233: Strengthen the foundation

"Interesting."

Zhang Huaiyuan watched the meteors streaking across the starry sky, a hint of awe flashing in his eyes.

"Light waves, frequencies, brightness... Although it's a simple spectrum and number theory game, its design sophistication is definitely not something an ordinary Scholar could achieve."

Laymen watch for the excitement, while experts look for the craft.

With his knowledge, he naturally saw through a puzzle of this level at a glance.

However, the logic and techniques within were well worth learning.

Soon, he located the positions of the seven halos and stepped through them in sequence.

In this universe, he was essentially immortal, and with the protective treasures given by his two teachers, he wasn't worried about his safety.

After a slight dizziness, a massive library came into view.

Thick tomes were neatly arranged on giant metal shelves.

A mechanized electronic voice sounded simultaneously:

"To be able to pass the simple spectrum sequence and number theory game, you must be observant and patient. You are qualified to enter the ruins and begin the true trial."

"This student is ready."

Zhang Huaiyuan scanned around, but even with True Sight, he couldn't discover where the voice was coming from. His heart tightened, and he became more cautious.

"Oh? It seems this candidate is a bit different from the previous fools."

The mechanized voice seemed to fluctuate slightly as it began to repeat the rules from the last time.

"The first round of testing: Reading Ten Thousand Volumes."

"There are a total of... (see Chapter 203 for details)."

"Learn the knowledge from one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred tomes and correct the errors within them..."

Zhang Huaiyuan looked at the hourglass appearing in mid-air and keenly sensed that the flow of time and space around him had instantly changed.

Its intensity far exceeded the effect of a single Sea of Time Tear; even if a thousand years passed here, only an instant would pass outside.

"This saves me from having to ask for leave from the Time Book House."

With no more worries, Zhang Huaiyuan's mind swept over every tome.

At the moment of contact, the hourglass flipped and began to drip.

Zhang Huaiyuan didn't mind; instead, he quickly scanned the general content of each tome and categorized them.

With such a quantity of tomes, if he didn't use a proper method, even with his talent and abilities, he might not finish learning before the hourglass ran out.

"There are 3,122 volumes on Energy Science..."

"There are 2,811 volumes on Material Science..."

"There are 1,921 volumes on Virtual Technology, but surprisingly, only one volume is about intelligent lifeforms..."

"..."

"Good heavens, it can actually automatically generate different libraries based on the candidate?"

Zhang Huaiyuan's amazement grew even deeper.

These were somewhat similar to the previous 'Compulsory Education Tome,' mostly containing content on level 3 rules or below.

Since he had already undergone complete and systematic study of intelligent lifeforms and mastered it, there were almost no related tomes here.

"This isn't a test; it's practically a reward!"

Zhang Huaiyuan had thought he would only get such an opportunity after studying at the Time Book House. He never expected to encounter such a stroke of luck while returning to handle mundane affairs!

Suppressing his excitement.

He quickly finished categorizing all the tomes and began learning, starting with Virtual Technology, the field he had mastered most comprehensively.

"As expected of selected enlightenment tomes, they explain things so meticulously and comprehensively."

"Hmm... there seems to be a problem here. The construction model parameters of the World Virtual Matrix have a 0.01-millimeter error..."

As a pure Scholar, Zhang Huaiyuan soon became completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge.

With his thorough understanding, he hardly had to search for these intentionally planted errors; his gaze would naturally discover them as it swept over the text.

Ten volumes... a hundred... a thousand... By the time he finished reading all 1,921 volumes related to Virtual Technology, the hourglass above had dropped less than one-thousandth of its progress.

Zhang Huaiyuan, however, paid no attention to it at all.

He only took a moment to inject himself with several vials of energy-replenishing and cognitive-enhancing potions before continuing his study of the next subject.

Illusory images condensed around him one after another.

These were manifested by him activating the empowerment stone. By combining experiments with the textbooks, he could master the knowledge faster and better.

In the pursuit of scientific research, one loses track of time.

After an unknown amount of time, when Zhang Huaiyuan subconsciously reached out again, he found that the one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred tomes that had filled the metal shelves had all disappeared.

He felt as though his entire brain was filled with a vast sea of knowledge, and a sense that there were no more secrets in the world spontaneously arose within him.

"Testing ended."

"Time spent: 832 years. All-time ranking: 89."

"Overall evaluation: Excellent."

"Only a solid foundation can help you truly approach the truth. Young Scholar, congratulations on completing the 'Reading Ten Thousand Volumes' trial and achieving a rank in the top one hundred of the all-time leaderboard. You are qualified to enter the next round of testing."

The mechanized electronic voice sounded again, though it carried a bit more warmth than before.

Zhang Huaiyuan, who had been immersed in the illusory sense of omnipotence brought on by the sudden acquisition of vast amounts of knowledge, instantly snapped back to reality.

He said respectfully:

"May I ask what the next round of testing is?"

"No rush."

The voice sounded again:

"According to the rules, candidates who enter the top one hundred of the all-time leaderboard have the right to receive a gift. You may choose one from the following three randomly selected rewards."

As the words fell, three illusory projections appeared.

A yellowed secret manual.

A flickering flame that seemed as if it might go out at any moment.

And a watch-like object.

Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes flashed slightly as he activated his ability to look.

[Magic: Vulcan's Wrath]

Records the incantation and cultivation method for Vulcan's Wrath.

It possesses extreme destructive power and is the most commonly used spell by fire deities.

[A Sliver of World Fire Spark]

It can fold and incinerate thousands of low-level dimensions. If improperly controlled and allowed to return to its complete form, it will cause a massive catastrophe across the All Heavens and Myriad Realms.

[Null-Rate Armor]

When carried, it can generate a piece of armor forged from high-level rules of the technology side, with an extremely high probability of causing any incoming attack to miss.

"This..."

The originally nonchalant Zhang Huaiyuan couldn't help but have his pupils contract slightly.

He had originally thought that a ruin in a lower world would be doing well to provide rewards of level 3 rules. After all, he had only passed a simple trial.

He didn't expect every randomly selected item to be exceptionally precious.

"It seems the origin of these ruins is even more powerful than I imagined."

Zhang Huaiyuan was thoughtful and pointed without hesitation toward the burning flame.

Magic involved rune technology, which wasn't his specialty.

And since he had protective treasures given by his two teachers, he didn't need defensive armor.

Only this item, which looked like an offensive weapon, was the most suitable.

"A World Fire Spark... to think such a thing was drawn... Very well, young Scholar, a word of advice: do not use it lightly until you are certain you can control it."

As the mechanized voice faded.

Two of the projections vanished, and the remaining flame gradually solidified from illusion into reality, falling into a white porcelain bottle.

"I understand."

Zhang Huaiyuan carefully stowed away the porcelain bottle, bowed toward the void, and asked:

"May I ask what the next round of testing is?"

"Truth Chessboard."

...