"Old Qin, want to go to Platinum Han for some karaoke tonight?"
They arrived at the cafeteria, got their favorite dishes, and found a place to sit.
At the mention of Platinum Han, Xia He's face lit up. "They've got some hot girls there, you know. Don't come crying to me if you miss out!"
"Not going."
Qin Yang shook his head, his eyes fixed on the braised pork on his plate.
As a man, he knew exactly what kind of place Platinum Han was.
'Besides, I've always kept to myself, unmoved by the temptations of the flesh. How could I possibly…'
'Alright, fine.'
Qin Yang had to admit he simply couldn't afford a place like that.
'With my meager monthly salary of three thousand, I wonder if that's even enough for a single night at Platinum Han?'
'As for letting Xia He treat me?'
'Not having to pay would be awesome, sure.'
'It's basically like getting a freebie.'
'But I'd definitely have to repay the favor, right?'
Qin Yang didn't want to be indebted to someone over something like this.
'If I really get desperate, I can always take matters into my own hands.'
'That doesn't cost a thing, either!'
"Dude, are you even a man?"
Xia He had anticipated Qin Yang's refusal. He was already used to it.
This wasn't the first time he had invited Qin Yang, after all.
But the guy refused every single time.
That, combined with Qin Yang's usual reaction to their female colleagues at the library, made Xia He wonder if there was something up with his friend's sexual orientation.
"I'm afraid of catching something."
Qin Yang adopted the air of a righteous gentleman. "Take a piece of advice from your brother: it's best to stay away from places like that."
"Here we go again, here we go again..."
Xia He looked helpless. "How are you more of a nag than my parents? Fine, if you won't go, I'll go by myself."
"If I don't show up tomorrow, remember to cover Area 2 for me, will you?"
Qin Yang nodded. Area 1 and Area 2 were right next to each other.
Besides, the library had been quiet lately, so managing both areas at once wouldn't be a problem.
This wasn't the first time Qin Yang had done this for Xia He.
After their meal, the two went behind the cafeteria, squatting by the door to smoke and chat.
"Old Qin, have you heard? A Grandmaster from the Imperial Capital is coming to Jianghai City soon. Apparently, this expert is originally from around here."
"A Grandmaster?"
Qin Yang was a little surprised. The Grandmaster Realm was above the Innate Realm.
People of that caliber were incredibly elusive, rarely ever seen.
His recent reading had allowed Qin Yang to get up to speed on this world's Martial Arts.
Once one's Cultivation reached the Grandmaster Realm, they could traverse the void and were surrounded by a Protective Gang Qi that not even a cannon could pierce.
Such power was already beyond the scope of mortals; they were practically terrestrial gods.
'A figure like that is actually coming to Jianghai City?'
"That's right. I heard this Grandmaster used to be a student at Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. He's coming back to visit his alma mater, and to give back, he's even going to give a public lecture."
"This is a Martial Arts lecture from a Grandmaster. Don't you want to go?"
A look of reverence appeared on Xia He's face. In a world where the strong were revered, a Grandmaster was a figure of absolute admiration.
"But we're not students at the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. Can we still go?"
Qin Yang was instantly tempted. He was currently stuck at the Half-step Innate Realm.
'With my aptitude, who knows how long it will take to break through to the Innate Realm.'
'If I could just attend a Grandmaster's Martial Arts lecture, I might find the opportunity I need to break through to the Innate Realm.'
"Don't worry about that. My dad is on good terms with one of the deans at the Jianghai Martial Arts Academy. If you want to go, just leave it to me."
Xia He promised readily. It seemed his family's connections were indeed quite strong.
After work, Qin Yang didn't go straight home. Instead, just like any other day, he found a secluded, open area to practice his Swordsmanship.
After memorizing all the Sword Techniques of the Qingfeng Swordsmanship, Qin Yang had "splurged" five hundred yuan on an Iron Sword he bought online to practice with.
After more than half a month of practice, supported by his Half-step Innate Cultivation, Qin Yang had achieved a preliminary mastery of this Swordsmanship.
...
「The next day.」
Qin Yang arrived at the library on time.
That guy Xia He must have partied way too hard last night. Just as expected, he didn't show up.
'That guy is going to die in some woman's bed one of these days!'
Muttering the jealous curse, Qin Yang went about his usual business of finding a book to read.
'I've learned Qingfeng Swordsmanship. Next, I should find a Body Technique to learn.'
'After all, being a Swordsman is the dream, but a Body Technique is the key to escaping with your life when things get critical.'
'If I can't win a fight, at least I can still run, right?'
After a careful selection process, Qin Yang picked a manual titled "Seven-Star Step Technique" from the shelf.
'The name sounds impressive, but anything placed on the first floor of the library definitely isn't going to be top-tier stuff.'
'Of course, there are always cases of finding a diamond in the rough.'
But that was the kind of treatment reserved for the protagonist of a novel, and Qin Yang knew he wasn't destined for that kind of luck.
Holding the Seven-Star Step Technique manual, Qin Yang went to Area 2 to read.
'Since I promised Xia He, I should help watch over his section, too.'
Just as Qin Yang was immersing himself in the Seven-Star Step Technique, a strand of spider silk slowly descended from the library ceiling.
At the end of the silk strand dangled a small, purple spider, positioned directly above Qin Yang.
A blood-red light seemed to flash for an instant in the purple spider's tiny eyes as its gaze fell upon Qin Yang below.
No!
To be precise, its gaze was fixed on the Seven-Star Step Technique in Qin Yang's hands.
If anyone had been observing closely at that moment, they would have been shocked to discover something.
The purple spider's blood-red eyes were flickering with a shockingly human-like intelligence.
It stared at Qin Yang's manual as if it could actually understand the text, a look of contemplation flashing in its eyes.
"DING! Beast Emperor aura detected. Extreme danger!"
"Host is advised to flee immediately, or your life will be forfeit!"
"Host is advised to flee immediately!"
Qin Yang was completely engrossed in his book when the sudden voice in his mind nearly scared him to death on the spot.
"Damn it!"
When Qin Yang came to his senses, an annoyed expression appeared on his face.
'Scaring people like that can give them a heart attack, you know?'
'System, you may not be human, but you're a real son of a bitch!'
'Damn system!'
However, despite his annoyance, the fact that the long-silent system had suddenly spoken made Qin Yang take the warning seriously.
"DING! Presence of a Beast Emperor has been detected. The Host is advised to follow this suggestion and flee this location immediately. Otherwise, you will not even leave a complete corpse behind!"
Hearing the system's repeated urging, Qin Yang quickly put down the manual in his hands, stood up, and scanned his surroundings.
All Qin Yang could see were rows upon rows of bookshelves and the few scattered patrons who had come in to read.
At the moment, they were all reading quietly.
Remembering the cockroach he had stomped into a mushy pulp last time, Qin Yang's eyes lit up, and he immediately lowered his head to search the floor.
'Could the "Beast Emperor" the system is talking about be some kind of small animal again?'
'If I stomp another one into a pulp, will the system give out another generous reward?'
With this thought in mind, Qin Yang was suddenly motivated and began to search the library.
However, the library floor was spotless; Qin Yang couldn't find so much as an ant.
'Beast Emperor?'
'How could there possibly be a Beast Emperor inside the library?'
'This damn system is acting up again!'