sbdcsierra Chapter 44 A New Beginning
Chapter 44 A New Beginning
Su Yan clenched her fists: "Auntie wouldn't..."
"She will," Lin Han interrupted, "because you don't understand her at all. You don't understand the burning pain she endures every day from the displaced array core, you don't understand the despair she feels watching one guardian after another sacrifice, you don't understand the doubts she harbors deep within her heart about all of this. I just gave her an outlet, a chance to change things."
He stopped three meters away, looking at Li Shancheng: "You too, Shancheng. The Wen Shu bloodline gave you power, but it also gave you a heavy burden of responsibility. You're only twenty years old, yet you have to shoulder three thousand years of inheritance and be responsible for the lives and deaths of countless people. This is not fair. Join us, let's create a world that doesn't need guardians, a world where everyone can be truly free."
Li Shancheng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "The freedom you speak of is the deprivation of others' freedom to choose. The perfection you speak of is perfection that eliminates all differences. Such a world is not worth existing."
Lin Han's smile vanished: "That would be such a shame."
He took a step back, and the seven robed figures attacked simultaneously. Seven beams of energy of different colors shot towards Li Shancheng, weaving into a web of death in the air.
But Li Shancheng was prepared. The instant the energy beam touched him, he activated the Seven Star Harmony Technique—not for defense, but for absorption. Seven energies surged into his body simultaneously. An ordinary person would have immediately exploded and died due to the energy conflict. But the triangular energy core within his body (Wen Shu, Kan Wei, Li Wei) began to rotate rapidly, decomposing, transforming, and absorbing the seven energies.
"What?!" Lin Han showed a shocked expression for the first time.
Li Shancheng opened his eyes, which simultaneously flashed with seven colors of light: "Thank you, Lin Han. You have made me understand the true use of the Seven Star Power—not to control a certain power, but to understand all powers and allow them to coexist harmoniously."
He stretched out his hand, and the Spiritual Resonance Mark on his palm emitted an unprecedentedly bright light. Within the light, five fragments of the relic flew out automatically, hovering around him and beginning to rotate. As they rotated, they resonated, connecting with the projection of the Book of Light on the stone platform.
"Impossible... The Seven Star Harmony requires the balance of seven forces..." Lin Han murmured.
"But I have the Wen Shu," Li Shancheng said. "The Wen Shu is a catalog, an index, a key to understanding the other six powers. I don't need to master all the powers; I only need to understand how they can coexist."
He stepped forward, and with each step, the light emanating from him grew stronger. The seven robed figures attempted to attack again, but their energy was absorbed and transformed as they approached Li Shancheng, instead amplifying his power.
Walking up to the projection of the Book of Light, Li Shancheng reached out and gently touched the pages: "I heard your pain, and I heard your longing. But escape is not the answer, and forgetting is not liberation. True wisdom is to remember the pain, and then transcend it."
The Book of Light stopped vibrating, and the text on its pages began to change: "Remember...and then transcend...is it possible...?"
"Perhaps," Li Shancheng said, "because humanity is not just a record of mistakes and folly. It also has love, sacrifice, creation, and hope. These are equally worthy of being remembered."
The light from the Book of Light softened, transforming from a forced blue to a natural silver-white. It broke free from the box's constraints and flew towards Li Shancheng, merging into his body—not a forced fusion, but a voluntary return.
"No!" Lin Han finally lost his composure and took action himself. A peculiar device appeared in his hand, seemingly composed of miniature models of seven relics. The device emitted a dark red light, a product of the forced fusion and distortion of seven powers.
"If I can't obtain the complete Seven Star Power, I'll use the distorted version!" Lin Han roared. "The Heavenly Gate must open!"
He activated the device, and the entire space of the ancient book section began to distort. Bookshelves collapsed, floors cracked, and fissures appeared in the ceiling. From these fissures, dark red energy surged forth—the distorted laws of reality. Wherever it touched, matter began to be "rewritten"—stone became flesh and blood, paper became metal, air became liquid...
"He's forcibly altering a part of reality!" Su Yan shouted. "Stop him!"
But the dark red energy flow had already formed a vortex, protecting Lin Han and the device at its center. Anyone who approached would have their reality altered; they might become a monster, disappear, or transform into something entirely different.
Li Shancheng stared at the vortex, knowing that ordinary methods were ineffective. He looked at the ring on his hand, and his grandfather's voice seemed to echo in his ears again: "Understand the world, understand others, understand yourself..."
He understood. Lin Han's pursuit of a perfect world was actually a manifestation of his misunderstanding and rejection of reality. Because he didn't understand the complexity of reality, he wanted to simplify it. Because he didn't understand the diversity of humanity, he wanted to unify it. Because he didn't understand the inevitability of suffering, he wanted to eliminate it.
But true understanding begins with accepting imperfection.
Li Shancheng made a decision. Instead of attacking the vortex, he walked towards the three guardians on the stone platform. He touched their foreheads one by one, infusing them with the power of Wen Shu's understanding to help them resist the erosion of the curse.
"Wake up," he said. "Your world needs you."
The three guardians slowly opened their eyes. Although weak, they were conscious.
Then, Li Shancheng looked at Xu Qingqing, Su Yan, Liu Wei, and Cheng Xu: "I need your help. Not help in battle, but help in understanding."
"What should we do?" Xu Qingqing asked.
"Pass on to me your most authentic understanding of this world," Li Shancheng said. "The beautiful, the ugly, the hopeful, the despairing... all the real parts."
The five exchanged glances, then simultaneously placed their hands on Li Shancheng. Xu Qingqing conveyed the keenness of an observer, Su Yan the passion of an actor, Liu Wei the rigor of a researcher, Cheng Xu the rationality of a technician, and the three awakened guardians each conveyed the unique qualities of their respective strategic points.
All understanding converged within Li Shancheng, merging with Wen Shu's wisdom to form a completely new power—not the power to change reality, but the power to "reveal the truth of reality."
He walked towards the vortex, the dark red energy attempting to distort him, but around him, a transparent domain appeared. Within this domain, reality remained unchanged, unaffected. This was because the core of the domain was not confrontation, but the unwavering belief that "this is how reality truly is."
Lin Han watched in shock as Li Shancheng walked step by step into the center of the vortex, completely unharmed.
"Impossible... My reality rewriting field... should be able to change everything..."
"You can only change what you don't understand." Li Shancheng stood in front of him. "When you truly understand something, you can't change it arbitrarily, because you know how important its original form is."
He reached out and gently placed his hand on the device in Lin Han's hand. There was no violent destruction, only the infusion of understanding. The device began to disintegrate on its own, not shatter, but "return to its original state"—disintegrating into seven basic energies, and then dissipating.
The vortex disappeared, and the distorted reality returned to normal. The bookshelves stood upright again, the floor healed, and the ceiling was restored.
Lin Han knelt on the ground, the device in his hand now reduced to a pile of meaningless parts.
"You won," he said with a bitter smile, "but why? Why choose this imperfect world over a perfect possibility?"
"Because perfection is the destination, while life is a journey," Li Shancheng said. "If you go straight to the destination, you miss everything along the way. Those pains, those mistakes, those struggles... they are not stains that need to be erased, but rather part of 'who we are'."
Lin Han remained silent for a long time before saying, "Perhaps you are right. But it's too late. Although the ritual has been interrupted, the energy has already gathered. When the full moon rises completely, the gathered energy will get out of control, at least destroying the library and possibly affecting the surrounding neighborhoods."
Li Shancheng looked up at the ceiling, and through the ancient wooden beams, he could almost see the moon gradually becoming full in the night sky. He could sense that the energy gathered in the earth's vein network had indeed reached a critical point, and if it wasn't guided and released, a catastrophic explosion would occur.
"I have a way," he said.
He walked to the center of the ancient book section and sat down cross-legged. Five fragments of relics flew automatically to his side, and the projection of the Book of Light emerged from his body, unfolding above his head. The three awakened guardians also took their positions, forming support from three directions.
"Do you need any help?" Su Yan asked.
"I need you," Li Shancheng said, "but not in battle. I need you... and all the books in the library."
"Book?"
"The core of the literary array is the eye of knowledge," Li Shancheng explained. "Knowledge is not just the words stored in books, but also the energy generated when it is read, understood, and remembered. Every book in the library that has been carefully read leaves behind the reader's understanding and emotions. These tiny fragments of energy, when gathered together, become a powerful force."
He closed his eyes, extending his consciousness to connect with every book in the library. Not just the ancient books in the antiquities section, but also the novels in the modern reading area, the research in the science section, the art books in the art section... every book was responding to his call.
The books on the bookshelves began to glow, faint and various kinds of light—golden light of wisdom, blue light of melancholy, red light of passion, green light of hope... These lights detached from the books and converged in the center of the ancient book section, forming a huge sphere of light.
The sphere of light grew brighter, yet gentle and not dazzling. Within it, countless images flickered: a child's surprise upon first reading a fairy tale, a scholar's sudden realization upon solving a difficult problem, lovers passing love letters between the pages, an elderly person reminiscing as they reread an old book...
This is the collective memory of human knowledge, the spiritual legacy of civilization.
Looking at all this, Lin Han's eyes showed genuine hesitation for the first time: "These...are all..."
"These are all part of the 'imperfections' you're trying to eliminate," Li Shancheng said. "But it's precisely these imperfections that give knowledge warmth and memory weight."
He guided the sphere of light upwards, through the library's roof, and towards the full moon in the night sky. The moonlight and the sphere of light merged, forming a giant pillar of light that connected heaven and earth.
The violent energy gathered in the earth's ley lines is drawn into the pillar of light, flowing into it and being "digested" and transformed by the power of knowledge. It is not about elimination, but about understanding—understanding the nature of these energies, understanding why they gather, and then guiding them to dissipate in a harmless way.
The entire process lasted a full hour. As the last wisp of violent energy was transformed, the full moon rose to its zenith, perfectly bright, but without that dangerous oppressive feeling.
The pillar of light slowly dissipated, and the sphere of light broke down into countless points of light, falling like snowflakes and returning to each book. The library returned to its tranquility, with only moonlight streaming through the windows onto the floor, peaceful and serene.
Li Shancheng opened his eyes, feeling an unprecedented exhaustion, but also an unprecedented peace. He had succeeded—not through confrontation, but through understanding.
Lin Han was restrained by Su Yan and Xu Qingqing. He did not resist, but just stared at the full moon outside the window with a complicated expression.
"What will you do with me?" he asked.
"It's not about punishment, it's about helping," Li Shancheng said. "You need to understand that real change isn't about imposing it on others, but about starting with yourself. Perhaps you can start with reading."
He pointed to the surrounding bookshelves: "Here lies the wisdom of all humanity—the good, the bad, the ugly, the beautiful... all presented truthfully. Read it, truly understand who we are, and then, perhaps you will find a better way to change the world."
Lin Han fell silent.
Outside the window, the first rays of dawn began to appear in the east. The long night had finally passed, and a new day was about to begin.
But Li Shancheng knew this was just the beginning. The array's core needed repair, the curse needed to be lifted, Su Qing needed healing, the disrupted balance needed to be rebuilt... and countless tasks remained to be done.
But he no longer felt burdened, because he understood the true meaning of protection: not to bear everything, but to understand everything; not to fight against darkness, but to light up the light; not to control the world, but to accept the world as it is, and then, with the power of understanding, to make it a little better.
Xu Qingqing walked over to him and handed him a glass of water: "You've worked hard."
Li Shancheng took the water glass and looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky: "It's not over yet. But at least we've had a good start."