Edward Carter’s palm sliced repeatedly, sending out eight silent palm winds that entered the wooden bead. After a few breaths, there was a crisp snap—the surface of the bead cracked open into eight segments, revealing the true item inside.

A pill, amber-like and crystal clear, appeared before Edward Carter’s eyes, and a sandalwood-like fragrance immediately filled the room.

“[Amber Qi-Fixing Pill]!” Edward Carter raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the wooden bead to conceal a high-grade mortal-level pill.

No wonder Samuel Price was so cautious, using scent-blocking wood to make the [Amber Qi-Fixing Pill] into a wooden bead. If outsiders learned that an outer courtyard guard possessed such a treasure, even the family’s upper echelons might be tempted to kill and secretly seize it.

After disguising the [Amber Qi-Fixing Pill] as a wooden bead again and placing it in the gray treasure pouch, Edward Carter couldn’t help but chuckle. If Samuel Price knew after death that both the gray treasure pouch and the [Amber Qi-Fixing Pill] had ended up in his hands, who knows how he would react.

At that moment, a drowsy voice came from nearby: “Brother Mo, are you awake? I was just about to get up early and wake you.”

On the bed, Grace Carter sat up, her chubby body stretching lazily. She then hopped off the bed, bouncing over to sit on Edward Carter’s lap.

“Get up early? You should at least check what time it is.”

Looking at the little girl, Edward Carter couldn’t help but smile. In his previous life, the little girl and Edward Carter were considered the two most hopeless members of the Qin family, seen as symbols of the decline of the family head’s line.

However, Grace Carter was different from Edward Carter. The little girl was born unable to cultivate true qi, but she possessed innate divine strength. Even martial artists at the warrior level couldn’t match her in raw power.

Gently stroking Grace Carter’s head, he absentmindedly brushed aside her bangs. The girl’s forehead was smooth, her skin like white jade, with a strange luster, and there was not yet that world-shocking Vermilion Phoenix mark.

……

“Brother Mo, Brother Mo…” A string of calls interrupted Edward Carter’s thoughts. The little girl looked up at him with bright eyes, full of anticipation: “Now that you’ve returned safely, let’s go out and play to celebrate.”

“No.” Edward Carter put on a stern face. “Grandfather instructed that today I must go to the library pavilion to choose a suitable martial art to cultivate. You’re coming with me to help pick.”

The little girl pouted, sighing reluctantly, “Fine, I’ll go with you and practice [Po Jun Fist] together.”

Edward Carter couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. This little girl was bold indeed. [Po Jun Fist] was a beginner-level spirit-grade martial art, the Qin family’s unique secret technique, and their only spirit-grade martial art. Only core disciples of the Qin clan who had reached the third stage of warrior cultivation could barely begin to practice it.

In fact, by usual standards, even core disciples of the Qin family would only start learning [Po Jun Fist] after reaching the sixth stage of warrior cultivation.

With Edward Carter’s current level, even with the rare purple true qi in his body, he wouldn’t dare to rashly practice this spirit-grade martial art at the first stage of warrior cultivation.

“Wait… spirit-grade martial art.”

Edward Carter paused, suddenly recalling an incident from his previous life in the family’s library pavilion, related to a mysterious spirit-grade martial art.

“Let’s go. After we pick a martial art, I’ll take you to town.”

Hearing this, the little girl cheered, grabbing Edward Carter and eagerly heading toward the library pavilion.

……

The library pavilion was located in the deepest part of the Qin residence, a vital area for the family.

“Isn’t that young master Edward Carter and the little miss? They must be going to the library pavilion to choose a martial art.”

“Did you hear? Young master Edward Carter finally broke through—he’s now a first-stage warrior.”

“It took him eight years to break through. Now, young master Edward Carter’s strength probably only ranks in the top hundred among the third-generation Qin disciples, right? He’s far behind young master Brian Carter.”

……

All around, the discussions of Qin family guards and servants could be heard. The little girl clenched her small fists, clearly unhappy.

Edward Carter, however, paid it no mind. After losing his martial arts in his previous life and becoming an “ordinary person,” he’d heard such gossip countless times and was long used to it.

Passing through a long corridor and into a grove of trees, a building appeared faintly in the distance.

“The library pavilion…”

Gazing at the pavilion, Edward Carter’s heart stirred. His hearing extended like a tide, unfolding “hearing as seeing,” and the scene in the woods became clear.

He saw, deep along the path, beneath a large tree in front of the pavilion, an old man in a brown robe sitting with a chessboard before him.

This elder was the library pavilion’s guardian elder—Elder Harris. He didn’t belong to the main elder line and usually stayed at the pavilion’s entrance, always with a chessboard, playing out an unfinished game by himself.

“Elder Harris is still the same, enjoying playing chess against himself.”

In his previous life, Edward Carter wasn’t familiar with Elder Harris, but every time he came to the library pavilion, he was always curious—this elder always played chess alone, day after day for decades. Didn’t he ever get bored?

Suddenly, under the “hearing as seeing” sense, Edward Carter seemed to notice a long branch hanging from the big tree move slightly.

Bang!

Edward Carter’s body jolted, as if he’d bumped into something. The scene from “hearing as seeing” vanished instantly, and he realized he’d run into a leg.