Casually pulling a book from the bookshelf beside him that introduced the strengths of the Tianshi, William Harper silently sat down on the cold terrazzo floor of the Sutra Depository, gnawing on yesterday’s hard steamed bun while squinting at the book in his hands.

After a while, William Harper used the scripture in his hand to cover his eyes, silently reciting over and over the contents of the four Tianshi secret manuals he had memorized earlier, until he was so sleepy he couldn’t hold on any longer and dozed off for a bit.

……

The day passed by quietly and hurriedly, and in a flash, it was night again.

Once again, it was the hour of Chou.

Still huddled in a remote corner of the first floor, William Harper’s eyes suddenly lit up. Taking advantage of the snoring from those in the east corner, William Harper continued with the unfinished business from the previous night.

He knew that only when others were snoring did he have a chance to browse the Tianshi secret manuals there, and he also knew that after tonight, he might never have another chance to touch those manuals.

Therefore, William Harper was even quicker than the night before; as soon as he got his hands on a Tianshi secret manual, he immediately focused all his attention on memorizing its contents.

“Ahem…” In the dead of night, a faint cough suddenly came from within the Sutra Depository. Though the cough was very soft, the ever-alert William Harper still heard it.

Startled by the light cough, William Harper looked up sharply, only to find that, at some unknown point, an old woman with a furrowed brow was standing beside him.

Clutching a Tianshi secret manual tightly in his hand, William Harper grinned, glanced at the few snoring collateral disciples of the Ji family nearby, and then asked in a low voice, “Are you the Mrs. Parker who guards the Sutra Depository?”

Before entering the Sutra Depository, Grace Harper had told William Harper that there was always an old woman guarding the place. Her surname was Mo, and her name was Sarah Parker. She usually rested in a small room at the very top of the Sutra Depository, rarely leaving the building, and even more rarely leaving that small room.

William Harper had been in the Sutra Depository for almost two days and nights without seeing this Sarah Parker, and hadn’t expected her to suddenly appear in the middle of the night.

“Mm…” Sarah Parker nodded, her cloudy old eyes glancing at the Tianshi secret manual that William Harper was gripping tightly, and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, “Give it to me!”

William Harper was stunned, not understanding why the guardian Sarah Parker was asking him for a Tianshi secret manual. After a brief pause, William Harper obediently held out the 《斩丝录》 in both hands and handed it to her.

“Last night, you started memorizing the contents. By tonight, including this one, you’ve already read six basic Tianshi cultivation manuals!

Kid, can you really remember what’s in them?”

Mrs. Parker casually flipped open a page of the 《斩丝录》 and read aloud: “Raise the sword of wisdom, sever the threads of emotion, resentment, and anger in your heart; only then will your mind be clear, and your essence, energy, and spirit can unite as one, merging with heaven and earth!”

After a pause, the suddenly-appeared Sarah Parker looked at the slightly nervous William Harper, frowned, and asked, “Kid, what does this passage mean?”

“Calm the mind!

Abandon all chaotic thoughts in your heart. The so-called threads of emotion, resentment, and anger should refer to the seven emotions and six desires, …

In other words, when cultivating, you must cut off all distracting thoughts that could disturb your inner peace. Only when your mind is clear can your essence, energy, and spirit form a wondrous resonance, merging as one with heaven and earth!”

Without thinking much, William Harper explained the passage according to his own understanding.

Sarah Parker’s previously cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with a dazzling light, so bright that William Harper’s eyes ached faintly.

After that flash of brilliance in her eyes, she suddenly closed her eyelids, as if digesting the meaning of William Harper’s words.

After a while, as if wanting to confirm something, she abruptly opened her eyes, reached up, and pulled another scripture from the bookshelf above William Harper’s head—it was the 《洗髓脑神经》 that William Harper had memorized the previous night.

She casually flipped to a page, quickly read a passage of obscure scripture, and then asked William Harper what the new passage meant.

With a faint smile at the corners of his mouth and a calm mind, William Harper softly explained his understanding of the passage.

Sarah Parker nodded repeatedly, her cloudy eyes growing ever brighter. She took yet another scripture from the shelf and asked William Harper several more questions in succession, all of which William Harper answered fluently, barely pausing at all.

“Including the 《斩丝录》, you’ve memorized all six Tianshi cultivation manuals?”

Sarah Parker was silent for a long time before staring blankly at William Harper and asking. Even though she had just tested him, she still found it hard to believe and needed to hear William Harper confirm it himself.

“Mm, I’ve memorized them all.”

William Harper answered obediently.

An uncontrollable look of shock appeared on Sarah Parker’s face, as if she had finally accepted it. Her aged body trembled slightly, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Seeing her like this, William Harper panicked and, without thinking, hurried forward to support her.

“No need!”