Thomas Howard was still sitting in the bamboo grove, and Edward Howard simply didn’t see him!

A third-rank Manifested Saint who wants to hide himself—even if he stood right in front of Edward Howard, he might not be discovered.

The family ate breakfast together. When Edward Howard arrived at the dining room, only his eldest brother Charles Howard was there. He gauged the expressions of his grandfather and little sister, grabbed two baskets of buns, and escaped under his brother’s shouts.

He ate as he walked. Lately, Edward Howard’s appetite had been especially good. The buns were the size of fists, eight in a basket. He finished them all in one go, patted his belly, and felt he could still fit in two bowls of porridge. But after thinking it over, he decided against it—if his grandfather saw him, he’d definitely get a scolding, and his little sister might seize the chance to make him pay for that Driong dragon colt.

He casually tossed the baskets aside. If someone cleaned up, fine; if not, so be it. Compared to Second Young Master Howard’s usual behavior, tossing two baskets was actually a “good deed.”

He headed straight to the Military Classics Library. Thomas Howard was still putting on an act, but had actually arrived a step earlier and was waiting outside the door: “Young Master Edward, here to read again today?”

Edward Howard glanced at the main gate guarded by the iron statue of the library’s divine beast and shook his head: “I won’t go in today. I’ll read over there instead.”

As he spoke, he turned into a small building next door.

Outside the Military Classics Library was the Howard family’s book repository, consisting of three four-story wooden buildings arranged in a pinwheel pattern. The library itself housed precious classics, while the three wooden buildings contained more common martial arts texts.

Edward Howard entered the first wooden building. On each of its four floors, rows upon rows of bookshelves were densely packed.

The shelves were made of camphor wood, not only sturdy but also insect-resistant. Only one person could pass between each shelf. Each building held over ten thousand books!

Three buildings meant thirty thousand books in total. This was an astonishing number for the entire Qingyuan Continent. Edward Howard knew very well that this world was not like his previous life, where a single USB drive could store hundreds of thousands of e-books. Even the Confucian holy land, Liling Academy, had only a hundred thousand books. Those “Pine Wave Book Seas” of a hundred thousand volumes were the pride of every novice disciple at Liling Academy and throughout the Great Xia Dynasty!

As Edward Howard looked around this building, without realizing it, the novice monk’s dharma image within him opened its eyes again. The “See Through at a Glance” skill activated—on this entire floor, not a single book could be struck with his wooden fish brick to yield anything.

He touched the brick in his robe, feeling a bit regretful, but not disappointed—this was within his expectations.

So Edward Howard calmed his mind and quietly took out a book to read. His martial arts foundation was truly poor, and he needed to make up for a lot of basic knowledge.

With the “See Through at a Glance” skill, Edward Howard never forgot what he read. Although these ordinary martial arts classics couldn’t be used to strike out dharma images or totems, every time he finished a book, a golden thread of light would slowly merge into his mind.

Meanwhile, under the effect of the “See Through at a Glance” skill, John Smith read faster and faster. Strands of golden light almost imperceptibly merged into his mind through his brow.

Edward Howard was immersed in the sea of books, and his pitifully poor foundation was rapidly enriched. He learned that the acupoint where the novice monk’s dharma image lay dormant was the Tanzhong point in the center of his chest, and that the acupoint where the Primordial Demon Elephant totem resided was the Tianquan point on his left arm.

Originally, Edward Howard’s martial path was just a castle in the air, forcibly built on the novice monk’s dharma image and the Primordial Demon Elephant totem. But now, his foundation was being steadily reinforced.

……

Thomas Howard stood guard outside. After thinking for a moment, he said to another third-rank Manifested Saint, Matthew Howard, who was guarding the Military Classics Library: “Watch things for me for a bit. I’m going to see the general.”

Matthew Howard nodded.

Chapter 6: The Divine Spark Furnace (Part 2)

Thomas Howard hadn’t even entered the room when Samuel Howard’s eyes flashed with brilliance. He sprang from behind his desk to the doorway, his tiger eyes wide with joy: “Matthew Howard, your cultivation has advanced?!”

At the third-rank Manifested Saint level, every step forward was extremely difficult. Besides amassing vast resources, one’s own effort was also essential. But even if all of this was done perfectly, those who failed to advance still outnumbered those who succeeded by dozens of times.

So Thomas Howard’s advancement to mid third-rank Manifested Saint was a great joy even for Samuel Howard.

Feeling the old master’s concern, Thomas Howard was filled with warmth and bowed: “Yes, General. This time, I truly have to thank Young Master Edward.”

Samuel Howard was taken aback: “What does it have to do with him?”

Thomas Howard recounted the process of his breakthrough, and Samuel Howard’s brows furrowed.

“It must have been Young Master Edward helping me in secret…”

“Nonsense!” Samuel Howard laughed and scolded, “Don’t you know what that little rascal is capable of? What skills does he have to help a third-rank Manifested Saint?”

Thomas Howard also realized his previous words were questionable. After thinking for a moment, he added, “General, I think either Young Master Edward has been hiding his strength all along, or he’s had some kind of encounter recently.”

Samuel Howard shook his head: “Hiding his strength? Think about what he’s done all these years. That’s not hiding his strength—it’s trying to drive this old man to an early grave.”

Thomas Howard fell silent.