Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

A new path is dawning

After the elder left, life seemed to return to peace. Daily practice, coupled with Hao Yang's clumsy yet gentle care, gradually made me forget the fear of transmigrating and the worries about the future. My injuries had mostly healed, and I could walk and even resume sword training. But occasionally, in my dreams, I'd think of my modern family, and a dull ache would well within me.

Hao Yang seemed to sense my worries and held my hand. The warm touch conveyed his determination. "Yaoyao, don't worry. No matter what, I will be with you." His words were simple, but they had an inexplicable power that reassured me.

That day, I was practicing swordplay in the courtyard. I finished a set and was about to call it a day when Elder Wei hurried in, his expression serious. "Yaoyao, there's news!" He spoke quickly, his voice filled with a hint of excitement he couldn't conceal.

I hurried forward and asked, "Elder, is this about the method of reversing time?"

Elder Wei took a deep breath. "It's better than turning back time! We've found an opportunity to completely change your fate."

My heart was struck. What could be better than returning to the modern era? "What is it?" I asked eagerly.

"The legendary...Spirit Pearl." Elder Wei spoke each word with great emphasis, as if the name carried a tremendous amount of power.

"Spirit Pearl?" I'd seen records of it in ancient books. It was said to possess the power to change the world, even defy fate. However, it was only a legend; no one had ever actually seen one.

"Yes, according to the information we've received, the spirit pearl is hidden in an ancient relic." Elder Wei's eyes gleamed. "If you can obtain it, not only can you escape the fate of a villain, but it can also..." He paused, as if choosing his words, "It can also grant you any wish."

Fulfill any wish? A huge hope surged in my heart. Could it be... could I really return to the modern era? I looked at Hao Yang. He also had a burning gaze. He held my hand tightly and said firmly, "Yaoyao, let's try!"

I knew this was a road fraught with danger. The mere thought of these ancient ruins was terrifying. But the allure of the Spirit Pearl was too great. It represented hope, a possible future for me.

Over the next few days, we began to gather all the information we could about the ruins. We pored over ancient books, maps, and even ancient legends. However, the more information we gathered, the heavier my heart became. The ruins were surrounded by powerful restrictions and traps, guarded by mysterious guardians. Almost no one could escape alive...

"Yaoyao," Hao Yang's voice brought me back to reality from my contemplation. He handed me a tattered sheepskin map. "I found some clues..." He pointed to a mark on the map. "Here..."

Where Hao Yang pointed, on the edge of the map, was a name written in simple, ancient characters: "Wuwangzhijing." Just the name itself evoked a strange sense of oppression. I took the map and examined it carefully. The tattered edges and faded ink betrayed its age.

"This map...where did you find it?" I asked.

"Elder Wei gave it to me, saying it was obtained from his adventures when he was young. It might be helpful to us." Hao Yang replied.

I nodded and carefully put the map away. The elders didn't give us much information, only that the ruins were located on the snowy plateau in the far north, covered in ice and snow year-round, creating an extremely harsh environment. And this "Wuwang Realm" seemed to be the entrance to the ruins.

I subconsciously called the system, hoping to get more information about the ruins. However, the system's cold, mechanical voice responded, "Insufficient permissions, unable to query."

Insufficient permissions? This was the first time I'd encountered this. In the past, no matter what problems I'd faced, the system had always provided assistance, but this time, it wasn't working. My heart sank. Were we really on our own this time?

A feeling of powerlessness washed over me. These past few days, I'd pored over nearly every record of the ancient ruins, but nothing was forthcoming, only scattered legends and warnings. Those fragments, pieced together, painted a picture of a perilous place: powerful restrictions capable of instantly reducing a person to ash, deadly traps impossible to guard against, and mysterious guardians said to possess the power to annihilate the world...

Just when we were at our wit's end, Elder Wei reappeared, holding an ancient book. "Yaoyao, Haoyang, perhaps this book can help you."

I took the book. The cover was blank, just a few intricate lines that felt strange to the touch. I carefully opened it, and a faint scent of ink washed over me. The pages were yellowed, and the text was obscure and difficult to understand, like some ancient rune.

"This is..." I looked at Elder Wei in confusion.

"This is a secret book that our clan has guarded for generations. It contains some information about ancient ruins." Elder Wei explained, "However, these words have been lost for many years, and I can only decipher part of it."

A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart, and I hurriedly began to study it carefully. Hao Yang also came over and studied these strange runes together.

Time passed, we immersed ourselves in the world of ancient books, trying to decipher the mysteries within. However, these runes were too obscure, and our progress was slow, we could only barely understand some fragments.

"It seems that this relic is more complicated than we imagined." I sighed and rubbed my sore eyes.

"Yes," Hao Yang was also a little frustrated, "These runes seem to describe a special energy, but we can't understand what it is yet."

Elder Wei patted our shoulders and encouraged us, "Don't be discouraged. Take your time. There will always be a way."

I nodded, took a deep breath, and looked at the ancient book again. Suddenly, my eyes stopped at one of the pages. There was a strange pattern on it, like a door, surrounded by complex runes. I pointed at the pattern and said to Hao Yang, "Look, this..."

Hao Yang also saw the pattern, and his eyes lit up, "Could this be... the entrance to the Unforeseen Realm?"

My heart trembled, and an inexplicable premonition came over me. I looked at Elder Wei, and he also had a thoughtful expression.

"Perhaps..." Elder Wei pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Perhaps this is the answer we have been looking for..." He paused, his eyes falling on the map in our hands, "Get ready, let's go."

I gripped the map tightly in my hand, a chill spreading through my fingertips. I knew that what awaited us ahead would be an adventure full of unknowns... I looked at Hao Yang, who was packing some necessary items into his backpack, his eyes firm and calm.

"Yaoyao," he raised his head and smiled at me, "Let's go."

I nodded, put the ancient book into my backpack, and followed him out of the room. Outside, the wind and snow howled...