.

“Well, it’s not like I’ll lose anything,” Liu Feng sighed, handing her a stack of freshly written papers. “Just be careful. Don’t try any of these untested methods on yourself.”

“How much of a fool do you think I am?” she asked, already skimming the pages.

“Trust me,” he said with a faint grin, “you don’t want to know the answer to that.”

She snorted but didn’t reply, her focus already sinking into the research.

He hadn’t discovered anything concrete yet, but the theories he’d put forward were impressively advanced. The direction of his research leaned toward temporary talent enhancement, which was far more realistic than pursuing a permanent solution, as these usually required rare heavenly treasures.

From the way he structured his ideas, it was also clear he already understood certain worldly secrets in surprising detail.

Maybe her involvement wasn’t necessary after all. If she revealed the methods she knew, she might end up derailing his path, and he seemed to be already moving in the right direction.

If only they could visit the deeper regions of the Misty Mountains. Jiang Yeming knew that place would give Liu Feng the inspiration he needed. There was a reason Wisdom Hall had been built there, and it wasn’t just the geographic advantage of being between the four great sects.

But how could she suggest that now?

Despite how kindly Liu Feng treated her, Jiang Yeming knew she had already made a mistake by leading him and Tingfeng to the Misty Mountains earlier than they should have gone. The experience might have unsettled them enough that they would avoid the place entirely from now on.

And that would create another set of problems.

There were things sealed in those mountains, things that only someone with Liu Feng’s temperament could properly handle.

Jiang Yeming still didn’t understand how Liu Feng had discovered the Misty Mountains in the original timeline, or how he had dealt with the creatures lurking there without her knowledge.

Guilt gnawed at her. Bringing Liu Feng and Tingfeng there had been a careless decision, one she’d made without considering the full consequences.

Damn it.

It felt like every step forward pushed her two steps back. The advantage she’d believed she had in this era wasn’t nearly as great as she’d imagined. Despite her position, she was still just another nameless figure at this time.

Someone who hadn’t guided the winds of change, only heard about them after they had already blown through.

She kept reading, flipping through pages quickly. With each iteration, the notes became rougher, less refined. It was like watching a timeline unfold, each page marking a step in Liu Feng's development of the idea.

When she reached the last page, she paused.

There, written almost casually, was a crude note about developing the method from studying a beast that could temporarily elevate its own bloodline.

The subject was obvious.

Speedy. His oddly named pet.

Jiang Yeming kept reading.

Slowly, a frown formed on her face.

The method relied on blood... crudely, yes, but unmistakably. And as someone who had spent years researching the most dangerous figures in the world in her original timeline, Jiang Yeming recognized certain patterns all too well.

The more she read, the more familiar it felt.

This method… It resembled the Blood Scourge Technique.

Or rather, a primitive version of it.

But that technique wasn’t Liu Feng’s creation.

It had been invented by that lunatic... The Bookworm Immortal.

Her eyes widened as she snapped her head up to stare at Liu Feng.

He looked back at her calmly, the same neutral gaze he always wore.

No.

No, no, no.

It couldn’t be.

Panic clawed through her chest, as if her heart were trying to tear its way out.