Icaros's mind raced like lightning as he weighed the offer – the benefits, stakes, and his place in this new world. As thoughts swirled through his head, the man he'd deduced was the Li Sect Master stared silently, a faint smirk on his face.

After what felt like an eternity, Icaros spoke calmly: "I greet the Sect Master."

Instead of the reaction he expected, the man laughed aloud, turning to Deimos who stood a foot behind Icaros. "This lad is sharp – he already knows who I am, but it seems he still has much to learn."

"Yes, Father," Deimos replied. Turning to Icaros, he pulled a rectangular jade object from his armor pocket and handed it over. "Take this jade slip to the men outside the hall. They'll tell you what to do next."

"Men outside the hall?" Icaros muttered, turning the slip over in his hands. Seeing his confusion, Deimos explained: "Cultivators at high enough level develop what we call divine sense – it lets us perceive more than our physical eyes can, and do things like encrypt information into objects like this slip. Only someone with divine sense can read it."

Icaros furrowed his brow, struggling to process everything, then recovered and walked calmly out of the hall.

As Icaros's figure faded toward the doors, Deimos turned to his father. "Do you really believe his story?"

The Sect Master laughed, his expression thoughtful. "Of course not. But he's definitely not from any opposing power,and from what you've told me about your findings in the azure forest,plus the recent event that will soon happen,there's definitely a huge storm brewing, we'll need all the strength we can get."

Icaros examined the jade slip with curiosity as he stepped into the sunlight. "Surprisingly, everything worked out well," he thought, smiling to himself. Just outside the grand hall, he spotted the four men from the forest – the same ones who'd piloted the flying vessel, though he had no idea how it worked.

He approached them and held out the slip, his tone calm and face impassive. "Young Master Deimos said I should give you this."

One of the men,studied him closely before taking the jade. He closed his eyes, as if listening or seeing something beyond sight. Icaros wondered what he was doing, but before his thoughts could wander, the man opened his eyes – a flicker of surprise in his gaze. He stared at Icaros for a moment, then smiled. "Follow me, and don't wander off."

Icaros nodded obediently. The man gestured to the other three. "Return to your duties – your work here is done." They scattered, and Icaros noticed this man was dressed better than the rest with a green robe,filing the detail away as he followed.

They walked for nearly an hour through a district of grand mansions with intricate architecture. Eventually, they reached a glowing blue light barrier, with a manor built beside it. As Icaros studied the barrier and what lay beyond, the man pulled a token from his robe and waved it toward the manor.

Suddenly, Icaros felt an intense gaze on him – instinct flared, and he tensed to act. But the feeling vanished instantly, and a gap opened in the blue barrier.

"Relax," the man chuckled. "That was just a senior's divine sense sweeping over us to verify our identity before opening the barrier."

Icaros nodded, making a mental note. "This divine sense is both annoying and convenient – I wish I had it," he thought. His attention was soon drawn to the buildings ahead: still well-crafted, but lacking the grandeur of the previous district.

"The first hall and section are for the sect's upper echelon and core disciples," the man explained as they walked. "Those with high cultivation, power, talent, and unwavering loyalty – the sect's foundation. This area is for inner disciples, who have strong cultivation and good talent. Beyond here is where most disciples live, unless they earn a spot as an inner disciple."

"I appreciate the information," Icaros said formally, looking around as he kept pace.

The man laughed softly. "No need to thank me – you'll be heading to the library soon, and this will all be covered there."

"Library?!" Icaros's face showed genuine surprise.

"Yes," the man replied. "The Young Master's message in the jade slip says you need to learn about the cultivation world to avoid appearing and being ignorant. Though your time is limited."

"Why is that?" Icaros asked.

"You have the rest of today to prepare. By tomorrow, I'll lead you and other new recruits on your first mission. Succeed – and survive – and you'll become an official sect member." He quickened his pace slightly, as if to emphasize there was no time to waste.

Icaros drew a deep breath at the mention of a mission. His first task on Earth, saving humans had been rewarding and even enjoyable. But his last mission still haunted him: killing the only other being like himself.

They soon passed the inner disciples' area and entered the district for outer and non-official disciples. Outer disciples lived in full houses, big enough for families, arranged in neat rows. Non-official disciples were housed in simple but sturdy rooms lined in grids – and Icaros was given one, along with a key and a library permit from the Young Master. The man also introduced himself: Li Han – a name Icaros vaguely recalled Deimos using back in the forest.

Icaros sat on the only bed in his new room, reviewing the day's events – a habit he'd kept through millennia on Earth. After several minutes of quiet thought, he decided he'd handled things as well as possible. He knew there were gaps in his story to the Sect Master, but pushed that worry aside.

His next step was clear: visit the library. First, to erase his obvious ignorance. Second, to prepare for the newbie mission tomorrow – he had only one day to get ready.

A new mission... A smirk crossed his face. "For now, my mission is the library."

In a crowded district of the Li Sect, people of all ages moved about their daily routine with purpose and energy. Stalls lined the wide, dirt-packed paths – some merchants displayed their wares on sturdy wooden tables covered in cloth, while others laid out goods directly on strips of fabric spread over the bare ground. Every single person in sight wore simple grey robes, the standard attire for outer disciples,unofficial disciples and some mortals who came to trade, save for a few guards who stood watch at intervals throughout the bustle.

These guards were clad head-to-toe in polished steel armor, with a single well-crafted sword attached to their waist by leather belts, their eyes sharp as they scanned the crowd for any sign of trouble. Amidst the sea of grey and the steady murmur of voices, Icaros walked with ease, his presence blending in despite his calm bearing.

Icaros had a chiseled, athletic build with sharp facial features, piercing eyes that seemed to take in every detail around him, and a strong jawline that added to his striking appearance. He exuded calm confidence and deliberate composure in his plain grey robe, moving through the throng with a grace that belied his immense strength. Even as people brushed past him and merchants called out their wares, he maintained his focus, his posture relaxed but alert – a habit forged through thousands of years of protecting others on Earth.

His brows were gently furrowed as he held an old, weathered map in both hands, running his fingers over the faded ink markings that showed the layout of the sect's lower districts. The paper felt thin and fragile beneath his touch, and he handled it with care despite his power.

"It should be just ahead – the map marks the library at the end of this path," Icaros muttered to himself, folding the map carefully along its creases and tucking it into a hidden pocket inside his robe.

He quickened his pace slightly, weaving smoothly through the crowd as his curious eyes drifted over the stalls around him. There were items he'd never seen before: glowing stones set in simple metal frames, dried herbs bundled with colorful string, small wooden carvings of beasts that seemed to shift in the light. Though each display caught his attention and sparked questions about this new world, he stayed focused on his primary goal – he had little time to spare before tomorrow's mission.

"Woah – this kind of building would be a palace on Earth, with guards at every gate and only nobles allowed inside. But here, it's just a low-level library meant for outer and unofficial disciples. The Li Sect truly is on a scale I never imagined."

The structure stretched wide across his field of vision, its walls made of smooth, light-colored stone that shone faintly in the afternoon sun. Neat architectural lines gave it a sense of order and grandeur, with majestic pillars carved with images of mythical birds supporting the sloped roof. A large wooden sign bearing the word "Library" in bold, black characters hung prominently above the entrance, its surface polished to a shine that added to the building's impressive presence.

Icaros paused at the edge of the path, pulling out a square bronze card from his robe and turning it over in his hands. He recalled Li Han's words from earlier that day, spoken in a quiet tone as he'd handed over the permit: "This card gives you access to all the knowledge outer disciples and unofficial disciple will ever need– basic cultivation principles, sect rules, maps of the surrounding lands, and more. Though you're still considered an unofficial disciple, you can consider it a gift from Young Master Deimos – he wanted to make sure you're prepared for what comes next."

Only the word "Li" was carved into the card's smooth surface, but when Icaros focused his gaze due to curiousity, he faintly saw intricate magical runes glowing with a soft blue light hidden just beneath the bronze. He narrowed his eyes, concentrating harder, but the runes remained just out of full view. "My enhanced sight still works here – I just need to focus like I did back on Earth. It's reassuring to know at least my unique abilities haven't been lost in this transition,as i haven't even tested my optic blast " He smiled slightly as he remembered one of his earliest acts on Earth, centuries ago – saving a bus of school children from plunging off a collapsing bridge by spotting the weakened structure with his heightened vision before anyone else could see the danger. "If my strength, durability, speed, and sight all work as they should, it stands to reason my other abilities do too. But I can't test flight or optic blasts yet – not when I need to lie low, learn my place in this world, and keep my true nature hidden."

By the time his thoughts settled and he tucked the card back into his robe, he'd reached the library's massive doors. They were made of a dark, polished wood he didn't recognize, and when he placed his hand on the surface to push them open, it felt cool to the touch, even in the warm afternoon air. As he stepped forward, he noticed the same armored guards from the market were posted at the library's entrance and along the walls, their stances steady and alert – but it was as if they paid him no mind as he approached, their gaze fixed on the crowd beyond.

Inside, the air was cool and still, with rows upon rows of wooden shelves stretching into the distance, each one filled with neatly arranged books bound in leather or cloth. The smell of paper and ink hung in the air, mixed with a faint, earthy scent he couldn't identify. A middle-aged man in crisp white robes sat at a sturdy wooden table near the entrance – Icaros noted immediately that he was missing his left arm, and the sleeve of his robe was neatly folded and tied at his elbow. The man seemed completely absorbed in a thick book open before him, his brow furrowed in concentration as he read. Before Icaros could step forward to speak, he felt a familiar tingle across his skin – the same feeling he'd had when Li Han's senior had scanned him with divine sense earlier that day. It was as if the man was studying him from head to toe, his attention sweeping over every part of Icaros's body with an intensity that would have made most people uncomfortable.

The man looked up from his book then, his eyes meeting Icaros's with a gaze that held both condescension and disdain. "So you're the so-called strong warrior that brat Deimos brought back from the mortal world?" he said, his voice low but clear, carrying across the quiet entrance hall.

Icaros's brow furrowed briefly in surprise – this was the first time he'd heard anyone address Young Master Deimos with such disrespect. He paused for a moment, weighing his response carefully before relaxing his expression and straightening his shoulders. He replied in a calm, even tone, with no emotion detectable in his voice: "I am indeed the one Deimos brought back. I've come to use the library, and I have a permit for entry." With that, he tossed the bronze card gently toward the man, his movements controlled and precise.

The card flew through the air smoothly, and just as it seemed about to pass the man's figure, his right hand shot out and caught it with superhuman speed – so fast that Icaros barely saw the movement. It was a small detail, but one that made him raise an eyebrow in interest – this seemingly ordinary librarian was far stronger than he appeared,maybe even stronger than me,a quiet thought appeared in his mind.

"Confident and cocky, but willing to bend low to get what you want," the man said, his tone that of someone who was used to being in charge. He turned the card over in his hand, his eyes scanning its surface. "But you're on the wrong side, boy – siding with Deimos means you've made enemies you don't even know exist yet."

He swept his gaze over the card one more time – Icaros suspected he was using his divine sense to verify its authenticity – then tossed it back with the same gentle motion Icaros had used. But as Icaros reached out to catch it, an enormous weight and pressure suddenly slammed into his hand, so strong it nearly made him stumble backward. He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, using his strength to grasp the card firmly until the pressure faded away. When he looked up, the man was watching him with a faint smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"You can only access the first floor with that bronze card," the man called out as Icaros turned to walk deeper into the library. "All other floors are restricted unless you have a silver or gold permit – and those aren't given out to just anyone. Stick to what you're allowed to see, and stay out of trouble."

Once Icaros's figure had disappeared into the rows of shelves, the man leaned back in his chair and smiled to himself, his earlier disdain replaced by a look of approval. "That brat Deimos found a strong helper this time – maybe strong enough to make a difference when the struggle begins."

Time passed quickly as Icaros immersed himself in the library's vast collection of knowledge,not minding other disciples in the library. True to the Li Sect's reputation as one of the world's four great powers, the books covered everything from basic cultivation theory and beast classification to maps of the contested lands and histories of the sect's founding. With his enhanced physiology, his mind processed information far faster than any ordinary human could – he flipped through pages as if just scanning them, or glancing at the illustrations – yet every word, every diagram, every detail was imprinted clearly in his memory. It was an ability he'd discovered shortly after arriving on Earth millennia ago, when he'd realized his cosmic form allowed him to absorb and retain information with perfect clarity.

After what felt like hours – he gently placed the last book back on its shelf, straightening it carefully to match the others around it. "Finally – everything falls into place," he breathed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment as he let the mountain of information he'd just acquired settle in his mind. He now understood the basics of cultivation, the structure of the sect,the structure of the cultivation world,different powers and sects, and what to expect from tomorrow's mission.

It turns out, this world was far more complex than he'd initially imagined – it was a realm entirely on its own, nothing like the Earth he'd called home for ten thousand years. Every detail he'd absorbed from the library's books painted a picture of a place with rules, powers, and structures that defied everything he'd known before,well,not entirely everything.

Icaros took a deep breath, letting the cool evening air fill his lungs as he stood just outside the library doors. He'd spent hours inside, and the sun was now beginning to dip toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the sect's paths. He acknowledged the unshakeable fact: he was in a different world, and there was no going back – at least not for now. He hadn't even begun to figure out how he'd been pulled from the sun's flames and deposited here, and dwelling on it only left him with more questions than answers. What Icaros maybe didn't realize was that maybe deep down inside, there was a desire to live.

"I have to navigate through this world for the time being," he thought, closing his eyes for a moment as the knowledge he'd read flashed through his mind like a stream of light. The social status and hierarchy here were completely unlike Earth's. In his old world, power had been spread across nations, governments, and institutions – but here, in the cultivation world at least, only strength and personal power mattered above all else,although power was divided among cultivation sects and clans,it was still individuals that made the sects and clans as it is . He'd also discovered the world was broadly divided into two groups: mortals and cultivators.

Mortals were much like the humans Icaros had protected on Earth – they built cities, formed governments, and lived lives bound by time and physical limits. Their social structures were more organized and civil compared to the cutthroat cultivation world, with laws and systems designed to keep order. But when cultivators interfered in mortal affairs, chaos often followed. Wars would break out over resources, territory, or disputes between powerful sects, and the damage could ripple across entire regions,ending a vast amount of mortal lives. It had become so severe that the four great superpowers eventually signed an agreement: no cultivator was to interfere excessively with mortal life. The pact was rooted in practicality as much as compassion – mortals were the primary source of new cultivators, and while cultivators lived far longer than ordinary people,they rarely had children, and their mortality rate from battles and cultivation accidents was high.

In the cultivation world, while there was a semblance of structure – sects, clans, and ranks – in reality, strength was the only true measure of worth. An individual cultivator could wield power enough to rival entire nations, and that level of might shaped every aspect of life. At the very top of the cultivation hierarchy stood four supreme individuals, each the leader of one of the world's greatest powers.

The Li Sect was one of them, founded by the wielder of the Nega Bands – one of four legendary weapons that granted their users unmatched power, passed down through generations. Next was the Battle Force Sect, whose supreme weapon was the magical hammer Mjolnir; their leader was always called Thor, a title carried through every era. Then there was the Heavenly Sword Sect, which held the Heavenly Sword – a weapon passed to the sect's best disciple each generation. The last of the four was the Nine Transformation Sect, known to many as a demonic and evil power, whose founder and leaders wielded the Nine Transformation Demonic Book.

According to the texts, these four mystical weapons and treasures were discovered long ago by four friends who were cultivators in the early days of the cultivation world. The story told of how they'd set off on an adventure to explore uncharted lands, only to stumble into a danger zone formed by the force of nature – a place split into four separate parts by the sheer might of the weapons hidden within. Each of the four was trapped in a different section, and for years, the world believed them dead. But one day, they emerged alive, wielding the mythical treasures, and the dangerous zone vanished behind them. What should have been a triumphant return quickly turned sour – no one knew what had transpired inside the zone, but the friends had changed dramatically. Not just their ideologies, but their very personalities had been reshaped – it was this transformation that gave birth to their conflicting ideals. Whether it was the influence of the weapons or the trials they'd faced, their differences ran so deep that they eventually clashed in a battle that shook the continent and caused catastrophic natural disasters. In the end, no one won – instead, each retreated to form their own power, and no other cultivator could stand against them. Over time, their organizations grew into the four great superpowers known today. Though their core beliefs about cultivation varied widely, Icaros learned that the lowest stage of cultivation – body refinement – followed the same basic pattern across all sects, even if details differed.

Body refinement was divided into three parts: blood refinement, bone refinement, and flesh refinement. Completing all three stages didn't make one a true cultivator, but it prepared the body to enter the Spirit Realm – the first tier of genuine cultivation, where the real benefits and power began to manifest. This was where the four sects' paths diverged sharply, though Icaros couldn't learn much about the Spirit Realm from the low-level library he'd used – its contents were limited to what outer and unofficial disciples needed to know. From what he'd gathered, the Li Sect focused on harnessing spirit qi, making it the most orthodox path. The Battle Force Sect prioritized physical training, weapon mastery, and battle prowess, though their spirit qi cultivation was weaker by comparison. The Heavenly Sword Sect was made up of sword fanatics who pursued the ultimate potential of blade arts, developing magical and terrifying sword skills. The Nine Transformation Demonic Sect cultivated demonic qi, using it to transform their bodies for battle and other magical arts,which some can be considered forbidden. While Icaros didn't yet fully understand what spirit qi or demonic qi were, he grasped that they were forms of energy fundamental to this world – a place the texts called the Jade Continent, likely named for its abundant deposits of jade, which were used in everything from cultivation tools to building materials.

With all this knowledge settling in his mind, every small detail he'd wondered about since waking up in the forest suddenly made sense. He no longer felt like a lost novice stumbling through unfamiliar territory. A genuine smile bloomed on his face as he straightened his grey robe and stepped toward the library's entrance, where the one-armed man still sat at his table.

"Junior has finished using the library," Icaros said respectfully, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you, senior."

The man nodded with a casual, unconcerned expression, but deep in his heart, he was surprised. "He's catching up fast – he already knows the proper etiquette," he thought, a flicker of shock crossing his mind before he masked it. It had been less than three hours since Icaros had entered the library. "Maybe he just focused on small but important things like etiquette," he mused, a smile returning to his face. If he'd known that Icaros had absorbed every single book on the first floor – memorizing even the most obscure details – his jaw would have dropped to the ground in disbelief.

As Icaros walked away from the library and into the growing evening crowd, he continued to organize his thoughts. "So the grey robes are for outer and unofficial disciples like me," he reminded himself. "Green is for inner disciples, blue for core disciples, and white for elders. That man was wearing white – so he's an elder of the sect. I already have a run-in with an elder on my very first day here." He let out a quiet chuckle at the thought, then grew serious again. "According to proper etiquette, I have to address elders – and even outer disciples with higher standing – as 'senior,' no matter their age. Only those at the same cultivation level can be called 'fellow cultivator.'"

"I shouldn't antagonize that elder too early," he decided as his silhouette melted into the crowd of grey-robed disciples. "I don't even know where my full power ranks in this world yet. More importantly,I need to lay low and thread carefully.

I don't want to become one of the countless cultivators who die every year from battles, accidents, or power struggles." With that goal firmly in mind, he merged with the crowd, heading toward his quarters to rest before the mission that would determine his place in the Li Sect.