Edward followed the old librarian to the underground path. The passage was dark, and nothing could be seen. There was an old and rusty smell hovering around, giving Edward a feeling like he was traveling in some ancient runes.

"Oh, my bad. I forgot about the lighting.", the old librarian suddenly exclaimed. He then raised his right hand, and his hand started glowing. He flicked his fingers and instantly, something shot out from his hand and spread in every direction. Soon, candles lit up one by one on both sides of the passageway. It seems the old man used the energy of his qi to light up the candles.

"He used his qi to light the candles. His qi had traces of fire energy. In that case, he has already gained an attribute for his qi. That means he is at the middle levels of the Qi Accumulation Realm. It seems my earlier estimation based on his aura was not completely correct. Well, it can't be helped. My own cultivation is still not high enough, and I still lack experience. ", Edward murmured.

Although Edward literally whispered these words to himself, the old librarian, being an expert with powerful martial cultivation and great observation, managed to hear everything Edward had just said. Hearing those words, he almost choked.

"The hell! Just how sharp is he? And how deep is his knowledge of cultivation?", the old librarian screamed in his mind.

They kept walking in the long passageway. Due to the total silent environment, all that could be heard was their footsteps. Along with the dancing light of the candles, it created a unique environment.

Soon, they reached near a door. the door was thick, heavy, and tough-looking. It looked like it was made of a material of higher grade than the one used for the door of the freshman student's main hall room. The library door was made of a grade 3 material, so this door should be made of one of the better materials within grade 3, or it could even be grade 4.

"Is the door made of a grade 3 material or a grade 4 material?", asked Edward.

"No, not grade 3. It is made of a grade 4 material called 'Hard Shield Ore'.", replied the old librarian.

"Hard Shield Ore? How tough is that?"

"It is a special kind of ore. Normally, this ore is used for making shields for the elite soldiers within the royal army. This Ore is tough to break even for Qi Accumulation realm warriors. The higher the purity, the tougher the object made of this ore becomes. Shields made of this material has normally low to mid-level purity, but the door was made of a high purity level ore. This door is so tough that even I can not break it. Even peak Qi Accumulation Realm cultivators have to use every bit of their strength to break this door. Are you impressed?", the old librarian said with a proud tone.

"Not really.", Edward replied nonchalantly.

"YOU BRAT! You are way too complacent!", the old librarian shouted.

"I don't think so. It's just I already have seen things of such a scale that I don't even know what to think.", Edward said. This time, there was a depressive air in his voice.

This reply was quite intriguing to the old librarian. He was really curious. 'Just what kind of expert cultivators did this brat meet?', he wondered.

"Anyway, this door can only be opened by me. I have to charge it up with my own qi, and after being charged up for a while, it will open. So, we have to wait for several minutes.", said the old librarian.

"I understand. By the way senior, what should I call you?", Edward asked suddenly.

"You are asking that now? We have talked for so long already. Well, now that you have asked, you can call me 'Old Summer'."

"Old Summer?", Edward was surprised.

"Yes"

"Wouldn't it be more appropriate for me to call you 'honorable principal' ?" asked Edward.

"Damned brat! You even figured that part out?"

"It was an easy guess after seeing your token."

"Well, still, you are sharp as ever.", the old librarian chuckled. "Anyway, as I've said, you can call me 'Old summer'. I wouldn't mind.", he said with sincerity.

"Such privilege! Why are you giving me such a special treatment? I understand the part where you gave me a lot of freedom in the library, but even a student with extraordinary results shouldn't get such treatment from the academy principal."

"Well, to be frank, you have the same vibe as my older brother.", Old Summer said with a smile.

"Your older brother?", asked Edward.

"He isn't my blood-brother, but the bond is even stronger than blood. We shared the same master. Before our master passed away, he chose him as his successor. Being the disciple of the same master, we are like brothers, and I call him 'big brother'.", Old Summer said.

"Hmm. I get it. But why do you think I have the same vibe as your older brother?", Edward asked. he was really curious.

"It's because you are just like him; wise, smart, sharp, brave, strong-willed and most importantly, a martial-art-addict."

"It seems you really respect your older brother a lot."

"Of course I do. And he is worthy of it. He is strong, very strong. In fact, he is so strong that I can not even begin to understand what cultivation realm he is in. The last time we met, he was already at the peak of the Aura Formation realm, and that was more than 20 years ago. Every single person in the Green Veil Country respected him greatly. There was no one in the surrounding 100 countries who hadn't heard the fame of Old Winter. And right now, I can't even imagine what realm he is in."

"Wow. He is that strong? I really hope I can meet him someday. If he really is a martial-art addict like me as you've said, then there is a lot I can learn from him. You said he is called Old Winter, right?"

"Yes."

"By the way, how do you know so much about my personal qualities?", asked Edward.

"Hehe. Actually, this year, I was secretly overseeing the selection exams. In fact, it was my decision to make the selection exams many times harder this year. While I was secretly observing the participants, I saw your performance. Especially your fight with the Grade 2 Wolf-Beast at the end. I was totally ready to save you when you were about to die at the hands of that beast but then your aura suddenly changed. Even I was shocked by the way you managed to battle and beat the grade 2 beast after that."

"So that's how it is. But shouldn't you have tried to save me earlier than that?"

"Well, I wanted to see what you would do in a near-death situation. And well, you really didn't disappoint me. Instead, you surprised me by killing the beast. I was shocked when I saw your cultivation level rise up as the battle dragged on. I have never seen someone battle like that, especially someone from the young generation. Why did you fight like that, taking such a big risk for no good reason? That was literally suicide.

"Well, in the end, I didn't die, did I?"

"But still, why would you fight in such a way?"

Hearing the question, Edward was silent for a while. Then, he took a deep breath.

"I wouldn't normally say this, but since you are being very frank with me, I'll tell you. It is because of a certain someone I like. I have to find her, reach her, and become strong enough to be with her. For that, I can never run. If I run away from these small challanges, then how can I face the truly big challenge of reaching her? Let alone the fact that being worthy of her would be an even bigger challenge."

"From the way you are talking, it sounds like the person you like is somehow linked with the powerful cultivators you met. Am I right to assume it is true?

Edward didn't reply. He just sighed deeply.

"So, that's how it is, ha? It seems a long journey of struggle awaits you. Well, from now on, instead of thinking of me as the principal, you can think of me as your friend. I wouldn't act like a senior just because of my older age and higher cultivation level. From what I've seen from you, you will soon surpass me. But maybe just surpassing me wouldn't be enough for you, as your goal lies far, far ahead.", Old Summer said with a heavy tone. His words were his genuine feelings.

He removed a bracelet from his hand and gave it to Edward.

"Keep it with you", he said. I know you will be out on your journey after graduating from the academy. When you do, if you find my brother, show him this bracelet. He will help you on my behalf. With his help, I believe you can reach your goal."

Edward took the bracelet. Then he bowed in front of Old Summer. There was respect in his eyes.

"Thank you, senior. I do not know how to repay this gratitude.", he said.

"If you really are grateful, then stop calling me senior, and call me Old Summer. Being able to become a friend of someone with great wisdom, courage, and potential like you will be enough for me.", old summer said with a smile.

At that moment, the door finished getting charged up by old summer's qi, and with a loud metallic sound, it slowly opened.