At that very moment, the Codex of Ascension suddenly flipped open on its own. The pages revealed a set of characters that danced across the paper in an elegant, otherworldly script, and those words began to materialize in Shawn Young’s mind...
The calm half of Shawn Young’s brain scrutinized these words, realizing this ancient script was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. It was wild and flowing, yet brimming with a mysterious charm. Oddly enough, the text wasn’t as hard to understand as he’d imagined—the meanings between the lines were clear and simple. And Shawn wasn’t reading with his eyes at all; it was as if the uncontrollable side of his brain was hungrily devouring every word off that ancient book.
The whole text was packed with classic phrases, simple yet hinting at something deeply mysterious. Lucky for Shawn, being a history major at Southern University meant he had some background in ancient Chinese, so he didn’t find it too tough to follow. Still, some parts were written in bizarre seal script, and there were strange symbols like stamps—those, Shawn couldn’t make heads or tails of right away.
From the opening lines, Shawn learned that the Codex of Ascension could only be unlocked by someone who’d absorbed the essence of the Scarlet Viper—just a drop of their blood would break the hidden seal left by Elder Thomas. If a regular person stumbled into the Spirit Cavern and picked up this ancient tome, all they’d see would be blank pages—just like Shawn did at first, staring at a book with no words at all.
The Codex of Ascension was divided into several sections. The first part chronicled the origins and rise of the legendary Clear Sky Order.
The fourth section of the book described special talismans and magical seals, as well as the methods for making and using hand seals. There was also a part about refining all kinds of miraculous pills and elixirs—the recipes and extraction techniques for the ingredients were all included. The pills recorded here were said to be extremely effective. After this part was forcibly 'imprinted' into Shawn Young's mind, he couldn't help feeling itchy with curiosity, wishing he could immediately find those herbs and have a go at making some. However, certain special pills required entering a secret realm called the 'Celestial Jade Vessel.' Only in that realm could one find the 'Celestial Divine Furnace' necessary for refining those extraordinary pills. The location of the 'Celestial Jade Vessel' wasn't explained in detail, only that 'those with fate may enter through the Sea of Illusions.'
In a state that felt half-dream, half-awake, Shawn Young had no idea how much time had passed. The contents of the Supreme Ascension Codex were finally, through this bizarre method, forcibly 'imprinted' into his brain. When he felt his mind, which had been split in two, merge back together and his main consciousness returned, he slowly opened his eyes—
The first thing that surprised him—was that the Supreme Ascension Codex, which had been lying on the ground, had turned into a wisp of ethereal, rainbow-colored smoke and vanished before his eyes!
Shawn Young suddenly understood—Elder Thomas had used this special method to directly imprint the entire Supreme Ascension Codex into his mind. This way, there was no need to worry about others with ulterior motives getting their hands on it. Only Shawn, the 'fated one,' could slowly comprehend its mysteries.
Next, the pale blue jade pendant shaped like a small bottle, which had been placed inside the black box, slowly floated up into the air. It circled Shawn Young's head once, then suddenly transformed into a dazzling blue light and shot between his eyebrows—'whoosh!'—vanishing into the spot between his brows.
Suddenly, Shawn Young felt a surge of overwhelming power flooding his body. His eyes opened wide, yet his gaze was blank and unfocused. In that instant, an unprecedented vision appeared before him—as if an incredibly mysterious, vast world had been compressed and stuffed into his mind. The scenery was hazy and indistinct; though he could sense its boundless expanse, it seemed separated by a layer of misty, sticky clouds. It felt like he needed some special force to part the veil and truly explore its secrets.
After the tremendous dizziness passed, Shawn Young's consciousness returned to normal. To his astonishment, both the black box and the sandalwood box on the ground had vanished completely, just like Elder Thomas's physical body—they disappeared without a trace before his eyes. Shawn felt a sense of timeless melancholy, as if everything before him had never happened at all, if not for the Supreme Ascension Codex now imprinted in his mind.
At that moment, the entire mysterious Spirit Cavern suddenly shook violently, causing Shawn Young to collapse to the ground. The tremor was so intense it felt like a major earthquake. The rainbow-hued, crystal-clear stalactites on the cave ceiling shattered and fell nonstop, with heavy fragments crashing to the floor hard enough to leave deep pits. Seeing this, Shawn's face turned pale with fright, and he quickly scrambled to his feet and ran toward the cave entrance.
As soon as he rushed out of the cave, he heard a thunderous crash behind him. Turning to look, he saw the entire cave had been completely blocked by fallen rocks—it was now impossible to go back and find a way out.
Outside, the pond suddenly formed a huge whirlpool, spinning endlessly at its center as if it wanted to swallow everything that fell in. Stalactite fragments continued to rain down from above, forcing Shawn Young to dodge left and right. Suddenly, he slipped and fell into the pond, not even having time to cry out before the whirlpool dragged him under.
At that moment, Shawn Young felt a surging, mountain-toppling force sweep through his body. His eyes were wide open, yet his gaze was vacant. In that split second, he witnessed a scene like never before—an incredibly mysterious, vast world seemed to be compressed and poured into his mind. The scenery was shrouded in haze; although he could sense its boundless sky and sea, it was as if a layer of fog separated him from its true face, waiting for him to part the mist and see its reality.
After the intense dizziness faded, Shawn Young's consciousness snapped back to normal. To his shock, the black box and even the sandalwood box on the ground had vanished completely, just like Elder Thomas's body—gone without a trace before his eyes. Shawn felt a sense of timeless melancholy, as if everything before him had never happened, if not for the Supreme Ascension Codex now imprinted in his mind.
Suddenly, the entire Spirit Cavern trembled violently, knocking Shawn Young to the ground. The shaking was as fierce as an earthquake. The rainbow-colored, crystal-clear stalactites on the cave ceiling shattered and fell, with heavy chunks crashing down hard enough to gouge deep pits in the floor. Shawn's face turned pale with fright, and he quickly jumped up and ran for the cave entrance.
As soon as he escaped the cave, a thunderous crash sounded from behind. Turning back, Shawn saw the cave completely blocked by fallen rocks—there was no way to return or find the passage out.
Outside, the pond erupted with a giant whirlpool, spinning relentlessly at its center, as if it wanted to swallow everything that fell in. Stalactite fragments kept raining down, forcing Shawn Young to dodge frantically. Suddenly, his foot slipped—he tumbled into the pond, not even having time to scream before the whirlpool dragged him under.