Chapter 609: Peak Sage Tier Level
After defeating the Level 18 Dino Warrior energy construct, Vlad felt the familiar tug of spatial manipulation as he was transferred to yet another library floor. The weight of excitement in his chest grew more intense as he understood that the knowledge contained in these Sage-level books could directly bolster his cultivation, which still lingered at the Guardian Tier. Any insight into Sage-level methods would be a boon to his foundations, paving the way for future breakthroughs.
When the swirling light receded, Vlad immediately noticed that this floor differed greatly from those he had visited at lower levels. Instead of the dozens of shelves, there were a mere seven here. Each shelf contained fewer than fifteen books.
Approaching them carefully, Vlad observed the delicate inscriptions above each shelf. Some were straightforward enough: one bore an emblem of a sword and shield, implying martial or warrior-focused techniques. Another displayed a fireball, likely indicating a mage or elemental path. But a few were less obvious: one portrayed radiant light pouring down from the sky, suggesting divine or holy arts, while another depicted an array of shifting geometric shapes whose meaning was not immediately clear.
[You have passed the Peak Guardian Combat Trial. You may choose one book. Any attempt to bypass these restrictions by magical or other means will lead to immediate expulsion.]
The robotic voice echoed again, and A glowing number 1 appeared above Vlad’s right hand, confirming the single-item limit. He narrowed his eyes, aware that each new level of the library imposed tighter restrictions. Yet these constraints mattered little if he could continue using his A.I. Chip to copy the texts without physically removing them. Stepping closer, he extended his hand toward the runic barrier guarding the nearest shelf.
Reaching through the intangible field, he allowed his fingertips to brush the spine of a tome. Immediately, he summoned the scanning tendrils of the A.I. Chip. Even though there were so few books here, the knowledge within them felt dense, layered, and labyrinthine. The scanning process took notably longer, requiring nearly five full minutes just to complete one shelf of fourteen volumes.
"Good thing I only need to copy the data," Vlad murmured to himself. "If I had to actually decipher these Sage-tier tomes on the spot, I could be stuck here for weeks...maybe even months."
With a final mental command, he moved to the next shelf, spending another careful stretch of time scanning each tome.
Over the course of thirty-one minutes, he repeated this process for all seven shelves, storing every bit of data in the A.I. Chip. Only then did he withdraw, exhaling with relief at having gathered so much high-tier knowledge without triggering any alarms.