Chapter 165: Material Sword-Sculpting Art, Secret Code Reappears

"Creak..." The heavy, mottled iron gate groaned against the floor as Dean Westin touched it, slowly swinging open. The identification process was far simpler than anticipated; it seemed the library itself possessed the innate ability to discern the identity of anyone who dared touch its portals.

"Listen, your time is limited. You have twelve hours in total to allocate as you see fit. You may browse any materials you desire and master the knowledge within, but remember: what you do not learn inside cannot be taken out. Your own memory will forcibly erase any unmastered knowledge from your mind the moment you leave."

The gates stood wide. While the structure appeared to be a modest library from the outside, the view within revealed an endless ocean of bookshelves.

It was not the same as the infinite upward staircases and layered tiers Wang Yu had encountered when Father Fang first brought him here. Based on Dean Westin’s words, the rules seemed to have shifted as well.

What remained unchanged was the librarian—a figure with no lower half, drifting through the air, its upper body shrouded in robes. Wang Yu remembered its name was Samuel, though he knew nothing of the entity's true nature.

"Understood. Please, let us enter."

"Dean, I have noted the instructions."

...

The qualified students were anxious, terrified of wasting a single second of this precious opportunity to scour the ocean of knowledge for their own treasures. They surged forward, eager to enter the Great Archive. Little Daniel and the stout boy were among them, both placing immense value on this rare chance.

"The librarian will send you out after twelve hours. This should be the final time this library is opened. Focus on the type of knowledge you seek, and the corresponding books will appear on the nearby shelves, with descriptions displayed on the side. If you are ready, you may enter. The timer begins the moment you step inside."

"As for the opportunity to take a physical object, I am not entirely sure how it works. The two of you with that qualification may ask the librarian, though I cannot guarantee he will answer."

After stating the standard rules, Westin turned to Wang Yu and the other student who held the right to claim a physical artifact, addressing the specific qualification.

"Understood," Wang Yu nodded, signaling his comprehension.

The student who had won the qualification in the competition did the same.

"Very well, you may enter. Good luck." Dean Westin gestured for them to proceed, clapping his hands with a smile and offering his final blessing.

With the Dean’s affirmation, the students stepped into the Great Archive without hesitation, quickly scattering in different directions. It seemed they had researched the Archive beforehand; they needed no guidance on how to extract the knowledge they sought.

Avia exchanged a brief greeting with Wang Yu before heading toward a distant section of the endless shelves. Wang Yu, meanwhile, released his ripples once more, sensing the surrounding environment.

Hmm, it was just as it had been during his last visit: the presence of the Void was virtually non-existent. His ripples gained no enhancement here. How, then, did the library achieve its property of shifting based on the entrant's thoughts?

"Why have you returned? Does Fang Stuart enjoy exploiting the loopholes in our agreement so much? I promised him that if someone else could awaken the *Codex of Dark Rites*, I would hand it over, but that does not mean allowing those who have already held the qualification to return. Do not profane the value of knowledge..."

As Wang Yu pondered the library’s nature, a familiar voice echoed behind him. Samuel, floating in mid-air, spoke with his characteristically impatient tone.

It was clear the librarian was displeased by Wang Yu’s return, mistakenly assuming his purpose was to claim the *Codex of Dark Rites* he had bypassed during his previous visit.

"My apologies, you’ve misunderstood. I am here only because of the qualification granted by Stevenson Academy. This visit has nothing to do with that Codex; I simply wish to find knowledge that might be useful to me."

Wang Yu waved a hand. He hadn't come for the *Codex*. He wondered what kind of agreement Father Fang had made with Samuel—had the librarian refused to give him the book last time, only to be willing now?

"Is that so?" Samuel’s tone turned eerie. His floating form circled Wang Yu, his words heavy with suspicion.

"I have no interest in that thing. It would be of very limited help to my growth. My talent as a wizard is already abysmal; why would I ever choose that?"

Wang Yu frowned. Why was this entity so obsessed with the *Codex*? He certainly wouldn't choose it—with his poor wizarding talent, it would be useless to him.

"Poor wizarding talent? Impossible. Then how did you awaken it?"

Wang Yu’s explanation failed to dispel Samuel’s doubt; instead, it only fueled more speculation about his true motives.

"How should I know how I awakened that Knight’s Secret Technique? It’s a Knight’s technique, not some wizarding art. If I really do awaken the *Codex* again, I’ll just refuse it, won't I?"

Wang Yu didn't know how to convince the stubborn librarian, so he could only promise that if he encountered the Knight’s technique again, he would not even look at it.

"No, that is the agreement between Fang and me. Regardless of whether you want it, if the book is awakened by you again, I will give it to you. However, based on your words, it seems you truly are not here for it, nor do you possess any wizarding talent."

Samuel paused for a few seconds after hearing Wang Yu’s explanation, and his tone softened from suspicion to something slightly less hostile.

Wang Yu was baffled. He had assumed Samuel was no longer annoyed because he had rejected the *Codex*, but Samuel had just insisted he would give it to him anyway. What, then, had changed the librarian's mind?

"Why did you suddenly believe my purpose isn't the *Codex*? And if there are no other issues, I’d like to begin searching for the knowledge I need..."

Wang Yu pursed his lips. As long as Samuel stopped bothering him, it was for the best. He truly did want to find something useful in this unique library.

"The *Codex of Dark Rites* is not as simple as you imagine. It is a door between the material world and the Void. When a qualified person awakens it, they should see the changes it will bring them. A wizard would glimpse the mysteries of the Void, and a mage would find their spirit protected from the Void's corruption. What did you see?"

Samuel’s tone grew lighter, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible hint of amusement.

"I saw a Knight’s Secret Technique that allows for the conversion between battle aura and Void energy..." Wang Yu felt speechless. Was his wizarding talent so poor that he couldn't even derive any benefit from it?

"Correct. It seems your claim of poor talent is accurate. You didn't even perceive the *Codex's* impact on your path as a wizard. This is beyond mere lack of talent; I even doubt you are a wizard at all. And yet, why was it awakened by you?"

Samuel ceased his questioning and, leaving those words behind, turned and drifted away.

"Go find your useful knowledge. This is the last time this library will open. I hope you find what you seek. Since the library is closing, I have no desire to dwell on why the *Codex* was awakened by you last time. Let us call it an accident."

Wang Yu shook his head, having no intention of digging deeper. Still, according to Samuel, sufficient talent was required to awaken the *Codex*. Did Avia have enough...?

...

"Methods for awakening Inner Potential..." Wang Yu thought of his goal, just as he had when choosing his Knight’s technique, walking through the endless shelves until the blurred spines sharpened into focus.

*Methods of Inner Potential Strengthening*, *Categorical Analysis of Inner Potential*, *Changes in Inner Potential at the Grand Knight Stage*...

Wang Yu scanned the titles on the shelves, reading the descriptions. To his regret, he found that while these books were indeed related to Inner Potential, none explained how to actually awaken it.

It seemed that in this world, awakening Inner Potential was viewed as a natural, inevitable progression. How to awaken it was not a question one was supposed to ask; once one reached the rank of Official Knight, one was simply expected to possess it.

"This is terrible. I thought I’d find a way to awaken my Inner Potential here. To think that even this place lacks the answer. Is this body, imported directly from Earth, truly that unique?"

Wang Yu felt a headache coming on. He had pinned his hopes on this archive, only to find nothing.

He looked at his hands. The unique nature of this body from Earth had granted him many advantages, but now, it seemed to be the very thing hindering his awakening. He sighed.

"Forget it. If there is no relevant information, there is no help for it. But, perhaps I can change my perspective..."

Wang Yu mused for a moment. Though disappointed, he realized that obtaining a power similar to Inner Potential might be a viable alternative.

"Knight’s Secret Techniques allow a Squire to possess abilities akin to an Official Knight’s Inner Potential. Essentially, they are imitations. 'Bloody Gale' is one such example."

"But Knight’s techniques lack the sheer power to alter the material world that Inner Potential possesses. Could I find a technique closest to Inner Potential and learn it to bridge the gap?"

A new path opened in his mind. He continued walking, no longer thinking of "awakening," but of the "Knight’s technique closest to Inner Potential."

He stopped before a shelf. Among a sea of blurred books, one stood out, clear and solitary: *Material Sword-Shaping Art*.

He raised an eyebrow and picked it up. As he flipped through the pages, he was surprised to find that, in a sense, this was not a Knight’s technique at all. Was it even cruder?

Rather than being close to Inner Potential, this *Material Sword-Shaping Art* felt more like a primitive Knight’s technique.

The content was actually a specialized technique for manipulating battle aura. It was no different in essence from "Defense" or "Penetration"—it was simply a more peculiar application.

"Let me see..." Wang Yu studied it carefully. He noted that while his time had increased from one hour to twelve, the supernatural ability to instantly comprehend the contents had vanished.

This time, he would have to rely entirely on himself to read and master the application of this art.

"Thankfully, although my academic level isn't high, this book is much simpler than a standard Knight’s technique."

Compared to techniques that required circulating battle aura into specific forms and integrating them into the body, this was far less demanding. Even a man of Wang Yu’s limited scholarly talent faced few obstacles in understanding it.

Five hours passed in the blink of an eye. Wang Yu had diligently read through the *Material Sword-Shaping Art* and gained a general grasp of its principles.

He had to admit, once realized, the application of battle aura in this art did indeed carry a shadow of Inner Potential.

The technique was exactly as the title suggested: it allowed the user to transform any material into a blade. It possessed a certain unreasonable, almost thuggish quality that broadened Wang Yu’s horizons.

The principle, as he understood it, was to inject battle aura in a specific form into other materials—stone, steel, even liquids or abstract concepts like moonlight...

Then, in a way Wang Yu found quite brazen, one simply treated these infused materials as an extension of oneself, forcibly altering their state into the form of a blade. It was miraculous; he had never known battle aura could be used in such a way.

"The practicality isn't very high. The models provided only cover the shaping of longswords, which isn't much help to me. But perhaps, with further research and development, I could shape any material into any form I desire?"

Wang Yu pondered; if he were to apply the contents of this book mechanically, its utility would be severely limited. However, if he were to develop it further, much like he had with the Blood-Soaked Gale Knight’s secret arts, he believed this manual on aura manipulation techniques could prove immensely valuable.

The immediate priority was to master this knowledge. Since he could not conduct experiments with the library’s property, he decided, with a shrug, to use his own blood.

He reflected that the most crucial task was to internalize the book’s teachings. Though he did not believe his memory would be compromised by the library’s peculiar properties, he deemed it safer to master this craft within the Great Archive itself.

There was no raw material here for him to mold into blades. While he carried his Furnace Rage and various potions, he feared wasting them on failed experiments, leaving his own blood as the only viable medium.

He sliced his tough skin with a small blade, channeling the Blood-Soaked Gale Knight’s arts to draw blood from the wound in his palm, where it pooled into a small, crimson puddle.

Once enough blood had gathered, the secret art autonomously stanched the flow, and his body began to mend the incision—a testament to his absurd, peerless regenerative abilities.

He dipped a finger from his other hand into the pool of blood, channeling his aura through ripples that radiated from his fingertip into the fluid. Wang Yu held a unique advantage: his ability to imbue his ripples with the essence of his very being.

While other knights struggled with the complex structures required to project and reconstruct their aura, Wang Yu could pre-construct these patterns within himself and transmit them to matter via his ripples.

Following the structures detailed in the book, he channeled his aura into the blood. Under the influence of his power, the liquid began to shift, transitioning from a fluid state toward a solid, gaining rigidity and beginning to take shape.

Crack. The blood, already mid-transformation, emitted a sharp sound as its hardening surface fractured into a pile of useless grit.

Failure. The details of the aura structure must have been slightly off. He stared at the debris in his palm—hardly a sword—and, having identified the flaw, prepared to try again.

Attempt after attempt ended in failure; the art of material sword-shaping was far more difficult than he had anticipated. The process of treating the aura-infused matter as an extension of his own body proved arduous.

Each time he neared success, a strange sense of "estrangement" intervened, as if the inanimate matter were rejecting him. He realized he needed to conquer it with greater force and fluidity.

Time slipped away through his repeated trials. After another four hours, Wang Yu finally neared success. The sheer volume of practice had honed his skill; the aura structure snapped into place, and with the aid of his ripples, a gentle touch suffused the blood with his power. He set the aura in motion, embraced the blood as a part of himself, and commanded its form.

Swiftly, the liquid hardened, shifting its silhouette until a crimson longsword, forged from his own blood, lay resting in his palm.

Small, perhaps, but the hardness is surprisingly impressive; it has even altered the fundamental properties of the material.

He pinched the "blood sword"—which, due to the scarcity of material, was little more than a dagger—and felt a surge of satisfaction. It was a success. The strength of the blade, transformed by his aura, rivaled that of a standard refined iron sword, a tool that would undoubtedly prove effective in combat.

Hm?

His ripples suddenly caught a disturbance. A figure stood behind him: Samuel. The entity was watching him, seemingly scrutinizing his work.

Why are you here? Wang Yu turned to address the figure who had appeared so abruptly. Samuel seemed capable of manifesting or vanishing at will within the library, leaving no trace of its arrival.

The Dark Ritual Codex has appeared once more. I came to see if it was you, but it seems it is not. Another candidate has emerged.

It has appeared again? Wang Yu blinked.