Kairos looked at the two emblems in his hands. The access to the library is a high honour only for the instructors of the school and those special research students.

There is no doubt that he would benefit greatly from this, and he already has an idea on the exact thing to research on. Time-space Stratagems.

The very next day, he skipped his morning class and went to the Stratagem library.

He walked to the furthest corner of the academy compound where the staff buildings are. In this place, there are living quarters of the instructors, the storage places for the cultivation resources and also where the many libraries are situated.

He quickly found his destination and walk towards a small building. However, when he came closer to the door, he sensed a strange stillness in the air.

“There’s something wrong with this place!”

Kairos took several quick steps backwards, but the strangeness did not fade away, and instead, an evil force appear to surround him like the claws of a predator stretched out.

He looked around cautiously. The very scene appeared so normal that it is unreal to his eyes.

A sudden prickly feeling on his skin caused him to dodge to his side. He had moved by instinct, and he immediately took a low position to make himself a smaller target. Then, he looked at the place he had escaped from.

His original spot appeared undisturbed. There was no attack like he was expecting.

“That’s odd. I definitely felt something.”

The entire place looked absolutely normal to him, even the smell and the silence of the early morning seemed as though nothing is amiss. The sun shone down cheerily at him, and the birds chirped their morning songs, yet he still believes that there is something out of place.

Kairos trusted his instincts honed from the battles he had before. Furthermore, he had felt a similar sensation once before, as if he was trapped in an endless maze.

“This feels like… The Phrixus treasury? There is surely an illusion stratagem here.”

Stratagems invoke miraculous abilities through altering the environment, and their effects happen through the use of items with great power, runes or even the natural environment itself.

Kairos had read that there are even basic illusion Stratagems found in nature, at places where heat and light cause mirages. Seafarers and desert travellers often bring back stories of strange sights they had seen.

However, Stratagems are not just limited to visual illusion, but anything that could throw a person’s five senses into disarray. Music and poison, for example, are most frequently used in such Stratagems, and the only way to counter it is by identifying the cause.

Kairos activated all of his discernment skills, his Soul Perception, Veritable Sight and the Static reading he newly mastered. And immediately the different information he received assailed him.

Through his Soul Perception and Static Reading, he could feel that there are powerful, invisible energies here.

But it was his Veritable Sight that finally revealed what is wrong in this area.

He had not noticed it at first, but his glowing golden eyes quickly shown him Runes that are concealing the truth. When he deciphered it, he could see past a powerful illusion shrouding everything in the area.

His vision zoomed in to a dark copper plate that hung above the doors to the Stratagem library.

“That’s the cause of the phenomenon.”

The plate is an extraordinary artefact made to simulate the effects of a proper Stratagem that is activated by the precise placement of objects of power. Though this object is unable to portray the full strength of an actual array, it can conveniently project a similar force upon an area.

When Kairos looked at the plate carefully, he recognised some of the formations etched upon it.

“The Four Great Combat Stratagems?!”

Kairos had not known this, but when he received the access emblems to the library, the other instructors and the senior research students were extremely appalled.

This boy is merely a second-year student, yet he was allowed into the most sacred place of the Stratagem Masters’ study. The students felt as though their hearts were trodden by him, an untested upstart in their field. Then, a few senior research students decided to set up a trap to humiliate him.

The Four Great Combat Stratagems is a powerful trap that could cause all sorts of troubles to an unsuspecting victim.

The illusion that Kairos experienced is merely a cloak, hiding the more dangerous arrays.

The door to the library has been barred with a stalwart barrier Stratagem. Around it, there are trap arrays which will immobilise his movements. And, in many different sections, including the place he just dodged from, there are destruction arrays in place.

“Seems like they really want to stop me from reaching the library.”

A few senior students in hiding grinned to themselves at his plight, feeling a sense of superiority.

“Hah, he thinks he can just enter? Fat hope.”

“Of course, it took us so many years to gain access to this place. Why should he be able to enter it on just the second day?”

But when they peeked at Kairos, they did not see the panic they expected on him. Kairos looked carefully around, observing the array he had walked in.

How could those who attempted this on him have known that he only considers this Stratagem trap a great learning tool?

Though he had created quite a few formations and studied a book on it, this is the first time he laid eyes upon a Stratagem that someone else created. And, it allowed him to compare himself to the others.

After some time, he confidently rose from his position and strode towards the door.

With his first step, Kairos walked into a destruction array.

The research students that saw this had to stifle a laugh from bursting forth.

“Fool!” someone whispered.

Immediately, the air cooled and sharp ice bolts hurled towards his legs.

“Ah! Aisa, isn’t this rather similar to magic spells?”

He asked unhurriedly with a thought while dodging the attack. There are three main ways to destroy a Stratagem.

The first way is by speed.

With his Lightning Flicker Body, it is simple for him to do so.

Aisa groggily woke up and replied.

Stratagems and magic circles are the same things.

Hehe.

They both invoke speeeecial effects by using energy. It is just that the source of energy needed is different.

The force that powers a magic circle is, of course, mana. Whereas, Stratagems are powered by the Heavenly Energies that exists in everything. In other words, the land’s energy before being cultivated into Ki.

When practitioners take in the energy, they will then turn it into the elements they are cultivating, which is why people train faster in places abundant with the elements they have affinities with.

For Kairos who cultivates all sixteen elements, it doesn’t make his cultivation speed slower than someone who only cultivates one type because the energy amount for each cultivation ranking is about the same.

Kairos thought on Aisa’s explanation on Stratagems for a moment.

In his understanding, the energy that he uses, Origin Energy, is the original force of energy for martial arts. It is the power of life itself, controlled freely by one’s spirit.

This energy is the source of internal energy, Ki, the physical strength and stamina, mana itself, and even the spirit energy that one’s soul generates.

But until now, why there wasn’t there much application of Origin Energy?

“Aisa, what if I empower Stratagems or Magic circles using Origin Energy instead?”

Eh!? Origin Energy is too powerful... Kairos will go BOOOOOOM!!!

P...please don’t...? Aisa don't want to say bye bye to Kairos yet~

“Uhh… alright.”

Kairos backed away from his idea immediately, but in his heart, he had not given up on such a possibility.

The research students were disappointed that Kairos had easily sidestepped the Ice bolts.

“Just a fluke!” They assured themselves.

Then, Kairos walked into another section, where the Trap array is placed. Immediately, invisible fetters made of an odd energy wrapped themselves around his limbs.

He is fully tangled within seconds, and at the same time, a metal ball materialised in mid-air and rocketed towards him. Its speed, while spectacular, is nothing short of what Kairos could not handle, but rooted as he is, there is no way he could avoid the impending blow.

The research students leaned forward in anticipation. Any student that receives such an impact would no doubt be crippled or even killed. However, Kairos looked past the illusions and gave an unfazed smile towards the directions where those research students are hiding.

A feeling of unease washed over them when they saw the smile, then the next moment, the silver ball struck onto Kairos’ chest.

The second way to destroy a Stratagem is with pure force.

A tremendous power exploded from him, and the metal that just touched his skin shattered into dust, even the invisible chains that held him had ripped apart.

From where he stood cracks began to appear, and the entire ground trembled with force.

Those that saw this turned pale with fright. There wasn’t a strand of energy they sense from Kairos, yet he had enough power in his flesh to smash their attempt.

“W…wha… what kind of monster is this?”

“He... he broke all of that with just his muscles? What kind of physical constitution is needed for that?”

In their hearts, they are starting to feel remorse for their actions. It started off as merely a prank for them to deter this person they believed to be undeserving.

But with such power, no matter how unworthy Kairos is in the field of Stratagems, who dare deny him?

Now they understand from this display of unopposable might before their eyes that a single punch from Kairos can decimate the Stratagem of any research student, and send the person flying off.

Kairos had only unleashed his full power for a moment, but it still caused such an effect.

He had been training himself no lesser than any member in the Snowdrifts. In fact, as their sect’s master, he had pushed himself far harder than anyone. With the stimulus from his rich battle experience and this period of peace and tranquillity for him to train, most of his abilities have seen improvements.

Technically, it was only his power without the infusion of his Origin Energy, nor did he call upon the mana in the air. Therefore, if he wanted to, he could unleash an even greater force.

However, there is no need.

His body, which is even more formidable than an actual titan’s, splintered the binds, turned the metal ball to dust and broke the immobilising chains.

Those that saw could not understand how this is possible when they felt no undulation of Ki nor any form of energy from Kairos.

They trembled uncontrollably.

“He...he… He can see us! You guys saw it too right? He looked right at us…”

“We are going to die! We are all going to die!”

For a moment, a few of the senior research students wanted to escape to the safety of their homes, but the shock of seeing an immortal’s level of physical strength have turned their legs into jelly.

Kairos, knowingly ignoring their fright, and he leapt up towards the library.

The third way to destroy a Stratagem is to conquer the formation’s heart.

He effortlessly broke through the barrier securing the dark copper plate hung above the Stratagem Library’s door and reached for the artefact with his hand.

When he touched the cool metal, the last defence activated, as Lightning struck down upon Kairos. But, the bolts he received travelled through his body harmlessly and the lightning dragon within his Dantian greedily absorbed them.

Without so much as a strand of smoke rising from his body, Kairos pocketed the artefact amid the electric storm. It is a valuable Stratagem Plate that could project the four great combat stratagems with a moment’s notice, and since they attacked him with it, Kairos claimed it as his trophy.

Placing a hand on the handle to the library, Kairos turned one last time and faced the research students who are still in hiding.

He politely gave them a curt bow, thanking them for the lesson they provided on how they would use the combat Stratagems, and for the new treasure, he added to his collections.