Star Martial Era: From Mortal to Emperor

Chapter 36 A Strange Encounter at the Ancient Books Museum

That weekend, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Chen got up. The morning light streamed through the gaps in the curtains, like golden threads weaving a warm ribbon of light along the edge of the bed. In the distance, the faint chirping of early birds could be heard, crisp and short, as if afraid to disturb anyone's sleep. Lin Chen took a deep breath; the air carried the unique coolness of early autumn, mingled with the faint, sweet fragrance of the osmanthus trees outside the window. He had originally planned to visit Old Master Su at the Su family home with Su Muyue, to hear the old man recount those long-buried stories. However, early in the morning, his phone vibrated. Su Muyue had sent a message saying she had been temporarily summoned by the family to handle an urgent array matter—the Su family, as a renowned array family in Qingyang City, often had to deal with various sudden fluctuations in array patterns. This time, it seemed that an auxiliary array in the south of the city had deviated, requiring her assistance in repairing it. Reading the message, Lin Chen could imagine her frowning, her fingers flying across the array plate, sketching array patterns. He nodded understandingly, typed a reply telling her to be careful, and added a "be careful" emoji at the end. After putting down his phone, he looked at the sky gradually brightening outside the window and thought that since the plan to go to the Su family's house was temporarily put on hold, he might as well take advantage of this rare free time to visit the school's ancient book library.

The Provincial Key Ancient Books Museum is located in the northwest corner of the campus, a magnificent seven-story ancient-style building. From a distance, its flying eaves and brackets resemble a roc spreading its wings. Dark green moss climbs the blue bricks and gray tiles. Two stone guardian beasts at the entrance, weathered by time, have had their patterns worn smooth, but their stone eyes still shine brightly, as if watching everyone who enters and exits. Pushing open the door, a calm sandalwood fragrance wafts out, mixed with the unique smell of paper and ink. This is the largest collection of ancient martial arts books in the province, housing hundreds of thousands of ancient books, covering almost all important documents from the early days of the spiritual energy revival to the present. The ancient fragments section on the fourth floor contains many precious documents from the early days of the spiritual energy revival a thousand years ago, including the original record of the first Martial Emperor setting up the evil-suppressing formation, rubbings of manuscripts from the first ancestors of various families, and some long-lost fragments of martial arts techniques. Lin Chen looked up at the spiraling stone steps and thought to himself: I'll try my luck there. Maybe I can find some information about the Star Martial Inheritance and the method of reinforcing the seal. Ever since I heard from Su Muyue about the Wang family's collusion with the evil race, I have wanted to learn more about the secrets of the Demon Suppression Array.

At the entrance to the ancient books library stood an elderly man with white hair. He wore a faded gray cloth shirt and leaned back in his chair like a withered tree trunk. Without looking up, he waved his hand, his knuckles distinct, his skin covered with age spots. His movements were slow but carried an undeniable composure, indicating that Lin Chen could register and enter on his own. Lin Chen took out his student ID from his pocket, swiped it at the registration desk, and the machine beeped softly. Then he climbed the spiral stone staircase. The steps were made of bluestone, each worn smooth by countless footsteps. The first to third floors were the general ancient books section, with students and researchers coming and going. Occasionally, the rustling of turning pages and hushed conversations could be heard, like the distant buzzing of bees. But upon reaching the fourth floor, the number of people suddenly dwindled. A faded wooden sign even hung at the stairwell, reading "Ancient Scrolls Area - Handle with Care - No Rubbing." The lettering was somewhat blurred by time, but the care once taken in its creation was still evident. Lin Chen pushed open the heavy wooden door. The hinges creaked softly, and a musty smell wafted out—the scent of paper, ink, wood, and the passage of time, like an old book sealed away in a cellar for decades being reopened. A faint musty smell mingled with the fragrance of books, making one feel as if transported back a thousand years.

The fourth floor was spacious, but the bookshelves weren't densely packed; ample aisles separated each row. Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the high windows on the side of the dome, casting countless tiny dust particles suspended in the beams of light. These particles drifted slowly, like golden snowflakes dancing in the air. There was almost no one else there, except for a researcher dozing at a long table in the corner. His glasses were askew, an open ancient book resting under his arm, and his breathing was even and heavy. Lin Chen moved silently among the bookshelves like a cat, his fingers brushing against the yellowed pages. When his fingertips touched the rough, brittle paper, he could feel a strange warmth, as if the paper still retained the body heat of the writer from a thousand years ago. He perused the books one by one: "Chronicle of the First Year of Spiritual Qi," "Collection of Sayings of the First Martial Emperor," "Study on the Formation Diagram of the Great Demon-Suppressing Array," "Illustrated Compendium of Ancient Ferocious Beasts," and more. Most of the fragments were incomplete; some were missing beginnings, others endings, and some had dozens of pages riddled with holes from insects, with tiny brown insect droppings still visible inside. Truly complete and valuable information was scarce. Undeterred, Lin Chen patiently read through each page, silently memorizing the information he could find about star power and seals. After memorizing each section, he would mentally review it, like an archaeologist piecing together fragments of pottery.

Just as he was about to leave the fourth floor and plan to come back another day, something unexpected happened.

The silver stellar martial aura above his head—that wisp of stellar power root hidden deep within his ancestral aperture, a source only he could perceive—suddenly trembled violently! The tremor wasn't pain, but a powerful sense of resonance, like two magnets attracting each other, or like a long-lost friend suddenly calling his name in a sea of ​​people in the darkness. Lin Chen abruptly stopped, one foot dangling in mid-air, holding his breath; the surrounding air seemed to freeze. He closed his eyes, only the sound of his own heartbeat remaining in his ears—thump, thump, faster and faster. He carefully sensed the direction of the summons; it came from the deepest shelf to his left, located on the…top shelf. Lin Chen opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the rows of bookshelves, landing on that dark corner.