Only I Am A Reader

Although Yeon was the one to come out on top and become the Heavenly Demon at the very end, that didn't mean that she was the only talent around. Rather, the competition was especially tough… and the reason for that was now in front of Leo.

'He is…'

Through the changes brought by Leo's influence, he and Yeon were the first to emerge from the first phase. However, the actual order wasn't much different, it was just that the one to come on top was different.

'Not what I expected.'

Cheon Yong, previously known as 'Two', was the one to specifically take that top spot, spending fourteen months to break out from the first phase. Leo had naturally taken notice of the child who always fought the first every day, but he didn't expect him to become someone like the Demon Dragon. The reason for that was…

"Oh! So Ninety-Nine's name was Baekho! We both have cool names!"

He was definitely as energetic as his future self, but Leo simply couldn't connect his childish image with the battle addict that he would eventually become. It wasn't often that a Martial Artist's nickname would contain the word 'Demon' in it after the cult's reformation, but whoever had it, had it for a good reason!

"Hundred as well, I wonder if our future nicknames would be as cool?"

Still, Leo could already see that he was a budding lunatic just like the rest of them. Even in the pressuring Heavenly Furnace, Cheon Yong managed to maintain some of his childish traits, looking happy and excited all that time. In a way, his talent gave him that much leeway.

After arriving a month ago, he barely took a week to clear his Energy Channels and fill his Dantian. This was still slow compared to Yeon, but as someone who arrived the fastest in the original novel, Cheon Yong's physique was stronger than that of Yeon. The only thing that held him back to this moment was his weapon skill, but even that was no longer a problem.

Compared to Yeon whose strong point lay in Internal Energy practice, or Leo who had a certain advantage when it came to learning skills, Cheon Yong was what could be called an all-rounder genius, he wasn't one to lag behind in any aspect even if he fell slightly behind!

In the time when Leo was still slowly digesting what was left of his Scarlet Cloud Pills, Cheon Yong had already finished his own bottle, the reason why they were all joined was also because of that.

"Three months had passed and only the three of you had made it, but that's more than enough. You have been stacking your Internal Energy and it's about time for you to put it to good use."

They were finally done with the basics of the second phase!

The children had all started the Heavenly Furnace's trials at the same time, but there was no reason to wait for all of them to start the second phase. Just like the several filtrations implemented throughout the first phase, finishing early in itself was also some sort of filtration.

[ Normal event change has been detected. Plot Adjustment confirmed. ]

However, the time to start the second phase wasn't strictly set to be three months after a year's passing. Instead, everything relied on the children themselves. The three months period only started after the first student managed to advance into the second stage, so starting this point, things had been truly pushed forward.

[ Under the Reader's influence, Secondary Main Character's 'Training' event has been initiated ahead of time. Schedule has been adjusted. ]

In the original novel, the second phase had still started early, but it was only pushed to be two months after Cheon Yong's advancement. Now, however, another month was skipped forward.

[ You have received 12 Reading Points. ]

Not that the change of a month had much of an impact anyway.

Click!

The three children standing in front of Iyeolhan were still newbies, but they could sense him injecting his key into the tunnel's dead end as he didn't try to hide it to begin with. Blatant anticipation could be observed on Cheon Yong's face while Yeon stood like a frozen statue. Only Leo's expression was somewhat normal in comparison to the hot and cold pair.

'It's about time.'

Shhh… shhhh…

The wall looked no different from any other natural wall, but it suddenly sprung open in reaction to Iyeolhan's Internal Energy, revealing a sight that Leo was very familiar with.

"Follow me."

Bookcases surrounded by bookcases surrounded by more bookcases! This was a reader's paradise!

'Finally!'

Yeon remained frozen as she probably knew about this before they entered. Leo didn't show it, but the excitement in his heart surpassed Cheon Yong who was already overcome with disappointment.

"Each of you had learned the skill to handle their weapon, but that's only the prerequisites required from a Martial Artist. Now, it's time to acquire the Internal Energy Technique to utilize all the experience and energy that you have accumulated."

There were no decorations spread in the area, nor a legion of warriors standing guard. However, this shabby-looking place was none other than the Heavenly Demon's Secret Library!

The place was reminiscent of Leo's 'Reading Space', but their worth was incomparable. Compared to the space that disappointingly had tons of books that he had already finished, every book in this library was a new read that he had never seen before! This was a dream come true!

"You are free to look around for the rest of the day, but you can only pick 2 books to be copied for your use. If you are still confused about what would suit you by the end of the day, you can consult with me for a recommendation."

Iyeolhan quickly explained before taking out a chair and sitting down, he had guided the promising ones inside, but whatever they found depended on themselves. Only…

'Just two?'

A certain reader had no intention to follow the call of destiny!