Ethan observed the ancient book in his Inner world with a curious expression.
It only looked like an ancient book, but it might not actually be a book that was inside him.
The objects he saw in his inner world were just manifestations of the real things inside him, and their appearance could be anything depending on how he imagined them in his inner world.
Ethan didn't know what that thing was, but it manifested as an ancient book in his inner world, which didn't necessarily mean it was actually a book or a book-shaped artifact.
The real question was: what exactly was it?
As far as he could remember, he had never possessed any artifact that would present itself as an ancient book in his inner world.
The inner world is the visual manifestation of one's soul.
The cultivation one embarks on, their experiences, abilities, skills, and so on shape the appearance of the inner world.
Whatever this ancient-book thing was, it was housed inside his very soul; that's why he was concerned about what it could be.
Could it be dangerous?
Could it be a curse or something?
Could it be something that might kill him?
"Well, whatever it is, it's still sealed, just like Kagetsu and the Dancing Library." Ethan rubbed his chin, combing through his memories to find answers.
"Could it be a special type of grimoire? …No. Grimoires manifest connections with the physical body, not the soul. They cannot pass with me into another world since they are too bound to a body. Even if it were a grimoire, I don't think I ever bound a grimoire to my soul."
Ethan clicked his tongue.
He thought about everything he had ever possessed or wielded; nothing came to mind.
"Everything I deemed important or useful I had stored in the Dancing Library… could it be that it came out of the Dancing Library and lodged itself in my soul?" Ethan wondered for a few minutes, but then shook his head, realizing that wasn't the case either.
"No. The library cannot be accessed without significant energy, and I'm still mortal in this life. I haven't begun to cultivate…"
He shook his head and sighed.
There was no use thinking about it; he should just focus on tomorrow.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again he was back inside his room in the residential area.
Several hours had passed.
In a couple of hours the class would start and he had to be there on time.
Not that the sect would punish him if he missed class.
They simply wouldn't teach him those lessons again, and he couldn't ask his fellow sect members for help; understandably, they would rather let him fall behind than let him become a powerful competitor.
Also, Ethan wanted to attend the class as much for the knowledge as anything.
His experience with Qi Cultivation was still new territory, and he wanted to see how it differed from the other cultivation methods he knew.
For someone who had experienced almost every type of cultivation method in this universe, it was a rare chance.
Ethan looked outside and felt the cold breeze.
The sunshine was already beginning to brighten the sky slowly.
"It feels nice…" he muttered, then went to the bathroom and did his routine before taking a cold shower.
Just as he came out, rubbing the water off him, he noticed something flying toward him through the open window and landing on his hand.
It was three sets of uniforms for him as a sect member, along with full accessories.
"Very modern…" Ethan muttered as he opened the folded uniform.
It was black pants and a fitted black shirt with a full arm over-shirt and brown combat boots.
The black pants had pockets, kneecaps, and optional utility straps to wear around his arms and legs.
The fitted shirt was very soft, seemingly designed to keep the wearer cool, and the colored overcoat had arm plates and pockets on both sides.
There were also a couple of leather belts equipped with sword holders, along with crossbelts that wore over the torso and could be used to hold swords or spears on his back.
"I like it."
Ethan put the uniform on and it was a perfect fit, as if it had been made for him.
He looked at the pouch containing his money.
He only had 97 gold left.
It wouldn't even last him the rest of the week.
He had to earn more.
He was sure he would get many chances to earn them by force or opportunity.
He began to imagine other sect members.
Many egoistic and narcissistic members would seek trouble when they saw him taking every opportunity and name for himself.
"I should buy a sword or something. I wonder how much they cost," Ethan muttered as he began to jog toward the central palace where the classes would take place.
It was just a casual jog, nothing like training.
After around an hour and a half of continuous jogging he finally arrived at the central palace.
It was already morning and the sun was on the horizon.
The class would start in a few minutes and Ethan was early.
Unlike yesterday, it was packed with sect members, both senior members and new recruits, though mostly new members.
There weren't many old members because they had long learned everything and had already stepped onto the path of Immortal cultivation.
Those who were here were members who had joined over the last few years and hadn't grown strong enough to become independent sect members.
Becoming an independent sect member meant they could travel anywhere outside the sect and become part of the sect's faction and forces.
For them, the sect would become a home to be loyal to.
Most sect members became independent after they reached a certain cultivation level.
Some returned to their kingdoms or other independent forces they came from.
Others who didn't reach the required level would stay in the sect until they did, or just stay behind because they didn't possess enough talent or potential to reach higher cultivation levels.
Some made it their life's pursuit to achieve something concrete, like becoming the greatest sword master.
Ethan also had a life goal: to become as strong as he could and enjoy his life as much as possible, even if it meant he had to take it by force or create as much chaos as necessary.
He shook away his dark thoughts and failed to notice two pairs of eyes watching his every move from a little distance.
"Marcus, that's the guy who executed Sword Intent… he looks kind of different from yesterday," a man said to another, standing beside him.
"Well, let's mess with him a little, shall we?" Marcus said, grinning.
"What do you mean?" the man behind Marcus asked.
"Send some of the new recruits from our kingdom to pick a fight with him," Marcus replied.
"Is that really necessary?" the man asked.
"It's best to make the talented cultivators submit to us. I don't want some new cultivator gaining a name for himself; it would make my brother and me look like fools," Marcus said plainly.
"It's only been a day. I'm sure there are others who would use more ruthless methods to deal with him. It's nothing personal, it's just the way it is."
Marcus looked at his men. "I want to find out who he is, where he came from, and which faction he belongs to. I want to know everything about him. Send a message to the kingdom. Tell them to search for anything they know about him... this Ethan Valerius."